Deep inside a thick forest, Qiu Yi Meng and her group fled with all their might. Behind her, Luo Xiao Man and Bai Yun Feng both had dishevelled looks, and both of them had multiple wounds. In addition, the original dozen True Element Boundary cultivators had now been reduced by two or three.
As she ran, Luo Xiao Man’s proud chest bounced about wildly, like two white rabbits were trying to escape from her dress.
If it was a normal time, Bai Yun Feng and the other hot blooded men would certainly not turn a blind eye to such a wondrous scene, but now these men were in no mood to do so; not knowing if they could survive the next day, how could they have the spare capacity to care indulge in such distractions?
Behind them a group of people were pursuing them, which caused all of them to panic and flee. In this unfamiliar land, they soon lost their way, only able to unconsciously follow Qiu Yi Meng.
Running with such speed, their True Qi was quickly being depleted. Spotting a small hill not far off, the exhausted Qiu Yi Meng quickly ordered, “We’ll take a break once we reach that hill up ahead, our pursuers shouldn’t be able to catch up to us so fast, once we’ve recovered for a while we’ll continue on.”
Hearing her, the group she was leading were slightly relieved. They had continuously been on the run for many days, and none of them could afford such massive consumption.
A short while later, when the group arrived at the secluded hill, each of them found a place to sit down and quickly took out their own Qi recovery pills.
Next to a clear brook which flowed down from the mountain top, Qiu Yi Meng and Luo Xiao Man quickly moistened their dry throats and washed their faces, refreshing themselves greatly.
That day when they had encountered that flirtatious red-clothed woman was only the beginning of this group’s bad luck.
The only three Immortal Ascension Boundary masters who had been sent with them to this place had been instantly killed by that woman. After that, the remaining dozen or so True Element Boundary cultivators under Qiu Yi Meng’s leadership, began exploring their surroundings, but before they could get a grasp on their situation, they were attacked by a group of Devil Path cultivators. Fighting back, they eventually managed to break through this siege but in doing so they had also alerted more nearby enemies.
The strength of this group was by no means weak. It was just that there were too many enemies for them to face, these days the number of pursuers had steadily increased, causing Qiu Yi Meng to feel a sense of helplessness. Her only choice was to bring everyone deeper into the jungle and try to use the terrain in order to find an opportunity to escape.
The two women sat down, thoroughly exhausted.
“Elder Sister Qiu, where is this place?” Luo Xiao Man asked, her big round eyes full of fear.
Hearing Luo Xiao Man’s sudden question, Qiu Yi Meng hesitated for a moment before giving a hesitant reply, “If I’m not wrong, this is the Ash-Gray Cloud Evil Land!”
“What! The Ash-Gray Cloud Evil Land?” Luo Xiao Man exclaimed, her already frightened eyes filled with horror.
The others around them also looked up in shock. Bai Yun Feng wrinkled his brow and somewhat unsteadily asked, “Young Lady Qiu, why do you think this place is the Ash-Gray Cloud Evil Land?”
Qiu Yi Meng glanced at him and leisurely retorted, “Besides the Ash-Gray Cloud Evil Land, where else would there be so many cultivators who have fallen to the Devil’s path? Didn’t you notice their fighting style and demeanor?”
“That doesn’t mean this place is definitely the Ash-Gray Cloud Evil Land…” Bai Yun Feng still couldn’t bring himself to accept it, “Maybe… this is the site of some evil Sect.”
However, Qiu Yi Meng only chuckled lightly and replied in a confident tone, “I am certain that this is the Ash-Gray Cloud Evil Land!”
“Then… what should we do?” Luo Xiao Man asked forlornly. Unlike Qiu Yi Meng, who managed to maintain a look of composure as the group’s leader, she couldn’t help her beautiful face from becoming somewhat pale.
“I don’t know!” Qiu Yi Meng shook her head slowly. This time she had only expected to lead a punitive force to High Heaven Pavilion and not suddenly be thrown ten thousand kilometers away into the Ash-Gray Cloud Evil Land.
The difference between what she had come to do and what had happened was simply too great.
Within the Ash-Gray Cloud Evil Land, there were countless masters. Devil Path cultivators were everywhere, and this group of hers’ had no masters guarding them. It was fundamentally impossible for them to break through and escape this place safely.
To make matters worse, right now, the Ash-Gray Cloud Evil Land and the outside world were essentially at war. Once their group fell into the hands of the enemy, the consequences would be disastrous.
This was particularly so for both Qiu Yi Meng and Luo Xiao Man, each of whom were great beauties. If they were to be captured alive by these sinister cultivators, what was waiting for them would be a fate worse than death.
“Focus on restoring yourselves for now, thankfully the group chasing us does not have many masters or else we would have already been caught!” Qiu Yi Meng deeply sighed.
“En!” Luo Xiao Man nodded and obediently closed her eyes.
The group had spent less than half an hour recovering when Qiu Yi Meng suddenly opened her eyes and quickly said, “Time’s up, someone is coming!”
Hearing this, everyone quickly awakened from their meditation and silently followed her away.
During this past month, Qiu Yi Meng had many times in advance detected the enemy’s approach which had allowed the group to avoid falling into many dangerous situations. Although they did not understand how she was able to do so with just her True Element Boundary Ninth Stage cultivation, but those gathered around her had long ago shown great admiration for her and had no issues following her orders.
…
Yang Kai and Shan Qing Luo walked calmly through the jungle.
After interacting with her for the past month, Yang Kai found that this bewitching woman was actually quite likeable. She appeared fair and delicate as well as incredibly charming. She appeared to be around twenty-seven years old, but with her divine beauty she seems no different from a girl in her late teens. The only difference being a unique temperament that could only be achieved by a mature woman.
This temperament made her particularly appealing to men; coupled with her seductive charms, there was no doubt that Shan Qing Luo was simply the nemesis of all men in this world, able to ensnare both young and old.
Yang Kai performance during this time was also quite composed, no longer shouting Elder Sister this or Elder Sister that as he did before, which caused Shan Qing Luo to develop some admiration for him.
A seventeen-year-old boy with such a steady mentality was quite rare.
Although the two of them had gotten to know each other fairly quickly, the two of them actually shared very few conversations. Shan Qing Luo didn’t speak much nor did Yang Kai bring up superfluous topics. Mostly he simply followed behind her. The rest of his time was spent in meditative cultivation, not wasting a single moment.
Traveling together with such a beauty was enough to make him feel satisfied; at least he was not lonely along the way.
According to Shan Qing Luo, she had come out this time looking for something. This thing held great significance to her. Her mother had once sought it out, and before her, her grandmother had too. Now it was her turn.
But these plans had been greatly complicated by recent developments. Before she had set out, her strength was transcendent and with it she naturally wouldn’t experience any hardship, but now that she was experiencing the backlash from her Secret Art failing to break through. Her strength had dropped significantly, until now only being able to restore herself to the level of a True Element Boundary Third Stage cultivator, so the place she was seeking out was now too dangerous to reach.
Without her pervious overwhelming strength, going there would be akin to seeking death.
However, the two of them had wandered around the jungle for more than ten days now without arriving anywhere in particular.
As they walked, Yang Kai frowned as he looked suspiciously at her before pausing to ask, “Beauty, I have a question for you.”
“Hmm?” Shan Qing Luo also stopped, glancing back at Yang Kai.
“You… are you lost?” Yang Kai hesitantly asked.
Trembling slightly, Shan Qing Luo’s face showed an unnatural look as she averted her eyes.
“Ah…” Yang Kai was stunned. “You’re not really lost, are you?”
Shan Qing Luo blushed embarrassedly before coldly snorting, “So what if I’m lost? What’s so strange about that?”
Yang Kai wryly smiled, “If you were lost you should have just said so. I thought you had some clear goal, so I’ve just been quietly following you.”
These past few days she had shown neither panic nor urgency, and always maintained a composed aloof manner, so he had never questioned her, but upon seeing some scenery that looked familiar, Yang Kai couldn’t help asking.
But whatever the circumstances, she was also a supreme master, so how could she have gotten lost? Yang Kai felt that the whole situation was somewhat odd.
“You know nothing.” Shan Qing Luo grumbled loudly and wrinkled her nose slightly, “The inside of this forest has a kind of natural spirit array which causes disorientation that encompasses a radius of several hundred kilometers, if I still had my full strength it would be simple to find the way out but now we can only rely on luck!”
Saying this, she glared towards Yang Kai bitterly and complained, “In the end, all of this is your fault!”
“My fault my ass!” Yang Kai angrily retorted.
“Who was the one who stole my energy during my crucial breakthrough? Who caused me to suffer such harsh backlash from my Secret Art, who caused my strength to plummet so far?” Shan Qing Luo rapidly pressed Yang Kai with accusation.
When she brought Yang Kai to this forest, she hadn’t expected to suffer this backlash from her Secret Art, sending the situation completely out of her control.
“Good, good, good! It’s all my fault okay?” Yang Kai still had some guilt over this issue and was also too lazy to argue with her, knowing he’d never win anyways so instead he simply released his Divine Sense but immediately found that the range he could explore had been reduced to less than a kilometer around him.
Shan Qing Luo looked at him with an interested grin, letting out a light sigh, “I’ve thought so before, but you’re a strange one aren’t you? A small True Element Boundary Fourth Stage cultivator actually being able to utilise his Divine Sense, but without reaching the Immortal Ascension Boundary, it is simply impossible to find your way out of here, save your strength.”
“Beauty, we have a problem!” Yang Kai turned his gaze towards her, his expression slightly changing.
“Hmm?”
But he had hardly finished speaking when not far in front of them a wave of whooshing sounds arose as six or seven figures suddenly fell from the air, landing close by.
Shan Qing Luo’s expression also sank, and her eyes narrowed as she examined these newcomers.
Seeing the appearance of these people, her temperament suddenly changed, immediately becoming exalted and domineering.
Yang Kai witnessed this astonishing change and couldn’t help admiring. She was indeed worthy of being one of the six Great Evil Kings. This perennial superior attitude and aura was not something most people could imitate, at the same time though he secretly raised his own alert.
“Huh…” These six or seven individuals had come here after discovering traces of Yang Kai and Shan Qing Luo. They were actually members of the group that were pursuing Qiu Yi Meng and her compatriots, but upon seeing Shan Qing Luo’s face and red clothes, all of their faces instantly changed, and they hurriedly took a few steps back.
Shan Qing Luo just pleasantly smiled and casually glanced towards them. Her aura of superiority became even more overwhelming.
Receiving her gaze, those few people’s faces became more depressed. All of them raised their guards as they helplessly waited.
“I wondered who it was that dared block my path, it turns out to be a few of Beast King’s insolent henchmen!” Shan Qing Luo gently grunted while leisurely and calmly speaking. Her demeanor revealed utter disdain with a hint of coldness.
The six or seven newcomers all shivered. Their faces instantly drained of all colour. One of the masters at the Immortal Ascension Boundary Third Stage quickly stepped forward, respectfully cupped his fists, and trembled as he spoke, “Servant Guo Yuan Ming greets Mistress Demon Queen. We did not know that mistress Demon Queen was here, if we have offended, please forgive us!”
As he spoke, his eyes drooped, staring straight at his toes, not daring to meet Shan Qing Luo’s eyes.
“Greetings Mistress Demon Queen!” The other several people also hurriedly bowed, a clear sense of fear apparent in their demeanor.
Everyone raised their cupped fists as they shivered where they stood, apparently extremely terrified.
*Hmph!* Shan Qing Luo snorted, further terrifying these few, “You all have some guts… you dare to stalk after me?”
Speaking so, her expression slowly changed, and her infinitely charming face suddenly flashed a murderous intent.
Hearing Shan Qing Luo ask this, all of them complained incessantly in their hearts as sweat dripped down their foreheads. Why was this devilish woman here? Why were the Heavens so heartless!?
“Of course not!” Guo Yuan Ming involuntarily gulped, “Respected Demon Queen, we servants were simply tracking a group of True Element Boundary cultivators who had broken into the Holy Land, we truly did not mean to offend Lady Demon Queen, we swear to the Heavens!”
“Oh, really now…” Shan Qing Luo replied lightly. Her enchanting voice slightly dropped in tone, but these people hearing this pleasant melody not only did not feel pleasant, but instead felt even tenser. Their backs were covered in cold sweat, and none of them dared to make a sound.
Shan Qing Luo gently lifted her delicate hands and gently brushed one of her exquisite nails. Appearing extremely indifferently as she casually said, “Since you know your sins, why have you not offered your life in apology yet? Do you want to force this Queen to handle you personally?”
Guo Yuan Ming’s trembling increased greatly. His legs buckled under him as he collapsed to his knees, smashing his head on the ground with his blood frozen solid.
The rest of his group behind him also trembled in fear. Big drops of sweat dripped from their faces, and their heads bent so far forward that their chins touched their chests.
Yang Kai’s gaze flickered as he silently stood behind Shan Qing Luo.
This was the first time he had seen this seductive woman’s true methods. She was truly majestic and domineering!
Was this the true face of the Beguiling Demon Queen?
Although he was unclear about exactly what was happening, Yang Kai figured that Shan Qing Luo and the master of these few henchmen had some kind of grudge between them, so she was intentionally making things difficult for them.
Moreover, Shan Qing Luo’s current strength had been greatly diminished so she was probably trying to use this approach to pre-emptively frighten them.
“Hehe…” Shan Qing Luo suddenly smiled playfully and glanced towards the other side, “Get up, taking this Queen’s joke so seriously, you’re all too boring…”
Guo Yuan Ming however did not dare move. There was no way he would believe this devilish woman’s words. If he stood up, Shan Qing Luo might just directly slaughter him…
Instead he just repeatedly kowtowed, “Many thanks Lady Demon Queen for your mercy. Many thanks!”
Coldly glancing over at him, Shan Qing Luo’s voice suddenly became cold, “Go back to your master and tell him this. Our accounts from one month ago, I will soon settle. Get lost!”
Receiving this fantasy like amnesty, Guo Yuan Ming quickly scrambled to his feet, bowed his head deeply, and shouted, “Please rest assured Lady Demon Queen, this servant will definitely bring your words to my master!”
“Within ten breaths, if anyone remains within my sight, they will stay here forever!”
*Shua Shua Shua…*
These six or seven people kicked the ground, Used all their strength to flee, and disappeared in the blink of an eye.
*Hmph!* Shan Qing Luo coldly snorted, turned around, and said, “Let’s go!”
Yang Kai silently followed. In his heart, he greatly admired this seductive woman’s methods and majesty.
Shan Qing Luo walked faster and faster, until a moment later she was actually running as fast as the wind.
“Why are you escaping so quickly? Didn’t you successfully deceive them already?” Yang Kai asked confusedly as he chased after her.
“It’s only a temporary measure, Guo Yuan Ming isn’t stupid. After a while when he reflects on it he will no doubt notice some flaws. My relationship with the Thunderbolt Beast King is not very good, I was also recently ambushed and wounded by him and his minions; those people were Beast King’s henchmen, if they catch us everything will be over!” Shan Qing Luo hurriedly explained as she continued dashing forward a hundred meters at a time.
“Heh…” Yang Kai’s expression became strange, “You are also one of the Devil Kings, someone on the same level as that Thunderbolt Beast King, him daring to bring people to ambush you, if you don’t have some kind of serious conflict of interest, it must be him coveting your beauty. The temptation of a supreme beauty is really powerful!”
“You shut up!” Shan Qing Luo glared at him, and her expression became icy cold.
Yang Kai simply grinned as he shrugged his shoulders and obediently stayed quiet.
After those six or seven individuals had escaped more than a dozen kilometers, they suddenly stopped.
“What’s wrong Brother Guo?” Another expert at the Immortal Ascension Boundary Second Stage looked at him and asked.
Guo Yuan Ming frowned and looked back towards where they had met Shan Qing Luo. Seemingly contemplating something as he asked, “Do you think something is off with that whore today?”
“Somewhat off?”
“How could she have let us off so easily?” Guo Yuan Ming grew more and more skeptical. “Master had brought several people to ambush her a month ago, on top of that they also have many past grievances, even just considering the incident last month, us meeting her now should have ended up with us suffering greatly.”
“But if so, why would she just send us on our way?”
As he contemplated, his brow wrinkled further. He hesitated for a long time before continuing, “I heard from those involved in that ambush that although they failed to capture that devilish woman, she still suffered a direct hit from Master.”
“That’s right, and just now she did seem somewhat unsteady. Perhaps she was seriously wounded in that fight and hasn’t fully healed yet?”
“A wound inflicted by Master isn’t something so easy to resolve.” Guo Yuan Ming said as a light flashed across his eyes, “She is definitely still suffering from serious injuries or she would never have let us go so easily! I remember half a year ago, Brother Yuan’s younger brother had only glanced at her once and she immediately killed him… that devilish woman is utterly ruthless, how could she suddenly be so forgiving?”
Hearing this and remembering back, Yuan Shi’s treacherous face flashed a trace anger and hatred, and he viciously cursed, “If it weren’t for her bloodline’s special skills, allowing the previous generation’s Demon Queen to pass on the bulk of her cultivation to her, allowing that little slut already have such high strength, I would have already killed her!”
Guo Yuan Ming swept his eyes over his companions and grinned meaningfully as he said, “If Brother Yuan wants revenge for his younger brother then right now is his chance!”
Everyone hearing these words couldn’t help being startled.
None of them had dared even consider the idea of openly opposing the Beguiling Demon Queen.
“What, are you all afraid?” Guo Yuan Ming sneered. “Her letting us go definitely means she has some scruples. What could that be? Obviously she’s afraid that right now she can’t beat us!”
Yuan Shi nodded in agreement, “What Brother Guo said is reasonable, but… in the end it is just a guess. What if she isn’t seriously injured or if she has already recovered?”
“We have to try to know!” Guo Yuan Ming grinned meaningfully, “That’s why I just said you all have no courage!”
Everyone else remained silent for a time, and each of them glanced around at the others. All of them were hesitant to act. Admittedly, what Guo Yuan Ming said made sense, but everything really was based on a hunch.
Seeing that some of them appeared to be hesitating, Guo Yuan Ming made another push, “My fellow brothers. That is the Beguiling Demon Queen. Don’t you have any desire to taste her? An opportunity to have her under you? Even if we were to die, just to bed this woman, it is worth it.”
Fantasizing about Shan Qing Luo’s delicate body and sweet voice, imagining being able to strip her naked, toy with her as they pleased, and listen to her moan in ecstasy, all of them couldn’t help breathing a bit heavier.
Guo Yuan Ming kept pressing, “Also, if she can pass on her strength to her descendants, what says she can’t pass it on to us! An Immortal Ascension Boundary Ninth Stage master, even if we split the spoils among us wouldn’t everyone at least be able to break through at least one or two minor realms?”
Everyone was finally convinced!
A malicious light flashed across Yuan Shi’s eyes, and he quickly said, “What Brother Guo says is right, being able to taste her beauty and rob her cultivation… it certainly is worth the risk!”
After carefully considering it, the others present also grit their teeth and nodded.
Guo Yuan Ming laughed, “You are all good brothers indeed! Now that we’ve decided, we shouldn’t delay, let’s quickly catch up!”
Yang Kai and Shan Qing Luo flew through the forest, constantly changing direction.
But half a day later, from behind them suddenly came the sound of hurried footsteps.
Shan Qing Luo’s expression sank as she grit her teeth, “They really found out.”
Resigned, she quickly came to a stop and took a deep breath to calm her nerves as both she and Yang Kai prepared themselves.
“It’s them!” Yang Kai stealthily released his Divine Sense. Aware of whom their pursuers were, his face also becoming gloomy.
Evidently Shan Qing Luo concerns were warranted. Although she had indeed scared off these people with her domineering demeanour, she had involuntarily revealed too many flaws which their enemies had discovered after carefully reviewing their encounter.
Though it was just a drop of blood in the vast sea, the fierce sharks had still sniffed it out.
“Lady Demon Queen!” A moment later, Guo Yuan Ming and his companions swiftly appeared from the distance. All of them were clearly a bit anxious, but they did not display the same extreme caution and dread from before. Their gazes darted back and forth, and their eyes flashed with meaningful light and dared to spy upon Shan Qing Luo with an obscene glint from time to time.
“What it is?” Shan Qing Luo asked in a cold tone.
“Haha… Lady Demon Queen’s speed is so great it took us a long time to catch up!” Guo Yuan Ming’s attitude was significantly more presumptuous now, as he obviously salivated at the meal before him but also using his attitude to confirm his speculations. He was eighty percent certain but still wanted to make that one hundred percent.
They had clearly parted for only a brief moment before, yet they had spent so much time chasing her down. If she was not hiding something, why would she need to run so fast?
“Enough nonsense, why are you here?” Shan Qing Luo questioned impatiently, her voice became ever colder.
“Please forgive me, this servant had forgotten that my Lord Beast King had instructed that if we were to meet Lady Demon Queen we were to give her this small gift. My lord wishes to send this to Lady Demon Queen as recompense for last month’s offence in hopes that she will not pursue the matter!” While speaking, Guo Yuan Ming threw something from his hand towards Shan Qing Luo.
This item gave off a special aura. It was clearly a high quality artifact.
At the moment he threw this artifact, Guo Yuan Ming had poured his True Qi into it, so though it seemed to have been casually tossed, in reality it contained a hidden attack.
Shan Qing Luo readily caught this artifact, and though she was prepared, she still felt a shock shoot through her tender body, which caused her to tremble lightly as her arm went numb.
Witnessing this reaction, these few men suddenly grinned widely.
“Guo Yuan Ming, you court death!” Shan Qing Luo furiously screamed.
However, Guo Yuan Ming simply smiled maliciously, “Oh oh, please forgive this servant’s carelessness Lady Demon Queen; it seems this one had used a bit too much force before, but with your great strength, how is it that you could not handle it? Is it that you have perhaps… lost much of your strength right now?”
As he asked these questions, Guo Yuan Ming’s tone became more and more rampant, his eyes slowly revealed an obscene light as they wandered all over Shan Qing Luo’s body.
Shan Qing Luo’s expression slightly changed. Understanding that the other party had seen through her current condition, she no longer bothered to conceal things and instead let out a proud laugh, “Hmph! It is true that right now I have lost a great deal of strength, but if it is to kill you few wastes it is still enough!”
As she spoke, her pair of enchanting eyes suddenly shimmered as they released a dense light, seemingly containing an endless attraction, pulling the souls of all those around into them.
At the same time, from all around a strange fragrance wafted about. As soon as they smelt this aroma, every man present had their pulse race as their blood began to boil.
Even Yang Kai’s eyes became slightly confused for a moment, but he swiftly regained his composure. Quickly returning his True Qi to his dantian, Yang Kai summoned the Asura Sword to his hand as the Evil Qi from his Unyielding Golden Skeleton burst forth.
Wrapped in this thick black gas, he quickly struck towards Guo Yuan Ming.
Yang Kai’s reaction was very fast, almost simultaneously attacking the moment Shan Qing Luo used her Beguiling Technique.
Even Shan Qing Luo was secretly surprised that he could free himself from her technique so quickly; without mentioning him only possessing a True Element Boundary Fourth Stage cultivation, even an Immortal Ascension master could not free themselves from her skill so easily.
[What exactly is this scoundrel’s background?]
The Asura Sword shot out from within the black gas, like a snake striking from its hole, and stabbed towards Guo Yuan Ming’s neck.
Guo Yuan Ming’s confused and empty eyes suddenly released a cold light as a disdainful grin appeared on his face. Yang Kai’s face instantly sank, and he quickly shifted from attacking to defense and poured all his Qi into his guard.
*Ding…* Yang Kai tumbled backwards, and eventually landed beside Shan Qing Luo. The hand holding his Asura Sword trembled slightly, and his blood flow was in chaos. Breathing heavily, he tried to steady himself.
“Ha ha ha!” Guo Yuan Ming laughed scornfully with an obscene look plastered all over his arrogant face. Licking his lips as he unscrupulously stared at Shan Qing Luo, he mockingly said, “Demon Queen’s beguiling fantasy technique deserves its reputation, it is truly extraordinary!”
Shan Qing Luo’s beautiful face was filled with an icy cold. Apparently Guo Yuan Ming had long ago been prepared.
“If Lady Demon Queen was at full strength, naturally I would not be able to resist your technique, but now… heh heh!” Guo Yuan Ming crudely laughed, as he cried out, “Brothers! Lady Demon Queen doesn’t seem to be feeling too well, she should be easy prey! Make sure you don’t use too much strength, we don’t want to ruin her body before we get a taste!”
“Brother Guo, rest assured, we’ll be sure to be gentle!” Yuan Shi stepped forward slowly, and obscenely stared at Shan Qing Luo. All traces of fear were gone from his face.
“Heh heh heh …” A burst of wicked laughter rang out. Everyone here had been somewhat uneasy at first, but now seeing how easily they could withstand Shan Meng Luo’s Beguiling Technique, their courage suddenly surged.
Shan Qing Luo was extremely furious, but she maintained an elegant and aloof look and softly quipped, “Do you trashes really think you can take on this Queen so easily?”
Seeing her calm demeanor, without the slightest trace of panic, Guo Yuan Ming’s heart jumped as he involuntarily hesitated.
But after a moment, he grit his teeth and cursed, “Brothers, now that the arrow has left the bow there is no turning back, since we have already offended this cheap whore if she manages to escape you all know what fate awaits us!”
Given Shan Qing Luo’s personality and methods, if she really escaped from them now, even if they all hid at the ends of the earth they would still not be safe.
Knowing how seriousness things had become, these men gripped their fists and nodded heavily.
“Since it has come to this. We only have one choice left! If we’re able to taste the world’s most seductive woman, what need is there to fear death?” Guo Yuan Ming voice suddenly became cold, “Brother Ban, your strength is the lowest, you deal with that little shit over there. As soon as you’re done come assist us!”
A tall lanky man looked over towards Yang Kai, disdainfully laughing, “No problem!”
Shan Qing Luo on the other hand, while maintaining an indifferent smile, had secretly been gathering her True Qi. Suddenly waving her hands forward as she cried out, “Since you dare offend this Queen, you can all go to hell!”
A crystal like white silk thread suddenly filled the sky, shrouding the opposite party.
These six or seven were all Immortal Ascension Boundary masters, but their cultivation was not too high, most of them only reaching the Second Stage, only Guo Yuan Ming had broken through to the Third Stage.
Facing Shan Qing Luo’s sudden attack, all of them hastily circulated their Secret Arts and summoned their artifacts to defend themselves.
Yang Kai also thrust forward his hand and condensed nearly a thousand Sword Qi blades around him. As these blades stabbed forward, Yang Kai simultaneously summoned the thousand petal blades of the Thousand Blossoming Blood Begonia.
With the appearance of this slaughtering artifact, the surrounding space instantly became a sea of blood red petals!
With his opponents all being Immortal Ascension Boundary cultivators, Yang Kai did not plan to hold back.
Such a dense and rapid attack sent the enemy party’s resistance into confusion.
Shan Qing Luo quickly formed a series of hand seals, which manipulated the crystal silk threads to dart and weave, which instantly wrapped up two of the Immortal Ascension Boundary First Stage cultivators.
These two were the weakest members of the enemy group, and facing this surprise attack, they soon found themselves bound tightly by layers of silk thread.
Yang Kai quickly seized this opportunity to launch his White Tiger and Divine Ox Seals and summoned the two crimson Monster Beast phantoms. With an Earth shaking roar, the two phantoms bared their fangs and charged towards the two trapped individuals and ferociously mauled them.
The thousand red petals also shot forth in concert, each piece as sharp as any high quality artifact blade. A short burst of extremely shrill screams rang out, which caused Guo Yuan Ming and his companions to cringe as the sound reached their ears.
*Pu pu pu…*
Blood splattered everywhere!
A surprised light also flashed across Shan Qing Luo eyes. She had not thought that Yang Kai’s attack would have such power. The series of fierce attacks was not something an ordinary True Element Boundary Fourth Stage cultivator could display.
Gripping her fist, her silk threads viciously contracted and instantly dismembered the two already black and blue Immortal Ascension Boundary First Stage cultivators.
Within the span of a few breaths, two Immortal Ascension Boundary cultivators had been brutally killed.
As this happened, another burst of white threads shot out from around Shan Qing Luo’s tender body and wrapped up the remaining enemies.
Her image flashing, she appeared beside Yang Kai, grabbed his arm with her delicate hand and shouted, “Run!”
Yang Kai quickly waved his hand, recalling the thousands petals into his body and activated his Movement Skill and escaped together with Shan Qing Luo.
This devilish woman could now only use strength equivalent to a True Element Boundary Third Stage cultivator. Working together with him to kill two Immortal Ascension First Stage cultivators was already the limit of what she could handle. Although the conflict only lasted an instant, the amount of True Qi she had consumed was certainly not small. If they stayed behind, they would certainly suffer.
“Cheap slut!” Guo Yuan Ming’s angry voice rang out from behind them. He had not thought that Shan Qing Luo would only be able to launch a single attack. It was only after she had left that he realized that she had never actually planned to fight it out with them.
After a few tens of breaths, Guo Yuan Ming and his companions finally managed to break free from their silk bindings. One after another, they stared somewhat fearfully in the direction Shan Qing Luo had disappeared. In the end, a Devil King was still a Devil King, and even if they were seriously injured, they were not so easy to deal with.
“What should we do now?” Yuan Shi asked gloomily.
Guo Yuan Ming ground his teeth in hatred, “If you don’t want to live the rest of your life fleeing from her, we can only catch up and kill her!”
“Brother Guo is right!” The others quickly nodded in agreement.
No longer hesitating, they hurriedly began the pursuit.
When Shan Qing Luo had first grabbed Yang Kai’s arm, she had wanted to drag him along with her as they escaped, but she quickly realized the speed of this little rascal was actually not much slower than her own. Every time his feet moved, he cast some kind of strange Movement Skill that seemed to instantly propel him forward several tens of meters.
Running at full speed, her proud peaks continuously brushed against and pressed onto Yang Kai’s arm, which made Shan Qing Luo’s cheeks blush bright red, and she soon released her grip.
“Don’t!” Yang Kai hurriedly stopped her, “My Movement Skill is only a short-ranged technique and my Yuan Qi is about to be exhausted, at that time I’ll need your help!” Yang Kai hurried held her hand.
“En!” Shan Qing Luo nodded slightly and continued holding Yang Kai’s arm as they dashed through the jungle.
Half an hour later, Guo Yuan Ming and his band were catching up!
They all knew what the consequences would be if they allowed Shan Qing Luo to escape, so they spared no effort in chasing her down.
Shan Qing Luo ground her teeth in hatred and anger, “If this time I can escape, I will let them suffer a fate worse than death!”
Yang Kai quickly quipped, “You should worry more about what will happen if they catch up to us.”
Shan Qing Luo’s complexion suddenly paled as a ripple of fear gripped her heart and sent a shiver through her tender body.
Suddenly, her beautiful face showed a touch of intoxicated blush and she resolutely declared, “If that is my fate will be… before then, I’ll give myself to you first! In any case, you’re not too terrible, at least a bit better than those damn bastards.”
“Ah…” Yang Kai looked towards her in surprise, half laughing half crying, “My fair lady, although I am happy you’d propose so, I know that if I accept your offer I won’t have a good end. So I’m afraid I’ll have to decline.”
Shan Qing Luo glanced at him bitterly and whispered, “So you already know?”
“Of course I know.”
In this life or death crisis, there was no need to hide anything, so Shan Qing Luo sighed and explained, “I have a special constitution called the Poison Widow Body!”
Yang Kai, somewhat scared, quickly said, “What kind of constitution is that, what are its characteristics?”
“When I become aroused, all my bodily fluids become highly toxic, including my breath!” Shan Qing Luo looked at him meaningfully. “Now you should understand why you fainted the last time I kissed you, right?”
Yang Kai quickly licked his lips, recalling the sweet and savory flavour from that experience.
“The more intense my emotional state, the more potent the poison becomes! Last time was just a little punishment. Who told you to be so presumptuous!”
However, Yang Kai simply grinned stupidly, “I also had no choice, who told you to catch me back then for no reason why? … All your bodily fluids, does that include… you know… down there?”
Shan Qing Luo’s face instantly turned bright red, and she violently cursed, “Shameless!”
Yang Kai hesitantly asked, “So if you’re intimate with someone, they die?”
“Yes!” Shan Qing Luo took a deep breath, already deeply regretting telling her secrets to this little bastard. This rogue dared to say anything that popped into his head. He was truly shameless. It was simply unbearable.
Yang Kai suddenly averted his eyes and asked, “Then… how about I get you in the mood then you spit a few mouthfuls of poison at them?”
“Can you at least try to be serious!” Shan Qing Luo really couldn’t stand it. Just what the hell was going through this little bastards mind right now?
“I was being serious.” Yang Kai said bluntly.
Even as the two quipped back and forth, their feet never stopped moving, racing forward as fast as the wind when all of a sudden, the area in front of them opened up, and they rushed out of the jungle.
The two of them suddenly paused, extremely shocked by the scene in front of them.
Not far away, there was actually another two groups of people.
One of the groups had completely surrounded the other, and the ones in the centre were all wearing faces of unwillingness and despair.
As Yang Kai swept his eyes over them, he couldn’t help being startled.
He found that the surrounded group was actually the group led by Qiu Yi Meng, the giant breasted Luo Xiao Man, and the Bai Family’s Bai Yun Feng were among them. In addition, there were three or four other True Element Boundary cultivators along with several dead bodies on the ground, blood constantly flowing from them.
The group encircling them were all staring maliciously towards Qiu Yi Meng’s group. Most of them directed their gaze towards Qiu Yi Meng and Luo Xiao Man’s bodies. Their eyes exposed an obscene light.
Qiu Yi Meng wryly smiled while Luo Xiao Man’s beautiful face had gone pale. The two women stood back to back, their breath ragged and their True Qi also completely depleted.
After escaping for so many days, they had finally been overtaken by the Devil Path cultivators of the Ash-Gray Cloud Evil Land. Experiencing a desperate battle where several of them had been killed, they had now been completely surrounded.
It was just as they came to understand that escape was impossible that Yang Kai and Shan Qing Luo suddenly appeared.
It was not that Yang Kai and Shan Qing Luo had been particularly careless, but the two of them had just been engaged in a less than decent conversation and had not expected there to actually be people ahead of them.
When the two appeared, they instantly attracted everyone’s attention.
The people surrounding Qiu Yi Meng and her group were all Ash-Gray Cloud Evil Land’s cultivators, their strength and number far exceeding that of Qiu Yi Meng’s side, so now they were just leisurely looking at the two women, ready to enjoy the desperate struggles these two beautiful women would put up.
The resistance of a beauty was always something to look forward to, especially Luo Xiao Man’s, with her full-bodied chest, trembling tremendously, shaking up and down as she panicked, it was nothing short of intoxicating, causing all of these men’s eyes to glow with desire as they stared towards her.
So even though they occupied the absolute advantage, these people were not actually in a rush to attack Qiu Yi Meng’s group. On the contrary, they were simply shamelessly ridiculing them, while lewdly gazing at the two women.
“Hahaha… there’s another one!” When Yang Kai and Shan Qing Luo appeared, one of the surrounding men with a cultivation at the True Element Boundary Eighth Stage suddenly laughed, staring indiscriminately at Shan Qing Luo.
Shan Qing Luo was known as the world’s most seductive woman, possessing a near infinite charm, this style and aura was no doubt more eye catching than even Qiu Yi Meng and Luo Xiao Man.
In particular, this devilish woman was now thoroughly dishevelled, covered in a fragrant sweat, her cheeks flushed red, causing her to appear even more enchanting and inviting.
As this burly man started at Shan Qing Luo with a fiery gaze, he shouted, “Big Brother, look here, another great beauty has come. This one is even more enticing than the other two!”
“Good! Since I was born, I have never had such an amazing woman, once Eldest Brother tastes the meat, we can drink some soup, then Eldest Brother can play with her again, then our little brothers can too! Such a woman, even a thousand times toying with her won’t be boring!” Another person excitedly shouted.
“There are also these two little girls here, although they aren’t quite as good as this woman, they’re still big beauties, the Heavens have truly blessed us today!”
“Ha ha ha …”
The group’s foul language made Qiu Yi Meng and Luo Xiao Man pale, even Shan Qing Luo’s expression sank.
However, amongst this group, there was one Immortal Ascension Boundary master who, after staring at Shan Qing Luo’s face for a moment, suddenly went white as he roared, “Everyone shut up!”
With this shout, all the laughter and jeers abruptly halted.
“What’s wrong Eldest Brother?” Everyone asked confusedly, none of them understanding why their leader’s face had suddenly drained of all colour.
That Immortal Ascension Boundary master, his forehead covered in sweat, suddenly cupped his fists and bowed solemnly to Shan Qing Luo, “Beast King’s servant Gu Tian Luo, greets Lady Demon Queen!”
While the others did not know Shan Qing Luo, this Immortal Ascension master had obviously recognized her. An extremely seductive woman, with a mole under the corner of her eye, wearing a fiery red dress …
If this was not the ruthless and murderous Beguiling Demon Queen, then who was?
If any man dared act the slightest bit presumptuous towards her, she would rip his corpse into ten thousand pieces.
And now, these brainless bastards kept bragging about how they would play with her till she was broken, constantly talking about how they would taste her flesh and drink her soup.
[It’s all over!] With her personality, none of them would be able to leave here alive today.
While trying to show the utmost respect and courtesy, Gu Tian Luo felt his heart freeze over; the high-spirited feeling of victory and the anticipation of the rewards to come all replaced by an overwhelming fear.
[These damn bastards! Courting death without even seeking it, even if you all want to die, don’t pull me down with you!]
He could have been enjoying the taste of these two little beauties, but instead he had fallen into hell, the change in circumstances was simply too great.
It was easy to imagine just how depressed Gu Tian Luo was feeling.
Moreover, this devilish woman also appeared to be in a bad mood. This time there really was no hope of escape.
Seeing Gu Tian Luo act so respectfully, the others were startled, quickly going over his words, he had called this woman ‘Lady Demon Queen’, in addition to that demonic woman who else would dare call themselves Lady Demon Queen?
In an instant, everyone’s jubilant mood had been completely destroyed, replaced with sheer terror and despair. [How could I have possibly just molested this woman!?]
As the situation continued rapidly changing, Qiu Yi Meng looked over and upon catching a glimpse of who it was who had just arrived, hurriedly shouted, “Yang Kai!”
However, Yang Kai simply grinned towards her and quietly squeezed Shan Qing Luo’s hand, urging her to quickly leave here. There was no doubt the several Immortal Ascension cultivators they were escaping were still chasing.
Shan Qing Luo secretly nodded, purposefully ignoring the crowd before her, not say a word and simply walking away with Yang Kai.
Seeing his attitude and understanding that he was planning on simply ignoring them, Qiu Yi Meng awkwardly wore an ugly smile and pleaded, “Yang Kai, you’re not planning to leave us to die right? Whatever the circumstances, we all came here together.”
Qiu Yi Meng was well aware of just how powerful Shan Qing Luo was; earlier, she had killed three Immortal Ascension Boundary masters as easily as three chickens! Although she felt some resentment towards her, but in the end she was also a fellow woman, falling into her hands was obviously a better choice than taking her chances with these scums.
That day, she had suddenly abducted Yang Kai, and now they had appeared here again, together, and obviously sharing an unspoken intimacy, so Qiu Yi Meng was certain they had developed some kind of relationship and decided to pin her hopes on convincing Yang Kai to help them.
As long as Shan Qing Luo decided to act, they could certainly escape this crisis.
“Yang Kai, please save us!” Luo Xiao Man also pleaded, her eyes filled with a mix of hope and entreatment.
“Ha ha … do we know each other?” Yang Kai smiled and stared at them indifferently.
Yang Kai was also a clay buddha crossing a river, he couldn’t even guarantee his own life right now so how could he concern himself with the wellbeing of others?
Not to mention that because Qiu Yi Meng had brought these people to High Heaven Pavilion, he had been separated from Su Yan. Instead of spending his days happily with her, he was spending every moment fearing for his life!
It could even be said that these two women and their companions were the root of all his current problems, Yang Kai not intentionally acting against them could already be considered benevolent.
“It’s me, Yang Kai, I’m Luo Xiao Man, and we’ve definitely exchanged greetings before!” Luo Xiao Man in her panicked state really thought Yang Kai didn’t remember them, quickly explaining herself in a desolate and desperate voice, “I beg of you, please help us!”
“What benefits do I gain by saving you?” Yang Kai chuckled, still moving away gradually together with Shan Qing Luoy.
“Whatever benefits you want, I and Elder Sister Qiu can give you!”
“Then if I want you, will you agree?”
Luo Xiao Man was suddenly rendered speechless, Qiu Yi Meng also couldn’t help taking a sharp breath, her face clearly showing a trace of disgust.
“It’s time to go!” Yang Kai whispered to Shan Qing Luo. “Before we leave, scare them a bit so they don’t bully those two!”
“Do you like them?” Shan Qing Luo looked suspiciously at Yang Kai.
“No, it just feels awkward if I abandoned them,” Yang Kai frowned. “In fact, I’m actually quite a tender soul.”
Shan Qing Luo giggled lightly, but before she had time to shout, Guo Yuan Ming’s angry voice roared, “Stop right there you cheap whore!”
Hearing this, the pair’s expressions sank, no longer concerning themselves with the situation before them, instead quickly moving to escape.
On the other hand, Gu Tian Luo looked up as his brow wrinkled, loudly shouting, “Brother Guo, is that you?”
Guo Yuan Ming was obviously surprised for a moment but was soon overjoyed, “Brother Gu, quickly block that slut Shan Qing Luo!”
“Ah …” Gu Tian Luo was instantly terrified, thinking that today his eight generations of ancestors must be cursing him from the grave, not only his useless underlings, even Guo Yuan Ming had gone completely insane.
[Even if you’ve all gone crazy, what do you want me to do?]
“This is a once in a lifetime Heaven sent chance, that devilish woman has been seriously injured and has lost most of her strength!” Guo Yuan Ming quickly shouted.
Gu Tian Luo suddenly stood up straight, now understanding why this vicious slut was in such a rush to leave, even directly ignoring all the slanderous offences his men had hurled at her.
[So she’s seriously injured!]
Immediately, the fear and panic on Gu Tian Luo’s face disappeared as he quickly formed a series of hand seals, releasing a golden light from his palms.
Yang Kai and Shan Qing Luo had only flown a few dozen meters before this golden light overtook them, suddenly transforming into a shimmering light curtain, blocking their path.
Yang Kai and Shan Qing Luo were caught off guard and crashed into this curtain head on, violently being thrown back by it.
As they fell to the ground, Guo Yuan Ming and the others who had been pursuing them immediately surrounded the two.
“Fuck!” Yang Kai cursed loudly, he truly had dog-shit luck today, running into more enemies even as he made his escape.
“Ha ha ha!” Guo Yuan Ming laughed wildly, glaring towards Shan Qing Luo coldly as he viciously cried, “Little slut, you can’t escape, stop wasting your energy!”
Shan Qing Luo coldly snorted as she glared menacingly towards Gu Tian Luo, her voice filled with ice, “Gu Tian Luo, you want to die?”
Gu Tian Luo’s neck involuntarily shrank but he soon let out a dismissive laugh, “Lady Demon Queen must be joking, of course I do not seeking death. Today, several of my underlings acted terribly disrespectfully to you, I just wanted to properly apologize to Lady Demon Queen, so I could only ask you to remain!”
“If you don’t want to die, kill all of them for me and I will forget that today’s offences ever happened!” Shan Qing Luo coldly ordered.
However, Guo Yuan Ming simply sneered, “Cheap whore! Still trying to intimidate all of us, do you really think you’re still at your peak? No matter what means you have left you should never expect to leave here today! Since I’ve dared offend you, I will do things absolutely! “
“That’s right!” Yuan Shi stepped forward and glared towards Shan Qing Luo, “If you want to keep your life, stop trying to resist, it would be a shame to have to kill you without gaining any benefits first!”
Seeing the situation develop to this point, Shan Qing Luo’s eyes filled with disdain as she let out an arrogant laugh, “If I go all out, I can at least force all three of you to accompany me on the road to hell, are you willing to come?”
The several gathered Immortal Ascension Boundary cultivators all frowned at these words, their expressions suddenly becoming awkward.
It was because they feared Shan Qing Luo’s desperate final resistance that even though they had surrounded her, none of them dared to act.
A thin dead camel was still taller than a horse; a rotten boat could still have three nails inside of it. In the end, no matter what condition she was in, the Beguiling Demon Queen was no ordinary master!
“Turns out… you were powerless to defend yourself in the first place!” Qiu Yi Meng stared curiously at Yang Kai and Shan Qing Luo, a touch of schadenfreude flashing across her eyes.
But… the strength of this red-clothed woman a few days ago was so overwhelming, how could she have been reduced to such a state today?
Although she derived a moment of pleasure from their suffering, she immediately remembered her own situation and couldn’t help letting out a sigh.
Luo Xiao Man’s eyes once again became hollow and gloomy, like a dark cloud covering the sky, blotting out all traces of light.
She had pinned all her hopes on Yang Kai and Shan Qing Luo, but now even the two of them had been encircled, a result far beyond her expectations, turning all of her prayers into one big joke.
“When the fight begins, you find a chance to escape!” Shan Qing Luo whispered softly to Yang Kai as she stared down her opponents.
However, Yang Kai turned a deaf ear to her words as he frowned as if he was deep in thought.
“Hey…” Shan Qing Luo gently nudged Yang Kai who seemed to be in a trace.
Yang Kai suddenly recovered, with a somewhat confused look upon his face as he quietly whispered back to her, “We may still have a chance.”
“Hm?” Shan Qing Luo glanced over in surprise.
“There’s something underneath this place!” Yang Kai tapped the ground softly.
Just now, he had stealthily released his Divine Sense to inspect the surroundings, wanting to see if there was anything nearby he could use to their advantage, but he had not thought he would suddenly discover signs of life beneath their feet.
On top of that… the amount of creatures was quite large, and many of them even possessed extremely potent vitality.
As he glanced around once again, sure enough this place was somewhat different. In this vast jungle, only a radius of about a thousand meters around them was completely devoid of trees, forming almost a perfect circle!
There was definitely something unusual underground, and although he did not know what it might be, he had no other choice but to take a risk on it.
At the very least, he could drag a few of these bastards down with him.
“Attack!” Guo Yuan Ming cried, seeing Yang Kai and Shan Qing Luo muttering to one another with their eyes shifting back and forth. He knew that they were certainly plotting something, so he no longer hesitated. Roaring angrily, he ferociously pushed his True Qi and immediately launched a powerful strike.
The others, seeing Guo Yuan Ming decisively act, also began their assault.
“Stall them for ten breaths!” Yang Kai yelled, as he hastily prepared to unleash his long-dormant Star Mark!
“What are you doing!” Exclaimed Shan Qing Luo, also not hesitating, as she hurriedly activated the silver bracelet on her wrist, transforming it into a silver light that darted out.
At the same time, she suddenly summoned a pink cloth fan into her hand. This fan was covered in exquisite images of men and women intertwining with one another, engaging in various indecent acts and assuming all kinds of obscene positions. These patterns were extremely vivid and lifelike.
As Shan Qing Luo poured her True Qi into the fan, she gently waved her hand, which seemingly brought these patterns to life, not only did it give off the appearance of moving men and women, but it even sent out waves of erotic and seductive moans.
A circle of light burst forth and wrapped up everyone in the surroundings with Shan Qing Luo at its center. Upon her enchanting face a charming smile blossomed as she fully displayed her enchanting figure. From her proud chest, her well rounded bottom, her delicate waste and her swaying hips, every part of her body seemed to radiate an irresistible attraction, which blanketed everyone around her.
Everyone present, be they, man or woman, whether it was a member of Qiu Yi Meng’s group or the Ash-Gray Cloud Evil Land cultivators, instantly looked slightly dazed. Those with slightly lower strength were, even more, affected becoming completely immersed in a boundless fantasy. Their eyes completely glossed over as they become unable to extricate themselves.
Qiu Yi Meng and Luo Xiao Man also began releasing seductive moans. Their legs buckled as they unconsciously sank to their knees, with both of their pretty faces dyed a charming pink…
The men and women on the cloth fan at this moment seemed to have transformed themselves into living creatures and desperately burrowed into everyone’s minds, almost as if they were expressing their joy at being able to meld with all those around them.
Delicate and sheltered girls like Qiu Yi Meng and Luo Xiao Man, seeing such a vivid scene for the first time, how could they possibly react?
Guo Yuan Ming was instantly frightened, desperately pushing his True Qi in order to resist the silver bracelet’s attack as she yelled, “Everyone be careful! It’s her Qing Luo Fan!”
The various Immortal Ascension Boundary masters also paled upon hearing this, and all of them fell back in a fluster, doing their best to focus their minds to resist this illusory attack.
They all knew about the power of this artifact. This is was an artifact passed down through Shan Qing Luo’s family, and even her own name had been derived from it.
With this Qing Luo Fan in hand, the power of her beguiling technique would be greatly enhanced!
Seeing everyone retreat, Shan Qing Luo smiled even more charmingly as she laughed sweetly, her voice like an enchanting music that swayed a person’s mind.
“Damn slut!” Guo Yuan Ming cursed loudly. His face blushed a bright shade of red, and he ground his teeth as he bitterly resisted this assault, “Let’s see how long you can keep this up! Once you’re True Qi runs out, I’ll strip you naked and ravage you here while everyone watches!”
Shan Qing Luo’s expression suddenly became cold as she waved her hand gently, increasing the speed and ferocity of her silver bracelet’s attack.
All of a sudden, a starry sky emerged, as if day had given way to night, streams of starlight burst out from the back of Yang Kai’s hand!
Violent True Qi fluctuations burst forth, the intensity of each subsequent wave more powerful than the last, even the Immortal Ascension Boundary masters present did not dare underestimate this attack.
Guo Yuan Ming and his compatriots all stared towards Yang Kai in astonishment as they saw him raise his glowing hand, seemingly lifting the starry sky with it.
Light also flashed across Shan Qing Luo’s eyes as she looked at Yang Kai in surprise, she had never imagined he was still hiding such a devastating technique.
If this attack struck any of the Immortal Ascension Boundary masters present, they would definitely die.
As the crowd watched on in horror, Yang Kai unexpectedly smashed his right hand onto the ground.
*Boom…*
Although the earth violently shook, Guo Yuan Ming and the others were all subconsciously relieved, they were all truly worried Yang Kai would choose them as his technique’s target.
*Kacha… ca…*
A distinct cracking sound soon spread out, which caused everyone to look down towards where Yang Kai had struck. From this epicenter, countless fissures began radiating outwards in all directions, spreading at an increasingly fast pace.
Guo Yuan Ming frowned, faintly feeling that something was wrong.
Even if that technique was incredibly powerful, it shouldn’t have produced such an effect.
Hurriedly releasing his Divine Sense to investigate, his expression instantly went stiff as he cried out, “Bad! The ground beneath us is hollow, and…”
Before he could finish, a loud crashing sound rang out, and the ground within a radius of a thousand meters suddenly collapsed and sent everyone tumbling down.
Yang Kai laughed happily, “Go!”
Probing the surroundings with his Divine Sense, he felt that the strong creatures beneath them had been alarmed by this collapse. If they didn’t leave now, it would definitely be too late.
Wrapping his arm around Shan Qing Luo’s waist, the latter simply glancing at him, offering no resistance, Yan Kai quickly shot up into the air.
Of course, Guo Yuan Ming and his companions would not just idly watch them escape. They also took to the air to pursue them, but before they could launch any kind of attack, they heard a series of puffing sounds from below them.
It was almost like someone or something was spitting at them.
“Ah ……” Yuan Shi screamed out. Hearing this, Guo Yuan Ming was thoroughly frightened and hurriedly looked down only to see a massive group of giant spiders. These spiders came in all sizes and colours but more importantly, one of them, about the size of an ox, had captured Yuan Shi in its web, wrapped him up, and was now hauling him away.
It was obvious at first glance just how tough this spider’s silk was, after all, Yuan Shi was an Immortal Ascension Boundary Second Stage master yet he was unable to free himself from his cocoon.
*Pu pu pu…*
More and more silk threads were constantly being spat from these spider’s mouths, quickly forming an inescapable net around all the cultivators present.
After only two breaths worth of time, most of these cultivators had been caught, dragged down to the ground, and wrapped up. Only the most agile amongst them, and those who had reacted the quickest by flying up were still free.
But… it was still too late.
Even Yang Kai and Shan Qing Luo had been hit by several of these silk thread projectiles and were slowly being pulled down.
“Damn it!” Yang Kai’s expression changed dramatically, and he pushed his True Qi to its limit, as he madly hacked away at these threads with his Asura Sword.
The Asura Sword was a Heaven Grade artifact. It’s sharpness was extremely high, so even though the Immortal Ascension Boundary masters here couldn’t break free from these threads, Yang Kai could still easily cut through them.
“This is it!” Shan Qing Luo let out an involuntarily shout as she stared towards the ground, “Turns out it was here!”
“Huh?” Yang Kai asked curiously.
“The thing I came out to find, it was right below us!” Shan Qing Luo’s eyes flashed a joyous light.
“You’ve been looking for a spider den?” Yang Kai was momentarily stunned but quickly remembered Shan Qing Luo saying that her special constitution was called the Poison Widow Body.
[Is her Poison Widow Body somehow related to these spiders?]
“Oh no, these silk threads contain poison.” Shan Qing Luo suddenly remembered, her face instantly becoming pale.
If she had arrived here when she was at her peak, she would not be afraid of the toxins hidden in these threads, but now that her strength had dropped so much she was unable to stop this poison from affecting her.
“Why didn’t you say so sooner!?” Yang Kai cried out in frustration as he too began to feel the effects of the poison, his strength draining as his consciousness started to blur.
This must be one big joke! Not only did he not manage to escape, he had instead trapped himself in an even worse situation.
Although Yang Kai knew beforehand that it would be dangerous to provoke whatever creatures were beneath them, he had not thought he would completely provoke so many powerful spiders.
The biggest spider, the one the size of an ox, was clearly a Sixth-Order Monster Beast! And surrounding it were at least twenty or thirty other Monster Beasts.
However, if he hadn’t acted, he and Shan Qing Luo would not have been able to escape Guo Yuan Ming’s clutches. So instead of being captured or killed by them, dragging them down with them could be considered an improvement.
Thinking so, Yang Kai’s consciousness gradually faded.
But before he fell completely unconscious, Yang Kai pushed both his palms forward and shot out a weakly glowing orb of light which quickly made its way into the body of one of the poisonous spiders.
Seeing this gambit succeed, the corners of his mouth slightly curved, tightly embracing Shan Qing Luo as the two of them fell to the ground.
That poisonous spider was stunned for a moment before continuing on as if nothing had happened, spitting more threads from its mouth, wrapping Yang Kai and Shan Qing Luo up before dragging them off.
After an unknown amount of time, Yang Kai slowly regained consciousness, his whole body still quite limp, unable to move, completely encased within a thick layer of spider silk.
From the vague shadows and images he could make out of the outside world, Yang Kai saw many silk cocoon-like objects huddled together.
At first glance, these things seemed somewhat familiar, and as he thought carefully, he realized that they looked nearly identical to the white silk chrysalis that Shan Qing Luo had been encased in when she was attempting her breakthrough one month ago.
Many of these cocoons showed traces of movement. Yang Kai slightly released his Divine Sense and immediately found that many of the stronger cultivators had woken up and were clearly trying to find a way to escape.
But with their bodies still poisoned, how could they hope to break free?
Upon his chest he suddenly noticed a warm breath and a faint fragrance wafting across his nose. When Yang Kai looked down, the first thing he saw was a head of soft supple black hair.
Shan Qing Luo, still in a deep sleep, was snuggly nestled in his arms. Their two bodies were pressed tightly together, and his arms were wrapped around her delicate waist. Feeling her supple body in his arms, and two amazingly elastic mounds pressed against his chest, Yang Kai couldn’t help feeling a bit stimulated.
After gently calling out to her a few times, Shan Qing Luo did not show any signs of waking.
So as a last resort, Yang Kai could only use his hands to slowly stroke Shan Qing Luo’s smooth delicate waist, gradually applying more and more strength until his fingers involuntarily sunk deeply into her supple lower region and severely massaged it a few times.
Feeling her shapely hips touched so aggressively, Shan Qing Luo finally woke up.
Unconsciously twisting her tender body, a seductive moan leaked from her mouth.
Hearing this, Yang Kai regained his wits and quickly stopped.
Seeing her pair of elegant enchanting eyes slowly open, Yang Kai hurriedly whispered, “Beauty, you have to control yourself!”
Once she became aroused, the consequences would be disastrous. After all, Yang Kai didn’t want to faint again after just waking up.
Her eyes were slightly confused for a while, then Shan Qing Luo quickly composed herself and recalled everything that had happened. Seemingly aware that Yang Kai had just pulled some kind of stunt, this devilish woman actually ground her teeth in frustration and glared at him, “Little bastard, what did you do ? “
However, Yang Kai just grinned and shrugged, “I was just trying to wake you up.”
Without waiting for her to shoot back, Yang Kai quickly re-directed the conversation, “What should we do now?”
Shan Qing Luo’s brow wrinkled as she struggled a little, soon finding that she and Yang Kai were tightly wrapped together by the silk cocoon unable to move about freely or even separate. She also quickly became aware of something hot and hard pressing against her lower abdomen.
Her lashes jittering, Shan Qing Luo giggled meaningfully as she glanced towards Yang Kai.
Understanding her meaning, Yang Kai without an ounce of embarrassment said, “It’s an instinctive reaction, definitely not intentional, you can only blame yourself for being too charming!”
However, Shan Qing Luo didn’t seem annoyed, just a bit shy as her cheeks became slightly pink.
“These spider webs are quite tough, it won’t be easy to break free from them.” Yang Kai frowned as he discussed their situation, “But, my artifact can still cut through them.”
“Don’t!” Shan Qing Luo quickly warned, her expression quite solemn “Right now we are quite weak, even if you can cut open this cocoon there’s no way for us to escape this place with so many Sixth-Order Monster Beast around. If we provoke them, we’ll only end up dying faster.”
Yang Kai nodded slightly. It was because he was worried about this exact point that he had not already tried to cut his way free. Although he had gained control of one of the Sixth-Order spiders before falling unconscious, in their current predicament it wouldn’t be enough to ensure their safe escape. For now, it was better if he simply allowed it to guard his and Shan Qing Luo’s safety.
“Earlier, you said you came here to find something?”
This subterranean cavern was clearly a spider’s nest, and not a normal spider’s nest at that. With so many Sixth-Order Monster Beasts living here, along with countless Fifth-Order and Fourth-Order poisonous spiders, this was definitely not a place to take lightly.
“This is the Spider Mother’s Den!” Shan Qing Luo softly replied, a faint sweet aroma wafting off her breath, like the scent of flowers, gently brushing past Yang Kai’s nose, which caused him some slight discomfort. “My family’s special constitution was acquired from here. It is said that one of my ancestors had come here by accident hundreds of years ago and was bitten by a great poisonous spider. After going back, her physique changed and was from that point on passed down from generation to generation.”
In this world, some people’s constitutions were very special, different from the average persons’.
So far, Yang Kai had only met one such person, Xia Ning Chang who possessed the Sacred Spirit Medicine Body!
And now, he had met Shan Qing Luo, the possessor of the Poison Widow Body. However, comparing the two, Shan Qing Luo’s special constitution was somewhat evil.
Most special constitutions were innate, unable to be inherited by one’s descendants.
But this Poison Widow Body was undoubtedly the kind of constitution that could be inherited!
“Every one of my ancestors, after their cultivation had achieved a certain height, would come here seeking something. Obtaining it would allow them the display the full potential of their physique.” Shan Qing Luo continued to explain “I have never been here before and had only learned the route from my mother, but I did not expect after all those twist and turns to inadvertently arrive here. Perhaps this is the will of the Heavens!”
Letting out a faint sigh, Shan Qing Luo wasn’t sure whether this was a fortunate or unfortunate development.
“Yang Kai?” As the two of them were speaking, all of a sudden they heard Qiu Yi Meng’s voice.
Apparently she had been placed next to them and had just now awoken. Yang Kai glanced around and soon discovered the source of her voice, a slightly struggling white spider cocoon a couple meters away from him.
“Elder Sister Qiu …” Luo Xiao Man’s voice also called out, coming from another cocoon to his right.
This was an unexpected coincidence, these two little girls actually being placed beside Yang Kai.
“Xiao Man, don’t be afraid, don’t move around too much, you don’t want to attract those Monster Beasts’ attention.”
Qiu Yi Meng was still quite calm, even taking the time to comfort Luo Xiao Man.
“En,” Luo Xiao Man swiftly replied, stopping her struggles.
“Yang Kai, I know you are next to me, I clearly heard your voice!” Qiu Yi Meng called out softly. Under such dangerous circumstances, she didn’t dare speak too loudly.
“What do you want?” Yang Kai snapped back. He very much didn’t like this woman. She had unreasonably come to High Heaven Pavilion, acting completely domineering, and without a word launched an attack which caused him to be separated from his companions and his lover.
“Still upset?” Qiu Yi Meng giggled lightly, her voice did not contain the slightest remorse or embarrassment. “Facing imminent death, will such a big man like you care so much about some past grievances with a little girl like me?”
“Little girl?” Yang Kai snorted, “The Qiu Family’s world’s famous first young lady, only twenty one years old yet already a True Element Boundary Ninth Stage master, the Qiu Family’s great hope for the future, the object of every Eight Great Families’ young master’s dreams? You dare call yourself some ‘little girl?’”
Qiu Yi Meng giggled happily, “You seem to know quite a bit about me, are you perhaps an admirer of mine?”
“Hah! Why would I concern myself with you?” Yang Kai spat disdainfully “This Young Master currently has this world’s most charming woman in his arms, her tender peaks pressed right up against my chest! Enough nonsense, if you have something to say just say it!”
Shan Qing Luo gently pinched and twisted Yang Kai’s waist, but her eyes still flashed a touch of pride.
Listening to others praise her charms was normally grating because they were no doubt hiding ulterior motives, coveting her beauty or profaning her in their minds, but somehow Yang Kai praising her felt comfortable. Just his comment about her chest was a bit distasteful.
“Must you use such foul language?” Qiu Yi Meng frowned.
“Then don’t bother listening if it offends you. I’m also too lazy to waste my spit on you.”
Qiu Yi Meng softly laughed, “But you’re right, in the face of the Elder Sister Shan, the dream woman of every man, I really can’t compare.”
Shan Qing Luo watery eyes twinkled slightly, and she softly whispered to Yang Kai, “This little girl really has some a quick wit, she probably has something she wants to request.”
Sure enough, Qiu Yi Meng quickly followed up, “Qiu Family Qiu Yi Meng greets Elder Sister Shan. A few days ago, I was unaware of Elder Sister Shan’s distinguished status, moreover I even offended you. I humbly ask Elder Sister Shan to not mind my impoliteness.”
Qiu Yi Meng had obviously heard Shan Qing Luo’s name, one of the six Great Evil Kings. Although she was currently the weakest, she was also the youngest, so there was no doubt that it would not be long before she could openly hold her own against the other five overlords.
One month ago, she had not known her identity, but now that she did, Qiu Yi Meng naturally did not show any disrespect.
“Hehe…” Shan Qing Luo giggled openly and smiled happily towards Yang Kai before leisurely responding, “Junior Sister Qiu’s tongue is quite sweet, but this Elder Sister Elder Sister you keep shouting about, I believe the gap in our ages isn’t that small.”
Qiu Yi Meng grinned happily and softly quipped, “Though Elder Sister is definitely older, she most definitely looks younger. If we were to go out together, others would only be able to think I am the Elder Sister.”
Hearing such praise, Shan Qing Luo smiled more radiantly, and her charm instantly magnified.
[This temptress!] Yang Kai took a deep breath, and did not dare to stare into her eyes, afraid he might lose control of himself, “Sister Qiu, please be at ease.” Shan Qing Luo quickly asked, no longer teasing Qiu Yi Meng. With the Beguiling Demon Queen as her partner, even this Qiu Family’s first young lady was under no small pressure, always on edge, afraid she may inadvertently anger her.
“What advice does Sister Qiu want to speak?”
“I don’t dare!” Qiu Yi Meng politely replied, “Junior Sister just wished to ask if Elder Sister has any way of escaping our current predicament?”
Shan Qing Luo was the strongest master here, and although she was also currently bound, she was still the best chance they had of making it out of this situation alive, and relying on the others like Guo Yuan Ming was not even worth considering.
“If Elder Sister has any way out of this, could you possibly bring our two Junior Sisters along with you?” Qiu Yi Meng asked cautiously “Elder Sister Shan will not regret doing so, my Qiu Family has a Treasure Bead, a naturally occurring Heaven Grade Top-Rank artifact. By perennially wearing it, it will preserve the beauty of Elder Sister Shan’s face, if you can help us, Junior Sister can have it brought to you.”
Shan Qing Luo’s beautiful eyes suddenly flashed, obviously somewhat interested.
Qiu Yi Meng was indeed the Qiu Family’s first young lady. Although she was young, she was still well versed in reading people’s hearts. If she promised Shan Qing Luo some outstanding Precious Treasures or high grade elixirs she would likely not be tempted, but this artifact specifically useful for maintaining a woman’s beauty was clearly different.
After all, which beauty didn’t want to maintain their youthful radiance and appeal?
Especially a Heavenly beauty like Shan Qing Luo, her face becoming yellowed and wrinkled after merely a hundred years was no doubt one of her biggest worries.
Observing Shan Qing Luo’s silence, Qiu Yi Meng knew that she had found a path forward and immediately pressed her advantage. She quickly followed up, “If Elder Sister Shan has any other request, please don’t hesitate to ask, as long as this Junior Sister can accomplish it, I will agree.”
“Oh… really?” Shan Qing Luo suddenly smiled slyly.
“Of course!”
“Good, then I want you and that little girl named Xiao Man!”
Qiu Yi Meng was startled, quickly wearing a forced smile, “What does Elder Sister Shan mean?”
“I have a little rascal here who seems to be very interested in both of you. If you can serve as his maidservants for a year, I’ll take you with me when I leave this place!”
“Hey…!” Yang Kai couldn’t help pinching the beauty before him, calmly saying, “Why are you trying to pull me into this? I don’t deny that I have some stray thoughts towards them, but that’s just a man’s nature. I don’t actually want to be involved with them.”
“I’m just casually saying things; I don’t actually have a way out of this mess.” Shan Qing Luo grinned.
“Are these his intentions?” Qiu Yi Meng replied, a gentle grating sound was apparent in her voice. Although she did her best to hide it, she was clearly irritated.
“Nope, these are just my whims!”
“Elder Sister Shan seems to be quite good towards him.” Qiu Yi Meng smiled helplessly and wondered why the Beguiling Demon Queen would take such an interested in this little High Heaven Pavilion brat.
[They… they’ve only known each other for less than a month or so. During that time, what exactly happened?]
“Please let me consider Elder Sister’s proposal!” Qiu Yi Meng bit her lip and whispered.
“En.” Shan Qing Luo didn’t force her any further, instead just nodding lightly.
Inside the spider’s sack, Yang Kai looked suspiciously at Shan Qing Luo, “Beauty… have you taken a fancy to me, so you’re suddenly being so generous to me?”
Shan Qing Luo blushed lightly and glanced towards him, “So what if I am?”
Yang Kai was instantly dumbfounded, “So you prefer having an old cow to eat tender grass? Gah… it hurts!”
Shan Qing Luo sneered and maliciously twisted Yang Kai’s chest as she grit her teeth, “Old cow eating tender grass? This Queen taking a fancy to you is your lifetime’s ultimate blessing!”
“I can’t accept such a blessing!” Yang Kai stared at her in shock, unable to believe what he was hearing. “Even if you’ve become taken with me, I have no way to really be with you. Why are you intentionally trying to seduce me?”
Shan Qing Luo’s face instantly became chilly, and she glared at him with a slightly murderous look. “You’ve already done so many bad things to me. Felt and explored every part of my body, yet you still refuse to take responsibility?”
“Simply by touching you a little, you’ve decided it is necessary for you to rely on me?” Yang Kai wryly smiled and stared back at her before he seriously replied, “Besides, I’m just a young kid without any previous experiences; before meeting you, I was both physically and mentally innocent, so in reality I’m the one who’s lost something! But out of fairness and virtue, why don’t we forget about all of that and just carry on as if it never happened?”
“You shameless lying little bastard! Being so skillful and aggressive, how could you have possibly had no experience?” Shan Qing Luo angrily glared at Yang Kai before suddenly revealing an elegant smile, “Each generation of my Poison Widow Body family will only ever develop emotional attachment to a single man. Since you’ve already emblazoned your image into my heart, don’t even dream of being able to escape in this lifetime!”
“…Fuck! How can the Heavens be so cruel!” Yang Kai complained vehemently.
“Hehe…” Shan Qing Luo giggled happily with a proud smile pasted upon her face and a victorious light flashing in her eyes.
But suddenly, a shrill scream rang out from nearby.
Everyone who had awakened heard this scream, held their breath, and perked up their ears to listen only to hear a slicing noise followed by the sound gushing liquid, and then they saw a bright red splash of light just outside the layers of spider silk imprisoning them.
“Young Lord… don’t come out, they’re just outside, ah!” After an anguished shout, there was quickly no more movement.
A moment later, an eerie sound of chewing could be heard.
Shan Qing Luo’s beautiful face slightly paled. Her soft tender body involuntarily pressed closer to Yang Kai, shrinking up into his arms.
“That was one of Bai Family’s man…” Luo Xiao Man’s voice tremblingly called out from beside them, a light whimpering obvious in her words. This girl, although her chest was large her courage was somewhat small. This one month of panicked fleeing had no doubt strained her nerves to their limit.
Usually, Qiu Yi Meng would quickly comfort her, but now that they had been captured and she had been separated from Qiu Yi Meng, she suddenly found herself isolated and alone, the pressure she felt was quickly becoming unbearable.
“Xiao Man, don’t cry, or else you’ll draw those spiders’ attention to you!” Qiu Yi Meng hurriedly called out, eagerly trying to soothe her.
But how could Luo Xiao Man all of a sudden control her emotions after losing control? Although she had quickly clamped her hands over her mouth, her sobs were still gradually becoming louder, leading to an ox-sized eight-legged spider soon arriving in front of her. Frightened by this, Luo Xiao Man let out a loud shriek and instantly fainted.
[We are doomed!] Everyone was certain that this girl had reached the end of her life.
Even Yang Kai couldn’t help holding his breath as he listened carefully to the noises around him.
Fortunately, for some unknown reason, this giant spider simply lingered around in front of Luo Xiao Man for a while before leisurely walking away.
*Haa…* Qiu Yi Meng let out a long sigh of relief. Her worst fears slowly receded, and she quickly discovered that her entire body had become soaked in cold sweat.
“It looks like even if we speak to one another, as long as we don’t make any attempt to escape they’ll ignore us,” Yang Kai said thoughtfully.
Unfortunately for that Bai Family cultivator, he had used some unknown method to escape from the spider sack and was thus condemned to death.
Listening to his hypothesis, everyone couldn’t help relaxing slightly. The sound of ragged breathing suddenly erupting from all over the cavern. Before now, everyone had tried their best to suppress the sound of their breath and even their own heartbeats.
“Brother Guo, Brother Guo…” Yuan Shi suddenly called out.
“I’m here!” Guo Yuan Ming quickly responded, softly whispering, “Brothers, are you alright?”
“Not really!” Gu Tian Luo joined in.
“Right now we’re only wrapped up in these spider sacks and are temporarily unable to move.” Yuan Shi continued, “We’re capable of breaking these webs but Brother Guo knows there are many of those spiders outside, right? How should we deal with them?”
Guo Yuan Ming was unable to reply, twenty or thirty Sixth-Order Monster Beasts. Altogether they only had five or six Immortal Ascension Boundary masters on their side. Clearly, they weren’t worthy opponents. And these spiders’ ability to shoot webs was really overwhelming, even if they were capable of flight they would not necessarily be able to escape.
“Damn it! How did this happen?!” Yuan Shi cursed angrily, “Why are there so many spiders here?”
Shan Qing Luo couldn’t help letting out a light laughter, reveling in these mens’ anguish, sarcastically quipping “Retribution!”
Guo Yuan Ming quickly became enraged, cursing viciously, “Cheap slut! You’d better pray that I don’t manage to escape from here, if I get out, sooner or later I’ll make you suffer a fate worse than death! I’ll make you beg for mercy under this Lords crotch!”
Shan Qing Luo face suddenly went cold as she inhaled a deep breath. She wanted to retort, but eventually didn’t saying anything.
Since no one here could actually fight, in a war of insults, a woman was never a man’s opponent, cursing back at them with any kind of unscrupulous words would only serve to stain Shan Qing Luo’s dignity further.
“Hahaha!” Seeing her chose to remain silent, Yuan Shi burst out into laughter, “Brother Guo, this whore’s fame is legendary, and you alone might not be her opponent! Be careful that she doesn’t suck you dry!”
Gu Tian Luo also lewdly called out, “Good thing Brother Guo isn’t alone! There are so many of us brothers here to help.”
“Fuck yeah! Wait until we escape this storm, with more than a dozen of us brothers taking turns nonstop, I’d like to see how many days and nights this world’s greatest slut can persist for!”
“Elder Brother Yu, you cultivate a yin-yang absorbing art, right? Which do you think is more potent, your Secret Art or her Beguiling Technique?”
That Brother Yu wore a vicious grin, “Between our two Secret Art’s strength, how could I dare compare myself with this wench! Everyone knows this slut spends all night crying out in ecstasy, draining the Yang Yuan force from an untold number of men then tossing their dried up dead husks into mass graves! But if both our Secret Arts aren’t used, this Lord has confidence that this bitch will soon choose to submit!”
“Hahaha! Brother Yu has such great style!”
“Brother Ban, I heard a few days ago you received quite a number of girls; all of them beautiful virgins. After we escape from here, you should contribute a few of them to us, let your brothers share in your fun!”
“Good idea Brother Yu!” Guo Yuan Ming loudly applauded, although he was still slightly unnerved by their current predicament, even he couldn’t stop his breath from becoming heavy, and he laughed wretchedly, “At that time, we’ll cripple this so called Demon Queen’s cultivation, then force feed her some violent stimulants, then while we brothers play with Brother Ban’s new girls, we can watch this slut writhe in agony.”
“Hahaha! At that time, I’m sure this arrogant Demon Queen will cry out and beg us to rape her!”
“After we play with her a thousand times, we’ll sell her to this world’s filthiest whore house so that those beggars, cripples and wastes can have a turn with her! After a few years living there, forget being this world’s most charming woman, I’m afraid even wild dogs won’t be able to stand her rotten stench!”
“Ha ha ha…”
…
As their foul language became uglier and uglier, this group of the Ash-Gray Cloud Evil Land cultivators suddenly found themselves unable to stop, and they released their pent up bitterness by profaning Shan Qing Luo with the most horrid and obscene insults they could hurl.
As these words reached her ears, Shan Qing Luo’s face became more and more cold, and her breathing slowly increased. Her tender body trembled involuntarily, and her beautiful eyes were now dyed completely in murderous light, as her anger reached never before seen heights.
Yang Kai who was with her also couldn’t help becoming indignant.
“I’ll kill them! Sooner or later I’ll slaughter each and every one of them like dogs!” Shan Qing Luo ground her teeth as she clenched her fists. Her mouth constantly murmured such thoughts. She was the Beguiling Demon Queen. Usually no man dared even gaze upon her much less insult her with obscene curses, but now that they had all fallen into the tigers den, these few trash servants of the Beast King had debased her no less than a hundred times.
“Don’t worry, I’ll help you vent your anger!” Yang Kai suddenly chuckled loudly.
“Hmm?” Shan Qing Luo suddenly looked up at him.
“Well, just listen!” Yang Kai grinned mysteriously, and his face slowly became cold.
This group of evil cultivators were still continuing their presumptuous tirade, spewing mouthfuls of base insults, venting to their hearts content, when suddenly one of them screamed out in horror.
All of a sudden this conversation came to an end.
“Brother Yuan, what happened? What happened to you?” Guo Yuan Ming asked frantically. The voice that had cried out no doubt belonged to Yuan Shi, but after that he no longer spoke.
“Brother Yuan!”
Several others also called out, yet Yuan Shi still didn’t respond.
An unknown feeling of dread slowly began to envelop the crowd, but before they could figure out what had happened, another scream rang out.
This time it was that Brother Yu, he cried out in pain, screaming in despair, “Why!? This Lord didn’t try to escape, why are you attacking me?”
As he screamed, this Brother Yu quickly tried to release a Martial Skill.
However this only served to bring more attention to himself, soon drawing many more giant spiders towards him. Within a mere few breaths of time, this Brother Yu had become a shredded corpse.
Everyone instantly fell silent, and no one dared to speak.
Shan Qing Luo’s beautiful eyes filled with an astonished light, and she quickly gazed suspiciously towards Yang Kai, while trying to figure out what secret hand he had played in these events.
However, Yang Kai simply grinned and softly whispered, “It’s not over yet.”
As soon as he spoke these words, another panicked voice cried out, “Brother Ban, one of those spiders is moving towards you!”
“What?” A panicked voice cried out, this Brother Ban clearly didn’t want to sit still and wait for death, so he instantly began pushing his True Qi and with a great roar violently ripped the silk cocoon holding him, but just as he emerged, a sharp knife-like spider leg chopped down on his head.
After a violently blooming crimson flower burst forth, a severed head rolled down to the ground, quickly followed by a fountain of blood spraying out.
“What’s going on!?” Guo Yuan Ming cried out.
All of them had thought that there would be no problem if they spoke as long as they didn’t try to escape, but now it seems like they had unwittingly drawn the attention of these spiders.
At that moment, the sound of movement suddenly came from in front of Guo Yuan Ming accompanied by the faint outline of a giant Sixth-Order Monster Beast spider appearing through the thick white spider silk cocoon before him.
“Brothers, these spiders have started indiscriminately slaughtering, we have to escape now!” Guo Yuan Ming roared loudly, instantly split open the cocoon which was binding him, and launched an all-out assault towards the giant spider before him, using the rebounding force from this attack to fling himself backwards.
Seeing Guo Yuan Ming act so decisively, the others didn’t dare hesitate. All of them used whatever means available to them to escape from these sacks and follow behind him.
*Pu pu pu….*
Instantly, the surrounding twenty or thirty Sixth-Order Monster Beasts pounced onto these evil cultivators, wantonly spitting out threads of silk and captured everyone one by one, not allowing a single one of them to escape, and soon all of them were once more wrapped up and turned into squirming dumplings.
Instantly, everyone was captured again.
A giant ox-sized spider stood watch nearby as this whole process took place. It then slowly walked over to these people, spat some more silk, wrapped them up, and pulled them back into the den.
Seeing that they temporarily didn’t have to fear for their lives, this group of frightened people subconsciously relaxed slightly, but were suddenly somewhat confused about why these spiders had begun to slaughter earlier.
But before they had completely relaxed, the giant spider which had previously been wantonly killing before, again raised its sharp foreleg and mercilessly stabbed down.
*Pu…*
Blood spattered, screams rang out and Guo Yuan Ming’s body was viciously pierced. He struggled fiercely, roaring in pain as he rolled around, but this spider no longer paid him any attention, and allowed the other spiders to haul him away, leaving behind a long bloody streak as he was dragged off.
Not only Guo Yuan Ming, all of the Ash-Gray Cloud Evil Land cultivators were stabbed by this spider. A few of them with bad luck were killed on the spot, while those who didn’t were scared senseless.
Endless screams were heard, and one bloody stain after another was left behind on the ground, a truly gruesome scene.
Qiu Yi Meng’s pair of beautiful eyes was filled with horror. Her face wore a look of sheer panic. After just listening to Guo Yuan Ming’s words, she had nearly made a desperate escape herself.
But if she had really broken free, she most likely would have died as well.
Fortunately, just before she was about to escape, she had glanced over and saw that Yang Kai and Shan Qing Luo remained perfectly still. Since these two were not moving, Qiu Yi Meng also decided to trust their instincts. She grit her teeth and pinned all her hopes on Shan Qing Luo.
Now it seems she really had made the right choice.
As the rest of the Ash-Gray Cloud Evil Land cultivators were dragged off, all of the remaining Monster Beasts looked at their bloodthirsty comrade, confused as to why it had suddenly decided to kill these people.
After a long period of silence, these Monster Beasts gradually dispersed.
“Why…” Guo Yuan Ming asked weakly. His hand clutched his stomach, and he was unable to even circulate his Secret Art. His blood steadily flowed out, and his voice was filled with weakness, “Why did this happen?”
These beasts seemed to have specifically targeted his Ash-Gray Cloud Evil Land brothers, sparing everyone else. This point alone confounded Guo Yuan Ming.
“Must be retribution. Ha ha ha!” Yang Kai’s rampant laughter quickly reached his ears.
“What did you do?” Shan Qing Luo gazed at Yang Kai with her eyes full of disbelief.
Yang Kai just said that he would help her vent her anger, and then these people suffered a fierce attack. If Yang Kai now professed he had not played any role in this, Shan Qing Luo would never believe him.
But she had truly not seen him made any suspicious moves, so how had he controlled that Sixth-Order Monster Beast?
“Cool, right?” Yang Kai grinned smugly.
Shan Qing Luo’s pair of infinitely charming eyes suddenly filled with a strange light as she stared deeply into Yang Kai’s. A touch of passion flashed across them.
Suddenly, standing on her tiptoes she gently lifted herself up and pressed her red lips onto his.
“Wu…” Yang Kai was caught completely by surprise, his arms already wrapped around Shan Qing Luo’s slender waist involuntarily exerting more strength, and pressed this devilish woman’s tender body closer to his own, seemingly trying to melt their two bodies together.
Her pair of thin red lips were soft yet also hot. Not only did they feel erotic the flavour they held was entrancing enough to soften his bones.
As the two passionately locked lips, Shan Qing Luo’s breath began to carry a strange fragrance, prompting her to quickly stop.
Gazing towards Yang Kai, she couldn’t help smiling mischievously, “We can’t… for too long, if I… if I really become entranced, it won’t end well.”
Yang Kai grinned, his expression quite bitter. Licking his lips as he said, “Damn it, you devilish woman! A poor young man like me falling into your grasp, how could my end be good?”
“Hmph, taking advantage of me so much is your life’s good fortune!” Shan Qing Luo said, her voice full of meaning, “Other men can’t even gaze upon me yet you’ve already stolen so much from me.”
“First off, I didn’t make you do all that,” Yang Kai said in a straightforward tone.
“What are you two doing?” Qiu Yi Meng asked softly.
“Expressing our undying love for one another!”
“Shameless!” Qiu Yi Meng quickly shouted before falling silent, her face slightly red, [No wonder there was a strange heavy breathing coming from their side.]
As time passed by, and the sun and moon rose and fell…
It had been a couple of days since these spiders had caught them, and those who were left were still trapped inside these cocoons, unable to escape. Yang Kai and Shan Qing Luo had been cuddled together this whole time. This devilish woman was worthy of her notoriety. Every one of her actions, a simple breath, and single glance, was enough to seduce Yang Kai and throw his emotions into a whirl. But because of her special physique, Yang Kai didn’t dare act too presumptuously, even unable to tease her too much, so these days had been quite difficult for him.
Qiu Yi Meng close by somehow maintained her calm. From start to finish, she did not show any concern or panic. Meanwhile Luo Xiao Man shed numerous tears every day, obviously quite scared.
The little brat Bai Yun Feng also woke up a while ago but since he learned about all the recent developments he had remained silent, unsure of what to do or think.
The Ash-Gray Cloud Evil Land’s cultivators had all died miserable deaths, some of them from being torn apart while others from excessive blood loss.
On this day, Yang Kai suddenly discovered the presence of an extremely tyrannical blood force while he was exploring the surroundings with his Divine Sense.
The strength of this presence and the murderous aura it radiated dwarfed even those of the many Sixth-Order Monster Beast spiders. Its appearance was very abrupt, as if it had always been there but had only just woken up now.
Before he even had time to warn Shan Qing Luo, a pressure like the entire world was shaken descended upon them, like the Earth was splitting and the Heavens were shaking.
From some unknown place, everyone present suddenly felt like something was gazing towards them.
Under this unseen gaze, no matter who it was they couldn’t help feeling small and humble, unable to lift their heads before this presence.
Yang Kai also became pale, his True Qi unconsciously circulated.
However, Shan Qing Luo quickly shouted, “Don’t move!”
“Hmm?” Seeing her act like this, Yang Kai felt she knew something about this presence and couldn’t help asking.
“It’s her.” Shan Qing Luo beautiful eyes slightly trembling, an extremely complex look surfacing on her face.
“Who?”
“The Spider Mother!” Shan Qing Luo softly replied, “A Seventh-Order Monster Beast! None of us are its opponent!”
“Seventh-Order?” Yang Kai gasped in shock.
“En.” Shan Qing Luo nodded solemnly, “How else do you think this group of Monster Beasts is able to live here so care freely? A Sixth-Order Monster Beast’s Beast Core is extremely valuable, and with so many Sixth-Order Monster Beasts around, without this Spider Mother watching over them, they’d have long been harvested clean.”
With a Seventh-Order Monster Beast here, even if someone accidentally discovered this place and had thoughts about harvesting the Sixth-Order Monster Beasts for themselves they would have to weigh whether or not they could bear the cost.
“However, most of the time the Spider Mother is either busy spawning her young or sleeping, so unless someone deliberately attacks this place she will not pay them any mind.” Shan Qing Luo whispered, “See that stone spider statue over there?”
In the direction she indicated, Yang Kai really could see the outline of a stone statue. It was incredible immense and obviously in the shape which greatly resembled the spider Monster Beasts in this den.
“The Spider Mother usually lives inside that statue, and the thing I’ve come here for should also be there, her venom! In this world, only women who posses the Poison Widow Body can safely enter that stone statue.”
“Is it possible for the Spider Mother to feel your blood force?”
“En, that should be the case.” Shan Qing Luo nodded. This was the first time she had come here, so she was not completely sure of the situation.
“Then you should try consulting with her and see if she’s willing to let us go,” Yang Kai suggested.
“I can only try!” Shan Qing Luo bit her lip, but didn’t make any promises.
Closing her eyes, she tried her best to communicate with the Spider Mother following the method her own mother had left behind to her.
A moment later, an enchanting voice floated into everyone’s ears, even Yang Kai could hear it clearly.
“Hm? Are you this generation’s Poison Widow Body woman?”
Yang Kai’s expression suddenly change, twisting his head around to scan his surroundings but unable to see anything; the voice was crisp yet soft, like the sound of an alluring beauty softly whispering, causing people’s minds to sway.
Shan Qing Luo quickly whispered, “Don’t panic, this is just the Spider Mother using her Divine Sense to speak with me!”
Yang Kai was suddenly aghast.
A Monster Beast that was capable of communicating with people using its Divine Sense!
This was the first time he had encountered a Monster Beast with such abilities. He knew that a Sixth-Order Monster Beast wouldn’t be able to accomplish this yet this Spider Mother Seventh-Order Monster Beast before him could.
Shan Qing Luo quickly yet solemnly replied, “Yes! This Junior pays her respects to the Spider Mother!”
“Who is Han Fei Yan to you?” Asked the Spider Mother calmly.
“Han Fei Yan is my mother!” Shan Qing Luo promptly replied, careful not to show the slightest disrespect.
“It has been thirty years since then… it seems this generation has already grown up, but how is it that your strength is so low?”
Shan Qing Luo couldn’t help smiling wryly, “Junior encountered a minor accident, after some days my strength should be fully restored.”
“En.” The Spider Mother softly acknowledge, remaining silent for a moment before continuing, “Since you have already found your way here, I shall grant you what you came for and the allow you to leave. At any rate, you can somewhat be considered my descendant so we share at least some connection!”
Seeing how well things had gone so far, Shan Qing Luo couldn’t help smiling happily, quickly asking, “Please forgive this Junior, Spider Mother, but would you be willing to let the people who came here with me leave as well?”
Yang Kai suddenly looked towards Shan Qing Luo in astonishment, seemingly not expecting this devilish woman to be so compassionate.
*Hmph!* The Spider Mother coldly snorted, loudly proclaiming, “These people dared damage my nest and now have delusions about leaving it alive? Aside from you, my child, everyone else must die!”
“Spider Mother, please recons…”
“Enough nonsense!”
Shan Qing Luo grit her teeth and glanced towards Yang Kai, a look of struggle flashing across her face but soon she regained her calm as her will became firm, “Please Spider Mother, at least I must take him away!”
“Such impudence!” The Spider Mother voice carried a hint of annoyance, even going so far as to have her underling spiders approach the various cocoon sacks here.
“Forget it, I shall grant you five days of time to carefully consider your situation. After five days I will awaken again and if you still insist on not wanting to leave alone… then there will be no need for you to leave at all!” After delivering this cold ultimatum, the Spider Mother fell silent again.
The daunting pressure which had been pressing down on everyone also vanished without a trace; apparently the Spider Mother had once more fallen into a deep sleep.
Qiu Yi Meng and Luo Xiao Man couldn’t help trembling. They too had heard the conversation between Shan Qing Luo and the Spider Mother a moment ago. They too were similarly as horrified as Yang Kai was, never imagining that such a powerful Monster Beast existed in this world.
Bai Yun Feng nearby also involuntarily let out a desolate voice, “So in five days’ time we will all die?”
Although all of them had been in a constant state of anxiety, the surrounding spiders had yet to actually make a move towards them, so many of them still held out some hope, but now, after listening to the Spider Mother’s judgement sentencing them to death just five days later, how could any of them be willing to accept?
With his mind thrown into panic and facing imminent death, Bai Yun Feng suddenly snapped and shouted, “Yang Kai, I, your Father, will make sure you pay for this!”
“What the fuck is your problem!” Yang Kai cursed, extremely irritated.
“Hey hey…” Bai Yun Feng grinned and viciously retorted, “If it weren’t for you smashing the ground earlier, how could we have all gotten caught by this group of spiders?”
“If I didn’t do that how could you still be alive to whine about it now? All of you would have already been killed by Guo Yuan Ming and his gang already!” Yang Kai sneered, knowing that Bai Yun Feng couldn’t be reasoned with right now.
“This Young Lord is the first son of the famous Bai Family! Would they really have killed me?” Bai Yun Feng snorted. “As long as I had reported my true identity, they would definitely have taken me hostage to exchange with my Bai Family rather than murdering me.”
“Maybe you wouldn’t have died, but if Young Lady Qiu and Young Lady Luo had fallen into their hands… hah, I’m afraid they wouldn’t be able to hold on to their innocence anymore. I think that if they had been given a choice they would have still chosen to be stuck here in this spider sacks rather than being caught by those bastards.”
“Why should I give a damn about their innocence? I just want to live!” Bai Yun Feng roared loudly.
As soon as he had spoken these words though, he suddenly realized that it was not something he should have said out loud, suddenly becoming silent.
“Bai Yun Feng… I didn’t think you were so…” Luo Xiao Man’s sad voice softly echoed, an infinite amount of disappointment and disgust contained within it.
A woman’s purity was sometimes more important to her than her life. At that time, Luo Xiao Man would have gladly taken her own life rather than be humiliated if they had been caught by the Ash-Gray Cloud Evil Land brutes.
Qiu Yi Meng quickly followed up, “Everyone always values their own life the most Xiao Man, don’t pay him any mind!”
Her voice didn’t contain any fluctuations, neither sadness nor disappointment, just coldness.
“Facing death, it seems those from the Bai Family can only become cowards!” Luo Xiao Man sneered.
“Hmph, say what you’d like.” Bai Yun Feng snapped back, not showing the slightest remorse. He had already completely offended these two women now so even if they managed to escape from this place, although they wouldn’t immediately become enemies, he would never associate with them again.
Yang Kai and Shan Qing Luo on the other hand were silently watching each other.
After a long time, Yang Kai wrinkled his brow, “If you wanted to leave, you could have just gone now, and that Spider Mother doesn’t seem to have any intention to retain you.”
Shan Qing Luo slowly shook her head, “But if I left just now, you wouldn’t be able to leave with me.”
Yang Kai’s expression suddenly cramped before it became serious, and he hesitated for a while before continuing, “Our friendship doesn’t seem to be close enough for you to care so much about me, just like Qiu Yi Meng said, people always care most about themselves.”
Shan Qing Luo however just smiled back at him.
“You’re not serious about all this, are you?” Yang Kai’s brown slightly wrinkled.
“I told you before, a woman who possesses the Poison Widow Body will only ever love a single man for her whole life, when have I ever not been serious towards you?” Shan Qing Luo sighed faintly, “If it weren’t for you barging into my Knowledge Sea earlier I really would be too lazy to care about your life or death. Little bastard, you’re so shameless and lustful, I really should kill you so you don’t taint all the innocent girls you’ll meet from now on, but with things progressing as far as they have, I really don’t have any other choice anymore.”
Shan Qing Luo really couldn’t bear to watch him die, that is, unless she could accept her Secret Art never reaching the grand accomplishment stage! Since this feeling of love had taken root in her heart, it growing into an all-consuming impulse was just a matter of time.
Once her emotions reached a peak, she would need to spend her first night with her beloved man.
Moreover, a Poison Widow Body woman, once in love, would be far more sentimental and devoted than an average woman.
This made this family of women bearing a truly tragic existence.
On the one hand, there was the death of her one love, while on the other there was the grand accomplishment stage of their Secret Art.
Even if they abandoned cultivating their Secret Art in favor of saving their love, it would not stop the attraction and temptation from consuming them.
Han Fei Yan, Shan Qing Luo’s mother, experienced such a situation, where she one night lost control of herself and slept with her husband, only to wake the following morning from this drunken stupor to discover what had happened, spending the rest of her life in pain and regret.
Yang Kai’s face became extremely solemn, deeply staring into Shan Qing Luo’s eyes, seemingly wanting to see into the depths of her heart, hoping to read her true thoughts.
Shan Qing Luo simply smiled and without hesitating took the initiative to unlock her Knowledge Sea’s defense, whispering softly, “If you don’t believe me, see for yourself!”
Yang Kai, though surprised, didn’t hesitate, plunging his Divine Sense directly into her Knowledge Sea.
Inside, he once again witnessed the sight of an endless ocean.
Above this vast sea, an image of Shan Qing Luo sat softly upon the wind, gazing towards Yang Kai’s Divine Sense, gently saying, “Do not touch my image, it represents my Soul. If you do, the consequences will be disastrous.”
“I know,” Yang Kai acknowledged softly.
If two Souls were to blend, they would be able to taste sweetness more than a thousand times more potent than if they had intimately embraced one another, but if their wills weren’t stable enough, the only result would be them losing themselves in this feeling, instantly becoming idiots.
Yang Kai, of course, understood this so he paid special attention not to act recklessly.
Shan Qing Luo’s Soul avatar quickly waved its hand, sending a ball of light into Yang Kai’s Divine Sense.
Absorbing all the information contained within this light sphere, Yang Kai gained intimate insight into all the emotional experiences of this devilish woman along with all her thoughts about their relationship without the slightest omission.
He also saw and comprehended the effects her special constitution and Secret Art would eventually have, realizing their future destiny.
As these innumerable scenes flashed before him, it was so vivid that it was like he was living them himself.
After a long time, Yang Kai slowly withdrew from her Knowledge Sea.
As their eyes met once more, Shan Qing Luo smiled happily, “Now do you believe me?”
This time, Yang Kai nodded firmly, never imagining that the Secret Art of this seductive woman had such special effects.
Smiling wryly, Yang Kai couldn’t help asking, “Should I say I am honored or that I have bad luck?”
He had confirmed that her feelings towards him were not an act, but in the end it still resulted in her needing his life.
Shan Qing Luo’s face suddenly became a bit dark, whispering under her breath, “The women in my family do not really want to kill their beloved man, but sooner or later this impulse becomes unbearable, so no matter how far they separate themselves, they will eventually find their way towards him, and whether consciously or unconsciously they will give their innocence to him while at the same time taking his life!”
Although sacrificing one’s life for the woman they loved was a romantic thought, but in the end it that was simply rhetoric, when the time really came, no man would truly be happy about such a fate.
“Have you never thought about solving this issue?”
“Naturally I have thought about it, but I have no idea how to even begin.” Shan Qing Luo slowly shook her head.
“En, let’s not talk about that first.” Yang Kai nodded, a bit forlorn, not discussing the matter any further.
“En.”
“Since you aren’t willing to leave me behind, we’ll just have to find a way to escape from here together.”
“After five days, when the Spider Mother wakes up again I’ll trying to convince her again.”
“If she doesn’t agree?” Yang Kai frowned.
“Then I’ll keep trying until she does.” Shan Qing Luo revealed a pouting expression, her face not showing any sign of worry.
On the other hand, Yang Kai’s eyes flashed, quietly asking, “If you could fully restore your strength, could you escape from here?”
“Naturally.” Shan Qing Luo nodded. “But right now my strength is only equivalent to a True Element Third Stage cultivator and it will take several months for me to fully heal.”
“I may be able to do something about that.” Yang Kai grinned meaningfully; after viewing all of Shan Qing Luo’s deepest thoughts, he now felt much more relaxed around her.
This seductress appeared to be the very definition of debauchery. Her name was world famous. Her methods were legendary, but in reality, before they had encountered each other, she was actually a pure blank slate.
Although she knew an incredible amount about the interactions between men and women, she had actually never had any personally experience in such matters.
“What are you planning to do?” Shan Qing Luo asked curiously.
Yang Kai subtly swiped his hand past his sleeve and extracted a small piece of Myriad Drug Cream, “Swallow this!”
Shan Qing Luo glanced at him suspiciously, not knowing what kind of mysterious compound he was offering her, but she still opened her thin lips.
She softly licked the Myriad Drug Cream with her pink tongue.
“Quickly circulate your healing art to refine it!”
Even without Yang Kai say this, the moment the Myriad Drug Cream touched her lips, Shan Qing Luo’s face showed a clear look of surprise, hurriedly closing her eyes and circulating her Secret Art.
Thought her strength had fallen, the main reason for this was because of the backlash from her Secret Art, so in the end it was simply her suffering from internal injuries.
With the help of this small piece of Myriad Drug Cream, such injuries would be quickly restored.
Even though there was only five days before the Spider Mother would wake up again, using the Myriad Drug Cream Shan Qing Luo would absolutely be fully healed before then.
With nothing else to do, Yang Kai also began silently adjusting his state to its best.
As time passed, the momentum and True Qi fluctuations Shan Qing Luo radiated became stronger and more violent, obviously she was quickly recovering.
Noticing this change, the silent Qiu Yi Meng couldn’t help glancing towards Shan Qing Luo’s cocoon. Her pair of beautiful eyes flashed with a hesitant light, and she struggled with herself about what to do.
Having been trapped here for so many days, her strength had long ago been restored, but with so many Sixth-Order Monster Beasts lurking nearby, even though she could break free from this cocoon, she didn’t dare take such a reckless action.
But Shan Qing Luo’s sudden movement had let her once again see hope of survival.
Just… the conditions she had been given caused Qiu Yi Meng to hesitate.
After all, she was the first young lady of the famous Qiu Family, how could she possibly become the maidservant of some unknown junior? Forget about her exalted status, even Luo Xiao Man possessed a nobler position than this kid. If such an arrangement were to be spread out, what face would the Qiu Family and Purple Fern Valley have left?
On top of all that she would have to endure such a position for a whole year. Over the course of a year, who knows what that shameless little bastard would do.
Three days later.
Shan Qing Luo suddenly opened her enchanting eyes. A glistening light glowed within them, and her soft tender body seemingly contained a terrifying momentum.
“Better?” Yang Kai hurriedly asked.
“En.” Shan Qing Luo nodded delightedly and gazed at Yang Kai with great interest, “You’ve hidden your depths quite well, who knew you still had such an amazing treasure.”
However, after showering him with praise, she quickly reached out and viciously pinched Yang Kai’s chest, fiercely twisting as she ground her teeth, “You had such a good thing all along, how come you didn’t give it to me sooner? You little bastard, you really were still quite wary of me weren’t you?”
Looking embarrassed, Yang Kai could only laugh awkwardly.
If she had not freely shown him her most intimate thoughts earlier, how could Yang Kai have dared help this devilish woman restore her full strength?
“Since you’ve recovered, let’s leave here quickly.” Yang Kai lightly squeezed her delicate hand.
A look of hesitation crossed Shan Qing Luo’s face suddenly, quietly whispering, “Since we’ve come all this way already, I want to take some of the Spider Mother’s venom first, or else after taking you away this time, she will certainly become enraged and no longer allow me to come here.”
“Are you sure you can succeed?”
“Fairly, do you still have control over that spider?”
“En.”
“Good, then let it cause a scene.”
“Good!” Yang Kai nodded firmly, silently issuing new orders to the spider he had taken control of.
A moment later, that Sixth-Order spider suddenly became violent and attacked its companions without any explanation. The other spiders, noticing this disturbance, hurriedly swarmed towards the fight.
Shan Qing Luo lightly waved her hand and directly cut a hole in the cocoon, and vanished without a trace in the next breath. Her soft voice soon drifted into Yang Kai’s ear, “Don’t move from there, and wait for me to come back!”
Yang Kai naturally wasn’t going to move about randomly. Calming his breath, he carefully examined the outside situation.
The spider that he was controlling at the moment was now engaged in a turbulent struggle with its former companions. A Sixth-Order Monster Beast would undoubtedly have already gained a certain amount of sentience, albeit not a lot, but it was at least capable of some simple reasoning.
The attacked spiders didn’t seem to understand why their companion had suddenly gone crazy, just like when it had suddenly killed so many of the Ash-Gray Cloud Evil Land’s cultivators.
After passively resisting for a moment, the attacked spiders, as if having reached some kind of consensus, no longer held back and treated this violent comrade of theirs as if it had gone insane and couldn’t be saved.
In only a few breaths of time, the Sixth-Order Monster Beast controlled by Yang Kai had met its end.
The gathered spiders then quickly began to disperse again.
“Yang Kai!” Qiu Yi Meng suddenly shouted.
Yang Kai’s face remained indifferent, and he didn’t even bothering to respond.
“Has Elder Sister Shan recovered her strength?” Qiu Yi Meng eagerly asked.
Still he remained silent.
Qiu Yi Meng wryly smiled, “Yang Kai, you’re not such a stingy man right? I admit that I had offended you before, will you not allow me to apologize to you for that?”
“No need, the distinguished Young Lady Qiu’s apology, I’m afraid I can’t afford it.” Yang Kai replied coldly.
Qiu Yi Meng giggled lightly, “Fine fine, I was wrong, I was truly wrong, I should not have brought people to your High Heaven Pavilion to find trouble. In fact, I’m also at a bit of a loss about how I would have taken you, your combat ability is so strong that between us if we really compete I’m not sure who would win. I really can’t believe such a small Sect could train a disciple like you.”
“Don’t bother trying to flatter me, it’s disgusting.”
“Hehe, fine, you and I are both reasonable people so I’ll be direct with you.” Qiu Yi Meng said with a light smile, “After Elder Sister Shan comes back, can you please ask her to bring Xiao Man and I out with you? Rest assured, as long as she promises to help us, my Qiu Family will spare no expense to repay her!”
“Saving you is up to her, it’s not something I can interfere with,” Yang Kai said bluntly, his brow slightly wrinkled.
“No no no, I see that the relationship between you and the Beguiling Demon Queen is quite intimate, quite unlike how she must treat other men. If you put in a few words with her, I’m sure Elder Sister Shan will be more inclined to help us.” Qiu Yi Meng’s voice suddenly became more restrained, “As long as you don’t insist on Xiao Man and I becoming your servants, any other conditions you mention we can comply with! Even if you want to marry a young lady of my Qiu Family, I can make sure that my Lord Father agrees… oh, but be careful not to mention such things in front of Elder Sister Shan or else I’m afraid she might become jealous.”
Yang Kai’s patience increasingly grew thin as his face twisted with antipathy, “I’ve already said, her saving you is up to her, it has nothing to do with me, what meaning do you have to spout such nonsense towards me?”
Qiu Yi Meng’s face quickly became miserable, like she was about to cry, “But I can only pin my hopes on you, if you don’t speak up for us, I’m afraid we really have no hope of escaping this crisis.” As she was speaking, the sound of her voice choked up, stuttering slightly, “Do you… do you really have the heart to just leave us to die?”
Knowing that she was simply putting on an act to try to gain his sympathy, Yang Kai couldn’t help feeling repulsed, and he was no longer willing to even respond to her.
Yang Kai had a particularly bad impression towards this scheming woman.
“Yang Kai, Yang Kai …” Qiu Yi Meng did not become discouraged though and continued to call out softly to him again and again.
The conversation between the two of them was quite quiet, but Luo Xiao Man who was not far away naturally heard it clearly.
Seeing Yang Kai act so ruthlessly, Luo Xiao Man couldn’t help but to despair, and her face gradually became deathly pale. She sobbed in a panic before she quietly called out, “Elder Sister Qiu, what should we do?
Qiu Yi Meng faintly sighed and gave up on her efforts to convince Yang Kai, wearing a desolate smile, “Just wait, we can’t simply die here.”
At that moment, a breath of incense suddenly flew over as a red clothed figure suddenly appeared in front of Yang Kai. With a wave of her fingers, the remaining silk threads binding Yang Kai were instantly severed
“Go!” Shan Qing Luo said hastily, one hand grabbing Yang Kai as she lightly kicked the ground, quickly flying up.
Yang Kai’s expression also became dignified as he quickly kept up with her. His Divine Sense which was constantly monitoring the surroundings had already noticed that the Spider Mother’s unique overwhelming blood force was rapidly reviving. Apparently Shan Qing Luo’s movements just now had awakened it.
“Elder Sister Shan.” Qiu Yi Meng shouted in a hurried voice and ground her teeth, still showing a slight hesitation on her face.
But she knew that this was no time to be concerned with her pride, if Shan Qing Luo left, she and Luo Xiao Man would really have no chance of escaping from here alive.
“Elder Sister Shan, I agree to your previous conditions, please take me and Xiao Man away with you!” Qiu Yi Meng cried out.
Shan Qing Luo slightly frowned as she glanced towards her. Flicking her wrist, two pink ribbons shot out and wrapped up Qiu Yi Meng and Luo Xiao Man and quickly dragged them up with her.
Seeing Shan Qing Luo not abandon them in the end, whether it was Qiu Yi Meng or Luo Xiao Man they were both suddenly filled with a desperate joy.
“Betraying your own blood, not heeding the advice of your elders, don’t even dream of escaping!” The Spider Mother’s infuriated voice rang out, no longer containing the slightest bit of charm and instead sounded more akin to an enraged woman.
As she spoke, two thick white silk threads pierced through the air.
These two silk threads were ridiculously fast, and almost instantaneously arrived in front of Shan Qing Luo and Yang Kai and forced them to hastily guard themselves.
As the Yuan Qi from their attacks collided and exploded, the two spider threads were blocked, but the force from the impact cut off one of the ribbons Shan Qing Luo was holding, sending Luo Xiao Man plummeting back down towards the ground.
Letting out a piercing wail, Luo Xiao Man’s watery eyes filled with panic as her heart all but stopped.
Seeing this, Yang Kai reacted instantaneously by push-kicking Qiu Yi Meng’s waist, sending her towards Luo Xiao Man.
Before the pair had even reached the ground, Qiu Yi Meng managed to stretch out her hand and grasp Luo Xiao Man’s clothes, pulling her towards herself.
“Elder Sister Qiu…” Luo Xiao Man cried out in amazement as large round tears poured out of her eyes. Her lofty peaks rose and fell as she gasped for breath. Her face was still filled with terror.
“I’ve got you, don’t worry, I won’t let go of.” Qiu Yi Meng smiled towards her, trying to disperse the lingering fear still apparent on her face.
Shan Qing Luo quickly glanced towards Yang Kai meaningfully, her mouth showing a teasing yet soul-stirring smile.
Yang Kai simply shrugged his shoulders.
Just now, his kick had been made subconsciously, it was a purely instinctive reaction!
Suddenly, from down below, Bai Yun Feng’s raving voice rang out, “Bring me with you! You damn sluts… how could you just abandon me here? Even if I become a ghost I won’t let you off!”
Qiu Yi Meng and Luo Xiao Man’s faces filled with disgust as they remained cold and indifferent.
Only by journeying together with someone through ups and downs would you be able to know them. Bai Yun Feng used to give them a favourable impression. Although they wouldn’t rate him highly, whatever the case, he had behaved appropriately for the eldest son of a first-class family. Be it his background or personal power, his capital was not small; needless to say there was no shortage of young women who sought after him.
However, when they had fallen into this crisis, he had completely exposed the darkness hidden within his heart.
As a man, he was no better than dog shit! Qiu Yi Meng and Luo Xiao Man didn’t have the slightest bit of sympathy towards him.
Next to a quaint, calm, crystal clear lake, filled with floating plants and happily swimming fish, three people sat.
In front of a bonfire he had made, Yang Kai roasted some fatty fish he had caught.
Luo Xiao Man and Qiu Yi Meng sat opposite him, breathing in the crisp clean air while glancing towards this young man awkwardly.
As a splashing sound drift over from the lake, Shan Qing Luo’s gracefully figure suddenly emerged. After finishing her bath, her exquisite snow white skin seemed to glisten with an attractive luster, this hint of blush only added to her radiance. Her delicate pair of bare jade like feet lightly flashed in and out of view.
Exuding ten thousand different types of charm, her thin and tender red lips displayed a carefree smile. Her skin was nearly fully exposed, and only her bountiful peaks and the sacred valley below her waist were covered, making for an alluring display.
Seeing such an fascinating, flirtatious picture, not only did Yang Kai’s heart race, even Qiu Yi Meng and Luo Xiao Man’s faces blushed a bright shade of red. All of their breaths became slightly hurried.
Immediately, the three of them quickly turned aside their gazes and silently cursed this bewitching fairy in their hearts!
“Hehehe…” Shan Qing Luo giggled happily as she observed the reaction of these three.
Arriving at the edge of the lake, she draped her clothes haphazardly over her lithe body, only half covering herself before gracefully stepping forward and quickly arriving beside Yang Kai and sitting herself down and snuggling up next to him.
“Can’t you behave yourself a little?” Yang Kai asked helplessly.
“Is there a need for us to be discreet?” Shan Qing Luo smiled brilliantly, “We’ve already touched each other intimately and shared more than one kiss, why do we suddenly need to act all prim and proper?”
Qiu Yi Meng and Luo Xiao Man couldn’t help looking shocked and gazed towards Yang Kai in surprise. Their eyes were filled with a confused light.
Although Qiu Yi Meng had felt that the relationship between Yang Kai and Shan Qing Luo was not simple, ultimately she had never seen the two interact with her own eyes and couldn’t tell just how close they really were.
However, seeing them sit so close to one another, if they were not essentially lovers, what woman would behave so shamelessly?
[Could the world’s most charming woman actually be in love with him?] Qiu Yi Meng pondered as she gazed absentmindedly and swept her eyes over Yang Kai once more. Although he gave off an uninhibited aura, and his strength wasn’t bad, in the end, he was still only a youth at the True Element Boundary Fourth Stage.
Just how in the world did he managed to capture the world famous Beguiling Demon Queen’s heart?
Qiu Yi Meng continued staring at them for a long time before she managed to pull herself together.
Yang Kai on the other hand turned a blind eye to her and pretended he didn’t notice the puzzled stares he was receiving. Instead, he just intently grilling his fish.
As the delicate aroma of fresh cooked food wafted about, Qiu Yi Meng and Luo Xiao Man couldn’t stop their stomachs from crying out softly, and both of them immediately became crimson faced after.
The two of them had been chased relentlessly by the cultivators of the Ash-Gray Cloud Evil Land for more than a month, and they never had a moment of rest and were constantly suppressing their feelings of fatigue and hunger. After that, when they had reached the height of their exhaustion, they had been captured by those spiders, and it wasn’t until now that they could truly relax.
“Thank you for saving us, Elder Sister Shan.” Qiu Yi Meng suddenly said, doing her best to squeeze out a smile.
Shan Qing Luo simply smiled back frivolously, “It was simply a deal between you and me, there’s no need for thanks!”
“Be that as it may, if it weren’t for Elder Sister Shan, Xiao Man and I would not have been able to escape that crisis.” Qiu Yi Meng shook her head gently.
As she finished speaking, she once again glanced towards Yang Kai awkwardly, reluctantly saying, “Thank you, too!”
Qiu Yi Meng knew that if he hadn’t swiftly helped her back then, there was no way she could have rescued Luo Xiao Man.
However, Yang Kai remained indifferent and completely ignored her.
Qiu Yi Meng couldn’t help suddenly feeling a bit bitter.
Half a month later, outside Fragrance City.
This place’s prosperity was no less than any of the great cities in the outside world. It was also the place where the Beguiling Demon Queen lived.
The Ash-Gray Cloud Evil Land covered a vast area but was roughly divided into six territories, each one belonging to one of the six Demon Kings.
With Fragrance City as a center point, all the land within a radius of several thousand kilometers belonged to Shan Qing Luo.
For the past two weeks, Shan Qing Luo, Yang Kai, Qiu Yi Meng and Luo Xiao Man had passed through the territories of the other Great Evil Kings, forcing them to be constantly on alert.
Now stepping into Fragrance City, no matter whom it was they couldn’t help feeling relieved.
After two weeks of traveling together, not only had Yang Kai’s impression of the Ash-Gray Cloud Evil Land changed, even Qiu Yi Meng and Luo Xiao Man had their previous impressions completely subverted.
From the rumors they had heard, the Ash-Gray Cloud Evil Land was filled with evil cultivators, where demons rampaged about, and every person they encountered was some kind of heinous criminal.
But after accompanying Shan Qing Luo, they found that the Ash-Gray Cloud Evil Land was far different compared to the rumors about it! At the very least, the site which she occupied wasn’t that kind of infernal hell.
It was undeniable that there were indeed many evil cultivators in the Ash-Gray Cloud Evil Land, but many of the people here were actually just ordinary people.
There was no lack of cultivators around who had committed some kind of crime within their Sect and had been forced to flee to the Ash-Gray Cloud Evil Land. There were also some who had offended large forces that they could not afford to and had sought refuge in the Ash-Gray Cloud Evil Land. Still others were here because the Secret Art or Martial Skills they practiced were eerie and they had been classified as demon by the world and expelled from their homes like plague rats.
It could be said that the majority of the Ash-Gray Cloud Evil Land cultivators simply had their own bitter pasts but were not necessarily evil.
“This world only recognizes their so called righteousness, shunning any kind of darkness within their hearts, labeling such practices and feelings as evil… It’s all just sophistry!” Shan Qing Luo said certain helplessness apparent in her tone.
Although she was one of the six Great Evil Kings and governed a vast land that stretched across thousands of kilometres, she still couldn’t do anything about this world’s deep-rooted prejudices.
Yang Kai couldn’t help suddenly remembering the words Old Demon had once said to him.
What is a man, what is a devil? Men and Devils are all one in the same!
Everyone had demons within their hearts.
As they continued forward, Yang Kai quickly noticed how vibrant the city was, a fact that amazed him to no small degree.
If he wasn’t clearly aware that they hadn’t left the Ash-Gray Cloud Evil Land, Yang Kai would have sworn that this Fragrance City was just another town in the outside world.
Everything here was no different from the grand cities in the outside world. The streets were filled with ordinary shopkeepers and people pawning their goods. Cultivators swam through the crowds like carp, most of whom didn’t engage in any wanton bullying in their interactions with these ordinary people. Occasionally there was a cultivator exuding a thick Demonic Qi, but even they were for the most part following the rules of Fragrance City and didn’t make the slightest bit of trouble.
From time to time, Yang Kai would spot cultivators dressed in black uniforms patrolling about. These were apparently the law enforcement teams charged with maintaining order.
Whenever someone acted out and disrupted the public order in Fragrance City, they would swiftly and mercilessly be attacked by these law enforcement teams.
As a result, throughout the entire Ash-Gray Cloud Evil Land, Fragrance City was about the safest city and under the effective management of Demon Queen Shan Qing Luo, and it was also the most prosperous. There were actually very few people here who committed crimes.
At the moment, this very Demon Queen was concealing her face with a black veil and leisurely strolled about as she led their small group forward.
Qiu Yi Meng and Luo Xiao Man followed close behind her while secretly observing the scenes within this city. A deep sense of admiration welled up in their hearts.
Allowing this great city to be so peaceful, Shan Qing Luo’s means were clearly not simple.
As they continued walking, Yang Kai’s pace suddenly paused.
Aware of this, Shan Qing Luo turned to look at him, “Is something wrong?”
Yang Kai grinned helplessly, “Beauty, as the saying goes, ‘The world is filled with infinite wonders, one must not always remain in one place and further explore’.”
Although receiving the favour of this beauty was quite enjoyable, Yang Kai still couldn’t help feeling nervous that one day Shan Qing Luo wouldn’t be able to restrain herself from ‘eating’ him.
Also, it had been quite some time since he had been separated from Su Yan, so he wanted to quickly investigate her current situation.
Listening to him say as such, a light flickered across Shan Qing Luo’s eyes, and she immediately saw through all the thoughts that were in his heart. Quickly wearing a smile as she slowly walked back and grabbed Yang Kai’s arm, she let out a light fragrant breath, “Do you think you can just walk away?”
“Please try to restrain yourself!” Yang Kai’s expression became bitter. This was exactly what he was most worried about.
He had constantly been worried that Shan Qing Luo wouldn’t let him go. On the way back here he had also tried multiple times to escape, but each time before he even had a chance she would see through him.
Given the height of Shan Qing Luo’s true strength, if she was set on keeping him here, he really had no hope of getting away.
“Outside there is chaos everywhere. If you went out by yourself, it wouldn’t necessarily be safe, it’s best if you just stay here for now.”
“For how long?”
“Depends on my mood, haha…”
Yang Kai’s expression instantly became gloomier, [Damn it, if I’m stuck here won’t I eventually become prey for this devilish woman?]
Qiu Yi Meng and Luo Xiao Man nearby both watched this farce play out with smug grins on their faces, indulging in a moment of pleasure at Yang Kai’s expense.
He was thoroughly restrained by Shan Qing Luo, his True Qi unable to circulate, but on top of that, this seductress also put on a well-behaved devoted lovers appearance and gently linked arms with Yang Kai as she affectionately snuggled up next to him.
Fortunately, she had concealed her face with a veil. If she were to expose this appearance to the inhabitants of Fragrance City, there would certainly be chaos.
Within a short while, the four of them arrived at Shan Qing Luo’s palace.
This grand palace exuded magnificence, covered a vast region, and was filled with jade statues, dragon carvings and phoenix images, which gave it an elegant yet domineering air.
Once inside, Yang Kai unexpectedly discovered that this huge palace was exceptionally peaceful. It seemed like not many people lived here.
Glancing around, he saw numerous wide corridors, and the sounds of small streams flowing nearby reached his ear. It was quite a picturesque feeling.
“Within my palace, in addition to a few maidservants, there are no other people, it has always been deserted like this so there’s no need for you to be overly cautious!” Shan Qing Luo softly explained. Having made it back to her palace she also completely relaxed and casually removed her veil before slowly stretching, putting her wondrous curves on full display.
“Who goes there!” A melodious voice soon called out as a purple dressed figure quickly approached.
“It’s me!” Shan Qing Luo replied leisurely.
After the figure paused for a moment, it suddenly flew forward even faster. In the blink of an eye, a sweet, petite girl appeared in front of everyone.
“My Queen, you’ve finally come back!” The girl appeared to be around twenty years old. A beautiful young lady who was at the height of her youth, and upon seeing Shan Qing Luo, clear lights of joy and relief flashed across her eyes.
Because she was so happy, her eyes actually began overflowing with tears, which rapidly became a veritable flood, as her proud snow white rabbits heaved up and down as she cried.
With only a faint glance, Yang Kai found that this girl was also an exceptional beauty.
She had long freely flowing hair, elegant thin eyebrows, and a pair of bright enchanting eyes. Her nose was perfectly proportioned, and her face was slightly flushed. Every time she breathed, her petal like lips fluttered softly, like flowers adorning her glamorous face. Her creamy snow white skin seemed to glisten under the light. All of this coupled with her graceful posture and exceptional figure, she was extremely enchanting.
Seeing her, Yang Kai couldn’t help nodding in approval, only such a beauty was worth of being the Beguiling Demon Queen’s maid.
Lightly sweeping her with his Divine Sense, he was surprised to find that this girl was actually a True Element Boundary Seventh Stage cultivator. Although she was not as strong as Qiu Yi Meng, it was clear that she was also younger than her by a year or two.
Being probed by a thread of Divine Sense, the girl’s expression suddenly became serious, and her eyes darted about before quickly glaring coldly towards Yang Kai.
[Ho… her senses are quite sharp!] Yang Kai chuckled lightly and carelessly ignored her gaze.
Her brow slightly wrinkled. This young girl obviously didn’t understand why Shan Qing Luo had brought these three people here, but instead of probing further she instead quickly ignored Yang Kai and eagerly asked, “Mistress, I heard that the Beast King and his people ambushed you! You’re not hurt are you?”
“I’m perfectly fine,” Shan Qing Luo shook her head lightly, “Nothing to worry about.”
“Thank goodness! That Beast King is really despicable! The Elders almost ran out to fight with him over this matter. Also, right now those Eight Great Families are rallying all the outside world’s major Sects to attack the Holy Land. Fragrance City has dispatched a lot of people to intercept them, the Elders said…”
“Leave such things for tomorrow, I’m feeling a bit weary right now.” Shan Qing Luo interrupted her. “Tell the Elders they have full discretion on these matters.”
“Yes Mistress.” The girl nodded seriously before once again suspiciously looking at the three newcomers, “These three…”
Shan Qing Luo also frowned slight as she glanced towards Qiu Yi Meng and Luo Xiao Man before suddenly laughing happily. She flicked her wrist and sent two faint lights towards them.
Qiu Yi Meng and Luo Xiao Man both trembled slightly, but before they could react, they instantly discovered that their True Qi had been sealed.
“What meaning does Elder Sister Shan have?” Qiu Yi Meng asked with a wry smile on her face.
“Oh nothing much,” Shan Qing Luo giggled, “Bi Luo, bring these two girls to the Fragrance Guest House.”
“En.” Bi Luo glanced curiously at Qiu Yi Meng and Luo Xiao Man and wondered how these two had provoked her mistress, even causing her to go so far as to keep them under house arrest in the Fragrance Guest House.
Although she was puzzled by this, she did not bother asking and instead just clapped her delicate hands twice.
Soon after, a few young women arrived. Each one of them was as beautiful as a flower, and their cultivation was also not low. All of them were dressed up as maids.
“Show them to the Fragrance Guest House,” Bi Luo swiftly ordered.
“Yes!”
“Take good care of them, do not let them suffer any grievances!” Shan Qing Luo quickly added.
Qiu Yi Meng and Luo Xiao Man both wore helpless smiles, not even attempting to revolt, but simply allowing these few maids to lead the way.
“What about him?” Bi Luo pointed towards Yang Kai and asked, confusion and doubt filling her thoughts. After all, she had never seen her mistress bring a young man into the palace before. Even when one of the other Demon Kings came to visit, she would arrange a separate location for them. This quiet place had never had a man set foot in it before.
“About him…” Shan Qing Luo smiled meaningfully and also sent a stream of light into Yang Kai body.
Yang Kai’s complexion subtly changed, and he stealthily circulated his True Qi only to discover that it had not been blocked, but instead finding that a mark had been left on his body, one that he had no way to resolve.
“Bring him to the Tranquil Phoenix Pavilion to rest!” Shan Qing Luo smiled sweetly as she looked towards Yang Kai.
Although Yang Kai maintained a calm expression, his stomach quickly filled with grievances.
“The Tranquil Phoenix Pavilion…” Bi Luo exclaimed. Her bright eyes filled with a look of surprise.
That place was located in the deepest part of the palace and was no doubt the best pavilion in the palace grounds. It was also where her mistress had stayed when she was growing up.
The mattress, curtains, and pillows were all things her mistress had used before, and many of which still carried her lingering scent.
Most importantly, it was filled with Shan Qing Luo’s childhood memories.
How could such an intimate and private place suddenly be given to a man to live in?
Bi Luo also had ideas towards Tranquil Phoenix Pavillion once and persistently begged Shan Qing Luo for several months to let her stay there, but ultimately did not receive approval.
Yet now, an unknown man was actually going to live in Tranquil Phoenix Pavilion, and Bi Luo couldn’t help but feel shocked.
[What’s the story behind this little brat? How can the Mistress value him so highly?!]
Surprised, she constantly glared towards Yang Kai, and a thick look of jealousy and reluctance filled her beautiful eyes.
“Running around all the way here, you must be tired. Have a good rest today and let me finish my work. Once I’m done, I’ll come talk with you.” Shan Qing Luo said sweetly.
Yang Kai’s face remained indifferent, and he blankly stared at her, not saying anything.
People under the eaves have to bow.
Just as Bi Luo was about to clap her hands again and summon a few maids to escort him, Shan Qing Luo said, “You take him to Tranquil Phoenix Pavilion personally.”
Bi Luo trembled, unable to hide her surprise, but still hurriedly nodded, “Yes!”
Shan Qing Luo leaned over and quietly whispered to Yang Kai, “Little bastard, don’t bully her too much, she and I grew up together, she is my precious little sister.”
“Got it,” Yang Kai laughed helplessly.
“Let’s go!”
Bi Luo then led Yang Kai off through the palace.
Following behind this enchanting girl, Yang Kai casually observed his surroundings and found that Shan Qing Luo’s palace was indeed very quiet. Although outside there was a prosperous boisterous city, within these walls there wasn’t the slightest noise, instead everywhere was filled with fragrant aromas. Every path and corridor was meticulously cleaned and was completely free of dust.
From time to time, they would pass by a few pretty maids, all of whom would respectfully greet Bi Luo before curiously glancing towards Yang Kai.
During this entire trip, he had not come across a single other male.
After a short while, the pair arrived at Tranquil Phoenix Pavilion.
It was an extremely elegant loft, a total of three stories high, neither big nor small. Overall it was quite tasteful with plenty of neatly arranged planters decorating it. Each of them was filled with blooming fragrant flowers.
“Hey…” Bi Luo shouted towards Yang Kai and quickly stepped towards him to block his path forward, “Careful where you step, don’t trample over these flowers, all of them were carefully grown by Mistress herself.”
“Ah…” Yang Kai nodded indifferently, not caring about the resentful tone in her voice, knowing that this little girl had already formed a very poor image of him in her heart.
[This damn bastard!] Bi Luo cursed in her heart. This little brat didn’t appear the least bit formidable, and neither his dress nor his temperament was in any way noble. Why did her mistress value him so highly?
On top of that, her mistress had specifically told him not to bully her!
[Was he somehow capable of beating me?] Bi Luo simply couldn’t understand.
If not for Shan Qing Luo specifically ordering her to treat Yang Kai with respect, Bi Luo would have already tried to teach him a harsh lesson.
Entering the building, the pair walked up to the second floor. When Bi Luo opened the door a sudden look of joy appeared on her face as she hurriedly rushed inside, completely ignoring Yang Kai. The first thing she did was head straight for the large soft bed in the middle of the room and quickly jumped onto it while wrapping her arms around a giant pillow nearly as tall as she was. Holding it close to her, she gently sniffed the lingering scent it was stained with.
As she inhaled this fragrance her entire face couldn’t help but fill with an extremely happy expression.
[This was Mistress’s pillow, the pillow Mistress once slept on, it still has Mistress’s scent on it…]
Bi Luo felt like her soul was fluttering, and her face gradually turned red.
Yang Kai on the other hand couldn’t help but frown towards her and secretly found all of this somewhat funny. It was obvious that that this little girl held Shan Qing Luo as an object of absolute worship in her heart, or else she wouldn’t be putting on such a vigorous performance.
However, while this little girl laid there, her prominent well rounded bottom was fully displayed.
Looking around carefully at this boudoir, Yang Kai eventually nodded, “Not bad!”
Bi Luo instantly woke up from her trance and quickly got up from the bed. Her large round eyes glared towards him, as she gritted her teeth, “Not bad you say?”
Yang Kai nodded succinctly. This was a bedroom designed specifically for a woman. It seemed a bit strange for him to live here, so giving it a satisfactory rating was the most he could do.
“Haha… good, good!” Bi Luo ground her teeth and angrily retorted, “This is the place where Mistress lived in while she was growing up. I spent so long begging her to allow me to live here, yet never receiving permission, but now some smelly little brat from who knows where not only doesn’t know how to show appreciation for it and actually dares denigrate it as just ‘not bad’?”
“Uh…” Yang Kai stared back at her slightly stunned, as he tried to figure out why she was so hostile to him.
Scratching his nose lightly, he embarrassedly replied, “Ms. Bi Luo, do you have some kind of misunderstanding about me?”
“Hmph, who do you think you are!?” Bi Luo stood up angrily, still holding the giant pillow in her arms as she angrily stomped towards the door.
“Do you plan to take that pillow away with you?” Yang Kai asked stiffly.
“This is something Mistress once used.” Bi Luo shot back sharply, before suddenly halting, turning back and walking over to the bed once more. She quickly picked up all of the remaining bedding as well, “These were also used by Mistress.”
Glaring sharply towards Yang Kai like a little tyrant, Bi Luo wrapped everything up in her arms before arrogantly storming out.
Yang Kai couldn’t help but feel surprised. He knew that this girl’s worship towards Shan Qing Luo could now only be described as obsession.
However, in the end this was irrelevant to him, so he set aside such thoughts and simply sat himself down cross-legged on the bed.
He certainly couldn’t stay in Fragrance City for very long. With Shan Qing Luo’s cultivation technique demanding his life as a sacrifice, if he remained sooner or later he would die at her hand.
But now that this seductress’s strength had been fully restored, even if Yang Kai wanted to run there was no way he could.
It really was a case of harming oneself. If he had known earlier things would end up like this, he wouldn’t have given her that Myriad Drug Cream! Even if it was true that he had no choice back then and had in fact successfully escaped from the tiger’s cave as a result, what was the point if he now found himself trapped in the wolf’s den instead?
To make matters worse, that devilish woman had left some kind of spiritual mark on his body.
If he wanted to leave, he first had to deal with this seal.
Closing his eyes, Yang Kai carefully investigated his body.
Although Divine Sense was not meant to investigate one’s inner body, investigating his physical condition wasn’t too difficult.
After a few breaths of time, Yang Kai felt a faint yet formidable wisp of energy embedded on one of his ribs between his chest and abdomen.
Immediately he tried to use his True Yang Yuan Qi to disperse, but doing so proved fruitless.
Next he attempted to remove it using his Unyielding Golden Skeleton’s evil energy but once again met with failure.
The mark was incredibly persistent. It did no harm to his body and did not interfere in the slightest with the circulation of his True Qi, but it instead acted like a lighthouse in the blackness of night. No matter where he went, Shan Qing Luo could easily feel its energy.
If Old Demon was here everything would be fine! He could see exactly what this energy was, but unfortunately, since the Devil Lord incident, Old Demon had been secluding himself in the Coiling Dragon Stream. Yang Kai wasn’t even aware of his current status.
As he was attempting to remove this mark, Yang Kai suddenly became aware of a ray of Divine Sense floating beside him.
“Little bastard, what are you doing?” Shan Qing Luo’s voice immediately reached his ear, a hint of annoyance apparent in her tone.
“Going to sleep!” Yang Kai rolled his eyes and silently cursed this woman’s vicious means. He knew this mark would allow her to track him, but he hadn’t expected that even tampering with it would draw her attention.
Shan Qing Luo Jiao simply snickered lightly, “Don’t waste your time; that mark is my Soul Seeking Seal, unless I personally want to remove it even a peak Immortal Ascension Boundary master can’t dispel it. As long as that seal is present, no matter how far you run, I can still find you!”
“There’s no need for this,” Yang Kai complained with a bitter look upon his face.
“Hehe…” Shan Qing Luo giggled happily, “Who told you to be so unfaithful; if you were a little more honest I wouldn’t have to take such measures. Just rest for tonight, tomorrow I’ll come look for you, I promise.”
“Do as you please.”
“Hmph, heartless bastard!” Shan Qing Luo cursed, quickly taking back her Divine Sense.
Helpless, Yang Kai could only give up his attempts to crush this Soul Seeking Seal and settled down for the night.
The next day.
While meditating, Yang Kai’s concentration was disturbed by the sound of footsteps coming downstairs.
A moment later, a knock came from his door.
“Come in!”
When the door opened, a mature elegant woman walked in. Her face was adorned with a warm friendly smile.
It was impossible to tell how old this beautiful woman was, but from her looks alone she seemed to be no more than twenty five. She had a wonderfully curved body, and her pair of peach blossom like eyes seemed shine with a captivating lustre. A light scent wafted from her body, which caused all of one’s sense to go dull. With delicate snow white skin and a potent naturally born charm, even if she wasn’t quite on the same level as Shan Qing Luo her allure was did not miss by much.
However, the spring-like appeal of this woman had a rich quality to it as opposed to Shan Qing Luo’s delicate intoxicating aura.
Smiling pleasantly towards Yang Kai, she softly spoke, “Did Young Lord sleep well last night?
“Yeah.” Yang Kai nodded slightly.
The mature beauty stepped forward lightly, walked up to the bedside and bowed elegantly as she let out a light breath, “That is good to hear, this servant has been sent by the mistress to attend to Young Lord’s needs, Young Lord may call me Yun Li.”
“These two have also been assigned to you.” While introducing herself, Yun Li quickly nodded once, immediately summoning two beautiful young girls dressed in maid outfits from the hall.
One of them appeared gentle and tranquil, while the other seemed dignified and elegant.
Whether it was the mature beauty or these two young girls, each of them had their own unique appeal and charm.
“This is a Ruo Yu.” The beautiful woman gestured towards the gentle and quiet young girl before turning to the dignified and elegant young girl, “And this is Ruo Qing!”
“Ruo Yu/Qing greets Young Lord!” The two quickly bowed elegantly. Whether it was their demeanor or their temperament, it was in no way inferior compared to those young ladies from great noble houses. Everything about them was impeccable.
Yang Kai couldn’t help but stare blankly for a moment, unable to figure out what that’s seductress Shan Qing Luo was thinking sending these three great beauties to serve him. No matter which one it was, they would definitely arouse the instincts of any man to conquer them.
Even without mentioning the fresh and vibrant appeal of these two young girls, the great beauty Yun Li’s temperament was only worse than Shan Qing Luo by a tiny margin, and on top of that she had a unique advantage over these young girls in the form of her extremely well developed body. Coupled with her pair of spring peach eyes, it was like she was constantly exuding an air of enchantment.
[Is this her idea of a soft appeal?] Yang Kai’s heartbeat quickened slightly.
The beautiful woman Yun Li simply continued smiling, “Mistress has said that while Young Lord is in Fragrance City, all of his daily needs will be attended to by we three.”
“I’ll be imposing upon you then!” Yang Kai replied in a lukewarm tone.
“Of course, Young Lord is an honored guest after all.” Yun Li smiled as she elegantly replied. However, a hint of flush suddenly crept into her expression as she whispered, “Mistress has also said that any request Young Lord has, this servant must satisfy!”
“Any request?” Yang Kai’s heart suddenly clenched as he immediately understood the subtle meaning in these words.
Seeing his reaction, this mature beauty gently nodded. Even though she was an impeccable servant with a finely refined temperament, Yun Li couldn’t help her gaze from becoming slightly erratic, and she became somewhat unnerved and was almost afraid to look at Yang Kai.
Regardless of what purpose Shan Qing Luo had in sending these three women to him, Yang Kai couldn’t complain about the service they rendered.
The second floor of the Tranquil Phoenix Pavilion was completely a sleeping chamber, while the entire fire floor consisted of a large bath, carved from exquisite white jade, and it was obviously very expensive. As for the third floor, there was almost nothing there. It was probably just a place meant for enjoying the scenery.
At the behest of Yun Li, Rui Yu and Ruo Qing, respectively on his left and right, accompanied Yang Kai down to the first floor’s bathing pool.
Inside the bathing room a thin watery mist lingered, carrying the scent of blossoming flowers, and unbeknownst to Yang Kai, the entire bath had been filled with hot water along with various scented flower petals.
Yang Kai couldn’t help but stare blankly.
A nearly vagabond man like him indulging in a petal bath here, obviously he felt somewhat awkward.
“Young Lord, please enjoy the bath.” The mature beauty Yun Li continued smiling from start to finish. Her pleasant expression never once diminished.
Yang Kai unconsciously nodded.
However, after waiting for a while, he found that whether it was Yun Li, Ruo Yu, or Ruo Qing, none of them seemed to have any intention of leaving. Turning an astonished gazed towards them, he hesitantly asked, “It can’t be that… your mistress also ordered you to help me bathe, right?”
To his question, Yun Li simply smiled and gracefully replied, “If Young Lord wishes so… we servants will naturally obey… Mistress has ordered, any requirements or request you make we are to meet…”
Even for someone as composed as she, by the time Yun Li reached the end of this sentence she couldn’t help her voice from becoming smaller and her face from becoming redder from apparent shame.
The nearby Ruo Yu and Ruo Qing also appeared quite tense.
“There’s no need for that, all of you may leave.” Yang Kai waved his hand casually.
The mature beauty’s peach blossom eyes couldn’t help but reveal a touch of surprise, and she quickly glanced once more towards Yang Kai to seemingly re-evaluate him. Ruo Yu and Ruo Qing on the other hand, hearing Yang Kai’s words, wore expressions like they had just been granted amnesty and involuntarily breathed a sigh of relief.
After the three beauties left, Yang Kai quickly undressed and jumped into the bath. Even he was somewhat eager to wash himself after such a long time.
The temperature of the water was not too hot nor too cold; just perfect for relieving one’s fatigue.
Finally relaxing somewhat, his thoughts wandered, and he worried about what had happened to Su Yan after they had been separated at the Void Corridor. After traveling ten thousand kilometers in an instant, where was she now? What had happened to the other members of High Heaven Pavilion? What was the outcome of Grand Master and the four Elders’ battle?
Recalling all of this, Yang Kai suddenly felt restless again.
Outside the pavilion, Bi Luo paced back and forth. She really didn’t understand why her mistress was so good to this little brat, not only providing him with the palace’s finest accommodations, but also assigning the best maidservants to him.
Those three, whether it was their beauty or temperament, were ranked at the very top of the palace’s staff. Such meticulous care, it was something not even shown towards the other Demon Kings.
Her first opinion was that this little brat was definitely not a good thing. He couldn’t be devouring Yun Li, Ruo Yu, and Ruo Qing right now, right?
As such a thought crossed her mind, Bi Luo suddenly felt even more indignant and secretly thought that these three girls had suffered a terrible injustice. Yun Li had been widowed for several years now and had not indulged in any moisturizing since then. Her accompanying that little brat to experience such things would not be too devastating, but Ruo Yu and Ruo Qing had grown up together with Bi Luo like little sisters. Both of them were rather simple little girls, pure and innocent, and allowing that bastard to taint them…
[I’ll castrate that little bastard!] Bi Luo eyes flashed a murderous light, and she secretly made a solemn vow in her heart.
However, just as her anger was rising to its peak, she suddenly saw Yun Li, Ruo Yu, and Ruo Qing all walk out together from inside.
“Tss…” Bi Luo was startled, but she immediately rejoiced, quickly rushed over, and held onto Ruo Yu and Ruo Qing’s hands and hurriedly asked, “Are you alright? He didn’t try to molest you, did he?”
Ruo Yu and Ruo Qing both blushed bright red and quickly shook their heads.
The mature Yun Li nearby smiled warmly, “Bi Luo’er, you’re over thinking things, the young lord doesn’t look like a shameless womanizer, he is actually very calm and respectful.”
“He’s, not?” Bi Luo was taken aback. “Did you not tell him about Mistress’s command?”
“I did, but he didn’t have much reaction.” Yun Li nodded slightly.
“He didn’t take advantage of you in any way?” Bi Luo asked again, tilting her head to the side in confusion.
“No,” Yun Li couldn’t help laughing, “If you don’t believe me, you can just ask Yu’er or Qing’er.”
Bi Luo quickly glanced suspiciously towards these two.
Ruo Qing lightly shook her head and blushed as she said, “Sister Bi Luo, you seriously frightened me, after what you said, I really thought that he would lay his hands on me.”
“Strange… how could this be? I’ve always had a sharp intuition about this, that little brat is definitely a sinister and untrustworthy type, there’s no reason for him not to have at least harassed you…” Bi Luo frowned before suddenly thinking of something, “Yes, of course, it must just be that he’s somewhat disconcerted right now! All men are simply vultures, you’ve greeted those Young Lords who came here representing the other five Demon Kings haven’t you? Which one of them hadn’t drooled upon laying eyes on you, like they couldn’t wait to strip off all your clothes and ravish you upon their beds?”
Listening to her, Ruo Yu and Ruo Qing suddenly became nervous again.
“He must be the insidious type, first acting gently towards you to reduce your vigilance before taking advantage of your naivety, conquering not just your body but your heart as well! He’s the most underhanded and malicious type of beast there is!” Bi Luo declared, completely confident in her speculations.
“Ah…” Ruo Yu and Ruo Qing were shocked.
However, the more mature Yun Li was instead dumbfounded, “Little Bi Luo, don’t scare them so, the Young Lord isn’t such a wicked person… and besides, even if he really was… we’re unable to resist…”
Bi Luo angrily looked at her, then suddenly rushed forward, firmly grasped Yun Li’s rich chest, and wickedly kneaded them while laughing mischievously, “It seems Elder Sister Yun has made plenty of psychological preparation, all these years the palace has refused entry to all men, so you’ve been holding back the whole time, now that there’s a chance you’re actually not that opposed are you?”
Suddenly being attacked and having her sensitive chest being obscenely fondled by Bi Luo, the mature beauty Yun Li almost collapsed into her arms. Her white face suddenly showed an intoxicated tinge, and she struggled to reply, “What are you… nnn… talking about?”
“Hoo… so sensitive already? Seems like its true!” Bi Luo not only didn’t let go, she instead began groping her more intensely, while subtly pushing her True Qi to generate a kind of mild electrical shock, which rhythmically sent tingling pulses from her fingertips to ferociously stimulate the voluptuous peaks.
“Enn…” Suggestive moans began leaking from the mature beauty’s thin red lips, and her pair of peach blossom eyes instantly blurred as her skin began showing a light crimson shade.
As these sounds rang out in their ears, Ruo Yu and Ruo Qing couldn’t help but feel strange.
Bi Luo however simply smiled naughtily and leaned in towards Yun Li, bringing her face up next to Yun Li’s long white neck. She stretched out her delicate pink tongue and licked this mature beauty’s earlobe suggestively.
Yun Li suddenly let out a cry.
Ruo Yu and Ruo Qing were both stunned, and their faces were completely dyed red as they stood there in shock.
Although they all knew that Bi Luo cultivated the same Beguiling Technique as their mistress, and that she was well versed in the ways of men and women. They had never thought she was skilled enough to not allow her prey to resist.
“Damn little girl, stop making trouble!” Yun Li, this mature beautiful woman, finally managed to hold down the heat which was rising within her and struggled free from Bi Luo’s evil grip, but she was barely able to support herself on her softened legs. Unable even to summon even a bit of strength, and her voice still carried an awkward tone.
“Hehe! Sure enough, a mature woman’s reaction is really not the same.” Bi Luo licked her lips seductively, her face filled with an unrestrained expression, and her eyes contained a suggestive light.
“Stop fooling around, if you want to do such things why don’t you go search for Qian Ying and Qian Hen? Mistress has ordered them to cultivate the Beguiling Technique. I, Ruo Yu, and Ruo Qing have to serve the young lord breakfast, and delaying any longer is no good.” Yun Li quickly said, and only glanced at her briefly. She understood Bi Luo’s temperament well, so she swiftly made her escape along with Ruo Yu and Ruo Qing, “You two, let’s go.”
“Oh,” Ruo Yu and Ruo Qing hurried to keep up.
“Elder Sister Yun, I’ll look for you tonight,” Bi Luo called out in a jovial tone from behind her back.
Hearing such a threat, Yun Li turned around and fiercely glared at her, “I, Ruo Yu, and Ruo Qing will be resting here tonight, if you have the courage you’re welcome to come!”
After bathing, Yang Kai donned a set of brand new freshly washed clothes.
These clothes were something Shan Qing Luo had personally ordered her maidservants to go out and buy earlier today. They were light and tasteful, matching Yang Kai’s measurements almost perfectly and gave him the look of a handsome young noble lord with a firm temperament.
Even the mature Yun Li and the innocent Ruo Yu and Ruo Qing couldn’t help but blush lightly.
In the pavilion’s dining hall a sumptuous breakfast had been prepared, filled with all kinds of fine delicacies. Each one was an exquisite work of art.
Yun Li even stood beside Yang Kai and served each dish to him personally and lightly commented, “All of these dishes were prepared by we three, Young Lord should eat while they’re still hot.”
Glancing at Yang Kai once again, Yun Li suddenly couldn’t help but smile warmly, “Young Lord appears to be a bit on the lean side, probably because of constantly rushing around outside, correct? Young Lord should take advantage of this time to eat his fill.”
“En.” Yang Kai nodded lightly before asking, “What about your Mistress?”
“Mistress has some important matters to deal with today,” Yun Li replied with a smile.
“Oh, I thought she would come join me for breakfast.” Yang Kai couldn’t help wrinkling his brow slightly.
Hearing him say this, the mature beauty Yun Li and the two young girls suddenly stared at him in amazement. They were increasingly puzzled about just who Yang Kai was in the end.
Daring to say Shan Qing Luo would sit and dine together with him, this was a blessing that even the other five Demon Kings could not receive, right?
“Then, if I want to see her, where should I go?” Yang Kai asked as he ate.
Yun Li quickly fixed her smile and replied, “Mistress has said that for the next few days she will be a bit busy, so if Young Lord has any requests he should speak directly with Bi Luo. She has been waiting outside since early this morning.”
“Seems like she’s trying to avoid seeing me!” Yang Kai grunted unhappily. Yesterday, Shan Qing Luo had promised to come see him today. He had not expected her to suddenly change her mind. She certainly knew he was going to talk to her about him leaving.
Sweeping away the food on the table, Yang Kai leisurely walked out of the pavilion.
The enchanting young girl Bi Luo really was standing outside waiting for him. Her brow thoroughly furled as she glared towards Yang Kai. Obviously she was not pleased having to be with him, but with Shan Qing Luo personally issuing her these orders, she didn’t dare disobey.
“Ms Bi Luo!” Yang Kai called out.
“Hmph,” Bi Luo snorted lightly. Her arrogant and disdainful expression clearly displayed her dissatisfaction.
Seeing her like this, Yang Kai couldn’t help but laugh dryly and quickly said, “I want to see your Mistress!”
Bi Luo frowned even harder, and a thoroughly displeased look appeared upon her face, “Mistress has many matters to discuss with the various Elders in the city so she has no time to see you.”
“When will these discussions end?”
“Probably not for a few days. This time, Mistress had left Fragrance City for about two months, so numerous issues and disputes have arisen which she must attend to personally.”
Yang Kai’s expression suddenly became cold, and his mood quickly became solemn.
Bi Luo hesitated for a moment before she somewhat reluctantly continued, “However, Mistress said last night that to make up for her fault, she will allow you to look at the Palace Treasure House.”
“Treasure House?” Yang Kai’s brow twitched, and he cursed that devilish woman. Was this her way of trying to seduce him?
Although he was silently cursing in his heart, his mouth still said, “Is there anything good inside that Treasure House?”
“Little brat!” Bi Luo glared at him angrily, “Mistress’ Treasure House is filled with many rare and valuable items. Mistress said that you’re currently too weak, so she said that you can look around inside the Treasure House for things you can use to enhance your cultivation!”
“What are we waiting for then?” Yang Kai quickly urged her.
Seeing him suddenly wear an eager and impatient look, Bi Luo more and more despised him in her heart, and she cursed this ignorant countryside bumpkin.
Although she was extremely reluctant, as long as it was something Shan Qing Luo commanded, Bi Luo would never object, and instead do her best to complete.
“Come with me.” She said gruffly and quickly lead the way.
After walking through the palace for a long time, the pair suddenly arrived at a very secluded wing. Roughly ten meters into this wing they came upon a thick, heavy door.
This door was cast from some unknown material and seemed quite old. It was obviously quite thick and sturdy, clearly not something easy to break.
However, the strange thing about this door was that there was no handle, nor were there any visible gaps. It was more like an extension of the wall than a door.
Bi Luo quickly pulled out a black rectangular object from her waist pocket, tightly held it within her jade like hand, and poured her True Qi into it.
A moment later, she pressed this rectangular object onto the gate.
Accompanied by a burst of rumblings, the heavy door slowly opened.
Yang Kai couldn’t help but stare curiously and unconsciously praised, “Things stored in this place are quite safe.”
Bi Luo snorted loudly and proudly quipped, “Naturally! The entire Treasure House was forged from Desolate Red Black Gold, even if a Peak Immortal Ascension Boundary masters came here, he would never be able to open this vault. This is the safest place to store things in the world.”
Listening to her boast, Yang Kai did not openly refute and instead simply disdained silently.
If they wanted to talk about security, his Black Book Space was no doubt this world’s safest storage.
“Come in!” Bi Luo stepped forward and begrudgingly ushered Yang Kai in as well.
The Treasure House’s door closed again once both of them were inside.
Although this Treasure House was fully enclosed, it was by no means dim. All four walls were dotted with pebble sized pearls. Each of which released a soft sparkling light, which illuminated the entire vault.
Once inside, Bi Luo half-bitterly began introducing various things to Yang Kai, “Over there is where the gold and silver items are kept, here is the storage place for all the rare medicinal herbs. These are refined pills. Here are all the high grade artifact, and over there are various Secret Arts and Martial Skills… Well, just look around yourself, don’t bother me with any unnecessary questions!”
She seemed quite impatient to separate from Yang Kai.
Yang Kai couldn’t help but scratch his nose and wrinkle his brow slightly, “Ms. Bi Luo, did your mistress say how much I could take from here?”
Bi Luo sneered disdainfully, “How much do you want to take?”
“I’m just asking!”
Bi Luo’s expression suddenly became cold, and she irritably replied, “Mistress said that however much you want to take you can take!”
“Ah…” Yang Kai nodded, then without any further scruples went straight to the place where the spirit herbs were kept.
Seeing him not show the slightest bit of restraint, Bi Luo couldn’t help muttering under her breath, “Hmph, really nothing but a country bumpkin. I really can’t understand why Mistress is so good to him!”
As she was whispering to herself, she also quickly arrived in front of the stored artifacts. Staring inside, she fixed her gaze on a pair of exquisite teardrop shaped earrings. This pair of earrings had a nearly transparent blue hue, appearing almost like a piece of the crystal clear sky.
Holding this pair of earrings in the palm of her hand, Bi Luo suddenly smiled and was no longer willing to let them go.
On the other hand, across the room, Yang Kai smiled deviously.
That seductress Shan Qing Luo had put him under house arrest, and although she didn’t have any malicious intent towards him, he still couldn’t help feeling uncomfortable. However, her allowing Yang Kai into her Treasure House was really a big mistake.
If Yang Kai was willing to, then taking away the entire content of this Treasure House would not be a problem. The Black Book’s storage space was much larger than this Treasure House after all.
However, Yang Kai didn’t want to expose the Black Book space yet, so he only picked out some things that were of immediate use to him.
Firstly, he needed to supplement the Yang Liquid in his dantian. About the energy contained within his Unyielding Golden Skeleton he was not worried about running out any time soon, the only problem he had was maintaining the amount of Yang Liquid he had available.
So, Yang Kai swept away any Yang attribute spirit herbs and pills he found and loaded everything into the Black Book space.
Soul-nourishing herbs and pills, no matter the place, were scarce, so he took everything he could find without hesitation.
His Five Coloured Soul Warming Lotus needed these things in order to evolve, and they also had great use in cultivating his Divine Sense.
As for the Secret Arts and Martial Skills stored here, Yang Kai wasn’t very interested; no Secret Art here was a match for his own, and the Martial Skills weren’t particularly appealing to him either.
Yang Kai was more interested in finding high grade Soul Skills to cultivate.
Although he had managed to cultivate out his Divine Sense already, because he had no offensive type Soul Skills until now the role it played was limited and only allowed him to scout his surroundings.
But to his disappointment, he did not find any decent Soul Skills inside this Treasure House. He occasionally came across some Earth Grade or lower rubbish, but such weak Soul Skills had virtually no appeal to Yang Kai. Even if he were to cultivate them they wouldn’t have any great use. It would simply be a waste of time.
After searching up and down the entire Treasure House, in the end, he only managed to find some Yang attribute herbs and pills as well as a small amount of Soul nourishing Precious Treasures.
Symbolically holding two bottles of Heaven-Grade pills in his hands, Yang Kai finally walked over to where Bi Luo was standing.
This enchanting young girl was now wearing the pair of earrings on her delicate earlobes and was holding up a crystal mirror while smiling happily as she stared at her reflection.
Yang Kai’s sudden appearance in front of her startled her, and patting her well-shaped chest with her delicate hand, she quickly wore a frown and angrily snapped, “Why did you not say anything, is sneaking up on people fun for you?”
Yang Kai could only grin wryly, “Wasn’t it just that you were too immersed in her own world to notice me?”
Having things pointed out so bluntly, Bi Luo couldn’t help but blush, and she earnestly took off the earrings and carefully placed them back into storage before reluctantly removing her sight from them, “Find what you were looking for?”
“En.”
“What did you take?”
Yang Kai casually lifted the two bottles of pills in his hand so she could see. Seeing this, Bi Luo was slightly surprised, laughing lightly, “You’re surprisingly frugal aren’t you, I thought you would surely…”
Stopping herself mid-sentence, Bi Luo instead stuck out her little pink tongue in lieu of finishing her thought.
“Surely what?”
“Nothing, if you’ve got what you want we should leave, but are you sure that you only want these two bottles of pills? Mistress specifically said that you should find some things to raise your cultivation.” Bi Luo asked quietly, “Are these pills really enough for you to enhance your strength?”
“It’s enough!” Yang Kai nodded.
“Fine, it’s not my concern anyway, if you’re alright with it then why should I care, just don’t try to blame me if Mistress asks about you taking only these two bottles of pills.”
Yang Kai simply nodded indifferently, “En.”
Leaving the Treasure House, Bi Luo closed the vault door again but as she turned around a small box came flying towards her.
Reflexively, Bi Luo reached out and caught this box and was at first shocked but then warily turned her gaze towards Yang Kai.
However, after seeing which box this was, she couldn’t help but cry out in surprise. Her gaze changed from wariness to shock.
Yang Kai smiled lightly, “Don’t you like it?”
“Of course I like it!” Bi Luo nodded, half stunned as she hesitantly opened the box. Inside it was the same pair of earrings she had tried on inside the Treasure House.
“But… how did you know?” Bi Luo asked Yang Kai in confusion.
“Anyone who saw you like that would know,” Yang Kai chuckled. “I’m not blind.”
“Hehe…” Bi Luo let out a heartfelt laugh filled with joy, and she quickly took the earrings out and stared at them. Spellbound for a moment, she proceeded to explain, “Although these are only a set of low grade artifacts, from the first time I saw them, I fell in love with them.”
“If so, why didn’t you just ask your mistress if you could have them? As far as I can tell she is quite good to you.” Yang Kai asked suspiciously.
“Well… these belonged to Mistress’s mother. I was worried that she would be sad if she were to see them…” Bi Luo faintly sighed and suddenly tightly gripped the earrings to her chest, “Are you giving these to me?”
“En, why else would I have brought them out? If your mistress asks, just tell her I took them.”
“Thank you!” Bi Luo happily thanked him, but her expression became a bit complicated before quickly becoming alarmed, “You… why are you being so good to me… you’re not trying to make a move after taking a fancy to me are you?”
Dumbfounded, Yang Kai couldn’t only shake his head wryly, “You’re thinking too much about it.”
“I’ll tell you up front, I don’t like men.” Bi Luo started at Yang Kai with her guard fully up, seemingly trying to discover if he was speaking the truth or not, “So no matter how gallant you behave or how attentive to me you are I will never be swayed. In my heart, only Mistress is my perfect companion!”
Yang Kai was once again flabbergasted, as if he had been struck by lightning, and he stared towards Bi Luo in shock, “What you mean is… you’re in love with Shan Qing Luo?”
“That’s right!” Bi Luo’s face was a bright shade of red, but she still firmly nodded and replied in a shy voice filled with infinite longing, “One day, sooner or later, I will definitely become Mistress’s wife…”
At that moment, she completely showed the look of a young girl in love. It was just… the object of her affections was a bit unexpected.
After a long stunned silence, he took a deep breath then nodded strongly and said, “In that case, I sincerely hope you achieve your happiness, Ms. Bi Luo!”
Giggling happily, Bi Luo smiled as she looked Yang Kai over again and re-evaluated him, “En, I don’t find you as annoying as before!”
[Sending her a gift seems to have been quite beneficial.] Yang Kai thought to himself. At least she wasn’t treating him as coldly anymore.
“Hahaha …” Yang Kai smiled awkwardly, not knowing what to say now.
Thankfully, Bi Luo quickly followed up, “Good, with that, our trip to the Treasure House is now finished. Mistress said that if you were bored staying in the palace I should escort you around the city, would you like to go out now?”
“No thanks, I’d rather go back and cultivate,” Yang Kai replied casually.
“Oh…” Bi Luo smirked and laughed meaningfully, “With Elder Sister Yun, Ruo Yu, and Ruo Qing back at the Tranquil Phoenix Pavilion, I suppose you really wouldn’t have any interest in going out.”
“And, ah, ahem… if you really want to… you know… then… you should start with Elder Sister Yun, she was only married for one month before her husband died, and that was almost 10 years ago. Since then she hasn’t once had a man, right now, she is almost like a starving tiger ready to pounce. All you need to do is give her a nod and I’m sure she’ll happily accompany you… Well, just make sure you treat her well. Oh right, Elder Sister Yun also particularly likes it when you caress her ears…” Bi Luo suddenly started explaining to Yang Kai. Her beautiful face was filled with a kind of indulgent excitement.
Yang Kai, on the other hand, looked like he had been struck over the head.
Such an enchanting little girl, how could she so easily talk about such matters, as if it were the same as having a light mid-day snack? On top of that, she seemed oddly experienced. It was a bit worrisome. Where had she acquired this knowledge?
Tranquil Phoenix Pavilion, second floor.
Yang Kai was sitting cross-legged on the fragrant bed with a solemn expression. His breath was steady and even.
Circulating his True Yang Secret Art smoothly, he absorbed and refined the Yang energy contained within numerous spirit herbs and pills.
These things were the spoils he had taken from Shan Qing Luo’s Treasure House, and all of them were high quality goods. The lowest quality items reached Earth Grade Top-Rank, while most of them were Heaven Grade.
Naturally, since they had come from the Treasure House of a supreme master like the Beguiling Demon Queen, there was no chance of them being mediocre.
As a light churning sound floated in the air, Yang Kai’s True Yang Secret Art rapidly operated and quickly converted the essence stored within these pills and herbs into pure True Yang Yuan Qi, gradually filling up his meridians.
In Medicine King’s Valley Hidden Cloud Peak, Xiao Fu Sheng had prepared a special Secret Art and medicinal bath for Yang Kai which had fully developed the potential of his meridians and allowed him to more smoothly cultivate.
It wasn’t until now that the medicinal bath really displayed its effects. The speed at which he could refine and condense his True Qi had obviously been greatly enhanced.
Moreover, this refinement would continue to play a role for the rest of his life, the more he cultivated, the greater the effect would be.
After merely a dozen or so cycles, before the first drop of Yang Liquid had even formed, the energy within his meridians suddenly began to swell, and a subtle ripple started spreading throughout his body before suddenly vanishing.
His entire being was filled with a clear sensation that his strength had risen, which gave him a sense of physical and spiritual comfort.
True Element Boundary Fifth Stage!
Once one entered the True Element Boundary, each minor realm’s breakthrough would become progressively more difficult.
However, these days Yang Kai had consistently taken a small cup of Myriad Drug Liquid every morning, using the Myriad Drug Liquid to temper his physique and cleanse his body.
After doing so for a long period of time, both his physique and meridians had undergone a significant improvements compared to the past, so even when he was breaking through the various stages of the True Element Boundary it was still quite a relaxed process for him.
Having spent nearly a month consolidating his True Element Boundary Fourth Stage, undergoing a breakthrough now was essentially taken for granted.
The scorching True Yang Yuan Qi burst forth from his body, like a raging flame, and instantly caused the temperature in the entire room to soar.
Calming his breath and condensing his True Qi, the flame-like Qi in the air was suddenly sucked into Yang Kai’s body, disappearing completely.
Immediately, his whole body was bathed in a warm and comfortable sensation.
At that moment, Yang Kai, with his True Yang Secret Art circulating as rapidly as it could, appeared to radiate a vibrant aura.
His meridians were filled to the brim and were no longer able to store any more pure True Qi.
With a sudden dripping sound, a new drop of Yang Liquid was condensed and was quickly stored in his dantian.
Instantly, Yang Kai’s bloated meridians once again became uncomfortably empty.
However, the medicinal herbs and pills he had ingested quickly began producing new True Qi, and they gradually filled up his empty meridians once more.
This dripping sound was extremely pleasant to the ear, and each time it occurred, it brought him a serene feeling.
After absorbing all the medicinal essence from all the spirit herbs and pills, more than a dozen drops of Yang Liquid had been added to his dantian.
Letting out a long breath and feeling the fullness of his dantian, Yang Kai couldn’t help smiling with satisfaction.
Although the number of drops of Yang Liquid he had stored right now was not many compared to before, the grade of each one could not be compared to back then, so even if the number was less, they could actually support his high level of consumption for a much longer period of time.
Without resting for even a moment, Yang Kai once again closed his eyes.
Now that he had refined enough Yang Liquid, it was time to nourish his Soul.
The Soul Seeking Seal Shan Qing Luo had implanted into the Yang Kai’s body should be some kind of Soul Skill.
As long as his Divine Sense became strong enough, naturally he would be able to crush it.
If he wanted his Divine Sense to become strong, his only options were to take some Precious Treasure or cultivate an appropriate Soul Skill.
However, the only Soul Skill Yang Kai could cultivate right now was the defence skill, Soul Palace! But in order to cultivate this defensive Soul Skill, one had to be in a very specific environment.
Currently, there was no way for Yang Kai to practice it.
So, how was he to rapidly cultivate his Soul and enhance his Divine Sense in order to break free from this seductress’s Soul Seeking Seal?
Yang Kai furrowed his brow and contemplated deeply.
After a long time, an idea came to him.
What he thought of was the two times before that his Soul had rapidly increased in strength, both of which he had entered into very dangerous places, causing his Spiritual Energy to be greatly drained before being supplemented. Each cycle brought a slight enhancement to himself.
The first time was when he was in the isolated world for life experience and had entered the white mist bank where the Soul Cleansing Dew was formed.
The second time was in the depths of the Coiling Dragon Stream when the hostility from the thick Demonic Qi rising from the canyon floor had impacted him and damaged his Soul.
After being damaged and restored, the strength of his Spiritual Energy had rapidly increased at a speed far beyond cultivating a Soul Skill or taking Precious Treasures could match.
For any ordinary person, it would be impossible to cultivate their Soul this way.
If one experienced a severe loss of Spiritual Energy they wouldn’t necessarily suffer any lasting damage, but if such a process was repeated many times, they would inevitably be given a permanent trauma. One they would never be able to recover from.
However, Yang Kai was different. In his possession was the Heaven defying Five Coloured Soul Warming Lotus, the world’s most precious Soul cultivating treasure. With this treasure, Yang Kai simply didn’t need to consider his Soul receiving permanent damage.
Frowning, Yang Kai contemplated for a long time before deciding to implement this strategy.
Supplementing his Spiritual Energy wasn’t a problem; after all, he had acquired a number of herbs and pill from Shan Qing Luo’s Treasure House, and on top of that, his Myriad Drug Milk could also be used.
As for depleting his Spiritual Energy, that was easy, stored within Yang Kai’s mind was the True Alchemic Way.
The last time he had studied it, he had completely consumed his Spiritual Energy multiple times yet ultimately only managed to obtain an auxiliary support type Spirit Array for pill refinement.
Just by simply viewing the True Alchemic Way with his Divine Sense he could quickly exhaust his Spiritual Energy.
Having made up his mind, Yang Kai didn’t hesitate to immerse himself in the True Alchemic Way’s various records stored within his mind.
The True Alchemic Way was incredibly extensive and profound. Contained within it were innumerable documents, texts, and thesi. If he wanted to completely master it, it would no doubt take countless hours and an enormous amount of Spiritual Energy.
Yang Kai though wasn’t interested in actually studying the True Alchemic Way, so he only haphazardly browsed through it.
A moment later, Yang Kai felt a sharp pain in his head. His whole being was suddenly afflicted with a sense of exhaustion, and his face instantly became pale.
His Spiritual Energy had been exhausted!
However, soon after, a cooling sensation began spilling out from his mind as the Soul Warming Lotus began to repair the damage done to his Soul.
A few breaths later, the pain had disappeared and his Soul had been fully repaired. However, his depleted Spiritual Energy still needed to be supplemented.
With his latest experience beneath the Myriad Drug Pond, Yang Kai knew that if he wanted to depend entirely on the Soul Warming Lotus to replenish his Spiritual Energy it would take a long time, at least four or five hours.
It was precisely because Spiritual Energy was much more difficult to restore than True Qi that cultivating one’s Soul was incredibly difficult.
Weakly removing a bottle of Soul replenishing pills, Yang Kai poured out several of them and together with a small sip of Myriad Drug Milk, he began to refine and absorb their medicinal essence.
After a short time, his Spiritual Energy was fully restored, and Yang Kai once again felt as mighty as a dragon and fierce as a tiger.
Immediately, he sunk his Divine Sense into his mind and continued studying the True Alchemic Way, combing through its mysteries.
Time quickly passed by.
Yang Kai kept repeating this cycle of damaging then restoring his Soul.
With each cycle, his Spiritual Energy would have some enhancements, although the increase was not great, such progress was still quite gratifying.
Not only that, Yang Kai also gradually became interested in exploring the mysteries of the True Alchemic Way.
The last time he had studied it, Yang Kai had only glimpsed a single support type Spirit Array. Specifically, it was designed to improve the quality of the pills an Alchemist could refine.
For example, if one refined a furnace of Heaven Grade Top-Rank materials, with the assistance of that Spirit Array it would be possible improve the quality of the pill by a single rank to a Mysterious Grade Low-Rank pill.
Of course, this was only a possibility. The effects of this Spirit Array were by no means a guarantee, and as one refined more and more pills, the effect would continuously degrade.
As his understanding the True Alchemic Way deepened, Yang Kai discovered that there was actually a variety of Spirit Arrays recorded within it.
At the very least, he had now glimpsed several different types which were related to improving the quality of the pills, increasing the chances of Pill Veins forming, improving the success rate of refining pills, and numerous other auxiliary effects.
And these were still just the preliminary methods of the True Alchemic Way.
It was truly hard to imagine what profound insights and mysteries the later chapters contained.
In addition to these Spirit Arrays, there was also some special alchemic knowledge such as how to select the best materials to use when refining pills.
These pieces of the information had been recorded by Yang Kai into his memory, so that if there was a chance in the future he could pass them on to Xia Ning Chang and Xiao Fu Sheng.
After two days of continuously repeating this Soul cultivation, the herbs and pills Yang Kai had ransacked from Shan Qing Luo Treasure House had been completely consumed. Without these things to supplement his Spiritual Energy, Yang Kai could no longer continue this reckless form of practice.
Any other Immortal Ascension Boundary master would at most carry one or two bottles of these types of pills in case they suffered from a grievous injury to their Soul, but none of them would so wantonly consume them simply to cultivate.
Without these pills and herbs, Yang Kai’s Myriad Drug Milk alone couldn’t supplement his Spiritual Energy loss fast enough.
Although the Myriad Drug Milk also had a restorative effect, its role was simply too broad, not specifically for nourishing the Soul. Taking it one or two times in quick succession still produced significant results, but as it was consumed more and more it’s efficacy decreased. In the end, the Myriad Drug Milk’s role was more so as a catalyst which allowed one to rapidly refine the efficacies of various pills while enhancing their contained medicinal essence’s potency.
Without Soul nourishing pills, even if he continued such cultivation, his progress would have to slow dramatically.
“Ahem,” As various thoughts churned inside Yang Kai’s head, he wrinkled his brow and quickly beckoned to the people waiting nearby.
These past three days while he had been cultivating, he was constantly aware of the auras of three other people staying within Tranquil Phoenix Pavilion. It was no doubt the mature beauty Yun Li and the two young girls Ruo Yu and Ruo Qing.
Yang Kai’s room was in the innermost wing of the pavilion, while nearby there was a separate room where the three maids lived, always at the ready, just waiting for Yang Kai to summon them.
As soon as he called out to them, Yang Kai immediately heard the light sound of footsteps approaching and within a few breaths, Yun Li, Ruo Yu, and Ruo Qing came into his room.
“What orders does Young Lord have?” Yun Li respectfully asked as she directed a warm smile at Yang Kai.
“Where is Bi Luo?”
“Ms. Bi Luo right now should be cultivating in her residence.” Yun Li replied professionally.
“Go call her for me.”
“Yes, Young Lord!” Yun Li elegantly nodded, gently turning her gaze towards Ruo Yu and Ruo Qing, “Go summon Ms. Bi Luo here.”
The two girls nodded once before swiftly walking away.
Next, for some unknown reason, the mature beauty remained behind. Directing her elegant pair of enchanting eyes towards Yang Kai, she softly asked, “Young Lord looks tired, have you not rested well these past few days?”
“It’s nothing,” Yang Kai lightly shook his head, “I’ve just been cultivating.”
The beautiful woman elegantly smiled, lightly stepping forward, and her well rounded hips gently swayed as she unhesitantly walked over to Yang Kai and knelt down behind him.
Stretching out her two soft white-jade like hands, she gently began to massage Yang Kai.
“Young Lord’s pursuit of strength is very admirable, but you must also take good care of your body, if Mistress were to see you looking so worn out, I’m afraid she would think we servants had been negligent in our duties to care for you, we may even be given some punishment as a result.” As she spoke, her small delicate hands continued to rhythmically rub his tense tired muscles. They seemed to know exactly where and how much pressure to apply in order to produce the most soothing effect.
The mature beautiful woman Yun Li’s ten slender fingers seemed to contain some kind of magical power. No matter where she touched, Yang Kai’s physical and mental fatigue would vanish, which caused him to involuntarily relax and fall into a sense of extreme comfort.
A gentle village was the burial place of a hero, these words were not false.
Yang Kai also felt very contented with this service, and gradually closed his eyes and immersed himself in this pleasant feeling.
He was by no means an obstinate person, and since Shan Qing Luo had specifically sent Yun Li, Ruo Yu, and Ruo Qing to serve him and had even ordered them to accept any request he made, Yang Kai simply didn’t mind imposing such a minor matter upon this mature beauty.
These three, an enchanting mature woman, a gentle and tranquil girl, and an elegant and dignified young lady, each had their own unique style, but all of them were undoubtedly extremely attractive to men.
Now that this beautiful woman had taken the initiative to serve him, Yang Kai naturally had no reason to refuse. Doing so would only make it seem like he felt guilty about something.
A temporary tranquility fell upon the pavilion. Yang Kai didn’t speak, nor did the beautiful woman Yun Li make any noise. Both just concentrated on the massage.
As time passed, Yang Kai began to notice that the beauty kneeling behind him was beginning to breathe slightly heavier. Even the faint heat her body was radiating gradually increased. As she breathed in and out, a faint aroma leaked from her lips, and her heartbeat also started to accelerate.
Whether intentionally or unintentionally, while she was massaging him, Yun Li’s full amazingly elastic peaks from time to time would brush against Yang Kai’s back, which added to the ambiguous atmosphere.
Two cherry-like bulges occasionally pressed against him and sent a light shock running up his spine.
Yang Kai couldn’t help feeling surprised, and was unable to stop his expression from becoming awkward.
Yun Li, this graceful mature beauty, couldn’t actually be just as Bi Luo described, right? After suffering a ten year drought, was she really now akin to a starving wolf or crouching tiger, just waiting for an opportunity to pounce?
If not, why would she have such an exaggerated reaction from just a simple massage?
The not so subtle change in this beauty, along him being alone in his bedchamber, suddenly made various stray thoughts surface in Yang Kai’s mind.
In truth, Yun Li’s age was not large. At most, she was only twenty-five or so years old, and although she couldn’t be described as a girl anymore, she was still in the prime of her life.
Most importantly, she gave off the charm of a mature woman, both physically and mentally. She had a certain appeal that was impossible to find on a young naive girl, and this point alone made her particularly attractive.
This woman had been married once, but she had only been able to spend a single month with her husband before he died, since then she had spent ten years as a widows.
Ten years ago, she would have only been fifteen years old. To have tasted that kind of wonderful feeling and then have to spend so long without it, she may really have some unsatisfied desires.
Seemingly aware of Yang Kai’s awkward reaction, Yun Li once more wore an elegant smile and took the initiative to separate herself from Yang Kai as she softly said, “Young Lord, Ms. Bi Luo should arrive shortly.”
“En.” Knowing that she was simply reminding him, Yang Kai just nodded slightly before falling silent once more.
The mature beauty couldn’t help being slightly surprised. Apparently not thinking Yang Kai would be so succinct, she felt a bit lost in her heart.
A moment later, from outside the pavilion, the sound of Bi Luo gnashing her teeth and cursing under her breath rang out, as if she was just at a critical moment in her cultivation but had been disturbed by Ruo Yu and Ruo Qing. However, with Shan Qing Luo’s order in place, she really had no choice but to swallow her dissatisfaction and arrive quickly.
“Yang Kai!” Calling out from downstairs, Bi Luo stood straight with her hands on her hips, and her eyes clearly contained an unhappy light.
Yang Kai, in response simply stood up, walked over to the window, and without reservation jumped down to lightly land in front of her.
“A woman should try her best to maintain some elegance, why must you look so vicious?” Yang Kai quipped.
“Mind your own business!” Bi Luo snapped back at him and glared at Yang Kai in annoyance, “Don’t think that just because you managed to please me last time, I’ll suddenly take a liking to you! I’ll say it clearly once more, if not for Mistress’s orders, I, your aunt, wouldn’t bother wasting any of my time with you!”
“Fine, then give those things back!” Yang Kai reached out solemnly.
“What things?” Bi Luo asked in an indignant voice.
“That pair of earrings.”
Bi Luo hurriedly took a few steps back and bitterly stared at Yang Kai, “Why do you want them back now?”
“Since it’s no use trying to please you, why should I offer you anything, come on, quickly return them!” Yang Kai coldly said.
“Hey hey hey, are you really a man?” Bi Luo suddenly asked sarcastically, “Sending something out but then trying to grab it back, aren’t you being a bit too stingy?”
“It’s your own fault!” Yang Kai sneered. “Now, are you going to return them to me or not?
“Never!” Bi Luo firmly declared, “I won’t give them back! Since you gave them to me already they’re mine now, I’ll never give them back to you!”
“You’re determined?”
“En!”
“Good!” Yang Kai nodded, quickly striding forward towards the Palace.
“Where do you think you’re going!?” Bi Luo suddenly felt suspicious and quickly blocked his path.
“I’m going to tell your Mistress that you stole an artifact from her Treasure House!” Yang Kai looked at her defiantly as he smiled deviously.
“You… you…” Bi Luo falteringly took a few steps back and pointed her trembling finger at Yang Kai with her face dyed a bright shade of crimson, “How can you act so ruthlessly, you heartless, shameless bully! Obviously, you were the one who took them out from the Treasure House and threw it to me. That day you said…”
“I didn’t say anything that day!” Yang Kai smiled arrogantly towards her.
[Silly little girl, you’re still too naive. Did you really think this young master would be so kind to send you something without some strings?]
“That day, I didn’t get anything except two bottles of pills,” Yang Kai calmly declared.
“Don’t be so unreasonable, okay?” Bi Luo became completely sluggish. She finally understood what it meant to suffer injustice from receiving another’s gifts. She had no choice but to swallow her anger now. Although she couldn’t wait to rip Yang Kai’s corpse into ten thousand pieces, she still wore a delicate and aggrieved expression on her face.
Staring begrudgingly at Yang Kai she desperately pleaded, “You’re not such a person, right? Simply because my attitude just now wasn’t very polite, and I had a minor disagreement with you, are you really going to intentionally create a misunderstanding between Mistress and I just to see me get punished?”
Bi Luo wore a pitifully expression as she begged him, and her eyes became slightly watery, which gave her the appearance of an innocent young girl suffering a great injustice.
However, Yang Kai simply pretended he didn’t see any of this and coldly said, “I’m sorry, after all, I’m just a shameless ruthless person. Any grievances I have must be settled. Since you provoked me, I have to make sure you learn the folly of your choice.”
“You… I’ll remember you!” Bi Luo saw that the soft approach wasn’t going to work, so she immediately dispensed with her cheap act and bitterly ground her teeth as she asked, “What do you want…”
“Nothing, I’m just too bored, I thought it’d be a good time to have a chat with your Mistress!”
Bi Luo’s True Qi suddenly ferociously surged as she glared fiercely at Yang Kai, seemingly tempted to teach this rude brat a lesson.
Yang Kai remained indifferent however and instead sneered provocatively towards her. If Bi Luo thought that her True Element Boundary Seventh Stage was enough to suppress him, she was really looking down on him too much. He actually hoped she really would start something here. It would give Yang Kai the perfect excuse to act furiously towards Shan Qing Luo and allow him to legitimately escape from this devilish woman’s grasp.
The pair continued staring each other down until, all of a sudden Bi Luo’s momentum collapsed, and her threatening air evaporated, “Name your terms, I’ll agree!”
From childhood till now, the first gift she had received from a man had actually become a fatal constraint!
[From now on, even if it kills me, I’ll never accept gifts from someone ever again, especially a man!] Bi Luo felt like her innocent soul had suffered a deep wound, casting a lingering shadow in her heart.
“Either show me some respect or return those earrings.” Yang Kai casually demanded.
“Agreed!” Bi Luo replied forlornly, “What else?”
“I want to go out for a stroll, come with me.”
“En….”
“Good!” Yang Kai laughed triumphantly, his mood suddenly a bit lighter.
As the two of them left, Yun Li, Ruo Yu, and Ruo Qing, who had watched this scene unfold, still couldn’t help staring with astonishment at the pair’s shrinking backs.
[Bi Luo… backed down?]
In Fragrance City, Bi Luo had always been fearless. Besides Shan Qing Luo, no one could make her submit, yet now Yang Kai, this young man of unknown origin, had actually forced her to back down?
The mature beauty and the two girls still couldn’t believe what they had seen, standing there stunned, not knowing what to say.
“Right, did Shan Qing Luo tell you if I wanted to buy something, she would pay?” After leaving the palace and arriving on the streets, Yang Kai suddenly asked.
“En.” Bi Luo nodded softly and seemingly did not have the energy to even reply.
However, suddenly thinking something, she angrily snapped, “You dare casually call Mistress by her real name?”
Before she could finish though, Yang Kai decisively interrupted her.
“Even in front of your Mistress’s face I dare call her by her name yet she never had a problem with it, so stop being so long winded.”
“You…” Bi Luo tightened her fists in rage, “I warn you, don’t overstep your bounds!”
Yang Kai simply ignored her and continued walking in front. Behind him, the sound of grumbling was obvious, as was the piercing glare of hatred which seemed akin to a wild beast ready to rip him to shreds.
Wandering around the city for a while, they eventually came to a medicine store.
This was a fairly high grade shop, as soon as the two of them entered, the store’s Head Treasurer stumbled out from behind the counters and swiftly arrived before Bi Luo, his forehead filled with cold sweat, “Greeting Ms. Bi Luo, your arrival was unexpected, so this servant has not prepared an appropriate welcome, please forgive this sin!”
As soon as the shop’s Treasurer shouted as such, all the people in the shop, whether they were employees or guests swiftly made their escape, as if they had seen a poisonous viper suddenly emerge. In the blink of an eye only the Head Treasurer and the young pair were left.
Yang Kai couldn’t help being astonished as he witnessed all of this, quickly discovering just how famous Bi Luo was in Fragrance City, and not in a good way.
“En.” Bi Luo offhandedly nodded, apparently used to such treatment already.
“Did Ms. Bi Luo perhaps come here today to… purchase something?” The Treasurer asked carefully while wiping the sweat from his forehead.
“I’m not here to buy things, he is! Quickly greet him.” Bi Luo snappily pointed towards Yang Kai.
“Hm?” The Treasurer suddenly became confused, and glancing back and forth between Yang Kai and Bi Luo, a light of suspicion flashed across his eyes.
“Do you have Soul nourishing and Spiritual Energy recovery type pills?” Yang Kai asked directly.
“Yes!” Treasurer repeatedly nodded, “Soul Cultivating Pill, Soul Supplement Pill, Soul Restoring Pill, we have all of these, which one does this Young Lord want?”
“How many do you have?” Yang Kai asked.
“The number of these pills is generally quite small, this humble store only has three or four bottles of each, only the Soul Recovery Pills have five bottles.”
“I’ll take them all!” Yang Kai’s casually made such grand demands.
In any case, since Shan Qing Luo was backing him, he might as well take advantage of the situation while he could. With her being a Great Demon King who reigned over several thousand kilometres of territory, she was definitely not short on money.
“Ah… all of them?” The Treasurer couldn’t help gawking, while even Bi Luo turned a puzzled look towards Yang Kai and asked, “Why do you want all of these things? You haven’t even reached the Immortal Ascension Boundary yet.”
“It’s none of your concern!” Yang Kai replied lightly.
“Ms. Bi Luo, this…” The Treasurer nervously asked for instructions.
“Didn’t you hear? Since this Young Lord said he wants everything, then quickly bring all of them out! Have all of them packaged up right away and sent to The Palace. Payment will be made in full when we receive them.” Since Bi Luo couldn’t vent her anger on Yang Kai, thus her anger spilled over onto the poor Treasurer.
“Yes yes yes!” The Treasurer no longer hesitated.
Although Bi Luo was famous for her bad temper, she had always conducted business fairly. However much was owed, she would pay, so the Treasurer was not actually worried about money.
His only concern was who this young man was. Bi Luo seemed to be very angry with him yet she still spared no expense to help him.
However, with his heart beating like a drum, the Treasurer dared not delay and quickly packed up all the pills Yang Kai had ordered before having a store boy deliver them to The Palace.
When this shop boy walked in front of Bi Luo, he kept his head lowered, his eyes staring at his toes, and did not dare to even glance at Bi Luo.
After leaving this medicine shop, Yang Kai and Bi Luo’s eyes met coincidentally, “Seems like many men in the city are afraid of you!”
“Hmph!” Bi Luo proudly snorted, and her enchanting face donned an arrogant look, as she proudly puffed up her chest and casually said, “If they dare look at me the wrong way, I’ll claw out their eyes!”
“Isn’t that a bit much?” Yang Kai frowned. “A great beauty always draws the eyes of many others, if no one dares look at you, what is the point of being beautiful in the first place?”
“You know shit!” Bi Luo glared at him menacingly and disdainfully quipped, “All you men ever have in your heads are dirty thoughts. When you see a beautiful woman the first thing you think of is defiling her, I don’t want to be stared at with such filthy gazes!
“Not all men are like that,” Yang Kai said indignantly.
Bi Luo looked him up and down suddenly before quietly declaring, “Well, not you I guess, at least when you look at me your eyes don’t seem to be filled with obscene intent, I’ll admit that you are at least a bit better than most men on that at least.”
“Young Lady Bi Luo’s vision is quite good!” Yang Kai faintly responded.
“Now… where do you want to go?” With Bi Luo’s hands crossed behind her back, her shoulders drooped slightly as she was obviously feeling a bit impatient. “If you’re done shopping, I’d like to head back and resume my cultivation.”
“Of course there are more places I wish to visit. Fragrance City has more than this one medicine shop, right?”
“There are four or five, do you still plan to visit more pill shops?” Bi Luo looked at him slightly surprised, “You don’t want to buy more Soul nourishing pills do you?”
“Indeed I do.”
“What do you need so many for?” Bi Luo grumbled before suddenly curling her lips, “Fine fine, if you want to buy more then I’ll just bring you there.”
After turning around and walking away, Bi Luo quickly grinned impishly before hurriedly adjusting her face, then she lightly coughed and pretended like nothing had happened.
Although Fragrance City was by no means small, there were only a few pill shops doing business. After all, in order to sell large quantities of pills one needed to have a very strong family background. The sheer amount of financial, material, and human resources wasn’t something a small force could accommodate.
Therefore, in the entire city there were only a total of five pill shops.
Bi Luo worked tirelessly leading the way, and after spending half a day or so she had finally finished escorting Yang Kai to visits four of these shops, sweeping clean all the Soul nourishing pills they had in stock. At last she led Yang Kai toward the fifth and final pill shop, Heavenly Melody Medicine Square.
Inside Heavenly Le Medicine Square, a young man in a shop boy’s uniform flew up to the second floor and gently knocked on a large door at the top of the stairs.
Immediately, a raging voice like thunder resounded, “Fuck! What is it! Didn’t I say no matter what matters come up, no one is to disturb me! Damn brat, I’ll rip off your dog head! Fuck! Fuck your mother!”
“Young Master, it’s about young lady Bi Luo.” The fatigued young man diligently ignored this vicious scolding without a single complaint before respectfully reporting.
All of a sudden a loud thumping sound was heard, like someone had just violently stood up, which was then quickly followed by a series of flustered footfalls.
On the first floor of the shop, the shop assistants all wore bitter expressions, and each of them were frightened that the ceiling above their heads would crack under their young master’s footsteps.
With a loud crash, the large door was opened, and an extremely burly man, with the physique of a wild bear, charged out.
This man was by no means old, only in his early twenties, but his image was quite imposing. His face was covered with a shaggy beard, and he looked extremely rough and unfriendly. Only his eyes were somewhat small and narrow, and coupled with his hulking physique, he gave off a somewhat sinister aura.
He was the Young Master of the family which owned Heavenly Le Medicine Square, Le Yu.
The Le Family was also a big force in Fragrance City. Its patriarch was one of the city’s Elders. They had been serving Shan Qing Luo’s family for more than two hundred years and had rendered many meritorious services.
The Le Family’s main residence was actually not inside Fragrance City, instead located on a nearby mountain range.
Le Yu’s reason for staying in his family’s pill shop in Fragrance City was entirely related to Bi Luo. Since a year ago, when he had first encountered Bi Luo by accident, Le Yu had become completely infatuated and declared that he must by all means make her his woman.
Although Bi Luo did not come from a Great Family, and was neither a pure chaste maiden nor had a noble temperament, she was still Shan Qing Luo’s foremost subordinate. Therefore, the Le Family was quite supportive of Le Yu’s decision, allowing him to stay in the city.
Unfortunately, this past year, Le Yu had barely managed to interact with Bi Luo, and each time he did, Bi Luo would quickly escape.
Even if Le Yu was arrogant, he would not dare recklessly intrude into Shan Qing Luo’s palace, so once Bi Luo escaped into the palace he could only hopelessly give up.
In all of Fragrance city, Le Yu was no doubt the person Bi Luo most did not want to meet.
Even remembering this rough overbearing burly giant at least four times her size would always give Bi Luo tremors.
Outside his room, Le Yu vice gripped the young shop assistant; this youth was not weak, but now facing Le Yu, he was no better than a chicken, his feet dangling in the air as he was held up by his shoulders.
“What about Bi Luo?” Le Yu asked urgently.
With a cold sweat dripping down his forehead, the youth quickly replied, “Young Master had ordered that once Young Lady Bi Luo leaves the palace, we must inform him right away. Today she has come out!”
“She came out?” Le Yu look suddenly looked overjoyed and casually tossed the young shop assistant aside, dashing forward three steps before he halted, turned around, and asked, “Where is she now?”
The youth couldn’t help having an awkward look cross his face as he replied, “Young Lady Bi Luo is on her way here to Heavenly Le Medicine Square!”
“Hm?” Le Yu’s expression suddenly froze before he asked again, “Are you sure your dog eyes didn’t see wrong?”
“It’s true, Young Master. She really has come to Heavenly Le Medicine Square.”
“But… why?” Although Le Yu looked like an uncouth muscle brained savage, but quite inconsistent with his physical appearance he was actually quite shrewd. He was well aware that Bi Luo would do everything in her power to avoid him, and that each time he chased after her she would quickly escape to the Demon Queen’s Palace, so how come she all of a sudden decided to leap into the tiger’s mouth, taking the initiative to come see him on her own?
“Did she come alone?” Suddenly thinking of something, Le Yu’s look became cold, his already small eyes narrowing further, a dark dreadful light flashing across his gaze.
“No…” The young shop assistant shuddered unconsciously, hesitantly replying, “It seems as if… she is accompanying a young man.”
“Hmph!” Le Yu’s True Qi suddenly burst out and nearly crushed the shop’s second floor to pieces, maliciously smiling as he muttered, “A young man huh… I’d like to see which bastard dares have ideas about this Young Master’s woman!”
On the street, Yang Kai looked suspiciously towards Bi Luo. Although Yang Kai knew she was planning something, he was unsure just what it was.
As well, this enchanting girl’s facial expression was quite stiff, like she was suffering some kind of inner conflict and was constantly struggling to make a decision.
Bi Luo was naturally somewhat conflicted. Le Yu was not someone who could be reasoned with. If they really arrived at Heavenly Le Medicine Square, he was sure to raise a fuss.
What if this smelly brat was killed by Le Yu?
However much she disliked him, there was no refuting the fact that he was an honored guest. If he suffered from some kind of accident, how could she possibly explain to her mistress?
However, Bi Luo quickly put down such extreme concerns. If things developed too far, she could simply invoke Shan Qing Luo’s name. Even if Le Yu was domineering, there was no way he wouldn’t give her mistress face.
[Good! This time I’ll give this little brat a little lesson, lest he think this young lady is easily bullied.]
Thinking back on Yang Kai’s attitude towards her, Bi Luo couldn’t help but feel angered.
“Are we there yet?” Yang Kai frowned and asked. Along this particular road, Bi Luo’s pace had been much slower than before, seemingly because she was considering if there was a problem in coming here.
“We’re here!” Bi Luo’s slender fingers pointed towards a large building in front of them, “That’s Fragrance City’s largest pill shop, it’s also the last one in the city.”
“But… maybe we shouldn’t go.” Her haughty attitude suddenly deflated. Bi Luo began to hesitate once more, wondering if she was being too vicious.
“Hmm?” Yang Kai looked at her meaningfully, his curiosity somewhat piqued.
“There’s a man inside there that I hate!”
“Looks like we’re too late,” Yang Kai couldn’t help chuckling. “They’ve already come out to invite us in.”
“Ah?” Bi Luo suddenly looked dismayed as she quickly swept her gaze forward.
From the Heavenly Le Medicine Square in front of her, a few uniformed men quickly appeared, walking straight towards them.
These few people’s cultivation were not weak. Although they were all quite young, each one of them had at least reached the True Element Boundary. Swiftly arriving in front of the pair, all of them smiled as they cupped their fists, “Young Lady Bi Luo, our young master has been looking forward to you paying a visit to our humble shop, and has instructed us to courteously escort you inside.”
“I have nothing to say to your young master!” Bi Luo’s face twisted in disgust, and she turned around and quickly pulled on Yang Kai’s sleeve, “Let’s go!”
However, the few shop assistants quickly blocked her path and grinned helplessly, “Young Lady Bi Luo, if you do not come with us, I’m afraid we brothers will lose a layer of skin today. We hope Young Lady Bi Luo will not refuse this invitation, thus inciting our young master’s anger.”
“What do you want to do here!” Bi Luo coldly asked.
Quite reluctantly, the leader of this group replied, “Young Master has said, if Young Lady Bi Luo refuses to meet him then he will not force the issue, but this Young Lord accompanying you must come with us!”
“He dares!” Bi Luo’s tone became even colder, her enchanting eyes quickly flashed an angry light and regretting she had come here in the first place.
She deeply felt that she shouldn’t have dragged Yang Kai into this muddy water knowing full well that nothing good would come of it, but in the end she had still brought him over, which caused her to feel guilty.
“Haha, this doesn’t seem like a decision Young Lady Bi Luo has the final say in. This Young Lord, please follow us!” These few people turned their eyes towards Yang Kai while maintaining a formal smile.
Yang Kai stared back indifferently and slightly wrinkled his brow, “I’ve only come here to buy some pills, whatever grievances you have between you doesn’t concern me, so don’t get me involved.”
By now, Yang Kai also understood what was happening. That Le Yu probably had intentions towards Bi Luo, and upon seeing him accompanying her he became angered. Bi Luo also surely understood this point and wanted to take this opportunity to have Le Yu teach him a lesson.
But now, for some unknown reason, she was regretting her decision.
Thinking so, he couldn’t help glancing back at Bi Luo.
Feeling the deep coldness in his eyes, she unconsciously shivered.
“Since this Young Lord wants to buy pills, then please accompany us inside. Heavenly Le Medicine Square, Fragrance City’s largest pill shop, will definitely not disappoint the Young Lord!” The lead shop assistant smiled as he spoke to Yang Kai.
Having reached this point, if he tried to pull back, it would only bring disdain upon himself; not to mention, the other side had made it quite clear that even if he wanted to walk away he wouldn’t be able to.
“We’ll settle this once we get back!” Yang Kai coldly snorted before calmly walking towards Heavenly Le Medicine Square.
Bi Luo’s expression dimmed slightly at this, and she anxiously kept up. Her enchanting face was filled with a mix of displeasure and grief.
Stepping into Heavenly Le Medicine Square, before Yang Kai had even had a chance to glance around, he felt a sharp and hostile gaze fall upon him.
Staring back at the source of this gaze, Yang Kai’s expression became cold.
He had never before seen such a burly man. He was no different from a tower, at least two heads taller than the average man with an incredibly muscular frame. His physique appeared full of explosive power, every part of his body seemed to ripple with vitality, akin to a great beast standing there before him.
What stood out most though was his pair of narrow squinting eyes, only revealing a small gap, radiating a cold light, and his mouth was similarly curled into a chilly grin.
Although he hadn’t yet exchanged blows with him, Yang Kai still felt slightly pressured by this brawny man’s imposing aura. Le Yu’s combat effectiveness, he estimated, was no worse than Qiu Yi Meng’s, possibly even somewhat higher.
“Le Yu, what do you want to do?” As soon as Bi Luo came in, she immediately frowned and said, “He is an honored guest of my mistress, you should not act too presumptuously.”
“Mistress Demon Queen’s honoured guest?” Le Yu couldn’t help but show a startled expression but soon after revealed a disdainful sneer, and his eyes filled with cold light, “Him? Who the hell is he? What qualifications does he have to be Mistress Demon Queen’s honored guest?”
Apparently, Le Yu thought Bi Luo was simply trying to intimidate him and did not take her seriously.
“I’m serious,” Bi Luo said anxiously. “If anything should happen to him, it will cost you your life. Mistress’s anger isn’t something to take lightly, even your Le Family won’t be able to save you.”
“Enough!” Le Yu roared impatiently. Watching Bi Luo treat Yang Kai so favourable only deepened the resentment in his heart, but eventually he showed a cold grin, “So what if he’s the Mistress Demon Queen’s guest? As long as he doesn’t die then everything is fine, right? Hmph, look at his scrawny arms and legs, this Young Master disdains to even attack him, lest others say I am bully a weakling.”
Hearing this, Bi Luo heaved a sigh of relief, “Good, you still have a little bit of sense!”
As long as Le Yu didn’t personally take action, things wouldn’t escalate too far.
As these two carried on their discussion, Yang Kai simply observed from the side. His brow slightly wrinkled as things developed, and he eventually said, “Whatever grievances you two have you should solve them on your own, I said before I’ve only come here to buy pills.”
“Buy pills?” Le Yu grinned meaningfully, “We indeed have many pills here for sale, if others wish to buy them, we will sell things at fair prices, but you, little brat, if you want to buy something, I’m afraid things won’t be so easy.”
“Le Yu, are you going to insist on being like that?” Bi Luo’s look also became cold, “Is Heavenly Le Medicine Square not an open and fair business? Must you intentionally try to embarrass him?”
“Indeed I must embarrass him, unless of course… hah, if Young Lady Bi Luo were to promise to marry me! As long as you swear an oath to marry me, I will immediately kowtow before this little brat and provide an appropriate compensation for any previous slights.” Le Yu shifted his gaze towards Bi Luo as he revealed an arrogant grin.
“Keep dreaming!” Bi Luo immediately refused, “This Young Lady would rather marry a dog than marry you!”
Le Yu was not phased by her answer, and instead just laughed it off, as if nothing Bi Luo could say to him would arouse his anger.
After an instant, Le Yu shifted his eyes back to Yang Kai, his smile still icy cold and disdainful, “Little brat, seems you have bad luck. Since she refuses to marry me, if seems you’ll have to suffer some inconvenience.”
“What pills do you want to buy?” Le Yu then suddenly asked.
Bi Luo, thinking Le Yu was willing to take a step back, suddenly relaxed slightly and quickly said, “Soul restoring and Soul nourishing pills.”
“Good, we have plenty of those in stock!” Le Yu nodded and waved, “Take out all the pills we have with such effects!”
The shop assistants inside the pharmacy quickly nodded, and a moment later had brought out a dozen or so bottles of pills.
“En, please have all of these sent to the palace, after a few days I will come to deliver payment.” Bi Luo smiled lightly and looked at Le Yu, “Seems like even though you’re just a bear you’re not completely unreasonable.”
“Heh heh!” Le Yu grinned meaningfully before glancing towards Yang Kai, “Of course I’m not unreasonable, I’m simply earning this little friend here some face!”
“Face is earned by myself, not given to me by others.” Yang Kai coldly snorted. Being involved in this troublesome matter for no reason, he was extremely unhappy.
If he was not happy, no one would be.
“Very good!” Le Yu laughed, seemingly now somewhat enjoying this. “Since you’ve said so little friend, I will give you two choices. First, take these pills and then leave Fragrance City, the farther you roll the better, just make sure that in this life you never appear in front of me again.”
“I chose the second option!” Yang Kai looked back at him indifferently and instantly cut him off.
Le Yu was stunned for a moment before he grinned happily, “Good! It’s been a long time since I’ve seen such a crazy arrogant little bastard.”
Saying so, he signaled towards a few of the young shop assistants who were standing nearby, “You guys, play with him a bit, regardless of the outcome, these pills afterwards will belong to him.”
Bi Luo was startled and immediately objecting, “Hey, Le Yu, don’t go too far! All of them are True Element Boundary masters, if it’s one on one then so be it, but making them all gang up on him, don’t you think your bullying him too much?”
“Bullying him too much?” Le Yu shot back disdainfully, “Here, in this place, this little bastard can’t compare with this Young Master’s financial power, or family power, so the only thing he can compare with this Young Master with is strength! Since he dares act so arrogantly he must show he has the strength to back it up!”
The few young shop assistants who were called up grinned menacingly. All of them cracked their knuckles and shook their heads, as they slowly walked forward and encircled Yang Kai.
These youths were not pushovers either. All of them at least had reached the True Element Boundary Third or Fourth Stage. One of them even had a cultivation at the True Element Boundary Sixth Stage.
Inside the Heavenly Le Medicine Square, a few old men squinted. Their expressions were dull and indifferent. Although they were Immortal Ascension Boundary masters who served the Le Family, they would not lower themselves to intervene in the battle between young people.
Not to mention that given how prideful Le Yu was, he would not allow them to do so. Yang Kai and Bi Luo arriving together proved that their relationship was certainly unordinary, but such experts acting against them would only serve to stir up the other Immortal Ascension Boundaries in the city and possibly even arouse Shan Qing Luo’s ire, making the situation extremely troublesome.
Youth fighting amongst themselves was simply a matter of course. It was not something they would involve themselves in.
Because of this, these old men would simply open one eye and close the other. This was, after all, not the first time they had witnessed their young master bully someone. Even him killing people wasn’t uncommon, either way it wasn’t a big deal.
“Little brat, it’s too late for you to regret it. I, your Uncle, won’t allow you to choose again!” Le Yu laughed wildly.
However, as Le Yu laughed, Yang Kai had already begun to move.
A True Element Boundary Third Stage uniformed youth only saw something in his vision before he felt his whole body suddenly lift up and a sharp pain radiating from his chest before he immediately fell unconscious.
*Peng peng peng…*
A series of muffled bangs rang out as three or four limp figures flew out. Accompanied by the sound of bones cracking, in just a blink of the eye, Le Yu’s henchmen all crashed into the shop walls before falling to the ground. Only the True Element Boundary Sixth Stage cultivator remained.
But before this man could recover from the shock of his companions being blasted out, the vague image of a man flashed in front of him.
In a panic, he instinctively tried to defend himself, but the other party easily broke open his guard, and he found himself immediately suppressed.
A rain of fists flew towards him, each one seemingly ethereal and illusory, superimposing themselves onto one another, and all of them seemingly landed on his body simultaneously.
*Pa pa pa pa…*
His True Qi was unable to block a single one of these strikes, and the sound of all his bones shattering rang out.
Following this explosion of punches, Yang Kai swiftly landed a kick on the man’s shoulder and sent him flying tens of meters like a rag sack before he fell to the ground, motionless.
Le Yu’s pupils suddenly shrank. At the moment Yang Kai took action, he had instantly become aware of his strength; that sudden burst of True Qi, its force and purity, it was so great he almost couldn’t believe his eyes. Before he could collect himself, his few henchmen had all been beaten senseless.
“Tss…”
Bi Luo’s charming eyes bulged, and her expression was completely aghast as she gazed in pure shock towards Yang Kai.
Although she had been in contact with Yang Kai several times, she actually didn’t know too much about him. The only thing she knew was that his cultivation realm wasn’t too high.
This was the first time she had seen him fight.
In a flash, four or five True Element Boundary cultivators had all been crushed, just how powerful was he?
Was this really something a True Element Boundary Fifth Stage cultivator could achieve? Bi Luo’s heart couldn’t help but tremble.
All of a sudden, she understood why her mistress valued him so highly.
This little True Element Boundary Fifth Stage brat was definitely unusual!
Inside Heavenly Le Medicine Square, those few old men also narrowed their eyes, and were unable to suppress their surprise.
Yang Kai had struck decisively and extremely ruthlessly. These few True Element Boundary uniformed youths all had at least a dozen broken bones each. The True Element Boundary Sixth Stage man was in even more tragic shape. From what they saw, they estimated that he would be bedridden for at least six months.
Such a powerful and overbearing young man, how come they had never heard of him before?
In the midst of all this chaos, Yang Kai simply stood there indifferently, glancing around once at the youths before him, he soon called out, “Bi Luo!”
“Hm?” Bi Luo, still in shock, quickly responded.
“Take the pills, we’re leaving.”
“En!” Bi Luo hurriedly stepped forward and received the dozen or so bottles of pills that the shop assistant was holding, before somewhat dazedly following behind Yang Kai.
“What to leave!?” Le Yu bellowed, like a thunderbolt on a calm sunny day disturbing the entire street. With a great roar, he leapt out, flew above everyone’s heads and suddenly fell in front of Yang Kai, blocking the way, as he angrily glared at him, “After injuring my people, you want to just walk away? Stop dreaming!”
“What do you want?” Yang Kai stared back coldly at him.
“Play with me for a bit!” Le Yu cracked his neck, and a burst of crackling noise sounded out, “If you can’t beat me, don’t even think about leaving here!”
“Le Yu, don’t go too far!” Bi Luo frowned.
“I’ve already got what I wanted, what capital do you have to get me to act?” Yang Kai looked at him disdainfully.
However, Le Yu just sneered, “A Soul nourishing pill… there’s a Soul nourishing pill inside my Heavenly Le Medicine Square of Mysterious Grade Low-Rank!”
“Not interested!”
A Mysterious Grade Low-Rank pill was indeed very valuable, but if there was only one, it really couldn’t attract Yang Kai’s attention, no matter how good the pill was, it was ultimately only something disposable to be eaten.
“A Mysterious Grade pill isn’t enough for you?” Le Yu’s brow wrinkled slightly. It was, after all, not an ordinary pill, but one used to replenish Spiritual Energy. The value of such a pill, compared to other Mysterious Grade pills, was significantly higher, and it was worth at least tens of thousands of silvers.
On top of that, a Mysterious Grade pill wasn’t something that could be casually refined. In the entire Great Han Dynasty the number of Mysterious Grade Alchemist numbered no more than thirty people, yet he actually didn’t care about such a rare treasure? Wasn’t this little brat’s vision a bit too high?
“Not interested!” Yang Kai casually repeated himself.
“Bastard!” Le Yu’s eyes suddenly became cold, and his True Qi ferociously burst out, “I, your Uncle, don’t care if you’re interested or not! Since Uncle here is determined to fight with you, you have no choice but to fight!”
Done talking, Le Yu roared as the ground beneath his feet began to crack and rocks and dust flew about randomly.
An ominous dark purple light began to radiate from Le Yu’s body, pulsating out shockwaves that crashed upon Yang Kai’s body.
“Le Yu, if you dare hurt him you’re dead!” Bi Luo’s beautiful face paled as she cried out fiercely.
Although Yang Kai had instantaneously just defeated a few True Element Boundary cultivators, fully demonstrating just how great his strength was, Le Yu was an entirely different story. Throughout the Ash-Gray Cloud Evil Land he was quite a famous existence. Though he wasn’t a peak rank master, he was still well known for his remarkable combat strength. Within the younger generation there were few who could fight evenly with him.
Moreover, Le Yu was a bloodthirsty person. All those whom he had ‘played’ with in the past had died miserable deaths. Not a single one had survived.
Because Bi Luo didn’t know if Yang Kai was his opponent, how could she not worry? If something were to go wrong, how could she possibly explain to Shan Qing Luo?
As these thoughts raced through her head, Yang Kai’s True Qi burst forth.
*Pu pu pu….*
Sending out his True Qi, the two auras wildly collided with each other and Le Yu’s invisible attack was dissolved.
Without enough time to even breathe though, Yang Kai suddenly saw Le Yu’s face fill with a wild grin.
His expression rapidly changed, and Yang Kai swiftly leapt high into the air.
*Ci…*
Suddenly, from the place he was just standing, sharp rays of the same ominous light burst out from the ground.
“Oh…” Le Yu’s eyes flashed a cold light, apparently he didn’t expect Yang Kai to have been so alert that he would manage to dodge this sneak attack.
A raging ball of flame suddenly broke out around Yang Kai as he stood in mid-air. Pushing his True Yang Yuan Qi to its limit, his image suddenly flickered as he rapidly descended, like a swooping eagle striking from the sky. This blow contained a devastating force.
Feeling this immense heat and pressure rapidly approaching him from above, Le Yu didn’t dare to be neglectful. Steadying his stance, he raised both his palms to the sky.
*Hong hong hong…*
As the pair’s True Qis furiously collided, shockwaves burst forth in all directions, and each one visibly distorted the surroundings. As a result of this Earth shaking collision, Le Yu’s towering body was actually slowly driven into the ground.
This was not however because his strength being weaker than Yang Kai’s, but rather a result of the ground not being able to withstand such a heavy bombardment. Where Le Yu stood, all around him, deep cracks radiated out.
Seeing this, the chill in Yang Kai eyes only became heavier. Without hesitation, he poured his True Qi into this attack and forced Le Yu further into the ground.
Aware of his opponent’s intention, Le Yu roared like a raging beast as his muscles bulged, and he exhausted the full potential of his body, as he struck back.
Half of Fragrance City trembled under the force of this confrontation. The surrounding shops all fragmented and blew apart as those unfortunate enough to be inside them cried out in terror, as they quickly tried to escape.
Even Heavenly Le Medicine Square couldn’t avoid being affected.
Yang Kai’s expression remained steadfast, as he stood without the slightest intention to avoid this blow.
[Burning Sun’s Three Layer Blast!]
Three explosive waves of True Yang Yuan Qi shot out and instantly superimposed themselves in front of Yang Kai.
*Boom…*
The remaining half of Le Yu’s giant frame was instantly smashed into the ground by the force of this explosion while Yang Kai leapt backwards from the rebounding force and stood firmly on the ground. His expression was slightly pale.
In this exchange, Le Yu had actually not suffered; it was instead Yang Kai who had taken some damage.
But to abruptly be pounded into the ground, Le Yu had lost all face!
Silence fell. The crowd watching this spectacle stared silently at Yang Kai with their eyes full of shock and horror. None of them had dreamed that Le Yu would be shamed in such a way.
“What happened?” Someone asked as many figures rapidly flew over, including all of the city’s Immortal Ascension Boundary masters.
Fragrance City, under the management of Shan Qing Luo, experienced very little street fighting. However, the battle today was so loud and violent that even these normally aloof Immortal Ascension Boundary cultivators couldn’t help running over to investigate the situation.
Upon discovering that this fight actually involved Le Yu, all of them felt stunned.
However, the key was, Le Yu seemed to have suffered a loss. His body was buried into the ground, and his opponent was unexpectedly… just a teenage youth!
“What is going on? Who is Le Yu fighting with?” A number of these new arrivals quickly asked the several Immortal Ascension Boundary old men who were occupying Heavenly Le Medicine Square.
“Who is that youth? How is he fighting Le Yu head on?”
One of the Le Family masters smiled wryly, “We don’t know where this little brat suddenly appeared from but according to what that little girl Bi Luo said, he is some distinguished guest of Mistress Demon Queen!”
“Mistress Demon Queen’s honoured guest? How come we haven’t heard of him then?”
“Forget about that for now, what should we do about the current situation?”
“There’s nothing we can do. Young Master has never eaten such a big loss before, no doubt he has become completely enraged.”
“Hah… hahaha…” From inside the recently appeared pit, Le Yu suddenly laughed a few times. He raised his head and gloomily stared towards Yang Kai. The chill in his eyes all but solidified as he growled in a low voice, “No one has ever dared do this to me! Little brat, you have some courage!”
As he spoke, the ominous purple glow once again appeared around his body, and this time, this demonic light seemed to form a tattooed pattern upon Le Yu’s skin.
“Demonic Purple Qi Body!” Someone amongst the Immortal Ascension Boundary masters who were watching suddenly exclaimed, “Le Yu actually wants to use this move?”
“Oh no, Young Master can’t suppress the Demonic Qi within him, quickly stop him!”
“It’s too late! Shit! What the hell is that little brat? How could he have forced Young Master into using this technique?”
The surrounding group of people’s foreheads all began to fill with sweat, but unfortunately there was nothing they could do. They could only hope that Le Yu would quickly defeat Yang Kai as soon as possible so he could then disperse the Demonic Purple Qi Body.
Demonic Purple Qi Body, it was a Martial Skill which had originated from an Evil Spirit that resided within the Evil Cavern.
If a cultivator continuously absorbed the unique Evil Spirit Qi from these Evil Spirits for many years, and if their luck was good enough and their aptitude high enough, they had a chance to comprehend this Martial Skill.
Every year, many cultivators would enter the Evil Cavern wanting to explore the mysteries hidden within, of course, many who entered never returned.
Occasionally, some people who luckily escaped alive, and upon returning managed to comprehend this Demonic Purple Qi Body.
Le Yu was amongst those who had successful cultivated this skill! Therefore, Every year he would make the journey to the Evil Cavern to absorb Evil Spirit Qi in order to enhance the power of this Martial Skill.
After many years of cultivation, this Martial Skill was able to play a significant role.
Upon activating the Demonic Purple Qi Body Martial Skill, Le Yu gained a significant boost in strength, and his eyes revealed a look of madness and malice. Leaping up onto the ground, while releasing a deranged laughter, he charged towards Yang Kai. Swiftly arriving before his opponent, a great mace appeared in Le Yu’s hand. Its surface was covered in crimson red blood stains
This mace had obviously killed a lot of people.
Le Yu was going all out!
Everyone present who witnessed this scene was fully aware that he was incomparably angry, so he didn’t hesitate to use his Demonic Purple Qi Body and summon his artifact. Obviously he had no intent on holding back at all.
“Yang Kai, be careful! Right now he’s not thinking rationally!” Bi Luo’s beautiful face went pale as she screamed towards Yang Kai.
However, Yang Kai simply glanced at her coldly before snorting disdainfully.
Seeing this head-on attack filled with Evil Qi, Yang Kai did not hesitate to recall his True Yang Yuan Qi back into his dantian.
Immediately, the Demonic Qi contained within his Unyielding Golden Skeleton burst out.
*Hua…*
As if a dark cloud had suddenly blotted out the sky, darkness descended all around and instantly engulfed all the surrounding light, which caused everyone to feel like the world had suddenly gone dark. All of them unable to even see their surroundings.
Immediately, two scarlet eyes gleamed in the darkness, and just like Le Yu’s, they were filled with madness blood thirst and cruelty.
“Such strong Evil Qi!” Everyone was shocked at the sight of Yang Kai’s transformation, leaving all of them temporarily dumbfounded.
Which of these Immortal Ascension Boundary masters’ Divine Senses weren’t extremely sharp or possessed incredible vision? How could they not detect that Yang Kai’s Evil Qi was of an even higher dimension than Le Yu’s.
“This couldn’t be another Martial Skill obtained from the Evil Cavern, right? But then why does it look similar to Le Yu’s?”
In addition to difference in colour of the two’s auras, not much else appeared different.
“No, they’re not the same!” One of the stronger Immortal Ascension Boundary masters quickly said in amazement, “Look, can you see? Although the look in their eyes is similar, Le Yu’s clearly don’t show much sentience, like his entire being has been consumed with madness and he’s simply moving on instinct whereas that youth… he still looks perfectly calm.”
“Could it be that he’s able to suppress the Evil Qi within his body?”
“It’s quite likely!”
“Wha… what a monster!” The group of people gathered around suddenly shouted out involuntarily. Only the few Immortal Ascension Boundary masters from Heavenly Le Medicine Square began to frown.
“You’re dead, heh heh!” Le Yu kept muttering, his eyes clouded over with madness as he glared towards his prey. The great mace was tightly gripped in his hands as he slowly approached. The raging pressure bursting from his body constantly swept towards Yang Kai.
Suddenly, Yang Kai flicked his wrist and the blood-red Asura Sword appeared in his hand.
Once this sword appeared, the entire area was filled with an overwhelming amount of murderous Qi.
“A Heaven Grade artifact!” Exclaimed one of the nearby Immortal Ascension Boundary masters.
Heaven Grade artifacts were extremely rare, and even amongst the many masters gathered here, only a few of them had a Heaven Grade artifact.
On top of that, it was a sword type Heaven Grade artifact, something worth significantly more than a normal artifact.
As soon as the sword appeared, the Evil Qi radiating from this unknown youth seemed to suddenly grow stronger and continued to increase in intensity.
So young, with such tyrannical strength, possessing a Heaven Grade artifact, an honoured guest of the Beguiling Demon Queen…
Just who the hell was this little brat…
Aware of how unusual this situation was, the Le Family’s several Immortal Ascension Boundary masters immediately had cold sweat drip down their foreheads.
Could he be the direct descendant of one of the other Demon Kings? If that was the case, then Le Yu had no doubt brought great trouble to the Le Family.
“Young Lady Bi Luo Girl, Young Lady Bi Luo!” One of the old men from the Le Family quietly came up to Bi Luo and cautiously whispered, “What is the identity of this Young Lord?”
Bi Luo continued staring towards Yang Kai, and her seductive face had lost all blood becoming ashen grey, “I do not know, he was simply brought back by Mistress, all I was told was that he was an honored guest.”
“You don’t know anything about him?” This master did not give up, continuing to probe her for information.
However, Bi Luo simply shook her head slowly.
*Boom…*
As the two of them talked, Le Yu and Yang Kai had begun. Le Yu’s large mace, covered in purple Qi, smashed down, and each strike contained a lot of raw power, which constantly smashed Yang Kai’s blood red Sword Qi shadows.
Le Yu’s tough muscles rippled along with the heavy mace firmly gripped in his hand as he viciously swung it about. Each blow contained a heaven shaking might, which caused swaths of devastation each time it was brandished.
Yang Kai’s thousands of Sword Qi blades encircled his body and didn’t even have time to play a role before they were destroyed.
His expression became stern as Yang Kai swung his Asura Sword again and sent out numerous dark sword waves condensed from his True Qi straight towards Le Yu, seemingly splitting the space between them in half.
Le Yu laughed madly, not even trying to dodge, and instead struck out with his mace once more.
With an earth shaking bang, the dark sword wave shattered, and although Le Yu shook violently, he hadn’t taken any real damage. So, he continued to dash forward while swinging his mace towards Yang Kai, as if consumed by madness.
Engulfed in black Demonic Qi, Yang Kai’s blood-red eyes radiated a cold, sharp light.
The black gas concentrated on his palms before he thrust forward violently.
[White Tiger Seal! Divine Ox Seal!]
With a fierce tiger roar and grand ox bellow, two gigantic demonic beast phantoms appeared and sent out thick murderous auras as they charged forward.
*Rumble*
As the ground trembled violently under their charge, a burst of madness spread from Le Yu’s eyes. Not showing the slightest fear, he instead laughed wildly and roared, “Good, good! But it’s still not enough! When you die, I’ll drink your blood dry! You’re worthy of such an honour!”
Swinging his mace twice at his attackers, Le Yu instantly struck flying the two phantoms, causing them to roar miserably as their figures dispersed.
However, in the brief time he was distracted, Yang Kai had managed to form three dense Sword Qi blades before him, and sent them flying towards Le Yu’s chest!
Two months ago, Yang Kai wouldn’t have been capable of such delicate manipulation of his Qi.
But after cultivating Xiao Fu Sheng’s Yuan Qi control techniques while he stayed on Hidden Cloud Peak, his ability to wield this Demonic Qi had been enhanced greatly.
Although he hadn’t mastered this ability, his control was still much better than before.
Seeing the fast approaching Sword Qi blades, cold sweat instinctively appeared on Le Yu’s brow, and his Purple Demonic Qi burst forth in an attempt to block Yang Kai’s attack.
*Bang bang bang*, shockwaves spread as the two Demonic Qi’s clashed and caused the road’s thick stones to crack and nearby debris to fly out.
As the two Demonic Qis burst, Le Yu’s figure disappeared completely in the darkness.
“Ah…” Bi Luo’s mouth hung agape as she stared dumbfounded at the sight before her. Since the beginning of the battle, Yang Kai’s combat strength had continuously defied her expectations and caused her to wonder just how great his strength really was.
The mystery and profoundness of this youth had exceeded Bi Luo’s understanding completely.
“Young Master…” The Le Family’s several Immortal Ascension Boundary masters cried out, but soon steadied themselves. Under the investigation of their Divine Senses, they soon discovered that Le Yu’s vitality hadn’t diminished at all, and instead, his rage was rapidly growing.
“This little brat is too amazing. He can fight evenly with Le Yu head on, ha ha ha, I really want to see what Old Dog Le’s expression will be when he hears about this!” One of the Immortal Ascension Boundary masters who had been observing laughed loudly, seeming to take great pleasure in seeing Le Yu being bullied.
Le Wu Ji, the Le Family’s previous patriarch, was a Peak Immortal Ascension Boundary masters and an Elder of Fragrance City.
“What a pity that several of the Elders and Mistress Demon Queen have all gone to Beast King’s territory! Seems like they won’t know about this for a while!” Another spectator gloated.
The few Le Family Immortal Ascension Boundary experts all suddenly wore bitter expressions and glared back angrily at these people.
Yang Kai cold expression had also become serious, and his brow wrinkled slightly as he felt the changes in Le Yu’s aura.
Suddenly, a speck of gloomy purple light appeared inside the thick black Qi. At first glance it only appeared like a small flame, but it soon spread outwards becoming an engulfing fire.
*Xiu xiu xiu…*
As the purple Demonic Qi burst through the darkness, it struck towards Yang Kai with lightning speed.
This purple Demonic Qi was so dense it had nearly solidified, as if it was a real flame, but strangely not only did it not give off the slightest heat, but instead radiated a bitter cold.
*Pa pa pa pa…*
Yang Kai’s own Demonic Qi moved to counterattack. The black and purple Qi’s clashed violently, and actually formed a delicate balance that neither side was able to overwhelm the other.
After a moment of struggle, the purple Qi drew back, and the previous engulfing darkness seemed to burn away as Le Yu’s burly body once again appeared in everyone’s sight.
“Heh heh heh…” Le Yu grinned menacingly as he rested his giant mace upon his shoulder.
Yang Kai’s expression became somber as he suddenly discovering that he had unknowingly become contaminated by the purple demonic flames!
A bone chilling cold spread from the location of the flame and soon engulfed his entire body.
This demonic fire not only caused him to feel a biting chill, it also impeded the flow of his True Qi within his body.
This wasn’t actually a type of flame, but instead an effect the purple Demonic Qi acquired when it reached a certain degree of intensity.
As his body’s temperature rapidly decreased, and the Evil Qi he was sending out became sluggish, Yang Kai was quickly covered in a layer of frost, and even his his hair and clothes froze, giving them a white sheen.
Le Yu’s mouth twisted into a cold grin.
“You’re dead!”
As he spoke, the purple tattoos on Le Yu’s body seemed to come alive, leaping from his body to transform into a terrifying fiery serpent that lunged towards Yang Kai.
“Looks like this little brat is finished.” One of the nearby Immortal Ascension Boundary masters commented as he watched with great interest. His exclamation echoed the thoughts of those present. With the exception of those from the Le Family, all of these spectators were excited to see such a violent all out fight, but seeing the current situation had basically concluded the outcome.
If his body wasn’t frozen, he may have still been able to fight with Le Yu, but now that he had his movements impeded, how could he avoid Le Yu’s onslaught?
Not holding anything back, Le Yu also rushed towards Yang Kai with his mace as his purple Qi snakes closed in.
“Stop!” Bi Luo cried out sharply, but how could the deranged Le Yu who could only think of slaughtering Yang Kai pay her any mind?
In that instant, around the half frozen Yang Kai suddenly bloomed a blood red storm of petals.
The seemingly intoxicating petals rippled about.
But soon these individual petals assembled together and took the form of a giant begonia flower in full bloom, which wrapped Yang Kai in a protective shield that left not the slightest gap exposed.
“Another Heaven Grade artifact?”
The eyes of all the surrounding Immortal Ascension Boundary masters protruded and almost fell out of their sockets.
How was such a thing possible?!
If Yang Kai taking out a single Heaven Grade artifact had made them realize he had a significant background, then a second appearing made them all realize they had still far underestimated the force supporting him from behind.
At the very least, it was not something the Le Family could even be compared to.
What kind of force could afford to give a single young man two Heaven Grade artifacts? Moreover two extremely powerful slaughtering type artifacts?
The Le Family absolutely couldn’t do such a thing! Even a genius like Le Yu only had a single Heaven Grade artifact on him.
Was this youth a direct relative of one of the other five Great Evil Kings, or perhaps the disciple of some unparalleled hidden master?
The Le Family’s Immortal Ascension Boundary masters all had their jaws hanging loose and were unable to utter a single word.
“What are you fools still standing around stunned for? Quickly stop Le Yu!” One of the other spectating Immortal Ascension masters quickly reminded, not wanting to see the situation develop to an irredeemable height.
“Ah!” The Le Family’s masters were shaken awake from their stupor, and without hesitating they shot towards the battlefield.
Arriving before that budding Thousand Blossoming Blood Begonia, Le Yu held up his mace and swung down with all his might.
The petal barrier instantly fragmented and revealed Yang Kai’s figure.
Instantly, Yang Kai shot out, vomiting a mouthful of blood. However, the purple demonic flames originally wrapping his body had also somehow disappeared.
Still shivering slightly from the cold, Yang Kai’s hand waved to summon the thousands of blood red petals.
At the same time, he also thrust the Asura Sword forward ruthlessly.
A huge sword wave quickly shot out towards Le Yu.
Le Yu’s pupils shrank. Letting out a ferocious roar, all of his muscles bulged, as he lifted his mace to block this sword wave while desperately resisting the surrounding petal blades.
“Enough!” The Le Family’s Immortal Ascension masters finally arrived with a shout. One of them stood before Yang Kai, and the rest surrounded Le Yu, simultaneously protecting and suppressing him.
With these several experts all of a sudden gathered together, it only took a small gesture before the Thousand Blossoming Blood Begonia petals and the Asura Sword Qi were all blocked.
“Young Master, please calm down!”
“Move! I’m going to kill him! I have to kill him!” Le Yu’s True Qi furiously burst forth, as he waved his mace madly towards the Immortal Ascension masters in front of him, “Block me and I’ll kill you too!”
These Immortal Ascension Boundary masters all exchanged a glance, and each of them carried a deep frustration in their eyes before suddenly coming to a consensus to deliver a quick strike.
With a loud bang, these masters had instantly knocked Le Yu unconscious.
None of them had wanted to use such a last resort, stunning Le Yu like this. After all, by doing so he was bound to suffer extreme backlash from his Demonic Purple Qi Body since he still could not completely control this demonic energy.
Because they had been concerned about this, even though they knew Yang Kai had a strong background, they still had not stopped the fight.
But after Yang Kai had come up with a second Heaven Grade artifact, even if they didn’t want to do this they had no choice.
The situation couldn’t be allowed to get further out of control.
Even if Le Yu ended up badly hurt, it wasn’t too important. The key was to not thoroughly offend the force behind Yang Kai.
This force no doubt was extremely powerful; it was not something their Le Family could afford to provoke.
What’s more, he was also Shan Qing Luo guest! As such, they truly couldn’t afford to offend him too greatly.
“What the meaning for this?” Yang Kai looked towards the Le Family Immortal Ascension master in front of him with an indifferent expression, as he slowly recalled his Thousand Blossoming Blood Begonia.
“Honoured Young Lord…” The Le Family Immortal Ascension master cringed slightly as he cupped his fists while trying to put on a friendly smile, “Please restrain your anger, I’m sure you can see that our young master’s Demonic Purple Qi Body causes him to lose his rationality. The situation here developing into a life and death struggle is surely not something anyone here wishes to see…”
Yang Kai raised his brow slightly before letting out a sneer, “Your Le Family certainly thinks highly of themselves, if you want someone to fight with you they must fight, but once you want to stop, they have to stop?”
“This…” The Le Family Immortal Ascension Boundary master was suddenly speechless, and his face flushed in embarrassment.
However, he was also unable to say anything. After all, this Young Lord had come here only to buy some pills, yet their young master had insisted on insulting and provoking conflict with him.
While this master was still struggling to find an appropriate answer, Yang Kai lightly said, “Since he’s already been knocked out by you, even if I want to continue I suppose I can’t.”
“Thank you, Young Lord!” The Le Family master happily smiled, relieved that this youth seemed to be more amenable than he had expected.
Yang Kai just coldly snorted in response, but before he could turn away, a cold voice called out, “This isn’t over yet!”
Upon hearing this, all of the Le Family members suddenly wore bitter expressions.
Bi Luo carefully walked behind Yang Kai while holding a dozen bottles of Soul restoring pills in her arms. Her pair of beautiful eyes were fixed on the stalwart figure in front of her, and her brow was knitted while her expression remained complex.
What she had done today had really caused her to regret.
If not for her specially taking him to Heavenly Le Medicine Square, then none of this would have happened. All she had wanted was to use Le Yu to teach him a lesson, but the result had been far more complex than she had anticipated, causing her to thoroughly offend him. Why did he have to be so powerful, even able to fight on par with Le Yu?
Confused and muddleheaded, Bi Luo didn’t know what she should do next or how she should face him.
The whole way back, Yang Kai’s silent and indifferent treatment towards her made her feel all the more uncomfortable.
Finally, when they arrived back at the palace, Bi Luo couldn’t bear it any longer and swiftly stepped in front of Yang Kai, blocking his path and angrily growling, “Why won’t you say anything?”
However, Yang Kai simply glanced at her slightly, which caused her brow to wrinkle further.
“Hey!” Bi Luo waved her hand in front of his face, “What’s with you, ignoring me like this? I get that you’re some kind of amazing genius, but that shouldn’t be a reason to flat out disregard me. I’ll admit that before, I took you to Heavenly Le Medicine Square intentionally to let Le Yu teach you a lesson, but that’s also your fault! Who told you to be so annoying? I didn’t think things would get so out of hand so… well… sorry, okay? You don’t need to be so angry!”
Although Bi Luo was originally an orphan and did not have the slightest relation to nobility, but now, no matter how you put it, she was Shan Qing Luo’s most trusted confidant, and along with her enchanting beauty, her eyes had long ago found their way to the top of her head, which gave her an arrogant temper.
Coupled with her unique ‘interests’, she had never put any man in the eyes.
Shan Qing Luo bringing back Yang Kai that day and not only letting him live in Tranquil Phoenix Pavilion but also sending three of the most beautiful maids to serve him personally had naturally annoyed Bi Luo a little.
She immediately didn’t have a good impression of Yang Kai and only tolerated his presence because of Shan Qing Luo’s orders, but she never treated him the slightest bit seriously.
It wasn’t until today when Yang Kai showed strength no weaker than Le Yu that Bi Luo realized that he was a bit different from other men, and she also understood why Shan Qing Luo valued him so highly.
With her temper and arrogance, being able to honestly apologize at this time was already the limit of what she could do.
Standing still, Yang Kai simply frowned and continued to stare back at her silently.
Seeing his lack of reaction, Bi Luo became unhappy and indignant, “I’ve already apologized to you so can’t you just forgive me already? As a man aren’t you acting a bit too petty?”
Yang Kai suddenly reached out a hand and grabbed hold of Bi Luo’s shirt, dragging her before him.
Bi Luo’s beautiful face instantly went pale and almost reflexively tried to counterattack, but when she remembered the horrifying combat strength Yang Kai had showed earlier, she could only cry out angrily, “What are you doing?!”
“Plot against me again and I’ll kill you!” Yang Kai coldly snorted.
From the firm glare in his eyes and his frigid tone, Bi Luo immediately realized that what he had just said was no joke, and her heart clenched and cold sweat dripped down her back.
Just when she was about to stubbornly try to talk back, Yang Kai suddenly released her, and his face instantly went pale as he spat out of mouthful of blood.
Within this blood was also a trace of purple energy that thrashed about violently, almost like it was alive.
“Ah…” Bi Luo exclaimed.
“Get lost!” Yang Kai suddenly swept a palm wind towards Bi Luo, sending her flying more than a dozen meters away, the next moment a purple fire engulfed his body.
As a chilling cold spread, Yang Kai’s hair and clothes instantaneously became white with frost, an ice-cold aura burst forth.
*Crack…*
With Yang Kai as the center, a radius of a dozen or so meters instantly became an ice filled domain.
Bi Luo’s beautiful eyes flashed violently as she stared at Yang Kai.
It turns out that he hadn’t actually been able to completely resolve the power of Le Yu’s attacks, but had instead used some method to temporarily seal this Demonic Qi within his body, and now it had broken free.
This was Purple Demonic Spirit Fire that originated from Evil Spirits that dwelled in the Evil Cavern!
Of course, it wasn’t a true flame, but rather the Purple Demonic Qi condensed into a form of energy. Le Yu had been absorbing and refining this Demonic Qi for some time now and could already somewhat incorporate it into his attacks.
This Demonic Qi was unusually resilient. Once it infected someone, it was like maggots on rotting bones, and in combat, unless one’s strength far exceeded Le Yu’s, it would only be a matter of time before they would be consumed by this evil Qi and freeze to death.
Bi Luo had only heard about it and never had a chance to see it before until today.
“Are you hurt?” Bi Luo asked. Observing Yang Kai’s current condition, her annoyance once more gave way to guilt at the moment.
“Of course I’m hurt! You try taking a hit from that mace!” Yang Kai grit his teeth and took a deep breath as he circulated his True Yang Secret Art in an effort to repress the Purple Demonic Qi raging within his meridians.
Le Yu was indeed a master amongst the younger generation, although they had fought a seemingly even battle with Yang Kai appearing to attain the upper hand before the Le Family’s Immortal Ascension Boundary masters came out to stop them, but only Yang Kai was aware of what the end result truly was.
Yang Kai knew, if they had continued to fight, he didn’t have any grasp of winning! After all, Le Yu was still four minor realms above him, and had exceedingly high combat prowess.
On top of that, the giant mace he used contained a devastating power. Even using the Thousand Blossoming Blood Begonia to fully protect himself, Yang Kai still had his five viscera, six organs shifted under its assault and was unable to relieve himself until now.
“What are you going to do now then?” Bi Luo asked anxiously.
“Heal, obviously, you pig brain!”
“Oh… then we should hurry back!” Bi Luo stepped forward and helped Yang Kai, bringing him quickly to Tranquil Phoenix Pavilion.
Although Yang Kai had scolded her for having a pig brain, Bi Luo wasn’t annoyed at all. At the very least, she didn’t feel the same cold murderous intent Yang Kai had directed towards her earlier in his tone.
In other words, he wasn’t actually that angry with her anymore.
Back at Tranquil Phoenix Pavilion.
Yang Kai arrived swiftly at the first floor bath, stripped off his tattered clothes, and immersed himself in the warm water.
Outside, the three women sent to serve Yang Kai walked up and inquired to Bi Luo.
“What happened to the Young Lord?” The mature beauty Yun Li softly asked, aware that something was wrong.
“He fought with Le Yu and got some injuries,” Bi Luo muttered under her breath.
“Ah…” Yun Li quickly covered her luscious red lips with her delicate hand, and her enchanting eyes flashing a frightened light, “Do you mean Young Lord fought with the Le Family’s Young Master? How did such a thing happen?”
“Don’t ask too much, it was my fault.” Bi Luo said with a loud sigh before handing the bottles of pills she was carrying to Ruo Yu and Ruo Qing absentmindedly.
Yun Li observed thoughtfully for a short moment before understanding what had happened and quickly realized that asking any more wasn’t a wise choice.
“Elder Sister Yun, he seems to still be very upset with me, how should I apologize so he’ll forgive me?” After a brief awkward silence Bi Luo suddenly turned and asked.
“Apologize?” A trace of surprise flashed across Yun Li’s eyes as she looked at Bi Luo in astonishment before laughing lightly, “Little Bi Luo is willing to apologize to him, the sun must really be rising from the west today. Is it possible that towards him, you…”
“No!” Bi Luo glared at her fiercely before suddenly flashing a wicked smile, “What kind of lustful thoughts are you thinking? Do you want me to satisfy those hidden desires of yours?”
“Absolutely not!” Yun Li cried out in fright and quickly put some distance between herself and Bi Luo.
“Good, then tell me what I should do?”
Yun Li swiftly regained her charming smile, as her face blushed slightly, and she whispered, “In these cases a woman’s body is her strongest weapon…”
“You really do have only those kinds of thoughts on your brain! Enough already.” Bi Luo said angrily, somewhat exasperated, “Look after him well, I’ll head back first. If something happens to him, remember to let me know as soon as possible.”
“En.” Yun Li, Ruo Yu, and Ruo Qing nodded.
In the bath, Yang Kai closed his eyes and circulated his True Yang Secret Art.
The Purple Demonic Qi flowing in his meridians was slowly burned through by his pure True Yang Yuan Qi. Part of it was then expelled from his body and some of it smelted into energy for his own use, while everything that remained was absorbed by his Unyielding Golden Skeleton.
Although this Qi was evil in nature, and it was extremely similar to the energies stored within his Unyielding Golden Skeleton, they were still somewhat different.
This was energy that Le Yu had cultivated; it incorporated his understanding of martial arts and contained traces of his aura.
Le Yu’s comprehension of the martial arts was obviously incompatible with Yang Kai so it could only be expelled.
The rest of this energy however was purely consisted of the Purple Spirit Demonic Qi from Evil Spirits within the Evil Cavern that Le Yu had absorbed, which could be absorbed by his Unyielding Golden Skeleton after being refined.
This evil energy was quite difficult to dissolve. Yang Kai spent a full three or four days before he finally managed to completely purge it from his meridians.
A light fluctuation arose from his Unyielding Golden Skeleton when he had finished. It seemed that this so-called Purple Spirit Demonic Qi quite suited its taste. This discovery involuntarily caused Yang Kai’s brow to twitch.
Although his battle with Le Yu did not have a final winner, such a fight had managed to completely stabilize his True Element Boundary Fifth Stage cultivation.
Yang Kai had also been able to compete with one of the top experts in his generation.
So far, the number of such difficult opponents he had faced were actually quite few: Nine Star Sword Sect’s Wu Cheng Yi, Qiu Family’s Qiu Yi Meng, and now Le Yu.
Each of these three were extraordinary talents, and all of them possessed strength that did not allow Yang Kai to underestimate them in the slightest.
The world was truly vast. Who knows how many other geniuses like them were out there?
Slowly opening his eyes, his body and mind were refreshed. His wounded five viscera, six organs had all been completely healed. He noticed that the water throughout the bath had also taken on a purple shade, giving it a faint glow.
Getting up from the bath and drying himself, he leisurely dressed and walked out from the pavilion.
Yun Li, Ruo Yu, and Ruo Qing all wore happy expressions upon seeing him exit.
“Have Young Lord’s injuries been healed?” Yun Li quickly inquired.
“Yeah.” Yang Kai nodded lightly.
“Thank goodness,” Yun Li let out a sigh of relief, quickly turning to Ruo Yu and Ruo Qing, “Quickly inform Bi Luo, when she hears that Young Lord has recovered it will greatly relieve her worries.”
“Yes!” Ruo Yu and Ruo Qing replied crisply before rushing off.
Yun Li turned her gaze towards Yang Kai and said with a smile, “Young Lord should know that for the past few days Bi Luo had come here several times a day to ask about your injuries. She also obviously hasn’t rested well and seems quite worn out.”
“She brought it upon herself.” Yang Kai snorted.
Bi Luo’s concern about his well being had nothing to do with her caring about him but was instead driven by fear of how Shan Qing Luo might punish her later. How could he not understand something so obvious?
Yun Li couldn’t help but giggle lightly, “Since she was young, Bi Luo has never been sensible enough, having spent most of her life growing up sheltered inside the palace, all year round being doted upon by Mistress. Young Lord shouldn’t lower himself to her level.”
“That’ll be up to her.” Seeing Yun Li go so far to defend Bi Luo, Yang Kai felt it wasn’t good to dwell on things any further.
What’s more, he wasn’t particularly concerned about what had happened. He was mainly just upset about Bi Luo scheming against him.
He believed that after this incident, Bi Luo wouldn’t dare try something like that again.
Yun Li quickly followed up, “The pills that Young Lord bought before are in your room, and all of the accounts have been settled.”
Yang Kai nodded lightly.
Having a strong backer really made a big difference. It allowed him to wantonly purchase so many bottles of Spiritual Energy pills without even having to pay up front. It was no wonder those Young Lords and Young Ladies of those great forces were able to grow so much faster than ordinary people.
Near unlimited access to precious cultivation resources coupled with their already high innate aptitudes made achieving greater heights than their peers the norm.
This world had always been unfair as such.
“Also, a member of the Le Family specifically paid a visit to the palace a couple days ago to deliver something.” The mature beauty smiled meaningfully.
“Oh? The Le Family?” Yang Kai’s brow rose, a tinge of surprise apparent on his face.
“En, they brought a bottle of Mysterious Grade pills that are useful for restoring Spiritual Energy.” Yun Li covered her lips with her hand as she laughed elegantly at Yang Kai, “That member of the Le Family apparently rushed all night from their family home to deliver this bottle of pills and insisted on having this servant deliver it to Young Lord. Seeing how Young Lord was still healing at the time, this servant accepted it temporarily. Would Young Lord like to accept it or… perhaps you wish to reject?”
“Nonsense!” Yang Kai grinned meaningfully, “They took such pains to deliver this gift, naturally I must accept it.”
Seemingly knowing he would say so, Yun Li simply nodded slightly, “Very well, if you were to reject them outright, I’m afraid the Le Family would suffer quite the loss of face, being able to make big things small and small things disappear is for the best, I knew that Young Lord was such a benevolent man.”
[This little fox…]
Yang Kai couldn’t help feeling his face grow somewhat hot.
The Le Family sending him such a precious thing, Yang Kai understood clearly that this was nothing more than their attempt to smooth over relations. But whatever the outcome, the Le Family was still considered a great force, Yang Kai couldn’t help feeling a bit surprised at how quickly they had compromised.
“Shan Qing Luo holds quite some prestige,” Yang Kai whispered softly, only able to conclude that the Le Family had taken such actions in order to give Shan Qing Luo face.
What he didn’t know was that the Le Family couldn’t figure out his origins, so before they did, they didn’t want to risk offending such a Heaven sent talent.
If they thought they could quietly eliminate Yang Kai, then how could the prestigious Le Family be so generous? But the battle between Yang Kai and Le Yu had taken place inside Fragrance City and was seen by so many people. Since they couldn’t take such actions without drawing suspicions, and they were somewhat afraid of offending the force behind him, their only choice was to temporarily compromise.
A bottle of Mysterious Grade pills was quite expensive, but it wasn’t something the Le Family couldn’t afford.
When Yun Li heard him mutter as such, she simply maintained her charming smile and continued, “There is something else this servant should inform Young Lord about.”
“Oh? What is it?”
“Many young masters in the city and even a number of young ladies would like to invite Young Lord to socialize with them…”
Yang Kai’s origins were quite mysterious, so not drawing the attention of these various local forces would be quite unusual. Over the past few days all of these great forces that resided within Fragrance City had spent considerable effort trying to discover what his background was, but much less inquire about where he hailed from, many of them couldn’t even confirm what his name was.
Under such circumstances the best they could do was have some of their younger generation invite Yang Kai out to socialize in the hopes of gaining some useful intelligence.
If he really had a grand force supporting him from behind, making friends with his was naturally to their benefit, but even if he didn’t have such a background, given how promising a talent he was, any of these forces would still be willing to extend an olive branch to him.
“No need,” Yang Kai wrinkled his brow, “I have nothing to discuss with them.”
Seeing him reject so decisively, Yun Li was slightly surprised, but soon let out an elegant laugh, “Very well.”
“I’m going back to cultivate.” As soon as he spoke these words, Yang Kai immediately walked back towards his second floor room.
Looking at his gradually receding back, the mature beauty Yun Li couldn’t help staring at him a bit oddly before slowly shaking her head as she smiled warmly. She had never before seen such a determined young man.
Given his temperament and drive, it seems like his strength was not unwarranted.
Over the next few days Yang Kai had spent almost all of his time spying on the mysteries of the True Alchemic Way, yet his progress was still unbearably slow, not even daring to guess how long it would be before he managed to grasp it completely.
However, Yang Kai didn’t mind. His true purpose was to exhaust his Spiritual Energy by studying the True Alchemic Way. Obtaining the knowledge contained within it was only a secondary concern.
Consuming various bottles of Soul nourishing pills, his Soul continuously grew stronger, not only did it become more formidable, but it also increased in toughness, and now he was able to extend his Divine Sense over a far greater range.
His supply of pills was consumed very fast though. This was mainly due to these pills not being of very high quality, which gave them a less than desirable efficacy. If Yang Kai wanted to quickly restore his Spiritual Energy, his only option was to consume greater numbers of these pills.
Even the bottle of Mysterious Grade pills which had been delivered to him by the Le Family was consumed in less than two days.
No one would ever dare to cultivate Spiritual Energy like Yang Kai, relentlessly exhausting their Spiritual Energy, and then devouring massive amounts of pills to supplement it. If anyone else had tried they would have long ago permanently damaged their Soul, likely degenerating into an idiot, unable to recover for the rest of their life.
The only reason Yang Kai didn’t have such worries was thanks to his Heaven defying Soul Warming Lotus.
Ten days later.
His supply of pills had been depleted, and although Yang Kai could clearly feel that his Soul had grown significantly stronger, when he tried to erase Shan Qing Luo’s Soul Seeking Seal again, he was still incapable of even shaking it, instead each time he tried to eliminate this devilish seductress’s Soul Seeking Seal all he would end up doing was provoking its defensive response, which plunged him in illusions that repeated beguiled and bewitched him.
One day he would string this little temptress up, strip her of her clothes, and spank her! Yang Kai secretly cursed to himself.
Suddenly, a light knocking sound resounded, someone obviously had shown up at his door.
“Come in!” Yang Kai called out.
When the door was pushed open, Bi Luo, her enchanting figure wrapped in a scarlet red dress, giggled lightly as she walked in.
Seeing her choice in outfit, it was clear to anyone that she had dressed up intentionally so to somewhat imitate Shan Qing Luo’s taste to give her a seductive and enrapturing aura.
Yang Kai was slightly startled, “Why are you here?”
Since they had returned to the palace that day, Bi Luo had not appeared in front of Yang Kai. However, thanks to Yun Li occasionally putting in a good word for her from time to time, Yang Kai had already decided to no longer pursue the previous matters between them.
He had never thought that she would actually come to seek him out like this.
But now, Bi Luo had appeared before him, and she wasn’t exuding her usual proud and domineering attitude, but instead faced Yang Kai somewhat nervously, and some clear traces of confusing and reluctance were still apparent in her eyes.
“I’ve come to check up on you.” Bi Luo spoke softly with a rare hint of gentleness in her tone as she looked somewhat sheepishly at Yang Kai.
Yang Kai just smiled lightly, “If you’re still worried about what happened before, there’s no need, I don’t intend on seeking out trouble with you over it.”
“Are you really not angry?” Bi Luo looked at him in surprise.
“As long as you stop trying to plot against me!”
“En en, I promise I won’t do such things anymore, that day really was only an accident.” Bi Luo smiled before slowly walking over to Yang Kai and softly whispered, “If Mistress asks about what happened that day…”
“I wanted to stretch my limbs a bit. Le Yu happened to be available for me to spar with.” Yang Kai casually replied, naturally knowing what he should say at this moment.
Bi Luo couldn’t help smiling happily. Her slender white palm rested upon her proud chest as she breathed a sigh of relief and completely putt down the stone which had weighed upon her heart before quickly following up, “You really are a good person. I’ve misjudged you!”
Having finished what she wanted to say, she suddenly noticed Yang Kai’s eyes staring towards her round peaks, and she hurriedly wrapped them in her arms before blushing lightly, “Hey, haven’t you seen enough!”
However, just as she said so, she seemed to think of something again and relaxed her arms, deliberately straightened herself up, and put on an indifferent expression, “Well go ahead and look, it can be considered as me paying you back slightly, in any case it’s not like I’ll lose anything by you staring.”
Seeing how careless she was acting, Yang Kai suddenly found himself somewhat dumbfounded.
Seeing his reaction, Bi Luo let out a giggle before gently sitting herself down behind him in a half-kneeling position and lightly rested her delicate hands on his back and gently kneaded.
“What are you…” Yang Kai called out in surprise.
“Every day around this time don’t you have Elder Sister Yun Li do this for you to help relieve your fatigue? Today I had come here in order to apologize to you, but I hadn’t expected that you would so frankly accept, so allow me to perform a rare service for you like this, you should gratefully accept it.”
Yang Kai was once again stunned. He hadn’t thought that Bi Luo would really feel so guilty about that day.
Otherwise, why else would she go to such lengths to please him?
Since Yang Kai had greatly enjoyed Yun Li’s massage that day, Yang Kai had specifically requested that she come by every day to do so.
The strain he placed himself under to cultivate his Soul was quite intense and fatiguing, so having her gentle slender fingers disperse his stress like so was an extremely pleasant sensation for him.
Bi Luo must have figured things would turn out like this from the beginning.
While her technique was not on par with Yun Li’s, it was still quite comfortable.
After a while, Bi Luo suddenly asked, “Does it feel good?”
“It’s alright,” Yang Kai spoke bluntly.
“Just okay?” Bi Luo felt like she had received a hit, “Compared with Elder Sister Yun Li?”
“Her’s is better!”
“Humph!” Bi Luo pouted, her expression unconvinced before an impish smirk appeared on her face.
Suddenly, a bewitching voice drifted into Yang Kai’s ears and seemed to contain an endless appeal and temptation, then, from all around him, erotic moans and seductive scents overwhelmed his senses. Yang Kai’s eyes shot open, only to find his vision filled with numerous delicate young girls, their bodies draped in nearly transparent silk garments which barely covered their jade white skin, and their water snake like figures gently twisted as they teased him incessantly.
Immediately, Yang Kai’s breath became heavy, and his whole body seemed to be on fire.
Quickly noticing the situation wasn’t normal, he began circulating his Joyous Unification Art, which instantly sent Bi Luo behind him into a trance. Her enchanting eyes suddenly blurred over as her body went limp.
The Yin-Yang Joyous Unification Art could seemingly dispel any Seduction Technique. The last time Yang Kai was affected by Shan Qing Luo’s illusion it was also with the help of Joyous Unification Art that he managed to extricate himself.
This time it had also helped him maintain his sanity.
“What are you trying to do?” Yang Kai turned his head only to see Bi Luo blushing furiously. Her beautiful eyes were now wet and unfocused. She had apparently suffered from the backlash of her Seduction Technique being broken.
Fortunately, she had only casually applied her technique and hadn’t really intended on harming Yang Kai, so the backlash wasn’t serious and only sent her into a light state of confusion without doing any damage to her.
“I just wanted to make you comfortable…” Bi Luo panted lightly. Her whole body was seemingly devoid of strength as she stared back at Yang Kai in dismay, “What did you do? Why am I suffering from this backlash?”
“You cultivate a Seduction Technique?” Yang Kai laughed at her, surprised by the fact that her technique was the same as Shan Qing Luo’s.
“En…” Bi Luo replied gently. Her enchanting appearance and her seductive moans echoing about in Yang Kai’s head.
This alone was a more effective temptation than her Seduction Technique.
However, Yang Kai simply laughed, “You’re finished. I just told you not to scheme against me, yet you suddenly try to do this. It seems like you haven’t received a harsh enough lesson yet!”
Grinning, Yang Kai pressed himself directly onto Bi Luo’s body, and his hands brazenly grasped onto her tall peaks.
Feeling this blazing heat and amazing elasticity, Yang Kai also felt himself burning up again. His chest pounded as his blood boiled, and his lower half became hot.
After all, it had been quite some time since he had last dual cultivated with Su Yan…
During this time, he had experienced all kinds of beautiful temptations, and each time he had suppressed his impulses, but this had inevitably lead to him having a severe buildup of repressed desires. With so much kindling stacked, and Bi Luo’s Seduction Technique acting as the spark, Yang Kai’s fire had completely been lit.
“Hey, you… what are you doing?” Bi Luo was shocked and quickly tried to push Yang Kai away, but suffering from the backlash of her Seduction Technique, she couldn’t even summon enough strength to stop him from kneading her chest, so how could she muster the power to escape from under his weight?
With hot breath stroking her face, her heart shuddered from both fear and desire, and Bi Luo almost had her thoughts swallowed by the atmosphere.
With a great tearing sound, her red dress was ripped open, which sent a chill across Bi Luo’s jade white skin as it became exposed to the cold air.
“You bastard!” Bi Luo cursed through her gritted teeth. Her eyes filled with fear and confusion, she balled her hands into fists and hit Yang Kai’s shoulder.
“Ah…” As she struck him lightly, a numbing sensation transmitted from her chest as if she had been struck by lightning, and caused Bi Luo to let out an amorous moan that flooded the room, which caused her an unparalleled amount of shame.
Somehow shifting her gaze downwards, she saw that damn man placing his lips onto her pink cherries. His pair of big rough hands wantonly wandered back and forth across her body. Each stroke sent a dizzying burst of pleasure up her spine.
“Don’t…” Bi Luo shouted softly, and her tightly gripped fists gradually lost strength, seemingly somewhat reluctant to push him off of her, and her tense body slowly relaxed. Bringing one of her fingers to his lips and gently sucking upon it caused erotic moans to leak from her mouth. She no longer resisted or struggled, and instead a look of enjoyment and pleasure filled her face. Her beautiful eyes further blurred as her pure jade white skin began to take on a pink shade, and a sweet scent wafted from her enchanting body, and her hips slowly started swaying of their own accord towards Yang Kai, as if she was looking forward to what was to inevitably to come.
Yang Kai was stunned.
All he had wanted to do was give Bi Luo a lesson, and although he felt that doing this to a young woman was a bit excessive, considering his target, he didn’t think it was beyond reasonable.
Since Bi Luo cultivated Seduction Techniques, it was natural for her to be familiar with the matters between men and women, so only something like this could give her an unforgettable hit in order to let her stop trying to plot against him.
But unexpectedly, this enchantress no longer seemed interested in resisting him; not only allowing herself to be compromised but also even coordinating with him.
To him in his current state, this was undoubtedly a joyous turn of events.
With this in mind, Yang Kai no longer held back, and pressed forward with full force as he tore off what little clothes they had left on and prepared to go all the way.
Feeling this sudden burst of aggression, it was like a bucket of cold water was splashed onto her face, and caused Bi Luo to suddenly sober up. She quickly put up a firm resistance to Yang Kai, and her face filled with fear, “No, no… you can’t, anything but that…”
“You’ve got to be kidding…” Yang Kai glared at her as his brow wrinkled greatly. Having already reached this point, was he still destined to fail?
“If you really can’t help it, I’ll call Elder Sister Yun Li to come, if that’s still not enough I can ask Ruo Yu and Ruo Qing to accompany as well, Mistress specifically sent them here to attend to your needs, no matter what you want from them they’ll certainly be willing to fulfil your every desire.” Bi Luo desperately tried to convince him with a look of desperation and entreaty upon her face, “Alright? I’ll call all three of them right now.”
“Don’t bother, I want you.”
Bi Luo’s face somehow simultaneously paled in fright and blushed in embarrassment, as she quietly swept her eyes from Yang Kai handsome face, down his firm chest, and all the way until she saw his tall raging dragon head. Panic filled her head, and she was unable to hold back a quiet yelp.
Suddenly feeling timid, her face blushed from shame, and she quickly averted her eyes away from Yang Kai as her thoughts churned before daring to utter under her breath, “Do you want to perhaps… try something different…”
“What?” Yang Kai stunned.
“Well… that is… how about…” Bi Luo bit her lip before softly whispering into his ear.
“Huh?” Yang Kai stared back at her in confusion.
Seeing his reaction, Bi Luo was momentarily dumbstruck before pulling Yang Kai closer and once again whispering to him, as she quickly explained to him in clearer terms her proposal. Upon separating, even she felt her face turn red hot from shame. Her white skin was now a bright shade of crimson all the way down her neck as her beautiful eyes became even wetter and unfocused.
Yang Kai froze stiff, unable to process what he had just heard for a moment before he stared into Bi Luo’s eyes and stutteringly asked, “Is that okay?”
“En.” Bi Luo nodded almost imperceptibly.
“How do you even know about…” Yang Kai’s head was still trying to catch up with this scenario, and he suddenly felt like, in front of Bi Luo, he was still somewhat pure and innocent.
“I cultivate Seduction Techniques, these matters… of course Mistress and my seniors have informed me about…”
What Yang Kai didn’t know was that because Bi Luo had decided to cultivate Seduction Techniques, Shan Qing Luo had specially assigned two girls to assist her in practicing these arts, and it was because she was perennially together with these young maidens and earnestly ‘studying’ together with them, that Bi Luo had developed such special interests.
“Well… would you like to…” Bi Luo seeing Yang Kai stupidly freeze there couldn’t help herself nervously asking again.
Although she usually portrayed the air of a haughty seductress, in the end she was still a girl, and now that she had really encountered this kind of situation for the first time she still felt a good amount of shame and fluster.
“Good!” Yang Kai replied excitedly.
“En. Promise me first that you’ll not taint my purity and then… I’ll…” Bi Luo’s face continued to redden before slowly exchanging places with Yang Kai. This time pressing him beneath her as she revealed an enrapturing smile and slowly slid her enchanting lips down his body.
Soon after, a bestial roar along with a slight, nasally moan rang out inside the room.
Outside Tranquil Phoenix Pavilion.
The mature beauty Yun Li and the young maidens Ruo Yu and Ruo Qing were sweeping the leaves when a pair of light footsteps approached from afar.
When Yun Li looked up, she quickly discovered two unfamiliar women walking towards them.
There were very few strangers in the palace, so even though she had not yet formally met these two, she still had a fairly good idea about who they were.
No doubt they were the two young ladies whom her Mistress had brought back with her a few days ago. One of them was named Qiu Yi Meng while the other was called Luo Xiao Man.
These two had their True Qi sealed and were under a kind of house arrest in Fragrance Guest House.
Due to the fact that they hadn’t showed any unfavourable behaviour since they arrived, they had been allowed to wander about within the palace grounds.
The two of them should have something they wanted to discuss with the cultivation obsessed Young Lord staying in Tranquil Phoenix Pavilion.
Thinking so, Yun Li’s face immediately wore an elegant smile as she gently called out, “Young Lady Qiu and Young Lady Luo I presume?”
Qiu Yi Meng’s gaze swept towards the mature beauty who had called out to her, and her eyes flashed a little surprise. She still couldn’t quite believe how one Heaven sent beauty after another emerged within Shan Qing Luo’s palace.
Quickly recovering, she nodded politely, “Indeed, how should I address this Elder Sister?”
Yun Li replied with a light chuckle, “Young Lady Qiu is far too polite, you may call this one Yun Li.”
The mature beauty naturally knew that Qiu Yi Meng had an extraordinary status, and that even though technically she was currently a prisoner, she was still the beloved daughter of an extremely powerful and noble family, so how could she allow someone of such origins to address her Elder Sister?
Qiu Yi Meng simply smiled in reply, not dwelling upon the matter any further.
Seeing this, Yun Li smiled warmly and continued, “You two young ladies should be looking for Young Master Yang, right?”
“En. We heard from the people within the palace that he was living here, so we came here in hopes of being able to discuss some matters with him. I don’t know if it would be convenient for him to see us now, would it?”
“Right now…” Yun Li glanced back towards the second floor of Tranquil Phoenix Pavilion before smiling softly. “At this time of day Young Master Yang is normally taking a short rest.”
“Rest?” Qiu Yi Meng couldn’t help being surprised. “Is he usually very busy?”
“En, Young Master Yang has essentially been cultivating ever since he arrived here.”
Qiu Yi Meng’s felt slightly startled, quickly wearing a helpless smile.
Although she and Luo Xiao Man were both dedicated and industrious, they would not submerge themselves in cultivation all the time. Now hearing that Yang Kai had not slackened on his cultivation in the slightest, even surrounded by this unfamiliar and possibly dangerous environment, she couldn’t help but admire his perseverance.
“Come with me, since the two young ladies are old friends of Young Master Yang, he shouldn’t object to meeting with you.” Yun Li giggled and set aside her broom and issued a few instructions to Ruo Yu and Ruo Qing before leading Qiu Yi Meng and Luo Xiao Man inside.
Looking around at Tranquil Phoenix Pavilion’s surroundings, Qui Yi Meng couldn’t help feeling a bit bitter. Luo Xiao Man on the other hand was thoroughly irritated and quietly muttered to Qiu Yi Meng, “That smelly brat gets to live in such a wondrous place, surrounded by all these fragrant flowers and plants with such beautiful scenery.”
On the contrary, the Fragrance Guest House where the both of them had been living had no such view or atmosphere. It was instead located in quite a secluded and dark place, almost like a cage, and there was simply no way to compare it with Tranquil Phoenix Pavilion.
“He has an entire pavilion to himself along with three beautiful maids to serve him!” Luo Xiao Man indignantly complained, feeling angrier and angrier. While she and Qiu Yi Meng were under house arrest in that dreary place, why was Yang Kai’s treatment so much better?
[The two of us clearly have much higher status than him, so why?]
“Wow, there’s even a bath!” Once they stepped into Tranquil Phoenix Pavilion, Luo Xiao Man couldn’t remain calm anymore and enviously look at the huge bath while complaining somewhat forlornly, “Elder Sister Qiu, I really want to take a bath here, since we’ve arrived I haven’t been able to clean up properly, it’s unbearable.”
When she said as such out loud, even Qiu Yi Meng couldn’t help but feel uncomfortable, however, she still managed to maintain her composure and lightly rebuked, “Xiao Man!”
“That damn smelly brat!” Luo Xiao Man murmured discontentedly.
Yun Li, who was leading the way suddenly turned back and smiled, lightly saying, “Young Master Yang is actually an upright man, I’m afraid both of you have simply misunderstood him. I’ll inform him later about your request, I’m certain he won’t object to you taking a bath here.”
“I don’t want to, what if he decides to peek…” Luo Xiao Man exclaimed loudly.
Yun Li simply smiled and shook her head, “You don’t have to worry about that, Young Master Yang isn’t a no good womanizer.”
Her face blushed slightly, and she continued, “Ruo Yu, Ruo Qing and I were sent here specifically to serve Young Lord, no matter what he may request of us, but Young Lord has always treated us quite courteously, never making the slightest improper demand, therefore… I have no doubt that what you’re afraid of won’t happen.”
“Is he really so upright?” Qiu Yi Meng’s clever eyes flashed lightly, as if she completely hadn’t expected Yang Kai to remain so indifferent in the face of such beauties, instead choosing to spend all his time cultivating.
If that really was the case, this youth was really a bit different from others, or at the very least his perseverance and aptitude were quite good.
If she could pull him into the Qiu Family and provide him with better cultivation resources, in the future he would likely be able to become one of this world’s supreme experts!
Thinking till here, Qiu Yi Meng sudden made a wry grin. Right now she didn’t even know if she could regain her own freedom, so thinking about anything else right now was a bit premature.
But if she really could regain her freedom, Qiu Yi Meng secretly made up her mind to get him to join her Qiu Family. Such an outstanding talent was quite rare after all.
As the three of them chatted, they soon arrived at the second floor.
Yun Li softly said, “Young Master Yang is inside, two young ladies please wait here, I’ll inform him of your arrival.”
“Please do!” Qiu Yi Meng politely replied.
Yun Li smiled, stepped forward, and reached out her hand to open the door, but suddenly she heard a burst of noise come from inside the room.
These sounds were quite strange, and the voices making them were by no means quiet. It seemed like the roars of a man and the muffled calls of a woman, but the man’s voice was full and clear, while the woman sounded like something was blocking her mouth.
These voices could all be heard clearly by the three women outside, which caused all of them to freeze in surprise.
But soon, the mature beauty Yun Li’s white neck flushed pink, her lifted jade hand also shivered slightly, her eyes slightly trembled and watered, like she had lost control over her hand, and she nibbled her lips as she stood there not sure about how she should proceed.
Qiu Yi Meng was also dazed for a moment before a certain thought crossed her mind, and her face instantly became a crimson red as she gripped her fists and cursed, “This little bastard!”
Luo Xiao Man’s eyes fluttered as she stood there, and her brow wrinkled in confusion as she innocently asked, “Elder Sister Qiu, what’s happening inside? What are those sounds?”
“Uh…” Qiu Yi Meng jolted in surprise, not knowing just how she should respond, “Inside… they’re… probably cultivating…”
Casually spouting off this nonsense, Qiu Yi Meng blushed even redder.
Luo Xiao Man looked at her suspiciously then directed her gaze towards Yun Li and muttered under her breath, “Cultivating… how come it sounds more like they’re fighting… also… why are you two blushing?”
“It’s nothing!” Qiu Yi Meng firmly declared, now feeling like her face was on fire.
At that time.
All of a sudden, the voices inside became more violent. The man’s roar and the woman’s muffled groans mixed together while seeming to rises to a climax and filled the ears of the three women.
These voices seemed to contain some kind of magical power, causing whoever heard them to feel their legs weaken and their blood to boil.
“Ah …” Luo Xiao Man yelped softly, and her face immediately filled with dismay, “Elder Sister Qiu, that little bastard… he couldn’t be…”
“What?” Qiu Yi Meng’s eyes were spinning slightly, and her heart was a mess.
“He’s not killing the woman inside is he?” Exclaimed Luo Xiao Man, her innocent eyes trembling violently, entreating softly, “Elder Sister Qiu, let’s go back, I feel funny…”
“What’s wrong?” Qiu Yi Meng was surprised and quickly tried to regain her composure.
Luo Xiao Man fidgeted for a moment before whimpering, “I want to go to the bathroom for some reason… let’s go.”
“Ah… En…” Qiu Yi Meng’s face couldn’t have been redder if she had tried, and she also thought that they shouldn’t stick around here any longer, but just as she was about to suggest to Yun Li that they leave the door in front of them suddenly opened.
When they turned their gazes towards the open door, a young enchanting beauty appeared in front of them. All four women stood there for a moment, staring at each other. The three newcomers noticed that this seductive girl’s hair was a mess and large parts of her clothes were ripped and torn. Her skin seemed to glisten with sweat and had a distinct pink glow to it, and in her hands were a few pieces of cloth that seemed to have once been part of her outfit.
Up and down her jade-white body, Qiu Yi Meng and Luo Xiao Man could clearly see a series of red marks, especially around her chest. The outline of hands as well as distinct finger imprints could be seen upon her twin white rabbits, almost like they had been branded by a pair of scorching iron claw.
Running down her slender legs was a glistening liquid, like thin threads of crystal silk clinging to her inner thighs.
Finally, around her lips, there seemed to be a touch of some kind of murky white fluid…
“Ah…” Bi Luo was shocked as she stared blankly at the three women in front of her before gritting her teeth, lowering her face, and shuffling past them, trying her best to disappear as quickly as possible.
Although she was essentially not wearing any clothes at this point, since the palace only had women within its walls, she didn’t feel particularly embarrassed about it, so to her it was more important to escape from the place Yang Kai was, even a moment sooner.
As Bi Luo half walked half ran away, the three women still remained immersed in a strange silence.
It was only a moment later that Luo Xiao Man suddenly recovered and gently asked, “Elder Sister Qiu, what was she eating?”
Qiu Yi Meng stood stiff for a moment before slowly shaking her head.
[What was she eating? More like why didn’t she clean it up!?]
Yun Li slowly turned back to face them, and her voice somewhat higher pitched as she stuttered slightly and almost didn’t dare to make eye contact with Qiu Yi Meng and Luo Xiao Man as she asked, “Two Young Ladies, do you… do you still wish to meet Young Master Yang?”
Qiu Yi Meng took a deep breath to calm herself before nodding slightly.
Having come all this way and enduring all of that, she was not resigned to simply turn back now.
Yun Li nodded stiffly before calming her breathing and calling out, “Young Lord, Young Lady Qiu and Young Lady Luo have come to see you.”
“Show them in.”
Yun Li was surprised for a moment before turning her eyes towards Qiu Yi Meng and Luo Xiao Man, “Please enter!”
Qiu Yi Meng and Luo Xiao Man both took a deep breath before taking a step forward. As soon as they entered the room, Yun Li ran away like she was desperately fleeing.
Inside the room, Yang Kai, his clothes somewhat ruffled, was in a zen like state as he sat upon a jade chair smiling as he looked at the two girls who came in.
Meeting eyes with him briefly, Qiu Yi Meng couldn’t help thinking about everything that had just taken place, and her pretty face blushed once more as she quickly averted her gaze.
Luo Xiao Man timidly shuffled behind Qiu Yi Meng and glared somewhat hesitantly towards the grinning Yang Kai.
Yang Kai paid their attitudes no mind and just continued to casually stare back at them.
Facing this unscrupulous gaze, Qiu Yi Meng somehow couldn’t focus herself and nearly forgot why she had come here in the first place, as she allowed the awkward silence to continue on.
After a brief moment that seemed to last forever, a set of footsteps suddenly sounded from the stairs behind them, and after a moment, Bi Luo reappeared, making no attempt to hide her presence.
She was now fully clothed, and although her face was still flushed, she no longer seemed to be in an embarrassed state, instead restored to her original, aloof and enchanting aura.
Without paying Qiu Yi Meng and Luo Xiao Man any mind, Bi Luo boldly stepped into the room and shouted at Yang Kai, “Hey, you little bastard, I’m warning you, what happened just now was just me indulging my curiosity towards what a man was like, it has nothing to do with you in particular. Today’s matter ends here, our debts are settled so do not bring it up again. Got it?”
Yang Kai gawked for a moment before wryly nodding, “En, got it.”
Bi Luo’s eyes narrowed as she threateningly waved her first and firmly declared, “If you dare get any strange ideas, this young lady will make sure you look good, hmph!”
Seeing her not give Yang Kai any face whatsoever, Luo Xiao Man couldn’t help but give birth to a feeling of comradery, and a big smile emerged on her face as she hoped this new ‘friend’ of hers would scold Yang Kai a few more times to help ease the grief she felt in her heart.
Oblivious to all of this though, Bi Luo finished what she had to say and immediately turned around intending to leave.
“Elder Sister…” Luo Xiao Man really couldn’t help herself anymore, quickly speaking a few words of greeting.
“Hm? What’s wrong?” Bi Luo’s gaze turned towards Luo Xiao Man. A kind smile appeared on her face, yet her eyes had obviously drifted to the massive Twin Peaks which had appeared before her.
“Elder Sister, whatever it was you were snacking on, there’s still a little bit of it left around your mouth…” Luo Xiao Man said with a big friendly smile, attempting to show some good will by gently reminding her, gestures to the side of her mouth lightly with her finger.
“Uh…” Bi Luo nearly tripped and quickly reached out her hand to wipe the last traces of her ‘snack’ from her mouth. After doing so, she glared bitterly at Yang Kai for a moment before smiling even more radiantly towards Luo Xiao Man, “Thank you little sister, I’ll be sure to thank you properly sometime soon.”
“En.” Luo Xiao Man replied happily.
She hadn’t expected this young woman to be so warm and pleasant to speak with.
Off to the side, Qiu Yi Meng couldn’t help feeling that something was wrong with this exchange, but in the end she couldn’t put her finger on it so she decided to not think about it any further.
Bi Luo’s appearance had been just like a passing storm.
Her showing up had given Qiu Yi Meng some much needed time to compose herself, and she soon turned to Yang Kai and smiled, “Since we’ve last seen you, it seems like you’ve been living quite well, a beautiful pavilion and numerous beauties at your beck and call, you must be reluctant to leave here by now, right?”
Yang Kai snickered meaningfully, stared back at Qiu Yi Meng, and relaxed himself as she replied, “I doubt Young Lady Qiu visiting me today was to express her envy about my living arrangements, no need for any flowery words, say what you want directly, I despise women trying to play games with me.”
Qiu Yi Meng’s eyes flashed, but she nodded and maintained her smile, “Straight to point it is then, I want you to help the two of us leave here.”
[It really is about that.]
Yang Kai remained indifferent as he quipped, “Do I look like a man with such means?”
However, Qiu Yi Meng’s poise didn’t break, “At the very least, you’re True Qi hasn’t been sealed. If I don’t ask, how would I know?” Letting out a faint sigh she continued, “Xiao Man and I are different from you. Our cultivation has been restricted, and we’ve lost the ability to even defend ourselves, much less escape. What is it, were you planning to stay here forever?”
Saying so, she coquettishly covered her mouth, “Indeed, here you have the Beguiling Demon Queen to act as your backer, never needing to worry about cultivation resources, with enchanting beauties to serve your every whim, I can understand why no man would want to leave here.”
“Trying to rile me up are you?” Yang Kai sneered. “Don’t think I’ll be taken in that easily.”
Qiu Yi Meng’s brow finally wrinkled lightly. Aware that Yang Kai wasn’t easy to deal with she elected to try a more direct approach, “Fine, I’ll be blunt, what conditions must I offer for you to be willing to help me and Xiao Man leave here?”
“And why do you think I have any power to help you in the first place?” Yang Kai’s expression also sank, obviously displeased that this woman was a bit too self-righteous.
“I’m counting on your unusual relationship with the Beguiling Demon Queen. As long as you are willing to put in a few words to her, and considering that Xiao Man and I don’t actually have much value to her as prisoners, why wouldn’t she be willing to let us go? On the contrary, the Qiu Family and Purple Fern Valley would most definitely be willing to pay a high price for our release if she requested them to.”
Seeing Yang Kai begin to contemplate the matter, Qiu Yi Meng hurriedly added, “All I ask is that you speak up for us since Xiao Man and I have no way to see her. If it weren’t so, I wouldn’t have come to see you for this.”
“I also have no way of seeing her right now!” Yang Kai coldly snorted.
“Wasn’t she more than willing to see you before now?” Qiu Yi Meng’s expression clearly showed she didn’t believe him.
“Shan Qing Luo isn’t in Fragrance City right now, apparently she’s taken the city’s masters and gone to visit the Thunderbolt Beast King’s territory, whether you choose to believe me or not is none of my concern.”
Yang Kai knowing about this was actually accidental. He had only learned about the reason for Shang Qing Luo’s absence a few days ago when he overheard the conversation between a few of the Immortal Ascension Boundary masters who had been spectating his fight with Le Yu.
Although he was embroiled in a heated battle at the time, he had never once relaxed his guard regarding his surroundings.
“Ah…” Qiu Yi Meng exclaimed, and her eyes flashed with a trace of excitement and eagerness, as she urgently asked, “Since she is not here, why don’t you leave? Or are you actually planning to stay here forever?”
“Leave here? Where do you want me to go?” Yang Kai’s suddenly became cold, his eyes filled with undisguised resentment.
“You can go…” Qiu Yi Meng suddenly choked up.
[That’s right, if he leaves here… High Heaven Pavilion has already been dismantled and all of his Elders, Senior Brothers, Sister Seniors, Junior Brothers, and Junior Sisters have scattered, where is he supposed to go?]
It seems like, he really doesn’t have anywhere to go!
Hearing Yang Kai’s words sent a jolt through Qiu Yi Meng and caused her to quickly feel ashamed.
Unbeknownst to her, Yang Kai had also been marked by Shan Qing Luo’s Soul Seeking Seal. With such a technique implanted on him, even if Yang Kai fled to the ends of the Earth, Shan Qing Luo would still be able to find him, so trying to flee would simply be a waste of time and energy.
“In that case, come back with me to the Qiu Family!” Qiu Yi Meng suddenly proposed. Her eyes were completely sincere.
This was definitely a good opportunity, Qiu Yi Meng could also see that the relationship between Yang Kai and Shan Qing Luo was complicated, if at this time she could put out attractive enough conditions, she had no doubt she could get him to join her Qiu Family, if so then this time’s sufferings and tribulations would also be considered somewhat worthwhile.
Qiu Yi Meng was a decisive woman, and she naturally knew what to do at this time.
“Young Lady Qiu must be joking, right?” Yang Kai stared back at her with indifference as he sneered.
“On the contrary, I’m very serious.” Qiu Yi Meng brushed her hair back behind her ear. “I can offer you even better treatment than you receive here; any cultivation resources you desire and any number of beauties to serve you!”
“Elder Sister Qiu …” Luo Xiao Man almost yelped in surprise. She never dreamed Qiu Yi Meng would immediately offer such rich incentives to win over Yang Kai.
The Qiu Family was one of the Eight Great Families in the Great Han Dynasty. It was an overlord that possessed a rich heritage and vast foundations. Many cultivators from all over the world would gladly sell their souls for just the chance to join them. However, the Qiu Family had always had eyes above their heads and wouldn’t accept just any elite or master into their ranks.
But now… even if it were a number of high level Immortal Ascension Boundary masters, it should cost such a big price, right?
Was this little brat really worth all this?
However, although Luo Xiao Man thought Qiu Yi Meng’s actions were surprising, having stayed together with her for so long, she knew that she always had extremely accurate judgement.
Since she dared to offer up such lucrative incentives to recruit him, maybe this man really was worth it!
At that moment, Luo Xiao Man no longer dared to underestimate Yang Kai anymore and even did her best to observe him more discerningly.
“How about it? I’m serious about my offer.” Qiu Yi Meng said as she looked solemnly at Yang Kai.
Yang Kai’s brow wrinkled. He hadn’t expected that not only was this woman’s cultivation and aptitude outstanding, but her heart was also firm and decisive. Based on the performance he had seen from her over this short period of time, he easily concluded that if this woman didn’t fall early, she would certainly achieve great heights in the future!
“If that’s not enough, if you wish to marry a woman from my Qiu Family, other than myself, I can promise you right here and now. I have a younger cousin who is quite talented and beautiful…”
Yang Kai suddenly looked at her playfully, “You can’t tempt me with beauties.”
Hearing him say this, Qiu Yi Meng couldn’t hold back a laugh, and her vibrant eyes flashed a mischievous light, “Really? But just now…”
“That was just an accident,” Yang Kai replied calmly and didn’t show the slightest signs of embarrassment or guilt.
“Fine fine, then do you agree or not.” said Qiu Yi Meng, but seeing Yang Kai still maintaining his indifferent look, she couldn’t help but feel more and more annoyed.
If it were any other young men, if she had offered up such attractive conditions, she was certain they would immediately become obedient and agree, but from what she could observe, this little bastard before her didn’t even seem the slightest bit tempted at all.
[Just how greedy is this little bastard?]
“No thanks, I’m fine with how things are right now.” Yang Kai replied decisively not wanting to waste any more time with her.
Qiu Yi Meng’s face twitched slightly before resuming her smile, “Well, think about it, if you ever change your mind, feel free to find me. The Qiu Family’s door will always be open to you!”
From their time together, she knew that he wasn’t the kind of man who could be coerced. The only way to win him over was to give him the freedom to choose, but continuing to press the issue would only serve to annoy him. Secretly she was somewhat upset with herself for acting too impulsively.
However, seeing him acting so carefree, Qiu Yi Meng couldn’t stop herself from feeling annoyed, which caused her to become slightly anxious.
“In any case, could you at least put in a few words for Xiao Man and I to the Beguiling Demon Queen?”
“If I see her again,” Yang Kai wrinkled his brow and shrugged. “As you can see, I’m a prisoner here too, my accommodations just happen to be better than yours.”
“Good!” Qiu Yi Meng smiled happily, “Either way, I offer you my thanks, if we can survive this ordeal, when I return to my Qiu Family I’ll be sure to advocate on behalf of your High Heaven Pavilion!”
A light flickered across Yang Kai’s eyes for the first time as he stared back at her, resuming their usual calm a moment later.
Qiu Yi Meng’s last words had finally won her some of Yang Kai’s favor.
“Suit yourselves!” Yang Kai nodded before closing his eyes and resuming his meditation.
Qiu Yi Meng continued to observe him for a moment and quickly realized that this youth had actually entered a state of cultivation right in front of her and Luo Xiao Man’s faces. Exchanging a dumbfound glance with her partner, she couldn’t help shrugging her shoulders, saying to Luo Xiao Man, “Let’s go.”
“That’s right,” Yang Kai suddenly said, “If you want to use the bath on the lower floor just let Yun Li, Ruo Yu, and Ruo Qing know so they can prepare the warm water, I won’t be leaving this room for a while.”
Qiu Yi Meng couldn’t help blushing once more, as she understood in that moment that her entire conversation with Luo Xiao Man as they came up the stairs had been heard by him.
“Thank you. I hope we won’t be enemies again in the future!” Qiu Yi Meng stared deeply at Yang Kai as she said in a low voice.
Downstairs, Luo Xiao Man, unable to hold back any longer, softly asked, “Elder Sister Qiu, is that guy really worth so much in your eyes?”
Qiu Yi Meng’s expression remained dignified as she pondered for a moment before nodding, “En, of all men I have ever come across, he is the most unfathomable. On top of that, it’s only been half a month since we last met, yet it seems like he has become stronger. Although his realm is still lower than my own, whenever I’m in front of him, I always feel a kind of intangible pressure from him.”
“That may be because our True Qi is sealed! If it weren’t for that, we wouldn’t necessary need to fear him!
“No…” Qiu Yi Meng slowly shook her head, “I trust my instincts! I believe his talent is even higher than the Liu Family’s Liu Qing Yao!”
“Ah… you think he’s superior to the Eight Great Families’ first Young Lord?” Luo Xiao Man’s eyes filled with astonishment.
“I’m only counting the Seven Great Families. After all, the Yang Family can’t be taken into account.” Smiling wryly, Qiu Yi Meng involuntarily thought about the way the Yang Family cultivated its direct disciples.
Thinking about it, she suddenly noticed that Yang Kai’s surname was also Yang. He couldn’t be…
It shouldn’t be. Although she didn’t recognize all of the Yang Family’s Young Lords, she did at least know their various ages. Only one of the Yang Family’s direct descendants, the youngest, had a similar age to Yang Kai, and it was said that this Young Lord had been born with a congenital defect and lacked any cultivation aptitude at all.
However, his ruthless, overbearing, and domineering attitude was exactly the same as the Yang Family’s.
“Fortunately, he has no background. If he already had a significant backer, heh…” Qiu Yi Meng shook her head with a smile. Since she was born, she had always had eyes atop her head, and very few Young Lords had ever been worth a second glance from her, but somehow this one was different. Something about him demanded she pays attention to him.
While the pair chatted, they came outside to find Yun Li and asked her to help prepare some hot water before vigilantly entering the first-floor bath.
Oblivious to all of their concerns, Yang Kai simply remained on the second floor and continued his cultivation.
The demons which had built up over the past few months inside Yang Kai’s heart had been completely expunged with the assistance of Bi Luo’s cherry red lips.
This allowed him to relax greatly as he re-entered a state of cultivation.
With all of his fatigue and stress seemingly relieved, for the first time in more than a year, Yang Kai felt renewed both inside and out.
He also had a faint perception that his mental state had actually improved.
With the enhancement of his mood, along with relaxing both physically and mentally, the speed with which he cultivated increased noticeably.
Yang Kai didn’t stop studying the True Alchemic Way, even though he no longer had any Spiritual Energy supplementing pills.
After a session, once he exhausted his Spiritual Energy, he would wait a few hours to allow his Soul to slowly recover while circulating his True Yang Secret Art, not wasting a single moment.
His Tempered Body Record, as well as the Incense burner from the blank book also played a role at this time. Both of them were things which had become somewhat dust-laden after a long period of not being used.
Now that he had a period of relative calm, Yang Kai took the chance to bring them out again.
Three days later.
Shan Qing Luo returned to Fragrance City.
One of the first things she did was visit Tranquil Phoenix Pavilion.
After a few days had passed, this devilish woman seemed more and more flirtatious and alluring. Her whole being constantly exuded an aura of unparalleled seduction, meanwhile, her slim exquisite body seemed to appear delicate and fragile yet, in fact, contained a tremendous explosive strength.
Not only was she amongst the most beautiful woman in the world, she was also one of its apex masters, something no one could deny.
Her watery enchanting eyes stared into Yang Kai’s as she giggled charmingly, “Little bastard, you’ve been quite well behaved these past few days I see.”
Yang Kai remained indifferent and coldly snorted, “I have some self-knowledge!”
“Now now don’t be so upset.” Shan Qing Luo lightly replied, “I had ordered a few beauties to serve you well, yet how is it that I hear from Yun Li that you haven’t eaten any of them yet? I didn’t think you would be so studious.” Shan Qing Luo looked at him somewhat surprised.
“Naturally.” Yang Kai said, but his conscience actually felt somewhat guilty.
Shan Qing Luo simply laughed though and leaned in closer to him as she whispered into his ear, “Bi Luo’s technique isn’t bad, right?”
“So-so…” Yang Kai instantly blushed upon realizing he had been exposed and quickly changed the topic, “You temptress, what exactly do you want in coming here?”
“Nothing much.” Shan Qing Luo’s tender body twisted as she put on a shy face, gently sat down atop the bed next to him, and smiled invitingly, “Are you bored staying here already?
“What do you think?” Yang Kai glared back at her coldly.
Shan Qing Luo just shrugged, “Why not go out for a walk then?”
“Where can I go?”
“Where do you want to go? No one’s stopping you.”
Yang Kai stared at her for a moment before processing what she had just said. Suspicion flashed across his eyes, “Are you saying, I can leave here?”
“Of course, when did I ever say you couldn’t leave here? Haha…”
“You… you…” Yang Kai nearly choked. His stomach was full of grievances.
“Alright alright, don’t be so angry.” Shan Qing Luo suddenly became serious and solemnly said, “This time I came here to tell you specifically that you’re free to leave here. After all, in order to win over a man, you can’t simply lock him up, I understand at least that much.”
“Yes yes, you keeping me here doesn’t mean you can keep my heart!” Yang Kai nodded righteously and eagerly proposed, “Then that Soul Seeking Seal…”
“Let’s keep that for now, or else how would I ever find you again?” Shan Qing Luo nibbled her red lips, appearing somewhat sad.
“Alright,” Yang Kai don’t try to force her.
Although Shan Qing Luo said he could leave, Yang Kai didn’t feel too happy about it. At the very least, he didn’t experience the excitement he had imagined he would.
Probably because he knew that this devilish woman didn’t have the slightest malicious intent towards him, so although she had technically trapped him here these past few days, he didn’t actually have any particular resentment towards her.
Not to mention, using her name, Yang Kai had also fished a lot of benefits without suffering any loses.
If it weren’t for Yang Kai having seen her deepest inner thoughts when he had inadvertently invaded her Knowledge Sea, he would have long ago stopped acting polite with her.
“Oh right, how are you intending to deal with Qiu Yi Meng and Luo Xiao Man?” Yang Kai’s brow wrinkled slightly as he asked, “Luo Xiao Man isn’t so important. Although her Purple Fern Valley isn’t bad, compared to you their influence is still somewhat lacking, but Qiu Yi Meng is a Qiu Family person.”
“Of course I understand the complexities of their identities,” Shan Qing Luo smiled softly, “But I can’t allow them to leave just yet, I’m planning to bring them to the battlefield tomorrow.”
“The battlefield?” Yang Kai asked curiously.
“En, most of the Great Han Dynasty’s major forces have been waging a campaign against the Ash-Gray Cloud Evil Land for quite some time now.” Shan Qing Luo casually replied to Yang Kai.
“What do you intend to do by taking them to the battlefield?”
“Naturally, I have my reasons. Why, do you want to accompany me as well?”
“No thanks.” Yang Kai stretched his body as he let out a light laugh, “I’ve finally achieved some degree of freedom, so why would I continue to follow you around just to be manipulated?”
“Hmph, what an ungrateful man, returning the sincerity I’ve shown you with such spite.” Shan Qing Luo glared at him bitterly.
“Ugh…”
Frowning, Kai Yang suddenly remembered something and asked, “Right, I’ve been meaning to ask you something. What are Evil Spirits, and what is this Evil Cavern?”
Shan Qing Luo was suddenly surprised, “Where did you hear about that?”
“That day when I fought with Le Yu, I heard others in the audience say that he had comprehended one of his Martial Skills from Evil Spirits that dwelled in the Evil Cavern.”
Hearing this, Shan Qing Luo nodded and didn’t ask about the grudges between Yang Kai and Le Yu that had lead to the fight; with her shrewdness, she could easily tell that the blame lay with Bi Luo for this incident.
Collecting her thoughts, she replied, “The Evil Cavern is a very strange and dangerous place, filled with beings we call Evil Spirits. Le Yu’s Demonic Purple Qi Body Martial Skill was obtained from there, but right now he’s still incapable of fully casting it. Why, do you want to check it out?”
“I had intended to.” Yang Kai didn’t deny it. After all, when he had refined those traces of Purple Spirit Demonic Qi left inside his body, he felt that their energy was somehow similar to the Evil Qi stored within his Unyielding Golden Skeleton, which sparked his curiosity. He wanted to find out what mysteries were hiding with the Evil Cavern’s Evil Spirits that lead to this induction.
If he was lucky, he might be able to uncover some of the secrets about his Unyielding Golden Skeleton there.
Now that chaos had descended upon the world and with the smoke of battle erupting all over, Yang Kai became acutely aware that his strength was still too low, and he was unable to make any significant impact on the overall situation. It was better to find a place to hone himself and enhance his cultivation so that he was better prepared for whatever came next.
“You want to go there…” Shan Qing Luo frowned slightly, apparently somewhat unwilling to allow him, but a sigh soon leaked from her delicate lips, “Alright, you seem to be cultivating some kind of Evil Cultivation Technique. Going there might lead to some gains for you, but the Evil Cavern is located in the territory of the Profound Yin Ghost King. The environment there is significantly worse than Fragrance City, it could even be described as a land where enemies are everywhere, so… I’ll send Bi Luo with you tomorrow, she knows the way there. With her, you should be able to bypass some troublesome places more easily.”
“Good!”
The next day. At dawn, Bi Luo ran over.
Since the day the two of them had engaged in their ‘joint activities’, this enchanting girl had never again appeared in front of Yang Kai, so upon meeting again for the first time, she couldn’t help but blush lightly. However, she still glared at Yang Kai fiercely and curtly said, “Mistress has instructed me to guide you to the Evil Cavern. You little bastard, even if you’re courting death, why must you pick that kind of place and force this Young Lady to take you there? Forcing me to run around like this, seriously, how annoying.”
Yang Kai could only laugh sheepishly and scratched his head while saying, “Thanks in advance.”
“Fine fine, do you have anything left to tidy up? If you don’t then let’s leave now, that place isn’t exactly close to Fragrance City. Going back and forth will take a few days at least.”
“Nope, let’s go.”
As the two of them were just about to leave the palace, they happened to bump into Shan Qing Luo who was accompanied by Qiu Yi Meng and Luo Xiao Man. It seemed like they had been waiting there specifically for Yang Kai.
As they glanced back and forth amongst themselves, Yang Kai noticed Qiu Yi Meng and Luo Xiao Man’s depressed and desperate expressions, which seemed to silently beg Yang Kai to say a few words for them in order to help them out of their current predicament.
However, after wrinkling his brow slightly, Yang Kai pretended not to see them anymore.
Since Shan Qing Luo obviously wasn’t intending to take their lives, and she must have some other purpose in bringing them with her, saying anything at this point wouldn’t be helpful in the slightest.
“I’ll take you part of the way. Half a day later we’ll separate, it’ll save you some effort.” Shan Qing Luo lightly smiled and waved her hand. A gentle Qi wrapped all of them up before she directly flew out of Fragrance City.
Feeling this gentle, breeze-like Qi enshroud him, Yang Kai couldn’t help but frown. Qiu Yi Meng and Luo Xiao Man also despaired, realizing once again just how futile trying to escape from the Beguiling Demon Queen’s hands would be.
Speeding through the air, in an instant, they had already traversed a few thousand meters.
As they flew, Shan Qing Luo whispered to Yang Kai, “The Evil Cavern is located in the Profound Yin Ghost King’s territory, but with my Seal, no one should provoke you. Nevertheless, you and Bi Luo should still try to avoid stirring up trouble, the people there are not as amenable as Fragrance City’s residents. Bi Luo will only be able to take you there before she has to return.”
“En,” Yang Kai nodded slightly.
“There are many Evil Spirits that live inside the Evil Cavern, every year many people obtain benefits from them but even more people die to them. Don’t dive too far into the cavern, if you encounter some of the more powerful Evil Spirits that dwell further inside you’ll certainly die!”
“What exactly are Evil Spirits?” Yang Kai frowned.
“Evil Spirits are… they’re a partial solidification of Demonic Qi and Evil Qi which makes them difficult to cope with. They possess no sentience but are incredibly aggressive, and as long as they sense living creatures they’ll attack.”
“What benefits can be obtained there other than learning Martial Skills?” Yang Kai asked. Shan Qing Luo seemed quite familiar with the Evil Cavern so naturally, he wanted to gain as much intelligence about it from her as possible.
“Besides obtaining and cultivating some special Martial Skills, after you defeat one of those Evil Spirits they’ll leave behind some of their essences. This essence is a type of energy that can be absorbed and refined, allowing one to increase their cultivation, it’s for this reason that the Evil Cavern, despite its dangers, continues to draw many cultivators who want to gain life experiences as well as strengthen themselves. Not only disciples from the Ash-Gray Cloud Evil Land’s sects, there are even many outsiders who disguise themselves and come here, hoping to gain some advantages.”
“I see!” Yang Kai nodded.
“However, there are also some Evil Spirits inside that posses some special things, such as odd Martial Skills like Le Yu’s Demonic Purple Qi Body, but all of these Martial Skill are basically Evil Skills. Another example is a type of essence that strengthens one’s Spiritual Energy, there have been a few people who have come across such things and had their Spiritual Energy enhanced greatly.”
“Is there really such a wondrous thing?” Yang Kai’s interest was suddenly piqued when he heard there was a chance to obtain some Precious Treasures which could enhance his Spiritual Energy.
“There are indeed many good things to be had inside the Evil Cavern, but it all depends on your ability to earn them.” Shan Qing Luo smiled lightly.
“En, such treasures existing, the Heavens and Earth are vast and mysterious.” Yang Kai became more and more aware of this fact ever since his last expedition to Nether Mountain.
“Long ago, I once heard from my mother that the Evil Cavern was connected to another place…” Shan Qing Luo said, chuckling slightly, obviously not taking this anecdote too seriously.
“Another place? Where?”
“The Demon World…”
Everyone else in the group had a light flash past their eyes. None of them had ever heard about such a place.
“Who knows, maybe it’s true. How else could you explain the presence of those Evil Spirits which only exist there.”
“You’re joking, right?” Yang Kai sneered lightly.
“Hehe… it’s just something my mother heard from her mother…” Shan Qing Luo smiled as she said offhandedly.
“Yang Kai, are you planning to go to this Evil Cavern for life experience?” Qiu Yi Meng’s beautiful eyes shimmered, as she asked him.
“En.” Yang Kai nodded.
“Could you bring us with you? I’d like to experience that place too.” Qiu Yi Meng’s smiled sweetly.
Shan Qing Luo glanced meaningfully towards her after hearing this.
Qiu Yi Meng laughed dryly, “I can be of help to him, with more people it will be safer. After all, my strength isn’t low.”
“Rest assured, I don’t intend on mistreating you two,” Shan Qing Luo said softly. “I’m simply taking you to the battlefield so you can see for yourselves exactly how those who’ve come to attack the Ash-Gray Cloud Evil Land act.”
Qiu Yi Meng was stunned for a moment before understanding at least part of what Shan Qing Luo’s intentions were.
“In fact, good and evil aren’t as clearly defined as you may think. In this world, things aren’t that black and white!” Shan Qing Luo’s always soft and enchanting voice at that moment actually took on a serious and slightly helpless tone.
Half a day later, their group parted ways. Shan Qing Luo brought Qiu Yi Meng and Luo Xiao Man away while Yang Kai and Bi Luo continued on towards the Profound Yin Ghost King’s territory.
The Profound Yin Ghost King had the appearance of an evil ghost. Amongst the six Great Evil Kings his strength ranked near the top, a very difficult opponent. Once, the Ghost King also had some intentions towards the Beguiling Demon Queen’s beauty and even employed some underhanded means in an attempt to seize her only to have the previous generation’s Beguiling Demon Queen rescue her, so he and Shan Qing Luo didn’t have a very good relationship.
Between the two big territories, there had even been some conflict.
Therefore, even though Bi Luo had Shan Qing Luo’s Demon King’s Order, she really didn’t dare show it lest it draw unwanted attention from cultivators loyal to the Ghost King.
The two proceeded cautiously towards the Evil Cavern, however their journey was relatively uneventful, as they did not encounter any major problems.
Occasionally, they would encounter some other cultivators, but each time both sides would only be vigilant towards one another and neither rashly took action.
Three days later, the two arrived within three kilometers of the Evil Cavern.
Upon reaching here, Bi Luo stopped and pointed to the front. “Where you want to go is right ahead.”
“En,” Yang Kai gazed ahead, but to his surprise didn’t discover anything unusual there, not even signs of Demonic Qi like he had imagined.
“Hey, you little bastard, once you go, do your best not to die!” Bi Luo snorted unhappily.
Hearing this, Yang Kai stared towards here and suddenly chuckled, “What’s this? Why do you care so much about whether I live or not? Have you perhaps fallen for me?”
“Bullshit!” Bi Luo shouted, “This Young Lady liking you? I’d sooner fall in love with dog crap! There’s nothing between us at all! Let me warn you, you better forget about what happened that last time, neither of us owes the other anything! If you dare spread around any nonsense about it I’ll castrate you!”
As Bi Luo continued scolding him, Yang Kai suddenly rushed up, wrapped his arms around her waist and back, pulled her towards him, and fiercely sealed her lips
“Em… mmm!” Caught by surprise, Bi Luo struggled fiercely to escape.
However, Yang Kai quickly released her and laughed as he turned around and quickly left.
“Bastard!” Bi Luo blushed furiously, biting her lips as a residual feeling and taste spread across them.
[As long as I live, I’ll never allow a man to touch me again!] Bi Luo cursed to herself.
Waiting until Yang Kai had disappeared from sight, Bi Luo coldly snorted before turning away as well.
Crossing the final three kilometers or so, Yang Kai came across a dark hole leading into the ground. Standing beside this pit, he felt an eerie wind blow past him that sent a chill across his skin, which not only made his body feel cold but even caused his Soul to feel uncomfortable.
[Worthy of being an Ominous Ground, it really is unusual…] Yang Kai secretly thought.
Circulating his True Yang Secret Art slightly to disperse this cold feeling, Yang Kai quickly jumped into the cave with the wind whistling past him as he quickly fell into the abyss.
This pit was quite deep. Yang Kai had fallen for quite some time, yet had not reached the bottom.
Suddenly, the sounds of fighting rang with flashes of flickering light from below. Clearly, someone was using a Martial Skill.
Yang Kai quickly raised his level of vigilance even further and kept in mind everything Shan Qing Luo had told him. Although this Evil Cavern was extremely dangerous, there were always groups of people inside it for life experience. He had just not thought that he’d meet some the moment he entered.
The more dangerous a place was, the more wonderful the treasures it held, and the Evil Cavern clearly had enough hidden opportunities to attract these fortune seekers.
If it were not for the world currently being in a time of chaos, with many people engaged in warfare outside, there would certainly be even more cultivators inside these caves.
Where people gathered, disputes would occur, even leading to fights and bloodshed. This was an ancient truth that applied no matter where one looked.
After a while, the sounds and flashes of light became clearer.
As Yang Kai listened, he became aware of four distinct individuals, each of whom had the strength that was neither high nor low, probably all True Element Boundary cultivators.
Descending even slower, Yang Kai quietly released his Divine Sense and felt a large number of evil auras in every direction for as far as he could sense. These auras varied in strength and gave off an uncomfortable feeling, probably the Evil Spirits he had been told about.
There were also the auras of a number of cultivators, but they were quite scattered, each group seemingly deciding to not mix well water with river water.
Although he was not aware of any immediate dangers, Yang Kai still quickly took back his Divine Sense.
Searching one’s surroundings with their Divine Sense had its own dangers. If it suffered any injury while away from one’s physical body it would damage their Soul. Even if it was an Immortal Ascension Boundary master they would carefully consider when and where to use their Divine Sense and normally would only use it occasionally to investigate their surroundings.
After the time it would take to drink half a cup of tea, Yang Kai finally touched the ground again.
Not far in front, he saw four people engaged in sending a variety of Martial Skills flying about. Each of them displayed excellent teamwork, when one retreated, another advanced, obviously they had full control of the situation.
Fighting with them were a few things which emitted an odd fluorescence. These things were humanoid in shape and had fuzzy facial features, but their bodies were vague and misty, almost like an ethereal illusion.
Ferocious roars and bursts of wailing howls rang out along with explosions of wind. Although these things didn’t appear to be too powerful, they possessed an odd tenacity and were apparently extremely difficult to kill.
[These things should be the so-called Evil Spirits! Sure enough, they’re unusual creatures.]
Although Yang Kai had suddenly set down behind them, none of these four actually noticed, presumably concentrating too much on the battle before them.
To avoid any misunderstandings, Yang Kai deliberately made some noise.
The four cultivators were instantly surprised and hurriedly looked back.
The next moment, one of the four left their formation and vigilantly faced Yang Kai.
In response, Yang Kai remained indifferent and didn’t reveal the slightest hostility but instead just quietly stood there waiting for the fight to end.
The youth who was confronting him stared for a moment before noting Yang Kai’s behaviour and quickly flashed a meaningful grin before nodding lightly in acknowledgement.
Yang Kai nodded lightly in return before going back to observing the environment of the Evil Cavern.
This underground cavern seemed similar to the Heaven’s Cave he had visited once before many years ago. The entire underground structure was a massive hollow with the occasional giant column towering to the ceiling high above.
Unlike the Heaven’s Cave though, this Evil Cavern was barren and almost devoid of any vitality, inevitably giving off a feeling of repression. The architecture was quite complex with multiple paths winding off in all directions.
Although it was deep underground, it wasn’t pitch dark. Everywhere you looked there were flickering points of light, some like tiny fireflies that flitted about, others like clumps of ghost fire. It was like the Ash-Gray Cloud Evil Land’s purgatory, with members in it appearing no better than hell spawns.
After looking around for a while, Yang Kai had a random thought.
If Old Demon were here, these green Evil Spirits would undoubtedly be a delicacy for him. It was a pity that he was probably still absorbing the Demonic Qi at the bottom of the Coiling Dragon Stream.
As for the four cultivators before him, although one of them was guarding against Yang Kai, thus reducing their available firepower, the remaining three didn’t appear burdened. Quickly launching a variety of ferocious Martial Skills, they soon dispatched the few green Evil Spirits they were fighting.
Accompanied by a series of piercing howls, the bodies of these green Evil Spirits suddenly collapsed and dissipated into thin air.
All that was left behind were a few transparent clusters of mist, and each of them seemed to contain some residual Evil Qi suspended mid-air.
[Evil Spirit Essence!] Yang Kai quickly concluded.
All of the cultivators who came to Evil Cavern essentially came for this Evil Spirit Essence as absorbing and refining it would yield a variety of benefits.
However, these groups of green Evil Spirit Essence looked a bit weak and apparently weren’t very rich in energy.
When he discovered this, Yang Kai quickly became disinterested.
Noting Yang Kai’s calm and indifferent behaviour, the four cultivators relaxed slightly as they secretly nodded to themselves. One of the youths who appeared relatively calm quickly faced his female teammate, “Rong Mei, quickly collect the Essence.”
“En!” The girl nodded, pulled out a small bottle from her waist pocket, and pointed it at the green Evil Spirit Essences while inputting a bit of her True Qi.
*Xiu xiu xiu…*
After the small bottle sucked in all of the Evil Spirit Essences, the girl gently shook the bottle as she revealed a smile. Her pair of clear eyes stared at it with a very satisfied look.
Yang Kai raised one of his brows, curiously observing the entire process.
The youth who had just spoken seemed to be aware of this, quickly cracking a smile as he cupped his fists towards Yang Kai and greeted, “This one’s name is Tao Yang, may I ask who this Fellow Daoist is?”
“Yang Kai!”
“So it is Brother Yang.” Tao Yang laughed, raised his sword-like brows, and bluntly asked, “From Brother Yang’s reaction, it seems like you’re not quite familiar with this place, correct?”
“En.” Yang Kai nodded. Though Shan Qing Luo had told him about the dangers and opportunities in the Evil Cavern, he had never heard her mention anything about a bottle that could collect Evil Spirit Essence, so he was quite curious about this.
“Is it Brother Yang’s first time here?”
“Indeed.”
“No wonder.” Tao Yang showed a friendly smile, which neither displayed the least bit of malicious intent, nor did he give off an arrogant aura in an attempt to bully him with their superior numbers.
From this point alone, Yang Kai thought to himself that he needed to re-examine his previous prejudices towards cultivators from the Ash-Gray Cloud Evil Land. It would appear that the rumours and hearsay about the Ash-Gray Cloud Evil Land in the outside world were a bit too biased. Those who lived here weren’t all unreasonable bloodthirsty devils and monsters.
Wicked and good seemed to both exist no matter where one went.
As Yang Kai and Tao Yang were talking, the other three youths examined Yang Kai with great interest, and each of them had some thoughts of curiosity and ridicule. They had never thought that someone would dare to enter the Evil Cavern all by themselves, yet there was one such reckless fool right in front of them now.
[Really doesn’t know how to write the word ‘dead’.]
“What is that bottle?” Yang Kai asked as he glanced towards the bottle in the girl’s hand. Since he sensed no malice from this Tao Yang, naturally he thought of gathering some information from him.
“This thing…” Tao Yang took the bottle from the girl’s hands and shook it in front of Yang Kai. If one looked carefully they could see a dense clump of green light inside, like a drop of turbid water, “This is a Purifying Spirit Bottle, it’s a type of artifact that’s used by those who come here for life experience.”
“What’s it used for?”
Seeing this newcomer really not know anything, Tao Yang couldn’t help be grin helplessly, rubbing his forehead slightly as he patiently explained, “Brother Yang, you that when an Evil Spirit is killed it leaves behind its essence, right?”
“En.”
“Well, this essence contains all kinds of wonderful things that are very beneficial to cultivators after they absorb and refine them, but… This essence isn’t that easy to absorb because it contains a lot of residual malevolence which requires a cultivator to refine out, the more powerful the Evil Spirit, the more powerful the malevolence left in its essence after it dies.”
Yang Kai nodded lightly, he too could also detect the residual evil aura hidden in the Evil Spirit Essence. No one could directly absorb this malevolence into themselves, and doing so would only lead to a backlash against their mind and Soul.
“Since it takes time to refine it, and inside this Evil Cavern there is crisis around every corner, you can’t absorb the Evil Spirit Essence on the spot. Doing so would leave you vulnerable while you attempt to refine it, only a fool would do that.” Tao Yang said with a light chuckle, “That’s where these Purifying Spirit Bottles comes in handy, they allow you to store Evil Spirit Essence until you can find a place to safely absorb and refine it.”
“I see!” Yang Kai suddenly understood. He never had thought that things would be so complicated when he had rushed here on his own. Apparently in the future, he needed to be more careful.
“Also, the Purifying Spirit Bottle also had a purifying effect on the residual evil aura, the longer it remains in the bottle the easier it is for one to refine the essence, but doing so can also damage the Purifying Spirit Bottle, so it’s best not to store it for too long. Best to find an opportunity to quickly refine it to avoid such a situation while also increasing your own strength, haha!”
“Many thanks for your guidance Brother Tao!” Yang Kai cupped his fists in thanks.
“Brother Yang is too polite.” Tao Yang faintly smiled. Finished with his explanation, he wrinkled his brow for a moment and seemed to struggle and hesitate but soon turned to his female companion, “Junior Sister, give me one of our bottles.”
Not thinking too much about it, the girl quickly took out another bottle and passed it to Tao Yang.
As soon as Tao Yang grasped this bottle, he offered it to Yang Kai while letting out a friendly laugh, “It’s best to bring one of these with you Brother Yang, otherwise I’m afraid it would be quite troublesome.”
“Senior Brother!” Seeing him so easily offer a Purifying Spirit Bottle to a stranger they had just me, the other three youths couldn’t help but object.
A Purifying Spirit Bottle, though not a particularly precious artifact, was still quite troublesome to refine. As such, they had only brought three of them with them this time.
But now, their Senior Brother wanted to give one away just like that?
“Those who come here for life experience should help one another out and support one another.” Tao Yang quietly glanced at his three juniors, indicating with his eyes that they should keep quiet.
Yang Kai’s brow wrinkled slightly as he held the Purifying Spirit Bottle he was given.
This was an instinctive reaction to this unusual situation. Since he had arrived here, although he hadn’t sensed any malicious intent from Tao Yang’s group, in the end, they were still strangers who had met by chance, and seeing them act so generously was surprising, to say the least.
This act of generosity couldn’t help but make him feel suspicious, thinking that perhaps there was something they wanted his help with!
But they had just met, what could it be they wanted in exchange?
Holding the bottle, Yang Kai hesitated to simply refuse. When someone gifted you something in friendship, directly rejecting them wasn’t polite, doing so would instead give the opposite party a bad impression, like you were distrustful of them or looking down on them.
The question is, what to give them in exchange? Yang Kai thought to himself.
Sweeping the Black Book space with his Divine Sense, in terms of treasures, besides the Myriad Drug Liquid, Milk, and Cream, there was only the Yin Yang Monster Ginseng.
Other than that there were the artifacts he’d obtained from the Great Sects of the Endless Sea Islands, as well as the Asura Sword and the Thousand Blossoming Blood Begonia.
Obviously, he couldn’t give these things away.
All that he had besides that were some pills. These pills were the ones originally prepared for him by Ling Tai Xu. There were also the two bottles of Heaven Grade pills which he had taken from Shan Qing Luo’s Treasure House.
Searching his possessions like this, Yang Kai suddenly felt that he was actually quite poor.
After considering for a moment, he decided to exchange a bottle of Heaven Grade pills with these four.
A bottle of Heaven Grade pills was also worth a great deal of money, and this particular bottle also happened to come from Shan Qing Luo’s Treasure House. A bottle of Heaven Grade Top-Rank pills was worth at least 20,000 to 30,000 silvers.
That should be enough to offset the cost of a Purifying Spirit Bottle.
Yang Kai’s brow wrinkled slightly as his Divine Sense wandered about the Black Book space. Although it was only for a moment, but in the eyes of others, it seemed like he had suddenly gone into a daze.
Although his three juniors didn’t agree with Tao Yang giving Yang Kai one of their precious Purifying Spirit Bottle but because he was their Senior Brother they begrudgingly endured.
However, none of them could help but think their Senior Brother was being too generous, even somewhat reckless. All of them had only just met for the first time, and even if for some reason he wanted to show goodwill here, why did he have to go that far?
Then, when they all saw Yang Kai suddenly fall into a stupor, actually putting on an ignorant expression, all of them couldn’t help feeling more annoyed.
The girl named Rong Mei suddenly glared harshly as she coldly snorted, “When someone sends you something, you don’t even bother to offer some thanks? Did you suddenly become a mute?”
The other two were also cold-faced and did not bother to hide their dissatisfaction in the slightest.
Yang Kai was stunned for a moment before quickly turning to them and then lightly said, “I apologize, I was thinking about something and became distracted.”
“Finished?” Rong Mei quipped angrily and seemed unwilling to let the matter drop until Yang Kai offered at least some works of thanks.
“En.” Throwing a bottle of pills towards Tao Yang, Yang Kai cupped his fists and said, “Until we meet again!”
Done what needed to be done, Yang Kai turned and casually walked away.
“Hey…” Rong Mei chased after him a few steps, but seeing him quickly disappear from sight, the anger she had been holding back burst out, “This brat…”
“All of you… haa…” Tao Yang looked at his Junior Brothers and Junior Sister, shaking his head. Although he didn’t go so far as to accuse them, the disappointment on his brow was obvious.
“Senior Brother!” The taller, thinner of Tao Yang’s Junior Brothers spoke up questioningly, “Is he worth all of this?”
“Right right, he doesn’t seem like anyone important, even his robes were ordinary, why did you feel the need to give him a Purifying Spirit Bottle?” Rong Mei couldn’t help but ask with a puzzled light in her eyes before softly muttering, “Such an ungrateful brat. Not even bothering to say thank you.”
“Why does he need to thank us? It’s not like he received that Purifying Spirit Bottle for nothing.” Tao Yang’s gaze finally shifted to the pill bottle in Rong Mei’s hands and casually urged, “See for yourself.”
“Fine!” Rong Mei pouted, pulling a face like an unhappy child, “Isn’t it just a bottle of pills, could these possibly be equal in value to a Purifying Spirit Bottle? Hmph!”
While complaining, she casually uncapped the bottle and gently sniffed. Her beautiful face instantly paled, as she turned a shocked gaze towards Tao Yang.
Seeing this, Tao Yang sighed lightly.
“Impossible…” Rong Mei’s face was filled with surprise, and she seemed afraid to believe what was happening. Quickly she poured out one of the pills from the bottle onto her small trembling hand and carefully observed it before her other two Brother Disciples also came up to sniff the rich pill incense, and they all exclaimed in shock, “Heaven Grade pills?”
“Look more carefully.” Tao Yang’s eyesight was obviously higher than his three Juniors and at one glance saw the actual quality of this pill.
“This is… a Heaven Grade Top-Rank pill!?” His three Junior’s faces no longer showed any complaint and instead were filled with joy.
“Heaven Grade Top-Rank True Qi restoring pill!” Tao Yang grinned helplessly, “Tell me, can these offset the value of a Purifying Spirit Bottle?”
Rong Mei’s face instantly blushed with embarrassment, “En.”
These four had come to the Evil Cavern for life experience, so naturally, they had brought some True Qi supplementing and healing pills, but the pills they brought with them were only Heaven Grade Low-Rank at best. This bottle of pills that Yang Kai easily threw to them was a whole two ranks higher in quality.
Although it was only two ranks, the difference in value was worlds apart!
Sometimes, a good bottle of pills’ value couldn’t be measured with money. In crucial situations, they could mean the difference between life and death!
“Just who was that kid? So generous!” That slimmer Junior Brother gasped, his face still filled with shock.
None of them could understand. Their Senior Brother and that youth had definitely just met for the first time, but both of them had delivered extremely precious gifts to the other like they were competing to see who could be more generous.
“I gifted him a peach and he returned the favour in kind, that’s all.” Tao Yang said, his mouth twitched slightly as he cast a blaming gaze towards his three Juniors, “No matter what his real identity is, your Senior Brother wanted to befriend him, but now you three wasted my efforts.”
Tao Yang’s Juniors couldn’t help but feel a bit guilty being scolded as such.
Curious, Rong Mei soft asked, “Senior Brother, how did you know he was someone worthy of befriending? People come here from all different walks of life with many different personalities, what if he was a sinister person?”
Tao Yang grinned helplessly, “If he had any malicious intentions, he wouldn’t have deliberately made noise to alert us to his presence.”
The three suddenly realized that what they thought was Yang Kai carelessly making noise when he had arrived was actually something he did on purpose.
Doing so was likely so they wouldn’t misunderstand his intentions.
Acting so, it was clear he didn’t want to stir up trouble, so obviously his demeanour wasn’t bad.
“Besides,” Tao Yang continued, and his eyes flashed a light of caution, “Just now, his speech and attitude revealed that he really didn’t know much about this place, yet still had the confidence to come here alone. No doubt he is quite strong.”
“Maybe not, he was clearly a little younger than us.” Rong Mei obviously did not quite believe Tao Yang.
“Age doesn’t mean everything to a cultivator. Didn’t you notice that although he was facing us alone, he wasn’t nervous at all, not even raising his guard? What does that mean? It shows that he didn’t fear us taking action against him, possibly even confident he could defeat all of us should he need to. That’s the main reason I wanted to befriend him.”
“How can that be?” The three exclaimed repeatedly, shaking their heads, “I don’t believe it!”
Tao Yang cast a disappointed gaze at his three Juniors, “All of you can’t be so short-sighted, alright? The geniuses of this world are numerous. Powerful talents can appear anywhere, you have to judge things from a long-term perspective.”
However, Rong Mei simply laughed, “Even though Senior Brother said so, I still don’t believe it. Hehe, even though I admit there are many geniuses in this world, but someone his age being able to kill all four of us? That’s not a genius, that’s a monster!”
The other two nodded, not taking their Senior Brother’s words to heart.
“Haa…” Tao Yang only felt like he was wasting his time by trying and failing to educate his Junior Sister and Junior Brother, so sighing heavily, “You three… remember my words. In order to survive in this world, you cannot lack strength, but more so you absolutely cannot lack judgement! You must be able to see clearly who you cannot offend and who you can befriend. If you can do that, you’ll be able to live longer.”
“Fine, fine, I know Senior Brother likes his clichés. We should get moving, that guy is already one step ahead of us.” Rong Mei walked over and began pulling on Tao Yang’s sleeve, “We should move a bit faster, if we catch up to him we can see if he really has such great ability, Senior Brother continuing to talk about it is useless now. “
“Good.” Tao Yang nodded and also accelerated his pace.
In truth, he too wanted to know what exactly Yang Kai was relying on to dare to come here alone.
Several kilometres away.
Yang Kai frowned as he stared in front of himself at a floating ghost-like creature, obviously one of these so-called Evil Spirits.
Carefully observing it again, he found that this Evil Spirit was really just a semi-solid entity, with neither hands nor feet and only vague facial features, truly ghastly to look at.
After a moment, Yang Kai walked towards it.
Evil Spirits had no sentience but were quite sensitive to living being’s vitality. As long as a living creature entered within a certain range them, they would violently attack and would not give up until either they or their prey was dead.
Once Yang Kai approached to within a few dozen meters, the Evil Spirit discovered him.
Immediately it let out a howl and quickly fluttered towards Yang Kai.
The air became chilly as an icy wind burst forth as ear piercing cries echoed about.
As the Evil Spirit rushed towards him, Yang Kai sent out a palm strike infused with his True Yang Yuan Qi.
Being struck by this palm, the Evil Spirit suddenly staggered back, and from the point of contact, a blazing flame spread out, incinerating it.
Although this invading True Yang Yuan Qi was quickly offset by the evil energy of the Evil Spirit, this one palm seemed to have caused it heavy losses, and the green radiance which made up its incorporeal body dimmed significantly.
Coming to a halt and ceasing its howls, the Evil Spirit seemed to be momentarily stunned before turning around and suddenly fleeing in the opposite direction.
Yang Kai was stunned for a moment, faintly feeling that something was not quite right, but quickly pursued.
Though this Evil Spirit didn’t appear to be a complete entity, its speed was actually quite fast, forcing Yang Kai to chase after it for a long time before finally catching up with it. After Landing a few more strikes on its transparent body, soon all that was left was a lump of Evil Spirit Essence.
The entire process had been relaxed, far more so than Yang Kai had imagined it would be.
From his prior observation of Tao Yang’s group dealing with an Evil Spirit, Yang Kai had estimated that defeating one would be quite troublesome on his own.
Not proceeding forward, Yang Kai sunk into contemplation, feeling that this entire situation was abnormal.
He had been told that an Evil Spirit would fight till its dying breath, so why did this one all of a sudden turn and flee? On top of that, why did it only take him four or five strikes to kill it?
[Are these Evil Spirit’s suppressed by my True Yang Yuan Qi?]
Pondering for a while, this was the only reason Yang Kai could think of.
His True Yang Yuan Qi had always been his greatest advantage against demonic beings. Yang Kai had even relied upon it to suppress the potent evil energy contained within his Unyielding Golden Skeleton.
Thinking so, Yang Kai was startled and quickly became excited.
Undoubtedly this meant he held a great advantage within this Evil Cavern, and not taking advantage of this point to reap a great harvest would be too wasteful.
Pulling out the Purifying Spirit Bottle, Yang Kai imitated Rong Mei’s actions and injected a small amount of his True Qi into it, which instantly caused the Purifying Spirit Bottle to suck up the Evil Spirit Essence in front of him.
Nodding in satisfaction, Yang Kai let out a small laugh.
Putting away his Purifying Spirit Bottle, he quickly continued on his way.
There didn’t appear to be many signs of recent cultivator activity in this area, only some scattered traces of a few individuals, so Yang Kai simply walked forward while leisurely killing any Evil Spirit he came across. After meeting one, Yang Kai would attack ruthlessly, not giving any of these Evil Spirits any chance to flee again and instantly destroyed them with overwhelming force.
In less than half a day, the Purifying Spirit Bottle was packed with over twenty Evil Spirit Essences, but Yang Kai could feel that the energy contained in these Evil Spirit Essences wasn’t all that strong, so even if he absorbed all of them, they wouldn’t provide him much benefit.
More than a dozen kilometers behind Yang Kai, Tao Yang and his group had been walking forward carefully, but after quite some time, they still had not encountered a single Evil Spirit, which caused them no small confusion.
“Why is it so peaceful here?” Rong Mei muttered under her breath as she frowned slightly.
Tao Yang also looked about suspiciously before suddenly wearing an aghast expression and quickly said, “I’m afraid all the Evil Spirits here have already been cleared.”
“In this outermost section of the Evil Cavern with a number of Evil Spirits lurking about and few people, who could have swept away all of them already?” Rong Mei laughed dismissively but suddenly thought of something. Then she turned to Tao Yang in shock, “Senior Brother, you mean…”
“En. We haven’t encountered others coming back from the inner section so these Evil Spirits must have been killed by someone in front of us.” Tao Yang’s gaze became sharp, “It seems like I still underestimated his ability. It seems like not only is he very strong, he also cultivates some powerful Martial Skills that can greatly restrain these Evil Spirits, otherwise, even if his strength was incredible he wouldn’t have been able to clear all of them out so quickly.”
Tao Yang’s three Juniors all wore shocked expressions, and none of them dared to underestimate Yang Kai anymore. Some dread even welled up in their hearts.
Yang Kai held his Purifying Spirit Bottle in front of a group of Evil Spirit Essences for a long time and slowly injected his True Qi, yet it failed to inhale it.
He wrinkled his brow in confusion for quite some time.
Observing carefully for a long time, he suddenly understood. His Purifying Spirit Bottle had apparently reached full capacity, so it was impossible for it to absorb any more Evil Spirit Essence.
Thinking of this, Yang Kai shook his head as a wry smile appeared on his face. He reached out and sucked the Evil Spirit Essence in front of him into his palm before absorbing it directly into his meridians.
Using his pure True Yang Yuan Qi to refine it, this Evil Spirit Essence was soon purified and turned into a lump of pure energy, which was quickly devoured by his Unyielding Golden Skeleton.
[Seems easy enough…]
Swallowing this batch of energy, his Unyielding Golden Skeleton suddenly let out a strange feeling. Like it was extremely hungry for this energy, and it seeked more in dissatisfaction.
Seems like this refined Evil Spirit Essence had very great appeal to his Unyielding Golden Skeleton. Aware of this, Yang Kai couldn’t help but grin happily.
The time he had refined Le Yu’s Purple Demonic Spirit Fire also gave him a similar feeling, so Yang Kai had guessed that this place would be a paradise for his Unyielding Golden Skeleton, and now it seemed like it really was so.
In any case, since refining this Evil Spirit Essence was very easy for him, Yang Kai simply went ahead and inhaled all twenty of them from his Purifying Spirit Bottle into his meridians.
Less than half a quarter of an hour later, he had completely refined these twenty Evil Spirit Essences.
Immediately, a joyous feeling welled up from the Unyielding Golden Skeleton, which gave Yang Kai a slight sense of euphoria.
The only disappointment was that these essences only increased his strength and nothing else, no enlightenment, Martial Skills, or even an increase in Spiritual Energy.
Even so, Yang Kai grinned, quite satisfied with this result. After all, he knew that special Evil Spirit Essences were quite rare inside the Evil Cavern, so finding one was essentially a matter of one’s luck.
Just as he was about to continue his exploration, Yang Kai felt a fluttering in his mind, and he turned to stare in a particular direction, his brow furrowing.
Frowning in thought for a moment, Yang Kai quickly rushed back in that direction.
Half an hour later sounds of battle reached his ears. Up ahead he could see flashes of light from Martial Skills.
Looking towards these flashes, Yang Kai saw a number of young men and women gathered together fighting a few Evil Spirits under the leadership of one of one young girl.
The Martial Skills these people were using had a certain evil aura to them, and all of their hands were unusually pale, akin to ghost claws that seemed to give off a deep chill. Observing, Yang Kai noticed that each time one of these people launched a Martial Skill a piercing howl was emitted as it tore through the air towards the Evil Spirits.
These Martial Skills, to a certain extent, were similar to the Evil Spirits themselves, creating a semi-transparent ghost like phantoms with unclear features, giving off a grim and menacing auras.
What truly caught Yang Kai’s attention though was that the Evil Spirits this group was facing were not the same as the ones he had encountered before.
Until now, the Evil Spirits he came across were all green coloured, but the ones here now were bright blood red, which gave them a more malevolent appearance.
Moreover, these red Evil Spirits’ strength was undoubtedly stronger than the green ones. Even their bodies had a more corporeal look.
Therefore, even though the number of people here was larger than Tao Yang’s group, they would still take quite some time to achieve victory.
Four or five red Evil Spirits gathered around, screaming and howling, seeming to resonate and communicate with one another, before taking unified action, advancing and retreating in a half-organized fashion, making them far more formidable and troublesome than green Evil Spirits.
However, this group of young cultivators still clearly held the advantage. After a while, one of the red Evil Spirit’s gradually dimmed and was quickly defeated, which cemented the battle’s balance in favor of the cultivators.
Repeatedly unleashing various grim Martial Skills, the group attacked the red Evil Spirits with overwhelming force.
Unexpectedly, one of the red Evil Spirits on the verge of dying actually bypassed the crowd and rushed directly towards Yang Kai.
Yang Kai frowned but did not dodge, interested to see just how strong these red Evil Spirits were. Lifting his hand, he sent a True Qi infused palm towards this oncoming enemy.
Striking it head on, the red Evil Spirit shrieked and instantly collapsed, leaving behind a group of Evil Spirit Essence that floated in front of Yang Kai.
This group of Evil Spirit Essence was clearly superior to the ones Yang Kai had previously obtained.
Yang Kai had no intention of collecting this Evil Spirit Essence but perhaps because it had just recently tasted such energy, his Unyielding Golden Skeleton acting without restraint and immediately inhaled this Evil Spirit Essence.
Yang Kai couldn’t help being stunned, feeling slightly helpless.
Nearby, the group of cultivators who had originally seen Yang Kai use a single move to kill an Evil Spirit were somewhat shocked and were equally surprised when he had unscrupulously absorbed the Evil Spirit Essence.
“Hey, my friend, don’t you think you’re acting a bit unruly?” A gloomy youth stood out and quipped while glaring gloomily at Yang Kai.
“En, apologies, it was unintentional.” Yang Kai knew there was no point trying to talk his way out of this so he frankly admitted his wrong.
“Unintentional?” The young man sneered, “After blatantly absorbing our Evil Spirit Essence you still want to claim you didn’t mean to?”
Although Yang Kai’s previous strike had surprised him a moment ago, he wasn’t afraid. After all, they had seven or eight people on their side. What’s more, Yang Kai’s argument really wasn’t very convincing.
What wasn’t intentional about plundering other people’s treasures in front of their faces?
Listening to their comrade, the others of this young man’s group also moved forward and coldly glared at Yang Kai, clearly unwilling to let the matter drop.
Only the young girl who seemed to be their leader remained still. Her beautiful face gawked towards Yang Kai, her eyes flashed a trace of panic, and her tender body involuntarily shivered slightly.
She quickly remembered that terrible torture and unbearable suffering.
“Friend, you should consider your situation well, although our Ghost King Valley isn’t a supreme power, we’re also not so easily bullied.” The same youth glared at Yang Kai as a sneer appeared on his face.
Yang Kai frowned, lightly replying, “I’ll compensate you.”
“Compensate? How do you place to compensate us?” That youth snorted.
“No need,” Yang Kai didn’t have enough time to reply before the young girl hiding behind the crowd walked up and said. Her eyes contained a faint trace of panic as she said towards Yang Kai, “You don’t need to compensate us.”
“Junior Sister…” The young man looked towards the young girl in surprise, as he did not understand why she would suddenly say so.
“I know him! Don’t quarrel over such small matters.” The young girl said indifferently, although a tinge of red appeared on her face as she stared towards Yang Kai. More memories of the absurd acts she and Zi Mo had done to ‘seduce’ this youth before suddenly popping up in her mind.
[That stupid woman Zi Mo, she really convinced me he had some kind of disability but in the end we just ended up allowing him to take advantage of us for free!]
“Junior Sister knows him?” The young man couldn’t help but feel surprised as he glanced back and forth between her and Yang Kai.
“En, he saved my life once.” The girl finally showed a light smile, but this cold woman’s smile somehow seemed a bit stiff.
“Young Miss Leng, we meet again.” Yang Kai smiled back at the girl.
This girl, shockingly, was Ghost King Valley’s Leng Shan!
Zi Mo and Leng Shan both had marks left on their Souls by Yang Kai’s Divine Sense, so Yang Kai could feel their presence as long as they were close enough, still, Yang Kai didn’t expect to meet Leng Shan here.
“En, we meet again.” Leng Shan nodded slightly, relieved in her heart that it seemed that this brat didn’t intend to say anything about their past encounter, nor did he intend to torture her.
Although she had understood long ago that Yang Kai wasn’t actually malicious in nature, Leng Shan still couldn’t help but be on edge around him.
Seeing how both of them were really familiar, the other Ghost King Valley disciples relaxed, and the hostility of the gloomy youth also reduced significantly.
“You should first refine that Evil Spirit Essence, once that thing is absorbed into the body, if you don’t quickly refine it, it will lead to problems.” Leng Shan whispered, then turned to her fellow disciples, “Quickly collect the other essences but keep your guard up, don’t let other Evil Spirits take us by surprise.”
The crowd quickly nodded and set about their tasks.
Yang Kai also chuckled lightly then began to circulate his True Yang Secret Art.
The red Evil Spirit’s Evil Spirit Essence was really different. It contained significantly more energy than one left behind by a green Evil Spirit.
A short moment later, Yang Kai let out a light breath and said, “Done.”
“Done?” The gloomy young man exclaimed and furrowed his brow at Yang Kai, “Friend, an Evil Spirit Essence isn’t so easily refined, is it? Are you sure you’ve purified it completely? This thing is not a joke, if it’s not refined completely it will most likely leave behind some hidden dangers.”
The youth’s reminder had been well intentioned. Apparently, because Leng Shan had said he was her life’s benefactor, his opinion of Yang Kai had improved dramatically or it would have been impossible to speak so.
“It’s alright, I cultivate a True Yang Secret Art, so refining these things is quite simple for me,” Yang Kai said lightly.
“I see, I was wondering why this friend was so easily able to kill that red Evil Spirit. On top of having great strength, you also can restrain them with your True Qi’s attribute!” The gloomy youth smiled as he let out a carefree laugh.
“Good, my name is Chen Yi, if I had offended this friend just now, I hope you will not take it to heart.”
“Good, I’m Yang Kai!”
Since the other party was willing to reconcile, naturally he wouldn’t reject, nor would Yang Kai actually care about such minor slights. After all, it really was his own fault.
In a secluded spot inside the Evil Cavern, the disciples of Ghost King Valley sat together in meditation. Having just undergone a fight, they also needed a moment to restore themselves.
In these Ominous Grounds, one’s safety could only be guaranteed if one maintained their peak condition.
Despite entering a meditative state, none of them relaxed their vigilance and closely monitored their surroundings for any signs of movement lest any red Evil Spirits suddenly appeared.
Yang Kai looked around and nodded while curiously observing Leng Shan in particular. After nearly a year apart, this icy girl had grown a lot.
Leng Shan was neither the strongest nor the oldest in this group, but it was clear that she was in command. Almost everything that was done was in accordance with her orders, allowing this group to have a high degree of organization.
Her high status in the Ghost King Valley was one reason for this, but more importantly she commanded everyone’s respect because she had accumulated a great deal of life experience in various trails and Forbidden Zones.
The gloomy youth Chen Yi also smiled and sat down nearby, smiling well-meaningly towards Yang Kai.
He seemed unaware that Yang Kai had killed two Elite Disciples of Ghost King Valley and that Leng Shan had a significant grudge against him.
“Why are you here?” Yang Kai asked curiously, surprised that on his visit to the Evil Cavern he would run into an acquaintance.
Although in that Isolated World Yang Kai’s relationship with Zi Mo was closer than the one he had with Leng Shan, but due to his Divine Sense Brand remaining on her Soul he still had a faint connection with her.
It was just that this link was unilateral. Yang Kai could feel Leng Shan’s presence but she couldn’t feel his.
“I can naturally be here,” Leng Shan grinned, “Don’t you know where this is?”
“The Evil Cavern.” Yang Kai frowned before suddenly understanding, “This place is in the Profound Yin Ghost King’s territory… Ghost King Valley, so Ghost King Valley was originally from this region of the Ash-Gray Cloud Evil Land.”
“En,” Leng Shan nodded lightly.
Yang Kai suddenly thought, “Does Ghost King Valley and the Profound Yin Ghost King have some kind of relationship?”
“Although both have ‘Ghost King’ in their titles, we don’t actually have any kind of deep connection, we just happen to belong to the same jurisdiction is all.” Chen Yi interjected with a smile, “It looks like Brother Yang isn’t very familiar with the Ash-Gray Cloud Evil Land.”
“En,” Yang Kai muttered.
Chen Yi simply laughed however and said, “Never mind, if you don’t understand anything, feel free to ask me. Since you’re Junior Sister’s savior, then you are a friend of my Ghost King Valley, and that naturally makes you my friend as well. Out of curiosity, where does Brother Yang come from?”
“Senior Brother!” Leng Shan shouted. Obviously, she knew which Sect Yang Kai came from, but because she knew, she felt it wasn’t something to be discussed casually.
Before, High Heaven Pavilion was a relatively unknown Sect, but now it was world-famous because it was the birthplace of the current Demon Lord.
Because of its relationship with the Demon Lord, the entire High Heaven Pavilion had essentially been destroyed, and not only did the outside world know about this, it was even news in the Ash-Gray Cloud Evil Land!
The Demon Lord’s arrival had brought war to the Ash-Gray Cloud Evil Land, which was not something everyone wanted to see.
After noticing Leng Shan’s sudden change in demeanor, Chen Yi grinned awkwardly and waved, “Well, just treat it like I hadn’t asked. Brother Yang doesn’t need to mind.”
However, in his heart his curiosity grew. Where exactly did this Yang Kai come from?
Yang Kai could only faintly smile in response.
“But, how come you are here?” Leng Shan asked inquisitively. She knew that High Heaven Pavilion was tens of thousands of kilometers from here.
“I heard that this place was interesting so I came to play!”
Chen Yi and Leng Shan were both dumbstruck and were unable to hold back a wry grin.
“You certainly have some big guts. A lone person actually daring to come here to play…” Leng Shan reluctantly shook her head, but when she thought back on just how terrifying Yang Kai’s strength was, she also wasn’t too surprised.
[Maybe he really is qualified to come here just to play…]
“Oh right, how come the Evil Spirits you’re dealing with here are red? All the ones I’ve come across so far were green.” Yang Kai asked curiously.
“Ha ha ha.” Chen Yi laughed loudly after realizing that Yang Kai really may have come here for fun. Why else would he have basically no knowledge about the Evil Cavern?
Leng Shan’s brow twitched slightly, as she tried to stifle her laughter.
The other disciples of Ghost King Valley also couldn’t help but look at Yang Kai with funny expressions.
Looking around, Yang Kai couldn’t help but scratch his head awkwardly.
“Ahem,” Leng Shan lightly coughed and straightened out her expression as she asked, “What is the difference between the green Evil Spirits and the red Evil Spirits?”
“Well, the red ones are undoubtedly stronger.”
“It’s like this: inside the Evil Cavern, the further one progresses, the more powerful the Evil Spirit’s they encounter become. It’s relatively easy to deal with green Evil Spirits which is why you mostly find them in the cavern’s periphery, As one dives further into the cavern, they encounter red, purple, and eventually black Evil Spirits. As the strength of these Evil Spirits’ grows, their bodies become more and more solid, to the point that a black Evil Spirit basically has a complete physical body. Even if it is a low level Immortal Ascension Boundary master, they have no choice but to retreat when they encounter one. For those at the True Element Boundary like ourselves, if we work together, at most we can deal with purple Evil Spirit. If we were to encounter a black Evil Spirit, our only choice would be to flee, and if we weren’t able to escape fast enough, we would most likely lose our lives.”
Yang Kai’s brow twitched upon hearing this. Obviously, it was from one of these purple Evil Spirits that Le Yu had obtained his Demonic Purple Qi Body and Purple Demonic Spirit Fire.
“I understand now.” Yang Kai nodded slightly.
“Moreover, in addition to these ordinary four different coloured Evil Spirits, there is a special type of Evil Spirit that Brother Yang should be extra wary of in this Evil Cavern.” Chen Yi said seriously, and his expression became exceptionally serious.
“Oh?” Yang Kai, noticing how solemn Chen Yi’s expression became, had his interest piqued and was unable to hold back his curiosity and asked, “What kind of Evil Spirit?”
“A Soul type Evil Spirit!” Chen Yi replied. His voice was filled with a tone of warning, “They look exactly the same as any other Evil Spirit, so they’re quite hard to differentiate, but if you come across one, I advise you, do everything in your power to flee!”
“Why is that?”
“Because they possess a Soul Skill!” Chen Yi grimaced, “I’m just a True Element Boundary cultivator, so if I were to encounter a Soul type Evil Spirit, I wouldn’t be able to even defend myself. Brother Yang, do you have a Soul defence type artifact?”
Yang Kai shook his head.
“Then it seems you’ll have trouble defending yourself as well,” Chen Yi said, frowning slightly, “Those who come to this place usually carry artifacts that can defend against Soul Skill attacks, if they’re high enough quality, they may be able to block some of the effects from a Soul type Evil Spirit. Well, Brother Yang cultivates a True Yang attribute Secret Art, so perhaps that will provide you with some limited protection as well.”
“It doesn’t matter, I doubt I’d be so unlucky to come across one.” Yang Kai grinned.
Although he had no Soul defence type artifact, he did have his Soul Palace Soul Skill, and the level of his Soul defense shouldn’t be too bad.
So in reality Yang Kai didn’t take this warning too seriously.
“Good, it’s true that Soul type Evil Spirits rarely appear.” Chen Yi nodded.
After a few casual words, the atmosphere had become much more relaxed.
Just as they were chatting, a weird voice suddenly rang out from a short distance away. The sound was sharp and shrill, like a mix of whistling winds and howling ghosts.
All of the Ghost King Valley disciples heard this voice and turned their heads towards the direction of its origin.
“There’s movement.” Chen Yi’s vision became sharp as he muttered under his breath.
“En, let’s go take a look.” Leng Shan nodded firmly.
Yang Kai didn’t ask any questions, but looking at the faces of these people he seemed to guess that there was more going on than simple Evil Spirit hunting.
“Move out.” Chen Yi quickly ordered and glanced over towards Yang Kai briefly, “Brother Yang, if you don’t mind, how about traveling together with us?”
“Good!” Yang Kai nodded immediately. He had just accidentally received an Evil Spirit Essence from them, and since he had yet to compensate them, traveling together with them for the time being was only to be expected.
It wasn’t his policy to receiving graciousness from others for free.
As the group walked forward, Leng Shan deliberately hung back and eventually walked side by side with Yang Kai.
“Don’t worry, I won’t do anything like that to you again.” Yang Kai stated clearly, thinking she might still be worrying about their previous encounter.
“I know you won’t,” Leng Shan shook her head, “I just wanted to tell you some things.”
“Oh, and what would that be?”
Leng Shan laughed lightly, “I wanted to tell you why we’ve come this time to the Evil Cavern.”
“Hmm? What is it that you’re trying to accomplish here?” Yang Kai puzzled.
“Actually, we’re looking for someone.”
“Looking for someone?”
“En, there are a few outsiders who have recently killed a lot of disciples from Free And Unfettered Sect, and then fled here. Our Ghost King Valley isn’t far from Free And Unfettered Sect, so we were pulled into this situation to help them.”
At a glance, Yang Kai could tell from her expression that she was rather resentful about helping this Free And Unfettered Sect.
Chuckling lightly, he asked, “Does that Free And Unfettered Sect often bully your Ghost King Valley? You don’t seem very willing to be here this time, do you?”
“Hmph, of course I don’t want to be here!” Leng Shan glared harshly, all but confirming Yang Kai’s speculations, before she continued, “I’m telling you in advance because I know you don’t belong to the Ash-Gray Cloud Evil Land, and the ones Free And Unfettered Sect are hunting are cultivators from the outside. I’m just worried that if you see your fellow comrades in danger you’d be put in a difficult position.”
“Fellow comrades?” Yang Kai sneered, “My Sect is gone, exactly what comrades do I have?”
Leng Shan’s expression became a bit dim, and she whispered, “About High Heaven Pavilion’s situation… my condolences!”
Yang Kai simply snorted.
Perhaps influenced by Shan Qing Luo or perhaps because of High Heaven Pavilion’s misfortune, Yang Kai no longer cared too deeply about concepts like righteousness or evil. The so called beliefs of the world in his opinion had nothing to do with him.
“Who is it that Free And Unfettered Sect is chasing?” Yang Kai was a bit curious.
“Other than a woman, who else could it be?” Leng Shan scoffed, “Free And Unfettered Sect’s favourite pastime is acting without restraint, not a night goes by they don’t do their best to vent their desires, understand?”
“Ah… I understand.” Yang Kai suddenly felt awkward, never having thought the cold and indifferent Leng Shan would actually speak so bluntly.
“But this time it’s not just a single young woman but a pair of twins. Both of them are extraordinarily beautiful and exceptionally strong to boot, and the two of them have actually razed quite a storm around here.” Leng Shan’s eyes secretly shone a light, obviously taking some pleasure in others’ misfortune, “The two of them have killed more than a dozen Free And Unfettered Sect disciples, but unfortunately it seems they finally came up against more than they could handle and were forced to escape here.”
“You seem to hold quite the grudge against that Free And Unfettered Sect.” Yang Kai looked her up and down, then chuckled, “Did someone from their Free And Unfettered Sect try to ‘vent their desires’ on our little beauty here too?”
“Hmph!” Leng Shan angrily snorted and turned her face away, not directly answering his question, but her meaning was clear enough.
“Heh heh…” Yang Kai chuckled and suddenly thought of something, “If you really were to find those two women, what are you planning to do?”
“I don’t know either,” Leng Shan shook her head. “I didn’t want to get involved in this in the first place. Even my Master said that we can just superficially cooperate and we don’t need to put in any real effort if we happen to catch them… we’ll think about it then.”
“Good.” Yang Kai nodded lightly.
After walking forward for a long time.
Yang Kai’s eyes suddenly flickered, looking towards a particular direction.
“Wait!” Yang Kai reached out and grabbed Leng Shan.
“Stop!” Chen Yi, hearing this sudden voice, quickly raised his hand and ordered the group of Ghost King Valley disciples to form a perimeter.
“What happened?” Leng Shan asked in surprise.
However, Yang Kai didn’t answer and instead stared harder and harder at that spot ahead of them. His vision suddenly became cold, and he shot forward like lightning, as his True Qi surged, and shot out a palm seemingly at thin air.
From the void in front of him, rippling waves spread out, and in the next instant, an unexpected figure appeared in everyone’s field of vision.
This person’s face couldn’t hide his shock and astonishment, apparently unable to believe that Yang Kai had found him, and he quickly fell back as he raised his hands and shouted, “Wait wait!”
Yang Kai’s expression went dull for a moment when he noticed the opposite party’s pale ghost-like hands.
Disciples of Ghost King Valley all had hands that looked like this, seeming to have no blood flow through them.
“Ah… Brother Yang, stop!” Chen Yi hurriedly shouted.
This shout reached his ears, and Yang Kai also quickly halted his attack.
“He’s one of us,” Chen Yi and Leng Shan hurriedly explained.
“A scout….” Yang Kai cracked a wry grin. Originally he had thought someone was waiting in ambush to attack them, but it turns out this person was just a disciple of Ghost King Valley who had been sent ahead as a pathfinder.
After being forced out of his concealment, this young man couldn’t hold his shock as he stared at Yang Kai, and he only relaxed slightly when Chen Yi arrived, by loudly cursing, “What the fuck! Who the hell is this guy?”
“He’s Junior Sister Leng’s benefactor.” Chen Yi briefly explained.
Yang Kai was soon told that this disciple named Cheng Ying really was a scout sent out by the Ghost King Valley team.
“Sorry, it’s a misunderstanding!” Yang Kai cupped his fists in apology.
“Misunderstanding? Dog shit!” Shouted Cheng Ying, “I used a concealment artifact and a special stealth type Martial Skill. Senior Brother Chen Yi couldn’t even find a trace of me, so how did you see through it in an instant?”
Listening to his outburst, everyone else suddenly felt something was off.
If it weren’t for Cheng Ying’s perfect stealth techniques, they wouldn’t have allowed him to explore the road ahead on his own in the first place. With the combination of his stealth Martial Skill and concealment artifact, even if it were a general Immortal Ascension Boundary master they wouldn’t be able to detect any signs of his presence. This was what Cheng Ying relied on to provide a steady stream of forward intelligence to the team.
But now, Yang Kai, a youth who hadn’t even reached the Immortal Ascension Boundary, had actually seen through his camouflage!
How could they not be surprised?
“True… Brother Yang, how did you manage to find him?” Chen Yi asked curiously.
Yang Kai wrinkled his brow slightly, “Well… my senses have always been a bit keener than most people.”
“That’s it?” Cheng Ying clearly didn’t quite believe him, but since Yang Kai apparently didn’t want to say anymore he was at an impasse.
Leng Shan also glanced suspiciously at Yang Kai, and a pensive light flashed across her beautiful cold eyes, but instead of digging further into things, she swiftly changed the topic, “Cheng Ying, do you have any new information for us? Did you discover something up ahead?”
Cheng Ying immediately recovered, and a grin slowly formed on his face, “I found them! Those two slu…”
“Hm?” Leng Shan’s vision instantly became cold, as a fellow woman, hearing someone use such language wasn’t very pleasing.
“Ahem… the whereabouts of those two girls was exposed.” Cheng Ying grinned helplessly and quickly continued, “However, those two are much stronger than we expected, their realms are obviously not very high, but when the two of them join together their strength rises dramatically, probably due to some special Secret Art that they cultivate. Those Free And Unfettered Sect bastards really ate some harsh losses at their hands, and several of them died, Yu Qing was also nearly castrated by one of them, that scene… hahaha, too good!”
Cheng Ying was apparently a lively person. Describing the battle that took place in an animated voice in great detail, “Seeing that guy who’s always trying to act cool, shriek in panic as the blade struck towards his crotch, hahaha!”
“Keke… Junior Brother Cheng, enough nonsense!” Chen Yi could see that Leng Shan was becoming increasingly annoyed and thus quickly interrupted his story.
“Hah… ahem…” Cheng Ying scratched his head awkwardly and pretended to slap his mouth lightly, “Yes yes yes, it’s all my cheap mouth’s fault. Junior Sister Leng shouldn’t pay it any mind.”
Leng Shan snorted ill-humouredly, but she understood that this was just this guy’s nature. A wild beast wouldn’t just become civil all of a sudden.
Chen Yi also grinned slightly, and a look of amusement surfaced on his face before he quickly asked, “In the end, was that dog Yu Qing actually… castrated?”
Cheng Ying replied somewhat disgruntled, “Nope, such a pity, but after that near miss, my guess is he’ll be shrunk up for ten days to half a month… hahaha he deserves to be beaten!”
That latter half of his sentence he directed towards Leng Shan with a smile.
“Haa, too bad!” Chen Yi also let out a long sigh, “So, what happened then? What happened to those two girls?”
“They escaped, ran further inside to be exact.” Cheng Ying’s expression suddenly became serious, “There were signs of purple Evil Spirits in the direction they fled… a lot of them, I’d guess they’re just about to reach their limit.”
“Hmm…” Chen Yi frowned, “What are Yu Qing’s intentions?”
“You know his disposition. Naturally, he doesn’t plan to let things drop, he wants us to go with them, kill our way through those purple Evil Spirits, then catch those two.”
“That bastard!” Chen Yi cursed angrily.
Ghost King Valley had repeatedly been humiliated by Free And Unfettered Sect for many years now, but because the Yellow Spring Pond that was essential to Ghost King Valley disciples’ cultivation had been occupied by Free And Unfettered Sect, even if Ghost King Valley was extremely resentful of them, they had no choice but to compromise.
In order to gain access to that Yellow Spring Pond, Ghost King Valley these years had offered innumerable female disciples to Free And Unfettered Sect. All so that their male disciples could use them as their toys.
Between the two Sects there had long been tensions, but because neither could overwhelm the other it was impossible for them to actually fight it out, so instead a fragile peace had barely been maintained.
Therefore, even though Leng Shan and her group were extremely unwilling to, they had no choice but to come here to assist Free And Unfettered Sect because Yu Qing had pledged that in exchange for the lives of these two women he would have the Yellow Spring Pond opened to them for one month.
One month, it was enough time to allow hundreds of Ghost King Valley disciples to dramatically increase their strength! Leng Shan and the Ghost King Valley Elders couldn’t refuse such temptation.
Now, Yu Qing wanted their Ghost King Valley disciples to join up with them and clearly planned to use them to clean up those purple Evil Spirits in order to minimize Free and Unfettered Sect’s own losses.
The two Sect’s disciples had had countless dealings over many years, and each of them were very familiar with the other’s thoughts and methods. How could Chen Yi and Leng Shan not understand what Yu Qing’s objective was?
“Then, do we go or not?” Cheng Ying looked at Chen Yi and Leng Shan.
Chen Yi grit his teeth but eventually didn’t speak and just looked towards Leng Shan.
Leng Shan sneered, “Of course we go! We have to go! Even if it’s just to look at their pitiful states we should take the trip!”
Hearing her put it this way, Chen Yi’s spirits were suddenly lifted, and he nodded firmly, “Good, what Junior Sister says makes sense.”
After the group had finished their deliberations, they started walking forward again with Cheng Ying in the lead.
Along the way it was very quiet, not a single Evil Spirit appeared. Obviously, this path had been swept clean earlier.
A while later, a group of men appeared in front of them, and their numbers were no fewer than their own group from Ghost King Valley, and nearby there were clear traces of a ferocious battle, traces of blood and flesh were scattered on the ground and a number of fresh corpses were present as well.
A sinister looking fair-skinned man amongst this group had a bright red bloodstain on his pants. As he sat there uncomfortably, large drops of sweat continued to drip down his forehead, and his slightly pale face was filled with an expression of hatred. His cold eyes glared into the depths of the Evil Cavern, and he muttered aloud, “You two sluts! Sooner or later I’ll make suffer for this. You actually dare to hurt me, you dared try to hurt me there!”
Despite the dim light, one could still clearly see a nearly half-foot long gash on his upper thigh which was until now still leaking blood.
In front of this evil-looking man, a beautiful young woman was kneeling down and carefully dressing his wound.
Even in this environment, this sinister youth’s pillar was still towering high.
When the disciples of Ghost King Valley arrived, Leng Shan immediately disregarded this group with clear signs of disgust apparent in her eyes. Whereas Chen Yi looked around with great interest and called out tauntingly, “It’s a minor injury, just a flesh wound really. Yu Qing, what are you getting so worked up about?”
Yu Qing suddenly roared furiously, “What dog shit minor injury, what dog shit flesh wound!? Those two sluts must pay dearly for this, I want them to suffer a living hell where they’ll beg me for death!”
Yu Qing clamoured, and his face filled with rage.
Yang Kai also looked around at Free And Unfettered Sect’s disciples, and impressively discovered that all the men from this sect, one by one, were all pale looking, like they had all overdrawn their blood force and vitality. Although all of them were clearly born exceptionally handsome, with their deathly pale complexions, all of their charm had been destroyed.
Every Free And Unfettered Sect male disciple had a number of pretty flowers accompanying him, but unlike these men’s pale complexion, each of these women was filled with vigour, and each of them wore flattering smiles, seeming to be quite unrestrained.
When these females looked towards the various Ghost King Valley disciples they made no attempt to conceal the amorous tones in their gaze. One of them even took the initiative to walk up to these male Ghost King Valley disciples and began teasing and tempting them.
Seeing this, the Free And Unfettered Sect male disciple behind her not only didn’t become jealous but instead reached out to pinch her plump behind, which immediately provoked a seductive moan to leak from her cherry red lips.
Yang Kai’s expression immediately became ugly. He found that since he arrived in this land, he had continuously encountered men and women who delved into various erotic and immoral acts. Even Shan Qing Luo and Bi Luo, needless to say, cultivated a supreme type of Seduction Technique, and although they themselves both still held their purity, they were more than a little familiar with the matters between men and women.
These Free And Unfettered Sect’s disciple looked like they all engaged in the plucking of yin and yang. Yang Kai was just unsure about why they were so loose about it, or whether there was some hidden profoundness to them being so.
“Although your Ghost King Valley people’s looks are somewhat ugly, these Free And Unfettered Sect disciples are far more disgusting,” Yang Kai whispered quietly in Leng Shan’s ear.
“Who are you saying is ugly?” Leng Shan angrily retorted.
“Well, I mean your hands are all a ghastly shade of white, almost like they belong to a ghost or corpse.”
“What do you know! Just wait a few years, once we cultivate our Secret Art to a certain level the colour will naturally return to our hands. Don’t compare our Ghost King Valley people and those Free And Unfettered Sect trash, hmph!”
Yang Kai simply shrugged and no longer said anything.
“Enough of this, since you’ve come, then we can get started. The purple Evil Spirits in front of us are a bit too numerous for any one of our forces to take on, so everyone needs to sincerely cooperate in order to break through.” Yu Qing fixed his pants as he arrogantly said to Chen Yi.
Chen Yi snorted back coldly in response, “I certainly hope you Free and Unfettered Sect people will cooperate sincerely!”
After the two factions came together and briefly discussed their plans, they decided to move out immediately.
Chen Yi reluctantly took the lead while next to him were two Free And Unfettered Sect disciples, a man and a woman. Behind them the rest of the group dispersed in the fan-shaped arrangement, ready to enter the battle at any moment.
Soon after setting out, the group came across two purple Evil Spirits. Their dense Evil Qi auras were several times more violent than the previous red Evil Spirits, and their bodies were also significantly more opaque. Even their facial features were more clearly defined.
Sprouting from their forms there were even two tentacle-like appendages with vaguely defined fingers, a ghastly sight to behold.
“Here they come!” Chen Yi called out, as his True Qi surged.
“One for each of us!” Yu Qing said lightly, as the Ghost King Valley and the Free And Unfettered Sect disciples broke formation, each group taking on one of the two Evil Spirits.
Piercing cries and eerie howls sent shivers down everyone’s spines.
In an instant, everyone viciously attacked the two purple Evil Spirits.
The Ghost King Valley disciples used a variety of Yin Qi Martial Skills and coordinated teamwork to pin down their target.
Similarly, nearby, the Free And Unfettered Sect disciples used their own Martial Skills to suppress the Evil Spirit. The only difference being that their Martial Skills weren’t as ghastly as Ghost King Valley’s, but instead somewhat pleasing to the eye.
Yang Kai only remained in the rear and did not actively participate in the fight. From time to time, he would send out a strike or two, but for this first contact, he wanted to observe the extent of these purple Evil Spirits’ strength.
After a moment, he basically understood their bottom line.
These purple Evil Spirits were indeed much more difficult to deal with than the red Evil Spirits. The seven or eight Ghost King Valley disciples together, although firmly holding the upper hand, didn’t dare rush their assault and chose to steadily consume their opponent’s power bit by bit.
Such Evil Spirits, if three of them rushed in, Yang Kai estimated that these Ghost King Valley disciples wouldn’t be able to cope.
The two groups fought for a long time, and eventually managed to kill their respective Evil Spirit. Each of them obtained an extremely potent Evil Spirit Essence. Both of their factions each looked extremely pleased as they held their Purifying Spirit Bottles and prepared to collected this treasure.
Working together, both parties had achieved a significant victory.
The scene was quite harmonious as a feeling of cooperation floated in the air.
However, Yang Kai was acutely aware that Leng Shan had constantly been wary of Free And Unfettered Sect’s movements, even while they were engaged in combat and never once dropped her guard towards them.
After successfully killing these two Evil Spirits, the Ghost King Valley disciple who was specifically responsible for collecting its essence was about to receive it, when a female disciple from Free And Unfettered Sect, giggled, fluttered over and directly absorbed it into her body.
Immediately floating back to the Free And Unfettered Sect camp, her pretty face wore a proud and satisfied expression while her male companion beside her planted a kiss on her lips and praised, “Baby, you’ve got guts.”
“Hehe, I just want to help make you stronger.” The woman said flirtatiously.
“Yu Qing!” Chen Yi couldn’t help but shout, “What’s your meaning?”
Yu Qing however just chuckled, “I don’t mean anything.”
“That essence was obviously ours, yet you blatantly rob it from us?” Chen Yi coldly glared at him along with all the other Ghost King Valley disciples.
“Chen Yi, I don’t understand what you mean. Free And Unfettered Sect, Ghost King Valley, aren’t we all one group? Eeryone here is now sincerely cooperating and helping one another, us receiving this essence is the same as you receiving it, right?” Yu Qing offhandedly said, completely devoid of any kind of remorse.
“If so, if you kill and Evil Spirit we can openly take its essence?” Chen Yi stared gloomily, his tone extremely cold.
“As long as you have the ability, feel free, haha!” Yu Qing laughed maliciously, “Well, don’t be so angry, it’s just one Evil Spirit Essence, compared to that, wouldn’t Ghost King Valley much rather obtain access to the Yellow Spring Pond? Rest assured, once this little incident is settled, the Yellow Spring Pond will be opened to you for one month just as promised, you have my, Yu Qing’s word!”
After the Yellow Spring Pond was brought up again, Chen Yi’s brow wrinkled, clearly hesitating, but eventually he simply grunted, “I’ll hold you to that!”
Chen Yi didn’t want to make too big a deal about this; Ghost King Valley disciples really had no immunity when it came to the Yellow Spring Pond, if it weren’t for Free And Unfettered Sect’s strength, Ghost King Valley would have fought against them for control of it long ago.
The two groups continued to move forward, but the harmonious atmosphere had now been completely shattered.
Yang Kai walked beside Leng Shan and quietly inquired, “How come that woman directly absorb that essence into her body? I can’t sense her having cultivated some kind of Secret Art that can restrain that Evil Spirit’s energy.”
It was precisely because she had directly inhaled the Evil Spirit Essence into her body that the Ghost King Valley’s disciple didn’t have an opportunity to collect it. After all, it took a brief moment to prepare and use the Purifying Spirit Bottle required.
“Because she’s a Charmed Slave…” Leng Shan whispered, “They’re willing to accept any kind of damage or torment if it helps the male disciple of Free And Unfettered Sect they’re assigned to. Don’t underestimate how these bastards, Free And Unfettered Sect’s men, use a special Secret Art on these Charmed Slave to brainwash them so that even if they ask for their lives, they won’t even hesitate.”
“What?” Yang Kai exclaimed. This Free And Unfettered Sect seemed to have some formidable methods, a technique to dominate a woman’s mind and body to the point she was willing to offer her life with a single command.
“En, that Charmed Slave will definitely receive some heavy injuries, but she doesn’t care, and that Free And Unfettered Sect disciple also doesn’t care, one is willing to offer, one is willing to receive, that’s how the men of Free And Unfettered Sect work. Each of them has more than one Charmed Slave so even if one of them die, they won’t even bat an eye.”
“Animals!” Yang Kai scorned.
“You flatter them, they are far worse than animals!” Leng Shan sneered.
As the two of them talked, Yang Kai really saw the woman who had just inhaled the Evil Spirit Essence unscrupulously kiss her male companion, which appeared to be a passionate exchange from the outside. Their tongues intertwined as thin transparent threads of liquid stretched between their mouths and a mass of energy was transferred from her to the male Free And Unfettered Sect disciple’s body.
As they finally parted, a look of satisfaction appeared on the man’s face, and his pale complexion seemed to be a bit healthier, while instead the woman appeared unwell as traces of blood leaked from her mouth.
However, it really seemed like she didn’t mind as she gently wiped her mouth and lovingly gazed towards her man with a look of bliss upon her face.
When Yang Kai saw all this, he couldn’t help but shake his head secretly. These Charmed Slaves of the Free And Unfettered Sect were quite pitiful indeed.
Half an hour later, after Ghost King Valley’s disciples managed to kill another purple Evil Spirit, a female disciple from Free And Unfettered Sect sprang forward in an attempt to seize the Evil Spirit Essence again.
Seeing this unrestrained display, Yang Kai frowned, shot forward, and arrived at the essence before the woman. He stretched out his palm and directly absorbed it.
“Hm?” Yu Qing raise his brow in astonishment when he witnessed Yang Kai’s actions but said nothing more and instead revealed a devious smile.
Their Free And Unfettered Sect’s women didn’t care about harming themselves, so directly absorbing the Evil Spirit Essence on the spot and suffering the backlash while they refined it in order to benefit their male companions was no big deal.
However, Yang Kai was obviously not immune to this danger. Therefore, Yu Qing was secretly gloating to himself, thinking that this reckless Ghost King Valley disciple was simply cutting off his nose to spite his face, so he was happy to just sit back and watch.
“Seems I owe you two essences now.” Yang Kai returned with wry grin.
“No need, better to have Brother Yang take it than to have those bastards pick it up for free.” Chen Yi laughed, also not giving it any more thought. He knew that Yang Kai cultivated a Secret Art which completely restrain the Evil Spirit’s energy, so even if he absorbed and refined it on the spot, he wouldn’t suffer any harm.
Leng Shan also nodded lightly, agreeing with Chen Yi, and since neither of them had any opinion, naturally the rest of the Ghost King Valley disciples didn’t say any more. Instead they just directed hostile glares at the Free And Unfettered Sect disciples.
For the next half a day or so, whenever the Ghost King Valley group killed an Evil Spirit, Yang Kai would swoop in and absorb its essence. He had even considered swiping the Evil Spirit Essence from the Free And Unfettered Sect’s group, but because he didn’t want to add on to Leng Shan and her group’s troubles, he finally restrained himself.
Seeing Yang Kai, in his mind, go so far to spite Free And Unfettered Sect, Yu Qing couldn’t help but stare at him coldly with a devious grin on his face as he taunted, “Little brat, I’d like to see just how long you can endure! After absorbing so many essences without refining them, sooner or later you’ll fall onto the Demonic Path!”
In reply though, Yang Kai merely grinned, “No need for you to worry!”
“Good, we’ll see!” Yu Qing’s said as a cold light flashed across his eyes.
The path they walked upon had been quiet for some time now, and they had actually stopped encountering Evil Spirits since a while back.
The two groups exchanged glances, as both of them were confused about what exactly had happened.
Suddenly, as they were proceeding forward cautiously, from somewhere not far away, an intense burst of extremely rich energy welled up.
This energy was similar to the Evil Qi given off by Evil Spirits but much more concentrated. It was like the warning signs of the advent of some terrible monster, and it immediately caused everyone present to pale in fright.
A moment later, this sudden burst of Evil Qi suddenly disappeared and the surroundings once more became extremely calm.
The group all turned to one another, and all of them understood the look in each other’s eyes.
The more dangerous the situation was the greater the benefits there were to be had. Both the Ghost King Valley and Free And Unfettered Sect disciples were people with keen senses for these kinds of things, but remembering how oppressive that Evil Qi was, all of them couldn’t help but have some reservations.
“Do we go and check it out or not?” Yu Qing asked after some hesitation.
Chen Yi was also indecisive and turned to look at Leng Shan.
Leng Shan’s brow furrowed, apparently weighing their options.
But before she had enough time to think it through, one of the Free And Unfettered Sect female disciples suddenly screamed, “Evil Spirits!”
“What? Where?” Yu Qing quickly asked as he glanced around.
“Behind us!”
As these words were uttered, everyone turned back to look and suddenly felt a burst of cold wind hit them from behind, which caused them all to tremble unconsciously.
Half a kilometer behind them, a cluster of vague purple shadows emerged, sending out sharp howling cries as they raced towards them. Looking at their numbers, it was clear that there were at least a dozen of them.
A dozen purple Evil Spirits. Even if the Ghost King Valley and Free And Unfettered Sect disciples truly banded together, they would definitely be unable to cope.
“How are there so many!?” Chen Yi shouted, as his face instantly drained of all colour.
“Who cares! Run!” Cheng Ying quickly shouted.
Without any hesitation, the entire group hurriedly displayed their Movement Skills and fled forward away from the oncoming Evil Spirits.
“There’s more around us!” As they ran, Yu Qing suddenly shouted.
Sure enough, as all of them scanned their surroundings, they really found a large number of Evil Spirits floating around them. A shocking number of purple figures seemed to be traveling in exactly the same direction as them. It seemed like every purple Evil Spirit within a several kilometer radius was rushing this way, probably attracted by the sudden burst of Evil Qi from before.
None of them knew what dangers lay ahead, but behind them, to their left, and to their right, only death awaited them, so they pushed on.
After running more than a dozen kilometers none stop, all of a sudden everyone stopped, and their eyes bulged in shock at the sight before them.
In front of them was a large open space filled to the brim with purple Evil Spirits. These Evil Spirits all floated back and forth, and for some unknown reason they were fighting amongst themselves.
From all directions, more and more purple Evil Spirits flooded into the space and joined the fray. It was a thrilling spectacle to behold.
Even Yang Kai with his numerous fantastical experiences was shocked by this scene, not to mention the disciples from Ghost King Valley and Free And Unfettered Sect.
Although he cultivated the True Yang Secret Art which could restrain these Evil Spirits, but against such a vast quantity he was still helpless. If they really turned and attacked them, Yang Kai reckoned he wouldn’t even be able to resist.
Suddenly, everyone was filled with despair, and many of their eyes overflowed with tears as panic and fear spread across their faces, as they stood there stunned, not knowing what to do next.
Before them was the wolf. Behind them was the tiger. There was no place to go, and they were basically in an absolutely hopeless situation!
“Brother Yang? Brother Yang!” Not far away, a loud voice called out, seemingly recognizing Yang Kai.
When he heard this voice, Yang Kai turned his head and saw Tao Yang, the one he had first met when he entered the Evil Cavern, hollering and waving towards him.
He was on a naturally formed plateau that stood atop one of the large pillars that could occasionally be seen inside the Evil Cavern. It had a flat surface that seemed to be about twenty or so meters off the ground.
To Tao Yang’s side were his two Junior Brothers and his Junior Sister, gathered together looking scared.
In addition, not far away there was another such high platform.
“Over there!” Yang Kai shouted, leading Leng Shan and the others toward the pillar, Yu Qing and others suddenly seeing hope for survival also scrambled to keep up.
In this life or death crisis, Yang Kai also no longer concealed his strength, and he charged through the swarm of purple Evil Spirits, sending a number of them flying with full powered strikes infused with his True Yang Yuan Qi.
Fiercely rampaging through this horde of Evil Spirits, he finally managed to cut a path through their encirclement and jumped up onto the high platform that Tao Yang stood upon along with the disciples from Ghost King Valley.
This plateau’s area wasn’t overly large, so with the four people in Tao Yang’s group and the seven or eight Ghost King Valley disciples, although it wasn’t crowded, but it also couldn’t accommodate the entire group from Free And Unfettered Sect.
On top of the plateau, Yang Kai turned around and glared coldly at Yu Qing’s group.
Fortunately, they also had some self-awareness, knowing that now was not the time to fight amongst themselves.
Immediately, the Free And Unfettered Sect group turned, summoned their respective artifacts, and quickly made their way to the other pillar a short distance away.
These artifacts all emitted various glows in the dark cave, apparently a mix of fire and lightning attribute offensive artifacts. Only these kinds of attacks could restrain these yin type Evil Spirits.
Numerous Evil Spirits swirled beneath the platforms, screaming at each other, just like crazed beasts, yet atop these pillars it was extremely peaceful, seemingly like a separate world from the chaos below. This whole situation puzzled everyone greatly, and all of them wondered what mysteries these pillars hid.
“Brother Yang, we meet again.” Tao Yang looked at Yang Kai with a wry smile.
Yang Kai also looked back at him, gratefully cupping his fists, “Many thanks, Brother Tao.”
“Brother Yang is too polite.”
“How did Brother Tao end up here?”
“Same as you probably, we were chased over…” Tao Yang laughed helplessly. He and his Junior Brothers and Junior Sister had followed behind Yang Kai for quite a while, yet the result was that they didn’t come across a single Evil Spirit for quite some time.
After a while, Tao Yang could only lead his group in a different direction, no longer following Yang Kai’s trail. As they explored, they had unwittingly entered the domain of purple Evil Spirits and finally came across an isolated one, but before they had time to launch an attack, an accident occurred.
Behind them, a large group of Evil Spirits suddenly appeared and chased after them. In a panic, they escaped in the opposite direction and eventually wound up here, taking refuge atop this high platform.
“Are there others here as well?” Yang Kai asked as he caught his breath. Looking around, he discovered that about a kilometer away from them there really were two slender figures sitting atop a third high pillar.
Such a distance, under peaceful sun-lit conditions, Yang Kai could see across clearly, but in the dim depths of this cavern, obstructed by various obstacles, all he could make out was that they were a pair of young women.
“They must be the pair of twins Free And Unfettered Sect are chasing,” Leng Shan said, glancing towards them as she whispered.
Yang Kai nodded lightly in agreement.
“Are these Brother Yang’s friends?” Tao Yang looked around curiously at the Ghost King Valley disciples. Yang Kai was definitely alone when he had entered the Evil Cavern, yet now he had suddenly appeared before them with a big group of people who didn’t appear to be strangers. This scene made Tao Yang somewhat surprised.
“En, they’re old acquaintances. I didn’t expect to meet them here,” explained Yang Kai.
Tao Yang laughed heartily, “Looks like Brother Yang has friends and relatives all over the world, even in this forsaken place you can come across old acquaintances, good good! This one is Treasure Instrument Sect’s Tao Yang!”
“Treasure Instrument Sect!?” Chen Yi exclaimed loudly, Leng Shan’s beautiful cold eyes also flashed with surprise as she looked towards Tao Yang, apparently also having heard of this Sect.
“Excuse our disrespect, it turns out Brother Tao is a disciple from the famed Treasure Instrument Sect, this one is called Chen Yi, we are disciples of Ghost King Valley!”
“So it is Brother Chen!” Tao Yang laughed happily, not changing his expression in the slightest because the opposite party was from Ash-Grey Evil Land’s Ghost King Valley.
Yang Kai was also surprised, not expecting that Tao Yang was actually from the famous Treasure Instrument Sect.
Treasure Instrument Sect …
It was a very small, yet very special Sect.
The entire population of Treasure Instrument Sect numbered only around one hundred, even smaller than most third-class Sects, truly amongst the smallest in existence, but its name was in no way inferior to Medicine King’s Valley.
Medicine King’s Valley represented the apex of Alchemy in this world, whereas Treasure Instrument Sect was the highest authority when it came to artifact refinement!
There were only a few Mysterious Grade Top-Rank artifact refiners in this world, but half of them hailed from Treasure Instrument Sect.
Treasure Instrument Sect had its own unique artifact refining style, making their products easily recognizable, so although the Sect wasn’t large, its name was very loud.
Each year, Treasure Instrument Sect would only produce and sell twenty artifacts!
But each of these artifacts were at least Heaven Grade and were sought after by great families and large Sects all over the world.
The patriarchs of some small families and Sects did not necessarily have artifacts on par with those possessed by an ordinary Treasure Instrument Sect disciple.
So the world had a saying, any one Treasure Instrument Sect disciple was a walking treasure.
Yang Kai hadn’t paid too much attention to them when they had first met, but now hearing Tao Yang say he was from Treasure Instrument Sect, upon closer inspection he found that from their robes, their weapons, even their accessories were all extraordinary artifacts.
Tao Yang daring to say that he was a Treasure Instrument Sect disciple showed that he was serious about befriending him and thus did not want to hide his identity.
Seeing him be so frank, Yang Kai was also disinclined to conceal his origins, cupping his fists in reply, “High Heaven Pavilion’s Yang Kai…”
As soon as he uttered this, everyone sucked in a breath as they stared in shock towards Yang Kai.
Only Leng Shan, who already knew, shook her head slowly, knowing what effect Yang Kai’s words would have.
“No way…” Cheng Ying murmured, his eyes almost bulging out of his sockets.
Chen Yi also froze for a long time before laughing awkwardly, “I see. I, Chen Yi, have had my eyes opened today.”
Saying so, he lowered his voice and said, “It turns out Brother Yang is from the famous High Heaven Pavilion! Brother Yang’s Sect seems to produce one powerhouse after another.”
The new Demon Lord originated from High Heaven Pavilion, and now there was Yang Kai who was also a High Heaven Pavilion disciple. Simply being from the same Sect as the Demon Lord was a shocking fact, so how could everyone not be surprised?
“These two brothers being so frank with us today, my Ghost King Valley is grateful!” Chen Yi quickly put a positive spin on things.
“Alright alright…” Leng Shan shouted a few times, “You guys, can’t you focus on our immediate situation for now? Before we discuss anything else we need to find a way to resolve this crisis. Honestly, I don’t understand what goes on inside all of your heads.”
“En en!” Rong Mei from Treasure Instrument Sect nodded in agreement.
The others who had gathered around all glanced shared a wry grin. Yang Kai raised his brow and shifted his attention to Tao Yang, asking, “Since Brother Tao has been here before, do you understand anything about this situation?”
“Unfortunately not, we came this time because our Master said he wanted some Evil Spirit Essence to see if it could use it to refine an artifact, but nothing like this has ever happened before, in fact, we only reached here a short time before all of you arrived.”
“En…” Yang Kai frowned, looking down off the plateau only to see a thick layer of Evil Qi, like a dark fog that blanketed the world. Purple Evil Spirits shuttled back and forth through the Evil Qi, seeming to absorb it to strengthen themselves while fighting with other Evil Spirits. From time to time an Evil Spirit would be killed, leaving behind an Evil Spirit Essence that would exude a faint tempting light.
It wasn’t long before a dozen or so Evil Spirit Essences appeared, scattered around the cavern floor, and as time passed, and more and more Evil Spirits were killed, the number of essences continued to rise steadily.
Everyone stared at these essences with hot eyes, but no one had the courage to snatch them.
Forget about the large number of Evil Spirits that would instinctively attack anyone who approached, and just being stained with the thick ink like Evil Qi that lingered around the cavern would likely not end well.
“If you really want to understand what’s happening, I think it would be best to ask those two girls over there, they likely know a bit more about what’s happening than we do. If it weren’t for their kind reminder to climb these pillars we likely wouldn’t have survived until now.” Tao Yang said as he looked off into the distance.
“Chen Yi!” Yu Qing called out suddenly, apparently also having discovered the two women’s hideout. His expression dimmed as he maliciously smiled, turned around, and shouted towards the Ghost King Valley group, “If you can capture those two women for me now, I can have the Yellow Spring Pond opened to you for two months instead of just one!”
Listening to this, Chen Yi couldn’t help sneering, “Yu Qing, you’re crazy. Look around you, we don’t even know if we’ll survive this and yet you’re still thinking of taking revenge? If you have time to waste on that, you should try to find a way out of this mess first!”
However, Yu Qing just grinned even harder, “Even if I die here today, I want those two sluts to die under my crotch first!”
“Idiot!” Chen Yi spat in disgust, his face filled with contempt.
“Don’t bother listening to any of his nonsense. If we survive this crisis, I swear to never deal with him ever again.” Leng Shan cut in, as her disgust reached an extreme height.
The conversation between Chen Yi and Yu Qing had apparently reached the ears of the two women as they stood on their distant platform, both of them turned vigilant gazes towards these newcomers.
Yang Kai’s brow furrowed for a moment before he stepped forward, “I’ll go ask them.”
“Ah… it’s too dangerous,” Chen Yi exclaimed. Now that Evil Spirits floated about in all directions, although they were temporarily safe atop these pillars, if any of them were to leave, it would likely prove fatal.
“That’s right, don’t go.” Leng Shan also kindly objected, “What if you get entangled by the Evil Spirits and can’t break free?”
Tao Yang also frowned, “Brother Yang, we should at least discuss this matter some more first.”
“Don’t worry, I have a sense of proportion!” Yang Kai shook his head lightly, “My True Yang Yuan Qi cultivation technique can greatly restrain these Evil Spirits, they won’t even be able to approach me.”
“But what if those two girls don’t understand what’s happening either, wouldn’t you be doing all of this in vain then?” Chen Yi still had reservations as he shook his head solemnly. The situation was simply too dangerous, even if he knew Yang Kai’s True Qi could effectively restrain these Evil Spirits. If anything went wrong, not only would he lose his life, even their own group’s defensive strength would be greatly reduced.
For now, as long as they remained on top of these pillars, the surrounding Evil Spirits seemed to be ignoring them, but who could say for certain it would stay that way?
At that time, if Yang Kai was with them, even if a desperate battle ensued, their chances for survival would nonetheless be higher.
“Then… why don’t we ask them to come here?” Treasure Instrument Sect’s Zhao Rong asked innocently.
Immediately, everyone looked towards her awkwardly.
“… What?” Zhao Rong asked, her big eyes blinking in confusion.
Tao Yang could only smile wryly, “There seems to be some kind of grudge between those two girls and Brother Chen’s group, so asking them is probably impossible.”
“In order to display our sincerity, I still have to make the trip.” Yang Kai said, his mind made up, “Regardless of anything else, the two of them possess formidable strength, if we can win them over and have them join us, it will increase our odds of survival!”
“En, that’s right.” Leng Shan’s cold eyes flashed brilliantly, “If you can convince them to join us, I can swear to you that our Ghost King Valley will no longer hold any hostility towards them, as for those Free And Unfettered Sect bastards, under these circumstances we have no need to be polite with them.”
Chen Yi also nodded slightly and seriously reminded, “Brother Yang, be careful, if you feel like things are too dangerous you must immediately return!”
“En.” Yang Kai nodded firmly, leaped up, and then shot forward towards the two girl’s position.
Seeing him use such a swift and powerful Movement Skill, everyone couldn’t help but feel a burst of admiration.
In an instant, Yang Kai had crossed several hundred meters and rapidly approached the plateau the two girls were resting upon.
Aware of his approach, the two girls suddenly stood up and their True Qi surged. Their eyes contained a look of vigilance, as they prepared to defend themselves.
While mid-air, Yang Kai rapidly circulated his True Qi and sent out a pure Yang aura while he dodged the floating Evil Spirits. Fortunately, at the moment, the thick Evil Qi seemed more attractive to these Evil Spirits than himself, so he didn’t encounter any major trouble.
After brief flight, Yang Kai shouted out the other side, “Two young ladies, don’t misunderstand. I just came to inquire about the current situation and bare you no malicious intentions.”
As his voice rang out, the two girls suddenly twitched, and their vigilance dropped significantly, apparently shocked by what they heard.
Unaware of what these two were thinking and in order avoid making them feel nervous, Yang Kai didn’t immediately press the issue, and he hovered nearby as he tried to sound as sincere as possible, “Two youn …”
But before he could finish, the other side called out, “Yang Kai, is that you?”
Nearly choking on his words, his face filled with disbelief, as Yang Kai was immediately dumbstruck.
“Impossible…” Yang Kai muttered out loud as he heard this familiar voice. The image of a certain pair of girls involuntarily popped up in his mind. Quickly he took a closer look at the two girls atop the plateau. Sure enough, the two young girls standing side by side matched perfectly with the ones he was thinking of.
These two girls seemed to have been carved from the same mold, and regardless of their looks or their auras, they were perfect mirror images of one another.
Both of them had the same elegant and refined style that perfectly complimented their graceful appearances. There was some hidden fatigue upon their oval shaped faces, but their two pairs beautiful eyes still shone with a radiant splendor.
At such a close distance, the two sides stared at each other.
“It really is you!” One of the girls called out, obviously extremely happy.
Yang Kai no longer hesitated and rushed straight to their side. Landing right in front of them atop the stone pillar, he asked in disbelief, “How can it be you?”
Earlier, he had heard Ghost King Valley and Free And Unfettered Sect say they were chasing a pair of beautiful twins, and that these two had killed more than a dozen Free And Unfettered Sect disciples.
At the time Yang Kai hadn’t thought too much about it, after all, although the number of twin sisters in the world weren’t too many, they also weren’t too few.
On top of that, among the people he knew, none of them were twins, and although this pair of enchanting Blood Battle Gang sisters had identical appearances, they weren’t actually twins.
So, he had never imagined that it was actually them whom Free And Unfettered Sect were hunting.
Hu Jiao Er, Hu Mei Er!
It had been quite some time.
The last time he had seen them was during the struggle inside the Heaven’s Inheritance Cave. Back then, the three of them had walked side by side as they ascended the Yin and Yang ladder; each time the Yin energy hit them, Hu Jiao Er and Hu Mei Er both snuggled up to Yang Kai to stay warm.
Remembering back, the fond memories came flooding back to him and gave him a warm feeling inside.
In a flash, it had been nearly two years.
Yang Kai had grown from an inexperienced Initial Element Stage cultivator to a True Element Boundary Fifth Stage expert.
It was also clear to him that these twin flowers had also made great progress!
One of the two girls stared happily towards Yang Kai. Her beautiful eyes overflowing with joy at their long awaited reunion, the other of the pair was gnashing her teeth, her brow furrowed as she called out, “That’s what I’d like to know! How come you’re here you smelly brat?”
Upon suddenly meeting them again, at first, Yang Kai hadn’t been able to tell them apart, but upon hearing this he quickly wore a smile, “Jiao Er!”
The older sister immediately blushed red as she grit her teeth even harder, “You little bastard, you still recognize me.”
“Haha, if you hadn’t said anything I really wouldn’t have been able to tell you apart.” Yang Kai laughed happily, after the past few years, these two sisters now were more similar than ever. If it weren’t for their vastly different temperaments, it would be impossible to tell them apart, but Hu Jiao Er was undoubtedly the more aggressive of the pair, and only she would call Yang Kai smelly brat.
That year, Yang Kai had said that one side of her bottom was slightly bigger than the other and had also taken quite a few liberties with her, gaining some unwarranted advantages.
“Mei Er!” Yang Kai nodded to the younger sister.
“En.” Hu Mei Er nodded and smiled happily, and her eyes watered slightly, which placed her cuteness on full display.
“Hmph! Calling out so affectionately, your face is really thick!” Hu Jiao Er quipped, but it was obvious to anyone that she was also quite happy.
When one met a friend from their hometown it was probably always like this.
Sweeping her pretty eyes up and down Yang Kai, Hu Jiao Er said in amazement, “It’s been a long time, it seems like you’ve become quite strong.”
Before, Yang Kai had the appearance of an emaciated kid, quite pitiful, but now he had a firm heroic air to him.
An embarrassing memory of Hu Jiao Er’s surfaced when she mentioned that. All those years ago when she had been teasing Yang Kai, her soft peaks had smacked again Yang Kai’s bony ribs and it had caused her quite a bit of pain afterwards.
(TL note: What a random excuse to talk about boobs…)
“You two have also become more beautiful.” Yang Kai replied in kind.
The two beautiful flowers exchanged a glance and giggled, while the fatigue and weariness on their faces seemed to drift away, which restored some of their vitality.
“Your mouth has gotten quite sweet!” Hu Jiao Er glanced at him. “You can fly as well, so you must have reached the True Element Boundary too.”
“En…” Yang Kai nodded lightly as he swept the sisters with his Divine Sense, and his expression suddenly became shocked as he stared towards Hu Mei Er.
“What is it?” Hu Mei Er asked as she blushed slightly, feeling somewhat embarrassed being stared at so intensely.
“Your cultivation…”
“True Element Boundary Fourth Stage!” Hu Jiao Er laughed impishly, with a playful and proud look upon her face.
There was no need for her to say anything, Yang Kai had already clearly felt it.
True Element Boundary Fourth Stage! Although it was not too high, strangely enough, the two sisters were both now at the True Element Boundary Fourth Stage.
Yang Kai and the younger sister Mei Er were almost the same age, and after such a long time and across a variety of experiences where he had gained all kinds of opportunities, he had only managed to reach the True Element Boundary Fifth Stage.
But now, Hu Mei Er was only inferior to him by a single Minor Realm. This cultivation speed could only be described as terrifying!
What was of more concern to Yang Kai though was Hu Jiao Er’s realm.
She was about the same age as Su Yan and was one of the Three Sects’ most elite disciples, but now, Su Yan had reached True Element Boundary Ninth Stage, and even if she hadn’t yet broken through to the Immortal Ascension Boundary, he estimated that it wouldn’t be long until she did.
However, Hu Jiao Er now was still at the True Element Boundary Fourth Stage; a big gap had opened up between them.
The younger sister’s cultivation was lightning fast, while the elder sister’s had slowed to a crawl. This situation was obviously strange!
Considering Hu Jiao Er’s aptitude, it was completely unreasonable for her cultivation to have all but stagnated for the past two years.
“Is it related to the opportunity you gained in the Inheritance Heaven’s Cave?” Yang Kai suddenly thought.
“En.” The older of the sisters didn’t conceal anything as she nodded and explained, “The inheritance we obtained is called the Twin Qi Shared Spirit Secret Art, it’s a cultivation technique specifically suited for twins, and although Mei Er and I aren’t really twins, because we’re so similar we have no problem practicing it. When we circulate this magical Secret Art together, our cultivation speed is doubled, but since Mei Er’s starting point was so much lower than mine, when we began most of the benefits went to her, it was only recently that our cultivations became equal at the True Element Boundary Fourth Stage.”
“Hee… that’s amazing!” Yang Kai laughed happily.
“How about you?”
“True Element Fifth Stage.”
“You’re not so bad yourself!” Hu Jiao Er giggled and did not ask any more. She could naturally guess that Yang Kai had obtained the Heaven’s Cave’s final inheritance.
After the three chatted for a moment, Hu Jiao Er’s expression suddenly changed and immediately became wary towards Yang Kai as she said, “That’s right, I almost forgot to ask you what you’re doing with those bastards! It can’t be that after High Heaven Pavilion was destroyed you went and joined that damn Free And Unfettered Sect, right?
“You’re thinking too much,” Yang Kai smiled wryly.
“Stop, don’t come any closer!” Hu Jiao Er immediately stood in front of her younger sister, as she gnashed her teeth, “Then why are you together with that group of scum? Don’t think I didn’t see you arrive with those bastards! They’ve been chasing after us sisters for quite some time now; if you don’t give me a good explanation, I won’t forgive you and I definitely won’t let you come near us sisters!”
“Elder Sister… he’s not that kind of person!” Hu Mei Er tried to object.
“Knowing someone’s surface doesn’t mean you know their real selves, hmph!” Hu Jiao Er scolded her sister, “If you don’t dig deep enough into their heart you can’t be sure if they’re good or evil.”
“Okay okay, I can explain,” Yang Kai said helplessly and briefly recanted his experiences since he arrived at the Evil Cavern.
“Really?” Hu Jiao Er tilted her head and stared at Yang Kai, seeming to be unwilling to miss the slightest change in his expression.
“Why would I lie to you?” Yang Kai said, “When I first approached you, I had obviously only asked if you knew what was happening here. I never expected that it would actually be the two of you, but since things have turned out like this, I think it’s best if you come back with me to the other side so we can all help each other through this crisis.”
“Elder Sister, I trust him, let’s go.” Hu Mei Er firmly stated. Obviously, she completely trusted Yang Kai.
Hu Jiao Er, on the other hand, seemed to hesitate slightly, as she was still very much unwilling to associate with those ugly Free And Unfettered Sect men, but she knew that the two of them staying here by themselves wouldn’t lead to a good end. However, she thought that Yang Kai’s proposal was reasonable, so after a moment of consideration she nodded, “Good, we’ll come with you, but Mei Er and I need to restore our True Qi first before we head over.”
Obviously, she didn’t fully trust the Ghost King Valley group, so she needed to at least make this much preparation.
The sisters had travelled for many days through the Ash-Gray Cloud Evil Land and never had a moment of rest as they were pursued by the disciples of Free And Unfettered Sect. If not for their enhanced True Qi recovery speed, they likely would have been caught long ago.
Upon entering the Evil Cavern, the pair had to also deal with Evil Spirits, which further exhausted them, so now their True Qi really was completely depleted.
“If we wait for you to restore your True Qi it’ll be at least half a day.” Yang Kai smiled wryly.
“There’s no way I’ll agree to come with you without at least recovering our True Qi.” Hu Jiao Er said firmly, and her small red lips pouted in an adorable way.
“I have a solution then.” Yang Kai grinned meaningfully and extracted a drop of Myriad Drug Liquid directly from the Black Book space, then he stretched his finger out towards Hu Jiao Er, “Open your mouth!”
Almost instantly, Hu Jiao Er obediently opened her cherry red lips.
This casual reaction showed that despite her harsh words, she wasn’t actually too alert around Yang Kai.
Putting his finger into her mouth, Hu Jiao Er reacted with surprise and suddenly realized what was happening. Her round almond coloured eyes immediately bulged as she blushed bright red with a mix of anger and embarrassment on her face; however, Yang Kai quickly cut off her stray thoughts, “Hurry up and absorb it.”
Hu Jiao Er frowned lightly but still followed his instructions, and a sweet and refreshing taste spread across her tongue. As she swallowed this sweet liquid, a surge of warm energy burst forth and spread from the centre of her chest to the tips of her fingers in a flash, and her dried up True Qi recovered at a phenomenal rate.
Her expression changed rapidly. Unable to hide her surprise, she looked at Yang Kai suspiciously but upon finding not the slightest indecent light in his eyes, she put down her final worries.
Hu Jiao Er understood that whatever Yang Kai had given her was undoubtedly a very precious elixir, so she definitely couldn’t afford to waste it just because she was shy. She quickly curled her tongue and lightly sucked on Yang Kai’s finger.
After a few gentle licks, her pair of beautiful eyes quickly became watery as her whole face took on a light pink flush.
Yang Kai couldn’t hold back an awkward laugh as he slowly pulled his finger out, which brought a silk crystal thread with it.
“Enn… delicious…” Hu Jiao Er suddenly muttered and an ambiguous moan leaked from her lips.
Yang Kai felt the hair on his nape stand up, and he did his best to hide his own embarrassment to her intense reaction, but his mind relived the moment Hu Jiao Er’s soft little tongue wrapped around his finger over and over again in his head.
Quickly steadying himself, he dried his finger on his clothes and then once again brought out a drop of Myriad Drug Liquid for Hu Mei Er. “Your turn.”
Hu Mei Er, however, couldn’t help but shake her head and blush bright red, as she stuttered in a nearly inaudible voice, “I… I’m still… not prepared…”
[This little…]
At a time like this she was actually still thinking such random thoughts!
“Mei Er, he’s giving us something to complement our True Qi, it’s not what you think.” Hu Jiao Er hurriedly sat cross-legged and began refining this drop of liquid. The two of them were practically identical, so how could she not know what her younger sister was thinking?
“It’s a rare treasure, quickly accept it.” Hu Jiao Er emphasized.
Hu Mei Er glanced back and forth between her sister and Yang Kai before gently nodding. She opened her cute tiny lips and wrapped them around his finger. Compared to her elder sister, she was significantly shyer, unable to act as boldly as she accepted the drop of liquid.
“You two quickly refine it, I’ll stand guard.” Yang Kai lightly coughed and boldly turned his back to them.
“En.” The charming twin flowers nodded and quickly ran their Secret Art to restore their True Qi.
On the other stone pillar, Chen Yi, Tao Yang and the others kept watching over the Evil Spirits in their surroundings.
“Brother Yang has been gone for so long, why hasn’t he come back yet?” Chen Yi frowned somewhat suspiciously.
However, Tao Yang simply chuckled, “It looks like Brother Yang is having a detailed conversation with them. On top of that, those two girls don’t seem to be wary of him at all.”
Looking over from where they were, although they couldn’t see their faces, it was still easy enough to make out their respective figures.
From what they could see, Yang Kai and the pair of beautiful twins were only standing about a meter or so apart. If they were at all wary of him, how could they have allowed him to be so close?
“Impressive! It looks like Brother Yang’s charm isn’t small ,” Chen Yi couldn’t help but admire.
“Hmph!” Leng Shan snorted unhappily.
Originally, in that isolated world, she and Zi Mo had suffered no small loss at Yang Kai’s hand, but they were also quite clear how potent his ability to charm a woman was.
Both she and Zi Mo had done their best to torment Yang Kai, making him experience a life like death, but in the end, not only was their hatred towards him essentially eliminated, on the contrary, they both felt a good deal of goodwill towards him.
If he didn’t have a strong charm, how could he have done that?
“They’re coming back!” Chen Yi suddenly exclaimed, which caused everyone to look up to see Yang Kai and the two girls flying towards them, side by side.
“Amazing!” Tao Yang was also sincerely impressed.
After only a few moments of talk, the two girls had willingly decided to join him; as Tao Yang thought about it, he was certain that he wouldn’t have been capable of eliminating their hostility and vigilance so quickly.
Not far away, on the other stone pillar, Yu Qing’s pupils shrank and instantly stared at the charming twin flowers. His eyes flashed an obscene light, and the edges of his mouth curled into a cold smile.
As the three of them reached the halfway point, an accident suddenly happened.
As the countless Evil Spirits fought amongst themselves, the jet black Evil Qi became disturbed suddenly, and for some unknown reason a dragon-like projection of Demonic Qi burst up from the ground and engulfed the space around Yang Kai and the two girls.
“Be careful!” Chen Yi couldn’t help but call out in alarm.
But before his voice had faded, a brilliant burst of light emerged from within the darkness as Yang Kai’s whole body suddenly radiated like the sun with True Yang Yuan Qi pouring out into his surroundings.
As this pure True Yang Yuan Q burst forth, it created a resplendent three meter wide oval light curtain.
When this wave of warmth washed over them, Hu Jiao Er and Hu Mei Er relaxed, and the chill they felt upon their skin quickly receded as they withdrew their prepared counterattack.
*Tsss…*
As the Evil Qi came into contact with this light curtain, a crackling, hissing noise rang out, like salt being thrown into boiling oil, but it was ultimately repelled and unable to penetrate this defence in the slightest.
“Good… too good!” Cheng Ying praised unceasingly, and his eyes stared in shock at the scene taking place before him.
“Brother Yang’s True Yang Yuan Qi is so effective against this Evil Qi!” Tao Yang gazed towards Yang Kai with excitement, “But how is his True Qi so pure?”
Although none of them had actually touched that rich and potent stream of Evil Qi, they could all imagine how serious the consequences of doing so would be, but Yang Kai’s True Yang Yuan Qi actually being able to directly repel and evaporate it had far exceeded their expectations.
Didn’t that mean that Yang Kai was essentially free to move around inside that mass of darkness, so long as he was careful not to be attacked by those Evil Spirits of course?
Hu Jiao Er and Hu Mei Er also took the initiative to rely on Yang Kai and practically leaned against him as they flew forward.
Yang Kai was even blunter and directly hugged them both as he pushed his True Yang Yuan Qi in order to return even a moment quicker.
After returning to the high pillar, Hu Jiao Er quickly broke free from his embrace and glared at him bitterly, while muttering under her breath, “Just you wait, I’ll make sure you pay for your frivolousness!”
“Haha…” Yang Kai laughed dryly but knew better than to answer back.
With the arrival of the two sisters, the group’s morale climbed great. Each on their own was a strong, beautiful, and enchanting young woman, but paired side by side, they seemed to shine even brighter.
When Leng Shan secretly compared herself with these two, she couldn’t help but let out a light sigh.
She found that compared with them, whether it was appearance or temperament, they had far exceeded her. Each of them was a first-class stunning beauty.
“Greetings Young Ladies!” Chen Yi cupped his fists politely.
“Hmph!” Hu Jiao Er snorted back dismissively. Although they had never actually fought one another, but the two sisters knew well that in addition to the disciples of Free And Unfettered Sect, this group from Ghost King Valley had also been chasing after them, so naturally she wouldn’t forgive them so easily.
Palpably feeling Hu Jiao Er’s indifference, Chen Yi wryly shook his head in embarrassment and was not sure of what to say next.
“Jiao Er, since you arrived here first, did you notice any strange anomalies? Something to explain what happened here?” Yang Kai asked, skillfully changing the conversation’s direction.
Although Hu Jiao Er still continued to frown, she quickly replied, “Mei Er and I were fighting with the Evil Spirits when all of a sudden a great flow of Demonic Qi seemed to bubble up from underground. When this Demonic Qi showed up, all of the Evil Spirits started to behave a bit abnormally. When Mei Er and I noticed something was wrong, we quickly tried to escape, but with so many Evil Spirits arriving from all directions , before we know it we somehow wound up here.”
“Wait, the Demonic Qi seemed to gush from underground?” Chen Yi’s expression suddenly twitched, “Do you know where it started from?”
Hu Jiao Er, taking their current crisis into account, no longer rebuffed him and quickly pointed in one direction, “Over there, do you see the roiling Demonic Qi? The burst of Demonic Qi came from there.”
Shifting their gaze in the direction she pointed, everyone quickly noticed that there really was a place where the Demonic Qi seemed to be more violent, like it was flowing out from a fountain.
In addition, as more Demonic Qi erupted from that spot, the surrounding Demonic Qi beneath them was also gradually rising.
“No way…” Chen Yi’s face went pale, “We can’t be so unlucky, can we?”
“What is it?” Yang Kai’ swiftly asked, and his brow furrowed when he realized that Chen Yi knew something about what was happening.
“It’s the center of the Evil Spirit Spring!” From afar, an old voice answered before Chen Yi could explain.
Hearing this, everyone was surprised, and all of them turned around to look, only to find a new group of people rapidly approaching them with a horde of purple Evil Spirits hot on their tails.
It seems another group of people had been driven here!
The number of people in this new group was small, only one old man with four juniors, but the old man was undoubtedly an Immortal Ascension Boundary master!
Aware of his strength, everyone revealed a mix of fear and hope; Immortal Ascension masters generally didn’t appear here. They would normally be deeper inside the Evil Cavern.
The old man’s body was like a father eagle, sheltering the four young people in front of him as he waved his artifact around, repelling the surrounding Evil Spirits as his eyes darted back and forth, until they eventually stopped on the Free And Unfettered Sect group’s platform. Then he hurriedly roared, “Stand aside!”
Yu Qing and his companions wore bitter expressions, but didn’t dare disobey, and they quickly huddled together to allow the old man and his juniors up.
The old man quickly carried his four juniors and leapt up onto the plateau, as he faintly glanced towards Yu Qing, “Free And Unfettered Sect is it? You have no complaints, right?”
Under the old man’s hawk-like stare, Yu Qing could only laugh, “Senior must be joking, this pillar has more than enough room!”
“Good!” The old man nodded, apparently very satisfied with Yu Qing’s response.
Seeing him fling off numerous Evil Spirits upon his arrival, it was obvious how strong this old man was, so even if Yu Qing was unhappy about being ordered around, he knew better than to show any dissatisfaction.
Upon landing, the attention of the four young men were drawn to the Free And Unfettered Sect male disciple’s Charmed Slaves, and in response, the girls one by one batted their lashes and flirted back with them, seeming to not give a single thought to the crisis around them, or even the jealousy of their male partners.
“If you lot want your cultivations sucked dry by those women keep staring!” The old man gruffly reminded his four juniors.
Awakened by this harsh scolding, the four young men suddenly blushed in embarrassment and shifted their gazes.
The Charmed Slaves of Free And Unfettered Sect were able to absorb part of a man’s vital energy when she ‘interacted’ with him and pass it along to any Free And Unfettered Sect male disciple to help him increase his own cultivation.
Because of this, the Charmed Slaves of Free And Unfettered Sect had no taboos about devouring other males. In fact, Free And Unfettered Sect’s male disciples would even encourage their Charmed Slaves to actively attract other men so that they could ultimately benefit.
In addition, these Charmed Slaves were also trained to use a variety of mystical techniques to accomplish similar acts, so in the eyes of Free And Unfettered Sect male disciples, Charmed Slaves weren’t people but instead useful tools.
The old man was obviously very familiar with Free And Unfettered Sect’s methods and feared that his inexperienced juniors would suffer a loss at their hands so he had promptly warned them.
After settling in, the old man turned his furrowed brow below, and a greedy light flashed past his eyes as he stared at the so-called Evil Spirit Spring’s position.
Waving his hand dismissively towards Chen Yi he said, “Little Ghost King Valley brat, you seem to know some things about this Evil Spirit Spring. Explain it to them so they won’t die ignorant.”
“Good!” Chen Yi also wanted to explain things to Yang Kai and his companions, so now that this old man was telling him to he no longer had any reason to hold back.
“These two young ladies didn’t misread the situation, this Evil Spirit Spring is just like it sounds, a fountain of Demonic Qi. This thing is extremely harmful to us cultivators, but to the local Evil Spirits it is a huge opportunity. If they are given enough time, they can absorb the Evil Qi from the spring and grow stronger and more solid, so whenever it appears it will attract all the Evil Spirits in the vicinity towards it.” Chen Yi explained slowly, and his expression was quite dignified.
“Whenever the Evil Spirit Spring appears, the Evil Spirits inside the Evil Cavern become extremely unstable as can you see, they’ll even kill each other in order to monopolize the Evil Qi below. For the time being they’ll be occupied trying to absorb as much Evil Qi as possible but soon… once they begin to really rampage they’ll certainly also attack us. Our luck is really terrible, the Evil Spirit Spring doesn’t necessarily appear for many years at a time yet we’ve managed to bump into it.”
“Ah… then… what should we do?” Exclaimed Treasure Instrument Sect’s Zhao Rong, “Should we try to escape now while they’re still ignoring us?”
“And go where?” Chen Yi grinned wryly, “There’s nowhere left to flee anymore. If we stay here we’ll be able to survive a bit longer, if we leave, I’m afraid we’ll just die sooner.”
“Hey hey, the little brat is right,” The old man smiled and nodded, “Even this old master or other similar experts, once forced into this situation there’s no hope of escape, your group of kids wanting to flee? Don’t even dream!”
Wearing an evil grin, the old man suddenly addressed everyone present, “How about it? Why not join hands with this old master to see if we can go on living?”
Chen Yi looked towards the old man, wrinkling his brow slightly, “What is Senior’s plan?”
“Nothing fancy, everyone just needs to fight!” The old man cackled, “Although your strengths aren’t high, but fortunately there are a number of you. All you need to do is stay on that platform and resist with all your strength for as long as it takes for these Evil Spirits to leave. Since you’ve all dared to come here you must be carrying a lot of artifacts designed to resist these Evil Spirit, right?”
“Good.” Chen Yi firmly nodded. They were not the same as Yang Kai who had come here haphazardly. Naturally, since they dared venture into the Evil Cavern, they had prepared a number of appropriate artifacts beforehand, but up until now they hadn’t used them simply because there was no need.
“Good, so we fight, with our lives hanging in the balance, ha ha ha… this old master can even help you out if you need some assistance.” The old man smiled and nodded, and a look that didn’t quite seem like kindness flashed across his face.
Chen Yi wryly grinned, cupping his fists respectfully, “Then this Chen must offer his thanks to Senior in advance.”
Obviously he didn’t believe that this old man would take care of his group out of the goodness of his heart. In fact, even if it were true, with the number of Evil Spirits around it was quite likely even he would die sooner or later, so how could he purposefully increase the pressure on himself? They were neither friends nor relatives, and the relationship between the two sides could at best be described as co-dependants.
It was only because of the circumstances that this old man had said these words.
“At the critical moment, this old master can indeed help you once or twice, but I have a condition!” The old man grinned deviously.
“What condition?” Chen Yi asked.
The old man’s gaze shifted greedily towards the Evil Spirit Spring, quickly saying, “If we make it through this crisis, this old master wants whatever is inside that spring!”
“Good, we juniors only wish to survive!” Chen Yi seriously replied.
“Good!” The old man grinned, no longer saying anything.
“What exactly is inside that spring?” Yang Kai whispered quietly in a curious voice. Seeing the old man suddenly become so happy after Chen Yi agreed to his request, he estimated that it was something quite valuable.
“An Evil Spirit Essence!” Chen Yi replied, “But it is definitely a very special type of Evil Spirit Essence considering the huge amount of energy that is erupting out of the spring.”
“A very special Evil Spirit Essence?” Yang Kai couldn’t help but become excited, Shan Qing Luo had told him that some special Evil Spirit Essences could contain things that increased Spiritual Energy or perhaps held powerful Martial Skills…
Could this Evil Spirit Spring contain an essence that held such a treasure?
But after remembering their current circumstances, Yang Kai immediately calmed down, knowing that the priority now was to keep his life.
On both of the high pillars, everyone waited nervously, the Evil Qi which circulated below them steadily rose higher and higher as it spewed from the Evil Spirit Spring, all while dozens of Evil Spirit Essences glittered brightly just out of reach, which caused all of them to salivate.
As long as one leapt down, they could instantly harvest several tens of these essences, far more than one could obtain from multiple days hunting inside the Evil Cavern.
Of course, more Evil Spirit Essences had appeared here, and since they had arrived, at least one or two hundred Evil Spirits had been killed, but many of the essences which condensed after their deaths had already been absorbed by other Evil Spirits or integrated into the turbulent Evil Qi.
However, obviously no one dared leave their respective plateau even with such wealth lying before them, and instead forced themselves to stare helplessly as these essences were swept away, and a great sense of loss welled up in each of their hearts.
After some time, a lot the Evil Spirits below let out piercing shrieks, and their purple bodies suddenly flickered, as if they had become extremely unstable. The ambient temperature also rapidly plummeted and turned the surrounding thousand meters or so into a frozen purgatory.
“Everyone get ready, do your best to stay alive you brats, hahahaha!” The old man suddenly cackled.
Just as he let out this horrid laugh, more than a dozen Evil Spirits suddenly leapt up from below and charged towards the cultivators atop the two pillars as if they had suddenly noticed the presence of living creatures within their midst and had gone crazy.
As the howls rang out, Yang Kai and his group were swiftly surrounded by six or seven Evil Spirits.
All of them had been waiting for this moment, and they let loose their prepared Martial Skills upon these new attackers.
Purple Evil Spirits had great strength but not against such a dense bombardment of attacks. They didn’t die immediately, and a delicate balance between them and the cultivators was formed.
As quickly as the Evil Spirits launched their offensive, they were beaten back, their bodies flickering non-stop.
In preparation for the next assault, the Ghost King Valley and Treasure Instrument Sect disciples finally brought out their artifacts.
The Ghost King Valley group had two artifacts designed to restrain Evil Spirits, one with a fire attribute, and one with a lightning attribute.
Using these artifacts, they summoned a flaming dragon phantom which quickly engulfed two Evil Spirits that seemingly howled in pain while burst of lightning kept them paralysed.
These two artifacts were both Earth Grade Top-Rank, and though not as potent a restrain as Yang Kai’s True Yang Yuan Qi, they at least had no difficulty holding off a number of these Evil Spirits at once.
Treasure Instrument Sect’s Tao Yang was obviously wealthier than the Ghost King Valley group, directly summoning a Heaven Grade artifact that created a burning plume of fire which instantly wrapped up two Evil Spirits, gradually incinerating them.
These two Evil Spirits kept screaming and flitting back and forth, but neither of them seemed to be able to escape the burning cloud’s range.
Between the two Sects, relying on the power of their artifacts, they could easily deal with four Evil Spirits at once.
The Hu Sisters on the other hand coordinated with each other perfectly. They didn’t have an artifact designed to resist Evil Spirit’s, but by fully utilizing their Twin Qi Shared Spirit Divine Art, both of their battle strengths were greatly increased, so dealing with a single purple Evil Spirit didn’t present too much of a challenge to them.
Finally, Yang Kai dealt with the last purple Evil Spirit on his own. Forming a blade from a drop of his Yang Liquid, he took full advantage of his True Yang Yuan Qi’s ability to restrain the Evil Spirit in order to single-handedly hold his own.
With every strike he made, the purple Evil Spirit’s body would fade significantly.
Although he also had powerful Heaven Grade artifacts at his disposal such as the Asura Sword, Yang Kai felt that using his Yang Liquid would be more effective against these Evil Spirits.
Now putting it into action, it seemed his guess was right.
From the start of the battle until now, Yang Kai’s group managed to hold back all six of the Evil Spirits that had rushed them with relative ease.
Seeing this, the tension they had all initially felt gradually relaxed and their offensive became smoother, gradually securing the upper hand.
Soon, the Evil Spirit that Yang Kai was dealing with was crushed, and with a last deathly cry, it died and transformed into a lump of Evil Spirit Essence.
Without any hesitation, Yang Kai stretched out his hand and directly absorbed this essence into his meridians before turning to his side and assisting the Hu Sisters with the Evil Spirit they were battling.
Hu Jiao Er couldn’t help but glance towards Yang Kai in surprise, not having thought that on his own he would be able to defeat an Evil Spirit even faster than her and her sister.
[It seems like, over the past two years, this little rogue’s combat strength has made great progress! Looks like I’ve still underestimated him.]
While Yang Kai and his companions didn’t have any difficulties defending their position, the old man and the Free And Unfettered Sect disciples also seemed to be holding their own with ease; the old man, after all, was an Immortal Ascension Boundary master and his four juniors also possessed significant strength, add on the group from Free And Unfettered Sect and their plateau’s combat effectiveness was actually higher than Yang Kai’s side.
Even while the old man was dealing with a number of Evil Spirits, he still had enough leeway to check up on Yang Kai and his group from time to time, probably concerned that they would be defeated by this first wave of attacks.
But after seeing the purity and strength of Yang Kai’s True Yang Yuan Qi, a light flashed across his eyes, “Very good! Young man, do you want to come here and work together with this old master? Old Master can help keep you alive!”
With the strength he had displayed, coupled with the Yang attribute’s ability to restrain these Evil Spirits, once the old man could draw him to his side, their strength would be greatly increased!
On top of that, the pure combat effectiveness Yang Kai had shown was quite impressive, which naturally gave the old man a pleasant surprise.
Hearing what the old man said, everyone from Ghost King Valley and Treasure Instrument Sect all tightened their fists and glanced hesitantly towards Yang Kai.
Although Tao Yang and Chen Yi both thought they were getting along fairly well with Yang Kai, in the end they were still at best passing acquaintances. If at this time Yang Kai decided to leave them, they wouldn’t be able to say anything.
Moreover, from a practical standpoint, Yang Kai choosing to cooperate with the old man was undoubtedly more beneficial to him.
Thinking so, everyone couldn’t help but feel nervous.
However, Yang Kai simply sprang up from the platform and hovered mid-air, while violently attacking the Evil Spirit that the Hu Sisters were engaged in battle with while offhandedly saying, “Many thanks for Senior’s consideration.”
Momentarily stunned, the old man soon grinned meaningfully and retorted, “Little brat, no need to be stubborn, if you cooperate with this old master, afterwards, one of every five Evil Spirit Essences we obtain can be yours. How about it, this old master won’t make you suffer a loss.”
“No thanks!” Yang Kai decisively refused. This old dog obviously wasn’t anyone good, so even if he wasn’t worried about the Hu Sisters’ safety, Yang Kai still would have refused to work with him lest he find himself caught inside the tiger’s den.
“Fine fine, this old master won’t insist.” On the surface the old man’s casual reply didn’t make it seem like he was least bit upset over being rejected, but the instant he had spoken a cold light had flashed past his eyes.
[Little bastard doesn’t appreciate this old master’s kindness, hmph!]
Seeing Yang Kai reject the old man so firmly, the Ghost King Valley and Treasure Instrument Sect disciples involuntarily breathed sighs of relief, and all of their eyes revealed a touch of gratitude. Only the Hu Sisters continued to smile towards him sweetly, as they had from the start.
Without saying anything else, the three of them had all come from Black Plum Town and shared a not shallow friendship. They had never even considered the possibility that Yang Kai would abandon them.
After all, in the Inheritance Heaven’s Cave, he had not once even given a hint of abandoning them as they climbed the Yin-Yang stairs.
Shortly after, Yang Kai and the Hu Sisters managed to crush the Evil Spirit, which left behind a floating Evil Spirit Essence. Yang Kai quickly threw his Purifying Spirit Bottle to Hu Jiao Er and shouted, “Use this to collect that essence, don’t try to absorb it directly!”
“En.” Although Hu Jiao Er hadn’t seen or heard of this Purifying Spirit Bottle before, it only took her a moment after Yang Kai tossed it to her to figure it out. She inputted a small amount of her True Qi into it and watched it suck up the essence immediately after.
As Jiao Er processed this, Yang Kai flew towards the other side to assist the Treasure Instrument Sect and Ghost King Valley groups.
After a quick and decisive battle, all six of the Evil Spirits that attacked them had been beheaded, but what was odd to everyone present was that these Evil Spirits, which normally feared nothing, wanted to flee and escape when attacked by Yang Kai’s Yang attribute True Qi.
But just as they had finished off this first wave, before they had a chance to catch their breath, a new batch of Evil Spirits flew up from below, and this time in even greater numbers.
Immediately, the group was thrust back into the heat of battle.
Under these strained circumstances, Yang Kai soon found himself fighting two Evil Spirits at once.
Unable to execute them quickly, the shortcomings of Yang Kai True Yang Yuan Qi immediately emerged.
Although his True Yang Yuan Qi was highly effective at restraining and eliminating these Evil Spirits, but because of this natural restraint, all of the Evil Spirits also seems to have an instinctual impulse to avoid Yang Kai, so unless directly engaged in battle with him already they would do their best to distance themselves from him and instead attack the others.
Yang Kai was soon dripping in sweat as he was forced to chase down these Evil Spirits as he attempted to assist everyone he shared this high pillar with, and this lead to the once stable situation to show some signs of breaking.
Fortunately, the members of his group were all quite strong and carried with them a lot of powerful artifacts, which allowed them to hold their group steadily even at critical junctures.
As time passed, the pressure and intensity of the fighting only continued to increase, and they soon found themselves unable to completely eliminate a group of Evil Spirits before the next wave descended upon them.
“Junior Sister, you and Junior Brothers quickly use the Five Dragon Entangling Seal to assist Brother Yang!” Tao Yang suddenly shouted after seeing the awkward position Yang Kai was in.
“Good!” Zhao Rong promptly replied and quickly summoned a seal type artifact.
This new artifact had five dragon images engraved onto it, and after being infused with True Qi by Zhao Rong and other two Treasure Instrument Sect disciples, it was accompanied by a fierce dragon roar, and the five engravings suddenly transformed into dragon phantoms floated up from the seal.
As these five dragons hovered mid-air, a beam of light shot out from each of their mouths and flew towards one of the Evil Spirits.
In an instant, the light beams coiled around the Evil Spirit and bound it in place, and despite how it struggled it couldn’t break free, only able to howl indignantly as he squirmed back and forth.
Yang Kai’s expression suddenly filled with joy as he raced towards this Evil Spirit; gripping his Yang Liquid sword, he unleashed a powerful slash and swiftly sent it to its death.
The three Treasure Instrument Sect disciples also smiled happily; seeing Yang Kai so easily kill this Evil Spirit, they quickly changed their hand seals and directed the five dragons toward another Evil Spirit.
Although three people had left the defence line to help Yang Kai, not only did their formation not collapse, but instead it became more stable.
Everyone had taken out a number of True Qi restoring pills in advance, so they could quickly recover their energy whenever need be.
The only exceptions were Yang Kai who naturally didn’t need such pills and the Hu Sisters who had just swallowed a drop of Myriad Drug Liquid which would continuously help them restore their True Qi for some time to come.
With the assistance of the Five Dragon Entangling Seal, the battle’s momentum once again shifted in Yang Kai’s group’s favor.
On the other hand, atop the other platform, the old man and the disciples from Free And Unfettered Sect were finding the situation a bit more strenuous.
Although there was an Immortal Ascension Boundary master with them, but their total number was not as high as Yang Kai’s side, and more importantly, they lacked the extremely high level artifacts that the Treasure Instrument Sect disciples had brought with them, so while their combat effectiveness was higher, the number of options available to them to deal with these Evil spirits was actually lower.
As the old man continued to watch Yang Kai show off his might, an uncomfortable feeling suddenly flashed across his thoughts, like he, as the one with the highest cultivation here, had lost a lot of face. So with a great palm thrust, the old man unleashed a gale of wind that tossed two Evil Spirits towards the opposite pillar.
The Evil Spirits could only use pure physical attacks and decided their prey almost entirely on instinct, so once they had been shot away towards another target, they wouldn’t bother turning around to pursue the old man.
When the old man blasted these two Evil Spirits over, it suddenly put the Hu Sisters into a crisis.
Working together they could somehow deal with a single Evil Spirit, but now suddenly facing three all at once, how could they possibly handle it?
Seeing the two sisters suddenly fall into crisis, Yang Kai’s eyes flashed a murderous light, and this also cemented his earlier suspicions that this old dog was really nothing good. He quickly broke away from the Evil Spirit he was fighting and rushed to help Jiao Er and Mei Er.
As he leapt towards them, he knew he wouldn’t make it in time, so Yang Kai quickly flicked his hand and threw a drop of Yang Liquid towards them.
Using his exquisite True Qi manipulation, the drop of Yang Liquid suddenly turned into a semi-circular light curtain, which directly enveloped the Hu Sisters.
At that moment, Xiao Fu Sheng’s Yuan Qi control techniques truly displayed their worth!
Just as the light curtain appeared, the two Evil Spirits that had been flung over by the old man crashed into it, and both of them suddenly released piercing howls as parts of their ethereal bodies seemed to sizzle and burn.
Instinctively, both Evil Spirits hurriedly retreated.
Even the Evil Spirit the Hu Sisters had been dealing with also fell back as fast as it could, which caused the two’s attacks to hit thin air.
Yang Kai stared at this scene in shock.
Truthfully he hadn’t expected such a dramatic result to arise from his spur of the moment impulse.
“No way, seriously?” Cheng Ying and the rest of the Ghost King Valley disciples cried out, also unable to believe what they were seeing.
“Watch out! Everyone focus!” Leng Shan yelled as she saw the two Evil Spirits the old man had flung towards them along with the one previous fighting the Hu Sisters decisively give up attacking Hu Jiao Er and Hu Mei Er and instead rush towards the others atop the plateau.
All of a sudden, the pressure everyone other than the Hu Sisters felt increased sharply.
“Hey, Brother Yang, that’s not fair!” Chen Yi helplessly cried out with a wry grin upon his face.
Although the Hu Sisters were now extremely safe, the rest of them were now facing an even bigger crisis.
“Sorry, I didn’t know this would happen!” Yang Kai awkwardly apologized; fortunately, he was also there to share this sudden increase in pressure, otherwise he wouldn’t have been able to apologize if his actions had resulted in casualties.
As he engaged the two new Evil Spirits his thoughts quickly turned towards trying to find a way to take advantage of this accidental discovery of his.
Suddenly, a wonderful idea came to him!
Hurriedly dispatching the two Evil Spirits the Treasure Instrument Sect trio had entangled, Yang Kai shot up into the air and hovered above the crowd.
Ignoring everyone’s surprised and confused stares, Yang Kai quickly withdrew a drop of Yang Liquid from his dantian and condensed it between his palms.
Once again displaying his exquisite True Qi control, Yang Kai transformed this drop of Yang Liquid turned into another semi-circular light curtain. This time it covered the entire top surface of the high pillar the group was standing on. The only difference was that this time the curtain was undoubtedly thinner and less radiant.
As soon as this light curtain fell, all of Evil Spirits fled backwards, as if they were struck with dread.
However, such a thin light curtain could only serve as a deterrent, if the Evil Spirits were to crazily attack, it would only be a few breaths before it shattered.
Seeing this, Yang Kai decisively went all out and repeatedly withdrew drops of Yang Liquid and shaped them into light curtains.
Layering these light curtains one on top of another, under Yang Kai’s exquisite True Qi control, all of these hemispheres precisely overlapped one another.
Using a full twenty drops of Yang Liquid, Yang Kai quickly completed this masterpiece.
Within this twenty layer True Yang Yuan Qi Light Curtain, though no one dared say they were perfectly safe, but handling these Evil Spirits was no longer an issue.
“This…” Everyone’s jaws dropped as the gawked.
The life and death crisis they all found themselves in had all of a sudden become extremely relaxed; this unexpected transformation was something that none of them could quite keep up with.
The surrounding Evil Spirits fluttered around the platform, but most did not dare to even approach; occasionally, one of them would attempt to attack them as before only to be burned on contact with the light curtain before quickly receding.
After standing dumbstruck for quite some time, everyone turned and stared awkwardly at Yang Kai.
The Hu Sister’s eyes both contained a slightly hot light as they gazed at this young man they had recently reunited with.
“I just did it on a whim, I didn’t think it would work out so well.” Yang Kai grinned awkwardly as he laughed.
“Simply amazing…” Chen Yi praised, almost in awe of Yang Kai.
Everyone else nodded, their eyes filled with admiration and gratitude.
After slowly recovering from their initial shock and examining their situation more closely, all of them were shocked as they estimated just how much True Qi Yang Kai had used to create such a solid defensive curtain!
How did he come up with such a massive quantity of True Qi, and how could he be standing there as if it were nothing to him?
“Monster! Absolute monster!” Leng Shan spat.
Everyone nodded again.
What they didn’t know was that every layer of this Light Curtain was the result of the crystallization of the total amount of True Qi Yang Kai could condense in his meridians! So twenty of these curtains were equal to Yang Kai completely emptying his meridians twenty times! How could this defence screen not have such astounding strength?
Moreover, the density and purity of Yang Kai’s True Qi were both abnormally high for his cultivation.
If converted to average terms, this light curtain’s strength was almost equivalent to ten Immortal Ascension Boundary masters fully focusing on defence!
With this shield protecting them, weathering this crisis was now a piece of cake.
“Young man, could you be so kind as to help this old man out?” The old man held down his pride to ask. Even he, an Immortal Ascension Master, had no means to reproduce the Heaven-defying feat of a man that has barely reached a third of his age. Therefore, under such circumstances, he had to swallow his pride and pled.
The high pillar that Yang Kai’s group occupied was now an impregnable fortress, not letting a single leak through, even if their group stood around and did nothing, they wouldn’t have to worry about their safety, but as a result, on the old man’s side, the number of Evil Spirits they had to deal with subsequently increased, making their situation more and more difficult.
As their situation deteriorated, the old man could only call out to Yang Kai and ask for help.
Hearing this plea, many of the Ghost King Valley disciples sneered sarcastically and glared at the old man.
Zhao Rong of Treasure Instrument Sect even went a step further and muttered under her breath, “That old dog just tried to harm us, yet now he’s begging for Brother Yang’s help, how shameless!”
The old man’s underhanded scheme a moment ago had not escaped any of their sights, but although all of them were extremely annoyed by his behaviour, due to his strength, none of them had dared to hit back.
The old man obviously saw this look in all of their eyes but didn’t seem to mind, and instead just lightly said, “Youngsters, you should all carefully consider the current situation, who knows if you’ll need to ask this old master for help in the near future? You should sell this old master a favour now while you can lest when your turn comes you wind up with regret.”
Although his tone was light and casual, anyone who had any discernment could tell that he was threatening them. If they didn’t help him now, he would certainly make them suffer for it later.
In his heart, Yang Kai sneered, but on his face he wore a serious expression and shook his head slowly, “Unfortunately I cannot help Senior right now, my True Qi has been completely exhausted so I need to restore myself first.”
As he spoke, Yang Kai ‘unsteadily’ sat down cross-legged.
The Ghost King Valley and Treasure Instrument Sect disciples all suddenly realized this point, and each of them quickly pulled out a number of True Qi restoring pills and offered them to Yang Kai.
It wasn’t that they were gullible enough to be deceived by Yang Kai’s word, but in this chaotic situation it was simply something they should do.
Moreover, during this intense battle, Yang Kai had definitely consumed a lot of True Qi, not to mention him setting up this multi-layered light curtain, so needing to restore his True Qi only seemed appropriate.
Hu Jiao Er and Hu Mei Er on the other hand simply exchanged a glance, as the two of them pouted and smiled.
The two sisters knew that Yang Kai possessed a kind of miraculous liquid that could almost instantly restore one’s True Qi reserves, so how could they believe the slightest bit of his nonsense?
The situation atop the pillar was clearly displayed before the old man’s eyes, and because what was said was reasonable, he couldn’t tell if Yang Kai was lying or telling the truth, so he no longer forced the issue and instead let out a somewhat hollow laugh, “Very well, you should first quickly restore yourself.”
Ending the conversation, the old man re-focused his attention on the battle around him.
Atop the plateau, the Ghost King Valley and Treasure Instrument Sect groups glanced around in amazement, not expecting that in this life or death crisis Yang Kai would somehow create an absolute safe haven.
And so they observed the other side’s battle while talking in hushed voices amongst themselves, as they watched as Yu Qing and his party struggle to defend themselves as their True Qi and Blood Force rioted.
The old man in particular lived up to his status as an Immortal Ascension Boundary master. His True Qi seemed endless as he casually sent out strikes. In fact, each of his seemingly simple moves was actually extremely powerful and allowed him alone to fight four Evil Spirits without any disadvantage.
While he battled, he also diverted some of his attention to protect his juniors. Meanwhile, the Free and Unfettered Sect disciples were struggling to maintain their line of defence as their True Qi continued to be exhausted. Although the old man should have provided some assistance, but he would never lend his hand out to such scum that even their grandparents would disown.
The male Free And Unfettered Sect disciples’ originally pale complexions became even whiter while their Charmed Slaves also no longer showed any coquettish looks. Each of them wasnow drenched in sweat as they struggled to cope.
Outside the True Yang Yuan Qi defensive shield, the Evil Spirits continued circling as they attempted to find a weak spot, but no matter where they struck, the result was the same.
After a while, they actually gave up and began flying towards the other platform to attack the old man’s side.
Instantly, the situation became critical; the old man roared furiously and no longer held back. He summoned his artifact and sent out various powerful Martial Skills one after another.
The Free And Unfettered Sect group also struck back harder, but it was obvious they couldn’t cope with so many Evil Spirits.
“Senior, senior!” Yu Qing shouted anxiously, “Please help us!”
Although the Free And Unfettered Sect disciples outnumbered the Ghost King Valley group hey suffered because they specialized in raising their cultivation through various male female plucking techniques. Their True Qi wasn’t as pure or stable as others in the same realm, so their defences were quickly overwhelmed, which forced Yu Qing into a situation where he needed to beg the old man to save them.
“Heh heh!” The old man laughed evilly, “This old master can barely defend himself, how could I have the spare capacity to save you lot?”
Yu Qing cursed silently, and knowing that this old man wasn’t some benevolent benefactor, he quickly followed up, “If Senior can help us survive this crisis, my Free And Unfettered Sect will definitely compensate generously!”
“Let’s hear it!” The old man said as his eyes flashed a greedy light.
“If I we can make it back alive, each of us can offer Senior a Charmed Slave! Senior should be familiar with my Free And Unfettered Sect’s methods and certainly understands the value of these Charmed Slaves!” With his life on the line, Yu Qing didn’t dare spew any nonsense and directly offered extremely rich conditions.
Hearing this, the old man’s eyes lit up with an obscene light and he grinned maliciously, “This old master is naturally aware or your Free And Unfettered Sect’s Charmed Slave’s usefulness, along with their Secret Art and skills designed to assist one’s cultivation, they’re also all extremely well versed in meeting their master’s desires!”
“Senior is well informed!” Yu Qing nodded.
Casually accepting this flattery, the old man laughed happily, “Good, since there are four of you, when this old master feasts on your four Charmed Slave’s vital yin, my cultivation will improve greatly.”
“What Senior says is absolutely right.” Yu Qing was in a hurry, so although he was cursing this old dog inside he did his best to wear his most flattering smile, “As such, Junior asks Senior to quickly take action!”
However, the old man simply coldly snorted, “However, this old master has heard that you Free And Unfettered Sect men all have more than just a single Charmed Slave, and looking at you lots demeanor, your positions in the Sect shouldn’t be low, you must have at least four or five each, right?”
Yu Qing’s smiling face twitched, as he realized he had underestimated this old dog’s appetite.
“Little brat, your luck is quite good!” The old man grinned. “This old master is willing to help, but this old master wants eight Charmed Slaves as compensation! That is, each of you must deliver me two Charmed Slaves in order to equal the value of this old master taking action! Whether you agree or not is up to you but… hah, if you’re life is gone, you won’t be needing those Charmed Slaves anyways, right? Hahaha!”
This last sentence thoroughly poked Yu Qing’s weakness, not allowing him to refuse, so with a gloomy expression, Yu Qing nodded without hesitation, “Good, I accept!”
“Little brat, you’re certainly decisive enough! Good, we have a deal!” The old man laughed, and his moves suddenly became even more ferocious, as he protected the Free And Unfettered Sect disciples as well, which greatly relieved the pressure Yu Qing’s group felt.
[The price was worth it.] Yu Qing comforted himself, trying to balance his unwillingness with his desire to live.
Free And Unfettered Sect’s male disciples indeed had more than one Charmed Slave each; however, each Charmed Slave took a significant amount of time and resources to develop, so losing two of them was by no means a small loss.
As Yu Qing was discussing terms with the old man, the Free And Unfettered Sect Charmed Slaves were totally unmoved, as if the discussion had nothing to do with them.
“Remember your words, if you dare try to renege … this old master will pay a visit to your Free And Unfettered Sect to collect what he’s owed!” The old man coldly threatened.
Yu Qing’s heart jumped, as he suddenly wondered what origins this old man had that allowed him to not fear his Free And Unfettered Sect, then he quickly wore an ugly smile, “How could Junior dare! A gentleman’s word isn’t spoken lightly!”
Hearing this, many people covertly spat disdainfully.
If Yu Qing was a gentleman, there were definitely no villains under the Heavens.
Meanwhile, Yang Kai and his group were now idly sitting atop their platform, but the joyful feeling they gained from seeing the hope of survival gradually calmed down as they observed their surroundings.
Not knowing when this tide of Evil Spirits would recede, it was difficult for them to not feel somewhat desolate.
Opposite them, the old man and the Free And Unfettered Sect continued fighting with the Evil Spirits, killing them at a steady pace and causing numerous Evil Spirit Essences to appear around them, but no one had time to collect these and gradually, these essences fell into the swirling jet black Evil Qi below.
Suddenly, the old man’s expression changed and he roared angrily, “Free And Unfettered Sect brats, quickly sacrifice your Charmed Slave!”
His tone was fierce and did not permit any objections.
“Ah…” Yu Qing froze for a moment and stared at the old man in confusion, wondering why he would suddenly issue such an order.
“If you don’t want to die, then do it now!” The old man hurriedly snapped, and a faint hostile intent surfaced from his aura!
“Bu…” Yu Qing didn’t fully understand what was happening, but he felt that now was not a good time to sacrifice their Charmed Slaves. Their numbers were currently enough to hold their formation, but once their Charmed Slaves were sacrificed, it would essentially be like halving the number of Free And Unfettered Sect disciples.
Naturally he wanted to avoid such an outcome.
“This old master will give you three breaths, if you haven’t sacrificed them, I’ll kill all of you!” The old man delivered his ultimatum.
“Senior Brother, what should we do?” One of the Free And Unfettered Sect male disciples asked Yu Qing, his anxiety and helplessness apparent.
“Do it!” Yu Qing angrily shouted, not daring to hesitate any longer. The only reason they had been able to preserve their lives until now was because this old man would occasionally help protect them. If the old man all of a sudden turned on them, they would no doubt die immediately.
Although extremely unwilling to sacrifice their Charmed Slaves in this way, Yu Qing had no alternative.
With Yu Qing giving his order, the few Free And Unfettered Sect male disciples all simultaneously let out their strongest attacks to push back the Evil Spirits they were engaged with and then grabbed hold of their respective Charmed Slaves. A determined light flashed across their eyes as they deeply kissed them.
Seeing this, Leng Shan couldn’t bear to watch and averted her gaze while quietly pulling Zhao Rong and the Hu Sisters with her, “Don’t look!”
“En? What’s happening?” Zhao Rong asked curiously.
Leng Shan obviously knew what would happen once these Charmed Slaves were sacrificed, so she had intended to spare her fellow females this scene.
Chen Yi also sighed lightly, and a glimmer of pity flashed across his eyes. In fact, most of the Ghost King Valley disciples also hung their heads slightly and averted their gazes from what was to take place.
Although their relationship with Free And Unfettered Sect wasn’t friendly by any stretch, and each of them had often fought with these Charmed Slaves, in the end, they couldn’t help but sympathize with these unfortunate women, who had their minds and bodies completely enslaved and were unable to determine their own fate anymore.
It’s wasn’t that they didn’t know how to care about themselves, nor were they born inherently debased, but they were trained that way by Free And Unfettered Sect’s men with special tools, medicines, and techniques.
The three young women couldn’t hold back their curiosity, even though Leng Shan had told them not to look, so Zhao Rong and the Hu Sisters quietly glanced over to see what would take place.
However, the moment they saw, all three of them shivered violently.
As they exchanged what looked like a passionate kiss, the four Charmed Slaves’ bodies trembled, and as the trembling became more intense, their once beautiful faces quickly became old while their delicate bodies aged at a pace visible to the naked eye, rapidly drying up, as if a dozens of years were passing by in an instant.
The True Qi and Blood Essence of these Charmed Slaves was quickly transformed into energy that constantly flowed from their lips into the male Free And Unfettered Sect disciples.
As this happened, the pale faces of these Free And Unfettered Sect men suddenly flushed with colour, like they were being infused with vitality, and it instantly gave them a healthy radiant glow that perfectly complemented their originally handsome looks.
Even the strength of their auras also began to rise sharply.
This was a sacrifice!
Free And Unfettered Sect’s forbidden technique, only by taking advantage of these brainwashed Charmed Slaves could such an inhuman Martial Skill be displayed!
This technique could no longer be described as simply ‘evil’.
After less time than it would take to drink a cup of tea, the Free And Unfettered Sect’s male disciples had undergone a massive transformation and became vigorous and high-spirited.
The Charmed Slaves in their arms on the other hand had been forever drained of their vitality, but their dull dim eyes still showed an unrelenting affection as their old haggard mouths wore extremely satisfied smiles.
Their role as devoted slaves had been imprinted in their very souls!
True Qi burst out uncontrollably from Zhao Rong and the Hu Sisters, and their eyes filled with fire as they glared maliciously at the still celebrating male Free And Unfettered Sect disciples.
They were all women, so watching these Charmed Slaves die in such a pitiful manner had naturally provoked their ire.
After this sacrifice was completed, Yu Qing laughed and released the aged body in his embrace, not even sparing it a glance as this withered corpse rolled off the plateau and disappeared into the sea of Evil Qi below.
The strength of these Free And Unfettered Sect male disciples had skyrocketed, which gave them a domineering and ruthless aura. All of their attacks now contained at least twice their previous might, but as he glanced towards the old man, Yu Qing’s eyes still had a well hidden trace of anger and hatred.
He had not wanted to sacrifice these Charmed Slaves at this time because the most dangerous moment had yet to arrive.
But because of the old man’s overbearing strength, he had no choice but to obey him, so naturally he held some dissatisfaction.
The old man seemed to have not noticed this glint as he laughed wantonly, “Good, this old master knew you were a decisive person. In the future you will certainly become someone great! Little brat, you and your Junior Brothers defend here for a moment while this old master handles something!”
“Good!” Yu Qing nodded firmly, not asking the old man what it was he intended to do.
With that, the old man roared, flew up into the air, and shot out from the platform. After he flew up, a single purple Evil Spirit tightly followed behind him, almost like a shadow following its master.
“What is he trying to do?” Chen Yi muttered gloomily when he noticed the venomous grin that appeared on the old man’s face as he led that Evil Spirit towards their side.
As he flew towards them, the old man continued to attack this particular Evil Spirit, drawing its attention as he approached Yang Kai and his group.
“Has this old guy gone crazy?” Cheng Ying smiled contemptuously, “Struggling to lead a single Evil Spirit towards us, could it be that he thinks that Evil Spirit can kill all of us?”
“Hahaha!” One of the Treasure Instrument Sect male disciples laughed dismissively, “That old man is wasting his time, doesn’t he know that these Evil Spirits can’t even touch Brother Yang’s light curtain?”
Because none of them had lowered their voices, it was clear that the old man could hear them, but even so, he didn’t get angry and instead just sneered even more as he led the Evil Spirit towards them.
Leng Shan’s cold eyes flashed, as he realized something wasn’t right, and he quickly called out, “Be careful, he’s definitely up to something.”
Tao Yang also nodded and increased his vigilance.
A moment later, when the old man and the Evil Spirit arrived next to their pillar next to the high platform, everyone tensed slightly and prepared to counterattack if need be.
“Here, a gift for you!” The old man maintained his sneer and laughed loudly as he struck the Evil Spirit with a palm, which sent it crashing towards the light curtain before he darted away, almost immediately reappearing on the Free And Unfettered Sect’s side.
“Senior, did you make us sacrifice our Charmed Slaves just to give you a moment of freedom?” Yu Qing’s expression was quite ugly, and his voice contained a questioning tone.
“En!” The old man nodded plainly.
“And with that moment… all you wanted was to lead that Evil Spirit over to them?” Yu Qing almost couldn’t contain the anger in his chest.
He hadn’t known why this old man was so anxious to have them sacrifice their Charmed Slaves, but now it seems like he forced them to do so just for this one insignificant act. Obviously this wasn’t worth the life of a single Charmed Slaves let alone four.
“Do you have any opinion?” The old man glanced back at Yu Qing coldly, and his eyes were full of overbearing arrogance.
“Junior doesn’t dare!” Yu Qing’s blood ran cold, and he quickly suppressed his anger. Although after the sacrifice the strength of him and his fellow brothers had rose, but when faced with an Immortal Ascension Boundary master they still weren’t qualified to object!
“Good. Well, just wait a bit and you’ll see, if they don’t beg this old master for help soon, Old Master here will unscrew his head for you to use as a chamber pot!” The old man grinned.
Yu Qing was stunned, not understanding why this old man was so confidant all of a sudden.
At that moment, the Evil Spirit that was led to Yang Kai’s group was launching a series of attacks towards their defence shield.
But as it collided with the light curtain again and again, it was inevitably repelled. The fiery True Yang Yuan Qi easily disintegrating any residual Evil Qi from its attacks, but contrary to the previous Evil Spirits, this one did not immediately retreat.
After many failed attempts, this Evil Spirit no longer recklessly attacked but instead stared towards them with its almost clearly defined face, opened its mouth, and let out an ear piercing scream.
That sound was sharp and grating and caused everyone’s ears to ring, and as the sound penetrated their heads, a purple halo sudden enveloped them, wrapping all of them in an eerie radiance.
Everyone had been indifferently watching this Evil Spirit’s fruitless attacks but hadn’t expected it would suddenly come up with such a hand, so by the time they had perceived a threat it was too late to defend themselves.
As this purple halo washed over them, they all felt their consciousnesses tremble and their strength drain from their bodies, and some of them even fell limply to the ground.
Others were overwhelmed by nausea as they felt like a million ants were gnawing at their minds, delivering them an unbearable pain.
Even the Hu Sister combination couldn’t withstand this attack, and their pretty faces distorting in pain.
Only Yang Kai remained unaffected. Unlike the others of his group, he had already begun cultivating his Soul and was able to offset some of the damage. On top of that, he also had his Soul Palace Soul Skill which allowed him to easily withstand this Evil Spirit’s attack. .
“A Soul Skill!” Chen Yi screamed, “It’s a Soul Type Evil Spirit!”
By this point, everyone had figured this out, and each of them become pale, as they stared in fear and panic towards this Soul Type Evil Spirit in front of them.
Soul Type Evil Spirits were a very special presence in the Evil Cavern.
It looked no different from the other Evil Spirits, but because it had the ability to use Soul Skills, any cultivator under Immortal Ascension Boundary that ran into one had only two paths before them.
Escape or die!
But in this situation, running away was not an option, but trying to fight it was akin to suicide.
Within the Evil Cavern, Soul Type Evil Spirits were exceptionally rare, which was obvious from the scene before them; although there were hundreds of Evil Spirits gathered here with more constantly arriving, but from beginning to end only one Soul Type Evil Spirit had appeared. This was sufficient to show how few of them existed.
None of them had thought they would encounter a Soul Type Evil Spirit when they first came to the Evil Cavern, just like they never dreamed they would be caught up in the Evil Spirit Spring’s eruption.
But right now, such a situation had arisen and caused all of their hearts to sink.
The old man who had deliberately led this Soul Type Evil Spirit to them was no doubt harboring malicious intent, likely doing so as retaliation for Yang Kai’s refusal to help them.
Turning his gaze towards the old man, Yang Kai’s eyes flashed a cold light!
He didn’t fear this Soul Type Evil Spirit, but everyone else who was with him did! The Soul Skill it had just used was a wide area attack as well, so it could affect all of them at once, meaning that everyone besides Yang Kai would sooner or later have their Souls destroyed and result in them either dying or degenerating into an idiot!
“Quickly!” As the Soul Type Evil Spirit, looking in from outside the light curtain, opened its gruesome mouth again, Chen Yi shouted, “Does anyone have a Soul defence type artifact!”
Instinctually, everyone looked towards Tao Yang.
Although the Ghost King Valley disciples had made sufficient preparations for this expedition to the Evil Cavern, but Soul type artifacts were just as rare as Soul Skills themselves, not to mention a Soul type artifact that could defend against Soul Skills needed to be of a very high grade.
None of these Ghost King Valley disciples had the qualifications to hold such a precious artifact.
Tao Yang on the other hand was a Treasure Instrument Sect disciple, if he didn’t have an appropriate Soul type artifact, then no one here would.
Although Yang Kai was not afraid of this Soul Type Evil Spirit, in the end he was only able to protect himself from it, so with so many people gathered on this high plateau, and considering the wide range of the enemies Soul Skill, he was quite troubled about how to handle it.
Fortunately, Tao Yang was just as wealthy as imagined, hastily removing a ring from his bad and pouring True Qi into it.
A buzzing sound burst out just as the Soul Type Evil Spirit cast its Soul Skill again.
Soon after, the purple halo re-appeared and enveloped them once more.
However, the ring in Tao Yang’s had also sent out a series of ripples which crashed into this halo.
Everyone held their breath nervously and stared in anticipation.
As the artifact’s ripples and the purple halo collided, the ripples disappeared instantly while the purple light dimmed significantly; unfortunately, the purple halo had not dissipated completely.
Tao Yang’s Soul defence type artifact wasn’t strong enough to completely defend against this Soul Type Evil Spirit’s attack!
Everyone suddenly looked miserable, unsure of what to do next.
The only upside was that this artifact could at least weaken the effect on their Souls to the point where it was at least bearable.
But obviously this was not a long-term solution; damage to one’s Soul was no joking matter, if it continued to accumulate, it would still become a major risk.
“Sorry, I only have this Soul type artifact!” Tao Yang said guiltily as he stared towards the Soul Type Evil Spirit.
“Why are you apologizing Brother Tao? If not for you being here I’m afraid none of us would be able to withstand this attack at all!” Chen Yi said earnestly.
“En,” Cheng Ying nodded, “but we still have to think about what to do next!”
Even with the support of Tao Yang’s Soul defence artifact, the longest they could hold out was at best half an hour.
Yang Kai didn’t say anything and instead just coldly glared at the old man.
Seeing the crisis they were in, the old man let out arrogant and outrageous laughter, apparently very pleased with himself.
Hearing this wanton laughter, everyone couldn’t help but grind their teeth in indignation. If it weren’t for this old man’s malicious scheme, with the help of Yang Kai’s Light Curtain they would be perfectly safe, but now, facing this Soul Type Evil Spirit, they suddenly found themselves helpless and in mortal danger.
“That old bastard!” Zhao Rong’s viciously cursed, not caring whether the old man heard her or not.
“Little friend!” The old man smiled happily while knocking away several Evil Spirits and yelled to Yang Kai, “See, your side is now facing a crisis and so are we, why don’t you cooperate with me so we can both survive?”
“How do you propose we cooperate?” Yang Kai indifferently asked.
“It’s simple, you help us put up the same type of defensive cover over here and then this old master will help you to deal with that Soul Type Evil Spirit. You can’t cope with it because none of you have reached the Immortal Ascension Boundary, but this old master is different, this old master is not only an Immortal Ascension master, but I have also reached the Immortal Ascension Boundary Fifth Stage, although dealing with that Soul Type Evil Spirit is a little troublesome, but killing it isn’t too difficult. So, how about it? Such cooperation benefits both of us!”
When the old man said so, everyone suddenly realized.
It seemed like his goal in guiding the Soul Type Evil Spirit to attack them was to force Yang Kai to help them. If Yang Kai could really put up a Light Curtain for them, the pressure the old man was facing would drop drastically.
At that time, they could also just sit on top of their pillar and relax like Yang Kai’s group.
As long as they could delay until the Evil Spirit Spring disappeared, they would be able to simply walk out from here.
If it weren’t for the old man having scruples about the strength of Yang Kai’s group, why would he have taken such a roundabout method? He would have simply robbed them of their platform the moment Yang Kai put up that shield.
Yang Kai had to admit, this old bastard’s plan was quite good.
Yu Qing and the other Free And Unfettered Sect disciples, witnessing this sudden development, couldn’t help but let out a burst of laughter, “Senior is such a magnanimous man, Junior greatly admires!”
Earlier, Yu Qing was quite confused by the old man’s actions and was even somewhat angered, but now he realized that the old man had obviously been aware of the existence of that Soul Type Evil Spirit and had planned this out from the beginning, ordering them to sacrifice their Charmed Slaves to give him enough time to execute his plan.
“Haha, how could this old master have survived so many battles without some means? You’d do well to learn from this old master!” The old man smiled deviously, and his four Juniors also applauded loudly, obviously very respectful of him.
On the other side, the Ghost King Valley and Treasure Instrument Sect disciples frowned deeply. All of them were extremely angry but were unable to say anything back.
“Little friend, have you considered well?” Confidant he had won, the old man wasn’t rushed and instead boasted arrogantly as he waited for Yang Kai and others to beg him to help them.
In his opinion, this group of True Element Boundary brats would bow to him sooner or later unless they wanted to die! Having not cultivated their Souls, and with only a single Soul defence type artifact, it was only a matter of time before they succumbed to the Soul Type Evil Spirit’s assault.
After a short time, their Souls would begin to take serious damage,and by then the old man could gain even more advantages from them, so he was in no rush to offer assistance and instead just casually asked if they wanted help.
Yang Kai wrinkled his brow and grunted but eventually didn’t respond.
On the other side, Yu Qing whispered to the old man, “Senior, Junior wonders if you could propose another condition to them.”
Raising his brow, the old man curiously asked, “Oh? What condition?”
Yu Qing’s gaze immediately shifted to the Hu Sisters, his eyes filling with an obscene light as he licked his lips and said, “Let them offer up that pair of twins to us!”
The old man looked at Yu Qing with great meaning. He was quite well informed about Free And Unfettered Sect’s Charmed Slaves and knew that they also had different grades. If this pair of twins was turned into Charmed Slaves, then they would undoubtedly provide their Free And Unfettered Sect male masters with greater aid, especially since they seemed to also possess extraordinary strength. It wasn’t hard to understand why Yu Qing would pay special attention to them.
This group of Free And Unfettered Sect disciples had even chased them into this Evil Cavern regardless of the risks. This alone showed how attractive the Hu Sisters were to them.
“I’m afraid that’s not a good idea.” The old man frowned, although he didn’t consider Yang Kai and his group as anything serious, but at this moment he really did need Yang Kai’s help. If he added too many excessive demands, it would only be counterproductive and cause him to lose his rice before catching the chicken.
“If Senior is willing to help, Junior can offer another four Charmed Slaves to Senior, alright?” Yu Qing whispered.
“This old master can consider it…” The old man nodded with satisfaction. “Very well, this old master will help you get all those women over there, but four more Charmed Slaves aren’t enough, you must offer this old master eight additional Charmed Slaves, agreed?”
“Eight Charmed Slaves is really too much, those twins are certainly worth four Charmed Slave, but the other two women… Junior can offer Senior six Charmed Slaves for all of them, it cannot be more.” Yu Qing’s face flashed a hint of hidden pain, like he was suffering a big loss.
“Good, six then, remember, you now owe this old master fourteen Charmed Slaves!” The old man grinned and said happily.
“Naturally Junior remembers.” Yu Qing nodded, also very satisfied with the outcome of this negotiation, and he quickly wore a complementary smile, “Senior is such a powerful master, yet seems to not care much for beauty.”
If he really cared about beautiful women, he wouldn’t have offered up the four women on the other side so easily.
Needless to say, the twin sisters on the opposite pillar possessed country destroying beauty. While that Ghost King Valley’s Leng Shan was also an extraordinary vision, and lastly the last girl’s innocence and cute appeal, although not comparable to the other three, was also a unique and delicious flavour.
However, the old man just contemptuously smirked and arrogantly said, “Beauties? Only you young brats who only have lust on your brains will care about such things, with this old master’s strength, if Old Master wants any woman, what kind of woman can I not get?
“Yes yes yes, Senior is wise.” Yu Qing nodded repeatedly, unable to refute this statement, and he suddenly thought this old man was more pleasing to the eye after he agreed to help him obtain the Hu Sisters. A smug smile even began to creep into his expression as he imagined capturing those four, bringing them back to Free And Unfettered Sect, and subjecting them to various drugs and Soul Skills to train them into loyal slaves.
With the negotiations finalized, the old man and Yu Qing were both happy; the old man’s four juniors also had delighted expressions.
They knew that when the old man received those fourteen Charmed Slaves, they would each receive one as a reward.
Charmed Slaves! Not only would they willingly warm their beds, at a critical moment they could be sacrificed to drastically increase their strength. Who wouldn’t want such a convenient tool?
With a Charmed Slave to accompany them, they would never be lonely again.
“Little friends, don’t blame this old master for not reminding you, if you don’t want to cooperate, you and your friends will definitely die!” The old man casually taunted Yang Kai with a victorious grin plastered all over his face.
“Senior need not worry!” Yang Kai replied indifferently.
“Hah, seems you can’t appreciate kindness!” The old man’s expression twitched, and he sneered as he said, “If you don’t beg this old master for help, this old master won’t take action!”
Yang Kai no longer paid attention to the old man, and his eyes stared towards the Soul Type Evil Spirit floating just outside his light curtain.
The three disciples from Treasure Instrument Sect also held the Five Dragon Entangling Seal, nervously preparing.
While Yu Qing was negotiating with the old man, Yang Kai’s group was also discussing their next course of action.
“Brother Yang, are you certain?” Tao Yang asked, worry apparent on his face, and he quickly offered up his ring shaped Soul defence type artifact, “You should also bring this with you.”
“That’s right, just in case,” Leng Shan agreed, her brow thoroughly furrowed.
When Yang Kai said he wanted to go out and kill the Soul Type Evil Spirit, everyone was taken aback. All of them thought he was crazy. The Hu Sisters were even more alarmed and repeatedly tried to discourage him.
Hu Mei Er even had her enchanting pair of eyes overflow with tears of worry.
“Don’t worry, I have a sense of proportion, even if I really can’t beat it I have confidence in drawing back.” Yang Kai stated plainly.
“Good, then you must be careful.” Chen Yi said.
Yang Kai nodded firmly.
Right then, the Soul Type Evil Spirit opened its mouth again, preparing to display its screaming Soul Skill.
“Now!” Yang Kai roared as he shot out.
The three Treasure Instrument Sect disciples promptly poured their True Qi into the Five Dragon Entangling Seal.
The five dragons spat out their light ropes towards the Soul Type Evil Spirit and bound it in place just as it launched its Soul Skill.
Forming a sword with his Yang Qi, Yang Kai charged towards the Evil Spirit like lightning and crashed through the purple halo it sent out.
“HA!” Tao Yang simultaneously activated his Soul defence type artifact to counteract the Soul Type Evil Spirit’s attack.
“So fast!” Chen Yi couldn’t help but call out in surprise when he saw Yang Kai reach the Soul Type Evil Spirit and land multiple slashes on its body within a single breath.
Suffering this sudden attack, the sharp howling from the Evil Spirit became more violent as it sent out purple halos one after another, which greatly taxed Tao Yang’s Soul artifact again and again to the point where he could barely resist.
Paling instantly, Tao Yang soon spat out a mouthful of blood and collapsed to the ground.
Nearby, Chen Yi acted quickly, picked up the Soul artifact, and took over for Tao Yang.
“Is he trying to get himself killed?” The old man obviously witnessed Yang Kai’s bold actions, and his pupils shrunk involuntarily as he muttered in surprise.
Normally he wouldn’t care whether Yang Kai lived or died, but right now, if Yang Kai died, he wouldn’t be able to open the same light curtain for him.
However, Yang Kai completely ignored his overtures and continued his reckless assault on the Soul Type Evil Spirit.
Within a few breaths, the Soul Type Evil Spirit’s purple body had dimmed significantly.
However, its true strength was obviously much stronger than an average purple Evil Spirit, so even though it was restrained by Yang Kai’s True Yang Yuan Qi, it was still difficult to defeat it in short order.
“We can’t hold on!” Zhao Rong suddenly cried out, the next moment her and her fellow Treasure Instrument Sect disciples paled, and the Five Dragon Entangling Seal in their hands quickly lost its radiance.
Immediately, the Soul Type Evil Spirit’s bindings collapsed.
Regaining its freedom, the Soul Type Evil Spirit became even more violent. Its distorted facial features twisted in rage as it shot a purple beam of light towards Yang Kai.
Unable to dodge in time, Yang Kai was struck head on. The purple beam penetrating into his mind.
Severe pain spread from his head, as his Soul Palace was unable to resist such a focused strike.
Although his Soul Palace had reached the minor accomplishment stage and completely engulfed his Knowledge Sea, in that moment a large gap had been blasted through it.
Yang Kai’s expression stiffened, his arms froze mid-air before drooping to his sides. Seizing this opening, the Soul Type Evil Spirit crashed towards him.
The Evil Spirit swiped at Yang Kai with its ethereal claws, tore apart his robes, and opened a series of long wounds on his chest, which caused his blood to spurt out.
“Brother Yang!” The group behind him called out in panic. Their faces filled with horror.
“Hmph, courting death!” The old man coldly snorted, his expression quite ugly; he had hoped to coerce Yang Kai into helping him, but had apparently underestimated this young man’s stubbornness, which caused his well laid out plot to backfire and lose all meaning.
Against such a potent targeted Soul Skill, a speciality of Soul Type Evil Spirits, even an Immortal Ascension Boundary master would have his consciousness destroyed.
Yang Kai was only a True Element Boundary Fifth Stage youth, how could he survive?
[He got what he deserves!] The old man sneered to himself, not feeling the slightest bit of compassion, only a slight regret.
Since Yang Kai was dead, his own situation had become a bit more troublesome.
“Ha!” Yang Kai suddenly roared, and his falling body stabilized mid-air, as he hurriedly dodged the Soul Type Evil Spirits next attack.
A cool sensation flooded his head, and although the pain was excruciating, the Soul Warming Lotus had once again saved him.
“Impossible!” The old man cried out, as an Immortal Ascension master, he was well aware of how powerful the focused Soul Skill Yang Kai had taken was just now. Even if it was him, he wouldn’t have dared take such an attack head on, so how could the youth before him have accomplished such a feat?
Everyone from Ghost King Valley and Treasure Instrument Sect also couldn’t help but breath a sigh of relief. All of them were surprised to see Yang Kai survive, and they thought he must have some kind of high-end Soul defence artifact.
However, they also realized that even if Yang Kai had such an artifact, it was certainly only able to protect himself, or else he would have taken it out earlier.
“Bind it again!” Yang Kai yelled to his comrades behind him as he re-engaged the Soul Type Evil Spirit.
“Right!” Leng Shan and the Hu Sisters arrived at Zhao Rong’s side, picked up the Five Dragon Entangling Seal, and together, filled it with their True Qi.
With these three supplying it their True Qi, the Five Dragon Entangling Seal’s strength rose dramatically, after all, Leng Shan’s strength wasn’t low and the Hu Sisters together were even stronger, incomparable so to the three Treasure Instrument Sect disciples.
As the five dragons re-appeared, thick white beams of light shot from their mouths towards the Soul Type Evil Spirit.
In the next instant, the Soul Type Evil Spirit was once again bound in place!
Knowing that the Five Dragon Entangling Seal wouldn’t be able to hold it for a long time, Yang Kai went all out.
Forming a set of hand seals, Yang Kai activated his White Tiger Seal and Divine Ox Seal and summoned two crimson red beast phantoms composed completely of True Yang Yuan Qi which swiftly attacked.
One hand slashed out with his Yang Liquid sword while the other sent out a Burning Sun’s Three Layer Blast. Yang Kai threw everything he had at the Soul Type Evil Spirit.
It was a ferocious offensive, which completely disregarded his own defence!
Watching this scene, everyone sucked in a cold breath!
This way of fighting, it was simply overwhelming and gave those watching a soul stirring feeling. The Soul Type Evil Spirit’s body once more rapidly dimmed, but even as it faded it continued to use various Soul Skills and viciously attacked Yang Kai’s Knowledge Sea over and over again.
Why were True Element Boundary cultivators always helpless before Soul Type Evil Spirits? Because they had no way to defend themselves against Soul Skills!
Even ordinary Immortal Ascension Boundary masters would do their best to avoid such attacks, so Soul Type Evil Spirits inside the Evil Cavern had always been a very troublesome existence.
On top of that, even if one could ignore its Soul Skill attacks, Soul Type Evil Spirits were also significantly more powerful than average Evil Spirits of the same colour.
With the piercing pain in his head getting more and more intense, veins and cold sweat began to appear on Yang Kai’s forehead, but despite all this his onslaught never slowed, as he continued to bombard the Soul Type Evil Spirit with every attack in his arsenal.
As the old man watched this spectacle, a stunned light flashed across his eyes.
Never in his wildest dreams had he expected Yang Kai to possess such outrageous strength. This True Element Boundary Fifth Stage youth’s combat effectiveness had far exceeded anything he had ever heard of.
If this continued, he really could kill that Soul Type Evil Spirit, and… the time it would take would definitely be less than if he had taken action himself!
Thinking so, the old man quietly shifted more and more of his attention to this battle.
Sure enough, after the time it would take to drink half a cup of tea, the Soul Type Evil Spirit let out a final anguished howl before its purple radiance dissipated completely.
Seeing Yang Kai’s overwhelming abilities, everyone from Ghost King Valley and Treasure Instrument Sect involuntarily cheered. The Hu Sisters also covered their mouths, and their beautiful eyes teared up in joy.
When the Soul Type Evil Spirit faded from existence, it left behind a large lump of sparkling pure white Evil Spirit Essence which even to the naked eye obviously contained a massive amount of energy.
The crowd hadn’t even finished celebrating Yang Kai’s triumph before this lump of essence caught their eyes, and all of them exclaimed, “A Special Evil Spirit Essence!”
The old man across the way also had his eyes light up, and a greedy look was apparent on his face.
Special Essences were many times more valuable than ordinary Evil Spirit Essences, after all, who knew what kind of wondrous treasures were hidden inside? However, when the old man probed this particular group of essence, he clearly felt his Divine Sense being attracted to it, like a cat smelling a fish. This was a kind of instinctual desire!
At that instant, the old man understood that this Special Evil Spirit Essence contained something which could increase the strength of one’s Soul and their total amount of Spiritual Energy.
This made sense as it was left behind by a Soul Type Evil Spirit which specialized in Soul Skills.
Knowing this, the old man’s greed increased greatly!
If it was an ordinary Evil Spirit Essence, or even another kind of Special Evil Spirit Essence, the old man wouldn’t be so tempted, but treasures which could increase one’s Spiritual Energy were simply too rare and were worth him fighting for.
Not hesitating at all, the old man shouted towards Yu Qing, “Protect yourselves!”
The next instant, he shot out like a meteor towards Yang Kai.
“This shameless old dog!” Chen Yi raged.
“Yang Kai, watch out!” Everyone shouted.
Yang Kai was still dazed, although with the help of the Soul Warming Lotus he had somehow withstood the torrent of attacks on his Soul, he had still suffered a great deal of damage, so after killing the Soul Type Evil Spirit, he hadn’t even checked its essence to see what it had left behind and instead quickly withdrew a drop of Myriad Drug Liquid from the Black Book space and swallowing it.
But upon hearing these shouts, Yang Kai instinctively pushed his True Qi, stretched out his hand towards the Evil Spirit Essence before him, and circulated his Secret Art to absorb it directly into his palm.
“Courts death!” The old man no longer had any scruples, and since he had already completely torn face with Yang Kai, he didn’t need to bother being polite any more. Grimacing fiercely, he sent out a full powered strike towards Yang Kai.
The enraged strike of an Immortal Ascension Boundary Fifth level definitely wasn’t something Yang Kai could withstand unharmed, even if he could reluctantly resist it.
In the limited time he had, the best he could do was to extract a drop of Yang Liquid from his dantian and shape it into a shield.
*Peng…*
With a loud crash, Yang Kai’s shield was shattered, and he was subsequently sent flying by the old man’s strike, which hurled him into the sea of Evil Qi below, and he disappeared instantly!
Seeing this, the old man hovered mid-air, grumbled under his breath for a moment before letting out a sigh, and turned around to head back to his former position.
He was obviously upset that he failed to snatch that Special Evil Spirit Essence from Yang Kai.
“Yang Kai!” Hu Mei Er cried out in despair and instantly became pale, like she had lost her soul, as she leapt without any hesitation off the platform towards the place where Yang Kai had fallen.
But after taking only a few steps, she felt someone grab hold of her.
Looking back, Mei Er saw her elder sister shaking her head in panic.
“Let me go…” Hu Mei Er entreated Jiao Er with a whimper.
But Hu Jiao Er still just shook her head, and her eyes gradually becoming red.
Ever since they began cultivating the Twin Qi Shared Spirit Divine Art, the two sisters had gradually started to share their thoughts and emotions, so how could Hu Jiao Er not feel the intense sorrow and confusion in her sister’s heart at this moment?
Even Hu Jiao Er was also grief stricken, but even so, she wouldn’t allow these rampant emotions to cloud her judgement and let her little sister jump into the jaws of death.
Atop their pillar, whether it was the Ghost King Valley and Treasure Instrument Sect disciples, all of them stood silently and were unable to process their shock.
None of them had thought that this old man would not give any consideration to his face and act so shamelessly.
A moment later, Leng Shan suddenly shouted, “We fight!”
Spitting out these words, she quickly formed a set of seals. Her cold eyes were now filled with unparalleled anger and madness, and she did not hesitate to activate her Ghost King Seal.
With a ghastly howl, she launched a fierce assault towards the other platform.
With her strike as the trigger, all of the Ghost King Valley disciples also used their strongest Martial Skills while the four from Treasure Instrument Sect hurriedly took out their artifacts and sent a flurry of attacks at the old man and the Free And Unfettered Sect disciples.
Doing their best not to damage the True Yang Yuan Qi defensive shield Yang Kai had left for them, their group ruthlessly vented their rage.
On the opposite side, as they received this barrage from the Ghost King Valley and Treasure Instrument Sect groups, the old man’s group fell into an even more precarious situation.
Yu Qing’s look distorted greatly, and he shouted out in anger, “Leng Shan! Do you even want to attack my Free And Unfettered Sect people? Free And Unfettered Sect and Ghost King Valley have always been friendly neighbors and besides, we had nothing to do the attack on that little brat! Why must you act so indiscriminately!?”
However, Leng Shan’s cold piercing gaze remained indifferent. She sneered as she ignored Yu Qing’s overtures and instead pushed her True Qi even more.
“Impudent Juniors!” The old man raged, immediately discovering that he had underestimated this group of young people. In their anger, they held nothing back, which caused their attacks to become powerful and sharp. If it were just one or two he wouldn’t care, but with so many of them acting together coupled with the continued attacks from the Evil Spirits around him, the old man suddenly found himself being pushed to his limit.
In particular, a few of the artifacts that their side used were extremely powerful, which made even him pale slightly.
“If you brats don’t stop messing around, this old master won’t hold back any longer and directly crush your light shield!” The old man roared, if he wasn’t in such a precarious situation, instead of trying to negotiate he would have just directly taken action.
In his heart he secretly held regret. Although he was upset at not being able to grab that Special Evil Spirit Essence, he shouldn’t have gone so far as to kill that little brat. Even a rabbit would bite if cornered, much less this group of youths.
“Wait wait, stop!” Tao Yang suddenly shouted, as his his vision fixed on a spot down below them. Then he cried out in surprise, “Brother Yang didn’t die!”
Hearing this shout, everyone froze, and their True Qi suddenly stagnated as they all gazed in the direction Tao Yang was looking, and indeed amongst the torrent of Evil Qi they saw a vague figure exuding a flickering black light.
Yang Kai! Not only did he not die, but he was also leisurely standing there inside the Evil Spirit Spring.
Suddenly, all the scattered Evil Spirit Essences in his surroundings were drawn towards him and soon disappeared into his body.
“Brother Yang …” Tao Yang shouted half excitedly half worriedly.
“Hah… haha…” Amongst the turbulent flow of Evil Qi, Yang Kai suddenly began to laugh. His voice somewhat ominous and sent shivers down the spines of those who heard it.
Gradually, this laughter became bigger and bigger and grew louder and louder.
“Brother Yang … what happened?” Tao Yang expression sank slightly as he stared below nervously.
Quickly, from within Yang Kai’s body emerged a pitch black energy; even inside the Evil Spirit Spring, this blackness was quite conspicuous, like a void in the universe had opened up and instantly devoured all light within its range to plunging the world into darkness.
After waking from their shock, the Ghost King Valley and Treasure Instrument Sect disciples realized that the only light within this abyssal darkness was a pair of scarlet eyes which exuded an overwhelming madness.
“Devil’s Practices!” The old man shouted, thinking that Yang Kai had swallowed up too many Evil Spirit Essences and failed to refine them before they corrupted his mind and plunged him into the Devil’s Practices.
Given the circumstances, the old man’s thoughts were reasonable. With such a massive influx of Evil Qi into one’s body, even if it were him he wouldn’t be able to withstand it, so although he knew Yang Kai cultivated a potent Yang attribute True Qi which could suppress these Evil Spirits, it was difficult to imagine him being spared.
Hearing the old man’s shout, the relief Yang Kai’s comrades had felt suddenly gave way to anxiety again.
Only Leng Shan’s eyes flashed brilliantly, as she stared towards Yang Kai suspiciously with serious doubts floating about her thoughts.
Of everyone here, only she knew that in addition to his True Yang Yuan Qi, Yang Kai could also use a different, extremely overbearing Evil Qi.
When she and Zi Mo had traveled together with him in that Isolated world, she too had thought Yang Kai had succumb to the Devil’s Practices, but in the end it turned out that the whole time he remained completely unaffected. The only difference now was this darkness was much more profound than last time.
[Has he really fallen into the Devil’s Practices?] Leng Shan asked herself, somewhat unsure of herself.
“Mei Er, go back, I’m fine!” Yang Kai’s voice came from below, his tone as frigid and ice but still quite calm.
Hearing his voice, Leng Shan couldn’t help but smile happily, now knowing that Yang Kai was really alright.
Hu Mei Er was stunned, but under Hu Jiao Er’s urgings the two sisters fell back to the centre of the light curtain. Nonetheless, both of them still gazed below, unable to hide their surprise.
As they stood atop the high pillars, staring down below, everyone noticed that the Evil Qi erupting from the Evil Spirit Spring had already risen to a very high point.
This Evil Qi wasn’t actually a liquid or gas, but instead only had the appearance of pitch black water, almost akin to sludge with an aura of malice and danger radiating from it.
The Evil Spirits relished below as they continued to swim through the Evil Qi and greedily absorbed this energy to enhance their strength, but if a cultivator were to fall into it, they would certainly suffer horrific torment followed closely by a gruesome death.
But now, Yang Kai, who was wrapped in an even more profound layer of darkness, was not only un affected by this Evil Qi at all, but he had essentially become a fish swimming through water.
Wherever he went, all the scattered Evil Spirit Essences in his immediate surroundings were sucked into his body.
Occasional he would encounter an Evil Spirit, but it was as if these demonic creatures were blind to his presence, and they totally ignored him as if he was part of the ambient Evil Qi.
Everyone watched with their mouths agape and were completely dumbstruck!
The same was true even of the old man atop the opposite plateau, and his mouth twitching because he was unable to believe what he was witnessing.
This little brat was in a very strange state right now. The aura he released was completely different from the one he had previously displayed, and instead of a radiant burning light, he seemed akin to a lump of cold malicious darkness now, like a crazed murderous great devil lord, who struck fear into the hearts of all who gazed upon him.
What was even more shocking to the old man though was how many Evil Spirit Essences Yang Kai was harvesting. Down below, the Evil Spirits continued fighting one another, so the number of scattered unclaimed Evil Spirit Essences was enormous, and in just a few breaths worth of time, that little brat had inhaled some ten odd lumps of essence, which provoked a maddening amount of jealousy from all who saw this scene.
What’s more, he inhaled all of these Evil Spirit Essences directly, as if he didn’t need to worry at all about the inherent dangers hidden within them.
“Ha ha ha ha ha…” Yang Kai kept laughing merrily, as if he was taking a leisurely stroll through this Evil Spirit Spring while casually eating a snack.
Contained within his laughter was madness, surprise, but most of all excitement.
Both his body and mind were stimulated to an abnormal level, and even his blood felt like it was boiling, as if he was embracing a supreme beauty stripped naked, his hands wandering up and down her exquisite body as he tasted her wondrous flavour.
His Unyielding Golden Skeleton also seemed to be trembling with joy, as it relished in the taste of the many Evil Spirit Essences he had just swallowed while simultaneously gulping down the surrounding Evil Qi which gushed from the Evil Spirit Spring at an astounding pace. This Evil Qi seemed to very much suit the Golden Skeleton’s taste.
Yang Kai’s body had become akin to a huge whirlpool, drawing in all the energy around him.
However, this didn’t give Yang Kai the slightest uncomfortable feeling, and instead brought him a deep sense of happiness and satisfaction.
He had no idea why his Golden Skeleton enjoyed this Evil Qi so much, but for the moment, he didn’t bother trying to figure it out and instead just focused on absorbing as much as he could.
After inhaling this Evil Qi and numerous Evil Spirit Essences, Yang Kai suddenly had a feeling of saturation.
It was not that his Golden Skeleton had been sated. The Golden Skeleton was a bottomless pit, so no matter how much energy it absorbed it would never reach saturation. Rather, he had reached his current realm’s limit.
If he didn’t break through again, even if the Golden Skeleton absorbed more energy, it would only become a burden to Yang Kai instead of a boon.
Aware of this, Yang Kai couldn’t help but feel some helplessness.
During this brief crazy period of absorption, not only had Yang Kai greatly added to his Golden Skeleton’s reserves, he had also stored nearly a hundred Evil Spirit Essences in his dantian. Right now, Yang Kai didn’t have time to refine all of these essences, so he could only temporarily store them as such.
Likewise, this was the limit of what he could currently store.
In particular, the essence left behind by the Soul Type Evil Spirit was of special concern to Yang Kai as he could clearly feel that it had some distinctive differences compared to the others.
Since he needed to spend some time refining these essences in order to make space to gather more, he could also take this opportunity to break through his current realm.
Thinking so, Yang Kai’s dampened mood quickly lifted.
Turning around, he saw his comrades worried looks from atop the high pillar. Especially the Hu Sisters, both of them had undisguisable concern filling their beautiful eyes.
Suddenly feeling his heart warm, Yang Kai quickly made his way to the base of the pillar and waved to them as he shouted out, “Give me all the Purifying Spirit Bottles you have on you.”
“Haha…” Chen Yi’s eyes flashed delighted light as he grinned, “I always knew Brother Yang was a great man!”
Smiling happily, all of them hurriedly took out their Purifying Spirit Bottles and tossed them down to Yang Kai.
Between them they only had five Purifying Spirit Bottles, three of them were brought by the Treasure Instrument Sect group while two belonged to the Ghost King Valley disciples. The Hu Sisters who had simply escaped here obviously and didn’t have any Purifying Spirit Bottles.
Although there was only five bottles, each one could hold up to twenty Evil Spirit Essences; that meant he could collect a hundred in total!
Such a large number was enough to tempt anyone.
Receiving these bottles, Yang Kai continued to swim through the Evil Spirit Spring, wantonly collecting the essences dropped by these Evil Spirits and soon filled up one bottle before taking out the next.
Only moments later, all five Purifying Spirit Bottles had been filled.
On the other pillar, the old man and the Free And Unfettered Sect disciples all watched this scene with greedy eyes.
Even though they had been constantly killing these Evil Spirits, they had never had time to collect their essences. Now seeing Yang Kai wander through this thick Evil Qi casually harvesting over a hundred Evil Spirit Essences, how could they not feel extremely jealous?
Between their two situations, how could they not be envious?
The old man now regretted so much his intestines went green, and a cramped expression was plastered all over his face, while his heart twisted in discomfort.
If he had only known that this little brat had so many strange and powerful methods, how could he have continuously provoked him over such minor issues? But now, after having witnessed all these profound abilities being displayed one after another, even if he regretted, it was useless.
That last sneak attack he had launched had completely ruined any hope he had of cooperating with Yang Kai.
Even if he couldn’t get Yang Kai to help put up that magical light defensive curtain, simply letting him help them collect a few bottles of Evil Spirit Essence would have been a huge harvest! Right now, it was obvious that, for Yang Kai, collecting essences was as simple as picking melons!
[Fuck! Such dog shit luck! Ruining such a good opportunity!]
At that moment, the old man ground his teeth in frustration and his guts ached as his stomach churned. His breath became slightly rapid as he felt extremely unwell.
After finishing his melon picking, instead of hurrying back, Yang Kai took the five filled bottles and tossed them back up to his group and then turned around, hovering slightly above the sea of Evil Qi as he glared maliciously towards the old man.
The old man felt his heart jump when his eyes met Yang Kai’s.
He saw Yang Kai’s lips curl into a grin as he stared at him with his scarlet eyes filled with cold murderous light as he slowly flew towards where he stood.
Everyone atop the old man’s pillar readied themselves to counterattack as their nerves began to fray. They were already overwhelmed just handling the Evil Spirits around them, so if Yang Kai were to take the chance to add insult to injury now, it would all be over.
This was really a case of when it rains, it pours.
Yu Qing was also secretly blaming the old man’s recklessness, doing his best to smile towards Yang Kai as he called out, “Fellow brother, we Free And Unfettered Sect bare you no grudge against you, please think twice before acting hastily!”
Seeing Yu Qing lower his head like a beat dog, all the Ghost King Valley disciples couldn’t help but secretly grin, thinking Yang Kai didn’t look like an evil demon right now, but instead like a dark domineering hero.
Without needing to say anything, without taking any action, simply by standing there he could make his enemies dread and fear him.
“Brother Yang is a real man!” Chen Yi voiced his thoughts with a bit of worship apparent on his face.
Leng Shan just snorted as she rolled her eyes, though if one looked closer they would notice a slight blush upon her face.
“This friend, I have something to say.” Yu Qing seeing Yang Kai remain silent, he became more and more nervous about what his aims were and was only able to dryly laugh as he continued his overtures.
Next to him, the old man’s face had turned sour. Listening in silence as he let Yu Qing whimper, hoping to use his cheap mouth to probe Yang Kai’s intentions.
“I want something!” While Yu Qing nervously laughed, Yang Kai finally spoke.
Yu Qing heart clenched, quickly replying, “What is it that this friends wants? Please say, as long as we Free And Unfettered Sect brothers can we will certainly offer it to this friend!”
“I want all your Purifying Spirit Bottles!” Yang Kai said flatly, grinning maliciously as the profound darkness swirled around him.
“Good, by all means, please!” Yu Qing didn’t hesitate, quickly taking out all of their Purifying Spirit Bottles and tossing them over.
Yang Kai knew these Free And Unfettered Sect disciples had two Purifying Spirit Bottles, and inside these two bottles there were already several Evil Spirit Essences.
Casually putting these bottles away, Yang Kai shifted his gaze towards the old man and sneered as he slowly narrowed his eyes. Then he snickered, “Do I need to repeat myself?”
The old man coldly snorted, and his expression was extremely unpleasant.
He was an Immortal Ascension Boundary Fifth Stage master! Although he knew that Yang Kai possessed many amazing methods and had strength far beyond what his realm suggested, it was still not enough for him to fear him, but under these circumstances while still needing to protect his four juniors, without being certain he could kill Yang Kai in short order, the old man didn’t dare to act rashly again.
Yang Kai so blatantly ‘asking’ for something from him in front of his juniors, the old man obviously felt like he had lost a great amount of face.
Glaring back and forth at each other, the old man finally decided that he didn’t want to stir up Yang Kai any more, so snorting as he did his best to hold back his anger, “Give them to him!”
“But…” One of the old man’s juniors hesitantly objected, obviously unwilling to hand over their bottles so easily.
“I said give them to him!” The old man coldly ordered.
“Yes!” The young man glared at Yang Kai bitterly, then gritted his teeth as he took out two Purifying Spirit bottles and tossed them to Yang Kai.
Yang Kai caught these two bottles and stored them away, while always maintaining his aloof indifference.
“I’ll remember you, watch yourself from now on!” The young man threatened, as he stood beside the old man and sneered towards Yang Kai.
Yang Kai’s expression became even colder. His scarlet eyes flashed a murderous intent.
But before he could take action, the old man actually gave a slap to this young man’s face.
*Pa….*
With a crisp bang, the young man was thrown several meters away and flipped through the air a few times before crashing onto the ground. His cheek swelled up greatly.
“Will you die if you stop talking?” The old man glared at him coldly.
[Fuck!, this old master didn’t want to stir up this strange little brat, but now you can’t even hold back your damn grumblings. If he really decided to go all out right now, none of you damn brats would see tomorrow’s sun!]
The young man who had his face slapped was dumbstruck, and his eyes were full of humiliation and anger. Never having thought that his own teacher would strike him across the face to support some unknown junior. His face changed from red to green, but he didn’t dare to say anything and swallowed down the blood and rage in his mouth.
“Is little friend satisfied now?” The old man glazed coldly towards Yang Kai.
“Ha ha ha ha!” Yang Kai laughed wildly and unscrupulously and nodded firmly, “Satisfied!”
“Then please draw back!” The old man quickly said. Yang Kai standing next to their platform always gave the old man a feeling of having a blade hanging over his head, which forced him to divert a portion of his attention in case Yang Kai all of a sudden decided to attack, which made it even more difficult for him to handle the surrounding Evil Spirits.
“There’s no rush!” Yang Kai slowly shook his head, his demeanor extremely relaxed.
The old man’s expression sank, and he did his best to hold in his anger.
Yang Kai then brought out one of his newly acquired Purifying Spirit Bottles and began slowly absorbing the Evil Spirit Essence floating above their platform.
These essences were precisely the ones that had condensed from the Evil Spirits the old man’s group and the Free And Unfettered Sect disciples had killed. The fruits of their life and death labour, but because they had no spare time to absorb them they had simply been left floating there.
Watching Yang Kai strut around in front of them while casually collecting Evil Spirit Essences made Yu Qing smile as hard as he could, occasionally opening his mouth, but eventually not saying anything.
The old man’s face was also quite ugly, and he was also doing his best to resist his urge to spit blood.
After what seemed like a long time, Yang Kai glanced around at the remaining Evil Spirit Essences floating near the plateau and nodded as he smiled happily, “Keep it up, I’ll be back soon!”
Hearing these words almost made everyone die from rage.
Although his four newly acquired Purifying Spirit Bottles weren’t full yet, Yang Kai decided to first return to his group’s side before continuing his collection.
Landing amongst his comrades, Yang Kai offhandedly threw the four Purifying Spirit Bottles to the Hu Sisters, “Take however much you want.”
“En.” Both Hu Sisters smiled sweetly, like they were staring at their sweetheart.
Although all four of these Purifying Spirit Bottles were given to Hu Jiao Er and Hu Mei Er, none of the Ghost King Valley and Treasure Instrument Sect disciples complained.
Both of their groups had already harvested two full bottles of Evil Spirit Essence.
The debt Yang Kai owed Ghost King Valley had been paid back ten times over with some extra as gifts.
As for Tao Yang and the other Treasure Instrument Sect disciples, their four Brothers and Sisters had only come here because their Master wanted to try using Evil Spirit Essence to refine an artifact.
Their original plan was to kill a few red Evil Spirits and then leave having completed their task, but now they had forty purple Evil Spirit Essences, a huge harvest. Thus, how could they have any complaints?
What’s more, they had all seen how Hu Mei Er did not hesitate to jump into the Evil Spirit Spring to find Yang Kai, so it was obvious that the relationship between these two sisters and Yang Kai wasn’t simple. At the very least, they weren’t recently acquainted strangers.
If so, it was no wonder that Yang Kai had been able to convince them to join their group so easily, even though they had a prior enmity.
Thinking till here, all of them glanced back and forth between Yang Kai and the Hu Sisters, and an ambiguous and snide look appeared on their faces.
“Sure enough, he’s really just a no good playboy!” Leng Shan secretly gnashed her teeth as a strange bitterness rose in her heart.
Originally, in that isolated world, this little bastard gained so many cheap advantages from both her and Zi Mo. Had it not been for an enemy showing up at the last moment, he and Zi Mo would have already…
At that time, if Zi Mo had really been eaten by him, Leng Shan was certain she wouldn’t have escaped his grasp either.
She had never thought that this trip to the Evil Cavern would reunite them, and that they would then run into a pair of country destroying beauties, twins at that, who also happened to be his sweethearts!
Just how many women did he have? For them to run into them in this random forsaken place, what kind of probability was that?
As these thoughts rampaged about her head, Leng Shan became more and more confused and secretly decided to do her absolute best to avoid entangling herself with Yang Kai in the future. Although she truly felt he was a good person, her intuition was constantly warning her not to get involved with him.
She felt, if she kept walking near him, she’d one day find herself lacking her purity without even knowing how it happened.
Even she had dreams of wanting to marry into a good family. Feeling a sense of kinship with the Hu Sisters, she wanted to say something to them and thus opened her mouth to speak.
But after a moment, no words came to mind, and instead she just flapped her lips before sighing and turning away.
Atop the pillar, Yang Kai sat cross-legged on the ground and withdrew the evil energy back into the Unyielding Golden Skeleton while allowing the True Yang Yuan Qi in his dantian to re-fill his meridians.
The Evil Qi that erupted out of the Evil Spirit Spring could be swallowed directly into the Unyielding Golden Skeleton, but the Evil Spirit Essences first had to be refined with his True Yang Yuan Qi before he could truly absorb them.
Carefully inspecting the essences stored in his dantian, Yang Kai found that there were exactly one hundred, and one of which was distinctly different from the others.
It was the essence left behind after the Soul Type Evil Spirit’s death.
After considering for a moment, Yang Kai decided to refine this unique essence last.
The best things should always be enjoyed at the end of one’s meal.
Extracting the other essences from his dantian into his meridians, Yang Kai began using his True Qi to refine them all while meditating over his own Martial Dao.
As he cultivated, Yang Kai felt his understanding of the world’s principles being shackled by some ethereal force, but he remained unconcerned. This was, after all, a normal occurrence when a cultivator attempted to make a breakthrough.
After breaking free of these shackles and surmounting this layer of resistance, a cultivator’s strength would increase once more, and if they failed to do so, their cultivation could only halt where it was. The higher one’s strength became, the more intense this resistance would be.
This was one of the reasons why the growth of a cultivator slowed as their realm rose.
Sometimes a cultivator would sink into a meditative state all year round precisely because the limitations of their aptitude prevented them from reaching a higher realm.
This bondage was especially noticeable when one reached Peak Immortal Ascension Boundary.
It was because of this, that in this world very few cultivators could make the breakthrough to the Above Immortal Ascension Boundary, so anyone who made the breakthrough to Above Immortal Ascension Boundary was considered an overlord! At the very least, they would be the head of a first-class force.
There was only one obvious exception, Ling Tai Xu, after all, High Heaven Pavilion was only a second-class Sect, although now it had been disbanded.
As Yang Kai meditated, he used his Soul and Spiritual Essence to constantly impact this layer of shackles.
Time passed by slowly.
After who knows how long, the restraints holding Yang Kai back suddenly ruptured, and his whole body immediately emitted rays of light, and like a caged beast that had suddenly broke free, his mind, body, and soul all experienced an indescribable sense of freedom.
It seemed like this world’s rules could no longer stop his ascent to the peak of martial arts.
An intangible aura, with Yang Kai as its center, exploded outwards and sent out waves of visible ripples above the pillar.
Those around him who were still laughing and smiling about their amazing good fortune were shocked by this unexpected movement and quickly turned to look towards Yang Kai.
When they realized that these vibrations had come about because Yang Kai was making a breakthrough, all of them are exposed strange expressions.
Daring to break through in this dangerous environment, Yang Kai really had guts!
True Element Boundary, Sixth Stage!
Even though he had successfully broken through, Yang Kai didn’t immediately get up. He still circulated his Secret Art as he continued to refine the remaining Evil Spirit Essences and absorb them into the Unyielding Golden Skeleton.
Since Yang Kai had just make a breakthrough, the Unyielding Skeleton no longer felt saturated, which resulted in a whirlpool like suction that quickly inhaled the purified Evil Spirit Essences.
Although he had only broken through a moment ago, but because of this devouring of pure energy, his realm was quickly consolidated.
However, within his dantian, there was still a single Evil Spirit Essence left.
It was the Special Essence he had obtained from killing the Soul Type Evil Spirit.
Yang Kai grinned and unconsciously became excited as he stared at this Special Essence, and he was anxious to see what kind of benefits it would bring him.
As he drew this essence into his meridians, Yang Kai instantly used his True Qi to smelt it.
Slowly removing the impurities, the essence became more and more sublime.
This lump of energy lived up to its name as a Special Evil Spirit Essence; Yang Kai actually spent a whole hour purifying it.
After finally refining this Special Essence, it began to circulate throughout Yang Kai’s meridians and brought a strange euphoric feeling with it wherever it went, which once again clearly distinguished it from other ordinary Evil Spirit Essences.
Then, suddenly, this mass of pure energy quickly flowed through his meridians straight to his head, and then disappeared in the blink of an eye.
The next moment, Yang Kai noticed that his Spiritual Energy had grown significantly.
This Evil Spirit Essence could actually increase his total amount of Spiritual Energy!
Not only that, but as he continued to observe the changes in his body he noticed he had also gained something more.
Yang Kai’s eyes shot open as lightning seemingly flashed across them and then sparkled as he stared off into the distance, like he was lost in thought, and then his mouth slowly curled in a strange grin.
As he slowly got up, Yang Kai turned his gaze towards the old man atop the other pillars.
“Brother Yang, are you okay?” Chen Yi hurriedly asked.
“En, I couldn’t be any better.” Yang Kai nodded firmly, while still staring towards the old man with a dangerous light that slowly crept into his gaze.
Seemingly detecting Yang Kai’s hostile gaze, the old man couldn’t help but turn around to meet eyes, and he wrinkled his brow after a moment.
He found that this strange youth had somehow undergone some kind of subtle change. Compared to just before, he now seemed to be more confident, more arrogant, and more domineering.
[Only having promoted a single Minor Realm and now wanting to hit back against this old master?] The old man sneered to himself and really wondered what gave this brat the confidence to act so presumptuously before him.
Yang Kai really was thinking about dealing with this old man.
This old dog, in order to snatch that Special Evil Spirit Essence, had struck to kill Yang Kai a moment ago. If it weren’t for Yang Kai’s physique being far more tenacious than an average True Element cultivator, and the True Qi within his body being exceptionally pure, which allowed him to condense a Yang Liquid Shield at that last moment, he really would have ended up dead.
Although he had already extracted a bit of interest right now, the original debt had still yet to be paid, and fully collecting on what he was owed had always been Yang Kai’s philosophy. Enduring such a slight was simply not in his nature.
But as his eyes flashed, Yang Kai gradually withdrew his hostility.
Right now, he still wasn’t completely confident he could kill this old man. After all, the other party’s realm was much higher than his own, so even with the new ability he had just acquired, he didn’t have a hundred percent grasp of success.
[Seems that I still have to use strategy.]
“Brother Yang.” Tao Yang interrupted his train of thoughts, and his expression was dignified as he looked at Yang Kai, “All of us just discussed a moment ago; we think staying here long-term isn’t a solution.”
“En.” Yang Kai thought so too. Before they couldn’t escape because all the nearby Evil Spirits had come flooding towards here, which forced them into a situation where they could only seek refuge atop these giant stone pillars, but now that all of the surrounding Evil Spirits had gathered here, no doubt it would be safer outside rather than continuing to wait here, “What do you want to do?”
“All of us want to leave here,” said Chen Yi, his brow quickly furrowing, “But once we leave this plateau, all of the surrounding Evil Spirits will likely attack us, making it very dangerous to move about.”
“Then what do you propose?” Yang Kai had undoubtedly become the core of this group, so it was natural for them to place their hopes upon him.
“Brother Yang, can you fly while still maintaining such a large defensive shield?” Chen Yi asked somewhat embarrassedly. Wanting Yang Kai to shelter all the Ghost King Valley and Treasure Instrument Sect disciples along with the Hu Sisters was a rather excessive request.
On top of that, they didn’t even know if Yang Kai had enough True Qi to accomplish such a feat right now.
“I’ve never tried something like that, but I should be able to manage it.” Yang Kai thought for a moment before replying, thinking that maintaining such a wide area shield would cost him a lot of True Qi, but he calculated that he should still have enough Yang Liquid in his dantian to accomplish it.
“If so, then we’d like to take a chance,” Chen Yi nodded.
*Dong dong…*
Just as their group was deliberating their escape plans, suddenly, from nearby, a series of deep powerful thumps, like the beating of a huge heart, rang out.
Everyone suddenly wore the same expression and turned their gaze towards the direction from where the sound originated.
After waiting for a moment, the pounding sound came again.
This time, everyone had clearly seen where the sound had come from The epicentre of the Evil Spirit Spring, the place where all of this turbulent Evil Qi had erupted from.
*Pu pu pu…*
The thick turbulent Evil Qi below them suddenly seemed like it was boiling. One giant bubble after another emerged from its surface, only to burst a moment later and release large amounts of Evil Qi into the air.
As these bubbles began bursting, the entire sea of Evil Qi actually surged and roiled more violently than ever before.
At that moment, the thick black Evil Qi began to rise at an incredible rate, like it was exploding.
Watching this, everyone couldn’t help but turn pale.
After three short breaths, this raging sea of Evil Qi had already started to approach the top of the pillars where they stood and showed no sign of slowing.
“Bad!” Tao Yang shouted, his expression completely aghast.
Everyone quickly retreated towards the centre of the plateau, fearing they might accidentally be contaminated by this potent Evil Qi.
With the Evil Spirit Spring suddenly becoming so unstable, even if they wanted to go now it was likely too late, and all of them nearly fell into a panic, having no idea what to do now.
Even the old man was also frightened by this sight; although he knew about the existence of the Evil Spirit Spring, this was still the first time he had encountered it, so, now that the situation had exceeded his knowledge, he was also at a loss about what he should do.
Seeing that the Evil Qi would sooner or later engulf them, the old man knew that staying put and waiting this crisis out was no longer an option, roaring angrily as he cursed his rotten luck, he quickly glanced around at his juniors and the remaining Free and Unfettered Sect disciples and loudly shouted, “If you don’t want to die, follow me!”
Done talking, the old man unleashed a vicious palm strike, forced open a gap in the surrounding Evil Spirit’s, quickly wrapped his True Qi around his four juniors, and then shot off the pillar towards Yang Kai’s direction.
The few Free And Unfettered Sect males also hurried to keep up, using all kinds of Martial Skills and artifacts to protect themselves and temporarily safeguard their lives.
Yang Kai remained indifferent. Narrowing his eyes as he watched the old man rapidly approach them, his eyes flashed a ruthless light.
The purpose of the old man flying in their direction was self-evident.
A moment later, this entire space would be flooded by the Evil Spirit Spring’s Evil Qi, by that time, the high pillar where Yang Kai and his group were located would be the only safe haven.
With the Light Curtain formed from twenty overlapping layers of True Yang Yuan Qi, it would hopefully be enough to resist the Evil Qi’s corrosion.
In this life or death crisis, the old man took decisive action.
Flying right up beside them, the old man did not immediately take action and instead called out to Yang Kai and plead, “Little friend, although there are many unpleasant matters between this old master and yourself, but at this time, the old master still must ask you if you can open a few spaces for us?”
Yang Kai just gazed at him cynically, lightly quipping, “Old man, don’t you see that our side is full?”
The old man’s expression immediately sank, as he hurriedly said, “That’s why this old master is asking you to open up a few seats! With the Evil Spirit Spring acting up like this, no one here knows what will happen next. If you have this old master, an Immortal Ascension Master’s help, you’ll have a higher chance of survival, right? The strength of the different members of your group varies greatly, you should simply kick out a few of the weaker ones! In this life or death crisis, one should know who they can use and who they can discard!”
“Senior…” Yu Qing urgently cut in, clearly understanding what the old man’s meaning was. He had likely not planned to allow all of their Free And Unfettered Sect disciples to remain, which naturally sent him into a panic.
Of course, no one here was a fool, and all of them understood, as they quickly directed angry glares towards the old man. How could they not figure out that this old dog was intending to sacrifice some of them so he could live?
However, Yang Kai just sneered and lightly shook his head, “I’m fine with the way things are right now, so I’ll have to reject Senior’s gracious offer!”
“Arrogant Junior! You’ve brought this upon yourself!” The old man angrily shouted.
With the Evil Qi still rising higher and higher, he had no more time to waste.
“This old master by himself is insufficient! You Free And Unfettered Sect brats help this old master drive them out then we can all occupy this light shield! It’s our best chance to survive!” The old man commanded
“Good!” Yu Qing replied overjoyed, not hesitating in the slightest as he readily agreed.
Everyone gathered atop the platform’s expression became dignified. Even if this old man was a shameless bastard, he was still an Immortal Ascension Boundary Fifth Stage master, none of them knew if they, with their True Element Boundary cultivations, could repel him.
Only Yang Kai continued smiling lightly, as he stared back scornfully at the old man, seeming to ridicule him with his gaze.
*Boom … * A fire dragon phantom suddenly sprang up from the pillar, and flew towards the old man, which seemed to signal the start of their battle.
Yang Kai’s True Yang Yuan Qi curtain atop the high pillar had now become the only safe haven in this entire cavern, and obviously no one was willing to surrender it, so facing the old man’s rampant aggression, naturally no one held back their strength.
The next moment, a variety of Martial Skills and artifact strikes illuminated the dark cave.
The old man’s group didn’t back down either and stuck out fully as well.
But after only a single confrontation, everyone atop the platform frowned.
The old man, the sole Immortal Ascension Boundary master here, had single handedly intercepted all of their attacks.
Although this caused the old man no small amount of effort, he nevertheless had successfully blunted their full assault.
Meanwhile, the True Element cultivators behind him remained free to attack and quickly suppressed Yang Kai’s group.
Everyone atop the pillar couldn’t help paling; with an Immortal Ascension Boundary defending before them, even if they wanted to kill the weaker ones behind him they were unable to.
In a short time, the sea of Evil Qi had again risen a lot and would soon swallow up anyone outside the Light Curtain.
The old man’s four juniors and the Free And Unfettered Sect disciples also went all out, pushing their True Qi to the limit as they relentlessly attacked.
As for the old man himself, he was like a hovering hawk, with his gaze firmly locked onto Yang Kai. His intuition told him that this unusual young man was still concealing his full strength and would certainly use his hidden methods soon.
If it were normal circumstances, he would proceed carefully, probing this kid’s depths once or twice lest he find himself suddenly taken by surprise, but in this moment of crisis, how could he still have the leisure to do so?
Condensing his True Qi while pushing his hand forward, the old man sent out a huge palm towards Yang Kai in an attempt to end things with this single strike.
Yang Kai coldly snorted and pointed his finger forward to condense a flaming red shield in front of himself.
*Boom…*
As the old man’s palm landed on the Yang Liquid shield, although the shield instantly fragmented, it still managed to block the blow.
Not waiting for the old man to recover, an invisible wave of energy burst out from Yang Kai’s mind. Silent and undetectable, it bypassed the old man’s blockade and arrived at the crowd of juniors behind him instantly.
The old man’s expression stiffened, in that moment, he had faintly perceived a foreign Divine Sense sweep past him.
Not understanding what had happened, he quickly turned back only to see a burst of purple light suddenly appear behind him.
This purple fan-shaped halo immediately engulfed the old man’s four disciples and the Free And Unfettered Sect disciples.
Having been struck by this silent strike, these True Element Boundary juniors suddenly trembled, and their faces contorted in pain.
In the next breath, another burst of purple light emerged…
Followed by a third …
“AH!!” Yu Qing clutched his head and screamed in pain as he staggered. His True Qi’s circulation was thrown into disorder, which sent him plummeting from the air.
When Yu Qing’s body fell into the sea of Evil Qi, a burst of sizzling noises burst out as his body was quickly corroded. His flesh and blood festered as it melted, and soon only bleached bones were left behind.
In addition to Yu Qing, all of the other Free And Unfettered Sect disciples and the old man’s four juniors also shared similar fates. Some of them fell to their deaths while others were ripped apart by nearby Evil Spirits.
In the blink of an eye, the old man’s group had been reduced to him alone. A look of absolute shock was plastered all over his face.
*Deng deng deng deng…*
The old man backpedalled hurriedly and stared at Yang Kai in horror, “A Soul Skill!”
Yang Kai simply smiled back at the old man brightly.
“Impossible!” The old man’s face looked like he had seen some kind of unfathomable monster, and he was absolutely unable to believe what was happening even though it was right in front of his eyes.
This youth was no doubt a True Element Boundary Sixth Stage cultivator, yet just now he had definitely used a Soul Skill! Moreover, this Soul Skill was quite familiar to the old man; it was clearly the attack the Soul Type Evil Spirit had used just now, and the only difference between them was that scope of this youth’s attack was somewhat narrower.
“Correct, a Soul Skill!” Yang Kai stared at the old man provocatively. “From that Special Evil Spirit Essence. Old dog, face your death!”
“No… that’s impossible!” The old man still hadn’t recovered from his shock. Although the three halos hadn’t affected him much, nevertheless his Soul had taken some minor damage, which caused a faint lingering pain in his head, “Even if you obtained that Soul Skill from that Special Essence, without first cultivating out your Divine Sense you couldn’t have used it!”
Muttering these words, the old man’s eyes flashed brilliantly, and he pointed towards Yang Kai as he stuttered, “Could it be… that lump of essence allowed you to awaken your Divine Sense!?”
“Well, something like that.” Yang Kai snickered and didn’t bother to explain any further.
In truth, Yang Kai had begun cultivating his Divine Sense a long time ago, and by now his Soul and Spiritual Energy were by no means weak, or else he wouldn’t have been able to use this new Soul Skill of his three times in a row while still looking calm and relaxed
Even if it was an ordinary initial stage Immortal Ascension Boundary master it would normally be impossible to cast such a powerful Soul Skill three times consecutively.
Atop the high pillar, all of Yang Kai’s comrades also couldn’t hide their shock, and none of them thought that at this critical moment Yang Kai would pull out such unbelievable methods to once again turn the tide.
Although most of them had only encountered Yang Kai recently, but in this short period of time they had traveled and fought together, they had watched him repeatedly reveal unfathomable skills and phenomenal strength over and over again, as he frequently produced what could only be described as miracles one after another.
Everyone knew that if they hadn’t come across Yang Kai on this trip to the Evil Cavern, they all would have likely died a long time ago.
Even if he wasn’t their life’s benefactor, Yang Kai’s immense and profound strength alone was enough for everyone present to secretly swear to themselves to befriend him, or at the very least never become his enemy.
The old man stared down at the Evil Spirit Spring painfully for a moment; the four juniors he had so desperately protected all this time had all just died like that, naturally his hatred towards Yang Kai had reached an extreme level now.
His expression becoming incomparably cold. He hesitated for a while before suddenly turning away and roaring, “Little brat, you better survive this so that one day this old master can flay your skin and crush your bones!”
Even if Yang Kai had somehow mastered a Soul Skill, the old man still didn’t fear him.
In the old man’s opinion, the only thing here worthy of his attention was the Evil Spirit Spring below!
Unable to quickly occupy the Light Curtain atop Yang Kai’s pillar, the old man decided to make a run for it, hoping that now he was alone he would be able to escape with his life.
“Want to leave? You think you can get away so easily?” Yang Kai coldly shouted and directly soared off the plateau. Catching up to the old man quickly, a burst of Spiritual Energy shot out from his brow, but this force and the one he had released earlier were somewhat different, instead of an invisible wave, it was more akin to a ray of purple light that immediately sank into the old man’s head.
This was the other Soul Skill the Soul Type Evil Spirit had used before; instead of a wide range dispersed attack, this one was a focused strike. While the two were similar in nature, their uses were quite different.
Obviously, the old man hadn’t expected Yang Kai to give chase, much less use a second, more potent Soul Skill against him, which caught him off guard. As the purple light struck his soul, the old man’s body crumpled and fell, and half of his body immediately submerged into the thick roiling Evil Qi below.
A fizzling sound resounded; it was like the old man’s lower half had fallen into a burning hot pot of oil. The Evil Spirit Spring had an unparalleled corrosive effect, so although it had only been a moment, it had already eaten away a large part of the old man’s body.
The old man screamed in pain and circulated his True Qi furiously as he tried to resist the Demonic Qi that invaded his body.
However, no matter how hard he tried, the thick black Demonic Qi continued to spread unabated.
Still, the old man gritted his teeth and persevered, doing his best to fly upwards to escape, but it was as if the Evil Spirit Spring was exuding an enormous suction, like an invisible hand that was fiercely trying to pull him down into the depths.
It was almost as if he had fallen into a demonic swamp. The harder he struggled, the faster he was pulled under.
Yang Kai didn’t waste this opportunity and flew straight above the old man’s head before sending out a double palm strike, exerting a mountain like pressure on him in an attempt to force him down.
With a combination of his Burning Sun’s Three Layer Blast and his newly acquired Soul Skill, the two palm prints sent out brilliant crimson purple hue.
A Heaven shaking blow!
Although the old man had the power of an Immortal Ascension Boundary Fifth Stage master, right now he was nothing more than a caged tiger unable to display any of his strength. With an extremely unwilling roar, he was helplessly submerged into the sea of Demonic Qi by Yang Kai’s attack.
Along with a series of pitiful howls, the old man’s faintly visible outline could still be seen struggling beneath the Demonic Qi’s surface, but unable to break free of the Evil Spirit Spring’s shackles, he simply continued to sink deeper and deeper before he gradually disappeared.
Only a few breaths later, the old man’s voice disappeared, silenced forever.
Even Yang Kai’s expression was a bit grim as he watched this scene. He hadn’t expected that this Evil Spirit Spring’s corrosive power would be so overwhelming, even able to dissolve the body of an Immortal Ascension Boundary master within mere seconds. With his Unyielding Golden Skeleton, he could swim freely through this demonic sea, but if anyone else were to fall into it, they would only have one fate, death!
[Can my True Yang Yuan Qi shield on the platform… really withstand this?]
With a dignified expression upon his face, Yang Kai hurriedly returned to his group.
Using his Spiritual Energy so many times had really exhausted him, but outwardly Yang Kai didn’t show any signs of fatigue.
Landing back atop the pillar, Yang Kai noticed that everyone was gawking at him, obviously unable to believe that he had managed to kill an Immortal Ascension Boundary Fifth Stage master, let along accomplish the feat so easily.
Although they all knew that this was not Yang Kai’s own ability, and most of the credit belonged to the Evil Spirit Spring, it was still an extremely shocking matter.
“Ahem… well, it appears that we’re the only ones left here,” Chen Yi said lightly after awkwardly coughing, which woke the crowd of youths from their stupor.
“Yeah, everyone else died…” Leng Shan glanced over at the empty platform opposite them, not completely convinced she wasn’t dreaming.
The matter of her Ghost King Valley seriously offending Free And Unfettered Sect this time worried Leng Shan greatly, and she feared that when they returned her master would punish all of them, but she had never expected that Yu Qing and his group, who was the only ones who knew about this, would all die here. It was quite a favourable result.
If no one from Free And Unfettered Sect made it back alive, naturally nobody would report what had transpired here.
“It’s reached us!” Tao Yang suddenly shouted, his eyes fixedly stared outside the Light Curtain.
With the Evil Spirit Spring erupting even more violently now, the Demonic Qi sea had now finally exceeded the height of their refuge and continued upwards at an astounding pace until it had completely flooded the Evil Cavern.
As they gazed around, the only thing Yang Kai and his group could see was an endless ocean of darkness, a think black liquid that blotted out all light, which churned restlessly about them.
Outside the Light Curtain, they occasionally spotted some Evil Spirit wandering about aimlessly within the Evil Qi.
Everyone couldn’t help but thank the Heavens that they hadn’t rashly tried to escape from this cavern, or else once they had left this defensive shield, they would have soon been swallowed up by this sea of Evil Qi.
*Fssst…* As the Evil Qi scraped past Yang Kai’s True Yang Yuan Qi shield, a constant sizzling sound rang out as the two energies collided and rapidly consumed one another.
As time passed, everyone’s nerves became taught as they stared at the Light Curtain and prayed it held.
Now, if this Light Curtain were to fail, everyone here knew that except for Yang Kai, all of them would certainly die.
*Dong dong…*
An even more violent sound echoed from the Evil Spirit Spring as its eruption became more and more intense, which caused everyone’s heart to pound even faster and all but sent them into a panic, terrified of what might happen next.
*Pu…* Suddenly, the sound of something breaking reached everyone’s ears.
Zhao Rong, the first to notice, immediately went pale as she called out in fright, “The outermost layer just broke!”
“Are you sure?” Cheng Ying’s face also turned green as he quickly questioned.
It had only been so long yet a layer of the Light Curtain had actually been shattered. That meant if this pace kept up, it wouldn’t be long before this platform was no longer safe!
“It’s true, I just saw it!” Zhao Rong cried out in a trembling voice.
Sometimes death was not so terrible, like when someone was suddenly slashed by a sword and died before realizing it.
What was truly terrifying was the feeling of waiting for death, the kind of long drawn out suffering, anxiety, and helplessness that grated against one’s will.
“What happens if all of them break?” Cheng Ying asked with a mournful face.
“Shut your mouth!” Leng Shan reprimanded loudly.
Immediately everyone turned and looked at Yang Kai.
All of them hoped he could once again create a miracle and save them from this crisis.
Yang Kai took a deep breath before saying, “I can condense more of these defensive shields!”
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, Chen Yi letting out a happy laugh, “See, didn’t I say Brother Yang would surely have a way, hahaha! With this there’s nothing for us to worry about.”
As long as they hid behind this Light Curtain, aside from it being unnerving, they were actually quite safe.
However, Tao Yang’s brow slightly wrinkled, as he looked at Yang Kai thoughtfully and quietly asked, “How many layers can Brother Yang put up?”
Quickly checking the amount of Yang Liquid in his dantian, Yang Kai lightly said, “Fifty layers shouldn’t be a problem.”
Hearing this, Tao Yang coughed as he choked up and stared at Yang Kai like he was some kind of monster.
The True Qi contained in a single layer of this defensive shield was enormous, as for fifty layers… Tao Yang simply couldn’t fathom how much True Qi Yang Kai had within him.
But immediately after, his brow furrowed again, and he muttered with worry, “Regardless, the problem is how long it will take before this Evil Spirit Spring eruption ends. Even if Brother Yang goes all out, I’m afraid that this shield will only last about half an hour, if the Evil Qi hasn’t receded by then…”
Yang Kai’s brow also wrinkled. This was the point he was worried about as well.
Although he didn’t have to worry about his own safety, but the Hu Sisters were still here, and there was no way he could simply sit back and watch them die.
This pair of twin sisters had been very good to Yang Kai even back when he was still a weak little brat, so they no doubt held a special place in his heart.
Fifty additional layers was actually Yang Kai’s most conservative estimate.
If they really arrived at a critical point, he would shield the Hu Sisters in his remaining True Qi and fly the two of them out of here.
The reason he chose to stay here for now was because Yang Kai was trying his best to get along well with everyone from Ghost King Valley and Treasure Instrument Sect.
But ultimately, he was just one man and was unable to take on the responsibility for everyone here. Although escaping at the end was somewhat selfish, in a life or death crisis Yang Kai would still prioritize those closest to him.
For a time, everyone on the platform’s mood was tense and restless.
Hu Mei Er quietly looked at Yang Kai, but seeing no signs of worry on his face, she subconsciously leaned towards him.
Hu Jiao Er, aware of her little sister’s thoughts, simply smiled and glanced elsewhere.
“That’s right, do you have any news about my Grand Master?” Relatively unconcerned with their current situation, Yang Kai decided to inquire about his other worries and softly asked Hu Mei Er about any news related to his Sect.
“Your Grand Master?” Hu Mei Er looked at him in confusion before quickly blushing and averting her gaze as their faces were too close.
“Ling Tai Xu.”
“Oh.” Hu Mei Er nodded softly and quickly collected her thoughts, “We don’t know much, only that one night a great battle erupted inside High Heaven Pavilion. It seemed like the Qiu Family lead a group of people to seize control of your Sect and then a fight broke out. I heard daddy say that Sect Master Ling seemed to have made the breakthrough to the Above Immortal Ascension Boundary. Sect Master Ling is really amazing!”
“What was the outcome of that war?” Yang Kai nervously asked.
“Sect Master Ling used his incredible strength along with your four Elders to push back all of the Qiu Family’s masters, but after that, Sect Master Ling and the four Elders seemed to have disappeared.”
“That’s good.” Yang Kai couldn’t help but breath easier, though he knew that his Grand Master wouldn’t have any issues escaping that situation, but after such a long time of not hearing any news about Ling Tai Xu, he inevitably had some worries.
“While your High Heaven Pavilion people might have been able to get away, those of us from the Blood Battle Gang and Storm Hall didn’t have such luck.” Hu Mei Er stared at Yang Kai, and her tone was slightly harsh but without any real sense of blame.
“What happened?”
“The Demon Lord came from High Heaven Pavilion, then the team sent by the Qiu Family to suppress your Sect was knocked back, on top of that it seems a very important figure from the Qiu Family went missing during the battle with no contact from them as of yet. So the next group that came were extremely overbearing, shifting the blame onto our Blood Battle Gang and Storm Hall after they couldn’t discover any traces of your Sect, therefore the members of our Sects were forced to come to the front lines of the battle against the Ash-Gray Cloud Evil Land to prove our innocence, or else, why would Elder Sister and I be here?” Hu Mei Er softly explained.
Listening to her story, Yang Kai finally understood why these two treasured daughters of Heaven would suddenly appear in the Ash-Gray Cloud Evil Land. They had been forcefully conscripted to fight in this war and had apparently been separated from their Sect at some point.
Unfamiliar with this place, they inadvertently moved deeper and deeper into these lands and eventually came across those Free And Unfettered Sect scum, fleeing until they wound up here at the Evil Cavern.
“I’m just joking with you, I don’t blame High Heaven Pavilion for all of this, it was the Qiu Family that were being too unreasonable!” Hu Mei Er frantically explained after she saw Yang Kai go silent and worried that he was upset.
“Good, I understand.” Yang Kai replied listlessly before suddenly asking, “Su Yan? Have you heard anything about Su Yan after that?”
“No.” Hu Mei Er shook her head lightly, apparently not knowing that Su Yan and the other High Heaven Pavilion Sect members had passed through the Void Corridor and had escaped some ten thousand kilometers away, “There’s been no word about where your High Heaven Pavilion disciples and elders have gone now, and that important figure in the Qiu Family is also still missing, so the ones who came to later to investigate took out their anger on your High Heaven Pavilion… all that’s left now is charred ruins.”
Yang Kai sighed deeply and nodded, “A-alright.”
“Um… well… don’t mind it…” Hu Mei Er couldn’t bear seeing Yang Kai looking so depressed, but not knowing how to comfort him, she simply leaned against him and gently held his hand.
Yang Kai couldn’t help but glance over in surprise.
Hu Mei Er lowered her head in silence. In her mind she thought to herself: [We are about to die anyway. Since I already have him by my side, I don’t want to let go. At least, not now. After cultivating the Twin Qi Shared Spirit Divine Art, I began to get influenced by my Elder Sister’s perception and way of living. Ah… in the past, when I first met him, I can’t believe I was so bold as to try and seduce him! To think I would feel embarrassed now…]
Time seemed to pass by extremely slowly.
Facing the pressure of death made everyone’s mood incredibly serious, and all of their hearts raced as cold sweat dripped down their brows.
All of them maintained a heightened state of vigilance and constantly monitored the True Yang Yuan Qi shield’s situation.
Every time one of the Light Curtain layers ruptured, a shiver was sent up everyone’s spine.
Not long after the Evil Qi Sea had enveloped them, all twenty layers of the defence shield had broken. Fortunately, Yang Kai had pre-emptively put up a new set of shields, for which everyone was immensely grateful.
As the Demonic Qi swirled around them, Evil Spirits constantly wandered about just outside the shield as massive bubbles of frigid Yin Qi welled up from below.
The temperature dropped rapidly.
Everyone inside the Light Curtain was a True Element Boundary cultivator, so with their True Qi protecting their bodies a simple chill wouldn’t affect them in the slightest. However, now those with slightly lower cultivations soon had frost developing on their hair as they began shivering from the cold, and even their breath became a visible, fine white fog.
Even the strongest of them also couldn’t help but feel chilly, and aside from Yang Kai who was indifferent to this cold, no one else could ignore it.
Outside the Light Curtain, the sea of Evil Qi had seemingly transformed into an icy hell, capable of freezing the soul of anyone who had the misfortune of straying into it.
*Dong dong…*
The pounding sound that originated from the core of Evil Spirit Spring never stopped, and instead only increased in magnitude with time until eventually every pulse shook and rattled the pillar upon which everyone stood.
*Pa pa pa…*
The giant bubbles of Yin Qi continued to burst around them one after another, stirring up all kinds of cold black evil energy.
As each True Yang Yuan Qi layer burst, Yang Kai’s expression gradually became heavier.
A little later, a series of loud thumps echoed from the Evil Spirit Spring’s core.
After this burst of sound though, everything went silent.
Everyone glanced back and forth at one another with anxiety and confusion apparent on their faces.
However, before they could figure out what was going on, a sudden surge of cold energy crashed towards them, like the frigid winds from an eternally snow-capped mountain, carrying a bone-chilling Yin Qi that seemed to originate from the ninth level of purgatory, which instantly caused everyone who felt it to shudder.
*Kacha…*
In an instant, the True Yang Yuan Qi shield was covered in a layer of ice, which was a seemingly impossible occurrence that left all who saw it aghast.
This frigid Yin Qi, coupled with the Demonic Qi, both smashed against the Light Curtains and doubled the pace at which they were being shaved away.
“Not good!” Cheng Ying muttered with his mouth agape and his eyes full of bitterness. Everyone was already on edge but had somehow managed to hold out hope through all of these hardships, but now this sudden change was almost like a sign that the Heavens had abandoned them.
His voice had hardly fallen through when suddenly all the Evil Qi began to flood backwards towards the core of the Evil Spirit Spring, and even the numerous Evil Spirits who floated nearby were drawn in as well.
Instead of an erupting spring, it now seemed like a giant whirlpool had formed, which devouring everything inside the Evil Cavern.
Countless piercing howls rang out as all of these Evil Spirits struggled desperately.
Even Yang Kai’s group atop the platform were also attracted by this suction, but fortunately, the Light Curtain offsets a large portion of this force or all of them would have already been drawn into this whirlpool.
As long as they circulated their True Qi slightly, they could offset the remaining suction force.
“What’s happening?” Chen Yi frowned as he glared towards the outside and noticed a ghostly light now pulsating a short distance away from where the Evil Spirit Spring’s core once was.
This light was not bright, but in this profound darkness, it seemed to emit a penetrating radiance.
Evil Spirit Essence! No doubt this was the Evil Spirit Spring’s Essence!
It was the Precious Treasure the old man had wanted before, a pity he had died before even being able to see it for himself.
As everyone observed this giant Evil Spirit Essence, they noticed that it was actually beating like a heart and was rapidly absorbing the surrounding energy with each pulse.
Slowly, this light disappeared, seeming to drown in the darkness of the Demonic Qi rushing towards it.
*Pa…*
Atop the pillar, another layer of the Light Curtain shattered.
Just as Yang Kai was about to spend another twenty drops of Yang Liquid to enhance the Light Curtain, Leng Shan cried out in surprise, “The Evil Spirit Spring is receding!”
At these words, everyone suddenly became ecstatic and turned their eyes towards the direction she was gazing, and sure enough, they saw a faint light shining in from the opposite side of the Evil Cavern.
With all the Demonic Qi rapidly flowing towards the Evil Spirit Spring’s core, naturally, there was a place it would drain from.
“Hahaha! The Heaven’s haven’t abandoned us after all!” Chen Yi shouted happily, just as everyone had felt death’s cold embrace wrapping around them, this light in darkness had once again ignited their hope for survival.
At the rate at which the Evil Spirit Spring was draining, it would only be a few dozen breaths before the Demonic Qi engulfing the high pillar receded.
Yang Kai, however, frowned and called out to everyone hastily, “The moment it’s clear we need to leave, this place is about to become extremely dangerous.”
“What do you mean?” Leng Shan asked, somewhat startled.
“Something or someone incredibly powerful is forming!” Yang Kai said with an intensely profound expression as he stared towards the Evil Spirit Spring’s core.
The others couldn’t yet use their Divine Senses, so all they could feel was the massive energy fluctuations radiating from the core, but Yang Kai could sense much more than they could.
All of the remaining Evil Spirits, as well as all of the Demonic Qi, was being sucked into the Evil Spirit Spring’s core and transformed into a single massive lump of energy, and as this energy gathered it was condensing into a coherent form.
The massive Evil Spirit Essence that had appeared in the centre of the spring was actually shaping into a body!
With so much energy being used to form this unknown entity, once it was finished forming its strength would be absolutely terrifying!
A moment later, the Demonic Qi had finally drained enough for them to leave.
“Go!” Yang Kai shouted, as he leapt off the platform and shot towards the Evil Cavern’s exit. Everyone else followed closely behind as well.
Now that a chance to escape had finally appeared, whether it was the Ghost King Valley or Treasure Instrument Sect disciples, everyone scampered as quickly as rabbits, cursed the fact that they were only born with two legs, and pushed their True Qi to the limit, not hesitating to use their Movement Skills and even their auxiliary artifacts to gain even the slightest bit more speed.
In terms of speed, Yang Kai was the fastest and led the way. The Hu Sisters used some kind of mystical ability that seemed to link their True Qis together and followed right behind him, effortlessly keeping pace.
But after only escaping some ten or so kilometers a terrifying roar resounded from somewhere behind them.
This roar caused the entire Evil Cavern to shudder like a slumbering beast had awoken after a long imprisonment.
A powerful blast of wind brushed past them a moment later. If they hadn’t already escaped this far, they would have been swept away by this shockwave.
Now acutely aware of just how outrageously powerful this unknown creature was, everyone’s faces drained of all colour, and they desperately channelled more of their True Qi in an attempt to increase their speed.
With such single-minded effort, everyone was naturally travelling quite quickly.
“Over there! The exit is over there!” Cheng Ying who had been serving as a scout before now and was the most familiar with the Evil Cavern’s terrain quickly pointed towards the exit.
In the direction he indicated, Yang Kai really could see a faint point of light different from the Evil Cavern’s gloomy illumination; not hesitating, Yang Kai quickly led the crowd towards the light.
Seeing this faint trace of sunlight, everyone couldn’t help but feel relieved, and all of them were eager to escape from this hellish experience.
However, when they were just about two kilometers from the exit, a group of Immortal Ascension Boundary masters suddenly appeared and flew towards them.
Yang Kai’s brow furrowed, and he secretly increased his level of vigilance.
These Immortal Ascension Boundary masters all possessed a dense Evil Qi, and an undisguised malicious and murderous aura radiated from their bodies. These people were definitely nothing good.
Of course, with such a large scale event happening inside the Evil Cavern it was only natural that it would attract nearby Immortal Ascension experts, but what depressed Yang Kai was that these people obviously realized he and his group were coming out of the Evil Cavern and would thus have information regarding what had happened.
The distance between the two groups rapidly shrunk as these Immortal Ascension Boundary masters locked their sights on Yang Kai and his group and called out to them as soon as they approached, “You brats over there, stop for this old master!”
Listening to this shout, which was nothing short of a command, made everyone’s heart sink.
After experiencing such a crisis and now finally seeing the path to escape within reach but being blocked at the final step, of course, they wouldn’t feel good.
“They’re the Ghost King’s Four Monsters and Demons!” Leng Shan’s expression darkened as she quickly whispered to Yang Kai, “All of them have reached the Immortal Ascension Boundary Seventh or Eighth Stage. We absolutely can’t fight them!”
She was afraid that Yang Kai might accidentally offend these four without knowing who they were, so she hurriedly explained their identities. Moreover, these four individuals were regarded as real devils who had committed all kinds of atrocious acts, and they had extremely notorious reputations even amongst those who inhabited the Ash-Gray Cloud Evil Land.
The four of them were very proficient in group combat, so even though they were only Immortal Ascension Boundary Seventh or Eighth Stage masters, together they could hold their ground against even Peak Immortal Ascension Boundary masters for some time, so even though their enemies were incredibly numerous, they still lived relatively rich and indulgent lives.
What’s more, the four of them had close ties to the Profound Yin Ghost King!
Their temperaments were also ruthless, and if they were displeased in any way, they wouldn’t hesitate to massacre people in cruel and vicious ways.
Yang Kai naturally understood what to do, so when the man shouted out to them, although he was anxious and unwilling in his heart, he had no choice but to quickly stop.
The four old men flew side by side while wearing similarly designed robes that only differed in colour, which allowed each one of them to be easily identified.
These Four Monster and Demons wore blue, green, yellow, and purple respectively.
All of these old men stood above Yang Kai and looked down upon them in an arrogant manner, and then the blue-robed one started to interrogate them in a commanding tone, “Who are you? What happened here?”
Yang Kai’s brow furrowed lightly as he replied, “Seniors, we are disciples from Ghost King Valley who came here for life experience, as for what just happened, we don’t know.”
“You don’t know?” The blue-robed old man coldly snorted, clearly believing that Yang Kai was lying.
“Enough nonsense, just make him spit out what he knows on the way.” The green-robed old casually said.
“Good.” The blue-robed old man nodded and arrived in a flash beside Yang Kai.
Yang Kai instinctively began circulating his True Qi for a moment but quickly suppressed this urge. In the face of a single Immortal Ascension Boundary Seventh or Eighth Stage master, he had no hope of resisting, let alone four of them.
Acting rashly would only make things worse!
The blue-robed old man easily seized Yang Kai, not even bothering to seal his cultivation before flying forward again, seemingly extremely confident this kid wouldn’t be able to resist him in the slightest.
“All of you exit first! When I come out I’ll find you.” Yang Kai shouted towards his comrades just before he and the four old men disappeared from sight.
“Yang Kai!” Both Hu Sisters paled in fright; they had been so close to escaping this forsaken place, yet now, how could this have happened?
The blue robed old man dragged Yang Kai along as the four Immortal Ascension masters quickly raced towards the interior of the Evil Cavern.
The green robed old man however couldn’t help but glance backwards, and then he grinned evilly, while his eyes flashed with a wicked green light, akin to a snake which had found its prey.
The two Hu Sisters’ delicate bodies that were reflected in the green robed man’s eyes trembled and suddenly began to give off a faint green glow.
Immediately, the two sisters discovered this change and hurriedly examined themselves, but soon found that they had not suffered any injuries, nor was their True Qi circulation obstructed in any way.
Leng Shan’s expression however became extremely ugly as she involuntarily muttered, “Shadow Marking!”
In fact, everyone from Ghost King Valley couldn’t help glancing sympathetically towards the Hu Sisters.
“Shadow Marking? What is this?” Hu Jiao Er asked nervously.
Leng Shan face was filled with a mix of worry and helplessness, and she hesitated for a while before finally explaining, “Of those Four Monsters And Demons, the one wearing green robes is extremely lascivious, and unfortunately, it looks like you two have caught his interest. This Shadow Marking is his unique technique, once he’s hit you with it, he’ll be able to sense your position and use it to influence your thoughts and emotions. If you’re close enough he’ll even be able to exert a certain amount of control over you directly.”
Listening to this, the two Hu Sisters’ beautiful faces suddenly lost all colour.
“What’s worse, the faint green aura your bodies are radiating right now signify that you’ve been marked by that old man’s technique. As long as you go outside, anybody who sees this colour will know that you’ve been hit by that bastard’s Shadow Marking,” Leng Shan suddenly continued, “Right now, he’s occupied with figuring out what happened inside the Evil Cavern, but since he’s left his Shadow Marking on you now, once they’re done he’ll definitely seek you out.”
“Even if he doesn’t come find you in person, some people will no doubt capture you and bring you to him in order to gain his favour. In short, you’re situation right now is quite grim!” Chen Yi followed up, his expression extremely dignified.
“Is there any way to break this technique,” Hu Jiao Er asked, her expression visibly distressed.
“Masters at the Immortal Ascension Boundary Ninth Stage aren’t necessarily able to remove it. You only have two options, kill him or find someone of even higher strength!” Leng Shan bit her lip and replied.
Hearing Leng Shan’s conclusion, both the Hu Sisters’ hearts instantly sunk.
The Hu Sisters’ exact situation wasn’t known to Yang Kai, but the obscene light which had flickered past the green robed man’s eyes was clearly seen by him.
Immediately, Yang Kai’s expression became both sharper and colder.
The green robed old man pulling this little trick was apparently something commonplace, so it hadn’t even drawn the attention of the other three Monsters and Demons.
All of them had treated it simply like the passing breeze.
With the extremely fast speed of Immortal Ascension Boundary masters, it wasn’t long before the Four Monsters and Demons and Yang Kai had flown from the Evil Cavern’s entrance back to the room with the high pillars.
When they arrived nearby the two high platforms, the Four Monsters And Demons all narrowed their eyes and looked forward with a dignified expression.
At this moment, the Evil Spirit Spring has completely receded, and in its place was an exceptionally dark cocoon.
Atop this chrysalis were numerous blood red lines, like human veins, that pulsed with a kind of inexplicable energy.
However, this cocoon like object was incomparably massive and stood some fifteen to twenty meters tall, radiating a profound icy aura that seemed to even freeze one’s soul. Swirling about outside of it were tentacle like filaments composed of rich Demonic Qi.
*Dong dong…*
The sound of a heart beating inside the cocoon pounded one’s ears and produced shockwaves that caused the Souls and Divine Senses of the four Monsters And Demons and Yang Kai to tremble.
The blue robed old man, who was still gripping Yang Kai, furrowed his brow and waved his hands a few times before himself to block these residual waves.
“What is this?” The yellow robed old man muttered, as his expression switched between being confused and concerned.
All four of them had lived long lives and possessed vast experience and keen insight, but although they could feel just how enormous the pressure radiating from the cocoon in front of them was, and that it was definitely not something to be provoked lightly, none of them actually knew what it was.
The Evil Qi it gave off was so potent it was actually visible to the naked eye.
The four of them had only ever witnessed a similar phenomenon once before.
When they had met the new Demon Lord!
A few months ago, when the four of them were accompanying the Profound Yin Ghost King, they had the privilege of witnessing the new Demon Lord.
The Demon Lord’s Evil Qi had similarly reached this kind of height. The Profound Yin Ghost King had even told them that he was an actual Demon, a real Devil!
All of their so called Devil Path cultivators were only cheap imitations before him.
“Little brat, I’ll ask you once more, what exactly transpired here? If you dare say you don’t know again, this old master will cripple you and leave you here to die. Only if you tell me everything you know will this old master let you leave.” The blue robed old man spoke in a cold tone as he looked down at Yang Kai.
Yang Kai’s expression was ugly when he heard the old man’s threat, but eventually chose to answer, “This thing appeared from inside the Evil Spirit Spring.”
“The Evil Spirit Spring?” The Four Monsters And Demons’ expressions all changed, and even the blue robed old man’s voice suddenly became more animated.
The words Evil Spirit Spring were undoubtedly quite attractive to them.
“Yes.” Yang Kai nodded, as he simply described what had happened earlier while omitting a few key details.
The more the four old men listened, the more excited they became, and their originally unfriendly and ugly expressions were slowly replaced with looks of greed as they gazed towards the cocoon radiantly.
When Yang Kai had finished, these four old men no longer bothered to keep up appearances, and clear looks of avarice were plastered all over their faces.
“What do we do?” The other three looked nervously and expectantly at the blue robed old man while waiting for him to make a decision.
The blue robed old man was obviously also very excited. The Evil Spirit Spring rarely appeared, but every time it did it would bring forth many wondrous treasures. Things that even high level Immortal Ascension Boundary masters like themselves would be desperate to snatch.
However, this time the Evil Spirit Spring had actually bred such an unusual thing, something completely beyond their knowledge and understanding.
Given this unknown situation, the blue robed old man hesitated to make a hasty decision that might implicate his life.
“All of us aren’t far from breaking through the Immortal Ascension Boundary Ninth Stage, but until now we have yet to find a suitable source of energy to assist us. If we miss this opportunity, who knows when we’ll have to wait till.” The purple robed old man obviously wanted to take the risk, eagerly trying to convince his comrades.
“Agreed.” The green robed old man and the yellow robed old man both nodded as well.
With all three of them clearly expressing their intentions, the blue robed old man couldn’t flatly reject them. What’s more, he himself also felt that the potential reward outweighed the risks and was only holding back because his intuition was faintly warning him things weren’t as simple as they seemed.
After silently hesitating for a moment, the blue robed old man’s eyes flashed and his expression became firm, and he nodded firmly, “Good!”
Having made his decision, the old man casually threw Yang Kai away, tossing him some thirty meters or so.
Before he had even landed though, Yang Kai felt an overwhelming force surge through his body. This force was filled with malicious intent so strong that even his True Yang Yuan Qi couldn’t fully offset it.
With a loud thud, Yang Kai smashed onto the ground and vomited a mouthful of blood. Several of his bones were. clearly broken, and his face was completely pale.
Seeing this, the blue robed old man simply sneered, “Hey, this old master kept his words, you’re free to go!”
Yang Kai glared back silently, and his eyes were filled with undisguised hatred.
How was this letting him leave? If not for his True Yang Yuan Qi being unusually dense and pure, simply that malicious Qi, which was injected into his meridians, would have been enough to crush Yang Kai’s dantian, completely wasting his cultivation and transforming him into a cripple.
If he was left here with the strength of an ordinary mortal, the only end he would have was death!
Fortunately, having been tossed this far and with the blue robed old man not paying him any mind, he didn’t discover that Yang Kai hadn’t actually been crippled. If the old man were to know, considering his wicked nature, it was more than likely he would come finish what he started.
Not daring to waste a single moment, Yang Kai hurriedly struggled up into a meditative position and adjusted his breathing while quietly extracting a drop of Myriad Drug Liquid and swallowed it.
A moment later, that sounds of a fierce battle erupted.
Each of the Four Monsters And Demons was powerful on their own, and when the four of them worked together, it wasn’t an exaggeration to say they were invincible in the Immortal Ascension Boundary, and right now they were engaged in combat with the odd dark cocoon.
A loud roar came from inside the cocoon and then the sound of something breaking rang out.
Immediately, the blue robed old man cried out in a shocked and excited voice, “Sure enough! It’s a real devil, a real devil!”
After this shout, the battle became fiercer. Obviously whatever was inside that giant dark cocoon had been forcibly awoken by these four old men and was now fighting back.
Soon after the entire cavern was seething with Demonic Qi, and the faint traces of light were blotted out, like they had been drowned in darkness.
Yang Kai did his best to ignore all of this though and concentrated on recovering.
However, Yang Kai noticed that there was something in his body that was pulsing incessantly, even causing his True Qi circulation to become somewhat turbulent.
Surprised, Yang Kai hurriedly investigated his body and soon discovered that something within him was reacting in response to something.
Stunned for a moment, Yang Kai quickly decided to split some of his attention to observe the outside situation.
The battle scene was fierce. Although Yang Kai couldn’t see exactly what was happening, just the sounds that reverberated from the Four Monsters And Demons’ attacks was enough to tell that even if the creature that had emerged from the dark cocoon hadn’t fully matured, it was still not a foe that could be easily killed.
This devil was obviously much stronger than they had anticipated.
Even if the Four Monsters And Demons now understood that they had underestimated their opponent, it was too late for them to withdraw, and their only option was to grit their teeth and fight it out.
As time passed, Yang Kai’s injuries were quickly restored.
Suddenly, a loud roar rang out from the other side. It seemed like that devil had suffered a big loss, but at the same time, the Four Monsters And Demons also cried out; however, two of their voices were abruptly silenced.
Died!
Yang Kai’s eyes flashed as a chill gripped his heart.
“Retreat!” The blue robed old man shouted in a panic-stricken voice, and sounds of exhaustion were apparent in his tone.
Immediately afterwards, two streaks of light flashed by, obviously the two remaining old men had decided to flee.
However, the devil didn’t pursue and instead just let out an unwilling roar as it remained nearby.
Yang Kai tensed up, and a myriad of thoughts flashed through his head as his heart pounded.
That unknown something in his body was still pulsing, almost like it was urging him forward.
After hesitating for a while, Yang Kai steeled his will, stepped out, and quickly walked in the direction of the devil.
More than a dozen kilometers away, the Ghost King Valley and Treasure Instrument Sect disciples along with the Hu Sisters all were flying back.
“Why are all of you here?” Hu Jiao Er grinned as she asked, all while continuing to race forward.
“Same to you, why did you come back?” Leng Shan shot back.
“Our relationship with him is different than yours!” Hu Jiao Er replied, but when she realized exactly what she had just said, and how many awkward stares it had earned her, she quickly followed up, “We sisters met him a long time ago, our Blood Battle Gang and his High Heaven Pavilion were neighboring sects.”
Listening to her hurriedly explain herself, all of them finally understood why the Yang Kai seemed to be so intimate with them. They actually had such a past.
“It’s likely you’ll all die if you go back!” Hu Jiao Er said solemnly.
However, Leng Shan simply spat disdainfully, “If you two can go back there then so can we! We’re all disciples of Ghost King Valley who belong to the Profound Yin Ghost King’s dominion; those Four Monsters And Demons won’t necessarily kill us for no reason.”
Chen Yi nodded in agreement, “That’s right, but brother Tao, you should consider carefully first before joining us.”
Tao Yang calmly smiled though and said, “We four are from Treasure Instrument Sect’s, there’s no way we’ll die. As long as those four old guys have any sense, they’ll not affront us too seriously.”
“All of you…haa…” Hu Jiao Er sighed but eventually said nothing. She knew that this group of people were simply making excuses for themselves when in fact they just wanted to help.
After all, Yang Kai had saved their lives numerous times already, so now that he found himself in dire straits, if they were to simply abandon him, it would definitely go against their consciences.
Unfortunately, what were all of them in the face of those four masters?
Nothing more than ants trying to shake a tree!
As they all flew towards the Evil Cavern’s entrance, suddenly an enormous roar rang out in front of them. Immediately afterwards, the faint green hue that was radiating from the Hu Sisters’ bodies faded and disappeared.
All of them staggered slightly as they came to an abrupt halt, staring at this unexpected phenomenon curiously.
“What happened?” Hu Jiao Er muttered, also quite puzzled, “Didn’t you say that this Shadow Marking would only break if that old bastard died?”
Everyone was stunned, suddenly recalling everything that had just transpired, glancing back and forth in shock.
“It can’t be, right? It’s barely been a quarter of an hour…” Chen Yi almost couldn’t believe what was happening in front of his eyes.
Since they had separated from those Four Monsters And Demons, hadn’t it been less than half an hour? But if it wasn’t really like that, why else would the Shadow Marking on the Hu Sisters suddenly disappear?
Exactly what kind of danger did those four old men who were said to be invincible in the Immortal Ascension Boundary encounter? How could they lose their lives in such a short period of time?
*Shua shua…*
Hearing two gusts of wind, the crowd quickly looked up and saw two of the Four Monsters And Demons quickly approaching them.
One of them was the blue robed old man who had taken Yang Kai away while the other was the purple robed old man. The old men wearing yellow and green were nowhere to be seen.
Moreover, the two men no longer carried the same arrogant and aloof air, both of them were incredibly pale at the moment, and traces of blood leaked from the corners of their mouths, as a residual black gas lingered around their bodies. These residual wisps of black gas were like venomous snakes that coiled around the two old men, a ghastly sight to behold.
It was clear that both of these two were heavily wounded, one of the blue robed old man’s arms hanging limply by his side, apparently broken, while the purple robed old man had a fresh wound upon his chest. If one looked carefully they wound notice that this wound was actually a set of five bloody holes, like someone had sunk their hand into him; as he gasped for breath, the five punctures continued to ooze blood.
When all of them noticed that Yang Kai was nowhere to be seen, all of them felt their hearts sink.
The two old men whizzed past them, not even bothering to spare this group of youngsters a single glance; from their expressions it was obvious that they were extremely frightened of something.
Seeing these two masters fleeing in panic, the crowd of youths couldn’t help but feel their nerves go taut.
In less than half an hour, two of these four famous old masters had died while the other two were heavily injured and forced to flee whatever danger had arisen. Ahead of them was something that was far beyond the scope of these youth’s ability to handle, so continuing forward would certainly lead to their deaths.
Whether Yang Kai was still alive was also unknown, but having just witnessed the state of these two old men, it was highly likely that Yang Kai had already died.
“Big Sister…” Hu Mei Er gently whispered, as her gaze became firm.
“En.” Hu Jiao Er nodded, her expression extremely solemn, not saying anything more before she and her little sister both shot forward towards the Evil Cavern’s entrance like lightning.
The Ghost King Valley and Treasure Instrument Sect disciples all exchanged a quick glance before not hesitating to follow them.
Yang Kai circulated his True Qi rapidly as he slowly walked forward, cautiously approaching the battlefield.
Not long ago, the bodies of the green robed old man and yellow robed old man had appeared before him. Seeing these two old men already dead, Yang Kai couldn’t help but shiver.
Although these two didn’t posses unmatched individual strength, they were still Immortal Ascension Boundary Seventh or Eighth Stage masters whom Leng Shan had specifically acknowledged as very powerful.
This so called ‘real devil’ being able to break these Four Monsters and Demons’ formation and kill two of them in such a short amount of time proved beyond any doubt how frightening its strength was.
The deaths of the green robed old man and the yellow robed old man were both miserable. One of them was beaten to a pulp while the other was literally ripped apart. Just seeing their injuries, it was clear that they were killed by that devil extremely swiftly, without the ability to respond at all.
Not far ahead, the sound of heavy breathing could be heard, which caused Yang Kai to quickly look up.
Only a few dozen meters away, a burly, naked, wild-looking man was nailed to the ground by a several meters long spear.
True Devil!
This was the demon that was born from that dark cocoon; it was the amalgamation of all the thick Demonic Qi that had erupted from the Evil Spirit Spring as well as hundreds of Evil Spirit Essences.
However, unlike those Evil Spirits, this devil already had a complete body with four limbs and five features, in fact he appeared almost no different from an ordinary person.
The only distinctive trait he possessed was a set of black tattoos that covered his entire body. Each one of them seemed to contain a horrifying amount of Demonic energy.
When he noticed the arrival of Yang Kai, this devil only glanced at him lightly, clearly not considering this youth to be any kind of threat.
At the same time, the demonic aura which drifted about him surged towards Yang Kai.
As this Devil Qi surged forth, Yang Kai stood firmly, stretched out his hands and condensed a True Yang Yuan Qi shield to defend himself.
*Pu pu pu…*
As the Devil Qi crashed against this barrier, it pushed Yang Kai back a few step but ultimately did not break through his defense.
The devil once again glanced towards Yang Kai, apparently surprised that this weak little brat had somehow withstood his casual strike. Freezing for a moment, he quickly let out a grim chuckle.
Immediately after, his hand strongly gripped the spear, which was impaling his chest, and slowly began to pull it out.
This spear was an artifact that belonged to the Four Monsters and Demons. The four of them had relied on this high level artifact to pin this devil to the ground in order to gain them a chance to escape, unfortunately for them only two of them succeeded.
As the spear was pulled out bit by bit, the devil didn’t show any signs of discomfort, instead his face showed clear traces of excitement, even as blood flowed from the wound. What was noticeable was that the blood that leaked from this devil’s injuries wasn’t red, but instead a deep shade of purple, which gave it an eerie and unsettling appearance.
Not waiting for this devil to free himself, Yang Kai quickly took action.
The clinking sound of a chain rang out as Yang Kai tossed an artifact towards the devil, and the air suddenly filled with a pure radiant heat.
Affected by this hot energy, the devil actually trembled, and the wisps of black Demonic Qi swirling about him immediately shrank back into his body.
*Tsss…*
This chain artifact instantly let out a loud and crisp sizzling noise which seemed to contain some kind of magical power that greatly disturbed the devil.
In an instant, the chain had completely unraveled. It was less than a meter long and was attached to a metal collar. It was quite simple in shape, almost resembling an ordinary dog collar.
Devil Sealing Chain! Yang Kai had long ago obtained this artifact from the bottom of the Coiling Dragon Stream and had been tempering it with the True Yang Yuan Qi in his dantian ever since. It had never shown any signs of awakening until a moment ago when it all of a sudden began to pulse.
Had it not been for the existence of the Devil Sealing Chain, there was no way Yang Kai would have stepped forward this time.
The Devil Sealing Chain was an artifact left behind by High Heaven Pavilion’s Ancestral Founder. It had been used to seal the Devil Qi of a Devil Lord at the bottom of the Coiling Dragon Stream, so naturally it could be used on this devil as well.
When the Devil Sealing Chain fully emerged, the devil suddenly became frightened as he immediately became wary of Yang Kai, and his expression warped madly as he shouted, “A pure Yang artifact! One designed specifically to suppress Devil Qi!”
While the devil roared out in panic, his hand, which was gripping the spear type artifact, suddenly jerked, pulling the rest of the spear out directly, then, disregarding his own injury and using all of his remaining strength, he hurled the spear at the Devil Sealing Chain.
With a loud cracking sound space was shattered as the spear shot forward so quickly it appeared to teleport and instantly arrived in front of the Devil Sealing Chain.
But although this blow was enough to shake the Heavens, it was still a pointless struggle.
The Devil Sealing Chain suddenly radiated a brilliant golden light, which allowed the spear to pass through it without the slightest hindrance. Then in the next moment, this golden light flashed and before anyone could see what happened, the Devil Sealing Chain had already appeared on the neck of the demon.
Instantly a loud hissing noise rang out as the devil suddenly appeared like he’d been splashed with boiling hot oil, and his body continuously emitted white smoke. Whatever black Devil Qi remaining outside of his body was immediately suppressed.
As this sizzling continued, the devil’s huge body staggered about. Both his hands gripped the Devil Sealing Chain, as he desperately tried to pry it open, but no matter how hard he tried, he wasn’t able to remove it. Instead, all he managed to accomplish was to burn his palms.
The Devil Sealing Chain flickered brilliantly.
The black Demonic Qi surrounding the Devil’s body also surged and waned.
Both of these opposite forces were obviously struggling fiercely for supremacy.
Yang Kai reacted swiftly and quickly receded, while curiously observing this unusual battle.
He hadn’t expected that this devil could communicate, much less speak the same language as him.
After all, he had witnessed the birth, or rather formation of this devil with his own eyes, so as far as he knew it was an amalgamation of the Evil Spirit Spring’s energy and hundreds of Evil Spirit Essences.
Such a creation shouldn’t posses a broad knowledge base and intellect, and instead it should be akin to a blank slate that only acted based on instinct.
However, this devil had only taken one glance to recognize that this Devil Sealing Chain was the bane of all Demonic Qi! The situation was obviously more complex than he had imagined.
Yang Kai’s eyes flashed, and he was unsure of how to explain everything that was happening in front of him.
The battle between the devil and the Devil Sealing Chain didn’t last long. After about the time it would take to burn a stick of incense, the victor was decided.
The Devil Sealing Chain had completely suppressed the Demonic Qi, which caused the devil to stop struggling in vain. Instead, this devil sat cross-legged on the floor with white smoke spewing out gently from his body and smirked as he glared towards Yang Kai.
There was no panic or fear of death apparent in his expression, but rather a deep sense of curiosity and interest surfaced on his face.
“Little brat, I am Devil General Meng Ge, since you’ve dared harm my Soul Clone, this lord will definitely not forget you! If there is a chance in the future, my main body will personally make you experience a fate worse than death! Hahahaha!”
When the Hu Sisters arrived at the scene of the battle, both of them couldn’t help but gasp. The residual rubble and scars stood as a testament to just how intense this conflict was, and the mangled bodies of the green-robed and yellow-robed old men on the ground nearby only served to emphasise this fact.
As the two beautiful sisters trembled nervously, they suddenly spotted Yang Kai in a place not far away.
He seemed to be holding some kind of chain in his hand and was just standing there completely motionless, as a cold and terrifying energy fluctuated around him.
*Shua Shua Shua…*
Soon after the Ghost King Valley and Treasure Instrument Sect crowd also arrived, and all of them quickly took note of the strange atmosphere surrounding Yang Kai, which sparked all of their curiosities.
However, the situation at the moment was much better than everyone had expected, at the very least, Yang Kai did seem to have any obvious injuries and his aura was calm and steady. Obviously, he wasn’t anywhere close to dead.
After observing this point, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
The arrival of these people hadn’t gone unnoticed by Yang Kai, but he still couldn’t stop pondering the last words the devil had spoken to him before he had disappeared.
Although it was just a few sentences, but the amount of information it contained was incredibly substantial.
Devil General Meng Ge! This was what the devil called himself. From that point alone it wasn’t difficult to infer from this title was something that belonged to a person of great status and origin, definitely not a newly formed entity.
Moreover, this devil had said that he was only something called a Soul Clone.
The Four Monsters and Demons working together had failed to last a stick of incense worth of time against this devil before two of them were killed and two were forced to flee. They had managed to pin him to the ground by driving their spear type artifact through his chest, yet afterwards, this devil had pulled this spear out like it was nothing.
This Soul Clone already possessed such awe-inspiring power, if instead, it had been this devil’s main body, just how terrible would he be?
This devil’s true strength was beyond the limits of Yang Kai’s knowledge, and even far surpassed anything he had ever imagined! This caused no small amount of shock to him.
Fortunately, this entity just happened to be a true devil so his Devil Sealing Chain had been able to play a role, if not, even if Yang Kai was ten times stronger he still would have been utterly unable to resist.
After Devil General Meng Ge finished his final sentence, he seemed to know that his Soul Clone wouldn’t last much longer and resolutely chose to give up all resistance and simply disintegrated.
All that was left behind was something that resembled a massive frigid Evil Spirit Essence.
This essence was precisely the treasure condensed from the Evil Spirit Spring.
Right now this essence had already been sucked into Yang Kai’s meridians.
The Devil Sealing Chain in his hands also seemed to have lost its spirituality in this battle, and now only appeared like a dull iron chain; however, Yang Kai could still feel a hidden trace of vitality within it, so as long as he continued to temper it with True Yang Yuan Qi it would surely be restored again eventually.
After all, this was a treasured artifact left behind by High Heaven Pavilion’s Ancestral Founder, and despite its old age, there was no way it would be so easily damaged.
Letting out a faint sigh of relief, Yang Kai suddenly felt a fire burn in his chest. Today he had seen Devil General Meng Ge’s Soul Clone, a being who possessed the strength that greatly exceeded the boundaries of this world, and it had once again inspired him to seek the peak of martial arts.
Clenching his teeth, Yang Kai’s expression became solemn as his gaze firmed.
“Yang Kai…” Seeing him not respond to them for a long time, the Hu Sisters finally couldn’t help calling out to him worriedly.
“I’m alright.” Yang Kai let out a long breath and stowed the Devil Sealing Chain back into his dantian, turning to the crowd and saying, “I need to find a secluded place to cultivate.”
“I know the perfect place, it’s not far from here!” Cheng Ying hurriedly said.
“Good, lead the way.”
Inside a hidden cave within the Evil Cavern, Yang Kai sat down cross-legged, alone and began to refine the energy in that giant essence.
This hidden cave was inadvertently discovered by Cheng Ying while he had been scouting, it was indeed the perfect place to rest and recuperate within the Evil Cavern as almost no Evil Spirits ever ventured close to it.
Both the Ghost King Valley and Treasure Instrument Sect disciples knew that Yang Kai had surely obtained some kind of significant harvest, and since they were also in no hurry to leave, all of them sat down and finally got some rest.
During this idle time, everyone also began refining the Evil Spirit Essences Yang Kai had gathered for them.
Both the Ghost King Valley and Treasure Instrument Sect groups had obtained two full Purifying Spirit Bottles, a total of forty essences each! Therefore, after dividing them up equally amongst themselves, all of them obtained at least five.
The Hu Sisters, on the other hand, obtained a full five bottles.
Both the sisters kindly offered both the other groups a full Purifying Spirit Bottle each but were firmly rejected.
The various youths had already gained significantly more than they could have hoped for, how could they possibly accept even more from the Hu Sisters now? What’s more, those were things Yang Kai had given them.
After facing such strong opposition, Hu Jiao Er and Hu Mei Er no longer tried to force the issue. The two sisters sat down and circulated their Twin Qi Shared Spirit Divine Art to refine these essences. The speed at which they absorbed these Evil Spirit Essences was several times faster than the others, and although it couldn’t be compared to Yang Kai’s freakishly abnormal pace, it was still much quicker than an average cultivator.
As everyone sat and refined these Evil Spirit Essences, Yang Kai was similarly processing the essence he obtained.
However, the giant essence Yang Kai was refining had significant differences from these ordinary Evil Spirit Essences.
Even the essence left behind by the Soul Type Evil Spirit paled in comparison to this Evil Spirit Spring Essence.
During the refining process, the Unyielding Golden Skeleton would shiver and pulse as it relished in the vast amount of energy is absorbed.
His True Yang Yuan Qi completely receded into his dantian, and Yang Kai was currently enveloped in black Demonic Qi, incredibly similar to how Devil General Meng Ge appeared.
However, there was still a distinct difference between the two, Meng Ge could obviously completely control his strength and restrain his Devil Qi, but Yang Kai was unable to do so, so instead he appeared as a human shaped cloud of darkness, and only when he blinked would one be able to notice a red glow radiating from his eyes.
A frigid demonic aura spread out from Yang Kai as bursts of crackling noises echoed throughout the cave. The walls quickly frosted over and became encased in a thick layer of ice.
The people outside quickly noticed something was odd. This intense cold soon seeped out from the cave’s inner reaches and rapidly advanced towards them.
With a series of loud exclamations, all of them hurriedly fled, backing off almost a thousand meters. Looking back, their hearts couldn’t help but clinch as they watched all the moisture in the air condense and freeze as ice rapidly expanded across the cave floor and walls.
It was like they had suddenly been thrown into a frozen primordial world.
Even though they had retreated so far from this strange phenomenon, all of them couldn’t help shivering as the chill seemed to penetrate deep into their souls.
“What’s happening?” Chen Yi muttered in confusion, “Why does this chill feel so similar to what we experienced inside the Evil Spirit Spring?”
Before, when they were stranded atop that high pillar, everyone had acutely felt this frigid sensation, but compared to that time, what was happening before them right now was even more frightening.
“Is Yang Kai going to be okay?” Hu Mei Er whispered to her big sister.
Hu Jiao Er nodded her head calmly, “This situation should be something he caused, as long as it continues like this he shouldn’t have any issues.”
In fact, Jiao Er was also uncertain about Yang Kai’s condition, but she could only speak such words to soothe her little sister.
Leng Shan nodded in agreement, “Good people don’t live long but a scourge lasts a thousand years, how could he possibly die from this.”
“Hmm…” Chen Yi narrowed his eyes as he quipped, “Junior Sister, how come your words sound so bitter?”
“Will you die if you shut up?” Leng Shan glared angrily at him.
“Hey hey…” Chen Yi simply laughed.
Inside the cave, Yang Kai’s expression remained temperate, completely indifferent to the frigid air around him. This icy coldness seemed to perfectly conform to his current condition, not only did it not cause him any discomfort, it instead gave him a pleasant sensation.
When he had used the energy stored inside the Unyielding Golden Skeleton in the past, Yang Kai had always felt it had a distinctly evil aura, now though, it had both an evil and a frigid air to it. These two energies mutually complemented one another and amplified their already tyrannical power.
Inside this cave is hidden from the sun and the moon, an unknown amount of time passed by.
When the last drop of energy from the giant essence was refined, it was like a spark had been lit, which awakened the Unyielding Golden Skeleton from its innumerable years of slumber.
At that moment, the bonds that had imprisoned the Unyielding Golden Skeleton were completely shattered.
A furious Demonic Qi burst forth spreading out across the entire cave, plunging it into darkness. As this Demonic Qi churned and billowed, it was like a soaring dragon had risen, sending out ferocious howls and terrifying roars.
Yang Kai’s eyes jerked open, and the crimson hue within them quickly receded, returning to their original black and white.
At the same time, all kinds of profound mysteries about the Golden Skeleton were thoroughly comprehended by Yang Kai, greatly enlightening him.
Within this roiling Demonic Qi, Yang Kai’s eyes shined.
Slowly lifting his gaze, Yang Kai stretched out a finger and gently drew it across his forehead as he softly chanted.
“Devil Transformation!”
Suddenly, his body became akin to a bottomless pit and madly swallowed the black Demonic Qi surrounding him.
All of this Demonic Qi condensed to the point it could be seen with the naked eye and quickly covered Yang Kai.
In just a breath worth of time, all the Demonic Qi in the air had disappeared and instead a series of black tattoos had appeared on Yang Kai’s skin.
These tattoos were densely arranged in various strange patterns, occupying almost ninety percent of his skin, and only his face was exempted.
Slowly standing up, Yang Kai’s expression and aura remained indifferent. No joy or sadness was apparent on his face, and his eyes exuded a deep ice like chill.
However, he could clearly feel that his current state was very different from just before.
Instead of being wrapped in and surrounded by that thick black Demonic Qi, his form and face were completely unobstructed. Now if Yang Kai didn’t remove his robes, he would simply appear no different from usual.
The biggest difference though was his combat effectiveness had greatly increased compared to his normal state.
Although his cultivation hadn’t changed, his realm had not risen at all, but refining the massive Evil Spirit Essence from the Evil Spirit Spring had seemingly unlocked the hidden potential of his Unyielding Golden Skeleton.
As Yang Kai stood the world seemed to shudder, and ripples spread out through the air around him. All of this gave the illusion that everything around him would collapse.
An unparalleled demonic aura also radiated from him, which clearly alerted everyone who stood watching a thousand meters away. Their eyes widened as they trembled unconsciously in fright.
Gently thrusting his fist out, a crisp bang resounded.
It was like this casual punch contained the power to shatter the Earth.
Standing there, Yang Kai was filled with an intense self-confidence; he felt that if an ordinary Immortal Ascension Boundary master were to stand before him right now, he could send them flying with a single blow.
Flicking his wrist, a bolt of Demonic Qi flew out like a striking snake, drilling a perfectly round hole into the frozen wall in front of him. Using his Divine Sense, Yang Kai followed the bolt as it drilled several dozen meters through solid rock before finally dissipating.
[Such power!] Yang Kai grinned, extremely pleased with this newfound strength.
In addition, Yang Kai felt that his vitality and Blood Force had also reached an unprecedented height! If his estimate were correct, it was at least four or five times stronger than before.
The most potent benefit of a stronger Blood Force was that his restorative and healing powers would correspondingly increase. Physical strength and speed were also inextricably linked with the strength of one’s Blood Force.
After entering this Demon Transformation state, it seems that all the Blood Forces in his body had entered an extremely active state and had even been amplified!
Outside the cave’s entrance, the Ghost King Valley and Treasure Instrument Sect disciples along with the Hu Sisters silently waited with an air of anxiety lingering about them.
Since Yang Kai had begun his retreat it had already been half a month, yet he had still yet to appear. Instead, an area stretching out tens of meters from where he was secluding himself was now completely covered in a thick layer of ice.
“How come Brother Yang still hasn’t emerged yet? He couldn’t have had an accident, right?” Cheng Ying paced back and forth as he nervously muttered.
However, as soon as he had spoken these words, Cheng Ying felt three cold piercing gazes fall upon him, which caused his neck to shrink up before an awkward sneer appeared on his face.
Chen Yi helplessly grinned, “Unfortunately, none of us has reached the Immortal Ascension Boundary. If someone amongst us could use their Divine Sense we could find out what happened inside.”
Tao Yang in reply just shook his head and said, “No, even if one of us could use their Divine Sense I’m afraid whatever thread they sent out would be frozen solid before discovering anything.”
Listening to this remark, everyone couldn’t help but feel shocked, and all of them grew more and more worried.
After what seemed like an eternity, all of the ice around the Yang Kai’s cave suddenly began to crack. Immediately afterwards, the entire ice-field shattered and transformed into a burst of brilliantly shimmering crystals which fluttered about the cavern.
Seeing this, everyone wore a smile and hurriedly called out.
“You finally came out; if you’d stayed in there much longer we wouldn’t have been able to stop ourselves from barging in!” Chen Yi saw Yang Kai and let out a burst of laughter.
Yang Kai smiled lightly, after taking a quick look around the crowd, and said, “Sorry, I’ve worried you all.”
“Since you’ve come out, we should leave here quickly. The situation around the Evil Cavern is a bit uneasy right now.” Leng Shan said, a hint of urgency apparent in her voice.
Tao Yang also nodded in agreement.
With such a powerful energy fluctuation having emanated from the Evil Cavern, two of the Four Monsters and Demons having fallen inside, and the news of the emergence of a true devil, numerous Immortal Ascension Boundary masters had arrived to investigate the situation while Yang Kai had been in retreat.
Staying here any longer would undoubtedly be troublesome.
Thirty kilometers away from the Evil Cavern’s entrance.
A group of youths stopped to rest.
Chen Yi finally couldn’t hold back his curiosity and asked, “Brother Yang, the Four Monsters and Demons all wound up heavily wounded or dead, so how come you managed to emerge unscathed? On top of that, it looks like you even profited quite a bit.”
Hearing this, everyone couldn’t help but turn their eyes towards Yang Kai. They too wanted to know exactly what had happened.
Yang Kai simply grinned and said, “A just managed to pick up some small benefits after those four old guys and that devil fought. Both sides were severely injured, so I got lucky and managed to gain something after they both retreated.”
“Uh…” Chen Yi stuttered, and a wry grin spread across his face, “Sure enough, Brother Yang’s luck is too good, seems like such ridiculous things can actually happen in this world.”
Tao Yang chuckled and added, “It looks like those Four Monsters And Demons taking you in with them was actually them sending you a gift. Those old bastards went to steal a chicken but ended up losing their rice, haha!”
“How come they didn’t pick me to go?” Cheng Ying grumbled, clearly envious.
Leng Shan snickered, “Besides Yang Kai, if any one of us had been captured, they’d have certainly died. Do you really think gaining such a chance is that easy?”
Cheng Ying simply laughed, “I just said it casually.”
How could anyone not understand that Yang Kai obtaining such benefits was more difficult than ascending to the Heavens? Although he didn’t elaborate, everyone knew he must have faced numerous unknown dangers, and even keeping his life after falling into the Four Monsters And Demons’ hands could be considered as astonishingly good fortune.
During their brief time together, all of them had witnessed Yang Kai’s formidable strength and shocking methods many time,s and knew that he was by no means an ordinary True Element Boundary cultivator.
“Anyways,” Chen Yi smiled warmly and patted Yang Kai’s shoulder, “During this time’s trip to the Evil Cavern, my Ghost King Valley owes Brother Yang many lives. In the future, if there is ever something that Brother Yang needs, although I can’t guarantee anything else, my fellow brothers and I will offer our utmost to help, even if it means laying down our lives!”
All the other Ghost King Valley disciples also nodded firmly.
Tao Yang also laughed and said, “Count us in as well! Although we brothers and sisters aren’t the strongest fighters, when it comes to artifacts, heh… If Brother Yang ever needs an artifact refined, just come to Treasure Instrument Sect and look for me.”
“Good!” Yang Kai nodded happily.
“We’re not far from Ghost King Valley right now. If it’s convenient, why doesn’t Brother Yang come join us for some fun for a few days?” Chen Yi enthusiastically invited.
“He can’t come.” Leng Shan stated neither warmly or coldly.
“Junior Sister, you’re being too cold.” Chen Yi sighed, suddenly suffering from a headache. He wanted to communicate more with Yang Kai to deepen their friendship, but he hadn’t thought Leng Shan would suddenly not give him the slightest bit of face.
“What do you know? I’m saying this for his own good.” Leng Shan glared back at him, “Master knows him, if he goes to Ghost King Valley, he won’t live to see the sun rise tomorrow.”
Chen Yi was startled for a moment but quickly remembered that their elder Gui Li and High Heaven Pavilion’s Sect Master had a massive grudge between them.
Thinking so, he dared not bring Yang Kai back with them. He shook his head and turned to Tao Yang instead, “How about you, what are Brother Tao’s plans?”
Tao Yang laughed, “Isn’t Brother Chen going to invite us to travel with you? I’m also a bit curious about what kind of place Ghost King Valley is. I wonder if it would be possible for us to visit?”
“I’d like nothing more.” Chen Yi laughed heartily.
“Then I guess we’ll be separating here, you take care of yourself.” Leng Shan glanced towards Yang Kai and said.
Yang Kai simply smiled and nodded.
“Let’s go. Brother Yang, two Young Ladies, may we meet again!” Chen Yi called out on behalf of everyone and cupped his fists towards Yang Kai and the Hu Sisters.
“En, take care of yourselves.” Yang Kai cupped his fists in return as he watched his new friends from Ghost King Valley and Treasure Instrument Sect leave together.
“These so-called devil’s path cultivators aren’t all bad,” Hu Mei Er suddenly said once it was just the three of them left, “At least, these people from Ghost King Valley are very good.”
Hu Jiao Er also nodded deeply and remarked, “Good or bad is only a matter of perspective.”
Yang Kai glanced towards her with a dull smile, causing Hu Jiao Er’s face to blush slightly as she glared back at him, “Smelly brat! I haven’t forgiven you yet.”
“Forgiven me? For what?” Yang Kai was suddenly confused.
Looking at him bitterly, Hu Jiao Er didn’t have the nerve to bring up his previous slights towards her and simply shook her head, “Never mind, where do you plan to go now?”
Yang Kai suddenly couldn’t help but feel somewhat hesitant and stood there awkwardly for a moment wondering where he should go.
Looking at his vacant, confused eyes, the Hu Sisters couldn’t help feeling a twang of pain in their hearts.
This powerful and mysterious young man in front of them was no longer the domineering and confidant warrior who stood before them inside the Evil Cavern but was more like a lost child, not knowing where he was or which road he should take next.
Affected by his change in mood, Hu Jiao Er and Hu Mei Er also felt somewhat lost.
“We should leave the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land first.” Hu Jiao Er hurriedly broke the silence, somewhat unable to bear the sight of Yang Kai being so dispirited.
“Good!” Yang Kai’s eyes soon restored their former clarity and firmness. Although he didn’t know where he would go next, what he could affirm was that he must keep growing stronger. Seeking the peak of the martial dao was something he had always been clear about, and nothing that happened would ever cause him to falter in his pursuit of it.
Pausing for a moment, he then asked, “Where are you two going? Back to Blood Battle Gang’s territory?”
“No,” Hu Jiao Er smiled wryly, “We can’t go back until the war is over. If we do, things will become difficult.”
Their Blood Battle Gang and the nearby Storm Hall were both implicated because of the incident regarding High Heaven Pavilion and were forced by the Great Han Dynasty’s various great forces to participate on the frontlines of the war. If they went back at this time they would only cause more trouble for Blood Battle Gang.
“Then let’s find the others from the gang.” Hu Mei Er suggested, “Fifty or so of our members were deployed to the same region where we were fighting, they should still be there now.”
“What about you?” Hu Jiao Er glanced over at Yang Kai.
“I’ll follow your lead.” Yang Kai shrugged his shoulder. He also wanted to find a place with people he could ask about High Heaven Pavilion’s current situation, especially about Ling Tai Xu and Su Yan.
Glancing at the Hu Sisters, he suddenly grinned, “But before that, you two should disguise yourselves.”
“Hm, what do you mean?” Hu Jiao Er wrinkled her brow.
“Haven’t you learned your lessons yet after being targeted by those guys from Free and Unfettered Sect?”
Suddenly understanding, Hu Jiao Er first blushed then angrily glared at Yang Kai, “Being beautiful isn’t our sister’s fault! If there weren’t so many horny men like you out there how could we be so troubled!? All of you going about provoking us sisters, bothering us no matter where we go, it’s all so annoying!”
In spite of their resentment, Hu Jiao Er and Hu Mei Er still followed Yang Kai’s suggestion.
After all, this was the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land, the number of unscrupulous characters was definitely higher than in the outside world.
A short while later, the two beauty’s stunning faces were covered up a lot. Although they didn’t have any suitable tools on the hand and couldn’t do a perfect job, the sisters had at least made it so they wouldn’t be coveted on first sight.
The elder sister now looked something like a dirty villager, her hair a mess and her clothes quite sloppily arranged, while the younger sister’s face was now full of pockmarks, no doubt deterring most people’s appetites.
Finished with their disguises, the two sisters looked at each other and couldn’t help but laugh.
Although their enchanting faces were now covered up, it was still difficult not to notice the exquisite lines of their perfect figures.
The three proceeded cautiously as they traversed the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land, doing their best to avoid contact with people.
Yang Kai’s greatly enhanced Spiritual Energy played a huge role at the moment, allowing him freely use his Divine Sense to scout an entire thirty kilometer radius around them in a single breath. By periodically sweeping the area around them, Yang Kai could almost always detect danger long before encountering it, which gave him and the Hu Sisters plenty of time to either hide or avoid.
Without him, the Hu Sisters would never have been able to escape the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land so easily.
After an entire month of time, having traversed several thousand kilometers, the trio finally left the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land.
One month of constant running, fighting, and hiding had pushed Yang Kai and the Hu Sisters to the brink of physical and mental exhaustion.
Although this trip had its fair share of perils, fortunately, the most dangerous incident was only meeting an Immortal Ascension Boundary Fourth Stage expert. Using Yang Kai’s Soul Skill to catch this expert off guard, the trio managed to deal a heavy blow to him, and then quickly fled, escaping relatively unscathed.
During that battle, Yang Kai was also seriously injured; however, under the care of the two sisters and after consuming a number of drops of Myriad Drug Liquid, he managed to make a full recovery after only two or three days.
Having passed this one month together with him, the Hu Sisters gradually became more dependent on Yang Kai, believing in and trusting him almost absolutely.
Even the more aggressive Hu Jiao Er didn’t dare to treat Yang Kai like the little brat she had met two years ago. After witnessing him not hesitate to stand before them and protect her and her sister, creating one miracle after another, her perception of this youth had slowly changed.
Without his protection, Hu Jiao Er couldn’t imagine what kind of horrible fate would have befallen her and her little sister.
Tai Fang Mountain stood amongst a mountain range that was neither too big nor too small and stretched from north to south across a wide region.
The original mountain was considered to be a lush and verdant land, covered in flowers and trees, exuding a beautiful and refreshing spring like air, but now the entire range had become a battlefield.
The Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land’s forces gathered on the south side of the mountain while the allied forces from the Great Han Dynasty occupied the north.
A young man and two young women looked out across the once pristine mountain that had now become a warzone. During these past few months, Tai Fang Mountain had been severely damaged, and traces of blood and dead bodies were scattered everywhere. It was unknown just how many cultivators had lost their lives here.
In the confrontation between these two sides, such a scene was not uncommon.
After all, in this war, Tai Fang Mountain was just one point along the front!
Since leaving the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land, the Hu Sisters moved as fast as possible to reach this place because this was where their fellow disciples and elders from Blood Battle Gang had been stationed.
Previously, they had also fought here but a few months ago they had been encountered enemy masters and were forced to flee into the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land.
Along the way, Yang Kai had learned a lot of useful information from the two sisters.
Tai Fang Mountain wasn’t a key strategic location in the overall war, so there weren’t that many masters gathered here. Besides the Blood Battle Gang members, there were also people from Storm Hall here as well as numerous elites from various other second-class forces, all of them under the command of a single first-class family.
The Xiang Family!
Because the Great Han cultivators here had come from all over the dynasty and mostly belonged to second-class or lower ranked forces, the first-class Xiang Family held absolute authority.
Even if someone didn’t agree with it, they had no choice but to obey the orders of the Xiang Family here. After all, the background of the other was far superior.
Tai Fang Mountain’s camp was an easily defended site, with a lot of simple accommodations having been built over the past few months; it was a place where weary cultivators who had fought against the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land forces could rest.
On this day, a dusty trio consisting of one young man and two young women walked up to the camp.
As the three approached the camp’s checkpoint, they were stopped by several bright clothed disciples and were asked to identify themselves.
These guards had noticed early on that Yang Kai and the Hu Sisters weren’t very strong; therefore, they hadn’t taken too many precautions, only stopping them to make some routine inquiries.
All of these male guards subtly sized up the Hu Sisters’ enchanting figures, but when they caught a glimpse of their dirty, pock-marked, and haggard faces, all of them immediately lost their appetites, and a faint trace of disgust flashed across their eyes.
The whole time Yang Kai remained indifferent and did not bother to comment.
Instead, Hu Jiao Er and Hu Mei Er quickly wiped off the disguises on their faces to reveal their original appearances.
After cleaning up somewhat, even though the tiredness was still apparent on their faces, it did little to diminish their outstanding beauty.
Suddenly, one of the guards who had been resting by the side of the road stood up and exclaimed, “Aren’t you the Hu Family’s two young ladies from Blood Battle Gang?”
“En!” Hu Jiao Er casually acknowledged.
“So it’s you two!” The first guard who had gone up to question them called out in joy and quickly said, “It’s good that you two girls managed to return safely, please come in.”
Saying so, the guard quickly opened the way and put on a humble expression “Please forgive us, we are only performing our duties and ask the two young ladies to not pay it mind.”
Hu Jiao Er’s brow furrowed, her expression neither warm nor cold as she led her sister and Yang Kai forward.
As they were about to pass, the guards all glanced towards Yang Kai skeptically, the one in charge asking cautiously, “Young ladies, excuse this humble one for asking, but this is…”
“My friend.”
“Oh. Since he is the young lady’s friend, then it’s alright.” The head guard said with a smile and didn’t dare to ask anything more.
When the three youths had disappeared into the camp, the head guard’s expression become solemn as he motioned to one of his subordinates, “Quickly inform the Young Lord that the Hu Sister have returned safely. Go now!”
“Yes sir!” One of the men nodded and dashed off.
Yang Kai followed behind the Hu Sisters as they walked through the camp and soon arrived at the inner dwellings.
“Over there!” Hu Mei Er suddenly shouted in surprise and pointed towards a nearby place.
Looking in the direction she pointed, Yang Kai saw a group of people gathered around, engaged in some kind of discussion.
“Uncle Le!” Hu Jiao Er also burst into a smile and hurriedly walked towards this group.
When these people perceived someone approaching them, all of them lifted their heads and glanced over.
The next moment, a burly old man who looked about fifty or sixty years old, trembled and jumped to his feet as he stared towards the Hu Sisters, as his aged eyes were filled with joy.
Guan Chi Le was an Immortal Ascension Boundary Fourth Stage Master and one of Blood Battle Gang’s strongest elders. He was also one of the men who had participated in the battle against Meng Wu Ya.
However, unlike Long Zai Tian, Guan Chi Le was extremely loyal to Blood Battle Gang and to the Hu family. He had even watched over the Hu Sisters as they had grown up, as a result, the two sisters’ relationship with him was quite good
“Young Ladies, is it really you?” Guan Chsi Le asked hesitantly.
“It’s us, Uncle Le!” Hu Jiao Er nodded with a warm smile adorning her beautiful face.
“You’ve really returned safely!” Guan Chi Le cried out and burst into tears.
The rest of the people around him also looked happily towards the Hu Sisters. Since the two sisters had disappeared, it had already been two or three months. The last time someone saw them, they were being chased into the Tai Fang Mountain range by a group of Devil Path masters, and no one had expected them to be capable of escaping. Yet now, all of a sudden, they had returned alive and well.
Since these people had all gathered here together, they were definitely not strangers, so all of them were undoubtedly thrilled that the Hu Sisters had returned.
This group was relatively small, only a dozen or so in number, but when Yang Kai swept his gaze past them, all of them were familiar!
All of these youths were either Blood Battle Gang or Storm Hall disciples!
Moreover, Yang Kai noticed his old acquaintance Fang Ziji amongst them!
It seems like this extremely patriarchal guy was actually pulled here to fight as well.
These two Sects’ disciples had been forced to come here to participate in this battle, so it was not surprising that they would gather together when not on duty.
“Good good! It’s good you’ve come back! Truly good! At last the Sect Master can rest assured.” Guan Chi Le quickly composed himself, repeatedly proclaiming as he firmly nodded. When he turned his gaze to Yang Kai, he couldn’t help his brow from wrinkling, suspiciously and asked, “Has this old man met this little brother somewhere before?”
Suddenly, the Hu Sisters didn’t know how to explain.
If it was just this group gathered here who knew Yang Kai’s identity it was nothing important, but if cultivators from other forces stationed here found out that Yang Kai was from High Heaven Pavilion, things would definitely not end well.
Fang Ziji shot a meaningful glance towards Yang Kai before hurriedly stepping forward to lightly cough while wearing an odd grin on his face as he cupped his fists, “Greetings, this one is Storm Hall’s Fang Ziji, I once had a friend who looks just like you! Dare to ask what this new friend’s name?”
“Yang Kai!” Even though Yang Kai was laughing to himself inside, his expression remained calm and composed.
“So it is Brother Yang! Good good, not only does this new friend look very much like my deceased friend, he even shares the same name as well! Hahaha, such coincidence, isn’t it?” Fang Ziji hit the shoulder of one of his nearby Junior Brother.
“Yes, yes…” That Junior Brother helplessly nodded, his shoulder obviously in some pain from how hard Fang Ziji had struck him.
The whole situation was… more than a little bit forced.
Everyone else also understood Fang Ziji’s meaning, and after a momentary gaff, all of them silently agreed to play along.
Guan Chi Le was a perceptive man as well as an old master, so after hearing Yang Kai’s name he also realized why he had felt that this kid was so familiar, [So it’s him!]
The whole group had a tacit understanding of the situation, so no one tried to make things difficult.
The scene was a pleasant one, but Yang Kai was keenly aware that the laughter and smiles of the Immortal Ascension Boundary masters from Blood Battle Gang also concealed a hint of worry and anxiety.
While the group was chatting amongst themselves, Fang Ziji’s expression suddenly became cold as his eyes flashed an angry light, and his lips twitched slightly as he muttered, “Xiang Chu is coming.”
As he said these words, he unconsciously glanced towards the Hu Sisters.
Everyone suddenly went silent; Guan Chi Le’s face also grimaced. His expression was clearly displeased.
Noticing the obvious and dramatic change in atmosphere, Yang Kai scanned the area around them and quickly discovered a handsome young man accompanied by two Immortal Ascension Boundary masters striding towards them.
His robes were clean and tidy, and his smiling face was refreshing like a spring breeze that gave him a mild aura, the perfect image of a free spirited young noble master.
From his appearance, he seemed to only be around twenty five or so years old.
Xiang Chu!
As the first-class Xiang Family’s Young Lord, Xiang Chu’s identity and status was naturally not low, at least on par with the likes of Bai Yun Feng and Dong Qing Han, one of the leaders of the younger generation.
During the past month’s journey, Yang Kai had also heard the Hu Sisters mention this Xiang Chu a number of times; however, every time his name came up the two sisters’ expressions would cramp up before they quickly changed the subject.
Now seeing him with his own eyes, Yang Kai finally understood why the Hu Sisters didn’t want to talk about him.
Not only did the Hu Sisters’ expression look ugly, even the rest of the Blood Battle Gang and Storm Hall members couldn’t help frowning when they saw this youth.
Only Xiang Chu still maintained a mild smile as he casually strolled towards their group.
Walking right up to them with his eyes revealing a joyful light, Xiang Chu emphatically said, “Jiao Er, Mei Er, what happened to you two must have been terrifying. Thank goodness you’ve returned safely.”
Guan Chi Le’s old eyes couldn’t help narrowing as his aura fluctuated, but as soon as it did the two Immortal Ascension Boundary masters behind Xiang Chu immediately locked their gazes on him.
Hu Jiao Er’s expression visibly dimmed as she said in a cold tone, “Young Lord Xiang, Jiao Er and Mei Er aren’t names you can call us sisters, haven’t I once told you this before?”
Xiang Chu showed a ‘surprised’ expression, like he had suddenly remembered something, and he cupped his fists and replied, “Young Ladies, please forgive this one. Reuniting after such a long separation caused this Young Lord to become too emotional and as such made a small slip of the tongue.”
“I hope there won’t be a next time!” Hu Jiao Er ruthlessly stated.
“Yes yes, there most certainly won’t be a next time.” Xiang Chu nodded before letting out a sigh, his expression becoming forlorn, “But this one must first apologize to the two young ladies.”
“Oh?” Hu Jiao Er’s frown deepened as she stared at him.
Xiang Chu smiled wryly and continued, “During that battle, when you two young ladies were being pursued, it was this one’s responsibility to come to your rescue, but alas, this young master was not strong enough and could only watch helplessly as you young ladies were trapped by those wicked devils. For the past three months, this one had been greatly concerned, unable to sleep at night, cursing the fact that I had not a pair of wings which could carry me to your side so that I might protect you.”
Suddenly wearing a radiant smile, “Fortunately, the two young ladies received the Heaven’s blessings and managed to return unharmed! It is a great relief for this one’s heart to know you are safe.”
Every word he spoke rolled off his tongue, as if he was completely sincere and his motives were as pure as the moon’s gentle rays.
In response though, the Hu Sisters remained cold and indifferent.
However, Xiang Chu didn’t seem the slightest bit put off by their attitude, and once more cupped his fists and politely said, “The two young ladies have just returned from a long and dangerous journey and must be tired. This one shall retire to allow the two young ladies to get some much-needed rest, if there is anything the young ladies require, please do not hesitate to ask this one. This Young Lord guarantees he will satisfy the young ladies!”
Finished, Xiang Chu flashed a final warm smile and then quickly departed.
Watching as Xiang Chu strode away, Yang Kai couldn’t help but grin wryly.
This group of people, who had never seen him before, had completely treated Yang Kai as though he was air.
The Xiang Family was a first-class family, so their treasured Young Lord acting aloof and domineering wouldn’t be abnormal.
But now, seeing this Xiang Chu first-hand with his elegant manners, harmless disposition, carefree and unrestrained personality, allowing people to have a positive impression of him, Yang Kai couldn’t help but be surprised.
Yang Kai could clearly see that this person had great interest in the two Hu Sisters and made no effort in hiding his meaning. On top of that, even though Hu Jiao Er responded so coldly to him, he did not respond with any kind of displeasure or annoyance, instead maintaining an ever-genial temperament.
Yang Kai couldn’t understand at first glance why the Hu Sisters and everyone else seemed to despise this young man.
However, everything must have a cause, and Yang Kai also understood well that one’s outer persona didn’t always reflect their true self. His intuition told him that this Xiang Chu must have a side to him that he didn’t expose to the public.
After Xiang Chu had departed, the genius of Fang Ziji approached Yang Kai and said with a chuckle, “Yang Kai, you mustn’t be deceived by that guy. Although he looks kind and harmless, his tongue is slippery and his mind is scheming, it’s just that he hides all of this deeply, or else there’s no way he’d be able to maintain his command over this place.”
“En.” Yang Kai nodded lightly. He never had any intention of underestimating Xiang Chu’s depths.
People like Bai Yun Feng, who wore their arrogance on his sleeve and clearly treated people either with respect or disdain, couldn’t cause any threat to Yang Kai.
But someone like Xiang Chu who would smile warmly while plotting against you had to be guarded against.
“This place is actually under his command now?” Hearing this, Hu Jiao Er couldn’t help asking before glancing towards Fang Ziji strangely, “What exactly happened? He’s just a member of the young generation, how could he be put in command here? Are there not any Elders from the Xiang Family present here anymore?”
Fang Ziji however just laughed wryly and turned his gaze to Guan Chi Le.
Guan Chi Le hesitated a moment before saying, “The Young Ladies must be tired and should rest for now, as for these other matters, this old man will explain in the evening.”
“Good.” Hu Jiao Er nodded without hesitating; firstly, although she had noticed that something was unusual as soon as they had arrived at the camp, it didn’t seem to be a pressing matter. Second, she really did mean for her and Mei Er to clean themselves up. This past month of running and hiding with Yang Kai made it so they hadn’t had a chance to do so at all.
Women always loved to be clean.
“Yang Kai, you come with me.” Fang Ziji warmly said.
Yang Kai smiled and followed him away.
That night, around a big outdoor campfire, the cultivators from Blood Battle Gang and Storm Hall all gathered round while Yang Kai and Fang Ziji both roasted some wild game atop the flickering flames.
The sizzling of oil and crackling of wood gentle echoed about.
After a long time, Hu Jiao Er finally asked, “Uncle Le, what happened? The number of masters here has dropped significantly. Where did the Elders of our Blood Battle Gang and Storm Hall go?”
Three months ago, before the two sisters had been forced to flee into the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land, there were many Immortal Ascension Boundary masters here, but now that they had returned, they soon discovered that there were less than ten such masters remaining. Aside from the two who served as Xiang Chu’s guards, the other Immortal Ascension masters here didn’t have particularly strong cultivations.
Although this location in relation to others on the front wasn’t too important, it wasn’t negligible either. With the camp’s current combat strength, if the enemy across the hill were to suddenly attack in force, everyone here would quickly be overwhelmed.
Guan Chi Le let out a sigh before calmly replying, “The situation has changed. A month or so ago, the Eight Great Families sent out a summons recalling all of the masters and elites who were participating in the war with the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land. It seems that the Eight Great Families and the Demon Lord want to stage a decisive battle.”
“A decisive battle?” Hu Jiao Er exclaimed.
Guan Chi Le nodded sternly, “We’re not a proper army after all, all of us just happen to be grasshoppers on the same string. Although we started off with a great amount of hatred and enthusiasm, after fighting for so long most of us simply want this war to end earlier. It’s probably that the heads of both sides have reached some kind of consensus so most of the masters here have been transferred away, your father included.”
“Dad also left…” Hu Mei Er whispered softly.
Although Hu Man’s cultivation had reached the Immortal Ascension Boundary Eighth Stage and could be considered one of the elite able to look down disdainfully on the whole world, now that he was forced to participate in this so called decisive battle, if he was the slightest bit careless, there was still a chance he may die.
How could the the Hu Sisters not worry?
“It’s the same for our Storm Hall, the Sect Master and all the Elders left, fortunately the masters across the hill have also left.” Fang Ziji grinned wryly, his master was Xiao Ruohan, Storm Hall’s Sect Master.
“If it wasn’t for Sect Master’s request, this old man wouldn’t have been able to stay here.” Guan Chi Le’s blank look suddenly livened up, “Sect Master said that the two young ladies would surely return here one day, so he requested permission for this old man to remain here, firstly to take care of our disciples, and secondly, to wait for the two young ladies. Now it seems that Sect Master’s decision was the right one.”
Speaking till here, Fang Ziji suddenly cut in, his voice filled with extreme resentment and hatred, “If it weren’t for Senior Guan’s help, your Blood Battle Gang and our Storm Hall’s disciples would probably have all died.”
“What happened?” Hu Jiao Er’s face sank.
“The same as before,” Fang Ziji sneered, “Because our two Sects were lumped together with High Heaven Pavilion, none of the other Sects here have a very good opinion of us. When the two of you were here things were better because Xiang Chu would intervene here and there, but after you disappeared, Xiang Chu simply brushed us aside, and any dangerous task was then quickly pushed onto our two Sect’s disciples.”
His expression became cold, and then Fang Ziji angrily said, “When we first arrived here there were more than a hundred of us, but now? There’s only a dozen or so of us left.”
Having witnessed the tragic deaths of so many of his Junior Brothers and Junior Sisters, the pain Fang Ziji’s felt was difficult to describe.
Suddenly, Fang Ziji suddenly remembered something, quickly turning towards Yang Kai, “You shouldn’t mind me, I don’t mean anything else.”
“I know.” Yang Kai nodded lightly. Although Fang Ziji went out of his way to not create a misunderstanding between them, Yang Kai knew very well that it was because of their relationship with High Heaven Pavilion that Blood Battle Gang and Storm Hall received such harsh treatment.
Without a doubt, High Heaven Pavilion held some responsibility for these two Sect’s current circumstances.
However, these other forces were taking things too far! Just because it was the Sect the Demon Lord had come from, High Heaven Pavilion had been burnt to the ground while the treatment given to Blood Battle Gang and Storm Hall was completely unreasonable.
Having heard Guan Chi Le’s remarks, Hu Jiao Er thought to herself for a moment before saying, “Since that’s the case, then this region is even less important than before, right?”
Guan Chi Le nodded lightly, “Young Lady is correct, as soon as three or five days, or as late as half a month from now, a decisive battle will be fought. The victor from that battle will essentially decide the outcome of this war, so whether it’s us or the forces on the other side of the mountain neither wants to stir up any trouble. As long as we wait until after the decisive battle is finished, both sides will likely withdraw from here so both sides here probably think fighting each other is pointless.”
“En.” Hu Jiao Er nodded slightly.
“That being the case, the Xiang Family simply gave command here to Xiang Chu.” Fang Ziji grinned wryly, “They probably wanted to use this rare opportunity for him to hone himself.”
There weren’t many opportunities for this kind of gathering. In this place, there were various elite disciples and elders of at least five or six forces. When this many parties gathered together, there would inevitably be disputes. If Xiang Chu could handle these matters well, it would prove he was also capable of handling matters related to the Xiang Family. Such experience would be of great use to him if he was to become Patriarch of the Xiang Family some day!
Clearly this was the Xiang Family’s way of training him as a future successor.
After learning about these things, the Hu Sisters were finally able to put down most of the burdens in their hearts, though they were still worried about Hu Man’s safety.
A short time later, the wild game was cooked and the fragrance of roasted meat wafted through the air. Yang Kai chewed on it with impunity, and it wasn’t long before the Hu Sisters were unable to bear the temptation and began eating gracefully.
In this one month following Yang Kai, life had been difficult and was very much lacking these simple pleasures.
After eating and chatting for a while, the serious atmosphere eventually became lighter, especially when the surviving members here thought that they’d soon be able to return to their Sects. Nothing would make them happier now; Fang Ziji even pulled out some wine he had hidden somewhere and drank heartily with Yang Kai.
Yang Kai even feared he would keel over drunk on the spot.
While they were enjoying themselves, a group casually approached them amidst the darkness.
The leaders of this group were a handsome man and a beautiful woman, neither of whom seemed very old.
In particular, the woman was particularly enchanting, wearing a tight-fitting garb that clearly highlighted her exquisite figure. Her sleeveless top exposed her two snow-white jade arms that even in the dark or night seemed to glisten like freshly fallen snow under the moonlight.
As these two walked closer, a malicious grin appeared on their faces and quickly spread to the rest of their companions.
When this group of newcomers was less than three meters away, the lead man suddenly ‘slipped’, nearly falling to the ground.
As a result of his actions, a large amount of dirt and sand was sent flying right into the faces of the Blood Battle Gang and Storm Hall disciples.
“Ah…” The man exclaimed in an exaggerated manner, seeming to hurriedly try to stabilize his stance.
The people from Blood Battle Gang and Storm Hall who just now were laughing, eating, and drinking of course noticed this sudden change and though Guan Chi Le immediately took action, he couldn’t stop all of the sand.
After all, packed into this ordinary soil was no small amount of True Qi.
*Pu pu pu…*
Everyone was pelted, many of their faces experiencing a stinging pain, and all of their drinks and food had been covered in dirt.
Quickly recovering, the disciples from Blood Battle Gang and Storm Hall all stood up and glared at these newcomers angrily.
What they saw there was a man exaggeratedly shaking his head, a fake look of shock plastered all over his face as he cried out, “That was close! I almost fell!”
The beautiful woman next to him giggled, “How could you be so clumsy Senior Brother Xie Rong?”
That Xie Rong replied, “Junior Sister Li Fu is mistaken! Senior Brother was watching a pack of monkeys doing tricks and accidentally stumbled.”
Li Fu laughed cheerfully, glancing around, wearing her best innocent smile as she pouted, “Senior Brother loves telling jokes, how could there be any monkeys out this late at night? How come Junior Sister can’t see them?”
Xie Rong smiled slyly “Junior Sister’s eyes aren’t very good, can’t you see, these monkeys not only do tricks but also eat meat and drink wine, isn’t that so strange?”
Li Fu suddenly wore an amazed expression, “Is that true? Do such entertaining monkeys really exist? Junior Sister must have a look at them! Where are they? Where?”
As she spoke, her seductive eyes glanced ‘unintentionally’ towards the campfire, a thick disdainful smile upon her face.
Everyone obviously knew that these two acting out this play were referring to the disciples from Blood Battle Gang and Storm Hall.
The conditions for the disciples of Blood Battle Gang and Storm Hall right now were very bad. Not only were they consistently sent to the most dangerous position during the battles with the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land forces, even when they were resting in their camp, many people would intentionally come over to ridicule them.
There were five or six forces gathered here; except for the leading Xiang Family which was a first-class force, the others were all second and third-class Sects.
These forces, whether it was their numbers or strength, were similar to those of Blood Battle Gang and Storm Hall. Some of them were even slightly inferior, but they still dared to add insult to injury. When they were in a good mood, they’d come and laugh at them a few times, when they were in a bad mood, they’d hurl insults and abuse.
All of them innately felt like Blood Battle Gang and Storm Hall owed them something.
When Hu Man and Xiao Ruohan were still here, the other Sects still had some reservations, but now that all of the masters here had left, what were left was just these idle rampant juniors, so the situation had clearly deteriorated.
Amongst their tormentors, the juniors from Thunder Light Sect and Soaring Rainbow Court were the worst.
These days, the Blood Battle Gang and Storm Hall disciples had suffered intense taunting and provocations; however, because they had suffered many casualties, leaving only a dozen or so of them alive, they had no choice but to swallow their anger.
This group, including the prideful Fang Ziji, in their hearts were deeply unwilling, but eventually held back, not wanting to provoke any trouble.
But their constant forbearance and patience had given rise to people like Thunder Light Sect and Soaring Rainbow Court who concluded that they were easily bullied trash. Today, when this group led by Xie Rong had passed by and seen these normally reserved youths drinking and eating meat, happily smiling, how could they let such a golden opportunity pass?
In any case, there was no war here and no sources of entertainment, what else could they do to pass their time?
Being glared at by the dozen Storm Hall and Blood Battle Gang disciples didn’t affect Xie Rong and Li Fu at all. The two of them still stood there calmly as they sneered disdainfully. It seemed like they thought these hateful glares were the best source of entertainment rather than any kind of threat.
“All of you sit down!” Guan Chi Le’s old face was gloomy, and his eyes swept his juniors as he shouted.
The dozen or so disciples grit their teeth in hatred as their fists clenched up but in the end they still managed to hold it in and slowly sat down.
Although their blood was boiling, they also knew that if a fight was to really break out, the ones who would ultimately end up suffering would be them.
With their current combat strength they couldn’t win, and even if they somehow could, after the Xiang Family investigated, because of their circumstances, the situations of both Sects would only become worse.
All of them sat down one by one, Fang Ziji being the last to relent. The look on his face was rather twisted, and his brow was completely furrowed as it twitched every now and then.
Even if he was not resigned in his heart, he knew he had to be patient.
From the start Yang Kai’s expression had remained indifferent, and he dusted off the few grains of sand on the meat in his hand as he calmly observed the situation.
Some of these newcomers were True Element Boundary cultivators, but most of them had only reached the Separation and Reunion Boundary. This group’s strength wasn’t high, but with his keen perception, Yang Kai noticed that there were several Divine Senses remotely observing this scene.
Amongst them were two Divine Senses that exuded traces of vigilance and hostility. These were likely the elders of Xie Rong and Li Fu who were monitoring the situation here in order to prevent Guan Chi Le from harming their juniors.
There were also two Divine Senses that were significantly more powerful than the others, likely belonging to the two masters beside Xiang Chu.
Perceiving all this, Yang Kai grinned and sneered silently.
After seeing the people from Storm Hall and Blood Battle Gang forced to swallow their anger, Xie Rong and the others would normally laugh and walk off, but today they were obviously reluctant to do so.
As soon as the Storm Hall and Blood Battle Gang disciples sat down, Xie Rong and Li Fu not only didn’t leave but instead stepped forward. Li Fu covered her mouth and smiled towards the Hu Sisters, casually saying, “You two sisters actually made it back! I heard that the two were forced to flee into the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land. Elder Sister is curious, in that demon filled Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land with so many obscene devils staring at you, how is it that two beautiful girls like you managed to escape?”
Hu Jiao Er’s expression became dark as she glared back at Li Fu, angrily saying, “What do you want to say?”
However, Li Fu just giggled and sneered, “Elder Sister is just curious how you two sisters managed to return from that hell. If you don’t mind, could you explain to Elder Sister exactly what you did to survive? For instance, how many men did you seduce and how many times did you sell yourselves to those devils…”
Hearing this blatant slander, Hu Jiao Er and Hu Mei Er’s eyes flashed a cold light.
“Oh oh… I apologize, Elder Sister said something uncouth.” Li Fu giggled lightly; although she had spoken words of apology, there was clearly no sincerity behind them.
The male disciples behind Li Fu also started towards the Hu Sisters with disdainful eyes, as if they were looking at two pairs of worn out broken shoes. Clear signs of ridicule, scorn, and even some obscenity were all mixed into their gazes.
“I’m also curious about this!” Xie Rong grinned, “Not only are we curious, everyone in our camp is also curious about how you two were to come back from that place alive and exactly what kind of methods you used.”
Hu Jiao Er’s brow furrowed as her breath quickened but quickly she wore a defiant smile, “What business is it of yours?”
“Naturally it’s our business.” Li Fu smiled maliciously, “If the two of you escaped from the place by betraying our Great Han Dynasty and colluding with those devils how could we just idly stand by and do nothing? Maybe you’ve already become servants to those Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land devils! Or perhaps you’ve brought back spies from that hell with you, in any case, we must thoroughly investigate!”
“That’s right!” Xie Rong’s eyes suddenly became cold as he glanced towards Yang Kai, staring at him and unhurriedly asked, “This friend looks somewhat strange, where exactly does he come from?”
Yang Kai who had been casually listening while he leisurely ate suddenly wrinkled his brow, suddenly realizing that this group of people had seemed to come specifically for him.
All their previous provocations had just been a set up.
“Inconvenient to say!” shaking his head, Yang Kai answered coldly and indifferently.
“Oh, inconvenient to say is it?” Li Fu sneered evilly.
Xie Rong calmly turned to the Hu Sisters, “He was brought here by both of you so you should be clear about his origins, right?”
“I don’t know, we happened to meet along the road.” Hu Jiao Er indifferently replied.
How could she explain where Yang Kai came from? Storm Hall and Blood Battle Gang had fallen into disaster simply be being neighbours of High Heaven Pavilion, if they were to know Yang Kai was actually one those that Sect’s disciples he’d surely suffer a much worse fate.
If the people here were to act without restraint, he might even be killed on the spot.
“Sure enough, you’re suspicious!” Xie Rong righteously roared, “Capture him!”
“Who dares to!” Fang Ziji snarled and stood up. His True Qi surged forth like an erupting volcano.
When he moved, the others did too. All of them vigilantly stared at the Thunder Light Sect and Soaring Rainbow Court disciples. The latter naturally refused to show any weakness as well and drew their weapons while circulating their True Qi.
The scene had rapidly turned violent.
“Hah!” Xie Rong taunted with a sly grin, “You dare to shield people from the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land? You’re all dead!”
Grinning maliciously, a treacherous smile emerged on his face, like things had gone exactly as he planned, and he quickly shouted, “Do it!”
As soon as his voice fell, the two hostile Divine Senses that were locked on this place suddenly turned into a sharp attack filled with a decisive killing intent and plunged straight towards Yang Kai.
Perceiving this, Guan Chi Le’s face filled with rage as he roared, “Be careful!”
The two silent attacks struck Yang Kai’s mind, but in the next instant they had been dispersed by his Soul Palace.
Yang Kai’s face sank, and his eyes became cold.
He had thought that this group of people just wanted to provoke trouble, but now it seems their objective was not so simple.
In the direction the two Divine Senses had emerged from, a purple light flashed across the night sky.
An icy coldness suddenly burst forth and then disappeared without a trace, making everyone wonder if they were imagining things.
But then, two muffled sounds resounded from afar, and the two Immortal Ascension Boundary masters who belonged to Thunder Light Sect and Soaring Rainbow Court both went pale, and their eyes quickly turned bloodshot as they stumbled and nearly collapsed to the ground.
At that moment, both of these masters had simultaneously been attacked by Yang Kai’s Soul Skill. This bizarre Soul Skill was filled with a cold evil intent and had nearly frozen their Knowledge Seas.
Fortunately for them, they had immediately realized the danger they were in and swiftly defended themselves, otherwise the consequences would have been unimaginable.
Hurriedly stabilizing their Souls, the two masters couldn’t help but look towards each other, and both of them were aware of the shock and panic in the other’s eyes.
Outside, Yang Kai had already moved.
After using his Soul Skill to counterattack those two Immortal Ascension Boundary masters, he moved as swiftly as the wind and instantly arrived before Xie Rong.
Xie Rong still wore the triumphant expression on his face when Yang Kai’s palm landed on his chest and poured blistering True Yang Yuan Qi into his meridians, which sent a wave of extreme pain throughout his body.
Only a single scream was heard before a hand gripped his face and covered his eyes. In a flash, Xie Rong had been dazed and blinded.
“Ah…” The disdainful look on Li Fu’s pretty face instantly disappeared. It had never occurred to her that Yang Kai could survive the attacks of two Immortal Ascension Boundary masters.
The next moment, Yang Kai’s other hand had already grasped Li Fu’s slender neck.
Viciously bringing his hand together, Yang Kai smashed Xie Rong and Li Fu’s heads onto on another, and the tremendous resulting force all but knocked the pair unconscious.
Before they had a chance to being circulating their True Qi, they had been repeatedly beaten into submission.
Both of these two were considered elites from their respective Sects, but at the moment they were like weak children in Yang Kai’s hands, utterly unable to resist.
*Peng Peng…*
After knocking their heads together, Yang Kai slammed Xie Rong and Li Fu into the ground, creating two human-shaped craters as the sounds of bones breaking and shrieks of pain rang out.
It wasn’t until that moment that the rest of the disciples on the scene regained their wits.
*Shua Shua Shua…*
The disciples of Thunder Light Sect and Soaring Rainbow Court all stared towards Yang Kai, and their expressions fluctuated rapidly between rage and fear.
“Who dares make a move!?” Yang Kai mercilessly stepped on Li Fu’s face, half burying her head into the dirt, not showing the slightest bit of restraint, which caused everyone’s eyes to widen.
In his other hand, a sword condensed from his True Qi appeared and arrived atop Xie Rong’s chest.
Under this dark night, the flickering light from the bonfire illuminated Yang Kai’s cold face and created a particularly brutal and terrifying picture.
Everyone from Storm Hall and Blood Battle Gang also stood around awkwardly, apparently stunned into silence as they stared in disbelief at the scene before them.
“Good! Who dares to move!” Fang Ziji was the first to awaken from this stupor, roaring fiercely as he smashed his cup onto the fire.
After a crackling explosion, under the influence of the strong alcohol, the bonfire spat flames like a Fire Dragon a dozen meters into the sky, making the scene even more intense than before.
The bonfire crackled as countless pairs of eyes concentrated on Yang Kai. Concern, surprise, shock, fear, humiliation, anger, a myriad of different emotions all surged forth at once.
One of the Thunder Light Sect’s people quickly stepped towards Yang Kai and with an ugly expression said, “This friend, if you wish to discuss things, can you first let our people go?”
The Soaring Rainbow Court’s response on the other hand was more visceral, and someone yelled in panic, “Quickly release Li Fu Senior Sister!”
Li Fu was a Heaven-sent female in her Sect, and was looked up to and admired by countless numbers of her fellow brothers. At this moment, seeing her enchanting face being stepped on by this brat’s smell foot, how could any of these young Soaring Rainbow Court disciples possibly tolerate such a grave offence?
What was this? It was an unforgivable insult!
Yang Kai however didn’t even blink. His eyes remained cold as he grinned, “Is there anything to discuss?”
“This friend, we haven’t acted against you yet you’ve so severely injured two of our members, don’t you think you’re being a bit excessive?” The young man from Thunder Light Sect replied in a dignified manner.
“Oh really? Interesting!” Yang Kai grinned fiercely and glanced over towards Guan Chi Le, “Senior, what do you think?”
Out of everyone present, only Guan Chi Le was an Immortal Ascension Boundary master, so naturally no one else understood just how dangerous the last few moments were for Yang Kai.
The two Soul Skill attacks from the Thunder Light Sect and Soaring Rainbow Court Elders were undetectable to those who hadn’t cultivated their Souls yet. If Yang Kai hadn’t already cultivated his Divine Sense and been in possession of a defensive Soul Skill, it was almost certain that he’d already be dead.
To all the other juniors here, it had only seemed like Xie Rong had shouted, and then Yang Kai took the lead, making his all out attack seem rather arbitrary and overbearing.
However, Yang Kai and Guan Chi Le were clear about just who the first one to strike was.
Guan Chi Le was also somewhat confused; he didn’t understand how Yang Kai could still be alive, much less completely unharmed. When he heard Yang Kai’s question though, he quickly gathered his wits and stood up, and his expression was no longer the casual one he had been wearing. A touch of curiosity and admiration were apparent in his gaze when he looked at Yang Kai again.
After a moment of indifferent silence, Guan Chi Le smirked, “If it was I, I wouldn’t tolerate it either!”
“Haha, what Senior said is good!” Yang Kai laughed heartily and increased the amount of pressure he was applying to Li Fu’s face again.
“You… you dare do this to me!” Li Fu wailed and shrieked, as dirt and sand filled her mouth the moment she opened it. Her once pretty face was now bloodied and battered, and her eyes were filled with humiliation and unwillingness.
Overall, her strength wasn’t high, her aptitude also wasn’t very good, but in a second-class sect like Soaring Rainbow Court she was still considered one of the elite; with the addition of her innate beauty, naturally she was able to command the wind and rain and had grown a proud and arrogant attitude. Except for young talents like Xiang Chu, other males of her generation weren’t worthy of her attention and instead would fawn over her endlessly. When would she have ever suffered such humiliation?
Tasting the sand in her mouth and imagining how the face she was so proud of was being trampled on, Li Fu almost fainted from anger.
“Shut up!” Yang Kai spat as he shot her a cold glare.
“Go to hell…” Xie Rong obviously was unwilling to be controlled by others, cursing with all his might.
But before he could say another word, his face was greeted by Yang Kai’s fist.
With a loud bang, Xie Rong’s face was planted into the ground and at least five or six of his teeth were shattered, as his mouth filled with blood.
Frightened by this ruthless display, he didn’t dare speak again.
“Stop!” It wasn’t until that moment that the two Immortal Ascension Boundary masters from Thunder Light Sect and Soaring Rainbow Court managed to arrive. After the two of them had been counterattacked by Yang Kai’s Soul Skill, they immediately realized that the situation wasn’t good and hurriedly rushed over; however, they still failed to arrive in time.
*Shua shua* The two Elders appeared at the same time and stood roughly five meters in front of Yang Kai, glaring at him coldly with a touch of wariness apparent in their eyes.
Guan Chi Le also moved at that moment, quietly putting himself between the two of them and Yang Kai.
Yang Kai raised his eyes and observed these two.
The strength of these two weren’t very high, even lower than Guan Chi Le. Both of them had apparently only recently broken through to the Immortal Ascension Boundary.
After all, the real masters had already been recalled so those who were left behind were only responsible for supervising the remaining juniors and didn’t need to be that strong.
The three people glared at each other, and the atmosphere grew heavier by the moment.
After a long silence, the two Elders shifted their eyes towards Xie Rong, who was bloodied, and Li Fu, who was sunk into the mud, and couldn’t help but feel a burst of anger.
Seeing their juniors bullied so brutally made their expressions darken. What’s more, this had happened because the two of them had sneak attacked this young man yet had instead been injured when he struck back.
“We understand,” said the Immortal Ascension Boundary from Thunder Light Sect.
“Just some tit for tat!” Yang Kai replied sarcastically.
The Soaring Rainbow Court’s Immortal Ascension Boundary coughed and hesitated, “Young man, you should first let them go, this scene isn’t pleasant to look at.”
“That’s your business, not mine!”
The Elder’s face sank slightly and said, “Are you determined?”
The Thunder Light Sect’s Immortal Ascension Boundary Elder was also displeased, and his expression became cold, “Young man, the things just now was these two old masters’ responsibility, so how about you release our juniors? You should know, as long as we stay on the front lines, we’ll all need to rely on each other at some point.”
Everything that was being said had an air of ambiguity, so the others present only thought they were discussing the impoliteness of Xie Rong and Li Fu, but Yang Kai knew that they were actually referring to the attack these two had launched against him.
Grinning fiercely, Yang Kai shook his head, “Some things can’t be solved before everyone has arrived.”
“What is it you want?” The Thunder Light Sect’s master expression sank even more. Although he knew that Yang Kai wasn’t simple, he also didn’t fear him, but with Xie Rong and Li Fu’s life in his hands, lowering himself to this point was something he had to do.
“I don’t want anything!” Yang Kai sneering again and again as his True Qi violently circulated about his hands.
What Yang Kai really wanted was to clarify why these two people had tried to kill him!
He had only arrived here today with the Hu Sisters, so it made no sense that he had would suddenly provoke such intense murderous intent.
Although he had an idea about what was happening, Yang Kai also thought that his idea was somewhat embarrassing. In short, someone was jealous of him!
“This old master advises you to release them quickly, or you’ll definitely regret it for the rest of your short life!” The Elder from Thunder Light Sect suddenly said, no longer trying to be polite with Yang Kai, and he circulated his True Qi as he spoke to indicate what would happen if Yang Kai didn’t let their people go immediately.
“Are you threatening me?” Yang Kai frowned, and his expression became cold.
“You can think of it like that!” Thunder Light Sect’s Elder replied.
“And you?” Yang Kai turned his eyes to the master from Soaring Rainbow Court.
However this person simply snorted, saying nothing, obviously signaling their agreement.
“Good!” Yang Kai nodded lightly. His expression suddenly became ferocious as he shaped the True Qi in his hands into a pair of swords and swiftly slashed at Xie Rong and Li Fu’s shoulders.
With two crisp sounds, the faces of Xie Rong and Li Fu suddenly went pale, and after a brief stunned silence, terrified screams burst from their lips.
Each of them had lost an arm!
“You…” The masters from Thunder Light Sect and Soaring Rainbow Court stared at Yang Kai in horror and disbelief. Neither of them had ever dreamed Yang Kai would act so mercilessly.
Guan Chi Le also couldn’t help feeling like he was staring at a madman, and his eyes filled with shock.
The same went for all of the juniors present.
Yang Kai face once again became indifferent, and he stared with scorn at the two masters before him as he coldly snorted, “Next time, I’ll strike their chests!”
“You dare!” The Thunder Light Sect and Soaring Rainbow Court Elders roared furiously, if Yang Kai really ran them through, how could Xie Rong and Li Fu possibly survive?
“You think I don’t!?” Yang Kai smiled viciously.
The two Elders could barely contain their rage. However, neither of them saw any trace of hesitation or doubt on Yang Kai’s face, nor did they hear any hint of deception in his voice.
Since he dared speak such a threat, he dared carry it out.
The two old men suddenly realized that the young man in front of them didn’t fear them at all. If he did, he wouldn’t have been so decisive. Moreover, his personality was one that would only eat soft food but refuse hard food. Them threatening him had only served to stir up his anger.
“Speak! What do you want in order to end this?” The Soaring Rainbow Court’s Immortal Ascension Boundary master took a deep breath and asked in a low growl.
“You two can’t give me the answers I want.” Yang Kai grinned meaningfully, and his gaze shifted slightly, as he stared towards somewhere in the distant darkness.
In the direction he was glaring, Xiang Chu couldn’t help rubbing his nose, and a wry smile blossoming on his elegant face.
“Young Master…” One of the Immortal Ascension Boundary masters behind him whispered, and his brow furrowed slightly, “Is he looking at you?”
“En.” Xiang Chu gently nodded, “Does he know that I’m here? How did he find me?”
“That young man’s intuition is far too keen!”
“Perhaps.” Xiang Chu felt this was all a bit too strange, but he couldn’t come up with a better explanation. Puzzling over it for but a moment, he once again wore a carefree smile and boldly stepped out of the shadows.
Soon after, Xiang Chu appeared in an inconspicuous place nearby and shouted, “What happened? Why did I hear the sounds of fighting?”
Seeing the man in charge of the camp appear, the tension between the two sides suddenly eased slightly.
However, the disciples from Blood Battle Gang and Storm Hall couldn’t help showing worried expression, while those from Thunder Light Sect and Soaring Rainbow Court sneered happily.
These youths all felt that since Yang Kai had blatantly attacked Xie Rong and Li Fu he would certainly receive some kind of punishment.
“Young Master Xiang!” The three Immortal Ascension Boundary experts present all quickly greeted Xiang Chu.
Xiang Chu only nodded lightly before smiling towards the Hu Sisters gently.
Xie Rong and Li Fu grit their teeth and endured their pain, calling out, “Young Master Xiang, save us! This man wants to kill us!”
As soon as they spoke though, Yang Kai sent out two palm strikes to their faces.
Two loud bangs harshly resounded through the night air.
Seeing this, Xiang Chu couldn’t help but frown slightly as the stared a dozen or so meters ahead at Yang Kai.
A trace of dissatisfaction flashed across his eyes but it was immediately hidden.
“Young Master Xiang, the situation is…” The Thunder Light Sect’s Elder quickly approached and tried to explain what had just happened.
However, Xiang Chu raised his hand to stop him before sweeping his eyes across the crowd, finally fixing his gaze on Hu Mei Er and asking, “Mei’er, can you explain what exactly happened here?”
Hu Mei Er was so concerned about Yang Kai right now that she didn’t even care that Xiang Chu had called her by her given name and instead immediately began recanting the events that had transpired just now.
“Is this true?” After listening to Mei Er’s version of events, Xiang Chu turned to the people of Thunder Light Sect and Soaring Rainbow Court and asked.
All of them suddenly hesitated, not knowing how to answer, and all of them simply directed their eyes towards their Elders.
Seeing this reaction, Xiang Chu sneered, “Oh? This young master asked a simple question yet none of you dares to answer?”
The crowd quickly lowered their heads and whispered, “Yes.”
Xiang Chu grinned and said, “So that’s the case. Then the cause of all this was Xie Rong and Li Fu’s inappropriate actions. Although everyone is from different forces, since we’ve gathered together here to fight against the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land we are all part of the same team. Each of us is supposed to help and support one another yet you sought to provoke others and then were taught a lesson because your real skills were inferior. I believe everyone understands who is at fault here. Why haven’t all of you hurried to apologize to Storm Hall and Blood Battle Gang’s disciples?”
“Apologize?” The Immortal Ascension Boundary masters from Thunder Light Sect and Soaring Rainbow Court couldn’t help but twitch slightly when they heard this.
Their juniors were also stunned silent and stared blankly at Xiang Chu in confusion.
A light flashed across Yang Kai’s eyes as a mysterious grin inexplicably formed on his face.
“Young Master Xiang…” Xie Rong mumbled through his broken teeth and blood leaked from his mouth as he spoke. He had been beaten and humiliated, and just when he thought that Xiang Chu would uphold justice for him he suddenly felt a cold fierce gaze land upon him, hurriedly shutting him up.
Wearing a big smile, Xiang Chu walked forward towards Yang Kai, “Friend, this Xiang Chu has been negligent in his responsibilities and has caused Blood Battle Gang and Storm Hall to suffer this injustice. I understand that you are angry, but can you give I, Xiang Chu some face and forgive them? Only by continuing to live can they learn from this lesson and repent. As for tonight’s events, please be at ease, this Chu guarantees that such things will not happen again.”
Seeing him apologize so readily with a completely sincere expression, and his attitude neither haughty nor arrogant, if one didn’t know any better, they’d think Xiang Chu really felt like he had made a mistake.
Xiang Chu humbling himself so caught everyone here by surprise.
The juniors from Blood Battle Gang and Storm Hall also suddenly felt relieved and elated, though none of them understood how dangerous things were for Yang Kai just now and only thought of this as a fight between members of the younger generation.
Xie Rong and Li Fu who ridiculed them repeatedly had just suffered a big loss, and now Xiang Chu was biased against them, so how could they still be unsatisfied?
Only Fang Ziji and the Hu Sisters glanced towards Yang Kai thoughtfully, faintly feeling that something wasn’t right.
Across a dozen meters or so, Yang Kai stared back at Xiang Chu. It wasn’t until this moment that he truly understood what true hidden intentions looked like.
What had just happened here was obviously seen by the two masters behind Xiang Chu via their Divine Senses. Xiang Chu himself was also not far from here and had clearly watched everything play out, but when he stepped forward he still pretended to know nothing.
This person really hid himself well, a natural born snake.
“What other dissatisfaction does this friend have? If you have any requirements you should feel free to state them.” Xiang Chu smiled slightly.
“Seeing Young Lord Xiang act so fairly, I am naturally satisfied!” Yang Kai grinned.
“Good good!” Xiang Chu said with a warm smile and laughed, “Let us make big things small. Everyone here is a fellow comrade, there’s no need to let this situation become serious. We must know that our true enemy is the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land. This friend, if you could please release them we can then resolve these matters peacefully!”
“Good!” Yang Kai dismissed his swords and then sent out two swift kicks.
With two bangs, Xie Rong and Li Fu flew back to their camps like rag sacks and were caught by their respective Elders, causing a few more of their ribs to break in the process.
Xiang Chu’s eyes couldn’t help but squint, but Yang Kai simply sneered back at him, completely unafraid.
“Little brat…” The Immoral Ascension Elders from Thunder Light Sect and Soaring Rainbow Court roared.
“Apologize!” Yang Kai turned to look at them, and his eyes were filled with a profound chill, and his tone was unquestionable.
Both of these masters were enraged, eager to rush forward and rip this arrogant junior in two, but both of them still first turned to Xiang Chu for his opinion, only to see him nod his head.
Seeing Xiang Chu’s response, even though the two of them were a hundred kinds of unwilling in their hearts, they couldn’t afford to affront him, and they muttered under their breaths, “Just now, our juniors had committed a grave offence towards Blood Battle Gang and the Storm Hall! This old master will strictly discipline these disciples and will not allow them to provoke any more trouble!”
“Scram!” Yang Kai sneered.
“Let’s go!” The Elders from Thunder Light Sect and Soaring Rainbow Court each held Xie Rong and Li Fu and led their group of young disciples away hurriedly with their hearts filled with resentment.
After they left, Xiang Chu smiled at the Hu Sisters and then politely retreated.
Beside the campfire, it was silent for quite some time until suddenly the disciples from Blood Battle Gang and Storm Hall burst into cheers. All of them gazed towards Yang Kai with looks of respect and worship and treated him like a great hero.
Although all of them belonged to three different sects, but since they came here, these minor differences no longer mattered. With everyone working together and suffering so much injustice, they had long ago formed deep bonds of friendship. Now seeing Yang Kai act so decisively and exact revenge for them, naturally they felt jubilant and excited.
Only Guan Chi Le sat alone, with his brows slightly wrinkled and his expression pensive.
The Hu Sisters walked over and Hu Jiao Er whispered, “What happened just now?”
“Nothing.” Yang Kai shook his head gently. Just now, almost all of the juniors here realized nothing out of place, and there was no need to spoil their mood by telling them.
Fang Ziji also noticed that something more had happened, but although he still had his doubts, he didn’t ask any more instead changing the subject, “Shall we drink?”
“Good!” Yang Kai smiled and nodded.
Back at Xiang Chu’s temporary residence.
The Thunder Light Sect and Soaring Rainbow Court’s masters had left the injured Xie Rong and Li Fu in their respective Sect’s care and then came there.
A short time later the door opened, Xiang Chu walked in and then sat down without saying a word. His two guards silently took up positions behind him to his left and right.
“Greetings Young Lord!” The two masters from Thunder Light Sect and Soaring Rainbow Court hurriedly saluted, but their faces were filled with unwillingness and anger.
However, Xiang Chu simply glanced at them and lightly said, “Tell me, what happened just now? Why is that little brat still alive?”
The masters from Thunder Light Sect and Soaring Rainbow Court exchanged a glance before recanting what they had experienced.
After listening to them, Xiang Chu’s brow wrinkled as he quickly asked, “What you’re saying is that not only were your Soul Skills blocked by him, you were instead injured by his Soul Skill?”
The two old men’s faces turned bright red, obviously quite embarrassed.
The Elder from Thunder Light Sect hurriedly continued, “Young Lord, I know this reason sounds far-fetched, but this old master guarantees it is the truth. Please investigate if you have any doubts!”
“Enough, I don’t doubt what you said.” Xiang Chu paused for a moment before suddenly turning to the two masters behind him and asking, “What do you think?”
One of them calmly responded, “If what these two say is true, that kid must have a high quality Soul type artifact on him.”
The other hurriedly added, “It may actually be two! One for defense, another to attack. If not, considering that young man’s cultivation, it would be impossible for him to display an offensive Soul Skill!”
“En.” Xiang Chu nodded, “I think so too.”
Suddenly grinning, “Interesting, he actually has a Soul type artifact. That’s not something an average person can have.”
The eyes of the Thunder Light Sect Elder flashed a cold light, and he solemnly said, “Young Master Xiang, do you want us to…”
“Do you have the ability?” Xiang Chu coldly snorted.
“As long as we can entangle Guan Chi Le, taking that little brat’s head is as easy as pie!”
“No, that brat’s already suspicious!” Xiang Chu shook his head slowly, his expression was rather unpleasant.
“Yes.”
“That’s right, how are Xie Rong and Li Fu’s injuries?” Xiang Chu asked with a hint of concern.
Both the Thunder Light Sect and the Soaring Rainbow Court’s Immortal Ascension Boundary experts gratefully replied, “That little brat was quite vicious with his strikes but still restrained himself somewhat, at the very least there’s no risk to their lives.”
Xiang Chu nodded and casually signaled to his guards.
Immediately, one of them took out a pair of pill bottles and threw them to the Thunder Light Sect and Soaring Rainbow Court Elders.
“These are special healing pills from my Xiang Family. After you return, dissolve them in warm water and feed it to them, they should be able to fully recover after about ten days,” Xiang Chu said.
“Many thanks, Young Lord!” The two elders rejoiced upon receiving this gift and hurried to thank Xiang Chu.
“Good, draw back.” Xiang Chu waved lightly, dismissing the two elders.
“Young Master.” After waiting for the masters from Thunder Light Sect and Soaring Rainbow Court to leave, one of the old man behind Xiang Chu took a moment and said, “Why are you so concerned with that young man? That little brat is certainly a little interesting but he’s hardly worthy of your attention.”
Xiang Chu smiled indifferently and slowly got up, “The first time I saw him I knew at first glance that he was very strong. Didn’t you notice that the whole time today he displayed absolutely no fear? Even when both of you showed up, he still maintained the same aggressive stance all while keeping an indifferent attitude. That kid is obviously not someone average. I can’t even estimate his true depths. Good, for now I won’t move against hi. Let’s wait a few days and see how things play out.”
“But after a few days, the war’s decisive battle will be over. At that time we’ll have to return to the clan. Young Master, aren’t you determined to bring those two Hu Sisters back with you?”
Xiang Chu grinned and nodded. “En, so I will have to solve this matter before we are summoned back. Otherwise it will be difficult to meet them later.”
Everything today was because Xiang Chu had seen the Hu Sisters getting along well with Yang Kai. Upon noticing this, he immediately wanted to get rid of Yang Kai. Therefore, he had used the Thunder Light Sect and Soaring Rainbow Court as proxies. After they had killed Yang Kai, he would superficially punish Thunder Light Sect and Soaring Rainbow Court in order to win the Hu Sisters’ favor.
However, he hadn’t counted on Yang Kai’s strength being so tyrannical.
Casually stretching his back, Xiang Chu lightly said, “This is just the first round, nothing to get worked up over. This Young Lord will go rest.”
The two guardians looked at each other and couldn’t understand what their Young Lord was thinking. Tonight’s action had been quite hasty and carried an air of urgency, but now Xiang Chu seemed indifferent to everything. Neither of them could figure out what their Young Master was planning.
For the next ten days, there was peace and tranquility.
Although the confrontation with the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land still technically continued, right now, neither of the forces stationed here had any desire for battle. Everyone’s mind was focused on outcome of the final battle, so there were essentially no battles fought.
The disciples from Thunder Light Sect and Soaring Rainbow Court didn’t dare come to provoke trouble after they had eaten such a big loss that night. Even the juniors from other forces detoured around both the Blood Battle Gang and the Storm Hall disciples now.
Yang Kai took this time to enter secluded cultivation. His current environment was incredibly peaceful, and he temporarily had no immediate business to attend to, so naturally he made the best use of this rare idle time.
After half a month of cultivation, Yang Kai’s True Element Boundary Sixth Stage cultivation had been fully consolidated and he was not far from breaking through to the Seventh Stage.
The next day.
Hu Jiao Er and Hu Mei Er stormed into Yang Kai’s room.
“What happened?” Yang Kai asked the two sisters.
“We have to go out,” Hu Jiao Er grinned and said, “Xiang Chu said that this is the last mission we’ll be assigned. After we finish it, we’ll be allowed to return home.”
The thought of returning to their Sect and their family obviously made the two sisters quite excited.
“I’ll accompany you!” Yang Kai stated and quickly stood up.
Hu Jiao Er’s expression suddenly became solemn, and she shook her head, “You can’t.”
“Hm?”
Hu Mei Er continued, “Your identity is still unknown, if you go along with us it will only cause suspicion.”
Hu Jiao Er nodded slightly, “Because of Xie Rong’s prior accusations, many people now suspect that you are a spy from the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land!”
Yang Kai frowned slightly and then looked at the two sisters thoughtfully, “How many people will be deployed this time?”
“Almost the entire camp is being sent, leaving only a minimum number of people behind to guard the camp. All you have to do is stay here and wait for us to return. This mission should only last half a day to three days.” Hu Jiao Er suddenly smiled happily, “Just sit tight. After the mission is completed, Big Sister here will take you home!”
Tai Fang Mountain, atop a ridge.
Hundreds of cultivators were scattered about, and they cautiously monitored their surroundings as they lay in ambush.
According to Xiang Chu, the spies on the other side of Tai Fang Mountain came back with intelligence saying a group of cultivators from the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land would make a final attack today.
So in order to take the initiative, he wanted to set up an ambush here to crush the enemy forces.
Originally, the disciples from Blood Battle Gang and Storm Hall were skeptical about this news; after all, neither side had shown any interest in fighting for quite some time now so it was odd that the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil cultivators would choose to attack now in the waning moments of the war.
But not long after, a group of devil path cultivators really appeared, which instantly dispelled their doubts.
There weren’t many enemies in this assault, probably about sixty or seventy in total, and the number of Immortal Ascension masters was also miniscule. Under the effective arrangements and commands of Xiang Chu, the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land forces suffered heavy casualties and were forced to flee in panic.
The battle didn’t last long, only about half a day before a complete victory was obtained.
When the Blood Battle Gang and Storm Hall disciples gathered together afterwards, they were shocked to discover that there were a lot less of their allies around than expected.
After a closer look, they noticed that the ones who were missing were actually the cultivators from Thunder Light Sect and Soaring Rainbow Court!
Immediately everyone realized something was wrong.
“Xiang Chu!” Hu Jiao Er went straight to the Young Master of the Xiang Family, asking with a solemn expression, “Where are Xie Rong and Li Fu?”
Xiang Chu showed a slightly surprised face and replied, “Weren’t they with you while you were fighting the enemy?”
“No!” Hu Jiao Er’s eyes went cold, “I haven’t seen them since the start of the fight!”
“What?” Xiang Chu also wore a confused look and wrinkled his brow for a moment as he watched Hu Jiao Er’s sullen expression, “You mean… bad! Quickly, return to camp!”
Issuing this order, the group of Great Han cultivators dashed off.
Hu Jiao Er stared at Xiang Chu’s back and gritted her teeth as her fists clenched, but eventually held her tongue and instead coordinated with her sister to maximize their speed and race forward as fast as she could.
With the Thunder Light Sect and Soaring Rainbow Court cultivators suddenly disappearing, what they were up to was already obvious.
Originally Hu Jiao Er wasn’t worried about these two Sects seeking revenge from Yang Kai for the previous incident because everyone in the camp was supposed to be involved in this mission. With everyone together on the front lines she could easily monitor their movements, so Hu Jiao Er hadn’t given it any more thought.
How could she imagine they would suddenly disappear after the battle began? By the time she noticed it was already too late.
It seems like everything today was just an elaborate set up, a trap set for them and Yang Kai!
With the anxiety in their hearts surging, Hu Jiao Er and Hu Mei Er began to circulate their Twin Qi Shared Spirit Divine Art, which caused their speed to instantly double, and their two shadows shot past Xiang Chu like meteors.
Xiang Chu’s eyes couldn’t help but squint slightly being surprised by the Hu Sisters’ sudden burst of speed, apparently not having expected the two sisters to be so formidable.
……
Back at the camp, Yang Kai sat cross-legged atop a mat, circulating his True Yang Secret Art as he silently awaited his companions’ return.
However, he didn’t have to wait too long.
When the Hu Sisters left, Yang Kai had regularly swept the area around him with his Divine Sense for any abnormalities.
Opening his eyes suddenly, a brilliant light flashed across them, and his lips curled into a vicious grin as he quickly mutter to himself, “They finally came.”
Since hearing that Hu Jiao Er and the others were going out on a mission, Yang Kai realized that someone would come to deal with him.
However, among the cultivators here, Yang Kai wasn’t concerned with anyone except the two Xiang Family Immoral Ascension masters! But it was impossible for those two to take action because their priority was to protect Xiang Chu and would therefore not leave his side. So, after Yang Kai analysed his current situation, he saw no reason to worry much less leave.
*Shua Shua Shua…*
From all around, the sound of clothes swishing could suddenly be heard. Obviously Yang Kai’s visitors didn’t have any intention of hiding themselves and blatantly took up positions to surround him.
A moment later, everything was silent again, and only a thinly veiled hostility and murderous intent lingered about.
“Since you’ve all come, why bother trying to hide!?” Yang Kai shouted before standing up and sending out a flurry of punches.
As these fist shadows flew out, the house Yang Kai had been staying in exploded into pieces.
Dust and smoke filled the air.
When everything settled again, a series of figures came into view.
Xie Rong of Thunder Light Sect and Li Fu of Soaring Rainbow Court glared at Yang Kai with a pure hatred. Both of them had suffered a major loss at Yang Kai’s hands, and were humiliated and disgraced in front of everyone from their Sects. Xie Rong still didn’t dare open his mouth to speak, fearing that others would see the ugly appearance of his broken teeth.
Behind each of these two stood fifty or so others, but with the exception of the two Immortal Ascension Boundary experts from that night, all of them were members of the younger generation.
Seeing all of this, Xie Rong let loose a burst of arrogant laughter and roared, “Little brat, let’s see if this time you won’t die!”
Li Fu’s pretty face also twisted into a malicious grin, “Never once has anyone shamed me so! I’ll make sure you pay back ten times what you owe!”
The two of them were originally in serious condition; however, with the help of the special healing pills Xiang Chu had provided, after half a month they had basically made a fully recovery, so once they learned that they were free to find trouble with Yang Kai, they naturally couldn’t wait to get their revenge.
“It’s impossible for you, you’re both too weak!” Yang Kai sneered contemptuously, and his expression showed a thick disdain.
Hearing this, Xie Rong and Li Fu glanced at each other and couldn’t help but remember back to that night when they were helpless to defend themselves as Yang Kai had beaten them, and it caused their pride and self-confidence to immediately plummet.
“Young man, you’re insane!” The Thunder Light Sect’s Elder snorted and stepped forward while staring coldly at Yang Kai, “With us old masters here today, do you think your end will be good?”
Yang Kai simply sneered and stared back at him, before casually asking, “All of this is Xiang Chu’s doing right? Including what happened that night.”
The two Immortal Ascension Boundary masters grinned but didn’t answer.
Yang Kai had already planned to settle this at some point, so he didn’t mind their silence and nodded carelessly before asking, “What benefits did he offer you? Were they really worth you offending me?”
The Thunder Light Sect’s Elder laughed disdainfully, “Worth offending you? What dog shit do you count for? After today, you’ll be nothing but broken bones, what does it matter if we offend you?”
A cold light flashed across Yang Kai’s eyes as a malicious laughter leaked from his lips, “The price for offending me, I’m afraid you can’t afford it!”
As soon as his words finished, a purple light suddenly burst from his forehead.
[Soul Skill!]
“Spread out!” The Soaring Rainbow Court’s Elder yelled, as he released his own Divine Sense in an attempt to intercept Yang Kai’s attack.
He had eaten a small loss that night and naturally knew the danger of this attack; therefore, he used his Soul’s full force.
However, he hadn’t anticipated that the Soul Skill used by this brat right now would be somewhat different from the previous time. The purple light shot forward into an empty space before suddenly expanding out. A purple halo visible to the naked eye spread to the entire surrounding area, instantly engulfing all the young disciples and causing them to grab their heads and cry out in pain.
The two Immortal Ascension Elders eyes bulged when they saw this, never having dreamed that Yang Kai’s Soul Skill could transform so drastically, catching them off guard and completely negating their efforts to stop it.
The effect was devastating as the purple halos pulsed outwards one after another.
It was as if someone had thrown a stone into a calm lake, causing a continuous burst of ripples.
Before anyone could react, four or five halos had already spread out.
A number of the young disciples who were swept up in this attack soon after ceased crying out as blood spilled from their eyes and noses, dying the ground around them a dark shade of red.
In an instant, eight people had died!
These juniors weren’t very strong nor did they possess artifacts that could defend against Soul Skills, so how could they possibly resist this kind of assault?
“Junior! You court death!” The two old masters from Thunder Light Sect and Soaring Rainbow Court burst into fury and flew out to attack Yang Kai.
Laughing wildly, Yang Kai once again used his Soul Skill while simultaneously pushing out both his palms to summon the White Tiger and Divine Ox Seals to constrain the two old masters. Meanwhile, Yang Kai shot forward and flew into the Thunder Light Sect and Soaring Rainbow Court disciple’s ranks and sent out a series of Burning Sun’s Three Layer Blasts in quick succession.
It was like a tiger descending upon a flock of sheep; this group of young disciples was completely unable to cope with Yang Kai’s onslaught. His strength was so fierce that every strike he sent out would collapse someone’s chest or crush someone’s limb, and there was almost no one who could withstand a single blow.
Only Xie Rong and Li Fu, after desperately joining forces, could barely block Yang Kai’s punch, but they were still sent flying over a dozen meters from the impact and fell to the ground unable to get up.
The two Immortal Ascension masters tore through the White Tiger and Divine Ox phantoms in short order, but the scene that greeted them was Yang Kai slaughtering their disciples. In the brief time they had been obstructed another six of their juniors had been killed. Immediately they charged forward and let out an enraged roared, “Little brat, you dare!”
“Dare or not dare, it’s already done!” Yang Kai sneered maliciously and snapped the neck of a Thunder Light Sect disciple before casually tossing his corpse away. The body tumbled five or six meters before stopping.
The hearts of the two Immortal Ascension Elders were nearly bursting with rage. Today, the two of them had led their juniors to find the trouble with Yang Kai, assuming they could settle things with a wave of their hands, but the battle had barely even begun and already a dozen of their disciples had died while their target, on the contrary, was completely unharmed.
Hurriedly charging in, the two old men finally managed to interrupt Yang Kai’s slaughter.
“Stand back!” The Soaring Rainbow Court’s Elder snarled.
Hearing this command, all of the remaining juniors wore ugly yet relieved expressions as they retreated several tens of meters from the fight, and they trembled in fear as they gazed back upon the battle.
Without having to worry about injuring their juniors, the two Immortal Ascension Boundary masters began concentrating on the fight. Attacking together, they launched a flurry of fierce strikes, Their True Qi flashed about like lightning and enveloped Yang Kai in an inescapable torrent.
The two of them were extremely vexed. An Immortal Ascension Boundary master’s biggest advantage when dealing with a True Element Boundary cultivator was the use of their Soul and Divine Sense, but in front of Yang Kai, the two of them not only didn’t dare use their Souls, they also had to divert part of their attention to defend against his Soul Skills. It was easy to imagine how aggrieved they felt.
The three of them fought an exceptionally fierce battle, and although Yang Kai was obviously at an absolute disadvantage, all but completely suppressed by the two masters, he was able to somewhat hold his own. A True Element Boundary being able to withstand the attacks of two Immortal Ascension masters was already a shocking achievement.
Xie Rong and Li Fu paled as they watched, suddenly realizing that on that night, Yang Kai had been holding back against them. It wasn’t that they were negligent or caught by surprise, it was that from the start they were powerless to resist.
Even just now, though they had fully defended themselves, they hadn’t been able to escape Yang Kai’s attack.
“What kind of monster is he, how can he be so strong?” Xie Rong muttered incoherently with a look a pure disbelief plastered all over his face.
Li Fu nodded unconsciously, and her pale face was unable to utter any words as a cold chill ran up her back. In her heart, she infinitely regretted getting involved with such a freak.
His strength and ruthlessness had far surpassed Li Fu’s imagination, and even her original desire for revenge had been all but snuffed out.
Now, Li Fu only hoped that the Elders would be able to severely wound. or better yet kill Yang Kai on the spot. Otherwise, she would never be able to rest easy again.
Waves of heat billowed forth as Yang Kai pushed his True Yang Yuan Qi to the extreme and displayed the full range of his abilities without any hesitation, yet he was still unable to simultaneously confront these two Immortal Ascension Boundary masters.
Not long after, his chest was struck by these two old masters, which caused Yang Kai’s face to pale slightly. As he flew backwards, Yang Kai crashed into a large tree, smashing it to pieces, before hitting the ground with a loud bang.
“Good!” Xie Rong couldn’t help shouting out in joy at that moment, as if he was the one who had managed to injure Yang Kai.
The Elders from Thunder Light Sect and Soaring Rainbow Court swooped down and stood a couple dozen meters in front of Yang Kai, staring him down.
Although Yang Kai was wounded by them, both of them knew that it was only a superficial injury. The True Qi of circulating through this young man’s body was extremely rich and pure, enough so that he had resisted at least eighty percent of their attack.
However, the two were still satisfied with this result.
Two Immortal Ascension Boundary experts had joined forces to bully a True Element Boundary junior. If they still couldn’t win, then what face would they have left?
“Brat, let’s see if you can act crazy in front of this old master again!” The Thunder Light Sect’s Elder bellowed angrily.
The Elder from Soaring Rainbow Court also glared at Yang Kai and coldly said, “You’ve killed so many of my Soaring Rainbow Court’s disciples; today you must pay this debt in blood!”
“Heh heh heh …” Yang Kai chuckled as he slowly stood. Although he looked a little miserable at this moment, he was still laughing. Wiping the blood from his mouth he lifted his eyes and stared back at the two Immortal Ascension masters, his fighting intent still raging forth.
“An Immortal Ascension expert. Sure enough, really extraordinary!” Yang Kai’s tone was slightly low, but rather than distressed it was eerily calm.
The two masters opposite him slightly frowned, unable to understand why the young man in front of them still looked calm, relaxed, and completely without fear.
His expression became cold, and the Thunder Light Sect’s expert roared, “Brat, although you’ve killed so many of our juniors, this old master is merciful and is willing to spare your life! Kneel down, waste yourself, and I’ll let you live!”
Yang Kai grinned, “Won’t kill me? Xiang Chu’s instructions I suppose?”
The two Immortal Ascension masters’ brows twitched simultaneously, secretly frightened at how perceptive Yang Kai was.
Yang Kai had killed so many of their disciples that if they were the ones making decisions, how could he possibly keep his life? However, Xiang Chu’s order had been to cripple Yang Kai, so they definitely couldn’t outright kill him! Obviously, Yang Kai being alive was of use to the Xiang Family’s Young Master.
The two factions wanted to form a good relationship with the Xiang Family, so how could they defy Xiang Chu’s order? He was the most likely candidate to become the next Xiang Family Patriarch, so it was imperative to be in his good graces. In the future, such a connection would be extremely beneficial for Thunder Light Sect and Soaring Rainbow Court.
Hearing Yang Kai’s veiled taunt, the master from Thunder Light Sect coldly snorted, “The heavens return kindness with fortune. Of course, that means retribution as well. This matter does not need Young Lord Xiang to meddle in!”
The Soaring Rainbow Court’s Elder quickly followed up, “Damn little brat! Will you waste yourself or do you want this old master to cripple you?”
“Good, good, good!” Yang Kai nodded heavily, and a vicious grin appeared on his face as he sneered at the two old me, “Since you insist on acting as Xiang Chu’s dogs, I’ll treat you as such!”
“Little animal! You’re far too arrogant!” Thunder Light Sect’s Elder roared furiously.
“You really think you two with your Immortal Ascension First Stage cultivations can beat me?” Yang Kai’s look suddenly turned frigid, as he slowly lifted one of his hands. Along with this motion, the burning hot True Yang Yuan Qi that was originally surrounding him disappeared suddenly.
The two Immortal Ascension Boundary experts didn’t know what Yang Kai wanted to do, but their instincts warned them that it wasn’t anything good. They hurriedly exchanged a glance, and then, without hesitation, charged forward again.
Yang Kai’s eyes narrowed slightly, and his index finger gently wiped across his brow as he eerily chanted.
The faint sound of his voice seemingly contained a mysterious power that caused it to ring clearly in everyone’s ears.
“Devil Transformation!”
*Hong…*
The entire world seemed to shudder. The ground shook, and the sky trembled. An overwhelmingly evil Devil Qi enshrouded the area.
This Demonic Qi was indescribably pure and tyrannical, making the surrounding area feel like it had been plunged into an icy hell. It affected everyone nearby, gripping their hearts with fear while stimulating their darkest impulses.
With this rapid change, the Heavens and Earth roiled; at this moment, Yang Kai seemed to have transformed into a different person.
Before the two masters from Thunder Light Sect and Soaring Rainbow Court could reach Yang Kai, their expressions suddenly changed, and they let out a strange cry before abruptly retreating.
*Deng deng deng deng…*
After withdrawing a dozen or so steps, the two old experts managed to regain their footing as their eyes gazed towards Yang Kai, and their expressions became dignified.
The young man in front of them appeared the same as he did just a moment ago. In fact they couldn’t spot a single different, but his temperament and the aura he radiated were completely different. The only thing they could tell was that there was a huge difference in the strength of his Blood Force from before they had charged him.
If the previous Yang Kai made them feel troubled, the present Yang Kai gave them a feeling of dread.
Right now, they sensed fatal danger from him!
Both of them were Immortal Ascension Boundary masters and possessed incredibly keen senses. Although they didn’t know how the young man in front of them had instantly undergone such a drastic change, their instincts were warning them that if they were to fight with Yang Kai now, they would very likely die!
Wild beasts rely on their instincts and intuition!
As for experts like them, their perceptions were even sharper than wild animals.
As soon as this idea flashed across their minds, both of the old men were shocked. How could a trivial True Element Boundary Sixth Stage cultivator give them such an uneasy feeling?
There was also the demonic aura that surrounded them. Even if it was one of the Six Great Evil Kings of the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land, they wouldn’t possess such stifling Evil Qi.
Before the two old men could compose themselves, a series of crackling noises rang out.
Looking straight ahead, with Yang Kai as its centre, they saw a wave of ice spreading outwards, blanketing the ground and freezing the air.
In just a few breaths, a radius of several meters had become a frozen glacier.
The two Immortal Ascension Boundary masters once again retreated, and a glimmer or shock flashed across their eyes.
This cold aura and frigid ice wasn’t ordinary, it even seemed capable of freezing their True Qi; how would they dare easily contact it?
The younger generation disciples nearby shivered violently as horror filled their expressions.
This was the second time Yang Kai had used his Devil Transformation, yet he was still amazed by it. As he cracked his neck and stretched his arms, a burst of overwhelming strength seemed to ripple from his body.
With the exception of his face, Yang Kai’s body was covered from top to bottom in black tattoos. These patterns were intricate and complicated, depicting a mystical charm that was invisible to others.
“Little brat, you really are a spy from the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land!” The Immortal Ascension Elder from Thunder Light Sect suddenly shouted, drawing this conclusion from Yang Kai’s aura.
“Believe that if you want!” Yang Kai snapped back loudly before slowly lifting his hand towards the two Immortal Ascension experts, and then swiftly pressing his palm down a moment later.
From an outsider’s perspective, obviously nothing had happened, but the two old men were stunned as they suddenly felt like a mountain descending from the Heavens was pressing down on them. Under this pressure, the two experts nearly collapsed, and they increased their True Qi circulation to its limit but still were unable to fully offset it.
*Xiu xiu xiu…*
The sound of something breaking through the air in front of them caused the two old men to look up, only to see a series of jet black attacks flying towards them from Yang Kai’s direction.
These attacks were like snakes with bloody fangs, suddenly opening their mouths midair, darting about as they snapped towards them viciously.
*Kachaca…*
The ground where these attacks pass over resembled earth that had been ripped open by a fierce wind, and clearly visible gullies were formed as dirt was sent flying to either side. A shocking scene to behold.
These fierce incomparable attacks contained a concentrated frigid aura that seemed to freeze everything in their path and carried an overwhelming force as they sped forward.
The two elders were shocked and horrified, and their faces became pale as ugly expressions appeared on their faces, as both of them immediately did their best to avoid a head on confrontation.
“Trying to dodge?” Yang Kai laughed, while waving both his hands as he directed the Demonic Qi to send it chasing after the two old men.
Simultaneously, Yang Kai once again used his White Tiger and Divine Ox Seals, summoning the two black beast phantoms; however, this time he didn’t use them to attack the two Immortal Ascension Boundary masters but instead sent them after the Thunder Light and Soaring Rainbow disciples.
The two beast phantoms seemed even stronger than the pair he had previously summoned, and in the next instant they appeared in front of a dazed Soaring Rainbow Court disciple.
This young disciple only had a Separation and Reunion Boundary Eighth Stage cultivation and hadn’t yet recovered from his shock. In the blink of an eye, this unfortunate junior had been shredded into a bloody pulp, not even having the chance to scream.
“Run, run, dodge all you want! If I can’t kill you, killing your disciples is just as good!” Yang Kai shouted ruthlessly.
Hearing this shout, those surviving disciples suddenly awoke from their stupor, and an icy chill shot up their spines.
“Shameless bastard!” The Elders from Thunder Light Sect and Soaring Rainbow Court both cursed, their rage soaring to unimaginable heights.
Seeing the two phantoms rush up to another of their disciples, the two old men didn’t dare to escape again, and both of them sent powerful strikes towards the two black beasts, narrowly saving that disciple.
“No longer running?” Yang Kai had waited for this moment for a long time, sneering as a cluster of black lights flew out of from his body, once again turning into that snake like attack as it shot towards the two old men.
The Thunder Light Sect and Soaring Rainbow Court’s Elders didn’t have time to avoid this attack as it converged towards them from all directions, so instead they fiercely pushed their True Qi and summoned their artifacts in an attempt to protect themselves, their whole bodies being wrapped up in darkness the next moment.
A series of rumblings rang out from inside that darkness.
Everyone’s eyes stared nervously at the mass of darkness, not knowing what kind of fate would befall the two people surrounded by it.
*Hua…*
The darkness suddenly collapsed and two figures fell from the sky. Both of them were disheveled and embarrassed, but otherwise seemed uninjured.
But if one looked closely, they would quickly discover that the two old men’s eyes that were originally sharp and serene were now flashing with all kinds of evil light as traces of black gas swirled around their bodies.
These black lights were actually wisps of the purest Devil Qi which had been condensed by Yang Kai; if an ordinary person were to touch it they would instantly die!
Yang Kai could ignore the effects of this Devil Qi, but others couldn’t.
The two old men had been affected by this Devil Qi at the moment, which had caused all the malicious and evil thoughts they had suppressed within themselves to rampage. If they couldn’t resolve this Devil Qi in short order, sooner or later they’d fall to the Devil’s Path.
But how could it be so easy to rid purify this Devil Qi? Even a master as powerful as Ling Tai Xu after being affected by a similar form of Demonic Qi had been unable to resolve it, let alone these two Elders from Thunder Light Sect and Soaring Rainbow Court.
To some extent, Yang Kai’s Devil Qi was even more potent than the Demon Lord’s.
“Ruthless little brat!” The Thunder Light Sect’s Elder roared as he glared at Yang Kai, and his eyes filled with incomparable hatred.
“I said that you can’t afford the price of offending me!” Yang Kai coldly snorted. His eyes were filled with a frigid indifference.
This was the first battle Yang Kai had after acquiring his Devil Transformation. Although he had long been aware that in this form his strength was greatly enhanced, the extent to which his combat efficiency had been enhanced even surprised him.
Without using the power of the Unyielding Golden Skeleton, with his current cultivation, at best Yang Kai felt he was able to evenly match an Immortal Ascension Boundary First Stage expert.
But after using his Devil Transformation, he was able to completely suppress these two Elders without even using his full strength.
Feeling the power coursing through his body was very enjoyable, but Yang Kai knew not to allow himself to drown in it either
*Xiu xiu xiu…*
A series of cracks appeared on the ground beneath the Thunder Light Sect and Soaring Rainbow Court’s Elders as a hidden attack tunneled towards them.
Immediately frightened, the two old men’s faces paled as they instinctively leapt up to dodge.
Yang Kai sneered to himself as he waved his arms, controlling the dark Demonic Qi and sending it flying into the sky at a shocking speed, striking the two Immortal Ascension experts, further embarrassing them.
With the recent lesson still fresh in their memories, the two old men no longer dared to flee indiscriminately and stopped from time to time to jointly repel these attacks so as to avoid Yang Kai’s ferocious killing intent being directed towards their helpless disciples.
However, these attacks were too numerous and both of them had been influenced by Yang Kai’s Demonic Qi before, so right now they couldn’t exert their full strength nor control their bodies freely; therefore, moments later they found themselves suppressed by these black serpents.
At the same time, a black potent Devil Qi suddenly emerged from Yang Kai.
Sending out a deafening roar like the advent of a dragon.
Everyone’s attention was drawn towards this phenomenon, and all of them were immediately struck dumb.
A huge phantom had emerged above Yang Kai, appearing akin to a living entity, atop its head were two dragon horns and it exuded a chilly aura, and its basin sized eyes mercilessly stared down towards the two Immortal Ascension Boundary from the sky.
When this pair of eyes fell upon them, the Elders from Thunder Light Sect and Soaring Rainbow Court immediately smelled the breath of death.
Suddenly…
The phantom bellowed and drew out a large amount of Demonic Qi from Yang Kai and shaped it into a physical body.
What ultimately appeared before everyone’s eyes was a towering black dragon, its hundred meter long body condensed completely of vicious Evil Qi, exerting a kind of inexplicable pressure on everything in its surroundings.
This dragon was born from the combination of the dragon tattoo on Yang Kai’s back merging with the Demonic Qi stored inside the Golden Skeleton.
Yang Kai possessed this dragon tattoo while Su Yan bore an Ice Phoenix tattoo.
This tattoo that should have been a symbol of the Yin-Yang Joyous Unification Art had now, for some unknown reason, manifested itself in reality. Even Yang Kai had only felt that his back was a bit itchy and casually tried responding to this sensation, never having anticipated such a dramatic result.
Wherever the dragons passed, black snakes formed from Devil Qi followed closely, like the stars surrounding the moon.
The Thunder Light Sect and Soaring Rainbow Court’s masters were trapped mid-air and were still struggling to break free, but before they could get extricate themselves, the huge dragon’s mouth was already upon them.
With a bone chilling crunch, the Immortal Ascension Boundary of the Thunder Light Sect was bitten in two, and his blood splashed out across the ground below.
The black dragon then soared a thousand meters into the air before turning around and dove back down. Its eyes were fixed on the Soaring Rainbow Court Elder.
Having just witnessed his companion die in front of him in such a gruesome manner, being torn in half and eaten, the Immortal Ascension expert from Soaring Rainbow Court was scared stiff, and under such tremendous pressure, his body had lost any ability to resist.
All of a sudden, this old man’s eyes flashed, like he had spotted a chance for survival, opening his mouth and yelling off into the distance, “Fang Lao, Xu Lao. Save me!”
Yang Kai’s expression became cold as he turned his gaze in the same direction and noticed as two mysterious lights quickly approached this place.
It was Xiang Chu’s two guards!
Both of them had cultivations at the Immortal Ascension Boundary Seventh Stage and were far stronger than these two Thunder Light Sect and Soaring Rainbow Court Elders.
As these two flew over, they both sent out strikes towards the black dragon, Fang Lao angrily roaring, “Demon! You dare to hurt our people?!”
Yang Kai coldly snorted, kicked off the ground, and flew in front of the Soaring Rainbow Court’s Elder in a single bound, while summoning the Asura Sword to his hand.
*Zheng…*
Numerous sword cries sounded, and with a slash of the Asura Sword, an overwhelming sword wave greeted the attacks of Fang Lao and Xu Lao.
*Boom…*
A series of violent turbulence erupted midair, which pushed Yang Kai back a few steps before he managed to steady himself, and eventually stopped the other side’s attack.
The black dragon descended once more, and just when Fang Lao and Xu Lao managed to close to within two hundred meters, it bit off the head of the Soaring Rainbow Court Elder.
*Kacha…*
The master from Soaring Rainbow Court immediately became a headless body as blood spewed from where his neck once was like a spectacular fountain.
Fang Lao and Xu Lao saw everything but were helpless to do anything. The two of them immediately erupted in rage and mercilessly attacked. One of them sent out a fierce piercing wind, the other a golden light, using various Martial Skills to assault Yang Kai.
Yang Kai’s expression remained as calm and indifferent as before, even when facing these two Immortal Ascension Boundary Seventh Stage masters, almost like he was fighting two pieces of trash instead.
No longer holding anything back, a thousand blood-red petals suddenly fluttered, accompanied by a rich floral fragrance, every petal akin to an incomparably sharp blade.
Sword Qi flew about as the White Tiger and Divine Ox Seals shot forward.
The three quickly exchanged ten blows but Yang Kai had already fallen into a disadvantage. Even if he had summoned two Heaven Grade artifacts he was still unable to compete with these two masters.
Just as Yang Kai was thinking about whether or not to withdraw directly, two figures rapidly approached.
Hu Jiao Er and Hu Mei Er!
The two beautiful sisters’ faces were both filled with anxiety, but after seeing that Yang Kai was unscathed, they couldn’t help breathing a sigh of relief. In the next instant when they saw Fang Lao and Xu Lao attack, anger quickly welled up inside them.
Without any discussion or hesitation, the two joined forces and joined the battle.
Their Twin Qi Shared Spirit Divine Art shined at this moment; both sisters’ cultivations were just True Element Boundary Fourth Stage, but using this mystical Secret Art, the force of their True Qi shot up exponentially, and each of them showed combat abilities not inferior to peak True Element elites, and when the two of them synchronized their swordplay, attacking in concert, they had enough strength to compete with an average Immortal Ascension First Stage master.
Either Fang Lao or Xu Lao could easily defeat them regardless of how heaven defying the increase in their combat strength was; however, these two flowers were Xiang Chu’s favored women, so neither of them dared injure them, which left the two old men feeling somewhat helpless.
Instead, with the Hu Sisters’ assistance, Yang Kai and his black dragon were finally able to defend themselves.
“Two Young Ladies!” Fang Lao’s expression became grim as he shouted, “This man is a demon!”
Hu Jiao Er simply snorted, “I don’t know whether he’s a demon or not, I only know that he is my friend!”
“Young Ladies, please stand back! You do not recognise this man!” Xu Lao also advised.
“If you want to kill him, you’ll have to kill us first!” Hu Mei Er appeared more innocent and naive than her elder sister, but at this moment she firmly made her resolve.
“He’s already killed so many of our comrades from Soaring Rainbow Court and Thunder Light Sect. He’s already fallen onto the Devil’s Path! He’s no longer the person you knew! Now he has no consciousness and won’t recognize the two young ladies at all! Quickly separate yourselves from him!” Fang Lao argued anxiously.
Listening to these overtures, Yang Kai simply grinned, silently sending out an order, launching the black dragon towards him with a demonic roar.
“Presumptuous!” Fang Lao angrily shouted and sent out a palm strike towards the black dragon, striking its head dead centre, knocking it backwards before it had a chance to bite him. But Fang Lao was also shaken back a step, causing him to stare blankly at the hundred meter long dragon, and an uncomfortable feeling welled up in his heart.
“Stop!” An angry voice rang out through the air from somewhere in the distance.
After hearing this voice, Fang Lao and Xu Lao hesitated for a moment before glaring furiously at Yang Kai and then falling back.
Hu Jiao Er and Hu Mei Er also hurriedly arrived at Yang Kai’s side and asked with concern, “Are you alright?”
Yang Kai shook his head slowly, his eyes gazing forward.
After slaughtering so many cultivators from Thunder Light Sect and the Soaring Rainbow Court he had already achieved his purpose. At this moment, with his black dragon floating nearby, if Yang Kai wanted to leave, even Fang Lao and Xu Lao couldn’t restrain him.
Right now, Yang Kai was truly fearless.
Along his line of sight, Yang Kai carefully observed Xiang Chu as he approached the camp. Even with such a chaotic situation before him, this Young Master Xiang displayed a calm demeanor befitting the son of a great noble family.
However, while looking at the bloodied and broken bodies scattered across the ground, Xiang Chu’s eyes showed clear traces of surprise and discomfort.
*Shua Shua Shua…*
A large group of people emerged behind Xiang Chu soon after, the disciples from Blood Battle Gang and Storm Hall all anxiously looking around before their eyes quickly landed on Yang Kai.
Guan Chi Le’s old eyes narrowed as his heart shuddered. After seeing the two dead bodies of the Thunder Light Sect and Soaring Rainbow Court Elders, he couldn’t stop himself from trembling lightly.
Right now, clear lines had been drawn.
Except for the members of Blood Battle Gang and Storm Hall who sided with Yang Kai, everyone else was clearly stood with Xiang Chu.
Fang Lao and Xu Lao even quietly circulated their True Qi, guarding against any actions Yang Kai might take.
As Xiang Chu swept his eyes across Yang Kai and felt the dense Evil Qi radiating from his body, he couldn’t help but wrinkle his brow, and when he saw the black demonic dragon that floated nearby, his expression became even sterner.
He could feel the frightening power this dragon resonated, and a coveting and greedy impulse flashed across his thoughts.
But as he examined further and discovered that this dragon was condensed purely from Evil Qi, Xiang Chu quickly dispelled these thoughts.
After looking around for a moment longer, Xiang Chu solemnly asked, “What happened here?”
Fang Lao hurriedly replied, “Young Master, when I and Xu Lao arrived, we discovered that this little brat had fallen to the Devil’s Path and was attempting to kill Cheng Ming of Soaring Rainbow Court. Unfortunately these two old masters were incompetent and couldn’t rescue Cheng Ming before…”
“Cheng Ming is dead?” Xiang Chu’s expression revealed a look of surprise.
“Yes,” Fang Lao nodded, pointing to a body not far away, “That is all that remains of his broken corpse!”
“What about the Immortal Ascension Elder from Thunder Light Sect?” Xiang Chu asked.
“Dead before we arrived.”
Xiang Chu involuntarily trembled.
He thought he had overestimated Yang Kai’s combat ability as much as possible, but he never expected that his ‘overestimation’ still far, far underestimated Yang Kai’s strength.
Two Immortal Ascension Boundary First Stage Elders had actually been killed by him. Just how strong was he in the end?
“Young Master, that young man has already stepped into the Devil’s Practices, unable to recognize his friends of family any longer. This old master asks the Young Master’s permission to seek justice for our fallen comrades by executing him!” Fang Lao grunted.
Xiang Chu frowned, seeming to hesitate.
Hearing this request, Hu Jiao Er hurriedly interrupted, “Old bastard, who exactly has fallen to the Devil’s Practices?”
Hu Jiao Er had always been stronger willed than her sister. On any other day she would still treat Fang Lao as an honored Senior, however, at this moment, seeing him actually wanting to kill Yang Kai, she couldn’t help but curse him as an old bastard.
Fang Lao’s eyes twitched upon hearing a junior insult him so, but due to this girl’s identity, he couldn’t respond too forcefully and instead calmly replied, “Him? With his current appearance how hasn’t he fallen to the Devil’s Practices?”
Hu Jiao Er simply sneered, “If he’d already fallen into the Devil’s Practices, do you think we could still stand safely beside him? Are you blind?”
Hearing this argument, although they were annoyed with her tone, Fang Lao and Xu Lao also couldn’t help but hesitate, uncertain about what exactly was happening. Yang Kai’s current state was completely beyond their understanding. There was no doubt that he was under the influence of a Heaven shaking Evil Qi that should have completely distorted his consciousness, but the look in his eyes was clearly calm, without the slightest taint one would associate with the Devil’s Practices.
“Also, you only saw him kill Cheng Ming, have you ever once stopped to think about what the old dog did to him?” Hu Jiao Er’s tone became more intense.
Fang Lao moved his mouth to retort only to freeze up the next instant, and he remained silent for a few moments before saying, “This old master only believes what he has seen.”
Hu Jiao Er’s sneer became even deeper, “Two weeks ago, these people from Thunder Light Sect and Soaring Rainbow Court suffered a big loss at his hands. Today they abandoned their duties at the front lines and came back here in secret. For what purpose? I’m sure you can guess! Even if Yang Kai really killed them, it can only be considered self-defence. All the dead here brought this on themselves; what does it have to do with him? When an elder wants to kill you, do you have to stretch out your neck and let them cut off your head? If someone else attacks you, are you not allowed to resist?”
Guan Chi Le nodded firmly, “The First Young Lady is right! The people from Thunder Light Sect and Soaring Rainbow Court not only took action behind our backs but also deserted the battlefield in order to kill one of our own! The Young Lord must uphold justice!”
“Please judge the situation fairly Young Lord!” Fang Ziji barely managed to contain his smile while also adding his voice.
Xiang Chu smiled indifferently and said, “If things are really like this, this young master will certainly mete out punishment to those from Thunder Light Sect and Soaring Rainbow Court to serve as a warning to others!”
Pausing here though, Xiang Chu continued, “But in the end all of this is just your assumptions. All of you came back with me and none of you saw clearly what happened. Naturally this young master also did not witness what happened either; therefore, I suggest that the parties involved, both sides, explain exactly what happened here.”
“I have no objections!” Yang Kai grinned and nodded.
“This young master appreciates this friend’s understanding.” Xiang Chu nodded then turned to his guards, “Fang Lao, Xu Lao, gather up those who are still alive!”
“Yes!” The two Immortal Ascension Boundary masters flew out and after a few short breaths had brought back all the juniors who had survived.
Many of them were seriously injured and could barely keep themselves from falling over. Xie Rong and Li Fu, although quite embarrassed, still couldn’t hide how badly beaten they were.
Quietly glancing towards Yang Kai, the two juniors quickly took back their gaze in a panic, and their junior brothers and sisters didn’t even dare to look at Yang Kai.
Over the course of the previous fight, a deep and profound fear of this mysterious youth had taken root in their souls.
Even the powerful Elders who were from their parents’ generation had been easily slaughtered by Yang Kai, so how could these young people have any ability to resist?
“Xie Rong. Li Fu.” Xiang Chu called out firmly.
“Ye… ye… yes…” Xie Rong trembled as he stuttered to respond, Li Fu, even more so, was unable to compose herself enough to speak.
Xiang Chu’s brow furrowed slightly but quickly put on a kind expression, “You two should have seen everything with your own eyes, right?”
“Ye… yes.”
“Good, then recount everything that happened, including all the details you can remember, if you dare conceal or lie about anything, you know the consequences!” Xiang Chu said lightly.
Xie Rong and Li Fu glanced at each other, but neither of them dared to speak.
Seeing this, Hu Jiao Er smirked, “A guilty conscience makes one nervous.”
Xiang Chu rubbed his forehead before grinning, “Jiao Er, please don’t say such things before we’ve made a conclusion.”
Hu Jiao Er coldly snorted in return, “Young Lord Xiang, I don’t want to remind you again, please don’t call my name so familiarly.”
“Apologise Young Lady Hu, I was distracted and spoke negligently.” Xiang Chu replied smoothly without a hint of embarrassment in his voice and once again turned to face Xie Rong and Li Fu before continued, “If you don’t dare to speak, then this Young Lord must conclude that you are in the wrong and will kill you right now!”
Xie Rong and Li Fu couldn’t help shuddering as their eyes met Xiang Chu’s.
However, Xiang Chu swiftly added, “But if you are the ones who have been wronged, this Young Lord also swears to uphold justice for you!”
Hearing this sentence, everyone from Storm Hall and Blood Battle Gang couldn’t help but frown.
Xiang Chu’s words sounded fair and unbiased, but upon further thought they held a profound meaning.
Sure enough, Xie Rong and Li Fu once again looked at each other, and their panic-stricken emotions gradually stabilized as they seemed to have found a support to lean on.
Li Fu finally managed to whisper, “Xie Rong, you say it.”
Xie Rong swallowed hard, grit his teeth, and nodded. “Good.”
Taking a deep breath and not daring to look in Yang Kai’s direction, he spoke in a deep and aggrieved tone, “Earlier today, when we were fighting on Tai Fang Mountain our two Sects ended up chasing down a group of Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land cultivators. After killing them, we discovered that we were not far from the camp and decided that backtracking to meet up with Young Lord Xiang wasn’t necessary, so we simply returned here.”
“Dog shit!” Hu Jiao Er couldn’t help shouting, “Since the beginning of the fight, I never once saw anyone from your two Sects! What ‘chasing down Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land cultivators?’ You clearly decided to sneak off and return to camp from the very start!”
“I swear what I’ve said is the truth! Young Lord Xiang, if you don’t believe me, you can search the western outskirts of the camp, there should still be some fresh bodies left there.”
Xiang Chu nodded slightly, “I’ll definitely investigate your claims. If you were chasing down our enemies, that is something to be commended, however… failing to return to the rally point was definitely a mistake in judgement by your two Sects. I have no choice but to reprimand you in regards to such an error, I assume you have no complaints, correct?”
“None!” Xie Rong and Li Fu shook their heads at the same time.
The Hu Sisters nearly choked on their anger as although Xiang Chu seemed to be properly handling matters, his statements and judgements so far were clearly favouring Thunder Light Sect and Soaring Rainbow Court.
“Continue!” Xiang Chu motioned casually.
“When we and our respective Elders returned to camp, we planned to send out a few of our members to report our situation to Young Lord Xiang but before we had a chance to sit down and rest, we suddenly felt an eruption of Evil Qi.”
“An eruption of Evil Qi?” Xiang Chu frowned.
“Right, we had never felt this kind of wicked aura before. The Elders of our two factions thought that some incredibly powerful demons had infiltrated the camp and thus led all of us back to confront them, but when we found the source of the aura it was actually… actually…”
“What, speak up?”
“It was that person.”
“What man?” Xiang Chu asked.
“The strange man the Hu Sisters brought back with them the other day!” Xie Rong replied in a horse voice.
Xiang Chu looked over at Yang Kai, who simply smiled back at him.
It was a plain smile filled with a look of self-confidence, leaving Xiang Chu at somewhat of a loss.
“And then?” Xiang Chu asked, turning his eyes back to the two juniors in front of him.
“Then… then… that man madly attacked us! Our two Elders couldn’t stop him and many of our fellow disciples were either killed or heavily wounded. In the end, the two elders sacrificed their own lives trying to save as many of us juniors as possible.” As Xie Rong recanted this horrific tale, his voice seemed to contain infinite grievances and pain, and even his breath quickened as he mournfully said, “This humble one begs Young Lord Xiang uphold justice and exact revenge for the fallen Brothers, Sisters, and Elders of our two Sects!”
Li Fu also shed tears as she frantically wiped her eyes, weeping as she added, “Young Lord Xiang please! This hatred cannot go unsettled!”
Listening to these two, the disciples from Blood Battle Gang and Storm Hall ground their teeth, and a bitter rage and hatred welled up in their hearts.
Xiang Chu was silent for a moment before motioning, “You two, get up.”
“If Young Lord Xiang cannot uphold justice for us and kill this demon, we will kneel here forever!” Xie Rong and Li Fu declared as they lowered their heads to the ground.
Xiang Chu’s expression became somewhat displeased seeing their display, saying, “Things have yet to be made clear. All of this is just your side, but if you wish to kneel, then just kneel.”
Lifting his eyes, he smiled towards Yang Kai and continued, “This friend, your situation doesn’t appear to be so simply described, if you have something to say, this Young Lord will hear you out.”
The Hu Sisters turned and stared towards Yang Kai.
However, Yang Kai simply shrugged and said indifferently, “Nope!”
“Yang Kai!” Hu Jiao Er’s beautiful face immediately cramped up, and she nervously seized his arm.
Xiang Chu was also quite surprised and couldn’t help looking at him strangely. It seemed like he hadn’t expected Yang Kai to not argue back.
Upon seeing the calm, disdainful look on his face, Xiang Chu had a faint bad premonition.
He dared not defend himself, and he didn’t seem the slightest bit nervous, so obviously he wasn’t afraid he would suffer any consequences from this situation. Was he simply arrogant, or was he still hiding something that gave him this sense of confidence?
“Yang Kai, you have to fight back, they’ve slandered you so, how can you just stand there and say nothing?” Hu Mei Er also pleased anxiously.
But Yang Kai just maintained a light smile and replied, “Since they already have the predisposition to condemn me, context does not matter. So let’s not waste our breath.”
At that moment, the Hu Sisters frozen for an instant before suddenly realizing that no matter what argument or defence Yang Kai put forward it was useless. His current state was enough for everyone to label him a demon!
Now that they were at war with the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land, what was the fate of a demon that had appeared here? Everyone would slaughter him! So even if the Thunder Light Sect and Soaring Rainbow Court people were the ones who acted first, Yang Kai’s reasons were meaningless.
Justifications? All of that was just wasted spit!
His expression gradually sinking, Yang Kai sneered, “Whether I am a man or a devil, that’s not for outsiders to decide.”
Xiang Chu’s eyes couldn’t help squinting as he stared at Yang Kai fixedly.
After a long time saying, “What this friend means to say is, this young master isn’t qualified to pass judgment on you?”
“You think you’re worthy?” Yang Kai looked at him indifferently.
“Bold!” Fang Lao shouted, “The Xiang Family is a first-class family, and the Young Lord is the commander of this camp, yet you, a mere stray dog, dares say the Young Lord isn’t worthy?”
“A first-class family, how awe-inspiring!” Yang Kai laughed rampantly.
“So be it! This Young Lord will let you understand the power of a first-class family today!” Xiang Chu was also angered by Yang Kai’s slights, and he coldly snorted, “Fang Lao, Xu Lao, capture this demon.”
“Yes!” The two Immortal Ascension Boundary masters responded firmly.
“You dare!” The Hu Sisters flew out, placing themselves in front of Yang Kai.
Xiang Chu’s complexion sank and a hint of jealous anger flashed across his eyes. Taking a deep breath he said, “Two young ladies, if you don’t want to get hurt, I suggest you stand back. If you continue to insist on this course of action, this Young Lord will have no choice but to assume you are in league with this demon and capture you together with him!”
“Such great prestige!” Guan Chi Le took a step forward and sneered, “Young Master Xiang, is this how your Xiang Family handles its affairs?”
Xiang Chu’s expression became gloomy, “This how I, Xiang Chu, handle affairs! If this demon isn’t punished, how could our people feel at ease!”
Xiang Chu’s words were forceful and inspiring.
The people from Thunder Light Sect and Soaring Rainbow Court were originally miserable, but as soon as they heard this, their expressions became excited. Xie Rong and Li Fu also raised their heads with pride and glared with hatred towards Yang Kai, hoping to see a look of desperation on his face.
“Good good!” A booming voice suddenly echoed from the distance.
This unexpected change startled everyone, and all of them quickly turned in the direction from where the voice came from.
A few thousand meters away, a group of beasts flew across the ground towards them at an astonishing speed.
Cloud Treading Colts, a Third-Order Monster Beast that although not strong in combat, possessed great speed and endurance! On top of that, they were relatively docile which made them suitable for use as mounts.
A Cloud Treading Colt was capable of traveling several thousand kilometers a day, the best amongst them even capable of crossing ten thousand kilometers at once. Such speed was faster than most low level Immortal Ascension Boundary masters and had the added advantage of a cultivator not needing to consume their own True Qi.
Therefore, amongst many large forces, it was common to domesticate some Cloud Treading Colts to use for transportation. However, the number of these Monster Beasts was not large, and each one was worth several tens of thousands of silvers. Besides first-class and great forces, others with weaker backgrounds had no way to afford such mounts.
To some extent, being able to ride a Cloud Treading Colt was a sign of strength and identity.
The newcomers approached to a distance of thirty meters or so before stopping. The age of their leader looked almost the same as Xiang Chu, and he obviously came from an impressive and powerful force. Behind him, he was followed by two Immortal Ascension Boundary Seventh or Eighth Stage masters.
Crossing a thousand meter distance had only taken them an instant.
“After not meeting for a few months, it seems Brother Xiang’s temperament is the same as always.” The leading youth laughed heartily. In front of the crowd, he didn’t bother dismounting and instead proudly sat atop his Cloud Treading Colt and looked down at everyone from above. Only when his eyes landed on Yang Kai did he display a slightly dignified air.
Such potent Demonic Qi was naturally not something they could ignore.
The two Immortal Ascension Boundary masters behind the lead youth also fixed their gazes on Yang Kai and secretly circulated their True Qi to guard against any unforeseen threats.
“This guy is called Nan Sheng!” Fang Ziji knew that Yang Kai was ignorant of the circumstances and quickly approached to explain to him, “He’s the Young Lord of the Nan Family, another first-class family and has the same status as Xiang Chu. The Nan Family and Xiang Family have been marrying one another for several generations so the relationship between the two has always been very good. Be careful about him, he’s even more overbearing and uncompromising than Xiang Chu.”
“En,” Yang Kai nodded slightly; if Xiang Chu was the kind of sinister character who plotted against you while wearing a smile, then this Nan Sheng should be a straightforward person who let his actions speak for themselves.
Xiang Chu gloomy expression finally settled when he saw this youth. Chuckling lightly as he cupped his fists and said, “Brother Nan, how come you’ve come here? Weren’t you stationed a few hundred kilometers away at a different section of the front?”
The Xiang Family was in charge of the Tai Fang Mountain region while the Nan Family had been given command of another section of the front line a few hundred kilometers away. It was also a first-class family and certainly had the qualifications to hold such a post.
Nan Sheng soon grinned, casually dismounted from his Cloud Treading Colt, and said, “Wasn’t the decisive battle finished two days ago? The Eight Great Families announced a couple days ago that we can go back, but as we were passing through we felt an unusual presence. Never did I expect to come across such a good show. How come you haven’t left here yet?”
While speaking, Nan Sheng looked Yang Kai up and down.
Xiang Chu’s face twitched slightly before replying, “We had just completed our last mission today and I was planning to tell everyone this good news after we had finished it, but I hadn’t thought some startling changes would have occurred here and thus haven’t had time to announce it.”
Suddenly, everyone from Blood Battle Gang and Storm Hall stared at Xiang Chu.
The decisive battle had already ended two days ago!
If they hadn’t inadvertently heard this news from Nan Sheng’s mouth, they might still have been kept in the dark!
If all of this was true, then how would the cultivators from the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land come to attack their camp two days after the final battle?
What commander would do such a pointless act?
However, it was precisely at that moment that Yang Kai had encountered a problem here. Obviously there was more to the situation than met the eye.
In a flash, everyone had understood many of these key points.
“Changes…” Nan Sheng nodded slightly, frowning as he shifted his gaze to Yang Kai and said, “Him?”
“En.” Xiang Chu replied.
“A demon, heh, interesting!” Nan Sheng held his chin with one hand and looked over Yang Kai like he was evaluating a commodity. “This young demon actually has such a strong Evil Qi, it looks like his cultivation technique isn’t simple.”
“It’s definitely not simple.” Xiang Chu readily acknowledged in a serious tone.
Nan Sheng was slightly surprised, he had rarely seen Xiang Chu wear such a dignified look. Unable to hold back his curiosity he asked, “How so?”
“Two of our Immortal Ascension Boundary First Stage masters were killed by him!”
“What?” Nan Sheng paled slightly while the two Immortal Ascension Boundary masters behind him were also equally shocked.
“Brother Xiang, you must be joking, right?” Nan Sheng paused for a moment before shaking his head, obviously he didn’t believe this outlandish claim. “He seems to only have a True Element Boundary Sixth Stage cultivation. How could he have killed an Immortal Ascension Boundary expert? Let alone two of them.”
“The bodies are right over there, how could I be joking with you? In fact, all the dead cultivators here died at his hands.” Xiang Chu shook his head grimly.
The Immortal Ascension Boundary masters behind Nan Sheng also came forward and whispered, “Young Master, this person can’t be underestimated. His Blood Force and his aura are both extraordinary, and the black dragon behind him is also unusual.”
Even the Immortal Ascension Boundary masters of his own family spoke so seriously, which forced Nan Sheng to hurriedly stifle his cynicism and whisper, “If I were to face him, what would my chances of winning be?”
The two Immortal Ascension Boundary masters silently groaned to themselves, at somewhat of a loss.
“Say it!”
“None!” The Immortal Ascension Boundary master grit his teeth and replied.
Nan Sheng took a deep breath and once again re-evaluated Yang Kai. Even if it was the juniors from Eight Great Families or the core disciple from the various great Sects, there were only a few people in his he stood no chance of winning against, but now this young demon had suddenly emerged and could also completely suppress him. Wouldn’t that mean his aptitude and strength were at least on par with those Heaven chosen geniuses?
His eyes narrowing slightly, Nan Sheng quickly said, “Such a dangerous character should be killed immediately, letting him live will only lead to more trouble in the future.”
Xiang Chu nodded, “I also think so.”
“Then why the hesitation?” Nan Sheng looked puzzled.
Xiang Chu could only grin wryly.
Nan Sheng swept the surroundings once again, frowning slightly, “These people are obstructing you?”
“En, it’s a bit complicated.” Xiang Chu nodded helplessly.
“Anyone who dares interfere, dies!” Nan Sheng coldly snorted, “Fighting together with demons at this time, even if we kill all of them nobody will object.”
The Blood Battle Gang and Storm Hall cultivators all paled while staring alertly at Nan Sheng.
Originally, the two Immortal Ascension Boundary masters beside Xiang Chu were enough to suppress them. Now that Nan Sheng had brought two more equally powerful masters, if they were really to fight, none of them would survive.
“Junior Brother Xiang, why are you still acting so softly in this situation?” Nan Sheng glanced towards Xiang Chu with his head tilted, a slight look of displeasure on his face.
However, Xiang Chu wryly smiled, “Some people… I can’t bear to kill.”
As he spoke, his eyes drifted towards the Hu Sisters, leaving no ambiguity in his intentions.
The Xiang Family and Nan Family had been related through marriage for several generations. Xiang Chu and Nan Sheng had even played with each other since childhood. They were as close as real brothers so when he saw Xiang Chu’s expression, Nan Sheng naturally understood what he was thinking.
Nan Sheng was well aware of Xiang Chu’s personality and methods, so with only a moment’s thought, he suddenly understood many things.
Some words were inconvenient for Xiang Chu say, but Nan Sheng could still grasp what he meant.
[Fuck, I had only planned to see him while passing through here but now I actually have to help this little brat with his schemes! This brat already has a few wives waiting for him back home but he’s still not satisfied!] Nan Sheng couldn’t help feeling depressed in his heart.
However, after stealing a quick glance at this pair of twins, they were indeed somewhat fascinating, and it was no wonder he had been tempted by them.
As such, Nan Sheng acted decisively, pointed to the Hu Sisters, and declared, “Two young ladies, do you want to die?”
Hu Jiao Er sneered back, “If it’s possible to live who would choose to die?”
“Good, step aside then, this matter has nothing to do with you, all we want is to kill that bastard beside you.” Nan Sheng ordered, all but disregarding the sisters’ opinions.
The Hu Sisters naturally shook their heads and stood firmly beside Yang Kai.
Nan Sheng was stunned, and a burst of complaints rattled around inside his head. [Damn that brat Xiang Chu, the two women he’s after already had a sweetheart, no wonder there was such a fuss.]
[I see!]
Under these circumstances, Nan Sheng finally understood everything. The drama that had unfolded before he arrived now abundantly clear.
Staring at them for a moment, Nan Sheng suddenly said, “Do you want to protect his life?”
The Hu Sisters were unhappy being stared at like this but eventually nodded their heads.
“Very well,” Nan Sheng laughed, “You two, marry my Brother Xiang and I, Nan Sheng, will guarantee his life for you!”
When this statement was made, everyone was shocked.
Xiang Chu immediately objected in a fluster, “Big Brother Nan you can’t! It’s true I have an interest in these two girls, but killing this demon takes precedent! How can we confuse our priorities here?”
Nan Sheng snorted in response, “What’s wrong? Here you can make the decisions, what you decide is what goes! If I support you as well then nobody will object.”
Turning back, he looked at the Hu Sisters and said, “What do the two ladies think?”
“In your dreams!” Hu Jiao Er refused quickly and decisively.
Nan Sheng’s face sank, and his gaze became slightly cold and contemptuous, so sneering he said, “You two seem to only be disciples of a second-class Sect, right? My Brother Xiang was born into a first-class family and is also a strong contender to be its next patriarch. Whether it’s status, strength, or looks, marrying him is nothing but beneficial to you. On the other hand, you two women are but trivial commoners, no matter what you try to achieve, sooner or later you’ll have to be married and now a Young Lord of a first-class family is willing to take you in! As far as I can see, you being able to marry my Brother Xiang is your life’s good luck!”
Although Nan Sheng’s speech was utterly offensive and demeaning, the Hu Sisters remained completely indifferent.
“I’ll say this once more, either he dies or you two marry my Brother Xiang and I let him live! How to choose, you can decide for yourselves.” Nan Sheng said in an overbearing tone, not giving the Hu Sisters any room to bargain, even sneering as he continued, “I’ll give you once incense worth of time, if by then you haven’t decided, I’ll show no more mercy. If anyone else objects or tries to stir up trouble, they’ll be executed on the spot!”
Done speaking, he stood beside Xiang Chu and gazed indifferently at the crowd.
From beginning to end, Xiang Chu had actually only said one sentence, and then was unable to interrupt again.
Things having developed to this point, the Hu Sisters would have to be stupid to not understand.
“Hmph, so all of this was all your doing.” Hu Jiao Er looked accusingly at Xiang Chu, “You set Yang Kai up like this and then planned to use him to threaten us right?”
Xiang Chu quickly wore an indifferent expression and said, “Jiao Er, if that’s what you think, then you have greatly misunderstood me.”
Nan Sheng couldn’t help roll his eyes, thinking that this little bastard still wanted to act aloof and arrogant at this point, if he had simply taken the direct approach anything these two girls said would be the same as farts.
Two second-class Sect’s female disciples, even if they were unwilling, what could they do in this situation?
“Whether or not I’m misunderstanding, you would know better than me!” Hu Jiao Er sneered disdainfully.
The Blood Battle Gang and Storm Hall had suffered greatly for these past few months. Only a dozen or so of them remained of the hundred disciples who had come here, so those who remained had established extremely firm bonds.
Seeing Nan Sheng and Xiang Chu treat the Hu Sisters like cheap commodities to be bought and sold, how could they not become enraged?
Fang Ziji sneered as he looked at Nan Sheng, “Young Lord Nan, Young Lord Xiang, are first-class families free to determine whether our second-class Sect disciples live or die?”
“What do you want to say?” Nan Sheng muttered as he shifted his eyes towards Fang Ziji, a cold smile adorning his face.
“If that’s really the case, then of course I have nothing to say.”
“Then shut your mouth!” Nan Sheng casually flicked the dust off his sleeves and said indifferently, “If you want to blame something, then blame yourselves for being low born. Why do you think the world’s Sects and forces are divided into first, second, and third class? It’s so you wastes can recognize the gap in status between us! If you were from a first-class force, do you think you’d have to grovel so pathetically before this Young Lord?”
Nan Sheng sneered as he spoke, seemingly not feeling any problem with what he was saying. An air of superiority obvious in his tone stemming from his noble birth
Continuing, “If you belonged to one of those super-forces, heh, this Young Lord would have to bow down to you instead! This is the law of the jungle, that’s how it is. It’s almost funny that you can’t understand something so simple. One day, if you have strength and status far above mine, if You bully me, I swear I won’t have any complaints!”
“There will be such a day.” Fang Ziji said gloomily.
Nan Sheng in response just spat disdainfully.
All this time, Yang Kai had simply been watching and had not spoken. His hands held behind his back, quietly standing there observing the various parties argue amongst themselves, not bothering to express his own opinions. It was like everything happening had nothing to do with him.
However, it was clear that the four Immortal Ascension Boundary masters of the Nan and Xiang Families were constantly on guard against him.
Of all the members of the younger generation, only Yang Kai was worthy of their attention. Despite only having cultivation at the True Element Boundary Sixth Stage, his Blood Force’s intensity and True Qi’s potency were both astonishing, as such, it was impossible to figure out what his true strength was.
Yang Kai’s purpose in silently observing for so long was to see how many people here he could truly depend on and consider friends.
As the saying goes, only a distant road could test the strength of a horse. In order to learn about someone, one needed to spend a great amount of time with them.
It was only in moments of crisis that one could see a person’s true character and temperament.
If the disciples from Blood Battle Gang and Storm Hall chose to remain silent at this time and not involve themselves in his affairs, Yang Kai wouldn’t feel surprised at all.
In order to protect themselves, this was no doubt the smart thing to do. Right now, the Xiang Family and Nan Family held the absolute advantage, the Blood Battle Gang and Storm Hall weren’t their match at all. If they continued to resist, they would only bring destruction on themselves.
However, seeing the three he was closest to didn’t let Yang Kai down!
Neither the Hu Sisters nor Fang Ziji hesitated in the slightest to stand before him despite the great disparity in strength between them and the forces of the two first-class families.
With warmth in his heart, Yang Kai smiled and slowly walked to the front and reached over to the Hu Sisters’ shoulders.
After glancing around at the four Immortal Ascension Boundary masters, Yang Kai directed his gaze towards Xiang Chu and Nan Sheng again, grinning as he whispered to the Hu Sisters, “Don’t worry about me, if I want to leave, no one here can stop me.”
Hearing these words, Hu Jiao Er and Hu Mei Er’s delicate expressions relaxed suddenly; although they didn’t understand where Yang Kai’s confidence came from, but from the firm and steady tone in his voice they didn’t doubt he could really accomplish what he said.
On the other hand, Nan Sheng and Xiang Chu’s faces sank.
Fang Lao even let out a contemptuous snort, “Little brat, with the four of us here, you still dare boast so shamelessly?”
“Do you want to try me?” Yang Kai sneered back provocatively.
Fang Lao’s eyes flashed dangerously as he stared at Yang Kai, but to his surprise he didn’t see the slightest signs of panic in this strange youth’s expression.
No matter how absurd it sounded, it seemed like this kid really might have the strength to escape from here safely.
“Surround him!” Nan Sheng shouted angrily, Yang Kai’s aloof attitude and arrogant words having completely irritated him. No disciple of a mere second-class Sect had ever looked at him so disdainfully.
His gaze, like a sharp blade, had pricked his heart.
As the Young Lord of a renowned first-class family, this uncomfortable feeling had irked his pride.
The instant Nan Sheng spoke, the two Immortal Ascension Boundary masters behind him flew out and landed behind Yang Kai’s back, forming a tight encirclement with the Xiang Family’s two masters.
However, even surrounded by four Immortal Ascension Boundary masters each at the Seventh or Eighth Stage, Yang Kai still looked calm and relaxed, only his eyes narrowed slightly indicating his seriousness.
In his present state, it would be simple to escape from two of these Immortal Ascension Boundary masters, but now that there were four of them, he would need to pay a certain price in order to withdraw.
Of course, this was all just Yang Kai’s assumptions, things would likely deviate from his expectations as soon as he actually tried.
But as long as they didn’t manage to kill him in a single blow, Yang Kai still had confidence in escaping.
“Go on, run! Let’s see how you escape now!” Nan Sheng taunted Yang Kai in an arrogant tone, “Four respected Elders, if these second-class Sect disciples, don’t know what’s good for them and try to interfere, kill them, no need to hold back!”
“Yes Young Lord!” The four Immortal Ascension Boundary masters from the Xiang and Nan Family all nodded at the same time.
A loud roar sounded as the demonic dragon hovering behind Yang Kai slowly began circling around him, its pitch black eyes coldly glaring at the four old men.
Nan Sheng shifted his gaze towards the people of Blood Battle Gang and Storm Hall, smirking as he ordered, “This Young Master will give you ten breaths to leave this demon’s side or else…”
Xiang Chu’s brow furrowed as he quickly said, “Jiao Er, Mei Er, don’t be so obstinate.”
“You are going too far!” Hu Jiao Er spat hatefully.
Xiang Chu couldn’t help his expression becoming cold. He really did have intentions towards the Hu Sisters, but it wasn’t like he had to have them regardless of the cost. As the Young Lord of a first-class family, what kind of beautiful woman couldn’t he acquire? Such beautiful flowers were only a kind of amusement to him, what he enjoyed most was the process of pursuing and conquering them.
But after all of these events, Xiang Chu gradually realized that he might never be able to conquer this pair of sisters, which caused frustration and anger to well up inside him.
This smoldering anger quickly turned into resentment until he finally let out a cold snort, no longer intending to bother with this fruitless game.
“Ten breaths are up!” Nan Sheng calmly declared as he swept his eyes over the crowd and causally ordered, “Begin!”
The four Immortal Ascension Boundary masters suddenly pushed their True Qi and silently signaled to each other with their eyes.
At that moment.
Suddenly, a bright and crisp Eagle’s cry resounded.
This cry was extremely piercing and seemed to contain a kind of inexplicable and mysterious power, even the four Immortal Ascension Boundary masters couldn’t help pausing as they hurriedly looked up.
High up in the sky, more than a thousand meters up, a little golden light flickered.
That flash of gold was incomparably brilliant, like a tiny flash of sunlight, almost difficult to behold without averting one’s eyes.
As this golden light circled in the sky high above everyone’s heads, a series of eagle cries continued to ring out.
Seeing this, Yang Kai’s face suddenly cramped up, and his expression constantly fluctuated as he stared at the circling golden light.
The originally explosive scene had been thoroughly disturbed by the sudden appearance of this golden eagle.
“Such a wonderful golden eagle!” Nan Sheng couldn’t help crying out in praise.
Although the golden eagle was over a thousand meters above them, no one here was an ordinary person, with the eyesight of a cultivator they were all easily able to clearly make out this bird of prey’s appearance.
“This golden eagle…” The Xiang Family’s Xu Lao suddenly frowned, trying to recall something from his distant memory.
“Haha, this Young Lord has decided, I must capture this beast and take it back with me!” Nan Sheng declared loudly, if here were to posses such a striking and majestic eagle it would definitely be something worth bragging about, and if he could raise and train it properly, in the future it would certainly be of great use to him.
Listening to Nan Sheng, Yang Kai couldn’t help smiling and sarcastically called out, “You can’t afford it.”
Nan Sheng casually glanced back at him and sneered without saying anything, turning to his Elders and asking, “Have you ever heard of such a beast?”
Xu Lao’s brow was still furrowed as he quietly muttered, “I seem to have heard of it somewhere…”
“Where did you hear of it?” Xiang Chu, who was also interested in this golden eagle, quickly asked.
Xu Lao frowned and thought hard but couldn’t recall just where he had learned of this beast.
High up in the sky, the cries of the golden eagle suddenly became more hurried and intense, as if it had found something that caught it’s attention. Immediately afterwards, like a streak of golden light, it dove down to where the crowd below was gathered.
As he was at a loss about how to capture this golden eagle, when Nan Sheng saw it approach them of its own accord, he was naturally overjoyed. Rolling up his sleeves, he smiled, “Interesting, after only just meeting this Young Lord, does this beast plan on also delivering itself to me?”
Xiang Chu also grinned slightly and added, “Big Brother Sheng’s charm is just that great, as such, Little Brother will not fight with you for it.”
Nan Sheng nodded happily before shooting a glare towards Yang Kai, “Little brat, seems you get to live a little longer. Just sit there and wait until this Young Lord catches that eagle.”
“By all means, have at it!” Yang Kai shrugged his shoulders and loosened his stance.
“Yang Kai, take this opportunity to escape!” Hu Mei Er quietly whispered to him.
However, Yang Kai simply shook his head and smiled.
“What are you thinking!?” Hu Jiao Er also anxiously scolded him, “If you really wait until after they catch that eagle, they’ll definitely focus on you again!”
“Impossible, they won’t have a chance!” Yang Kai laughed lightly, his expression completely relaxed.
The Hu Sisters were both worried and confused, not knowing why Yang Kai was apparently trying to show off.
A moment later, the golden eagle had already approached the crowd, and when it was only several dozen meters up, Nan Sheng suddenly leapt up into the air, his face filled with anticipation, and his hand reached out towards the eagle, trying to knock it down.
This golden eagle though wasn’t just attractive, its strength was also not low, and it easily avoiding Nan Sheng’s charge and swiftly counterattacked with a golden ray of light.
Nan Sheng expression also became serious, as he hurriedly dodged before immediately calling out excitedly, “A Fifth-Order Monster Beast! Two Elders, help me!”
A Fifth-Order flying Monster Beast, this was a truly rare treasure!
An ordinary Fifth-Order Monster Beast wasn’t particularly valuable, but it was another story altogether if it could fly. Whether it was used to scout an enemy’s camp or track their location, it could give one a decisive advantage, not to mention it could coordinated with it master in combat as well. If he could catch this Monster Beast, his Sect’s strength would increase greatly.
After seeing how great the eagle’s strength was, Xiang Chu couldn’t help having some stray thoughts, secretly regretting being so generous just now. Such an eagle was worth more than many ordinary Precious Treasures, but it was already too late, Xiang Chu knew that even if he regretted it now, he couldn’t rob this prize from Nan Sheng so he had no choice but to sit back and watch.
When the golden eagle’s wings were fully spread, they stretched more than a meter in length. Its claws were like steel, extremely hard and sharp, probably more so than ordinary forged weapons.
On top of this, it seemed to possess some naturally special abilities; the golden light it was able to freely radiate contained extraordinary power.
Although Nan Sheng could be considered as an elite amongst True Element cultivators, he still wasn’t fully capable of capturing this kind of Monster Beast, so after recognizing this, he immediately asked for assistance from the two Nan Family Elders.
The two Immortal Ascension Boundary cultivators didn’t hesitate and, almost immediately after receiving his their Young Master’s command, sent out two Qi strikes towards the eagle, enough to completely restrict its movements.
“Wait!” Xu Lao, the Immortal Ascension Boundary master from the Xiang Family, suddenly shouted. Finally having remembered the origin of this golden eagle, he quickly did his best to stop the battle.
The two Immortal Ascension Elders who followed Nan Sheng couldn’t help but frown, not knowing what Xu Lao was up to, half suspicious and half puzzled, yet they ultimately didn’t stop their actions.
With two loud bangs, the golden eagle was swept up by two Elder’s moves, and its huge body tumbled several times through the air, nearly falling from the sky.
Although it was a Fifth-Order Monster Beast, equivalent to a human cultivator at the True Element Boundary, how could it withstand the attacks of two Immortal Ascension Boundary masters?
With it being knocked off balance Nan Sheng saw hope of capturing it alive, so letting out a loud laugh as he darted towards the eagle like a bolt of lightning with his hands outstretched as he tried to seize it.
Seeing this, the Xu Lao left his position next to Xiang Chu, dashed in front of Nan Sheng and yelled, “Young Lord Nan, you can’t!”
While shouting, Xu Lao went as far as to shove Nan Sheng, pushing him back quite a distance.
A crisp eagle cry sounded once more, but this time the eagle seemed a little flustered and angry, and it’s golden figure rapidly ascended back up into the sky before hovering nearby as it seemed to be staring down at its attackers.
“What is your meaning?” Nan Sheng, who felt he could have easily grabbed the golden eagle at that moment but was interrupted by Xu Lao at the last moment, was obviously greatly displeased. After regaining his stance, he couldn’t help but angrily stare at Xu Lao and Xiang Chu, before coldly asking, “Little Brother Xiang, shouldn’t you give me an explanation?”
Xiang Chu also frowned, unclear as to why his family’s Immortal Ascension Boundary master had suddenly acted so rashly, wrinkling his brow as he said, “Xu Lao, what is this all about?”
Xu Lao, beads of cold sweat dripping down his forehead still, shifted his gaze from the eagle in the sky, cupped his fists said, “Young Lord Nan, I apologize.”
“Hmph!” Nan Sheng coldly snorted, his expression extremely ugly, “Tell me why you stopped me just now!”
Xu Lao wiped the sweat from his forehead and replied, “This eagle already has an owner.”
“Already has a master?” Nan Sheng was startled for a moment before grinning maliciously, “So much the better, my Nan Family and my brother’s Xiang Family are first-class families! What trivial beast can’t we acquire? If this eagle truly has a master already, we can just let them gift it to this Young Lord instead!”
Hearing these words, Xu Lao couldn’t help but pale, and a half terrified look spread across his face.
Seemingly noticing the situation deteriorating, Xiang Chu took a deep breath and followed up, “Xu Lao, is there something special about this eagle?”
Xu Lao’s expression quickly became solemn and swept his eyes across the Blood Battle Gang and the Storm Hall disciples, except this time when he stared at these juniors his expression contained none of its previous contempt and disdain, but instead was extremely serious, even somewhat fearful.
Turning around, Xu Lao looked at the other three Immortal Ascension Boundary masters and said with a grave face, “A Fifth-Order Monster Beast. A great golden eagle, does it not remind you of anything?”
When the three other Immortal Ascension masters heard him say this, all of them still had puzzled expressions.
Seeing their confused looks, Xu Lao couldn’t help laughing bitterly, “Should I say you’re all too ignorant? It hasn’t been that long, has it? Nearly two decades ago, throughout the entire Great Han Dynasty, several similar eagles created quite a stir…”
Nearly twenty years ago…
Suddenly, like a bolt of lightning had just struck them, the three other Immortal Ascension Boundary masters recalled a certain important piece of information.
One of the Immortal Ascension Boundary masters from the Nan Family even involuntarily blurted out, “A Silver Blooded Golden Feathered Eagle?”
Silver Blood Golden Feathered Eagle!
As soon as this name came out, all the Immortal Ascension Boundary masters present felt a cold chill shoot up their backs.
Fang Lao was even more disturbed, muttering under his breath, “The Yang Family’s Silver Blood Golden Feathered Eagle?”
Xu Lao nodded, quickly saying, “Right, it should be one of the Yang Family’s Silver Blood Golden Feathered Eagles!”
“But… but how can that be? Isn’t there still a few years left before…?”
“I’m afraid… something extremely important has happened inside the Yang Family, so the Silver Blood Golden Feathered Eagles were sent out ahead of time!” Xu Lao boldly speculated.
The four Immortal Ascension Boundary masters didn’t make any efforts to hide what they were discussing, therefore everyone in the audience could hear them clearly.
The juniors from the second-class Sects listened in confusion, but Xiang Chu and Nan Sheng, as leading figures in the younger generation of first-class families, understood and couldn’t help but exchange a look and tremble slightly as they did.
“What are they talking about?” Fang Ziji muttered as he frowned.
“Uncle Le, do you know?” Hu Jiao Er turned towards Guan Chi Le and asked curiously.
Guan Chi Le looked thoughtfully at Yang Kai before grinning and nodded slightly as he said, “Anyone from the older generation should be able to understand.”
“Please explain to us then.” Hu Jiao Er couldn’t understand how a trivial Fifth-Order Monster Beast had suddenly made the Xiang Family and Nan Family’s people suddenly become so serious.
[Even if the master of this golden eagle is some famous Immortal Ascension Boundary master, it shouldn’t be worthy of such fuss, right?]
“Good,” Guan Chi Le knew that there was no reason to conceal anything now. Since this golden eagle had appeared, it meant that in the coming period of time, the entire Great Han Dynasty would be swept up into a period of unrest, unhurriedly explaining, “All of you have heard of the Yang Family, right?”
To this, everyone nodded, the cuckoo bird Yang Family, the head of the Eight Great Families, who hadn’t heard of them?
“The Yang Family has a special method of training their direct descendants: they will send all of them outside the family to survive on their own for ten years of life experience! During this period, all of these Yang Family juniors can’t rely on the power of the Yang Family and are forbidden from revealing their identities. The Yang Family does this to encourage them to struggle and temper themselves.”
“After these ten years are up, these descendants will be collectively recalled and then forced to compete for right to be the next Patriarch of the Yang Family. However, after an entire decade, a person will experience great changes, especially those from the younger generation. Since they were forced to conceal themselves during this life experience, it was obviously quite troublesome to find them, so the Yang Family came up with a very special method to find these scattered descendants.”
“What method?”
“They used a special breed of Monster Beast!” Guan Chi Le stretched his finger and pointed towards the sky, “The Yang Family’s Silver Blood Golden Feather Eagle! At a young age, these flying Monster Beasts had been nurtured with Blood Essence from the Yang Family, so they are particularly sensitive to the Yang Family’s bloodline. As long as a member of the Yang Family’s direct descendants are within a certain range, they can accurately be found.”
After listening to this explanation, everyone present suddenly understood.
Since a Yang Family Silver Blood Golden Feather Eagle appeared here, didn’t that mean that one of these scattered direct descendants of the Yang Family was here? But, who exactly was it?
Guan Chi Le glanced back at Yang Kai quickly before continuing, “There are only a dozen or so Silver Blood Golden Feather Eagles in this world, all of which belong to the Yang Family. The Yang Family treats each of these beasts as a rare treasure. Besides when they need to seek out their direct descendants, they will essentially never be released, but once the Silver Blood Golden Feather Eagles appear, it means that the Yang Family is recalling these scattered disciples, which also means that… the Yang Family’s Inheritance War is about to begin!”
“The Yang Family’s Inheritance War?” Fang Ziji wrinkled his brow, apparently his curiosity had been piqued.
“En, the Yang Family’s Young Lords, after their decade of life experience, gather helpers and allies and hold a competition to decide who the next Patriarch of the Yang Family will be! The last time the Yang Family’s Inheritance War happened was eighteen years ago, and many people died. The Yang Family’s Inheritance War not only causes a big shuffle inside the Yang Family but also amongst all of the world’s great forces as many people from these forces participate in it. If you are also interested and have confidence in your strength, you can also participate.”
While Guan Chi Le was speaking, those from the Xiang Family and Nan Family didn’t interrupt, allowing the disciples from all of the second-class forces present to listen carefully.
After all, information like this was of great importance to these juniors and couldn’t be heard casually.
When Guan Chi Le finished his explanation, silence fell upon the crowd, and no one made a sound.
Off to the side, Nan Sheng gripped his fists tightly in silence as cold sweat dripped down his back. Just now he had been wantonly arrogant about wanting the master of this Golden Feather Eagle to offer it up to him, but after learning that this was an important Monster Beast raised by the Yang Family, how could he dare have such thoughts?
No wonder Xu Lao was so anxious to stop him, it turns out he had recalled this information earlier.
Nan Sheng secretly thanked the Heavens he hadn’t injured this Golden Feather Eagle with his family Elders just now, otherwise if the person from the Yang Family witnessed such a scene, he couldn’t imagine the consequences.
With how rare and precious these Golden Eagles were, coupled with the overbearing and domineering attitude of the Yang Family, if he had really wounded it, it would definitely not be as simple as offering money as compensation.
After a moment, Xu Lao rushed over to Guan Chi Le and said, “This friend seems to have very detailed information that even this old master doesn’t quite understand, many thanks for explaining.”
Guan Chi Le couldn’t help sneering when he saw this, “Anyone who was around eighteen years ago should know this, how is it possible that you don’t?”
With such a massive mutation in the situation, Xu Lao had intended to take this opportunity to ease the tension between the two sides on scene, so he had offered such an obvious flattery. But how could Guan Chi not understand Xu Lao’s intentions? So, Guan Chi Le directly threw out such mockery, cutting off Xu Lao’s naive thoughts right from the start.
After a brief silence, Xiang Chu couldn’t help asking, “But… I remember that the Yang Family only sent out this generation’s direct descendants five or six years ago, there’s still quite some time till the ten year deadline isn’t there?”
It was also because the Yang Family’s ten-year-life-experience period wasn’t even close to be being over that all of them hadn’t remembered from the start that this eagle was the Yang Family’s Silver Blood Golden Feather Eagle.
If it was a few years later, when the whole world would concern themselves about the Yang Family’s movements, everyone would immediately recognize such a distinctive Golden Feather Eagle.
Nan Sheng also nodded slightly, “I’ve also heard about this. Is it possible that this Monster Beast is just similar to the Silver Blood Golden Feather Eagle?”
Xu Lao sighed and shook his head, “That is why I said that something significant must have occurred inside the Yang Family so they were forced to recall their descendants early. I have no doubt that this is one of the Yang Family’s Golden Feathered Eagle.”
“But if that’s true, then…” Xiang Chu’s face twitched as he swept his gaze across the crowd. When his eyes landed on Yang Kai, he couldn’t help trembling slightly and quickly turned away as he gripped his fists, “In other words, amongst the juniors gathered here, there is a Young Master Yang?”
Everyone was suddenly put on edge, and all of them glanced around at each other nervously.
Until just a moment ago, these two groups of people were engaged in serious conflict. Each of them ready to kill if need be, but in such a tense and explosive situation, they had suddenly learned that among these friends and foes, there was someone who absolutely could not be offended.
If this Young Master Yang was one of their allies, then everything was alright, but if he was one of their enemies…
In these circumstances, no one was able to remain calm.
Although a Young Lord of the Yang Family was present, how were they supposed to distinguish who it was?
Even those from the so-called first-class families weren’t qualified to associate with the Eight Great Families; what’s more, the Yang Family was the head of the Eight Great Families so its status was even more aloof.
The Young Lord from the Yang Family here had a chance to become the future Patriarch of the Yang Family, so now, while his strength was still low, was an excellent chance to befriend him, and doing so would naturally lead to many future benefits, so who would want to offend such a character at this time?
Unconsciously, Xiang Chu and Nan Sheng both converged their imposing air as they gazed around the crowd. It was like they had suddenly become shorter.
On the other side, everyone from Blood Battle Gang and Storm Hall couldn’t help glancing over at Yang Kai with gazes filled with a mix of surprise and anticipation. They were all familiar with Yang Kai’s name and abilities and easily linked him with the identity of a Young Lord from the Yang Family, but it was still not convenient to directly inquire about it, so all of them were subtly trying to gleam some clues from his expression.
Yang Kai’s face, though, remained relaxed, as if everything happening had nothing to do with him, which conversely made him more suspicious.
Xiang Chu wore a forced grin as he cupped his fist and asked towards the crowd, “Who here is Young Master Yang?”
Not that he didn’t know Yang Kai’s name, but he did not dare to assume that he was the Yang Family’s Young Lord. Xiang Chu only prayed that the hidden Yang Family Young Lord was amongst his own camp now.
A simple query, yet no one answered.
Yang Kai was surprised for a moment before laughing dryly.
*Ha Ha Ha Ha…*
Immediately, everyone’s eyes fell upon him, and under these watchful gazes, the black dragon that had been hovering above his head suddenly withdrew.
In the blink of an eye, a one hundred meter long dragon disappeared into Yang Kai’s body.
At the same time, the Heaven shaking Evil Qi also dissipated, and the youth pictured in everyone’s eyes once more took on the appearance of an ordinary True Element Boundary Sixth Stage cultivator.
The people from the Xiang and Nan Family both looked unnerved.
Yang Kai voluntarily relaxing his combat stance only served to increase their worries, rather than diminish them.
Looking up into the sky at the still hovering Silver Blood Golden Feather Eagle, a grin slowly appeared on Yang Kai’s face.
Lifting his fingers to his mouth, Yang Kai let out a loud whistle.
As if it had received an order, the circling Silver Blood Golden Feather Eagle swiftly responded, folded its wings and dove down towards the ground.
In an instant, it arrived atop the heads of the crowd. Its pair of bright eagle eyes stared with vigilance and hatred at the Nan Family trio as it slowly perched atop Yang Kai’s shoulder.
Spreading its wings wide, the Silver Blood Golden Feather Eagle cried out angrily at the Nan Family members.
Everyone from the Nan and Xiang Family immediately paled. Xiang Chu also stared at Yang Kai, dumbstruck and not able to believe what his eyes were seeing.
The moment the Yang Family’s unique Silver Blood Golden Feather Eagle landed on Yang Kai’s shoulder, his true identity no longer required any speculation.
The Hu Sisters stared at Yang Kai blankly too, as if he had suddenly become a stranger.
Xie Rong of Thunder Light Sect and Li Fu of Soaring Rainbow Court went limp and collapsed to the ground. Both of them had willingly become Xiang Chu’s lackeys, helping him to abuse and shame, even attempt to murder Yang Kai, yet now, it seems they had only been scrambling for seeds while missing the melon in front of them. The one they had offended actually turned out to be a man who even Xiang Chu wouldn’t dare to offend.
This is a severe case of having eyes but failing to see!
Both of them had received extremely serious injuries, and one Immortal Ascension Boundary Elder from each of their Sect’s had died at Yang Kai’s hands. They had placed all their hopes on Xiang Chu to take revenge for them, and then in exchange for their loyalty, gain the support of the big tree that was the Xiang Family, but now…
Everything was in vain. Forget revenge, now that they had thoroughly offended a Young Lord from the Yang Family, they’d be lucky if they managed to keep their lives.
It was no wonder he had said that their Sects couldn’t afford the price of offending him.
They really couldn’t afford this!
“Young Master Yang?” Xiang Chu looked at Yang Kai hesitantly, his back covered in cold sweat. He was extremely unwilling, but unable to avoid asking.
Nan Sheng also opened his mouth, but no words came out, and his head was filled with feelings of regret.
He was supposed to have been an innocent bystander in all of this. He had only stopped here on his way back to the Nan Family, and had inadvertently been drawn into this situation, but now, unexpectedly, he had brought such massive trouble to himself. Had he only known, he would have rode his Cloud Treading Colt back to Nan Family as quickly as possible, not involving himself with any of this.
In response to Xiang Chu’s stuttered inquiry, Yang Kai only gave him a faint glance and then focused his attention on the feathers of the Silver Blood Golden Feathered Eagle on his shoulders.
This Fifth-Order flying Monster Beast was quite special. Its golden feathers seemed to radiate a golden sheen giving it a majestic appearance, and it had obviously been in the Yang Family for many years. It had also been raised with great care, as each of its feathers was sharp like a blade, and their hardness and sharpness was no less than an average Earth Grade Mid-Rank artifact. Along with its hook-like beak and razor sharp double claws, an ordinary True Element cultivator wouldn’t be its match. At the very least, one would need a True Element Boundary Seventh Stage cultivation to win against it.
Although Yang Kai didn’t speak, Xiang Chu didn’t dare reveal any displeasure even if he felt wronged and resentful, and instead he just stood there with his fists cupped and his head slightly lowered.
Nan Sheng’s face switched between white and red as he muttered unsteadily, “Young Master Yang, this Nan had eyes but failed to see. The matters just now were all this one’s misunderstanding. This humble one asks Young Master Yang not to take it to heart.”
Hu Jiao Er couldn’t help letting out a laugh seeing how Nan Sheng, who was extremely arrogant and overbearing when facing the dozen or so disciples from their second-class Sects just now, but currently had to humble himself in the face of a super-force like the Yang Family and all but bow down and beg Yang Kai for forgiveness.
Nan Sheng’s change in attitude was so great that it made people wonder if he hadn’t somehow been replaced by another person in that instant.
When Jiao Er’s laughter reached Nan Sheng’s ears, he felt even more unpleasant in his heart, and his face twisted into an ugly forced grin as he hastily said, “Young miss, this Nan had previous offended you and apologizes for it.”
“Hmph!” Hu Jiao Er sneered, not giving him the slightest face since she knew he wasn’t really apologizing to her.
The four Immortal Ascension Boundary masters from the Nan and Xiang Family also wore forced smiles and cupped their fists respectfully, “Young Master Yang, please forgive our prior rudeness!”
Yang Kai breathed out a tired sigh and stared at them indifferently before grinning lightly, “I do not blame the ignorant.”
Hearing him speak such words, everyone from the Xiang Family and Nan Family smiled in relief.
Right now, as long as Yang Kai didn’t intend to pursue it, everything would be fine, and with the Yang Family Inheritance War about to begin, Yang Kai, a Young Master of the Yang Family, would naturally need to gather various powers to help him in his bid to become the next Patriarch, so this was a good opportunity for both sides.
After all, the Xiang Family and Nan Family were both first-class families! With such a powerful boost to his strength, as long as Yang Kai wanted to, he could certainly win the Inheritance War. As the saying goes, there were no permanent enemies, only permanent benefits. Yang Kai hadn’t suffered any real losses today, so in the face of such enticements he would naturally be willing to let some things slide.
If they played their hand right, they might even have a chance to forge a friendship with the Yang Family’s Young Lord today.
With such thoughts swirling about their heads, their moods took a rapid turn for the better; both Xiang Chu and Nan Sheng wore expression filled with happiness and expectation.
But just as they were silently celebrating, the Silver Blood Golden Feather Eagle on Yang Kai’s shoulder suddenly let out a mournful screech, like it had just been injured, before throwing open its wings and soaring back up into the sky
“What just happened?” Xiang Chu asked unconsciously as he turned a blank stare towards Yang Kai, his expression filled with confusion.
The same was true of everyone else too.
What they saw there though was Yang Kai holding two golden feathers in his fingers. The two feathers flashed a golden light like finely-polished blades. They were long, thin, and smooth in shape. Clearly they had been freshly plucked from the Silver Blood Golden Feather Eagle.
No wonder the eagle suddenly flew up in fright.
After plucking these two feathers, Yang Kai didn’t even look at them before casually dropping them on the ground.
“Young Master Yang, what are your intentions?” Nan Sheng’s head was filled with fog as he cautiously inquired to Yang Kai.
This Silver Blood Golden Feather Eagle was born noble and possessed fierce combat ability. It was an extremely valuable beast. On top of that, it could even be considered the auspicious messenger that sought out and saved Yang Kai’s life. Even if he wasn’t fond of it for some reason, Yang Kai shouldn’t have had a reason to harm it so.
[What does he want to do?] Nan Sheng couldn’t understand.
Xiang Chu, whose thoughts were far more devious than Nan Sheng’s, couldn’t help wrinkling his brow. He looked at the two gold feathers that had been dropped by Yang Kai and began to feel nervous; however, before he had enough time to figure out exactly what was happening, two figures suddenly appeared on the horizon and rapidly approached.
The speed of these two was extremely fast, and the auras permeating from them were formidable. At a glance, it was obvious that they possessed great strength.
The few thousand meters that separated the two groups closed in a flash.
The newcomers were a man and a woman. The man had an imposing figure and cold eyes. A long scar across his face coupled with his imposing impression to give him a sturdy and aggressive look, like a veteran warrior of countless battles.
The woman had a majestic appearance and graceful stature that made it impossible to tell her how old she was. She was a dignified and beautiful woman, with a pair of sharp eyes that seemed to flash with piercing light. There was no melancholy or joy apparent on her perfectly shaped face, only a look of cold indifference.
Both of these two were Immortal Ascension Boundary masters, but the imposing manner they radiated as far stronger than those of the Xiang Family and Nan Family.
The instant they saw them, everyone instinctively compared them with the four Immortal Ascension Elders from the Nan and Xiang Family, but all of them soon came to the same conclusion. Among the four old men, not a single one was a rival of either of these two.
Every one of the Yang Family’s Silver Blood Golden Feather Eagles would be followed by masters from the Yang Family so that, once the Yang Family’s Young Lord was found, he could be escorted home safely.
These two newcomers were obviously the ones accompanying this Silver Blood Golden Feather Eagle.
Both of them had a jade talisman on their waists with a blood red “Yang” character inscribed on it.
“Yang Family Blood Warriors!” Fang Lao could not help shouting.
The Yang Family’s Blood Warriors had served the Yang Family for many generations and were their most trusted servants. Every one of them was exceptionally talented and had innumerable resources used to train them since birth.
Although their bloodlines weren’t as noble as the Young Lords and Young Ladies of the Yang Family, their position and importance was definitely not lower than any of these direct descendants.
The Yang Family had a Grand Elder who had reached the Above Immortal Ascension Boundary who was once one of these Blood Warriors. But now, the Yang Family treated him more as a respected protector. Even if a direct family descendant was to meet him, he would have to greet him respectfully.
Each Yang Family Blood Warrior represented a powerful fighting force, and all of them had the ability to fight ordinary cultivators at least one stage above their own cultivation. Within the same realm, they were basically invincible.
Their most important trait, however, was their undying loyalty; for the Yang Family, none of them would hesitate to give their life.
After all, since childhood, the Yang Family had given them ideological indoctrination to ensure they held the family’s benefit above all else. In order to cultivate these warriors, the Yang Family had truly paid an immense price.
If there was any suspicion left about the authenticity of the Silver Blood Golden Feather Eagle, now that two Yang Family Blood Warriors had appeared, there was no longer any room for doubt
This Monster Beast was indeed the Yang Family’s unique Silver Blood Golden Feather Eagle and Yang Kai was really a Young Lord from the Yang Family.
“Where is the Young Lord?” The middle-aged man’s eagle like eyes swept over the crowd, his expression not changing in the slightest when it examined those from the Nan and Xiang family, as if they were no more consequence than anyone else here.
When he asked this question, the beautiful woman also scanned the crowd, trying to identify the Young Lord they had been sent to retrieve.
Almost everyone’s eyes immediately fixed on Yang Kai.
The next moment, the two Blood Warriors also cast their eyes towards him, but after seeing Yang Kai’s face and judging his age and cultivation, a tinge of suspicion crept into the expressions.
As Blood Warriors, they had naturally met with all of the Yang Family’s Young Lords, so even if they didn’t interact with them much, they would still be able to vaguely recognize them.
Both had assumed that with the Silver Blood Golden Feather Eagle, as soon as they found the place where their Young Lord currently resided, as soon as they found a familiar face, they would be able to determine his identity.
But when they saw Yang Kai, they couldn’t help feeling a sense of incongruity!
Among the Young Lords whom the Yang Family had sent out for life experience this time, was there one at such a young age? And this appearance, he didn’t seem familiar to them.
It was no wonder they would suspect Yang Kai’s identity, after all, he was only around twelve years old when he left home and at the time was still no different from an ordinary mortal with no cultivation, but after five years in the outside world Yang Kai had undergone massive changes.
It was only after a long time that the exquisite looking woman suddenly exclaimed, “Little Lord?”
The middle-aged man’s vision also contracted tightly, and a wave of shock swept across his heart.
The Little Lord! For this time’s life experience, he was the youngest direct descendant sent out, the son of the Yang Family’s Fourth Master. But… wasn’t it said that the Little Lord was born with a congenital defect and was incapable of cultivating?
When they had left the Yang Family this time, the Blood Warriors had all been informed that if they were to meet the Little Lord, they had to be especially careful when escorting him back because it was highly likely that he would still be no stronger than an ordinary mortal.
The Yang Family had enemies everywhere, so it wouldn’t be impossible for someone to take this opportunity to assassinate these scattered Young Lords.
But now that they had found him, how could he be considered an ordinary person? Clearly, this youth was a True Element Boundary Sixth Stage cultivator! Such a realm, although not top tiered amongst his generation, couldn’t be considered weak either.
The middle-aged man and the beautiful woman both glanced at each other before their images flashed and they suddenly appeared in front of Yang Kai, immediately sending out an invisible pressure that forced everyone around Yang Kai back several dozen meters.
The Yang Family’s overbearing attitude could be seen clearly!
The Hu Sisters who had been forced to retreat couldn’t help twitching their lips in annoyance.
“The ones beside me are all my friends.” Yang Kai lightly said to the two people before him.
The middle-aged man and the woman both maintained dull expressions, seemingly not taking Yang Kai’s words to heart.
Before Yang Kai’s true identity was confirmed, the two Blood Warriors wouldn’t display any unnecessary courtesy.
“Are you really the Little Lord?” The middle-aged man frowned at Yang Kai and asked firmly.
Yang Kai simply nodded slightly, lifted his hand, and pricked his finger tip with his True Qi, allowing a few drops of blood to immediately leak out.
The woman’s eyes flashed before she quickly took out a piece of jade and respectfully held it out with both her hands, accepting a drop of blood with it.
When the drop fell onto the jade, it disappeared instantly, like it had been inhaled. The originally unremarkable jade talisman began emitting a gorgeous glow immediately after.
Only when the blood of a direct descendant of the Yang Family was absorbed by this piece of jade would it radiate such a light.
It has been confirmed!
The middle-aged man and the beautiful women glanced at each other for a moment before kneeling respectfully, “Blood Warrior Tu Feng…”
“Blood Warrior Tang Yu Xian …”
““Have come to receive the Young Lord!”
“Rise!”
Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian quickly stood up, and when they looked at Yang Kai again, clear signs of appreciation and respect could be seen on their faces.
If it were any of the other Young Lords from the Yang Family before them with a True Element Boundary Sixth Stage cultivation, they wouldn’t display any great change in expression.
But the Little Lord was different.
Because the Yang Family’s Fourth Master had been severely wounded that year, the Little Lord had been born with a congenital defect, and the first ten years of his life in the Yang Family had been passed as an ordinary person with no cultivation to speak of, but now he had actually grown to this point.
This meant that in only five years, without any assistance from the Yang Family’s resources, he had managed to cultivate to the True Element Boundary Sixth Stage!
Such cultivation speed made even Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian sigh in admiration. Who would look down upon this Little Lord again?
What’s more, this Little Lord was in a very dangerous place right now. This was the front lines of the war with the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land. He, as a Young Lord of the Yang Family, dared to come here. His fortitude and courage were obviously not ordinary.
Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian had secretly thought to themselves that this assignment would be boring and uneventful, but instead, the Little Lord had given them a pleasant surprise the moment they had met him.
Sure enough, the Young Lords of the Yang Family were all incredible talents, not a single one of them could be judged by common sense.
For a moment, both of them stared in admiration.
After observing Yang Kai for a while, Tu Feng took his vision back and lifted his eyes, asking in a deep voice, “Who is in charge here?”
A shiver running up his spine, Xiang Chu hastily stepped forward, smiling as hard as he could while cupping his fists, “Replying to Senior, this place is under the management of my Xiang Family!”
“The Xiang Family…” Tu Feng raised his brow before nodding slightly, “The decisive battle concluded two days ago, so if there are no further problems here we will be leaving together with the Young Lord, if there are still some issues left to be resolved, you may request the Little Lord to have us offer our assistance.”
“Junior wouldn’t dare!” Xiang Chu was now incredibly anxious to send these Yang Family members far away as quickly as possible, how could he dream of asking them to stay? “There are no remaining issues here and we were also just about to withdraw, Senior does not need to bother with us!”
“En.” Tu Feng nodded at Xiang Chu, quite satisfied with the youth’s respectful manner, but just as he wanted to take Yang Kai and leave, his eyes suddenly contracted, an explosion of murderous intent suddenly erupting from him.
Tang Yu Xian’s pretty face also became ice cold as her eyes fell towards a certain pair of objects on the ground.
The Xiang and Nan Family members who didn’t know what had suddenly gone wrong all trembled in fear when this aura enveloped them.
“Heh heh…” Tu Feng snickered twice, the scar on his face warping to become even more terrifying as he spoke in an icy voice, “I wondered why the eagle was frightened and kept hovering in the sky instead of landing. I understand now!”
Hearing these words, the Xiang and Nan Family members all jumped in fright.
Xiang Chu eyes also shot up, suddenly looking towards Yang Kai, finally understanding why Yang Kai had plucked two feathers from the Silver Blood Golden Feather Eagle seemingly for no reason, only to drop them on the ground.
He clearly wanted to frame them!
“Who attacked my Yang Family’s eagle?” Tang Yu Xian’s expression became even colder as her piercing gaze swept over the Nan and Xiang Family members loudly ordering, “Step forward!”
Tu Feng also showed a fierce grin as he added, “Each of the Yang Family’s Silver Blood Golden Feather Eagle is extremely precious and have not come out for quite a long time, now it seems some fools dare harm one of them. Interesting… truly interesting!”
“Respected Senior!” Xiang Chu stepped forward unsteadily, cold sweat dripping down his forehead, only now realizing the depths of Yang Kai’s scheme but helpless to avoid it, stuttering as he tried to explain, “It… it was we who had eyes but failed to immediately recognize this Silver Blood Golden Feather Eagle, but I swear to Senior we did not hurt it.”
“Didn’t recognize it?” Tu Feng coldly snorted, “What use are you eyes even if you have them!?”
Tang Yu Xian followed up, equally aggressively, “Didn’t hurt it? Then why are two of its feathers lying here?”
“Uh… that is…” Xiang Chu was speechless.
He knew he couldn’t say that it was their Yang Family’s Young Lord who pulled them out himself and dropped them there. Never mind if they would even believe such an explanation, it was already an established fact that they had attacked the Silver Blood Golden Feather Eagle. With so many witnesses here, they couldn’t deny it even if they wanted to.
The Yang Family’s domineering arrogance was well known, and now that they had ‘injured’ one of their precious eagles, how could they possibly escape here unharmed?
Seeing the Xiang and Nan Family members faces filled with indignation, unwillingness and regret, the formerly oppressed Blood Battle Gang and Storm Hall juniors couldn’t have been happier.
Sure enough, they were suffering the karma of their actions, the Heavens were just!
Just as they had used the Thunder Light Sect and Soaring Rainbow Court to frame Yang Kai, now the tables had been turned on them.
It was like all the injustices and smears they had pushed onto Yang Kai now had to be choked down by them.
Xiang Chu wasn’t resigned to such a fate and wanted to speak a few excuses, but Xu Lao beside him simply shook his head slowly.
Trying to defend themselves to the Yang Family was tantamount to trying to reason with a beast, utterly pointless.
Wearing a dispirited expression, Xu Lao said, “This was all a misunderstanding; can we not try to resolve this civilly?”
“Hmph, you know what we expect!” Tu Feng sneered dismissively.
The four Immortal Ascension Boundary masters all went white.
After a few moments of hesitation, all of them sighed deeply, knowing that today they had kicked an iron plate.
The two Immortal Ascension Elders behind Nan Sheng walked out and glanced at each other, their expression incredibly gloomy. Immediately afterward, they each extended two fingers and shaped their True Qi into a blade.
The two masters from the Nan Family’s eyes were full of sadness, and they couldn’t help but slight quiver, hesitating as they stood there unsteadily…
Tu Feng coldly snorted as he stared at them, his own True Qi surging forth wildly. Tang Yu Xian ’s pretty face also wore a ruthless expression, as if to say that if they hesitated any further they would immediately kill them.
“Haa…” A faint sigh came from the two old men as they both closed their eyes with helplessness painted all over their faces.
Slashing their True Qi blades, with a flash of light, two arms from the elbow down were severed as blood splashed out onto the ground.
As soon as the deed was done, the two old men’s faces became pale as they quickly used their True Qi to seal their wounds, one of them trembling as he looked towards Tu Feng, “Sir, is this to your satisfaction?”
All the disciples from the various second-class Sects were astonished.
Although they had all long heard of the Yang Family’s overbearing nature, but they had never thought that they were aggressive to such a degree. A single question from one of their Blood Warriors had forced two masters to sacrifice an arm!
Those were two Immortal Ascension Boundary Seventh or Eighth Stage masters! Had they come from their Sects, they would have been honoured Elders who could stand shoulder to shoulder with their Sect Masters.
But now, they had actually been bullied to such an extent, yet didn’t dare to resist in the slightest.
It wasn’t until this moment that these second-class Sect talents truly understood. What was the Yang Family? What did the title of leader of the Eight Great Families mean? With such deep heritage and strength, even first-class Sects were simply trash before them.
However, Tu Feng only coldly replied, “I only see two arms, aren’t there four masters here?”
The two Immortal Ascension Boundary masters from the Xiang Family suddenly became despondent.
Fang Lao and Xu Lao in fact hadn’t attacked the Silver Blood Golden Feather Eagle and Xu Lao had also taken the risk of offending the Nan Family trio by forcefully preventing their actions; however, the Yang Family’s Blood Warrior apparently didn’t intend to spare them.
“Respected Warriors, we two did not attack the eagle!” Xu Lao leaked cold sweat from his forehead as he quickly tried to explain.
The loss of an arm wasn’t a minor injury. If one were to suffer such a loss, their maximum combat efficiency would drop twenty percent or perhaps even more. In the future, it would be equivalent to them becoming half-wastes.
But to these overtures, Tu Feng seemed completely indifferent, glaring back at them coldly and firmly declaring, “An arm or your life, decide quickly!”
Fang Lao and Xu Lao both paled, not having expected Tu Feng to be so unreasonable.
“After three breaths you won’t have a choice anymore!” Tu Feng threatened, continuing to press the issue.
The eyes of Xu Lao and Fang Lao suddenly dimmed as they glanced at one another, both shook their heads as they grinned bitterly.
“Two Elders, take this as I, Xiang Chu, owing you a debt!” Xiang Chu let out a grief-stricken sigh as he promised.
What could these two masters do but agree? Although their Young Lord was nearby, and they knew that these Blood Warriors wouldn’t kill a potential heir of a first-class family for no reason, killing them was not a big problem.
“Understood, Young Master!” Xu Lao and Fang Lao both wore resigned expression and no longer hesitated as they gathered their True Qi, condensed it into a blade, and each sliced off an arm!
“Sir, is this enough?” Xu Lao asked palely.
“Was there no one else?” Tu Feng asked incessantly, his eagle-like eyes sweeping across the crowd.
When his glance landed on Nan Sheng, the latter involuntarily shrank his neck.
Seeing this, Yang Kai grinned happily at him.
Nan Sheng’s face immediately went ashen.
After all, Nan Sheng was the first person to engage the Silver Blood Golden Feather Eagle! The Xu Lao and Fang Lao of the Xiang Family hadn’t even attacked it yet ended up in such a state.
“Looks like there’s one more.” Tu Feng obviously saw through Nan Sheng’s guilty conscience and the panic in his eyes, knowing that this matter must be related to him and swiftly asked, “Will you do it yourself or do you want me to?”
The faces of the four masters from the Nan and Xiang Family all cramped up again.
The Blood Warriors had forcing them to sacrifice an arm was something they knew they couldn’t avoid, but now Tu Feng actually wanted to demand the same from Nan Sheng it was a completely different issue.
Nan Sheng wasn’t some ordinary youth, he was the Young Lord of a first-class family, he was also the successor to the Nan Family, and it would be a major problem if he were to lose an arm here.
Knowing this, even though the four Immortal Ascension masters knew that the Blood Warriors were more powerful than them, they still glared towards Tu Feng with resentment and vigilance, secretly circulating their True Qi in preparation.
If this man wanted to persecute them further, they could only fight back desperately!
Yang Kai, who had been silent until now, suddenly smiled and said, “Young Master Nan’s identity is noble, there’s no need for him to lose an arm.”
Tu Feng’s eyes flickered slightly but didn’t say anything whereas Nan Sheng who glanced over at Yang Kai showed a surprised yet grateful expression. Obviously he hadn’t expected that Yang Kai would let him off so easily.
“He only needs to offer two fingers instead!” Yang Kai smiled calmly as he casually continued.
The gratitude in Nan Sheng’s eyes quickly receded and was instead replaced with extreme anger and hatred.
“En, since the Little Lord has decided so, you only need to pay two fingers.” Tu Feng nodded deeply, as if he had just given Nan Sheng a precious gift.
“Good!” Nan Sheng was also a decisive person. Not bothering to speak any more nonsense, he quickly drew a dagger from his waist and with a flash of light two fingers fell to the ground. Throughout the whole process he didn’t even bat an eye.
“I, Nan Sheng, will remember you!” Nan Sheng gritted his teeth and looked coldly at Yang Kai, muttering under his breath.
However, Yang Kai simply chuckled and replied, “Young Lord Nan, I think you are mistaken, the two fingers were just the punishment for harming the young eagle, did you forget that the grudges between us still need to be settled?”
As if he had just heard a demon’s whisper, Nan Sheng’s face suddenly went white.
There was indeed a big grudge between Yang Kai and them. Just now, Xiang Chu and Nan Sheng had wanted to send Yang Kai to his death, and if it weren’t for the appearance of the Golden Feather Eagle, they might very well have been involved in a life or death struggle right now.
Yang Kai clearly didn’t want to resolve their grievances peacefully, so he had taken the initiative to pull out those two eagle feathers, which allowed him to exact his revenge immediately!
Listening to him, Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian both looked indifferent, not showing the slightest surprise. It seemed as though they had long ago noticed the subtle tension here.
The two Blood Warriors simply remained silent and stared towards Yang Kai, curious to know how he would resolve things.
The task the Blood Warriors had received this time was only to safely pick up the Yang Family’s descendants and escort them back. There had received no other instructions. They had only forced the Nan and Xiang Family masters into such a pitiful state because of the Golden Feather Eagle’s injuries.
Now though, if Yang Kai were to look for trouble with these people, that would be his personal matter and the two Blood Warriors would absolutely not intervene!
They had sworn loyalty to the Yang Family, not Yang Kai. In other words, Yang Kai was not qualified to order them to do anything. Only if his life was in immediate danger would the two Blood Warriors act.
As they glanced around, Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian suddenly felt that this time’s mission to pick up their Little Lord would be very interesting.
All of them were members of the Yang Family. Each of them had eyes higher than the top of their heads, so Yang Kai’s aggressive and unrestrained behaviour actually quite suited their appetites.
At that moment, both of them were actually looking forward to his performance.
Xiang Chu let out a bitter laugh before asking, “How does Young Master Yang intend to settle things?”
Since the other’s fists were bigger, Xiang Chu had no choice but to humble himself.
Xu Lao also endured the pain from his severed limb and frowned, “Though it may be too late for me to speak so, but as the saying goes, one shouldn’t be too rigid with their grudges. Having one more friend is always better than one more enemy. Young Master Yang, you will soon be participating in the Yang Family’s Inheritance War, yes? Please think twice before acting rashly.”
Yang Kai’s expression suddenly became cold, snorting disdainfully, “Think twice you say? Bullshit!”
As soon as his voice fell, two blood-red petals suddenly flew out from his body.
These two petals gave off an odd floral fragrance that seemed to linger about everyone’s nose.
Thousand Blossoming Blood Begonia!
The petals swayed and floated mid-air before suddenly turning into two red streaks that flashed across the battlefield.
Two ripping sounds immediately rang out, and soon after, Xie Rong of the Thunder Light Sect and Li Fu of Soaring Rainbow Court fell motionless to the ground.
Everyone in the audience was shocked!
Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian also couldn’t help looking towards Yang Kai in surprise. The Nan Family and Xiang Family members also nervously glanced around at one another.
It seems that no one had expected that under the watchful eyes of all these people Yang Kai still dared to kill.
Once Xie Rong and Li Fu died, the remaining disciples from Thunder Light Sect and Soaring Rainbow Court could only stand there dumbfounded, staring towards Yang Kai in horror with an icy chill encompassing their entire being.
The two petals flickered again, and with a faint buzzing noise, all the juniors from Thunder Light Sect and Soaring Rainbow Court, no matter where they stood or how they tried to evade, all lay dead after merely ten breaths of time!
As they swept their eyes over the field of dead bodies before them, Xiang Chu and Nan Sheng suddenly stopped breathing and swallowed nervously.
“Within three months, I expect to see your sincerity for this offence, otherwise… I don’t mind tearing face with a pair of first-class families!” Yang Kai looked coldly at them as he laughed sinisterly, “As for your lives, I’ll let you keep them for a while longer.”
Xiang Chu’s expression was incomparably ugly as he felt a bitter taste spread throughout his mouth.
Nan Sheng was even worse off as he still held his wounded hand and glared back at Yang Kai hatefully.
After a long strained silence , Xiang Chu finally managed to pull a faint smile as he bowed deeply, “Many thanks for showing mercy, Young Master Yang! Let’s go!”
As soon as he finished this unpleasant farewell, Xiang Chu quickly led his forces away.
“Those three Cloud Treading Colts seem useful, leave them behind!” Yang Kai looked at the three Monster Beasts that the Nan Family rode over and shouted.
Nan Sheng, who had already mounted his steed, couldn’t help gritting his teeth in anger before quickly jumping off. He was then immediately held by the two Immortal Ascension Elders besides him as they swiftly departed.
Tang Yu Xian grinned as she looked towards Yang Kai approvingly. She felt deeply that this Little Lord seemed to have grown up a lot over the past five years, and he had learned to maximize his advantages.
As she was about to open her mouth and speak through, Tu Feng simply shook his head slowly.
“Little Lord, we will be waiting for you over there,” Tu Feng said casually. Even though he had the appearance of a muscle brain, his wits were actually quite sharp, understanding that Yang Kai and his friends still had things left to say, so he voluntarily withdrew along with Tang Yu Xian first.
“En.” Yang Kai nodded in appreciation.
When the only ones left were the members of Blood Battle Gang and Storm Hall, Yang Kai discovered that these people were all giving him a weird look.
Many of them had a look of reverence and awe in their eyes; however, Yang Kai was pleased to see that the Hu Sisters and Fang Ziji didn’t look at him much differently if anything, Hu Jiao Er’s beautiful face actually had a bit of anger about it.
“Is there anything you’d like to ask?” Yang Kai rubbed his nose as he looked at the Hu Sisters.
Hu Mei Er licked her parched lips, obviously wanting to ask many things but unsure of where to start.
However, before her little sister could compose herself, Hu Jiao Er firmly declared, “No!”
“Ah…” Yang Kai couldn’t help showing a stunned expression before confirming “Are you sure?”
“I said no, so I mean no! We already know everything we need to know, what else do we need to ask?” Hu Jiao Er mercilessly shot him down before signalling to her sister with her eyes, “Go on then, go back to your home!”
“Mmm…” Hu Mei Er glanced towards Yang Kai apologetically and smiled before quickly catching up with her elder sister.
Guan Chi Le also rushed over to Yang Kai, cupped his fists respectfully before letting out a carefree laugh and leading the others away.
Fang Ziji stayed a moment and quietly ask, “Brother Yang, is the Inheritance War exciting?”
“I don’t know, I’ve never participated before.” Yang Kai shook his head.
“Are there any requirements to participate?” Fang Ziji asked as his brow wrinkled.
“As long as we have a certain amount of strength, you can join, but you must first get my approval!” Yang Kai declared.
“Interesting, then I’ll have to pay you a visit later!” Fang Ziji laughed happily.
“I’ll be waiting for you!” Yang Kai smiled.
The wind swept through Yang Kai’s black hair as he stood there watching the dozen or so members of Blood Battle Gang and Storm Hall set out. There were two young women amongst them who looked back from time to time until they had disappeared into the distance.
A moment later, like a pair of ghosts, Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian appeared beside Yang Kai and waited quietly.
“I want to enter closed cultivation for a while, stand guard for me here!” Yang Kai calmly said before heading back into the camp to find a fairly spacious dwelling.
“Ah…” Tang Yu Xian muttered in a surprised tone.
After standing there for some time, Tang Yu Xian’s brow furrowed as she thought out loud, “Closed cultivation? Does the Little Lord want to break through?”
“En, probably.” Tu Feng nodded slightly, acknowledging Tang Yu Xian’s speculation, “His True Qi is pulsating slightly and indeed shows some signs of breaking through.”
“It seems like before we arrived, he experienced a great battle.”
If it weren’t for such a reason, he wouldn’t suddenly feel the impulse to break through without any prior warning.
Tu Feng smiled faintly as he looked up at the Golden Feather Eagle in the sky, quietly asking “Yuxian, are you thinking that the Little Lord is too lenient?”
Tang Yu Xian shifted her gaze towards Tu Feng and replied, “I think he is still young, so it’s inevitable that he wouldn’t be ruthless enough.”
However, Tu Feng slowly shook his and countered, “No, he’s definitely a member of the Yang Family. Even if he is still a child you shouldn’t underestimate him. You have been in the Yang Family for many years, how could you still be so naive? The Little Lord is definitely not as simple as he seems.”
“Why do you say so?” Tang Yu Xian’s curiosity was suddenly piqued.
“You saw that he and the Xiang and Nan Family kids have some kind of grudge, right?”
Tang Yu Xian laughed loudly, “I’m not blind, of course, I could see that. Also, it seems their grudge isn’t shallow.”
“Knowing that, what do you think the Little Lord should do?”
“Kill!” Tang Yu Xian said calmly and relaxedly, “There was no reason to hold back! During the Inheritance War, there is no need for such an ally! He has thoroughly offended these people, yet he went and released the tiger back into the mountains. I’m afraid that the Xiang and Nan Families will now become his enemies.”
“And that’s why I say you’re still too naive.” Tu Feng grinned, “The Little Lord couldn’t easily kill those two kids. They are both candidates for the next Patriarch of the Xiang and Nan Families. If he were to kill them, the Little Lord would only bring trouble to himself. Right now, he isn’t powerful enough to handle such troubles. What’s more, it would be impossible for him alone to kill those two with those four Immortal Ascension Boundary Elders watching.”
“Does he plan to win them over then?” Tang Yu Xian muttered unconvinced.
“No, after all they have a deep grudge between them, what use is there trying to win them over? Even if he could draw them in, it’s likely those two would only superficially support him. Instead of fighting outright which will gain him nothing, or trying to win them over which isn’t likely to provide him much benefit, it’s best if he intimidates them and shaves off as much of their strength as possible.” Tu Feng’s eyes flashed, “If he can deal them a blow so severe that it will cause them to tremble in fear at the mere sight of him, it would be best.”
“But the Little Lord obviously doesn’t have such methods or strength to accomplish that.”
“True, the Little Lord really can’t do that, after all, he’s still young. But to those two Xiang and Nan Family kids, he should have given a deep enough impression, otherwise he wouldn’t have acted so overbearing towards them. Hah, I’m rather looking forward to how he performs in the Inheritance War now.”
Hearing this, Tang Yu Xian was suddenly puzzled, “How come you suddenly become so interested in him?”
Tu Feng grinned, stretching out his hand and casually drawing the two golden-coloured feathers which were lying on the ground some distance away to himself before handing them to Tang Yu Xian, casually stating, “These two feathers aren’t damaged in the slightest so they obviously weren’t shaken off by an impact.”
Tang Yu Xian couldn’t help squinting as she examined the two feathers, “These were pulled out? But who plucked them?”
“Who else?”
Tang Yu Xian stared blankly at the place where Yang Kai had secluded himself and exclaimed, “Is he really so sinister? He actually manipulated us!”
After realizing this point, she turned to Tu Feng and questioned, “Since you had seen through it long ago, why did you follow along with his scheme?”
“Was I supposed to expose him right then and there?” Tu Feng rolled his eyes, “No matter what, he’s still a Young Lord of the Yang Family, I couldn’t just let him lose face like that.”
“That smelly brat, he has such insidious methods!” Tang Yu Xian ground her teeth in frustration.
She had been just been manipulated into doing a junior’s bidding, so Tang Yu Xian was rather annoyed. Regardless of her status as a servant of the Yang Family, she was still a high level Immortal Ascension Boundary master, yet she hadn’t been able to see through this little trick. It was indeed a bit shameful.
Tu Feng’s brow furrowed suddenly as he said, “For this time’s Inheritance War, we don’t know which Blood Warriors will be asked to participate. If both of us are selected, we will need to find a trustworthy and strong Young Lord to follow during the battle, if we were to choose the wrong team, the consequences would be very serious.”
“Do you want to offer your services to him?” Tang Yu Xian also frowned slightly as she asked.
“No, at least not right now. We’ve only just met him and although his performance so far is decent, we should further evaluate him before making a decision. Heh, isn’t it one of the Yang Family’s unwritten rules that while escorting the Young Lords home, they are not only trying to win us over, but we are also observing them to see if they are worth serving?”
“Good, I’ll listen to you for now.” Tang Yu Xian nodded before suddenly wearing a fierce smile as she muttered under her breath, “I have to carefully polish my sight on the road home, I can’t have myself getting used by him so easily again!”
“Hahaha!” Tu Feng laughed loudly as he nodded happily.
Half a day later, Yang Kai emerged in a spirited manner.
Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian both hurried forward and examined him, quickly discovering that Yang Kai had already broken through and reached the True Element Boundary Seventh Stage.
The two Blood Warriors nodded secretly to themselves, somewhat impressed that he had so quickly achieved a breakthrough after the battle. It seemed the Little Lord’s aptitude was quite high.
The only thing they found strange was that for more than ten years while he was in the Yang Family, why had be always been no better than an ordinary person? Over the past few years what exactly had happened to him that allowed him to achieve such a level of cultivation in so short a time?
Both Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian stared silently at Yang Kai, their expressions indifferent, seemingly waiting for something.
“What has happened inside the Yang Family? Why are we being recalled so early this time?” Yang Kai’s brow furrowed as he asked the pair.
Tu Feng’s face suddenly became a bit gloomy as he replied, “It seems the Patriarch was injured. In the battle with the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land masters, the Patriarch led the charge and was injured by the Profound Yin Ghost King and the Annihilating Poison King. Although he received prompt treatment and there is no immediate threat to his life, but the Family Elders said that the situation is not optimistic, so a candidate for the next Patriarch must be determined as soon as possible.”
“The Patriarch was injured?” Yang Kai looked at him in surprise.
According to his memory, the Yang Family’s current Patriarch should be Yang Kai’s Grand Uncle Yang Ying Hao and his strength was not low. It seems that even characters of his stature had actually been injured in the decisive battle and the injury was also not light, otherwise there would not have been such a rush to recall the scattered Yang Family descendants to launch the Inheritance War.
“En, understood!” Yang Kai nodded lightly.
When it came to the inner workings of the family, Yang Kai didn’t actually know much about it. There were even several of his uncles he had never greeted. Apart from his parents, Yang Kai did not have much affection for the others members of the Yang Family.
In fact, such an attitude was quite prevalent within the Yang Family.
Each of the previous generations direct descendants had been sent out of the family for ten years of experience in the outside world, after which they returned and worked together with those they had recruited to win the Inheritance War, so between lack of contact and vicious competition, the bonds between Yang Family members was particularly weak, at least nowhere near as deep as other great families.
Seeing him respond so flatly, Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian didn’t seem surprised. The two of them had grown up inside the Yang Family for so long that they naturally knew the temperament of the Yang Family’s members.
“Little Lord,” Tu Feng calmly inquired, “If there is nothing else, let us return to the Yang Family first.”
Pausing for a moment, Yang Kai’s brow wrinkled as he asked, “Is there any provision for the latest we must return by?”
“There is not,” Tu Feng shook his head slowly, “I would also guess you are the first Young Lord to be found. It was only two days ago that the Golden Feather Eagles were released. Yuxian and I were deployed soon after and were lucky enough to bump into you so quickly, as for the others, I’m afraid they’re still following the other Golden Feather Eagles in search of the other Young Lords.”
“Excellent.” Yang Kai smiled faintly.
“Is there something else, Little Lord?”
“En, I wish to return to my Sect first!” Yang Kai replied as he nodded firmly.
Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian couldn’t help glance at each other in surprise.
The cuckoo bird Yang Family was quite famous for planting it’s descendants as disciples into foreign Sects after hiding their identities. Usually, after the ten year period expired, these Young Lords would sneak out of their Sects to avoid their Sect’s Elders and their Brother and Sister disciples from knowing.
After all, after living there for so many years, even the cold-hearted Yang Family descendants would develop some feelings towards their companions, so the act of deceiving their Sect mates would leave them feeling uncomfortable.
However, now one of these Young Lords not only didn’t intend to sneak away but actually wanted to return to his Sect. This was an interesting development.
The only question was, how was he going to explain to his Sect’s Elders and his fellow disciples when he got there?
Tang Yu Xian suddenly became curious, “What is the name of Little Lord’s Sect?”
Yang Kai chuckled as he glanced towards her, noting a faint smile upon her lips, as if she were looking forward to prying as much information out of him as possible before agreeing.
“It’s better if I not say it!”
Tang Yu Xian was stunned for a moment, not quite understanding what he meant.
However, as a Blood Warrior, she knew well enough not to inquire any further, but still, she became faintly aware that the Little Lord had his own problems.
“Let’s go!” Turning away from her, Yang Kai shifted his gaze towards the three Cloud Treading Colts and declared to the two Blood Warriors.
The two exchanged a glance before nodding as they flew towards the Cloud Treading Colts.
Although they were Immortal Ascension masters that could soar through the sky at incredible speeds, since they had ‘acquired’ these Cloud Treading Colts, they were naturally happy to conserve their True Qi.
The three Cloud Treading Colts broke out into a sprint as high above them the Silver Blood Golden Feather Eagle followed along, from time to time letting out a crisp eagle’s cry.
From here to High Heaven Pavilion was at least ten thousand kilometres, so even if they rode the Cloud Treading Colts at full speed, it would still take two or three days to arrive.
However, Yang Kai didn’t ride at full speed but instead maintained a rather casual pace.
About the Yang Family’s unwritten rules, since Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian knew them, Yang Kai obviously did too.
Along the way home, his performance would affect the future decisions of these two Blood Warriors!
The Inheritance War was not just a battle between the several Yang Family Young Lords, in fact, their personal strength could even be said to be the least important factor.
What was most valuable during the Inheritance War was the strength and number of outside forces the Young Lords could rally to their cause!
The more support they managed to gather, the more forces which kneeled before them, the more it demonstrated the Young Lord’s connections and methods, which was of paramount importance to the next Patriarch of the Yang Family!
The Yang Family was the head of the Eight Great Families, what its Patriarch needed most was the ability to influence and lead others!
Yang Kai right now could only be considered poor and alone. He naturally cared a great deal about the opinions these two Blood Warriors who had come to escort him home had of him.
If he could prove his worth to them during this journey, it would be tantamount to having two powerful Immortal Ascension Boundary helpers once he reached home.
So for this trip, he couldn’t go too fast. If he went too fast, even if Yang Kai wanted to demonstrate his abilities there wouldn’t be enough time to do so, but he also couldn’t go too slow, or he ran the risk of appearing unmotivated or flat out lazy.
Yang Kai led the way forward, and Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian followed along without complaint.
Each day they travelled two thousand kilometres or so, a fairly leisurely pace.
So after three days, they had only crossed half the distance.
That night, when the three of them stopped to rest, Tu Feng went hunting for some food while Tang Yu Xian looked for kindling nearby to raise a fire.
Soon after the campfire’s flames began crackling, Tu Feng returned with a full harvest. The two worked swiftly together to clean the game in a nearby stream before returning to the camp to grill the meat.
While the two were busy, Yang Kai kept whistling towards the Silver Blood Golden Feather Eagle resting atop a treetop several tens of meters away.
For the past few days, while they were travelling, Yang Kai would often call out to and tempt the Golden Feather Eagle.
But after three days, he hadn’t made any significant progress. The Golden Feather Eagle seemed to be very wary of him. That day, Yang Kai had plucked two of its golden feathers in order to frame Nan Sheng and Xiang Chu, so even now, the young eagle regarded Yang Kai as its lifelong enemy! Each time Yang Kai moved any closer than he current was, it would let out a flurry of cries and flap its wings aggressively.
Even though it recognized Yang Kai as a direct descendant of the Yang Family it still didn’t seem to make a difference to the eagle.
Tang Yu Xian glanced over as she was roasting some skewered meat above the flames. Seeing Yang Kai still unable to make any headway with the eagle she couldn’t help grinning happily.
“Hmph, serves him right!” Tang Yu Xian muttered softly, “The Silver Blood Golden Feather Eagle is only a Fifth-Order Monster Beast, but its intelligence is quite high. Since he’s plucked two of its feathers before, he shouldn’t even dream of getting close to it in this lifetime.”
Tu Feng also couldn’t help nodding, obviously agreeing with Tang Yu Xian’s thinking.
“The Little Lord should also know this, so why does he insist on pursuing such a thankless task?” Tang Yu Xian wrinkled her brow in confusion.
Tu Feng grinned meaningfully, “There is obviously an ulterior motive!”
“What do you mean?” Tang Yu Xian shifted her gaze and asked.
Tu Feng chuckled as he replied, “The Little Lord is trying to impress us by taming the eagle. Haven’t you noticed that our speed these past few days hasn’t been that fast? He’s clearly dragging out our time together.”
Tang Yu Xian was slightly surprised at first, but after thinking about it, she immediately felt that Tu Feng was right, her eyes flashing a brilliant light, “How come your thoughts are so meticulous, yet your beard isn’t long and white at all.”
Tu Feng chuckled loudly, “It’s not that I’m any more thoughtful, it’s just that you’re too young. The Little Lord’s intentions are so obvious that even a fool could understand them if they… ahem… I mean…”
“You mean, what?” Tang Yu Xian looked at him while showing a smile that wasn’t quite a smile, causing Tu Feng to suddenly groan.
Not pursuing his slip of the tongue, Tang Yu Xian turned her attention back towards Yang Kai and smiled lightly, “If that’s his plan, it seems he’s bound to be disappointed.”
“En, well, regardless of his intentions, our duty is only to protect his safety.” Tu Feng grinned before calling out to the other side, “Little Lord, the food is ready.”
Yang Kai responded with a sigh before returning with a bland look.
While eating, Tang Yu Xian smiled and looked at Yang Kai as she asked, “Little Lord, how are your efforts progressing?”
After listening to her question, Tu Feng quickly signalled with his eyes to her not to go into Yang Kai’s matters, after all, if she intentionally asked about an issue she knew he hadn’t made progress on, wouldn’t that inadvertently cause the Young Lord to lose face?
Actually, Tang Yu Xian’s intentions were good, she had simply wanted to remind Yang Kai not to pursue futile endeavours. The greater one’s expectations were, the greater the disappointment would be when they failed.
It was a lesson she thought should be learned by the younger generation.
But to her surprise, after listening to her question, Yang Kai simply made a faint grin before swallowing and casually replying, “I’m nearly there, I should be able to sooth its hostility towards me by tomorrow…”
Tang Yu Xian and Tu Feng immediately froze up before staring towards Yang Kai’s innocently smiling face. At that moment, they didn’t know what to say.
Nearly there? Wasn’t it obvious he hadn’t made any progress at all?
On top of that, how could he be so sure that he could eliminate the Golden Feather Eagle’s hostility by tomorrow? This Monster Beast clearly held a deep hatred towards him for plucking two of its feathers, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say it would never forgive him for that.
“Em? What’s wrong?” Yang Kai noticed them silently staring at him and couldn’t help but raise his head and ask.
“Ahem, no, it’s nothing.” Tu Feng quickly shook his head and smiled, “If so, I wish Little Lord the best of luck.”
This is a rather perfunctorily spoken statement, but Yang Kai seems to be unaware of that and simply nodded lightly, “En.”
Tang Yu Xian grinned as she suddenly felt a headache coming on.
In front of the Little Lord’s confident expression, she couldn’t exactly advise him against his current course of action, but if tomorrow the Golden Feather Eagle still ignored him, wasn’t he also going to lose a great deal of face?
If the Little Lord was simply ashamed it was one thing, but if he instead became unreasonably angry…
At that moment, Tang Yu Xian even shot a sharp glance towards the Golden Feather Eagle. As long as the Golden Feather Eagle encountered an ‘accident’ tonight, then the Little Lord wouldn’t need to feel embarrassed.
Looking at him together with Tu Feng, both of them lowered their heads and stifled their thoughts; they no longer wished to say anything more.
Yang Kai secretly observed the two Blood Warrior’s reactions while eating his barbecue, his innocent smile slowly transforming into an imperceptibly sly grin.
Early the next morning, Tang Yu Xian awoke at the crack of dawn, slowly got up, and emerged from her tent a moment later.
Not far away, Tu Feng was standing there with his arms cross, staring ahead motionlessly.
“What are you doing?” Tang Yu Xian walked over beside him and asked with a puzzled look.
“Hm…” Tu Feng casually made a gesture to her, indicating she should turn her gaze forward.
Secretly scoffing at his attempt to be mysterious, Tang Yu Xian rolled her eyes and looked in the direction he gestured and was immediately startled.
A short distance away, in front of his tent, the Little Lord was assuming an odd stance. With one foot on the ground and both his arms stretched out like two wings of a bird, he slowly and rhythmically swung them up and down.
At first glance, it seemed like he was imitating a bird soaring through the sky, his movements had an odd charm to them.
However, what made Tang Yu Xian even more surprised was that the Silver Blood Golden Feather Eagle was actually perched in front of the Little Lord imitating his stance.
With its two golden wings stretching out, a piercing cry resounded from its beak, and its wings swayed up and down sending out a gentle wave of wind.
The Golden Feather Eagle no longer displayed the intense hostility it had shown for the past few days, and instead, its cries seemed to contain a feeling of intimacy.
As time passed, when the rhythm of the man and eagle completely synchronized, the Little Lord and Eagle slowly lifted off the ground at the same time.
It seemed like at that moment, the two had united as one, perfectly coordinated with one another.
Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian both stared at this scene dumbfounded.
Both of them were incredibly powerful and talented, but if they were honest with themselves, they had no way to make a Golden Feather Eagle so obedient. In fact, in the entire Yang Family, with the exception of ones who specially trained to raise them, the Golden Feather Eagles never became intimate with anyone, but now it was actually playing with the Little Lord.
On top of that, this was after the Little Lord had plucked two of its gold feathers!
For a moment, both Blood Warriors couldn’t help but wonder if they were still dreaming as they exchanged looks, and their eyes showed both confusion and shock. Neither of them had any idea what kind of magical method Yang Kai had used to achieve this.
After a moment, one man and one eagle had risen several tens of meters off the ground.
Then, with a loud laugh, Yang Kai suddenly flew directly to the Golden Feather Eagle, and under the watchful eyes of the two Blood Warriors, he landed atop the Golden Feather Eagle’s back, accompanied by a crisp resounding eagle cry as he did.
The back of the Golden Feather Eagle wasn’t very broad, just barely large enough for one person to sit down.
However, whether it was Tu Feng or Tang Yu Xian, they could clearly sense that Yang Kai was no longer using any True Qi to levitate at all. The Golden Feather Eagle was fully supporting him and flying of its own volition.
“Wasn’t that beast extremely vindictive and defiant?” Tang Yu Xian suddenly felt that her head couldn’t keep up with the reality before her.
Tu Feng grinned meaningfully before opening his mouth and replying, “Indeed, achieving such a feat is quite impressive, but if it’s just this… it’s still far from enough.”
Tang Yu Xian nodded slightly.
It was no simple matter to convince the Yang Family’s Blood Warriors to voluntarily submit. In particular, both Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian were superb Immortal Ascension Boundary masters, so how could they surrender to him as easily as this eagle had?
After a long time, the Golden Feather Eagle slowly flew down, hovering roughly ten meters off the ground. Yang Kai jumped from its back and landed, and then the Golden Feather Eagle folded its wings and perched directly on Yang Kai’s shoulders.
Using its sharp hooked beak, it then began helping Yang Kai comb his hair.
“Little Lord’s methods are impressive.” Tu Feng complimented generously.
Yang Kai reached up and stroked the Golden Feather Eagle’s head and smiled, “I offended it a few days ago so it took some effort to make friends with it.”
“How did you do it?” Tang Yu Xian asked curiously.
Yang Kai faced her and solemnly replied, “I sincerely opened my heart to it and let it perceive my intentions.”
Tang Yu Xian couldn’t help but blink, pondering over Yang Kai’s profound statement.
“Let’s set off!” Yang Kai didn’t show off any further and firmly shouted as he turned to the Cloud Treading Colts.
Over the next few days, the groups’ speed was still not very fast, but it was obvious that the relationship between the Golden Feather Eagle and Yang Kai became closer and closer. This Fifth-Order Monster Beast seemingly had a clear insight into the various aspects of Yang Kai’s commands. Whatever orders it was given, be they simple or complex, were completed without any mistakes.
The two Blood Warriors couldn’t help being surprised by Yang Kai’s display.
In their opinions, even the members of the Yang Family who reared the Golden Feather Eagles wouldn’t be as adept at handling them as Yang Kai.
This time, even if the Little Lord failed to win the Inheritance War, he would have no trouble becoming the chief breeder for the Yang Family’s eagles.
Yang Kai on the other hand secretly felt the whole situation was funny; if it weren’t for the sake of winning over the two Blood Warriors, he wouldn’t have spent so much effort putting on a show of taming a mere Fifth-Order Monster Beast, as he could have simply used his Beast Slave Seal from the beginning.
But instead, he spent a few days playing with it to make it seem like he had struggled to achieve the current relationship.
Three days later.
High Heaven Pavilion.
The entire Sect was still devastated.
Here and there patches of scorched earth and collapsed buildings could be seen.
It was an awful sight to behold.
Yang Kai’s expression and mood were both gloomy.
This Sect, which had survived for centuries, now lay in ruins. If it was a few years ago, Yang Kai wouldn’t have had a sense of belonging here, but after experiencing so many things, Yang Kai had taken this place as his second home.
“Little Lord, this is your Sect?” Tang Yu Xian looked at Yang Kai curiously, not knowing why the scene before her looked as it did, a blasted ruin.
Yang Kai dismounted the Cloud Treading Colt and nodded slightly.
Tu Feng stepped forward and found a huge scorched plaque on the ground. After picking it up and turning it over, he and Tang Yu Xian examined it.
When she had asked Yang Kai about his Sect last time, Yang Kai had evaded her question which had caused her some confusion.
“High Heaven…” Tu Feng muttered as he read the partial text.
The plaque itself was burned and the last words couldn’t be made out; however, Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian were both quite knowledgeable so they immediately thought of a possibility.
“High Heaven Pavilion?” Tang Yu Xian’s pretty face showed surprise as both she and Tu Feng hurriedly looked towards Yang Kai.
“En!” Yang Kai nodded slightly.
The two Blood Warriors both sucked in a deep breath, unable to hide their shock!
High Heaven Pavilion. Originally it was just a random second-class Sect, but this Sect was now world-famous!
It was the Sect the new Demon Lord had originated from!
On top of that, it was said that when the masters from the Qiu Family came here to sanction the Sect they had suffered a major loss.
The Qiu Family’s First Young Lady Qiu Yi Meng had also disappeared here, along with Luo Xiao Man of Purple Fern Valley and the Bai Family’s Bai Yun Feng. In addition to those who went missing, several Immortal Ascension Boundary masters had been heavily wounded.
After that incident, the Qiu Family’s masters sent out a startling message. High Heaven Pavilion had a top-class master who had reached the Above Immortal Ascension Boundary.
An Above Immortal Ascension Boundary master! No mere second-class Sect could possibly have a powerhouse of this level. The mere existence of such a figure watching over it allowed High Heaven Pavilion to be classified as a first-class force!
Because of Qiu Yi Meng’s disappearance, the Qiu Family’s masters had become enraged and burned down High Heaven Pavilion.
Even until now, there had been no news about the Qiu Family’s First Young Lady.
Such information wasn’t a secret amongst the Eight Great Families, so the two Blood Warriors from the Yang Family were naturally clear about this.
After learning about Yang Kai’s Sect, the two Blood Warriors couldn’t hide their shock.
Tu Feng stared at the broken plaque in his hands, hesitating on whether to keep holding it or to drop it, and a rare conflicted light flashed across his eyes.
Meanwhile, though, Yang Kai had already walked inside.
“Be careful Little Lord, there seem to be some people inside,” Tang Yu Xian hurriedly reminded.
“People inside?” Yang Kai was stunned, and he quickly swept the Sect with his Divine Sense, then a moment later showed a surprised expression.
There were indeed people inside, and quite a number of them at that, at least a few hundred or more.
A hint of suspicion welled up inside him, and Yang Kai hurried forward.
Having only walked a short distance, Yang Kai was greeted by an unexpectedly bustling scene inside High Heaven Pavilion. People were coming and going everywhere, and many of them were familiar faces. These people… were actually High Heaven Pavilion’s original members!
There were members of both the younger and older generations, and everyone was busy cleaning up the various ruins.
It seemed like they were in the process of rebuilding High Heaven Pavilion.
Yang Kai couldn’t help staring blankly.
Because of High Heaven Pavilion’s relationship with the new Demon Lord, it had been condemned as an evil Sect, and Ling Tai Xu had thus dismissed ninety percent of its disciples, leaving only about a hundred core Sect members who had evacuated through the Void Corridor.
But now, how come there were so many people here? And they even had the courage to start rebuilding like this.
Weren’t they afraid that the Qiu Family would come looking for trouble again?
As he was gazing around in confusion, a High Heaven Pavilion disciple who passed by in front of him suddenly paused and looked at him in panic, calling out involuntarily, “Yang Kai?”
Awoken by this voice, Yang Kai turned his eyes towards this person and discovered that it was actually Cao Zheng Wen.
Originally one of the Great Elder’s low ranked disciples, he was later solicited by the Bai Family’s Bai Yun Feng, but after being defeated by Yang Kai, Bai Yun Feng no longer paid any attention to him. Cao Zheng Wen had spent several months in the Sect recovering from his injuries, as for the matter of joining the Bai Family, it had apparently fallen by the wayside.
Since then, everyone inside the Sect had a rather unfavourable impression of him.
“Senior Brother Cao!” Yang Kai called out unconsciously.
However, Cao Zheng Wen panicked and stepped back a few steps. The last time they had met, Yang Kai had instantaneously heavily wounded him, which left a kind of psychological shadow, so the moment he saw Yang Kai again and found that he was much stronger than their previous meeting, he was naturally quite frightened.
The two voices which had called out loudly immediately attracted the attention of many people nearby.
After they discovered it was really Yang Kai, the disciples of the High Heaven Pavilion all showed awkward expressions.
“Yang Kai? Where is he?” Yang Kai couldn’t help letting out a sigh as soon as he heard this voice call out from the distance.
Looking towards the source of the voice, he saw a handsome young man striding over to him. A black combat outfit accentuated his overbearing stance, and his eyes flashed as he looked coldly towards Yang Kai.
Approaching to within ten meters of Yang Kai, this youth glanced indifferently towards Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian, although his eyes lit up slightly as they passed over Tang Yu Xian’s beautiful figure.
However, he immediately shifted his gaze back towards Yang Kai and nodded slightly with a smug grin on his face, “Junior Brother Yang, you’ve back.”
Yang Kai also grinned, “Senior Brother Xie!”
Xie Hong Chen, one of High Heaven Pavilion’s Core Disciples, and someone who had innumerable grudges and grievances with Yang KaI.
“It’s good that you’ve returned,” Xie Hong Chen said as he nodded flatly. Putting on a show of his status as a Senior Brother, he puffed out his chest as he arrogantly said, “Now that you’re back you can help rebuild the Sect together with us. We just happen to be short of labour around here. It looks like Junior Brother Yang has grown a lot in recent years so there are plenty of places where you can assist and show off the skills, don’t let the rest of us down.”
Yang Kai’s brow slightly wrinkled while Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian couldn’t hide their surprise, as extremely odd expressions spread across their faces.
This person… was interesting.
Actually trying to arrogantly order a Young Lord of the Yang Family to help clear rubble while saying it was a chance to show off his skills.
The place where Yang Kai would show his talents was the Yang Family’s Inheritance War and definitely not here.
“Are these two your friends?” Xie Hong Chen turned his attention to Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian and asked in a faint voice.
“En.” Yang Kai nodded slightly.
Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian’s expression twitched slightly but they eventually didn’t speak. They were Yang Family Blood Warriors, and their official rank was lower than a Yang Family Young Lord, so naturally they weren’t qualified to be Yang Kai’s friends; however, Yang Kai simply admitting as such was quite flattering to them.
Xie Hong Chen though simply smiled and nodded, “Since they are friends of Junior Brother Yang then they are also friends of High Heaven Pavilion. If the two of you don’t mind, you can also help out around here, naturally, we will also provide enough benefits for your efforts.”
Both Blood Warriors’ brows twitched as somewhat mocking expressions spread across their faces.
The two of them had trouble maintaining a straight face as they glanced back and forth between themselves and Xie Hong Chen.
Although they were only ordinary Yang Family Blood Warriors and no doubt had a lower status than the Yang Family’s Young Lords, but that was still only a matter within the Yang Family. If they went out and announced their status, even if it was an Elder of first-class forces who saw them they wouldn’t dare treat them so frivolously, let alone ask them to act as labourers.
Was this little brat actually trying to get them to help rebuild the High Heaven Pavilion?
Also, did he really think he had enough benefits to entice a Yang Family Blood Warrior? That wasn’t something an average person could put out! Where was this little brat summoning such boundless courage from?
Xie Hong Chen, completely oblivious to the trouble his mouth had gotten him into, looked up into the sky and wrinkled his brow, muttering to himself, “What kind of eagle is that, it’s so irritating.”
Yang Kai couldn’t help scratching his nose as he stifled his laughter, glancing over towards Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian who were making even more awkward expressions.
The Golden Feather Eagle followed Yang Kai around faithfully and was circling up in the sky. The sounds of its cries had thus naturally attracted the attention of Xie Hong Chen.
Xie Hong Chen stared a moment before nodding slightly, and a hint of admiration flashed across his eyes, “Hmm, this eagle seems to have some extraordinary points though.”
Saying so, he quickly turned and shouted to the side, “Uncle Zhong.”
A middle-aged man about forty or fifty years old soon flew over. This man was also a former member of the High Heaven Pavilion, a disciple from the previous generation and had reached the Immortal Ascension Boundary First Stage with a decent aptitude. As he landed he casually asked, “Is there something wrong?”
Xie Hong Chen turned his gaze up towards the Golden Feather Eagle and asked, “Uncle Zhong, can you chase that eagle away? We wouldn’t want it disturbing the two young ladies.”
Uncle Zhong also looked up but a moment later shook his head, “It’s too high, and the eagle itself looks like it possesses decent strength, I’m afraid I can’t do anything about it.”
Xie Hong Chen frowned and looked displeased, waving his hand as he grunted, “It’s okay, carry on.”
“En.”
After Uncle Zhong left, Xie Hong Chen smiled indifferently, “Looks like I’ll have to do it myself. Junior Brother Yang, wait a moment while I handle this eagle.”
“Ah…” Yang Kai nodded as his expression remained indifferent.
The next moment, Xie Hong Chen shot into the sky and headed straight towards the Golden Feather Eagle.
Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian didn’t show the slightest desire to block him, instead of wearing a smug expression like they were looking forward to a good show as they stared at Xie Hong Chen’s back.
That was a Yang Family Golden Feather Eagle if it were so easy to catch or beat, it wouldn’t be a Monster Beast worthy of the Yang Family’s dedicated cultivation.
“Does the Little Lord and this man have some kind of resentment?” Tang Yu Xian looked towards Yang Kai with a smile. Just from the way, Xie Hong Chen spoke to Yang Kai and how he now was trying to show off his authority and skills, it was obvious to her that the two youths had some kind of grudge.
“It’s all in the past!” Yang Kai replied indifferently, gently shaking his head.
His dispute with Xie Hong Chen was just really just a petty squabble caused by jealousy, but now that their Sect had been destroyed and so much else had transpired, Yang Kai no longer cared about such trifles.
“Where is the eagle?” While Yang Kai was watching Xie Hong Chen, a concerned voice suddenly called out from nearby.
Immediately afterwards, two shadows quickly approached from the distance.
The first person was a young woman of around twenty years old. She had a tall figure, jade white skin, and a slim waist; her purple dress perfectly complemented her noble temperament giving her an impeccable appearance.
Next to her, there was an exquisite girl who seemed a few years younger. Although this girl was small, the pair of jade peaks rising above her chest could only be described as tremendous. It seemed like these two proud mountains would burst from the clothes which barely contained them at any moment as they bounced up and down in an exaggerated fashion. With a light blush on her small rounded face and a sleek shapely bottom that swelled just the right amount, the very sight of her made the nearby mean swallow unconsciously.
The pair of beauties stood and stared at the Golden Feather Eagle circling up in the sky, their expressions incredibly dignified. It was like they weren’t staring at an eagle but a giant monster.
When the two women arrived, the nearby High Heaven Pavilion disciples, regardless of whether they were male or female, young or old, all stopped what they were doing and respectfully saluted, “Greetings, Young Lady Qiu, greetings Young Lady Luo!”
Qiu Yi Meng and Luo Xiao Man did not even bother responding to these greetings though as their gazes remained fixed on the Golden Feather Eagle.
“Elder Sister Qiu, is it really ‘that’ eagle?” Luo Xiao Man, who despite her alluring figure still gave people a feeling of innocence, whispered quietly as she continued staring.
“It should be,” Qiu Yi Meng nodded heavily, “But I’ve only ever heard of it and have never personally seen one before.”
“That Xie Hong Chen flew up after it.” Luo Xiao Man stretched her finger and pointed at a figure up in the sky.
“What does that idiot think he’s doing?” Qiu Yi Meng’s pretty face became ice cold as she said a solemn tone, “He absolutely can’t kill that eagle.”
Kill the eagle? Even if one were to hurt it, the consequences would be dire! Although she had long since known that Xie Hong Chen was a man who liked to be in the limelight, Qiu Yi Meng could now only think of him as a brain-damaged idiot.
As long as someone had even a bit vision, they would notice that this eagle was extraordinary, right?
“Young Lady Qiu?” Tang Yu Xian looked suspiciously at Qiu Yi Meng and asked softly.
When Qiu Yi Meng and Luo Xiao Man finally regained their wits, they both turned their eyes towards Yang Kai and the two Blood Warriors, trembling in surprise as they did.
None of them had ever imagined they would meet again like this.
Yang Kai at least knew that they were being led around by Shan Qing Luo; however, Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian didn’t know anything about Qiu Yi Meng’s situation since she had disappeared inside High Heaven Pavilion.
After carefully sweeping her eyes over Qiu Yi Meng, Tang Yu Xian confirmed that she was indeed the Qiu Family’s First Young Lady who had been missing for several months!
In her surprise, she couldn’t help calling out her name.
Surprised as well, Qiu Yi Meng quickly turned her eyes towards Yang Kai and couldn’t help freezing up.
Luo Xiao Man, on the other hand, reacted even more violently. Her beautiful face suddenly wore a frightened expression and quickly hid behind Qiu Yi Meng, before glaring back at Yang Kai for a while.
“Hm?” Tu Feng was suddenly puzzled, and his expression became strange, faintly feeling that the Qiu Family’s First Young Lady seemed to be familiar with their family’s Little Lord.
After a long time, Qiu Yi Meng smiled towards Yang Kai and then turned her attention back to Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian, sweeping her eyes across them.
Tang Yu Xian recognizing her wasn’t too surprising as she was a famous figure, but she had no idea who Tang Yu Xian was; however, when she saw the jade talisman on the two Blood Warrior’s waists, her pretty face couldn’t help but becoming serious, “Yang Family Blood Warriors?”
“Greetings, Young Lady Qiu.” Both Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian greeted respectfully.
Qiu Yi Meng’s position was equivalent to their Little Lord’s, or more accurately, her status was even higher than Yang Kai’s. After all, this young woman was the Heaven-sent genius of the Qiu Family. She was already one of the most dazzling females in the entire younger generation while Yang Kai was still just a disciple that had yet to return to the family.
Faced with such a figure, Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian couldn’t be sloppy.
Qiu Yi Meng’s expression underwent numerous changes as her eyes glanced back and forth across the three newcomers, but eventually her gaze fixed firmly on Yang Kai as she dumbfoundedly asked, “With two Yang Family Blood Warriors here along with the Silver Blood Golden Feather Eagle and a youth whose surname is Yang, then would it be correct to assume you are one of the Yang Family’s direct descendants?”
After seeing all of this, if Qiu Yi Meng couldn’t guess the true identity of Yang Kai then she wouldn’t be Qiu Yi Meng.
“En.” Yang Kai nodded casually.
“Oh… It seems I was mistaken.” Qiu Yi Meng muttered begrudgingly. Although she knew that Yang Kai hadn’t disclosed his identity because of Yang Family’s rules, she still felt somewhat bitter about it.
Thinking back, she couldn’t help feeling ridiculous about how she had tried to recruit Yang Kai into the Qiu Family by offering ‘generous’ conditions while they had been trapped in Shan Qing Luo’s Palace.
As a Young Lord of the Yang Family, what resources could he possibly be lacking?
[No wonder he hadn’t spared my offer a single glance back then,] Qiu Yi Meng thought to herself. Originally she suspected him of being an arrogant youth whose eyes were higher than his head, but now she knew better. He hadn’t considered her offer simply because it was vastly inferior compared to his actual position.
Staring at Yang Kai’s calm demeanour, Qiu Yi Meng’s brow twitched as she felt the urge to slap him across his smug face for all the embarrassment she had suffered.
No one had ever let her suffer such a big loss.
“You… you’re a Young Lord of the Yang Family?” Luo Xiao Man also stared at Yang Kai with a dumbfounded look.
“Naturally!” Qiu Yi Meng sneered gently.
Luo Xiao Man was speechless, not knowing what to say.
She still remembered when Qiu Yi Meng had evaluated Yang Kai. She had mentioned that fortunately, he didn’t have a strong background. If we’re to have a strong background, then there might be no one in the whole world who could surpass him.
No, it seems that not only did he have a strong background, it was actually the strongest one possible! None could compare.
“Do the two young ladies know my family’s Young Lord?” Tang Yu Xian’s beautiful eyes flashed as she curiously observed Qiu Yi Meng and Luo Xiao Man.
As a woman herself, she sensed an unusual aura from the conversation these youths just had. It seems like there was something unusual between her family’s Little Lord and the two girls in front of him.
“En, I know him indeed!” Qiu Yi Meng showed a dazzling smile, but her teeth were clearly grinding as she did.
Hearing her response, a shiver ran up Tu Feng’s back as he was confused as to why he suddenly felt a chill in the air.
“Don’t be so hostile, I don’t owe anything to you.” Yang Kai looked at Qiu Yi Meng with a wry smile. He naturally felt the hostility coming from this young woman.
“You don’t owe us anything?” Qiu Yi Meng sneered, “I’d say you owe us a great deal.”
These words were quite ambiguous and immediately piqued Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian’s interest.
“Should I recount all of it for you?” Qiu Yi Meng stared at Yang Kai maliciously.
Yang Kai’s though maintained an indifferent attitude, “Go ahead, I’m listening.”
“Hmm…” Qiu Yi Meng suddenly smiled impishly, and her eyes flashed as she licked her lips and said, “Then I’ll start with what happened with Shan…”
“Hey…” Yang Kai’s expression quickly changed as he rushed forward and covered Qiu Yi Meng’s mouth.
Shan Qing Luo’s name was not something that could be mentioned casually.
Seeing their Young Lord act so boldly caused the two Blood Warriors’ brows to rise, and their expressions were somewhat intrigued.
That was Qiu Yi Meng! The Qiu Family’s First Young Lady, one of the dynasty’s favoured daughters of Heaven, was the target of almost every great family’s Young Lords.
However, even after being treated like this, she didn’t strike back but instead simply struggled like an ordinary woman.
Exchanging a quick glance, the two Blood Warriors could see the excitement in each other’s eyes.
[There’s definitely something between them!] Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian both thought in their hearts.
“Let go of me!” Qiu Yi Meng who couldn’t break free quietly muttered under her breath.
However, Yang Kai gave her a threatening look before slowly releasing his hand and taking a few steps back.
Frowning deeply, Yang Kai stared at her indifferently and stated, “I don’t owe you anything. Everything you encountered you brought upon yourself, it had nothing to do with me.”
“Heartless bastard!” Qiu Yi Meng cursed viciously.
“Don’t say those kinds of easily misunderstood words, we only met by chance, there’s no friendship between us!” Yang Kai coldly snorted.
Qiu Yi Meng suddenly felt angry, as she found that none of her usual means had any effect on Yang Kai. If she had spent so much effort on any other young lords in the capital, they would all be more than willing to nod their heads and wag their tails for her, so why was this one always so cold towards her?
“There’s a lot of things I have to ask you, is there any place private we can talk?” Yang Kai said as he looked around.
Qiu Yi Meng snorted disdainfully; however, after calming herself for a moment she still nodded, “Come with me.”
The many High Heaven Pavilion disciples who had watched this scene play out all felt baffled.
Just now, Yang Kai and Qiu Yi Meng didn’t make any effort to conceal their discussion or their attitudes towards each other.
Just who Qiu Yi Meng was, they all knew quite well. Yet, it seemed like Yang Kai was acquainted with her, and their relationship was by no means simple.
What magical ability did he have in the end? How had he managed to become associated with the Qiu Family’s First Young Lady?
Not long after the group departed, Xie Hong Chen landed nearby with a slightly embarrassed appearance. After chasing after it for so long, he still hadn’t managed to even catch a single feather from the Golden Eagle, on the contrary, he had nearly been injured by it instead.
After landing, he quickly discovered that Yang Kai had disappeared.
“Where’s Yang Kai?” Xie Hong Chen asked the disciples around him coldly.
“Young Lady Qiu arrived and led him away.” A junior brother answered.
“Led him away?” Xie Hong Chen’s brow furrowed, and a look of disbelief spread across his face, “Are you sure she led him personally?”
The junior brother didn’t dare say he was certain about it but simply replied, “It seems like Young Lady Qiu wanted to discuss something with him.”
Xie Hong Chen nodded but was still suspicious. Why did Qiu Yi Meng want to talk to him? Previously she had given him authority over the rebuilding process so what qualifications did that little brat have to speak with her?
Unable to quell his doubts, he quickly walked toward the place where Qiu Yi Meng and Luo Xiao Man had temporarily taken up residence.
In a house nearby, Qiu Yi Meng and Luo Xiao Man sat in front of a table across from Yang Kai.
The house was very simple without any furnishings or decorations in it. It was obviously a newly built structure, probably erected specifically for the Qiu Yi Meng and Luo Xiao Man while they resided in High Heaven Pavilion.
Outside the house, Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian stood guard, indifferent to everything around them, and their expressions were cold and serious.
After the Qiu Family’s First Young Lady personally served tea, she sat back down and stared at Yang Kai for a moment before speaking, “If you have anything to ask, just ask!”
“When did she let you go?” Yang Kai lifted the teacup and casually asked.
“One month ago,” Qiu Yi Meng grinned wryly, obviously understanding that the ‘she’ Yang Kai was referring to was the Beguiling Demon Queen Shan Qing Luo. “She really didn’t embarrass us and only took us around to various battlefields. Before the decisive battle, she let us go.”
“And, what happened?”
“A lot of my preconceived notions changed….” Qiu Yi Meng paused for a moment before earnestly saying, “I used to believe that the world’s evil was contained within the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land and that all who lived there were demons and devils, but now I can’t think that way anymore. I saw many innocents brutally murdered by our so-called righteous path. I also saw many of our so-called just Sects commit numerous outrages inside the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land…. she was right that this world isn’t only black and white. Everyone has demons in their hearts, and everyone can become a demon, it all depends on whether or not they choose to give in to those urges or not.”
“En,” Yang Kai nodded lightly as he witnessed the great change Qiu Yi Meng had undergone. It was indeed a rare enlightenment.
Shan Qing Luo was right to bring her around the battlefield.
Perhaps Shan Qing Luo had hoped to use the power of the Qiu Family to change the world’s opinion of the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land, possibly bring about a more permanent understanding and peace.
“After she let us go, the next place I came was here.” Qiu Yi Meng said with a smile.
“Then, does the Qiu Family know you’re safe?” Yang Kai’s brow furrowed.
“I have already sent them a message informing them of my safety,” Qiu Yi Meng nodded, “I also sent a letter to Purple Fern Valley, as for the Bai Family…”
Yang Kai gazed sharpened slightly as he stared straight at Qiu Yi Meng.
However, the latter simply giggled, “Oh, don’t worry, I told Xiao Man to tell the Bai Family that Bai Yun Feng was hunted down by the Thunderbolt Beast King’s henchmen and was unfortunately killed. I made sure there was no mention of you and her.”
“En, good!” Yang Kai smiled with satisfaction. Although Bai Yun Feng’s death really didn’t have much to do with him, if the truth of the matter were to spread, it would likely stir up the Bai Family’s resentment.
These great forces were notorious for being unreasonable, and while he, a Yang Family Young Lord, would likely escape unscathed, High Heaven Pavilion might still be targeted.
Qiu Yi Meng slowly stretched herself, fully revealing her graceful curves, not giving the issue a second thought, and indifferently continued, “I once told you that if one day I could regain my freedom, I would help clear High Heaven Pavilion’s name! Right now, I don’t have enough authority to do so, so best I can do right now is help rebuild it and plan for the future.”
Although Qiu Yi Meng was the Qiu Family’s First Young Lady, the matters surrounding High Heaven Pavilion were too serious and complex for her to call the shots.
At the very least, one of the leaders of a super-force would have to take the lead.
“So you’re the one presiding over the reconstruction work here?” Yang Kai asked as he stared at her.
“What do you think?” Qiu Yi Meng grinned, “High Heaven Pavilion has been declared an evil Sect, if I hadn’t shown up, who would dare to build anything here? I was prepared to declare it as a subsidiary of the Qiu Family for the meantime and look for opportunities later on the restore High Heaven Pavilion’s name as a favour to you.”
“No, there’s no such thing as selling me a favour, this is simply what your Qiu Family should do.” Yang Kai sneered back at her.
Qiu Yi Meng didn’t immediately refute this time, instead just nodding as she said, “What you say makes some sense, after all, it was my Qiu Family that set this place ablaze in the first place, but now that you’re back, and with an appropriate backing, you should take over yourself. I’m too lazy to get involved. Heh, as the property of a Yang Family Young Lord, no one would dare say anything about it, right?”
Yang Kai was slightly stunned but also didn’t refute her. After contemplating for a long time, he felt that what Qiu Yi Meng proposed was indeed a good idea. Therefore he nodded in agreement, “Good, I give you my thanks.”
Qiu Yi Meng’s eyes flashed imperceptibly as she maintained her smile.
“But what about those people outside? Where did you find all of them?” Yang Kai questioned.
“From around the local area,” Qiu Yi Meng grinned as she casually propped up her head with her hands which were resting on the table, a bit lazily replying, “They’re were all hanging around the two other nearby Sects, so all I needed to do was speak a few words to those faction’s Elders and they were all allowed to come back here.”
Yang Kai suddenly understood.
Those people outside should all be the disciples who were tempted by Storm Hall and Blood Battle Gang! However, it was unexpected for him that on the eve of the Sect’s disaster, Xie Hong Chen, who was a Core Disciple, had also abandoned High Heaven Pavilion, while on the contrary, Common Disciples like Li Yun Tian firmly stood with the Sect and finally escaped through the Void Corridor, fleeing ten thousand kilometers away.
It was only in times of crisis that one could truly understand what was in another’s heart.
However, Yang Kai didn’t give much thought to this matter, them choosing to leave the Sect at that time was their freedom.
It seemed that many of them were taken in by Storm Hall and Blood Battle Gang, but now that Qiu Yi Meng had arrived and sought them out, with her identity as the Qiu Family’s First Young Lady, what objections could Blood Battle Gang and Storm Hall possibly say?
“One’s Sect should always be supported by one’s own people, don’t you agree?” Qiu Yi Meng smiled happily, as if looking forward to Yang Kai praising her efforts.
Yang Kai, unfortunately, turned a deaf ear to her, and instead chose to stare at Luo Xiao Man, the latter behaving like a vicious tiger had her in its sights.
Seeing this, Qiu Yi Meng simply rolled her eyes, knowing just how stubborn this young man was and did not force the issue any further.
“Right, when you came here, did you notice anything odd nearby?” Yang Kai suddenly recalled a certain point and inquired.
“Something odd?”
“En, like a place where Evil and Demonic Qi surged forth.” Yang Kai spoke in an intentionally casual tone.
“Oh, you mean that,” Qiu Yi Meng smiled and nodded, “We didn’t see it when we arrived, but after listening to your Senior Brother Xie Hong Chen, it seems like the place you call the Coiling Dragon Stream was once erupting with Demonic Qi, so much so that the two nearby factions were preparing to relocate, but it seemed like something down below was continuously absorbing that Demonic Qi, so, after a few months, the place was restored to its former calm.”
“Has anybody gone down to investigate then?” Yang Kai couldn’t help feeling slightly nervous.
What was absorbing the Demonic Qi, others might not know, but Yang Kai was clear.
Old Demon!
Upon returning here, Yang Kai had done a quick sweep of the area with his Divine Sense, but he couldn’t find any traces of Old Demon’s aura, therefore he had simply assumed he had been successful, but now had no idea where he had gone.
[Did that old devil want to take this opportunity to escape from his control?] Yang Kai couldn’t help thinking of such a possibility.
It wasn’t impossible, Old Demon was a real Devil lord, not exactly someone who could be described as trustworthy and loyal.
“No, nobody has gone down there to check. The nearby cultivators were all extremely fearful of approaching the Coiling Dragon Stream!” Qiu Yi Meng slowly shook her head.
That was also understandable. All of them had witnessed what had transpired here. At the time, the Demonic Qi soared to the Heavens and shook the very ground beneath them, and all of them felt a fatal threat from it. Although it now appeared safe and sound, nobody was daring enough to risk their life just to satisfy their curiosity.
“Do you know what’s down there?” Qiu Yi Meng’s gaze suddenly became sharp as she stared at Yang Kai.
“Nope.” Yang Kai shook his head perfunctorily.
Qiu Yi Meng snorted, knowing that he didn’t trust her enough to tell her the truth.
“Forget it, if you don’t want to say then don’t. Let’s just focus on the rebuilding of your Sect. I’ve also lingered here for a long time and even though I’ve sent a letter back to the capital explaining the situation, I still have to go home as soon as possible, otherwise, my family would start worrying about me again. They might even send someone out to bring me back.” Qiu Yi Meng said bitterly. It seemed like she was somewhat reluctant to go back to the capital. “In which case, I think I’ll entrust the rebuilding efforts here to you instead of overseeing things myself. Right now everything has been given to that Xie Hong Chen to manage, but do you have any thoughts on the matter?”
“Leave things as it is, I believe in you!” Yang Kai simply nodded, not even pausing to consider the matter.
“How open-minded and generous of you,” Qiu Yi Meng said sarcastically, “Well whatever, you handle it, but let me say this, whatever happens, don’t come complaining to me. Although your Senior Brother acts like an elite, compared to you he’s not much better than trash, but if it’s just supervising some reconstruction, he should be capable enough.”
Luo Xiao Man who sat next to her also nodded imperceptibly.
Although she didn’t like Yang Kai and was even afraid of him, she also couldn’t deny that compared to those of his generation he was an outstanding talent.
Whether it was in terms of temperament, vision, perseverance or strength, he excelled far beyond his peers.
“Well, you should be clearer than I about the inner workings of your Sect, if you don’t feel comfortable leaving him in charge you can always swap him for someone else,” Qiu Yi Meng said carelessly.
“No need to bother, rebuilding the Sect’s buildings isn’t a big deal, let him manage it,” Yang Kai replied as he shook his head slowly and said before suddenly looking up towards the door and grinning, “Speaking of which, here he comes now.”
Qiu Yi Meng quickly heard Xie Hong Chen’s angry roar from outside, “Why are you blocking my way? I need to speak with Young Lady Qiu!”
“Young Lady Qiu is currently discussing some matters with our Young Lord, so you can’t enter!” Tu Feng said coldly as he stood in front of the door.
Xie Hong Chen couldn’t help bursting out into a fit of laughter as he looked at Tu Feng disdainfully and said, “Your Young Lord? Oh, oh, what Young Lord could you be referring to? You’re not talking about Yang Kai are you? Perhaps you’ve got the wrong idea, this is my High Heaven Pavilion’s site, wherever I wish to go, none can stop me!”
As he spoke, it was obvious he was preparing to barge in forcefully.
“You may not enter!” Tu Feng remained firmly in place with an indifferent expression upon his face.
Xie Hong Chen’s face sank as coldly spoke, “Out of consideration for Yang Kai I’ll give you a little face, but if you don’t know what’s good for you and continue to block my path, don’t blame me for being impolite!”
Tang Yu Xian immediately showed a dazzling smile, like she was looking forward to what came next.
Tu Feng, on the other hand, continued to stare indifferently at Xie Hong Chen, not the slightest bit of worry could be seen on his face.
Inside the house, Qiu Yi Meng grinned as she stared at Yang Kai, obviously eager to see how he would handle this debacle.
“Let him come in.” Yang Kai frowned as he called out. Xie Hong Chen could still be considered a disciple of High Heaven Pavilion and his Senior Brother, so in the beginning he had wanted to give him a little face, but now that he had made such a foolish display of himself, Yang Kai was obviously not going to be considerate with him anymore.
Hearing this command, Tu Feng obediently stepped aside.
Xie Hong Chen coldly snorted and adjusted his clothes before striding into the house.
But after seeing the situation inside, he couldn’t help but stare blankly.
What greeted him was the sight of Yang Kai sitting across the table from Qiu Yi Meng and Luo Xiao Man. This kind of treatment was something Xie Hong Chen knew he couldn’t hope for.
Every time he came here to see Qiu Yi Meng, he would stand respectfully at the door and make his report before being sent off by her.
[How can Yang Kai sit there as though he is of their equal?]
Although the suspicions in his heart grew, Xie Hong Chen still wore a business-like smile on his face as he courteously spoke, “Greetings Young Lady Qiu, Young Lady Luo.”
“En,” Qiu Yi Meng responded with a sly grin, “You’ve come just in time, I was talking with your Junior Brother here about the rebuilding of High Heaven Pavilion, and it seems he has some ideas he wants to discuss with you.”
“Oh?” Xie Hong Chen chuckled lightly before turning towards Yang Kai, “What exactly is it that Junior Brother Yang wants to say?”
Although this voice was flat, it clearly contained some provocative tones.
Qiu Yi Meng quickly sat back and relaxed, as if she was a bystander watching a good show.
It was all she could do to stop herself from giggling. It seemed like this idiot still hadn’t figured out Yang Kai’s true identity. Not only was he speaking arrogantly in front of two Yang Family Blood Warriors, but he was also maliciously targeting one of the Yang Family’s Young Lords.
Even if someone was ignorant, how could they be stupid to such a degree?
Yang Kai’s brow furrowed and said, “I don’t have much to say, just a simple request.”
Xie Hong Chen laughed haughtily, “Request you say?”
“En.”
In front of Qiu Yi Meng and Luo Xiao Man, Xie Hong Chen at least knew not to directly stir up trouble, so he could only pretend to be magnanimous and say, “Very well, let’s hear it.”
“Everything inside the Sect should be rebuilt exactly in accordance with the original layout and deployment. All buildings shouldn’t deviate from their initial position or appearance in the slightest. Senior Brothers have lived in the Sect for so many years that you should be very familiar with everything here. With you supervising, it should be accomplishable.”
Xie Hong Chen’s mouth twitched slightly when Yang Kai said these words. The tone he was speaking in was not one would use when making a request but rather one would use to give an order, and this naturally made him feel uncomfortable.
This was nothing short of a command!
However, as soon as he was about to rebut, Yang Kai continued, “If there is a shortage of people, you can ask for more to be dispatched from the nearby Blood Battle Gang and Storm Hall. You can use the name of the Qiu Family’s First Young Lady over here and afterwards give them some compensation.”
Qiu Yi Meng could not help pouting slightly and stayed slient.
Shocked by what he heard, Xie Hong Chen couldn’t understand why Qiu Yi Meng hadn’t retorted just now.
“If there is a shortage of funds or supplies… send a letter to the capital and the Qiu Young’s Young Lady will arrange for it to be sent to you. Given the Qiu Family’s financial might, they shouldn’t care about such minor expenses, right?” Yang Kai turned his gaze towards Qiu Yi Meng and smiled.
“Shameless!” Qiu Yi Meng cursed as she ground her teeth.
Xie Hong Chen’s expression became solemn as he finally felt that things were more complicated than he had originally expected, though if, after seeing all of this, he still couldn’t at least figure that much out he would really be a fool.
The Junior Brother Yang in front of him he disdained so much now seemed to have some kind of relationship with Qiu Yi Meng. Otherwise, how could Qiu Yi Meng not react at all when he had provoked her so blatantly?
Rebuilding a second-class Sect wasn’t a big deal for a super-force like the Qiu Family, but it would still be a large amount of financial and material resources.
So how could Yang Kai, in just a few words, make such a sweeping decision? If he had absolutely no connection to Qiu Yi Meng, how could the latter simply agree?
A storm was suddenly set off inside Xie Hong Chen’s mind as he subconsciously realized that this Junior Brother of his wasn’t as simple as he appeared.
“Additionally…” Yang Kai tapped his fingers on the table for a moment and then said in a low voice, “Send out a message to every corner of the world, let all the disciples of High Heaven Pavilion…”
“Return home!”
The last two words he spoke were Yang Kai’s resolute decision. It was like a drum that had been struck, which caused the hearts of everyone inside the house to tighten, and a sense of awe swept over them.
Only after losing their Sect and being scattered by the wind would people realize just how stimulating the word ‘home’ was.
Silence prevailed inside the house, and even Qiu Yi Meng wore a solemn expression.
“Does Senior Brother have anything he’d like to add?” Yang Kai raised his eyes and stared at Xie Hong Chen as he asked.
Xie Hong Chen shook his head subconsciously and barely managed to mutter, “No.”
He had come here many times to discuss with Qiu Yi Meng and Luo Xiao Man during this period of time, so he was relatively well informed about the matters regarding the rebuilding of the Sect so he really had nothing else to add.
“If so, then carry on.” Yang Kai stated definitively.
After Xie Hong Chen took some time to regain his wits, he hesitantly turned to Qiu Yi Meng and stuttered, “Young Lady Qiu, this…”
Qiu Yi Meng suddenly wore a displeased expression, “Didn’t you hear clearly?”
“I… I certainly heard, but… can Junior Brother Yang take responsibility for such decisions?” Xie Hong Chen desperately said, still unable to bring himself to believe what was happening.
However, Qiu Yi Meng just grinned wryly at his feeble protests and declared, “If he can’t take responsibility, then no one can.”
It was as if Xie Hong Chen had suddenly been struck by lightning as he blankly stared towards Yang Kai, and his eyes quivered slightly.
Yang Kai still remained indifferent though as he stood up and walked towards the door. But, as he passed by Xie Hong Chen, he suddenly paused and said in a low voice, “If you dare make a mistake while managing this project, I’ll make you regret being born into this world!”
Hearing these words, Xie Hong Chen could only feel a cold chill from the top of his head to the tips of his toes!
Qiu Yi Meng didn’t even spare him a glance as she casually followed Yang Kai out.
When Luo Xiao Man was about to exit though, Xie Hong Chen suddenly reached out and blocked her path.
“What do you want to do?” Luo Xiao Man looked at him suspiciously, feeling that this fool was quite pathetic.
“Young Lady Luo, my Junior Brother… who exactly is he?” Xie Hong Chen licked his dry lips and asked softly.
Luo Xiao Man bit her lip as she continued walking towards the door but whispered back to him, “Your Junior Brother is a Young Lord of the Yang Family.”
After speaking so, she walked out without turning back.
Xie Hong Chen suddenly felt his entire body go soft as he sunk to the floor and landed on his butt with cold sweat pouring down his face.
A Yang Family, Young Lord!
Those few words had been like an eruption of thunder in Xie Hong Chen’s ears, shaking his consciousness.
The insignificant Junior Brother who was neither talented nor strong actually had such a fearsome background!
It was ridiculous that he had been targeting him for years, even secretly plotting against him.
What qualifications did he have to fight with him? What qualifications did he have to be jealous of him?
He must be clearly aware of everything that had transpired in the past, but why did he not kill him now?
To be spared under such circumstances, Xie Hong Chen not only didn’t feel happy, but instead felt like his heart and his pride had been reduced to ash!
It was even more unpleasant than if he had simply killed him!
The fact that he let him go definitely meant that Yang Kai disdained to even think about him anymore.
After all, would a tiger be concerned with the provocations of an ant?
“Ha… haha….” Laughing stupidly, Xie Hong Chen suddenly felt that in this life, he was undoubtedly a complete loser.
A thousand meters below the top of the Coiling Dragon Stream.
Yang Kai entered his secluded home.
A group of people soon following behind him.
Looking around at the familiar scene before him, the faces of Su Yan and Xia Ning Chang flashed across Yang Kai’s eyes.
Although the Sect was destroyed, it seemed like only this place was completely preserved.
Inside this secluded home, it seemed like the two women’s fragrance still lingered about the stone bed in particular stained with Su Yan’s scent.
Little Senior Sister had also often slept here; every time she fell asleep, no matter how one shouted she wouldn’t wake up. Even if he stole some small advantages from her, she would resolutely ignore him.
Yang Kai didn’t know if she was really sleeping or if she was just extremely shy to this day. Thinking so, he suddenly felt that he should earnestly apologize to Xia Ning Chang the next time they met.
Regarding Xia Ning Chang, Yang Kai wasn’t worried. She must still be studying the Alchemic Way with Xiao Fu Sheng atop Medicine King’s Valley’s Hidden Cloud Peak right now. Along with Meng Wu Ya protecting her, she was definitely safe.
But what about Su Yan?
Since he was last separated with her, he had never heard from her again.
Where exactly did she go?
It seems the heaviness of Yang Kai’s mood didn’t escape the eyes of the two Blood Warriors, Qiu Yi Meng, and Luo Xiao Man, and all of them chose to stand quietly at the entrance of the cave without disturbing him.
After he walked inside, Yang Kai sat on the bed and stroked the smooth stone surface as memories seemingly flashed across his thoughts.
[I’m afraid it will be difficult to have a chance to return here again this time.]
After this, he would have to participate in the Inheritance War, the end of which was difficult to predict..
As his mood swung up and down, it wasn’t until this moment that Yang Kai discovered just how much he liked this place.
Yang Kai only stepped out from the inner part of the cave after a long time.
The two Blood Warriors, Qiu Yi Meng and Luo Xiao Man had been standing outside waiting patiently. Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian still maintained their stalwart appearance, but it seemed like Qiu Yi Meng and Luo Xiao Man had gotten bored and had leisurely taken a seat.
After seeing Yang Kai’s composed manner, Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian couldn’t help but feel a little surprised.
For an entire day and night, although they hadn’t seen Yang Kai, they could clearly sense the mournful atmosphere from the inner cave.
They hadn’t expected the Little Lord to completely adjust himself so quickly.
But now, Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian could clearly see his expression was calm and filled with confidence.
“Make yourselves comfortable, I’m going down to check things out!” Yang Kai greeted the crowd before swiftly moving towards the cave’s entrance.
Qiu Yi Meng suddenly stood up and came over to him, staring at him curiously, “What exactly is down there?”
Ever since she had arrived here, Qiu Yi Meng had been curious about the Coiling Dragon Stream, but the disciples from High Heaven Pavilion had been too fearful to investigate. Even the people from Blood Battle Gang and Storm Hall had strongly advised her not involve herself with the Coiling Dragon Stream.
So until today, Qiu Yi Meng had still not gone to explore the Coiling Dragon Stream.
But now that Yang Kai had declared he was going to enter it, she was naturally curious.
“Heh…” Yang Kai simply smirked and let out a sly laugh before directly descending into the canyon.
“That little…” Qiu Yi Meng grumbled but eventually didn’t chase after him.
Yang Kai clearly didn’t want her to follow him, so if she were to rashly try to tag along, it would only serve to annoy him.
In the blink of an eye, Yang Kai had disappeared into the depths of the Coiling Dragon Stream.
“Apologies, Young Lady Qiu. My family’s Little Lord’s temperament seems to be a little terse.” Tang Yu Xian said with a light chuckle. She hadn’t known Yang Kai for more than a few days, but she was keenly aware that Yang Kai had many impressive points; things that his fellow peers didn’t possess.
Because of this, Tang Yu Xian was actually very optimistic about this Little Lord’s chances and immediately made an excuse for Yang Kai.
“It’s nothing.” Qiu Yi Meng replied in an off-handed manner.
Tu Feng looked at her thoughtfully and casually asked, “Are Young Lady Qiu and our Little Lord old friends?”
“Haha, I wouldn’t dare claim we’re ‘friends’.” Qiu Yi Meng smiled wryly and slowly shook her head.
Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian both couldn’t help feeling slightly surprised; Qiu Yi Meng, regardless of her identity or aptitude, was amongst the peak of her generation in the capital. The young lords of the Eight Great Families would all be proud to call her as a friend, but now she had intentionally humbled herself, even going so far as to say she wasn’t capable of calling herself Yang Kai’s friend. What exactly was this situation?
The bitterness and unwillingness in her smile was absolutely not false courtesy. Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian were naturally clear about this.
“You’ve probably also noticed how coldly he treats me.” Qiu Yi Meng didn’t shy away from things and instead stated the situation quite clearly, lightly saying, “Him and I, we’re just people who met by chance… nothing more!”
The two Blood Warriors immediately became curious, Tu Feng inquiring, “If possible, could Young Lady Qiu explain how you met one another? If it is inconvenient to say then simply treat it like I had never asked.”
Qiu Yi Meng’s long eyelashes fluttered slightly before calming, and only after a long silence did she reply, “There’s nothing inconvenient. I had been in charge of the team that first came to High Heaven Pavilion to inquire about the new Demon Lord’s information, it was then that I met him and we became enemies. What happened that day, you most likely already know.”
Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian both nodded. High Heaven Pavilion’s Sect Master, together with four Immortal Ascension Boundary Elders engaged over a dozen Qiu Family, Bai Family, and Purple Fern Valley masters, but not only did they manage to escape safely, but they also injured several people. After that great battle, it became known that there was a supreme expert at the Above Immortal Ascension Boundary in High Heaven Pavilion.
“But what the rest of the world doesn’t know… is just how amazing this place is.”
“Amazing?” The two Blood Warriors couldn’t hide their surprise. For Qiu Yi Meng to make such a comment, it seems like there were still many details about that day that remained hidden.
“En, amazing. High Heaven Pavilion is an amazing Sect, and your Little Lord is also an amazing person!” Qiu Yi Meng smiled playfully.
Before that day, she had never thought that there was a way for one to connect two different locations more than ten thousand kilometres apart.
Nor had she dreamed that a young man from her generation, with a far lower cultivation than her own, could fight evenly with her.
It was also beyond her wildest imagination that someone could capture the heart of the Beguiling Demon Queen after only spending a single month with her.
If she were to speak objectively, Qiu Yi Meng believed herself to be a top-tier talent. If she was a man, she would surely become the next Patriarch of the Qiu Family! Unfortunately, the Heavens had made her a woman.
But even so, she didn’t dare to compare herself with Yang Kai.
The potential of this young man was terrifying. If he were to truly grow up, his achievements would far exceed those of the current masters!
Maybe, he could even create a new generation of legends!
“What exactly makes him so amazing?” Tang Yu Xian’s beautiful eyes shimmered as she asked in anticipation.
“What exactly… Well, I don’t know how much I should say. If you want to know about it, you should ask Young Master Yang himself. If I say too much, he may really come to hate me… such a thankless endeavour, how could I willingly participate?”
“You…” The two Blood Warriors suddenly became disgruntled. Qiu Yi Meng had just stirred up their interest, only to not give them any satisfactory answers. This feeling of being stimulated and then let down was quite uncomfortable like a cat was clawing at their hearts.
If it were someone else who had spoken like this to them, the two Blood Warriors would have let her clearly experience the Yang Family’s information extraction methods, but since it was Qiu Yi Meng, there was really nothing more they could say.
Adjusting her appearance, Qiu Yi Meng solemnly continued, “Although it isn’t convenient for me to say too much, what I can tell you is that you should absolutely… absolutely… absolutely never underestimate your family’s Little Lord!”
Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian nearly staggered upon hearing these words.
Qiu Yi Meng had used three ‘absolutely’ in a row, and the tone she spoke in was extremely dignified.
What did such a statement mean? This showed that the First Young Lady of the Qiu Family was very optimistic about Yang Kai! Enough so to throw her full support behind him.
“Anyone who looks down upon him will pay a heavy price!” Qiu Yi Meng’s smiled meaningfully as she let out a giggle.
Tu Feng’s mouth twitched slightly, suddenly feeling somewhat like he was dreaming.
Tang Yu Xian couldn’t help furrowing her brow as she wondered why Qiu Yi Meng could make such a statement so confidently.
However, even if the two were suspicious, they also know Qiu Yi Meng would certainly not explain any further.
Facing such an impasse, the two simply nodded, “We’ll remember.”
“En.” Qiu Yi Meng nodded slightly, seemingly casually asking, “For this time’s Yang Family Inheritance War, will the Blood Warriors be participating?”
Tu Feng smiled wryly, “We do not know at this point as there hasn’t been a clear announcement from the family.”
“If you do participate, if I were you, I would definitely choose to follow him!” Qiu Yi Meng said with a somber expression.
Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian didn’t show any change in expression but instead lightly replied, “Many thanks for Young Lady Qiu’s advice, if such a time comes to pass, we will consider it seriously.”
Qiu Yi Meng nodded once and then no longer spoke, knowing that no matter what she said, it would be also impossible to influence the thoughts of the two Immortal Ascension Boundary masters. At that time, if they had to choose who to follow, they would only rely on their own judgment to do so.
Her saying so much now wouldn’t play any big role in their decisions, at most, it would only make them anticipate Yang Kai’s upcoming performance.
At the bottom of the Coiling Dragon Stream, Yang Kai stopped at the place where he had left Old Demon, but there were no traces of him to be found.
[That old devil must have left this place long ago, the soaring Evil Qi here has all been swallowed clean by him so he must have decided there was no point in remaining.]
Back then, Old Demon had said that he would come look for him after he finished absorbing the Demonic Qi here, but the events that had transpired before then were beyond both of their expectations.
The Qiu Family had arrived with a large number of masters, Su Yan and the others had flown ten thousand kilometer away through the Void Corridor, Yang Kai had been sent to the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land.
Whether it was him or Old Demon, neither of them could have predicted such startling changes.
Most likely, even if Old Demon really had the intention to find him, there would have been no clear direction for him to search.
If that was really the case, then Old Demon not having contacted him so far would be understandable.
But what if he had decided to betray him? Yang Kai wasn’t clear at all.
Closing his eyes, Yang Kai slowly let his Divine Sense sweep the surrounding area, and a moment later, his expression began to change, quickly turning to look at the side of the canyon.
At first glance, there was nothing unusual about it, there was nothing there to see, but under Yang Kai’s Divine Sense’s induction, he became keenly aware of something unusual.
In that spot, there was some trace of Demonic Qi left behind!
Focusing his sense towards the remnant Qi, an image slowly revealed itself.
Within the ripples of Demonic Qi, a blurry handwriting appeared on the grey canyon wall, and the message was clearly not very old, as if it had been written within the past few months.
With a glance, Yang Kai couldn’t help but smile.
Old Demon didn’t try to escape from him, if he had he wouldn’t have used such a discrete method to leave behind such a message here.
“Old Servant has already accomplished his task and has decided to go seek out Young Master. If Old Servant cannot find Young Master, he will return here after three months from the date of this message!”
This was clearly written by Old Demon for him. Old Demon must be planning to use three months to go out and inquire about Yang Kai’s information and would thus return here after that period of time.
Old Demon must have known that as long as Yang Kai was still alive, he would certainly come here to look for him.
This along was enough to prove that Old Demon was still loyal to him.
Smiling happily, Yang Kai drew a sword and wrote a line of text under the message.
“Central Capital, Yang Family Home!”
There was no need to say anything more, Old Demon only needed to see this and when he came back here.
After letting out a laugh, Yang Kai shot up like lightning towards his secluded cave.
Upon his return, Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian cast an inquisitive gaze towards him.
Yang Kai wasn’t sure whether it was an illusion or not, but he somehow felt that these two were now observing him more carefully than before.
“Have you finished handling your business?” Qiu Yi Meng asked with a slightly playful smile upon her lips.
“En.”
“Then what are your plans?”
Yang Kai grinned, proudly and confidently declared, “Head back to the Capital, and participate in the Inheritance War!”
Qiu Yi Meng slowly revealed an expression of such excitement before eagerly saying, “I also plan to head back. If you don’t mind, how about we travel together?”
Yang Kai gave a quick glance towards her before nonchalantly replying. “Do as you’d like!”
Qiu Yi Meng grinned, “Then I’ll be imposing on you.”
Yang Kai was puzzled by her remark, “Imposing on me?”
“You’ll know tomorrow,” Qiu Yi Meng said with a chuckle but didn’t answer and instead said, “Give me half a day, there’s still some things here I need to deal with. I’ll be ready to leave tomorrow morning.”
“Good!” Yang Kai nodded readily. Qiu Yi Meng had been here supervising the rebuilding of High Heaven Pavilion; naturally there would be issues she needed to resolve before she departed.
The next day, the group of people were ready to set out.
No one from High Heaven Pavilion came to see them off! Even the formerly arrogant Xie Hong Chen didn’t have the face to appear in front of Yang Kai and instead chose to silently preside over the reconstruction of the Sect.
It wasn’t until this moment that Yang Kai finally realized what Qiu Yi meant when she said she’d be imposing on him.
As the Silver Blood Golden Feather Eagle soared high above, Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian each rode on a Cloud Treading Colt and stared towards Yang Kai awkwardly, but both of them smiled as if they were anticipating something.
Yang Kai frowned deeply as he glanced around, obviously somewhat depressed.
There were only three Cloud Treading Colts between them, the two Blood Warriors both rode one and Yang Kai rode the last, the question then was, which mount would Qiu Yi Meng and Luo Xiao Man ride?
Tang Yu Xian could bring one with her, but the other?
Qiu Yi Meng and Luo Xiao Man were both young girls and the road to the Central Capital was long and bumpy. No matter who they rode with, there was bound to be a certainly amount of physical contact.
“Xiao Man or I, you can choose yourself,” Qiu Yi Meng obviously understood this, grinning towards Yang Kai.
Her smile, while beautiful and captivating, seemed to contain many different emotions, teasing, anticipation, embarrassment, and so on.
Luo Xiao Man also realized the situation they were in and couldn’t help blushing bright red.
However, Yang Kai just snorted and said, “Yu Xian can take one, Tu Feng can carry the other, I’ll ride alone.”
Qiu Yi Meng’s smile quickly disappeared as she stared at Yang Kai, apparently not having thought he would reject such a great opportunity to be close to a beauty.
As for the two Blood Warriors, both of them couldn’t hide their surprise.
Tu Feng quickly coughed and commented, “I do not mind if the two young ladies have no objections.”
Qiu Yi Meng quickly directed a glare towards him, causing Tu Feng to immediately stifle his words, a faint laugh taking its place.
“If so, I have a suggestion.” Qiu Yi Meng’s gaze quickly transferred back as she let out a giggle.
“What?”
“You and Tu Feng can ride together so that Xiao Man and I can have a mount to ourselves.”
“In your dreams!” Yang Kai resolutely refused. [Don’t screw with me! You want Tu Feng and I to ride a Cloud Treading Colt together?]
Qiu Yi Meng seemed to know that he would say so, so she rolled her eyes exaggeratedly and then said, “Then you can ride together with Elder Sister Tang!”
Tang Yu Xian, who up to this point had been enjoying the role of bystander, suddenly blushed bright red upon hearing this suggestion. Since Yang Kai was one of the Yang Family’s Young Lords and she was a Yang Family’s Blood Warrior, if Yang Kai really insisted on sharing a Cloud Treading Colt with her, she would not refuse, but wouldn’t that be too awkward for her?
Suddenly, she was extremely nervous, for fear that Yang Kai would agree to Qiu Yi Meng’s suggestion.
“No!” Yang Kai frowned, suddenly feeling like the situation was more difficult than he had thought.
“There aren’t enough mounts, so we need to share, if you don’t agree with my suggestions then what do you propose?” Qiu Yi Meng casually said, maintaining her calm and composed smile, obviously she had already considered this issue yesterday.
Yang Kai remained silent for a long time but still couldn’t come up with a good idea.
“Hey, you’re a man aren’t you, make up your mind! Don’t make us sit here waiting all day for you.” Qiu Yi Meng urged.
Yang Kai ground his teeth for a moment longer before jumping up onto his Cloud Treading Colt and reaching out his hand.
Just as Qiu Yi Meng wore a victorious smile and was about to accept, Yang Kai suddenly said, “Luo Xiao Man, come up!”
The Qui Family’s Young Lady’s face cramped up on the spot before she stared blankly at Yang Kai, and a look of embarrassment flashed across her eyes, as she suddenly felt the urge to run up and slap Yang Kai.
On the other hand, Luo Xiao Man, like a frightened rabbit, recoiled sharply and hurriedly whimpered, “N.. n…no!”
Even she wasn’t quite sure why, but she deeply feared Yang Kai.
“Let’s go!” Yang Kai shouted impatiently, signalling to Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian with his hand as he glanced back at the two young ladies.
“Haa…” Qiu Yi Meng let out an exasperated breath as she muttered under her breath, “How can you be so ruthless?”
“What ruthlessness are you talking about? If you don’t want to follow along with us you can find your own way back to the Central Capital. Just go hire a carriage or something.” Obviously Yang Kai really didn’t want to be entangled with her any further.
Qiu Yi Meng stared at him bitterly but quickly found that he wasn’t speaking in jest, letting out another sigh she turned to her side and said, “Xiao Man, go up.”
“I… I… I’m scared!” Luo Xiao Man whimpered as she burst into tears.
“There’s nothing to be afraid of, he won’t bite you,” Qiu Yi Meng joked as she held Luo Xiao Man’s arms and, while the latter let out a pitiful cry, tossed her up behind Yang Kai before she mounted Tang Yu Xian’s Cloud Treading Colt.
“Hold on tight,” Yang Kai grumbled before rapidly urging his Cloud Treading Colt forward.
Helpless, Luo Xiao Man resigned herself to her situation and quickly wrapped her arms around Yang Kai, as her pretty face drained of all colour.
The entire party travelled forward in silence.
Qiu Yi Meng seemed quite angry and didn’t try to speak with Yang Kai again even when they stopped to rest. Luo Xiao Man on the other hand slowly relaxed after suffering silently for a whole day.
As the group galloped along the bumpy road, Yang Kai continuously felt two tremendously soft sensations press against his back. Experiencing this wondrous elasticity, he couldn’t help feeling his decision was correct.
[This little girl, Luo Xiao Man, she really has some capital, it’s fantastic!]
If he had chosen to take Qiu Yi Meng with him instead, he wouldn’t have been able to experience such enjoyment.
This discovery suddenly made him feel the trip back to the Central Capital wasn’t so bland.
Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian could also perceive the strained atmosphere lingering around their group, so they didn’t dare say much, as to not further the awkwardness of the situation. If not for the harsh wind, which whistled past their ears, there would be no sound at all.
Along the way, it seemed like the entire world had already become aware that the Yang Family was recalling their Young Lords and word of the Inheritance War was gradually spreading.
It was only a short while ago that the war between the righteous and evil Sects had broken, out and now the Yang Family was preparing to launch their Inheritance War, it seemed like this year the entire Great Han Dynasty was destined to be a restless.
The Inheritance War attracted the attention of millions of people.
Although the Yang Family’s Inheritance War ostensibly was about selecting its next Patriarch, but each time it happened it would inevitably involve a wide range of influences and many forces from across the dynasty would come to participate.
Those forces which participated would often send out their juniors to bear witness to the heritage and methods of the dynasty’s great families so that they could increase their experience and hone their skills.
On the other hand, it was also an opportunity to forge connections with the Central Capital’s Eight Great Families.
If these smaller influences could accurately judge the situation of these Yang Family Young Lords, there would no doubt be great benefits to them in the future.
In addition to the dynasty’s major forces, there were also many individual cultivators who would come to the Central Capital to seek their own opportunities.
This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and as such was a much-anticipated event. Some who took advantage of this opportunity would have a chance to leap over the Dragon Gate and became famous while others would only find themselves an early death.
Pros and cons coexist; the entire Inheritance War was a gamble.
Various forces and cultivators bet their lives hoping to secure their futures.
This war was the most important checkpoint for this generation’s Young Lords of the Yang Family.
Five days later.
After traveling some ten thousand kilometers the group was still some distance from the Central Capital.
When the three Cloud Treading Colt stopped for a rest, Qiu Yi Meng suddenly looked off into the distance, after a while saying, “The Lu Family’s home is near here, I’d like to make a detour there to borrow two Cloud Treading Colts.”
Then, turning to look at Yang Kai, she asked, “How about stopping there for a rest?”
When Yang Kai frowned and was about to refuse, Tang Yu Xian suddenly interjected, “Since it’s nearby, then we might as well take advantage of the opportunity, it shouldn’t delay us very long.”
Yang Kai looked at her suspiciously, not immediately understanding why she had made such a decision herself.
However, Tang Yu Xian simply smiled back and said, “The Lu Family seems to have ties to the Qiu Family, right?”
Qiu Yi Meng nodded, “Right, they’re one of our subordinate forces. Amongst the Central Capital’s Eight Great Families, which family doesn’t have one or two such attached influences? Though the world is big, amongst the top forces there’s always some contact, the Lu Family and Qiu Family just happen to share a somewhat closer relationship, these years they’ve also come to visit my Qiu Family’s home quite frequently.”
Tang Yu Xian quickly followed up, “The Lu Family is also considered as a first-class family, Little Lord paying them a visit wouldn’t be inappropriate.”
Once she had mentioned the Lu Family’s status, Yang Kai immediately realized that Tang Yu Xian wanted to take the opportunity to win them over and see if they could become a boost to him in for the coming Inheritance War.
Even if he couldn’t draw them to his side, showing his face would still be a prudent move.
Although Yang Kai currently held the identity of a Yang Family Young Lord, but in the end that meant very little. A Yang Family Young Lord, who had no background or allies, was just a paper tiger even if he was somewhat stronger than his peers.
After realizing her intentions, Yang Kai no longer refused, “Good, this Lu Family can also be said to have some small influence, it wouldn’t be polite not to at least pay them a visit.”
Qiu Yi Meng scoffed lightly at Yang Kai’s dismissive response but didn’t haggle over the matter.
The Lu Family wasn’t originally a first-class family, but because of its close ties to the Qiu Family, after receiving such a great power’s assistance, it gradually became stronger, leading to it accumulating more Immortal Ascension Boundary masters, until finally it had been promoted.
This was something which had only happened in recent years.
In reality though, the Lu Family could only be ranked amongst the lower end of the dynasty’s first-class forces.
After being acknowledged as a first-class family though, the two nearby third-class forces had no choice but to submit to the Lu Family.
Lu Liang, the Lu Family’s current Patriarch, didn’t possess great strength, only achieving Immortal Ascension Boundary Seventh Stage cultivation, but as a Patriarch, individual strength wasn’t the most important requirement. His talents in communication and management were the biggest reasons for the Lu Family’s current prosperity.
It was also because of his persistent visits and overtures to the Qiu Family that the Lu Family had managed to win their favour.
When Yang Kai’s group arrived at the Lu Family’s compound, the guards immediately realized that their status was extraordinary and thus quickly came forward to respectfully greet them.
These Lu Family guards naturally had some vision so upon recognizing the Cloud Treading Colts, Monster Beasts that could only be bred by first-class forces; they immediately knew that Yang Kai was by no means an unimportant person.
After Qiu Yi Meng reported her identity and name, the guards immediately bowed respectfully to her, one of them hurriedly rushed into the compound, most likely to inform the leaders of the Lu Family.
The Lu Family home had many manors within its grounds, along with a number of pavilions, lakes, bridges, gardens and fields, giving one a refreshing impression.
The buildings weren’t grand, but were exquisitely built, refined and elegant.
Qiu Yi Meng led the way, Luo Xiao Man stood alongside her while Yang Kai followed behind them, and the two Blood Warriors brought up the rear.
As they walked forward, Yang Kai also glanced around appreciatively at the various sights.
Soon after Yang Kai’s group’s arrival, a number of people hurried over to greet them, one of them being the Lu Family’s Patriarch, Lu Liang.
Lu Liang wore long cyan robes and had a well-trimmed moustache that gave him a refined appearance; however, his narrow pair of eyes always seemed to be emitting a piercing light.
The first impression one would have of him was ‘shrewd’, and the second impression only reinforced that assessment.
As he walked out from inside the main hall, he wore a welcoming smile as he laughed loudly, before quickly coming before Qiu Yi Meng and bowing politely, “Young Lady Qiu, you honour my Lu Family with your visit!”
Although he was the head of a first-class family, the Lu Family was essentially a subordinate of the Qiu Family. So with Qiu Yi Meng’s status, it was only natural for Lu Liang to greet her so respectfully.
Moreover, it had always been Lu Liang who would visit to Qiu Family in the Central Capital, but now, for the first time, a member of the Qiu Family had actually come to visit. Lu Liang was naturally excited about such an event.
Qiu Yi Meng quickly wore a perfect smile as she nodded, “Uncle Lu is too polite. My companions and I happened to be passing by here and thought to stop over for a rest, I hope we’re not bothering you, are we?”
Lu Liang hastily waved his hand in reply, “Inconvenience, nonsense! The First Young Lady is more than welcome! Having Young Lady Qiu visit is my Lu Family’s privilege. The Lu Family will extend the warmest welcome to the young lady and her honoured guests.”
Qiu Yi Meng calling him Uncle had already made Lu Liang more than happy. All those years he had been running around the Central Capital was specifically to curry favour with the Qiu Family, and now it seemed his efforts had paid off.
With just a few words, the relationship between the two families had been pulled closer so the Lu Family Elders behind Lu Liang were naturally all smiling and bowing.
After exchanging these pleasantries, Lu Liang’s gaze shifted to the two Blood Warriors, his vision becoming slightly dignified as he swept his eyes past Yang Kai, asking, “Great Niece, this Young Lord is…”
Lu Liang’s wit was impeccably sharp so naturally he understood with one glance that Yang Kai’s identity was not low, otherwise, he would not be followed by two Immortal Ascension Boundary masters.
Qiu Yi Meng smiled but didn’t speak a word and instead pointing upwards with her delicate finger.
At that exact moment, a golden feathered eagle flew past, drawing the attention of all the Lu Family masters; upon seeing this Monster Beast, Lu Liang understood just who Yang Kai was.
Returning his gaze to the youth before him, he quickly cupped his fists and greeted, “So it is Young Master Yang!”
“En, Lu Family Master.” Yang Kai stared back indifferently and greeted him.
The other Lu Family Elders were stunned as they secretly began to survey Yang Kai.
The Yang Family recalling its scattered Young Masters and the Silver Blood Golden Feather Eagles spreading out throughout the Great Han Dynasty, while the Blood Warrior masters followed close behind. How could such a major event not be known by the Lu Family?
However, they hadn’t expected that they would actually meet a Yang Family Young Lord at this time!
After careful examination, the young man in front of him appeared shockingly calm, with a firm and indifferent expression. Although he couldn’t see any special place, he was no doubt the Young Lord of a great family, and knowing that family was the world famous Yang Family, it was obvious he wasn’t ordinary.
Lu Liang laughed again before gesturing towards the pavilion behind him, “Great Niece, Young Master Yang, please come inside!”
While escorting these newcomers, Lu Liang quickly signaled to the others behind him, “Prepare the best food and drink, my Lu Family has the privilege of entertaining two distinguished guests today, we cannot show any neglect.”
“Yes!”
Qiu Yi Meng smiled lightly and pulled Luo Xiao Man along with her. Yang Kai also didn’t hesitate to follow.
Inside the Lu Family’s main hall, a variety of delicacies were spread out atop a grand banquet table. There were a variety of rare fruits and sumptuous dishes all accompanied by flagons of fine wines served by the pretty maids.
The atmosphere in the hall was warm and the crowd cheerfully toasted one another.
Qiu Yi Meng and Luo Xiao Man were both women, naturally, they didn’t drink alcohol. Lu Liang apparently had anticipated this and had specifically prepared a fine fruit juice which was both fragrant and flavorful, yet would not make them drunk.
The two women also seemed to enjoy this drink.
On the other hand, Yang Kai’s identity was somewhat special so although he was a man, no one dared to force him to drink too much. When the many Elders of the Lu Family proposed toasts, they would not mind if Yang Kai only took a sip from his cup.
Tang Yu Xian’s treatment was the same as that of Qiu Yi Meng Luo Xiao Man.
Only one person, Tu Feng, downed his drink proudly.
As a Blood Warrior of the Yang Family, his status wasn’t low even in front of these Lu Family Elders.
In response, the Lu Family’s Elders all frequently raised their glasses to Tu Feng.
Tu Feng sat next to Yang Kai with no intention of moving, but if someone came up to toast him, he would generously accept, making the scene more and more lively.
These members of the Lu Family were all considered overlords in this area, but in front of a Yang Family Blood Warrior, their status was nothing worth mentioning, so naturally their attitudes and gestures were extremely deferential.
In the past, they had only heard rumours about the Yang Family Blood Warriors but had never seen one with their own eyes. Now two of them had actually arrived at their family home, so naturally they wouldn’t let the opportunity to socialize with them go easily.
Lu Liang’s reputation as an eloquent host wasn’t undeserved, his conversation and oratory skills were outstanding, and although he frequently spoke words of praise, none of it sounded false or forced, allowing anyone who heard such overtures to feel comfortable and flattered.
After three rounds of drinks, everyone was quite surprised to find that Yang Kai didn’t carry the usual overbearing arrogance normally associated with young lords of his age. He treated everyone equally, not shunning or despising them due to the difference in status, but on the contrary, this only made the Lu Family members more confused.
Had Qiu Yi Meng not specifically stated that Yang Kai was a Young Lord of the Yang Family, and if it weren’t for the existence of the two Blood Warriors, Lu Liang would find it hard to believe that he was really who he claimed to be.
“Uncle Lu, it has been a long journey here, Xiao Man and I will take our leave here. Please excuse us!” Qiu Yi Meng suddenly said, as if she wasn’t interested in remaining any longer, and promptly stood up and walked towards the exit.
“Good!” Lu Liang hurriedly said, and immediately signalled to two pretty servants by waving, “Escort the two young ladies to their rooms to rest!”
“Yes!”
After Qiu Yi Meng and Luo Xiao Man had been led away, the banquet continued.
One of the Lu Family Elders suddenly let out a deep laugh and asked, “Patriarch, just drinking like this is somewhat tasteless. How about we add some entertainment?”
Lu Liang nodded slightly and agreed, “Indeed, it seems I’ve been negligent.”
As he spoke so, he clapped his hands loudly.
Immediately afterwards, a group of young women in exotic dress entered the hall and began singing and dancing.
Obviously, they had been waiting outside in anticipation of Qiu Yi Meng and Luo Xiao Man leaving early.
All of these women were born enchanting flowers, their bodies covered with thin layers of semi-transparent fabric, their delicate navels, white arms, and slender legs all exposed to the air.
Drums and gongs were heard all around, accompanying an array of flutes and strings.
These young women sang and danced gracefully, their voices complimented by the rhythmic background music. All of them wore enchanting smiles as their waists twisted enchantingly, as they beckoned and teased with their jadelike hands.
An alluring mixture of grace and charm was on full display, forming a picture that was difficult to turn one’s eyes away from.
These women also kept brushing past Yang Kai and others as they sat, each of them throwing coquettish looks mixed with a hint of shyness, inviting one’s imagination to wander.
Tang Yu Xian couldn’t help frowning.
Although she wasn’t exactly happy with this display, she also understood Lu Liang’s intentions. She was also quietly observing Yang Kai’s reactions.
Tu Feng, on the other hand, watched unashamedly, the long scar across his face seemed to become more ferocious.
On the contrary, Yang Kai remained indifferent. Although his eyes seemed to be admiring the view before him as he glanced back and forth across these women, but there was no obscene light to be seen, only an aloof appreciation. Even when these young women danced right in front of him or rushed up to him and showed him favour, his reaction was still calm and temperate.
Seeing this, everyone else in the room couldn’t help feeling some surprise.
The youth, especially young men, having a liking for this kind of thing was basically a given. Amongst the Lu Family Elders who sat here, which one of them hadn’t once been young and frivolous? When they had been Yang Kai’s age, all of them indulged in fantasies about bedding the world’s various beauties and tasting their enchanting flavours.
Only when they had grown older did their mentalities change, instead focusing on pursuing other, loftier ambitions.
Lu Liang also intended to take this opportunity to explore Yang Kai’s preferences, to see which type of woman could attract his attention.
Little did he think that, in the face of this blatant temptation, this young man actually remained completely indifferent, not showing the slightest bit of care.
[This Yang Family Young Lord is unusual!]
Faced with such enticement yet being able to control his desires to such an extent, the firmness of this young man’s will was definitely amazing. As long as he could maintain such a strong mentality, his future accomplishments would certainly not be small.
In an instant, these thoughts flashed through Lu Liang’s head, making him secretly nod in satisfaction.
Tang Yu Xian also nodded appreciatively.
She had lived in the Central Capital year in and year out; naturally, she understood the disposition of these young lords. Most of them made no effort to disguise their intentions. Not to mention the capital’s young ladies, some of these young lords had even shown interest towards her, causing no small annoyance to her.
In contrast, Yang Kai’s current performance undoubtedly made Tang Yu Xian very happy.
Unbeknownst to these people, although these women were all beautiful, if one were to speak of beauties Yang Kai had seen, how could these young girls compare to the likes of Su Yan, Xia Ning Chang, Shan Qing Luo, or the Hu Sisters?
In addition, having been plagued by the side effects of the Joyous Unification Art for many years, Yang Kai had long ago learned to ignore the temptations of such flowers.
In this world, unless Shan Qing Luo personally came forward to tempt him, it was unlikely that anyone could successfully enchant Yang Kai against his will.
These sultry little girls with their flirtatious glances and provocative dances were nothing more than a spring breeze to Yang Kai.
Not long after they had begun, Lu Liang casually waved to these young women who then respectfully withdrew.
As they were leaving the hall, many of them cast glances towards Yang Kai, seeming to understand that this young man’s status was unordinary. If they could somehow win his favour, they could leap from their current position and soar into the sky as phoenixes, no longer being lowly dancers in the Lu Family.
Lu Liang laughed upon seeing these attitudes, “These women were all children of poor or impoverished families in our domain. They were adopted and raised by my Lu Family; all of them are pure white jades, only when guests or great importance arrive will they come forward to dance. Would Young Master Yang be interested in receiving one or two? Having a few beautiful flowers to accompany you will certainly make the upcoming Inheritance War more pleasant.
However, Yang Kai simply smiled lightly and slowly shook his head.
In Lu Liang’s slender eyes, a light quickly flashed as he noticed Yang Kai was not putting on an act but really had no interest in these women.
If he was even casually interested, Yang Kai would only need to nod his head here and Lu Liang would definitely arrange it.
Another senior member of the Lu Family spoke up here in a timely manner, “Speaking of the Inheritance War, this old master can’t help remembering back to the battles twenty years ago, that Inheritance War was particularly fierce.”
“En,” another Elder echoed, “How many giants fell, how many families disappeared! It was a pity that my Lu Family was not strong enough to participate at the time, truly a pity.”
The Yang Family Inheritance War was about to unfold, and the various Yang Family Young Lords would surely be making a huge effort to win over supporters to help them win.
At this time, Qiu Yi Meng had intentionally brought Yang Kai to the Lu Family. Although he didn’t say anything, Lu Liang also knew that this was likely an opportunity.
Twenty years ago, the Lu Family was a small influence that could barely be called a local tyrant. Naturally, they didn’t qualify to participate in the Inheritance War.
But now, the Lu Family had grown into a first-class giant!
People seek greater heights just as water flows to the sea! How could the Lu Family pass up a chance to step onto a broader stage?
They had already attached themselves to the great tree known as the Qiu Family, if they could possibly forge a good relationship with the Yang Family, then the Lu Family’s future would be secured.
However, grabbing hold of the Yang Family’s thighs wasn’t that simple.
The Yang Family was a giant beast, and its Patriarch was its head!
Every time the Patriarch changed, it would always cause a lot of turbulence. Lu Liang was eager to participate in this Inheritance War but he had no way of knowing if Yang Kai had the qualifications and strength to win.
If the Lu Family threw their support behind Yang Kai only to see him lose the Inheritance War, this single failure would wipe out all of the Lu Family’s several years of hard work.
Lu Liang had to act prudently, this was something all the Lu Family Elders clearly understood.
The consequences of backing the wrong side were no joke! This was related to the future of their family.
The topic of the Inheritance War was gradually brought up by all the members of the Lu Family whether it was consciously or unconsciously, and all of them continued reflecting on the events from twenty years ago as they quietly observed Yang Kai’s reaction.
However, to their disappointment, Yang Kai didn’t seem interested in these things at all, and instead he just savored the various fruits and dishes before him while casually listening or showing an indifferent expression.
Due to his nonchalant attitude, the Lu Family Elders couldn’t understand what Yang Kai was thinking.
Slowly, the conversation drifted towards the current state of affairs.
Because the majority of the Yang Family’s Young Lords had yet to completely surface, no one knew what kind gains these Young Lords had made over the course of their outside experience.
But now that there was a genuine Yang Family Young Lord in front of him, Lu Liang was naturally interested in listening to Yang Kai’s strengths and connections.
Knowing that it was improper to bluntly ask about such details though, Lu Liang instead decided to ask several casual questions, but before he could get started, Yang Kai had already lazily stretched his back and yawned.
Seeing this, Lu Liang could only swallow back the questions he had.
“Is Young Lord tired?” Tang Yu Xian asked softly.
Yang Kai nodded lightly, “Somewhat.”
Lu Liang’s eyes flickered before a smile appeared on his face, “Since Young Master Yang is weary from his travels, we will end things here for today. Come! bring Young Master Yang to his chambers!”
Yang Kai didn’t refuse, slowly getting up and nodding to the crowd, “If so, then I’ll take my leave.”
“Young Master Yang is too polite!” Lu Liang chuckled.
After draining what was left in their glasses, Yang Kai and the two Blood Warriors departed as the Lu Family Elders looked on.
They had all thought that Yang Kai wanted to draw in the Lu Family so they had all made some mental preparations, each of them observing Yang Kai’s mannerisms carefully until just now. Lu Liang was even thinking that if Yang Kai didn’t bring up the subject himself, he wouldn’t say anything directly either. If he was to be rebuffed here, wouldn’t he lose too much face?
After all, he didn’t know anything about Yang Kai, naturally it was impossible to rush into becoming his allies.
It had never occurred to Lu Liang though that this Young Master Yang would not even mention anything about the Inheritance War and simply leave.
This was beyond everyone’s expectations.
“Patriarch!” A Lu Family Elder frowned awkwardly as he inquired, “It couldn’t be that he really came here just to rest?”
“It shouldn’t be.” Lu Liang mused for a moment before slowly shaking his head, “He must certainly have thoughts about recruiting us. Although he appeared very indifferent, I could still feel it.”
“Then why did he not show any intentions?” The man coldly snorted, “Is he not confident enough?”
Many people also agreed with this idea, nodding their heads lightly. If not for a lack of self-confidence, why would Yang Kai not even bring up the subject? At the very least, didn’t he plan to show off some of his strength in order to appeal to them?
“If that’s the case, my Lu Family shouldn’t put too much hope on him. Knowing that an alliance will fail, why bother wasting our resources?”
All of them had held great expectations for Yang Kai but now these hopes had greatly diminished.
Lu Liang on the other hand furrowed his brow, his eyes flashing a cunning light as a grin appeared on his face, “Rather than him not feeling confident, how is it that I feel he is examining our Lu Family instead?”
“Ah?” Everyone’s expressions suddenly cramped, “Him, evaluate our Lu Family? Does he have the qualification to do that?”
Even if he was a Young Lord of the Yang Family and could participate in the Inheritance War, he was not a master yet. What right did he have to pass judgement on the Lu Family?
Lu Liang simply chuckled though, “Have you forgotten? In the Inheritance War, it is not only we who are choosing a Young Lord of the Yang Family, but also they who are choosing us. Do you think that since we’re a first-class family, he should come grovelling to us to win us over?”
The Lu Family Elders paused for a moment before laughing wryly.
Someone quickly saying, “Patriarch doesn’t need to speak so harshly, we didn’t mean to say that much, right?”
“Good, good, although there is some truth to what Patriarch has said, doesn’t that little brat think too much of himself? Are his eyes fixed atop his head?”
Regardless of anything else, the Lu Family was also a first-class family and could provide Yang Kai with no small amount of help. Whether it was manpower, materials, or other aspects they couldn’t be considered weak. Wouldn’t it be Yang Kai’s good fortune to be able to recruit them into his camp?
Lu Liang glanced around before solemnly saying, “If my guess is right, this Young Master Yang… is not simple.”
After saying as such, everyone slowly pondered over the matter.
Even with the opportunity to win over a first-class family before him, he didn’t behave eagerly and seemed to be considering his situation first. If it wasn’t that he lacked confidence, then that meant that in his eyes, recruiting the Lu Family didn’t matter to him very much, or else he wouldn’t have to display such an indifferent attitude.
If he was really eager to lure in the Lu Family, his performance would have been different.
As such thoughts crossed his mind, Lu Liang increasingly felt that his guess was correct.
His expression became serious, and Lu Liang quietly said, “I don’t know how many days this Young Master Yang will stay in my Lu Family, but in any case, when you see him again, don’t bring up the Inheritance War and don’t display an overly anxious stance.”
Pausing for a moment, he then nodded and stood, “I’ll visit Young Lady Qiu to inquire about the situation first.”
As someone who she brought personally, surely Qiu Yi Meng would know something about this young master, right?
The rest of the Elders nodded. Lu Liang may not be the strongest amongst this group of people, but his prestige was absolutely the highest. In these years it was under his leadership, the Lu Family had flourished. His vision and methods were obvious to all.
Behind the Lu Family’s manor, in a spacious courtyard.
Yang Kai crossed his hands behind his back and stared off thoughtfully in one direction.
Whilst in the midst of this trance, Tang Yu Xian opened her mouth and asked, “Little Lord, why did you act like that? Those people might have misunderstood your intentions. Don’t you want to win over the Lu Family?”
Yang Kai turned to her and smiled indifferently, “If I said I don’t, would you believe me?”
Tang Yu Xian grinned mischievously and slowly shook her head.
If he really didn’t want to, he wouldn’t have agreed to with Qiu Yi Meng to come here. Qiu Yi Meng and Luo Xiao Man came here because they wanted to borrow two Cloud Treading Colts, but Yang Kai could have simply parted with them and headed straight towards the Central Capital.
Since he agreed to come here, this Little Lord of hers must have a reason.
“Actually, I don’t really care about winning them over.” Yang Kai smiled temperately and shook his head, “Believe what you like!”
Tang Yu Xian suddenly looked suspiciously towards Yang Kai, seemingly wanting to see through his heart, but Yang Kai remained indifferent, without showing the slightest trace of lying.
Tu Feng’s brow also slightly moved as he stared at Yang Kai strangely.
In his situation, the more favour he could win, the more help he would have in the future, and right now was a great opportunity to increase his influence. If Yang Kai could demonstrate enough means and strength to convince the Lu Family, they would surely move closer to him.
Did he really have no intentions to do so?
“I don’t have any friendship with the Lu Family. If they help me, it will only be because of their own interests. I don’t like such relationships!” Yang Kai said softly. “Even if I can win them over now, when the situation becomes dangerous or disadvantageous to them, they’ll inevitably choose to abandon me. I only want allies who will stand firmly beside me no matter how bad things become or how hopeless the situation may seem.”
The two Blood Warriors both gawked for a moment before looking at Yang Kai slyly, seemingly thinking that this Little Lord of theirs was a little naive.
Everyone in this world scurried about desperately for the sake of profit and benefits, if there wasn’t anything for them to gain, who would be willing to share troubles and tribulations with you?
“You don’t believe such people exist?” Yang Kai grinned meaningfully towards the two Blood Warriors.
Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian can’t help but lightly cough, not knowing how to respond.
“There will be, you’ll see.”
Tang Yu Xian froze, unable to understand where Yang Kai confidence came from, but seeing his resolute and unwavering attitude somewhat touched her, so she soon wore a warm smile, “Then I’ll look forward to it.”
Tu Feng also laughed, “Good, right now, if the Little Lord truly expresses the idea of wooing them, the Lu Family will only be polite but insincere, and definitely won’t take a firm position. Such a result is as good as not doing anything in the first place.”
“En.” Yang Kai nodded. “The Lu Family wants to know my background. I can see this too. Now, anything they say or do is just their probing for information. Before the situation is clear, it’s impossible for them to take a stand.”
The situation right now was naturally unclear. No one knew who all the Yang Family Young Lords were or what their strengths and statuses were like.
However, if you wanted to make a good friend, you must do so when he is small and weak. After he becomes strong, trying to befriend him will obviously not have the same effect.
Adding flowers to a bouquet is never as good as delivering charcoal in the winter.
“Well, although I’m not too interested in recruiting this Lu Family, the Lu Family definitely has something that makes me very interested, heh!” Yang Kai laughed mischievously.
“Em? What?” Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian asked curiously.
“I don’t know. Yet.” Yang Kai said flatly before turning around and walking into his room.
The two Blood Warriors couldn’t help being dazed.
There were obviously many things in this world that could arouse one’s interest, but Yang Kai didn’t know what that something was, so how could he know he was interested in it?
Seeing Yang Kai enter the house to rest directly, Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian both laughed wryly to one another, feeling more and more like they were unable to see through their Little Lord.
When Yang Kai was speaking with the two Blood Warriors, Qiu Yi Meng and Luo Xiao Man, who had just finished their baths, had not yet had time to rest when a Lu Family maid came over to speak with them, “Young Lady Qiu, Patriarch Liang wishes to know if you have time to speak with him now?”
Qiu Yi Meng wiped her wet hair as her eyes flashed, immediately understanding what Lu Liang’s intentions were causing her brow to furrow slightly, “Good, please ask him to come.”
“Yes!” The maid respectfully retreated, and after a short while, Lu Liang walked in.
Smiling warmly, Lu Liang politely said, “First Young Lady, my Lu Family is not as splendid as the Qiu Family, therefore these accommodations are somewhat simple, please forgive me for this.”
Although this was a private meeting, Lu Liang did not dare to refer to her as a Great Niece any more. It was enough for him to call her so once or twice if he persisted in doing so it would inevitably incur the other party’s disfavour.
Lu Liang’s meticulous thoughts and sharp instincts made it impossible for him to make such a low-level mistake.
Qiu Yi Meng smiled lightly and said, “For Uncle Lu to so anxiously seek a meeting with me, it seems you must want information about Yang Kai quite badly, no?”
Seeing her cut straight to the point, Lu Liang didn’t show much of a surprised reaction, instead carefully replying, “En, the world’s situation right now is quite complicated and chaotic, how my Lu Family should act in these times is also uncertain. This one humbly asks the First Young Lady to express her opinion!”
As he spoke, he cupped his fists respectfully, his expression completely serious.
Qiu Yi Meng grinned, sat down at the table and casually asked, “Are you wondering why I brought him to your Lu Family, whether this move was meant as a suggestion to you?”
“First Young Lady is wise, this Elder really thinks so,” Lu Liang frankly admitted. The Lu Family rising to its current height was almost entirely due to it attaching itself to the Qiu Family, it could even be said that the Qiu Family was the Lu Family’s greatest benefactor.
Now, at this sensitive time, Qiu Yi Meng had brought Yang Kai to visit the Lu Family; Lu Liang naturally felt there was more to this than meets the eye.
Perhaps Qiu Yi Meng was optimistic about Yang Kai, so she had brought him here to win over the Lu Family, simultaneously this offered the Lu Family an opportunity to catch hold of Yang Kai.
Was this her way of soft selling?
If so, wouldn’t Qiu Yi Meng know more details about Yang Kai?
All kinds of speculations swirled through Lu Liang’s mind as he pondered over today’s sudden events.
Qiu Yi Meng, however, said, “There’s nothing wrong with you thinking so. I know you’re thoughts are meticulous, but I can tell you this, my bringing him here is not meant as a suggestion to you.”
“It’s not?” Lu Liang couldn’t help feeling surprised.
“No!” Qiu Yi Meng slightly bowed her head, a tinge of anger flashing across her eyes, “My purpose in coming to your Lu Family is merely to borrow two Cloud Treading Colts!”
“Ah…” Lu Liang was stunned and suddenly felt a slight headache coming on thinking that Qiu Yi Meng had only come to his Lu Family because of such a reason.
Quickly composing himself, Lu Liang nodded, “The Cloud Treading Colts that the First Young Lady wants will be ready by tomorrow.”
“En.” Qiu Yi Meng nodded lightly.
Lu Liang opened his mouth to continue but suddenly hesitated to speak. Qiu Yi Meng knew what he wanted to ask so before he could follow up she said on her own initiative, “I don’t know what kind of connections he has, but I don’t dare underestimate him. He can often achieve remarkable and miraculous things, it is truly amazing.”
Lu Liang couldn’t help trembling.
This kind of assessment from Qiu Yi Meng really carried some weight.
Regardless of Yang Kai’s background and allies, it was not difficult to infer from the words Young Lady Qiu that his personal abilities were undoubtedly peerless!
Qiu Yi Meng suddenly grits her teeth, as anger resurfaced on her pretty face, and muttered under her breath, “Also, he’s someone who must seek vengeance for even the slightest grievance!”
Hearing Qiu Yi Meng’s tone, Lu Liang’s neck shrank. He didn’t know how she had offended Yang Kai before, but it looked as if she had suffered quite a lot at his hands.
All he could do in this situation was stare straight ahead and pretend he had heard nothing.
“It seems like he only does things according to his preferences. For anyone, whether their intentions are good or bad, he’s difficult to handle! If you don’t plan on making friends with him, I only have one piece of advice for you!” Qiu Yi Meng grinned knowingly.
“Please advise this one, First Young Lady!” Lu Liang hastily said.
“Absolutely don’t become enemies with him!”
Lu Liang stared at her for a moment before solemnly replied, “This one will remember Young Lady Qiu’s words.”
“En, that’s all I have to say.” Qiu Yi Meng nodded, truly not offering any further insights.
Understanding that she was signalling for him to leave, Lu Liang naturally bowed and turned to leave.
But just as he reached the door, Qiu Yi Meng said, “If you really want to gamble on the Inheritance War, you have to step up now, the sooner you move closer to one of these Young Lords, the better your future benefits will be!”
Lu Liang agreed and nodded, suddenly inquiring, “What about Young Lady Qiu? What side will you be standing on?”
In the Inheritance War, the other seven great families of the Central Capital would also participate; the Qiu Family was naturally not an exception. As the leader of the Qiu Family’s younger generation, Qiu Yi Meng would definitely take part, possibly even serving as the leader of her family’s participants.
“You don’t need to have any ideas about me, the Lu Family’s future and destiny are completely in your own hands. Which of the Yang Family’s Young Lords you stand with is a decision you must make yourself. Success and failure will all be determined by your own choices.” Qiu Yi Meng smiled temperately.
Lu Liang was a little disappointed. He knew that Qiu Yi Meng was saying so because she did not want to be responsible for whatever consequences may come.
The conversation over, Lu Liang swiftly departed.
The next day, at dawn.
Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian woke early and left their respective rooms only to spot Yang Kai slowly executing a set of forms as he faced towards the rising sun.
His movements were slow but meticulous, and his expression was solemn and serious.
“It seems the Little Lord likes getting an early start.” Tang Yu Xian smiled.
“Young people are always full of vitality, it’s a good thing.” Tu Feng also grinned.
“However, it seems like the forms the Little Lord is practising aren’t anything special. They seem more like they’d be good for ordinary people to use in order to temper themselves, especially the elderly.” Tang Yu Xian couldn’t help laughing as she covered her mouth.
Tu Feng couldn’t help turning his eyes to stare at her, signalling her not to say any more.
Although he also disagreed with Yang Kai’s current method of practice, but after all, he was still a Yang Family Young Lord, so how could they as Blood Warriors say such things behind his back?
If the Little Lord liked practicing as such, then there was no reason to stop him, even if he was just playing around, it’s not like he was doing anything dangerous.
Soon after though, Tu Feng’s brow suddenly furrowed, whispering quietly, “Something’s odd!”
“Hm?” Tang Yu Xian asked hurriedly.
“Look closer.” Tu Feng’s expression became serious as he and Tang Yu Xian carefully stared at Yang Kai’s actions.
Suddenly, Tang Yu Xian’s pupils contracted.
She quickly discovered that Yang Kai’s muscles seemed to be extremely stressed and the ground around his feet was soaking wet, clearly because he had sweat a tremendous amount.
Facing the sun rising in the east, Tang Yu Xian clearly saw atop Yang Kai’s face, on his forehead, drops of crystal beads quickly dripping down his skin.
The slow punching movements he was executing seemed to put an extremely heavy load on him, each step he took even caused the ground beneath him to tremble.
[This is….]
These were all clearly sights that could be seen when someone was under overwhelming pressure.
However, what Yang Kai was currently practicing was just a set of seemingly ordinary stances, Tang Yu Xian had even commented that it seemed suitable for the elderly to use as exercise. How could these movements be causing him such strain?
After observing for a while, the two Blood Warriors had to admit that right now Yang Kai seemed to be enduring an overbearing pressure. Inside his toned physique, there seemed to be a devastating force; however, this force seemed to be constrained by an invisible strength, literally suppressing the force within his body.
Rather, the explosive force within Yang Kai seemed to be fighting against this external pressure, maintaining a kind of odd balance inside and outside his body.
But, what exactly was this pressure?
Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian were both deeply surprised by the scene before them. Inevitably, both of them released their Divine Senses in order to examine Yang Kai’s condition more closely, so they closed their eyes and concentrated their senses.
Faintly nosing the aura surrounding Yang Kai as he slowly wielded his fists, Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian gradually incorporated their senses into Yang Kai’s surroundings.
With each action he took, the pair slowly observed a mysterious harmony in his movement.
All of a sudden, the pair’s Divine Senses harmonized with Yang Kai’s aura!
*Hong…*
Immediately, a feeling like the sky collapsing atop their heads appeared, like the Heavens themselves were trying to crush them.
*Bang…*
A loud burst of noise sounded as the ground the two Blood Warriors sunk.
A web of cracks spread out in all directions from where they stood.
Both Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian’s eyes shot open at the same time, and their faces cringed as horror flashed across their faces. The pair’s True Qi instinctively circulated like mad, desperately trying to resist this crushing pressure.
But the two Blood Warriors didn’t anticipate that the terrifying pressure they had just felt would instantly disappear once they took back their Divine Senses.
Bursting forth at full strength, but lost the object it was meant to resist, the pair’s True Qi directly exploded within their bodies.
Two loud bangs erupted as both Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian paled and staggered back several steps unsteadily.
*Wa…*
The two immediately vomited a mouthful of blood at the same time before finally steadying themselves.
Yang Kai stopped his practice and frowned as he turned his head towards this disturbance.
While he was cultivating his Tempered Body Record, he also realized that the two Blood Warriors were behind him and could also feel that they had released their Divine Senses to observe him; however, Yang Kai hadn’t expected such adverse consequences to arise from their actions.
No one had ever observed him using their Divine Sense while he was cultivating this technique and as a result experienced the pressure he was under.
Because of their instinctual responses, the two Blood Warriors had suffered a loss.
Hurriedly lowering his stance, Yang Kai quickly walked over to the pair and asked, “Are you alright?”
Both Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian’s eyes trembled lightly, not having the mind to inspect their own injuries, but instead stared at Yang Kai as if they were seeing some kind of monster.
That pressure they had just felt was definitely real.
With both of them having experienced it, how could it be fake?
But under such terrible strain, enough to even make them unable to resist, how exactly did the Little Lord withstand it?
Given his cultivation, his body should have long ago been crushed into dust. But instead…? The two of them were both high level Immortal Ascension Boundary masters yet only by contacting this pressure they had wounded themselves.
If this matter was leaked out, wouldn’t they be laughed at by the other Blood Warriors?
For a long time, both Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian were too shocked and embarrassed to speak.
But above all else, the two of them kept asking one question to themselves over and over again: How did the Little Lord survive under that pressure?
While the two Blood Warriors were still immersed in their shock, Yang Kai actually had to call out to them three times before Tu Feng suddenly responded, “A minor injury, the Little Lord doesn’t need to concern himself.”
However, these words had little persuasive power after the one who spoke them just vomited blood.
How was this a minor injury? The two of them had pushed their True Qi to the limit and it had subsequently exploded within their bodies. This was tantamount to them suffering their own full powered strike in a completely unguarded state. It was a small miracle that both of them hadn’t fainted on the spot.
“Do you have enough healing pills on you?” Yang Kai asked quietly.
There were a number of healing pills in his storage space, but those pills were prepared by Ling Tai Xu for him long ago and their grades weren’t too high. Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian were both Yang Family Blood Warriors, obviously they had to be carrying some pills the Yang Family Alchemists had refined, each of which was no doubt higher in quality than the ones Yang Kai had.
Yang Kai wouldn’t be so foolish as to offer them these inferior pills.
“En,” Tang Yu Xian nodded as she and Tu Feng pulled out a pair of bottles from their sleeve pockets and poured out a single brown-coloured pill.
Both of the Blood Warriors expressions flashed a hint of unwillingness that seemed to be a mix of tears and laughter all at once.
This brown pill was a specially refined healing pill that Blood Warriors carried in case of emergencies. It was a Mysterious Grade Low-Rank pill that could treat most serious injuries extremely quickly.
This kind of pill was very precious, even if it was the Yang Family’s Blood Warriors, each of them would only be assigned a single one each year, so both of them were naturally reluctant to take it such a time.
However, right now their top priority was to ensure Yang Kai’s safety. If the two of them didn’t recover from their injuries as quickly as possible, if something unexpected happened, it would definitely not end well.
So even if they were reluctant, they had no other alternative at this point, so the two of them decisively swallowed the healing pill.
Above all else, Yang Kai had to be protected!
After the two of them had taken the brown healing pill, Yang Kai’s expression suddenly became solemn, and he quickly extended his hands and pulled the two up, while hurriedly kicking the dirt nearby to cover up the blood stains on the ground.
The next moment, Lu Liang along with many of the Lu Family’s masters arrived.
“What happened just now?” Lu Liang looked around worriedly.
With such a violent disturbance occurring, the masters of the Lu Family had naturally been alerted and subsequently rushed to Yang Kai’s quarters, not daring to delay even a single moment, almost tripping over themselves in their haste.
All of them were worried that some kind of accident had befallen Yang Kai. If a Yang Family Young Lord was injured or worse in the Lu Family’s home, even with the Qiu Family as its backer, the Lu Family would likely not last long.
With the overbearing arrogance of the Yang Family, it would be no surprise for them to raze this land to the ground.
This was a matter concerning the family’s survival, how could Lu Liang not be nervous?
After speaking these words, all the people’s eyes looked towards Yang Kai and saw him safe and sound. Seeing no injuries on his body, all the Lu Family masters breathed a sigh of relief.
Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian also appeared extremely well-kept. The two of them secretly circulated their True Qi slowly in order to let the colour return to their faces, giving them a healthy, uninjured appearance.
“It’s nothing.” Yang Kai said with a light smiled, “This Young Lord just let Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian compete a little for me, I didn’t expect that the noise it created would be so big.”
“What?” Lu Liang blankly stared.
Yang Kai casually smiled and waved, “I was a little bored and thought it would be entertaining to see two masters exchange some blows.”
Listening to Yang Kai speak as such, Lu Liang and others couldn’t help glancing around in shock.
Seeing the two big pits on the ground and cracked earth that spread out all around from them, Lu Liang and the others were secretly shocked at the strength of the two Blood Warriors.
Just exchanging fists had caused such a tremendous shock, if the two of them were to fight a real life or death battle, how much destruction would be caused?
An awkward smile surfacing on his face, Lu Liang courteously said, “Originally, Young Master Yang was just engaging in some casual leisure. It seems this Lu was overly sensitive, we’ll take our leave, please continue!”
“En!” Yang Kai harmlessly smiled, but before Lu Liang could leave, he casually shouted, “Right, Patriarch Lu.”
Lu Liang frowned and turned to ask, “What instructions does Young Master Yang wish to say?”
His tone seemed to have lost some of the dignity and caution it had yesterday, and even contained a tinge of annoyance; unconsciously, it seemed Lu Liang’s attitude towards Yang Kai had undergone some changes.
However, Yang Kai didn’t care, continuing as if he hadn’t noticed, “The Lu Family home’s scenery is quite outstanding, truly a beautiful place. I would like to spend a few more days here along with my two Blood Warriors, I trust that won’t inconvenience you will it?”
Lu Liang was slightly surprised but didn’t think much about it, only smiling and nodding, “Having Young Master Yang as a guest is my Lu Family’s honour, it isn’t inconvenient at all!”
“En, very good.” Yang Kai nodded lightly.
Lu Liang once again cupped his fists before leading the rest of the Lu Family masters out.
After they had left, Yang Kai shifted his gaze towards a loft several tens of meters away.
On the second floor of that building, Qiu Yi Meng was leaning on the handrail, meaningfully smiling towards him.
As their eyes met, Qiu Yi Meng slightly raised her chin, displaying a subtly smugness; Luo Xiao Man nearby was also smirking, like she had just witnessed something interesting.
Yang Kai glowered at them slightly before leading the two Blood Warriors into the house.
Inside, Yang Kai didn’t avoid the two Blood Warriors line of sight as he changed out of his wet clothes.
Both Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian wore complex expressions, their moods somewhat unstable as they adopted a silent stance.
But as they stood there, Yang Kai seemed to not be in a hurry to speak.
After getting dressed, he casually sat down on a nearby chair and glanced at the two of them.
The two Blood Warriors exchanged a glance before brazing themselves, stepping forward and bowing, “Young Lord, this servant has committed an offence and asks to be punished.”
Yang Kai glanced at them indifferently for a moment before asking, “What offence?”
Tu Feng showed a look of guilt before quickly saying, “Because of our reckless behaviour we have delayed the Young Lord’s journey!”
Yang Kai had told Lu Liang just now that he planned to spend a few more days here, clearly, he wanted to let Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian have a safe and stable space where they could fully recover.
Knowing this, both Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian felt some heartfelt gratitude towards this Little Lord of theirs.
Amongst the Yang Family’s Young Lords, few of them would be so compassionate towards their subordinates. Their injuries were neither light nor heavy, but if it was not properly dealt with right now, it may leave behind some hidden dangers.
After Tu Feng finished, Yang Kai remained silent.
Tang Yu Xian followed up immediately after, “Because of our mistake, we’ve let the Young Lord be underestimated by Lu Family! We are both guilty!”
The slight change in attitude from Lu Liang had shown just now had not escaped their eyes.
Obviously, that subtle difference in attitude was because Yang Kai had said he was idle and bored so he let the two Blood Warriors spar in order to entertain him!
Who were the Blood Warriors? They were the elite masters who guarded the Yang Family, faithful throughout the ages, each one of them had made countless contributions to the Yang Family, and each one of them was willing to lay down their lives to safeguard the lives of the Yang Family and its descendants.
No matter what generation of the Yang Family it was, the Blood Warriors had shed blood for them!
The Yang Family’s prosperity was in large part due to the Blood Warriors tireless service!
The Blood Warriors were the epitome of loyalty and duty.
Even though many outsiders didn’t have favourable opinions of the Yang Family, all of them showed respect and admiration for the Blood Warriors.
But now, two of these honourably warriors were actually made to fight in order to entertain a Young Lord who had yet to even return home to claim his status. The two warriors no doubt were as close as any flesh and blood brother and sister, yet because of a casual order, they had been forced to exchange blows.
They weren’t trained monkeys! How could this Young Lord use them so disrespectfully just to alleviate his boredom?
Yang Kai’s arrogance and unreasonableness had been clearly revealed.
As such, Lu Liang’s opinion of him had dropped significantly.
If Yang Kai hadn’t taken responsibility for what had just transpired, he wouldn’t have been despised so.
If such events were to be propagated, people would begin to think that Yang Kai was a useless playboy, incapable of achieving anything great; such an image would have a terrible influence on his future.
In an instant, the two Blood Warriors had thought that they had harmed their Young Lord, so Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian both had bitter tastes in their mouth and were extremely awkward.
“Is that it?” Yang Kai looked at them and chuckled.
Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian both looked at each other and didn’t know how to respond.
“Get up,” Yang Kai said with a smile. “I know that Blood Warriors only bow to their masters. You haven’t fully accepted me as such right now, there’s no need for you to show such a ceremony!”
Hearing these frank words, both Blood Warriors blushed.
Yang Kai was straightforward, but such words truly reflected their inner thoughts. Over the past few days, Yang Kai had indeed brought them surprise after surprise, even allowing them to feel a little gratitude towards him, but there was still some distance yet to go before they would pledge allegiance to him.
“One day, when you’re willing to follow me, it won’t be too late to do as such.” Yang Kai said confidently.
Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian both got up.
Tu Feng cleared his throat and hesitated a moment before continuing, “But now the Lu Family is definitely not optimistic about the Little Lord….”
“I said from the beginning, I have no desire to recruit them. Them not being optimistic about me is their own prerogative! Even if they thoroughly despise me it means nothing to me!” Yang Kai grinned meaningfully here, “But the two of you shouldn’t try spying on me anymore.”
Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian’s expressions cramped slightly at these words remembering back on that overwhelming pressure, the two of them couldn’t help feeling some fear.
The two Blood Warriors also knew that Yang Kai felt uncomfortable with them observing him so they frankly nodded their heads to his request.
Nonsense, if the two of them were exposed to that terrible suppression again, wouldn’t they be really crushed into the ground? The two of them really wanted to understand how Yang Kai was able to withstand that pressure.
“You’ll have a few days to heal properly when you’ve fully recovered, we’ll set out again for the Central Capital.”
“En,” Tang Yu Xian nodded with a light sigh.
Lu Liang no longer seemed to care much for Yang Kai because of this incident and the Lu Family’s Elders had all but determined that this Yang Family Young Lord was not worth associating with further.
Thinking themselves wise and worldly, they were easily blinded by Yang Kai’s disguise.
With a crisp cry, the Golden Feather Eagle circled the sky before gently landing on Yang Kai’s shoulders, using its hook-like beak to comb Yang Kai’s hair intimately.
The Golden Feathered Eagle did not suffer any hardships when with Yang Kai. In fact, before they entered the Lu Family’s grounds, the Golden Feathered Eagle would freely roam about in search of its own food.
Now, since they were guest of the Lu Family, the Eagle lived in luxury. It would now be fed plentifully, with a variety of sorts. Enough so that the Eagle no longer had to hunt on its own. However, this little rascal was picky. It would only accept live animals, which meant that the area it ate at would always leave a bloody mess after each meal.
Yang Kai glanced up at the Golden Feather Eagle before secretly offering it a drop of Myriad Drug Liquid.
For the past while, every day Yang Kai would feed it with a drop of Myriad Drug Liquid and soon the Golden Feather Eagle came to seek this delicacy on its own.
Yang Kai didn’t refuse as he still had some ideas about this Golden Feather Eagle.
He was eager to know if by feeding it so, could it evolve once more and become a true Sixth-Order Monster Beast?
Throughout the history of the Yang Family, only one Golden Feather Eagle had ever successfully evolved into a Sixth-Order Monster Beast, and that Golden Feather Eagle was the unchallenged leader of all the eagles!
In order to evolve that Golden Feather Eagle, the Yang Family had also spent a lot of money and resources, and in the end only luckily caused it to advance.
Since then, no other Yang Family Golden Feather Eagle had evolved to the Sixth-Order. As time passed, the effort required and the benefit obtained were deemed not proportional, so the Yang Family had largely ceased its efforts to further evolve its Golden Feather Eagles.
In any case, the power of the Yang Family was not dependent on the Golden Feather Eagles, their greatest role was to detect enemies and seek out the scattered Yang Family descendants.
Whether they were Fifth-Order or Sixth-Order Monster Beasts, for the powerhouse Yang Family, it really didn’t make much difference.
But to Yang Kai, this difference was significant.
If the current Golden Feather Eagle could evolve into the Sixth-Order, the role it could play would also rise dramatically. If it were successful, even if it were to face an Immortal Ascension Boundary master it would still have the power to fight back.
For now, Yang Kai with the exception of the two Blood Warriors, this Golden Feather Eagle was the only additional force he could currently try to recruit.
For the upcoming Inheritance War, even the smallest additional bit of strength could mean the difference between success and failure.
Yang Kai himself also took a drop of Myriad Drug Liquid every day. By doing this over a long period of time it could allow a person to be reborn, cleansing their body and enhancing their aptitude, it would certainly be helpful for the Golden Feather Eagle.
After following this regimen for many days, the Golden Feather Eagle had become completely obedient towards Yang Kai. This was not just because of the Beast Slave Seal but also because its sentience and intelligence were quite high.
His eyes flashing, Yang Kai reached out a finger towards the Golden Feather Eagle.
In an instant, it seemed like something had shattered inside the Golden Feather Eagle’s soul causing it to send out a loud cry.
Naturally, the Beast Slave Seal had been dissolved by Yang Kai.
Freed from the Beast Slave Seal, the Golden Feather Eagle first looked at Yang Kai in surprise, a trace of confusion apparent in its gaze, but no signs of exclusion could be seen. Instead, a moment later, it care-freely continued to help Yang Kai comb his hair.
“Haha!” Yang Kai chuckled lightly.
This period of time was apparently enough for the Golden Feather Eagle to obey Yang Kai’s order without the Beast Slave Seal.
This Monster Beast was quite easy to handle actually, after feeding it a drop of Myriad Drug Liquid for ten days; it had become dead set on following Yang Kai. In order to continue obtaining this miraculous treat, it would no doubt faithfully obey him.
“Good, time to eat!” Yang Kai’s face suddenly showed a strange grin, his eyes lighting up as he stared in a certain direction, waving his hands and sending the Golden Feather Eagle off.
Its wings spread out, the Golden Feather Eagle flew off and grabbed a porcupine that had been prepared in a cage for it by the Lu Family nearby and immediately soared into the sky.
The porcupine’s size was not small so the Golden Feather Eagle seemed like it was having trouble holding on to it. As it flew through the air, its talons suddenly lost their grip and, accompanied by a series of unhappy cries, the porcupine fell to the ground.
After a moment, a loud thud resounded. On the ground, it seemed like an explosion of blood had occurred as the Golden Feather Eagle circled above.
Yang Kai also slowly got up and, after smoothing out his appearance slightly, took big strides out of his courtyard and went to the place where the Golden Feather Eagle fell.
Lu Family main hall.
Lu Liang was discussing some matters with several of the Lu Family Elders when suddenly a servant rushed in. Lu Liang looked up casually and asked, “What happened?”
The man who had rushed in quickly knelt and fearfully replied, “Patriarch, it’s terrible! The Grand Elder’s house has been bloodied!”
“What!?” Lu Liang stood up from his chair in shock, the other Lu Family Elders also reacted in a similarly panicked way.
It seemed like something incredible had happened.
“What exactly happened?” Lu Liang did not delay at all, stepped out from his chair and rushed forward to grab the servant, directly lifting him up.
It was clear to anyone who saw that he was extremely agitated.
The Grand Elder! Lu Si!
This was the Lu Family’s only member who had reached the Above Immortal Ascension Boundary, a master who stood at the apex of this world’s power structure! It was only because of his existence that the Lu Family could become a first-class family.
It could be said that the rise or fall of the Lu Family was entirely dependent on Lu Si!
Under normal circumstances, Lu Si would not leave the Lu Family, he would only sit in his courtyard and dedicate himself to cultivating the Martial Dao.
Moreover, because a few years ago, when Lu Si had broken through to the Above Immortal Ascension Boundary, an accident had occurred, he would not be able to leave the Lu Family for extended periods. His courtyard where he secluded himself was also a Forbidden Zone inside the Lu Family. No one was allowed to approach it, even the family Patriarch Lu Liang, unless it was a matter related to the family’s survival, lest they disturb Grand Elder’s cultivation.
But now, Lu Si’s courtyard had actually been bloodied!
How could the Lu Family people not be worried?
It was also strange that this servant didn’t clearly state what had happened. When the Elders heard the word ‘bloodied’, all of them couldn’t help thinking that an accident had happened with Lu Si’s cultivation, aggravating his injury and causing his courtyard to become bloodied.
However, after hearing the full report from the servant, Lu Liang and others breathed a sigh of relief.
In the next instant, Lu Liang felt a wave of grief and anger wash over him as he secretly cursed this servant for not speaking clearly.
It turns out that… a porcupine had fallen into Lu Si’s courtyard and made a mess. This was actually just a minor matter but if it had disturbed the Grand Elder’s retreat it couldn’t be treated lightly.
According to what the man said, it was because of the Yang Family Young Lord’s Golden Family Eagle Family losing its grip while it was holding the porcupine, thus causing it to accidentally fall into the Grand Elder’s yard. As a result, from far away it looked like the courtyard had become a bloody battlefield.
This servant was too afraid to go in and speak with Lu Si, so he had run here to seek Lu Liang’s instructions.
“En, this matter is no longer your concern.” Lu Liang said gruffly before releasing the servant, immediately stepping out of the hall and rushing towards the Grand Elder’s courtyard, his face filled with displeasure.
The other Lu Family Elders also wore similar expressions.
After looking around and seeing no signs of Yang Kai and the two Blood Warriors, some people began whispering, “Patriarch, that Yang Family Young Lord is simply too much! Now, even his pet eagle has insulted the Grand Elder!”
“En, we should expel them immediately!”
“But… he was brought here by Young Lady Qiu. If he refuses to leave, are we able to force him out?”
“Such a useless brat, why would Young Lady Qiu associate with such a waste?”
As they spoke about Yang Kai, all of the Elders slowly shook their heads. Obviously, they felt that this Young Lord Yang was worthless, no doubt he would be eliminated immediately upon the commencement of the Yang Family’s Inheritance War.
“Everyone shut up!” Lu Liang angrily muttered.
Although he was also not optimistic about Yang Kai, he was still not someone who the Lu Family could criticize. If he or his Blood Warriors were to find out about such idle talk, there would surely be terrible repercussions.
Having been scolded so by Lu Liang, the other Lu Family Elders didn’t dare continue to gossip.
Not long after, this group arrived at the Lu Family’s quietest most remote area.
As they approached, everyone could see that something was wrong.
Because the gate of the courtyard was actually open! The pavilion where Lu Si lived was always closed, and no one would dare enter it.
But now, the front gate was wide open! What was this all about?
Lu Liang held his breath before he cautiously looked inside, but the instant he did so he became so enraged he nearly passed out.
Inside this one pristine courtyard, where not a single leaf littered the ground, a large pool of bloody smashed meat was splashed around.
The vague remnants of the porcupine can be seen if one looked carefully, it must have fallen from a great height and exploded once it hit the ground, splattering its blood and entrails all over the courtyard.
Inside, the Yang Family’s Golden Feather Eagle was joyfully feeding on the scattered fresh meat.
Nearby, the Yang Family’s Young Lord was actually putting on the appearance of a countryside boy, casually squatting on the ground with his head resting on his hands as he watched the Golden Feather Eagle eat!
There was a completely content smile adorning his face.
Lu Liang’s eyes nearly burst from their sockets as he desperately struggled to control his anger.
In the presence of the Grand Elder, no matter which member of the Lu Family it was, they would display the utmost respect and dignity, no one would even dare step into this restricted area, but now, this Young Lord had casually strode in. Not only did he wantonly intrude here like it was his own home, he also stopped to appreciate the havoc his Monster Beast had wrought!
At this moment, Lu Liang actually couldn’t help feeling humiliation.
It was as if the woman he had loved and taken care of had suddenly been shamed and taken away from him.
In short, he was furious.
“Patriarch…” The Lu Family elders also trembled in place, not knowing how to proceed.
Waiting outside was not going to resolve the issue, so Lu Liang somehow suppressed his mood and stepped into the courtyard, and the rest of the Elders following close behind their Patriarch.
This was the Grand Elder’s private residence, many of them had never entered here before so although they were enraged with Yang Kai’s behaviour, some of them were also secretly grateful for this opportunity.
Walking straight up to Yang Kai, Lu Liang took a deep breath and bowed, still not forgetting to cup his fists politely as he called out, “Young Master Yang, Young Master Yang!”
Yang Kai seemed to be aware that someone had arrived and quickly looked up, seemingly surprised by these newcomers, stumbling slightly as he fixed his squatting stance before nodding, “Patriarch Lu.”
Lu Liang’s face twitched slightly at this sight but given the situation, they were in he was too lazy to care about his etiquette. However, just as he was about to ask about this situation, Yang Kai held up a finger to his mouth and made a serious expression.
Lu Liang stifled his words and hastily whispered, “What’s wrong?”
Yang Kai smiled silently and pointed forward, “Don’t speak too loudly, it’ll disturb my eagle’s meal.”
Lu Liang almost cursed.
[His eagle, disturb his eagle? This is the secluded retreat of the Lu Family’s Grand Elder! Even if you are a Yang Family Young Lord, even if this Monster Beast is the rare and precious Yang Family’s Silver Blood Golden Feather Eagle, none of you can compare with Grand Elder Lu Si’s worth!]
Worried he’ll disturb this eagle? Patriarch Lu couldn’t care less! His only concern now was that this ruckus would disturb the Grand Elder’s cultivation.
How could Lu Liang still remain calm? At this moment, all he felt like doing was beating this little brat in front of him. Quickly taking a few deep breaths, his expression became even uglier as if he was about to cry, and he whispered quietly, “Young Master Yang, this is not a place to converse, can we move elsewhere to speak?”
“En,” Yang Kai nodded deeply, “If there’s anything you wish to say I’ll listen to it later, let it eat its fill first!”
Lu Liang froze up in shock and staggered back a few steps, before nearly coughing up blood.
For a moment, he even thought that what he was seeing and hearing was some kind of illusion.
The eloquence that Lu Liang had always been so proud of didn’t play any role at this moment, and his mouth twitching as he started towards Yang Kai, feeling like his tongue was tied. “Yang K… I mean, Young Master Yang, I… that is… can we please leave here now to discuss this matter? ”
Lu Liang was really helpless.
He couldn’t understand Yang Kai at all. Although he was the Patriarch of the Lu Family, Yang Kai’s status was by no means lower than his own. Even if Lu Liang felt incredibly annoyed, he still had no choice but to speak in a calm manner and hope that this Young Master Yang could understand the meaning behind his words, praying that he would respond to courtesy with courtesy.
However, this Young Master Yang seemed completely oblivious, like he had no intention of thinking any deeper at all, even given the obvious entreaty in Lu Liang’s words. Instead, he just stared back, blankly, “Why do we need to go somewhere else?”
The veins on Lu Liang’s forehead throbbed in distress.
Still forcing his anger down as best he could, Lu Liang wore a solemn expression and replied, “Young Master Yang, this place is the secluded retreat of a powerful master of my Lu Family. It is normally off limits to everyone. I’m afraid that if we were to speak here, it will disturb this Senior’s cultivation. If so… haha.”
“A powerful master!?” Yang Kai quickly stood up, and the volume of his voice multiplied several times, like booming thunder.
All of the Lu Family’s Elders’ faces suddenly became ugly.
[This brat… is he doing this on purpose?]
Yang Kai seemed ignorant of their pained expressions as he looked around with interest before turning to Lu Liang with a smile, “I don’t see anyone…”
“Young Master Yang!” Lu Liang’s face became gloomy as his patience was pushed to its limit. “Please be serious!”
It was no small feat to force the poignant Lu Liang to speak such harsh words.
If this place wasn’t Lu Si’s secluded retreat, Lu Liang wouldn’t possibly brave the risk of offending Yang Kai.
However, Yang Kai just stared back at him with a sheepish grin.
His smile was calm, completely without other meaning.
Inside however there was just a tinge of surprise; he hadn’t expected that this place would be so important to the Lu Family!
Yang Kai knew that there must be a master living here, or else it would be impossible to have such an ornate courtyard, so he had used the Golden Feather Eagle dropping that porcupine in order to have an excuse to intrude here.
But despite knowing that there was a master here, Yang Kai didn’t fully understand how important this place was until Lu Liang and the other Lu Family Elders had shown up. It looked like he had stumbled upon the Lu Family’s most forbidden area.
However, with things having already reached this point, he had no choice other than to continue feigning innocence, or both sides would end up in an even more awkward state.
Yang Kai wasn’t someone who didn’t understand onset and retreat. As soon as he saw Lu Liang and the others appear here so swiftly, he realized that things weren’t as simple as he had imagined. Now that Lu Liang had spoken so far, Yang Kai could naturally determine who lived here.
The Lu Family’s only Above Immortal Ascension Boundary master!
If it was anyone else, it would be impossible for Lu Liang to be so nervous.
Interestingly, the thing that had caught Yang Kai’s attention actually seemed to be inside that powerful master’s room. This would be a bit tricky, apparently.
His brow furrowing lightly, Yang Kai thought about whether or not to press forward with this matter when suddenly the door to the pavilion house opened wide.
With a quiet squeak, the door came to a halt.
Lu Liang and the Lu Family Elders all trembled lightly, and their expressions became awkward as they quickly turned to face the door and bow.
“Little friend, come inside so we may speak.” From beyond the door, a somewhat old voice echoed. The sound was soft and temperate, but everyone outside couldn’t hide their shock.
Yang Kai blinked for a moment before smiling and walking towards the door, not showing the slightest sign of nervousness.
Lu Liang stared at him, with a look of envy creeping into his expression, but soon after he slowly followed.
In front of the door, Yang Kai paused and looked back at Lu Liang, motioning, “Patriarch Lu, after you.”
Lu Liang grinned wryly and waved his hand, “This one dares not, Grand Elder Si has only summoned you. Therefore, only you may enter.”
While saying so, he took up a position next to the door and firmly planted himself there, his expression now very meticulous.
Yang Kai glanced at him and knew that he wasn’t just saying these words, but truly meant them. He nodded slightly and stepped into the house.
The inside of this house was quite shabby; there wasn’t even a bed in it. The only furnishings that could be seen were a few chairs and a table with a teapot set atop it. Other than that, the room was essentially bare.
However, when Yang Kai entered the room, he immediately stared greedily towards the object under the old man’s butt.
Yang Kai didn’t even try to cover up the desire in his eyes!
The old man in this house was obviously the Lu Family’s Grand Elder Lu Si, the strongest cultivator in the Lu Family. Lu Si’s build was somewhat thin, and his face was adorned with an all white beard. His temperament seemed similar to Ling Tai Xu but without the same light-hearted warmth.
In the end though, Lu Si still gave the unique impression of a powerful master.
This was the second Above Immortal Ascension Boundary master that Yang Kai had seen so far.
Those who had achieved a cultivation of the Above Immortal Ascension Boundary realm seemed to give people a sense of detachment from the mundane. This feeling was incomprehensible and mysterious.
Any Above Immortal Ascension Boundary master was a powerhouse who stood at the apex of this world.
At this moment, Lu Si was sitting cross-legged atop a gigantic gemstone. This precious stone gave off a golden hue, and streams of light flashed within it like clever fish wandering through a jade lake.
This gemstone was like a naturally formed bed, large enough to accommodate a single person atop it.
Lu Si sat on this gem and calmly breathed.
This Precious Jade didn’t emit any obvious Qi. Even when standing right in front of it, Yang Kai couldn’t sense anything energy leaking from the bed, but as soon as he saw it, the Yang Origin Seal in his chest began throbbing.
The Yang Origin Seal would only react to the presence of Yang attribute Precious Treasures. Whatever this thing was, Yang Kai was certain it contained an incredible amount of Yang Qi.
Since the moment he had entered the Lu Family, Yang Kai had already noticed the existence of this large Precious Jade.
This was the reason why he had told Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian that the Lu Family had something he was interested in, but in the end he only knew that there was some kind of Yang attribute treasure here and couldn’t actually tell what it was.
Seeing this Precious Jade now, he was certain this was what he was looking for.
Such a large natural Precious Jade, if he were to absorb all of it into his dantian, Yang Kai was certain he could directly break through a minor realm.
There wasn’t much Yang Liquid left in his dantian after he had wantonly used it in the Evil Cavern. If he were to run out of Yang Liquid, Yang Kai didn’t know whether the thick evil energy in his Unyielding Golden Skeleton would erupt, possibly affecting him negatively. Even if that didn’t happen, if his Yang Liquid were to be completely exhausted, Yang Kai would lose the ability to use many of his most powerful techniques.
So for some time now, what Yang Kai wanted most was to find a way to supplement his Yang Liquid.
Unfortunately, Precious Treasures of the Yang attribute were hard to find. Even if he were to return back to the Yang Family it was likely he wouldn’t be able to receive any such resources from them. The Yang Family Young Lords who wanted to participate in the Inheritance War had gathered all their allies and materials on their own.
Now that such a great opportunity had suddenly presented itself, how could he easily let it go?
It was just that he had never expected that the treasure he sought was actually the bed of an Above Immortal Ascension Boundary master!
Yang Kai’s expression quickly became awkward as he wondered what kind of price he could offer. Was there something he had that would let the other party willingly hand over this Precious Jade?
For such a treasure, there was no way he could simply take it, and this caused Yang Kai to sink into contemplation.
After a long silence, Yang Kai secretly groaned in his heart; however, his unyielding gaze was still focused directly on Precious Jade under the old man’s butt.
Lu Si was also observing Yang Kai since he entered the door. His expression indifferent, like a tranquil ancient well. It was only after this long silence that he spoke in an amazed tone, “The intentions of this little friend is so obvious, it seems your actions just now really were intentional!”
Hearing these words, Yang Kai finally restrained his greedy gaze and laughed wryly, “Junior has been indiscreet!”
His own methods and careful plotting, in the face of an Above Immortal Ascension Boundary master, were likely long ago seen through, so having been exposed already, Yang Kai was disinclined to quibble over things.
As he spoke, Yang Kai sat down on the floor in front of Lu Si.
Outside the house, all of the Lu Family’s Elders perked up their ears and held their breaths, not wanting to miss a word the two men in the room spoke.
“The Yang Family’s Young Lord is really extraordinary,” Lu Si nodded slightly, showing a slight appreciation. “Truly the great families from the Central Capital are different, such bearing and composure isn’t something my Lu Family could cultivate.”
Yang Kai grinned slightly, “Senior is too polite, the Lu Family is by no means bad.”
Lu Si smiled back temperately.
He himself was an Above Immortal Ascension Boundary master. Amongst the younger generation, only these Young Lords from the Central Capital’s Eight Great Families would be capable of acting so calmly before him, anyone else would clearly be more cautious. However, the young man in front of him didn’t even seem to care about such things. The moment he had entered the room his eyes had been staring hotly at the Precious Jade under his butt, obviously not even regarding the house’s owner. If he wasn’t one of those great families’ Young Lords, how could he act so aloof?
“You came here for this?” Lu Si asked knowingly, pointing down with his finger.
“Yes!” Yang Kai admitted frankly, “It wasn’t premeditated, just taking advantage of an opportunity, haha!”
“You need it?”
“Junior certainly needs it, urgently in fact!” Yang Kai said seriously.
“This old master understands,” Lu Si nodded lightly, suddenly smiling. “Although I understand, I can’t give it to you.”
“Junior understands this point,” Yang Kai replied, not disappointed in the slightest, obviously having expected such a response. Sitting up straight, he continued, “Therefore I want to discuss what conditions Senior has in order to offer it to me.”
Lu Si looked at him temperately and said, “Even if you are a Young Lord of the Yang Family, this old master isn’t willing to offer this to you. Regardless of what conditions you put forward, you’re destined to be disappointed.”
Yang Kai however just shook his head, “Senior’s words are too arbitrary. In this world, as long as it exists, it has a price that Senior will be willing to part with it for, it only depends on whether or not I can afford such a price.”
Lu Si still shook his head, firmly denying Yang Kai’s argument.
The Lu Family Elders who were standing around outside listening all gradually wore awkward expressions.
There weren’t many words exchanged between the old man and the youth inside, and direct statements were few and far between, causing many of them to be confused about what was happening.
It seemed like this Yang Family Young Lord was eyeing one of the Grand Elder’s treasures?
Premeditated?
Taking advantage of an opportunity?
Unable to offer a price?
Was he trying to buy it or just steal it!?
Amongst the Lu Family Elders, none of them could keep up with the changing situation.
Inside the room, Lu Si grinned, “Young Master Yang doesn’t need to waste any effort. True this old master invited you in, but that doesn’t mean I will sell you this.”
“Senior certainly has his own consideration, Junior well understands this point.” Yang Kai nodded slightly before wearing a grin, “But I still need that Jade Bed of yours!”
Lu Si had nothing else to say; however, outside, when Lu Liang heard these words, his expression suddenly became fierce, and he angrily shouted, “Young Master Yang, the Yang Crystal Jade Bed that Grand Elder Lu Si sits on is the most precious object in my Lu Family! No matter who it is, no one may take it away!”
Today, even when Yang Kai had thoroughly irritated Lu Liang, he still managed to keep his calm, but now that he knew Yang Kai wanted the Grand Elder’s Yang Crystal Jade Bed, Lu Liang couldn’t suppress his rage any longer and daringly shouted such words. His tone was firm and straightforward, obviously indicating his unwavering stance on this situation to Yang Kai.
Lu Liang’s tone was extremely harsh, but as Yang Kai listened, his expression remained calm and composed.
Lu Si observed Yang Kai’s reaction and secretly nodded, he knew that this Yang Family Young Lord was not some unreasonable brat.
Grinning lightly, Yang Kai casually waved and said, “Since the Patriarch Lu has said so much, then let’s not mention this Yang Crystal Jade Bed any further.”
Outside, Lu Liang quietly breathed a sigh of relief, and his expression finally loosened somewhat.
As long as Yang Kai gave up on the Yang Crystal Jade Bed, anything else was open to discussion.
“Senior Si, if you don’t mind, how about we discuss your situation?” Yang Kai grinned as he glanced over Lu Si’s form.
Even if he was an Above Immortal Ascension Boundary, Lu Si couldn’t help feeling bewildered and pointed to himself and curiously asked, “About this old master?”
“En. “ Yang Kai nodded politely.
“If Young Master Yang has something to say, then this old master is willing to listen.” Lu Si smiled and showed a glimmer of interest.
It was truly interesting seeing this young man actually boast so calmly in front of himself, speaking as if he was in the commanding position.
Since breaking through to the Above Immortal Ascension Boundary, it had been a long time since anyone had dared act so casually before him.
For a time, Lu Si couldn’t help wondering what exactly Yang Kai would say next, and if he could bring him any other surprises.
“Good, this junior begs your forgiveness if he offends you,” Yang Kai said respectfully, but his expression showed no hesitation as he casually said, “Senior Si has achieved a cultivation at the Above Immortal Ascension Boundary and reached the summit of this world. Unless you meet with others whose cultivation have reached a similar height, it could be said that there are few who could oppose you.”
Lu Si smiled neither warmly or coldly.
“What kind of realm the Above Immortal Ascension Boundary is, this junior doesn’t know, but I do know that at such a height, it is difficult to use external forces to further enhance one’s cultivation. Regardless of what Precious Treasures or Spirit Pills you may take, I’m afraid it would provide little help in increasing Senior Si’s strength! In order to further improve your cultivation, it seems that the only thing Elder Si can rely on is deepening your understanding of the Martial Dao and attempting to break the shackles of Heaven and Earth!”
Lu Si’s expression finally became dignified as he stared slightly at Yang Kai, not knowing how this youth had learned such profound knowledge.
Yang Kai took a look at him and suddenly wore a confident grin, “But from the moment this junior entered the room, Senior Si has been sitting on this jade bed. It also appears that you don’t leave it often, perhaps sitting atop it for months or even years at a time!”
“En.” Lu Si nodded slightly.
“There are only two reasons why Senior Si does so, one is to use this jade to cultivate and strengthen yourself, but as I just said, at Senior Si’s current cultivation borrowing external forces provides little benefit to you, so this reason can be ruled out!”
“Young Master Yang speaks too arbitrarily,” Lu Si smiled slyly, “Although at this old master’s realm it is indeed difficult to borrow any external force to enhance my cultivation, but it is entirely possible to use this jade bed to help consolidate my realm.”
“No no no, Senior Si, you don’t cultivate any kind of Yang attribute Secret Art, so sitting atop this Yang Crystal Jade Bed won’t help you consolidate your strength!” Yang Kai said confidently.
Lu Si’s brow couldn’t help but twitch slightly as he started suspiciously at Yang Kai, “How do you know that this old master doesn’t cultivate a Yang attribute Secret Art?”
At Lu Si’s realm, he could completely conceal his aura, so if he didn’t voluntarily release any True Qi, even a peak Immortal Ascension Boundary master shouldn’t be able to examine his Secret Art’s attribute. Given that, how was Yang Kai so sure about his assumption then?
However, Yang Kai simply grinned and didn’t explain any further.
Lu Si’s momentary lapse in composure had already affirmed Yang Kai’s guess so he didn’t deny it any further, “Young Master Yang speaks correctly. Me sitting on this jade bed has nothing to do with cultivating.”
Yang Kai’s smile became even more brilliant as he continued, “En, then there is only one explanation left. Senior Si spending so much time sitting atop this Yang Crystal Jade Bed must be… in order to heal yourself or something similar.”
Lu Si’s eyes narrowed slightly while all the other members of the Lu Family sucked in a sharp breath. The atmosphere suddenly became tense as everyone felt their hearts tighten, secretly marveling at how sinister Yang Kai’s eyes were!
Lu Si’s existence was the foundation upon which the Lu Family’s first-class family status was built, so it was also the Lu Family’s greatest secret that he had a chronic disability! If this secret were to become known, it would cause no small turmoil.
Forget the world’s true top influences, just the other nearby first-class families would surely try to take advantage of this information.
Seemingly not noticing the dangerous light which flashed across Lu Si’s eyes, Yang Kai continued to talk indifferently, “Senior Si, although you have concealed your aura to the extreme, there is still a lingering sense of weakness around you while the True Qi circulating through your meridians is somewhat turbid. At times it seems rushed and at others unsteady. If junior is not mistaken… Senior Si’s meridians are partially obstructed, correct?”
Lu Si’s pupils shrank sharply as he stared at Yang Kai like he was seeing some kind of monster, and his calm demeanor vanished as his expression became filled with waves!
Noticing carefully, this young man in front of him really was just a True Element Boundary Seventh Stage cultivator!
However, in terms of knowledge and vision, he had exceeded many Immortal Ascension Boundary masters! His opinions and speculations had almost perfectly exposed Lu Si’s current condition!
Lu Si’s look gradually became ugly as all the Lu Family Elders outside stared in horror!
Obviously they were terrified that this incredible secret had become known to an outsider.
Yang Kai suddenly laughed heartily before saying, “If it was someone else who dared say this in front of Senior Si, they would probably be immediately turned into a corpse.”
“En!” Lu Si nodded as he composed himself, “For the sake of the Lu Family’s peace, what does it matter if a few people die!”
“Good! But it’s different for me, right? It’s impossible for the Lu Family to even think of killing me.” Yang Kai said in a carefree manner, completely unconcerned about this potential life or death crisis.
Lu Si ground his teeth bitterly as Lu Liang and the other Elders outside hung their heads.
“Now that I know the Lu Family’s greatest secret, what does Senior Si want to use in order to seal my mouth?” Yang Kai smiled innocently at him.
Lu Si’s expression cramped up again, for the first time feeling like he was being played around with by a junior, but just thinking about Yang Kai’s status and the colossus behind him gave Lu Si a headache.
“No matter what conditions Young Master Yang has, my Lu Family will do its best to meet them; however, this Yang Crystal Jade Bed is still out of the question.” Lu Si was filled with regret, had he only known how perceptive and cunning this little brat was he would never have called out to him just to satisfy his curiosity. He had simply lifted a stone only to pound his own foot; he’d invited a thief into his own home!
Yang Kai’s brow wrinkled, even after reaching this point, Lu Si was still adamant about the Yang Crystal Jade Bed, obviously this treasure’s importance was out of the ordinary to him.
This large piece of Precious Jade was no doubt a Mysterious Grade Quality Precious Treasure that contained a vast amount of pure Yang Qi. Lu Si must be using the Yang energy within it to dredge and warm his meridians, so if Yang Kai were to really take it away, Lu Si would also die shortly afterwards. It was absolutely impossible for the Lu Family to let go of it.
Sinking into thought for a moment, Yang Kai suddenly looked up and asked, “Is there no other solution to Senior Si’s condition?”
If Lu Si no longer need to use the Yang Crystal Jade Bed to stabilize his meridians, then pursuing this issue any further would be pointless. If there was no other way, Yang Kai could only reluctantly give up.
“There is!” But to Yang Kai’s surprise, Lu Si immediately gave an affirmative response.
“Oh? What is this alternative solution?” Yang Kai suddenly saw a glimmer of hope and hurriedly asked.
“A special spirit pill!” Lu Si glanced at Yang Kai and grinned, “If you can help this old master acquire this pill, this old master will gladly hand this Precious Jade over to you.”
Lu Si making such a bold statement clearly indicated to Yang Kai that what he needed was definitely no ordinary pill.
“A Mysterious Grade pill?” Yang Kai smiled perceptively.
“Good, a Mysterious Grade Mid-Rank pill!” Lu Si added.
Yang Kai expression shook. A Mysterious Grade Mid-Rank pill! In this world, only a handful of Grandmasters were able to refine this type of pill, even just finding the required materials would not be easy not to mention there was a decent chance of failure when refining it. Which Mysterious Grade Mid-Rank pill was not worth millions of silvers?
However, while others would break their heads trying to find someone to refine such a pill, Yang Kai actually knew two people he could immediately ask.
Xiao Fu Sheng and Xia Ning Chang!
Xiao Fu Sheng was the best Alchemist in the world and could even refine Mysterious Grade Top-Rank pills!
Xia Ning Chang was able to refine Mysterious Grade Low-Rank pills the last time Yang Kai had seen her, and given her talent and special physique, after such a long time, her skills had no doubt improved greatly. Refining a Mysterious Grade Mid-Rank pill shouldn’t be difficult for her.
Seeing the awkward expression on Yang Kai’s face, Lu Si laughed again, “This old master will take a step back. The alchemy’s material, my Lu Family will help you cobble together, if you can then find someone to help this old master refine this pill, then this Yang Crystal Jade Bed will belong to you!”
“Really?” Yang Kai’s face suddenly lit up.
Lu Si’s brow couldn’t help twitching, and an unpleasant feeling filled his heart, as he wondered why this little brat suddenly seemed extremely excited! But it didn’t seem like a cunning expression, more like one filled with confidence.
Did this kid really have a connection with an Alchemy Grandmaster?
However, Lu Si was also an Above Immortal Ascension Boundary master, when water was poured out, it was naturally impossible take it back, so immediately recovering, he nodded his head firmly, “This old master means what he says!”
“Hahahaha!” Yang Kai couldn’t help laughing joyously, “If so then this matter is easy to resolve, Senior Si, it seems like your Jade Bed must change its surname!”
Seeing him boast so shamelessly, Lu Si couldn’t hold back his curiosity any longer and hesitantly asked, “Does Young Master Yang really have a way?”
“En en, naturally I have a way!” Yang Kai nodded.
Lu Si felt his breath choke up; he had been trapped atop this Yang Crystal Jade Bed for several years now because of the problems with his meridians. To the outside world, he was an Above Immortal Ascension Boundary master, feared and admired by all, but in private, he had actually become a suffering old man trapped in his room.
If he could really get his hands on that profound pill, Lu Si could not only cure himself, he could also regain his freedom! Even if it were to cost him this Precious Jade, the gains were completely worth it!
Swallowing audibly, Lu Si did his best to suppress the trembling in his voice and asked, “Which illustrious Grandmaster is Young Master Yang acquainted with?”
Yang Kai grinned meaningfully and replied, “This junior lived atop Medicine King’s Valley Hidden Cloud Peak for some time!”
Lu Si’s look changed slightly while the Lu Family leadership outside also thought they had misheard.
After a long pause, Lu Si asked once again, “Hidden Cloud Peak? Grandmaster Xiao Fu Sheng’s secluded retreat?”
“En.”
Lu Si’s expression suddenly became strange as he looked Yang Kai up and down and frowned, “Young Master Yang isn’t cracking a joke, right?”
“Of course I’m not joking.”
Lu Si’s face became even more confused, before slowly shaking his head as he slowly spoke, “It is not that this old master doesn’t trust Young Master Yang’s words, but… Grandmaster Xiao seems to have only one apprentice, and she’s a young woman. Not to mention, this old master has personally been to Hidden Cloud Peak two months ago, but didn’t see Young Master Yang there.”
“Two months ago?” Yang Kai frowned, “Two months ago I was still stuc… battling the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land forces. Naturally you didn’t see me, I only actually stayed on Hidden Cloud Peak for a few months before leaving.”
Suddenly thinking of something, he asked, “Since Senior Si has already been to Hidden Cloud Peak, why did you not ask Grandmaster Xiao to help you already?”
Lu Si grinned, “At the time, Medicine King’s Valley was still in turmoil and Grandmaster Xiao was extremely busy. According to his disciple, it seemed as though he was immersed in studying something. This old master had the privilege of climbing Hidden Cloud Peak, but unfortunately never got the chance to speak with Grandmaster Xiao.”
Speaking of this experience, Lu Si didn’t display the slightest embarrassment on his face.
This was Xiao Fu Sheng!
Xiao Fu Sheng wasn’t a powerhouse, and Medicine King’s Valley was just a second-class Sect, but even an apex master like Lu Si has gone there yet failed to even see Xiao Fu Sheng face to face.
However, Lu Si didn’t dare to complain in the slightest, and his words still contained the utmost level of respect for Grandmaster Xiao Fu Sheng!
“I see…” Yang Kai smiled wickedly and said, “If I could let Grandmaster Xiao help you refine that spirit pill, would that count as fulfilling our agreement?”
“You?” Lu Si looked at him awkwardly and slowly shook his head, “How could you so easily move Grandmaster Xiao?”
Outside, Lu Liang also interjected, “Young Master Yang, some things cannot be spoken casually.”
Yang Kai continued staring at Lu Si indifferently and also shook his head, “Whether I have the qualifications to speak such words, you’ll have to see for yourself. Although I didn’t stay on Hidden Cloud Peak for a long time, asking Grandmaster Xiao for such a small request is no trouble at all.”
Lu Si stared hard at Yang Kai, not capable of blinking at this point.
Outside, Lu Liang and the Lu Family Elders were also surprised. They all knew Xiao Fu Sheng’s name, and they also understood what kind of status he held. Even the Lu Family’s top person, Lu Si, was shrugged off by him! As such, they all couldn’t think of how a young kid like Yang Kai could move Grandmaster Xiao.
On top of that, a Mysterious Grade Mid-Rank pill wasn’t some ordinary pill. Even for Grandmaster Xiao, refining it would take quite a lot of time and effort.
“This will be your best chance to obtain that pill, Senior Si should think over it carefully.” Yang Kai continued looking at Lu Si with a smile.
Lu Si remained uncertain, obviously he was torn whether or not to believe Yang Kai.
Logically, this Yang Family Young Lord didn’t need to deceive him like this, but on the other hand he was still just a junior, and it was normal for young people to like bragging.
After brooding over this decision for a long time, Lu Si suddenly said, “It is not that this old master doesn’t trust Young Master Yang, but since you’ve dared to say this, it means that your relationship with Grandmaster Xiao isn’t something casual.”
Yang Kai nodded, still remaining indifferent.
“If Young Master Yang has really spent some time on Hidden Cloud Peak, then this old master would like to ask you a few questions.” Lu Si obviously wanted to verify whether Yang Kai was telling the truth or not.
“Senior Si, feel free.”
Lu Si saw no signs of panic in his expression and nodded slightly, quickly proceeding, “Grandmaster Xiao has a disciple, is Young Master Yang acquainted with her?”
Yang Kai laughed and said, “Did Senior Si not inquire about that disciple’s name?”
“It seems her name was Dong Qing Yan, the eldest daughter of the Dong Family.”
“The Dong Family is related to my Yang Family by marriage, Dong Qing Yan is my cousin!”
Lu Si’s brow furrowed, suddenly recalling something and calling out in shock, “So that person was originally Young Master Yang!”
“Em? What person?” Yang Kai asked in confusion.
“When this old master went to Hidden Cloud Peak, he heard some people say that half a year ago, Grandmaster Xiao had put on a trial to receive disciples. At that time one man and one woman successfully passed. The woman was Dong Qing Yan and the man was said to be Young Lady Dong’s guard… it seems that this guard was actually Young Master Yang!”
“En!” Yang Kai didn’t deny this but supplemented quickly, “While that’s true, I did not officially become Grandmaster Xiao’s disciple.”
When the rest of the Lu Family members heard this, all of them couldn’t help feeling stunned.
Unexpectedly, there was still a connection between Yang Kai and Xiao Fu Sheng. Passing the test of Xiao Fu Sheng meant that he was qualified to become Xiao Fu Sheng’s direct disciple! With such an Alchemy Grandmaster as his teacher, even if he were to lose in the Yang Family’s Inheritance War, he wouldn’t have any worries about his future prospects.
As this thought flashed through Lu Liang’s head, he felt he should revise his opinion of Yang Kai once more.
Lu Si was already eighty percent convinced that Yang Kai was telling the truth by this point, but to be prudent he still asked one last question, “This old master stayed on Hidden Cloud Peak for a few days and had the privilege of seeing what Grandmaster Xiao was studying thanks to Young Lady Dong, Might I ask Young Master Yang, what exactly was it that Grandmaster Xiao was so zealously studying?”
Yang Kai’s expression was incomparably calm as he casual replied, “A Spirit Array!”
Something that Xiao Fu Sheng would be so anxious to study was definitely related to those Alchemy Spirit Arrays.
It should be the Spirit Arrays that Yang Kai had asked Xia Ning Chang to give to Grandmaster Xiao when he had left Hidden Cloud Peak.
Lu Si was shocked and finally determined that the relationship between Yang Kai and Xiao Fu Sheng was indeed extraordinary, otherwise it would be impossible to know this information.
“It should be such a Spirit Array!” Yang Kai said as he drew a Spirit Array on the floor.
Lu Si quickly held his breath and stared in concentration. The Spirit Array was mysterious and complex and it was unclear what its function was even to a powerful master like Lu Si. Even though he had seen it a few times on Hidden Cloud Peak, Lu Si could still only recall about half of its contents.
However, Yang Kai had now casually drawn the entire Spirit Array in front of him; obviously he was already extremely familiar with it.
“Indeed!” Lu Si nodded his head firmly. Although he still didn’t understand its function, after closing his eyes and focusing, the Spirit Array before him was definitely the same one he had seen on Hidden Cloud Peak.
After he finished drawing it, Yang Kai casually wiped away the Spirit Array and looked up at Lu Si.
At this moment, this powerful master of the Lu Family finally dared not question Yang Kai as he was likely the key to him obtaining that spirit pill.
Staring at him nervously with some traces of expectation, Lu Si even spoke with some trepidation, “Young Master Yang, about that pill…”
“Give me a brush and paper, I’ll write a letter for you!”
“Get a brush and paper, quickly!” Lu Si shouted anxiously at the crowd outside, and a ruddy glow suddenly appeared on his old face.
Everyone outside the house felt their hearts jump as they heard Lu Si’s command, all of them nearly overcome with excitement. Lu Liang quickly shouted to one of the Elders in the back, “Go quickly!”
This Immortal Ascension Boundary Elder didn’t dare delay in the slightest, as he transformed into a blue streak of light and disappeared from the courtyard.
After only ten breaths of time, this Elder returned with a brush, ink, and paper in hand and respectfully stepped into Lu Si’s room, and placed these items in front of Yang Kai before quickly withdrawing.
“Young Master Yang, please!” Lu Si personally spread out the paper and dipped the brush into the ink before handing it to Yang Kai.
Yang Kai took up the brush, smiled lightly and began writing.
Lu Si stared at him with frightening concentration, refusing to miss a single stroke of his brush.
Yang Kai’s letter was very plain and the content was just as Lu Si thought, a simple request to Grandmaster Xiao to help Lu Si refine a pill.
After he finished writing, Yang Kai handed the letter over to Lu Si who carefully used his True Qi to dry it. Then he folded it neatly and tucked it into his chest pocket, at last exhaling a long breath.
It was so exaggerated one might be think he Lu Si was handling his newborn son instead of a simple letter.
“I’ve let Young Master Yang see something embarrassing.” After completing this, Lu Si gratefully cupped his fists and bowed.
“It’s nothing!”
“Young Master Yang, please rest a few more days in my Lu Family, this old master will go to Hidden Cloud Peak immediately, if what you’ve said is all true, this old man will surely deliver you this jade bed!” Lu Si said sincerely.
Yang Kai’s brow furrowed, “I’m afraid that’s not possible, I’d like to take this jade bed now as I still have to hurry back to the Central Capital.”
Lu Si immediately showed an embarrassed expression, “But this is a Mysterious Grade Mid-Rank pill. Even if Grandmaster Xiao comes forward personally, it isn’t an absolute certainty it can be refined. In case the refining fails, this old master will still need this jade bed.”
What Lu Si said was also true. Although Xiao Fu Sheng could indeed refine Mysterious Grade Top-Rank pills, even the greatest of Alchemists did not dare say they would certainly be successful. It was entirely possible that Grandmaster Xiao would not be successful in refining this pill.
At that point, if the jade bed was gone, Lu Si would really have no place to cry.
“Hmm, in that case, can you can help me deliver something to Grandmaster Xiao, if so, I guarantee you that the pill you want will be refined successfully!” Yang Kai paused for a moment and thought before shouting to the Lu Family members outside, “Does anyone have a jade slip they don’t need?”
Outside the house, the various Elders all glanced back and forth at one another, their eyes all eventually landed on a piece of pure white jade hanging around Lu Liang’s neck.
Lu Liang subconsciously clutched this jade pendant and glared back at the crowd, “What are you staring at? This old man’s jade has been worn on my neck for so many years! It is irreplaceable!”
“Take it off!” Lu Si yelled decisively, causing Lu Liang to cringe.
Stepping into the house, Lu Liang reluctantly took the jade pendant from his neck, grit his teeth and with an ugly smile asked Yang Kai, “Young Master Yang, what do you want with this old master’s jade pendant?”
Yang Kai grinned, took the ade slip from Lu Liang and then released his True Qi into it, carving an elaborate set of markings into it.
Lu Liang suddenly felt his heart clench. In front of his eyes, he watched as his jade pendant now in Yang Kai’s hand had streams of True Qi drill into it, yet no apparent damage seemed to be done.
Contemplating for a moment, both Lu Si and Lu Liang couldn’t help but feel amazed, and the more they watched, the more they were shocked, even gradually displaying a look of respect.
How could they not see that Yang Kai was manipulating his True Qi to carve a set of inscriptions into the jade pendant?
In simple terms, he was using this method to transmit a message!
This would allow him to pass along a massive amount of information on a very small medium!
This was easy to describe, but extremely hard to do. Very subtle and precise manipulation of one’s True Qi was required to accomplish this, and any slight mistake would lead to complete failure!
After a long time, Yang Kai opened his fist and handed the jade pendant to Lu Si, “Give this to Grandmaster Xiao and I guarantee you that he’ll refine you that pill!”
His tone portrayed absolute confidence.
Lu Si once again handled this jade with great care.
Yang Kai suddenly grinned at that moment and said, “The information on this jade can only be read once before it will disappear, so Senior Si must be gentle while handling it.”
Lu Si was stunned for an instant before immediately smiling, understanding that the information contained in this jade was extremely important so Yang Kai had used such a method to maintain its confidentiality.
Not minding these thoughts, Lu Si expression become solemn again.
To the side, Lu Liang coughed awkwardly before saying, “Elder Si, this is my precious jade pendant which has accompanied me for many years, please make sure to bring it back!”
Lu Si simply glanced at him, causing Lu Liang to chuckle helplessly before quickly stepping back.
“Might this old master ask what information is contained in this jade slip?” Lu Si couldn’t help asking curiously.
“An Alchemic Spirit Array, but a different one from the one you just saw. If you bring it to Grandmaster Xiao, he’ll know what it is.” Yang Kai smiled lightly.
When he had left Hidden Cloud Peak, Yang Kai had only glanced through a few Spirit Arrays from the True Alchemic Way but now he had studied several more of them, passing along this new knowledge was not a big deal for him.
If he remembered correctly, the Spirit Array he left behind was one that could occasionally improve the quality of a refined pill.
But now, Yang Kai had also learned a great deal more of the mysteries of the True Alchemic Way. The Spirit Array he had just given Lu Si was one that could improve the success rate of refining a pill, and its grade was much higher than the previous one, so he was absolutely confident in his statement.
With Xiao Fu Sheng’s Alchemy level coupled with this Spirit Array, it could be said that refining the pill Lu Si wanted was guaranteed.
“Can you be sure that the pill refining won’t fail?” Lu Si asked trepidatiously.
“Absolutely!” Yang Kai stated once more.
“But what if…”
“There are no ifs!”
Lu Si grinned wryly, really not knowing what to say.
Yang Kai had already stood up and cupped his hands towards Lu Si, “Senior Si, it’s best to act decisively, I believe it shouldn’t take you long to rush to Hidden Cloud Peak.”
“En, good!” Being prodded so, Lu Si made up his mind and stood up excitedly.
The pill ingredients had long ago been gathered. Although these materials weren’t easy to find, given the Lu Family’s capital and the importance of Lu Si, it wasn’t too difficult to collect them.
Lu Si acted swiftly, pulling out a number of jade boxes from a hidden storage in the room, each one carefully storing one of the required spirit herbs.
After packing everything carefully into his travel bag, he turned around and saw that Yang Kai had at some point hoisted the Yang Crystal Jade Bed onto his shoulder, grinning happily and showed his teeth.
“Senior Si, it’s been a pleasure doing business with you.” Yang Kai laughed and strode out with the jade bed.
Lu Si opened his mouth to say something but quickly swallowed his words back down.
As of now, all he could do was hope that what Yang Kai had said was true.
Lu Liang and others who were waiting outside and stared awkwardly as Yang Kai arrogantly walked off with this Precious Treasure.
This… this…
This was Grand Elder Si’s lifesaving Yang Crystal Jade Bed. Was it really going to be carried off just like that? Prying their eyes away from Yang Kai, they saw Grand Elder Si wearing a helpless expression.
All the Lu Family Elders were dumbstruck.
“No need to see me out!” Yang Kai smiled and nodded towards everyone before carefreely walking out.
It was as if a robber had come, taken all their money, and showed off his haul before departing. What was worse, the Lu Family masters could only stand there and watch as it happened.
A moment later, Yang Kai felt a hand on his shoulder.
Looking back, Yang Kai saw Lu Si standing behind him awkwardly, traces of nervousness and hesitation flashed across his face.
“Hm, what is it?” Yang Kai suddenly became impatient, haggling over this Yang Crystal Jade Bed with Lu Si for so long was not something he had intended.
“Young Master Yang, this old master wants to ask one last time, are you really certain the Alchemy refinement will succeed?” He apparently still felt a bit worried. As he asked, his eyes unconsciously drifted to the jade bed on Yang Kai’s shoulder, seemingly like he was staring at his old lover, reluctant to part with it.
“If you don’t have the courage to even bet then give me back that letter. I don’t want to do this kind of thankless thing.” Yang Kai coldly snorted, clearly displeased.
Lu Si felt a headache coming on and remained indecisive for a while longer before gritting his teeth and nodding, “Good, this old master will believe you!”
“Good,” Yang Kai declared, “I’ll take my leave!”
Lu Si struggled for a moment to remove his hand then reluctantly stared at the jade bed as Yang Kai walked off.
When Yang Kai’s back had disappeared, the Lu Family group also became extremely worried. Lu Liang quickly stepped forward and asked, “Senior Si, isn’t this all a bit hasty?”
“Then what do you suggest I do about it? With such an opportunity right in front of me, do you want me to just let it slip through my fingertips?” Lu Si was also depressed and sighed. “This is akin to a life or death battle, there’s only one choice, to fight! This old master must set out right away, I will return in a few days.”
Saying so, he leapt into the air, and shot out like lightning, disappearing off into the horizon.
After Lu Si disappeared, Lu Liang stood in thought for a long time before ordering, “All of you, arrange some manpower to observe Young Master Yang and see what he does over the next few days, but don’t expose yourselves.”
The gathered masters nodded somewhat begrudgingly.
……
Behind the Lu Family main yard.
Yang Kai returned to his temporary accommodations with great enthusiasm and stepped through the gate. Upon entering, he saw Qiu Yi Meng and Luo Xiao Man sitting at a table in the yard, looking somewhat bored, Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian sat nearby accompanying them.
After realizing Yang Kai had returned, Qiu Yi Meng was immediately shocked upon seeing the Yang Crystal Jade Bed he was carrying.
“Little Lord!” Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian also quickly stepped forward. The two of them had nearly fully recovered after several days of healing, and no signs of injury or weakness could be seen on them anymore.
“Where did you find such a large piece of Precious Jade?” Qiu Yi Meng asked curiously.
“It’s the Lu Family’s treasure,” Yang Kai responded in an off-handed manner before walking to a nearby stone table in the courtyard to set the jade bed down.
“It’s beautiful.” Luo Xiao Man exclaimed, not understanding much about this treasure, stepping forward to touch the jade bed and muttering, “It’s still warm, it looks like it would be comfortable to sleep on.”
Qiu Yi Meng’s expression suddenly became dignified; she had thought that Yang Kai had simply taken a large piece of Precious Jade from the Lu Family, but upon examining it closer, she realized there was a terrifying amount of energy stored inside this Precious Treasure.
If it were to be used in Artifact Refining, it would definitely have a huge effect.
The more she gently stroked the Yang Crystal Jade Bed, the more she felt that it was not simple.
[This treasure… it seems like its grade is not low.]
Both Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian were also observing, and the seriousness of their expressions was easy to see.
Such a large piece of Precious Jade was a rarity even for the Yang Family, Heaven knows how much money the Lu Family must have spent to acquire this thing.
“Is this… Mysterious Grade Mid-Rank Yang Crystal Jade?” After a long time, Tu Feng hesitantly asked.
Hearing this, everyone wore a shocked expression as all their faces went blank.
Mysterious Grade Mid-Rank… the grade of this treasure was surprisingly high. In this world, amongst all Precious Treasures, Mysterious Grade Top-Rank was the highest, and Mid-Rank and Top-Rank were only a single rank apart.
What was rarest though was that this thing appeared to be a single large piece of Yang Crystal Jade that had naturally formed over an extremely long period of time. It was the ultimate natural bed, even if one didn’t cultivate a positive attribute Secret Art, just sitting above it and cultivating would bring many benefits.
“Are you certain it is Mysterious Grade Mid-Rank?” Qiu Yi Meng looked at Tu Feng in surprise. Although her eyesight wasn’t bad, it was still somewhat inferior to a top rank Immortal Ascension Boundary master.
“It’s definitely Mysterious Grade Mid-Rank.” Tang Yu Xian confirmed, a strange expression slowly spread across her pretty face as she turned towards Yang Kai, “Little Lord, did you really get this from the Lu Family?”
“Of course.”
Qiu Yi Meng frowned and muttered under her breath, “I remember that the Lu Family’s Above Immortal Ascension Boundary Lu Si encountered some difficulties during his breakthrough which led to his meridians becoming damaged. I was told by the Grand Elder of the Qiu Family at that time that it would be best for him to make a bed out of Yang Crystal Jade and cultivate atop it in order to dredge his meridians with mild Yang Qi. My family’s Elder also said that if the Lu Family’s Grand Elder didn’t seek out such a jade bed quickly, not only would his strength fall, but even his life would be threatened… Yang Kai… this couldn’t be Lu Si’s bed, right?”
Qiu Yi Meng heart clenched as she thought of this.
Yang Kai looked at her with slight surprise and said, “You know quite a lot.”
“It is?” Qiu Yi Meng immediately covered her mouth and couldn’t believe what she was hearing.
This time even Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian were shocked. Naturally they knew who Lu Si was, as one of the few Above Immortal Ascension Boundary masters, he had become world famous long ago.
However, no one here could understand what kind of skill Yang Kai had used in order to obtain this jade bed. This thing was comparable to Lu Si’s life!
Wasn’t this like… Yang Kai had killed Lu Si?
“Little Lord…” Tang Yu Xian looked awkwardly at Yang Kai and asked, “What price did you pay in order to get this from Lu Si?”
Qiu Yi Meng and Tu Feng also looked at him curiously.
The pure monetary value of this jade bed was immeasurable, coupled with its special use for Lu Si, if Yang Kai hadn’t paid an enormous price, how could he have safely brought it back with him?
“I just helped him with a little something and he gave it to me as thanks.” Yang Kai smiled indifferently, not saying any more.
Qiu Yi Meng’s eyes flashed, seemingly thinking about something while both Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian were also obviously not convinced by Yang Kai’s statement, and all of them sunk into contemplation.
“Fine, I’ll just ask Lu Liang myself!” Qiu Yi Meng didn’t bother asking anything anymore, simply declaring somewhat begrudgingly.
With the relationship between the Qiu Family and Lu Family, she could naturally obtain the truth by speaking a few words to Lu Liang.
“Do as you’d like!” Yang Kai shrugged indifferently, in any case, it wasn’t like he had anything to hide. Suddenly, his expression became somewhat treacherous, “We’ll spend a few more days here and then set out. Qiu Yi Meng, if you can’t wait, you can head back to the Central Capital ahead of us.”
“Of course I’ll wait for you!” Qiu Yi Meng smiled sweetly.
Clicking his tongue, Yang Kai quickly picked up the Yang Crystal Jade Bed and headed back to his house to cultivate.
“Hmph, trying to act all mysterious!” Qiu Yi Meng lightly snorted, waving her sleeve as she led Luo Xiao Man off, obviously going to seek out Lu Liang to get some answers.
“Young Lady Qiu, once you learn the truth, please inform us too.” Tu Feng laughed.
“En,” Qiu Yi Meng nodded casually.
After Qiu Yi Meng and Luo Xiao Man departed, Tang Yu Xian and Tu Feng both shocked their heads and smiled.
“The longer I stay with the Little Lord, the more I can’t see through him.” Tu Feng whispered.
Tang Yu Xian also deeply nodded, “It seems that he can often bring forth amazing surprises.”
When they had first found Yang Kai, he had been facing off in a life or death battle against four Immortal Ascension Boundary masters. His unyielding heart and aggressive demeanor had made both Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian feel like his disposition suited them. His little trick which had caused the two of them to help him snap the Nan Family’s Young Lord’s fingers and the way he had subdued the Golden Feather Eagle were also impressive.
Upon returning to High Heaven Pavilion, they learned that Yang Kai and the new Demon Lord actually shared the same root.
While at High Heaven Pavilion, Qiu Yi Meng had also strongly advocated for Yang Kai which had brought them no small shock.
A few days ago, when they were sensing his cultivation technique, both of them had inadvertently injured themselves yet the Little Lord remained safe and sound, and now, he had managed to obtain an extremely valuable piece of Precious Jade from the hands of an Above Immortal Ascension Boundary master with seemingly very little effort.
After experiencing all of these events, how could the two of them not marvel at the ability of this Little Lord of theirs?
Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian counted silently and soon realized that from the time they had found Yang Kai to the present, it had only been about one month.
In such a short period of time, whether consciously or unconsciously, he had displayed many unparalleled methods which had slowly made the two Blood Warriors dare not underestimate him.
Without even mentioning his formidable background, just the Little Lord himself seemed very unusual!
Inside his room, Yang Kai sat cross-legged on the Yang Crystal Jade Bed, furiously circulating his True Yang Secret Art.
When Lu Si sat atop this jade bed, he would gently pull a thread of Yang Qi in order to sooth his meridians, but now, Yang Kai wantonly extracted the Yang Qi from the Yang Crystal Jade Bed at an astonishing rate.
Yang Kai’s whole body seemed like it had become a bottomless pit. All of his pores were fully open and exhibited an unparalleled suction power. The golden energy was drawn out from the Yang Crystal Jade Bed at a rate the naked eye could see; it was like hundreds of silk threads were flowing out of the Yang Crystal Jade into Yang Kai’s meridians to gather in his dantian.
An indescribably comfortable feeling suddenly arose inside him.
Yang Kai was astonished by the strength and purity of the Yang Qi in this Mysterious Grade Mid-Rank Precious Jade.
Seeming to have been stimulated by this torrent of Yang Qi, Yang Kai felt his meridians constantly quench and flush themselves of impurities, purifying his Yang Qi and making it denser.
Quickly, Yang Kai felt his meridians swell up. Then, with an accompanying low rumble, a new drop of Yang Liquid formed and was deposited in his dantian.
His once bloated meridians suddenly became empty, and the cycle of Yang Qi intake began again.
The Yang Qi in the Jade Bed quickly transformed into Yang Kai’s strength. The Yang Liquid in his dantian formed one drop after another, and the entire Yang Crystal Jade Bed began to shrink very slowly.
During this process, Yang Kai’s physique, his five viscera, and six organs seemed to undergo an incredible baptism.
Two days later, Yang Kai slowly opened his eyes, and a light flashed across them.
There were now more than two hundred drops of Yang Liquid in his dantian. When he had left the Evil Cavern, Yang Kai only had a trivial twenty or so drops of Yang Liquid left, but now the number had increased tenfold.
It was obvious how terrifying the quantity of Yang Qi contained in this large Yang Crystal Jade Bed was.
Yang Kai’s current Yang Liquid was very different from when he had begun cultivating. Yang Kai’s True Qi was exceptionally pure, and the energy contained in every single drop of Yang Liquid was also many times greater than before; therefore, even if it was only two hundred drops, it was actually an astonishing amount.
At the very least, it was enough to support Yang Kai for a long time.
The entire Yang Crystal Jade Bed had almost disappeared. Lu Si would be shocked that the treasure he had been using to heal himself, the Precious Jade the Lu Family had spent an incalculable fortune to acquire, had nearly disappeared from this world only a couple of days after it had changed hands.
Only a piece small enough to fit in one’s palm was left!
Yang Kai gripped this small piece of Yang Crystal Jade, and his eyes flashed as he stared at it skeptically.
He discovered that he couldn’t absorb the energy in this small piece of Yang Crystal Jade, even if he ran his True Yang Secret Art at full strength. It seemed that there was something mystical inside that was resisting the absorption force from his body.
If he really wanted to absorb it, Yang Kai was confident that he could extract the remaining energy inside the jade piece, but when he discovered such a strange phenomenon, he was more inclined to examine it than simply absorb it.
The palm-sized jade block still had the same golden glow as before, but the richness of its colour was far greater than the peripheral Yang Crystal Jade. The circulating hue almost appeared like a golden molten liquid rather than the previous wisps of gas.
Staring at it curiously though, he couldn’t unravel anything special about it.
After a moment, Yang Kai used his Divine Sense to probe the jade; however, even if he fully exerted his Divine Sense, all he could sense inside the jade block was darkness, like there was absolutely nothing abnormal about it.
With neither his True Qi nor his Divine Sense probes yielding anything, the obvious conclusion was that this piece of jade was just a normal piece of Yang Crystal Jade, but Yang Kai couldn’t shake the feeling that something was unusual about it, so after contemplating for a moment, he called out, “Tu Feng, Yu Xian!”
The door opened soon after, and Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian walked in.
“What orders does Little Lord have?” Tu Feng asked loudly. Tang Yu Xian on the other hand stared at Yang Kai curiously. She discovered that after not seeing him for only two days, this Little Lord of hers seemed to have become stronger. Although his realm remained at the True Element Boundary Seventh Stage, which she knew he had also broken through to not long ago, Yang Kai’s cultivation had largely consolidated, even showing some faint signs of breaking through once more.
[Impossible!] Tang Yu Xian shook her head secretly. After just two days of retreat, how could he have achieved such phenomenal growth?
Also, where did that Yang Crystal Jade Bed go? Tang Yu Xian couldn’t see the large jade bed anywhere inside the house.
Yang Kai casually threw the jade block in his hand to Tu Feng and asked, “Take a look at this thing. Can you discover anything unusual about it?”
Tu Feng took the jade in hand, and his eyes flashed in surprise, but he quickly steadied himself and wrinkled his brow as he released his True Qi and Divine Sense into the block, examining it for a while before shaking his head and replying, “My accomplishments with Divine Sense aren’t as good as Yu Xian’s, it’s best if you let her see it.”
It was now Yang Kai’s turn to look strangely at Tang Yu Xian, not having expected that her Soul would be stronger than Tu Feng’s to the point where he would readily acknowledge it.
Anyone who reached the Immortal Ascension Boundary was not only required to increase the strength of their True Qi but also, and perhaps more importantly, they needed to cultivate their Soul. Some people had a greater understanding and aptitude towards Divine Sense and Soul Skills, and this naturally gave them an advantage over other Immortal Ascension Boundary masters of the same realm.
Apparently Tang Yu Xian was one such person.
Yang Kai nodded, and Tu Feng easily passed the jade block to Tang Yu Xian.
The latter simply smiled softly, took the jade block, closed her eyes, and poured her Divine Sense into it.
Gradually, the look on Tang Yu Xian’s elegant face became slightly serious, apparently she had really discovered something, and thus the output of her Spiritual Energy also began increasing steadily.
Yang Kai’s eyes brightened upon seeing this, and he secretly looked forward to unravelling this mystery.
A good while later, Tang Yu Xian took back her Divine Sense, exhaled softly, and opened her eyes with clear signs of excitement apparent on her face, “Little Lord, this Precious Jade has bred a True Spirit!”
“A True Spirit?” Yang Kai and Tu Feng both exclaimed together.
“A True Spirit!” Tang Yu Xian nodded firmly and quickly elaborated, “On top of that, as far as I can tell, it formed quite some time ago, and has already achieved a certain degree of sentience, so it was able to deceive your Divine Sense.”
“This True Spirit has its own consciousness?” Tu Feng half shouted, “That means, at minimum, it’s over a thousand years old!”
“Ahem!” Yang Kai gave a wink to Tu Feng.
Seeing this, Tu Feng suddenly remembered something and quietly released his Divine Sense to carefully examine the surroundings. A moment later, a harsh coldness filled his expression as he grunted heavily.
In that sweep of the area, he discovered several Immortal Ascension Boundary masters hiding their auras around this house, obviously monitoring the situation inside Yang Kai’s courtyard.
Obviously, these people were masters from the Lu Family!
It wasn’t that Tu Feng’s Divine Sense wasn’t as strong as these people, but these masters had also taken advantage of a few special artifacts which helped hide their presence. If it wasn’t for Yang Kai’s reminder, prompting him to intentionally probe the surroundings, it was likely he wouldn’t have even noticed their presence.
In his heart, Tu Feng was secretly surprised, and did not know whether Yang Kai was just being cautious or if he was already aware of them.
After knowing someone was watching outside, Tu Feng didn’t dare say too much.
Yang Kai beckoned both of them closer, quickly letting Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian sit down a short distance away from himself.
The three of them leaned their heads in closer and whispered softly.
“I’ve heard about some Precious Treasures breeding True Spirits in the past. It is said that if a piece of Precious Jade has an exceptionally long history, there is a chance for it to give birth to a True Spirit. Is this the situation right now?” Yang Kai asked in a lowered voice.
Tang Yu Xian nodded slightly, whispering, “En, it’s just that the chance of such a True Spirit forming inside such a jade is exceptionally small. Out of over 10,000 Precious Jades of such age, it’s not certain even one will breed a True Spirit.”
As she spoke, her expression became slightly agitated. “But once a True Spirit is born inside a Precious Jade, its value immediately rises several tens of times.”
Tu Feng also nodded in agreement, “Indeed.”
Yang Kai suddenly became interested and asked curiously, “What kind of uses does such a True Spirit have?”
The two Blood Warriors looked at each other and suddenly felt relieved; after they had started accompanying Yang Kai, it was always he who had marveled both of them, but now it seems that he really was still just a young man. In terms of knowledge and information, he was still not a match for them.
[It turns out we can still be of use to this Little Lord.] Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian thought to themselves.
Putting aside these distracting thoughts, Tang Yu Xian hurriedly replied, “The formation of a True Spirit is incredibly difficult and can only occur in the largest and highest quality jade mines. If I’m not mistaken, the Lu Family’s Yang Crystal Jade Bed should have been extracted from a large scale Yang Crystal Jade mine. The Yang Crystal Jade in that mine was likely very high in grade, and that Yang Crystal Jade Bed was likely the core of the mine.”
“And this small piece should be the inner most piece of that Yang Crystal Jade Bed, right?”
At this point, Tang Yu Xian naturally could guess the origin of this jade block.
“En.”
Tang Yu Xian smiled brilliantly, “The Lu Family must have thought that the Yang Crystal Jade Bed was the essence of that jade mine, but in fact, this palm sized piece of jade is the core of that essence! The energy contained within it and its true value is probably higher than the rest of that entire jade mine!”
Yang Kai suddenly became infected with her excitement.
“Also, the most important aspect of a True Spirit… is it can achieve sentience!” Tang Yu Xian’s eyes flashed a fervent light, not making any effort to conceal the enthusiasm in her voice, “If it can be refined into an artifact, then when the artifact is completed, its grade will surely be improved by leaps and bound, it’s even possible that if an Artifact Refining Grandmaster were to refine an artifact with it, it could possibly become a Spirit Grade artifact!”
Spirit Grade artifact!
That was something only heard of in legends.
Xiao Fu Sheng’s lifelong pursuit had been to be the first person to refine a Spirit Grade pill. In a similar fashion, the highest level of artifact so far had always been Mysterious Grade Top-Rank and such artifacts were extremely scarce, there had never been a confirmed Spirit Grade artifact.
It seemed as if there was some kind of power in this world that suppressed the advancement of Artifact Refinement and Alchemy, making Mysterious Grade Top-Rank the highest achievable height.
“If you give it some time and allow it to fully develop its consciousness, then it will certainly be able to play a huge role. This is truly a blessing from the Heavens, an unparalleled good fortune!” Tu Feng quickly added.
“Oh? How long will that take?” Yang Kai asked.
Tang Yu Xian smiled wryly, “At the very least, it will take a few hundred years, most likely more.”
Yang Kai couldn’t help but roll his eyes.
A few hundred years later, who knew if he would be dead or alive.
“The growth of a True Spirit is definitely slow as it’s not a physical entity per-say, but if it does achieve maturity, it will become unrivaled in this world.”
“Is it really so powerful?” Yang Kai inhaled a sharp breath.
“It is most certainly that powerful,” Tang Yu Xian nodded, and her expression became serious, “In addition to Artifact Refining, if you can safely absorb this True Spirit, it will provide a tremendous boost to your strength, it may even grant you some unexpected benefits or even bestow upon you some kind of Heaven defying ability.”
Hearing this last bit of information, Yang Kai suddenly felt the urge to immediately absorb the True Spirit.
Tang Yu Xian obviously saw this look in Yang Kai’s eyes and quickly waved her hands, sternly warning, “Little Lord, you mustn’t act impulsively! The energy contained within this small piece of jade is beyond your imagination, if you really tried to assimilate it now, the results would be disastrous.”
“I know.” Yang Kai saw her so earnestly remind him and was secretly surprised; however, he understood that trying to absorb this True Spirit now would leave him more unfortunate than fortunate.
After seeing Yang Kai’s honest reply, Tang Yu Xian returned the small piece of jade to him and said, “Little Lord has gotten something good, but make sure you don’t spread such news around or I’m afraid many of this world’s powerhouses will seek trouble with you over it.”
“En.” Yang Kai nodded, as he carefully stowed the jade piece into his Black Book space, inside there it would be near impossible for someone else to find.
Tu Feng grinned, chuckling slightly, “It looks like the Lu Family has eaten a big loss this time.”
No matter what Yang Kai had paid for Lu Si’s Jade Bed, it was obvious that he had picked up an incredible bargain.
Tang Yu Xian also smiled happily, “They must not have imagined it possible that a True Spirit would exist within that Yang Crystal Jade.”
This True Spirit had already begun to form its consciousness, so it was able to deceive most masters’ Divine Senses. Before, when it was hiding inside the Yang Crystal Jade Bed, it was unlikely that Lu Si had discovered it, otherwise it would have been impossible for him to give it to Yang Kai.
“Hmph, the Lu Family has some guts, even daring to monitor Little Lord’s movements. Such people are not worthy of trying to win over!” Tu Feng grumbled, “Yu Xian and I have already fully recovered. Little Lord, when do you plan on setting out again?”
“We’ll leave tomorrow,” Yang Kai said decisively. He hadn’t planned on staying at the Lu Family home for a long time, and he had only tarried here these past few days in order to let the two Blood Warriors heal and so that he could absorb the energy in the Yang Crystal Jade.
Having been away from home for so many years, even Yang Kai couldn’t wait to go back to see his family.
“Good, I’ll inform Young Lady Qiu, she had said she wanted to travel together with us earlier.” Tang Yu Xian nodded.
Yang Kai’s intent to leave the Lu Family soon spread.
Lu Liang and the rest of the Lu Family Elders collectively breathed a sigh of relief upon learning this. Although they couldn’t express exactly why, every day Yang Kai was here was another day they felt uncomfortable. They even worried slightly that the other Yang Family Young Lords would learn that their Lu Family had been in contact with Yang Kai.
In the evening, Lu Liang once again hosted a grand banquet for Yang Kai and Qiu Yi Meng.
At the banquet, everyone talked about their past heroics and future aspirations, but the Yang Family Inheritance War and the Central Capital’s current situation were both glossed over completely.
Qiu Yi Meng looked around and immediately understood that the Lu Family was not optimistic about Yang Kai, but she didn’t make any effort to persuade them otherwise and ate very little before departing early, exactly the same as she had done the first night they had arrived.
Yang Kai also simply enjoyed the feast, not once bringing up the idea of winning over the Lu Family. Instead, he drank and ate the various delicacies and spirit fruits placed before him merrily, allowing Lu Liang and the others to unconsciously feel relieved.
All of them were fearful that he would broach the subject of recruiting them to his cause at the last minute. If he did, Lu Liang didn’t know how he would respond.
Although the wine was the same as before, but different from when he had arrived, the other’s attitude towards Yang Kai had undergone some subtle changes. The Lu Family leaders were still respectful and polite, but they also seemed less inclined to flatter or curry favour with him.
Once three rounds of drink had been downed, everyone returned to their respective residences to rest.
The next day, all of the Lu Family’s leadership came to see Yang Kai and Qiu Yi Meng off from the main entrance with Lu Liang at their head.
Lu Liang sincerely stared towards Yang Kai and said, “Young Master Yang, safe journeys on your way to the Central Capital, and remember, this Inheritance War cannot be taken lightly.”
Yang Kai nodded lightly.
Lu Liang suddenly smiled and continued, “Since Young Master Yang has honoured my Lu Family with a visit, this Lu also wishes to deliver you some silver as a token of friendship. I hope that Young Master Yang will not decline.”
Saying so, he beckoned to a man behind him.
The man hurried forward upon being summoned and held out a box of silver coins with both hands.
Both Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian’s expression became slightly dark, obviously unhappy, as they coldly glanced towards Yang Kai, waiting for his instructions.
However, Yang Kai didn’t seem to notice anything and instead smiled back and nodded, “Since Patriarch Lu wishes to send this Young Lord a gift, I have no reason to decline! Tu Feng, accept it.”
“Yes!” Tu Feng nodded lightly and took up the box of silver coins.
“The Lu Family wishes Young Master Yang victory in the Inheritance War and glory in your future!” Lu Liang gently cupped his fists and shouted.
Yang Kai laughed seemingly happily, “This Young Lord will take advantage of Patriarch Lu’s auspicious words!”
Saying so, Yang Kai mounted his Cloud Treading Colt and turned to leave, Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian quickly following behind.
Qiu Yi Meng and Luo Xiao Man also mounted on the Cloud Treading Colts the Lu Family had prepared for them and set out, but after a few steps Qiu Yi Meng paused and whispered with a sigh, “Lu Liang, this time, I’m afraid you’ve misjudged!”
Lu Liang’s expression changed slight and tried to say something, but Qiu Yi Meng had already urged her Cloud Treading Colt forward and was moving away at great speed.
Behind him, the Lu Family Elders all wore uncomfortable expressions.
“I’ve misjudged?” Lu Liang frowned and turned over the words Qiu Yi Meng had left him. Her meaning was obvious, it was clear that she blamed Lu Liang for despising Yang Kai.
[But… even if you are the First Young Lady of the Qiu Family, in the end, you’re still nothing but a young woman! In terms of vision or strategy, how can you compare with this old master?]
Although Lu Liang was also somewhat disturbed by these final words, he eventually dismissed Qiu Yi Meng’s rebuke.
[After all, time will only prove that this old master hasn’t miscalculated!]
The Five Cloud Treading Colts galloped quickly with Qiu Yi Meng and Luo Xiao Man slowly catching up from behind.
After leaving the Lu Family, both Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian had always been in a mood, unintentionally staring towards Yang Kai.
When they had departed, Lu Liang’s attitude had seemed to be sincere and generous; however, what was actually going through his mind was apparent to everyone.
If the Lu Family really wanted to make friends with Yang Kai, they wouldn’t have seen him off with a bit of money!
What was the Inheritance War truly about? It was a contest which compared the communication and leadership skills of the Yang Family Young Lords.
The most important factors were how many talents they could recruit and how many materials they could gather!
If the Lu Family wanted to stand by Yang Kai’s side to participate in the Inheritance War, at the very least they should have provided him with some manpower, Precious Treasures, artifacts, or martial techniques.
Then what did it mean to only give Yang Kai some silver? In this world, sometimes, there were things money couldn’t buy. This was especially true when it came to rare and valuable things.
Although Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian had only been accompanying Yang Kai for a short time, but they were well aware that Yang Kai’s talent and aptitude were extraordinary.
In terms of Yang Kai’s future achievements, both of them were full of confidence.
The Lu Family treating Yang Kai so disdainfully had clearly made the two Blood Warriors uncomfortable.
There was just one thing they couldn’t understand… If the Lu Family wasn’t planning to support Yang Kai, then why did they bother giving him these silver coins at all? This was almost like saying ‘I don’t want to stand on the same side as you, I’d still like to make friends with you’.
It was just Yang Kai who knew that Lu Liang had only decided to give him some silver when he learned about his relationship with Xiao Fu Sheng. If it weren’t out of consideration for Xiao Fu Sheng’s face, it was likely that Lu Liang wouldn’t have given him anything.
Seemingly aware of the two Blood Warriors discontent, Qiu Yi Meng rolled her eyes and said, “If you have something to say, why bother enduring?”
Tu Feng spat disdainfully, before angrily replying, “Then I’ll speak. Young Lady Qiu, you should let my words pass from your left ear to your right, like you never even heard them.”
“Good, speak, I’m also interested in what you have to say!”
“Little Lord!” Tu Feng shouted, “I’ve checked, Lu Liang really only gave you a bit of silver, there’s only three million worth of coin in this box, isn’t that a bit too stingy?”
“Then how much do you want?” Yang Kai glanced back at him, laughing dumbly.
“His Lu Family is also a first-class family! What does it mean to give only three million silvers? If one buys a few bottles of good pills, or a couple good artifacts, this money will be gone! At the very least he should have given ten million silvers, a gift of three million silvers only serves to lose face for the Lu Family!”
“That’s right, this so called gift of theirs is no better than an insult!” Tang Yu Xian also nodded deeply.
“Three million silvers is three million more than zero,” Yang Kai said with a grin, “I’m not afraid to tell you, this Young Lord currently has no silver on him at all! These three million silvers are actually quite useful to me.”
“Although this money may look like a lot, but when it comes to the Inheritance War, money is essentially the most useless resource,” Tu Feng replied indignantly. “Lu Liang clearly knows this, yet he still went through with this farce, if not for his Lu Family’s relationships with Young Lady Qiu’s family, I’d have beaten him bloody and forced him to swallow these silver coins!”
Qiu Yi Meng shook her head and smiled, “Lu Liang really was short-sighted this time, but… it’s not like he is completely to blame, it was more because your Little Lord was acting too outrageously!”
“Young Lady Qiu, what do you mean to say, how can you blame the Little Lord?” Tang Yu Xian was shocked for a moment.
“Why don’t you ask him yourself? He knows best how he acted in the Lu Family these past few days.” Qiu Yi Meng said, pulling her Cloud Treading Colt abreast to Yang Kai’s and glaring towards him, “Why you, are you even aware of what your own situation is right now? Why did you so offhandedly dismiss the opportunity I set up for you to win over the Lu Family?”
Yang Kai only glanced at her for a moment before turning his eyes away.
“Hey, I asked you a question!” Qiu Yi Meng shouted, unable to hold back any longer, “Don’t you understand that not only did you fail to make an ally, but you may have also added to your enemies!? If you keep acting like this, you’ll soon find yourself surrounded on all sides!”
“An ally?” Yang Kai sneered, “Someone who’s only interested in gaining the most benefits they can from associating with me isn’t qualified to be my ally!”
“Where are you going to find allies who don’t have their own interests? Don’t you think you’re being too naive?”
“I’m too lazy to explain myself to you, how I do things is none of your concern!”
Qiu Yi Meng nearly choked at this harsh rejection and suddenly wore an annoyed expression as she replied in a low voice, “Just you wait, after this Young Lady arrives back at the Central Capital, I’ll join forces with one of the other Yang Family Young Lords and trample flat that smug face of yours!”
Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian suddenly became short of breath and hurriedly said, “Young Lady Qiu, please have care how you speak.”
Yang Kai however just smirked, “You can try, just don’t blame me afterwards for trampling flat your Qiu Family when you lose!”
Qiu Yi Meng stared in shock at Yang Kai, seemingly never thinking he would speak such vicious words to her.
Even Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian behind the pair were overwhelmed. Even they felt that Yang Kai’s remarks were a bit too arrogant and overbearing.
However, they were suddenly put on edge and wanted to say a few words to Yang Kai while soothing Qiu Yi Meng’s anger, but when they saw her expression the two Blood Warriors couldn’t help letting out a sigh of relief. Not only did she not seem to care but instead was smiling as she stared towards Yang Kai. Wearing a beautiful smile as she spoke as sweetly as possible, she asked, “Yang Kai, tell me honestly. Aside from that devilish woman, how many connections do you have and how many forces are you able to draw to your side?”
Yang Kai speaking so confidently had caused Qiu Yi Meng to immediately realize something, so she suddenly showed interest in these matters.
After taking a glance at her though, Yang Kai just laughed wildly and replied, “None, I’m just a loner!”
“I’d be a pig if I believed you!” Qiu Yi Meng sneered.
The Lan River ran through the Great Han Dynasty like a long sleeping dragon, dividing the country into two parts.
On the river’s surface, which was more than a few thousand meters in breadth, rapids and eddies were frequently seen and ferocious waves splashed at its banks.
When Yang Kai’s group of five arrived at the Lan River, they gazed across it for a moment in admiration.
“We’re almost there, after crossing the Lan River and passing through Feng Province, we’ll reach the Central Capital!” Tu Feng seemed to fear that Yang Kai, who had been away from home for several years, wouldn’t remember such landmarks, “How about we let the Cloud Treading Colts take a rest, they’ve been running for almost three days straight now.”
“En.” Yang Kai nodded lightly.
“Little Lord, you rest while I go find a boat to cross the river!” Tu Feng grinned while releasing his Divine Sense and a moment later turned towards a certain direction and flew off.
This group all had cultivations above the True Element Boundary, so even though the Lan River was a few thousand meters wide, it wouldn’t be an issue for them to fly over it.
But although they could fly, the Cloud Treading Colts obviously couldn’t, so it was still necessary to find a boat that could ferry these Monster Beasts across the river.
A short time later, a modest sized boat sailed up the river towards Yang Kai and his group with Tu Feng standing at its bow, waving towards them.
Seeing this, Tang Yu Xian grinned and led her and Tu Feng’s Cloud Treading Colts forward, “Let’s go.”
Four people and five Monster Beasts walked up to the shore and were trying to board the boat when the boatman frowned slightly and said to Tu Feng, “Great warrior, why didn’t you tell this old man that you also had five horses?”
Luo Xiao Man couldn’t help laughing when she heard this.
The Cloud Treading Colt really did look similar to an ordinary horse, but even though the two appeared similar, they were very different. Only an ordinary person wouldn’t notice the difference, naturally there was nothing wrong with this though.
Qiu Yi Meng and Tang Yu Xian also giggled softly.
Tu Feng quickly replied, “So what if we have horses? Is there a problem?”
“No no,” The boatman, who appeared to be an old man in his fifties, quickly shook his head, “It’s just that if you want to take these horses across the river, you’ll need to pay extra.”
Tu Feng suddenly rolled his eyes, “Fine fine, we’ll pay.”
Hearing these words, the boatman suddenly looked happy, “If Milord says so, then there’s no problem, everyone come up.”
Yang Kai’s group all shook their heads lightly, each of their statuses was quite profound and all of them were powerful cultivators in their own right, so even though the boat was a little cramped, they were obviously disinclined to argue with this ordinary old man who used this ferry to maintain a meager life.
The boat was small, but it was still big enough to handle five people and five Monster Beasts at once.
With the boatman securing the sails and casting off, the boat set out towards the opposite shore.
Standing on the deck, Tang Yu Xian laughed and said, “I’ve never actually been on a boat before, with how it rocks back and forth, if an ordinary person were to try standing atop it for a long time I’m sure they’d start feeling sick.”
Tu Feng nodded in agreement, “True, true, it’s probably not easy making a living on this river.”
Although Qiu Yi Meng and Luo Xiao Man didn’t say anything, they both nodded to express their approval. The two of them had also apparently never ridden a boat like this, so they were obviously intrigued by the experience. As the ship swayed back and forth and the water lapped up against the hull, the two young ladies seemed to be greatly enjoying themselves.
“If it’s already so rough on a river, just what must it be like on the Endless Sea?” Tu Feng said with a bit of wonderment. Though he was an Immortal Ascension master and possessed a wealth of knowledge, he had never actually been to the sea before, so he obviously knew nothing about it; turning to look at the boatman, Tu Feng asked, “Old man, have you ever been to the sea before?”
The old boatman could only grin and shake his head when he heard this question. “This old man has spent his whole life on the Lan River, how would I have time to visit the sea? Although I have never seen one before, I’ve heard that the boats that sail the Endless Sea are extremely large and powerful, some of them reaching over a thousand meters in length! Such boats, even on the rough Endless Sea, are apparently very stable, enough so that one can pour a glass of water and set it down on a tabletop yet it won’t spill a drop.”
“Is that true?” Tu Feng smiled faintly, obviously not convinced.
“What can’t it be true? Great warriors just need to think about it, with such a big ship, even if the sea is rough and stormy, how could it be shaken so easily?”
The two Blood Warrior, Qiu Yi Meng and Luo Xiao Man suddenly became interested. Although they knew that this boatman was just telling stories of things he had never seen, so it was quite possible what he was saying was false, they still couldn’t help listening to pass the time.
Seeing his audience full of interest in his stories, the boatman not only wasn’t frightened but instead became even more enthusiastic.
Yang Kai sat quietly to the side, smiled silently while casually glancing around.
Of everyone on the scene, only he had been to the Endless Sea, and he had even sailed far away from shore, almost unable to ever return. Of course, Yang Kai was disinclined to correct the boatman’s exaggerations.
Several stories later, the boat had arrived at the center of the Lan River.
As Yang Kai stared off across the water, he suddenly felt that something was out of place. Following his instincts, he couldn’t help staring straight towards the boatman.
The old man, who was still talking about the Endless Sea, was suddenly interrupted when Yang Kai said, “Old man, the way your paddling seems to be wrong.”
Hearing this strange comment, everyone onboard turned to look at Yang Kai.
The old boatman even laughed and said, “What exactly does little brother mean?”
Yang Kai grinned and replied, “People who paddle all year round will synchronize the rhythm of their paddling with their breath, especially on such a big river where the rapids cause more resistance. If they don’t do so, it will cost them twice as much effort for only half the result, greatly consuming their strength! Old Man, since you’ve lived your whole life on the water, why don’t you understand something so simple?”
Digesting these words, Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian’s face suddenly became dark as they stared towards the boatman cautiously.
In the eyes of the boatman, there was a flash of shock and panic, but it quickly faded as he smiled and said, “Little brother, what you said does makes sense, it’s just that this old man has been paddling like this my whole life, so I’m afraid I’m just used to it. When I have time, I’ll try the method you mentioned to see if it really is easier.”
Yang Kai’s grin only became deeper though, “We’ve already crossed half of the river this way yet you don’t even seem to be out of breath and… if you’ve always lived near this river, shouldn’t fish be a regular part of your diet? If so, why do I not smell the scent of fish on you at all… hahaha!”
His voice becoming cold and a sharp glint entering his eyes, Yang Kai said firmly, “Old man, you’re not an average person, are you?”
Before Yang Kai had finished speaking, Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian both rushed towards the boatman.
It was at that moment that the Silver Blood Golden Feather Eagle hovering in the sky let out a series of rapid cries, a clear warning sign that danger was approaching.
Qiu Yi Meng and Luo Xiao Man’s pretty faces also paled as they quickly circulated their True Qi to protect themselves.
*Bang!*
On the surface of the river, several water columns suddenly emerged, and each one of them concealed a person within.
All of a sudden, a tremendous suction suddenly welled up from beneath the hull, causing the boat to feel like it had fallen into a quagmire, unable to advance or retreat, before cracking under the pressure and quickly sinking.
Yang Kai, Qiu Yi Meng, and Luo Xiao Man all hastily flew up into the air but were suddenly met with a huge pressure pressing down on them. Suffering such a sudden attack, the three of them were forced back down towards the boat.
A huge vortex appeared, instantaneously swallowing the boat, and everyone onboard it was pulled down into the river.
The Five Cloud Treading Colts were also caught up in this attack and disappeared instantly.
The moment he fell into the water, Yang Kai felt a shocking burst of power from nearby, obviously the two Blood Warriors had already engaged the boatman in combat.
From all around, numerous figures rapidly swam towards Yang Kai’s group, like sharks swarming towards their prey.
Yang Kai quickly sized up the situation.
But what he saw only caused his expression sink further.
Both Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian had been dragged into the river and were currently fighting against three people. The three were all Immortal Ascension Boundary masters and none of them were weak, one Eighth Stage, one Seventh Stage, and one Fifth Stage. Even though the two Blood Warriors were definitely stronger than these three masters, it would still take them some time to deal with them.
The nearest enemy to Yang Kai was less than a thirty meters away. Yang Kai clearly saw him sneer towards him before sending out a palm strike, a pale blue light shooting forth, breaking through the water as it raced towards him.
Yang Kai also struck out, sending forth a glowing fist pressure that smashed into the approaching palm.
There was a muffled thud and a flash of light but the palm strike’s strength wasn’t completely exhausted, so all Yang Kai could do was turn away and swiftly move towards the surface.
While he was surfacing, Yang Kai glanced around and saw that Qiu Yi Meng and Luo Xiao Man were not far from him, but their situations were undoubtedly safer than his own, because these attackers, in addition to the three masters tying down Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian, were almost all gathering towards him.
[They’re here for me!]
Yang Kai quickly became aware of this fact, but he had no time to ponder over it right now. A moment later he managed to reach the surface and fly up into the sky. Immediately after, a figure burst out of the river and shot towards him. It was precisely the same person who had attacked Yang Kai just now. This man was now staring coldly at Yang Kai with a vicious expression on his face. Waving his arms, he prepared to send another palm strike towards Yang Kai.
At that critical moment, the Golden Feather Eagle actually dove towards this attacker, releasing a countless number of golden lights towards him.
These golden lights took the man by surprise and knocked him back down into the water.
Using this opportunity, Yang Kai turned towards the shore and quickly flew off.
“Shua shua shua…” A series of splashes rang out as six or seven figures shot out of the water and hovered midair. All of them quickly searched their surroundings before turning and pursing Yang Kai. Among them, Qiu Yi Meng and Luo Xiao Man were all present, obviously they wanted to help Yang Kai.
“Block them!” A middle-aged man in the lead ordered, quickly following up, “Don’t kill them!”
Immediately, two of the attackers responded, separating from their teammates and intercepted Qiu Yi Meng and Luo Xiao Man, as a sneer appeared on both their faces.
Qiu Yi Meng expression was ice cold as she whispered to Luo Xiao Man, “They’re here to deal with Yang Kai, so they’ll only try to impede us, don’t hold back, they won’t dare try to kill us.”
“En.” Luo Xiao Man nodded heavily, her wet clothes were stuck to her body, further highlighting her voluptuous figure.
“Shua…” Another set of splashes resounded as the two Blood Warriors and the three Immortal Ascension Boundary masters emerged from the water. Tu Feng’s body was wrapped in a brown glow as he displayed a fierce assault, completely not caring whether he was injured in the process.
Tang Yu Xian also pushed her True Qi to the limit, and her graceful figure rapidly moved between the three enemy masters as she unleashed various Martial Skills, clear signs of anxiousness were on her face.
“Who are you!? You dare attack the Central Capital’s Yang Family!?” Tu Feng roared as struck towards the nearest enemy.
“We’re attacking because you’re the Yang Family!” The Immortal Ascension Boundary Eighth Stage master who was facing off against the two Blood Warriors laughed madly and shouted, “Your Yang Family is always so arrogant, never placing anyone in your eyes, but let’s see how your family survives after we extinguish all your little brats!”
From his vicious cursing, it seemed that this Immortal Ascension master’s grudge with the Yang Family wasn’t light.
Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian’s expressions became incredibly solemn. This man’s words had told them that them being attacked was no accident but was instead a premeditated ambush specifically targeting the Yang Family.
With these three masters as opponents, even though the two Blood Warriors were anxious and wanted to immediately regroup with Yang Kai, they wouldn’t be able to do so for at least half an hour.
“Yu Xian!” Knowing that every breath was precious and they couldn’t afford to be held down here any longer, Tu Feng suddenly roared and fell back slightly.
“Good!” Tang Yu Xian immediately stepped in, and her True Qi surged madly from her body. The entire battlefield suddenly became enveloped by a layer of fog. At the same moment, a potent Spiritual Energy burst forth, sending a powerful Soul Skill sweeping towards the three enemy Immortal Ascension Boundary masters.
The two Blood Warriors were clearly anxious to return to Yang Kai’s side, so they unhesitantly used their hidden trump cards.
The three enemy masters managed to jointly resist Tang Yu Xian’s Soul Skill, but although they were unharmed, wrapped in this fog bank, they had lost track of their opponents. Suddenly, the Eighth Stage masters felt a violent surge of Blood Force from the direction Tu Feng had retreated along with a terrifying True Qi pressure. Realizing what these fluctuations meant, the lead enemy Immortal Ascension Boundary master’s expression changed dramatically as he cried out, “Fuck! These Yang Family Blood Warriors are all crazy! He’s using his Mad Tyrant Blood Skill! Quick, stop him!”
Mad Tyrant Blood Skill was the supreme Martial Skill of the Yang Family Blood Warrior!
When this skill was activated, the Blood Warrior’s Blood Force would briefly be promoted two or three times over, and although their realm wouldn’t change, both their offensive and defensive strength would be greatly enhanced.
This was somewhat similar to the change Yang Kai experienced when he used his Devil Transformation.
However, the Mad Tyrant Blood Skill was not as good as Yang Kai’s Devil Transformation because using it would result in a severe backlash. A Blood Warrior would overdraw their own vitality to enhance their Blood Force when this skill was used.
Once they used the Mad Tyrant Blood Skill, a Blood Warrior would gain a massive increase in strength for a short time, but afterwards they would be weakened significantly for weeks if not months.
The battle has only just begun yet Tu Feng had already decisively used this trump card. It was obvious just how anxious he was, which shocked the three enemy Immortal Ascension Boundary masters and caught them off guard.
None of them had expected that Tu Feng would act to recklessly in order to protect this Yang Family Young Lord, not hesitating at all to use this double edged technique.
Knowing that their chances for victory would decrease dramatically if he succeeded, the three enemy masters had no leeway to compete with Tang Yu Xian, furiously trying to defeat her so they could stop Tu Feng from activating his Mad Tyrant Blood Skill.
However, Tang Yu Xian was also a member of the Blood Warriors and her strength was unquestionable. Coupled with her high grade artifact, she somehow managed to hold her ground. As a result, the three enemy masters who had originally planned to hold down these two Blood Warriors instead found themselves being contained.
“Hurry up!” The Immortal Ascension Boundary Eighth Stage master roared to his comrades when he saw that they couldn’t break Tang Yu Xian’s defense in short order.
On the other side, several people were chasing after Yang Kai, lead by the middle-aged man who had initially attacked him. This man was an Immoral Ascensions Boundary Third Stage master, and behind him was an Immortal Ascension First Stage master along with two True Element Boundary Ninth Stage experts.
Such a lineup was more than enough to easily kill any ordinary True Element Boundary Seventh Stage cultivator.
However, Yang Kai was anything but ordinary!
Hearing the roar of his comrade, the lead middle-aged man’s expression became cold as he glared towards Yang Kai’s back and hastily used an offensive Soul Skill.
An invisible force shot through the air and directly penetrated Yang Kai’s mind.
Yang Kai, who was flying forward, suddenly shuddered, and his True Qi fluctuations became erratic as he staggered and his speed dropped significantly.
“Hah!” The middle-aged man coldly snorted while he and his group rapidly caught up with Yang Kai and surrounded him.
“This is one of the Yang Family’s Young Lords?” The Immortal Ascension Boundary First Stage master said as he looked down at Yang Kai and spat disdainfully. “He’s nothing much, I thought this time there’d be some twists and turns but it turns out it was so easy!”
The middle-aged man grunted heavily, “You underestimate the Yang Family too much. Right now this kid is only weak because he’s too young. Once he grows up to the same level as you, there’s no way you’d be able to beat him.”
The Immortal Ascension Boundary First Stage man’s expression became somewhat gloomy, obviously not agreeing with this assessment but not bothering to refute it and instead just nodded gruffly, “Unfortunately for him he’s still just a True Element Boundary cultivator, nothing more than prey for us!”
An Immortal Ascension Boundary master dealing with a True Element Boundary cultivator really was simple. If the latter didn’t posses an artifact which could defend their Soul, they would be completely incapable of resisting Soul Skill attacks.
This was why the Young Lords and Young Ladies of these great forces and great families would always wear at least one such artifact. Given the capital and heritage of these forces, they would easily be able to furnish their important juniors with such defensive artifacts.
“Enough nonsense, quickly kill him before anything else comes up!” The middle-aged man shouted as he saw Yang Kai not put up any resistance, as both his eyes were somewhat dim, and his gaze was unfocused.
The Immortal Ascension Boundary First Stage master shrugged his shoulders and let out an arrogant laugh, “Good, looks like I get the pleasure of killing him.”
As he was speaking, the Immortal Ascension First Stage enemy lifted his weapon and slowly stepped towards Yang Kai, kicking Yang Kai’s chest heavily and thrust his sword at his neck.
Yang Kai’s eyes still remained bleak, seemingly unable to put up the slightest resistance, only able to stand there waiting for death.
Suddenly.
A dazzling purple ray of struck like a snake and crashed into the head of the Immortal Ascension Boundary First Stage cultivator.
A frigid cold energy filled with all kinds of Yin evil aura instantly burst into his Knowledge Sea.
His weapon was only three centimeters away from Yang Kai’s neck, and the smug, casual grin still adorned his face.
However, that was as far as his weapon would pierce. After the Soul Skill from Evil Cavern’s Soul Type Evil Spirit exploded in his head, the man was instantly fixed in place, only felt a deep chill in his mind. His entire Knowledge Sea was apparently frozen solid.
Yang Kai’s sneak attack had succeeded.
Quickly following up, Yang Kai released a purple halo around himself that instantly engulfed the middle-aged Immortal Ascension Boundary Third Stage master as well as the other two True Element Boundary Ninth Stage youths.
Sensing this attack, the middle-aged man instinctually retreated. His eyes trembled fiercely, and he could hardly believe what he had just saw. As for the two True Element Boundary juniors, both of them screamed pitifully as they grabbed their heads and doubled over in agony.
*Hong…*
A muffled sound rang out as Yang Kai’s fist struck the chest of the Immortal Ascension Boundary First Stage man before him. The man’s chest visibly deformed and it seemed that all of his ribs had been shattered. Fragments of his bones pierced through his heart and lungs as a violent True Yang Yuan Qi exploded inside his body.
This man didn’t even let out a scream before both his eyes went dark.
In an instant, an Immortal Ascension Boundary First Stage master was killed!
Yang Kai’s image flickered, and before anyone had noticed he was already in front of the two True Element Boundary Ninth Stage youths. Coldly glaring at them, he reached out, clutched both their heads, and twisted viciously.
Immediately, two cracking sounds were heard.
The heads of the two youths were now dangling onto their backs; their necks were clearly snapped.
By the time the lead middle-aged man had regained his balance, Yang Kai had already killed all three of his companions!
As their four eyes met, Yang Kai’s indifferent expression gave way to a taunting smile, causing the middle-aged man to cringe in shame.
Because of his momentary negligence, three members of his team had lost their lives.
But what shocked him the most was that he clearly felt that his Soul Skill had struck this Yang Family Young Lord, yet why did it seem to have no effect at all?
There was no trace of any Soul type artifact on him so he had definitely been hit with the full force of his Soul Skill.
How could he still be completely unharmed? Even if it was a peak Immortal Ascension Boundary master who had taken such an attack, wouldn’t they at least have suffered some damage?
However, seeing Yang Kai’s performance just now, it was obvious that his Soul Skill had done about as much harm to him as a mosquito bite.
Also, what exactly was that frigid, evil Spiritual Energy that had attacked him just now?
“Little brat, you dare play the pig to eat a tiger!” The middle-aged man roared in anger.
Yang Kai just sneered disdainfully back at him and quipped, “So what?”
[Hmph, you’re accusing me? You’re the ones ambushing me here and ganging up on me even though your cultivations are all higher than mine, am I not even allowed to play the pig here either?]
[What kind of bullshit is that?]
Hearing Yang Kai’s response, the middle-aged man’s angered expression slowly morphed into a sneer, “Good, all you Yang Family bastards are like this, each one more of a freak than the last! But no matter what, you’re destiny is still to die here today!”
Although he had made such a bold declaration, Yang Kai easily observed that this man had no intention of actually doing so. Instead, he was looking towards himself with dread. Seeing Yang Kai kill all his allies like a flash of lightning had obviously frightened this man greatly.
This person was a meticulous individual, so he would certainly act with caution.
“You’re not my opponent!” Yang Kai declared coldly and indifferently.
The middle-aged man was stunned, obviously not expecting Yang Kai to make such a crazy statement, his expression becoming cold again, “Even if you’re from the Yang Family, you should have some shame! I’m an Immortal Ascension…”
“An Immortal Ascension master?” Yang Kai actually took the initiative to walk towards him, his expression calm and relaxed, like he didn’t consider the man in front of him the slightest threat, “I just killed an Immortal Ascension master right in front of you.”
The middle-aged man choked on his words as he stared at Yang Kai, and his expression became awkward as he remembered everything that had just happened.
“Not just that guy, you too, an Immortal Ascension Boundary Third Stage master, are destined to die at my hand today,” Yang Kai grinned fiercely, “Unfortunately, although you have some talent for it, it seems like you haven’t fully comprehended that Soul Skill of yours, your execution of it was a bit weak, it seems you haven’t been cultivating it for very long, right? Otherwise how else would I be able to stand here completely unharmed? Actually, even if you were more skilled at using your Soul Skill it wouldn’t matter, my Spiritual Energy is far stronger than yours anyways!”
“Nonsense!” The middle-aged man vehemently sneered as he calmed his nerves. Obviously, he wouldn’t believe Yang Kai’s shameless boasting.
But just as he shouted, a tyrannical Divine Sense suddenly locked in on him.
The Spiritual Energy he felt was more powerful than an ordinary Immortal Ascension Boundary Seventh or Eighth Stage master, even faintly reaching the strength of a peak Immortal Ascension Boundary elite.
No, the pressure he felt from this Divine Sense was definitely on par with a peak Immortal Ascension Boundary master!
The middle-aged man had only ever experienced such a powerful Spiritual Energy from a handful of people, and each of those few were true peak Immortal Ascension masters!
The nerves he had just managed to calm once again became badly frayed!
As the middle-aged man’s heart clenched, Yang Kai pushed his palms forward.
Suddenly, a White Tiger and Divine Ox phantom leapt out.
At the same time, a crimson sword appeared in Yang Kai’s hand and a ten meter long Sword Qi wave slashed through the air. Surrounding this sword wave, a flurry of blood red petals fluttered about, each one glistening sharply as they raced towards the stunned man.
Simultaneously, a lightning like purple beam surged towards the Immortal Ascension Third Stage master’s head.
In that instant, Yang Kai had used all of his strongest skills and artifacts, holding nothing back.
Realizing the terrifying power behind this wave of attacks, the middle-aged man cried out in shock and immediately went all out to defend himself. In the blink of an eye, he was overtaken by the Sword Qi wave and entangled by the White Tiger and Divine Ox, allowing the Thousand Blossoming Blood Begonia to engulf him.
An incredible bang resounded…
The middle-aged man pushed his True Qi to its limit, sending out a shockwave visible to the naked eye all around him. A fierce wind pressure burst from the man’s body, which somehow managed to repel the Thousand Blossoming Blood Begonia and the attacks of the two beast phantoms.
Trembling from the impact, the middle-aged man staggered but did not withdraw and instead took advantage of the opening he had created to rush towards Yang Kai.
In the end, this man was still an Immortal Ascension Boundary Third Stage master. Although Yang Kai’s taunting had a certain influence on his will, causing him to lose the initiative, his combat instincts and wealth of experience had still allowed him to instantly take the most appropriate action.
This youth before him was undoubtedly an elite of the elite, with a combat capability that far exceeded his True Element Boundary Seventh Stage cultivation; however, the middle-aged man was also keenly aware that the Soul Skill displayed by Yang Kai, although extremely high in grade, was not nearly as potent as one released by an Immortal Ascension master.
Strictly speaking, it was akin to a loud burst of thunder.
Although it was somewhat shocking, it wasn’t actually all that dangerous.
The reason for this was because Yang Kai could only somewhat use his Divine Sense, so he could only display this Soul Skill, but because he hadn’t opened his Knowledge Sea, it was unable to show its full potential.
When he formed his Knowledge Sea, the power of this Soul Skill would increase several fold.
Although the middle-aged people didn’t know why Yang Kai’s Soul Skill seemed to lack substance, it didn’t hinder him from taking advantage of this point.
If he could resist Yang Kai’s Soul Skill, then he was still only facing a slightly stronger True Element Boundary cultivator. Even with those good artifacts and profound Martial Skills, his realm was still much lower than his own.
He could still kill him!
Realizing all of this, the middle-aged man’s will became firm again as he adjusted his stance and rapidly formed a number of hand seals. A burst of thunder and lightning quickly surrounded him.
*Kachacha…*
With a thunderous crash, a lightning bolt bigger than a man’s thigh flew through the air and then, like a snake striking its prey, it coiled tightly around Yang Kai.
In order to kill Yang Kai, the middle-aged man had directly resorted to his most powerful attack.
Yang Kai was unable to avoid this bolt of lightning and was soon entangled by it, immediately falling into a difficult struggle, and his entire body suddenly felt like it was being singed.
Coldly roaring, Yang Kai’s True Yang Yuan Qi surged out from his body, forming a seemingly thin defensive shield around him, protecting him from the lightning arcs.
The Asura Sword in his hand flickered, sending out a series of Sword Qi blades while the Thousand Blossoming Blood Begonia petals, which had been scattered, once again gathered to attack the middle-aged man.
The middle-aged man also didn’t dare hold back, and quickly summoned a small hammer artifact which pulsed with lightning; wielding this hammer, the power of the man’s lightning increased once again.
The two beast phantoms rushed forward again but when they were struck by the man’s lightning they were forced to retreat.
The two people stood firmly less than ten feet apart from one another, each of them having used their full strength yet the end result was a deadlock.
The middle-aged man frowned and secretly felt the situation was bad.
This time’s action of attacking the Yang Family Young Lords was a huge risk. In their original plans, they should have made a successful first strike and immediately gained a huge advantage. Even if the Yang Family Young Lord had two Blood Warriors with him, they wouldn’t need to worry after causing some initial damage.
It had never occurred to them though that any of the Yang Family Young Lords would have such freakish combat potential, able to easily kill three people with cultivations far above his own realm, and even being able to fight an Immortal Ascension Boundary Third Stage master to a standstill.
The two artifacts he used were extraordinary; both of them were clearly Heaven Grade Top-Rank.
His Martial Skills were profound, True Qi unfathomably pure, and to top it all off he could even use Soul Skills!
The middle-aged man quickly estimated that he would need to spend at minimum a half hour before he could kill this youth, and that was under the most ideal circumstances, with no outside interference!
Right now, every breath of time was precious, so how could the other side give him half an hour to mess around? What’s more, whether this Yang Family Young Lord still had any trump cards left was difficult for the middle-aged man to guess.
[Damn it, this time we’ve all but failed!] The middle-aged man anxiously thought to himself.
At that moment, a roar which shook the Heavens and Earth resounded from the other side of the battlefield.
On that side of the fight, the three enemy Immortal Ascension Boundary masters hurriedly retreated in panic as a crimson red glow radiated from Tu Feng, and the long scar across his face seemed to pulse menacingly.
Mad Tyrant Blood Skill!
“Yu Xian, I’ll handle them!” Tu Feng declared firmly, his cold glare causing the three Immortal Ascension Boundary masters to tremble.
Tang Yu Xian didn’t say anything, and instead immediately turned around and quickly soared towards Yang Kai’s position.
When the middle-aged man who was fighting with Yang Kai saw Tang Yu Xian break off and head towards his location, how could he dare remain?
He was just an Immortal Ascension Boundary Third Stage cultivator. For this time’s action, he was only responsible for killing the Yang Family Young Lord. As for fighting a Yang Family Blood Warrior, he definitely wasn’t qualified.
In a flash, he pushed back Yang Kai’s assault to create an opening which he used to his advantage to flee without any hesitation.
Only a moment after the middle-aged man fled, Tang Yu Xian arrived beside Yang Kai and asked anxiously, “Are you alright, Little Lord?”
Yang Kai waved his hand and collected the scattered blood red petals, and after glancing towards the fleeing enemy and determining he couldn’t catch him, he quickly said, “Capture him!”
Tang Yu Xian didn’t hesitate, and her lithe body flickered as she shot off towards the middle-aged man.
A few breaths later, Tang Yu Xian dragged her target back.
An Immortal Ascension Boundary Third Stage cultivator facing Tang Yu Xian wasn’t even worthy of holding her shoes.
With his True Qi sealed, Tang Yu Xian didn’t even spare this man a second glance before tossing him in front of Yang Kai.
The look on the middle-aged man’s face clearly showed he had suffered a terrible defeat, and his dazed eyes fixed on Tang Yu Xian filled with horror. It seems that it wasn’t until this moment he realized just how terrifying the Blood Warriors really were.
Suddenly wearing a sneer, he turned his attention to Yang Kai and said, “Young Master Yang… you won’t get any information from me.”
However, to his surprise, Yang Kai just grinned fiercely, unhurriedly walked over, stared down at him and lightly said, “When did I say I wanted to ask you anything?”
As soon as Yang Kai spoke these words, the blood red sword in his hand drew a stunning arc, and the True Qi’s imprisoned middle-aged man’s head fell to the ground, and his still open eyes revealing a disbelieving light.
“Anyone who knows my secrets will either die or become my person!” Yang Kai declared firmly.
Tang Yu Xian trembled lightly and glanced towards Yang Kai slightly awkwardly, with a tight expression.
Yang Kai’s last words definitely had a deeper meaning!
What secret did this middle-aged man know about her Little Lord that caused him to execute him so decisively?
What about herself? Did she also accidentally stumble across some secrets of this Little Lord of hers?
Before she could ponder over these issues further, Yang Kai, who had already taken back his long sword, said lightly, “Go help Qiu Yi Meng and Luo Xiao Man.”
“En!” Tang Yu Xian nodded, setting those distracting thoughts aside and dashing off again.
Yang Kai stood in place and looked around for a while, before quickly discovering that Qiu Yi Meng and Luo Xiao Man weren’t capable of defeating their adversaries but were still unscathed. Their opponents apparently had no intention of harming them, only wanting to stop them from assisting Yang Kai.
As Tang Yu Xian arrived in front of them, the two men didn’t even have a chance to realize the graveness of their situation before they were killed.
On the other side, Tu Feng and the three Immortal Ascension Boundary masters had disappeared, probably because the other side understood that it was impossible to compete with the Blood Warrior who had activated his Mad Tyrant Blood Skill.
Tu Feng was obviously pursuing them.
After a moment, Qiu Yi Meng and Luo Xiao Man, led by Tang Yu Xian, regrouped together with Yang Kai.
Both the young women had nervous and worried expressions mixed with some lingering fear.
Looking suspiciously at Yang Kai, Qiu Yi Meng asked, “How are you not hurt at all? Did you fall from the sky when they hit you earlier?”
After hearing her say this, Tang Yu Xian suddenly worriedly examined Yang Kai, clear signs of concern filling her pretty face.
Just as Yang Kai had fallen into danger, she had been busy containing the three enemy masters and obviously didn’t have the spare capacity to monitor what had transpired here.
On the other hand, Qiu Yi Meng was different, knowing in advance that her life wasn’t in any danger; she had naturally diverted some of her focus towards Yang Kai’s side.
“Is Little Lord really uninjured?” Tang Yu Xian carefully scrutinized him, afraid he was putting up a front to deceive her.
“Just some minor wounds, nothing to worry about,” Yang Kai casually responded. In reality, he didn’t even have a single scratch on him; however, his situation had truly been quite dangerous so if he were to say he was unscathed, it would only make everyone more suspicious.
“You…” Qiu Yi Meng slowly shook her head and solemnly said, “It’s getting harder and harder to see through you.”
Glancing around at the three dead bodies on the ground, Tang Yu Xian also couldn’t help staring at Yang Kai blankly.
Although these people were dead, she could still tell that these three all had higher cultivations than Yang Kai; one of them had even reached the Immortal Ascension Boundary.
However, Yang Kai had killed all three of them without any assistance!
On top of that, he had also fought an Immortal Ascension Boundary Third Stage master to a draw!
“Enough about me. Yu Xian, how are you holding up?” Yang Kai obviously didn’t want to say any more about this topic and quickly steered the conversation towards Tang Yu Xian.
Qiu Yi Meng and Luo Xiao Man also suddenly noticed that Tang Yu Xian was injured.
All of her clothes were tattered and there were still some traces of blood at the corners of the lips. Her True Qi flow seemed turbid, indicating that she had obviously suffered some internal injuries. On her snow white right arm, there was also a long wound and, although it was no longer bleeding, her sleeve was stained a dark shade of red.
Given Tang Yu Xian’s strength, if it weren’t for her having to fight three opponents at once, she wouldn’t have become so disheveled.
The primary reason for her being injured so heavily was because time was too tight. She had to make some sacrifices in order to let Tu Feng display his Mad Tyrant Blood Skill, thus giving her a chance to aid Yang Kai.
If there had been enough leeway, she and Tu Feng could definitely defeat the three enemy masters or even kill them without becoming so distressed.
However, considering Yang Kai’s safety, she and Tu Feng knew that the faster they acted, the better. So, even though she knew acting so recklessly would allow their enemy to injure her, Tang Yu Xian still chose to act so.
Even if he knew that using the Mad Tyrant Blood Skill would overdraw his vitality, leaving him weak for a long time after, Tu Feng also didn’t hesitate.
The loyalty of the Blood Warriors was fully shown in this battle.
“I’m fine; Little Lord doesn’t need concern himself with me!” Tang Yu Xian’s expression softened as she lightly shook her head.
Yang Kai’s group had only waited about half an incense stick worth of time before Tu Feng’s bloody figure returned.
The murderous aura radiating from his body was so thick it was nearly substantive, giving him the appearance of a slaughtering god. Even Qiu Yi Meng couldn’t help trembling lightly upon seeing Tu Feng like this.
Two heads were held in Tu Feng’s hands, obviously, their previous owners were two of the enemy masters who had fought with him and Tang Yu Xian.
After rushing back, Tu Feng casually dropped the two severed human heads on the ground and said in a slightly annoyed tone, “These two committed suicide, while the last one managed to escape.”
Tu Feng had managed to hunt down the Immortal Ascension Boundary Seventh Stage and Fifth Stage master, but just before he could capture them they had decisively bitten their tongues, and only the strongest enemy master had successfully fled.
“All of their allies here are also dead.” Tang Yu Xian said in a cold unfeeling tone.
“Interesting,” Yang Kai’s expression was frigid, but an eerie smile also adorned his face, “The ones behind this group of people really have some means!”
If the masterminds behind these assassins clearly weren’t simple, or else these masters wouldn’t have so resolutely ended their own lives rather than run the risk of revealing any information.
“The only ones who knew the Young Lord was taking this route were the Lu Family!” Tu Feng said maliciously, and his face showed a fair bit of indignation.
It was clear he was quite angry.
This time such a large scale assassination plot had occurred even though both he and Tang Yu Xian had been on guard. The other party had obviously used some kind of mysterious method to completely shield all of their auras, which resulted in their two Blood Warriors not noticing anything. If it weren’t for Yang Kai suddenly realizing something was wrong at the critical moment, the result of this plot might have been very different.
Under the protection of two powerful Blood Warriors, a Yang Family Young Lord was almost killed! If such news were to spread, the Blood Warrior Hall would lose all face. Both of them would also be punished by the family, possibly even having their cultivations wasted to apologize for this crime!
Such a severe sentence was entirely possible!
In other words, Yang Kai’s vigilance had not only saved his life but had also saved both his and Tang Yu Xian’s life.
Tu Feng was grateful but also ashamed, and in his anger, he suddenly associated this incident with the Lu Family. It wasn’t that he had a habit of maliciously accusing others, it was only that with his Mad Tyrant Blood Skill active, his thirst for battle and killing intent were greatly stimulated, which caused his thoughts to be more violent and aggressive.
In addition, the Lu Family’s attitude towards Yang Kai the other day had made him quite unhappy, so he naturally took this opportunity to vent his frustrations.
Hearing his words, Qiu Yi Meng’s face paled greatly and hurriedly said, “Lu Liang would never make such a suicidal mistake!”
At this moment, Tu Feng didn’t care about Qiu Yi Meng’s identity or face and coldly snorted, “Lu Liang may not, but that doesn’t mean others of the Lu Family wouldn’t!”
Qiu Yi Meng cramped up, not knowing what to say in this situation, and unconsciously turned her eyes towards Yang Kai hoping he wouldn’t act as unreasonably as Tu Feng.
However, Yang Kai remained silent. Frowning, he scanned the surrounding area, eventually looking up from the battlefield before freezing. Staring up at the Silver Blood Golden Feather Eagle in the sky, he calmly said, “The Lu Family isn’t responsible, I’m afraid that the Eagle was the one who gave away our position! We’ve been too careless!”
Qiu Yi Meng saw him say this and couldn’t help feeling relieved. Although the Lu Liang’s actions had also made Qiu Yi Meng somewhat unhappy, they were still more or less a subordinate of the Qiu Family. During these years, the Lu Family had also provided the Qiu Family with a lot of good things, so as the First Young Lady of the Qiu Family, she still had an obligation and responsibility to protect the safety of the Lu Family as best she could.
“This little bastard!” Tang Yu Xian grit her teeth and stared at the golden Feather Eagle circling above them.
Yang Kai continued calmly, “For so many years, no one has dared have ideas about the Yang Family’s descendants; therefore, neither you nor I had predicted such an event would happen, it seems we need to re-evaluate our mindsets!”
Done explaining, Yang Kai let out a loud whistle and the Golden Feather Eagle immediately swooped down.
Suddenly smiling meaningfully, Yang Kai looked at Qiu Yi Meng and said, “Although this time’s matter is unrelated to the Lu Family, I hope that today’s events can reach Lu Liang’s ear, and… it’s better if the news were to be conveyed to them by the Qiu Family!”
Qiu Yi Meng didn’t respond for a moment, not immediately understanding why Yang Kai had suddenly made such a proposal, but her brow lightly wrinkling as she thought for a moment, then suddenly wearing a bitter expression, she clenched her fists and shouted, “Why you! How could you suddenly come up with such a plot! You really are too sinister! Even if they acted that way, you don’t have to be so brutal with them! You… I… I… haa…”
“Hmph! They brought this upon themselves. Since when was this Young Master a pile of loose mud that can’t weather wind and rain? This will just be a little lesson for them.” Yang Kai sneered.
When everyone heard Yang Kai say this, all of them realized that even if he acted aloof, he was actually still holding a grudge over the Lu Family’s attitude towards him.
He may not have cared what the Lu Family thought of him, but he absolutely wouldn’t allow others to look down on him, and those who dared do so would pay the price sooner or later.
However, the exchange between him and Qiu Yi Meng had left the two Blood Warriors and Luo Xiao Man puzzled.
“Elder Sister Qiu, what are you talking about?” Luo Xiao Man innocently and straightforwardly asked.
Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian also stared at her and wondered what kind of tricks Yang Kai was up to that had actually brought on such strong condemnation from Qiu Yi Meng.
Qiu Yi Meng sighed as she turned towards Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian, “I told you before that your Young Lord is someone who seeks vengeance for even the slightest grievance yet you still don’t understand… Haa, let me ask you, although it’s true that this incident has no relation with the Lu Family since Yang Kai had only stopped by the Lu Family, if word of such an attack today were to reach Lu Liang’s ear, how do you think he will react?
Tu Feng stared stunned, suddenly realizing what Yang Kai was plotting and let out a raucous laughter, “That Lu Liang will certainly panic, fearing that the Little Lord might suspect he had leaked his location!”
“In order to profess his innocence, Lu Liang will certainly come to the Central Capital to plead his case to the Little Lord! Since it will be necessary to clarify his standpoint, he will also have to bring along some generous gifts.” Tang Yu Xian covered her lips and stared in amazement towards Yang Kai, wondering how he had suddenly come up with such a sinister trick.
The most important part of all of this, of course, were these ‘gifts’!
Qiu Yi Meng ground her teeth and continued, “Moreover, if this message is passed on to him by my Qiu Family, Lu Liang will definitely think that either I or the Qiu Family is planning to mediate the situation, so if he prepares an appropriate gift, Yang Kai will definitely not blame him. Do you understand now? This Young Lord of yours is clearly making a fuss about nothing, blowing the whole situation out of proportion, all in order to take advantage of this opportunity to gather wealth!”
Both Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian looked towards Yang Kai with great admiration.
Regarding this kind of quick-witted and meticulous thought, the two of them felt that they were actually inferior to this Little Lord of theirs.
After just encountering a life-threatening danger, most people would still be in shock, and their only thoughts would be about how joyful it was to be alive.
But the Little Lord of their family was completely different, not only was he the very picture of calm, he had also immediately come up with a way to benefit from this situation. In fact… wasn’t his reaction a bit too quick?
This time, the Lu Family was really going to suffer an unexpected calamity!
For a moment, the two Blood Warriors couldn’t help feeling a bit sorry for Lu Liang. They really didn’t know what kind of reaction this Lu Family Patriarch would have after knowing the truth.
What was worse though was, even if he were to fully understand everything that transpired here, he would still have no choice but to choke down this loss! Who let Yang Kai only stay at his home on his way to the Central Capital?
“Tell Lu Liang to know that he doesn’t need to see me, just send the appropriate things to the capital.” Yang Kai added in a subtle manner.
Qiu Yi Meng let out yet another sigh, simply disinclined to respond at this point.
“We should leave here first before finding a place to rest.” Yang Kai’s expression sank as he waved lightly.
The five Cloud Treading Colts, which were not easily raised, had been swallowed up by the enemy’s trap, so the five of them could only fly the rest of the way.
Tang Yu Xian’s wounds were neither heavy nor light, as for Tu Feng, he was actually uninjured; however, it wouldn’t be long before his Mad Tyrant Blood Skill’s effect would disappear, at which point his Blood Force would become incredibly feeble.
If the two Blood Warriors wanted to completely restore themselves, it would take them at least ten days to half a month at least.
After suffering such an ambush, Yang Kai’s group didn’t dare act too conspicuously.
At the foot of a small hill, the group of five stopped to rest.
With things as they were, Yang Kai could only personally go out to gather some food. Seeing their Little Lord prepare a meal for them, the two Blood Warriors became increasingly ashamed and simultaneously grateful.
That night, five people sat around a fire and grilled some wild game.
The atmosphere was a bit subtle, and the two Blood Warriors were feeling remorseful about their dereliction of duty, yet were unsure about how to apologize as they stared towards Yang Kai with eyes full of guilt. Qiu Yi Meng on the other hand was still annoyed at Yang Kai for using her to punish the Lu Family, so she naturally didn’t speak with him. Off to the side, Luo Xiao Man obviously sensed how tense the situation was so she chose to remain silent like a frightened rabbit.
Only Yang Kai sat casually beside the fire, staring into the flickering flames as he reminisced about the day’s experiences. As he went over what had happened again and again in his head, he gradually came to a terrible conclusion.
After a long silence, Yang Kai straightened up and suddenly said, “You don’t have to feel guilty, today’s ambush wasn’t targeting me.”
“But Little Lord…” Tang Yu Xian objected, her expression still thoroughly ashamed.
However, Yang Kai waved his hand to stop her before continuing, “I’m not saying things to comfort you. This plot really wasn’t directed towards me. They probably learned about our movement a few days ago so they chose to set up an ambush on the river because they knew if we wanted to cross, we would need to find a ferry, thus creating an opportunity for them to act.”
Listening to him so seriously explain things, everyone couldn’t help but listen more carefully.
“Their deployment was very well thought out, the three most powerful masters in their group were only meant to delay the two Blood Warriors while the remaining people were responsible for killing the Yang Family’s juniors! While the strengths of these people were great, when they were chasing me, I didn’t notice any signs of deep hatred on their faces, so the chances are good they don’t actually have a grudge against me.”
Tu Feng nodded and said, “When we were fighting, the strongest person also said let slip that their actions this time were targeting all the Yang Family Young Lords!”
“En, it’s good that this time they happened to meet me, if it were any of the other Yang Family juniors, they would likely be dead right now.”
Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian couldn’t help secretly feeling lucky, fortunately, they were escorting Yang Kai past this place. If it were one of the other Yang Family Young Lords, with the number and strength of these assassins, how could he have survived?
“Did you notice the distribution of those people’s power?” Yang Kai asked intently with a wry grin on his face.
“Their power distribution?” Tu Feng frowned.
“Right, an Immortal Ascension Boundary Eighth Stage, a Seventh Stage, a Fifth Stage, a Third Stage, a First Stage…” Yang Kai suddenly grinned meaningfully, “Other than that, they were all True Element Boundary cultivators. Such an unusual distribution of Immortal Ascension masters, don’t you find anything strange about it?”
With Yang Kai’s prompting, everyone suddenly understood.
“There’s a gap!” Tu Feng quickly said.
“Right, there’s a gap!” Yang Kai slightly nodded, “The masters of any force should have a tiered distribution, since they have an Immortal Ascension master of the Seventh Stage, logically there should have been two to four Sixth Stage masters accompanying them for a mission as important as the assassination of a Yang Family direct descendant. If a force was trying to stir up trouble with the Yang Family, they would surely put forward their entire strength.”
Turning to the two Blood Warriors, Yang Kai asked, “Tu Feng, Yu Xian, when you were fighting with those three, did you notice them use any techniques or Martial Skills related to any major families or Sects?”
Both Blood Warriors immediately shook their heads, Tu Feng adding, “Those people were very cautious and didn’t use any unique Martial Skills, probably because they were worried we would discover their origins. However, I felt like they were not very familiar with one another because they didn’t coordinate or cooperation with one another very smoothly.”
“Naturally, their cooperation was lacking. If I haven’t guessed wrong, they didn’t even come from the same force.” Yang Kai coldly snorted, “No single force would dare challenge the Yang Family alone.”
“What does the Little Lord mean?”
“Those people… they should have been gathered from a number of different forces, each one sending out a number of their masters to observe the movements of the Golden Feather Eagles, speculate our whereabouts, and then set up ambushes here!”
Qiu Yi Meng nodded in agreement, “What you said makes sense. If that is really the case, then it would explain why they had such a spread in their cultivation realms.”
If this group of masters was gathered from several forces, obviously there would be differences in their cultivations and abilities.
“Little Lord is quite observant.” Tu Feng laughed.
Yang Kai paused and then suddenly smiled weirdly, glancing around at the others, “Since these master came from several forces, then it’s absolutely impossible for there to only be this many of them.”
The expression on the two Blood Warriors’ faces quickly cooled, “You mean they still have backup?”
Yang Kai shook his head, “No! The ambush in this location was likely only those people… but if so, then what about all the other masters besides them?”
Everyone thought for a moment before showing a grim expression as they turned to stare at Yang Kai.
Yang Kai’s eyes were ice cold as he muttered, “It seems that my brothers’ journeys won’t be very peaceful, this action must be aiming at all of the Yang Family’s direct descendants! Hmph, seems our enemies have invested quite some effort!”
If Yang Kai’s speculation was correct, this time’s plot was truly grand. Several forces’ masters divided into several groups to trace the whereabouts of the Yang Family’s Young Lords and assassinate them before they could return to the Central Capital.
With the Golden Feather Eagle’s hovering over the heads of Yang Family Young Lords, it was almost akin to a bright light in the darkness guiding them towards their targets.
This time with Yang Kai was a near miss, but what about the other Yang Family Young Lords? Would some of them really be killed half way home?
To dare enact such a bold plot, the people behind the scenes, whether it was their methods or their courage, were extraordinary.
“Your Yang Family has offended too many people, you’re brought this upon yourselves” Qiu Yi Meng sneered lightly.
“It’s not yet certain that this is an enemies doing,” Yang Kai shook his head slowly. “The impact of the Inheritance War is simply that big.”
Qiu Yi Meng looked at him blankly in shock, immediately understanding what he was thinking.
“The family will find out, it’s not something we need to think about.” Yang Kai said decisively. Suddenly wearing a smile as he got up and walked away from the fire, he called out, “Tu Feng and Yu Xian, come with me.”
The two Blood Warriors glanced at one another before quickly getting up to follow Yang Kai.
Left alone without any explanation, Qiu Yi Meng and Luo Xiao Man both pouted, “So secretive!”
Walking off into the darkness, Yang Kai suddenly stopped and turned to look at the two Blood Warriors.
Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian’s nerves were somewhat on edge, not knowing what Yang Kai had called them out for. Everything that happened today had created a very awkward situation for them, causing them to feel quite guilty. Both of them had secretly vowed that they must be more vigilant for the rest of this trip, but that didn’t change the fact that what had happened had already passed.
[The Little Lord wouldn’t want to reprimand us here, would he?] Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian thought to themselves silently, the dark of night fortunately covering their depressed expressions.
“How are your injuries?” Just as the two were going over their suspicions, Yang Kai suddenly asked.
Tu Feng nearly stumbled, completely not expecting that Yang Kai would actually asked such a question, but upon hearing the concern in his voice, both his and Tang Yu Xian’s hearts felt lighter and they became even more embarrassed about their previous concerns.
Quickly recovering, he replied, “I have no obvious injuries, but my vitality has been overdrawn so I can probably display about sixty percent of my strength. Yu Xian is better off than me, but she still suffered some internal injuries. If we want to fully restore ourselves, I’m afraid it will take a few days.”
After explaining, Tu Feng hastily added, “Little Lord can rest assured that even if it costs me my life I will safely escort you back to the family!”
Tang Yu Xian nodded firmly, “For the rest of the journey, we will redouble our vigilance and after returning to Central Capital we will accept responsibility for this crime!”
Yang Kai only nodded slightly and didn’t say anything more. After a moment, he took out two pills from his sleeve pocket and handed them to the two Blood Warriors, “Each of you take one, swallow them right here, immediately.”
The two Blood Warriors were surprised, not understanding why Yang Kai was suddenly acting so seriously, but they also knew that Yang Kai wouldn’t harm them, so neither of them hesitated to take the pill they were offered.
Immediately after tasting these two pills, the Two Blood Warriors immediately judged them to be ordinary healing pills, their grade at the most Earth Grade Top-Rank, but this only confused them even more, wondering why their Little Lord had given them such ordinary recovery medicine.
Although they were puzzled, they didn’t reveal anything on their faces.
Even if Yang Kai had given them a pair of Common Grade pills, it was still a benevolence they wouldn’t normally receive.
“Whether it’s trying to win you two over or if I encounter danger, for this trip back home, I still require the two of you to stay by my side, so… I hope you can recover a bit faster.” Yang Kai said with a meaningful smile.
The two Blood Warriors were only more confused after hearing Yang Kai’s words. These two healing pills were only Earth Grade Top-Rank, so how could they help them recover any faster? What was their Little Lord trying to imply with his words?
Both of them shook their heads secretly, pressing down the curiosity in their hearts.
“Go back, meditate and refine the medicinal effects, don’t waste any of it.” Yang Kai waved casually.
“Yes, Little Lord,” Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian responded with a nod, both of them turning around and walking back to the campfire; however, the two of them suddenly stopped in place and turned to one another. Seeing the meaning in each other’s eyes, they quickly faced Yang Kai respectfully.
“Hmm?” Yang Kai looked at them curiously, not knowing what else they wanted to say.
“Little Lord…” Tu Feng’s look became calm and solemn as he spoke, “For this time’s Inheritance War, if the family allows Blood Warriors to participate, then I and Yu Xian hope to serve the Little Lord. Whether we be used as guards or labourers, we only hope the Little Lord will accept us!”
Yang Kai blinked before staring straight into Tu Feng’s eyes, after a long time letting out a great laugh, “I’d be happy to!”
Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian both smiled and quickly knelt down, swearing, “The two of us will humbly await the Little Lord’s arrival at the Blood Warrior Hall!”
“En, I will certainly go.” Yang Kai nodded firmly.
Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian got up and retreated. Following Yang Kai’s urging, the two of them hurriedly found a place to sit and revolved their healing arts.
Looking in the direction of the two meditating warriors, Yang Kai’s heart pounded, silently celebrating.
[I’ve finally won over these two Blood Warriors!]
Along the way, although he had used some deliberate methods, it was more Yang Kai inadvertently displaying all kinds of shocking and fantastic abilities that had really conquered Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian, resulting in them pledging their allegiance.
Although this time’s Inheritance War wouldn’t necessarily allow the participation of the Blood Warriors, Yang Kai still had to plan ahead.
If the Blood Warriors were really allowed to participate, then he had now easily acquired two powerful boosts.
The best part was when Tu Feng had requested to serve him, he had been completely earnest, without a trace of dissatisfaction.
This was the first time the two Blood Warriors had displayed the attitude of subordinates in front of Yang Kai. It also meant that they were really willing to assist him in the Inheritance War.
Looking up at the stars, Yang Kai smiled happily, full of expectations for the upcoming Inheritance War.
It was particularly peaceful that night.
The morning of the next day, Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian both opened their eyes from the meditation and looked at each other, both of seeing a mix of joy and shock in each other’s eyes.
After a night’s restoration, all of their injuries had basically recovered. The wounds and overdrawn vitality they had expected would take at least half a month to restore had actually been completely healed in less than a day.
Recalling the profound effects that had taken place when they were refining that seemingly ordinary Earth Grade Top-Rank healing pill last night, both of them were amazed and confused.
It was no doubt an Earth Grade Top-Rank pill. In normal times, neither of the two Blood Warriors would even spare it a glance. In fact, if it weren’t for it being delivered to them by Yang Kai, how could they have taken it?
The two of them had their own healing pills, all of which were Heaven Grade Top-Rank.
But this simple Earth Grade Top-Rank pill, which would usually be despised by them, had suddenly produced many magical effects as they had refined it last night. These effects had swept through their meridians and physique like a gentle breeze, not only healing all of the wounds they had suffered in this recent battle but even mending many of their old battle scars.
Blood Warriors were trained from young for battle; every full-grown Blood Warrior had experienced hundreds of life or death battles, which had led to them accumulating many large and small injuries. It could be said that each Blood Warrior’s body was filled with these dark wounds.
No ordinary healing pill could treat such injuries, only extremely rare, precious medicines and long periods of time would give them a chance to eliminate these hidden dangers.
But as a Blood Warrior, how would they have so much time to rest?
For Tu Feng, before, when he circulated his True Qi, there would be a slight tingling sensation below his ribs, but he had always ignored this subtle pain.
As for Tang Yu Xian, every time she became angered, her heart would feel a pinching sensation. This was a result of her being poisoned once and never fully recovering.
These dark injuries were very subtle and wouldn’t normally affect their combat effectiveness, nor would it impede the circulation of their True Qi, but both of them knew that even if it wasn’t an impediment to them now, as time passed, one day, sooner or later, their strength would certainly be affected by the accumulation of these injuries, possibly leading to their early deaths.
But now, the two Blood Warriors clearly felt that all of the dark injuries leftover from their past battles had all but disappeared.
Was this something an Earth Grade Top-Rank pill could do?
In an instant, both of them have understood that their Little Lord had hidden something else inside these two Earth Grade Top-Rank pills, or else they wouldn’t have had such astonishing effects.
On top of that, whatever it was he had hidden inside these healing pills was, without a doubt, a priceless and rare treasure!
After taking a long time to recover from their shock, the gratitude and guilt the two Blood Warriors felt became even more intense.
As for Yang Kai, he had woken up earlier. It could even be said that he hadn’t really slept the night before.
The two Blood Warriors had been in a meditative state to recover and Qiu Yi Meng and Luo Xiao Man were women, so naturally the duty of night watchman had fallen to him.
Looking at Yang Kai, the two Blood Warriors couldn’t help feeling subtle warmth.
Just as they were preparing to offer their thanks, Yang Kai gave them a faint look and asked, “Which great forces are in the vicinity?”
Tu Feng paused for a moment before replying, “I remember that this place should be governed by Tian Yuan City.”
Tian Yuan City was the name of a city and the name of a great force.
“What rank force is Tian Yuan City?” Yang Kai wrinkled his brow and asked.
“A first-class force, why does Little Lord ask?” Tu Feng couldn’t understand why Yang Kai suddenly cared about Tian Yuan City.
Yang Kai showed a big grin as he smiled back at Tu Feng’s question, a sly look appearing on his face.
Qiu Yi Meng opened rolled her eyes and bitterly muttered, “He’s looking for another victim to blackmail.”
“The situation’s forcing me, all I can do is act accordingly!” Yang Kai shrugged his shoulders.
Seeing him not deny the charge, the two Blood Warriors’ expression became somewhat cramped.
But as they thought about it, the Lu Family which was thousands of kilometers from here had been painted guilty because of yesterday’s incident. Soon, Lu Liang would have to carry a generous offering to the Central Capital to give Yang Kai as a show of goodwill, so how could the nearby Tian Yuan City escape unscathed?
In the end, it was a fact that Yang Kai had been attacked within the scope of the Tian Yuan City’s influence, so Tian Yuan City naturally had to accept some responsibility for this matter.
It was up to the top executives of these nearby forces to understand the times.
In this sensitive period, any small event many turn into a big deal.
“Should we send a letter to Tian Yuan City?” Tu Feng was obviously quite experienced in these matters, his voice even containing a hint of eagerness, “If Little Lord wants, I can personally pay them a visit now. Let’s see if they dare try to argue back.”
Even Tang Yu Xian showed an enthusiastic look at this moment, seemingly wanting to set out together with Tu Feng.
“No need, such a big event will naturally be known to them.” Yang Kai shook his head and stood up and said, “Good, let’s go, we’ve been delayed a number of times already, I’m eager to see what the Central Capital is like after all these years.”
“Are Seniors’ injuries alright? Do you want to rest here a few more days?” Qiu Yi Meng frowned and asked with some concern.
Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian exchange a wry glance with each other before shaking their heads quickly, “No need.”
Seeing how they responded, Qiu Yi Meng didn’t insist.
Without the Cloud Treading Colts, the five people could only fly, so their speed was naturally slower.
After one day, the strength gap between the three juniors was clear at a glance. Even after flying for so long, Yang Kai’s expression was dull, no signs of fatigue apparent on his face, almost like he hadn’t expended any energy at all.
Qiu Yi Meng was slightly out of breath. In order to keep up with the two Immortal Ascension Boundary masters, her True Qi consumption had been quite serious.
As for Luo Xiao Man, her face was a bright red as sweat poured down her forehead. Her two great jade rabbits heaved up and down as she breathed heavily, creating quite a spectacle.
But she still grit her teeth and followed the crowd without saying a word.
If it wasn’t for Tang Yu Xian being unable to stand by and watch her suffer, offering to help her along, Luo Xiao Man would have already been left behind by everyone.
Yang Kai’s group walked along remote roads just to be safe, but never encountered any danger again, stopping at night to rest before setting off the next day.
Such a routine continued on.
Eight days later, a huge city came into everyone’s view.
The Central Capital!
Looking from afar, it seemed like this place was the center of the whole world. The size of Central Capital City was difficult to describe, even from over a hundred miles away, its outline was still clearly visible.
Those who witnessed its majestic momentum couldn’t help feeling small and insignificant in comparison.
When people thought of the Central Capital, they would involuntarily remember a certain saying.
From North to South, this is the world’s greatest city!
Standing at the edge of the south side of the city, one was unable to see the edge of the north side; the entire Central Capital seemed to be an endless sea of roads, buildings, and people, immense and magnificent.
It was often the case that on one side of the city there could be a great storm with thunder and lightning while at the other end of the city the sun would be shining in a clear blue sky.
Even if you were an Immortal Ascension masters, if you wanted to fly from one end of the city to the other, it would take you at least two or three hours!
This alone illustrated the immense scale of this city.
The world’s greatest city, it wasn’t an undeserved title!
It was hard to imagine how such a huge city, almost capable of being a small country in its own right, had been established. According to historical records, this city had already existed at the beginning of recorded time, and over the years, the Central Capital’s Eight Great Families had put down roots and firmly occupied it. As such, this grand old city constantly expanded and consolidated, growing larger and larger as the years, decades, and centuries passed.
Eventually, it became the wonder it was today!
The group of five people touched down outside and gazed towards the Central Capital.
“Although I’ve lived here nearly my entire life, I still can’t help marveling every time I see it.” Tang Yu Xian said with some slight emotions.
Tu Feng also had a dignified expression, and it wasn’t just them, anyone who stood outside the Central Capital would stop to admire it, regardless of whether they were long-time residents or newcomers.
Looking at the huge city that he had been away from for several years, Yang Kai’s expression was calm. It was only when he thought about his family waiting for him inside that his pulse quickened slightly.
Qiu Yi Meng gently brushed her hair back past her ear before turning to look at Yang Kai and say, “Xiao Man and I will be separating with you here. Right now, if we were to be seen together with you, I’m afraid it would cause some misunderstandings.”
“En.” Yang Kai nodded offhandedly.
Tu Feng suddenly smiled and turned to Qiu Yi Meng, “Young Lady Qiu, for this time’s Inheritance War, will your Qiu Family stand on the Little Lord’s side?”
Qiu Yi Meng smiled and stared at Yang Kai, calmly replying, “Although I’ve become acquainted with your Little Lord, the Inheritance War is too important to make a rash decision, I still have to think over it carefully.”
“What else is there to consider?” Tang Yu Xian smiled, striking while the iron was hot, “In addition to the Little Lord, Young Lady Qiu doesn’t know any of the other Young Lords nor do you know their depths. If the Qiu Family were to support one of them, wouldn’t that be slightly inappropriate? Even if you did so and lost, the Qiu Family’s heritage wouldn’t be affected, but supporting a character like the Little Lord is undoubtedly something Young Lady Qiu won’t regret.”
Qiu Yi Meng looked at Yang Kai with a smile, seemingly waiting for something.
However, after a long wait, and seeing Yang Kai having no intention to speak, she couldn’t help feeling a little annoyed, sighing slightly, “Everything will depend on your Little Lord’s performance.”
This statement was very thought provoking.
His performance, did she mean how he performed before her, or during the Inheritance War?
Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian’s eyes swam for a moment, suddenly wearing strange expressions, seemingly like they had just heard some kind of big secret, eventually turning their gaze back towards Qiu Yi Meng.
Unfortunately for them, Qiu Yi Meng’s face remained unchanged, still indifferent.
Tu Feng continued to add fuel to the fire, a meaningful grin appearing on his face, “If the Little Lord and Young Lady Qiu were to join forces, they would definitely be undefeatable, in the future, the Central Capital would clearly be controlled by the two of you, if you were to form a pair now, it wouldn’t be a misdemeanor…”
Tang Yu Xian quickly followed up, “I think so too. Young Lady Qiu doesn’t need to hesitate.”
“Hmm…” Qiu Yi Meng smiled plainly, as if she didn’t understand the hidden meaning of Tu Feng’s words, not blushing or showing any signs of embarrassment, just consciously or unconsciously casting her eyes towards Yang Kai.
Just when Tu Feng was about to say something more, Yang Kai suddenly interrupted and said, “I’m sure we’ll meet again, until then.”
This sentence was quite awkward, although Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian both wanted to take this opportunity to firmly grasp a big ally for Yang Kai, they didn’t expect him to suddenly cut them off here.
After speaking so, Yang Kai really started walking off.
The two Blood Warriors were stunned for a while, before hurriedly cupping their fists to Qiu Yi Meng and hurriedly catching up with Yang Kai.
Looking at Yang Kai’s quickly disappearing back, Qiu Yi Meng stood in place, only coming back to her senses after a long time, not having expected him to so decisively walk away from her.
“This guy!” Luo Xiao Man was indignant. “Isn’t he a bit too rude? Didn’t we travel all this way together? Why didn’t he at least say a few words before leaving?”
Qiu Yi Meng’s eyes flashed thoughtfully.
[Did he notice?]
[He should have noticed, or else he wouldn’t have just left without making even the slightest effort.]
[This guy, he’s really not easily fooled.]
“Elder Sister Qiu, aren’t you angry?” Luo Xiao Man said poutingly to Qiu Yi Meng, stomping her foot a few times, “How could he just walk off and ignore you?”
“Nevermind,” Qiu Yi Meng let out a light sigh, taking Luo Xiao Man’s hand and pulling her along, “Let’s head back to my Qiu Family.”
“Oh, en.”
“When we reach my home, you can send a letter to your Purple Fern Valley so they don’t worry about you.”
“En, I’ll do that.”
“After having not seen your Senior Brother Fan Hong, haven’t you been thinking of him?” Qiu Yi Meng asked with a smile, seemingly wanting to find another topic to discuss to disperse the haze in her heart.
“Ah… no…” Luo Xiao Man shook her slightly blushing face and whispered, “I don’t know why, but I haven’t thought about him for quite some time.”
“That’s naturally because you’ve seen the wonders of the outside world!”
The two girls hadn’t known each other a year ago, but since they initially went to High Heaven Pavilion, they had been involved in one adventure after another, each time encountering various spectacles and dangers. For this period, they had never been apart, so after such a long time experiencing weal and woe together, whether it was Qiu Yi Meng or Luo Xiao Man, they regarded each other as family, as though they were both blood sisters.
So regarding Qiu Yi Meng’s words, Luo Xiao Man also didn’t have any opinion, not even trying to refute her.
On the other side, Yang Kai and the two Blood Warriors rushed to the south of the Central Capital.
Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian walked behind Yang Kai, and although they didn’t say a word, they were still filled with doubts, not understanding why Yang Kai hadn’t made any effort to win over the Qiu Family.
If the Lu Family didn’t enter his eyes, the two Blood Warriors would take it for granted, but the Qiu Family was different. As one of the Eight Great Families, the support it could provide him was significant.
As long as one’s head was still working, they wouldn’t so easily let go of such a prize.
What’s more, Qiu Yi Meng’s status in the Qiu Family wasn’t low. If Qiu Yi Meng agreed to support him, it was basically equal to saying the entire Qiu Family supported him.
Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian were curious and wanted to ask, but they didn’t know how to start speaking so instead they just followed behind Yang Kai all the way, pondering over how to bring the matter up.
After a while, Tang Yu Xian cleared her throat rather loudly and stared towards Tu Feng.
The latter was frowning and thinking, so he was caught off guard and temporarily stunned.
Seeing such a reaction, Tang Yu Xian couldn’t help rolling her eyes, feeling slightly speechless.
These subtle movements of the two Blood Warriors were naturally noticed by Yang Kai.
Slowing his pace slightly, it wasn’t long before the two caught up. Yang Kai turned to them and asked indifferently, “Are you confused?”
Both Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian nodded dully.
“What’s so weird about it?” Yang Kai smiled plainly, no traces of regret apparent in his expression.
“Little Lord, why did you just leave Young Lady Qiu hanging like that? The Qiu Family’s forces are not weak, if you could ally with them, they would certainly provide a big boost in manpower and materials for this Inheritance War!” Tu Feng didn’t beat around the bush, asking directly.
Both he and Tang Yu Xian had decided that as long as the family allowed Blood Warriors to participate in this time’s Inheritance War, they would follow Yang Kai, so naturally they wouldn’t act indifferently towards Yang Kai’s actions like they had before.
However, Yang Kai simply shook his head slowly and faintly said, “Qiu Yi Meng has scruples in her heart so she won’t dare take a stand right now. Thus, even if I were to try to win her over, the result will be the same.”
“Really?” Tu Feng was shocked and blankly stared, “From what I have seen over her interactions with the Little Lord, she seems very interested in you. I would even say she favours you quite heavily. Whenever we spoke, she would be full of praise towards the Little Lord’s abilities.”
“That’s right.” Tang Yu Xian also nodded slightly.
“Her, like me?” Yang Kai stared at Tu Feng in shock before laughing loudly, “Tu Feng, ah Tu Feng, if you really think so, then you’re too naive!”
Tu Feng wasn’t a young man, so hearing Yang Kai say this to him, his face couldn’t help dying a slight shade of red.
“Perhaps my performance is impressive in her eyes, even much stronger than others of our generation,” Yang Kai raised his brow, showing a self-confident style, “Because of this, she will feel that I am different from the other Young Lords she’s interacted with, but that doesn’t mean she likes me.”
Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian both frowned, still somewhat unconvinced by Yang Kai’s argument.
Yang Kai smiled slightly, “Who is Qiu Yi Meng? The First Young Lady of the Qiu Family, the most dazzling star of the Qiu Family’s younger generation! Let me ask you a question: for such a woman, can she really decide her own future?”
Hearing these words, Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian couldn’t help but frown.
Qiu Yi Meng, her pursuers were countless, the most desired young woman of the Central Capital.
But even with so many young talents seeking her favour, Qiu Yi Meng was still single; there weren’t even rumors of her having a liking for any of the Central Capital’s Young Lords.
The reason for this was because the Qiu Family’s Patriarch Qiu Shou Cheng had declared that anyone who wanted to marry Qiu Yi Meng had to enter the Qiu Family!
This simple sentence might sound pleasant to the ear, almost as if Qiu Shou Cheng dearly loved his daughter and didn’t want her to leave the Qiu Family.
But in reality, it was actually that Qiu Shou Cheng didn’t want to let go of such a good opportunity to enhance the Qiu Family!
In a nutshell, Qiu Yi Meng’s destiny wasn’t something she had any control over. In the future, she would become nothing more than a game piece which would draw in benefits for the Qiu Family via a political marriage.
Such ideological education which held the family’s interested above all else had been impressed on her since childhood.
Who would become her partner, when she would be married, all of these decisions were to be made by the Qiu Family’s leadership, and she simply didn’t have any say in the matter.
How could a woman who had received such indoctrination easily decide to stand by Yang Kai’s side for this Inheritance War? If she were to make a rash decision now, the Qiu Family would definitely not recognize it!
“You don’t believe it?” Yang Kai looked at the two Blood Warriors carefreely.
Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian didn’t answer.
“Her not entering the Central Capital’s gates with us is the best evidence!” Yang Kai smiled lightly, “If she had really decided to side with me, she wouldn’t care what other people would think.”
“So don’t bother saying she favours me, because to her I am at most a Yang Family direct descendant who may become her ally! However…” Yang Kai’s expression suddenly became serious, “If someone better than me were to appear, the Qiu Family will definitely become my enemy in the future!”
Both Blood Warriors look stunned. Although they felt that Yang Kai’s views and thoughts were a bit too extreme, they had no choice but to admit that the various great families didn’t place too much importance on the desires of their Young Lords and Young Ladies.
Accepting the influence of their family from an early age, they would always consider the interests of the family above their own interests. As for things like love, that was a secondary concern!
“Subordinate will remember the Little Lord’s words.” Tu Feng nodded slightly.
Because of Tu Feng’s position, he didn’t need more than a general understanding of politics. Although the Blood Warriors were powerful elites, they didn’t understand the thoughts of these Young Lords and Young Ladies.
Yang Kai nodded casually before turning around, no longer discussing this topic.
After an hour, the three finally arrived at the Central Capital.
Because of the sheer size of the Central Capital, there were countless gates one could enter from.
The three of them had arrived at one of the city’s south gates!
There was no bustling of ordinary people, nor cultivators streaming back and forth. Instead, the south gate was just like the open mouth of a giant beast, only a few powerful cultivators stood by this gate, their vision casually glancing around.
This South Gate couldn’t be entered by average people.
This gate was the dedicated entrance to the Central Capital’s Yang Family home.
Each of the Eight Great Families had their own dedicated gate.
Once one entered this gate, they would follow a dedicated path all the way to Yang Family’s compound.
Except for members of the Eight Great Families, no one could pass through these gates and passages. Any trespassers would be killed without questions!
There were a few patrols in front of the south gate, but no cultivators unrelated to the Eight Great Families ever showed up here, so naturally the atmosphere was quite leisurely.
When the trio came to the city gate, the cultivators on guard all directed awe-inspired gazes towards them.
After seeing the jade talisman on the two Blood Warriors’ waists, they immediately collected themselves and cupped their fists respectfully.
Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian remained indifferent to this performance, not even blinking, instead just following behind Yang Kai as he strode into the Central Capital!
After the three had entered the gate, the guards finally let out a sigh of relief, all of them still slightly overawed.
“Which Young Lord is back? He looks pretty young, probably only seventeen or eighteen years old.”
“A Young Lord who is only seventeen or eighteen years old… Could it be the youngest one?”
“Wasn’t the Youngest Lord rumored to be unable to cultivate? If so then isn’t he basically no stronger than an ordinary person? How come he seems so aloof and confident? Strange…”
“Normal or not, it’s none of our concern, all we need to do is guard this gate.”
“Right, don’t say such things carelessly; it won’t end well for you if one of the family’s powerful masters overhears you. However, isn’t he the first of the Young Lords to return to the family?”
“En, no one else has returned yet.”
Less than an incense stick worth of time after Yang Kai and the two Blood Warriors had entered the city gate, a large group of people appeared before them, seemingly having been waiting for their arrival.
The number of people in this group was quite big, at least a dozen or so, and the one leading them seemed to be a stout fat man. He was less than six feet tall and his big belly would jiggle slightly every time he walked back and forth in front of the crowd. It seemed like after having paced here for a long time, some sweat had started flowing down his face as he was wiping his forehead and neck from time to time with a handkerchief.
Suddenly noticing Yang Kai’s group of three, the fat man was temporarily stunned before suddenly showing an overjoyed expression, quickly stowing his handkerchief in his sleeve and signalling to the crowd behind him, all of them swiftly assuming a welcoming posture.
Yang Kai and the two Blood Warriors stopped five steps in front of this crowd and glanced towards the fat man. Staring at this person though, Yang Kai couldn’t help but frown.
This fat man was clearly not a Yang Family member but instead came from one of the Yang Family’s attached forces. His cultivation wasn’t high, but since he was here, it must be because of the family’s arrangements; what Yang Kai didn’t understand was why.
“The two respected warriors have worked hard this time!” The fat man first respectfully bowed to Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian before his pair of small eyes tightened, almost narrowing to the point of closing as he smiled and looked at Yang Kai, “Two warriors, may this one ask, which Young Lord might be under your charge?”
Tu Feng’s expression remained calm as he replied, “Fourth Master’s son, the Little Lord!”
The Yang Family’s Young Lords rarely showed themselves in the around the family home, so it wasn’t surprising that this fat man didn’t recognize Yang Kai, so Tu Feng naturally didn’t care about this question.
The fat man’s face showed a slight look of surprises, apparently not having through that the first Young Lord to return to the family would be the Little Lord, but he immediately collected himself and, together with the people behind him, quickly cupped his fists and bowed politely, “The third-class steward Yin Tian You, in accordance with the command of the family, welcomes the Little Lord back to the capital. Many thanks to the Little Lord for his hard work these past few years!”
A third-class steward’s status in the Yang Family was neither high nor low, but given that this Yin Tian You’s strength wasn’t great, he was probably didn’t have any cultivation talent.
The Yang Family was a colossus that required many people who were proficient in various fields to help with management. For these individuals, their strength wasn’t all that important, what was important was their abilities in the areas they were charged with.
Just as Yang Kai was wondering what Yin Tian You was here for, it turns out the family had actually arranged for him to welcome the various Young Lords who were returning home.
Yang Kai’s brow loosened as he smiled lightly towards Yin Tian You and nodded, “Steward Yin has worked hard, have you been waiting here many days?”
Yang Kai’s amiable response was slightly unexpected for Yin Tian You, his small pair of eyes flashing a radiant light as he smiled even more humbly, “It is this Yin’s privilege to serve as the welcome party for the Young Lords’ return, waiting a few trivial days’ worths of time is no issue at all.”
Yang Kai nodded slightly and asked, “What arrangements does the family have for us?”
The Yang Family was different from an average family. The tempering they gave to their juniors was quite cold so it was unusual for the Elders within the family to display any goodwill or politeness to them.
In the past, when the Yang Family direct descendants returned from their outside life experiences, they would all simply returned to their respective residences, no one would be sent to receive them.
But this time there was a third-class steward waiting here; obviously the family had made some other arrangements for them.
Yin Tian You listened to Yang Kai, and he couldn’t help but nod appreciatively, “The Little Lord’s wit is sharp, this servant admires.”
Tu Feng interjected here coldly, “There’s no need for flattery, just answer the Little Lord’s question.”
“Yes.” Yin Tian You still maintained his welcoming smile, no trace of distress or dissatisfaction apparent on his face, “The situation is this, and the family has commanded that upon their return, the Young Lords should not first return to their respective residences but instead report to the Dragon Transformation Pond.”
“The Dragon Transformation Pond!” Tu Feng exclaimed.
Yang Kai also showed a look of shock while Tang Yu Xian’s beautiful eyes flashed a brilliant light.
None of them had expected the family to prepare such an extravagant gift for the returning Young Lords.
The Dragon Transformation Pond, a legendary place where one could leap over the dragon gate and be reborn as a dragon.
This was a wondrous sacred ground, an ultimate treasure of the Yang Family!
The waters in the Dragon Transformation Pond were mysterious and had could provide a huge benefit to any cultivator who soaked in them. It was said that it could purify the body and even wash one’s marrow. If one could cultivate within it for even a few days, their strength would definitely increase as their aptitude would also improve.
The aptitude of a cultivator was the foundation of their growth and the cornerstone of their strength. One’s aptitude determined the height to which a cultivator could grow. It was generally very difficult to change after birth unless one could acquire some particularly rare Precious Treasures.
However, the waters of the Yang Family’s Dragon Transformation Pond carried such an effect.
All the members of the Yang Family would scramble to obtain the chance to enter it.
But even the Yang Family’s direct descendants couldn’t easily enter the Dragon Transformation Pond. Any request would be reviewed by the family’s Elder Hall and only if the Elders felt that this disciple’s merits and potential warranted such an opportunity would he or she be granted permission.
Those who weren’t surnamed Yang had an even more difficult time trying to obtain time in the Dragon Transformation Pond; in fact, unless they made a substantial contribution to the family, it was all but impossible.
“Little Lord, Yu Xian and I have been to the Dragon Transformation Pond before, and it is a good place.” Tu Feng heard these words and couldn’t help whispering excitedly.
“En, when I was charged with protecting Young Lady Mei, I was seriously injured and almost died. Fortunately, Young Lady Mei begged the Fifth Master to speak on my behalf and I was fortunately granted permission to enter the Dragon Transformation Pond. Afterwards, not only did my injuries stabilize, but my strength also improved.” Tang Yu Xian also nodded.
How could Yang Kai not be familiar with the effectiveness of the Dragon Transformation Pond? When he had heard the fat man Yin Tian You mention it, he almost couldn’t help bursting into laughter.
Before he had gone to High Heaven Pavilion, his father Yang Ying Feng had applied to the Elder Hall for a chance to use the Dragon Transformation Pond many times because of his congenital defect, wanting to allow Yang Kai to soak within its waters to see if it could improve his aptitude.
But no matter how many times Yang Ying Feng applied, he was always rejected by the Elder Assembly!
Why squander the power of the Dragon Transformation Pond for a waste?
This had led to Yang Ying Feng always having a bleak and guilty expression every time he saw him, it seemed he blamed his own illness for Yang Kai’s congenitally defect. Each time his request was rejected, Dong Su Zhu, Yang Kai’s mother, would also become depressed and shed bitter tears.
As a result, Yang Kai’s parents would often go take on tasks for the family, working themselves to death in order to earn enough merits to allow Yang Kai to have a chance to enter the Dragon Transformation Pond.
However, regardless of how diligently they strove, they were still met with rejection.
“Next time, there will definitely be an opportunity next time.” Each time he came back from the Elder Hall Yang Ying Feng would speak similar words, seemingly trying to comfort Yang Kai.
The guilty and forlorn look in his eyes was something Yang Kai could still picture clearly to this day.
Yet now, the goal that his parents had striven so hard to obtain had actually been offered to him freely today.
This sudden change couldn’t help making Yang Kai wonder what all the pain and effort his parents had endured was for.
Thinking so, Yang Kai’s thoughts fluctuated for a moment before he slowly closed his eyes and nodded lightly.
Obviously oblivious to Yang Kai’s mood, Yin Tian You smiled greatly as he cupped his fists before his chest and said, “Little Lord, it’s best to handle such matters immediately, would Little Lord be willing to visit the Dragon Transformation Pond now?”
A bitterness in Yang Kai’s heart made him feel like rejecting this offer suddenly, causing his brow to furrow, but before he had time to think things over, a clear eagle cry rang out above his head.
Hearing this cry, everyone present unconsciously looked up, their expressions becoming light.
The Golden Feather Eagle perched atop Yang Kai’s shoulders also flapped its wings and soared up into the sky.
“Another Young Lord has arrived! It seems we will have a double celebration today!” Yin Tian You laughed happily, he had been waiting here for many days without result but now two of the Young Lords had appeared in quick succession.
Just as his voice faded, a new group of people came into view.
At the head of this group was a youth who appeared to be around twenty five or twenty six years of age. He had sharp facial features that gave a bold impression and rode an impressive Cloud Treading Colt, slowly approaching Yang Kai’s group.
Behind him were two staunch Blood Warriors, and behind these warriors were, unexpectedly, several more powerful experts.
As they drew closer, this youth and Yang Kai’s eyes met, a surprised expression flashing across the former’s face as he quickly examined the latter.
Immediately after though, he smiled and nodded lightly to Yang Kai.
Yang Kai nodded back, obviously recognizing this youth’s identity after seeing his facial features.
Yang Zhao, the second oldest amongst this generation’s Yang Family direct descendants, and the son of Yang Kai’s Great Uncle Yang Ying Hao.
Great Uncle Yang Ying Hao was the current Patriarch of the Yang Family! It was also because he was injured in the battle with the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land that the Yang Family children had been recalled in advance.
Unlike Yang Kai’s obscurity, although Yang Zhao had never been publicly presented before, most of the family members knew about his existence and even his face because of his relationship with Yang Ying Hao.
Yang Kai had also met him a few times, so naturally he was familiar with him.
After seeing Yang Zhao, the fat man Yin Tian You’s expression immediately became more dignified, even the people standing behind him also sucked in a cold breath.
Regardless of Yang Zhao’s strength or his performance in the upcoming Inheritance War, just the fact that he was the son of the current Patriarch meant he couldn’t be neglected.
“Little Lord…” Yin Tian You was a sharp person so he first turned to Yang Kai respectfully.
“Attend to your responsibilities.” Yang Kai nodded lightly.
“Many thanks, Little Lord!” After bowing politely, Yin Tian You quickly smoothed his clothes and stepped towards Yang Zhao, repeating his welcome speech nearly word for word.
Yang Zhao sat upon the Cloud Treading Colt from start to finish and after listening to Yin Tian You’s report, he simply replied, “Understood.”
After that, his sight shifted towards Yang Kai again as he wore a smile, “Little Brother Kai?”
“Second Brother!” Yang Kai cupping his fists and grinning lightly.
“Sure enough, it’s Little Brother Kai! Hahaha!” Yang Zhao laughed loudly as he looked over Yang Kai with great interest, “It is says a girl changes eighteen times between childhood and womanhood, but it seems the same is true for boys! After not seeing you for only a few years, second brother here almost couldn’t recognize you! When we last met you were just a weak little brat yet now it seems you’ve been reborn as a great talent, truly worthy of a member of my Yang Family!”
Whether intentional or not, his words seemed to hint at him being the next head of the Yang Family.
“Second Brother overpraises.” Yang Kai simply brushed over Yang Zhao’s comment, instead just smiling back at him confidently.
As the two talked, the few experts behind Yang Zhao also seemed to be examining Yang Kai, a moment later many of them showing some disdainful expressions, seemingly looking down on Yang Kai.
Only the two Blood Warriors didn’t show any change in expression.
Similar to Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian, these two Blood Warriors were only loyal to the Yang Family. Yang Zhao and Yang Kai were both Yang Family Young Lords so they naturally wouldn’t show any impolite expressions.
However, after noticing the disdainful glances of these strangers, both Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian couldn’t help but frown, turning a cold gaze towards these outsiders.
Suddenly feeling this icy glare, these few experts immediately went pale and quickly fixed their expressions.
Noticing this, Yang Zhao’s eyes flashed as he glanced towards Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian, slightly surprised. He hadn’t imagined that these two would act to support Yang Kai so decisively.
Over the course of his journey home, even Yang Zhao himself hadn’t been able to win the approval of his two Blood Warrior escorts, the entire time they had only given thought to completing their duty of escorting him, barely even speaking with him.
The difference in treatment was obvious, causing Yang Zhao to immediately realize that something was unusual.
Yang Kai seemed to be quite favoured by these two Blood Warriors! But why was that?
Suppressing his doubts, Yang Zhao didn’t show any outward signs of curiosity, just faintly asking, “Did you fly all the way back?”
He saw that Yang Kai and his two Blood Warriors didn’t even have mounts, so naturally he would think so.
Yang Kai nodded offhandedly.
“The road home must have been hard.” Yang Zhao said casually before jumping off his Cloud Treading Colt, walking over towards Yang Kai and saying, “If you don’t mind, why don’t we go to the Dragon Transformation Pond together? On the way there you can let Second Brother listen to your adventures over the past few years.”
“Good.” Yang Kai smiled.
“En, let’s go!” Yang Zhao also let out a laugh, walking a few steps before suddenly turning back and saying, “Right, you all should go to the house and wait for me, I’ll return within three to five days.”
The group of strangers nodded in acknowledgment.
The two Blood Warriors didn’t react, though. They were only responsible for escorting Yang Zhao back to the family safely, so once they had arrived here, their mission was already finished. From here, they would simply return to the Blood Warrior Hall.
“Thank you for your hard work.” Yang Kai also signaled to Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian with a smile.
The two of them responding, “Little Lord, take care!”
This kind of affectionate attitude could help drawing surprised looks from Yang Zhao and the other two Blood Warriors.
After Yang Kai and Yang Zhao left, the four Blood Warriors glanced at each other silently before flying off towards the Blood Warrior Hall.
Halfway there, one of the two Blood Warriors turned and asked, “Tu Feng, how come you and Yu Xian seem quite friendly with the Little Lord? Did he display some impressive abilities on the way back? If so, please tell us about it.”
The Blood Warriors were all very familiar with each other, so while they wouldn’t show it in front of outsiders, they naturally didn’t act so stoic when no one else was around.
Tu Feng just slowly shook his head, “No, it’s just that the Little Lord was quite kind with us along the journey.”
Although no one here was an outsider, Tu Feng wouldn’t be stupid enough to divulge Yang Kai’s secret because the people here may soon become his opponents, extolling his good point and methods here would only bring harm to him.
This man obviously didn’t believe Tu Feng’s words but only grinned fiercely in response.
“What about you, what was your trip with the Second Young Lord like?” Tu Feng quickly reciprocated.
The men looked indifferent, the one who had spoken previously replying flatly, “Nothing special.”
The four suddenly looked at each other and simultaneously sneered.
Everyone knew that the other party was simply talking nonsense! But even if they knew, none of them would say so out loud. At this time, no matter which Blood Warrior it was, they wouldn’t divulge information about the Young Lord which was under their charge. Even if the one who asked was the Patriarch or an Elder, they still wouldn’t talk.
The Blood Warriors truly were synonymous with loyalty!
At the same time, Yang Kai and Yang Zhao were casually walking in the direction of the Dragon Transformation Pond. The two brothers only spoke with one another about the various trivial things they had experienced over the past few years. As for which Sect they had joined and what people they had met, nothing was discussed.
Both of them knew that this brother of theirs was actually a rival! Neither of them knew what schemes the other might try to use in order to knock them down and beat them into submission!
The Inheritance War was nothing less than a civil war between brothers, a contest of both strength and wits!
The two brothers traveled along the road side by side; to an observer, they would appear to be a happy and harmonious family.
After a short time, they had arrived at the Dragon Transformation Pond’s location.
Surrounding it was a countless number of cultivators on guard, there were also many masters secretly paying close attention to this place, their Divine Senses constantly sweeping over the area.
Once there was an outsider attempting to get close to it, no questions would be asked, they would be ruthlessly executed immediately!
One time, a first-class family’s steward had come to deliver the Yang Family a tribute. After finishing his mission, he had somehow lost his way and strayed into the Dragon Transformation Pond’s region. Before he could breathe a word, the Yang Family masters and guards had killed him.
After this matter was passed out, that first-class family not only didn’t dare ask for an explanation, they instead sent another envoy bearing twice as many gifts to apologize for this infraction.
This treasured land of the Yang Family had always been one of its most tightly guarded positions.
Although this place was inside the Central Capital, with the Dragon Transformation Pond as its center, for several kilometers around the land retained its most primitive state. If someone were to see this place without knowing where they were, they’d likely mistaken think they had strayed into the wilderness.
A thick fog back lingered here, so dense one couldn’t see the fingers of their outstretched hand. Surrounding the fog bank was a lush and verdant forest, with a number of shadows seemingly appearing and disappearing at random.
It was in this region’s deepest place that one could enter the Dragon Transformation Pond and cleans their physique!
When Yang Zhao and Yang Kai arrived here, they quickly stopped talking. Yang Zhao stepped forward and cupped his fists, “Junior Yang Zhao, by order of the Elder Assembly, has come to visit the Dragon Transformation Pond. Junior dares to ask which Senior stands guard here?”
A moment later, from within the fog bank, a strange voice floated, “This old master is called Xiao Zheng Qing. So it is Young Lord Zhao, the Young Lord beside you is who?”
Before Yang Kai could answer, Yang Zhao had quickly stepped forward and replied, “This is little brother Kai!”
The voice in the fog was silent for a while, seemingly contemplating who this little brother Kai Yang Zhao spoke of was, eventually saying, “Since you have arrived here, the two Young Lords should come in.”
As this voice spoke, the fog bank in front of the two brothers parted ways, like two invisible giant hands had pulled it apart, revealing a clear passage into the interior.
It wasn’t until now that Yang Kai and Yang Zhao discovered to their shock that both sides of this channel were actually lined by a number of Yang Family masters.
The closest one to them was actually less than five meters away.
When these people were engulfed by the fog, the two brothers hadn’t even noticed them, nor had they detect any signs of energy within the fog itself.
These Yang Family guards were obviously different from those who stood around outside. Each of them was calm and steady, most of them having reached the True Element Boundary, while the remaining few were Immortal Ascension Boundary masters. All of these guards possessed a dignified aura as they turned their gazes towards the two youths.
Yang Zhao and Yang Kai both glanced at each other, unable to hide a slight trace of excitement before facing forward and walking towards the open channel.
“Welcome two Young Lords!”
“Two Young Lords, please!”
All the way, these Yang Family guards nodded slightly and respectfully towards the two brothers.
Yang Zhao wore a light smile on his face, striding forward with great confidence.
Yang Kai beside him didn’t say a word, instead quietly releasing his Divine Sense to explore his surroundings, his heart secretly surprised by what he found.
Although he was also a Yang Family member, Yang Kai wasn’t familiar with the depths of the Yang Family’s heritage and capital.
However, after this simple probe, he was surprised to find that the cultivators here, compared to the common disciples of a second-class Sect with equal cultivation realms, were undoubtedly a lot stronger, their combat strength also much greater.
Whether it was their Spiritual Energy, physique strength, Blood Force, or True Qi, they were all more vigorous and pure.
Yang Kai investigated the two men standing before him and found out that each one of them was most likely capable of emerging victorious over three opponents of the same realm at the same time.
Of course, this was only when comparing to other common disciples.
But even this was amazing enough.
Moreover, the fog back here was also rather strange, when Yang Kai tried to penetrate it with his Divine Sense it was like he had dove into a pool of stagnant water, unable to sense the slightest things inside it.
Clearly this place had a very profound Spirit Array in operation.
After a stick of incense worth of time, the view in front of them suddenly became clear, the fog bang dissipating, giving people a feeling of emerging from a dark forest into a bright village.
Before them, at the edge of a huge pool, three old men with white beards sat cross-legged, staring towards the two brothers.
After seeing the two youths emerge from the fog bank, the old man in the middle smiled and spoke, “Yang Zhao?”
Yang Zhao wore a respectful expression and quickly cupped his fists, “Junior Yang Zhao greets three Seniors!”
Anyone who could stand guard beside the Dragon Transformation Pond, regardless of whether they were surnamed Yang, would obviously have great status inside the Yang Family, at least comparable to the family’s Elders.
Obviously Yang Zhao wouldn’t dare show any disrespect.
Xiao Zheng Qing and the other two old men smiled lightly, seemingly very satisfied with Yang Zhao’s attitude. Turning his eyes towards Yang Kai, Xiao Zheng Qing couldn’t help feeling slightly suspicious, “Are you Yang Ying Feng’s son?”
“Yes, Junior Yang Kai greets three Seniors.” Yang Kai nodded lightly.
He was far less calm on the inside.
These three people were all Peak Immortal Ascension Boundary masters. In other words, none of them was worse than Ling Tai Xu before his latest breakthrough, yet all three of them had actually been tasked with guarding the Dragon Transformation Pond. It was obviously how much value the Yang Family placed on this place.
With these three, the mysterious Spirit Array, and the myriad of expert guards stationed in the area, it was likely that only an Above Immortal Ascension Boundary master had any chance of breaking into this place.
After learning about Yang Kai’s lineage, Xiao Zheng Qing only slightly nodded, the other two old men also not saying a word. It seemed like for them, Yang Zhao was more worthy of their attention.
These old masters attitude didn’t surprise Yang Kai much so he paid it no mind.
“Senior, why did the family arrange for us to enter the Dragon Transformation Pond this time?” Yang Zhao saw that Xiao Zheng Qing was quite optimistic about himself and was also quite curious about this point so he hurriedly asked this question.
Xiao Zheng Qing smiled lightly and replied, “Naturally it is because the family wants to improve your future prospects. Over the past few years, you have been practicing in first-class forces, but how can the resources there compare with our Yang Family? Whether it be the practice of Martial Skills or the the absorption of pill efficacies, both will leave behind traces of damage and impurities in the body, the Dragon Transformation Pond can cleanse these impurities from your physiques!”
Yang Zhao smiled happily and nodded, “Junior will certainly live up to the family’s expectations!”
Xiao Zheng Qing laughed, “Good, worthy of the Patriarch’s son, truly different from others. The centre of the Dragon Transformation Pond has the greatest efficacies, you should enter there to cultivate.”
Yang Kai’s brow couldn’t help but wrinkle, although he didn’t expect Xiao Zheng Qing to be optimistic about himself, such blatant favouritism was still uncomfortable to his ears.
However, he knew well enough to hold his tongue here. Right now he really had no power or achievements so anything he said would only bring more disdain upon himself.
If he wanted to change other’s opinions of him, there was only one way.
That was to rise to the top of the Yang Family, by that time, everyone would have no choice but to respect and obey him.
Yang Zhao nodded slightly before he and Yang Kai glanced towards the centre of the Dragon Transformation Pond.
Only a vague outline of the pond was visible because a strange layer of mist hovered above the water’s surface.
However, Yang Kai was keenly aware that this mist was different from the fog bank they had just passed through.
The outer fog was only used to shield this place while this mist above the Dragon Transformation Pond was actually a gathering of pure energy. It seemed like the water in the entire Dragon Transformation Pond was a crystallization of this energy, condensed into a liquid form, while mist above it was a residual leakage.
“The Dragon Transformation Pond is a place to purify one’s physique, this is a rare opportunity so you must cherish it.” Xiao Zheng Qing said lightly.
Another of the old men interjected at this point, “The Dragon Transformation Pond is also a place to test a person’s aptitude. The longer one can cultivate within it, the higher their aptitude is. Yang Zhao, you must strive hard here, you are different from the other Young Lords, you are the son of the Patriarch, many people are optimistic about you.”
There was a clear look of excitement on Yang Zhao’s face, as if he couldn’t wait to prove himself, quickly cupping his fists and shouting, “Yes!”
“Go!” Xiao Zheng Qing waved his hand and an invisible force wrapped both Yang Zhao and Yang Kai, gently sending them into the Dragon Transformation Pond.
As the mist rolled, the two youths disappeared into the pool at the same time.
Surrounded by a chilly feeling, the water in the Dragon Transformation Pond seemed to have some effect as Yang Kai clearly felt some of its energy flow into his body’s acupuncture points and pores, causing him a sharp stinging pain.
But immediately after, the pain disappeared and the energy which seeped into his meridians, under the smelting of Yang Kai’s True Yang Yuan Qi, was quickly stored into his Unyielding Golden Skeleton.
Yang Kai looked blank, suddenly feeling that this Dragon Transformation Pond… seemed quite different from what he had expected.
It didn’t appear to have any of the rumoured magical effects.
Turning to look at Yang Zhao, Yang Kai’s expression became even odder.
He found that his second brother seemed to be enduring tremendous pain at the moment, his entire face blood red, his True Qi circulating madly as he pulled the energy in the Dragon Transformation Pond into his body.
Immediately, some impurities were discharged from Yang Zhao and the crystal clear water in the pool seemed to become contaminated.
Yang Kai quickly swam a distance away, in somewhat of a trance.
Looking at Yang Zhao’s current appearance, the Dragon Transformation Pond was clearly useful and could really help one cleanse their body, so why couldn’t he feel any of its effects?
After contemplating for a long time, Yang Kai suddenly realized something, his expression cramping up.
If his guess was correct, then the reason for all this was the Myriad Drug Liquid.
If one took the Myriad Drug Liquid for a long time, it would purify the body and fundamentally improve that person’s aptitude.
Since he had obtained the Myriad Drug Liquid, as long as he wasn’t incapable of doing so, Yang Kai had taken a drop every day.
After following this regimen for such a long time, all of the impurities in his body had been eliminated and his aptitude had also been significantly improved.
So even if he entered the Dragon Transformation Pond now, what benefit could it give him?
The effects of the Dragon Transformation Pond were definitely not as good as those of the Myriad Drug Liquid.
Realizing all this, Yang Kai’s face sank.
Affected by his childhood pre-conceptions, he hadn’t held great expectations of entering the Dragon Transformation Pond, so now seeing it have basically no use to him, naturally Yang Kai felt disappointed.
The Dragon Transformation Pond couldn’t providing any help to him, but since he had just come it, leaving right away was somewhat inappropriate, so Yang Kai simply sat there bored, silently circulated his True Yang Secret Art, absorbing and refining some of the energy in the Dragon Transformation Pond.
Yang Family Home.
The news that the two Young Lords had returned had quickly spread, the two Golden Feather Eagles circling above the family’s compound were the best evidence.
At this time, a man and a woman were racing towards the Dragon Transformation Pond.
Both of their expressions were a mix of nervousness and anticipation, as well as some awkwardness.
The middle-aged man was better, somehow forcing himself to remain calm, but he still couldn’t restrain himself from trembling slightly, his face occasionally showing a joyful expression.
On the other hand, the woman, while flying, was constantly wiping her red puffy eyes, silently crying, her tears spilling out over the ground.
After a while, the middle-aged man couldn’t stand it anymore, sighing lightly, “Su Zhu, why are you crying? Our son returning home is a happy occasion!”
Dong Su Zhu continued to wipe her tears as she choked on the words she tried to say, “I… I just can’t help it… tou… you think I want to cry… these tears… they just came out… oh… I… I…”
Yang Ying Feng was dumbstruck, “If our son were to see you now, he would probably think I’ve been bullying you at home.”
Dong Su Zhu suddenly flew into a rage, “Haven’t you been bullying me!? Tell me what happened last time with that damn fox? Why was she shouting “Big Brother Yang” so intimately! Hmm?”
Her words were extremely sharp and articulate, no longer crying in the slightest, where did her incoherent appearance disappear to all of a sudden?
The Yang Family’s Fourth Master staggered, his face turning beat red, his expression becoming somewhat sullen, “That, that was just a misunderstanding…”
“Misunderstanding?” Dong Su Zhu replied indignantly, suddenly wearing a pitiful expression, “When I married into the Yang Family I was only eighteen years old. I’ve been by your side now for over twenty years, yet I haven’t experience much joy in my time here! Instead, it has been constant toiling and hardship but now, even at this age, I still have to worry about my husband being seduced by some vixen… Had I only know so… I never would have agreed to come to the Central Capital to participate in that Inheritance War, making me meet such an unconscionable man again… wu wu…”
As she spoke, Dong Su Zhu rubbed the corners of her eyes again as she quietly observed Yang Ying Feng’s reaction.
“I swear to you it was just an accident!” Yang Ying Feng’s forehead suddenly oozed cold sweat. Although Dong Su Zhu was not young now, her age classifying her as middle-aged, but through some strange natural coincidence, until now she still appeared no different than a young woman in her mid-twenties. The long years seemed to have left no trace on her at all.
And although Dong Su Zhu wasn’t young, she was still very lively, often saying things and acting in a manner more appropriate for a young girl, making those who knew her not know whether to laugh or cry.
In fact, various anecdotes often occurred when this husband and wife pair went out together.
When people who weren’t familiar with the pair came up to them, they would respectfully say, “Greetings Yang Family Fourth Master, greetings Young Lady Yang…”
Each time Yang Ying Feng would feel like holding his head and ask, “Who is this Young Lady Yang?”
To his question they would politely reply, “Isn’t this the Fourth Master’s daughter? Truly a Dragon father and Phoenix mother will not give birth to a chicken daughter. The Forth Master must be incredibly proud of this Young Lady Yang.”
Facing this unbridled praise, Yang Ying Feng’s face would change from purple to blue.
Dong Su Zhu on the other hand, instead of correcting these newcomers would instead grab hold of Yang Ying Feng’s arm with a smile, nodding lightly as she enjoyed their misunderstanding, seemingly hoping these people would say even a few more sweet words.
As the number of such experiences increased, the Yang Family’s Fourth Master also grew experience in handling such affairs. Whenever an unfamiliar person walked up to him at a gathering and wanted to exchange greetings, Yang Ying Feng would take the initiative to say, “Greetings, I am Yang Ying Feng, this is my wife Dong Su Zhu!”
This would precipitate an odd reaction from these strangers, many of them thinking that the Yang Family’s Fourth Master was a weird person, seemingly afraid that the world wouldn’t know he was an old cow chewing on tender grass, therefore actively introducing himself so.
Maybe it was the Yang Family’s temperament… was just weird.
How these great family direct descendants acted was really not easy to comprehend.
This latest issue brought up by Dong Su Zhu had actually happened three years ago. The woman who had a good impression of Yang Ying Feng had long since disappeared from his mind, but Dong Su Zhu was still holding on to that incident, and every time she felt depressed she would invariably bring it up.
What’s more, because of the Yang Family’s Fourth Master’s mild temperament, he would always suffer a loss!
It was clear that he wasn’t in the wrong, it was that other woman’s one sided attraction to him, but as long as Dong Su Zhu mentioned it, Yang Ying Feng immediately became as obedient as a grandson, apologizing so profusely it was almost embarrassing to watch.
“It’s nothing more than a misunderstanding, you don’t have anything to worry about, all that happened was I helped her when she was in trouble. In fact, I didn’t say more than three sentences to her!” Yang Ying Feng continued to wipe the cold sweat from his forehead, nervously explaining himself over and over again.
By this point, he had actually lost track of how many times he had apologized for this…
“…really?” Dong Su Zhu sniffled, her expression looking like it was on the verge of breaking out into tears again at any moment, “You aren’t lying to me?”
“I’m not lying, from the moment I met you till the moment I die I have and never will lie to you!” Yang Ying Feng pounded his chest and declared in a heroic manner.
“Fourth Brother is really good to me!” Dong Su Zhu extolled, suddenly bursting into laughter.
The Yang Family’s Fourth Master nodded and grinned, his smile quite similar to Yang Kai’s, just lacking a certain demonic quality.
“…you won’t tell our son about this, right?” Yang Ying Feng suddenly thought of something, hurriedly asking.
“Hmm… That all depends on how you behave in the future. If one day I’m not happy, maybe I’ll have to have a chat with our son, you know, when you chat, some things come up unexpectedly.”
*Cough, cough, cough…* The Yang Family’s Fourth Master suddenly felt uncomfortable, thinking about the grand image of him in his son’s heart crumbling into dust… that would certainly be terrible day.
As she spoke about her son, Dong Su Zhu’s face became a little more proper, muttering lightly, “Over the past few years, I wonder if my son has brought home a wife with him.”
“No, I heard from Tu Feng that he came back alone, but Tu Feng told me that there seems to be a woman who has a crush on him.”
“How many women?” Dong Su Zhu asked interestedly.
“How many?” Yang Ying Feng’s brow twitched, suddenly loudly declaring, “Of course there is only one, if he dares mess around, I’ll break his legs!”
Dong Su Zhu’s smiling face quickly became cold, saying to her husband with deep meaning, “If you dare do so I’ll twist off your… leg.”
Yang Ying Feng’s neck shrank unconsciously, suddenly dumbstruck.
Why was it that him speaking a mere three sentences to another woman had let her hold a grudge for three years, but when it came to their son, she had no problem if he brought home more than one wife?
Wasn’t that too much of a double standard?
As they approached the Dragon Transformation Pond’s restricted area, Dong Su Zhu said in a fluster, “Husband, quickly tell me, are my clothes in order? How about me hair, it’s not a mess is it? Is there anything out of place?”
The Yang Family’s Fourth Master nearly choked, “Why are you worrying so much about your appearance? This isn’t a blind date or something.”
Dong Su Zhu spat disdainfully, “Seeing my son after so long is far more important than some blind date.”
After thinking for a while, Yang Ying Feng felt that what his wife said was somewhat justified and helped her arrange her clothes, half nervously asking, “How about me, do I have any problems?”
“Your beard is a little thick, but that’s alright.”
“En.” Yang Ying Feng gave a satisfied nod.
Both husband and wife stopped at the edge of the Dragon Transformation Pond’s restricted area, each of them holding their breath as the stared towards the thick fog bank, standing up straight, waiting awkwardly.
It was as if they were here to receive some great master!
After waiting for a while, Yang Ying Feng suddenly said, “Su Zhu, our son should now be cleansing himself in the Dragon Transformation Pond, the process should take at least one or two days before he comes out, what should we do in the meantime?”
“Do you want to go back?” Dong Su Zhu seemingly casually suggested.
“Good, there are some things I should attend to, when I finish, I’ll come meet with you!” Yang Ying Feng nodded and turned around to leave.
However, after only making it a few steps, the Yang Family’s Fourth Master suddenly felt a cold murderous glare piercing his back, sending a cold shiver up his spine.
Yang Ying Feng couldn’t help freezing in place, hurriedly turning back, his expression quite dignified as he walked over and stood shoulder to shoulder with Dong Su Zhu, gently holding her hand as he stared forward.
“What’s the matter?” Dong Su Zhu smiled blankly at him, her tone as soft as water.
The Yang Family’s Fourth Master snorted once and said, “I suddenly thought that it’s better for me to wait here with you. In any case, those other matters aren’t that important; I can handle them some other time.”
“It’s alright, I can wait alone.” Dong Su Zhu looked at Yang Ying Feng gently and spoke incomparably sweetly, her face filled with tender affection, “If you’re busy, you don’t need to worry about our mother and child, when my son comes out I can simple take him with me to the Dong Family, there’s no need for him to take part in this nonsense Inheritance War.”
“No need.” Yang Ying Feng shook his head like a rattle, “I’ll wait here with you.”
……
Inside the Dragon Transformation Pond, half a day later.
Yang Kai couldn’t stand it any longer.
The Dragon Transformation Pond had no effect on him, so all he could do was quietly cultivate by circulating his True Yang Secret Art. Although cultivating here was faster than normal, but it wasn’t anything significant. If it were any other time, after discovering this place didn’t provide him any benefits, Yang Kai would have simply left.
However, when he remembered the dismissive look on the faces of the three old men outside, Yang Kai couldn’t help feeling a little stubborn.
Glancing across the way, he was surprised to find that Yang Zhao’s condition hadn’t changed much, still desperately struggling to clean his body of impurities. Shaking his head helplessly, Yang Kai quietly jumped out from the Dragon Transformation Pond.
Mid-air, after circulating his True Qi, steam gently rose from Yang Kai’s body, his clothes drying before he touched down next to the water.
Xiao Zheng Qing and the other two men looked towards Yang Kai blankly.
As they had said, the Dragon Transformation Pond was a place to test a person’s aptitude. The better their aptitude, the longer they could stay in the Dragon Transformation Pond and the greater the benefits they would obtain.
The three old men had been guarding this place for many years and had seen many Yang Family disciples entered the Dragon Transformation Pond, but even those with the worst of aptitudes would insist for at least a full day and night before coming out.
But now, incredibly, someone had actually only managed to last less than half a day before jumping out on his own.
This kind of performance was really too unsightly.
Xiao Zheng Qing and the other two old men had very high positions in the Yang Family so naturally there was no need for them to give Yang Kai any face. What’s more, the three of them weren’t very optimistic about Yang Kai from the start.
“Already coming out?” One of them snorted coldly, their expression quite disdainful.
Yang Ka’s brow wrinkled, but although he was unhappy, he didn’t talk back, simply saying, “Three Seniors, what instructions do you have?”
“None! You may leave.” Xiao Zheng Qing said casually.
Yang Kai nodded and quickly cupped his fists to the three masters before turning and striding away.
As for the slight chuckling sounds behind him, Yang Kai simply turned a deaf ear to them.
[When I left the Yang Family all those years ago, I was still just an ordinary mortal, unable to cultivate, now I’m returning as a True Element Boundary Seventh Stage cultivator.]
[It’s like that was a lifetime ago!]
Yang Kai’s heart was also very concerned about his parents back home. Due to the family rules, it was impossible for him to come back to visit them. Some time ago, Dong Qing Han had told him that his mother had secretly snuck out to see him, the result being that she was discovered by the family. In her place, his father Yang Ying Feng had suffered thirty lashes as punishment, causing Yang Kai no small worry.
He really wanted to know how his parents had faired these past few years.
Yang Kai’s heart pounded all the way as he walked towards the outside from the Dragon Transformation Pond’s restricted area, and just as he stepped out of the fog bank, he saw two straight figures quietly standing there, looking expectantly towards the pond.
When their eyes met, all of them were stunned.
Yang Kai had never thought his mother and father would be waiting here for him, after all, it had only been half a day since he had returned to the family. If someone hadn’t deliberately informed them, they might not have even known he was back yet.
Yang Ying Feng and Dong Su Zhu also didn’t expect that their soon would appear in front of them so soon.
This unexpected development left all of them temporarily dumbstruck.
When Yang Ying Feng had said that Yang Kai would spend at least one or two days cultivating in the Dragon Transformation Pond, he had already overestimated Yang Kai’s aptitude as much as possible.
He had already heard about Kai’s current cultivation realm from Tu Feng and knew that he had already solved his congenital problem, but as for Yang Kai’s true aptitude, the Yang Family’s Fourth Master was still clueless.
Estimating that Yang Kai could stay in the Dragon Transformation Pond for a day or two would mean his aptitude was certainly not fantastic, but at least better than normal.
Unexpectedly, after only half a day, Yang Kai came out from the Dragon Transformation Pond. Only being able to insist for such a short time, Yang Kai’s aptitude was apparently very problematic.
After the three of them started at each other blankly for a moment, Yang Kai smiled gently; for all these years outside he had never revealed such a warm, happy smile.
Dong Su Zhu’s expression completely collapsed, her tears once again streaming down, unable to say anything, instead just stepping forward and holding her son in her arms.
But today’s Yang Kai was obviously not the same one who had left so long ago, after all these years outside, he was now a head taller than her. As a result, Dong Su Zhu could only stand on her tip toes and loop her small hand over Yang Kai’s neck, pulling his head onto her slender shoulder as she gently combed his hair while her other hand wrapped around his broad back.
Dong Su Zhu opened her mouth several times to speak, but all that came out was a quiet weeping.
As her tears fell like raindrops on his shoulder, Yang Kai felt a long absent sense of warmth overcome him, gently sniffing the familiar fragrance that had comforted him so when he was a child. At that moment, Yang Kai’s heart became peaceful as all his tension and nervousness seemed to melt away.
The ship which had been sailing for so long had finally returned to familiar harbours.
Yang Kai’s eyes wet slightly.
Even the Yang Family’s Fourth Master who tried to portray the image of an iron blooded man, at this moment, also had blurry eyes as he kept his head up, desperately squeezing back his tears.
“Mother, I’m home!” Yang Kai whispered softly.
Dong Su Zhu finally managed to calm herself and gently patted Yang Kai’s back while nodding her head again and again, “Good good, you coming home is good!”
After more than a dozen breaths, Dong Su Zhu’s voice gradually became steady, finally able to speak without bursting into tears. Reluctantly, she separated herself from Yang Kai and placed both her hands on his shoulders, carefully examining him from head to toe, with an expression filled with joy.
He had grown taller and stronger, no longer the thin child who appeared so weak in the past. Her son who now stood in front of her gave off a courageous and dependable aura.
Thinking about all he must have gone through in order to grow to such an extent, Dong Su Zhu felt her tears welling up again.
One’s growth was always accompanied by hardships. For Yang Kai to have become like this in such a short time, the number of trials and tribulations he must have suffered outside was definitely not small.
Yang Kai tried signaling his father with his eyes, hoping he could comfort his mother, but what he saw was his old man’s head staring away, up in to the sky at a forty-five degree angle, seemingly watching the birds fly by as he crossed his arms in front of him.
With the corners of his eyes moist!
Helplessly sighing to himself, Yang Kai could only do his best to comfort Dong Su Zhu himself, “It’s alright, don’t cry!”
*Sniff…* “En, I’ve let you see something disgraceful.” Dong Su Zhu gently nodded as she tried to dry her tears, her eyes swollen like ripe peaches.
Yang Kai smiled and looked towards Yang Ying Feng.
However, the Yang Family’s Fourth Master still maintained his stance. Even the eight winds would be unable to move him.
“Haa…” Yang Kai sighed softly.
In a slight flurry of confusion, Yang Ying Feng took a deep breath, quickly turned his head and actually held out his hands to cup his fists towards Yang Kai, opening his mouth to say something when he suddenly felt something was wrong.
[I’m seeing my son, not greeting my elders, why am I cupping my fists to him? Isn’t this backwards?]
His old face suddenly blushing rose red, the Yang Family’s Fourth Master casually extended his arms and brushed some invisible dust off his sleeves before crossing his arms behind his back and nodding slightly, doing his best to portray a calm demeanor, “Ahem, you’ve returned?”
Yang Kai’s nose twitched slightly, feeling half joyful and half helpless, doing his best to ignore his father’s gaff and simply nodding his head, “En, I’ve returned.”
“Good… then we should head back!” The Yang Family’s Fourth Master spoke decisively, waving his hand exaggeratedly before turning around, walking away quickly, his ears still slightly red.
Yang Kai and Dong Su Zhu glanced at each other before quickly following, both of them grinning knowingly.
Although Yang Ying Feng didn’t have much to say when he saw Yang Kai, anyone who saw him at that moment would be able to tell how happy he was, even his footsteps seemed to have become much lighter than before.
The Fourth Master’s house.
The group of three walked up to the entrance and returned home.
Yang Ying Feng’s courtyard was neither big nor small; after all, he only had one son and a dozen or so servants, so the house seemed a fair bit quieter than other nearby residences.
Inside the gates, the family’s servants had all lined up along the entranceway, respectfully bowing to welcome Yang Kai home.
Yang Ying Feng quickly made the servants prepare a number of dishes while also drawing a bath for his son to wash himself. Meanwhile, Dong Su Zhu took Yang Kai’s hand and led him straight to his former bedroom.
Pushing open the familiar door, Yang Kai slowly walked in and saw a nostalgic sight. There was basically no difference between what he saw before him and his childhood memories. No matter the layout or the decorations inside, there was absolutely no change. The bed was neatly made with fresh sheets and there was not a speck of dust in sight, obviously someone had meticulously maintained this place while he had been away.
Yang Ying Feng’s eyes flashed as he quietly whispered, “After you left, your mother would often come here, as if you were still at home.”
Dong Su Zhu maliciously twisted Yang Ying Feng waist, silently rebuking her thick skinned husband who simply endured it as he glanced back at her and smiled.
“Don’t listen to his nonsense; I only came here to look around occasionally.” Dong Su Zhu quickly said.
Yang Kai nodded slightly, knowing better than anyone that his old room was likely not only frequented by his mother, but even his father as well.
The whole house was filled with familiar warmth of family.
He could almost picture Yang Ying Feng standing here, sighing repeatedly while Dong Su Zhu would sit on his bed while wiping the tears from her face.
More than six years, over a thousand days and nights…
If one wasn’t a parent, they would never be able to comprehend the hardship of this period.
Yang Kai’s heart beat slightly faster, his breathing becoming a bit disordered, not knowing what to say.
“I’m going to open my best wine! Let’s have our meal here today.” Yang Ying Feng fumbled over his words, feeling like he was about to show an unsightly performance, quickly turning around and dashing off.
“I’m going to help out in the kitchen! Son, rest here for a while.”
Not long after, a group of servants carried over a number of dishes, each one having been cooked by Dong Su Zhu herself, while Yang Ying Feng brought over a bottle of good wine, one he had cherished for many years and had before now been unwilling to drink.
The family of three, who sat together at the same table for the first time in many years, shared a jubilant meal.
As the night went on, the Fourth Master drank generously, seemingly having determined that he would not stop tonight until he was completely drunk.
Dong Su Zhu also joined her husband in his revelry so soon, only Yang Kai remained sober.
“Rest here for today, tomorrow we can talk again.” Despite all the questions he had, Yang Ying Feng didn’t ask anything on this first day of Yang Kai’s return home, standing up swiftly as he prepared to leave.
Dong Su Zhu, who was clearly drunk, turned her slightly glossy eyes to her husband and nodded, “You go back yourself, tonight I’ll sleep here with my son, I haven’t slept together with him for so long.”
Yang Kai immediately choked on his wine.
The Yang Family’s Fourth Master stared dully for a moment before nodding firmly, turning around and walking towards the door unsteadily.
“Wait…” Yang Kai quickly called out to his father.
“Hm, what’s wrong?” Yang Ying Feng asked casually.
“Father, you don’t think there’s anything wrong here?” Yang Kai’s brow furrowed as he felt a slight headache coming on.
Yang Ying Feng paused and thought seriously for a while before frowning, “What’s the problem?”
Yang Kai grabbed his forehead and rubbed his temples, wondering just how drunk his old man was, did he still see him as a child or something?
However, no matter what he said right now, Yang Kai knew that his parents wouldn’t listen so in desperation, he could only call the maidservants outside to help Dong Su Zhu return to her room to rest.
As her footsteps gradually drifted away, Dong Su Zhu’s muttering drifted into Yang Kai’s ears, “Let go of me, I have to sleep with my son tonight! Anyone who pulls me away I’ll hit mercilessly!”
[In the future, I must never allow these two to get drunk!] Yang Kai decided secretly to himself.
Dawn the next day.
Yang Kai got up early as always to practice his Tempered Body Record under the morning sun. The True Qi in his meridians flowed with great vigor, some faint signs of breakthrough apparent.
At the Lu Family home, Yang Kai had absorbed a large piece of Yang Crystal Jade, coupled with his daily Myriad Drug Liquid regiment to cleanse his body, it was only natural for him to show signs of promotion.
Calming his mood, showing neither sadness nor joy, he let himself enter a serene state.
Half an hour later, covered in perspiration, Yang Kai ended his morning routine.
After breakfast, one of the servants came to inform him of the Fourth Master’s summons!
Yang Kai knows that his father must have a lot of things to say to and ask of him, so he didn’t show any signs of surprise. After tidying himself up a bit, he quickly rushed to his father’s study.
Unsurprisingly, not only was Yang Ying Feng waiting for him, Dong Su Zhu also sat nearby and stared towards the door.
When Yang Kai entered the room, Dong Su Zhu quickly stood up and pulled him to sit next to her.
When all three were seated, the Yang Family’s Fourth Master coughed and looked at Dong Su Zhu. “Do you want to go first or should I?”
“You start, I only have some trivial things I want to ask.”
Yang Ying Feng nodded, his expression becoming slight more dignified as he spoke, “My relationship with High Heaven Pavilion, your Grand Master should have told you, right?”
“Yes, Grand Master has spoken to me about it.” Yang Kai nodded.
“Then you should also know why I told you to go to High Heaven Pavilion.” Yang Ying Feng paused before letting out a sigh, “Son, I ask you, how is High Heaven Pavilion now?”
Yang Ying Feng only knew that High Heaven Pavilion had been razed by the angered Qiu Family’s masters and that High Heaven Pavilion’s thousands of disciples had been disbanded while the Sect Elders had gone missing.
High Heaven Pavilion was not only Yang Kai’s Sect, but also The Yang Family Fourth Master’s Sect, how could he not be concerned about its fate
Yang Kai gathered his thoughts for a moment before briefly describing the series of events that had led to the Sect’s destruction. As he spoke, Yang Ying Feng’s expression became more and more sullen.
“But now, Qiu Yi Meng helped re-establish High Heaven Pavilion, and it is now under my jurisdiction. Until the Sect’s name can be cleared, it will be considered a force attached to me!” Yang Kai’s gloomy expression gradually relaxed.
“Qiu Yi Meng?” Yang Ying Feng and Dong Su Zhu both stared blankly at Yang Kai, “The Qiu Family’s First Young Lady?”
“En.”
“How could she be helping to rebuild High Heaven Pavilion? The Sect was burned down by her own family’s masters, strange…” Yang Ying Feng frowned, unable to understand, slowly shaking his head and asking, “Is there any special reason for this?”
“I helped her with a small matter so she’s just reciprocating. Rebuilding High Heaven Pavilion isn’t a big deal for her.” Yang Kai said casually.
“You helped her with something?” The Yang Family Fourth Master’s expression became more and more confused, staring curiously at his son, seemingly trying to understand his relationship with the Qiu Family’s eldest daughter.
Dong Su Zhu on the other hand wore a brilliant smile as she looked towards Yang Kai, “Kai’er, are you friends with her?”
“We’re not friends, but not strangers either.” Yang Kai nodded.
Dong Su Zhu licked her small red lips lightly and laughed, “That Qiu Family girl is truly a good match. They say that any man who can become her husband will become the next Qiu Family Patriarch. Son, you’ll have to work hard to take her away.”
Yang Kai slowly shook his head.
Towards Qiu Yi Meng, he really had no stray thoughts. It was undeniable that as a woman she was very attractive even without considering her background. If he could win her favor, she would also be a big boost to him in the upcoming Inheritance War, but Yang Kai still somewhat instinctively rejected her.
To put it simply, she was too shrewd. Her sharp wits and insightfulness always made him feel on edge. Such traits appearing on a daughter was no doubt a headache for any big family.
If it was just cooperation Yang Kai would happily welcome her, but it was absolutely impossible for him to seek any kind of intimate relationship with her.
“Re-establishing the Sect…” Yang Ying Feng muttered to himself. “Qiu Yi Meng isn’t the master of the Qiu Family so this is not something she can do alone.”
If any of the Central Capital Eight Great Families were to speak on behalf of High Heaven Pavilion, the stigma surrounding it could be easily removed.
Although it was declared an evil Sect, in reality, it wasn’t difficult problem to solve.
What was actually important was that High Heaven Pavilion was the Demon Lord’s original Sect! It was only because of this that it had received such unanimous condemnation.
“Has there been any word from Grand Master?” Yang Kai asked quietly.
Yang Ying Feng shook his head bitterly, “I’ve sent people to investigate, but after that battle, your Grand Master and the other Sect Elders all disappeared without a trace.”
Suddenly, Yang Ying Feng remembered something and asked with expectation, “Is it true that Master has really broken through to the Above Immortal Ascension Boundary?”
When the Qiu Family masters returned from their initial expedition, Yang Ying Feng also received such news, but that was only the words of the Qiu Family’s masters. Perhaps they had made up a story in order to shirk responsibility and save face, so the Yang Family Fourth Master didn’t dare believe them easily.
Not to mention Yang Ying Feng, many others who had heard this news until now still held some skepticism!
How could a trivial second-class Sect posses such an incredible master?
“Grand Master really broke through.” Yang Kai smiled and nodded firmly.
With Yang Kai’s acknowledgment, Yang Ying Feng grinned, standing up and pacing back and forth in the study, suddenly stopping a moment later and letting out a burst of laughter, “Good good! I knew that Master could definitely break through, I just didn’t expect it would actually take so long!”
As he spoke, the Yang Family Fourth Master’s face relaxed, seemingly putting down a big stone in his heart.
Ling Tai Xu had fallen into depression because of his two disciples, causing his cultivation to stagnate for more than a decade. But now that he had broken through, it must mean that he had overcome the worries which had fettered him; naturally Yang Ying Feng was happy for him.
“This disaster was a blessing in disguise for Grand Master.” Yang Kai spoke earnestly, slowly recanting, “The Demon Lord escaped from the Coiling Dragon Stream, fought with the Sect’s masters, even killing an Elder on the spot, he also severely wounded Grand Master.”
“That ungrateful little bastard!” Yang Ying Feng couldn’t help but scream and curse.
The Demon Lord was Yang Ying Feng’s Junior Brother but his revolt against his Sect and the murder of an elder had displayed the Demon Lord’s motive to cut their ties. It was only natural for Yang Ying Feng to feel enraged.
“One day I’ll break his dog legs and force him to kneel in front of Master to apologize!” Yang Ying Feng was annoyed for a while before collecting himself, hurriedly asking, “What happened after?”
“Grand Master was contaminated by Demonic Qi and lying on his deathbed, but fortunately I arrived back at the Sect in time and gave him something that allowed him to recover.”
“You gave him ‘something’?” Yang Ying Feng’s eyes became bigger than pigeon eggs, Dong Su Zhu also covered her small mouth in surprise, the husband and wife pair couldn’t help holding his breath as they waited in suspense.
“En, my own concocted medicinal liquid, I didn’t expect it to have such miraculous results. Not only did it pull Grand Master back from the gates of hell, it also helped him to dispel the Demonic Qi corroding his body.” Yang Kai eloquently spun his half true half fabricated story, “When Grand Master fully recovered, he also broke through.”
“Your own concocted medicinal liquid?” Yang Ying Feng’s expression went pale with shock.
Dong Su Zhu patted her chest with his delicate hand, greatly relieved that things had turned out alright. If it hadn’t, the responsibility of the death of Ling Tai Xu would not have fallen onto the Demon Lord but rather, Yang Kai.
If this was really the case, her husband would have suffered a devastating blow.
Yang Kai rubbed his nose lightly and explained, “Actually, I studied a little bit about medicine when I stayed on Medicine King’s Valley Hidden Cloud Peak.”
“That’s right!” Yang Ying Feng suddenly understood.
“Did you already know?” This time it was Yang Kai’s turn to be surprised, it seemed like this matter was already known to his parents.
“En, Han’er secretly told us.” Dong Su Zhu nodded.
[So that’s how it is,] Yang Kai thought to himself, Dong Qing Han was his cousin on his mother’s side, so it wasn’t strange for him to have passed along such news.
“Grandmaster Xiao is truly worthy of his reputation.” Yang Ying Feng proclaimed, “Even if he doesn’t act personally, just something he taught you can have such a wondrous effect.”
Nodding his head firmly, Yang Ying Feng’s expression became dignified as he said, “Remember, one day, you must thank Grandmaster Xiao personally for his benevolence.”
Yang Kai smiled and nodded, “Naturally.”
“Hmm, rather, I should go to Hidden Cloud Peak myself, rescuing the life of my Master is equal to rescuing my own, I should express my gratitude to Grandmaster Xiao personally,” Yang Ying Feng suddenly said, his words filled with a sincere gratitude.
However, Yang Kai suddenly felt awkward.
If his father went to Hidden Cloud Peak, it wouldn’t take long for him to unravel his story, so Yang Kai quickly interjected, “Father, it’s best if you don’t go, Grandmaster’s temper is a bit odd, even if you arrive at Hidden Cloud Peak personally there’s not guarantee he’ll see you, it’s best if you leave this to me.”
Yang Ying Feng paused and thought about it for a moment before nodding, thinking that what Yang Kai said was right. Many masters from the Eight Great Families would visit Hidden Cloud Peak to ask Xiao Fu Sheng to refine pills for them, but only a few of them ever had their request answered, many of them had even come back without once seeing Grandmaster Xiao’s shadow. Thinking so, Yang Ying Feng nodded, “Good, when you go, I will prepare an appropriate gift for you to take.”
“En, understood.” Yang Kai secretly wiped the cold sweat from his brow.
Dong Su Zhu was suddenly thought of something and excitedly asked, “Kai’er, do you remember the way to refine that medicinal liquid?”
Yang Kai smiled and said, “Of course.”
“Then…” Dong Su Zhu’s heartbeat could not help but accelerate, he eyes filling with expectation and nervousness as she looked towards Yang Kai.
As her son, how could Yang Kai not know what she was hoping for?
The Yang Family Fourth Master was also injured in the past by the Demon Lord and to this day still had some residual Demonic Qi corroding his body.
If not for this reason, how could Yang Ying Feng still only have stay as an Immortal Ascension Boundary Third Stage cultivator? Even Dong Su Zhu was now an Immortal Ascension Boundary Seventh Stage master!
The Yang Family Fourth Master was Ling Tai Xu’s First Disciple while the Demon Lord was his Second Disciple. With the Demon Lord’s aptitude, along with a number of chances, he had now reached the Above Immortal Ascension Boundary, Yang Ying Feng was his Senior Brother and was obviously thought highly of by Ling Tai Xu, so his aptitude was obviously no worse than the Demon Lord. If not for the injury he had suffered all those years ago, how could Yang Ying Feng only have reached the Immortal Ascension Boundary Third Stage, at the very least he should have an Immortal Ascension Boundary Eighth Stage cultivation.
The Demonic Qi which troubled Yang Ying Feng and Ling Tai Xu shared a common source, while the latter’s was actually more concentrated.
Since that medicinal liquid could dissolve the Demonic Qi inside Ling Tai Xu, it should have no trouble resolving the Demonic Qi infecting Yang Ying Feng. If he could rid himself of this dark injury, Yang Ying Feng’s future prospects would instantly become brighter, even possibly having an opportunity to reach the Above Immortal Ascension Boundary!
Yang Ying Feng’s aptitude was top-notch, at least no worse than the Yang Family’s current Patriarch Yang Ying Hao.
“I can concoct the liquid myself and the materials required aren’t too precious.” Yang Kai nodded slightly.
Hearing his son’s words, the Yang Family Fourth Master’s breathing also quickened slightly.
“En, I should examine your body’s condition first though.”
“Good!” Yang Ying Feng nodded before hastily sitting down in front of Yang Kai, extending out his arm.
Yang Kai quickly placed two fingers upon the outstretched wrist, circulating his True Qi slightly as he examined his father’s meridians and physique.
When this True Qi entered his body, Yang Ying Feng showed a shocked expression, his eyes quickly sizing up his son in amazement. He hadn’t expected that Yang Kai’s True Qi would be so dense and pure.
Although it was only a wisp of True Qi, the Yang Family Fourth Master could infer from it the quality of True Qi in his son’s body. Even compared to his own, the potency of Yang Kai’s True Qi didn’t differ much.
He was only a True Element Boundary Seventh Stage cultivator. If given enough time to accumulate and refine his strength, once he reached the same realm as himself, just how astonishing would his True Qi be?
[This child… he’s filled with surprises…]
Was this really his son? The Yang Family Fourth Master suddenly had a strange thought.
After a long time, Yang Kai let out a breath and removed his grip.
“Well?” Dong Su Zhu asked anxiously.
“Far better than Grand Master’s condition, but because it’s been so many years, the Demonic Qi has made its way into the dantian, so in order to fully purify it, Father will need to take the my elixir for roughly a year.”
“So he can be cured!?” Dong Su Zhu couldn’t help shouting when Yang Kai gave his diagnosis, quickly sharing a glance with Yang Ying Feng, both of them clearly seeing the joy in the other’s eyes.
For many years, the husband and wife pair had seen many famous healers and Alchemists, trying various methods to remove the Demonic Qi from Yang Ying Feng’s body to no avail, even the Yang Family’s Dragon Transformation Pond proved ineffective.
But now, the troubles that have bothered the couple for many years had been instantly solved with Yang Kai’s return.
Both of them suddenly felt they had best son in the world!
Over the next ten days, Yang Kai secluded himself, telling his parents that he needed some time to concoct the medicinal liquid.
A variety of precious materials were delivered to his room, which were of course stored by Yang Kai into the Black Book space.
These materials were not procured by the Yang Family, but by Yang Ying Feng and Dong Su Zhu themselves. Although these Precious Treasures weren’t rare and shocking, the highest reached Mysterious Grade Low-Rank.
Yang Kai had to let them gather these in order to maintain the illusion of him refining something, otherwise if he haphazardly threw together some ordinary ingredients, it would be impossible to believe this medicinal liquid of his could be so miraculous.
It wasn’t that Yang Kai intended to hide the Myriad Drug Liquid’s existence from his parents; it was just that the origin of this miracle drug was too sensitive; after all it concerned the legacy of Medicine King’s Valley’s Pill Saint. Let them know about it would do them more harm than good.
Ten days later, Yang Kai gave Yang Ying Feng two bottles of Myriad Drug Liquid, telling him and Dong Su Zhu to only take one drop a day.
He also gave them a large amount of Myriad Drug Milk, which was the actual key to expelling the Demonic Qi from his father, the Myriad Drug Liquid was only to help his parents cleans their bodies.
As for the most potent Myriad Drug Cream, Yang Kai didn’t plan to give them any at this point.
The Myriad Drug Cream could help one understand the Martial Dao, so Yang Kai wanted to wait until his parents had reached the peak of the Immortal Ascension Boundary. Although this would be a while from now, Yang Kai wasn’t impatient.
The Yang Family Fourth Master didn’t know the true preciousness of the Myriad Drug Liquid, so he only examined it briefly before setting it aside, turning a serious gaze towards Yang Kai as he solemnly asked, “The Inheritance War… do you want to participate?”
Yang Kai felt that his father had something more to say than just this so he didn’t immediately reply, instead asking in return, “What does father mean?”
Yang Ying Feng couldn’t help letting out a sigh, “Your mother and I didn’t expected you to have such astonishing growth these past few years, so we originally didn’t expect you to want to participate in the Inheritance War. Your mother… is reluctant to allow you to take part in it!”
Yang Kai stared at his father for a moment before smiling fiercely, his eyes seemingly ablaze.
He had asked what his father meant, but all he was told was what his mother thought, the Yang Family Fourth Master not stating an opinion at all implied that the decision would be his to make alone.
“Of course I’ll participate!” Yang Kai decisively said, “If I become the Patriarch, the Sect can be revived!”
“En, my thoughts exactly.”
The father and son looked at each other for a moment before bursting out into laughter, Yang Ying Feng’s expression loosening as he muttered, “This is partly your father’s selfishness. I owe a great deal to your Grand Master, but now the only way I can repay him is through you. High Heaven Pavilion’s inheritance cannot end in your Grand Master’s generation!”
“En, but mother…”
“I’ll tell her, so don’t worry.” Yang Ying Feng waved his hand and declared with pride.
“Good,” Yang Kai nodded, letting go of his worries. Although it always seemed like Yang Ying Feng was being tossed around by his wife, but when it came to important affairs, the Fourth Master was still exhibited the demeanor of a family head, Dong Su Zhu would only tease him about some irrelevant things but wouldn’t truly oppose him when it counted.
“Right,” Yang Kai suddenly remembered, “I want to recruit someone who is well-informed, flexible but loyal, do you know of anyone appropriate?”
“Is there something you need to handle?” Yang Ying Feng’s brow rose slightly.
“En.”
The Yang Family Fourth Master pondered for a while before throwing something to Yang Kai, telling him, “Go to Clear Sky Tavern in the North City District and find a man named Pang Chi, he should be of use to you.”
“Who is he?” Yang Kai fiddled with the object in his hands, quickly discovering that it was blue-colored bamboo knot approximately one finger in length, slightly resembling a tiny flute. If one were to gently blow on it, a high pitched sound would result.
However, though it resembled bamboo, Yang Kai couldn’t actually recognize what material it was, it was neither metal, wood, nor jade, but clearly it wasn’t ordinary.
“Bamboo Knot Gang’s Leader!” Yang Ying Feng smiled slightly, “It’s a small force I cultivated myself, although the strength of its members isn’t very high, but their information collection is first-class. If you can make them submit to you, they’ll be a good boost for you in the Inheritance War!”
“Understood.” Yang Kai nodded.
The Yang Family Fourth Master suddenly wore a guilty expression as he muttered under his breath, “Although I have some influence inside the family, I can’t give any of it to you, because in the Inheritance War, no one else from the family can participate except for those approved of by the Elder Assembly. Even if I were to give something to you, you’d be unable to use it.”
Yang Kai nodded lightly, he was already well aware of these rules so obviously he had no objections.
“There’s still some time left before the Inheritance War begins.You can use this time to familiarize yourself with them.” Yang Ying Feng smiled meaningfully.
Yang Kai also grinned and laughed menacingly.
Yang Ying Feng’s brow couldn’t help twitching when he saw this; he had never seen such a dark and conniving side of his son.
At that moment, a loud eagle cry suddenly sounded outside the house, causing Yang Ying Feng to frown curiously, “A Golden Feather Eagle?”
On the other than, Yang Kai just smiled when he heard this cry. After a while, another eagle call rang out, confirming it was really a Golden Feather Eagle.
Yang Ying Feng was suddenly confused, “Why would a Golden Feather Eagle come to our house?”
The Golden Feather Eagles had always been synonymous with the Yang Family. Long ago, when the family was still very small, no more than a few people, the Yang Family’s ancestors had used a special method to tame these Monster Beasts. Now, a few dozen of these majestic beasts were raised inside the Yang Family.
After Yang Kai returned to the Yang Family, the Golden Feather Eagle that had accompanied him had obviously returned to its roost. Now, after being separated for only ten short days, it had taken the initiative to come look for him.
Although Yang Ying Feng didn’t know why this Golden Feather Eagle came here, but how could Yang Kai not understand.
This eagle clearly missed the taste of the Myriad Drug Liquid, so it had come to find Yang Kai on its own.
The father and son quickly went out and saw several people standing around under a big tree, holding out some meat in their hands towards the Golden Feather Eagle perched above.
These pieces of meat were all fresh with a thick bloody appearance, the favourite food of the Golden Feather Eagles, but at the moment, this particular eagle didn’t even glance at it, instead staring dedicatedly towards Yang Kai’s home.
Seeing Yang Kai appear, the Golden Feather Eagle actually spread his wings and jumped down, instantly flying to Yang Kai’s shoulder and landing, using its hook-like beak to comb Yang Kai’s hair intimately.
The group of people below the tree could only star in amazement; even Yang Ying Feng stared at Yang Kai dumbstruck.
The Golden Feather Eagles all had high intelligence and arrogant temperaments. Even for those responsible for breeding and rising them within the family had difficulty comforting them when they became irritated, but this Golden Feather Eagle had actually perched atop Yang Kai’s shoulders of its own volition, treating him as closely as family.
This was something that had never happened before!
The Golden Feather Eagle still let out the occasional cry; it’s crisp voice easily heard a few kilometers away, it seemed to be urgently requesting something.
“Settle down!” Yang Kai snorted.
To everyone’s surprise, upon hearing these words, the Golden Feather Eagle immediately closed its beak and stood on Yang Kai’s shoulder, motionless.
“Young Master’s methods are truly amazing!” A maidservant called out as her eyes narrowed slightly, her beautiful face staring towards Yang Kai with clear signs of excitement and worship in her expression.
Another old servant also smiled and added, “This old man has have served the Yang Family for many years, yet I’ve never seen anyone who could make the Golden Feather Eagle act so obediently, astonishing.”
“What did you do?” Yang Ying Feng’s brow wrinkled as he asked directly.
“It probably grew attached to me as we exchanged feelings on the road home.” Yang Kai smiled, casually talking nonsense.
Yang Ying Feng gawked for a moment, obviously not convinced.
The difficulty of surrendering a Golden Feather Eagle was naturally famous; otherwise they wouldn’t have been handed over to non-family disciples to train. The previous generation of Yang Family children, Yang Ying Feng among them, had also been found by Golden Feather Eagle when their outside experience came to an end. At that time, although the Yang Family Fourth Master had invested a great deal of time and effort into appealing to the eagle, its attitude towards him had been at best, lukewarm. When had such an intimate scene like the one taking place in front of him ever happened?
Soon after, one of the servants quickly walked over and said, “Master, Young Master, there is a man outside named Du Cheng Bai who wishes to meet with you.”
The Yang Family Fourth Master thought for a moment before nodding, “Invite him in.”
“Yes.”
Du Cheng Bai, Yang Ying Feng didn’t recognize this name but he knew that the family which was in charge of raising the Yang Family’s Golden Feather Eagles was surnamed Du.
This Du Cheng Bai was probably chasing after the Golden Feather Eagle and had arrived here, otherwise there was no way an outsider would dare casually arrive at a Yang Family Master’s home.
Not long after, the servant led an elderly man over. Walking up to Yang Ying Feng and Yang Kai, Du Cheng Bai respectfully cupped his fists and wore a warm smile on his face, “Du Family eagle custodian greets Yang Family Fourth Master, and greets Little Lord!”
Yang Ying Feng nodded in return, calmly asking, “Are you here looking for this Golden Feather Eagle?”
“Indeed,” Du Cheng Bai replied hastily, his demeanor slightly nervous, “These eagles are quite difficult to train and has mistakenly entered into the Fourth Master’s residence, disturbing the Fourth Master and the Little Lord, this Du humbly asks Fourth Master to forgive its trespass!”
“It’s fine, that year, these Monster Beasts also brought me home.” Yang Ying Feng shook his head lightly, “If that is all, then bring this eagle back and tend to it carefully.”
“Yes.” Du Cheng Bai nodded repeatedly, “Many thanks for Fourth Master’s consideration!”
Finished apologizing, Du Cheng Bai smiled awkwardly at the Golden Feather Eagle, bringing his fingers to his lips and whistling a crisp but unintelligible melody.
This was the way the Du Family would communicate with the Golden Feather Eagles. In the past, whenever Du Cheng Bai blew this tune, the Golden Feather Eagle would obey his instructions, but this time things obviously didn’t go according to plan.
This particular eagle seemed more sentient than before, turning its head to look at Du Cheng Bai, a tinge of mockery apparent in its sharp gaze.
Everyone stood around watching, wanting to observe the mysterious methods used to control these Golden Feather Eagles, even Yang Ying Feng watched seriously, causing Du Cheng Bai’s expression to grow nervous and distraught as time passed.
After whistling for quite some time, the Golden Feather Eagle remained completely aloof while Du Cheng Bai’s mouth filled with a bitter taste.
Du Cheng Bai stopped, awkwardly coughed and then said to Yang Kai, “Little Lord, pardon my offence.”
Saying so, he took a few steps forward and tried to grab hold of the Golden Feather Eagle standing on Yang Kai’s shoulders.
“Be careful, it’s dangerous.” Yang Kai said with a grin.
Du Cheng Bai was confused by this warning, but before he could collect himself, the Golden Feather Eagle suddenly made a screech and sent a ray of golden light towards him.
Du Cheng Bai’s strength wasn’t high, only possessing True Element Seventh Stage cultivation, but to block this kind of offhanded attack from the Golden Feather Eagle that was enough.
Hastily erecting a True Qi barrier in front of him, Du Cheng Bai managed to block the golden light, quickly jumping back a few steps and staring dumbfound towards the Golden Feather Eagle.
Du Cheng Bai had been raising these eagles for many years, but he had never once been attacked like this. He couldn’t understand why The Heavens had decided to punish him so today.
Staring at the Golden Feather Eagle for a long time, Du Cheng Bai only saw a thick hostility from its eyes.
As one of the Yang Family’s eagle trainers who had been serving for several decades, if news of him being attacked like this were to spread, wouldn’t he become a laughing stock? Du Cheng Bai was very embarrassed at this moment and at a loss about what he should do next.
Seeing his embarrassment, Yang Kai grinned helplessly, stealthily extracting a drop of Myriad Drug Liquid from the Black Book space before gently feeding it to the Golden Feather Eagle under the guise of petting its head, lightly reprimanding it, “You shouldn’t cause trouble!”
The eagle cried out and flapped its wings for a while, seemingly a little reluctant to comply.
“Behave!” Yang Kai scolded as his brow furrowed.
Upon hearing Yang Kai’s forceful tone, the Golden Feather Eagle immediately stopped objecting and settled down.
Du Cheng Bai couldn’t help staring at Yang Kai, his eyes filled with shock and awe, stuttering as he asked, “Little Lord, can you communicate with this eagle?”
“Somewhat.” Yang Kai readily acknowledged.
Du Cheng Bai’s expression quickly changed from surprise to unbridled worship. His Du Family had relied on a set of profound beast taming techniques and skills passed down from his ancestors to enter the Yang Family’s service. As a tamer who specialized in the training of Golden Feather Eagles, he had once thought that his family’s methods were unrivaled in this world.
But now, the techniques he was so proud of compared with Yang Kai’s extraordinary means were as different as clouds and mud.
Du Cheng Bai silently thought that even if he cultivated his beast taming techniques to their peak it would still be impossible to replicate what Yang Kai had just shown him.
For a long time, Du Cheng Bai simply stood there shocked, his expression extremely awkward.
[There’s actually someone in this world who can communicate with Monster Beasts to such a point!]
Yang Ying Feng’s eyes shone brightly, a thick sense of pride welling up inside his chest; Yang Kai was his son. The more outstanding Yang Kai’s performance was, the happier he would be. Although communicating with Monster Beasts wasn’t something Heaven shaking, it was still a valuable skill.
“Tamer Du!” Yang Kai stared at Du Cheng Bai and called out.
Called out to like this, Du Cheng Bai blinked a few times before quickly waving his hands, “Old Du doesn’t dare pull rank, please call this old man by name Little Lord.”
Pay respect where it is due, no one understood how difficult it was to teach the Golden Feather Eagles than Du Cheng Bai, so Yang Kai being able to make it so obedient was naturally worthy of his respect.
“If I want this eagle, what should I do? How can I acquire it?” Yang Kai asked Du Cheng Bai.
“Little Lord wants this eagle?” Du Cheng Bai looked Yang Kai in surprise.
“Good, I want personal ownership of it, not as a member of the family!” Yang Kai quickly said.
Du Cheng Bai immediately understood what he meant.
It wasn’t that the Yang Family had any rules forbidding the private ownership of Golden Feather Eagles but that the Golden Feather Eagles were simply too hard to tame. On top of that, in the end, it was just a Fifth-Order Monster Beast, equivalent to a True Element cultivator. Even if it had various useful abilities, due to how much time needed to be invested to train it, basically no one was willing to do so.
But different from the Fourth Master, the Little Lord seemed able to intuitively communicate with this Golden Feather Eagle. If he could gain sole ownership of it; this single eagle would be a big boost to him.
At the very least, it would be an ideal candidate for quickly transmitting orders and information.
After taking a deep breath, Du Cheng Bai replied, “Please forgive this old man, Little Lord, all Golden Feather Eagles belong to the family, this Du cannot arbitrarily gift it to you.”
“En, I understand. Right now, I just want to know how I can take it for myself. You have been raising these eagles for the Yang Family for so many years, hasn’t anyone ever taken away one of them?”
Du Cheng Bai slowly shook his head, “No one has ever successfully obtained one of these eagles. Even when the family allowed someone to take one, the eagle wasn’t willing to follow them.”
Yang Ying Feng’s brow wrinkled, adding on, “If it was any other time, I could use my own contribution merits to help you exchange for this eagle, but right now is a sensitive period, everything you want you must find a way to obtain yourself!”
Yang Kai nodded and understood, it wasn’t long until the Inheritance War would start so the family definitely wouldn’t allow any of the Young Lord’s relatives to help them in disguise.
Du Cheng Bai nodded, “Similar to what Fourth Master has said, you can use your own contribution merits to exchange for this eagle…” Pausing for a moment, he then grinned wryly and shook his head, “But Little Lord, you just returned to the family, so you probably don’t have any stored merits.”
“Merits?” Yang Kai eyebrow slightly lifted, “What kind of merits would I need to exchange for this eagle?”
The Yang Family Fourth Master wouldn’t have a good estimate of this so Yang Kai could only look to Du Cheng Bai.
The latter thought for a moment before replying, “Merits can be gained by giving something to the family that brings obvious benefits, for example, letting an entire force pledge loyalty to Yang Family or donating some powerful artifact, Martial Skill, rare spirit pill or Precious Treasure!”
Yang Kai’s eyes immediately shined, “Would a Mysterious Grade Martial Skill be enough?”
This statement not only caused Du Cheng Bai’s face to change, even Yang Ying Feng showed a shocked expression.
The Yang Family Fourth Master had never imagined that his son had cultivated a Mysterious Grade Martial Skill these past few years. Quickly searching his memory, High Heaven Pavilion only had a few trivial Mysterious Grade Low-Rank Martial Skills, all of which were in the hands of Ling Tai Xu and the other several Elders, ordinary disciples wouldn’t have a chance to even glance at them.
“Kai’er, you wouldn’t be…” Yang Ying Feng frowned.
“No, I haven’t practiced any of the Sect’s Martial Skills!” Yang Kai shook his head, understanding that his father was worried about him revealing the Sect’s secret inheritance.
This time, Yang Ying Feng was even more shocked. If it wasn’t a Martial Skill he learned in the Sect, then where did he obtain it from? What exactly did his son experience over these past few years?
On the other hand, Du Cheng Bai nodded vigorously, “A Mysterious Grade Martial Skill is enough.”
A Mysterious Grade Martial Skills was the core inheritance of any great force, only the most elite of its disciples would have an opportunity to obtain them. Exchanging a Mysterious Grade Martial Skill for a Fifth-Order Golden Feather Eagle, the family had no reason not to accept.
“Little Lord, do you want Old Du to help you with this matter? Most matters regarding the Golden Feather Eagles are handled by this old man.” Du Cheng Bai volunteered readily.
“Good, many thanks in advance for Old Du’s work.”
“Little Lord is too polite,” Du Cheng Bai hurriedly replied, cupping his fists, “Old Du only hopes that Little Lord can spare some time to instruct this old man slightly in the ways of beast taming, if so, Old Du will surely repay Little Lord’s benevolence.”
“With pleasure.” Yang Kai easily agreed, in fact, he also wanted to take a look at the Du family’s beast taming techniques, thinking he might be able to learn something to enhance the power of his Beast Slave Seal.
Since the Du Family could become the Yang Family’s exclusive eagle caretakers, there must be something special about their Monster Beast taming techniques; otherwise the Yang Family would have already stolen it from them.
“Then Old Du will go back right away to handle this matter, in one or two days, at most five or six, I should have news for the Little Lord.” After Du Cheng Bai received Yang Kai’s promise, he was incredibly happy, but looking at the still hostile Golden Feather Eagle, he couldn’t help letting out a sigh, “Little Lord, this eagle must go back with Old Du for the time being, otherwise if the family investigates, this old man will be punished.”
Yang Kai nodded and ordered the Golden Feather Eagle to follow Du Cheng Bai; the Golden Feather Eagle immediately spread its wings and flew into the sky, obediently heading back to its roost.
“Don’t lock it up; it will come to see me once a day.” Yang Kai said.
“Old Du will do so.” Du Cheng Bai nodded and bid Yang Ying Feng and Yang Kai farewell, leaving with a big grin on his face.
“You sure have skills.” Yang Ying Feng smiled broadly, generously praising his son.
Yang Kai grinned wryly and shook his head, “Just a little trick, nothing special, I’ll head to the North City District first and won’t be back for a few days, when I return I’ll tell you about it.”
“Good, you go.” Yang Ying Feng nodded, not stopping him.
The Central Capital was too big, if one wanted to walk, it would take several days to get to the North City District from the Yang Family home. It was also inconvenient to fly over the city without a certain degree of strength, so Yang Kai could only take out a Cloud Treading Colt to ride.
That night, when Dong Su Zhu came back and found that Yang Kai had already left, Yang Ying Feng couldn’t escape from her scolding.
Her son had come back for less than two days before entering secluded retreat for more than ten days, after which he immediately left for the North City District.
Dong Su Zhu was naturally upset.
The Yang Family Fourth Master let his wife complain all she wanted until Dong Su Zhu finally calmed down before casually changing the subject, “Kai’er has already made us this medicinal liquid and said we should take one drop of it every day.”
That being said, Yang Ying Feng took out the bottle of Myriad Drug Liquid which was given to him by Yang Kai and put it on the table.
“A drop?” Dong Su Zhu looked puzzled, “Wasn’t this meant to help you cleanse the Demonic Qi in your meridians? How can I drink it?”
“Kai’er said that if one takes this regularly they can maintain their youth forever…”
“I want this!” Dong Su Zhu was so excited that she didn’t even wait for her husband to finish speaking before she loudly proclaimed, her previously depressed mood already scattered to the wind.
The husband and wife pair obviously didn’t really believe that Yang Kai’s medicinal liquid could really make one retain their youth forever, but regardless, it was something their son had given them, so even if it was a glass of water, nothing could be sweeter!
After taking out a pair of glasses, Yang Ying Feng carefully poured out a drop of this elixir into each before turning to his wife, the two of them frowning as they looked at each other.
One drop at a time… it wasn’t really drinking, after it wet their lips it would be all but gone.
“Why not pour some more? In any case it’s not poison, it also has a sweet fragrance,” Dong Su Zhu proposed, her face eager to try.
“Might as well,” Yang Ying Feng nodded casually, pouring out some more of this medicinal liquid into his wife’s cup before adding to his own.
“Fill your cup, since this can cleanse the Demonic Qi in your body, it shouldn’t be bad for you to drink a little more.”
Following his wife’s suggestion, the Yang Family Fourth Master really filled up his cup.
The two picked up their glasses, Dong Su Zhu laughing naughtily as she wrapped her arm around her husband’s before bringing the glass to her lips.
The Fourth Master also smiled warmly, the husband and wife acting just as they had on their wedding night, draining their glasses in one gulp.
As the Myriad Drug Liquid poured down their throats, both of them licked their lips and carefully savored its taste.
This medicinal liquid was extremely fragrant, and its taste was also exquisite, both of them couldn’t help marveling at their son’s concoction.
The aftertaste was simply marvellous!
Looking at each other, the Yang Family Fourth Master and his wife were just about to give their thoughts on this medicinal liquid when suddenly their expressions changed dramatically. Immediately, both their faces became blood red and in the instant their True Qi swelled madly. At the same time, from their abdomens, a horrifying amount of energy burst forth.
Both of their faces were filled with shock as an intense pressure shot out from their bodies, instantly transforming all the nearby furniture into dust before blowing holes in the surrounding walls, rampant blades of True Qi leaving deep marks on everything remaining in their surroundings.
Without the slightest hesitation, the husband and wife quickly sat down and began circulating their Secret Arts, desperately trying to control the huge amount of raw energy flooding through their meridians.
Central Capital, North City District, Clear Sky Tavern.
Yang Kai, wearing a set of cyan robes, crossed his hands behind his back and stepped inside.
The slightly obese shopkeeper behind the front counter immediately showed a big grin and asked, “Is this Young Lord here to rest or eat?”
Yang Kai’s attire was uncommon and he had ridden here on a Cloud Treading Colt, catching the attention of everyone in the tavern. The shopkeeper’s eyes were naturally not bad so he knew that this youth’s origins were definitely not low so he dared not be inattentive.
“I’m looking for someone!” Yang Kai said indifferent, casually placing a green bamboo knot token on the counter.
When he saw this token, the face of the shopkeeper suddenly became very dignified, quickly running out from behind the counter and whispering, “Young Lord, please follow me.”
Yang Kai put away the token, nodded slightly and then followed the shopkeeper to the back of the store.
Although Clear Sky Tavern also did some ordinary business that was mainly just a cover for the outside world, the true face of Clear Sky Tavern was actually the Bamboo Knot Gang.
In the Central Capital, there was more than just the Eight Great Families!
There were countless forces, some exposed to the light, others lurking in the shadows; however, all of these forces were supported or controlled by one of the Eight Great Families, and were mainly responsible for handling things that the Eight Great Families found ‘inconvenient’ to do themselves. The Bamboo Knot Gang was just one of these forces and compared to other similar forces, it was actually rather small.
After passing through the Clear Sky Tavern, Yang Kai came to a huge courtyard where many cultivators were sparing with one another, either one on one or in groups of three to five.
Yang Kai casually glanced around and found that the strength of the people here really wasn’t that high, the strongest only having Peak True Element cultivations, the majority actually still at the Separation and Reunion Boundary while a few were only at the Qi Transformation Stage.
In the Central Capital, almost all cultivators with slightly good aptitudes were gathered up by the Eight Great Families, those who weren’t were naturally a mixed bag.
Yang Kai didn’t care too much, but the cultivators who were sparring, seeing the fat shopkeeper respectfully leading Yang Kai through the courtyard couldn’t help but show some surprise, some of them quietly whispering to one another, wondering who this youth was.
After passing through the huge courtyard, the two came to a large hall.
There were some cultivators in front of the hall, all of them looking somewhat on edge, staring around vigilantly. When Yang Kai and the fat shopkeeper appeared before them, all of the guards’ eyes inevitably turned to stare at them.
Stopping in front of these guards, the fat shopkeeper hurriedly smiled and said, “Four Master has sent someone, please inform the Sect Master.”
One of those cultivators looked Yang Kai over, his brow wrinkling slightly as he asked, “How come I’ve never seen him before? Are you sure the Fourth Master sent him?”
The fat shopkeeper nodded firmly, “Naturally, he has the Fourth Master’s token on him.”
The man nodded, no longer asking any question, simply saying, “Wait one moment.”
Not saying another word, the guard turned around and walked into the hall. A moment later, the guard returned and said to Yang Kai, “Sect Master said that you should go to the Tavern to rest first, after he’s finished discussing some matters he will come see you.”
Yang Kai’s brow furrowed, not expecting that he would actually be shut out.
This was interesting.
Inside the hall, there seemed to be some kind of quarrel going on, the voices of several people shouting was loud enough to hear even though he was outside.
Yang Kai released his Divine Sense, not only to understand what the people inside were saying, but also to learn about the situation.
Not long after, Yang Kai’s expression grew cold, unable to stop himself from snorted.
“Young Lord, would you like to return to the Tavern first?” The fat shopkeeper carefully proposed.
“No need, I’ll go in!” Yang Kai shook his head and walked towards the hall.
“Please wait!” The guard who had spoken with him just now wanted to stop Yang Kai, but the instant he spoke he suddenly found himself flying through the air, a scorching hot True Qi exploding in front of him, flooding into his meridians, causing him to fall unconscious before he even landed.
With a few muffled sounds, several cultivators in front of the main hall suddenly fell to the ground, and before the fat shopkeeper could recover from his shock, Yang Kai had already arrived at the front door.
With a bang, the closed doors opened and Yang Kai casually strode into the hall.
There were probably a dozen or cultivators inside sitting around a large table, all of them wearing a gloomy expression on their face. It seemed like the argument they were having was quite fierce, some of them even had signs that their True Qi circulation was unstable.
Yang Kai’s gaze turned slightly and fixed on the person at the head of the table.
This person’s expression was amiable and he was dressed in a very scholarly style, he seemed to have the temperament of a calm mature man with refined look. However, his brows were thoroughly furrowed, a faint trace of sorrow and helplessness apparent in his eyes.
Bamboo Knot Gang’s Sect Master, Pang Chi!
It was difficult to connect his name with his refined temperament.
Yang Kai throwing open the doors had naturally disturbed everyone inside, the moment he walked in the fierce quarrels immediately stopping, everyone turning their eyes in amazement to the intruding youth, several of them frowning in displeasure.
However, the majority of the cultivators inside wore dignified expression, all of them clearly understanding that Yang Kai was the person Yang Ying Feng had sent.
Pang Chi quickly got up, waving to the fat shopkeeper, signalling him to draw back before he himself wore a forced smile, cupped his fists, and asked, “May this humble one ask Young Lord’s name?”
“Yang Family’s Yang Kai!”
When these words came out, everyone couldn’t help trembling in shock!
They had thought that this youth was at most a messenger Yang Ying Feng had sent. In the past, the Bamboo Knot Gang was contacted by Yang Ying Feng in a similar fashion whenever he had instructions for them.
But once Yang Kai reported his name, everyone realized that the situation was different from what they had thought.
This youth was obviously one of the Young Lords who had just returned to Yang Family!
In all likelihood, he was the Yang Family Fourth Master’s son.
Recognizing the Yang Kai’s extraordinary identity, all of them hastily stood up, Pang Chi scrambling forward and bowing respectfully, “Bamboo Knot Gang’s Pang Chi didn’t know it was the Young Lord who had come to visit and failed to prepare an appropriate greeting! Many apologise Young Lord!”
“Many apologise Young Lord!” everyone else shouted in unison.
“Nevermind that!” Yang Kai waved his hand casually, obviously not caring about such matters.
Pang Chi couldn’t help breathing a sigh of relief. Previously, when he was unaware of his identity, he had let Yang Kai go back to the tavern to rest and wait for him. If this Young Lord had been upset and blamed him, Pang Chi probably would be able to see tomorrow’s sunrise.
For a time, Pang Chi felt cold sweat drip down his back as he secretly thanked the Heavens for being merciful.
“Young Lord, please sit down!” Pang Chi quickly motioned.
Yang Kai nodded lightly then went straight to the head position and sat down without the slightest hesitation. Pang Chi smiled and stood aside, unable to help feeling slightly tense, everyone else who was still standing in place also awkwardly shifting their eyes back and forth.
They had never been in contact with any of the Yang Family’s children so at this moment they naturally felt some psychological pressure, on top of that, none of them knew what purpose Yang Kai had come here for.
Thinking about the quarrel they were having just now, several of them couldn’t help cold sweat from pouring down their foreheads.
Yang Kai grabbed a fragrant fruit, leaned back in his chair and put his feet up on the table, assuming a comfortable position to eat.
It was as if he didn’t understand the slightest bit of etiquette, his performance no different from a local ruffian. Seeing his behaviour, everyone in the hall suddenly felt slightly more relaxed.
Their origins were very low, so seeing Yang Kai act so casually, naturally the invisible pressure they felt reduced slightly.
“Not bad.” Yang Kai took a few bites before throwing the half eaten piece of fruit back onto the table, finally looking up at everyone and waving, “Sit down.”
All eyes turned towards Pang Chi instinctively, the latter nodding slightly, silently telling all of them to take a seat.
Gently coughing twice, Pang Chi cautiously asked, “This humble servant dares ask, Young Lord coming to visit my Bamboo Knot Gang at this time, is it possibly at the request of the Fourth Master?”
“No.” Yang Kai shook his head, “I’ve just come here to play, and you don’t need to care about me. It seems that you all were discussing something important. Continue, I’ll just sit here and listen!”
After that, Yang Kai grinned fiercely as he swept his eyes over the crowd.
Everyone in the room couldn’t help lowering their eyes, keeping silent.
Pang Chi smiled awkwardly and said, “Just some trivial disagreements, this one fears that if Young Lord remains, he will only be bored. Perhaps Young Lord would like to return to the Tavern first?”
“Nonsense, continue.” Yang Kai casually dismissed Pang Chi’s suggestion.
Pang Chi expression became bitter, not having expected this Yang Family Young Lord to be so difficult to handle.
Yang Kai sat up straight suddenly and smiled again, “Right right, when I was outside the hall just now, I thought I heard someone calling out Huo Family, Huo Family… what exactly were to discussing? By all means, speak up, I’ve been away from the Central Capital for so many years so I’m not that well-informed about current events, I’m very interested in this Huo Family!”
Hearing Yang Kai’s word, everyone inside the hall paled in panic.
“No one dares to speak?” Yang Kai’s tone dropped sharply, his eyes suddenly becoming cold.
“Young Lord, actually, what happened is…” Pang Chi quickly spoke. He knew that from the start, this Yang Family Young Lord had already heard something, otherwise he wouldn’t be acting so aggressive.
However, Pang Chi hadn’t had time to finish explaining before Yang Kai took action, his True Qi surging as the hall was suddenly filled with blood-red flower petals. These sharp petals gave off a cold and murderous aura, instantly crashing towards four people in the room.
Three of these four couldn’t even respond before they were enveloped by the Thousand Blossoming Blood Begonia, immediately suffering hundreds of cuts to their bodies, each of them letting out pitiful screams.
Only one Immortal Ascension Boundary First Stage expert managed to dodge this attack but before he could escape from the hall, a blood red Sword Qi had already arrived in front of him.
*Hong…* With a bang, the whole hall was suddenly filled with a torrent of swirling True Qi, quickly falling into disorder.
The man took the Sword Qi strike full on, his face draining of all colour, apparently hurt quite seriously. Immediately he realized the horrifying strength and ruthlessness of Yang Kai, not daring to stick around, turning to the door and fleeing with all his might.
But before he could reach the hall’s entrance, countless blood red petals blocked his way, the next moment shooting towards him like a thousand arrows, the Thousand Blossoming Blood Begonia displaying its full might once again.
The man’s expression cramped up as he hurriedly backtracked.
Suddenly, a purple ray of light shot through the air and arrived at the man’s forehead, instantly sending an unbearable pain through his Knowledge Sea, causing him to fall to the ground not far from Yang Kais.
Yang Kai stood there motionless, lifting the crimson sword in his hand and thrusting forward unemotionally.
*Pu…*
The man was run through directly, his Immortal Ascension body no better than a thin piece of paper before this strike.
When Yang Kai drew his sword out, copious amounts of blood spurt from the wound, the Immortal Ascension Boundary First Stage master falling softly to the ground a moment later.
Sweeping his eyes across the rest of the people in the hall, Yang Kai said in a cold voice, “Accept bribes from the Huo Family? You’ll have to pay for that money with your life!”
Hearing this naked threat, everyone in the room paled.
Pang Chi stared at Yang Kai with horror, his eyes trembled fiercely, a cold chill shooting up his spine.
Of the four who were killed, except for the one Immortal Ascension First Stage expert, the rest were at least True Element Boundary Eighth Stage cultivators.
This level of cultivation wasn’t anything significant in terms of the entire Central Capital, but it was already an apex master for the Bamboo Knot Gang. The people who gathered here were of humble origins and lacked good Secret Arts and Martial Skills so it wasn’t easy for any of them to reach such a realm.
But in an instant, these four people had been killed!
The cold, decisive ruthlessness of the Yang Family Fourth Master’s son was obvious to all.
The expressions of everyone else inside the hall all underwent a massive change, each of them now staring at Yang Kai in horror, their hearts filled with fear. It wasn’t until this point that all of them truly realized the tyranny of the Eight Great Families.
Among the people inside, Pang Chi had the highest cultivation at the Immortal Ascension Second Stage, but he knew that it was impossible for him to kill these four people in such a short period of time like Yang Kai just did.
Didn’t that mean if the two of them were to fight right now, he wasn’t even worthy of being his opponent?
[Such a terrifying young man! How can a True Element Seventh Stage youth have such horrifying combat power?]
“Who else wants to submit to the Huo Family? I don’t mind sending him off!” Yang Kai’s eyes narrowed as he calmly swept his eyes over everyone in the hall.
“Yo… Young Lord… thi… this humble servant asks you to show mercy!” Pang Chi’s voice trembled as he fumbled over his words. The four people who had wanted to submit to the Huo Family had all been killed, the rest of the people remaining all strongly opposed them and were only here to discuss the current state of the Central Capital. Pang Chi was really afraid that in anger, Yang Kai would slaughter the innocent along with the guilty.
However… just now this Young Lord had clearly been outside the hall, so how could he instantly know that these four people were the ones with traitorous thoughts? This Young Lord’s methods were really incomprehensible.
Yang Kai nodded gently, withdrawing his killing intent as he took back his two artifacts and sat down slowly. Seeing this, everyone else couldn’t help breathing a sigh of relief.
Pang Chi wiped the cold sweat on his forehead before rushing outside and shouting.
After a short time, a guard rushed over, cupped his fists and ask, “What does Sect Master require?”
“Take these ungrateful bastards out and bury them.” Pang Chi pointed at the four bodies.
The guard glimpsed inside but after seeing the bloody scene, his face instantly paled, hurriedly running out and summoning some helpers over, all of them trembling slightly as they dragged the still warm bodies out.
With the thick bloody smell still lingering about, everyone inside the hall breathed somewhat awkwardly, all of them waiting for Yang Kai to speak.
“From today onward, the Bamboo Knot Gang will submit to me!” Yang Kai spoke offhandedly, his tone light and casual, “Does anyone have any objections?”
“None! Bamboo Knot Gang is the Fourth Master’s attached force, Young Lord is the Fourth Master’s son, and this humble servant is willing to follow the commands of the Young Master!” Pang Chi quickly said.
“Good, tell me about the Huo Family situation.”
When he was outside the hall, Yang Kai had only heard a few words and didn’t understand the whole picture.
Pang Chi paused for a moment to gather his thoughts before truthfully recanting the contents of the quarrel.
The Huo Family was also one of the Central Capital’s Eight Great Families and naturally supported a number of hanger-on forces.
Right now, it wasn’t the Huo Family who wanted the Bamboo Knot Gang to submit to them but just another of these subordinate forces. This force had already promised a lot of benefits and most likely bribed a few of the core members of the Bamboo Knot Gang, so just now, those members had been the ones stirring up trouble.
The majority, headed by Pang Chi, didn’t want to betray Yang Ying Feng, but four of the gang’s core members disagreed. People seek higher heights just like water flows down to the sea. Although the Bamboo Knot Gang was supported by the Yang Family Fourth Master, but for many years they hadn’t even seen Yang Ying Feng’s face, so they were naturally not that loyal. With some external forces interfering, some of them would inevitably be tempted.
Moreover, even if they betrayed Yang Ying Feng, with the personality of the Yang Family Fourth Master, it was likely he wouldn’t pursue it, but if they were to refuse the olive branch offered by the Huo Family, it would likely lead to trouble.
So obviously, those four members didn’t have much resistance to the Huo Family, only thinking about seeking better prospects.
But now, those four had all been killed, naturally no one made any noise about this issue again.
After listening to Pang Chi’s remarks, Yang Kai nodded lightly, confident that he wasn’t concealing anything or trying to deceive him.
Finish explaining, Pang Chi quietly sat, no longer speaking, everyone in the room staring towards Yang Kai hesitantly, seemingly waiting for instructions.
Remaining silent for a long time, Yang Kai finally said, “Before I arrived, I had meant to show you some sincerity and slowly win you over, but now I have neither the time nor intention to do so.”
“I will participate in Inheritance War soon. If you follow me, you will also participate in the Inheritance War. This is an opportunity as well as a gamble, no one here is a child, you should all understand this.”
Everyone nodded, no on sitting in the hall was younger than thirty. If anyone could be considered a child here, only Yang Kai would qualify, so hearing him speak to them so inevitably made them feel somewhat awkward.
“I’ll offer you a choice, if you don’t want to participate in this Inheritance War, you may leave now and I won’t pursue it, but this opportunity will only be available to you once, if you don’t leave now, you won’t be able to again.”
Closing his mouth, Yang Kai waited quietly.
Everyone glanced around at each other. Hearing Yang Kai speak so candidly was beyond their expectations, coupled with him decisively killing four people just now; everyone couldn’t help but realize that this Yang Family Young Lord seemed to be an extremely resolute person that disdained wasting his breath.
For a while, no one dared to get up and leave.
Pang Chi eventually cracked a smile and said, “Those of us here, though many have never had the honour of meeting the Fourth Master, have for many years taken shelter in the shade of his figure, only obtaining all we have now thanks to him. Now that the Young Lord has need of us, we are naturally willing to serve.”
His words were neither hot nor cold; obviously he hadn’t whole heartedly recognized Yang Kai.
About this point, Yang Kai was also clear; however, just as he had said, he had neither the time nor the intent to thoroughly win over the Bamboo Knot Gang as he had with the two Blood Warriors.
Nodding, Yang Kai grinned fiercely, “I can tell you clearly, if you follow me, it won’t necessarily be good for you, but if you don’t follow me, there will definitely be bad things in your future!”
Seeing his barely hidden demonic smile, everyone in the room felt a slight chill shoot up their back.
Everyone in the hall immediately stood up and said with one voice, “We are willing to serve the Young Lord!”
With Yang Kai saying things so straightforwardly, if they didn’t know what to do at this point, they would be no better than fools.
“Good, everyone sit.” Yang Kai smiled dangerously, “Pang Chi, you sit too!”
“Yes!” Pang Chi wiped the cold sweat from his forehead again, thinking that the Young Lord and the Fourth Master were complete opposites in terms of character.
“How many members are there in the Bamboo Knot Gang?” Yang Kai asked.
“Young Lord, there are probably around six hundred members currently.”
“Six hundred people…” Yang Kai frowned. Although this number wasn’t that high, it wasn’t too shabby either, “How about everyone’s strength?”
Pang Chi smiled awkwardly and replied, “Most of them are Separation and Reunion cultivators, while about thirty percent have reached the True Element Boundary. As for Immortal Ascension Boundary masters, there are only three of us, but just now… one person already…”
One of the three Immortal Ascension masters had just been killed by Yang Kai, so now there were only two remaining. One of them was an Immortal Ascension Boundary First Stage, the other a Second Stage, this kind of high end strength was really quite pitiful.
However, Yang Kai didn’t show any signs of disappointment. He didn’t want to control the Bamboo Knot Gang in order to add to his fighting strength.
“Are all six hundred people in the Central Capital now?”
“Yes, if the Young Lord needs it, I can have them mobilize at once.” Pang Chi nodded.
“Call up two hundred people, I need them to inquire about the whereabouts of a group of people.”
“Yes, Young Lord!”
Yang Kai had Pang Chi quickly write down the appearance and characteristics of Su Yan and several of High Heaven Pavilion’s core members.
“Also, find another fifty nimble members to act as messengers, have them stand by as soon as possible!”
“Yes!” Pang Chi didn’t know what Yang Kai wanted so many messengers for, but since he was told to prepare them, all he had to do was obey.
“Right, what is the main business of the Bamboo Knot Gang?” Yang Kai asked.
Pang Chi awkwardly smiled, “The gang’s main business is to run some taverns, inns, teahouses, and restaurants. The gang’s disciples also will often pick up some odd jobs in the city.”
“How much do you have in your reserves?”
Pang Chi’s expression became even more embarrassed at this question, after a long time finally saying, “Right now, the gang has about 500,000 silvers in storage.”
“So poor?” Yang Kai was stunned.
Everyone in the hall had a red face, Pang Chi reluctantly replying, “It’s not easy to make a living in the Central Capital.”
The influence of the Eight Great Families was simply too strong. Those secret forces who had powerful backers would often get better jobs and even some rewards from their back forces. Although the Bamboo Knot Gang was supported by Yang Ying Feng, the Yang Family Fourth Master didn’t have much status inside the Yang Family and for these past many years, in order to cure his dark injuries, he had also constantly been searching for famous Alchemists and healers which was no small expense. As a result, he couldn’t offer too much in terms of resources or money to assist the Bamboo Knot Gang.
It was no wonder that four core members had been won over by the Huo Family.
After understanding all this, Yang Kai took out a stack of silver coins and handed it to Pang Chi, “For now, use this money.”
Looking at the big stack of silver coins, everyone couldn’t help but breathe a little harder.
With so many silver coins, they had to be worth at least a few million silvers, this Young Master of theirs was really generous.
Pang Chi froze up for a moment but didn’t reject, instead just thanking Yang Kai.
Seeing his performance, Yang Kai smiled lightly.
“For now, do what I’ve asked, I’ll come again soon with more instructions.” Saying so, Yang Kai stood up and walked out.
Everyone in the hall quickly stood up and respectfully bid him farewell.
After Yang Kai left, all the Bamboo Knot Gang’s core members glanced around at each other.
“Sect Master, how much money did the Young Lord give us?” Someone eventually couldn’t help but ask.
Counting carefully, Pang Chi said after a moment, “Three million!”
Three million, naturally these were the silvers Lu Liang had given Yang Kai, and now they had been transferred to the Bamboo Knot Gang.
Several sharp breaths were heard as everyone in the hall clamoured, “The Fourth Master’s son is much more up front than the Fourth Master.”
“Yeah. Although this Young Master is ruthless, blunt and direct, he is by no means an evil man. From what I can tell, he is actually quite generous.”
Pang Chi calmly said, “Now that we’ve accepted other’s money, no of us can have any traitorous thoughts, don’t forget, this new Young Lord of ours doesn’t hesitate to kill!”
Everyone suddenly trembled and nodded solemnly, all of them remembering the sight of their four former companions dying before them.
From the Bamboo Knot Gang, Yang Kai didn’t expect too much, only asking them to inquire about intelligence and pass on information.
It wasn’t an exaggeration to say that the gang was a loose collection of rabble, any decent master could easily destroy them. If it weren’t for their other utility value, Yang Kai wouldn’t have paid them a second glance.
Pang Chi accepting the huge sum of money he had presented without hesitation was a type of statement expressing his loyalty, Yang Kai naturally understood this.
Walking out from the Bamboo Knot Gang, Yang Kai mounted his colt and started heading back.
Halfway home, he suddenly heard someone call out to him from above.
Looking towards where the voice came from, Yang Kai’s eyes eventually fixed on a window of the second floor of a nearby restaurant where his brother Yang Zhao was smiling and waving, “Little Brother Kai, come up here.”
Yang Kai frowned, not having expected to meet his brother here; however, he had no reason to refuse so he leapt off his Cloud Treading Colt and strode over to the restaurant.
When Yang Kai stepped onto the second floor and entered a private room where Yang Zhao sat, he was immediately greeted by several sharp glances.
“Second Brother,” Yang Kai politely greeted him, quickly sweeping his eyes around, a little startled by what he saw.
Although most of the people present were unfamiliar to him, but from the dress and temperament of these Young Lords and Young Ladies, Yang Kai could immediately judge that their backgrounds weren’t small.
“Come come come,” Yang Zhao enthusiastically pulled Yang Kai over, pointing towards a youth sitting at the other end of the table, touching the chin with one hand and smiling, “Do you remember who this is?”
Yang Kai glanced over before smiling slightly, “Fifth Brother!”
The Yang Family’s younger generation fifth eldest, Yang Kang, was Yang Zhao’s blood related brother, Yang Kai naturally recognized him but he didn’t expect that he had already returned to the Central Capital.
Yang Kang looked over at Yang Kai but didn’t say a word, only nodding his head lightly, his expression neither warm nor cold.
When brothers meet, their interactions should not be this dull. Of course, Yang Kai did not say anything in return to the obvious contempt he was thrown with.
Everyone else in the room stared at Yang Kai with a playful look, seemingly wanted to observe his flustered and embarrassed look, but seeing his completely indifferent expression, all of them couldn’t help feeling disappointed.
Yang Zhao on the other hand didn’t seem to notice the awkward atmosphere at all, still very enthusiastically introducing Yang Kai to everyone.
Sure enough, the youths here were all children of the Eight Great Families.
Kang Family Kang Zhan, Gao Family Gao Rang Feng, Ye Family Ye Xin Rou. These three were all leaders of the younger generation of their respective families. At this moment, they were meeting with a Yang Family Young Lord, so it was obvious they were intending to participate in the Inheritance War.
The only uncertainty was whose side they would take.
When the introductions were completed, and everyone was seated, Yang Kang suddenly smiled and stared at Yang Kai, “Brother Kai, I heard that you only spent half a day in the Dragon Transformation Pond.”
Yang Kai nodded, “Yes, I had a problem with my aptitude, there was no benefit in staying.”
Yang Kang chuckled and said dismissively, “For you that’s already quite good, no?”
“Little Five!” Yang Zhao snorted and glowered at him, immediately patting Yang Kai’s shoulder and said comfortingly, “Your Fifth Brother has always been straightforward like this, don’t mind him. The Dragon Transformation Pond also isn’t as magical as rumors make it out to be, I stayed there for four days but didn’t gain much benefit from it.”
“Second Brother is amazing!” Yang Kang looked shocked, “I couldn’t stand it after only three days.”
“I heard that your Yang Family’s Dragon Transformation Pond could not only cleanse one’s body but was also a good place to test one’s aptitude, right?” Ye Xin Rou pursed her lips smiled elegantly.
Kang Zhan and Gao Rang Feng also showed interest in this topic, Kang Zhan even interjecting, “I also heard that the longer you stay in it, the better your aptitude is.”
Yang Zhao looked at Yang Kai a bit awkwardly before nodding slightly, “What you say isn’t wrong, but in fact, it’s not that simple. No one can know for certain what a person’s aptitude is, so how could a trivial Dragon Transformation Pond really test it?”
“But the shorter one can insist, the worse their aptitude is, that much is true.” Yang Kang’s face smiled broadly as he stared at Yang Kai. “Little Brother Kai shouldn’t worry too much. When we last met I recall you couldn’t cultivate at all, yet now I hear you’ve entered the True Element Boundary. This is already a great fortune for you; one should know how to be content with what they’ve been given.”
“You should also have some discretion, right, Fifth Brother?” Yang Kai shot back. Yang Kang shaming him was obvious, how could he not see it? Towards this cousin of his, Yang Kai was neither close nor hostile, but Yang Kang’s harsh words and thinly veiled contempt were still quite uncomfortable to listen to.
Facing such provocation, Yang Kai didn’t bother giving his cousin any face.
It seemed like Yang Kai daring to talk back to him had stunned Yang Kang quite a bit, the three young children from the Eight Great Families were even more surprised, none of them having expected the Yang Family’s youngest to be so overbearing.
Yang Zhao staggered for a moment before letting out a laugh, “Now now, don’t fight, the Dragon Transformation Pond is just a puddle of water, the future of my Yang Family can’t be decided by something so simple.”
“Indeed,” Kang Zhan nodded slightly before grinning wryly, “All you Yang Family children are savage tigers. For these past few years the Central Capital’s younger generation has been dominated by our seven families, but now that all of you are back, it seems we’ll have to surrender the stage.”
“Brother Kang is far too modest, the Central Capital is so big, and my Yang Family can’t possibly swallow it all. The future here will be shared between all of us.”
Gao Rang Feng’s brow wrinkled suddenly and asked, “How many of your Yang Family’s direct descendants have returned already?”
“Four,” Yang Zhao’s expression quickly became solemn, “In addition to the three of us, Fourth Brother Yang Xinwu has also returned, but Fourth Brother was seriously injured on the way back, almost killed. Right now the Elders are trying to heal his wounds but I’m not sure what the situation is right now…”
Yang Kai’s expression also became cold while Yang Kang’s face became very ugly.
On the way back, all of them had been ambushed by a number of masters, but their luck wasn’t bad and they had all managed to return safely, but Yang Xin Wu didn’t manage to escape unharmed.
“The tallest tree must face the wind,” Yang Zhao smiled helplessly, shaking his head slowly, “But now, the family has sent out more masters to rendezvous with the others so I believe that everyone else shouldn’t encounter too much trouble. There was also news that big brother Yang Wei will soon arrive.”
“Big brother is back?” Yang Kang asked anxiously.
Yang Zhao glanced at him with a grin, “It’ll still be about two to six days before he arrives at the Central Capital.”
Yang Kang’s look suddenly turned bitter, obviously somewhat worried about Yang Wei’s return.
“It seems the Central Capital is going to be lively again,” Ye Xin Rou smiled coyly, “Liu Qing Yao won’t be lonely anymore, hehe.”
When Ye Xin Rou mentioned Liu Qing Yao, everyone, including Yang Zhao, suddenly wore a dignified expression.
The Liu Family’s Liu Qing Yao was the Central Capital’s first Young Lord. Although he was still a member of the younger generation, it was rumoured that he had already reached the Immortal Ascension Boundary Third Stage. Such aptitude was difficult to encounter even once in a hundred years. Liu Qing Yao would certainly have an unparalleled influence on the Central Capital for decades to come. For this time’s Inheritance War, whoever could win him over would secure themselves a big boost.
“I really hope the Inheritance War will start as soon as possible so we can witness the methods of your Yang Family’s descendants!” Kang Zhan smiled sharply, his expression filled with enthusiasm.
“Haha, brothers and sisters…” Yang Zhao smiled heartily, “I’ll do my best to not let you down.”
Gao Rang Feng nodded, “I only hope when the time comes, if we happen to be on opposite sides, you’ll show us some mercy!”
“Likewise!”
Not long after the discussion ended, Yang Kai got up and left.
Looking at his disappearing back, the Young Lords and Young Lady from the three families felt slightly surprised. Yang Zhao and Yang Kang hadn’t made any overt overtures, nor did they show any obvious intentions, but all three of them knew that since the two of them sat here, they clearly had some thoughts about winning them over.
They also at least spoke some flattery.
But Yang Kai was different. From beginning to end, he said nothing about the Inheritance War or anything else for that matter; didn’t he have any ideas about them?
Was his display arrogance or confidence? Or perhaps he had already given up from the start?
The three youths all had slightly wrinkled brows as they pondered over this mystery.
Perceiving the three youth’s moods from their expressions, Yang Kang snorted disdainfully, “Second Brother, it’s not that I’m intentionally aiming at Ninth Brother, I just don’t believe people like him should participate in the Inheritance War so he won’t embarrass himself.”
Yang Zhao couldn’t help chuckling at these words, “Fifth Brother, you shouldn’t underestimate our youngest brother, he definitely has some means.”
“Means? What means? I can’t see anything worth mentioning.”
Yang Zhao’s expression suddenly became awkward as he muttered, “Let me ask you, the two Blood Warriors who escorted you home, how did they act towards you?”
Yang Kang wore a disgruntled look as he bitterly said, “Don’t mention them. I actually feel like it’s a relief to be away from them. Those two were like stone statues the whole time, all but ignoring me entirely, no matter what I said to or asked them. It really makes me wonder if they see me as a Young Lord or not.”
Yang Zhao showed a meaningful smile after a while and said, “The two who came with me acted similarly right up until the end, but the two Blood Warriors who came back with Ninth Brother were actually respectful and polite to him. Well, surprised?”
“What? Impossible! The Blood Warriors all have eyes on top of their heads, how could they possibly act respectfully towards him? Brother, are you sure you’re not mistaken?”
Yang Kang obviously didn’t believe what Yang Zhao had said, shaking his head almost unconsciously.
“That’s why I said our little brother has his means.” Yang Zhao quickly affirmed.
Yang Kang expression was stunned, his brow suddenly furrowing, not knowing what to say or think. It was only after a long silence that he muttered, “Second Brother, you think too highly of him, with such terrible aptitude, no matter his means, he’s still destined for mediocrity at best.”
As the two brothers spoke, the other three juniors in the room all smiled lightly and listened, showing no intention to interject. They too thought that Yang Kai’s performance today was too bland, unlike how a Yang Family Young Lord who would participate in Inheritance War should act.
But thinking so, they also felt somewhat suspicious, wondering just how the Yang Family’s youngest lord was intending to contend during the Inheritance War.
The Yang Family Fourth Master’s residence.
When Yang Kai arrived back home, it was already dark, but upon entering the main house, the head servant came over to him in a flurry and anxiously said, “Thank goodness you’re back Little Lord.”
Yang Kai was surprised and curiously asked, “What happened?”
“Master and mistress had some kind of accident,” The servant said as he hurriedly pulled Yang Kai towards the dining hall, “Please come quickly.”
“An accident? What exactly happened?” Yang Kai’s expression suddenly became anxious, quickly releasing his Divine Sense to quietly observe the entire mansion, immediately locating his father and mother’s position.