“Fuck! Everyone! Run!” The Miao Family only had three Separation and Reunion Boundary guards in the manor, and in less than thirty breaths they had been butchered without being able to resist, those who remained were only Qi Transformation Stage cultivators, how could they dare to stay? Suddenly eerie sounds floated out.
*Ka kaka* Old Demon cackled, his Soul Breaker Awl flitting back and forth, every time it flashed, another life would be taken. It was not long before more than a dozen of these old men, all Qi Transformation Stage guards, were lying on the ground.
With dead bodies strewn all over, the stench of blood filling the air, Yang Kai’s Yuan Qi whirled around like a violent storm, his whole body covered in Evil Qi, coupled with his dark clothes, he truly looked like a demon.
*Bang!* The courtyard’s main door burst open and Miao Hua Cheng rushed out from the house. The first thing he saw was the chaotic scene Yang Kai had painted, suddenly feeling a cold chill run down his spine.
He had heard the ruckus Yang Kai had caused since he arrived to make trouble for the Miao Family, but with two naked beauties before him, he had been reluctant to get involved, barely managing to force himself up. However, even if he knew a battle was going on outside, he first had to get dressed, or else wouldn’t he have to fight naked?
While he changed though, the continuous screams of the guards had made him panic, even forgetting to do up all his buttons.
Donning his hastily worn robes, he finally rushed out and was stunned to see that none of the guards had survived; all of them lay dead at his feet.
Only about a hundred feet in front of him he saw a man wrapped in black clothes, slowly stepping towards him. However, his swirling Yuan Qi, although violent, still indicated that he was only a peak Qi Transformation Stage.
This discovery allowed Miao Hua Cheng’s panicking heart to settle somewhat.
“Who are you?” Miao Hua Cheng roared furiously, his hate-filled eyes staring at Yang Kai.
The other side did not answer, instead gradually accelerating his pace.
“You court death!” Miao Hua Cheng raged and also began advancing towards Yang Kai, the distance between the two quickly closing.
It wasn’t until they reached thirty feet from each other that Miao Hua Cheng suddenly pointed his finger towards Yang Kai, a sharp wind rushed out, emitting a whistling sound.
Yang Kai instinctively shifted his body, letting the wind brush past, leaving only a small bloodstain.
Miao Hua Cheng was shocked, he had not expected that at such a close distance, the other side had actually escaped his own attack, but he did not panic, instead he started laughing maliciously as he launched another finger.
This was not a high-grade martial skill, but it won in terms of speed and Yuan Qi consumption, making it difficult for opponents to face.
While launching his attack, his eyes suddenly lost trace of Yang Kai, and the next moment, Miao Hua Cheng felt a blistering heat approaching his back.
“You little shit!” Although he was shocked by Yang Kai’s speed, Miao Hua Cheng was still a peak Separation and Reunion Boundary cultivator, how could he not have some hidden tricks.
Reflexively using some unknown movement skill, Miao Hua Cheng shot forward several tens of feet, causing Yang Kai’s attack to hit nothing but air.
Turning around, Miao Hua Cheng while still, mid-air launched a double palm skill, pushing his Yuan Qi to the limit, he shouted, “Slaughtering Wind!”
The whistling sound of wind could be heard vaguely, and Miao Hua Cheng’s two palms suddenly became blurred, one by one emitting wind blades invisible to the naked eye, rapidly flying out towards Yang Kai.
Although he could not see these attacks with his eyes, Yang Kai’s sense were unusually sharp, allowing him to perceive the trajectories and movements of these wind blades.
His image flashed, swiftly avoiding them.
*Woosh* The wind blades flew past, brushing past Yang Kai’s clothes and striking the ground behind him, leaving a line of cracks on the floor. However, Yang Kai was still unharmed, only a few pieces of his dark robes went flying.
Miao Hua Cheng grinned, increasing his speed a little, he shouted, “Let’s see how long you can dodge!”
More than a dozen wind blades flew out at the same time, blocking off any escape route Yang Kai had.
Yang Kai’s look went cold, no longer holding back, he furiously pushed his True Yang Yuan Qi, his whole body emitting a dazzling flame as bright as the sun, crossing his arms in front of his chest, he braced himself for the impact.
A series of dull sounds burst, the wind blades had struck, leaving cuts all over his chest, arms, neck, and thighs. The cuts were deep, all spewing blood, giving an appalling appearance.
However, Miao Hua Cheng was surprised, because through this exchange, although he had injured his opponent, he had failed to take the other’s life. It could even be said that those injuries were only minor injuries, skin traumas that did not even reach the bone.
How could this dark Yuan Qi be so vigorous and pure, able to withstand his own peak Separation and Reunion Boundary full force martial skill?
Seeing Yang Kai suffer such a loss, Old Demon was furious and implored him to let him attack, but Yang Kai strongly refused.
This battle, he wanted to settle it by himself!
Not only was he doing this to explore the full extent of his current strength, but Yang Kai also wanted to use this battle to consolidate his sensibility and break through. If he had Old Demon’s help, taking Miao Hua Cheng’s life would not be difficult, but that would be contrary to his own martial path.
Aware of Yang Kai’s determination, Old Demon could only encourage him to be careful and no longer interfered, just waiting within the Soul Breaker Awl, guarding against any outside interference.
It wasn’t until now that Miao Hua Cheng finally saw Yang Kai’s face clearly, this dark robed figure was actually only a fifteen or sixteen-year-old boy. His expression showed unyielding determination, mocking laughter, madness, bloodlust, and calm, all perfectly blended together in one place, giving a strange feeling of chaotic contradiction and coordination all at once.
Miao Hua Cheng frowned, calling out, “Young man, have we met somewhere before?”
As soon as he saw this face, he felt that it was vaguely familiar, but he could not remember where he had seen it.
In fact, it was a few months ago when he had last seen Yang Kai, but back then his appearance was that of a little beggar covered in dirt. How could Miao Hua Cheng possibly associate this awe-inspiring, bursting with Evil Qi Yang Kai with that time’s little beggars?
No answer came, the other side simply refused to speak.
“Damn little bastard, you dare act presumptuously in my Miao Family Home, you court death!” Miao Hua Cheng no longer bothered talking, activating his movement skill and arriving in front of Yang Kai, he began furiously attacking, desperately trying to take his life.
Yang Kai also activated his movement skill to deal with him, sometimes attacking with his palms, sometimes punching with his fists, engaging in a fierce battle with Miao Hua Cheng.
Gradually, the gap in cultivation, a full great realm, began to show as Yang Kai soon found himself at a disadvantage, only able to passively defend himself. On the other hand Miao Hua Cheng’s momentum continued to increase, his face now showing a contemptuous sneer.
But Yang Kai was not anxious, although he was fighting with a peak Separation and Reunion Boundary master, continuously suffering losses, and could even be said to be a risk of serious injury or even death, he continued to push forward with his stubborn determination.
He needed to experience this gap between life and death to consolidate his own martial arts sensibility in order to push beyond his current limits and break through to the next realm.
This could not be considered as an intelligent choice, but rather a desperate gamble. Yang Kai’s behavior could be described as walking a wire at high-altitude. All Old Demon could do was watch in fright as a soul wrenching feeling possessed him.
As he suffered more and more injuries, and his body’s Yuan Qi rioted violently, the heat from his bones burned stronger and stronger; it was as if he could not suppress the energy stored in the Unyielding Golden Body and it was constantly on the verge of bursting out.
While Yang Kai was being suppressed, with only his peak Qi Transformation Stage cultivation he was still putting up a fight against Miao Hua Cheng.
On the other hand, Miao Hua Cheng, an old wily cultivator who held numerous cards, was attacking furiously, but he was always unable to kill Yang Kai. Although he had given him multiple injuries, the other side always managed to avoid death, and had actually managed to not even suffer any serious blows.
As time passed, Miao Hua Cheng faintly began to feel something was not quite right.
The crazy kid in front of him, his rioting Yuan Qi was slowly showing signs of convergence, the frequency of his counterattacks were increasing and becoming more difficult to cope with; they were reckless and without any pattern or strategy to them.
A smile slowly emerged on Yang Kai’s face, he faintly felt the bottleneck preventing him from ascending to the next realm begin to shake, causing him to focus even greater attention on experiencing this life and death battle.
His defensive style up till now gradually began to change, as if some invisible burden had been lifted from him, allowing his movements become free-flowing and unpredictable, gradually shifting from defense to offense.
After another brief exchange, Yang Kai’s sensibility became much more profound, with the Yuan Qi surging in his body, bringing power to his fists, and then experiencing the effects it brought to his enemy and his surroundings, further cementing his understanding.
“Slaughtering Moon Mirror!” Miao Hua Cheng suddenly roared, finally unleashing his strongest attack. Yuan Qi exploded, and a dozen of Miao Hua Cheng’s figures appeared, like avatars. These Miao Hua Chengs all raised their fists and smiled at Yang Kai, smashing towards him with all their might.
This was his trump card, a dozen phantom images, reality became filled with illusion, and illusion would be shrouded in reality; for a cultivator at the same level, it would be extremely difficult to distinguish between them, but today, in order to deal with a peak Qi Transformation Stage brat he was actually forced to display it. Having been pushed to this point Miao Hua Cheng felt endless anger and resentment.
But with this it would end. Having brought out Slaughtering Moon Mirror, this kid would certainly die! Miao Hua Cheng held the utmost confidence in this fact.
However, Yang Kai was like an ancient well, completely still, quietly watching the enemy figures around him, his momentarily confused eyes suddenly becoming clear.
“Follow one’s heart, through the diverging and rejoining path, what is good, what is evil, only adhering to one’s beliefs, one’s will and whims, that shall guide one’s own martial path!”
Yang Kai’s originally converging Yuan Qi suddenly surged out with ferocious volatility, many times more than anything up to this point, like a great avalanche, crashing down a mountain, even someone as strong as Miao Hua Cheng, feeling this fierce turbulence for the first time, also felt a deep sense of dread.
[Did he accidentally step onto the path on becoming a Devil?]
Moreover, this youth in front of him, had broken through to the Separation and Reunion Boundary!
Almost at the moment of his breakthrough, Yang Kai also used Unyielding Will.
It was like having just reached the Separation and Reunion Boundary, then instantly rising to peak Separation and Reunion Boundary!
He was now tied in cultivation with Miao Hua Cheng.
Calmly throwing out a punch, True Yang Yuan Qi ferociously exploded, and the surrounding dozen Miao Hua Chengs, shattered like the glass of a broken mirror.
In that instant, Miao Hua Cheng spat blood and was sent flying out.
Once their cultivations became equal, Miao Hua Cheng was completely suppressed by Yang Kai!
Struggling to get up, Miao Hua Cheng looked in shock towards Yang Kai. What he saw was the face of a crazy youth filled with madness but still oddly calm, eyes filled with a brutal and bloodthirsty light. The image flashed and suddenly this madman was before him.
“Who are you… What hatred is there between us?” Miao Hua Cheng paled, he knew that he had lost; now all he wanted to know was why this calamity had befallen him.
But still, there was no answer!
Desperately holding down the fear in his heart, Miao Hua Cheng shouted, “You can’t kill me, my son, Miao Lin, is a disciple of the Red Cloud Sect, and the Red Cloud Elders highly value him, if you kill me, you’ll regret it!”
1/3 Regular Chapters
Desperately invoking the Red Cloud Sect’s name, Miao Hua Cheng just wanted to frighten Yang Kai, hoping that with this, he may yet escape with his life.
But the other side obviously did not put the Red Cloud Sect in his eyes, and in a flash he appeared right in front of him, throwing a seemingly casual palm towards his chest, then gently removing it, his eyes filled with a ruthless light.
Miao Hua Cheng felt like his heart had been gripped by a burning hand, sharply contracting, followed immediately by a ferocious expansion.
*Cough* Miao Hua Cheng spat out a mouthful of blood, and his skin turned red, like he was being boiled alive. Although he had not died, he had suffered no small loss.
Old Demon took advantage of this moment, launching the Soul Breaker Awl into Miao Hua Cheng body, delivering the fatal blow.
[Who is this man? Why does he want to exterminate my Miao Family!]
Before his death, Miao Hua Cheng’s only thought was about how he could have possibly provoked this young man, but in the end he was still clueless. It had to be said, being killed while not even knowing why, Miao Hua Cheng had truly died in vain.
In the sky above Sea City, a huge whirlpool of World Energy gathered around Yang Kai.
When breaking through a great realm, one would also have to accept a baptism of World Energy.
Yang Kai fully activated his movement skill, quickly leaving the Miao Family home, soon reappearing near the Endless Sea.
That night, the winds howled and the waves crashed. Numerous Sea City cultivators looked toward the beach on the horizon, they knew there was someone breaking through, causing the sight of heaven and earth conjugating, but the scale and scope was so terrifying that they were afraid to even get close, only daring to look from afar, faces filled with worship and envy.
This man was definitely a master! Most likely a True Element Boundary cultivator had broke through to the Immortal Ascension Boundary, otherwise how could there be such a massive disturbance? Sea City’s cultivator’s overall strength was not high; naturally they did not dare disturb an Immortal Ascension Boundary master.
But who could have thought that such a vision was only the World Energy baptism caused by a mere fifteen-year-old boy, breaking through the Qi Transformation Stage to the Separation and Reunion Boundary. If they knew, their chins might have simply dropped off their faces.
The chaotic movement continued for more than half the night before gradually stopping, and after the storm, some vaguely saw a mass of flames fly up, rushing out into the depths of the Endless Sea.
Through the flames, what seemed to be a pair of wings was faintly visible. But even if someone saw it, they would have a hard time believing their eyes, assuming it had been nothing but an illusion.
*************************
~ Dawn, Red Cloud Island.
*************************
Yang Kai had come to the right peninsula, and stood on the mountain top with the Madame, each gazing out onto the horizon.
The whole Red Cloud Island was now bleak, including the right peninsula. One could almost smell the spilled blood in the air. Everywhere one looked, there were mountains of corpses and remnants of a battle. The beach which had been dyed dark red with still wet blood, while the buildings were all torn apart, leaving only ruins.
Up above, crowds of birds flew around as the earth groaned.
Red Cloud Sect had been completely massacred!
In front of Yang Kai was a skeleton, wearing a broken green and white dress, it was the same dress that Madame Jiang was wearing the day they parted.
This skeleton was quietly sitting on the mountain, like an ancient stone.
Yang Kai could almost picture the scene here after he had left Madame Jiang. She had been sitting here unmoving, her eyes gazing towards the direction of Sea City’s Miao Family.
In the blowing breeze, her hair softly fluttered. Her eyes dyed gray, hazed over like dark clouds covering the sky, unable to see light, unable to see hope.
She remained so, until the end of her life, never closing her eyes.
Until last night, she bore witness to the destruction of the Miao family, and saw Miao Hua Cheng die in the hands of Yang Kai.
To return to heaven and enter back to the cycle of reincarnation, what was necessary?
Clearing one’s resentment! Seeing those who wronged you punished!
p.s To enter the cycle of rebirth, you have to enter the state of ‘Buddha’)
Yang Kai took out a pot of wine, and paid respects to the Madame in front of him, gently reaching out his hand, wanting to bury her bones, but the moment his hand touched her, she suddenly collapsed, falling to the ground in a pile of dust.
There was a sudden gust of wind, and her remains were blown off Red Cloud Island, scattering over the Endless Sea.
Yang Kai eyes squinted, his face showing a sad and somewhat desolate look.
On that day, he would have liked to take away Madame Jiang. But, she had silently refused; her heart had already died, living for her was nothing more than torture and misery. Perhaps it was the best fate she could hope for to follow her dead husband, freeing her from such pain.
Yang Kai had understood her wish, but thinking back now, he was still not sure whether his choice that day was correct.
Sensing the bleak and weary mood of Yang Kai, Old Demon remained silent for a long time before speaking, “Young master, this Madame would not blame you, and for her, would death not be a relief instead?”
Yang Kai remained silent for a long time before turning, releasing his Flaming Yang Wings and flying toward the beach.
Perhaps for her, it was truly a relief, but for him, there was still a trace of regret.
Over the next two days, Yang Kai took out a lot of exotic flowers he had obtained from Hidden Island, and exchanged them with people in Sea City for Yang property Precious Treasures, then refining them into Yang Liquid stored in his dantian.
Two nights later, Yang Kai lifted his two large parcels, and flew off towards the north.
Just after Yang Kai left Sea City, in the Endless Sea Islands, all the great Sects received shocking and exciting news.
Supreme Solitary Sect, “What? Ancient Cloud Island found their long lost Broken Moon Transformation Art? Is this news true?”
Asura Sect, “What? Ancient Cloud Island found their Broken Moon Transformation Art? Is there any news about my Asura Sect’s treasured sword?”
Falling Blossom Temple, “Broken Moon Transformation Art has been found? What about our Thousand Blossoming Blood Begonia? It was part of the foundation our temple, and it was also lost in those days along with the Broken Moon Transformation Art!”
Scarlet Refining Sect, “Go to Ancient Cloud Island, we must inquire about the whereabouts of the Sect Master’s Token.”
Dragon Cloud Island… etc…
More than a dozen great Sects received news that Ancient Cloud Island’s supreme Secret Art was found, and suddenly could not remain calm. All of their hallowed artifacts had been lost together; it was unreasonable that only Ancient Cloud Island could retrieve theirs while they had received no news about their own. For a time it was chaos, the masters from all the great Sects were out in full force.
Ancient Cloud Island was constantly overcrowded since that day, filled with representatives from all the great Sects in the Endless Sea Islands. Gu Feng and the Ancient Cloud Island Elders had long since grown tired of entertaining them all.
After hearing the full details of how Broken Moon Transformation Art had been recovered, these masters rushed to the remains of Red Cloud Sect.
The pitiful Red Cloud Sect was just a third-class force, and because it infringed upon someone’s taboo it had been annihilated, but that was not the end, as more than a dozen forces again visited Red Cloud Island tossing the Sect’s remains, desperately trying to find their own Sect’s hallowed artifacts lost three hundred years ago.
However, those things had already been taken away by Yang Kai, so how could they possibly find them? Unable to find their treasures these masters were naturally enraged, and in need of something to vent their anger, but with no people here they had nothing but the island itself to attack.
So less than three days later, the entire Red Cloud Island had disappeared from the world, shattered and completely broken.
Yang Kai obviously had no idea that after he left Red Cloud Island would suffer such a fate, and at the time was steadily getting closer to the High Heaven Pavilion.
While in Sea City he had accumulated a lot of Yang Liquid, so he had quickly flown back to the Sect.
Deliberately waiting for night, at a distance of only 50 miles from the High Heaven Pavilion, Yang Kai landed and switched over to his movement skill.
After an hour, looking towards the High Heaven Pavilion he had left half a year ago, Yang Kai smiled, and the depression he felt from his encounter with Madame Jiang finally improved somewhat.
He had no particular sense of belonging to this Sect, but he knew that waiting inside was a woman who would accompany him for his entire life.
Carrying his two sacks, he secretly snuck into the Sect, but just as he set foot inside, Yang Kai frowned.
“Young master…” Old Demon quickly warned.
“Don’t worry!” Yang Kai’s eyes narrowed. He had just noticed that there were many Divine Senses which had swept over himself.
In the past, it was impossible for Yang Kai to feel this; after all, someone who could use their Divine Sense to probe him would have a cultivation of at least the Immortal Ascension Boundary, higher than his own by several great realms.
But since he had received the Five Coloured Soul Warming Lotus, Yang Kai’s perception had become sharp enough that when a Divine Sense had probed him he would be aware of it.
However these Divine Senses were unfamiliar; they were certainly not from an Elder of the High Heaven Pavilion.
Fortunately, these Divine Senses were just probing him and held no malice, quickly checking him and then no longer caring about Yang Kai. However, this discovery let his heart jump a bit.
[Why are there suddenly so many masters in the High Heaven Pavilion?] He had some faint speculations, but ultimately could not help sighing. Evidently, the Sect would not be peaceful anymore.
At almost the exact moment Yang Kai returned to the High Heaven Pavilion, Su Yan, who was in secluded retreat, opened her eyes.
“He’s come back?” Su Yan whispered, lightly biting her lips, her face unable to stop a hint of blush from surfacing. It was as if somewhere, there was a voice calling out to her, whispering to her that the person she longed for was close by, filling her with a kind of sensuous mood, making Su Yan somewhat distraught, unable to maintain her meditation.
[He really is my curse! He had not been here these days, and although sometimes it had been very difficult, but by circulating my Ice Heart Secret Art, I could at least manage to gradually calm down…] However, with this constant testing of her limits, her state of mind had become more and more stable.
But the instant she knew he came back, it was as if her Ice Heart Secret Art had completely lost its role, incapable of calming her heart even the slightest bit.
At that moment, Su Yan did not resist, instead standing up, opening the door, and leaving only a cold wind and dust behind, her body turned into a long white shadow, rushing towards the Coiling Dragon Stream.
Next to Coiling Dragon Stream, Yang Kai looked back and his mouth flashed a faint smile.
“Old Demon, go play by yourself.” Yang Kai threw out Old Demon and the Soul Breaker Awl.
“Hey… *ahem*…” Old Demon was suddenly speechless, [This Old Master is not some three-year-old child, why would Young Master suddenly kick me out like this?]
But the Demonic Qi under the Coiling Dragon Stream also held a great attraction to Old Demon, so he did not hesitate and directly rushed down.
Standing next to the Coiling Dragon Stream for only a few breaths, a white body quickly approached. The figure suddenly stopped around thirty feet from Yang Kai.
Four eyes suddenly met, all overflowing with affection.
Yang Kai’s eyes filled with longing, while Su Yan’s were full of tenderness.
Quietly gazing at each other, each one trying to see just what changes the other had experienced these past few months.
His cultivation had greatly increased, and his figure was somewhat more robust, but his eyes held a trace of hidden vicissitudes and dejection. This seasoned and weary look should not have appeared on someone of his age, but it had added a trace of maturity and calm to him. Seeing all this, Su Yan’s heart suddenly felt a faint pain.
She understood that during these months, Yang Kai must have endured many harsh trials.
2/3 Regular Chapters
WARNING: NSFW
She was like an eternal gemstone, her temperament more and more refined, free of any worldly contamination, pure and flawless. Anyone standing before her would be humbled and ashamed to gaze upon her. Clear as ice, pure as jade, skin as white as snow, an alluring face which could topple cities, a delicate yet radiant complexion. It was as if an immortal fairy had descended to earth, surrounded by a noble and holy aura.
Although she was already his, and he had also been intimate with her, but when they met here, Yang Kai still felt somewhat like he was dreaming.
Su Yan’s nobility and ice-like purity had obviously not suffered in the slightest from being with Yang Kai.
After having suppressed his impulses for so long, the passion buried within his heart all of a sudden exploded out as Yang Kai approached her and unceremoniously embraced Su Yan’s waist, desperately seeking for her lips.
Su Yan quickly reached out to stop him, whispering softly, “Wait till we’re below!”
As soon as she finished speaking, Yang Kai jumped down towards Coiling Dragon Stream without the slightest hesitation.
Falling a thousand feet, his Flaming Yang Wings burst forth as he swiftly flew into his secluded cave.
Su Yan’s eyes blinked again and again, curiously looking at the radiant wings behind Yang Kai.
Once inside the cave, Yang Kai dismissed his wings, threw his two sacks onto the floor and swept Su Yan up by her waist while his face revealed a meaningful smile, quickly carrying her towards the stone bed.
Su Yan’s heart raced like a small frightened deer, pounding non-stop; although she already had two similar experiences before, but at this moment it was still somewhat embarrassing and she could not help burying her face in Yang Kai’s chest.
Arriving at the stone bed, he slowly set her down.
Su Yan embarrassedly looked up at Yang Kai, her face now completely flushed.
Kissing each other, their breaths became heavy and ragged, one body burning like a flame, one frigid like ice, both consumed with an infinite desire for each other.
Light noises sounded, while Yang Kai tried to suppress his wild desires long enough to gently undo Su Yan’s clothes, revealing her exquisite porcelain-like figure.
Their clothes flew off, and their hair became a mess. Yang Kai rolled over and embraced her.
Su Yan gasped for breath again and again, her whole body became weak and felt like it was melting under the heat, on the other hand Yang Kai had become bold and fierce, like a spear-wielding warrior charging into battle, filled with endless physical strength and bursting with spirit, repeatedly clashing over and over again.
Su Yan desperately circulated her Ice Heart Secret Art, but it could not suppress the shyness in her heart one bit. A steamy red glow surfaced on her snow white body, her hair swayed to and fro, and her sweat released an enchanting fragrance.
“Here… how about like this?” Su Yan grit her teeth. Desperately holding back the shyness in her heart, she obediently submitted to Yang Kai’s whims, allowing herself to be put into all kinds of shameful postures above the stone bed.
“Haa!” Yang Kai fiercely agreed. His hands wantonly grasping.
Yang Kai and Su Yan spent the entire night he had returned to High Heaven Pavilion in each other’s embrace.
The memories Yang Kai had made of the murals in Sea City’s Thousand Gold Revelry Floor were fully displayed, practiced, and explored. A sweet indulgence in unrestrained passion, constantly seeking for more and greater euphoria.
Su Yan had no idea that the bonding between man and woman could undergo so many changes, like a myriad of martial skills. Each one filled with infinite variation and mystery, each one offering a new, breathtaking feeling and pleasure.
Experiencing all this caused the shameful feelings inside Su Yan to soar, almost to the point where she was too embarrassed to show her face again.
Through these endlessly changing patterns, Yang Kai found that his favorite posture was still one he had inadvertently explored inside the Heaven’s Cave Inheritance.
It was where Su Yan’s back was towards him.
In this posture, he could see the lifelike Ice Phoenix tattoo on Su Yan’s back constantly flowing, like it was gently floating upon her pink flushed skin.
Looking at this Ice Phoenix tattoo, gracefully swimming upon her smooth, silk-like back, all while tightly grasping her elegant waist. Yang Kai always felt an inexplicable excitement and desire.
He knew that since Su Yan’s back had this Ice Phoenix tattoo, there was certainly a Fire Dragon tattoo on his own as well, both of which were obtained from the Heaven’s Cave Inheritance.
After joining together, the two began their dual cultivation.
Their bodies tightly intertwined. Circulating the Joyous Unification Art, a full day passed by. Whether it was Yang Kai or Su Yan, they could both feel their strength experience some growth. Though the enhancement to their cultivation was small, the greatest benefit they received was that their Yuan Qi had become purer.
The Joyous Unification Art’s purpose was to make their two Yuan Qis blend and refine one another. As the amount of time they spent in dual cultivation increased, the purity and density of their Yuan Qi would only continue to improve.
After their cultivation ended, Yang Kai was still unrestrained as he ravaged Su Yan once more…
Gently helping Yang Kai dress, Su Yan’s still flushed face displayed a faint nervous smile, she was truly afraid. Yang Kai was now like a tireless beast, ferociously seeking for her embrace; again and again leaving her feeling soft and weak.
She was afraid that if she could not dress Yang Kai, she would simply never escape his evil claws.
Having both dressed, the two held each other as they lay on the stone bed.
There was no need for words of love, each clearly feeling the affection within the other’s heart.
“Your speculation came true.” Su Yan suddenly said while lying in Yang Kai’s arms.
“What speculation?” Yang Kai asked while running his fingers through her hair, enjoying this tranquility after the storm.
“A few months ago, did you not say that the Heaven’s Cave Inheritance appearance would cause a great stir?”
“Have outsiders already come?” Yang Kai suddenly frowned.
“Yes, the Eight Great Families have not sent anyone, but all the other Families and Sects had heard about the appearance of the Heaven’s Cave Inheritance and dispatched experts to this region. They are still trying to win over those disciples from the Three Sects who gained opportunities in the Heaven’s Cave Inheritance. Whether they are from the High Heaven Pavilion, the Bloody Battle Gang, or the Storm Hall, over the past few months many of their disciples were snatched away.”
“Which forces have come to High Heaven Pavilion?” Yang Kai asked, while a lingering doubt in his heart finally cleared; the night he returned to the Sect, the Divine Senses which had probed him must have been from the visiting masters of those great Families and Sects.
“Xuan Province Dong Family, Yun Province Bai Family, and Quan Province Purple Fern Valley are the three big forces; there are also many forces that are also secretly lurking in Black Plum Town.”
Dong Family? Yang Kai’s brow twitched.
“What benefits did they offer you?” Yang Kai asked. Su Yan was the true leader of the Three Sect’s younger generation disciples, and was also the biggest suspect for who had obtained the inheritance of Heaven’s Cave Inheritance. Those visiting three great forces would be desperate to grab Su Yan, and the gifts they presented would obviously not be cheap.
“Within two years they guaranteed I will break through to the Immortal Ascension Boundary, any pills or artifacts in their possession would be freely offered, and my status would be equal to an Elder!”
“Truly generous!” Yang Kai smiled, “In return?”
“I must marry in!”
“Oh really…”
“I refused.” Su Yan embraced Yang Kai like a spoiled child, “Although they suspect that I received the inheritance, but they have no conclusive evidence, so the pressure is not that great. It’s just these days some representatives have been living inside High Heaven Pavilion.”
“Those three great forces have sent their young masters?” Yang Kai sneered, to chase a beauty, naturally their favored sons had to come forward to win her heart, but all these forces’ calculations were clearly a wasted effort. Su Yan had long since been his woman, and they were also involved in an inseparable relationship. However, even if they had not been involved together, with Su Yan’s personality, she would never have agreed anyways.
Ice Heart Secret Art emphasized that nothing would disturb one’s heart, how could these cheap benefits possibly move her.
“En.” Su Yan nodded as she brushed Yang Kai’s cheek, “You do not have to worry, I will forever be only yours.”
“I was never worried.” Yang Kai grinned, “I know if they want to move you, they must have used some underhanded means to do so.”
However, after a moment of silence, Yang Kai still frowned, “Even so, it is intolerable. Damn! They dare have ideas about my woman!”
Su Yan smiled her heart unable to suppress some sweet fluttering.
Even for someone as calm and poised as her, seeing Yang Kai jealous still let her feel a burst of happiness.
It was only at dawn that Su Yan left.
And so Yang Kai began to take care of his own things which had piled up over time. Glancing around his secluded cave, he couldn’t help but secretly be surprised; he found that his home had undergone a change.
When he left it was only a cold and dark cave, but now, this cave was more like a new home, not only did it have tables and chairs, there were many pots of flowers, calligraphy and paintings hung on the walls, decorations and embellishments filled every corner.
Even on the stone bed there was also warm and comfortable bedding. Having been engrossed with Su Yan for so long he had still failed to notice.
[This… should be the results of Xia Ning Chang and Su Yan’s efforts.]
The transformation was pretty good.
Visiting the cave entrance, the Heaven and Earth Spirit Yin Yang Monster Ginseng was dejected and listless. Its awkward facial features wrinkled together, like it was trying to express its anger.
When Yang Kai came back that night, this piece of sentient Heaven and Earth Spirit had warmly greeted him, but receiving no response, it could not help being depressed up till now.
This Yin Yang Monster Ginseng was also well taken care of here, where it could be fed rich Yang Qi and also receive Su Yan’s Yin Qi every other day.
Yang Kai wryly smiled, squatting down he fed it two drop of Yang Liquid, causing the Yin Yang Monster Ginseng great joy.
Sitting next to the Yin Yang Monster Ginseng, a thought flashed, a wordless Black Book appeared in his hand.
These days, after every breakthrough, whether it was a small realm or a great realm, Yang Kai will look at this wordless Black Book, hoping to discover some new mystery or benefit.
But after many times getting his hopes up, he would end up disappointed; the more times this happened, the less enthusiastic Yang Kai became.
The Black Book had already given him plenty of help, and even if he could not get anything more from it in the future, Yang Kai was confident that he could still grow and advance. With such a thought, his mood had become a lot better. Waiting for handouts was not the way forward, even if the Black Book contained even more miraculous things, if he himself did not work hard it would all be useless in the end.
Yang Kai did not expect to get something from it, but still readily flipped to the fifth page and poured Yuan Qi into the Black Book.
But unlike the previous attempts during his time in the Endless Sea, this time the Black Book actually had a reaction.
“Hmm?” Yang Kai couldn’t help but smile, staring closely at the Black Book while continuing to pour in his Yuan Qi.
A layer of strange ripples spread, immediately followed by the Black Book emitting a golden light, but unlike before, these golden lights did not leap out of the Black Book, but instead connected together, forming a dense complex pattern, similar to an advanced Spirit Array.
After a brief moment, a line of text appeared.
Medicinal King Valley, Myriad Drug Pond!
A few breaths later, this line of text faded out, and the golden light from the Black Book gradually disappeared.
Yang Kai wrinkled his brow; this time was very different from all the previous ones. The Black Book had not given him anything, but instead had told him the name of a place.
3/3 Regular Chapters
Medicine King Valley! Yang Kai naturally knew about this place. It was a very special Sect, the entire Valley was full of renowned Alchemists; Medicinal King Valley’s member’s cultivation was not necessarily high, nor was their means necessarily strong, their overall combat strength was not even on par with a first-class Sect and could only be considered slightly stronger than a second-class force.
However, such a force had a deeper heritage and longer inheritance than any other Sect in existence; it was said that its history stretched across thousands of years. After so many years, even many superpowers had risen and fell along the endless river of time, but Medicine King Valley still endured like an immortal pillar.
Its status was absolute; even the Eight Great Families did not dare to underestimate the existence know as Medicine King Valley. Every year, countless cultivators from all over the world would bring Precious Treasures and rare materials to Medicine King Valley in order to appeal to their Master Alchemists to refine pills for them. Medicine King Valley had thus formed intricate and unfathomable ties with almost every Sect in existence.
In other words, anyone who dared offend Medicine King Valley was essentially offending the entire world!
There were even rumors that there was once a Great Sect’s Leader who traveled to Medicine King Valley to ask one of the Valley Masters to refine a pill, but for some reason was rejected. In this Sect Leader’s anger, he actually attacked and killed a number of the Valley’s people.
This became a huge incident, and after Medicine King Valley called out for justice, that Great Sect, in the span of a single night, was annihilated.
These rumors were not necessarily true, but they were certainly not groundless, and it accurately portrayed just how terrible the influence of Medicine King Valley was.
Additionally, the Myriad Drug Pond was Medicine King Valley’s forbidden area, rumor had it that miraculous events would often occur there, many alchemy masters would make pilgrimages to Medicine King Valley’s foundation to seek deeper alchemy insight.
The titleless Black Book showing such a line caused Yang Kai no small headache; was he supposed to go to Medicine King Valley’s Myriad Drug Pond to look for something?
Although he had been given such a direction, Yang Kai was certainly not going to go now.
First, he was completely ignorant in the ways of alchemy; going there and making such a request now would only lead to him being thrown out. Second, his priority was as always, to enhance his own strength. Once he had accomplished that, he could then think of a good way to safely sneak into Medicine King Valley to investigate.
Storing away the wordless Black Book, Yang Kai lifted his hand and reached for one of the sacks lying nearby.
This sack was the one filled with the hallowed artifacts which the Endless Sea Island Great Sects had lost three hundred years ago. Now they had all fallen into his hands; not using them would be too wasteful.
Before, when he was on the island, Yang Kai had wanted to refine some of these artifacts for his own use, but at that time, because he was still in the vicinity of the Endless Sea Islands, he was wary of triggering the prohibitions placed upon them, and subsequently alerting their original owners.
But now it was different; he had returned to the High Heaven Pavilion and was tens of thousands of miles away from the Endless Sea Islands, even if the prohibitions were disturbed, they would not be able to convey a message over such a vast distance. As long as he was careful with their use in the future, he would not have to worry about any such problems.
There were three artifacts in total, in addition to the one that required a special art to activate, the remaining sword and a blood begonia could be refined.
The sword was three feet and three inches long. Its whole blade was a deep red, like there was blood flowing within it. After exploring it slightly with his perception, Yang Kai was shocked to hear wailing sounds being emitted by the sword. Evil Qi pulsed, disturbing one’s spirit; if the wielder’s will was not strong enough to stave off this influence, they would instantly fall to the Devil’s path.
This was a cursed blade, the Asura Sect’s sacred treasure, the Asura Sword!
Yang Kai was delighted because he felt he and this sword were quite similar, namely, the hostility it held was similar to that which he released when using his Golden Skeleton. Emitting such a similar atmosphere allowed the two, man and sword, to not have any real barriers between them.
This was perfect, it was at least a Heaven Grade Low-Rank artifact, and it was a slaughtering blade, with it in hand, his attack strength would surge.
Putting the Asura Blade down, Yang Kai then picked up the blood red begonia. It was similar to a begonia flower, but its appearance was more enchanting, its blossoming petals sharp as knives, revealing a exotic and dangerous taste.
Three hundred years of collecting dust still could not eliminate the murderous air of this begonia.
This was definitely an artifact drenched in slaughter! The Falling Blossom Temple had surely killed countless enemies with this artifact. It was like its red colour was the blood of its victims.
These two artifacts were very good, as if they were tailor-made for him. Yang Kai look at one, and then the other, somewhat unable to choose.
Contemplating for a moment, Yang Kai became decisive, deciding to refine both of them; after all, it was just some additional consumption of Yuan Qi and time.
Making up his mind, he was about to act, when suddenly some gravel which was disturbed above him fell on top of his head.
Yang Kai looked up, his face showing a pleasant smile. The location of his secluded cave was known to only two people, one was Su Yan, the other was Xia Ning Chang.
Su Yan had just left, and certainly would not return so quickly, thus there was no need to guess who was coming.
Sure enough, a moment later, Xia Ning Chang flew down from the top of the cliff into the cave, and as Yang Kai was currently blocking the entrance, the two nearly collided head on.
Yang Kai quickly side stepped and caught her, letting her safely land next to him, smiling at her, “Little Senior Sister, I’m back.”
Xia Ning Chang eyes instantly went wet, unable to hide the joy and excitement of their long awaited reunion. Her face was still covered with her characteristic veil, and her forehead was still adorned with a brilliant sapphire. Hearing Yang Kai call out to her so gently, she barely managed to hold back her tears.
A few months ago, he had not even said a single word of parting, instead only leaving a letter! Now he had returned but he had not come to see her, he really was too cruel.
Seeing her gradually dampening eyes, Yang Kai did not dare to speak, afraid that anything he said might accidentally make her cry.
“How did you know that I returned?” Yang Kai quickly shifted her attention.
“Su Yan told me.” Xia Ning Chang gently sniffled, trying her best to endure the bitterness welling up in her heart, tightly gripping her dress, she whispered, “If she did not say anything, I would never have known.”
“I was just about to come tell you.” Yang Kai said, feeling truly guilty.
“Really?” Xia Ning Chang looked up at him, a hint of joy flashing in her eyes.
“Of course.” Yang Kai strongly nodded.
This Little Senior Sister was too easily coaxed! With just two or three sentences, it would dispel her disappointment and grievance, leaving only the joy and happiness.
“Hmph, you still have a little conscience.” Xia Ning Chang pouted adorably.
“Then I’ll give you a gift.” Yang Kai’s said seriously.
“You don’t have to…” Although she said so, Xia Ning Chang still laughed pleasantly, her eyes bent into a crescent moon, full of cheer and satisfaction.
“What kind of gift?” She quietly asked.
Yang Kai smiled, stood up, and walked over to the other big sack; untying it, he showed her his collection of Precious Treasures, replying, “Some herbs.”
“So many!” Xia Ning Chang was shocked, stepping forward, sweeping over them with her eyes she quickly identified the names and grades of these herbs.
“You need herbs and pills to assist you when you cultivate, right? Take a look and see what you need, you can take however much you want.” Yang Kai boldly declared; his heart filled with a sour guilt. He had left adventuring, but had not thought to pick up a gift for Su Yan and Xia Ning Chang, it was truly negligent.
“I don’t need any.” Xia Ning Chang examined these herbs one by one. Finished, she looked up and said, “I’ll help you refine them all into pills instead.”
“No no, that would be too burdensome.” With such a big bag of herbs, refining them all into pills, who knows how many days that would take?
“It’s no trouble for me at all.” Xia Ning Chang chuckled, “Refining herbs allows me to cultivate, and it is significantly more efficient than when I use orthodox cultivation techniques. Also, the higher the grade of herbs I refine, the greater the benefits to me. Senior Brother, this bag of materials you’ve brought back is already the best gift you could possibly give me.”
“You’re not trying to fool me right?” Yang Kai looked at her suspiciously.
“I have never lied to anyone.” Xia Ning Chang said in a slightly teasing tone.
*Ke Ke* “I also do not lie.” Yang Kai said embarrassedly. “In that case, I’ll have to trouble you Little Senior Sister.”
“En, you take care of your affairs, leave this pill refining to me.” Xia Ning Chang said very happily.
Yang Kai observed her for a while and found that she was familiar with each of these herbs and in no time had divided and sorted them out.
Smiling, Yang Kai also went into the cave, tidying up his own things.
Inside the secluded cave, Xia Ning Chang sat, quietly humming while fully displaying her magical talent, transforming various herbs into pure liquids, and then condensing it into pills.
Yang Kai also sat cross legged and used his Yuan Qi to refine the Asura Sword.
As time passed by, Xia Ning Chang steadily continued refining pills; that large sack of herbs gradually reduced. When she grew tired from her alchemy, she would stop, go to the back of the cave to look around or nap, and after relaxing for awhile she would then continue refining.
Everyday, Xia Ning Chang would also have to go out, after all, as Meng Wu Ya’s precious disciple, if she went missing for an entire day, Old Man Meng would begin frantically searching for her, making all kinds of unnecessary trouble.
After four or five days, the Asura Sword held in Yang Kai’s hand was gradually connected with him.
As the connection grew stronger, Yang Kai became more and more aware of this slaughtering blade’s Evil Qi and tyrannical presence. It was indeed a Heaven Grade Low-Rank artifact, and with just this sword, Yang Kai’s combat strength would improve a grade.
Finished refining the Asura Sword, Yang Kai stored it into his body, gently breathing a sigh of relief.
After spending so many days refining it, his consumption was quite large, and the Yang Liquid in his dantian was once again depleted a lot.
He had to find a way to add Yang Liquid.
Looking up, Yang Kai engaged his movement skill and dashed out, and a moment later he reappeared, holding two strands of spirit grass.
These were the pure heart grasses he had planted a few months ago which he had bought from Lan Chudie. The two spirit grasses were now mature, and Yang Kai planned to have Xia Ning Chang refine them into pills, consume them, and finally condense out some Yang Liquid.
Replenished with more Yang Liquid, Yang Kai could then continue to refine the Thousand Blossoming Blood Begonia.
In the following few days, Falling Blossom Temple’s hallowed artifact was also accepted into Yang Kai’s body.
After obtaining two Heaven Grade artifacts, Yang Kai’s strength had been enhanced greatly. Although it was impossible to use the full power of these two artifacts, as long as he continued to nourish them with his Yuan Qi and enhance his own cultivation, there would always be a day when he could display their full potential.
The big sack of herbs had long ago been consumed by Xia Ning Chang’s alchemy, and a variety of pills were now refined out, enough to fill dozens of bottles.
The pure heart pills were the lowest quality at only Earth Grade Low-Rank, but some pills she had refined had even reached Heaven Grade; their value was simply immeasurable.
If he were to eat all of these pills, Yang Kai estimated that he could break through at least one or two small realms. But this amount was truly too much; eating them all in one breath would certainly lead to him needing to refine them for a long time.
So Yang Kai shelved this idea for now.
He had now been back to Sect for half a month, it was high time he checked out the current situation, and with those three great forces residing in High Heaven Pavilion, and their three favored sons having ideas about Su Yan, how could Yang Kai sit still.
She was his woman!
1/3 Regular Chapters
Currently there were three great forces in High Heaven Pavilion, the Dong Family, the Bai Family, and the Purple Fern Valley, each one was not to be underestimated. These forces were second only to the Eight Great Families, each having deep heritages and countless masters. These forces may be able to intimidate others, but to Yang Kai they were nothing much.
These days Yang Kai had also inquired about a lot of news from Xia Ning Chang, causing his mind to be in contention.
Walking around High Heaven Pavilion, Yang Kai first went to the Contribution Hall to greet Meng Wu Ya.
Upon seeing Yang Kai, Meng Wu Ya’s old face suddenly cringed, as if Yang Kai owed him a million silver.
Old Man Meng finally understood why his precious disciple’s gloom and depression had been swept away, and was now happy all day long, yet seldom around.
[Damn it! This little brat is back.] Needless to say, his baby girl must have met with him already, otherwise how could her mood have changed so much?
[Ha… It’s a blessing, not a curse, and if it’s a curse, it can’t be avoided.] He just had to hope his precious apprentice could safely endure this catastrophe.
“Treasurer Meng, I’m back!” Yang Kai greeted him all smiles.
Meng Wu Ya gave a bitter smile, “Good, welcome back. Welcome back…”
A casual and unenthusiastic greeting, totally devoid of the slightest joy.
Speaking till here, Meng Wu Ya’s face suddenly stiffened, quickly examining Yang Kai with his Divine Sense, instantly becoming shocked, “You … you’ve already reached the Separation and Reunion Boundary?”
“En.” Yang Kai nodded lightly.
Meng Wu Ya almost bit his tongue, [How could that be!?] At the very most, he had been gone from High Heaven Pavilion for half a year; that means that only six months ago he had just broken through to the Qi Transformation Stage, and now he had already become a Separation and Reunion Boundary! This kind of cultivation speed was far too fast, it was incredible, simply beyond comprehension.
“How did you do it?” Meng Wu Ya asked as if he had discovered some hidden treasure, staring straight into Yang Kai’s eyes.
“I simply cultivated diligently.” Yang Kai grinned.
Meng Wu Ya no longer inquire further, perhaps if this little brat could maintain this cultivation pace, he would be able to break through the bonds of this small world; only then might he be worthy of his precious disciples favor.
Slightly frowning, Meng Wu Ya said, “You’ve been gone for quite some time, now there are many people looking for you.”
“Why would they want to find me?” Yang Kai raised his brow.
“They want to inquire about your martial skill.” Meng Wu Ya explained, “Because of the blow you delivered to the sixth-order Monster Beast in the Heaven’s Cave Inheritance, many people are interested in it.”
Yang Kai chuckled loudly, “If they want it, and they can come up with an appropriate price, there’s no harm in selling it to them.”
Star Mark was a very powerful martial skill, but it was a desperation move. Gathering the required Yuan Qi was also very laborious, and after it was used, if one’s physical strength was not strong enough, the backlash would only lead to disadvantages for the user. But if someone could really come up with a price that moved Yang Kai’s heart, then naturally they could sit down to discuss an exchange.
“Anyways, be careful you kid, don’t say this old man did not remind you. The Bai Family and Purple Fern Valley don’t seem to care about you; their attention is mainly focused on attracting Su Yan, but that Dong Family’s little brat seems to be very concerned about you, he has already been here twice to ask this old man for news about you.”
“I am also very concerned about him.” Yang Kai smiled, “Where is he now?”
“He’s living in your old house. That boy is a little strange, the Bai Family and Purple Thorn Valley people have arranged comfortable places to live, but he insists on waiting for you in that little broken down house, determined to find you. It’s probably best for you to avoid attention right now.” Old Man Meng’s face became solemn, strongly urging, “Or you can leave here for a year or so.”
[If this pest left again for a year or so, perhaps my treasure would forget about him!], nothing would make Meng Wu Ya happier.
Yang Kai slowly shook his head. Even if they were not looking for him, he wished to meet them. Naturally, he would not hide.
Saying farewell to Meng Wu Ya, Yang Kai walked towards his own small broken house.
“Yang Kai! It’s Yang Kai, he’s actually came back at this time!” Some people who spotted Yang Kai could not help but exclaim.
“Those people from the three great forces are looking for him, isn’t he just asking to be caught?”
“Do you think, he’ll be recruited by one of those three forces?”
“He’ll certainly be recruited; these days how many disciples have been snatched up by those people? All these years in the Sect, he’s experienced a lot of bitterness, and up till now, he’s still a Trial Disciple. If he had a better place to go, why would he think twice about staying here? Not to mention those three forces’ offers are very tempting.”
“He’s just an ungrateful wolf.” A spitting noise could be heard, mixed with contempt, and not a small amount of jealousy.
Yang Kai remained indifferent, not bothering with this nonsense.
Although officially he was a High Heaven Pavilion Trial Disciple, but his current abilities, and all of his strength, were only thanks to his own hard work, he had never received the slightest support. He only stayed here because it was convenient, even if he were to leave the Sect, there would be no psychological burden, why would he care what was being gossiped about him?
Not long after, he came to his old broken cabin.
Outside the wooden house, there were two old men, one was standing, while the other was leaning against the wall, their hands tucked away beneath their sleeves. As Yang Kai walked by, the two old men did not even look at him, their eyes lightly shut, lazily basking in the sun.
However, when Yang Kai approached within three hundred feet of the wooden house, two Divine Senses suddenly fell upon him, there was no killing intent, but the warning was clear.
At that moment, Yang Kai was startled. When the two Soul Pressures hit him, it was like a stone being thrown into an infinite ocean, causing not the slightest ripple. With the Soul Warming Lotus’ help, this warning could simply not affect Yang Kai.
So he continued to move forward, his pace undisturbed.
The two sleepy old men suddenly woke up, a flash of light appeared in their eyes as they looked with surprise at Yang Kai. Obviously, this young man’s reaction was far outside their expectation.
Wanting to deliver a harsher blow, they suddenly heard a voice call out from inside the wooden house, “Stop!”
After they heard this voice, the momentum coming from these two old men shrank, once again becoming harmless, but their eyes maintained their vigilance, constantly observing Yang Kai.
From inside the cabin, a man wearing a blue gown walked out, about twenty years old or so with sharp brows, a noble expression, handsome looks, dignified aura, and extraordinary temperament; one look and you could tell he was the son of some great family.
However, his body was a little on the plump side, giving him a slightly naive and charming appeal. His skin was also pale, far more so than an average woman.
Right then, that man looked towards Yang Kai, their lines of sight meeting mid-air, the former’s eyes holding a trace of contempt, the latter’s a trace of caution.
After a moment, the man stepped forward, walking towards Yang Kai, his pace steadily increasing.
“Young Master!” One of the two old men seeing this could not help calling out.
“Do not intervene!” The young man ordered.
“Yes!”
Yang Kai also walked toward him, a moment later, the two struck out, almost punching at exactly the same time, their fist colliding with a bang, both staggering, falling back several steps.
“Huh?” A trace of surprise flashed across that young man’s eyes, a sneer soon appearing, punching again.
*Bang, bang, bang* The young man and Yang Kai were like a pair of enraged beasts, desperately fighting each other, foregoing any kind of defense, throwing everything they had into attacking the other.
Yang Kai kicked towards that man’s crotch, aiming to crush his manhood, but he was blocked by the other side’s rapid leg sweep, while the man stretched out his fingers towards Yang Kai’s face, trying to claw out his eyes, but Yang Kai swiftly leaned his head, barely avoiding the blow.
The two’s moves were strange and unpredictable, filled with infinite variation, ruthless and underhanded, nothing was too cheap. Seeing this, the two old men’s eyes couldn’t help widening.
But, what was most confusing to them was that whether it was the mysterious High Heaven Pavilion disciple or their young master, none of their moves used any Yuan Qi.
The two of them were just using their physical strength to fight.
The scene was like the other had stolen his wife and killed his father, fighting with everything they had, refusing to back down a true life and death struggle.
However, what was their young master doing? How could this be considered a fight between cultivators, clearly it was just two small brats brawling!
The two old men looked bitter, if this scene was seen and spread out, how could their young master show his face again?
With a muffled bang, Yang Kai landed a blow on the other side’s head, causing him to see stars, his body staggering to and fro.
About to fall to the ground, the Dong Family young master also landed a punch on Yang Kai’s face. Almost knocking out his front teeth, causing his mouth to fill with a bloody taste.
“Little brat, you court death!” The Dong Family young master angrily shouted.
Yang Kai sneered back, “We’ll see who dies first.”
And so their struggle resumed. In the chaos, the Dong Family young master managed to wrestle Yang Kai to the ground, pinning his legs, resting his knees on his stomach, his hands gripping the other’s arms, coldly asking, “Smelly brat, give up!”
Yang Kai grit his teeth, ignoring his pinned arms, he suddenly somersaulting up, breaking out of the other’s hold while simultaneously throwing him to the ground, mercilessly dislocating both of their arms in the process, he grinned, “Why should I give up?”
The Dong Family young master hurriedly spat out a breath of hot air, his hand drooping towards the ground, he raised his head and glared towards the two old men yelling, “Why are you standing around? This young master was just beaten!”
His face covered in dirt, this Dong Family young master’s former elegance had long since disappeared.
The two old men finally woke from their awkward dream, quickly approaching.
Yang Kai sneered, quickly retreating several dozen feet.
The two old men did not chase, although their young master was hit, having watched for so long they had obviously grasped a thing or two. This High Heaven Pavilion disciple before them and their young master were obviously old acquaintances; naturally they would not act ruthlessly.
The only question was, why would their young master know someone from this remote place?
The Dong Family young master hurriedly got up and looked towards Yang Kai, a little fear in his eyes, his gaze shifting between their drooping arms, gnashing his teeth saying, “You do have some ability you smelly brat.”
Yang Kai’s thoughts were similar, his left hand was dislocated, unable to exert the slightest strength, but hearing those words he still laughed, “A river flows thirty years to the east, then thirty years to the west, if you don’t pay attention, I’ll soon be able to beat you so hard your mother won’t recognize you!”
That Dong Family young master took a deep breath, retorting, “Then I’ll be waiting for you!”
He then turned to one of the old men and said, “Go fix up his arm.”
“Don’t bother!” Yang Kai moved his right arm up and grabbed his left, giving it a distinct jerk, accompanied by a popping sound, his arm was suddenly good as new.
The Dong Family young master looked stunned, cursing inside, he soon followed suit, the pain instantly causing his forehead to fill with cold sweat, but nevertheless, his arm was now at least reattached.
“Wind and Cloud Guards?” Yang Kai’s eyes gently swept over the two old men, casually inquiring.
The two old men’s faces instantly stiffened, staring in shock at Yang Kai, unable to comprehend how their identity was actually seen through by this young man.
Who exactly was he?
The Dong Family young master smiled, “Do not be shocked, this little brat’s surname is Yang!”
Surnamed Yang! If so the situation had changed again dramatically as they suddenly guessed Yang Kai’s identity, quickly cupping their fists, “Greetings Young Master Yang!”
2/3 Regular Chapters
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The surname Yang was very common, from royalty and nobility, to martial arts families, right down to the civilian population and beggar children in the streets, there were countless people surnamed Yang.
However, in this vast world there was only one group of people surnamed Yang that Dong Qing Han would deliberately bring up.
That was because amongst the Eight Great Families there was one surnamed Yang! This mysterious and often reclusive Yang Family also happened to be the strongest of the Eight Great Families!
In this world, the Dong Family was considered a first-class force, but there was still a wide gap between them and the Eight Great Families, not to mention the most powerful one.
If they had been told that a young lord from one of the other great families was staying in this remote place where birds don’t shit and the chickens don’t lay eggs as some common disciple, they would never have believed it. Those young masters were all treated like pampered heavenly sons, enjoying glory and wealth, never encountering any difficulties from the moment they were born, clear paths to success laid out carefully before them.
But for the youths of the Yang Family, the situation was the opposite.
This was because the Yang Family had an unorthodox method of training, and every generation of direct descendant disciples would experience this while growing up. At some appropriate time, all these direct descendants would be dismissed, each sent out of the family to seek their own cultivation opportunities, until a certain time when they would be recalled.
This way of training was very dangerous, because these direct descendants were forced outside to practice, and thus, they could not use their family’s power and resources. Once they encountered a conflict with someone, they may be beheaded, in fact, this kind of thing had occurred many times, leading to these Yang Family disciples to suffer a premature death.
But while there were disadvantages, there were also benefits.
This unique way of training ensured that every Yang Family direct descendant would become strong, purging their dependence on their family and forcing them to endure years of hard work, they would come to know that in this world, your life and your glory depended on only one person, yourself!
So among the Yang Family’s disciples, there were very few who would engage in useless dandyism, they were all cold and sharp like blades, each possessing tyrannical means.
Moreover, through this method of training, the Yang Family had also wantonly collected numerous secret arts and martial skills. Constantly adding to their family’s heritage, allowing their library to become the greatest collection of rare and powerful cultivation techniques and martial arts in the world.
In this world there was a bird called the cuckoo.
Cuckoo birds would lay their own eggs in other birds’ nests, allowing them to hatch in these foreign birds homes, forcing them to raise them. These hatchlings were brutal, not only monopolizing other’s resources, but also pushing the native bird’s offspring out of their own nests, causing them to fall to their deaths, making them the only children who survived.
Among birds, the reputation of the cuckoo was not good, and it was also so for the Yang Family among the cultivator’s world, because their practices were essentially the same.
Every time the Yang Family was about to send out its disciples, the various Sects around the world would go into high alert, all of them trying to avoid sheltering one of the Yang descendants. Naturally they all feared accidentally receiving such a disciple, nurturing them, and then watching them fly away.
This practice of the Yang Family had of course lead to a lot of dissatisfaction, but because of their unrivaled strength, being the first amongst the Eight Great Families, having both vast power and influence, even if those forces wanted to complain, they still did not dare to find trouble with the Yang Family.
It was said that a hundred years ago, there was a Yang Family disciple who worshiped into a first-class Sect called Gathering Heavens Sect. This Yang Family disciple’s talent was outstanding, a rare heaven defying genius.
Gathering Heavens’ Sect Master and Elders were also very fond of him, sparing nothing to vigorously cultivating him. They had even named him the Sect’s official successor, unreservedly teaching him all their secrets.
This child was truly a dragon amongst men, only taking a few years to learn all of Gathering Heavens’ core martial skills, fully comprehending and making them his own, greatly pleasing his teachers.
But, ten years after he had joined, after consuming massive amounts of the Gathering Heavens’ Sect resources, this genius disciple whom the Sect Master and Elders had placed all their hopes upon, actually vanished overnight.
It was only then that the Gathering Heavens Sect understood that this outstanding talent was a Yang Family descendant!
Gathering Heavens’ Sect Master and Elders all vomited blood! Almost falling into serious illness. They had spent ten years teaching an ungrateful wolf, bestowing him all their secrets and resources, and he had actually turned out to be part of that damned Yang Family. How could they not suffer depression?
Gathering Heavens Sect assembled and went to the Yang Family to seek justice, but in the end was sent away with only some minor compensation.
It was because of this tragedy that the entire world guarded themselves against such events recurring. This was the lesson of history, if they did not learn, the cost would be ten years time raising a Yang Family descendant, then watching him leave. No one wanted to repeat the mistakes of the Gathering Heavens Sect, becoming the butt of the entire world’s jokes.
However, no matter how prepared these forces were, they could not stop these Yang Family descendants from using them as life experiences, simply because before they were sent off, these direct descendants were kept hidden, few people knew their names, and fewer still had ever seen them.
The end result, it was simply impossible to identify a Yang Family descendant!
The Wind and Cloud dual guard’s thoughts spun, becoming more and more certain about Yang Kai’s true identity, because almost four years ago, the Yang Family had indeed sent out its disciples for their life experience.
Would that not mean that, this youth in front of them was the youngest son of the Yang Family? Wasn’t he unsuited to cultivate? If so, how had he now reached the Separation and Reunion Boundary? Although this strength was not earth shattering, it was also nothing to look down on.
But at least they now understood why their young master knew him. It was actually not all that surprising, because in the previous generation, the Dong Family and the Yang Family had a marriage, and their young master’s aunt had been the one to become the Yang Family’s, Fourth Master’s wife. Their young master had also visited the Yang Family’s children several times and must have met him there before.
“Come inside so we can talk,” Dong Qing Han’s look was a bit complicated, filled with some confusion and betrayed expectations.
Yang Kai nodded slightly.
When they entered the cabin, the interior was still bare, except for a new table topped with some food and wine.
“Sit!” Dong Qing Han said curtly.
“You’ve been waiting for me?” Yang Kai sat down, a little startled at there being a spread of delicacies on the table.
Dong Qing Han’s eyes flashed with a hint of seriousness, nodding slightly, “In just a few years, it seems you’ve grown a lot, the Yang Family’s method of training disciple certainly produces some amazing results!”
“As long he lives, a man must grow.” Yang Kai lifted the jug and filled a cup for himself.
“Before when you saw me you were like a mouse meeting a cat, how is it that you’re no longer afraid? You actually even dared to hit me.” Dong Qing Han until now could still smell and taste the blood in his mouth, showing just how heavy that punch of Yang Kai’s had been.
“Is there something wrong with that? How many times when we were kids did I have to endure you bullying me?” Yang Kai sneered, he had always been quite frustrated with this cousin of his. Every time he had visited the Yang Family, he had always picked a fight with him. At that time his physique was still poor and his cultivation talent was abysmal, on top of that, Dong Qing Han was several years older, how could he possibly be his opponent? Every time would end with him being beaten black and blue.
Thinking back on all of this, Yang Kai became annoyed, feeling he had held back too much just now.
“That was when I was young.” Dong Qing Han said calmly, no trace of regret or emotion being shown, just downing his drink then pushing the glass toward Yang Kai, signalling him to fill it up.
One cousin pouring a drink for another, naturally there was nothing to say.
After they had drank several cups, they looked up at one another, each letting out a long sigh. Although their relationship was not very good, Yang Kai knew that this cousin had no malicious intent, and was just trying to temper him, because at that time he was reluctant to cultivate. He had simply wanted to use his fists to persuade him.
In general, Dong Qing Han had left Yang Kai with many childhood traumas. His intentions were good; it was just that his methods were somewhat radical.
“I did not expect you to come to this place!” Dong Qing Han all of a sudden chuckled, “When I arrived here and heard your name, I really couldn’t believe it. It was only after several inquiries that I was sure it was you.”
“My father sent me here.”
“Oh? Uncle also spent his outside years here?” Dong Qing Han asked surprised.
“He didn’t say, he just told me to come to this place.” Yang Kai these days had also been puzzled by this; wondering what meaning there was in him coming here.
“How are my father and mother?” After remaining silent for a while, Yang Kai looked up and asked.
Dong Qing Han looked at him and said, “Aunty misses you, and she also seems to be a bit thinner now.”
Yang Kai’s expression became dark, when he left the Yang Family he was just an ordinary person, and for these past few years he had not been back, his father and mother must be very worried.
“Also… Aunty was put under house arrest in the Yang Family for half a year; Uncle was even more harshly punished and had to take thirty lashes.”
*Bang*, the glass in Yang Kai’s hands was crushed and his expression became cold, a thick aura of malice could be felt radiating from his body, “What happened?”
Dong Qing Han sneered, “Because Aunty missed you, she wanted to sneak out and see how you were doing, but then some of the old ghosts from your Yang Family caught her. You know your Yang Family’s rules, no one from the family shall make contact with any direct descendant while they are out for their life experience, and any offender shall be heavily punished. If the uncle had not volunteered to replace her, Aunty would have had to endure those thirty lashes too.”
A whole thirty lashes, these were not ordinary lashes! The Yang Family had an artifact which greatly amplified the pain one would feel when they were whipped. When it was used, even if it was a True Element Boundary master taking just a few strikes, they would have to lie in bed for a few days.
Having to endure thirty of these, Yang Kai estimated that one would be confined to bed for several months.
Yang Kai took a deep breath, gradually calming his raging blood; he grabbed Dong Qing Han glass and drained it instantly.
“Those damn old ghosts, sooner or later I’ll make them pay for this!” Yang Kai said coldly.
When he had been unable to cultivate properly, and had not even wanted to cultivate, only wishing to live as an ordinary person, he was still kicked out by those old ghosts of the Yang Family, forcing him to endure this harsh life experience along with his brothers.
An ordinary twelve-year-old boy without a shred of cultivation, forced to travel all the way to High Heaven Pavilion, just how much pain had he suffered, just how difficult was the path he had to walk?
“I don’t like your Yang Family’s methods, nor do I like the people from your Yang Family; all of you are so cold and ruthless.” Dong Qing Han spat disdainfully.
The Yang Family’s way of training disciple was very special, although it was able to hone a person, but because it relied on kicking people out of their home, the family bonds between Yang Family members were almost nonexistent. In order to further the Yang Family’s agenda, they would easily sacrifice anyone, even their own brothers and sisters.
“You Yang Family disciples outside life experience normally lasts about ten years. Now less than four years have passed, I don’t know whether Aunty will be able to endure waiting a whole six more years to see you again…” Dong Qing Han’s voice was full of sadness.
“When you go back this time, pass a message from me to my father and mother, tell them that I am well and that they can rest assured I will return safely.”
“I will.” Dong Qing Han nodded seriously, “She is my aunt after all!”
Finished with these heavy topics, the conversation gradually lightened, shifting to miscellaneous anecdotes.
“So you also came to High Heaven Pavilion because of the Heaven’s Cave Inheritance?” Asked Yang Kai.
“Of course, or else I why would I have come to this remote god forsaken place?” Dong Qing Han said dismissively, then suddenly smirked, “But you really do have a few geniuses here, especially that girl called Su Yan. It’s said that she not only has outstanding talent but is also a city destroying beauty, with a pure as ice radiance. It’s unfortunate that I’ve not had the pleasure of seeing her face.”
Thanks to PhantomNite for this generous support in Patreon of $100! If you have anything that you wish to write to the readers, kindly PM me. (P.s – As per mentioned, you will get to read ahead 5 chapters of the rest. However, we need to get the chapters ready so, I will have it up next week.)
3/3 Regular Chapters
While he talked, Dong Qing Han looked towards Yang Kai meaningfully, like he was eager to observe his reaction, probing to see if the rumors were true.
“That’s your sister-in-law you’re talking about!” Yang Kai didn’t mince words with him.
Dong Qing Han couldn’t help his jaw from dropping as he blankly stared at Yang Kai. Apparently, he had not expected that the rumors were actually true, somehow his little cousin had won the heart of this Sect’s heavenly princess.
[Yang Family men, sure enough, none of them should be underestimated, every one of them is definitely a wolf.]
“Fortunately I didn’t go along with those Bai Family and Purple Fern Valley idiots, or else I’d have been digging up my own backyard right?” Dong Qing Han smirked. As a young master from the Dong Family, his status was naturally quite high. On top of that, he was born with significant talent; he was young, naturally suave, and had a free and unrestrained personality, everywhere he went, he was never lacking in admirers, fluttering around him like butterflies. It was unknown just how many beautiful women he had enchanted.
However, when he heard the rumors about Yang Kai having a more than simple Senior Sister-Junior Brother relationship with Su Yan, he had been more prudent with his approach and did not collude with the Bai Family and Purple Fern Valley people to win her favor.
He had just wanted to casually test the waters here, but he did not expect the rumors were actually far less than the truth. Dong Qing Han suddenly felt fortune, it was a good thing he had not rushed in without checking, or else he might really be fighting a life and death battle with his cousin right now!
Yang Kai naturally understood the temperament and personality of these great family young masters, so he bluntly admitted to it, not to show off, but to leave no doubt about his position.
He had clearly told him that she was his woman! Anyone who wants to touch her would do so over his corpse.
“You smelly brat, your charm is not small.” Dong Qing Han laughed, although High Heaven Pavilion was just a small Sect, he had heard that this girl called Su Yan had a cultivation at the True Element Boundary Fourth or Fifth Stage. Even considering the entire world, such amazing aptitude would let her rank amongst the first-class geniuses, not to mention she had now likely obtained some strong inheritance.
With such talent, if she were to seek refuge in the Eight Great Families, she would be treated like a treasure and vigorously cultivated.
“Since she is my sister-in-law, it seems that my Dong Family has no way to attract her.” Dong Qing Han smiled wryly.
“Haven’t you already reaped quite a harvest here?” Yang Kai looked up at him and asked casually.
Dong Qing Han nodded slightly, “There has been some, but it is far from what you’re thinking. You also entered the Heaven’s Cave Inheritance right, tell me about it, what exactly was it like inside?”
Yang Kai pondered for a moment, recalling his adventures in the Heaven’s Cave Inheritance and then recounting some of them here, the only thing he did not reveal was who had obtained the inheritance.
All he discussed was some incidental information, but Dong Qing Han still listened with great relish.
“Haa, a Heaven’s Cave Inheritance actually appeared in this place, it is really surprising. Your Three Sects’ disciples really stumbled upon a treasure. Why couldn’t it have appeared in my Dong Family’s site?” Dong Qing Han let out a long sigh, it was a great injustice! The Heaven’s Cave Inheritance appearing was carefully concealed for the first two or three months. The Three Sects took great care in maintaining secrecy until finally information gradually spread out. Those great forces immediately sent people to find those who had acquired some inheritance. Unfortunately, until now no one had found the primary inheritor. However, they were able to find many people who had obtained artifacts and martial skills within the Heaven’s Cave Inheritance, each one managing to acquire some.
Most of those artifacts were heavily damaged and could no longer be used, but after all, they were ancient treasures used by powerful cultivators from the past, bringing them back and researching them still held great value.
As for the martial skills, the grades were not low; all of them at least Earth Grade, and even some Heaven Grade martial skills had appeared.
It could be said that the appearance of the Heaven’s Cave Inheritance had made the High Heaven Pavilion, Blood Battle Gang and Storm Hall all become extremely wealthy in a very short time. With the great forces that came to the Three Sects all competing with each other to acquire things, all of them earned a fortune.
The only regrettable thing was that some disciples had lost out to temptation, choosing to leave their own Sect and seek refuge in these great forces. There were many such cases in the High Heaven Pavilion as well.
The Five Elders had no way to stop them. After all, with the strength of these great forces, if they poached a few disciples what could they do? Wei Xi Tong and Su Xuan Wu could only open one eye and close the other, praying that these great forces disciples and masters would leave as soon as possible, or at least before they picked High Heaven Pavilion clean.
While the cousins were talking, the two old men suddenly came up and said, “Young Master, Young Lord Yang, the Bai Family and Purple Fern Valley people have come.”
Yang Kai and Dong Qing Han looked at each other. The latter chuckled, “They really came fast, they’re probably afraid that I’ll be able to poach the martial skill you obtained.”
Yang Kai nodded silently. Meng Wu Ya had told him before that these great forces were very interested in the Star Mark martial skill he had obtained in the Heaven’s Cave Inheritance Star Mark, after all, in one strike it had allowed him to injure a Sixth-Order Monstrous Beast, how could it be anything but extraordinary? The Bai Family and Purple Fern Valley coming here were obviously for this purpose.
“What do you want to do?” Dong Qing Han smiled wryly towards Yang Kai; these idiots had spent their days here constantly harassing his sister-in-law and Yang Kai was surely holding a grudge. There was definitely going to be a good show to watch here.
If Yang Kai exposed his true identity, those Bai Family and Purple Fern Valley people certainly would not dare provoke him, it was even likely they would apologize and beg for mercy. But the problem now was that Yang Kai could not expose himself. Dong Qing Han was looking forward to how this cousin of his would resolve this problem, his slightly chubby face filled with a cheerful smile.
“I’ll have to see what their attitude is.” Yang Kai remained indifferent, “If they’re attitude is good, I don’t mind sitting down to talk.”
Even if this Star Mark skill could shine in his hands, it did not mean that others could also bring out such power, so even if he sold it to them it was no big deal.
“And if their attitude is not good?” Dong Qing Han’s eyes squinted.
Yang Kai looked at him, smiling deviously.
Dong Qing Han also grinned, unable to hold back a malicious laugh, obviously looking forward to a good show.
He knew, expecting those two arrogant idiots from the Bai Family and Purple Fern Valley to have a polite attitude here was obviously impossible.
Shortly after, two cheerful voices filled with laughter came from outside quickly followed by two young men similar in age to Dong Qing Han walked through the door, one wearing a snow-white robe, the other dressed in a luxurious purple uniform.
Both men carried a distinguished bearing, the white-clothed one obviously the Bai Family’s young master Bai Yun Feng, and the purple clothed one was Purple Fern Valley’s disciple Fan Hong.
Following behind the two people were two High Heaven Pavilion disciples, one of which Yang Kai was somewhat familiar with but could not recall his name, while the other was the Disciplinary Hall disciple Cao Zheng Wen.
Yang Kai and Cao Zheng Wen had confronted each other twice. The last time was just before he had left High Heaven Pavilion; this man had found Yang Kai to convey the promotion order from Great Elder Wei, but he had been refused by Yang Kai, causing him to lose face. After that incident, he was harshly punished by the Great Elder and therefore held a grudge against Yang Kai.
These two High Heaven Pavilion disciples had once entered the Heaven’s Cave Inheritance, and now they had come here following Bai Yun Feng and Fan, always a few steps behind them; obviously they had been tempted by some benefits and were no longer High Heaven Pavilion’s disciples, but disciples of the Bai Family and Purple Fern Valley.
“Elegant as always Brother Dong, coming to this place to have a drink but not inviting myself or Brother Fan, it’s almost like you see us as outsiders.” Bai Yun Feng laughed, glancing towards Yang Kai briefly before closing the folding fan in his hands, his demeanor unable to be any more haughty.
Fan Hong also laughed, “Brother Dong hasn’t concerned himself with that beauty, unlike Brother Bai and me. We have spent more than half a month waiting outside her loft but have never even caught a glimpse of her face. Perhaps Brother Dong who gets to drink and relax here is better off.”
A faint sneer emerged from the corner of Yang Kai’s mouth. The loft these two villains were squatting like stalkers must be Su Yan’s residence.
Dong Qing Han simply smiled, motioning for these two to sit down, shooting a glance towards Yang Kai before saying, “The day before I left my esteemed father arranged a marriage for me, how could I dare chase other women now, I am no longer as free as Brother Bai and Brother Fan.”
Bai Yun Feng and Fan Hong both sat while Cao Zheng Wen and the other High Heaven Pavilion disciple respectfully stood behind them.
“Brother Dong must be joking; I heard Brother Dong recently snatched up a pretty female disciple from High Heaven Pavilion. I don’t know how brother managed to attract her, was it with a golden home to keep one’s mistress, or by satisfying her in your bedchamber?” Bai Yun Feng quipped.
Dong Qing Han wryly smiled, shaking his head, “Bother Bai jests, I really did recruit a female disciple, but it was only through offering her the benefits of my Dong Family. That girl had entered the Heaven’s Cave Inheritance and received a great opportunity, her aptitude is also good, and she only needs the right resources to develop into a talent in the future.
Bai Yun Feng laughed, not bothering further, instead, he turned to observe Yang Kai, showing a trace of contempt and overlooking him like a superior being, lightly asking, “This must be High Heaven Pavilion’s disciple Yang Kai right? How goes Brother Dong’s discussion with him?”
The words were spoken casually but carried a note of disdain; although they were speaking in front of Yang Kai, Bai Yun Feng obviously did not put him in his eyes, instead directing his question to Dong Qing Han.
“We’ve only talked!” Dong Qing Han nodded slightly, “No results up till you two arrived.”
Bai Yun Feng and Fan Hong’s eyes brightened, “Then it seems that I and Brother Fan still have a chance.”
Fan Hong was more straightforward, directly looking at Yang Kai he said, “I heard that in the Heaven’s Cave Inheritance you acquired a powerful martial skill, correct?”
Yang Kai smiled and said, “Indeed.”
Fan Hong expression brightened, pressing forward, “I am a man who prefers to speak plainly, so I will be blunt. I am interested in that martial skill, what kind of conditions do you want in order to sell it to me?”
“What benefits can you offer?” Yang Kai smiled lightly.
Fan Hong chuckled, reaching into his pocket, removing a stack of silver coins, pushing them in front of Yang Kai, “This is 100,000 silver coins! If you are willing to sell me the method of cultivating this martial skill, these silver Coins are yours.”
Saying these words, Fan Hong was full of confidence, the look of a cunning businessman filling his face. He was certain that these 100,000 silver coins for a small Sect disciple had an unparalleled appeal.
In fact, he was not wrong, when the 100,000 silver coins were placed on the table, whether it was Cao Zheng Wen or the other High Heaven Pavilion disciple, their breathing became heavier as they stared at the silver coins on the table.
To this offer, Yang Kai only slowly shook his head.
Fan Hong’s expression remained the same, casually removing another stack of silver coins, pushing them in front of Yang Kai.
But Yang Kai was still unmoved.
Bai Yun Feng suddenly laughed lightly, “Aren’t you being a bit stingy Brother Fan? Yang Kai is it? This young master is willing to offer you 200,000 silver coins for your martial skill, how about it? You won’t be able to earn so much wealth ever again, it is definitely enough for you to live a few lifetimes while enjoying good food and clothing while still keeping three wives and four concubines, an unparalleled glory.”
Bai Yun Feng offering more than Fan Hong sparked the latter’s anger as he fiercely stared at him, but the Bai Yun Feng simply treated him like the wind, continuing to smile towards Yang Kai.
Dong Qing Han also laughed happily, but with great meaning.
Wanting to take 200,000 silver coins to cheat a direct descendant of the Yang Family, these two idiots were really too ignorant. Dong Qing Han had wanted to burst out laughing a few times, but somehow managed to endure, his shoulders slightly hunched over, desperately trying to hold back.
[This really is a good show, really too interesting!]
1/3 Regular Chapters
“200,000 silver coins is a great sum, are you still not satisfied?” Bai Yun Feng’s brow wrinkled, somewhat unhappily staring at Yang Kai. Up till now they had bought a lot of these martial skills, but never was there such a high price tag, if they had not heard that this martial skill carried extraordinary power, how could they have been so generous?
[This little brat doesn’t know how to appreciate kindness!] Bai Yun Feng thought to himself, he was the Bai Family’s young master, even if this martial skill really was worth 200,000 silvers he should still happily sell it to me for 100,000!
Seeing that Bai Yun Feng was getting frustrated, Dong Qing Han decided to add fuel to the fire, still pretending he did not know Yang Kai, he joined in, “Kid, this Young Master will also bid, 200,000 silver coins plus one bottle of the Dong Family’s exclusive Profound Yuan Pills, how about it?”
Bai Yun Feng and Fan Hong both turned surprised looks towards Dong Qing Han, they had not thought he would actually offer up a bottle of Profound Yuan Pills Xuan Yuan, that was an Earth Grade Mid-Rank Spirit Pill. Although the grade was not high, the effects were absolutely outstanding. Using it as an auxiliary when one cultivated would allow one to gain more with less effort.
[Does this martial skill really have such a great value? Yes, Dong Qing Han and Yang Kai had talked a lot before; he certainly has some understanding of the martial skill, so he is willing to offer a bottle of Profound Yuan Pills.]
“Two hundred thousand, plus a Common Grade Low-Rank artifact!” Fan Hong immediately raised his bid.
Dong Qing Han frowned, “Brother Fan, you should not compete so ruthlessly.”
However, before Fan Hong could speak, Bai Yun Feng cut in, “Brother Dong must be mistaken, this martial skill has extraordinary power, since we all want it, naturally we have to use some means, and any price we are willing to offer is fair. 300,000 silvers, plus a Common Grade Low-Rank artifact, but it will be a defensive artifact!”
When Fan Hong heard this, he simply smiled, “Brother Bai is truly enthusiastic.”
This price, even he did not dare to offer up. He had not thought Bai Yun Feng would be so decisive.
Dong Qing Han also laughed, “Since the Brother Bai is so determined, then this Young Master will not fight with you, it would only let me suffer.”
Bai Yun Feng laughed, cupping his hands, “You’re too humble! For this opportunity, I will surely make it up to you both!”
These three people offering such a price seemed quite satisfied. Looking at them would make one believe that this Star Mark martial skill already belonged to them, completely disregarding Yang Kai opinion.
Yang Kai frowned, lightly saying, “When did I say I would sell this martial skill for such a price?”
Bai Yun Feng’s face suddenly went stiff while Fan Hong was also stunned.
“300,000 silvers, plus a Common Grade Low-Rank defense artifact should be more than enough to offset the cost of your martial skill. You might not know this so I will warn you first. Being too greedy will cause you to lose everything.” Bai Yun Feng expression dimmed and his voice became somewhat cold and threatening.
Cao Zheng Wen, who was standing behind Bai Yun Feng, also sneered as he said, “Yang Kai, not giving some face is too shameless. The price Young Master Bai offered is already more than fair, what more do you want?”
Bai Yun Feng opened his paper fan, crossing his legs. Looking towards Yang Kai, gently fanning himself, showing his utter disdain and contempt.
Dong Qing Han continued to muddy the waters, deliberately saying, “Oh? Perhaps you want to join one of our forces?”
Bai Yun Feng and Fan Hong frowned, thinking that this might be a possibility.
The two people hadn’t finished considering before Cao Zheng Wen interjected again, “Young Master Bai, this person had come to High Heaven Pavilion for more than three years but had only cultivated to the Tempered Body Third Stage, forcing him to become a High Heaven Pavilion Trial Disciple. His qualifications are mediocre at best, and is doomed to have no future. The Bai Family recruiting him will only bring shame, Young Master must think twice.”
Just as he had finished speaking, Yang Kai suddenly flicked his wrist and shot the glass of wine in his hands forward, splashing it directly on Cao Zheng Wen’s face.
Everyone’s face at the table underwent a steep change. Especially Bai Yun Feng, his expression was extremely ugly.
“Yang Kai you court death!” Cao Zheng Wen was furious, he tried to attack, but was stopped Bai Yun Feng.
“Little brat, if you want to kick a dog you must first consider his master.” Bai Yun Feng glared at Yang Kai, his eyes shining a dangerous light, “If you do not give me a satisfactory explanation today, you should never expect to leave here.”
“An explanation?” Yang Kai remained indifferent, “My martial skill is of the Mysterious Grade, is this explanation enough?”
After this remark, everyone’s face was shocked again, even Dong Qing Han was also stunned.
Mysterious Grade!
Everyone had guessed that Yang Kai’s martial skill was extraordinary, but they had never imagined it was Mysterious Grade.
Even the first-class forces like the Dong Family, Bai Family, and Purple Fern Valley only had a few Mysterious Grade martial skills, and any one of these was a closely guarded treasure of their Sects. If one was not a future pillar of the force they were absolute unable to cultivate it.
“Are you serious?” Dong Qing Han’s voice was trembling somewhat, violently cursing inside, [If I had known it was a Mysterious Grade Martial Skill, I would have seriously tried to acquire it. Since he’s my cousin, trading for this martial skill might not have been impossible but now these two idiots Bai Yun Feng and Fan Hong also are involved here, this matter isn’t going to be easy to resolve.]
“In the Heaven’s Cave Inheritance, my cultivation had only reached Initial Element Seventh Stage yet one strike could wound a sixth-order Monster Beast, what more about this martial skill’s rank do I need to say?” Yang Kai said dismissively.
These few people’s breathing became rapid, and their looks towards Yang Kai, which before were filled with contempt and disdain, now were shining with greed.
“On top of the price I offered you before, you may also join my Bai Family as a disciple.” Bai Yun Feng took a deep breath and decisively offered to accept Yang Kai as a disciple. Allowing him to join in exchange for a Mysterious Grade martial skill, the Bai Family was definitely earning big; as for Yang Kai’s treatment once inside the Bai Family, that would be up this his own qualifications.
“I will also accept you as a disciple on behalf of Purple Fern Valley, and guarantee you a good practice environment.” Fan Hong also hurriedly offered.
“I have no interest in joining any of you.” Yang Kai was too lazy to spend any more time on them. “If you want my martial skill, you will have to offer up a martial skill of the same grade!”
Fan Hong frowned, his expression turning ugly, “You want to learn my Sect’s secret skills?”
“One Mysterious Grade skill for another, everyone gains, isn’t that fair?” Yang Kai looked at him and grinned.
Bai Yun Feng sneered, “Impossible, if we traded our family’s secrets they would no longer be secrets, in addition to the Bai Family’s direct disciples, no outsiders are allowed to cultivate them.”
“Then we have nothing to talk about.” Yang Kai got up and started walking.
“Want to leave?” Bai Yun Feng’s look changed, sneering again, his hand reached out to block Yang Kai’s path, “If you don’t hand over that martial skill now, you’ll never leave here again.”
Unable to reach a deal, he now intended to simply rob him. A no-name High Heaven Pavilion disciple was really nothing in his eyes.
“Fuck off!” Yang Kai could see he was going to make things difficult, attempting to block his path, so he no longer hesitated; throwing out a ferocious punch.”
Bai Yun Feng coldly snorted, meeting his fist with a palm.
A loud bang was heard as a burst of Yuan Qi swirled, the cabin suddenly being torn apart.
*Whoosh*, several figures leaped out from inside.
Dong Qing Han, Bai Yun Feng, Fan Hong, Yang Kai, Cao Zheng Wen and the other High Heaven Pavilion disciple all became serious.
“You dare attack me!” Bai Yun Feng’s anger exploded and his expression went grim. In that brief confrontation, although he did not suffer, he also had not suppressed Yang Kai, not to mention his surprise that the other’s Yuan Qi was obviously only at the level of a Separation and Reunion Boundary First Stage, but was actually able to repel his blow.
“Young Master Bai, please consider your dignity, he is not worthy of you dealing with him, let me punish him in your stead!” Cao Zheng Wen instantly volunteered himself. Yang Kai had poured drink on him, letting him lose a lot of face; naturally he wanted to seek revenge for this. Moreover, he was now a member of the Bai Family, this was a good opportunity to express his loyalty and show his worth.
As long as he beat down Yang Kai, relieving Bai Yun Feng’s anger, in the future would he not gain more benefits?
Bai Yun Feng nodded coldly, “Break his hands and feet, let him know what the consequences of insulting this young master are. A no-name disciple from an insignificant Sect. How dare he be so impudent?!”
“Young Master rest assured, I have long wanted to teach this little shit a lesson.” Cao Zheng Wen sneered endlessly, staring at Yang Kai from only ten feet away, he said, “Junior Brother Yang, do not say that I am not a merciful senior, I will give you an opportunity, as long as you now kneel down, and beg while knocking your head to the ground a few times, maybe Young Master Bai will spare you, or at least lessen the bitterness you must eat.”
Yang Kai looked at him dismissively, “For just another man’s pet dog, you sure talk big.”
Cao Zheng Wen turned red, then blue, “Young Master Bai has shown me great courtesy, what’s wrong with following him now? Even the Sect Elders did not say anything, what qualifications do you have to accuse me?”
“You know your own actions, why should anyone else point them out for you?”
“This Elder Brother was once your Senior, and did not want to make life too difficult for you, but since you choose death, do not blame me for being ruthless!” Cao Zheng Wen took a deep breath, holding down his anger, running his Yuan Qi, no longer bothering to speak, preparing to execute his movement skill to charge towards Yang Kai.
But before he could take a single step, a figure appeared in front of him. In the blink of an eye, Yang Kai had crossed the ten feet gap between them and was now right before him.
Cao Zheng Wen was stunned, immediately becoming serious, desperately throwing a palm.
But Yang Kai readily blocked, resolving his attack with a single move, his fist instantly striking as his Burning Sun’s Three Layer Blast exploded out.
Taking a direct hit, Cao Zheng Wen face went white as his chest caved in, frantically falling back to resolve the strength of Yang Kai’s punch.
He barely managed to open the distance between them, but the raging influx of True Yang Yuan Qi suddenly burst inside his body.
Three muffled thuds could be heard as Cao Zheng Wen spat arrows of blood from his mouth.
One strike! This change startled everyone present.
Cao Zheng Wen’s cultivation, although not much significantly stronger, was still at the Separation and Reunion Boundary Fifth Stage. But he was forced to vomit blood after only a single punch from Yang Kai.
Although this strike was a devastating martial skill, Yang Kai’s outrageous speed alone was truly shocking.
Cao Zheng Wen apparently had not dreamed that Yang Kai had become so tyrannical as he constantly coughed up blood, and now, before he could even recover, Yang Kai had already rushed up to him again. Greatly panicking now, how could he possibly resist? After only a dozen more rounds, he once suffered a heavy blow.
The crisp sound of bones breaking emanating from his chest, the unbearable pain caused Cao Zheng Wen to drip with cold sweat.
Yang Kai remained ruthless and indifferent, continuing to attack Cao Zheng Wen. The onslaught only lasted a short time before Cao Zheng Wen was completely suppressed, unable to fight back.
Not long after, Cao Zheng Wen’s vision blurred, suddenly taking a kick from Yang Kai he flew up, crashing onto the ground several feet away, unable to get up again.
He was not dead, but it was unknown how many of his bones were broken. It was enough to leave him bedridden for at least several months.
2/3 Regular Chapters
Dong Qing Han stared at Yang Kai, he did not expect that after not seeing him for four years, his cousin had changed to this degree, a Separation and Reunion Boundary Fifth Stage cultivator could only hold out for thirty breaths of time before falling.
Standing amongst the scattered dust, Yang Kai stood tall with an indifferent look upon his face, clearly disdaining all who watched, arrogant to the extreme.
Bai Yun Feng and Fan Hong were both slightly shocked. It took Bai Yun Feng a moment to adjust before glancing towards the fallen Cao Zheng Wen, coldy snorting once, “He really is just a minor Sect’s piece of trash disciple, so pathetic and vulnerable, it seems that this Young Master must personally come forward!”
Fan Hong looked at him and felt slightly relieved, after all, Bai Yun Feng was the Young Master of the Bai Family. He did not care about the life and death of Cao Zheng Wen, but regardless of the circumstances he was now one of the Bai Family’s disciples. Now, in front of his face, he had been crippled; how could Bai Yun Feng allow such an insult to pass?
For Fan Hong, if it was him, he would not let this go. What’s more, this Yang Kai brat also has a Mysterious Grade martial skill. This situation was a perfect excuse to pick a fight, and then force him to cough up the martial skill’s cultivation methods.
Having his thoughts travel till this point, Fan Hong couldn’t help but frown, coldly glancing behind him at the High Heaven Pavilion disciple he had recently poached, cursing how Yang Kai had not fought with him instead. If he had been the one wasted, he would have had a reason to fight.
“Brother Bai, are you sure you want to personally take action in someone else’s site?” Dong Qing Han was worried that Yang Kai wouldn’t be able to handle him so he quickly stood up and objected, after all, Bai Yun Feng was a True Element Boundary First Stage master and there was a huge watershed between True Element Boundary and Separation and Reunion Boundary.
Bai Yun Feng snorted, “Who cares if this is someone else’s site? He dared to harm my Bai Family’s disciple; he must pay an appropriate price!”
He was determined to go against Yang Kai.
Dong Qing Han couldn’t help but frown, he was determined to help but could not find a way to intervene, after all, to outsiders he and Yang Kai had also just met by chance if he acted too overtly, it was likely others would become suspicious. Once Yang Kai’s identity was exposed it would only bring harm to him rather than good.
The Yang Family was indeed powerful, but they also had many enemies, it was impossible to guess just how many people in this world hated them.
While he was desperately trying to find a path forward, he suddenly saw Yang Kai secretly wink at him, signaling Dong Qing Han to relax and not speak out again.
Bai Yun Feng slowly walked towards Yang Kai while calling out, “You two, stand aside and do not interfere.”
“Yes!” Two old men Chen respectfully answered and stepped back.
Dong Qing Han was accompanied by Immortal Ascension Boundary masters to guard him, how could Bai Yun Feng and Fan Hong not as well? After all, they were both leaders of their respective forces younger generation. Before they had fully matured, naturally someone they would have someone to protect their safety.
“I’ll give you one last chance; submit to my Bai Family, turn over that martial skill and I’ll spare your life!” Bai Yun Feng arrogantly threatened, staring down Yang Kai.
Yang Kai simply sneered, his Yuan Qi surging, fully displaying his fighting intent.
There was no need for words, his attitude had shown everything.
“Good, I will at least spare your life; after all, you still have some value!” As Bai Yun Feng finished, his image blurred, fading like dust in the wind, misty and illusory.
Yang Kai’s look became serious, no longer so relaxed, although Bai Yun Feng looked carefree and flamboyant, he was still, after all, the Bai Family’s young master, his cultivation was also higher than his own by a full great realm. Against such a person, any carelessness would prove fatal, and the one likely to fall would instead be him.
Originally, Yang Kai had not wanted to confront such an enemy yet.
But thinking that this person was hanging around Su Yan’s home all day long, Yang Kai was unable to contain himself. Every man should recognize his woman as off-limits, and although Bai Yun Feng had never even seen Su Yan, his actions had still made Yang Kai extremely unhappy.
A strange gathering of dust suddenly appeared behind Yang Kai, as a cold grin appeared on Bai Yun Feng face, thrusting a palm towards Yang Kai’s back, it was silent and casual yet contained a deadly force.
Dong Qing Han was alarmed and barely stopped himself from calling out.
Instantly, Yang Kai turned, extending his own palm thrust. A surging hot True Yang Yuan Qi burst forth from his hand, smashing into and intercepting Bai Yun Feng’s attack.
A burst of sound erupted and the surrounding World Energy stirred; the wind generated from their palms raged about as Yang Kai’s body jerked, directly taking ten steps back while Bai Yun Feng remained motionless, his relaxed expression filled with disdain.
Although the two had previous exchanged a blow, but at that time Yang Kai had used a full eighty percent of his strength, while Bai Yun Feng had only parried on reflex, so their contest had ended in a tie.
But now, Bai Yun Feng had taken the initiative, how could the result be as before?
With just this blow, Yang Kai had already suffered some loss, quickly picking himself up off the ground, staring solemnly at Bai Yun Feng.
“A First Stage Separation and Reunion brat dares fight with me, you’re not worthy!” Bai Yun Feng sneered, his body disappearing as he once again displayed his strange movement skill.
Yang Kai grit his teeth, his gaze filled with a cold seriousness, extremely vigilant of his surroundings.
“Find anything yet?” Bai Yun Feng’s voice suddenly emerged from the void as his body appeared three feet in front of Yang Kai, casually throwing out another palm.
[Burning Sun’s Three Layer Blast!]
Yang Kai no longer held back, directly resorting to his personally derived martial skill.
A trace of prudence flashed across Bai Yun Feng’s face, he was fully aware of the ferocity of this attack. But in the end, he was the Bai Family’s young master, a True Element Boundary master, how could he retreat? Not only did he not fall back, but he instead pushed forward even faster.
He wanted to knock down Yang Kai’s full powered strike with overwhelming force, letting him understand just how great the gap between them was.
The instant their attacks met, Yang Kai was forced back; his Yuan Qi showing some signs of disorder. On the other hand, Bai Yun Feng’s face remained full of leisure, his demeanor calm, but just as he was about to add some mockery, his expression suddenly changed, stowing his words of contempt as he was forced to resolve the hot True Yang Yuan Qi that Yang Kai forced into his arm.
“Another Martial Skill?!” Bai Yun Feng eyes glowed; he had not thought this Yang Kai brat actually also possessed another extraordinary martial skill. This martial skill was powerful and unpredictable, it was absolutely at least Heaven Grade; a moment of carelessness had almost let him suffer a big loss, if his reaction to force out those Yuan Qi invading was any slower, he certainly would have taken some minor injuries.
“Well, aren’t I just lucky? When I beat you down, I will gladly accept it as well.” Bai Yun Feng’s grin grew even deeper, his body once again transforming into dust.
Yang Kai became tense, more and more attentively perceiving the changes around him. Suddenly, his eyes flashed as he threw a palm toward the void, shooting out a violent Yuan Qi burst, like a raging wave of flames.
When his palm exploded, the air suddenly shattered, and Bai Yun Feng reappeared, his clothes ruffled and his face full of surprise, he quickly fell back, awkwardly trying to avoid Yang Kai’s blow.
The Immortal Ascension Boundary masters who were observing this fight were all shocked. Although they could all easily see through the movements of Bai Yun Feng, it was all because they had all cultivated their Souls allowing them to use their Divine Senses. But how was it that this High Heaven Pavilion disciple could too? A Separation and Reunion Boundary First Stage, unable to use his Divine Sense, after only a few exchanges, had already gained insight into the profundities of Bai Yun Feng’s movement skill?
Were his combat senses so overwhelming?
“Hah, you’re only relying on the power of an artifact!” Yang Kai sneered, staring at Bai Yun Feng, his face filled with sarcasm. The other side had twice just cast some kind of profound movement skill, many times faster and more treacherous than his own. Yang Kai simply could not understand how he was accomplishing it, but after suddenly seeing a piece of glittering jade hanging on Bai Yun Feng’s waist, he suddenly realized the truth.
This magical movement skill was nothing but the effect of an artifact confusing his eyes.
Bai Yun Feng’s face turned red, he was a True Element Boundary master fighting against someone at the Separation and Reunion Boundary, using an artifact was no doubt a shameless act. However, Yang Kai seeing through him only made him angrier, coldly snorting, “Even if I don’t use this artifact, you aren’t my opponent? “
His figure flashing, he flew towards Yang Kai, approaching as swift as the wind.
[Unyielding Will!]
Against an opponent whose cultivation was a whole great realm higher than his own, Yang Kai went all out, directly activating his most profound Martial Skill.
His Yuan Qi suddenly exploded out, full of unparalleled hostility while his expression became ferocious. A bloodthirsty and brutal light gleamed within his eyes.
This surge in power physically manifested on the surface of his body, taking the form of a raging black flame.
In that moment, Yang Kai’s appearance was akin to a vicious devil, the air bending around his body covered in flaming darkness. Yang Kai shot a palm at Bai Yun Feng’s face. Carrying endless flames, it ferociously swept towards Bai Yun Feng.
His enemy suddenly transforming, Bai Yun Feng was caught by surprise, aware of the massive upsurge in Yang Kai’s strength and blazing hot Yuan Qi rapidly approaching him, he instantly became aware of how terrible this blow was. Without the slightest hesitation, he pushed his entire body’s True Qi, activating his own killer martial skill.
[Heaven’s Snare!]
True Qi gathered and condensed into silk-like threads, dancing through the wind in the wake of his fingers, instantly intertwining before him into a large network. This massive network condensed from pure True Qi was sharp enough to slice through jade, its cutting power not inferior to a general Earth Grade Artifact.
The black flames collided with this heavenly net, and Bai Yun Feng’s True Qi silk threads passed through them unharmed, flying straight towards Yang Kai, trying to encircle him.
Yang Kai’s mind flashed, rapidly pushing his Yuan Qi, drastically increasing the temperature of his surrounding flames.
As he did so, one could physically see the silk threads dissolving, and after only a breath of time, the flames had leapt out towards Bai Yun Feng’s shoulder.
Yang Kai and Bai Yun Feng both retreated; each staring at the other, their eyes both containing a lingering fear.
On Yang Kai’s body, a series of small bloody marks appeared, obviously he had received cuts from Heaven’s Snare, and each True Qi silk thread had cut almost half an inch into his flesh, almost dismembering him in several places.
However, Bai Yun Feng also displayed an awkward appearance; his shoulder had a red hot mark, like someone had scorched him with molten iron, the air around him filling with the smell of burnt flesh as he desperately pushed his True Qi to finally resolve the rampaging hot Yuan Qi which had invaded his body.
“Hss!” The group of Immortal Ascension Boundary masters all sucked down a cold lump, looking towards Yang Kai in horror.
A Separation and Reunion Boundary cultivator against a True Element Boundary master, although he was still somewhat inferior, but he was still holding his own. What on earth was this little brat’s backing? Also, how did he manage such a strange surge in cultivation? In the beginning, he was only Separation and Reunion First Stage, but all of a sudden he jumped to the peak of Separation and Reunion Boundary, and while his cultivation shot up, his demeanor and temperament also changed dramatically.
If he was just an ordinary teenager before, now he was clearly showing signs of a Devil’s path practitioner. The most critical thing was that his Yuan Qi could actually melt Bai Yun Feng’s True Qi silk threads, which meant that his Yuan Qi was in no way inferior in purity and quality to a First Stage True Element Boundary master’s True Qi! How could he achieve such a feat?
3/3 Regular Chapters
Separation and Reunion Boundary, True Element Boundary, although there was only a single gap between the two, there was an essential difference.
The former used Yuan Qi, while the latter cultivated True Qi.
Ten Peak Separation and Reunion Boundary cultivators would not necessarily be able to fight a single True Element Boundary First Stage master. Once one transformed their Yuan Qi into True Qi, their strength would experience a qualitative soaring.
If before today, someone had told these Immortal Ascension Boundary masters that someone at the Peak Separation and Reunion Boundary could fight evenly with a True Element Boundary First Stage cultivator, every one of them would laugh. But now that this scene was really happening before their eyes, none of them dared to believe so any more.
But this should be as far as it goes. This group of Immortal Ascension Boundary masters eyes were quite sinister, naturally they could see that Yang Kai was going all out, but Bai Yun Feng was still holding back some strength. The gap between the two still existed.
On the field, Bai Yun Feng face was grim, but he soon sneered, “Little brat, you really have the capital to be arrogant. This young master has taken a liking to you and will give you one finally chance, come back with me to the Bai Family, and all the unpleasantness from before will be written off, but if you refuse then do not blame this young master for being ruthless!”
Yang Kai remained sullen, viciously responding, “Not interested!”
“Since you refuse a toast, you must suffer a loss, don’t blame others for not warning you!” Bai Yun Feng had finally lost all patience, he was a True Element Boundary master, he thought he could easily crush Yang Kai and force him to cough up all of his martial skills, but after suffering such a loss, especially in front of so many onlookers, he had become a laughing stock. Now, all he wanted to do was quickly end this farce.
His True Qi surged, actually spilling over giving his body a faint white glow, once again charging toward Yang Kai, his speed significantly faster than before; everyone here was actually unable to follow him.
Flying over, he deployed his Heaven’s Snare again; countless True Qi threads coalesced into a large network, completely enveloping Yang Kai.
The gap in cultivation between the two sides was too much, and Bai Yun Feng’s movement skill was also quite outstanding, Yang Kai’s own movement skill in this battle simply could not keep up.
Naturally, he understood that in this case, dodging was definitely not an option; he could only push forward recklessly!
One hand forming a knife, madly squeezing out all his strength, his Yuan Qi raging out, he viciously chopped towards the Heaven’s Snare.
Instantly the True Qi threads snapped, unable to approach Yang Kai before they had been broken apart.
[Heaven Gathering Seal!] Bai Yun Feng remained indifferent, his mouth showing a faint proud grin, thrusting his hands forward. A huge palm seal fell towards Yang Kai chest.
His attack had changed too fast, and Yang Kai did not have time to counter before his opponents move struck him.
His body flew out, mid-air a spray of blood escaping his mouth, he somehow managed to land upright, his expression pale.
The crowd was unable to hold back a loud exclamation, staring at Yang Kai, their faces were filled with shock. None of them could believe that he had managed to endure such an attack. The Bai Family’s Heaven Gathering Seal was a mid-Heaven Grade Rank martial skill with amazing lethality. This kid’s stature seemed so thin and frail, but he had suffered a direct hit and still remained standing, even maintaining the strength to fight on, how could they not be shocked?
At this point, Bai Yun Feng was in for a penny, in for a pound, refusing to give Yang Kai any room to breathe, his stature flashed like the wind, rushed forward.
Yang Kai desperately resisted, but he was simply outclassed, again flying out dozens of feet.
Surprisingly though, Bai Yun Feng also screamed out in pain, quickly falling back. A violent burst of noise exploding from his chest, and he was unable to stop himself from coughing out a mouthful of blood, the white True Qi aura around him vividly fluctuation before becoming dim, almost to the point of collapse.
Bai Yun Feng’s face became ferocious, his expression fill with hatred, “Little brat. Today is your death!”
Who cares about his shit Mysterious Grade martial skill, in front of so many people, he had suffered such a huge loss, all he felt was a murderous rage. The only thing he wanted right now was for Yang Kai to die under his palm so he could resolve this monstrous anger.
“Brother Bai, please think twice!” Dong Qing Han shouted, “Right now we’re on someone else’s site.”
“I don’t care!” Bai Yun Feng grinned, completely ignoring Dong Qing Han as he tightly gripped his fist. An unstable and murderous atmosphere suddenly swelled up and began to gather around him as Bai Yun Feng’s True Qi madly surged into his hand, constantly pulsing as its momentum surged.
“Heaven Gathering Meteor!” Dong Qing Han’s face went white, he couldn’t believe that Bai Yun Feng had even cultivated the Bai Family’s Mysterious Grade martial skill Heaven Gathering Meteor, this martial skill could not even be remotely compared to his previously displayed Heaven’s Snare or Heaven Gathering Seal; it was absolutely ranked amongst the core secret skills of the Bai Family.
Just as he was about to yell out a warning to Yang Kai, he suddenly saw a flash of starlight emerge, accompanied by a restless and violent aura bursting forth.
His right hand was and trembling as if the power he was channeling was on the verge of break free of his control while a blurry but dazzling illusion of the starry night sky appeared around him.
[Star Mark!]
Everyone who was looking at Yang Kai could feel the immense power of this martial skill.
They had heard that inside the Heaven’s Cave Inheritance Yang Kai had used a profound martial skill to wound a sixth-order Monstrous Beast, now seeing this scene, how could they not understand that this little kid was once again displaying it?
“Young Master, be careful!” The Bai Family’s two Immortal Ascension Boundary masters exclaimed. Fearing that Bai Yun Feng might be at a disadvantage during this clash, they quickly rushed towards Yang Kai, trying to suppress this little brat in advance.
However, before they could take a single step, two big hands landed on their left and right shoulders respectively.
Instantly their bodies went stiff, two Immortal Ascension Boundary masters from that moment on could not move, their True Qi refused to circulate and they felt as if a towering mountain was pressing down on their shoulders, even lifting a finger was currently impossible.
Their faces went pale, cold sweat dripped from their foreheads, so terrified that their souls nearly left their bodies and their strong hearts suddenly stopped or a second
Although these two’s cultivations were only around the Immortal Ascension Boundary Fourth or Fifth Stage, they could still be considered masters of their generation, but now both of them had quietly been restrained, it was obvious just how unfathomable the strength of this master was!
In this tiny High Heaven Pavilion, how could there be such a horrible figure?
“These two juniors are having a contest, so we old guys should just watch from the side, why intervene?” A light sounding voice entered their ears.
After they heard this voice, the two found themselves again able to move and rapidly turned around to see an old man leisurely standing there, his face relaxed, smiling as he looked at them.
This person… they knew him! He was the old man from High Heaven Pavilion’s Contribution Hall.
Although they had been inside High Heaven Pavilion for some time and were aware that this treasurer was somewhat unusual, they had never guessed that his cultivation had reached such a terrifying realm!
“What are your two’s opinions?” Meng Wu Ya asked with a big smile plastered on his face.
“What you’ve said… is very reasonable!” How could the Bai Family’s two experts dare refute him? The other side was simply an old monster, a snap of his fingers could end their lives, refuting meant death!
This unbelievable scene played out right before the eyes of the Immortal Ascension experts from the Dong Family and Purple Fern Valley. These four also did had no idea how Meng Wu Ya had done this, or even when he had appeared beside the Bai Family’s masters, everything happened in the blink of an eye.
For the Dong Family masters, although they were both shocked, but they managed to remain calm, they knew their own young master and Yang Kai were cousins so naturally, they were unafraid.
As for the two Immortal Ascension Boundary masters from Purple Fern Valley, both of them vigilantly looked towards Meng Wu Ya, desperately trying to recall the faces of all the famous masters they knew, but Meng Wu Ya didn’t seem to be among them.
“Haha, good good, this fight is still somewhat worth watching!” When the two from Purple Fern Valley were still pondering their suspicions, another strange voice rang out beside them.
Their expressions rapidly changed, both turning their faces to the side, surprised find that another old man had at some point appeared.
This old man had a scholarly temperament, his beard pure white, wearing a very simple robe, quietly standing next to them.
Another master!
He was simply standing there, stroking his beard, a friendly smile on his face, watching these two junior disciples furiously converge their Qi, but the Purple Fern Valley’s two experts were still aware of this old man had locked his perception onto them.
Once they showed the slightest aggression, both of them would be ruthlessly cut down!
In this little High Hall Pavilion, why were there so many terrifying old monsters? With just these two masters, it could be said that High Heaven Pavilion’s strength was in no way inferior to a general first-class forces.
The Immortal Ascension Boundary masters from Purple Fern Valley and the Bai Family all looked at each other with faces filled with shock and frustration. If no one was watching they would have cried tears of frustration and sadness.
*Shua Shua Shua*
Another five figures landed nearby; High Heaven Pavilion’s five elders had also arrived. The five men had been drawn here by this fight, ready to launch a thorough investigation, but seeing the white-bearded old man, their faces suddenly became happy, quickly saluting, “Greetings Sect Master!”
This person was actually High Heaven Pavilion’s Sect Master! The hidden dragon who showed his tail but never his face!
When these three forces came to High Heaven Pavilion, the Sect Master refused to even meet with them. For this reason, these experts and several young masters complained out loud, saying this High Heaven Pavilion Sect Master was being discourteous to them, but now that they were aware of how powerful he was, how could they dare have any complaints?
With the strength of his cultivation, he really did not need to put these three forces’ young masters and experts in his eyes, unless their forces Elders showed up, him not appearing could be considered perfectly normal.
Fan Hong quickly regaining his wits, quickly ran over, “Purple Fern Valley disciple Fan Hong pays his respects to senior.”
The Sect Master simply smiled and nodded, not speaking a word, just looking towards the battlefield.
During this brief delay, whether it was Yang Kai’s Star Mark, or Bai Yun Feng’s Heaven Gathering Meteor, both had fully condensed. These two martial skills both had many similarities; while they were extremely lethal, they both requiring a short time to coalesce.
In just a few breaths of time, their respective momentum had reached its peak!
“Yang Kai!” Bai Yun Feng screamed as he glared angrily at him.
“Come!” Yang Kai responded, unafraid. As the twinkling on his hand became more obvious, he stepped forward; causing it to seem as though the whole night sky was moving along with him.
Their two frightening energies rapidly approached before violently colliding.
This was a collision between two Mysterious Grade martial skills, something that even the Immortal Ascension Boundary masters present widened their eyes to see.
Like an exploding sun, a flash of light so brilliant burst forth that everyone was forced to shield their eyes, only the Immortal Ascension Boundary masters with their Divine Senses could still clearly observe. Whether it was Yang Kai or Bai Yun Feng, the Yuan Qi in their bodies both became chaotic while their breaths stifled; a violent bang was heard as they both flew out in opposite directions.
When the light finally scattered, the sounds of their violent breathing could be heard, and a massive pit more than 10 feet deep had emerged. Separated by around three hundred feet, Yang Kai and Bai Yun Feng both struggled to their feet as their bodies trembled in shock.
Anyways, got over the editing for the older chapters. Anyone who wishes to reread this whole novel can do so after 3rd August. If read any chapter that has Yang Kai as Kai Yang, it’s the wrong website.
The result of this clash was actually a tie! But if one looked closely, they could see that Yang Kai received heavier injuries.
Even so, such an outcome was still shocking.
A Peak Separation and Reunion Boundary and a True Element Boundary First Stage had just fought almost evenly in a showdown of martial skills. Wouldn’t that mean that either the grade of his martial skill was greater than one of the Bai Family’s ultimate martial skills, the “Heaven Gathering Meteor”?
It really was a Mysterious Grade martial skill!
The two juniors were both bloodied, each glaring at the other, hatred and disbelief surging through Bai Yun Feng. He could not believe that Yang Kai could once again stand up and equal him. His thirst for battle was growing stronger.
“As I said before, today you must die! Even the King of Heaven cannot save you now!” Bai Yun Feng’s face contorted with rage as he roared.
He and Yang Kai had no previous grievances, but the results of today’s battle had gone far beyond his ability to admit defeat. As the Bai Family’s young master, Bai Yun Feng simply could not accept it. So many people have witnessed him repeatedly demean and confront Yang Kai. If he could not follow through on a single one of his threats, wouldn’t he have just been slapping his own face?
Bai Yun Feng’s hand spread a scroll-like object that he took up in his grasp. This scroll was covered in vivid pictures of numerous Monster Beasts.
“The Bai Family’s Earth Grade Mid-Rank artifact, Hundred Beast Scroll!” Dong Qing Han filled with shock as he cried out.
To others, it looked like he had inadvertently yelled this name but in reality, he was warning Yang Kai.
Bai Yun Feng chuckled, pouring his True Qi into this artifact. The various Monster Beast images lit up, leapt out from the scroll to become translucent visions floating around the young master of the Bai family. As the visions of the Monster Beasts converged, they suddenly flashed towards Yang Kai.
In order to condemn Yang Kai to death, Bai Yun Feng’s actions now could be described as desperate; this artifact was his greatest trump card, and also his last resort.
He firmly believed that the little High Heaven Pavilion disciple will be unable to keep his life once he unleashed this Hundred Beast Scroll!
As more and more images began to appear, the strange Monster Beast images also became more solid and lifelike, crashing forward trampling everything in their path.
Yang Kai screamed as a murderous light overflowed from his eyes. A blood red sword appeared in his hands.
Asura Sword, the hallowed artifact of the Asura Sect of the Endless Sea Islands!
With the Asura Sword, Yang Kai’s Yuan Qi grew more violent and aggressive to reach an appalling level. Everyone watching trembled as they stared at the glaring red sword.
They were all able to feel the thick murderous aura emanating from the weapon, and staring at its hilt produced an illusion of being sunk into a world painted over in death, where rivers of blood and mountains of corpses stretched as far as the eye could see. It was terrifying to behold.
Purple Fern Valley’s two Immortal Ascension Boundary experts and the Wind and Cloud Dual Guards all stepped forward to guard their respective young masters, fearing they may be affected by the raging murderous aura.
Even Meng Wu Ya and High Heaven Pavilion’s Sect Master were slightly discoloured. They did not expect Yang Kai to pull out such a terrible slaughtering weapon; it was completely beyond their expectations.
As the Monster Beast images approached, Yang Kai swept forward.
Like a raging wind smashing into a rotten tree, devastating sword waves burst forth, followed quickly by the sorrowful cries of the virtual Monster Beasts as they dissipated into thin air.
Yang Kai was filled with madness and bloodlust and yet was still and calm like death itself as he progressed towards every other Monster Beast image. Bai Yun Feng quickly felt fear take over his body.
He never imagined that not even his most powerful artifact could defeat Yang Kai; in fact, his Hundred Beast Scroll’s Monster Beasts were actually incapable of contribution into the battle.
One after another, his Monster Beasts were cut down, the distance between them rapidly shrinking.
Surrounded by an air of imminent death, Bai Yun Feng was rendered almost entirely immobile, only able to mechanically push his True Qi into his Hundred Beast Scroll, still desperately trying to block Yang Kai.
However, this action was simply meaningless, only serving to speed up the consumption of his True Qi.
In a flash, Yang Kai was already right before Bai Yun Feng. As he stared at him with his ice cold eyes he raised the Asura Sword up high, viciously slashing down at him.
Everyone’s heart jumped because they saw that Yang Kai’s target was not Bai Yun Feng, but his Hundred Beast Scroll!
He was trying to destroy the Earth Grade Mid-Rank artifact.
A scarlet sword wave that seemed to pierce the heavens mercilessly cut into the Hundred Beast Scroll.
All the remaining Monster Beast images flying about at that moment disappeared, and the Hundred Beast Scroll’s lingering radiance was sliced apart as the sword strike sunk into it.
Everyone’s eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.
This Hundred Beast Scroll, after all, was a Mid-Earth Grade artifact, and although its focus was not defence, how could it be this vulnerable? A single slash from a sword had reduced it to trash. Just how sharp was this crimson sword, and just how high was its grade as an artifact?
*Woosh*
The Asura Sword slashed upwards, expanding the already deep cut.
With one more fierce chop accompanied by a loud snap, the Mid-Earth Grade Hundred Beast Scroll broke in half. It floated powerlessly to the ground.
Three sword strikes! It only took three strikes to destroy a Mid-Earth Grade artifact! This result was simply impossible.
Yang Kai’s sword blade tilted as he slashed forward towards the dumbstruck Bai Yun Feng, seemingly wanting to end this contest once and for all.
“Young Lord please have mercy!” The two Immortal Ascension Experts from the Bai Family begged desperately in an effort to try and save their Young Master. Having been previously suppressed by Meng Wu Ya, they did not dare to move, but at such an intense risk of losing the family’s young master, they did not hesitate crying out.
While they shouted, they ran towards the two.
Meng Wu Ya did not stop them.
The two Immortal Ascension masters moved like lightning, one instantly appearing in front of Yang Kai and the Asura Sword while the other grabbed Bai Yun Feng, quickly pulling him back.
The Asura Sword’s slash was deflected away, allowing Bai Yun Feng to keep his life.
Yang Kai scanned the two Bai Family experts, slowly lowering his stance. With these two on guard, it would impossible for him to finish off Bai Yun Feng.
“Young Lord, this humble servant asks you to show mercy, you have proven that your skills are superior to our Young Master. He is defeated!” These Immortal Ascension masters cringed as they pleaded. Though their tone was mixed with dissatisfaction, they dared not show any disrespect.
Yang Kai stared at them and hesitated.
The battle from start to finish was never an even fight. But the end result was that the one with lower strength had won, thoroughly surprising everyone present.
“You came to High Heaven Pavilion as guests, and this old man has accepted your presence, but High Heaven Pavilion is not a place where you can act without consequences!” The Sect Master, although still appearing cordial and reserved, spoke firmly at this time; anyone listening could hear the wrath hidden beneath his casual voice.
The many gathered experts hearing this could not help but panic.
The name of the Bai Family was tarnished. The experts of the family no longer had any face to salvage. One of them grabbed Bai Yun Feng while the other picked up the fallen debris of the Hundred Beast Scroll. They cupped their fists and said, “For the past days we have imposed on your hospitality. We hope High Heaven Pavilion will forgive our rudeness, but one day our Bai Family will provide a satisfactory compensation!”
The two Immortal Ascension Boundary masters quickly left, dragging Bai Yun Feng along.
Watching the events unfold, the Purple Fern Valley’s people dared not stay. They had heavily underestimated this small and remote sect, coming here and acting like powerful and noble masters, wantonly snatching up prospective talents. Today, two terrifying old monsters had consecutively appeared while a High Heaven Pavilion Separation and Reunion Boundary First Stage disciple almost killed the Bai Family’s young master. All of this sent chills down the Purple Fern Valley cultivator’s backs.
The High Heaven Pavilion cannot be underestimated! There were powerful masters present, and a mere disciple turned out to be a monster to defy all odds. To the others, this was simply a group people playing pigs to eat tigers!
Fan Hong and his two Immortal Ascension guards quickly said their farewells and fled.
Dong Qing Han and the Wind and Cloud Dual Guards followed suit. As they departed, Dong Qing Han glanced at Yang Kai, still unable to recover from the shocking result.
Gathered nearby were many High Heaven Pavilion disciples. This battle, after all, was earth-shattering. It drew not only the attention of the five elders, such great movement had naturally drawn in all the nearby disciples as well.
Su Xuan Wu looked over the disciples, firmly saying, “All the disciples who have agreed to join these three forces over the past few months are to leave immediately. The High Heaven Pavilion is just a small Sect. We have no room to shelter those of you who are only seeking greater benefits for yourself.”
The announcement put shame on many prospective disciples in the crowd.
Many of them had already agreed to join one of the three forces thinking that by seeking refuge with them they could find a better place, but they had not thought their own Sect could be so prestigious.
They all saw that when their Sect Master and Treasurer Meng appeared, the Immortal Ascension experts became nothing more than frightened rabbits, their senses for good behaviour and courtesy instantly showing.
At the moment, those disciples’ hearts were filled with regret, but the Second Elder has already released them. How could they shamelessly stay?
On the battlefield, Yang Kai caught his breath and looked towards the Sect Master of High Heaven Pavilion. He was filled with doubt, but also somewhat relieved.
Meng Wu Ya also grinned and chuckled, disappearing quickly.
“Everyone disperse,” The Sect Master ordered. He looked at Yang Kai, his face showing a kind and understanding smile. He then told him, “Come with me!”
The five elders all looked surprised. They did not expect that the battle would rise the Sect Master’s opinion of Yang Kai so much.
Yang Kai nodded. He too had a lot of questions and doubts that needed answers.
Following closely behind, Yang Kai left with the Sect Master, all eyes on them. Before, they only looked at him with contempt and disdain, but now all their faces showed horror and panic.
The two soon came to a deep secluded land.
This land was where the Sect Master cultivated in seclusion. Typically, even the five elders could not set foot here.
A single house, a few additional cottages, the epitome of simplicity, only a small garden planted with many flowers decorated this plain scene. The Sect Master’s retreat seemed to be devoid of the slightest luxuries, exuding a clean and elegant life.
Leading Yang Kai into one of the cottages, the Sect Master took out a fresh set of clothes and a bottle of pills.
“First heal yourself, change your clothes, and then come and see me.” The Sect Master briefly stepped away.
Although he had many concerns, Yang Kai listened, settling into the cottage and then taking the healing pills.
The battle he had fought earlier today could be described as extremely difficult. A True Element master was not an easy foe to handle, and during their confrontation, he suffered a lot. If not for his trump card, the Star Mark, Yang Kai may have been defeated. The Bai Family’s Heaven Gathering Meteor had extraordinary power, no worse than his own Mysterious Grade martial skill.
Today’s battle was arguably sparked entirely by Yang Kai himself. Although his jealousy played a role, it was not the primary reason.
Yang Kai wanted to use the critical situation to confirm many of his own speculations.
Why did his father, The Yang Family’s Fourth Master (Yang’s Fourth Master), send him to High Heaven Pavilion? What was his relationship with this place? Was it simply about the time he spent on his own life experience here? Many possibilities crossed Yang Kai’s mind. In order to confirm for relieve his suspicions, he had caused a massive stir, so much that he was unable to clean it up himself, thereby forcing out someone from the higher-ups.
The only thing he could not expect was the man he drew out being the true key figure! Yang Kai hadn’t thought that the person paying the most attention to him would wind up being the Sect Master of High Heaven Pavilion.
A day passes. A rested, neatly dressed Yang Kai walks out of the cottage.
In the courtyard, the Sect Master stood under a plum tree, one hand behind his back, and his other stroking his beard, motionless, gazing off into the distance.
Yang Kai walked up, not disturbing him, then stood there, casually glancing around, observing the budding flowers adorning the tree’s branches, gently fluttering in the cold wind.
One young and one old, both stood silently for one day and one night, until the buds had completely bloomed, only then did the Sect Master turn to him, kindly inquiring, “How are your injuries?”
“They’re nothing serious.” Yang Kai grinned, “Should I call you Sect Master or Eleventh Elder?”
Standing before him was High Heaven Pavilion’s Sect Master Ling Tai Xu and also the mysterious Eleventh Elder he had me that day beside the Coiling Dragon Stream.
Yang Kai did not understand much about High Heaven Pavilion back then, so although he found that situation puzzling, he had not thought too deeply about it. It was only later after learning many things from his fellow High Heaven Pavilion disciples that he surmised the true identity of this Eleventh Elder.
High Heaven Pavilion had no Eleventh Elder; however, this Ling Tai Xu was its eleventh Sect Master, a significantly talented one at that, his fame had reached far and wide, but because of the two disciples he received both failing him, there was now no Twelfth Sect Master.
If more than ten years ago his two disciples had not suffered such bleak ends, Ling Tai Xu would certainly be much stronger than he currently was. For all his struggles since then, he could not break the shackles of the Immortal Ascension Boundary and ascend to a higher realm.
Ling Tai Xu simply smiled, “Up to you!”
Just as Yang Kai was about to open his mouth, Ling Tai Xu interrupted him, “I know you have many questions.”
“Disciple asks Sect Master to explain!” Yang Kai said, figuring that Ling Tai Xu knew what he wanted to ask, there was no need for him to speak any further.
Ling Tai Xu pondered, his expression one of someone reminiscing about long past memories, a good moment passed before he slowly spoke, his voice containing a hint of melancholy, “In this old master’s life, he had only received two disciples, the first was kind and forthright, the second was smart and cunning, if there were no accidents, these two would have become my High Heaven Pavilion’s twin pillars, leading it to never before seen glory. However, fate is impermanent, the second child’s desire for power was too strong, and he willingly fell into the Devil’s path, forcing this old man to end his life, for he could no longer be reasoned with!”
Yang Kai listened quietly, he had previously heard this series of events from Su Mu, but now listening to the Sect Master recount them, he felt there must be a deeper meaning to this story.
“The rumor outside is the senior disciple was killed, and the junior was sealed within the Coiling Dragon Stream, correct?”
Yang Kai inquired.
Ling Tai Xu chuckled, “This rumor is only half true. My second disciple was indeed sealed within the Coiling Dragon Stream, but the first did not die!”
Ling Tai Xu proudly said, “This old master’s first disciple was called Yang Ying Feng!”
Yang Kai could not help but shudder. A look of shock surfacing on his face, it was only after a long time that he gently exhaled, calming his mood. Suddenly, all the doubts that had troubled him for years had been answered.
Yang Ying Feng, was the Yang Family’s Fourth Master’s true name, in other words, Yang Kai’s father had revealed his true name while he had been out for his life experience.
It was truly unexpected, Yang Family’s Fourth Master really had come to High Heaven Pavilion during his years outside, and he had also been Ling Tai Xu’s first disciple, the unlucky senior brother the rumours said, had been killed by his junior.
No wonder all these years his father had suffered from a serious illness, unable to advance his cultivation, he must have suffered from severe hidden injuries when his junior brother had fallen to the Devil’s path.
No wonder he had told Yang Kai to specifically come to High Heaven Pavilion, it was all because of his former ties here.
“According to the proper generation, you should call me Grand Master!” Ling Tai Xu smiled.
“Disciple greets Grand Master!” Yang Kai somewhat reluctantly saluted.
Ling Tai Xu stared into his eyes, not moving, giving a light chuckle before saying, “You blame me for turning a blind eye to you even though I knew your identity, allowing you to suffer such bitterness, right?”
“Somewhat.” Yang Kai replied. During his first three years in High Heaven Pavilion, he really had suffered. The world had been a cold lonely place. But he was not too concerned about the hardships he had suffered because in the end he really had no ability. How could he blame others for his own ineptitude? The troubles he was born with were his own, why should anyone else take care of them for him?
“If you wish to blame this old master, you should first blame your Yang Family’s, Fourth Master. This old master still has some grievances with him.” Ling Tai Xu grunted.
Hearing this, Yang Kai could not help but shrink back slightly. He was not a fool, how could he not understand the meaning of Ling Tai Xu’s words?
The Yang Family direct disciples were just like cuckoo bird chicks, people who stole from others and gave nothing in return!
While Yang’s Fourth Master was here, he had certainly received much care from Ling Tai Xu, but after all that hard work and dedications for ten full years, his efforts were simply preparing wedding clothes for another. If his second disciple had not fallen to the Devil’s path, Ling Tai Xu would still have had some hope, but his first disciple turned out to be an ungrateful wolf from the Yang Family, while the second had become a Devil, making all of his efforts akin to scooping water with a woven basket, a complete waste which left a knot in his martial heart, leaving him unable to break past his own bottlenecks.
In other words, Yang’s Fourth Master had a great deal of responsibility for the problems in Ling Tai Xu’s martial heart.
As the saying goes, the debts of the father would pass to his son! Yang’s Fourth Master owed much to Ling Tai Xu, how could Yang Kai avoid taking responsibility?
Thinking quickly, Yang Kai hurriedly wore a smile, “Respected Grand Master should put down his burdens; that Yang’s Fourth Master was indeed too much, but you should not stoop to his level.”
Ling Tai Xu’s mouth twitched, seeing Yang Kai’s face change so fast, he couldn’t help but sneer, “My disciple was such an upright youth, how did he manage to raise such a sly brat?”
“A man must be flexible.” Seeing his expression, Yang Kai understood that was just joking and not truly angry.
Ling Tai Xu sighed, slowly recounting, “My disciple was not a liar, in fact, three years after his entry, he told this old master his true identity, and that one day he would have to leave High Heaven Pavilion. He had wanted this old master to understand and be prepared.”
Yang Kai nodded firmly, immediately sucked up to him. “Grand Master should rest assured when junior one day returns to the Yang Family, he will definitely teach your ungrateful disciple a lesson.”
Ling Tai Xu smirked, seemingly wanting to laugh, but eventually he managed to hold back.
“On the day you came to High Heaven Pavilion, this old master received a letter from your father, and the reason why I did not specifically care for you was also at your father’s request, because he said in the letter that your cultivation aptitude was extremely poor, and his only wish was for you to safely pass your ten year experience at High Heaven Pavilion so you could return to the Yang Family unharmed.” Ling Tai Xu explained calmly.
“Do you know why you were unsuited to cultivate?” Ling Tai Xu asked.
“Father said I was born this way.” Yang Kai frowned.
“Yes, because he had been seriously injured, and for many years was unable to heal himself, it eventually resulted in you being born with a congenital defect.” Ling Tai Xu nodded as he watched Yang Kai carefully, “One’s innate talent is supremely difficult to change, but now you are able to cultivate, your talent is also astounding and your strength has risen rapidly. This old master does not know what profound opportunity you encountered nor will he ask, just swear to me in the future, in addition to your parents, you will not discuss it with anyone.”
Yang Kai repeatedly nodded, although this was his first time meeting and talking openly with this old Grand Master, Yang Kai could still feel his heartfelt concern and care for him.
“In fact, if you were just an ordinary person, this old master really would not have appeared before you; you being alive would simply be enough, even if you had to endure hardships and bullying, you would still be able to survive, but now both your qualifications and cultivation have soared, so leaving you on your own would be negligent of this old master. The day before, you made so much noise it was able to draw this old master out was it not?”
Yang Kai sighed loudly, “I did not expect the one to appear would be Grand Master, I had thought that at most, one of the five elders had some past relations with my father.”
Ling Tai Xu chuckled, “It’s not surprising you could not understand, your father sent you here first of all for your protection, but also because he wanted to solve the knot in my martial heart. He is still too honest, thinking this old master’s bottleneck was born because of him when in fact, this old master never really blamed him.”
Hearing all this, Yang Kai simply sighed, unsure of how to comfort him.
“Well, have your questions been answered now?” Ling Tai Xu laughed as he smiled at Yang Kai.
“En.” Yang Kai responded somewhat embarrassed; after many days of pondering on his own, unable to understand, this brief conversation had finally enlightened him.
“Good, then it’s now this old master’s turn.” Ling Tai Xu suddenly said.
“What questions does Grand Master have?” Yang Kai looked at him slightly puzzled.
“Your aura!” Ling Tai Xu’s face became serious, “During your battle the day before yesterday, I witnessed your breath become bloodthirsty and violent, not any less than that year’s second disciple. This old master will only ask you once, have you stepped onto the Devil’s Path?”
“No!” Yang Kai decisively shook his head, he also knew once that activating his Golden Skeleton would cast this strange phenomenon would occur, quickly displaying this profound martial skill again.
His Yuan Qi bursting out, Yang Kai’s cultivation surged from Separation and Reunion First Stage directly to Peak Separation and Reunion Boundary, his energy swirling about, filled with a dense evil aura.
His murderous atmosphere became thick like he wanted to slaughter all living things in this world, leaving only one person left.
Ling Tai Xu stared deeply into Yang Kai’s eyes as if he wanted to peer straight into his soul.
“Take out your sword!” Ling Tai Xu commanded.
Suddenly, a crimson sword appeared in the hands of Yang Kai. With the Asura Sword in hand, his murderous air became so heavy it felt like it alone could take one’s life.
This artifact from the Asura Sect seemed to have a close relationship with Yang Kai’s Yuan Qi; thus making Yang Kai himself, seemed as though he had some kind of innate connection with it. Thus, they both complimented each other’s strength, like the sword was one with him and he was one with the sword, two entities but one body.
Ling Tai Xu stared at Yang Kai, carefully feeling the changes in his body and his emotional fluctuations. Over time, his solemn face gradually began to relax as his vigilance also dropped, immediately being replaced with shock and confusion.
After a long time, Ling Tai Xu nodded slightly.
Yang Kai stored the Asura Sword and dispersed Unyielding Will, returning to his natural state.
“It has all the appearance of a Devil’s practice, yet it is not.” Ling Tai Xu frowned, “Is your mind constantly aware?”
“En.”
“Strange, with such a violent bloodthirsty aura, even if it was this old master, after a long exposure it would undoubtedly draw out my inner demon and warp my mind. How can you not be affected at all?” Contemplating, Ling Tai Xu suddenly thought of something, “Of course, your secret art is a pure yang cultivation technique. Such Yang Qi is simply the nemesis of the hostile Yin aura; the Yang Qi in your body must prevent you from falling to the Devil’s Path.”
Finished speaking, Ling Tai Xu was again surprised for a moment, these two forces were contradictory, how could they perfectly coexist in a single person’s body?
Thinking again for a long time, although Ling Tai Xu wanted to know what amazing method Yang Kai was using to simultaneously use both these different types but he eventually refrained from asking.
Lifting his eyes, Ling Tai Xu continued, “During the battle two days ago you made too much of a commotion, and now many know you possess a powerful Mysterious Grade martial skill. I’m afraid you will encounter a lot of trouble in the near future.”
“That is… I was planning to travel outside and avoid the limelight.” Yang Kai had long thought about this.
Ling Tai Xu laughed, “Where can you go to avoid it? For the time being, do not run out, just remain in the Sect.”
“En…”
Gently asking a few more questions before sending Yang Kai away, Ling Tai Xu’s look gradually became dignified.
Although Yang Kai’s murderous aura was harmless to himself, Ling Tai Xu had to consider the more profound implications it might bring.
Pondering for a long time, Ling Tai Xu could only sigh, “Does this brat want to follow the martial path of slaughter?”
The kind of palpable violent atmosphere Yang Kai had radiated from his body before was already something deeply ingrained in his bones, in the future, if he wanted to explore the true profoundness of the martial path, he would have only two choices, one was to destroy his foundations and eliminate this practice completely, then change his Secret Art to a more harmonious one.
But Yang Kai had been born with a congenital defect, and had strove extremely hard to finally have his current achievements, if he was forced to start over by changing his Secret Art and he then became ordinary or worse yet returned to being a waste, how could he possibly bear it?
One who had always stood at the bottom of the mountain and could not see its height would at worst look up in frustration, but once one had stood at the top, the thought of being thrust back to the bottom was enough to make one prefer death.
If he could not change his Secret Art, then the only other path forward was to explore this bloody violent atmosphere to the extreme, allowing it to swell and grow alongside him as his cultivation rose, so allowing him to grasp the essence of martial arts along this path.
One method broke him then forced him to stand up again, following the orthodox path of righteousness; one was the road of slaughter, an ill-fated and treacherous path that the slightest carelessness would lead to a miserable end. An uncountable number of cultivators had lead tragic lives along the latter path with few, if any, having decent ends.
Because they traveled the path of slaughter, they would always have more enemies than friends and were more likely to lose their way and fall onto the Devil’s Path.
He was only a kid; could he truly walk this path and emerge unharmed?
After leaving the Sect Master’s retreat, Yang Kai returned to his secluded cave, taking out the pills refined by Xia Ning Chang and swallowing them to enhance his strength.
The old dusty incense burner had also been taken out again, emitting a fragrance which suppressed his True Yang Secret Art’s circulation speed.
For more than ten days Yang Kai had been in secluded practice within his secluded cave, every day he would swallow pills to enhance his strength and then temper his two refined artifacts. The Asura Sword had played a big role in his battle with Bai Yun Feng, and while he had not used the Thousand Blossoming Blood Begonia, since it was a similarly ranked hallowed treasure from a great Sect in the Endless Sea Island its power and prestige were certainly not bad.
Every day as the sun was rising in the east, the purple gas filling the air, Yang Kai would continue to practice the Tempered Body Record, and with the growth in his cultivation and physical strength, his ability to endure the Tempered Body Record’s training had also greatly increased, almost to the point where he could complete a third of the entire set of motions. However, the more he progressed the more difficult the motions became, every movement he made feeling more and more like his bones were snapping under an immense pressure.
In his quiet secluded cave, his Little Senior Sister Xia Ning Chang would visit from time to time, often brining a delicious meal along to share with Yang Kai, chatting with each other when they became bored to pass the time.
Occasionally, Xia Ning Chang would also take a nap on the stone bed, whenever this happened, no matter how Yang Kai called out to her she would never awaken.
One day, as Yang Kai was cultivating, he suddenly heard the Sect Master’s voice pass directly to his ear asking, “Are you willing to kill?”
Suddenly hearing this, Yang Kai was shocked, instinctively becoming alert and circulating his Yuan Qi until he confirmed that it was Ling Tai Xu’s voice, understanding that he could relax his guard.
“Grand Master!” Yang Kai looked around, unable to see Ling Tai Xu’s figure, he gradually became aware that it was only a thread of Divine Sense contacting him.
Ling Tai Xu repeated his question.
This time Yang Kai replied, “I am!”
“What kind of people should you kill?”
Yang Kai frowned and pondered for a moment, “I will end those people who plot against me, end those that dared to plot against my friends and family. Eliminate those who stand in the way of my martial path and those that dare steal from me! Those who do not provoke me, the innocent, I will not lay a finger on them!”
Unsure if Ling Tai Xu had heard him, it remained silent after Yang Kai had finished answering.
Until after half a day had passed, Ling Tai Xu once again spoke, “Prepare yourself, half a month later I will take you to a place!”
“Yes!” Yang Kai did not ask, but he had faintly guessed that Ling Tai Xu seemed to have thought up a plan, but had been hesitating to act on it, otherwise after he had answered his question, he would not have remained silent for so long.
For the moment, Yang Kai would just have to wait.
Ling Tai Xu was his Grand Master, and his cultivation was deep, if he really wanted to harm him there was nothing he could do. Half a month was neither long nor short; Yang Kai could only earnestly cultivate so he went back to swallowing his pills.
Time passed by and half a month had passed, during this half a month, Su Yan had visited him once at night and the two had passionately made love, indulging in one another again and again, followed by entering a state of dual cultivation.
Yang Kai had long ago realized the benefits of this dual cultivation as he was aware of just how astonishingly pure his body’s Yuan Qi had become. While he had not become a True Element cultivator, his Qi was not significantly inferior in quality to a general True Element Boundary master’s True Qi. If not for this, when he had fought that day with Bai Yun Feng, his palm knife would simply have been unable to break his Heaven Gathering Network.
Whether it was Yang Kai or Su Yan, they both instinctively understood this, and so they dual cultivated diligently, and although they had only done so a few times, the results were enough to frighten people to death.
In addition, over this half a month, Yang Kai had also completely consumed all the pills Xia Ning Chang had refined. Not only that, by cultivating next to the Coiling Dragon Stream he had accumulated a large amount of Yang Liquid in his dantian. Even his cultivation had risen to Separation And Reunion Boundary Third Stage.
That evening, Yang Kai sat at the entrance to his secluded cave, feeling the gentle night’s breeze. Suddenly the sound of the ruffled clothes immediately flew inside.
“Grand Master!” Yang Kai stood up and saluted, then noticed another man, inquiring, “Treasurer Meng?”
“Heh heh heh!” Meng Wu Ya laughed merrily, his old face squeezing into a ball shape.
Yang Kai frowned, unsure of why Meng Wu Ya was so happy.
Suddenly, Meng Wu Ya’s smile stiffened as he stared at Yang Kai, his eyes emitting a sharp light, placing one hand on Yang Kai’s shoulder and the other on his dantian, loudly shouting, “For this old master, roll out!”
Ling Tai Xu looked at Meng Wu Ya in surprise, apparently not understanding why he had suddenly rushed up and restrained Yang Kai, but he soon noticed that Meng Wu Ya carried no murderous intent, so he did not interfere.
Yang Kai was startled, his whole body unable to move, he was only a Separation and Reunion Boundary Third Stage, in front of Meng Wu Ya he was no different from a baby, totally unable to resist.
Suddenly, he felt a huge suction, and Yang Kai could hear Old Demon’s cries as he trashed about violently.
Earlier that Day, Yang Kai had already recalled Old Demon, but even if he had hid inside his body, he could not escape Meng Wu Ya’s perception.
While Sect Master Ling Tai Xu had not caught a hint of anything wrong, Meng Wu Ya had only taken a moment to see through everything, the difference in strength between the two could be clearly seen.
Meng Wu Ya’s hand formed a claw, like a powerful ancient dragon, ruthlessly ripping out a struggling black mass; it was Old Demon’s gas covered Soul Breaker Awl.
Aware of Meng Wu Ya’s murderous intent, Old Demon screamed in terror, the black gas becoming violent, taking on the appearance of a grim face while desperately trying to free himself from Meng Wu Ya’s bondage.
Ling Tai Xu suddenly went pale.
“Treasurer Meng wait, he is my henchmen!” Yang Kai said hurriedly, fearing that Old Man Meng would destroy Old Demon on the spot.
Meng Wu Ya looked at Yang Kai, coldly asking, “You know what this is?”
“A devil lord’s spirit!” Yang Kai nodded.
“You know what he is and you still let him reside in your body! Are you not afraid of him swallowing your soul?” Meng Wu Ya was stunned. He felt that that Yang Kai was being a naive junior who had been taken advantage of by this devil and was unaware of the impending danger.
“He cannot swallow me.” Yang Kai wryly smiled. “Old Demon has recognized me as his lord, a single thought from me can decide his life or death.”
“Recognized you as his lord?” Meng Wu Ya was now completely shocked, although he had easily pulled Old Demon’s spirit out, he could tell that when he was alive he had been very strong, it was just that right now he was too weak to use all of his strength; if he could restore himself to his peak, the entire strength of High Hall Pavilion would not be able to stop him. “How has he recognized you as his lord?” This matter was significant; Meng Wu Ya had to fully understand the circumstances.
Yang Kai quickly explained everything that had happened which resulted in Old Demon surrendering to him.
Meng Wu Ya expression loosened and nodded slightly, “Indeed, if this is all so, he really is under your control and will be unable to harm you.”
“Quickly release me, this old master has sworn his loyalty to young master before all the heavens and earth, with the sun and the moon as my witness, so why are you viciously suppressing this old master!? You little brat, if this old master was still at his peak, how could you dare be so presumptuous!” Old Demon, whatever he had been reduced to now, was still a ‘ten thousand year old devil’, just before he had been scared half dead, but now that he knew he was no longer in danger he suddenly began acting up.
Meng Wu Ya looked away from him, smiling deviously, “If this old master was still at his peak, I would like to see you dare be so presumptuous.”
Repeating exactly what Old Demon had just said, his words were not different, but if one paid careful attention, his profound meaning was very different.
Old Demon was stunned, immediately stuttering, “You… you must be…”
Meng Wu Ya coldy snorted once and then released the shackles, Old Demon trembled like a mouse that had just met a cat, quickly converged his black gas and fled back into Yang Kai’s body, no longer daring to speak.
Upon further thought he was very frightened, he was an old master and had hidden so deep but was completely unable to shield himself from this old man’s perception, this old man was definitely not as simple as he seemed.
Throughout this whole process, Ling Tai Xu had remained silent, only now adding a few words, “A Devil Lord cannot be trusted, you must be careful.”
“Disciple fully understands.” Yang Kai nodded.
“Are you ready now?”
“En.”
Some days ago he had explained the situation to Su Yan and Xia Ning Chang, now there was nothing left to prepare.
“Then let’s go.” Ling Tai Xu said as he grabbed Yang Kai and flew out of the secluded cave, heading down towards the bottom of the Coiling Dragon Stream, followed behind by Meng Wu Ya.
The wind whistling past, the vast Coiling Dragon Stream seemed to be bottomless, even as Yang Kai focused and squinted down, he could not see the ground below.
The place Grand Master wanted to take him, it wasn’t the depths of the Coiling Dragon Stream right? No, when they had first spoke he had said that even he would not dare to rush into this gorge hastily, it was simply impossible that he wanted to drop Yang Kai here.
After falling a few thousand feet, Ling Tai Xu suddenly changed direction, flying towards the Coiling Dragon Stream’s embankment.
A moment later, the trio finally came to a stop.
In the middle of the night, Ling Tai Xu and Meng Wu Ya floated mid-air, staring at a flat stone wall in front of them.
“Is it here?” Meng Wu Ya asked.
“En.” Ling Tai Xu nodded, “You and I must act together, channeling our True Qi into it.”
“Good!”
“Then I must trouble you with this.”
“There’s no need to be so polite between us.” Meng Wu Ya smile reached from ear to ear, one could even see his exposed back teeth.
As long as he could send this little brat Yang Kai away, forget simply consuming his True Qi, this old man would happily even call his father to come help. So when Meng Wu Ya had listened to Ling Tai Xu ask him to help him send Yang Kai to a faraway place, Old Man Meng did not hesitate to agree.
“Let’s begin,” Ling Tai Xu said, starting to circulate his True Qi. His palm leant into the stone wall before him.
Meng Wu Ya similarly placed his palm on the opposite side of the wall, his True Qi also surging.
These two old monsters at the peak of Immortal Ascension Boundary were like an open floodgate, their True Qi ferociously pouring into the stone walls in front of them.
This seemingly ordinary stone wall, at the moment, has suddenly become a bottomless pit; the massive influx of True Qi did not even rumble the wall one bit.
Yang Kai stood to the side, silently observing, silently shocked.
This stone wall must hold some incredible secret; otherwise, it could not possibly act so strange. And it was inside the Coiling Dragon Stream – perhaps that is somehow related as well.
After enough time to brew a cup of tea passed, both Ling Tai Xu and Meng Wu Ya had a thin film of glimmering sweat covering their foreheads. Such unrestrained, continuous output of True Qi was more than strenuous.
“Bother Ling, you are sure this is the right place?” Meng Wu Ya frowned, unable to stop himself from questioning.
“It is here,” Ling Tai Xu stated with great confidence.
Finally, the stone wall reacted. On the surface of this seemingly plain cobbled wall was where a layer of dark ripples suddenly emerged, starting at the centre, then quickly spreading out to each corner.
It was a signal for both Ling Tai Xu and Meng Wu Ya to increase the output of their True Qi.
The ripples gradually became larger and more violent. It was as if a calm lake was being pelted by pebbles and small rocks. In the end, the layer of ripples revealed an expanding whirlpool of energy, dizzying anyone who stared at it.
Meng Wu Ya’s eyes lit up, exclaiming, “It really is a two-way void corridor! Brother Ling, your High Heaven Pavilion’s Ancestral Founder truly possessed extraordinary strength!”
Ling Tai Xu just smiled, pulling back.
Meng Wu Ya also hurriedly retreated.
Although the two had ceased the flow of their True Qi, the changes occurring on the stone wall continued. The rumbling and ripples peaked in violence. The layer of ripples had now actually become a physical phenomenon instead of simply an image, rotating steadily as they spread outward, the stone wall suddenly exposing a dark hole.
Staring into this dark hole, Yang Kai felt like his soul was being sucked in, becoming somewhat dazed and disoriented.
Meng Wu Ya smiled at him. Gently patting his shoulder, he gave an obviously fake heavy hearted look of reluctance and said, “Little Yang Kai, be sure to take care!”
Yang Kai couldn’t help but frown. Treasurer Meng’s behaviour today was far too intimate.
“While I am absent for these next few days, I ask Brother Meng to watch over High Heaven Pavilion.” Ling Tai Xu saluted, then waddled into the black swirling hole along with Yang Kai.
Before entering, Yang Kai looked back and saw Meng Wu Ya wear a joyous smile, waving to him frantically and embarrassingly.
After Ling Tai Xu and Yang Kai disappeared inside, the black hole in the stone wall suddenly vanished, once again restoring its original appearance.
Wiping the sweat from his brow, Meng Wu Ya remained in place, waiting a long time before looking up and laughing.
“Ha ha ha ha ha!”
His roaring laughter shook the Heavens and the Earth, startling countless High Heaven Pavilion disciples awake, causing them to shiver in fear.
[The Heavens have mercy! They finally sent this smelly brat far away, now there is no one to disturb my baby apprentice’s heart. Good! Who knows how long it will be before this plague returns. A year, perhaps two? As long as he is gone, my baby apprentice will forget him!]
[With nothing to distract her, she will be able to cultivate more rapidly, growing up in peace and quiet.]
Celebrating his good fortune, Meng Wu Ya laughed out loud again.
The black hole contained chaotic surroundings, but the scenery only lasted for about three breaths of time. Looking forward, Yang Kai saw a great burst of light, suddenly appearing alongside his Grand Master in a strange land.
Ling Tai Xu looked around, then quickly flew towards the horizon, stopping a short while later in a secluded spot, setting Yang Kai down to then instruct him, “Stand guard for me, I need a moment to recover.”
Yang Kai nodded his head, guessing that consuming so much True Qi was a bit much even for his Grand Master.
Ling Tai Xu swallowed a restoration pill and then meditated for two hours. Finished with his recovery, he lifted Yang Kai up and flew forward again.
Flying with a passenger was a huge difference from flying on his own, with Ling Tai Xu using his True Qi to protect him, Yang Kai simply did not feel the harsh scrape of the wind.
“Grand Master, what is that black hole under the Coiling Dragon Stream?” Yang Kai asked curiously.
“It is something the Ancestral Founder left behind many years ago, a void corridor connecting one place in this world to another; with it, one can easily move from that spot in High Heaven Pavilion to another place. How it works specifically, I do not know. After all, my strength compared to our ancestor’s is far too insignificant.”
“How far have we just travelled?” Yang Kai was shocked, he never imagined that such a wondrous thing like this void corridor had existed in this world.
“About ten thousand li (5000 km, 3100 miles),” Ling Tai Xu plainly said.
Yang Kai gasped. From the time Ling Tai Xu and Meng Wu Ya both began channelling their True Qi into the stone wall until their arrival, only about half an hour of travelling passed. Half an hour to cross ten thousand li was simply unbelievable.
Although Yang Kai’s mental strength was outstanding, such an experience trumped his thoughts and rendered him dumbfounded.
“Why have you not asked where I am taking you yet?” Ling Tai Xu looked towards him with interest.
“If Grand Master wanted me to know, you would have already told me. In any case, I trust the Grand Master would not act maliciously towards me.”
“You really are trusting and open-minded…” Ling Tai Xu wryly smiled, his eyes showing deep thoughts. He resumed explaining, “The place I want to send you to is a place of killing, where murder does not require reason or excuse. There, only strength is respected, where the law of the jungle in its most vivid and base interpretation is the only law. You had best be psychologically prepared!”
Yang Kai was taken aback. “What am I going there to do?”
“Cultivate, become strong, and explore the true profoundness of the martial path!” Ling Tai Xu took a deep breath, “If you do not want to go, I can take you back right now.”
“No, of course, I will go.” Yang Kai held a strong excitement towards cultivation. The desire for strength was something possessed by every cultivator. Only when one was strong would he not be insulted or bullied; only when one was strong would they be able to go further down the martial path and attain the better life they desire.
“You still wish to go, even if every moment you spend there would be in life-threatening danger?” Ling Tai Xu flashed a comforting smile.
“Of course.”
“Hahaha! You and your father really are opposite ends of the spectrum! This old master also asked him this question, guess his answer.”
Yang Kai pondered a moment, then mimicking Yang Ying Feng’s forthright and honest look and his demeanour and tone and grunted, “I do not want to kill, I will not go!”
Ling Tai Xu took half a second to register what Yang Kai had just blurted out and immediately began laughing even harder, “Your impression is not bad! It is said that the father knows his son best; it looks like the opposite is also true.”
[Being unwilling to kill in the end, will only bring harm to oneself! You Yang Family people are not affectionate, each one behaving like a wolf or a tiger. If he cannot become strong, his return to the Yang Family would only cause him to be trampled upon!]
[This little Yang Kai is surrounded by an air of blood and violence. If he does not have enough strength to protect himself and his loved ones, he would be unable to resist bullies.]
[When that future comes and he falls to the Devil’s Path, he will become an enemy of the world! Ah disciple, do not say that this old master is being heartless and ruthless by not telling you I am bringing him here. It is all because of your temperament that this old master fears you will not agree.]
“Grand Master, in the end, where will we go?” Yang Kai smiled and asked.
“Not us, just you. This old master is only responsible for sending you there. You should have heard of this place: the Nether Mountain!”
Yang Kai’s smile suddenly broke as an expression of disbelief overtook it. Hesitating for a long time, he decided to probe further, “Grand Master, when you say the Nether Mountain, surely you do not mean THAT Nether Mountain?”
“Indeed I do!”
Yang Kai face became even more bitter.
The Nether Mountain was a fierce and notorious name for a Forbidden Zone, and it was a famous Forbidden Zone for cultivators at that. Many had entered this Forbidden Zone but none had ever returned alive.
Of course, this is only the most exaggerated rumour spread around the world and the reality in Nether Mountain was not one of certain death, but it was undeniable that entering the grim place was indeed arguably suicide. Compared to High Heaven Pavilion’s nearby Black Wind Mountains, the degree of danger was higher by dozens of times.
In the Black Wind Mountains, an average True Element Boundary Warrior could move about unimpeded, unless their luck is painfully terrible and they meet a particularly brutal Monster Beast. However, in Nether Mountain, even an Immortal Ascension master would have difficulty keeping their own life afloat. The gap of danger between both areas was painfully obvious.
Because it was so dangerous, it earned the label of a Forbidden Zone. It also happened to be the only such Forbidden Zone in the entire Great Han Dynasty.
Across the rest of the world, there were many other Forbidden Zones just like Nether Mountain. Yang Kai had heard that adjacent to the Great Han Dynasty in the Tang Liang Dynasty was a Forbidden Zone called the Abandoned Earth, filled with all kinds of deadly dangers similarly to Nether Mountain, even possibly somewhat beyond it.
Forbidden Zones are filled with strange Monster Beasts while the jungles hide many unknown dangers. Going inside haphazardly was simply courting death.
Yang Kai assumed that Ling Tai Xu had made his own plans, although knowing their destination was just a little more than intimidating.
Sure enough, Ling Tai Xu seemed to be watching his reaction, apparently satisfied with his response, “We are not venturing deep into Nether Mountain, only about five hundred li (two hundred and fifty kilometers, 155 miles) where there is a very strange place. It is suitable for cultivators of your level to gain experience.”
“What kind of place?” Yang Kai asked.
“It is hard to explain, but in short it is a very unusual place. This old master also visited it with his master for life experience. I wanted to send your father here many years ago but he refused, so now it is your generation’s turn.”
“This place is infamous, so there should be a lot of people who are already present there. We will have to see if we can grab a spot for you or not. If your entrance goes smoothly, you will have to remember one thing; everyone is an enemy. Do not trust anyone.”
“Disciple understands.”
“No, you do not.” Ling Tai Xu slowly shook his head, his tone becoming increasingly solemn, “This place creates a unique situation where everywhere everyone around you is a life-and-death enemy because inside when a cultivator is killed, their Yuan Qi and Blood Essence will condense into a Blood Bead. This Blood Bead can be absorbed by anyone, enhancing their own strength without any negative effects.
“What?” Yang Kai’s expression became serious.
“Now do you understand why I said that one does not require a reason or excuse to kill in that place? Obtaining a Blood Bead after killing someone is the best reason and excuse! Inside, another’s life is just a building block for one’s strength, especially someone like you that is only a Separation and Reunion Boundary Third Stage, you are even more likely to become a target.” Ling Tai Xu explained.
Yang Kai was shocked, but more out of excitement than surprise.
As Ling Tai Xu stared into Yang Kai’s eyes and studied his reactions, he could not help secretly sighing; this little brat’s heart really was set on the path of slaughter.
Most people who heard about this kind of thing would only react with fear and try to escape, but this kid’s face showed nothing but eagerness like he could not wait to immediately run to that place and drown himself in endless killing.
Inside there, there was no need to worry about harming the innocent, even if Yang Kai did not take the initiative to kill, someone would inevitably come to kill him, not to mention that there would be many Devil Path cultivators, people who revelled in killing even in the outside world.
Along the way, Ling Tai Xu told as much information about the inside as possible to Yang Kai, after all, he had once entered there himself many years ago; so his personal experiences could be described as invaluable treasures.
Yang Kai listened carefully, not daring to miss the slightest detail.
According to Ling Tai Xu, the place was in Nether Mountain, but it did not really belong to Nether Mountain, it was an independent space, and the entrance was a lake inside Nether Mountain.
Inside, there was some kind of strange energy and different Rules of Heaven and Earth; as long as a living creature died inside, its energy and essence would condense into a Blood Bead, including cultivators and Monster Beasts! These Blood Beads could be refined by oneself, or brought out and given to others; either way they were extremely valuable, and the more powerful the cultivator or Monster Beast that died, the higher the value of the Blood Bead it would produce, allowing one to have a greater promotion in strength.
In addition, in that place, all offensive and defensive artifacts would not play any role, it was as if they were being sealed by some invisible energy. Hearing this news, Yang Kai’s heart could not help but sharply twist.
His own cultivation was only Third Stage Separation and Reunion Boundary, who knows how many True Element masters would be inside. Facing these masters, without his Asura Sword or Thousand Blossoming Blood Begonia to help, he would be at a huge disadvantage, and would even likely be killed.
However, the circumstances would be the same for everyone else as well, giving Yang Kai a small bit of comfort.
The entrance would open every ten years, so it was lucky that Yang Kai had returned to High Heaven Pavilion when he had. If he had returned a few months later, he would certainly have missed this opportunity.
Finally, Ling Tai Xu solemnly gave Yang Kai a small bag.
This bag was only the size of a palm. It was engraved with a lot of colorful patterns and made of some unknown material; it appeared very exotic.
“What is this?” Yang Kai asked puzzled.
“I call it a Universal Bag. Do not be fooled by its small size, in fact, the inside is much larger than you think; easily capable of storing almost any item you wish to keep.”
Yang Kai was shocked once again. Staring at Ling Tai Xu in amazement, he had not imagined that Ling Tai Xu would actually be in possession of a legendary artifact which could store things in a separate space.
“All of these things were left behind by our Ancestral Founder. I’m afraid that it is the only one in the entire Great Han Dynasty, not even the Eight Great Families possess such a treasure.” Ling Tai Xu said seriously.
“Oh, no, that’s not right, Meng Wu Ya might also have one, but that old man certainly holds all his treasures inside it and keeps it hidden away, not showing it to anyone but his precious apprentice, he really is too stingy.”
“I also have some pills for you, keep them safe.” Ling Tai Xu said seriously.
“Good, thank you Grand Master! Once I return I will make sure to return this Universal Bag back to you.” Yang Kai tightly held onto this small bag before carefully tucking it away.
This thing was really a priceless artifact, in this world an artifact that could store things was only a rumour that had never appeared and never been seen.
However, inside Yang Kai’s body was the wordless Black Book which was made of a massive soul stone, it too was a type of artifact which could store many things inside it, and its grade was definitely much higher than this Universal Bag.
Unfortunately, although it was in Yang Kai’s possession, he had no idea how to use it, causing him no small amount of grief.
Flying forward for about a day, they came to a place filled with an eerie silence. All that Ling Tai Xu and Yang Kai could see was an ominous mountain extending out forever.
Nether Mountain! Great Han’s one and only Forbidden Zone! A desolate and threatening air loomed about; it gave off the feeling of an ancient land where a primordial dragon might crawl out from at any moment, sending shivers down one’s spine.
Arriving here, before they had time to go in, from left and right two teams of people arrived.
From the left came six people, and to Yang Kai’s surprise, it was actually all women. The six were lead by an old woman, and a beautiful young woman, the remaining four appeared to be young girls.
These four girls wore some small bells on their hands and feet, so as they approached, a crisp and pleasant jingle could be heard, like the sound of a clear mountain stream spring, refreshing to the ear.
And this group of women were all born beautiful, that young woman was elegant but shapely, her glossy black hair tied up in a stylish bun, exposing her slender white nape of her neck, everywhere revealing a mature air of beauty, especially her dazzling pair of eyes which seemed to leak an amorous glow, fascinating one’s heart and charming one’s soul, they left one who stared into them breathless, making the sky seem bluer, and flowers more fragrant.
The four girls were also very pretty, like young blossoming flowers, delicate and graceful, floating to and fro, their pink lotus arms half exposed, their skin a pure white, like freshly fallen snow, and upon their small, jade like feet, their delicate toes portrayed an exquisite beauty. Thin tender waists accompanied by full graceful curves, their faces adorned with a sweet smile, a shy blush, a glamorous air, or a passionate gaze, the four of them together were enough to let any man become mad with desire. The only difference was that the temperament of these girls was a bit immature compared to the beautiful young woman, lacking a certain seductive and fascinating style.
As for the old woman, although she had now aged, but only could vaguely tell that when she was young, her appearance had been extraordinary, it was just that the ruthless years had carved their indelible traces upon her.
This group rushed towards Yang Kai and Ling Tai Xu before halting some three hundred feet away, the old woman faintly glancing at the two men before giving a light snort.
Anyone who had come to Nether Mountain at this time was obviously here for the same purpose.
The number of cultivators who could enter the strange space was limited; naturally, everyone else was a competitor.
As Ling Tai Xu smiled towards the old woman, he whispered to Yang Kai, “They are from the first-class Sect Ten Thousand Flower Palace, each of those young girls is one of their Sect’s geniuses. They tend to be slightly arrogant so be careful of them. Do not try to court them, or else they may just devour you whole, bones and all.
A light flashed in Yang Kai’s eyes as he took a long hard look at the four young girls, taking note of Ling Tai Xu’s warning, quietly responding, “Grand Master rest assured that I will be careful.”
After a moment, the group approaching from the right also arrived. Looking towards them, there was an old man of similar age to Ling Tai Xu leading them, and behind him there were three young people, two male and one female, all of them possessing extraordinary strength, but all of them had an evil aura about them.
The two men were far more presumptuous than Yang Kai, their eyes almost glued to the previous group of female disciples, making the girl who was accompanying them extremely unhappy as she coldly snorted.
“They are from the Ghost King Valley.” Ling Tai Xu frowned. “You may have trouble.”
“Why so?” Yang Kai asked.
“Because your Grand Master had fought with that old man more than a dozen times, they are an Evil Sect if you fight with them, be especially careful of their hand techniques.” Ling Tai Xu replied.
Yang Kai looked, and sure enough the three disciple’s hands were somewhat strange, unlike ordinary people’s they were deathly pale, almost like the hands of a ghost.
The leading old man suddenly sneered, “Ling Tai Xu! You’re actually not dead yet!”
Ling Tai Xu snickered as he retorted, “You also still live Gui Li!”
“Heh heh heh” Gui Li grinned, “This old master was worried he could not exact revenge upon a dead man, I had no idea I would be able to meet you again today, the heavens really have had pity upon me.”
“How so? Was the lesson fifty years ago not enough for you? Are you really so anxious to die today?” Ling Tai Xu sneered, clearly disdaining him.
Gui Li suddenly grimaced, “Things from the past, why bring them up now? Losing to you fifty years ago does not mean that fifty years later it will still be so!”
“Do you want to try?” Ling Tai Xu grinned arrogantly.
Gui Li’s eyes radiated a ghastly light, staring at Ling Tai Xu full of hatred, but there was a hint of dread in his gaze.
As these two confronted each other, the three Ghost King Valley disciples behind Gui Li also glared viciously at Yang Kai.
Yang Kai simply smiled back at them, an indifferent grin on his face.
*Peng!* A sudden noise broke the tension, it had come from the Ten Thousand Flower Palace’s old woman tapping her staff on the ground.
“If the two of you are not going to fight, we should negotiate how we are going to cooperate to enter Nether Mountain, hmm?” The old woman faintly looked towards Ling Tai Xu and Gui Li.
Although Ling Tai Xu and Gui Li had their resentments, but they did not really want to clash here, after all, their main purpose was to bring their juniors out for experience and cultivation. If something went wrong now, it would severely disrupt those plans. The old woman also understood this, and that both sides needed a way out, so she decided to speak out at this time.
Gui Li grinned wickedly, “This old master will give some face to Yan Palace Lord, I will cooperate with you for now until this task is over. Ling Tai Xu, once we are done, you and I must fight!”
“Anytime!”
Gui Li shifted his menacing gaze to Yang Kai, not bothering to hide his ill intentions, he openly instructed his three disciples, “Remember this little brat’s appearance, once you are inside, be sure to kill him!”
“Yes!” The three disciples said ruthlessly.
Yang Kai’s expression became cold, secretly memorizing these three’s faces.
With the mediation of the old woman, Ling Tai Xu and Gui Li for the time being put down their grudge, and the three consulted for a while before the old woman began leading the way, her four young disciples right behind her, the three Ghost King Valley disciples followed next, while Yang Kai and Ling Tai Xu brought up the rear.
As for the beautiful woman, she assumed a position in the middle, along with Gui Li, one to the left, one to the right.
With four Immortal Ascension Boundary masters guarding them, the younger generation disciples could be considered extremely safe, of course, the premise being that Ling Tai Xu and Gui Li did not plot against each other.
Ling Tai Xu naturally was not so vicious, however the same could not be said about Gui Li, it was because of this concern that the old woman let Ling Tai Xu serve as rear guard, to prevent Gui Li from back stabbing them.
Fortunately, Gui Li was not a fool; along the way he did not engage in any mischief, honestly guarding his own position.
Nether Mountain was a fearsome place; this group of people who entered did so with extreme caution, remaining as quiet as possible, because even in the most peripheral zone, it was still possible to encounter a powerful fifth or sixth-order Monster Beast.
Even the women from the Ten Thousand Flower Palace had used some unknown means on their wrist and ankle bells so they did not make the slightest sound, allowing them to walk silently.
As they walked deeper into the jungle, the sounds of rustling suddenly came from in front of them, as if something was rapidly approaching.
The group of young disciples were all on guard, their nerves rather taut, but the four Immortal Ascension masters faces remained indifferent.
*Shua…* A ferocious head suddenly sprang from the jungle, dashing towards the old woman, its savage fangs gleaming from within its massive jaw.
This beast’s head was the two feet long; embedded with a pair of glowing triangular shaped eyes which flashed a brutal and desolate light. Displaying amazing speed, in the blink of an eye it was already upon the old woman.
However, the old woman only snorted, slightly raising her walking staff, gently swinging it forward and seemingly tapping the middle of the beast’s forehead and then again on the side of its jaw. Suddenly, it was as if that massive head had suffered a devastating attack, flying out to the side.
Before it had even landed, the whole head burst open, only leaving behind a bloody fog.
The beautiful woman’s body flashed as she sprang forward, her jade hand flickering as a coloured ribbon flew out from her wrist, like a snake striking from within its hole. The ribbon instantly seized the exposed Beast Core from within the blood fog and neatly retrieved it.
“Golden Eyed Silver-Back Python! A Peak Fifth Order Monster Beast!” Ling Tai Xu explained to Yang Kai.
Yang Kai carefully observed, and sure enough on the ground not far away there was headless python body, its back adorned with silver patterns, obviously it had been a very strong beast. Everything had happened too fast just now so he did not see how this big python had been killed, or even when the beautiful woman had retrieved its Beast Core.
Peak fifth-order beast, that was equivalent to a peak True Element cultivator, but in the face of this old woman it was effortlessly slaughtered. The strength of this old woman from the Ten Thousand Flower Palace was apparent, she was likely on the same level as Ling Tai Xu, if not even stronger.
The Ten Thousand Flower Palace really deserved to be called a first-class Sect! Its power was much larger than High Heaven Pavilion.
“Be careful, this thing is a social type Monster Beast!” Ling Tai Xu quickly warned.
His voice had hardly faded before waves of rustling sounds emerged from all around the group. From the dense surrounding jungle, everyone could vaguely see many pairs of triangular golden eyes staring towards them, rapidly moving closer.
The old woman did not remain idle this time, instead yelling loudly, “Move faster, once the smell of blood spreads it will only attract more Monster Beasts.”
The group quickly responded and dashed into the jungle.
*Shua Shua Shua* From every direction countless Golden Eyed Silver-Back Pythons leaped towards them, their bloody mouths ferociously snapping.
The old woman’s staff displayed unparalleled lethality, often with just a single tap, a big python would immediately be killed while Gui Li and the beautiful woman acted with great coordination, guaranteeing the safety of their own disciples.
Gui Li was truly a Evil cultivator, once he began circulating his Secret Art, a black gas filled with violent and bloody breath pulsed from his body. Holding a spear type artifact, he stabbed left and right, no enemy able to withstand a single blow, showing his strength to be superior to the beautiful woman. However, to deal with these fifth-order Monster Beasts, she was still quite relaxed, her graceful body danced in the wind while a hint of intoxicating fragrance lingered in the air. Often before one of the Golden Eyed Silver-Back Pythons even got close, they would be killed by some inexplicable means.
Ling Tai Xu never used any artifacts, his every move was simple and plain, but seemed to contain an infinite power, the speed with which he slaughtered these Monster Beasts was not much worse than the old woman.
Flesh and blood flew about as one by one these pythons were killed; it was akin to someone sweeping away the fallen autumn leaves, leisurely and unimpeded.
The disciples from the Ten Thousand Flower Palace were also employing their ribbon artifacts, not to fight with these Monster Beasts, but to retrieve their exposed Beast Cores.
These four girls were all sister disciples so their cooperation was flawless, three of them would together attack the head of any fallen Monster Beast to break it open, while the other would use her ribbon to extract its Beast Core.
These were fifth-order Monster Beast Cores; their value was by no means low.
These girl’s practices caused the three Ghost King Valley disciples to be extremely jealous, but since they had no method to compete with them, they could only watch helplessly and grumble to themselves.
As they collected more and more trophies, the happy smiles on these girl’s faces only grew bigger, each one like a blossoming flower full of charm mixed with a little pride.
On the other side, Gui Li attacked one of the Golden Eyed Silver-Back Pythons, piercing it with his spear and ferocious pouring in his True Qi, killing it instantly.
Flicking his spear, this Golden Eyed Silver-Back Python actually flew towards the crowd. It was clear that Gui Li also wanted his disciples to gain some benefits.
But intentionally or unintentionally, when he tossed this dead python he had exerted too much force, and the Golden Eyed Silver Back Python actually flew towards Yang Kai’s position.
Ling Tai Xu’s eyes flashed a cold light, but he did not attempt to block it.
At that moment, one of the Ghost King Valley male disciples rushed back, a faint grin upon his face, his ghostly white hands radiating a pale light as he concentrated his True Qi, forming a sharp blade which he stabbed towards the Golden Eyed Silver-Back Python’s head.
This strike seemed to be aiming for the beast’s Core, but in reality his stab had used far too much force and would no doubt end up impaling Yang Kai as well.
Yang Kai face went cold, instantly aware of the other side’s malicious intent, naturally he would not stand idly by.
Instead of directly confronting him, Yang Kai instead stretched out his hands and seized the dead Golden Eyed Silver-Back Python’s body, flinging it to the side with all his strength.
The Ghost King Valley disciple’s face which had been grinning until just now suddenly went stiff.
Yang Kai’s counterattack was beyond his expectation and a bizarre cry was heard as he and the python’s body were sent flying out several tens of meters.
But his reaction was also quite rapid; in mid-air he hurriedly removed his hand from the python’s head and kicked its body away from him, finally freeing himself.
However, before he had even landed, two new pythons leapt towards him, their giant jaws flapping as the stench of their breaths made his head spin.
His face instantly went pale and his hair stood on end.
His reaction was a stark contrast to the four Immortal Ascension masters who were killing these pythons like slaughtering chickens and dogs, after all, they had the strength to do so. An ordinary True Element Boundary cultivator could only wait for death if they were to encounter these pythons.
A crisis was approaching, causing this Ghost King Valley disciple to feel the breath of death; he had not thought that in plotting against Yang Kai, he would throw himself into this situation; it was really a case of harming oneself.
At this critical juncture, Gui Li finally reached him, his spear piercing out, quickly dispatching the two pythons as he grabbed the disciple’s shoulder and threw him back towards the group before quickly withdrawing himself.
However, in that moment, the disciples from the Ten Thousand Flower Palace had been attacked by another python, and if not for the beautiful woman’s quick reaction to protect them, the four girls may have suffered serious harm.
After Gui Li returned, the woman glared at him fiercely, furious that he had left his position and exposed her disciples to such mortal danger.
Gui Li knew that he was completely at fault here so he offered no complaints, instead coldly staring at Yang Kai and Ling Tai Xu.
In this subtle conflict, the older generation did not overtly intervene, but Yang Kai’s clever scheme had almost caused the Ghost King Valley’s disciple to suffer a great loss, sparking a flame of hatred in his heart and provoking him to find a chance to erase this shame.
Yang Kai obviously did not pay him any attention; the other side’s elder had already made it clear he wanted his life, why should he care about offending them? Being polite now was not showing goodwill but weakness.
The group continued fighting for quite some time, cutting down more than twenty of these Golden Eyed Silver-Back Pythons before escaping this predicament.
This was only the most peripheral region of Nether Mountain yet they had encountered such a crisis; this Forbidden Zone’s reputation was clearly not groundless.
After this battle, the older generation had obviously experienced some consumption, but the old woman still silently lead them forward, traveling a hundred kilometers or so before they found a relatively safe place to stop and rest.
The older generation wanted to maintain their condition at its peak while the younger generation had to restore their physical strength.
After stopping, the Ten Thousand Flower Palace’s old woman grumbled, coldly glaring at Gui Li, “That kind of farce, I will let pass this time, but this old woman does not want to see a repeat, if you cannot guarantee this then we shall part ways here, my Ten Thousand Flower Palace does not want to act together with unscrupulous people who put our lives at risk.”
Gui Li only laughed mischievously, “Please rest assured Yan Palace Lord, previously was this old master’s mistake. My disciple was just a bit too enthusiastic, it was all a misunderstanding.”
“Very well!” The old woman nodded lightly then stepped away to meditate and recover.
The three Sects put some distance between themselves, each remaining silent.
After a moment, Yang Kai suddenly opened his eyes and saw the Ghost King Valley disciple who had previously plotted against him walking over.
As soon as he was ten steps from him he stood still and coldly stared at Yang Kai, grinning maliciously, “My name is Jin Hao, you’d better roll far away from me, if not, I’ll mercilessly slaughter you!”
He was clearly furious, and completely did not care that Ling Tai Xu was sitting nearby.
Ling Tai Xu also did not say anything, just continuing to meditate.
Yang Kai looked at him, suddenly chuckling loudly, “Brother Jin, dogs that bite normally don’t bark first.”
*Puchi* Several muted noises suddenly were heard; it was the Ten Thousand Flower Palace girls unable to hold back their laughter.
The young woman quickly stared at them and the girls quickly sealed their lips, pretending to meditate.
Jin Hao fumed, “You have a sharp tongue, but you’d better pray we don’t meet inside!”
He snorted then turned away.
Watching his back, Yang Kai’s heart also filled with murderous intent. These three Ghost King Valley disciples were destined to be his enemies, but their cultivation was higher and there were more of them as well, once he encountered them he would definitely be in for a hard fight.
After a while, the old woman stood up and Ling Tai Xu and Gui Li also opened their eyes.
Arranging themselves as before, the group continued deeper into Nether Mountain.
Along the way, they were often harassed by Monster Beasts. Nether Mountain’s Monster Beasts were numerous, and their distribution was also chaotic, they encountered third-order, fourth-order, fifth-order, and even two sixth- order Monster Beasts.
However, the two sixth-order Monster Beasts clearly knew that this group was not easy to mess with, only probing them a bit before giving up; they were obviously significantly more intelligent than the others they had met.
In killing these Monster Beasts, the Ten Thousand Flower Palace’s four girls reaped the greatest harvest, flourishing their ribbons and snatching up the Beast Cores that appeared. The trio from Ghost King Valley also worked together with Gui Li to obtain a number of Beast Cores, accumulating no small amount of wealth.
Only Yang Kai’s performance was shabby, collecting just two fifth-order Beast Cores along the entire journey, and this had only been because Ling Tai Xu deliberately threw the Monster Beast’s bodies to him.
However, Yang Kai did not care, his cultivation was the lowest, and now with his ordinary performance, the others would pay less attention to him, this way he could bide his time, keep a low profile, and avoid all kinds of danger, allowing him to slowly enhance his strength.
LRG: Blurazbeary
Under normal circumstances, to cross a distance of only five hundred kilometers on foot, this group of cultivators would only need about two hours of time; if the Immortal Ascension Boundary masters could fly, it would take them no more than half an hour.
But crossing five hundred kilometers in Nether Mountain had already taken them a full two days and they had still had not finished their trip. The dangers and attacks they encountered along the way had been far greater than everyone’s expectations.
“Yan Palace Lord, you bring your disciples here every ten years, has it always been this dangerous?” When the group was resting, Ling Tai Xu could not help asking, after all, the last time he came here was fifty years ago. At that time, although there had been Monster Beast attacks, the frequency was nothing compared to this time.
The old woman pondered then replied, “No, this time is very different, I’m afraid that some of the weaker Monster Beasts from the depths of Nether Mountain have rushed to the outer edge.”
Listen to her say this Ling Tai Xu and Gui Li both went a little pale.
“We should not linger here for long, we need to keep moving.” The old woman was also aware that something was wrong, immediately suggesting they increase their pace.
The group once again set out, and after half a day, they finally arrived at their destination.
In front of them lay a massive lake, its waters clear and sparkling, but the strangely calm atmosphere gave an eerie feeling, making Yang Kai uneasy.
Looking around, he saw that surrounding the lake were many groups of people, these groups belonged to the Great Han Dynasty’s forces that had all brought their disciples here for life experience. Their numbers varied a lot; some bigger groups had as many as seven or eight people, while the smaller ones numbered only three or four.
Each of these groups was separated by about three hundred meters and were all quietly waiting at the edge of the lake.
After Ling Tai Xu and the other members of the older generation saw this scene, they all showed a hint of displeasure and vigilance.
The Ten Thousand Palace’s old woman only slightly nodded to the group, and then led the beautiful woman and her four disciples towards the lake.
When this group of flirtatious and alluring women appeared they immediately drew the attention of countless young men. These girls were obviously used to experiencing such a scene and simply treated these gazes like a gentle breeze, ignoring them as they neatly follow behind the old woman, looking for an open position to claim.
Gui Li flashed Ling Tai Xu an evil grin before giving Yang Kai a look filled with profound meaning.
Jin Hao also coldy snorted, glaring at Yang Kai while making a swiping motion across his neck before following Gui Li and the Ten Thousand Palace people towards the lake.
“Come, let us also find a spot!” Ling Tai Xu said, leading Yang Kai towards the lake.
Most of the spots around the lake had been occupied by the forces which had arrived sooner, so Ling Tai Xu and Yang Kai could only continue walking past these groups.
However, every time they passed a group of people, Ling Tai Xu would quietly explain which forces these groups belonged to, whether they were an Evil Sect, and the strength of the disciples who had come for this trial, making him to take note of which Sects to beware of.
Yang Kai also secretly observed these groups, making sure to remember every last detail he was told.
After walking around more than half the lake, the two finally found an unoccupied place, greatly relieving Ling Tai Xu.
After they had arrived, they both sat down cross-legged while Ling Tai Xu more meticulously described to Yang Kai the various Sects and forces around the lake. Yang Kai listened carefully as he continued to observe his surroundings.
The more he learned, the more he could understand just how dangerous this experience would be.
Each of these groups represented a major power from the Great Han Dynasty; most of them belonged to first or second-class Sects, while a few third-class Sects also appeared, each one of these powers had at least two or three disciples; Yang Kai being the sole disciple from his Sect was unique.
Ling Tai Xu had also wanted to bring someone else so that Yang Kai would have comrades, but High Heaven Pavilion didn’t have any good candidates.
Su Yan had the requisite strength, but because she cultivated the Ice Heart Secret Art, too much killing would do her more harm than good. Xia Ning Chang was also a good choice, but she was Meng Wu Ya’s disciple and he treated her more like a precious daughter than a student, how could he let her take such a risk? As for Xie Hong Chen, Ling Tai Xu did not even consider him, bringing him along would only lead to Yang Kai dying faster.
The strength of these juniors here were all higher than Yang Kai, at least Separation and Reunion Boundary Seventh or Eighth Stage. True Element cultivators were as numerous as clouds.
The only good news was that no one from the Eight Great Families had come.
“Only cultivators at or below the True Element Boundary can enter here for experience, so there is no risk you will encounter an Immortal Ascension Boundary master inside. With your strength, if you clash meet a True Element Boundary Second or Third Stage enemy, you should be able to compete, but if meet anyone of higher strength, Grand Master can only give you one suggestion, run! A man must know when the back down, do not blindly rush in without considering your own strength, make sure you use your head!”
“Disciple understands.” Yang Kai nodded slightly.
“Remember, you only have one task inside, survive. If you want to become strong, you do not necessarily have to fight with other cultivators; hunting Monster Beasts is also a means of increasing your strength. I imagine the number of people who hold this same idea are not a few, if there you really can find trustworthy people, you may also wish to act together, this way you can increase your odds of survival.”
“Understood. Grand Master, what Sect are those people from over there, they are dressed quite strangely.” Yang Kai suddenly pointed his gaze towards a group in the distance.
When Ling Tai Xu looked over, his brow could not help but wrinkle; this group of people, whether it was their clothing or their looks, were slightly different from the others.
As if they were aware of Ling Tai Xu and Yang Kai’s stares, this odd group of people stared back, a cold and fierce look in their eyes, seemingly warning them to mind their own business.
“They are not people from our Great Han Dynasty!” Ling Tai Xu exclaimed, “They are from the Tian Lang Dynasty.”
“The Tian Lang Dynasty also sent people over?” Yang Kai was stunned, even though Tian Lang Dynasty was adjacent to the Great Han Dynasty, why would one of their Sects send people thousands of kilometers away to this Forbidden Zone?
“The culture in Tian Lang Dynasty is quite different from our own, rumor has it that most of their cultivators are both cruel and vicious, on top of that, they are not our countrymen, so you must be very careful inside if you encounter them. This group of cultivator’s strength is far from what you can resist.”
“Their style of dress is quite exotic.” Yang Kai commented as he stared at the two women in the Tian Lang Dynasty’s group. Their bodies were enchanting, and their clothes left little to the imagination as their arms were fully exposed and their tight fitting tops could barely contain their bountiful chests, seems like they would burst free at any moment. These two women completely exposed their thin, flat waists, allowing their exquisite navels to dance charmingly, and covering their lower bodies were skirts which barely reached above their knees, revealing much of their shapely legs.
“Ai…” Ling Tai Xu helpless shook his head, unable to understand; his first disciple was so simple and honest, how did he manage to give birth to Yang Kai this little bastard.
As time passed, more and more people arrived at this lake, each of them following some unwritten rule as they separated from each other by a fixed distance, quietly waiting.
Less than a day later, the lake had finally been completely surrounded.
Those who arrived later and could not find a position naturally began looking for weaker groups to replace, spitting out a few words then engaging in a fight.
In just an hour of time, more than four or five bouts had already been started. Many groups from smaller forces, whether it was their elders who had served as escorts or the disciples here for life experience, were slaughtered clean.
Such bloody cruel scenes actually did not cause any waves however, anyone who had dared to come here was fully prepared to engage in such conflicts. If one’s strength was inferior and they were slaughtered because of that, no one would complain on their behalf.
Fortunately, although Ling Tai Xu and Yang Kai were only two people, no one seemed to be eyeing them so they had not encountered any trouble so far.
But as more and more forces arrived, it was not long before some people began to take notice of Ling Tai Xu and Yang Kai.
Suddenly, an old man around Ling Tai Xu’s age walked over, along with his two disciples, one young man and one young women, and stopped not far from them.
Ling Tai Xu who was sitting on the ground, opened his eyes and looked towards them, remaining indifferent.
Yang Kai was secretly raised his vigilance, but was surprised to find that they were not emitting any hostile or murderous intent.
The old man seemed to ponder for a moment before cupping his hands towards Ling Tai Xu, politely speaking, “Reflecting Moon Sect’s Elder Zhou Wen requests this esteemed master’s name!”
“High Heaven Pavilion, Ling Tai Xu!”
“So you are Brother Ling!” Zhuo Wen had apparently heard of the High Heaven Pavilion, politely greeting him then getting straight to the point, “Brother Ling forgive me, this old man and his disciples have arrived somewhat late to this lake, I had not known that so many forces would appear this time for this experience, leaving us no entry place.”
Ling Tai Xu and Yang Kai had instantly crossed thousands of kilometers to arrive here, so although they had departed late, they had still arrived here earlier than most. This Reflecting Moon Sect’s Zhuo Wen had left his Sect more than a month ago, experiencing all kinds of hardship along the road, not to mention the extreme danger of crossing Nether Mountain to arrive at this lake, so he had ultimately arrived two days later than them.
“Is there something Brother Zhuo wants to ask?” Since the other side displayed no malicious intent, Ling Tai Xu would naturally give him some face. Although the other side’s intentions were easy to guess, he still took the initiative to ask.
Zhou Wen gave a dry laugh before saying, “This Zhuo would like to strike a deal with Brother Ling. The lake’s duckweed can carry up to four people to enter the inside, but it looks like Brother Ling has only brought a single disciple; if it is convenient, could you allow this old man’s two disciples to accompany him? Otherwise this old man would have made this trip in vain; if I returned like this it would be quite embarrassing and these two disciples would undoubtedly be disappointed.”
Ling Tai Xu shifted his eyes to the two young disciples behind Zhuo Wen.
These two quickly stepped forward, the young man respectfully introducing himself, “Disciple Chen Xue Shu greets Senior Ling.”
Followed quickly by the young woman, “Disciple Shu Xiao Yu greets Senior Ling.”
While they performed this disciple’s ceremony, both of them were highly respectful, no showing the slightest dissatisfaction or arrogance. Seeing their behaviour, Ling Tai Xu secretly nodded. Reflecting Moon Sect was similar to High Hall Pavilion, both were second-class Sects and the strength of their disciples was also comparable. This young man and woman both appeared calm and gentle, the kind of cultivators who were not fond of fighting and bloodshed.
Seeing Ling Tai Xu pondering his request, Zhuo Wen quickly spoke, “Brother Ling, please rest assured that this old man’s two disciples’ hearts are kind, for this experience they are only here to kill Monster Beasts and search for opportunities. They will certainly not make things difficult for your disciple; this old man can personally guarantee it is so.”
Finished explaining, he again added, “If this little brother is currently alone, once inside he may wish to travel together with this old man’s two disciples, each of them would thus be able to take care of each other.”
Ling Tai Xu had already considered agreeing, but still looked to Yang Kai and asked, “What are your thoughts?”
Yang Kai nodded indifferently, “We can enter together, but once inside you do not have to look after me.”
They were not familiar, and although Chen Xue Shu and Shu Xiao Yu appeared good natured, but it was impossible to instantly know other’s hearts, naturally it was better to be cautious. Moreover, even if Yang Kai did trust these two, it was not certain that they would believe in him, Zhuo Wen’s words were ultimately just a courtesy, how could he take them completely serious?
“Since this little brat has no comment, Brother Zhuo please feel welcome!” Ling Tai Xu signaled Zhou Wen to take a seat.
Zhou Wen couldn’t help breathing a sigh of relief, cupping his fists a smiling, “Thank you Brother Ling.”
“Brother Zhou is too polite.” Ling Tai Xu smiled, “In fact, it is I who should the Brother Zhou for solving our troubles!”
In fact, having these three from the Reflecting Moon Sect join them provided only benefits without any harm to Ling Tai Xu and Yang Kai; after all, it had been just the two of them occupying a place, and with more and more groups arriving, they would likely draw the attention of someone they could not provoke and wind up losing their spot.
However, the situation was very different now that Zhou Wen’s group joined them, two instantly became five, and that included two masters standing guard, even if someone wanted their spot, they would have to carefully consider the consequences of attacking them.
Hearing him say these words, Zhou Wen also felt much more at ease, letting out a relaxed laughter while instructing his two disciples to take a seat.
Although this was their first time meeting, Ling Tai Xu and Zhou Wen were both old veterans; after speaking for just a few moments they had already started acting quite familiar with each other.
Thanks to Ling Tai Xu accepting his request, Zhou Wen tried his best to return the favor, revealing a lot of information about this site’s recent past.
Ling Tai Xu happened to be missing these things, after all the last time he was here was fifty years ago. Fifty years was a long time, many things could have changed here so naturally he was eager to inquire about it.
Zhou Wen patiently explained everything he knew without exception.
Yang Kai also paid careful attention to their discussion.
Through this conversation, Yang Kai learned that this experience site was originally inadvertently discovered by several cultivators who came to Nether Mountain, and as time went by, more and more people learned of its existence.
But in general, the people who knew of this place kept it a secret, not publicly sharing information about it. So after several thousand years, even if more people knew about this place, it was not as if the entire world had become aware.
This was still the case now.
Just how many Sects were there in the Great Han Dynasty? Though this lake was surrounded by so many powers, it had not even reached one-tenth of the total. It would be much more troublesome if the entire world knew, every decade would wind up being a bloody battle.
“Since this place was discovered, until recently, we did not have to compete for spots, but since the opening thirty years ago, more and more powers started to hear about its existence.” Zhou Wen sighed.
“What changed?” Ling Tai Xu asked thoughtfully.
“Because thirty years ago one of the disciples that entered here for life experience brought back something extremely valuable.” Zhou Wen lowered his voice low, and looked around as he paused dramatically, building up suspense before finally explaining, “Someone from the inside received a few drops of Brilliant Flame Liquid.”
A flash of shock appeared on Ling Tai Xu’s face, “There is a supreme treasure which can help purify one’s True Qi?”
Zhou Wen nodded, “Yes!”
When the three words “Brilliant Flame Liquid” were spoken, Chen Xue Shu and Su Xiao Yu could not stop their breath from becoming slightly rapid; obviously, they understood how precious this treasure was. Rather it was just Yang Kai whose expression remained indifferent, without the slightest waves.
When Zhou Wen observed Yang Kai’s reaction, he could not help thinking that this kid was simply too ignorant, or else how would his response be so dull?
Little did he know that although Yang Kai had never heard of this Brilliant Flame Liquid, he could still fully understand its value from Ling Tai Xu’s words.
However, Yang Kai already had the Nine Yin Yuan Condensing Dew, sealed away within his Unyielding Golden Skeleton. He only needed to reach the point where he could break through to the True Element Boundary so he could refine it, greatly aiding his Yuan Qi’s transformation into True Qi, so the appeal of this Brilliant Flame Liquid was simply too small for him.
Good things would generally draw in countless people looking to for a chance to snatch them up, but since he had the Nine Yin Yuan Condensing Dew, he did not need to pay attention to this Brilliant Flame Liquid.
Zhou Wen lightly coughed before he continued, “If it was only the Brilliant Flame Liquid, it would not be enough to attract so many people, but during that same experience, not only did someone obtain some Brilliant Flame Liquid, another person managed to find a few drops of Soul Cleansing Dew!”
This news once again shocked Ling Tai Xu.
Yang Kai’s curiosity was also finally piqued, “What kind of treasure is that?”
Zhou Wen smiled, carefully explaining, “Brilliant Flame Liquid can help cultivators refine their True Qi, so their True Qi becomes purer, while the Soul Cleansing Dew can assist them with opening their Knowledge Sea, allowing one to cultivate their Soul and Divine Sense. When one attempts to break through the True Element Boundary and reach the Immortal Ascension Boundary, if they have a drop of Soul Cleansing Dew to aid them, their Knowledge Sea will easily be opened without any obstructions. If a cultivator who has already opened their Knowledge Sea takes a drop of Soul Cleansing Dew, their Knowledge Sea will widen, allowing it to become more robust. Such growth is worth years of penance.
Yang Kai nodded slightly.
Ling Tai Xu commented, “I see, no wonder so many people have come! Even juniors at the Separation and Reunion Boundary would be willing to take brave the risks for such a treasure.”
Fifty years ago, there were no Separation and Reunion Boundary disciples here, so when Ling Tai Xu arrived here he began to think the world had changed, and that this new younger generation was filled with daring risk takers, but now he knew there was no such thing.
Cultivators at the Separation and Reunion Boundary only had two tasks, one was to enhance their cultivation realm, and the second was to transform their Yuan Qi into True Qi. Brilliant Flame Liquid for any Separation and Reunion cultivator would naturally have a great attraction.
Likewise, True Element Boundary cultivators also had two tasks, once again to enhance their cultivation realm, while the second was to open their Knowledge Sea, in preparation to cultivate their Soul, whether it was the Brilliant Flame Liquid or the Soul Cleansing Dew, they would greatly desire both.
The existence of such treasures had lead to a massive increase in people coming here.
Even Yang Kai’s eyes now flashed with desire.
He did not care in the slightest about the Brilliant Flame Liquid, but the Soul Cleansing Dew for him was extremely attractive. Old Demon had once said that his Five Coloured Soul Warming Lotus needed to absorb a lot of soul-nourishing Precious Treasures to evolve into its seven coloured form, and this Soul Cleansing Dew was obviously such a treasure, not to mention its own effects were certainly wondrous.
If he could get his hands on some, whether it was the Soul Warming Lotus or his own self it would be a great help.
Finished with this explanation, the two old began chatting amongst themselves, while the three young disciples were left to their own devices. Chen Xue Shu and Su Xiao Yu were better of than Yang Kai, after all, they were both from the same Sect, and it was fairly obvious they were also a couple, one could tell from the thick affection which flowed from their eyes when they looked at each other.
As if he was aware of Yang Kai’s embarrassment, Chen Xue Shu smiled at him, cupping his fists, “How should I address this Junior Brother?”
Yang Kai returned his smile and replied, “My surname is Yang!”
“Yang…” Chen Xue Shu’s eyebrows jumped, apparently considering if he was from the Yang Family, but soon felt it was unlikely, and even if it were true he did not particularly care.
“Junior Brother Yang does not seem to know too much about this place.” Chen Xue Shu intended to build a relationship with him, so he initiated a line of conversation.
“Yes, I was brought here somewhat abruptly without much explanation.” Yang Kai nodded.
Su Xiao Yu couldn’t help giggling, “Your master is still close by, be careful he doesn’t punish you.”
Chen Xue Shu also laughed, “If Junior Brother Yang does not mind, whatever questions you might have, this Senior Brother can help answer them for you.”
Listening to him say this, Yang Kai really did have something he was curious about.
“Then, why are these forces separated from each other? Is there some special reason they have chosen these positions?”
Chen Xue Shu smiled, “About this, Senior Brother knows a little bit.”
He then stood up and went to the lake, motioning Yang Kai over before pointing to down, “Can Junior Brother Yang see what’s there?”
Along the direction he pointed, Yang Kai was surprised to see that within the lake there was a green duckweed, but this piece of duckweed and an ordinary duckweed were not the same, it was around the size of a palm and covered in emerald green spots, and a clear meridian pattern could be observed.
“It is because there is a duckweed here that they picked this location.”
Yang Kai looked around and discovered that it was just as he had said, in front of all these forces there really was a duckweed.
“Junior Brother Yang must not underestimate this duckweed, it is actually the ship that will ferry us into the experience area,” said Chen Xue Shu. “Anyone who wants to go in must do so by riding this duckweed. Without this piece of duckweed, no matter how strong one is they will be unable to enter, and this lake also emits a strange force, making it impossible for anyone to fly over it. This duckweed also will not carry anyone at or above the Immortal Ascension Boundary, so the highest one’s cultivation can be if they wish to enter is the True Element Boundary.”
Yang Kai looked relieved as he nodded earnestly, gradually relaxing as he asked more and more questions, learning much about this place from Chen Xue Shu, Su Xiao Yu would also insert a few words from time to time, leading the atmosphere around them to become harmonious.
This continued on until night fell, when suddenly Zhou Wen’s face became serious, calling out, “It’s beginning.”
Just as his voice faded, all cultivators present began to stir as millions of lights blossomed from within the lake, suddenly pouring out, the entire scene illuminated in a brilliant splendor; it was truly a magnificent sight.
Immediately, a strange and heavy atmosphere descended, the Immortal Ascension Boundary masters who felt this breath all cringed, as if they were bearing some massive weight, all of them struggling and in pain, running their Secret Arts to resist the pressure.
The duckweeds by the lakeside began to rotate, instantly growing in size until they reached about three meters in length before they began to stabilize.
Once the duckweed in front of them had finished expanding, Ling Tai Xu and Zhou Wen both shouted, “Go!”
Yang Kai and the two disciples from Reflecting Moon Sect acted without the slightest hesitation, jumping up onto the duckweed.
It was clear why Zhou Wen had said that only four people could cross the lake on a single duckweed now that the three of them were standing on top of it, there was only enough room for one more person or else they would not be able to stand.
Zhou Wen solemnly warned Chen Xue Shu and Su Xiao Yu that they must be careful inside and not to easily argue with people while the two nodded again and again.
Ling Tai Xu also spoke to Yang Kai, “Whoever provokes you inside you should kill, do not be merciful, but also do not take the initiative to provoke those around you.”
“En.” Yang Kai nodded.
“Ah yes, do not worry about those things inside your secluded cave, this old master will keep them safe for you, as for that little girl Su Yan, old master will help you look after her as well.”
Yang Kai’s face instantly went bright red; he had not thought that the matters between him and Su Yan had already been completely exposed to Ling Tai Xu.
Standing on the duckweed, Su Xiao Yu looked at Yang Kai with great meaning, unable to hold back her laughter.
After about the time it takes to brew a pot of tea, the duckweed suddenly began to move, like a ship sailing across the waves, it smoothly carried the three juniors towards the center of the lake, accelerating faster and faster.
Looking around, in every direction there were duckweeds full of people, many of these cultivators looked malicious and violent, ill-intentioned gazes could be felt from all around.
Yang Kai soon spotted the four from the Tian Lang Dynasty; whether it was the young men or women, they all wore fierce expressions, like at any moment they would strike out like savage beasts. Yang Kai also met eyes with the Ghost King Valley trio as Jin Hao once again made a neck swiping gesture towards Yang Kai.
As the duckweeds were traveling forward, a huge whirlpool suddenly appeared at the center of the lake, catching everyone here by surprise and pulling them in without the slightest chance to resist.
Cries of shock rang out but quickly disappeared as the scenery around them began to warp. Once Yang Kai recovered from this, he found himself transported to a strange new environment.
There was no separation between day and night, with the laws of yin and yang in complete chaos. These were the most startling features of this strange land.
“We’re in!” Su Xiao Yu said excitedly while Chen Xue Shu and Yang Kai hurriedly scanned their surroundings, breathing a sigh of relief after discovering there was no immediate danger.
This place occupied a vast area; every group of people that came in was randomly distributed and the only people initially placed together were those who rode on the same duckweed. This was part of the information Yang Kai had recently learned, and judging from his current circumstances, it appeared to be accurate.
Yang Kai quietly opened some distance between himself, Chen Xue Shu, and Su Xiao Yu. Although it was not too obvious, it did not escape Chen Xue Shu’s attention.
However, Chen Xue Shu did not mind, instead keeping a friendly smile on his face as he looked at Yang Kai and said, “Junior Brother Yang, do you want to travel together with us? Our relationship with each other is not bad!”
Yang Kai slowly shook his head and cupped his fists before replying, “I appreciate the gesture, but I would like to try experiencing this place alone.”
Chen Xue Shu nodded slightly, not attempting to retain him further, “Then Junior Brother Yang must remember to be careful!”
“You two as well, be safe!” Having said this, Yang Kai turned and activated his movement skill to leave quickly.
“Does he have to run so fast? It’s not like we’ll try to eat him!” Su Xiao Yu pouted, somewhat dissatisfied with Yang Kai’s wariness of them.
Chen Xue Shu chuckled lightly, patting Su Xiao Yu’s head to console her, “That is exactly what he is afraid of!”
“But we had no malicious intentions towards him!” Su Xiao Yu was still puffing her cheeks, “He’s such a petty kid, he’ll certainly die quickly in here!”
Chen Xue Shu shook his head slowly, “Not necessarily. The way he acts is very calm and cautious; people like him generally live longer! Also, I always felt like he is somewhat unusual.”
“Unusual how?” Su Xiao Yu blinked her big eyes in confusion.
“He is only Separation and Reunion Boundary Third Stage yet he still dares to come here, he must have something to rely on which gives him great confidence in survival.”
“In other words…”
“He probably has some incredible means, or else his master would not be so comfortable letting him come here for life experience. Although, of the people who can enter here, which one does not have some skill? We must remember to be careful and try not to provoke conflicts with others.”
After Yang Kai and the pair from Reflecting Moon Sect separated, he continuously used his movement skill to sprint a dozen li, changing directions several times until he jumped up onto a particularly large tree, hiding himself, as he vigilantly observed the movements in his surroundings.
It was not that he wanted to be small minded and petty, it was just that being cautious in this place was necessary.
Moreover, this was also a test of whether Chen Xue Shu and Su Xiao Yu’s were wolves or sheep.
After concealing himself in the tree for a long time, Yang Kai did not notice any signs of people tracing him, and so he concluded that the couple from Reflecting Moon Sect really did not hold any malicious intent towards him.
Both of them were cultivators at the True Element Boundary. They were certainly both geniuses of the Reflecting Moon Sect, so if they really had wanted to act against him, they would not have bothered waiting this long.
Ling Tai Xu had also told him before, if inside he could really find people worthy of believing in, joining together with them was not a bad idea, so as of now, Chen Xue Shu and Su Xiao Yu could be added to the list of people Yang Kai could trust.
If they were fated to meet again, Yang Kai felt he would not mind working with them.
Hiding on the treetop, Yang Kai first tried to summon his two artifacts, letting out a long sigh shortly after when he found himself unable to call them out. It was as if they were somehow sealed inside his body.
“Old Demon!” Yang Kai shouted in his mind.
“Old Servant is here.” Old Demon quickly replied.
“Can your Soul Breaker Awl be used?”
“Old Servant must unfortunately disappoint Young Master, it cannot be used…”
Yang Kai suddenly cursed this damned place that even prohibited the Soul Breaker Awl, which was not his own artifact. Without the Soul Breaker Awl, Old Demon’s combat strength was basically zero; it looked like this time, the only thing he could rely on was his own strength.
Fortunately, before he had entered, Ling Tai Xu had given him the Universe Bag, which certainly contained many good things.
Before, he had not had time to check, so doing so now was a good idea.
Taking out this small bag from his chest pocket and unlocking its seal, Yang Kai reach inside, finding that there were indeed many things stored within.
He could vaguely feel about ten bottles of pills, most of them healing pills, while a few contained Yang property pills. Finding these made Yang Kai extremely happy. This Grand Master of his really treated him well; with these bottles of pills, he would not have to worry about having enough Yang Liquid to use.
In addition to these pills, Yang Kai also found a dozen sets of clean clothes inside, along with a sheathed long sword.
He could use the sword because it was not an artifact, and rather just a steel forged weapon. However, Yang Kai had never learned any sword type martial skills, so chopping blindly with this weapon would probably not be as effective as simply fighting unarmed. With the cultivation levels of the people inside here, a plain sword without any accompanying martial skills would not be able to add to Yang Kai combat strength.
After carefully storing these things again, Yang Kai jump from the tree and rolled up his sleeves, excited to start this life experience.
Half an hour later, Yang Kai met a Fourth-Order Monster Beast and after killing it in a brief battle, he quietly stood in place, waiting.
Sure enough, just as Ling Tai Xu told him, when the Monster Beast died, Yang Kai clearly felt its energy and essence begin to gather in the air in front of him.
At a rate visible to the naked eye, the Monster Beast’s corpse shriveled up as more and more red glowing energy poured out of its body.
The red light glistened for a while, and soon after it condensed into a pea sized Blood Bead.
Yang Kai eyes flashed, the moment this Blood Bead finished condensing he reached out his hand and grabbed hold of it, carefully examining it. He found that this Blood Bead contained a very strange energy. It was not much energy; after all, he had obtained it from just a fourth-order Monster Beast. However, it was also nothing to complain about.
In this strange isolated world, the laws of Heaven and Earth were truly incomprehensible, causing a once living creature to actually form such a thing automatically once it died.
Once he collected the Blood Bead, Yang Kai looked back toward the Monstrous Beast, only to see its corpse had actually turned into a pile of dust, all of its essence exhausted, only leaving behind some dregs.
Unsure how much this small Blood Bead could enhance his strength, Yang Kai was very much looking forward to refining it, but doing so right here and now was clearly not appropriate.
Happy with his gains, Yang Kai morale improved and his pace became more and more light.
This isolated world was really a good place for Separation and Reunion and True Element Boundary cultivators to obtain experience, Yang Kai had only been here for a day, but he had already beheaded five or six Monster Beasts, all of which were either Third or Fourth-order. This had not cost him much Yuan Qi, but his harvest had been quite generous. The only complaint he had was that the Third-order Monster Beasts’ Blood Bead were significantly smaller than the ones Fourth-order beasts produced. Obviously, they were lacking in energy.
Along the way, he had also encountered a Fifth-order Monster Beast. Yang Kai had debated a long time before eventually deciding to hold back; a Fifth-order Monster Beast had strength equivalent to a True Element Boundary cultivator. Only if he used all of his strength would he have a chance to kill it, but even if he could he would have to prepare himself for some injuries.
Because of this, unless it was a last resort, Yang Kai did not want to engage a Fifth-order Monster Beast right now.
For three days, Yang Kai had been constantly seeking out and slaughtering Monster Beasts. Tired from his repeated battles, he wanted to find a relatively safe location to rest and restore his physical strength before continuing to kill.
These past few days, he actually had not met any other people.
No wonder so many Separation and Reunion cultivators dared to enter here, if these three days were a sign of how things were here normally, then aside from having to avoid some of the stronger Monster Beasts, even Qi Transformation Stage cultivators could explore this place without much trouble.
Three days later, Yang Kai was hiding amongst the jungle plants like a panther, secretly observing the prey before him.
Not far away from him were two Fourth-Order Phantom Lightning Wolf Monster Beasts.
Fourth Order Monster Beasts were equivalent to Separation and Reunion cultivators, the same as Yang Kai’s current strength. Two of them acting together might cause trouble for him.
But after considering carefully for awhile, Yang Kai still decided to attack.
Of the Monster Beasts he could handle, the highest were Fourth-Order, so having met two but instantly giving up would be a bit unreasonable.
Making up his mind, Yang Kai leapt out from his hiding place, quickly dashing toward the two nearby wolves. Originally, Yang Kai, who had focused entirely on these two Monster Beasts, had crossed half the distance between them when he suddenly caught a glimpse of a fluttering in the trees not far away in the corner of his eye.
Yang Kai’s heart sank as he quickly looked more carefully, and sure enough, roughly three hundred meters out, a person wearing a dark red robe hastily concealed his figure.
Seeing this, Yang Kai instantly understood what had happened.
The other side had clearly been observing these two wolves from the jungle just like him, but neither of them had discovered any trace of the other until now, and it was purely coincidentally that both of them had actually chosen the same moment to attack.
Maybe because his speed was faster, when Yang Kai had rushed out, the other side had only just appeared.
Because Yang Kai was a step ahead, the other side had discovered him first and quickly retreated, concealing himself once again.
But this man’s clothes were too conspicuous, accidentally exposing him.
Everything happened so fast that it was now too late to retreat; the two Phantom Lightning Wolves had already become aware of Yang Kai and were baring their fangs at him, rushing over to attack.
Yang Kai cursed inside as he considered how to deal with this ‘mantis stalks cicada while the oriole lurks behind’ (In pursuit of a small gain, he neglected his own safety and landed in a precarious) situation, while at the same time desperately trying to recalling the identity this person.
After a brief moment, Yang Kai steeled his heart as he increased his speed, pretending he was completely oblivious to the threat behind him as he faced the two wolves head on.
These two Fourth-Order Monster Beasts were as swift as the wind. Their bodies emitting sparks of lightning, they dashing towards him and split to his left and right, instantly appearing in front of Yang Kai.
The two Monster Beasts were apparently very experienced hunters, as they executed their staggered attacks from both his left and right perfectly.
Yang Kai hurriedly dodged, managing to avoid one of the wolves’ attacks, but he was unable to stop the other from sinking its teeth into his shoulder.
An electric current spread throughout his body, causing Yang Kai to spasm in pain. Quickly circulating his Yuan Qi to resolve this, his muscles tightened as he punched the wolf’s still-biting jaw, taking advantage of the fact that it had yet to rip off his flesh, and managed to send it flying out.
*Awoo!!* A howl of pain rang out as the Phantom Lightning Wolf rolled on the ground several times.
Yang Kai had not used his full strength in this strike, and so did not actually hurt it. After it had once again stabilized itself, the two wolves exchanged a look and, howling even louder than before, they once again attacked.
Yang Kai dashed forward, arriving right between the two Phantom Lightning Wolves’ bellies, and kicked one to the side as he sent a palm strike to the other’s head, forcing it back while blocking its bite.
While they had yet to recover, Yang Kai attacked again, engaging in a desperate close combat struggle with these two Phantom Lightning Wolves.
In fact, if Yang Kai used his full strength, he would not be having such a difficult time handling these wolves, but since he knew someone was quietly observing him from behind, he intentionally put on this show, preparing for what would inevitably come next.
Fighting with the two lightning wolves was very difficult and dangerous since his strength was at the Separation and Reunion Boundary third stage and he did not dare to use his full strength. Therefore, Yang Kai repeatedly encountered situations where he turned danger into safety by a hair’s breadth; similar to walking a tightrope where he would lose balance then stabilize miraculously. Just a short moment of carelessness could mean the two Monster Beasts rip him apart.
Fighting with the two Monster Beast and killing them through hurting them little by little consumed almost an hour, and Yang Kai was finally able to kill them with the last of his strength.
Fresh blood flowed from lightning wolves’ bodies and scars, numbering at least seven or eight, covered Yang Kai’s body as well. The wounds left on his body by the wolves were cuts, bruises, and in some places even torn off bits of flesh. Overall, he looked very miserable.
Those wounds were not camouflage, but actual wounds and injuries. After all, a fourth step Monster Beast was also equal to a Separation and Reunion Boundary martial artist, and Yang Kai fought against two at the same time. This was quite a commendable job and he could be very proud of himself.
Nevertheless, the hidden person was also very patient and quietly watched the fight between Yang Kai and the Lightning Wolves, neither making an appearance throughout the fight nor at this moment.
Yang Kai breathed in large gulps and moved to a side quietly, then sat on the ground and started to rotate his merit law, waiting calmly for the condensation of blood beads from the wolves.
Perhaps Yang Kai’s play was too realistic and the hidden person finally made his move after carefully confirming the surroundings.
Yang Kai heard the blatant rustling of footsteps.
Yang Kai opened his eyes and a hint of killing intent flashed in them.
Looking up, he saw not far away, three figures staring at him haughtily. They were three men who wore dark red gowns and looked like they were taking a stroll.
The man leading them was giving an unusually loud and harsh laugh while looking at Yang Kai’s expression with interest.
Yang Kai showed a look of panic, his eyes filling with hatred and unwillingness. He slowly got up and looked alert.
Three men winked at each other, then surrounded him.
“What’s the meaning of this?” Yang Kai licked his day lips and asked in a quivering voice. This small action showed the fear in his heart.
“Your words are quite interesting!” the man who laughed before looked at Yang Kai, “What we mean, can’t you see it?”
Yang Kai frowned then said, “Several friends, if you want these two blood beads, you can freely take them and please don’t embarrass me anymore.”
That man gave a cold smile, “those two blood bead are just nonsense. Don’t you know that when a person dies they also condense a blood bead that is higher in quality and grade than the Monster Beasts’ blood bead? And for that, we want your life.”
Yang Kai said with sigh, “Friends, don’t you think it’s going too far? I am a disciple of High Heaven Pavilion, and if you kill me they will send someone to hunt you for sure.”
“Hahahaha!” That person, upon hearing this, gave a laugh, “If we were outside, we would have been wary of the sect, but here, even if you die, no one will know that we killed you!”
With that man’s voice, Yang Kai replaced his panicked face with a cold and murderous look. His Yuan Qi gushed out from his body to his right arm where it became a thin blood-red blade that quietly aimed at the man trying to get behind him. Without giving him time to react, Yang Kai sliced through his neck.
These three were also very careful, starting to surround him instead of immediately attacking him. After all, their strength was not much higher than Yang Kai and was yet to reach True Element Boundary. However, they were confident in their strength; as a single person attracted his attention, the other two were surrounding him.
Yang Kai had long been aware of their petty actions and just feigned ignorance.
When the warrior was close enough, Yang Kai suddenly moved behind him and was able to kill him with a surprise attack.
With the sudden attack, the three people became shocked and the man whose back was now facing Yang Kai did not have any time to react. When the blood-red blade sliced through he only felt a little heat, but when he touched his neck, warm liquid flowed out without control.
Yang Kai was like the wind, the blade condensed from the Yang liquid cut through that person’s neck and with the help of his home made movement skill he was just like a wild cheetah, rushing in front of the second person.
This man countered hurriedly, and with a loud voice, his whole fist began to shine in the golden light.
Yang Kai directly pierced the blade of his condensed Yang liquid through the middle of the fist.
With a pitiful yell, blood flowed from his fist. While the pain distracted him, Yang Kai moved near his body and ruthlessly struck his abdomen.
This attack was like a wave as a lot of Yuan Qi poured into his body; he immediately became pale, accompanied by a muffled sound as his mouth became bloody and he staggered back.
Yang Kai was like a spirit, elegant and light in his movement. Jumping to his opponent’s shoulder, Yang Kai sandwiched his head and suddenly turned in a half circle.
With a crack, the second warrior’s neck was broken.
In this sudden fight, he had killed two out of the three, while the remaining one became rooted to the spot due to shock. It was only after Yang Kai floated to the ground that he recovered.
“You…” The warrior was confused and shocked, frightened by the sudden change of the situation, as well as Yang Kai’s ruthless and brutal attack.
With a loud laugh Yang Kai said, “Friend, when you talk so big next time, you should first confirm who you are talking to, so as to avoid lifting a stone only to smash your own foot.”
Looking at Yang Kai, covered in blood, and feeling the violent and ferocious Yuan Qi fluctuation emanating from him, that person went pale. Now he knew that Yang Kai had not used his full strength while fighting the Lightning Wolves. With his strength and surging Yuan Qi, he would have killed the two Monster Beasts within the time it took for an incense stick to burn, yet he used an hour. This was clearly to mislead the three of them.
“So you already knew that we were hiding on the side!” This person’s expression was complex as he looked at his two companions who had died in almost an instant. Although he was panicking, this situation also roused his killing intent and anger.
“You used the method of mantis praying on the cicada…… tut…. You played such a good play, so am I not allowed to play something too?” Yang Kai said with a sneer.
This man gave a roar and his Yuan Qi gushed out with a golden light that formed a seal in front of him. This should be some kind of martial skill, and its level definitely was not low.
Seeing this, Yang Kai also became serious and no longer retained his strength. By using his Unyielding Will and the Golden Skeleton, more Yuan Qi gushed out from within his body while a strange and Evil Qi surrounded him. This Qi contained infinite killing intent, and with this release his strength reached:
Separation and Reunion Boundary Peak!
Unyielding Will was Yang Kai’s final trump card, and he could not use it too often in order to avoid exposing it. However, in this place, in front of this enemy, Yang Kai did not want to hide his card.
As long as he killed the enemy quickly, there will not be any extra worries. This is why he felt relieved and boldly displayed his trump card.
On the opposite side, the enemy looked at him in shock. Yang Kai’s sudden surge in strength made him surprised. However, he also was not holding back. Lifting the golden seal in one hand, he roared and attacked Yang Kai.
Yang Kai also stood his ground, turning one hand into a claw that caught the seal.
Yang Kai’s body moved back slightly. After all, it was a moving martial skill and was not easy to block. The opposite party revealed a slight grin and poured more Yuan Qi into his move, thus increasing the power.
Suddenly, True Yang Yuan Qi burst out from Yang Kai’s body and poured into the shining seal. In less than a moment, a cracking sound resounded.
The great seal burned while large fissures became visible on it.
Yang Kai’s True Yang Yuan Qi was very pure and dense, in no way inferior to a common True Element Boundary expert, while his opponent was only a Separation and Reunion Boundary eighth stage martial artist. His Yuan Qi has not even started to transform into True Qi, so how could he possibly be Yang Kai’s opponent?
The cracking sounds continued.
The opponent became pale and, discovering that he was not Yang Kai’s match, he quickly said, “Friend, show mercy, I am Golden Light Palace’s disciple. Before, I had eyes but failed to see and offended you. Friend… Senior, please don’t kill me.”
Yang Kai sneered, his eyes becoming even more crazy and bloodthirsty. “I know that you are a Golden Light Palace disciple!”
Because he knew, Yang Kai had no fear and played with them, leading them by the nose. If not for the fact that they had exposed their dark-red gowns, Yang Kai would not have risked this play.
Golden Light Palace was just a third class sect, and from it came three disciples who had the strength of Separation and Reunion Boundary. Ling Tai Xu told him this point before they entered here.
Crash…. The golden seal of the Golden Light Palace disciple shattered.
At this moment, the opponent suddenly attacked, and from his sleeve popped out a sharp blade just like a snake attacking from the hole and was aimed at Yang Kai’s throat.
Looks like begging for mercy was polite, but insincere. Yang Kai had killed his two Junior Brothers and he hated Yang Kai so much that it could not be solved until one of them died.
However, this weapon was unable to hurt Yang Kai. After making it halfway to Yang Kai, its movement stopped. The Golden Light disciple’s mouth gaped as his eyes wandered down to see that a hand had pierced into his chest; holding his heart hostage.
His heartbeat suddenly became violent before all movements stopped.
Yang Kai took out his hand from inside, with blood covering it, and looked coldly towards his dead enemy.
Killing three Separation and Reunion Boundary experts who were at the seventh and eighth stage alone easily, Yang Kai finally got a new measure and understanding of his real strength.
Waiting for a few moments in the same place, the warriors’ Yuan Qi, flesh, and blood essence condensed into blood beads.
As Yang Kai took a few steps forward and collected them, he was surprised to find that the three Blood Beads that formed were much larger than that of Monster Beasts.
These three Blood Beads were thumb-sized.
When a fourth order Monster Beast died and a Blood Bead formed, it is only pea-sized, but a Separation and Reunion Boundary warrior’s Blood Bead was many times larger.
Without checking it clearly, Yang Kai also took the Blood Beads of the Lightning Wolves and stored them away. Then, he searched the three for anything valuable before hurriedly leaving that area.
After an incense stick worth of time, many Monster Beasts had gathered, attracted by the smell of blood in air.
At this moment, Yang Kai was already more than a dozen miles away.
Today, Yang Kai harvested many Blood Beads, so he wanted to find a safe place to absorb them. He could only use this method in order to cope with a more powerful monster beast or enemy.
In this area, there was no absolutely safe place. Yang Kai could only conceal and restrain his aura as far as possible while covering his tracks along the way, so as not to expose his whereabouts.
He hid himself in the center of a hollow tree and kept vigilant of the surroundings for any changes while absorbing the Blood Bead.
This time’s harvest of Blood Beads was about twenty, out of which, more than half were third order Monster Beast Blood Beads and the remaining were fourth order Monster Beast Blood Beads. In addition, he also had three Blood Beads which he obtained by killing the Golden Light Palace disciples.
One could easily distinguish a Blood Bead’s scale by its size.
A fourth order Monster Beast’s Blood Bead was only the size of a pea, and a third order Monster Beast’s Blood Bead was about half of that, while the Blood Beads condensed after the deaths of three Separation and Reunion Boundary experts were about the size of a thumbnail.
Yang Kai took a third order Monster Beast’s Blood Bead in his palm and slowly started to revolve his True Yang Secret Art.
Yuan Qi started flowing from his Palm, the energy completely pure. This pure energy started to flood into his body through his meridians, then into his dantian, where the Unyielding Golden Skeleton directly absorbed it.
After practicing only a little of his True Yang Secret Art, this single Blood Bead disappeared and became his strength.
This event astonished Yang Kai. Although he had learned from Ling Tai Xu that Blood Bead could easily be refined without any hidden danger, Yang Kai did not expect that it would be easy to this extent.
The energy contained in the Blood Bead was very pure, without the least bit of waste. This energy is simply pure, like the morning dew, this Blood Bead does not need to be refined and directly can be absorbed.
No wonder Ling Tai Xu had such a high evaluation of the Blood Beads of this place. If someone could acquire a large number of Blood Beads, their strength would experience a meteoric rise. Except for when promoting to a big boundary, where everyone needs comprehension, when promoting within the small boundaries there would not be any hindrance.
Anyone who has once absorbed the Blood Bead’s energy would be unable to resist this enticement. For becoming strong and promoting their strength, they would not let off any living creature, whether its person or a Monster Beast; in their eyes, Blood Beads were the only power worth anything in this place.
It is very rare to have an opportunity to absorb the energy without any worry, and there are no other places capable of breeding Blood Beads.
Taking a deep breath and restraining his mind, Yang Kai took all the Blood Beads he had in his palm and started to revolve his True Yang Secret Art.
A huge amount of pure energy poured into his palm. In a flash, due to this huge energy, his meridians started to bulge. This energy constantly poured from the Blood Beads into his body, where the Unyielding Golden Skeleton absorbed it. The speed of absorbtion was impossible to describe.
Yang Kai absorbed all the Blood Beads in his palm, rapidly transforming them into his own energy.
Yang Kai could feel himself getting stronger by the minute. Moreover, he could feel himself reaching the peak of Separation and Reunion third stage.
When only two Blood Beads remained in his palm, an invisible shockwave spread with Yang Kai as the center, disrupting the Energy of Heaven and Earth.
He broke through to the fourth stage of Separation and Reunion Boundary easily, and without any hindrance.
Yang Kai did not feel any joy. Rather, his heart sunk. Cursing in his heart, he did not stop the Blood Bead absorption but increased his speed.
Within only a moment, the two Blood Beads also disappeared. Those two beads were able to stabilize his recently promoted realm.
Hurriedly and without any hesitation, Yang Kai left his hiding spot.
Although he had expected that boundary promotion would cause some kind of phenomenon, he did not expect it to be so obvious.
If anyone was in the vicinity, then they would have realized. Therefore, if he did not leave, others would find him.
After running at a full speed for a few miles, Yang Kai did not dare to stop as his heart started to feel anxious. He felt like someone was watching him, but was unable to find any clue as to where from.
This feeling was not his imagination; Yang Kai guessed that the person who was watching him was higher than his current boundary. That is why he was unable to find any clue, or perhaps they were simply watching him from afar and had not pursued him.
If it were the latter then it would be great! After all, if an expert was eyeing him, then there was no reason for him to hide and waste time.
Could he be lucky this time?
At the same time Yang Kai thought that he could not promote in this particular region any more. Through his strength of Separation and Reunion Boundary fourth stage, he felt that he did not have any immediate danger, but if he bumped into a true expert then he definitely will not be able to retreat safely. If each small promotion made this type of ruckus then it would be bad for him.
After rushing dozens of miles more, the feeling of observation became even thicker, and his back began to feel cold.
Suddenly Yang Kai stopped and his complexion became ugly.
He felt someone’s Yuan Qi fluctuation coming from behind the tree in front of him. . It seemed that the opposite party did not want to continue hiding anymore and was waiting for him in that spot.
This person’s speed had been very fast in order to overtake him then wait for him.
The situation looked bad. They were surely not friendly and Yang Kai did not even know whom he had bumped into and what kind of strength they had. So naturally, he did not dare to move rashly.
“Hey, hey, hey…” A gloomy sneer came from behind the tree as someone slowly walked out from behind it.
Looking at his face, Yang Kai had an impulse to vomit blood.
This person turned out to be the disciple of Ghost King Valley!
Three people came from Ghost King Valley this time, and all of them were True Element Boundary martial artists. One of them, called Jing Hao, had a grudge against Yang Kai and swore to kill him. The second one was a woman and third one was a man. This was Ghost King Valley’s lineup.
Really, as the saying goes, enemies often cross each other’s paths. In this vast site, how could he be so unlucky to meet this group of disciples?
If they would have been someone other than the disciples of Ghost King Valley then there was a possibility of solving this incident through discussion, but as Gui Li had told them to kill him, there was no way for any other result than fighting.
Yang Kai would have also attacked them if an opportunity arose. Unfortunately, now was a bad time; they had only come in for a few days, and he only had a single breakthrough. Facing such an enemy, how could he possibly think of winning?
Any one of them was enough to eat him whole, without even sparing his bones, and now they had three of them.
It looked bad, very bad!
“Haha, see who we have here!” Ghost King Valley disciple Yu Chengkun said with a surprise as he surveyed Yang Kai, his face showing satisfaction. “It turned out to be the little brat from the High Heaven Pavilion! It didn’t take a lot of effort to find him.”
He apparently did not think that the person who he had intercepted would be Yang Kai. This was really a chance that came out of a mistake.
Yang Kai just looked at him and did not dare to stay. With a flash, he moved using his self-made movement technique and tried to escape.
It was definitely a good choice to use the movement technique to escape, and his speed was very fast, capable of running a few thousand feet in a matter of seconds. Opponents of the same level are no match for this speed.
Nevertheless, Yang Kai was only able to move his body slightly before he heard the sound of wind shrieking and howling before him, and a large, pale hand came from a blind spot.
“Hahaha… High Heaven Pavilion’s little brat, we really are predestined!” with a laugh Jin Hao reviled his stature pale and without blood like an assassin hidden in dark and ready to kill at any moment.
Yang Kai’s mood became even heavier. Taking position, he attacked with Burning Sun’s Three Layer Blast.
Their fists collided as Jin Hao gave a cold snort and stimulated the movement of his True Qi, his five fingers became like sharp blades.
On collision, three muffled sounds transmitted and Yang Kai flew through the air while looking pale. Suppressing the blood that tried to come out of his mouth, he staggered while landing.
Jin Hao’s strength was True Element Boundary fourth stage. Of the three Ghost King Valley disciples, he was the most powerful one. Yang Kai was simply no match for this type of enemy. Just trying to face him will result in a loss.
Landing on the ground, Yang Kai did not even have time to take a breath when he felt killing intent from his back. Dodging in a hurry, a flash moved past him and tore his clothes like they was made of paper.
“Good response!” Jin Hao did not attack again but, with a calm face, folded his arms and looked at Yang Kai in joking manner.
Looking back in a hurry Yang Kai found that the female disciple of Ghost King Valley had also caught up and the attack from behind was her.
THIS WOMAN! Yang Kai swore in his heart.
Three people on each corner surrounded Yang Kai.
This three were not like the Separation and Reunion Boundary disciple of Golden Light Palace that Yang Kai could kill easily. While facing this three he did not dare to take them lightly.
“Little brat, how do you want to die?” Jin Hao asked while looking at Yang Kai in hatred. After all, on their way to the Netherworld Mountain, Yang Kai nearly killed him when the Golden Eyed Silver-Back Python attacked him. That is why he hated Yang Kai to the marrow of his bones.
However, at present, the three had surrounded the little brat. Even with wings, he would not be able to escape. After all, he was not in a hurry to take Yang Kai’s life, and sometimes it was better to torture and humiliate the enemy for fun rather than simply killing them.
Yu Chengkun said with a laugh, “Senior Brother, should we cut him limb to limb or drain his blood until he dies?”
Jin Hao slowly shook his head, “That, would be too kind, I say we should make him into a ghost slave and make him never be able to reincarnate, being only a slave of my Ghost King Valley forever.”
Yu Chengkun frowned, “This little brat’s strength is too low, and even if we refined a ghost slave, he won’t be able to play a major role.”
Listening to their discussion about Yang Kai, the woman from Ghost King Valley said with impatience, “Just kill him, why do you need to waste so much time? After all, there is still the Blood Bead.”
Jin Hao and Yu Chengkun gave a quick laugh, “Junior Sister said to kill, so we should just kill him and be done with it.”
After deciding, Jin Hao walked towards Yang Kai, his face showing ruthlessness and killing intent, “Little brat, be happy that it will be a painless death, so when you reach hell don’t forget to thank me.”
Yang Kai said with a sneer, “Talk after you have killed me.”
After speaking, he directly moved towards the female disciple of Ghost King Valley.
After observing them for a long time, he knew that, among the three disciples of Ghost King Valley, this woman’s strength was lowest. Nevertheless, maybe due to her beauty, this female’s status was not low, making Jin Hao and Yu Chengkun very respectful. Therefore, this woman was absolutely a breach in their strength.
If Yang Kai wanted to break through, then his best method would be to use the Flaming Yang Wings. Although True Element Boundary experts can fly, they are absolutely no match for the Flaming Yang Wings. However, this place had many hidden dangers, so if he made an escape by using Flaming Yang Wings to fly in the air, it would only attract more attention. Therefore, Yang Kai did not want to use Flaming Yang Wings until it was absolutely necessary.
Yang Kai sprinted out; however, the three Ghost King Valley disciples only sneered. Although Jin Hao and Yu Cheng Kun saw Yang Kai race towards their female companion, instead of showing panic, they only had expressions of disdain. Obviously, they felt that she had more than enough strength to block Yang Kai.
The young woman’s expression also remained unchanged as she began circulating her True Qi, her pair of beautiful eyes locked onto Yang Kai as if she were staring at a dead man, completely confident of her abilities.
However, when he had approached to within fifteen meters of her, Yang Kai’s Yuan Qi ferociously burst out.
[Unyielding Will!]
If he wanted to escape from a True Element Boundary cultivator’s grasp, he would have to go all out.
Feeling the surge in Yang Kai’s strength, the woman’s complexion darkened slightly. Lifting her small pale hands, a few nearly invisible, silk-like threads shot out from her fingertips towards Yang Kai, trying to envelop him.
Her True Qi had not condensed these silk threads. Someone had made them from an especially strong material that became incredibly sharp after one poured their True Qi into them. Since they were not technically an artifact, the female disciple could still use them in this isolated world.
Aware of the danger these threads posed, Yang Kai’s expression turned dignified, but since he was unable to turn back now, he quickly condensed a few drops of Yang Liquid at his fingertips.
As soon as these drops of Yang Liquid appeared, Yang Kai shaped them into a number of shields and layered them in front of his body.
Finishing just in time, he then crashed head long into the threads.
*Pu…* The Yang Liquid shields were quickly shredded, but with that brief delay, Yang Kai managed to position himself so that the threads only pierced non-vital positions on his body.
While trembling involuntarily from the pain, Yang Kai grit his teeth and continued towards the young woman as he launched a flurry of punches.
The woman sneered again, responding to Yang Kai’s attacks by swiping at him with her ghostly hands, her sharp nails tearing into his flesh.
Letting out a low grunt, Yang Kai’s face went pale, but he still desperately endured these few vicious attacks, quickly escaping past the young woman, kicking the ground as he activated his movement skill, dashing into the jungle.
“Get back here!” The young woman cried out, once again releasing her silk threads in an effort to capture Yang Kai. However, as her threads enveloped Yang Kai and she attempted to reel in her catch, all she felt was a brief resistance before her threads flew back to her, dripping a little fresh blood.
The young woman’s eyes flashed a trace surprise, while Jin Hao and Yu Cheng Kun’s faces, which had previously been leisurely, also displayed shocked expressions.
“What happened?” Jin Hao raced over and asked in a puzzled voice; his Junior Sister’s silk threads were extremely tough and had clearly pierced that little brat’s body, so how could he have escaped?
“My threads were snapped!” The woman looked down at her broken silk threads and couldn’t help feeling a little pain in her heart, her expression quickly filling with murderous intent, crying out, “What the hell are you looking at!? Quickly chase him!”
Yu Cheng Kun’s eyes shrunk as he quickly dashed out, Jin Hao and the young woman hurriedly chasing after him.
Caught in this crisis, Yang Kai had exerted all of his strength in order to escape.
Paying a small price in blood, he had finally managed to open a gap in his encirclement; if his three pursuers surrounded him again, the situation would probably force him to expose his Flaming Yang Wings in order to break out.
Pushing his self-created movement skill to its limit, Yang Kai still could not shake the shadow chasing him from behind.
It was the fastest Ghost King Valley disciple! He was always a step faster than the other two, leaving them to fall behind gradually, with each step he took.
Racing forward for half a day, Yu Cheng Kun was still persistently chasing Yang Kai, neither of them slowing down in the slightest. One was desperate to escape, while the other was determined to kill.
By now, Yang Kai had a stomach full of grievances.
Spotting a group of four or five Monster Beasts only a couple dozen meters in front of him, Yang Kai acted decisively, not only not avoiding them, but instead running headlong into them.
His body flickering, he dove in and out of this group of Monster Beasts as quick as lightning before quickly glancing back, only to see Yu Cheng Kun also rush through unharmed, not hindered at all by this group of Monstrous Beasts.
At the speeds they were traveling, it was actually rather simple to avoid the vast majority of conflicts; even most Fifth-Order Monster Beasts would have difficulty pursuing them.
“Little High Heaven Pavilion brat, even if you flee to the ends of the Earth, you’ll never escape me. Just give up already.” Yu Cheng Kun shouted, “Your speed is really impressive, but since you’re only a Separation and Reunion Boundary cultivator, how much longer will the Yuan Qi in your body hold out? The moment it’s fully exhausted is the moment you’ll die. Obediently surrender now and I’ll give you a swift death, but if you force me to catch you, I’ll make you beg for death first!”
Yu Cheng Kun was furious. Others considered his speed to be second to none amongst his True Element Boundary peers, but now, a little Separation and Reunion Boundary cultivator had been forcing him to eat dust for half a day. Thus, while he greatly shocked by the speed of Yang Kai’s movement skill, he had also increasingly become annoyed and was now determined to catch Yang Kai and brutally torture him for this humiliation.
Yang Kai did not pay any attention to Yu Cheng Kun’s threats, silently revolving his Yuan Qi to heal himself as he continued rushing forward, not caring in the slightest about his Yuan Qi consumption as he wracked his brain in order to find the opportunity to turn this situation around.
As he was escaping, Yang Kai deliberately moved through various Monster Beast gathering places, climbed over mountains, and weaved his way through various jungle obstacles. Unsure of just how far he had traveled, the only good news was that, although Yu Cheng Kun was not far behind, Jin Hao and that young woman from the Ghost King Valley had long since disappeared.
However, Yang Kai still did not stop; if it were only Yu Cheng Kun, he would have a chance to win, but Jin Hao and that young woman were definitely still chasing them, so if he became entangled in a fight and they caught up he would only end up dead.
After an entire day of desperate escaping, Yang Kai still could not shake off Yu Cheng Kun’s pursuit.
As he was running, Yang Kai suddenly lept out of the jungle and rushed directly towards a high cliff.
Finally arriving at this place, Yang Kai involuntarily breathed a sigh of relief! While scanning his surrounds as he was escaping, he had spotted this cliff, towering into the sky with clouds that completely obstructed one’s view of the bottom filling its depths.
Half a day ago, when he had spotted this cliff, Yang Kai realized his chance had come. Therefore, he deliberately led Yu Cheng Kun all the way to this place.
Standing at the cliff edge, breathing heavily, Yang Kai glared back towards the direction he had just come from.
Yu Cheng Kun also rushed out from the jungle a moment later and quickly glanced around to see the terrain here, a look of surprise appearing on his face before he suddenly let out a vicious laugh.
Slowly walking towards Yang Kai, with a big grin on his face, he said, “Come on, keep running you little son of a bitch! Even though your strength is pathetic, your speed is not bad. You’ve caused me, your uncle, to chase you for quite some time now.”
[I’ve won! I’ve had sealed off the path behind this brat with a high cliff directly in front of him. This little Separation and Reunion Boundary cultivator made me waste so much time, but now, you are stuck in a dead end! Neither a path towards the Heavens nor a door into the Earth is here for you!]
Yang Kai took a deep breath as he stared towards Yu Cheng Kun, remaining there motionless.
“Not going to run?” Yu Cheng Kun looked at Yang Kai coldly as he continued approaching him.
“There’s nowhere to run!” Yang Kai simply spoke the truth.
“Hahahaha!” Yu Cheng Kun laughed wildly, “You certainly don’t have anywhere you can run!”
“Give me a way out!” Yang Kai said.
“You’re trying to beg for mercy?” Yu Cheng Kun flashed a contemptuous smile, “That’s not how you beg for mercy! First, kneel down, crawl over in front of me, then kowtow and beg! If your uncle here is in a good mood, maybe he’ll consider sparing you!”
“You and I have no grievances between us, why must you act so ruthlessly?”
Yu Cheng Kun’s grin only became bigger, “You and I really don’t have any hatred between us, but our Elders do. Who told you to have such shit luck? In this giant, isolated world, you just had to encounter us. Enough nonsense, first waste your cultivation, and then pray I’ll be kind to you.”
“If you let me go, I can give you some compensation!”
Yu Cheng Kun’s face became a bit more serious, coldly asking, “How many Blood Beads are you offering?”
Yang Kai shook his head, “I’ve already absorbed all the Blood Beads I’ve obtained, but I do still have a few bottles of high-quality pills.”
While he was speaking, Yang Kai reached into his sleeve and pulled out a few bottles of pills from his Universe Bag, shaking them in front of Yu Cheng Kun before re-stowing them.
“These are all healing pills. In this dangerous place, they’ll definitely be useful for you.”
Seeing those few bottles of pills, Yu Cheng Kun could not help revealing a look of greed as he laughed maliciously, “Good, good, it looks like today my harvest is not small. Damn brat, hand over those pills!”
“Are you willing to let me go?” Asked Yang Kai.
Yu Cheng Kun slowly shook his head, “Why should I let you go? Once I kill you, not only will I get those pills, but I’ll also get a Blood Bead. This uncle would never make such a bad deal.”
“If you think so, then I’m afraid you’ll have to settle for nothing!” Yang Kai’s face suddenly became ruthless, slowly stepping backwards towards the edge of the cliff, making a gesture as if he was prepared to jump off.
Yu Cheng Kun’s expression instantly became cold as he shouted, “Since you refuse a toast, you must eat a loss! You don’t have the guts to jump!”
Done talking, Yu Cheng Kun took another step forward as he prepared to rush forward and capture Yang Kai.
However, to his astonishment, Yang Kai actually exposed a smile before turning around and leaping forward more than thirty meters off the cliff.
[He really jumped?] Yu Cheng Kun was dumbstruck; he really had not thought Yang Kai would act so decisively. Originally, he thought Yang Kai was just bluffing. After all, he was only a Separation and Reunion Boundary cultivator and could not fly; jumping off such a high cliff was equivalent to seeking death. If instead, he turned and fought, considering his speed, he might still have had a chance to escape.
Nevertheless, the reality was different from his assumptions; Yang Kai did not hesitate to jump off the cliff, causing Yu Cheng Kun to stand there stupidly for a moment.
After a moment of absence, Yu Cheng Kun suddenly became furious. This little bastard clearly would rather take his own life rather than let him gain the slightest benefit, a truly ruthless decision.
Filled with anger, Yu Cheng Kun also hurriedly rushed towards the cliff edge and jumped down.
Who cares how high this cliff is? He was a True Element Boundary cultivator who had transformed all his Yuan Qi into True Qi, so he could fly! As long as he quickly killed that damn High Heaven Pavilion brat, he would only have to exert some effort and time to fly back up.
While the Blood Bead that would be condensed from Yang Kai dying was just of some use, those few bottles of healing pills were something Yu Cheng Kun absolutely could not let slip through his fingers.
After plummeting several dozens of meters, Yang Kai looked up and saw Yu Cheng Kun quickly diving towards him, like a bird of prey swooping down towards its victim, his face filled with ruthlessness.
Yang Kai grinned; he had actually been extremely worried that Yu Cheng Kun would not jump off the cliff to follow him. If he did not even have that much courage, all of his efforts to put on this show would have been for nothing. Thus, when he saw Yu Cheng Kun also jump down after him, Yang Kai could not help but cheer inside!
Although the two jumped off the cliff one after the other, Yang Kai simply stepped off, whereas Yu Cheng Kun used his True Qi to descend; the difference in speed couldn’t be compared, with the latter undoubtedly being much faster.
“Little brat, even if you want to die, you must do so in my hands!” Yu Cheng Kun rushed down headfirst towards Yang Kai, roaring out coldly.
In mid-air, a ghastly distorted face suddenly appeared as Yu Cheng Kun made several gestures with his pale white palms; this wailing face was very similar to the one Old Demon had shown when Yang Kai had first encountered him, a strange mix of resentments and Evil Qi, like a tormented wraith, instantly flew at Yang Kai.
Yang Kai responded by unleashing a palm strike towards this twisted face, but as he struck it there was no resistance, instead the tormented soul rushed into the body.
Yang Kai could not help but shiver as his whole arm quickly covered with frost.
Yu Cheng Kun instantly let out a burst of wicked laughter, “You’re dead!”
This was the Ghost King Valley’s unique evil martial skill, the Ghost King Seal. It formed from the Soul of a human cultivator whom they captured alive, then constantly tortured and humiliated without letting him or her die so that the Soul filled with anger, hatred, and resentment. Finally, once the Soul built up a certain amount of malice, they killed the cultivator. Using a special method, they extracted the tormented Soul and implanted it into the body of a Ghost King Valley cultivator.
When a Ghost King Valley disciple used this attack, it was extremely difficult to defend against, and once the wraith had infiltrated their opponent’s body, they would essentially be a slaughtered lamb.
Yu Cheng Kun did not want to waste time, so he naturally employed the fastest method he had to kill Yang Kai and condense him into a Blood Bead.
His attack succeeding, he unceremoniously reached out and grabbed Yang Kai, at last successfully capturing him.
However, the next moment, Yu Cheng Kun’s body convulsed, his face suddenly dyed as white as paper as he spat out a mouthful of blood.
Just now, he had felt the innate connection to his Ghost King Seal’s Soul cut off! He had carefully nurtured this Soul with his own Blood Essence, True Qi, and Soul, so once it received any kind of damage, Yu Cheng Kun would also experience a negative feedback.
“What happened!?” Yu Cheng Kun was horrified as he looked down, only to see the frost on Yang Kai’s arm retreat at a rate visible to the naked eye as a smug smile appeared on this wretched High Heaven Pavilion disciple’s mouth.
“HA HA HA HA …” Old Demon inside Yang Kai’s body laughed evilly, “What a surprise, this old master cannot come out and attack, but instead, someone was good enough to send this old master a delicious meal! Good! This resentment and Evil Qi is so good!”
Chewing happily, Old Demon had soon swallowed up this tormented Soul, laughing happily as he licked his lips, “Young Master! Ask him if he has any more of these things and tell him to bring them out so that Old Servant doesn’t have to remain only half full.”
“I’m afraid he’s fresh out!” Yang Kai saw how devastated Yu Cheng Kun was after losing this wraith, so he was certain it was something precious, and definitely not something which he could casually brought out.
Listening to Yang Kai talking to himself, Yu Cheng Kun’s expression became ice cold, “Bastard! How did you destroy my Ghost King Seal!?”
Yang Kai only grinned and shouted, “Why don’t you make a guess?!”
“I’ll kill you!” Yu Cheng Kun shouted furiously, his free ghostly white hand radiating an eerie light as he swiped towards Yang Kai, his murderous intent surging.
*Whoosh* Two crimson lights suddenly burst forth from Yang Kai’s back; feeling this fierce Yuan Qi fluctuation, Yu Cheng Kun trembled, quickly releasing Yang Kai and forcibly pulling back his attacking claw in order to put up a defensive stance.
But just as he finished this action, he saw that Yang Kai, who had lept off the cliff before him, suddenly hover in place while he continued to fall faster and faster towards the valley below.
Looking up, Yu Cheng Kun’s pupils instantly shrank.
He saw the High Heaven Pavilion disciple he had been chasing all this time standing mid-air, coldly gazing down at him like an eagle overlooking the Earth, displaying a proud and awe-inspiring aura.
And behind him…
There was actually a pair of crimson wings! Seemingly composed entirely of searing flames, the heat they gave off twisted and warped the atmosphere around them.
Standing there, he looked down arrogantly, his eyes filled with disdain!
Yu Cheng Kun almost could not believe his eyes.
[What kind of artifact is that?! No wait, in this isolated world, one can’t summon artifacts, so it can’t be an artifact. Is it a martial skill? But what kind of martial skill can produce such an amazing effect? What the hell kind of martial skill can allow a person to summon a pair of giant burning wings?]
His heart in turmoil, Yu Cheng Kun briefly lost his ability to think.
However, now that Yang Kai had shown his Flaming Yang Wings, he would not hold back any longer, quickly chasing after Yu Cheng Kun.
The situation reversed, and the two young cultivators had completely switched positions. Although Yu Cheng Kun was deeply shocked, in such a dangerous situation, he did not dare show any neglect, immediately pushing his True Qi in order to slow his rapid descent, trying to stabilize his position.
Yet how could Yang Kai give him such an opportunity? Rapidly arriving above Yu Cheng Kun, he punched down heavily.
Yu Cheng Kun cursed bitterly inside. Although he was a True Element Boundary cultivator, in the end, he had only reached the True Element Boundary third stage; if nothing distracted him, flying was not too difficult. Unfortunately, when facing such fierce attacks, how could he possibly have time to concentrate on flying stably?
In other words, even though a True Element Boundary cultivator could fly to a certain extent, it was nearly impossible for them to engage in combat while doing so.
In order to block Yang Kai’s punch, he had to divert the True Qi in his body away from keeping himself afloat in order to counterattack.
As soon as he did so, the speed at which Yu Cheng Kun fell increased dramatically, his descent rate now so fast it was difficult to keep his eyes open as the harsh winds burned against his face.
As he desperately tried to circulate his True Qi in order to stabilize himself, Yang Kai dealt a devastating blow to him from above once again.
Yu Cheng Kun’s heart jumped; he had never dreamed that Yang Kai could move so fast. Caught off guard again and only awkwardly able to defend himself, how could he hope to stop Yang Kai’s full powered strike?
Yu Cheng Kun only felt a burst of pain from his hand as a scorching hot Yuan Qi flooded into his meridians, almost bursting into his dantian.
It was not until now that he realized that this High Heaven Pavilion disciple was not as easy to deal with as he seemed. Along with somehow being able to easily resolve his Ghost King Seal and his shocking martial skill which produced those flaming wings on his back, his Yuan Qi was also extremely dense and pure, he was the perfect example someone playing a pig to eat a tiger!
All the weakness he had shown up to now was just to lure him into this hopeless situation.
Remorse filled Yu Cheng Kun; he should not have coveted those few pill bottles and followed this little brat off the cliff. Now that they were falling through the air, and he could not even bring out thirty percent of his full strength, it was only a matter of time before he died.
Looking up, all he could see was Yang Kai swooping down towards him to attack, but where was the cliff? Clearly, the two of them had already fallen five thousand meters or so; even if he was somehow escaped this crisis, he would not be able to fly up so easily.
*Boom…*
Yu Cheng Kun cried out miserably, feeling a heavy impact on his shoulder as Yang Kai landed another blow, negating all his hard work to try to slow his descent and even causing him to fall slightly faster than before.
Falling at such a speed, once he hit the ground, even his bones would shatter into dust!
Aware that death was approaching; a cold chill ran down Yu Cheng Kun’s spine as his stomach churned. Trying to beg for mercy, he opened his mouth to shout, but the strong winds around him drowned out his voice, denying him even the chance.
The pair rapidly fell through the sky, the only difference was that Yu Cheng Kun on the bottom did so involuntarily while Yang Kai above him furiously flapped his Flaming Yang Wings, trying to catch up and attack him.
*Boom… Boom… Boom…*
An increasingly large gap separated every attack since Yu Cheng Kun was falling faster. Therefore, each time Yang Kai wanted to catch up it would take him slightly longer.
Falling for what seemed like forever down this ridiculously high cliff, Yang Kai and Yu Cheng Kun both plunged into the misty layer enveloping the valley, like they had sudden dove into a cloud.
Suffered a massive slew of attacks wasted Yu Cheng Kun’s shoulders, and the bones in his arms were completely broken. Covered in blood, he looked extremely miserable.
Fighting mid-air, with the aid of his Flaming Yang Wings, Yang Kai was invincible!
If not for Yu Cheng Kun desperately pushing his True Qi in order to slow his descent, Yang Kai would have no way to catch up with him, but even so, Yu Cheng Kun continued to fall faster and faster.
Once again looking up, as Yu Cheng Kun saw Yang Kai swooping in to attack again, panic and despair filled his eyes.
His arms were already wasted and he was now completely unable to resist. If this attack landed, he would no doubt die!
Therefore, Yu Cheng Kun was briefly stunned to see Yang Kai’s expression suddenly changed as he aborted his attack and frantically flapped his crimson wings in order to slow himself down, gradually coming to a hover.
Having just escaped death, Yu Cheng Kun did not feel the slightest joy, because he knew why Yang Kai had suddenly stopped and desperately tried to slow down his descent.
Looking down, sure enough, as he had guessed, the ground was rapidly approaching.
Frantically pushing his True Qi, Yu Cheng Kun made one last desperate attempt to land safely.
Nevertheless, in the end, his speed was simply too fast, and with only a few dozen meters to go, the outcome was inevitable.
*Thrack!*
Yang Kai, who was slowly falling through the air, could not help but cringe slightly.
In the place where the falling Yu Cheng Kun hit the ground, a giant dark red splatter appeared like a blooming bloody red flower; chunks of meat and pieces of limbs scattered everywhere and painted an appalling picture.
If he had to face a True Element Boundary Third Stage cultivator head-on, Yang Kai was certain he would have no chance of victory, but by using the terrain to his advantage, he managed to condemn such a foe to a death without burial and did not even receive a scratch.
[One must never underestimate or look down upon their opponent!] Yang Kai quietly thought to himself.
The moment Yu Cheng Kun died, at the top of the cliff, the expressions on Jin Hao and the young woman’s face suddenly became bitter.
The three Ghost King Valley disciples had a special method with which they could determine each other’s location and vitality, so when Yu Cheng Kun died, Jin Hao and the young woman were instantly aware.
“Is Senior Brother truly dead?” The young woman’s mouth slightly opened as she stared towards the cliff edge.
Jin Hao rushed to the edge of the cliff and looked down, but all he could see below was clouds, letting out a shout filled with resentment, “He must have been dragged down to his death by the High Heaven Pavilion brat!”
“How could he have been so careless?!” The woman bitterly stomped her foot, “Senior Brother was a True Element Third Stage elite, so even if he really got dragged off this cliff, as long as he was a little cautious he should have been able to fly back up.”
Jin Hao’s face became uglier, “It looks like we all underestimated that High Heaven Pavilion brat; he must have some incredible hidden methods that allowed him to entrap Junior Brother Yu! *Haa…*”
Jin Hao and the young woman both grieved as they mourned Yu Cheng Kun’s death. The only comfort they had was that the little brat from High Heaven Pavilion was also dead, so at least their disciple brother would have company on the road to the Yellow Springs.
After waiting by the cliffside for a while just in case, the two eventually decided to leave.
This cliff was extremely high and, not knowing if there was any danger lurking below, they did not dare to descend in order to retrieve Yu Cheng Kun’s body, they could only allow time to bury him in this strange wilderness.
Beneath the cliff, Yang Kai hovered about with his Flaming Yang Wings before softly landing beside Yu Cheng Kun’s Blood Bead, swiftly collecting it.
[Worthy of a True Element Boundary elite, this Blood Bead is more than double the size of one condensed from a Separation and Reunion cultivator, roughly the size of a longan; the energy contained within this one is also significantly richer.]
Yang Kai had already experienced the sweetness of refining Blood Beads, so after obtaining such a large one, his thoughts began to wander. If he could kill every True Element Boundary cultivator that entered here, how great would his harvest be?
Back at the lake, Yang Kai had estimated that the number of cultivators who had entered this isolated world was around two or three hundred.
With two or three hundred Blood Beads of this size, would it not be easy to break through to the True Element Boundary? Thinking until here, Yang Kai could not help trembling, quickly reigning in his wild ideas for fear that they might permanently stain his heart with murderous hostility.
Storing this Blood Bead in the Universe Bag in his sleeve, Yang Kai quickly scanned his surroundings before dashing off in a random direction.
This huge valley obscured by clouds was surrounded on all sides by steep cliffs over ten thousand steps high. For an ordinary person, it would be absolutely impossible to climb down safely. Even if one’s strength had reached the True Element Boundary, without knowing what dangers lay hidden beneath the clouds, they would be highly unlikely to descend here.
Wandering around the valley for a day or so, Yang Kai gradually began to understand the terrain here, unable to suppress some joy from welling up inside him. Given the surrounding geography, he was certain he would not meet any other cultivators; therefore, he would not have to worry about meeting any more opponents he could not handle.
Along the way, he had also beheaded several Fourth-Order Monster Beasts and gained a small harvest.
As long as he had enough time, his strength would definitely increase, meaning that when he eventually left here, he would no longer have to worry about those True Element Boundary cultivators.
In this immense valley, Yang Kai continued exploring and hunting, everyday reaping some harvest, carefully avoiding the occasional Fifth-Order Monster Beast he encountered, not wanting conflict with such a beast yet.
A dozen days later, Yang Kai had gathered more than thirty Monster Beast Blood Beads.
Finding a safe place to spend a few quiet hours, he quickly refined and absorbed them clean. Coupled with the Blood Bead condensed from the dead Yu Cheng Kun, Yang Kai felt like had reached the bottleneck at the top of Separation and Reunion Fourth Stage, only needing a little more before he could break through again.
It was a very satisfying harvest.
However, the number of Monster Beasts within this valley seemed to be limited. With the passage of time, Yang Kai began to find it difficult to find Fourth-Order Monster Beasts to behead, and although he had discovered a few Fifth-Order Monster Beasts, Yang Kai really did not want to engage in a costly battle with them.
After running a circle around the whole valley, Yang Kai gradually returned to the place he had originally landed.
Pondering for a while, Yang Kai eventually decided to explore the valley’s central region to see if he could find any more Monster Beasts. If there was also nothing there, his only choice would be to leave the valley and try to find a new hunting ground.
Having made a decision, Yang Kai dashed towards the middle of the valley, meeting a few Monster Beasts on the way and swiftly harvesting their Blood Beads. However, as he moved closer to the valley’s center, he no longer encountered any Monster Beasts.
In fact, he could not even see traces of Monster Beasts.
A faint doubt rising in his heart, Yang Kai continued to press forward.
A few days later, Yang Kai suddenly came to a halt and stared, wide-eyed in front of him, his face filled with an astonished and amazed expression.
Before him was an enormous skeleton!
A hundred meters ahead, there was a white skeleton quietly lying on the ground, but even from so far away, Yang Kai could feel an oppressive pressure from the aura it was radiating.
This skeleton was at least a hundred meters tall with a length that was uncertain, its bones flashing an ivory-like luster. Even after so long, it still maintained such a state, not yielding to the river of time, standing firm without crumbling into dust.
Leaving behind such a massive skeleton, Yang Kai could not even imagine what kind of power and majesty this Monster Beast possessed before its death.
Eventually recovering from his initial shock, Yang Kai slowly began to advance towards it.
Approaching closer, Yang Kai discovered that it was not just a single skeleton here. Rather, there were two.
One of them grand enough to be seen from afar, the other somewhat smaller but no less exquisite. At first glance, these two skeletons seemed to be a single entity, but if one looked carefully, they would notice that the smaller skeleton embedded into the bigger one’s chest.
“These two Monster Beasts must have killed one another!” Old Demon asserted.
Yang Kai nodded, agreeing with his inference as, through these two skeletons, he could vaguely sense traces of a violent struggle; these two Monster Beasts, one great and one small, had fought to mutual annihilation here.
Monster Beasts were prideful, neither of these two would have ever shown cowardice or retreated from the fight. The smaller Monster Beast had clearly torn through giant one’s belly, but the former dealt it a fatal blow in the process, falling dead along with its foe.
Countless years later, the wind and sun, along with the dust and rain, had buried all traces of this heaven-shaking battle. However, what remained, buried within these colossal bones, was an unyielding murderous aura.
Yang Kai’s shock was not small, his eyes never once leaving the giant skeleton.
He had no idea what kind of Monster Beast could possess such a huge body. Falling to the ground, it still towered over a hundred meters high, and this was only the part of its frame that was exposed, there was still more of its body buried beneath the dust.
Even just its bones gave off such a strong and powerful aura, with such a towering body; it must have been an extraordinarily strong Monster Beast.
Considering this, what kind of Earth-shattering heritage did the smaller Monster Beast hail from that it could allow the beast to fight evenly with such an opponent?
“Old Demon, do you know what Monster Beasts they were?” Yang Kai stood dazed for a long time before gradually regaining his wits, eventually posing this question.
“From only their remains, it’s impossible to tell.” Old Demon responded.
Yang Kai stretched out his hand and gently touched one of the giant white bones, but as soon as he did, a burst of noise rang out and the bone instantly crumbled.
This unexpected event suddenly set off a chain reaction as all the other bones in these two skeletons gave of a cracking sound, soon after collapsing into a pile of dust.
These two had died and were buried here, had their Souls also ceased to exist here? Even this unfathomably strong pair of Monster Beasts could not escape such a fate, it was truly sad.
However, after pondering for a while, a light flashed across Yang Kai’s eyes, quickly glancing around the remains.
“What are you looking for Young Master?” Old Demon asked, slightly puzzled.
“Their Blood Beads, these two Monster Beasts were so powerful, how could their Blood Beads not be extraordinary?” Yang Kai replied with excitement.
“These two have been dead for so many years; wouldn’t their Blood Beads already be gone?”
“I bet they’re still here, do you believe it?” Yang Kai confident smile.
“Please enlighten this Old Servant…” Old Demon humbly asked.
“This place is in a tremendously deep valley shrouded in clouds, so very few, if any, True Element Boundary cultivators should have been here, right?” Yang Kai laughed lightly, “Even for me, I only wound up here because I was desperately escaping and had no other choice; normally, I would never have considered exploring down here.”
“However Young Master, even if no cultivators have come here before, that doesn’t mean that no Monster Beasts…” Old Demon suddenly paused, realizing that for the past few days as they were journeying here they had not seen any traces of Monster Beast activity.
With no cultivators exploring here, and no Monster Beasts daring to approach here, the Blood Beads of these two Monster Beasts really might still be here.
Yang Kai was too lazy to keep explaining, and having already laid things out up to here, Old Demon would certainly be able to draw his own conclusions. Finished speaking, Yang Kai drew out a drop of Yang Liquid, shaped it into a shovel, and began digging.
Yang Kai did not dig aimlessly, instead choosing to excavate along the places where the giant bones had been.
Since the Blood Beads he was searching for condensed from these two Monster Beasts immediately after their deaths, they would certainly be buried in the sand near the bottom of their resting place.
Dirt and dust flying out, Yang Kai quickly dug a deep pit, careful not to miss any suspicious places along the way.
After the pit had expanded to more than a hundred meters around and many meters deep, a ray of crimson light suddenly flashed from the ground.
“Found it!” Yang Kai let out a joyous shout, quickly and carefully removing the surrounding soil, his eyes flashing an anxious and impatient light.
He suspected that the Blood Beads condensed from the remains of such powerful Monster Beasts would be the size of a head, if not, at least as big as a fist.
However, things did not turn out like he had expected; the Blood Bead he found at the bottom of the pit was smaller than the one condensed after Yu Cheng Kun’s death, only slightly larger than one from a Fourth-Order Monster Beast.
Did he guess wrong? Were these two Monster Beasts actually not as strong as he had believed?
His heart filled with doubts, Yang Kai continued to dig and soon found a second Blood Bead close by; however, it too was of a similar size to the first one he found.
These two Monster Beasts had similar strength when they were alive, so it made sense that their Blood Beads would be of similar size.
Frowning slightly as he held the two Blood Beads, Yang Kai slightly circulated his True Yang Secret Art in an attempt to probe the amount of energy they had.
Unfortunately. The instant he started revolving his Secret Art, Yang Kai immediately convulsed, hurriedly sitting cross-legged, and his face showing a look of unbridled dismay.
“Young Master!” These actions had frightened Old Demon into shouting out, but he was unable to get a response from Yang Kai. However, in the next moment, his soul trembled as he felt an overwhelming surge of energy flood into his young master’s body.
On top of that, this energy was not pure; mixed in was a thick Evil Spirit Qi and Beast Aura. This level of Beast Aura and Evil Spirit Qi was something Old Demon had only ever felt when he had encountered supreme Devil Lords, causing him to tremble involuntarily.
Yang Kai also trembled violently, his meridians saturated in a flash as the torrent of energy rushing into them greatly exceeding the rate at which his True Yang Secret Art could refine the impurities and then store it into his Unyielding Golden Body.
At this moment, he put aside all his previous doubts, only one question flashing across his mind.
[What the hell kind of Monster Beasts were these two!? Why are the Blood Beads condensed after their deaths so different from all the others?]
For all the other Blood Beads he had absorbed, the energy contained within was extremely pure and could be easily refined, but these two Blood Beads were completely different. Wild Monster Beast Aura and Evil Spirit Qi filled them. If any of it were haphazardly absorbed, the cultivator doing so would definitely lose their human nature and become akin to a Monster Beast in human skin.
Was it that, when an entity’s strength reached a certain level, the Blood Bead condensed after its death would show such a difference?
Yang Kai wanted to stop absorbing this energy, but all his attempts to do so were futile, the surging energy from the two Blood Beads was far beyond what he could control; his only choice was to try to bear with it by refining it as quickly as possible.
After only a short time, Yang Kai felt the bottleneck at the peak of Separation and Reunion Boundary Fourth Stage break as his cultivation surged upwards and soon arrived at the Separation and Reunion Fifth Stage before it continued to climb…
This sudden breakthrough caused Yang Kai to panic slightly. Although he desperately wanted to become strong quickly, this raging torrent of energy pouring into his body was beyond the limits of what he could safely accept.
His flesh became taut, and Yang Kai’s whole body began to bloat. His blood vessels swelled to the point where they were visible on his exposed skin, like countless earthworms squirming just beneath the surface, making for an extremely terrible sight.
After a moment, Yang Kai’s skin cracked and split in various places as all his muscles began to tear with blood oozing out. His whole body became a bloody mess.
Under this great pressure, his Proud Golden Body became more active than ever before, ravenously devouring and refining the energy. However, even combined with Yang Kai circulating his True Yang Secret Art to the absolute limit, he still could not fully control the incoming rush of energy.
*Pu Pu Pu…*
From Yang Kai’s body, countless small, muffled huffs accompanied splattering noises as a bloody mist burst forth, immediately followed by countless crimson lights radiating out, which instantly enveloped a half-kilometer radius in an extremely violent World Energy.
Old Demon cried out in horror, anxious like an ant on a hot wok, but he was incapable of doing anything to help, as he did not receive any response from Yang Kai.
Yang Kai desperately endured the overwhelming pain, gritting his teeth tightly as his body trembled violently. At this moment, he could not help feeling a sense of despair and hopelessness. The tremendous pressure on his body made him feel like he was teetering on the edge of death, unable to resist.
With the huge flood of Yuan Energy still pouring into him, Yang Kai could feel his body continue to bloat.
If this continued, eventually, he would lose control and burst from the inside out.
To make matters worse, Yang Kai’s crisis did not just consist of this turbulent influx of energy, but also the unparalleled hostility and Evil Spirit Qi that seemed to accompany this energy.
It was the aura of the two Monstrous Beasts, because they possessed such immense strength even after their deaths. Although the rules of Heaven and Earth here had condensed their Beast Cores and Essence into Blood Beads, it could not destroy their original spirits.
Fortunately, the threat of this Evil Spirit Qi, compared to the impact of raging Yuan Energy, was somewhat less.
Yang Kai only had to steadfastly focus his mind and not let the Monstrous Beasts’ aura affect him, while he thought about a solution to his current predicament.
In fact, the solution was very simple: As long as his body could absorb and refine this energy at the same rate it was flooding into him, everything would eventually be resolved.
However, knowing this method and implementing it were two very different things.
He was already operating his True Yang Secret Art as fast as he could. There was no way for him to circulate it faster.
The only other solution would be to let his True Yang Yuan Qi become purer and denser!
His True Yang Yuan Qi was like fire, while the energy flowing into his body was like a piece of wrought iron. If his flame was stronger, its temperature would naturally be higher, and it would be able to melt the iron faster.
With no time to hesitate, as soon as this idea popped into his head, Yang Kai grit his teeth and burst a drop of Yang Liquid inside his dantian.
One drop of Yang Liquid was equal to the total amount of Yang Qi in his meridians when they were fully saturated!
Once he burst that drop, his already bulging meridians engorged further. Puffing up, they sent a wave of surging pain, as if his body had torn apart, which caused Yang Kai to tremble violently.
Holding his breath, Yang Kai frantically squeezed his meridians, trying to us this burst of True Yang Yuan Qi to refine the violent flood of Yuan Energy. This tested his willpower immensely. Fortunately, his Unyielding Will played a key role in this critical moment, temporarily increasing his realm so that his strength was high enough to withstand the surging energy.
Persevering for what seemed like an eternity; the pressure suddenly began to subside. The drop of Yang Liquid Yang Kai had desperately burst was fusing with the True Yang Yuan Qi already in his meridians, becoming purer than before. As his Yuan Qi became purer, even the speed at which he could circulate his Secret Art increased.
With this approach, the energy flowing into his body could be refined faster.
Aware of this, Yang Kai’s spirits rose, and he quickly applied, even more, pressure to his meridians to increase the rate at which his Yuan Qi was fusing.
As time passed, and the True Yang Yuan Qi in his body became more and more pure, the efficiency of refining the inflowing energy also became higher and higher, soon increasing by more than fifty percent.
In addition, Yang Kai’s bloated body slowly began to return to its original appearance, like someone had poked a small hole in an inflated sac and allowed the air to leak out.
Old Demon finally breathed a sigh of relief and retreated into the Soul Breaker Awl as he continued to pray non-stop; since Yang Kai’s death would mean his death as well, how could he not be worried?
When the fusion speed of the True Yang Yuan Qi in his meridians began to slow, Yang Kai would burst a drop of Yang Liquid and again increase the pressure on his Yuan Qi.
Half a day later, when his True Yang Yuan Qi purified to a certain extent, Yang Kai circulated his True Yang Secret Art. He could almost hear a gentle humming sound from his body. It was the sound of his Yuan Qi flowing unimpeded through his meridians.
Feeling this sensation, Yang Kai knew that the rate at which his True Yang Yuan Qi refined the Yuan Energy from the two Blood Beads was now equal to the rate at which it poured into his body, which gradually allowed him to restore his normal form.
[I’m alive!] Yang Kai could not help but breathe a sigh of relief as he looked around himself and discovered that the two Blood Beads had not changed much. In fact, they appeared to have not changed at all.
[It seems I have severely underestimated the energy contained in these Blood Beads…]
This life and death struggle had sparked some thoughts within Yang Kai and allowed him to gain a new kind of insight in addition to his upgrade in strength.
The most important task of a Separation and Reunion Boundary cultivator was to prepare for the breakthrough to the True Element Boundary. They would constantly increase the purity and richness of their Yuan Qi until it reached a certain limit, at which point it converted into True Qi, and they would successfully step into the True Element Boundary.
Previously, in order to enhance his strength, Yang Kai would simply try to increase the amount of energy stored within himself, but having experienced this life and death trial, he found that this was not the only way to achieve a breakthrough. There were other methods as well.
He found that even if the amount of energy in his body did not increase, it would still be possible to raise his cultivation.
When his Yuan Qi reached a certain level of purity, he would naturally breakthrough! Moreover, with each successive breakthrough, his Yuan Qi would become more and more pure, gradually transforming into True Qi.
However, for an ordinary cultivator without Yang Kai’s unique advantages, namely that his dantian could store a massive quantity of energy, their only option would be to assimilate energy from external sources, then slowly compress and fuse it together with their Yuan Qi in order to cause a purifying effect.
Just half a day ago, Yang Kai was facing a desperate life-threatening situation, but having survived, he inadvertently found a new cultivation method uniquely suited to him. This discovery made it clear what he should do from now on while he remained at the Separation and Reunion Boundary.
Gaining this new enlightenment made Yang Kai’s whole body feel light. It was the wonderful feeling of having a clear path and objective.
Meanwhile, the energy from the two Blood Beads continued to flow into his body without pause, surging forward like a vast majestic river, all of which added to his own personal strength.
The Evil Spirit Qi, along with its accompanying hostility, was also refined, but instead of fusing with Yang Kai, it gradually squeezed out of his meridians and gathered on the surface of his body before being scattered into the wind.
Yang Kai was naturally aware of this unusual situation, but now that he was at a critical juncture in absorbing this inflow of energy, he had no time to worry about such matters.
Nevertheless, this also served to confirm just how tyrannical these two Monstrous Beasts had been. Even after being dead for countless years, even after condensing into Blood Beads, their innate presence remained.
In order to absorb these two Blood Beads completely, Yang Kai expended a full ten days of effort and consumed more than half the Yang Liquid in his dantian before he purified the energy they contained.
What confused Old Demon, however, was that even though Yang Kai had absorbed such a massive amount of energy, his cultivation had not continued to rise. His realm remained firmly at the Separation and Reunion Fifth Stage. This discovery could not help but leave him puzzled, uncertain of the reasons behind this mysterious situation.
When the two Blood Beads finally completely disappeared, the last ray of Evil Spirit Qi also leaked out from Yang Kai’s body and gathered with the rest of the qi in the periphery.
After ten days of effort, the area around where Yang Kai meditated filled with a thick murderous aura as the Evil Spirit Qi divided into two parts; the two Monstrous Beasts were reborn to fight once more, and they swirled around him as they fought one another.
The Evil Spirit Qi had already enveloped a radius of half a kilometer, and with the last ray finally emerging, the Spirit Qi forms that had faced off against one another suddenly began to clash.
As the battle began, the Spirit Qi forms gradually coalesced into the shape of two Monstrous Beasts.
On the left was a one hundred and fifty meter tall figure with a snow-white body. Its entire form was without the slightest impurity, a proud majestic face, two razor sharp fangs adorning the sides of its mouth, a long whip-like tail as strong as steel, swayed evenly in the wind.
Without a doubt, it was a White Tiger!
On the right, an enormous beast stood three or four hundred meters high, its body seemed to tower into the clouds, almost as if it went on without end, but from its giant form one could faintly make out the shape of an Ox, which shook the Earth every time one of its four hoofs fell.
“Heaven Shaking White Tiger, Earth Splitting Divine Ox!” Old Demon could not help but exclaim.
When the two beasts fully formed, they both roared towards the Heavens.
The whole atmosphere of the valley instantly changed, like all the color had drained from the world as this all-encompassing aura suddenly enveloped Yang Kai’s whole being.
Yang Kai only felt his whole body freeze. An overwhelming hostility gripped him so tightly he could no longer move a muscle. What appeared in his eyes was no longer the surrounding jungle, there were only the two Monstrous Beast prints engaged in mortal combat; a variety of Monstrous Beast arts flew, which caused the Heavens to shake and the Earth to crack, waves of wind and energy thrashing about violently.
This was an epic struggle. These two Monstrous Beasts had built up resentment towards each other when they were alive, which eventually lead to their mutual destruction. Reduced to only their essences, even after death, their fight continued.
The battlefield they fought on now was inside Yang Kai’s body, which had absorbed their essence.
When they were alive, they had been evenly matched, neither one managing to triumph, and after death, it was still so, each one was an opponent worthy of respect!
Despite the situation, Yang Kai was comfortable, but after his initial surprise, his mood soon became calm as he watched these two Monstrous Beasts engage in their life and death struggle.
This kind of Heaven shaking war was not something a cultivator of his level could easy witness, and although it was a battle between Monstrous Beasts, there were still many insights and enlightenment that he could still obtain.
Gradually, Yang Kai forgot the passage of time, his mind entirely focused on the two Monstrous Beasts and attentively observing as the only witness present. He sat cross-legged on the ground, the mass of swirling hostility around him, visible to the naked eye, seemed unable to affect him in the slightest.
In the center of the valley, there was a huge pit. It was the pit Yang Kai had dug in order to excavate the two Blood Beads, but over time the blowing sand and dust refilled the pit, eventually leaving only a foot deep depression.
Now, a thick Spirit Qi quickly surrounded the pit, but if one were to observe carefully , they could vaguely see that the Spirit Qi divided into two halves, with phantom images engaged in a ferocious and bloody battle.
The two Spirit Qi phantoms’ battle seemed to go on without end, as neither side triumphed over the other.
One day, the two Spirit Qi phantoms suddenly rushed towards the center of the pit, fell silent, and vanished from the world. The thick grey atmosphere gradually cleared, and the space between the Heavens and the Earth slowly returned to its natural state.
After a long time, a loud bang occurred, and a silhouette suddenly flew up from the pit, like an eagle soaring into the sky, before gently landing on the ground.
Shaking off a thick layer of dust before taking a deep breath, this man quietly stood in place, his brow thoroughly wrinkled, as if in deep contemplation.
Yang Kai had finally emerged!
The two Monster Beasts’ resentment had persisted even after death, and it had essentially been mandatory for him to observe their epic struggle from beginning to end. One could only describe this battle as Earth-Shattering, something from an ancient legend that no one could witness today. Yang Kai was transfixed as he watched the two Monster Beasts viciously clash, bleed profusely, but continue to persevere, never showing the slightest fear; again and again charging towards one another, again and again ripping into their opponent for the sake of ultimately destroying one another.
Both of them seemed to understand that their own death was inevitable even before the fight began, so knowing that survival was impossible, they instead fought only for their own majesty and honor!
Prior to now, Yang Kai had never thought that Monster Beasts could exude such boldness, which paralleled any supreme human cultivator. This white-hot melee made the only audience member’s, Yang Kai’s, blood boil, and granted him a bountiful harvest.
In addition, after the disappearance of the two Monstrous Beasts, Yang Kai faintly felt something more, added to his body.
When the two Monster Beasts fought, while still alive, they had failed to decide a victor, but after death, with Yang Kai’s help, they managed to confront one another once again and fulfilled their long-cherished wish. Perhaps, these two Monster Beasts had left something to him as a gift, or perhaps it was something he had achieved through his own sentiment. He might never solve the mystery.
Stretching out his hands, Yang Kai looked down and put away all distracting thoughts, while pushing the Yuan Qi in his body to run in a particular pattern.
A moment later, the loud roar of a beast resounded from his body, and as he pushed his palm forward, a fiery red figure suddenly flew out together with the wind.
A tiger roar shook the Heavens as a fierce and lifelike Tiger, purely composed of Yuan Qi, appeared. This Tiger phantom was supremely majestic and swiftly jumped forward, its jaw snapping savagely, full of proud and noble bearing, while the fangs adorning the sides of its mouth radiated a demonic chill.
Pushing his other palm forward, a mighty and magnificent Ox burst forth, roaring as it trampled the ground beneath its hoofs. The pressure it exuded was like a thousand galloping war horses, suppressing everything in its surroundings, grinding any that stood in its way to dust. Nothing, nor no one, could block its path!
The Heaven Shaking White Tiger and Earth Splitting Divine Ox! However, at the moment, this White Tiger and Divine Ox had been composed from Yang Kai’s Yuan Qi, so their entire bodies were a fiery crimson red color, which gave them an even more ferocious and murderous appearance.
The two illusory phantoms rushed out several thousand meters and gradually dissipated into glowing particles scattering in the wind.
Yang Kai started for moment before bursting into a hearty laugh, very satisfied with his gains.
This could classify as a type of Martial Skill. The only difference was that its origin was from a pair of Monster Beasts.
It should probably end up considered as a type of Beast Soul Skill.
There are many Martial Skills in this world, and those that imitated the shape of the Monster Beasts were not few. Back when he had traveled to the Nine Yin Valley, Yang Kai had witnessed Wen Fei Chen of the Blood Battle Gang cast a similar Martial Skill, but the tiger he created was only a vague image, somewhat ethereal and incomplete.
It was simply incomparable to the Beast Soul Skill Yang Kai had just cast.
Whether it was the Heaven Shaking White Tiger or Earth Splitting Divine Ox’s Beast Soul Skill, what Yang Kai condensed appeared no different from the original Monster Beast’s true body, and included their vividly realistic demeanor. The two phantoms were basically no different from real Monster Beasts, and as such, the lethality they could show was naturally much greater.
With these two similar Beast Soul Skills, Yang Kai’s combat strength had once again risen to new heights.
Yang Kai gave these two skills, in accordance with their form, the names ‘White Tiger Seal’ and ‘Divine Ox Seal’.
Turning around and checking his surroundings, Yang Kai could not help but wrinkle his brow. Considering that he had to dig himself out of a once empty pit now filled with sand, he knew the time he had spent in retreat was not short.
“Old Demon, how long has it been?” Yang Kai asked in a nervous voice.
“Half a year, Young Master!”
Hearing this, Yang Kai could not help but inhale a sharp breath. No wonder his stomach was craving sustenance, if it had not been such a long time, at his current cultivation realm, it would be impossible to experience such a feeling.
However, now was not the time for foraging. Yang Kai quickly shook off the rest of the sand on his body and sat down to organize and reflect upon all the insights and gains he had obtained from the two Blood Beads over the past six months.
After a long time, a slight smile emerged on his face, “Old Demon, let me show you a little trick!”
“A little trick?” Old Demon repeated, slightly puzzled.
Yang Kai laughed and did not answer. Instead, he immediately focused his mind and burst the Yang Liquid drops in his dantian one by one.
Half a day later, the air surrounding him suddenly began to stir as Yang Kai’s body slightly trembled and the momentum he radiated suddenly climbed.
Old Demon was extremely stunned. Somehow, completely bypassing the normal process, Yang Kai had broken through to the Separation and Reunion Sixth Stage.
[How did he do it?] Half a year ago, this Young Master of his had indeed absorbed a massive amount of energy, but until now he showed no signs of a breakthrough, instead firmly remaining at the Separation and Reunion Boundary Fifth Stage. However, now, after only meditating for half a day, he somehow managed to increase his cultivation by an entire Minor Realm! Moreover, he did not run his Secret Art, nor did he absorb any Yuan Energy. In other words, his body’s energy had not increased at all!
[How did he manage to break through?] Old Demon was truly confused.
Although his heart itched with curiosity, Yang Kai’s eyes were still closed in meditation, so for now he could only hold down his suspicions.
After another half a day, Yang Kai’s momentum rose once again.
Separation and Reunion Boundary Seventh Stage!
Old Demon’s thoughts completely stopped. Yang Kai’s breakthroughs were just too strange, and they were completely beyond Old Demon’s own understanding. It was not until after performing a thorough examination that he finally found some clues.
What Old Demon found was that the Yuan Qi inside Yang Kai’s body had undergone a big change from before. Although the total quantity he possessed had not changed, its purity and density had increased several times!
This change must have led to Yang Kai’s unusual promotion.
[Was this even possible?] Old Demon was again thoroughly shocked.
After his breakthrough to Separation and Reunion Seventh Stage, Yang Kai slowly opened his eyes. The amount of Yang Liquid in his dantian had reduced by a third, and though the number of drops was less, the total amount of energy contained within them had not changed.
This meant that the energy in every drop of Yang Liquid was significantly more pure and vigorous, so any skill that used his Yang Liquid would display greater power and higher lethality.
It was like he had refined and recast all the Yang Liquid in his dantian.
Separation and Reunion Boundary Seventh Stage was Yang Kai’s current limit. As of right now, he was unable to purify and compress his True Yang Yuan Qi any further.
“Young Master’s trick is truly enlightening, even Old Servant has benefited greatly.” When Old Demon saw Yang Kai open his eyes, he hurriedly heaped praise upon him, and although there was some excess flattery thrown in, Old Demon’s admiration was indeed sincere.
Yang Kai simply grinned.
Now that he had received a new Martial Skill, naturally he wanted to try it out.
Searching around for a long time in the valley, he finally found a Fifth-Order Monster Beast.
Casting his Beast Soul Skill, an Ox and Tiger Monstrous Beast phantom appeared and rushed out to attack the Fifth-Order Monster Beast, very quickly suppressing it to the point where it was unable to fight back. After observing for a while, Yang Kai also came forward, and after a few moments, the beast lay dead and soon condensed into a new Blood Bead.
The whole process was quick and easy, which gave Yang Kai an incredible feeling. Half a year ago, if he met a Fifth-Order Monster Beast, he would have to consider his options carefully before quietly trying to sneak around it. However, now, he could kill them as easy as cutting down grass, and even though this Fifth-Order Monstrous Beast was not very strong, Yang Kai was still convinced about his own estimations.
The Blood Bead he retrieved was neither big nor small, but compared to one condensed from a slain True Element Boundary expert, it was somewhat shabby.
Storing the Blood Bead away, Yang Kai quickly checked to make sure no one was observing him before he activated his Flaming Yang Wings and flew up.
To ascend such lofty cliffs, even a True Element Boundary expert would have to expend a lot of effort, but with his Flaming Yang Wings, it was not the same.
After only half an hour, Yang Kai succeeded in leaving the valley.
Half a day later, the now quite famished Yang Kai succeeded in finding a fruit tree and harvesting a great deal of them before casually sitting in the tree’s shade.
As he happily ate the fruit, Yang Kai began to think about his next course of action. Not long after he entered this isolated world, he had entered a half-year long retreat, so right now he had no idea of current situation inside this place. All he knew from his previous experiences was that there did not seem to be any spirit grasses here, only an endless stream of Monster Beasts.
There was also that Soul Cleansing Dew and Brilliant Flame Liquid. It would be good if he had the opportunity to collect some. The Soul Cleansing Dew was extremely useful for him, and as for the Brilliant Flame Liquid, if he could not acquire any, it did not matter too much.
Unfortunately, Yang Kai had no idea where to look for these two Precious Treasures.
While he was meditating, Yang Kai suddenly jumped up and carefully listened to his surroundings.
From the distance, he faintly heard the sounds of howling, and there seemed to be a battle taking place.
Raising his brow, Yang Kai quickly packed the remaining fruit into his Universe Bag and then activated his Movement Skill, dashing toward the direction of the disturbance, as he had to find someone to inquire about what had happened while he was in closed retreat.
After the time it would take to drink a cup of tea, Yang Kai arrived in the vicinity of the fight.
Stealthily hiding in a large tree, he planned to observe the situation secretly before acting, but his expression changed greatly once he looked.
He found two people, a man and a woman, engaged in a desperate fight, but what surprised him was that he was familiar with this young man and woman.
Reflecting Moon Sect’s Chen Xue Shu and Su Xiao Yu!
The two of them were under siege from more than a dozen Monster Beasts, but not all of them were of the same species. Instead, there was a wide variety gathered together, with most of them Fourth-Order.
If that were all, Chen Xue Shu and Su Xiao Yu would still be able to cope with the situation, but there were also three Fifth-Order Monster Beasts.
With these Fifth-Order Monster Beasts mixed in, even if Chen Xue Shu and Su Xiao Yu coordinated well with each other, they still could not break through and instead winded up surrounded by this group of beasts, looking exhausted and embarrassed.
Chen Xue Shu’s body had many scars. Blood dyed his left leg red, while Su Xiao Yu was also panting, her breathing ragged as she sweated profusely.
The strength of this Senior-Brother-Junior-Sister couple was not weak. Both of them were True Element Boundary experts with an array of extraordinarily powerful Martial Skills at their disposal, and although they were trapped, they would not fall into a dangerous situation within a short period. However, it looked like they had been fighting this group of Monster Beasts for quite a while now, and their physical strength had nearly been drained.
In the end, Su Xiao Yu was still a young woman, and her physical strength was unable to keep up with the current excessive demand. If it were not for Chen Xue Shu often covering for her, then she would probably have long been seriously injured.
If Monster Beasts had attacked someone else, Yang Kai would simply sit back and observe the situation. Rushing out to assist them would only be a foolish move, and may even lead to negative consequences for him. In this strange isolated world, where all these young cultivators had come for life experience, who would not take extra precautions? It was best to wait and see if others would behave honorably or treacherously.
However, since the two in danger were the couple from the Reflecting Moon Sect, Yang Kai was not too worried about such things.
Chen Xue Shu and Su Xiao Yu both gave him a good impression; from his interactions with them, he knew they were not scheming or malicious. In fact, Yang Kai believed them to be rather upright people.
Since he wanted to inquire about this isolated world’s current situation, asking them was undoubtedly his best option.
Considering all this, Yang Kai no longer hesitated, quietly dropping down from the trees and then swiftly moving towards the battlefield.
Both Chen Xue Shu and Su Xiao Yu’s expressions were grim, their True Qi swirling about wantonly and lashing out in ferocious bursts. Although they had managed to kill a few Fourth-Order Monster Beasts, their situation had not improved. The number of Monster Beasts was simply too great, enough to completely encircle and trap them here. The three Fifth-Order Monster Beasts were especially troublesome, with their keen senses and higher intelligence they would constantly take advantage of openings created by the Fourth-Order Monster Beasts to attack the couple, causing Chen Xue Shu’s wounds to increase steadily .
If it were not for the two of them having superb teamwork and a tacit understanding of one another, it is likely they would have already fallen.
In the midst of the battle, Chen Xue Shu’s eyes suddenly flashed a determined light, solemnly saying, “Junior Sister, I will use my full strength to open up a gap, so use your fastest speed to escape while I hold back the rest of these Monster Beasts.”
Hearing his desperate words, Su Xiao Yu immediately understood what he was planning to do and shook her head, “No! If we go, we go together; if we are to die… then we’ll also do that together!”
“Do as I say!” Chen Xue Shu roared, “We’re both running out of True Qi and there are still too many of them left! We’ll never be able to kill them all! Only if one of us stays behind will the other have a slim chance to escape! Once you have made it out, never look back, find a safe place to hide and don’t come out again! If you wait until this damned place closes you’ll be able to return to the Sect!”
“No! I don’t want to hear it!” Su Xiao Yu cried out miserably as she frantically shook her head.
Chen Xue Shu was about to try persuading her again but Su Xiao Yu suddenly said in a firm tone, “If you dare say one more word about this I’ll immediately rush into these Monster Beasts and let them tear me apart!”
“You!” Chen Xue Shu’s voice filled with anger and distress.
“Do you think I won’t?” Su Xiao Yu glared at him with her big round eyes.
“Good! Senior Brother won’t say another word! If we are both to fall here then we’ll take these beasts with us! Let’s let them taste our Reflecting Moon Sect’s Supreme Martial Skill!” Chen Xue Shu fighting spirit suddenly soared; his original despair and depression instantly blown away.
Su Xiao Yu also smiled, quietly standing side by side with Chen Xue Shu, their bodies True Qi surging rapidly as they slowly raised their joined hands.
A half-moon suddenly filled the sky as beams of silvery light radiated forth. These seemingly gentle moonbeams hid an unparalleled destructive force, scorching holes through the surrounding dozen or so Monster Beasts. Many Fourth-Order Monster Beasts died on the spot, and even one of the Fifth-Order Monster Beasts received a lethal wound, its blood splashing out onto the ground.
Reflecting Moon Sect’s Supreme Martial Skill, Soaring Full Moon!
If they could fully activate this Martial Skill, the surrounding dozen or so Monster Beasts would have no hope of survival. Unfortunately, Chen Xue Shu and Su Xiao Yu were now both arrows at the end of their flight, even with both of them joining mustering all their remaining strength, they could only summon a half moon image, so the skill’s power was severely limited.
However, the surrounding Monster Beasts which had been hit by this attack all quickly retreated, granting Chen Xue Shu and Su Xiao Yu a short reprieve, allowing the two of them to gaze into each other’s eyes, neither of them holding any regrets.
They had done their best, consumed over ninety percent of their True Qi, and no longer had any power to resist. The next time the Monster Beasts rushed them would certainly kill them.
The Monster Beasts that survived seemed to understand this, and after a brief hesitation, they once again bared their fangs, a thick murderous intent filling their eyes as they stared at their prey. Suddenly, they charged!
The pair however did not sit still; Chen Xue Shu put himself between Su Xiao Yu and the oncoming beasts, using his own body to shield her, his expression extremely solemn.
*Shua Shua Shua…* As the remaining Monster Beasts rushed over, Chen Xue Shu and Su Xiao Yu struck at the same time, pushing the last remnants of their True Qi in a final show of defiance.
A Fourth-Order Monster Beast that was leading the charge had its head smashed open and died on the spot.
They sent another Fourth-Order Monster Beast flying as well, crashing to the ground, clearly not far from death.
However, the number of Monster Beasts attacking was still overwhelming. Two fists could not block four strikes; on top of that, the two uninjured Fifth-Order Monster Beasts had circled around to their sides and were pouncing towards the battered Chen Xue Shu.
A bloody smell and an air of death surrounded the couple as the cold sharp fangs closed in.
Fortunately, in their final moment, a silhouette suddenly fell from the sky, planting itself firmly in front of Chen Xue Shu and Su Xiao Yu like a tranquil mountain.
The Senior Brother and Junior Sister pair’s eyes flashed with astonishment.
The next moment, they saw this man’s palms land on the backs of the two Fifth-Order Monster Beasts.
Two cries rang out at the same time, and the two Fifth-Order Monster Beasts that had nearly sunk their teeth into Chen Xue Su simply fell to the ground.
A series of muffled thuds reverberated from the two Monster Beast’s bodies as a fiery heat spread out from them.
After this, the man shot forward and delivered four lightning fast punches the oncoming beasts!
*Peng peng peng peng…*
The man had sent the four remaining Fourth-Order Monster Beasts flying simultaneously, struggling a bit after landing but eventually failing to stand up, their mouths leaking a conspicuous amount of blood.
“It’s you!” Su Xiao Yu cried out in shock, her mouth hanging slightly open as she immediately directed a delighted look towards Yang Kai.
“Junior Brother Yang!” Chen Xue Shu also could not help but breathe a sigh of relief, filled with the wondrous feeling of narrowly escaping death.
“En. Please wait a moment!” Yang Kai nodded before swiftly dashing forward.
Although his palm strike had knocked them to the ground, the two Fifth-Order Monster Beasts were still alive; sensing that the situation was becoming dangerous, these two Monster Beasts growled loudly, trying to intimidate this newcomer as they slowly to back away, attempting to escape.
Nevertheless, Yang Kai remained indifferent to their obviously empty threat, charging straight towards them without the slightest fear, raising his hand above one of their heads and viciously chopping down.
The Monster Beast’s reaction was also quite quick, managing to avoid this blow narrowly, but before it had time to steady itself, this downward chop turned into a sweeping palm strike.
*PA!*… Yang Kai’s palm landed right on the Fifth-Order Monster Beast’s cheek.
The huge Monster Beast’s body crashed into a tree and fell to the ground after having awkwardly spun tens of meters through the air.
Not pausing at all, Yang Kai quickly targeted the other Fifth-Order Monster Beast, delivering a Burning Sun’s Three Layer Blast squarely to its forehead.
After three muffled thuds, the Monster Beast began staggering about, as if it was drunk and dazed, while on its thick forehead, a blood red crack appeared.
Yang Kai delivered a vicious kick, sending the unsteady beast flying towards the first Monster Beast.
Swiftly chasing after it, he followed up with several heavy palm strikes and fists.
The two Monster Beasts constantly let out tragic howls, gradually becoming weak until eventually falling silent.
The Reflecting Moon pair could only stand there stunned; Su Xiao Yu’s mouth was agape, while Chen Xue Shu could not hide his surprise either.
A few moments later, Yang Kai, now stained with blood, let out a long breath and casually walked back, only to find the couple he had just rescued suspiciously looking at him, “What’s wrong?”
Hearing his question, Chen Xue Shu and Su Xiao Yu finally recovered, an awkward smile blooming on their faces as they cautiously asked, “Junior Brother Yang, what realm is your cultivation now?”
“Separation and Reunion Seventh Stage!” Yang Kai smiled and then stretched out his hand, flicking a Blood Bead condensed from one of the Fifth-Order Monster Beasts into Su Xiao Yu’s mouth.
“Ah! …” Su Xiao Yu yelped before hurriedly closing her mouth, waiting for the refinement reaction to come, her brow showing a mix of surprise and gratitude.
“Separation and Reunion Seventh Stage?” Chen Xue Shu’s face clearly showed his disbelief.
“That’s impossible!” Although Su Xiao Yu was grateful to Yang Kai for giving her the Blood Bead, she was also a little annoyed that he had tossed it into her mouth without saying a word. If it had been covered in dirt and grime, what would she have done? He had not even given her a chance to refuse.
“Why would I lie to you?” Yang Kai smiled and handed another Blood Bead to Chen Xue Shu.
Chen Xue Shu frowned slightly but still immediately reached out and accepted it, “Thank you, I will remember this favor!”
“No need to be polite, I know your True Qi is nearly depleted; we should collect these Blood Beads and then restore ourselves as quickly as possible.” Yang Kai casually pointed towards the battlefield.
The pair silently nodded and walked over to recover the recently condensed Blood Beads.
“We should leave here first.” Chen Xue Shu cautiously glanced around before leading Yang Kai and Su Xiao Yu away.
Both of them seemed to be in a hurry, not even stopping to carefully refine and absorb the energy from the Blood Beads they had just swallowed.
With Blood Beads’ help, the pair quickly restored their True Qi as they continued forward, and after less than half a stick of incense, Yang Kai suddenly heard the sounds of combat in the distance.
“Over there!” Chen Xue Shu and Su Xiao Yu both broke into a sprint, rapidly moving towards the battle.
Given the circumstances, Yang Kai temporarily set aside his curiosity and quickly followed behind them.
A short while later, the trio arrived at the source of the noise, but the scene which greeted them only made Yang Kai’s brow wrinkle even more.
In front of him were several Monstrous Beasts attacking a group of cultivators, quite similar to the situation he had found Chen Xue Shu and Su Xiao Yu in before.
“Junior Brother Yang, if you don’t want to intervene then please wait here after we finish up here we’ll bring you over and explain!” Chen Xue Shu solemnly told him and then together with Su Xiao Yu joined the fight.
“Brother Chen came back!” As soon as they discovered Chen Xue Shu and Su Xiao Yu’s figures, someone in the group could not help cheering.
“Brother Chen’s strength is really amazing! He managed to escape all those Monster Beasts and return!” Someone else shouted.
Chen Xue Shu simply smiled back wryly. Only he and Su Xiao Yu knew that those Monster Beasts had nearly torn them apart. If it were not for Yang Kai showing up at the crucial moment, how would they have been able to return alive?
The praise he was receiving right now felt rather grating.
Without explaining anything, the Reflecting Moon Sect pair quickly came to the aid of the group of cultivators, pushing back against the Monster Beast Horde.
Because of Chen Xue Shu and Su Xiao Yu safe return, the group’s spirits lifted, perhaps sensing this, the group of Monster Beasts determined that the fight was unfavorable and after a moment, a loud roar rang out.
Hearing this roar, the several tens of Monster Beasts began falling back, quickly disappearing into the jungle.
In the aftermath, a dozen Monster Beast bodies, along with a single cultivator.
Yang Kai could only stand there in a daze, unable to hide his surprise and confusion.
From what he could tell, the people gathered here were actually all from various different Sects but had somehow banded together to fight these Monster Beasts.
Yang Kai saw a lot of familiar faces, most of which he had met for the first time at the mountain lake.
The Ten Thousand Flower Palace’s four girls were among them, along with disciples from Pure Heart Palace, Water Moon Hall, Nine Star Sword Sect, Raging Fire Temple, Soaring Feather Pavilion …
Disciples of these various factions had all gathered here, totaling around thirty people, all of them leaders, and elites from their respective forces.
But now, the state of these people did not look very good, their True Qi consumption was severe, and many of them had varying degrees of injuries.
Clearly, they had just experienced a hard fight. Thus, most of the thirty or so disciples were in meditative recovery; only one person was moving about the battlefield, gathering up the Blood Beads left behind by the defeated Monster Beasts.
Looking around, Yang Kai saw a young man about twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old glaring at him coldly.
This young man had a tall stature with an arrogant bearing. Although his clothes had many rips and tears, they were still neatly arranged without the slightest wrinkle; even the numerous blood stains on him only added to his cold and imposing aura. He stood there quietly, like a sharp, unsheathed sword, ready to strike at a moment’s notice.
After staring at Yang Kai for a moment, the young man’s interest faded as he turned his eyes away and talked to the person who had just been collecting the Blood Beads, reaching out and receiving them from him.
As Chen Xue Shu and Su Xiao Yu came over, both of them revealed a tired expression as they scanned the aftermath of the battle.
“What happened here?” Yang Kai frowned; he really could not see how the situation had developed into this. These younger generation disciples had all come here from different Sects for life experience, so the relationship between them was akin to rivals and enemies. If there were no special circumstances, even if they didn’t attack one another, gathering together en masse like this would simply be impossible.
“It’s a long story!” Chen Xue Shu gritted his teeth and motioned for Yang Kai to sit down.
Seeing that Chen Xue Shu’s injury was not light, Yang Kai reached his hand into his sleeve and pulled out of a bottle, from which he poured out a couple pills.
“Healing pills…” Su Xiao Yu’s eyes lit up.
Chen Xue Shu hastily signaled to her with his eyes and quickly whispered, “Brother Yang, quickly hide those!”
Yang Kai’s brow wrinkled even more, and although he was confused, he quietly put the bottle back into his sleeve while stealthily placing the pills he had taken out into Chen Xue Shu’s hand.
He was truly puzzled; after all, it was just a few healing pills, so why had Su Xiao Yu made such a fuss? Every young disciple who came here for life experience had certainly brought a few bottles of these with them to use from time to time.
Inside his Universe Bag, he himself had more than ten bottles of pills prepared for him by his Grand Master Ling Tai Xu, although he had barely used any of them.
Su Xiao Yu quickly turned around and stuck out her tongue, an apologetic look upon her face.
“Senior Brother Chen, why are all of you gathered together?” Yang Kai whispered. This was what he was most uncertain about.
“We had no choice!” Chen Xue Shu wryly smiled.
“Somebody threatened you?” Yang Kai’s expression went cold.
“Not quite.” Chen Xue Shu shook his head repeatedly. “We didn’t gather together voluntarily, but out of self-protection. You see, if we hadn’t converged, none of us would have been able to survive up till now.”
“There’s some kind of danger here that forced all of you to join hands?” Yang Kai questioned.
“En.” Chen Xue Shu nodded his head.
“Is it some terrible Monster Beast?”
“It’s a group of people. Well, the Monster Beasts are also a problem.” Chen Xue Shu sighed deeply, glancing over and asking, “Do you remember when we were waiting by the lake side, there was a group of people whose looks and clothes were somewhat different from the rest of us Great Han Dynasty cultivators?”
How could Yang Kai not remember? The impression given by that group of people was quite strong after all. “You mean those Tian Lang Dynasty cultivators?”
Chen Xue Shu looked at him stunned, “Brother Yang even knew their origin! Our group had to pay a big price before we finally figured out that they weren’t from our Great Han Dynasty.”
“Grand Master told me before.”
Chen Xue Shu’s face revealed both shock and admiration, “Predecessor Ling is truly well informed.”
“What is the relationship between those Tian Lang Dynasty cultivators and your current situation? I know they are really strong, but in the end, there are only four of them. With so many of you here, how could they pose a threat to you?” Yang Kai frowned, only more confused by Chen Xue Shu’s explanation so far.
“If it was just the four of them, we would never fear them! If those damn Tian Lang Dynasty dogs dared act presumptuous in front of us Great Han Dynasty cultivators, we would never tolerate it! Just a few of us together here would easily be able to destroy them!” Chen Xue Shu spat out angrily before putting on a wry smile, “But now it’s not just the four of them, *haa…*, we don’t know what kind of strange Secret Art or Martial Skill they’ve cultivated, but whatever it is it allows them to enslave Monster Beasts, forcing them to fight for them! Those four people now have hundreds of Monster Beast servants, so how could we possibly fight back against them?”
Hearing this, many things that confused Yang Kai suddenly made sense, “Just now, when you were surrounded by Monster Beasts; are you saying those Tian Lang Dynasty cultivators were the ones who arranged that?”
“En,” Chen Xue Shu nodded heavily. “The disciples from hundreds of sects and various forces in the Great Han Dynasty entered this isolated world, but none of us were prepared for that group from Tian Lang Dynasty. The first month or two, that group of bastards didn’t make any big movements, mostly ignoring us Great Han Dynasty cultivators, letting us kill Monster Beasts and fight amongst ourselves. However! Two months later, after they had enslaved a considerable number of Monster Beasts, they immediately began launching attacks on us, who were still scattered and unaware. Many people were caught off guard and were hunted down by those Monster Beasts while those Tian Lang Dynasty people just sat back and watched, reaping all the rewards from our deaths without having to exert any effort themselves.”
Yang Kai was astonished, unable to regain his composure for a long time.
But now, at least all the doubts had been cleared up. No wonder he found a group of Monster Beasts from various different species attacking the two of them. Someone else had driven them!
“These past few days, those Tian Lang Dynasty peoples’ Monster Beasts are only increasing in number, there’s simply too many of them for us to kill. On the other hand, our Great Han Dynasty group has been continuously shrinking! When we first gathered together, there were nearly fifty of us, but since then more than a dozen have died, and now, aside from those you see here, I’m afraid everyone else has perished.
In other words, the only living people in this isolated world now were those four Tian Lang Dynasty cultivators and the thirty or so disciples here.
Yang Kai took a deep breath and tried to gather his wits. In the beginning, there were about two or three hundred people who entered this isolated world, but half a year later, only about one-tenth remained. Those who had died were all elites from their respective forces, so the loss to the Great Han Dynasty couldn’t be simply described as heavy.
Exasperated, Chen Xue Shu ground his teeth in frustration as his face flushed red with anger, “This is beyond shameful, once this news spreads out, all the Sects which sent disciples here are bound to lose all face…”
So many Great Han Dynasty young elites had gathered together, but they were all swiftly and decisively beaten down by only four Tian Lang Dynasty youths. If this really spread out, everyone here would become the world’s laughing stock, so he had good reason to be upset.
“Senior Brother, it’s not your fault!” Su Xiao Yu softly comforted, “It’s not that we are weak, it’s just that those people are too treacherous, plotting too deeply.”
“Haa…” Chen Xue Shu sighed dispiritedly, “I just hope that this damned place closes quickly so those of us left can escape.”
Pondering for a moment, Yang Kai suddenly frowned and asked, “With so many of you gathered together, who is in charge?”
Everyone here was an elite, in their respective forces they were all capable of summoning the wind and rain, so naturally many of them were rebellious, arrogant, and highly self-confident. If there was no one here capable of suppressing all these egos, this group would only be a mess.
Chen Xue Shu glanced towards the side and motioned, “Him. Nine Star Sword Sect’s Wu Cheng Yi, a True Element Boundary Seventh Stage master. Of everyone gathered here, his strength is the strongest, so for now, we’re all following his lead.”
As he turned his eyes, Yang Kai was surprised to find that the one Chen Xue Shu talked about was the young man who had previously been staring at him.
[No wonder he gave off the feeling of an unsheathed sword, turns out he’s an elite disciple from the Nine Star Sword Sect.] Yang Kai secretly thought.
The Nine Star Sword Sect’s disciples all cultivated the way of the sword; it was an extremely famous Sect whose reputation echoed throughout the Great Han Dynasty.
Nine Star Sword Sect could be considered the first sect just beneath Eight Great Families! A sect of such great standing in the Great Han Dynasty can be considered a sect meant to train up dragons and phoenixes!
Wu Cheng Yi possessed great personal strength and came from an extraordinary background; such a person temporary commanding this group made sense, in addition to him, there was likely no one else in this group young elites who could serve as the leader without drawing public criticism.
Yang Kai nodded and said, “This man’s temperament and demeanor really does make him look like a leader; it seems that Nine Star Sword Sect has placed a lot of emphasis on cultivating him.”
Su Xiao Yu who had been listening quietly up till now suddenly whispered angrily, “Hmph, he’s just an arrogant man who treats the rest of us like his henchmen. He demanded that all the Blood Beads we obtain by killing Monster Beasts be handed over to him so he can distribute them, who knows how many he’s greedily tucked away.”
Chen Xue Shu softly looked towards Su Xiao Yu, “Don’t say that, if not for him taking charge, it’s unlikely we would be able to gather together like this and would have long been picked off one by one by those Tian Lang Dynasty people. His combat strength is the highest, and he’s also made the most contributions, so getting more benefits is also reasonable. Besides, more than eighty percent of the Monstrous Beasts in this isolated world has been enslaved by that Tian Lang Dynasty group. Either way, we wouldn’t be able to obtain many Blood Beads. If he wants them he can have them, my only wish is to be able to escape here alive, everything else isn’t important anymore.”
However, Su Xiao Yu was clearly not convinced, “If it was just that I wouldn’t care so much, but what bothers me is he doesn’t take the lives of other people seriously. Just now, we were sent out to contain more than a dozen Monster Beasts, if not for Junior Brother Yang saving us, Senior Brother… you …”
Thinking of the danger the pair had encountered, Su Xiao Yu suddenly burst into tears, her eyes quickly becoming red and swollen like a child’s.
“Now… now, what are you crying for? Do you want to show Brother Yang here such a miserable look? Didn’t we make it out safe and sound?” Chen Xue Shu laughed while comforting her, directing a grateful smile towards Yang Kai.
On the other hand, Yang Kai frowned and asked, “Were you being surrounded by those Monster Beasts because of his orders?”
Chen Xue Shu smiled wryly, “We all take turns, it’s just our Senior Brother and Junior Sister’s bad luck that there were more than usual this time, almost causing us to fall.”
Watching him let out a deep sigh, Yang Kai could feel Chen Xue Shu’s helplessness; in their current situation, even if he was dissatisfied with Wu Cheng Yi, he could only endure it and act in the best interests of the group, if the two of them were to leave, with his and Su Xiao Yu’s strength, they would only end up dying faster.
Thinking through all of this, he finally understood why, when he took out those few healing pills, Su Xiao Yu had been so pleasantly surprised.
Over the past few months, this group must have suffered countless battles, and although each of them had brought many spare pills, by now, they had certainly run out. In addition, this isolated world did not seem to have any herbs or flowers with medicinal properties. So, even his commonplace healing pills were considered extremely rare and valuable treasures.
Hearing all this, Yang Kai’s expression sank as he secretly regretted his own careless actions; uncertain if anyone else had observed this scene. If they had, it would likely lead to something troublesome.
How could he have known that a trivial healing pill had actually become a rare and valuable treasure?
“Brother Chen, can you come here for a moment?” Wu Cheng Yi suddenly called out, which prompted Chen Xue Shu to whisper to Yang Kai, “Brother Yang, please wait a moment, I’ll be right back.”
“En.” Yang Kai simply nodded.
After Chen Xue Shu left, Yang Kai looked around and found that many people were staring at him with great interest.
This group of people had not seen a new face for a very long time. They had long since thought that the scattered Great Han Dynasty cultivators had all died, but now, seeing this unfamiliar Yang Kai, naturally their curiosity was piqued, especially since it seemed Yang Kai was alone. They could not understand how a single person could escape the grasp of the Tian Lang Dynasty cultivators.
Yang Kai also swept his eyes over the crowd and received a slight nod from the four Ten Thousand Flower Palace girls.
These four girls had entered Nether Mountain together with Yang Kai, and although they had not spoken, they had once traveled and faced danger together, so naturally they were more comfortable with each other.
Yang Kai smiled in return.
While observing this group, two people suddenly stood up and walked over, led by an exceptionally beautiful woman. She had a tall stature and wore a tight fitting green dress, which completely outlined her enchanting body. Her full breasts and well-rounded bottom were naturally highlighted along with her slender legs and fully exposed lotus like arms. Her skin resembled a pure white jade-like crystal, sparkling like fine porcelain tinged with a slight seductive luster. Even her delicate fingers, adorned with a bright red nail polish, seemed to enhance her charm. She was no doubt an alluring beauty.
However, what drew everyone’s attention the most was no doubt this woman’s towering pair of trembling breasts, full and shapely, exquisite in every way. Among the women, Yang Kai had met, only Lan Chudie could possibly be compared with her.
She exuded a mature and dangerous charm, like a beautiful snake charming its prey. Leisurely standing there, her pair of spring-like eyes stared towards Yang Kai, a meaningful smile adorning her seductive lips.
Behind her followed a towering bear of a man, a proud tiger like presence with an exceptionally sturdy figure. His stature was several times grander than anyone else there, and he stood with a cold, indifferent face completing his imposing look. A ten-centimeter scar adorned his cheek. All around, his domineering physique gave him a murderous appearance. His eyes sparked with lightning and revealed a kind of frigid and ruthless taste.
Whether it was the woman or the man, both of them gave off a kind of savage bloody aura.
Su Xiao Yu wrinkled her brow, “Are they coming to us?”
“Apparently.” Yang Kai also frowned. He had found that this glamorous woman had actually been staring at him for a while before deciding to come over.
“Junior Brother Yang, do you know them?” Su Xiao Yu asked somewhat puzzled.
Yang Kai shook his head in a confused manner. He had never met these two before, and although Ling Tai Xu had previously informed him about the majority of the Sect’s present and the strength of their disciples, the lake was simply too large. So for the people occupying the opposite shore, Ling Tai Xu could not provide any information, so Yang Kai really didn’t even know where these two had come from much less who they were.
“Perhaps it’s because… they saw you take out those healing pills?” Su Xiao Yu’s expression suddenly changed.
Yang Kai’s face also became heavy, secretly becoming angered.
“Junior Brother Yang, you must not argue with them, the two of them are very strong!” Su Xiao Yu quickly warned, a trace of worry appearing on her face.
“I’ll try.” Yang Kai nodded slightly. After all, in the current situation, he did not want to start a conflict with the people here. If he suddenly became enemies with these two, then he would inevitably be seen as an enemy by everyone here, and if that happened, a bad ending was destined. However, if someone insisted on bullying him, Yang Kai wouldn’t show any weakness.
As the hot glamorous woman and the cold towering man came over to him, all other eyes in the group turned towards them. They all wanted to know what this seemingly lascivious woman intended to do.
After a moment, the woman came up to Yang Kai and carefully looked over him. Without so much as a word, the man behind her also observed him intensely, his cold pair of eyes, like razor sharp swords, stared at him, as if to look directly into Yang Kai’s heart and soul.
Yang Kai couldn’t help frowning, “Do you two need something?”
The woman did not answer but instead continued looking at him seriously, and slowly leaned towards him. Her mouth still showed a pleasant smile while her beautiful face came right up next to Yang Kai’s and breathed in gently through her delicate nose.
Yang Kai’s face was now completely flabbergasted.
Although he did not feel the slightest murderous or malicious intent from this woman, her current actions left him and everyone else around him scratching their heads.
However, the woman completely ignored all of these stares and, like a playful little puppy kept sniffing around Yang Kai’s body. A few strands of her hair brushed past his neck and cheeks and tickled him in more ways than one.
Her own alluring scent wafted into Yang Kai’s nose, a strange mix of flowers and feminine sweat, which simulated a strange sense of arousal.
With her deep open collar, the sight of a deep and uncharted valley sandwiched between her breathtaking snow white mountains was firmly imprinted into Yang Kai’s eyes.
Facing such a fantastical scene, Yang Kai could not help swallowing, his throat was now completely parched.
“Hey … what are you doing!?” Su Xiao Yu finally recovered from her shock and cried out, her cheeks a deep shade of crimson, as her pulse racing rapidly.
This woman’s actions… she was blatantly teasing him! Other than those who were in meditative recovery, everyone present felt like their hearts had suddenly sped up, not to mention Su Xiao Yu, this young innocent girl.
She was sitting next to Yang Kai, so the view she saw was clearer than anyone else.
The sound of men swallowing their saliva came from all directions, and many of these young cultivators hearts burned with jealousy. Since they had assembled together each of them had fantasized about this woman’s full enchanting breasts, but because of the towering presence of the man behind her none of them had dared to act presumptuously.
They had not even gotten the chance to speak with her so how could they possibly be able to get so close to her?
But now this woman seemed to have taken a strong interest towards Yang Kai’s body, not even waiting for permission to get close to him. The scene that played out before them was simply too hot and spicy, especially in this crisis filled place right after a fierce battle, everyone’s blood was already boiling.
“Girl, you…” Yang Kai’s whole body felt uncomfortable. Although he was certain she had no harmful intent, this woman was just too strange. They had never met before yet she was openly being so intimate, and it was completely baffling.
“Shh…” The woman smiled even more sweetly as she stretched out a jade-like finger, and gently pressed it onto Yang Kai’s lips, which instantly suppressed his question.
She then continued to sniff him unscrupulously as Yang Kai turned bright red all the way to his ears.
“Mmm… Junior Brother Yang!” Su Xiao Yu finally could not stand it and swiftly delivered a kick to Yang Kai’s backside.
“Hahaha…” Seeing this scene, the woman suddenly giggled happily before looking straight at Yang Kai. Her delicate beautiful face gradually showed a puzzled expression and gazed at him as if in some kind of trance. Her big wet eyes clearly flashing a confused light.
“What do you think?” The woman suddenly looked back at her towering companion.
“A thick, bloody, murderous aura!” The man obviously treated his words like gold and offered only this comment.
“En.” The woman nodded slightly then suddenly laughed while putting on a warm smile, “Little Brother don’t be alarmed, it’s just because we Senior Sister and Junior Brother pair felt a sense of intimacy with you that we’ve acted so forward.”
“Hmph!” Su Xiao Yu gave a firm snort before turning her head.
She obviously did not believe these naive words.
Of course, Yang Kai did not believe them either.
Seeing his reaction, the woman still just laughed, “I know this reason is not very convincing, but I truly am not lying to you, in fact, I do not understand why I have this feeling either.”
“Ah right, my name is Ye Qing Si and this is my Junior Brother Zhou Ba!”
“Yang Kai!”
“So you are Junior Brother Yang …” Ye Qing Si smiled warmly, a carefree expression upon her face, like a gentle autumn breeze. She quickly followed up, “We Senior Sister and Junior Brother are from the Endless Sea Islands, Asura Sect, I’m afraid Junior Brother Yang may not have heard of it.”
Yang Kai’s face twitched imperceptibly before he quickly hid his reaction. He now understood why this woman had suddenly come up to him and acted so familiar.
Endless Sea Islands Asura Sect! A first-class great force!
Since the two of them were elite disciples from the Asura Sect, they had certainly cultivated their Sects most profound Secret Arts, and the Asura Sect’s Hallowed Treasure, the Asura Sword, at the moment, lay refined inside his body. Perhaps they had vaguely sensed its presence.
No wonder she said they felt a sense of intimacy! Knowing this, Yang Kai did not dare to show any outward signs. Right now, these two felt a sense of intimacy with him, but if they knew the Asura Sect Sacred Treasure was in his possession, that intimacy would immediately become murderous intent.
Of this, he had no doubt.
Pretending to be ignorant, Yang Kai put on a puzzled expression and asked, “Endless Sea Islands?”
Ye Qing Si nodded, “At the Southernmost end of the Great Han Dynasty lays The Endless Sea and within that sea, there are many Sects. Junior Brother Yang comes from deep inland, so it’s reasonable you don’t know about us.”
“Is it only this, for you who two have come here?” Yang Kai showed interest in a timely manner. He was actually quite interested in this point, seeing how he had many other Hallowed Treasures on him right now.
Ye Qing Si laughed, “A few people came from Gemini Island, but only one that is left now is that guy over there!”
Done with the explanation she lightly pointed out this person.
Yang Kai casually glanced over, and his nerves settled greatly. Thankfully, no one from the Falling Blossom Temple had come, or else they would likely show intimacy towards him for no reason as well, which would force him to explain himself.
“Where does Junior Brother Yang come from?” Ye Qing Si inquired. It was clear that the doubts in her mind had not yet been dispelled.
For no apparent reason a complete stranger produced a sense of intimacy with both Senior Sister and Junior Brother, naturally, they would be curious.
“High Heaven Pavilion.” He replied, and in an attempt to not conceal his origins he gave a plausible explanation, “Perhaps because my Secret Art and Martial Skills emphasize slaughtering intent, and because, in this isolated world, I have been stained with a lot of blood, you two have produced a sense of intimacy with me.”
“Perhaps so.” Ye Qing Si slightly pursed her lips and slightly nodded before returning to her friendly demeanor, “Well, even if we’ve met by chance, Junior Brother Yang should act with us; don’t worry, just stick by Elder Sister’s side and I’ll protect you, hahaha…”
“Thank you for your kind intentions.” Yang Kai quickly began pondering how to say he wanted to leave, but then he saw Wu Cheng Yi and Chen Xue Shu coming towards him.
“Enough with the idle chatter!” Wu Cheng Yi said with a serious face and walked up to Yang Kai while looking down at him, “I heard Brother Chen say you’re a disciple from High Heaven Pavilion, correct?”
Yang Kai frowned, slightly unhappy with Wu Cheng Yi’s domineering attitude, his overbearing and arrogant tone indicating that no dissent would be tolerated.
“That’s right,” Yang Kai decided to play along and nodded for now.
“What’s your cultivation level?” Wu Cheng Yi continued questioning.
“Separation and Reunion Seventh Stage!”
As he answered, Yang Kai clearly saw the disdain and annoyance in Wu Cheng Yi’s eyes, but that was to be expected. Of those who were still alive, who had not at least reached the True Element Boundary? Yang Kai, with his Separation and Reunion Seventh Stage cultivation, could definitely be considered weak.
Asura Sect’s Ye Qing Si’s face also showed a look of surprise. Apparently, she had not thought Yang Kai’s strength would be so low.
Originally, she had believed that since he had survived alone in this dangerous place for more than half a year, Yang Kai would at least be a True Element cultivator. But Yang Kai himself had declared that he was a Separation and Reunion Seventh Stage, shocking almost everyone around him.
“Little Brother, are you really only at the Separation and Reunion Seventh Stage?” Ye Qing Si could not help but ask.
Yang Kai simply nodded and circulated the Yuan Qi in his body, emitting a Yuan Qi wave to clearly display his current strength.
Many of the surrounding cultivators were stunned, while a burst of chuckles also emerged from somewhere.
“What are you laughing about?” Su Xiao Yu immediately stuck up for Yang Kai and fiercely scolded the group of blind fools. Although Junior Brother Yang’s cultivation had only reached Separation and Reunion Boundary Seventh Stage, his combat strength was many times greater than an ordinary True Element cultivator.
When Yang Kai had saved the two of them just now, he had killed two Fifth-Order Monster Beasts and four Fourth-Order Monster Beasts. Against those foes, she and Chen Xue Shu could only desperately struggle for their lives, so killing them off so effortlessly was a testament to his strength.
Although there were a variety of reasons for him to be able to accomplish such a feat, his strength was definitely beyond doubt.
No one here was more aware of just how strong Yang Kai was than Su Xiao Yu and Chen Xue Shu. To have such a master join them was a great blessing for this group! However, some people, in their ignorance, actually dared to ridicule him.
Su Xiao Yu felt indignant, but in the end did not press the issue. She was not some silly naive girl who would go around exposing Yang Kai’s true abilities.
“You’re only a Separation and Reunion Boundary Seventh Stage, how have you survived until now?” Ye Qing Si asked with a puzzled expression, clearly quite confused.
“I accidentally fell into a deep valley and spent the last half a year trying to find a way to climb back up…” Yang Kai shrugged his shoulders.
When he spoke these words, the many in the group around him laughed even harder. Su Xiao Yu’s breathing became rough as she held down her anger, but she could not say anything because what he said was true.
Wu Cheng Yi remained indifferent, unceremoniously declaring, “Your cultivation is too low, so you’re nothing but another body bag. However, Brother Chen brought you here so just stick with him and Sister Su. If you can at least contain one or two Fourth- Order Monstrous Beasts, then I suppose you’ll have some use!”
Finished speaking, Wu Cheng Yi hurriedly turned away, not wanting to waste any more time talking with Yang Kai.
“I’m not staying.” Yang Kai said with a frown.
After leaving the valley, all he wanted to do was find someone to inquire about the current situation, but he had somehow ended up following Chen Xue Shu here. Now that he had obtained the information he wanted, naturally he planned to leave.
Acting together with so many people simply made them an easier target. If everyone was from the same Sect, having a mutual trust and understanding of one another, then things might be different. However, in this mixed bag of goods, who could know when their neighbor might betray them? If he joined them, with his realm being amongst the lowest, then in the event when they encountered any critical danger, he would likely be the first to be sacrificed.
Knowing this, how could Yang Kai deliver his life into someone else’s hands?
If so, he might as well act alone. Although there were many dangers and uncertainties, Yang Kai was confident in his current strength, so as long as he was careful he shouldn’t encounter any real problems.
Even if he became surrounded by the Tian Lang Dynasty group, with his Flaming Yang Wings, he could still easily escape. Why would he bother joining together with these people?
In addition to all this, Yang Kai also had another major concern.
If Ye Qing Si or Zhou Ba managed to sense the presence of the Asura Sword, it would certainly create trouble for him. Therefore, although the possibility was very low, he still needed to take precautions.
Neither Yang Kai nor this group of people wanted to travel together, so why should he insist on sticking around?
“What did you say?” Wu Cheng Yi turned around and stared at Yang Kai, squinting his eyes before confirming, “You want to act alone?”
“Yes!” Yang Kai nodded.
“Brother Yang…” Chen Xue Shu’s expression changed, as he quickly came forward and whispered, “Acting on your own is too dangerous, if you stay here with Senior Brother and Senior Sister, at least we can watch out for each other. It’s definitely safer than you trying to move alone.”
Chen Xue Shu had no doubt what he said was true and did not have the slightest ulterior intent.
Ye Qing Si also tried to persuade him, “Junior Brother Yang, there’s no need for you to try to be brave, just stay here with us. Although we’ve only just met, Elder Sister really feels cordial with you; it has been many years since our Senior Sister and Junior Brother have had such a strong feeling, so we don’t want you to encounter any unnecessary misfortune. Zhou Ba, you agree, right?”
The giant tower of a man with a cold gaze simply nodded slightly.
“Thank you for your kind words,” Yang Kai chuckled, “but I’m quite lazy and don’t like to be ordered around like someone’s henchman.”
“Everyone is free to choose if they want to stay or go, there’s no need to try retaining him!” Wu Cheng Yi quipped disdainfully but then reached out his hand, “However, before you leave, leave all the pills you have on you.”
Yang Kai, Chen Xue Shu, and Su Xiao Yu’s faces all went cold.
Just now, others had apparently noticed the scene where Yang Kai had taken out those few healing pill.
Chen Xue Shu frowned, “Brother Wu, how can you do this?”
Wu Cheng Yi snorted lightly, “What’s wrong with my decision? He is just a Separation and Reunion Boundary Seventh Stage. Those Tian Lang bastards will kill him soon enough, and when they do, the healing pills he has will fall into their hands. It’s better if he just leaves them for us instead!”
Su Xiao Yu ground her teeth and yelled, “Wu Cheng Yi, you just want to rob him!”
Ye Qing Si and Zhou Ba also frowned. The two of them were obviously unhappy about Wu Cheng Yi’s behaviour, but both of them held their tongues.
However, Wu Cheng Yi just sneered, “Take a look around you! How many of us have been injured? Without any healing pills, how much of their strength will they be able to use? Only by quickly healing everyone can we hope to resist those Tian Lang cultivator’s attacks and protect ourselves! Taking his pills is not for me but for everyone in this group!”
Chen Xue Shu angrily shot back, “Wu Cheng Yi, don’t pretend to be so righteous! If you insist on forcing Brother Yang, then we Brother and Sister will not agree.”
Wu Cheng Yi shifted his sight towards Chen Xue Shu and arrogantly said, “So what if you don’t agree with me? What do you intend to do about it?”
The atmosphere around them instantly became tense.
“I also think it’s a bad idea.” Ye Qing Si smiled sweetly,and her seductive eyes stared at Wu Cheng Yi, “This just looks like the act of a robber. Wu Cheng Yi, whatever your motives are, you’re still an elite disciple of a great Sect. Don’t you think being so domineering is bad for your face?”
The latter’s face twitched. It seems he was somewhat suppressed by Ye Qing Si, but after hesitating for a long while he chuckled, “If that’s the case, then we should let everyone decide! Should he be forced to leave his pills behind, or allowed to take them away?”
“He should leave them with us!” Someone immediately said, “Brother Wu is right, with his weak cultivation he won’t last more than a few days out there alone. Why should we allow those Tian Lang animals to snatch his pills for free.”
To this statement, many people nodded in agreement.
The youth quickly followed up, “Brother Chen please calm your anger, I’m just saying what I believe is right! This High Heaven Pavilion brother’s strength is really too low. If he was going to stay with us and help support the group with his healing pills, then if someone was seriously injured, presumably he would not be stingy, but since he is determined to leave and wants to act alone, I think he should contribute his pills to us!”
Most of the people here seemed to agree with Wu Cheng Yi’s practice, which made Chen Xue Shu and Su Xiao Yu’s faces very ugly.
Arguing back, Chen Xue Shu sneered, “You really believe your actions are correct? If someone wanted to rob you of your life-saving pills, what would you do?”
Hearing his words, many of these people couldn’t help but frown or turn away. Although they knew what they were doing was immoral, right now, everyone’s healing pills had nearly been spent. Even if they could only obtain just one more bottle, perhaps at a critical time it would allow them to save a few people’s lives.
“Do unto others as you’d have them do to you!” A cold voice echoed.
Yang Kai looked up and saw a girl wearing a Ten Thousand Flower Palace robe and nodded slightly.
Wu Cheng Yi had not expected that there would be so many people speaking up for Yang Kai, so having been forced into a corner, he said, “Fine then, I will give him a choice, so no one can say I’m just using strength to bully the weak.”
Glaring at Yang Kai he declared, “Stay with us, or leave your pills, it’s your decision!”
“Ho…” Yang Kai chuckled, staring back at Wu Cheng Yi he slowly said, “I choose the latter!”
He had never wanted to work together with these people, and seeing Wu Cheng Yi act so arrogantly only further reinforced this thought. How could he possibly choose to stay now?
But now with so many people eyeing him, if he really did not leave some pills, those who had just pressured him would definitely not just let him go.
“This is your own choice!” Wu Cheng Yi stretched out a hand to Yang Kai.
However, Yang Kai shook his head and grinned deviously.
Seeing this, Wu Cheng Yi wrinkled his brow, “What do you mean?”
“I only said I’d leave the pills, I didn’t say I’d leave them to you. Don’t be so presumptuous.” Yang Kai sneered, and ignoring the extended hand before him, he took out a bottle of healing pill and threw it to Chen Xue Shu while staring coldly at Wu Cheng Yi, “Senior Brother Chen, I’ll leave those pills to you.”
As Chen Xue Shu caught the pill bottle, his brow furrowed angrily.
He had brought Yang Kai over, but now his own group of people were strong-arming him. How could he remain indifferent?
Taking a deep breath, Chen Xue Shu loudly said, “Brother Yang rest assured, Senior Brother will distribute these pills well!”
His meaning was clear. Those who had just stood on Wu Cheng Yi’s side knew they should never expected to see the healing pills inside this bottle.
Yang Kai nodded and hurriedly cupped his fists, “Then I bid you farewell, I hope we shall meet again!”
Finished speaking, Yang Kai instantly disappeared into the jungle.
“I doubt we’ll see each other again!” Wu Cheng Yi coldly snorted and awkwardly retracted his outstretched hand. His face was clearly still angry as he loudly barked towards the group, “We’ve rested here long enough, it’s time we get moving! Those Tian Lang dogs will certainly launch another attack soon. If we don’t leave now it will be too late.”
The more than thirty people quickly organized themselves according to Wu Cheng Yi’s instructions and began to carefully walk into the jungle.
No one noticed when the last person in their ranks quietly hid his presence. After the group had moved away, this youth looked in a certain direction and hurriedly dashed out.
The direction he went was clearly the same as the path Yang Kai had taken.
Yang Kai had left a single bottle of pill before leaving, but which disciple who came to this place for life experience would only bring a single bottle of healing pills? Moreover, Yang Kai said before that he had accidentally fell into a valley and spent half a year looking for way to climb out. Since that was the case, for this past half a year he certainly did not encounter much fighting, and if he had not been fighting, then he would not have been hurt, nor would he have used any healing pills.
Therefore, he must have more pills!
So Wu Cheng Yi had secretly ordered this person to go cut down Yang Kai and bring back any pills he may have on him.
A meticulous plan set up by Wu Cheng Yi; to only send a single person to complete this task so as to not arouse suspicions.
In the jungle, Yang Kai’s figure flashed like an agile monkey weaving over and through the treetops. His body floated as light as a feather in the breeze, not disturbing a single leaf along his path.
His expression was solemn, and he maintained a high level of vigilance towards his surroundings as he planned his next move. While he was dissatisfied about the way Wu Cheng Yi’s group had acted towards him, in the end, it did not affect him, and he managed to achieve his purpose.
However, he did not expect the news he obtained to be so grim.
Over the years, disciples from the various factions who entered this isolate world for life experience had often formed their own groups. Even temporary large scale alliances had occasionally been forged, but this time, because of the actions taken by the cultivators from Tian Lang Dynasty, all the Great Han Dynasty cultivators had been thoroughly bound together.
This was something that had never happened before, and it had even risen to the level of a life and death struggle between the younger generations of the two countries.
Who the winner would eventually be, Yang Kai was uncertain, but he was, after all, a Great Han Dynasty cultivator. Simply put, he did not like the idea of people from Tian Lang Dynasty dominating them.
If it were not for the two disciples from the Asura Sect and the overbearing arrogance of that Wu Cheng Yi, Yang Kai might have remained with Chen Xue Shu and others to do his part in this battle.
But what was done was done, so Yang Kai rid his thoughts of these distractions and continued forward, when suddenly he paused and looked back with a trace of suspicion flashing through his eyes.
Standing there for a moment, Yang Kai grinned, dropped to the ground, and then ducked behind a large tree to hide while he concealed his breath.
Shortly after, another figure flew over his head from the direction he had just come. As he passed, Yang Kai caught a good look at this person’s face and clothes.
This man carried a sword and wore a blue uniform. He was slightly older, probably in his early twenties and had a solemn face.
Yang Kai coldly snorted under his breath, and his eyes flashed a murderous intent!
This person was the one he had seen sweeping the battlefield; the one collecting all the Blood Beads. The Sword he carried on his back made it easy to identify him. He was a Nine Star Sword School’s disciple, one of Wu Cheng Yi’s Junior Brothers.
He had not acted together with their group and instead chased after Yang Kai, which made his intention quite obvious.
Yang Kai’s face went cold. Earlier, he had not wanted to start a fight with Wu Cheng Yi, afraid of involving Chen Xue Shu and Su Xiao Yu, but now that he had sent someone to chase after him, there was no reason for him to hold back.
Even clay is limited to three phases of heating within the kiln (There is a limit to his patience), not to mention Yang Kai’s lack of a forgiving nature to begin with.
The Nine Star Sword School’s disciple had stopped not far away, and then circled back. His eyes carefully scanned the vicinity. If one listened carefully, they could hear him mutter under his breath, “Strange, where did he go?”
He was a True Element Boundary master and was certain his speed was much higher than Yang Kai’s, but now, after chasing him for so long, the trail he followed had suddenly disappeared. Naturally, he decided to double back and check the surrounding jungle more carefully.
Yang Kai could not help admiring this man a bit. He really had some outstanding tracking ability. Along the way, Yang Kai had been very careful not to leave any clues about his direction, but this guy had still traced him.
A moment later, the Nine Star Sword School disciple stopped about one hundred meters from Yang Kai with his brow thoroughly wrinkled as he looked around.
Yang Kai remained patient, quietly hiding amongst the trees, and secretly observed this person.
After a long time, the man grinned ferociously, reached behind his back, and, along with a wind splitting noise, drew his sword from its scabbard.
With his sword in hand, his momentum suddenly climbed to new heights. His whole aura became as sharp as a blade.
The Nine Star Sword School definitely deserved its reputation! This momentum alone was vastly superior to an ordinary True Element cultivator.
“I know you’re here!” Qi Jian Xing smiled meaningfully, gripped his sword, and shouted in a confident tone, “Obediently come out and I won’t embarrass you!”
Yang Kai frowned. He was not sure if this Nine Star Sword School disciple had really found him or was just trying to trick him into exposing himself.
Qi Jian Xing added, “Little brat, I admire your guts. To this day, people who dare talk to my big brother like that, in addition to the young masters of the Eight Great Families, besides you, there is no one else. For this alone, I promise not to hurt you as long as you hand over every pill on your body so I can complete the mission big brother has given me.”
After a few moments of silence, Qi Jian Xing’s voice became cold as he threatened, “Do not reject a toast or you will suffer a loss, my offer is good only until I find your hiding place, come out now and discuss things while I am still in a good mood.”
Still receiving no response, Qi Jian Xing no longer bothered to speak. He swung his sword forward, and crisp sword cries began to ring out from all directions.
Yang Kai’s face stiffened as he suddenly felt a faint chill spread all around him, which caused him to hurriedly dash out from his hiding spot.
One by one, blades of invisible Sword Qi shot out, and toppled every tree in a radius of a hundred meters, only leaving behind smoothly cut stumps as they fell to the ground.
Yang Kai’s face sank. He now understood this Nine Star Sword School disciple’s ruthlessness. His talking with him until just now was just a trick to stall for time, but in reality he had been secretly setting up this attack.
Those invisible Sword Qi threads had been spread around while he spoke, so once his arrangement was finished, and he activated this Sword Qi, then, as long as Yang Kai was still hiding in the trees, he would not be able to escape unharmed.
Fortunately, Yang Kai had been alert and dodged out quickly, or else this Sword Qi attack would have definitely taken him by surprise and undoubtedly caused him heavy injuries.
Yang Kai no longer dared to underestimate this person. The Nine Star Sword School being called the first Sect under the Eight Great Families was not without cause, how could one of its elite disciples be weak?
“Found you!” Qi Jian Xing turned and stared coldly at Yang Kai, looking down at him from his position in mid-air, eyes filled with disdain.
However, he no longer attacked and instead chose to quietly observe Yang Kai. Facing a Separation and Reunion Boundary Seventh Stage cultivator, Qi Jian Xing was naturally fearless. His opponent was only at such a level and came from a second-class Sect, so he was certain that a single sword would be enough to behead him.
“Your ability to hide yourself is quite ingenious.” Qi Jian Xing praised him without reserve, “Who did you learn it from?”
He was obviously interested in Yang Kai’s concealment skill. In a crisis, if he had such a technique, it would increase his ability to survive, which was why he did not immediately attack Yang Kai.
Yang Kai only sneered, “You have already seen through my ability, so how exactly is it so great?”
Qi Jian Xing slowly shook his head, his eyes filled with greed while showing a trace of admiration, “I did not see through it, but I sensed your hostility towards me and my Sword Qi instinctively responded a bit. In fact, I only knew that you were hidden somewhere close by, but I could not pinpoint your location, so I took a chance and tried to force you out. It seems I got lucky.”
After he had patiently explained, Qi Jun Xing smiled coldly, “You’re a smart brat, me standing here until now, you should understand my intentions from just that. Surrender all the pills you have on you, tell me your concealment art, and I’ll consider letting you live!”
Yang Kai simply sneered, “Do you think you’ve already beaten me?”
Qi Jun Xing froze for a moment before he burst into laughter, “What do you think?”
He was a mere Separation and Reunion Boundary Seventh Stage, not even a True Element Boundary cultivator, so how was he any threat at all?
After laughing for a while, Qi Jun Xing smile’s disappeared before he slightly nodded, “Very well, once I cripple you, I can leisurely ask about your techniques!”
Before he had even finished speaking, the sword in his hands flickered.
With a *zheng* sound, a few sword waves suddenly appeared in front of him in a fan-shaped arrangement that glowed with an icy cold light. Each sword wave certainly contained a massive hidden lethalness.
“Hah!” Qi Jian Xing’s name was spelled with the character for ‘sword’. There was no doubt that his ability with the sword was great, and just this attack alone had fully displayed his extraordinary skill. The sword waves flew out, like a burst of lightning, to attack Yang Kai.
Feeling the threat of these sword waves, Yang Kai quickly retreated. The leisurely look on his face quickly disappeared.
This guy was indeed a first-class Sect’s core disciple! He was so young yet still possessed such strength.
In less than a breath of time, the sword waves had arrived in front of Yang Kai and directly penetrated his body. Qi Jian Xing frowned. He had not thought things would go this smoothly. He did not want to kill Yang Kai outright because he wanted to force him to reveal the cultivation technique of his concealment art, so when he attacked just now he had still held back.
The next moment, Qi Jian Xing eyes flashed as his sword struck out and chopped towards his side.
Another sword wave appeared and seemed to pierce the void beside him.
Just as Yang Kai’s figure emerged, the other side’s second attack flew towards him, which forced him to use his movement skill again to dodge the blow.
“Good good good!” Qi Jian Xing’s face was filled with excitement as he applauded. After only two strikes, he no longer attacked, but instead greedily stared at Yang Kai, “Your movement skill is also fantastic, a Separation and Reunion Boundary Seventh Stage being able to move at such speed, I will be sure to accept it from you later as well.”
Yang Kai let out a deep breath, stood firm, and grinned, “Since you want my concealment art and movement skill, how about we make a trade?”
“What kind of trade?” Qi Jian Xing’s interest was piqued.
“I’ll give you what you want, and you teach me some of your Nine Star Sword School’s sword skills! How about it?”
“You want to learn the sword?” Qi Jian Xing looked curiously at Yang Kai, carefully scanning his body but he found no traces of a sword.
If he had no weapon, why did he want to learn sword skills?
“Yes, we both get what we want, and nobody needs to suffer.” Yang Kai nodded. Right now he had no sword on him, but inside his body was the Asura Sword. In terms of exquisite sword skills, the Nine Star Sword School’s arts could be described as the best. Even the powerful Eight Great Families could not deny this.
“You dream! How can the Nine Star Sword School’s swordsmanship be taught to outsiders?” Qi Jian Xing sneered, “Moreover, you are so much weaker than me. I can take your life easily, why should I trade with you!”
Yang Kai laughed viciously. The pride and malice soaked into his bones were stimulated as he spoke, “I’ll ask you again; do you think you’ve already beaten me?”
“Your movement skill really is superb, just wait until I waste you, then you can elaborate on it for me!” Qi Jian Xing coldy snorted and no longer sent out sword waves. He knew that they could not take Yang Kai down, so instead he flourished his sword and charged toward Yang Kai himself.
Sword Qi instantly burst forth, and Qi Jian Xing’s figure radiated streams of light like a rainbow as he dashed straight in front of Yang Kai. The sword in his hand slashed down towards him like a curtain to trap Yang Kai beneath it, creating an inescapable shroud of death tens of meters in radius around him.
A screeching sound came from all around, like someone from the void was snapping the strings of a zither. If one looked carefully they would see tiny Sword Qi blades criss-crossing mid-air, which completely enveloped Yang Kai.
Within this flickering storm, Yang Kai’s expression became even more dignified as he ferociously pushed his Yuan Qi. His whole body exuded a sweltering heat, and he released two ferocious palm strikes to create a burst of Yuan Qi.
The two’s Yuan Qi collided, and a loud bang rang out seemingly from every direction. In that instant, more than half of the hundreds of sword waves were annihilated.
Qi Jian Xing face went cold as he cried out, “Brat, don’t get overconfident!”
Raising his sword to gather the remaining Sword Qi in the surroundings, he condensed them into a single shimmering blade and slashed down towards Yang Kai.
Yang Kai’s eyes shrunk, and he pushed his palms forward and drew out a drop of Yang Liquid from his dantian. Then he transformed it into a blood-red shield to block the sword strike before him.
*Peng* A metallic ring burst forth as the Sword Qi struck the shield dead center. The blood-red shield rippled and cracked, however it did not shatter. It did, however, exhaust Qi Jian Xing’s strike and caused its remnants to disappear.
In a flash, Yang Kai lifted the blood-red shield in front of himself and charged towards Qi Jian Xing. The latter was obviously shocked but still quickly retreated, and was instantly pursued by Yang Kai. The two became engaged in close quarter combat. Each one displayed their own exquisite movement skills, and while their cultivation levels were drastically different, they were actually evenly matched in terms of speed.
The two figures became entangled, and each one fiercely stuck towards the other.
Qi Jian Xing was stunned. He had never imagined that a second-class Sect Separation and Reunion Boundary Seventh Stage disciple could unleash such immense combat strength, which allowed Yang Kai to fight with him.
Rapidly becoming annoyed, Qi Jian Xing attacked more and more ferociously. His sword sliced through the wind, slashing and stabbing with the speed of a snake striking from its hole, fully displaying his extraordinary swordsmanship. His moves were fluid, ever changing, wild, and unpredictable.
The surrounding trees were all chopped to pieces as the two darted in and amongst them, causing dirt and sand to fly everywhere. Their battle became more intense with every clash.
After only ten breaths of time, the two had already exchanged more than thirty blows, and neither one managed to land a decisive hit. But anyone who was watching could see that Qi Jian Xing occupied the absolute advantage. For every ten moves made, eight would be him attacking.
Along with a sneer, Qi Jian Xing focused his Sword Qi and stabbed it straight into Yang Kai’s shield.
The blood-red shield, which had been formed by a drop of Yang Liquid, was finally unable to withstand this high intensity attack.
Yang Kai’s face went stiff, and he anxiously jumped back to leave Qi Jian Xing’s attack range, but how could his opponent let him get away so easily?
As if the sword had its own spirituality, after shattering the shield, it immediately flashed towards Yang Kai’s arm.
*Shua shua shau* Yang Kai’s sleeve was ripped apart, and cloth pieces flew everywhere.
Yang Kai roared furiously, and his Yuan Qi erupted forth to resist this attack. He rapidly retreated and simultaneously sent out a heavy punch, his fist was seemingly engulfed in burning flames that distorted the air around it.
Aware of this fist’s terrible power, Qi Jian Xing’s eyes showed a trace of fear. He swiftly stabbed his sword into Yang Kai’s shoulder, piercing three inches into his flesh, and used the ensuing rebound from his strike to withdraw.
However, he was still a bit too late, and Yang Kai’s Burning Sun’s Three Layer Blast managed to impact his chest.
*Pedal pedal pedal…* Qi Jian Xing was forced back ten steps to dispel the momentum of this strike, while at the same time he circulated his True Qi to resolve the hot Yuan Qi which had invaded his body.
For a moment, Qi Jian Xing’s face went pale, which forced him to take a deep breath.
He had managed to completely resolve the Burning Sun’s Three Layer Blast and eventually came out unharmed.
In contrast, Yang Kai’s right sleeve had been cut to pieces by Qi Jian Xing’s sword. His exposing bare arm now had countless small bloody lines, which instantly dyed his arm red and gave it a hideous look.
While Qi Jian Xing was neutralizing the Burning Sun’s Three Layer Blast’s Qi, Yang Kai was also lightly panting and shaking his arm as he tried to burn clean the other side’s invading Sword Qi.
*Hahaha…* Qi Jian Xing eyes flashed a ferocious light, and viciously glared towards Yang Kai, “A mere Separation and Reunion Boundary Seventh Stage brat having such strength! You are truly impressive!”
Speaking casually, he pointed his sword towards Yang Kai, “You are, without a doubt, the most powerful Separation and Reunion Boundary cultivator I have ever seen. Your Yuan Qi’s purity is already no less than a common True Element cultivator, your martial talent even exceeds my own! However… we were simply born different. My Nine Star Sword School’s sword skills are supreme, how could a random nobody like you compete with them?”
His face full of arrogance and his voice filled with indifference, Qi Jian Xing calmly continued, “Just now, I had only used seventy percent of my strength. If I use my full force, can you still resist?”
Gripping his sword before his chest, Qi Jian Xing’s face became serious, and with his True Qi bursting forth, he cried out, “Sword Body!”
*Zheng* A loud and piercing sword cry rang out as the sword in his hands trembled.
A sharp sword aura broke out from Qi Jian Xing’s body. The aura then channeled through his True Qi, where it merged with his entire presence and instantly pushed his momentum to its peak, which created a fierce wind as countless tiny sword blades enveloped him.
Looking at him, it was as if ten thousand swords were guarding his body.
The Nine Star Sword School’s sword skills were really profound.
Yang Kai narrowed his eyes as his face became even more dignified.
Qi Jian Xing was obviously enraged that he had been struck by a punch just now, so he did not hesitate to cast this “Sword Body” martial skill. By shaping his True Qi, Qi Jian Xing had become like a hedgehog. If Yang Kai wanted to strike him now, he would have to bear a certain amount of self inflicted injury.
“Forcing me to use Sword Body, you should be proud of yourself!” Qi Jian Xing stared coldly at Yang Kai, his face was filled with arrogance and disdain like he was looking down upon all creation, while he casually talked, as he slowly came over, step by step.
Yang Kai did not dare hold back, and activated Unyielding Will.
His Separation and Reunion Seventh Stage cultivation instantly surged to Peak Separation and Reunion Boundary.
When he was just Separation and Reunion Boundary First Stage, Yang Kai was able to use Unyielding Will to temporarily reach Peak Separation and Reunion. Unfortunately, now that he had reached the Seventh Stage, it was still the same.
This showed just how massive the watershed between the Separation and Reunion and True Element Boundary was. Once a cultivator completely transformed their Yuan Qi into True Qi, the difference in their strength was like the difference between Heaven and Earth.
Aware of the surge in Yang Kai’s aura, Qi Jian Xing face went cold as he sneered in disdain, “Good, so you’ve been holding back as well, but even so, you are now only Peak Separation and Reunion Boundary, you are still not my opponent.”
“Whether or not I am your opponent, once we fight, you will know.” Yang Kai grinned deviously, and stretched his hand forward as a new blood red shield appeared.
Qi Jian Xing expression darkened. Just now he had suffered a small loss when he confronted this shield head on and was unable to break it with his attacks for quite some time. Now, he saw Yang Kai easily form another, so naturally he was annoyed and shouted in anger, “Watch me shatter your piece-of-trash shield and beat you down!”
Qi Jian Xing suddenly accelerated, stabbing forward rapidly with his sword. The True Qi he had condensed outside his arm erupted out in all directions before ferociously flew toward Yang Kai.
Yang Kai quickly tried to dodge, but these True Qi swords were different from the ones he had previously faced. They seemed to be able to respond to Qi Jian Xing’s will.
As Yang Kai desperately evaded three or four times, Qi Jian Xing’s eyes filled with ruthlessness and he grinned, launching an extremely powerful sword skill, which ferociously slashed his Sword Qi towards Yang Kai.
Yang Kai swiftly lifted his shield to guard himself, *boom*. His shield trembled violently, and was almost unable to maintain its shape, which caused Qi Jian Xing to laugh viciously. Strike after strike, Yang Kai was being suppressed and constantly needed to block the Sword Qi attacks from Qi Jian Xing’s sword while being harassed by the unpredictable True Qi swords which swirled around him, and forced him to retreat, as he complained bitterly inside.
During the battle, both of them were rapidly consuming their Yuan Qi.
Engaging in such a high-intensity life and death fight was a massive load for any cultivator. In this case, physical strength was secondary, while Yuan Qi consumption was the most critical issue.
A powerful cultivator who could efficiently use their Yuan Qi would be able to pay the smallest price to cause his opponent the greatest damage.
Such control was currently impossible for Yang Kai and Qi Jian Xing. Their strength and experience had not reached that kind of realm yet. Both of them were only trying to push their Yuan Qi to its maximum extent in order to maintain their own attacks and momentum.
After just half a stick of incense, Yang Kai was unable to launch any offensive strikes. He was now completely on the defensive, which caused Qi Jian Xing’s killing intent to rise to a peak. Laughing as he ridiculed and tormented him, his eyes now saw Yang Kai as meat on the chopping block only.
Losing strength, Yang Kai seemed like he would collapse at any moment. Suddenly, he staggered slightly, and this misstep nearly caused him to fall to the ground.
Seeing such an opening, how could Qi Jian Xing let it pass? Finally striking with his real sword, he slashed straight towards Yang Kai’s neck.
Yang Kai lifted his shield in a panic to block this strike, but Qi Jian Xing was already prepared, and his sword flickered in mid strike, abruptly changing its path as it swept towards Yang Kai’s shield and fiercely slammed into it, which caused it to experience immense strain.
As Qi Jian Xing sneered even more, Yang Kai’s eyes suddenly flashed a trace of calm.
At the moment, his shield, which was about to be sliced by Qi Jian Xing’s sword, suddenly emitted a burst of light, and quickly transformed into a blood-red dagger.
Qi Jian Xing’s face was stunned, as he watched this blood-red dagger slice into his sword.
*Shing*, his sword was instantly cut in two!
Back when he was just an Initial Element Stage cultivator, Yang Kai could already destroy a Common Grade defensive artifact with a weapon condensed out of his Yang Liquid, and now that his cultivation had reached the Separation and Reunion Boundary, his Yang Yuan Qi was significantly more pure and rich, so with Qi Jian Xing’s sword being a plain steel forged weapon, and not even a real artifact, how could it possibly not be cut apart?
Yang Kai had been waiting for this opportunity for a long time and rapidly slashed his dagger forward.
As a soft ringing noise sounded out, Qi Jian Xing’s sword was sliced into several pieces, and if he had not retreated quickly, even the hand he was using to grip his sword might have been cut off.
“You…” Qi Jian Xing eyes filled with disbelief as he stared in shock at Yang Kai. Before, he had only used his Sword Qi and True Qi to attack and never needed to engage Yang Kai in a head on collision. Therefore, until now, there was never any worry about his sword being damaged, but how could he have know this tough defensive shield could actually transform.
All of a sudden, his weapon had been destroyed!
A Nine Star Sword School disciple without his sword was bound to suffer a drop in combat strength.
“Now, it’s my turn!” Yang Kai took a deep breath, and his former look of weakness and embarrassment disappeared as his eyes filled with confidence and emitted a thick murderous aura, while he stared arrogantly at Qi Jian Xing.
The latter also suddenly woke up. All along his opponent had only been acting, including when he had let his previously condensed shield be shattered. Everything had been deliberate. Yang Kai put on a good show to reduce his own wariness and make sure his guard was down, all for this single chance to destroy his sword.
Such a bold strategy, such unwavering determination! This was the first time since their battle had begun that Qi Jian Xing truly admired Yang Kai, and not just for his martial skills.
But despite all this, Qi Jian Xing remained fearless, and while tossing away the hilt of his broken sword, he proudly said, “So what if you have destroyed my weapon? You are still not my opponent!”
Having lost his sword, Qi Jian Xing could still display sword skills with his finger sword. Any cultivator at the True Element Boundary could naturally do this, but the power they could bring out would still fall and perhaps not even reach ninety percent of their maximum potential.
[Even with ten percent less power, I can still easily crush waste like you!] Qi Jian Xing sneered to himself.
However just as he was preparing to attack, he saw Yang Kai laugh proudly as he thrust out both his palms.
[Beast Soul Skill!] After holding back for so long, Yang Kai was ecstatic that he could finally show his full strength.
[White Tiger Seal, Divine Ox Seal] Both Seals burst forth simultaneously.
Suddenly, the roar of a tiger shook the Heavens, and the bellow of an ox split the Earth. Qi Jian Xing’s expression became dark as he saw two vicious Monster Beast phantoms appear out of thin air and rush towards him.
These two Monster Beast phantoms were extremely lifelike, like flesh and blood living beings. Their red bodies radiated incomparable power and majesty while their scarlet eyes emitted an awe-inspiring murderous aura.
These two beast phantoms gave Qi Jian Xing a life threatening feeling. How could he possibly be negligent?
Holding two fingers together, he formed a temporary sword, pushed his True Qi to create a sword aura at his fingertips, and slashed out, “Flashing Thunder Sword!”
A dazzling sword wave flew from his fingertips and directly struck the middle of the Monster Beast’s body, which caused its radiance to fade slightly, but completely failed to stop its charge.
“Rising Wind Sword!”Qi Jian Xing quickly retreated as he used his finger sword to display numerous Nine Star Sword School sword skills, but nothing he tried could defeat the two Monster Beast phantoms.
Seeing the two beasts pounce towards him, Qi Jian Xing bent his legs and leapt up to dodge.
But just ten feet off the ground, a sharp murderous intent fell onto his head.
Shifting his gaze above him, he saw Yang Kai maliciously grinning while in the process of launching a punch towards him.
His only escape route was blocked.
In a panic, Qi Jian Xing grit his teeth and quickly sent out three sword waves.
Yang Kai quickly countered with three fists and shattered the three sword waves, but during this moment of delay, Qi Jian Xing managed to twist his body to avoid the blow to his vitals. Nevertheless, he still suffered a heavy palm strike to his shoulder.
Letting out a cry of pain. Qi Jian Xing fell back towards the ground. Facing this life and death crisis, the Nine Star Sword School disciple pushed his combat capabilities to their max. His finger sword rapidly slashed and hacked towards the two Monster Beast phantoms and almost managed to make them collapse completely.
The White Tiger and Divine Ox simultaneously attacked, but neither could hurt Qi Jian Xing, nor collapse his sword. Surrounding his body were countless tiny sword waves, which staunchly served as protection. Every time the White Tiger and Divine Ox struck, these sword waves would automatically deflect them away.
After a brief but violent exchange, the White Tiger and Divine Ox completely disappeared.
After all, these two phantoms were condensed from Yang Kai’s Yuan Qi. They only looked like Monster Beasts, and once the Yuan Qi they were composed of was exhausted, naturally they ceased to exist.
“Hey hey…” Qi Jian Xing laughed arrogantly as he looked towards Yang Kai. He must have consumed a massive amount of Yuan Qi to summon these two Monstrous Beasts phantoms, and ultimately they had failed to even hurt him. For Yang Kai, who was only Separation and Reunion Seventh Stage, he was certain it was impossible for him to execute this skill a second time. This ‘risk all’ strategy was obviously not good at preserving his Yuan Qi in order to keep fighting.
But as soon as he started laughing, a shocking scene took place. Yang Kai, looked at him with eyes filled with contempt, effortlessly summoned another White Tiger and Divine Ox phantom, and sent them rushing towards him, exactly the same as before.
“Impossible!” Qi Jian Xing exclaimed.
“I don’t even need to act anymore; just this move is enough to grind you down!” Yang Kai glared coldly at Qi Jian Xing.
Qi Jian Xing was forced into a defensive impasse, and his face rapidly became gloomy. He knew that what Yang Kai had just declared was not an exaggeration. These two Yuan Qi Monster Beast phantoms were extremely difficult to deal with. The Qi composing his finger sword was already cracking, and would certainly collapse soon, while his True Qi consumption itself was massive. His former disdain and arrogance had long since disappeared.
“However, I am different from you. I will never underestimate any of the opponents, so… I will be attacking too!” Finished speaking, Yang Kai launched a coordinated attack at Qi Jian Xing along with the Divine Ox and White Tiger. Seeing this, Qi Jian Xing did not sit still. He roared as his finger sword flashed through the air again.
The two youths no longer held anything back. Both of them pushed their strength to the limit. Any negligence or reservation would only lead to mortal danger, if not death.
The battle was extremely fierce and dangerous.
As the two Monster Beast phantoms collapsed again, Qi Jian Xing attacked Yang Kai with his finger sword, nearly skewering the latter through completely as blood spurted from the wound and quickly dyed his cloths crimson.
On the other hand, Qi Jian Xing was significantly more miserable. Facing three enemies by himself, his Sword Body skill had been completely exhausted, his True Qi almost completely consumed. His appearance and breath were both ragged, and one of his arms drooped by his side, the forearm section covered in blood as massive teeth marks showed where the White Tiger had ripped into his flesh.
His chest injuries were even more unsightly. Several of his ribs had been broken and collapsed. This injury was caused when the Divine Ox had rammed him, and its horns almost pierced out his back.
Standing more than a hundred feet (ten zhang) apart, Yang Kai’s eyes were filled with ruthlessness while Qi Jian Xing’s expression switched back and forth between rage and depression. Never had he dreamed that one day he would lose to a little Separation and Reunion brat, but now this reality was staring him in the face.
The shame and frustration nearly drove him mad!
Yang Kai did not immediately go for the kill because he knew that a True Element Boundary cultivator’s last desperate struggle before death would be incredibly fierce, so he decided to wait for Qi Jian Xing’s momentum to fade.
“Ha… hahaha…” Qi Jian Xing also seemed to be in no rush and suddenly sneering while taking a few deep breaths to calm his mood and gradually regained his calm, “I admit that you are really strong, stronger than an average True Element cultivator. But so what if you can beat me? I am an actual True Element cultivator, so it is impossible for you to kill me, if I want to leave, you cannot stop me!”
Letting out a scornful laugh, Qi Jian Xing feet kicked the ground, and directly leaped three hundred feet into the air, and his whole body trembled slightly. One arm hung loosely by his side while the other clutched his chest wound, but he still gloated condescendingly, “This is the biggest difference between True Element Boundary and Separation and Reunion Boundary! I can fly, and you cannot, so I can leave at any time I want!”
As he spoke, Qi Jian Xing vomited some blood and struggled to maintain his posture, staring toward Yang Kai filled with hatred, and loudly declared, “I will remember this shame you have delivered me today! The next time I see your face, I swear I will end your dog life!” You’d better pray that you can live that day!
Finished speaking, Qi Jian Xing paused and stared for awhile, as if trying to burn Yang Kai’s face deep into his eyes.
Standing below him, Yang Kai remained indifferent. His face showed total lack of concern for the situation.
After a short time, Qi Jian Xing turned and his figure began to stagger away through the sky, while his whole being was filled with rage and humiliation.
[This hatred, I will definitely repay!] Qi Jian Xing swore to himself.
However, after flying less than three hundred feet, a burst of heat came from behind him along with an ice cold voice, “Where are you trying to run?”
Qi Jian Xing’s face went white as sudden terror gripped his soul. He rapidly turned his face and saw that same High Heaven Pavilion disciple actually flying right up behind him.
And extending from his back…
There was a giant pair of radiant burning wings!
These wings flapped through the wind, like a Great Peng, proud and mighty.
“You…” Qi Jian Xing’s face filled with indescribable horror. He had never heard of a cultivator who could sprout such flaming wings from his body.
Before he could spit out a second word, Yang Kai was already upon him, and a palm strike landed on his abdomen. In the next instant a big hand gripped his neck as the pair fell from the sky like lightning.
Now just inches away from each other, all Qi Jian Xing could see was the murderous intent in Yang Kai’s eyes, frigid and devoid of any emotion.
*Shua…*
Like a meteor blazing across the sky, in the blink of an eye they had approached the ground.
Just as they reached ten feet above the earth, Yang Kai roared, mercilessly throwing Qi Jian Xing down as he abruptly pulled up.
*Peng…*
Dust flew up as Qi Jian Xing’s body slammed into the ground. The impact created a small pit and shattered many of his bones.
Like a broken sack, Qi Jian Xing bounced and rolled for a distance before he gradually come to a stop.
Struggling to open his eyes, he could somewhat make out Yang Kai’s pair of flaming wings as they slowly descended towards him.
Arriving in front of him and dismissing his Flaming Yang Wings, Yang Kai dropped to the ground lightly, walked up to Qi Jian Xing, and stared at him with indifference, just as Qi Jian Xing had done before.
The disgrace! Qi Jian Xing’s shameful last resort in front of Yang Kai had actually not played any role at all.
“Such a death, it is worthy of a True Element master!” Yang Kai ridiculed, lifted his foot, and stepped on Qi Jian Xing’s neck.
“Don’t kill me…” Qi Jian Xing barely managed to say as he coughed and struggled. Blood constantly spilled from the edge of his mouth, “Don’t you want to learn Nine Star Sword School’s sword skills? I can teach you what you want to learn … I can teach you everything … Inside the Nine Star Sword School, I am also a rising star. I have learned all of the school’s advanced sword skills … Keke…”
“No need, I don’t believe you.” Yang Kai remained indifferent.
The Nine Star Sword School’s sword skills were very tempting for Yang Kai, but he simply could not believe Qi Jian Xing would really teach him these. Considering this person’s personality and means, once he had restored his True Qi he would definitely seek revenge, so the only choice was to end his life.
Hearing this, Qi Jian Xing’s already sad face became even more depressed.
“Why are you trying to make my Nine Star Sword School your enemy? If you kill me… Keke… my First Senior Brother will know, and he will not forgive you. With his strength you will be unable to resist!”
Yang Kai stared down at him as his eyes became cold, “Wu Cheng Yi? Don’t worry about your great First Senior Brother. Even if he does not come looking for me, I will definitely go to find him.”
“You really want to be so ruthless…”
“It was you who wanted to be ruthless!” Yang Kai sneered, refusing to say any more nonsense. He pressed down hard with his foot and he pushed his Yuan Qi.
With a crisp snapping sound, Qi Jian Xing’s neck was broken. His head softly slumped to the side, his body now lifeless.
At the moment when Qi Jian Xing died, Wu Cheng Yi, who stood at least a few tens of miles away, suddenly stopped and gazed off towards the distance.
Like how the Ghost King Valley’s three disciples had a special method to determine each other’s position and whether they were alive or dead, the Nine Star Sword School disciples also had a similar technique.
What Wu Cheng Yi found difficult to understand was, how did Qi Jian Xing die?
Could he have met the Tian Lang Dynasty’s cultivators? If not, with his True Element Boundary Third Stage cultivation, there was simply no other explanation.
Wu Cheng Yi’s face showed a touch of sadness. He did not care about whether Qi Jian Xing lived or died, but Qi Jian Xing still had a priceless treasure on him. It was something he and his junior brothers had found in this isolated world and split amongst themselves.
According to Wu Cheng Yi’s memory, Qi Jian Xing had not refined his portion.
“Brother Wu, what’s wrong?” A Raging Fire Temple disciple asked when he saw Wu Cheng Yi’s unsettled expression. He looked around, unable to hide the nervousness in his voice, “Are the Tian Lang cultivators nearby?”
“Possibly!” Wu Cheng Yi nodded before whispering, “We should increase our pace and try to find a safe place to hide.”
Hearing him say so, everyone’s expression became a bit more solemn as they suddenly moved more swiftly and cautiously. These months, they had all suffered a great deal at the hands of these few Tian Lang Dynasty cultivators.
When Qi Jian Xing died, as expected, a new Blood Bead condensed. It’s final size was roughly the same as the one formed when the Ghost King Valley’s disciple had died.
The two of them were both young True Element cultivators, and the gap in their strength was obviously not great.
As Yang Kai began to steady his breath, he reached out and seized this Blood Bead before scavenging Qi Jian Xing’s remains. In just a few moments, Yang Kai had found a number of different sized Blood Beads. These were the spoils of Qi Jian Xing’s battles, which he had not yet found time to refine.
In addition, there were some silver coins and a single, dark green colored bottle.
This was his entire harvest.
Storing these items in his Universe Bag, Yang Kai quickly left the scene.
Half a day later, inside a remote mountain, Yang Kai sat cross-legged, swallowed a few healing pills, and replaced his blood stained clothes, doing his best to remove any trace smell of blood.
The mountain-side cave was something he had dug out himself, and now that he knew that the Tian Lang Dynasty’s cultivators were enslaving Monster Beasts to serve as combat potential, Yang Kai had to consider his future actions more carefully. Therefore, when he dug this cave to rest and recover, he also sealed the entrance to further conceal himself and avoid potential problems.
The intense fight with Qi Jian Xing had given him a number of injuries, none were life threatening, but they definitely were not light either. With his current cultivation and his greatly enhanced physical restoration ability, Yang Kai would only need a few days to fully heal, especially with the assistance of his healing pills.
Just three days later, the three bloody wounds on his body had healed significantly. Although they were not fully recovered, they would not cause any impediment to his actions. Over these past days, Yang Kai had been going over his battle with Qi Jian Xing; using his overconfidence against him, his own cautious and careful observations to find his opponents flaws, and constantly reflecting upon his actions and decisions.
He had gained a lot!
Opening his eyes, his body teemed with energy, full of fighting spirit that gave him a comfortable and confident feeling.
The Yang Liquid in his dantian needed a little replenishing, but with the few bottles of Yang attribute pills his Grand Master Ling Tai Xu’s had left in his Universe Bag, Yang Kai was not overly concerned about this.
Swallowing a full bottle of Yang pills, he managed to add more than a dozen drops of Yang Liquid to his reserve.
As his Yuan Qi became more pure, the amount of Yang Qi required to form a drop of Yang Liquid increased proportionally. This was a good thing.
After considering for a moment, Yang Kai upended the other bottle Yang attribute pills and caused the amount of Yang Liquid in his dantian to surge.
Searching through his Universe Bag, Yang Kai took out a green bottle.
This was something he had seized from Qi Jian Xing, but until now he didn’t know what was stored within it.
Opening the bottle, Yang Kai was instantly struck by a wave of heat. This heat gave him a comfortable feeling, which affected both his body and spirit.
He was aware that the energy contained within this bottle was extremely rich, and although it gave off a similar feel to his own Yang Yuan Qi, there were still some differences.
Looking inside, Yang Kai could only see a liquid the colour of crimson flames within the glass bottle.
There was also not much, only four or five drops at most.
Other than this bottle of liquid, Qi Jian Xing kept almost nothing else on him, as if this was an extremely valuable treasure, so obviously its value was not low.
But what exactly was this? Yang Kai carefully observed, smelled, and secretly had his suspicions, while his curiosity bothered him to death.
“Old Demon!” Yang Kai summoned.
“Yes, Old Servant is ready to serve.” Old Demon quickly began to flatter.
“Look at this liquid, do you know what it is?” Asked Yang Kai.
Old Demon coughed lightly a few times, apparently a bit embarrassed.
“Forget it…” Yang Kai instantly understood that Old Demon had no clue.
This old devil’s memory was fragmented, and sometimes he could provide vital information, but sometimes he was useless. Yang Kai had long since become accustomed to this.
If Old Demon really knew what this liquid was, he would certainly try to show off his knowledge to prove his worthy, so how could he have waited until Yang Kai asked?
Examining it for a long while, Yang Kai concluded that this liquid was likely non-toxic, which after his own observation, Old Demon also agreed with.
But in the end, Yang Kai still had some concerns, so he rushed out from his hidden cave, and after a lengthy search, he found a single fourth-order Monster Beast. He instantly struck its head, knocked it unconscious, and proceeded to haul it back to the cave.
On the way back, Yang Kai plucked a long strand of grass, and upon returning, he carefully dipped it into the bottle of liquid before feeding it to the Monster Beast.
Quietly, Yang Kai monitored its reaction.
After just a few breaths of time, the Monster Beast began letting out miserable and tragic howls, as if some terrible poison was causing it extreme pain, as it twitched violently while white foam vomited from its mouth, and its whole body emitting flashes of light.
Yang Kai face went stiff as he thanked the heavens for his abundant caution, or else he would not have even known how he had died.
However, while Yang Kai was thinking this, the energy fluctuations coming from the Fourth-Order Monster Beast suddenly surged, and it instantly broke free of its restraints and attacked Yang Kai. It’s might was as strong as a dragon and fierce as a tiger, transforming this once quiet cave into a raging battlefield with Yang Kai.
Judging by its current state, where were the slightest signs of poisoning?
After a long intense fight, the beast finally fell to Yang Kai’s wrath!
Once again examining its body, Yang Kai was completely confused.
When he brought it back, it was clearly a Fourth-Order Monster Beast, weak enough for him to easily stun it, but how was it that the strength it had just displayed was so much more powerful? It was more comparable to a Fifth-Order Monster Beast.
While he was pondering this, a Blood Bead quietly condensed.
As Yang Kai’s eyes landed on this Blood Bead, he became stunned for a long time. His face twitched violently, and he immediately spit out a hail of curses!
“Young Master, please calm yourself…” Old Demon quickly tried to comfort.
The reason why Yang Kai was so angry was obviously because his previous speculation about the identity of the liquid in the green bottle was right.
He was certain of it when he saw the Blood Bead which had condensed from this Monster Beast after its death!
This Blood Bead was the size of a small thumbnail. Though not as large as a Blood Bead condensed from a Fifth-Order Monster Beast, it was still much larger than one from a Fourth-Order Monster Beast.
Something which could allow a Fourth-order Monster Beast to enhance its strength to a Fifth-Order level in such a short amount of time was clearly a super rare treasure!
Combined with the knowledge he had heard more than half a year ago, and observing the form and colour of the liquid in the bottle, Yang Kai face filled with regret.
Brilliant Flame Liquid!
A Precious Treasure used specifically to refine one’s Yuan Qi, allowing it to increase in richness and purity, subsequently enhancing one’s overall strength and potential.
In this world, Precious Treasures which could refine one’s Yuan Qi were extremely rare, so each one was priceless. Things like the Nine Yin Yuan Condensing Dew were amongst the most high-end of these treasures.
And this Brilliant Flame Liquid was definitely in the same league.
When Yang Kai had heard the Reflecting Moon Sect’s Elder Zhou Wen speak about the Brilliant Flame Liquid back at the Nether Mountain Lake, Yang Kai had not been too tempted because he already had the Nine Yin Yuan Condensing Dew, but now that he had luckily acquired this Brilliant Flame Liquid, the situation was different.
The Nine Yin Yuan Condensing Dew would be used when Yang Kai tried to break through to the True Element Boundary.
Meanwhile, the Brilliant Flame Liquid could be used right now, and using both would obviously lead to an even better result.
Unfortunately, half a drop of such a priceless treasure had been fed to a Monstrous Beast, which greatly distressed Yang Kai, causing his stomach to flip and his lungs to burn. His whole body was filled with grief.
Yet, ultimately, what was done was done. Regret would gain him nothing. He should instead be thankful for the Nine Star Sword School’s good luck, so he calmed himself and sat down cross-legged.
Carefully extracting a drop of Brilliant Flame Liquid from the bottle and placing it in his mouth, Yang Kai quickly shut his eyes, sealed off his senses, and meditated!
Rapidly circulating his True Yang Secret Art, Yang Kai felt like his dantian had been set on fire, and the flames were gradually spreading; for someone who cultivated Yang or flame attribute Secret Arts, encountering such a feeling was extremely rare.
Just this alone showed how intense and scorching the hidden energy within the Brilliant Flame Liquid was.
The burning sensation was not very strong at first, but as time passed, Yang Kai felt like he was being roasted alive inside a blazing oven. Steam poured out of his skin, and his new set of clothes instantly became soaked in sweat.
This violent burning sensation began in his lower abdomen and remained there for a moment, but was soon pulled out by his circulating True Yang Secret Art, and spread out in all directions until it gradually enveloped every part of his body.
The pain was searing his meridians! Yang Kai tightly grit his teeth, not daring to relax in the slightest, and desperately pushed his Secret Art to operate faster.
This heat felt akin to flames that could burn the Heavens, as if molten magma, which could incinerate the earth, had been poured into his meridians, constantly smelting the Yuan Qi inside.
After several circulations, Yang Kai was shocked to find that his Yuan Qi, which he had previously felt had been purified and compressed to the limit, actually began to become even more so.
Stunned for a moment, he quickly regained his focus and began to operate his Secret Art to the limit.
A moment later, the Yuan Qi in his meridians had reached its limit and could be refined no further, so Yang Kai channeled the remaining energy of the Brilliant Flame Liquid into his dantian.
Within his dantian, there were nearly a hundred drops of Yang Liquid to be refined.
Time slowly passed, and a few days later, Yang Kai opened his eyes. A radiant light seemingly overflowed from within them, and he involuntarily let out a long breath. “Amazing!”
With a single drop of Brilliant Flame Liquid, his whole body’s Yuan Qi had been refined again and again, and the one hundred drops of Yang Liquid had been condensed down into a dozen drops. Each one contained a significantly richer and more powerful energy than before.
Not only had his Yuan Qi undergone such refinement, even his meridians and physique had experienced some enhancement.
His meridians expanded and became tougher, while his body became more solid, and every inch of his skin plus every cell in his body was rejuvenated from inside to out. It was like he was reborn.
His cultivation at the Separation and Reunion Boundary Seventh Stage had been largely consolidated and was not far from breaking through to Separation and Reunion Eighth Stage!
This is the effect of refining Yuan Qi, and it sometimes promoted breakthrough, so was not only a way to increase the energy of the body!
“Old Demon, do you think I can directly break through if I refine another drop of Brilliant Flame Liquid?” Yang Kai asked somewhat eagerly.
Although Old Demon was not very reliable sometimes, he still had a wealth of experience, “It is probably useless. Young Master being able to quench his Yuan Qi to this level is the greatest effect of this kind of Precious Treasure, this is not something which taking more leads to better results. If Young Master wants to further refine his Yuan Qi, the only option is to find a stronger and more precious treasure.
“I thought so.” Yang Kai sighed slightly, and carefully placed the green vial back into his Universe Bag.
[I wonder where the Nine Star Sword School disciples found this Brilliant Flame Liquid. Qi Jian Xing had a few drops on him, so as their leader, shouldn’t Wu Cheng Yi also have some? Wouldn’t he also have a larger amount?]
Thinking until here, Yang Kai grinned maliciously.
Wu Cheng Yi had sent Qi Jian Xing to kill him, so how could Yang Kai let this go? They already had a irresolvable grudge between them, and now knowing the other has such a priceless treasure on him, it would be strange for Yang Kai not to desire his death.
But Wu Cheng Yi was currently much stronger than him, and he was also the temporary leader of that group of young cultivators. If Yang Kai really wanted to directly confront him, he was bound to suffer. This matter had to be planned out carefully.
Settling his thoughts, Yang Kai decided it was time to leave.
For the next month, Yang Kai spent his time killing Monster Beasts in different places. During this time he did not encounter a single other person, but even so, the number of Monstrous Beasts around were very few. It seemed that things were really as Chen Xue Shu had explained that day. Tian Lang Dynasty cultivators had enslaved most of the various Monster Beasts.
After a whole month, Yang Kai’s harvest was meager at best. If he could not kill any Monster Beasts, then he naturally could not get any Blood Beads, but this was only a secondary problem.
The key was that the Monster Beasts he encountered were too weak, fourth-order Monster Beasts could not stand a single blow from the current Yang Kai. Even the strength of most fifth-order Monster Beasts was not a significant threat to him, so without experiencing a difficult fight, he was unable to stimulate his own potential in order to break through to the next minor realm.
Thus, all this time, Yang Kai had been eager to baptize himself in the blood of strong enemies!
Since he could not gain any opportunities this past month, Yang Kai inadvertently spent more time exploring other uses of his Beast Soul Skills.
The Beast Soul Skills he had received from the two Monster Beasts were not just a simple means of attack! However, Yang Kai was still just in the testing phases of this second application and had yet to perfect its use.
On this day, when Yang Kai killed three fourth-order Monster Beasts, in a certain place thirty kilometers away, hidden amongst the jungle, a young woman suddenly opened her eyes, and her expression showed a hint of viciousness and surprise.
The clothing and facial features of this woman were slightly different from those of the Great Han Dynasty. She was clearly one of the Tian Lang Dynasty cultivators.
She was by no means ugly, and could easily be described as a great beauty, but somehow she gave off a very strange feeling. It was as though her beauty was a simply a guise for a viper that could strike at any moment, piercing down with her venomous fangs and condemning one to death.
Anyone who laid eyes upon her would know instinctively that she was not to be underestimated.
She dressed quite seductively. Her pair of jade arms were fully exposed, and her upper body was wrapped in a tight fitting bandeau, which could barely contain her proud chest. When she raised her hands, her flat belly and delicate navel left little to the imagination, while her lower body’s covering was even more simple, a short skirt, which seemed to highlight her enchanting bottom, from which her two slender alluring legs extended.
Looking towards Yang Kai’s direction, a faint sneer appeared on her face as she slowly stood up. Her exquisite, petite body seemingly filled with an incomparably explosive force.
When she got up, the two people standing behind her quietly retreated a few steps and stared at this young Tian Lang Dynasty woman’s back. Their eyes were filled with fear and resentment.
These two were a young man and woman!
If Yang Kai were here, he would certainly be surprised because these two were actually the Ghost King Valley disciples Jin Hao and Leng Shan.
As the Ghost King Valley’s two elite disciples were staring at this young woman’s back, their True Qi involuntarily surged slightly, and their eyes flashed some murderous intent.
“Roar…” At that moment, the surrounding several tens of Monster Beasts suddenly bared their fangs towards Jin Hao and Leng Shan and snarled, clearly warning them not to act.
The young Tian Lang Dynasty woman slowly turned around, gazing at Jin Hao and Leng Shan with great meaning, causing both of them to tremble and quickly suppress their killing intent and True Qi.
“You’re not able to kill me!” This woman’s name was Zi Mo. Even after having stayed by her side for one or two months, this was the full extent of the personal information Jin Hao and Leng Shan knew about her.
Zi Mo ruthlessly sneered, “Such an offence will only happen once. If you dare to have such thoughts again, then don’t blame me for being ruthless!”
Jin Hao and Leng Shan’s eyes were filled with unwillingness, but they did not dare to act presumptuously. Jin Hao quickly bowed, “This servant and Junior Sister dare not. Please rest assured young lady Zi!”
Zi Mo glared at him before smirking, “You should be thankful you fell into my hands. If you had met with my two Senior Brothers or Senior Sister, you would probably be dead by now.”
Finished speaking, Zi Mo casually strolled forward, and her enchanting waist lightly swayed with grace, as if she were floating on air, and on her pink lips a seductive smile blossomed.
As Jin Hao quietly watched her, he unconsciously swallowed his saliva.
Zi Mo’s body was superb, and her style was extremely bold, completely different from the Great Han Dynasty’s women. Although he had been following her for quite some time now, every time he looked at her it gave him a never before felt stimulus, especially her flat belly and exquisite navel. The combination for some reason held an unspeakable attraction to him.
She had become a focus of his fantasies. If he could strip this gorgeous woman and mercilessly ravage and taste her exquisite body causing her to scream and beg for mercy, how wondrous would that be?
But Jin Hao could only dream about such things. In front of Zi Mo, he did not have the courage to show any of these thoughts.
This young woman from the Tian Lang Dynasty was simply a murderous snake! She was crueler and more bloodthirsty than any Ghost King Valley disciple he had ever known.
As Zi Mo walked up to Leng Shan, while still wearing the same mischievous smile, Leng Shan’s expression became cold, and a disgusted look spread across her face. Her body also began to tremble, but she somehow managed to hold her voice in.
Zi Mo giggled as she stretched out her hand, gently lifted Leng Shan’s delicate chin, and focused all her attention at her bright red lips.
In the next instant, she suddenly leaned in towards her and pressed her own lips softly onto Leng Shan’s mouth.
Jin Hao quickly sucked in a deep breath, and he awkwardly bent his butt out, trying to hide his lower body as his heart rapidly beating and his blood seemed to boil.
The sounds of passionate kissing became more and more intense while Leng Shan desperately tried to resist. However, this only intensified Zi Mo’s sadistic interest. Accompanied by a seductive laugh, Zi Mo pushed her other hand into Leng Shan’s clothes and wantonly groped her body.
At this point, Jin Hao’s eyes had turned red with envy.
Inside the Sect, Leng Shan’s position was lofty, enough so that he did not dare to act presumptuously in front of her, but these days he had watched her be fully tasted and defiled in front of him, and the one to do so had actually been another beautiful and exotic woman.
Jin Hao watch as a snake-like tongue explored the inside of his Junior Sister’s mouth as her proud chest was brazenly kneaded. Her well rounded hips and bottom were groped and squeezed by those jade-like hands. The whole scene exuded a raw and beguiling sensuality.
This scene had not happened just once or twice. Jin Hao had been forced to watch this act play out seven or eight times already, and every time caused his nether region to engorge and burn with desire.
Leng Shan’s futile resistance gradually gave way to obedience, and the two women eventually lost themselves in erotic pleasure. The sounds of gasping breaths and rapid heartbeats spread around them and provoked an atmosphere of excitement and revelry.
Jin Hao forced himself to turn his head, afraid that if he continued to watch he would not be able to hold himself back.
After what seemed like an eternity, Zi Mo finally released Leng Shan. A fine crystal line was drawn between the pair’s lips as they slowly parted.
Leng Shan’s breath was ragged as she trembled lightly. The tears slowly fell from her dyed red eyes and were gently wiped by Zi Mo as she lightly laughed, akin to a gentleman comforting his lover.
“Don’t you also want to have her like this?” Zi Mo suddenly turned around and looked at Jin Hao.
“Ah?” Jin Hao was stunned by her question, a look of confusion plastered on his face.
Zi Mo smiled playfully, “You like your Junior Sister, right?”
Jin Hao shifted his gaze to Leng Shan and eventually nodded his head.
“Then I can provide you such a chance!” Zi Mo looked at Jin Hao with great meaning. “But it is up to you if you can seize it!”
Jin Hao looked like he was struggling as his face contorted, but Zi Mo was not anxious as she quietly watched him and waited for his reply. She knew Jin Hao would not refuse her proposal because he was definitely not a gentleman.
Sure enough, after a moment of hesitation, Jin Hao suddenly kneeled on the ground and earnestly replied, “This servant is willing to sincerely submit himself, henceforth only obeying the orders of Young Miss, come hell or high water, until the end of his days!”
“Ha ha ha…” Zi Mo laughed proudly while lightly tossing her hair and nodded her approval, “Very good! A wise man will submit to his circumstances. I like wise men!”
“Senior Brother …” Leng Shan face sank as she looked nervously at Jin Hao.
Jin Hao simply scratched his face somewhat embarrassed, “Junior Sister, you and I only live now so long as Young Lady wishes us to, why bother struggling in vain? Young Lady has already showed us great benevolence, and is now willing to give us such an opportunity to be together, so submitting to her now is naturally our life’s opportunity!”
Leng Shan could only look at Jin Hao with disgust, and no longer cared about him as she slowly closed her eyes.
Watching this scene, Zi Mo simply chuckled, leaned her back against a great tree, and relaxed her lithe body. Her demeanour still exuding an amorous style, as she softly said, “I want you to help me capture an individual and bring them here! After you complete this task, you may have your way with your Junior Sister, whatever you wish to do with or to her, you may do!”
Hearing this, Leng Shan’s face went pale while Jin Hao’s filled with a look of excitement.
“If you are fast enough, and you complete this task efficiently, completely satisfying me…” Zi Mo paused as her red tongue seductively licked her lips, “Letting me accompany you once along with your Junior Sister is possible… after all, be they young women or young men, I thoroughly enjoy them all.”
Jin Hao could not help but swallow hard.
Not only being able to wantonly violate his Junior Sister… but also obtaining this Tian Lang Dynasty’s exotic woman as well …
One dragon ravaging two phoenixes, such an occurrence could only occur in a wondrous dream!
Jin Hao could not contain his excitement and loudly exclaimed, “Young Lady please direct this servant!”
Zi Mo’s look became cold, and she reached out and pointed towards the distance, “Thirty kilometers in that direction you will find your goal. Move quickly, if you are too slow you might not catch up.”
Jin Hao’s brow wrinkled, “If this servant may ask, how many people are there?”
“There should only be one!” Zi Mo replied confidently.
“Only one?” Jin Hao’s complexion became slightly worse, and he quickly commented, “Someone who could survive this long on their own, their strength is obviously not weak. Young Miss, I would like to bring my Junior Sister along just in case, please allow this!”
“Hmm…” Zi Mo smiled deviously, “I want your Junior Sister to stay with me, so she cannot accompany you, but… I can send a few Monster Beasts to help you, three fifth-order Monster Beasts should be enough, right?”
Jin Hao’s face suddenly went bitter, as he completely understood that this young woman did not trust him. Three fifth-order Monster Beast were enough to suppress him. Rather than them being sent to help him, they were obviously there to monitor his actions.
“Certainly enough!” Jin Hao did not dare to show any dissatisfaction and quickly agreed.
“Go on then, remember that your Junior Sister will be waiting back here for you, and if you’re swift enough about it… so will I.” Zi Mo winked at him.
“Yes!” Jin Hao’s bitterness was instantly blown away, and he jumped up and dashed along the direction Zi Mo had pointed.
Three fifth-order Monster Beasts were also quick to keep up.
Different fifth-order Monster Beasts had different levels of strength. As Jin Hao flew out, he glanced back to see which three beasts had been sent to accompany him. Upon checking their appearances his heart could not help but curse this little slut.
If it had only been three ordinary fifth-order Monster Beasts, Jin Hao could have handled them, but the three that were sent were all mid-level fifth-order Monster Beasts, and each one was comparable to a True Element Fifth or Sixth Stage cultivator. With such monitoring, how could he have any unscrupulous thoughts?
For the moment he could only focus on his task and completely devote himself to pleasing Zi Mo.
Jin Hao moved rapidly. The thought of indulging himself with Leng Shan and Zi Mo’s tender bodies pushed him forward, and he arrived at his destination in less than a stick of incense worth of time.
Concealing his breath, he looked around but did not find any traces of people. The only thing left here was some dust. However, this dust was clearly the remains of recently killed Monster Beasts.
The three Monster Beasts quickly came up and sniffed the remains before darting off in a new direction.
Jin Hao following closely behind.
After tracking this person for a half hour or so, the three fifth-order Monster Beasts suddenly stopped and growled towards a spot in the jungle while baring their fangs.
Jin Hao swiftly landed, stared at the jungle, and lightly called out, “Fellow brother, please come out and show yourself.”
Shortly after Jin Hao called out, a hidden figure emerged from within the dark jungle.
The other side so brazenly revealing themselves caused Jin Hao to tense up as he secretly circulated his True Qi. He felt the other side’s fearless actions proved that his previous conjecture had been correct; this person was likely a hidden master.
But when the figure’s appearance became clear, Jin Hao’s pupils suddenly shrunk as he stood there stunned, like he had just seen a ghost, his face showing an expression of total disbelief.
In fact, Yang Kai, who stood in front of him, also felt quite helpless.
The other side had confirmed his hiding place, so what meaning was there in continuing to conceal himself? Staying put would mean losing the initiative, so he decided it would be better to just honestly come out.
Sweeping his eyes over the surroundings, Yang Kai’s brow wrinkled, instantly gaining a lot of insight into his current predicament.
“It’s you!” Jin Hao shouted, “How did you, no, how could you …”
“Survive?” Yang Kai grinned.
“Exactly! How could you still be alive?” Jin Hao’s voice was filled with confusion.
More than half a year ago, the three Ghost King Valley disciples had tried to kill Yang Kai. Yu Cheng Kun, who was the fastest, had closely pursued him while Jin Hao and Leng Shan had followed slightly further behind, but just before the two of them arrived at the top of a high cliff, they felt Yu Cheng Kun die.
At that time, Jin Hao thought that Yang Kai had managed to drag Yu Cheng Kun off the cliff, killing both of them, but more than half year later, they had actually met again, and this time, this High Heaven Pavilion disciple was not only in perfect health, he had also increased his strength substantially compared to half a year ago.
“Then, why should I be dead?” Yang Kai sneered.
“Didn’t you fall off that cliff?” Jin Hao tried to think of an explanation.
“No, I fell down, but then I climbed back up again. By the way, your Junior Brother did not have such good luck, when he fell to the bottom of the cliff he became a splatter of meat and blood, dying without a burial place. It was all very tragic.” Yang Kai said dismissively.
His plan was to use these words to disturb Jin Hao’s focus, stimulate his anger, and force him into making a mistake, but Yang Kai had not expected that Jin Hao remained completely indifferent, just standing there sneering at him.
If this had happened half a year ago, Jin Hao probably would have been angered, but now, with his own life held within the palm of another’s hand and unable to guarantee his own survival, how would he have time to worry about others?
Aware of Jin Hao’s indifference, Yang Kai frowned as he examined the three ferocious fifth-order Monster Beasts behind him, suddenly speaking with utter disdain “So you’ve abandoned your Sect and joined up with those cultivators from the Tian Lang Dynasty.”
The three fifth-order Monster Beasts were not the same species, yet they were just sitting there together, not fighting amongst themselves. Instead, they directed all their hostility towards him, so the only explanation was that they had been enslaved by someone.
Jin Hao did not have this ability, only the disciples from the Tian Lang Dynasty could enslave these Monster Beasts.
“What do you know?” Jin Hao suddenly became furious, roaring at Yang Kai, “You know nothing! How dare you slander me, deciding on your own what is right and wrong! If you have so much energy to spare, why don’t you first take care of yourself!?”
Gesturing to the beasts behind him, Jin Hao ordered, “Kill him!”
Yang Kai’s expression was tense, vigilantly watching these three fifth-order Monster Beasts.
But the three beasts only continued snarling at Yang Kai, completely ignoring Jin Hao’s orders to attack him.
“Damn it, that little slut!” Jin Hao could not help but curse. Zi Mo had let these three Monster Beasts follow him, but since they refused to obey his commands, what use were they?
“Pfft… haha… hahaha…” Seeing this farce play out before him, Yang Kai burst out laughing.
Jin Hao complexion went from red to blue, like he had been roasted over a fire then frozen in ice, too embarrassed to even retort. Yang Kai’s ridicule coupled with this embarrassing situation had completely infuriated him. Gripping his fists so hard that they bled, he cursed at his still laughing opponent, “Go ahead, laugh all you want, when I’m finished with you, you’ll never be able to laugh again!”
Done talking, two ghastly white claws suddenly burst forth, giving off a biting chill, and shot towards Yang Kai as swiftly as the wind.
These ghost claws swept forward, creating a gloomy light and a frigid aura which envelope Yang Kai, seemingly eroding away his life force.
Yang Kai’s face became serious, rapidly pushing his Yuan Qi to resist this erosion while defending himself from Jin Hao’s attacks.
The gap in cultivation between them was quite large. Jin Hao had reached the True Element Boundary Fifth Stage, two minor realms higher than Qi Jian Xing’s; however, if one compared them, their individual combat strengths were nearly the same.
This was the result of having different origins; Qi Jian Xing was a rising star disciple of the Nine Star Sword School, a famous first-class Sect, while Jin Hao was only from the Ghost King Valley, a second-class Sect.
Thus, even while Yang Kai fell into a detrimental situation, he had no concerns that he could keep his life.
Over the past month, his strength had also grown significantly.
The only uncertain factors for Yang Kai were the three fifth-order Monster Beasts that waited to the side.
These three possessed extraordinary strength, if they were to really attack together, his only hope would be to escape.
But after fighting for such a long time, Yang Kai was surprised to find that the three Monster Beasts were content to simply spectate, showing no intention of intervening; this development significantly bolstered his courage, in the next instant he activated Unyielding Will, causing his cultivation to soar straight to peak Separation and Reunion.
Jin Hao was ruthless, every attack more ferocious than the last, seemingly venting all his pent up anger and frustration here while completely forgetting Zi Mo’s orders for him to capture Yang Kai. He only focused all his might on tearing this little brat to shreds.
Seizing the upper hand, after a half cup of tea’s time, Jin Hao had left more than a dozen scars on Yang Kai, and although these were not mortal wounds, he had drawn a lot of blood.
“Haha… little brat, today you won’t escape death!” In the middle of this fierce battle, Jin Hao did not forget to show off his dominance, sneering at Yang Kai while he taunting him endlessly.
Yang Kai grit his teeth, throwing out a heavy punch, causing Jin Hao to take a defensive stance while he retreated.
Seeing an opening, Yang Kai raised both his palms, thrusting them towards Jin Hao’s chest.
Two energy fluctuations that seemed to contain a breath of life suddenly appeared; aware of this strike’s unusual power and murderous aura, Jin Hao instantly became vigilant.
The sound of a tiger’s roar and an ox’s bellow rang out as Yang Kai activated his Beast Soul Skill.
Flowing from his palms, two crimson lifelike figures thundered out.
Jin Hao’s face immediately went pale as he rapidly fell back; facing these two Monster Beast phantoms, he no longer dared to underestimate his opponent, pushing his True Qi to its limit and releasing one deadly attack after another.
Yang Kai cursed under his breath, attacking together with the two beast phantoms.
Although he successfully displayed the Beast Soul Skill, it was not what Yang Kai had wanted. During the past month, he had been researching this Beast Soul Skill’s other usage and had hoped he could successfully apply it to defeat Jin Hao here, but the Heavens seemed unwilling to let him succeed, forcing him to give up for the time being.
Jin Hao was indeed a master at the True Element Fifth Stage; even fighting together with the two beast phantoms, Yang Kai still could not gain a decisive advantage, only managing to create a stalemate at best.
After a short time, the Yuan Qi which composed the two beast phantoms was exhausted and they faded away.
Taking this opportunity, Jin Hao quickly charged forward, grinning as he yelled, “Little brat, time for you to die!”
Yang Kai wore a serious expression, lifting his palms again.
Seeing this familiar action, Jin Hao despaired. He was extremely unwilling to face those two deadly yet phantasmal Monster Beasts again. Feeling pressured into a corner, he decided to play his trump card.
The sound of cries and howls rang out as a black gas erupted from Jin Hao’s palm, the distorted image of a face ferociously roaring from within it, filled with a mix of Demonic Qi and murderous hostility. This apparition composed of grudges and resentment flew towards Yang Kai.
This scene was like deja vu.
On the day when Yu Cheng Kun and Yang Kai had both fallen from the top of that cliff, he had seen him use such a move.
Seeing this attack come out, Yang Kai was completely unafraid! He had actually been looking forward to Jin Hao resorting to this technique; it had simply not appeared until now.
A sneer appearing on his face, Yang Kai suddenly stopped moving, his entire mood becoming calm, as if he was totally unaware a crisis was approaching.
Pushing his palms out, the two strands of energy that appeared combined into one.
No White Tiger, no Divine Ox, no beast roar, only a softly glowing light emerged.
With a single step, Jin Hao dodged this light, avoiding it with extreme ease.
However, in the next instant, this soft light drilled into the body of one of the fifth-order Monster Beasts behind him! However, the Monster Beast did not produce any movement as it did so.
Success! Yang Kai was extremely happy.
Jin Hao was furious, quickly snapping, “You little brat, playing tricks and trying to scare I, your father, Jin!?”
Having just suffered greatly in his fight against those two beast phantoms, Jin Hao’s heart still had some lingering fear, so when he saw Yang Kai assume the same posture he had used to summon them the first time, he had not hesitated to play his own trump card, but the other side had only conjured up some fluff with no trace of those two ferocious beasts in sight, how could he not be angered?
However, just as his voice faded, Jin Hao anger turned to shock as an excruciating pain suddenly burst out from inside his head causing his expression to go pale as he writhed in agony. The circulation of his True Qi became turbulent as a look of horror spread across his face, quickly staring at Yang Kai in shock, “You… you were hit with my Ghost King Seal, how come nothing happened?”
At that moment, Jin Hao clearly felt that his Ghost King Seal had disappeared.
Like how that day Yu Cheng Kun had suffered great pain with his Ghost King Seal being devoured, Jin Hao was also currently experiencing this backlash.
“Hahaha, looks like it’s you who’s going to die!” Yang Kai grinned deviously.
“How are you able to destroy my Ghost King Seal?” Jin Hao’s face was filled with confusion and horror. How could he have guessed that, inside Yang Kai’s body right now, Old Demon was celebrating while feasting on his technique.
A Ghost King Seal was formed from a remnant devil soul fragment, it was cultivated by a Ghost King Valley disciple feeding it their own True Qi and Blood Essence, creating a symbiotic bond between the two, but to Old Demon it was just a delicious snack.
“Go ask your Junior Brother when you see him in the yellow river. He also experienced this before he died.” Done talking, Yang Kai summoned a drop of Yang Liquid into his hand and shaped it into a blood red sword.
Jin Hao’s hands had been tempered with Ghost King Valley’s unique secret art, resulting in his white ghostly claws being as hard as iron, not inferior to a Common Grade Low-Rank artifact in strength or sharpness. Thus in order to deal with him, a weapon formed from his Yang Liquid was the best choice.
Although Jin Hao still had the strength to fight back, with the inexplicable disappearance of his Ghost King Seal, his mental state had become unstable, and he no longer had the confidence to confront Yang Kai again, immediately deciding to retreat temporarily.
But before he could take more than three steps back, a sharp murderous intent emerged behind him, sending a shiver down his spine. Unable to respond in time, he was suddenly struck by the scent of blood as a burst of pain came from his neck.
Falling to the ground, Jin Hao struggled desperately to resist as his eyes caught sight of one of his “allied” Monster Beasts that had accompanied him biting into him. His heart instantly freezing over, Jin Hao roared towards the Heavens, “Zi Mo, you treacherous bitch!”
In that instant, he was convinced that Zi Mo had decided to kill him.
Facing this life and death crisis, Jin Hao suddenly pushed his strength to the limit, finally managing to free himself from the fifth-order Monster Beast’s fangs, and awkwardly stumbled to his feet, blood pouring out of the gash which had been left on his neck.
Barely managing to regain his footing, he was instantly assaulted by Yang Kai’s sword.
As the blood red sword chopped down, Jin Hao quickly raised his hand to block, his ghost claw displaying its incredible resilience. Even after taking a direct hit, it had only suffered a deep cut rather than being severed from his arm.
At the same time, that fifth-order Monster Beast had also rushed in, attacking together with Yang Kai against the battered Jin Hao. With his soul damaged and having suffered a heavy blow just now, Jin Hao could at most use thirty percent of his strength, so how could he possibly pose as Yang Kai’s opponent?
After only thirty breaths of time, Yang Kai had managed to cut off Jin Hao’s ghost claws. Having lost his all-important hands, Jin Hao no longer had the ability to resist. Fleeing in panic, but lacking the strength to even fly, he was soon cut down by Yang Kai and the fifth-order Monster Beast.
When Jin Hao died, the other two Monster Beasts which had been observing until now seemed to receive some instructions, quickly escaping together.
Yang Kai had been wary of their movements since before the fight began; knowing that they had been enslaved by the Tian Lang Dynasty cultivators, he fully intended to behead them, but they had escaped too swiftly and he was unable to keep up, so he reluctantly let them go.
Gently breathing a sigh of relief, Yang Kai looked over to the fifth-order Monster Beast beside him, his wrinkled brow gradually relaxing, his eyes slowly revealing a touch of satisfaction.
This battle had been significantly easier than the one he had against that Nine Star Sword School disciple.
Old Demon’s existence and this fifth-order Monster Beast’s defection were the keys to him so smoothly dealing with Jin Hao.
Up until he died, Jin Hao still did not understand why the Monster Beast, which had accompanied him, suddenly turned on him.
The root of everything was the Beast Soul Skill.
This particular usage was something which Yang Kai had unintentionally discovered. A few days ago, when he had encountered a fifth-order Monster Beast, Yang Kai had tried to display his Beast Soul Skill to summon the two beast phantoms to assist him, but for some inexplicable reason, the two beast souls merged together, turning into a glowing light which penetrated into the fifth-order Monster Beast’s body.
Immediately after, this fifth-order Monster Beast actually began to obey Yang Kai’s orders!
This inadvertent discovery made Yang Kai ecstatic, causing him to spend some time exploring just how and why this mysterious effect had come about, but his efforts had proven mostly fruitless. Unable to summon the same phenomenon again, he became quite frustrated.
The main problem was that the number of Monster Beasts he encountered had become smaller and smaller, leaving him with virtually no test subjects.
The one thing he had accomplished was naming this skill.
He called this new martial skill, which was formed by merging the White Tiger Seal and the Divine Ox Seal together, the Beast Slave Seal!
Now, he could either summon the two beast phantoms to assist him, or combine the two together to form this new martial skill.
While fighting Jin Hao, the Beast Slave Seal played a huge role. If not for the fifth-order Monster Beast’s surprise attack at the end of the battle, with Jin Hao’s means and strength, he most likely would have escaped.
This skill was amazing, absolutely more powerful when compared to the White Tiger Seal and the Divine Ox Seal’s power. When he summoned the two beast phantoms, although their attack strength was extraordinary, their overall combat effectiveness was somewhat lacking. Each of the two phantom’s combat abilities were slightly less than this single fifth-order Monster Beast in front of him; they could only achieve victory against it because of superior numbers.
Thirty kilometers away, the meditating Zi Mo suddenly opened her eyes, a flash of surprise appearing on her face, while her expression became somewhat confused.
Leng Shan, who was standing behind her, also had a startled look on her face, staring off towards Yang Kai’s direction in a trance. A trace of grief and pleasure appeared in her eyes, a complex mix of sympathy and gloating.
Although Jin Hao was her Senior Brother in their Sect, when he accepted Zi Mo’s request, it had caused Leng Shan to detest him, and she prayed he would fail and die out there rather than returning and defiling her body, sparing her from that nightmare. But now that her wish had been granted, she was left alone at the mercy of this moody Tian Lang Dynasty woman, her future filled with uncertainty.
When Jin Hao died, both of these women had sensed it through different methods.
“Your Senior Brother… is dead.” Zi Mo slowly stood up, lightly glancing at Leng Shan.
“Hmph, it’s good that he died!” Leng Shan sneered.
“Hehe, true, such a useless man, I couldn’t be more disappointed.” Zi Mo grinned dismissively, her brow frowning shortly after as she pondered, “But this person certainly has some means, managing to kill him in such a short period of time, he is definitely not some small fry…”
As Zi Mo talked, her eyes lit up, as if she had just received a new toy. Her pretty face showed a look of excitement, even her breath became slightly more rapid.
With a light step, Zi Mo began moving in Yang Kai’s direction, the dozens of Monster Beasts lying on the ground around her standing up and rapidly chasing after her.
Leng Shan glanced around for a moment, and then silently followed as well.
She knew that it was impossible for her to escape. Even if she could somehow ignore the multitude of Monster Beasts surrounding her, that thing that Zi Mo had planted in her body was enough to decide whether she lived or died.
Yang Kai put away the Blood Bead which condensed after Jin Hao died and then turned to look at the fifth-order Monster Beast by his side.
This thing was a Malevolent Golden Shadow Leopard, a majestic beast with a slim stature and smooth body lines. Its every muscle hid an explosive power, each limb adorned by claws sharp enough to rip apart three inches of steel.
Yang Kai could feel that this fifth-order Monster Beast was much more powerful than the few he had killed up till now; it was probably a mid-stage fifth-order beast.
Equivalent to a fifth or sixth stage True Element Boundary cultivator.
Having said that, in a real fight, it would not be a match for a True Element Boundary fifth or sixth Stage cultivator, someone at the True Element Boundary second or third Stage would be enough to kill it.
What was slightly puzzling to Yang Kai was not its strength though, but rather its current state.
He always had a feeling that it was not completely under his control.
This feeling was very disconcerting and should be impossible under the effects of the Beast Slave Seal. However, at the moment, this Malevolent Golden Shadow Leopard was restless, constantly shaking its head and tail, growling again and again.
Something was wrong!
Pondering for a moment, Yang Kai began to speculate that the method used by the Tian Lang Dynasty cultivators to enslave these Monster Beasts was somehow in conflict with his own Beast Slave Seal.
Walking up to it, while trying to sooth the Golden Shadow Leopard, Yang Kai placed his hand on its forehead, injecting his Yuan Qi into its body, examining it for any abnormalities.
After his Yuan Qi had circulated five or six times, Yang Kai finally found discovered something out of place.
Inside the skull of the Malevolent Golden Shadow Leopard was something that exuded a different life essence.
Yang Kai’s face became solemn as he stared at the Malevolent Golden Shadow Leopard, feeling it become more and more uncomfortable, now completely aware that this other life form and his Beast Slave Seal were fighting for control.
When two tigers fought, both would receive injuries, and no matter which of them won, the one that would ultimately be hurt was Malevolent Golden Shadow Leopard.
Frowning, Yang Kai increased the output of his Yuan Qi while carefully controlling the path it traveled, because the foreign life form was adjacent to the Malevolent Golden Shadow Leopard’s Beast Core; once its Beast Core was damaged, it would certainly die.
Only after the Malevolent Golden Shadow Leopard had adapted to his Yuan Qi, did Yang Kai dare to further raise the amount he injected.
After repeating this process three or four times, the thing inside of the leopard’s head was finally unable to bear it any longer and rapidly burst out, desperate to escape. Aware of this, Yang Kai focused his efforts on capturing it so he could figure out what method the Tian Lang Dynasty cultivators were using to enslave these Monster Beasts.
After about ten breaths of time, a roughly three centimeter insect emerged from the Malevolent Golden Shadow Leopard’s forehead.
Yang Kai reacted quickly, reaching out and grasping it in his hand.
Hastily examining it, he saw that this insect somewhat resembled a cross between a centipede and a leech, but before he could grasp anything more, the insect burrowed into his body along his finger.
Yang Kai’s face sank, quickly running his Yuan Qi.
Instantly, the insect was wrapped in his True Yang Yuan Qi and imprisoned in his meridians.
Wrinkling his brow, Yang Kai paused instead of ruthlessly killing it. He could feel that this insect was very afraid of his True Yang Yuan Qi; after all, if it wasn’t, it would not have fled Malevolent Golden Shadow Leopard earlier when he had injected his Yuan Qi into it.
Since his True Yang Yuan Qi could restrain it, naturally he had nothing to worry about.
Recalling his time on Hidden Island, the Heaven Devouring Insect had also burrowed into his body, but it had been overwhelmingly stronger than the insect which he was now facing.
Carefully checking it, Yang Kai could feel the insect in his meridians shivering, not daring to act frivolously, even more terrified than a mouse that had seen a cat.
There was also some kind of inexplicable energy emanating from this insect. It was very faint, and had he not been carefully examining it, he simply would not have found it.
“Old Demon, look at this bug. Something is odd about it!” Yang Kai frowned.
Old Demon quickly jumped into the Soul Breaker Awl and proceeded to the place Yang Kai had imprisoned this insect, spending a long time examining it before concluding, “Young Master, this insect has a thread of Divine Sense linking it to one of the Tian Lang Dynasty cultivators.”
“A thread of Divine Sense?” Yang Kai furrowed his brow, “Aren’t they all only at the True Element Boundary? None of them should have cultivated their Divine Sense yet, so how did they accomplish this?”
Old Demon chuckled, “Young Master, have you forgotten? You have a ray of Divine Sense imprinted on this old servant, but you are the same as them, unable to cultivate your Divine Sense yet.”
Yang Kai was suddenly enlightened, “What you mean is, someone helped them?”
Old Demon said, “Yes, Old Servant suspects that their master back in their Sect helped them inject a thread of Divine Sense into the souls of these insects so they can control them at will.”
“They control these insects, while these insects burrow into the Monster Beasts, allowing them to enslave them!” Yang Kai’s eyes shone as all the confusion weighing on his mind suddenly lifted.
Some days ago, Chen Xue Shu had told Yang Kai that each Tian Lang Dynasty cultivator had enslaved hundreds of Monster Beasts. Since then, he had always wondered how these few could possibly control so many Monster Beasts.
But now everything was clear; they were not controlling the Monster Beasts, instead they controlled these strange insects, and these insects could then direct the actions of the Monster Beasts.
Thinking till here, Yang Kai hurriedly came to the spot where Jin Hao had died, sifted through the dust, and sure enough, as he suspected, buried inside the remains was another nearly identical insect!
Grabbing it with his hand and allowing it to burrow into his body, Yang Kai ordered Old Demon to examine it, confirming shortly after that this insect also had a thread of Divine Sense embedded in it.
“Turns out that Jin Hao wasn’t working with the Tian Lang Dynasty’s cultivators …” Yang Kai muttered.
He was probably forced to collude with the Tian Lang Dynasty’s cultivators because of this insect inside his body.
This also explained why the three Monster Beasts who came with him did not obey his orders, they probably felt that Jin Hao’s position was equal to their own; it was a bit sad, but that was likely the case.
[Zi Mo …]
[That was the name Jin Hao cried out. Was the Tian Lang Dynasty cultivator controlling him called Zi Mo?]
As Yang Kai contemplated, a devious idea came to mind as a vicious smile emerged on his face, quickly asking, “Old Demon, if I incinerate these insects with my True Yang Yuan Qi, will it hurt that Tian Lang Dynasty cultivator?”
“Certainly! Although you would only be destroying two threads of Divine Sense attached to these insects, if she is caught off guard, she will definitely suffer.”
“Heh heh!” Yang Kai could not help letting out a laugh as he instantly thought up several different plots he could use to take advantage of this.
However, Old Demon suddenly interrupted, “Young Master, Old Servant has an interesting proposal, heh heh heh…”
“Oh? Let’s hear it then.” Yang Kai knew from Old Demon’s cackling that this idea of his was certainly even more devious than his own.
Zi Mo led her Monster Beast Army to the spot where Jin Hao died and quickly began sifting through the pile of dust. However, even after spending a long time searching, she was unable to find her Soul Controlling Insect and her expression became colder by the second.
Each Soul Controlling Insect the Tian Lang Dynasty cultivators had was extremely precious, not because the insect itself was valuable, but because each one had a thread of Divine Sense attached to it.
This was a serious matter. Once any of the insects fell into the hands of an enemy who destroyed them, it was bound to damage the Soul connected to the Divine Sense. If that happened in the middle of a fierce battle, it would no doubt lead to a crushing defeat, and even keeping their life was questionable.
So whenever one of her controlled Monster Beasts died, Zi Mo would rush to the position it had fallen and recover her Soul Controlling Insect.
But this time, she couldn’t find it.
Aware of the changes in Zi Mo’s expression, Leng Shan behind her couldn’t help sneering again and again, a look of happiness spreading across her face.
Zi Mo pouted a moment before closing her eyes and carefully scanning the surroundings.
Although she had not cultivated her Soul yet, and could not search a large area, the thread of Divine Sense was, after all, her own, so within a certain range she could still perceive it.
After a little exploration, a surprised look surfaced on Zi Mo’s glamorous face. Quickly turning and staring at a specific spot in the jungle, her beautiful, clear eyes radiated a mocking light.
Several tens of Monster Beasts quickly spread out and began encircling the location Zi Mo was gazing towards.
Leng Shan became stunned, instantly understanding from Zi Mo’s actions and demeanour that the situation she was hoping for was not going to pass.
She hated Zi Mo, hated that she had promised her purity to Jin Hao, and even more so that she had wantonly defiled her body before. So, now that Leng Shan thought that Zi Mo was doomed to suffer a big loss this time, she couldn’t help feeling some joy, secretly waiting to watch this good show, but she had not expected the situation to develop in its current direction.
Had the master who killed Jin Hao stuck around? Wasn’t that like throwing himself into a trap?
*Rustle* A burst of noise came from the jungle as the leaves shook, and then Leng Shan’s eyes caught sight of a figure dashing out.
Zi Mo lightly gestured with her hand and several Monster Beasts instantly raced towards the escaping figure.
Giggling as she smiled viciously, she shouted, “Don’t try to run, you can’t escape. With my Soul Controlling Insect inside your body, even if you fled to the ends of the Earth, you would still have to come back to me and become my slave unless you want to learn the meaning of suffering!”
“Shit! I knew that insect was strange!” From the jungle, a furious bout of cursing rang out. The more the cursing sounded, the prouder the look on Zi Mo’s face became, almost collapsing to the ground in laughter.
Behind her, Leng Shan secretly sighed as the small hope she held in her heart instantly burst.
In the end, the man who killed Jin Hao was now also under the control of the Soul Controlling Insect! Was he some kind of moron or idiot?
The person hiding in the jungle really stopped trying to escape, and was swiftly surrounded by the pack of Monstrous Beasts, quickly becoming a prisoner. Only a moment later, they forced him to walk out and present himself to Zi Mo.
When she saw the face of this person, Leng Shan couldn’t help herself from trembling as her eyes flashed a look of shock.
Jin Hao had recognized Yang Kai, so how could Leng Shan not? But it was because she recognized him that Leng Shan was so shocked. As she stared at Yang Kai, her thoughts quickly swirled, weighing her options.
Yang Kai’s face showed a look of reluctance and helplessness as he walked over.
Eventually standing about one hundred meters from Zi Mo and Leng Shan, he cracked a wry grin and asked, “Girl, what is this damned insect?”
“It is my Tian Lang Dynasty’s uniquely bred Soul Controlling Insect. As long as it remains inside of you, you are my slave.” Zi Mo explained patiently as she looked over Yang Kai, her pretty face filling with surprise when she discovered that he was just a teenager, and wondered how the person who had so easily killed Jin Hao could be so young.
“*Haa* Damn it, I should never have bothered searching Jin Hao’s remains!” Yang Kai sighed deeply as a look of pain and grief filled his face, immediately grinning, “Girl, now that I am your servant, how do you want me to serve you, should I help you warm your bed at night?”
Zi Mo smiled seductively, he face filled with infinite charm, “You can try, but I doubt you’ll be able to satisfy me.”
The other side being so unrestrained caused Yang Kai to roll his eyes. As she watched this, Zi Mo obviously took some pleasure in his distress, her smile suddenly becoming even brighter.
“If I tell you some useful information, can you let me go?” Leng Shan suddenly interjected, her pair of dazzling eyes staring at Yang Kai as she spoke.
“Useful information?” Zi Mo’s interest was piqued.
“It’s about him.” Leng Shan’s face remained expressionless as she pointed to Yang Kai.
Yang Kai, who had seemed relaxed up till now, suddenly became stiff, secretly pushing his Yuan Qi. Although he did not know what this Ghost King Valley female disciple would say, he was certain it would not be something beneficial to him.
Surrounded by Monstrous Beasts, if it became necessary for him to escape, he could only rely on his Flaming Yang Wings.
“Promise me, first.” Leng Shan continued to bargain.
“I cannot free you.” Zi Mo slowly shook her head while Leng Shan’s expression remained unchanged, quietly waiting for her to continue. After all, she did not really expect to gain her freedom here.
“However, I can treat you better, at least no longer taking advantage of you.”
“Remember what you just promised, or even if I have to die with you, I won’t suffer such humiliation again!” Having achieved her purpose, Leng Shan pointed again at Yang Kai, “This person’s secret art, is a Pure Yang technique!”
Leng Shan had once fought with Yang Kai before, so naturally she knew his Yuan Qi’s property, and this property was precisely those Soul Controlling Insects’ nemesis! So when Leng Shan first recognized Yang Kai, she was certain that he was not under the influence of those insects, instead he was pretending he was in order to achieve some kind of scheme.
Leng Shan felt that with his current strength, Yang Kai wouldn’t be able to kill Zi Mo, especially considering he was surrounded by dozens of Monstrous Beast; the instant he decided to attack, he would die. If he died, then nothing would change, but if she revealed this plot before then, she would have an opportunity to gain some benefits for herself, so after a moment of hesitation, Leng Shan decided to tell Zi Mo about it.
What happened next was not her concern, she only cared about improving her own situation.
Zi Mo’s smile instantly went stiff, quickly turning around and coldly staring at Yang Kai, her eyes filling with murderous intent.
The instant she turned her head, Yang Kai decisively forced the Soul Controlling Insect out of his body, pinching it in his hands as he grinned, “I know this insect has a thread of your Divine Sense attached to it, so if you don’t want to suffer, you better be obedient! Otherwise, I’ll immediately reduce it to ash!”
Zi Mo expression sank, her beautiful face becoming pale.
Yang Kai sneered repeatedly, his demeanour now unbelievably calm.
Leng Shan remained expressionless, indifferent to the whole situation.
After a moment, Zi Mo suddenly grinned, “You should have burned it while I was still unprepared so you could deal the most damage possible, maybe if you had you could have escaped, but instead you made a big mistake and tried to blackmail me.”
“Oh? Please do explain.” Yang Kai raised his brow before resuming his calm expression.
Zi Mo replied coldly, “You seem to know a thread of my Divine Sense is attached to those insects, but did you know that I can take that thread back?”
As she spoke, Zi Mo’s thoughts flashed, instantly retrieving that thread of Divine Sense attached to the Soul Controlling Insect back to herself.
However, Yang Kai not only did not appear scared, and instead began laughing, his voice getting bigger and bigger, eventually roaring out like thunder.
Listening to his rampant and unscrupulous laughter, Zi Mo felt something was very wrong. This little brat was too calm, or maybe he had already gone crazy, but given his arrogant and disdainful expression, he clearly showed no signs of madness.
If it were someone else, Zi Mo would still be interested in forcing them to serve her. Unfortunately, since this kid’s secret art cultivated Yang Yuan Qi, there was not even a one in ten thousand chance for her to control him, so Zi Mo’s face filled with murderous intent as she raised her hand, intending to order her Monstrous Beasts to slaughter him. At that moment Yang Kai stopped laughing, coldly staring at Zi Mo, he sneered, “You want to kill me?”
“Aah!” Zi Mo suddenly screamed and grabbed her head while her lithe body violently trembled.
This sudden change startled Leng Shan as she completely froze, a look of shock spreading across her face as she watched Zi Mo writhe in agony, eventually turning her attention to Yang Kai only to see him still as calm and indifferent as before; the entire scene gave her a feeling like she was dreaming.
[What happened? Between the two of them, just now, what the hell happened!?]
Leng Shan did not see the two of them fight in any way. Instead, he just laughed and Zi Mo suddenly collapsed in pain.
*AHHHHH!* Zi Mo’s dramatic change caused a response among her Monstrous Beasts, some of them even baring their fangs as they growled towards Yang Kai, approaching him step by step.
“Order your Monster Beasts to fall back, or I’ll crush your Soul and turn you into an idiot!” Yang Kai threatened.
Under a pain which felt like her Soul was being ripped apart, Zi Mo did not hesitate to order her beasts to retreat.
All of her Monstrous Beasts glanced at Zi Mo and retracted their hostility before they scattered, spreading out a thousand meters before creating a perimeter.
“Wise choice!” Yang Kai sneered as he stepped forward, grabbing Zi Mo’s hair and lifting her up.
Such a violent cruel attitude sent a chill down Leng Shan back as she involuntarily took a few steps back.
“Stay right there, I’ll deal with you once I’m done with her!” Yang Kai glared coldly at her, causing Leng Shan to immediately stop moving, petrified in fear of him.
A little more than half a year ago, when she and her Senior Brothers had surrounded this High Heaven Pavilion disciple, he was only a weakling at the Separation and Reunion Boundary Third Stage. At the time, he could only panic and flee like a beaten dog.
But now that they had met again, after such a short time, he could effortlessly beat and capture this snake woman Zi Mo from the Tian Lang Dynasty!
Leng Shan knew full well how arrogant and prideful Zi Mo was. With her Soul Controlling Insects, she could enslave numerous Monster Beasts and cultivators. Inside this isolated world, her combat strength was beyond extreme, so how could such a person, within less than half a cup of tea’s time, now be at the completely mercy of this little brat Yang Kai?
Thinking about how she had just tried to sell out this monster in exchange for some minor benefits, Leng Shan almost collapsed in terror.
The situation had changed far too quickly.
Zi Mo’s screams gradually came to a stop; covered in fragrant sweat, her completely soaked clothes clung to her body, fully exposing her exquisite figure in front of Yang Kai.
Slowly turning her head towards Yang Kai, a stubbornness and displeasure filled her face as she glared at him, an undisguised hatred and killing intent radiating from her eyes.
“It looks like… you still don’t understand who your master is now!” Yang Kai slapped her across the face and threw her back onto the ground.
The sound of Zi Mo’s screams burst out again, and this time, it was even more miserable. Wailing in pain, Zi Mo kept rolling on the ground, as if she was experiencing the world’s most unbearable torture, the sound of her cries filling Leng Shan ears caused her to shiver unconsciously.
“No… No more… please… I beg you… stop…” Zi Mo somehow struggled to drag herself in front of Yang Kai, reaching out and grabbing hold of his ankle, gripping so tight her hand went white. Her hair disheveled and her face covered in sweat, she looked up at him while desperately trying to put on a submissive expression, trembling as she pleaded, “I’ll obey you… I’ll do anything you want… just please… make it stop…”
Yang Kai squatted down and stared at her leisurely before asking, “You’re really willing to obey me?”
Zi Mo quickly nodded, the pain she was experiencing from having her Soul tortured made death seem preferable to life, but she was unable to resist; such torture was impossible for anyone to resist, it had nothing to do with her will or determination, it was simply that Yang Kai had been too ruthless.
“You swear not to disobey me later?” Yang Kai stretched out a hand and lifted her chin, his eyes staring into hers maliciously.
Zi Mo desperately squeezed out a smile on her tear stained face, “I swear not to disobey you!”
Yang Kai smiled viciously as he stretched out a finger, gently pushing it into Zi Mo’s small red mouth and probing around, provoking her sweet tongue.
Zi Mo stared at him wide eyed, but did not dare reveal the slightest dissatisfaction, quickly fixing her expression and then obediently using her snake like tongue to accept Yang Kai’s finger, passionately licking and sucking it.
Her skills were outstanding, or else it would have been impossible for her to make Leng Shan lose control of herself as she teased her. Rolling her tongue around his finger, sometimes tightly, sometimes loosely, it only took a moment before she became wet with excitement, her breathing becoming ragged as she let out a perfectly timed seductive moan.
Leng Shan quickly turned her head and cursed under her breath, “Shameless!”
Yang Kai looked up at her and sneered, pulling back his finger from Zi Mo’s mouth and wiping it on her clothes before ruthlessly pinching her cheek, causing her eyes to tear up again as she put on a pouting look while staring at him.
“I know you’re only acting, but your expression is still good!” Yang Kai continued to mock her.
Zi Mo simply laughed, “We Tian Lang Dynasty women worship strength above all else. You are strong, so my being attracted to you is normal!”
“My Separation and Reunion Seventh Stage strength is considered powerful?” Yang Kai laughed dismissively.
Zi Mo’s smiling face twitched, but she quickly managed to recover, “Your realm isn’t everything, and you are still so young. With enough time, you will definitely be stronger than anyone else!”
“Hahaha! You speak well!! I like it!” Yang Kai laughed as he stood, ordering her, “Get up!”
“Yes!” Zi Mo stood up as well and quietly tidied her clothes.
In front of Leng Shan and Jin Hao, she acted like a master, but in front of Yang Kai, she became an obedient servant, not daring to act out.
Having tasted such torture, Zi Mo was determined not to experience it again.
Finished with Zi Mo, Yang Kai turned his attention to Leng Shan and smiled pleasantly. Leng Shan’s expression was quite unnatural, a strange mix of embarrassment, anger, humiliation and unwillingness.
Not to mention her past grievances with Yang Kai, her betraying him just now was more than enough to sentence her to death.
The person she took the initiative to sell out now had the power to decide if she lived or died.
As the saying goes, the river flows thirty years to the east, then thirty years to the west, but thirty years will pass with a simple snap of the finger.
Zi Mo looked at Yang Kai, and then at Leng Shan, before coldly whispering, “Do you want her life? I can easily let her die!”
Zi Mo was a smart woman; naturally she could see the murderous intent in Yang Kai’s eyes.
Leng Shan’s expression instantly sank as she hurriedly taking a few steps back, warily watching Yang Kai and Zi Mo, her face filled with resolve.
If Yang Kai really wanted her dead, Leng Shan would definitely launch a desperate counterattack.
But after moment of silence, Yang Kai shook his head. Leng Shan could not help breathing a sigh of relief, glancing towards Yang Kai in confusion before asking, “Why?”
“Why what?” Yang Kai said impatiently.
“Why are you letting me go?” Leng Shan could not suppress the doubt in her heart. “Our elders have grievances, there is also resentment between us, and I do not believe you are such a good man to let me go now that my life is within your grasp!”
“Actually, I am a very kind man, isn’t that reason enough?” Yang Kai laughed pleasantly.
Zi Mo nearly collapsed while Leng Shan also contemptuously sneered, retorting, “If you are really such a kind man, you should order her to remove the Soul Controlling Inset from me! You say you won’t kill me now, but you still hold the power to decide my life or death, is that something a good man would do?”
“What qualifies you to question me?” Yang Kai sneered. “Are you, a Ghost King Valley Evil Sect disciple, a good person?”
Leng Shan scoffed, “I never said I was!”
“You have a sharp ivory tongue!” Yang Kai coughed before glancing at Zi Mo, ordering her, “Take your insect out of her, so she’ll know what a real good man is like.”
Zi Mo’s body twitched as she stared at Yang Kai in disbelief, she had never dreamt that this kid would make such a decision.
[Is he a moron? Without the Soul Controlling Insect, how does he plan to control this woman?]
Even Leng Shan was stunned for a moment when she heard this sentence, but a burst of joy surfaced in her eyes immediately after.
“Don’t make me repeat myself!” Yang Kai glared coldly at Zi Mo, the latter only able to wryly smile as she walked over to Leng Shan, her heart filled with a feeling of defeat.
She and Leng Shan had a major difference, although Leng Shan and this youth had their grudges, in the end, they were both Great Han Dynasty cultivators, so in these circumstances they really should band together.
“You’re lucky!” Zi Mo whispered to her, her voice filled with envy, before stretched out her hand and resting it on Leng Shan’s abdomen, concentrating her will while pushing her Yuan Qi.
After a moment, Leng Shan complexion went white as she made a vomiting sound, spitting out an insect from her mouth.
Zi Mo quickly put away her insect while Leng Shan could no longer endure, rushing to the side and vomiting non-stop.
After she wiped her mouth she walked back slowly, her face filled with a complex expression as she looked at Yang Kai.
Having suddenly regained her freedom, she was both surprised and confused.
“Did you kill Jin Hao?” After a moment of silence, Leng Shan asked.
“Yes!” Yang Kai nodded. “If you want to take revenge, I can give you a chance.”
“I won’t seek vengeance for that bastard!” Leng Shan slowly shook her head, a vicious glint suddenly flashing across her eyes as she shot a palm towards Yang Kai, coldly smiling, “But I still do not believe you will really set me free!”
A ghastly howling face appeared from her palm, directly burrowing into Yang Kai’s body.
It was the Ghost King Valley’s ultimate secret skill, Ghost King Seal!
Zi Mo’s expression sank as she stepped towards Leng Shan, but Yang Kai simply raised his hand to stop her.
“You…” Leng Shan hurriedly retreated, staring at Yang Kai in shock, when someone was possessed by the Ghost King Seal, it was normally impossible for them to control their own actions; the remnant soul fragment’s resentment would first destroy a person’s sanity, and then occupy their body.
Leng Shan’s understood her situation quite clearly. Inside this isolated world, riddled with danger, even if she had regained her freedom, she didn’t have much hope of survival, and if she encountered the other Tian Lang Dynasty cultivators, she would certainly either be killed or worse, enslaved again.
Having considered all this, she decided it would be better to destroy Yang Kai’s consciousness and seize control of his body.
Controlling Yang Kai was equivalent to controlling Zi Mo, which would give her enough capital to live.
But now that her Ghost King Seal did not have any effect, how could she not be shocked?
“You really aren’t a good woman!” Yang Kai slowly shook his head. He had already seen through Leng Shan’s unwillingness and ambitions. His actions up till now were simply a ploy to get her to use her Ghost King Seal.
“What did you do with my Ghost King Seal?” Leng Shan asked.
“You want it back? Fine! Take it!” Yang Kai coldy snorted, that ghastly face suddenly escaping from his body, once again returning to Leng Shan.
Leng Shan did not dare to remain any longer, quickly turning around and dashing into the jungle.
Quietly watching this all happen from side, Zi Mo eventually couldn’t help but ask. “Are you really going to just let her go? She tried to kill you just now you know.”
“Those who plot against me, always pay the price!” Yang Kai grinned maliciously, and as soon as his voice had faded, Leng Shan collapsed to the ground while howling miserably.
Hearing this familiar sound, Zi Mo couldn’t help trembling.
Just now, she had experienced this very same torture, the unbearable pain was enough to make one beg for death while being completely helpless to resist. But this time she had only become a spectator.
[How the hell did he do it?!] Zi Mo was utterly confused.
The torture Leng Shan suffered was far more miserable than what Zi Mo had endured. It was only after a full stick of incense that she stop screaming, but that was only because Leng Shan had completely pass out.
Yang Kai coldly ordered. “Bring her back here!”
“Yes!” Zi Mo quickly went forward, picked up the unconscious Leng Shan, and carried her back. As she looked down at Leng Shan’s sweat drenched body, Zi Mo could not help giving birth to a feeling of camaraderie.
“I’m going to recover, do not disturb me.” Yang Kai walked to the side, saw cross-legged, and began to meditate.
Half a day later, Leng Shan slowly woke up, but just as she did, she began screaming again, falling into a coma shortly after.
Seeing this sent a chill down Zi Mo’s back, prompting her to serve Yang Kai even more carefully. She now knew just how ruthless this young man was, even against a woman. She and Leng Shan were both first-class beauties, but he still did not hesitate in the slightest to submit them to inhuman torture when they defied him.
Such a person was too terrible.
He was simply a cold-blooded monster!
One day later, Leng Shan woke up again, but this time Yang Kai no longer tormented her.
After all, she was still just a True Element Boundary cultivator who hadn’t yet opened her Knowledge Sea and was unable to cultivate her Soul. If he kept torturing her like he had, she really would become disabled.
Leng Shan looked towards the distant cross-legged Yang Kai, still filled with lingering fear.
It was only after Zi Mo spent most of the day persuading her that she finally walked over to Yang Kai, her lips still trembling, her face still drained of blood, giving off the feeling of someone afraid to even breathe too loudly.
Although before she had been under Zi Mo’s control, ultimately it was only an insect inside her body which could threaten her. But now? Her very soul was being controlled; this High Heaven Pavilion disciple only needed a single thought to let her suffer endless torment or even just drop dead.
She had just escaped from the wolf’s den, only to fall into the tiger’s! Leng Shan couldn’t help feeling a sense of despair.
*fff…* Yang Kai breathed out, completely aware of the two women before him, but choosing to maintain his meditation, pretending not to notice them, curious to see what actions they would take while his guard completely down.
After a while, he was quite satisfied with the test results, whether it was Zi Mo or Leng Shan, both of them were now very well-behaved, not daring to take the slightest aggressive action.
Finally opening his eyes, he first looked towards Leng Shan, causing her to retreat backwards until Zi Mo caught her.
“Quickly apologize!” Zi Mo gently pushed Leng Shan forward, softly encouraging her, her own mood somewhat complex at the moment.
Leng Shan’s face flashed a trace of humiliation as she gently bit her lip, timidly looking up at Yang Kai before quickly avoiding his eyes again.
“If you hesitate again I won’t help you anymore!” Zi Mo was somewhat annoyed with her, but as a fellow woman, how could she stand by and do nothing? Even if they were women, they needed to act like a man and be resilient and adaptive to the situation.
Leng Shan was truly unwilling, standing there silently.
Yang Kai simply kept a light grin on his face while he stared at her.
“I was wrong…” After a long time, Leng Shan finally managed to speak, her words almost inaudible while her two hands gripped her dress, thoroughly embarrassed.
Yang Kai simply continued watching her, saying nothing.
Leng Shan grit her teeth, obviously suffering greatly, until finally Zi Mo lightly sighed, “She understands her mistake, from now on she won’t dare act against you. Come on now, don’t cry.”
While speaking up for Leng Shan, Zi Mo reached out and gently wiped her eyes.
“Don’t touch me!” Leng Shan swatted away Zi Mo’s hand in disgust.
“I’ll let this pass only once!” Yang Kai said indifferently. After hearing this, Leng Shan could not help but breathe a sigh of relief because she that as long as she stayed in line, she would not have to experience that inhuman torture again.
“How did you do that?” Leng Shan hesitated for a long time before working up the courage to ask.
Just before now, she had hit Yang Kai with her Ghost King Seal, only to have it returned to her a moment later along with something else that took root in her conscience. However, because she had not cultivated her Divine Sense yet, Leng Shan was unsure what it was, yet she knew that this thing was what he was relying on to control her.
“I am also very curious about this; could you please tell me?” Zi Mo smiled charmingly, batted her eyes at Yang Kai, and pursed her lips while putting on a slightly pouting look to form a truly attractive picture.
“It was simple, I just placed a brand onto your Souls,” Yang Kai replied offhandedly.
Hearing this, the two women were shocked.
How was that simple? Although they had not cultivated their Divine Senses yet, they knew full well just how hard it was to implant a seal onto another’s Soul. Say they completely ignored the fact that Yang Kai was only a Separation and Reunion cultivator, then even if he was an Immortal Ascension Boundary master, it would still take a massive amount of effort to accomplish this. Not to mention that if he had screwed up even slightly, then he could have badly injured their Souls, which would have left them essentially brain dead.
It certainly was easy to say, but in what world was his casually given answer simple?
Unfortunately, when they thought back on what had just happened to the two of them, the whole series of events could really be described as “simple”.
In Leng Shan’s case, she had sent out her Ghost King Seal and then received it back. The entire exchange took only a few breaths of time, but in that brief exchange, the right to decide if she lived or died had instantly changed hands.
Similarly, Zi Mo had simply retrieved a thread of her Divine Sense, which had been attached to her Soul Controlling Insect, and thereafter suffered the same fate.
On that point, this boy in front of them had killed Jin Hao, but had decided not to leave, so he had obviously been plotting all this from the start, just waiting for Zi Mo to follow the script he had laid out.
Ridiculously, Zi Mo had actually ran over, fallen completely for his act, and behaved exactly how he wanted, which reduced her to being his slave! Remembering how all of this happened, Zi Mo felt her heart sink as it filled with endless regret.
Even his threat to burn her Soul Controlling Insects was certainly a ploy to force her to recover that thread of Divine Sense.
Obviously, he had branded that thread of Divine Sense in advance!
Staring at Yang Kai, Zi Mo let out a deep sigh, “Are you really only at the Separation and Reunion Boundary Seventh Stage?”
To her question, Yang Kai shook his head slowly.
(Silvan: Fucking troll!)
Zi Mo patted her proud chest after hearing his answer and let out a flirtatious laugh, “Good, how could a mere Separation and Reunion Seventh Stage cultivator accomplish all this? What realm have you really reached?”
Yang Kai chuckled as his aura trembled, and an invisible pressure began to spread out from him. The Yuan Qi in his body swelled up greatly, but soon regained its tranquility.
“Breakthrough…” Zi Mo and Leng Shan both stared at Yang Kai with a surprised look on their faces. The scene just now was clearly a breakthrough of a Small Realm.
However… the aura fluctuations he had emitted weren’t very strong. They didn’t even reach the extent of a True Element Boundary cultivator.
“Now I’m Separation and Reunion Boundary Eighth Stage!” Yang Kai grinned stupidly at the two women.
Seeing this, both Zi Mo and Leng Shan’s expressions went stiff as they cursed inside, [So he really is just a Separation and Reunion cultivator! What he said before was actually true!]
Facing this harsh reality, Zi Mo and Leng Shan blushed bright red with embarrassment.
Between the two of them, one was a True Element Fourth Stage while the other had reached True Element Sixth Stage, and both of them were favoured daughters of Heaven in their respective Sects. However, when facing Yang Kai, both of them had instantly been defeated and reduced to mere servants; a fact that they felt ashamed about.
A wry smile emerged on both of their faces, but the two women simply couldn’t find any words to say.
“Both of you can act freely, although I control whether you live or die, as long as you obediently followed my orders and don’t try to scheme against me, I will not embarrass you too much. So from now on, if you want to kill someone or a Monstrous Beast, feel free to. If I have need of you, I will summon you.” Finished speaking, Yang Kai closed his eyes again.
Leng Shan and Zi Mo slowly walked back and finally stopped when they were a few dozen meters away. Neither of them wanted to stick too close to Yang Kai lest he misunderstand their intentions.
“This boy is really unusual.” Zi Mo mumbled as she observed the distant Yang Kai.
“Hmph” Leng Shan pouted and remembered how she had just humbled herself before him. She couldn’t help feeling disgraced, and her smouldering hatred flared up again, “Sooner or later, I’ll make him pay for this!”
Zi Mo glanced at her and giggled, “Only if you have the ability to escape his control first.”
“You as well!” Leng Shan’s pair of beautiful eyes filled with murderous intent as she glared at Zi Mo, “Don’t think I’ve forgotten about all the humiliation you put me through!”
Zi Mo smiled playfully, “Why are you so upset? It’s not like I hurt you in any way, and besides, didn’t you enjoy it too? I know the way you responded to me was definitely real!”
“You bitch!” Leng Shan screamed in rage, and her face turned a bright shade of red, “If you dare mention that again I’ll kill you!”
Zi Mo sneered at her dismissively, “Whether we live or die is no longer up to us, so you’d be better off putting aside your hatred for me. The most important thing we should be worrying about is how to survive. You’ve seen his attitude towards us. He doesn’t show the slightest mercy, so if we really make him unhappy, then he’ll definitely kill us.”
“Ha!” Leng Shan smiled viciously as she taunted Zi Mo, “Now you know how it feels! How do you like the taste of being another slave?”
“Haa… the two of us are both women caught in this situation, why do you insist on being so bitter? We should be helping each other from now on!” Zi Mo frowned.
Leng Shan paused and took a deep breath. Although she still held a lot of resentment, she had to admit that what Zi Mo had said was true, so hesitating for a while she finally asked, “What do you want to do?”
“Seduce him!” Zi Mo’s face flashed with excitement, “He looks like a sixteen or seventeen-year-old, just a few years younger than us. No matter how ruthless he acts, in the end he’s still just a young man who thinks with his dick right? You and I are both world class beauties, so how hard could it be for us to wrap this little brat around our finger tips?
“I think you just want to jump into bed with him!” Leng Shan mercilessly quipped.
“What are you talking about?” Zi Mo couldn’t help rolling her eyes before suddenly laughing flirtatiously, “What I said to him before was true though, we Tian Lang Dynasty woman all worship strength. Although his current strength isn’t high, but he still managed to completely dominate me. That is something not even my Senior Brother could accomplish.”
“Do it yourself, I won’t humiliate myself any further!” Leng Shan scoffed at her before walking away and sitting down to meditate. After falling into a coma twice while being tortured by Yang Kai, she desperately needed to restore herself.
Zi Mo simply sneered at her and thought to herself, [Just wait till I’ve conquered him, then you’ll know who was right.]
This world has always been so. Men conquer the world, and women conquer men. This was a truth passed down since the dawn of time!
Yang Kai sat cross-legged and focused his attention on dealing with his own harvests and experiences, but he still quietly maintained some surveillance of Zi Mo and Leng Shan’s actions via the brand he left on their Souls.
Although he could not hear what they were walking about, through this strange feedback he could still clearly tell what their intentions were.
For now, both of them were being well behaved, or at least neither of them held any thoughts of killing him right now.
Being able to gain control of them was quite a surprise even to Yang Kai, mainly because all of the credit really belonged to Old Demon.
Yang Kai’s original plan was only to incinerate the two Soul Controlling Insects to severely injure Zi Mo, and then wait for an opportunity to deliver a fatal blow.
But Old Demon offered a better option.
He showed Yang Kai a special method to brand Zi Mo’s thread of Divine Sense, so that once she recovered it, it would be equivalent to implanting a mark on her Soul and allow him to enslave her.
When he put this plan into action, it had worked even better than he had hoped.
Having succeeded once already, Yang Kai immediately came up with the idea to rope Leng Shan in too. After all, the Ghost King Seal was a Ghost King Valley disciple’s symbiotic martial skill, so it would certainly have a connection to its owners Soul. In this regard, Old Demon certainly lived up to his expectations, and instantly succeeded in manipulating the Divine Sense thread attached to her Ghost King Seal.
On top of that, the methods used by Old Demon to accomplish all this were very high-end, so there was no fear of his control being removed. The Soul was a very fragile thing, and now that Zi Mo and Leng Shan’s Souls had been branded with Yang Kai’s mark, even if one of their Sect’s experts wanted to help them remove it, they would still have to worry about whether doing so would damage their consciousness.
“It’s unfortunate, that soul remnant could have helped restore my injuries!” Old Demon suddenly complained.
“It’s even worse for me!” Yang Kai said even more sullenly, “If I knew that I could do things this way, why would I have killed Jin Hao? I would have instead enslaved another Ghost King Valley disciple…” Yang Kai complained bitterly.
Old Demon simply grinned.
“You knew beforehand but didn’t say anything right?” Yang Kai questioned angrily.
Old Demon replied dismissively, “Such a weak enemy would have made an even more useless slave. If Young Master hadn’t asked if manipulating that Ghost King Seal was possible, Old Servant really would not have thought of it.”
“Forget it, having a man as a slave is a bit hard to accept anyways,” Yang Kai said offhandedly.
After secretly observing Zi Mo and Leng Shan for a moment, Yang Kai quickly immersed himself in his own affairs.
Taking a deep breath, Yang Kai focused his thoughts and summoned over the Malevolent Golden Shadow Leopard he had previously subjugated. Placing his hand on its forehead, Yang Kai recalled the Beast Slave Seal he had planted in its Soul.
When this fifth-order Monster Beast regained its freedom, it immediately escaped into the jungle.
Yang Kai did not consider killing it or even chasing it. Instead, he ordered Zi Mo to get her Monster Beasts to capture it and then replant her Soul Controlling Insect inside it.
Finished issuing his orders, Yang Kai no longer paid any attention to her. He summoned the White Tiger Seal in his left hand and the Divine Ox Seal in his right and brought his palms together before pushing them forward.
A ferocious beast roar rang out as the Heaven Shaking White Tiger and Earth Splitting Divine Ox appeared.
Attracted by this noise, Zi Mo and Leng Shan quickly turned to see what had happened and then unconsciously dropped their jaws as they saw the two lifelike beast phantoms.
Neither of them had ever witnessed such a profound martial skill! It could actually take one’s own Yuan Qi and forge two blood red ethereal Monstrous Beasts.
However, the Yuan Qi fluctuations these beasts gave off were incredibly rich and pure. How did he do this? Wasn’t he only at the Separation and Reunion Boundary?
While they were observing this scene with fascinated eyes, Yang Kai only let out a sigh, then he reached out and snapped his fingers, which immediately dismissed the two beast phantoms.
After using it numerous times, Yang Kai had found a weakness of this Beast Soul Skill, which was that no matter how he tried, he could only summon one White Tiger phantom and one Divine Ox phantom at a time.
The Beast Soul Skill summons both the beast phantoms; the Divine Ox and the White Tiger. Even if Yang Kai were to combine the two together, he could not conjure up another beast phantom. It was only when he crushed the Beast Slave Seal that he would be able to summon the pair again.
This may be related to the thing that both the powerful Monstrous Beasts had left inside his body.
If he wanted to enhance the Beast Slave Seal’s usefulness, he would have to fully subdue the two beast souls within him.
And so, Yang Kai continuously activated the White Tiger Seal and Divine Ox Seal, then merged them together, as he carefully explored this skill’s hidden mysteries.
As Zi Mo and Leng Shan watched, they saw Yang Kai summon the two red Monster Beasts, only to see him dismiss them and then summon them again, sometimes only summoning a softly glowing light. Both of them were unsure of what he was trying to accomplish.
However, the two of them were still considered elites in their respective Sects, so from their experiences, they naturally understood that Yang Kai was practicing some aspect of this mysterious martial skill.
The only thing was, with such indiscriminate practice, just how much Yuan Qi was he consuming?
“How many times do you think he can display that martial skill with his current amount of Yuan Qi?” Zi Mo could not help but ask Leng Shan softly.
“After the fifth time, his Yuan Qi will be exhausted!” Leng Shan exclaimed.
Zi Mo did not refute her and nodded slightly, apparently agreeing with Leng Shan’s estimate.
Judging the Yuan Qi fluctuations, the two could estimate how great the consumption was to Yang Kai, so they were certain that this martial skill’s rank was not low. Although the power it could display was great, activating such a high grade martial skill would consume a massive amount of Yuan Qi. Even if it were one of them using it, they could at most use it ten times.
Yang Kai’s realm was not high, so naturally he could not support such consumption for very long.
“Why do you ask? What are you scheming?” Leng Shan turned and looked at Zi Mo meaningfully.
Zi Mo jumped in fright and quickly patted her chest before saying, “You better watch what you say. Even if he really runs out of Yuan Qi, he would still only need a single thought to send us to our deaths. We’d better be honest for now. The brands on our Souls are no joking matter. Look, it’s his fifth time.”
During their conversation, Yang Kai again activated his Beast Soul Skill, but this time he did not fuse them, and instead the White Tiger Seal and Divine Ox Seal appeared with a roar.
Yang Kai was not anxious and quickly dismissing them before carefully contemplating the various profundities of this martial skill, going over the memories and insights he gained from his successful integrations.
Zi Mo smile lightly and quickly took out a bottle.
“What are you doing?” Leng Shan looked at her curiously.
“Pleasing him.” Zi Mo shook the bottle, “This is one of my Tian Lang Dynasty’s Yuan Qi restoring pills. You should also have something similar on you, right? Right now he needs to replenish himself so, it’s a perfect opportunity to gain some favor.”
“You shameless slut! You really must be desperate to win him over!” Leng Shan cursed.
“Hehe, don’t say that.” Zi Mo winked at her with a big grin on her face, “This is just a small gesture. The next time he needs to restore himself, I’ll let you give him something. That way, we each can take a turn.”
*Hmmph!* Leng Shan snorted and calmed her hostility a lot. Letting her go seduce Yang Kai was impossible, but giving him some pills when he needed them to improve his impression of her was relatively simple.
Now that he was in control of her life, naturally she had to humble herself somewhat in order to protect her life, or if this cheap whore Zi Mo managed to take the initiative, her future would only become bleaker.
“Well… I’m off…” Zi Mo said as she stood up, but before she could take her first step, she suddenly heard the roars of two beasts.
[He managed to activate it again?] Zi Mo and Leng Shan both looked over in shock.
[He should be exhausted now, right?] Zi Mo thought to herself, a charming smile soon surfacing on her face as she took a step forward.
However, in that moment, Yang Kai dismissed the two beast phantoms and once again activated his Beast Soul Skill.
[Success!]
The White Tiger Seal and Divine Ox Seal perfectly fused, transforming into a softly glowing light that shot out in front of him. If there was a Monster Beast in front of him, it would definitely be hit by the Beast Slave Seal and subsequently become enslaved.
Striking while the iron was hot, Yang Kai kept waving his hands to display his Beast Soul Skill.
After a few breaths of time he had activated his skill four times, failing twice. From his two successes, Yang Kai vaguely began to understand the method to activate the Beast Slave Seal. Unfortunately, he was still not very proficient.
Watching this scene, Zi Mo quietly walked back and sat down together with Leng Shan. The two of them were slightly slack jawed as they continued to watch Yang Kai practice.
His perseverance was completely beyond their expectations and imagination.
After a full day had passed, Yang Kai was still practicing his Beast Soul Skill.
At this point, Zi Mo and Leng Shan had become numb to the situation and complained to themselves internally.
[How much Yuan Qi does he have stored inside him? How can he support such ridiculous consumption?]
[Could it be that this martial skill uses very little Yuan Qi?]
While these two were busy being stunned and confused, Yang Kai had also managed to shock himself.
The Yang Liquid stored in his dantian had actually been reduced by more than twenty drops! Since he didn’t have any more Yang attribute pills, he couldn’t replenish his supply of Yang Liquid, so he had to preserve what he had left in his dantian! Else, he would have no way to restrain the evil energy in the Golden Skeleton.
But in order to activate his Beast Soul Skill, he needed to consume a lot of Yuan Qi.
Not only the Beast Soul Skill, his Burning Sun’s Three Layer Blast, Flaming Yang Wings, Star Mark, and all his other means required a large amount of Yuan Qi to activate. It was basically impossible for any other Separation and Reunion Boundary Eighth Stage cultivator to use these high rank martial skills as freely as he could.
However, now, he was unable to use his Yang Liquid to practice the Beast Soul Skill.
Frowning for a long time, Yang Kai’s eyes suddenly lit up.
Inside his body there were three energy stores. His Star Chart Space was dedicated to his Star Mark martial skill, and his dantian’s Yang Liquid could no longer be squandered, but the energy stored in his Golden Skeleton could be used.
The vast amount of Yuan Qi stored in his Golden Skeleton was almost immeasurable, and usually he could only use it when he activated Unyielding Will, but shouldn’t it be possible use that stored Yuan Qi to display a martial skill?
If so, his combat capabilities would definitely increase at least a grade because he wouldn’t need to worry about how much Yang Liquid he had stored.
Yang Kai suddenly became excited. Once he successfully accomplished this, he wouldn’t be restricted to using only Yang Yuan Qi, and instead he would be able to use any kind of Yuan Qi.
Taking a deep breath, Yang Kai quickly withdrew the remaining True Yang Yuan Qi in his meridians into his dantian, completely emptying them.
Next he sunk his consciousness into the Golden Skeleton and tried to communicate with it in order to extract the Yuan Qi stored within.
Gradually, the Golden Skeleton began to respond as some of the stored Yuan Qi began to pour into his meridians.
As this happened, a faint violent and bloodthirsty feeling began to well up in his heart.
This was a characteristic of the Yuan Qi stored inside the Proud Golden Skeleton. It was a kind of potent evil energy! It was literally the exact opposite of his True Yang Yuan Qi which he normally used.
With the Yuan Qi from the Golden Skeleton flooding his meridians, Yang Kai was gradually wrapped in a black gas as a malevolent, cruel, and violent aura began to emerge.
In the distance, when Zi Mo and Leng Shan saw this scene, they couldn’t help jumping to their feet.
“Demonic Path!” Zi Mo shouted under her breath.
“It really is a Demonic Path!” Leng Shan also started towards Yang Kai in shock.
The two women suddenly glanced at each other, and each one saw the obvious joy and excitement in the other’s eyes.
Both of them thought that because Yang Kai had practiced this strange and wondrous martial skill too much, the Yuan Qi in his body had began to riot and became disordered, leading to a situation where he could no longer control it.
Whether Yang Kai lived or died was irrelevant to them, but now that he was in this predicament, it gave them hope for a way out.
Once one entered Demonic Path, their cultivation would be destroyed, reducing them to a waste. If it was very serious they could be killed on the spot while their Soul withered.
No matter what result Yang Kai ended up with, Zi Mo and Leng Shan would both be extremely pleased.
[Hopefully he dies!] The two women secretly prayed with a joyous expression plastered on their faces.
If Yang Kai really died because of this Demonic Path, then the brands on their Souls would instantly break, and they would regain their freedom.
The two women stared at Yang Kai nervously, and their breaths gradually quickening. As the black gas surrounding him gradually became richer, the violent and bloodthirsty aura also became more and more obvious.
“Once one enters a Demonic Path state, they become crazed and deranged as their consciousness fades right? If he accidentally detonates them in our Souls what would happen?” Leng Shan suddenly brought up a serious problem.
By now Yang Kai was certainly delirious and incapable of coherent actions, so she felt the possibility was very low, but it was still a scenario they had to be wary of.
On the remote chance he did so, they would both die too.
Hearing this, Zi Mo’s expression went stiff as the blood drained from her face. She licked her parched lips and looked at Leng Shan seriously, “What do you suggest we do?”
“Fan the flames!” Leng Shan bit her lips as she trembled lightly.
Zi Mo wrinkled her brow and quickly considered the risks and rewards as well as their chances for success. It was only a long time later that she finally nodded, “Good, but let’s wait for a while longer, we don’t know if he’s still sane, if the situation becomes more serious… we’ll act.”
Her final words were resolute and carried her full will and conviction.
Leng Shan nodded slightly and grit her teeth as she stared in Yang Kai’s direction.
She had more things to consider than Zi Mo. After all, even if Yang Kai died and lifted the mark on her Soul, she still had to worry about Zi Mo using her Monster Beasts to enslave her again. She was all alone out here, and naturally she had to consider how to preserve her own life.
As the two of them watched, Yang Kai’s “Demonic Path” signs grew more and more serious. He was now completely engulfed in black gas, almost to the point where they couldn’t see his shadow, with only able his rough outline visible, and even across several tens of meters away, the two women could still clearly feel the evil aura brushing past them.
After waiting for a whole stick of incense worth of time, Zi Mo finally said, “It seems that he has been completely fallen to the Devil’s path, completely unable to extract himself.”
“Do we go now?” Leng Shan glanced towards Zi Mo.
Zi Mo bit her lip and nodded slightly.
The two of them each took a deep breath and slowly made their way towards Yang Kai. They secretly gathering their True Qi and constantly watched for any sudden changes in his behaviour.
Five hundred meters, four hundred, three hundred…
As they moved closer, both of their hearts started beating violently. This matter concerned their life, death and freedom, so how could they remain indifferent?
Two hundred, one hundred…
As long as they approached to within fifteen meters, the two women were certain that if they both attacked, they could instantly take Yang Kai’s life, and once he died, the brands on their Souls would break.
As if they could see their freedom beckoning them closer, whether it was Zi Mo or Leng Shan, a look of nervousness and expectation blossomed on their flushed faces.
Fifteen meters…
Just as the two women prepared to unleash a desperate and ruthless attack, a pair of scarlet eyes suddenly opened from within the fog.
These eyes felt like they were filled with a mysterious power, able to see through the hearts of Zi Mo and Leng Shan in a glance.
Both of them involuntarily stepped back, and their bodies trembled in fear.
They could see all kinds of malice and blood lust within them, but even so this pair of eyes still retained a deathly calm and seemed to ridicule their naivety.
In the next moment, Yang Kai, while wrapped in the black gas, grinned at them, and the sound of his laughter come from within his Demonic Qi. The image of his white fangs against the black background was extremely hideous and terrifying.
Seeing his demonic eyes and evil smile, Zi Mo and Leng Shan both froze in fear and quickly calmed their True Qi, not daring to reveal the slightest hostility.
“You…” Zi Mo frowned, unable to understand how Yang Kai had managed to pull himself out of the Demonic Path.
“It seems I need to give you some punishment!” Yang Kai coldly glared and pushed out both his palms. His White Tiger Seal and Divine Ox Seal appeared with a ferocious roar.
Unlike when he used his True Yang Yuan Qi to form these beast phantoms, this time they were both pitch black, and similar to Yang Kai himself, full of Demonic Qi and malevolence.
Roaring, the two beast phantoms dashed out, directly pinning both women to the ground.
“We were wrong. We thought you had fallen into Demonic Path!” Zi Mo screamed in horror. Although her strength was much higher than this beast phantom, she did not dare to resist because she knew that if she did she would have to face that terrifying Soul torture.
“So seeing me fall into Demonic Path, you wanted to take advantage of the situation?” Yang Kai sneered. If he wasn’t already aware of their thoughts, Yang Kai would not have still been holding back against them.
He knew that their actions just now were really just out of self-protection.
Dismissing his Beast Soul Skill, the two beast phantoms quickly vanished, and the two women quickly stood up, although they still shook with fear.
Glancing at them both, Yang Kai grinned, “I’ll spare your lives this time, but you cannot escape your crimes. Tell me, what do you think your punishment should be?”
Zi Mo trembled slightly and bit her lip, “As long as you do not torment my Soul, I am willing to suffer anything else!”
“Are you serious?” Yang Kai raised his brow.
“En.” Zi Mo nodded firmly. Having her Soul tormented felt worse than dying, it was simply the world’s most vicious torture.
“And you?” Yang Kai shifted his gaze to Leng Shan.
“I… I am also the same…” Leng Shan agreed hesitantly.
Yang Kai glanced back and forth at the two of them before he suddenly laughed maliciously, “Alright, then… strip off your clothes.”
Hearing this, the two women both went stiff.
Zi Mo quickly recovered and immediately flashed a flirtatious smile as she untied her top. While slowly stripping, her wet eyes emitted an infinite charm.
On the other hand, Leng Shan remained stiff and totally overwhelmed!
“If you don’t want to strip, you can suffer three rounds of Soul torture until you faint each time. You choose.” Yang Kai said ruthlessly.
As she remembered that pain again, Leng Shan burst into a cold sweat as she remained frozen in place. Her eyes closed after a long time, and her tears slowly fell, as she viciously cursed, “If one day, I can restore my freedom, I swear I will rip your corpse into ten thousand pieces!”
Yang Kai simply laughed, “I’ll be waiting!”
Piece by piece, their clothes were removed. The graceful figures of both women soon appeared before Yang Kai’s eyes. Whether it was Zi Mo or Leng Shan, both were natural beauties with elegant faces, full voluptuous chests, slim tenders waists, rounded shapely hips, and long slender legs.
Yang Kai unscrupulously swept his eyes over the pair and secretly compared and contrasted their features. A raging heat burst from his eyes and rose from his belly.
A moment later, the two of them only had a single layer left on top. One adorned her chest with a glamorous red fabric, while the other wrapped herself in a chic lavender cloth, but neither of these thin pieces could hide their mountains and valleys, and at their peaks, delicate and enchanting red cherries could clearly be seen.
As for their lower halves, the scenery was even more gorgeous. Their forbidden gardens were hazily obscured by their thin silk underwear, and they gave off a hazy air of mystery because the blocked view aroused a different kind of reverie.
Now, except for the most critical parts, two somewhat naked beautiful women stood mere steps away from Yang Kai.
“Shall I show you the rest?” Zi Mo seductively licked her lips and softly whispering with a slightly flushed face.
Yang Kai had just wanted to teach them a lesson and hadn’t really thought to push them all the way.
He had seen before that this woman Zi Mo had no reservations and was instead quite bold. However, Leng Shan was significantly more conservative, and if he kept forcing them, she would definitely be unable to bear it.
Feasting his eyes upon them for a while longer, Yang Kai eventually just waved, “Go away!”
Zi Mo was stunned. Leng Shan also widened her eyes. Both of them stared at Yang Kai in surprise. The two of them had thought that this time they were doomed to suffer, but they had never dreamed that this young man covered in Demonic Qi would just look at them before shooing them away.
Thinking for a moment, Zi Mo suddenly opened her mouth and glanced towards Yang Kai’s pants. Her eyes quickly examined his reaction before her face broke out into a meaningful smile.
Facing two half naked beauties right as his fingertips, there was only one type of man who could remain indifferent other than an ideal perfect gentleman.
[He must be… Ha… hahaha…]
In that moment, Zi Mo’s heart burst with happiness, and she was actually almost unable to contain her laughter. As her shoulders trembled violently, she finally managed to hold back by tightly biting her lip as she desperately continued to resist.
“Why are you still standing around? I’ll count to three, if you do not go, then I’ll make you stay here forever!” Yang Kai had not perceived Zi Mo’s strange look and instead wrinkled his brow as he threatened the pair.
Leng Shan suddenly felt like she had received a dream like amnesty and quickly bent over.
“Your clothes stay, only you can leave!” Yang Kai said lightly.
Leng Shan glared with hatred and anger towards Yang Kai as she tried to cover herself the best she could, and she quickly flew away like she was fleeing some hideous monster.
On the other hand, Zi Mo did not panic or rush, and instead she lazily stretched her waist, completely showing off her gracefully body, and threw a flirtatious smile towards Yang Kai before turning around while gently swaying her hips as she casually walked away, as her perfectly rounded bottom swung back and forth like a pendulum.
As he watched the two women disappear behind a big tree, Yang Kai quickly closed his eyes and desperately suppressed his raging desires!
He actually did not mind Zi Mo’s obvious advances. In any case, this woman seemed quite uninhibited, so if he really had his way with her, she probably would not be too concerned about it.
But in the end, she was still his enemy, and once he pushed her too far, she may push back regardless of whether she lived or died.
Thus, similar to when he was trapped on Hidden Island, he wanted to use this situation to improve his mental fortitude, so he purposely stimulated himself and then forcibly suppressed his impulses.
Between improving his strength and having a woman, Yang Kai was more interested in the former.
While Yang Kai was concentrating, trying to enhance his willpower, Leng Shan and Zi Mo both sat behind the big tree as they tried to cover themselves, while staring at each other, still speechless.
This time not only had their sneak attack failed, they had even let that little brat take advantage of them. It really was a great loss!
Leng Shan was flustered, and her eyes were filled with humiliation. She placed her clenched fists on the ground and viciously cursed, “Bastard, beast, bullying us weak women, how dare he! Today’s shame, sooner or later, I swear I’ll return to him ten times over!”
Zi Mo remained quiet and only floated an evil grin after a long silence, “In front of him, we can’t really call ourselves weak women. His realm is actually still lower than ours. Also, we were the ones plotting against him first this time, yet all he did was take a look at our bodies. I don’t see why you’re so upset.”
Leng Shan glared at Zi Mo and angrily shouted, “How can you not care at all?”
“Pft.. hahaha…” Zi Mo suddenly laughed and her eyes narrowed, “If it was some other man, I really would be upset, but as for him… well… it really doesn’t matter if he sees me or not.”
“Good, it looks like you’ve already given up on yourself.” Leng Shan looked at her with disdain.
Zi Mo didn’t seem to care and instead lowered her voice, “I’ll tell you a secret, and once you know I guarantee you won’t really care about this either.”
“What secret?” Leng Shan asked suspiciously.
Zi Mo moved closer, whispering a few words into her ear.
After Leng Shan finished listening her face went from red to green, and her eyes actually showed a contemptuous and derisive look.
“What you mean is… he’s unable to…?” Leng Shan asked softly, and a grin emerged on her face.
“Shh! Do you know what you’re doing? Keep your voice down.” Zi Mo stretched out her finger to Leng Shan’s mouth.
“But how do you know?” Leng Shan asked curiously. For the first time Leng Shan felt Zi Mo was somewhat kind, or at least she could rely on her right now.
“The two of us were almost stripped naked in front of him, but he wasn’t moved at all. In addition to ‘that,’ is there another explanation?” Zi M covered her mouth and tried to stifle her laugh, “For any normal man, I am afraid they would never be able to withstand such temptation, therefore, he must ‘problems’!”
Leng Shan listened and could not help but nod with a look of approval on her face.
“Such a problem is a taboo for any man!” Zi Mo seemed to understand a lot about such matters, so Leng Shan only kept nodding her head while listening carefully, “We absolutely cannot mention this in front of him; otherwise it would definitely lead to a life and death crisis.”
“Good, I promise not to mention it.” Leng Shan nodded her head vigorously before asking, “But if he really has such ‘problems’, what you said before about seducing him, can you still do it?”
Zi Mo suddenly smiled impishly, “Because of his problems, we have to work even harder at seducing him! Now that we know he can’t have his way with us, while we seduce him, we can watch him writhe in frustration, which will let us vent our anger. Isn’t it a great way to get some revenge?”
Leng Shan expression lit up as she suddenly understood all this. Her face now showed a look of respect and admiration towards Zi Mo, “You really are experienced in such matters.”
Zi Mo glanced at her angrily, “Little hussy, we Tian Lang Dynasty women are not as conservative as you Great Han Dynasty types.”
“So that means you already… with men …” Leng Shan asked, her face flushing bright red.
Zi Mo unexpectedly blushed as well, “No! I haven’t met any man who can conquer me.”
Leng Shan nearly fell over, “I don’t believe you!”
[…]
After two consecutive days of cultivation, Yang Kai finally managed to stamp down the turmoil and desires in his heart, thus enhancing his mental state while he continued to practice his Beast Slave Seal. Although he still couldn’t successfully fuse his White Tiger Seal and Divine Ox Seal one hundred percent of the time, he had at least found the appropriate path to take, so his ability steadily improved.
These two days, Yang Kai had consumed a lot of Yuan Qi, but the Golden Skeleton’s stored energy was nearly infinite, so this consumption was actually not a burden.
Meanwhile, Zi Mo and Leng Shan were sitting in the middle of a group of Monster Beasts and were still wearing nothing but their undergarments.
Yang Kai’s punishment for them had apparently not ended.
In any case, their cultivations were not low, so naturally they wouldn’t fear the cold, but that didn’t mean they weren’t embarrassed. Zi Mo made her Monster Beasts form a three layered ring around her and Leng Shan to block their figures from view.
Over the past two days, these two women spent most of their time discussing how they were going to retaliate against Yang Kai. They plotted ways to make him miserable, and by chattering away, they actually resolved a lot of their previous resentments and even bonded a bit over their common circumstances.
Finally hearing Yang Kai’s voice again, Zi Mo was surprised for a moment before she whispered, “Seems he still has a little bit of conscience.”
While she spoke, she quickly ordered two Monster Beasts to run out and retrieve her and Leng Shan’s clothes.
When the two of them finished dressing themselves, they walked over to Yang Kai and saw him casually open his eyes.
Both of them were secretly shocked. Over the past few days, this youth in front of them had consumed an unimaginable amount of Yuan Qi and had even fallen into a state similar to Demonic Path, but now he had restored his original appearance and didn’t seem the least bit tired.
[He really is mysterious], the two women thought.
“I have something to ask you.” Yang Kai said as he looked towards Zi Mo.
“Please do,” Zi Mo replied, while throwing out a flirtatious smile as she walked up to him slowly, her fragrant aroma floating around her. She sat down next to him like she had not the slightest grievance towards Yang Kai for punishing her before.
However, what surprised Yang Kai was that Leng Shan actually came over as well and sat down on his other side, but her performance was not as natural as Zi Mo’s as she seemed somewhat stiff.
When he looked towards her, she somehow managed to squeeze out a smile, though it looked like it pained her greatly to do so.
But since he did not notice any hostility from the two of them, he did not give their behaviour a second thought and only guessed that they had come to recognize their situation, thus not daring to act presumptuously any more.
“Well then, what does Master want to ask?” Zi Mo asked as she reached out, clung lightly to Yang Kai’s arm, and deliberately pushed her breasts onto him while gently breathing onto his face.
“Keh keh… what did you call me?” Yang Kai choked a bit in confusion.
“Master …” Zi Mo repeated in a sweet, waxy voice, as she further pressed her proud chest onto his arm, which gave rise to an amazingly elastic sensation.
Her actions and words did not just startle Yang Kai, even Leng Shan, who was sitting opposite to her, involuntarily shuddered as well, a tingling sensation running up her spine. In her heart she couldn’t help feeling some sincere admiration for how shameless Zi Mo could be!
[I’m simply not on her level,] Leng Shan thought to herself.
Zi Mo’s smile only grew bigger, “I do not know your name, and my life is now completely in your hands, so what difference is there now between me and some great family’s slave? If you tell me to go East, I dare not go West. If you order me to lie down, I dare not stand…” She suddenly put on a shy expression as she stared into Yang Kai’s eyes, and her voice became ever smaller, “If you want me to strip, I would willingly undress… what else can I call you but Master?”
“Stop trying to mess with me!” Yang Kai frowned, “I know you are not willing to call me master, and listening to you do so is also uncomfortable. I said before. Controlling you both is only for my own protection. As long as you don’t try to act against me I won’t embarrass you too much.”
Zi Mo was surprised for a moment and then sweetly said, “It was just a small joke. So how should I address you?”
“Yang Kai, and you two?”
The two women both quickly reported their names.
Yang Kai knew about Leng Shan’s Sect, so there was nothing he urgently wanted to ask her, but Zi Mo’s origins were a mystery.
“Tell me about your Sect and don’t bother trying to lie, when you do the fluctuations in your Soul are different so I can tell.” Yang Kai ordered.
“I dare not.” Zi Mo replied firmly to Yang Kai and pondered for a moment before continuing, “I am from the Tian Lang Dynasty’s Sen Luo Temple (Myriad Demon Temple). I do not know if you have heard of it.”
Yang Kai shook his head slightly. The information he knew was basically limited to within the boundaries of the Great Han Dynasty, and as for things about the outside world, he was basically ignorant. Leng Shan, on the other hand, could not help revealing a surprised expression.
“It looks like Sister Leng has heard of it.” Zi Mo giggled.
Leng Shan nodded, “Tian Lang Dynasty’s ruling Sect. Of course I would have heard of it.”
“Ruling Sect? As in an existence similar to our Eight Great Families?” Yang Kai was stunned. He never imagined Zi Mo’s background would be so renowned.
“Pretty much.” Zi Mo giggled again, her hand gently tracing a circle on Yang Kai’s arm, “In fact, I’m actually a princess of Tian Lang Dynasty, so you’d better not let me die. If you can take me back, maybe you could become a prince consort, enjoying infinite wealth and glory, never having to worry about worldly troubles again, hahaha…”
Yang Kai glared at her, obviously not believing the nonsense she was spouting. This woman was cunning, deceitful, and in general difficult to handle. He much preferred dealing with Leng Shan, who’s every thought and emotion were clearly displayed on her face. Compared to her, Zi Mo gave him too much mental pressure.
“Although my fellow disciples and I came from the Sen Luo Temple, we don’t actually represent our entire Sect, and if you thought so, then you definitely look down too much on our Tian Lang Dynasty’s superpower,” Zi Mo continued, “The few of us can only be regarded as disciples of a branch of the main Sect. Our focus is the cultivation of rare and unusual insects, which the two of you have already experienced.”
“You mean those Soul Controlling Insects?” Yang Kai smiled dismissively.
Hearing Yang Kai’s disdain, Zi Mo retorted, “My cultivation is simply too low, so the insects I can raise naturally aren’t your opponent. If I had top grade Soul Controlling Insects, then they wouldn’t be afraid of a little heat!”
“So your insects are afraid of heat!” Yang Kai quickly capitalized on her slip.
Zi Mo also realized that she had just said too much, but now that the jar was broken, there was no point in trying to cover things up, “Yes, their nemesis is heat, so anyone who cultivates Yang or Fire attribute secret arts are unable to be controlled by them.”
This also explained why a few days ago, when Leng Shan told Zi Mo that Yang Kai cultivated a True Yang Secret Art, Zi Mo immediately tried to kill him.
“Nevertheless, these insects are still worthy of praise, at the very least they’ve allowed you Tian Lang cultivators to run rampant in this place.” Yang Kai said. Thinking back to Wu Cheng Yi’s group of thirty plus people being pursued without a door to the Heavens, nor a path upon the Earth, his heart was still a bit distressed.
He himself had been lucky enough to discover the weakness of these Soul Controlling Insects. If he had been forced to fight Zi Mo while still ignorant of this, by virtue of those few Monster Beasts, he would have had no hope to resist.
“Naturally, these insects have many benefits, and by using them to control even a few Monstrous Beasts, we can then create a snowball effect, easily capturing more Monstrous Beasts, and if we meet any of your Great Han Dynasty cultivators, we don’t even need to lift a finger in order to take their lives. However, the risks are also great. An example would be encountering someone like you who can destroy our insects and cause a backlash that could damage our Souls.” Zi Mo looked at Yang Kai as a hint of melancholy spread across her face.
“So anyone who cultivates a Yang or Flame attribute Secret Art is a priority target for you to eliminate!” Yang Kai comprehended.
“Of course! Without these two kinds of people, our Soul Controlling Insect can have the greatest effect!” Zi Mo said proudly, “But in fact we don’t have to worry about such a situation occurring too much. Our Soul Controlling Insects are very small so, in general, even if you Great Han cultivators kill one of our controlled Monster Beasts, it’s unlikely you would discover its existence, so we only need to find an opportunity to recover it once the situation is over. I really don’t understand how you discovered so many of our secrets.” Zi Mo looked at Yang Kai curiously.
Yang Kai grinned, “You’re free to guess.”
Zi Mo bitterly stuck out her tongue, but didn’t push her luck any further.
In this isolated world, apart from the few Tian Lang Dynasty cultivators, it was unlikely that anyone else other than Yang Kai could figure out the mysteries behind the Soul Controlling Insect’s existence. Anyone else who encountered them would likely conclude that the Tian Lang cultivators had some method to enslave Monster Beasts, and would never learn that the Soul Controlling Insects were being used as an intermediary to accomplish this.
“Hmm… that’s right. When I saw you at the lake that day, there were four of you. How come you’re alone now?” Yang Kai directed a puzzled look towards Zi Mo.
However, as soon as he had asked this question, Zi Mo’s eyes flashed a trace of anger and humiliation, while on the other side Leng Shan started laughing quietly.
“You can’t say?” Yang Kai’s tone dropped and his expression became cold.
“No, I just don’t want to reveal it.” Zi Mo sighed deeply, “Sister Leng knows what happened, if you must know then ask her to explain.”
Yang Kai was startled for a moment before he looked towards Leng Shan curiously.
“It’s true, I can explain.” Leng Shan nodded.
“Then tell me.”
Leng Shan pondered for a moment and seemed to collect her thoughts before beginning, “Over this past half a year, Zi Mo and her fellow Tian Lang disciples had been extremely aggressive and presumptuous, which caused me and my Senior br… me and Jin Hao a great deal of grief. We spent most of our time hiding, but those damn Monster Beasts’ senses of smell were too keen, and they always quickly discovered us, so we would alternate between fleeing and hiding until about a month ago.”
“At that time, we met a large group of disciples, the remaining Great Han Dynasty cultivators. They had about thirty people in total.”
Yang Kai’s expression suddenly changed. Naturally he knew who of this group of cultivators.
“Although our Ghost King Valley’s reputation is not good, seeing as we are considered an Evil Sect, in the end we are still people of the Great Han Dynasty. So, Jin Hao and I also successfully joined that team. We finally thought that we had people to rely on… but…” Leng Shan couldn’t help but smile wryly, “But how could we know that only two days later, we would be completely surrounded by an ocean of Monster Beasts…”
Now that she reflected upon it, if she and Jin Hao hadn’t joined that group, they likely wouldn’t have fallen into the hands of the enemy so quickly. A gathering of around thirty people seemed more powerful on the surface, but its size made it an easier target and also prevented them from taking swift action like they could if she and Jin Hao were alone.
“And then?” Asked Yang Kai.
“After a hard fight and several deaths, the majority of us were captured.”
“Captured?” Yang Kai was stunned, “How could so many of you be caught? Weren’t you all True Element cultivators? Even if you lost the battle how come you didn’t escape?”
“We couldn’t escape.” Leng Shan sighed helplessly.
“It’s not like they were incompetent!” Zi Mo quickly interjected.
“Oh, then what’s the reason?”
“It’s simply because my Senior Brother Chi Xue is too strong!” Zi Mo said as she looked towards Yang Kai.
“How high is his cultivation?”
“True Element Boundary Seventh Stage, but that’s not the strength I’m referring to.” Zi Mo shook her head.
“So it’s about his Monster Beasts, then how many has he enslaved?” Yang Kai wrinkled his brow.
Zi Mo gently raised a single finger.
“A hundred?”
Zi Mo shook her head.
“It can’t be… a thousand, right?” Yang Kai asked as his face went pale.
Zi Mo sneered, “You’re misunderstanding. He only has one Monster Beast! But that Monster Beast cannot be compared to anything we have. It is a Sixth-Order Monster Beast!”
Yang Kai’s eyes flashed a trace of shock.
“That’s right, a Sixth-Order Monster Beast; although it’s not a very strong Sixth-Order Monster Beast, but against any True Element cultivator it’s more than enough. Any Great Han Dynasty cultivator that tried to escape died under the attacks of my Senior Brother Chi Xue and his Monster Beast.”
“There are Sixth-Order Monster Beasts in here?” Yang Kai’s thoughts spun. For the whole time he had been in this isolated space, the most powerful Monstrous Beasts he had encountered were only Fifth-Order, but if Zi Mo’s Senior Brother Chi Xue had taken control of a Sixth-Order beast with his Soul Controlling Insects, then he could likely do the same with his Beast Slave Seal. If he could gain control of a Sixth-Order Monster Beast, then he could also run wild in here.
“I’m afraid there’s only one!” Zi Mo eyes flashed a glimmer of envy, “And in order to rein it in, my Senior Brother had to sacrifice a lot. He gave up all his other Monster Beasts and removed their Soul Controlling Insects, then he let them consume one another to improve their strength. Doing this was very risky. If he had been even a little careless, all his Soul Controlling Insect would have died, but Senior Brother’s luck was good, and after nearly a hundred Soul Controlling Insects had devoured each other, the last remaining one evolved by a single-order, which allowed him to control a Sixth-Order Monster Beast.”
Although Zi Mo had explained it rather simply, Yang Kai could clearly hear from her tone how much Zi Mo admired this Senior Brother Chi Xue of hers.
Taking on a huge risk in order to force his Soul Controlling Insects to evolve, it was obvious that this person’s personality was vicious and decisive. He was definitely not someone simple!
“And then?” Yang Kai looked towards Leng Shan, putting aside the idea of reining in a Sixth-Order Monster Beast for now.
Nodding once, Leng Shan continued. “Of the thirty of us, nearly ten were killed, and with the exception one particularly strong cultivator who escaped, the rest of us were all implanted with a Soul Controlling Insect, turning us all into their servants.”
[So he got away,] Yang Kai didn’t even need to ask, in addition to Wu Cheng Yi, no one else could have pulled that off.
“But then, why didn’t they just kill you all?” Yang Kai curiously asked, the Blood Bead condensed from killing a cultivator was much higher in quality than one from a Monster Beast; especially one from a True Element Boundary cultivator.
“They want to extract our Sects’ secrets, so they haven’t been ruthless with us yet!” Leng Shan smiled wryly, “All of us were elite disciples from our respective Sects, so the Martial Skills and Secret Arts we practice are naturally our forces core heritage, so the Tian Lang Dynasty group were anxious to acquire them.”
Yang Kai turned and glared at Zi Mo, but she simply shrugged, “Don’t look at me that way; I have no way of releasing those people. Furthermore, the only ones I received control of were Leng Shan and Jin Hao; I haven’t even had to ask them about their Martial Skills or Secret Arts so in the end I really haven’t gained anything.”
Leng Shan nodded, “After their victory, Zi Mo’s Senior Brother Chi Xue left with his Sixth-Order Monster Beast to pursue Wu Cheng Yi, then for some unknown reason the three Tian Lang cultivators that remained got into a quarrel and Jin Hao and I were assigned to Zi Mo, shortly after which we left the group with her.”
When Leng Shan spoke about these things, Zi Mo, who was sitting to the side, fiercely grit her teeth as her expression turned bitter.
Yang Kai turned towards her and sneered, “It looks like you and your fellow disciples don’t get along all that well.”
“Then, are there no conflicts within your own Sect?” Zi Mo retorted back at Yang Kai, “We came to this life experience zone with a total of three objectives in mind. The first was to get Blood Beads in order to enhance our own strength, the second was to extract the cultivation methods of your Great Han Dynasty’s Martial Skills and Secret Arts while the third was to look for the legendary Brilliant Flame Liquid and Soul Cleansing Dew. Each of these tasks is related to our own futures and completing any one of them will strengthen our Sect. In doing so, it will naturally bring us greater benefits.”
“In other words, your two fellow disciples tried to exclude you on purpose so you don’t receive any benefit, right?” Yang Kai instantly understood.
Capturing so many people but only giving Zi Mo control of two, even if Zi Mo managed to extract every last bit of heritage from Leng Shan and Jin Hao, it was still only the Martial Skills and Secret Arts of Ghost King Valley. Compared with the other two, the amount of information Zi Mo could obtain, and thus how much reward she could ultimately receive, was obviously less.
This was a competition that happened between fellow disciples, something that always existed in any Sect.
“The two of them come from the same family so naturally they want to exclude me!” Zi Mo bit her lip, an expression of hatred emerging on her face.
Yang Kai stared into her eyes, slowly asking, “Do you want me to help you get justice?”
He felt that he could use the enmity between the three Tian Lang Dynasty Sen Luo Temple disciples as a bargaining chip.
Everyone was currently stuck in this isolate world, so sooner or later they would encounter each other. Yang Kai knew that if he wanted to reap the most benefits, his only option was to be ruthless and kill those two Sen Luo Temple cultivators. Of course, he would also need to deal with Chi Xue, who controlled a Sixth-Order Monstrous Beast, and Wu Cheng Yi; both of whom were very strong enemies, so his best option was to cut down any unstable elements before confronting them.
A light flashed through Zi Mo’s eyes as she looked towards Yang Kai, frowning, “Although you may be in control of my life, I am still a Tian Lang Dynasty Sen Luo Temple cultivator! I refuse to do anything that would bring harm to my Sect, so even if you kill me, you should never expect me to help you against them!”
Yang Kai couldn’t help but look at her with some surprise. He had never thought that this woman held such strong convictions.
Not wanting to force her, Yang Kai simply smiled, “I was just asking, if you don’t want to then that’s fine too.”
Zi Mo was stunned. By her own experience, she had expected that once she refused Yang Kai’s offer, he would naturally punish her for disobedience. However, he seemed perfectly fine with whatever she decided.
“Are you really such a forgiving man?” Zi Mo didn’t know what Yang Kai was up to, so naturally she was somewhat suspicious.
“What do you think?” Yang Kai chuckled.
Zi Mo batted her eyes a few times before she laughed and said, “If you really are a good man then you should undo the ban on my Soul.”
“In your dreams!”
For the next few days, Yang Kai, Leng Shan and Zi Mo traveled together inside this isolated world.
However, there was basically no chance of running into enemies anymore, with the exception of a few Monster Beast encounters every now and then.
If it was a Fourth-Order beast, it was swiftly killed and converted into a Blood Bead. If it was a Fifth-Order beast, Zi Mo would enslave it by implanting one of her Soul Controlling Insects, the only problem was that over the past few days they had only met a single Fifth-Order Monster Beast.
Yang Kai no longer cared about collecting Blood Beads, so all of them went to Zi Mo and Leng Shan. What he wanted now was not the energy contained within these Blood Beads, but instead things which could quench the Yuan Qi in his meridians and dantian so he could prepare himself to break through to the True Element Boundary.
Therefore, his primary objective inside this experience field was to find some of the legendary Soul Cleansing Dew, the same objective Zi Mo’s Senior Brother Chi Xue currently had.
Neither Zi Mo nor Leng Shan knew much about the Soul Cleansing Dew, so naturally they didn’t know where to start looking for it.
However, there was one thing which Yang Kai felt confused about. Zi Mo, whether through her actions or her words was constantly teasing him and stimulating his desires, much more seriously than when they had first encountered each other, even Leng Shan, this cold and aloof woman, would also “unintentionally” show off her beauty and try to arose amorous feelings within him.
Occasionally, Yang Kai would also find them watching him with a somewhat mocking and pitying gaze.
[What the hell?] Yang Kai was truly lost.
One day, after walking for many hours, the trio found a spot to sit down and rest. While half of the dozens of Monster Beasts stood watch, the remaining half had been sent scout out the local area.
Yang Kai had only just sat down and closed his eyes, preparing to restore his strength, when he was suddenly hit by two burst of fragrant wind, immediately feeling Zi Mo and Leng Shan sit down beside him.
Both of them snuggling up close, as if they were trying to warm themselves from the cold.
Yang Kai opened his eyes and frowned at them.
Suddenly being stared at, Leng Shan hid her face in embarrassment as her cheeks flushed, while Zi Mo laughed flirtatiously, “Is something wrong?”
“These days, you two have been acting strange. Are you plotting something?” Yang Kai bluntly asked.
Zi Mo quickly put on a wronged expression, “How could we, the two of us have always been by your side, even if we wanted to come up with some kind of plot, we wouldn’t have had a chance to discuss it.”
Thinking about it, the two of them really didn’t have any occasion to plot against him, but Yang Kai still felt that they were up to something.
“Why do you think we are acting strangely?” Zi Mo flashed an innocent smile, leaning herself onto Yang Kai, pressing more than half her exquisite soft body onto him and tightly wrapping his arm in her bountiful chest, which completely changed their shape.
Feeling their amazing elasticity, Yang Kai looked down only to be greeted by Zi Mo deep white valley.
Zi Mo giggled to herself while keeping her expression calm, leaning her body forward slightly, slowly increasing her exposure.
“Just a feeling…” Yang Kai stared at her, licking his lips, a lecherous expression spreading across his face.
“Hehe… your gut feelings aren’t accurate.” Zi Mo smiled seductively, gently squeezing her arms again, causing her chest to roll back and forth lightly.
With his throat dried of words, Leng Shan actually chose this time to push herself onto him as well. In an instant, Yang Kai felt a burning flame erupt in his loins.
The two wondrous sensations which came from his left and right caused his soul to flutter.
No longer enduring, Yang Kai suddenly pressed Zi Mo to the ground as he quickly mounted himself on her.
“Ah…” Zi Mo cried out, but she still didn’t show the slightest fear, her beautiful eyes as calm as a spring lake, a light smile adoring her face, gazing up at Yang Kai.
[Smelly brat, you’re only half a man, but now you want to scare me? Humph!]
On the other hand, Leng Shan, who was beside them, was stunned stiff.
“You asked for this, I’ve seen it these past few days, you’ve carried some kind of malicious intent towards me, right?” Yang Kai said ferociously, reaching out both his hands and squeezing Zi Mo full chest, vigorously kneading it.
“No… I… enn… when did I have ahh… any bad intentions towards you?” Zi Mo bit her lips, her brow wrinkling as she felt a slight pain, but the heart couldn’t help giving birth a strange pleasure as she was ravaged, unexpectedly hoping that Yang Kai’s big hands would grope her even harder.
This desire surfacing in her thoughts suddenly made her face blush bright red.
“Do you really think I’m blind?” Yang Kai sneered, brutally tearing apart her clothes, completely exposing her enchanting upper body before grabbing hold of her and tightly squeezing without the slightest tenderness or pity.
Zi Mo’s mind went blank for a moment and she was unable to stop herself from letting out a sensual and arousing moan, while close by, Leng Shan’s ears filled with her enchanting voice as she watched this erotic scene play out before her, an unknown sensation spreading throughout her body.
With the constant stimulation, Zi Mo actually began moving her body in cooperation, her voice leaking out even more now, causing Leng Shan to go limp on the ground with her legs involuntarily clamping up.
Although she was unexpectedly aroused, Zi Mo had by no means lost her wits, she and Leng Shan been constantly teasing Yang Kai these past few days as they were simply treating him as a joke.
But now that this big wolf had gotten excited, the situation was really starting to exceed Zi Mo’s tolerance.
[He couldn’t be… but then why does he seem so interested?] Zi Mo gasped, quietly lifting her knee towards Yang Kai’s nether region.
It was at that moment that Zi Mo felt a stiff iron rod, scorching hot like it was on fire.
Shocked, Zi Mo shrieked out loudly, her whole body going stiff, her nonchalant face immediately changing colour.
“Heh heh!” Yang Kai looked at Zi Mo and grinned wickedly, reaching down with his hand and slipping it under her skirt.
“No… don’t!” Zi Mo panicked, quickly grabbing Yang Kai’s arm.
“Why are you saying no now?” Yang Kai sneered, not slowing down at all.
Pushing his hand into her secret garden, he was greeted by a soft, moist sensation, warm and fascinating to the touch.
Suddenly, Zi Mo’s struggling stopped, like she had instantly lost any strength to resist, just softly lying there.
Leng Shan also lost her ability to think, not knowing why Zi Mo was putting on such a realistic act, even if she wanted to see him suffer, there was no reason for her to make such a big sacrifice. It… it was… it was simply beyond what a normal person could accept!
Leng Shan’s skin went red as her heartbeat raced and her blood boiled up, it felt like someone had lit a fire in her belly and the heat was flowing to every corner of her body, shame, embarrassment, excitement, all kinds of emotions swirled and crashed into one another inside her, like waves on a rough stormy sea.
Just when Zi Mo felt her plan to steal a chicken ended up with her losing her rice, her eyes burst open as she somehow summoned some unknown strength, shoving Yang Kai off of her, her complexion violently changing, “Wait! Some of my Monster Beasts just died, there may be enemies nearby!”
Hearing what she said, Yang Kai’s excitement died down significantly as he frowned. “How many?”
“Six! All of them died instantly, one Fifth-Order and five Fourth-Order!” Zi Mo’s expression was somewhat ugly, her brow thoroughly furrowed, scrambling away from Yang Kai as she tidied up her clothes, quickly covering her bare upper body.
Thinking back on what had just happened, her spring-like eyes secretly glanced towards Yang Kai’s lower half before rapidly turning away, her face a bright shade of crimson, glowing with an alluring luster.
“Do you know who attacked them, and how many of them there are?” Yang Kai continued.
Zi Mo controlled Monster Beasts through her Soul Controlling Insects, allowing her to sense if they were dead or alive within a certain range, but any other information was harder to grasp, after all, she was not seeing through their eyes.
“I’m not sure.” Zi Mo shook her head.
“Then we’ll have to go take a look!” Yang Kai said decisively.
“There may be danger.” Zi Mo hesitated, “If it was that master who escaped before…”
She naturally suspected the culprit was Wu Cheng Yi. In this isolated world, anyone who could instantly kill six Monster Beasts would certainly be very strong.
“It’s best if it is him.” Yang Kai couldn’t help looking forward to it, Wu Cheng Yi had previously sent his Junior Brother to kill him, something Yang Kai had not forgotten about, sooner or later he had to settle this grudge, not to mention, Wu Cheng Yi likely had more Brilliant Flame Liquid on him.
Whether it was killing for revenge, or robbing treasures, Yang Kai had many reasons to confront him.
Seeing Yang Kai so determined, Zi Mo knew not to dampen his mood, not to mention, even if it really was Wu Cheng Yi, with her Monster Beast army in tow, by himself he wouldn’t be their opponent.
Soon after, Zi Mo led the rest of her Monster Beasts to the scene. With Leng Shan hurrying to keep pace with her, the two of them deliberately put some distance between them and Yang Kai.
Yang Kai didn’t mind, taking up the rear while maintaining vigilance around them for any sudden movement.
“What happened?” Leng Shan whispered, unable to hold back any longer, keenly aware of the changes in Zi Mo’s mood.
“What?” Zi Mo, who seemed to be lost in thought, didn’t quite hear what she had asked.
“You’re acting strangely.” Leng Shan said as she looked at her curiously, “Weren’t you trying to seduce him, in order to embarrass him? Why did you…”
Leng Shan thought for a long time before she found the words to express her thoughts, “Why did you seem so into it?”
Zi Mo could not wait to find a hole to burrow into, blushing a deep red from her neck to her ears as she whispered under her breath, “Don’t mention that again, and later don’t try to seduce him, or else… playing with his fire might get you burnt…”
“Ah…” Leng Shan stumbled.
[#$%@#$!!]
Believing that Yang Kai wasn’t really a man, Zi Mo didn’t have any reservations towards him. [So what if you kiss me? Since you’re disabled down there, even if you wanted to, what more could you do? Even if I were to strip off all my clothes and lie in front of you, at most you’d be able to molest me a bit.]
However, she never dreamed that Yang Kai’s situation was not what she had thought.
The sensation she had the moment she made contact with “that” was still lingering in her mind, causing her intense shame any time she recalled it. While she seemed bold and unrestrained on the surface, at heart, Zi Mo was still quite shy.
[But… if he has always been a real man, why was he so indifferent all those days ago when Leng Shan and I stripped half naked in front of him? How could he refuse such incredible temptation delivered straight to his fingertips? Was he really just being a gentleman back then?]
Cranky and confused, Zi Mo soon arrived at the place where her six Monster Beasts had died.
There was still some blood on the ground, but the Monster Beast’s bodies had long since ceased to exist. Obviously they had been condensed into Blood Beads and were taken away, leaving behind only a pile of dust.
Scanning the surroundings, Yang Kai couldn’t help but frown.
While he did so, Zi Mo walked over, squatted down next to a pile of dust, and began sifting through it, her expression growing dark soon after.
“What’s wrong?” Asked Leng Shan.
“My Soul Controlling Insect… it’s gone.” Zi Mo’s face was now pale, quickly moving to the next pile of dust, but after thoroughly searching all six piles, she did not find a single Soul Controlling Insect.
“You won’t find anything; the one who killed you Monster Beasts was not that elite disciple from the Nine Star Sword School!” Yang Kai directed a knowing look towards Zi Mo, “There are no traces of Sword Qi around here.”
“What are you trying to say?” Zi Mo looked at him uneasily, already having guessed what happened, but not daring to, or rather, not wanting to confirm her suspicions.
“In your heart you already know, what else do I need to say?” Yang Kai sneered.
“No, that’s not possible…” Zi Mo shook her head, her voice quivering and her blood turning cold.
Suddenly, Zi Mo looked up again in a new direction, “More of my Monster Beasts have been killed!”
Yang Kai sneered again, now almost certain of his guess. Tilting his head slightly, he grinned at Zi Mo, “Do you want to go take a look?”
Zi Mo struggled and hesitated for a long time before finally nodding weakly.
However, this time she no longer dared to disperse her Monster Beasts to scout the periphery, instead recalling all of them before hurrying to the second place.
Half an hour later, Zi Mo once again stood up, disappointed. The four piles of dust here should have had four Soul Controlling Insects buried within them, but after a thorough search, she had failed to find them.
“Was it your two fellow disciples?” Leng Shan also finally understood, looking towards Zi Mo in surprise.
The Soul Controlling Insects were a unique method of the Tian Lang cultivators, so if her Monster Beasts were killed by Wu Cheng Yi, her insects would still be here.
On top of that, being able to kill two groups of Zi Mo’s Monster Beasts in such a short period of time, the culprit either had to be very strong or have a lot of help.
Combined with the disappearance of her Soul Controlling Insects, the identity of the other party was obvious!
If it were her fellow disciples from the Sen Luo Temple, Zi Mo could understand how they had found and taken away her Soul Controlling Insect as well as how they had instantly killed so many Monster Beasts.
After all, in addition to their own Monster Beasts, they also had control of a lot of Great Han Dynasty cultivators.
It was just, Zi Mo couldn’t believe it, did not want to believe it! They were from the same branch of the same Sect, so how could they have such murderous intent towards her?
Taking a deep breath and closing her eyes, Zi Mo spread out her perception, trying to find her lost Soul Controlling Insect’s whereabouts. However, no matter how she tried, it was futile.
A while later, when she finally opened her eyes again, all that could be seen in them was anguish and rage as they coldly glanced around the surroundings, a deep sneer appearing on her face.
“We should leave here!” Yang Kai said with a frown, and without any explanation pulled Zi Mo’s arm and dragged her away.
Two hours later, the trio had moved a hundred kilometers away. With ten of her Monster Beasts being killed, two of which were Fifth-Order, Zi Mo’s combat strength had been greatly reduced.
Stopping to rest, Zi Mo sat alone, her expression constantly changing, sometimes cold, sometimes confused, sometimes pained, while at other times, enraged. Leng Shan and Yang Kai glanced at each other but remained silent, knowing that her heart was currently engaged in a difficult struggle.
When Yang Kai gave Leng Shan a wink, silently telling her to say a few comforting words, Leng Shan simply turned a blind eye, ignoring him outright.
Yang Kai was speechless, only able to sigh and wait.
After a long silence, Zi Mo cried out bitterly, her breathing now ragged as she gazed towards Yang Kai with a pitiful look on her face, “Why are they doing this?”
“You’ll have to ask them,” said Yang Kai calmly.
“We all come from the same Sect! Although we all compete amongst one another, they don’t need to go this far, right?” Zi Mo said, unable to understand why things were happening this way.
“So what if you’re from the same Sect?” Yang Kai disagreed, “The harshest competition occurs within one’s own Sect!”
“So disciples in your Sects are willing to kill each other?”
Yang Kai and Leng Shan simply nodded.
Zi Mo was stunned silent, wrinkling her brow for a long time before sighing, “Maybe because we come from a small branch of the Sen Luo Temple, we don’t have many fellow disciples, so in the Tian Lang Dynasty we all took care of each other. Even if there was competition, nobody would do things to such extremes.”
“We’re not in the Tian Lang Dynasty, nor are we in your Sen Luo Temple.” Yang Kai said coldly.
“All the more reason we have to support each other.” Zi Mo argued back, still unable to accept the truth in front of her.
“Hah, I thought you were a ruthless and cruel woman, but it turns out you’re just a naive little girl!” Yang Kai sneered. Zi Mo probably only showed a strong, ruthless appearance in front of the Great Han Dynasty cultivators, but when it was the disciples from her Sect, she would still act kindly and relax her guard.
Zi Mo smiled wryly and tried to say something when suddenly she screamed out in pain, immediately dropping to the ground as she clutched her head, writhing in agony.
Both Yang Kai and Leng Shan’s expressions also changed, hurrying to her side.
Zi Mo seemed to be enduring some kind of nightmarish torture, both her hands gripping her head as she struggled back and forth, sweating profusely.
Her situation was exactly the same as when Yang Kai had punished her before.
Her Soul was clearly being attacked!
Yang Kai and Leng Shan glanced towards at each other, a shocked and aghast expression adorning both their faces.
The pain Zi Mo’s felt lasted for a long time before gradually subsiding, her clothes now dripping wet, and her body clearly exhausted, but her eyes had instead become cold and piercing.
“It’s them! They’re sending me a warning, telling me to come to them!” Zi Mo grit her teeth so hard that a grinding sound could be heard, her face filling with thick murderous intent, she grabbed Yang Kai’s clothes and solemnly gazed into his eyes, “Help me kill them!”
Yang Kai grinned, “I would have done so even without you asking.”
A few days ago, when Yang Kai had brought up this topic, Zi Mo had steadfastly refused, but now, the situation had changed. Zi Mo had her own principles and didn’t want to hurt her companions, but clearly her two fellow disciples did not feel the same way about her.
“Where are they?” Yang Kai asked.
“That way!” Zi Mo pointed, “Probably about an hour’s journey!”
“An hour… good, let’s go then.” Yang Kai frowned for a moment before lifting Zi Mo onto his back, carrying her as they rushed into the jungle.
Lying against Yang Kai’s back, Zi Mo was overcome with a strange feeling. The two of them were clearly enemies, but now they had to help each other in order to deal with her companions, who were enemies and who were friends was as impermanent as the clouds.
Along the way, Zi Mo explained briefly about her fellow disciples again.
The two of them were cousins from the same martial family and both had cultivations at the True Element Boundary Fourth Stage.
One was called Yao He, while the other was called Yao Xi, each of them controlled about fifty or so Monster Beasts, a hundred in total; this amount of Monster Beasts alone was double what Zi Mo originally had. Not to mention, she currently had only about thirty or forty remaining.
If they attacked head on, there was almost no chance of success, but as long as they could kill one of them, that person’s Monster Beasts would regain their freedom creating a chaotic situation, and if there was chaos they had a hope of victory.
In her anger, Zi Mo no longer held back any information about two fellow disciples, so Yang Kai quietly listened, silently remembering everything he could while constantly searching for the best possible strategy to achieve their objective.
Listening to her speak, Yang Kai had some concerns, “Your Senior Brother Chi Xue isn’t with them right? If he is, then we will have a big problem.”
Chi Xue was a master at the True Element Boundary seventh stage and had enslaved a Sixth-Order Monster Beast, both of them would be difficult to deal with.
Zi Mo sighed, “I hope that’s the case.”
After an hour, the trio finally arrived near their destination and Zi Mo slipped down from Yang Kai’s back, gratefully nodding at him as she fixed her clothes and messy hair, steeling her determination before walking forward.
A short distance away, Yang Kai saw a lot of Monster Beasts, and more than a dozen people gathered together.
Two of them were dressed similar to Zi Mo and stood close together, obviously Sen Luo Temple’s Yao He and Yao Xi. This young man and woman were happily staring back at them with faces that did not show the slightest sense of guilt. Silently, they ordered their hundred Monster Beasts to spread out and encircle Zi Mo’s enslaved beasts.
“Senior Sister finally decided to meet with us.” Yao He quipped frivolously, clearly not putting Zi Mo in his eyes, chuckling as he greeted her while Yao Xi also let out a giggle, sneering as she looked towards Zi Mo dismissively.
“Did you give me any choice?” Zi Mo glared at them coldly, standing about ten meters apart.
As these three Sen Luo Temple’s disciples confronted each other, the air was slowly filled with an unstable atmosphere.
Yang Kai, who stood behind Zi Mo, quickly swept his eyes over the other people present, spotting a lot of old acquaintances.
A few tens of meters away, the Ten Thousand Flower Palace’s four teenage girls were sitting on the ground along with Asura Sect’s Ye Qing Si and Zhou Ba and Reflecting Moon Sect’s Chen Xue Shu and Su Xiao Yu. In addition to these familiar faces, he also spotted many disciples from various other forces, such as Gemini Island, Water Moon Hall, Pure Heart Palace, Soaring Feather Pavilion, and so on.
After seeing Yang Kai, Chen Xue Shu and Su Xiao Yu both smiled wryly towards him, a kind of desolate feeling of comradery appearing on their faces.
Yang Kai nodded towards them slightly, noticing that the group now only had sixteen or seventeen people left; the number should have been higher than that so obviously these past few days a lot of deaths had occurred.
“You two, roll to the side!” Yao He casually ordered Yang Kai and Leng Shan then no longer spared them a glance.
Zi Mo quickly signaled them to comply.
Receiving these instructions, Yang Kai and Leng Shan both walked over to Chen Xue Shu and the others.
As soon as the two sides converged, one of the young girls from the Ten Thousand Flower Palace looked towards Yang Kai, sighed and said, “Seems like you’ve had bad luck too.”
Yang Kai smiled back at her leisurely, “Seems like, may I ask young lady’s name?”
During their last encounter, when Wu Cheng Yi had embarrassed him and it was this girl from the Ten Thousand Flower Palace had spoken a few words in his defence. After such an act, Yang Kai had a relatively good impression of her. These four sisters each had outstanding looks, each one exuding a different kind of attraction. Them all sitting together created a truly beautiful picture.
Laughing warmly, the girl replied, “Han Xiao Qi!”
Another of the palace girls with gave off a sassy air suddenly pursed her lips, “Hey you, we’ve all been reduced to prisoners, yet you’re still trying to casually ask a girl for her name? Seems like you’re quite a scheming person.”
Yang Kai grinned as he looked towards his accuser, “Has this young lady never heard of a man’s instincts before? I also haven’t heard your name yet have I?”
Pouting at his glib attitude, the girl still responded, “Ye Han!”
Seeing this, Ye Qing Si laughed lightly, “Since we share the same surname, if we make it out of this alive, little sister Han and I should become sworn sisters.”
Han Xiao Qi quickly introduced her other two Junior Sisters, a timid quiet girl called Hua Ruo Yin, and the other a flirtatious girl named Liu Qing Ru.
Even having fallen into such a dire situation, everyone still gave Yang Kai some face and introduced themselves.
Water Moon Hall’s Feng Qian Hen, Pure Heart Palace’s Zuo Fang and Li Xin Yuan, Soaring Feather Pavilion’s Chu Jing Shan…
The elite disciples of these various factions gathered together to enjoy a moment of levity. The many days of pent up anxiety and worry being swept away for the time being.
“Hmph, facing imminent death, you’re still in the mood to exchange greetings, it’s not like it’d be too late to do that after they decide if they want to keep us alive as slaves.” A mocking voice abruptly interrupted the crowd’s spirited atmosphere.
Turning his head, Yang Kai saw a young man snickering at him contemptuously.
After staring at this person for a moment, Yang Kai no longer paid him any mind.
On the other hand, Ye Qing Si retorted, “Bi Xiu Ming, since the day we were captured, you’ve constantly been spewing the same negative crap. What exactly are you trying to say now?”
Bi Xiu Ming sneered back, “Nothing much, just wondering why you’re all so happy about this waste joining us. You don’t actually expect him to save us do you?”
Chen Xue Shu frowned and shot back, “If you feel like there’s no hope of keeping your life, why not just end it? Why linger around just to pick on others? Don’t go slandering brother Yang just because his realm is a bit lower than your own.”
Before Bi Xiu Ming could respond, the person next to him laughed disdainfully and said, “His cultivation is weak, therefore he’s a waste! Hah, I really can’t understand how such trash managed to survive till now; he should have died a long time ago.”
This guy was probably from the same Sect as Bi Xiu Ming and clearly had a good relationship with him; naturally he would take the same side.
Han Xiao Qi said coldly, “You’ve said too much.”
Ye Han, Hua Ruo Yin, and Liu Qing Ru all stared angrily at the pair as well.
Although Bi Xiu Ming and his brother disciple thoroughly looked down on Yang Kai, they also didn’t want to completely fall out with the group, so instead of continuing to argue they just coldly snorted, turned around, closed their eyes and kept quiet.
With these two throwing cold water on everyone, the originally happy atmosphere was suddenly destroyed, leaving everyone’s hearts feeling a little heavy.
Ye Han quickly patted her cheeks before saying a few words of comfort, “Yang Kai was it? Don’t worry about those two, they’ve have been nothing but pessimistic ever since that day, they just don’t want others to feel any better than them.”
Yang Kai smiled and shook his head, “It doesn’t bother me when a dog barks in the background.”
Hearing what he said, Han Xiao Qi was surprised for a moment before she quickly tried to stifle her laughter.
“What did you say?” Bi Xiu Ming and his fellow disciple turned around and opened their eyes at the same time, glaring towards Yang Kai,
“You’re not deaf are you? You should’ve heard clearly, right?” Yang Kai stared back at them calmly.
“You court death!” Bi Xiu Ming roared furiously, jumping to his feet.
“Do you want to die?” Standing a short distance away, Yao He grunted angrily. “If you’re tired of living I can put you out of your misery now!”
Bi Xiu Ming glanced towards Yao He nervously, quivering slightly before looking away; however, unwilling to simply sit down after having lost face, he angrily grimaced towards Yang Kai, “Just you wait, sooner or later I’ll make you pay!”
“Good, I’ll be waiting!” Yang Kai replied offhandedly.
While the Great Han Dynasty’s side had a strained atmosphere, the three disciples from the Tian Lang Dynasty were also in the midst of a delicate situation.
Since Zi Mo had arrived, Yao He and Yao Xi both continued staring at her and smiling, not saying a word.
After a long silence, Zi Mo finally let out a deep sigh and coldly asked, “Why are you doing this?”
Yao He chuckled, “Why? Senior Sister Zi doesn’t already understand?”
“Is it because in the Sect, Master valued me more?” Zi Mo smiled back contemptuously.
Yao He and Yao Xi’s faces suddenly went stiff, their expressions quickly becoming cold.
However, Zi Mo ignored this change and continued, “The two of you both entered the Sect earlier than me, but your cultivation’s are both still lower than mine, so even though you’re unwilling to, you have no choice but to call me Senior Sister. Is that what you’d like to say?”
“You really think your talent is better than ours?” Yao Xi laughed dismissively, “If our master hadn’t given you more resources, how could you have surpassed us so easily? In terms of aptitude, just where are we not comparable to you?”
“Nothing about you is comparable to me!” Zi Mo didn’t hold back, ruthlessly insulting the two of them
Yao He face twitched before putting on a look of disdain, “Is that so? Then I’d like to ask our dear Senior Sister, did you ever imagine you’d fall into a situation like this before?”
“It’s true I didn’t think you two would be so vicious and underhanded, plotting against me like this!” Zi Mo face suddenly filled with hatred.
Yao He sneered, “Well let’s just forget about all that, there’s no need to get so worked up about it, after all, you’re our Senior Sister, right? The reason we invited you here was quite simple, since we’re stuck in this damned place for the time being, and we essentially have no other enemies left, you shouldn’t have any use for those Monster Beasts of yours, correct?”
Zi Mo expression quickly turned ice cold, “You want my Monster Beasts?”
“Yes!” Yao He nodded, “Xi’er and I are about to break through to the Fifth Stage, but we’re both somewhat reluctant to slaughter our own Monster Beasts so we were hoping Senior Sister would be generous enough to help us a little bit.”
Hearing all this, Zi Mo couldn’t help feeling sorrowful, “For such a petty reason, you even decided to crush my thread of Divine Sense?”
Yao Xi grinned haughtily, “Isn’t it Senior Sister’s fault for going around hiding? If you hadn’t been avoiding us, we wouldn’t have done so, if you had stayed with us, we could have just challenged Senior Sister and your Monster Beasts to a hunting contest, but it seems the Heavens had a different plan in mind, this is simply the result of you forcing us.”
“Good!” Zi Mo said painfully, her eyes showing a touch of sadness, “If you want my Monster Beasts, then I’ll give them all to you!”
Yao He laughed happily, “I knew Senior Sister wouldn’t disappoint us, please ordered them not to resist, if they struggle, I’m afraid things might end badly!”
Zi Mo closed her eyes, and tried to calm her ragged breath.
Although before she came here, she had already taken back her Divine Sense threads from her Soul Controlling Insects they had captured, so she didn’t have to worry about Yao He or Yao Xi destroying them, the other side still had an overwhelming advantage, even if she didn’t count the vast difference in the number of Monster Beasts they respectively controlled, just the dozen or so Great Han Dynasty cultivators were a very powerful combat force.
If she really fought with them directly, Zi Mo had basically no chance of winning; even escaping would be near impossible, so although she was extremely unwilling, she had no choice but to temporarily compromise.
Staring at Zi Mo’s rising and falling chest, Yao He’s eyes flashed a hidden trace of wicked desire, involuntarily licking his lips.
“It’s done!” Zi Mo opened her eyes and said unemotionally.
Yao He and Yao Xi glanced at each other before silently issuing an order.
Suddenly, the sound of countless howls rang out, blood splattered, and Zi Mo’s Monster Beasts, who truly offered no resistance, were thrown to the ground and had their necks bitten and snapped, slaughtered like cattle.
Seeing this scene, the Great Han group looked aghast, instinctively clenching their fists.
After a mere ten breaths of time, thirty to forty Monster Beasts were killed.
“Ha ha ha ha!” Yao He burst into laughter.
With these thirty to forty Blood Beads, he and Yao Xi could successfully break through their current realm and promote themselves to the True Element Boundary Fifth Stage.
After that, as long as they extracted the inheritances of these Great Han Dynasty cultivators, they could then slaughter them too, once again obtaining a big batch of Blood Beads.
In particular, Yao He was focused on the numerous beauties amongst the Great Han Dynasty cultivators. Each one held a different appeal, some graceful and elegant, others sensuous and enchanting, these days he had constantly thought of having his way with them, but since Yao Xi was keeping a close eye on him, he was unable to make a move.
Although the two of them were cousins, their relationship couldn’t be described so simply…
[I have to find a way to occupy Xi’er’s attention, and then do whatever I want with these women.] Yao He thought as he swept his eyes over Han Xiao Qi and the others.
[En, I’ll let her use these Blood Beads first; refining and absorbing them, as well as breaking through to the True Element Fifth Stage should take her quite some time, more than enough for me to have some fun.]
The more Yao He thought about it the more excited he became, wanting nothing more than to immediately grab those Great Han beauties and viciously ravage them, tasting all the sweet flavours they had to offer.
Putting his thoughts into action, Yao He lightly said to Yao Xi, “Xi’er, you use these Blood Beads first.”
Yao Xi face suddenly showed a touch of tenderness, nodding slightly before glancing over towards the group of Great Han cultivators, quickly issuing orders, “Collect the Blood Bead’s for me!”
Seventeen or eighteen people looked at each other, but no one was willing to get up.
Over the past month or so they had received a lot of humiliation as Yao He and Yao Xi’s captives, so how could any of them willingly humble themselves?
However, the since a command had been given, dragging things out wouldn’t solve anything, and if they angered these two, all they would get in return for their stubbornness was torture.
Eventually, Ten Thousand Flower Palace’s Ye Han angrily stood up, grit her teeth and muttered, “I’ll go!”
However, Yang Kai quickly called out and stopped her, “No, I’ll go, you just relax.”
When the meditating Bi Xiu Ming heard this he suddenly opened his eyes and said disdainfully, “What’s this? So eager to show your loyalty that you’re rushing to do this menial labour are you?”
“Of course, people under the tree have to bow!” Yang Kai said with a foolish smiled as he stood up.
Bi Xiu Ming and his Junior Brother sneered, their faces filled with contempt, causing many of the others to be unhappy.
Walking around the place where the Monster Beasts were killed, Yang Kai collected the thirty or forty Blood Beads then quickly walked over to the three Sen Luo Temple disciples.
Yao Xi watched Yang Kai coldly with a hint of vigilance.
After all, this person was brought here by Zi Mo, Yao Xi had to take some precautions.
“Throw the Blood Beads over!” When Yang Kai was about ten meters away, Yao Xi ordered loudly, not allowing him to get any closer.
Yang Kai nodded and then carefully tossed the thirty plus Blood Beads one after another over to her side.
Zi Mo looked on indifferently, waiting for Yao Xi to finish collecting these Blood Beads before speaking again, “You’ve gotten what you want, if there’s nothing else, I’ll be leaving now.”
Yao He and Yao Xi glanced at each other, chuckling under their breath, “Where does Senior Sister want to go?”
Zi Mo expression dimmed, retorting coldly, “Where I go is none of your concern!”
Yao Xi smiled sweetly, “Senior Sister’s temper is still so violent, we are only worried about Senior Sister’s well-being. In this terrible isolated world, without your Monster Beasts to protect you, if you ran around haphazardly and injured yourself, how could we explain ourselves to Master?”
Zi Mo glared at them with extreme hatred, “You even want to control me?”
Yao He chimed in, “Senior Sister is too suspicious, we’re all family here so we should take care of each other.”
Yao Xi nodded, “That’s right, Junior Sister is just thinking of what’s best for Senior Sister’s safety.”
A sneer flashed across Zi Mo’s face, along with a look of grief. On the way here, Yang Kai had told her that Yao He and Yao Xi would most likely go in for a penny, in for a pound and act ruthlessly.
[If they dared to move against your Monster Beast, they also won’t hesitate to move against you!] Yang Kai had told her so.
Even after everything that had happened, Zi Mo was still holding onto a little hope, but now, it seems what Yang Kai had said was right.
If they killed her in this damned place, as long as they dealt with the aftermath well, there wouldn’t be any clues; as for the Great Han Dynasty cultivators, they would all be killed sooner or later, so what was there for Yao He and Yao Xi to fear?
First, deprive her of her Monster Beasts, then restrain her freedom, everything had happened exactly like Yang Kai had guessed. Zi Mo didn’t know whether this was a result of some incredible foresight or that he was simply too used to treachery and intrigue.
Remaining silent, Zi Mo eyes were growing colder by the second.
Yao Xi suddenly frowned and turned towards Yang Kai, bluntly reprimanded him, “What are you still doing here, quickly roll back!”
Finished scolding him, she contemptuously looked back at Zi Mo, “Senior Sister, how are you disciplining your servants? He’s obviously not well trained.”
Before Zi Mo could retort, Yang Kai carefully cupped his fists to Yao Xi and grinned embarrassedly before glancing towards Zi Mo, his face filling with hatred, quickly speaking, “Two Young Lords, would it be possible for you to remove this slut’s insect from my body? If you can, I am willing to pledge my allegiance to you.”
Hearing this, Zi Mo turned her face towards Yang Kai in shock, gritting her teeth and asking coldly, “What did you just call me?”
“Slut! You have a problem with that?” Acting like he had just found a patron, Yang Kai shot back at her, tit for tat.
“Hahaha…” Zi Mo let out a laugh, but her eyes were filled with rage, “You dare talk that way to me? It looks like you still don’t understand who your master is!”
These words were exactly what Yang Kai had said to her back then, now that she had a chance to return them Zi Mo didn’t hesitate.
“It seems the lesson from before wasn’t enough for you!” Zi Mo cursed loudly as her murderous intent flared up, quickly causing Yang Kai to collapse to the ground, his hands clutching his dantian as he “writhed in pain”, quickly begging to Yao He and Yao Xi, “Two Young Lords, I really wish to pledge loyalty to you, I swear upon my mortal life, with unwavering devotion!”
This dramatic turn of events naturally drew the attention of the Great Han Dynasty cultivators.
Hearing the words of Yang Kai, even those who had some friendship with him could not help but show a look of sadness, especially the four young girls from the Ten Thousand Flower Palace; however, Han Xiao Qi frowned, from what she knew she didn’t think Yang Kai was someone so spineless.
On the other hand Bi Xiu Ming and his Junior Brother, after freezing up for a moment, burst into laughter, “What did he just say? He wants to swear allegiance to those two? Ha ha ha… it really makes one laugh, I told you all his rushing to take that job was to show his loyalty, and sure enough, I was right!”
Though they were laughing, the two of them also fiercely spat on the ground, their eyes filled with contempt.
[Shameful, extremely shameful!] Although these Great Han cultivators had also been enslaved, none of them had ever behaved so disgracefully and begged for mercy.
Over there, Yang Kai was still pleading as he squirmed around, as if he didn’t know the meaning of the word “shame”, “Two Young Lords, my heart is truly loyal to you, please save me!”
Yao He and Yao Xi apparently had not expected to see such a good show.
They had brought Zi Mo here to deal with her, and Yang Kai was a servant Zi Mo had brought, but now he actually wanted to betray her and join them.
Wonderful, simply wonderful!
They didn’t care about Yang Kai’s life, they only wanted to deal a blow to Zi Mo’s pride. Truthfully Yao He and Yao Xi also looked down upon this spineless Great Han cultivator. However, if they didn’t step in now, he would definitely become a waste, and stealing him from Zi Mo would then become pointless.
“Senior Sister, stop it.” Yao Xi’s tried to wear a proud and noble expression as she fought back her urge to snicker.
Zi Mo glanced towards her with cold eyes, “What now? I’m simply disciplining this disrespectful slave, what business is it of yours?”
Yao He shook his head, “If it was someone else, naturally we wouldn’t interfere, but Senior Sister heard him as well, he would like to swear allegiance to the two of us, so now he is one of our people. Senior Sister won’t be unreasonable, right?”
As the three people stared at each, Zi Mo bit her lip so hard it bled, angrily shouting, “Good, if Junior Brother and Junior Sister want to shelter him, naturally Senior Sister will give you some face!”
A look a victory and pride appeared on Yao He’s face as he cracked a big grin.
Yang Kai, who was crying out as he rolled around on the ground, slowly stopped screaming and struggling, all his clothes now covered in sweat, he slowly staggered to his feat and said, “Thank you Young Lords, these days, this servant has experienced a lot of hardship at this slut’s hands.”
Yao He looked at him with great meaning, nodded and said, “En, Senior Sister’s temper has never been gentle. Your choice to pledge allegiance to us was definitely correct. Since you’re now one of our people, we won’t let you suffer!”
“Thank you two Young Lords, no, thank you two Young Masters!” Yang Kai immediately flattered them.
On the Great Han Dynasty side, Bi Xiu Ming sneered even harder, “This little waste, doesn’t he know that whoever’s hands he lands in, his end will still be death?”
Yang Kai straightened up his back and glared towards Zi Mo, viciously cursing “Damn slut, get your insect out of my body, unless you want to suffer!”
[A fox playing tiger!]
Using a tiger’s skin to act mighty, this act was exactly what it meant.
Yao He and Yao Xi couldn’t have been happier.
Now they didn’t have to lift a finger in order to embarrass Zi Mo, Yang Kai’s betrayal was more than enough to make her lose all face.
“Good, good!” Zi Mo despairingly shouted with her face filled with a mix of hatred, shame, and rage. “Since you want to serve them, then I’ll grant your wish! You think falling into their hands will give you any benefit? Sooner or later you’ll only be able to write the word “death”, I hope you won’t regret it!”
Yang Kai only grunted, arrogantly dismissing her words, “Slut, it’s none of your concern, I’m just happy to be rid of you, so good bye!”
Yao He and Yao Xi both glanced at each other, only able to see this Great Han Dynasty brat as a total idiot, since, if he wasn’t, he wouldn’t be stupid enough to confront Zi Mo.
The Yao family cousins were both extremely happy right now, feeling that they had once more trampled all over the Great Han Dynasty cultivators’ pride; although their group’s friendship with Yang Kai was not too deep, at this moment, they would still feel like they had no face. [We’re all cultivators of the Great Han Dynasty, but now, showing such a farce to these Tian Lang people, it’s beyond disgraceful!]
However, neither of the two parties had any idea what was really happening.
Only Leng Shan, who knew everything, inadvertently coughed and covered her mouth, a hint of laughter flashing across her eyes as she was unable to stop herself from grinning slightly.
Watching Zi Mo and Yang Kai act out this drama, she only felt deep admiration.
But even more so, she admired how everything was going exactly according to the script Yang Kai had laid out before they arrived here. Basically nothing had deviated from his expectations.
Leng Shan understood that, as long as they passed one last hurdle, the main event would be at hand, so she quietly came up to Han Xiao Qi side and whispered the plan to her.
Listening to her explanation, Han Xiao Qi’s eyes lit up as she directed a surprised look towards Leng Shan, who only responded with a serious nod.
“I understand.” Han Xiao Qi took a deep breath, her mouth flashing a light smile, quickly conveying the words she just heard to her three Junior Sisters.
“Hurry up; what are you wasting time for?” Yang Kai urged, as if he was desperate to serve Yao He and Yao Xi even one breath sooner.
Zi Mo looked at him meaningfully before walking up to him, stretching out her hand and pressing it onto his abdomen.
Yang Kai suddenly flinched and shouted towards Yao He, “Young Master, she won’t take this opportunity to kill me, right?”
Yao He snickered, “How could Senior Sister be such a dishonest person?”
“If you say so then everything is alright.” Yang Kai involuntarily breathed a sigh of relief, a moment later his face changing colour as he vomited out an insect.
Not waiting for Zi Mo to retrieve back her property, Yang Kai rushed up and stomped on it, cursing wildly as he repeatedly tried to crush this insect, yelling out all kinds of vulgarities as his spit flew about.
Listening to his incoherent ranting, Yao He and Yao Xi couldn’t help wrinkling their brows, while Zi Mo’s face went livid, her tender body trembling as she stared daggers at Yang Kai.
“Enough!” Yao He finally couldn’t stand watching Yang Kai ‘s retarded performance, hurriedly shouting, “Our Soul Controlling Insect’s physique is special, it’s impossible for you to trample it to death.”
“Oh… I’m ashamed for my naivety…”
Everyone who heard him speak these words suddenly felt dizzy, this… was this is a sense of self-awareness or something?
Yao He lightly coughed, looked at Yang Kai and said, “Since you are willing to swear loyalty to us, presumably you know what you must do?”
Yang Kai nodded, “I know, I have to accept your insect, right?”
Yao He smiled, “Yes, although your performance so far is quite good, in the end, we don’t know anything about you, so planting our Soul Controlling Insect in you is just a precaution. In the future, if you perform well, you will ultimately benefit from your decision today.”
“Many thanks, elder brother.” Yang Kai flattered shamelessly.
“Good, then stretch out your hand.” Yao He glanced victoriously towards Zi Mo before quickly ordering Yang Kai.
Yang Kai complied obediently, sticking out one of his hands.
Seeing this, Yao He took out one of his Soul Controlling Insects and was about to place it into Yang Kai’s hand, when suddenly Yao Xi shouted, “Wait!”
“What’s wrong?” Yao He looked towards her curiously.
Yao Xi stared vigilantly at Yang Kai, then at Zi Mo, suddenly sneering.
Yao He’s complexion changed slightly, quickly understanding the hidden meaning in his cousin’s eyes, a light sweat instantly appearing on his brow. He had only been thinking of how best to humiliate Zi Mo, using this little brat’s betrayal to the fullest to publicly shame her, but he never stopped to consider this all might be some kind of elaborate trap!
If all of this was really just an act, and he had implanted his insect into this kid, then…
Fortunately, his cousin was quite cautious. Thinking till here, Yao He hurriedly took back his Soul Controlling Insect and glared at Yang Kai, slowly ordering him, “Circulate your cultivation technique, let me see what property your Yuan Qi is!”
The Soul Controlling Insect’s nemesis was heat, anyone who cultivated Yang or Flame attribute Secret Arts could not be controlled, because once the insect was burned, his Soul would also take damage!
Because of this, when they captured these Great Han cultivators, the disciples from the Raging Fire Temple were all sentenced to death, no one was spared.
As soon as Yao He’s voice faded, Zi Mo suddenly laughed dismissively.
The cultivators from the Great Han Dynasty also involuntarily tensed up, especially Chen Xue Shu and Su Xiao Yu, the two of them had witnessed Yang Kai fighting before, so they naturally knew what Yang Kai’s Yuan Qi attribute was. When this whole fiasco had started, they had not thought about this point, but when Leng Shan had quietly reminded them, the couple suddenly realized what was happening. Unfortunately, their enemy was now going to check Yang Kai Yuan Qi attribute, so they couldn’t help being anxious, afraid that all of Yang Kai’s carefully laid out scheme would be exposed.
Han Xiao Qi and Ye Han glanced at one another, quietly winking towards Hua Ruo Yin and Liu Qing Ru, the four girls of them silently circulating their True Qi, ready to act at a moment’s notice.
Ye Qing Si and Zhou Ba also did the same.
…
Yao Xi stared straight at Yang Kai, impatiently saying, “I just ordered you to activate your Secret Art, did you not hear me?”
The hundreds of surrounding Monster Beasts also let out a low growl.
Seeing this, Yang Kai nodded his head furiously, silently extracting some Yuan Qi from inside his Unyielding Golden Body.
Very quickly a black gas appeared and wrapped up Yang Kai’s body. This black gas was mixed with a violent and bloodthirsty aura, causing him to suddenly look a bit evil.
Feeling this Yuan Qi’s nature, Yao He and Yao Xi gradually relaxed their vigilance.
As long as it was not a heat attribute Yuan Qi, their Soul Controlling Insects were invincible!
“You practice a Demonic Cultivation Technique?” Yao He looked curiously at Yang Kai.
”En.”
“You’re cultivation is quite low, not even reaching the True Element Boundary, so how did you survive until now?” Yao He asked, truly unable to understand.
Yang Kai suddenly showed an embarrassed expression, “Half a year ago I accidentally fell into a deep gorge and it took a great deal of strength to climb my way out. Unfortunately, when I finally escaped, that slut surnamed Zi captured me.”
Yao He laughed mockingly, “Seems like you have seriously bad luck.”
But if this was true, it certainly would explain why he was still alive now. If a Separation and Reunion Boundary fell into a deep gorge, he really would have no other choice but to slowly climb back up.
“Stretch out your hand.” Yao He was now much more relaxed and Yao Xi seemed to also no longer care about Yang Kai.
A weak little brat who cultivated a Demonic Secret Art; what kind of trouble could he hope to cause?
Yao He threw a Soul Controlling Insect directly into Yang Kai’s hands and watched as it burrowed into his body, traveling along the meridians as it moved towards his dantian.
“Good, now get the hell away from me! If I need you, I’ll summon you. Now, I need to discuss something with my dear Senior Sister.” Yao He signaled Yang Kai to scram, dismissing him offhandedly.
However, Yang Kai just stood there grinning at him.
Seeing his expression suddenly set off a warning in Yao He’s heart, but before he could react, Zi Mo had swiftly activated her movement skill and charged towards him.
“Cheap slu…AHH!” Just as Yao He was about to spit a few curses, he suddenly issued a tragic howl, his legs instantly buckling as he collapsed to the ground, clutching his head as his face twisted in agony, like he was experiencing most vicious torture under the Heavens.
His Soul was being burned; it was a pain no one could afford to bear!
Zi Mo rapidly rushed past Yao He, completely ignoring what was happening to him, and instead shot towards Yao Xi.
Everything had happened too fast, so before Yao Xi could even react, Zi Mo had already scored a direct hit on her chest, crushing several of her ribs and sending her flying, vomiting a big mouthful of blood mid-air.
At the same moment, Yao Xi saw that arrogant sniveling waste from the Great Han Dynasty that had repeatedly been kowtowing to them a moment ago suddenly launch a knife hand towards Yao He’s neck.
Accompanied by crisp cracking sound, Yao He screams came to an end, as his head separated from his body.
“NO!” Yao Xi cried out in despair, instantly issuing a mental order to the numerous Monster Beasts she controlled to come to her aid as quickly as possible.
Seeing this, Yang Kai put on a serious face, activating his movement skill immediately after he delivered the coup-de-grace to Yao He, he dashed behind Yao Xi, clenched his fist and punched forward.
Yao Xi, who had yet to regain her footing, was suddenly struck by Yang Kai’s Burning Sun’s Three Layer Blast!
*Thunk* The True Yang Yuan Qi poured into her body, greatly aggravating her already heavy injuries and sending her reeling back towards Zi Mo.
Not giving her any chance to recover, Zi Mo launched a palm strike, pushing her True Qi to its limit, ruthlessly striking Yao Xi three more times, the ice cold expression on her face not showing the slightest pity or remorse.
It wasn’t until now that Yao Xi had an opportunity to counterattack, desperately blocking Zi Mo’s fatal attack she staggered back several steps, gasping for breath through the blood clogging her throat, screaming out, “Quickly kill them!”
Who she was calling were obviously the Great Han Dynasty cultivators who were implanted with her Soul Controlling Insects.
Of these seventeen or eighteen people, she and Yao He each controlled half, which meant she was still held nine cultivator’s lives in her hand.
But of the Great Han Dynasty cultivators she enslaved, no one stepped forward to obey her!
“What the hell are you just standing around for!?” Yao Xi’s complexion paled as she glared towards Yang Kai and Zi Mo, glancing to the side as she screamed viciously.
The instant she spoke, amongst the Great Han Dynasty disciples, two suddenly fell to the ground, clutching their abdomens, writhing in pain!
Exchanging a quick glance, Yang Kai and Zi Mo hastened the pace of their assault.
Yao Xi was a True Element Boundary Fourth Stage cultivator; with this level of strength, even if he was alone, Yang Kai could easily kill her, not to mention she was now seriously injured and also needed to fight with Zi Mo, a True Element Sixth Stage opponent.
After exchanging only a few more blows, Zi Mo crushed one of Yao Xi’s arms, allowing Yang Kai to transform a drop of Yang Liquid into a sword slice through her neck.
When she died, Yao Xi’s eyes continued to stare blankly, unwilling to accept her fate!
From the moment Yang Kai had launched his attack on Yao He till the moment he cut off Yao Xi’s head, only seven or eight breathes of time had passed; saying this battle was over in the blink of an eye was not an exaggeration.
Seeing two disciples from her Sect lying dead at her feet, Zi Mo still remained expressionless.
The next moment, Yang Kai roared loudly, “The Monster Beasts are going to riot. Everyone prepare your defences, don’t try to kill them, just protect your lives!”
More than a hundred Monster Beasts were being controlled by Yao He and Yao Xi, but now that both of them had died, these beasts suddenly regained their freedom. According to what Zi Mo had told Yang Kai before, once these Monster Beasts got free, the first thing they’d do would be to lash out violently, their pent up primal instincts unleashed all at once, but as long as they felt seriously threatened, they would still choose to retreat!
Facing so many Monster Beasts, the Great Han Dynasty cultivators simply wouldn’t be able to cope if they recklessly fought to kill, even if the two who had fallen to the ground didn’t need to be guarded and instead could fight alongside them, they would still not stand a chance.
As soon Yang Kai’s voice faded, the more than fifty Monster Beasts who were enslaved by Yao He rushed towards the Great Han Dynasty group.
In the end though, this group of cultivators were their respective Sects’ elite disciples, and with the forewarning from Leng Shan, their response was extremely swift; quickly forming a defensive circle around the two who had been disabled by the Soul Controlling Insect’s torture, they coordinated with one another and fought to repulse the horde of Monster Beasts.
The four girls from the Ten Thousand Flower Palace rapidly arranged a small spirit formation, each one pushing their True Qi to the point it became visible before weaving them together mid-air.
Han Xiao Qi lightly shouted, “Four Crest, Binding Seal!”
Their fused True Qi instantly transformed into a cage, falling from the sky, it trapped three or four Monster Beasts within it. Next, the four female disciples changed their hand gestures, causing numerous flower petals to appear inside the cage. Each one acted like a sharp sword, fluttering lightly in the wind but concealing a fierce lethality. The trapped Monster Beasts desperately tried to escape, but were unable to break the cage, and after a few breaths of effort, they had been sliced to pieces by the countless floating petals, falling dead on the ground.
Asura Sect’s Ye Qing Si and Zhou Ba were both covered with a crimson aura filled with murderous intent. Ye Qing Si softly threw about a variety of blood-like martial skills, as if she were performing an exotic dance, giving off a strange, enrapturing feeling.
On the other hand, Zhou Ba gave off the feeling of an imposing tower, directly grabbing a Fourth-Order Monster Beast and letting out a brutal roar as he tore it in half with his bare hands, blood spraying out like a fountain, organs splattering everywhere, drenching him like he was some kind of God of death, grim and ferocious.
Zhou Ba grinned, revealing a mouthful of fangs, brining the Monster Beast’s corpse to his mouth, tearing off a piece with his teeth and chewing it like a ravenous demon, a bloody and terrifying image.
Chen Xue Shu and Su Xiao Yu fought side by side against the tide, once again displaying their Reflecting Moon Sect’s Supreme Martial Skill, Soaring Full Moon, causing moonlight to burst forth, penetrating numerous Monstrous Beasts’ bodies. This technique was a wide range attack so once it was cast it greatly reduced the pressure the group was facing.
Gemini Island, Soaring Feather Pavilion, Pure Heart Palace, all of these great Sect’s disciples were desperately pushing their True Qi, activating their most potent martial skills as the roar of beast constantly erupted around them. Amid the thunderous explosions and colourful flashes of light, the situation actually formed a delicate stalemate. Although they weren’t able to resolve their crisis entirely, within a short period time it was also impossible for the Monster Beasts to break through their defence.
“The two of us are in serious danger here!” Yang Kai and Zi Mo stood back to back, their expressions both grim.
Earlier, Yao Xi had issued an order to her fifty Monster Beasts to kill the two of them, but even though they had swiftly dispatched her, the pair had already been surrounded and so their situation was growing more and more desperate.
“We have to converge with them!” Zi Mo shouted, turned around and hugged Yang Kai’s waist, kicking off the ground and flying up.
“What are you…” Yang Kai sucked in a deep breath, feeling extremely embarrassed.
“I’m saving your life!” Zi Mo grunted.
“Then, we’ll call it even!” Yang Kai laughed slyly, then shouted towards the Great Han cultivators, “Open up some space!”
Looking up and seeing the pair flying over, Leng Shan quickly flashed to the side.
Zi Mo and Yang Kai quickly inserted themselves into this vacant position, joining together with the rest of the group.
The sounds of battle shook the Heavens. The seventeen people were now completely encircled, each of them guarding the backs of the others, and in that moment all of these various sects’ elite disciples were united as one.
Every now and then a Monster Beast would be killed, but these disciples’ True Qi consumption only became more intense.
With the spreading smell of blood, the remaining Monster Beasts became even fiercer, as if they had been driven mad with bloodlust and didn’t care about their own lives as they attacked. Having to deal with more than fifty Monster Beasts was more than enough, but when Yang Kai and Zi Mo joined them, bringing another fifty beasts with them, the pressure everyone felt was more than just double.
With a piercing cry, one of the disciples’ chests was struck by a Fifth-Order Monster Beast leaving a deep bloody gash. Though they weren’t dead, taking on such a strike meant that they instantly lost their ability to fight.
Understanding his situation, he quickly flew backwards into the centre of the crowd as he signaled for another to fill the gap that he had left.
“Can you control these Monster Beasts?” Yang Kai shouted towards Zi Mo while he fought back against a tiger shaped beast.
“I’m trying my best, but it’s not going well!” Zi Mo gritted her teeth as she ferociously struck out towards the surrounding beasts while simultaneously trying to plant her own Soul Controlling Insects, but all of the Monster Beasts around them were rioting about violently, which made it extremely difficult for her to succeed.
After a little more than a stick of incense, Zi Mo had only managed to control less than five Monster Beasts, and these five were all quickly turned into corpses by the never ending sea of rampaging beasts around them.
As more time passed and the group’s consumption of True Qi and injuries increased, the situation became increasingly perilous.
“What now?” Zi Mo said while dripping in sweat. After fighting for so long, they had only managed to kill about thirty Monster Beasts. Most of them were only Fourth-Order while the remaining Fifth-Order Monster Beasts were all existences that were life threatening to the group.
Yang Kai continued to hold his ground as his thoughts spun rapidly, but he was not worried about his side being broken through. At his full strength none of the surrounding Monster Beasts could pose a serious threat to him.
Assessing their situation for a short moment, he quickly shouted, “Everyone should retain a bit of their True Qi, if we’re really unable to hold, we can still fly away! But remember, we have to leave all at once, no one can abandon their position ahead of time!”
Han Xiao Qi loudly replied, “Good, you call the timing! We’ll follow your orders!”
Ye Han said somewhat worried, asked, “But what about you? You’re only a Separation and Reunion Boundary…”
Even if everyone else could fly, he couldn’t. Once that time came, he would surely be shredded by these Monstrous Beasts.
“I’ll take him!” Zi Mo said bluntly.
Many people quickly glanced towards her, surprised she would go to that extent.
However, this plan was not without its risks. A True Element Cultivator could fly, but their speed was by no means fast, and doing so would also consume True Qi. If the Monster Beasts doggedly pursued them, they would only fall into greater danger.
As the battle continued to rage, the number of those who received injuries and had to retreat into the circle grew, which caused the line of defence to tighten and the pressure to increase. On the other hand, the number of Monster Beasts which had fallen also steadily rose.
All of a sudden, just like a rising tide, the Monster Beast’s attacks strengthened significantly. This unexpected rush nearly overwhelmed the group, which was already exhausted.
In all this chaos, Yang Kai still remained calm, as he quietly observed the situation and weighed their options to try to determine the most appropriate time to sound a retreat.
But as he was thinking, a large group of Monster Beasts simultaneously attacked Zi Mo and Leng Shan who were standing nearby, which caused the two of them to fall into a dangerous situation as they desperately fought back. Unexpectedly, two Fifth-Order Monster Beasts leapt over their fellow beasts and flashed their fangs and claws mid-air as they aimed at the pair. A vicious light emitted from their eyes.
The two women’s expressions both changed rapidly and instantly became pale.
Right now they were struggling to push back against a concentrated rush, so how could they have any spare energy to deal with two more Fifth-Order Monster Beasts?
Expect help from the others? Impossible, everyone was busy dealing with the enemies in front of them, even Yang Kai! Once these two Fifth-Order Monster Beasts reached them, even if they didn’t die they would at least be seriously injured.
In that moment of despair, Yang Kai shifted his attention from the Monstrous Beasts he was fighting, which allowed one of them to pounce and bite down, causing him a burst of sharp pain. He grimaced and resisted the urge to scream, while he quickly shot out both his palms and ferociously pushed his Yuan Qi.
With The White Tiger Seal in his left and the Divine Ox Seal in his right, the two seals instantly fused together!
A faint glowing light rushed out.
[Beast Slave Seal!] Drilled directly into one of the Fifth-Order Monster Beast’s body.
Immediately, that Fifth-Order Monster Beast bared its fangs towards its former companion. With the two Monster Beasts now engaged into battle, Zi Mo and Leng Shan’s crisis was abruptly resolved.
With a look of lingering fear, the pair glanced towards Yang Kai, and both of their eyes flashing a trace of gratitude.
Previously, the two of them had each separately tried to enslave and kill Yang Kai, only to instead fall for his machinations and wind up being controlled by him.
Although these past days together, both Zi Mo and Leng Shan displayed a well behaved appearance on the surface, in their hearts they had never stopped wishing for Yang Kai to die so they could regain their freedom.
These thoughts had never weakened even for a moment.
But just now, it was undeniable that Yang Kai had disregarded his own safety in order to save their lives, which faintly touched Zi Mo and Leng Shan’s hearts. Compared to their former companions from their respective Sects, this youth who controlled them, tortured them, and even sexually harassed them, seemed to be more reliable.
“Gahh!” Yang Kai cursed, in just that brief moment the Monster Beast which had bitten into him had managed to tear off a chunk of his flesh. Although for him the injury wasn’t too serious, it still caused his blood to rush as he let out a savage roar, violently pushed his Yuan Qi, and released a deadly strike which instantly killed the offending party.
This situation seemed to affect the entire flow of the battle. After the sneak attack by the two Fifth-Order Monster Beasts failed, the remaining beasts seemed to lose their momentum, and after a brief moment some of them began to flee.
A half cup of tea later, all the remaining Monster Beasts had escaped. The only ones left were now corpses.
The disciples, who were still standing till now, suddenly collapsed panting for breath. All of them were bloodied and exhausted, as they looked around at the Monster Beast’s bodies and thought about how they had somehow survived.
No one knew who was the first to burst into laughter, but it was as if a big stone had been thrown into a calm lake as ripples of excitement and joy rapidly spread around.
The laughter continued on and on, and even the female disciples let out bright smiles and laughed heartily.
[We’re alive! We survived!] Although it was a desperate situation which could have very likely ended with their complete destruction, through their concerted efforts, everyone had managed to survive somehow! An hour or so ago, they had been enslaved by Yao He and Yao Xi, awaiting death, but right now no one was dead, and they were all free!
Their opportunity to live another day way all thanks to Yang Kai!
If he had not killed Yao He and, together with Zi Mo, dealt with Yao Xi, then everyone there would have inevitably been slaughtered by them.
“I owe you my life!” Zuo Fang of the Pure Heart Palace turned towards Yang Kai and sincerely thanked him.
Yang Kai simply nodded and smiled.
“We all owe you our lives!” Han Xiao Qi smiled sweetly.
Following this battle, everyone present needed to rest and recover. During the fight nearly eighty percent of them had sustained injuries, which left only a handful of them unscathed.
Fortunately, none of these injuries were fatal, and as long as they were treated properly, within half a month they would be completely restored.
In this situation, Yang Kai was not stingy and took out a bottle of healing pills from his Universe Bag and freely handed them out to the wounded, which garnered even more gratitude and respect from everyone present.
After the joy of surviving eventually began to settle, a certain gloom enshrouded the group.
The source of this being the two cultivators who had fallen before the desperate fight even began.
Before she had died, Yao Xi had ordered all of these disciples to kill Yang Kai and Zi Mo, but none of them had come to her aid, so in her anger she had imposed a harsh punishment in an attempt to force the others into action.
This punishment had landed on the heads of these unlucky two.
One of them was Li Xin Yuan of the Pure Heart Palace, the Senior Brother of Zuo Fang, while the other was the Junior Brother of Bi Xiu Ming, the one who had previously been insulting Yang Kai.
Everyone wore a frown as they gathered around them.
“How are they?” Yang Kai asked on behalf of the others.
Zuo Fang’s face filled with sadness and despair, “Senior Brother’s dantian was damaged by the insect.”
Yang Kai’s expression sank, and he hesitated before asking, “Then his cultivation…”
Zuo Fang slowly shook his head.
His dantian was broken, and his True Qi dispersed. Although there was no danger to his life, from now on he would be reduced to an ordinary person, unable cultivate, unless he could find a peerless medicine capable of repairing his dantian.
Unfortunately, such a pill only existed in legend. Where would one even begin to look for it?
Li Xin Yuan was an elite of the Pure Heart Palace, and just by the fact that he had come to this isolate world, his aptitude and strength were naturally quite good, but now because of a small insect, he had to face a fate worse than death.
Right now Li Xin Yuan’s face was hollow and stiff, like he had lost his soul. This kind of blow was not something anyone could easily endure.
Compared with his silence, the other victim’s reaction was more violent.
Bi Xiu Ming’s Junior Brother, along with Bi Xiu Ming, had twice before disparaged Yang Kai, and by some stroke of Heavenly karma, when Yao Xi randomly chose individuals to make an example of he ended up being one of them.
Clutching Bi Xiu Ming tightly with tears streaming down his face, he weakly murmured, “Senior Brother… I can still cultivate, can’t I? The damage to my dantian isn’t so serious right, right?”
Bi Xiu Ming’s face was grim, and his lips opened and closed a few times, but he simply couldn’t figure out how to console his Junior Brother.
The group around them remained silent with all showing a somber expression. Although none of them were particularly close to him, or even liked him given his previous attitude towards them and especially towards Yang Kai, but in the end he was still a fellow Great Han Dynasty cultivator.
“Senior Brother, tell me honestly, am I a waste now?” The youth finally couldn’t take it and cried out agitatedly.
Bi Xiu Ming stared at him for a moment before he gritted his teeth and nodded heavily.
“Impossible!” The youth’s face suddenly went grim, “It’s impossible! It’s just a trivial little bug. How could it have destroyed my dantian? I’m a rising star! I cultivated so hard, and in just ten years I reached the True Element Boundary Third Stage! I will definitely become an Immortal Ascension Boundary master, I will become one of the powerhouses of this realm, I …”
Roaring in despair, he suddenly seemed to think of something and stiffly turned his face towards Zi Mo, “That’s right. She’s one of those Tian Lang Dynasty cultivators! She must know the way to save me!”
Hearing these words the group’s faces suddenly brightened. Even the previously unresponsive Li Xin Yuan couldn’t help but look towards Zi Mo. Everyone’s eyes were filled with both hope and anxiety.
However, Zi Mo’s expression remained dull, and she slowly shook her head, “There’s nothing I can do!”
The light in Li Xin Yuan’s eyes instantly faded again while Bi Xiu Ming’s Junior Brother howled angrily, “Damn slut! You’re one of those Tian Lang people aren’t you!? You use those insects too, so how could you not be able to do anything!? You must know but simply don’t want to!”
Hearing him rant and rave at her, Zi Mo’s face gradually became cold, and she began to emit a murderous aura.
Simultaneously, Yang Kai also began to emit a ruthless air.
Aware that the situation was becoming delicate, Chen Xue Shu quickly interjected, “Wait a moment, don’t just accuse others randomly. Although she indeed carries the same insects with her, she wasn’t the one who attacked you, not to mention, your dantian is already broken, do you really believe there’s anything anyone could do about that now?”
Hearing this argument, the youth only sneered, “What did you say? She was one of the ones who attacked us and put us in this position in the first place but now you’re trying to defend her? Open your dog eyes! She’s nothing but a cheap Tian Lang Dynasty slut while I’m a glorious Great Han Dynasty man!”
It was obvious that because of his new found circumstances, this youth was getting carried away and spouting out whatever he wanted, which caused everyone listening around him to frown slightly.
“What the hell are you trying to say!?” Su Xiao Yu angrily shouted as she stepped forward. Originally she had also been quite sympathetic to this youth’s situation, but seeing him lash out so indiscriminately and even cursing her own Senior Brother made any trace of sympathy she had felt instantly vanish.
Chen Xue Shu quickly reached out, held her arm, and slowly shook his head.
Chen Xue Shu’s temperament was quite steady. He understood that this person had simply suffered too great a blow, so he did not take anything he said to heart.
Completely oblivious to the not so subtle changes in the group’s attitude towards him, he only continued to glare and curse at Zi Mo, “Damn slut, if you can’t come up with a way to repair my dantian, then you should just die instead!”
Zi Mo had never been a forgiving woman. Not to mention that these past days she had been deprived of her freedom, and whether she lived or died was no longer her decision to make, so with Yang Kai she had to act subservient even if her heart remained unwilling. In addition, her own comrades had plotted against and wanted to kill her, which further added to her pent up anger and rage, and now listening to this waste of a man curse and threaten her, she finally could no longer hold back, so sneering as she shot back, “A little shit like you wants me to die? I already said I don’t have a way to save you, but even if I could, I would never help you!”
However, after spitting out these hate filled words instead of becoming further enraged the youth suddenly looked ecstatic and grabbed hold of Bi Xiu Ming’s arm, “Senior Brother, you heard her, right? She really does have a way! Quickly make her save me! I can’t remain a waste!”
Bi Xiu Ming’s face cramped up for a moment before he slowly nodded to appease his Junior Brother, “Good, if she refuses to save you, I will waste her cultivation and let her be your maidservant, serving you for the rest of her life!”
Finished speaking, he slowly got up and turned and stared gloomily at Zi Mo.
A ruthless look also flashed across Zi Mo’s pretty face as she looked back at him indifferently.
“Wait a moment!” Chen Xue Shu jumped out between them and shouted, “Bi Xiu Ming, you know that what she just said was only out of anger, and on top of that, it could be said that all of us owe her our lives. If she and Brother Yang hadn’t put on that act and attacked those two, all of us would still be under Yao He and Yao Xi’s control. Even if you don’t want to show her any gratitude, isn’t it too much for you to deliberately move against her?”
“Owe her our lives?” Bi Xiu Ming sneered, “If before all of this, she and her damn Tian Lang bastards hadn’t attacked us, how could we have been reduced to someone else’s slaves? She saved us? No! Everything she did was only to protect her own interests! The only one she wanted to save was herself! Chen Xue Shu, I know your temperament, but I suggest you not interfere in this matter!”
Chen Xue Shu frowned. Although he didn’t like Bi Xiu Ming, he still had to admit what he had just said was undeniably true!
Zi Mo had previously led her Monster Beasts to attack all of them, so even though Yao He and Yao Xi were the ones controlling them, Zi Mo was also greatly responsible. Just now when she and Yang Kai had beheaded Yao He and Yao Xi, Zi Mo really was only acting in her own self interest, and saving them had merely been a side effect.
It was because he knew Bi Xiu Ming was telling the truth that Chen Xue Shu felt it difficult to act any further. On the one hand, he hated Zi Mo, but on the other he knew that Zi Mo and Yang Kai were together, and the relationship between the two was certainly not so simple.
After Chen Xue Shu’s objections were shot down, no one else stepped forward. Whether it was the Ten Thousand Flower Palace’s four girls or the Ye Qing Si Zhou Ba Senior Sister Junior brother pair, all of them remained silent and chose to remain neutral while they waited to see how the situation would develop.
The main reason they were hesitating was because they weren’t clear on the relationship between Yang Kai and Zi Mo.
Seeing the countless pairs of eyes looking towards him, Yang Kai sneered before turning his gaze towards Bi Xiu Ming, “You want to waste her cultivation and give her as a maidservant to your Junior Brother?”
If someone here wanted to act against Zi Mo, then he naturally couldn’t just stand by and watch. Regardless of how it came to pass, Zi Mo was now one of his men.
“If she can’t help restore my Junior Brother, then that will be her fate!” Bi Xiu Ming’s expression darkened.
“I’m afraid your Junior Brother will never have that privilege!” Yang Kai laughed heartily, “After all, she’s already my maidservant!”
Zi Mo’s breath suddenly became ragged as she glared at him, but in the end she couldn’t really retort. Yang Kai calling her his maidservant was already elevating her position. In reality, she had been reduced to his slave, so what objection could she make?
As she gnashed her teeth in rage, Zi Mo felt that this brat was the most hateful person she had ever met, but with her fate in his hands she had no choice but to remain silent.
While Zi Mo was struggling with herself, everyone else who heard Yang Kai speak was stunned, because they could all see that Zi Mo couldn’t refute him. One by one all looked back and forth between the pair, as their eyes held clear disbelief and amazement.
All of them had been reduced to servants by Yao He and Yao Xi, which caused them endless humiliation and anguish, but the relationship between Yang Kai and Zi Mo had been reversed. [What the hell happened? How did he do it!?]
Unnoticed by the others, Leng Shan’s face also flashed an awkward expression. Strictly speaking, her and Zi Mo’s status was the same.
“For my maidservant, only I get to decide whether she lives and who she serves. You’re not qualified.” Yang Kai had long been unhappy with Bi Xiu Ming’s attitude towards him, so at this moment he no longer remained polite.
“Heh heh…” Bi Xiu Ming laughed as she stared dismissively at Yang Kai, “It looks like you’ve been completely tamed by this Tian Lang Dynasty woman, and I don’t know if I should laugh or spit. You speaking up for her like that, makes it seem as though you had already become a servant for her skirt? Although this woman certainly does give off the aura of a slut, letting a man become her plaything after servicing him a bit shouldn’t have been too difficult for her.”
Listening to him speak, all the women in their group couldn’t help but wrinkle their brows. Bi Xiu Ming’s words were far too obscene and ugly, and all of them had a hard time holding down their anger.
Zi Mo’s beautiful face also twisted in rage, and her tender body trembled. Although she looked and acted like an experienced and worldly woman, but only she and those close to her knew that in the end it was all just a facade.
“Don’t try to stop me. I want to kill him!” Zi Mo clenched her teeth and glared at Bi Xiu Ming in hatred. Her expression was ice cold.
Being humiliated to this point meant there was no longer room for compromise.
“You can’t fight him!” Yang Kai stared at her coldly. She was, after all, a Tian Lang Dynasty person. Even though she was stronger than Bi Xiu Ming and could easily beat him, once she had killed him, the rest of the Great Han Dynasty people wouldn’t remain idle, and things would only become more difficult.
“I don’t care! I want him to die!” Zi Mo couldn’t control herself anymore, and her True Qi violently erupting from her body.
“Roll back!” Yang Kai thundered.
Zi Mo stared at him for a moment before she managed to force down her anger. She was quite clever and naturally understood what Yang Kai was saying. Leng Shan also quickly ran up and pulled Zi Mo away. Both of them had experienced his Soul torture before and were clear about Yang Kai’s temper. If she kept pushing her luck and truly enraged him, all she would get for her trouble would be another round of that nightmarish torment.
Bi Xiu Ming stared calmly at Zi Mo with an arrogant look of victory plastered on his face.
“Senior Brother, you can’t let her off!” Bi Xiu Ming’s Junior Brother also began clamoring again.
A ruthless light flashed across Bi Xiu Ming’s eyes, and he nodded slightly as he prepared to rush towards Zi Mo, but suddenly Yang Kai stood in front of him.
“I’ll accompany you instead!” Yang Kai looked at him indifferently.
Bi Xiu Ming frowned, and his look quickly became ugly, “For this Tian Lang Dynasty slut, you really want to get in my way?”
“I already said that she is my maidservant, and only I get to decide her fate.”
“You’re not my opponent, so get out of my way. I don’t want to kill you.” Bi Xiu Ming said impatiently.
“If we don’t fight, how would you know?” Yang Kai remained motionless like a rock.
Bi Xiu Ming stared deeply into Yang Kai’s eyes before nodding seriously. “Good, since you court death, don’t blame me for being ruthless. I’ll kill you first and then waste that Tian Lang bitch!”
Done talking, Bi Xiu Ming ferociously struck towards Yang Kai, while pushing his True Qi to the max. his palm strike whistled through the air.
Screams suddenly sounded. No one thought that Bi Xiu Ming would actually attack so savagely! He was a cultivator at the True Element Boundary Fourth Stage while Yang Kai was only Separation and Reunion Boundary Eighth Stage. With such a massive gap in cultivation how could Yang Kai hope to survive?
Didn’t he have any hesitation given that Yang Kai just saved his life? This man seemed to act only as he pleased without the slightest morality whatsoever.
“Wait!” Han Xiao Qi screamed.
Ye Qing Si also began emitting a crimson aura as she dashed over.
Zi Mo and Leng Shan both couldn’t hide their shock, and their mouths both opened in surprise.
In that instant, Yang Kai fixed his gaze upon Bi Xiu Ming and punched out.
True Qi and Yuan Qi collided, and flashes of energy spread out wantonly.
*Deng deng deng deng…* Bi Xiu Ming staggered backwards more than a dozen steps before he managed to regain his footing, while Yang Kai stood still like a mountain. The eight winds were unable to sway him in the slightest.
Ye Qing Si stumbled as she came to a halt. The bloody aura surrounding her body slowly dissipated as she stood there stunned.
Zi Mo and Leng Shan’s eyes also flashed a trace of surprise. The look on their faces were now extremely complex.
The towering Zhou Ba’s eyes also squinted as his face twitched a few times.
Chen Xue Shu and Su Xiao Yu’s jaws had slacked so much an egg could easily fit into their mouths. The Senior Brother and Junior Sister couple both felt like they were caught in some fantastical dream.
…..
Everyone present had a different reaction, but all of them were equally shocked that Yang Kai was able to effortlessly beat back Bi Xiu Ming.
Separation and Reunion Boundary Eighth Stage, True Element Boundary Fourth Stage …
Not to mention the difference of five Minor Realms, one had to remember there was a huge watershed like gap which divided these two Great Realms!
Before a cultivator reached the True Element Boundary, their body would utilise Yuan Qi, while after reaching True Element Boundary, their Yuan Qi would be refined into True Qi!
The difference between the two was not just a single grade. It was common sense that a Separation and Reunion cultivator could not repel a True Element Boundary master with the possible exception of those world famous super geniuses.
But now, this unbelievable scene had actually happened right before their very eyes.
Bi Xiu Ming also stared towards Yang Kai in shock. His left hand clutched his right, and he desperately circulated his True Qi to resolve the True Yang Yuan Qi which had invaded his body. His right hand glowed red, like it was on fire, but despite his best efforts this red glow was spreading up his arm at a speed the naked eye could see.
“Your Yuan Qi …” Bi Xiu Ming grimaced, “Why is it so pure?”
Yang Kai only sneered while activating his movement skill. He disappeared in a blur and instantly reappeared in front of Bi Xiu Ming and launched a vicious palm strike towards him.
Bi Xiu Ming roared and hurriedly raised his own palm to counter.
Shaking Cloud Palm! A single strike which could shake the clouds. A low Earth Grade Low Martial Skill with extraordinary power!
Yang Kai met this attack head on. A loud *bang* erupted between them as Bi Xiu Ming’s posture collapsed. Yang Kai was also forced back this time, but he quickly stabilized himself and punched out again.
Bi Xiu Ming was now overwhelmed and unable to defend himself from these ferocious attacks, so this punch landed directly on his chest.
Burning Sun’s Three Layer Blast!
More than a month ago, when Yang Kai and Qi Jian Xing fought, the Burning Sun’s Three Layer Blast had been easily resolved by Qi Jian Xing’s True Element Boundary Third Stage strength and was unable to inflict a trace of damage, but now, Bi Xiu Ming at the True Element Boundary Fourth Stage could not repeat this performance.
First, Yang Kai’s Yuan Qi was much purer now thanks to his refinement of a drop of the Brilliant Flame Liquid.
Second, Qi Jian Xing was a disciple of the Nine Star Sword School, a first-class Sect, while Bi Xiu Ming only came from a second-class Sect. Their heritage and foundation couldn’t be compared.
Suffering a direct hit, the Burning Sun’s Three Layer Blast surged into Bi Xiu Ming body and burst open. Bi Xiu Ming cried out in pain as his face went white, and he involuntarily coughed out a mouthful of blood.
The one who attacked first was Bi Xiu Ming, so Yang Kai naturally wasn’t planning to be merciful.
He had just saved this man’s life, but instead of showing gratitude, he had decided, for his own selfish reasons, to act against him. Keeping such a treacherous person around was only courting disaster.
On top of that, he had thoroughly ridiculed him before, which caused Yang Kai to want to kill him even more!
Yang Kai was not someone who let past grievances go. If someone tried to bully him, he would definitely return the favour!
Suddenly suffering such a big loss, Bi Xiu Ming no longer dared to underestimate Yang Kai and glared at him with resentment and fear. He tried to exert his full strength once more, but as he was gathering his strength, he was surprised to see Yang Kai push forward both his palms as ferocious Yuan Qi burst out.
Beast Soul Skill!
With two mighty roars, a crimson flaming White Tiger and Divine Ox appeared, and together with Yang Kai vigorously charged towards Bi Xiu Ming filled with killing intent.
Shocked by this sight, Bi Xiu Ming panicked and desperately tried to defend himself.
The two beast phantoms and Yang Kai ruthlessly attacked, and in less than three breaths of time a new gaping hole appeared in Bi Xiu Ming’s chest.
Blood splashed out as Bi Xiu Ming fell on his back. His eyes stared blankly into the sky with a look of shock and unwillingness adorning his face.
Yang Kai glanced around but could only see disbelief in everyone’s expressions.
The battle was over in the flash, but the end result was something that no one had predicted. A Separation and Reunion Boundary Eighth Stage cultivator had actually taken a True Element Boundary Fourth Stage cultivator’s life in an instant. The whole process seemed effortless for him!
Zi Mo and Leng Shan were even more shocked.
The two of them had spent quite some time with Yang Kai, but up till now they had never seen him really fight. Even when they had to deal with Monstrous Beasts, Yang Kai had only displayed combat strength slightly above an average Separation and Reunion Boundary Eight Stage cultivator.
All along the two women only thought that Yang Kai was relying on some special mystical skill which allowed him to gain control of their Souls.
So despite their fear towards his means, in their hearts they both looked down on his actual strength, thinking that he was just some small Separation and Reunion Eighth Stage cultivator, and not someone to really be taken seriously.
Many times, when Zi Mo and Leng Shan talked amongst themselves about this matter, their hearts would fill with bitterness.
While they had reluctantly been obedient to him, the two of them had always acted a little presumptuously with Yang Kai these days because of these very thoughts.
But now, Zi Mo and Leng Shan found that the two of them had severely underestimated this youth. His combat strength was simply amazing. Bi Xiu Ming was a True Element Boundary Fourth stage cultivator, and if Leng Shan really fought with him, whether she could win or not was a complete toss-up. Even for Zi Mo, if she really wanted to kill him, she would need to exert a considerable effort.
Being shown the difference between them, Zi Mo and Leng Shan’s hearts quivered, and for a long time they were unable to utter a sound…
However, in the end, everyone else around them was the same!
After killing Bi Xiu Ming, Yang Kai turned around and looked at his Junior Brother.
This man had been cursing non-stop, clamoring for his Senior Brother to waste Zi Mo, and when Bi Xiu Ming and Yang Kai were fighting, he had continued to spit out insults towards Yang Kai, with foul language constantly spewing from his mouth.
But now his mouth was shut tight, and he was silent as a mute.
Staring at Yang Kai in terror, his face suddenly became extremely pale when he saw Yang Kai turn eyes, filled with murderous intent and disgust, towards him.
Yang Kai dared to kill Bi Xiu Ming in front of everyone present, so clearly he wouldn’t hesitate to slaughter him too.
The two beast phantoms bared their fangs and immediately rushed toward him.
“No… Stop…” Desperately struggling to get up, he tried his best to flee.
However, with his dantian broken and his cultivation wasted, there was no longer a drop of True Qi in his body, so how could he possibly escape?
The White Tiger and Divine Ox instantly caught up and sank their fangs into his body.
Howls of pain and pleas for mercy rang out.
The Great Han Dynasty cultivators all trembled lightly. A few of the soft hearted ones even tried to speak, but in the end no words came out.
After less than a breath of time, the miserable cries fell silent. Bi Xiu Ming’s Junior Brother had been reduced to a bloody mess under the attacks of the two beast phantoms.
Casually sweeping his eyes over the crowd, Yang Kai remained silent and paused only a moment before he indifferently walked over to the side.
Zi Mo and Leng Shan glanced at each other quietly before they turned a complicated look towards Yang Kai. It wasn’t until now that the two women had a real sense of respect for this youth.
Even without mentioning Yang Kai’s strange ability to control their Souls, just that Heaven defying combat strength was enough to let them submit. If they had really engaged in a life or death struggle, Leng Shan was definitely not his opponent. Zi Mo might be able to resist, but even she wasn’t sure whether or not she could triumph in the end.
[I don’t think I could win!] Recalling the sudden burst of strength Yang Kai had just displayed, Zi Mo objectively evaluated her chances.
How does he cultivate? Why can a Separation and Reunion Boundary Eighth Stage fight with a cultivator across a Great Realm? Of all those who came here, which one was not an elite in their own Sect. Who didn’t have the ability to fight someone above their own realm? In the end, in front of the ability Yang Kai had shown, none of it was worth mentioning.
He was an elite existence amongst this so called group of elites!
Everyone here had the same thought. If he doesn’t fall before he truly matures, he would certainly stand amongst the top of the Great Han Dynasty!
“Thank you…” After a long silence, Zi Mo only quietly expressed her thanks.
Yang Kai turned his eyes to her and faintly grinned, “Don’t misunderstand. I didn’t fight him for your sake.”
Zi Mo expression suddenly went stiff, “Wha… You don’t mean you only killed him because he mocked you before, right?”
“En!” Yang Kai bluntly nodded.
Zi Mo’s jaw slacked for a moment before she smiled wryly, “A man who must settle his grievances! That certainly sounds like your character! But… you’re strength is really amazing, it looks like I’ve been underestimating you.”
“Oh, have you been charmed by my gallant performance? Would you like to commit yourself to me willingly now?” Yang Kai laughed wantonly.
Hearing him spit out this arrogant drivel, Zi Mo was suddenly reminded of all the unpleasant business the two had shared. Her expression instantly became cold, as she ground her teeth, “Sooner or later, I’ll make you pay!”
“Hahaha, you just said I’m a man who settles his grievances. Are you sure it’s a wise choice for you to curse me now?” Yang Kai teasingly shook his finger at her.
Zi Mo’s face looked like she had just bitten something bitter, but she didn’t dare to retort. If she kept pushing her luck, then who knows what might happen? If this brat got angry and decided to take her life, or if he decided he wanted to press himself onto her and deprive her of her purity, then she would really have no place to cry.
After a while, Yang Kai heard the sound of footsteps, so he looked over and saw the Great Han Dynasty group, led by Chen Xue Shu and Su Xiao Yu, slowly approaching them.
Yang Kai simply stood there and watched quietly.
Ye Qing Si smiled brightly, while the others who had some friendship with him didn’t show the slightest aversion. Only a few people who were less familiar had a trace on their faces.
Yang Kai had just killed Bi Xiu Ming and decisively executed Bi Xiu Ming’s Junior Brother. This ruthless cutting of weeds and pulling out roots initially made many of them uncomfortable, but in the end they were all people who were more or less stained in blood, so they all understood Yang Kai’s methods, and at the moment did not show any hostility, apparently having accepted his actions as reasonable.
Bi Xiu Ming and his Junior Brother these past days were constantly whining and dampening morale, so they were already quite unpopular, not to mention they had both acted far too despicably just now. The group could clearly distinguish between right and wrong here and naturally would not blame Bi Xiu Ming and his Junior Brother’s deaths on Yang Kai.
In this place, where one’s own life was constantly at risk, who would concern themselves with the deaths of strangers? For these two reprehensible people, their deaths were clearly in vain!
Chen Xue Shu and Su Xiao Yu both walked up to Yang Kai, and each handed over a big pile of Blood Beads, “These are all the Blood Beads from the previous fight, as well as the ones that Yao He and Yao Xi obtained from killing her Monstrous Beast’s, a total of eighty two, please accept them Brother Yang.”
Zi Mo’s thirty or forty Monster Beasts had been slaughtered without resistance, along with the beasts who were freed from Yao He and Yao Xi’s control which they had just killed. This battle had indeed yielded a huge harvest.
Yang Kai looked at him for a moment but eventually did not decline. He reached out and accepted all of these Blood Beads.
Although the Monster Beasts had been killed by everyone, if not for Yang Kai’s efforts in putting on such a good show, how could any of them have regained their freedom? Compared to these Blood Beads, being able to escape Yao He and Yao Xi’s control was a far greater gain. Moreover, after the battle, Yang Kai had also freely distributed healing pills to them, so giving these to him could be considered returning the favour.
“These are the Blood Beads of those four. All of them are condensed from True Element cultivators.” Ye Qing Si also smiled warmly and placed the four much higher quality Blood Beads into Yang Kai’s hands.
Watching Yang Kai harvest so many benefits all at once, many people were quite envious. However, no matter how jealous they were, no one made any effort to snatch them for themselves. None of them wanted to display an ungrateful attitude. Yang Kai glanced around at this scene and secretly nodded to himself and laid down his worries that there might be others like Bi Xiu Ming and his Junior Brother.
Chen Xue Shu nodded strongly before cupping his fists and bowing, “Thank you, Brother Yang for saving my life. This debt of gratitude shall forever be remembered. If there is a chance to repay you in the future, I will definitely not hesitate!”
More than a dozen people quickly followed and also cupped their fists.
Yang Kai also politely responded to the group’s sincerity.
No one mentioned the matter of Bi Xiu Ming’s death. Even if everyone here left here alive, none of them would even bother reporting such a minor incident. In this isolated world, someone dying was all too normal. As long as no one disclosed that it was Yang Kai who killed Bi Xiu Ming, then naturally his Sect wouldn’t come find trouble with him.
This fact was never discussed, but was tacitly understood by everyone here.
The atmosphere gradually became harmonious, and the original existence of some minor barriers and fear between them instantly vanished. The only awkward point was how everyone viewed Zi Mo.
If she were a Great Han Dynasty cultivator, all of them would simply smile and put down their grievances, and that would be the end of it. However, Zi Mo was a Tian Lang Dynasty cultivator, and had previously attack all of them, so the situation was far more complex. Even if some genuinely wanted to reconcile, many would still have some scruples.
It was natural that there would be some rejection towards a foreigner!
Zi Mo wasn’t stupid, so she understood this point clearly and quietly stood to the side by herself.
After chatting for a while, Yang Kai suddenly looked at Chen Xue Shu, “Brother Chen, is there something else you want to ask?”
Chen Xue Shu actions and appearance had lead him to conclude this.
The instant Chen Xue Shu heard this, he immediately burst into a wry smile, “We really do have another matter we’d like to ask about.”
“Go ahead!”
Chen Xue Shu reached out and covered his own dantian, “The insects inside us… are they still alive?”
Yao He and Yao Xi were dead, but the Soul Controlling Insects they had left behind were a big concern for the Great Han Dynasty cultivators. Li Xin Yuan from the Pure Heart Palace even had the one inside him drill into his dantian, causing it to break, so his Junior Brother Zuo Fang had to constantly assist him. Who knew who might be next?
Yang Kai turned to his eyes towards Zi Mo and silently inquired, but in the end Zi Mo just said indifferently, “Yes, they’re still alive inside your bodies.”
Everyone’s expression suddenly went bitter as they looked towards Zi Mo helplessly.
Yang Kai frowned as well before inquiring, “Do you have any way to remove them?”
“They aren’t Soul Controlling Insects I planted!” Zi Mo slowly shook her head and said, “However, there’s nothing for you to worry about, they will only absorb a tiny bit of your Yuan Qi in order to survive, and with no one issuing them commands they won’t actively try to harm you. Once you can begin cultivating your Divine Sense it will be easy for you to extract them, or if you can’t wait that long, once you go back to your respective Sects you can let one of your Elders do it for you.”
These were only the lowest order Soul Controlling Insects, so in addition to their fear of heat, one could use their Divine Sense to deal with them.
However, after she had said this, everyone was still frowning.
They were not sure if they could believe Zi Mo.
Moreover, even if Zi Mo was telling the truth, having a live insect latched onto your dantian which could possibly harm you would make anyone uncomfortable. If they were to engage in a life or death battle and the insect suddenly decided to move, they couldn’t begin to estimate how serious the consequences might be.
Seeing all of these people’s expressions, Zi Mo suddenly smiled mischievously, “If you want to remove the insects now, I may have a way, that is, if you are willing to let me try!”
Everyone’s face became even more bitter as they looked towards Yang Kai.
They really did not trust Zi Mo. In case this little Tian Lang bitch acted maliciously and gained control over them, then …
But if they did not agree, then all of them would have to live in constant fear of the insects causing damage to their dantians.
Zi Mo sneered, fully aware of what these people were thinking, before saying, “I can’t do anything, but my master can help you.”
“Your master…” Chen Xue Shu couldn’t help coughing awkwardly.
Yang Kai’s face also twitched as he bitterly glared over at Zi Mo.
“Brother Yang, so it’s true that she’s your maidservant?” Chen Xue Shu directed an envious look at him, which caused Su Xiao Yu to viciously pinch and twist him. Feeling a sharp pain in his side, Chen Xue Shu face grimaced, but he did not dare to say anything.
“She’s bullshitting! She can’t wait for me to die!” Yang Kai denied strongly as he snorted and frowned, “But I really may have a way. It’s just that I’ve not tried it on a person before.”
Yang Kai’s True Yang Yuan Qi was the Soul Controlling Insects’ nemesis, and now that they could no longer receive commands from Yao He or Yao Xi, as long as he carefully applied his True Yang Yuan Qi, then he should theoretically be able to force the Soul Controlling Insect out of their bodies.
Earlier Yang Kai had used this approach to extract a Soul Controlling Insect from the head of a Fifth-Order Malevolent Golden Shadow Leopard, which lead to him learning the secrets of these insects.
However, the subject this time would be a human, so Yang Kai did not dare to act recklessly. All of the cultivators here were the young elites from their respective Sects, and the Soul Controlling Insects had been implanted in close proximity to their fragile dantians. Even a small mistake on his part could lead to serious consequences.
Seeing Yang Kai hesitate, everyone also felt uneasy.
“He can try it on me!” Pure Heart Palace’s Li Xin Yuan suddenly called out weakly, accompanied by a faint laughter, “In any case, my cultivation has been wasted, so allowing Brother Yang to practice his approach on me can be considered a boon for everyone.”
Zuo Fang immediately objected, “Senior Brother! Don’t talk like that, in the future there will definitely be a chance for you to repair your dantian, all you need to do is find the right medicine. Instead, I’ll volunteer to go first!”
“Junior Brother Zuo.” Li Xin Yuan shook his head and smiled wryly, “Your Senior Brother really has nothing to worry about. Even if Brother Yang fails then the worst that happens is that I’d die. Rather than living like this, death might be better…”
“Stop arguing! I’m not so sure it will work so let me ask her a few things first.” Yang Kai wrinkled his brow before reaching out and signaling Zi Mo to come closer.
“What now?” Zi Mo’s expression went sour but she still obediently came over.
Seeing her act so subservient only caused the Great Han Dynasty group to look more surprised. Did they really have a relationship of master and maidservant?
How was that even possible?
“Describe for me how I should accomplish this.” Yang Kai said seriously.
Zi Mo explained again and provided two options. Both of them were similar to how Yang Kai extracted the Soul Controlling Insect from the Malevolent Golden Shadow Leopard but with far greater attention to detail. First he could use a strong pinpoint burst of True Yang Yuan Qi to instantly incinerate it, not giving it any time to react, or he could gently stimulate it so it would escape on its own. However, he absolutely couldn’t let it feel uneasy, because if it became desperate, it might really break someone’s dantian.
After listening to her full explanations, Yang Kai pondered for a moment before looking at the crowd and confirming, “Are you sure you want me to try?”
After glancing around briefly, everyone nodded.
“Good, I can only guarantee that I will make every effort to help you to resolve this issue but… the consequences will be your own to bare!”
Yang Kai did not wish to get caught in the mess if he failed.
Han Xiao Qi laughed softly, “Since that’s the case, we can only believe in you.”
Nobody here had any objections. Naturally they understood his intentions.
Yang Kai nodded and weighed his options for a long time before deciding to go with the second method. The first was quick and simple, but the drawbacks were harsh. If his control was not precise enough, then all he would end up doing was harm others.
Shifting his gaze to Li Xin Yuan, Yang Kai spoke solemnly, “I’ll try it out on you first!”
Li Xin Yuan smiled and nodded. Zuo Fang wanted to say something, but his Senior Brother signaled him to stand down.
Taking off his shirt and exposing his chest, the Ten Thousand Flower Palace’s four girls all blushed involuntarily, but none of them turned their eyes away for fear they might miss something and instead stared intensely at everything that was happening.
Yang Kai stretched out his hand and placed it on Li Xin Yuan’s dantian. Taking a deep breath, he then completely immersed himself in controlling his True Yang Yuan Qi and gently poured a little bit of it into Li Xin Yuan’s body.
After what seemed like a long time, Yang Kai finally felt where the Soul Controlling Insect was idling, and then very carefully directed his threads of True Yang Yuan Qi towards it and cautiously surrounded it while observing to make sure it did not have any violent reactions.
Li Xin Yuan’s face suddenly flushed. He was now a waste, so the influx of Yuan Qi was somewhat difficult for him to bare, but he was a man with strong perseverance. So even though his abdomen felt like it was on fire, he still strongly grit his teeth and remained silent, but the veins on his forehead were clearly showing as sweat poured down his face.
Yang Kai looked at him and said seriously, “Brace yourself.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Yang Kai pushed his True Yang Yuan Qi and wrapped the Soul Controlling Insect harder. The Soul Controlling Insect also began to struggle more intensely, which caused Li Xin Yuan to experience more and more pain, while his Junior Brother, Zuo Fang, stayed by his side and felt his heart leap into his throat.
However, soon after, the Soul Controlling Insect was forced out from its position near Li Xin Yuan’s dantian. Reaching this step successfully, Yang Kai finally relaxed his nerves a bit, and because he no longer had to act so delicately, Yang Kai increased the intensity of his True Yang Yuan Qi markedly.
After a few breaths of time, everyone clearly saw as a small insect protruding from Li Xin Yuan’s ribs. Yang Kai eyes flashed as he reached out his hand and drew out the Soul Controlling Insect. He extracted it quickly and then burned it into ash.
At the same time, Li Xin Yuan also involuntarily let out a deep breath and softly collapsed onto the ground.
“Senior Brother!” Zuo Fang was shocked and quickly reached out to support him.
Resting for a few moments, Li Xin Yuan finally weakly said while laughing happily, “It was definitely painful, but it feels good to be free again.”
Seeing him safe and sound, everyone felt like a boulder had been lifted from their hearts.
Yang Kai stood up and looked around, “Who wants to go next?”
“I’ll do it!” Chen Xue Shu shouted and then quickly sat cross legged in front of Yang Kai.
Having succeeded once already, Yang Kai naturally gained some experience and confidence, but Chen Xue Shu and Li Xin Yuan were not the same. This time the patient also had his own True Qi, so even if he tried to relax completely, his True Qi would involuntarily protect himself. This meant that Yang Kai could only increase the output of his Yuan Qi, but once again, after a long time, he successfully extracted the Soul Controlling Insect.
One by one the Great Han Dynasty disciples lined up, which made Yang Kai feel exhausted enough to collapse.
But after handling most of the group, only the few women were left.
Asura Sect’s Ye Qing Si, Water Moon Hall’s Feng Qian Hen, Reflecting Moon Sect’s Su Xiao Yu of, and the Ten Thousand Flower Palace’s four female disciples.
With the exception of the most enchanting Ye Qing Si, the other girls were all blushed red, and each of them looked around at the others while trying to hide their embarrassment.
The reason was simple. When Yang Kai extracted the Soul Controlling Insects, his hand had to be placed on the patient’s dantian.
The dantian was located in one’s lower abdomen, just below the navel…
Thinking of this, all of the girls suddenly felt ashamed.
Ye Qing Si smiled seductively, “I’ll go first! You little girls, why are you acting so shy? It’s not like he’s going to eat you.”
“Keke …” Yang Kai tried to act solemnly, “Please don’t flirt with me.”
The surrounding group of men also stared at him enviously.
Sitting cross-legged in front of Yang Kai, Ye Qing Si eyes shimmered as she elegantly smiled and boldly stared at him before slowly undoing the buttons on her clothes.
*Pluck… pluck…*
*Gulp…* The sounds of heavy breathing and nervous swallowing echoed about.
Ye Qing Si enchanting bulges were being revealed bit by bit. Seemingly like a fully ripe peach, her alluring face and graceful temperament gave off the unique temptation of a mature woman that was irresistible to any male.
Seeing her fiddle with the last button holding her top together, soon to expose the enchanting revelry which lay beneath, the excited pack of men naturally had their eyes fixed on her. Who would be willing to miss something so wondrous?
“Hahaha…” Ye Qing Si smiled flirtatiously. Not only did she not seem embarrassed, she was even throwing out teasing seductive laughter.
[This little temptress!] All the men standing around had hot steam blowing from their noses by now.
“Hmm?” Han Xiao Qi grunted as she glared at these drooling dogs, her face as cold as ice.
“You damn dogs, turn around and close your dog eyes this instant!” Su Xiao Yu cursed as she reached out her hands and covered her ‘respected’ Senior Brother’s eyes. Chen Xue Shu flushed a bright shade of crimson and obediently turned away, but his heart was filled with embarrassment and regret.
Ye Qing Si suddenly stopped all her actions as she smiled towards these onlookers, “You… are you sure you want to stay?”
“Hey…” Zuo Fang, Chu Jing Shan and the others suddenly wore a stupid grin, licking their lips, “We thought you wouldn’t mind.”
“Bullshit!” Ye Qing Si viciously shouted, “Letting you leave now is giving you some face, anyone who doesn’t have some self-knowledge, I’ll make sure to ‘educate’ seriously once this is over.”
“We’ll leave!” Zuo Fang helped Li Xin Yuan up and the men quickly scattered like beat dogs.
All of them let out a long sigh, deeply forlorn.
“Ah… don’t pull so hard…” Chen Xue Shu anxious complained as Zhou Ba firmly gripped his arm and dragged him along, “My precious Junior Sister is still there, I have to look after her…”
“You roll away!” Su Xiao Yu scolded him unceasingly.
Waiting for the male group to retreat a thousand meters away, and determining they couldn’t peek on them, the women here finally relaxed.
Yang Kai’s face remained calm and natural, staring towards Ye Qing Si and urging her, “Continue.”
A touch of red suddenly appeared on Ye Qing Si’s face as she took a deep breath, lightly grit her teeth, and then finished undoing her clothes.
Ye Han’s eyes went completely round. Her cute face felt like it was on fire, and she nervously asked, “Do we… do we all have to do this?”
Yang Kai nodded seriously.
Ye Han immediately covered her cheeks, “Is it possible to not undress?”
Yang Kai frowned before saying, “If you’re not afraid that something will go wrong, you can. However, if I’m in direct contact with your bodies, I can better control my Yuan Qi.”
This statement was obvious, having physical contact with someone was definitely better than being separated by a layer of clothes.
Han Xiao Qi’s lashes fluttered as she softly comforted, “Junior Brother Yang is a gentleman, what are you afraid of?”
Ye Han whimpered, “I’m not afraid of him, it’s just… I… I…”
Unable to finish, she quickly dashed into her Senior Sister Liu Qing Ru’s arms and buried her face.
To the side, Zi Mo was wearing a big devious smile while laughing meaningfully, causing all the women’s expressions to tense up unnaturally.
“You keep silent!” Yang Kai glared at her before stretching out his hand and placing it on Ye Qing Si’s smooth flat belly.
When their skin touched, Ye Qing Si couldn’t stop herself from trembling slightly, gently biting down on her lip, staring with her slightly wet eyes into Yang Kai’s, as if trying to see into the depths of his heart.
If one looked closely, they could see her exposed skin had also become slightly flushed.
Contrary to Han Xiao Qi’s prior words, Yang Kai was unscrupulous and shamelessly brushed his eyes over all of Ye Qing Si’s body like he was trying to burn the beautiful images into his brain all while his hands also never stopped carefully guiding his True Yang Yuan Qi into her abdomen.
“Little bastard!” How could Ye Qing Si miss the change in Yang Kai’s demeanor? His eyes were obviously wandering all over the place like some starving beast so she couldn’t help blushing bright red as she scolded him fiercely.
“I didn’t see anything.” Yang Kai laughed mischievously.
In reality he actually hadn’t seen anything, although her underwear was exposed, Ye Qing Si hadn’t totally removed her clothes, so even if Yang Kai tried his best there was still a layer of cloth separating him from the paradise within.
“Shameless!” Ye Qing Si ground her teeth so hard they nearly shattered, but although she sounded angry, she still wore a smile on her face as she carefully stared at Yang Kai.
She had never encountered a man who so brazenly took advantage of her before now.
“Pft, truly a gentleman…” Zi Mo spit out some ridicule while glancing towards Han Xiao Qi, the latter’s pretty face now completely dyed crimson.
Just now she had plotted to push the idea of being a gentleman onto Yang Kai to keep him in check, but she hadn’t thought he would simply treat her comments like a passing breeze. In that moment, Han Xiao Qi finally understood what Yang Kai meant when he had previously talked about a “man’s instincts.”
With a beauty before him, which man wouldn’t steal a few glances? If he was really completely indifferent, that would be odd.
Putting up an indifferent front while concealing dirty thoughts within would be even worse.
At the very least, he was being upfront with them without the slightest pretense.
Thinking till here, Han Xiao Qi let out a small sigh, [Haa… let’s just say it’s his reward for helping us!]
After a short while, a small bump emerged on Ye Qing Si’s waist just below her ribs. Just as Yang Kai was about to act, Ye Qing Si suddenly said, “You better be careful, if you leave a scar just wait and see how I’ll fix you up.”
“After everything you’ve been through recently you still care about such things!?” Yang Kai was suddenly struck speechless but still extra carefully made the incision to extract the Soul Controlling Insect, guiding it out and burning it to ash.
“Next!” Yang Kai turned around and stared at the princesses.
The girls all looked around at each other for a long time before Han Xiao Qi finally grit her teeth and walked forward with a beat red face, declaring, “I’ll go!”
As the Senior Sister to the other Ten Thousand Flower Palace girls, she felt like she was taking the lead.
Steeling her determination, she sat squarely in front of Yang Kai and in an orderly manner began to remove her clothes. Finishing in short order she closed her eyes and steadied herself for the battle to come!
See her finish her preparations, Yang Kai was no longer polite.
One by one, he completed his task.
Of the four Ten Thousand Flower Palace girls, Han Xiao Qi was elegant, Ye Han was innocent, Liu Qing Ru was sweet, and Hua Ruo Yin was serene. Each of them had a different temperament.
Coupled with Ye Qing Si being seductive and Feng Qian Hen’s intellect, it was like a parade of different beauties; Yang Kai was truly treated to a feast for his eyes.
Finally, it was Su Xiao Yu’s turn.
After she sat down and prepared to untie her clothes, Yang Kai suddenly reached out and stopped her.
“There’s no need!”
“But didn’t you say it was easier for you to control your Yuan Qi if I did this?” Su Xiao Yu asked softly.
“After gaining so much experience, it shouldn’t be a problem anymore.” Yang Kai explained.
Hearing this, Su Xiao Yu couldn’t help letting out a sigh of relief.
However, Yang Kai didn’t stop there; quickly tearing off a piece of cloth from his clothes and then blindfolding himself.
Seeing this scene, Ye Han suddenly cried out, “How come for Su Xiao Yu you’re covering your eyes?”
Yang Kai heard her voice and calmly replied, “She already has a man, if I don’t blindfold myself I’m afraid Brother Chen will try to challenge me to a death match.”
“Oh…” Ye Han thought deeply and nodded, “That’s certainly thoughtful of you.”
“What… did you think I’m some kind of pervert or something?”
The group of women all looked a little apologetic, each of them feeling like they had misunderstood Yang Kai just now.
But while feeling this pang of guilt, Han Xiao Qi face suddenly went ice cold, asking in a menacing tone, “Doesn’t that mean… you could have always been wearing a blindfold?”
In order to force out the Soul Controlling Insect it only needed him to place his hand on their dantian and push his True Yang Yuan Qi. Being able to see for a process that happened completely inside their bodies was completely unnecessary. Previously, she had not thought of this, but now, seeing Yang Kai do so, Han Xiao Qi was suddenly enlightened.
Not daring to answer, Yang Kai just sat there with a big awkward grin on his face.
Han Xiao Qi’s tender body began trembling uncontrollably.
The girls all looked at each other, immediately putting on “friendly” smiles before rushing forward and raining down divine punishment on this shameless pervert.
…
Half an hour later, the charming group of women walked over while talking and laughing amongst themselves. Chen Xue Shu was the first from the male group to dash over and quickly seized his Junior Sister’s hand, anxiously asking, “How was it, did anything happen?”
Su Xiao Yu calmed him down before carefully explaining what had transpired.
Listening to her explanation, Chen Xue Shu suddenly felt even more grateful to Yang Kai. Hearing how Yang Kai he had paid special attention to his dignity and face no doubt touched Chen Xue Shu deeply.
However, when he looked around to find him, he was suddenly stunned stiff, “Brother Yang, what…”
Yang Kai just smiled wryly and waved his hand, “Just a small injury, small injury…”
“Serves you right!” Zi Mo snorted as she enjoyed a moment of schadenfreude.
Great musical =))
Yang Kai didn’t pay her any mind, instead sending a thread of consciousness into his Universe Bag and quickly summoning two bottles of healing pills, handing them over to Chen Xue Shu.
“Brother Yang, what is this?” Chen Xue Shu asked in confusion as he reflexively received him.
“Something for you to keep in case of emergencies. In addition, if you encounter Wu Cheng Yi, don’t accept him back.” Yang Kai said solemnly.
“Why? What happened?” Hearing him mention Wu Cheng Yi, everyone quietly gathered around.
Having nothing to hide, Yang Kai simply explained what had transpired after the first time he had met them all.
Listening to his story, everyone’s expressions became quite ugly.
Zuo Fang cursed, “Damn it, I always wondered why Qi Jian Xing suddenly disappeared, but it turns out he was sent by Wu Cheng Yi to kill Brother Yang. When I asked him back then, all Wu Cheng Yi told me was that he had sent him to explore our surroundings and would return after a few days.”
Chen Xue Shu also shouted out in anger, “That scheming bastard, how could he be so vicious? For just a bottle of healing pills he actually acted so ruthlessly!”
Han Xiao Qi frowned, “Seems we were all wrong about him. If we had continued to follow him, maybe all of us would have become sacrifices already.”
For a bottle of healing pills, Wu Cheng Yi easily sentenced Yang Kai to death. It was obvious that he saw the group of Great Han Dynasty cultivator’s around him as nothing but pawns which could eventually be turned into Blood Beads; with so many people around him, all of them elites at the True Element Boundary, it would be more than enough for him to break through a few Minor Realms.
“The next time we meet him, Elder Sister will help you teach him a lesson!” Ye Qing Si, who came from the Endless Sea Islands, had no scruples about fighting a disciple from the Nine Star Sword School.
The cultivators from the Tian Lang Dynasty and their horde of Monster Beasts no longer in existed; only Wu Cheng Yi and Chi Xue with his Sixth-Order Monster Beast remained, but even with a Sixth-Order Monster Beast, Chi Xue wanting to deal with such a large group of elites on his own would be next to impossible.
In other words, the disciples assembled here, as long as they didn’t act separately, were an invincible presence in this isolated world.
However, Chen Xue Shu had gleaned some clues from Yang Kai’s speech, “Brother Yang, don’t tell me …”
Yang Kai smiled and nodded, “That’s right, I’m leaving.”
Everyone’s expression suddenly changed and Ye Han quickly asked, “You’re leaving? Why do you want to leave?”
Yang Kai only shook his head slowly.
Ye Qing Si stepped forward and asked seriously, “This isn’t about us beating you earlier, making you feel uncomfortable, right? If that’s the case then Elder Sister will let you hit her back in order to even the score.”
“Nonsense, I just have my own circumstances.” Yang Kai did not explain further.
Hearing him say this, a look of astonishment flashed across Zi Mo’s face while the others also guessed something, glancing back and forth between Zi Mo and Yang Kai hesitantly.
“Well that’s the case.” Yang Kai smiled and turned to Leng Shan, “You stay here with them.”
As he spoke he silently called out to Old Demon.
But receiving no response, Yang Kai knew that he must have placed a seal on himself in order to block communications with himself, so instead he continued speaking with Leng Shan, “Your Ghost King Valley and I have grievances, after all, I was the one who killed Jin Hao and Yu Cheng Kun, if you want to seek revenge for them, just come find me at High Heaven Pavilion.”
If it were ten days ago, Yang Kai would not have let Leng Shan live, but after going through so many ups and downs together killing her seemed a bit unreasonable.
On her side, Leng Shan’s eyes flashed briefly before she shook her head, “I won’t.”
Yang Kai smiled, “That’s good.”
Finished with the pleasantries, Yang Kai directed his attention to her forehead and pondered for a moment, “I’m afraid I can’t recover the gift I sent you right now, but once I reach the Immortal Ascension Boundary I’ll definitely be able to.”
Leng Shan nodded slightly, managing to squeeze out a smile, “I believe it won’t take you long!”
Naturally she knew that Yang Kai was talking about the seal he had placed in her Soul. While it remained, she would forever be his servant, her own life and death controlled by him.
In this regard, Yang Kai was not lying to her. It was only with Old Demon’s help that he was able to plant the seal in her Soul, and whether it was Zi Mo or Leng Shan, they had both sent a thread of their own Divine Sense to him, without which, Yang Kai as he currently was would never have been able to complete this process.
However, wanting to remove the seal now was no simple task; the two of them would have to rely on Yang Kai to willingly release them once he could cultivate his own Divine Sense.
“Ladies and gentlemen, one day we shall meet again, until then, I bid you farewell.” Yang Kai smiled and cupped his fists.
“Take care!”
Yang Kai turned around and disappeared like a falling star, Zi Mo silently keeping up.
After a long silence, Chen Xue Shu finally spoke up, “Haa… having that Tian Lang woman come with us wasn’t really a problem, Brother Yang is just worrying too much.”
But Ye Qing Si just wore a pleasant smile, “Can you guarantee that you can treat that Tian Lang woman like an ordinary comrade?”
Chen Xue Shu looked surprised for a moment before wryly smiling and shaking his head.
Up until a little while ago, Zi Mo had been mortal enemies with them; one of the Tian Lang cultivators who had planted Soul Controlling Insects in their bodies to enslave them, none of them would easily open their hearts to her.
If they had stayed, everyone would no doubt give Yang Kai some face and not make things difficult for her, but they would never drop their guard against her either. In the end, she was an outsider, so having her around would naturally be uncomfortable.
Yang Kai had certainly considered all of this and thus decided to leave with her.
“Leng Shan, is that woman really Brother Yang’s maidservant?” Chen Xue Shu curiously asked.
However, to his surprise, Leng Shan suddenly glared at him, grunted angrily and walked away, ignoring him completely.
“Did I say something wrong?” Chen Xue Shu was speechless, unable to understand why Leng Shan’s attitude towards him just now became so cold. Little did he know that his question was actually poking at her most humiliating trauma.
Walking through the jungle, Zi Mo stared at Yang Kai’s back with a complicated expression on her face.
Hesitating several times, she was ultimately unable to find the right words to speak.
A long, lingering silence floated between the two while Yang Kai, who was out front, would occasionally pause, frown, examine his surroundings, and then immediately dash off again in a new direction.
Zi Mo was like a shadow, tightly following behind Yang Kai, only a few steps away.
After a day or so of repeating these actions, Zi Mo finally could not stand the silence and suddenly came to a stop, her body not moving an inch forward.
Yang Kai kept traveling a few thousand meters before realizing something wasn’t right, quickly turning back to find Zi Mo still standing in place, staring at him with cold yet confused eyes.
“What are you doing?” Yang Kai frowned, a tinge of displeasure appearing on his face.
“I also want to know what you’re doing.” Zi Mo tilting her head to the side as she threw out this question, softly following up, “In the end, there wasn’t any need for you to go that far.”
“Huh?” Yang Kai stared at her with puzzled eyes.
“Separating from those people! If you had stuck with them you wouldn’t have to worry about your own safety; the only people inside this isolated world besides us and that group are my Senior Brother and Wu Cheng Yi, but with that group’s strength and the numbers there would be no need to fear either of those two masters, so you separating from them wasn’t a smart choice!”
Yang Kai stared at her blankly for a while before an inexplicable smile bloomed on his face.
“You’re not thinking that I separated from that group solely because I was being considerate of your situation, right?” Yang Kai smirked.
Zi Mo’s face blushed slightly as she looked at Yang Kai and asked, “Didn’t you?”
“Hahaha, you think too highly of yourself.” Yang Kai sneered dismissively, “You’re a Tian Lang Dynasty cultivator, and before yesterday, we were still mortal enemies. Even if you managed to put up a good front, you never stopped wanting to take my life. You’re cruel and heartless, and I am certainly not righteous, so why would I suddenly care about your feelings?”
Zi Mo’s anger swelled up as her breathing became uneven, grinding her teeth before cursing, “Since you planted this damn seal on my Soul, when have I ever acted out against you1? I know you want to keep face, and that you’re unbelievably stubborn, but do you really need to act so ruthless!?”
It was the same that time with Bi Xiu Ming, although she knew he was annoyed by Bi Xiu Ming’s contempt and attitude, but part of the reason he acted like that was definitely for her sake as well. However, this pig headed man would rather die than recognize that, so Zi Mo decided to give him some face and kept silent about it, allowing him to keep up appearances.
But after all that had happened, he actually went so far to dismiss her and hide his motives. Was his face that important to him?
“Oh… you think the feelings between us have developed that far?” Yang Kai laughed wantonly, walked over, put his arm around Zi Mo’s waist, and gently pulled her towards him, his hand not behaving politely as it brushed across her skin.
Zi Mo quickly stretched out her hands and pushed on Yang Kai’s chest, bending her upper body as far backwards as she could. Feeling his big hands moving all over her lower back, her expression became dark as she frowned deeply, “What are you doing?”
“You just said I was ruthless, I’m only proving you right.” Yang Kai’s hands suddenly became more presumptuous.
“Let go of me!” Zi Mo’s face was no cold as ice as she shouted in protest.
Yang Kai grinned, no longer acting presumptuous and quickly released her.
Zi Mo instantly took a few steps back to open up some distance between them, staring towards him with extreme vigilance.
“Well, you’re not entirely wrong.” Yang Kai nodded suddenly, “Separating from them really was partly due to my concern about your situation …”
Hearing this, Zi Mo’s anger filled eyes couldn’t help flashing a touch of warmth and gratitude.
“How should I put this… right now you’re my maidservant, if you don’t have any face, then I would also lose face, right?”
The small bit of warmth in Zi Mo’s expression instantly froze over.
[One day, I’ll definitely kill this smelly man!] Zi Mo swore in her heart, feeling more anger and frustration than she had ever thought possible.
“However, that was not the main reason!” Yang Kai shook his finger mockingly.
“Then what is your main reason?” Zi Mo asked in an annoyed manner.
“I’m going to find Wu Cheng Yi!” Yang Kai face suddenly flashed with a trace of ruthlessness, “I want to kill him!”
Wu Cheng Yi had sent his Junior Brother to rob and kill Yang Kai; this was not something he was just going to let pass. One must settle their grievances; Wu Cheng Yi would need to pay an appropriate price for his arrogance.
However, in the end, he was an elite disciple from the Nine Star Sword School, and his position in the Sect was definitely not be low, so once they had left this isolated world, finding an opportunity to kill him quietly would be difficult. Therefore, Yang Kai wanted to solve everything here before that happened.
This was not an opportunity he could afford to miss.
Not to mention, Wu Cheng Yi also had to have more Brilliant Flame Liquid on him, just that alone was reason enough for Yang Kai to want him dead.
While the Brilliant Flame Liquid was no longer useful for him personally, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t useful for others. Unfortunately, if he acted together with the Great Han Dynasty group, even if they killed Wu Cheng Yi, it was unlikely that there would be enough Brilliant Flame Liquid to spread around.
This way though, Yang Kai could monopolize it all!
“You’re courage is not small, this Wu Cheng Yi being able to escape my Senior Brother proves that his strength is extraordinary. I don’t deny that you are also very strong, but do you honestly believe you can win against that guy?” Zi Mo stared at Yang Kai in shock, thinking to herself that this youth was really quite daring.
“Win or lose, we’ll have to fight to know.” Yang Kai spoke flippantly before sending a meaningful look towards Zi Mo, “Besides, don’t I have you to help me? What do you think I’m dragging you around for?”
Zi Mo beautiful face twitched in anger as she stomped her foot repeatedly, “You should just go die!”
[He’s definitely been scheming this all along!] Zi Mo was humiliated that she had felt even a little bit touched before.
“Hahaha!” Yang Kai laughed wantonly, reaching out and touching Zi Mo’s face, gently caressing her cheek, “Now, now. Don’t be so upset. After you spend some more time with me you’ll find I can give you many benefits. You may never want to leave after that.”
“Shameless! Absolutely Shameless!” Zi Mo cursed loudly.
Although she really felt that his words were shameless beyond compare, but it was undeniable that he also had many qualities that made him stand out amongst all the men she had ever encountered, and these points he would occasionally inadvertently display were very attractive, especially to women!
Knowing his true intentions, Zi Mo’s anger soon subsided as she let out a small grin, quickly asking, “So the pauses and observations you’ve been making were all attempts to find Wu Cheng Yi’s trail, right? So have you found any clues so far?”
“No,” Yang Kai shook his head. “It’s very simple for a master like him to mask his own trail.”
Pausing for a moment, Yang Kai continued confidently, “But as long as he is still here, I’ll definitely find him.”
“I think I can help with that!” Zi Mo laughed mischievously.
Yang Kai nodded, “That was my intention!”
Over the next few days, Yang Kai and Zi Mo both searched for the traces of Wu Cheng Yi while also searching for Monster Beasts.
Yao He and Yao Xi had together controlled more than a hundred Monster Beasts, but during the previous battle they had only beheaded thirty or forty, which meant nearly seventy had escaped; these were probably the only Monster Beasts remaining in this isolated world.
A few days later, the pair had only made a small harvest; using her Soul Controlling Insects Zi Mo had taken control of seven Monster Beasts. These beasts were then sent out to scout, greatly increasing the scope and efficiency of their search.
After a dozen or so more days, Zi Mo’s pack had increased to fifteen, and they at last discovered traces of Wu Cheng Yi.
One of the scattered Monster Beasts had suddenly been killed, so Yang Kai and Zi Mo quickly rushed over to its last known location only to discover remnants of Sword Qi from the battle.
“It was definitely Wu Cheng Yi!” Yang Kai understood that such vibrant Sword Qi was not something an ordinary person could display, only someone on the level of a Nine Star Sword School disciple would be capable of such a feat.
Not to mention that the one that had died was a Fifth-Order Monster Beast, being able to quickly kill it meant the strength of the other party’s Sword Qi was quite high.
Considering all the evidence, Yang Kai was almost instantly able to determine that the culprit was Wu Cheng Yi.
However, despite following the traces left behind, it was only half a day later before they once again lost Wu Cheng Yi’s trail.
Yang Kai frowned; it was the first time he felt so frustrated that he couldn’t yet cultivate his Divine Sense, causing this hunt to go so slowly. If he could use his Divine Sense it would not be the same, as long as his Divine Sense was strong enough he would have no trouble searching a radius of more than a dozen kilometers around him.
While Yang Kai was grumbling to himself, Zi Mo expression suddenly changed, quickly glancing towards Yang Kai, “My Senior Brother is nearby!”
Yang Kai also turned to look at her, “Chi Xue?”
“En. He’s together with a Sixth-Order Monster Beast, combined with his own strength, no one is his equal, if we meet him here, you will definitely die, we should avoid him at all costs!”
“Him being here… He must also be chasing Wu Cheng Yi.” Yang Kai recalled, when the Tian Lang Dynasty Sen Luo Temple disciples and their Monster Beast army confronted the Great Han Dynasty disciples, the only one with enough ability to escape was Wu Cheng Yi, the others were all captured, so afterwards, Chi Xue left alone with his Sixth-Order Monster Beast in order to pursue Wu Cheng Yi.
Since he and Yang Kai had the same ultimate objective, the two of them encountering each other was not surprising.
“It’s too late!” Zi Mo’s beautiful face went pale as she turned and looked toward the jungle, softly whispering, “Just wait there and don’t speak, I’ll deal with him, if he learns about the relationship between you and me, he’ll definitely try to kill you.”
Yang Kai looked at her with astonishment.
Zi Mo coldly snorted, “I’m just doing this for self-protection, don’t think so hard about it. If you want me to die, all it would take is a single thought, so I definitely can’t let you face mortal danger, lest in desperation you decide to take me with you!”
“Heh heh.” Yang Kai chuckled as glanced at her nervous face before turning towards the direction she was staring.
Shortly after, a giant Monster Beast sprang out from the jungle, the beast looked like a cross between a wolf and a tiger with a domineering stature, powerful limbs, and ferocious claws and fangs; it’s total length was more than ten meters, even several dozen meters away, this mighty Monster Beast was able to give Yang Kai a choking sense of oppression!
Sixth-Order Monster Beast! A true Sixth-Order Monster Beast!
When it appeared, the Monster Beasts standing beside Zi Mo one by one lowered their heads, like a pack of mice encountering a cat, all of them humbling themselves before it.
Sitting on the back of this Monster Beast was a young man wearing a purple robe, roughly twenty-five or twenty-six years old with sword like brows, a firm bearing and a cold penetrating gaze.
This was Chi Xue! His temperament was very different from Wu Cheng Yi. In comparison, Wu Cheng Yi was calm like a mountain, while this Chi Xue was more overbearing, but no matter who it was, they gave off a proud and arrogant aura.
Both of them were favoured Sons of Heaven, they had enough strength to act arrogant!
From his seat atop the Sixth-Order Monster Beast Chi Xue looked towards Zi Mo, not even bothering to glance towards Yang Kai.
The Sixth-Order Monster Beast eventually came to a halt about ten meters away from the pair.
“Senior Brother!” Zi Mo came up and respectfully greeted him but instead of a reply she heard the Sixth-Order Monster Beast growl towards her menacingly.
Seeing this Monster Beast’s reaction caused Zi Mo’s heart to jump, glancing towards her Senior Brother soon after only to find he was staring at her coldly as well.
“Yao He and Yao Xi died, what do you know of this?” After remaining silent for a long time, Chi Xue finally spoke, his sharp pair of eyes slightly narrowing, flashing a dangerous light, as if to warn Zi Mo that her answer would determine her fate.
Zi Mo felt a chill run down her back but still strongly declared, “I killed them!”
Chi Xue’s narrowed eyes suddenly shot open, angrily shouting, “You killed them?”
“Yes!” Zi Mo replied while secretly frightened.
“Tell my why!” Chi Xue demanded coldly.
“They killed my Monster Beasts, took my Soul Controlling Insects, and destroyed my threads of Divine Sense!”
Chi Xue frowned and gazed suspiciously at Zi Mo, “Why would they do that?”
Zi Mo just sneered, “Senior Brother already knows the answer to that question, why are you bothering to ask me?”
Chi Xue closed his eyes for a moment and nodded slightly, “Fine, they dared to move against you, so they must accept such a fate!”
Hearing this sentence, Zi Mo couldn’t help breathing a sigh of relief; things would have become perilous if Chi Xue had taken Yao He and Yao Xi’s side. Fortunately, Chi Xue still wanted to maintain his Senior Brother’s appearance and didn’t indiscriminately punis Zi Mo.
“However, you alone couldn’t have killed them.” Chi Xue said with absolute certainty, “Who helped you?”
Zi Mo lightly bit her lip and remained silent.
Seeing her act this way, Chi Xue finally glanced towards Yang Kai, his face still filled with indifference, “You fighting with Yao He and Yao Xi, I do not care about. After we return I will inform Master impartially, but… if an outsider also intervened, you should know how to deal with things!”
“I know.” Zi Mo whispered.
“Good, kill him!” Chi Xue stretched out a finger and pointed at Yang Kai, coldly declaring in a tone that allowed no dissent.
Yang Kai’s heart jumped, secretly increasing his vigilance. He hadn’t thought Zi Mo’s Senior Brother would act so decisively.
Zi Mo raised her head, her eyes flashing a difficult light.
There was no way she could attack Yang Kai. If he wished it, as soon as she moved against him, he could sentence her to death. Unfortunately, Chi Xue’s attitude was extremely firm, and no matter how clever Zi Mo was,she could not think of a way to solve her immediate problems at this moment .
No matter which path she chose, one of these two monsters would be unsatisfied.
“I’m here now, there’s no need to keep him around. Why do you hesitate?” Chi Xue’s cold voice questioned.
Zi Mo’s pulse raced as her thoughts rapidly spun, knowing any further delay would not be possible.
After a brief silence, Zi Mo shook her head and smiled wryly, “I cannot kill him!”
Chi Xue’s eyes narrowed; his voice even colder than before, “Why?”
Yang Kai secretly sneered, waiting for Zi Mo to reply. Once she exposed their secret relationship, he’d give her an appropriate punishment!
“Because… because I’m in love with him!” Zi Mo eyes became firm, her cheeks slightly reddening, before adding, “I’m already his woman, so I won’t fight against him!”
Yang Kai was stunned as he stared at Zi Mo, he never expected that this woman would spout such an outrageous excuse.
Chi Xue’s face also cramped up as he gazed at Zi Mo sadly, gritting his teeth before asking again, “What did you just say?”
“I said I love him, I’m his woman!” Having already broken the jar, Zi Mo simply didn’t care about what was spilt, so her second time delivering these lines was a lot smoother.
Chi Xue showed a smile which was in no way smiling, “You’re saying you like a cultivator for the Great Han Dynasty?”
“Yes!” Zi Mo sneaked a peak at Yang Kai. Seeing his face look completely natural, like everything was as it should be, her heart couldn’t help feeling bitter, anxious to go up and slap his face a few times to vent her anger.
Although she knew that her excuse was ridiculous, she really couldn’t think of a better one right now, but did this damn man have to stand there looking so triumphant? Completely ignoring the pain in her heart.
Chi Xue expression sank as he turned his eyes towards Yang Kai. Taking a deep breath, “Sure enough, there’s no Soul Controlling Insect inside him! It looks like you’re not lying!”
Yang Kai face went cold, this casual comment from Chi Xue inadvertently revealed an important message, he seemed to be able to detect the existence of other people’s Soul Controlling Insects.
“Of course I didn’t lie to you!” Zi Mo painfully squeezed out a big smile.
“Good, good!” Chi Xue’s True Qi surged up along with his murderous aura, “Since you’ve discarded any shred of dignity you have, even allowing this Great Han Dynasty trash to defile your body, Senior Brother has no need to favor you anymore. When we go back, I will be report everything to Master. You should prepare yourself for the consequences!”
Zi Mo’s tender body trembled lightly, but she remained silent.
“As for him …” Chi Xue glared at Yang Kai fiercely, “Since you refuse to kill him, Senior Brother will do it for you!”
Finished speaking, the dozen or so Monstrous Beasts around Zi Mo suddenly stood up and bared their fangs towards Yang Kai, filled with vicious intent.
Yang Kai’s expression sank as he glared coldly at Zi Mo.
Zi Mo hurriedly explained, “Quickly run! Senior Brother’s Soul Controlling Insect is a higher order than my own, so he can affect my Soul Controlling Insects!”
[So it’s like that!] Listening to Zi Mo’s explanation, the anger in Yang Kai’s heart settled down, originally he had suspected that Zi Mo was secretly trying to move against him, but it seems that he was mistaken about her.
“Run away?” Chi Xue coldly snorted as the dozen or so ferocious Monster Beasts quickly surrounded Yang Kai.
Zi Mo’s face was pale and her brow dripped with sweat as she desperately tried to control her Soul Controlling Insects while anxious shouting at Yang Kai again, “What are you doing, why haven’t you left yet?”
However, Yang Kai remained fixed in place, gazing at the Sixth-Order Monster Beast that Chi Xue was riding.
Chi Xue sneered, silently issuing an order causing the dozen or so Monstrous Beasts to pounce towards Yang Kai. Zi Mo tried her best to control them but it was ultimately to no avail.
Yang Kai’s face became serious, his body flickering, has vanished from inside the Monster Beast’s encirclement as his Yuan Qi surged, in his left hand the White Tiger Seal, in his right the Divine Ox Seal, quickly fusing the two together.
A soft glowing light burst from his palm and flew straight to the Sixth-Order Monster Beast.
*Roar…* With a heaven-rending bellow, the Sixth-Order Monster Beast beneath Chi Xue roared while a huge wind, visible to the naked eye, burst forth from its mouth. Intercepting Yang Kai’s Beast Slave Seal, the violent energies clashing mid air before directly crushing the soft glowing light.
“Don’t be so presumptuous!” Chi Xue sneered dismissively, he didn’t know what the Beast Slave Seal was, only thinking it was some means of attack Yang Kai had cast, but when Yang Kai had struck just now, he had exposed his real strength.
Separation and Reunion Boundary Eighth Stage! Aware of this, Chi Xue only became more enraged.
If this person was really some Heaven defying genius from the Great Han Dynasty, Zi Mo liking him would at least be reasonable, but he had clearly not even reached the True Element Boundary, what qualifications did he have to let Zi Mo fall for him?
As her First Senior Brother, Chi Xue naturally felt ashamed, further fueling his determined to destroy Yang Kai.
“Kill!” Chi Xue disdained to personally intervene, waving his hand as he ordered Zi Mo’s Monster Beasts to rush Yang Kai again.
Yang Kai’s body flashed again, dodging the Monster Beasts’ onslaught while turning a deaf ear to Zi Mo’s cries, dashing forward as he flew straight towards the Sixth-Order Monster Beast.
Sitting on the back of his Monster Beast, Chi Xue sneered again and again as he watched, looking down on Yang Kai like he was some mere mortal, disdaining his futile struggle and resistance.
“Your Movement Skill is good, but you’re simply too weak!” Chi Xue offhandedly commented.
The Sixth-Order Monster Beast under him seemed to sense its master’s thoughts, opening its mouth again but this time continuously roaring. Accompanying each roar was a half-meter-long wind blade which rapidly flew towards Yang Kai.
However, Yang Kai still kept dodging, concentrating on moving towards the Sixth-Order Monster Beast, seemingly desperate to get closer.
As the distance between them continued to shrink, Chi Xue finally showed some interest. He found that he had still underestimated the speed of this Great Han Dynasty cultivator’s Movement Skill; Zi Mo’s Monster Beasts had no way of touching him, and even though his Sixth-Order Monster Beast was also attacking, in only a few short breaths he had managed to close to within twenty meters.
*Hmph!* Chi Xue snorted in annoyance, his eyes glaring angrily at Yang Kai.
At fifteen meters, the speed of this Great Han Dynasty cultivator once again shot up, leaving behind only an afterimage.
Chi Xue eye’s scanned his whole surroundings as his ears carefully perked up. Suddenly sneering, he struck towards his side with a vicious palm.
A violent True Qi burst forth as the palm strike whistled through the air towards the reappeared Yang Kai who seemed like he would take a direct hit from Chi Xue’s attack.
At the same time, a faint glowing light shot out again from Yang Kai’s palms and this time managed to sink into the Sixth-Order Monster Beast’s body.
Successful, Yang Kai hurriedly tried to intercept Chi Xue’s strike. Accompanied by a loud bang, Yang Kai’s body flew out like a paper kite, landing several dozen meters away.
“Hmph, waste!” Chi Xue spat, he now understood that this Great Han Dynasty cultivator’s desperate struggle to close the distance between them was all for the purpose of launching that strange glowing light towards his Sixth-Order Monster Beast, but although he had managed to hit it, his Monster Beast hadn’t shown any reaction, but rather this kid had taken one of his strikes and was now certainly seriously injured.
Hitting the ground, Yang Kai barely managed to land on his feet, staggering back several steps to stabilize his stance, taking a deep breaths to suppress his rioting blood, his eyes flashing a trace of amazement.
“Strong!” Yang Kai didn’t hesitate to praise.
This Chi Xue was worthy of an elite super-force’s disciple, even if he only hailed from a small side branch, his strength was not something an ordinary cultivator could match.
“Junior Sister, Senior Brother will give you a chance. As long as you kill him, I will say a few words to Master in your defence; I will even can help you conceal the fact that your innocence has been tainted so your position in the Sect will not suffer, or else, if such things spread out, it will become very difficult for you.”
Zi Mo shook her head without hesitation, “It’s impossible for me to act against him!”
Attacking Yang Kai was tantamount to digging her own grave, on this point Zi Mo was very clear.
“Good, since this is the path you have chosen, in the future, do not regret it!” Chi Xue’s patience had finally run out, slapping his Monstrous Beast mount, coldly staring at Yang Kai, “I do not know what underhanded means you used conquer my Junior Sister, but no Tian Lang Dynasty woman shall ever submit themselves to a Great Han Dynasty scum, so you must die!”
Done talking, Chi Xue simply waited for Yang Kai’s death, but after a moment, his expression suddenly changed, looking down in surprise towards the Sixth-Order Monster Beast he was riding.
Just now, he issued an order to this Monster Beast to launch a full offensive, but it had actually failed to respond.
[My Soul Controlling Insect is still there, how could this be?]
Suspicious of this situation, Chi Xue again issued his command, and indeed this time the Monster Beast responded, but instead of attacking Yang Kai, it bucked wildly and directly tossed Chi Xue off its back!
Tumbling mid-air, Chi Xue managed to land upright before staring towards his Monster Beast; at that moment it was actually also glaring towards him, a low growl rumbling from the depths of its throat, its eyes flashing an ominous light.
Chi Xue’s face went pale.
This Monster Beast which had been implanted with his own Soul Controlling Insect had somehow escaped his control, and worse off was now hostile to him!
“Ha ha ha!” Yang Kai let out a burst of rampant laughter.
Shifting his attention to him, Chi Xue recalled the most recent sequence of events and roared loudly towards him, “What did you do!?”
Thinking back to that odd light, Chi Xue had mostly guessed what had happened; this kid just now had desperately rushed him only to plant that glowing orb into his Monster Beast. It must have been some strange technique which somehow disrupted his control.
Otherwise, how could his own enslaved Monster Beast possibly turn against him?
Yang Kai’s wanton laughter continued as he swept away all his caution, spiritedly strolled forward and came up to the Sixth-Order Monster Beast’s side, reaching out and patting it as he looked back at Chi Xue, “What did I do, isn’t it obvious?”
Zi Mo jaw sank to the floor as she stared at Yang Kai in shock.
The more time she spent around him, the more mysterious Zi Mo found him. This strange youth seemed to possess strength and techniques far beyond her wildest imagination.
It wasn’t until now that Zi Mo understood how a few days before in their battle against the rampaging Monster Beast horde he had resolved her and Leng Shan’s crisis. At that time, although she knew that he had somehow been manipulating the situation, she was unsure of exactly how he had done so.
But now, Zi Mo finally understood. This youth… he had some skill which allowed him to control Monster Beasts!
Easily being able to control a Sixth-Order Monster Beast, with such a heaven defying skill, who was worthy in this isolated space of being his enemy? Even her Senior Brother Chi Xue had to take the great risk of sacrificing hundreds of Soul Controlling Insects, letting them consume one another in order for one of them to become a higher order Soul Controlling Insect, giving up control of several tens of powerful Monster Beasts in the process to finally be able to subdue this Sixth-Order Monster Beast in front of them.
Comparing the two, Yang Kai’s abilities were simply beyond unfathomable!
“How did you do this? My Soul Controlling Insect is still inside its body. This is impossible!” Chi Xue had completely lost his previous calm demeanor as he desperately tried to communicate with his own Soul Controlling Insect, but in the end the Sixth-Order Monster Beast simply refused to obey his orders.
“Nothing is impossible; I can only say that your insects are just too worthless!” Yang Kai contemptuously grinned as he stared at him coldly.
“Interesting!” Chi Xue’s expression suddenly lit up, like he had just encountered some new fun toy, staring towards Yang Kai with rage filled eyes.
“Kill!” Yang Kai only spat out a single word.
The Sixth-Order Monster Beast instantly dashed forward, sending out a flurry of sharp wind blades, forcing Chi Xue to activate his own Movement Skill in order to hastily dodge. Instead of clashing with the Monster Beast, Chi Xue shot up into the air, then, like an eagle striking from the sky, dove towards Yang Kai.
Although Chi Xue’s strength was impressive, he was still no match for the Sixth-Order Monster Beast, so his goal was only Yang Kai, as long he killed this little bastard, he would be able to regain control of the Sixth-Order Monster Beast.
So from the very beginning, Chi Xue struck to kill, his True Element Boundary Seventh Stage strength completely bursting out, producing an amazing destructive power.
Yang Kai’s face also became dignified; pushing the Yuan Qi in his body to the limit, not only not dodging the blow, but instead kicking off the ground and flying toward Chi Xue head on.
“You really are interesting!” Chi Xue grinned with delight.
“So are you!” Yang Kai roared out just as loudly.
While sparring verbally, the two struck out without any superfluous movements or fancy skill; this confrontation was a pure contest of power, both of them going all out.
Chi Xue used a certain kill strike again Yang Kai; determined to instantly win back control of the Sixth-Order Monster Beast.
In the face of such an assault, Yang Kai naturally did not hold anything back.
Their fists collided as a massive explosion rang out between them, a blinding flash of light blinding everyone present, the World Energy distorting around them, quickly followed by two muffled cries as the two separated.
Chi Xue flew back while Yang Kai fell like a meteorite.
Crashing into the ground, Yang Kai smashed open a small pit, quickly climbing up before spitting out a mouthful or blood whereas Chi Xue, after landing softly, had a slight tinge of red on his face but was otherwise unharmed.
In this round, Chi Xue had prevailed.
Even so, Chi Xue’s face flashed a look of utter disbelief as he stared at Yang Kai, but before he could fully assess how much damage he had done, a series of wind blades attacked him from behind.
Cursing endlessly, Chi Xue hastily dodged.
These were attacks from a Sixth-Order Monster Beast; he wouldn’t be able to take more than a few of them.
“You… I…” Zi Mo cried out as she fumbled for the right words.
“Just stand back!” Yang Kai shouted. He knew that right now she was very conflicted so he did not force her to help him, instead quickly activating his Movement Skill and dashing towards Chi Xue again.
Chi Xue expression sank. Not daring to stick around, he decisively turned and fled.
He had thought that Yang Kai was weak, so once he had taken his life he would be able to salvage the situation, but he had never expected his full powered strike to only cause some minor injuries to this little Separation and Reunion Eighth Stage kid.
With no way to quickly take Yang Kai’s life, his Sixth-Order Monster Beast falling into enemy hands, and his Junior Sister not able to help, why would Chi Xue stick around just to die?
Seeing Chi Xue flash a thousand meters away, Yang Kai naturally refused to give up, jumping on the back of the Sixth-Order Monster Beast and quickly chasing after him.
Her heart filled with hesitation, Zi Mo stood stunned for a long time before gritting her teeth and following behind.
Her life was still held in Yang Kai’s hands, how could she not care?
Through the jungle, three figures raced forward one after another.
Chi Xue was in the lead, moving with all the speed he could muster. Yang Kai followed closely behind along with the Sixth-Order Monster Beast, and a few kilometers back, Zi Mo, leading her Monstrous Beasts, struggled between wanting to keep up and wanting to escape, causing her pace to be neither fast nor slow.
While pursuing Chi Xue, the Sixth-Order Monster Beast would occasionally launch wind blades, mowing down trees hundreds of meters away like reaping wheat from the field, fully displaying its overwhelming strength.
After all, this Monster Beast was no weaker than an Immortal Ascension Boundary master!
Although Chi Xue was fleeing, his face showed no signs of panic; only a touch of anxiety occupied his brow, concerned that if this pursuit continued, eventually his True Qi would be consumed clean while the Great Han Dynasty cultivator didn’t have to worry about such issues. Once he became cornered, keeping his life would truly be difficult.
Little did he know, Yang Kai was also feeling anxious.
His Beast Slave Seal was incredibly powerful, but he had only ever used it on Fourth-Order and Fifth-Order Monster Beasts, never on a Sixth-Order Monster Beast.
Before this battle, Yang Kai had a rough idea of the Beast Slave Seal’s limitations and suspected it would be related to his cultivation level, but there was never an opportunity to verify this until just now.
Yang Kai was now a Separation and Reunion Eighth Stage cultivator, which was roughly equivalent to a peak Fourth-Order Monster Beast.
At his level, the Beast Slave Seal could easily control a Fourth-Order Monster Beast, and even a general Fifth-Order Monster Beast would be forced to submit, but in front of a Sixth-Order Monster Beast things were not so simple.
This Monster Beast was subconsciously fighting back against the implanted Beast Slave Seal!
For the moment it was still obeying his commands, but Yang Kai estimated that after an hour at most, the Beast Slave Seal would be crushed, and at that time the Sixth-Order Monster Beast would once again fall under Chi Xue’s control.
The situation was not good, the fight had to be resolved before this hour was up, or else the entire situation would return to square one!
Yang Kai was also uncertain if the Sixth-Order Monster Beast could be implanted with the Beast Slave Seal a second time, if doing so no longer had an effect…
Thinking till here, Yang Kai hurriedly issued orders to the Monster Beast.
Thankfully the Monster Beast was still well-behaved, and after receiving Yang Kai’s instructions its speed rose significantly as it gradually closed the distance between them and Chi Xue.
After a stick of incense, Chi Xue glanced back over his shoulder and immediately couldn’t help but curse!
His original thousand meters lead had actually has been cut in half; after another a stick of incense his pursuers would definitely catch up.
“What if I went there?” An idea suddenly flashed across Chi Xue’s thoughts, hesitating somewhat, unable to decide.
It was a mysterious region, a portion of the jungle completely wrapped in a strange white mist, thick enough to obscure one’s vision completely. Chi Xue had inadvertently found it several days ago.
At the time, Chi Xue had wanted to go in and explore, but the Sixth-Order Monster Beast seemed extremely frightened by that place, which in turn made Chi Xue faintly uneasy, causing him to give up those plans.
But now, with the enemy pursuit drawing ever closer and no chance to shake them off, Chi Xue decided it was worth a try even if there were unknown risks.
Against the Sixth-Order Monster Beast and that strange Great Han Dynasty cultivator whose combat strength far exceeded his cultivation level, Chi Xue was unable to compete, but that place was somewhere the Monster Beast feared so it certainly would not enter; if he could separate the two of them, Chi Xue felt he would have an opportunity to win.
Weighing his options, Chi Xue’s eyes flashed a cold light, then steeling his will.
Glancing about the surrounding terrain to find his bearings, Chi Xue suddenly turned toward the strange mist-shrouded region.
Nearly another stick of incense later, the distance between Yang Kai and Chi Xue had shrunk to just a few tens of meters.
They were now so close that not only could the Sixth-Order Monster Beast launch wind blades, even Yang Kai could make deadly strikes, both of them ferociously attacking towards Chi Xue.
If this continued much longer, Chi Xue would be overwhelmed, his clothes already cut up by their combined assault; it was only thanks to his bodies True Qi which had blocked most of the wind blade’s force that none of his bones had been broken and was instead just dripping a little blood.
Staring back at Yang Kai with utter hatred, a cold and provocative smile slowly emerged on Chi Xue’s face, suddenly changing direction again, dashing into a mist covered area of the jungle.
Naturally, Yang Kai pursued him.
But unexpectedly, when the Sixth-Order Monster Beast noticed the strange white mist ahead, it frantically stopped, causing Yang Kai who was completely focused on Chi Xue to fly off from the inertia.
Tumbling through the air several times, Yang Kai awkwardly fell to the ground, but before he had time to observe his surroundings a mournful wailing reached his ears.
It was Chi Xue!
He seemed to be suffering some kind of unbearable pain, causing him to let out those blood curdling screams.
Yang Kai’s expression also rapidly changed and in the next moment, a sharp pain suddenly burst forth in his mind. However, this pain was familiar; it was the same kind of pain he had experienced when Old Demon had tried to seize his body by destroying his consciousness.
Involuntarily, Yang Kai roared as he gripped his head, the veins on his forehead throbbing, a cold sweat dripping down his face while his entire body trembled.
“AHH!” Suddenly, an even more mournful and tragic howl than Chi Xue’s rang out.
It was Old Demon’s cries!
Old Demon’s screams rang out over and over again, full of panic and fear.
“Old Demon!” Yang Kai yelled as he gripped his head in pain, “What happened?”
“Young Master …” Old Demon’s voice trembled, “What is this damned place? Why is it attacking my Soul?”
Listening to his words, Yang Kai suddenly understood! No wonder the pain in his head felt so familiar, it was the feeling of his Soul being damaged.
Since a while ago, Yang Kai had been using a similar type of torture to deter Zi Mo and Leng Shan from acting against him, but now he himself was suffering the same kind of torment.
It was karma, good was rewarded with good while evil begets evil, all things would someday reach a balance.
Chi Xue leading him into this white mist wrapped patch of jungle was clearly a plot, but now he too was howling in pain only a few tens of meters away, evidently he did not know just how terrible this place was only to rush inside and find he could not bear it.
Now, with the two of them suffering continuous damage to their Souls, they simply didn’t have any spare capacity to fight.
“Young Master, you must quickly leave here! This white mist is too strange… it causes no harm to one’s body but it severely damages one’s Soul. Old Servant cannot stand it!” Old Demon strongly urged him.
Once he was a powerful old devil, but now he had been reduced to only a residual Soul without a flesh and blood body, usually he could leisurely reside within his Soul Breaker Awl, but falling into this strange mist shrouded place was like falling into hell, causing him unimaginable torment and pain, much greater than either Yang Kai and Chi Xue.
In this short period of time, Old Demon clearly felt the strength of his Soul weakening which cause him great panic, it was like feeling his existence being slowly shredded into nothingness.
“I know, hang on!” Yang Kai glanced around, catching a glimpse of Chi Xue also stumbling around inside the mist, trying to find out the way, but it was to no avail.
Gritting his teeth as he desperately endured the pain in his head, Yang Kai dashed back the way he had come, attempting to withdraw from here.
But after traveling a thousand meters, he found he was still surrounded by white mist.
Yang Kai’s blood went cold; immediately realizing how bad the situation had become.
When he had broken into this mist shrouded place, he had gone at most several tens of meters before the pain had begun, but now he was unable to find the way out! He couldn’t give up though, giving up would be the same as committing suicide!
“Old Demon … something’s wrong, I can’t find the way out!” Yang Kai expression became panicked as well.
Hearing Yang Kai’s words, the howling Old Demon began to feel despair, “Is this going to be Old Servant’s… final resting place? Old Servant is not willing…”
He had been sealed inside the Inheritance Heaven’s Cave for countless years until the barrier concealing it was cracked, giving him an opportunity to free himself. Although he later surrendered himself to Yang Kai, whatever the outcome he had at least managed to escape that place, but now being forced into this life and death crisis, Old Demon naturally aggrieved.
Yang Kai frowned, struggling to resist the pain in his head while scanning the terrain, frantically trying to find a way out.
There must be some kind of barrier around this place, otherwise he shouldn’t have had any problem leaving, but with Old Demon now incapacitated, and with Yang Kai himself simply unable find the source of the barrier, how could he hope to escape?
“I’m also starting to feel sleepy…” Yang Kai’s eyes drooped slightly as he began to stagger a bit.
“Bad, this is very bad, it’s a sign your Soul is being damaged, if this keeps up, Young Master’s Soul will likely be destroyed!”
Yang Kai face was gloomy. Pushing himself to endure all sorts of discomfort as his thoughts swirled.
Suddenly, a certain idea came to him, quickly shouting, “Old Demon, hide inside my Golden Skeleton!”
“Your Golden Skeleton? Oh…” Old Demon quickly understood and immediately moved his Soul into Yang Kai’s Unyielding Golden Skeleton.
After a brief moment, Old Demon’s laughter rang out, “Ha ha ha… Young Master, you Golden Skeleton is truly impressive, it can withstand the effects of this strange white fog, Old Servant is saved!”
Yang Kai smiled wryly, “You may be safe, but I’m still in danger!”
The Unyielding Golden Skeleton was like a vast bottomless pit, it could absorb any kind of energy he had come across so far. Yang Kai did not know what this white mist was, but since it was able to damage one’s Soul, it was certainly the manifestation of some kind of energy, so he had let Old Demon test whether the Golden Skeleton could block its effects, and sure enough it proved effective.
“Young Master, you must endure!” Old Demon cheered Yang Kai on. He now did not have to worry about being immediately erased, but if Yang Kai died here, he would also not be able to escape unscathed.
“Is there any way for me to place my Soul into the Golden Skeleton as well?” Yang Kai said as sweat dripped down his forehead, his fists tightly clenched as he trembled in pain.
“Young Master has not reached the Immortal Ascension Boundary …” Old Demon sighed and did not continue to speak, without reaching the Immortal Ascension Boundary, and without cultivating one’s Divine Sense, how could one transfer their Soul to a different location?
Yang Kai ground his teeth, making every effort to resist the pain from in his head as his Yuan Qi fluctuated chaotically.
The pain continued to build, causing him to feel a kind of vertigo hit him, eventually leading Yang Kai to stagger and fall to the ground, his Soul clearly suffering more damage!
If this pace kept up, it would not be long before his Soul really was destroyed and he would essentially cease to exist; therefore, he had to find a way to escape this calamity quickly.
Although the situation was grim, in this moment of great adversity, Yang Kai became increasingly calm. Taking advantage of this wave of dizziness abating slightly, he gathered all his willpower and spirit as he wracked his brain to find a way out of this crisis.
While Yang Kai was concentrating, he suddenly felt a cool sensation wash over his mind; this unexpected sensation was not an illusion but something which really happened.
Accompanying this cooling wave, Yang Kai’s consciousness also became clearer and clearer, his whole being feeling somewhat comforted, the pain in his head also quickly vanishing, like he was waking from a groggy stupor, feeling refreshed and even somewhat invigorated.
“Huh?” Yang Kai’s face filled with doubt, slowly standing up, carefully feeling the incredible changes he had just undergone, wrinkling his brow in confusion.
“Young Master?” Old Demon hesitantly called out.
Yang Kai did not respond, still immersed in the strange feeling he had just experienced, until a moment later, accompanied by a throbbing sensation, the same severe pain he had just endured returned once again to torment him.
This pain lasted for some time, until it had reached a certain level of intensity. At that point, the feeling of vertigo overwhelmed him again.
At the same time, a burst of cool spread throughout his mind, not only relieving him of his vertigo but also quickly alleviating the pain he was enduring
The situation was exactly the same as the one he had just experienced.
This time however, Yang Kai carefully felt the entire process, finally allowing him to gain some insight into what was happening.
The pain he felt was from the white mist attacking his Soul, the dizziness and vertigo a result of his Soul acquiring a certain amount of damage, but now, Yang Kai did not feel that his Soul had suffered any damage, instead he felt its strength had slightly increased because his perception seemed to have expanded a little bit, which was the simplest test of the strength of one’s Soul.
Although this increase was small, it was no doubt growth.
Yang Kai was suddenly overjoyed.
“Old Demon, this time your Young Master has encountered a great opportunity!” Yang Kai suddenly laughed heartily, but no sooner had he started laughing did he choke up, his hands clutching his head as his entire body began to spasm.
Yang Kai remained in such a condition for a long time before all of a sudden returning to a perfectly normal state, causing Old Demon to inquire curiously, “Young Master, what exactly is happening?”
“The Soul Warming Lotus is what’s happening!” Yang Kai replied mischievously. “It’s repairing the damage done to my Soul!”
Old Demon was stunned, suddenly realizing what was happening.
This old devil had been panic-stricken, unable to focus on anything else but survival, so he had not remembered about this until Yang Kai had just reminded him, finally come understanding what was happening.
When they had visited Hidden Island, Yang Kai had received a Five Coloured Soul Warming Lotus; this thing was simply a godly treasure for cultivating one’s Soul. But since Yang Kai had not yet reached the Immortal Ascension Boundary, although he had indeed accepted the Five Coloured Soul Warming Lotus into his Soul, to this day he still could not find a trace of it.
However, now that Yang Kai was trapped in this strange place and his Soul had been damaged, the Soul Warming Lotus had naturally taken action.
While he possessed this supreme treasure, how could Yang Kai be frightened of this white mist?
The combination of the white mist and the Five Coloured Soul Warming Lotus created a cycle of destruction and repair, while in the process allowing Yang Kai’s Soul to slowly strengthen.
The only downside was this process was excruciatingly painful, not something just anyone could endure.
“Young Master is truly blessed by the Heavens; Old Servant knew all along that you would be fine.” Old Demon quickly spewed nonsense.
Yang Kai simply grinned; no longer worried about keeping his life, he sat down cross-legged and allowed himself to be enveloped by the white mist, entering a state of meditation.
Although this place was quite dangerous, it was also a good place to quench his Soul. If Yang Kai missed this chance, only the Heavens would know when he would again find such a rare opportunity.
So Yang Kai quickly made up his mind to stay here for some time. Although every time the Soul Warming Lotus repaired his Soul the enhancement he experienced was quite small, many grains of sand would eventually build a tower. As long as he persisted long enough, maybe there was even a chance he could cultivate out his Knowledge Sea.
Again and again experiencing this mind wrenching pain, it was only thanks to his unyielding willpower that Yang Kai managed to endure. After the pain came dizziness, and once the dizziness reached a certain level the Soul Warming Lotus would repair his Soul, the process was very slow, but Yang Kai was also contented.
This was a very time consuming process.
Half a day later, Yang Kai suddenly heard a round of mournful screams coming from nearby. Opening his eyes and glancing towards the direction the screams came from, Yang Kai once again saw Zi Mo’s Senior Brother, Chi Xue, rampaging about like a headless fly within the white mist. His appearance was a mess and his face was distorted in pain, randomly colliding with things while wantonly throwing his True Qi around, randomly unleashing all kinds of ferocious Martial Skills into his surroundings.
This man was clearly not as lucky as Yang Kai, who had the Soul Warming Lotus on him and did not have to worry about his Soul being damaged.
At the moment, Chi Xue’s mind had basically been destroyed. Even if he somehow managed to leave this white mist, he would still be nothing more than a mindless beast.
Yang Kai slowly got up and looked coldly towards Chi Xue, pondering for a moment, but eventually deciding to confront him.
Although there was no doubt in Yang Kai’s mind that Chi Xue would die eventually, he was still a True Element Boundary Seventh Stage elite, so the Blood Bead condensed after his death would naturally be extraordinary, not something to be missed.
Chi Xue had led Yang Kai into this white mist, intending to even the playing field against him, but the Heavens were cruel and all he ended up doing was digging his own grave. If he had known just how dangerous this white mist region was, he certainly would not have foolishly rushed in.
Slowing walking towards him, Yang Kai came before Chi Xue and punched out. Whether it was consciously or simply on instinct, Chi Xue responded with his own palm strike.
Yang Kai dodged sideways to avoid him while unleashing a Burning Sun’s Three Layer Blast into Chi Xue’s body. Soon after a few muffled thuds could be heard as Chi Xue’s body flew out.
There was no doubt about this battle’s outcome; Chi Xue had already lost his mind, and was only left with his True Element Seventh Stage cultivation. Even with such might, he was unable to utilise even a fraction of his true strength, in less than thirty breaths of time Yang Kai ended his life with a heavy palm strike.
Collecting the newly condensed Blood Bead, Yang Kai once again sat down and continued the painful process of enhancing his Soul.
Since there was no sun or moon in this isolated world, it was difficult to tell just how much time had passed. Many times, Yang Kai had to simply guess how long it had been by his instincts.
After spending about half a month in the white mist field, Yang Kai successfully broke through to the Separation and Reunion Boundary Ninth Stage!
This was not just the results of his dedicated cultivation, but also due to him absorbing more than eighty Blood Beads. These Blood Beads were all acquired when he had killed Chi Xue.
Most of them were from Monster Beasts, but among them there were five which had been condensed from the essence of True Element Boundary disciples, each one containing vast amounts of pure energy.
After absorbing such a huge amount of energy, and then spending half a month in focused cultivation, it was only natural that Yang Kai’s realm had been promoted. While consolidating his Ninth Stage cultivation, he also laid a stable foundation for his nearing breakthrough to the True Element Boundary.
For this past half-month, Yang Kai had also been slowly adapted to the pain in his mind, eventually even being able to ignore it altogether. Although the pain itself still existed, it was no longer able to make any impact on him.
With the repeated destruction and repair, Yang Kai’s Divine Sense slowly became stronger, and the range of his perception expanded many times.
Experiencing this process for half a month, Yang Kai eventually began looking for a way out.
In any case, cultivating his Divine Sense did not need him to do anything in particular. As long as he remained within this white mist bank, his Soul would receive damage, and the Soul Warming Lotus would automatically restore it. Both staying put or moving around resulted in the same outcome.
After exploring his surroundings for several days, Yang Kai was still trapped within the white mist bank, unable to find where he came in, nor another way out.
The situation was beginning to look grim, and Yang Kai started to feel slightly anxious. Even after he used his Flaming Yang Wings to fly up, he could not find a way out of this strange place.
One day, as Yang Kai was exploring around, he suddenly became aware of some changes in the white mist around him. These changes were very subtle, and if he had not been checking carefully, he simply would not have noticed. He even discovered that this slight change was also thanks to his perception being significantly enhanced. If it was him from half a month ago, he certainly would have missed it.
Afterwards, Yang Kai began to thoroughly investigate this phenomenon.
After a long time, Yang Kai eventually determined that the mist surrounding him was actually slowly drifting towards a fixed position. Although he did not know why this was happening, after searching around here for so long, now that he had finally discovered something out of the ordinary, he was naturally eager to check it out.
Walking along the direction the white mist was flowing, as he moved forward, the pace at which the mist flowed became faster and faster, faintly beginning to feel like a light breeze, as if there was something which was absorbing the white mist in front of him.
Yang Kai silently raised his vigilance, pushing his Movement Skill lightly as he slowly approached the source of the anomaly.
A few breaths of time later, Yang Kai began to hear a subtle humming sound coming from in front of him, like the sound of wind flowing into a hole in the wall.
Focusing his senses forward in an attempt to amplify his perception to the limit, Yang Kai slowly closed the distance between the source of the sound and himself.
A short time later, Yang Kai stood in place, frowning slightly as he stared at a strangely shaped stone standing not far from his position, the surrounding white mist clearly flowing towards a small opening on its surface.
The hole in this stone was like its mouth, constantly inhaling the white mist.
Not sensing any danger, Yang Kai gradually relaxed, his demeanor slowly transitioning from vigilance to curiosity. Upon taking a closer look, Yang Kai was surprised to find that the stone itself was hollow, and that while the white mist was flowing into it from the hole at its top, another small hole at its bottom was where the humming sound came from; it was very peculiar.
Circling around the stone in interest, Yang Kai found that this stone was anything but ordinary.
The stone showed some traces of being attacked previously, however these were only light scratches, with no indication of it being cracked or chipped in any way.
These traces had clearly been left on the stone when someone had attacked it, and in order to come here, one would need at least a True Element Boundary cultivation, but a True Element Boundary cultivator’s attack had actually only been able to scratch the stone’s surface. Obviously, this stone was not just some common rock.
Any ordinary stone which suffered a True Element Boundary cultivator’s strike would be instantly turned into dust.
Considering for a moment, Yang Kai also decided to launch his own attack, sending out a strong palm strike, but the result was him not even being able to cause the stone to shake slightly.
Though he knew that this stone was certainly some kind of rare treasure, Yang Kai could only look at it. Such a big stone obviously weighed at least several thousand kilograms, possibly even more than that; it was undoubtedly impossible for him to take it away from here.
After letting out a long sigh, Yang Kai slowly squat down, deciding to investigate the small opening at the bottom of the stone.
Underneath the stone’s lower opening, which was constantly releasing the white mist absorbed by the hole above, was a soybean sized well, and within that well was a drop of crystal clear, amber-like liquid.
When he moved closer to this well, Yang Kai caught a whiff of a wondrous fragrance that made his entire spirit feel refreshed. The feeling was even many times stronger compared to when the Soul Warming Lotus repaired the damage to his Soul from the white mist.
[Treasure!] Although Yang Kai did not know exactly what this liquid was, it was definitely a Precious Treasure which could bring great benefits to one’s Soul!
Look at this single drop of liquid, Yang Kai’s eyes filled with desire.
Stretching out a finger, he carefully controlled his Yuan Qi in order to remove this drop of amber liquid from the well.
However, before he could celebrate his success, the surrounding white mist suddenly began to swirl about more than ten times faster than before, flooding into the hole at the top of the stone.
But this time, instead of the white mist flowing out of the lower opening in the stone, it was somehow all completely absorbed, with not a strand of it leaking out.
Yang Kai watched this all occur with great surprise.
Gradually, the soybean-sized well began to fill with a stage watery mist, and at the very bottom a trace of amber liquid began to condense
[Does this mean that the drop of amber liquid I just extracted is actually refined by condensing the surrounding white mist?]
Although this was just a guess, combined with what he had just seen, Yang Kai was almost certain his theory was correct.
Originally, he had wanted to preserve this drop of Precious Treasure, but now that he knew that more of it could be formed later, Yang Kai was no longer so concerned about this.
Pausing for only a moment, Yang Kai quickly threw the drop of amber liquid into his mouth and immediately swallowed it.
Tasting a sweet, nectar like flavour, Yang Kai clearly felt the amber liquid transform into a form of energy and flow into his dantian before completely ignoring his burning hot True Yang Yuan Qi as it traveled along his meridians, all the way up to his head.
Suddenly, Yang Kai felt like his entire body was floating above the clouds, an indescribable feeling washing over him, causing every fiber of his being to rejoice.
His mind suddenly felt many times clearer than it ever had before!
His tactile, visual, and auditory senses at this moment were all amplified greatly.
In the blink of an eye, Yang Kai could suddenly even make out the blades of grass over five hundred meters away.
In this mist covered place, Yang Kai could only see a few tens of meters ahead of himself originally, and even that was only vaguely, but now his vision had been directly enhanced tens of times over!
His hearing and tactile senses had also experienced similarly significant improvement!
Understanding that he had definitely just ingested an incredible thing, Yang Kai was not negligent, quickly sitting cross-legged, calming his emotions, and carefully refining the energy released from the drop of amber liquid.
As he continued to absorb and refine this energy, the benefits it brought him also became stronger. First of all, were the benefits it brought to his own body; Yang Kai could now clearly feel the influx of World Energy entering him from his surroundings, as well as exactly how it flowed and circulated around inside him through his five viscera and six organs.
After this initial rush had passed, a sudden bursting feeling occurred within Yang Kai’s mind; it was difficult to describe, like a tingling sensation. It felt as if an invisible barrier in his mind was itching, making him desperate to scratch it, yet Yang Kai frustratingly could do nothing about it.
One thing was certain; this barrier no doubt existed, and was blocking some part of Yang Kai’s perception.
This situation went on for quite a while until, all of a sudden, this strange barrier shattered.
The itching sensation was instantly replaced by a warm, comfortable feeling, causing Yang Kai to feel like his spirit had just undergone an incredible baptism and sublimation.
At the same time, Yang Kai’s original senses also underwent a complete evolution. It was like his entire range of perception rapidly contracted, then immediately burst and spread outwards.
With himself as the centre, Yang Kai could suddenly perceive his entire surroundings: the white mist which filled the air, all the individual plants, it was like he could see and feel all of it within his mind.
Within a radius two to three kilometers, there was nothing he could not sense.
Yang Kai suddenly opened his eyes, a flash of confusion appearing on his face as he quietly meditated.
After a long time, he began showing a strange smile as his eyes glimmered.
“Old Demon… I think I’ve just developed my Divine Sense…” Yang Kai said softly while in pure disbelief.
“What?” Old Demon replied in shock, “Are you feeling alright, Young Master?”
“No, it’s true, I really believe I’ve managed to cultivate out my Divine Sense.” Yang Kai’s smile gradually grew bigger, slowly explaining the changes he had just experienced.
As Old Demon listened, he became more and more amazed by Yang Kai, for a long time losing his ability to even respond.
“If what you say is true then… you certain have cultivated out your Divine Sense!” Old Demon’s voice was filled with both shock and admiration; being able to “see” everything around you with your eyes closed, if that wasn’t one’s Divine Sense then what else could it possibly be?
Before reaching the Immortal Ascension Boundary, a cultivator mainly relied on their perception to explore their surroundings; however, this kind of perception was somewhat vague and was closer to instinct than actually sensing things. This kind of instinct could also be strengthened by enhancing one’s auditory, visual, and olfactory senses to perceive changes in the surrounding atmosphere, thus allowing one to infer situations further afield than one’s direct environment.
Perception was not omnipotent, and it was actually quite easy for it to be mistaken, but for cultivators below the Immortal Ascension Boundary, it was the only method they had to gather unseen information.
However, once one reached the Immortal Ascension Boundary, everything was different. Once one became an Immortal Ascension cultivator and opened their Knowledge Sea, allowing their Divine Sense to explore their surroundings, everything around them became as clear as if one were looking at it with their own eyes.
Compared to something vague like perception, Divine Sense was undoubtedly more powerful, and this power was not only reflected in a cultivator’s ability to perceive an enemy’s movements, a powerful Divine Sense could also be used to attack others which was extremely difficult to prevent.
[But… reaching the Immortal Ascension Boundary is normally an absolute requirement in order to cultivate out one’s Divine Sense; however, Young Master’s realm is clearly still at the Separation and Reunion Boundary Ninth Stage!]
In between these two cultivation levels was an entire Great Realm plus a major watershed Minor Realm!
Even though he had seen Yang Kai defy common sense countless times already, Old Demon at the moment still found such a development somewhat unacceptable.
“Since Young Master has cultivated out his Divine Sense, have you also opened up your Knowledge Sea?” Asked Old Demon curiously.
“No…” Yang Kai responded, also quite puzzled by this, naturally he had some understanding about the Knowledge Sea and had just now carefully examined himself but he was unable to find any trace of his Knowledge Sea within him.
“How could that be?” Old Demon said, pondering for a moment before asking, “Young Master can you see what’s inside yourself, especially inside your brain? If you can see the Soul Warming Lotus inside yourself then that means you’ve already opened your Knowledge Sea.”
“I can’t see it,” Yang Kai wrinkled his brow greatly. “It seems I can only perceive the situation outside. I can’t sense anything within me.”
Yang Kai’s case was unique.
It was likely to happen only once in thousands of years, or perhaps an even longer situation; at only the Separation and Reunion Ninth Stage being able to cultivate out one’s Divine Sense, this was not something an average elite could do. That ability to fully utilize one’s Divine Sense was the defining characteristic of the Immortal Ascension Boundary, and in general, wanting to do so while still at the Separation and Reunion Boundary was simply impossible.
Moreover, while Yang Kai had indeed been able to cultivate out his Divine Sense, he had not yet managed to open his Knowledge Sea, which caused his situation to be even more peculiar.
One’s Knowledge Sea was where one’s Soul resided! It was also the intuitive representation of the power of a cultivator’s Soul. When a cultivator broke through to the Immortal Ascension Boundary, they gained the ability to cultivate their Soul, and the gathering of the myriad strands of their Soul eventually formed their Knowledge Sea.
The size and depth of one’s Knowledge Sea was proportional to the strength and intensity of their Soul and Divine Sense.
However, with regards to Yang Kai’s case, Old Demon did not know how to explain it.
“That drop of amber liquid, it should be the Soul Cleansing Dew that Zhou Wen mentioned before!” Yang Kai eyes shined as he declared with great certainty.
When they had first met by the Nether Mountain lakeside, Chen Xue Shu and Su Xiao Yu’s master, Zhou Wen, had once said that about thirty years ago some disciples had found two incredible treasures within this isolate world.
One was the Brilliant Flame Liquid, while the other was the Soul Cleansing Dew!
Attracted by these two Precious Treasures, more and more young cultivators began coming to this isolate world for life experiences.
After he had killed Qi Jian Xing, Yang Kai had accidentally obtained a few drops of Brilliant Flame Liquid, which allowed him to quench his Yuan Qi. Now, after chasing Chi Xue into this strange mist bank, he had found a drop of Soul Cleansing Dew. This was truly a great Heavenly fortune!
Even better though, was that he could get more than one drop of Soul Cleansing Dew!
Yang Kai turned around and examined the small well at the bottom of the mist absorbing stone. Seeing a few crystal clear amber droplets, thinner than his own hair, Yang Kai believed that as long as he waited for some time, another drop of Soul Cleansing Dew would eventually be formed.
Thanks to him possessing the Five Coloured Soul Warming Lotus, a supreme treasure for cultivating one’s Soul, the persistent damage and repair of his Soul over the past half a month combined with a drop of Soul Cleansing Dew together created a miraculous opportunity, which allowed Yang Kai with his Separation and Reunion Boundary Ninth Stage cultivation to cultivate out his Divine Sense.
“Young Master, what is your range of Divine Sense, how far does it allow you to perceive from yourself?” Old Demon asked curiously.
“About two or three kilometers!”
Old Demon sucked down a cold breath before laughing again and again, “Young Master, your luck is too great! Your Divine Sense is far more powerful than an average cultivator who has just entered the Immortal Ascension Boundary. Rather, it is almost equivalent to someone at the Immortal Ascension Second or Third Stage!”
“I know!” Yang Kai said as he grinned from ear to ear.
“Good, for an average cultivator who has just cultivated out their Divine Sense, it is normally quite fragile, and even if they can spread it out freely, the farthest they can check around themselves is about a thousand meters, and only after slowly and painstakingly cultivating their Soul will they be able to expand the scope of their Divine Sense beyond that.”
Old Demon had a wealth of experience and knowledge, and although sometimes his memories were not completely reliable, the many things he knew and understood were still of great value.
Over the next little while he, carefully broke down and extolled the benefits and conveniences of one’s Divine Sense while Yang Kai listened attentively. The big silly grin on his face never once receded.
After cultivating out his Divine Sense, Yang Kai could more easily hide his presence and mask his abilities. As long as he did not take the initiative to engage them himself, it was no longer a problem for him to conceal either himself or his cultivation realm from anyone below the Immortal Ascension Boundary Fifth or Sixth Stage.
Talking to Old Demon for a long time, Yang Kai’s mood swung from high to low several times.
Checking on the small well at the bottom of the stone again, the number of amber threads seemed to have increased a bit. However, the rate at which the Soul Cleansing Dew condensed was obviously quite slow.
Yang Kai estimated that it would take at least ten days to form a drop.
The white mist continued flowing into the hole at the top of the stone endlessly, and eventually gathered together and condensed into a drop of Soul Cleansing Dew in the bottom well.
The white mist attacked one’s Soul, but after it was refined somehow it became Soul Cleansing Dew which had great benefit to one’s Soul. Whatever kind of profound and mysterious changes that occurred inside the strange stone, Yang Kai simply had no way of figuring out.
However, in the end there was no real need to understand, as all he had to do was wait for the drop of Soul Cleansing Dew to form and then collect it.
“Old Demon, monitor this things for me, when the drop of Soul Cleansing Dew is finished forming notify me, I want to enter a meditative state and attempt to break through to the True Element Boundary!”
“Good. Young Master, please rest assured.”
Sitting cross-legged and closing his eyes, Yang Kai immersed his entire consciousness into himself, and then proceeded to burst a dozen drops of Yang Liquid stored within his dantian.
All of a sudden, the True Yang Yuan Qi flooded into his meridians, causing them to bulge and swell, while sending a feeling of soreness throughout his entire body.
Enduring this discomfort, Yang Kai remained silent and rapidly circulated his True Yang Secret Art as he absorbed World Energy from his surroundings, all the while doing his best to compress his True Yang Yuan Qi as his meridians throbbed slightly because they contracted and expanded over and over again..
After a long period of time, the True Yang Yuan Qi within his meridians finally began to show some subtle changes. His meridians themselves, after having been filled with so much Yuan Qi for such a long period of time, also gradually became larger and tougher than before.
As his meridians strengthened and enlarged, the speed at which he could circulate his True Yang Secret Art also increased, and further smelting and refinement of his True Yang Yuan Qi increased its purity bit by bit.
When the feeling of soreness in his meridians began to weaken, Yang Kai burst another five drops of Yang Liquid and then repeated his previous actions.
While Yang Kai was refining his Yuan Qi, the white mist surrounding him continued attacking his Soul, which lead to the Soul Warming Lotus continuous repair of the damage, thus creating another endless cycle of enhancement.
His Soul grew stronger slowly, which kept pace with the increase in purity of his True Yang Yuan Qi.
Almost ten days later, Old Demon woke Yang Kai from his closed retreat.
A new drop of Soul Cleansing Dew had finished condensing!
Once again Yang Kai carefully extracted it, but instead of swallowing it, this time he placed it into a bottle.
With this kind of Precious Treasure, generally one could only consume a single drop. The second time a cultivator tried to refine it, the effects and benefits would be significantly reduced.
This Soul Cleansing Dew was extremely precious, so Yang Kai did not want to frivolously waste it.
If he brought it back and then had it refined into a special cultivation pill, perhaps it could play some role once again.
Cultivation knew no time, this saying was not without truth. When Yang Kai began his retreat of bursting the Yang Liquid in his dantian, then expanding and compressing the True Yang Yuan Qi to rush into his meridians. He was trying his best to refine and purify his Yuan Qi in order to increase its potency, so he very quickly forgot the passage of time.
From time to time, Old Demon would wake him, then he would collect a drop of Soul Cleansing Dew and quickly store it in a bottle.
Once the bottle in which he stored the Soul Cleansing Dew had been half filled, a total of ten drops, Yang Kai began to feel himself approach the threshold of the True Element Boundary!
After nearly four months of retreat, without taking a single pill or absorbing any Yang Qi, using nothing but his willpower to continuously circulate his True Yang Secret Art and refine his Yuan Qi, Yang Kai finally took his first step beyond the Separation and Reunion Boundary Ninth Stage!
Although the main purpose of staying here was to collect drops of Soul Cleansing Dew, seeing how long it had taken him to reach this step, it was clear just how much of a watershed entering the True Element Boundary was.
Many cultivators spent their entire lives unable to transcend this limit and were left with only bitter regrets and silent tears.
However, layers of invisible shackles remained on his body, which seemed to block his Yuan Qi from achieving a final breakthrough in density and purity.
Yang Kai took a deep breath, and a light flashing across his eyes as they shot open.
His consciousness once again submerged itself into the Unyielding Golden Skeleton where he had stored the remaining Nine Yin Yuan Condensing Dew.
This was a Precious Treasure he had obtained alongside Xia Ning Chang in the Nine Yin Valley. Half of which he had previously given to Su Yan while the other half he had kept for himself to use in anticipation of this moment.
Extracting this remaining Nine Yin Yuan Condensing Dew from the Unyielding Golden Skeleton, Yang Kai gently guided it into his dantian.
Instantly pushing his True Yang Secret Art to its limit, he began refining the Nine Yin Yuan Condensing Dew, which caused a cool sensation to suddenly explode out from his dantian and spread at breakneck speed outwards along the entire lengths of his meridians.
*Kacha…ca…*
At a speed visible to the naked eye, all over Yang Kai’s body, from his clothes to his hair, a layer of frost appeared.
The Nine Yin Yuan Condensing Dew was a Precious Treasure specifically for purifying one’s Yuan Qi. It was even more effective than the Brilliant Flame Liquid. It was a crystallization of countless years of concentrated Yin Qi. Even Yang Kai, with his extremely hot True Yang Yuan Qi, had difficulty resisting the chill it contained.
However, in the end, heat was the nemesis of cold, so Yang Kai did not end up feeling too uncomfortable.
Stimulated by the Nine Yin Yuan Condensing Dew, Yang Kai’s True Yang Yuan Qi instantly clashed with it, and the violent reaction between the two opposing properties sent out shockwaves and ripples which spread throughout his entire body.
As the ripples propagated, Yang Kai’s True Yang Yuan Qi, which had previously reached a bottleneck in terms of purity, once again became purer!
As the chill gradually disappeared, deep from within the meridians of his body came the sound of his Yuan Qi freely flowing, like a crisp sweet sound of a mountain stream.
*Ka…*
The icy layer enveloping Yang Kai’s body instantly shattered into dust.
The Heavens and Earth discoloured as a violent World Energy swirled around him. It gathered together to a terrifying degree and then suddenly flooded directly into Yang Kai’s body.
The baptism which accompanied one breaking through a Great Realm had come!
Yang Kai trembled as all the pores throughout his body breathed in. His True Yang Secret Art hummed as it circulated madly in an attempt to accept all of this World Energy into his body.
The surrounding world and Yang Kai’s meridians formed a circle. Part of the World Energy flowed into his marrow, while some of it quenched his flesh. The rest of this energy, which Yang Kai should have been unable to absorb, was supposed to then return to the universe, but at that moment not a trace of it escaped as the Unyielding Golden Skeleton swallowed everything that remained, down to the last drop.
When a cultivator broke through to a new Great Realm, there would always be such a baptism, but how much benefit one could obtain was up to their own efforts and limits.
For an ordinary cultivator, no matter how amazing their aptitude was, the most they could absorb was thirty percent of this baptism. The most important role of absorbing this thirty percent was to temper the cultivator’s body so that their flesh and bones could withstand the corresponding upsurge in Yuan Qi, while the remaining seventy percent would soon dissipate into the atmosphere.
However, from his first breakthrough into a higher Great Realm until now, Yang Kai had always been able to absorb at least ninety percent of this baptism! And this time was even more astounding, as he managed to take in all one hundred percent of it.
Just how terrifying the Unyielding Golden Skeleton was could be seen at a glimpse.
As the World Energy disorder gradually subsided, Yang Kai’s aura also calmed slowly, eventually becoming the same as any ordinary person
Exhaling a long breath, Yang Kai opened his eyes as his entire being seemed to radiate.
[True Element Boundary!]
After cultivating for so long and enduring so many hardships, he had finally arrived at the True Element Boundary!
Once, the True Element Boundary was something he could only look up to, but at this moment, he too could finally stand tall as a True Element Boundary master!
In reality, the time it had taken him to reach this height was only two years.
Even if he counted the three years he had spent in languish before then, it was still only five years!
Anyone who could reach the True Element Boundary after only five years of cultivation would be considered a true Heavenly Favoured Genius no matter where they went.
Lightly clenching his fists and feeling the full extent of his newly obtained unfathomable and explosive strength, Yang Kai also perceived how the Yuan Qi flowing in his meridians had undergone a fundamental transformation. Compared to the previously ethereal and invisible fog-like Yuan Qi, his new True Qi was undoubtedly more solid and powerful.
What was flowing through his body now could no longer be called Yuan Qi, but True Qi!
These two forms of energy were simply not comparable!
Originally, Yang Kai had roughly seventy or eighty drops of the Yang Liquid in his dantian, but now he only had about twenty.
However, the energy stored within each of these was equivalent to the sum three or four of his previous drops! The power and lethality of the Martial Skills Yang Kai could unleash when using this new Yang Liquid would undoubtedly be far stronger than before.
After reaching the True Element Boundary, the potency of a cultivator’s True Qi could also be divided into nine different grades. The first grade was the highest purity, while ninth grade represented the most common! This division was not something which was coupled together with a cultivator’s realm, but was instead more akin to a measure of one’s innate constitution.
For a general cultivator, after their breakthrough to the True Element Boundary, if they did not have any auxiliary Precious Treasures to assist them in the formation of their True Qi, they would likely end up having a ninth grade rating.
Even if they had taken some kind of Precious Treasure to enhance the purity of their True Qi, normally the most they could hope for was for their evaluation to be raised to the eighth grade, but even this was enough to make most people smile from ear to ear.
As soon as one had acquired their True Qi, their combat strength would definitely be rise to a new level compared to when they were using Yuan Qi, but if they were to meet an opponent whose True Qi was of a higher grade than their own, even if their realm was slightly higher, they might not be their opponent.
One’s True Qi grade would also slowly increase as long as the cultivator continued to increase their overall strength.
But even if one cultivated to the Peak of the Immortal Ascension Boundary, if they had no other special opportunities, their True Qi would only be able to reach the third or fourth grade, with a select few masters being able to reach the second grade. As for reaching the first grade, that was something only legendary figures would possess.
It could be said that when a cultivator broke through to the True Element Boundary, the initial grade of their True Qi would be an indication about his or her future development, as this was the essential foundation of their life.
In order for a cultivator to be considered a true genius, when they broke through to the True Element Boundary the minimum requirement was to have seventh grade True Qi, with sixth grade True Qi being preferred. The higher the grade was at the beginning, the more hope there would be for them to reach the apex in the future.
Right now, Yang Kai did not know the exact grade the True Qi in his body had achieved, but he was certain was at least the sixth or seventh grade. It was impossible for his True Qi to be any lower.
Both the Brilliant Flame Liquid and the Nine Yin Yuan Condensing Dew were Precious Treasures specifically used to quench one’s Yuan Qi. Both of them were valuable and difficult to find existences, yet Yang Kai had used them both.
Coupled with his continued efforts in the Separation and Reunion Boundary to quench his Yuan Qi, when he finally formed his True Qi, naturally its grade would not be bad.
Looking up and checking his surroundings, Yang Kai couldn’t but be surprised for a moment.
“Old Demon, what happened?” Yang Kai asked in confusion.
He had suddenly found himself not surrounded by the white mist, and the stone that could form the Soul Cleansing Dew was also gone. All that was left around him was a barren landscape. Looking around, in the distance there seemed to be a lush jungle with a tall mountain range further off into the horizon.
“A few days ago there was suddenly a strange World Energy movement and then Young Master was suddenly here, but since Young Master was in the final moments of his breakthrough to the True Element Boundary, Old Servant did not dare to interrupt.”
Yang Kai wrinkled his brow for a moment before suddenly understanding.
It seems like he had been sent out of the isolate world.
Ling Tai Xu had said that once one had entered the strange isolate world for life experience there was no need to look for a way out because there simply wasn’t one. Only after a certain amount of time would one naturally be expelled. This period could be long or short, perhaps as long as two or three years or as quick as a few months.
Apparently this time it was about a year or so.
This life experience was now over. The only thing Yang Kai regretted was being unable to acquire more Soul Cleansing Dew. Since it only took about ten days to form a drop, if he had been able to stay inside the isolate world for a long period he might he would have been able to collect more.
But in the end Yang Kai was still quite satisfied. After all, he had still managed to collect a dozen drops.
Right now he should be inside Nether Mountain, the Great Han Dynasty’s one and only Forbidden Zone. When he had come together with Ling Tai Xu, they had met several ferocious and powerful Sixth-Order Monstrous Beasts along the way.
Now, in order to leave, he would only be able to rely on himself.
Looking around, he saw several trails lead left behind by other people as they had made their way out of Nether Mountain.
These survivors were elites within their Sects. Each of them possessed great strength. If they encountered a Fifth-Order Monstrous Beast they would easily be able to handle them, and even if they ran into a Sixth-Order Monstrous Beast, as long as its strength was not overwhelming, they would have no problem escaping.
“Young Master, something is strange about this place!”
“What exactly is strange?”
“If you fly up into the air you’ll be able to see!” Old Demon did not elaborate.
Yang Kai simply nodded and released his Divine Sense, and everything within a ten kilometer radius around him suddenly became clear in his mind. While Yang Kai had been in closed retreat to break through to the True Element Boundary, apparently his Divine Sense had also inadvertently been enhanced a lot.
Not aware of any danger or even any life in his immediate vicinity, Yang Kai activated his Flaming Yang Wings, flew up into the air, and turned around to look beneath him, and his eyes couldn’t help but shrink.
“Sure enough …” Old Demon sucked in a deep breath.
“This place… why does it seem like it has been intentionally flattened?” Yang Kai’s brow wrinkled.
Beneath Yang Kai was a several tens of kilometer radius barren wasteland that was completely devoid of anything living, and even the grass and trees had all been reduced to dust, and if one looked carefully, there were even traces of a palm print which extended kilometers in every direction marking the ground.
“Well, someone or something must have launched an attack here.”
“Who or what could have such tyrannical strength?” Yang Kai was clearly frightened by such a feat and such strength. It was simply unfathomable.
Ling Tai Xu and Meng Wu Ya were certainly amongst this world’s top masters, but Yang Kai estimated that even if they joined forces and used all their strength they would be unable to create such a devastating palm print.
Moreover, this palm strike was definitely not recently made. At the very least, half a year to a year had passed since it had appeared here, yet till this day, the land around it was still completely barren. It was difficult to imagine just how powerful and devastating this attack had been.
Unable to contain his shock for a while, Yang Kai suddenly remembered something. When Ling Tai Xu, Ghost King Valley’s Gui Li, and the Ten Thousand Flower Palace’s old woman had brought them into Nether Mountain, Ling Tai Xu had asked the old woman a question. Her response was that some kind of great change must have recently occurred in Nether Mountain, which caused many Fifth-Order and Sixth-Order Monstrous Beasts to rush to the periphery.
The timing matched with what the old woman had said. Was the master who created this palm print and the change within Nether Mountain related?
“We should not stay here!” Old Demon suddenly woke Yang Kai from his thoughts.
“Yeah.” Yang Kai nodded towards a direction, and began to flap his Flaming Yang Wings in order to fly outwards.
Before now he had not dared to use his wings in public because he had no way of efficiently investigating his surroundings, but now that he could utilise his Divine Sense everything was different. With his Divine Sense spread out, it allowed him to observe everything with a dozen kilometers at a glance, so naturally Yang Kai was no longer afraid of being spied upon.
Half an hour later, Yang Kai flew out of Nether Mountain.
Landing on the ground, Yang Kai checked his surroundings for a moment before determining his next destination, and he slowly began to walk in its direction.
“Young Master does not want to immediately return to High Heaven Pavilion?” Old Demon saw some clues and determined the direction of Yang Kai was heading was not the way back to High Heaven Pavilion.
“I’m not going to head back yet. First I’m going to visit Medicine King’s Valley!” Yang Kai said.
The Wordless Black Book’s fifth page had clearly instructed him to take a trip to Medicine King’s Valley, and though it had not given him much information on why he should. When he had originally received these instructions he had wanted to enhance his strength first before making the trip and had ended up being brought to Nether Mountain by Ling Tai Xu for life experience.
Now that his cultivation had reached the True Element Boundary, naturally he wanted to go see Medicine King’s Valley.
After his promotion to the True Element Boundary, whenever Yang Kai activated his Movement Skill it was much faster, which allowed him to travel a few thousand meters in the blink of an eye.
However, after a few activations, Yang Kai stopped and no longer rushed to use his Movement Skill because doing so consumed a large amount of True Qi.
Two days later, Yang Kai had travelled thousands of kilometers away from Nether Mountain.
But as he was walking along an official road, an uneasy feeling suddenly welled up in his mind. This feeling was not his own but was instead being conveyed to him by someone else far away from him.
Yang Kai was surprised for a moment before he turned to look in the direction the feeling had come from.
Faintly, he felt there was something unusual happening several dozen kilometers away.
Frowning, Yang Kai was somewhat puzzled. His Divine Sense was now only capable of sensing things a dozen kilometers away, so how could details of a situation several dozen kilometers away be transmitted to him?
“The brand!” Yang Kai’s eyes lit up, as he finally understoodthe uneasy feeling that he had sensed.
When he had encountered Zi Mo and Leng Shan,he had placed a brand onto both of their Souls, so now several dozen kilometers from here, one of them must have encountered some kind of mortal danger, which had in turn been transmitted to him.
[Is it Zi Mo or Leng Shan?]
Thinking till here, Yang Kai’s expression sank as he rushed towards the other side.
Yang Kai’s assumption was not wrong. Several dozen kilometers away, Zi Mo was indeed suffering from the greatest danger she had ever experienced in her life. When she had left Yang Kai’s side her cultivation was at the True Element Boundary Sixth Stage, but after such a long life experience in that isolated world, she had achieved a breakthrough to the Seventh Stage.
Coupled with her distinguished origin, Zi Mo could be said to be a leader amongst the younger generation.
But now, she had fallen into a worrying situation and scrambled to cope with the attacks from the enemy she was facing.
Her abdomen had received a long wound, and her clothes had long been stained blood red. Her breath was ragged, and her beautiful face was pale. She was clearly in a bad state, but she still grit her teeth and refused to cry out.
When she was exiting Nether Mountain, she was unlucky and had suffered an attack by multiple Monster Beasts. If she had not quickly used her Soul Controlling Insects to control one of the Monstrous Beasts, she would have long been dead.
In that battle she had sustained numerous wounds, and even the Monster Beast she had managed to control had died.
Finally managing to escape, she had not gone far before she encountered an ambush!
She even knew who her assailant was. It was the one Yang Kai had been looking for, Wu Cheng Yi.
Wu Cheng Yi’s cultivation had risen to the True Element Boundary Eighth Stage! Although there was only a difference of a Minor Realm, one of them was uninjured and prepared while the other had just suffered wounds in battle, so caught off guard by this sudden fight, Zi Mo soon found herself at a disadvantage, and accidentally received a sword strike, which made her state deteriorate further.
As a streak of sharp Sword Qi approached, Zi Mo’s expression became serious, and she quickly called out a bronze shield-type artifact, pushing her True Qi into it for defense.
*Bang bang bang bang*, the Sword Qi wave violently struck the shield, and although Zi Mo remained unhurt, she was still knocked back several steps as her breathing quickened.
“As long as you hand over the method you use in order to enslave Monster Beasts, I’ll spare your life!” Wu Cheng Yi said indifferently as he lifted the sword in his hand, pointing its tip towards Zi Mo.
In the isolate world, Wu Cheng Yi had witnessed the strength of the Tian Lang cultivator’s enslavement Martial Skill and had quickly made up his mind to get his hands on it, so he prepared an ambush for Zi Mo in order to extract this Sen Luo Temple technique.
“In your dreams!” Zi Mo ground her teeth fiercely.
Wu Cheng Yi sneered, “I’ll give you one last chance to surrender; if you force me to catch you, I’ll make sure you beg for death! I think a lot of people would be interested in making a plaything of an exotic woman like you.”
A cold chill briefly flashed across Zi Mo’s eyes before she suddenly wore a seductive smile, “Perhaps you’re also interested?”
Unfortunately for her, Wu Cheng Yi’s expression remained cold as ice, “I cultivate the ruthless sword and shall not be tempted by cheap slut like you! So discard any schemes you may be thinking of using against me. Instead, I have a teacher who is quite lustful; I believe will be very willing to accept you!”
Zi Mo’s beautiful smile suddenly went sour as she viciously cursed, “Bastard!”
Zi Mo already had a deep impression of Wu Cheng Yi’s strength. He was indeed worthy of being called a rising star in this Nine Star Sword Sect. Just the fact that her Senior Brother Chi Xue, while riding his Sixth-Order Monster Beast, had spent more than a month trying kill him yet had never succeeded, proved that Zi Mo was clearly not his opponent.
Trembling as she tightly gripped her fists, Zi Mo whispered, “If I give you the beast slave technique, will you let me leave?”
“I only promise you’ll die without pain!” Wu Cheng Yi’s face remained cold.
Hearing this, Zi Mo’s face paled, as she desperately tried to hold back her anger and fear, “I give you what you want yet you still insist on acting so ruthless? Do you not even have a shred of humanity?”
Wu Cheng Yi only showed a gloating smile, “It is human nature to only respect the strong, why do I need to discuss what is humane with you?”
In the middle of his speech, Wu Cheng Yi’s expression suddenly became cold, and a glint flashed across his eyes as he released a few Sword Qi waves from his fingertips to attack the ground a few steps in front of his feat.
As soon as the Sword Qi waves had struck, a few bloody spurts of liquid flew up from the ground. They were the Soul Controlling Insects which Zi Mo had secretly released towards Wu Cheng Yi.
“Little bitch!” Wu Cheng Yi cursed, though he had been wary of this Tian Lang Dynasty slut up until now, he had not thought that she would have this kind of hidden hand. If he had not been wary enough and one of the those strange insects had made it into his body, he would definitely have suffered.
“You’ve brought this fate onto yourself, when I catch you I’ll start by slicing off your hands and feet, while keeping your alive so you I can listen to you scream and beg for death!” Wu Cheng Yi’s face filled with murderous intent, and he swung the sword in his hand as it released a glowing Sword Qi, which flew out like lightning towards Zi Mo.
“Bastard!”
Zi Mo cursed under her breath. Encountering this cold blooded Wu Cheng Yi had made her became quite helpless.
Making every attempt to dodge the incoming Sword Qi, Zi Mo flicked her hand in Wu Cheng Yi’s direction and sent a few strangely shaped flying blades towards him.
Wu Cheng Yi’s sword flickered, which caused small sparks to appear all around him as he accurately deflected all of her flying blades.
Zi Mo’s expression was bitter as she bit her lip. Though she managed to avoid having her vitals hit, she could not completely dodge the Sword Qi and wound up having her shoulder pierced.
Letting out a cry of pain, her shoulder soon spurt a touch of red.
Even though she had fallen into an absolute disadvantage, Zi Mo did not just sit back and wait to die. While she made efforts to distract Wu Cheng Yi, she quickly released all her remaining Soul Controlling Insects into the ground, with the hope that she would get lucky enough to have one of them make it into Wu Cheng Yi’s body, after which she could teach him an unforgettable lesson.
But after nearly suffering such a huge loss, how could Wu Cheng Yi possibly let his guard down?
Sending out waves of Sword Qi all around himself, he instantly crushed everything within a radius of a few tens of meters and killed all of Zi Mo’s Soul Controlling Insect in the process.
If one of these Soul Controlling Insects managed to make it into a human’s body, it was really powerful, and in the absence of heat it was completely fearless, but outside of a host, they were just simple insects. The Sword Qi Wu Cheng Yi had casually released was more than enough to destroy them.
Zi Mo was at her wits end. After her plot to use her Soul Controlling Insects had failed, she really had no other way to deal with Wu Cheng Yi. Just as she was about to despair, her eyes suddenly flashed a trace of surprise as she quickly looked behind Wu Cheng Yi. Her tired yet beautiful face instantly filled with a touch of joy and excitement.
This not so subtle change did not go unnoticed by Wu Cheng Yi.
With a faint unease welling up inside him, Wu Cheng Yi’s face suddenly became ruthless, so not ready to waste any more time, he swung his sword decisively to end things once and for all.
However, before his sword could fall, an ominous wind rapidly approached him from behind, which caused Wu Cheng Yi to deftly pivot and unleash a wide range slash to intercept the oncoming attack.
Sword Qi flashed, a fiery fist appeared, and the attacks from both sides collided and repelled one another with a loud explosion.
The new silhouette fell to the ground.
Wu Cheng Yi was also knocked back a dozen meters, but no trace of panic appeared on his face as he leisurely turned to look towards this newcomer, and upon seeing the other side’s face, he could not help sneering arrogantly, “So it’s you!”
“Hey hey, surprised to see me?” Yang Kai said sarcastically as he stared towards Wu Cheng Yi with great interest.
Earlier, when they were still inside the isolate world, Yang Kai had been trying to find Wu Cheng Yi in order to settle their grudge, but had instead ran into Chi Xue and ended up chasing him into the white mist and accidentally lost his opportunity.
But by some twist of fate he had managed to encounter him here. This was really a case of wearing out iron shoes to while searching only to find it inside ones house!
Calming the surprise in his heart, Yang Kai glanced over towards Zi Mo and showed a frivolous smile before teasing, “My Fair Beauty, you seem to be in a bad situation here!”
To which Zi Mo glared back at him and angrily replied “Hmph, if you had come just a bit later you’d have never seen me again!”
Meeting Yang Kai again after a few months, Zi Mo also didn’t quite know what to think. She had thought that in this life she would never face him again, and that she no longer had to worry about some other person torturing her Soul.
But now, it seems the Heavens had other plans and caused them to once again reunite. However, at this moment, Zi Mo was not concerned over her Soul being tormented, but was instead somewhat happy because, in any case, her life was now safe, andas for other things, they could be dealt with later.
Yang Kai tilted his head slightly as he examined her up and down and curiously inquired, “Aren’t you an elite disciples from the Sen Luo Temple, how did you end up so embarrassed like this?”
“You know shit!” Zi Mo viciously cursed, “Be careful of this guy, he is very strong, his True Qi is also much more potent and pure than my own.”
“He wouldn’t be Wu Cheng Yi if he wasn’t strong!” Yang Kai sneered.
As for how his True Qi was more rich and pure than Zi Mo’s, it was fairly easy to explain. Wu Cheng Yi had obtained a few drops of Brilliant Flame Liquid, a Yuan Qi quenching Precious Treasure. If his True Qi was not pure, it would be strange.
“I really did not expect you to be able to survive; your luck something to sneer at!” Wu Cheng Yi looked contemptuously at Yang Kai, the same way he had when they first met, his gaze was filled with cold disdain.
“Indeed, at least I am luckier than your Junior Brother who died so long ago.” Yang Kai’s eyes suddenly became cold as he stared daggers at Wu Cheng Yi.
“Hmph, since you know that I want your life, you should not have taken to initiative to appear in front of me! A person can’t always rely on luck to survive.” Wu Cheng Yi’s expression remained indifferent. The talk of Qi Jian Xing’s death did not bother him in the slightest.
“If you two boys are going to fight then why bother with all this nonsense!” Having just suffered so much at Wu Cheng Yi’s hands, Zi Mo hated him greatly, and now that Yang Kai had appeared, she suddenly became emboldened and was anxious for two of them to start battling to the death.
She was well aware of just how strong Yang Kai was. If they fought together, the two of them would definitely be able to suppress Wu Cheng Yi.
“She has a point!” Yang Kai nodded.
“I agree!” Wu Cheng Yi coldly snorted as he slowly raised his sword.
“I’ll attack from the front, Yang Kai you support me!” Zi Mo cried out.
“No, you support me!” Yang Kai said decisively. Done talking, he immediately rushed towards Wu Cheng Yi and launched a flurry of strikes. His originally calm aura suddenly radiated violent fluctuations.
“You …” Zi Mo’s eyes went wide with surprise, stunned by the overbearing oppression she felt coming from Yang Kai.
[He’s already broken through the True Element Boundary? Four months ago he was only a Separation and Reunion Eighth Stage, and even that realm was something he had recently promoted to. After only four months he actually managed to cultivate to the True Element Boundary? This kind of cultivation speed… isn’t it more than a little unreasonable?”]
But then thinking back, Zi Mo suddenly relaxed. She knew that this young man was nothing short of a monster. Him being able to break through this watershed shouldn’t be that surprising to her.
In the blink of an eye, Yang Kai and Wu Cheng Yi clashed countless times. Wu Cheng Yi’s sword images raged about while Yang Kai fists flew like lightning strikes. Their images flickered back and forth as one body covered in Sword Qi and one exuding Yang Qi fought to destroy one another.
As the World Energy swirled about, Zi Mo couldn’t help but squint. She was determined to help, but there was simply no way for her to intervene!
The two people before her were going all out without holding anything back. Their raging murderous auras clashed and blended together. Even if Zi Mo could find an opening to exploit, any aggressive action she took was bound to cause these two to instinctually launch simultaneous counterattacks.
How could she even think of interfering?
Yang Kai asking her to assist him was probably just him giving her some superficial face. Zi Mo’s only real option was to sit on the sidelines and watch as she didn’t even have the qualifications to intervene.
“Smelly man!” Zi Mo smiled wryly and then decisively floated away, deliberately opening up a thousand meter distance between her and the fight so as not get caught up in it.
Over the course of their exchange, Wu Cheng Yi’s expression underwent a dramatic change. His face showed shock and alarm. He had never dreamed that this little brat he had considered a total waste would have enough strength to fight on even terms with him. Flashing sword images struck violent fist pressures and blew each other apart. One side used ethereal sword technique, while the other exuded domineering might, and each one showed their own unique style. Yet, after many clashes neither could come out on top!
In less time than it takes to drink half a cup of tea, the two sides had already exchanged hundreds of blows, and their True Qi burst out in all directions. As the fight went on, Wu Cheng Yi’s mood became more and more solemn while Yang Kai’s grew increasingly violent, and his face filled with extreme excitement, like some kind of demon that had encountered a stripped naked stunning beauty.
*Peng…* With a loud bang, the two flew apart.
Wu Cheng Yi grunted as he flew back, and his mouth leaked a trace of blood.
Yang Kai had also been hit and suffered a bloody gash on his chest from Wu Cheng Yi’s sword.
Separating more than three hundred meters, the two stood steadily.
“Hahaha! Wonderful!” Although he had been injured and was bleeding, Yang Kai still let out a hearty laugh.
This was a real battle, a fight which made his blood boil, an epic struggle between two men trying to destroy one another. Although he hated Wu Cheng Yi and held a deep resentment towards him, Yang Kai was forced to admit that this young man was truly strong.
After all, this True Element Boundary Eighth Stage cultivator before him even had True Qi as pure and rich as his own!
“You are indeed strong!” Wu Cheng Yi stared deeply at Yang Kai, a touch of dismay in his eyes, seemingly reluctant to believe that this shitty little brat from a second-class Sect was able to compete with himself.
“Thank you!” Yang Kai grinned maliciously.
“I admit, before I had greatly underestimated you! It seems that my Junior Brother did not die because of some accident but instead died by your hand.” Wu Cheng Yi slowly spun his sword, and raise it once again.
“You sent him to kill me in secret; you should have considered that possibility.”
“So you admit it!” Wu Cheng Yi continued to spin his sword.
“Want to avenge him?” Yang Kai sneered.
“His death was his own fault, it means nothing to me! But since today you dare to fight with me, you will not leave here alive!” Wu Cheng Yi’s aura suddenly became violent as he coldly shouted, “The dignity of my Nine Star Sword Sect cannot be stained, the dignity of I, Wu Cheng Yi, cannot be trampled upon! Even the sons of the Eight Great Families are only allowed to look up at me, much less a no-name waste like you!”
“Sword Body!” Roaring, Wu Cheng Yi’s Sword Qi suddenly burst out and formed into thousands of tiny sword blades, which endlessly circled around him.
This Martial Skill was exceptional at both offence and defence. Yang Kai had previously seen it when he had fought Qi Jian Xing, but when Wu Cheng Yi cast it, the aura it gave off was far stronger.
This dazzling Sword Body skill was an extremely lethal technique.
“Come accept your death, I’ll make sure it’s as painful as possible!” Wu Cheng Yi, like he had just taken some strange medicine, shouted excitedly. His sword was pointing straight at Yang Kai, and it emitted a cold domineering glow.
Having displayed his Sword Body, Wu Cheng Yi suddenly gave off a feeling of invincibility!
He stood there like an unsheathed sword, swirling flashes of light enveloped a radius of a dozen meters around him. His Sword Qi screeched as it tore through the air like it was trying to slice apart the world itself, and the ground around him was slowly ripped apart.
Yang Kai grinned fearlessly and also pushed his True Qi to its limit. A violent power gushed from his body as a strong feeling of oppression spread out around him.
His momentum continued to rise, like an explosion bursting forth, and rapidly rose towards some unknown peak.
Wu Cheng Yi displayed an aura of invincibility while Yang Kai’s aura displayed an all consuming madness. Even before they fought, they were already competing with their momentum, shaking the ground and whipping the winds around them. The two of them stood in the eye of this storm and stared down one another.
“Come!” Wu Cheng Yi roared. His face showed a ferocious expression that also held a trace of madness, as he slashed with his sword, sending out two razor sharp sword waves.
A cross shaped space in front of him seemed to be split apart as Wu Cheng Yi roared viciously. The cross shaped Sword Qi wave suddenly flew towards Yang Kai like an unstoppable meteor.
Yang Kai acted simultaneously and stomped down so hard the world around him trembled.
A terrifying force burst from the soles of his feet as the ground beneath him was split open. A series of cracks, like a giant spider web, spread out tens of meters with Yang Kai at its centre.
Like a bolt of lightning, he charged toward Wu Cheng Yi.
Instantly closing half the distance between them, Yang Kai sent out a devastating punch straight into the centre of the cross shaped Sword Qi.
In a flash, the cross shaped Sword Qi was crushed as Yang Kai continued forward unimpeded; his momentum was not diminished in the slightest.
Upon seeing this, Wu Cheng Yi’s pupils immediately shrank, and he was no longer willing or able to hold back the full extent of his sword techniques. He fiercely slashed out with his sword in rapid succession in an attempt to hack Yang Kai apart.
But Yang Kai agilely dodged most of these sword waves, while those he could not avoid, he directly broke with his fists.
Within three breaths of time, Yang Kai made his way in front of Wu Cheng Yi.
With his breath growing ragged from the overwhelming pressure bearing down on him, Wu Cheng Yi soon found himself completely suppressed. Unable to display the full extent of his strength, he swiftly made the decision to fall back!
“Where are you trying to run!?” Yang Kai grinned viciously and quickly chased after him. Wrapping his iron like fists in his True Qi, Yang Kai kept raining down punches onto his opponent’s body as Wu Cheng Yi responded with his ethereal swordsmanship to nimbly parry away all but a few of his blows.
Dazzling flashes of light appeared as sword skills clashed against heavy punches as waves of destruction spread outwards from their conflict towards the surroundings.
From the beginning, neither Yang Kai nor Wu Cheng Yi were moving slowly, but as time progressed the figures of the two became increasingly blurry and soon after completely blending together.
Loud bursts of noise constantly erupted wherever this blur appeared.
In just half a cup of tea worth of time, the pair had already exchanged an astronomical number of blows!
*Boom!*
With a loud explosion, the two entangled figures at last separated. Both of them flew back tens of meters before crashing to the ground, and each one of them opened up a huge pit upon impact.
*Xiu Xiu ..*.
Simultaneously jumping back up, both Yang Kai and Wu Cheng Yi who had just been knocked apart instantly raced forward and continued their battle.
A short distance away, Zi Mo continued to watch, not blinking an eye. Her beautiful face clearly showed an expression of shock.
She had never doubted whether Yang Kai would be able to preserve his life. She was simply marvelling at just how much his combat strength had grown.
“This smelly brat has already become this strong!” Zi Mo cursed under her breath. Her heart filled with complex emotions and a strange smile adorned her face.
When they had last separated, Yang Kai had been facing off against her Senior Brother Chi Xue and was clearly not his opponent. It was only after he finally managed to use his strange Martial Skill to gain control of the Sixth-Order Monstrous Beast that he was able to turn the tables.
However, upon meeting again, he could now fight on even terms with this Wu Cheng Yi.
If she were to compare their individual combat strength, Zi Mo believed that Wu Cheng Yi Chi was probably a bit stronger than Chi Xue.
The speed at which Yang Kai’s strength grew was something that caused deep feelings of admiration and jealousy within her.
Lost in thought for a moment, Zi Mo quickly noticed that Yang Kai and Wu Cheng Yi had already moved a few thousand meters away. Kicking off the ground, Zi Mo also hurried to keep up, as she extremely reluctant to miss a single moment of this intense battle.
Especially considering that these two were nearly the same age as her and were cultivators who were members of the same generation.
Finding some blood along the way, Zi Mo did not know whether it belonged to Yang Kai or Wu Cheng Yi. In any case, the two of them were both going all out, and it was clear that this battle would only end when one of them fell.
When Zi Mo finally caught up with them again, she saw the two standing some thirty meters apart glaring at each other.
Wu Cheng Yi’s face was livid. His original calm arrogance had long since been replaced by endless rage as his eyes trembled lightly, and he stared at Yang Kai in disbelief.
His face was slightly pale as a line of blood leaked from the side of his mouth. Apparently, he had received some minor injuries.
On the other side, Yang Kai’s body also had a number of sword wounds. His clothes were stained here and there with blood. Especially tragic were his two fists, which were full of small sword scars!
Wu Cheng Yi’s Sword Body provided both offence and defence. If Yang Kai wanted to hurt him, he had to first hurt himself.
But regardless, he was still laughing like some kind of blood crazed demon.
Seeing him facing the sunset bathed in blood, black hair blowing in the wind, with his handsome face showing a fearless gin, Zi Mo couldn’t help blushing a deep shade of red.
“I started cultivating from the age of eight …” Wu Cheng Yi suddenly spoke. His voice was slightly hoarse and unsteady, “It has been fourteen years since then and from small to large, among my peers I have always been invincible. No one has been my opponent; no one has ever defeated me! Even those Heaven favoured sons from the Eight Great Families could not stand against me. With my sword in hand, none dare challenge me.”
Taking a deep breath, Wu Cheng Yi’s face suddenly became serious, “You are very powerful! To think a True Element Boundary First Stage cultivator could actually fight on par with me, I, Wu Cheng Yi today have been awakened, it is not that this world did not have other geniuses, it was simply that I was too ignorant!”
“Realizing the truth before you die, you should take comfort in that.” Yang Kai grinned.
Wu Cheng Yi only shook his head before coldly stating, “You really think you can defeat me? I’ve still not shown you my full strength!”
“Neither have I!” Yang Kai’s eyes stared coldly, and he immediately shot back. An inexplicable smile surfaced on his face.
Hearing this, Wu Cheng Yi’s eyes narrowed once more.
“Good! Then show me, let us see if it you who dies, or if it is I!” Wu Cheng Yi yelled, completely unhinged.
From small to large, Wu Cheng Yi had only ever been looked up to by his peers, only ever received praise from his elders. He was the Nine Star Sword Sect’s most treasured disciple. The one they had placed all their hopes upon. They had asserted that if Wu Cheng Yi could really grow up, the Nine Star Sword Sect would finally have the qualifications to enter the ranks of the worlds Ruling Sects.
Such a proud person had today suffered injuries from an opponent many realms lower than him, so how could Wu Cheng Yi accept such a fact?
It was Yang Kai who had first come here aiming at his life.
But now, even if Yang Kai wanted to stop, Wu Cheng Yi would never agree.
Between the two of them, a decisive outcome was the only option. One of would live, and the other must die! If Wu Cheng Yi did not fall, then Yang Kai would! Only the one who survived would be the real genius!
There could be no first or second place! In Wu Cheng Yi’s mind, only he was qualified to be the ultimate leader of the younger generation! Anyone who tried to encroach on his position would be his life and death enemy.
Finished his speech, Wu Cheng Yi’s crazed expression calmed down as an oppressive sword aura suddenly spread around him.
Zi Mo’s pretty face suddenly went stiff, and she hastily retreated. Only after moving back several hundreds of meters did she finally come to a halt.
Meanwhile, Yang Kai’s expression also took on a new seriousness.
“I only have one move left, if you can resist it then it is your win, but if you cannot… then you will die!” Wu Cheng Yi roared, his True Qi suddenly condensed into sharp blades and leaked out from all over his body, and even the Sword Qi which composed his Sword Body also suddenly collapsed.
He had given up on any form of defense and transformed all of his True Qi into a single attack.
In an instant, Wu Cheng Yi was surrounded by hundreds of Sword Qi blades.
All of these Sword Qi blades were composed of his True Qi. Each one on their own possessed a great hidden lethality and destructive power. With hundreds of such blades, regardless of who it was, their only option would be to desperately avoid them.
But Wu Cheng Yi was not finished; waving his sword once again, another hundred Sword Qi blades appeared…
Then another hundred appeared more…
Soon, the entire sky was covered with Sword Qi floating around Wu Cheng Yi, like the entire world had been transformed into swords.
Yang Kai took a deep breath and no longer dared to hold back. Reaching out, the Asura Sect’s Hallowed Treasure, the Asura Sword appeared in the hands.
The True Qi in his meridians retreated into his dantian and was instantly replaced by the energy from the Unyielding Golden Skeleton.
A Black gas filled with a thick murderous aura, that caused anyone who saw it to tremble involuntarily, gushed out from Yang Kai’s body.
The energy inside the Unyielding Golden Skeleton was a kind of evil energy. The exact opposite of Yang Kai’s usual True Yang Yuan Qi.
This energy was filled with an atmosphere of murder and destruction. It was very similar to the aura contained with the Asura Sword. Yang Kai had only intended to use these similar energies to maximize the power of his artifact, but to his surprise, when he held the Asura Sword and began drawing energy from his Unyielding Golden Skeleton, the Asura Sect’s Hallowed Treasure actually began madly devouring all the energy his Unyielding Golden Skeleton poured into it.
In an instant, the Asura Sword began radiating a mixture of red and black light!
This light was like a black hole as it burst forth, and it seemed to swallow up all the surrounding light and quickly drained the whole world of all its colour.
In the distance, Zi Mo actually felt like she had fallen into a dark abyss.
Even the radiance emitting from Wu Cheng Yi’s Sword Qi also suddenly became faint.
*Zheng…*
The Asura Sword suddenly let out a piercing cry and sent ripples of sound and energy towards Wu Cheng Yi’s Sword Qi, which caused those countless ethereal blades to resonate in response.
Trembling violently, these Sword Qi blades seemed like they were desperately trying to free themselves of Wu Cheng Yi’s control.
Wu Cheng Yi complexion changed, and he hastily stabilized his mind, as he tried to maintain control of his Sword Qi blades and not let the Asura Sword disrupt them.
Yang Kai on the other hand was equally stunned by all of this, but soon his eyes began flashing an excited light, as he continued to pour energy into Asura Sword. At this moment, he had gained an insight into this Heaven Grade Artifact and formed a vague connection between himself and the sword.
Now, the Asura Sword no longer felt like a weapon but more like a part of the body, an extension of his own flesh and blood.
The two opposing geniuses struggled to accumulate power for this final clash. Separated by dozens of meters, each of them stared towards the other; their faces filled with merciless determination.
On his side, Wu Cheng Yi summoned more than two thousand Sword Qi blades before finally stopping.
When the last few Sword Qi blades emerged from his body, all the blood from this Nine Star Sword Sect’s Heaven favoured son drained, and his face instantly became pale, as his aura drained rapidly. It was like in that moment he had become an ordinary person, one that lacked strength to even kill a chicken.
“This is my Nine Star Sword Sect’s Ultimate Martial Skill, Strike of Ten Thousand Swords!” Wu Cheng Yi coldly shouted. His face suddenly showed a touch of regret, “Unfortunately, with my current strength, I am only able to summon a little over two thousand Sword Qi blades! This attack contains every last drop of my remaining True Qi!”
As if responding to his words, Yang Kai tightly gripped his blood red sword and wore a fearless smile, “I do not know what this Martial Skill’s name, but I am certain its strength is not weak, prepare yourself!”
Watching all this from the side, Zi Mo couldn’t help spitting disdainfully.
These two were clearly anxious to slaughter each other as soon as possible, crush their enemy’s bones to dust and rip his corpse into ten thousand pieces. They had just been engaged in a life or death struggle, fighting all out, mercilessly trying to kill one another, but in the final moments of their battle, both of them had actually taken a moment to praise the other and remind each other to be careful.
[Men… they really are strange creatures.]
As a woman, a scheming manipulative one at that, Zi Mo understood that men were often even more arrogant than women. There were times that even in the face of death, they would refuse to discard their own pride!
It was Wu Cheng Yi’s pride that made him confident that his attack would crush Yang Kai, so he was not worried that what he said and explained to him would have any impact on the battle’s outcome.
Yang Kai’s pride was what stopped him from taking advantage of Wu Cheng Yi while he was preparing his attack, instead choosing to face him head on.
This was the way men fought!
As a woman… it just did not make sense.
Amidst his more than two thousand Sword Qi blades, Wu Cheng Yi suddenly moved.
At that moment, his appearance became very different; his image suddenly became dignified and solemn; it was not just a simple Sword Martial Skill, but an attack that he seemed to have practiced his entire existence for.
Assuming a stance with his sword, its tip began radiating light.
At the same time, the surrounding Sword Qi blades began trembling, emitting a humming sound as their sword aura seemed to pierce the Heavens.
All of a sudden, from the more than two thousand Sword Qi blades, half instantly disappeared, condensing down into only a thousand, and soon after, the number of blades halved again, leaving only five hundred … …
Three hundred Sword Qi blades… two hundred… one hundred… ninety…
As the Sword Qi blades stabilized, a faint sigh leaked from Wu Cheng Yi’s mouth, one that seemed full of regret and helplessness.
However, fter releasing this sigh, Wu Cheng Yi’s expression brightened, his face displaying a look of overwhelming confidence.
As his sword flickered, the ninety remaining Sword Qi blades shot towards Yang Kai!
Strike of Ten Thousand Swords!
Nine Star Sword Sect’s Ultimate Martial Skill. It had only ever been taught to those who made outstanding contributions to the Sect, and with Wu Cheng Yi being the only member of the younger generation who had learned it, it was quite clear how highly the elders of the Sect valued him.
This sword skill, if practiced to the Grand Accomplishment Stage, could create ten thousand Sword Qi blades and condense them into a single one. The resulting blade would have the strength to cut through the world, destroying mountains and rivers with a single slash. Unfortunately, with Wu Cheng Yi’s current strength, even though he had exhausted all of his True Qi, he was only able to condensed slightly more than two thousand Sword Qi blades, and ultimately could only condense that number down to ninety.
But despite only being able to display it to such an extent, this sword skill was still extremely powerful.
Zi Mo shivered. Even though she was more than two thousand meters away, she could still clearly feel the radiant sword aura piercing her to her core. The air around her felt like it had been transformed into a razor edge, cutting into her skin; it was like a million tiny mosquito were all biting her at once, causing her to wince in pain.
This sword skill… it was far beyond what she was capable of understanding.
If Wu Cheng Yi had used this Sword Skill to deal with her, Zi Mo was certain she would have been powerless to resist.
Shifting her gaze towards Yang Kai, she wondered if he had the strength to counter.
However, what she saw was Yang Kai’s figure completely obscured by black gas, almost all of his original features impossible to make out. The only thing that remained clear was his pair of scarlet eyes, which exuded a piercing light; these eyes were filled with madness while still remaining eerily calm.
This contradictory combination brought about a strange feeling of incongruity.
In the face of the ninety attacking Sword Qi blades, Yang Kai did not attempt to dodge, instead clenching his hand around the Asura Sword, exerting all of his strength into a single forward slash, causing all the Demonic Qi the Asura Sword had just swallowed to burst forth.
A wave of heart stopping explosions erupted with Yang Kai as the center. The Earth around him seemed to rend and tear, sending sand and stone flying about.
However, from the Asura Sword itself, no Sword Qi, no Sword Wave, nothing at all seemed to appear.
The profoundness of this sword strike had also exceeded the limits of Zi Mo’s imagination.
After unleashing this sword slash, Yang Kai straightened himself up. His mouth still showing a strange smile, he raised the red sword in his hand onto his shoulder.
His casual smile fully displayed his unbridled confidence.
Wu Cheng Yi’s pupils rapidly contracted. Although he had not seen any attack, his heart still filled with a strong throbbing, like he had just heard the call of death.
In the blink of an eye, the ninety Sword Qi blades released by Wu Cheng Yi had flown up to Yang Kai, but suddenly, a bowl sized dark void appeared mid-air.
This scene was incredibly strange; it was as if someone had accidentally spilled a drop of ink onto a picture of the sky.
The instant this dark void appeared it suddenly began to madly spread around, like it was trying to consume everything around it. With the strange black light covering everything in front of her, Zi Mo suddenly founder herself in the dark, unable to see anything around her.
Inside this endless darkness, she suddenly heard the sound of something bursting, like someone had just been struck by a blade of Sword Qi.
Zi Mo heart trembled, because the location she had heard the sound originate from was where Yang Kai had been standing, but before she could react, another burst of noise rang out from Wu Cheng Yi’s side.
After the sounds rang out, the Heavens and Earth once again became calm.
A long moment later, Zi Mo suddenly saw traces of light, everything in front of her gradually reappearing.
Looking ahead, the world was bright once more, the sun setting in the distance, dying everything from the horizon to earth beneath her a blood red shade of crimson.
From within her chest came a violent heartbeat, Zi Mo quickly looked around for Yang Kai, seeing him still standing in the same place, all the clothes on his upper body torn to shreds, revealing his indomitable figure.
It was not a particularly muscular image, but instead one that seemed full of explosive potential; she also saw more than a few bright red scars, which after a breath of time began gushing with blood.
These were wounds he had just received from the Sword Qi blades.
[Did he lose?] Zi Mo involuntarily covered her mouth, her beautiful eyes staring in disbelief. [How could such a strong, Heaven-defying man like him suddenly lose, just like that?]
Looking towards Wu Cheng Yi, Zi Mo saw him also standing exactly in the same position as before, as if everything that had just transpired never even happened, his body standing straight like a javelin, eyes filled with a free and uninhibited look.
His sword still held straight in front of him, his clothes gently swaying in the light blowing breeze.
A red spot on his chest slowly appeared, gradually expanding.
His lips trembled a few times, like he was desperately trying to say something, but ultimately he remained silent, his expression gradually becoming stiff.
The uninhibited and dauntless light in his eyes slowly faded, eventually become hollow and empty.
[He died!]
Zi Mo screamed to herself, suddenly feeling extremely complicated.
In the end, did they both perish?
*Cough cough…” Suddenly, from Yang Kai’s direction, a light cough rang out, causing Zi Mo to jump up in surprise; turning her gaze towards him, she saw Yang Kai supporting himself with the Asura Sword, his body trembling as he slowly collapsed.
“My Fair Beauty…” Yang Kai turned to look at her, his mouth still showing a light smile, “Can you come help me?”
[This smelly brat really didn’t die!] Zi Mo heart skipped a beat; her eyes darted about as she hesitated about what to do, eventually beginning to walk over towards him.
Crossing the thousand or so meters between them only took Zi Mo about twenty breaths or so.
As she directed a look towards Yang Kai filled with complex emotions, Zi Mo’s heart pounded.
If she were to strike now and kill him here…
The days of her needing to worry about the brand placed on her Soul would truly be over.
But once, when they were inside that isolated world, this young man had stood up in front of her and faced down that despicable Bi Xiu Ming and his Junior Brother. He had also risked his life to save her’s during the time they had been besieged by Monster Beasts. The memory of these events made Zi Mo hesitate to attack, not to mention this time, if not for his swift arrival, she would never have been able to escape Wu Cheng Yi’s grasp.
If she counted all of these instances up, this young man before her had already saved her life three times.
[Ai… what a headache…]
“Grab that thing on the ground for me!” Yang Kai said between his gasps for breath.
Yang Kai’s words suddenly interrupted Zi Mo’s thoughts. Looking down, she saw a small bag lying on the ground nearby and bent over to pick it up. Handing it to Yang Kai, she asked curiously, “What is this?”
“Nothing, just a little artifact.” Yang Kai chuckled, placing the Universe Bag into one of his pants pockets, beckoning Zi Mo over, placing his arm onto her delicate shoulder, and then resting more than half of his weight onto her.
“Bring me over to Wu Cheng Yi!” Yang Kai ordered.
Zi Mo angrily glanced at him, but still obediently brought him towards Wu Cheng Yi.
Arriving at Wu Cheng Yi’s side, Yang Kai reached out and began searching his clothes, a moment later finding and pulling out a small bottle that was half filled with liquid.
“Ha ha ha!” Yang Kai burst into laughter, his previous guess really not wrong. Wu Cheng Yi also possessed a bottle of Brilliant Flame Liquid, and it even contained more than the one he had acquired before.
“What is that?” Zi Mo asked as she watched somewhat helplessly, although she knew that this bottle certainly contained something good, she also knew that it was not likely she would be able to obtain any of it.
“I’ll tell you later!” Yang Kai said as he grinned happily. “First take me some place secluded, I need to heal!”
…
In the depths of the wilderness, in a cave dug into the side of a slope, the bare chested Yang Kai sat cross-legged barely on the ground.
During his battle with Wu Cheng Yi, the injuries he had sustained were actually not that heavy, neither the physical trauma nor the lingering Sword Qi were significant impediments to him.
What caused Yang Kai to enter retreat was instead the Sword Dao!
Wu Cheng Yi’s Ten Thousand Swords Piercing One Sword Skill had penetrated into Yang Kai’s body!
When he was holding the Asura Sword at that time, Yang Kai had suddenly understood the will of this sword.
After acquiring the Asura Sect’s artifact, Yang Kai had only used it once, the time when he had confronted Bai Yun Feng in the High Heaven Pavilion.
At that time, he had just finished refining the Asura Sword and was still not too familiar with it, so his awareness of it was only at the level of him knowing it was a heavenly slaughtering weapon.
But over the past year, the Asura Sword had been tempered by his Yuan Qi while residing within his dantian, slowly blending with him.
Until now, the two had finally become one.
This time, when Yang Kai used the Asura Sword, he discovered that it was not just a slaughtering artifact; it had also possessed a unique ability.
It could absorb and steal an enemy’s Sword Skills, allowing him to use them for himself!
However this effect only applied to Sword Skills!
During his last clash with Wu Cheng Yi, the Asura Sword used a lot of Demonic Qi from within Yang Kai’s Golden Skeleton in order to form a void which engulfed all the lethality from Wu Cheng Yi’s Sword Skill, leaving behind only the Sword Dao.
So Yang Kai did not dodge, instead allowing his body to bear the full brunt of this Sword Dao.
But even if it was just Sword Dao, it still ended up piercing through Yang Kai’s body, so from an outside perspective he appeared to be heavily quite injured.
Sword Dao, it was like the spiritual embodiment of the sword, similar to a cultivator’s Divine Sense. Without a sword or Sword Qi behind it, Sword Dao alone was only an ethereal concept, unable to fully display a Sword Skill’s power.
At that moment, Yang Kai was absorbed in the feeling of Wu Cheng Yi’s Sword Dao, trying to glean the mysteries of the Ten Thousand Swords Piercing One Sword Skill from it.
Once he succeeded, Yang Kai would be able to assimilate and use this Sword Skill. In addition to that, this Sword Skill’s rank was by no means low.
The Nine Star Sword Sect’s Ultimate Sword Skill, it was definitely a Mysterious Grade Sword Skill.
With the Asura Sword’s strange ability, it was no wonder it had become Asura Sect’s Hallowed Treasure; however, using the Asura Sword to steal a Sword Skill was also extremely dangerous. If any mistake was made during the process, rather than seizing the enemy’s ability, one would likely be struck by it instead.
Yang Kai did not act anxiously, slowly absorbing the insights he obtained into his mind, continuously reviewing all of Wu Cheng Yi’s actions and True Qi fluctuations when he cast his Ten Thousand Swords Piercing One. While he was in this state, the Asura Sword also seemed to release a joyous hum, the two of them, man and sword, forming a kind of resonance.
Meanwhile, Zi Mo stood at the entrance to the cave, bored, looking over towards Yang Kai every now and then with complex eyes.
Fiddling with her hair as she bit her lips, constantly considering whether to attack Yang Kai and kill this hateful smelly brat. Nevertheless, as she continued thinking about it, her determination would waver back and forth, causing her heart to feel like it was being tangled in knots.
After spending a long time in conflict, Zi Mo could only faintly sigh and turn away.
Yang Kai slowly opened his eyes, staring in the direction she disappeared as a light smile surfaced on his face.
“Young Master, just now that little girl directed some killing intent towards you, but for some reason she hesitated and finally gave up!” Old Demon took the initiative to remind him as he had constantly been vigilant of Zi Mo’s movements and had clearly been aware of her hidden thoughts.
“I know. She has made a wise choice.” Yang Kai nodded slightly and then re-closed his eyes.
Half a day later, Zi Mo returned with a lot of dry wood as well as some freshly hunted game.
Lighting a fire and roasting her catch, Zi Mo sat quietly next to the bonfire and warmed herself while she waited for Yang Kai to wake up.
Three days later.
Just as Zi Mo was cursing Yang Kai under her breath, a faint Sword Dao suddenly began floating around him, causing Zi Mo’s pretty face to instantly pale; jumping to her feet as she raised her vigilance, she quickly looked in the direction the Sword Dao was originating from.
In the next instant, her face showed an expression of shock.
The Sword Dao she had felt was actually coming from the place where Yang Kai was healing himself.
This Sword Dao was very familiar to Zi Mo, it gave off exactly the same impression as the one Wu Cheng Yi emitted when he had activated his ultimate sword skill, but now it was actually being reproduced from Yang Kai’s body.
Zi Mo gazed towards Yang Kai’s direction suspiciously, her brow thoroughly creased.
Gradually, the Sword Dao became stronger and stronger, the speed at which it was growing fast enough to be clearly felt, and after just a cup of tea worth of time, it was already powerful enough to make Zi Mo’s beautiful face pale slightly.
It was like the dead Wu Cheng Yi had suddenly resurrected and once again cast his earth-shattering sword skill!
*Boom …*
The cave in which Yang Kai had been meditating suddenly burst open; dust flew about as a silhouette emitting a tinge of red light leapt out from inside the explosion.
Zi Mo cried out in shock as she hurriedly retreated, landing a short distance away, she looked over and saw Yang Kai standing there motionless, his eyes still closed while in his hands was a blood-red sword type artifact.
His True Qi fluctuated rapidly as he radiated an aura of invincibility. The sword in his hands seemingly like an extension of his body.
*Zheng…*
The crimson sword suddenly gave off a piercing cry, and as the sound rang out, Yang Kai’s True Qi aura seemed to further intensify as a hundred Sword Qi blades began appearing around him.
Then another hundred blades appeared…
A moment later, Yang Kai’s surroundings had become a world of swords.
It was exactly the same scene as a few days ago, one that shocked anyone who saw it to their core.
Zi Mo gasped as she covered her mouth involuntarily, astonished beyond belief.
[On that day, Wu Cheng Yi had said that this Sword Skill was the Nine Star Sword Sect’s ultimate martial skill. How is he suddenly able to cast it?]
On top of that, the number of Sword Qi blades he was able to condense was significantly more compared to when Wu Cheng Yi had cast this sword skill. Even though that day Wu Cheng Yi had used every last drop of True Qi he had, he was still only able to condense slightly more than two thousand Sword Qi blades, but right now, Yang Kai had summoned around three thousand blades.
These three thousand or so blades were Yang Kai’s current limit, and doing so had already caused him great pressure.
With a wave of his hand, these three thousand Sword Qi blades instantly gathered together and merged, leaving behind only a hundred blades.
These hundred sword blades, each containing a huge amount of devastating Sword Qi, suddenly flew forward.
*Hong Hong Hong…*
The region in front of Yang Kai was instantly riddled with explosions, causing the Heavens and Earth to shatter!
His eyes still closed, Yang Kai carefully sensed all of this, his expression incomparably serious.
Nine Star Sword Sect’s ultimate martial skill, a Mysterious Grade sword skill, was truly powerful!
This attack’s instantaneous burst of power was no weaker than Yang Kai’s Star Mark, but at the same time, the amount of True Qi required to display it was also extraordinary. It was no wonder Wu Cheng Yi looked completely exhausted after only casting it once.
However, this Ten Thousand Swords Piercing One had many advantages over Star Mark.
This Martial Skill was composed of two parts, the first part being the use of True Qi to create Sword Qi blades, which themselves could be used as a powerful attack, but then a second step was taken to merge and condense these Sword Qi blades into a more potent destructive force. If one cultivated this Martial Skill to the grand accomplishment stage, they would be able to form a single world destroying blade!
Wu Cheng Yi had obviously not reached this step, while Yang Kai was also quite far off from it.
However, being able to learn this profound sword skill, Yang Kai was also very satisfied. At least, when he later used the Asura Sword, he would no longer have to be resigned to blindly hacking away at his enemies. Instead, he could also bring out this powerful sword skill.
Throughout this process, the True Qi within his body had also undergone some kind of change, giving Yang Kai some kind of new sentiment. Rapidly flowing within his meridians, Yang Kai’s True Qi felt like it had become as sharp as a sword, emitting a faint whining sound. Immersing himself in this feeling, Yang Kai’s face became solemn as he stood motionless.
Half an hour later, an invisible bubble suddenly burst out around him, causing Yang Kai to shiver, his eyes instantly shooting open.
True Element Boundary Second Stage!
With the benefits he gained from comprehending this Mysterious Grade martial skill, Yang Kai had managed to further increase his cultivation by a minor realm.
Smiling brightly, Yang Kai quickly put away the Asura Sword.
Hearing footsteps behind him, Yang Kai turned around to find Zi Mo staring at him, her gaze filled with confusion and curiosity.
Stopping a few tens of meters away, although her pretty face still flashed a calm, seductive smile, in the depths of her eyes there was also an unmistakable trace of vigilance and dread; just now, right in front of her, Yang Kai had achieved a miraculous breakthrough.
But this breakthrough was too strange; up until it happened, he had not shown any of the usual signs. Regardless, witnessing the blistering pace he cultivated at once again filled Zi Mo with admiration and envy.
After a long silence, Zi Mo only said, “Since you’ve woken up, I’ll take my leave.”
She did not ask Yang Kai why he had suddenly comprehended Wu Cheng Yi’s Sword Skill, as doing so would only bring her more harm than good. Zi Mo was a smart woman, naturally she understood how to open one eye and close the other.
“Where will you go?” Yang Kai tilted his head and asked with a smile.
Surprised for a moment, Zi Mo paused, smiled gently, and then said in a soft charming voice, “Isn’t it obvious? I’m going to return to the Tian Lang Dynasty.”
After speaking these words, she covered her mouth and spoke flirtatiously, “Why? Can’t I go home?”
“Of course you can’t leave.” Yang Kai grinned, saying in a manner that allowed no refusal, “After this you will follow me.”
Zi Mo was stunned, but somehow managed to keep up her smile, “How can I follow you? Don’t you know that I’m a Tian Lang Dynasty person; if I return with you to your Sect, everywhere I go, people will stare at me with unfriendly eyes. I’d rather not have to deal with that.”
“As long as you wear more conservative clothes you’ll look no different from an ordinary Great Han Dynasty woman. I insist. I could use a little maid to wait on me, things like pouring my tea and warming my bed.” Yang Kai said with a completely serious face.
The colour slightly draining from her face, Zi Mo forced herself to keep smiling, “Do you really mean that?”
“What do you think?”
Hearing something inside her snap, Zi Mo finally could not take it anymore, her smile gradually fading from her face as her eyes went cold and filled with endless hatred, grimacing as she cursed, “Are you also going to be so unreasonable? I kindly waited here for three days, took care of you in every way, but now that you’ve woken up, you still want to force me to be your maid? If I had known things would turn out like this I should have killed you while you were still recovering…”
Suddenly realizing that her real thoughts had leaked from her lips, Zi Mo quickly covered her mouth as she timidly observed Yang Kai reaction, letting out an awkward laugh, “I… I was just thinking about it, I wouldn’t really have tried to attack you… please don’t be upset…”
“Hahaha!” Yang Kai burst into laughter.
Hearing his wanton laughter, Zi Mo face became more and more dignified, biting her red lips as her eyebrows knit, she simply could not see through what was in Yang Kai’s heart.
“Well, I was just joking with you,” Yang Kai grinned mischievously. “Why are you taking things so seriously?”
“Joking with me?” Zi Mo’s pretty face became increasingly cold, grinding her teeth as she asked bitterly.
“En,” he replied, “I won’t take you back.”
“Do you have a woman waiting for you?” Zi Mo’s eyes suddenly flashed.
To her pointed question, Yang Kai only let out a silly laugh.
Seeing this, Zi Mo couldn’t help coldly snorting. Thinking back to when Yang Kai had acted so presumptuously towards her back inside the isolated world, a sudden bitterness rose up in her heart. Her courage suddenly being stimulated by these unpleasant memories, she gracefully stepped forward, tilted her head to the side slightly, walked up to Yang Kai and tightly pressed herself onto him, grabbing his arm and squeezing it between her proud peaks.
“I’ve changed my mind; I want to go back with you.” Zi Mo turned her eyes up and glared at Yang Kai defiantly. “I’d like to see what kind of woman can make you, this shameless man, so obedient.”
Looking down towards her, Yang Kai grinned with interest.
“You don’t dare?” Zi Mo smiled disdainfully.
“Girl, you should be careful when playing with fire!” Yang Kai said as an evil smile appeared on his face.
Zi Mo’s beautiful face twitched. Suddenly remembering everything she had experienced in that isolated world, she hurriedly separated herself from Yang Kai, like she was trying to avoid a poisonous snake or scorpion, grinding her teeth as her breathing became slightly ragged.
[I really don’t have the ability to compete with him. With this damn brand on my Soul, if I really provoke this big shameless wolf, then right here in this wilderness…]
“Hmph, I’m leaving. I pray that in this life I will never see you again. I pray that your woman dumps you so that you’ll be lonely for the rest of your life!” Zi Mo viciously spat.
“Wait!” Yang Kai said with a frown.
“You still want something?” Zi Mo’s heart jumped, she was extremely unwilling to stay with Yang Kai a moment longer.
But as she was watching him warily, Zi Mo saw Yang Kai take out a few bottles from his pants pocket, then from two of the bottles pour a drop from each into two new bottles before throwing them to her.
Catching these bottles, Zi Mo suspiciously asked, “What are these?”
“A drop of Brilliant Flame Liquid and a drop of Soul Cleansing Dew!”
Zi Mo was startled, glancing towards Yang Kai as a look of shock spread across her face.
Somewhat unable to believe the words he had just said, she quickly opened up the bottles and took a sniff.
“You’re giving these to me?” Determining that these two bottles really did contain drops of Brilliant Flame Liquid and Soul Cleansing Dew, Zi Mo held these Precious Treasures close to her chest, her hands grasping them very tightly.
Yang Kai simply nodded, “Compensation for all the times I bullied you.”
Zi Mo’s pretty face suddenly blushed slightly as she stared at Yang Kai, after a long time only managing to softly say, “You… it seems that I was mistaken… You’re not such a bad man after all…”
“What? Have you been charmed by me? It’s not too late to change your mind you know.” Yang Kai grinned.
“No!” Zi Mo shouted, her face suddenly becoming very serious, “Rest assured, I will only use these in secret and will not expose you. In the future, if you ever visit the Tian Lang Dynasty, make sure to come to the Sen Luo Temple to find me, I will be sure to entertain you well… heh heh heh…”
As she spoke this last sentence, Zi Mo gnashed her teeth in anger.
“Well then, you useless playboy, take care!” Zi Mo giggled, lightly turned her back to Yang Kai, activated her movement skill, and soon disappeared.
At last, she could finally escape Yang Kai’s control! Thinking so, Zi Mo felt like she had shed a great weight from her heart.
Although her Soul still bore his brand, with Yang Kai in the Great Han Dynasty, and her in Tian Lang Dynasty, what was there to fear? On top of that, once she returned to her Sect, she could simply ask her master to see if there was any way to lift this mark from her.
Staring towards the direction Zi Mo had disappeared, Yang Kai smiled for a while before he turned around and shot out like a meteor.
Quickly traveling to the place he had battled Wu Cheng Yi a few days prior, Yang Kai discovered that Wu Cheng Yi’s body had disappeared while nearby a newly excavated mound had appeared, it should be the results of Zi Mo dealing with things.
[This woman, she’s quite meticulous.]
A day later, Yang Kai arrived at a nearby town, spent some money to hire a carriage and informed the driver of his destination before entering a state of retreat inside the cabin in order to consolidate his new True Element Boundary Second Stage cultivation.
Medicine King’s Valley was a special Sect, with a heritage that stretched back thousands of years. It was a Sect full of Master Alchemists, and most of its disciples were also outstanding Alchemists.
Its combat strength was not strong, only slightly better than some second-class Sects, but far less than any first-class Sect.
However, its influence was far greater than any other force in existence.
As long as one was a cultivator, during their cultivation journey, they would always need to take some form of pill, and these pills could only come from the hands of an Alchemist.
For the Alchemist of this world, the Medicine King’s Valley held the status of being their holy land.
Any Alchemist, when it came to Medicine King’s Valley, would speak with great respect and admiration. Many who strove to be Alchemists would even set being able to study in Medicine King’s Valley, and gaze upon the Pill Saint’s legacy, as a lifetime goal.
The Pill Saint, the Medicine King’s Valley’s first patriarch, had long ago passed away, but the passage of time had not diminished his sacred position in the hearts of this world’s Alchemists. Rumor had it that the Alchemic Method had been created by the Pill Saint, who, using Medicine King’s Valley as a center, distributed it to every corner of the world, so that when cultivators became injured, they would be able to take pills in order to resume their practice.
Before the Pill Saint created the Alchemic Method, the world’s cultivators only knew how to find herbs and directly ingest them, which was simply a waste of resources!
Of course, this was just a legend, and any legend would always have points that were exaggerated, so one could not simply take it at face value.
But this legend did have some truth to it. The Pill Saint really had existed! His portrait hung in Medicine King’s Valley Forbidden Area. Even after thousands of years, it had never fallen, nor did it reveal any signs of weathering. This in itself was quite miraculous.
Although Medicine King’s Valley was called so, its foundation was not actually built in a valley.
Instead, it spanned a dozen mountain peaks, each one more than a thousand meters tall. These mountains were arranged in a circular pattern and covered a radius of hundreds of kilometres.
These few hundred kilometres all belonged to the Medicine King’s Valley.
Each of the peaks was home to many high-rank Alchemists, some of whom widely received disciples in order to pass down their inheritance. Others preferred to live in solitary penance and spent their time in the pursuit of greater alchemic knowledge. Their mountain residences contained several acres of herb gardens, which were planted with all kinds of spirit grasses.
Throughout the entire Medicine King’s Valley, there were countless alchemy materials.
In the centre of all the peaks lay a valley-like existence, which was quite different from the tranquil surrounding mountains. This valley was open all year round, and every day it was bustling and crowded. Cultivators came and went like an endless, stream-like carp swimming through a river.
The reason was simple: This valley was where a small town was built in order to allow the outside world to communicate with Medicine King’s Valley’s Alchemists.
If one wanted someone to concoct a pill for them, they would first gather enough materials, then come to this small town to find a disciple of Medicine King’s Valley. Medicine King’s Valley’s disciple didn’t accept gold or silver as payment, they would only accept one-third of the successfully refined pills.
It didn’t matter what rank of pill one came to Medicine King’s Valley to have refined, whether it was Common Grade or Heaven Grade, if the refining failed, there was nothing one could say, and in the cases where the pills were refined successfully, if ten pills were produced, three would be given to the Alchemist as his or her reward.
This method of compensation was nothing short of blatant robbery. Even a single Heaven Grade pill was extremely valuable. After one worked extremely hard to collect the required materials, not only would they have to bear the risk of failure, possibly ending up with nothing in the end, they would also have to surrender thirty percent of the profits.
But even so, this did not diminish the enthusiasm and determination of cultivators who came to seek Medicine King’s Valley’s Alchemy services.
The main reason for this was because here, the chance that an Alchemist would fail to refine a pill was quite low, and once the pill was successfully refined, the quality was also normally higher than if one had used an outside Alchemist.
So even if there were such harsh conditions, cultivators were still very willing to come here to request an Alchemist to refine pills for them. After all, it was still better than asking some outside Alchemist, and having them accidentally destroy all of one’s precious materials.
Medicine King’s Valley was so well known, it not only to attracted cultivators from the Great Han Dynasty, even masters from the surrounding countries would often come here to request the Medicine King’s Valley Elders to refine pills for them.
Medicine King’s Valley Elders did not often accept requests. Any time someone asked them to refine a pill, it would at least have to be Heaven Grade, or even Mysterious Grade, and the compensation to be given would also be greater than normal.
Medicine King’s Valley had ten Great Elders, each one occupying one of the ten highest peaks. Each of them was extremely skilled and possessed supreme achievements in alchemy.
Even most Medicine King’s Valley disciples would rarely see these old monsters, these Elder were all over sixty years old and were often in perennial retreat to research alchemy. Only if some particularly rare and expensive materials were offered as a reward would they come out and accept alchemy requests.
In the small valley town, there were shops everywhere, but most of these shops did not belong to Medicine King’s Valley, as over 90% of the world’s great Sects and Forces would set up a branch here.
Here, after all, was the center of this world’s Alchemist, so these forces would set up shops here in order to sell herbs, collect materials, inquire about foreign intelligence, so on and so forth.
However, Medicine King’s Valley itself remained neutral and never sided with any particular force, deliberately showing no favour to any Sect or country, for thousands of years maintaining an aloof and transcendent position.
In the valley town, fighting was strictly prohibited, and even though an endless stream of cultivators came here, inside this city no one dared disobey this rule.
Once anyone started fighting in the city, the people of Medicine King’s Valley wouldn’t even need to lift a finger. Others would be more than happy to slaughter both guilty parties.
But once they left this valley, no matter what kind of grudge it was, Medicine King’s Valley would not intervene.
So the inside thousand-kilometer radius and the outside were two different worlds.
In the mountains and the centre valley, it was lively and peaceful, but for a stretch of tens of kilometers outside the valley, one could see countless battles and deaths. These people had all had some kind of dispute inside the valley, but did not dare start a fight there and then, so instead came outside in order to settle their grudges.
On this day, a carriage from afar came to a stop about fifty kilometers away from Medicine King’s Valley.
The coachman caught his whip and shouted into the carriage, “Little brother, we’ve arrived at Medicine King’s Valley!”
“What?” Yang Kai immediately woke from his meditation, smiled happily, opened the curtain, and looked around but was suddenly stunned, “Where is this place?”
Surrounding him was an empty space; what Medicine King’s Valley? This was clearly the wilderness.
The coachman simply smiled at Yang Kai and said, “Little brother might not know, but the area outside Medicine King’s Valley is extremely dangerous, so we ordinary people dare not approach too close. Whenever there is a customer who wants to travel to Medicine King’s Valley, I can only bring them to this point. If I go any further, it would mean certain death.
Seeing Yang Kai frown, the driver noticed that he was unhappy, and so he carefully explained to him about Medicine King’s Valley’s situation.
After listening, Yang Kai gradually relaxed his brow, understanding that this coachman was really telling the truth and not deliberately ditching him here.
In the end, he stopped worrying about it. In any case, it was only several tens of kilometers further. Readily taking out a silver coin and tossing it to the coachman, Yang Kai activated his Movement Skill and calmly moved towards the distant mountains.
Although the driver had told him that the outside of Medical King’s Valley was very dangerous, it took seeing it for himself for Yang Kai to realize that it was actually far more serious than he had imagined.
As he approached the valley, after passing no more than thirty kilometers, he had already witness four or five battles. These people all had some kind of conflict inside the valley and had then come outside to resolve it.
Walking along the path, Yang Kai even saw a number of corpses still warm.
Seeing all this, Yang Kai was secretly speechless, but as an outsider he did not attempt to interfere in any way, and instead just quietly proceeded onwards.
All of a sudden, from somewhere behind him, a burst of angry shouting and fighting rang out, and the sound of fluttering clothes suddenly drew near.
Wrinkling his brow, Yang Kai turned back to see what was happening.
Just as he did so, he saw a girl wearing a long blue dress dash towards him. The girl was about sixteen years old and looked quite pretty, but at the moment her big round eyes were watery and full of panic, as she dashed forward as fast as she could.
Behind her there were six or seven figures in hot pursuit. Their faces were filled with murderous intent, and all of them had drawn their swords as they spat out various curses.
“Little bitch, stop right there!” An angry voice called out.
However, in response, the girl only ran faster.
“Quick, don’t let her enter the valley; once she’s inside, we’ll never be able to catch her!” Those who saw that the direction the girl was running lead to Medicine King’s Valley couldn’t help but exclaim.
Medicine King’s Valley strictly prohibited fighting. If this girl managed to escape inside, everything would be over!
In the blink of an eye, the girl rushed up to Yang Kai.
Seeing Yang Kai warily observing her, the girl grinned, revealing her pearl white teeth, then with all the strength she could muster, shouted, “Cousin, run away, what are you standing there stunned for?”
Yang Kai brow wrinkled as his expression became cold, but before he had time to react the girl had swiftly rushed past him, leaving behind only a faint fragrance.
“Shit, that little slut has a companion! Quickly, don’t let either of them escape! Kill the man, seize the woman!” One of the people chasing the girl shouted out in rage.
Like a pack of starving wolves, their pace quicken beyond belief.
“Fuck!” Yang Kai’s face filled with resentment as he viciously cursed. Not wasting any time trying to explain the situation to the people behind him, he instead turned and chased after the girl.
Whether it was the girl wearing a long, light blue dress, or the group of big men chasing behind her, their strength was not high. The strongest only had a True Element Third or Fourth Stage cultivation.
This level of strength wasn’t enough for Yang Kai to bat an eyelid. However, being drawn into such a troublesome matter through no fault of his own angered him greatly.
Pushing his Movement Skill, he rapidly shot forward, and in just a few breaths of time arrived beside the escaping girl’s figure.
The girl’s face showed a surprised expression as she glanced towards Yang Kai, only to see him grinning towards her with a grim evil smile.
“Cousin …” Yang Kai smirked as he cried out affectionately.
“Hehe…” The girl’s pretty face looked like she had bit into a bitter gourd. Her skin was instantly covered in goosebumps. She never imagined that this young looking Yang Kai’s speed would be so fast.
Before her awkward giggle ended, Yang Kai’s face became cold as he reached out his big hand to capture the girl.
The girl’s expression suddenly sank as she raised her slender palm to counter.
Yang Kai pushed his True Qi and met her palm head on.
The girl was knocked back and her speed reduced significantly. Before she could react, Yang Kai wrapped one hand around her waist while his other latched onto her wrist, immediately bringing the two of them to a halt.
“You… what are you doing, quickly run!” The girl shouted in panic as she saw the group of people chasing behind her rapidly approach.
Yang Kai coldly snorted, twisted his waist, and tossed her towards the group behind them as she let out a scream.”
“You…” The girl’s eyes flashed with shock, never imagining that Yang Kai would actually use such a trick.
Everything happened too fast. When she was thrown back, the girl didn’t even have time to react before falling flat on the ground.
When the group of people chasing behind her saw this scene, all of them became excited and rushed up to where their prey had fallen, instantly surrounding her.
“Little slut! Let’s see where you run now!” The group’s leader shouted in anger. His body exuded an Evil Qi.
The rest of his men were also smiling deviously, and several of them looked up and down the girl’s plump, feminine body. Their eyes flashed an unhidden obscene light.
Yang Kai saw everything, and upon seeing the look in these men’s eyes, his expression suddenly became cold.
[These guys… they’re definitely not a good bunch!]
The girl looked around resentfully as she bit her lip and shivered in fear while observing the burly men, desperately looking for a way to escape. Her strength wasn’t great, only Peak Separation and Reunion Boundary, and now that she was surrounded by these people, there was nowhere she could run.
With her big teary eyes she glared over towards Yang Kai and screamed, “You shameless bastard, I hope you die a horrible death, your soul destroyed, and suffer Heaven’s wrath…”
If it had not been for Yang Kai’s actions, she would have already escaped into Medicine King’s Valley and been safe. Thinking about this, the girl naturally felt wronged and angry.
Hearing this, Yang Kai lightly snorted then turned away!
Although he knew that this group of thugs were not a good sort, the girl’s actions had also made him furious, so he decided to give her a good scare.
Seeing him act so ruthlessly, the girl’s blood went cold.
A few of the thugs surrounding the girl also saw Yang Kai attempting to leave and signaled to each other with their eyes. Two of them quietly leapt out while thrusting their drawn swords towards Yang Kai’s backs.
These people felt that, regardless of whether the two kids were cousins or not, since he had already seen them here, there was no reason to let him live.
When the girl tried to call out to warn Yang Kai, a sword blade tip was pressed against her neck, which sent a shiver down her back and caused her to immediately swallow her words.
Both of the pouncing thugs were Peak Separation and Reunion Boundary cultivators, almost the same state as the girl herself. Moving as fast as the wind, they soon came right up behind Yang Kai, and a cold light flashed as their swords slashed towards Yang Kai.
The girl couldn’t help but shriek as her pair of big round eyes squinted up causing her long eyelashes to tremble. At this moment she couldn’t help feeling regret.
She felt she really shouldn’t have dragged this unknown young man into her troubles. Just now, she had simply been too anxious about being chased. The thought had flashed across her mind and she had cried out, but she was only looking to ease the pressure she felt, not sentence him to death.
But as Yang Kai was walking forward, when the swords approached his back, his body suddenly drifted forward and magically avoided the two attacks, like he had eyes in the back of his head.
Turning around, Yang Kai lightly glanced at his two assailants as an evil grin slowly spread across his face, and an eerie laugh soon escaped from his lips.
This sudden change startled the two thugs, and a cold sweat emerged on their necks as they realized that the youth in front of them definitely was not weak. Roaring, they pushed their Yuan Qi and launched another attack towards Yang Kai.
Two fist shadows flew through the air, and before the two big thugs had time to react, they felt a strong force smash into their bodies and send them flying back.
As they flew, the pair coughed up blood before falling to the ground and died on impact.
“Jie Jie Jie Jie…” Old Demon cackled as he attacked, in that isolate world he could not play much of a role, so now that they had finally come out, naturally he wanted to show off his skills.
A black gas dashed out into the air and made its way into the two dead men before once more emerging.
When the group of thugs’ leader saw his two henchmen instantly killed, his expression also changed greatly. He tightly gripped the long sword he held against the girl’s neck and coldly shouted, “Kill him!”
The rest of the thugs couldn’t help gulping, but they still let out a vicious roar and ferociously charged towards Yang Kai.
“Jie Jie…” Old Demon struck again, which caused the group of thugs to cry out in surprise as this strange artifact darted to and fro. One of them engaged Old Demon’s Soul Breaker Awl, attempting to knock him down, while the rest of the group flew towards Yang Kai.
*Peng Peng Peng…*
Three muffled thuds rang out as the thugs who had just rushed Yang Kai involuntarily flew out, each of their chests were crushed and caved in.
Since the beginning of this year, Yang Kai had been fighting against numerous Elite Disciples from various Great Forces. These Elite Disciples each had the ability to fight and even kill ordinary cultivators who were two or three more Minor Realms above themselves.
However, these so called elites had all been thoroughly thrashed by Yang. Even the strongest of them all, Wu Cheng Yi, could not escape death at his hands.
After all that, how could these pieces of trash be Yang Kai’s opponents?
One person, one strike, none of them even had the opportunity to resist. Those who were weaker died instantly, while a few stronger ones simply collapsed on the ground after completely losing the ability to fight.
As the three bodies fell to the ground, Old Demon did not bother restraining himself, and immediately dashed over and consumed their Souls.
Old Demon’s previous opponent had not even had time to flee before he was caught by Yang Kai, a hand gripping his head before he felt a violent twist.
With a crisp cracking sound, the man’s neck was snapped and his body limply fell down.
Ignoring the body of this dead man, Yang Kai glared coldly at the burly man holding his sword against the girl’s neck and slowly stepped towards him. His True Qi rampaged outside his body, his clothes billowed even without any wind, and he looked just like a majestic Slaughtering God.
The girl’s mouth was now as round as a circle, utterly shocked as she gazed towards Yang Kai. She had never thought that this young man she had tried to drag into the muddy water with her would be so tyrannical!
He didn’t look much older than her, so how could he be so powerful?
As she watched, a deep sense of terror flickered across her big round eyes. Compared to this group of thugs who had been chasing her for these past few days, Yang Kai was far more frightening, like a blood-stained executioner.
He killed people as simply and easily as killing ants, and even his casual expression, from beginning to end, never changed in the slightest. His eyes didn’t even blink once.
Human lives were like dust to him, something he could casually brush aside.
With the girl being so frightened, how could the burly man restraining her not be?
Although he was a True Element Boundary Fourth Stage cultivator, at the moment his blood ran cold and his Soul had been petrified. He was very clear on his own henchmen’s strength. He could easily deal with any of them one on one, but it would be impossible for him to casually slaughter them all like this youth had just done.
“This friend, everything that happened here was just a misunderstanding!” This burly thug leader’s forehead dripped with cold sweat as he fearfully watched Yang Kai approach, letting out a stiff laugh, “There’s no previous grudges between us, so how about we end things here?”
Yang Kai simply remained indifferent, not saying a word.
“It’s true that I had eyes but did not see and was the first to wrong you, but you’ve already killed so many of us, is there really a need to be so ruthless?” The burly man pleaded again and again, never once moving his sword from the girl’s neck.
Seeing Yang Kai still unmoved, the burly leader knew that that negotiation was impossible so instead he resolved to be ruthless. His expression turned grim as he grit his teeth, “If you come any closer, I’ll run my sword through her neck!”
“Go ahead and kill her! You’ll follow right after!” Yang Kai’s pace didn’t slow in the slightest.
The burly leader was soaked in sweat. As the young man stepped closer, he felt like a giant mountain was slowly pressing down on him, stifling his breath. Pushing his True Qi nervously, the hand gripping his sword trembled slightly, which caused the girl to cry out involuntarily as she felt the cold blade slightly pierce into her neck and a warm wisp of liquid slowly drip from the wound.
“You think I won’t kill her?” The burly leader tried to threaten.
However, before he had finished speaking, Yang Kai eyes squinted and an invisible force burst forth from his mind straight into the burly leader’s Soul.
This was the power of his Divine Sense!
One’s Divine Sense was not only used to perceive the surrounding situation, but could also be used as a means of attack. Yang Kai had never attempted this before, but he took this slightly risky opportunity to give it a try.
As Yang Kai’s Divine Sense lashed out, the burly leader was momentarily stunned, and by the time he recovered all he could see was the youth opposite him rapidly approaching him and stretching out a big hand to seize his sword.
The burly leader let out a roar and rapidly pushed his True Qi, and ruthlessly tried to cut through the girl’s neck, determined to drag her down with him.
Yang Kai eyes flashed quickly as he launched a palm strike towards the burly man’s face while sweeping his foot towards the young girl, forcing her away from the path of the blade.
As the blade light flashed, the girl fell to the side with a few less strands of hair while the burly leader hurriedly dodged backwards, avoided Yang Kai’s palm and simultaneously dragged his sword out of his grip, leaving behind a long sound on Yang Kai’s other palm.
Yang Kai face remained serious and calm. Taking advantage of this opening, he clenched his bloody fist and sent a punch into the burly man’s chest.
[Burning Sun’s Three Layer Blast!]
The thug leader was still a True Element Fourth Stage cultivator, so even though he had taken Yang Kai hit unprepared, he didn’t instantly lose all ability to resist. His sword slashed out, as he desperately tried to kill the enemy before him.
As the two fought, the Burning Sun’s Three Layer Blast’s True Qi exploded inside his body with three loud thuds, which caused the burly leader’s face to suddenly become pale.
Old Demon did not miss this opportunity and immediately rushed in to assist Yang Kai.
After a dozen or so exchanges, the burly leader’s chest was smashed in by Yang Kai.
The light gradually faded from his eyes, and the burly leader’s face filled with bitterness as he muttered, “Monster…”
Old Demon laughed and sunk his Soul Breaker Awl into the man’s body, and then devoured his Soul. Then he immediately turned into black gas after and darted into Yang Kai’s body.
“Young Master, did you feel that?” Old Demon whispered.
“Yeah…” Yang Kai nodded as he used his True Qi to clean the blood from himself, “The Yuan Qi of these guys was very violent, like it was cultivated by some kind of evil Secret Art, or they had fallen onto the Devil’s Path.”
Cultivators at the Separation and Reunion Boundary would have two paths appear before them in their minds, so this state was named Separation and Reunion.
If they drowned themselves in the thrill seeking power, unable to suppress their raging emotions and desires, this was the so-called Devil’s Path! These people were generally more brutal, bloodthirsty, and violent.
There are many cultivators like this. The higher their strength, the more prominent their performance, and ultimately these people would step onto a different cultivation path than others. The people Yang Kai had just killed were an example of this case.
Compared with the orthodox cultivation path, no one could really make clear which method was better, but overall, the Devil’s Path was still normally frowned upon.
In this world, the largest gathering place for these Devil Path practitioners was the Ash-Gray Cloud Evil Land!
Within its range of thousands of kilometers, several Devil Lords gathered and everywhere you went there were Devil Path cultivators.
Originally, the High Heaven Pavilion Great Elder had given a promotion order to Yang Kai, which instructed him to go to the Ash-Gray Cloud Evil Land and behead a Devil Path cultivator whose cultivation realm was no lower than his own, but that was ultimately rejected by Yang Kai.
However, the question was… how did this young girl wind up provoking these people?
Brimming with suspicion, Yang Kai turned to look at the girl.
Just now, he had knocked her off her feet and caused her to fall to the ground, and until now she still had not stood up. Her face was filled with panic and fear, like she had received a terrifying shock, and her tender body still trembled lightly.
If things had gone even a little bit differently, she wouldn’t have gotten away with such a light injury. The sharp sword strike had cut off a lock of her hair and left a fresh red mark on her pale white neck, which she was still clutching till this moment as a fragrant sweat covered her body.
Noticing Yang Kai looking towards her, the girl’s heart could not help jumping as a look of terror spread across her face.
It wasn’t until now that she truly understood what kind of terrifying existence she had provoked. Seven or eight lives had been snuffed out by this young man in less than thirty breaths of time like he was simply cutting grass.
Yang Kai, on the other hand, frowned, walked over, and squatted down in front of her.
The girl’s eyes darted back and forth repeatedly as her long eyelashes quivered. Clearly, she was overwhelmed with fear.
Letting out a chuckle, Yang Kai poked her forehead with his finger and then inspected the fresh scar on her neck before saying, “It’s just a flesh wound, if you treat it well there won’t even be a scar.”
While talking, he reached into his sleeve and pulled out a healing pill, then gently handed it to her.
Seeing this, a small smile emerged on the girl’s face, “I have my own pills…”
Since her vigilance was so high, Yang Kai did not insist and re-stowed his healing pill. Meanwhile, the girl timidly watched him to see if he had any hidden malicious intent, and only after a short time did she work up the courage to take out a bottle and remove her own healing pill.
“Just now, why didn’t you try to fight back?” Yang Kai frowned.
“I … I’ve never actually fought anyone for real before…” The girl replied with a light blush. Although she had definitely sparred before during her cultivation practice, at most, it was a match between friends, which never escalated anywhere close to a life and death struggle. Thus, when a long sword was held to her neck, she instantly froze up and didn’t know what to do.
Yang Kai looked at her carefully and found that she was really just a young tender maiden. Her dress was also quite luxurious, even though it looked somewhat strange, but that could not disguise the unique temperament she radiated. This kind of temperament wasn’t something someone from an ordinary, small force could possess.
She was certainly a young lady from some great family! No wonder a young girl only slightly younger than him had a Peak Separation and Reunion Boundary cultivation, but no actual combat experience.
It was the result of her being pampered.
“How did you provoke these people?”
“I don’t know.” The girls suddenly said indignantly. “I had just run away from home… *cough* … I mean, I was playing outside, when this group suddenly came out of nowhere, chased after me, and tried to capture me. All of them were so hideous, it was really frightening.”
Yang Kai could not help but smile.
Seeing that he was so easy to talk to, the girl’s courage couldn’t help but grow. Staring at him with her big almond eyes, she smiled at Yang Kai and said, “And you, why did you throw me back like that, don’t you know how dangerous that was? If I had died there I’d definitely come back to haunt you, following you around every day to annoy you!”
Yang Kai looked up into distance. His eyes revealed a deep thoughtfulness before moving back to the girl’s face, and he bluntly stated, “Perhaps when you shouted just now you didn’t really have any malicious intent, but what would have happened if I had been some weak powerless person? If my luck was bad, I may have ended up as a corpse after getting caught up in the chaos.”
The girl shivered as a light flashed across her eyes, lowering her head she softly said, “I was wrong…”
But soon after she looked up with a wronged expression on her face, “However, aren’t you a bit too cruel? People say that you should help fellow travelers on the road, so with your great strength, what does it matter if I borrow it?”
Yang Kai chuckled but didn’t bother explaining.
Just now, when those few thugs had surrounded this girl, their eyes had flashed an obscene light which Yang Kai had natural seen, so his intention was to pretend to leave and secretly observe the situation before intervening, but he had not thought these people would immediately try to attack him. Since they didn’t let him go, he simply took away their lives, which resolved everything.
Standing up and ignoring the girl’s complaints and questions, Yang Kai casually activated his Movement Skill and dashed towards Medicine King’s Valley.
The girl stared blankly for a moment before she too stood up and quickly began traveling the last few kilometers to Medicine King’s Valley. She was afraid that if she lingered any longer, another group of wicked people might come out and try to stop her from reaching Medicine King’s Valley.
Chasing after Yang Kai’s figure, she soon reached the valley town, but the young man was nowhere to be found.
“He’s clearly not much older than me, yet his strength is so amazing. Which great family is he from?” The Girl muttered, and thought about it for a long time, but ultimately failed to come up with an appropriate candidate, which caused her much chagrin.
When he finally entered the town, a variety of medicinal smells wafted about, which caused him to feel relaxed and refreshed. Yang Kai casually strolled around town and soon discovered that, in addition to the inns and restaurants, every other shop was somehow related to either herbs or pills.
Ordinary and rare spirit grass, exotic fruits, and wondrous flowers were everywhere he went. There was a variety of herbs for sale. There were even many different types and species he had never heard of before that were scattered about in a dazzling array.
[Truly worth of Medicine King’s Valley!] Yang Kai praised in his heart.
Seeing such a scene, as long as one was an Alchemist, they would no longer be willing to leave. Alchemists had a special love and respect for herbs, so encountering a place with so many different and exotic medicines on display made it strange to be willing to leave.
In every shop, there were many who came in to browse around or bargain with the shopkeepers to purchase herbs.
There were also many Alchemists doing business, offering to help cultivators refine pills.
But the Alchemists in the valley town were actually all disciples of Medicine King’s Valley! Of the cultivators who came here to seek help from an Alchemist, most of them had been attracted by the Medicine King’s Valley name in the first place, so naturally they would not go looking for Alchemists from other forces.
Yang Kai strolled around for a long time and enjoyed all the new sights and scenes along the way, before eventually discovering that these Alchemists had their own hierarchy as well.
Their respective grades corresponded to the grades assigned to Precious Treasures, respectively, Common Grade, Earth Grade, Heaven Grade, and Mysterious Grade, each grade was further divided into Low, Mid, and High ranks.
Most of the Alchemists here were around Earth Grade, such as the one in the shop just in front of him who had a two-leaf silver flower on his chest that indicated that he was an Earth Grade Mid-Rank Alchemist, which also meant that he had the necessary skill to refine Earth Grade Mid-Rank pills.
The flower petals corresponded to one’s Grade, while the gold, silver, and white colours corresponded to a High, Mid, and Low Rank respectively. Through the embroidery on an Alchemist’s clothes, one could easily tell what level he was.
Heaven Grade Alchemists were a very rare sight, and as for those of Mysterious Grade, there were none to be seen.
Only the Elders of Medicine King’s Valley were Mysterious Grade Alchemists.
In many shops, there were finished pills for sale. However, ordinary pills were of no interest to Yang Kai. Only Soul nourishing pills would cause him to stop and take notice.
These pills would not only allow him to cultivate his Soul, but would also nourish his Soul Warming Lotus, so that the Five Coloured Soul Warming Lotus could progress towards its ultimate Seven Coloured form.
Once the Soul Warming Lotus had evolved into its Seven Coloured form, the benefits he would receive would also greatly increase.
But the number of Soul nourishing pills was quite small, and their price was also many times more expensive than average pills.
A bottle of ten Earth Grade High-Rank pills was around five thousand silvers.
But a bottle of Earth Grade High-Rank Soul nourishing pills was at least thirty thousand silvers; a full six times as expensive!
Checking inside his bag, Yang Kai could only sigh and look away.
After strolling around for a long time and seeing the sky gradually grow dark, Yang Kai decided to find an inn to stay at.
At night, the Medicine King’s Valley’s town became even more bustling, so after having something light to eat at the inn, Yang Kai went out again to inquire about the latest news.
His original purpose in coming to Medicine King’s Valley was to see the Myriad Drug Pond, but the Myriad Drug Pond was a forbidden area within Medicine King’s Valley, so obviously it was not going to be easy to visit it.
After a few days, Yang Kai had toured around most of Medicine King’s Valley’s town to inquire about information, but in the end he had been left with a bitter taste in his mouth and a feeling of anxiety in his heart.
Medicine King’s Valley’s Myriad Drug Pond was located at the top of the Pill Saint’s Peak; however, not only was the Myriad Drug Pond situated there, the unchanging Pill Saint’s portrait was also hung inside. It was not an exaggeration to say that the Pill Saint’s Peak was the Holy Land of Alchemists in this world, and even the ordinary Medicine King’s Valley disciples could not approach it. Only the Valley Lord and Elders were eligible to gaze upon the Pill Saint’s portrait and study the profound alchemic mysteries he had left behind.
About the Pill Saint’s portrait, Yang Kai had heard many rumors, all of them in general were related to the inheritance of alchemic knowledge and skills. It was said that many Alchemists who gazed upon the Pill Saint’s portrait had gained solutions to the problems that had long confounded them, some even gained some form of alchemic inheritance, which lead many of them to reap great benefits.
For this reason, the Medicine King’s Valley was very strict in its protection of the Myriad Drug Pond.
With such a heavy guard in place, how could Yang Kai hope to get close?
The Myriad Drug Pond was not the same as High Heaven Pavilion’s Coiling Dragon Stream. Although the Coiling Dragon Stream was also a forbidden area, despite being incredibly vast it was also extremely dangerous, so usually nobody would approach it.
On this day, Yang Kai was wandering aimlessly around the town when he all of a sudden spotted a familiar figure.
Staring at the back of this person, Yang Kai let out a light chuckle.
Quietly following behind this person, a short while later, Yang Kai saw him enter into one of the town’s many shops.
Arriving before the shop, Yang Kai looked up at the plaque on the shop which read, “Dong Family Pill Shop”.
Upon walking into the shop, a shop hand immediately came up and warmly greeted Yang Kai, “Good sir, how may I help you today? Our Dong Family Medicine Shop has a wide selection of items for sale, whether it is alchemy materials or finished pills, we carry everything, all for sale at very fair prices. If good sir is searching for anything in particular, please feel free to have a look around.”
“I’m not here buy anything.” Yang Kai said as he shook his head.
“Uh…”
“I’m looking for the young man who just came in!” Yang Kai declared.
Hearing this, the shop hand’s expression immediately became vigilant, and he carefully examined Yang Kai again while maintaining his calm before asking, “May I ask how I should address this little brother?
Yang Kai smiled back at the shop hand and said, “Just tell him, a guest from High Heaven Pavilion is here to visit.”
The shop hand’s brow wrinkled slightly, but he still eventually nodded.
Turning around and disappearing into the back halls, it was not long before the shop hand re-emerged with a giant flattering smile on his face, “Little brother please come with me, my Young Master will see you right away!”
Yang Kai simply nodded.
Walking into the inner hall then up the stairs to the third floor, Yang Kai follow all the way until they reached a certain door. The shop hand then bowed and said, “My Young Master is inside!”
Finished guiding this esteemed guest, the shop hand then respectfully receded.
After all of this, Yang Kai proceeded to open the door and step inside.
Immediately seeing a slightly rounded face smiling towards him.
Dong Family, Dong Qing Han!
Right behind him were the Dong Family’s Wind and Cloud Dual Guards. The two old men stood there in silence. When their eyes met, they simply produced a simple bow and remained in position, as though they had gone senile and could only do so much.
By Dong Qing Han’s side sat a pretty young girl with a dignified temperament, daintily sipping a cup of tea. But as Yang Kai glanced towards her, their four eyes suddenly meeting, he was instantly stunned.
The girl was also shocked. Her face contorted wildly as her eyes stared towards Yang Kai, involuntarily spitting out the tea she had just drank, spraying it all over Dong Qing Han’s face.
‘What the hell are you doing?” Dong Qing Han said, his image as a refined older cousin in front of Yang Kai suddenly being destroyed by this young girl spraying his face with tea.
“It … it’s … it’s him!” The girl shouted as she pointed her jade like finger towards Yang Kai, her voice filled with shock.
Hearing this as he tried to wipe off the tea leaves from his face, Dong Qing Han frowned and asked, “What do you mean ‘it’s him’? Speak clearly.”
“He’s the man I ran into outside the valley, the one who grabbed me and threw me to the bad guys!” The girl quickly explained.
Dong Qing Han glanced towards Yang Kai then back towards the young girl, his slightly fat face flashing a look of amazement.
[Such a coincidence…]
Yang Kai was also puzzled. He did not expect this cheeky little girl would appear here, in this Dong Family shop, but seeing how she could sit beside Dong Qing Han at the same table, her status was certainly not low, could she be…
His brow twitching, Yang Kai faintly guessed this little girl’s identity.
“You dare appear in front of me!” The girl said as she remembered the feelings of frustration and helplessness she felt during their first encounter; now with Dong Qing Han and the Wind and Cloud Dual Guards as her support, she immediately felt emboldened, her row of silvery teeth gnashing as she glowered towards Yang Kai, thrusting out her smooth pretty chin proudly, without the slightest lady like demeanor, letting out a mischievous laughter, “Hee hee, how does the saying go, no path to the Heavens, no door into Hell, you coming here means you’re death!”
Although she said these words, but her face did not contain the slightest wrath or murderous intent, instead she was simply impishly staring at Yang Kai.
Grinning back at her, Yang Kai asked, “Is this how you treat your savior?”
As he spoke, he lightly knocked her on her head.
The girl’s big eyes squinted as she body shrunk up; quickly hiding behind Dong Qing Han’s back like a frightened rabbit, grinding her teeth as she glared towards Yang Kai, like a fox pretending to be a tiger.
“Enough with your impudence!” Dong Qing Han fat face shook as he loudly shouted.
The girl immediately followed up, shouting towards Yang Kai, “That’s right, don’t be so presumptuous!”
“I’m talking to you!” Dong Qing Han glared towards the little girl.
“Ah?” The girl stammered in shock.
“Towards the man who saved your life, you don’t even say thank you? Such an important guest has come yet you don’t offer any greetings, do you not have any decency!?” Dong Qing Han solemnly reprimanded her.
“I do not want to! If he hadn’t tossed me back that day, I would have escaped into Medicine King’s Valley!” The girl stamped her foot and pouted towards Dong Qing Han.
“Such disrespect. You get out!” Dong Qing Han angrily pounded the table.
The girl’s lips pursed and her eyes watered as she dashed out of the room angrily.
But before she left, she didn’t forget to glare angrily at Yang Kai one last time.
After the girl left, Dong Qing Han smiled wryly while shaking his head, sending a wink towards the Wind and Cloud Dual Guards. The two of them immediately released their Divine Sense, and a moment later nodded towards Dong Qing Han.
“Sit down.” Dong Qing Han waved.
As Yang Kai sat down and poured himself a cup of tea, he frowned and asked, “Just now…”
“Yan’er, you’ve met her before.”
Yang Kai couldn’t help but smile, didn’t that mean the relationship between them really was older and younger cousins?
He had never imagined that what she had casually shouted that day would actually be true.
About Dong Qing Yan, Yang Kai had some faint impressions. However, the only time they had met was almost a decade ago, when she was still just a little girl tottering behind Dong Qing Han; after ten years, how could Yang Kai have recognized her?
“A girl experiences eighteen changes between childhood and womanhood…” Yang Kai shook his head wryly, not only did he not recognize her, she probably also couldn’t recognize him. Who could still recall all the memories of their childhood?
“Yan’er said a few days ago a youth only slightly older than her rescued her. I never imagined that person would turn out to be you.” Dong Qing Han also let out a long sigh, everything was just too much of a coincidence.
“It just happened!” Yang Kai shrugged, not trying to explain or take any credit. In the first place, the whole incident didn’t really cost him any effort and seeing how the person he ended up saving was his own cousin, naturally there was nothing else that needed to be discussed.
As the two young men spoke, Dong Qing Yan quietly snuck back holding a piece of ancient jade in her hand; this piece of jade exuded a wave of weak energy that spread out around her, creating a shield that hid all traces of her aura.
This shield was impeccable, not even an Immortal Ascension Boundary master’s Divine Sense could penetrate it.
In but a moment, like a stealthy cat, Dong Qing Yan had crept up to the door and began eavesdropping on her brother and that hateful man’s conversation.
Yang Kai’s attitude towards Dong Qing Han was quite relaxed and familiar, which naturally aroused her curiosity; on top of that, her brother had rarely reprimanded her so strictly, even directly telling her to leave.
Dong Qing Yan figured that the two must have something they needed to discuss in private, so her brother had deliberately scolded to send her away. Her interest having been peaked, she decided to listen in on them to figure out what secrets they were trying to hide.
As the sound of the conversation drifted into her ears, Dong Qing Yan lightly bit her lips as her pretty face flushed with nervousness.
Although she was tense, she also felt excited. Since long ago, inside the Dong Family home, she had relied on this ancient jade to eavesdrop of an untold number of secrets, so she had long ago become familiar with such activity.
“What are you doing here?” Dong Qing Han asked Yang Kai.
“I came here to talk to you.”
“About what?”
“I want to visit one of Medicine King’s Valley’s Peaks.” Yang Kai replied, going straight to the point, sipping his cup of tea as he looked towards Dong Qing Han, “Can you help me?”
“Which peak?” Dong Qing Han asked.
“The Pill Saint’s Peak!”
Hearing this, not just Dong Qing Han’s eyes narrowed, even the two aloof old men standing behind him also glanced towards Yang Kai.
Dong Qing Han smiled wryly, “There are twelve peaks in Medicine King’s Valley, ten of which are the residences of Great Elders, another one the Valley Lord’s retreat, and the final and primary one is the Pill Saint’s Peak. It is Medicine King’s Valley most forbidden area; if you wanted to enter any of the other peaks, I would have a way, but the Pill Saint’s Peak… I’m afraid there’s nothing I can do.”
“Is there no way at all?” Yang Kai refused to give up, he also knew that the Pill Saint’s Peak was a special existence; if not so he wouldn’t have come to see Dong Qing Han.
He could not use the power of the Yang Family right now, but Dong Qing Han was different, as the eldest son of the Dong Family, its future successor, naturally he could make use of the Dong Family’s influence and connections.
Dong Qing Han frowned as he tapped his fingers on the table, a good while later only saying, “It’s not completely hopeless.”
Yang Kai’s eyes lit up, “Let’s hear it!”
“In a little more than two months, there will be an Alchemist Summit. At that time all of the alchemists from all the world’s forces from small to large will come here, at that time, they will compete with each other in various alchemy competitions, and the top fifty alchemists will be given the chance to visit the Pill Saint’s Peak, study the Pill Saint’s portrait, and ponder upon the mysteries of alchemy; if you can become one these top fifty Alchemists, you can justifiably enter the Pill Saint’s Peak!
To this statement, Yang Kai rolled his eyes, “Do I look like an alchemist?”
Dong Qing Han shook his head, “Of course not… but this is the only way to enter the Pill Saint’s Peak unless… unless, you become an Elder of Medicine King’s Valley.”
Yang Kai could only wryly smile.
Neither of these two methods could be used by him, becoming a Medicine King’s Valley Elder was obviously impossible, and wanting to become one of the top fifty alchemists at the upcoming summit was even more ridiculous.
Yang Kai had never even been exposed to the Alchemic Path, seeking for the Dao of Alchemy. How could he suddenly stand above this world’s Alchemists? Only those with profound knowledge and achievements would dare to attend this Alchemist Summit.
Thinking over it, Yang Kai couldn’t help but frown.
“In addition to the Pill Saint’s Peak, if you want to visit any of the other peaks I can think of a way; in fact it’s not actually that difficult either.” Dong Qing Han also felt like he had lost face in front of this cousin of his; it was the first time he had asked a favour of him but the result was him ending up having no way to help so he couldn’t help being somewhat embarrassment.
“Not difficult?”
Dong Qing Han smiled, “In fact it’s quite simple, just find some valuable Precious Treasure, and then to ask a Medicine King’s Valley Elder to perform some alchemy for you, this way you can freely enter their peak; however, at most you’d only be able to stay for half a day, if you stuck around any longer, those Medicine King’s Valley people would boot you out. To say nothing of the Elders, even Medicine King’s Valley’s disciples have eyes way higher than the top of their heads, all of them are even more domineering and arrogant than you Eight Great Families’ sons.”
Yang Kai shook his head.
Only being able to enter for half a day would certainly not be long enough.
“If it’s not an urgent matter, then you should first go back and give me some time to think about if there are any other ways I can help you.” Dong Qing Han face suddenly became dignified as he wore a very serious expression, “I won’t ask what it is you want to do in the Pill Saint’s Peak, but I will say this, if you get yourself caught up in any trouble, don’t get my Dong Family involved in it.”
Listening to him say this so seriously, Yang Kai grinned, “What is it you think I’m going to do?”
“What the hell is there that you don’t dare do you little brat?” Dong Qing Han sighed deeply, “I can only help you think of a way. Even so, my ideas aren’t exactly foolproof.”
“Well, I know.” Yang Kai nodded.
Saying farewell to Dong Qing Hang, Yang Kai went back to his inn and began meditating, trying to think of a way to enter the Pill Saint’s Peak.
The meaning of Dong Qing Han’s last words to him had been quite clear, he also had no good way of allowing Yang Kai to enter the Pill Saint’s Peak, so he shouldn’t place his hopes on him.
As he was deep in thought, a knock suddenly came from his door, causing Yang Kai to wrinkle his brow, stand up and see who it was.
Looking outside, the one he found standing there was Dong Qing Yan with a shy smile on her face, “Hehe!”
She had no traces of hatred or hostility any more, just a hint of friendly curiosity.
“What are you doing here?” Yang Kai asked as he looked at her curiously.
“You really are here.” Dong Qing Yan took a deep breath and scanned the inside of his room before lightly coughing, “My brother let me come here to tell you he thought of a way to help you.”
Hearing this, Yang Kai’s mouth slowly revealed a strange smile, quietly stepping aside and saying, “Come inside first and we can talk.”
Completely unafraid, Dong Qing Yan casually strode into his room.
Looked around the house with great interest, Dong Qing Yan pursed his lips and said, “You live in this place you? It’s so small and dirty, it really isn’t fit for a … *keke*…”
Dong Qing Yan also knew that a Yang Family son’s identity couldn’t casually be discussed so she quickly swallowed back the words she was about to say.
“So your brother said he thought up a way?” Yang Kai looked at her with a big grin.
“En!” Dong Qing Yan nodded quickly.
“Did he tell you that himself?”
“Of course.” Dong Qing Yan’s long eyelashes fluttered slightly.
“Then why didn’t he come here to tell me personally?”
“Am I not doing just that?” Dong Qing Yan sat down on the bed, putting on her best innocent serious face, “My brother said that responsibility for this matter will solely be given to me because he has other important things to attend to outside Medicine King’s Valley, so there’s no need for you to go looking for him.”
Although Dong Qing Yan had said all this with a look of absolute confidence, how could Yang Kai believe her just like that?
“Really?” Yang Kai grinned strangely.
“Do you think I’d lie to you?” Dong Qing Yan straightened herself up and patted her chest, “Rest assured, I promise you that I can get you where you want to go!”
“Heh heh…” Yang Kai smile only became grimmer, his eyes staring at Dong Qing Yan.
Seeing this smile filled with evil and obscenity, Dong Qing Yan couldn’t help but feel a chill run up her back, quietly swallowed her breath before timidly saying, “Your laughter is scaring me.”
Yang Kai finally straightened up his face and no longer danced around the issue with her, “Tell me, how do you know about this?”
“What?” Dong Qing Yan stuttered, her expression looking quite unnatural.
“Know where I want to go.” Yang Kai squinted at her and shook her finger, “Don’t tell me that your brother told you, Dong Qing Han, would ever be so careless!”
In the Dong Family Medicine Shop, Dong Qing Han had told Dong Qing Yan to leave the room before he spoke with Yang Kai, clearly not wanting her to know Yang Kai’s true identity, so how could he decide to involve her all of a sudden?
On top of that, the two of them had spoken less than an hour ago; one hour earlier Dong Qing Han had been helpless to assist him, but now after such a short time he had suddenly come up with a way?
Then there was his little female cousin’s rapidly shifting eyes; what would be strange is if Yang Kai couldn’t see that something else going on here.
“My brother really did tell me.” Dong Qing Yan continued to insist.
Yang Kai simply laughed, reached out, grabbed Dong Qing Yan by the arm, and dragged her out.
“Wait… what are you trying to do!?” Dong Qing Yan stubbornly tried to resist, crying out in fright.
Yang Kai frowned, “You keep shouting and I’ll knock you out first!”
Dong Qing Yan quickly shut her mouth but her desperate resistance did not stop; however, with her strength being so much lower than Yang Kai’s, how could she hope to escape? In the blink of an eye she had already been dragged to the door.
“What are you going to do with me?” Dong Qing Yan whimpered towards Yang Kai.
“Take you back to Dong Qing Han, I’m certain he’s still around!”
“Don’t! I finally managed to sneak out; if you send me back I’ll be finished for sure!” Dong Qing Yan frantically begged.
Yang Kai grinned, “Then tell me, how do you know about my plans?”
“Okay, okay, okay! I’ll tell you!”
Hearing this, Yang Kai finally released her.
Dong Qing Yan glared angrily at Yang Kai as she rubbed her sore wrist and slowly fixed her disordered clothes before sitting herself back down on the bed.
“Remember, if you dare lie to me, I’ll immediately send you back to your brother.” Yang Kai declared.
“I eavesdropped on your conversation.” Dong Qing Yan admitted as she shyly glanced at Yang Kai, but upon seeing his expression darken, she quickly added, “I’m not lying to you, I really did overhear you while I was eavesdropping.”
Yang Kai smirked, “How did you manage that? You’re only a Peak Separation and Reunion cultivator, how could you avoid the Wind and Cloud Dual Guards’ Divine Senses?”
When he was talking to Dong Qing Han, the Wind and Cloud Dual Guards had constantly been monitoring the nearby surroundings, so if Dong Qing Yan was really eavesdropping, she would certainly have been caught by those two old men.
“Naturally I have my ways.” Dong Qing Yan said with a triumphant look on her face as she sat on the edge of the bed, her two legs dangling back and forth.
Seeing the look of distrust on Yang Kai’s face, Dong Qing Yan was quite unhappy, “I am the Dong Family’s Young Lady; how could I not have one or two self-defense artifacts … ugh…”
“Artifact?” Yang Kai’s brow slightly lifted, his face showing a look of surprise, what kind of artifact could allow someone to hide from and Immortal Ascension master’s Divine Sense? Not to mention the cultivation of the Wind and Cloud Dual Guards was no doubt around the top of the Immortal Ascension Boundary, probably around the seventh or eighth stage; being able to deceive them, the power of this artifact was really not small.
Noticing that she had leaked something she shouldn’t, Dong Qing Yan looked cautiously towards Yang Kai and whispered, “I’ll show it to you if you promise not to take it from me.”
Hearing this, Yang Kai was suddenly dumbstruck, but still silently nodded; after all, he was indeed quite curious about this so-called artifact.
Seeing him promise, Dong Qing Yan carefully removed the piece of ancient jade from her sleeve.
Yang Kai carefully examined this dark yellow piece of ancient jade color. At first it seemed to be a natural piece of jade, but there were some jagged lines on its surface which had clearly been engraved by someone.
When Dong Qi Yan channeled her Yuan Qi into it, Yang Kai was stunned to discover that all traces of her aura had instantly disappeared.
Dong Qing Yan quickly said, “Since you haven’t yet reached the Immortal Ascension Boundary and gained the use of your Divine Sense, you wouldn’t understand just how amazing this artifact is, but I really did not lie to you. I used this to hide myself from those two old men.”
As she was speaking, Yang Kai had used his Divine Sense to examine the area where she was sitting and found that, just as she had said, his Divine Sense passed right through her, finding nothing unusual, if had closed his eyes, it wouldn’t been like no one was ever there.
This artifact was definitely not ordinary!
“Put it away, and don’t ever expose it to strangers,” Yang Kai said seriously.
Dong Qing Yan giggled happily, “Of course I won’t do that, I’m not a fool!”
As she spoke she carefully stored the ancient jade.
“So, how much did you hear?” Yang Kai asked with a grin.
“Probably… almost all of it.” Dong Qing Yan stuck out her tongue.
“How much did you understand?”
“I know you want to go to the Pill Saint’s Peak; I also know… you really are my cousin…” Dong Qing Yan was also shocked; something she had shouted out randomly had turned out to be true.
“Earlier you said there was a way for me to get close to my goal, was that true?”
“Of course it’s true.” Dong Qing Yan nodded, her eyes suddenly flashing a mischievous light, “But now I don’t feel like telling you.”
Yang Kai suddenly understood, “You have conditions? Fine, name it!”
“Don’t let my brother catch me!” Dong Qing Yan quickly said.
Yang Kai frowned, he had long ago seen that this girl had snuck out of her home; Dong Qing Han appearing in Medicine King’s Valley was also probably because he had been chasing after her. Although he was technically related to her, in the end, this was a Dong Family internal matter, was it really a good idea for him to make a decision on his own?
A few days ago she was being chased by a group of evil thugs, if anything were to actually happen to her, would the Dong Family simply let it go?
“Cousin…” Seeing him pondering over things, Dong Qing Yan quickly put on a pitiful expression, lightly gripping Yang Kai’s arm as she pleaded, “It’s so suffocating and boring at home, I just wanted to go out for a walk. After a few days of playing outside I’ll go back, so don’t tell them, please?”
Yang Kai remained silent.
Seeing that pleading alone wasn’t enough, Dong Qing Yan decided to use her last straw, “If you don’t help me, I… I’ll tell everyone that you’re a son of Yang Family, and then we’ll see what happens to you!”
Yang Kai couldn’t help rubbing his forehead as he felt a headache coming on.
If someone else had threatened him like this, he would have immediately killed them, but obviously he couldn’t do that to his little cousin in front of him.
After thinking for a while, Yang Kai finally said, “I’m going to tell Dong Qing Han that you’re here.”
The Dong Family’s Young Lady immediately jumped up and started cursing, “You heartless meanie! Smelly cousin, I hate you!”
“Let me finish!” Yang Kai stared at her, “Even though I’m going to tell your brother, I’ll also let you stay here if you don’t make trouble for me.”
“Deal!” Dong Qing Yan head bobbed up and down like a chick pecking rice. “I promise you I’ll be good!”
Shaking his head helplessly, Yang Kai began preparing a letter.
Meanwhile, at the Dong Family Medicine Shop, Dong Qing Han was furious, “She escaped? How could that be? Did all of you grow up eating nothing but shit!? Even with so many 0f you on guard, in the blink of an eye she just vanished?”
In front of him were several Dong Family disciples with their heads bowed down like whipped dogs; all of them silent, wanting to cry but unable to shed tears.
[There’s no helping it, with only our strength, in the ultra crowded Medicine King’s Valley town, and with the Young Lady’s mysterious methods, as soon as she slips into the crowd she can basically disappear. What else could we do?]
Although all of them were thinking so, none of them dared to say anything.
“What are you all still standing around stunned for, each and every one of you is worthless, get out there quickly and start looking, if you can’t find the Young Lady then don’t come back, just find some back alley and chop yourselves up to feed the dogs, useless idiots!” Dong Qing Han roared angrily.
The group of disciples, having suddenly been granted amnesty, hurriedly scattered like frightened birds and animals, silently muttering in their hearts, [You damn little girl, come back quickly or we’ll all end up dead].
“Young Master, inside the Medicine King’s Valley, fighting is strictly prohibited. The Young Lady won’t be in any danger so you shouldn’t worry too much. Maybe after a little while she’ll come back on her own.” One of the Wind and Cloud Dual Guards said.
“I’m afraid she might leave the valley.” Dong Qing Han said helplessly, “That little girl is simply too ignorant of the ways of the world, she just experienced a major crisis but she’s already forgotten about it and run off again!”
A look of anguish and regret filled his face.
The two old men glanced at each other, but in the end said nothing more.
As he was stewing in annoyance, a servant arrived at the doors, bowed, and asked, “Who is the Dong Family’s son?”
Dong Qing Han quickly replied, “I am!”
“Greetings Young Master Dong,” the servant said in a flattering tone, “A young gentleman instructed me to deliver a letter to you.”
Dong Qing Han’s face filled with surprise, “Where is it?”
The servant swiftly handed over a letter.
Quickly opening and reading through it, Dong Qing Han finally put down the boulder weighing on his heart.
Signaling towards the Wind and Cloud Dual Guards, one of them came up and gave the servant a few silvers before sending him on his way. Looking back and seeing his Young Master’s brow unwrinkled, he couldn’t help but ask, “Have we found the Young Lady’s whereabouts?”
Rubbing his sore forehead, Dong Qing Han let out a deep sigh and whispered, “Indeed, she went to Yang Kai’s place.”
“He just wrote me to say there’s no need to worry.”
Back at the inn, Yang Kai opened up a room for Dong Qing Yan next door to him. This thoughtful arrangement greatly increased the Dong Family Young Lady’s impression of him, “Cousin is the best!”
On the second day, when Dong Qing Han came over to visit, Yang Kai briefly explained his situation again as she smiled back at him impishly; with Dong Qing Yan threatening him so, he didn’t dare try to force things, if his identity as a direct descendant of the Yang Family was exposed it would be no joke.
Stuck in this situation he could only go along with his little cousin’s whims.
Time flew by, and soon seven or eight days had passed.
During these days, Yang Kai spent most of his time cultivating. Although Medicine King’s Valley town had many cultivators, the Heaven and Earth aura was quite abundant, so it was still considered a good place to cultivate.
From time to time, Dong Qing Yan would drag him out play, and after a few days Yang Kai surprisingly found that this little cousin of his was actually an Alchemist, even if her grade was not high, just a novice Common Grade Mid-Rank Alchemist.
She was the Dong Family’s first Young Lady, from small to large the family had spent a huge amount of effort and resources to cultivate her, whatever pill she wanted she could directly acquire it, so why would she need to learn Alchemy? Therefore, even if she showed a strong interest in Alchemy, she still had very little practical experience.
Now that she had come to Medicine King’s Valley, it was like directly ascending to Heaven, where everything around fascinated and amazed her.
Early one morning, Yang Kai’s door was knocked on and Dong Qing Yan excitedly rushed in, coming right up to him, “Cou…”
“What Cou?” Yang Kai stared at her and flicked her forehead.
Dong Qing Yan spat out her tongue, hastily straightened herself up like a noble lady, and commanded, “Escort Yang, accompany this Young Lady out for a trip!”
In the end, she was still the Dong Family’s first Young Lady. The Dong Family and Yang Family were in-laws, so if someone heard Dong Qing Yan call out Yang Kai’s name, they would certainly be able to guess Yang Kai identity.
So after some discussion, the two decided that Yang Kai would play the role of Dong Qing Yan’s guard.
Great Young Ladies who went out traveling would always have a few guards and servants around, so this identity was reasonable.
Looking outside for a moment, Yang Kai lightly refused, “You can go play, I won’t be accompanying you today!”
But Dong Qing Yan was not deterred and instead just le out a giggle, “Escort Yang, do you not want to enter that place anymore?”
Yang Kai’s expression instantly changed.
“Is today the day?”
These past few days, Yang Kai had constantly been asking her just how she planned to let him approach the Pill Saint’s Peak, but Dong Qing Yan had always refused to elaborate, saying that the time had not yet come, until today, which allowed Yang Kai to finally see a ray of hope.
“Do you want to go out with this Young Lady now?” Dong Qing Yan said with a haughty look of triumph on her face.
Yang Kai quickly stopped cultivating and got down from his bed.
In the town, Dong Qing Yan darted back and forth inside the crowds like a fish agilely swimming through a stream as Yang Kai, dressed up as a guard, carried various items in his hands. His expression was completely blank, as he quietly followed closely behind her.
Anyone who saw him would naturally assume he was Dong Qing Yan’s attendant.
Arriving at the eastern part of town, Dong Kai Yan’s cute little face flushed with excitement. Yang Kai could even hear the sound of her heartbeat coming from within her chest as she took a deep breath and clutched her hands in front of her, only managing to calm herself after a long time.
Looking around, Yang Kai discovered that there was a big crowd gathered here, and many of these people’s chests were embroidered with a kind of unique flower badge. Each of them had one, two or, three petals and were gold, silver, or white in colour.
These people, all of them were Alchemists.
Earth Grade Mid to Top-Rank Alchemists were the majority, but there were also many at the Common Grade. All together at least two hundred of them had gathered, creating an extremely bustling atmosphere.
At some point Dong Qing Yan had also taken out a rusty ornament, a single petal silver flower, and proudly pinned it onto her chest, as if she wanted to let everyone here know she was also a Common Grade Mid-Rank Alchemist.
“What are you doing?” Yang Kai whispered, faintly feeling something was not quite right.
“Just wait! Whether you can go to the place you want to will depend on what happens next.” Dong Qing Yan responded softly. Her cute face for once was filled with seriousness.
Yang Kai frowned. Closing his eyes he released his Divine Sense and began listening to the nearby Alchemists talk.
After a moment, his expression became awkward.
The reason these people had come from all corners of the world and gathered here was actually in order to worship Medicine King’s Valley’s Hidden Cloud Peak Elder Xiao Fu Sheng as disciples and study the secrets of his Alchemy techniques.
Yang Kai opened his eyes and looked towards Dong Qing Yan, asking, “Did you come here to become a disciple?”
Dong Qing Yan smiled, “Of course, Grandmaster Xiao’s disciple recruitment is a once in a lifetime opportunity. The reason I escaped from home at this time was precisely for this reason!”
As she said this, Dong Qing Yan looked piteously towards Yang Kai, “Escort Yang, you’re not going to go tell my brother are you?”
“I just want to know what relationship this has with my goal.”
“Hidden Cloud Peak is not far from your objective, if you can enter there…” Dong Qing Yan quietly implied.
Listening to this, Yang Kai’s brow twitched. Indeed, if he could enter Hidden Cloud Peak, then maybe he could find an to enter the Pill Saint’s peak, after all, the two peaks were only separated by two small hills.
“But I don’t understand Alchemy.”
Dong Qing Yan chuckled, “Grandmaster Xiao’s disciple recruitment notice clearly stated that even if you do not understand Alchemy, you would still have a chance. The only thing that matter is if you have the appropriate aptitude.”
“Mr. Yang…” Dong Qing Yan lightly clutched Yang Kai’s arm, “Since I’ve thought so much about you your situation, please don’t go tell my brother about this. Besides, if I can successfully worship Grandmaster Xiao as my master, it will be a great honor for the family, and even if father learns about it after, he will only praise me, so don’t do any thankless things.”
Yang Kai lightly said, “If you can succeed I’ll have nothing to say.”
“I’m sure I can.” Dong Qing Yan said, full of confidence. “For this day, I have done a lot of preparation. The only thing I’m uncertain about is if you can come too.”
Hearing this, Yang Kai could only shake his head secretly.
He had not thought the method Dong Qing Yan spoke about was actually this. And although this method was good, Yang Kai was not at all confident. After all, he had never even touched the subject Alchemy, so how could he pass a test created by this Grandmaster Xiao?”
But now that it had come to this, he could only grit his teeth and try. In any case, it was not like he had anything to lose.
As time passed, more and more Alchemists gathered. Each and every one of them were filled with anticipation, and similarly to Dong Qing Yan, their faces were filled with tension and expectation. Some of them even had expressions of reverence and worship.
It could easily be seen just how highly these people regarded the chance to worship Hidden Cloud Peak’s Xiao Fu Sheng as their master.
As Yang Kai listened to the surrounding conversations, he learned a great deal of things.
Xiao Fu Sheng was actually the most prestigious figure in all of Medicine King’s Valley. His achievements in the field of Alchemy were even greater than the current Valley Lord of Medicine King’s Valley. He was also one of the only Mysterious Grade High-Rank Alchemists in the entire world.
Above Mysterious Grade was Spirit Grade, a height which had never once before been reached.
Xiao Fu Sheng was a man obsessed with Alchemy, and although he occupied a Medicine King’s Valley peak, he had never accepted any disciples nor did he have a wife or children. His entire life had been dedicated to the pursuit of the Alchemic Path.
Within the Alchemist community, Xiao Fu Sheng held a position of unparalleled respect.
A few months ago, when word came out from Medicine King’s Valley that Grandmaster Xiao was going to recruit disciples, the entire world shook. Countless Alchemists began frantically rushing over. Each of them wanted to worship him as their master and inherit his mantle.
Both the Eight Great Families and the First-Class Sects also wanted to send their own prized Alchemists to attend, but they were all rejected by Master Xiao.
Finally today, in Medicine King’s Valley town, a unique test designed by Master Xiao himself would be held, and anyone who managed to pass would be granted the right to become a disciple of the Hidden Cloud Peak.
Grandmaster Xiao was not concerned with the background of his would-be disciples. No matter where you come from or from what kind of force, as long as you possessed the required aptitude, you would be allowed learn his Alchemic knowledge.
The only condition was that you could not be more than twenty years old.
So the Alchemist who had gathered here were all from the younger generation. Some of those who came, in order to apprentice in Hidden Cloud Peak, were even prepared to forego attending the upcoming Alchemy Conference.
Time continued to pass by.
While standing behind Dong Qing Yan, Yang Kai also continued monitoring the surroundings and secretly observed if anything was happening.
After a very long wait, a commotion suddenly arose from the crowd. The Medicine King’s Valley disciples had finally appeared.
These Medicine King’s Valley disciples were not direct disciples of Grandmaster Xiao, but were instead Alchemists from other Peaks who had been commissioned to handle the administration of today’s test.
Not far away, a platform had been set up in advance. It was around this more than ten meter long stage that all the Alchemists who had come to attend today’s test gathered.
Four Medicine King’s Valley disciples slowly made their way towards this high platform, headed by a middle-aged man walking forward in a proud and aloof manner. His chest was embroidered with a three petal golden flower, and his face was adorned with a serious expression, not disturbed in the slightest by the surrounding crowd, and his hands held a large pot of pills. A burst of noise suddenly erupted within the crowd.
“It’s Medicine King’s Valley’s Qin Ze, he’s only thirty five years old but has already become a Heaven Grade Top-Rank Alchemist!”
“He is the genius of this generation’s Medicine King’s Valley disciples; I heard he was even likely to become the next Valley Lord.”
“Shh, be quiet…”
Qin Ze soon boarded the high platform and placed the large pot of pills onto a table. The three other Medical King’s Valley disciples also came to a stop behind him.
Sweeping his eyes over the crowd, Qin Ze cupped his fists said, “Gentlemen, for Uncle Xiao’s disciple recruitment test, this Qin Ze will be your invigilator!”
The great importance placed upon Alchemists wherever they went caused all of them to have eyes on top of their head’s, coupled with them perennially being in retreat to study and perform alchemy resulted in many of them not understanding the subtleties of social etiquettes, such as bothering to greet other people.
As an Alchemist genius, this Qin Ze’s arrogant and detached demeanor was even more pronounced
After saying a few words, he simply turned around and removed the lid of the giant pot, allowing a strange medicinal fragrance to immediately spread out. As everyone present took a sniff of this aroma, each of them felt their spirits lurch.
“The test is very simple! These pills here are something my Uncle Xiao personally refined for today. Anyone who wants to become a disciple of Hidden Cloud Peak must swallow one of these pills and completely refine its medicinal effects. If you can do so, you will have passed the test. You may begin!”
Apparently finished, Qin Ze moved aside and allowed the three young Medicine King’s Valley disciples to step forward. Each of them watched the crowd with arrogant and indifferent eyes.
Of the hundreds of people gathered, no one dared to step forward and become the first to try.
Although what Qin Ze had said was indeed quite straightforward, everyone here understood that the test to become Grandmaster Xiao’s disciple would by no means be simple. Everyone now wanted someone else to go up first so they could observe. Who here wanted to become someone else’s stepping stone?
The Medicine King’s Valley disciples weren’t anxious, each of them just stood idly on the platform quietly waiting.
After a long period of time, someone finally gathered their courage and asked, “May I ask, what kind of pill is this?”
One of the Medicine King’s Valley disciples immediately sneered, “A poison pill!”
The crowd immediately went into an uproar.
Although they all expected Grandmaster Xiao’s test would not be easy to pass, this test was simply too different from the crowd’s expectations, wanting each of them to come up and willingly swallow a poison pill, how could this be considered a test? Everyone only had one life, and if they were to fail this test, this would be their burial place. How could such a thing be worth their while?
However, Qin Ze lightly said, “Although it is a poison pill, swallowing it is not fatal! But if your aptitude is not high enough to resolve its effects, you’ll be sick for three to five months at least.
Hearing that this pill was not fatal, many people’s nerves suddenly calmed. In the end, Grandmaster Xiao was still a renowned master; naturally he wouldn’t maliciously target their lives.
In front of this big pot of poison pills, the only ones who were likely to quit were those who had casually come here to fish in troubled waters.
But of those gathered, which one was not completely confidant in his or her own abilities? After a short while, someone finally jumped up onto the high platform and shouted, “I’ll go first!”
“Me too!”
With someone taking the lead, a lot of people were suddenly also willing to come up and try.
*Shua Shua Shua* Shortly after, more than a dozen people had come forward.
“Go ahead!” The Medicine King’s Valley disciples nodded.
Each of the dozen or so people who had come up walked over the pot, took out a pill, and placed it into their mouth.
“Please refine it completely!”
These dozen or so people who had swallowed the poison pill quickly sat cross-legged and began circulating their various Secret Arts.
Meanwhile, the hundreds of people in the audience stared towards them and carefully observed. Each of them hoped to gain even the slightest of insights that may help them pass this test.
After just ten breaths of time, one of the Alchemists who had taken the poison pill had their face go pale, and soon after his whole body also began to tremble and cold sweat appeared his forehead.
Gasps arose from within the audience. None of them had expected this poison pill Grandmaster Xiao had refined to be so potent.
As these gasps continued, three puffing sounds suddenly rang out from the stage, and soon a bizarre stench began wafting through the air.
It was that struggling Alchemist on stage inadvertently releasing several loud farts.
A lot of people who were standing close to the platform were caught unaware and inhaled a big mouthful of this stench, which almost caused them to vomit on the spot. All of them showed expressions filled with disgust.
The Alchemist’s pale face immediately turned bright red, not from the effects of the pill, but from the stench.
Under the watchful eyes of his peers, suddenly releasing three farts, such a result was obvious.
Seeing countless members of the crowd gazing towards him with looks of both pity and disdain, the Alchemist, who was now thoroughly embarrassed, hastily stood up, jumped from the high platform, panicked and fled like a stray dog.
“Hmph, having no ability yet wanting to participate in Grandmaster Xiao’s test, Truly overconfident!”
“You will bring shame to your grandmother! You might as well go back home now.”
“Which Alchemist was that? How is he going to live in the future?”
With the constant mockery stabbing into his back like thorns, this youth did not dare to stick around, and in the blink of an eye disappeared into the crowd.
The crowd had not yet recovered from this farce when from the high-profile two “thud” sounds suddenly came. As everyone turned back to look at what had happened, their eyes were greeted with the sight of two Alchemists who had swallowed the poison pills completely slumped over. Their eyes were unfocused, but they still maintained a posture of meditation, yet they were clearly unconscious.
The three Medicine King’s Valley young disciples only spared these two a single glance before coldly snorting, walking over, and kicking them down off the platform.
Their attitude was extremely arrogant and overbearing. It was like they were kicking aside two pieces of trash rather than people.
However, no one dared raise an objection. Prior to the test beginning, everyone had been clearly told that this was a poison pill refined personally by Grandmaster Xiao. If one was going to try participate they would have to be psychological prepared to be poisoned.
“They’re not dead!” Someone called out after going up and checking the breath of the two Alchemists who had failed, but it was also true that neither of them were moving and would not wake up no matter how much they were yelled or prodded at.
“It’s hot!” One of the remaining Alchemists on the platform suddenly cried out, every last piece of his exposed skin showing a blood red sheen, exuding a scorching heat. As steam began rising from his head, as he viciously tore at his clothes until his entire upper body was exposed. However, it seemed he was so hot he did not realize he was already half naked and kept clawing at his chest.
Dong Qing Yan’s pretty face flushed as she quickly covered her eyes.
A few cultivators soon jumped up onto the platform and dragged this suffering man down. These cultivators were likely from the same Family or Sect as this Alchemist and did not want to see him shame himself.
After less than thirty breaths of time, the first group of Alchemists to take this poison pill test was annihilated!
Everyone here had watched these unfortunate souls go through a strange and tragic myriad of poisoning symptoms, but this not dampen these Alchemists’ determination to enter Hidden Cloud Peak; in fact, it only further increased their enthusiasm.
These poison pills that Xiao Fu Sheng had refined were clearly all the same type of pill, but they could actually produce a wide variety of different effects. There was no doubt he was truly an amazing master.
Because of this, the group of Alchemists here could only randomly guess how they should refine Grandmaster Xiao’s poison pill.
As soon as this first group of people came or were forced down, *Shua Shua Shua*, thirty more went up.
As time passed, those who went up were continuously poisoned, falling unconscious, and embarrassing themselves. In the end, after more than two hundred of those gathered went up not a single one managed to pass Grandmaster Xiao’s test.
The whole test site was surrounded by gloomy atmosphere.
Amongst the latest group of Alchemists to go up and be poisoned, one of them that had his entire body go stiff as stone yet remain conscious cried out, “I’m not satisfied, I’m not convinced! How can just a single refining a puny poison pill measure my extraordinary aptitude? I demand to visit Hidden Cloud Peak and speak directly with Grandmaster Xiao, Grandmaster Xiao, please give this junior a chance!”
“Kick him down!” Qin Ze coldly replied.
One of the three young Medicine King’s Valley disciples walked over in front of this youth and coldly booted him off the stage.
However, despite being already kicked off the stage, the young Alchemst kept shouting, “Grandmaster Xiao, I am worthy to inherit your mantle, please give this junior a chance!”
“These people have gone crazy.” Yang Kai looked around and shook his head.
Dong Qing Yan quietly whispered, “It’s because you don’t understand just how prestigious Grandmaster Xiao’s position in the Alchemist community is that you can say that. Just look at that guy, even though he’s behaving so ugly and disgracefully, is anyone here ridiculing him?”
Hearing this, Yang Kai glanced around and found that there really was no one who was ridiculing him; most people were simply indifferent while the others wore looks of sympathy.
“Grandmaster Xiao in the eyes of us Alchemists is a supreme existence, and in order to worship him as a master, who would care about eating bitterness and losing face?” Dong Qing Yan said as she bit her lip, her face was filled with a mix of of tension and anticipation.
“Are you sure you want to go up and take that poison pill?” Yang Kai grinned meaningfully, “You’ve also seen those people’s reactions; just passing out and falling to the ground could be considered lucky, if you fail the test and you rip off all of your clothes in the process…”
Dong Qing Yan’s pretty face suddenly went pale.
“Well, there are a lot of young people gathered here. I think many of them would be happy to see that scene. Heh, the Dong Family’s Young Lady stripping off all her clothes, it’d make for a great after-dinner conversation.”
“That’s unlikely …”
“Even so, if you were to publicly put out a few farts…”
“Don’t say it!” Dong Qing Yan beautiful face contorted.
No matter which of these ugly performances it was, it was not something this little girl could accept. Were she to embarrass herself in front of all these people, it would undoubtedly become a permanent shadow that loomed over her life, and once it happened, she would never be able to raise her head in public again.
Turning a firm gaze towards Yang Kai, Dong Qing Yan gripped her little fists, “I know you’re trying to scare me so that I’ll go back to my brother, but even seeing everything that’s happened I still want to try this test. I prepared so much just for this single opportunity, and now that I’m here, how could I just give up so easily and go home?”
Pausing here for a moment, her voice gradually becoming a whisper and her face blushed a bright red, “If things really turn out like you said… please take me away quickly…”
Yang Kai slightly shook his head, seeing his little cousin’s determined expression. He knew that no matter how he discouraged her it would be to no avail.
All of a sudden a burst of noise rose up from the crowd, “An Earth Grade Top-Rank Alchemist! Isn’t he the genius Alchemist the Wang Family has been raising, Wang Qi Ren? He also came?”
“If he tries, maybe he really can pass Grandmaster Xiao’s test.”
“Good, we’ll finally get to see something interesting.”
“Look there, that Earth Grade Mid-Rank Alchemist, he’s the young talent from the Xiong Family.”
“And him, another Earth Grade Mid-Rank Alchemist from the Chang Family.”
“The Alchemists from the various Great Families are finally coming out; this will be a good show.”
This group of young Alchemists were actually those who had been cultivated by the various Great Families. Each of them had come here hoping to inherit Xiao Fu Sheng’s mantle.
Up till now, the people who had gone up were just Alchemists from smaller unknown forces, so being unable to pass was actually to be expected. But now seeing these people about to try, many in the crowd became excited.
The crowd quickly became abuzz with noise, and as this sound drifted over to the ears of these ten or so Earth Grade Top-Rank Alchemists, their expressions couldn’t help but become slightly proud.
However, each of them maintained proper etiquette and calmly boarded the platform and then first paid their respects to Qin Ze one by one before walking over to the poison pill pot.
“After you, Brother Wang. Among us, only Brother Wang has managed to reach the Earth Grade Top-Rank, naturally you should be first.” The Chang Family’s young Alchemist said with a smile on his face, as he opened up the way. The others on stage also followed suit.
Wang Qi Ren smiled, cupped his fists, and said, “Many thanks, then this Wang will partake.”
Finished speaking, he turned and faced towards Hidden Cloud Peak and bowed before reaching out, taking a poison pill, tossing it into his mouth, and then sitting down nearby to begin refining it.
From his gestures, he was clearly extremely confident about passing this test, otherwise he would not have rushed to pay respects to Hidden Cloud Peak.
After all, that was Xiao Fu Sheng’s peak.
The three young Medicine King’s Valley disciples couldn’t help laughing to themselves.
So what if he was an Earth Grade Top-Rank Alchemist? In front of Uncle Xiao’s personally refined poison pill, even if it was a Heaven Grade Alchemist, if his aptitude was not good enough the end result would be the same.
[This Wang Qi Ren really thinks too highly of himself!] The three young disciples exchanged a glance and secretly sneered as they waited to see this Wang Qi Ren make a fool of himself.
A moment later, all the young Alchemists who had gone up this round had taken one of the poison pills and found a place to sit down.
As the youths onstage began refining these pills, the members of the audience down below all held their breaths. One by one they stretched their necks to get a better look, many of them felt even tenser than when it had been their turn.
These young Alchemists were indeed talents cultivated by great forces, and each of them had outstanding achievements and aptitude. Before now, those who had gone up had at best managed to last half a cup of tea’s worth of time.
But it was a full cup of tea’s time before the first one in this group showed a reaction.
The first to be eliminated was an Earth Grade Low-Rank Alchemist who suddenly began foaming at the mouth.
Soon after someone on the high platform let out a few loud farting sounds.
One after another, these great forces’ Alchemists gradually failed. This result left everyone in the crowd stunned.
None of the crowd gathered here thought these young talents weren’t worthy of their names, but instead they all felt that Grandmaster Xiao’s recruitment test was far more difficult than they had imagined.
After a stick of incense, Wang Qi Ren was the only one left on the platform. Everyone else had already made a sad exit.
Countless people felt their chests tighten. If Wang Qi Ren couldn’t pass this test, they really didn’t know if anyone amongst them could.
A moment later, Wang Qi Ren suddenly began to tremble and a whiff of black gas began to emerge from his eyebrows.
Seeing this, Qin Ze, who had been sitting there like a stone statue ever since the tests had begun, suddenly sat up, and his eyes flashed a faint light as he began to carefully observe Wang Qi Ren’s situation.
As time passed by slowly, the whiff of black gas became more and more obvious as it further condensed.
Suddenly, the black gas disappeared without a trace, and at the same time, Wang Qi Ren loudly coughed and vomited out a mouthful of black blood!
Cries quickly rang out from the crowd below. Wang Qi Ren’s reaction was the first of its kind during this test, so no one knew whether it was a sign he had passed or failed.
A few cultivators from the Wang Family immediately jumped up on stage and hurriedly came over to support Wang Qi Ren.
However, Wang Qi Ren waved his hand at them, and after struggling a bit, managed to stand on his own before turning towards Qin Ze with a trace of expectation on his face.
But to his disappointment, Qin Ze shook his head and sighed, “Failed!”
Wang Qi Ren’s expression suddenly went dark, but he did not give up, cupping his fists and asking, “May I ask respected senior, how can we pass this test?”
Qin Ze could see that this question was purely driven by alchemic curiosity, so he still patiently explained, “In fact, you were just one step away from passing, but unfortunately… you fell short!”
“Junior thanks Senior for his guidance!” Wang Qi Ren wore a wry smile and thanked Qin Ze before jumping down the platform along with his family Disciples.
Once again, everyone was annihilated.
Even the young genius Alchemist Wang Qi Ren had failed to pass Grandmaster Xiao’s test. This result was completely beyond everyone’s expectations.
After Wang Qi Ren left the high platform, for quite a while, no one dared to go up on stage.
With even these great family talents having failed, no one was confident that they could make it through Grandmaster Xiao’s test, and were afraid that going up would simply be disgracing themselves.
The Medicine King’s Valley disciples from beginning to end were not impatient, all of them simply stood around waiting.
When he glanced over at Dong Qing Yan, Yang Kai found her constantly clenching and releasing her two little hands, clearly very tense, yet her face still showed an eager expression even if it was mixed with a bit of unease.
An Earth Grade Top-Rank Alchemist had just failed, could she, a Common Grade Mid-Rank succeed?
“Sometimes, missing a single opportunity will be someone’s lifelong regret!” Yang Kai faintly whispered.
Hearing this, Dong Qing Yan’s tender body trembled. Turning to look at Yang Kai, her eyes flashed a thoughtful light before immediately became resolute; inhaling a deep breath, she declared, “En!”
Yang Kai smiled and, together with Dong Qing Yan, jumped up onto the platform.
Seeing someone still dare to take the stage, a round of voices suddenly stirred below, shouting a few words of encouragement, which caused Dong Qing Yan to smile shyly.
However in the next instant, these people noticed the ornament which was pinned to her chest.
“She’s just a Common Grade Mid-Rank Alchemist…”
“Her level is so low; she’s probably just another fool.”
“Poor little girl, even if she is a fool, how will she be able to show her face after this?
…
Listening to these words, Dong Qing Yan bit down on her lip and remained silent.
The three young Medicine King’s Valley disciples, however, still smiled at her. It seems that beautiful women were able to win favour no matter where they went.
“Young lady, if you please!”
Dong Qing Yan nodded gently, took a deep breath, and walked over to the pot. Pulling out a poison pill, she glanced back once at Yang Kai, silently consulting him.
Yang Kai nodded lightly and said, “Rest assured, I’ll observe you first.”
If Dong Qing Yan failed to pass the test, he would have to immediately bring her away. There was no way he could really allow her to disgrace herself in front of this crowd.
In addition, to the Medicine King’s Valley disciples, there were only Dong Qing Yan and Yang Kai on stage now, and since Yang Kai was dressed up as her escort, the Medicine King’s Valley disciples did not immediately ask him to leave.
Dong Qing Yan took a deep breath, put the poison pill into her mouth, and nervously swallowed it before immediately sitting cross-legged and running her Secret Art to refine the pill.
Yang Kai crossed his arms and stood nearby, straight as a javelin, vigilantly observing Dong Qing Yan’s every movement.
Half a cup of tea’s time later, she showed no reaction.
A full cup of tea’s time passed, yet she still did not show any symptoms.
Yang Kai couldn’t help but squint and secretly use his Divine Sense to sweep over Dong Qing Yan. He quickly discovered that the Yuan Qi in her body was now rapidly circulating and burning away some kind of debris in her meridians.
These pieces of debris should be the toxins that had been in the poison pill.
“Hey, this girl is pretty good; she’s managed to last for this long!” Someone in the crowd below suddenly called out in surprise.
Of the few hundred or so people who had taken this test already, in addition to a few of those Alchemists cultivated by Great Families, very few people had persisted for this long, and it wasn’t like no Common Grade Alchemists had come up before. It was just that them lasting more than ten breaths was already considered good, but Dong Qing Yan’s performance now had caused everyone to sit up and take notice.
“How did she do it? She’s definitely another Alchemy genius, possibly even greater than Wang Qi Ren.”
“I know her; she’s the Dong Family’s Young Lady Dong Qing Yan!”
“What, the Dong Family’s Young Lady?”
As everyone was chattering, a ray of black gas emerged from Dong Qing Yan’s brow and quickly became thick. Immediately after, this black gas disappeared back into her body and Dong Qing Yan quickly opened her mouth and spat out a visibly black breath.
At the end of this breath, Dong Qing Yan slowly opened her big round eyes.
For the first time, Qin Ze stood up from his chair, his face bursting into a big smile, repeatedly praising, “Good, good! Finally, someone managed to pass Uncle Xiao’s test!”
[Passed?]
Hundreds of people suddenly went silent, almost unable to believe their ears.
From the beginning until now, more than three hundred Alchemists from numerous forces, hailing from all over the world had come up and taken this test. Many of them had exceptional aptitude and were considered geniuses. Even Earth Grade Top-Rank Alchemists had appeared, yet all of them had eventually failed.
But now, a Common Grade Mid-Rank Alchemist had managed to pass? What kind of profound and mysterious ability did she use to do it?
Even Dong Qing Yan was also stunned stupid, blinking her big eyes blankly while staring at Qin Ze.
Yang Kai lightly coughed and said, “Young Lady, this Senior just said you have passed the Grandmaster’s test.”
“Uh… huh?” Dong Qing Yan still seemed like she hadn’t recovered.
Qin Ze’s previously cold and solemn look had now changed to a warm and friendly smile as he once again said, “Little girl, congratulations! You have passed this test! From now on, you are my Uncle, Xiao Fu Sheng’s, disciple! Wait… this Qin should be calling you Junior Sister now!”
After this third explanation, Dong Qing Yan finally reacted.
Suddenly jumping high up into the sky, crying out and weeping with elation, her hands clutched her face as her eyes immediately became red.
This happiness had befallen her all too suddenly, and she was clearly caught unprepared.
Helplessly puttering about for a long time, unable to find any words to say, Dong Qing Yan simply continued to shed tears of joy.
Only after she carried on like this for quite some time did she managed to barely compose herself and reply, “Yan’er greets Senior Brother Qin!”
To this silly little girl, Qin Ze laughed heartily, “Junior Sister is too polite! Uncle Xiao accepting you as his disciple is a blessing for our Medicine King’s Valley.”
As these two exchanged greetings, the atmosphere between them immediately became harmonious, which caused the crowd gathered below to wear looks of pure shock.
When had any of them ever seen Qin Ze of Medicine King’s Valley acting so friendly? Every time someone found him to perform Alchemy for them, he would have an extremely ugly expression on his face, as though they all owed him something.
But now, this fellow was laughing so hard every one of his teeth was exposed.
It wasn’t like he was somehow incapable of laughing with others. It was simply that before now he had never placed anyone else in his eyes.
“Now that Junior Sister has passed Uncle Xiao’s test, you will be immediately counted as one of our Medicine King’s Valley’s disciple, if you have no other matters to settle first, you can accompany me into Medicine King’s Valley, if there is something you wish to deal with beforehand, please inform me now.” Qin Ze said as he laughed happily.
Dong Qing Yan simply nodded. About her joining Medicine King’s Valley, she obviously had to inform the Dong Family, but after things had progressed to this step, she firmly believed that her brother would no longer try to stop her.
Her becoming a Medicine King’s Valley disciple would also bring a lot of face to the Dong Family. It was quite simple actually, no matter which force it was, as long as they belonged to this world, they would desire a good relationship with Medicine King’s Valley, and now the Dong Family’s Young Lady was the Medicine King’s Valley Grandmaster Xiao’s direct disciple. It was simply an incomparable position.
“Senior Brother, Yan’er’s guardian would also like to try.” Dong Qing Yan looked towards Yang Kai and said.
“Guardian?” Qin Ze frowned, having written Yang Kai off as a simple escort before, although he did not openly show disgust, the look of disdain in his eyes was quite obvious.
“Yan’er’s guardian has been protecting her since she was just a child, so…”
Qin Ze suddenly looked at her wryly, apparently misunderstanding that his new Junior Sister had a forbidden love for this ‘guardian’ of hers.
Without digging any deeper into it, he simply nodded and said, “Since he would like to try, then so be it, in any case, there are still a lot of Uncle Xiao’s poison pills remaining.”
Having already agreed, Qin Ze casually asked, “What level of Alchemist is he?”
At this question, Dong Qing Yan blushed even harder and said, “He’s not an Alchemist…”
“Not an Alchemist?”
“…” Qin Ze’s expression suddenly turned sour, sternly objecting, “If he has never performed Alchemy before why does he want to try now? Does he looking down on Alchemy as if it’s some kind of trivial matter? My Medicine King’s Valley’s isn’t some random place that one with no heart for Alchemy can casually join. Him being able to pass this test isn’t even worth considering.”
In response, Yang Kai simply looked at him and asked, “May I ask, did Predecessor Xiao ever state that someone with no experience in Alchemy cannot participate in this disciple recruitment test?”
To this, Qin Ze laughed loudly, “Indeed, Uncle Xiao did not say as such, but since you have never learned Alchemy before now, your future achievements on this path will naturally not be anything significant. If you aren’t willing to dedicate your life to the pursuit of Alchemy then this is not a place where you belong.”
However, Yang Kai remained unfazed, lightly countering, “According to what this junior knows, Grandmaster Xiao himself was twenty-six years old when he was first exposed to Alchemy. This junior is still only seventeen this year, nearly ten years younger than Grandmaster Xiao when he began learning.”
This was something he had overheard people talking about earlier.
To this point, Qin Ze frowned, his expression quite displeased.
Suddenly, some people in the crowd below began to curse, “Who the hell do you think you are you damn brat! how dare you compare yourself with Grandmaster Xiao!”
“Grandmaster Xiao is a Heaven sent genius, he was born for the Alchemist Path, so what if he was twenty-six years old when he began practicing Alchemy, even if he had been forty or five years old it would have been the same, how could a nobody like you hope to compare with him!?”
“Enough!” Qin Ze roared furiously, immediately causing the crowd below to fall silent.
Staring silently towards Yang Kai for a long time, he eventually gave a nod, “What you have said is not without reason. Since Uncle Xiao did not set any requirements about having to have practiced Alchemy beforehand, you are indeed still qualified to take this test. Go get yourself a poison pill.”
Yang Kai also gave a nod, and while the other three young Medicine King’s Valley disciples sneered, he reached out and swallowed one of the poison pills.
Nearby, Dong Qing Yan was looking towards him nervously, but Yang Kai just smiled at her then sat down and began refining the pill.
Circulating his True Yang Secret Art, a sweltering heat began to spread out around him, causing Qin Ze’s brow to prick up as he secretly nodded.
Although he still somewhat looked down on Yang Kai, after feeling his True Qi fluctuations, he also realized that this boy was not simple. Being able to reach the True Element Boundary at such a young age, this kind of aptitude was not something an average person would possess. If he did not distract himself by trying to learn Alchemy and instead concentrated solely on the Martial Path, he would not doubt have some achievements in the future.
[Even just a trivial guardian is so powerful? The Dong Family’s background is not shallow], Qin Ze thought to himself in surprise.
As soon as the poison pill reached his stomach, Yang Kai will felt it completely dissolve and pour directly into his meridians.
It was truly something personally refined by a once-in-a-generation master, this effect was simply too fast, not to mention Yang Kai with his True Element Boundary Second Stage cultivation, even someone who had just entered the Initial Element Stage, as long as they even slightly circulated their Yuan Qi, would effortlessly be able to absorb this medicinal essence.
As the poison flowed through his meridians, it was quickly refined and incinerated by his True Yang Yuan Qi, which made it completely unable to harm him in any way.
After he had completed a few rotations of his True Qi, Yang Kai felt the last of the toxins in his body completely disintegrate, while the remaining dregs rose up to his head and gatheed into a cloud of turbid gas in his mouth.
Startled by this, Yang Kai suddenly began feeling anxious.
When Dong Qing Yan had spent only slightly more than a cup of tea worth time to pass this test, it was apparently quite surprising to Qin Ze, if he were to achieve the same results after only a few breaths of time, it would no doubt set of a great storm.
[It’s too fast!]
Considering up to this point, Yang Kai quickly held his mouth shut, refusing to spit out the black gas, and continued circulating his True Yang Secret Art as if nothing had happened.
After a stick of incense worth of time, Yang Kai, who had been quietly circulating his True Qi, began moving some of the black gas and forcing it out of his forehead.
To those observing, there was now a sliver of black gas on Yang Kai’s brow.
Qin Ze was shocked.
This was clearly the sign that the final step of the test had arrived. Of the hundreds of Alchemists who had participated before now, only Wang Qi Ren and Dong Qing Yan had managed to reach this point; the former falling short, the latter finally succeeding.
How did this mere bodyguard do it?
Only a true Alchemy genius should be able to do this!
Qin Ze suddenly became nervous as he carefully watched Yang Kai with his heart stuck in his throat. Uncle Xiao had personally told him that for this time’s test, as long as he could find even a single suitable successor, he would be completely satisfied.
Now that Dong Qing Yan had already passed, if a second person were to also succeed… wouldn’t his old Uncle cry out in joy? If Hidden Cloud Peak were to obtain more than one successor, it was not hard to imagine it flourishing in the future.
Just as Qin Ze felt like his heart might burst from the tension, the wisp of black gas between Yang Kai’s eyebrows vanished. Qin Ze immediately held his breath as he intensely focused his attention.
Successor of failure would be decided in the next moment!
As he anxiously waited for a long time, Yang Kai showed no reaction. Then suddenly Qin Ze’s eyes went round as he shockingly saw a puff of black smoke re-emerge from Yang Kai’s brow.
[What’s going on!?]
Qin Ze was completely confused. The reaction of this boy in front of him was nothing like Wang Qi Ren’s vomiting of black blood, nor was it like Dong Qing Yan successful exhalation of black smoke. [How is it that the wisp of black gas moved back and forth from his brow? This is very different from what Uncle Xiao said the situation should be.]
As he mulled over this puzzle in his heart, the black gas once again disappeared.
However, before his nerves could settle, it once again emerged.
…
Qin Ze’s heart twisted every time the black gas appeared and disappeared. This kind of situation was simply akin to torture, especially since this result was still waffling back and forth between success and failure, toying with the emotions of everyone who was watching.
After this cycle continued back and forth a dozen times, the young boy in front of him suddenly opened his mouth and spat out a turbid cloud of black gas.
As soon as he spat out this black gas, the youth’s whole body seemed like it had lost its strength, his head hanging down with a disappointed look on his face.
[The hell! You finally decided to spit it out.] Qin Ze fiercely cursed in his heart, thinking that if he had to endure this much longer his heart might not be able to bear the stress.
But… how could such a thing happen?
Qin Ze frowned, was it that this youth’s aptitude could only barely meet the standard Uncle Xiao had set, causing him to linger between success and failure? [That must be it…]
“Senior Brother Qin…” Dong Qing Yan looked hesitantly towards Qin Ze, “How did he do?”
Shaken out of his stupor by this voice, Qin Ze laughed, “En, he did alright. Although his aptitude is not nearly as high as Junior Sister’s, this can still barely be considered a pass.”
[He also passed?]
These words suddenly made the crowd below feel dizzy.
Before now, so many people had gone up on the platform, but not a single one had been successful. Even Wang Qi Ren had failed and wound up vomiting a mouthful of black blood, but now a Common Grade Mid-Rank Alchemist passed. Although this rank of Alchemist was quite low, in the end she was still the Dong Family’s Young Lady. The Dong Family was by no means a small force, so them being able to cultivate such a talent was acceptable to most.
But her guardian passing as well?
This guy was just the Dong Family Young Lady’s attendant; such a person had also managed to succeed?
“Senior Qin, that little brat must have cheated somehow.” Some people began to clamour.
“That’s right Senior Qin, this bastard has never even performed Alchemy before. A completely unranked Alchemist, how could he have passed Grandmaster Xiao’s test?
“He must have used some underhanded means to do this, I am not satisfied!”
…
Qin Ze’s smiling face immediately cramped up as a dangerous light flashed across his eyes, so glaring towards the crowd gathered below he coldly snorted, “This is my Uncle Xiao’s personally refined poison pill! No one- I repeat- no one can avoid its effects. Even if it was an Immortal Ascension Boundary Master who had taken this pill. Without an appropriate aptitude for Alchemy, he would still be unable to bear it. If you are not satisfied, you can try it yourself, but those who dare question the results are slandering my Medicine King’s Valley and slandering my Uncle Xiao!”
As these words echoed throughout the plaza, the crowd fell silent.
“Fuck, a no-name servant who can’t even perform Alchemy managed to pass. I don’t believe it!” One of the Alchemists in the crowd gnashed his teeth and jumped up onto the platform.
Many others soon followed behind him.
A moment later, a large group of people were poisoned…
The giant medicine pot contained at least five or six hundred poison pills, but by noon all of them had been taken. However, in the end, only Dong Qing Yan and Yang Kai managed to pass the test.
There were many people who obtained the same result as Wang Qi Ren, managing to arrive at the final step but ultimately falling short. Each of them helplessly let out a sigh of regret.
It was clear to everyone now that Grandmaster Xiao had issued such a difficult test this time not to recruit disciples but to find a suitable successor.
At the end of the test, Qin Ze came over with a smile on his face, “Junior Brother, Junior Sister, would you like to go to Hidden Cloud Peak now? If Uncle Xiao were to learn that two people managed to pass his test, he will certainly be very pleased.”
Yang Kai remained silent and indifferent. His face was completely unchanged. His identity right now was that of a simple escort, so naturally he had no right to decide such matters.
Dong Qing Yan, on the other hand, smiled and said, “I’d like to first go talk with my brother.”
“Good, I’ll come with you. After you say your goodbyes, then we will proceed to Hidden Cloud Peak!”
Clearly he could not wait to bring them into Medicine King’s Valley.
On the third floor of the Dong Family Medicine Store, Dong Qing Han’s pudgy face was plastered with an awkward smile. News of Dong Qing Yan having passed Grandmaster Xiao’s disciple recruitment test had long since reached his ear.
Although he knew that his sister had been obsessed with Alchemy since she was a child, he had never dreamed she would be able to accomplish such a feat.
Worshipping Xiao Fu Sheng as her master! This was a wondrous opportunity that no one would refuse. But in the end, she was still just a little girl, and from the moment she was born she had grown up spoiled. Now, suddenly changing to a strange new environment, as her brother, he was worried about if she would be able to handle it or not.
However, the ship had sailed, so unless the Dong Family was willing to completely offend and break off all ties with Medicine King’s Valley, they would never even dream of trying to snatch Dong Qing Yan back from them.
The Dong Family severing relations with Medicine King’s Valley was clearly impossible.
As he smiled wryly again and again, the Wind and Cloud Dual Guard’s suddenly whispered, “Along with the Young Lady and Young Master Yang, another man is accompanying them, and he should be a steward of Medicine King’s Valley.”
Dong Qing Han was startled by this news and quickly got up, “Come with me!”
But before he could reach the door, the sound of footsteps on the stairs reached his ear.
Upon opening the door, he saw Dong Qing Yan break into a dash, nearly jumping up the stairs towards him.
“Big Brother, Big Brother, I did it!” Dong Qing Yan simply couldn’t wait to tell Dong Qing Han this good news.
Dong Qing Han however stretched out his hand and knocked on her head, swiftly reprimanding her, “What “I did it”! Something this important, yet you didn’t even discuss it with me in advance!”
Dong Qing Yan clutched her little head, but kept smiling, apparently not fazed in the slightest by this scolding.
Just as Dong Qing Han was about to continue, Qin Ze who had been following behind lightly coughed.
Hearing this, Dong Qing Han turned around and hurriedly cupped his fists, “This Junior greets Senior Qin!”
“En.” Qin Ze faintly nod before frowning slightly, “Young Master Dong, since your younger sister has passed this test, she is now a disciple of my Medicine King’s Valley, my Uncle Xiao’s Apprentice, and this Qin’s Junior Sister, although she is still a member of your Dong Family, you are no longer allowed to arbitrarily hit her!”
Dong Qing Han was stunned.
Qin Ze reluctantly continued to explain his reprimand, “Alchemy is a distinguished profession, and different from you fist throwing sword wielding bunch, their minds are important, do you understand? How would you compensate this world if you damaged her brain by striking her? Junior Sister Yan is an Alchemy genius, if her aptitude was in any way affected, do you think you could bear responsibility for such a loss? Could you bear my Uncle Xiao’s anger? Could your Dong Family bear my Medicine King’s Valley’s wrath?”
After being verbally beaten over the head like this, the once proud Young Master Dong could only lower his head like a whipped dog and desperately hold his tongue.
Qin Ze snorted and continued, “You just called me Senior, and Yan’er is now this Qin’s Junior Sister, so she is now also of higher seniority than you. How can you raise your hand against your senior… do you not even understand something so simple? Hm?”
This time, Dong Qing Han was completely dumbfounded, desperate to cry but unable to shed any tears.
[I was simply paying you the appropriate respect yet you didn’t even acknowledge me with a single word. I know you Medicine King’s Valley people are all important enough to justify your arrogance but… she is still my little sister! How can I not even be allowed to teach her a lesson? Not to mention that ridiculous justification you spouted.]
[On top of that, she had not officially worshipped into Medicine King’s Valley, if you really want to use your Medicine King’s Valley’s authority to justify your words, I’m afraid you’ll be in for some trouble!]
But although Dong Qing Han was extremely depressed over this, in his heart he was still quite happy with someone as prestigious as Qin Ze shielding his sister like so. Once she officially entered Medicine King’s Valley, she should not need to endure such bitterness.
“This Junior knows his wrong!” Dong Qing Han obediently admitted.
Qin Ze faintly nodded, “Good, I see Young Master Dong is not brainless; being able to admit one’s wrongs is a good thing.”
Hearing these words, Dong Qing Han’s fat face managed to squeeze out a stiff awkward smile. His expression was more ugly than if he had simply broken down and cried.
Ignoring him, Qin Ze turned and looked at Dong Qing Yan, “Junior Sister, please finish up your discussions with Young Master Dong as soon as possible, I’ll wait for you downstairs.”
Finished speaking, he went straight downstairs.
The only reason he had taken this little trip was to accompany Dong Qing Yan.
Once Qin Ze left, Dong Qing Han ground his teeth and glared at his little sister, “Well aren’t you a big deal, should I be calling you Senior Dong now!?”
“Hee hee…” Dong Qing Yan smiled sheepishly walked up, shook her brother’s arm, and softly asked, “About Daddy’s side…”
Dong Qing Han could only helplessly shake his head, “I’ll tell him, I don’t believe he will try to stop you.”
“En en, Daddy will definitely be proud of me.” Dong Qing Yan quickly nodded, suddenly putting down the boulder from her heart.
Turning to look at Yang Kai, Dong Qing Han whispered, “Once you’ve entered Medicine King’s Valley be extremely careful, and whatever happens, don’t even think of getting Yan’er involved!”
Of course he was referring to the matter of the Pill Saint’s Peak.
“I have a sense of proportion.” Yang Kai solemnly said.
Half an hour later, Yang Kai and Dong Qing Yan came downstairs.
Down below, Qin Ze and the three Medicine King’s Valley disciples had grown increasingly impatient, so once they saw them it was like someone had lit a fire under their asses.
Amongst Medicine King’s Valley’s Twelve Peaks, Hidden Cloud Peak was situated very close to the centre, only separated from the Pill Saint’s Peak by two small hills.
As one approached it and looked up, a rugged mountain path surrounded by lush green forests that led to the top of the peak was vaguely visible. The entire scene was extremely beautiful.
At the foot of the mountain, there was a stone upon which the three characters “Hidden Cloud Peak” were inscribed, giving off a vigorous and powerful air.
At the lower right corner of this monument, there was also an additional line of blood red characters.
When Yang Kai saw this small line of words, he couldn’t help but be slightly taken aback, “Trespassers will die!”
This line of brilliant red characters highlighted Medicine King’s Valley’s high-handed and extraordinary courage.
Only the people of Medicine King’s Valley would dare engrave such an overbearing declaration upon the entrance to their home.
Passing by the unguarded base of this mountain, Qin Ze led the crowd steadily upwards.
Dong Qing Yan and Qin Ze walked side by side, followed by three Medicine King’s Valley disciples with Yang Kai bringing up the rear.
The three young Medicine King’s Valley disciples gazed towards Dong Qing Yan with looks of envy, worship and even love; however, they still looked upon Yang Kai with disdain and were even too lazy to exchange a single word with him.
Alchemists were a group of unsociable and arrogant people. All of them had eyes on top of their heads.
Medicine King’s Valley Alchemists were also so!
Dong Qing Yan had an extraordinary background and was also a natural beauty, so obviously they would concern themselves with her. Yang Kai, on the other hand, although he had also passed Grandmaster Xiao’s test and had the qualifications to worship into Hidden Cloud Peak, in essence, he was still just an ordinary servant possessing low status. How could they degrade themselves by speaking to such a nobody?
Since there was no one to speak with, Yang Kai was also quite bored and chose to secretly observe his surroundings as they walked instead.
Dong Qing Yan, in contrast, was just like a newborn sparrow. Since arriving at the foot of the rugged mountain path, she had been twittering about non-stop. She was about to enter the centre of her heart’s holy land and worship a great senior expert as her master, of course she would be feeling expectant and tense.
Qin Ze was composed as usual, remaining silent most of the time, but when asked a question by Dong Qing Yan, he would still carefully explain things to her, not showing any signs of impatience.
Listening to the conversation between the two of them, Yang Kai also learned some things.
Xiao Fu Sheng had been the only Alchemist since several decades ago to inhabit Hidden Cloud Peak. In addition to him, there were only his two dedicated maidservants, and not a single other person lived there.
Additionally, these two maids were not cultivators but instead just ordinary people.
Xiao Fu Sheng was obsessed with Alchemy, had never married, and had never taken any disciples until this year, when he suddenly changed his mind and decided to recruit a successor.
This had led to today’s test.
“Why did Grandmaster suddenly change his mind?” Dong Qing Yan asked curiously.
Qin Ze’s expression went dim, and he did not immediately answer as he pondered for a moment before saying, “About Uncle Xiao’s thoughts, I dare not presume to speculate. This is something you should ask him about yourself.”
“Oh.”
The first half of the journey up Hidden Cloud Peak was not surprising. The sights were filled with rugged rocks and mountain forest. There were also some wild animals that came and went, such as rabbits and deer, but nothing dangerous of course.
But upon entering the upper half it was like stepping off the Earth and entering the Heavens. Rich World Energy swirled about, causing one to feel relaxed and happy. The mountain side was also dotted with exotic flowers that spread out as far as the eye could see, swaying gently in the wind; a dazzling sight to behold.
“So many herbs scattered about, does no one secretly come to pick them?” All the way up, Dong Qing Yan hadn’t seen a single person guarding this mountain, so she couldn’t help being curious.
“Who would dare?” Qin Ze coldly snorted, “Anyone who dares steal from Medicine King’s Valley will soon find themselves without their head!”
From this casual mention of murder, Dong Qing Yan could only stick out her tongue.
The herbs randomly growing upon the mountain were certainly not expensive things. Offending Medicine King’s Valley just for these was clearly not worth it.
Half an hour later, everyone arrived at the mountain’s peak. At the top, there was a row of houses. Their number was small, probably only seven or eight, of which more than half of them were newly built.
These should be the residences Xiao Fu Sheng had prepared for his disciple.
At this point, Qin Ze stopped and turned to the three young Medicine King’s Valley disciples, “You three wait here.”
Immediately, the three of them showed big grinning faces and begged, “Uncle Qin, please also allow us to go in?”
“What do you want to do there,” Qin Ze questioned unhappily.
One of the three with a look of longing on his face quickly replied, “Since we entered Medicine King’s Valley until now, we have only been able to pay our respects to Predecessor Xiao from afar, now that we are here… well…”
Qin Ze frowned for a moment before nodding, “Very well, but you are not to speak, Uncle Xiao does not like it when people disturb his home’s tranquility.”
“Yes, we promise we will not speak.” The three disciples immediately agreed.
Observing from the side, Yang Kai found that these three people looked incredibly happy and had traces of awe in their expressions, even Qin Ze also had a smile upon his face.
It seems that Xiao Fu Sheng’s position within every Alchemist’s heart far exceeded what he had imagined.
Even the disciples of Medicine King’s Valley were thrilled simply being able to meet him.
Under Qin Ze’s leadership, the group walked straight towards the row of houses.
But before they had gone far, two women emerged to receive them. These two women were great beauties. Their figures were outstanding, and their faces were charming. Both of them revealed warm yet modest smiles as they glanced towards these visitors.
These two beauties women at first glance appeared to be around twenty-five or twenty-six years old.
But in reality, they were both past forty.
This was well known because as early as twenty-five years ago,they had come to Hidden Cloud Peak to serve Xiao Fu Sheng, and twenty five years ago they were both around sixteen seventeen years old.
These two beautiful women were not cultivators but ordinary people, yet they had been able to maintain their youth and charm even more so than most cultivators their age, and all of this was thanks to Xiao Fu Sheng’s methods.
Seeing these two beautiful women approach, Qin Ze quickly cupped his fists, not daring to show the slightest disrespect and politely said, “My two ladies, please inform Uncle Xiao that the people he requested have been brought over.”
“There are two of them?” One of them beautiful pair, wearing a long white dress, looked at Dong Qing Yan and Yang Kai.
“Disciple greets these Elders!” Dong Qing Yan also understood proper etiquette, and together with Yang Kai quickly paid her respects.
The beautiful woman simply chuckled, “You may call me Aunty Xiang, this is Aunty Lan.”
Dong Qing Yan giggled happily and once again saluted these two.
Aunty Xiang nodded and said, “You do not have to be so anxious here, just treat this place like your own home. From now on both of you will be living here for a quite some time, if you are too cautious it will be uncomfortable for both you and us.
The other beautiful woman, Aunty Lan, also laughed and said, “When we first came to Hidden Cloud Peak, we were nearly the same age as you two, yet in a flash over twenty years passed.”
Seeing these two behaving so cordially, Dong Qing Yan’s tensed nerves gradually relaxed.
“Two mistresses, is Uncle…” Qin Ze patiently waited for their greetings to finish before respectfully inquiring.
“Master is currently practicing Alchemy, but the news from the Valley Town has long since been passed back here, so the four of you may leave. Once master finishes refining his furnace of pills, he will meet with them.”
Upon hearing this, not just the three young Medicine King’s Valley disciples looked sad, even Qin Ze appeared slightly disappointed.
“Then I shall leave things here to you!” Qin Ze quickly adjusted his expression, cupped his fists and led the three Medicine King’s Valley disciples back down the mountain.
When they left, the two women ushered Yang Kai and Dong Qing Yan in, smiling as they helped arrange their accommodations.
For many years, Hidden Cloud Peak was only inhabited by Xiao Fu Sheng and the two of them. Xiao Fu Sheng was often in retreat to perform Alchemy, spending ten or more days without even showing his shadow, so the two women had only had each other for companionship. Now that Yang Kai and Dong Qing Yan had come, they were naturally quite happy.
Hidden Cloud Peak was not like other Medicine King’s Valley peaks. There was nothing to pay attention to, and very, few if any restrictions. Everything was very free and relaxed.
Once they were done arranging Yang Kai and Dong Qing Yan’s accommodations, the two beauties left them alone to get adjusted.
After three days on Hidden Cloud Peak, Xiao Fu Sheng still had not shown up, and only the two women would often come see Yang Kai and Dong Qing Yan to carefully attend to their needs.
Three more days later, just as Dong Qing Yan was chattering, wondering when Xiao Fu Sheng would exit his retreat, a surge of World Energy fluctuations suddenly erupted not far away.
Yang Kai’s expression slightly changed as he and Dong Qing Yan exchanged a look and quickly rushed outdoors.
The two beautiful women had also come out and were patiently gazing towards a certain room.
Of course, it was the residence of Xiao Fu Sheng.
After a few breaths of time, the door opened and an all white haired white bearded old man of about 60 years of age emerged from inside the house. His face was calm and dignified, yet at the moment seemed to have a few additional wrinkles. In his hand was holding a golden yellow pill, which he rolled around in his fingers as he stepped forward and frowned.
Dong Qing Yan suddenly tensed up.
A great figure that she had long since idolized was now standing before her eyes. Her feelings were easy to imagine.
Yang Kai also carefully observed this legendary Alchemist and was surprised to find that his whole body did not emit the slightest traces of Yuan Qi fluctuations, like he was just an ordinary old man you could find anywhere.
But Xiao Fu Sheng was definitely not an ordinary person. At the very least, he was an Immortal Ascension Boundary master.
Yang Kai couldn’t help being impressed. Being able to converge one’s aura to such a level, this Xiao Fu Sheng was not simple!
“There’s no Pill Veins, no Pill Veins… without Pill Veins it’s useless.” Xiao Fu Sheng’s face showed a trace of disappointment as he mumbled about something several times in-between long sighs.
Yang Kai skimmed the pill in his hand and found that it was releasing a rich aura. Even from several tens of meters away he could clearly smell its fragrance. The whole body was perfectly rounded, and its colour was flawless. It was clearly a good Heaven Grade or higher pill.
But in Xiao Fu Sheng’s eyes this pill was now completely worthless.
“Master,” the two beautiful women greeted him as Aunty Xiang whispered, “The two juniors you were expecting have come.”
“Hm?” Xiao Fu Sheng suddenly woke from his stupor, readily throwing the pill in his hands to one of the beautiful women, then he turned and looked towards Yang Kai and Dong Qing Yan.
“En. Very good, very good!” After walking around Dong Qing Yan a few times, Xiao Fu Sheng happily said.
At this time, Dong Qing Yan did her best to maintain a serious expression, not daring to move in the slightest.
Next, after circling Yang Kai a few times, Xiao Fu Sheng suddenly frowned, “You are also very good, but your murderous aura is too dense!”
Yang Kai was secretly surprised.
Carefully examining the two, Xiao Fu Sheng then asked, “Young ones, stretch out your hands.”
As instructed, Yang Kai and Dong Qing Yan both held out their hands and Xiao Fu Sheng quickly gripped their wrists. Checking something for a long time, the old man’s face filled with a meaningful smile and a light flashed across his eyes, as he looked directly at Yang Kai and declared, “You faked your test results!”
Yang Kai was surprised for a moment but then immediately praised, “Predecessor’s insight is impressive.”
Dong Qing Yan on the other hand was dumbstruck but then quickly tried to defended Yang Kai, “He didn’t cheat, he took the poison pill in front of everyone and then forced out the black gas, how could he have faked his results?”
But Xiao Fu Sheng simply smiled and continued, “I’m not saying that his aptitude isn’t good enough, on the contrary, his aptitude is probably better than yours, but he deliberately delayed forcing out the black gas. Apparently he did not want to draw too much attention to himself.”
“Ah!” Dong Qing Yan was once again shocked.
Even the two beautiful women’s eyes showed a touch of wonder as they looked towards Yang Kai in surprise.
A grin emerged on Yang Kai’s face as he inquired, “How did Predecessor find out?”
Xiao Fu Sheng chuckled as he stroked his beard, “I designed the test; how could I not find out?”
From Xiao Fu Sheng’s simple explanation, Yang Kai immediately understood that the poison pill must have had some kind of hidden trick.
The method of refining those poison pills was not complicated. Even the required materials were not expensive, otherwise there would not be so many of them.
But the greatest effect of the poison pill was to test a person’s Yuan Qi purity.
Alchemists were also cultivators. Their bodies all contained Yuan Qi, but this group of people had set Alchemy as their main focus, and increasing their cultivation and strength was only a means to improve their Alchemic abilities.
After swallowing the poison pill, if one’s Yuan Qi was pure enough, they could completely refine and eliminate the toxins from their body, otherwise they would fail.
The purity of one’s Yuan Qi’s was related to many things, a cultivator Secret Art, Martial Skills, the pills they had consumed, their physique. All kinds of factors played a role.
Those Alchemists who had attempted this test, although Alchemy was their profession, because of various different experiences, their Yuan Qis had become impure, so they had not passed Xiao Fu Sheng’s test.
Since he began cultivating until now, Yang Kai had only ever used a single Secret Art, the True Yang Secret Art, so it was not surprising that the purity of his True Qi could meet Xiao Fu Sheng’s requirements.
Dong Qing Yan’s situation was similar, she had been cultivating a fire attribute Secret Art specifically chosen for her by the Dong Family and had now reached a cultivation of Peak Separation and Reunion Boundary. In order to prepare for her promotion to the True Element Boundary, the Dong Family had used a lot of Precious Treasures on her, so it was natural that her Yuan Qi would be pure.
Xiao Fu Sheng wore a wry smile and continued, “In fact, this Old Master’s poison pill was designed specifically so that 99% of all Alchemists would be unable to pass the test because they have not paid enough attention to their cultivation and the purity of their Yuan Qi. While they are refining pills, many Alchemists have to personally sample their creations, causing various medicinal effects to build up inside their bodies, eventually leading to their Yuan Qi becoming impure. But it might be a different story for those gifted talents who cultivate fire or yang attribute Secret Arts.
Yang Kai suddenly understood; no wonder the time it took to resolve the poison pill was even shorter than Dong Qing Yan’s, it was because of such a reason.
But of those who came to participate in Xiao Fu Sheng’s disciple recruitment test, who was not an Alchemist? Only cultivators like Yang Kai, who had ulterior motives, would even bother.
Clearly, Xiao Fu Sheng had some kind of difficulties with his successor already being an accomplished Alchemist.
Dong Qing Yan being able to successfully pass this test was likely due to the Dong Family not supporting her study of Alchemy. If she had grown up learning the Alchemic Path, this test would likely have ended in disappointment for her.
“About the Alchemic Path, many people are wrong, even this Old Master is wrong!” Xiao Fu Sheng let out a deep sigh, his voice mixed with loneliness and regret.
Yang Kai frowned suddenly and thoughtfully said, “Grandmaster, if what you said is true, wouldn’t it be better for you to find a child with the appropriate aptitude and train them starting from a young age?”
“A child…” Xiao Fu Sheng shook his head and smiled wryly, “This Old Master cannot wait that long.”
Yang Kai’s brow twitched as he looked towards Grandmaster Xiao with surprise.
The two beautiful women wore a look of sadness but remained silent.
Dong Qing Yan went pale, and hesitantly asked, “Grandmaster, you…”
Xiao Fu Sheng suddenly let out a chuckle, his expression carefree, “Well, it’s nothing serious. I’ll live a few more years yet, but in this lifetime I fear I will not be able to break through the Mysterious Grade Top-Rank and see just what kind of level lies beyond that.”
As he spoke, one could hear the longing and regret in his voice.
Shaking off this gloomy atmosphere, Grandmaster Xiao suddenly said high spiritedly, “Although I may be unable to accomplish this, I want to cultivate a Spirit Grade Alchemists who will one day break free of this world’s shackles. So I will be counting on the two of you!”
It was for this reason that Xiao Fu Sheng had suddenly decided to find a successor. His entire life had been dedicated to Alchemy, yet he had always been unable to ascend to the Spirit Grade, so how could he not have regrets?
However, in this world, he had an unparalleled understanding of Alchemy and also his own experiences on the Alchemic Way, so he was convinced that he could train a disciple who would no doubt one day surpass him!
Realizing Xiao Fu Sheng’s passion and determination, Yang Kai struggled for a moment before saying, “Predecessor Xiao, please forgive me, the reason this Junior came to Hidden Cloud Peak, in fact, was not to learn Alchemy.”
Xiao Fu Sheng wrinkled his brow at these words as he looked towards Yang Kai.
“My goal is to rise to the Martial Peak; if I were to try to study Alchemy as well, I’m afraid it would just be a distraction.” Yang Kai confessed with full sincerity. Him coming to Hidden Cloud Peak was only because he wanted to get close to the Pill Saint’s Peak.
Seeing Xiao Fu Sheng speak completely openly with them, Yang Kai did not want to deceive him. He certainly wouldn’t talk about wanting to sneak into the Pill Saint’s Peak, but he also could not learn Alchemy here, otherwise he would likely not be able to come and go freely.
Hearing his confession, the two beauties couldn’t help frowning as they directed slightly unhappy gazes towards Yang Kai.
However, Xiao Fu Sheng only smiled meaningfully and said, “Who says an Alchemist cannot stand at the Martial Peak?”
Yang Kai was suddenly shaken and fell into deep thought.
His first meeting with Xiao Fu Sheng had left a very deep impression on Yang Kai. Although he already had one foot into the grave, his fierce passion and his mentality of wanting to challenge just how high the Heavens were was something even many young people did not have.
In the end, Grandmaster Xiao did not let Yang Kai and Dong Qing Yan immediately worship him as their master and instead asked them to live on Hidden Cloud Peak for a time.
For the next few days, the number of times Xiao Fu Sheng appeared was quite small, but when he did, Dong Qing Yan adhered to the attitude of a disciple meeting her master while Yang Kai would only call him as Old Xiao.
Although the two beautiful women were not very pleased with Yang Kai’s attitude and tone that day, both of them had excellent self-restraint and did not make things difficult for him, still smiling each day as they greeted him and taking meticulous care of his everyday needs while he was on Hidden Cloud Peak.
After spending a number of days like this, Xiao Fu Sheng called Yang Kai and Dong Qing Yan to his house.
As they stood in front of Old Xiao, Yang Kai remained indifferent while Dong Qing Yan couldn’t help fidgeting a bit.
Xiao Fu Sheng faintly smiled and nodded repeatedly, “These days I did not teach you anything but was instead observing your characters. Although it takes time to see through people’s true nature, but this old master for better or worse has lived for many years and seen many people. Yan’er, you have a kind heart, much unlike many of the spoiled young ladies born into great families. If you inherit this old master’s mantle, I believe that in the future you will not commit any deeds unworthy of my name. If you are willing to, this Old Man will take you as his disciple.”
“Disciple is willing!” Dong Qing Yan hurriedly replied, her face filled with joy.
Xiao Fu Sheng nodded and then looked towards Yang Kai, “You on the other hand are a different story. Although you are young, you have suffered and endured much which has caused you to mature much faster than those of your generation. Your True Qi has been forged into a sharp sword along with your will, something that can only be achieved through taking many lives. But though your methods are decisive and ruthless, you are not someone who would slaughter the innocent!”
Yang Kai nodded silently, not trying to refute.
As people age, their eyes truly became sharp.
“You and Yan’er pursue different paths, so even though your aptitude is better than Yan’er’s, I will not insist and will instead allow you to make your own way. As such I will not take you as a disciple or teach you Alchemy.”
“Master!” Dong Qing Yan exclaimed, thinking her new master was going to expel him.
However, Xiao Fu Sheng waved his hand to stop her and smiled, “But… since you passed this old man’s test, it can be considered fate that you are here, so I will instead pass some other things to you and allow you to remain with Yan’er for the time being on Hidden Cloud Peak”.
“Thank you, Old Xiao!” Yang Kai couldn’t help feeling relieved. If Xiao Fu Sheng really wanted force him out, there would be very little he could do, so now that he knew he could stay on Hidden Cloud Peak, it was only natural for his nerves to relax.
This way, there were no longer any burdens holding him backs.
“This is a copy of a special Secret Art. The two of you take this and study it, but remember you can only cultivate it for an hour every day.” Xiao Fu Sheng handed both of them a set of exercises then close your eyes.
After accepting this Secret Art, Yang Kai and Dong Qing Yan both left the house.
Half a day later, the two of them had familiarized themselves with this Secret Art and each had gone back to their respective houses to cultivate.
Yang Kai did not know what kind of Secret Art this was. It had no name, and its circulation path was quite strange. However, one fact was clear, it required one to simultaneously utilize 108 of the body’s meridians, a staggering number.
Yang Kai and Old Demon had gone over it together for a long time, but even with Old Demon’s profound knowledge, he could not decipher what role this Secret Art served, and was only able to determine that it was harmless to cultivate.
Xiao Fu Sheng did not have much time left, and now that he had finally received Dong Qing Yan as his disciple, naturally he wouldn’t try to harm her.
Thinking so, Yang Kai sat cross-legged on his bed, adjusted his breathing, and began to cultivate this unknown Secret Art.
Time rush by and in the blink of an eye an entire month had passed.
During this month, Yang Kai rarely had a moment of leisure. Each day he woke up early in the morning to greet the rising sun and cultivate his Unyielding Golden Skeleton’s Tempered Body Record.
After this he would focus on his own cultivation.
This caused each day to pass by very quickly.
During this time, Yang Kai repeatedly inquired about the Pill Saint Peak’s situation, but with no suitable reason and excuse to approach, he would often be shooed away before even getting close, leaving him feeling slightly helpless.
On the plus side, the two beautiful women on Hidden Cloud Peak were very good to Yang Kai. Every day they cooked delicious foods containing many medicinal benefits for both him and Dong Qing Yan. Their cooking techniques were truly superb. Even with simple materials, they were always able to prepare delectable dishes.
Dong Qing Yan’s feelings towards these two beautiful women also greatly increased over the past month. After all, they were all women, so they naturally felt comfortable around one another.
After one month of this bitter work, Yang Kai’s strength and cultivation did not grow much. The unknown Secret Art he was told to cultivate did not increase his True Qi at all, and there also didn’t seem to be any other effects. However, just as Xiao Fu Sheng had said, once he tried circulating this Secret Art for more than an hour, he would feel his True Qi suddenly become like boiling water, causing piercing pain all over his body.
Exactly one day after this first month, as Yang Kai and Dong Qing Yan were eating breakfast, the two beautiful women hand them each a large basket.
“Aunty Xiang, what is this for?” Dong Qing Yan asked with a puzzled face as she reflexively accepted the medicine baskets and passed one to Yang Kai.
Aunty Xiang laughed, “Master has assigned a task to you two.”
“Really!?” Dong Qing Yan was very excited. All this time she had been here she had done nothing but cultivate, and Xiao Fu Sheng had not taught her a single bit of Alchemy, so she had been quite depressed.
The entire reason she had wanted to enter under an apprenticeship in Hidden Cloud Peak was to study Alchemy, but until now she hadn’t even seen the shadow of a pill, so she couldn’t help feeling uneasy, but now that her master had given her a task, naturally she couldn’t wait to put forward her best performance to gain her master’s approval and then take the opportunity to ask her own questions about Alchemy.
“What kind of task?” Yang Kai asked lightly.
“Master would like you to gather some herbs.” Aunty Xiang smiled and quickly listed the names of the herbs they were to collect while also describing their habitats and characteristics.
Yang Kai and Dong Qing Yan both carefully remembered all of this information before lifting their baskets and leaving their residence.
Medicine King’s Valley, Hidden Cloud Peak, halfway up the mountain, Yang Kai and Dong Qing Yan, both carrying a medicine basket, searched around the forest looking for herbs.
This task that Old Xiao had given them was not difficult to complete. The herbs they needed to find where nothing rare and could be found growing in the wild quite easily.
The only reason they did not immediately finish was that the required age of each herb was quite high.
For each one, they needed to be at least thirty years old.
The two of them scoured the mountain for most of the afternoon, yet they still couldn’t find a few of the herbs they were searching for.
“Aunty Xiang said that for the Iron Bone Grass, ten stalks would be enough.” Dong Qing Yan cracked her fingers, her brow wrinkling slightly, “Cousin, we’re still missing one.”
Yang Kai looked around him at the forest and also frowned, “I’m afraid Hidden Cloud Peak doesn’t have any more of these herbs, we should probably go to other places to search.”
Dong Qing Yan glanced towards him and giggled, “You mean… Pill Saint’s Peak perhaps?
Yang Kai glanced back at her.
And so, the two of them, reaching a tacit understanding, began walking towards Pill Saint’s Peak.
Pill Saint’s Peak was the ultimate forbidden zone in Medicine King’s Valley, Common Disciples could not even approach to within three thousand meters of its summit; however, the region below three thousand meters was still accessible.
With their objective set, the two of them proceeded towards Pill Saint’s Peak.
“We should split up to search.” Yang Kai said as he lightly coughed.
“En.” Dong Qing Yan nodded and laughed, she clearly knew what Yang Kai wanted and naturally wouldn’t bring it up, instead simply saying, “Be careful out there.”
“I know.”
Carrying his basket, Yang Kai strode slowly towards Pill Saint’s Peak while casually looking for Iron Bone Grass and secretly observed his surroundings for any signs of movement.
Half an hour later, as Yang Kai meandered back and forth, he ‘unintentionally’ found himself only a thousand meters away from Pill Saint’s Peak.
Quietly, he looked up, Yang Kai was surprised to find a great stone statue standing at the top of Pill Saint’s Peak. Obviously, this statue was of the Pill Saint himself.
This stone statue was at least a hundred meters tall, a magnificent work of art. Even separated by a thousand meters, Yang Kai could still clearly see its top half.
The stone was worn here and there, yet after all these many years, enduring wind and rain, it was still proudly standing.
Yang Kai wanted to release his Divine Sense in order to get a better look, but he hesitated.
Although he could not see anyone right now, there was no doubt a master guarding the peak.
“Old Demon, can you sneak in and check what the situation is like?” Yang Kai asked.
“If there is an Immortal Ascension master up there, Old Servant would have no hope of escaping.” Old Demon responded.
Right now, his strength was still not too high, so he simply couldn’t hide his own Devil Qi. On top of that, his appearance was too obvious. Appearing as his Soul Breaker Awl shrouded in black gas, there was no way he could hide from an Immortal Ascension Boundary master’s eyes and Divine Sense.
Was there really no way? He had stayed on Hidden Cloud Peak for more than a month, yet he was not even clear about what mystery he had been sent here to discover.
“You there!” Just as Yang Kai expression was turning bitter, a thundering voice angrily called out from above him.
In the next instant, a man flew down from the summit, landed directly in front of Yang Kai and glared at him coldly.
This person was definitely a master at the Immortal Ascension Boundary, and his strength was not low. Although most of the disciples in Medicine King’s Valley were Alchemists, there were also a number of masters who were responsible for fighting and defense.
“What peak are you a disciple of? Don’t you know that no one is allowed within three thousand meters of Pill Saint’s Peak?” The man roared, his expression filled with anger.
Yang Kai frowned as his thoughts swirled.
“Who is your master? Did he not tell you what the consequences of approaching Pill Saint’s Peak were?”
Yang Kai eventually had no choice but to reply, “Disciple greets Senior, this Junior belongs to Old Xiao’s Hidden Cloud Peak and was sent here today to pick herbs.”
“Grandmaster Xiao?” The man looked surprised for a moment before suddenly realizing, “You are the young boy who a month ago worshiped into Hidden Cloud Peak?”
“I am the one!”
The man examined Yang Kai up and down cautiously, using his Divine Sense to sweep over him once before retracting it.
Finishing this, the icy cold look in his eyes slowly faded.
Yang Kai quickly followed up, “This Junior was only looking for herbs and unintentionally wandered too close, I hope that Senior can please forgive me.”
The man nodded before saying, “If you were any other disciple, although you would not be killed on the spot, you definitely wouldn’t be able to avoid some punishment! But seeing as you have only recently joined Medicine King’s Valley I will forgive you just this once. Do not let it happen again!”
Helpless, Yang Kai could only retreat.
It wasn’t until confirming that Yang Kai left that the man soared back up to Pill Saint’s Peak’s top and resumed his watch.
Now far away, Yang Kai looked back once more.
Confirming there really was an Immortal Ascension Boundary master on guard, how could he be feeling good? If there was a way to get close to the Myriad Drug Pond, then maybe he could have glimpsed what mysteries it hid, but now that he couldn’t even approach the mountain’s summit, there was no way for him to learn anything.
With a depressed expression upon his face, Yang Kai walked back when from afar came the sound of Dong Qing Yan arguing with someone. He quickly increased his pace, and a moment later the voices became clear.
“I discovered this stalk of Iron Bone Grass first, how can you just lay claim to it like that?” Dong Qing Yan said in a wronged tone.
Another person’s voice shot back, “Junior Sister must be joking, this herb is the property of my Medicine King’s Valley. Naturally it is first come, first serve. Moreover, if we go by the logic of what Junior Sister has just said, then all the herbs here should be ours since we discovered them first, we have lived here since childhood after all.”
“Who is your Junior Sister?” Dong Qing Yan angrily said, “I am Grandmaster Xiao’s disciple; according to seniority, all of you have to call me senior!”
*Keke…* When Dong Qing Yan shouted these words, the three young Medicine King’s Valley disciples she was arguing with had their expressions turn bitter as they were unable to refute.
Xiao Fu Sheng was quite old, so even though Dong Qing Yan was very young, she technically belonged to a higher generation than most of the Medicine King’s Valley disciples her age, and instead was closer to being sister disciples with the likes of Qin Ze, so naturally these young people were a generation below her.
“What is it? Do you little nephews want to snatch the things your Aunty fancies? Hm?” Dong Qing Yan triumphantly snorted.
“Aunty…” the lead disciples muttered in dissatisfaction, “You just had the good luck to pass Grandmaster Xiao’s test and worship into his Peak. If Grandmaster Xiao was willing to let me try that poison pill, I could certainly pass as well.”
“Hmph!” Dong Qing Yan frowned as she scoffed at these three, “Talking about what ifs are useless now. Obediently hand over this Aunty’s herbs or else, I’ll tell my master that you all… that you all intentionally offended me and refused to respect your seniors!”
As she reached the end of her speech, Dong Qing Yan became increasingly abrupt.
The several young Medicine King’s Valley disciples’ complexions immediately changed. If such an incident was reported, they would likely no longer be able to remain in Medicine King’s Valley. On top of that, the regulations imposed on Hidden Cloud Peak were quite loose, or more accurately, Hidden Cloud Peak had no regulations. It was essentially a free entity, very much unlike the other peaks which were governed by many rules, so given its master’s influence and prestige, if he decided they had committed some kind of wrong, then they had committed a wrong.
But in the end, the few of them were all older than Dong Qing Yan and had their own pride as men, so how could they be willing to simply bow down in front of this little girl?
The group leader’s eyes suddenly flashed as he thought of something, a big grin appearing on his face, “Respected Aunty, since you have worshipped into Hidden Cloud Peak, naturally you must be an Alchemy genius!”
“Obviously!” Dong Qing Yan proudly stated. Since she was a little girl she had been obsessed with Alchemy, instead of praise about her beauty, she was happier to receive praise about her Alchemy technique, so when she heard these words, her ego couldn’t help inflating.
“Respected Aunty is looking for Iron Bone Grass correct?” The man asked again.
“En!”
“There aren’t that many Iron Bone Grasses in Medicine King’s Valley right now. I wonder how many stalks Respected Aunty has found?”
“I require ten, but have only found two stalks so far…”
“Hoo, what a coincidence, we happen to have collected a number of Iron Bone Grasses, it should be enough to satisfy Respected Aunty’s requirements.”
“So you’re willing to give them to me?” Dong Qing Yan smiled brightly, suddenly feel that these nephews of hers weren’t so annoying anymore.
The lead man also showed a big grin, “Giving them all to you is naturally impossible… however, nephew is willing to use these Iron Bone Grasses as a wager in a contest. Let us exchange pointers and if Respected Aunty can win, not only can I offer up our stalks of Iron Bone Grass, if any other herbs we have on us catches Respected Aunty’s eye then you may take them too. How about it, is Respected Aunty willing to play?”
Hearing this challenge, Dong Qing Yan frowned as she bit her lip.
Suddenly from the side, Yang Kai’s voice rang out, “If you want to exchange pointers, I will take you on!”
“Escort Yang!” Dong Qing Yan expression suddenly became bright again, smiling as she waved towards Yang Kai.
Yang Kai’s image flashed as he suddenly appeared in front of Dong Qing Yan, glancing at the three Medicine King’s Valley disciples in front of him, “You want to exchange pointers?”
“It’s him! The other guy who managed to pass Grandmaster Xiao’s disciple test, he’s also a disciple of Hidden Cloud Peak!” One of the Medicine King’s Valley disciples shouted, his face filled with envy and jealousy, as he desperately wished he could take this no-name’s place.
“Bullying a woman only shows how incompetent you are, why don’t you try me instead?” Yang Kai glared at the trio.
Yang Kai acting so rampantly immediately provoked these three Medicine King’s Valley disciples’ anger, and the lead man shouted, “Good, since you asked for it, I will let you see my ability!”
“Wait a minute!” Yang Kai raised his hand and asked, “What you just said about betting your Iron Bone Grasses, does that still count?”
“Of course it still counts!”
“Excellent.” Yang Kai nodded, “You three come together.”
The three disciples couldn’t help being stunned by these words. Each of them looked at the other two in confusion.
“Please enlighten me!” Yang Kai voice had hardly faded before his body disappeared. The three disciples only caught a glimpse of a shadow before a heavy impact sent each of them flying. In the blink of an eye, the three Medicine King’s Valley Alchemists were sprawled out on the ground crying out miserably.
“So weak?” Yang Kai frowned as he looked at these three suspiciously.
Yang Kai had thought that since these people dared to act so rampantly, they must have possessed at least some ability, but little did he expect that none of them could withstand a single one of his strikes. On top of that, the attacks he had made were merely meant to test the waters, so he had held back at least half his strength.
“You… why the hell did you hit us!?” One of the Alchemists who had just been knocked down roared as he trembled and pointed towards Yang Kai in both fear and anger.
“Nonsense!” Yang Kai sneered, in an exchange of pointers how could there not be any hitting?
Not bothering with them anymore, Yang Kai went up and opened the trio’s medicine baskets, plucking out all of their Iron Bone Grasses and placing them into his bag.
“Escort Yang, let’s go!” Dong Qing Yan’s pretty face was flushed bright red as she pulled Yang Kai and dashed towards Hidden Cloud Peak.
“How dare you deceive us!” Desolate cries filled with unwillingness rang out from behind them. “I’ll tell Grandmaster Xiao about this and let him punish you!”
“What the hell are they on about?” Yang Kai frowned. “Didn’t they want to exchange pointers? Why are they whining about losing now, it’s their own fault for being so weak.”
*Keke…* Dong Qing Yan’s face became even redder as Yang Kai spoke.
“Why do we have to run away? These Iron Bone Grasses are what they wagered in that fight, it’s not like we robbed them or something, we won them fair and square!.”
“Stop talking, you’re making us lose face.”
Only after they had fled all the way back to Hidden Cloud Peak did the two slow down, Yang Kai suspiciously looking at Dong Qing Yan, his face filled with confusion, not able to understand why she was blushing so red.
“Why did you do that?” Yang Kai frowned.
Dong Qing Yan glared back at him but managed to calm herself after taking a few deep breaths, carefully explaining, “Silly cousin, when Alchemists say they want to exchange pointers, they’re referring to competition in Alchemy, both sides take out the same set of materials and then refine them into pills. The one who produces the highest number of pills at the highest level of quality in the shortest amount of time is the winner, not like…”
While talking, she raised her small fists and swung them about a few times, “It’s not like that…”
Yang Kai was stunned; his face couldn’t help turning a bright shade of crimson, quietly whispering, “They never said anything about that, how was I to know?”
Dong Qing Yan smiled wryly, “It’s common sense amongst Alchemists… Fortunately, you didn’t go all out, so none of them were actually hurt. If you had really wounded them, the consequences would be quite serious.”
Done explaining, Dong Qing Yan rubbed her forehead helplessly, “Sure enough, cultivators following the Martial Path are really just a group of muscle heads who only know how to fight…”
Yang Kai was also very embarrassed, now understanding why those three disciples were so excited when he agreed to an exchange of pointers, as if they were looking at an idiot who didn’t know how to write the word dead.
They thought they were going to compete in Alchemy…
So the beating they received really was him wronging them.
Aware of his wrong, Yang Kai remained silent the rest of the way back, occasionally hearing Dong Qing Yan burst into giggles as she recalled the events that had just transpired.
Arriving back at Hidden Cloud Peak’s summit, the two of them handed the herbs they had collected to the two beautiful women, ate a medicinal meal which was prepared for them, then went back to their own houses to rest.
The next day, before Yang Kai had even left his residence, a strong medicinal fragrance wafted over to him; as soon as this fragrance entered his nose, he felt a calm relaxing sensation envelop his body.
Curious, Yang Kai opened his door, went out, and followed the scent to a nearby hut.
Looking around, he found a pair of rooms not far away, each one containing a large steaming basin in which a mixture of herbs was being brewed. Each of these basins had one of the two beautiful women tending to it, fanning the flames and stirring the water, their brows covered in a thin layer of sweat.
“Is Master going to use these to refine some pills?” Dong Qing Yan had also come out, looking around curiously, her two big eyes flashing with an excited light.
Yang Kai observed for a while before asking, “Do you want us to help?”
Hearing this, the beautiful Aunty Xiang got up and looked towards the young pair with a smile and nodded, “Please.”
Yang Kai quickly rolled up his sleeves and inquired, “What should we do?”
However, Aunty Xiang simply smiled, “You don’t need to do anything for the time being, we’re actually preparing these medicinal baths for you two; they’ve been boiling like this since last night but should be just right very soon.”
“Prepared for us?” Yang Kai was surprised.
Aunty Lan nodded, “Yes. This past month, Old Xiao has been configuring the herbs required for these baths; in fact, the herbs you collected yesterday have also been included.”
“I also have one?” Yang Kai couldn’t help feeling touched. Old Xiao preparing such an elaborate treatment for Dong Qing Yan was only to be expected, Yang Kai understood that, after all, Dong Qing Yan had worshipped him as her master and would one day become the successor to his mantle, but he too receiving the same treatment surprised Yang Kai.
But to his surprise, Aunty Xiang just nodded and said, “Naturally, since the two of you came to Hidden Cloud Peak you are both our Hidden Cloud Peak’s people. The two of you should eat something first and then prepare yourselves; return here in an hour.”
Yang Kai’s jaw slackened a bit, his eyes filling with gratitude.
Dong Qing Yan and his breakfasts had already been prepared in the kitchen and were still steaming, clearly showing they had been cooked just recently. While eating this delicious meal, Yang Kai couldn’t help watching Aunty Xiang and Aunty Lan busily working on the two medicinal baths, spontaneously feeling a faint warmth rise up within him.
This warm and happy feeling was something he had not experienced in a long time.
After an hour, Yang Kai and Dong Qing Yan each entered one of the rooms.
Aunty Xiang was in charge of his room and under her instructions Yang Kai removed his robes down to a thin pair of pants and jumped into the bath.
Towards these two beautiful women who resided on Hidden Cloud Peak, Yang Kai held great respect.
Both of them had silently given Hidden Cloud Peak over twenty of their years. They had dedicated some of their best and most beautiful years to this place, but when the world heard of Hidden Cloud Peak, the only name they knew was Xiao Fu Sheng. No one knew or bothered to know anything about these two women.
Even Yang Kai himself, after staying on Hidden Cloud Peak for a whole month, his daily life and living arrangements being meticulously cared for by them, only knew to call them Aunty Xiang and Aunty Lan, not even knowing their full names.
So even though at the moment he was baring his upper body before them, he didn’t have the slightest unnatural behaviour.
“Aunty Xiang, now what should I do?” Yang Kai, feeling the warmth in his surroundings, physically and mentally comfortable, couldn’t help but ask.
“Just circulate the Secret Art Old Xiao passed to you! Old Xiao specifically designed that Secret Art to allow you to properly absorb the effects of this medicinal bath and actually has no other use for him. Old Xiao spent a great deal of effort to gather together the required herbs for these baths and there are only two of them, so you must be very careful not to waste them so you can live up to Old Xiao’ s kindness.”
“I understand!” Yang Kai said as his face became solemn, closing his eyes and beginning to circulate that unnamed Secret Art.
The moment he began operating the Secret Art, Yang Kai felt as if his every single one of his body’s hundreds of millions of pores opened, the medicinal baths effects flooding into him like millions of sharp needles.
Omnipresent and pervasive.
There was nowhere on his body that did not experience this sensation.
Involuntarily, Yang Kai’s brow wrinkled, his body trembling slightly.
On the other hand, from next door, Dong Qing Yan’s voice cried out.
After all, Dong Qing Yan was still just a young girl and had grown up spoiled, when would she have ever had to endure such pain?
As the sound of Aunty Lan’s comforting voice also drifted over from next door, Aunty Xiang carefully observed Yang Kai’s reaction, her beautiful eyes flashing a dignified light, secretly impressed.
Old Xiao had told them before that the effects of this medicinal bath on one’s body and their cultivation aptitude were very significant, but the pain that had to be endured was akin to an inhuman torture. He had been worried about Yang Kai and Dong Qing Yan’s ability to bear this, but now it seems that Yang Kai would have no problem with it.
As time passed, the pain only seemed to strengthen, not only appearing on the outside of his body, but also coming from his meridians, five viscera and six organs.
It was like there were tens of millions of ants crawling around inside of him, biting his body.
As big drops of sweat rolled down his forehead, Yang Kai’s skin became blood red, yet he never stopped circulating the unnamed Secret Art.
This kind of torturous pain continued for an entire hour before suddenly decreasing sharply.
It was as if the medicinal effects had somehow reached their limit and the resulting pain they had caused rapidly faded; but a moment later there wasn’t even any discomfort left.
What replaced it was a comfortable, pleasant sensation.
Yang Kai couldn’t help taking a deep breath and slowly opened his eyes as a brilliant light flashed across them.
Aunty Xiang watched all of this approvingly, smiling towards Yang Kai for a moment before nodding and saying, “It looks like Old Xiao underestimated the two of you, you managed to endure that well.”
As she spoke, her hands never stopped moving, tossing various new herbs into the medicinal bath before once again fanning the flames below.
Since the pain faded away, Yang Kai found that there was no longer any need for him to consciously operate the unnamed Secret Art; instead, just by sitting in the bath, the medicinal effects of the herbs would be absorbed into his body and would automatically circulate.
With each revolution, Yang Kai could feel his physique improve and become more solid; his meridians became wider and more elastic while the True Qi in his body became more and more pure.
“Aunty Xiang, the rest of this medicinal bath should be left Young Lady Dong.” Yang Kai said as he felt a pang of guilt in his heart, he had come to Hidden Cloud Peak not to learn Alchemy but for an ulterior purpose, yet Old Xiao still did not treat him as an outsider even though he was not his disciple.
However, Aunty Xiang simply chuckled, “This medicinal treatment Old Xiao created is too overbearing so it can only be used once in a cultivator’s lifetime, if your family’s Young Lady were to attempt it a second time, her meridians would not be able to handle it.”
Pausing for a moment, Aunty Xiang continued, “In fact, you don’t have to burden yourself over this so much. Old Xiao is actually quite optimistic about you; it is just that the path you pursue is different from most Alchemists.”
“What kind of effect is this medicinal bath supposed to have?” Yang Kai asked curiously.
Aunty Xiang pondered briefly before replying, “According to Old Xiao, this bath’s main purpose is to fundamentally improve a cultivator’s meridians, so that afterwards, when one cultivates, they can more easily quench their Yuan Qi, allowing it to become more pure.”
“Is that related to Alchemy?” Yang Kai frowned, quietly thinking back to words Old Xiao had spoken when they had first met.
“About the Alchemic Path, many people are wrong, even this Old Master is wrong!”
Yang Kai still vividly remembered the frustration and regret that filled Old Xiao voice back then.
To his spontaneous question, Aunty Xiang nodded, “Naturally it is related to Alchemy. Old Xiao also only realized this truth in recent years just… for him this enlightenment came too late. Alchemists, in the end, are also cultivators, they too need pure Yuan Qi to fully display their abilities when trying to refine good pills, so he specifically set his disciple recruitment test to screen for that.”
Brushing the hair back behind her ear, Aunty Xiang thought for a moment before saying, “Old Xiao once said, if he received a successor, he would first teach him a fundamental truth.”
“What truth?”
“Before reaching the Immortal Ascension Boundary one must not practice Alchemy!” Aunty Xiang grinned, “Perhaps this thinking is not completely correct, but it is still a valuable insight into the Alchemic Path that Old Xiao discovered.”
Before Immortal Ascension, no practicing Alchemy! No wonder Old Xiao didn’t teach Dong Qing Yan anything about Alchemy this past month, and instead had been completely focused on the growth of her cultivation.
“If you are determined to learn the art of Alchemy, Old Xiao would very willingly teach you!” Aunty Xiang smiled.
Old Xiao wanting his successor to reach the Immortal Ascension Boundary before cultivating their Alchemic Path meant that any disciple of his had to have a passion for the Martial Path as well.
Yang Kai’s desire to reach the Martial Peak was clearly in line with this condition.
“I appreciate Old Xiao’s care but unfortunately I cannot.” Yang Kai shook his head; before his cultivation had reached a certain height he refused to have any other pursuits distract him.
Alchemists were indeed distinguished, garnering admiration from around the world, but this was not the path Yang Kai sought.
“Oh yes, I heard yesterday you exchanged pointers with Hidden Cloud Peak, Elder Duan’s three disciples?” Aunty Xiang quickly changed the topic to avoid putting Yang Kai into an awkward position.
Yang Kai’s face instantly went red as he scratched his cheek and whispered, “I didn’t know that when they said ‘exchange pointers’ they meant about Alchemy…”
Aunty Xiang couldn’t help trembling slightly as she laughed, only able to compose herself a good while later, “Now there are rumors outside that one of the disciples that came to Hidden Cloud Peak to learn Alchemy is an underhanded rogue!”
“Did I make trouble for Old Xiao?” Yang Kai asked guiltily.
Aunty Xiang shook her head, “No, you didn’t injure them, but this morning someone did come here to complain. Well, just remember not to let something like this happen again, otherwise there may be an issue.”
“Of course, of course!” Yang Kai nodded again and again.
This event was simply too embarrassing, any time he thought back on it he couldn’t help blushing.
For an entire day, Aunty Xiang was busy tending to the fire, from time to time tossing additional herbs into the bath. It wasn’t until evening, panting slightly, a fragrant sweat dripping down her neck, that she informed Yang Kai that the treatment had finished and he could come out, return to his room to rest.
Having soaked in the bath the whole night, Yang Kai could feel his entire body infused with the medicinal effects.
Arriving back at his room, he quickly closed his eyes and examined the changes in his physique.
His realm had advanced slightly and his True Qi had also become a bit purer; however, the most significant improvements were to his meridians and constitution.
Aunty Xiang had told him that the most important role of this medicinal bath was to improve a person’s foundations, especially their meridians, which would allow them to more easily cultivate and quench their Yuan Qi in the future, allowing it to become more vigorous and pure.
The benefit of this was not immediately apparent, but over the course of one’s life it would no doubt become significant.
Upon circulating his True Yang Secret Art, Yang Kai was surprised to find that it too could revolve faster than before. Not only that, the rate at which his body absorbed the surrounding World Energy was also a little bit quicker.
Such a change was very subtle, but like water trickling onto a stone, many grains of sand would eventually build a tower. Accumulated over many years of cultivation, the effect would be extraordinary.
That this medicinal bath and magical Secret Art, being able to do all this showed just how Heaven defying Xiao Fu Sheng’s methods were.
In terms of combat strength, in this world his name was likely not worth mentioning, but as one of the few Mysterious Grade Top Ranking Alchemists alive today, his technique and achievements in Alchemy had reached the very peak. His insights into Alchemy were so great that they could even be described as a work of god.
The next morning, Xiao Fu Sheng called Yang Kai and Dong Qing Yan to his house.
Once more he did not pass them anything related to Alchemy, but instead a set of exercises designed to improve their Yuan Qi control.
Yuan Qi control was of paramount importance to Alchemy because when an Alchemist was refining a pill they would use their own Yuan Qi to control all the various aspects and processes. The slightest misstep would lead to a massive difference in results. If one wanted to refine a good pill, subtle Yuan Qi manipulation was essential.
Controlling one’s Yuan Qi was also strongly related to the cultivator’s battle prowess. In a fight, the strength of one’s martial skills depended greatly on one’s Yuan Qi control.
Anyone strong would know how to effectively utilize their own Yuan Qi to the point of mastery. Effective use of one’s Yuan Qi would allow a skilled cultivator to display the full might of their martial skills using only half the effort! Mastering this kind of control was extremely important. It allowed a cultivator to attack more explosively and sustain themselves longer in combat.
So whether it was Yang Kai or Dong Qing Yan, both of them studied these exercises seriously.
This set of techniques was something Xiao Fu Sheng had created over the course of his life while studying the Alchemic Path; it could be said to be one of his most valuable insights and now, without reservation, he had gifted it to them.
Teaching them for several days, interspersed with periods of time for self enlightenment, Yang Kai and Dong Qing Yan gradually became familiar with these exercises; all that remained after that was for them to cultivate diligently.
At this time, Yang Kai suddenly remembered something Xiao Fu Sheng had once said.
“Who says an Alchemist cannot stand at the Martial Peak?”
When Old Xiao had said these words, his face had been filled with a deep self-confidence.
Through these methods of Yuan Qi manipulation, it was indeed possible to spy on the mysteries of the pinnacle of Martial Arts.
Yang Kai couldn’t help being in awe! Every word Old Xiao had said to them seemed to contain profound meaning and insights more valuable than any worldly treasure.
Over the next few days, Yang Kai and Dong Qing Yan’s ability to manipulate their Yuan Qi became increasingly sophisticated. Yang Kai also found that these exercises not only allowed him to better control his True Qi, they also subtly smelted it, leading to a very slight yet gradual increase in purity.
He now faintly felt that his True Element Second Stage cultivation had reached its peak and there was only a thin line to cross before reaching the Third Stage.
On this day, when Yang Kai and Dong Qing Yan were outside their houses practicing their Yuan Qi control by executing their own martial skills, they surprisingly found that the various other peaks around them seemed to be bustling with activity as many disciples of Medicine King’s Valley as well as numerous outsiders were scurrying about.
“What’s happening?” Dong Qing Yan stopped and looked around curiously, “How come there are so many outsiders within the Medicine King’s Valley grounds?”
In response, Yang Kai could only shake his head, apparently also puzzled.
“The Alchemist Summit will start a few days from now.” Aunty Xiang and Aunty Lan strolled over and softly explained.
“Although Medicine King’s Valley usually doesn’t allow outsiders to enter its inner grounds, this place is, after all, inextricably linked with all of the world’s Great Forces, so every time such a summit is held, many cultivators will come to the various Peaks to visit with the Elders.”
Yang Kai and Dong Qing Yan suddenly remembered, since they entered Hidden Cloud Peak till now, the two of them had spent their time in near isolation and hadn’t noticed that many days had quickly passed by. They were completely unaware until now that the Alchemist Summit was about to begin.
Aunty Xiang chuckled loudly, “All the various Peaks are quite lively around this time except for the forbidden Pill Saint’s Peak and our Hidden Cloud Peak!”
“En, this place always remains a bastion of calm!” Aunty Lan also smiled.
Dong Qing Yan couldn’t help giggling, “If Master was to open his doors to outsiders, I’m sure everyone would come rushing here! It wouldn’t be long before all the other peaks were empty.”
Aunty Xiang put on a scolding look and shot back, “Then I and your Aunty Lan would soon faint from exhaustion! With so many visitors, we’d soon be pouring water instead of tea, how could we let such a thing happen?”
Aunty Xiang and Aunty Lan were very fond of Dong Qing Yan, the two beautiful women were neither married nor had children, so they looked upon Dong Qing Yan as if she were their own daughter and took very good care of her.
The little girl was also very relaxed around them, never once looking down upon them because they were ordinary people or because of their status as maids, even behaving very politely to them.
As soon as Aunty Xiang had finished speaking, Xiao Fu Sheng’s door suddenly opened, accompanied by a burst of laughter, “It seems that my Hidden Cloud Peak is peaceful again today.”
“Master!”
“Old Xiao!”
Yang Kai and Dong Qing Yan quickly cupped their fists as they saw Xiao Fu Sheng smile and emerge from his house, apparently in high spirits.
“Master, has something good happened?” Dong Qing Yan asked in a polite and flattering tone, causing Yang Kai to feel a slight prickle in his heart, this little cousin of his always acted so casually in front of him but in front of Xiao Fu Sheng, Aunty Xiang, and Aunty Lan she was quite well-behaved.
“A friend from far away is coming to visit, naturally I am happy.” Xiao Fu Sheng replied.
Dong Qing Yan’s eyes fluttered slightly at these words, “I thought master did not like it when outsiders visited but I suppose that is not so.”
Xiao Fu Sheng chuckled at his little disciple’s comment, “It all depends on who is visiting; those who come here simply to ask me to do things for them I naturally don’t welcome, but the guest who is coming soon is not the same.”
“Hahaha… Old Man Xiao, this time this old master has also come here to ask you to do something for him; you won’t chase me away now will you?” Accompanied by a burst of laughter, a silhouette quickly approached the summit from the mountain road.
Hearing this voice, Yang Kai’s face couldn’t help cramping up, his expression becoming strange.
[This voice… could it be… but how…]
Aunty Xiang and Aunty Lan frowned slightly in surprise as they heard someone call their master ‘Old Man Xiao’, what was also strange was that neither of them could identify who this strange visitor was.
In this world, even the patriarchs of the Eight Great Families would respectfully call him Grandmaster Xiao!
No one would dare be so brazen as to call him Old Man Xiao!
But not only was he no annoyed by this rude fellow, Old Xiao even quipped back in a joking tone, “How could this Old Xiao dare turn you away? This old master owes you his life.”
With just these few words, Aunty Xiang and Aunty Lan suddenly understood, this man turned out to be Old Xiao’s saviour, quickly fixing their pretty faces and preparing to respectfully greet him.
From below, the figure flickered slightly before instantly crossing the last few thousand meters between them, suddenly appearing in front of everyone.
However, it wasn’t just one person, there were two.
First was a white haired old man who appeared to be around the same age as Old Xiao, his smiling face showing a few wrinkles here and there, and following him was a pretty young woman. This woman had a pair of mesmerising eyes filled with pure innocence that seemed to shimmer like stars; donning a pale green dress, her jade like forehead was adorned with a sky blue gem while the rest of her face was concealed behind thin chiffon veil, obscuring her true countenance from those around her.
As the wind fluttered, causing her veil and dress to sway gently, making it seem like she was a floating immortal fairy, untouched by a single speck of dust.
Yang Kai was startled, his mouth showing a strange smile as his eyes instantly stared at this masked woman.
On the other side, the woman felt this pair of aggressive, unscrupulous eyes gazing at her, her eyebrows wrinkling slightly as she glanced towards Yang Kai.
But the instant she did, her star like eyes flashed with surprise, her delicate lashes rapidly fluttering as she couldn’t believe who she was seeing.
Four eyes suddenly met, Yang Kai warmly smiled while the woman’s eyes also became crescent-shaped.
This woman was none other than Xia Ning Chang, and the visiting old man turned out to be Meng Wu Ya.
“Brother Meng, it has been too long!” Stepping forward, Old Xiao respectfully cupped his fists.
Meng Wu Ya smiled back, also quickly cupping his fists, “Xiao… uh… ke, keke, kekeke…”
After only managing to speak a single word of greeting, it was like Meng Wu Ya suddenly got a bone stuck in his throat, coughing violently, feeling dizzy, like his consciousness was blurring.
“Master!” Xia Ning Chang was quite shocked, quickly patting Meng Wu Ya’s back.
“Brother Meng, have you been injured?” Xiao Fu Sheng looked dignified, coming forward and reading Meng Wu Ya’s pulse.
Meng Wu Ya quickly waved, continuing to cough for a while before finally composing himself, his expression like that of one whose father had just died, dumbfoundedly staring towards Yang Kai, “Smelly brat, what the hell are YOU doing here?”
[Fuck! This really was a case of enemies often meeting on narrow roads and evil spirits will continue to haunt one’s soul.]
More than a year ago, along with Ling Tai Xu, he had sent this little bastard out to Nether Mountain for life experience and had not seen him since. For this past year, although at the beginning his treasured apprentice was dispirited and sighing all day long, through his dedicated teaching, she had finally managed to bring herself out from the shadow of longing, and her cultivation had rapidly progressed.
Originally, Meng Wu Ya had thought that his disciple had certainly forgotten about Yang Kai, but now they had met once again in this completely unexpected place.
Looking into the eyes of his treasured apprentice, how could Meng Wu Ya not realize that she had never forgotten about Yang Kai, but had instead just been suppressing her thoughts and feelings about him deep inside her heart?
Perhaps, all this time, when no one was around, she had silently been thinking about him, only deepening the longing she felt.
At this moment, Meng Wu Ya understood. Love was like wine, the more it aged, the richer it became!
At this moment, Meng Wu Ya wanted to turn around and leave, but obviously it was too late.
At this moment, Meng Wu Ya couldn’t wait to slap his face a dozen times!
Recently, he had seen that Xia Ning Chang was feeling somewhat sullen, so he had brought her to Medicine King’s Valley to attend its Alchemist Summit and sightsee, how could he have imagined that this little bastard would be here too?
[Fuck, why did you have to bring her here, why did you have to be so meddlesome!?] Meng Wu Ya silently cursed, feeling a little dead inside.
On Hidden Cloud Peak, Meng Wu Ya’s face was filled with frustration while Xia Ning Chang gently comforted her master as she giggled softly.
Xiao Fu Sheng also wore a quirky expression, quickly glancing back and forth between Xia Ning Chang and Yang Kai. Aunt Xiang and Aunt Lan by his side now completely confused.
After a moment, Dong Qing Yan quietly came up next to Yang Kai and poked him, “Hey… stop staring so much at each other. You are embarrassing everyone else.”
“Do you know each other?” Xiao Fu Sheng looked around and smiled.
Yang Kai nodded slightly, smiling as he performed a disciple’s greeting, “Treasurer Meng …”
Then turned around and gentle called, “Little Senior Sister!”
Xia Ning Chang exquisite ears completely flushed; slightly lowered her head and softly whispered, “Junior Brother…”
Her voice trembled, obviously disturbed.
“Keke…” Meng Wu Ya quickly coughed twice, forcefully interrupting this ambiguous atmosphere; then, not even bothering to return Yang Kai’s greeting, he shifted his eyes, “Old Man Xiao, a guest has come to visit you from far away, do you plan to have this old man stand around outside all day?”
Laughing, Xiao Fu Sheng quickly waved, “Brother Meng jests, please come inside to speak!”
Although he had a belly full of questions, Xiao Fu Sheng was still an experienced man, how could he not see that Meng Wu Ya’s apprentice and Yang Kai had some kind of subtle relationship? When they had first met, this little girl was only about twelve years old; at the time, Meng Wu Ya treated her as if she was his own daughter, and now this little girl was experiencing her first love. Obviously Meng Wu Ya would be concerned about this matter.
[It’s understandable! Such a pure and innocent girl, if she had worshipped him as her master, he would certainly be worried about her suffering any wrong.]
Meng Wu Ya and Xiao Fu Sheng slowly walked to his house, Xia Ning Chang nodding softly towards Yang Kai before keeping up with them.
Gently, Meng Wu Ya’s pointed voice drifted over, “My dear disciple, just look at this little bastard, he’s really too romantically unrestrained, everywhere he goes he had beauties accompany him, you have to carefully see his true nature.”
Xia Ning Chang simply nodded warmly.
“This old man…” Dong Qing Yan pursed her lips, a look of discontent appearing on her face.
Aunt Xiang and Aunt Lan couldn’t help chuckling, glancing teasingly towards Yang Kai for a while before also walking towards the house to pour tea for their guests.
“Cousin! Who is she!?” Waiting until they were the only ones left outside, Dong Qing Yan asked curiously.
“She’s a Senior Sister from High Heaven Pavilion.” Yang Kai replied lightly.
“Is she really just your Senior Sister?” Dong Qing Yan grinned meaningfully.
However, Yang Kai only glanced at her before walking back to his room.
Soon Dong Qing Yan was the only one standing there, pursing her lips as she pouted slightly. Her eyes glancing back and forth between the two houses for a moment before snorting, “Hmph, you think I can’t see what’s going on? I’m not just a child anymore!”
Thinking to herself for a little while, she suddenly began laughing mischievously.
Meng Wu Ya and Xia Ning Chang coming to Medicine King’s Valley was something completely unexpected for Yang Kai.
Although the Alchemist Summit would be held soon, and Yang Kai had thought that High Heaven Pavilion would also participate, but his Little Senior Sister possessed a special constitution, the Alchemist of the younger generation were simply unworthy of competing with her, if she were to participate, there would be no need to hold this Alchemist Summit, first place could be none other than her.
After a moment, his door was softly knocked upon. Yang Kai smiled, stood up, and opened the door, and sure enough, Xia Ning Chang waiting there.
“Junior Brother!” Xia Ning Chang’s star-like eyes flashed with joy as they reunited, gently calling out to him.
“Come inside first.” Yang Kai said as he opened the way.
Xia Ning Chang nodded and, like a fragrant wind, lightly stepped inside.
Yang Kai gently closed the door behind her.
“How come you’re here?” Yang Kai asked as he poured her a glass of water.
“Master said that the best Alchemist in this world lives here, so he brought me here so I could ask him for some guidance!” Xia Ning Chang responded as she quietly sat there; having gone more than a year without seeing him, obviously she felt a little nervous, but more than anything else she felt happy.
“En, Old Xiao certainly is the best Alchemist in this world.” Yang Kai nodded in agreement.
“How is it that Junior Brother is here?” Xia Ning Chang asked, “Didn’t you go to Nether Mountain?”
“It’s a long story,” Yang Kai smiled wryly, not elaborating, instead just saying, “There’s just one thing I want to do here.”
“Something you want to do? Can I help you?”
Yang Kai didn’t want to hide his plans from her, but around his house he could faintly feel a misty Divine Sense floating about; how could he not know it was Meng Wu Ya’s surveillance.
Grinning meaningfully, Yang Kai beckoned to Xia Ning Chang, leaning in towards her, bringing his mouth right up next to her ear.
Xia Ning Chang’s heart raced, her body suddenly stiffening up, blushing a bright shade of crimson, wanting to pull back but not daring to move, even subconsciously holding her breath.
Not seeming to care about her embarrassment, Yang Kai continued bringing his lips closer to her glowing red ear and softly whispered, “I want to go to Pill Saint’s Peak and see the Myriad Drug Pond.
“Uh…en…” Xia Ning Chang stuttered, her voice as quiet as a mosquito, replying unconsciously, her delicate fingers tightly gripped her cup, likely not having heard a word Yang Kai had said.
“Keke… kekeke…” In another house not far away, Meng Wu Ya began coughing violently again.
“Brother Meng!” Opposite of Meng Wu Ya, Xiao Fu Sheng watched dumbfounded, helplessly trying to comfort him, “Some things must be left to take their course, even if you want to prevent it there is nothing you can do.”
“I know…” Meng Wu Ya said wearily, nodding again and again, quietly retrieving his Divine Sense.
Although he was concerned about his apprentice’s wellbeing, he understood that he could not always spy upon her private life. But just thinking about how tens of meters away, his precious daughter and that damn little bastard boy were together, alone, in a room, getting closer to one another, Meng Wu Ya couldn’t help feeling unwilling.
[Haa… what the eyes do not see, the heart does not grieve!]
In the other house, Xia Ning Chang’s body remained stone stiff, still feeling the hot breath that had brushed past her ear, her heart beating fiercely, unable to react until quite a long time has passed, “Ah… Junior Brother you want to go…”
“Shh…”
Xia Ning Chang suddenly went silent, a moment later saying, “I have to go there too.”
“You’re going to visit there?” Yang Kai looked at her with surprise.
Xia Ning Chang nodded softly, “Master said that a profound truth is hidden there, possibly the essence of an Alchemy Grandmaster’s lifetime of experience, so he wanted to let me study it, I just don’t know if the elders here will be willing to accommodate such a request.
“If it is Little Senior Sister, Old Xiao might agree!” Yang Kai frowned and thought about it, a smile slowly appearing on his face.
He did not know what mysteries were hidden within the Myriad Drug Pond, but if Xia Ning Chang was able to carefully explore it first, it would be easier for him to act later.
Nothing would be better than him being able to go there himself, but even if Old Xiao had been very good to him, it was impossible to expect him to open the Myriad Drug Pond to him. On the other hand, Meng Wu Ya had once saved his life, and Xia Ning Chang possessed the Sacred Spirit Medicine Body. Making an exception so that she may visit the Myriad Drug Pond was not unreasonable.
[Little Senior Sister is always saving me, this time too.] Yang Kai thought to himself.
Just as he was feeling happy, Yang Kai suddenly looked towards the door, grinning deviously as he sent out a True Qi wave.
As soon as this wave hit the door, it suddenly burst open.
“Ah!” Dong Qing Yan who had eavesdropping outside by been pressing her ear against the door suddenly yelped as she lost her support and fell face first into the house.
“What are you sneaking around for?” Yang Kai said as he stared at her.
Dong Qing Yan quickly picked herself up, patted down the dust on her clothes, and giggled impishly, staring towards Xia Ning Chang with great interest.
“This is…” Xia Ning Chang curiously asked as she quietly got up.
“My cousin … the Dong Family’s precious Young Lady.” Yang Kai replied.
“Dong Family? Last time there was a member of the Dong Family who came to High Heaven Pavilion …”
“The very same Dong Family; the one who visited High Heaven Pavilion last time was her older brother.”
“So you are Young Lady Dong.”
“No need to be so polite, there are no outsiders here…” Dong Qing Yan didn’t think of herself as an outsider. Carefully examining the beautiful woman in front of her, staring at Xia Ning Chang’s slightly blushing face and smiling, “Are you… my sister-in-law?”
Xia Ning Chang nearly fell over, her heart suddenly thrown into chaos. Glancing back towards Yang Kai before frantically waving her hands, “N-n… no, yo… your sister-in-law is… is someone else…”
“Hmm… it seems like you will be sooner or later though.” Dong Qing Yan nodded her head slightly, her voice filled with confidence.
Straightening her back and pretending to lightly cough, Dong Qing Yan shuffled her way over to a nearby chair, sitting herself down in front of Xia Ning Chang and Yang Kai, staring at them with a pair of sparkling eyes, laughingly saying, “Well, pay no attention to me, carry on carry on!”
This little girl was also at the age where she was beginning to think about love, so naturally she was quite curious; now, finally having found a perfect example to learn from, her desire to study their interactions ran rampant.
Xia Ning Chang glanced around helplessly, panicking as she whispered, “Master seems to be calling me; I’ll leave first.”
Finished speaking, she hurriedly left.
Dong Qing Yan was stunned, her expression filling with disappointment and chagrin, frowning as she murmured, “Wrong… It should not be like this!”
“What are you thinking about now?” Yang Kai looked at her strangely.
“It’s your long awaited reunion, you… you should be more affectionate, whispering sweet words of love to each other, building up a passionate atmosphere and then… then…”
Arriving at this point, Dong Qing Yan also found herself becoming embarrassed, blushing involuntarily, trying to hide her face by bowing her head.
Yang Kai faintly sighed, “This really should be the case, but since you interrupted, such things were no longer possible, understand?”
Dong Qing Yan’s tender body trembled, suddenly feeling deeply guilty and regretful, “Oh cousin, I was wrong, and the next time you two are together I won’t bother you.”
“Hmph, well at least you know, now go on!” Yang Kai nodded seriously.
“En…”
In the other room, Meng Wu Ya and Xiao Fu Sheng were chatting as they shared some tea.
After drinking a few cups, Meng Wu Ya grinned meaningfully and said, “Old Man Xiao, this old master’s purpose in coming this time, you should already know, correct?”
Xiao Fu Sheng chuckled lightly, put down his cup and nodded, “Of course I know, with regards to giving guidance about Alchemy, this old man has no objections, but your other request…”
“Hmm, is it inconvenient?”
“It is not inconvenient; however, it will depend on if she has the qualifications! If she is not qualified, then even if I allow her to visit the Myriad Drug Pond, it will simply be a waste; it costs quite a bit to open it after all.”
Hearing these words, Meng Wu Ya laughed heartily, “How can my apprentice not be qualified? If she cannot qualify, then no one under the Heavens can.”
“You are that confident?” Xiao Fu Sheng wrinkled his brow.
Meng Wu Ya smiled and nodded, “It is not my self-confidence, it is simply my confidence in her; if you don’t believe me, you can test her yourself!”
Xiao Fu Sheng was slightly startled, but more so intrigued, “Good! This old master is also interested now.”
“Chang’er!” Meng Wu Ya called out.
“Here!” Xia Ning Chang quickly responded.
“Old Man Xiao here wants to test your Alchemy skills, give him a demonstration; make sure not to disappoint him.” Meng Wu Ya laughed slyly.
“Yes!”
When Xiao Fu Sheng conducted Xia Ning Chang’s test, he also had Yang Kai and Dong Qing Yan sit and listen.
Old Xiao obviously wanted his own disciple to broaden her knowledge of Alchemy from this experience. As for Yang Kai, he was probably only invited as a courtesy.
This test lasted for an entire day, Old Xiao asking a variety of questions about the Alchemic Way, from shallow to deep, step by step, slowly but surely increasing in difficulty.
Xia Ning Chang answered each question seriously and meticulously on the opposite side.
Half a day later, Old Xiao wore a pleasantly surprised expression, and after a full day, his face had become filled with shock, while the way he looked upon Xia Ning Chang had also changed.
It was like he had suddenly found a rare and priceless treasure, his eyes leaking a green light containing a mix of greed and envy.
Meng Wu Ya on the side laughed proudly.
Dong Qing Yan also had an expression full of worship and admiration as she watched Xia Ning Chang, only Yang Kai remaining nonchalant.
A day later, Old Xiao exhaled a long breath.
“So, how about it?” Meng Wu Ya glanced at Xiao Fu Sheng, grinning arrogantly.
Xiao Fu Sheng looked dignified, pondered for a long time in silence before finally summarizing, “Both her basic skills and theoretical knowledge are as solid as Mount Tai, and she has clearly gained many insights that even this old man has not.”
Over the course of evaluating Xia Ning Chang, Old Xiao has also benefited from her various answers. This had not been so much a test as it had been a discussion between two peers, the difference being that Xiao Fu Sheng was asking the questions while Xia Ning Chang only answered.
“That’s only natural!” Meng Wu Ya said flatly.
However, the pride he had in this apprentice of his was very apparent, his grin almost extending from ear to ear.
Xiao Fu Sheng chuckled before glancing at him with great meaning. “Theory is one thing, but sometimes knowing theory is not as good as moving one’s own hands.”
Meng Wu Ya was suddenly like a cat that had its tail trampled on, “Old Man Xiao, if my disciple cannot let you be convinced, this old man will change is surname to yours and call you Father!”
At this point Dong Qing Yan couldn’t help herself, doubling over in laughter, her hand clutching her stomach as her shoulders trembled non-stop.
Xiao Fu Sheng could only let out a sigh and wryly smile, turning his attention to Xia Ning Chang and asking, “So far, what is the highest grade of pill you have successfully refined?”
“Mysterious Grade Low-Rank…” Xia Ning Chang replied softly.
Hearing this, Xiao Fu Sheng’s entire body tensed up, his old face immediately changing colour, quickly staring at the young woman before him, trying to see if there was any sign of her joking with him. But the pair of star-like shimmering eyes didn’t contain the slightest trace of impurity, remaining very bright; where was there any trace of her lying?
Mysterious Grade Low-Rank …
Could it really be that at such a young age she was already a Mysterious Grade Low-Rank Alchemist?
Medicine King’s Valley’s top disciple Qin Ze this year was thirty-five years old, yet he was only a Heaven Grade Top-Rank Alchemist! In terms of age, Qin Ze was almost twice as old.
How could there be such a terrifying genius!
“What is your success rate in refining Mysterious Grade Low-Rank pills?” Xiao Fu Sheng asked.
“I’ve only succeeded once… and at that time it was still quite difficult.”
“Oh…” Xiao Fu Sheng couldn’t help exhaling a long breath, thinking to himself that this was reasonable; it seems that she had only luckily managed to refine a Mysterious Grade Low-Rank pill. Essentially it didn’t really count.
Quickly changing the question, “What about Heaven Grade?”
“Never fail.”
“What!?” Xiao Fu Sheng was again shocked, “You never fail?”
Xia Ning Chang nodded softly in reply.
“That’s impossible!” Xiao Fu Sheng’s brow wrinkled up, “Even if it was this old master personally performing Alchemy, I cannot guarantee a 100% success rate.”
Alchemy was always accompanied by a certain risk of failure. Although Xiao Fu Sheng had reached the very peak of this world’s Alchemic Way, he still couldn’t completely avoid this and could only say that his chance of failure was very small.
But Meng Wu Ya just chuckled, “There is nothing that is impossible, Brother Xiao, if you have doubts, just try it and you’ll understand.”
Xiao Fu Sheng’s face became serious as he hesitated for a moment before standing up and motioning to the crowd, “Come with me!”
As he took the lead, everyone else hurriedly kept up.
Entering a different room inside his residence, Old Xiao brought everyone to the entrance of an underground passage. From the looks of it, one could obviously tell that Hidden Cloud Peak had a large underground space.
This group of people were all cultivators so descending a long distance was not an issue; after passing a few bends, they suddenly came to a huge stone room.
The stone chamber was the size of ten regular sized houses and was filled with a variety of Pill Furnaces surrounded by many medicine shelves, each of these shelves was filled with a variety of herbs, even with just a cursory glance anyone could tell that the amount stored here was massive.
“You have a lot of good things here.” Meng Wu Ya commented as he looked around, picking up a few items and examining them, often appearing reluctant to let go.
Xiao Fu Sheng did not mind, casually saying, “These are all of this old master’s income from a lifetime worth of hard work.”
Everyone who had ever come to ask Xiao Fu Sheng to perform Alchemy would always bring many precious treasures to compensate him, most of which had been stored here over the years.
Now inside this stone chamber, Xiao Fu Sheng turned towards Xia Ning Chang, “Little niece, you may use anything in here, choose some ingredients and refine the best pill you can, let this old master take a look at your skills.”
“Yes!” Xia Ning Chang politely replied before wandering around the stone room.
Dong Qing Yan and Yang Kai also quickly followed after her, the two of them helping Xia Ning Chang carry the herbs she picked out.
Less than half a cup of tea later, the three juniors came back with a selection of herbs, but when Xiao Fu Sheng came over to inspect their choices, he couldn’t help wrinkling his brow, “These materials are all for refining Heaven Grade Mid-Rank pill’s. Is Little niece confident?”
However, Xia Ning Chang simply nodded.
“Very well, then begin, use whatever pill tripod around here that you’d like, this old master has plenty after all.” Xiao Fu Sheng smiled.
“There’s no need…” Xia Ning Chang softly said.
“No need for a pill furnace…” Xiao Fu Sheng had not even finished his sentence before he saw Xia Ning Chang’s True Qi suddenly surge.
Gently picking up one of the materials with her delicate hands, Xia Ning Chang formed her True Qi into fine silk threads and injected it into the herb, its medicinal essence quickly being extracted as a result and then floating mid-air like drops of crystal rain, a fragrant medicinal liquid quickly forming.
Flicking her wrist, the drop of liquid was transferred to her other hand where it gently floated above her jade white palm.
Xia Ning Chang then picked up another herb, followed the same procedure, and soon after another drop of crystal liquid appeared.
Every time she extracted the medicinal essence from an herb, it would lose its spirituality and soon wither.
“Heavens…” Dong Qing Yan eyes filled with indescribable shock, her face showing an expression of pure awe.
This was simply not Alchemy; instead it was some kind of magical world shocking display.
Xiao Fu Sheng was equally surprised, his mouth constantly muttering, “Medicinal liquid can be refined like this, how could it be, how is this possible?”
Less than a quarter of an hour later, all the herbs had their essences condensed into medicinal liquid which had been gathered in Xia Ning Chang’s delicate palm.
Next she gently waved her hands and molded her True Qi into this ball of liquid. A moment later she suddenly gripped her fist and the surrounding World Energy quickly swirled together. After this rapid and unexpected change, once she opened her hand again, a green pill impressively appeared.
The pill was perfectly rounded, not containing the slightest impurity, and on its surface, there was a network of fine lines that gave the whole pill a look of mystery and spirituality.
“Pill Veins!” Xiao Fu Sheng’s eyes nearly popped out as he suddenly screamed.
Yang Kai’s brow also twitched.
He remembered that the first time he saw Xiao Fu Sheng, he had just finished refining a pill. At that time when he was examining that pill, he had been muttering about these ‘Pill Veins’ as well.
“Uncle, please examine it!” Xia Ning Chang gently held this pill and passed it towards Xiao Fu Sheng.
“Careful, careful little Aunty, please be careful not to damage the Pill Veins…” Xiao Fu Sheng stretched out his trembling hands and extremely gently received the pill, as if it was some kind of divine object that he was paying homage to.
“Hmph, good-for-nothing!” Meng Wu Ya teased in a timely manner.
“Fool, you know shit!” Xiao Fu Sheng viciously cursed, lightly turning over the pill as he carefully examined it.
“They real are Pill Veins… real Pill Veins.” At the moment Xiao Fu Sheng no longer had any trace of a Grandmaster’s demeanor; he was totally like an ignorant country bumpkin who had suddenly come to the big city, gazing in wonder at the marvels before him.
“Master, what exactly are Pill Veins?” Dong Qing Yan asked softly.
“Pill Veins…” Xiao Fu Sheng gently sighed, “The appearance of Pill Veins is one of the highest achievements an Alchemist can attain in Alchemy. These faint lines which appear on the pill’s surface are akin to our body’s meridians, in other words, Pill Veins are a pill’s meridians!”
“Whether or not a pill has Pill Veins, its grade does not change, but there is a big difference between a pill with Pill Veins and one with none. Pills with Pill Veins have absorbed the energy of Heaven and Earth and are therefore more than twice as potent as ordinary pills! In addition, the existence of Pill Veins can prevent a pill from losing any of its medicinal effects, which means that no matter how many years it is stored for, its efficacy will not decrease!” Xiao Fu Sheng explained, his voice filled with emotion, “This old master has been studying Alchemy for many years and recently I have focused on the refinement of Pill Veins, but only when refining Common Grade pills will I have occasional success, for Earth Grade, Pill Veins almost never appear, and as for Heaven Grade… I’ve never succeeded.”
Turning around, his eyes shining, Xiao Fu Sheng gazed towards Xia Ning Chang, “Little niece, when you refine Heaven Grade pills, what proportion of them have Pill Veins appear?”
Xia Ning Chang immediately bit her lip and timidly looked at Meng Wu Ya, not sure how she should answer.
She had already given Grandmaster Xiao a huge blow today and she really couldn’t bear to answer this question truthfully.
However, Meng Wu Ya only grinned, “Just tell him.”
“About five to six percent!”
*Hsss…* Xiao Fu Sheng gasped.
Five to Six percent of the Heaven Grade pills had Pill Veins, and each of these would have more than twice the ordinary efficacy… such methods exceed the realm of skills.
It could only be recognised as a heavenly blessing!
Still wearing a look of shock, Xiao Fu Sheng quickly asked, “Pill cloud? Has the legendary Pill Cloud which is even above Pill Veins appeared?”
Xia Ning Chang slowly shook her head.
“Hmm, it should be that your cultivation is not high enough, if you can break through to the Immortal Ascension Boundary, you should be able to refining the legendary Pill Cloud.” Xiao Fu Sheng nodded, his hands still trembling, pacing back and forth inside the stone room for a while before suddenly declaring, “Everyone else out, I have something to discuss with Brother Meng!”
The three young people, although startled, quickly bowing before leaving.
A moment after they had left, the sound of Meng Wu Ya’s furious voice rang out from below, “Not in your wildest dreams! Having designs on this old man’s apprentice, how dare you! If I knew you are such an ungrateful wolf then I would never have saved your damn life, if would’ve been better to let those Sixth-Order Monster Beasts rip you into a hundred pieces!”
Xiao Fu Sheng shot back, “It only makes sense; you don’t understand Alchemy, what can you teach her? Such a good piece of jade, her running around by your side is simply a waste of Heavenly gifts; her worshipping this old master is a far better idea.”
Meng Wu Ya sneered again and again, “Even if I can’t teach her, can you?”
“I can teach her all of my life’s experiences! I can let her in the shortest possible time become a Mysterious Grade Top-Rank Alchemist!”
“Mysterious Grade Top-Rank counts for shit, you’re looking down on my background far too much!
Meng Wu Ya and Xiao Fu Sheng quarreled for most of the day, but eventually seemed to have reached some kind of agreement, so the both old guys walked out with big grins on their faces.
Xiao Fu Sheng immediately began preparing to open the Myriad Drug Pond for Xia Ning Chang so she could study the Pill Saint’s Statue and gain insight into the Alchemic Way.
Opening the Myriad Drug Pond was quite expensive because every time it was opened, many pills would need to be used as an offering to the Pill Saint’s Statue so that it would reveal its profound mysteries and allow those who gazed upon it to gain enlightenment.
The number of pills required each time was no less than a hundred, and the more that were offered and they higher their quality, the longer the Pill Saint’s Statue would remain active.
Because of this material cost, even Medicine King’s Valley would not necessarily be able to open it more than a few times a year, and every time it was, it was either for an Elder that needed enlightenment or for an Elite Disciple as a supreme reward for their achievements.
In addition to those who belonged to Medicine King’s Valley, the only way outside Alchemists were able to see the Pill Saint’s portrait was for them to participate in the Alchemist Summit.
These Alchemist Summits were held once every five years, and each time they were, numerous Alchemists from all over the world would rush to attend.
During this summit, the pills these foreign Alchemists refined, regardless of the quantity or quality, would all be put into the Myriad Drug Pond in order to open this forbidden area; then the top 50 Alchemists from the summit would be allowed to patronize the Pill Saint’s Statue.
Over the course of thousands of years, it was not known just how many pills the Myriad Drug Pond had consumed.
Hence how it received the name Myriad Drug Pond!
The Myriad Drug Pond and the Pill Saint’s Statue shared a mysterious link, and although Medicine King’s Valley had many times tried to explore this link, they had never managed to discover anything.
Over time, this place had become the holy ground of this world’s Alchemists! The Pill Saint’s portrait becoming the treasure that all Alchemists dreamed of. Many people worked their whole life just so that they could gain a moment of time sitting before the Pill Saint’s Satue.
After learning that the Myriad Drug Pond would be opened for Xia Ning Chang, Yang Kai’s mind began to race.
Although he could not personally go with Xia Ning Chang to the Myriad Drug Pond, he could still send Old Demon to check out the situation.
Yang Kai’s preparations for this could be said to be foolproof, passing control of the Soul Breaker Awl and Old Demon to Xia Ning Chang and even borrowing Dong Qing Yan’s aura concealing ancient jade.
If not for this piece of jade, with Old Demon’s innate Demonic Qi, an Immortal Ascension Boundary master would certainly discover him.
Two days later, once everything was arranged, Xiao Fu Sheng personally brought Xia Ning Chang to Pill Saint’s Peak and to the Myriad Drug Pond.
Thick skinned Meng Wu Ya also said he wanted to tag along but Xiao Fu Sheng ruthlessly refused.
Even Meng Wu Ya was not allowed to approach; it was clear just how much Medicine King’s Valley valued this forbidden area.
On the day Xia Ning Chang went to the Myriad Drug Pond, Meng Wu Ya, suddenly bored, took the opportunity to come to find Yang Kai and have a man to man talk.
During their conversation, Treasurer Meng kept talking to Yang Kai about how thin Su Yan had become while he was gone, how haggard she had become, how much she had missed him, how annoyed she was that Xie Hong Chen was stalking her, chasing her around like a fool, all the while secretly observing Yang Kai’s reaction.
Patiently listening, Yang Kai eventually chuckled, “Treasurer Meng, let us not speak in riddles, you are worried about me trying to start something with Little Senior Sister, yes?”
Meng Wu Ya suddenly glared, apparently not anticipating that Yang Kai’s skin would be so thick to say things so directly. Grinning fiercely, “Little Yang Kai, this old master has watched you as you’ve grown up, so I know you will not be such an insatiable beast, right? Chang’er is not old, and is very innocent, so she is easily deceived… haa… of course, I’m not talking about you specifically, I just don’t want her to find herself in a situation where she will be hurt. That Su Yan girl is a beloved daughter of Heaven, receiving even a little of her favour is something that all men dream of, yet the only one she thinks of is you! You already had a full bowl so you won’t be so greedy to go looking for another bowl, right?
This was the first time Meng Wu Ya had so openly talked with Yang Kai about Xia Ning Chang’s situation, so naturally he was quite frank.
However, Yang Kai simply laughed, “Treasurer Meng, I just have one question for you.”
“En.”
“Do you wish Little Senior Sister to be married and have children in the future, or do you want her to be alone for the rest of her life?”
“How could I bear for her to be lonely?” Meng Wu Ya narrowed his eyes, “She is my treasured apprentice, I naturally hope that she will life a happy and fulfilling life.”
“In that case, Treasurer Meng, who in this world do you believe to be worthy of Little Senior Sister?”
Meng Wu Ya unhesitantly shook his head, his face filled with pride, “No one is worthy! This old master’s apprentice is akin to a pure jade pearl, someone worthy of her has not yet been born.”
“What about Su Yan? How does she compare with Little Senior Sister?” Yang Kai asked with a smile.
Meng Wu Ya spoke frankly, “Little Su Yan is really extraordinary, but this old master is not boasting, she is still not on my Chang’er’s level!”
“What about… if she received the Heaven’s Cave inheritance, what then?” Yang Kai’s lowered his tone.
Meng Wu Ya expression quickly changed, “She really got it?”
Yang Kai simply nodded.
Meng Wu Ya’s brow wrinkled slightly, recalling the dragon and phoenix vision from that day, “If that’s true, then her future success is limitless, on par with Chang’er!”
“Heh heh!” Yang Kai laughed meaningfully.
Meng Wu Ya looked at him suspiciously, suddenly understanding why he was seemingly talking in circles.
He just admitted that Su Yan and Xia Ning Chang had equal potential, and since Su Yan was willing to be with him, why should Xia Ning Chang not?
“Hmph, after eating from a bowl, how could I simply let it go? As a man, I must be bold with love and hatred, if I am hesitant, that will only hurt Little Senior Sister’s heart.” Yang Kai firmly declared.
Meng Wu Ya’s jaw dropped, unable to refute, angrily standing up and cursing, “You damn little brat, since long ago I knew you were a conniving rogue bastard! Damn it, out of everywhere in this world, this old master had to settle in High Heaven Pavilion and encounter this calamity!”
But regretting now was useless, his own treasured apprentice’s heart already belonged to Yang Kai, and this little rascal also refused to give him face and back down, so there was nothing he could do.
Grinding his teeth, Meng Wu Ya cursed, “Bastard little brat, if you dare make my Chang’er sad, Old Master… Old Master will slaughter your whole Yang Family!”
Finished, he turned around and stormed off.
Yang Kai rubbed his nose but didn’t pay him much mind.
With Meng Wu Ya’s supernatural methods, knowing his real identity was not surprising, he should have heard about it from the Sect Master. However, since Ling Tai Xu had dared tell him, he must be certain it would not leak.
So there was no need for him to concern himself over being exposed.
After a day, Xia Ning Chang and Xiao Fu Sheng returned.
Secretly handing the Soul Breaker Awl and the piece of ancient jade to Yang Kai, this Little Senior Sister of his then quickly entered secluded retreat.
Having spent an entire day studying the Pill Saint’s Statue, she had reaped a great harvest and needed some time to consolidate the knowledge she had gained.
After taking the Soul Breaker Awl back into his body, Yang Kai immediately asked.
“How was it?”
“The defence is extremely tight, in addition to four Immortal Ascension Boundary masters stationed within a three hundred meter radius of the Myriad Drug Pond, there are also more than a dozen guards at the True Element Boundary patrolling the perimeter.” Old Demon hurriedly responded.
“Did you manage to learn anything else?”
“Old Servant could only cautiously investigate the Myriad Drug Pond, but there was not much to be discovered; just, at its bottom, there seems to be a very well hidden and mysterious Spirit Array, one I cannot open.”
“What kind of Spirit Array?”
Old Demon quickly linked his Divine Sense with Yang Kai’s, allowing him to see what he had seen. The image was very vague, but true to Old Demon’s words, there were some faint traces of a Spirit Array; if someone else had examined the pond’s bottom, it was highly unlikely they would have found any clues.
“This Spirit Array…” After staring at it for a while, Yang Kai suddenly realized, this Spirit Array and the one on the fifth page of the wordless Black Book were quite similar.
Clearly there was some kind of connection between the two, and after studying the two for a long time, he concluded that the Spirit Array drawn on the wordless Black Book’s fifth page should be the key to opening this mysterious Spirit Array.
[Looks like I’ll have to go there myself! But with such an impenetrable defense, how can I get in?]
“Young Master, while Old Servant was inside I overheard a few of the guards whispering amongst themselves that once the Alchemist Summit began, the defence around there would become lax. Because Medicine King’s Valley does not have many people, and since the Alchemist Summit is always a bustling time, a lot of the guards from the Pill Saint’s Peak are required to descend the mountain in order to maintain order. When that time comes, only two Immortal Ascension masters will remain; it should be your best chance!” Old Demon suggested.
“Two Immortal Ascension Boundary masters…” Yang Kai frowned.
Two Immortal Ascension cultivators were still two Immortal Ascension cultivators, even if he used the ancient jade to conceal his aura and True Qi fluctuations, there was no way he could also escape their eyes and ears.
And aside from these two masters, there would certainly be others around as well.
He might have a chance if someone could serve as a decoy and lead them away.
Old Demon should be able to do this! As long as he moved fast enough he could return to Hidden Cloud Peak and hide with Little Senior Sister; then, once Yang Kai had finished his business, he would simply need to pick him up again.
The problem was that he certainly couldn’t lead all the guards away, at least one more helper was required; this all caused Yang Kai to furrow his brow.
The Alchemist Summit soon arrived as scheduled; all the world’s most prominent Alchemist gathered in Medicine King’s Valley, ready to show off their skills, win a good ranking, and improve their reputations.
However, on Hidden Cloud Peak, no one seemed to concern themselves with the Summit, only Dong Qing Yan wanted to go join in the excitement, which of course Xiao Fu Sheng did not forbid, often allowing her to walk around and observe.
Xia Ning Chang and Meng Wu Ya were also present on Hidden Cloud Peak, working together with Dong Qing Yan and Old Xiao to study the Alchemic Way.
After these Alchemy discussions, Xia Ning Chang would often accompany Yang Kai, sometimes chatting, sometimes just sitting together silently. Every day was filled with joy. If their future days were to be spent in a similar way, he would be satisfied.
The Alchemist Summit was held for a full ten days, and tomorrow was the finale; after the general assembly, the top fifty Alchemists would be brought to the summit of the Pill Saint’s Peak, and then, using all the pills refined during the conference to open it, these fifty would be allowed to visit the Myriad Drug Pond and gaze upon the Pill Saint’s Statue.
This was a once in five years event; garnering attention from around the entire world!
That night, Yang Kai silently left his room.
With tomorrow being the final day of the Summit, tonight should be Medicine King’s Valley’s busiest moment, so after so many days of careful planning and preparation, it was finally time to act.
Clenching the borrowed ancient jade in his palm, Yang Kai continuously poured his True Qi into it in order to conceal his aura.
In the thin moonlight, Yang Kai moved as swiftly as the wind across the mountains straight toward the Pill Saint’s Peak.
After less than half an hour, Yang Kai had once again come to within three thousand meters of the Pill Saint’s Peak, any further and he would be encroaching upon forbidden ground.
Listening patiently for a long time, Yang Kai silently continued to move closer.
But as soon as he made it to within a thousand meters, he suddenly stopped.
Gazing up towards the Heavens, he slowly waited.
A group of dark clouds slowly floated over, obscuring the already dim moonlight.
At this moment, Yang Kai began moving forward again!
Still undiscovered, Yang Kai breathed a deep sigh of relief.
Fortunately, Dong Qing Yan had this magical ancient jade, otherwise this time he really wouldn’t have known how to get this close.
“Old Demon, you’re up.” Yang Kai said.
“Old Servant understands!” Old Demon responded quickly.
Entering the Soul Breaker Awl, Old Demon flew out and began to cautiously take action.
Within ten breaths of time an angry voice from the top of Pill Saint’s Peak thundered, “Who goes there?!”
Following this cry, from all around a group of silhouettes approached, a dozen people rapidly closing in.
A burst of strange ‘Jie Jie’ laughter suddenly rang out, an eerie howl that caused all who heard it to feel cold chills run up their spines.
Before now, the two Immortal Ascension masters guarding the Myriad Drug Pond had not joined the chase, but after hearing this voice both of their expressions immediately changed, and one of them shouted, “Evil Demon!”
Both of them stood up and dashed towards the direction from which Old Demon had escaped. Mid-air, the two men’s eyes met for a moment before one of them hurriedly returned to the Myriad Drug Pond’s side, leaving the other to continue the pursuit.
During this brief sequence of events, Yang Kai took the opportunity to move another two hundred meters closer.
Before even breathing a sigh of relief, Yang Kai quickly took out something he had hidden in his sleeve.
It was a small gray rabbit. Although Medicine King’s Valley did not have any Monstrous Beasts, it still had a large number of small animals such as this rabbit, so Yang Kai had easily been able to capture one.
After applying his Beast Slave Seal, this little rabbit obediently followed his orders.
Skillfully, Yang Kai tossed this rabbit to a spot three hundred meters away where it softly landed. Unhurriedly standing up, the rabbit lightly hopped a couple dozen meters just as Yang Kai commanded before it began dashing forward as fast as it could.
This sudden burst of movement kicked up quite a bit of unnatural noise.
The remaining Immortal Ascension master’s eyes flashed a cold light, and throwing a palm strike towards the direction where this disturbance had originated, he immediately soared out like a bird of prey to investigate.
[Now.]
Yang Kai took a deep breath and activated his Movement Skill. Like a flash of lightning, he came directly to Myriad Drug Pond’s side and before even checking to see what this forbidden area looked like, he dove in, careful not to make the slightest splash.
The Immortal Ascension Boundary master who had stayed behind quickly caught up and captured the little grey rabbit. Looking down at this struggling little thing, he secretly shook his head, thinking to himself that he was a bit too nervous.
He casually released the rabbit a moment later.
* Shua Shua Shua*, the sound of swishing clothes drifted over as the dozen people who had gone out to chase Old Demon returned.
“How was it?”
“We lost him, that demon ran too fast and… it gave me a weird feeling, it was like it had no vitality!” The Immortal Ascension master who had chased Old Demon replied before frowning, “Why are you out here?”
“I heard some movement and came out to check; I didn’t expect to simply find a rabbit.”
The two masters suddenly exchanged a glance, and their expressions rapidly changed, “A diversion!”
Rushing back, the two began to carefully inspect the area around the Myriad Drug Pond.
The Myriad Drug Pond was okay. The Pill Saint’s portait was also all right. Everything was calm.
The group of people looked at each other, and none of them had a clue what that demon had been trying to do, but fortunately nothing had happened. This place was the very foundation upon which Medicine King’s Valley was built. If something had really happened, it wouldn’t only be a loss to Medicine King’s Valley. It would also be a loss to all of this world’s Alchemists. Such a sin was not something these two Immortal Ascension masters could atone for even with their lives.
…
The Myriad Drug Pond was not deep, probably only a couple dozen meters or so.
Yang Kai dove rapidly. The wordless Black Book was gripped in his hand as it had been since before he began sneaking in. Directly flipping to the fifth page as he reached the pond’s bottom, a bright light burst forth from the page and completely enveloped his body.
From the Myriad Drug Pond’s bottom, the hidden Spirit Array’s lines also began to glow and allowed Yang Kai to pass directly through them and reach an area even further below.
A moment later, Yang Kai slowly began to recover his vision, and he immediately noticed that there was no water around. Instead he found himself in a small closed space. Although this space was isolated, it was not barren, and an extremely rich energy circulated about while the air was full of fragrant aroma.
Suddenly, the light wrapping him flowed into his body, and with it, something was deposited into Yang Kai’s mind.
Ignoring this sensation for the time being, Yang Kai first examined his surrounding environment.
This should be below the bottom of the Myriad Drug Pond, and thanks to the mysterious Spirit Array, no one should have come here before; even if their strength was great, it would be impossible for them to discover this place.
No wonder Medicine King’s Valley, after thousands of years, still couldn’t unravel the mysteries of the Myriad Drug Pond. It turns out the root of the mystery had been hidden here.
Curious, Yang Kai swept his eyes around every corner of this isolated room.
Not far from him, he found a deep well-like thing. The top of the well was probably only about the size of a washbasin. Walking up to it, he saw that the well seemed to store some kind of milky-white liquid.
The well itself was surrounded by some mysterious patterns and text, probably another esoteric Spirit Array.
This Spirit Array formed a visible cylinder of energy overtop the well that seemed to constantly be transferring power from above to below.
The source of this energy was the bottom of the Myriad Drug Pond, while its destination was the well.
Sniffing the air around the well, a rich aroma wafted to his nose, the fragrance clearly coming from the liquids contained within.
Carefully dipping a finger into the well, Yang Kai brought a drop of the clear liquid to his mouth. A sweet taste immediately spread across his tongue, and the liquid instantly transformed into a warm energy, which proceeded to soak into his body from his flesh to his bones.
Yang Kai’s body twitched, and he felt the True Element Boundary Second Stage’s bottleneck instantly shatter. In one fell swoop, he broke through to the True Element Boundary Third Stage.
As an intangible aura ripple spread out, Yang Kai’s expression tightened, as he worried that this sudden disturbance would alert the Myriad Drug Pond’s guardians above.
However, to his surprise, this closed space completely isolated the outburst from his breakthrough and did not allow it to spread to the outside.
Secretly breathing a sigh of relief, his heartbeat slowly calmed.
“Amazing!” Yang Kai was pleasantly surprised. What was this mysterious liquid inside the well? Its effects were remarkable!
Although it had been around half a month ago that Yang Kai faintly felt he had reached the peak of the True Element Boundary Second Stage, he had been cultivating for so long without progress, but in just a moment he had experienced a breakthrough thanks to this strange liquid.
Yang Kai suddenly remembered the burst of information he had just received and figured that it would hold the answers to his questions.
Searching his mind, he carefully began to review this new knowledge.
A moment later, Yang Kai’s eyes shot open in astonishment.
He really did find the answers he was looking for.
The milky white liquid inside the well was a kind of medicinal elixir called Myriad Drug Liquid!
Every year, hundreds of thousands of pills were sacrificed to the Myriad Drug Pond, but the energy contained within these pills did not simply vanish but were instead collected by the Spirit Array hidden at its bottom and then drawn into this well.
Once inside the well, the second Spirit Array would transform this energy Myriad Drug Liquid.
This was not something that could be done overnight, but instead required years of time and a constant supply of pills in order to complete.
Medicine King’s Valley’s heritage stretched back five or six thousand years. Every year hundreds, thousands, or even more pills were thrown into the Myriad Drug Pond, so after so many years of accumulation, the total number of pills the Myriad Drug Pond had consumed had reached at least a few million.
A few million! This was a figure that could cause the entire world to tremble.
Even if the grade of the pills were low, the sheer quantity of them would result in a massive amount of energy being gathered here, enough to shake the Heavens and crack the Earth. Not to mention, often, in order to study the mysteries of the Pill Saint’s Portait for longer, Medicine King’s Valley would not hesitate to offer many Earth Grade and even Heaven Grade pills.
On top of that, every year when it was time to worship their ancestors, even Mysterious Grade pills would be sacrificed.
And now, all of these energies had been brought together in this well and converted into Myriad Drug Liquid.
It was easy to imagine just how rare and precious this Myriad Drug Liquid was.
This elixir was formed from the energy of millions of pills being slowly refined over thousands of years!
As for its effects, there were many. Not only could it immediately boost one’s cultivation, if a cultivator were to regularly refine it over a long period of time they could essentially be reborn, completely cleansing and quenching their body. Even if their aptitude was originally mediocre, as long as they continuously took this medicine, they would inevitable one day become a genius.
It could also play a role in Alchemy. When refining any pill, if an Alchemist added a single drop of Myriad Drug Liquid, it would improve the quality of pill by half a grade.
For a Mysterious Grade Top-Rank pill, a half-grade enhancement meant that the end result would be approaching the threshold of the Spirit Grade. This was an unattainable goal that Xiao Fu Sheng had pursued his entire life.
In addition, be it healing, increasing longevity, etc… all kinds of benefits were associated with the Myriad Drug Liquid.
Although this elixir was formed from a variety of pill, its effects far exceeded the effects of those pills. Through a long constant refinement it had undergone a quantitative and qualitative change.
Moreover, the Spirit Array engraved around the well was constantly absorbing World Energy from the surroundings continuously channeled it into the well over the course of thousands of years. The kind of changes this had caused to the Myriad Drug Liquid contained within, no one could said clearly.
This well was simply the most valuable treasure under the Heavens! Anyone who got their hands on it would no doubt accomplish many heroic deeds and could even build an unrivalled force that could disdain the entire world.
Medicine King’s Valley had been sitting on this Heavenly treasure, but had only used it as a medium to activate the Pill Saint’s Portait, not even taking advantage of one-tenth if its full potential.
However, it was precisely because of the existence of the Pill Saint’s Portait that Medicine King’s Valley and the world’s Alchemists continued to offer pills to the Myriad Drug Pond for thousands of year, which ultimately allowed this Myriad Drug Liquid to form.
Without the Pill Saint’s portrait, there would never have been any liquid in this well.
Yang Kai took a deep breath, trying to calm the excitement in his heart.
He didn’t know what kind of face those of Medicine King’s Valley would make if they learned that their Sect’s thousands of years of effort had suddenly become someone else’s stepping stone.
Yang Kai and Medicine King’s Valley had no grievances between them. This time he had really only been following the wordless Black Book’s guidance. He hadn’t intended on robbing them of this treasure.
Pushing down the shame he felt, Yang Kai, still holding the wordless Black Book, quickly sat down cross-legged.
This well was quite large and had a great amount of Myriad Drug Liquid, but without a suitable container, there was no way for him to take it away. Even the Universe Bag Yang Kai had received from Ling Tai Xu was unable to carry it.
But Yang Kai was not rushed.
Calming himself, he turned to the wordless Black Book’s sixth page.
As soon as he had broken through to the True Element Boundary, Yang Kai had felt that the sixth page of the Black Book could be activated, but although he knew that the mysteries of the sixth page had been unlocked, he did not take action immediately.
He hesitated because he had not fully explored the mysteries of the fifth page’s Spirit Array.
The first five pages of the Black Book had nothing inside them except for the incense burner.
Removing the burner, Yang Kai proceeded to pour True Qi into the sixth page.
As he did, a pattern of dark lines suddenly emerged. At a glance he could see that these lines were some kind of Spirit Array, but unlike the one drawn on the fifth page, no matter how much True Qi he channelled into this array, it just continued absorbing it, seemingly without limits.
The Spirit Array’s lines constantly flickered.
A moment later, his True Qi was exhausted.
When this happened, Yang Kai immediately burst a drop of Yang Liquid within his dantian and once again filled his empty meridians, continuing to pour True Qi into the Spirit Array.
After consuming a full ten drops of valuable Yang Liquid, the sixth page finally seemed to be saturated and the Spirit Array underwent a change. The first six pages suddenly combined together to merge into one.
Probing it with his Divine Sense, Yang Kai laughed with satisfaction.
It had been two or three years since he had acquired this Black Book, and although he had long since known that it was made of a giant piece of soulstone, it was not until now that it could fulfil its most fundamental role.
Soulstone was a Precious Treasure that one could forge storage artifacts from.
Such artifacts were actually things only spoken of in legend, so from the moment Yang Kai had first discovered that this wordless Black Book was forged from soulstone, he had been looking forward to the day he could use it as a storage.
This was especially true since a year ago when he had gone out for life experience. The Universe Bag that Ling Tai Xu had given him had shown him just how convenient and useful a storage artifact could be.
If one had a decent storage artifact, they could save themselves a lot of trouble.
And now, that desire had finally been reached.
What the Black Book’s sixth page had given him was the ability to open the wordless Black Books storage ability. The first six pages merging together had created an independent storage space.
Compared to the relatively small storage capacity of the Universe Bag, the Black Book’s internal space was very large, big enough to fit several houses inside. Besides an inability to load living things, there were basically no other limits or restrictions on what could be put into this space.
Moreover, in the future, the remaining pages of the Black Book would become available to him, and once those pages merged with the first six, the amount of storage space would increase.
Allowing his Divine Sense to wander around the huge space, Yang Kai felt truly amazed.
With such a large independent space at his disposal, essentially he would never again have to worry about being able to store things again.
After a moment, Yang Kai recalled his Divine Sense and carefully held the Black Book in one hand while manipulating his True Qi with the other, as he very carefully began removing the Myriad Drug Liquid from the well and loading it into the Black Book.
Every single drop of Myriad Drug Liquid was extremely precious, so Yang Kai was particularly meticulous and cautious, not wanting to spill even the slightest amount.
Fortunately, he had painstakingly cultivated Xiao Fu Sheng’s Yuan Qi manipulation techniques, so he was much more deft at controlling his True Qi than before, which allowed him to complete this task with relative ease.
At the beginning, Yang Kai was quite cautious, but as time passed, his actions gradually became faster. By the end, his free hand was basically tossing the Myriad Drug Liquid into the wordless Black Book’s storage space without him even bothering to watch.
This process lasted a full six or seven hours.
As time passed, Yang Kai’s back began to ache from kneeling over, while the actions of his hands had become mechanical.
When it was all over, he had acquired more than a thousand kilograms of Myriad Drug Liquid.
Looking into the well, part way down, at some point a layer of Myriad Drug Liquid that was richer in texture appeared. It was still a milky white colour, but instead of a flowing liquid it was closer to a semi-solidified state.
Myriad Drug Milk!
Compared to Myriad Drug Liquid it was a higher grade of treasure.
After all, this well had existed for thousands of years, and during that time Medicine King’s Valley had constantly been offering a huge amount of pills to the Myriad Drug Pond. The energy of those pills had all been gathered into the well, and the deeper one went the more ancient and refined the product would become. Naturally that meant that the treasure at the bottom of the well would have more potent effects.
Looking at this layer of Myriad Drug Milk, Yang Kai took a deep breath, grit his teeth, and continued collecting.
Another three or four hours later, the Myriad Drug Milk had been fully harvested, and although it was not as much as the thousand kilograms of Myriad Drug Liquid, there was still at least two or three hundred kilograms.
The Myriad Drug Milk’s effects were twice as strong as its liquid form.
In other words, with such an auxiliary treasure in hand, Xiao Fu Sheng would immediately be able to refine Spirit Grade pills because a single drop of this cream would allow one to improve the level of any pill by a full grade.
Once all the Myriad Drug Milk was collected however, there was still a layer of something at the bottom of the well.
This layer was completely solidified and was clearly the most valuable treasure in the well.
Myriad Drug Cream! Its efficacy was again twice that of its milk form.
Enduring his built up fatigue, Yang Kai once again carefully began collecting this treasure.
After a long time, Yang Kai wiped the sweat off his forehead, and sat cross-legged on the ground while breathing rhythmically in order to restore his strength.
The amount of Myriad Drug Cream he acquired was not much, at least compared the massive quantity of Myriad Drug Liquid and Myriad Drug Milk, only a few dozen kilograms. But these few dozen kilograms of cream were the crystallization of the most potent energies from thousands of year’s worth of sacrificed pills.
Now, the well had been completely emptied, and the thousands of years of accumulation all belonged to Yang Kai.
Frowning as he meditated, Yang Kai couldn’t help but ponder over this several thousand years old cycle.
Gaining enlightenment about the Alchemic Way from the Pill Saint’s portrait was the bait for this cycle, and if an Alchemist wanted to do so they needed to offer a large amount of pills to the Myriad Drug Pond.
Once these pills were placed into the pond, their energy and essence would eventually be gathered here.
Then, only after thousands of years would this large quantity of Myriad Drug Liquid be formed.
Was it the wordless Black Book’s creator that set all of this up? Yang Kai didn’t know.
What he did know was that this entire setup was very clever, using those Alchemists’ pilgrimages here to gain insight to acquire the required materials to fuel this cycle.
As long as the Pill Saint’s Portrait remained, as long as the Myriad Drug Pond was there, and as long as Medicine King’s Valley endured, thousands of years later, it was more than likely that this well would once again be filled with Myriad Drug Liquid.
But in the river of time, all things were impermanent; Medicine King’s Valley maintaining its position for thousands of years was already a miracle, as for if it could continue to do so for many more thousands of years, who could say for sure?
As he was in mediation, the isolated space he was in suddenly had some unusual movements.
His expression slightly changed. Yang Kai hurriedly opened his eyes, surprised to find the space round him filled with a variety of flashing text and diagrams.
These words were old, obscure, and completely unintelligible.
The diagrams were also strange, but at a glance Yang Kai could see that many of them were in fact Spirit Arrays.
These words and patterns filled the chamber with flashing lights, appearing somewhat like tiny glowing fish quickly swimming through a clear lake.
Yang Kai wrinkled his brow in confusion and looked around carefully wondering what exactly was going on.
But before he had a chance to figure anything out, the numerous words and diagrams suddenly flashed brilliantly and madly rushed towards Yang Kai.
In a flash, all of these words and diagrams began silently flooding into his mind. His entire head was seemingly wrapped up in a glowing halo. As these lights continued drilling into him, Yang Kai feel like his brain was constantly on the verge of exploding. The blue veins on his forehead were clearly visible, like a mass of squirming earthworms, grotesque and disturbing to anyone who could see them.
This anomaly lasted for quite a while, until finally the last light shot into Yang Kai’s head, and then the whole chamber suddenly became dark again.
Yang Kai felt a throbbing pain resound inside his mind as he tried to catch his breath and recover his composure.
Involuntarily breathing a sigh of relief, Yang Kai knew that the Soul Warming Lotus had once again saved him, similar to his experience in the Nether Mountain isolate world’s white mist region, automatically repairing his Soul when it became damaged.
Faintly, Yang Kai felt that some new knowledge had been added to his mind, but this time was much different from the times he had gained something from the wordless Black Book, the two experiences couldn’t even be compared.
Every page of the wordless Black Book contained very specific information and was easily understood and conveyed; additionally, the amount of information was very small, so even if one hadn’t cultivated their Soul yet, it was still easy to understand.
But this time the amount of information he received was enormous, to the point that Yang Kai couldn’t even comprehend just how great it was.
Calming himself, Yang Kai carefully tried to examine some of this new knowledge.
And after a while, some inexplicable information jumped out.
The True Alchemic Way!
After slowly reviewing for a while, Yang Kai was surprised to find that this information was all somehow related to Alchemy. No Secret Arts, no Martial Skills, but all about how to practice Alchemy and refining good pills.
This True Alchemic Method wasn’t just a guide on how to perform Alchemy, however; it also contained many formulas for different pills, as well as the experiences of countless Alchemy Grandmasters. Many of their unique methods and insights into Alchemy were also documented. It was definitely a Heaven class treasure.
Although Yang Kai was only concerned about reaching the peak of Martial Arts and did not want to be distracted by pursuing Alchemy, his Little Senior Sister would definitely need this knowledge. If she could acquire all the information in this True Alchemic Method, it would absolutely be a huge boon to her abilities, and coupled with her special physique and skills, it would greatly assist her in refining higher grade and better quality pills.
Considering all this, Yang Kai grinned, and did not rush to leave but instead began carefully studying this information.
But less than ten breaths of time later, Yang Kai suddenly felt a burst of fatigue wash over his whole being and the just-settled throbbing pain once again assaulted his mind.
Gasping for breath, it wasn’t until the Soul Warming Lotus activated and slowly began repairing the damage to his Soul that the pain finally began to subside, but the feeling of exhaustion still continued to linger.
Yang Kai couldn’t help trembling slightly. His Spiritual Energy had actually been completely consumed within the span of a few breaths.
The Soul’s strength was also limited, similar to the Yuan Qi inside a cultivator’s body. Once their Yuan Qi was exhausted, a cultivator could no longer fight, while likewise, once one’s Spiritual Energy was exhausted, one’s Divine Sense could no longer be used.
This was why, even though Immortal Ascension Boundary masters could cultivate their Souls, under normal circumstances, they would not freely use their Divine Sense.
Yuan Qi was easy to restore, Spiritual Energy, on the other hand, was another story. Precious Treasures and pills related to restoring Spiritual Energy were generally many times rarer, and thus much more expensive.
Yang Kai’s cultivation was currently at the True Element Boundary Third Stage, yet he had already begun cultivating his Soul, and already had Spiritual Energy comparable to an ordinary Immortal Ascension Boundary Fourth or Fifth stage master, but clearly that was nowhere near enough to explore the mysteries of this True Alchemic Method that had been imprinted into his mind.
Frowning, Yang Kai meditated for another four or five hours before he felt his Spiritual Energy finally recover.
It was only with the Soul Warming Lotus’ constant assistance that recovering in such a short period of time was possible. For a general Immortal Ascension cultivator, if their Spiritual Energy were to be completely exhausted, it would be at least ten days to as long as half a month to do this.
[I have to find some good Spiritual Energy recovering pills after this,] Yang Kai silently thought to himself.
Not satisfied with simply giving up, Yang Kai once again submerged his consciousness into his mind. This time he lasted a few additional breaths before his Spiritual Energy was cleanly consumed again.
This time, however, Yang Kai didn’t simply wait to recover naturally but instead consumed some of the Myriad Drug Liquid, and sure enough, his Spiritual Energy really did begin to quickly recover.
In less than half an hour, he had once again been completely restored and was full of energy.
Repeating this process a dozen times, Yang Kai finally began to glimpse a little bit of useful information.
It was a Spirit Array! Specifically it was an array used to assist Alchemists which could be engraved inside one’s Alchemy Furnace in order to enhance the quality and possibility of success in refining a pill, but the effect was neither very good, nor very stable.
Expending a huge amount of Spiritual Energy and consuming more than a dozen drops of Myriad Drug Liquid to get such a thing made Yang Kai wrinkle his brow involuntarily.
The reward not being proportional to the expense gave him a feeling of receiving more harm than good.
This True Alchemic Way was filled with profound and esoteric knowledge, but with his currently weak Spiritual Energy, it was obviously impossible for him to comprehend the whole picture.
Yang Kai couldn’t help feeling a little pity as he slowly put aside this True Alchemic Way, planning to further cultivate his Soul before trying again.
Feeling like his Spiritual Energy had grown slightly through these efforts brought him a bit of happiness though.
The only question now was… why did this True Alchemic Way appear here? And why would it suddenly decide to flood his mind?
If the Black Book’s creator wanted him to master the True Alchemic Way, he or she could have simply sealed it into one of the wordless Black Book’s pages and allowed it to be unlocked once his cultivation had reached a sufficient height.
According to his current cultivation, normally it would have been impossible to accept such a massive amount of information. If it weren’t for the Soul Warming Lotus’s help in repairing the damage, his Soul would certainly have been destroyed.
Although he was still uncertain about how all this had happened, Yang Kai did finally understand the mystery of the Pill Saint’s Statue.
Rumor was that the Pill Saint had left behind his Alchemy inheritance here. It was such a famous story that even Meng Wu Ya knew about the Pill Saint’s Statue, and apparently such rumors were not groundless.
The profound mysteries hidden within the Pill Saint’s Statue were actually this True Alchemic Way.
It was just that when Alchemists studied the Statue to gain enlightenment, they would only receive a very small portion of this knowledge, whereas Yang Kai had the complete archive directly implanted into his brain this time.
Uncertain about whether or not the Pill Saint’s Statue would continue allowing Alchemists to gain enlightenment after this, Yang Kai couldn’t help feeling uneasy.
However, everything had already happened, and all the mysteries here had been solved, leaving behind only a dry well.
All he could do now was leave.
After taking some time to adjust his condition to its peak, Yang Kai began looking for the way out.
At first, he thought that this isolated space would have some kind of exit gate, but after searching for a long time, Yang Kai found nothing of the sort.
This discovery suddenly put him into an awkward position. Without an established exit, how was he supposed to leave? Did he have to force his way out? But just outside of this space were at least two Immortal Ascension Boundary masters and a large number of True Element Boundary guards.
The moment he jumped out of Myriad Drug Pond, he would immediately be captured.
Yang Kai had to believe there was some hidden exit somewhere.
But after carefully and meticulously searching around the hidden chamber again he still came up empty.
Yang Kai’s brow wrinkled, and he felt like something about this whole situation seemed a bit off. The Black Book’s instructions had led him to this place in order to obtain the Myriad Drug Liquid, so there was no reason it would do so just to let him be trapped here.
But why couldn’t he find the way out? Was there something he had missed?
Yang Kai continued his blind search and had soon gone over every square millimeter of the room a dozen times.
Half a day flew by.
His patience was reaching its limit.
Yang Kai was now certain there was no gateway out of this place, so if he wanted to leave, the only way to do so was through the Myriad Drug Pond.
But, wasn’t this the same as throwing himself into a net? The Myriad Drug Pond was Medicine King’s Valley’s most forbidden area. Even if he was now considered half a Hidden Cloud Peak disciple, if he appeared from the bottom of the Myriad Drug Pond he would likely not have a good end.
Gritting his teeth, Yang Kai decided to break through the top. Although there were many guards outside, if he moved fast enough, it wasn’t a certainty he would be caught.
Making up his mind, Yang Kai faced the isolate space’s ceiling, exhaled a breath, and let out a strong punch.
This punch was just a test.
The Myriad Drug Pond had been the centre of Medicine King’s Valley for many years; there must have been many experts who had similarly performed such an attack, wanting to see if below the surface there was some hidden mystery.
However, none of them had broken through the bottom because of the Spirit Array engraved there.
Yang Kai didn’t know if his punch could break through!
But fortune seemed to be on his side, with this single punch, a muffled bang rang out, and the stone ceiling above his head suddenly cracked and eventually burst open with a loud crashing sound, and the water from the Myriad Drug Pond immediately poured in.
Yang Kai’s brow wrinkled further as doubt flashed across his eyes, but with no time to hesitate, he quickly began swimming upwards and rapidly circulated his True Qi, anticipating the worst.
He was resigned to being besieged and was preparing his best to quickly counterattack.
But unexpectedly, after bursting out of the pond and floating mid-air, he didn’t suffer any attacks. Quickly glancing around, Yang Kai’s pupils involuntarily shrank.
Corpses surrounded the Myriad Drug Pond and blood flowed like rivers.
The originally hundred meters tall Pill Saint’s Statue had now been shattered, broken into pieces that were strewn across the mountain top.
The surrounding air was filled with a thick bloody smell and the sounds of fighting and killing echoed all around.
Yang Kai’s expression suddenly became solemn as he surveyed his surroundings and quickly landed nearby.
The area around him was filled with traces of battle, and as he looked further afield, Yang Kai found that smoke was rising from all of Medicine King’s Valley’s twelve peaks and the city in the valley below was in complete chaos.
Floating in the sky, there were many Immortal Ascension Boundary cultivators locked in desperate struggles with all kinds of ferocious Martial Skills and strange artifacts flying back and forth.
Someone was attacking Medicine King’s Valley!
What force was so bold?
Not to mention that the Alchemist Summit was currently being held, so it was a particularly sensitive time.
For thousands of years, Medicine King’s Valley had never fought with any force, whether you were good or evil, whether you were strong or weak, Medicine King’s Valley had always upheld a strict principle of neutrality from beginning to end.
Even many devil path cultivators would visit Medicine King’s Valley to make Alchemy requests.
It was because of this policy of neutrality that this place had endured for all these years.
But now, someone had launched an attack on Medicine King’s Valley and not only slaughtered many lives but also destroyed the Pill Saint’s Statue!
This was a Heaven shaking change!
Medicine King’s Valley was inextricably linked with all of this world’s forces. In the Valley town every great force had opened a branch where one of their masters would sit all year round. If someone dared to attack Medicine King’s Valley, they would be making an enemy of the entire world, so no matter how strong their own forces were their destruction would not be far behind.
Buy at the moment, the battle raging across Medicine King’s Valley was obviously quite even. Medicine King’s Valley even seemed to be at a disadvantage.
On top of that… the Pill Saint’s Statue had actually been destroyed. This was a huge loss for the entire world.
Yang Kai faintly felt that the destruction of the Pill Saint’s Statue and the True Alchemic Way’s sudden influx into his mind were linked. After all, the True Alchemic Way’s original vessel was likely the Pill Saint’s Statue itself.
Standing there stunned for a moment, Yang Kai eventually managed to compose himself and activate his movement skill, dashing towards Hidden Cloud Peak.
Dong Qing Yan and Xia Ning Chang were still there. Old Xiao and his two defenceless Aunties were also there, and although Meng Wu Ya sat upon Hidden Cloud Peak as well, who knew what the situation was right now?
Moving as fast as he could, Yang Kai soon approached Hidden Cloud Peak. The scenery around him was only a blur as he rushed forward. Spreading out his Divine Sense in order to gather information, the situation around him immediately became clear.
Evil Qi and Demonic Qi were spread around Medicine King’s Valley, and those who were fighting with Medicine King’s Valley’s disciple were also releasing Demonic Qi.
The attackers were devil’s path cultivators! It was just unknown which Evil Sect they belonged to.
In addition to these devil’s path cultivators and Medicine King’s Valley disciples, there were also many cultivators from the world’s various forces also engaged in battle. All of them assisted Medicine King’s Valley’s forces, but there were not many experts present, so coupled with their lack of coordination, they were losing ground in many places, some of them even becoming corpses.
A few kilometers away, there was even a green poison fog that enveloped a several thousand meter radius. Inside that poisonous shroud, all the trees and plants had withered and died, and the ground was littered with the rotting corpses of many once powerful cultivators. Their remains were now little more than bleached bones.
In the sky above, numerous Immortal Ascension Boundary masters were slaughtered and soon fell back to the ground. Most of these high level cultivators were masters that the great forces had stationed here, but it was clear that the Demonic Qi covered Immortal Ascension Boundary cultivators had the upper hand.
Yang Kai frowned deeply. Though he didn’t know why Medicine King’s Valley had experienced such a tragedy, his footsteps never once stopped.
Halfway to his destination, a brawny blood stained man sudden jumped out in front of him, his hands holding a short sword carved out of bone, a chunk of bloody flesh still stuck on the blade.
Revealing a malicious grin, the man’s pair of wolf-like eyes stared straight towards Yang Kai as he brought the hunk of flesh on his sword to his mouth and sunk his teeth into it, chewing on this bloody meat like he was savouring the world’s more delicious delicacy, with a look of ecstasy emerging on his face.
Yang Kai quickly swept his eyes over this man and soon discovered a body underneath his foot. It wasn’t a Medicine King’s Valley’s disciple, instead it probably was someone from one of the great forces. From the looks of it, he had died recently, but the most disturbing sight was that a big piece of flesh was missing from his face.
“Another delicious meal!” The bloodstained man shouted as he flashed a ferocious smile, and his True Qi violently burst forth, exuding a rich demonic breath.
[True Element Boundary Fifth Stage!]
Yang Kai didn’t even pause, and a cold light flashed across his eyes, as he concentrated his Divine Sense and shot it towards the man’s forehead.
The brawny man was suddenly dazed, and his eyes became unfocused.
Although Yang Kai’s Divine Sense was no less powerful than an average Immortal Ascension Boundary Fourth of Fifth Stage master, he could only use it in such a rough manner, unable to display its full potential.
However, that was more than enough.
In the blink of an eye, the brawny man had recovered, but before he had time to launch an attack, Yang Kai released a punch straight towards the centre of his chest.
With a loud bang, the brawny hundred kilogram man’s body shot out like a arrow, his chest visibly caved in.
In mid-air, the brawny body burst into a mass of blood fog!
He did not even had time to mobilize his True Qi in order to defend himself.
Not sparing a second glance, Yang Kai continued forward like a meteor.
A moment later, Yang Kai reached the base of Hidden Cloud Peak.
Compared to the other surrounding peaks, Hidden Cloud Peak had very few casualties. After all, this place had always been quiet, and basically, no one ever visited.
But now, the fighting here was incredibly intense.
Before even reaching the summit, Yang Kai looked up into the sky and saw Meng Wu Ya single-handedly fighting against a large group of devil path Immortal Ascension cultivators.
Treasurer Meng was incredibly mysterious, and all of his methods were Heaven defying. His realm was currently only at the Peak of the Immortal Ascension Boundary, yet he was still fighting evenly against six other masters. Two of them had reached the Immortal Ascension Boundary Eighth Stage, while the remaining four were also by no means weak, each of them had cultivation levels at least above the Immortal Ascension Boundary Fifth Stage. These masters were more than just one step above the Blood Battle Gang’s masters he had once fought against.
Seven Immortal Ascension Boundary masters were having an all out contest above Hidden Cloud Peak.
Mid-battle, one of the devil path masters couldn’t help but complain, “Where did this old bastard suddenly appear from, he’s so damn strong!”
If it was an ordinary Peak Immortal Ascension Boundary master, they would have long fallen under the combined attacks of all six of them, but Meng Wu Ya wasn’t even at a disadvantage. Each of the Martial Skills he launched contained power that shocked all of them to their cores.
When orders had been given to capture Xiao Fu Sheng, originally only two Immortal Ascension masters had come, and both of them were in high spirits as they felt certain of their victory.
But just before reaching Hidden Cloud Peak’s summit, Meng Wu Ya had suddenly appeared and mercilessly slaughtered them.
With two Immortal Ascension Boundary masters suddenly dying, six nearby devil’s path masters learned that a strong master was guarding Hidden Cloud Peak, and all of them rushed over to attack. However, even with all of them attacking together, they couldn’t gain an upper hand. Although Meng Wu Ya only had a cultivation of peak Immortal Ascension, he still managed to single handedly hold all of them back.
All of Treasurer Meng’s Martial Skills contained huge lethality, and many of them were completely unfamiliar. Seeing these moves, the six attackers slowly became more and more frightened, after realizing they had kicked an iron plate.
What corner did this old guy suddenly jump out from? The six people were thoroughly confused. Wasn’t the only Immortal Ascension master on Hidden Cloud Peak, Xiao Fu Sheng?
Meanwhile, on the top of the peak, Xiao Fu Sheng calmly stood as he leisurely observed this battle.
Although he was also an Immortal Ascension master, his life had been dedicated to Alchem, so he was not proficient in fighting. Even if he utilized the Martial Skills he had cultivated, they wouldn’t be of any help.
The two dignified beauties stood behind him, and behind them were Dong Qing Yan and Xia Ning Chang. The four women each held some faint tension unlike Old Xiao’s indifferent calm.
“Young Master is back!” Old Demon suddenly called out, pleasantly surprised, and sure enough, the next moment, Yang Kai appeared on top of Hidden Cloud Peak.
Immediately after, the Soul Breaker Awl flew out towards Yang Kai ,who naturally reached out and grabbed it. The black gas quickly disappeared back into his body.
Xiao Fu Sheng only spared this whole process a glance, not even bothering to comment while Dong Qing Yan waved to Yang Kai, motioning him over.
“What happened here?” Yang Kai swiftly joined the crowd and inquisitively whispered.
“A day ago, the Ash-Gray Cloud Evil Land suddenly attacked Medicine King’s Valley. From how swiftly and menacingly they acted, they had clearly been plotting this for quite some time. After injuring or killing the masters from the various great forces standing guard in the Valley Town, they proceeded straight towards Medicine King’s Valley’s twelve peaks, capturing numerous disciples and various Alchemists who had come here to participate in the Alchemist Summit…”
Xia Ning Chang softly spoke about the current situation and all the relevant information she could remember.
Given this information, Yang Kai was also able to figure out a lot of things.
Ash-Gray Cloud Evil Land, it was this world’s largest devil’s path practitioner gathering place, a haven for all those who cultivated demonic arts. It was located in the southwest corner of the Great Han Dynasty.
In fact, the entire southwest region could be considered part of the Ash-Gray Cloud Evil Land.
Within the Ash-Gray Cloud Evil Land were many masters and various forces. A number of which were not weaker than the Eight Great Families and could be considered transcendental great forces.
As early as a few months ago, the Ash-Gray Cloud Evil Land had been planning this action and had gone around capturing the descendants of various great forces. Even the men who had been attacking Dong Qing Yan outside Medicine King’s Valley were agents of the Ash-Gray Cloud Evil Land.
During their assault, which they had timed to coincide with the Alchemist Summit, they had used these kidnapped descendents as human shields in order to force the various masters sent to Medicine King’s Valley to stand aside and not act rashly.
This of course led to Medicine King’s Valley’s side being quickly overwhelmed.
Also, the purpose of this attack was not to destroy Medicine King’s Valley, but to capture Alchemists. Whether they were Medicine King’s Valley disciples or foreign Alchemist who had come to attend the Summit, the number they could grasp was the number they would take.
They had even had designs on the Pill Saint’s Statue, but the Statue itself was too large, and on top of that the Immortal Ascension Boundary masters of Medicine King’s Valley had desperately fought to defend it. Unfortunately, while the two sides were locked in combat the Pill Saint’s Statue was accidentally broken.
The entire time, the Ash-Gray Cloud Evil Land used all kinds of despicable methods to further suppress the Medicine King’s Valley’s side.
As for Hidden Cloud Peak, if it weren’t for Meng Wu Ya happening to be here right now, Xiao Fu Sheng would probably have long been captured.
Sifting through this information, Yang Kai soon grasped the immediate situation.
However, although the Ash-Gray Cloud Evil Land was known to be reckless and belligerent, it was still a mystery why they wanted to capture so many Alchemists.
The battle in the skies above was incredibly fierce, and although it was Meng Wu Ya versus six devil cultivators, he was still holding his own.
“Battle Array!” An old black haired man suddenly shouted.
Hearing this order, the six devil path cultivators suddenly scattered, arranged themselves into a mysterious Spirit Array formation, and unleashed a single coordinated strike, which caused Meng Wu Ya’s composed expression to suddenly become slightly grim.
Just as he was attempting to stabilize himself, the six enemies all exchanged a glance and one of the Immortal Ascension Boundary Fifth Stage masters suddenly broke formation and flew back down towards Hidden Cloud Peak.
Meanwhile, the remaining five masters ferociously attempted to impede Meng Wu Ya.
“You dare!” Meng Wu Ya roared while releasing a devastating strike, knocking his five opponents off balance, and then he took advantage of this momentary opening to launch a palm at the man flying towards Hidden Cloud Peak.
[Decaying Wood Divine Strike!] A Mysterious Grade Top-Rank Martial Skill!
A swift and invisible palm wind burst forth, immediately causing the Ash-Gray Cloud Evil Land Immortal Ascension Boundary master to sense danger and hastily dodge.
The Palm strike narrowly missed his body but brushed past his arm, instantly paralysing it, and just this brief contact made his whole arm shrivel up like a dead tree, and it quickly began to decay.
With his face stricken with panic, the man immediately began revolving a healing art to resist this encroachment.
Fortunately for him, he was only grazed by the palm wind, so he was still able to resist its effects, and his shriveled up arm slowly started to restore itself to its original appearance, which allowed his nerves to settle once again.
Laughing maniacally, the man once again sped off towards Hidden Cloud Peak, like an eagle swooping down towards his prey.
Yang Kai and the others, seeing this approaching enemy, all began to madly circulate their True Qi to raise their alertness.
On the summit, only Xiao Fu Sheng was an Immortal Ascension cultivator, but he was not one who could fight. Even if this man had only reached the Immortal Ascension Boundary Fifth Stage, it was more than enough to kill them all!
As the attacking devil path cultivator approached, a ferocious grin appeared on his face as he yelled, “Xiao Fu Sheng, if you don’t want to die, then don’t resist! This old master just wants to invite you to our sacred land, there’s no need for this to get unpleasant!”
However, Old Xiao’s expression remained indifferent, totally unafraid.
This man then glanced towards Aunty Xiang and Aunty Lan before sweeping his eyes over Dong Qing Yan and Xia Ning Chang. He stretched out his tongue and licked his lips, while grinning wantonly and said, “A gathering of delicious beauties… Unfortunately, today this old master has an important task to complete; we’ll have to enjoy ourselves together next time!”
Done talking, he swiped out his hand with a grabbing motion towards Xiao Fu Sheng.
In response, Old Xiao coldly snorted, raised his hand, and countered with his own punch.
Seeing this, the man sneered disdainfully and used just his fingers to crush the Martial Skill Xiao Fu Sheng had launched before continuing to extend his grip towards Xiao Fu Sheng’s shoulder.
Completing all this within the span of a breath, the man prepared to leave.
At that moment, Yang Kai, Xia Ning Chang, and Dong Qing Yan Qi simultaneously struck!
Although the three were only juniors, when they each released their full strength Martial Skills the devil path master’s expression suddenly changed, especially in the face of Yang Kai’s attack. With such a powerful strike composed of incredibly pure True Qi, taking it undefended would certainly be bad.
Quickly recovering his hand and swiftly resolving these three attacks, he violently snapped back, “Scram! This old master has no time to play with you!”
But before his voice had even faded, two slender palms suddenly struck towards him.
World Energy suddenly stirred, and the surrounding air was suddenly filled with numerous floating petals, as if the sky had opened up and flowers began raining down, a wondrous sight to behold.
Yang Kai was stunned by this unforeseen occurrence as were Xia Ning Chang and Dong Qing Yan.
Within this rain, Aunty Xiang and Aunty Lan’s two images flashed. One by one they arrived beside the Ash-Gray Cloud Evil Land master. Their moves were swift and illusory, and their graceful bodies seemingly danced within the fluttering petals.
“You…” The Ash-Gray Cloud Evil Land’s cultivator was aghast, and he inadvertently inhaled some of the petals. His body immediately weakened a lot as he moaned, “You possess such skills!”
*Hmph!* Xiao Fu Sheng coldly snorted, “Since you’ve already come, don’t expect to ever leave.”
“It’s a trap!” The man howled mournfully. Whether it was Aunty Xiang or Aunty Lan, at the moment they both displayed strength in no way inferior to his own. So with the two of them together, and Xiao Fu Sheng eying him, even if he wanted to escape, he wouldn’t have a chance.
The two beautiful women remained silent, only gazing coldly at him.
Aunty Xiang soon flourished her hand, gracefully flicked her wrist, and sent one of the gently falling petals between her fingertips shooting forward.
*Puff!*, instantly, the seemingly weightless petal pierced the man’s shoulder, causing him to cry out in pain.
Aunty Lan on his other side also waved her hands. Her lithe body shuttled back and forth endlessly and caused the flower petals to flutter and swirl, enveloping the enemy, cutting off all avenues of escape.
Repeated screams rang out, until finally the whirlwind of flowers dissipated and the man reappeared. His clothes were ripped to shreds, and his body was beaten black and blue and covered all over in fresh blood.
Having just witnessed this scene, the three juniors all had faces filled with shock and awe.
Especially Yang Kai and Dong Qing Yan. Both of them had lived together with Aunty Xiang and Aunty Lan far longer than Xia Ning Chang, but up until now they had never seen the slightest hint that they were cultivators.
In the outside world it was a widespread rumor that on Hidden Cloud Peak, in addition to Xiao Fu Sheng, the only other living people were two unknown ordinary maidservants who had been serving him for the past twenty years. Many people didn’t even know their names.
But just now, these two ordinary maids had revealed themselves to both actually be Immortal Ascension Boundary Fifth or Sixth Stage masters.
This change was simply too great. Dong Qing Yan found it difficult to believe that the two beautiful women standing before here were the same delicate, gentle, and kind Aunty Xiang and Aunty Lan she thought she knew so well.
Yang Kai suddenly understood why Old Xiao could act so aloof and leisurely. It turns out that there were two masters standing guard right next to him.
As the battle between Aunty Xiang, Aunty Lan and the Ash-Gray Cloud Evil Land master continued, it became more and more obvious that he had lost the strength to fight back. Amidst the rain of petals, the two women flashed to and fro, and each hit they landed caused a steady accumulation of damage, as they occupied the absolute advantage.
Soon after, a loud howling voice rang out in the distance.
Hearing this voice, the five masters who were fighting with Meng Wu Ya suddenly glanced at each other, then immediately ceased their attacks and abandoned their Battle Array positions to escape over the horizon.
Meng Wu Ya did not give chase and instead floating mid-air and breathed deeply, in an attempt to calm the raging blood within his chest.
As for the Immortal Ascension Boundary master currently pinned down on top of Hidden Cloud Peak, the moment he saw his companions leave, he understood that he no longer had any hope of escape. Then he actually let out a chuckle, and the next moment his True Qi ferociously surged, which caused the Evil Qi surrounding him to become even denser.
“Stop him!” Xiao Fu Sheng’s indifferent expression suddenly changed as he shoute.
However, it was too late, before Aunty Xiang and Aunty Lan had time to suppress him, his True Qi suddenly invisibly dissipated and his body suddenly appeared sluggish.
He actually destroyed his own meridians!
“Heh heh…” Before dying this man revealed a strange grain while disdainfully gazing towards the crowd, and with a cure he said, “The Demon Lord has returned, you cannot resist, hurry and submit to my Ash-Gray Cloud Evil Land and perhaps you can live!”
Finished, he collapsed to the ground.
Xiao Fu Sheng’s face became solemn, involuntarily murmuring under his breath, “Demon Lord…”
The Ash-Gray Cloud Evil Land’s attack on Medicine King’s Valley resulted in hundreds of their disciples being abducted, along with three of their Elders. Those who had come to participate in the Alchemist Summit had also experienced heavy losses, and it was unknown just how many were missing.
In addition, the Great Forces had suffered numerous casualties. Everywhere one looked on Medicine King’s Valley twelve peaks, there were corpses and blood staining this once pure land. As for the valley town, countless houses had collapsed; the losses couldn’t even be calculated.
The Ash-Gray Cloud Evil Land’s actions had drawn condemnation from all sides and infuriated all the great forces. Within a day, even the Eight Great Families had sent their experts to join the counterattack discussions and assist in rescuing the abducted Alchemists.
However, the message Xiao Fu Sheng gave them had greatly shocked all those who had come.
The Demon Lord had returned!
This was what one of the Ash-Gray Cloud Evil Land Immortal Ascension Boundary masters had said before dying.
The Ash-Gray Cloud Evil Land was an immense region, with numerous masters and devil path cultivators spread out across it, and because it was so grand in scale, it was divided up into six regions. Each one was governed by one of the six Great Demon Kings. Each region was distinct in its governance, and although each of them technically belonged to the Ash-Gray Cloud Evil Land, under normal circumstances, they did not interfere with each other, the well not drawing water from the river.
Above these six Demon Kings, was only the supreme Demon Lord!
And this Demon Lord position had been empty for hundreds of years.
The Demon Lord was not an easy position to obtain. Each of the six Demon Kings had great strength, and each one was superior to any of the Eight Great Families’ top masters. All of them had countless loyal subordinates, but after having shared control of the Ash-Gray Cloud Evil Land for so many years, none of them had dared claim the Demon Lord’s throne.
A hundred years ago, the Ash-Gray Cloud Evil Land had once had a Demon Lord. His strength and methods were unfathomable, which allowed him to reign over and slaughter countless lives. Finally, the masters from all of the Eight Great Families joined forces and launched a grand crusade, ultimately killing this man above the Weeping Wolf Abyss!
In that war, many of the Eight Great Families’ masters also perished!
It was only after a century of recovery that their full strength had been restored.
But now, a new Demon Lord had appeared in the Ash-Gray Cloud Evil Land. How could these masters not be shocked?
If it was someone else who had brought forward this news, no one would have believed him. No one would want to believe, but since it was Xiao Fu Sheng who said these words, the situation was not the same.
The whole world instantly became alert as a sense of tension gripped the land; spies from all of the Great Forces were frequently deployed to the Ash-Gray Cloud Evil Land to gather any scrap of reliable intelligence.
But what they reported was even more difficult to believe.
A mysterious new Demon Lord had indeed risen in the Ash-Gray Cloud Evil Land! What’s more, this person had seemingly just appeared and had swiftly seized absolute dominion over the six Demon Kings, now reigning unchallenged over the entire region.
The situation was far more precarious than imagined, and caused many to panic.
…
Atop Hidden Cloud Peak, Yang Kai bid Xiao Fu Sheng farewell.
His purpose in coming to Medicine King’s Valley had been achieved, and since he had not returned to High Heaven Pavilion for a long time, naturally he wished to return.
Xiao Fu Sheng, as if he had long ago anticipated such a parting, did not even appear the slightest bit surprised and instead just gently said, “Although I know you came to Medicine King’s Valley for different reasons, since fate brought you to my Hidden Cloud Peak, you are now also my Hidden Cloud Peak’s disciple. In the future, if you wish, you will be welcome here.”
“En.” Yang Kai, feeling somewhat guilty, simply nodded in acknowledgement.
Xia Ning Chang was also reluctant to part, but knowing Yang Kai had to go, she did not try to retain him.
Moreover, Yang Kai had already discussed this matter with her the night before, and had also given her a drop of Brilliant Flame Liquid and a drop of Soul Cleansing Dew, as well as a large quantity of Myriad Drug Liquid. Given how Xia Ning Chang had already reached the True Element Boundary Seventh Stage, and given the rapid progress of her cultivation, with these things it shouldn’t be a problem for her to break through to the Immortal Ascension Boundary.
Yang Kai had also given a drop of Brilliant Flame Liquid to Dong Qing Yan, which would allow her to greatly increase the purity of her True Qi as she broke through the True Element Boundary.
Not only that, Yang Kai had also taught everything he had learned from the True Alchemic Way about Alchemic Spirit Arrays to Xia Ning Chang, which allowed her to study it and pass along her insights to Xiao Fu Sheng.
Yang Kai believed that with the assistance of these Spirit Arrays, Xiao Fu Sheng should be able to refine a pill above Mysterious Grade.
Although this wouldn’t really be a true Spirit Grade pill, but it should still be enough to satisfy Xiao Fu Sheng’s lifelong wish.
Old Xiao, Aunty Xiang, and Aunty Lan were all very good to him, but in return all he could give them was this Spirit Array.
After descending Hidden Cloud Peak, Yang Kai greatly increased his pace and pushed his True Qi as he raced towards High Heaven Pavilion.
Seven or eight days later, Yang Kai finally returned to Sect.
But at the moment he returned to High Heaven Pavilion, Yang Kai felt that something was not quite right.
The whole of High Heaven Pavilion was filled with a lingering Demonic Qi.
Yang Kai’s pace once again sped up. Dashing around the various locations within the Sect, he was surprised to find that whole High Heaven Pavilion was filled with a gloomy air and traces of battle left behind everywhere he went, as well as many High Heaven Pavilion disciples hurriedly carrying their belongings away from the Sect.
“This Senior Brother!” Yang Kai not understanding what was going on quickly stopped one of these fleeing disciples.
“What is it!?” The man impatiently roared, but upon discovering who it was who stopped him, his complexion changed slightly, “Are you Yang Kai?”
As he spoke, his demeanor become significantly more respectful, after all, since a year ago, the incident with Yang Kai and Bai Yun Feng had become quite famous.
“What happened to the Sect, where are all of you going?” Yang Kai hurriedly asked.
“It’s difficult to say,” the man quickly replied, breaking free from Yang Kai’s grip, “You should ask the Sect Master and the Elders yourself.”
Apparently finished, the man turned around and rushed off.
Yang Kai frowned in confusion, but at this time something stirred within his heart and caused him to look up at a white figure flying towards him from the distance.
It was Su Yan.
As in the past, Su Yan was still as cold and beautiful as ever. Having not seen her for a year, her cultivation had grown significantly, and with her increase in strength, the frigid aura she radiated was likewise more powerful than ever. Only when her eyes met Yang Kai’s did this icy temperament, frigid enough to freeze anything in the world around her, becoming gentler.
With a burst of fragrant wind, she gently fell in front of Yang Kai, and her exquisite face showed a small smile, “You’ve returned?”
Yang Kai nodded slightly and asked, “What happened here?”
Su Yan’s bright eyes suddenly became dark, and she gripped Yang Kai’s arm before saying, “Many things have happened, I’ll tell you as we walk.”
Speaking till here, her body began floating up, while Yue Kai also circulated his True Qi and quickly kept up with her.
Feeling this True Qi fluctuation, Su Yan turned her eyes towards Yang Kai in surprise, “You’ve reached the True Element Third Stage?”
Yang Kai simply grinned, “En.”
“You really grow so fast!”
“You as well. You’ve already broken through the True Element Eighth Stage!” Yang Kai was also surprised at how quickly Su Yan’s cultivation had increased while he had left to gain life experience. During that time it was only due to a wide variety of opportunities that he had been able to cultivate so quickly, yet Su Yan had only stayed within the Sect in penance, but had also grow to this extent. If she had the same opportunities and resources as him, she may have grown even more than even he had.
Hearing Yang Kai praise her, Su Yan’s white jade face slightly blushed as she whispered back in a voice filled with happiness, “My Ice Heart Secret Art depends greatly on my state of mind while I cultivate, my mood has improved greatly over this past year, so my strength has also grown significantly.”
Yang Kai grinned knowingly, aware that it was because she had to constantly overcome the ‘side effects’ of their Yin-Yang Joyous Unification Art that her mental strength had improved so much. He chuckled evilly before suddenly pressing his lips onto hers.
Su Yan, caught by surprise, was slightly upset with his forwardness, but she also did not try to resist.
“Where are we going?” Yang Kai until now had simply been following behind her, but he couldn’t help squinting his eyes and frowning, “Are we headed to the Sect Master’s secluded retreat?”
Su Yan nodded gently as her expression suddenly became sad and mournful, “Sect Master has ordered that if you come back, we have to immediately bring you to see him.”
“What happened to Sect Master?” Yang Kai quickly noticed Su Yan’s grim expression and immediately asked.
Su Yan lightly bit her lip and only replied after a long silence, “He has been injured and it’s not light…”
“Who was it?” Yang Kai’s expression instantly sank. His Grand Master, Ling Tai Xu’s, strength was not much worse than Meng Wu Ya’s. His aptitude was also outstanding. If it were not for the matters regarding his two disciples causing him to stagnate for more than ten years, he would have long ago surpassed the Immortal Ascension Boundary and arrived at the Above Immortal Ascension Boundary realm.
Such a master was now seriously injured, and from Su Yan’s expression it seemed this injury was by no means normal, but who could wound him like this?
“It was Sect Master’s Second Disciple!”
“What?” Yang Kai was shocked, reacting unconsciously, “But wasn’t he…”
“En, but he managed to escape from the Coiling Dragon Stream and had somehow cultivated his Demonic Secret Art to an unfathomable height. During that day’s battle, in the sky above High Heaven Pavilion, all of the Immortal Ascension Boundary masters along with Sect Master were seriously injured. Fourth Elder Zhou Fei was killed on the spot, and all the other Elders were wounded, and countless disciples also fell…” Su Yan voice trembled as she spoke before finally releasing a deep sigh, “If it weren’t for Sect Master’s desperate resistance during that battle, by now, all of High Heaven Pavilion…”
“When did this all happen?”
“About one and a half months ago …” Su Yan shook her head and sighed, “The aftermath of has not yet been cleared, and residual Demonic Qi still blankets much of High Heaven Pavilion. All of the disciples constantly have to use their artifacts to resist this corruption. Many of them, fear being implicated and have also packed up their things and left the Sect.”
Yang Kai frowned deeply, finally understanding why the Sect had become like this.
However, that Second Disciple actually being able to escape from the Coiling Dragon Stream was a development no one had foreseen. The Coiling Dragon Stream, for hundreds of years, had been used to imprison countless people, yet none had ever managed to escape. However, Sect Master’s Second Disciple had somehow accomplished this.
That year, Ling Tai Xu had personally captured him, but due to their mentoring relationship, he could not bring himself to ruthlessly kill him, instead choosing to waste his cultivation and imprison him within the Coiling Dragon Stream, but in doing so he had unexpectedly planted the seed of High Heaven Pavilion’s disaster, which had now sprouted more than ten years later.
If he had only known then, Ling Tai Xu would never have allowed his disciple to live.
As they talked, the two of them had arrived at the Sect Master’s residence.
However, before even stepping inside, Yang Kai felt a rich wave of Demonic Qi blow towards him, which caused his brow to wrinkle deeply.
“Go inside, Sect Master has been waiting for you!” Su Yan gently said.
Yang Kai nodded, opened the door, and stepped forward, but the sight that greeted his eyes sent a shiver up his spine.
A year ago, when they had separated at Nether Mountain, Grand Master had been in high spirits, bantering back and forth with Ghost King Valley’s Gui Li about fighting a life and death battle, but now he appeared extremely haggard and was covered with a thick black gas, apparently enduring serious injuries and was unable to suppress the Demonic Qi which had invaded his body.
Somehow sensing Yang Kai’s presence, the bedridden Ling Tai Xu’s fingers slightly twitched as his eyes seemed to be trying to open.
Yang Kai felt as if his heart was being clenched, and he quickly stepped forward.
Inside the house, in addition to Ling Tai Xu, there was only a High Hall Pavilion Alchemist watching over him.
This Alchemist’s cultivation was not high, probably only True Element Boundary Seventh or Eighth Stage, but he was clearly disciple from the previous generation.
“Martial Uncle, how is the Sect Master’s condition?” Yang Kai hesitantly asked.
However, the man could only slowly shake his head, “Things are not good, I’m afraid, before long… he…”
Within the room, Yang Kai walked up to Ling Tai Xu, placed two fingers on his wrist, and closed his eyes to concentrate.
Sweeping him with his Divine Sense, Yang Kai’s heart gradually sank.
Ling Tai Xu’s five viscera and six organs had all been damaged, and an untold number of his bones had been broken. His vitality was fading, and his blood force was all but completely depleted.
The True Qi flow within his body was weak and sporadic, while many of his meridians had ruptured making it impossible to circulate his Secret Art.
Not only that, but throughout his body there was a large amount of Demonic Qi, which was continuing to eat away at his life force and erode his True Qi. If he hadn’t used the last vestiges of his pure True Qi to protect his heart, Ling Tai Xu would likely have died long ago.
The word heavy couldn’t even begin to describe the state of his Grand Master’s injuries, and it was a miracle that he was even still alive at this point and would more than likely pass on any moment now.
Him using his last trace of True Qi like this was probably only in order to preserve his life long enough for Yang Kai to return safely. After all, he had sent Yang Kai into a dangerous isolate world for life experience but had until now not heard any news of him.
“Is there any medicine you can give him?” Yang Kai asked.
However, his Alchemist martial uncle could only grimly shake his head, “With Sect Master condition, what medicine could I offer? Some time ago I gave him some pills, but now there is nothing I dare give him.”
Yang Kai nodded slightly, Grand Master’s body was now too weak. If he was given something that couldn’t immediately bring him back from the gates of death, it would instead only cause him to consume the remainder of his True Qi, which would instantly bring about his death.
Fortunately, he was here now.
Yang Kai frowned for a moment before saying, “Martial Uncle, please leave first, I have something to say to Sect Master.”
The High Heaven Pavilion Alchemist hesitated but eventually got up and left. Although he did not know what it was that Yang Kai and Ling Tai Xu needed to discuss, but he did know that before the Sect Master fell into a coma, he had given instructions for Yang Kai to be brought to him immediately should he return.
Sect Master valued Yang Kai, so the relationship between the two was obviously not normal.
Waiting until his Martial Uncle left, Yang Kai quickly brought out some Myriad Drug Cream from the storage space in his Black Book.
He did not dare to use too much, only a half thumbnail portion.
Yang Kai didn’t know if the Myriad Drug Cream could serve as a life-saving medicine, but now it was his best and only hope. After all, it was the most concentrated medicinal essence from millions of pills condensed over the course of thousands of years.
Fetching a teacup, Yang Kai quickly dissolved this Myriad Drug Cream in some hot water.
Then, ever so gently, he brought this cup to Ling Tai Xu’s mouth and slowly made him drink it.
Although it was just half a tea cup of hot water, it was still quite some time before Ling Tai Xu could drink it down.
After this, Yang Kai carefully stretched out his hands, pressed them onto Ling Tai Xu’s chest, and slowly began pouring in his own True Qi to help him refine the medicinal effects.
At the same time, he fully released his Divine Sense and carefully monitored any changes that went on within his Grand Master.
As soon as he began refining this Myriad Drug Cream, Yang Kai clearly felt that Ling Tai Xu’s originally flickering vitality instantly strengthened and the blood flow within his body gradually intensified. Even his heartbeat became more powerful than before.
[It’s working!]
Yang Kai smiled happily and slightly increased the output of his True Qi.
Yang Kai quickly thanked the Heavens, as his nerves began to calm. Just now, Ling Tai Xu was really too weak, if he could not bear the medicinal effects of the Myriad Drug, and it hadn’t instantly begun to restore him to life, his actions would have been tantamount to ending Ling Tai Xu’s life.
This man was his father’s, Yang Siye’s, master! He was also Yang Kai’s Grand Master, so how could he not have been worried?
Fortunately, the Myriad Drug Cream had not disappointed him.
After a moment, Ling Tai Xu’s dantian slowly began to fill with True Qi, and with Yang Kai assisting in the process this True Qi once more began flowing through his meridians, repairing the damage that had been done to them as it circulated. Using his Divine Sense to monitor this, Yang Kai witnessed the entire process as Ling Tai Xu’s five viscera and six organs quickly began to heal.
As a hint of colour began returning to his deathly pale face, Ling Tai Xu unconsciously let out a sigh of relief as the pain gradually subsided.
Seeing this scene, Yang Kai also felt relieved.
The Myriad Drug Cream really could restore someone from the brink of death.
A stick of incense later, a burst of footsteps came from beyond the door, which caused Yang Kai to wrinkle his brow slightly and perk up his ears to listen.
After a moment, a group of people entered from the front door.
Yang Kai immediately heard the voice of Su Xuan Wu, “I heard that Yang Kai is back?”
Su Yan gently replied, “Well, he’s inside.”
Great Elder Wei Xi Tong’s voice also called out, “How come you’re out here and not by Sect Master’s side?”
Clearly this question was directed at the High Heaven Pavilion Alchemist.
However, this man simply replied, “Martial Nephew Yang said he had something to say to Sect Master in private…”
“Stop screwing around!” Wei Xi Tong screamed, “Sect Master is unconscious, how could they be discussing anything!?”
Great Elder Wei did not understand why the Sect Master valued Yang Kai so much, even taking great pains before he slipped into a coma to issue an order for him to be brought to him the moment he returned.
Although he had indeed triumphed over Bai Yun Feng when he was just a Separation and Reunion Boundary First Stage, but that shouldn’t have caused the Sect Master to admire him so. It couldn’t be that the Sect Master really wanted to make him the next master of High Heaven Pavilion, right?
This idea was quite uncomfortable for Wei Xi Tong. His relationship with Yang Kai was not harmonious, so naturally he didn’t want to see such a situation come to pass.
Speaking till here, Wei Xi Tong led this group of Elders into Ling Tai Xu’s room.
However, upon entering, the four High Heaven Pavilion Elders were shocked by what they saw. Yang Kai had both his hands pressed onto the Sect Master’s chest and was injecting his own True Qi into him.
“Little bastard!” Wei Xi Tong angrily bellowed, because the Sect Master was in an extremely frail state; even touching him would cause severe harm so how could he possibly endure having True Qi forced into him?
Wasn’t this the same as killing him?
Furious, Wei Xi Tong raised his hand and shot a palm strike towards Yang Kai’s back.
Su Yan’s eyes flashed a cold light, but before she could strike Su Xuan Wu had already sent out his own palm to intercept Wei Xi Tong’s.
The two palm strikes collided mid-air and caused an explosive wind before dissipating.
“Second Brother Su, what are you doing?” Wei Xi Tong glared angrily towards Su Xuan Wu.
Su Xuan Wu, holding down his own inner anger, frowned and shot back, “I would also like to ask First Senior Brother what he is trying to do.”
Wei Xi Tong’s voice sank, “What am I doing? Can you not see what this little bastard is doing right now? Do you want to just stand by and watch him kill our Sect Master?”
“Shut your mouth!” Yang Kai glanced backwards and viciously cursed with a cold expression adorning his face.
While it was true that he did not like Great Elder Wei Xi Tong, especially considering all the times he had acted against him, but he understood at this moment that Wei Xi Tong was truly concerned about the Sect Master as well, so Yang Kai was willing to let a certain amount of this go. However, listening to this noisy self-righteous ass say whatever he wanted still irritated him.
Wei Xi Tong was stunned for a moment, never imagining that this little brat would dare use this kind of tone to speak with him.
But just as Great Elder Wei recovered his wits and was about to sternly educate this arrogant junior, he heard a light cough, followed soon after by Ling Tai Xu’s voice, “Do not quarrel.”
The sound was weak, but it was really Ling Tai Xu’s voice.
The four High Heaven Pavilion Elders were all shocked. Their eyes shot open, and each of their faces was plastered with expressions of disbelief. Each of them couldn’t help but think that they were hearing things because just now they had heard the comatose Ling Tai Xu speak.
“Sect Master?” Wei Xi Tong yelped and shifted his astonished gaze towards the bed, only to see Ling Tai Xu slowly open his eyes and glance back at him.
“Sect Master, you’ve awoken?” Su Xuan Wu hesitantly asked as he stepped forward. Third Elder He Bei Shui and Fifth Elder You Zi Zai quickly followed after.
“Sect Master…” Finally certain that the Sect Master had really woken up, these old men all found their voices trembling, and their eyes suddenly wet. Even the normally staunch and rigid Wei Xi Tong was so. The Sect Master waking up, to them, was like the bright moon had finally emerged from behind the dark clouds, like a heavy stone had suddenly been lifted from their hearts.
High Heaven Pavilion could not be without Ling Tai Xu, especially now, at this critical juncture.
“You all go out first.” Sect Master lightly said.
“Yes, Sect Master!” These few didn’t dare have the slightest hesitation, and respectfully bowed before quickly leaving. All of them sent curious looks towards Yang Kai while they did, and each of them wondered just what kind of miraculous means he had used to bring the fatally wounded Sect Master back from death’s door.
As soon as the last person had left and the door was once again closed, Yang Kai smiled towards Ling Tai Xu, “Greetings, Grand Master!”
Ling Tai Xu looked at Yang Kai and murmured gratefully, “Good, it is good you have returned!”
Saying this, his expression gradually relaxed, and he actually fell back asleep.
But unlike before, this was not a final rest but a peaceful one instead, which allowed Yang Kai to let out a sigh of relief.
Outside the house, the four Elders all glanced around at each other thoroughly confused.
The High Heaven Pavilion Alchemist was also the same.
Half an hour before, Ling Tai Xu’s life had all but been extinguished, but now he had somehow woken up, and from the look on his face, he also seemed to have recovered quite a bit. His vitality and blood force seemed to be restored significantly.
“What kind of wondrous pill did you give to Sect Master?” Wei Xi Tong asked the Alchemist.
However, the latter simply shook his head, “Nothing, Sect Master’s body had become so weak that any pill I fed him would have killed him rather than helped.”
These old men were more and more surprised.
“Perhaps it was something that Yang Kai did?” You Zi Zai said hesitantly said. All of them were well aware of just how grave the Sect Master’s injuries were, and they also knew that it was simply beyond their abilities to help in any way, but after this kid had shown up he had somehow woken up.
“How could that be?” He Bei Shui clearly didn’t believe that Yang Kai possessed such Heaven defying abilities, “What could he possibly have done with his level of strength? And even if he had such amazing strength, where would he have gotten such an amazing healing pill, something that could even restore someone to health from the brink of death?”
Wei Xi Tong also frowned and murmured, “This is really strange…”
Su Xuan Wu on the other hand just coldly snorted. “Sect Master waking up is a good thing, why agonize over how it happened so much, we just have to wait unit Sect Master’s injuries stabilize and then ask him, all this guessing right now is pointless.”
“En, what Second Brother Su says is correct.” Great Elder Wei’s expression finally loosened. Sect Master waking up was a joyous event, so why should they work themselves up over how it happened?
“Good, I will also go back and continue healing.” Wei Xi Tong declared, not digging any deeper into this situation.
The other few Elders also hurriedly kept up with Great Elder Wei. Each of them had similarly suffered heavy wounds in the previous battle, and only after a period of recovery had they had finally stabilized themselves, but it was not like they had been completely restored.
For the next several days, Yang Kai constantly tended to Ling Tai Xu and provided him with a steady stream of Myriad Drug Cream so that his Grand Master’s condition could continue to improve day by day until four or five days later when his injuries had finally healed.
The only thing left to deal with now was the Demonic Qi still inside his body, which manifested as a faint dark gas surrounding him.
A few days later, within Ling Tai Xu’s retreat.
Yang Kai noticed a deep, profound light hidden within his Grand Master’s eyes while the old man smiled. Finally, he was able to speak after a prolonged silence, “I will not ask you what medicine you gave me, nor will I ask where you obtained it. From now on, you will say that my returning from death’s door was because of my own willpower, that I could not simply accept dying while I had unfulfilled wishes… It does not have the slightest relationship with you at all!”
Yang Kai nodded solemnly, “This disciple understands!”
At first glance, Ling Tai Xu’s words seemed ungrateful and unreasonable, but Yang Kai clearly understood that they were said specifically to protect him.
A medicine that could heal such fatal injuries and restore one to life, a matter of such importance, others would covet it regardless of whether it true or not. For such an item, how could Ling Tai Xu allow him to shoulder such a burden?
“Grand Master, thank you for loaning this to me.” Yang Kai took the Universe Bag out from his sleeve and said.
However, Ling Tai Xu did not accept it. Instead, he smiled, “This was given to you by Grand Master, how could I take it back?”
Yang Kai laughed, “I no longer require it.”
Now that he had the wordless Black Book’s storage space, this Universe Bag really was nothing to him.
But Ling Tai Xu slowly shook his head, “It is your now, if you really have no further use for it, you may grant it to another. Grand Master gave it to you as a gift.”
Yang Kai could only nod, no longer insisting as he placed the Universe Bag back into his sleeve.
Wrinkling his brows, Yang Kai inquired, “Your injuries…”
Ling Tai Xu grinned, “Nothing serious. My strength has been restored to its peak already. Somewhat… my current state is beyond what I was…”
Hearing this, Yang Kai joyous, but still remained largely curious. “Grand Master, the Demonic Qi within your body has yet to fully disperse…”
Ling Tai Xu became pensive before replying, “I am aware of this, but after refining the miraculous medicine you gave me, I think that so long as I can fully disperse this Demonic Qi, my cultivation will advance another stage!”
Ling Tai Xu was already a Peak Immortal Ascension Boundary cultivator, so breaking through another stage would mean rising to the Above Immortal Ascension Boundary!
An Above Immortal Ascension Boundary master was something that even first-class Sects would only have one or two of. Even amongst this world’s superpowers, they were rare.
If Ling Tai Xu could really arrive at the Above Immortal Ascension Boundary, this entire fiasco may become a blessing in disguise.
[Could Myriad Drug Cream help improve a cultivator’s martial prowess?] Yang Kai really didn’t know if it actually had such a wonderful effect; but it was, after all, the most concentrated medicinal essence from within that ancient well. Having such a benefit was not unreasonable.
“Congratulations, Grand Master!” Yang Kai was sincerely happy for Ling Tai Xu, especially knowing that it was issued with his Second Disciple that had caused his ten-year stagnation, otherwise, he would have already had a broken through.
Ling Tai Xu simply smiled, slowly shaking his head.
Letting out a sigh, Yang Kai’s expression suddenly become solemn, “Grand Master, did your Second Disciple really escape from the Coiling Dragon Stream?”
When these words were uttered, Ling Tai Xu’s eyes flashed a trace of hidden grief before he sighed and nodded. “Yes… that year, I was certain that I had crippled his cultivation, and then trapped him inside the Coiling Dragon Stream. I allowed him to fend for himself, but to somehow being able to escape within ten years was completely beyond my expectations. My guess is, he should have encountered some kind of incredible opportunity, and managed to restore his strength, even surpassing his old height and pushing his Demonic Cultivation Technique a step further!”
The Coiling Dragon Stream was created by High Heaven Pavilion’s Ancestral Founder during his battle with a powerful devil, and apparently when this devil died he had left something behind. Ling Tai Xu’s Second Disciple must have inadvertently obtained this inheritance.
This Second Disciple seemed to have great fated luck.
“He not only managed to escape the Coiling Dragon Stream, but has also become the Ash-Gray Cloud Evil Land’s Demon Lord!”
“What!?” Yang Kai nearly cried out in shock, “He is the new Demon Lord?”
This time it was Ling Tai Xu’s turn to be surprised, “You’ve met him?”
“I haven’t seen him myself, but a few days ago, Medicine King’s Valley suffered a massive attack from the Ash-Gray Cloud Evil Land. I heard it was at his command!”
“What is the current situation? Quickly! Tell me!” Ling Tai Xu did not seem to know about this recent Medicine King’s Valley incident.
This was not because High Heaven Pavilion had not received information about this event, but Ling Tai Xu had been unconscious after suffering grievous wounds since a month and a half ago, so High Heaven Pavilion’s Elders had not had a chance to inform him.
“On the last day of the Alchemist Summit, the Ash-Gray Cloud Evil Land launched an assault after kidnapping and holding hostage many core disciple and true descendants of the various Great Forces…” Yang Kai began recanting his experiences.
Ling Tai Xu’s expression became gloomier as he did, until near the end, his expression became quite downtrodden.
“If what you said is true… Then, I’m afraid that as early as six months ago, or perhaps even longer, he had already managed to escape the Coiling Dragon Stream. It was just that he didn’t decide to attack High Heaven Pavilion until now…” His expression becoming serious, “The situation is grave!”
“What do you mean?” Yang Kai asked anxiously.
“If outsiders were to learn that the new Demon Lord had come from High Heaven Pavilion… then…” Ling Tai Xu’s expression became ugly.
High Heaven Pavilion was only a second-class Sect, but if they knew that the Demon Lord had risen from this place, the world’s Great Forces would certainly come here to seek answers!
Regardless of whatever else he had or may do, this Demon Lord’s appearance had led to Medicine King’s Valley being attacked and the Pill Saint’s Statue being destroyed. Just this one even was enough to shake the world’s foundations, but with these two combined?
“You go see that Su Yan girl. A year has passed, and I’m sure you have much to talk about. This old man must to enter retreat for a few days.” Ling Tai Xu quickly said. Obviously, he needed to consider how to handle this catastrophe.
The world’s walls were made of wind, it wouldn’t be long before the Demon Lord’s origins were discovered, and when that happened, High Heaven Pavilion would certainly face dire consequences.
Leaving the Sect Master’s residence, Yang Kai let out a sigh. In the face of the Sect’s crisis, his personal strength was simply too small to make a difference.
Flying over High Heaven Pavilion, as he looked around, Yang Kai could see that the situation was bleak. More and more disciples were leaving, and no one even tried to stop them.
Arriving in front of Su Yan’s small house, Yang Kai quickly set down.
Pushing open the door to her room, he found Su Yan sitting inside on her bed, like a thousand-year ice sculpture, impervious to the outside world’s changes.
Aware of Yang Kai’s arrival, Su Yan slowly opened her eyes, her cold and elegant expression giving way to a slightly flushed smile mixed with a hint of shyness, a truly attractive sight.
Yang Kai stepped forward, trying to hold down the throbbing in his heart as he sat down opposite her upon the bed.
As their four eyes met, Yang Kai’s were filled with endless desire while Su Yan’s were calm, like a windless lake, and filled with bottomless beauty.
In that instant, he wanted nothing more than to cross the distance between them and taste her wondrous lips; feel her skin upon his own, and indulge in each other’s presence. Naturally, Yang Kai believed Su Yan would surely not refuse.
But… within Yang Kai’s heart, a strange feeling irked him to refrain.
The current relationship between him and Su Yan could be said to be entirely a result of their dual cultivation of the Joyous Unification Art. It was very different from how he and his Little Senior Sister Xia Ning Chang came to know each other.
The two of them, in fact, had very little interaction up to now. Instead, it could be said that conversing together was quite rare.
However, every time Yang Kai had returned to the Sect, he and Su Yan had almost immediately fallen into indiscrete throes of passion; this type of exchange was not like a men and women who were in love, and longed for each other with all their hearts.
It was more like trying to fulfill an unconscious act of cultivation!
Such a feeling made Yang Kai feel a little disgusted with himself.
The Yin Yang Monster Ginseng he had acquired earlier had yet to play a significant role until now; this was precisely because their intimate relations were closer to forced events than blossomed emotions.
If he wanted the Yin Yang Monster Ginseng to really fulfill its purpose, Yang Kai could not allow the current state of things to persist.
Although it was undeniable that the root cause of their relationship was the Joyous Unification Art, Yang Kai did not want the feelings between the two of them to forever remain simply an advantageous cultivation partnership.
A deep mutual affinity… How many couples in this cultivation world could truly achieve such a thing? Even amongst those old married couples who held great respect for one another, it was still a rare occurrence.
“What are you thinking about?” Su Yan asked gently as she looked towards Yang Kai, quickly noticing the aggressive light which filled his eyes fading away as the burning passion he radiated slowly calming.
This was very different from the past. Usually, every time they two of them reunited and found themselves alone, he would decisively strip her of her clothes and immediately disrobing himself… then…
“I want your body!” Yang Kai grinned as he calmly declared as such.
Hearing this, Su Yan’s white neck blushed slightly, whispering, “It is already yours.”
“But I want your heart even more!”
Su Yan suddenly looked up as she gazed suspiciously towards Yang Kai, her eyes slowly revealing a glimmer of happiness.
“You should understand what I mean when I say this.” Yang Kai smiled.
Su Yan only nodded silently.
It wasn’t until today that Yang Kai understood what was missing between him and Su Yan, but Su Yan had long ago already seen through this, it was simply that she had not said anything. A woman in front of a man would always feel reserved, especially in front of a man she liked, even if she understood that some of his behaviour was inappropriate. Even if she had a longing for something more within her heart, before he noticed it himself, a woman would not bring such things to light.
This was how a wise and gracious woman behaved.
Only by letting him discover such things on his own would her man really mature.
“Shall we do this together?” Yang Kai tilted his head and smiled.
Su Yan simply nodded, a misty look slowly appearing upon her enchanting eyes.
She had been waiting for this moment for quite some time now.
Men and women were not the same; to a woman, their first man would always leave a special impression. Since the time they had first cultivated together, and through the seemingly endless periods of waiting and longing, Su Yan had long ago decided to dedicate her body and soul completely to the young man before her.
The only thing that she was waiting for was for Yang Kai to become aware of this simple yet profound insight.
And now that Yang Kai finally understood, Su Yan was naturally quite content.
At this moment, the relationship between the two of them became more than simply a result of the Joyous Unification Art, and had evolved into true feelings of love between man and woman.
Now, even if the Joyous Unification Art were to disappear, they would not easily separate from one another.
They had taken one step closer to each other, and although they had not reached a true state of uniting their hearts as one at this time, there was now hope that one day they would.
Sitting together, face to face, Yang Kai mouth show a bright smile as he stretched out his hands and laid them atop Su Yan’s lap.
Su Yan then slowly rested her jade white palms upon Yang Kai’s.
Softer than cotton; tender and fragrant; pure as ice; Su Yan’s delicate hands felt incredibly comfortable.
Gentling holding one another, the two smiled warmly towards each other before closing their eyes and circulating their Secret Art.
In Joyous Unification Art’s first stage they needed to have intimate physical contact so that the Yuan Qi could flow freely between them. While this was the most raw and fundamental stage, it also had a unique charm because each and every time they cultivated it was a warm and passionate experience.
This was what Yang Kai did before.
However, the second stage of this dual cultivation art was about their respective states or mind, synchronizing their thoughts so that even with only the slightest of contact they would be able to run this Secret Art.
Yang Kai’s sudden insight had allowed the two to enter this new stage, causing the Joyous Unification Art to advance a step and allowing the dual cultivation between him and Sun Yan to be more rapid and efficient.
As one expects, gambling is a fool’s game, and he slowly ended up in debt. However, before his wallet became red, his wife pleaded him to stop. Naturally, he promised to do so, a lie. In just a mere three days, he returned to his old habits. This time, however, he did so more discreetly. Wearing a watch to when he went off, though sometimes forgetting to return on time. I mean, gambling is called an addiction for a reason right?
This carried on with the wife not muttering a word. A month, no two. She took it in silence. ‘There is no complaint. So, this matter must no longer be a problem in her eyes.’ he slowly lied to himself as the days passed, to truly believe in it.
Of course, he returned back to his old habits, and the wife continued to endure. It was one strange day, where he returned home earlier than usual due to a cancelled game with his friends that his heart broke.
He opened his metal door as per usual, even stepping close to the door but he heard a faint sob. He slowly turned the knob of his bedroom door to peek inside, finding his wife in a daze; eyes red, as droplets rolled down her cheeks. Her gaze was stuck at none other than a wedding photo placed on their desk.
His heart sank but he kept silent. ‘It’s all my fault’, he knew, yet, what could he do? He looked at the time and slowly closed the door again. He decided to return back home at the usual time, bidding his time at a eatery.
There, he order a simple cup coffee, but could not finish his drink. He too, sat there in a daze, as the scene of his wife replayed in his mind. A middle age woman who he had spent 12 years with, crying alone. Someone, who said nothing and bore with everything, She knew nagging would do nothing to convince him. She knew, that he would not stop regardless of what she did. So, she said nothing.
She was ready to bare everything for her husband and yet what was he doing?
Useless? Trash? all these describers were suited for him. Even he, himself cursed his uselessness. But mostly, he was ashamed of himself.
As time went on, he finally returned home with his eyes downcast. There, his heart sank even further as he saw his wife was snuggly tucked in bed, asleep as though nothing went wrong. There, he felt like crying. ‘She’s someone I don’t deserve.’
There, he shook his head and immediately took the majong case. Ashamed by his own actions, he went downstairs and threw the case into the rubbish compartment. As the case entered the void, so too did his addiction, as he never gambled again.
End
Once the third stage was reached, and a real connection between their hearts and minds was formed, even if the two of them were separated by tens of thousands of meters, the True Qi within their bodies would still resonate with one another, and a steady cycle would endlessly continue.
At that point, when the two of them were together, their combat strength would also dramatically increase, and they could use the full range of the Joyous Unification Art’s offensive skills.
The True Qi within Yang Kai body flowed into Su Yan’s, and then from Su Yan’s body back into Yang Kai, the two True Qis smelting and refining one another, continuously enhancing and purifying. As time passed, not just their True Qi experienced a blending; even each of their consciousness began to merge.
It was like an intangible entanglement of their souls, instilling a deep yearning and connection within them so that even without talking, they would be able to clearly feel each other’s presence and even the slightest touch between them would send trembles through their bodies.
A dragon’s roar echoed from Yang Kai body and a phoenix cry responded from Su Yan’s.
As the two of them cultivated within the small house, the glowing images of a dragon and phoenix slowly appeared. If one were to look closely at their clothes, on Yang Kai and Su Yan’s back, they would see a dragon and phoenix gently swimming upon them, seemingly accompanying each other in a majestic dance; the two’s dual cultivation technique circulating more rapidly than ever before.
This time’s breakthrough led to Yang Kai and Su Yan circulating their Yin Yang Joyous Unification Art for a full five days, constantly blending and refining their True Qi, washing away all the anxiety of separation the two had accumulated.
During this time, not only did Yang Kai’s strength improve greatly, Su Yan also reaped a huge harvest.
The two of them did not engage in any great physical intimacy, but they both faintly felt that this dual cultivation had greatly deepened the feelings they had for one another, like they had somehow touched upon the desires they both felt for one another in their hearts.
From when they met until the time the parted, Yang Kai never once acted uncouth.
Su Yan had spent the last year thoroughly honing her mental state, tempering it by resisting the base desires within her heart; if at this time Yang Kai were to press his desires upon her, it would likely destroy her year’s worth of effort, causing her to fall short of an important enlightenment.
For the sake of her future cultivation, Yang Kai had no choice but to remain patient.
Before leaving her, Yang Kai gave Ling Tai Xu’s Universe Bag to Su Yan, along with a few kilograms of Myriad Drug Liquid, Myriad Drug Milk, and two bottles of Myriad Drug Cream.
If taken over a long period of time, the Myriad Drug Liquid would improve a cultivator’s physique. This opportunity was something he naturally would share with his women so that, as long one or two months passed, Su Yan could be reborn.
From the beginning, her aptitude was already top class, so once she experienced this rebirth, her future horizons would essentially be limitless.
In addition, Yang Kai left her a drop each of Soul Cleansing Dew and Brilliant Flame Liquid. Refining the Brilliant Flame Liquid now would allow Su Yan’s True Qi to become purer, while the Soul Cleansing Dew would bring her great benefits once she reached the Immortal Ascension Boundary.
It was something she would be using in the near future.
Leaving Su Yan’s small hut, Yang Kai immediately flew to the Coiling Dragon Stream.
As he approached, Yang Kai began to see the thick black demonic atmosphere rising from the bottom of the Coiling Dragon Stream, seemingly gathering atop it.
More than a dozen kilometers above the Coiling Dragon Stream was covered in a great black cloud, radiating an overwhelming evil aura.
Since the Sect Master’s Second Disciple had publicly broken out, the Coiling Dragon Stream and surrounding region had become so.
With the concentration of Demonic Qi here, the short term impact on one would not be too great, but if this situation continued indefinitely, a radius of hundreds of kilometers from here would no longer be suitable for those of the righteous path to cultivate upon.
Disciples from all of the Three Sects in this region would be implicated.
During this period, people from the Blood Battle Gang and Storm Hall had already come to the High Heaven Pavilion to protest, but seeing High Heaven Pavilion’s Sect Master in such a state, along with one of the five Elders being killed and the other seriously injured, a thick air of depression hanging over the Sect, there was very little they could say or do to make matters more difficult.
On the other hand, Old Demon’s mood was a quite excited, and without waiting for Yang Kai’s request or permission he immediately took the initiative to gather the surrounding strands of Demonic Qi and absorb it into his Soul Breaker Awl, like a sponge soaking it up, continuously swallowing this evil gas.
This vicious and unbearable Demonic Qi was like a sweet delicacy to Old Demon.
Not only was Evil Qi nourishing for his Soul, it also allowed him to repair and enhance his Soul Breaker Awl.
The current ruinous state of High Heaven Pavilion was akin to a Heavenly paradise for him.
Approaching the edge of the Coiling Dragon Stream, as Yang Kai gazed downwards into the abyss below, it was like a staring at an immense black dragon, releasing an endless vicious hostility, like the entire canyon had become a birthplace for Demonic Qi.
“Did you find anything down there that would explain this Demonic Qi?” Yang Kai wrinkled his brow and asked.
“Old Servant didn’t find anything in particular, the only thing of note is that the further down one goes the more intense the Demonic Qi is; but now, this Demonic Qi is somewhat different than it was before.” Old Demon said.
“How is it different?” Yang Kai asked.
“Compared with the past it seems to be richer and purer. Before, there was some kind of energy which was suppressing the Demonic Qi. Young Master, it is likely that the Yang attribute energy you were absorbing from this place was responsible for suppressing this Demonic Qi, but now this suppression seems to have weakened a lot.”
Yang Kai nodded slightly and no longer spoke.
He had also realized that the Yang Qi here was much thinner than before.
After a moment, Yang Kai jumped down, falling through the air, he quickly pushed his True Qi and slowly stabilized his descent before diving into his secluded home.
The inside of his secluded cave didn’t appear to have the slightest damage, even all the embellishments and furnishings brought here by Su Yan and Xia Ning Chang remained unscathed.
The only thing of note that was different was that the two pots of flowers at the entrance had withered. These two pots were things he had acquired from Meng Wu Ya from The Contribution Hall counter; they had clearly been poisoned by the rich Demonic Qi and had long ago shriveled up and died.
Between the two flower pots was a small hole, where the Yin Yang Monster Ginseng had taken root, but now it was missing.
After the day of the battle, Su Yan had apparently not seen it anywhere in High Heaven Pavilion.
The Yin Yang Monster Ginseng was a spiritual object and already possessed its own consciousness, so when it became aware of the surrounding danger it had likely taken the initiative to hide on its own. It had probably sensed the emergence of the new Demon Lord and the rising Demonic Qi within the Coiling Dragon Stream and sought refuge somewhere.
But… it shouldn’t have run far.
It fed upon Yin and Yang Qi, so aside from nearby the Coiling Dragon Stream, there was no other place for it to go.
Closing his eyes and slowly releasing his Divine Sense, Yang Kai quickly searched for it nearby.
Sweeping the area with his Divine Sense, Yang Kai faintly felt a trace of danger radiating from the Coiling Dragon Stream below, so he did not dare search too deeply, only examining the upper regions.
After a moment, Yang Kai smiled lightly as he located the Yin Yang Monster Ginseng.
Indeed, as he expected, the Yin Yang Monster Ginseng had just hidden itself nearby in a mountain seam a few kilometers away.
Using his Divine Sense to contact it and transmit his own goodwill, the Yin Yang Monster Ginseng soon realized that a familiar aura had come and quickly raced towards his side.
After a few dozen breaths of time, the red and white Yin Yang Monster Ginseng re-appeared in front of Yang Kai and directly leapt into his chest, only revealing a portion of its body, its facial features revealing a scared and frightened expression.
Yang Kai couldn’t help chuckling as he stretched out a finger and fed it a drop of Yang Liquid; this caused the Yin Yang Monster Ginseng’s expression to relax significantly.
“Don’t worry, I’ll bring you to a new home, it is absolutely safe, no one will bother you there!” Yang Kai whispered and without waiting for it to respond directly placed it into the Black Book’s space.
The Black Book’s space was unable to load living creatures, but for rare herbs and flowers there wasn’t an issue. Although the Yin Yang Monster Ginseng had gained some sentience, in the end it was still just a type of exotic plant so staying inside the Black Book’s space was naturally no problem.
Once inside the huge space, the Yin Yang Monster Ginseng curiously looked around at this empty place and soon discovered the presence of the Myriad Drug Liquid.
Racing forward, it quickly took in the Myriad Drug Liquid.
Yang Kai’s heart immediately clenched as he quickly used his Divine Sense to partition the Black Book’s space, hiding this treasure within.
All of a sudden seeing this good thing disappear, the Yin Yang Monster Ginseng wore a wronged expression and jumped up, dashing around inside the Black Book’s space trying to find the Myriad Drug Liquid.
“Every ten days I’ll give you a drop so be obedient and stay here!” Yang Kai helplessly used his Divine Sense to convey this message. Sensing this, the Yin Yang Monster Ginseng finally somewhat begrudgingly settled down.
Finished handling the Yin Yang Monster Ginseng, Yang Kai walked through the rest of his secluded cave stowing things into the Black Book’s space, including all the precious treasures and Hallowed Artifacts he collected from the Endless Sea Island.
Everything in the cave was swiftly packed away, not leaving a single blade of grass behind.
Exiting his secluded cave, Yang Kai stared into the depths of the canyon at the rising Demonic Qi, pondering to himself.
Seeing through his thoughts, Old Demon tentatively asked, “Young Master, do you want to go down?”
“En.” Yang Kai nodded. Down below there was certainly some profound mystery, or else it would have been impossible for Ling Tai Xu’s Second Disciple to restore his strength and advance his Evil Cultivation Technique.
This place was the sight of an Earth shattering battle between High Heaven Pavilion’s Ancestral Founder and a powerful Demon Lord hundreds of years ago, Yang Kai naturally wanted to explore it to see if he could glean something.
This thick Demonic Qi acted as a barrier, blocking the majority of people from descending to the Coiling Dragon Stream’s true depths, even many Devil’s Path Cultivators would not be able to withstand this level of corrosive hostility.
But Yang Kai had Old Demon’s protection, coupled with his own Unyielding Golden Skeleton which was able to consume this Demonic Qi, it was quite possible he would be able to withstand this environment.
Thinking till here, Yang Kai finally resolved himself and directly jumped down into the canyon.
Old Demon couldn’t help being shocked once again at his young master’s boldness.
With the winds whistling past his ears, Yang Kai fell faster and faster, in the blink of an eye already descending a few thousand meters, plunging straight into the rolling black gas.
The next moment, Yang Kai suddenly felt something and quickly deployed his Flaming Yang Wings, quickly shooting back upwards, an expression of pain upon his face as he stared down into the canyon with a lingering fear.
In the instant he plummeted into the thick cloud of Demonic Qi, Yang Kai had felt that his soul had been attacked, as if a hidden aura of brutal and bloodthirsty hostility had surged towards him.
Invisible and dangerous, extremely difficult to prevent.
Even though Yang Kai had been cultivating his soul almost constantly, he still felt that this attack was quite fearsome.
Old Demon on the other hand had not sensed anything and remained completely unharmed.
Leaning against the Coiling Dragon Stream’s rocky wall, Yang Kai directed his sight towards the canyon’s bottom once more, hesitating for a moment before once more descending.
The all-encompassing black gas immediately wrapped around his body, as if it had a will of its own, an embodiment of hostility, giving Yang Kai an eerie feeling.
Once again, as soon as he penetrated this layer of black gas, the overwhelming soul attack hit him, like a million ants gnawing on his body while thousands of needles pierced into his mind, waves of maddening cries and howls filling his ears.
It was as if he had fallen into the depths of Hell.
Yang Kai’s expression cramped up, but fortunately, this time he had mentally prepared himself, and although it was still a painful experience for his soul, he was not completely helpless like before.
As his soul became further damaged, a tingling sensation sudden arose; the Soul Warming Lotus had once again played its role in a timely manner, sending a burst of cooling sensation to his mind, numbing the painful throbbing.
Hovering mid-air, Yang Kai took a deep breath, slowly adapting to this new environment before continuing his descent.
After falling another thousand meters or so, he felt the surrounding black gas’s attack on his soul strengthen sharply, bringing about the same unbearable kind of pain, forcing Yang Kai to halt once again.
Now stuck in place once again, Yang Kai surveyed his surroundings, but still could not see the bottom of the Coiling Dragon Stream.
Frowning, Yang Kai faintly felt that the pain in his soul was too much to bear.
The damage caused to his soul here was much worse than when he had been lost in the white mist field.
When he was trapped inside the white mist field his soul was constantly being damaged, but here, not only was he suffering pain, he was also being bombarded with a fierce hostility and all kinds of malicious intent, which was slowly trying to corrupt his mind.
In terms of hardening one’s soul and cultivating spiritual energy, this place was basically a paradise! All he had to do was descend slightly and Yang Kai could clearly feel his spiritual energy being enhanced.
If he could cultivate here for a long time, opening his Knowledge Sea would probably not be problem.
Unfortunately, Yang Kai understood that he could not afford to spend too much time here. If he did, his mind would probably be poisoned by the surrounding evil aura.
After a long period of silence, Yang Kai suddenly had a thought and asked Old Demon, “Do you know of any Soul Skills? One that can be used for defence would be best.”
“I do!” Old Demon readily responded.
“How come you never mentioned something like that?” Yang Kai asked somewhat bitterly.
“The martial skills and secret arts that Old Servant has mastered are all extremely evil, so Young Master has always been quite opposed to cultivating them.” Old Demon replied in a wronged tone.
“Is this soul defence skill like that too?” Inquired Yang Kai.
“Although it could be considered so, but if you cultivate here, then there would be no need for any cruel or evil methods. Since this place is thick with Demonic Qi it is actually ideal for cultivating this skill.”
“Good, no need for further nonsense then, quickly teach me this soul skill!”
“En…”
Old Demon’s memory was still somewhat garbled, so although it had been more than two years since he met with Yang Kai inside the Heaven’s Inheritance Cave, there was still a great many things he could not remember clearly. But in response to Yang Kai’s orders, Old Demon thought long and hard about this soul skill and eventually imparted all of to him.
Soul Palace!
According to Old Demon, if one wanted to cultivate this soul skill, one would have to find some sentient beings, torture them and finally kill them. Only after experiencing fear, hatred, and despair, would these people leave behind lingering souls after their deaths that could be used to cultivate the Soul Palace skill.
A cultivator would collect these remnant souls and forge them into a labyrinth within their own mind.
The rounds of torture and instilled grievances these souls experience were akin to tempering the bricks for the maze, the more resentment they had, the greater the strength of the labyrinth.
After successfully cultivating Soul Palace, the Knowledge Sea of a cultivator would appear to an outsider as a layered structure, filled with twists and turns. This soul skill’s biggest use was no doubt for defense.
But this skill could actually be thought of as a combination of offensive and defensive soul skills.
If one’s enemy used their Spiritual Energy to attack, their Divine Sense would fall into this maze and would never be able to find its way out, gradually being exhausted by the hidden grievances within the Soul Palace.
Soul Palace did not have a grand accomplishment stage because a cultivator could continuously surround their Knowledge Sea with more building blocks to further consolidate and expand the labyrinth.
Its purpose was to guard a cultivator’s Knowledge Sea tightly, forming an impregnable defense.
And this place, filled with such thick hostile Demonic Qi, was undoubtedly the most suitable place to forge Soul Palace bricks.
Studying this soul skill gradually made Yang Kai grin, quickly comprehending it in order to begin cultivating.
After a short while, Yang Kai became familiar with how to use his own Divine Sense to grasp this free floating hostility and use it as the cornerstones for casting his mental maze.
The entire process was actually quite simple, Yang Kai had already cultivated his Divine Sense considerably, so now he just needed to experiment in its usage.
Over the next few days, Yang Kai familiarized himself with manipulating his Divine Sense, pulling a ray of dark evil aura into his mind then according to his own thoughts and ideas transforming it into bricks and tiles, gradually constructing a fortress around his Knowledge Sea.
Just like building a towering palace in real life, wanting to build a palace in his mind followed the same principals, constructing the maze from the ground up.
Gradually becoming familiar with the process, his actions became faster and more agile.
For an entire month, Yang Kai remained within the Coiling Dragon Stream, cultivating his Soul Palace.
Grasping a wisp of demonic Qi with his Divine Sense, bringing it into his mind, and forging it into a brick. After repeating this process thousands of times, his mental labyrinth gradually took shape and slowly expanded.
After one month of painstaking cultivation, Yang Kai could clearly feel that his own Spiritual Energy had strengthened greatly. He could also spread his Divine Sense out a full twenty kilometers from himself now.
One’s Spiritual Energy was very difficult to cultivate, even for Immortal Ascension Boundary masters. Wanting to have great accomplishments with their Divine Sense was as difficult as ascending to the Heavens.
It was significantly harder than cultivating one’s body.
The most common method was to use a soul cultivating skill, or to consume Spiritual Energy enhancing precious treasures.
However, in Yang Kai’s case, loitering in the Coiling Dragon Stream under such harsh conditions to cultivate Soul Palace, and with the assistance of the Soul Warming Lotus, his Spiritual Energy becoming strong was an eventuality.
After another ten days or so, his Soul Palace skill had finally reached an intermediate accomplishment stage.
Although he was still unable to cultivate out his Knowledge Sea, Yang Kai could still clearly feel that surrounding his mind was a thick layer of protection, keeping the most critical parts of his mind secure.
This extra layer of protection was formed from the evil energy emanating from the Coiling Dragon Stream.
But it did not affect Yang Kai.
Because when Yang Kai cultivated this soul skill, all the evil energy had been marked with his aura.
With his Soul Palace completed, Yang Kai naturally couldn’t wait to try it out.
At his current position within the Coiling Dragon Stream, the vicious hostility no longer made any impact on him.
So he once again dove down, faster and faster.
Two thousand meters, his Soul Palace was unshaken. Three thousand meters, his mental defences were still undamaged.
Falling to the deepest depths of the Coiling Dragon Stream, Yang Kai never again experienced any erosion from the surrounding hostility. Contemplating for a moment, Yang Kai suddenly realized.
This had nothing to do with his Soul Palace’s defence, but rather because he had used the Demonic Qi in the Coiling Dragon Stream to cultivate this Soul Skill in the first place.
His Soul defence and the surrounding Demonic Qi were essentially the same, how could it possible affect his Divine Sense?
“This soul skill is perfect.” Yang Kai grinned.
Taking a moment, Yang Kai clearly felt just how potent and frightening the evil atmosphere inside the Coiling Dragon Stream was. If he did not have this Soul Palace’s assistance, his Soul would likely have been instantly destroyed.
“The source of this Demonic Qi should be right ahead.” Old Demon suddenly said.
“This place is also the source of the Yang Qi!” Yang Kai was a bit delighted when he felt the Yang Origin Seal in his chest suddenly throb quite violently.
Whatever the Yang Qi source in front of him was, it was no doubt an extremely valuable treasure!
Thinking as such, he briskly moved forward.
The Coiling Dragon Stream was very long, seemingly unending.
As he walked along its depths, Yang Kai saw many bleached and broken bones; when he accidentally stepped on these bones an eerie snapping sound would ring out.
Obviously these were the bones of those who had been sealed within the Coiling Dragon Stream, the High Heaven Pavilion disciples who had been condemned to death here.
On both sides of the canyon there were some short trees that had dark fruits hanging from them.
It seems like in this forsaken place there were still plants which could grow. Yang Kai readily picked one of these fruits and soon found that it too was filled with Demonic Qi; cold to the touch, the fruit radiated a creepy aura.
“Evil Spirit Fruits… Heh, this thing really is here.” Old Demon muttered in surprise, “No wonder your Sect Master’s Second Disciple could survive down here for so long.”
“I had also been wondering what he was eating here for ten years.” Yang Kai smiled wryly before reaching out and plucking the few remaining fruits and tossing them into the Black Book’s space.
The Sect Master’s Second Disciple had not picked clean the fruits here; perhaps he thought that since he had raised these fruits here for the past ten years he should leave something behind as a memento.
But there were not many left in any case, only two or three, and these were not good things by any stretch, they all seemed to contain large amounts of evil energy within.
Continuing forward a while longer, soon Yang Kai spotted a murky figure within the dark Demonic Qi.
Yang Kai’s pupil couldn’t help but shrink, suddenly freezing in pace, gazing forward vigilantly, circulating his True Qi secretly.
In this place, he did not dare use his Divine Sense; once his Divine Sense left the protection of his Soul Palace, it would immediately be disintegrated, so he had been completely unaware of this figures presence until now.
But this figure gave Yang Kai a weird feeling.
It emitted not the slightest breath of life but was still sitting cross-legged, its body surrounding by a dozen meter thick ink black atmosphere that seemed to continuously be churning around it. This black gas completely obscured its true appearance.
“It’s dead!” Old Demon concluded.
Yang Kai nodded, slowly approaching it.
As he got closer, Yang Kai caught a glimpse of what appeared to be a chain attached to a collar wrapped around its neck. This chain wasn’t long, probably only about half a meter in total length.
Yang Kai couldn’t help being surprised.
Because he found that the chain and collar were no doubt the Yang attribute treasure he had sensed earlier. This thing was radiating an aura akin to the primordial Sun, many times more potent compared to his True Yang Yuan Qi.
Faintly, Yang Kai felt that his own True Qi was somewhat similar to the Yang aura being emitted from this collar.
However, this was not that surprising when he considered that he had absorbed a great deal of Yang Qi from the Coiling Dragon Stream to build his own foundation, and that Yang Qi had more than likely come from this collar.
This person’s clothing had long ago been turned to dust, and his physique had almost completely withered, but still, this seemingly fragile body still gave off an intimidating aura that made anyone who gazed upon it tremble lightly. All the Demonic Qi within the Coiling Dragon Stream had actually come from this single person’s body.
Even without looking closely, Yang Kai noticed that there was a huge, ferocious wound upon this person’s chest.
After Yang Kai stared at this figure for a while longer, he suddenly sucked in a cold breath and cried out, “I know who this man is!”
“Who?”
“This must be the Demon Lord who was beheaded by my Sect’s Ancestral Founder several hundreds of years ago!”
Old Demon was not entirely clear about the history of High Heaven Pavilion so Yang Kai brief recanted it for him.
Hearing that the Coiling Dragon Stream was formed when this Demon Lord was struck down by a single Earth shattering sword strike, Old Demon was suddenly greatly excited and said in a slightly agitated tone, “Even after hundreds of years, this Demon Lord’s flesh has not decayed! When he was alive, his strength must have been similar to this old master’s at his peak.”
Yang Kai was secretly unnerved.
This man had been dead for hundreds of years, and although his body has almost completely dried out, his physique was yet to be destroyed and had even given rise to such an extensive and potent Demonic Qi, enough to fill the entire Coiling Dragon Stream and beyond. Just how powerful was he when he was alive?
How powerful was his High Heaven Pavilion’s Ancestral Founder to have triumphed over him?
This level of strength was something Yang Kai couldn’t hope to match, at least not within a short period of time.
Carefully scanning his surroundings again, Yang Kai found a deeply worn impression, and after squatting down to examine it, he couldn’t help but grin slightly.
This place should be where his Sect Master’s Second Disciple had sat in cultivation for the past ten years. By perennially meditating here he must have left these traces behind.
In other words, his Sect Master’s Second Disciple should have grasped some profound insight or obtained some kind of powerful inheritance from this dead Demon Lord that enabled him to restore his strength and then a decade later escape his imprisonment.
The Sect Master banishing him to the Coiling Dragon Stream had simultaneously created this opportunity for him.
All things were truly impermanent; no one clearly could say what was truly a blessing or a curse.
“Young Master …” Old Demon suddenly shouted. His voice contained a trace of excitement and anticipation, “Can you remove and collect the chain artifact from this Demon Lord’s neck?”
“Of course!” Yang Kai had long seen just how extraordinary this collar was. It emitted an aura akin to the blazing sun, and there was no doubt it was a Yang attribute artifact designed specifically to restrain Demonic Qi. Yang Kai’s cultivation of the True Yang Secret Art had an innate fit with this artifact, so how could he simply let it go?
This artifact should be something High Heaven Pavilion’s Ancestral Founder had left behind to suppress this Demon Lord’s Demonic Qi, but after so many centuries the Sect Master’s Second Disciple must have done something to it to cause it to lose its abilities, so letting it remain here would serve no purpose.
“But even if I don’t accept it, what does that have to do with you?” Yang Kai asked suspiciously, wondering what Old Demon was up to.
“Heh heh…” Old Demon cackled happily, “If Young Master can remove this artifact, this Old Servant can try to possess this Demon Lord’s body.”
“You want to rob his body?” Yang Kai expression slightly changed.
“No no no…” Old Demon quickly denied, “This man’s Soul has long since been destroyed, leaving behind only a physique body, my Soul taking possession of it can’t be considered robbing.”
“How certain are you that you can succeed?”
“En, well somewhat. When he was alive he was also a Demon Lord, so his aura is similar to Old Servant’s, which should make it easier for Old Servant to operate his body.” Old Demon grinned, “However, whether it is supplanting someone’s consciousness or taking over someone else’s body, it is not as simple as Young Master believes. Each person’s body is like a container which has certain traits that, in principle, can only accommodate a particular Soul, so it is difficult for a different Soul to survive in such a container.”
“So why was it that time you first saw me you immediately tried to seize my body?” Yang Kai’s mouth curved into a strange smile as he remembered this event.
Old Demon simply laughed though, “That was out of necessity; I had been sealed there for many years. I had just woken up and not long after had met Young Master, but even if you had not resisted, there was a good chance I would have failed anyways.”
“What would the consequences have been?”
“If your Soul had been devoured by me, and I had gained control of your body, at best, Old Servant would have been able to survive half a month to a month before Young Master’s body would have rotted. At that time, Old Servant would have become a loose soul, wandering between the Heavens and the Earth.” Old Demon casually explained what would have happened if he had failed in his attempt to seize Yang Kai’s body, which sent a chill up his spine.
Thankfully, his Unyielding Golden Skeleton had played a role, or else he really would have died in vain.
“Even regardless of whether the possession was successful or not, Old Servant’s own Spiritual Energy would have been greatly consumed, so even those with strong Souls will not arbitrarily try to take over another’s body. Only when they find themselves in a desperate situation will they attempt it.” Old Demon explained patiently.
“Does this person’s body meet your requirements?”
“En! Old Servant should be able to take control of the person’s body, and once successful, Old Servant will be much stronger and more capable of helping Young Master than right now.” Old Demon said, secretly ashamed of himself; after spending two years together with Yang Kai, this thousand year old demon hadn’t actually played much of a role. Now seeing this tailor made body in front of him, naturally he was quite tempted.
“Good, I’m looking forward to it!” Yang Kai grinned and agreed to Old Demon’s request.
Walking up to this Demon Lord’s body, Yang Kai reached out and grabbed the collar and chain and poured his True Qi into it.
After less than half a day, the chain suddenly transformed into a golden light which disappeared into Yang Kai’s body.
Witnessing all this, Yang Kai was slightly stunned.
Originally he had thought it would be very time consuming to refine such a powerful artifact, and he was even ready to stay here for a month or two, but little did he suspect that the process would be so easy.
Once the chain had disappeared, it was like the black gas billowing around the Demon Lord’s body had suddenly been set free, and it ferociously burst forth, continuously shooting up the canyon. Not only that, the Demon Lord’s body also continued to pour out more Demonic Qi, seemingly in an endless stream, which created a truly terrifying scene.
The stunned Yang Kai quickly put on a serious expression and summoned out the Soul Breaker Awl.
Old Demon’s Soul quickly poured into this artifact, then drilled into the Demon Lord’s body, disappearing in the blink of an eye.
The rolling evil aura all of a sudden calmed greatly, probably the result of Old Demon assuming control of this new body.
Yang Kai called out a few times but did not receive a response; however, from the way Demonic Qi overflowing from this Demon Lord’s body had just behaved, Old Demon should have already begun the process of assimilating it. It was just a question of how long this would take.
This was Old Demon’s battle to fight; there was nothing Yang Kai could do to help.
With no other choice, he could only sit down cross-legged and wait patiently.
With the evil aura so thick in this place, Yang Kai couldn’t even cultivate his Soul Palace skill. As soon as his Divine Sense left the confines of his mind, it would immediately be shredded. If he couldn’t use his Divine Sense, naturally there was no way to capture the surrounding hostility to forge building blocks.
Bored, Yang Kai took out the chain artifact which he had just managed to refine.
This artefact’s quality was superb and was cast from some unknown material, but since it was something left behind by High Heaven Pavilion’s Ancestral Founder to suppress this Demon Lord, its grade was certainly not low.
The chain itself was only about half a meter long and the collar itself was just big enough to fit around a human’s neck.
Inspecting it closer, Yang Kai discovered a small line of characters on the inside of the collar and muttered softly, “Devil Sealing Chain!”
Against an average cultivator, this artifact was likely useless, so it was probably only able to serve as an anti-devil artifact.
Examining this Devil Sealing Chain for a while, Yang Kai couldn’t help being stunned.
The Sect Master’s Second Disciple had obviously obtained something from this Demon Lord’s corpse which had allowed him to restore his strength, so Yang Kai was certain he knew about the existence of this Devil Sealing Chain, but he had still not removed or taken away this artifact. It was easy to imagine just how much this Devil Sealing Chain was able to restrain him.
If he could find an opportunity to slip this collar back onto his neck… whether he was a Devil King or a Demon Lord, it was almost certain his True Qi would be completely sealed.
This was an excellent tool to deal with him!
Thinking about this Martial Uncle of his who had become the new Demon Lord, Yang Kai made his decision.
This man had obstructed Ling Tai Xu martial path for ten years, and Yang Siye had been injured so severely by him that until now he had still not completely recovered.
It could even be said that Yang Kai being born with a congenital defect was also his fault.
Therefore, even if the two had never met before, there was no doubt he was an enemy.
Yang Kai would never allow his enemies to live good lives.
Wearing a cold expression, Yang Kai stowed the Devil Sealing Chain into his body again and would use his own True Qi to refine and repair it, so that one day it could display its full power again.
For several days, Old Demon had silently inhabited the Demon Lord’s body and did not respond no matter how Yang Kai called out.
Until the fifth day, when Old Demon’s weak voice suddenly sounded, “Young Master…”
“How is it?” Yang Kai hurriedly asked.
“I’m almost there.” Old Demon panted, his Spiritual Energy was obviously significantly depleted, but fortunately the entire region was filled with Demonic Qi, so he could always supplement himself, “However, Old Servant first needs to absorb all the Demonic Qi from this area or else this body will not be able to display any significant power.”
“How long will that take?”
“The process will be quite slow, at least a few months.”
“That’s too long… I can’t afford to wait for you here…” Yang Kai said as he stood up.
“Good, Young Master should attend to your own tasks and when Old Servant finishes here, he will find you once more.”
Before the conversation had even finished, Old Demon had already begun to devour the Demonic Qi floating within the Coiling Dragon Stream and somehow attracted it from his surroundings and pulled it straight into the Demon Lord’s body.
The Demon Lord’s body however was like a bottomless pit, and no matter how much Demonic Qi swept towards him, it effortlessly received it all.
After watching for a moment, Yang Kai nodded slightly before spreading his Flaming Yang Wings and soared up out of the Coiling Dragon Stream.
High Heaven Pavilion was in a depression.
The originally several thousand disciples had long ago dwindled. Many of them chose to leave out of fear of being implicated when the world learned that the new Demon Lord had come from the Coiling Dragon Stream, and still others obeyed Ling Tai Xu’s command to immediately disperse.
Throughout the whole High Heaven Pavilion, there was now only a hundred or so people left. These hundred people were High Heaven Pavilion’s most important core members and the Sect’s most loyal disciples.
No matter how Ling Tai Xu tried to persuade them, these people refused to abandon the Sect and vowed that they would live and die together with High Heaven Pavilion!
In the face of such determination, Ling Tai Xu was helpless and could only acquiesce.
Su Yan was, of course, one of these members, and over the course of the last two months had successfully promoted to the True Element Boundary Ninth Stage and began to prepare for her breakthrough to the Immortal Ascension Boundary.
Sitting face-to-face while engaged in their dual-cultivation, Yang Kai listened to Su Yan explain about the changes which had occurred over the past two months.
A bitter feeling crept into his heart.
This once proud Sect was now facing a crisis and was on the verge of dissolving. A result that many here could simply not accept, but even Ling Tai Xu was helpless to do anything to stop it. News that the Demon Lord had hailed from High Heaven Pavilion would sooner or later be discovered, and since he did not wish for those ordinary disciples to be unjustly involved, he could only first order them to disperse.
With such dramatic changes within High Heaven Pavilion, it was naturally impossible to conceal it from the nearby Blood Battle Gang and Storm Hall’s eyes and ears.
Over the past days, the Hu Sisters had visited High Heaven Pavilion many times to see Su Yan and offer words of condolences, but also to inquire about Yang Kai.
However, others within the Blood Battle Gang were not as sympathetic. During the Inheritance Heaven’s Cave incident, Meng Wu Ya had fought the Blood Battle Gang’s ten strongest Immortal Ascension Boundary masters single handedly, which caused the Blood Battle Gang to lose a great deal of face. Additionally, many involved in that conflict, especially Long Zai Tian, had been seriously injured, and even until now were not able to completely recover, so now that it was High Heaven Pavilion’s turn, Long Zai Tian and several other Elders took the opportunity to add as much insult to injury as possible.
As this was happening, Sect Master Hu Man also took a policy of opening one eye and closing the other, letting Long Zai Tian act as he pleased.
The Storm Hall was also the same and actively recruited the displaced High Heaven Pavilion disciples while not so subtly coveting High Heaven Pavilion’s hundreds of years worth of heritage.
Of course, no one was more aware of the dire straits they were in than those within High Heaven Pavilion.
“Once the Sect’s dissolution is complete, where will we go?” Su Yan faintly sighed. She had grown up inside High Heaven Pavilion for so many years, and it had been her home, but now that this tragedy had suddenly struck. Even if she had a firm and steady temperament, she couldn’t help feeling somewhat sad and confused.
Hearing her words, Yang Kai smiled gently, squeezed her hands slightly as he brought her into his embrace. Then he intertwined their fingers and brought her face close to his own, and the depressed mood gradually became calm.
“If it comes to that, we can go to Medicine King’s Valley Hidden Cloud Peak and join up with Treasurer Meng and Little Senior Sister.” Yang Kai whispered.
Given Xiao Fu Sheng’s immense prestige, protecting a small group of people would be no problem.
Although he was a direct descendant of the Yang Family, he was forbidden to return right now, so naturally he couldn’t bring Su Yan there.
Su Yan nodded slightly and suddenly smiled sweetly as she said, “It has been a long time since I spoke with Junior Sister Xia. Are you two now…”
“Not yet,” Yang Kai said with an awkward laugh.
“You have to do your best, Junior Sister Xia is has a pure innocent and naive demeanor, on top of that she is incredibly cute, don’t let her fall into the hands of some other man.” Su Yan smiled meaningfully.
To which Yang Kai could only nod awkwardly.
At that time.
Suddenly, feeling a Divine Sense swept over them, Yang Kai’s expression slightly changed, and he gazed seriously in the direction the probe had come from, “A master cultivator has arrived!”
Su Yan quickly sat up, and a worried expression flashed across her cold and beautiful face flashed, and she quietly asked, “Where are they?”
“Ah… no need to be nervous, it’s an acquaintance.” Yang Kai frowned slightly in confusion.
He could clearly sense the arrival of this Immortal Ascension Boundary master. It was not that he had received some kind of information from the previous Divine Sense wave, but the other party had so blatantly used his Divine Sense that all of the High Heaven Pavilion Immortal Ascension Boundary masters should have felt it.
Mover, this person’s Divine Sense fluctuations were very familiar. At the very least, Yang Kai should have met him face to face before, it was just that he could not tell exactly whose Divine Sense it was.
“We should go take a look!” Yang Kai hesitated for a moment before saying when he detected many guards rushing over along with Ling Tai Xu and the remaining Elders, so he had Su Yan quickly left her house and flew over to join the others.
Before they had closed the distance, Yang Kai heard Ling Tai Xu call out, “Which friend has come to visit my High Hall Pavilion?”
From the distance, a somewhat old and plain voice responded, “Sect Master Ling!”
Hearing this voice, Yang Kai frowned even more and accelerated a bit before soon arriving at Ling Tai Xu and the four Elder’s side, and he took up a position behind Ling Tai Xu.
Seeing Yang Kai and Su Yan arrive side by side, a few of the Elder’s faces suddenly cramped up, especially Su Xuan Wu. Although he had already known that his granddaughter and Yang Kai certainly had something more than just a fellow disciple relationship between them, seeing it with his eyes, especially the lingering blush still present on Su Yan’s cold face, the Second Elder couldn’t help but feel uncomfortable.
At that moment the Second Elder couldn’t help glaring at Yang Kai, as he seethed in anger!
Yang Kai just laughed and said nothing.
From the distance, a silhouette quickly approached and came to a stop in front of everyone.
After seeing this man’s appearance, Ling Tai Xu asked curiously, “Aren’t you the Dong Family’s… Wind Guardian?”
Chuckling lightly, the old man cupped his fists and said, “This old man is indeed who you say. I have taken the liberty to visit you, I hope you can forgive me for not sending prior notice.”
Yang Kai’s expression suddenly changed, and he quickly asked, “Senior, what exactly has happened?”
The Dong Family’s two Wind and Cloud Guards had always been accompanying Dong Qing Han in order to protect him, but now, all of sudden, at this critical time, the Wind Guard had made a trip to High Heaven Pavilion; apparently Dong Qing Han had a very important message to deliver to him.
Otherwise he would not have sent such an important figure to convey it.
The Wind Guard glanced over and nodded slightly before saying, “Young Master Yang, my Young Lord ordered me to inform you to leave High Heaven Pavilion as quickly as possible or you will encounter great danger.”
“Because of the Demon Lord?” Yang Kai frowned, as he realized the problem.
The Wind Guard was slightly surprised but quickly collected himself, “It seems you are already prepared.”
He now understood why, when he had swept High Heaven Pavilion with his Divine Sense, he had not noticed many people around, which was quite different from when he had last visited.
Ling Tai Xu nodded, “Naturally, we have prepared.”
The Wind Guard hastily followed up, “Then why are you all still here? You must leave quickly, the force on their way now is not one High Heaven Pavilion can resist.”
“Who is coming?” Su Xuan Wu hearing how seriously this old man was speaking couldn’t help but frown.
“It is… the Qiu Family!” The Wind Guard exclaimed.
“One of the Eight Great Families?” Wei Xi Tong and all the others were stunned.
“Correct, the Qiu Family is leading them. The Bai Family is also coming, along with members of the Purple Fern Valley. Against the combined might of these three forces, even my Dong Family will not be able to resist.” The Wind Guard sincerely entreated, “You should not try to act brave here, find somewhere to hide in the wilderness. So long as you preserve your life, there is still hope.”
The Demon Lord having come from High Heaven Pavilion was such a big deal that the Eight Great Families getting involved was something Yang Kai could understand, after all, in the war to come all of them would be involved, but the Bai Family and the Purple Fern Valley tagging along was unexpected.
Them joining this punitive force was likely because of Yang Kai defeating Bai Yun Feng last time, which caused him to lose face, so they had come specially to add insult to injury.
“They will be here soon; this Old Master had to hurry all the way here in order to arrive first, but I estimate that they will catch up within half a day.” The Wind Guard hurriedly explained before once more urging, “I have delivered the message, so I shall take my leave!”
Obviously he could not remain here. If the Qiu Family people discovered him, explaining his presence would be very troublesome.
As soon as the Wind Guard finished speaking he quickly turned and left, leaving behind a group of shocked people.
Wei Xi Tong hesitated, “Why did he come here to deliver such a warning, is he perhaps trying to deceive us?”
However, Ling Tai Xu shook his head lightly, “No, Yang Kai and his Young Master have some friendship; this warning was sent purely out of good intentions, there is no reason to doubt it.”
Hearing this, the four Elders looked towards Yang Kai in surprise, not understanding how he had become friends with someone of Dong Qing Han’s stature.
“Spread the word, all remaining High Heaven Pavilion members are to quickly pack their belongings and gather beside the Coiling Dragon Stream within an incense stick!” Ling Tai Xu ordered decisively.
Finished, he quickly redirected his sight, “Yang Kai, you stay.”
“Yes, Sect Master!”
The Four Elders having received their orders hurriedly left, leaving only Yang Kai and Ling Tai Xu behind.
“Do you remember the position of the Void Corridor we used last time?” Ling Tai Xu suddenly asked.
“Disciple remembers.”
“Good, proceed to that place and begin injecting your True Qi into it, the Spirit Array at that position will automatically activate once it has been charged. Once the Void Corridor is open, lead everyone away from here so that our pursuers cannot catch up. After leaving, destroyed the Spirit Array then find a place to settle down; remember, before the situation becomes clear, do not come out of hiding…”
“Grand Master are you not coming as well?” Yang Kai vaguely understood from the tone of his voice and couldn’t help looking surprised.
“My High Heaven Pavilion has not done anything wrong; it was just that this old master had not been decisive enough, so why must all of you suffer for that?” Ling Tai Xu chuckled lightly, “If this Old Master comes along with all of you, he will only make things more difficult for the survivors of High Heaven Pavilion. I will stay behind to confront the punitive force and explain everything to them, that it was my fault and mine alone that this new Demon Lord came into existence, and then ask them if it is necessary to destroy my Sect because of that. Their forces had all given rise to evil people, did they all have to suffer punishment because of that?”
“They have come all this way with such aggressive intent, will they really be willing to listen to reason?” Yang Kai asked anxiously.
“It matters not, I have made my decision!” Ling Tai Xu’s will was firm, suddenly showing a confident smile, “In any case, even if it turns into a fight, whether or not they are worthy to be my opponent… heh!”
Yang Kai was startled, staring for a moment, “Grand Master, you…”
“Indeed, it is all thanks to your assistance!” Ling Tai Xu nodded firmly.
Above Immortal Ascension Boundary! After spending ten long years shackled by his past, he had finally had a breakthrough; it was the only joyous event in the past few months for High Heaven Pavilion.
Knowing that his Grand Master had reached the Above Immortal Ascension Boundary, the worries within Yang Kai’s heart diminished greatly, and he no longer attempted to persuade him otherwise and instead quickly set off.
All those who had remained in High Heaven Pavilion had quickly assembled beside the Coiling Dragon Stream.
Yang Kai once again saw many familiar faces, including Su Mu whom he had not spoken with in over a year. What was more surprising was that Su Mu has also managed to raise his cultivation to the Separation and Reunion Boundary Ninth Stage.
“Senior Brother Yang…” Su Mu shouted out in excitement, followed closely behind by Li Yun Tian and the others.
“Long time no see!” Yang Kai smiled as he swept his eyes over the crowd. In addition to Su Mu, the others gathered here had also grown a lot. All of them had reached at least the Qi Transformation Stage.
“Heh heh… should I call you Senior Brother, or brother-in-law?” Su Mu looked at Yang Kai with a big grin on his face, apparently he already knew what had happened between Yang Kai and Su Yan.
“Up to you!” Yang Kai brushed his nose.
“Brother-in-law, you are too awesome!” Su Mu looked at Yang Kai and gave him a big thumbs up and quietly whispered “I’ve always thought that Elder Sister would end up all alone, I never expected that she would be conquered by you, astonishing! Quickly, tell me how you did it.”
However, just as those words slipped out, Su Yan glared towards them with an especially cold look, causing Su Mu’s neck to shrink up and his body to quiver, immediately silencing him.
“Is this everyone?” Wei Xi Tong, Su Xuan Wu and the other Elders glanced back and forth, loudly asking.
“Where is Sect Master?” He Bei Shui suddenly asked.
“Sect Master has decided to stay behind!” Yang Kai declared.
“What?” Wei Xi Tong and everyone else were stunned.
The four Elders all looked at each other, their eyes flashing a resolute light.
Wei Xi Tong quickly said, “Heh heh, if Sect Master has decided not to leave, then I will as well, Second Junior Brother, you escort everyone else out of here right now.”
But in response Su Xuan Wu just proudly laughed, “First Senior Brother must be joking, I also wish to follow Sect Master; Third Junior Brother, you should be the one to escort everyone here out!”
He Bei Shui also laughed and turned towards You Zi Zai, “Fifth Junior Brother, you’re the youngest of us, this responsibility falls to you.”
You Zi Zai glanced around, but since there was no Elder younger than he, all he could do was scratch his cheek and say, “I also will not leave.”
This group of old men glanced around at each other before bursting into laughter.
Su Xuan Wu quickly declared, “Then we shall all remain together! Yang Kai, come here!”
“Yes Elder Su!”
“Sect Master said you know the path out of here, so you and Su Yan lead everyone away, be sure to protect our High Heaven Pavilion’s inheritance!”
“Yes!”
“Good, now go!” Wei Xi Tong waved and then unhesitantly flew back towards High Heaven Pavilion, and the other three Elders quickly caught up.
“We must also go!” Yang Kai was not long-winded. Ling Tai Xu had broken through to the Above Immortal Ascension Boundary, and the four Elders also had good strength. Together they would be enough to resist any force which may come.
Not to mention, there was no guarantee that a fight would break out.
However, the people here must leave! These people were High Heaven Pavilion’s hope for the future. If they remained, it would only give Ling Tai Xu another thing to worry about.
More than a hundred people quickly followed behind Yang Kai towards a specific place above the Coiling Dragon Stream.
They soon arrived and passed through the Demonic Qi rising up from the abyss below, it was only a few thousand meters down to where the Spirit Array was.
Everyone’s face was pale and frightened, especially the younger generation disciples, they looked particularly miserable.
For these juniors who had not yet reached the True Element Boundary, standing beside the Coiling Dragon Stream was naturally unnerving.
“A few of you Martial Uncles with higher cultivation come down with me, Su Yan, you also come!” Yang Kai quickly shouted and jumped down into the canyon followed closely by seven or eight masters from the previous generations.
Searching for the location of the Spirit Array, Yang Kai carefully examined the cliff face.
“Martial Nephew, what are we doing here?” A thin bony Martial Uncle, a High Heaven Pavilion deacon with cultivation at the Immortal Ascension Boundary Third Stage, asked curiously.
“Looking for a Spirit Array…” Yang Kai replied quietly, and his eyes continued to search a moment before he later nodded, “It’s here!”
Everyone else turned their eyes towards where he was looking, but all they could see was bare rock, no different from everywhere else in the canyon.
“Please channel your True Qi into it!” Yang Kai said and placed a hand onto the cliff, while his True Qi surged ferociously forth.
His other hand grasped Su Yan’s.
Since the two of them had obtained the Joyous Unification Art inheritance, this was the first time they had acted together, and although this situation was not a battle, it was similar enough.
As their hands clasped, the pairs’ True Qi fluctuations suddenly intensified a grade and flowed significantly faster. This change also shocked the few Martial Uncles who had accompanied them.
However, none of them stopped to ask and instead followed Yang Kai’s example and poured their True Qi into the Spirit Array.
With nearly ten people working together, after a moment of effort, the huge rock face began to have a reaction.
This sudden change made everyone surprised.
Yang Kai, while continuing to channel his True Qi, quickly explained, “This place has a hidden Spirit Array which activates a Void corridor that allows one to instantaneously from here to a far away location, it is something that the Ancestral Founder had left behind for High Heaven Pavilion.
One of the seniors couldn’t resist asking, “How far away exactly?”
“Sect Master said this Void corridor leads to a place some ten thousand kilometers away, so once we enter it, we will be perfectly safe.”
Everyone present wore expressions of shock upon hearing this.
The existence of this Void corridor had far exceeded all of their knowledge and understanding by far.
“Our Sect has such a wondrous heritage?” That same Martial Uncle stuttered, and his eyes nearly popped out, “I never knew.”
“We… we also didn’t know!” The others in the crowd chimed in.
“Good, apart from Su Yan and me, everyone else has other tasks they must attend to. Two of your Martial Uncles must go ahead and check the situation on the other side, everyone else must go back up and bring down any disciples who have not yet reached the True Element Boundary!” Yang Kai swiftly ordered.
Although he was a member of the younger generation of disciples, but by virtue of him knowing all these secrets about the Sect, it was clear to everyone how much Ling Tai Xu valued him. Moreover, Yang Kai’s plans were meticulous and well thought out, so the seniors present did not have any issues with carrying them out.
Two Immortal Ascension Boundary masters, one at the First Stage and one at the Second, quickly entered the Void corridor.
Everyone else flew upwards.
Only Yang Kai and Su Yan remained behind to maintain the operation of the Spirit Array.
After a moment, Yang Kai smiled and suddenly said, “In fact, I’m a son of the Yang Family!
Su Yan’s beautiful eyes slightly flashed with surprise before asking, “You mean that cuckoo bird, Yang Family?”
Yang Kai simply nodded, “En.”
“Why are you telling me this now?” Su Yan looked at him curiously.
Yang Kai grinned, “Because I want to steal your heart, so to do that I must be honest with you!”
Listening to him say so in such a straightforward manner, Su Yan’s heart felt a burst of sweetness, and her cheeks blushed bright red as a shy expression filled her face.
The atmosphere suddenly turned tender; even if the two of them had already been together many times, but now the feelings between man and woman were truly begging to bud as they slowly became more familiar with each other, breaking down the barriers between one another one by one.
Yang Kai’s frankness and sincerity had given Su Yan a kind of happiness that could only be felt by one being pursued.
Which girl didn’t want to be sought for by the man she loved? Even Su Yan also had such desires.
Because they had obtained the Joyous Unification Art in the Heaven’s Inheritance Cave, Su Yan and Yang Kai, who were not familiar with each other at the time, were all of a sudden made inseparable, so even if she had obtained a kind of happiness from that, she had lost the opportunity to experience the joys of falling in love.
But now, Yang Kai was undoubtedly trying make that up to her while simultaneously trying to truly win Su Yan’s heart.
At this moment, Su Yan felt like even if they could not escape today’s tragedy, she would still be satisfied.
*Ehem…* Suddenly from above them an awkward cough sounded; Yang Kai looked up and saw one of his Martial Uncles carrying a High Heaven Pavilion disciple, dropping down next to the two, regardless of the disciple’s screams, he quickly threw him into the Void corridor.
“Don’t mind me… please do carry on…” This Martial Uncle was not blind; he could clearly see the delicate atmosphere between the two so he wasted no time flying back up.
But how could they simply continue? As soon he had left another arrived so all Yang Kai and Su Yan could do was smile wryly.
“I want to know everything about your past!” Su Yan declared as she blushed, not caring about if others were observing as she whispered into Yang Kai’s ear.
“Wait until we’ve safely left and settled down then I promise I’ll tell you.”
“Good!” Su Yan nodded gently before biting her lip, “I would also like to travel together with you…”
“Then, after everything is over, we’ll travel hand in hand, proudly touring the world!” Yang Kai grinned happily.
“En!” Su Yan smiled, her heart full of happiness, gently resting her head upon Yang Kai’s shoulder.
Inside the Coiling Dragon Stream, while Demonic Qi swirled about and the Sect above awaited an impending catastrophe, a young man and woman nestled close to each other, the wind gently rustling their clothes as they held one another.
This moment felt like should have lasted an eternity.
The High Heaven Pavilion disciples who occasional passed by awkwardly stared at the pair.
——
Ten Kilometers away from High Heaven Pavilion, a large group of people were fast approaching.
This group had no shortage of Immortal Ascension Boundary Ninth Stage masters, four of them in total, accompanied by no less than a dozen other Immortal Ascension Boundary masters.
In addition, the True Element Boundary and Separation and Reunion Boundary cultivators numbered another forty or fifty at least.
This group of people, under the leadership of a twenty some years old young woman, flew towards High Heaven Pavilion, and before long had arrived in front of the Sect’s borders.
“Is this the where the Demon Lord was born?” The incredibly beautiful young woman asked. She was tall and bright eyed, with pure white teeth and jade-like skin; she wore a luxurious purple dress but more than anything else, her noble temperament shined through.
With a light smile adorning her stunning face, a trace of disdain and doubt flashed across her eyes, lightly asking, “Isn’t this just a random Second-class Sect? How could it give rise to such a heaven defying figure like the new Demon Lord?”
Immediately, a young man dressed in white, his hand waving a folding fan, stepped forward, smiled and said, “Young Lady Qiu, although this place is indeed just a Second-class Sect, but inside there are many Hidden Dragons and Crouching Tigers along with powerful masters, it is not to be underestimated. The last time I and Brother Fan were here, we suffered a major loss!”
This white robed man was none other than the one Yang Kai had defeated last time, Bai Yun Feng.
After suffering a humiliating loss to Yang Kai, Bai Yun Feng had wanted to immediately seek revenge, but had been wary of Ling Tai Xu and Meng Wu Ya’s tyrannical strength, so he had not taken any action.
So when he heard that the Qiu Family would be sending a force to High Heaven Pavilion, he immediately volunteered to follow along, clearly looking for a chance to wipe clean the shame he had been dealt.
Although he was smiling warmly with Young Lady Qiu as he spoke, he still unconsciously remained three steps behind her, showing the utmost respectful demeanor with no trace of his usual big family eldest son’s arrogance, even the look in his eyes was extremely frank as they gazed upon this young woman’s slender shoulders without the slightest obscene light.
Despite his usual attitude, Bai Yun Feng was still a sensible person, he was the son of a first-class family, normally a shining star amongst his peers, but before the young lady in front of him, his status meant nothing.
In front of him was the Qiu Family’s eldest daughter, Young Lady Qiu Yi Meng.
How could his Bai Family possibly be compared with the Qiu Family?
Without even mentioned the Qiu Family’s strength and heritage, it was said that Qiu Yi Meng, only twenty-one years old this year, had already reached the True Element Boundary Ninth Stage; only a handful of people in this entire world’s younger generation had such phenomenal aptitude.
On top of that, she not only had extraordinary martial talent, she was also a stunning beauty.
With the Qiu Family having such an astounding young lady, amongst the other seven Great Families, with the exception of the Yang Family, which one of their young masters did not want to marry her?
But the Qiu Family’s Patriach, Qiu Shou Cheng, had already declared, “If you wish to marry Qiu Yi Meng, you can! But you must enter the Qiu Family! Also, any baby both from your union must be surnamed Qiu! Anyone who thinks this is wrong, walk away. I do not need you to be part of my lineage.”
This demand had immediately cut off a lot of people’s ambitions; but still, many young sons would linger all day around Qiu Yi Meng, enjoying being around such a beautiful young woman while fantasizing about being with her.
Qiu Yi Meng also maintained a sense of proportion, allowing these young masters to gather around her but never allowing any of them to get too close. In fact, the reason she had decided to lead this expedition to High Heaven Pavilion was because recently there had been too many of these annoying people around her, so she had deliberately taken on this task, with the excuse of it being a good life experience, and forced these young men to scatter.
Listening to what Bai Yun Feng said, Qiu Yi Meng laughed lightly, not even turning to look at him, stroking the hair next to her ear and replied, “I heard that the last time Young Master Bai came to High Heaven Pavilion he fought with one of its young disciples and even had his precious artifact destroyed, yes?”
Bai Yun Feng instantly became bitter, silently cursing this little slut in his heart while desperately maintaining a humble smile on his face, “This young master had embarrassed himself, Young Lady Qiu must be amused.”
As these two spoke, another beautiful young woman stepped forward to join them. This woman was quite petite, half a head shorter than Qiu Yi Meng, but her chest was another matter. It was fully rounded, immense by any standard, and unintentionally attracted the gazes of all those around her.
This young woman was clearly irritated, like a tiny enraged tiger, and angrily declared, “That little brat Yang Kai lives here? When Senior Brother Fan returned to Purple Fern Valley, he immediately went into retreat, saying he needed to cultivate lest even a second-class Sect’s disciple beat him and no one has seen him since. It’s all that Yang Kai’s fault! This time, I’ll make sure to capture him and make him pay!”
This Senior Brother Fan she mentioned was the no doubt that Fan Hong who had previously come to High Heaven Pavilion.
Luo Xiao Man and Fan Hong were both Elite Disciples of Purity Fern Valley and had grown up together, sharing deep roots between them, so now that she had not been able to see her sweetheart for the past several months, she naturally resented Yang Kai very much.
Qiu Yi Meng could only smile wryly and softly say, “Sister Xiao Man please control yourself, our main purpose here is to inquire about the Demon Lord’s information, everything else is secondary. Don’t make things more complicated for us!”
However, Luo Xiao Man was clearly not convinced and pouted, “I don’t care! In any case, I have to bring this Yang Kai kid back to Purple Fern Valley so that Senior Brother Fan and he can have a fair fight, that way the knot in Senior Brother’s heart can be resolved.”
Declaring so, she quickly went up, shook Qiu Yi Meng’s arm, and whined profusely, “Elder Sister Qiu, isn’t he just some second-class Sect disciple? When you’re taking care of the big matters I can just secretly bring people to capture him, it won’t disturb your plans, I promise.”
Qiu Yi Meng sighed and helplessly nodded, “Fine, he is, after all, still a young disciple, to think High Heaven Pavilion is so underwhelming…”
“Hee hee, Elder Sister Qiu is the best.” Luo Xiao Man happily smiled.
At that moment, Bai Yun Feng, who was standing nearby, lightly coughed, still grinning as he reminded, “Junior Sister Luo, it is not that I wish to dampen your moral and raise others’ prestige, but that Yang Kai is not someone so easily dealt with. A year ago he was only a Separation and Reunion Boundary cultivator, but he could already defeat me, and I and Brother Fan’s strength are quite similar. Now that a year has passed, the extent to which he has grown is difficult to determine, even if you bring him back to Purple Fern Valley and allow him to fight Brother Fan, I’m afraid…”
“Hmph! How can my Senior Brother Fan lose to some nobody from this backwater place!?” Luo Xiao Man grunted unhappily, her eyes dodging slightly sideways, “Big deal… I can just injure him enough to let Senior Brother Fan beat him.”
As these few juniors were talking, one of the Immortal Ascension Boundary Ninth Stage masters suddenly frowned, “Young Lady, something is wrong with the situation; there are far too few people here!”
Qiu Yi Meng’s expression slightly changed, and she asked seriously, “What do you mean?”
This old man quickly released his Divine Sense and a moment later bitterly replied, “It looks like High Heaven Pavilion anticipated that a crisis would befall it and has already made preparations. There are five Immortal Ascension Boundary masters gathered together to resist us while further behind them a lot of people have gathered together, they should be High Heaven Pavilion’s core younger generation disciples, it looks like they are preparing to escape!”
“In your dreams!” Qiu Yi Meng coldly snorted before quickly ordering, “Some of you go capture those five Immortal Ascension Boundary masters. If they dare to resist, kill without mercy! The rest of you come with me!”
“Yes!”
Because Bai Yun Feng had before informed them about the existence of Ling Tai Xu and Meng Wu Ya, two Peak Immortal Ascension Boundary masters, the Qiu Family had this time directly dispatched four Peak Immortal Ascension Boundary masters as well.
With these four people, the Qiu Family was confident it could deal with Ling Tai Xu and Meng Wu Ya.
This large group of people suddenly split into two forces and proceeded forward in an organized manner. The four Peak Immortal Ascension Boundary masters, followed by seven or eight other Immortal Ascension experts, flew straight towards Ling Tai Xu’s group while the rest, led by Qiu Yi Meng, raced towards the Coiling Dragon Stream.
Inside the Coiling Dragon Stream, Yang Kai and Su Yan were enjoying a moment of tenderness when suddenly his face suddenly changed, and he stared off into the distance.
“What happened?” Su Yan immediately noticed Yang Kai’s change and quickly asked.
“Someone has come!” Yang Kai’s expression became heavy, and he quickly shouted, “Everyone move faster, they’ve already found us.”
Up top, there were still around twenty younger generation disciples who had not been brought down, so when they heard Yang Kai’s cry, the several remaining Martial Uncles quickly pushed their True Qi, which dramatically increased their speed.
These remaining juniors were one after the other tossed into the Void corridor and disappeared.
A moment later, all of them had been safely evacuated.
“Martial Nephew…” The few remaining Martial Uncles quickly flew towards Yang Kai’s side, while vigilantly gazing towards their approaching enemies.
“You all go first!” Yang Kai ordered, “I’ll hold them off!”
“En!” No one hesitated, and all of them dove into the void corridor.
“Where are you running!?” From the distance, an angry voice roared, the sound hardly faded before a beam of light shot towards them.
They had arrived much faster than Yang Kai had imagined.
Yang Kai and Su Yan’s expressions both became serious. Together, they circulated their True Qi and released their own palm strikes towards the oncoming light.
With a muffled bang, the attacks collided, neutralizing each other, and soon after twenty or thirty figure appeared, which caused Yang Kai and Su Yan’s bodies to tremble slightly, retreat back a few tens of meters, and nearly fall down.
“That brat. Yang Kai… we meet again!” From within the crowd, the white robed Bai Yun Feng grimly cried.
Encountering his enemy once more, this time holding absolute superiority, naturally Bai Yun Feng would not give Yang Kai the slightest face.
“You are Yang Kai?” Luo Xiao Man looked him up and down disdainfully, “Is that it? I thought you’d have three heads and six arms, turns out you’re just an ordinary brat.”
Qiu Yi Meng grinned, also a bit of curious about this young kid, but when her sight landed on Su Yan, her eyes couldn’t help shrinking.
Qiu Yi Meng felt a lot of pressure from this icy young woman, like she was standing before an grand eternally snow-capped mountain.
A Master! And one who’s strength and cultivation were no less than hers! Qiu Yi Meng’s beautiful eyes flashed a trace of wonder, never imagining that she would see such a Heaven defying talent in this tiny remote High Heaven Pavilion.
On top of that, it wasn’t just this woman’s strength which was outstanding, even her beauty could only be described as country destroying, compared with her own looks, Qiu Yi Meng actually couldn’t help feeling a sense of inferiority.
Qiu Yi Meng involuntarily snorted coldly and quickly dispersed the faint jealousy she felt in her heart.
“You two, this time we have come to your Sect to ask you some questions, I hope you won’t make things difficult for us.” Qiu Yi Meng took a deep breath and said to Yang Kai and Su Yan, her eyes quietly glancing towards the dark void corridor nearby.
Even with her knowledge and status, she did not understand what this unusual thing was, provoking her curiosity as she tried to examine it.
Yang Kai smiled back disdainfully, “If young miss has simply come to ask some question why bring so much combat strength to my High Heaven Pavilion?”
He had long ago sensed Ling Tai Xu and the Elders engaging in battle and was clear that they were facing many Immortal Ascension Boundary masters so it was obvious they had no intention of settling things peacefully.
However, Qiu Yi Meng did not mind his arrogant tone and still faintly smiled, “If we do not show some strength, would you obediently lay down your pride and come with us? This is just another method of negotiating but I advise you not to resist or else I’m afraid you’ll have to suffer.”
Yang Kai’s face was gloomy. Opposite him were twenty or thirty people, and a number of them were Immortal Ascension Boundary masters, all of whom had locked their Divine Senses onto him and Su Yan.
As soon as they made the slightest movement, they would immediately be ruthlessly attacked!
The void corridor was several tens of meters away and still open, but it would not be long before it closed on its own.
[Can we escape?] Yang Kai thought to himself as he turned to see Su Yan. Her expression was perfectly calm like still water. Even in the face of twenty or thirty masters, she remained indifferent.
“Since it seems you two don’t wish to cooperate, I have no choice, seize them! We’ll question them later.” Qiu Yi Meng decisively issued an order. From the beginning till now, the light and carefree smile never once left her face.
“Yes!” Two of the Immortal Ascension Boundary experts stepped out from behind her and contemptuously sneered towards Yang Kai and Su Yan as they approached.
Yang Kai clenched Su Yan’s delicate hand and whispered, “You go first, don’t worry about me, they won’t dare really harm me.”
Su Yan hesitated for a moment before nodding gently. In this moment of crisis, she did not stubbornly insist on remaining by Yang Kai’s side like some naive woman because she was aware of Yang Kai’s true identity. This was his greatest protection, but if she stayed behind, it would only make the situation worse.
In that instant, the two of them had understood each other’s intent.
The two Immortal Ascension Boundary masters had already approached to within five meters.
But at that moment.
The Demonic Qi from the Coiled Dragon Stream suddenly surged and more than a dozen black as night dragons rushed up and struck the two Immortal Ascension Boundary masters.
This Demonic Qi contained a hidden unparalleled evil intent. The frontal impact of which did not deal much damage but instead attacked their Souls, which dazed them for a moment.
The two Immortal Ascension Boundary masters were obviously stunned as they showed pained expressions. Their eyes suddenly turned red as their reason began to crumble, like they were viscous beasts which had suddenly been freed after being imprisoned for hundreds of years, instantly rampaging about at everyone around them!
Yang Kai’s eyes shined, as he realized that Old Demon down below must have felt his unease and used this method to help him.
Unfortunately, this was the limit of what Old Demon could do.
“Go!” Yang Kai roared and quickly pulled Su Yan towards the void corridor.
This sudden change had sent the Qiu Family, Bai Family, and Purple Fern Valley people into a state of shock. All of them were greatly unsettled by the malicious intent radiating from the Demonic Qi dragons.
Before they could collect themselves, Yang Kai and Su Yan had broken through their blockade and were quickly approaching the unknown dark channel.
“Stop them!” Qiu Yi Meng yelled and immediately pursued them while launching a fierce attack.
“Where are you trying to run!” Luo Xiao Man also hurriedly gave chase. The whole reason she had joined this expedition was to capture Yang Kai and bring him back to Purple Fern Valley so Fan Hong could beat him. How could she tolerate Yang Kai escaping now?
As soon as these two women moved the others came back to their senses and also activated their movement skills.
In a flash, Yang Kai and Su Yan had dove into the void corridor, Su Yan in front, Yang Kai behind.
Inside this chaotic channel, Yang Kai quickly turned around and ferociously pushed his True Qi, bombarding the corridor walls.
He wanted to destroy the passage in order to ensure that the High Heaven Pavilion members could safely escape.
But Qiu Yi Meng and her forces also possessed incredible speed, so more than half of them had managed to enter the void corridor before Yang Kai could shatter it.
Qiu Yi Meng and Luo Xiao Man who were in the lead, looked around at the chaotic space and couldn’t help but tremble.
The two women had no idea where this was, but since Yang Kai had dared to come in there shouldn’t have been any danger.
Determined, Qiu Yi Meng and Luo Xiao Man also launched their own attacks towards Yang Kai.
Inside the Void corridor, as their respective True Qis swirled about and collided, a violent explosion occurred, instantly rupturing the already chaotic space.
Soon after, Yang Kai opened his eyes and discovered he had left the void corridor.
The next moment, Qiu Yi Meng and Luo Xiao Man appeared not far from his location. Each of them were separated by a fair distance. Suddenly coming to a strange unfamiliar environment, their eyes couldn’t help flashing with confusion, as they gazed around blankly, even momentarily forgetting to attack Yang Kai again.
*Shua…* Another silhouette showed up near the three people but after seeing this person, all of them involuntarily shivered.
This person was a Qui Family master Qiu Yi Meng had brought with her, possessing a cultivation level at the Immortal Ascension Boundary Fifth Stage.
But now, he only had half a body left. The other half was sent who knows where, cleaved off as if a master swordsman had split him neatly in two.
His body crashed to the ground, sending his five viscera and six organs scattering about, blood splashing out. It was a tragic sight.
“How…” Qiu Yi Meng’s beautiful eyes shook while staring at this scene in utter disbelief. Luo Xiao Man also turned white and was almost unable to stop herself from vomiting, as she clutched her mouth and unsteadily moved towards Qiu Yi Meng.
“What kind of trick did you use?” Qiu Yi Meng suddenly looked up and coldly glared towards Yang Kai with her True Qi fluctuating.
Unable to understand the mysteries of the void corridor, she could only guess that Yang Kai had set some kind of trap in that chaotic space that had allowed him to kill one of her family’s masters, which greatly angered her.
An Immortal Ascension Boundary Fifth Stage cultivator, even for the Qiu Family, such a figure was not easy to train, and now he had actually wound up dead.
However, Yang Kai simply ignored her and instead looked around gloomily.
In addition to him and these two young women, there was actually no one else nearby. Forget the High Heaven Pavilion Uncles and Brothers who had entered the void corridor before him, even Su Yan who was only a step ahead of him was not here.
On top of that, this place was unfamiliar to him. It was definitely not the place Yang Kai and Ling Tai Xu had come to when they had used the void corridor before.
Releasing his Divine Sense and carefully checking a radius of twenty kilometers around him, a moment later, Yang Kai’s heart sank to the bottom!
Within his search radius there really were other people, but they were not his fellow High Heaven Pavilion Sect members but the True Element and Immortal Ascension cultivators who were formerly accompanying the two young women he was currently with. They had clearly managed to enter the void corridor along with him but had somehow been ejected and scattered about. The only fortunate thing was that there wasn’t too many of them, probably only a dozen or so, of which only two or three had reached the Immortal Ascension Boundary.
[Is it because of the fight inside the void corridor?] Yang Kai calmly analysed.
This was the only possibility; when their various True Qis had collided inside the void corridor, the resulting explosion had destroyed the corridor and thrown the people inside out into this strange land.
As for the half body on the ground, he was likely unlucky and had his other half lost somewhere inside the void corridor.
[What a close call!] Considering all this, Yang Kai couldn’t help oozing cold sweat.
[It seems like crossing the void is not something to be casually done, the slightest carelessness may lead to one dying without even knowing what happened.]
However, Su Yan should have safely rejoined the other High Heaven Pavilion members because she was in front of him. Thinking of this, Yang Kai breathed a sigh of relief.
“Hey, we asked you a question.” Luo Xiao Man’s face was still somewhat pale, but seeing Yang Kai standing there ignoring them, she couldn’t help but feel upset.
[A common disciple of some small backwater sect, how dare he! Even if he has some means, it’s still nothing much. Elder Sister Qiu is so powerful, beautiful, and famous, even the sons of those Eight Great Families all scramble for her attention but rarely receive a single word, but now Elder Sister Qiu takes the initiative to talk to him yet he refuses to answer her, how can he be so shameless?!]
Hearing this shout, Yang Kai awoke from his contemplation and glanced over towards the two young women, a cold light flashed across his eyes.
If it weren’t for this group of people’s sudden obstruction, he would right now be together with Su Yan, ten thousand kilometers away from danger.
Just when the two of them had agreed to join hands and travel the world together, they had shown up and messed everything up, and now he didn’t even know where Su Yan was. It was easy to imagine just how bad Yang Kai’s mood was right now.
“What is this place?” Qiu Yi Meng raised her delicate brow as she stood there, staring towards Yang Kai as she quietly asked.
She was tall, possessed slender legs, a full figure, a delicate face, and an especially soft and graceful waist. The purple dress she wore which hugged her body greatly provoked reverie in others.
In addition to that, she was the Qiu Family’s First Young Lady, possessing a noble and proud temperament, giving any young man around her an invisible sense of pressure, causing them to not dare show the slightest presumptuousness.
When she asked a question, she had always received an answer.
But Yang Kai simply showed her a disgusted and intolerant sneer, “What is this place? How the fuck should I know?”
Hearing his vulgar curses, the two young women were slightly surprised for a moment.
Luo Xiao Man’s beautiful face instantly turned red as she trembled, loudly scolding, “Smelly brat, how dare you talk to us like that!”
On the other hand, a mocking smile appeared on Qiu Yi Meng’s delicate face as she leisurely laughed and replied, “Interesting! There’s never been a man who dared scolded me like that, you are the first. If you don’t want to answer, it doesn’t matter, once I capture you I’ll slowly be able to ask.”
She was certain that all of this was some kind of plot Yang Kai had set up, but in truth Yang Kai really didn’t know where they were.
Yang Kai coldly snorted, circulated his True Qi, and the next moment activated his original Movement Skill and left a blur behind him as he quickly approached the two women.
He know that the three Immortal Ascension Boundary masters had already discovered traces of Qiu Yi Meng and Luo Xiao Man and were rapidly coming to join them, so Yang Kai wanted to grab one of them as a bargaining chip, or else once he was surrounded by those several Immortal Ascension Boundary masters things would become difficult.
Seeing him act so boldly, Luo Xiao Man screamed, “I’ll fight with you!”
A group of blue halos suddenly emerged from her small body, each of them possessing a soft yet potent strength, some of them protecting her body while the other sped towards Yang Kai.
However, Yang Kai’s momentum did not diminish, his True Qi fiercely burst out. Luo Xiao Man’s Martial Skill simply had no affect on him, not slowing him in the slightest as he crashed towards her like a falling meteor, which caused her to once again go pale.
“Be careful!” Qiu Yi Meng quickly shouted as she waved her hand and used some kind of strange Martial Skill which simultaneously pulled Luo Xiao Man back towards her.
Yang Kai suddenly paused and ferociously punched towards his side, which caused a violent True Qi explosion to ring out.
The strength of the explosion forced Yang Kai back slightly, but before he could fix his stance, Qiu Yi Meng suddenly laughed, and her delicate body floated towards him like a leaf upon the wind, lightly stepping through the air, seemingly slow but somehow approaching him extremely fast.
This was a very profound Movement Skill, once she had displayed it, Qiu Yi Meng’s whole person became ethereal, impossible to trace.
Yang Kai’s expression became dignified, and he quickly released his Divine Sense to determine Qiu Yi Meng’s exact position and sends out a Burning Sun’s Three Layer Blast.
Qiu Yi Meng suddenly reappeared, her glamorous face flashed a trace of shock as she ferociously pushed her True Qi.
With a dull thud, Yang Kai couldn’t help but retreat a few steps while Qiu Yi Meng still had a faint smile upon her face and casually looked Yang Kai up and down and leisurely said, “You have some skill, but it’s nothing much. If that’s the best you can do I advise you to obediently let me capture you or else you’ll just embarrass yourself.”
[Strong!]
Listening to her relaxed tone, Yang Kai couldn’t help but become gloomy. He had wanted to take either Qiu Yi Meng or Luo Xiao Man as a hostage, but the Qiu Family’s First Young Lady was really not an average opponent. If he used his full strength, he should still be able to beat her, but definitely not in a short time.
With the three Immortal Ascension Boundary masters quickly approaching, the odds were definitely against him.
“Trying to escape?” Qiu Yi Meng’s pair of beautiful eyes suddenly flashed a hint of pride as she saw through Yang Kai’s thoughts and didn’t wait for him to reply before rushing towards him, “With me here, do you think you can leave?”
“Fuck off!” Yang Kai raised his palms and unleashed his White Tiger Seal and Divine Ox Seal.
The crimson Tiger and Ox Monster Beasts flew out and bared their fangs towards Qiu Yi Meng.
Qiu Yi Meng however wasn’t intimidated, letting out an elegant laugh, “It seems you do have more to offer, no wonder Bai Yun Feng lost to you!”
As she spoke, she waved her hands as well, her True Qi became visible to the naked eye, and sent out a strong palm strike
Before the two beast phantoms could reach Qiu Yi Meng they were shattered by her counterattack.
Seeing this, Yang Kai grinned, summoned his Asura Sword, pulled his True Yang Yuan Qi back into his dantian, and drew upon the evil energy stored within his Unyielding Golden Skeleton.
The entire area was filled with a thick hostility, wrapping Yang Kai up in a black mist, only leaving a pair of scarlet eyes exuding a vicious light behind.
With the Asura Sword in hand, Yang Kai appeared akin to a demon.
Feeling this bloodthirsty aura, Qiu Yi Meng’s expression finally changed, crying out, “High Heaven Pavilion really does have Devil Path cultivators!”
Simultaneously, she stretched out her hand, condensed a ball of lightning condensed from a terrifying amount of True Qi at her fingertips, and sent it crashing towards Yang Kai.
Yang Kai responded with a single sword strike.
As his sword swept out, colliding with the lightning ball, the once condensed ball exploded into numerous lightning bolts that snaked around him and enveloped an area of several tens of meters.
Qiu Yi Meng quickly retreated, no longer daring to show the slightest contempt, her expression instead becoming more and more serious.
Yang Kai walked forward as the lightning flashed all around him and struck his body, but his pace never slowed, and instead increased with each step, all of sudden rushing right in front of Qiu Yi Meng.
Feeling this overwhelming murderous intent, Qiu Yi Meng’s beautiful face went pale, and she hastily shouted, “Barrier!”
In front of her small hands a shield appeared that instantly radiated a light which enveloped her.
Obviously it was a defensive artifact, and given how wealthy and powerful the Qiu Family was, its grade was definitely not low.
With a loud bang, the Asura Sword struck this shield, their two True Qis violently collided and sent out powerful shockwaves.
Qiu Yi Meng quickly withdrew several tens of meters, and her body trembled slightly. In this confrontation she apparently had suffered some light damage.
Looking down at the shield in her hands, Qiu Yi Meng laughed bitterly, “You really do have some skill. Just a trivial True Element Boundary Third Stage cultivator pushing me this far, it looks like I’ve underestimated you!”
Finished speaking, she received the small ancient shield back into her body and proceeded to form various seals with her hands, which caused bursts of various attributed energies to suddenly radiate from her body.
Wind, Cloud, Thunder, and Lightning gathered around her, forming a terrible energy storm.
Staring deeply at Yang Kai, a deep, unyielding pride flashed across her beautiful eyes.
“I have no time to play with you!” Yang Kai angrily roared and slashed his sword forward, seemingly in an attempt to cleave open a path of escape.
But Qiu Yi Meng had delayed him enough; the closest Immortal Ascension Boundary master managed to close in enough to launch a long distance attack.
Yang Kai cursed silently and dodged the incoming attack while rapidly displaying the first half of his Strike of Ten Thousand Swords.
The sky filled with Sword Qi, as Yang Kai swiftly swung his Asura Sword to guard his body with half of the countless Sword Qi blades while launching the other half forward to open a gap.
“Halt!” A booming voice arrogantly cried from his side, “You dare disrespect Young Lady Qiu, you court death!”
As this man furiously roared, he smashed all the Sword Qi blades Yang Kai had released, which simultaneously forced Yang Kai back.
A silhouette flashed in front of him as an Immortal Ascension Boundary Sixth Stage master blocked his way, as he glared coldly towards Yang Kai.
“Let’s see if you can back up your words!” Yang Kai didn’t show any fear and sneered as numerous Sword Qi blades once again gathered around him and shot forward while at the same time a number of blood red petals suddenly emerged from his body. Each one was an extremely sharp killing weapon.
Thousand Blossoming Blood Begonia!
After he had refined Falling Blossom Temple’s hallowed artifact, Yang Kai had actually never used it until now.
A full thousand red petals wrapped around his body. All of them responded freely to his will, just like his own arms. With a flash of red light, Yang Kai sent these red petals towards the Immortal Ascension Boundary Sixth Stage master.
“A Heaven Grade artifact!” The man had good vision and immediately saw how extraordinary this Thousand Blossoming Blood Begonia was, which set off a burst of storms inside his head. This Immortal Ascension master fully pushed his strength and sent out a rich and pure True Qi burst from his palms. A hazy mountain-like image suddenly appeared in front of him and suppressed the Thousand Blossoming Blood.
As they crashed together, the thousand petals scattered and flew off in all directions. The mountain-like image also flashed and dimmed greatly.
Taking this opportunity, Yang Kai lunged with his sword and stabbed towards the Immortal Ascension master. His opponent, having just unreservedly pushed his True Qi to display such a grand Martial Skill was temporarily stunned and was unable to catch his breath, but, after feeling the Asura Sword’s brutal hostility closing in, he hastily dodged.
However, this was all just Yang Kai’s trick. Not even sparing this master a second glance, he raced forward past him.
“Where are you trying to run!” Qiu Yi Meng’s screamed, her voice was still tinged with the same cold unyielding pride.
A huge force suddenly pulled him back. Yang Kai involuntarily halted and turned around to see Qiu Yi Meng’s four attribute field spread out a devastating energy, which created a kind of muddy swamp like region that dulled his movements and held back his body, not allowing him to break free.
“Damn slut!” Yang Kai’s expression changed, and he waved his sword and sent countless Sword Qi blades towards Qiu Yi Meng.
Qiu Yi Meng remained steadfast as a grin appeared on her face. The small shield artifact once again appeared in front of her and blocked Yang Kai’s attack.
But at that moment the thousand scattered blood red petals silently turned and raced towards Qiu Yi Meng.
“Elder Sister Qiu, watch out!” Luo Xiao Man quickly shouted and sent out a flash of light as she waved her hands. A large variety of weapons shot out from this light and intercepted the Thousand Blossoming Blood Begonia.
“There’s no way out, obediently let us capture you!” Qiu Yi Meng grinned proudly and laughed as she clashed with Yang Kai.
“Indeed! Demon child, you won’t escape today!” A new voice called out as two more figures appeared; the other two Immortal Ascension Boundary masters had arrived.
Yang Kai’s expression was extremely gloomy as a faint frustration and helplessness appeared in his heart.
Against an Immortal Ascension Boundary master, if he used his full strength and exhausted all his artifacts and hidden means, he could at best create an opportunity to escape, but now that three of them had gathered, how could he resist?
[Too weak, I’m still too weak! A True Element Boundary Third Stage cultivation isn’t nearly enough!]
The two newly arrived Immortal Ascension Boundary masters didn’t waste any time talking with Yang Kai, and they instantly released their Martial Skills.
Yang Kai somehow managed to parry but still couldn’t fully defend himself. His chest and shoulder both received blows that broke bones, sending unbearable pain through his body and caused him to fall from the sky like a broken kite.
Glancing around, he found himself surrounded on all four sides; the three Immortal Ascension master plus Qiu Yi Meng and Luo Xiao Man were all staring towards him.
While looking at the Asura Sword in his hands, even Qiu Yi Meng couldn’t help feeling a hint of greed while the others present all clearly had covetous eyes.
On top of that there were the thousand petals of the Thousand Blossoming Blood Begonia fluttering about. Both of these artifacts were rare treasures!
“Ready to surrender yet?” Qiu Yi Meng sneered towards Yang Kai, the three Immortal Ascension Boundary masters also glaring at him, coldly snorting as they released a silent pressure.
“Demon child, waste your cultivation or this old master will do it for you!” One of the Immortal Ascension masters coldly shouted.
In the face of this crisis, Yang Kai suddenly grinned deviously, the evil Qi flowing out from his body surging violently.
Although he had been surrounded, it was not like he didn’t have a chance to escape; Yang Kai felt that if he suddenly activated Unyielding Will and then used his Flaming Yang Wings, he could still manage to flee.
His speed while using his Flaming Yang Wings was much faster than an ordinary Immortal Ascension master, so as long as he could cope with their first wave of attacks he would have a chance.
With his supply of Myriad Drug Milk, even if he was gravely injured he could soon heal himself.
The question was, could he cope with their initial attacks? It would be a joint attack from all those present, and this caused Yang Kai no small pressure.
“Still refusing to cooperate!?” That Immortal Ascension Boundary master, seeing Yang Kai take no action, became impatient as he shouted angrily and immediately stepped forward.
Seeing this, Yang Kai made up his mind to take the risk when suddenly the three Immortal Ascension Boundary masters all looked up into the sky and frowned.
Yang Kai also wrinkled his brow after feeling an extremely tyrannical pressure approach from far away. This pressure was far greater than even the one these three Immortal Ascension Boundary masters exuded.
“Two Young Ladies, be carefully!” The three old masters completely ignored Yang Kai and instead took up a defensive stance in front of Qiu Yi Meng and Luo Xiao Man. Their faces were all very grim.
A moment later, from the horizon, a small bright red light suddenly flashed, drawing the crowd’s attention as a figure rapidly flew towards them and came to a halt a few tens of meters away.
It was a young woman. A seductive and flirtatious young woman.
Her flame red clothes tightly hugged her body, emphasizing her graceful and enchanting figure, painting an extremely charming picture; her tender jade lotus-like arms were adorned only with a set of silver bracelets, her skin a pure shade of white, her legs long and slender, her waist thin contrary to her rounded bottom, on her feet were a pair of jade sandals, her ten delicate toes fully displayed.
Her crescent eyebrows highlighted her pair of bright eyes, which exuded a seductive light, seeming to contain an infinite charm; her delicate nose and cherry red lips, along with her creamy white cheeks gave her a glamorous air.
Her figure was slim to the point one would worry a light breeze would blow her away and break her.
At the corner of her eye was a tiny tear shaped mole, adding to her charm.
As she stood mid-air, her cheeks blushed a faint hint of red. She brought a sense of reverie to all who glanced upon her.
If Su Yan’s was the epitome of purity and Xia Ning Chang was the embodiment of innocence, this young woman represented the peak of seduction. Even just standing there, she exuded an aura of attraction and fascination!
The few men here could not remove their eyes from her. Regardless of whether they were young and old, they all involuntarily gulped and their breathing became rough.
Her watery eyes seemed to contain an endless allure, drawing in everyone’s soul.
Even Qiu Yi Meng and Luo Xiao Man, despite both being beautiful women themselves, couldn’t help feeling a strange kind of attraction. Their cheeks flushed red as their heartbeats sped up.
However, Qiu Yi Meng soon woke up and secretly felt a slight shame in her heart. Glancing around at her surroundings, she gritted her teeth as she cursed, “Men really have no shame!”
The three Immortal Ascension Boundary masters all blushed with embarrassment as they wryly grinned, but none of them dared make any sudden moves; with the pressure they felt from this woman, how could her strength be low?
The woman swept her charming eyes over the people gathered here before finally stopping when she saw Yang Kai. Lightly biting her red lips, her brow furrowed, like she was struggling with something as she pondered for a moment before asking, “Which leader do you follow?”
Hearing her sweet sensual voice softly speak, everyone else present felt like something had gently gripped their hearts, invaded their souls, and instinctively drove them to worship the woman before them.
Having just managed to calm her unfamiliar impulses, everyone suddenly felt captivated once more. This time Qiu Yi Meng and Luo Xiao Man were no exception, both of them blushed intensely and were unable to stop a soft moan from gently escaping their lips.
“Which leader?” Yang Kai on the other hand simply frowned and unconsciously answering her question with one of his own.
He really did not understand what this woman was asking.
“Hmm…” The woman’s eyes flashed a trace of surprise, apparently not expecting Yang Kai to collect himself so quickly. In her current state, if she didn’t say anything things were still manageable, but as soon as she spoke, no matter who it was, they would at least be somewhat affected by her charms. So how did this youth, covered in such thick hostility, manage to rid himself of such impulses?
In truth, Yang Kai who was continuously resisting the impulses brought on by his Joyous Unification Art and was simply more skilled at suppressing his urges than others.
“Forget it, I don’t have time to idly chat with you.” Whatever it was the woman was struggling with seemed to become more difficult to handle, and she whispered softly and threw out a pink ribbon type artifact that instantly wrapped around Yang Kai’s waist.
Yang Kai’s expression cramped, and he Gripped the Asura Sword tightly in his hand, preparing to fight back. However, before he could react, the woman had appeared in front of him, and from her small cherry red lips she spat out a strange fragrant breath.
The instant he smelled this odd scent, Yang Kai’s whole body felt limp, and he completely lost any power to resist.
[So strong! This woman has to have at least be a peak Immortal Ascension Boundary master! But she looks so young, how is that possible?]
“Since you’ve all seen me, I can’t let you leave!” The woman sighed faintly and flicked her wrist. A silver bracelet flew out towards the three half stunned Immortal Ascension Boundary masters.
As soon as the silver light flashed, the three Immortal Ascension masters Yang Kai had been struggling desperately with were reaped like wheat, instantly collapsing into pools of blood. All of them were unable to even resist.
The silver flash also streamed ruthlessly towards Qiu Yi Meng and Luo Xiao Man.
Suddenly thrust to the border between life and death, a pair of exquisite earrings hanging upon Qiu Yi Meng’s delicate ears exuded a bright glow. The light burst seemingly shocked her out of her stupor.
Instantaneously, Qiu Yi Meng took out her shield artifact and guarded herself.
With a loud bang, Qiu Yi Meng was flung backwards and vomited a mouthful of blood, but she somehow managed to stop the silver flash’s momentum.
The young woman wrinkled her brow. Her tender body trembled lightly, and a drop of blood leaked from where she had bit her lip, as she rapidly circulated her True Qi rapidly in order to maintain her current state.
No longer continuing to attack, she hurriedly pulled the tied up Yang Kai and raced off, like she couldn’t stand wasting another moment here.
Luo Xiao Man’s cheeks were flushed completely red. Her beautiful pair of eyes blurred over, and a series of light moans, she was clearly trying to suppress, constantly leaked from her lips. She tightly held her legs together as she felt a boundless pleasure spread throughout her body like lightning, that paralyzed her lower body and caused her body to quiver and tremble involuntarily. The heat below her navel suddenly erupted as a hot nectar unconsciously leaked from her secret place, wetting her soft silk underwear.
Her legs collapsed. She fell to her knees, with her cheeks glowing red hot, as she desperately gasped for breath, while her large shapely chest rapidly rose and fell, as if she were drowning in an unfamiliar peak, and high-pitched cries leaked from her mouth. Luo Xiao Man’s whole body convulsed in a strange and suggestive manner.
“Xiao Man… ke ke…” Qiu Yi Meng who had fallen nearby weakly called out.
“Wha…” Hearing this feeble cry, Luo Xiao Man suddenly came back to her senses, suddenly aware of her gaffe as she felt a clear wetness staining her thigh. Her beautiful face instantly went even redder.
She had no idea what had just happened. Only that that red clothed woman had uttered a few words before she fell into a fantastical illusion. In that illusion, she had cast off all of her dignity and shyness, as if she had becoming extremely discontent with being a constrained noble young woman and given in to her most primal and debased instincts, demanding the most immoral and obscene pleasures.
And that the object of these demands was actually the entire group of young people who had journeyed here together with her to capture Yang Kai!
Recalling the scene she had just fantasized, Luo Xiao Man immeasurable shame. Her pair of beautiful eyes teared up and soon filled with endless rage and humiliation!
“Xiao Man… please, help me!” Qiu Yi Meng’s begged, her True Qi violently fluctuated as her blood nearly flowed backwards. She was all but completely disabled, but seeing Luo Xiao Man sitting there blankly, as if in a stupor, she couldn’t help calling out again.
“Ah… en…” Luo Xiao Man staggered to her feet as a sudden breeze blew past, bringing a chilly sensation to her lower body. The cold stimulus sent an odd rush of pleasure through her which caused her body to tremble slightly.
“What happened, is something wrong?” Qiu Yi Meng looked at her confusedly, feeling like she was behaving oddly.
“N-n-nothing! It’s nothing!” Luo Xiao Man hurriedly replied and quickly walked towards Qiu Yi Meng while taking out a bottle of pills from her sleeve like she was asked and fed her one.
Finally examining her surroundings and noticing the bloody remains of the three Immortal Ascension Boundary masters who were with them, a chill ran up Luo Xiao Man’s back.
After a long time, Qiu Yi Meng exhaled a long breath.
“Elder Sister Qiu, who was that woman?” Luo Xiao Man asked quietly, while holding her knees to her chest as she sat on the ground, clearly still experiencing some lingering fear.
However, Qiu Yi Meng just slowly shook her head, “I don’t know, but no matter who she was, there’s no doubt she was a devilish bewitching woman. If we meet again, we have to be extremely careful.”
“Oh…” Luo Xiao Man somewhat guilty replied.
With a single sentence, she had let a pure girl who was completely unfamiliar with the acts between men and women fall into a depraved fantasy. Obviously, that woman cultivated some kind of incredible Seduction Technique; how could a woman who cultivated such a skill be anything good?
Not long after, the dozen or so scattered True Element Boundary cultivators of their group finally arrived, drawn here by the sounds of conflict.
Bai Yun Feng was also among them; obviously he had some good luck, not only did he not suffer any injuries in the collapse of the void corridor he also did not get caught up in the previous battle, therefore he was essentially unscathed.
Once they had regrouped and taken stock of their current situation, Qiu Yi Meng couldn’t help feeling her heart sink.
There were only ten of them left here, and the only three Immortal Ascension Boundary masters had all been killed!
“Let’s explore our immediate surroundings first and then make a plan!” Qiu Yi Meng swiftly issued instructions.
…
High above the group, a red shadow flew forward.
It was that unknown extremely seductive young woman. Her cultivation was truly amazing, flying through the air as fast as the wind, Yang Kai dangled behind her still tied up by her pink ribbon artifact with his strength completely sealed, unable to even struggle.
Finally escaping the tigers pursuing him, I’ve found myself firmly inside the wolf’s den, Yang Kai thought.
This woman had killed those people back there without batting an eye, not bothering to ask who they were or why they were there, just directly unleashing a killing strike. Clearly she was not some benevolent person, but then, why had she taken him with her?
Yang Kai found this incredibly puzzling.
Secretly trying to circulate his True Qi, he quickly found that he could not summon even a strand of it. His Divine Sense could still be used but in front of such a master, how could Yang Kai dare to release his Divine Sense.
“Don’t waste your time, you’ve inhaled my Soul Numbing Fragrance, you won’t be able to use your body’s strength or your True Qi unless your strength is higher than mine!” The young woman’s soft enchanting voice came from up ahead and caused Yang Kai’s heart to jump few times.
“Soul Numbing Fragrance?” Yang Kai laughed, “What a good name.”
[Why does this name sound like some kind of aphrodisiac?] Yang Kai cursed to himself. This person really was a demon seductress; with the faint blush upon her face coupled with the carnivorous light in her eyes, now that he had fallen into her hands, he had no idea when she would forcefully drain him of his essence and True Qi, leaving nothing but a husk behind!
Yang Kai instinctively felt that this woman cultivated some kind of one sided Yin Yang evil Secret Art.
If he really died like that, it would be too tragic!
“You’ve never heard of my Soul Numbing Fragrance?” The woman asked, slightly surprised.
[Should I know it?] Yang Kai did not answer and instead immediately let out a deep sigh, while trying to suppress the rolling blood in his chest, “Forget it, don’t speak to me anymore, or else I may just force myself upon you.”
The woman who had been wholeheartedly trying to endure some unknown hardship, after suddenly hearing Yang Kai boast so presumptuously towards her, actually couldn’t help giggling happily. Turning her charming eyes towards him, she wondered if this little brat, who didn’t even know about her Soul Numbing Fragrance, was not a disciple of the Holy Land?
As she swept her eyes over him, Yang Kai also glanced up towards her.
When this young woman smiled sweetly, her cheeks flushed slightly making her seem even more attractive.
As he stared, Yang Kai’s gaze involuntarily shifted in a certain direction, bringing the usually hidden scenery beneath her dress into view.
His heart suddenly skipped violently!
Clearly visible inside this young woman’s skirt was actually an erotic black lace lingerie. The thin fabric only narrowly hid her most sacred land and highlighted the infinite wonder which lay beyond it. A stark contrast with her long slender jade-like legs, making them even more appealing, like the finest works of pure white porcelain.
These two legs seemingly didn’t belong to a mortal woman, instead more akin to those of a Heavenly Fairy or Bewitching Demoness, exuding a charm that seemed to draw in one’s soul, violently stimulating the most primitive instincts within Yang Kai’s heart, his eyes instantly fogging over as his breath became rough.
Half confused, summoning strength and courage from some unknown place, Yang Kai actually stupidly stretched out his hand and directly touched the young woman’s calf and gently rubbed it to his heart’s content.
As if she was suddenly struck by lightning, the woman, who was still focusing most of her attention on maintaining her lucid state of mind, was caught off guard by Yang Kai touching her so intimately. Her beautiful face suddenly went pale as her cheeks blushed furiously. Her expression became more and more alluring, a bone softening moan leaked from her throat as her tender body trembled greatly.
“Smelly little brat!” The flustered woman hurriedly tried to compose herself as she grit her teeth and scolded; although she knew that Yang Kai’s offense was not due to his intention, but instead due in large part to her own current condition, being touched so wantonly was simply too much for her to bear.
As his big rough hand continued to intimately stroked her leg, it felt like a surge of lightning flooded into her, sending paralysing waves up her body; even if she was an Immortal Ascension Boundary master there was no way she could fly safely in such a condition.
With Yang Kai touching her so, it was like she flew in mid-air completely drunk.
“Let go already!” The young woman finally called out in frustration and used her other jade-like foot to kick Yang Kai’s shoulder, as she tugged on the pink ribbon, bringing Yang Kai up next to her.
Being jerked awake, Yang Kai fogged over eyes suddenly glimmered with a mad and cunning light, grinning maliciously, exhausting all the strength he could muster to reach out and embrace this temptress’s graceful waist.
“You…” The woman was shocked, apparently never imagining that Yang Kai would be able to regain his senses.
Yang Kai kept up his assault, his two hands tightly wrapping around the young woman’s slim waist, indulging in the pleasant sensation; her waist was so soft it really felt like she didn’t have a single bones, its elasticity was also superb, responding perfectly to his every touch.
His ten fingers wandered up and down her body, doing everything possible to tease and stimulate her senses; his mouth was also not polite, biting down gently onto her full trembling peaks across her red dress.
Yang Kai couldn’t use the slightest bit of his True Qi, nor could he summon any significant strength, but this bite was definitely a deadly attack.
As his hot breath passed through her clothes onto her tender body, she violently trembled, his bite soon changing into a gentle sucking, sending the young woman’s True Qi into a chaotic mess, causing her and Yang Kai to begin plummeting towards the ground.
“Let go of me already!” The woman screamed angrily, while desperately trying to endure the throbbing sensation coming from her heart. Her red lips bled from where she had bitten down on them, and her delicate hands gripped Yang Kai’s head, as she tried to push him off of her, but his incessant teasing was causing her to feel numb and powerless, sealing off all of her strength. Moreover, she felt more intoxicated the more time passed.
“Don’t wanna!” Yang Kai’s mouth continued biting and teasing her spring buds, constantly releasing hot breath onto her snow white skin. His snake like tongue coiled around these delicate fruits, unambiguously answering her.
There was something wrong with this devilish woman’s current state, as if she was suffering from some kind of extremely overbearing aphrodisiac. The slightest touch sent numbing waves of pleasure throughout her body, but still her strength was too great, flat out disqualifying him from being her opponent, so if he wanted to survive, Yang Kai had no choice but to use underhanded methods.
“Do you want to die? If you don’t let go right now we’ll both end up dead!” The young woman’s wavering voice cried out in-between her amorous moans as the two of them fast approached the ground. Falling from a height of several thousand meters, even if her cultivation was unfathomable she would still be smashed into a pool of blood.
“Heh heh, if I, the withering peony met his end here, so long as it’s with you, I am blessed!” Yang Kai grinned fearlessly as he teased her, like he didn’t care at all whether he lived or died.
The young woman’s expression finally became grim, silently cursing this shameless smelly brat. Taking a deep breath to calm the discomfort in her body and the raging impulses in her heart, she somehow managed to circulate her True Qi to slow their descent.
But this burst of True Qi she had summoned with all her will soon too collapsed from all the external stimuli she received.
With a heavy thud, Yang Kai and the woman hit the ground, still in each other’s embrace and tumbled several times before eventually coming to a halt.
Fortunately, her last ditch efforts had managed to greatly slow their descent. Thus, even though they were dishevelled, neither of them had sustained any major injuries.
Without the use of their True Qi, Yang Kai’s strength was far greater while locked in a grapple.
As the dust around them settled, Yang Kai desperately pinned this young woman under him, as he thrust his hands under her dress and groped towards her chest. His fingers accurately grasped her raised cherries and presumptuous kneaded them.
With her red clothes partial removed, the young woman’s shocking and alluring white chest revealed itself. Her two bountiful peaks trembled violently, like they were trying to break free of their remaining shackles and burst forth with their phenomenal elasticity on full display.
Thanks to his full force assault, the woman seemed to have completely lost her ability to resist. Her dream like eyes gently closed, and her long eyelashes quivered lightly. Her soft snake like body writhed and twisted beneath Yang Kai. Waves of barely suppressed moans filled with infinite desire leaked from her mouth.
Seemingly resigned to her fate, she no longer resisted, and her hands gently reached up and wrapped behind Yang Kai’s head, pulling him up from her chest, her cheeks were dyed the same cherry-red as her luscious pair of lips.
Yang Kai had also secretly been on guard against her Soul Numbing Fragrance, but seeing her take the initiative to cooperate with him, he no longer acted polite, pounced like a wolf, and deeply kissed her.
A sweet and delicious taste instantly spread from the tip of his tongue, but after only sampling this wondrous flavour, the woman suddenly opened her enchanting eyes, a sly and triumphant light flashed across them.
Startled, Yang Kai quickly separated his lips from hers.
“You…” Before he could finish speaking another word, Yang Kai felt the world spin before his eyes and instantly lost all consciousness, falling powerlessly onto the young woman’s chest.
The young woman panted heavily, desperately trying to calm the raging heat in her chest, and took quite some time before managing to regain her composure. Lifting Yang Kai off of her body and rolling him aside, she slowly sat up, grinding her silvery teeth fiercely. Her heart was filled with anger.
After a while though, she suddenly smiled, laughed, and leaked a sigh from her cherry red lips as she said to herself, “To think a naughty rouge like you is so skillful. You must definitely not be anything good! Hmph, this Queen’s beauty isn’t something one can taste so easily!”
Finished with her monologue, she quickly stood and tidied herself up before bitterly glancing towards the comatose Yang Kai lying nearby. While gripping her ribbon artifact, she flicked her wrist and wrapped him up once more before flying away again.
…
Yang Kai woke up in a daze and felt a dull pain radiating throughout his entire body, like he was being pricked by thousands of needles. His surroundings were dark, and only the faint flickering light of a torch stuck into a nearby wall provided any light.
A sweet lingering aroma wafted past his nose, it was… somehow familiar. It had the same taste as that flirtatious woman’s fragrance.
The scent was neither heavy nor light. It was truly a pleasant bouquet that carried with it a hint of an aphrodisiac effect.
Thinking about that devilish woman, Yang Kai suddenly sobered up and vigilantly examined his surroundings.
He quickly discovered the young woman sitting down not far away. Her True Qi surged ferociously, and her eyes closed as she circulated some kind of unknown Secret Art.
Checking his current physical condition, Yang Kai’s face couldn’t help cringing.
His strength had been mostly restored, and he was able to circulate his True Qi, but his entire body was somehow bound by a mysterious force, which left him completely immobile.
It seemed like he had been poisoned, and the more he revolved his True Qi the dizzier he became. Silently panicking, Yang Kai quickly ceased all his actions, not daring to act recklessly.
Glancing around, Yang Kai figured that right now he should be inside a cave somewhere. The cave was not deep, only a few tens of meters or so, and he was currently sitting cross legged in the innermost part of the cave. The young woman who had capture him sat just opposite him, clearly not wanting him to leave her sight.
Looking the young woman over once again, Yang Kai had to admit that she was very beautiful, and extremely attractive. Every part of her seemed to scream out the word ‘seductive’, especially the tiny tear shaped mole under her eyes. It was an extremely charming feature.
Seemingly aware of Yang Kai’s presumptuous gaze, the young woman slightly opened her eyes, and a faint haze still lingered within yet still contained a hint of spice, a watery exotic look that seemed to draw in one’s soul. Her cheeks flushed a delicate shade of pink, as she exhaled a hot breath.
“So you’ve woken up?” The young woman showed a sweet smile as she looked at Yang Kai with great interest.
“Elder Sister, what’s the meaning of all this?” Yang Kai gazed back at her unashamedly as a chuckle leaked from his mouth, “You’ve already imprisoned me. Is there any need to restrict my movements too?”
The woman laughed happily, “If I don’t tie you down, how could I stop you from running away?”
Yang Kai shamelessly shot back, “How could I be willing to run away? The night is still young, Junior Brother here is very reluctant to let Elder Sister be alone, in fact, if Elder Sister wants, all she has to do is say the word and Junior Brother would be willing to fulfil any of her requests, come hell or high water!”
The young woman frowned towards him, recalling how just before he had wantonly touched her, taking full advantage of her, causing her body to suddenly give rise to a burst of heat, and she grit her teeth in shame and anger.
However, Yang Kai’s eyes still blazed hot as fire as he licked his parched lips. His gaze presumptuously wandered all over the devilish women in front of him. An unparalleled greed and aggression seemed to radiate from him, and as if he couldn’t wait to strip the young woman before him naked, he boldly declared, “Actually, being honest with Elder Sister, when Junior Brother first laid eyes upon, he fell completely in love with her, so why doesn’t Elder Sister release me, and we can speak freely to each other? I really adore Elder Sister, in my heart she is my entire world, the sun, the moon, and the stars above!”
Hearing Yang Kai profess himself to her, the young woman couldn’t help but giggle and tremble lightly as she tried to hold back her laughter while silently cursing this shameless little brat’s ability to speak such a mouthful of nonsense. Her pure white neck flushed a light shade of pink.
Seeing how she didn’t react in annoyance or anger, Yang Kai’s courage bloated a lot. In any case, with things having come to this point and considering her overwhelming strength, he basically had no hope of escape, so he might as well focus on trying to learn why she had taken him in the first place.
If she had only wanted to kill him, there was no need for her to suffer his presence for this long. She could have ended this long ago.
The young woman’s sweet smile slowly gave way to an alluring one. Her delicate white hand covered her red lips, causing her to overflow with seductive charm and infinite beauty as she gently whispered, “If you like me so… how could you have been so rough with me? What would have happened if I had broken?”
[This little fox!] Yang Kai cursed in his heart, almost losing his composure once again.
Hurriedly steadying his mind, he grinned mischievously, “As the saying goes, ‘the first time traveling a path is unfamiliar, but the second is not!’ Earlier, Junior Brother had not known what would please Elder Sister, so he acted too abruptly, but now with that experience, I wonder if Elder Sister has any interest in trying again? This time Junior Brother guarantees he will completely satisfy her!”
“You shameless rogue!” The young woman ground her teeth as she cursed under her breath, her vision slightly blurred.
Yang Kai was no doubt the thickest skinned brat she had ever met, and his ability to spout sweet nonsense was also first-class. Coupled with his skillful teasing actions before, how could he be an innocent romantic? Clearly, he was a veteran in these types of affairs and had certainly plundered many young girls’ innocence.
Although she also thought of herself as a rather unrestrained woman, Yang Kai’s blatant provocations had even left her somewhat embarrassed, not to mention that, right now, her condition was somewhat unusual, so she really couldn’t stand listening to these words.
Holding down the unease in his heart, Yang Kai boldly asked, “Has Elder Sister been poisoned by some kind of aphrodisiac?”
Clearly, she was not in a normal state and suffered from something that made her desires run rampant, urging her to seek out a man in order to ease the heat in her body, and she was currently reaching the limits of her endurance. All of this greatly puzzled Yang Kai.
Slightly surprised for a moment, the young woman’s expression became a bit strained as she let out an awkward laugh, “You’re somewhat right, yet somewhat wrong.”
“Somewhat right, yet somewhat wrong?” Yang Kai parroted back in confusion.
“It is just like you think, but this poison is my own doing!” The woman looked at Yang Kai, apparently with no intention of concealing anything as she explained, “My state is a result of my Secret Art about to have a breakthrough; every time I break through I become like this, it’s just that while I was traveling, I was ambushed and suffered some injuries, so the side effects are more violent than normal, I don’t know if I’ll be able to resist them…”
“So you captured me just in case?” Yang Kai suddenly realized.
A storm suddenly swirled in his heart; what kind of Secret Art would send a woman into an aroused state when she was going to break through?
Devil Path Cultivation Technique! It was definitely a Devil Path Cultivation Technique!
There was also an eighty percent chance this Secret Art was a Yin-Yang absorbing technique!
Yang Kai’s blood immediately ran cold, if his essence was really absorbed by this devilish woman, it would really be a sad end.
“It’s just in case!” The woman nodded slightly, not even attempting to deny it.
Yang Kai was imprisoned at the moment, unable to fight back in any way, so she obviously had no need to lie.
“Why did you take me?”
“Back there, in addition to you, there were only three old man and two young women… aside from you, who else was there to catch?” The young woman smiled at him sweetly.
[Fuck, such bad luck! Why didn’t that little brat Bai Yun Feng keep up with us? If he had been there maybe I wouldn’t have been caught!]
“Being able to service Elder Sister, it is Junior Brother’s pleasure!” Yang Kai said, a cheap grin plastered on his face as she stared at her hotly, “There’s no need for you try to hard to resist, if you just relax and give in we can get started right away!”
The young woman once more hid her smile and quipped, “You really think of nothing but beauties? The Secret Art I cultivate is quite special, although if I don’t succeed here I can still continue to cultivate, but before I reach the grand accomplishment stage again, my cultivation speed will be reduced greatly. I’m just one step away so how could I give up now?”
Yang Kai’s eyes glimmered, flashing a resigned light, “So Elder Sister was so close to reaching perfection! Good good good, it looks like Elder Sister and Junior Brother really are fated together by the Heavens! If you cannot resist any more, just let Junior Brother handle the rest!”
On the inside, Yang Kai’s heart was pounding like a drum; although he didn’t know what consequences there would be if he was drained by this woman, just by seeing the power of the evil Secret Art she cultivated, the end results would certainly not be good.
So even though he might very well soon be intertwined with this great beauty, Yang Kai didn’t dare have the slightest bit of arousal.
The young woman stared deeply into Yang Kai’s eyes, her own flashing a trace of pity and regret, quietly asking, “What is your name?”
“Yang Kai!”
“Yang Kai…” The young woman whispered softly under her breath before nodding once, “I will remember it; my name is Shan Qing Luo!”
“It’s a pleasant sounding name…” Yang Kai couldn’t help wrinkling his brow. This name… it was like he had heard it somewhere before.
But considering this young woman’s extraordinary strength, she was no dobut some world famous master, having heard of her before was normal so Yang Kai did not think too deeply about it.
“I haven’t sealed up your True Qi, so prepare yourself, don’t lose your senses!” Shan Qing Luo sweetly laughed and reminded him, “Your wit is quick but I don’t know how well you can resist what comes next. Other than that… you’d better pray that I succeed!”
“Or else?” Yang Kai’s heart filled with a bitter feeling.
“Hehe…” Shan Qing Luo giggled lightly, not answering his question. Her watery eyes simply stared at Yang Kai for a moment before saying, “You’re fairly handsome, and although you spout too much nonsense and act like a shameless rogue, but that’s not your true nature, so Elder Sister still likes you somewhat!”
Done talking, her cheeks gave off a faint reddish hue. She didn’t give Yang Kai any time to react before she suddenly closed her eyes and rapidly circulated her True Qi again!
Yang Kai quickly shut his mouth and began to carefully scrutinize Shan Qing Luo, careful not to miss the slightest changes in her state.
From her previous words, it was not difficult for Yang Kai to infer that she was in a rather difficult situation right now, but the same could be said about him as well.
She had caught him and dragged him along with her as a last resort. Once she could not withstand the side effects brought on by her Secret Art reaching a breakthrough, she would surely devour him, and as a result… although he wasn’t quite sure, it would certainly not be good, or else why she have spoken so ominously just now?
Yang Kai vigilantly watched the scene before him.
All of a sudden, the cave was filled with light; looking up, Yang Kai saw the True Qi within Shan Qing Luo’s exquisite body surge forth with such intensity that it created a visible hue. As her True Qi flooded out and mixed with the surrounding air, it seemed to undergo an incredible change and transformed into crystal white threads.
These threads seemed to stretch out infinitely, scattering around Shan Qing Luo and wrapping her in a kind of chrysalis.
As time passed, the number of strands increased and the chrysalis became more and more dense.
Yang Kai was both startled and intrigued.
These strands… they felt similar to a spider’s thread, but also like silk. Each strand displayed incredible flexibility and toughness, while containing an astonishing amount of energy.
After roughly half an hour, Shan Qing Luo had become completely encased by these silk threads. Her flawless visage was no longer visible, while her tender, graceful body had been hidden away.
All that Yang Kai could see now was a white pupa-like shell.
It seems to really be a chrysalis, with Shan Qing Luo’s beautiful figure shrouded inside, an indistinct outline of her graceful physique vaguely visible through it.
A faint aroma slowly spread inside the cave. Inhaling a breath of this fragrance, Yang Kai’s heart suddenly began racing, his blood started boiling, and his breath quickly became ragged.
This intoxicating scent lightly wafting from Shan Qing Luo’s body was akin to the most pure aphrodisiac!
[This is bad!] Yang Kai screamed silently and quickly circulated his True Yang Secret Art in order to stabilize his mind.
The more he resisted, the more difficult it became.
As Yang Kai desperately struggled to maintain his composure, a burst of half stifled erotic moans came from Shan Qing Luo’s direction.
Yang Kai’s eyes instantly glazed over when her sweet voice reached his ears.
The scene around him suddenly changed. The dark cave was gone, and the flickering torch had also disappeared, while the white silk chrysalis which held Shan Qing Luo inside it had vanished without a trace.
His surroundings were now filled with a floral fragrance as flower petals lightly flitted about the room. The entire floor covered in a luxurious bright red carpet.
A burst of giggles suddenly tickled his ears. Looking around he quickly discovered a dozen thinly clad young girls. These girls only had their most precious places covered by sheer silk cloth, which added to their delicate and enticing charm.
As the sound of rhythmic music came from afar, the dozen girls smiled radiantly and invitingly towards Yang Kai, as they sang and danced around him.
These young girls each had their own unique style and appeal, but no matter which one it was they were astoundingly glamorous and alluring, free of worldly filth, some shy, some bold, some flirtatious, some reserved, some elegant…
The young girls danced around Yang Kai, constantly sending him appealing glances, very much like they were desperate to please him. Each of them gently brushed past him, as seductive moans leaked from their full red lips, whispering of their infinite desire.
Of course, as a man, Yang Kai’s breathing skyrocketed!
This amorous and sensual scene before him seemed to be able to dig out the hidden desires buried deep within one’s heart, causing a person to lose their ability to reason and devolve into a beast.
Releasing a deep growl from within his throat, Yang Kai desperately grabbed one of the girls, roaring fiercely as he threw her to the ground.
The girl winced slightly as her brow furrowed. Fighting back the pain from being treated so roughly, she still softly gazed towards Yang Kai, and the seductive moans still gently leaked from her lips. She stretched out her two graceful, dyed pink arms and wrapped them around his neck.
Yang Kai grinned back at her, a look of intense struggle appeared on his face before he resolutely punched her face.
After sending out this strike, the surrounding dozen girls all disappeared.
Yang Kai’s shirt was completely soaked in sweat and a chill gripping his heart.
This beautiful fantasy was an intense test of a person’s willpower, but fortunately for Yang Kai, although he had been affected by it, at the critical moment he had managed to come to his senses.
Though he had managed to break through the illusion, when Yang Kai stood up again and looked around, he discovered that the scene had not changed. The dozen young girls were definitely gone, but further into the hall a thin curtained bed had appeared.
Atop this bed lay an enchanting woman. One of her delicate hands lightly propped up her beautiful face as she let out a flirtatious laugh.
Through the hazy curtain, Yang Kai could vaguely make out her near transparent silk lingerie.
As her enticing giggles came from within the curtain, the woman lying atop the bed gently waved towards Yang Kai. Her sweet whisperings contained an infinite allure, which instantly caused Yang Kai’s consciousness to become foggy once more.
With his eyes glowing red, Yang Kai aggressively walked to the side of the bed and violently flung open the pink curtains.
What greeted his eyes was Shan Qing Luo lying on the fragrant bed. This devilish woman’s heavenly figure was on full display. Her flawless snow white skin, exquisite curves, rounded hips, with a blue silk dress half covering her seductive body, perfectly outlining her sensual figure and caused his blood to nearly boil over.
Laughing flirtatiously, she slowly got up. Her eyes radiated a thousand charms as she tenderly pulled Yang Kai into the bed and slowly pushed him down.
Yang Kai did not resist and allowed her to do as she pleased.
Shan Qing Luo eyes glimmered affectionately as she gently climbed atop Yang Kai’s body and slowly undid his robes. Her cheeks blushed a light pink, like she was lightly intoxicated, seemingly both shy and eager at once.
Shedding her thin silk dress next, Shan Qing Luo let out a light sigh. Her breath become quick as she gently bit her lip and lightly swayed her hips as she ever so slowly lowered them.
As he felt a soft, warm, moist sensation envelop him, Yang Kai’s hazy eyes suddenly trembled.
Involuntarily circulating his Yin-Yang Joyous Unification Art, a fierce suction originating in his nether region suddenly came.
Shan Qing Luo who was perched upon him all of a sudden uttered a miserable scream and the illusions around him instantly collapsed.
His eyes shot open, and Yang Kai once again found himself covered in cold sweat, still sitting in his original position, desperately trying to catch his breath.
Looking around, he saw Shan Qing Luo’s white silk chrysalis nearby. Yang Kai was not sure just how much time had passed, but as he circulated his Yin-Yang Joyous Unification Art, a huge amount of extremely pure energy originating from that white chrysalis continued to flow into his meridians.
He soon noticed that his dragon was still proudly roaring towards the Heavens.
So Yang Kai took a few breaths and slowly began calming his raging blood.
He had no idea why that illusion had suddenly collapsed, but he was certain that it had something to do with his Yin-Yang Joyous Unification Art.
Perhaps because his Yin-Yang Joyous Unification Art was a Dual Cultivation Technique, it had somehow been able to restrain Shan Qing Luo’s Seduction Technique, which allowed him to extricate himself from that illusion.
Upon examining his condition once more and discovering that he still could not move, a faint helplessness arose in his heart.
He was not anxious; although Shan Qing Luo seemed like a ruthless and devilish woman, in actual fact, she was quite easy to get along with, and she did not seem to have any murderous intent towards him.
After calming himself in various senses, Yang Kai put aside such concerns for now and focused on wholeheartedly operating his Joyous Unification Art.
Under the influence of his Joyous Unification Art, a continuous stream of pure energy flowed from Shan Qing Luo’s chrysalis and poured into Yang Kai’s meridians and dantian. Gradually, Yang Kai began to feel like he had some subtle yet profound connection with Shan Qing Luo.
As time went on, this feeling kept becoming stronger and stronger.
Then, all of a sudden, a cry rang out.
Yang Kai quickly opened his eyes and saw Shan Qing Luo’s pair of charming eyes staring at him with incredibly shock.
“Huh…” Yang Kai was thoroughly stunned.
“How did you get inside here?” Shan Qing Luo asked, her voice filled with confusion.
“What?” Yang Kai frowned, as he glanced around and discovered that he had somehow at some point come to be sitting opposite Shan Qing Luo, surrounded by a vast wondrous sea.
“Not ‘what’, you’re Divine Sense, it’s inside my Knowledge Sea!” Shan Qing Luo exclaimed, an aghast look fully displayed upon her beautiful face, “How did you break into my Knowledge Sea!?”
“I don’t know.” Yang Kai shook his head, looked down, and quickly discovered that he had no physical body. Instead, it appeared like his Divine Sense had somehow inadvertently broke into Shan Qing Luo’s Knowledge Sea.
Curiously sweeping his gaze over the Sea around him, Yang Kai somehow felt its incredibly surging destructive power, and he involuntarily marveled, “So this is your Knowledge Sea…”
“Get out!” Shan Qing Luo cried out in panic.
A person’s Knowledge Sea contained all of their most deeply hidden thoughts and secrets, once someone had their Knowledge Sea spied upon by another, it was equivalent to laying bear their entire being to them.
It was for this reason that everyone was extremely careful about guarding their Knowledge Sea.
Moreover, if one wanted to break into someone else’s Knowledge Sea it was not a simple task. Without mentioning defensive artifacts that shielded one’s Soul, there were also some special Soul Skills that could prevent others Divine Senses from intruding upon one’s Knowledge Sea.
For a master like Shan Qing Luo, how could she not have a powerful Soul defence artifact, and how could she not have cultivated a defensive type Soul Skill?
Yet despite all this, her Knowledge Sea had still been unknowingly penetrated by Yang Kai’s Divine Sense.
Between her bouts of confusion and shock, seeing Yang Kai still gazing around her Knowledge Sea, Shan Qing Luo couldn’t help screaming, “If you don’t leave right now I’ll make you stay here forever!”
Hearing this threat, Yang Kai finally awoke from his stupor and said, “No, please wait! It’s just that I’ve never seen a Knowledge Sea before, I was just curious.”
Finishing speaking, he quickly made his escape.
Once she was certain that Yang Kai’s Divine Sense had really left, Shan Qing Luo was reluctantly relieved. Just now had been an extremely dangerous crisis, if he had really seen through all of her secrets, it would have been tantamount to her being naked before him, all of her most intimate thoughts exposed to him.
Not only that, if their two Divine Senses had accidentally intersected, the consequences were hard to imagine.
Similar to when two people engaged in intimate contact between them, when two Souls blended together it produced a form of sensual pleasure, but the sensation it produced was thousands of times more potent, once it was experienced, it would instantly become all consuming, never again allowing the two to separate.
Shan Qing Luo was truly afraid that Yang Kai might engage in mischief or become entrenched within her, but fortunately he had simply been curious and had left soon after.
[How did he do it?]
Although Shan Qing Luo’s heart was filled with questions, right now she was in the process of breaking through, so naturally she could not divide her attention any further, suppressing her suspicions for the moment and concentrating on the circulation of her Secret Art.
Yang Kai also continued operating his Joyous Unification Art, prompting a clearly visible stream of energy to continuously flow from the white silk chrysalis into his bit by bit, increasing his strength.
Over time, the chrysalis gradually became smaller, slowly exposing the graceful figure hidden within.
Time flew by quickly.
In the blink of an eye, ten days had passed.
Yang Kai slowly opened his eyes and gradually stretched out his somewhat stiff body. A burst of popping sounds suddenly rang out and a seemingly endless pure energy burst forth from within him. His True Qi surged forth, bringing with it a wondrous and invigorating feeling.
True Element Boundary Fourth Stage!
These ten days of meditation along with the massive amount of pure energy he had obtained from Shan Qing Luo’s white silk chrysalis had allowed him in one fell swoop to break through.
Glancing around, Yang Kai saw the devilish woman lazily leaning against the wall directly opposite him. Her pair of beautiful eyes stared back at him with a complex look within them.
Yang Kai immediately jumped up in surprise, and his True Qi involuntarily circulated.
However, Shan Qing Luo simply laughed dryly, “If I wanted to kill you, you would have died long ago no matter how many lives you might have had.”
Yang Kai expression cramped up slightly, but thinking of how what she said was true, he relaxed immediately, laughing a bit wryly as he cupped his fists and said, “Thank you Elder Sister for not acting ruthlessly.”
Shan Qing Luo shook her head, “I never really wanted to kill you, capturing you was simply out of necessity.”
Between her words, she let out a hoarse cough, and her complexion became slightly pale.
“What happened to you?” Yang Kai frowned, feeling that this seductive woman now seemed much weaker than before, as if she had been seriously injured.
“Isn’t this all your doing!?” Shan Qing Luo grit her teeth as she glared miserably towards him.
“Me?” Yang Kai pointed to himself, his expression filled with confusion, unable to understand what she meant.
“What did you do to me?”
“I didn’t do anything.” Yang Kai responded somewhat dumbly.
“Then how did you siphon so much energy from me?” Shan Qing Luo ground her teeth in anger.
Yang Kai was stunned, thinking back on everything that had happened since he had been captured, wrinkling his brow as he said, “I fell into an illusion, encountered you, lay down with you, and then as we were together I started operating a certain Secret Art and shattered the illusion…”
Shan Qing Luo instantly blushed as she stared at him meaningfully, “With me?”
“En. You were extremely forward and bold.” Yang Kai nodded as he recalled Shan Qing Luo’s performance on the bed, unable to help to stop his blood from once again boiling up, “What a pity,” Yang Kai sighed, a depressed expression spread across his face.
“You little bastard!” Shan Qing Luo cursed lightly, her face now a bright crimson.
“Were you affected somehow?” Yang Kai frowned and asked.
“What do you think?” Shan Qing Luo’s breath quickened, her chest rose and fell so violently her proud peaks almost broke free from her red dress, “I was right on the cusp of breaking through when all of a sudden all of my energy was drained away by you… haha, would you call that not being affected?”
Yang Kai suddenly felt embarrassed and immediately apologized, “Is that so? I didn’t do it on purpose.”
“If you had, I would have killed you long ago.” Shan Qing Luo looked at him bitterly, “How could I have let you live until now?”
“Then did you manage to break through?” Yang Kai’s eyes flashed.
“No! Not only did I not break through, but I’ve also suffered a severe backlash from my Secret Art. I have no idea how long I’ll have to wait until my next opportunity to break through, and it’s all your fault!”
“How can you pin all the blame on me…” Yang Kai rubbed his nose, but upon hearing that her strength had suffered a massive hit, his demeanor suddenly became much more relaxed. Staring towards her with great meaning as he asked, “What is your current strength…”
“Equal to a True Element Boundary First Stage, are you satisfied now?” Shan Qing Luo snappily replied, a million kinds of anger filling her gaze.
“Haha! Oh really now!” Yang Kai laughed happily, his last trace of caution disappeared, and he completely relaxed his guard.
This seductive woman’s cultivation only being equivalent to a True Element Boundary First Stage meant her current strength was even lower than his own so he no longer had to worry so much about her.
Of course, although her current realm was lower than his, she was still an unparalleled master, so if they were really to fight, it was still uncertain who would ultimately win.
Fortunately, neither of them seemed to have any murderous intent at the moment, so there was no need to be overly tense.
“Haa… I can’t blame this all on you. If I hadn’t taken you captive, I never would have suffered this calamity! I brought this upon myself.” Shan Qing Luo quietly sighed.
Listening to her sincere admission, Yang Kai also felt some guilt and embarrassedly nodded, “Um… how should I say this… thank you for saving me back there.”
“So you do have some conscience you perverted brat.” Shan Qing Luo lightly laughed; it seems that this time’s failure had not caused any major impact to her confidence, her mood was not the slightest bit disturbed.
After chatting for a bit, Yang Kai suddenly stood up and said, “You take a rest, I’ll go find us something to eat.”
“Be careful out there…” Shan Qing Luo softly whispered.
Yang Kai looked back at her with astonishment, unsure of why this flirtatious woman was now suddenly so concerned about him, but he did not ponder long on this and quickly turned around and exited the cave.
After Yang Kai had left, Shan Qing Luo lightly sighed, an awkward expression filled her face as she placed her delicate white hands over her heart. Her face blushed a faint shade of pink, and she quickly asked herself, “This fluttering feeling within me… It couldn’t be…”
Shan Qing Luo had a special constitution which was related to her special cultivation technique. Although outwardly, she appeared flirtatious and seductive, for the rest of her life she would only be able to truly love one man, and she would only be able to truly be with him once.
Before then, the affection she would feel for him would continue to grow within her heart until the time was ripe and all she could think about was him; at that time, she would join herself with him.
And on that night, that man would die! At the same time, her Secret Art would reach the grand accomplishment stage.
Yang Kai’s previously presumptuous behaviour towards her, and more importantly his inadvertently entering into her Knowledge Sea, left behind a ray of his Divine Sense’s aura, which had subconsciously planted an unintended seed in her Soul.
It was a bud of love!
Her family line had an extremely sad and cruel fate, only having a single descendant per generation, and they were always women.
Every generation, these girls would experience this inhumane torture.
Shan Qing Luo had never forgotten her mother’s experience. Ever since she was born, all she could remember was how she had missed her father, the suffering and torment she constantly felt in her heart, and how she had ultimately died an unhappy death.
Because this feeling of love would only grow stronger the more time passed, leading her Secret Art to reach the grand accomplishment stage, Shan Qing Luo would have an intense and unforgettable passion engraved upon her soul.
One night together with her true love before he died at her hands!
What woman could accept this kind of fate?
And now, this ill fate had abruptly befallen her.
Biting her lip, Shan Qing Luo was at a loss, she had been caught completely by surprise and hadn’t had the slightest chance to prepare herself.
Originally, she had wanted to wait a few more years to find a suitable man to fall in love with, and then build a relationship with him. She had never expected to be thrust into this situation so suddenly and unexpectedly.
…
As a crackling sound burst out nearby and the scent of roasted meat wafted past her nose, Shan Qing Luo’s eyelashes fluttered slightly as she slowly opened her eyes.
Sitting a few meters in front of her was Yang Kai. He had raised a small fire and was carefully barbecuing some freshly caught game.
“You’re quite relaxed!” Yang Kai said with a light chuckled. When he had come back and discovered this young woman had actually fallen asleep, he couldn’t help being surprised.
“Why shouldn’t I relax, or were you planning on eating me too?” Shan Qing Luo smiled teasingly towards Yang Kai.
“Indeed! As long as you don’t mind.”
“I’m afraid you’re luck isn’t that good!” Shan Qing Luo laughed happily.
Soon after, the meat was fully cooked. Yang Kai tore off a piece and brought it over to Shan Qing Luo. Slowly tearing off a piece of the meat and delicately placing it into her mouth, she slowly and elegantly enjoyed her meal.
Yang Kai, on the other hand, quickly stuffed his face with as much meat as he could fit.
“How savage…” Shan Qing Luo muttered as she glared at him.
However, Yang Kai just grinned meaningfully, continuing to scarf down his food while asking, “I’ve been meaning to ask you but, where is this place?”
“Do you not even know where you are?” Shan Qing Luo looked at him suspiciously. “Are you not a disciple of the Holy Land?”
“Holy Land? What is this ‘Holy Land’?” Yang Kai asked in confusion.
When they had first met, Shan Qing Luo had also asked him which Leader he was a disciple of. Now thinking about it, her question probably had some relationship with this Holy Land she spoke of.
Suddenly thinking of something, Yang Kai hastily asked, “Is this not the Great Han Dynasty?”
Shan Qing Luo suddenly burst out into laughter, “Are you really that foolish? Of course this is the Great Han Dynasty!”
Yang Kai let out a sigh, “I really am that confused. I came to this place completely by accident.”
Seeing that he did not seem to be lying to her, Shan Qing Luo seriously answered him, “This is the Grey Cloud Holy Land!”
“Grey Cloud Holy Land? The Ash-Gray Cloud Evil Land!” Yang Kai was stunned, turning a shocked expression towards Shan Qing Luo.
“You really aren’t a disciple of the Holy Land!?” Shan Qing Luo’s beautiful face twisted somewhat, as she angrily shouted back, “What do you mean ‘Evil Land’, such an ugly name. What you call the devil’s path we call our way of life! We simply have a different way of thinking than your Great Families yet you see a need to divide the world up into such rigid ideologies, all that’s done is promote more conflict.”
“The Ash-Gray Cloud Evil Land… Shan Qing Luo…” Yang Kai’s thoughts raced as she suddenly recalled something. Turning towards the seductive woman before him, his eyes tightly squinted, and he hesitantly asked, “Demon Queen Shan Qing Luo?”
The Ash-Gray Cloud Evil Land had one Devil Lord and Six Great Evil Kings.
Thunderbolt Beast King, Tyrannical Force King, Profound Yin Ghost King, Beguiling Demon Queen, Lightning Flash Shadow King, Annihilating Poison King!
Because of the new Devil Lord’s rise and the special relationship he shared with him, Yang Kai had also learned as much as he could about the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land, including the names of the six Great Evil Kings.
And among the six Great Evil Kings, there was only one woman!
No doubt this Beguiling Demon Queen was none other than the Heavenly beauty Shan Qing Luo before him!
No wonder when he heard her name before it had been somewhat familiar.
Seeing Yang Kai so surprised, Shan Qing Luo couldn’t help giggling and leisurely said, “Indeed, it is this Queen! Why, are you frightened now?”
“Oh?” Yang Kai suddenly grinned and indifferently looked down at her, “Why should I be afraid? I was just caught off guard by the fact that the most seductive woman in the world was in front of me.”
Looking Shan Qing Luo up and down completely once more, Yang Kai couldn’t help but be amazed.
There were many rumors about just how enchanting the Beguiling Demon Queen was, and now that he had really met her, it seems that these rumors weren’t unfounded, but she truly was the very definition of seduction.
“Seen enough yet, you little bastard!?” Shan Qing Luo felt his aggressive fiery gaze sweep over every inch of her body and was extremely uncomfortable, so she flicked her wrist and tossed the piece of beast meat in her hand towards Yang Kai.
Yang Kai hastily dodged, which caused her ‘attack’ to hit nothing but air, and grinned sheepishly before sitting down again and sunk into deep thought.
Apparently, when the void corridor had collapsed, he had actually been sent to the Ash-Gray Cloud Evil Land. The distance between here and where Su Yan had been sent was extremely far, it was likely that he would not be able to reunite with her any time soon.
On top of that, since this was the Ash-Gray Cloud Evil Land, there was no doubt a lot of Devil Path cultivators around. How was he supposed to leave here safely?
It seems he would have to take advantage of his newfound relationship with Shan Qing Luo. Using her identity and status it shouldn’t be difficult for him to leave the Ash-Gray Cloud Evil Land.
Making up his mind, Yang Kai tore a piece of his barbecue and graciously handed it to the charming woman beside him.
Shan Qing Luo quickly turned her eyes away from his as she lightly muttered, “That thing is covered with your drool… I don’t want to eat it.”
“It’s not like my mouth has been over everything…” Yang Kai muttered, not trying to force her.
Shan Qing Luo’s breath suddenly became quicker, thinking back to when he had forced his lips onto hers, and she ground her teeth so hard they nearly broke.