The servant quickly told Yang Kai what had happened after he had left. After hearing about the course of events and adding on his own discoveries, Yang Kai had a fair understanding of what transpired.
Walking over to the dining hall doors and carefully observing the inside with his Divine Sense, Yang Kai found that his parent’s True Qis were both fiercely circulating, the momentum spilling over from their bodies thrashing about wildly.
However, the situations faced by the husband and wife were slightly different.
Dong Su Zhu had already made a breakthrough, but the aura around her had yet to stabilize, obviously the energy within her body had not yet been fully absorbed. If she continued to refine the remaining energy, it wouldn’t be long before her new Immortal Ascension Boundary Eighth Stage cultivation would be completely consolidated.
On the other hand, Yang Ying Feng was facing some dangers. The Fourth Master had also broken through a stage, but now he was once again showing signs of breaking through.
A cultivator’s body was like a series of locked doors. Every breakthrough would unlock one of these locks allowing one to open the next door. Any cultivator, through a gradual accumulation, would be able to open these locks. This process could even be sped up by taking some Precious Treasures.
But the huge energy contained within the Myriad Drug Liquid not only allowed the Yang Family Fourth Master to open one lock in a short period of time, it had also shoved open that door and even begun to unlock a second lock.
This was a joyous event, but also a disaster.
Yang Kai too had broken through several Minor Realms before, but at that time his cultivation was very low so the danger of promoting several stages at once was quite small.
Yang Ying Feng’s circumstances were different. Although he had a chronic illness, he was still an Immortal Ascension Boundary Third Stage. Now he had broken through to the Fourth Stage what he should do was consolidate his cultivation before trying to take another step, but under the influence of the Myriad Drug Liquid, he has no leeway to do so.
If his body’s foundations and his understanding of the Martial Dao were insufficient, it was entirely possible that he wouldn’t be able to break through to the Immortal Ascension Fifth Stage, at that time, the huge amount of energy circulating through his meridians would have no outlet and could explode inside his body.
However, if his accumulation over the years was enough, then the Yang Family Fourth Master could transform this disaster into an opportunity.
Everything depended upon Yang Ying Feng’s understanding of the Martial Dao.
These thoughts all flashed across Yang Kai’s mind as he carefully swept his parents with his Divine Sense, his slightly panicked expression calming down after a while as he waved to the nearby servant, “Everything’s alright, I’ll monitor the situation here, you can go back. If anyone visits these days, tell them that father’s injury has relapsed and he is currently closing up to recover.”
“Yes Young Master,” The old servant bowed and drew back, making arrangements according to Yang Kai’s instructions.
Putting out an invisible Divine Sense barrier around the dining hall, Yang Kai isolated the energy fluctuations from any outside nosing.
As a result, no one outside would notice what was happening here.
After doing this, Yang Kai stood quietly and waited outside.
He didn’t show any more worry on his face because he had enough confidence in his father’s Martial Dao foundation.
If it weren’t for that incident all those years ago, the Yang Family Fourth Master’s cultivation wouldn’t be so low. Although the rate at which he broke through was indeed very slow, but the precipitation over time was enough to make his understanding of the Martial Dao not worse than the other members of his generation.
Moreover, the Yang Family Fourth Master’s aptitude was by no means bad, after so many years of accumulation, promoting directly to the Immortal Ascension Boundary Fifth Stage wasn’t a big deal!
The only thing that confused Yang Kai was how his parent’s had come across such a violent reaction after taking the Myriad Drug Liquid.
After half a day, Dong Su Zhu’s aura began to stabilized, probably because all the energy from the Myriad Drug Liquid had been absorbed and refined by her.
Yang Ying Feng’s aura on the other hand still continued to surge upwards, seemingly endlessly.
After another half a day, the Yang Family Fourth Master’s aura suddenly stagnated before shooting upwards, as if it had broken though a thick barrier and soared ten thousand kilometers into the sky. An overwhelming force swept forth and the energy between Heaven and Earth became turbulent.
Yang Kai grinned broadly as Dong Su Zhu’s excited exclamation came from inside the hall.
An indescribable happiness and excitement was apparent in her voice.
The momentum which had shot upwards quickly subsided and after a short time, the air became calm once more.
“Come in!” Yang Ying Feng’s firm voice sounded from inside the hall. Yang Kai scratched his nose lightly before stepping inside.
The Fourth Master’s tone was dignified, so Yang Kai knew that he would have to accept some questioning about what had just happened. This wasn’t a surprise as the effect of the Myriad Drug Liquid was simply too amazing, how could his parents not have some doubts?
Inside the hall, Yang Kai simply smiled, his eyes glancing back and forth at the messy surroundings, not taking the initiative to explain.
Dong Su Zhu also stared at Yang Kai questioningly, the look on her face somewhat distressed, biting her lip as she held back the urge to speak.
Yang Ying Feng frowned for a moment before breaking the awkward silence, “Kai’er, tell me honestly, what exactly was that medicinal liquid you gave us?”
Yang Kai hadn’t even opened his mouth yet before the Fourth Master added, “And don’t say that it’s a medicine you concocted, the grades of those materials you asked for are clear to me, it’s absolutely impossible to create such a Heaven defying treasure from those ingredients!”
“Fourth Master is wise!” Yang Kai’s face showed not the slightest sign of remorse, instead quickly speaking some obvious flattering words.
Dong Su Zhu almost couldn’t stop herself from laughing while Yang Ying Feng also suddenly felt the urge to hit his son, but he somehow maintained his questioning expression as he started straight at Yang Kai, the look on his face clearly saying he wouldn’t let the issue drop without a proper explanation.
“It’s called Myriad Drug Liquid, it’s the distilled essence of millions of different medicinal pills that through some special Spirit Arrays had been filtered and concentrated over thousands of years,” Yang Kai sighed and casually said a few shocking words.
The husband and wife couple couldn’t help gasping, staring at Yang Kai in shock.
Millions of pills, thousands of years…
As soon as they heard these words, their first thought was that their son was spinning some kind of fairy tale.
But when they saw Yang Kai’s expression, both of them knew he was telling the truth.
[No wonder it had such a powerful effect.]
The accumulated medicinal efficacies over such a massive amount of time had no doubt created an elixir which by far exceeded the level of this world. Yang Kai obtaining this liquid was obviously an incredible opportunity.
Thinking so, both husband and wife became somewhat distressed. They weren’t distraught about how precious the Myriad Drug Liquid was, but instead distressed about the no doubt difficult and dangerous experience Yang Kai must have had in order to get it.
“This is extremely precious, right?” Yang Ying Feng stared at him deeply, intentionally not asking about where Yang Kai had obtained the Myriad Drug Liquid.
“I have plenty more of it,” Yang Kai comforted his father casually, suddenly unable to hold back his curiosity, “Just how much of it did mother and father drink?”
At this question, the Yang Family Fourth Master’s expression cramped up, Dong Su Zhu face blushed awkwardly as well.
After a long time, Dong Su Zhu eventually confessed, “I drank half a glass while your father… he had a whole cup!”
Yang Kai couldn’t help bursting into laughter; he really hadn’t expected his parents to be so bold.
Although, he also felt he was partly to blame for not explaining the true efficacy of the drug, instead only telling them to take one drop per person per day. As far as his parents knew, the Myriad Drug Liquid was concocted from a variety of Heaven Grade materials, how could they have expected it to have such phenomenal potency?
The end result though was one of them breaking through a Minor Realm, while the other had actually promoted two stages, a matter worth celebrating.
“Next time, you can’t drink it like that again.” Yang Kai said seriously, trying to contain his laughter.
His parents both nodded immediately, their expression completely serious.
This time’s breakthrough could be described as an unexpected pleasant surprise. Dong Su Zhu promoting to the Immortal Ascension Boundary Eighth Stage was the equivalent of her bypassing several years of hard work.
The Yang Family Fourth Master had obtained an even greater benefit. Not only had his cultivation risen two Minor Realms, directly breaking through to the Immortal Ascension Boundary Fifth Stage, even the Demonic Qi which had stubbornly been attached to his dantian showed signs of dissipating.
Not daring to neglect this chance, Yang Ying Feng immediately chose to close up and use the Myriad Drug Milk to completely drive out the remaining Demonic Qi which had plagued him all these years.
Dong Su Zhu also entered secluded retreat in order to stabilize her current cultivation.
All of a sudden, the Fourth Master’s residence became very peaceful, only Yang Kai and the dozen or so servants bustled about inside.
The Golden Feather Eagle would also drop by once a day to obtain its treat from Yang Kai.
Five days later, Du Cheng Bai visited and eagerly told Yang Kai a piece of good news. His application to receive a Golden Feather Eagle in exchange for a Mysterious Grade Martial Skill had been accepted by the family and he was to go go to the Elder Hall in order to complete the exchange.
This really was great news for Yang Kai.
The only headache Yang Kai faced now was which Mysterious Grade Martial Skill he should use in order to exchange for the Golden Feather Eagle.
Over the years Yang Kai had acquired a large number of Martial Skills, but there were only two that were Mysterious Grade. Apart from Star Mark, there was only the Nine Star Sword Sect’s Strike of Ten Thousand Swords. Most of the time when confronting an enemy Yang Kai preferred relying upon his True Qi’s flexibility and his instinctual reactions.
When a cultivator began cultivating, high grade Martial Skills really could provide a significant boost to their combat strength, but at Yang Kai’s level, unless it was a Mysterious Grade Martial Skill, anything of lower grade fundamentally couldn’t increase the strength he could display, the potency of his Yang Liquid and the Demonic Qi in his Unyielding Golden Skeleton were enough on their own.
Thinking it over, Yang Kai eventually decided to hand over his Star Mark Martial Skill to the family.
Firstly, the drawbacks of this Martial Skill weren’t small; one would need plenty of time in order to display its full potential. Moreover, even if someone were to cultivate it, they would encounter difficulties storing enough True Qi to all Star Mark to have any noticeable effect. Yang Kai didn’t need to worry about someone using it against him some day.
Secondly, the Strike of Ten Thousand Swords was the core inheritance of the Nine Star Sword Sect. If others knew that Yang Kai had learned this Martial Skill, they were bound to associate him with Wu Cheng Yi and Qi Jian Xing’s deaths.
The Nine Star Sword Sect wasn’t weak, if possible, Yang Kai didn’t want to make enemies of them right now.
In the Yang Family, as long as one had enough contributions, they could obtain anything they wanted, unlike in other families where you would need special relationships to receive certain things.
For the Yang Family, everything was based on your own merits.
When Yang Kai arrived at the Elder Hall and handed over the Star Mark Martial Skill, a white-haired Elder immediately gave Yang Kai a jade slip to pass on to Du Cheng Bai. After that, the Golden Feather Eagle which had followed Yang Kai would official change hands.
From now on, it would belong to Yang Kai alone, not the Yang Family.
The same day he received the Golden Feather Eagle, Yang Kai took it with him to the Bamboo Knot Gang to familiarize it with Pang Chi and the other core members of the gang so it could serve as a messenger, saving Yang Kai from having to run back and forth to receive information from them.
Three days later, Yang Wei, the eldest brother of the Yang Family’s younger generation returned to the Central Capital. On the same day, two other Yang Family direct descendants also returned.
Two days after, another returned.
The crisp cries of the Golden Feather Eagles resounded constantly throughout the Central Capital, seemingly announcing the beginning of what would surely be a tumultuous time. The world knew that the Yang Family children had returned home and that the Inheritance War would soon begin.
Upon returning to the Central Capital, the Yang Family Young Lord frequently contacted the Young Lords and Young Ladies of the other seven families, only Yang Kai stood motionless amongst the storm, as if the Inheritance War had nothing to do with him.
The ones most solicited by the Yang Family Young Lords were undoubtedly the Liu Family’s Liu Qing Yao and the Qiu Family’s Qiu Yi Meng. So far, the number of invitations they had received equaled the number of Yang Family Young Lords, minus one of course. But from beginning to end neither of these two took a clear stand about which Yang Family Young Lord they intended to support.
It was rumoured that Liu Qing Yao had only stated that he would only ally himself with someone who could defeat him!
Facing this declaration from an Immortal Ascension Boundary Third Stage master, the Yang Family’s Young Lords all couldn’t help rolling their eyes.
Of the returning Yang Family direct descendants, only Yang Wei had reached the Immortal Ascension Boundary First Stage, the rest were only True Element Boundary cultivators.
It wasn’t that the Yang Family’s children had worse aptitude than Liu Qing Yao, it was simply that while they were outside for life experience, they couldn’t draw support from the main family, so with a slightly inferior environment, falling behind was only natural.
If he had access to the same resources, Yang Wei’s cultivation wouldn’t necessarily be worse than Liu Qing Yao’s.
But regardless, Liu Qing Yao’s strength and aptitude were unquestionable; on top of that, whoever could win him over would also be able to recruit the Liu Family.
With such a big boost available, all the Yang Family Young Lords were obviously anxious to recruit him, but unfortunately, none of them could meet his condition, the depression they felt was apparent.
As for Qiu Yi Meng, she hadn’t said a word, but the Yang Family Young Lord who contacted her could clearly see she had no interest in partnering with them. They also didn’t dare press her too hard, so all of them could only give up temporarily and try again later.
At night, the sky seemed dark as clouds rolled in, it seemed like a storm was brewing, leaving everyone slightly breathless.
The winds blew strongly, giving the air in the Central Capital a noticeable chill.
Yang Kai closed his eyes and sat in his courtyard, surrounded by an invisible Spiritual Energy which slowly condensed before hammering against the air.
This was Yang Kai’s second retreat since he came home, and with his persistent hard work these days, his True Element Boundary Seventh Stage cultivation had reached its peak, arriving at a bottleneck.
Although he knew he would break through this bottleneck sooner or later, Yang Kai didn’t want to idle about, waiting for that time. Since there was little he could do to enhance his True Qi cultivation, Yang Kai could only focus on cultivating his Divine Sense to see if he could find some inspiration.
Yang Kai had cultivated out his Divine Sense long ago, but strangely, until now, he still had not managed to open his Knowledge Sea.
Without a Knowledge Sea, his Divine Sense was like a rootless tree or a stagnant pool of water, if not for the constant supplement of his Soul Warming Lotus, his Divine Sense would have long ago dissipated.
It was also this reason that Yang Kai’s Soul Skills were somewhat lacking.
There were only three Minor Realms separating him from the Immortal Ascension Boundary, and Yang Kai very much looked forward to what changes his Divine Sense would show once he opened his Knowledge Sea.
Therefore, during this period of time, he had been cultivating more assiduously than ever. As long as he had free time, he would spend it cultivating.
By constantly using his Soul Skills, Yang Kai would consume his Spiritual Energy at a rapid pace, so just over an hour later he felt a sense of dizziness.
Stopping quickly, Yang Kai closed his eyes entered a meditative state.
In the middle of the night, as a light rain fell from the sky, a sudden sound of flapping wings reached Yang Kai’s ears. Raising his brow and opening his eyes, Yang Kai gazed upward.
A golden light stood out against the black night sky, rushing towards him like a bolt of lightning.
After landing atop Yang Kai’s shoulders, the Golden Feather Eagle only let out a few low cries.
Feeling the meaning conveyed from its voice, Yang Kai’s expression darkened as he quickly leapt up and flew northward.
The Golden Feather Eagle had been stationed at the Bamboo Knot Gang alongside Pang Chi for the past few days and had a dedicated caretaker there. It would only return once a day to find Yang Kai to receive its drop of Myriad Drug Liquid, but now it had actually flown back in the middle of the night, obviously the Bamboo Knot Gang had encountered some trouble.
The Bamboo Knot Gang’s forces weren’t large and the strength of their personnel wasn’t that high. There was nothing remarkable or valuable about them so generally no one would pay attention to them.
But something was clearly different tonight.
Remembering the internal quarrel the Bamboo Knot Gang had a few days ago, Yang Kai became concerned.
Ignoring the rapid consumption of his True Qi, Yang Kai managed to arrive in the North City District after only half an hour.
From the Bamboo Knot Gang’s headquarters, the sounds of battle rang out loudly. Pang Chi led a few of the gang’s masters in retreat as they endured the siege of a group of people. In the surroundings, a variety of Martial Skills and artifacts flashed and from time to time someone would fall, never to get up.
As blood flowed, the rain quietly washed it away, staining everything in its path a dark crimson.
The Bamboo Knot Gang didn’t have many members, and at the moment, their enemies numbered more than double their own, the opponent’s masters having not even needed to act. These enemy leaders simply stood by and watched the Bamboo Knot Gang struggle. With countless dead and wounded already, defeat was all but certain, it wouldn’t be long until everyone in the complex died.
Although Pang Chi was also scarred, he bitterly fought on. He had already released the Golden Feather Eagle while he confronted the enemy. Now his only hope was that their new master would bring reinforcements to rescue them.
As a Young Lord of the Yang Family, he should at least have a few masters under his command, right?
The only thing that made Pang Chi nervous was whether Yang Kai would be willing to come to their aid!
“Wu Qian!” Pang Chi roared angrily at a middle-aged man standing amongst the enemy camp, “Your Profound Light Gang and our Bamboo Knot Gang have always been well water not drawing from the river, what are you suddenly attacking us for?”
The man named Wu Qian simply sneered in response, his cold voice replying back sharply, “Pang Chi, why are you feigning ignorance? My family’s Young Lord had already said, if you don’t swear allegiance, you must die!”
“Do you not know who stands behind my Bamboo Knot Gang? Do you dare point your blade towards us?” Pang Chi spat as he continued attacking.
Wu Qian snorted before disdainfully saying, “The Eight Great Families people have never interfered in the disputes between us small forces. The Central Capital’s life is simply too boring, they only keep us around so they can have a bit of fun toying with us. Do you really think that after you die today, someone behind you will be willing to avenge you? In your dreams!”
Pang Chi’s expression was bitter; knowing what Wu Qian said wasn’t a lie.
The members of the Eight Great Families really didn’t intervene in the battles between small forces like them. For those of the Eight Great Families, if one of these little forces of theirs disappeared, it was no big deal. At worst, they could just find another one to support.
Every year, there were a countless number of small forces destroyed, but these small forces were like spring bamboo shoots after the rain, even if some of them were smashed, others would quickly sprout up to take their place.
It was for this very reason that he didn’t dare expect Yang Kai to save them.
As these two talked, on the top of a building adjacent the Clear Sky Tavern, a youth stood lazily staring at the battlefield below, a smile adoring his face as his eyes were filled with interest, seemingly enjoying a good show.
By his side, a number of Profound Light Gang masters quietly accompanied him. These masters generously pushed their True Qis not to assist in the battle below, but actually to keep the raindrops off of this young lord.
Therefore, even if he stood on the roof like this, the shirt he wore wasn’t the slightest bit wet.
As he stared at the scene before him, the young man even smiled and laughed, the masters next to him all wearing dignified expression, none of them daring to complain.
“Young Lord Huo, Bamboo Knot Gang is on the verge of collapse, do you want us to exterminate them… or are planning to collect them?” Mu Nan Dou, the man in charge of the Profound Light Gang, asked softly.
The Young Lord heard this and coldly smiled, not answering directly, instead just saying, “This Young Lord has a habit, the things I want, I must obtain on the first try, if I don’t succeed… then I don’t want it anymore, do you understand?”
Mu Nan Dou looked at him and nodded quickly, “Understood!”
The Profound Light Gang was supported by this Young Lord Huo to alleviate his boredom, how could Mu Nan Dou dare not listen to his orders?
Before, this Young Lord Huo had wanted the Bamboo Knot Gang to submit to him but was ultimately rejected by Pang Chi, which had apparently made him unhappy, so he no longer felt the need for it to exist.
Mu Nan Dou’s body flickered, wrapped up in a blue light as it quickly shot out.
But before he could engage Pang Chi and the remaining members of the Bamboo Knot Gang, a ray of light suddenly burst from sky as a devastating wave of energy descended towards him. Mu Nan Dou’s expression changed radically as he hurriedly turned around and dove towards the side.
At the same time, atop the roof with the remaining Profound Light Gang masters, several people shouted, “Young Lord, be careful!”
When Mu Nan Dou landed and looked back, he couldn’t help rubbing his eyes in doubt. He found that a young man had suddenly appeared at some point and was actually walking towards the Profound Light Gang’s masters, pointing his blade towards Young Lord Huo who stood in the middle of the crowd.
After steadying himself, Mu Nan Dou quickly flew back, at this time, what was most important was Young Lord Huo’s safety.
Before he could get halfway back though, Mu Nan Dou’s eyes are widened, because the young man before him was far too strong. The blood red sword in his hands sent out a raging Sword Qi and countless blood red petals circled around him, no one from the Profound Light Gang could resist a single one of his strikes, all of them either falling under his blade or scrambling to escape. In the blink of an eye, only Young Lord Huo remained standing.
[Did Liu Qing Yao come?]
Mu Nan Dou only had time to have such a thought before he saw the newly arrived young man walk over to Huo Young Lord and take him down with ease. The Young Lord couldn’t even react in time.
It wasn’t until then that two tyrannical Divine Senses suddenly blossomed and immediately, two grand figures appeared, standing mid-air, their eyes extremely cold.
Yang Kai grabbed the wrist of the Young Lord and held his sword across his neck. He didn’t even look at the experts from the Profound Light Gang, instead focusing all his attention on the two floating figures.
These two opponents were Immortal Ascension Boundary Eighth Stage masters, their strength not inferior to Blood Warriors!
The Huo Family was one of the Eight Great Families and since this Young Lord Huo was a Huo Family person, he was naturally guarded by a master.
For a battle between small gangs, these two masters wouldn’t appear, their responsibility was simply to monitor the surroundings in order to protect their Young Master. Both of them had actually been standing nearby their Young Lord the whole time but neither had expected Yang Kai to be so fierce, enough so that they didn’t have a chance to respond before their family’s Young Master was captured.
By the time they acted, it was already too late.
The two Divine Senses wandered about Yang Kai, hesitating for a moment before slamming against Yang Kai’s mind.
When the two Divine Senses rushed into his head though, it was like a stone being cast into the sea, not even the slightest ripples appeared.
In response to their actions, Yang Kai just sneered even more!
The two masters expressions darkened, only now realizing that the opposite party was no ordinary young person.
A True Element Boundary cultivator that could withstand the Divine Sense attack of both of them, he must have a very precious Soul artifact. Having such a high grade artifact, the identity of this youth wasn’t low. Fortunately, neither of them had any killing intent in their attack just now, their only objective was to rescue their Young Lord from the other’s hands, so even if he hadn’t resisted their Divine Sense assault, it wouldn’t have caused any permanent harm.
As such, they hadn’t torn all face so there should still be a possibility of resolution.
Looking at Yang Kai again, the eyes of the two masters became dignified, a hint of dread also flashing past.
Finally, the captured Young Lord also covered his wits, boldly stating without the slightest trace of panic, “You dare put your sword across my neck? Interesting, too interesting!”
Yang Kai grinned and said, “Is it?”
“Do you know who I am?” Huo Xing Chen chuckled and glanced back at him playfully.
“Should I?”
“Huo Family, Huo Xing Chen!”
Huo Family’s Huo Xing Chen, the only son of the Huo Family’s Patriach Huo Zheng. Huo Zheng was a tragic figure, as Patriarch of one of the Eight Great Families, he had countless wives and concubines, but after so many years, he had only been given one son, though the number of daughters he had was enough to form an all-female military guard.
In this way, he was quite similar to Blood Battle Gang’s Sect Master Hu Man.
However, he was more fortunate than Hu Man in that he had at least one son who could succeed him.
Because he was the only son of the main family, the blessings Huo Xing Chen received since birth was enormous. No matter what he wanted, the whole Huo Family would go all out to satisfy him, this in turn had cultivated his special personality.
Before the Yang Family Young Lords had returned to the Central Capital, there were three members of the younger generation whose names resounded the loudest.
The first was Liu Qing Yao of the Liu Family, having the strongest aptitude and highest cultivation. The second was the Qiu Family’s Qiu Yi Meng; not only was she a great beauty from a powerful family, but her aptitude was also amongst the best, naturally she was quite eye-catching.
Huo Xing Chen was the third, the Central Capital’s biggest delinquent. Whether it was drinking, gambling, seeking entertainment by bullying others or straight up fighting, no one in the younger generation surpassed him.
All of the Eight Great Families supported a number of underground forces, but they were often not very strict with their management, even disdaining to be involved in the frequent battles which took place between such forces, but this Young Lord Huo was different. Every time he was bored and decided to send out his underling forces to fight, he would definitely come to spectate the battle from a safe place nearby.
Accompanied by two Immortal Ascension Boundary masters not inferior to the Yang Family’s Blood Warriors, Huo Xing Chen had never worried about his safety before, but never had he expected that in a flash, under the surveillance of his two guardians, a sword would reach his neck.
Huo Xing Chen not only didn’t feel upset, but instead looked excited. When he was talking with Yang Kai, he was even secretly condensing his True Qi, waiting for an opportunity to escape from his captor.
It was this kind of life-threatening thrilling sensation that made his blood boil, giving him a rush that made him want to open his mouth and roar.
Feeling his fluctuating emotions, Yang Kai’s expression became slightly weird, gripping the blood red sword in his hand tighter as he pressed it harder against his prisoner’s throat.
“Fuck!” Huo Xing Chen couldn’t help yelling, “I already told you I’m the Huo Family’s Huo Xing Chen yet you still dare do this to me?”
Huo Xing Chen was shocked, quickly dissipating the True Qi he had just condensed for fear that the person behind him would really dare to kill him. He was starved for excitement, but it wasn’t like he didn’t care whether he lived or died.
“Who the hell are you?” Huo Xing Chen also realized that something was wrong, his name resounded throughout the Central Capital like thunder, if the other party didn’t have any status, how would he dare press a blade against his throat?
Over the course of this quick exchange, the two Immortal Ascension Boundary masters finally saw some clues, one of them cupping his fists, and politely asking, “May I ask which Young Master Yang you are?”
The young man in front of him was a stranger, and hadn’t said a word of greetings, but from his various performances, he was no doubt a junior from the Eight Great Families.
Only the Yang Family’s Young Lords who had recently returned would be unfamiliar to him!
“Yang Kai!”
“So it is Young Lord Kai!” The two old men replied before quickly cupping their firsts again.
Yang Kai simply stared back at them indifferent and nodded slightly.
As the masters talked, the battle below had already stopped. With the life of their Young Lord in the hands of an enemy, the members of the Profound Light Gang didn’t dare continue fighting; all of them had withdrawn from the compound and stood waiting for instructions.
Pang Chi and the remaining survivors down below gasped for breath as they gathered together, all of them staring up at the nearby roof in amazement, each of them showing a curious expression on their face.
They hadn’t expected that the Young Lord who had callously killed four people in front of them just a few days ago would really race through the night all alone in order to save them.
What made them even more surprised though was that he had succeeded!
Although Yang Kai’s great strength had long ago been recognized by Pang Chi, he discovered at this moment he had still underestimated his ability.
“Young Lord Kai,” One of the Huo Family masters sighed, “Can you release the Young Master first before we speak? Don’t worry, we won’t make any more moves against.”
The other master nodded as he stoically stared.
Yang Kai’s brow furrowed in thought for a moment before taking back his sword.
He wasn’t worried that the other party would renege on their word just now, the Huo Family masters wouldn’t do something so stupid, both sides were well aware of this.
Regaining his, Huo Xing Chen quickly took a few steps forward and turned back to look at Yang Kai. After seeing his face, he couldn’t help but curse, “Fuck, so young! Just how old are you?”
There was a deep sense of frustration hidden in his voice. After all, he had been defeated and restrained in an instant, yet Yang Kai clearly appeared younger than him.
Yang Kai didn’t answer, instead choosing to stare coldly at him.
“Hey hey, this Young Lord is talking to you.” Huo Xing Chen angrily shouted in frustration.
“Young Master,” One of the Huo Family masters helplessly tried to restrain his Young Master. Before knowing what Yang Kai’s bottom line was, the Huo Family masters didn’t want to continue provoking him.
“Let’s talk about the situation here.” Yang Kai grinned menacingly.
“As you wish Young Lord Kai, we old men are listening.”
“Pang Chi!” Yang Kai yelled as he waved to someone below.
Pang Chi’s body trembled before quickly flying up and cupping his fists, “Young Lord.”
“Investigate the casualties.”
“Yes!” Responding solemnly, Pang Chi hurriedly returned to the ground and began assessing the damage.
In the aftermath of the war, the battlefield was a mess. Although the members of Profound Light Gang and Bamboo Knot Gang clearly stared at each other with hostility, but both sides somehow managed to restrain themselves.
Huo Xing Chen looked at Yang Kai with great interest, his face constantly wearing an aggressive grin while on the other hand, Yang Kai simply stood there and waited quietly.
As for the two Huo Family masters, they both couldn’t help nodding in approval of Yang Kai’s calm demeanor.
A while later, Pang Chi flew up again with a trace of grief on his face and replied, “Among our members, sixty eight people died, and one hundred and eighty nine are injured!”
Yang Kai turned his attention to Huo Xing Chen and stared coldly.
The latter shrugging indifferently, “Name your price, I’ll compensate you for it!”
“50,000 for each of the dead, 10,000 for each wounded, you can pay in silvers, medicinal herbs, refining materials, or precious treasures!”
“You want to extort me?” Huo Xing Chen shouted.
Although he was the only heir to the Huo Family, Yang Kai’s price was simply too high for him to afford, if he were to really pay reparations according to how Yang Kai demanded, it would be calculated in the millions.
“Young Lord Kai, isn’t this price too expensive?” One of the Huo Family masters also objected, not having expected Yang Kai’s appetite to be so big.
“No discussions,” Yang Kai shook his head firmly.
“I refuse!” Huo Xing Chen puffed up his chest and said defiantly, after acting recklessly all these years, he really didn’t fear anyone.
Yang Kai suddenly let out a laugh, “You think you have the right to bargain with me?”
As soon as he spoke, a faint floral scent wafted across everyone’s nose.
Suddenly, a red flower blossomed from Huo Xing Chen’s chest, immediately scattering into hundreds of red petals that instantly engulfed him.
*Shua Shua Shua…*
A thousands blood red petals fluttered around Huo Xing Chen’s body, tightly encircling him, each piece giving off a sharp glint, exuding a cold pressure onto Huo Xing Chen, causing his forehead to break out into cold sweat .
The Huo Family’s two masters also changed complexion.
Neither of them had noticed when Yang Kai had planted this trap on Huo Xing Chen. These thousand petals were obviously a powerful slaughtering artifact, yet somehow, right before their eyes, this Yang Family Young Lord had hidden them on their young master.
The two masters didn’t dare underestimate Yang Kai any longer, nor think of him as just another member of the younger generation. Such decisiveness and such ruthless methods were simply too shocking.
“Do you dare to kill me?” Huo Xing Chen is still put up a strong front even at this moment.
“I can let you lie in bed for a half a year or so.” Yang Kai coldly snorted, causing Huo Xing Chen’s expression to cramp.
Perceiving the frigidness and impatience in his eyes, one of the Huo Family masters quickly interjected, “Young Lord Kai, we admit defeat, we will compensate you according to what you said! Please release the young masters first.”
“Don’t try my patience any further,” Yang Kai smiled malevolently, his tone filled with the meaning of warning.
“Absolutely!” The man nodded sternly.
The thousand blood red petals suddenly condensed into a little red light and in a flash, disappeared back into Yang Kai body.
The Huo Family masters couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief while Huo Xing Chen’s face was gloomy, no one able to tell what exactly he was thinking.
Soon after, one of the Huo Family masters looked at Yang Kai thoughtfully and said, “Young Lord Kai seems to have some signs of breaking through.”
Glancing back at this master, Yang Kai nodded calmly.
He had previously reached a bottleneck in his cultivation, but although today’s battle didn’t seem very dangerous, the outcome being decided in only a few breaths of time, but facing two Huo Family high level Immortal Ascension Masters, Yang Kai still felt a fair amount of pressure.
Unexpectedly, under this pressure, it seemed like Yang Kai had loosened this bottleneck.
Seeing him openly admit it, the Huo Family’s two masters both took in a sharp breath. Huo Xing Chen was even more surprised as he stared at Yang Kai, his eyes flashing an envious look.
“It is important for the Young Lord to focus on his breakthrough. You don’t have to worry about things here, this was all a result of my family’s Young Master’s boredom, we two Elders will handle it!”
Listening to these words, both Pang Chi and Mu Nan Dou looked at each other and couldn’t help smiling wryly. Both of their forces had suffered multiple injuries and deaths all because one young master’s entertainment seeking. In the eyes of these big family young masters, their lives really were worthless.
“Good,” Yang Kai nodded readily, feeling a breakthrough just around the corner, he really didn’t have any time to waste here, quickly turning around and dashing towards the Bamboo Knot Gang’s main hall.
“Yang Kai!” Huo Xing Chen suddenly shouted from behind him.
Yang Kai paused and glanced back.
“Are you going to participate in the Inheritance War?” Huo Xing Chen asked with a grin.
“Yes!”
“Good, good, good!” Huo Xing Chen laughed darkly, “Just you wait, I’ll remember you, I’ll definitely participate as well!”
Yang Kai all but ignored Huo Xing Chen, turning around and disappearing into the hall.
After Yang Kai’s figure vanished, Huo Xing Chen smiled coldly, “Interesting, too interesting!”
Seeing this look on his Young Master’s face, one of the Huo Family masters quickly said, “You Master, please restrain your angry, as long as he intends to participate in the Inheritance War, he will inevitably appear before you again. At that time, he will know that having offended you today was not a wise move.”
Huo Xing Chen nodded slightly, “You don’t need to say any more, I’m not angry. In fact, I haven’t been this happy in a long time! These kinds of small fights have really become boring, they can’t satisfy this Young Master’s appetite anymore!”
After a pause, he asked, “Right, how much money do you have on you?”
The two Huo Family masters’ faces both cramped up, shaking their heads slowly, no matter who it was, they would never bring millions of silvers with them when they went out like this.
“It’s not a good feeling owing others money,” Huo Xing Chen held his chin and muttered to himself.
Inside the Bamboo Knot Gang’s hall, Yang Kai sat cross legged on the floor, circulating his True Qi rapidly as he impacted his bottleneck.
After an hour of effort, the shackles which weighed Yang Kai down finally broke and his surging True Qi slowly subsided, his cultivation advancing another step forward.
True Element Boundary Eighth Stage!
At the moment he broke through, Yang Kai seemed to see dazzling lotus softly radiating five colours floating before his eyes.
Five Coloured Soul Warming Lotus!
Since he obtained it, Yang Kai had never seen this miraculous treasure again. Although he knew it existed somewhere in his mind and had constantly been moistening his Divine Sense, since he had still not opened his Knowledge Sea, it had always remained an ethereal existence.
Now, facing such a situation, Yang Kai was obviously delighted, even more anticipating the moment when he could open his Knowledge Sea and truly see the Soul Warming Lotus once more.
Yang Kai only had a general understanding of the strength of his Divine Sense.
He knew that it was no worse than an average Immortal Ascension Boundary Eighth Stage master’s, which was basically equivalent to having the Divine Sense intensity of an Immortal Ascension Boundary Ninth Stage master while only having a True Element Boundary cultivation. If he could really break through to the Immortal Ascension Boundary, just how much would his Spiritual Energy be enhanced after his Knowledge Sea formed?
Yang Kai impatiently looked forward to breaking through to the next Great Realm.
The Immortal Ascension Boundary had always been the supreme threshold of this world’s cultivators, only a handful of people would ever reach the Immortal Ascension Boundary and fewer still could rise even higher. The rest of the worlds cultivators could only look up at the Immortal Ascension Boundary for the rest of their lives.
Once one stepped into the Immortal Ascension Boundary, it meant that a cultivator had embarked on the road to the world’s apex, and in order to achieve this goal, countless cultivators had destroyed themselves, seeking for it day and night, pursuing it with single minded devotion.
Some people even chose to seclude themselves deep in the mountains all year round solely to understand the true meaning of strength, to spy on the mysteries of this realm.
However, most cultivators would spend their entire lives in such pursuits yet still never cross the final threshold, dying with great regret.
Even if they were lucky enough to break into the Immortal Ascension, the Immortal Ascension Boundary had nine minor realms, so the cultivator’s journey was by no means over, each advancement bringing them closer to the world’s summit.
After breaking through to the True Element Boundary Eighth Stage, Yang Kai didn’t get up right away.
Instead sitting silently in place, slowly exploring the insights this new stage had brought to him.
After he began using the Myriad Drug Liquid to cleanse his body, every breakthrough Yang Kai achieved would produce some obvious changes; at the very least he would feel significantly stronger than before.
This feeling was inexplicable, if forced to describe it, Yang Kai would only be able to say that his present self had absolute confidence in overcoming his pre-breakthrough self.
One day later, Yang Kai slowly opened his eyes, remaining silent for a long time before standing up.
Opening the hall doors, he stepped outside.
Outside the hall, more than a dozen people stood, divided into two columns. Looking up and seeing Yang Kai emerge, all of them hastily cupped their fists, “Subordinate greets the Young Lord!”
Yang Kai swept his eyes over the crowd and couldn’t help but pause.
He found that the group of people standing on the left were several high-ranking members of Bamboo Knot Gang headed by Pang Chi, while on the right, several high-level executives of Profound Light Gang headed by Mu Nan Dou stood. Even Wu Qian who had formerly fought Pang Chi in a life or death struggle was saluting him respectfully.
The people on both sides bowed their heads and greeted him, but Mu Nan Dou’s expression was one of helplessness while in contrast, Pang Chi’s was full of vigor, even containing faint traces of worship.
Yang Kai frowned and looked at Mu Nan Dou suspiciously, “Why are your Profound Light Gang people here?”
Mu Nan Dou hurriedly explained, “Respond to Young Lord’s Kai, from now on, the Profound Light Gang belongs to the Young Lord and will obey any order issued to us!”
“What happened?” Yang Kai asked, even more confused.
“Young Lord, it’s like this…” Pang Chi saw the situation and quickly explained things to Yang Kai.
Apparently, after he had secluded himself in the hall to break through last night, Huo Xing Chen and the two Huo Family masters pulled out all the money they had on them, but that only amounted to several hundred thousand silvers.
Pang Chi saw that Huo Xing Chen’s expression was particularly ugly at that time so he suggested that the rest could be taken as debt and paid back later, but the Young Lord of the Huo Family seemed to despise owing others.
Although he had made the suggestion out of good intentions, Pang Chi hadn’t expected Huo Xing Chen to not say a word and instead turn around and punch him.
After thinking about it for some time, Huo Xing Chen decided to offer the Profound Light Gang as compensation!
After giving Mu Nan Dou an order to serve to Yang Kai from now on, Huo Xing Chen led the two Huo Family masters and swaggered away, leaving behind the Profound Light Gang.
The Profound Light Gang had more than a thousand members and was also known as Huo Xing Chen’s personal force. Usually, they could bluster about using his name, but now they had been traded away like loose change, Mu Nan Dou and the others were naturally depressed.
But even though he was unwilling, Mu Nan Dou didn’t dare to complain. He could only lead a group of people to stand here and wait for Yang Kai to come out.
After Pang Chi finished explaining, Mu Nan Dou’s couldn’t help lifting his head secretly to observe Yang Kai’s reaction, wondering how he would handle them.
What he didn’t expect was that Yang Kai would remain silent, his expression indifferent, completely impossible to read.
Mu Nan Dou trembled lightly as he felt some fear, quickly saying, “In fact, Young Lord Huo doing this isn’t a loss for the Young Lord.”
“Oh? How so?” Yang Kai asked flatly as he glanced at him.
Mu Nan Dou was ecstatic, knowing that this Young Lord was at least open to conversation he hurriedly explained, “The Profound Light Gang has accumulated a lot of wealth in recent years, if you were to collect all of it, it would be more than enough to compensate for last night’s damages.”
“How much exactly?”
“A couple million or so. Right, there are also a number of Precious Treasures Young Lord rewarded us with over the years.”
Yang Kai suddenly thought of something, grinning as he asked, “How does your Profound Light Gang compare with the rest of the Central Capital’s small forces?”
“Somewhere around the middle,” Mu Nan Dou laughed, “Not too big yet not too small.”
“What if you were to unite together with the Bamboo Knot Gang?”
“Definitely amongst the top fifteen forces,” Mu Nan Dou replied confidently.
“Good, from now on there will be no more Profound Light Gang!” Yang Kai looked at Pang Chi as he pointed at Mu Nan Dou, “This man will be your deputy in the future!”
“Yes!” Pang Chi was immediately overjoyed while Mu Nan Dou, though his face was bitter, once again, didn’t dare to complain, only able to laugh helplessly.
Seeing how much wealth the Profound Light Gang had accumulated, Yang Kai suddenly realized he had underestimated these small forces. Not all of them were as poor as the Bamboo Knot Gang.
Grinning fiercely, Yang Kai continued, “I want you to get familiarize yourselves with each other as soon as possible, and then… start nibbling away at the other small forces in the region.”
“Ah!” Pang Chi couldn’t help calling out in surprise while Mu Nan Dou wore a temperate expression.
“This… is this appropriate?” Pang Chi was hesitant. For the past many years, the Bamboo Knot Gang had never made aggressive moves towards its neighbours, only focusing on self-defence, yet not they had suddenly been told to become conquerors, Pang Chi was inevitably hesitant.
“What do you think?” Yang Kai glanced at Mu Nan Dou.
The latter hurriedly said, “There’s nothing wrong with following the law of the jungle. Last night, if Young Lord Kai hadn’t carved open a path with his blade, the Bamboo Knot Gang would have disappeared. In the Central Capital, battle between these small forces isn’t uncommon. Pang Chi, your mentality is too rigid.”
Pang Chi blushed in embarrassment for a while, but said nothing in retort.
“It seems like your Profound Light Gang often does this kind of thing.” Yang Kai looked at Mu Nan Dou meaningfully, the latter smiling back, “We mainly accompanied Young Lord Huo to relieve his boredom. So far, we’ve annexed two forces, but I’ve already inquired about which forces can be eaten around here, we were just waiting for a day when Young Lord Huo was bored again before leading him to watch the fun, haha…”
Now that he had a new owner, Mu Nan Dou naturally intended to perform well so he held nothing back from Yang Kai after learning about his future plans.
Pang Chi immediately realized that the situation wasn’t favourable, if he continued to allow Mu Nan Dou to take the initiative, retaining his position as Sect Master wouldn’t be guaranteed, immediately chiming in, “With Brother Mu’s help, I’m certain we can annex the local forces.”
“Very good,” Yang Kai nodded, “As for the wealth you collect, leave a portion for your own development; the rest should be used to purchase Alchemy and Artifact Refining materials of at least Earth Grade Top-Rank quality.”
“Yes!” Pang Chi and Mu Nan Dou shouted together, glancing at one another knowingly, understanding that Yang Kai was preparing for the Inheritance War.
Not daring to delay, the two former adversaries led their respective people into the hall to discuss their upcoming campaign.
Standing in place for a moment, Yang Kai was amazed; he hadn’t expected Huo Xing Chen to act so decisively.
However, it was true that this wasn’t a loss for him, the number of people he could deploy as henchmen had increased and in the future, it would only continue to snowball.
……
The Fourth Master’s Residence.
When Yang Kai came back, the head servant immediately greeted him, “Young Master, the Master has instructed you to see him in his study upon your return.”
“En, understood.” Yang Kai nodded, walking over to his father’s study, pondering slightly. He couldn’t think of why the Fourth Master suddenly wanted to discuss something with him.
As he came up to the study door, before he could enter, he heard Dong Su Zhu’s voice, “You shouldn’t worry, Kai’er should be back soon.”
Yang Ying Feng suddenly complained, “You’re his mother, how come you didn’t know your son had left the house?”
Dong Su Zhu shot back immediately, “You didn’t know either! How can you suddenly try to blame others? Don’t speak so unreasonably!”
Yang Ying Feng’s face cramped up before drooping helplessly.
Two other voices let out a soft laughter at this familiar sight.
Yang Kai expression immediately changed upon hearing these voices, a smile appearing on his face, pushing the door open and walking in.
Seeing Yang Kai return, Dong Su Zhu quickly stood up and gnashed her teeth in anger, shouting, “Little brat, where did you run off to last night? Actually staying out all night without saying a word to us, do you know how worried your father and I were?”
As she spoke, Dong Su Zhu walked over to her son and gently sniffed him.
“What are you sniffing for?” The Yang Family Fourth Master asked suspiciously.
“To see whether he was out drinking last night!” Dong Su Zhu said seriously, sniffing for a while longer before wearing a relieved expression, “Fortunately there’s no smell of alcohol, or any perfume…”
“Don’t make trouble!” Yang Kai said helplessly, glancing to the side, “We have guests after all.”
“Oh…”
In the study, the Yang Family Fourth Master was sitting behind his desk while Dong Su Zhu stood nearby, but in addition, there was also a man and a woman sitting nearby. The male was burly while the woman was refined, it was the two Blood Warriors who had escorted Yang Kai back to the Central Capital, Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian.
When they saw Yang Kai walk in they quickly got up from their chairs and cupped their fists to him, “Little Lord!”
Yang Kai smiled in response, “Sit down.”
Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian both took a seat once again but when they looked at Yang Kai they couldn’t help feeling amazed. They quickly discovered that Yang Kai had actually broken through again to reach the True Element Boundary Eighth Stage.
[How long has it been since the last time? Wasn’t it less than two months ago that he had his last breakthrough? Isn’t this cultivation speed a bit too unreasonable?]
When Yang Kai had broken through to the True Element Seventh Stage, they were also present. At that time, all of them had just met for the first time. At that point, the two Blood Warriors only thought that the Little Lord’s aptitude wasn’t bad, now it appeared that it was far more than just ‘not bad’.
But if so, why was it rumored that he only managed to last half a day in the Dragon Transformation Pond? Thinking about all of this, Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian both secretly shook their heads, more and more feeling like they couldn’t understand the Little Lord.
“Kai’er, you sit too,” The Yang Family Fourth Master quickly said, “There are some things we need to discuss with you.”
“En.” Seeing his father’s serious expression, Yang Kai also realized that something was unusual and promptly sat down with Dong Su Zhu.
Once everyone was seated again, silence filled the room. Yang Ying Feng’s brow furrowed after a while and finally said, “First off, let me tell you that yesterday, the Elder Hall released an edict about the upcoming Inheritance War. It’s good news, for this Inheritance War, the Blood Warrior Hall will be involved!”
Yang Kai’s brow lifted slightly, a light smile appearing on his face.
The Blood Warrior Hall was the headquarters for all the Yang Family Blood Warriors. Each member was an elite amongst elite, all of them basically high-level Immortal Ascension Boundary masters who could even fight against cultivators who exceeded them by a minor realm.
With the participation of the Blood Warriors, it would be a lot easier to win the Inheritance War.
“This is good news!” Yang Kai nodded happily, unable to understand why Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian, even his father and mother all wore frowns.
“It is indeed a good thing,” Yang Ying Feng nodded, “But the Elder Hall has also decreed that although the Blood Warriors will participate in the Inheritance War, their mission will be limited to safeguarding the security of the Young Lords and cannot be used for other matters.”
Yang Kai’s brow wrinkled and thought for a moment before saying, “What that means is, they can only passively counterattack, and can’t take the initiative to attack, right?”
“En, the Blood Warrior’s strength is too strong, if they were allowed to proactively attack, they could solve most opponents singlehandedly,” Yang Ying Feng nodded, “There is a concern that the Young Lords will rely too heavily on that power, which would run counter to the point of the Inheritance War.”
“I understand,” Yang Kai nodded before smiling at Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian, “What do we need to do in order to recruit help from the Blood Warriors?”
The two Blood Warriors couldn’t help but marvel at Yang Kai’s insight to even be able to guess this. Yang Ying Feng also wore a proud grin, “The condition for obtaining a Blood Warrior is that you must deliver a certain amount of benefits to the family, for example, the Secret Arts and Martial Skills you learned in the Sect these past few years!”
This was a thinly disguised order from the Elder Hall to the current generation of Yang Family children to turn over the secrets they had learned from the various Sects they had joined.
This was something the family would do before every Inheritance War in order to collect various powerful methods and techniques.
After so many years, the Yang Family’s collection of Martial Skills and Secret Arts had become extremely large. Regarding the sheer number of Martial Skills and Secret Arts, the Yang Family was indisputably ranked first, even the other seven families couldn’t compare with the Yang Family on this point.
“The more things you contribute, the stronger and more powerful the Blood Warrior you can receive!”
Although each Blood Warrior was very powerful, there were still differences in strength between them. Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian were relatively powerful amongst the Blood Warrior Hall’s members, but above them there were a number of others who still exceeded them, the strongest of course having reached the Immortal Ascension Boundary Ninth Stage.
“Additionally, everyone may only receive two Blood Warriors!” Yang Ying Feng added.
“Heh heh…” Yang Kai grinned, “Are you worried that I don’t have enough to exchange in order to receive two Blood Warriors?”
Yang Ying Feng nodded lightly.
Last time, Yang Kai had turned over a Mysterious Grade Martial Skill to gain sole possession of a Golden Feather Eagle from the family. In Yang Ying Feng’s mind, his son had only been outside for a few years, how much more besides that Mysterious Grade Martial Skill could he possibly have obtained?
“You don’t have to worry about that, I’m already prepared,” Yang Kai smiled confidently. No one here was an outsider; there was no need to feign incompetence.
Yang Ying Feng suddenly remembered the Myriad Drug Liquid, immediately wrinkling his brow, “Do you want to use that thing?”
The Myriad Drug Liquid was too Heaven defying, if Yang Kai were to offer it, he would definitely be able to exchange it for the help of two Blood Warriors, but such a miraculous treasure wouldn’t be ignored by the family, which would in all likelihood bring Yang Kai a great deal of trouble. As a father, Yang Ying Feng was naturally worried.
However, Yang Kai simply shook his head.
Yang Ying Feng’s expression cramped, it wasn’t until this moment that he realized he had far underestimated his son’s harvest these past few years.
Looking towards Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian, Yang Kai smiled and said, “Tu Feng, Yu Xian, it seems that we’ll be working together once more.”
Naturally he thought that the two Blood Warriors came here this time for this matter. When he returned to the Central Capital, Tu Feng and Yu Xian had already stated that if the family were to allow Blood Warriors to participate in the Inheritance War, they wished to serve Yang Kai.
That day’s agreement still rang in his ears, Tu Feng and Yu Xian wouldn’t forget, Yang Kai obviously wouldn’t forget!
Not it seemed the time had come to fulfil that pledge.
But unexpectedly, after Yang Kai spoke these words, Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian didn’t show the slightest joy, instead, their expressions were a mix of sadness and bitterness, both of them lowering their heads slightly, not daring to look at Yang Kai.
The smile on Yang Kai’s face slowly sunk, his eyes gradually turned cold as he muttered under his breath, “Do you want to give me an explanation?”
The looks on the two Blood Warrior’s faces already said a lot.
However, neither Tu Feng nor Tang Yu Xian was the kind of person who would renege on a promise so although Yang Kai wasn’t very happy, he still wanted to hear what they had to say.
Why did they have such bitter expressions? Why wouldn’t they meet his eyes?
“Kai’er…” Yang Ying Feng called out lightly, calmly interjecting, “It’s not what you think, don’t misunderstanding.”
Dong Su Zhu also hurriedly said, “Yes, son, don’t talk like this. In private I have a good friendship with Yu Xian. We often discuss about Martial Skills and cultivation techniques together. When I knew she was one of the pair which had brought you home this time I was very happy.”
Noticing the cold anger on Yang Kai’s face, Dong Su Zhu couldn’t help feeling shocked, she had never see her son have such an expression, before he had been a clever and obedient son, now it seemed he had already matured into a young man.
Seeing this look, Dong Su Zhu felt a little scared, knowing that her son had really grown up, with his own thoughts and opinions, along with times he would show happiness and anger.
With both his parents speaking temperate words, Yang Kai’s sullen look relaxed slightly as he took a deep breath, “If I really had a misunderstanding, I would have sent them out rather than say anything.”
Hesitating for a moment, he followed up, “But, I still want you to give me an explanation.”
Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian both smiled bitterly, exchanging a glance before slowly standing up, half kneeling on the ground before quickly saying, “It is not that I and Yu Xian don’t wish to serve the Young Lord. If it were possible, the two of us wished we could pledge out lives to the Little Lord, to follow you through from this day, till the end of our days!”
These words were spoken with great conviction and resounding force, instantly setting off a violent storm in Yang Ying Feng’s heart!
Tu Feng declared his intent to become his son’s servant!
Tang Yu Xian also didn’t refute!
The Blood Warrior Hall was a very special organization in the Yang Family. Being a Blood Warrior wasn’t just a title, it also was a representation of honour and loyalty, but that loyalty was always, always loyalty to the entire Yang Family, not one individual.
Many years ago, when Yang Ying Feng returned from his outside life experience, the two Blood Warriors who escorted him had lukewarm attitudes towards him at best, the whole way home they had only thought about completing their mission.
Not to mention that year, even until now the Yang Family Fourth Master had never received thoroughly respectful treatment from any Blood Warrior much less have a Blood Warrior show fealty to him.
Something he was incapable of achieving, his son had easily done, how could Yang Ying Feng not be shocked?
On the other hand, Yang Kai remained indifferent, showing neither haughtiness nor shame, as if this display couldn’t be any more normal. For a time, the Yang Family Fourth Master couldn’t help feeling a sense of frustration that the father wasn’t as good as his son.
No wonder Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian had so anxiously arrived at his house when the Elder Hall had made their decree. At the time, Yang Ying Feng had been somewhat confused, but now everything was clear.
“So, what’s the reason? What is preventing you from displaying your loyalty to me?” Yang Kai asked in a cold tone.
“It’s not that we don’t want to.” Tu Feng said embarrassedly.
Tang Yu Xian quickly added, “It’s just that, there’s something we need to ask of Little Lord!”
“Get up,” Yang Kai frowned, suddenly realizing that the reason for Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian’s chagrin was because they wanted to request something of him.
This discovery didn’t put off Yang Kai, rather it made him happy. These two really weren’t ungrateful people, it’s just that their performance was too impetuous.
However, it was also related to his own expectations of them.
Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian both slowly got up, looking a little dazed, Tang Yu Xian’s delicate face also blushed a little.
“We shouldn’t trouble Little Lord with this matter, but there isn’t anyone else we can turn to so we’ve shamelessly come to ask, we only hope that Little Lord won’t take offence.” Tu Feng sighed deeply.
“What exactly do you want to ask?”
“We’ve just finished explaining the matter to the Fourth Master. This servant is a bit sloppy with his words, so I believe it best to let Fourth Master explain.” Tu Feng said, sitting back down in a sullen mood.
Yang Kai turned his attention to his father who was calmly taking a sip from his glass, “Do you know how many of your brothers are back in the Central Capital now?”
Suddenly facing this unexpected question, Yang Kai was quite confused but still nodding lightly, “I have an idea.”
“Then are you aware of your Fourth Brother Yang Xin Wu’s situation?”
Yang Kai thought for a moment before remembering what Yang Zhao had said to him in the restaurant last time, suddenly frowning slightly, “I’ve heard about it.”
Yang Ying Feng was slightly surprised, now having expected Yang Kai to already be informed of this matter. This piece of news was quite well hidden. Seeing how his son was doing such thorough preliminary work, inquiring about various piece of news and intelligence, he suddenly felt a little more relaxed.
Yang Xin Wu, the fourth oldest amongst the current Yang Family younger generation, was ambushed and seriously injured on the way back to the Central Capital!
The two Blood Warriors who had been escorting him had both used activated their Mad Tyrant Blood Skill and fought hard but still failed to protect him.
Barely managing to escape, the two Blood Warriors hastily brought Yang Xin Wu back to the family to heal, but his condition only continued to deteriorate. No matter what precious medicines were used there wasn’t the slightest improvement and then, a few days ago, he finally succumbed to his injuries and died.
So far, of Yang Family direct descendants who had returned to the Central Capital, five of them had suffered ambushes. In addition to Yang Kai, there was also Yang Wei, Yang Kang, and Yang Ying; however, all four of them had come out relatively unharmed, in fact, apart from Yang Kang and Yang Ying who received some minor injuries, Yang Wei and Yang Kai were completely unscathed, unfortunately the same was not true for Yang Xin Wu.
The Inheritance War had yet to begin but already one of the Yang Family’s Young Lords had fallen, this was an unprecedented event, something that had never happened before.
The entire Yang Family was enraged at this development, swearing that they would find culprit and destroy all nine generations of their family.
The reason why Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian came to Yang Kai this time was precisely because of the two Blood Warriors who had been tasked with guarding Yang Xin Wu.
“Does the family want to execute them?” Yang Kai frowned, thinking of a possibility.
However, the Yang Family Fourth Master slowly shook his head, “The family doesn’t have such intentions, after all, both of them gave their all, even ended up severely injured to the point that they still haven’t healed until now. They did not dishonour the Blood Warriors so the family naturally wouldn’t sentence them to death.”
Every Blood Warrior was not easy to cultivate, and their loyalty to the Yang Family was unquestionable. As long as the Elder Hall hadn’t lost their minds, it would be impossible to kill two Blood Warriors over such an incident.
If they were to really do so, it would only serve to demoralize the rest of the Blood Warriors.
“But, punishment for this failure can’t be avoided.” The Yang Family Fourth Master shook his head.
Tu Feng continued, “Our two brothers hadn’t yet recovered from their wounds when they were sentenced to a hundred lashings. This lead to a countless number of their meridians being shattered, in this life their achievements will likely stop here…”
The whip the Yang Family used to punish crimes was no ordinary tool; it was actually a specially refined artifact. A hundred lashes from this whip was something that a Bloody Warrior at their peak state couldn’t handle, not to mention that they were heavily injured.
Some time ago, the Yang Family Fourth Master suffered thirty such lashes as was bed ridden for a few months.
Tang Yu Xian who sat beside Tu Feng also wore a sad expression.
“They failed to protect the Fourth Young Lord which greatly depressed them, now something like this happened, our two brothers… they’ve become disheartened.” Tu Feng licked his dry lips, sadness apparent on his face.
“They can’t even withstand such a blow? What use are Blood Warriors then?” Yang Kai snorted coldly.
“Kai’er!” Yang Ying Feng shouted as he stared at him sternly, “You don’t understand the depths of the Blood Warrior’s loyalty to the family. They haven’t become disheartened because their cultivation cannot improve again, what they are upset about is the death of your Fourth Brother; they feel like they have disappointed the family which so vigorously cultivated them. If your Fourth Brother hadn’t died they may be better, but now… haa…”
Yang Kai looked back at the Fourth Master silently for a long time before nodding, “Perhaps I’ve underestimated the dedication of the Blood Warriors.”
Turning his head and staring at Tu Feng, Yang Kai asked, “What is it that you want to ask of me? Do you want me to heal those two? I don’t have such great skill.”
“No.” Tu Feng shook his head slightly. “Yu Xian and I want to ask the Little Lord to elect our two brothers to fight for you in the upcoming Inheritance War!”
Yang Kai was stunned, quickly asking, “Why?”
Tu Feng quietly followed up, “Although they haven’t said as much, but we can feel that if for this Inheritance War, if no Young Lord chooses them, the two of them will destroy their cultivations as an apology to the family before secluding themselves in the mountains.”
The two Blood Warriors who had failed to protect Yang Xin Wu obviously didn’t have a favourable impression amongst the Yang Family’s younger generation, and now that they were injured and it was unknown just how long it would take for them to heal, for this time’s Inheritance War, it was unlikely anyone would choose to use them.
“Bullshit!” Yang Kai roared, “The family has spent so much money and resources to allow them to reach their present cultivation and now they want to cripple themselves? Since the Blood Warrior’s proclaim absolute loyalty to the Yang Family, their cultivation also belongs to the Yang Family’s, it’s not up to them whether they can waste themselves or not! ”
Although his words were harsh, when Tu Feng heard them he also understood the hidden meaning in them, quickly becoming excited, “Does that mean the Little Lord is willing to use them?”
Tang Yu Xian also hurriedly added, “As long as they feel that they are still useful, they will not be so pessimistic.”
“When did I say that?” Yang Kai couldn’t help rolling his eyes, suddenly discovering that Tu Feng was quicker on the uptake than he imagined.
However, Yang Kai finally understood why Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian had sought him out today. He also understood why they said that if they could, they would like to serve him, but the circumstances made that difficult.
If he were to really agree to Tu Feng’s request, he could only choose those two Blood Warriors, as for Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian, who he was familiar with, they were destined to fall into the hands of others.
“Though we know this is a shameless request, of the Young Lords of this generation, the only one Yu Xian and I are familiar with is the Little Lord. The other Blood Warriors and other Young Lords haven’t exchanged many words, so for such a favour, we can only ask Little Lord.”
“Hmph, who made you Blood Warriors all have eyes on top of your heads, each of you acting aloof and indifferent to everyone else?” Yang Kai spat disdainfully.
Tu Feng laughed at this though and replied, “The other Young Lords simply didn’t have the ability to gain our acknowledgement.”
Yang Ying Feng and Dong Su Zhu both heard these words and unconsciously turned to each other, each of them seeing the shock and joy in the other’s eyes.
In other words, Yang Kai had thoroughly gained Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian’s acknowledgement.
“Little Lord…” Tu Feng rubbed his big hands nervously, his face wearing a complicated expression, Tang Yu Xian also beside him doing the same, her pretty face filled with the meaning of entreaty.
Yang Kai said nothing, his face gloomy, and his fingers tapping on the arm of his chair loudly.
The room was still and silent, Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian both felt their hearts stuck in their throat as they stared towards Yang Kai, waiting for his decision.
The Fourth Master picked up his cup again and squinted, his expression meticulous, showing no intention to speak. Dong Su Zhu also lowered her head, twiddling her thumbs round and round, seemingly trying to distract herself.
His parents were clearly indicating that this would be Yang Kai’s decision alone.
After a cup of tea’s worth of time, Yang Kai suddenly stopped tapping his fingers, raising his eyes and staring at Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian, causing both of them to inhale sharply.
“If I say I don’t want to use them?” Yang Kai looked at the pair, asking seriously.
Tu Feng smiled bitterly and replied without hesitation, “Little Lord’s consideration is enough. At least I will know that Little Lord prefers to have Yu Xian and I serve you, this is an honour for both of us!”
Tang Yu Xian also nodded firmly, her face full of gratitude.
Yang Kai’s eyes suddenly became as sharp as an eagle’s as he quietly asked, “Are you willing to become my enemies?”
Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian’s expressions both instantly became solemn as they replied, “We hope such a day will never come!”
“You should pray hard that you aren’t chosen by my brothers,” Yang Kai grinned, his face filled with confidence, “But even if you are chosen by them, I will definitely take you back!”
Hearing Yang Kai’s words, Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian were both overjoyed as they hurriedly stood up from their chairs, “Does that mean Little Lord is willing?”
Yang Kai nodded and somewhat reluctantly said, “Actually… I’ve never met these two before and would not have preferred to do this, but since you two have come here in person to ask this of me, I am willing to accept your request.”
“On behalf of the entire Blood Warrior Hall, we thank the Little Lord!” Tu Feng shouted.
“Thank you, Little Lord!” Tang Yu Xian’s pretty face also showed a faint blush and a happy smile.
“Go back. Tomorrow, I will handle things at the Elder Hall.” Yang Kai waved.
“Yes!” Both of them didn’t hide their excitement as they quickly walked to the exit, apparently wanting to convey this good news to the Blood Warrior Hall as soon as possible.
When he reached the door though, Tu Feng suddenly turned back and said, “Little Lord, although our two brothers are now seriously injured and cannot provide you with much help, but… their original aptitudes are both superb.”
“Oh? How are they compared to you?” Yang Kai asked curiously.
“Both of them are better than us!” Tu Feng replied respectfully, “Hall Master once said that if they had enough opportunities, it was very likely they could break through to the Above Immortal Ascension Boundary!”
“En, I understand.” Yang Kai nodded slightly, showing no surprise or expectation.
Tu Feng nodded lightly before turning around and leaving together with Tang Yu Xian.
When it was just the three family members left in the house, Yang Ying Feng commented, “I’ve heard the names of those two before, it is said that they have the best aptitude amongst all the Blood Warriors in the Blood Warrior Hall. If they are allowed to quit because of this incident and seclude themselves in the mountains, it would be a great loss to the Yang Family.”
Over the past few years, only one Hall Master from the Blood Warrior Hall had managed to break through to the Above Immortal Ascension Boundary; he was now a Grand Elder of Yang Family with considerable influence.
Yang Kai slowly shook his head, “Father, your words are a bit much, even if the Yang Family suffered a loss or not, it doesn’t matter to me.”
Yang Ying Feng laughed despite trying not to, “I understand.”
It was precisely because of the family’s strength was too great while feelings of kinship were too light that each generation’s juniors didn’t have much sense of belonging to the family, if it weren’t so, there wouldn’t be a need for the brothers to fight in the Inheritance War when they returned from their outside life experience.
“But Kai’er, this time you’ve made a big profit.” Yang Ying Feng said with a pleased smile.
Yang Kai also nodded repeatedly, “That’s true, but I still hope that Tu Feng and Yu Xian will follow when the time comes, after all we’re already familiar with each other.”
“Profit? What profit? You father and son stop acting mysteriously.” Dong Su Zhu heard their discussion and couldn’t quite understand, immediately asking, “Hasn’t our son just suffered a big loss?”
Accepting two Blood Warriors who were both seriously injured and couldn’t help Yang Kai in the short term, even if they managed to recover, they wouldn’t necessarily provide more help to Yang Kai than Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian.
Yang Kai and the Fourth Master smiled at each other knowingly, the former slowly getting up and saying, “Please explain things to mother, I have to go back and prepare, I’ll visit the Elder Hall tomorrow.”
“Good, go on,” Yang Ying Feng waved his hand as he stared at Yang Kai’s back, a slightly complex feeling welling up inside him.
[He sure has grown. My son really has grown up!] Whether it was his thoughts or his means, they were already much stronger than his own when he was his son’s age. On top of that, he had so many magical things on his body; it was really difficult to imagine just what he had experienced these past few years.
Inside the room, Dong Su Zhu continued pestering her husband, sitting on the Fourth Master’s lap, gently tugging at his beard as she asked, “What exactly did our son gain here?”
The Fourth Master smiled warmly as he began to explain.
Yang Family Elder Hall.
The hall was huge and spacious, the floor covered with thick elegant carpeting, many beautiful landscape paintings adorned the walls and an incense burner in the middle of the hall filled the air with a pure calming fragrance. The roof was made from the finest stone with many inlaid gems which seemed to sparkle like stars.
A few gray-haired old men dressed in simple robes either sat or stood about, studying various scriptures or practicing different Secret Arts, thoroughly engaging in their study of the Martial Dao.
Each of these old men seemed ordinary, their Spiritual Essence completely restrained, almost indistinguishable for common old men one might find out on the streets, but in fact, each of them was a powerful and well known master.
At the head of the hall, Yang Zhen sat upon his chair. Although he was old and his hair was thinning, his eyes still held a youthful and animated light.
As one of the leaders of the Elder Hall, plus as an older man, it wasn’t convenient for him to go out much. Unlike the younger generations he couldn’t run around outside making contributions to the Yang Family so Yang Zhen sat in the Elder Hall all the year round along with a number of other Elders in order to handle various internal affairs.
At this time, Yang Zhen’s eyelids were drooping slightly, looking quite indifferent, his hands tucked into his sleeves folded across his chest as he listened to a young man in front of him talking about various things.
After a while, the young man finished and then looked up at Yang Zhen with nervous eyes, waiting for him to give a reply.
Slowly opening his eyes, the seemingly uninterested eyes of Yang Zhen flashed with light as he stared at the young man coldly, his expression darkening.
“Waste!” Yang Zhen roared, “You spent all these years outside but can only bring back this trash to my Yang Family? You want to trade these pieces of garbage for the services of a Blood Warrior? You must think I’ve become senile with old age!”
The young man who was harshly reprimanded by Yang Zhen blushed red with embarrassment.
“Go back, I’ll take down what you’ve brought back with you, but know that it is not enough to have any one of the Blood Warriors follow you,” Yang Zhen waved, impatiently adding, “When you have enough merits you may return to speak with us again, but with the Inheritance War about to begin, I’m afraid you won’t have time prepare any. For this Inheritance War, you should give up as soon as possible to avoid embarrassing yourself.”
The young man looked blank, letting out an exasperated sigh, his eyes filled with reluctance, opening his mouth to plead, “Elder, if I could use all of this to exchange for at least one…”
But before he could finish his words, he was mercilessly cut off by Yang Zhen, “If I say it’s not enough then it is not enough! Roll out! Don’t waste any more of our time.”
After the angry shout, an invisible force struck the young man and directly shot him out of the Elder Hall.
The entire building creaked under the residual pressure but none of the white haired Elders moved, like they were made of stone, completely oblivious to what had just taken place, instead only focusing on their own pursuits.
Outside the hall, the young man picked himself up, his face filled with shame, his cheeks a deep shade of red, clenching his fists tightly before angrily leaving.
Yang Kai, who had just arrived at the entrance of the hall, witness the entire scene and couldn’t help feeling slightly bitter.
The young man who was ejected from the hall was Yang Tie, Yang Kai’s Third Brother.
After the family announced that Blood Warriors would be allowed to participate in the Inheritance War, the various Young Lords had started moving quickly, exchanging the valuables they had acquired outside for the services of the Blood Warriors.
It seemed like Yang Tie hadn’t gotten anything too valuable over these past few years so he had been berated by the Elders.
“Seems Third Brother didn’t have enough.” Someone suddenly spoke out from beside Yang Kai, a tinge of regret in their voice.
Yang Kai looked over towards where the voice came from and saw Yang Zhao standing there with a sad look on his face, looking Yang Tie’s disappearing back, shaking his head.
“Second Brother!” Yang Kai walked over and greeted him.
“Brother Kai,” Yang Zhao smiled confidently.
Yang Kai then turned his gaze to another person who stood beside Yang Zhao. This young man stood there as straight as a sword, giving off an aura that made it seem like if the Heaven’s collapsed and the Earth split apart he would remain calm and indifferent from beginning to end, forever unchanging. It was only when Yang Zhao shouted out to Yang Kai that this youth turned his eyes shifted.
“Eldest Brother!” Yang Kai knew who he was in an instant.
The Yang Family younger generation’s only Immortal Ascension Boundary cultivator, his Eldest Brother Yang Wei!
“Brother Kai?” Yang Wei’s eyes showed a flash of shock. When Yang Kai greeted him, inexplicably, he felt his own True Qi fluctuate uncontrollably. Only when he felt pressure from an opponent would such a phenomenon appear.
Using his recently cultivated Divine Sense, Yang Wei swept over Yang Kai and found that he had only reached the True Element Eighth Stage. But still, he couldn’t help but frown, a suspicion welling up inside his heart, not quite able to understand why Yang Kai would give him such pressure, even if it only lasted a moment.
“I haven’t seen you for a few years, and yet you’ve grown up to this point.” Yang Wei nodded lightly, showing a touch of approval in his eyes.
As soon as he finished these words though, a feeling of shock surged through him.
Just five or six years ago, the little brother that stood in front of him couldn’t even cultivate, he was no better than an ordinary mortal with no strength to speak of, but now, after so short a time, he had reached the True Element Boundary Eighth Stage!
Although this realm was still lower than his own, the time his youngest brother had cultivated for was eight or more years shorter as well! Never had he expected that after a short separation Yang Kai would undergo such a massive change.
Yang Wei finally realized why his youngest brother would give him a sense of pressure. With such shocking cultivation speed, if he gave him some time, he would certainly surpass him one day!
“Has little brother also come to exchange some merits?” Yang Zhao looked at Yang Kai and chuckled, the latter nodding slightly and smiling bitterly, “There’s no choice, the family said to come, so I have to come.”
“Ha ha!” Yang Zhao laughed and patted Yang Kai’s shoulder intimately, “Why else do you think the family has so much in storage? It’s all things we’ve stolen from outside.”
“Everything belongs to the family, one day you’ll be able to use it for yourself.” Yang Wei seemed to be born with a cold face. In Yang Kai’s memory, he never laughed, nor said many words, he was always stoic, but his actions were always vigorous and resolute.
Listening to him, Yang Zhao and Yang Kai also stopped bantering about this subject.
“Are you going to exchange for the Two Blood Warriors that brought you back? I saw that they treated you quite well,” Yang Zhao asked seemingly offhandedly.
However, Yang Kai slowly shook his head, “I have other candidates in mind.”
Yang Zhao couldn’t help feeling surprised, wondering why Yang Kai wouldn’t choose to have Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian serve him.
But obviously Yang Kai wasn’t about to explain, instead quickly changing the subject, “Fifth Brother? Why isn’t Fifth Brother with you?”
Yang Zhao and Yang Kang were blood related brothers, they had always been inseparable and generally where one appeared the other would too.
To the side thought, Yang Wei scoffed loudly, “With me here, do you think he dares to appear?”
Yang Zhao and Yang Kai’s necks both shrank as they quickly exchanged a knowing glance. It wasn’t just Yang Kang who feared this cold faced big brother of theirs, all the members of the Yang Family younger generation had a sense of trepidation around him.
This wasn’t simply related to Yang Wei being the oldest.
“I’m going ahead,” Yang Wei casually gestured, striding forward confidently into the Elder Hall.
After a short while, he walked out again and without saying a word, strode away.
Yang Zhao shook his head and said with a wry smile, “Eldest Brother still doesn’t like talking much, even though the rest of us brothers want to be closer to him.”
“It’s just his character,” Yang Kai slowly shook his head, in fact, he actually appreciated Yang Wei’s personality, no nonsense, no tricks or schemes, what he said was what he meant, what he did was what he wanted to do, living such a life must be liberating.
“Well, Second Brother will be going next, wait here for a bit.”
“En, go ahead.”
A long time later, Yang Zhao walked out with a big smile on his face, apparently very satisfied with his results. After he stepped out of the Elder Hall, Yang Kai stepped forward.
Seeing Yang Kai come in, Yang Zhen stared at him with sharp eyes. After Yang Kai walked up to him and bowed respectfully, Yang Zhen suddenly laughed and said, “Little brat, I remember you, last time you were here you exchanged a Mysterious Grade Martial Skill for ownership of a Golden Feather Eagle.”
“Yes,” Yang Kai nodded lightly, the last time he had visited the Elder Hall was indeed to obtain his Golden Feather Eagle. It was also Yang Zhen who he spoke with at the time and whom he obtained the jade slip which allowed him to redeem the Golden Feather Eagle from Du Cheng Bai, Yang Zhen naturally remembered such a recent event.
Grinning happily, Yang Zhen asked, “Do you regret it? Hahahaha! This old master knows you must regret it! Using a Mysterious Grade Martial Skill to trade for an only slightly useful Monster Beast, you really lost money on that! That skill could have been used to have a Blood Warrior serve you!”
It seemed like being able to see Yang Kai squirm made this old guy very happy.
Unfortunately for him, Yang Kai simply shook his head and smiled incomprehensibly, “I don’t regret it, and even if I did it wouldn’t change anything, it would only add to Elder’s troubles.”
Yang Zhen coldly snorted, muttering under his breath, “Dead duck’s mouth is hard!”
He obviously thought that Yang Kai was pretending to be generous while in reality his guts were turning green with regret.
“Good, then let’s see what you’ve brought to offer, I hope you can surprise me this time as well!” Yang Zhen’s hands still remained tucked into his sleeves, his expression carefree, “Speak, how many Blood Warriors are you here to obtain?”
“Two, since we can only receive two then of course I must obtain two!”
The smile on Yang Zhen’s face slowly converged as he stared at Yang Kai coldly, his eyes becoming serious. Even the other white-haired old men in the room perked up their ears and stopped the movement of their hands, turning their heads to observe.
In an instant, all the eyes in the hall were staring at Yang Kai, all of these old men wearing curious expressions, like they were looking forward to watching a good show.
The Yang Family’s Young Lords had all been sent out to various first-class forces for their life experience. The heritage of a first-class force wasn’t too deep, and what these Young Lord’s could obtain in such a short time was obviously not everything there was.
In order to exchange for the services of a Blood Warrior, the minimum offering would need to be a Mysterious Grade or three sets of Heaven Grade Top-Rank Martial Skills or Secret Arts.
The last time Yang Kai was here he had offered the family a Mysterious Grade Martial Skills, yet now he confidently said he wanted to obtain two Blood Warriors.
Didn’t that mean he had another two Mysterious Grade Martial Skills?
That was simply impossible! Martial Skills and Secret Arts of the Mysterious Grade wouldn’t be so valuable if they could be obtained so easily.
Everyone in the hall didn’t think that Yang Kai was able to offer up so much, so naturally they thought he didn’t understand the rules or overestimated his own chips.
One by one, all of them prepared to watch an entertaining farce.
After a long silence, Yang Zhen grinned and said casually, “Then let’s talk about your chips, this old master will evaluate whether or not what you’ve brought to us can be exchanged for two Blood Warriors.”
Yang Kai nodded confidently before taking out two white jade slips from his sleeve and placing them table in front of Yang Zhen.
Yang Zhen’s brow furrowed, an impatient look appearing on his face as he coldly snorted, pulling his hand out of his sleeve picking up one of the jade slips, reading its content with his Divine Sense.
Using True Qi to create markings inside a jade slip to convey information which was inconvenient to describe in words was a difficult technique, only those with extremely precise control of their True Qi could accomplish it.
So, when Yang Zhen saw Yang Kai take out two pieces of jade, he knew that what was recorded within was certainly of great value.
His Divine Sense swept over the jade slip, examining it carefully.
Suddenly, Yang Zhen’s brow wrinkled as his expression became dignified, and after a while, his eyes became filled with doubt which gradually changed to shock; quickly followed by amazement.
With the rapid changes in Yang Zhen’s eyes, his expression also became excited.
The old men who were going anticipating watching a good show saw Yang Zhen’s expression and couldn’t help becoming interested, wondering what exactly could provoke such a response from him.
A while later, Yang Zhen took a deep breath and slowly withdrew his Divine Sense from the jade. Turned his gaze towards Yang Kai and staring curiously before picking up the other jade slip.
As he examined this jade slip, it was as if the previous event were replaying themselves, the various expression changes on Yang Zhen’s face once again showing themselves in almost the exact same order.
The white haired Elders in the hall finally couldn’t sit still, many of them having gotten up gathered around quietly before anyone had noticed.
In no time at all, Yang Kai was squeezed out from this circle as all these old men gathered around and waited for Yang Zhen to retrieve his Divine Sense.
“What exactly is recorded in these?” An Elder couldn’t help but wonder what Yang Kai had brought back that could actually cause Yang Zhen to pay so much attention to it, as he spoke, reaching out for the other jade slip on the table.
But before he could pick it up, Yang Zhen snatched it back and gave this Elder a sharp glance.
“Little brat, come here!” Yang Zhen waved his hand and calmly pushed the curiously staring Elders aside.
“Disciple obeys,” Yang Kai stepped forward unhesitantly. By generation, Yang Zhen should be a character from Yang Kai’s grandfather’s age so he should refer to himself as Junior, but in the Yang Family, there was generally no familial kinship unless they were on particularly good terms.
Holding the two pieces of jade, Yang Zhen frowned, his old face turning slightly red as he asked aloud, “What are these?”
“You don’t even know what they are yet you’re so interested in them?” One of the white haired Elders blurted out, everyone else in the hall also slowly shaking their heads, all of their expectations suddenly somewhat dampened.
“Two Spirit Arrays.”
“Bloody Hell!” Yang Zhen snorted, “This old master isn’t a fool. Of course I know these are Spirit Arrays, what I’m asking is what these Spirit Arrays are for!”
As he spoke, Yang Zhen’s face grew even redder.
He was a very old man, and his experience was extremely rich, but at this moment, he couldn’t even identify something a junior two generations below him had presented him with, naturally he felt a little shame.
Yang Kai scratched his nose awkwardly before replying, “Spirit Arrays used for Alchemy!”
Yang Zhen was suddenly stunned, “These things are used for Alchemy?”
Shaking his head repeatedly, Yang Zhen continued, “Alchemy indeed uses a lot of Spirit Arrays, this old man has also seen many of them, but none of them come even close to the complexity of these Spirit Arrays. If one wanted to portray this kind of Spirit Array on a pill stove, it would be rather cumbersome and would cost an Alchemist more Spiritual Energy and True Qi than normal. Are you sure these two Spirit Arrays are useful?”
“Definitely!”
“Explain then, what are these used for?” Yang Zhen frowned. He didn’t quite understand Alchemy. Naturally, he couldn’t see through the mysteries of these Spirit Arrays, only able to subconsciously understand that they were extremely complicated and mysterious. Although these were definitely good thing, there were also some obvious drawbacks.
“One of them can improve the success rate of Alchemy refinement,” Yang Kai said flatly, “In other words, if an Alchemist’s chance to successfully refine a pill is only sixty percent, then by employing this Spirit Array, their success rate will improve to ninety percent!”
At these words, Yang Zhen almost jumped out of his seat.
Ninety percent! Even though he didn’t understand the Alchemic Dao, Yang Zhen knew that it was almost impossible for an Alchemist to guarantee a ninety percent pill refinement rate. The average Alchemist would often have a sixty to seventy percent success rate. This meant that for every ten sets of Alchemy materials, they could only refine six or seven pills.
Elite Alchemists could achieve around an eighty percent success rate while disciples from Medicine King’s Valley were mostly around this level. But now, if this Spirit Array really could improve the chances of successfully refining a pill by thirty percent, didn’t that mean that an elite Alchemist who used this Spirit Array could guarantee a one hundred percent chance of success?
Over the months and years, how much material could be saved? How much time and energy could be saved?
In an instant, Yang Zhen realized just how precious this Spirit Array was.
Of course, the premise was that what Yang Kai had said was true.
“What about the other one?” Yang Zhen pressed down the shock in his heart and tried to speak in a calm tone.
“This one gives a certain chance to improve the quality of a pill!” Yang Kai said lightly.
“What do you mean?” Yang Zhen’s brow subconsciously knit as he anxiously asked, his breathing becoming slightly hurried. If his understanding was correct, then the value of this second Spirit Array was even bigger than the previous one!
“If one were to be refining a Heaven Grade Mid-Rank pill, by using this Spirit Array, there is a possibility that the end result will be a Heaven Grade Top-Rank pill,” Yang Kai patiently explained, adding, “This chance isn’t that great, but it is a chance nonetheless!”
All the Elders in the hall sucked in a sharp breath, all of them understood the value of this Spirit Array.
One of them asked nervously, “What if we were to refine a Mysterious Grade Top-Rank pill using this Spirit Array?”
Yang Kai shrugged his shoulders and smiled, “If their luck is good, a Spirit Grade pill will appear.”
Spirit Grade! These two resounded like thunder in everyone’s ears, causing several of the Elders present to stumble, each of them staring fixedly at Yang Kai, wanting to see from his face whether he was cracking a joke.
However, Yang Kai remained completely calm!
These two Spirit Arrays were obtained from the True Alchemic Way, it was obviously impossible for them to be useless.
The entire Elder Hall was deathly silent, the group of old men all stood in place, some of them thinking about the value of these Spirit Arrays, some of them wondering whether Yang Kai’s words were true or false.
Only after a long silence did Yang Zhen suddenly recover, turning his gaze to stare at Yang Kai with a grim expression, “Little brat, do you know what kind of punishment awaits you if you lying to the Elder Hall? Even if you are a direct descendant of the Yang Family, if you dare try to deceive us I’ll make sure you die without burial right here right now!”
“Whether I’m lying or not, all you need to do is find someone who knows how to verify it,” Yang Kai replied, his brow wrinkling slightly.
“Good good!” Yang Zhen sneered, turning to one of the other Elders in the hall and shouting, “Go call Cheng Bai Lian from the Alchemy Hall.”
“En.” A fat Elder replied, his body flickering as he disappeared.
Cheng Bai Lian, the Yang Family’s Chief Alchemist! He was also an Alchemy Grandmaster whose name was famous around the world, but compared with Xiao Fu Sheng, he was still slightly inferior.
Xiao Fu Sheng was a Mysterious Grade Top-Rank Alchemist, the only one in the entire Great Han Dynasty whereas Cheng Bai Lian was just a Mysterious Grade Mid-Rank Alchemist.
Although there was only a single rank of difference between them, but this single rank actually represented a massive gulf, enough so that Cheng Bai Lian could only look up to Xiao Fu Sheng with the utmost respect.
“Brat, it’s too late to regret now, when Cheng Bai Lian comes here and gives his opinion, this old master won’t spare you,” Yang Zhen sneered as he made a final probe.
Yang Kai’s brow wrinkled further, dissatisfaction appearing on his face, “Elder Zhen, I put out these two Spirit Arrays not just because I want two Blood Warriors to follow me, I also whole heartedly wished to give these things to Yang Family so that it can enjoy their benefits. After all, this is the place where I was born. If I had only wanted two Blood Warriors, a single one of these Spirit Arrays would be more than enough, why would I need to bring out two? Whether what I’m saying is true or false, I believe Elder Zhen should understand.”
Yang Zhen stared at him pondered for a moment, quickly thinking that what Yang Kai said made some sense, his expression relaxing slightly as he nodded, “You’re right, maybe this old master is being overly cautious, but in any case, we’ll soon know. If they’re real then your contribution to the family will definitely be recognized, if it is fake… heh heh!”
Finished speaking, Yang Zhen frowned and began looking over the two Spirit Array Jades again, trying to unravel at least some of their mysteries.
An hour or so later, the fat Elder who had rushed out before brought over a roughly fifty years old man.
When this man entered the Elder Hall, he wore a thick gloom on his face.
Once inside, not even waiting for Yang Zhen to speak, Cheng Bai Lian roared angrily, “Yang Zhen! Do you know what you’ve done? This old master was refining a Xuan Qing Pill when you summoned me! This old master was at a critical moment in the refining process when I was disturbed! You better compensate me for that furnace worth of material or this old master swears he won’t give your Yang Family any pills for three months!”
“Fine fine, I’ll compensate you!” Yang Zhen’s face went black, mechanically nodding again and again.
Although he was called by name by someone much younger than himself, and even more so was angrily scolded, Yang Zhen held his temper. After all, this man was the Chief Alchemist of the Yang Family. Many high-quality pills that the family needed were refined by him, so even though the gap in their cultivation and age was huge, Yang Zhen had no choice but to swallow his anger.
One cannot easily offend an Alchemist, especially one of high skill.
Cheng Bai Lian snorted and said, “That was a Heaven Grade Top-Rank pill. Although it wasn’t too expensive, it had cost this old master a lot of thought and effort, but seeing you act appropriately enough, 500,000 will do.”
Yang Zhen’s expression became even darker, doing his best to endure as he quickly changed the subject, “Let’s stop talking about this for now. We need to discuss the reason as to your summon.”
Cheng Bai Lian nodded before glancing at Yang Kai who was standing nearby, “I heard about it on the way. You say these two Spirit Arrays were brought back by this little brat?”
“Good, I want you to see if these things are really useful.” Yang Zhen handed over the two jade slips.
Cheng Bai Lian took the jade slips from him before sneering, “This old master has pursued the Alchemic Way for many years and has studied a great number of Spirit Arrays, but never once have I heard of such a magical Spirit Array. It seems that you’ve grown more confused as the years pass by, actually being so easily deceived. Now that you’ve been tricked you want to drag this old master into the muddy water, if this were to spread out what face would you have left?”
“Enough nonsense, just take a look!” Yang Zhen was enraged by Cheng Bai Lian’s taunting, but he really had nowhere to vent his frustrations, his old face turning purple with anger, secretly deciding that if Yang Kai really was lying to him, he would absolutely not let him off lightly.
Cheng Bai Lian found a place nearby and took a seat, his expression extremely relaxed as he casually released his Divine Sense into the jade examine it.
The entire Elder Hall except Yang Kai stared at him, wondering how he would evaluate these two Spirit Arrays.
But just as Cheng Bai Lian began using his Divine Sense to studying the jade’s content, he suddenly let out a scream, his body which had just sat down jumping up as his face showed an incredible expression.
Everyone who was holding their breath and waiting nervously also jumped in shock at this unexpected display.
“What happened?” Yang Zhen asked as he looked at Cheng Bai Lian with disappointment, “At such an age, getting so excited about something after merely a glance, please have some self-respect!”
However, Cheng Bai Lian completely ignored Yang Zhen, his eyes spinning round and round, a look of pure shock and joy flashing across his face. He turned and stared at Yang Kai for a moment, and in the next moment, his figure flickered and directly appeared in front of him, grabbing his shoulders in a vice grip as if he feared that Yang Kai would run away, asking in a slightly trembling voice, “Little brat, this Spirit Array… you… where did you get it?”
Yang Kai’s brow furrowed, faintly becoming aware of something before replying, “Medicine King’s Valley, Hidden Cloud Peak!”
Cheng Bai Lian’s body shook at these words, his face frozen in place as if he’d just been struck by lightning, a moment later nodding over and over again, “I knew it, I knew it…”
Saying so, he re-focused his gaze on Yang Kai again, hastily asking, “What is your relationship with Grandmaster Xiao?”
“Nothing much, I just stayed on Hidden Cloud Peak for about two months,” Yang Kai slowly shook his head and said in a low-key manner.
Cheng Bai Lian’s look suddenly became frigid as he glared at Yang Kai, the coldness in his eyes gradually becoming piercing as he spoke in an icy tone, “So you stole this Spirit Array?”
Yang Kai shook his head lightly in reply, “Grandmaster Xiao taught it to me.”
Cheng Bai Lian couldn’t understand why this young man who claimed to have nothing to do with Grandmaster Xiao would be taught these two precious Spirit Arrays, but he soon smiled again, “Good good good! Alchemy techniques can’t be stolen, definitely not, but since the Grandmaster taught you, then it’s alright.”
He obviously thought that Yang Kai had reservations about admitting his relationship with Xiao Fu Sheng to the public.
Although the conversation between the two was only a few words, it had let the Elders of the Elder Hall recognize something.
These two Spirit Arrays that Yang Zhen couldn’t identify… seemed to have a big background!
“Does Senior recognize this Spirit Array?” Yang Kai asked curiously. If Cheng Bai Lian didn’t recognize this Spirit Array, he wouldn’t have reacted so strongly to it, but this was something Yang Kai had gained from the True Alchemic Way, how could Cheng Bai Lian also know it?
Hearing Yang Kai’s question, Yang Zhen and the other Elders turned their eyes to Cheng Bai Lian, who simply shook his head and smiled, a far-off look of nostalgia surfacing in his eyes.
“Damn it, tell us already!” Yang Zhen had reached his limit, loudly cursing as he demanded an explanation from Cheng Bai Lian.
At any other time, the Yang Family’s Chief Alchemist wouldn’t have remained silent for so long, but right now he seemed to be completely absorbed in his thoughts, only speaking again after an extended silence, “Thirty years ago, at Medicine King’s Valley’s Alchemy Summit, I had the privilege of studying this Spirit Array once, but at the time it was only a half completed product.”
Yang Kai’s brow twitched, suddenly understanding what had happened.
“For that time’s Alchemy Summit, many geniuses came forth competed against one another! This old master passed through many trials and defeated dozens of opponents, advancing all the way to the finals, but in the end, I myself was defeated at the hands of another, that man was Xiao Fu Sheng!” Cheng Bai Lian looked at Yang Kai with a smile, “Grandmaster Xiao is a genius, born for the Alchemic Way, losing to him was not shameful in the slightest!”
Yang Zhen folded his arms and snorted. As a cultivator of the Martial Dao, he naturally didn’t understand the Alchemic Way, nor did he understand about the admiration and mutual understanding between high level Alchemists.
“The best young Alchemists at that summit were given the privilege of visiting Pill Saint’s Peak to pay tribute to the Pill Saint’s Portrait and ponder the Alchemic Way.” Cheng Bai Lian said, immersing himself in his memories, “Xiao Fu Sheng and I mounted Pill Saint’s Peak together and it was there that we both saw the half completed version of this Spirit Array. This old master’s only regret was not being able to see its full form.”
“After that, I came to the Yang Family while Xiao Fu Sheng entered Medicine King’s Valley, heh heh,” Cheng Bai Lian smiled as he spoke, “Over the past thirty years, I have corresponded with Grandmaster Xiao often and whenever I had free time, I would go to Medicine King’s Valley to study that half completed Spirit Array with him, trying complete it, but after three decades I still couldn’t succeed!”
“When the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land attacked Medicine King’s Valley and destroyed the Pill Saint’s Portrait, this old master thought that in this lifetime he would never have a chance to see this complete Spirit Array. Never did I expect… ha… haha… hahaha!” Cheng Bai Lian threw his head back as he stared up at the Heavens, a joyous yet somewhat bitter smile adorning his face, “Xiao Fu Sheng is indeed Xiao Fu Sheng, always one step ahead of this old master! Never did I expect that he had already completed this Spirit Array. This old master truly cannot compare to the world’s greatest Alchemist, his name is truly deserved!”
Yang Kai didn’t expect that the Spirit Array he had brought out actually involved these past events. Even characters like Xiao Fu Sheng were only able to obtain half of it from the Pill Saint’s Portrait, one could only imagine the infinite profoundness of the True Alchemic Way.
The appearance of this Spirit Array here had actually solved the thirty year old puzzle that had plagued two of this world’s best Alchemists.
Although there was some misunderstanding here, Yang Kai was not prepared to say anything, he had intended to push the credit for this Spirit Array onto Grandmaster Xiao from the beginning anyways.
“Yes yes you’ve said enough already, just tell us, are these two Spirit Arrays of any use?” Yang Zhen asked an impatiently.
“Nonsense!” Cheng Bai Lian snorted, “How could they be useless? This is a Spirit Array from the Pill Saint’s Portrait, a treasure left behind by the Pill Saint himself, of course it’s useful!”
“Then its value?” Yang Zhen asked anxiously.
“Immeasurable!” Cheng Bai Lian replied seriously.
All the Elders in the hall couldn’t help looking awkward. Yang Kai offering two of these Spirit Arrays to the Yang Family, the number of merits they were worth was huge, even Yang Zhen didn’t quite know how many he should reward Yang Kai with.
“I’ll take these Spirit Arrays back with them, this old master must study them well.” Cheng Bai Lian normally frowning face bloomed into smiles, holding the two jade slips in his hand as if they were the world’s most precious treasures.
“Good, take them with you, but remember not to let them leak out, you know the Yang Family’s rules.” Yang Zhen said solemnly.
Cheng Bai Lian rolled his eyes, “This old master has been in the Yang Family for thirty years now. How could I not understand the family’s rules?”
Yang Zhen just nodded slightly with a satisfied expression.
Cheng Bai Lian turned to look at Yang Kai, none of his previous disdain or contempt remaining on his face, politely asking, “Boy, what is your name?”
Yang Kai casually gave his name in response.
Cheng Bai Lian then patted his shoulder intimately, “Good good, this old master will remember you, when I have time I will invite you to my home to drink tea!”
After saying so, Cheng Bai waved his sleeves and strode out with great vigor.
Once again, all the Elders in the hall looked at each other in shock, some of them even wondering if they were dreaming.
Cheng Bai Lian had invited a junior to his home to drink tea…
Many of these old men had never been treated politely by the Yang Family’s Chief Alchemist, much less been invited to drink tea.
For the younger generation, even the generation above them, such an invitation was an extraordinary privilege, if it were to leak out it would surely create a stir.
A while after Cheng Bai Lian walked off, the group of old men secretly shook their heads, wondering just what kind of blessing Yang Kai had received. He could actually converse with characters like Xiao Fu Sheng and personally be taught two extraordinary Spirit Arrays by him.
“Elder Zhen,” Yang Kai called out, “The validity of my offering has been proven, can I exchange for two Blood Warriors now?”
Yang Zhen rolled his eyes and muttered, “Good! But this old master must first remind you, depending on the strength of the Blood Warrior, the merits you’ll need to exchange for their services are different.”
“Then… what kind of Blood Warrior can I receive with my current merits?”
“Ah… er…” Yang Zhen lightly coughed, “Among the masters from the Blood Warrior Hall, you can choose any of them, including the Hall Master and Deputy Hall Master!”
“Hall Master and Deputy Hall Master?” Yang Kai asked in amazement.
“Yes, those two both stand at the very apex of the Immortal Ascension Boundary!” Yang Zhen nodded, “If you have the two of them to guard you, no one should be able to get close to you in this Inheritance War.”
It seemed like the number of merits Yang Kai had earned all at once was too great so Yang Zhen wanted him to quickly consume them. Thus Yang Zhen spared no effort to promote the idea of Yang Kai recruiting the Hall Master and Deputy Hall Master.
Unfortunately for him, Yang Kai just slowly shook his head, “I don’t want them.”
“Yang Zhen secretly sighed to himself before nodding, “If you don’t want them, who do you want?”
“Qu Gao Yi and Ying Jiu!” Yang Kai reported the names of the two Blood Warriors who had been tasked with protecting his Fourth Brother Yang Xin Wu.
The looks on the faces of all the old men in the hall suddenly became weird, some of them staring at Yang Kai strangely, others with amazement.
Qu Gao Yi and Ying Jiu were originally the two best Blood Warriors in the Blood Warrior Hall in terms of aptitude, all the Elders naturally had heard their names and also had great expectations for them, but because of the incident with Yang Xin Wu and the punishment the family had given them as a result, these two Blood Warriors’ status had fallen significantly.
The Elders were quite sorry about the two warrior’s experiences but the rules of Yang Family were absolute, so they had to punish them. They had thought that for this time’s Inheritance War no one would dare to elect them, but they hadn’t expected that the youngest Yang Kai would actually take the initiative to choose them.
Even if Yang Kai had said he wanted the Blood Warrior Hall’s Hall Master and Deputy Hall Master the Elders wouldn’t have shown as much shock as they were currently.
Not pick the two most powerful Blood Warriors when given the choice, but instead choosing two nearly bedridden warriors instead, this Yang Kai was either an idiot, or… he was scheming something!
Yang Zhen looked at Yang Kai, thinking deeply for a moment before quick asking, “Those two have been heavily injured, are you sure you want them?”
“Yes!”
“Interesting!” Yang Zhen grinned, “Your appetite is quite big!”
In that brief moment, Yang Zhen seemed to have seen through all of Yang Kai’s thoughts and intentions, so Yang Kai simply shrugged his shoulders indifferently.
“Since you want, then I will give them to you!” Yang Zhen snorted, “I want to see just what kind of storm you can kick up by using those two for this Inheritance War! I hope you aren’t picking up a stone just to smash your own foot! Haha, don’t regret it later.”
“Of course, Elder Zhen doesn’t need to bother himself with my business.”
Yang Zhen smiled deviously, immediately taking out a parchment and stamping it with the Elder Hall’s seal before throwing it to Yang Kai.
Yang Kai took the parchment, glanced at it carefully before nodding with satisfaction, cupping his fists politely, “Many thanks Elder Zhen!”
“Good, after choosing those two Blood Warriors, you still have a lot of merits left! What else do you want to exchange for?” Yang Zhen raised his brow and asked, “For the Inheritance War, you can never do too much preparation.”
“How many merits do I have left?” Yang Kai asked curiously.
“A lot,” Yang Zhen said offhandedly, not disclosing a specific figures. It was quite possible he also didn’t know just how many merits Yang Kai’s contribution warranted.
“In that case I’ll exchange all of them for Alchemy and Artifact Refining materials, at least Heaven Grade Low-Rank, preferably Mysterious Grade.”
Listening to Yang Kai, Yang Zhen couldn’t help but look at him in surprise, he didn’t expect his request to be so simple, nodding as he replied, “I’ll help you prepare the materials and have someone deliver them to your home.”
“Many thanks for your effort Elder Zhen, disciple will take his leave.” Yang Kai nodded, turned, and walked out.
“Brat, don’t disappoint this old master by losing too early in the Inheritance War.” Yang Zhen’s called out from behind.
“Elder Zhen shouldn’t worry, just sit back and watch!”
When these words were said, the person had already disappeared.
“Cocky brat!” Yang Zhen snorted.
The fat Elder who had just gone to summon Cheng Bai Lian walked over and frowned at that moment, muttering, “Yang Zhen, that kid is gambling too much! If his bet doesn’t pay off, it’ll be his doom.”
“The entire Inheritance War is a gamble! Do you think those other kids didn’t see this opportunity? No! It’s just that none of them dared to make such a decision. Only he dared to!” Yang Zhen’s eyes flashed, nodding lightly, “Although in the short term I can’t see him having any great results, at least he has already made a head start on the Blood Warrior Hall. This little brat from Fourth Brother’s house is bold and decisive. He suits my Yang Family’s style perfectly!”
Yang Kai choosing those two Blood Warriors, the gains and losses of such a decision, how could the cunning Elders not understand? Such a choice, for this Inheritance War, as long he wasn’t defeated too quickly, would only bring him more and more benefits in the future! The only thing to worry about was not being destroyed in the early period while these two Blood Warriors were still recuperating from their injuries.
Blood Warrior Hall.
This was a special place in the Yang Family grounds, the headquarters and residence of all Blood Warriors. Even from a dozen kilometers away, one could clearly feel the fighting intent lingering about the Blood Warrior Hall.
This invisible force seemed almost tangible, like a sharp blade which was capable of splitting the sky apart.
Blood Warriors were natural fighters, their talents specially developed for combat. Their strong fighting spirit was a symbol of the Yang Family. Even if they were not engaged in battle, the killing intent of the Blood Warriors was so potent it had all but solidified, pervading the entire Blood Warrior Hall.
As Yang Kai approached this place, he couldn’t help feeling shocked by this momentum, his expression immediately becoming dignified.
Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian both stood respectfully outside the Blood Warrior Hall, waiting quietly for Yang Kai’s arrival. In front of them stood a burly man with his hands crossed behind his back, a plain black warrior’s outfit that could be seen anywhere cover his toned muscles, only his calm indifferent face showing. His long hair was draped over his shoulders and his eyes were like cold piercing stars.
Blood Warrior Hall’s Hall Master, Feng Sheng, a Peak Immortal Ascension Boundary master. It was said that if he were to use his Mad Tyrant Blood Skill, it was possible for him to fight evenly with an Above Immortal Ascension Boundary master.
This man’s name resounded throughout the Central Capital as one of the strongest cultivators alive.
Since listening to Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian yesterday, after they had reported back, Feng Sheng had some interest in this Little Lord. Qu Gao Yi and Ying Jiu were his subordinates. As the Blood Warrior Hall’s Hall Master, he naturally cared about them.
He wanted to see for himself what this Little Lord, who was willing to use Qu Gao Yi and Ying Jiu, looked like.
To this day, a few Yang Family Young Lords had visited, but until now, the Little Lord had still not appeared; however, Feng Sheng showed no signs of urgency, simply stood there quietly.
Tu Feng, on the other hand, was quite anxious. Although Yang Kai had already promised him and Tang Yu Xian yesterday, and he would never doubt the authenticity of Yang Kai’s words, he was worried that Yang Kai wouldn’t have enough merits to exchange for Qu Gao Yi and Ying Jiu.
If he didn’t have enough merits, then what?
While these thoughts flashed across his mind, a young man with a strong figure appeared at the edge of his vision, walking towards the trio without hesitation.
“Is that him?” Feng Sheng asked.
“It’s him, it’s the Little Lord!” Tu Feng replied affirmatively, feeling like a great stone had been lifted off his chest, immediately relaxing as he shot a glance towards Tang Yu Xian and smiled.
The Little Lord really kept his word! Unfortunately, for this time’s Inheritance War they couldn’t follow him, thinking of this, both of them felt a deep sense of regret.
Walking up to the three Blood Warriors, Yang Kai’s attention immediately focused on Feng Sheng.
Eyes that seemed to radiate sharp light, a dense imposing aura, and a physique that hid an unparalleled explosive power.
[Peak Immortal Ascension Boundary!]
Yang Kai’s eyes lit up, a single glance was all he needed to understand the great strength of this man. If he were to fight such a master, a casual brush of the opposite party’s hand would be enough to kill him. This massive gap in the cultivation realm was not something any artifact or even the Demonic Qi hidden inside his Unyielding Golden Skeleton could compensate for.
Yang Kai could clearly feel that although this person was simply standing there, not circulating his Secret Art, but the energy of Heaven and Earth still gently flowed towards him, seeping into his body, constantly enhancing his True Qi, increasing both its purity and density which was undoubtedly already superior to most others.
This was the strongest member of the Blood Warrior Hall!
Yang Kai secretly nodded to himself, the Yang Family being able to stand at the summit of the Central Capital’s Eight Great Families for all these years was not without reason.
While he stared at this Immortal Ascension master, Feng Sheng was also observing him.
Yang Kai was dressed casually, without any expensive robes, even simpler compared to many young kids from average families, such clothing was undoubtedly more suitable for the combat. He was very young, probably no more than eighteen years old, but his cultivation had reached the True Element Boundary Eighth Stage. Most importantly, his look was calm, and although his eyes appeared normal, they occasionally flashed a sharp light.
Feng Sheng couldn’t help squinting his eyes the more he looked, a trace of appreciation apparent in his gaze.
He felt a dense murderous aura coming from Yang Kai’s body, its flavour quite obvious.
Murderous aura. Feng Sheng also had something similar; the only difference being that his aura was much stronger than Yang Kai’s. This kind of aura wasn’t something one could cultivate. It could only be obtained through killing a great deal of people.
The Little Lord was obviously a young man yet he had already killed so many people. It seems that he wasn’t somebody one should make an enemy of. Feng Sheng took a mental note.
What made Feng Sheng even more curious though was that the Little Lord seemed to have another strange force hidden in his body. This force even seemed to affect his own murderous aura, giving him a creepy feeling. It was like it was stimulating the violent tendencies which he had suppressed in his heart.
But even if he looked carefully, this feeling was quite vague. The only thing he could clearly understand was that this kid’s True Qi… was quite pure!
Shaking his head secretly, Feng Sheng’s brow furrowed.
With just a simple look, Feng Sheng understood that this Little Lord was not as simple as he appeared, but he didn’t care too much about this. Instead, he let out a voice asking, “Young Lord Kai?”
Yang Kai nodded slightly before turning his eyes to Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian.
The two quickly stepped forward, Tu Feng saying, “Little Lord, this is our Hall Master, Feng Sheng!”
“So it is Hall Master Feng!” Yang Kai greeted.
“Little Lord, in order to receive Blood Warriors from the hall, please show the documents issued by the Elder Hall!” Feng Sheng said as he reached out, Yang Kai quickly handing over a parchment to him.
After taking a look, Feng Sheng nodded gently, his face which had been as tranquil as an ancient well finally showed some subtle changes, “Young Lord Kai, please come in.”
Yang Kai stepped forward, Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian quickly following after him.
Feng Sheng on the other hand didn’t follow, still standing straight as a sword by the entrance.
Once inside the Blood Warrior Hall, Tu Feng laughed heartily, “Little Lord, I have never seen Hall Master so talkative! Several other Young Lords came before you but Hall Master didn’t even glance at them much less speak. It seems that Hall Master has a good impression of you.”
Tang Yu Xian also nodded heavily, as if she had just witnessed something amazing.
“It seems that my personality is a little praiseworthy.” Yang Kai laughed off.
Tu Feng shook his head though, “It is not a little. Little Lord being willing to use our two brothers has earned the entire Blood Warrior Hall’s thanks!”
“Is it really that serious?” Yang Kai chuckled lightly, obviously unconvinced.
But just as he spoke those words, Yang Kai froze in place, staring in front of him blankly.
Before him stood over twenty powerful Blood Warriors lined up in a row, all of them staring towards him, the gratitude in their eyes apparent.
The man who stood closest to him was the Blood Warrior Hall’s deputy Hall Master Zhou Feng, another Peak Immortal Ascension Boundary master.
Looking around at the other Blood Warriors, Yang Kai was secretly surprised.
Each one of these people was a powerful master that radiated an invincible aura. Both the men and women had strong cultivations, the lowest having at least reached the Immortal Ascension Boundary Fifth Stage.
But even these Immortal Ascension Boundary Fifth Stage Blood Warriors were no worse than a first-class forces’ Immortal Ascension Eighth Stage master.
The depths of the Yang Family Blood Warrior’s heritage were astounding!
Looking at the more than twenty pairs of eyes, Yang Kai couldn’t help feeling a shocking pressure for an instant. This kind of pressure was not something deliberately released by the Blood Warriors, but simply the aura they had accumulated from all the battles they had fought over their many years of service.
Whenever the weak faced the strong, this kind of pressure would inevitably affect them.
Quietly circulating his True Yang Secret Art, pushing his True Qi slightly, Yang Kai managed to stabilizes his stance.
All of the Blood Warrior’s expression brightened imperceptibly!
Zhou Feng was also secretly surprised, though he didn’t show it, instead wearing his normal dignified expression, cupping his fists and saying, “Zhou Feng, on behalf of the entire Blood Warrior Hall, pays respect to Young Lord Kai!”
Like booming thunder, the other Blood Warriors echoed, “Many thanks, Young Lord Kai!”
Yang Kai’s expression became solemn, only now understanding that Tu Feng was indeed not exaggerating.
Although he had expected to win some support from the Blood Warrior Hall by this action, he never anticipated the result would be so exaggerated.
“I have only done what I need to do, there’s no need for thanks!” Yang Kai nodded lightly, gazing around Zhou Feng and casting his eyes at the two men who stood behind him.
Both these men were probably less than forty years old, but they had both reached the Immortal Ascension Boundary Eighth Stage. Both of them wore extremely serious expression, even more so than the rest of the Blood Warriors in the hall, their gazes sharp and unrelenting, as if they were unafraid of death itself.
As they stood there, because they were enduring unbearable pain, their bodies couldn’t help trembling lightly, the clothes they wore stained red with fresh blood which seeped from their wounds like blossoming flowers.
At their feet, this fresh blood had already formed a small pool, filling the air with a faint taste of iron. But the two still stood upright, the other Blood Warriors not paying this blood any mind.
“You two are Qu Gao Yi and Ying Jiu?” Yang Kai gave them a look.
The two men quickly stepped forward and knelt down.
“Subordinate Qu Gao Yi.”
“Subordinate Ying Jiu, greets the Little Lord!”
Yang Kai nodded lightly, “Get up, since you are my people now, then I will have you prove with your actions that my choice was not wrong!”
The two did not say a word, just getting up silently, but the determination in their eyes was apparent to all, revealing their firm and unyielding wills.
Looking at the expressions of Qu Gao Yi and Ying Jiu, Yang Kai nodded secretly, thinking to himself that even if they were seriously injured, a Blood Warrior was still a Blood Warrior.
Looking around at everyone else, Yang Kai suddenly chuckled, “If any of you become my enemies in the future, this Young Lord will not show mercy!”
Zhou Feng nodded firmly, “As it should be!”
Yang Kai turned away and calmly walked out with Qu Gao Yi and Ying Jiu hurriedly cupping their fists to their brothers and sisters before following.
After today, when these Blood Warriors met again, perhaps they would be speaking with their fists and swords, paving the way forward of the Yang Family’s next generation with their own blood.
Everyone silently steeled themselves!
All of them understood.
Outside the hall, Feng Sheng still stood there, and only after Yang Kai walked out a dozen meters or so did he suddenly say, “Young Lord Kai, I will be bothering you with my two subordinates.”
Yang Kai waved his hand and said nothing, Qu Gao Yi and Ying Jiu both keeping pace a few steps behind.
……
All the Yang Family’s direct descendants had returned to the Central Capital and the family had given them nearly two months of preparation time. After selecting their respective Blood Warrior guardians, the Yang Family’s Inheritance War would soon begin.
As the news was announced, the atmosphere in the Central Capital became tense, the entire Great Han Dynasty abuzz with excitement as many of the world’s large and small forces marched in the direction of the capital in order to gain some benefits in this huge event.
There were even a lot of forces that had already arrived in the Central Capital and were waiting, hesitating about which Young Lord they should stand behind.
The Yang Family’s Young Lords had all been busy contacting the various juniors of the other seven families, trying their best to recruit more allies.
The Central Capital’s Eight Great Families, the Yang Family, Qiu Family, Liu Family, Huo Family, Kang Family, Gao Family, Ye Family and Meng Family.
Among them, the Kang Family, Gao Family, Ye Family, and Meng Family had all formally announced who they would ally with; only the remaining three had yet to express their views.
The Liu Family, needless to say, had acted according to Liu Qing Yao’s declaration; he would ally with any Yang Family Young Lord who bested him in combat. The Yang Family’s Eldest Brother Yang Wei had once gone to challenge him, but the result was unknown.
However, since Liu Qing Yao still had not made a clear statement about who he would form an alliance with, the result of their battle was fairly obvious.
Yang Wei had lost.
As for the Huo Family, the delinquent Huo Xing Chen was having fun all day, drinking and partying, showing absolutely no intention to participate in the Inheritance War, giving his father Huo Zheng a massive headache.
Huo Zheng also wanted his son to participate in the Inheritance War, but his disobedient son refused to take any action, frustrating him to no end. If the older generations had been allowed to participate in the Inheritance War, Huo Zheng would have already made a declaration.
Though, as an aside, the Yang Family’s Young Lords had heard that Huo Xing Chen and Yang Kai had some grievances, so many of them had gone looking for him to see if they could use this to persuade him to join them, but none of them had succeeded, instead, all of them found themselves dragged into the red light district, only to emerge a few days later, dizzy, and hungover, sighing as they shook their heads.
Qiu Family.
In his study, the Qiu Family Patriarch Qiu Shou Cheng sat atop his chair. He looked around thirty years old but in fact was over fifty; however, he was born with fair complexion and a tender face, his skin color was much paler than that of a woman, so he appeared much younger than he actually was.
In front of him were two people, a young man and a young woman.
The young woman was none other than the Qiu Family’s First Young Lady, Qiu Yi Meng, the young man the Qiu Family’s Young Lord Qiu Zi Ruo, the two are were half-blood siblings, each having a different mother.
As the Inheritance War was about to start, the Qiu Family naturally had to choose a team.
But Qiu Shou Cheng, like many others, didn’t know much about the various members of the Yang Family younger generation so although he had been collecting some intelligence about them, there was still too little for him to make a decision.
For the other seven great families, their main purpose in participating in the Inheritance War was to hone their junior’s skills, winning or losing had very little effect on their foundations, but if there was a choice, who didn’t want to win? So this matter still warranted some careful consideration.
Qiu Shou Cheng stroked the goatee on his chin and pondered silently for a long time before finally asking, “Meng’er, what are your thoughts on this Inheritance War?”
When he heard his father ask this, Qiu Zi Ruo’s face cramped slightly.
In the Qiu Family, although he was the first heir, but regardless of his personal strength or methods, neither was comparable to his half-blooded elder sister’s. If anything big happened in the family, his father would always consult with his elder sister while he would have to sit by and listen to learn from it.
For his entire life, it had always been so!
Qiu Yi Meng smiled lightly and replied, “According to the intelligence I’ve gathered, the Yang Family seems to have eight Young Masters who want to participate in the Inheritance War! Besides the fourth eldest Yang Xin Wu who has already died, from oldest to youngest, their names are, Yang Wei, Yang Zhao, Yang Tie, Yang Kang, Yang Shen, Yang Ying, Yang Quan and Yang Kai!
Qiu Shou Cheng nodded lightly, not interrupting, motioning her with his eyes to continue.
“The Second Brother Yang Zhao and Fifth Brother Yang Kang are blood related brothers while the Sixth Brother Yang Shen and Seventh Brother Yang Ying are also blood related. These two pairs probably won’t attack each other until the last possible moment, instead they are likely to support one another due to their blood ties.” Qiu Yi Meng’s thoughts turned rapidly, continuously speaking with as much precision as possible, “Furthermore, there are four people from the remaining seven families who have already declared their support for one of the Young Lords, Meng Family’s Meng Shan Yi has allied with the Eldest Brother Yang Wei, Ye Family’s Ye Xin Rou has chosen to support the Second Brother Yang Zhao, Gao Family’s Gao Rang Feng has allied with the Fifth Brother Yang Kang, and finally Kang Family’s Kang Zhan has declared his support for the Seventh Brother Yang Ying. The power of the seven families cannot be ignored as their support will play a large role in the final result of the Inheritance War.”
“Good, because the Yang Family is based in the Central Capital, they have no choice but to deal with the other seven families.” Qiu Shou Cheng nodded, very satisfied with his daughter’s intelligence gathering and thoughtful analysis, but remembering that she was his daughter at not his son, he couldn’t help feeling a bit regretful.
After glancing towards Qiu Zi Ruo briefly, Qiu Shou Cheng sighed quietly to himself.
“So, from a superficial perspective, Yang Zhao and Yang Kang currently have the edge because both brothers have secured one of the seven families as a support.”
“Hm, superficially?” Qiu Shou Cheng listened to his daughter’s tone and asked with a smile.
“In actual fact, this is not the case. Forget about the fact that they are ultimately still rivals, even if they were one force, I’m afraid that their position in this Inheritance War is far from secure. Over the years, for the Inheritance War, the participants from the seven families have never been too strong. The mainstay of the forces they sent out has been members of their younger generation. This is done to avoid breaking the balance and also to avoid causing too many casualties, a kind of unwritten rule, so in addition to the Yang Family Blood Warriors, the Eight Great Families won’t invest any manpower with cultivations greater than Immortal Ascension Boundary Fifth Stage.”
“As a result, the Yang Family Young Lords personal connections from their outside life experience are the more important factor. Those who made many friends and allies and can draw in support from them will have the advantage. Additionally, most of these Young Lord’s mothers are from first-class families. These families will definitely favour the Young Lords who share blood ties with them and will send out a substantial amount of support to try to protect them.”
Qiu Shou Cheng casts a glance at his daughter and couldn’t help smiling happily.
“Father, daughter doesn’t know who will be the ultimate victor in this Inheritance War, but I do know that the Yang Family Third Brother Yang Tie will be the first one eliminated!”
“Oh, why?”
“Because he doesn’t have a single Blood Warrior protecting him! During his outside life experience it seems he didn’t gain much, thus he didn’t have enough merits he could use to exchange with the Yang Family for a Blood Warrior. With no Blood Warriors guarding him and his personal strength not being outstanding… his future prospects are worrying. I am afraid he will be defeated on the first day.” Qiu Yi Meng spoke confidently, her tone never wavering, “The second one will definitely be the Eighth Brother Yang Quan. He doesn’t have the support of one of the seven families and his mother comes from a second-class force so he cannot count on much support from them.”
“Then, the third?” Qiu Shou Cheng grinned as he asked.
“Daughter doesn’t know,” Qiu Yi Meng smiled calmly, “It’s not easy to judge amongst the rest, Fifth Brother Yang Kang, Sixth Brother Yang Shen, Seventh Brother Yang Ying are all possibilities.”
“Hm?” Qiu Shou Cheng couldn’t help but frown, a hint of confusion appearing on his face as he stared at his daughter with some doubt.
Qiu Zi Ruo, who had stayed to the side and didn’t talk, suddenly laughed and said, “Elder Sister, the third person to be eliminated is clear, how come Elder Sister can’t see it?”
Qiu Yi Meng smiled as she glanced towards Qiu Zi Ruo. “Oh? What is little brother’s opinion?”
“It’s not my opinion,” Qiu Zi Ruo smiled faintly, “It’s just that it is obvious.”
“If you think so, talk about it.” Qiu Shou Cheng looked indifferent and nodded to his son.
“Yes!” Qiu Zi Ruo glanced at Elder Sister and said confidently, “The third person to be eliminated must be the youngest, Yang Kai!”
“Why so?” Qiu Yi Meng smiled indifferently, seemingly aware that he would say this.
“Similar to what Elder Sister said just now, this Yang Kai doesn’t have any blood related siblings to help him, nor does he have an ally amongst the seven families. Even if his mother’s family sends some people, at most that is only the help of a single first-class force, nothing to fear. On top of that, he is the youngest among the brothers, almost the same age as me, his personal methods are no doubt lacking, so the third to be eliminated must be him!”
Qiu Zi Ruo spoke with absolute certainty, like he was already witnessing the scene of Yang Kai’s defeat.
Qiu Yi Meng simply continued smiling though, not refuting her younger brother’s argument, instead turning to look at Qiu Shou Cheng and asking, “Does lord father think so as well?”
Qiu Shou Cheng paused for a moment before nodding slightly, “En, I have the same idea as your brother. In addition to the reason your brother has stated, according to the information I’ve gathered, after his return to the Central Capital, he has never been seen communicating with any of the seven families, all of his brothers have at least made some effort to win over their support, the only reason I can think of is that he has no confidence in himself and has simply given up on this times Inheritance War!”
Qiu Yi Meng firmly shook her head though, “Father, I must disagree with father here, on the contrary, I intend to have our Qiu Family support him instead!”
Qiu Zi Ruo gawked for a moment before turning to his sister, “Elder Sister, are you alright? How could you make such a poor decision?”
Qiu Shou Cheng also knit his brow as he said, “Meng’er, I know that you are acquainted with Yang Kai and have even traveled together with him for a time, but I have already received a message from Lu Liang about how he acted in the Lu Family. Because of the details Lu Liang reported, I am not too optimistic about him. If you want the Qiu Family to support him, you’ll have to give me a reason to do so, otherwise, it is impossible for me to promise you. Although winning or losing the Inheritance War will have no effect on my Qiu Family’s foundation, but there will inevitably be some losses along the way.”
“A reason? I can’t say it clearly, but Father, from when I was a child till now, when has my judgement ever disappointed you?”
Qiu Shou Cheng’s expression immediately became awkward, for what Qiu Yi Meng had said was true. His daughter had always excelled at seeing through others and her judgements had always been sound. Over the past few years, there were even sometimes when he would overlook something and she would be the one to remind him of it, even providing insight and advice which had been beneficial to him.
Qiu Yi Meng speaking so seriously forced Qiu Shou Cheng to re-examine his decision, slowly saying, “What does he have that is worth paying attention to?”
However, Qiu Yi Meng just slowly shook her head, “I really can’t say, but he is an amazing individual who can often do things which are seemingly impossible, giving people a sense that there is nothing he cannot accomplish.”
She wanted to tell me her father that the Beguiling Demon Queen from the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land had her heart captured by Yang Kai, but she obviously knew better than that.
The Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land was, after all, the place where demons gathered, and Shan Qing Luo was one of the six Great Evil Kings, a force the Central Capital’s Eight Great Families had always been incompatible with. For this time’s Inheritance War, Shan Qing Luo providing him any assistance was unlikely.
But aside from the Demon Queen, Qiu Yi Meng didn’t know if Yang Kai had any other powerful allies.
“You evaluate him so highly?” Qiu Shou Cheng’s eyes narrowed slightly, his implied meaning obvious.
Qiu Zi Ruo also raised his brow and grinned lightly, “It seems like Elder Sister has finally met a man she favours. I didn’t expect there to be any man in this world who could enter your eyes.”
Both father and son were clearly hinting that Qiu Yi Meng had been taken with Yang Kai.
“I indeed have a good impression of him,” but to their shock, Qiu Yi Meng openly acknowledged their suspicions, “However, emotionally, I still feel no sense of attachment to him. That is because whenever I am around him, he always leads me by the nose. Making me the passive one!”
Qiu Shou Cheng’s brow furrowed as he was secretly shocked, “Is that boy really that good?”
About his daughter, even amongst the Central Capital’s older generation, none could force her into the passive role; she was always the one leading others by the nose, so this evaluation from her was quite remarkable, but her statement also made Qiu Shou Cheng glimpse some even more important information.
“He’s indeed quite strong!” Qiu Yi Meng smiled bitterly, remembering about Yang Kai’s attitude and approach to her, she couldn’t help gnashing her teeth.
“Love really will make a person stupid,” Qiu Zi Ruo shook his head slowly, as if was an old man extolling the lessons of life.
“Father,” Qiu Yi Meng ignored her half-brother’s opinion of herself, neither confirming or denying his charge, simply smiling as he continued, “Let’s not talk about my opinion of him, but rather yours. You’ve judged that he will be the third one eliminated, but isn’t that because of the information you obtained yourself and because of the opinion Lu Liang gave in his letter?”
“Not bad.” Qiu Shou Cheng stroked his goatee calmly as he nodded, “Lu Liang didn’t make too many comments in his letter, instead just explaining about what happened during his stay at the Lu Family, but even so I can clearly feel Lu Liang’s contempt for him from his words.”
“And if all that was simply a disguise?”
Qiu Shou Cheng expression suddenly became serious, “If that’s the case then he hides his depths far too well, even fooling that old fox Lu Liang.”
Qiu Yi Meng smiled and stood up from her chair, after taking a few steps, she turned back and said, “In fact, I was still hesitating about whether to tie our Qiu Family to him, at least until today, but now I’ve made up my mind, and I feel even more so that my judgment is not wrong.”
“And why is that?”
“Precisely because of his inaction! When he visited the Lu Family, he took no action, after returning to the Central Capital he is still sitting back! In the Lu Family, he never tried to win over Lu Liang, and even after returning to the Central Capital he didn’t make any overtures to the other seven families, but I traveled with him for quite some time so one thing I know for certain is that he is not the kind of person who is content with mediocrity. He is a man of great ambitions and he either doesn’t do something, or does it to the very best of his abilities. He will never give an enemy an opportunity to breathe! His inaction now just goes to show that he is already convinced of his victory!”
As Qiu Yi Meng spoke her brow also furrowed slightly as she slowly shook her head, “I really don’t know where his confidence comes from, but he definitely has it!”
“Elder Sister, isn’t all this just your own guesses and feelings? You haven’t told us anything about what kind of help or means he has!”
Qiu Shou Cheng also frowned. “That’s right, Meng’er, you said before that you were hesitating about aligning yourself with him, do you have any other candidate in mind?”
Listening to this, Qiu Yi Meng suddenly realized that all her efforts had been in vain.
Her father was still not optimistic about Yang Kai! Otherwise he wouldn’t have asked her this question.
“Good, in addition to Yang Kai, I have two other candidates, one is the Eldest Brother Yang Wei, and the other is the Second Brother Yang Zhao. Yang Zhao doesn’t require any explanation; he himself is a talented and strong individual who is also the current Yang Family Patriarch’s son. His chance for success is high. As for Yang Wei, as the eldest of his brothers and the only Immortal Ascension Boundary of the Yang Family younger generation, he also has a decent chance at winning.” Speaking till her, Qiu Yi Meng suddenly smiled bitterly, “But now, both of them have already secured an ally amongst the seven families, if my Qiu Family were to support one of them, I’m afraid that wouldn’t do us much good.”
“En, if we did so, even if they were to win, it won’t result in much benefit for our Qiu Family,” Qiu Shou Cheng said sullenly, suddenly turning his head and looked at his son, “Zi Ruo, what do you think?”
Upon hearing this, Qiu Zi Ruo was secretly ecstatic, knowing that his opportunity had finally come.
This was the first time the Qiu Shou Cheng had taken the initiative to ask him for his own opinion and about such an important matter like the Inheritance War at that, the deeper meaning of this was something Qiu Zi Ruo naturally understood.
“Father, according to your son’s point of view, since we must participate in the Inheritance War, then we should find a Yang Family Young Lord who does not already have an ally amongst the seven families, so that after we achieve victory, our Qiu Family can be the only ones to reap the benefits!” Qiu Zi Ruo wasn’t a stupid person, listening to his elder half-sister talk about it for so long, naturally he had formulated some ideas of his own, “My thoughts are that we should ally ourselves with the Sixth Brother Yang Shen, with his brother, the Seventh Brother Yang Ying already allied with the Kang Family, plus our Qiu Family, such a team would at least be comparable to the Yang Zhao and Yang Kang brothers’ alliance.”
Qiu Shou Cheng smiled and nodded.
Knowing this was a sign of approval; Qiu Zi Ruo knew that what he had proposed was also what his father was thinking, allowing him to breathe a little easier, his excitement showing as a faint blush upon his face.
Witnessing this, Qiu Yi Meng shook her head and sighed.
Even if her performance was superior, in the end she was still a woman, incapable of inheriting the Qiu Family in the future. Her fate was only to be a chess piece used for marriage in order to bring more benefits to the Qiu Family.
The room suddenly fell quiet as Qiu Shou Cheng’s fingers tapped on his chair, wrinkling his brow in contemplation as he weighed the various gains and losses of his next decision.
After a while, his expression became firm, opening his mouth once more, “Good, for this Inheritance War…”
“Father!” Qiu Yi Meng quickly interrupted.
“Hmm?” Qiu Shou Cheng’s brow wrinkled, staring at his daughter with a slight look of disappointment.
“Father, for this Inheritance War, your daughter request permission to bring a team to support Yang Kai!” Qiu Yi Meng grits her teeth and spoke her mind. Although she knew this would make her father unhappy, Qiu Yi Meng still felt that her judgment was definitely not wrong.
Hearing what she said, Qiu Zi Ruo couldn’t help but chuckle.
Staring at his treasured daughter for a while, Qiu Shou Cheng faintly asked, “Do you insist on this?”
“Yes! Your daughter has never once asked you for anything, but this time I must insist on doing this; therefore, please grant your permission.”
“Good, I will transfer the family’s Autumn Rain Hall to you,” Qiu Shou Cheng offhandedly said.
“Many thanks…” Qiu Yi Meng smiled bitterly.
The Autumn Rain Hall wasn’t an important division of the Qiu Family, the number of members it had was small and their individual strengths also wasn’t great, so her father transferring control of it to her was obviously in preparation the Autumn Rain Hall to be completely sacrificed. In fact, Qiu Yi Meng felt that if she hadn’t spoken out so determinedly, she wouldn’t have received any help at all.
[If that’s how you feel, then I’ll let time prove who is right and who is wrong, and just who is more suitable to inherit the Qiu Family!]
Qiu Yi Meng’s eyes suddenly became firm, a hint of ruthlessness hidden with them.
“Draw back,” Qiu Shou Cheng waved, making Qiu Yi Meng retire.
As she left the study, a soft conversation between her father and younger brother took place, and though the voices still reached her ear, Qiu Yi Meng didn’t have any interest in listening.
That same night, the back courtyard of the Clear Sky Tavern, the Bamboo Knot Gang headquarters.
Yang Kai looked at a stack of silver coins in front of him dully.
Behind him stood two towering men. The two of them had stood there quietly for a long time, not saying a word since they had arrived, but their faces were both pale as paper as the veins on their foreheads would throb every now and then. Once in a while, a cold sweat would drip down their faces as they apparently endured tremendous pain, their clothes stained a light red in various places, just like a patchwork of embroidered flower buds.
At their feet was a small pool of blood.
The Bamboo Knot Gang Sect Master Pang Chi and deputy Sect Master Mu Nan Dou carefully stood side by side, measuring the two men who seemed to be on their dying breath, trying to determine why Yang Kai would bring such people around with him.
“Over the past few days, with the combined strength of our two factions we have already annexed two small forces, causing the strength of the Bamboo Knot Gang to soar. We have also collected a lot of materials and money. Young Master Kai, this is an inventory of our gains, everything is recorded within!” Pang Chi respectfully took out a book and placed it in front of Yang Kai.
“No need,” Yang Kai shook his head, “Exchange all these silvers for materials, but the quality must be higher now, everything should be Heaven Grade and above, the higher the grade the better, in addition, how many other forces in the North City District can be eaten?”
“If Brother Mu’s intelligence is accurate, there are still five that can be annexed.” Pang Chi replied.
“Good, each of you bring one of them and subdue those five forces as quickly as possible.” Yang Kai pointed to the two men standing behind him.
“Take… take them?” Pang Chi and Mu Nan Dou suddenly looked dumbfounded as the stared at the bloody figures behind Yang Kai.
What could these two men do? Pang Chi and Mu Nan Dou hadn’t dared speak too loudly before for fear that they may harm these two men, so listening to Yang Kai tell them to bring them out to subdue these small forces obviously perplexed them.
Inside the Bamboo Knot Gang’s main hall, Pang Chi and Mu Nan Dou hesitantly looked at the two people behind Yang Kai.
“Do you have a problem?” One of the seemingly dying people suddenly coldly snorted, an overwhelming Divine Sense pressure filling the air.
Feeling the power of this Divine Sense, Pang Chi and Mu Nan Dou’s expressions immediately changed, realizing that these two men, even if half-dead, were unfathomable masters.
The extraordinary strength of these two Divine Senses would be enough to sweep away the small forces in the entire North City District.
Quickly collecting themselves, the two gang leaders hastily shook their heads, “Subordinate doesn’t dare!”
“Go!” Yang Kai casually waved his hand.
Before they could see the movement of the two towering figures behind Yang Kai, Pang Chi and Mu Nan Dou found themselves wrapped in an irresistible force and disappeared from the hall, leaving behind only a faint bloody smell in the air.
After Qu Gao Yi and Ying Jiu disappeared, Yang Kai grinned.
It had been five days since these two had begun following him.
The two Blood Warriors were seriously injured and should be spending their time recuperating in bed, but Yang Kai had completely ignored their physical conditions and even seemed eager for them to die as soon as possible, taking them with him wherever he went.
Over the past five days, Yang Kai didn’t talk to them or give them any instructions.
But what made Yang Kai happy was that he didn’t feel any annoyance or unwillingness from either Qu Gao Yi or Ying Jiu.
Right now, the two could exert less than thirty percent of their full strength, but that was already more than enough to sweep up the small forces in the Central Capital’s North City District.
If there was time, Yang Kai had wanted to let Pang Chi and Mu Nan Dou slowly annex these small forces themselves, but the Inheritance War was about to start, therefore, he couldn’t afford to wait so long.
Left with no other choice, he decided to dispatch the two Blood Warriors in order to expedite the process.
Standing up, Yang Kai walked out of the main hall and signaled to one of the Bamboo Knot Gang’s executives, “Take me to your warehouse.”
“Yes!”
The Bamboo Knot Gang had already swallowed up two small forces and purchased a lot of Alchemy and Artifact Refining materials at the request of Yang Kai, all of which was now stored in their warehouse.
Yang Kai entered for a moment before just as casually walking out, his Black Book space now filled with many more good things.
In addition to the large amount of materials sent to him five days ago by Yang Zhen and the Elder Hall, Yang Kai’s current stockpile was already quite significant.
The efficiency of the Elder Hall was quite high, it only took them one day to convert all of Yang Kai’s remaining merits into materials and deliver them to the Yang Family Fourth Master’s residence.
When they saw the two rich piles of delivered goods, both Yang Kai and his father couldn’t help feeling shocked.
Everything that was sent was above Heaven Grade, and one-tenth of them were actually Mysterious Grade, half for Alchemy, half for Artifact Refining!
Fortunately, the Yang Family had a solid foundation; otherwise, it wouldn’t have been able to produce so much material in such a short time.
Yang Ying Feng didn’t understand how Yang Kai could have so many remaining merits after acquiring two Blood Warriors.
Yang Kai did not expect to receive so much either.
It was quite a while before the father and son due came to their senses. Now, all of these things had been swept away into the Black Book space.
“Inform Pang Chi to continue to collect materials. When there is enough, have them shipped to War City,” Yang Kai said offhandedly before walking off.
War City! A city built by the Yang Family specifically to host the Inheritance War, located only a hundred kilometers or so from the Central Capital.
“Yes!” The Bamboo Knot Gang’s executive responded vigorously.
After Yang Kai left, the man felt a little confused. Why did the Young Lord want to see the warehouse? It seemed like he just walked in and walked out without taking anything.
Curious, he quickly looked inside, but what he saw almost caused his soul to leave his body, a cold sweat immediately dripping down his forehead.
All the materials originally placed in the warehouse had disappeared, like they were never there.
[This… how did… what… but…]
Three days later, the Yang Family presented offerings to Heaven and their ancestors.
A majestic stage with a perfectly smooth floor covered in a majestic red carpet. The Offering Sacrifices To The Heavens Stage had two magnificent stone pillars atop it that seemed to ascend straight into the sky. On the stone pillars were various lifelike carvings of dragons and phoenixes that appeared to swim through the Nine Heavens.
The sky was blue with not a cloud in sight for ten thousand kilometers, the wind blowing through caused the Yang Family’s blood red banners to flutter gently.
Nearly a thousand Yang Family cultivators, dressed in black uniforms, gathered around the huge ceremonial altar.
These thousand cultivators inhaled and exhaled as one, almost as if this stretch of Heaven and Earth was breathing.
Just below the altar stood the eight Yang Family Young Lords, all of them wearing their finest robes, their appearances meticulously put together, arranged in order from oldest to youngest, staring up at the ceremonial stage.
Suddenly from somewhere behind them, a voice called out, “Qiu Family Patriarch, Qiu Shou Cheng!”
“Ye Family Patriarch, Ye Kuang Ren!”
“Meng Family Patriarch, Meng Xiping!”
……
Just like a few decades ago, the Yang Family Inheritance War was the largest and most lively event in the Central Capital. The other seven families would naturally not miss its commencement, all of the various Patriarchs showing up personally.
Yang Family disciples would meet these distinguished guests and bring them to their arranged positions to sit, carefully serving them tea as they waited.
In the short span of half an hour, the seven family’s Patriarchs had all arrived.
With a cyan flash, the Yang Family’s Patriarch, Yang Ying Hao, along with a few Grand Elders who had reached the Above Immortal Ascension Boundary, appeared on the ceremonial stage.
As soon as the host appeared, Qiu Shou Cheng and others rose up and cupped their fists.
Yang Ying Hao returned to the ceremony politely before shouting, “Today is the day my Yang Family presents offerings to the Heavens and worship our ancestors. Many thanks to our honoured guests for joining us this day, please be seated!”
Qiu Shou Cheng, Ye Kuang Ren, Meng Xi Ping, nodded slightly before once again sitting down.
Yang Kai’s eyes fixed on Yang Ying Hao. This person, if one went by generation, should be his uncle, his real age probably only a few years older than his father, the Yang Family Fourth Master.
But now, Yang Ying Hao’s hair had gone completely gray as if he had already entered his late years, even his face had many deep wrinkles adoring it.
Before the battle with the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land, he was not like this. At that time, he also had the appearance of a middle age man, maybe not young, but definitely not so old.
The reason for his rapid aging was because of an injury he had received at the hands of the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land battle by the Profound Yin Ghost King and the Annihilating Poison King. After returning to the family, he had taken advantage of the Yang Family’s life and death technique to steady his injuries at the cost of shortening his life expectancy to thirty years at most.
The Yang Family Patriarch’s role was crucial, so even though a life expectancy of thirty years wasn’t very long for someone of his cultivation realm, Yang Ying Hao didn’t hesitate to use this forbidden technique to stabilize himself.
His current condition wasn’t simply the result of his trauma, but also a result of him directly overdrawing his vitality.
As such, Yang Ying Hao became very old.
It was because he didn’t know how long he could live that the Yang Family had so anxiously recalled all the Yang Family Young Lords in order to launch the Inheritance War.
Yang Zhao and Yang Kang both looked at their aged father and felt deeply saddened in their hearts.
Yang Ying Hao, on the other hand, wore a light expression as he extolled the Inheritance War’s rules.
Essentially, there were no rules. The Yang Family would only provide Blood Warriors to the Young Lords and these Blood Warriors would have many restrictions imposed on them for the duration of the Inheritance War. Besides that, the Yang Family would not provide any Young Lord with any direct help.
No matter what kind of force or treachery was used, the one who survived until the end would be the winner of the Inheritance War.
“Do you understand?” Yang Ying Hao looked at the eight youths standing below and asked, each of them nodding firmly in response.
“Good, then bow to the Heavens, bow to the ancestors!” Yang Ying Hao waved his hand and shouted loudly.
All kinds of offerings had already been prepared in front of the solemn ceremonial platform, an incense burner released a gentle fragrance while a rare Sixth-Order Monster Beast was carried up, which Yang Ying Hao proceeded to kill, scattering its blood all over the stage.
Offering a blood sacrifice to the Heavens to worship the ancestors!
The ceremony was very elaborate, but Yang Family’s younger generation completed their tasks meticulously under the guidance of Yang Ying Hao.
Throughout the whole process, the other seven families elites also watched carefully, observing the performance of these eight youths, doing their best to determine whether the ally of their son or daughter was appropriate while also examining which of their enemies was formidable.
Finally, after paying respects to the Yang Family’s ancestors one last time, the ceremony was finally completed.
“Go now! From this point on, it is either you die or I die, put your all into it to achieve victory!” Yang Ying Hao shouted, “Go!”
At his command, a whistle rang out and eight exquisite Cloud Treading Colts arrived in front of the eight youths, each these Yang Family Young Lords swiftly riding their mounts.
The wind stopped and the air around the ceremonial stage suddenly seemed to stagnate, the breath of over a thousand people suddenly halting.
The eight youths glanced at each other and grinned confidently.
Here they were all brothers, but outside the Central Capital, they were enemies! There would be no mercy.
And so…
“Eldest Brother will take the lead!” Yang Wei quickly said, his Cloud Treading Colt sprinting away the moment his voice fell.
“Let’s go!” Yang Zhao chuckled.
Eight Cloud Treading Colts dashed towards the Yang Family’s dedicated gate, a cloud of dust billowing up in their wake.
“This old master is going to see the excitement!” Kang Family Patriarch Kang Rui snorted and with a wave of his hand, the pure True Qi wrapped him and his entourage up before they shot off like lightning.
“Good, we’ll go together!” Gao Family Patriarch Gao Mo Jin followed after.
“This old man will also come!” Not to be outdone, Huo Family Patriarch Huo Zheng also called out loudly.
In an instant, all the members of the seven families had disappeared.
“Hmph, no manners at all!” Yang Ying Hao coldly snorted, blaming these old men for not coming up to say hello to him at least.
All the way, eight Cloud Treading Colt rushed along the ground while seven groups of people flew through the sky, a moment later all of them arriving at the South city Gate.
Outside the South Gate, it seemed to be even more lively than at the Yang Family’s ancestor worshipping ceremony. Countless small forces stood around watching, all of them understanding that today was the beginning of the Inheritance War. It was only natural for them to arrive here early and wait for the various Yang Family Young Lords they had agreed to follow so they could travel to War City together.
Beyond the South Gate, a dense crowd of people spread out several kilometers, while there were many others secretly observing from afar.
“Which Young Lord is your Great Yang Valley going to follow?” Some people familiar with one another began asking.
“Of course it’s the Sixth Young Lord, Yang Shen!”
“Don’t go, you’ll definitely lose. Come with us Flying Cloud Manor to follow the Second Young Lord, Yang Zhao, the second Young Lord has more potential than the Sixth Young Lord.”
“Is that true?”
“Naturally it’s true, come come, I’ll tell you about it, I know a lot of inside information.” The two men hooked their shoulders and went off to discuss things in secret.
Small third-class forces like Great Yang Valley and Flying Cloud Manor normally had no way to socialize with the likes of the Yang Family, so before the start of Inheritance War, they had no way to see the Young Lords and could only wait here. They were even less clear about the strengths and weaknesses of these Young Lords, so most of them wanted to observe them for themselves or listen to friends who might know more before deciding who to follow.
In front of the South Gate, seven groups of people suddenly appeared, forcing all the cultivators clustered around back as if they were pushed by an invisible force.
After everyone regained their footing and looked forward, not only did they not feel angry, they instead showed signs of excitement.
Seven of the Eight Great Family’s Patriarchs had all appeared at once!
These great figures couldn’t be seen normally, so everyone who bared witness to them felt that the price they had paid to travel to the Central Capital was worth it.
For a time, many cultivators showed expressions of worship and admiration towards these seven men.
As for these seven Patriarchs, they too stared around at the gathered crowds with interest. What happened next outside the Central Capital was also a test of the charm of the Yang Family Young Lords; naturally they wanted to know which forces waiting at this South Gate would follow which Young Lords.
With a burst of noise, eight Cloud Treading Colts appeared one after another.
The Yang Family’s eight Young Lords participating in the Inheritance War appeared on the scene.
Meng Family’s Meng Shan Yi quickly urged his mount forward and greeted Yang Wei, cupping his fists with a smile, “Young Lord Wei.”
“En, I’ve kept you waiting!” Yang Wei replied calmly and nodded, the two had already announced their alliance so it wasn’t surprising to see them acting intimately here.
Ye Family’s Ye Xin Rou also walked forward, a faint blush appearing on her beautiful face. She was around twenty years old, her skin as pure as snow, her figure graceful, and a touch of shyness which adorned her face only added to her charm as she greeted, “Young Lord Zhao.”
Yang Zhao laughed and extended his hand to Ye Xin Rou, smiling warmly as he called out, “Come up!”
Ye Xin Rou nodded slightly, lightly taking Yang Zhao’s hand and in one move, leapt up and floated in front of Yang Zhao, sitting atop his Cloud Treading Colt.
Upon seeing this, the other six Patriarchs took a deep look at Ye Kuang Ren.
In front of so many eyes, a man and a woman not from the same family acting so closely, it appeared they weren’t just simply allies. Obviously there was something more going on.
Ye Kuang Ren remained indifferent, showing no intention of blaming his daughter for acting so boldly, seemingly well aware of this relationship.
At the same time, Gao Rang Feng and Yang Kang greeted each other while Kang Zhan and Yang Ying smiled at one another.
These four families had long ago expressed their stance, allying themselves with these four Young Lords.
This was a stage for young people.
“Old Qiu, hasn’t your Qiu Family chosen yet?” Huo Zheng looked over at Qiu Shou Cheng curiously. Glancing around, he once again confirmed that his delinquent son was nowhere to be seen. Thinking about how he was probably off on some romantic tryst, he suddenly felt a sense of helplessness so seeing Qiu Shou Cheng standing as well, he couldn’t help feeling some sympathy.
“How has my Qiu Family not already chosen?” Qiu Shou Cheng smiled slightly as he glanced to one side.
Huo Zheng directed his sight towards where Qiu Shou Cheng indicated and quickly discovered Qiu Zi Ruo standing together with the Sixth Brother Yang Shen. Yang Shen seemed all too happy to receive Qiu Zi Ruo while the latter responded politely.
Seeing Qiu Shou Cheng’s son here, Huo Zheng couldn’t help being surprised, “Hey, Old Qiu, for this time’s Inheritance War, is your son leading the Qiu Family team? What about Meng’er?”
The other six Patriarchs also looked at Qiu Shou Cheng in confusion, obviously puzzled by this picture.
Qiu Shou Cheng had one son and one daughter, but there was no small difference between the two. Qiu Yi Meng’s name already resounded throughout the Central Capital and even beyond, she was the second most famous member of the Central Capital’s younger generation. All of them felt that Qiu Yi Meng’s participation in this Inheritance War was a given, but to their surprise the one who appeared was Qiu Zi Ruo.
“My son is already old enough, it’s time for him to gain some experience.” Qiu Shou Cheng smiled casually. “The Inheritance War is a rare opportunity for him to grow!”
Huo Zheng spat disdainfully, releasing a half sneer half sigh, “Old Qiu, it’s not that I’m trying to speak badly of him. Heaven knows that compared to my little bastard of a son, your brat is no doubt better, but he’s still nothing special. From how I see it, you should hurry up and pass the Patriarch position to your daughter. If you really hand it over to your son, you Qiu Family will meet its end sooner rather than later!”
Qiu Shou Cheng coldly snorted, “How this old master handles things is none of your business!”
Huo Zheng simply rolled his eyes in response, “Stubborn old fool.”
In the field, five of the Eight Great Families had already expressed their attitudes and the people from the other gathered forces had who had been observing up until now could no longer hold themselves back. The next moment, a young man rushed forward and stood before Yang Wei, cupping his fists respectfully, “Third Sacred Sect’s Chief Disciple Xuan Li is willing to follow the First Young Lord!”
Yang Wei glanced at him and nodded gently, “Good!”
Xuan Li happily thanked Yang Wei before he quickly took up a spot behind him.
Following Third Sacred Sect’s lead, young people from all sizes of Sects came forward in a hurry to express their wish to join the Yang Family Young Lord they had chosen.
For a time, the scene was quite lively. From the gathered audience, the Eldest Brother Yang Wei and Second Brother Yang Zhao received the most help, whenever someone came up to one of them, Yang Wei would simply nod lightly while Yang Zhao would welcome them with a smile.
The two brothers had vastly different personalities so their way of doing things at this moment were also dissimilar.
In addition to the two of them, Fifth Brother Yang Kang, Sixth Brother Yang Shen, and Seventh Brother Yang Ying also gathered a number of supporters in a short period of time.
Only the third Brother Yang Tie, Eighth Brother Yang Quan and the youngest Yang Kai remained alone. They stood in front of the door without anyone bothering to ask about their situation.
The difference between the brothers in terms of their connections and charisma was identifiable at a glance.
Yang Tie and Yang Quan glanced at each other and exchanged a bitter smile, knowing they had no hope of winning this time’s Inheritance War.
“Brother Kai, don’t pay it any mind,” Yang Tie suddenly comforted Yang Kai in a soft voice.
“En,” Yang Quan nodded lightly, “You’re still better off than us; not only do you have two Blood Warriors, you also have support from your mother’s first-class force whereas we… haa!”
There was an indescribable despair and helplessness in their tone, one of them only had one Blood Warrior, the other had none.
“It’s fine,” Yang Kai slowly shook his head, seemingly without the slightest care, but his eyes were always fixed on the dozen or so Blood Warriors which stood nearby.
These Blood Warriors were selected by the Yang Family Young Lords to participate in the Inheritance War. Qu Gao Yi and Ying Jiu were also standing in the middle, pale as paper, anyone with discerning eyes could see that they were still heavily injured. Their vitality wavered as their Blood Force had obviously suffered a great loss. If they didn’t rest and receive treatment soon, it was quite possible that they would die.
But despite all that, the two of them still stood there, resolute and motionless.
It was only when Yang Kai cast his gaze on them did they straighten their backs slightly more.
However, Yang Kai wasn’t looking at them, but rather another man and woman!
Tu Feng, Tang Yu Xian!
Both of them reluctantly smiled towards Yang Kai. They didn’t want to oppose him, but Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian were both selected by one of the Young Lords to participate in this Inheritance War, so they were destined to become enemies with Yang Kai regardless of their wills.
It was just that Yang Kai didn’t know for the time being which of his brothers they served.
When Yang Kai smiled back at them, both Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian trembled lightly, feeling a cold chill run up their spine. Every time the Little Lord smiled like this it meant that he was up to something.
[I really don’t want to be enemies with him!] Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian both thought to themselves, filled with bitterness. Although their strength still greatly surpassed his, Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian didn’t know why, but they both couldn’t help feeling pressure from this Little Lord of theirs.
As time passed, the various gathered forces divided themselves between the five Yang Family Young Lords who everyone felt had hopes of winning.
Seeing this, Yang Tie and Yang Quan’s expression became dimmer and dimmer.
The Patriarchs of the seven family were all commenting on the Yang Family’s children, but Qiu Shou Cheng was particularly amazed.
Since listening to his daughter’s evaluation of Yang Kai that night, Qiu Shou Cheng had decided to pay a little attention to him today, but despite the fact that none of the smaller forces rallied to his side, the thick look of confidence which filled his eyes never wavered.
This scene secretly surprised Qiu Shou Chen.
The brief exchange between Yang Kai and Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian also didn’t escape his observation, only confusing Qiu Shou Cheng more.
An unsupported child from the Yang Family was equal to a tiger without fangs. Like this, just what kind of stir could he cause during this Inheritance War? Also, in such an embarrassing situation, he didn’t show the slightest unease. From beginning to end, he seemed like an island of calm in a raging storm, as if he was absolutely assured of himself even now.
Moreover, the two Blood Warriors who were Immortal Ascension Boundary Eighth Stage masters, why did it seem like they were afraid of him?
Qiu Shou Cheng couldn’t help marvelling slightly at all this, his evaluation of Yang Kai improving slightly.
Perhaps he really had some skill, but… it definitely wasn’t enough to win this battle.
His results could easily be seen from the current situation, he didn’t have the qualifications to strive for victory in this Inheritance War.
Once all the smaller forces had chosen their respective sides, the Yang Family’s Young Lords prepared to leave for War City.
Just as Yang Wei gripped his reins and was preparing to lead his team off though, a leisurely sound of horse’s hooves rang out from behind him.
Outside the South Gate, the crowd fell silent for a moment as the sound of grew louder and louder.
Turning in the direction of the disturbance, everyone looked over and saw a single Cloud Treading Colt trotting towards them, a young man wearing a big grin on his face sitting atop its back, holding his folded arms before him arrogantly. A strange light filled his eyes as he swept his gaze over the crowd, pausing only when a beautiful woman landed in his sight.
No matter which woman it was, when this young man’s eyes landed on them, they couldn’t help feeling as if their dresses were being torn open, causing them to shiver in fright.
Huo Family Patriarch Huo Zheng old face suddenly became extremely awkward.
Because the youth who had appeared was none other than his no-good son, Huo Xing Chen.
With only a short distance separating them, Yang Kai and Huo Xing Chen glanced at each other, the latter showing a hint of disdain and provocation, the edges of his mouth rising slightly.
That night, Huo Xing Chen had led the Profound Light Gang to attack Bamboo Knot Gang, but when Yang Kai arrived, he had taken Huo Xing Chen hostage and later blackmailed him out of a large sum of money, which had resulted in him handing over the Profound Light Gang. Now that they had met once again, Huo Xing Chen naturally wouldn’t give him any face.
“Did this Young Lord arrive late?” Huo Xing Chen paused in front of everyone, grinning pompously, sweeping his eyes around once more before nodding. “Good good, fortunately it seems I’ve arrived in time!”
Before the Yang Family Young Lords returned home, there were three members of the younger generation whose names resounded the loudest in the Central Capital.
The first and most famous was Liu Qing Yao, the second was Qiu Yi Meng, and the third is Huo Xing Chen.
The first two were famous throughout the Central Capital whereas the last one was notorious. Everyone in Central Capital knew that the Huo Family’s only Young Lord was arrogant and unrestrained. Any beautiful girl, young or old, when she saw him from far away, would immediately rush to avoid his eyes lest she be taken away.
Every family in the Central Capital that had a pretty young daughter had shown her a portrait of Huo Xing Chen’s face so that she would remember his appearance.
In a way, Huo Xing Chen’s name was even better known than Liu Qing Yao and Qiu Yi Meng. He had even earned the nickname ‘Central Capital Wolf’!
Wherever Huo Xing Chen, the Central Capital Wolf, appeared, the winds whirled and the ground shook. Even the Central Capital’s crying children would become silent at the mention of the Central Capital Wolf’s name!
At this moment, the Central Capital Wolf sat on the back of his Cloud Treading Colt as he pompously stared around, hands clasped before his chest, not showing any intention of dismounting to greet any of the many Elders gathered around him, causing many of the other families’ Patriarchs to glance at each other and shake their heads.
“Where did you go last night?” Huo Zheng let out a sigh of frustration as he asked.
“Secluded retreat,” Huo Xing Chen casually replied.
To this response, Huo Zheng was so angry that smoke nearly burst from his ears, “Little bastard! What the hell is that lipstick on your face about then!?”
Outside the South Gate, there was a sudden burst of laughter.
Huo Xing Chen however didn’t mind these chuckles, instead just sneering as he swept his eyes over the crowd, immediately causing the laughter to stop.
Even though the Central Capital Wolf’s reputation couldn’t be worse, he was still the Young Lord of one of the Eight Great Families! He wasn’t someone these people could laugh at.
Not to mention, he was the only successor to the Huo Family, making it even more unwise to provoke him. If one were to laugh at him again now, they would have to worry that this Young Lord Huo would remember their appearance.
Huo Zheng shook his head helplessly, his face filled with barely controlled rage, coldly snorting as he asked, “Since you’re not fooling around in the Red Light district, what are you doing here?”
Huo Xing Chen smiled and said, “Hahaha, didn’t you say that the Yang Family Inheritance War was a rare opportunity to gain experience? Your son has thought about it and came to the conclusion that the Huo Family can’t just sit on the sidelines of such a major event, or else others might start saying my Huo Family has no real men!”
Hearing these words, Huo Zheng couldn’t help smiling, his previous displeasure and anger already thrown to the wind, hurriedly asking, “You mean… you want to participate in the Inheritance War?”
“Your son was indeed thinking so, after all, I should try to live up to your expectations!” Huo Xing Chen replied in a dignified manner.
Huo Zheng was overjoyed, slapping his thigh happily, “Good good good! You finally understand, finally! It’s not too late! Good, come down, come down!”
As he spoke, Huo Zheng rushed forward, diligently helping his son down from the back of his Cloud Treading Colt.
He didn’t feel the slightest embarrassment at his overly doting approach, instead just smiling brightly as he acted.
Of course Huo Zheng would be deliriously happy. No matter how he tried to persuade Huo Xing Chen, his son was never willing to participate in the Inheritance War. Compared with the Inheritance War, he was more willing to go out drinking.
This attitude had caused Huo Zheng to think that the Huo Family would have nothing to do with this times Inheritance War, leaving him quite depressed.
But now, to his great surprise, on the day the Inheritance War truly commenced, his delinquent son had actually taken the initiative to participate all by himself, how could Huo Zheng not be happy?
“Take a look!” Huo Zheng smiled, waving his hand and pointing towards several nearby youths, “These are the eight Yang Family Young Lords! Son, choose one you want to support, after you do, Father promises you he’ll let the Star Hall accompany you!”
“Do you mean it?” Huo Xing Chen’s brow rose, his face suddenly becoming wretched.
“Naturally I mean what I say, in the presence of so many of your Elders, will this old master make jokes with you?” Huo Zheng said seriously.
“Hahaha, good! I like it!” Huo Xing Chen laughed as he licked his lips ominously.
The voices of the father and son were heard by everyone present, even the breathing of many of the Yang Family Young Lords also became slightly rough.
Star Hall! Within the Huo Family, it was their special forces.
It was completely made up of women, and the women inside were not only beautiful, but also quite strong. More importantly, because they were women, the Secret Arts and Martial Skills they practiced were more focused on precision and swiftness, so over the years they had mainly been responsible for assassination.
If such a force were to land in their hands, it would become a big boost. If it became an enemy’s support, it would definitely give them a severe headache.
So when these Yang Family children heard Huo Zheng mention the Star Hall, both they and Huo Xing Chen were full of interest.
Huo Xing Chen’s expression was casual as he glanced around at all the Yang Family’s children. With the exception of Yang Wei who maintained his stoic expression, everyone else smiled and cupped their fists.
Obviously they all wanted to win his favor so he would choose to stand with them.
Huo Zheng however just maintained his smile, not giving anyone any clue as to who he would ultimately choose.
After a moment of silence, Huo Xing Chen’s gaze landed on Yang Kai, his expression immediately becoming wicked as a taunting grin appeared on his face, nodding firmly, “You!”
Yang Kai’s brow twitched as he looked at Huo Xing Chen, his face filling with confusion.
He had never expected Huo Xing Chen would choose him. This was completely unreasonable, after all, the two of them had some not small grievances between them. As long as he was a normal person, he would choose others and then make every effort to suppress him to achieve the purpose of revenge, but now he had actually chosen to support Yang Kai; simply incomprehensible.
“Who?” Huo Zheng also looked awkward.
“Young Lord Kai!” Huo Xing Chen replied with a smile.
The seven Patriarchs all frowned slightly while Qiu Shou Cheng became even more puzzled.
“Hey, give me control of the Star Hall now,” Huo Xing Chen said excitedly, “The Star Hall and my name match; they should be taken care of by me. You’re already quite old; you shouldn’t hold them back now lest those beauties end up alone when you croak!”
Huo Zheng’s old face cramped as he opened his mouth a few times, seemingly wanting to curse viciously but doing his best to hold back since he was currently in public, after a long time, angrily muttering, “Little bastard! I won’t allow you to do this!”
Huo Xing Chen suddenly wore an amazed expression, “Are your words just farts? You just said that after I make a choice you’d give me the Star Hall yet now you’re refusing to follow through, do you not want face anymore?”
All of the other Patriarchs gathered nearby felt their self-restraint being test as all of them couldn’t help feeling the impulse to laugh at this good show playing out before them, each of them either staring up or down, pretending to be deaf as they wore big grins on their faces.
Huo Zheng roared furiously, “I told you to make a choice and then I’d give you the Star Hall, but you… you… if you had chosen someone good then so be it but you actually choose this…”
Yang Kai expression immediately sank as he stared towards Huo Zheng, smiling ominously.
Huo Zheng quickly collected himself, releasing a dry cough, not pursuing this topic any further, instead just shaking his head and saying, “No, it’s not good. Choose someone else!”
“As a man, how can I not uphold my word? This is a decision about a future ally not a concubine, how can I change my mind now?” Huo Xing Chen spoke righteously, waving his hand in a big motion, “Say no more, I’ve decided!”
“You… you unfilial son!” Huo Zheng shouted indignantly, the veins in his neck throbbing as his face became beet red, even his True Qi fluctuating somewhat unsteadily.
“Hey, dad, you seem angry. Do you want to hit me?” Huo Xing Chen said with an entirely fake naive expression, seemingly doing his best to provoke his father even more, almost as if he wanted him to die from anger.
The other Patriarchs had seen enough by this point, some of them trying to mediate the situation.
Gao Mo Dao spoke first, “Old Huo, forget it, your son has his own thoughts, why try to block him so desperately?”
Meng Xi Ping also added, “That’s right, just let it go, it’s nothing important.”
Huo Zheng coldly snorted in response, “Nothing important? That’s the strength my Huo Family carefully cultivated! Do you all not take the forces your families’ have raised seriously?”
All the other Patriarchs laughed awkwardly at this rebuttal, saying no more.
“Huo Zheng!” Yang Ying Hao, who had arrived at the South Gate at some point and had witnessed at least some of the farce which had taken place just now, finally couldn’t contain himself anymore and shouted, “The Inheritance War is the grand event by which my Yang Family chooses its next Patriarch. It is also the stage for the younger generation to prove themselves, Xing Chen has made his choice, you shouldn’t involve yourself more than necessary.”
At Yang Ying Hao’s words, Huo Zheng couldn’t help but frown.
Huo Xing Chen smiled and said, “It seems the Yang Family’s Patriarch is wise, unlike my confused old man!”
“If you dare act presumptuously again, this Old Man swears he’ll kill you today!” Huo Zheng furiously roared.
“Fine, fine, you’re not as young as you used to be, you should just go home, retire from your position, and leave the Huo Family to me.” Huo Xing Chen waved his hand impatiently.
“Disobedient brat!” Huo Zheng ground his teeth in frustration, “Whatever you choose to do is your freedom, I won’t stop you, but if you think this old man will give you command of the Star Hall, you’re dreaming!”
After making this declaration, Huo Zheng turned around and stormed off.
Huo Xing Chen didn’t pay him any attention, instead turning to Yang Kai and grinning meaningfully, “Young Lord Kai, it seems that we’ll be fighting together as brothers in arms!”
Yang Kai just stared back at him indifferently.
Outside the South Gate, things finally subsided.
The Eight Young Lords rode their Cloud Treading Colts and headed to War City!
Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian looked at Yang Kai awkwardly for a moment before nodding slightly, turning around and following behind Yang Kang as he gradually rode off into the distance.
Yang Kai saw this scene and couldn’t help grinning maliciously, signaling to Qu Gao Yi and Ying Jiu casually, “Let’s go.”
“Yes!” The two loudly shouted.
Huo Xing Chen rode up to Yang Kai’s side and looked at him curiously, glancing back at Qu Gao Yi and Ying Jiu a few times before letting out a laugh, “Interesting, interesting! Not a single force willing to support you, two half-dead Blood Warriors, don’t you think you situation isn’t that optimistic?”
“If you speak any more nonsense, I’ll kick you out!” Yang Kai glanced at him coldly.
Huo Xing Chen was startled, apparently not expecting Yang Kai’s attitude towards him to be so bad, but rather than being angry, he instead became even more interested, “Your other brothers were all kind and amiable, yet you dare act this way towards me. You really are interesting! This Young Master wants to see how you make it through the night!”
“You think I’m going to lose?” Yang Kai suddenly looked at him with a smile.
Huo Xing Chen choosing to ally with himself had greatly exceeded Yang Kai’s expectations and Yang Kai didn’t intend to count on him for any help but it wasn’t until now that he understood his true thoughts.
He simply wanted a front row seat!
“Why do you think this Young Master chose you?” Huo Xing Chen smirked, “This Young Master wants to see how a toothless, clawless tiger is defeated in this Inheritance War!”
“If so then I’m afraid you’re going to be disappointed,” Yang Kai grinned back at him fiercely, his eyes filled with confidence.
Huo Xing Chen snorted disdainfully, “I don’t deny that your personal strength is outstanding, but what can accomplish all alone?”
Turning back, Huo Xing Chen pointed at Gao Gao Yi and Ying Jiu and said, “You think those two can play any role? Maybe you’ve become senile just like my old man.”
Qu Gao Yi and Ying Jiu’s expression sank, both of them firmly declaring, “Even if we subordinates lose our lives, we swear we will not let anyone close to the Little Lord!”
Hearing Qu Gao Yi and Ying Jiu declare themselves subordinates, coupled with their respectful attitudes, Huo Xing Chen couldn’t help but frown, subconsciously feeling that something was a little wrong.
Were the Yang Family’s Blood Warriors ever so polite to someone who wasn’t yet their master?
“How about we make a bet?” Yang Kai suddenly looked at Huo Xing Chen and smiled deviously.
“What are we gambling on?” Huo Xing Chen suddenly became interested.
“We’ll gamble on whether or not I can survive this evening!”
Staring at Yang Kai, the Central Capital Wolf’s eyes narrowed slightly, his thoughts turning sharply.
“Afraid?” Yang Kai laughed, his expression ice cold, sarcastically muttering, “If you’re afraid there’s no need to follow me, if you’re not careful, you may lose your life tonight! I heard that you’re the only heir to the Huo Family, if you die in War City things probably won’t end peacefully!”
“Afraid?” Huo Xing Chen grinned ominously, “This Young Master doesn’t know the meaning of the word! If you dare gamble with me, I’ll make sure you regret it! Don’t you know this Young Master is most famous for three things? Eating, drinking, and gambling!”
As he spoke, a look of excitement flashed across his eyes.
“What are the stakes?” Huo Xing Chen asked.
Yang Kai glanced over Huo Xing Chen and quipped, “You’re dirt poor right now, what can you possibly offer up?”
Huo Xing Chen’s mouth twitched before scratching his head awkwardly, “Fair enough.”
“Then we’ll go with something small,” Yang Kai laughed deviously. “If you lose, I don’t want anything from you, instead you’ll have to run ten laps around War City naked!”
“Uh… this… doesn’t seem appropriate, Brother Kai…” Huo Xing Chen suddenly frowned, if he really were to streak ten laps around War City, would he have any face left at all?
“What’s wrong, you’re already infamous throughout the Central Capital, running ten laps in the nude shouldn’t be a problem for you, there’s no need to fear being itchy when you’re already covered in lice.” Yang Kai said dismissively, his expression filled with mockery.
Listening to Yang Kai’s persuasion, Huo Xing Chen couldn’t help feeling he was right, eventually nodding, “What you say is true, but in any case I don’t think I’ll lose. If you lose, what can you give me?”
Yang Kai whistled loudly and suddenly a loud eagle cry rang out above them!
Immediately, a golden light swooped down and a Golden Feather Eagle perched steadily atop Yang Kai’s shoulder, its sharp intelligent eyes shimmering as it glanced about.
“If I lose, I’ll give him to you!”
Huo Xing Chen suddenly felt excited; if Yang Kai had said he would give him some artifact or Precious treasure he may not have been interested, as the sole heir to the Huo Family, what treasure could he not acquire?
However, this Golden Feather Eagle was different. This was an exclusive Monster Beast of the Yang Family. Forget about it being a formidable Monster Beast, just its grand appearance was enough to make Huo Xing Chen very tempted.
When he went out in the future, if he could bring along this Golden Feather Eagle with him, wouldn’t that give a big boost to his face?
As a Young Lord who revelled in extravagance, such prospects were quite to his liking.
“Say it and mean it!” Huo Xing Chen was afraid that Yang Kai would back down, so he quickly agreed, staring towards the Golden Feather Eagle with a look of joy, muttering under his breath, “Little Eagle, seems your surname will change tonight!”
Yang Kai smiled and said nothing.
A hundred kilometers from the Central Capital, War City.
This was a city built by Yang Family, and although it wasn’t as prosperous as the Central Capital, it was still quite good. Usually, it was just another ordinary city, but every time the Inheritance War was held, it would transform into a battlefield.
War City had an octagonal shape with a large mansion at each of its corners, naturally these mansions were prepared for the eight Young Lords who would participate in this time’s Inheritance War.
It was possible they would be fighting here for quite some time.
Throughout the ages, it was unusual for one of the Yang Family Young Lords to achieve total victory in a short period of time. Most of the Inheritance Wars were long drawn out conflicts, normally taking anywhere from three to five years to determine the outcome.
According to Yang Family’s records, one of the Yang Family Young Lords a hundred years ago had won the Inheritance war after only half a year.
This kind of achievement was already enough to be arrogant about because the closer one came to victory, the more powerful their enemies would also be.
It was only when one had a considerable advantage that they could easily defeating their opponents.
As the brothers entered the city in turn, the whole of War City instantly boiled. There were quite a few people living here, but most had already left for fear they might be implicated in the Yang Family Inheritance War.
Those who remained were all daring people, many of whom were actually quite looking forward to Inheritance War.
After exchanging some final remarks, the brothers separated from each other and went to their respective compounds.
Yang Kai’s base was in the northwest corner. This location’s scenery wasn’t very good, relatively remote and deserted, but he didn’t care.
A group of only four people arrived at the northwest corner’s compound where two pretty servants stood waiting for them. Each of the eight mansions had some caretakers; these servants were sent by the Yang Family to take care of the daily needs of the Young Lord and their entourage. All of these people were ordinary mortals, so their presence wouldn’t have any effect on the outcome of the Inheritance War.
When Yang Kai arrived, the two elegantly dressed young girls bowed politely and shouted, “Greetings, Young Lord Kai!”
The tone these two spoke in was not enthusiastic but rather matter of fact; whether it was Yang Kai or Huo Xing Chen, both of them subtly found that the expressions of these two maids was faintly dispirited.
The reason was obviously because they were assigned to the base of a Young Lord who had no future, so the two girls unconsciously weren’t looking forward to it.
The servants in these mansions, although not participants in the Inheritance War, certainly hoped to follow one of the better Young Lords, not only so their own safety would be guarantee, but also in hopes that if the one who they served was satisfied with them, once that Young Lord inherited the Patriarch’s position they would also have a chance to rise.
Huo Xing Chen smiled at Yang Kai, seemingly taunting him that even the ordinary people thought he had no chance of success, once more feeling that things were becoming interesting.
Yang Kai remained indifferent, only nodding slightly to the two servants before leading Qu Gao Yi and Ying Jiu into the compound.
Behind him, Huo Xing Chen smiled and called out to the two young girls, “Young ladies, what are your names?”
Seeing the obscene expression on Huo Xing Chen’s face, the two girls couldn’t help being frightened, retreating a few steps as their faces paled.
Naturally these two had heard the Central Capital Wolf’s name, so both of them were secretly anxious about how they would escape from his poisonous hands, but a moment later, Yang Kai’s voice passed from inside the yard, “Don’t even think of laying hands on anyone in my mansion!”
Huo Xing Chen’s expression cramped as he called out bitterly, “Hey, Yang Kai, aren’t you being a bit too controlling?”
After shouting so, he quickly chased after the trio who went in before him and said with indignation, “There seems to be no other beauties here, what do you want me to do to pass the time?”
Yang Kai gave him a faint look and said, “There should be a brothel in War City, you can head there yourself if you’re not afraid of being captured!”
“Fine, fine,” Huo Xing Chen waved his hand and said reluctantly. He had chosen to support Yang Kai in full view of the public, so despite his motives he had now become enemies with almost everyone else in this city. Even he knew that now wasn’t the time to visit the local Red Light District.
“If you’re looking for a beautiful woman, would I suffice?” From inside the mansion’s front entrance, a woman’s voice suddenly called out.
Hearing this voice, Yang Kai couldn’t help gawking, while Huo Xing Chen almost instinctively shrank his neck and stared ahead miserably.
What he saw was a bright eyed, delicate, jade skinned young woman wearing a lavender dress, a pleasant smile on her face as she walked out from inside, her two arms crossed in front of her, emphasising her rich, snow white peaks. Laughing lightly at the two dumbfounded youths before her.
“Qiu Yi Meng?” Huo Xing Chen exclaimed.
“I was wondering who it was who was seeking for beautiful women! So it turns out it was Brother Huo!” Qiu Yi Meng looked at Huo Xing Chen with a warm friendly smile, the latter staring back at her bitterly. Silently cursing his back luck to actually be meeting her here before suddenly feeling surprised, staring at Qiu Yi Meng in shock as if a strange thought had just crossed his mind.
“How come you’re here?” Yang Kai’s brow wrinkled as he asked.
Today had been full of surprises, Huo Xing Chen had become his ally for no apparent reason and now even Qiu Yi Meng had come here.
“Hasn’t your Qiu Family decided to side with my Sixth Brother?” Yang Kai frowned.
Qiu Family’s Qiu Zi Ruo had joined up with Yang Shen outside the South City Gate and at the time, the Qiu Family Patriarch Qiu Shou Cheng was also on the scene. That display was clearly telling everyone that the Qiu Family was an ally of Yang Kai’s Sixth Brother.
Yang Kai didn’t understand why Qiu Yi Meng had appeared in his compound, and it looked as if she had actually been waiting for him.
“The Qiu Family is the Qiu Family, and I am I!” Qiu Yi Meng smiled brightly, tilting her head slightly as she turned her eyes upwards slightly towards Yang Kai, “Why, am I not welcome?”
“Beauty, you weren’t disowned by your family were you?” Huo Xing Chen blurted out a guess he had.
“What do you mean, explain it to me simply.” Yang Kai asked curiously, completely ignoring Huo Xing Chen’s outburst.
“I’m here to help you, isn’t this the Inheritance War? What’s so difficult to understand? From now on, we’re allies.” Qiu Yi Meng grinned, seeing Yang Kai in a state of confusion made her quite happy.
Huo Xing Chen’s thoughts spun for a moment before smiling wickedly, “Your old man is quite cunning isn’t he? He actually decided to place two bets instead of one.”
He was was obviously misunderstanding, thinking that the Qiu Family had decided to support both Yang Shen and Yang Kai; however, Huo Xing Chen also had many doubts. He didn’t understand what kind of magic Yang Kai had used to persuade the Qiu Family to take a chance on him. He had only come here to fool around at Yang Kai’s expense because he was looking for excitement, but the Qiu Family was definitely not like this.
“Like I said, the Qiu Family is the Qiu Family, I am I,” Qiu Yi Meng slowly shook her head, “Right now I’m not representing the Qiu Family, only myself.”
Yang Kai’s thoughts turned quickly, soon grasping the general situation, nodding lightly as he asked, “Understood, how many people did you bring with you?”
Qiu Yi Meng smiled wryly, “I was only allowed to bring the Autumn Rain Hall with me.”
Releasing his Divine Sense, Yang Kai instantly understood the strength and condition of all the cultivators inside the mansion, causing his brow to twitch slightly.
Huo Xing Chen beside him also let out a sneer, “The Autumn Rain Hall? The one that specializes in housing disabled cultivators? If I remember correctly it only has about twenty members, right?”
“En, it’s the hall specialized in taking care of our wounded!” Qiu Yi Meng gave Huo Xing Chen an annoyed glare.
Amongst the Qiu Family’s cultivators, anyone who had received a grave injury, suffered a decline in strength, and had no hope of ever recovering in the future was sent to the Autumn Rain Hall. There was only one or two Immortal Ascension Boundary experts in the entire hall, and their realms weren’t high.
Qiu Yi Meng along with these people simply weren’t enough to cope with the crisis that Yang Kai would be facing tonight.
“If they’ve come then so be it, having help is always better than having nothing.” Yang Kai looked at Qiu Yi Meng, smiled and nodded.
Qiu Yi Meng smiled back brilliantly and said, “I hope you don’t let me down!”
“What are you so optimistic about?” Huo Xing Chen shook his head slightly, wondering why these two didn’t seem the least bit concerned about this Inheritance War, crossing his arms and saying, “A helper with no power to use, two severely injured Blood Warriors, and a Young Lady who only brought a bunch of disabled people with her. It’s hopeless, Yang Kai, you might as well give up right now.”
Huo Xing Chen was clearly not optimistic about Yang Kai, “Doesn’t your mother come from the Dong Family? Why didn’t I see them with you at the South Gate? Don’t they care about you?”
Right now, if there was the support of a first-class family, the situation probably wouldn’t be so worrying.
“They’ll come,” Yang Kai grinned deviously, “Just not today!”
“What do you mean?” This time it was Qiu Yi Meng’s turn to be stunned. From Yang Kai’s smile, she smelled a hint of conspiracy, but as intelligent as she was, she still couldn’t figure what kind of snake oil Yang Kai was selling.
“All of you can attend to your own business, today there’ll be nothing for you to worry about. Men will block the enemy and earth will block the water.” Yang Kai casually said, leading Qu Gao Yi and Ying Jiu into the mansion.
“Why you…” Qiu Yi Meng followed a few steps, but seeing Yang Kai striding away, not even glancing back, she suddenly couldn’t help feeling annoyed, angrily stomping her foot a few times as she ground her teeth.
She was even more certain now that Yang Kai was plotting something, but simply refused to explain anything to her at all, causing Qiu Yi Meng to feel a sense of frustration.
Every time she was facing Yang Kai, she was led around by her nose, always unable to gain the upper hand, she simply couldn’t grasp what he was thinking or what he would do next.
[As sly as a fox!] Qiu Yi Meng silently cursed to herself.
Standing bitterly in the same place for a while, Qiu Yi Meng eventually snorted once before heading off to arrange her Autumn Rain Hall’s defense. Although there were no masters in the Autumn Rain Hall, it was still possible for them to lay down some traps around the perimeter.
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War City. Grand Origin Restaurant.
The restaurant was in full swing, customers coming and going, keeping the waiters constantly busy.
Before the Inheritance War began, a lot of people had already gathered inside War City. This was the battlefield of the Yang Family, naturally there were some who had come here early to await the arrival of the Yang Family Young Lords.
At a table by a window, a young fatty, around twenty six years old sat drinking wine and eating delicious food.
To his left and right there were two old men who say there staring off into the distance, like they had been stunned and were in a daze. The two old men seemed unremarkable, motionless, squinting like they were half asleep, but their seemingly unfocused eyes were actually constantly observing the guests inside the restaurant.
The crowd in the restaurant was constant chatting, many of the patrons who had drunk too much were telling tales of what had happened outside the Central Capital’s South Gate today.
The two old and one young man sat there listening to these words, after a long time, one of the old men said, “Young Master, if what they say is true, then Young Lord Kai’s future is worrying.”
With only Huo Xing Chen, who couldn’t mobilize any power from the Huo Family, supporting him, Yang Kai essentially was on his own.
“En,” The other old man also nodded slightly, “Are we really not going to his compound to help now?”
“I also want to head there.” The young man with a slightly fat body grumbled angrily, his expression quite helpless, “But that little brat sent me a letter two days ago telling me specifically not to intervene today but instead to just sit back and observe the situation.”
“Don’t intervene?” The old man who spoke first asked in confusion, “Does that mean Young Lord Kai thinks that without any additional strength, he can cope with the impending danger? My Dong Family is bound by marriage with the Fourth Master and Young Master and Young Lord Kai are cousins. Now that he is facing difficulties, we should render him assistance, should we not?”
The young man was none other than the Dong Family’s Dong Qing Han, and the two old men were the Wind and Cloud Dual Guards who had been following him all this time.
Dong Qing Han shook his head lightly, “Only the Heavens know what that smelly brat is up to. I also heard that the two Blood Warriors with him are seriously wounded and currently can’t use even half of their full strength. I also wanted to rush over to meet with him, but since he specifically made a request for me to wait, I can only wait.”
The Wind Guard’s brow lightly furrowed, “The Yang Family’s Blood Warrior all posses incredible strength. This old master has also had some dealings with the two Blood Warriors beside Young Lord Kai, and I know for a fact that both of them are among the very best!”
Dong Qing Han suddenly became interested, smiling as he asked, “If you were to engage in a life or death battle with them, what would the result be?”
Wind and Cloud Dual Guards wore solemn expression as they responded, “Both of us old masters have lower cultivations than those two by a single minor realm. If they were at their peak, even if only one of them displayed their Mad Tyrant Blood Skill, killing us would be as easy as flipping their hand, but as of now… I’m confident that in a one on one, we’d be able to beat them easily.”
Dong Qing Han let out a sharp breath, his expression a mix of surprise and awe, nodding lightly, “The Yang Family really lives up to its reputation. With that Mad Tyrant Blood Skill at its disposal, who could possibly beat them?”
The Wind Guard calmly continued, “The Mad Tyrant Blood Skill is indeed a terrifying method, but because it requires the user to overdraw their vitality, most of the Yang Family’s Blood Warrior are generally not long-lived, this is also a sorrowful point for the Yang Family’s Blood Warrior Hall.”
The Cloud Guard also nodded sternly in approval.
“Forget it, let’s not discuss this any further, since that little brat doesn’t want me to intervene, he must have his own arrangements. We’ll wait here for a day and then go to his place tomorrow to ask him what this was all about.” Dong Qing Han spoke casually, seemingly not worried about whether Yang Kai would survive tonight or not.
The Wind and Cloud Dual Guards couldn’t help feeling surprised, not knowing what Young Lord Kai had said in the letter he had sent to their Young Master that had made him so confident about his success.
A different restaurant, third floor.
Another young man sat looking out the window in front of him. This youth was approximately twenty three years old with a handsome appearance. At the moment, like Dong Qing Han, he too was tasting a variety of delicacies, but unlike Dong Qing Han’s helpless expression, this youth was full of smiles, like he was the happiest person alive.
“Young Master, Lord Patriarch had said that we were to deliver these materials and people to that Yang Kai. Now that he has arrived in War City, should we not go see him now?” The youth’s guard quietly whispered.
However, the young man continued smiling as he replied, “Why should we head there? Didn’t you hear the people in the restaurant all saying that Yang Kai will be eliminated tonight? Although the things that I, Lu Song, have brought this time are not priceless, but they are still good things. If we were to send them to him now, wouldn’t that be like trying to beat a dog with a meat bun? What use would that be?”
“Young Master Song, you mean…” Although the guard felt that this was somewhat improper, he could only ask.
Lu Song was the heir to the Lu Family, the oldest son of Lu Liang. This time, on Lu Liang’s order, he had carried a large amount of gifts to the Central Capital in order to placate Yang Kai for the incident where he was attacked soon after leaving the Lu Family home.
Although what had transpired had nothing to do with the Lu Family, and later almost all of the Yang Family Young Lords suffered from similar assassination attempts on their way home, Lu Liang still had no choice but to pinch his nose and swallow this insult. Who let Yang Kai stay at his Lu Family for several days?
The innocent and guilty would both be swept up by disasters! As a big family, how could they not understand this point?
After they received word from Qiu Yi Meng, Lu Liang had immediately let his son leave for the Central Capital in order to plead their innocence.
Lu Song coldly snorted, “That Yang Kai is too despicable! Just because he happened to pass by my Lu Family and was later attacked, he took the opportunity to blackmail our Lu Family’s resources! You tell me, how can my Lu Family’s things be handed over to that bastard so cheaply?”
“What the Young Master said right.” The guard also took the opportunity to vent his anger, “This Yang Family Young Lord really is despicable, he actually made the Qiu Family’s First Young Lady send that letter to make it absolutely clear he wanted our Lu Family to offer him tribute!”
“That’s right, but looking at the current situation, I had no need to give these things to him. Right now he’s just a grasshopper after the autumn, who knows how many hours he has left? Hahaha, tonight we’ll get to watch a good show.” Lu Song smiled proudly, “If he loses, I won’t hand over a single silver to him.”
The guard frowned at that moment though and objected, “But Young Master Song, before we departed, the Patriarch said that no matter how that Yang Kai performed in the Inheritance War, these gifts must be sent to him.”
Lu Liang also knew that his son was somewhat arrogant and short-sighted, so he had given very specific instructions about what they were to do to the masters sent to guard him.
When Lu Song heard these words, he also frowned, showing a conflicted expression.
He naturally didn’t know that when word of Yang Kai being attacked shortly after leaving the Lu Family home, the Lu Family’s Grand Elder Lu Si had also returned from Hidden Cloud Peak.
A few months ago, Lu Si had gone to Hidden Cloud Peak, handed Yang Kai’s letter and jade slip to Xiao Fu Sheng, and Grandmaster Xiao had immediately refined that Mysterious Grade pill for him. After taking that pill and refining its medicinal effects, Lu Si’s meridians were completely healed and he at last truly became an Above Immortal Ascension Boundary powerhouse.
After returning to the Lu Family, Lu Si called Lu Liang and explained some secrets to him.
As for what the Grand Elder said to the Patriarch, no one else knew, but all of the Elders in the family could feel that after Lu Si’s return, Lu Liang’s opinion of Yang Kai had changed greatly. It was also because of this that he had so refreshingly ordered Lu Song to bring such a large amount of gifts to the Central Capital to offer Yang Kai.
Lu Song was unaware that all of these twists and turns had even taken place so to this day he still didn’t understand why his father had given such orders.
“If that Yang Kai is eliminated from the Inheritance War so quickly, what’s the point in giving him these things?” Lu Song said as he shook his head in annoyance, muttering under his breath, “It will be such a waste!”
The guard next to him eventually relented, “Young Master, how about we wait and see how that Yang Kai performs? In any case, Patriarch had only said that we must deliver him these things, he didn’t say when. If he can’t even last one day, then these materials will be useless to him and we’ll act according to Young Master’s plans. If he does manage to survive though, we should follow the Patriarch’s instructions and deliver these things to him.”
“Good, we’ll do that,” Lu Song nodded in approval, “If he were to lose on the first day of the Inheritance War, then he’ll definitely have no future in the Yang Family. Such a person, my Lu Family doesn’t need to fear.”
“It is just as the Young Master says!” The guard also nodded.
War City northwest corner, Yang Kai’s mansion.
In one of the rooms, Yang Kai was sitting lazily, a pretty maidservant serving him tea, after Yang Kai took a sip, he casually waved to dismiss her.
Before the maidservant left, her eyes glanced towards Qu Gao Yi and Ying Jiu in fear.
The conditions of the two Blood Warriors had gotten worse and worse over the past few days, especially after Yang Kai had sent them out to help subdue the North City district’s small forces. Their vitality drained quickly and their injuries noticeably worsened, even if they took the Yang Family’s special healing pills they would have little effect.
Their foundations had been compromised!
About this, both Yang Kai and they were very clear. So long as their foundations weren’t shaken, with their cultivation realm and inherent blood force, they would still have had a chance to recover.
At this moment, the two Blood Warriors were pale white and their bodies were constantly sweating. They were enduring severe pains all the time. The faces of the two men alternated between stern and fierce, blue veins throbbing on the foreheads like wriggling worms.
If any ordinary person saw this, they would naturally be terrified.
In spite of all this though, the two of them continued to stand there, straight and motionless.
Yang Kai looked up at them, his eyes filled with admiration.
He was also a very strong willed person, his temperament quite determined, but when he thought about himself enduring the same treatment as these two Blood Warriors, he felt that he wouldn’t be able to do better than them.
At the very least, watching a Young Lord who didn’t seem to see them as people but instead just wanted to squeeze whatever final value he could from them before their vitality passed, that alone would be something Yang Kai could never accept.
But the two Blood Warrior’s loyalty to the Yang Family made them feel no complaints. Not only did they not complain, even their expressions didn’t betray any bitterness, only steadfastly fulfilling their oath to serve Yang Kai without the slightest hint of displeasure.
Feeling Yang Kai’s gaze upon them, Qu Gao Yi and Ying Jiu did their best to straighten themselves up.
After a long time, Yang Kai let out a laugh, “Which of you is Qu Gao Yi?”
To be honest, Yang Kai really didn’t know who was who, because after he came back from the Blood Warrior Hall that day, he hadn’t exchange a single word with either of them.
When the two Blood Warriors heard this question, their expressions didn’t change in the slightest, the taller of the two who also had a broader stature quickly cupped his fists, “Subordinate is Qu Gao Yi!”
“Then you must be Ying Jiu?” Yang Kai looked at the other person.
Ying Jiu nodded lightly. Between the two Blood Warriors, Ying Jiu was more distinct, because although he was a man, his physique was slim and lean, the short mustache adoring his face giving him a particularly shrewd look. His personality was reticent and taciturn, in some ways he resembled Yang Kai’s Eldest Brother Yang Wei.
From the words of the Yang Family Fourth Master and Dong Su Zhu, Yang Kai already knew what fields these two Blood Warriors specialized in.
Qu Gao Yi was best at the rapid outbursts of power. He can completely expend his True Qi and Spiritual Energy in a short stick of incense worth of time. Once he entered a fight, he would unleash a torrent of attacks that wouldn’t give his opponent time to breathe. Within a stick of incense worth of time, he was basically invincible among those in the same realm.
In terms of instantaneous power, he was the strongest in the entire Blood Warrior Hall! Although he was an Immortal Ascension Boundary Eighth Stage, but over the years, the number of Peak Immortal Ascension masters he had defeated was a lot.
Even considering the entire Blood Warrior Hall, his strength was relatively high.
Ying Jiu was completely different as his specialties were speed and stealth, able to hide in the shadows and strike when least expected, he could often defeat his opponents before they even realized his presence.
There were rumors that the most difficult person to handle in the Bood Warrior Hall was not the Hall Master Feng Sheng nor the Deputy Hall Master Zhou Feng, but the shadow-like Ying Jiu.
Anyone stared at by him, even if he fled to the ends of the earth, could not escape his pursuit.
When these two worked together they complemented each other’s abilities perfectly, giving them a reputation as slaughterers amongst the Blood Warrior.
Previously, when the two of them were escorting the Yang Family’s Fourth Young Lord Yang Xin Wu they were besieged by a large number of Immortal Ascension Boundary masters. The enemy’s strength was even higher than group encountered by Yang Kai.
Qu Gao Yi and Ying Jiu put up a desperate fight but unfortunately Yang Xin Wu’s own strength wasn’t high so he had not managed to escape.
Yang Kai suddenly speaking to them confused Qu Gao Yi and Ying Jiu, both of them wondering what instructions he had to give, quickly composing themselves as they awaited their orders.
“Do you have any complaints about me?” To their surprise, Yang Kai didn’t give them new orders but actually asked such a question.
As he spoke, Yang Kai smiled and stared at the pair deeply.
Qu Gao Yi quickly replied, “Subordinate doesn’t dare.”
“Are you sure there’s nothing?” Yang Kai sneered lightly, “I want to hear the truth.”
Qu Gao Yi couldn’t help but look a little embarrassed as he glanced towards Ying Jiu, both of them not sure what to say.
Back at the Blood Warrior Hall, the two had listened to Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian about how outstanding the Little Lord was and how he treated the Blood Warriors benevolently, and how later Yang Kai had agreed to use the two of them as in their moment of desperation.
With Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian’s high praise and Yang Kai’s willingness to support them, Qu Gao Yi and Ying Jiu naturally felt incredibly grateful to him and secretly decided to assist Yang Kai in making a name for himself, even if they were to lose their lives they wouldn’t hesitate.
After accompanying him these days though, Yang Kai had never met eyes with them, his attitude towards them extremely cold, not even allowing them time to rest and recover.
The Blood Warriors had pledged undying loyalty to the Yang Family, but they were still only human! Them being willing to sacrifice themselves yet receiving such harsh treatment from Yang Kai would obviously make them feel uncomfortable.
“Speak freely,” Yang Kai took another sip from his cup as he stared at them seriously.
Qu Gao Yi eventually licked his cracked lips and said, “Ying Jiu and I had already given up on ourselves when the Little Lord extended his hand to us! It was the Little Lord who gave us a reason and a place to continue to serve, so regardless of how we have been treated we would never dare to complain to the Little Lord, we are just… slightly disappointed!”
The words he spoke were earnest and his expression firm, it was obviously his heartfelt opinion.
Yang Kai calmly incited, “Do you think that I am different from what Tu Feng described?”
Qu Gao Yi and even the unsociable Ying Jiu nodded lightly.
“Of course I treated you differently, because I didn’t want you to begin with!” Yang Kai stood up, “I wanted Tu Feng and Yu Xian. After all, we were already familiar with one another!”
The two Blood Warrior’s expressions dimmed slightly at these words.
“But the two of you have followed me for some time now so I think we are at least somewhat familiar with each other.” Yang Kai looked at the two and smiled, “At the very least, I understand what you really think.”
Qu Gao Yi and Ying Jiu faces brightened once more as they stared forward silently. Yang Kai saying this was equivalent to telling them that he wanted to open a dialogue with them, something the two of them very much hoped for.
“Your loyalty to the Yang Family and your gratitude towards me, are emotions that I no longer doubt!” Yang Kai raised his brow and grinned, “But if there is a day when I find myself in conflict with the Yang Family, what will you do? How would you choose? Would you stand by my side, or would you side with the Yang Family?”
The two men’s faces changed greatly as they looked at Yang Kai with amazement.
“Is the Little Lord making a joke?” Qu Gao Yi asked, frowning.
“I’m serious,” Yang Kai stared at him firmly and sharply.
Qu Gao Yi took a deep breath before replying, “Although I hope such a day never comes, but if it does, I and Ying Jiu will still follow the Little Lord!”
Ying Jiu also took the rare step of expressing himself, “Without the Little Lord, the two of us may have already wasted ourselves and retreated to the mountains, so our lives already belong to the Little Lord, if the Little Lord has need of us we will not hesitate to act.”
Listening to their responses, Yang Kai grinned meaningfully.
The reason why they had said this was firstly because Yang Kai was also a member of the Yang Family, so they didn’t believe such a situation would ever arise. Secondly, because saying so now wouldn’t create problems for them, even if such a day came, they could worry about it then.
But in any case, Yang Kai finally got the answer he wanted.
“I once told Yu Xian, those who know my secrets either become my people or become corpses!” Yang Kai’s grinned fiercely, “Now you are qualified to know so of my secrets.”
Qu Gao Yi and Ying Jiu glanced at each other before looking at Yang Kai with some surprise, not knowing what he was trying to say.
“Each of you take one of these pills.” Yang Kai reached into his sleeve and threw two pills out.
Qu Gao Yi and Ying Jiu reached out and thanked Yang Kai, but still felt puzzled.
Like Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian many days ago, when the two Blood Warriors discovered that the pill Yang Kai gave them was only an Earth Grade Top-Rank healing pill they couldn’t help feeling confused. Even if it was a pill specifically for therapy, with such a low grade, what effect could it have?
Although they had their doubts, neither of them showed any signs on the surface.
“Time is tight, take this pill and refine it as quickly as possible, there’ll be a big role for you two to play in tonight’s show,” Yang Kai’s eyes were as deep as a well, his mouth slowly forming into a blade like sneer, “I can’t wait to see which of my brothers is the most impatient for me to exit the stage!”
“Yes!” The two Blood Warriors nodded firmly, both of them knew that tonight would not be peaceful so they didn’t dare to delay, but just as they were about to swallow the healing pills, Yang Kai’s expression suddenly became cold as he glanced towards the front of the mansion, grinning fiercely, “It’s not even night time yet but someone can’t wait any longer?”
Qu Gao Yi and Ying Jiu were both startled, immediately responding by releasing their Divine Sense, quickly noticing that a number of people had gathered outside the compound, slightly angry at this development yet at the same time astonished.
Because Yang Kai was aware of this group before they were!
The location where the three people were at the moment was quite deep inside the mansion. The distance to the main entrance around a thousand meters, so not the slightest sound from there could possibly be transmitted here.
Qu Gao Yi and Ying Jiu couldn’t understand how Yang Kai had discovered this group.
The number of people who had arrived weren’t many, their strength also not too great, but nevertheless there were still several Immortal Ascension masters among them.
“The two of us will send them off first,” Qu Gao Yi took the initiative to say.
“There’s no rush,” Yang Kai’s brow furrowed slightly, “Qiu Yi Meng is coming.”
Not long after he spoke, the Qiu Family’s First Young Lady’s voice rang out outside the room, “Yang Kai, someone’s come to meet with you.”
Yang Kai and the two Blood Warriors looked at each other blankly, all of them confused.
Opening the door, Yang Kai saw Qiu Yi Meng standing outside wearing a light smile. When the two Blood Warriors saw her their eyes brightened as they secretly praised Yang Kai, it seemed the Little Lord’s charm wasn’t small, even in such a desperate situation he had still won the assistance of such a beauty.
“Who is it?” Yang Kai asked suspiciously.
However, Qiu Yi Meng just slowly shook her head, “I don’t know, they’re led by a young man who asked to speak with you, but his attitude is a bit weird, do you want to meet them?”
“You don’t know where their origins?” Yang Kai was slightly surprised.
“He didn’t say, so how could I know?” Qiu Yi Meng stared back at him blankly.
“Is their leader a fatty?” Yang Kai suddenly thought of Dong Qing Han, but two days ago he had clearly told his cousin not to show up today. With his personality, Dong Qing Han would never ignore his request so recklessly.
“No, you’ll have to see for yourself.”
Yang Kai nodded and walked out; as Qu Gao Yi and Ying Jiu were about to follow, Yang Kai stopped them.
“Right now you have to heal yours wounds, there’s no need to follow me.”
“But…” Qu Gao Yi wanted to object but was quickly interrupted.
“With the strength of these people, there’s no way they can harm me,” Yang Kai said confidently as he walked off, leaving Qu Gao Yi and Ying Jiu behind looking at each other in confusion.
Yang Kai’s brief statement, if they analysed it carefully, actually contained some extraordinary information.
The Little Lord not only discovered this group of people before them, he also seemed to know what level of strength they possessed!
How did he know? His cultivation was only True Element Boundary Eighth Stage, not even reaching the Immortal Ascension Boundary, so he didn’t have the use of his Divine Sense yet.
With only his own perception, it was impossible for him to grasp such detailed information.
Moreover, even if he really did know what kind of strength this group of newcomers had, why did he say that there was no way they could harm him? This inexplicable confidence he exuded was what really confounded Qu Gao Yi and Ying Jiu.
The two of them were well aware that there were several Immortal Ascension Boundary masters in this group.
Looking at each other, Qu Gao Yi and Ying Jiu both saw the shock in each other’s eyes.
As Yang Kai walked, the Qui Family’s First Young Lady continued smiling lightly as she commented, “Looking at you, you don’t seem to be in a hurry.”
“What’s there to hurry for?” Yang Kai glanced over at her.
“You still want to play dumb with me?” Qiu Yi Meng’s smile disappeared as she grit her teeth, grabbing Yang Kai’s sleeve as she paused before saying, “Shouldn’t you make things clear to me?”
“Make what clear? I don’t know what you are talking about.” Yang Kai’s brow wrinkled.
“How many connections you have, what forces will come to your aid, and how are you going to survive the coming storm tonight?” Qiu Yi Meng bluntly asked because she knew that if she didn’t, Yang Kai would only return some casual pleasantries to her. Softening her tone slightly she continued, “Now I’m also your ally, although I can’t represent the Qiu Family and although I didn’t bring you much help, I’ve still come this far! Why do you still insist on shutting me out? Am I still not worthy of sincerely communicating with you?”
“Sincerely communicating?” Yang Kai smiled weirdly, staring up and down Qiu Yi Meng, a lasciviousness light flashing across his eyes, “How do you want to sincerely communicate with me?”
Seeing the aggressive light in his eyes and listening to his implied meaning, Qiu Yi Meng turned red and quickly calmed down, “Can you not confide in me? If you have any troubles, you can tell them to me, I can discuss things with you.”
“No need, I only speak with women about love, chatting about trivial things is too superficial, it’s not suitable to me.” Yang Kai shook his head and replied seriously.
“Why you… you… why is it when you face me you never speak seriously! Do you despise me that much!?” Qiu Yi Meng roared bitterly, her breath slightly ragged, stubbornly yelling, “Although I admit you’re amazing, by far the most outstanding member of our generation, but you don’t have to compare me with that Beguiling Demon Queen, I know I’m not her match!”
“I don’t despise you, it’s just that you’re too shrewd! Whenever I’m around you I have to act carefully,” Yang Kai glanced at her coldly.
Qiu Yi Meng was stunned, her long lashes fluttering a few times before she suddenly wore a big smile, “So I can bring you pressure, I always thought that it was only me who felt tense around you.”
“You think too little of yourself.”
“I don’t know why, but I feel a lot better all of a sudden,” Qiu Yi Meng smiled happily, seemingly thinking that being able to make Yang Kai cautious around her was a wonderful thing.
“I won’t tell you anything else, as for tonight, just wait.” Yang Kai grinned confidently.
“You really have made arrangements,” Qiu Yi Meng muttered, “Seems I worried about you for nothing.”
Knowing that she was just saying as such to poke fun at him, Yang Kai didn’t bother responding, instead turning around to walk off again.
Before Yang Kai had realized, Huo Xing Chen had appeared from somewhere, fanning himself with a folding fan, as he followed the pair he grinned and asked, “How come I heard movement outside?”
“Your hearing is quite sharp!” Qiu Yi Meng stared at him coldly.
Huo Xing Chen just grinned back meaningfully and said, “I always like watching lively scenes, especially the scenes where enemies meet. Tell me, who came looking for trouble with him?”
“They don’t look like they’re looking for trouble,” When the conversation shifted to business, Qiu Yi Meng’s look became serious, “Their leader’s attitude is very strange, it’s like he’s come to join you yet is unwilling to do so. There are also a number of people with him as well as a lot of big boxes.”
“Oh shit!” Huo Xing Chen cursed loudly, his eyes staring towards Yang Kai in disbelief, “In your sorry state there’s still someone who wants to join you? Are they blind or in love with you?”
“You shut up!” Qiu Yi Meng coldly shouted. Huo Xing Chen seemed to be a little afraid of this Young Lady Qiu so he quickly fanned himself and kept silent.
“Watch your back, this may be some kind of trick!” Qiu Yi Meng spoke openly to Yang Kai, “I don’t want to see you lose because of a moments carelessness.”
Qiu Yi Meng had all but defied her family in order to support Yang Kai, so if he were to be eliminated because of some half baked scheme, it would only prove that she was blind.
Outside the main entrance, a sturdy young man dressed in a black gown stood with his arms crossed in front of his chest. Behind him there were at least twenty more cultivators, four of whom had reached the Immortal Ascension realm, though the strongest was only at the Fourth Stage.
Although an Immortal Ascension Boundary Fourth Stage master wasn’t weak for a first-class family, they also weren’t anything outstanding.
What was more remarkable was the set of large scarlet boxes this group of people carried with them.
It was unknown what was inside these boxes, some of them appeared light, some very heavy, some of them even giving off a faint medicinal smell.
There were four such red boxes in total, all of them lined up neatly beside the gate.
The young man who appeared to be the group’s leader had firm determined eyes as well as a tranquil expression. All twenty of these people stood silently as they waited indifferently for Yang Kai to appear.
A short while later, Yang Kai, Huo Xing Chen, and Qiu Yi Meng emerged from the mansion together.
The young man’s eyes swept over the trio but upon seeing Huo Xing Chen and Yang Kai, his expression became slightly confused. He couldn’t tell which one of these youths was Yang Kai.
Yang Kai was also quite confused; he had thought the one who had come was Dong Qing Han, but now, at first glance, he realized it wasn’t his cousin, but what was even more puzzling was that… he didn’t know who this person was!
It was unreasonable for someone who he didn’t know to come seeking an alliance at this moment.
Given the current state of this Inheritance War, as long someone had a little bit of sense, they would see think his hope of winning was almost zero, even his chances of lasting the first night weren’t good.
So this group of people appearing right now was somewhat intriguing.
But if they hadn’t come to join him, why would they have brought four large crates which clearly contained war material with them?
Shaking his head secretly, Yang Kai couldn’t quite understand.
Even without Qiu Yi Meng’s reminder though, how could Yang Kai act carelessly here?
Before he had the chance to speak though, Huo Xing Chen flipped opened his folding fan and waved if gently, smiling as he asked, “Which force’s disciple are you?”
As soon as he spoke, the leading youth immediately fixed his eyes on Huo Xing Chen, but seeing his playboy delinquent style, his brow couldn’t help but wrinkle, some coldness creeping into his expression as he asked, “Are you the Yang Family’s youngest Young Lord, Yang Kai?”
Huo Xing Chen’s appearance had instantly made him very disappointed, so his tone was naturally not too polite.
After hearing this man’s question, Huo Xing Chen’s face turned dark as he let out a dark laugh. “Judging by your cluelessness, you must be a bird-brained grunt that isn’t informed of anything. How about this Young Lord spare some time to give you some advice then?”
Without waiting for the other party to respond though, Huo Xing Cheng continued, “After tonight, this place will definitely change owners so listen up bird-brain. You’re free to go wherever you’d like, but you should first open your eyes and think for a moment, among the eight Yang Family Young Lords, picking this place to join is nothing less than hopeless.”
In front of Yang Kai’s mansion, Huo Xing Chen had taken the lead and made several rude comments. Not only did Yang Kai’s brow wrinkle, but the young man opposite was also unhappy, coldly snorting at this so called advice.
Huo Xing Chen was unaffected by the atmosphere though, grinning as he started to say something again, but before he could speak Yang Kai had already grabbed his clothes and tossed him aside.
Tumbling through the air a few times, Huo Xing Chen face planted on the floor. After standing up, he rubbed his nose awkwardly but not daring to have any complaints, simply glaring back at his attacker bitterly.
Seeing this scene, the young man couldn’t help turning his attention to Yang Kai, the cultivators who stood behind him also whispering amongst themselves.
“I’m the one you are looking for,” Yang Kai said indifferently as he swept his gaze over the crowd.
The lead youth looked a little stunned, his eyes quickly flashing a trace of disdain and insolence, staring towards Yang Kai in a provocative manner. Without bowing or cupping his fists, he flatly spoke, “Greetings Young Lord Kai!”
“Who are you?” Yang Kai also found this situation interesting. No wonder Qiu Yi Meng said that this person’s attitude was strange, there was indeed a problem with how he acted.
By all accounts, it looked like he had come here to form an alliance with him; he had brought a lot of cultivators and four large crates of materials, but his expression was clearly filled with unwillingness, almost like being here was some kind of punishment for him.
On top of all that, Yang Kai simply couldn’t remember where he had met this person.
“Xiang Tian Xiao!” The young man replied curtly.
“Xiang Tian Xiao?” Yang Kai’s brow furrowed, suddenly hearing his surname and thinking of something. A grin appearing on his face, he spoke in a dismissive tone, “Who is Xiang Chu to you?”
Xiang Chu, a Young Lord of the first-class Xiang Family, was someone Yang Kai had met at Tai Fang Mountain a few months ago; he was the next in line to inherit the Xiang Family.
At that time, Xiang Chu and Nan Sheng had joined forces to oppress Yang Kai, but at the last moment two Yang Family Blood Warriors had appeared. Yang Kai had secretly plucked two feathers from the Golden Feather Eagle and then pushed responsibility onto Nan Sheng, resulting in two of the Nan Family’s Ascension masters losing an arm as well as Nan Sheng losing two fingers.
The identities of the Xiang Chu and Nan Sheng weren’t low, so Yang Kai couldn’t kill them outright and was forced to let them go; however, he had told them before they left that within three months he expected to see their sincerity in the Central Capital.
Given this series of events, it was obvious that this Xiang Tian Xiao and Xiang Chu were related; as such, then the origins of these cultivators and materials could also be explained.
“He is my elder brother!” Xiang Tian Xiao responded faintly.
Sure enough, Yang Kai nodded slightly and grinned at the cultivators behind Xiang Tian Xiao, “This is the sincerity of your Xiang Family? Good, I’m very satisfied!”
However, Xiang Tian Xiao slowly shook his head and said, “You don’t have such big face yet. The cultivators here are the sincerity of my Xiang Family, and these four boxes of material are the sincerity of the Nan Family!”
“Very well! I don’t mind. Although these people’s strength is a little weak, together with this material they’ll be a little useful.” Yang Kai smiled care freely.
Between these two first-class families, one had sent manpower while the other had sent resources, such an arrangement was still acceptable. Yang Kai estimated that these two families greatly feared that their descendant’s attempt to kill a Yang Family Young Lord would cause the Yang Family to seek trouble with them, so they had choked back their tears and paid a hefty sum to resolve the issue peacefully.
Xiang Tian Xiao’s eyes overflowed with an angry light, his mouth forming into a disdainful sneer as he shot back, “Young Lord Kai’s tone is higher than the Heavens! Whatever your grudge with my big brother is, I have no mood to ask, but if you want my Xiang Family’s help in this Inheritance War, you’ll have to prove to me you have the skills first!”
“Hahah! You want to fight him?” Huo Xing Chen suddenly burst into laughter, staring at Xiang Tian Xiao with a look of pity. His eyes flashed a look of interest before slowly shaking his head, “Even if you’re the second Young Lord of the Xiang Family, I can’t say your chances of success are high, it’s really not a wise decision to play with him.”
To the side, Qiu Yi Meng also giggled and looked at Xiang Tian Xiao with a funny smile.
Both of them had exchanged blows with Yang Kai, but when Qiu Yi Meng and Yang Kai had fought, he was still only a True Element Boundary Third Stage cultivator. At that time, he was able to fight evenly against her while still concealing part of his strength. Now that Yang Kai had reached the True Element Eighth Stage, even though Qiu Yi Meng had successfully broken through to the Immortal Ascension Boundary First Stage, she didn’t dare think she could defeat Yang Kai.
As for Huo Xing Chen, the night’s experience still haunted him like a nightmare.
When all was said and done, he was still a direct descendant of one of the Eight Great Families, and the sole heir at that. Although he spent a lot of his time indulging in pleasure seeking, he had still cultivated diligently and taken countless Precious Treasures so his strength was by no means weak, on top of that he carried a number of excellent artifacts on him as well.
But even with this kind of foundation and background, he was still taken hostage by Yang Kai before he even had time to react; this alone was enough to understand Yang Kai’s tyrannical combat strength.
Huo Xing Chen didn’t believe this Second Young Lord had a chance of beating Yang Kai in a fight.
Amongst the younger generation, only the Liu Family’s genius Liu Qing Yao had any hope of fighting evenly with this freak Yang Kai, besides him there was no other who was his match.
Huo Xing Chen and Qiu Yi Meng’s expressions didn’t escape Xiang Tian Xiao observation, causing a faint curiosity in his heart.
With his eyesight, he could naturally see the strength of these two people. Although he didn’t recognize who these two were, but having such cultivation and bearing at such a young age, they were no doubt children of the Eight Great Families, yet these two, even if they didn’t say much, from their attitude and tone had made their opinions clear.
Was this Yang Kai really that powerful?
Staring at Yang Kai carefully, Xiang Tian Xiao secretly shook his head. He couldn’t see Yang Kai’s depths. As this Yang Family Young Lord stood there, he didn’t release the slightest bit of aura, his True Qi as calm as an ancient well, his Spiritual Essence also showed a similar degree of restraint. Such a degree of control either indicated he was extremely powerful, or had used some kind of artifact to conceal his strength.
Xiang Tian Xiao couldn’t tell whether this was his real ability or simply an illusion, if he wanted to understand his true strength, the only way was for him to fight.
But now that things had reached this point, Xiang Tian Xiao had no way to retreat, saying to Yang Kai, “If you really just relied on those two Blood Warriors to make my brother submit, then you’ll never convince me. If you want me to help you sincerely, you’ll have to defeat me yourself.”
Huo Xing Chen couldn’t help but sigh, walking over to Qiu Yi Meng and muttering with a sad face, “This kid can’t be saved!”
Qiu Yi Meng also nodded lightly, expressing her full agreement.
Listening to them, Xiang Tian Xiao suddenly felt irritated, even the four Immortal Ascension Boundary masters behind him looked at Huo Xing Chen with unfriendly eyes, seemingly thinking he should not despise their Second Young Lord.
Yang Kai’s eyes flashed a meaningful light as he frowned slightly, “It seems that your big brother didn’t tell you everything about that incident.”
From Xiang Tian Xiao’s words, Yang Kai quickly realized some issues.
“If your big brother didn’t tell you, then so be it, but didn’t your cousin Nan Sheng at least explain what happened?” Yang Kai grinned treacherously, revealing a lot of hidden meanings.
Qiu Yi Meng’s long eyelashes fluttered, quietly remembering some rumors she had heard before turning her gaze towards Xiang Tian Xiao, slowly revealing a sympathetic look.
Xiang Tian Xiao expression became firm, coldly snorting, “Things heard are unreliable, seeing is believing! If you have the confidence, fight with me, if you refuse, then I’ll leave here immediately, regardless, these people and these materials will remain and the accounts between you and my Xiang Family will be considered settled.”
Yang Kai shook his head slowly, “I don’t need a headless snake, I accept your challenge!”
Without this Xiang Family Second Young Lord to lead them, even if these cultivators remained they wouldn’t bring him benefit to Yang Kai. These people, at first glance, were obviously quite loyal to Xiang Tian Xiao.
Saying so, Yang Kai casually strode a few steps forward before calmly signaling to Xiang Tian Xiao to begin.
Such a contemptuous appearance only further angered Xiang Tian Xiao; however, he swiftly took a deep breath and suppressed his surging emotions, firmly pressing down the resentment in his heart.
In an instant, Xiang Tian Xiao’s breath became calm as he seriously stared at Yang Kai.
This rapid change improved Yang Kai’s impression of Xiang Tian Xiao greatly, the greatest mistake when facing an opponent was to become emotional. Therefore, when the cultivators faced enemies they considered strong, they would usually use words to try to stimulate each other and make their opponent take rash or impatient actions, thus increasing the chance that they would make a mistake that could be exploited.
Only by remaining calm could a cultivator exert their full strength, even possibly allowing them to display combat prowess above their usual limit .
Xiang Tian Xiao being able to instantly restrain his emotions showed that his strength and experience weren’t ordinary.
“Second Young Lord, be careful!” The Xiang Family cultivators hurriedly stepped back, the Immortal Ascension Boundary Fourth Stage master calling out as he retreated.
“I know!” Xiang Tian Xiao calmly shouted.
As he spoke, his hand turned and a long blue saber suddenly appeared in his hand.
Heaven Grade artifact!
When this saber appeared, Xiang Tian Xiao’s aura immediately changed, suddenly becoming wild and unhindered, overflowing with a strong sense of self-confidence, it was as if no matter who or what stood before him, he could slice it apart.
No words were exchanged or signals given, as soon as Xiang Tian Xiao summoned his artifact, he instantly held it up towards the Heavens, a fierce wind pressure swiftly engulfing the blade as he swung it down towards Yang Kai.
“Isn’t this considered a sneak attack?” Huo Xing Chen asked.
Qiu Yi Meng was too lazy to take respond to him. Yang Kai had already agreed to his challenge, what more needed to be said? Xiang Tian Xiao was obviously a straightforward person, so any further conversation was unnecessary.
Moreover, his strength was not low, a True Element Boundary Ninth Stage elite!
Her eyes quickly turning, Qiu Yi Meng wants to see how Yang Kai would resist this strike. Although she knew Yang Kai was very powerful, it had been a long time since she had fought against him, just how much Yang Kai since then was also of great interest to her.
As this storm like sword strike approached, Yang Kai simply stood in place, his expression completely indifferent, seemingly having no intention to dodge or avoid it, gently lifting a single hand and pushing it towards the falling blade.
A fierce True Qi burst forth as a large palm strike visible to the naked eye met the blade head on.
*Hong!*
A loud bang resounded as waves of energy splashed out.
The blade storm and the palm strike collided together and exploded, both perfectly offsetting one another.
Under the cover of the resulting dust cloud, Xiang Tian Xiao had at some point closed the gap between them, a wild True Qi bursting from his body as a blue radiance pulsed from his saber’s tip. This chilling brilliance was enough the make the heart of any who saw it jump.
This blue ball of light was as large as a plate and gave of a fierce, murderous, aura filled with the power of thunder and lightning.
Channeling this elemental lightning force, Xiang Tian Xiao’s speed seemed to be boosted greatly, only leaving behind a blurry afterimage as he stepped in.
Thunder Flash Saber!
This was Xiang Tian Xiao’s absolute killing strike, it had never failed him before, under this single attack he would often be able to rout his opponents.
The Xiang Family cultivators also showed a faint smile on their faces, full of expectations. All of them wanted to see how Yang Kai would suffer under this blow.
Xiang Tian Xiao had long honed this Xiang Family secret technique, integrating his own understanding of the power of thunder and lightning into it, obtaining the praise of many of the family’s masters.
This was his ultimate killing strike that he only used when facing the most powerful of enemies, it would often determine whether he obtained victory or was defeated.
When they saw their Second Young Lord use this move, the Xiang Family’s cultivators knew that he had truly been angered; otherwise it was impossible for him to have such strong murderous intent.
[Let’s see how you block this!] The Xiang Family’s Immortal Ascension Boundary Fourth Stage master silently sneered, thinking that after the Second Young Lord defeated Yang Kai, they would immediately leave this place and not be forced to help this Yang Family Young Lord in this Inheritance War.
After all, given how pitiful Yang Kai’s chances appeared, all of them whole heartedly wished to stay out of this mess.
As for the war material they had brought, that was the Nan Family’s compensation to Yang Kai, leaving it behind had no effect on them.
Qiu Yi Meng was also secretly shocked. She hadn’t expected this Xiang Family Second Young Lord to possess such great combat strength and to have cultivated such a powerful killing strike. She silently estimated that against this move, no one under the Immortal Ascension Boundary would be able to resist. Even she as an Immortal Ascension Boundary First Stage felt it would be best to avoid taking this attack head on and instead look for opportunities to dodge then counterattack.
She didn’t know if Yang Kai could block this strike. Although she had witnessed just how powerful Yang Kai was, that was a long time ago so she wasn’t sure just how much he had grown.
But when she remembered about that day a few months ago, when Yang Kai had single handedly fought an Immortal Ascension Boundary Third Stage master to a standstill, Qiu Yi Meng calmed down.
Even if this Xiang Tian Xiao was much stronger than an average True Element Ninth Stage cultivation, could he possibly be as strong as an established Immortal Ascension Boundary Third Stage master?
As light burst and wind howled around Xiang Tian Xiao’s saber, the glowing blue sphere at his blade’s tip suddenly burst open, forming a dense web of lightning that engulfed a ten meter radius.
Thousands of lightning bolts, like tiny spirit snakes, swam through the air, each one containing Xiang Tian Xiao’s sharp and unparalleled killing intent, forming an inescapable torrent of attacks.
Huo Xing Chen’s always aloof expression finally became slightly serious, an astonished light flashing across his eyes
However, Yang Kai still stood in place, like an ancient glacier, cold and motionless, his expression indifferent as he silently observed the numerous bolts of lightning which surrounded him.
Although Xiang Tian Xiao’s eyes remained focused, the corners of his mouth couldn’t help inadvertently curling upwards.
He had won! Xiang Tian Xiao was completely confidant that no one below the Immortal Ascension Boundary could resist his Thunder Flash Saber.
The white light was so dazzling that those watching couldn’t open their eyes, but if they were watching, the instant Xiang Tian Xiao’s attack was about to hit its mark, they would have noticed that Yang Kai’s figure suddenly blurred, disappearing without a trace.
The next moment, from within the lightning storm, the burst of True Qi suddenly exploded outwards.
A great palm print quickly filled Xiang Tian Xiao’s vision, seemingly obscuring the entire sky, creating the illusion that no matter how he tried to block or avoid, it would inevitably smash into his chest.
With a sorrowful cry, Xiang Tian Xiao’s Thunder Flash Saber was torn apart like paper and he was subsequently hurled through the air, spitting out a cloud of blood fog in the process.
“Second Young Lord!” The Immortal Ascension Fourth Stage master who had been expecting to see a good show, immediately noticed that the situation was not right, his expression changing drastically as he darted towards where Xiang Tian Xiao had fallen.
When the dust settled, it looked as though Yang Kai hadn’t moved at all as he still stood in his original spot. His expression was calm and indifferent as ever.
Huo Xing Chen’s brow twitched as he ground his teeth, suddenly realizing that when Yang Kai had dealt with him that night, he had obviously been holding back.
All of the Xiang Family’s cultivators were stunned, staring at the scene before them, unable to believe what their eyes had just seen.
Xiang Tian Xiao coughed up some blood as he staggered to his feet, separating himself from his family’s master who had helped him up, his brows furrowed deeply as his eyes filled with unwillingness.
Staring at Yang Kai, it was only after a long silence that the unwillingness in Xiang Tian Xiao’s eyes slowly faded, a dispirited light slowly taking its place.
He had never dreamt that within the True Element Boundary, there was someone who could beat him so easily! He was the genius of the Xiang Family, his aptitude far superior to his elder brother Xiang Chu, the Xiang Family’s most vigorously trained disciple. At such a young age he was just one step away from breaking through to the Immortal Ascension Boundary, it was not an exaggeration to say that his future was limitless.
It had always been him crushing his enemies in battle; never once had he suffered such a devastating defeat like today.
His strongest blow, filled with killing intent, hadn’t even managed to touch his opponent’s clothes! It was a heavy blow to his pride.
“Second Young Lord…” The strongest of the Xiang Family Immortal Ascension Boundary masters was afraid that Xiang Tian Xiao could not withstand this setback and would become disheartened, losing his way along the Martial Dao, so he quickly comforted, “In battle no one can ever be certain of the outcome, do not let this defeat fester in your heart.”
Xiang Tian Xiao gently nodded, letting out a long sigh, the lost expression on his face gradually fading as he turned his eyes towards Yang Kai, a strong fighting intent smoldering in his gaze.
Yang Kai secretly nodded as he thought to himself. [Xiang Tian Xiao certainly has some skill. If he was given enough time to hone himself, his future achievements would certainly not be worse than any of the Eight Great Families’ successors.]
Qiu Yi Meng’s lips curled up, a happy smile adorning her pretty face while Huo Xing Chen simply shook his head and sighed. “Why is he so strong? Just how the hell does he cultivate?”
“Qiu Yi Meng, arrange some accommodations for them and let some people from the Autumn Rain Hall carry those four boxes into the mansion.” Yang Kai calmly ordered, turned around and walking back inside, not looking at Xiang Tian Xiao again.
But before he left, Yang Kai seemingly inadvertently glanced off towards a certain place.
In that place, two extremely powerful Immortal Ascension Boundary Eighth Stage masters stood.
One of them nearly stumbled, suspiciously muttering, “Did that Young Lord Kai notice us?”
The other master also furrowed his brow before shaking his head, “Impossible, we’ve hidden ourselves so deeply and haven’t shown any hostility, simply observing from a distance. How could he have found us?”
“Then why did he look at us?”
“Strange…” The taller of the two whispered under his breath, “Never mind him. Patriarch’s orders were simply for us to observe Young Lord Kai’s performance tonight. If it looks like he’ll be eliminated, then we just need to bring the Young Master back. Who made the Young Master choose such an unpromising Young Lord as an ally?”
“But objectively, this Young Lord Kai’s combat strength is incredible, I don’t think any newly promoted Immortal Ascension cultivator would be his match.”
Outside the main entrance, Qiu Yi Meng smiled lightly at the Xiang Family cultivators as she walked over.
Immediately upon learning her identity, the Immortal Ascension Boundary Fourth Stage master respectfully cupped his fists, “Xiang Family Xiang Fei greets Young Lady Qiu!”
At the same time though, some suspicion flashed across his eyes, the Qiu Family had already publicly declared its support for the Yang Family’s Sixth Young Lord Yang Shen, so naturally they had heard about it. Thus, why was the Qiu Family’s First Young Lady here with Yang Kai? Moreover, Yang Kai’s attitude towards her made it seem as if she was under his command. What was even more shocking was that this world famous Young Lady actually had no complaints about his attitude, and instead just calmly obeyed his orders!
[I don’t understand, what is going on?]
Xiang Tian Xiao also stood up straight and cupped his fists.
Seeing their respectful demeanor, Qiu Yi Meng let out a small laugh and said, “No need to be so polite, all of us will be working together from now on.”
Xiang Fei nodded firmly, “Since Young Lord Kai defeated my family’s Second Young Lord in fair combat, my Xiang Family will also fulfill its promise. As long as Young Lord Kai remains undefeated in the Inheritance War, we will do our utmost to support him.”
Qiu Yi Meng nodded with satisfaction
“Just… Young Lady Qiu, why are you…” Xiang Fei couldn’t help asking.
“I’m also his ally, hehe.” Qiu Yi Meng smiled but didn’t explain any further.
Xiang Tian Xiao and Xiang Fei suddenly noticed that this Young Lord Kai who no one was optimistic about had somehow quietly made allies of two of the Eight Great Families’ Young Masters, among the eight Yang Family Young Lords this was unique.
“Let’s go in first. I’ll arrange a place for you shortly.” Qiu Yi Meng said lightly before shaking her head and smiling wryly, “I didn’t expect that when I came here I’d end up acting as a house manager…”
As the Xiang Family group walked inward, Huo Xing Chen, still waving his folding fan, came up to Xiang Tian Xiao and grabbed his shoulders intimately, “We’re brothers in difficulty now! Let us share a drink!”
Somewhat stunned, Xiang Tian Xiao replied casually, “Good!”
“After drinking, I’ll lead you to the local brothel!”
“There’s no need for that!”
……
Hearing the sound of footsteps outside his door, Yang Kai lifted his eyes and called out, “Come in!”
When the door was pushed open, Qiu Yi Meng’s graceful figure, wrapped in a fragrant wind, walked into the room, and without any thought to courtesy poured herself a cup of tea to moisten her throat. Following her were some Autumn Rain Hall people carrying four large boxes. After placing the boxes to one side of the room, these people quickly excused themselves.
Qiu Yi Meng stayed behind though and took a seat, elegantly smiling at Yang Kai as she asked, “When did you force the Xiang and Nan Families into such a situation?”
“About three months after I separated from you and Luo Xiao Man.”
“Tell me about it, what happened at that time? I asked that Xiang Tian Xiao but even he wasn’t too clear, only saying that his big brother and cousin both hate you to death and that you forced two Nan Family Elders to cut off an arm, while the Nan Family’s Young Master also lost two fingers. You really are ruthless, forcing the successor of a first-class family to suffer such an embarrassment!”
“They brought it upon themselves.” Yang Kai sneered disdainfully as he casually recounted the situation at that time.
As Qiu Yi Meng listened, her eyes sparkled, absolutely no trace of disdain or displeasure apparent on her face. Especially when she heard how he had ruthlessly humiliated the two families while they were unable to resist, her mood seemed even more pleasant.
“If that’s the case, then choking down this insult is understandable. Attempting to kill a Yang Family Young Lord is no small matter after all, especially after the death of your Fourth Brother, if they were suspected of being involved at all, the Xiang and Nan Families would be finished.”
“Tell me about the Xiang Family, especially the relationship between Xiang Tian Xiao and Xiang Chu.” Yang Kai stood up and walked over to the four boxes, checking the materials as he seemingly asked a random question.
“They’re like a fox and a Racoon!” Qiu Yi Meng spat disdainfully
Yang Kai chuckled, “Xiang Chu obviously didn’t tell his brother about what happened back then or Xiang Tian Xiao wouldn’t have rushed to challenge me today. When one brother hides information and plots against the other, the relationship between the two is obviously not good, if I couldn’t even see that wouldn’t I just be blind?”
At that time, Yang Kai had told the Xiang and Nan Families that he wanted to see their sincerity delivered to the Central Capital within three months.
The Nan Family had supplying him with four boxes of materials could be considered a big bleeding; however, the Xiang Family sending a group of cultivators personally led by the Second Young Lord was somewhat incomprehensible to Yang Kai.
But after a brief exchange with Xiang Tian Xiao, he also had some faint idea of what was happening, so he decided to follow up with Qiu Yi Meng about the situation.
This young lady was not the same as him. She had lived in the Central Capital all year round and was well informed about various matters. It was likely that she had heard some rumors about the Xiang Family’s internal situation, given her Qiu Family’s heritage and methods.
Hearing Yang Kai’s comment, Qiu Yi Meng couldn’t help laughing bitterly, the sharpness of this man’s instincts made even her somewhat distraught.
“Xiang Family’s Xiang Chu, you’ve already met. He’s a direct descendant of the Xiang Family’s official wife and also its current successor. The Second Young Lord is reportedly the son of a concubine, so his status is not as high as his big brother in the family, but this person’s aptitude and natural talent are outstanding. He is the greatest genius the Xiang Family has produced in several decades. You just fought with him, so you should have a fair understanding of his strength, but even just the fact that he has reached the True Element Boundary Ninth Stage at such a young age is quite rare.”
“En.” Yang Kai nodded in agreement. Amongst the younger generation of the Yang Family, there weren’t many who had reached the True Element Boundary Ninth Stages, but that was also due to them practicing outside the family where their resources were limited.
Even so, this Xiang Tian Xiao’s aptitude really wasn’t ordinary.
Among the first-class forces, there were also many geniuses; for example, Wu Cheng Yi from the Nine Star Sword Sect who he had met in that isolated world was also a True Element Boundary Eighth Stage. If he was still alive, he likely would have already broken through to the Immortal Ascension Boundary, but Wu Cheng Yi was also older than Xiang Tian Xiao.
“Xiang Chu prefers to use schemes and plots, his thoughts are quite treacherous, while his brother Xiang Tian Xiao is the exact opposite: an up-front, straightforward personality. Coupled with his excellent aptitude, he is actually quite favoured by many of the Xiang Family Elders,” Qiu Yi Meng smiled meaningfully, “And so, you should understand the issue.”
“About which one should be the heir?” Yang Kai frowned slightly.
“En, out of all the big forces, only your Yang Family chooses its next Patriarch through a direct contest like the Inheritance War. Of the other Central Capital’s Eight Great Families, and most of the world’s first-class forces, the heir is almost always the family’s eldest son.” When Qiu Yi Meng mentioned this, she couldn’t help showing a slight look of frustration, but she quickly composed herself, not even pausing for a moment before continuing, “As long as this eldest son isn’t too bad, his position is generally stable, because the one who inherits the Patriarch position doesn’t need to be the strongest, but instead capable of managing the whole family. A good example is the Lu Family’s Lu Liang who you already met; he is only an Immortal Ascension Boundary Seventh Stage master, so amongst the Lu Family’s Elders there are a number who are stronger than him, but he is still the Patriarch, firstly because of his administrative ability and secondly because he was the eldest son of the Lu Family at the time, the same is true in my Qiu Family…”
“Ahem, but as for the Xiang Family, Xiang Chu is the current heir, but the excellent performance of Xiang Tian Xiao has put some pressure on him, so I heard… en, just heard, that Xiang Chu often plays some tricks on his younger half-brother to deal with him. Xiang Tian Xiao, on the other hand, doesn’t put up any resistance; it would seem he’s not interested in fighting for power.”
As Yang Kai listened to these words, he became more certain about his own assessment, nodding lightly, “With Xiang Chu’s personality, it is indeed possible he would do such things.”
“En, so given this situation, you can understand why Xiang Tian Xiao would appear at your door, right?” Qiu Yi Meng asked with a smile.
“En, I know.” Yang Kai said blankly.
Xiang Chu dreaded his younger brother’s ability, so when Yang Kai blackmailed him, he had sent his younger brother here to help Yang Kai participate in the Inheritance War.
First off, Yang Kai really did need help in the Inheritance War, so there was nothing wrong with sending him some manpower. Such sincerity was also more useful than the Nan Family’s four boxes of materials.
Secondly, if Xiang Tian Xiao was here with Yang Kai, as long Xiang Chu worked with another of the Yang Family Young Lords to defeat him in the Inheritance War, it would be equivalent to proving he had superior skill to his brother, thus stabilizing his position as the Xiang Family’s heir.
For Xiang Chu, this was equivalent to killing two birds with one stone.
Most likely, he also planned to cut down Xiang Tian Xiao’s followers in this Inheritance War., because this group of people were strong supporters of Xiang Tian Xiao in the family.
“Do you think he’ll be useful?” Yang Kai looked over at Qiu Yi Meng.
Yang Kai asking her so casually suddenly made Qiu Yi Meng smile and feel happy, “I think he is useful! But it’ll be up to you to decide whether to use him or not.”
“Let’s have them stand by for now,” Yang Kai said undecidedly. Whether this Second Young Lord sincerely wanted to help him or not, Yang Kai had always been a cautious person. It was impossible for him to trust a complete stranger simply on their word and a few rumors he had heard.
Seeing through people’s hearts took a long time, only a long road would truly test a horses’ strength.
“En,” Knowing he would say this, Qiu Yi Meng simply grinned and said. “However, I got an interesting piece of information from Xiang Tian Xiao that’s not good news for you, do you want to listen?”
“Oh, what news?”
“His big brother and the Nan Family’s Young Lord are also in War City!” Qiu Yi Meng smiled.
Yang Kai didn’t show any surprised at all, his expression still light and carefree, “Who did they choose?”
“Your Second Brother, Yang Zhao!”
“Good eyes!” Yang Kai sneered, “It looks like there’ll be lots of fun tonight.”
Qiu Yi Meng also smiled lightly, no longer showing any of her former tension. Since Yang Kai wanted her to see a good show tonight, she naturally no longer felt the need to worry about him.
“Is there anything else Young Lord Kai requires? If not, then this humble servant will retire first!” Qiu Yi Meng said in a teasing tone.
Yang Kai glanced at her eccentrically and snorted, “Don’t tease me, I can’t afford it.”
Seeing the twitching brow on Yang Kai’s face, Qiu Yi Meng smiled more gleefully than ever before.
“However, there really is something I’d like you to do.” Yang Kai looked straight at her and said.
“Oh? Like what?”
“A thousand meters outside the house, there are two old men on sitting atop a banyan tree, have someone send them two pots of wine.”
Qiu Yi Meng stared blankly for a moment, “Two old men? Who are they?”
“My guess is that they’re from the Huo Family, probably sent here to secretly protect Huo Xing Chen.”
The Qiu Family’s First Young Lady squinted her eyes as she observed Yang Kai, not understanding why he seemed so sure that there were two people there.
Also, since they were here to protect Huo Xing Chen, they would no doubt be the two masters who always accompanied the Central Capital Wolf, but those two were Immortal Ascension Boundary Eighth Stage masters!
With their cultivations, how could Yang Kai possibly have discovered them?
Suddenly feeling confused, Qiu Yi Meng didn’t think Yang Kai was just speculating.
Although Huo Zheng was angered half to death by his delinquent son, Huo Xing Chen was still the Huo Family’s only heir. Him accompanying the ‘doomed’ Yang Kai alone, it was understandable for Huo Zheng to send those two old men to secretly protect him.
Qiu Yi Meng withdrew with a suspicious look upon her face, frowning for a moment before personally fetching two pots of wine and diligently walking out.
A thousand meters outside Yang Kai’s mansion, on the top of a banyan tree.
The dense leaves obscured the figures of the two Huo Family masters. The two of them breathed evenly, converging their auras to the extreme while a faint halo hung over them, further concealing them, the combination of all these techniques, from an outside observers’ perspective, made them both completely fade into thin air.
Even if someone were to be standing directly under the tree, looking up at them, they wouldn’t be able to discover anything, only if one used a powerful Divine Sense to examine the tree would they notice something.
At the moment, the two old men were bored as they sat with their backs against the tree trunk in a meditative state.
Both of their invisible Divine Senses covered the entirety of Yang Kai’s compound, allowing them to perceive every gust of wind and every blade of grass. With such formidable Divine Senses deployed, they would notice any signs of attack in an instant and be able to respond in kind.
So even though they were hidden here, they were not worried that anyone would harm to their Young Master.
The two releasing their Divine Senses so blatantly obviously couldn’t escape the notice of Qu Gao Yi and Ying Jiu, but since there was no malicious intent, the two Blood Warriors simply continued healing themselves, essentially keeping one eye open and one eye closed.
Suddenly, the two old men noticed a set of footsteps coming towards them. At the beginning, the two did not care, there were tens of thousands of people living in War City, so even though the location of Yang Kai’s compound was remote, there would still be the occasional pedestrian passing by.
But as the footsteps got closer and closer, the two masters couldn’t help opening their eyes and glancing at each other slightly strangely.
These footsteps… they seemed to be coming towards the two of them.
Looking down, the two suddenly felt shocked.
What they saw the Qiu Family’s First Young Lady Qiu Yi Meng, actually at the moment acting like a common maidservant, holding a tray in her hand with two pots of old wine atop it, smiling as she elegantly stepped towards their hiding spot.
Waiting until she had reached the base of the tree, Qiu Yi Meng looked up towards the two Huo Family masters.
Seeing this, both old man felt their hearts jump, thinking that the Martial Skill they were using to conceal themselves had somehow failed, but in the blink of an eye dismissing this thought. Their Martial Skill was clearly still functioning, and Qiu Yi Meng’s eyes weren’t directly aimed at them, instead just staring in their general direction.
[She can’t see us.]
“With the weather being so dry, the two Seniors have stayed up in this tree for so long, you’re no doubt thirsty. These two pots of wine are a gift for you to moisten your throats. Please don’t reject.”
When her sweet voice reached their ears, the two Huo Family masters stared at each other in blank dismay, immediately waving their hands and dispelling their concealment skill.
With a slight ripple of light, the two old men’s figures suddenly presented themselves before Qiu Yi Meng’s eyes.
Having already been exposed, the two were too embarrassed to feign ignorance, not to mention, Qiu Yi Meng’s identity wasn’t ordinary.
Seeing these two appear, Qiu Yi Meng’s expression remained calm, but in her heart she was secretly praising Yang Kai.
The two Huo Family masters jumped down from the tree and stood in front of Qiu Yi Meng, “Greetings Young Lady Qiu, thank you for your hard work.”
As they spoke, the two of them picked up the two pots of wine.
“Please enjoy it slowly,” Qiu Yi Meng smiled and bowed before turning back.
“Young Lady Qiu, a moment please!” One of them shouted.
“Hm?” Qiu Yi Meng turned her head and looked at him curiously.
The man frowned, remaining silent for a moment before finally speaking, “May I ask Young Lady Qiu, how did you know we were here? Did the two Yang Family Blood Warriors inform you?”
The two Huo Family masters obviously thought it was the two Blood Warriors who had exposed their hiding place.
However, Qiu Yi Meng slowly shook his head and giggled lightly, “The two Blood Warriors are currently in meditative healing and have no time to meddle in such matters, but it was also not I who discovered Seniors. I don’t have such great skill.”
“Then…”
“Hehe, Junior will take her leave here,” Qiu Yi Meng didn’t say much, just smiling brightly as she turned around.
The Qiu Family’s Eldest Daughter was as sharp as she was charming and excelled at making others dance to her tune, although she was always suppressed in front of Yang Kai, it was quite different with all the others.
At this time, she didn’t reveal anything; leaving the two Huo Family masters with some questions would only lead to greater benefits for Yang Kai right now.
After Qiu Yi Meng left, the two old men looked at the wine pots in their hands and sighed.
They also understood who it was that had sent Qiu Yi Meng, but they simply couldn’t understand how Yang Kai had found them.
“What do we do now?” One of them muttered with a frown.
The other master’s face was also ugly, shaking his head slowly, “Haa… We’ve been duped, now that we’ve accepted these two pots of wine, tonight…”
“This Young Lord Kai is really sinister.”
This was no doubt a case of offering gifts to exploit one’s weakness. Although it was only two pots of wine, it had been personally delivered to them by Young Lady Qiu. The so-called light courtesy, heavy affection. Having accepted such a gift, when crisis befell Yang Kai tonight, could they still just stand by and watch?
If it was someone else who had come to deliver wine to them, even if it was Yang Kai himself, these two masters could have simply rejected, but there was no way for them to refuse Qiu Yi Meng.
“But Patriarch hasn’t let us officially participate in the Inheritance War yet, not to mention that, over the years, although many forces would dispatched Immortal Ascension Boundary Seventh or Eighth Stage masters to assist, some even sending out Peak Masters, but the other Seven Great Families would never send anyone who exceeded Immortal Ascension Boundary Fifth Stage. If we were to expose ourselves and someone were to recognize us… what face would our Huo Family have left?”
“Should we send this wine back then?” One person proposed.
The other person nodded, “Good, you send it!”
“Go to hell!”
Sending this wine back, wasn’t that like slapping Young Lady Qiu’s face? Who would do something so stupid?
“Haa…” Shaking their heads and sighing, the two masters suddenly felt that these two pots of wine were burning lumps of iron instead.
With no way out, each of them took up their wine and drank it down, but there was no mellowness in their mouths, only a strong bitter aroma accompanied by a long aftertaste of helplessness.
As time slowly passed and sunset approached, a few bright stars began emerging, shimmering like gems in the darkening sky above, painting a beautiful and tranquil picture.
Inside War City, the noise of the day gradually calmed.
Tens of thousands of eyes were all staring at the movements of the Eight Young Lords.
A potent group of Divine Senses spread out over War City. These powerful and tyrannical Divine Sense belonged to a group of masters whose purpose was to observe the Inheritance War’s progress.
The center of War City, Seal Temple.
In this majestic palace, around an octagonal table, sat eight white-haired old men.
Each of these eight people appeared as tranquil as ancient wells as they slowly circulating their Secret Arts. It seems like they had completely removed themselves from all distractions from the outside world, but in fact the Divine Senses of these eight people had penetrated every corner of War City.
These eight people belonged to the Central Capital’s Eight Great Families, each one a top master at the Above Immortal Ascension Boundary!
When the Yang Family Inheritance War launched, War City became the gathering place the world’s young talents, almost all of them the leaders of their respective forces’ younger generation.
So every time the Inheritance War was held, the Eight Great Families would all respectively send an Above Immortal Ascension Boundary master to War City first to oversee the progress of the Inheritance War, and secondly to protect the young geniuses who had come to participate.
Were these masters not present and a strong master from the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land snuck in, the loss to the Great Han Dynasty would be unimaginable.
These eight people were all over a hundred years old, the eldest even reaching the two hundred year mark, essentially half a neck into the grave. For these masters, they would not involve themselves with their families’ affairs, nor would they trouble themselves with worldly matters, instead solely cultivating the Martial Dao.
Although they were here, they would not interfere in the Inheritance War, their only responsibility was to supervise the outcome, and defend War City against external threats.
Whoever won or lost was not their concern.
At their age and with their cultivation realm, their entire focus was unravelling the mysteries of the Above Immortal Ascension Boundary.
At the eight Young Lords’ respective bases, some people were eager to move, some were worried and anxious, some prepared to sit back and watch the show from a distance, while others were waited to reap the fisherman’s benefits.
The differences in strength each one possessed naturally produced different mentalities.
The sun had finally set and the night grew deeper and deeper, but the eight Young Lords still showed no signs of movement, so many people who were looking forward to spectating the various battles held their breath and waited.
Yang Kai, with his hands behind his back, stood straight as a sword before his mansion, staring up at a flag hanging at the building’s highest point.
In the Inheritance War, this flag was also a vital symbol.
There were two ways to eliminate a Young Lord from the Inheritance War.
One was to capture the person directly, so that the Young Lord lost the qualification to continue.
The second however was related to this flag.
Once someone had taken this flag, the corresponding Young Lord would also lose the qualification to participate.
Moreover, this flag had to be hung in the position directly atop the mansion’s highest point and could not be carried on one’s body.
The Yang Family had used these rules for all of its past generations, it was probably designed as a way for the Young Lords to have more than one way to win, and also to increase the level of difficulty, forcing them to display their wisdom and wits to the very limit.
The flag hanging here was a constraint imposed on these Young Lords by the Yang Family!
Someone always had to guard this flag, in case an opponent tried to steal it. If it was lost, it meant elimination.
On the one hand, there was a need to protect your own flag, and on the other hand, it was necessary to think of ways to snatch others’ flags. The Inheritance War was also a battle of wits.
Looking at the big flag fluttering out in the open, Yang Kai’s mouth curled into a smirk.
Behind Yang Kai stood the Qiu Family’s First Young Lady Qiu Yi Meng, the Central Capital Wolf Huo Xing Chen, and the Xiang Family’s Second Young Lord Xiang Tian Xiao.
As of right now, all of Yang Kai’s allies had gathered here.
“Brother Kai, are you ready to hand over your Golden Feather Eagle to me?” Huo Xing Chen smiled dismissively as he swung his folding fan, “Let me tell you now, if anyone comes here looking for a fight, I’ll be the first to surrender. Don’t expect me to help you.”
Qiu Yi Meng glanced over at him coldly, “If you keep spewing nonsense I’ll give you a dozen slaps and then throw you out.”
“Hey hey hey, you’re a woman, aren’t you? Why must you act so violently?” Huo Xing Chen said with a depressed expression.
Xiang Tian Xiao quickly added, “My Xiang Family’s troops will cooperate with you, deploy us as you see fit.”
“Feel free to arrange yourselves,” Yang Kai glanced over at him and replied casually.
Xiang Tian Xiao frowned but didn’t say a word, instead just turning around and walking off, apparently planning to deploy the people he had brought with him. The strength of his group wasn’t very high, although there were four who had reached the Immortal Ascension Boundary, in the face of real masters, they wouldn’t last long.
The only good thing was that tonight was the first day of the Inheritance War, so the other Young Lords also shouldn’t have too much available power, so the people he had brought could still play an important role.
“Now that we’ve reached this point, isn’t it time to tell me what you plan to do?” Qiu Yi Meng asked with a smile, “Do you have some hidden allies somewhere? When are they going to show up?”
However, Yang Kai just shook his head, “I don’t have any hidden help, what you see here now is my complete current strength.”
“Seriously?” Qiu Yi Meng’s beautiful face twitched slightly.
“I’m not lying to you this time!” Yang Kai said seriously.
“How are you going to defend this place then?” The Qiu Family’s Eldest Daughter suddenly panicked. Although the two Blood Warriors were incredibly powerful, how much strength could they display right now? Even counting the cultivators from the Xiang Family and her own Autumn Rain Hall, it really wasn’t enough to turn any spray.
As long as any of Yang Kai’s brothers could send out two Immortal Ascension Boundary Seventh or Eighth Stage masters, it would be enough for them to conquer this place.
And right now, amongst the Yang Family Young Lords, there were at least three people who could send out these kinds of masters!
“It’s too late for you to regret it now,” Yang Kai said as he stared at Qiu Yi Meng coldly.
Feeling his gaze, Qiu Yi Meng’s brow wrinkled, suddenly realizing something, letting out a light laugh as she shook her head, “No, I believe in you.”
“Hahaha, well I don’t believe in you,” Huo Xing Chen laughed raucously as he walked off. “I’m going to find some bird food, I need to get a gift for my new eagle.”
Saying so, he quickly disappeared.
When there were only two people left in front of the main entrance, Yang Kai suddenly said, “I want to go out!”
Qiu Yi Meng’s face suddenly changed colour as she hesitantly asked, “Go out? What do you want to do?”
“What do you think?”
The Qiu Family’s First Young Lady looked at Yang Kai incredulously, her mouth slightly agape, hoping that he was just joking, but seeing Yang Kai’s calm expression, she knew he was being serious.
“Are you sure?”
“Naturally, in the Inheritance War, if you defeat an opponent you can gain a lot of benefits! Tonight is the first day so someone will surely be eliminated. This is a golden opportunity!”
If there were no benefits to be won from defeating an opponent, none of the participating Young Lords would proactively take the offensive, after all, attacking another’s stronghold was a time and resource consuming endeavor that would draw forces away from protecting one’s own flag.
As long as you could capture a Yang Family Yong Lord, or obtain their flag, you could exchange them with the main family for a lot of supplies.
“Are you crazy?” Qiu Yi Meng looked at Yang Kai with an amazed expression, “You don’t even have enough strength to defend your base yet you want to take the initiative to attack? Who are you planning to take with you? My Autumn Rain Hall, or the people from the Xiang Family? Or perhaps the two Blood Warriors?”
The first two groups wouldn’t have much effect even if they went with Yang Kai while the latter two leaving would be the same as leaving his flag completely undefended.
“I’m going alone!” Yang Kai frowned.
“No!” Qiu Yi Meng yelled, her full chest heaving up and down as she snapped at Yang Kai.
Yang Kai suddenly smiled and stared at her undulating peaks, decisively saying, “I wasn’t asking for your opinion, only informing you about my decision, whatever I decide to do, no one has the right to object!”
Qiu Yi Meng’s expression suddenly became bitter, grinding her teeth in anger.
After a long time, she took a deep breath and let out a sigh, “Good, since you’ve decided so, I’m too lazy to try convincing you otherwise. If you lose tonight, it just means that I, Qiu Yi Meng, was blind to follow such a man!”
“Woman, don’t say these kinds of easily misunderstood words!” Yang Kai sneered, “Besides, who wins or loses tonight hasn’t been decided yet!”
In the middle of the night.
Dong Qing Han was sitting in meditative cultivation while the Wind and Cloud Dual Guards stood watch. Although two old men appeared to simply be sitting to his left and right, their Divine Senses had actually pervaded the entire surrounding, constantly on the lookout for anyone who had ill intentions towards their Young Master.
Tonight was the first night of the Inheritance War, it was destined not to be peaceful; whether the Eight Young Lords were on the attack or defence, there would certainly be action.
The Wind and Cloud Dual Guards were somewhat confused as to why Dong Qing Han didn’t seem to be worried about Yang Kai’s situation at all, but since their Young Master wasn’t willing to say any more, they didn’t bother asking.
Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.
The Wind and Cloud Dual Guards, who had been constantly surveilling the surroundings both turned their heads towards the entrance, their expressions half shocked half horrified.
Because under the two old master’s Divine Senses’ supervision, neither of them had even realized when someone had arrived at their doorstep.
If this unknown person was an enemy…
Able to approach them so closely without being detected, would they or Dong Qing Han have any chance to survive?
With this thought in mind, the Wind and Cloud Dual Guards leaked cold sweat as they hurriedly got up and began circulating their True Qi furiously.
Sensing this disturbance, Dong Qing Han also opened his eyes and frowned, “Who is it?”
“Me!” A familiar voice called out from outside the door.
When the voice reached their ears, not only did Dong Qing Han’s expression become strange, even the Wind and Cloud Dual Guards also gawked awkwardly.
“Young Master, beware of deception!” The Wind Guard whispered as he signaled to the Cloud Guard with his eyes, one of them retreating towards Dong Qing Han’s side, the other cautiously moving to the door and slowly opening it.
As the door opened, a blurry figure flashed and suddenly there was another man present inside the room. The head of this man was covered in a broad hat which covered his face, only allowing the Cloud Guard who had opened the door to see a pair of bright eyes.
“Yang Kai?” Dong Qing Han raised brow and asked hesitantly.
Under the watchful eyes of the Wind and Cloud Dual Guards, the man slowly lifted his hat to reveal his true face before he grinned broadly at Dong Qing Han.
Seeing his appearance, Dong Qing Han couldn’t help cursing out loud, “Fuck! It IS you.”
The Wind and Cloud Dual Guards were both old masters who had seen and weathered countless storms, but at the moment they couldn’t help wanting to pinch themselves, wondering if everything they had just saw was some kind of dream, somehow managing to hold down this uncouth impulse.
“Junior greets two Seniors,” Yang Kai politely nodded at the Wind Guard and Cloud Guard.
“Young Lord Kai is too polite,” The two men hurriedly composed themselves before replying in kind.
“You little brat!” Dong Qing Han quickly got up and shut the window tightly while signaling to the Wind and Cloud Dual Guards to stay on alert before rushing over to Yang Kai, his slightly chubby face showing a dumbfounded look, “How did you know that I was here?”
“I have a small force of henchmen who are responsible for inquiring about intelligence,” Yang Kai explained.
A small part of the Bamboo Knot Gang had been deployed here by Yang Kai a few days ago and they had now penetrated every region of War City, so it was actually quite easy for him to find where Dong Qing Han was staying.
“Fine fine, but do you know what you’re doing right now?” Dong Qing Han slowly shook his head, bringing Yang Kai over to sit down.
This was the Inheritance War, not a game of house, yet this little cousin of his hadn’t sat in his base with the rest of his allies but instead actually ran out to find him…
However, after thinking about it for a moment, Dong Qing Han became a little excited, “Do you want to take the initiative?”
“That was my plan,” Yang Kai nodded.
“Good balls!” Dong Qing Han cheered up, “I knew that you wouldn’t just sit back and watch, let’s talk about it, how many people did you bring with you?”
“Just me.”
The excitement on Dong Qing Han’s face quickly stifled as his brow began to twitch, staring at Yang Kai seriously and muttering, “I’m your cousin, is there a need for you to play tricks on me?”
But Yang Kai simply shook his head in an equally serious manner, “I’m not lying to you, I’m really alone right now.”
Dong Qing Han suddenly sat up straighter, the fat on his face trembling lightly. Even the Wind and Cloud Dual Guards couldn’t hide their shock.
At this sensitive time, he had actually ran out all on his own. Was he an idiot or a fool? Why act so recklessly and arrogant? Did he really think that he was unparalleled in this world?
But what was more, was that he actually arrived here safe and sound, obviously not having been intercepted halfway, this was no doubt the most incredible part.
Yang Kai had a small force in his hands to inquire about intelligence, so how could his brothers who were equally determined to win this Inheritance War not have deployed similar resources?
It wasn’t an exaggeration to say that the eight Young Lords were all constantly monitoring each other’s movements, even the slightest sign of something suspicious would immediately be reported back.
“How did you get here?” Dong Qing Han still hadn’t recovered from his initial shock, “Did the two Blood Warriors around you dare to let you go?”
“They don’t know,” Yang Kai shook his head. When he left the house, with the exception of Qiu Yi Meng, he hadn’t said anything to anyone, otherwise there was no way he’d have so easily managed to leave.
“Then your base…” Dong Qing Han’s expression filled with worry and anxiety, without Yang Kai, the people at his compound were equal to gang without a leader.
“There are no problems there. Enough about that, I actually came here to borrow some people,” Yang Kai waved his hand and interrupted Dong Qing Han’s unending line of questions.
“Borrow people?” Dong Qing Han asked, immediately understanding, pointing to the Wind and Cloud Dual Guards, “Them?”
“Good, if I go alone, I’m afraid I won’t be able to grab any advantages.”
“But with them you can?” Dong Qing Han’s brow furrowed, even with the Wind and Cloud Dual Guards, there would still only be three of them, they might be able to steal a chicken or two, but if they wanted to stir up the wind and summon the rain it was still a far fetched idea.
“Not necessarily, but there’s always a chance,” Yang Kai didn’t say too much, as even he didn’t know what his final objective would be.
The only thing he was certain of was that tonight, like at his compound, was bound to be a lively mess in a number of places.
“If you want to borrow people, then so be it,” Dong Qing Han nodded, but quickly followed up, “But I’m coming with you too.”
“You can’t, you’re strength is too low, if you come you’ll just be a burden,” Yang Kai immediately refused.
“I…” Dong Qing Han was struck speechless, a bright red blush appearing on his face.
Yang Kai grinned meaningfully and patted Dong Qing Han’s shoulder, “Cousin, I’m not looking down on you, but as you are now, I can beat you as simply as flipping my hand, it’s best if you rest early tonight.”
The Wind and Cloud Dual Guards, although feeling awkward, didn’t raise any objections.
“Tomorrow, when you come to my mansion, I’ll tell you more about it, I’ll be borrowing Two Seniors first,” Yang Kai said to Dong Qing Han before directly standing up.
“Then get lost!” Dong Qing Han roared bitterly, his expression rather ugly.
Yang Kai half sighed half sneered, glanced at the Wind and Cloud Dual Guards, and then casually walked out the door.
“That little bastard, just how much has he grown?”
When Yang Kai and the Wind and Cloud Guards left, Dong Qing Han slowly shook his shoulders to resolve the numbness in his body. Just now when Yang Kai had patted his shoulder, almost half of his meridians had seemingly been imprisoned, obviously when Yang Kai said beating him was as simple as flipping his hand, he was neither lying nor exaggerating.
The last time he saw him at High Heaven Pavilion he had barely managed to eek out a victory against the Bai Family’s Bai Yun Feng. How had his strength reached such a horrifying height in only a few years?
“Freak!” Dong Qing Han muttered to himself, a look of resentment clear in his expression.
Above War City’s rooftops, three dark silhouettes rapidly flew forward, even though the city was brightly lit and there were countless Divine Senses sweeping the area, no one had noticed this trio.
Once outside the inn, the Wind and Cloud Dual Guards felt a powerful Spiritual Energy enshroud them, completely hiding their auras, making it impossible for outsiders to discover their whereabouts.
This Spiritual Energy, even when compared to their own, was a fair amount stronger. It was basically impossible for them to run into anyone with a more potent Spiritual Energy in War City.
As a result, the two of them only needed to follow Yang Kai closely and not make a conscious effort to expose themselves.
Their expression immediately improved as the Wind and Cloud guards finally understood how Yang Kai had safely arrived at Dong Qing Han’s temporary residence.
However, neither of them knew that what was shrouding them was actually Yang Kai’s own Divine Sense, the two of them only thought he had used some kind of high-end Soul type artifact to achieve this effect, but regardless their evaluation of Yang Kai’s chances for success tonight were still bolstered greatly.
With their Young Master’s younger cousin, under the cover of this Spiritual Energy, as long they concealed themselves and didn’t launch any attacks, it was unlikely any outsiders would discover them, giving them a huge tactical advantage.
Soon after, Yang Kai, who was leading, suddenly stopped and ducked into a nearby building, swiftly followed by the Wind and Cloud guards, both of them somewhat confused, not sure why he was suddenly acting so cautious.
Just as they were about to ask though, Yang Kai gestured to them to remain silent.
A moment later, the sound of flapping clothes could be heard, followed soon after by a number of figures flying forward at high speed.
The Wind and Cloud Dual Guards’ expression rapidly change, realizing that Yang Kai wasn’t acting cautious but had already noticed that a group of masters was approaching.
[Such sharp perception!] Both of them were secretly surprised. Although they hadn’t released their Divine Senses to the surroundings out of caution, both of them were still high level Immortal Ascension Boundary masters, yet even with their intuition they hadn’t noticed anyone approaching, so Yang Kai being able to detect them was no doubt an impressive feat.
Gazing up at the shadows flying past, Yang Kai’s mouth bent into a strange arc.
This group didn’t make any attempt to hide themselves or even conceal their identities.
The leader was his Fifth Brother Yang Kang who was accompanied by Tang Yu Xian, obviously there to protect his safety. As for Tu Feng, he was nowhere to be seen.
Probably still back at Yang Kang base to guard his flag.
The protection of one’s flag was crucial, so it was necessary to leave at least one of the powerful Blood Warriors to guard it at all times. It was impossible for Yang Kang to leave his base undefended when he went out on the attack.
Additionally, Yang Kang was accompanied by a number of cultivators, each of them not by any means weak. These people were also rushing towards the northeast corner of War City and should be his allies.
In that direction was also the goal of Yang Kai’s trip, the compound of his Third Brother Yang Tie!
Shortly after Yang Kang’s group left, a fluttering of shadows also flew over the roofs, following behind Yang Kang and his team as they rushed toward the northeast corner.
These people were just tagging along to watch the fun.
Tonight’s battle was being watched by tens of thousands of eyes, naturally there were some bored people who wanted to witness the scene of the Yang Family’s children fighting up close; such a wonderful drama, how could they possibly miss it?
Seeing such a large group of spectators, Yang Kai also felt a bit delighted, winking towards the Wind and Cloud Dual Guards before ascending into the sky, casually mixing in with the crowd.
The crowd bustled, and all of them wore looks of anticipation as they, along with Yang Kang, flew towards the northeast.
Although the size of War City couldn’t match that of the Central Capital, it was still comparable to other large cities. If it weren’t, the Yang Family wouldn’t have used this place to hold the Inheritance War.
If there was no massive space to allow a full range of battlefields, the Inheritance War couldn’t fully test the Young Lords’ abilities.
Yang Kang and the group of spectators flew unhurriedly, looking quite relaxed, many of them even leisurely chatting and laughing amongst themselves.
It took about half an hour to arrive at the northeast corner of War City.
Before the base of his Third Brother Yang Tie, Yang Kang and others calmly landed and the group of onlookers quickly scurried about to find a favorable position to watch the fun from, many of them sitting down or settling in after staking claim to a spot.
Yang Kai and the Wind and Cloud Dual Guards also landed in a position not too far away, waiting for the opening curtain to rise.
“Third Brother, Fifth Brother has come!” Yang Kang stood outside the mansion and shouted with a smile.
“Since you’ve arrived, come on in!” Yang Tie’s voice called out from inside.
Yang Kang’s grin deepened as he didn’t hesitate to lead his troops past the main gate. Yang Tie’s voice wasn’t weak, but anyone who heard it could tell there was much hidden bitterness and despair in his tone.
During all his years gaining experience outside, he hadn’t been able to secure any decent merits for the Yang Family, so he was unable to acquire the services of a Blood Warrior. The lack of such a powerful guard around him had also discouraged other forces from siding with him, so all he could rely on was the help of his mother’s family.
Qiu Yi Meng’s judgment was roughly correct, the Third Young Lord Yang Tie was destined to be the first brother eliminated.
Inside the courtyard, Yang Tie stood as straight as a sword, standing behind him were two strong Immortal Ascension Boundary Seventh Stage masters and some other cultivators who didn’t appear weak, all of them were from Yang Tie’s mother’s Duan Mu Family.
The Duan Mu Family was the only support Yang Tie had in the Inheritance War.
Whether Yang Tie could pass this night safely or not was entirely dependent on the power of the Duan Mu Family.
In contrast, Yang Kang was flanked by a powerful Blood Warrior who was proficient in Soul Skills and members of the Gao Family, one of the Eight Great Families. Gao Rang Feng had brought two Immortal Ascension Boundary Fifth Stage masters with him tonight.
These two were Immortal Ascension Boundary Fifth Stage masters of the Eight Great Families so they couldn’t be treated as ordinary cultivators, their true strength was enough for them to beat ordinary Immortal Ascension Boundary Eighth Stage masters in the outside world.
Other than these elites, there were also five or six Immortal Ascension Boundary masters as well as dozens of True Element Boundary cultivators, which side was stronger was obvious to all.
Yang Kang only needed to send out half of the people he brought to easily suppress Yang Tie, at which point it would be easy for him to capture Yang Tie himself, or to capture his flag. Whether it was the person or the flag, either of them could be exchanged for a great deal of material from the family.
Yang Tie stared at Yang Kang as the latter strode forward calmly with an indifferent expression.
When Yang Kang stopped a dozen meters away, the two looked at each other for a while before Yang Kang grinned and said, “Third Brother, everyone here is family, why not listen to my suggestion so we can resolve this peacefully, how about it?”
He obviously wanted to let Yang Tie take the initiative to surrender, but seeing how he had the absolute advantage, he was naturally qualified to say this.
However, Yang Tie simply shook his head slowly and firmly, “I am also a member of the Yang Family, I will only be defeated, I will never surrender. Even if you are my brother, this truth will not change!”
“Good, I knew you would say that,” Yang Kang nodded gently as the smile on his face slowly converged, “If it was me in your place, I would also do the same. Since that’s the case, then don’t blame your fifth brother for not showing mercy.”
“Do as you will!” Yang Tie’s look suddenly became cold.
Behind him, the cultivators of the Duan Mu Family also pushed their True Qi, raising their guard as they prepared for battle.
At that moment though, Tang Yu Xian, who had not left Yang Kang side the whole time, suddenly wrinkled her brow and whispered something.
Yang Kang’s brow furrowed as he glanced back and sighed, “Seventh Brother, since you’ve already come, why lurk in the shadows instead of showing yourself?”
A burst of laughter rang out and immediately a group of people appeared in the night sky, slowly falling into the courtyard as they stood abreast Yang Kang’s group.
It was the Yang Family’s Seventh Young Lord Yang Ying and his allies.
Yang Kang had the Gao Family’s Gao Rang Feng as an ally while Yang Ying has the Kang Family’s Kang Zhan as an ally, and both of them had one Blood Warrior guarding them at the moment. The strength of both sides was basically equal.
The crowds watching the excitement suddenly cheered up; three of the Yang Family’s Young Lords had now gathered here so it was clear that tonight’s show would be nothing less than dazzling, now all that was uncertain was whether Yang Kang and Yang Ying would eat the piece of fat that was Yang Tie.
“Third Brother, Fifth Brother, Little Seventh has been impolite,” Yang Ying landed, first smiled and said hello, a look of enthusiasm upon his face.
“Seventh Brother, you’re too much. If it wasn’t for Yu Xian, Old Fifth is afraid he wouldn’t have noticed the oriole stalking him from behind,” Yang Kang smiled and shook his head.
“Don’t say this Fifth Brother. In the Inheritance War, one should do everything they can to achieve victory, Little Seventh just quietly concealed himself for a moment, but I’m worried there might still be more of our brothers in this crowd.”
As he said so, both Yang Ying and Yang Kang swept their eyes around the crowd.
Yang Kai wrapped his hat around his head a little tighter, making sure his was covered, doing his best to hold back a grin while the Wind and Cloud Dual Guards also felt like their skin was being pricked.
“No one else should have come,” Yang Kang shook his head slowly, “Big Brother won’t move, as the Eldest Brother, this is his way of showing courtesy to us little brothers, whatever trouble is stirred up, he won’t mix himself into it, all his forces will only stick to defence tonight.”
As for their Eight Brother Yang Quan, although he had a Blood Warrior supporting him, his mother’s family was only a second-class force, so it couldn’t provide him with much help, couple with the fact that he didn’t attract many followers during the day, he naturally wouldn’t dare take the initiative to attack others.
That said, with even just one Blood Warrior supporting him, his mansion wouldn’t be easy to take down, so no one would have ideas about him this first night.
“As for Second Brother and Sixth Brother, they should be at tonight’s other easy target, so right now, only us three brothers should appear here.”
Hearing this last comment, Yang Kai’s brow twitched, a devious smile creeping onto his face.
Second Brother Yang Zhao and Sixth Brother Yang Shen going to another easy-to-attack place tonight. Obviously, they were talking about his own mansion.
He was only a bit curious about what was going on there.
As Yang Kang spoke, Yang Ying laughed and replied, “Fifth Brother is quite well-informed, Little Seventh admires.”
To this little bit of sarcasm, Yang Kang just shook his head and said, “Enough about this, let’s first discuss how we’re going to deal with Third Brother here.”
“Ho… what does Fifth Brother mean?”
“The person and the flag, each of us takes one, what do you think?” Yang Kang smiled and asked, obviously not putting his Third Brother Yang Tie in the eyes, seemingly seeing him as nothing more than a dish to be cared up with Yang Ying.
Yang Tie’s face cramped and the cultivators from the Duan Mu Family also showed angry expressions.
Yang Ying smiled and shook his head, calmly replying, “Fifth Brother, don’t blame Little Seventh, my appetite is quite big, I want Third Brother, as for his flag, I want that too!”
Yang Kang was stunned for a moment before suddenly sneering, “Seventh Brother’s appetite is truly big, but you’ll have to have the ability to eat this meal from the tiger’s mouth!”
Yang Ying’s smile also slowly converged, his expression becoming cold.
The two brothers glared at each other and the surroundings became silent, the air seemingly stagnating.
A storm gathered, threatening everything in its path.
*Xiu Xiu Xiu!*
More than ten not weak burst of Spiritual Energy suddenly burst forth. Almost as if they had coordinating with each other, the Immortal Ascension Boundary masters brought by Yang Kang and Yang Ying all simultaneously unleashed their Soul Skills.
As these invisible forces collided, some people screamed and stumbled backwards a few steps while others took the chance to step forward, launching another fierce wave of attacks.
Dazzling flashes of light erupted as a variety of Martial Skills and artifacts surged into action, blinding both the combatants and their audience.
Tang Yu Xian quickly brought Yang Kang out of the ensuing whirlpool of battle while another Yang Family Blood Warrior responsible for Yang Ying’s safety did the same.
The two Yang Family direct descendants continued glaring at each other across the several hundred meter gap between them, flashes of cold light seemingly colliding mid air.
As key figures in the Inheritance War, neither Yang Kang nor Yang Ying would personally go to battle unless they had no other choice. When they came out from their compounds, taking the bigger picture into consideration, their first priority would always be their own safety as their strength wasn’t high.
The Blood Warriors who were responsible for guarding them were forbidden from initiating any offensive actions under the rules of the Yang Family.
Their only responsibility was to counterattack, so if no one attacked them or their Young Lord, even if the situation was in crisis, they had to stand by.
The strengths of the cultivators brought by Yang Kang and Yang Ying were roughly the same, so when they engaged, the situation quickly developed into a stalemate.
As the host to this show, Yang Tie and the cultivators from the Duan Mu Family had actually degenerated into part of the audience as no one came towards them at this moment.
After staring at this scene for a while, Yang Tie coldly snorted, “If you really think that your Third Brother hasn’t made any preparations, you’re in for a surprise, ready the arrows!”
*Shua Shua Shua*, on top of the walls surrounding the front yard, a number of figures appeared, each of them holding a sleek longbow in their hands.
Each of these bows was identical, their craftsmanship exquisite, at first glance they were obviously artifacts of not low grade.
The cultivators who held these bows had at least reached the True Element Boundary Eighth Stage, one or two of them had even arrived at the Immortal Ascension Boundary.
Pushing their True Qi madly, each of these cultivators lifted their respective bow and in just a few moments, each of them turned pale, seemingly having exhausted all their strength.
When these arrows were drawn, everyone who had been targeted immediately felt danger, their expressions changing greatly.
The violent energy each of these arrows contained could even be felt by the spectating crowd who were all quite some distance away from the battle. As for Yang Kang and Yang Ying’s allies, their foreheads began to leak cold sweat as a chill ran up their spines, it was as if a fearsome group of beasts had suddenly appeared around them and were staring at them covetously.
*Shua…*
*Shua Shua…*
Seven twangs rang out as these cultivators released their bowstrings and sent their sharp arrows flying. Like falling stars, these arrows glowed a brilliant white light as they swiftly descended upon the entangled cultivators below.
As the arrows fell, they instantly formed an inescapable net, engulfing Yang Kang and Yang Ying’s allies.
With a resounding bang, the earth shook and the sky cracked, broken limbs and clouds of blood flew in all directions.
Everyone’s eardrums were shaken, causing all who were nearby to lose their hearing temporarily.
Yang Kang and Yang Ying both stared in shock at the explosion of energy before them.
Tang Yu Xian and another Blood Warrior quickly pushed their True Qi in response, guarding Yang Kang and Yang Ying from the complementary waves.
After a while, the raging energy gradually subsided.
In the smouldering aftermath, these mere seven arrows had nearly razed half of Yang Tie’s mansion to the ground!
There were huge potholes everywhere from which several people were crawling out, the ground was littered with broken limbs and bloody chunks of meat.
The Inheritance War was not a child’s game, naturally there would be deaths!
This cruel reality was more than proven by these battered cultivators and ruined buildings.
Everyone inside and around Yang Tie’s compound was struck silent, only a few intermittent moans of pain could be heard.
The smell of blood chocked the sense of all who witnessed this scene.
Among the spectators, many younger female cultivators averted their eyes, covering their mouths as they bent down and vomited.
Yang Tie stood amongst the destruction indifferently, no trace of emotion apparent on his face.
On the other hand, Yang Kang and Yang Ying both abruptly went pale. Neither of them had thought their Third Brother would set up such a devastating ambushed from such a disadvantages position.
The cultivators who were lying in wait along the walls had not eluded their detection, but both the Young Lords had ignored them as they had no idea Yang Tie had acquired such powerful slaughtering artifacts.
Shattering Star Bow, although only an Earth Grade Top-Rank artifact, was capable of absorbing a cultivator’s True Qi without limit and then releasing it all at once.
Once the arrow flew, the bow would crack, but whoever was targeted would surely suffer!
All seven Shattering Star Bows broke the moment the arrow left its string, even causing a severe backlash to the cultivators who used them, each of them now seriously injured, their bodies riddled with bloody wounds.
However, Yang Tie had achieved his goal.
He really could not resist the attack of either Yang Kang or Yang Ying, but before he was defeated, he had taken a bite out of his enemies!
Failure was certain, but whoever wanted to beat him, would pay a steep price! Yang Tie’s Shattering Star Bow assault had perfectly expressed his meaning.
Under the attack of these arrows, at least a dozen of Yang Kang and Yang Ying allies had died, two of whom were Immortal Ascension masters, while more than twenty more were heavily wounded, those with minor injuries were countless.
At the outset of the Inheritance War, such losses were not small.
How could Yang Kang and Yang Ying’s expressions be good? Looking at the horrible situation below, both of them ground their teeth and clenched their fists in rage.
““Kill them all!”” Yang Kang and Yang Ying almost simultaneously shouted in anger. The next moment, the brief silence was broken, and seven cultivators who had fired the arrows were instantly besieged, all of them lacking any strength to resist, their fate was inevitable!
These cultivators were all from the Duan Mu Family, and although the Duan Mu Family was a first-class force, with many strong elites and masters, they obviously couldn’t commit their whole force to the Inheritance War.
What’s more, Yang Tie obviously had no chance of winning, so although the Duan Mu Family had indeed sent a lot of manpower, all they could do was try their hardest in the face of impossible odds. In reality, the Duan Mu Family had already prepared to sacrifice all of them.
Therefore, even though these seven people were mercilessly killed, those who were left didn’t so much as frown.
“Seventh Brother, I think it’s best if we deal with Third Brother first, what do you say?” Yang Kang’s face was gloomy as he stared at Yang Tie, asking his Seventh Brother Yang Ying who stood nearby.
“I was thinking the same!” Yang Ying nodded gently.
“Who gets Third Brother and who gets his flag will depend on our respective skill,” Yang Kang snorted, signaling silently to his allies to begin their assault on Yang Tie’s remaining forces.
At the same time, Yang Ying also gave the order to attack.
In an instant, the vanguard of both Yang Kang and Yang Ying engaged Yang Tie and the Duan Mu Family forces.
Of the cultivators the Duan Mu Family had sent, the strongest were only two Immortal Ascension Boundary Seventh Stages, so they obviously were immediately pressured. Although the Shattering Star Bows had displayed great effect, that was under the conditions of an ambush, in this kind of frontal collision though, they didn’t have the slightest advantage.
The two Immortal Ascension Boundary Seventh Stage masters tried to guard Yang Tie as they slowly retreated.
At this time, one member from each of Yang Kang and Yang Ying’s allies separated themselves from the battle, concealed themselves, and dashed towards Yang Tie’s mansion.
In front of them was where Yang Tie’s flag was hanging.
Although Yang Tie saw this, there was nothing he could do to stop them, so he could only stand there helplessly and watch, his expression filled with unwillingness
“Get ready,” Having been silently watching the flow of events this whole time, Yang Kai suddenly called out to the Wind and Cloud Dual Guards, alerting both of them that he was about to make his move.
Turning his head and looking at the pair, Yang Kai grinned, “Although the strength of two Seniors isn’t weak, but in this kind of melee, I’m afraid neither of you will be able to create much stir.”
The Wind Guard nodded, “What Young Lord Kai said is true, among those people, there are several whose strengths are not inferior to us, a few of them are even stronger; however, whatever Young Lord Kai’s instructions are, Old Cloud and I will do our best to assist.”
“Good, follow me. After we sneak in, just play a few tricks to make the situation more chaotic, but make sure you don’t get tangled up. Leave immediately after you finish,” Yang Kai whispered.
The Wind and Cloud Dual Guards were masters from the Dong Family and had faithfully accompanied Dong Qing Han for many years. If they were to die here, the blow to Dong Qing Han would not be small.
Yang Kai had brought them here to fish in troubled waters, but he didn’t intend for them to take unnecessary risks.
“En,” Listening to Yang Kai, the Wind and Cloud Dual Guards nodded firmly.
For them, sneaking in and stirring up trouble wasn’t too difficult, but they still had to be careful. The ones they had to worry about the most were the Yang Family Blood Warriors, but as long as they didn’t attack Yang Kang and Yang Ying, these powerhouses couldn’t touch them.
“Also, when you go, help Yang Ying’s people attack Yang Kang’s allies, don’t bother trying to play both sides.”
If the two of them only helped one side, it would create the illusion that Yang Kang had received reinforcements, and although this ruse would be seen through quickly, it would be enough to give Yang Kai a fleeting opportunity.
If they were to help both sides, it would only end up being a thankless effort.
From the inside of Yang Tie’s mansion, two people suddenly ran out, one of them belonged to Yang Kang’s camp, the other Yang Ying’s, both of them were cultivators at the Immortal Ascension Boundary Fifth Stage. One of them held a flag as he ran, a touch of excitement flashing across his eyes, while the other was rapidly pursuing him.
Apparently the former person was slightly faster and had gotten to the flag first.
Yang Kang saw this and no longer cared about the battle situation, quickly shouting, “Come here!”
The master holding the flag hurriedly rushed toward Yang Kang, as long as the flag was handed over to Yang Kang, with Tang Yu Xian guarding him, ownership of it would be as good as decided.
“In your dreams!” Yang Ying coldly snorted, and with his guardian Blood Warrior behind him, rushed towards the man.
“Seventh Brother, why so anxious?” Yang Kang laughed as he went to intercept.
The Blood Warrior behind Yang Ying quickly turned pushed his Spiritual Energy while Tang Yu Xian’s Soul Skill also shot out!
In an instant, Yang Kang and Yang Ying had already engaged in combat while Tang Yu Xian and the other Blood Warrior also began their fight.
Amidst the chaos, Yang Kai led the Wind and Cloud Dual Guards onto the battlefield.
With so many eyes staring, naturally some had noticed their movements, but these people were simply here to watch the fun, so even if they discovered these newcomers, none of them would take the initiative to remind Yang Kang or Yang Ying, instead just feeling slightly suspicious about who these three people were.
The Yang Family’s two Young Lords and their respective Blood Warriors were all engaged in single combat. The two Immortal Ascension Boundary Fifth Stage masters who went to capture the flag competed with each other. Yang Tie and his Duan Mu Family allies were fighting back with all they could to avoid him being captured.
The entire northeast corner of War City had been split into four battlefields.
The Duan Mu Family’s numbers continued decreasing at an alarming pace, leaving only four or five people still putting up a desperate resistance, even the two Immortal Ascension Boundary Seventh Stage masters had suffered multiple injuries.
Yang Kai whispered to the Wind and Cloud guards before he dashed towards the two Immortal Ascension masters who were vying for the flag.
At the same time, a massive Spiritual Energy descended upon the mansion!
This terrifying Divine Sense had suddenly engulfed Yang Tie’s entire compound, like a great mountain pressing down on everyone’s chest.
The expressions of everyone who was fighting couldn’t help suddenly changing, each of them subconsciously increasing their vigilance.
A Peak Immortal Ascension Boundary master’s Spiritual Energy!
The two Blood Warriors also separated at that instant quickly arrived at Yang Kang and Yang Ying’s side, both of them on high alert as they scanned the surroundings.
As for the two Immortal Ascension masters who were competing for the flag, they felt the most pressure and almost fell to the ground, horrified at the thought that some peak masters was staring at them, and in the next instant, a black shadow has already rushed in front of them.
Both of them let out a low roar and prepared to counterattack.
But before they could launch their strikes, a series of faint purple ripples washed over them, like the waves that appeared after a stone was thrown into a clam lake.
“Soul Skill!” The two men exclaimed, but before they could react, a floral scent wafted towards their noses as a flurry of blood red petals wrapped in the cold killing intent scattered around them.
Caught off guard, both of these masters simultaneously retreated, rapidly dispelling the cold chill which had invaded their Knowledge Seas, a cold sweat dripping down their backs. These two masters weren’t weak, and their Knowledge Seas were still quite calm even after they had ate Yang Kai’s Soul Skill, but the quick follow-up from the Thousand Blossoming Blood Begonia had still forced them off balances.
Taking advantage of this brief opening, Yang Kai had already rushed in front of the master holding the flag, revealing a big demonic grin.
When the man look up and saw Yang Kai’s face, he suddenly froze up.
After coming to his senses, the flag in his hand had already been taken by Yang Kai.
“You…” The master couldn’t believe his eyes. The faces of the Yang Family’s eight Young Lords who were participating in the Inheritance War were naturally known to him, but never had he imagined that the youngest of these Young Lords would suddenly appear before him here.
For a moment, he felt like he was dreaming, and was even suspicious that he had fallen into some kind of illusion.
Yang Kai didn’t give him any time to recover, pushing the Thousand Blossoming Blood Begonia to entangle him while he tossed his newly acquired flag high up into the air.
In the dark sky above, a golden light flashed, and two claws swiftly caught Yang Tie’s flag before shooting off into the distance.
The sound of flapping wings could be heard from this retreating figure.
Golden Feather Eagle !
“Fool! What are you doing!?” Yang Kang loudly cursed at the Immortal Ascension Boundary Fifth Stage master who had just lost the flag. In his opinion, his opponent had simply walked up and plucked the flag from him without encountering any resistance, but how could Yang Kang know what kind of shock this master was currently feeling?
“It’s… it was… no but… he… he…” The man knew that he had screwed up but in that instant he really couldn’t figure out how to explain.
On the other hand, Tang Yu Xian who stood guard beside Yang Kang wore a frown as she gazed towards the direction the Golden Feather Eagle had disappeared. Her beautiful face took on a brilliant luster as she grinned slightly. Turning to look towards the hat covered Yang Kai, her gaze softened as she stared at him.
The flag which had originally been obtained by Yang Kang’s team was suddenly taken away. This made Yang Kang, who was filled of joy, unable to help feeling awkward.
Moreover, immediately after this unknown man snatched the flag, he had thrown it into the sky and it had subsequently disappeared.
But although Yang Kang let out an angry roar, he didn’t dare to act rashly.
The extremely powerful Spiritual Energy which could only belong to a Peak Immortal Ascension Boundary master still lingered about.
Not only did Yang Kang not dare to act, but everyone in the field didn’t dare move about hastily.
Such a master hiding nearby was an extreme deterrent to everyone. None of them knew who this person was, but they all knew that this master was not one of their own.
Because of the deterrent Divine Sense, the cultivators who were originally pressuring Yang Tie and the Duan Mu Family’s remaining masters had withdrawn a good amount of their strength.
The only exceptions were the Wind and Cloud Dual Guards; this pair of old men rushed about the battlefield, casually using their Martial Skills and launching attacks towards Yang Kang’s allies. Although the people brought by Yang Ying felt that these two were somewhat unfamiliar, none of them gave it much thought as it had only been a day since most of them had met, allowing the Wind and Cloud guards to stroll freely upon the battlefield.
After a few rounds, the Wind and Cloud guards had already arrived in front of Yang Tie.
When he saw that the situation was deteriorating, Yang Kang couldn’t help yelling out, “What are you doing!? Quickly capture my Third Brother!”
With the flag gone, the only prize left was Yang Tie himself, if he were to lose him too, Yang Kang would have not only failed to steal a chicken but also have lost his rice too.
Yang Kang’s shout finally shook everyone awake, all of his allies once again putting forth their best effort.
Yang Ying also roared, “Stop them!”
The cultivators on both sides once again engaged in an all out struggle.
As the Wind and Cloud Guards approached Yang Tie, amidst the chaos, they actually received a lot of assistance from Yang Ying’s allies, successfully bypassing the two Duan Mu Family masters who were stubbornly guarding Yang Tie and seizing the latter.
Yang Ying laughed happily when he saw this and called out, “Good work you two, bring him to me!”
“Yes!” The Wind Guard loudly replied.
“Hurry!”
“Catch!”
As he spoke, he threw Yang Tie out of the crowd.
But what happened next confounded Yang Ying. The unknown man who had just snatched the flag, actually jumped into the air and caught Yang Tie before soaring away with him.
At the same time, the Wind and Cloud Dual Guards also leapt up into the air and flew away, disappearing into the night sky.
“Fifth Brother, Seventh Brother, thanks!” A familiar voice drifted over from the distance.
The faces of Yang Kang and Yang Ying suddenly filled with shock and anger as they simultaneously exclaimed, “Ninth Brother!”
The spectators who heard the two brother’s cries also became amazed!
Ninth Brother! Apparently the one who had appeared was the Yang Family’s youngest Young Lord, Yang Kai!
Earlier, Yang Kang had said that Yang Zhao and Yang Shen had taken their forces to Yang Kai’s compound to look for trouble, and given his performance earlier today, coupled with the fact that he hadn’t been able to recruit any significant help, even though his situation was better than Yang Tie’s, he was still in danger of being eliminated tonight.
At this time, shouldn’t that Yang Kai be holed up in his base? How come he had suddenly appeared here to reap the fisherman’s benefits?
Also, he seemed to have brought two strong helpers with him.
[This person simply didn’t fear the Heavens!]
None of the crowd could understand, and even Yang Kang’s exclamation just now was filled with a thick tone of disbelief, yet all of this only further excited this audience.
It was as if this unexpected turn of events was just the good show they had wanted to see.
Only a moment later, Yang Kai had already taken Yang Tie several thousand meters away, his True Qi pushed to the limit as his figure flickered through the night sky, leaving behind only a long trail of afterimages.
“Sure enough, it really was the Little Lord!” Tang Yu Xian smiled and muttered; when she had seen the golden streak, Tang Yu Xian had already suspected it was the Golden Feather Eagle, so now after hearing Yang Kai’s voice she immediately confirmed her judgment.
“You already knew?” Yang Kang glanced at her unpleasantly.
Tang Yu Xian maintained her expression and shook her head, “It was just a guess. I wasn’t certain until now.”
Yang Kang’s expression was ugly but he didn’t say anything more, he knew that Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian were both very respectful of Yang Kai. For this time’s Inheritance War he had deliberately chosen these two as his guards, not only because their strength was good, but also to disturb Yang Kai.
He didn’t expect that at such a critical juncture, he would actually bring such a disgrace upon himself.
Both the flag and the person had actually been taken away by Yang Kai, while he and Yang Ying had both lost many of their troops but ended up with nothing.
The depression in his heart could easily be imagined.
“Pursue!” Yang Kang gnashed his teeth and flew up.
Yang Ying also wore a gloomy expression and followed suit.
The two groups quickly soared away, leaving behind only the shattered ruins of Yang Tie’s mansion as well as the five injured Duan Mu Family masters.
In order to pursue Yang Kai and recapture Yang Tie who was robbed by him, both Yang Kang and Yang Ying had had no intention of dealing with these remaining Duan Mu cultivators.
The first battle of the first night had wound up with a fisherman reaping the entire harvest, this outcome had greatly exceeded the expectations of everyone present, the spectating crowds quickly followed the pursuers.
These people were also now very interested in this Ninth Young Lord, Yang Kai, who was both bold and daring. They wanted to know what kind of person the youngest Yang Family Young Lord was, and what gave him the confidence to pull off such a stunt.
In the back of their minds, this crowd actually didn’t want Yang Kai to be caught.
With such a person participating, this Inheritance War would no doubt be more interesting and exciting.
As for the bloody aftermath in Yang Tie’s compound, the five remaining Duan Mu Family masters exchanged a glance before smiling helplessly, sitting down, and tending to their injuries.
They had tried their best.
This time, the Duan Mu Family had sent out around forty people, but after this one battle, only five had survived!
The Duan Mu Family had suffered a great loss here in terms of personnel, but in terms of reputation, they had gained significantly! Those who had witnessed this battle would have nothing but praise for the Duan Mu Family, who had loyally stood by their allies even in the face of certain defeat.
Such a family was worthy of becoming friends with.
So in the long run, the Duan Mu Family hadn’t just lost, but rather gained.
Yang Kang and Yang Ying hurriedly chased after Yang Kai with their respective allies, and at first they could still see his retreating figure, but as time passed, even his shadow disappeared.
Many Immortal Ascension Boundary masters had released their Divine Senses in an attempt to lock onto Yang Kai’s position, but as they did, it seemed like their Divine Senses sank into an endless sea, unable to play any effect at all.
It was as if Yang Kai and Yang Tie had simply vanished into thin air.
This result had made both Yang Kang and Yang Ying’s expressions grow uglier.
“The speed of your Ninth Brother is too terrifying!” Gao Rang Feng muttered, his face filled with astonishment. Even while Yang Kai was holding another person, he had still managed to evade a large group of Immortal Ascension masters, such speed could only be described as monstrous.
“No matter how fast he is, with so many Immortal Ascension Boundary masters Divine Senses searching for him, how could he hide his whereabouts and aura?” Kang Zhan shook his head, unable to understand how Yang Kai had accomplished this.
Yang Ying’s eyes flashed before glancing towards Tang Yu Xian and smirking, “Fifth Brother, I heard that the Blood Warrior you brought with you has a particularly powerful Soul, could it be that even with her Divine Sense she can’t find Ninth Brother’s trail?”
Listening to Yang Ying, Yang Kang also turned his eyes questioningly to Tang Yu Xian.
However, Tang Yu Xian just shook her head and said, “I tried, but I can’t find any trace of the Little Lord.”
Yang Kang frowned and quickly said, “Yu Xian, I know that you have a good relationship with Ninth Brother, but don’t forget, right now it is the Inheritance War and you are a Blood Warrior of the Yang Family’s Blood Warrior Hall!”
Tang Yu Xian obviously understood this and also understood this and replied without hesitation: “The Blood Warriors know the difference between public and private affairs, since Young Lord Kang has exchanged enough merits for my and Tu Feng’s services, before Young Lord Kang falls in this Inheritance War, both of us will fully assist you!”
After listening to Tang Yu Xian’s words , Yang Kang knew not to pursue this matter any further, correcting his expression and nodding slightly, “I didn’t mean to question your loyalty. Since even you can’t find him, Ninth Brother must have a powerful master helping him hide his whereabouts.”
“You mean… the owner of that Divine Sense?” Yang Ying suddenly remembered the horrifying Spiritual Energy which had suppressed all of them earlier.
“It should be. With such a powerful master beside him, he could easily do this,” Yang Kang brow wrinkled, muttering to himself, “Strange, where did Ninth Brother find such a powerful helper?”
In the Inheritance War, many of the world’s forces participated; among them, the Eight Great Families had never sent anyone who exceeded the Immortal Ascension Boundary Fifth Stage before.
Other first-class forces would generally not send out Peak Immortal Ascension Boundary masters either, such powerhouses tended to be older and of very high rank, so they would refrain from interfering in events like the Inheritance War. Additionally, other forces and families couldn’t afford to risk such masters, as they were part of their respective Sect’s foundation.
So for first-class forces, the highest level of master they would normally send would be an Immortal Ascension Boundary Eighth Stage, of course, this wasn’t some kind of absolute rule and as the Inheritance War dragged on and became more heated, Peak Immortal Ascension Boundary masters sometimes appeared on the battlefield.
As for second-class forces, they rarely had masters stronger than the Immortal Ascension Boundary Eighth Stage.
For instance, in the Blood Battle Gang, only Sect Master Hu Man was an Immortal Ascension Boundary Eighth Stage. As the leader and pillar of the gang, how could he possibly get involved in such a dangerous affair? As for the Storm Hall, there wasn’t even a single Immortal Ascension Boundary Eighth Stage, Sect Master Xiao Ruo Han had only reached the Seventh Stage.
The available masters which second-class forces could send to participate in the Inheritance war were at most Immortal Ascension Boundary Sixth or Seventh Stage.
When it came to third-class forces, there were few masters who had reached the Immortal Ascension Boundary period, so the cultivators they could spare were even weaker than those sent by second-class forces.
Death in the Inheritance War wasn’t uncommon, and if these weaker forces suffered too many losses, it would lower their overall strength and quite possibly damage their foundation to the point where they might not be able to recover.
Because of this, no matter which forces were involved in the Inheritance War, the amount of manpower they would send out would only be as much as they could afford to lose.
As for Peak Immortal Ascension Boundary masters, none of the Yang Family Young Lords had managed to attract one yet.
If Yang Kai really had such a boost with him, even pursuing him was a big risk for Yang Kang and Yang Ying, how could they have time to worry about grabbing benefits from him?
“It seems Ninth Brother has won big this time!” Yang Ying shook his head and grinned helplessly.
The flag was robbed by him and now even Yang Tie had fallen into his hands. One person and one flag could be exchanged for many useful things from the main family. Artifacts, Martial Skills, Secret Arts, pills, spirit herbs, refining materials, all of these things could be used to enhance his own strength, as well as the strength of his allies.
“Only if he can survive tonight,” Yang Kang coldly snorted. Right now, shouldn’t his home base be under siege? Instead of consolidating his mansion’s defence, Yang Kai had actually ran out and launched an attack. Although he had managed to snatch food from the tiger’s mouth, such a risk was definitely not worth it in Yang Kang’s opinion.
Unable to catch Yang Kai, even unable to find traces of him, and possibly being stared at by a mysterious Peak Immortal Ascension master, both Yang Kang and Yang Ying felt incredibly depressed.
After a long silence, Kang Zhan of the Kang Family suddenly smiled and said, “Two Young Lords, why don’t we pay a visit to your Ninth Brother’s base?”
Yang Kang and Yang Ying looked over at Kang Zhan for a moment before their eyes immediately brightened.
[Right, Yang Kai ran out and brought along two strong allies, as well as that mysterious Peak Immortal Ascension Master. The defense at his base must be all but empty!]
Moreover, Yang Zhao and Yang Shen also went there. If they were to go as well, the four of them together would be enough to absolutely crush Yang Kai.
Exchanging an intentionally indifferent glance, both brothers knew that the other had taken note of this hidden opportunity.
However, Gao Rang Feng shook his head and objected, “No, I think that the two Young Lords should rush back to their own compounds now. With a Peak Immortal Ascension Boundary master as his ally, your Ninth Brother could easily pose a threat to your respective flags.”
Immediately, Yang Kang and Yang Ying’s expression changed dramatically!
They had been so focused on the opportunity to beat others that they had completely forgotten about their own situation. This time, in order to eat the first piece of fat, both of them had brought a lot of their allies, so besides leaving a Blood Warrior in their bases to guard their flags, there was essentially no other powerful masters left on defence.
At this time, if Yang Kai were to attack their mansions, they might very well be eliminated.
Realizing this point, the two brothers quickly discarded the idea of attacking Yang Kai’s compound and instead led their forces back to their bases.
……
Outside War City, Yang Kai put Yang Tie down, not imprisoning his meridians or True Qi at all, just removing his hat and smiling, “Third Brother!”
“Ninth Brother’s methods are impressive!” Yang Tie said, his face filled with admiration.
Yang Kai simply shook his head, “I just took advantage of an opportunity.”
No one would have thought that tonight Yang Kai would dare run out to look for trouble, so Yang Kang and Yang Ying didn’t take any precautions when they began fighting each other, if not for this lack of vigilance, Yang Kai wouldn’t have been able to capture Yang Yie’s flag so easily.
As long as they were even a bit concerned with their surroundings, Yang Kai wouldn’t have succeeded this time.
“No matter what, Third Brother has fallen into your hands, that much is Ninth Brother’s credit.” Yang Tie looked at Yang Kai flatly and said, “Seeing how I would have been captured by one of them anyways, Third Brother would rather be caught by you, at least you didn’t take the initiative to attack me.”
“Third Brother is too serious,” Yang Kai noticed the coldness in his tone and naturally understood that he was somewhat depressed being the first one eliminated, but he didn’t mind, just waving his hand casually, “You should head back to the Central Capital on your own, there’s nothing more for you to do here.”
Hearing this, Yang Tie’s eyes narrowed as he frowned, “What do you mean?”
“Just what I said, I already have your flag anyways.” After that, Yang Kai didn’t wait for Yang Tie to say anything, instead leaping up and flying back towards War City.
Standing there awkwardly for a long time, Yang Tie’s tight expression gradually relaxed, gazing off in the direction Yang Kai had flown, a hint of gratitude apparent on his face.
Yang Kai not taking him to the family to exchange for war material was his way of saving him some face.
Over the past few years, Yang Tie hadn’t gained much, and had not achieved anything earth-shattering. In blunt terms, his performance had always been mediocre, but regardless of all that, he was still a child of the Yang Family and his pride was something ingrained deep into his bones. If it were not for this, knowing he would be eliminated tonight, he would have simply taken the initiative to surrender from the beginning.
If he was really brought back to the family by Yang Kai, in the future he wouldn’t have been able to hold his head up again.
Taking a deep breath and gazing up at the cluster of gem-like stars in the night sky, Yang Tie smiled lightly before turning towards the Central Capital.
The following battles here really had nothing to do with him.
The Yang Family Young Lords who were defeated in the Inheritance War were forbidden from participating any more, but their remaining allies would have the opportunity to choose a new Young Lord to support.
Yang Kai soared through the sky like a meteor, using his powerful Divine Sense to isolate his aura as he rushed towards his mansion.
Letting Yang Tie go wasn’t out of a sense of brotherhood. Yang Kai’s feelings for his cousins were quite weak, but Yang Tie’s determination to fight to the end tonight had earned his respect.
There was no need to humiliate such a person.
War City, northwest corner, Yang Kai’s mansion.
Half an hour earlier.
Almost at the same time as the turmoil at Yang Tie’s compound, Yang Kai’s mansion has also been lively.
The information obtained by Yang Kang was not wrong. Tonight, out of the Eight Young Lord’s, with the exception of the Eldest Brother Yang Wei who because of his status would not take any action, only the Eighth Brother Yang Quan didn’t move.
The Second Young Lord Yang Zhao and his ally Ye Xin Rou had led a lot of masters to Yang Kai base.
But before these people could begin, the Sixth Brother Yang Shen and Qiu Zi Ruo also arrived. The two sides both stood firmly mid-air outside the entrance and exchanged greetings calmly.
Tonight, both of them had come to attack Yang Kai, so they didn’t want to deal with other enemies if possible, this was very clear to everyone here.
In front of the mansion, in the middle of the courtyard, Huo Xing Chen sat atop a comfortable chair casually fanning himself, two beautiful maids stood beside him occasionally pouring him wine and feeding him grapes, his expression couldn’t be more relaxed.
The arrival of Yang Zhao and Yang Shen didn’t seem to disturb his revelry in the slightest.
Beside Yang Zhao, Ye Xin Rou stood quietly, with her jade white skin and graceful demeanor, along with her enchanting smile and the obvious curves of her body, she exuded a kind of soft, indescribable temptation. The Ye Family’s First Young Lady, although not as famous as Qiu Yi Meng, was still a prestigious figure amongst the younger generation.
Behind Yang Zhao, the Xiang Family’s Xiang Chu and Nan Family’s Nan Sheng gazed maliciously at the mansion below, their eyes filled with vicious light.
Especially Nan Sheng. Rubbing his two missing fingers, flashes of ruthless and sinister intent kept appearing on his face.
Yang Kai forcing him to cut off these two fingers had forged a hatred that could not be dispelled. Over the past few months, he had constantly been thinking about revenge.
Yang Zhao’s allies were powerful and numerous, but Yang Shen’s side didn’t appear any weaker.
With the help of Qiu Zi Ruo, Yang Shen had also gathered a lot of help, and he wouldn’t have trouble resisting Yang Zhao in the short run
On the other hand, in front of Yang Kai’s mansion, aside from the Central Capital Wolf who was enjoying his drink, Qiu Yi Meng and Xiang Tian Xiao also appeared, but aside from these three youths, only Qu Gao Yi was present, standing tall like a tower in front of the main entrance.
Ying Jiu was nowhere to be seen.
However, everyone knew that this stealthy Blood Warrior must be lurking in the shadows, just waiting to launch a decisive strike.
Across the short distance between them, Qiu Yi Meng and Qiu Zi Ruo’s eyes met, the former smiling slightly, her face filled with confidence, the latter’s gaze shrinking back involuntarily for a moment before quickly staring back, seemingly not wanting to show any weakness in front of this Elder Sister of his.
At the same time, Xiang Chu and Xiang Tian Xiao were faced each other. The former was solemn while the latter was cold. Their direct stares caused all outsiders to feel the tense aura emitted by the two.
“Sixth Brother, about Brother Kai here, what do you want to do?” Yang Zhao suddenly asked with a smile.
Yang Shen also smiled back and replied, “If Second Brother eats meat, then little brother should be able to drink some soup, right? Surely Second Brother doesn’t want to dine all alone?”
“Of course of course,” Yang Zhao slowly shook his head and appeared to ponder for a while before saying, “In that case, Second Brother wants Brother Kai, while Sixth Brother can take his flag, an even split.”
“En, Second Brother is too kind,” Yang Shen grinned meaningfully, apparently quite content with Yang Zhao’s suggestion. Glancing over at Xiang Chu and Nan Sheng intentionally or unintentionally, he couldn’t help snorting disdainfully, his eyes filling with disdain.
Word of Yang Kai and their grudges had also spread to his ear.
It was not difficult to explain why Yang Zhao chose the person over the flag. The Xiang and Nan Family people joining Yang Zhao’s camp had increased his available strength greatly so naturally he had to show some good will to his allies.
Capturing Yang Kai would make him lose a lot of face, in this way, Xiang Chu and Nan Sheng should be satisfied and would only be more loyal to Yang Zhao in the future.
“Hey, you two, aren’t you tired standing around talking up there? Why not come down first?” Huo Xing Chen suddenly loudly shouted.
Yang Zhao shook his head and grinned, “No need Brother Huo, I should speak with Brother Kai first, I don’t want to embarrass him too much.”
“Yang Kai?” Huo Xing Chen sneered, “He doesn’t seem to be home right now.”
“Not home?” Yang Zhao frowned, apparently thinking that Huo Xing Chen was messing with him, “Where has he gone if he’s not home at this time?”
“Wherever he went, I have no idea, heh,” Huo Xing Chen snickered, opening his folding fan and reclining into his chair, “In any case, he’s not home, if you don’t believe, ask Qiu Yi Meng, she should know where Yang Kai went.”
Yang Zhao glanced over at Qiu Yi Meng, but the latter just smiled and brushed the hair next to her ear back, softly saying, “If I told you he wasn’t here, would Young Lord Zhao believe me?”
Seeing her speak so ambiguously, Yang Zhao couldn’t help frowning, subconsciously feeling like Yang Kai was playing some kind of trick.
But soon, Yang Zhao’s expression became firm as he replied, “I don’t believe it.”
How could Yang Kai have left his base at such a sensitive time tonight? He must be hiding somewhere not daring to show up.
“In that case, the two Young Lords can try searching here, perhaps you’ll be able to find him,” Qiu Yi Meng elegantly smiled while silently cursing to herself.
Yang Kai did tell her he was going out before he left, but it wasn’t like she approved or agreed at that moment. In reality, she really didn’t know where he had gone or what he was doing.
“No need,” Yang Zhao showed a look of impatience on his face and shouted, “Brother Kai, come out by yourself and Second Brother promises he won’t embarrass you!”
After shouting so two times however, there was no sign of Yang Kai appearing.
Seeing this, Nan Sheng sneered, “Second Young Lord, it looks like your brother doesn’t want to give you face at all. In this case, I don’t think there’s a need to speaking any more nonsense with him, as long as you directly attack, he certainly won’t be able to resist!”
His eagerness to beat Yang Kai was obvious to everyone, all of them aware that Nan Sheng didn’t really care about Yang Zhao’s face but simply wanted to seek revenge for his past suffering.
“How we brothers handle business doesn’t your concern!” Yang Zhao snorted.
Nan Sheng’s expression cramped as he grit his teeth, but eventually he didn’t dare to say anything more.
Seeing Nan Sheng’s failed attempt, Xiang Chu not only didn’t draw back but instead smiled and spoke, “Second Young Lord, I also think that a direct attack is the best choice, the defensive power here isn’t strong and with the help of Sixth Young Lord, why shouldn’t we act a little boldly? You’ve already acted polite, but the opposite party simply acts ungratefully, as such… heh…”
Xiang Chu saw through what Yang Zhao was thinking in a single glance. Although he was rebuking Nan Sheng, he apparently agreed with his point of view; however, he had to give such a response in order to maintain his image.
At this time, someone needed to add fuel to the fire so that outsiders would believe Yang Zhao was being persuaded by his allies’ opinions. This way, in the future, others wouldn’t accuse him of bullying his younger brother.
This was why Xiang Chu dared to continue discussing this subject.
[This Young Lord is a snake too!] Xiang Chu being one himself, he could naturally understand the thoughts of Yang Zhao.
Sure enough, Yang Zhao wore a difficult expression for a time, appearing to hesitate over his decision for a while before slowly nodding, “Good, what brother Xiang says is true. As an Older Brother, I have done my best to convince Ninth Brother, but since Ninth Brother refuses to give me face, then there is nothing left to discuss.”
Looking over at Yang Shen, Yang Zhao smiled and said, “Since Ninth Brother doesn’t want to show up, Sixth Brother can go retrieve his flag.”
Yang Shen who was smiling and preparing to watch the good show, upon hearing Yang Zhao’s words couldn’t help cursing under his breath.
He immediately realized that he had walked into his Second Brother’s trap without the slightest resistance, but it was already too late to regret.
Yang Zhao had reached an agreement with him that he may take Yang Kai’s flag, all those present were witness to this.
Now that Yang Kai didn’t appear though, only the flag could be taken. Naturally, grabbing it would be Yang Shen’s responsibility.
Perceiving Yang Zhao’s intention, the smile on Yang Shen’s face slowly converged and his expression becomes dignified.
Yang Zhao continued to smile though, simply saying, “Feel free to take it, Second Brother promises not to interfere.”
Pledging so in front of so many people had shown enough of Yang Zhao’s sincerity so although Yang Shen still frowned for a moment, he eventually nodded, “Good, many thanks Second Brother.”
Turning his gaze back to the cultivators he had brought, Yang Zhen pointed signaled to an Immortal Ascension Boundary Fourth Stage master and said, “You, go retrieve the flag.”
This person was a helper sent by Yang Shen’s mother’s family which was also a first-class force. His strength was neither weak nor strong, so seeing Yang Shen pick him, he suddenly wore a bitter expression, unconsciously glancing towards the towering Qu Gao Yi in front of the mansion.
The mere presence of a Blood Warrior was enough of a deterrent!
“What are you afraid of?” Yang Shen snorted, “The two Blood Warriors serving Ninth Brother are both heavily injured, unable to display even thirty percent of their full strength. On top of that, they are also restricted by the Yang Family’s rules and are unable to take the initiative to attack, as long as you don’t provoke him, he won’t attack you.”
“So they won’t care even if I take the flag?” The Immortal Ascension Boundary Fourth Stage master’s suddenly face lit up. If this was the case, then there was nothing for him to worry about.
“Obviously that’s impossible,” Yang Zhao shook his head and interjected, “They are only responsible for passively counterattacking, but if you go to grab the flag, they will naturally try to block you; however, as long as you’re fast enough, you can capture the flag and escape. In their current condition, they won’t be able to stop you.”
“What are you waiting for?” Yang Shen shouted impatiently.
The Immortal Ascension Boundary Fourth Stage master felt helpless, but still walked out from the crowd, gazing vigilantly towards Qu Gao Yi while simultaneously releasing his Divine Sense to the limit, trying to find where Ying Jiu was hiding.
But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t discover any trace of Ying Jiu, this Blood Warrior renowned for his stealth was as good as invisible.
Huo Xing Chen continued waving his fan while Qiu Yi Meng’s pretty face also wore the same light smile she had from the beginning, her pair of beautiful eyes casually glancing at the person coming towards them, a clear gloating light apparent in her gaze.
Being stared at by her, this man couldn’t help feeling a bit nervous.
Slowly advancing, this person condensed his strength to the limit, guarding himself as best he could as he bypassed Huo Xing Chen and Qiu Yi Meng, finally arriving before Qu Gao Yi, his forehead dripping with cold sweat.
“Hmph!” Qu Gao Yi suddenly snorted, greatly frightening the man, almost causing him strike back unconsciously.
If he had really attacked though, Qu Gao Yi could have fought back on the spot.
“Ha ha ha ha!” Huo Xing Chen saw this scene and couldn’t help laughing raucously, Qiu Yi Meng also let out a light giggle.
This person acting so shamefully had definitely affected Yang Shen’s prestige.
Now a bright shade of red, the man’s face couldn’t be more embarrassed, clenching his fists before charging forward recklessly into the hall, seemingly wanting to dispel his previous cowardly display.
Smoothly entering the empty hall, he unexpectedly didn’t encounter any obstacles.
After disappearing into the hall for only a moment, the man rushed out once again, a big smile on his face, the flag in hand.
“Sixth Young Lord, I…”
But before he could finish what he was saying, there was a faint ripple in the shadows and then… silence.
The man who was holding the flag still stood at the door, half of his body already outside, but forever unable to take that last step.
The faces of Yang Zhao and Yang Shen suddenly changed, and all the cultivators behind them also paled.
“He’s dead!” The Blood Warrior beside Yang Zhao quickly said, his eyes focusing on the doorway, “It’s Ying Jiu’s Flickering Shadow Strike!”
“Fast!” Yang Zhao muttered involuntarily, quietly whispering, “Did you see where Ying Jiu was hiding just now?”
“No,” the Blood Warrior slowly shook his head, “Ying Jiu specializes in concealment and assassination, no one in the Blood Warrior Hall can surpass him. It’s extremely difficult for even the Hall Master and Deputy Hall Master to seek out his location, there’s almost no point in my trying to look for him.”
After a short pause, this Blood Warrior shook his head and said, “What’s curious is that Ying Jiu shouldn’t have recovered from his injuries; so how could he execute his technique?”
“Could he have managed to recover from his wounds?” Yang Shen asked gruffly, suddenly seeing one of his allies die had put him in a bad mood.
“Impossible,” Yang Shen’s Blood Warrior interjected, also shaking his head, “Qu Gao Yi and Ying Jiu both sustained serious injuries, and when we saw them earlier today, their Blood Force and True Qi were both unsteady. It’s not possible for them to restore themselves after less than one day.”
“Mad Tyrant Blood Skill!” Yang Zhao confidently inferred.
The two Blood Warriors who spoke before silently nodded, a trace of grief on their faces.
Ying Jiu activating his Mad Tyrant Blood Skill in his condition was no different from burning through the rest of his life force. After tonight, there would be no more Ying Jiu in this world.
The Blood Warriors were both saddened; although they wouldn’t show anything on their faces, but each of them was as close to each other as blood brothers, any of them would gladly give their own life if it meant saving their fellow Blood Warriors.
“How long can he sustain his Mad Tyrant Blood Skill?” Yang Zhao asked.
Even though he was not willing to answer, the Blood Warrior beside him still resolutely responded, “About half an hour, after that his vitality will be overdrawn.”
“Then we wait! After half and hour we’ll try again!” Yang Zhao declared firmly.
Immediately after these words, the front entrance of Yang Kai’s compound entered a slightly tense yet tranquil reprieve, only Huo Xing Chen was able to relax as he sat back in his chair, drinking and having fun while humming an unknown tune, his dandy appearance drawing looks of anger from all around.
As time slowly passed, the long silence was difficult to endure.
After half an hour, Yang Zhao nodded, “It’s time.”
Yang Shen’s eyes flashed a decisive light as he ordered, “Brother Qiu, this time, let two of your Qiu Family masters go, I don’t believe that I can’t win Brother Kai’s flag this time!”
Qiu Zi Ruo heard this and smiled, “Good, we’ll follow Sixth Young Lord’s plan.”
Saying so, Qiu Zi Ruo nodded towards two Immortal Ascension Fifth Stages masters from the Qiu Family, the two men stepping forward a moment later.
As they were about to enter the yard though, Qiu Yi Meng suddenly said, “Little Brother, if I were you, I wouldn’t treat the lives of both of them so lightly, your decision is far too reckless.”
Qiu Zi Ruo frowned for a moment before sneering, “Elder Sister, don’t try to deceive me. Yang Kai is destined to be eliminated tonight. You have always been excellent at reading people, but this time you’ve really made a mistake. With so many of us here compared to so few of you, what hope do you have of resisting?”
“Stubborn fool!” Qiu Yi Meng shook her head in disappointment, no longer trying to convince her younger brother.
Yang Shen waited for the sibling’s to finish their conversation before waving his arm, “All of you go up, half of you entangle Qu Gao Yi, the other half seize that flag for me!”
*Shua Shua Shua* With a fluttering sound, more than a dozen people flew down from the sky, half of them Immortal Ascension Boundary masters, the strongest of which had reached the Eighth Stage, while the rest were not weak.
Among this dozen or so people, the Eighth Stage master along with five other strong Immortal Ascension cultivators moved to encircle Qu Gao Yi.
None of them attacked though, instead simply surrounding him.
Even though they knew that this man had suffered a heavy blow, these first-class force cultivators still didn’t dare take the initiative to attack a Blood Warrior.
Qu Gao Yi on the other hand stood tall like the ancient mountain, unmoved by wind and storm, just glancing around at these people indifferently.
Everyone else rushed towards the mansion’s entrance, each of them racing towards the fresh corpse who still held Yang Kai’s flag.
Clear excitement could be seen on these people’s faces, as if they had already seized victory.
Ying Jiu shouldn’t be able to attack any longer, which meant that whoever got to the flag first would be the one to obtain it. This in itself was a great achievement for Yang Shen, so how could there not be some kind of reward?
Eight cultivators all ran frantically, each of them reaching out for the flag.
But at that moment.
The faint ripple which had appeared earlier resurfaced from the shadows and a thin figure suddenly flickered before them. This man held two daggers in his hands and almost seemed to be one with the darkness. Instantly, the excitement on the faces of these eight people transformed into horror.
This thin figure blurred once again, splitting into a dozen phantoms, each one still exuding a cold dark pressure akin to a sharp drawn blade.
Flickering Shadow Strike!
A short burst of exclamations, screams, and blood splashed out.
These eight cultivators who were completely focused on trying to snatch the flag were utterly unable to withstand the silent assassination of this Immortal Ascension Boundary Eighth Stage Blood Warrior. In the twinkling of an eye, three people had already collapsed to the ground.
The remaining five cultivators responded instantly, halting their advance and retreating as swiftly as possible, but none of them could avoid being injured in the process.
A moment later, the scene fell silence again as the dust settled.
Ying Jiu stood there alone, holding his pair of daggers, just like a ghost in the darkness. Drifting back towards the mansion’s entrance, he reached out and plucked the flag from the battle’s first casualty before tossing it back into the hall.
After accomplishing all this with ease, his figure slowly blurred once more, disappearing into thin air, leaving no trace behind that he was ever there other than a few scattered corpses.
“He hasn’t used his Mad Tyrant Blood Skill!” Yang Zhao muttered under his breath.
The characteristics of a Blood Warrior after using their Mad Tyrant Blood Skill were obvious, but Ying Jiu showed no such signs at all.
“Second Brother!” Yang Shen roared. He had mistakenly believed Yang Zhao, which had in turn led to the injury and deaths of several of his allies. Obviously he would be angry.
Yang Zhao glanced at him coldly and frowned. “It was Second Brother’s mistake in judgement.”
“Then my losses…” Yang Shen started but hesitated, understanding that it was unrealistic to expect Yang Zhao to compensate him for his losses. He was only able to blame himself for not acting prudently enough.
In front of the mansion’s entrance, Ying Jiu had appeared like a ghost, killed three people, and then faded back into the shadows. This brief series of events cause Yang Shen’s allies to not dare intrude rashly again, each of them glancing around at one another, their gloomy expression speaking louder than any words could.
Yang Shen’s face was also sullen, his stomach full of grievances, but still he didn’t issue any further orders.
Yang Zhao frowned as well, a million questions flashing across his mind.
Ying Jiu hadn’t used his Mad Tyrant Blood Skill, but the strength he displayed was still so fierce. If he was still injured as he was earlier today, this should definitely not be the case. Yang Zhao had gathered intelligence before coming here and knew that although both Ying Jiu and Qu Gao Yi were the elites of the Blood Warrior Hall, they were so heavily wounded right now that any Immortal Ascension Boundary Sixth Stage master should have easily been able to beat them.
Did he really recover from his wounds already?
Or did he have some special method to suppress his injury?
In his confusion, Yang Zhao continued to speculate about various possibilities.
As for Qu Gao Yi, he hadn’t said a word from the beginning, nor had he moved at all, the biggest motion he had made was the simply glancing of his eyes. If not for him still breathing, this Blood Warrior could have been mistaken as dead.
After being surrounded by five people, his expression hadn’t changed at all, still remaining completely indifferent.
Yang Zhao suddenly felt a headache.
Although the strength he and Yang Shen had brought wasn’t weak, if they wanted to snatch the flag under the eyes of two Blood Warriors, they would need to take some big risks.
The biggest question now was just how much strength these two Blood Warriors could display.
If all of this was simply an act to deceive them, then Yang Zhao had confidence in letting Yang Kai retire tonight, but if not…
After a long silence, Yang Zhao coldly snorted and said, “Sixth Brother, it looks like you can’t eat the flag alone.”
Yang Shen’s face remained cold and aloof.
“In this case, Second Brother will lend you a hand,” Yang Zhao stared down below and said unhurriedly.
Tonight was a rare opportunity, and Yang Zhao didn’t want to miss it. Even knowing that this decision wasn’t the safest course of action, his instincts were telling him that this was the right decision.
“If Second Brother helps me, then the flag will belong to…” Yang Shen had just suffered a loss, so he acted much more prudently, making sure to ask this question before agreeing.
“We can discuss that later.” Would Yang Zhao be willing to make a losing investment? Now that it wasn’t clear where Yang Kai was, if he agreed to relinquish the flag as well, he might not gain anything for his efforts tonight.
Yang Shen’s brow wrinkled but he didn’t quarrel with Yang Zhao about him going back on their agreement, eventually just nodding in agreement, “Good.”
With four of the masters amongst his allies being killed already, Yang Shen was anxious to achieve a win in order to salvage the situation.
“Then, let’s go!” Yang Zhao chuckled and waved his hand.
Two Immortal Ascension Boundary Fifth Stage masters behind Ye Xin Rou as well as masters from the Xiang and Nan Families stepped forward. Yang Shen also signaled to the people he had brought, silently telling them to prepare.
At this moment, the two brothers had joined forces, and more than a dozen Immortal Ascension masters flew down towards the mansion’s front yard along with a large group of True Element Boundary cultivators.
“Heh heh, let me make it clear first, you all can play, but don’t get me involved, this young master is just here to watch the fun,” Huo Xing Chen chuckled and took the initiative to step back.
Qiu Yi Meng sneered at his words and sent swift kick to his ass, causing him to stumble forward while Xiang Tian Xiao also stepped up.
The people from the Autumn Rain Hall and the ones brought by Xiang Tian Xiao also suddenly appeared, immediately filling out the defence line; unfortunately, although there were a lot of them, their strength wasn’t high.
The masters brought by Yang Zhao and Yang Shen obviously weren’t afraid of these newcomers, not even slowing their pace as they approached the mansion’s entrance.
Qu Gao Yi, who had stood still as a mountain this whole time, suddenly roared, a violent wave of True Qi bursting from his body causing a heavy pressure to be felt by everyone in the yard. Calling out in a thunderous voice, he firmly declared, “If you want to enter the mansion, you’ll have to pass me first!”
Full of vigor, Qu Gao Yi showed no signs of injury at all.
Yang Zhao and Yang Shen’s people who had been focusing on the shadows where Ying Jiu was lurking suddenly froze, listening to Qu Gao Yi, they fell into a dilemma, not knowing which option was worse, many of them eventually deciding to advance towards Qu Gao Yi.
Seeing this, the tall Blood Warrior showed a fierce grin.
The Blood Warriors were only responsible for passively counter attacking because of the family rules. If they didn’t attack him, he couldn’t take the initiative himself, but now that others had shown aggression, Qu Gao Yi could display his strength without hesitation.
His figure suddenly turning into an azure flash, the next moment Qu Gao Yi appeared in the middle of a large group of enemies.
Known as the most explosive member of the Blood Warrior Hall, Qu Gao Yi was most proficient at short bursts of intense strength!
He could completely burn through his True Qi and Spiritual Energy in a single incense stick worth of time. During this period, amongst the Immortal Ascension Boundary, he was basically invincible.
A pulse of Spiritual Energy so thick it was nearly visible to the naked eye bursts forth from Qu Gao Yi’s mind as a potent Soul Skill swept the surroundings swiftly followed up by a series of lethal Martial Skills.
In an instant, the entire yard had turned into a chaotic battlefield.
No one had thought that this supposedly heavily wounded Blood Warrior would dare to rush head first into their lines and that each move he made would be an all-out attack, not paying the single bit of attention to defending himself.
After three breaths of time, one person had fallen to the ground dead, and another had been sent flying, bursting into a blood mist, even his bones disintegrating into dust.
Yang Zhao, Yang Shen, Xiang Chu, Nan Sheng, Qiu Zi Ruo and all the other youths hailed as prodigies of the younger generation suddenly trembled at the bloody massacre occurring before them.
None of them had expected that the outbreak of battle would be so ferocious.
On the other hand, the two Blood Warriors who followed the two Yang Family Young Lords looked at each other and grinned.
With their eyesight, it was natural for them to see that Qu Gao Yi had already completely recovered from his injuries, otherwise, it would be impossible for him to display such overwhelming combat potential.
The question was, how did he restore himself? When they saw him during the day, he was still teetering on the verge of death. How had he managed to recover in less than a day from such a terrible condition? This was something beyond the comprehension of the two Blood Warriors.
Qu Gao Yi’s bold ferocity had immediately sent chills down his enemies’ spines. After the deaths of two people, everyone shrunk back, no one dared to rush forward and face this monster again.
“What are you afraid of? With so many people, you can’t even contain a single Blood Warrior?” Yang Zhao saw the situation was deteriorating and roared vigorously.
Now, he had already committed himself, there was no way out, there would only be victory or defeat.
He had already witnessed Yang Kai’s potential. If he didn’t defeat his Ninth Brother tonight, this youngest brother of his would definitely become a strong enemy to him in the future, even more terrible than his Eldest Brother Yang Wei.
[I must end this tonight!] Yang Zhao secretly decided in his heart.
His shout managed to improve his men’s morale. The people who were attacked by Qu Gao Yi were only deterred by the Blood Warrior’s sudden burst of strength, but once they stabilized themselves, they quickly discovered that even this fierce warrior wasn’t invincible.
Qu Gao Yi had only attacked and completely neglected his defence, so although he had forced all of them back and even took the opportunity to kill two people, he had also wound up with a lot of minor scars on his body.
What’s more, they had an absolute numerical advantage, as long as they paid attention to avoiding Qu Gao Yi’s killing blows, they shouldn’t have any trouble containing this Blood Warrior.
Of course, that was unless he active his Mad Tyrant Blood Skill, but with no one to buy him time, he was unlikely to be able to use this forbidden technique.
After a moment of consideration, everyone’s regained their confidence and began launching their own Martial Skills and using their artifacts to fight back.
Instantly, a flurry of attacks from all directions flew towards Qu Gao Yi, tightly encircling him in an inescapable net.
Facing so many varied attacks, even though Qu Gao Yi was an elite of the Blood Warrior Hall, he still wound up with many new bloody scars on his body.
However, never once did he let out a sound, still continuing to wantonly unleash his True Qi and Spiritual Energy.
If this continued, the final outcome would undoubtedly be Qu Gao Yi’s death, but more than half of Yang Shen and Yang Zhao’s allies would certainly be accompanying him to the underworld.
Qiu Yi Meng’s beautiful expression tightened, quickly glancing over at the mansion’s entrance before turning to observe Yang Zhao and Yang Shen, her thoughts quickly revolving.
Ying Jiu couldn’t move now, once he left his position, Yang Zhao and Yang Shen could easily intrude and seize the flag under the protection of their respective Blood Warrior.
Him hiding in the darkness was the ultimate deterrent to Yang Zhao, Yang Shen and their allies.
Ying Jiu was obviously aware of this fact, so even though Qu Gao Yi was in a life threatening situation, he continued to watch indifferently.
However, without Ying Jiu’s assistance, Qu Gao Yi alone was not enough to defeat their enemies, Qiu Yi Meng understood this well.
At this moment, there is nothing wrong with the flag’s defence, the biggest problem was that this Blood Warrior couldn’t be allowed to die, otherwise the power that Yang Kai had in his hands would be greatly damaged.
“Go up and assist!” After a moment of contemplation, Qiu Yi Meng decisively ordered.
The members of the Autumn Rain Hall all dashed out in response, quickly followed by Xiang Tian Xiao and the Xiang Family’s cultivators who accompanied him. Lead by their Second Young Lord, all of them bravely drew their artifacts and charged into the fray.
With Xiang Tian Xiao’s strength, it was naturally impossible for him to challenge the Immortal Ascension masters, but among the people brought by Yang Zhao Yang Shen, not all of them had reached such a boundary, there were still plenty of True Element cultivators amongst them.
These people were Xiang Tian Xiao’s current objective.
Killing one of them meant there was one less of them!
Seeing Xiang Tian Xiao rushed into battle, Xiang Chu couldn’t help snickering, his eyes revealing a hint of disdain.
This younger half-brother of his really had excellent aptitude, and his forthright personality had made him quite popular amongst the family Elders, but even if he was an outstanding warrior, he would never be the Xiang Family’s Patriarch!
It was precisely because he would always be the first to charge into a fight that he was incapable of being the Patriarch.
What Patriarch would be the first to enter a battle when he had the option to sit back and observe? If this was really the case, then this world’s families would have to change their Patriarch every few days.
A Patriarch had to have the bearing of a Patriarch, it was the Patriarch’s responsibility to stay behind the front lines and coordinate the overall situation.
Rushing ahead was the way of an uncouth barbarian!
Staring at Xiang Tian Xiao’s figure, Xiang Chu’s gaze gradually became cold, a hint of malicious intent flashing across his eyes.
“You go too!” Qiu Yi Meng turned to look at Huo Xing Chen, who even now was simply standing to the side smiling.
“Me too?” Huo Xing Chen widened his eyes and gawked.
“Of course you idiot! You’re the Young Lord of the Huo Family, who here would dare kill you?” Qiu Yi Meng said in an exasperated voice before grabbing Huo Xing Chen’s collar and throwing him into the chaotic battlefield.
Huo Xing Chen let out a pitiful cry before falling like a meteor into the middle of the crowd, slamming into the ground and bouncing a few times.
Qiu Yi Meng called out in a sweet voice as she laughed pleasantly, “No one here dares to kill you, at most they’ll just hurt you a bit.”
“Smelly woman!” Huo Xing Chen roared out bitterly as he struggled to his feat, gradually restoring his thoughts as she ground his teeth, suddenly raising his head and shouting with a cheap grin, “Don’t even think of hitting me! I’ll tell you now, I am Huo Xing Chen, the sole inheritor of the Huo Family! Anyone who hits me will from now on be my enemy!”
Huo Xing Chen’s loud declaration along with his reputation as the Central Capital’s first delinquent had obviously made a big impression on everyone present.
When they heard this awkward statement, both sides of the battle couldn’t help turning their eyes towards him; Yang Zhao and Yang Shen’s faces even cramped up in annoyance.
Huo Xing Chen’s presence on the battlefield had essentially tied one hand behind everyone’s back. Anyone who was engaged in close quarter combat had to take care to avoid him, and those who were using their True Qi to launch ranged attacks had to ensure he was not in their line of fire.
Otherwise, if they were really to injure him, with his rampant personality, they wouldn’t get off easily. At that time, even with the protection of Yang Zhao and Yang Shen, the one who hurt Huo Xing Chen wouldn’t be able to avoid his revenge.
Among all the people present, only those direct descendants of the Eight Great Families were qualified to exchange blows with him, but amidst such a chaotic battlefield, even Yang Zhao and Yang Shen hesitated to entering the fray.
Before Huo Xing Chen’s words were finished though, an Immortal Ascension Boundary Third Stage cultivator that was struck back by Qu Gao Yi crashed into the young delinquent’s shoulder.
Young Lord Huo immediately erupted into a rage, sending a palm to the man’s face and roaring at the top of his lungs, “Fuck, I just said that I am Huo Xing Chen! Do you have no eyes or what? Is your head broken!? You think you can get away with attacking this Young Master!?”
The Immortal Ascension Boundary Third Stage master was just beaten by Qu Gao Yi, his Blood Force was unsteady as he heaved for breath and now Huo Xing Chen had given him a big slap to his face. His chest was filled with bitterness and anger but there was nowhere for him to vent, only able to cough up some blood before falling to the ground weakly.
He had actually fainted on the spot.
“You blind bastard!” Huo Xing Chen snorted.
Seeing this episode, Yang Zhao and Yang Shen’s expression became even uglier. Huo Xing Chen’s approach was simply too roguish. Except for him, which Young Lord of the Central Capital’s Eight Great Families could act so shamelessly.
Ye Xin Rou of the Ye Family also wore a bitter smile on her charming face while Qiu Zi Ruo simply shook his head helplessly.
All of them were ashamed to be associated with this person!
On the other hand, Qiu Yi Meng standing in the distance smiled and enjoyed the performance of this delinquent Young Lord.
Wherever Huo Xing Chen walked, the battlefield descended into chaos. Whoever saw him had to step back and avoid him like the plague. Standing in the midst of the fight, he scratched his head, calling out in an aggrieved voice, “Qiu Yi Meng, can I come back? No one wants to fight with me.”
After his display just now, who would dare to fight with him? After all, despite his brazen attitude and conduct, he was still the Huo Family’s only inheritor, unlike other families who had at least a few descendants that the Patriarch’s position could be passed down to.
“No, just stay out there!” Qiu Yi Meng replied with a smile, already having realized that the role this Young Lord Huo could play here wasn’t small.
“Come on…” Huo Xing Chen said bitterly.
Outside the battle, Ye Xin Rou turned around and softly said, “Second Young Lord, let me go handle him.”
Ye Xin Rou’s reputation wasn’t as loud as Qiu Yi Meng’s, but she was still a leader of the young generation in The Central Capital. Some people even lumped her with Qiu Yi Meng as The Central Capital’s two flowers.
Her personal strength wasn’t weak, and with a variety of extraordinary artifacts at her disposal, she had enough capital to compete with an ordinary Immortal Ascension Boundary First Stage expert.
Against the delinquent Huo Xing Chen, she was quite confident in obtaining victory. Others not daring to move this Young Lord didn’t mean those from the Eight Great Families wouldn’t.
However, when Yang Zhao heard her request he simply shook his head, his expression becoming dignified as he simply said, “You’re not his opponent.”
Ye Xin Rou smiled sweetly and argued back, “Second Young Lord doesn’t need to worry, although I may appear delicate, in fact, I also have some skill.”
Yang Zhao smiled lightly and said with a deep meaning, “I naturally understand your skill, and I am not belittling you in any way, but it is actually you who is belittling this Young Lord Huo.”
Ye Xin Rou expression finally changed as she hesitantly asked, “You mean he…”
Yang Zhao chuckled, “Before the Yang Family’s children returned to The Central Capital, the younger generation had three stars and Huo Xing Chen was ranked third. Do you think he is famous only because of his lasciviousness? Xin Rou, you look down on the Huo Family’s heritage too much.”
Ye Xin Rou’s face tightened slightly before she nodded gently, “What Second Young Lord says makes sense, perhaps because I don’t have a good opinion of this person I have failed to evaluate his strength appropriately.”
As these two were talking, Xiang Chu signaled silently to one of the Immortal Ascension Boundary masters he had brought with him.
This Immortal Ascension Boundary master quietly separated himself from the siege of Qu Gao Yi and began stealthily making his way towards Xiang Tian Xiao who was currently engaged in battle with another True Element Boundary cultivator.
The battlefield was a mess so no one had the spare energy to pay attention to such a small detail, even Xiang Tian Xiao himself was unaware of it.
A moment later, this Immortal Ascension Boundary master came up to Xiang Tian Xiao’s side, his eyes flashing a sinister light as he released an invisible Spiritual Energy.
However, at that exact instant, Huo Xing Chen for some reason or another stumbled slightly and took a few steps to regain his balance.
These few steps had actually planted him right in front of Xiang Tian Xiao.
His appearance here coincided with this Immortal Ascension master’s Spiritual Energy attack.
A blue halo suddenly enveloped Huo Xing Chen’s body, obviously it was a Soul type artifact he carried with him to defend himself.
Seeing this blue glow around himself, Huo Xing Chen immediately began looking left and right, his eyes quickly meeting with those of the Immortal Ascension Boundary master who had just attacked Xiang Tian Xiao.
Seeing this man’s faltering expression, Huo Xing Chen couldn’t help but grin. “Bastard, you dare use a Soul Skill to attack this young master? You have some balls! Unfortunately for you, I have a Soul defence artifact on my body. What, were you thinking your sneak attack would actually succeed?”
Such a development was far outside this man’s expectations and he instantly froze up in panic.
Just now, someone had accidentally bumped into Huo Xing Chen and had publicly received a slap across his face, but from an outsiders perspective, he had intentionally used a Soul Skill to attack this walking disaster, how could he possibly expect a good end?
Immediately, cold sweat began pouring down this man’s forehead, quickly waving his hands as he attempted to explain, “Young Lord Huo, I didn’t intend to….”
Huo Xing Chen’s contorted into a fierce grin, his teeth grinding eerily, “You didn’t intend to what? Are you trying to say that you just ‘unintentionally’ attacked me?”
As he spoke, Huo Xing Chen raised his hand and slapped towards the man’s face.
The master instinctively raised his hand to block Huo Xing Chen’s slap but quickly realized that this was the wrong move, his expression becoming even more frantic and ugly.
“I… I mean, Young Lord Huo, you’re a noble young man, you wouldn’t lower your status by dealing with someone like me, right?”
“Enough bullshit,” Huo Xing Chen grinned maliciously, “You’re from the Xiang Family, right? Today, this Young Master swears, if I doesn’t waste you, my name will no longer be Huo Xing Chen! Stand there and don’t move!”
Hearing such a declaration, how could this man dare to move? He could only helplessly stand there, awaiting his fate. If, just now, he didn’t instinctively block that slap and had just let Huo Xing Chen vent his anger, he likely wouldn’t have ended up in such a miserable situation.
The bitterness in his mouth was near unbearable.
Huo Xing Chen turned around and from some unknown corpse on the battlefield picked up a sword. Waving it a few times, he nodded with satisfaction before slowly walking back, standing in front of the man, his eyes flashing an icy chill as he looked him over from head to toe.
“You decide, should I chop you with this sword, or do you want to do it yourself?”
Even though this master had weathered his fair share of storms, he still couldn’t help feeling terrified at these words, quickly turning eyes filled with prayer to Xiang Chu.
But to his disappointment, Xiang Chu could only stare back at him awkwardly. Although he was the future heir of the Xiang Family, the Xiang Family was still just a first-class force, how could it afford to offend the Huo Family?
Xiang Chu didn’t dare provoke Huo Xing Chen who was infamous for his rouge behaviour.
Seeing the bitter smile on Xiang Chu’s face, the master also knew that there was no escaping bad luck today, gritting his teeth and muttering in a depressed tone, “Young Lord Huo, you can do it yourself.”
“Good, seems you’re not a total waste after all,” Huo Xing Chen was somewhat surprised that this man didn’t put up any kind of resistance.
As soon as Huo Xing Chen spoke, his blade chopped down with a cold flash of light.
With a muffled thump, the master standing in front of Huo Xing Chen was suddenly missing one of his arms, a fountain of blood erupting from his shoulder.
“Heh, looks like you do have some balls, not even screaming after you lost an arm.”
The man was unbelievably aggrieved but still didn’t dare to resist, slowly circulating his True Qi to slow the flow of blood. Pale and gnashing his teeth, he eventually managed to mutter, “Many thanks Young Lord Huo for sparing this one’s life.”
Huo Xing Chen said carelessly, “You Xiang Family people have lost an arm, same for the Nan Family. If all of you don’t plan to withdraw from this Inheritance War, this young master might just cut an arm off each of you! Later, you’ll have to re-name yourself the one-armed Xiang Family and the one-armed Nan Family, hahaha!”
To this outburst of laughter, Xiang Chu and Nan Sheng’s faces turned red then blue.
Huo Xing Chen’s words were obviously ridiculing the fact that four masters from their families had already been forced to waste an arm by Yang Kai.
This was an incredibly shameful stain on the Xiang and Nan Families’ reputations.
Whether it was Xiang Chu or Nan Sheng, both of them couldn’t help clenching their fists at this moment. This time, they had followed Yang Zhao in order to get revenge on Yang Kai, but after fighting for so long, Yang Kai had never shown up, while their families had been thoroughly insulted by the delinquent Huo Xing Chen. Even one of their clansmen had been forced to lose an arm.
This was simply even more embarrassing than slapping their own faces.
“Second Young Lord, please seek justice for us!” Xiang Chu grit his teeth and begged Yang Zhao, a clear anger and hatred in his tone.
He was truly enraged.
Yang Zhao’s brow also wrinkled slightly. To be honest, he didn’t want to go down and fight right now. Qu Gao Yi was still attacking wildly, and the raging energy he was releasing made every corner of the battlefield unsafe for someone of his cultivation level, but more importantly, Yang Kai had still yet to appear. He was concerned that his youngest brother had some scheme up his sleeve and was just playing the pig to eat a tiger right now.
However, the Xiang and Nan Families were a big boost for him. If he didn’t stand out at this moment, it would have a chilling effect on his allies.
Mulling over his options for a moment, Yang Zhao finally nodded, “Good, this Young Lord will deal with him myself.”
Hearing these words, Xiang Chu and Nan Sheng smiled happily.
The next moment, Yang Zhao and his accompanying Blood Warrior descended onto the battlefield.
As soon as Yang Zhao appeared, Huo Xing Chen quickly adjusted his delinquent look, immediately becoming dignified as he said, “Second Young Lord’s demeanor is as elegant as before.”
Yang Zhao chuckled lightly in response, “No one else dares to touch you, so I have to accompany you personally.”
Huo Xing Chen smiled wryly and said, “Is that so?”
Looking back at Qiu Yi Meng, he called out, “Beauty, think of a way to save me, or else I’ll be smashed by this Second Young Lord. Although I want Yang Kai to lose, I don’t want to be captured either. That would be too shameful.”
Qiu Yi Meng simply smiled though, picking up a piece of fruit from a nearby table as she sat down on Huo Xing Chen’s former chair, “It’s alright, in any case, whether you’re here or not doesn’t make much of a difference does it? You can leave with peace of mind.”
“How can you be so uncaring?”
“Oh? The most poisonous thing is a woman. Is the Central Capital Wolf Lord still unclear about such a basic truth?” Qiu Yi Meng laughed playfully.
Huo Xing Chen found himself speechless.
“Do take care, Young Lord Huo!” Yang Zhao chuckled as he ‘kindly’ reminded him, slowly stepping forward with great force.
Suddenly, a series of strange cracks appeared on the ground, almost like something was burrowing down below and a horrible energy surged forth towards Huo Xing Chen.
Evil Spirit Earth Dragon Technique! A Heaven Grade Top-Rank Martial Skill that Yang Zhao was proficient in.
Each of these dragon phantoms was condensed from the Soul of a Fifth-Order Monster Beast and were stored and nourished by Yang Zhao inside his own body. They could be used flexibly to oppose an enemy, allowing the Second Young Lord to both attack and defend simultaneously.
On top of that, the number of Earth Dragons Yang Zhao could control was seven! With this one technique, whenever he faced an enemy in the True Element Boundary, he could often achieve victory without even personally needing to attack.
Huo Xing Chen quickly adjusted himself and leapt backwards, displaying a profound Movement Skill which left behind a faint lotus image with each step he took. These lotuses instantly blossomed and entrapped the approaching Earth Dragons, blocking their path forward.
Moon Covering Lotus Step! This was also a Heaven Grade Top-Rank Martial Skill that perfectly offset Yang Zhao’s Evil Spirit Earth Dragon Technique.
After retreating a total of seven steps, Huo Xing Chen seemed to calm himself from his panic and paused, looking up at Yang Zhao and wiping the sweat from his forehead, chuckling, “Second Young Lord, must you embarrass me? We have some friendship after all. The last time I visited the red light district, you also invited me…”
“Don’t talk nonsense!” Yang Zhao couldn’t help interjecting, immediately snorting coldly, “You really are playing the pig to eat a tiger!”
“Whatever Second Young Lord is implying, I don’t understand. Heh, but since the Second Young Lord has decided to move, this Young Master will naturally accompany you!” As he spoke, Huo Xing Chen raised both his hands energetically.
One hand held wind Qi, the other thunder.
As the wind whistled and the thunder rumbled, the two energies quickly combined into one as he pushed his palms towards Yang Zhao.
Wind and Thunder Grand Palm Seal!
This was one of the Huo Family’s Mysterious Grade Low-Rank Martial Skills! The two forces of the wind and thunder would harmonize with each other, greatly increasing each others might.
However, Yang Zhao didn’t show any signs of alarm, on the contrary, his expression was light and carefree, not showing any meaning of dodging at all, only revealing a free and easy grin.
“Capture him for me!” When the Wind and Thunder Grand Palm Seal was right in front of him, Yang Zhao suddenly shouted.
Huo Xing Chen’s face instantly cramped as he shouted, “Second Young Lord, isn’t that inappropriate?”
In response, Yang Zhao just shrugged his shoulders and chuckled, “The wicked have their own ways of dealing with wicked people.”
During the conversation between the two, the Blood Warrior beside Yang Zhao had already taken action.
The Blood Warriors were unable to actively attack due to the Inheritance War’s rules, but now that Huo Xing Chen had attacked Yang Zhao, this master was free to counterattack.
Yang Zhao had apparently planned to get his Blood Warrior to capture Huo Xing Chen from the beginning, so he didn’t make any effort to block him from using his Martial Skill just now.
Earlier, Huo Xing Chen had used shameless methods to stir up the enemy camp, so now Yang Zhao was all but cheating in order to deal with him. Obviously, this was intentional.
With a wave of his hand, the Blood Warrior easily shattered the Wind and Thunder Seal.
Even if it was a Mysterious Grade Low-Rank Martial Skill, it was still only Huo Xing Chen who used it.
After breaking the Wind and Thunder Grand Palm Seal, the Blood Warrior did not hesitate to grab towards Huo Xing Chen.
The Young Lord Huo’s expression turned bitter, seemingly not having thought Yang Zhao would act as shamelessly as himself.
But in the instant Huo Xing Chen was about to be captured, from the shadows, two black clothed figures appeared in front of him, one of them protecting the delinquent young lord while the other sent out a palm strike to greet the Blood Warrior.
The master from the Blood Warrior Hall immediately became serious, pushing his True Qi madly to increase the might of his attack.
With a bang, the black clothed man retreated a few steps before finally stabilizing himself while the Blood Warrior stood his ground.
After a single move, the difference in strength between these two was easy to judge.
The Blood Warrior was definitely stronger, but the two black cloaked men were also not weak.
“Does he also have such helpers?” Yang Zhao’s expression became solemn; never had he thought that Yang Kai’s mansion would have so many high level masters lying in ambush.
With just Qu Gao Yi and Ying Jiu, the majority of his and Yang Shen’s people were already occupied. Since Qu Gao Yi was about to run out of True Qi and Spiritual Energy, victory was within sight, but now, all of a sudden, these two masters who were not much weaker than Blood Warriors had appeared.
That meant that Yang Kai’s compound had the equivalent of four Immortal Ascension Boundary Eighth Stage masters guarding it!
There was also a group of people from the Qiu Family’s Autumn Rain Hall, the Xiang Family, and Huo Xing Chen.
On the other hand, although Yang Zhao and Yang Shen’s forces weren’t inferior to this lineup, even faintly having the advantage, with their two Blood Warriors unable to take the initiative to attack, wanting to conquer this place was nothing but a fantasy.
[Where did Ninth Brother find so many strong allies?]
Yang Zhao’s eyes almost went bloodshot.
“The hell!” Huo Xing Chen stared dumbfound at the two masked black men who had suddenly emerged.
Yang Zhao didn’t know who these two were, but obviously he did.
These two men had followed him for so many years, so by now Huo Xing Chen could recognize them even if he was blindfolded. The two masters had hidden their faces, making them look rather suspicious, but he was clear they there the guardians who had always been watching over him.
For a time, Yang Zhao and Huo Xing Chen were both stunned.
Seeing this development, Qiu Yi Meng who sat on Huo Xing Chen’s chair couldn’t help laughing happily. It seemed like she had won her bet.
Yang Shen’s face was also dark as night.
After the two sides fought each other for a moment longer, Yang Zhao grit his teeth and loudly said, “Let’s go!”
With no hope of eating up Yang Kai tonight, what point was there in sticking around? Yang Zhao was also a decisive person.
With this one command, the cultivators who were besieging Qu Gao Yi immediately fell back. Qu Gao Yi was bloody and gasping for breath, so obviously he didn’t try to stop them, instead just staring at the retreating enemies.
The Autumn Rain Hall and Xiang Tian Xiao’s people also separated themselves from their matches and assumed a defensive stance.
“Sixth Young Lord, is this all right?” Qiu Zi Ruo was clearly quite unwilling.
He more than most wanted to beat Yang Kai tonight to prove his ability, so when he heard Yang Zhao’s order to retreat, he was more than a little upset.
“What else do you want to do?” Yang Shen angrily retorted, his stomach full of grievances with nowhere to vent.
In tonight’s battle, he had clearly suffered more serious loses than Yang Zhao, so it was obvious his mood would not be good.
Saying so, Yang Shen sighed and was about to leave with Yang Zhao when a figure suddenly flew in from outside.
A loud voice calling out, “If you left just like this, Ninth Brother would feel a little remiss, let me deliver a little gift for Second Brother and Sixth Brother to bring back!”
As he spoke, an overwhelming sword wave descended from the sky.
Nine Star Sword Sect’s Mysterious Grade Martial Skill, Strike of Ten Thousand Swords!
Amidst this violent sword wave, a purple halo burst forth as a frigid Soul Skill engulfed the courtyard below.
Simultaneously, the roars of a tiger and ox resounded as two Monster Beast phantoms tore into the crowd.
A thousand of razor sharp crimson petals fluttered through the air like snowflakes, leaving behind trails of blood in their path.
This flurry of attacks arrived at Yang Zhao and Yang Shen’s forces almost all at once, instantly filling the just calmed atmosphere with a thick murderous intent.
“Young master, watch out!” A scream sounded.
The two Blood Warriors first protected Yang Zhao and Yang Shen while the masters from the Xiang Family, Nan Family, Qiu Family, and Ye Family all rushed to shield the young masters of their own families from this torrent of attacks.
The energy between heaven and earth suddenly fell into disorder as True Qi violently raged about.
After a while, this earth-shaking movement gradually subsided.
Of those who had come to attack Yang Kai’s compound tonight, seven fell to the ground after this one encounter while everyone else remaining didn’t get off scot-free.
As Yang Zhao stared up into the starry sky with cold eyes, the still hovering Yang Kai stood tall, holding a red sword in his hands with a big smile on his face, casually saying, “Good evening my brothers, Ninth Brother was just out for a bit and was negligent in his hospitality, but such minor things don’t matter between us, do they?”
Hearing these words, Yang Zhao’s face twitched slightly while Yang Shen called out in disbelief, “Ninth Brother really was out this whole time?”
Before, when Huo Xing Chen and Qiu Yi Meng said that Yang Kai was not at home, he and Yang Zhao obviously didn’t believe them, thinking that Yang Kai was simply too afraid of being captured so he had hid inside his mansion somewhere, but now that they saw him flying back from outside his compounds walls, they had no choice but to believe.
“Right!” Yang Kai nodded, “The night air was pleasant so I went out to visit Third Brother’s house. I didn’t expect that I would actually have guests of my own tonight! If I had, I would have stayed in to offer proper entertainment.”
“Third Brother’s house…” Yang Zhao’s eyes narrowed, suddenly realizing just how daring this Ninth Brother of his was, even feeling a bit of admiration for him.
Taking a deep breath, Yang Zhao asked, “What happened to Third Brother?”
“Third Brother has been defeated,” Yang Kai slowly shook his head, “Fifth Brother and Seventh Brother joined forces to attack him, so obviously Third Brother was unable to endure.”
“Third Brother not being able to endure was to be expected; rather, it is Brother Kai who has given Second Brother a big surprise. You actually managed to quietly gather so many allies, Second Brother is impressed.”
“Second Brother exaggerates,” Yang Kai smiled offhandedly.
“So, who acquire the flag and who managed to capture Third Brother?”
Listening to Yang Zhao’s question, Yang Shen also perked up his ears in interest.
“You’ll hear about what happened tomorrow,” Yang Kai said as he smiled meaningfully, not saying another word.
Yang Zhao didn’t ask any more, instead just nodding slightly as he wore a light smile, “In that case, Second Brother will take his leave. Brother Kai, let us settle this score later. Next time, Second Brother will be fully prepared; I hope you don’t let me down.”
“En, I’ll do my best to satisfy you.”
“Let’s go!” Yang Zhao snorted and swiftly led his allies away.
Xiang Chu and Nan Sheng both glanced towards Yang Kai fearfully before leaving. The impression Yang Kai had left on them the last time they had met at Tai Fang Mountain was too deep. Even though they had been clamouring for revenge, at this moment, when they came face to face with him again, they couldn’t help trembling feeling somewhat timid.
With Yang Zhao leaving, Yang Shen naturally didn’t linger, ordering his allies to retrieve the bodies of their fallen comrades before disappearing into the night.
And so, the battles on the first night of the Inheritance War finally came to an end.
Inside the Seal Temple, the eight Above Immortal Ascension Boundary Grand Elders all slowly opened their eyes, withdrawing their powerful Divine Senses, a faint look of awe emerging on their faces as they cast their gazes out across War City.
For those who had reached their age and realm, it was very hard to have anything in this world excite them.
But tonight, someone had indeed done so.
After a moment of silence, a white-haired old man asked with a voice that sounded somewhat weak, “The northwest corner, which junior from the Yang Family does it belong to?”
Pondering for a moment, one of the other old men replied, “It seems to be the youngest one.”
Everyone gently nodded and sighed, “Since ancient times, heroes have always been born from the younger generation.”
Yang Li Ting, the Grand Elder from the Yang Family dispatched to the Seal Temple, couldn’t help but laugh heartily. Even though he no longer pursued material things in the outside world, his martial heart calm as a breezeless lake, after glimpsing Yang Kai’s performance tonight, he still felt a little buoyant thinking about the future of this Yang Family successor.
The Qiu Family’s Grand Elder, Qiu Dao Ren also nodded in approval, “With such courage and strength he is indeed impeccable; however, in the Inheritance War, these two points alone cannot guarantee victory. It remains to be seen if he has enough allies as well.”
“It seems we must pay more attention to his performance. This time’s Inheritance War seems like it will be more exciting than in previous one.”
Everyone nodded once more at this sentiment.
Eight Grand Elders at the Above Immortal Ascension Boundary, characters that were treated as honoured ancestors even in the Eight Great Families, had penetrated every corner of War City with their Divine Sense earlier this night to monitor the various Young Lord’s movements.
Yang Kai’s actions had naturally failed to elude their perception.
The only thing that these eight people couldn’t understand was what method he had used in order to suddenly unleash such a violent Spiritual Energy.
Given his cultivation realm, it was impossible for him to have already cultivated out his Divine Sense, so the only explanation was that this youngest Yang Family Young Lord had acquired a very powerful Soul type artifact, which gave the illusion of being able to release his Divine Sense.
Although these eight Elders were more interested in Yang Kai now, it was only limited to this. These old men would not participate nor interfere in the Inheritance War in any way. They would be happy if Yang Kai were to win, but if he were to lose, they also wouldn’t care. Even the Yang Family’s Yang Li Ting shared this mindset.
When the eight Grand Elders took back their ocean-like Divine Senses, Yang Kai involuntarily let out a sigh of relief, the faint vigilance that had always been hanging on his face finally relaxing as he unconsciously stole a glance towards the Seal Temple’s location.
Throughout the night, he could detect that someone was monitoring him, and there was more than one of them.
But the Divine Senses of those people were so powerful that no matter what he did he was unable to hide his whereabouts. Thinking about the information he had gathered related to the Inheritance War, Yang Kai quickly understood who was spying him.
[Seems that I must break through to the Immortal Ascension Boundary as soon as possible.] Yang Kai felt that after opening his Knowledge Sea and with the assistance of the Soul Warming Lotus he would be able to evade these old fogies surveillance.
The feeling of being constantly monitored was very uncomfortable, even if he knew they wouldn’t take any action towards him, Yang Kai refused to allow this to continue.
After all, he had too many secrets hidden on him.
“Yang Kai!” Qiu Yi Meng called out in good spirits, standing up from her chair and greeting him warmly.
Glancing at the scene below him, Yang Kai quickly ordered, “Have some people clean up the blood and bodies here.”
The bodies left on the ground all belonged to his allies, the fallen that belonged to his enemies had already been taken away by them. The Qiu Family’s Autumn Rain Hall had lost six people while seven of those who had followed Xiang Tian Xiao had also died. In addition to these thirteen bodies, there was a fair amount of blood spattered around.
After issuing this order, his figure flickered and landed in front of Qu Gao Yi.
In this battle, Qu Gao Yi had tied down nearly ten Immortal Ascension Boundary masters by himself, several of them even having reached the Seventh or Eighth Stage. Obviously, he had reached his limit.
If it weren’t for him, the outcome of tonight’s battle would be hard to predict.
Now, Qu Gao Yi, who had just recovered from his previous injuries was heavily wounded again. His entire body was covered in blood, some of it his own, some of it his enemies, and the menacing aura which he emitted had yet to disperse, giving him a particularly fierce appearance.
“Subordinate has fortunately not failed the Little Lord!” Qu Gao Yi grit his teeth and quickly said.
“En, you’ve done very well.” Yang Kai nodded lightly.
Receiving such praise, Qu Gao Yi grinned ferociously before his burly body trembled lightly.
From the shadows, Ying Jiu emerged like a ghost beside Qu Gao Yi and supported him, insuring he didn’t embarrass himself by collapsing here.
“Send him back to rest.” Yang Kai said to Ying Jiu.
“Yes,” Ying Jiu nodded and helped Qu Gao Yi back into the mansion.
Yang Kai then turned to look at the two black-clothed people who were still covering their faces and chuckled, “Many thanks for your work, Seniors.”
The two men did not say anything, instead just casually cupping their fists to Yang Kai before disappearing into the darkness.
Huo Xing Chen kept staring at them until the moment they vanished, his eyes a bit bloodshot, almost like he wanted to bore a hole into their backs with his stare and loudly chastise them for appearing here.
After they left, Huo Xing Chen looked at Yang Kai, his expression somewhat blank, grinding his teeth as he somehow managed to mutter, “You’re too much! Even including this young master in your plans!”
Yang Kai smiled indifferently and shook his head in response, “Without them, this place would still be safe tonight, at most, you would have been taken away.”
“Good good good! This young master won’t bother arguing with you!” Huo Xing Chen also knew that Yang Kai was telling the truth. With Ying Jiu still unharmed and lurking in the shadows, neither Yang Zhao nor Yang Shen dared to act rashly. If they could truly cooperate, sending one of their Blood Warriors to entangle Ying Jiu while the other went to retrieve the flag, they would have had a good chance at succeeding.
But could they really cooperate sincerely?
In the end, both of them were opponents, they could cooperate if it was mutually advantageous to do so, but with only one of them able to profit, how could they be willing to offer up their benefits to the other?
Yang Kai had obviously understood this point, so he didn’t have any reservations about boldly running out to seek trouble.
As those from the Autumn Rain Hall and those who followed Xiang Tian Xiao were collecting the bodies of their fallen comrades, Yang Kai swept his eyes over them and said, “This is the Inheritance War, participating or not is your choice, many of you may die, so you must be mentally prepared.”
Hearing this, those from the Autumn Rain Hall and Xiang Family couldn’t help wrinkling their brows; suddenly feeling like this Yang Kai was too uncaring. They had all come here to help him win this contest, yet when some of them had died, he didn’t even offer a single word of thanks nor comfort.
[So what if you’re a Yang Family Young Lord, the ones who died here weren’t just livestock, they gave their lives for you!]
Seeming not noticing this subtle change in expression, Yang Kai simply continued in a solemn tone, “I will remember those who died here and will compensate for your losses several times over in the coming days, but for now I must simply ask you to wait.”
Qiu Yi Meng somewhat tight expression loosened at these words.
This seemingly simple pledge was enough for her. The time she had spent with Yang Kai was neither long nor short, and she had never heard him swear to anything.
But she knew that a man who doesn’t make promises easily was definitely a man who would do what he says!
At that moment, Qiu Yi Meng was full of expectations for the future.
She still remembered that Yang Kai had once said that he only wanted allies who would stand firmly beside him even in his most distressed and embarrassed moment. Those who were only interested in what benefits he could offer them, he didn’t need.
And now, these people here had all not hesitated to come to his aid during his weakest moment. Whatever other reasons they may have had, this alone had obviously won his approval.
In the Inheritance War, the sooner capital was invested, the greater the return would be.
If you wanted to make true friends with a man, you must do so when he his weak. If he is already strong, you would have no chance.
Qiu Yi Meng felt she had made the right choice. This young man was really someone who could bring about miracles.
The battle had left Yang Kai’s compound seriously damaged, so after the people from the Autumn Rain Hall and Xiang Family finished processing their fallen members, they immediately plunged into renovation work without even stopping to rest.
Qiu Yi Meng really took to her role as manager, organizing all the available manpower to efficiently patch up the mansion.
As for the Huo Family Young Lord, he had disappeared at some point and no one knew where he had gone.
Outside War City, Huo Xing Chen swaggered along for about ten kilometers before slowly coming to a halt and shouting, “Come out, why are you still bothering to hide?”
The next moment, two old men at the Immortal Ascension Boundary Eighth Stage appeared from the darkness and came up to Huo Xing Chen, shouting respectfully, “Young Master.”
Huo Xing Chen stared at them for a moment, his expression quite complicated; only speaking after a long time, “Did Father send you here to watch me?”
One of the old men nodded and said, “Yes, Patriarch was afraid that danger might befall you tonight so he dispatched us to protect Young Master from the shadows.”
Huo Xing Chen was the only heir to the Huo Family. No matter how he frustrated Huo Zheng, even openly opposing him when he chose to support Yang Kai earlier today, how could he rest easy with his son in such a dangerous place? Naturally, he had made some arrangements.
“Hah, let you protect me from the shadows!?” Huo Xing Chen grit his teeth, “Do you mean protect me in secret? Do you not even understand something so simple!? If you do, then why did you jump out an expose yourselves!? That Yang Zhao’s henchman Blood Warrior wouldn’t dare kill me, at most he would have captured me, this Young Master was never in danger of losing a hair! Yet both of you actually… you actually shamelessly wrapped your faces up and ran out on your own! You really frustrate this Young Master! Fortunately you both concealed your identities and only exchanged a single blow with that Blood Warrior so those people probably didn’t see through your origins, or else my Huo Family would have lost all face this time!”
The Central Capital Eight Great Families would all send out masters to participate in the Inheritance War, but with the exception of the Yang Family’s Blood Warriors, the strongest cultivators they had ever sent would be Immortal Ascension Boundary Fifth Stage experts; now, if the Huo Family was discovered to have deployed two Immortal Ascension Boundary Eighth Stage masters, they would definitely degenerate into laughing stock.
The two masters glanced at each other with bitter expressions, the one who spoke before trying to explain, “Young Master, we also have our own difficulties.”
“Difficulties? What are these difficulties you speak of? Let’s hear it.” Huo Xing Chen squinted at the two.
The two old men let out long sighs before recounting what happened during the day.
As Huo Xing Chen listened, his expression became uglier, eventually unable to stop himself from laughing angrily, “You sold yourself for two small pots of wine? I think you should just go to the Qiu Family or Yang Family and offer them your services! My Huo Family probably doesn’t have such precious nectar for you to enjoy!”
“Please calm your anger Young Master,” The two masters said hurriedly, quickly following up, “The point was that those two pots of wine were delivered personally by Young Lady Qiu, we really had no way to refuse.”
Huo Xing Chen spat disdainfully, and glared at them, grinding his teeth over and over as he muttered, “That pair of smiling wretches are too sinister! It’s also you two idiots’ fault for not hiding yourselves well enough, letting them discover your whereabouts!”
The Huo Family’s two Immortal Ascension Boundary Eighth Stage masters both wore extremely awkward expression, wanting to explain to their Young Master that they had perfectly concealed themselves, but were finally unable to utter any words.
Even until now, they still didn’t understand how they had been exposed, so all they could do was silently accept this rebuke.
“Haa… this is the end of this Young Master, a death without burial, unable to even enter the Heavens.” Huo Xing Chen sighed and shook his head.
“Young Master, what happened?” The two masters were shocked. They had followed Huo Xing Chen for so many years, yet they had never once heard him make such a serious declaration. When he had spoken so, the two of them had immediately examined Huo Xing Chen’s body, if something was truly wrong with him, how could they not worry?
“This Young Master now has to streak ten laps around War City naked, what difference is that from being dead?” Huo Xing Chen said with a sigh of bitterness.
The looks on the two masters’ faces suddenly cramped up, secretly thinking that although their Young Master was famous for his drinking, gambling, and womanizing, from young till now, he hadn’t shown any interest in this kind of indecent hobby.
At a glance, the two seemed to have pictured Huo Xing Chen streaking around the city streets, his unfettered appearance causing shrieks and screams from all the women who inhabited War City.
In an instant they felt dumbstruck, half wanting to curse, half wanting to laugh.
Quickly collecting themselves, one of them hesitantly asked, “Young Master, what is this all about? How come you suddenly want to… *ahem*… I mean, why do you need to do this, is someone forcing you?”
“Nobody is forcing me, it’s just that this Young Master was impulsive during the day and gambled with that little bastard Yang Kai!” Huo Xing Chen felt an unbridled anger well up inside him when remembered the scene of him betting with Yang Kai earlier today.
That brat Yang Kai clearly knew what the outcome tonight would be and lured him into a trap by making himself look like he had no hope of surviving, only using a single Golden Feather Eagle to tempt him into making this ridiculous wager.
At that time, he felt that Yang Kai was being whimsical and foolish, but now it seems the dumb one wasn’t Yang Kai but actually himself.
As he briefly summarized about the bet he had made to them, the two Huo Family masters were left speechless.
Both of them knew the disposition of their Young Master well. Huo Xing Chen had a terrible reputation outside, filled with rumours of debauchery and delinquency, but if he dared speak words, he would always honour them.
In other words, when it came to gambling, he was quite upstanding. Though he liked to play rogue, he had never once gone back on a debt.
A perfect example was when he didn’t have enough silver to compensate for his losses, he had directly transferred ownership of the Profound Light Gang to Yang Kai. It was obvious from this point that Huo Xing Chen was a decisive person who disdained owing other people, whether it was in terms of gambling or relationships.
Since he had made this bet and now lost, according to his personality, if he couldn’t find a way out of it, he really would have to strip down and run ten laps around War City.
The two masters could almost certainly predict that once news of such an incident was passed back to the Huo Family, Huo Zheng would be so mad he would spit blood.
“What wonderful plan do you have to let this Young Master escape this tribulation? Speak up.” Huo Xing Chen said as he walked over to a large stone and sat down.
The two masters both exchanged a glance before one of them lightly coughed and replied, “Young Master, I don’t believe Young Lord Kai really wants to see you streak ten laps around War City. Regardless of how it happened, the Young Master is still one of his allies, so he will likely give you some face. If you go explain things to him, he should be willing to make big things small, and make small things nothing.”
“Bullshit!” Huo Xing Chen snorted, “Although this Young Master hasn’t known that brat for long, but I already understand his personality quite well. He’s even more decisive, stubborn and ruthless than this Young Master! If I can’t find some way to appease him, he’ll definitely make me run ten laps; he might even be looking for me right now!”
While saying so, he ground his teeth, “Damn it, that bastard’s personal strength is too freakish! If not, this Young Master would just beat him up to solve this problem.”
Thinking of the scene that night and thinking about the defeat Xiang Tian Xiao suffered, Huo Xing Chen suddenly felt forlorn.
Both of them were Young Lords from the Eight Great Families, so why was he so much stronger than him?
“How do you want to appease him, Young Master?” One of them heard Huo Xing Chen’s words and couldn’t help but ask.
“I do not know, that’s why I’m asking you.” Huo Xing Chen slumped over, showing a frustrated expression.
After thinking for a moment, one of the two old men finally said, “If that is the case, for better or worse, the Young Master has already declared that you are an ally of Young Lord Kai, although the Patriarch objected and refused to send any aid. But right now, what Yang Kai lacks the most is materials and manpower, while our Huo Family has both strong financial resources and talented people. I think it’s best if you convince your lord father to truly support Young Lord Kai, that way he may exempt you for your gambling debt.”
After hearing his subordinate’s proposal, Huo Xing Chen cracked out a calculative grin. “Alright. Those words were all from you and not me. I did not utter a single sentence right? So, when you return back home and report to my old man, make sure you report this fact. Understand?”
After listening, the Master was stunned, but understood what Huo Xing Chen has planned. Showing a wry grin, the Master could only resign to the fact that Huo Xing Chen has thought up the same plan. However, Huo Xing Chen just needed to Master to realise the plan by inducing it through words.
As a result, when Huo Zheng asked about what happened, he could feign innocence.
Huo Zheng was no doubt annoyed with his son’s decision and refused to give him the least bit of support, but if these two masters were to act as lobbyists, they may be able to convince the Patriarch to mobilize manpower and supplies from the Huo Family.
“Good, go now, we need to get this done before the sun rises tomorrow, lest that bastard says that this Young Master refuses to keep his promises.” Huo Xing Chen folded his hands behind his back and swaggered off towards the Central Capital, the two Immortal Ascension Boundary Eighth Stage masters quickly following behind.
When no one was watching, Huo Xing Chen’s face gradually became dignified, no trace of his previous delinquent smile apparent on his face.
During tonight’s battle, everyone had only marveled at the powerful performance of the Yang Kai’s two Blood Warriors and then by his own rogue behavior. It seemed that no one had time to think about how the two Blood Warriors had, in the span of a single day, restored themselves to their peak condition.
Huo Xing Chen had to admit that he had severely underestimated Yang Kai. Before tonight, he really believed that Yang Kai would be eliminated, or even if he wasn’t, he would be left in a precarious situation.
But contrary to his expectations, Yang Kai had easily defended his base and even found time to run outside to cause trouble.
This Yang Family Little Lord was really too interesting!
Not only him, but the other Yang Family Young Lords were each not opponents one should provoke.
Originally, his intention was to just play around in this Inheritance War in order to relieve his boredom, but now, Huo Xing Chen was faintly looking forward to it, looking for what kind of twists and turns would happen during this contest, he even thought it was interesting whether Yang Kai would be defeated or not.
Staring off into the night, Huo Xing Chen considered many things as he made his way home.
On the first night of the Inheritance War, there were two battles in total, one at the Third Young Lord, Yang Tie’s mansion, the other at the Ninth Young Lord, Yang Kai’s.
The final outcome of these two battles had greatly shocked all who bore witness.
For both of these battles, a single person had overshadowed all others, Yang Kai!
During the battle at Yang Tie’s compound, both the flag and the person were snatched by Yang Kai at the last moment, while at his own mansion, in his absence, it remained perfectly defended.
This was nothing short of incredible.
None of the people who heard these two messages were willing to believe their ears, but after many inquiries, they had no choice but to confirm it was the truth.
At the same time, another astonishing piece of news came out. This Yang Kai not only had the Huo Family’s sole heir Huo Xing Chen as an ally, but even the famous Qiu Yi Meng had temporarily withdrawn from her Qiu Family in order to support him!
Huo Xing Chen participating didn’t create much stir, as the Central Capital’s number one delinquent Young Lord, there is nothing wrong with him randomly picking one of the Yang Family Young Lords, but why was it that Qiu Yi Meng was willing to go against her family to help this Yang Kai?
The Qiu Family First Young Lady’s name resounded loudly throughout the Central Capital and even the Great Han Dynasty. Crowds had always made judgements based on the opinions of famous people, so Qiu Yi Meng’s move had given many people some thoughts.
It was obvious that with the Huo Family’s Young Lord and the Qiu Family’s Young Lady supporting him, not only would Yang Kai become famous throughout War City, even the Central Capital’s populace would know his name.
The limelight belonged to Yang Kai right now and no one could challenge him for it.
The night fell and day dawned.
In the front courtyard, Yang Kai was cultivating his Tempered Body Record when Qiu Yi Meng walked over, a thick look of exhaustion on her face.
She didn’t sleep at all last night; after yesterday’s war, organizing the cleanup and reconstruction had kept her busy until now. Halting her footsteps a dozen paces away from Yang Kai, Qiu Yi Meng’s weary yet beautiful face revealed a suspicious expression.
This was not the first time she had witnessed Yang Kai practicing this set of punches and kicks, but till this day she still couldn’t unravel any profoundness in it, from her perspective, it seemed like even she could easily imitate him.
She didn’t know why Yang Kai had a special liking for this set of exercises and would never fail to execute them when the sun rose each morning.
“What’s the matter?” Yang Kai asked calmly.
“Your cousin is here.” Qiu Yi Meng rubbed her forehead gently and replied.
“Is he round?”
“En, very.”
Is he fat?
En. He is fat. )
“Let him find a place to settle in, I’ll go see him later.”
“En.” Qiu Yi Meng nodded and walked a few steps before turning back and saying, “Oh right, I forgot to mention, you should stay in today.”
“Hm, why?”
“Many people will probably come to see you.”
“If I don’t know them, send them away.” Yang Kai furrowed his brow slightly, still clenching his fists.
People coming to see him today would definitely be because the news of last night had spread. Although many forces gathered outside the Central Capital’s South Gate yesterday had already selected which Yang Family Young Lord they would support, many more were still observing the situation, some of whom had specifically chosen to use the performance of the various Young Lord on the first night to make a final decision.
Yang Kai’s performance last night had been too dazzling, so it wasn’t surprising that some people would come running over to try currying favour with him.
Listening to Yang Kai’s answer, Qiu Yi Meng instinctively wanted to retort, but after thinking for a moment, simply nodding, “Good, those who show up who you don’t know are probably only interested in reaping some benefits.”
Qiu Yi Men was well aware of Yang Kai’s personality. Any grievance had to be settled and only soft food would be eaten while hard food rejected; it wasn’t easy for her to build their relationship up to where it was today, so how could she jeopardize it by make such a silly mistake like opposing him on this?
With a sigh, she turned around set out to attend to her own business.
After half an hour, Yang Kai finished his morning routine and felt a burst of joyous relief from his bones. The Tempered Body Record was something he practiced whenever possible. This seemingly ordinary set of exercises actually put an enormous strain on his body, pushing him to his limits both physically and mentally. The further into the set of motions he proceeded, the greater the pressure he had to bear, in fact, with his current cultivation and strength, he could still only complete half of the entire routine.
Yang Kai secretly estimated that he would need to at least break through to the Above Immortal Ascension Boundary before he could complete the entire set of movements described in the Tempered Body Record.
Inside one of the rooms in Yang Kai’s mansion, Dong Qing Han sat drinking tea, thinking about some of the things his two trusted guards had told him after they had returned last night, the sense of shock he felt only now calming slightly.
Although he was not present at the time, it didn’t prevent Dong Qing Han from understanding just how terrifying Yang Kai’s strength was from the description of Wind and Cloud guards.
This little cousin of his had simply grown at a Heaven defying pace over the course of these last few years! Dong Qing Han couldn’t help feeling a bit envious.
After waiting for a while, a sweat covered Yang Kai finally came to see Dong Qing Han. However, this lack of etiquette didn’t bother Dong Qing Han. When they were children, the two of them had seen each other in far worse conditions, forging a kind of brotherhood between them. Such small things would be easily ignored.
“You little brat.” Dong Qing Han did not get up. Instead, he simply glanced at Yang Kai with meaning in his eyes. “You really do have skills. Don’t care about me and take these two old fogeys tonight.”
Hearing such words, Yang Kai grinned and replied: “When the conditions are not right, do not act. There is no need for them to work so hard tonight.”
Yang Kai was quite respectfully towards these two old men, not only because they were his cousin’s guardians, but also because when High Heaven Pavilion found itself in danger, they had spared no effort to arrive earlier than the punitive expedition to deliver a warning, allowing the Sect to evacuate its core members safely.
If it weren’t for the timely arrival of the Wind Guard, High Heaven Pavilion might have suffered some losses. If that were to have happened, his relationship with Qiu Yi Meng would likely be hostile right now.
The Wind Guard smiled and shook his head, “I just wandered around with Old Cloud and made some noise. Last night’s movement only succeeded because of Young Lord Kai’s abilities.”
The Cloud Guard also silently nodded. When the two old men looked at Yang Kai again, there was clear admiration reflected in their eyes.
No young man had ever made them feel so amazed. Their family’s Young Lord wasn’t considered bad amongst the younger generation, but he was still far from enough to compare with this young master.
The Wind and Cloud guards were curious about just how much further Yang Kai would grow.
“This time I’ve brought thirty people with me. In addition to the Wind and Cloud Guards, there are five others at the Immortal Ascension Boundary, the rest are True Element cultivators of at least the Fifth Stage!” Dong Qing Han said confidently. “Also, my father let me bring some supplies, most of which are finished pills while the rest are some assorted materials. It’s not a lot but it’s not a little either.”
Yang Kai nodded and smiled, “Uncle is too thoughtful.”
The Dong Family was Dong Su Zhu’s family. Yang Kai was the son of Dong Su Zhu. As a first-class force, the Dong Family deploying so many people, including seven Immortal Ascension masters, as well as providing a large quantity of pills was considerably generous.
After all, Yang Kai’s expected chances of victory in the Inheritance War were almost zero.
The Dong Family must have been psychological prepared for everyone they sent to become a sacrifice. In particular, the loss of so many Immortal Ascension masters would not be a small blow to the Dong Family.
The Dong Family’s willingness to support him so was not something Yang Kai would forget.
“I’ve already handed over everything to your place’s manager and her people.” Dong Qing Han said, his slightly fat face showing a somewhat wretched grin.
“You mean Qiu Yi Meng?” Yang Kai responded, slightly stunned.
“Besides her, who else could I mean? Little brat, such success on the battlefield, such luck in love, you’re really living it up!” Dong Qing Han said somewhat enviously, “On top of that, I heard from my sister that there seems to be another pure, innocent, and adorable maiden who thinks of you day and night.”
The more he spoke, the more wretched and envious his tone became.
Dong Qing Han was also the Young Lord of a first-class family, yet he felt like he had so few blessings compared to Yang Kai.
When Yang Kai heard his cousin drone on and on like this and was about to correct the record, Qiu Yi Meng came in from the outside, a big smile on her face as she asked, “What are you two brothers talking about? How is it I seem to have heard someone bad mouthing me?”
“Nonsense!” Dong Qing Han quickly got up from his chair and emphatically professed. When facing Yang Kai, he could act free and easy, they were cousins after all, and in terms of intimacy, they were closer than Yang Kai was to any of his brothers. However, in front of Qiu Yi Meng, Dong Qing Han didn’t dare show a casual attitude.
Yang Kai chuckled and shook his head, his eyes immediately after being attracted to a woman standing beside Qiu Yi Meng, her brow furrowed slightly.
This young woman was a rare beauty, luscious black hair fluttering down her back like a waterfall, perfectly curved brows, a pair of shimmering eyes, a cute nose, and pink luscious lips which seems like they would leak sweet nectar if pinched. Her skin was white like winter snow and her figure was impeccable. She gave off a unique feminine aura which seemed to draw in the stares of those around her.
On top of her beautiful appearance, she displayed a temperament not even inferior to Qiu Yi Meng.
However, if someone who didn’t know her saw her for the first time, what would attract them most would not be any of these things, but instead the two great mountains which adorned her chest .
This pear of jade peaks were nothing short of colossal, so full they seemed ready to break free of the clothes which bound them at any moment, displaying an amazing elasticity whenever they trembled lightly.
Complimenting this young woman’s proud capital was a thin water snake like waist which appeared a soft as silk and a perfectly rounded bottom which swayed gently as she walked, seducing the eyes of men who gazed upon her.
Yang Kai made no attempt to hide his gaze which landed squarely on this young woman’s chest. Seeing this, Qiu Yi Meng pouted quietly and unconsciously leaned forward slightly.
After breathing in a deep breath, Yang Kai moved his line of sight to meet the young woman’s pair of elegant eyes.
There seemed to be a tinge of joy in her gaze, mixed with regret, some excitement, embarrassment, all a myriad of other emotions.
The corners of Yang Kai’s mouth curled upwards slightly as he grinned back at this woman.
“Yang Kai, you remember this girl don’t you?” Dong Qing Han asked with a grin.
“Naturally I remember her,” Yang Kai said as he nodded to the young woman before him, “Senior Sister Lan, long time no see.”
“En, it’s been three or four years since the last time we met,” The woman replied, her tone somewhat complex.
This young woman was none other than High Heaven Pavilion’s Lan Chu Die!
Yang Kai had once bought two seeds from her stall and later explored the Inheritance Heaven’s Cave alongside her for a time. However, in the Inheritance Heaven’s Cave, Yang Kai found the conduct of this Senior Sister of his somewhat unpleasant, so everyone had eventually parted ways.
Later on, when a number of first-class forces heard that an Inheritance Heaven’s Cave had been discovered near High Heaven Pavilion and many of its disciples had obtained great benefits within, they came in order to tempt some of them into joining their respective Sects.
At that time, Lan Chu Die had been won over by Dong Qing Han and joined the Dong Family. She had also obtained a lot of benefits in the Inheritance Heaven’s Cave.
When Yang Kai had last seen her, Lan Chu Die had only been a Qi Transformation Seventh Stage cultivator, but now she has reached the True Element Boundary Sixth Stage!
His impression of this Senior Sister was neither good nor bad. Rather, he simply felt that she only acted based on benefits, always weighing what she could gain and what it would cost her before acting.
After so much time had passed, Yang Kai no longer cared about such trivial matters anymore. Lan Chu Die had no strong family background and was essentially alone in High Heaven Pavilion. On top of that, she was a woman. There was nothing wrong with her acting in a shrewd manner, especially considering she was a great beauty that constantly drew covetous gazes from men. If a woman like her didn’t do everything possible to strengthen herself and her position, she would only degenerate into a man’s plaything.
Everyone had their own hardships to deal with! Yang Kai understood this well.
“Senior Sister is impressive; your cultivation has risen quite fast.” As these thoughts turned in his head, Yang Kai didn’t hesitate to offer his former Sect mate some praise.
“How can I compare to Junior Brother Yang?” Lan Chu Die grinned wryly, “Senior Sister never thought one of her Junior Brothers would actually belong to the Central Capital’s Yang Family. If I had only known back then, Senior Sister would have gifted you those two seeds instead of selling them to you.”
Speaking politely, and even a little bit restrained, it seemed that this sudden tremendous change in Yang Kai’s identity had left Lan Chu Die slightly uncomfortable.
Qiu Yi Meng glanced back and forth between these two and couldn’t help feeling that the relationship between this Senior Sister and Junior Brother was a bit too dull. They didn’t show the usual cordial attitude one would expect from two fellow disciples reuniting after a long time, but although she didn’t know the exact reason for this, she could still infer some information based on their short conversation.
Dong Qing Han smiled and added on, “Yang Kai, Sister Lan is now one of the leaders amongst the Dong Family younger generation, and she also has a great many admirers.”
“Is that so?” Yang Kai said in a somewhat surprised tone.
“Rapidly improving cultivation along with great beauty, I don’t know how many young men are vying for her attention.” Dong Qing Han said intentionally or unintentionally.
Lan Chu Die’s cheeks couldn’t help blushing slightly, glancing over at Dong Qing Han and saying, “Young Lord Dong, please don’t say that.”
As she spoke, she secretly stole a glance at Yang Kai’s reaction, but upon seeing him remain completely indifferent, a slight sense of loss suddenly came over her.
“Okay okay,” Qiu Yi Meng clapped her hands and interrupted this unproductive conversation, quickly saying, “You three can discuss such things later, for the time being, now that people are beginning to gather, Yang Kai, can you tell us what your plans are for the next few days?”
“What plans I have?” Yang Kai stared blankly at Qiu Yi Meng.
The Qiu Family’s First Young Lady narrowed her eyes slightly as she continued, “You are the master of this place, and light night you won a great victory, do you really have no thoughts about how to move in the coming few days?”
“What do you suggest?” Yang Kai grinned and asked back.
“You can attack your Eighth Brother Yang Quan’s base. As far as I know, Yang Quan only has a Blood Warrior at the Immortal Ascension Boundary Eighth Stage protecting him, but there is only one of them. With our current strength, you shouldn’t have a problem defeating him. If you attack him, you can let either Qu Gao Yi or Ying Jiu entangle that Blood Warrior and then easily capture his flag!
“Do you think my other brothers are all docile sheeps?” Yang Kai smiled as he shook his head, “Do you think they’ll sit back and watch me attack Eighth Brother without trying to interfere?”
“Naturally they’re not vegetarians. Most likely your brothers will choose to sit on the mountain and watch the tigers fight while looking for an opportunity to gain the fisherman’s benefits, especially if you are the one who initiates this action, but last night, except for your Eldest Brother Yang Wei, each of your brothers lost a fair amount of strength. Right now they are still licking their wounds so for the next few days they’ll be focusing on recruiting more soldiers to expand their strength, how could they have any spare effort to spend on you? Even if they interfere, it will only be in the form of harassment rather than actual combat. If you move decisively, then tonight you’ll have a good chance of eliminating your Eighth Brother!”
“Your ambition is not small!” Yang Kai looked at her and nodded in approval, “I admit that what you said makes sense, but I won’t attack Eighth Brother.”
“Why not?” Qiu Yi Meng asked suspiciously, “If you miss this opportunity, such a good chance may not present itself in the future.”
Dong Qing Han also solemnly nodded, “What Young Lady Qiu said true, I also think you should act tonight.”
Dong Qing Han hadn’t participated in the battles last night, only hearing about the excitement the morning after, so he naturally couldn’t wait to stir up some trouble himself.
“Are you still not clear about the subtleties of the Inheritance War? If you beat your Eighth Brother, then you’ll have an opportunity to assimilate the forces he’s gathered into your own. Why would you be hesitant in front of such a good chance?” Qiu Yi Meng was having difficulties understanding Yang Kai’s decision, if it were her in his place, there would be no need to think about it, tonight she would definitely strike while the iron was hot and make her name resounded even louder throughout War City and beyond.
It was precisely so that when she heard Yang Kai refuse her proposal, she had become somewhat confused.
Inside the room, not only was Qiu Yi Meng puzzled, everyone else also didn’t understand why Yang Kai didn’t pursue this opportunity.
At this time he was more than able to attack Yang Quan.
“Are you still taking your brotherhood into account at this time?” Qiu Yi Meng sneered, “Don’t forget, last night two of your brothers didn’t hesitate to attack you. In your Yang Family’s Inheritance War, any talk of brotherly bonds is pure nonsense, the only law here is the law of the jungle, using your blood and bones as well as those of other family’s cultivators to build a path to fame and fortune.”
Yang Kai’s brow furrowed slightly, although what Qiu Yi Meng said was the truth, it still wasn’t something that should be so carelessly mentioned.
Qiu Yi Meng either didn’t see or didn’t care about this slight change in expression, continuing, “Not to mention, even if you don’t attack Yang Quan, someone else will attack him sooner or later. Instead of allow others to pick up this cheap bargain it would be better for you to grab it yourself.”
“Knowing Junior Brother, you should have a reason for your decision, right?” Lan Chu Die suddenly spoke, her eyes flashing a glimmer of soft light.
Whether it was because she was interrupted or because of the subtle tones in Lan Chu Die’s voice, the slightly bitter feeling in Qiu Yi Meng’s heart throbbed again, causing her to snort lightly, “And what reason is that?”
“Think about it yourself; Young Lady Qiu is smart, I’m sure if you give it some thought you’ll understand.” Yang Kai smiled casually.
Qiu Yi Meng looked at him and let out a long sigh, the slight turbulence she felt suddenly calming down. Just now, she had become slightly over-excited. One reason was that Yang Kai had never accepted her views no matter what advice she made so she couldn’t help feeling a sense of discouragement. Secondly, Yang Kai staring at Lan Chu Die’s chest had made her upset.
She also had a woman’s capital, it’s just that they weren’t as big!
In the end though, Qiu Yi Meng was still Qiu Yi Meng. Her thoughts and wisdom were both extraordinary, so naturally, once she had calmed down and began processing the information she had on hand, it wasn’t difficult for her to unravel Yang Kai’s intentions.
Dong Qing Han saw and felt the slight tension in the air and did not dare to interrupt, only able to play dumb as he watched from the side.
For a time, it was so quiet that one could hear a needle fall to the floor, but soon, Qiu Yi Meng looked up and stared into Yang Kai’s eyes, smiling as she nodded and said, “I understand.”
“Since you know, then don’t bring this matter up again.” Yang Kai nodded.
“Good, I won’t bother trying to advise you in the future, this feeling of showing off meager skill in front of an expert isn’t very pleasant.” Qiu Yi Meng spat disdainfully, looking a little depressed.
“Heh, a good woman should be obedient!” Yang Kai casts a look at her as if this outcome was only natural.
Dong Qing Han spat out the mouth full of water he had just drank upon hearing this sentence, coughing violently as he secretly admired the depths of Yang Kai’s courage.
Who would dares say this to Qiu Yi Meng? None of the other Young Lords of the Central Capital’s Eight Great Families had such guts, nor did they have the qualifications, only his cousin would dare speak this way.
Such balls! However, the most surprising part was that the Young Lady Qiu didn’t retort.
Nearby, Lan Chu Die wore a puzzled expression, wanting to ask what all of this was about but too embarrassed to do so.
On the other hand, after the Wind and Cloud old men thought about it for a while, both of them nodded in agreement.
“Um… can I ask a question?” Dong Qing Han finally couldn’t resist his curiosity, “What kind of scheme is going on?”
Qiu Yi Meng giggled and looked towards the Wind and Cloud Guards, “If the two Seniors have understood, they should explain to Young Master Dong. Don’t let him be so anxious.”
The Cloud Guard quickly exchanged a glance with the Wind Guard before saying, “This old man can think of only one reason. If there is anything lacking from my explanation, I hope Young Master Kai and Young Lady Qiu can elaborate.”
After a pause, he continued, “Young Master Kai is now the centre of attention, among the remaining seven Young Lords, none can compare at the moment. On the surface this is indeed a good time for him to act aggressively and expand his influence. The other Young Lords all suffered heavy losses last night and have no time and or mood to pay attention to others. The only exception is the Eldest Young Lord Yang Wei, who didn’t take action yesterday out of consideration for his identity as the Eldest Brother. Such was his way of giving his younger brothers some face. However, if Young Master Kai was to attack Yang Quan tonight, given Young Master Yang Wei’s temperament, he shouldn’t plot behind his back, at most, he would join hands with Young Master Kai to divide up the benefits.”
“But if Young Master Kai does this, then he’ll have a record of eliminating two Yang Family Young Lords in a very short time. This way, his fame will reach new heights, but that will only draw more attention to himself. Once they’ve finished consolidating their positions, the other five Young Lords will definitely regard Young Master Kai as their biggest enemy, quite possibly forcing them to join together to handle us!”
Wind Guard nodded and quietly said, “The tree which rises too far above the forest will be destroyed by the wind.”
Listening to this explanation, Dong Qing Han and Lan Chu Die immediately realized why Yang Kai didn’t agree with Qiu Yi Meng’s initial proposal.
The analysis of the Wind and Cloud Guards was really possible… No, it was almost certain.
If the other Yang Family Young Lords were forced to join forces against him, Yang Kai’s days would definitely become difficult.
Now that he had grabbed the limelight, doing it again would only be counterproductive.
For a time, Dong Qing Han awkwardly scratched his head and was secretly glad that he was not born into the Yang Family. If he had to compete with Yang Kai and his insidious brothers, even after he had failed, he probably wouldn’t be clear why.
The Wind and Cloud Guards both slowly shook their head, one of them saying, “This Old Man can only see this reason, but if there are others, could Young Master Kai enlightened this elder?”
“Is this one reason not enough?” Dong Qing Han suddenly felt confused again, after all, this one reason should be more than enough to let Yang Kai stand down.
Yang Kai smiled slightly as he nodded, “There is indeed another reason, but I can’t say it right now, it would only make people think that I am too arrogant. You’ll understand a few days from now.”
The Wind Guard nodded lightly, “If Young Master Kai has his own considerations, then there’s no need to explain. We will just wait and see.”
Qiu Yi Meng let out another long sigh, “I understand you less and less the longer we interact.”
Even she didn’t know what the second reason Yang Kai refused to attack was, or if it was possible he had a third reason as well.
As the group of people were finishing up this discussion, Xiang Tian Xiao arrived and politely cupped his fists, “Young Lord Kai, someone has come to seek an alliance with you.”
“Is it someone who knows me or someone who doesn’t?” Yang Kai frowned and asked.
“Their leader says they know you.” Xiang Tian Xiao replied.
“Who is it?” Yang Kai was suddenly surprised.
“The Lu Family.”
Yang Kai and Qiu Yi Meng both exchanged a glance and grinned, knowing that this must be someone sent by Lu Liang.
“Since they’ve come, let them come in.” Yang Kai gave a command, his expression completely flat, these people would definitely be bringing many gifts from the Lu Family.
Xiang Tian Xiao nodded in acknowledgement before turning around to greet these newcomers.
A moment later, Lu Song led two Immortal Ascension Boundary Seventh Stage masters into the mansion’s main hall.
Lu Song really didn’t want to bring these supplies to Yang Kai. In his mind, Yang Kai must be nothing more than a treacherous bastard, or else how could he have blackmailed the Lu Family into giving him such rich compensation for an act they played no part in?
He had simply never heard of someone so shameless!
If possible, he wanted to bring these supplies to one of the other Yang Family Young Lords, but after word of Yang Kai’s performance spread last night, Lu Song realized that it was impossible for him to not make this delivery.
Lu Liang had commanded that whatever Yang Kai’s performance in the Inheritance War was, these things must be given to him, and now Yang Kai’s performance had suddenly become the most dazzling of all the Young Lords.
If this batch of materials wasn’t handed over to him but instead given to another by him, when Lu Song returned to the family, he would likely be disciplined harshly.
Thinking about how this time, both these gifts and people had to be handed over to that thug Yang Kai, Lu Song couldn’t help feeling his stomach turning.
The Lu Family had sent a lot of manpower. Two Immortal Ascension Boundary Seventh Stage masters were responsible for guarding Lu Song, while an Immortal Ascension Boundary Fourth Stage, two Immortal Ascension Boundary Third Stage, and twenty other True Element Boundary cultivators comprised the rest of the force.
If someone came with such a powerful boost, any of the other Yang Family Young Lords would no doubt come out to greet him personally, but this Yang Kai actually had one of his henchmen lead him inside, obviously not having any intention of welcoming him in person.
This only made Lu Song’s stomach full of grievances bloat.
When he initially walked in, his expression was quite flat, but upon seeing Qiu Yi Meng, he quickly went forward and cupped his fists, “Lu Song greets cousin.”
Qiu Yi Meng gently nodded, “En, you’ve worked hard.”
Lu Song smiled and replied, “Cousin is too polite, it’s just delivering some things, no trouble at all.”
After this initial conversation, Lu Song swept he eyes over the crowd and asked, “Who is Young Lord Kai?”
Yang Kai nodded indifferently and replied, “I am!”
Lu Song’s gaze fixed on Yang Kai, his mouth forming into a slightly provocative grin as he chuckled, “Greetings Young Lord Kai, this Lu Song has long heard of your reputation.”
When Qiu Yi Meng heard this, her eyes involuntarily narrowed slightly, obviously unhappy with Lu Song’s impolite tone.
Yang Kai though remained unphased, not seeming to care in the slightest, only saying, “The Lu Family seems to have spared no expense.”
Considering what he had done to Lu Liang, this Lu Family Young Lord being in a good mood would have been odd, so Yang Kai has no intention to care about him, after all, he had a perfectly good reason to not like him.
Lu Song hadn’t thought Yang Kai’s reaction would be so dull, so instead of continuing to provoke him, he simply went straight to business and flatly said, “When I left home I was told that all of these things must be delivered to Young Lord Kai. Also, these people who have accompanied me are at Young Lord Kai’s disposal. I hope they will be of help to Young Lord Kai in the Inheritance War.”
“Understood,” Yang Kai nodded. “If that’s the case, then feel free to settle yourselves. This place is quite big, have Qiu Yi Meng help you arrange a courtyard somewhere. If you have any concerns, I’ll try to meet them.”
The big change in attitude from the Lu Family’s Patriarch Lu Liang didn’t surprise Yang Kai, but towards this group of people, he didn’t pay much attention.
If he was not mistaken, Lu Song should have already arrived in War City long ago, but he didn’t show up yesterday and had only come today. It was obvious that this youth was waiting to see if he would be eliminated last night.
Whether this guess was correct or not, it would be simple to find out after he deployed the Bamboo Knot Gang.
Towards such an ally, Yang Kai would naturally not treat them the same as he would the Dong Family or Qiu Yi Meng.
Qiu Yi Meng smiled and was about to help arrange Lu Song’s people when Xiang Tian Xiao actually ran in again and said, “Young Lord Kai, there are people…”
“Who?”
“Purple Fern Valley!”
Hearing this name, Qiu Yi Meng’s eyes lit up and happily said, “It must be Xiao Man.”
As she spoke, she hurried turned to Yang Kai and whispered, “It’s not that Xiao Man didn’t want to help you yesterday, but you also know that Xiao Man is a girl. Although she has some status in Purple Fern Valley, it’s still not enough to allow her to make any big decisions. Her being able to bring people here today has certainly taken her quite a lot of effort. Be sure to thank her properly.”
Luo Xiao Man and Qiu Yi Meng’s situations were quite similar, both of them were young women who had not low positions in their respective forces, but because they were female, they often met with challenges.
“Don’t worry, I will.” Yang Kai nodded gently, “I’ll go meet them myself.”
Hearing these words Qiu Yi Meng suddenly smiled brightly and said, “Seems you still have some conscience.”
Standing up, Yang Kai led a group of people outside. Qiu Yi Meng turned back before leaving and spoke to Lu Song, “Wait for a moment here. I will arrange accommodations for you later.”
Lu Song nodded indifferently, unable to help feeling somewhat slighted, after all, when he came, Yang Kai hadn’t gone out to welcome him.
Outside the house, the Purple Fern Valley group, headed by Luo Xiao Man, was waiting quietly.
After a moment, Yang Kai walked out along with Qiu Yi Meng, followed by Dong Qing Han and Lan Chu Die.
“Elder Sister Qiu!” Luo Xiao Man saw Qiu Yi Meng, shouted with joy, and stepped forward, but when she saw Yang Kai beside her, she immediately halted, her neck shrank, and her timid nature resurfaced.
Her fear of Yang Kai had penetrated into her soul, but even she didn’t quite understand it. In any case, as long as she saw Yang Kai, even if she didn’t think of him as a bad person, Luo Xiao Man was still afraid of him.
This time, if it wasn’t for Qiu Yi Meng’s asking her personally, she wouldn’t have had the courage to stand by Yang Kai’s side during the Inheritance War.
“Xiao Man!” Qiu Yi Meng knew that this little sister of hers lacked courage and quickly walked over and held her hand for a while.
Yang Kai glanced at her with a smile and then glanced over at Lan Chu Die behind Dong Qing Han, quietly thinking that these two young women shared a common trait.
Of course that was their bountiful mountains. Both of these two weren’t tall, once could even call them petite and delicate; however, the capital they possessed was no less than earth-shaking.
Glancing back and forth between the two, Yang Kai suddenly felt somewhat dazed and overwhelmed.
When Lan Chu Die noticed this unscrupulous gaze, her face blushed slightly.
“Purple Fern Valley’s Fan Hong greets Young Lord Kai!” From the group of people that came from Purple Fern Valley, a young man stepped forward, smiled and cupped his fists.
“Brother Fan isn’t a stranger, no need to act so formal.” Yang Kai nodded lightly.
Fan Hong grinned slightly awkwardly, “Previously, when we met in High Heaven Pavilion, this Fan had acted rudely, I hope that Young Lord Kai will not take offence. From this day onward, Fan Hong is here to accompany Young Lord Kai in his efforts.”
Yang Kai’s eyes flashed subtly as his attitude also become more relaxed, putting on a hearty smile, “Brother Fan coming all this way to support me is my honour. As for the previous things, they were mere trivialities I have already forgotten about.”
The last these two met was at High Heaven Pavilion when the Dong Family’s Dong Qing Han, Bai Family’s Bai Yun Feng, and Fan Hong from Purple Fern Valley had come to recruit disciples. When the trio had learned that Yang Kai had obtained a Mysterious Grade Martial Skill, the two who didn’t know about his hidden background had each offered a price in hopes of purchasing it.
Dong Qing Han being Yang Kai’s cousin obviously didn’t participate while the ignorant Bai Yun Feng had ended up despising and fighting with Yang Kai. Sometime later, Bai Yun Feng had died in the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land’s Spider Mother’s Den.
At that time, Fan Hong’s attitude toward Yang Kai was not good but at least he didn’t take things as far as Bai Yun Feng, so Yang Kai had never thought of seeking vengeance against him.
Listening to his Yang Kai’s, Fan Hong’s smile relaxed as he offered his thanks
“Let’s go inside and have some tea while we talk.” Yang Kai warmly said.
The number of cultivators Purple Fern Valley had sent was neither many nor few, and on average they had similar strength to the people the Lu Family had deployed. Since the Inheritance War was a stage for the younger generation, many of these people were similar in age to Fan Hong and Luo Xiao Man.
Luo Xiao Man and Qiu Yi Meng had become inseparable after sharing so many life experiences together so Yang Kai guessed that the people from Purple Fern Valley would faithfully follow Luo Xiao Man’s orders and by extension would obediently follow Qiu Yi Meng’s.
This group of people could be counted on to help him! Yang Kai secretly calculated in his mind, elevating the positioned of the Purple Fern Valley’s cultivators in his heart.
When they returned to the mansion’s main hall, Yang Kai introduced the various Young Lords and Young Ladies and their respective forces to one another.
At first, Lu Song’s expression was not very good, but when Yang Kai came back and introduced Luo Xiao Man, the look in his eyes softened and the anger in his heart also faded. Since ancient times, heroes had always loved beauties; with such an enchanting young girl coming to support him, it was understandable that Yang Kai would take the initiative to go out and greet her.
Secretly steeling a glance at Luo Xiao Man and Lan Chu Die, Lu Song’s thoughts wandered slightly as he wondered which of these two had superior assets.
Luo Xiao Man was originally a willful girl, but since she experienced the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land, her temperament had changed. Her courage had become smaller than that of a mouse so as she was stared at by Lu Song, she couldn’t help feeling uneasy, and eventually hid behind Qiu Yi Meng. On the other hand, Lan Chu Die stood beside Dong Qing Han and stared back at this rude youth with a pair of sharp eyes, not showing any fear, her smile slowly becoming slightly cold.
Seeing these reactions, Lu Song took back his gaze hastily.
Although Yang Kai was talking with Fan Hong and Dong Qing Han, he had also diverted part of his attention to the eyes of everyone in the hall, so when he noticed Lu Song’s petty actions, he couldn’t help but sneer.
Senior Sister Lan wasn’t a good person to bully, she was strong willed and intelligent, how could she possibly let such delinquent behaviour off so easily?
Before many words could be exchanged though, Xiang Tian Xiao once again appeared.
Not waiting for him to speak, Yang Kai directly asked, “Who is it this time?”
“A young man and woman, the strength is probably only around the True Element Boundary Seventh Stage,” Xiang Tian Xiao replied meticulously, “They said they are old friends of the Young Lord’s. They said their names were Chen Xue Shu and Su Xiao Yu.”
“It’s them?” Yang Kai looked surprised.
“Do you know them?” Qiu Yi Meng asked with amazement.
“Of course I know them.” Yang Kai smiled happily as he reminisced, “I once met them when I was out for life experience, they are a Senior Brother and Junior Sister couple from Reflecting Moon Sect.”
“Reflecting Moon Sect…” Qiu Yi Meng frowned, “If I remember correctly, Reflecting Moon Sect should be just a second-class force.”
“En, it is a second-class Sect.” Yang Kai nodded.
Xiang Tian Xiao spoke up again, “Young Lord Kai, only the two of them have come and it seems that no masters have accompanied them, what are your instructions?”
There were only two young cultivators with strengths around True Element Boundary Seventh Stage; such strength wouldn’t be of any use in the Inheritance War. Those who wanted to participate in Inheritance War from the world’s major forces would either sent a large contingent of manpower to help, or deliver a substantial amount of war material and resources, it was essentially impossible for a Sect or family to send only two young people with low strength to act as their representatives.
Xiang Tian Xiao asking this question was obviously implying that Chen Xue Shu and Su Xiao Yu both wanted to use their old friendship with Yang Kai as an excuse to take shelter under his wings, an act he himself found quite distasteful.
“Yang Kai, even if they are old friends, their attitude doesn’t seem to be appropriate, you should properly refuse them.” As his cousin, Dong Qing Han felt obligated to remind him.
If he were to blindly accept them, it would only make his other allies who had brought him much more support disgruntled, after all, if they obtained victory in the Inheritance War, this Reflecting Moon Sect would also need to be given a piece of their cake.
However, if they had sincerely come to help him, even if they were few in number and strength, they shouldn’t be rejected mercilessly.
“No need,” Yang Kai shook his head and got up; smoothing his robe slightly, “Wait here for a moment. I’ll go talk to them myself.”
Qiu Yi Meng looked awkward, not understanding why Yang Kai was acting so seriously when dealing with a mere second-class Sect, even when he had just greeted Luo Xiao Man’s Purple Fern Valley he was not as happy.
But after thinking about it for a moment, Qiu Yi Meng just giggle lightly.
Looking back at Lu Song, she also found that the Lu Family’s young master’s facial expression had turned sour.
Furrowing her brow, Qiu Yi Meng knew that he was resentful because of Yang Kai’s indifference towards him and couldn’t help but deeply sigh. Lu Liang sending his to participate in this time’s Inheritance War was probably a mistake.
Qiu Yi Meng hadn’t had much contact with this young master from the Lu Family so she wasn’t aware of his personality before, but now, she understood that this cousin of hers’ wasn’t mature enough to remain here.
Suddenly wearing a smile, she turned to him and said, “Lu Song, don’t think too much about it, since these two are old friends of Yang Kai, him going out to meet them isn’t surprising. Just wait till then come in then we can send them away, a trivial pair of second-class Sect disciples doesn’t have the qualifications to stay here.”
Dong Qing Han shot Qiu Yi Meng a strange look. He hadn’t thought that this Young Lady Qiu was so petty and difficult to accommodate.
Lu Song had been secretly annoyed, but as soon as Qiu Yi Meng said this, he suddenly smiled and thought that Qiu Yi Meng was quietly supporting him, quickly nodding, “What cousin said is correct, isn’t everyone in this hall now at least from a first-class force? That Reflecting Moon Sect is quite interesting actually, a trivial second-class Sect actually sending two juniors to participate in the Inheritance War, ridiculous! I’d like to see what thick skin these two have to come here so empty handed.”
Qiu Yi Meng smiled meaningfully and said no more. Having received a look of encouragement from her, Lu Song straightened himself up and waited for Chen Xue Shu and Su Xiao Yu to come in so he could valiantly send them packing.
Outside the mansion, a pair of youths, a young man and a young woman, stared around with a look of anticipation and anxiety.
As Su Xiao Yu stared at the entrance and waited for a long time without seeing Yang Kai, she couldn’t help lick her dried lips slightly and say, “Senior Brother, do think that this Yang Kai is really that Yang Kai? What if nobody comes to see us even after we’ve reported our names?”
When Chen Xue Shu heard this he wore a bitter smile, “Junior Sister, don’t you think you’re asking the wrong person? How should I know if this Brother Yang is the same Brother Yang we know? The world is so big, there is bound to be many people with the same name.”
“Ah…” Su Xiao Yu suddenly felt a little lost, “If this Yang Kai isn’t the one we know, then we’ll have run all this way only to be refused, that would be quite shameful.”
“If we lose face then we lose face; master didn’t want to participate in this Inheritance War exactly because our Reflecting Moon Sect is just a second-class force and our strength isn’t great, participation wouldn’t benefit the sect much and might even harm it. It was only because I convinced him that this Yang Kai might be an old friend of ours that master allowed us to come. If this mansion’s owner isn’t the one we know, then being refused might not be a bad thing, at the very least we’ll be able to leave here and not trouble ourselves.”
“I think he is the one we know!” Su Xiao Yu suddenly affirmed, “Do you still remember his performance in that isolated world? The people from the Tian Lang Dynasty were all toyed with by him, he even had time to save all of our lives in the process, except for the Central Capital’s Yang Family, I’m afraid that no force could train such a person.”
Recalling the experiences they had in the isolated world, Chen Xue Shu also wore a faint smile, if not for Yang Kai, all the cultivators from the Great Han Dynasty would have been completely annihilated.
“Whether it is him or not, we’ll soon know.”
As the Senior Brother and Junior Sister were talking, they suddenly saw Yang Kai walk out from inside.
“Brother Chen, Junior Sister Su, I trust you’ve been well since we last met.” Yang Kai smiled warmly, seemingly quite happy about reuniting with the pair after so long.
Chen Xue Shu and Su Xiao Yu had both speculated that the Yang Kai they knew was the one from the Central Capital’s Yang Family, but after seeing this familiar face, both of them couldn’t help tensing up, even forgetting to answer, just stupidly standing in the same place and staring.
At this moment, the two did not know why their hearts clenched a bit, perhaps it was because they were worried about them having the qualifications to associate with such a person, causing them to feel somewhat lost and embarrassed.
“Do I have flowers on my face?” Seeing them hesitate, Yang Kai snorted somewhat unhappily.
Hearing the affinity in his tone, the Senior Brother and Junior Sister returned to the sense and calmed their frayed nerves.
Chen Xue Shu took the initiative to say hello, “Junior Brother Yang, we meet again.”
Su Xiao Yu even smiled slightly as she looked Yang Kai over, commenting, “Why you! You really are a person from the Central Capital Yang Family, we didn’t have a clue! How could you not tell us!?”
“Junior Sister!” Chen Xue tugged Su Xiao Yu’s sleeve and chided, “The Yang Family has its own rules. When their descendants go out for life experience they must not reveal their identity, Junior Brother Yang wasn’t deliberately deceiving you.”
“I know.” Su Xiao Yu smiled and stuck out her tongue playfully, “I was just a bit surprised is all.”
“It’s not too late to know now. Come in.” Yang Kai warmly said, ushering the two inside.
All the way, Su Xiao Yu was like a twittering sparrow. She had come from a second-class Sect, so although she was one of the future pillars of the Reflecting Moon Sect, her experience and vision was still quite lacking compared to those from first-class forces, let alone the Young Lords and Young Ladies from the Central Capital’s super-forces, suddenly being thrown into such an environment she was naturally curious.
Especially given that the person showing her around was someone she knew and had a good friendship with.
Su Xiao Yu’s questions were mixed and chaotic, just like a villager from the countryside visiting the big city for the first time, everything around her was new and fresh.
Yang Kai led the pair inside as he responded casually to Su Xiao Yu’s incessant questions while Chen Xue smiled and shook his head.
“Your Yang Family colossus right? I heard that it occupies one-tenth of the entire Central Capital and that it takes three days and three nights on horseback just to ride a across its territory, is that true?” Su Xiao Yu Yue asked excitedly.
However, Yang Kai hadn’t had a chance to answer before a sudden burst of mocking laughter rang out.
When this sound reached her ear, Su Xiao Yu couldn’t help but glance around her surroundings, only then did she discover that Yang Kai had led them to a large hall where many people had already gathered.
The various Young Lords and Young Ladies seated around the main table all wore expensive robes and gave of imposing auras. Each of them also had strong guardians around them as well as numerous pieces of fine jewellery and flashy accessories which were obviously high grade artifacts.
In contrast, although she and Chen Xue both also wore a number of artifacts and were not dressed poorly, compared with those people it was still as different as Heaven and Earth.
The young man who had sneered at her question was one of those sitting at the table, and at the moment he was looking at her and her Senior Brother like a pair of country bumpkins.
Su Xiao Yu suddenly turned bright red, wanting to dig a hole and crawl inside so she could escape from these people’s stares.
Yang Kai frowned slightly before wearing a kind smile again, “Don’t listen to outside rumours, the Yang Family’s power isn’t small but it isn’t so exaggerated.”
“En.” Su Xiao Yu’s eyelashes flashed brightly, even though Yang Kai had covered for her, she was still somewhat embarrassed. Chen Xue Shu gently took her hand in order to comfort her, finally relaxing Su Xiao Yu’s tense mood.
She really hadn’t expected so many people of great status would be waiting here, if she had, she wouldn’t have asked so many silly questions.
It was true that she hadn’t experienced much of the world, but when she went out, she also knew what to say and what to do. It was just because of Yang Kai’s easygoing and friendly reception that she had been too relaxed. Because she was of an ordinary origin but had found herself thrown into such an extraordinary situation that Su Xiao Yu had happily asked all the questions that had come to her mind, but that didn’t mean she wanted all of them to pass on to bystander’s ears.
“Come in, let me introduce you…” Yang Kai brushed over the awkward atmosphere and enthusiastically said, “These two are friends I met in an isolated world, Reflecting Moon Sect’s Chen Xue Shu and Su Xiao Yu.”
In that isolated world, Yang Kai had received a lot of guidance from Chen Xue Shu, the Senior Brother and Junior Sister pair had also invited Yang Kai to travel together with them.
At that time, they were both True Element Boundary Third Stage cultivators while Yang Kai had only reached the Separation and Reunion Boundary Third Stage, Chen Xue Shu and Su Xiao Yu had obviously wanted to take care of him.
For this reason, Yang Kai was very fond of both of them.
Chen Xue smiled and shook his head, “Junior Brother Yang is too polite. In truth it was Junior Brother Yang who saved both myself and Junior Sister Su. If it weren’t for Junior Brother Yang, we two may have already turned into withered skeletons. We owe him our lives.”
“If you’re a friend of Yang Kai’s, then you’re this Dong Qing Han’s friend too.” Dong Qing Han smiled and got cupped his fists. He knew that anyone who could be called Yang Kai’s friends were naturally people who shared a bond which wasn’t based on benefits and interests.
Such people would be heavily favoured by Yang Kai. In general, the Young Lords from great forces and families all had a common problem which was when others approached them, they had to first suspect whether their intentions were pure or based solely on what profits they could make.
Therefore, Dong Qing Han treated these two very seriously.
“So it is Young Master Dong!” Chen Xue apparently had heard Dong Qing Han’s name before and quickly made a polite gesture.
“Purple Fern Valley, Fan Hong!”
“Greetings, Brother Fan.”
“Qiu Family, Qiu Yi Meng.” The Qiu Family’s First Young Lady smiled slightly, her face filled with a noble air that in no way detracted from her attractiveness.
Chen Xue Shu was immediately shocked while Su Xiao Yu also showed great surprise as she stared at Qiu Yi Meng.
“So it is Young Lady Qiu, we have long heard of and admired you!” This was not just flattery, Chen Xue Shu sincerely admired this famous young lady.
Qiu Yi Meng smiled happily, turning a glance towards Yang Kai, seemingly trying to say that even though he wouldn’t take her seriously, she was still a world famous member of the younger generation admired by many.
Everyone who sat around the table all gave Yang Kai face and greeted Chen Xue Shu and Su Xiao Yu politely, only Lu Song sat on his chair silently, his expression containing no small amount of disdain.
However, Chen Xue Shu still turned to him, smiled and cupped his fists, “Dare I ask this Young Lord’s name…”
He naturally saw that this person somewhat despised him and his Junior Sister, the ridicule he had uttered the moment they entered the hall was all the proof he required, but being from a second-class Sect, Chen Xue Shu knew it wasn’t out of the ordinary for a first-class family’s Young Lord to look down on them, so he didn’t feel any particular grievances about the other’s attitude.
Moreover, the people here should all be allies of Yang Kai so how could he embarrass him? Instead Chen Xue Shu decided it was best if he could resolve the contradiction between him and Lu Song peacefully.
After all, if all went well, everyone here would be working together in the future, if there were contradictions between allies, it would only cause problems for Yang Kai who was the master of this place.
Unexpectedly though, when Chen Xue Shu lowered his attitude and spoke politely, Lu Song actually didn’t say anything back, like he hadn’t heard anything at all, simply sitting there sipping his tea disdainfully.
Yang Kai stared at this situation as his lips slowly formed into a cold smile.
Immediately after, he turned to look at Qiu Yi Meng.
In some sense, Lu Song was still Qiu Yi Meng’s cousin, Yang Kai wanted to question who had given Lu Song the guts to act so unruly in his house.
When his eyes met the Qiu Family’s First Young Lady’s eyes, Qiu Yi Meng actually just smiled meaningfully and slowly shook her head.
Seeing this, Yang Kai’s brow furrowed slightly as the coldness in his gaze became even more severe.
Chen Xue Shu waited for a moment but when Lu Song failed to answer, he couldn’t help looking a little embarrassed, patiently asking one more, “This brother, is there some way I have offended you? If so, this Chen hopes that the Young Lord can show magnanimity and forgive this one’s transgression.”
Hearing these words, Su Xiao Yu’s eyes instantly became a bit wet as she desperately tried to suppress her urge to cry.
Chen Xue Shu was her Senior Brother and her lover. Being ridiculed by Lu Song was already a slap to her face, now seeing the beloved hero in her heart have to apologize and lower his head for her, how could she not feel bad?
Especially since the other party was simply ignoring them for no reason.
With tears in her eyes, Su Xiao Yu turned her head and silently appealed to Yang Kai in the hopes that he could settle this quarrel so her Senior Brother would no longer have to debase himself.
Seeing this, Yang Kai only smiled lightly at her as he silently mouthed a few words. Su Xiao Yu didn’t see exactly what he said, but the meaning in his eyes was clearly conveyed.
“Don’t worry!”
Su Xiao Yu’s mood suddenly calmed down, knowing that Yang Kai wouldn’t sit by and do nothing; she quickly took a deep breath and stifled the tears in her eyes, no longer making a sound.
After Chen Xue Shu’s second attempt, Lu Song finally put down his teacup and shook his head arrogantly, “It’s nothing serious, you haven’t offended me. It’s just that I am a solitary person not good at communicating, especially with those who don’t know their place, nothing more.”
Chen Xue Shu’s expression stiffened, but he still somehow managed a smile and said, “So that is it, this Chen was too presumptuous.”
Lu Song raised his eyes and finally looked at Chen Xue, chuckling somewhat, “You are from Reflecting Moon Sect?”
“Yes, we Senior Brother and Junior Sister come from Reflecting Moon Sect.”
“How many people have you brought with you to participate in this Inheritance War?”
Chen Xue Shu’s face became awkward as he hesitantly replied, “There are only my Junior Sister and myself for the time being, but…”
But before he could finish, he was interrupted by Lu Song’s sneer.
The Lu Family’s Young Lord stood up, crossing his arms behind his back as he lifted his chin slightly, giving off an aloof prideful aura, “Only the two of you… Both of you only at the True Element Boundary Seventh Stage? You think such pitiful strength makes you worthy of participating in the Inheritance War? Do you think this is a children’s game?”
Facing such naked contempt, Chen Xue Shu was struck silent, his face blushing bright red with embarrassment once more.
Lu Song confidently stole a quick glance at Qiu Yi Meng. Upon seeing the Qui Family’s Young Lady smile back at him with a look of approval, Lu Song felt further emboldened and decided to strike while the iron was hot and completely humiliate the two youths in front of him.
“Do you know how much my Lu Family has invested here?” Lu Song looked at Chen Xue Shu with contempt, “Two Immortal Ascension Boundary Seventh Stage masters, one Immortal Ascension Boundary Fourth Stage, two Immortal Ascension Boundary Third Stages and twenty True Element Boundary cultivators along with countless supplies.”
Inside the main hall, Lu Song’s arrogance was all but stifling.
Both Dong Qing Han and Fan Hong had their brows knit. They were not as idiotic as Lu Song. They had already understood something, but since neither Yang Kai nor Qiu Yi Meng had spoken up, they didn’t plan to interject, instead choosing to stand by and watch things play out.
Receiving the praise from Qiu Yi Meng’s eyes, Lu Song sneered even harder as he insolently said, “If you want to reap some returns, you have to invest enough first! Can you bring out so much manpower and resources? Oh, I apologize, I forgot, you’re nothing but a second-class Sect. You probably don’t even have this much strength, but at the very least, you should be able to produce half of what my Lu Family has brought. If you can’t even do this much, I suggest you get the hell out and crawl back to wherever you came from.”
“Young Master!” The Lu Family’s Immortal Ascension Boundary Seventh Stage master had a cold sweat on his forehead. He was not young and inexperienced like Lu Song and had quickly discovered things were out a place, especially the coldness and dissatisfaction in Yang Kai’s eyes.
The young master of his family speaking so willfully in another person’s home, bullying and suppressing Yang Kai’s friends to the point of tears, wasn’t this the same as slapping Yang Kai’s face?
What’s more, when Yang Kai introduced Chen Xue Shu and Su Xiao Yu, the tone he used was quite serious.
These two may not have high birth or great strength, but Yang Kai obviously valued them highly!
If he continued to let Lu Song talk like this, things would become bad!
“Young Master, you’ve said so much, it’s best if you sit and drink some tea to wet your throat.” Under the eyes of the public, he couldn’t speak directly, only able to quietly give Lu Song a reminder.
But Lu Song remained completely ignorant, still sneering disdainfully, his attitude more arrogant than ever.
Chen Xue Shu’s face was also getting uglier and uglier.
“Lu Song!” Yang Kai suddenly said coldly as he stared that the Lu Family’s Young Master.
“What instructions does Young Lord Kai have?” Lu Song immediately stopped chattering and asked quickly. With Chen Xue Shu he could make a fuss, but he didn’t have the guts to do so directly towards Yang Kai.
“Get out.”
“Huh?” Lu Song’s expression cramped as he stared in confusion.
“I’ll give you thirty breaths of time, if within thirty breaths you don’t leave my house, I’ll make you stay here forever.” Yang Kai spoke extremely solemnly, an icy murderous intent flashing across his eyes.
Lu Song froze up completely; never had he dreamed that such a result would occur. The meaning of Yang Kai’s words was clear, but that only made him more confused, the people he was expelling weren’t these two parasites from Reflecting Moon Sect, but himself.
“Young Lord Kai, are you cracking a joke?” Lu Song’s mouth twitched slightly as his face gradually reddened. If he were to be driven out by Yang Kai in front of so many people, he would have no face left at all.
“Do I look like I’m joking? You have twenty-five breaths left!” Yang Kai snorted.
“Are you insane!?” Lu Song roared as he glared at Yang Kai incredulously, “My Lu Family has dedicated so many resources to help you win this Inheritance War yet you want to throw me out? Don’t you want our support?”
Yang Kai didn’t answer and instead just continued to stare at him coldly.
Perceiving this cold intent, Lu Song couldn’t help trembling slightly, suddenly thinking of something and asking, “My cousin is here to help you, she is one of your biggest boosts, aren’t you afraid that if you drive me out she will leave too.”
“If she’s stupid enough to support you then she can get the hell out as well!” Yang Kai sneered even harder, “Twenty breaths.”
Qiu Yi Meng rolled her eyes at this comment.
“Cousin…” Lu Song finally began panicking and secretly regretted saying so much nonsense, glancing over at Qiu Yi Meng in hopes that she would say a few words to dull Yang Kai’s overbearing approach.
However, Qiu Yi Meng just sighed, “Lu Song, you should leave, he’s a man of his word. Nothing I say will change anything, if you push him too far, even I won’t be able to help you.”
“But…”
“Fifteen!” Yang Kai issued a final warning.
“Young Master, let’s go.” The Immortal Ascension Boundary Seventh Stage master said through his tightly clenched teeth, letting out a long sigh after he had spoken the words. Lu Song hadn’t seen the hidden intent behind this farce, but he understood it well. Saying anything more would yield no benefit so the best course of action would be to swiftly retreat.
Seeing Lu Song’s embarrassment and helplessness, Su Xiao Yu suddenly became flustered and excited, secretly gripping her fists.
All the insults and ridicule she had just received, at this moment, seemed to have been returned tenfold, causing her to gratefully glance over at Yang Kai.
Outside the mansion, Lu Song cursed angrily, “Bastard! I brought both people and supplies to participate in the Inheritance War yet you actually have the gall to drive me out! If that’s how you want to do things then I’ll accompany you! I’ll spread word of your deeds here today and see if anyone dares join you from now on!”
Inside the hall, Qiu Yi Meng shook her head and smiled bitterly. If it wasn’t for the Lu Family’s Young Lord’s terrible performance, she wouldn’t have manipulated him into this situation. The Lu Family was still one of the Qiu Family’s subordinates, so a certain amount of face should have been given to them, if there was any hope, Qiu Yi Meng would have been happy to let Lu Song stay here.
But after hearing his unrepentant threat, Qiu Yi Meng immediately affirmed that her decision was correct. Forcing him out now had only let him lose face, if she had tried to let him remain; it was entirely possible Yang Kai would eventually kill him.
“Why did you encourage him?” Yang Kai looked at Qiu Yi Meng with great meaning. Lu Song was an idiot, but if Qiu Yi Meng didn’t support him, he wouldn’t have dared act so wantonly in front of himself.
Just now, he had acted so wild and unscrupulous that it was clear when Yang Kai went out to meet Chen Xue Shu and Su Xiao Yu Qiu Yi Meng must have given him some hints.
“En, I casually spoke one or two things to him,” Qiu Yi Meng nodded faintly, “But isn’t this result good? I don’t think you wanted him to stay anyways.”
“Good, I wanted him to leave, but he had brought a lot of things with him so it wasn’t quite proper to just tell him to get out.” Yang Kai said with a smile.
“So you should thank me, shouldn’t you?” Qiu Yi Meng said frankly as she smiled back, not making any attempt to deny or evade.
With Yang Kai, she had no need to be polite, this man was simply too sharp and strong. If she were to continue playing coy, Yang Kai will definitely continue to lead her by the nose.
Yang Kai acted like he hadn’t heard her and instead turned to Chen Xue Shu and said, “Brother Chen, I’ve let you suffer.”
Chen Xue Shu scratched his head slightly as he looked somewhat embarrassed. From the words of Yang Kai and Qiu Yi Meng, he also understood some of what had just happened, it seems he had been an unwitting participant in entrapping that Lu Song.
However, he didn’t mind, just returning his usual polite smile, “Being able to contribute to Junior Brother Yang is this Chen’s honour, I simply listened to a few unpleasant words, nothing worth mentioning!”
Wrinkling his brow next, Chen Xue Shu continued, “However, driving him out like this may not be good for Junior Brother Yang’s reputation.”
Yang Kai waved his hand and indicated it didn’t matter, following up, “Having him stay behind would be more troublesome, his attitude was bad. Even if he didn’t target you just now, he would inevitably have conflicts with other people in the future. A single mouse dropping can ruin a pot of porridge, it’s best to eliminate such problems from the start. Just look at Qiu Yi Meng, though he’s her cousin, she also doesn’t want to take care of him.”
Qiu Yi Meng spat disdainfully as she retorted, “Don’t pin this on me. You think I’m some kind of vicious cunning snake woman? It was you who drove him away in the end. Now I have to explain things to Lu Liang… ha… I hope Lu Liang can understand my hardships. Why did he have to send out such a good for nothing…”
Perceiving the headache Qiu Yi Meng was having, everyone remained silent.
At that moment, a series of True Qi fluctuations came from outside, accompanied by a brief sound of battle.
Everyone was surprised, not understanding how a fight had suddenly broken out. Yang Kai quickly released his Divine Sense to investigate but soon after his expression calmed down, glancing over at Qiu Yi Meng as he said, “I’m glad you helped get rid of that Lu Song so promptly.”
“What happened outside?” Qiu Yi Meng asked in amazement.
The others in the hall were also confused.
“He challenged a person he absolutely shouldn’t have provoked!” Yang Kai sneered, “I really want to know how he’s survived so long with such terrible vision.”
As Yang Kai spoke, the battle outside calmed down and Lu Song’s wretched screams passed through the walls to everyone’s ears. His cries were incredibly miserable.
“Just what the hell happened?” Qiu Yi Meng said anxiously, almost unable to resist the urge to run outside to see the situation.
“Damn bastard! You actually dare have ideas about I, your father’s property!” A loud and familiar voice echoed from outside, and a moment later, Huo Xing Chen walked into the hall with an angry look, still cursing vigorously, “Who this Young Master is, how could he not see!? That brat’s courage is really big enough.”
After coming in, Huo Xing Chen shouted, “Hey, Yang Kai, just what the hell happened with that little bastard? Why did he try to rob me without saying a word?”
“What do you have to be robbed of?” Yang Kai was confused, his Divine Sense only allowed him to understand the general situation, so exactly what had transpire wasn’t clear to him.
“This Young Master’s treasures!” Huo Xing Chen waved his hand and shouted, “Bring it all in!”
Immediately, a group of people carrying a number of boxes walked in and placed them on the ground.
With his hands on his waist, Huo Xing Chen said disdainfully, “These things are what that bastard wanted to snatch from me, he must be insane!”
Qiu Yi Meng sighed while helplessly and hurriedly asking, “What did you do to him?”
“Cracked a few of his ribs and then threw him out.” Huo Xing Chen replied indifferently.
Rubbing her forehead, Qiu Yi Meng let out a long sigh before turning to look at Yang Kai with a wry smile.
When Lu Song was angered about losing all the precious materials he had brought when he was thrown out just now he coincidentally ran into Huo Xing Chen and figured he could snatch something to make up for his losses. He was accompanied by two Immortal Ascension Boundary Seventh Stage masters while Huo Xing Chen only had two Immortal Ascension Boundary Fifth Stage guards, the difference in strength should have made robbing him easy.
However, he never expected that these two Immortal Ascension Boundary Fifth Stage masters were out of the ordinary and by the time he realized it, it was already too late.
Fortunately, Huo Xing Chen had enough discretion not to kill someone inside Yang Kai’s compound, or Lu Song’s life would likely have been forfeit.
Listening to Qiu Yi Meng briefly explain the situation, Huo Xing Chen nodded in understanding, “So that brat turned out to be your cousin. I suppose it’s a good thing I went easy on him or else he might really be dead. Qiu Yi Meng, how do you have such an idiot for a cousin? “
“Enough about that. Why did you suddenly disappear last night? Where have you been until now?” Qiu Yi Meng swiftly changed the subject.
Huo Xing Chen couldn’t help looking a bit awkward as he replied in a greatly diminished tone, “I went back home to ask my old man for some supplies and people.”
“Did your father actually give you some of your family’s masters and resources?” Qiu Yi Meng asked happily. If the Huo Family were to really support him, it would be a big boost to Yang Kai’s strength.
“Even if he didn’t want to, he had to.” Huo Xing Chen said with a tinge of embarrassment, not wanting to explain any further. He then walked over and opened the boxes before turning to Yang Kai and declaring, “You can see for yourself, one box of Alchemy materials, one box of Artifact Refining materials, all of which are at least the Heaven Grade with a few pieces being Mysterious Grade, a box of finished pills used for healing, cultivating, and True Qi restoration, on top of that there is also a box of artifacts. En, although their grade is a little worse they are still Earth Grade and above and should be useful for arming some of your men.”
After explaining the contents, Huo Xing Chen looked up at Yang Kai proudly and firmly declared, “These four boxes or this Young Master, pick whichever one you prefer.”
The Huo Family Young Lord’s words were spoken without hesitation.
Everyone in the hall heard them and instantly shifted their eyes towards him and Yang Kai. It seemed that there was something unusual going on between the two.
Both Lan Chu Die and Luo Xiao Man, the two big-breasted women, were so surprised they covered their mouths, glancing back and forth between the two young men several times.
Yang Kai’s expression went black, knowing that Huo Xing Chen’s words were too easy to be misunderstood, loudly rebuking, “Explain things better.”
Huo Xing Chen also realized that there was a problem with his words and burst out into laughter before saying, “Don’t misunderstand, yesterday I made a bet with Brother Yang here about whether he would last the night, but it seems this Young Master’s eyes weren’t good enough leading to my loss!”
“What were the stakes?” Qiu Yi Meng suddenly became interested, she was curious about what Yang Kai and Huo Xing Chen had bet.
“If I lost, I’d give him my Golden Feather Eagle, if he lost… heh!” Yang Kai looked at Huo Xing Chen with big grin, “The Huo Family Young Lord agreed to strip down and run ten laps around War City! “
After a brief silence, fits of laughter broke out while many of the young women couldn’t help blushing a bit. Thinking of the scene where the Huo Family Young Lord in front of them had to run around War City in the state he was born in was quite something.
“A loss is a loss. There’s no need to advertise.” Huo Xing Chen said, extremely depressed, suddenly becoming serious as he said, “Yang Kai, you choose, if you want these things, our gambling stakes will be written off. If you insist though, this Young Master will strip right here and pay his debt, but these things and these people, even this Young Lord, will leave here permanently!”
Declaring so, Huo Xing Chen opened his folding fan and waved it a few times, “Since this Young Master dared to bet, he will certainly keep his word.”
As he spoke, his expression was relaxed, without any signs of tension, obviously he felt that with such a big temptation before him, Yang Kai would definitely accept the masters and materials he had brought.
Compared with letting him streak ten laps around War City, these things were much more valuable, as long as Yang Kai wasn’t a fool he should know how to choose.
Nodding as he smiled warmly, Yang Kai replied, “Then I must ask Young Lord Huo… to strip!”
Huo Xing Chen’s look gradually solidified, as the movement of his folding fan slowly became stiff, bitterly saying, “Young Lord Kai… Don’t be like this… there is no grudge between us, why must you act so ruthlessly?”
Qiu Yi Meng nearby giggled lightly.
Huo Xing Chen quickly turned her eyes to her and entreated, “Qiu Yi Meng, help me say a few words, or do you plan to just stand by and watch?”
However, Qiu Yi Meng just slowly shook her head, replying seriously, “I have no way of convincing this man, you already know this.”
Huo Xing Chen desperately swept his eyes around the crowd, eventually fixing on Dong Qing Han who was seated nearby, hurrying forward and asking, “This fat brother, you seem to have a close relationship with Yang Kai. Help me say a few words…”
Dong Qing Han’s expression cramped. Huo Xing Chen calling him a fat brother obviously made him unhappy. But even if he wasn’t pleased with this attitude, considering the identity of the opposite party, Dong Qing Han knew it wouldn’t be good to strike back maliciously so he simply wore a bitter smile and said, “Young Lord Huo, forgive me, this one’s word’s don’t carry much weight, for such matters…”
While he was trying to find an excuse, Dong Qing Han became even more annoyed when he discovered this Young Lord Huo was staring at Lan Chu Die standing beside him. Seeing the obvious obscene light in the Central Capital Wolf’s eyes, he couldn’t help coughing.
“Beautiful.” Huo Xing Chen exclaimed without hesitation, glancing around and quickly discovering Luo Xiao Man as well, the light in the eyes becoming even stronger than before as hot air seemed to spill from his nostrils.
Luo Xiao Man quickly hid behind Fan Hong, hiding her face as she fidgeted nervously.
She had never before encountered such an unscrupulous person, someone who didn’t even try to hide the lascivious look on his face, he was far more shameless than even Yang Kai!
“Yang Kai, these people, are all your allies?” Huo Xing Chen suddenly asked.
“Good, they all arrived today.”
Huo Xing Chen’s face suddenly became serious, taking a few steps to arrive in front of Yang Kai before cupping his fists and saying, “Young Lord Kai, our earlier bet was really my, Huo Xing Chen’s fault for having eyes but failing to see. I ask that you be the bigger of us and not pay such trivial events too much mind, after all, I’m just a delinquent Young Lord, how can I compare with you? Last night, I deeply realized my mistake so I rushed back to the Central Capital and earnestly begged my old man for this manpower and these supplies. From now on, I, Huo Xing Chen, am willing to follow your commands whether they be storming the Heavens or marching on the gates of hell, and all I ask is that you not abandon me!”
Saying so, he suddenly sat down on the floor and declared, “In any case, I am already here, there’s no need to send me away.”
Qiu Yi Meng shook her head and sighed as she looked over at Yang Kai and commented, “I feel that it is better to let him leave. If he really remains, none of the young women here will be able to relax.”
Yang Kai nodded immediately, “My thoughts exactly.”
“Young Lord Kai, Young Lady Qiu, I have done nothing wrong here, how can you be so cruel?” Huo Xing Chen all buy cried out, although he had played around with countless women, it was quite rare to meet beauties on Lan Chu Die and Luo Xiao Man’s level. Not to mention, the women who he normally encountered were always only attracted by his identity and money.
“Fine fine.” Yang Kai sighed, apparently too lazy to keep entangling himself with this delinquent Yong Lord, waving his hand and saying, “Let your people put these things into storage.”
Yang Kai had never anticipated Huo Xing Chen would actually support him, much less bring along a fair quantity of people and supplies.
When dealing with an unruly person like Huo Xing Chen, he had to make him suffer a bit first or he wouldn’t be obedient in the future. After suffering this loss, Yang Kai estimated that he would curb his ruffian behaviour in front of him quite a bit.
Finally hearing the words he was searching for, Huo Xing Chen was overjoyed and quickly jumped up from the ground and yelled at the group of people who had accompanied him, “What are you doing, pick up those supplies and take them inside! Also, make sure you all act prudently, don’t go around thinking that just because you’re from the Huo Family you can bully others, in this place, everyone is an ally, understood?”
“Yes!” The Huo Family’s people replied firmly before picking up the four boxes and hurrying away.
After taking care of business, Young Lord Huo smiled widely and stepped towards Luo Xiao Man, laughing as he asked, “Beautiful girl, may I know your name?”
Luo Xiao Man was terrified, swiftly fleeing to Qiu Yi Meng’s side and tightly pinching her sleeve, “Elder Sister Qiu…”
Unfortunately for Luo Xiao Man, the delicate and helpless appearance she portrayed as she desperately sought refuge only further stimulated Huo Xing Chen.
Unwilling to see her little sister bullied so, Qiu Yi Meng patted her hand and turned a sharp glare towards Huo Xing Chen as she sneered, “If he dares have any ideas about you, I’ll let him die without a burial!”
Huo Xing Chen let out a hollow laugh before nodding, “So the young miss has a strong backer. Rest assured, since you are Qiu Yi Meng’s sister, I promise not to make a move against you!”
Before Huo Xing Chen could approach his next target, Lan Chu Die smiled brilliantly and said, “I’m Yang Kai’s Senior Sister!”
Huo Xing Chen stumbled and nearly fell after suffering this pre-emptive strike.
“Don’t make trouble,” Qiu Yi Meng snorted, “We all know you’re lascivious, but you shouldn’t be desperate to this extent. What’s more, with your status as the Huo Family’s Young Lord, any kind of beauty will be able to be found for you. Continuing to show off these cheap methods here will only serve to embarrass yourself further.”
Huo Xing Chen scratched his head and smiled awkwardly as he said, “Even if they were to see me being shameless, even if they badmouth me. At the end of the day, it does not matter to me.”
Shrugging his shoulders, he took a seat nearby, the formerly aloof arrogance on his face converging significantly.
After waiting for him to calm down, Qiu Yi Meng smiled slightly and continued, “Yang Kai, I think you should begin making some plans for how to arrange your house. I’m afraid it is going to become more and more lively in the near future. Yesterday, it was so quiet it was almost eerie, but today three major forces arrived to join you. The other Young Lords probably don’t have such charm. Although there still aren’t that many people, most of them aren’t familiar with each other, once more arrive, if they aren’t placed properly, some contradictions are bound to arise.”
Yang Kai simply chuckled and waved, “With you here, what need is there for me to handle such matters?”
Qiu Yi Meng’s eyes narrowed slightly, “Do you really want me to act as the house manager?”
“I don’t believe anyone else can,” Dong Qing Han interjected, “If it is the Qiu Family’s First Young Lady issuing instructions, my Dong Family will have no objections.”
“Purple Fern Valley also agrees.” Fan Hong nodded lightly.
Both of them represented first-class forces of similar strength, but in front of Qiu Yi Meng they still acted politely. Not only was this young woman the leader of the Central Capital Qiu Family’s younger generation, her insight and personal strength were beyond question. Of all the people here, she indeed was the most qualified to coordinate the overall situation.
“Although it is embarrassing to say so, with just we Senior Brother and Junior Sister here, my Reflecting Moon Sect is also willing to listen to Young Lady Qiu’s instructions. Additionally, I believe those who come later will also have no objections.” Chen Xue Shu politely added.
“Those who will come later?” Qiu Yi Meng expression brightened as she asked.
Yang Kai also looked at him curiously.
Chen Xue Shu smiled and said, “Because we weren’t sure that the Yang Kai here was the one we knew, Junior Sister Su and myself went ahead in order to probe the situation. If the one here was really Brother Yang, my Reflecting Moon Sect would agree to participate in the Inheritance War. If not, then my Reflecting Moon Sect would have immediately withdrawn.”
“So that’s how it is. How long will it take for your fellow Sect Brothers and Sisters to come?” Qiu Yi Meng didn’t show the least bit of disdain even though Reflecting Moon Sect was just a second-class Sect which made Chen Xue Shu very happy.
“They can arrive here in three days as they are already on the road. They are only waiting for us to send word to them before they make their final decision about whether to participate or not.” Chen Xue Shu smiled and looked over at Yang Kai, “Not only our Reflecting Moon Sect, but there are a number of others who traveled here together with us.”
“Oh, who?” Yang Kai asked somewhat surprised.
“A number of old friends.” Chen Xue Shu smiled, “In addition to our Reflecting Moon Sect, there are also members from Water Moon Hall, Pure Heart Palace, Soaring Feather Pavilion, and Ten Thousand Flower Palace!”
“The people from Ten Thousand Flower Palace are also coming to participate in this Inheritance War?” Qiu Yi Meng couldn’t help showing some shock, while Huo Xing Chen laughed raucously and said, “Interesting! Too interesting! It seems my decision to stay was the right one.”
Ten Thousand Flower Palace was a very special Sect. It was a first-class Sect made up of only women. Because their members were all women, they didn’t possess particularly strong forces and had never before experienced the Inheritance War, but this time, Ten Thousand Flower Palace had actually sent people to participate and had chosen to support Yang Kai.
“En, these Sects all lost a fair amount of strength in the recent battle against the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land, so none of them originally planned to participate, but after everyone heard that one of the Yang Family Young Lords was named Yang Kai, each of them decided to investigate the situation.” Chen Xue Shu explained.
“You having such thoughts are more than enough,” Yang Kai said gratefully. In the last battle with the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land, almost all of the first-class forces had participated, and all of those that did had suffered losses, some of which were quite severe. Yang Kai had never expected that all of these people he had almost forgotten would rally together to participate in the Inheritance War simply because of he might be one of the Yang Family Young Lords.
In particular, the women from Ten Thousand Flower Palace were breaking a centuries old precedent to do so. In order to do so, Yang Kai knew they had encountered many obstacles from their respective Elders.
The most important point though was that the events of last night hadn’t reached their ears yet, so they knew nothing about the current situation in War City. Without knowing Yang Kai’s current status, they had still stepped forward voluntarily; this was truly something worth taking note of.
These people were friends he had made in that Isolated World and they traveled all this way simply because they sincerely wanted to help him, after all, Yang Kai had saved all of their lives from the hands of the Tian Lang Dynasty’s cultivators.
On top of all that, all of these youths were leaders amongst the younger generation in their respective Sects!
“Water Moon Hall, Pure Heart Palace, Soaring Feather Pavilion, Ten Thousand Flower Palace…” Qiu Yi Meng eyes flashed brilliantly as a radiant glow seemed to adorn her face, her tone quite excited as she spoke, “All of these Sects are first-class forces. Without even mentioning the first three, just having Ten Thousand Flower Palace come to support you in the Inheritance War! Yang Kai! Your face is really big! How did you meet all these people these past few years?”
Dong Qing Han and Fan Hong also stared at Yang Kai with amazement, never having expected his circle of contacts to be so wide.
Chen Xue Shu smiled and shook his head, “Actually, there are two other Sects we couldn’t get in contact with. If they learned about Brother Yang participating in the Inheritance War, I’m certain they would also come.”
“Oh? Which two forces?” Qiu Yi Meng asked full of interest, wondering just how deep Yang Kai’s bottom line was.
“One of them is the Endless Sea Island’s Asura Sect, and the other is the Tian Lang Dynasty’s Sen Luo Temple!”
These words cause everyone else in the hall to be stunned.
The Endless Sea Islands Asura Sect! The only ones present who understood the details of this foreign Sect was Qiu Yi Meng. It was a first-class force in the Endless Sea Islands and was in no way weaker than ordinary first-class forces of the Great Han Dynasty. In fact, because the Sects of the Endless Sea Islands occupied islands with particularly rich World Energy, they produced a number of materials that weren’t available in the Great Han Dynasty, making it easier for many Endless Sea Islands cultivators to increase their strength.
As for the Sen Luo Temple, everyone had heard of it!
Sen Luo Temple was the Tian Lang Dynasty’s super force! Its status was equivalent to the Central Capital’s Eight Great Families. As long as one had even a bit of worldly contact they would be familiar with this name. The people gathered right now in Yang Kai’s mansion were all from first-class forces, so naturally these Young Lords and Young Ladies had heard of Sen Luo Temple.
“Young Lord Kai is too amazing! Not only do you have friends from the Endless Sea Islands, but even people from other dynasties as well! This Fan Hong is deeply impressed.”
“You lying bastard…” Qiu Yi Meng gnashed her teeth, “Before, when I asked you how many supporters you had, you told me that there was none! To think I almost believed your nonsense… Hah, I’d like to see you try to fool me again!”
Yang Kai shook his head with a chuckle and didn’t explain.
From the start, he hadn’t counted on the people mentioned by Chen Xue Shu at all, but the actions of these Sect’s disciples had given him a pleasant surprise.
“Junior Brother Yang, since it is really you, I should go back and deliver the good news so that the others from my Sect can come here at full speed. Those from Soaring Feather Pavilion, Pure Heart Palace, and Ten Thousand Flower Palace also need to be informed. I’m certain they’re all guessing about whether or not you are the Yang Kai they all know. If they find out you are, I’m certain they’ll all be very happy.” Chen Xue Shu proposed excitedly.
Yang Kai nodded, “I’ll be troubling you then.”
Pausing slightly, he then called out, “Ying Jiu!”
Suddenly, In the hall, a blurry figured appeared like a ghost. No one knew when he had come or how long he had been hiding; in fact, it was more than likely he had been there the whole time. The blurred figure swayed a few times before gradually condensing into a solid and the portrait of Ying Jiu appeared in the eyes of everyone.
Everyone in the hall was terrified, especially the Immortal Ascension Boundary masters who stood behind their Young Lords and Young Ladies, even they hadn’t noticed Ying Jiu’s aura before.
This Blood Warrior… was really unusual.
“Reporting.”
“Escort Senior Brother Chen out of town!”
“Yes!”
Chen Xue Shu and Su Xiao Yu hadn’t encountered any problems arriving here, but if they were to leave from Yang Kai’s compound, they would definitely be regarded as enemies by his brothers. If they didn’t have a master to escort them, it was likely they would be intercepted.
Each of Yang Family’s Young Lords had their own intelligence organization, and naturally they would do everything possible to stop new forces from joining their opponents.
Chen Xue Shu obviously knew this point, so he made no attempt to object, simply turning to Ying Jiu and politely cupping his fists solemnly and respectfully saying, “Many thanks for Senior’s protection. Junior Brother Yang, Junior Sister Su and I should leave immediately.”
“Little Sister Su should stay behind. One of you is enough to deliver a message.” Qiu Yi Meng suddenly spoke, smiling as she continued, “Don’t misunderstand, I just want to know more about what happened during your life experience in that Isolated World and how you all came to know this bastard.”
Hearing this, Chen Xue Shu smiled slightly helplessly before nodding, “Good, then Junior Sister Su will remain here and accompany Young Lady Qiu, Senior and I will return shortly!”
After that, he hurriedly cupped his fists towards Yang Kai before heading for the exit.
Ying Jiu nodded silently before his body blurred again, disappearing instantly.
“Qiu Yi Meng, you make arrangements for them.” Yang Kai said lightly before turning to the others in the hall, “All of you are free to go about your own business, I don’t believe there will be any battles in the short term. You should take advantage of this opportunity to rest and familiarize yourselves with each other.”
“What are you going to do?” Qiu Yi Meng asked.
“Cultivate.” Yang Kai grinned and strode away.
“Cultivating madman!” Qiu Yi Meng shook her head and smiled wryly.
“His strength isn’t without reason,” Huo Xing Chen muttered thoughtfully, immediately becoming slightly bitter, “If I put in half as much effort as him, the difference between us shouldn’t be so bad, right?”
Qiu Yi Meng was too lazy to reply.
Inside his room, Yang Kai sat cross-legged on the floor and examined the content of his Black Book space.
During this period of time he had been frantically collecting supplies, so the Black Book space was now full of all kinds of supplies and materials, as well as finished pills and artifacts. The Earth Grade artifacts Huo Xing Chen had brought today were also included.
With the addition of these artifacts, Yang Kai was capable of arming everyone currently supporting him.
By now, Yang Kai had built up a good force, but at this moment, seeing this dazzling array of materials, he still couldn’t help feeling a bit moved.
There materials included many high quality spirit grasses and herbs as well as numerous rare and precious metals, along with a variety of useful spirit pills.
If he could hire some good Alchemists and Artifact Refiners, this pile of materials would be enough to refine many rare and useful spirit pills and artifacts.
Yang Kai discovered that, unconsciously, he had actually gathered an amount of wealth not inferior to a mid-sized family, and this was just the beginning.
The Bamboo Knot Gang was still continually buying materials that flowed into the Central Capital from all over the world, and as more forces came to join him, the amount of supplies he had would only increase.
Not only was Yang Kai gathering materials, his brothers were as well; however, in this aspect, Yang Kai was one step ahead of them.
During the Yang Family’s Inheritance War, the first result most outsiders would notice is an increase in the price of all kinds of Alchemy and Artifact Refining materials.
As the price of these materials increased, the status of Alchemist and Artifact Refiners also rose. A lot of Alchemists and Artifact Refiners would also arrive in War City and the Central Capital in order to wait for solicitation from the Yang Family’s Young Lords.
Yesterday was the first day of the Inheritance War, so the various Yang Family Young Lords had only wanted to compete for the first victory, but today, these same Young Lords had begun sending out invitations to high-level Alchemists and Artifact Refining Masters. The rewards for service were naturally high as well, the higher the grade of Alchemist or Artifact Refiner, the more they would be paid.
The only ones who didn’t post such recruitment notices were the Eighth Brother Yang Quan and Yang Kai.
Yang Quan was well aware that he had no hope of victory, so even if he could attract some Alchemists and Artifact Refiners to work for him, they naturally wouldn’t treat him seriously, as for Yang Kai, he had no intention of seeking out outside Alchemist and Artifact Refiners.
He had already made arrangements!
The finished pills in the Black Book space were divided into their various categories, but all of the Yang attribute pills and those useful for cultivating Spiritual Energy had been taken out.
When he saw the Yin Yang Monster Ginseng, Yang Kai’s look couldn’t help but sink slightly.
Where had Su Yan gone? He had sent hundreds of people from the Bamboo Knot Gang out to inquire, but to this day there was still no news. Even his Grand Master Ling Tai Xu and the High Heaven Pavilion Elders seemed to have evaporated, leaving behind no trace of their whereabouts.
Letting out a sigh, he remembered that High Heaven Pavilion still carried the title of an Evil Sect. The world was still reeling from the existence of the Demon Lord, so every day Yang Kai hadn’t won the Inheritance War was one more day he couldn’t clear High Heaven Pavilion’s name!
Being declared an Evil Sect wasn’t actually a big problem, the key was that the current Demon Lord hailed from High Heaven Pavilion. This was the root cause of High Heaven Pavilion’s downfall. If it could cultivate a character like the Demon Lord, no one could say for certain it couldn’t cultivate a second one.
Collecting his thoughts, Yang Kai began to absorb the energy from the Yang attribute pills.
There were eight Above Immortal Ascension Boundary masters in War City constantly monitoring all of their movements, something which made Yang Kai feel uncomfortable. If he didn’t quickly break through to the Immortal Ascension Boundary, one day his many secrets might be discovered by these eight old men.
Right now, he had reached the True Element Boundary Eighth Stage, only two Minor Realms away from the Immortal Ascension Boundary. It was not far.
It took a full day for him to fully absorb the Yang attribute pills in the Black Book Space, but after he finished, Yang Kai could clearly feel that the Yang Liquid in his dantian and the True Qi in his meridians had increased in both density and purity.
The incense burner he had not used in a long time was also taken out again and ignited while he circulated his True Yang Secret Art. Simultaneously, Yang Kai also began cultivating his Spiritual Energy by studying the mysteries of the True Alchemic Way.
The incense from the incense burner could suppress the speed at which he could circulate his True Yang Secret Art by exerting a kind of pressure on him. By doing this, when the incense had been burnt through, the speed at which he could circulate his True Yang Secret Art would increase slightly; repeating this process over and over again would eventually yield great benefits.
As for studying the True Alchemic Way, for Yang Kai this was the fastest way for him to deplete his Spiritual Energy which was the most effective method he had of cultivating his Soul.
The True Alchemic Way was too vast and profound. Not only did it detail a variety of magical Alchemic Spirit Arrays, it also contained the experiences of countless Alchemy Grandmasters, more than enough for Yang Kai to study for several lifetimes, but if he wanted to extract useful information from the True Alchemic Way which was imprinted into his mind, he had to consume a lot of Spiritual Energy.
Doing so damaged his Soul, but with the aid of the Soul Warming Lotus such damage would be instantly repaired.
Proceeding in such a reckless manner and supported by a massive amount of resources, Yang Kai’s cultivation and Spiritual Energy grew at an obvious rate.
Every morning Yang Kai would practice his Tempered Body Record under the rising sun and then take a drop of Myriad Drug Liquid.
After such a long period of accumulation, the Myriad Drug Liquid’s cleansing effect on his body presented itself, allowing Yang Kai to cultivate faster and more efficiently than ever before.
The best part was that this increase in cultivation efficiency would accompany him for the rest of his life, a truly unlimited benefit. As his strength further improved in the future, the effect he obtained from consuming the Myriad Drug Liquid every day also improved.
Such an effect was no different from a snowball rolling downhill!
War City, Eastern Corner, Eldest Brother Yang Wei’s compound.
After a few days of retreat, Yang Wei quietly went out and soon came across the Meng Family’s Meng Shan Yi who was standing in his courtyard, apparently he had been waiting here for some time and was deep in thought, his brow thoroughly wrinkled.
“Brother Meng,” Yang Wei greeted.
“First Young Master.” Meng Shan Yi heard this voice and looked up, happily replying as he hurriedly walked over and immediately brightened up, “First Young Lord’s seems to have made a breakthrough in his Secret Art.”
Yang Wei nodded lightly and affirmed, “En, I am about to advance to the Immortal Ascension Second Stage, I should break through within a few days.”
Meng Shan Yi couldn’t hide his admiration and envy. Although he was also the eldest son of the Meng Family and his aptitude was excellent, he was still only at the True Element Ninth Stage still. Even though he was about to break through to the Immortal Ascension Boundary, he was still far behind the Yang Family’s Eldest, Yang Wei.
[Amongst the youths of the Central Capital there are quite a few geniuses!] Meng Shan Yi thought to himself.
Liu Qing Yao of the Liu Family was a given, and it was also well known that the Qiu Family’s First Young Lady Qiu Yi Meng had broken through to the Immortal Ascension Boundary First Stage two months ago. Besides these three, there were no others who had reached the Immortal Ascension Boundary yet, but there were many on the verge of breaking through.
This made Meng Shan Yi feel a faint sense of crisis.
Although he was the Meng Family’s First Young Lord, and it didn’t really matter if his strength wasn’t the highest amongst his generation, but which man didn’t dream of being strong?
“What are you doing here?” Yang Wei asked calmly.
“It’s like this First Young Master, since you arrived in War City and entered retreat, it has been four days, I felt it best to remain here in order to update you on the situation as soon as you exited.”
Yang Wei nodded lightly and turned around, “Come inside to speak.”
Inside the room, the two sat down around a small table and Yang Wei silently listened to what had happened on the first night to his Third Brother Yang Tie. Throughout the first part of the session, his expression remained indifferent, as if everything had gone exactly according to his expectations.
But when he heard that Yang Kai had intervened and not only managed to obtain the flag but also captured Yang Tie from under everyone’s noses, his eyes couldn’t help narrowing slightly, his face finally showing a hint of surprise.
Meng Shan Yi smiled bitterly, “Your Ninth Brother’s actions were too unexpected. Both Yang Kang and Yang Ying went for wool but came back shorn. As an aside, it seems he let Yang Tie go back to the Central Capital instead of exchanging him for supplies from your family.
“He even did that?” Yang Wei asked somewhat confused.
“That’s why I said his actions were too unexpected.” Meng Shan Yi shook his head slowly, “I can’t understand what he is thinking or how he will act. At first, I thought he would continue to take action and attack Yang Quan while everyone else consolidated their forces, but he hasn’t made any moves at all these past few days.”
“If he’s half as intelligent as he appears he wouldn’t do that!” Yang Wei’s eyes flashed.
“Good, I didn’t understand it at first either but after some thought, it became obvious Yang Kai didn’t want to stir up everyone’s collective resentment.” Meng Shan Yi’s expression showed a hint of admiration, “He looks farther ahead than I do.”
“Don’t underestimate my Ninth Brother, my instincts tell me he’s not done yet.” Yang Wei frowned, recalling his encounter with Yang Kai in front of the Elders’ Hall when his True Qi fluctuated involuntarily.
“First Young Master means…?”
“Ninth Brother may be my biggest enemy in this Inheritance War, even stronger than my Second Brother!”
“How is that possible?” Meng Shan Yi clearly didn’t believe it, seemingly thinking that Yang Wei was overestimating Yang Kai too much. “Although many people have come to join him over the past few days, all of the Young Lord’s compounds have seen similar expansion. The friends you have made over the past few years have also begun gathering here now. On that note, many of them would like to see you.”
“En,” Yang Wei nodded gently, “I’ll go arrange things with them personally.”
Meng Shan Yi suddenly showed some excitement, “Does First Young Master want to take action then?”
“What action?” Yang Wei looked at him curiously.
Meng Shan Yi’s brow furrowed slightly at this question, “Does First Young Master not plan to attack Yang Quan? Yang Kai shouldn’t be willing to cause trouble right now, thus drawing too much attention to himself while all of your other brothers are still in the process of reorganizing their forces after the losses they suffered. Right now is a rare opportunity! As long as First Young Master sets out in force, I don’t believe Yang Quan will resist too strongly, after all, you are still the Eldest Brother, your prestige in your younger sibling’s hearts should still carry some weight.”
Yang Quan only had one Blood Warrior at the Immortal Ascension Boundary Eighth Stage with him while his mother had come from a second-class force. This kind of defensive power wouldn’t be difficult to breach with Yang Wei’s current forces.
“If we act now it is definitely possible for me to subdue Eighth Brother.” Yang Wei didn’t refute Meng Shan Yi’s analysis, “Even if he does resists, it will still be futile in the end.”
“If so, why does First Young Master hesitant?” Meng Shan Yi asked, slightly puzzled.
“If there’s not enough benefits, I won’t act!” Yang Wei shook his head, “This topic ends here. When the right opportunity to attack arises , I will attack. For now, Brother Meng, accompany me to meet those people.”
Saying so, Yang Wei stood up and walked out.
Although Meng Shan Yi was a bit displeased in his heart, he didn’t say anything; however, he couldn’t help wondering… would eliminating Yang Quan really not yield any benefits? Forget about the fact that Yang Quan himself and his flag could be used to exchange for a large quantity of materials for the main family, after he had been removed from the competition, his allies could be recruited to Yang Wei’s side.
How were there no benefits!?
At this moment, three hundred kilometers away from War City.
Along a dusty road, two beautiful and enchanting women were laughing as they walked forward. Beside these two great beauties were two pure and innocent young girls, one of whom was quite lively, constantly calling out Aunt Xiang or Aunt Lan as she tittered on about whatever interesting topics she could think of, causing the two beautiful women to show warm smiles.
The other girl was, in contrast, was very quiet. This girl was covered by a thin veil which perfectly hid her true appearance from those around her, but her pair of bright sparkling eyes which were exposed was indescribably beautiful while still appearing as tranquil as shimmering water. Adorning her forehead was a light blue gem which only further emphasized her otherworldly charm; she was like an immoral fairy that had not been tainted by worldly matters.
As she gazed in the direction of War City, the eyes of this veiled girl shone with expectation and joy mixed with a touch of shyness. Every time the figure in her memory emerged, it seemed that her cheeks hidden under her veil would blush lightly.
A maiden is most beautiful when she is in love.
Right now, she was the most radiant she had ever been. Even for the two beautiful women who interacted with her frequently, this appearance of hers couldn’t help surprising them a bit.
The livelier girl suddenly came over and took the arm of the veiled and giggled mischievously, “Is Elder Sister thinking about my cousin?”
Hearing these words, Xia Ning Chang immediately became shy as her delicate earlobes glowed a bright red as she made a flurried attempt to deny, “I… that is… I mean, don’t talk nonsense!”
“Hehehe,” Dong Qing Yan laughed happily as she followed up, “Nonsense? Then why is it that whenever I mention him Elder Sister blushes?”
“Am I blushing?” Xia Ning Chang couldn’t help but stretch out her hands and cover her cheeks, only to remember shortly after that she was still wearing her veil. Even if she was blushing, others definitely couldn’t see it.
However, she still felt her cheeks were quite hot.
“Just look how flustered you are.” Dong Qing Yan continued to tease, “Elder Sister Xia, what do you like about my cousin? I can only think of him as someone normal, nothing special at all.”
“I don’t like him.” Xia Ning Chang denied.
“Then why was it when you heard he would participate in the Inheritance War you immediately left from Hidden Cloud Peak? Master was quite upset, he said that without Elder Sister Xia around there was no one else to discuss the Alchemic Way with.”
“I am his Little Senior Sister, Senior Sisters have to take care of their Junior Brothers. It’s a matter of course.” Xia Ning Chang whispered in a pitifully quiet voice. Even she felt that this reason was too far-fetched, unable to convince anyone including herself.
Aunt Xiang and Aunt Lan who were nearby and overheard this conversation between the two girls couldn’t help but laugh.
For this pure, quiet, and innocent girl Xia Ning Chang, the two beautiful women had nothing but affection. Neither of them had children of their own, but after spending many months together with her on Hidden Cloud Peak, they regarded her as their own daughter. Xia Ning Chang being in love with Yang Kai was something they were well aware of and had no objections to.
From their perspective, only a Young Lord from the Yang Family could reluctantly be worthy of their daughter and have the ability to protect her.
“Do you really not like cousin?” Dong Qing Yan stared at her meaningfully.
Xia Ning Chang stared hard at her for a long time before somehow managing to nod stubbornly.
“Thank goodness, that means I can marry cousin later without any worries.” Dong Qing Yan giggled impishly as she casually let out this shocking statement.
“Ah…” Xia Ning Chang was stunned as she stared at Dong Qing Yan in a dumbstruck manner.
“Alright, don’t tease you Elder Sister Xia anymore, you’ll make her cry.” Aunt Xiang couldn’t stand by any more and reached out to pull Dong Qing Yan to her side, quickly glancing over at Xia Ning Chang and whispering, “Don’t listen to her nonsense, she’s just playing with you.”
Xia Ning Chang gently nodded and smiled, “It’s alright for Little Sister Dong to marry Junior Brother. If you become husband and wife, you will definitely grow closer.”
Hearing this comment, Dong Qing Yan immediately looked over and Xia Ning Chang and waved her hands frantically, “I don’t want to marry someone like my smelly cousin who always runs around and I can never see. I’d rather marry someone ordinary who will love and spend his life with only me. That would make me happiest.”
Aunt Xiang and Aunt Lan were both secretly surprised by the magnanimity of Xia Ning Chang. This girl was clearly interested in Yang Kai and dearly missed him when he had left Hidden Cloud Peak, but when she heard someone else wanted to marry him, she was not only not against it but instead agreed with a big smile.
Xia Ning Chang obviously didn’t want to continue exploring this topic so she quickly changed the subject by asking, “Aunt Xiang, isn’t it a bit inappropriate for Medicine King’s Valley to have sent out so many people this time?”
As she asked, she glanced back over her shoulder.
Behind the four women was Old Man Meng. He wore a grim expression and sighed. When he thought about how they would soon see Yang Kai, that bastard boy soon, his heart ached for his treasured apprentice.
As these thoughts raced through his head, Meng Wu Ya let out another long sigh, but thinking about how he was helpless to stop things now that they had gone this far, all he could do was try his best to squeeze out a smile uglier than if he had simply broken down in tears.
Behind Treasurer Meng, there was another group of people, all of them dressed in white, numbering at least thirty! These people didn’t possess great strength, even their leader Qin Ze was just a trivial Immortal Ascension Boundary Second Stage master, the weakest of them only having Peak Separation and Reunion cultivations. If such a group of people were plunged into a fight with a true master, they might not even have the strength to run away.
However, these people were all Alchemists from Medicine King’s Valley! Even if they didn’t possess great strength, they were still highly respected existences; no one would dare take the initiative to offend them.
Alchemists were also divided into grades corresponding to the grades of Precious Treasures, i.e. Common Grade, Earth Grade, Heaven Grade, Mysterious Grade…. Each of these grades further divided into low, mid, and high rank.
A flower symbol representing the Alchemist’s grade was generally displayed on their chest.
The number of petals of this flower represented the Alchemist’s grade, while its colour, gold, silver, or white, corresponded to high, mid, and low rank. Through the embroidering on their chest, one could see at a glance what level an Alchemist was.
These Alchemists from Medicine King’s Valley each proudly displayed the floral emblems on their chests. All of them had least two petals while more than half had three-petals. On top of all that, Qin Ze even had four petals!
Four petals, this meant he was a Mysterious Grade Alchemist!
Throughout the entire Great Han Dynasty the number of Alchemists qualified to wear the four-petal emblem numbered only a few dozen, one quarter of which belonged to Medicine King’s Valley.
Those whose embroidered flowers had three petals were Heaven Grade Alchemist who could confidently refine Heaven Grade pills while those with two petals were Earth Grade Alchemists.
“Master Aunt, what instructions do you have?” Qin Ze saw Xia Ning Chang glance back and quickly approached her, respectfully asking if she had some request of him.
Xia Ning Chang hastily replied in a somewhat flustered voice, “Senior Brother Qin, don’t call me that, I am still younger than you.”
However, Qin Ze’s expression remained extremely serious as he shook his head, “That will not do, Master Aunt. Since Master Uncle Xiao announced to Medicine King’s Valley that you are his peer, then no matter the difference in our ages, you are my, Qin Ze’s Master Aunt!”
Xia Ning Chang couldn’t help smiling bitterly, not knowing what to say.
She had heard that Yang Kai was going to participate in the Inheritance War and had immediately said she wanted to go to the Central Capital alone with Meng Wu Ya to help, but Xiao Fu Sheng had suddenly made a declaration, summoning thirty Medicine King’s Valley disciples to accompany them.
Xia Ning Chang had resided on Hidden Cloud Peak for so long but only Hidden Cloud Peak’s people knew about her expertise in Alchemy.
Alchemists by nature were an arrogant group of people, so Qin Ze and the other disciples of Medicine King’s Valley looked down on Xia Ning Chang. As a result, Xiao Fu Sheng’s decision had stirred up many feelings of jealousy.
During the Grandmaster’s announcement, he had proclaimed that Xia Ning Chang’s achievements in Alchemy were equal to his own, even somewhat beyond, and that in time she would certainly reach a height even he could not reach.
Qin Ze naturally did not believe this. After all, in this world, who could compare with Grandmaster Xiao?
Extremely confident in his abilities after promoting to Mysterious Grade Alchemist a few days ago, Qin Ze boldly challenged Xia Ning Chang to a contest.
The result was a crushing defeat! After this incident, Qin Ze sincerely admired Xia Ning Chang and no longer dared to be disrespectful to her.
Alchemists were like this, they had their own unyielding pride. If you wanted them to respect you, then you had to conquer them in the Alchemic Way. In this way, Alchemists were a relatively straightforward group.
Usually, disciples of Medicine King’s Valley were unable to even see Xiao Fu Sheng, much less learn Alchemy from him, but now another Alchemist Grandmaster comparable to Xiao Fu Sheng had appeared, and she was so young. Naturally they would be respectful towards her.
In the beginning, these thirty people had been a hundred kinds of unwilling, but after her contest with Qin Ze their attitudes did a complete turn-around as all of them couldn’t be more eager to follow Xia Ning Chang in order to learn the Alchemic Way from her.
However, Xia Ning Chang clearly knew that although Xiao Fu Sheng said he had convened these thirty Alchemists to follow her in order to study the Alchemic Way, he was in fact doing so to help Yang Kai.
“It’s nothing, we were just chatting.” Aunt Xiang waved her hand.
Qin Ze nodded without complaint and immediately retreated back, leading the other thirty Alchemists with him.
“If I recall correctly, Medicine King’s Valley has never participated in the Inheritance War before. I’m afraid my actions this time will lead to criticism.” Xia Ning Chang said worriedly.
In response, Aunt Xiang smiled and said softly, “Don’t worry, what Medicine King’s Valley chooses to do, no one is qualified to comment. But it seems Grandmaster Xiao really cares about Yang Kai, if not, how could he have issued such an order? Mobilizing thirty talented Alchemists and even instructing your Aunt Lan and myself to accompany you because he was afraid of what might happen to Yang Kai.”
Xia Ning Chang nodded silently.
How could Xiao Fu Sheng not care about Yang Kai? Yang Kai had made both her and Lu Si bring him two sets of Alchemic Spirit Arrays which he had painstakingly studied in this period of time. For Grandmaster Xiao, these two sets of Spirit Arrays were more valuable than any other treasure in this world. Given their source, how could Grandmaster Xiao not concern himself with Yang Kai’s safety?
Who cares if Medicine King’s Valley had remained neutral for thousands of years, what did it matter if Medicine King’s Valley didn’t involve itself in worldly matters, in front of these two Spirit Arrays, everything else was unimportant!
This order had even nearly caused Grandmaster Xiao and the Valley Lord to quarrel.
Thinking about Grandmaster Xiao acting willfully and hiding shortcomings, Xia Ning Chang couldn’t help but smile.
After a while, the sky grew dark and everyone stopped to rest at the edge of a river.
Gazing off in the direction of War City, Xia Ning Chang’s heart pounded, [Tomorrow, I’ll be able to see Junior Brother again. When we meet, how should I greet him? What should I say first?
For a time, Xia Ning Chang fell into such contemplation.
……
Yang Kai Mansion, inside his room.
As the incense burner puffed, and a light fragrance filled the room, Yang Kai’s True Yang Secret Art seemed to be circulating at a snail’s pace, as if his True Qi was being pressured by a mountain, barely able to advance forward. At the same time, Yang Kai’s mind was completely absorbed in exploring the mysteries of the True Alchemic Way; as he gradually became aware of the hidden profundities of the world, his state of mind was unconsciously tempered.
As his understanding of the True Alchemic Way grew, Yang Kai began to realize just how precious the knowledge it contained was. Every now and then, his expression would change, sometimes displaying shock, sometimes excitement, sometimes confusion.
After an unknown amount of time, absorbed in the True Alchemic Way, Yang Kai had gradually become unaware of the outside world’s situations, his entire being focusing on absorbing and understanding this profound knowledge.
The experiences of various Alchemy Grandmasters were also slowly being digested in his mind.
A brand new picture seemed to be slowly unfold in his mind; by peering into the True Alchemic Way, Yang Kai gradually discovered that his understanding of the Martial Dao was also enhanced.
Facing this kind of temptation, Yang Kai could barely control his impulse to delve into the Alchemic Way in order to experience first hand the knowledge he had gleaned, to see what new horizons would open up before him when he successfully refined his first pill.
During this time, remembering what Xiao Fu Sheng had once said to him, Yang Kai did his best to suppress this desire.
Before one reaches the Immortal Ascension Boundary, they must not practice Alchemy! Now, he had even more reason to break through to the Immortal Ascension Boundary as soon as possible. After reaching the Immortal Ascension Boundary, once he found some spare time, he would try his hand at Alchemy.
The improvement of a cultivator’s strength not only depended on their accumulation of True Qi, physical training and their own understanding of the Martial Dao were the keys to successfully breaking through; therefore, when cultivators encountered bottlenecks, they wouldn’t choose to enter retreat but instead would go out into the world, hoping to encounter some special opportunities which would improve their own comprehension, allowing them to push past their bottleneck.
Yang Kai faintly felt that exploring the mysteries of the True Alchemic Way would not only increase his Spiritual Energy, but would also greatly improve his understanding of his own strength.
Immersed in this situation, Yang Kai was unaware of how long it was before he gradually woke up.
Opening his eyes, his True Yang Secret Art was still circulating slowly, but he could feel it was obviously faster than its initial speed. The True Qi in his body had apparently adapted to the current pressure and as time passed it would only get faster and faster. .
Moreover, his current True Element Boundary Eighth Stage cultivation seemed to have consolidated considerably.
Letting out a gentle breath, Yang Kai felt a little happy.
Standing up, he put the incense burner back into the Black Book space and then used a strand of pure True Qi to created a swirling vortex at his fingertip to absorb all lingering fragrance in his room.
The incense released from the burner was far too overbearing. With the exception of himself, who had the assistance of the Unyielding Golden Skeleton, Yang Kai estimated that anyone under the Immortal Ascension Boundary would be unable to resist its effects.
If one of the maids in the house were to walk in and accidently sniffed this scent, the result would likely be their immediate death.
Finished with the clean up, Yang Kai walked towards the door and stepped out.
Having been in retreat for a few days now, the people who Chen Xue Shu had mentioned should have already arrived. As the mansion’s master, naturally he should show up to welcome these old friends.
As he made his way through the winding corridors, halfway to the main hall, Yang Kai suddenly saw Lan Chu Die and Luo Xiao Man talking.
Seeing these two girls sitting together and chatting happily was an eye-catching sight. Both of them shared a common feature, their towering peaks which hid deep valleys that seemed to suck in other’s vision.
The two of them obviously had a number of common topics to discuss…
“Senior Sister Lan, Luo girl!” Yang Kai called out to them casually.
Lan Chu Die immediately glanced over towards him and smiled somewhat happily while Luo Xiao Man nearly jumped out of her seat, her face going pale white as her eyes darted back and forth.
“Are you really so scared of me?” Yang Kai smiled and stared at Luo Xiao Man with interest. The latter’s eyes flashed as she searched for a place to hide, but there was no such place nearby, eventually only able to turn to Lan Chu Die and silently pray for help.
“Junior Brother, don’t bully her.” Lan Chu Die glanced over at Yang Kai before suddenly wearing a strange expression, taking out a handkerchief and gently wiping his face, smiling as she said, “Your face is a bit messy. Junior Brother, you should have a good wash, if you appear before people looking like this it will be bad for your reputation.”
Seeing her act so intimately, Yang Kai’s mouth twitched slightly before wearing a meaningful grin, “Senior Sister Lan is too thoughtful, I will pay more attention from now on.”
Finished, he turned and laughed lightly towards Luo Xiao Man, “Tell me, why are you so afraid of me? I don’t remember doing anything traumatizing to you.”
Luo Xiao Man curled up slightly, her long eyelashes fluttering as she hung her head low and whispered, “I don’t know… anyway, I’m afraid of you.”
“How afraid?” Yang Kai took a step forward.
Luo Xiao Man screamed in panic, “Don’t come any closer!”
Yang Kai was dumbstruck, not daring to take another step forward for fear this timid girl would cry.
“Forget about it, you two carry on,” Feeling slightly awkward, Yang Kai decided to leave well enough alone.
Just as Yang Kai had anticipated, the people from Reflecting Moon Sect had already arrived, not only that, but the several Sects mentioned by Chen Xue Shu had also come.
All of them had already been on their way and after they received word from Chen Xue Shu they quickened their pace.
Under the arrangements of Qiu Yi Meng, each of these forces had been assigned their own courtyard to settle down in.
When they learned that Yang Kai had exited his retreat, the various youths all hurried to the main hall to meet him.
Feng Qian Hen of Water Moon Hall, Zuo Fang of Pure Heart Palace, Han Xiao Qi, Ye Han, Liu Qing Ru, and Hua Ruo Yin of Ten Thousand Flower Palace, each of them on their own was a leader amongst the younger generation. Along with Chen Xue Shu and Su Xiao Yu, almost all of the friends Yang Kai had met in the Isolated World had gathered.
After not meeting each other for quite some time, as leading figures in their respective Sects each of them had grown significantly, their cultivations all having increased dramatically, but upon discovering the progress of Yang Kai, all of these youths hailed as geniuses by those around them could only let out a sigh, thinking they would never have a chance to catch up with him in their lifetimes.
When they had first met, all of them had been at least a Great Realm above Yang Kai, but now, he had already surpassed them.
What’s more, Yang Kai’s True Element Boundary cultivation couldn’t be compared with a normal True Element Boundary cultivation. As more time passed, the gap between all of them would only continue to grow larger.
A constant stream of greetings resounded as the hall was filled with excitement.
“Unfortunately Ye Qing Si and Zhou Ba’s Asura Sect is in the Endless Sea Islands while Zi Mo’s Sen Luo Temple is in a different country, or else they definitely would have come.” Chen Xue Shu sighed.
At these words, everyone couldn’t help revealing a hint of reminiscence about the events all those years ago. All of them had experienced life and death together in that Isolated World so naturally they had forged a deep friendship.
“There’ll be a chance to see them in the future,” Yang Kai smiled and suddenly turned to look at Zuo Fang, “How is Li Xin Yuan doing now?”
Originally, in that Isolated World, there were two disciples from Pure Heart Palace that had survived, one was Zuo Fang, the other was Li Xin Yuan, but the latter had bad luck and had his dantian damaged by a Tian Lang Dynasty cultivator’s Soul Controlling Insect.
Hearing Yang Kai ask about him, everyone became silent as they all glanced over at Zuo Fang.
With all the eyes in the hall focused on him, Zuo Fang scratched his head awkwardly and smiled bitterly, “Since we returned from that Isolated World, Senior Brother Li has maintained an optimistic smile on the surface, but as to the depths of the pain he is concealing in his heart, only he knows. My master also went to Medicine King’s Valley to seek for a treatment and discovered that there is a type of pill called the Heaven Mending Pill that could possible repair his broken dantian, but the spirit herbs required to concoct it are rare and of a very high grade, on top of that, very few Alchemists are capable of refining it. Master has been collecting materials for some time now but with the recent attack on Medicine King’s Valley, they are so busy rebuilding that they rarely accept requests from outside cultivators to perform Alchemy so all we can do for now is wait.”
“Good, since there is a pill that can mend his dantian, then the rest is easy.” Yang Kai nodded happily, “I’ll help you find someone to refine it.”
“Brother Yang knows someone capable of refining such a pill?” Zuo Fang was stunned, then overjoyed as he immediately remembered, the person in front of him now was not the Yang Kai he had met in that Isolated World but one of the Yang Family’s Young Lords!
“En, I know someone, they should arrive in a few days.” Yang Kai smiled as the image of a gentle and quiet face appeared in his mind.
Qiu Yi Meng suddenly interjected with a grin, “Yang Kai, do you know how many forces you have supporting you now?”
“Shouldn’t be less than ten, right?” Yang Kai glanced over at her.
Qiu Yi Meng wore a light expression as she began listing, “Qiu Family, Huo Family, Xiang Family, Dong Family, Purple Fern Valley, Reflecting Moon Sect, Pure Heart Palace, Soaring Feather Pavilion, Ten Thousand Flower Palace, nine in total that you know of.”
“Not bad,” Yang Kai nodded in agreement, although he had been retreat these days, but this issue was something that had still been on his mind, “Why, what’s wrong?”
“There are others you don’t know about too.” Qiu Yi Meng grinned meaningfully.
“Others I don’t know about came to support me?” Yang Kai said with surprise, chuckling as he commented, “Interesting. Talk to me about it, who are these others?”
“I was just about to inform you, Tian Yuan City also sent some manpower and supplies.”
“Tian Yuan City?” Yang Kai was stunned.
Qiu Yi Meng shook her head helplessly, “Don’t you even remember those you’ve blackmailed?”
“The first-class force nearby the Lan River?” After this prompt Yang Kai suddenly recalled, on the way back to the Central Capital, he had been attacked, but it was not only the Lu Family he implicated, but Tian Yuan City as well.
However, he didn’t come out and directly demand anything of Tian Yuan City, nor did he send any formal letters to them. It seems that the person in charge of Tian Yuan City’s thoughts were quite sharp and had decided to send him some people and materials without any additional prompting.
“En,” Qiu Yi Meng nodded. “When they arrived I checked them out and agreed to them joining. The young man who served as the group’s leader is the son of Tian Yuan City’s City Lord, his temperament is quite gentle, so over the past two days he and his subordinates have behaved honestly.”
“As long as he isn’t as blind as Lu Song then everything is alright.” Yang Kai didn’t pay much attention to this matter, casually waving, “You can decide such things by yourself, if you think they’ll be useful let them stay, if not, send them away.”
Qiu Yi Meng’s eyes shined slightly, secretly feeling happy in her heart that Yang Kai was passing such responsibilities on to her. [Fortunately I followed my instincts and temporarily separated from the Qiu Family to help him, otherwise if I had gone to support Yang Shen, at most I would only be treated as an ally.]
“However, these people from Tian Yuan City have a reason for coming; if someone else shows up randomly that doesn’t know me, don’t accept them.” Yang Kai emphasised once again.
“En, I know.” Qiu Yi Meng replied happily.
“In addition to the Tian Yuan City group, is there anyone else here I don’t know about?” Yang Kai asked again.
Qiu Yi Meng’s expression became slightly dignified as she quickly replied, “A group from the Duan Mu Family, I don’t know if you’ve heard of it.”
“The Duan Mu Family?” Yang Kai frowned, thinking for a moment, “The name seems familiar but I can’t remember where I heard it. What kind of relationship does this family have with me that they actually want to support me?”
“This Duan Mu Family is your Third Brother Yang Tie’s Mother’s family! If I say that much, you should understand, right?” Qiu Yi Meng said with a grin.
“My Third Brother?” Yang Kai was taken aback.
“The Duan Mu Family only has a few people, five in total, but… all of them are Immortal Ascension masters, one of them at the Eighth Stage, one at the Seventh Stage, one at the Sixth Stage, and two at the Fifth Stage!”
“The five who survived that night?” Yang Kai’s brow moved slightly. That night’s battle could only be described as devastating for the Duan Mu Family’s forces. Of the thirty to forty people that had been sent, only five of them had managed to live through the night; however, those being able to survive in that chaotic melee showed that these five were obviously not ordinary masters.
At that time, Yang Kang and Yang Ying had only given thought to chasing down Yang Kai so they didn’t have time to deal with these five, otherwise, with how the Inheritance War worked, they would have tried to convince them to join their camp.
But even if his two brothers had tried, it would likely be a futile effort; after all, so many people from the Duan Mu Family had died at their hands.
“En, those five.” Qiu Yi Meng stared deeply at Yang Kai, licking her luscious red lips in a charming manner, “You tell me honestly, when you let your Third Brother go that night, did you already have this idea in mind?”
Seeing her staring at him, Yang Kai simply shook his head, “You think too highly of me, I’m not that sinister. I let my Third Brother go because I felt like it; I didn’t have any other plans at the time.”
Hearing this, Qiu Yi Meng couldn’t help letting out a sigh of relief as she gently patted her chest, “Thank goodness you aren’t crafty to that extent. Otherwise, I really wouldn’t have any confidence left to face you in the future.”
Listening to the Qiu Family’s First Young Lady speak so humbly, everyone in the hall felt slightly unnerved, apparently only now gaining some insight into how much pressure Yang Kai brought to the famous Qiu Yi Meng.
“Well, no matter what, your little move has yielded some unexpected benefits.” Qiu Yi Meng grinned, “These five coming to offer their services to you is probably Yang Tie’s doing.”
Yang Kai nodded silently, he hadn’t anticipated that his Third Brother would show this kind of reciprocation, but that didn’t stop him from smiling happily.
“All together, you have eleven forces currently supporting you!” Qiu Yi Meng’s voice contained some slight excitement; one had to know that not many things could make this Young Lady Qiu excited.
Of these eleven, two of them were super forces! As for the remaining nine, with the exception of Reflecting Moon Sect which was a second-class force, all the others were first-class!
From less than a week ago until today, Yang Kai’s position had changed from no on being willing to support him because they thought he had no chance of victory, 90% of people actually believing he would be eliminated on the first night, to now have eleven supporting forces, the development and gathering speed of Yang Kai mansion could only be described as astonishing.
This level of connections and personal charm was second to none among the Yang Family’s Young Lords!
Qiu Yi Meng felt like victory was all but within their grasp!
Steadying herself, the Qiu Family’s First Young Lady continued in a dignified tone, “Right now you have more power than any of your brothers, according to the information I have gathered, only your Second Brother, Yang Zhao, has twenty forces supporting him, but many of these are second and third-class Sects, it is only the number which is large but in terms of quality they are significantly worse than yours; however, as time passes, your current advantage will only become smaller, there’s even the possibility that in time one or more of your brothers will exceed you if you don’t pay attention, you should mentally prepared.”
“I know.” Yang Kai said before smiling confidently, “That time isn’t here yet.”
Qiu Yi Meng’s eyes flashed before she let out a light snorted, “Another day, you’ll have to have a nice long conversation with me, otherwise I won’t know how many hidden helpers you have that haven’t arrived yet.”
Everyone present saw the strange look in Qiu Yi Meng’s eyes which to contain great hidden meaning and couldn’t help feeling stunned, all of them seemingly thinking they had just learned a shocking secret.
Ye Han of Ten Thousand Flower Palace immediately let out a burst of laughter, “Young Lady Qiu, anyone who wants to subdue Yang Kai is in for a hard time.”
“He doesn’t even place me in his eyes,” Qiu Yi Meng replied in a half-hearted manner while quietly observing Yang Kai’s reaction.
Yang Kai smiled wickedly, “I’ll come to your room tonight, we can have a nice chat then.”
Seeing this grin, Qiu Yi Meng’s beautiful face couldn’t help blushing slightly.
“Hmph, seems like he hasn’t changed at all!” Han Xiao Qi spat disdainfully. In that Isolated World, with the exception of Su Xiao Yu, all of the girls had been taken advantage of by Yang Kai. Such a vivid experience, how could Han Xiao Qi forget?
Perhaps because she was the big Senior Sister, Han Xiao Qi’s ddemeanourwas chilly, while Ye Han’s was cute, Liu Qing Ru was charming, and Hua Ruo Yin was reserved.
Glancing over at Han Xiao Qi, Yang Kai seemed to see a little of Su Yan’s shadow in her, causing the sharpness in his eyes to soften inadvertently.
Both of them were the big Senior Sisters in their respective Sects and their personalities had some similarities, but Su Yan’s temperament was colder than Han Xiao Qi’s. Although she would show this coldness to outsiders, in front of Yang Kai her icy exterior would melt like snow in the early spring.
Han Xiao Qi blushed slightly under Yang Kai’s burning hot eyes, unable to endure any longer she quietly muttered, “I just told the truth, staring at me like that won’t change anything.”
Qiu Yi Meng also couldn’t help snorting as she secretly ground her teeth, thinking to herself that all men weren’t good things, whenever they saw a beauty they would gawk at her without restraint.
The tender feelings he was feeling in his heart were obvious to anyone who saw Yang Kai’s expression. No one on the scene was a child so how could they not understand?
“Yang Kai? You don’t have to be so straightforward.” Zuo Fang snorted, “Although Senior Sister Han is beautiful enough to make all of us want to see more, but at most you should only sneak a peek, why are you acting so rampant?”
Already somewhat uncomfortable being stared at by Yang Kai, Han Xiao Qi glared towards Zuo Fang when he said these words and retorted, “You’re also nothing but a rogue, just like him!”
Zuo Fang just laughed heartily in response.
Yang Kai didn’t answer, nor did he try to explain, the look in his eyes gradually converged, returning to their original calm state before he suddenly turned his sight towards the outside of the hall.
A hurried sound of footsteps rang out.
Dong Qing Han rushed in a moment later, a hint of anxiousness on his face. After he entered the hall, he didn’t even greet the others before to others before calling out, “Yang Kai, something’s happened, you need to take some people to check out the situation.”
“What happened?” Yang Kai asked, wrinkling his brow.
Everyone else in the hall also wore dignified looks. They had all come here to support Yang Kai in the Inheritance War, so when a sudden situation arose, naturally they had to be ready to fight.
“Qing Yan has arrived in War City but she was stopped and surrounded!”
“Have they arrived already?” Yang Kai wore a shocked expression before a look of joy spread across his face, not delaying for an instant before jumping up and shouting, “Ying Jiu, follow me!”
No matter what, going out in broad daylight without a Blood Warrior to guard him would be dangerous.
“No no, you should take at least half of us with you as well, you don’t understand how serious the situation is over there.” Dong Qing Han hurriedly said, cold sweat dripping down his forehead, apparently when he received the news, it had caused him no small panic.
Yang Kai looked at him blankly for a moment but didn’t ask any question, instead just nodding before issuing an order, “Then those from the Huo Family, Xiang Family, Dong Family, and Duan Mu Family come with me, Qiu Yi Meng, you take command in my absence.”
“En.” The Qiu Family’s First Young Lady readily acknowledged.
“What about us?” Han Xiao Qi asked.
“All of you have just arrived recently and should rest, this time things shouldn’t develop into a big deal.”
After saying so, Yang Kai and Dong Qing Han rushed out. As they dashed through the halls, Dong Qing Han blew a loud whistle and soon after the rustling of clothes and clattering of footsteps began echoing throughout the mansion.
By the time Yang Kai arrived in front of the main entrance, Huo Xing Chen and Xiang Tian Xiao had assembled a group of people and were waiting outside. Five of the Immortal Ascensions masters upon seeing Yang Kai stood upright and respectfully cupped their fists, “Greetings Young Lord Kai!”
“En, I’ll be troubling you.” Yang Kai nodded lightly to the five masters from the Duan Mu Family.
“Yang Kai, what’s going on?” Huo Xing Chen asked curiously; this was the first time Yang Kai had convened people to take the initiative, he was inevitably curious.
“I don’t know much, but I’ll explain what I can on the way.” Yang Kai responded hastily before dashing out.
The group of people quickly followed behind.
“Why did they stop Qing Yan?” Yang Kai asked curiously. Although she was Xiao Fu Sheng’s disciple, the time she had spend studying the Alchemic Way was still short. As of now if she could refine Earth Grade Pills it would already be quite an accomplishment, but with Xiao Fu Sheng’s cultivation plan, it was entirely possible that Dong Qing Yan hadn’t even really started learning Alchemy.
Such an Alchemist didn’t seem worthy of being stopped.
Dong Qing Han couldn’t help laughing bitterly, “If it was just Qing Yan I’m afraid no one would pay attention to her, but do you know how many people she brought with her?”
“Thirty people!” Dong Qing Han said in a heavy tone, “There are thirty full-fledged Alchemists from Medicine King’s Valley, half of which are Heaven Grade Alchemists while one of them is even Mysterious Grade.”
“What?” Yang Kai’s was shocked by this news, even the normally frivolous Huo Xing Chen couldn’t help his jaw from dropping.
“How can people from Medicine King’s Valley come to participate in the Inheritance War?” The Huo Family Young Lord almost thought he had heard wrong, still unable to believe his ears.
Dong Qing Han shook his head, “I don’t know the specific situation, and you’ll have to ask Yang Kai, they seem to have come for him after all.”
As he spoke, he turned to stare at Yang Kai curiously; obviously he had some speculations in his heart.
Huo Xing Chen was dumbstruck for a moment before loudly calling out, “Yang Kai, how the hell did you convince so many Alchemists from Medicine King’s Valley to come here? That group of people all have eyes higher above their heads than even this Young Lord! Even if it is our Elders they don’t place them in their sight! Since when did you have so much face!?”
Yang Ka’s brow furrowed, ignoring Huo Xing Chen’s questioning as he tried to hold down the anxiety and anticipation in his heart.
[Since Dong Qing Yan has come, that means Little Senior Sister is definitely here as well!]
In War City, if his Little Senior Sister was wronged somehow, even if it was by his own brothers…
As such negative thoughts circulated throughout his head, Yang Kai’s eyes grew colder and colder while his True Qi fluctuated madly.
Dong Qing Han and Huo Xing Chen, who were following close beside Yang Kai, couldn’t help but trembling lightly, terrified as they glanced over to see an unfamiliar image of Yang Kai. His whole aura had suddenly become sharp and violent, there was even a faint bloody sensation lingering around him suffused with a killing intent so potent that they instinctively began putting some distance between themselves and him.
A moment later, Yang Kai suddenly stopped, his eyes flashing brilliantly as he turned to look at Xiang Tian Xiao and said, “Second Young Lord, I have a task for you.”
Xiang Tian Xiao said nothing, just staring at Yang Kai, waiting for him to continue.
Beckoning him over, Yang Kai whispered a few words in Xiang Tian Xiao’s ear before nodding slightly to this Second Young Lord.
Yang Kai then turned to the five Duan Mu Family Immortal Ascension masters and cupped his fists, “Several Seniors please accompany Young Master Xiang back, as for the specific plan of action, ask Qiu Yi Meng to make the appropriate arrangements.”
The five Duan Mu Family masters quickly nodded.
Xiang Tian Xiao then immediately led his own people and the Duan Mu Family members back the way they had come.
“What are you planning?” Huo Xing Chen asked.
Yang Kai frowned and replied seriously “I didn’t know the whole situation before hand, but now that I do, I have to make some arrangements, otherwise, I’m afraid I won’t be able to bring all of them back!”
“Would they dare take action against Medicine King’s Valley’s disciples?” Huo Xing Chen’s eyes narrowed.
“In unusual times, it’s better to be cautious!” Yang Kai took a deep breath and calmly said, “If I was in my brother’s places, I would rather offend Medicine King’s Valley now rather than let such a large group of Alchemists join my enemy. Obviously they won’t kill them, but they’ll certainly at least find an excuse to capture them.”
Listening to his argument, Dong Qing Han and Huo Xing Chen nodded lightly. As long as they didn’t kill people, it means they hadn’t torn all face with Medicine King’s Valley, as long as they prepared an appropriate amount of gifts afterwards they could still settle things peacefully.
War City’s central square.
A group of Medicine King’s Valley Alchemists dressed in all white stood proudly with Dong Qing Yan and Xia Ning Chang standing side by side with Aunt Xiang and Aunt Lan.
This group of people was surrounded on all sides by a large number of people, and as time passed, more Yang Family Young Lords continued to lead large numbers of masters over.
Even though they were surrounded, the group of Alchemists from Medicine King’s Valley still wore arrogant and aloof expressions, all of their eyes flashing obvious traces of disdain and contempt; Aunt Xiang and Aunt Lan remained calm and composed.
Only Dong Qing Yan grit her teeth with indignation while Xia Ning Chang showed signs of worry and anxiety, her eyes unconsciously glancing northwest from time to time.
It was said that her Junior Brother’s compound was located in that direction.
On the other hand, the waves of people surrounding the Medicine King’s Valley group didn’t show the least bit of disrespect, on the contrary they all did their best to put on flattering smiles.
Yang Zhao, Yang Kang, Yang Shen, and Yang Ying all occupied a corner of the square.
With the exception of Yang Kang whose face showed some traces of depression, the other three brothers all glanced around at each other vigilantly.
Yang Kang was really depressed. When the Medicine King’s Valley’s group arrived in War City, they had entered from the entrance closest to his mansion, and although someone had immediately reported to him about these thirty white robed Alchemists, it was already too late to stop word from spreading.
Although he had managed to successfully intercept this group, news of their arrival still spread rapidly, leading to Yang Zhao, Yang Shen, and Yang Ying appearing here.
Right now, all of the Yang Family Young Lords were frantically hiring Alchemists and Artifact Refiners so it was inevitable that such a group of people appearing in War City would set off a storm.
What made Yang Kang truly want to spit blood was that this group of Alchemists from Medicine King’s Valley were incomparable to the Alchemists from any other force.
Not to mention, the leader of the Medicine King’s Valley group was none other than Qin Ze!
Although Qin Ze was already in his forties, and couldn’t be considered a member of the younger generation, he still bore the title of Medicine King’s Valley Young Valley Lord and was widely respected all over the world.
Qin Ze was also famous throughout the Alchemy world, his aptitude was excellent and it was said that he may even reach the same height as Xiao Fu Sheng in time.
It was also rumoured that Qin Ze had recently promoted to Mysterious Grade Low-Rank Alchemist and had been named an Elder of Medicine King’s Valley, now, it seemed such rumours were true.
The four-petal flower embroidered on his chest was the most conclusive evidence.
Glancing around at the rest of this group, half of them were Heaven Grade Alchemists while the rest were Earth Grade Top-Rank.
Seeing this lineup, all of the Yang Family Young Lords were dazzled and jealous.
If such a group of Alchemists could be drawn into their own camp, how many pills could they refine? How many of their people could be supplied with these pills?
The four Young Lords silently pondered to themselves and were shocked to discover that as long as they could continue to supply these Alchemists with materials, within three months, the strength of all the personnel they had could have a substantial increase.
In other words, whoever could win over this group would have a considerable advantage in the Inheritance War, one which would only increase with time.
For a while, the four Yang Family Young Lords, no matter who they were, had their eyes flash brilliantly and their breath heat up.
The temptation these thirty Alchemists brought to them was no less than if they had been thirty naked beauties begging for their affection.
The only thing which was slightly troubling was their arrogant demeanor.
However, Alchemists who came from Medicine King’s Valley were all like this. They placed no one in their eyes and were extremely arrogant, none of them would show any respect to these four Young Lords, on the contrary, they would expect them to show deference to them instead.
“Senior Brother Qin!” Dong Qing Yan complained in the depressed voice, “This is why I said we should disguise ourselves before we entered the city. Why didn’t you listen to my advice? Now that we’ve been surrounded by these monkeys, what do we do?”
“There’s no problem.” Qin Ze waved his hands indifferently, “They wouldn’t dare to attack my Medicine King’s Valley’s disciples, I’ll just send them away.”
After saying so, Qin Ze swept his eyes over the crowd indifferently before coldly shouting, “Four Young Lords, surrounding this Qin and my fellow disciples, are you planning to start a quarrel with my Medicine King’s Valley?”
Although his attitude was insufferably arrogant, these words still deeply troubled the Yang Family Young Lords, all of them quickly waving their hands and refuting, “Senior Qin must be kidding, we wouldn’t dare.”
Qin Ze coldly snorted, “First it was the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land invading my Medicine King’s Valley, burning our homes and slaughtering our fellow brothers and sister, now you Yang Family children don’t even treat us seriously! Good good! Your Yang Family certainly has the courage the Central Capital’s first powerhouse should have!”
All four of the Young Lords couldn’t help shrinking their necks, unable to answer.
“Don’t say you four juniors, even if Yang Ying Hao saw this Qin he wouldn’t dare show such disrespect!” Qin Ze didn’t hold back in the slightest as he loudly scolded.
Even though Yang Kang and the others were unhappy about being demeaned so publically, they didn’t dare to show any dissatisfaction on their faces, instead just giving it their all to maintain their ingratiating smiles.
These four Yang Family Young Lord had not only blocked this group of Medicine King’s Valley Alchemists but also wanted to recruit them into their own camp as helpers, how could they dare offend them any further?
So they did their best to lower their stances and speak in a respectful tone, even if Qin Ze ridiculed them mercilessly they didn’t make any attempt to refute.
Not arguing but also not giving in, just smiling faintly as they blocked the square, it was a clear show of their unwillingness to simply give up.
After Yang Zhao let Qin Ze vent, he wore an even bigger smile and respectfully said, “Senior Qin, you must have travelled far to reach here. If you are not in a hurry, why not come to my house?”
As soon as they heard him say this, Yang Zhao, Yang Shen, and Yang Ying all also rushed to send out invitations in the most sincere and humble tone they could, all of them expressing their earnest desire for Qin Ze to visit their mansions to rest and drink tea.
Qin Ze coldly snorted and rejected, “No. He who does not work does not deserve to eat. Make way, we have to continue on our way.”
Yang Zhao and others are all remained where they were, as if they were nailed in place, their expressions gradually becoming embarrassed. The people from Medicine King’s Valley were harder to cope with than average Immortal Ascension Boundary masters. They couldn’t fight with them and trying to convince them was akin to banging one’s head against a wall.
What made Yang Zhao more concerned though was why this group of Alchemists would appear in War City. Medicine King’s Valley had never participated in the Inheritance War before, but now they had suddenly sent thirty people here; Yang Zhao would never believe there was no deeper meaning to this action.
The only strategy he could think of to recruit these Alchemists was to somehow arouse their interest, in that way, they would take the initiative to join him on their own.
But what could he say to make them interested?
Thinking quickly, Yang Zhao eyes flashed slightly as he continued his attempts, “Senior Qin, this Junior has a matter he wishes to consult with you about, I wonder if Senior would be willing to dispel this one’s doubts?”
Qin Ze was annoyed in his heart and didn’t try to hide the anger on his face, angrily roaring, “All of you have blocked our way and won’t let us proceed, what does it matter if I am willing or not?”
Yang Zhao knew that Qin Ze was upset and didn’t continue to stimulate him, quickly getting to the point, “When this Junior was out for life experience these past few years, one time I strayed into the mountains and in the middle of the night heard the sounds of a baby crying. Curious, I searched nearby and found a very strange Spirit Herb what had a glowing seven coloured flower in the shape of a baby’s face…”
Qin Ze’s expression was originally quite ugly, but when Yang Zhao began talking about this Spirit Flower a hint of excitement emerged on his face and his displeasure noticeably decreased.
“And then?” Qin Ze hurriedly asked, wondering what the final ending of this seven coloured flowers was.
Seeing that Yang Zhao succeeded in attracting the interest of Qin Ze with the topic of a rare spirit medicine, the other Yang Family Young Lords all couldn’t help feeling annoyed. They hated their Second Brother’s quick wit that had allowed him to handle these arrogant Medicine King’s Valley Alchemists that they couldn’t. All of them then wracked their brains to see if they had any similar experiences these past years.
“That Heaven and Earth Treasure had already opened its consciousness, so when Junior tried to reach out and pick it, it hurriedly escaped.”
“Idiot!” Qin Ze cursed.
Yang Zhao didn’t take offence to this comment, instead just smiling and continuing, “True, this Junior indeed acted rashly at that time and inadvertently caused it to flee.”
“What was the final result, did you managed to collect that Spirit Flower?”
Yang Zhao smiled widely and nodded, “Fortunately, Junior was fast enough, managed to catch up with it, and successfully harvested it. Later, after returning to my Sect, I researched thoroughly and discovered that what I had obtained was a Mysterious Grade Top-Rank Seven Coloured Spirit Baby Flower, and at the suggestion of one of the Sect’s Alchemist, contained it within a Spirit Array that provided it with World Energy and planted it in sandstone. From then till now it has survived but recently it has shown signs of withering and I haven’t been able to figure out why.”
“Idiots! Fools, every one of you!” Qin Ze violently roared as if his wife had been stolen by another man, angrily shouting, “Who told you that the Seven Coloured Spirit Baby Flower should be planted in sandstone!?”
“Juniors hopes Senior Qin can give this one some pointers.” Yang Zhao quickly asked for advice.
Qin Ze calmed his anger and gradually restored his arrogant and aloof expression before explaining, “The Seven Coloured Spirit Baby Flower when mature will emit a cry similar to that of a newborn baby. If a cultivator listens to this sound for many years they will obtain some benefits in the growth of their Divine Sense. This Spirit Flower is also the primary ingredient for a Mysterious Grade Soul nourishing pill.”
“What senior says is true, but this Spirit Flower’s grade is so high, in addition to Grandmaster Xiao, I’m afraid that no one else would dare use it to refine a pill, so Junior has been raising it all this time instead.” Yang Zhao quickly noted.
“Who says no one can refine it besides Grandmaster Xiao?” Qin Ze spat, showing a face to seemed disdain Yang Zhao’s ignorance, but he didn’t explain any further, just continuing, “However, this Spirit Flower is attracted to the cold, raising it in sandstone and providing it with energy for a while won’t matter, but after a long time, its medicinal efficacy will begin to fade and it will naturally show signs of withering. Your Yang Family is wealthy enough, you should have no problem acquiring some ice attribute crystals to transplant it to. The Alchemist who told you to plant it in sandstone was nothing but an ignorant fool, it’s insulting that he dares call himself an Alchemist!”
“I see, Junior thanks Senior Qin for dispelling his doubts!” Yang Zhao showed a look of epiphany.
Qin Ze nodded and stated proudly, “It’s not too late to act now, if you had waited another half a year that Spirit Flower would have lost all value.”
“Yes yes, when Junior returns to his mansion he will follow Senior Qin’s instructions immediately.” Saying so, he smiled warmly and once again made an attempt, “However, Junior is ignorant in the ways of Alchemy, if Senior finds it convenient…”
Qin Ze sneered and interrupted here, “Don’t bother, even if you were to proclaim that the Heaven’s themselves were falling, this Qin will not go with you.”
Yang Zhao’s smile cramped up, never having expected Qin Ze to refuse him so fervently. Normally, whenever these Alchemist types heard about a Mysterious Grade Top-Rank Alchemy material, they wouldn’t rest until they had at least laid eyes upon it.
But now, why were things so different?
Seeing Qin Ze refuse Yang Zhao, the other Yang Family Young Lords made no attempt to conceal their happiness, but immediately after furrowed their brows, this Qin Ze seemed like he would not be moved no matter what enticement they put forward so the situation had become quite tricky.
As the four of them pondered over what to do next, a new group of people arrived.
The eyes of the four brothers immediately shrank slightly because the person who came was none other than Yang Wei.
Since the beginning of the Inheritance War, Yang Wei had not made any movements, but obviously when this group of Medicine King’s Valley alchemist had suddenly appeared in War City today he had been alarmed.
With regards to their Eldest Brother, all of them held a little awe, secretly raising their guard as they watched Yang Wei step forward.
“Junior Yang Wei greets Senior.” When he came up to Qin Ze and the others, Yang Wei greeted indifferently.
“En.” Qin Ze nodded lightly, his attitude neither hot nor cold.
“Junior has a request and hopes Senior Qin can answer it.”
Qin Ze frowned, looking Yang Wei over before faintly saying, “As long as you don’t want me to perform Alchemy for you, anything else can be discussed.”
Yang Wei nodded, “I want Senior Qin to help me perform Alchemy!”
When this statement came out, everyone was secretly startled. All of them who had come here to block this group from Medicine King’s Valley did so for this exact purpose, but none of them had dared say so outright, instead choosing to observe the situation and use other means to convince these Alchemists to come with them; never had they expected that the last to come, Yang Wei, would be so forthright.
In an instant, everyone was a little nervous about what decision Qin Ze would make.
If Qin Ze were to agree, all four of them would probably cough up blood.
Surprisingly though, Qin Ze didn’t get angry but instead looked at Yang Wei with a smile, “The Yang Family’s Eldest Brother, good, I appreciate your manner, but this Qin did not come to War City this time to assist you.”
Yang Wei didn’t show any surprise on his face, only nodding firmly, cupping his fists respectfully and saying, “I have disturbed Senior.”
After that, Yang Wei turned around and left without the slightest hesitation, apparently uninterested in swimming in this muddy water.
On the other hand, Yang Zhao felt he had just heard some extraordinary meanings from the words of Qin Ze, hesitantly asking, “Senior Qin , who are you here in War City to assist?”
“We are here to help no one, we’re only here to study the Alchemic Way.” Qin Ze coldly snorted, not willing to say anything further.
Yang Zhao was startled, study the Alchemic Way?
Who could possibly have the qualifications to instruct Medicine King’s Valley’s Alchemists in the Alchemic Way? In particular, these words were spoken from Qin Ze’s mouth; one had to remember that Qin Ze was already one of this worlds only Mysterious Grade Alchemists.
This reason was a bit too far-fetched.
Considering all this, Yang Zhao’s expression slowly became solemn.
Of the Yang Family Young Lords who were still participating in the Inheritance War, five of them had already appeared but Qin Ze had shown no interested in them, so there were only two possibilities left.
Yang Quan was impossible.
Therefore…
Yang Zhao’s expression suddenly became horrified, this thought had only just appeared in his head when he heard a cold snort in the distance and a large number of people appeared.
Yang Kai took the lead and strode into the open space between the surrounding Yang Family Young Lords and the Medicine King’s Valley group, walking straight up to the white robed Alchemists. Huo Xing Chen followed behind with a chuckle, gently fanning himself with his folding fan as he cheerfully greeted the other Yang Family Young Lords present as if they were all long separated friends once again reuniting.
There was no Blood Warrior beside Yang Kai but everyone, as long as their strength had reached the Immortal Ascension Boundary Eighth Stage, could still clearly feel a pair of eyes in the darkness, staring at their movements.
Ying Jiu!
This powerful Blood Warrior was like a ghost, and none of them knew where he was lurking, once someone dared try to move against Yang Kai, he would ruthlessly be killed.
The Blood Warriors guarding the other Young Lords immediately reported this information.
“Everyone has arrived.” Yang Kang’s displayed a disgruntled expression. He had been the closest to this group of Alchemists, and if he had only acted fast enough, could have been the only one to have an opportunity to recruit them. But now, such thoughts were useless, he knew that by now, everyone throughout War City knew about these Medicine King’s Valley people arriving.
Inside the group of Alchemists, a pair of bright beautiful eyes suddenly lit up as they caught sight of Yang Kai’s figure, the owner’s heart suddenly filling with joy and excitement.
When Yang Kai’s eyes met this gaze, the cold murderous intent in them immediately disappeared and was replaced by tender warmth, the corners of his mouth rising slightly, revealing a happy smile.
Noticing Yang Kai staring back at her, Xia Ning Chang suddenly became embarrassed. Obviously, she had wanted to see how her Junior Brother had been doing recently. Now that they had met and she confirmed that he was fine, she couldn’t help averting her eyes with her cheeks blushing furiously, her heartbeat racing.
Xia Ning Chang’s sudden bout of shyness gave her an all new kind of appeal. Although she was still wearing her veil and no one could see her true appearance, no one who saw her in that instant doubted that she was an extraordinary beauty!
The pure innocent aura she gave off only highlighted her attractiveness. Because of her veil, she was normally not too eye catching, but right now, this thin layer of mystery not only detracted from her allure, but enhanced it instead.
Everyone desperately wanted to know: what kind of peerless face was hidden under this veil?
This brief exchange between Yang Kai and this veiled girl was extremely obvious and was not overlooked by the other Yang Family Young Lords, all of their expressions becoming ugly as a result.
Unlike them, their Ninth Brother seemed to have some connection with this woman. This was what being closest to this group really meant.
“Junior Brother Yang!” Qin Ze, who had always been showing an aloof and arrogant demeanor suddenly called out to Yang Kai with a smile and became very intimate. Also, the way he addressed him elicited a great many confused and pensive expressions from the other Yang Family Young Lords.
“Senior Brother Qin!” Yang Kai smiled back and nodded before turning his eyes to the two beautiful women close by, “Aunt Xiang, Aunt Lan.”
The two beautiful women responded with a warm smile of their own.
“Treasurer Meng!”
Meng Wu Ya nodded gruffly.
Witnessing the scene of Yang Kai greeting this group of people, Yang Zhao’s eyes shrank sharply.
It wasn’t until now that he discovered how lofty the identities of these two beautiful women were. If he recalled correctly, these two should be the two maidservants who lived on Hidden Cloud Peak and attended to all of Grandmaster Xiao Fu Sheng’s daily needs!
For several dozen years they had stayed on Hidden Cloud Peak, never once going down the mountain, yet today they had come to War City!
Rumor had it that these two beautiful women were only ordinary people without any cultivation, but no one would dare be disrespectful to them because they had spent their best years in obscurity to care for Xiao Fu Sheng on Hidden Cloud Peak. Without their years of dedicated service, there very well may not have been today’s Grandmaster Xiao!
In the eyes of Xiao Fu Sheng, these two should be no different from family!
How could such people come to War City? What was Xiao Fu Sheng’s meaning in sending them? Why would Xiao Fu Sheng do this?
Quickly considering all this, Yang Zhao couldn’t help feeling shocked, turning his sight towards Yang Kai, eyes filled with jealousy.
Yang Kang, Yang Shen, and Yang Ying also all noticed this subtle atmosphere. The people from Medicine King’s Valley were all so friendly with Yang Kai, they had obviously come here for him. If they were from any other force, they could take the initiative to offend them, even using some coercion to bring them to their compounds or directly chase them out of War City. However, against Medicine King’s Valley, they didn’t dare act rashly, all of them turning their eyes to Yang Zhao, waiting to see how he would act.
Yang Zhao understood how to act very well; even if these people were from Medicine King’s Valley, even if they couldn’t be offended, this time they must be, otherwise the situation would only become more and more troublesome.
Taking a deep breath, Yang Zhao once again spoke, “Senior Qin, Medicine King’s Valley has never participated in the Inheritance War before, why do you want to break this tradition now? Junior hopes Senior Qin can provide an explanation!”
Hearing this, a hint of impatient resurfaced on Qin Ze’s face as he coldly shot back, “Second Young Lord, this Qin has just said, this time, our reason for coming here is to study the Alchemic Way, not to participate in any nonsense Inheritance War, whether you Yang Family people want to beat or kill each other isn’t worth a fart to my Medicine King’s Valley.”
Yang Zhao smiled slightly at this response and said in a calm voice, “Since you have come here to study the Alchemic Way, then I would like to request Senior Qin come to my mansion to do so. This Young Lord will supply any and all the necessary materials, even that Seven Coloured Spirit Baby Flower I mentioned previously can be gifted to Senior Qin.”
Qin Ze’s brow wrinkled as an extremely dissatisfied expression appeared on his face, “Nonsense, why should we go to your house? What powerful Alchemy Grandmaster do you have that my Medicine King’s Valley’s disciples can learn from?”
“There is no such Grandmaster in my mansion, but is there one in my Ninth Brother’s house?” Yang Zhao’s tone was gradually getting louder and firmer. Obviously, he understood by now that there was no way he could convince this group of arrogant Alchemists with words. Since the gentle approach was useless, he could only use force!
As he was making one last attempt, Yang Zhao even squinted at the other Yang Family Young Lords, silently signaling all of them to prepare themselves.
“There is!” Unexpectedly, Qin Ze responded affirmatively.
Yang Zhao smiled wryly and shook his head, thinking that the excuses of this Medicine King’s Valley group were too ridiculous.
His Ninth Brother hadn’t recruited any Alchemists these past few days, and even if he had done so secretly, no Alchemist was qualified to teach this group from Medicine King’s Valley.
The look in Yang Zhao’s eyes slowly became cold as he shook his head and declared, “Since Senior Qin is determined to continue this course of action, Junior has nothing left to say. The reason why Medicine King’s Valley is admired is not only because it is the gathering place of this world’s elite Alchemists, but also because for thousands of years, Medicine King’s Valley has remained neutral. Since Senior Qin insists on breaking this ancient and honoured tradition, then this Junior has no choice but to act disrespectfully!”
Qin Ze was shocked and he cried out, “What do you plan to do?”
“Junior is helpless in this matter, so I must ask Senior’s forgiveness! But please rest assured Senior Qin, I and my younger brothers will certainly act with appropriate discretion. Neither you nor your fellow disciples will be harmed in any way.” Yang Zhao’s expression was indifferent. He had spoken everything aloud, providing a righteous reason for his next course of action so that when this matter spread out, the world would not solely blame him.
As he spoke these last words, Yang Zhao signaled to a group of masters behind him and took a step forward.
At the same time, Yang Kang, Yang Shen, and Yang Ying had also issued orders. The three of them didn’t have the same courage as Yang Zhao, and were reluctant to offend Medicine King’s Valley, but given no other choice and with someone leading the way, they could only temporarily join forces with Yang Zhao to put pressure on Qin Ze and his group while secretly praying that this group of Alchemists would yield to intimidation. The best result for everyone would be if all of them could take a step back and resolve the situation peacefully.
The atmosphere around the square abruptly became tense.
The spectators which had gotten wind of the arrival of these Alchemists and gathered all gasped, shocked by the boldness of these Yang Family Young Lords.
Although Medicine King’s Valley had taken significant loses when it was attacked by the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land with even the Pill Saint’s Portrait being destroyed, it was still Medicine King’s Valley. This title of theirs’ held weight that had not decreased in the slightest.
No one in this world had ever dared to offend people from Medicine King’s Valley, but today, someone had set a new precedent!
“Treating me as though I do not exist?” Yang Kai, who had been watching with cold eyes until this moment, sneered as he once again gave off murderous intent, “Those who want to move against my allies will have to pass through me first!”
Yang Zhao shook his head slowly, “Ninth Brother, although I admit that your forces aren’t weak now, but if you think with only the few people you’ve brought you can keep this group of people to yourself under the joint efforts of your older brothers, isn’t that a bit naive? Be careful you don’t lose your rice trying to steal a chicken.”
Yang Kang, Yang Shen, and Yang Ying also immediately glared at Yang Kai, their expressions filled with malicious intent.
They had to give some face to Medicine King’s Valley, but when it came to Yang Kai they all couldn’t wait to beat him down.
“Second Brother can try if he likes!” Yang Kai said calmly.
Yang Zhao’s face became dignified as he swept his eyes over the people Yang Kai had brought with him.
From what he could see, there were only two forces present, one was the Huo Family’s people, two of which were Immortal Ascension Boundary Fifth Stage masters whose real strength wouldn’t be worse than average Immortal Ascension Boundary Seventh or Eighth Stage masters, while the other was the Dong Family who also had two Immortal Ascension Boundary Seventh Stage masters. Besides these high level experts, there were several other mid and low level Immortal Ascension Boundary cultivators along with a number of people at the True Element Boundary.
Also, Ying Jiu was hiding somewhere nearby.
Although this lineup wasn’t weak, it was obviously at an absolute disadvantage against the joint forces of the four of them, so why was his Ninth Brother still so calm?
After the first night’s events, Yang Zhao realized that Yang Kai was not easy to handle. His youngest brother was not only clever and sinister, he would often make bold and unthinkable actions which made him even harder to predict.
One thing was certain though, he wouldn’t have brought so few people here just to seek death, he had definitely made other preparations!
The question was, what was he plotting? According to the information Yang Zhao had collected, eleven forces had arrived in recent days to support his Ninth Brother. So if only two of them were here, where were the remaining nine?
Thinking of this, Yang Zhao expression cramped, quickly glancing over at Yang Kai only to discover his littlest brother grinning deviously back at him.
Not daring to hesitate any longer, Yang Zhao loudly declared, “Fifth Brother, Sixth Brother, Seventh Brother, let us join hands and teach Ninth Brother a lesson today about how to respect his elders!”
“Agreed, Second Brother!” The three nodded together.
Instantly, numerous Martial Skills and artifacts flew from all directions towards Yang Kai and his allies.
With the four brothers teaming up to deal with Yang Kai, the people from the Dong Family and Huo Family suddenly fell into a difficult situation.
All of the Immortal Ascension Boundary masters summoned their defensive artifacts out and pushed their True Qi to the limit yet they still failed to completely block this wave of attacks.
Huo Xing Chen, Dong Qing Han, and Yang Kai all also had a difficult time finding a safe place in this violent storm.
Seeing Yang Kai steadily losing ground, Yang Kang excitedly grinned, as if he could already picture the scene of Yang Kai being defeated today.
Yang Zhao, however, knew better: As long as Ying Jiu was still lurking in the shadows, it was basically impossible for Yang Kai to be eliminated here and now unless two or three of their Blood Warriors collaborated. Unfortunately, such cooperation was all but impossible because it would expose them to danger.
“Grab them!” Yang Zhao shouted, swiftly switching targets from Yang Kai’s group to the Alchemists from Medicine King’s Valley.
When Yang Zhao gave this command, many of the masters in his group rushed towards the Medicine King’s Valley group.
Medicine King’s Valley’s disciples, aside from their exceptional Alchemy abilities, were never good at fighting, so in the eyes of this group of strong masters, this group of Alchemists were no better than lambs waiting to be caught.
Of course, since they had to act with discretion in order to not injure these Alchemists, most of the Immortal Ascension Boundary masters simply flew towards them, stretching out their hands in order to capture people.
Seeing all this, Qin Ze remained still, his expression cold and indifferent, apparently not worried about whether he or his Junior Brothers and Junior Sisters would be taken away; In fact, all thirty of these white robed Alchemists maintained a calm and aloof manner.
Yang Zhao suddenly felt a little uneasy.
These Alchemists, even if they were insufferably arrogant, should still have had an instinctual reaction to this coming crisis, at least showing some panic on their faces, yet their reaction showed they weren’t worried in the slightest.
But why?
Just as Yang Zhao’s masters were about to reach the Alchemist, the gemstone on Xia Ning Chang’s forehead suddenly shone brightly and a pale blue semi-circular light curtain spread out from it and surrounded the Medicine King’s Valley disciples.
Many of the approaching masters couldn’t react in time and hit this light curtain head on, feeling an amazing elastic reaction which quickly forced them back,.
“Seems they have something to rely on!” Yang Zhao knew that this group from Medicine King’s Valley wouldn’t be so easily captured, so when he saw this strange light curtain suddenly appear he wasn’t surprised, simply steeling himself as she shouted, “destroy it!”
If this group of Alchemists thought they could simply rely on a good defensive artifact to block all of these masters, they were obviously mistaken.
This defensive artifact truly was impressive, but the cultivators on his side were not only numerous, they were also elites of their respective forces.
A brilliant display of Martial Skills and artifacts once again blossomed and the light curtain Xia Ning Chang had put up immediately began wavering under the strain.
However, the expressions on all the Medicine King’s Valley disciples still didn’t show any concern.
Yang Zhao’s expression became profound as he continued to observe the reactions of the Medicine King’s Valley group, the uneasiness in his heart became more and more intense rather than dissipating, the idea of giving up and leaving this place as quickly as possible surfacing in his thoughts.
Just as the light curtain filled with cracks and was on the verge of breaking, a dazzling scattering of lights, like the stars in the night sky, suddenly filled the air. This array of lights let out a piercing radiance before it suddenly flashed and sent out a myriad of lightning fast glowing blades.
These blades were composed entirely of True Qi and shone so brilliantly they were all but blinding, each of them emitting a terrifying aura.
*Xiu xiu xiu…*
All of these blades had incredible force behind them and pierced straight towards the surrounding masters like a shower of falling stars.
Like invincible swords, they sliced through the air with unstoppable momentum!
The faces of the surrounding Immortal Ascension masters changed drastically as they all desperately tried to dodge this sudden and unexpected barrage of attacks.
*Hong hong hong…*
All of the True Qi blades were either blocked or avoided by the joint efforts of all the masters present, but when the power contained within each blade erupted it forced everyone to retreat, even causing some of the lower strength Immortal Ascension Boundary masters to pale and spit blood on the spot.
Only those at or above the Immortal Ascension Boundary Seventh Stage remained completely unharmed!
Yang Zhao’s gaze immediately swept over the Medicine King’s Valley group, quickly fixing on the only old man amongst them.
He couldn’t identify this old man’s origins, and he hadn’t seen him take action, but Yang Zhao still instinctively stared at him for some reason. Yang Zhao couldn’t help thinking that this trick was somehow related to him.
Also, as he stared at this old man who seemed harmless to humans and animals, Yang Zhao felt a strange and inexplicable pressure.
One move. Just one move that he hadn’t even put all his effort into, had forced back more than seven Immortal Ascension Boundary masters; just how strong was this old man?
Could he be an Above Immortal Ascension Boundary cultivator? Since when did Medicine King’s Valley have this kind of hidden master?
The repulsed powerhouses all glanced at each other with ghastly expressions, none of them certain who or what had just attacked them.
Everyone was bewildered as they secretly speculated.
However, before any of them could discover the truth, the glowing starry sky suddenly converged, shrinking down into a dazzling ring the size of a palm before landing in the veiled woman’s hand.
“An artifact!” Yang Zhao’s eyes flashed as he showed an incredulous expression.
He had thought that there was a peerless master amongst the Medicine King’s Valley group, but never had he expected that the previous attack was actually sent out from an artifact.
Only an artifact above the Mysterious Grade Mid-Rank could display such power!
Staring at the veiled young woman, Yang Zhao couldn’t help feeling a sense of defeat.
He was a Yang Family Yong Lord, the second oldest of his generation, but even he didn’t possess such rich heritage. Who exactly was this young woman?
The two artifacts she had used just now were both extraordinary, and who could say if she didn’t have any more artifacts on her?
Yang Zhao’s eyes filled with a mix of hesitation and unwillingness, but after a brief moment of indecision, her grit his teeth and quietly whispered to his guardian Blood Warrior and Ye Xin Rou, “Let’s go!”
“Go?” Ye Xin Rou’s attention had also been focused on Xia Ning Chang, silently comparing herself to this young woman she still didn’t even know the name of when she suddenly heard Yang Zhao’s command and couldn’t help muttering in confusion.
But before she could fully collect herself, Yang Zhao and his accompanying Blood Warrior had already begun silently retreating.
Ye Xin Rou hurriedly caught up with his pace and asked curiously, “Second Young Lord, why did you give up so easily? This isn’t like your usual style.”
Yang Zhao hadn’t answered yet when all of a sudden a person raced towards him from the direction he was moving, anxiously calling out, “Second Young Lord, there’s big movement from Yang Kai’s house. Nine of his allies have set out in full force, it seems that only Qu Gao Yi was left behind to guard his flag.”
“I know,” Yang Zhao muttered, his pace speeding up significantly as a bitter smile emerged on his face, “Ninth Brother really has some guts to leave only one Blood Warrior behind to guard his mansion! This time ‘round, he’s won!”
Ye Xin Rou’s beautiful face suddenly changed, immediately understanding why Yang Zhao had so decisively decided to leave. He wasn’t concerned about succeeding. With four Yang Family Young Lords collaborating, even if Yang Kai showed incredible strength, it was still impossible for him to hold on to that group of Alchemist.
If things had continued the way they were progressing, he definitely could have taken away at least some of the Alchemists from Medicine King’s Valley.
However, that would still take some time. During that time, where would the nine forces which had set out from Yang Kai’s mansion go?
If they were to patronize Yang Zhao’s mansion, could the people he left behind protect his flag?
By playing such a hand, Yang Kai could easily resolve his current crisis. Yang Zhao had no choice but to retreat. Not only Yang Zhao, but Yang Kang, Yang Shen, and Yang Ying also had to quickly return to their compounds to strengthen their defense!
None of them could be sure whether these nine forces would visit their base or not.
None of them could afford to underestimate the power of these nine forces.
What’s more, that veiled woman actually had a pair of artifacts of Mysterious Grade Mid-Rank or possibly higher. Her identity was definitely extraordinary. Yang Zhao didn’t dare move against her until he understood her true identity.
Almost at the same time Yang Zhao learned of this news, Yang Kang, Yang Shen, and Yang Ying also received word from their respective camps, causing quite a stir amongst them as they gazed over at Yang Kai.
Yang Kai grinned back at them tauntingly while he secretly let out a sigh of relief.
“Where is Second Brother?” Yang Kang’s gaze swept over the crowd but didn’t find any trace of Yang Zhao or his forces. Seeing this, his face cramped up before his eyes became cold. Having been abandoned by his Second Brother without a word, he inevitably felt a bit resentful in his heart.
“Ninth Brother’s strategy is impressive! Today’s business ends here, next time we meet, your Fifth Brother will definitely return the favour!” Yang Kang coldly snorted, waving his hand to signal his people to fall backs.
“I will remember Ninth Brother’s lesson!” Yang Shen muttered angrily before he too quickly retreated.
The next moment, Yang Ying’s people also scattered like birds and beasts. The originally chaotic battle instantly subsided and those who were excitedly spectating were immediately thrown into confusion. They didn’t understand why the four Yang Family Young Lords has suddenly chosen to retreat when they clearly had absolute superiority.
Not only were the battle’s spectators confused, the people from Medicine King’s Valley also didn’t understand, only Meng Wu Ya directed a thoughtful look towards Yang Kai, realizing that this little brat had grown a lot over the past few years. Whether it was his strength or wit, they both seemed to have increased substantially.
Yang Kai made no attempt to stop his four brothers from leaving. He hadn’t brought a lot of people with him, so he was in no position to pick a fight. Also, Meng Wu Ya didn’t seem to have any intention to act, so Yang Kai would naturally not go provoking trouble.
“I’ve let Senior Brother Qin experience something unpleasant.” Yang Kai walked up to the Medicine King’s Valley group and bowed with cupped fists.
“It’s nothing.” Qin Ze waved his hand. “None of us suffered any harm.”
Yang Kai nodded slightly before turning his eyes to Xia Ning Chang and with a straight face uttering some amazing words, “Little Senior Sister, I’ve missed you!”
These words were simple and sincere, with no exaggeration whatsoever, as if they had come straight from his heart.
Xia Ning Chang stared back at him timidly, the gentle calm in her elegant eyes immediately being replaced with surprise and embarrassment, not daring to respond, only capable of fluttering her long eyelashes.
“Hey, you dare flirt with this old master’s treasured discipline right in front of my face?” Meng Wu Ya loudly interjected, a number of blue veins visibly throbbing on his forehead as his expression filled with dissatisfaction. Although he knew that Yang Kai’s future was limitless, seeing his treasured apprentice who he loved like his own daughter respond so strongly to Yang Kai’s cheap words still made him feel depressed.
“Did cousin also miss me?” Dong Qing Yan jumped out and asked with a smile.
“Nope.” Yang Kai shook his head without hesitation.
Dong Qing Yan’s mouth twitched for a moment before she glared back at Yang Kai spitefully. “Stupid cousin, smelly cousin, I hate you to death!”
Yang Kai paid no attention to his rambunctious cousin and instead turned to his allies and said, “Let’s head back first.”
His four brothers had all rushed back to their bases to reinforce their defences, but Yang Kai also had to quickly return to his compound as only Qu Gao Yi remained there to guard his flag.
This group from Medicine King’s Valley was essentially here to follow Xia Ning Chang so they naturally had no objections, allowing Yang Kai to take the lead as they followed him back to his compound.
Staring at the head of the crowd and seeing Xia Ning Chang and Yang Kai talking and laughing together so intimately, Lan Chu Die couldn’t help revealing a bitter smile.
She used to have a good relationship with this Junior Brother of hers as well.
But back then, she hadn’t held on to him tightly, even choosing to abandon him when he was facing difficulties.
And before she could turn her head again, she no longer had such an opportunity.
After leaving High Heaven Pavilion and joining the Dong Family, Lan Chu Die no longer thought about the time she had spent in High Heaven Pavilion, but when word of the Yang Family Inheritance War began spreading, she once again heard the name Yang Kai.
Only at that moment did she realize just how precious the piece of jade she chose to abandon had been!
Thinking back, she found it laughable that she thought it to be no more than a speck of dust at the time.
“Lan girl.” Dong Qing Han, who was by her side, suddenly spoke to her in a low voice, “My cousin may be a young man, but after spending so many hard years outside on his own, his mentality is far more mature than his age would suggest. Coupled with his background and great personal strength, his demeanor has become quite rigid, particularly when it comes to gratitude and grudges. But if you show him enough sincerity, I think you shouldn’t have a problem improving your relationship. After all, he’s still only human.”
When Dong Qing Han’s words reached her ear, Lan Chu Die’s beautiful face froze for a moment before she turned and smiled at him, “Why did Young Master mention that?”
Dong Qing Han just shrugged, “I just spoke randomly.”
Saying so, he then turned to talk with Dong Qing Yan beside him as if he really had just been speaking casually.
Lan Chu Die opened her mouth wanting to discuss Yang Kai with Dong Qing Han some more, but for some reason she couldn’t bring herself to speak.
Looking back at the figure in front of her, Lan Chu Die slowly shook her head, knowing that she wouldn’t be given such a good opportunity again in this life, no matter what she did.
After half an hour, everyone returned to Yang Kai’s compound.
The grounds were quiet and there was no sign of anyone around. Besides Qu Gao Yi who was standing guard near the flag and the ordinary maidservants, everyone else had been brought out by Qiu Yi Meng.
Yang Kai quickly got to work handling the Medicine King’s Valley disciples. Ushering them into the hall and having people serve tea, he was so busy he didn’t even have time to chat with his Little Senior Sister.
The people from Medicine King’s Valley didn’t put on airs or act aloof. Coupled with the fact that Yang Kai wasn’t an outsider to them, the atmosphere was naturally harmonious.
After another hour or so, Qiu Yi Meng led a large crowd of people back. She had taken these nine forces out for a walk around War City and didn’t actually initiate any kind of attack. Her job was simply to provide a deterrent to the other Yang Family Young Lords.
When they returned, Yang Kai quickly introduced these various powers to Qin Ze one by one and Qin Ze responded with a simple nod of acknowledgement, not saying much.
The arrogance of Alchemists was apparent. In fact, even this offhanded nod was a result of giving Yang Kai face; under normal circumstances, Qin Ze would normally not even be willing to meet with these people.
Qiu Yi Meng quickly set about arranging a proper residence for this group from Medicine King’s Valley. Unlike his attitude towards the others, Qin Ze gave the Qiu Family’s First Young Lady quite a bit of face, saying a few words of praise and touting the good fortune of the Qiu Family to have such a competent successor, to which Qiu Yi Meng replied with a tittering of laughter.
Soon, all the arrangements had been completed.
While Qiu Yi Meng was busy, Yang Kai wasn’t slacking off. This time he had been forced to make a big splash, disrupting some of his originally plans to lay low. Right now, he had to set about strengthening his mansion’s defences in case his brothers decided to not let things go and join forces to pay him a visit tonight.
Bustling about, Yang Kai wasn’t done until just before evening set in.
Just as he was about to go get some rest though, the Qiu Family’s First Young Lady abruptly stopped him in one of the dark hallways.
“Something you want to ask?” Yang Kai looked at the beauty in the darkness and asked curiously.
“En, I wanted to ask what you were planning to do next, and why you seemed so anxious.” Qiu Yi Meng slowly walked closer, her pretty eyes looking Yang Kai up and down.
“None of your business.”
Qiu Yi Meng snorted lightly, her tone becoming somewhat strange, “Even if you don’t say anything, I know. You’re going to find your Little Senior Sister aren’t you?”
“Yes.” Yang Kai admitted calmly.
“I’ve long since seen that your relationship isn’t normal.” Qiu Yi Meng spat somewhat disdainfully, bitterly muttering, “Is she from your Sect?”
“Yes, she’s also from High Heaven Pavilion.”
“But why does it seem Qin Ze is so respectful to her, even more so than he is towards you. She’s still so young, what makes her so special?” Qiu Yi Meng looked confused, while she had been arranging the group of people from Medicine King’s Valley, she had overheard a conversation between Qin Ze and Xia Ning Chang. From the way they spoke, it was closer to a report from a junior and one of his elders rather than a conversation between fellow disciples which she found quite unusual.
“There are indeed some reasons for it, just wait a few days and you’ll understand.” Yang Kai didn’t bother to explain.
“These people should be one of the boosts you had anticipated, right?”
“En, but I never expected so many of them would come.”
Qiu Yi Meng smiled impishly, “Thirty Alchemists from Medicine King’s Valley, one of whom is Mysterious Grade. Yang Kai, you’ve really struck it rich. If this news were to be passed out, there will definitely be many people clamouring to join you.”
Yang Kai slowly shook his head in response, “While there are benefits, there are also disadvantages. You should understand this point.”
Qiu Yi Meng nodded in agreement , “You didn’t want to be the one tree sticking out from the forest, but now you’ve already drawn in such a big wind. What do you plan to do from now on? Do you still want to maintain a low profile?”
“Why not?” Yang Kai grinned. “Beauty, you seem to only see the sensational effects of this group from Medicine King’s Valley and fail to calculate how much their presence has actually increased my current fighting strength. Them coming here for me really made my brothers jealous, but don’t forget, this group of people don’t have strong cultivations or combat strength. When my brothers calm down and think about things, they won’t take this incident too seriously.”
Qiu Yi Meng paused for a moment before sighing, “En, it seems I was a little too excited by their arrival and neglected this point.”
Even with the addition of these Alchemists, in order for them to provide Yang Kai any noticeable help it would take at least three months, and that was only under the condition they were provided a massive supply of materials.
Three months, it was enough time for many things to happen.
What’s more, the other Yang Family Young Lords also had Alchemists supporting them, the only difference was their overall quality was lower than the ones who had come from Medicine King’s Valley.
If Qiu Yi Meng calculated correctly, this group from Medicine King’s Valley would take at least three months to improve the strength of Yang Kai’s forces while it would take at least six months or so to open any kind of gap with the cultivators of his brothers’ allies.
The events of today could only be chalked up to the Yang Family Young Lords being shocked by the arrival of Alchemists from Medicine King’s Valley, causing them to temporarily make a big deal out of nothing.
Qiu Yi Meng sunk into contemplation for a moment before whispering, “In other words, they’ll come to the conclusion that these people from Medicine King’s Valley aren’t much of a threat to them, at least in the short term.”
However, as time passed, the role these Medicine King’s Valley Alchemists could play would only become bigger.
“That depends on if they can figure that out.” Yang Kai grinned, his two rows teeth appearing quite stark in the darkness, causing Qiu Yi Meng to pause.
Furrowing her brow slightly, Qiu Yi Meng suddenly giggled, “I found that your attitude towards me has been a little different these days, at least you’re not as cold as before.”
“Ah…” Yang Kai was also taken aback.
But thinking about it, his attitude really had changed. Previously he felt Qiu Yi Meng was too cunning and calculating so he instinctively wanted to avoid getting close to her, but when the Inheritance War began in earnest and Qiu Yi Meng had taken the extraordinary step of separating herself from the Qiu Family to join his camp, he probably unconsciously began to approve of her.
“Have you finally taken notice of my charms? Did you start to fall for me?” Qiu Yi Meng chuckled as she made a teasing look.
Yang Kai stared at her for a moment before his mouth slowly curled into a meaningful smile, saying nothing but instead slowly approaching her. Noticing this sudden change, the Qiu Family’s First Young Lady’s pretty smiling face suddenly changed colour, glancing around somewhat frantically only to discover that there was not another soul in sight, then hurriedly trying to fall back. Unfortunately, she ran into a wall.
The next moment, she felt a hot breath brush past her cheek as Yang Kai drew even closer to her, stretching out his arm to the wall to block her escape while his other hand landed on her shoulder.
By now, the distance between the two of them was less than a few finger widths and the aggressive air Yang Kai was putting out made Qiu Yi Meng feel a little frightened. She immediately felt that she had made a mistake choosing this place to stop him in order to chat and then making such a provocative statement.
“What are you doing?” Qiu Yi Meng’s breath couldn’t help speed up as her eyes flashed, “Twenty meters to the left, some of Xiang Tian Xiao’s people are lying in ambush, one hundred meters to the right is the hiding place of two masters from the Huo Family, on the roof less than thirty meters in front of us there are three people from the Duan Mu Family, I’m warning you not to mess around!”
“Haha!” Yang Kai smirked, “What are you afraid of? We’re all allies here, I’m just getting closer to you.”
“You don’t need to be so close… can’t you back up a bit?” Qiu Yi Meng had never been so anxious before. Unable to look back at Yang Kai’s aggression filled eyes, her body squirming uncomfortably against the wall, desperately looking for a way to escape.
“I can still go closer, do you want to try?” Yang Kai smiled wickedly, intimately whispering to her.
The Qiu Family First Young Lady finally managed to raise her eyes and glared back at her attacker, immediately feeling a bitter taste in her mouth when she noticed a sly and smug look in Yang Kai’s eyes.
Gritting her teeth, she suddenly smiled brilliantly and stretched out her hands, gently wrapping her soft arms around Yang Kai’s neck and softly whispering, “En, show me. I’d love to see what face you have to see your Little Senior Sister with after.”
As she spoke, Qiu Yi Meng gently lifted herself up, pressing her warm, soft peaks against Yang Kai’s firm chest.
Yang Kai’s eyes narrowed slightly as he immediately reached out and pinched Qiu Yi Meng’s cheeks, laughing for a moment before letting her go.
“It’s alright to play around, but don’t take things seriously with me, my heart can’t handle it.” As his voice gradually drifted away, by the time Qiu Yi Meng recovered from her shock, she realized Yang Kai had already disappeared.
“Animal!” Qiu Yi Meng cursed under her breath, reaching out and rubbing her face which was still aching.
That stinky man didn’t know how to show tenderness, he didn’t hold back at all.
After muttering to herself about how she had been wronged for a while, Qiu Yi Meng stared at the place where Yang Kai disappeared, a slight feeling of loss coming over her. It was undeniable that he was by far the best and most outstanding man she had ever met, probably the greatest one in the entire world.
Such a man was more than worthy enough of her affection, and she indeed had some good feelings for him.
But… Qiu Yi Meng didn’t dare have such thoughts about him. It was because this type of man could not be bound to her.
Compared to being with him, Qiu Yi Meng was currently more interested in seeing just how far he could go, if he could one day stand high enough to overlook all mortal beings!
Maybe on that day, she could truly abandon everything and follow him, but definitely not now!
Xia Ning Chang’s door was closed and the veiled girl sat at her table with her head resting on her hands as she watched the lights gently flicker, her mood also experiencing similar undulations.
Yang Kai’s words during the day were still ringing in her ears. Every time she thought of them, Xia Ning Chang’s heart filled with sweetness and her delicate face would show a innocent happy smile, although no one was there to see it.
Yang Kai had never professed such words so plainly to her before.
Thinking about just what these simple words implied, Xia Ning Chang’s cheeks grew even redder, causing her to unconsciously cover her face as if she were embarrassed to be seen right now.
The time she had spent together with her Junior Brother in High Heaven Pavilion were the happiest days of her life, unfortunately they had not lasted long.
Suddenly, her door was opened then closed again a moment later as a person rushed into her room. Xia Ning Chang immediately woke from her dazed state and only had time to let out a small cry of panic, before she was swept up in a strong pair of arms and carried to her bed.
The True Qi and Divine Sense she had quickly gathered to defend herself were dispersed in the next instant. Although it was a little dark and she hadn’t clearly seen who the intruder was, upon catching a whiff of that familiar scent, Xia Ning Chang immediately knew who had come to visit her.
In the dim flickering light, Xia Ning Chang sat on Yang Kai’s lap and nestled herself in his arms, shyly stealing glances at her Junior Brother before quickly averting her gaze.
Her delicate earlobes immediately became bright red, making her seem all the more adorable.
Yang Kai stared at her with an affectionate smile, seemingly wanting to sear her image into his mind.
The pair remained this way for quite some time, the world around them seemingly completely silent.
This simple act of contact had already swept away all the loneliness and longing they had for one another, only leaving behind a sense of innocent happiness.
Xia Ning Chang had never felt so satisfied in her entire life. Although in the past, when Yang Kai looked at her, she had felt his affection, it had never been as straightforward as it was now.
[In his heart, there’s still a place for me…]
The young girl secretly thought to herself, a joyful smile blossoming on her tender face as she shrank her petite body further into Yang Kai’s arms.
At that moment, an invisible Divine Sense suddenly engulfed the pair and a Spiritual Energy pulse carrying a message was directly transmitted to Yang Kai’s mind.
“Smelly brat! This old master is next door! Don’t force me to butcher you right now!”
Upon receiving this message, Yang Kai smiled and sent a thread of his own Divine Sense into the next room, “Treasurer Meng, peeping on your own treasured apprentice isn’t something a respectable Senior should do. You should have some self-respect!”
When this message was passed, Yang Kai could clearly feel that the Divine Sense which belonged to Meng Wu Ya shook greatly for a moment, seemingly unable to remain calm. At that moment, a burst of strange mutterings rang out from next door.
“Master, what happened?” Xia Ning Chang quickly asked.
“Don’t worry, he’s probably just having a bad dream.”
Xia Ning Chang smiled helplessly, apparently aware that Yang Kai was spouting nonsense.
With Yang Kai all but exposing him, Meng Wu Ya didn’t bother trying to conceal himself anymore, instead just blatantly calling out, “Brat, when you’re done come over and see me. I have some things to ask you.”
“Good, I also have something to discuss with you.” Yang Kai nodded gently.
With that said, Meng Wu Ya’s Divine Sense slowly withdrew and no longer surveyed the pair.
Inside the room, Yang Kai and Xia Ning Chang both looked at each other and broke into smiles. They could finally feel at ease. Although both of them knew that Meng Wu Ya had no ill intent, being stared at so closely by such a powerful master’s Divine Sense was always a bit uncomfortable.
Holding his Little Senior Sister in his arms, Yang Kai took no uncouth actions, just enjoying this warm moment they were sharing.
Xia Ning Chang was soft, so much so that it seemed like there was not a bone in her body, and the gentle scent which lingered about her was clean and refreshing.
“Little Senior Sister is amazing, you’ve already reached the Immortal Ascension First Stage.” Yang Kai couldn’t help but sigh. When he had left Hidden Cloud Peak last time, Xia Ning Chang had been a True Element Boundary Seventh Stage cultivator, but now she had already broken through to the Immortal Ascension Boundary. Such cultivation pace was not lower than his own.
“It’s all thanks to Junior Brother. What exactly was that liquid you left me? After I began taking a drop of it each day, my cultivation speed became much faster than before. All this time I have been discussing Alchemy with Grandmaster Xiao and studying the two Spirit Arrays you gave us rather than focusing on cultivating.”
Yang Kai couldn’t help revealing a look of surprise.
If Xia Ning Chang had enhanced her cultivation to such an extent so quickly without actually trying to, what realm would she have achieved if she were to?
This Little Senior Sister of his really emphasized how Heaven defying her unique physique was.
“That thing is called Myriad Drug Liquid, it can help cleanse one’s body and improve their physique. Do you need more? I still have lots.”
Xia Ning Chang nodded, “I still have some. I only take one drop a day, master also tried taking it but it seems to be useless in solving his injury.”
“Is Treasurer Meng injured?” Yang Kai was shocked. “How was he hurt?”
Little Senior Sister scratched her cheek, her brow wrinkling slightly as she whispered, “I don’t know. Master never told me the whole story. I only know that he was hurt and needs me cultivate assiduously in order to help him.”
Yang Kai’s expression became solemn.
A powerful master like Meng Wu Ya was actually injured. Yang Kai had witnessed first-hand his terrible strength. In terms of combat ability, he was far stronger than an average Immortal Ascension Boundary master, and perhaps only those at the Above Immortal Ascension Boundary could defeat him.
Also, from his appearance, where was there any sign of injury? Maybe it was some old injury that had never healed properly?
But if it was just some kind of dark injury, the Myriad Drug Milk should work! Yang Kai’s thoughts turned and quickly decided that the next time he saw Meng Wu Ya he would ask.
Treasurer Meng had made no effort to hide his disapproval of Yang Kai being close to Xia Ning Chang, but that was simply a result of him caring for his treasured apprentice. In fact, Treasurer Meng had also taken great care of him, especially during his early time in High Heaven Pavilion; this was something that Yang Kai hadn’t forgotten.
“Junior Brother, have you heard any news about Su Yan?” Xia Ning Chang suddenly asked.
Yang Kai’s face couldn’t help sinking slightly as he shook his head, “I’ve sent out people to inquire but I’ve yet to hear back from them. I still don’t even know where she and the others from High Heaven Pavilion have gone.”
“Don’t worry, I’m sure she’ll be safe.” Xia Ning Chang whispered softly, stretching out her small hand and boldly stroking Yang Kai’s hair to comfort him. “If she hears you are here, she will definitely come to find you.”
“I hope so.” Yang Kai took a deep breath and calmed down, casually changing the subject, “What was that artifact that Little Senior Sister used during earlier today? It actually forced so many Immortal Ascension Boundary masters back.”
Xia Ning Chang smiled and turned her finger slightly, summoning out the star shaped ring that had appeared during the day once more, “This is something master gave me after I broke through to the Immortal Ascension Boundary, the Gathering Star Ring. According to master, it’s a Mysterious Grade Mid -Rank artifact which can store three of Master’s Martial Skill strikes, I only need to stimulate it with a little of my True Qi and Divine Sense in order to activate it.”
Yang Kai couldn’t help feeling shocked, a trace of envy even surfacing in his eyes.
He had been wondering how Xia Ning Chang, even with her special constitution and Immortal Ascension Boundary First Stage cultivation, could display such phenomenal strength. Even if she was using a Mysterious Grade artifact, it shouldn’t have been possible.
After all, no matter how powerful the artifact, in the end it still needed the cultivator to provide True Qi and Spiritual Energy.
But after listening to her explanation just now, everything suddenly made sense.
The strike he had witnessed was exactly the same as a Meng Wu Ya’s full powered strike, how could cultivators at the Immortal Ascension Boundary Seventh or Eighth Stage possible resist?
“ Treasurer Meng’s heritage is immeasurable.” Yang Kai’s mouth twitched slightly, in his mind considering whether he should try to ‘borrow’ a few Mysterious Grade artifacts from Meng Wu Ya.
However, with Meng Wu Ya’s personality, this would be quite difficult. If he had any treasures he would always give them Xia Ning Chang, as for others, even Yang Kai, it was basically a fools dream trying to gaining any advantages from him.
“Well, enough about that,” Yang Kai quickly collected his thoughts and said, “Little Senior Sister, since you have come, you’ll certainly be busy from now on. I’ll turn over everything related to Alchemy to you; I need to improve the strength of my people as soon as possible.”
“En, if it’s about alchemy you can leave it to me,” Xia Ning Chang’s eyes curved into crescent shapes, “I worked hard to improve my Alchemy so I could help you.”
“You simply being here is a big help to me, but don’t work too hard; otherwise Treasurer Meng will never let me hear the end of it.” Yang Kai smiled and said quickly, “Little Senior Sister, relax your Knowledge Sea’s defence.”
“Hm?” Xia Ning Chang looked at Yang Kai curiously, wondering why he would suddenly make such a strange request.
“I have some things about Alchemy to teach you.”
Xia Ning Chang’s eyes suddenly lit up, “Is it something related to those two Spirit Arrays?”
Yang Kai nodded.
Xia Ning Chang immediately let go of her Soul’s defence and in the next moment she felt a huge and shocking Spiritual Energy invaded her Knowledge Sea.
This foreign Divine Sense was huge and aggressive. It seemed to have a sharp edge to it and also contained some sinister and evil attributes. Fortunately, this Divine Sense didn’t carry any malicious intent towards her but it still frightened Xia Ning Chang at first.
Inside her Knowledge Sea, Xia Ning Chang’s Divine Sense condenses into a spiritual clone and tentatively called out, “Junior Brother?”
“En.” Yang Kai also condensed into an image of himself and nodded.
“How did you…” Xia Ning Chang stared dumbfounded at this phantom which was clearly condensed of even more powerful Spiritual Energy than her own, unable to stop herself from wondering how Yang Kai could have such a powerful Divine Sense even though he was only a True Element Boundary Eighth Stage cultivator.
“Even I can’t fully explain it, but it’s not a bad thing.” Yang Kai grinned as he slowly swept his eyes around. He found that the feel of his Little Senior Sister Knowledge Sea was just like her personality, pure and innocent.
Below him was an endless sea that was formed from a myriad of Divine Sense threads. When a cultivator reached the Immortal Ascension Boundary, they would open up their Soul’s Knowledge Sea and along with the increase in their strength and Spiritual Energy, this sea would grow larger and larger while the energy contained within it would become stronger and stronger.
Yang Kai had once entered Shan Qing Luo’s Knowledge Sea; compared with Xia Ning Chang’s Knowledge Sea, there were some obvious differences.
The Beguiling Demon Queen, Shan Qing Luo’s Knowledge Sea was suffused with a fascinating temptation, but inside his Little Senior Sister’s Knowledge Sea, Yang Kai only felt a kind of harmonious tranquility.
It seemed as though Xia Ning Chang’s Knowledge Sea could purify the evil within people’s hearts.
Above this peaceful Knowledge Sea, two figures stood facing each other.
“I’m still not familiar with how to use my Divine Sense right now so I can only explain to you what I know. Take down what you can and if there is something you don’t understand, don’t hesitate to ask.” Yang Kai sighed helplessly.
When it came to utilizing his Divine Sense, Yang Kai only knew how to use his Soul Skills. If he were more skilled at handling it, he could copy the knowledge in his mind and form a package with his Divine Sense before directly delivering it to his Little Senior Sister, there would be no need to go through the trouble of explaining things.
Xia Ning Chang nodded lightly in response.
And so, Yang Kai began speaking to Xia Ning Chang about the True Alchemic Way.
To this day, Yang Kai had still only extracted a very small part of the knowledge contained in the True Alchemic Way, but this small part still included a variety of magical Spirit Arrays and the experiences of many Alchemy Grandmasters.
These things were worthless to the average person and even to ordinary Alchemists as they were too profound and mysterious. But for an Alchemist of Xia Ning Chang’s talent, they were simply peerless treasures.
With this knowledge, Yang Kai believed that his Little Senior Sister could achieve even greater results in her Alchemy with far less effort, even comprehensively increasing her skills a few times over.
As time passed and the sun and moon rose and set inside this tranquil Knowledge Sea, two illusory figures stood face to face, one person lecturing, one person listening. The atmosphere was peaceful but serious.
Xia Ning Chang’s comprehension ability was extraordinary. There were many pieces of information Yang Kai had obtained from The True Alchemic Way that he still didn’t understand, but after explaining it to Xia Ning Chang and discussing with her, he too gained a lot of benefits.
Gradually, the scene changed from one person imparting knowledge to another to two people expressing their opinions and exploring the mysteries of the True Alchemic Way.
Yang Kai slowly opened his eyes and stretched his numb body before looking down at his Little Senior Sister still wrapped in his arms. The two had maintained the same position all this time.
His Little Senior Sister’s mind was still immersed in her Knowledge Sea, digesting the Alchemy information Yang Kai had taught her.
Regarding the True Alchemic Way, Yang Kai had already told Xia Ning Chang everything he had managed to glean from the knowledge which was planted in his mind. If he wanted to teach her the rest, it would have to wait.
Staring fondly at the delicate veiled girl, Yang Kai leaned over and kissed her forehead gently before lightly placing her on her bed and standing up.
Opening the door as he rubbed his forehead, Yang Kai felt a burst of exhaustion.
Discussing the True Alchemic Way with Xia Ning Chang and lingering so long in her Knowledge Sea had consumed a massive amount of his Spiritual Energy.
Standing outside the door was a young, sweet looking maid who, upon seeing Yang Kai exit, rushed over with small steps while deftly holding a tray with a big steaming bowl on it.
“Young Master, you’ve finally come out.” The maidservant looked straight at him and said with a smile.
“Why are you here?” Yang Kai asked with a slightly furrowed brow.
“This is something Young Lady Qiu instructed this servant to do. She said that in order to restore your strength you’d need something hot to eat.”
Yang Kai couldn’t help but wonder why Qiu Yi Meng would suddenly act so considerately, hesitantly asking, “What is it?”
The girl’s face suddenly blushed faintly as she quietly whispered, “I don’t know exactly, Young Lady Qiu just said that it is good for one’s vitality and vigour…”
Yang Kai expression immediately became strained, Qiu Yi Meng doing this… What exactly did she want to say?
“Hehe, Young Master, please enjoy this slowly, I’ve reheated it for you several times.” The maid said, swiftly handing the tray over, which Yang Kai instinctively held, and before he could respond or say anything, the maid had already disappeared.
Looking at the vigour restoring soup in his hands, Yang Kai’s expression was complicated.
Suddenly, the door next door was flung open and a gloomy Meng Wu Ya came out and glared gloomily at Yang Kai with dissatisfaction.
Yang Kai grinned at him and drank the bowl of soup before casually greeting, “Treasurer Meng.”
Meng Wu Ya nodded gruffly before ushering him into his room.
After the two of them entered and sat down, Meng Wu Ya stared at Yang Kai for a while with questioning eyes, “Can you already use your Divine Sense? Or are you relying on some kind of artifact?”
The Divine Sense message Yang Kai had sent him prompted Treasurer Meng to notice some peculiarities, so this was naturally the first thing he asked about.
“It was indeed my own Divine Sense.” Yang Kai admitted frankly, he wanted to ask Meng Wu Ya for something related to this topic so he didn’t plan on hiding such basic information.
“How can that be?” Even someone as strong and experienced as Treasurer Meng couldn’t help looking shocked. Although he had speculated that Yang Kai may really have cultivated out his Divine Sense, when Yang Kai really admitted it, he still couldn’t believe it, “Little brat, can you tell me honestly what happened?”
“I don’t know exactly.” Yang Kai grinned sheepishly, “I encountered some opportunities and it somehow resulted in my being able to cultivate my Divine Sense.”
Meng Wu Ya couldn’t help narrowing his eyes at Yang Kai’s reluctance to reveal the details of his experience to him, but he didn’t press the issue. Everyone had their own secrets after all.
“However, your Divine Sense is a bit strange.”
“Strange how?” Yang Kai hurriedly asked.
“It’s too strong!” Meng Wu Ya said seriously, furrowing his brow as he continued, “It shouldn’t be so powerful. The intensity of your Divine Sense is already comparable to a Peak Immortal Ascension Boundary master, yet you’re still just a True Element Eighth Stage cultivator. If you were to break through to the Immortal Ascension Boundary, just how powerful will it become?”
“Regarding this, I wanted to consult you with Treasurer Meng about something,” Yang Kai also frowned, “Although I have use of my Divine Sense, I don’t have a Knowledge Sea.”
Hearing this, Meng Wu Ya couldn’t help but sneer, “Stupid brat, you still haven’t reached the Immortal Ascension Boundary, of course you don’t have a Knowledge Sea. Opening one’s Knowledge Sea is the defining symbol of the Immortal Ascension Boundary!”
“What about having a Divine Sense?”
Meng Wu Ya slowly shook his head, “No, breaking through to the Immortal Ascension Boundary isn’t necessarily a requirement for one to have use of their Divine Sense. According to this old master’s knowledge, there have been some rare cases like you and when they reached the Immortal Ascension Boundary, they naturally opened their Knowledge Seas.”
“There are others like me?” Yang Kai couldn’t hide his surprise. It was only because of the existence of the Soul Warming Lotus that he was able to coincidentally cultivate out his Divine Sense. What other method existed out there?
“En, though there aren’t many, this old master does know of at least one such a person.” Meng Wu Ya’s expression slowly became one of reminiscence, eventually shaking his head, “It was an incident from a long time ago, and it only lasted briefly. We cultivators start out primarily by condensing Yuan Qi in our dantian and meridians, but once we reach the Immortal Ascension Boundary, not only is it necessary to cultivate one’s True Qi, but it also becomes important to cultivate our Spiritual Energy and Divine Sense. Similar to True Qi, when one begins cultivating their Divine Sense they need a place to store it, and that place is one’s Knowledge Sea!”
“Without a Knowledge Sea to store it, even if one managed to cultivate out their Divine Sense, it would simply be like melting snow in the early spring, a brief candle in the wind, dissipating within a few days. That’s why this old master said that person’s situation was short-lived. However, your situation is very different. Your Divine Sense is extremely strong and stable, obviously you didn’t begin cultivating it a day or two ago.” Meng Wu Ya smiled and looked at Yang Kai deeply, “This old master doesn’t know what secrets you’re hiding, but I can say for sure that you’ve found some way to store your Divine Sense and not let it dissipate.”
Yang Kai nodded silently with more than a hint of admiration in his expression.
For a master at Meng Wu Ya’s level, it was indeed possible for him to deduce some truths of the matter just from what he had observed. He may not know about the existence of the Soul Warming Lotus, but his inference was absolutely not wrong.
Yang Kai indeed had a place to store his Divine Sense: the Five Coloured Soul Warming Lotus in his mind.
“Since you have use of your Divine Sense, can you use Soul Skills?” Meng Wu Ya stared at him with interest.
“Yes, but I can only use a single one.”
“One is enough. Soul Skills are like Martial Skills. Only the weak need many different methods to show off their power. Once you reach a certain height, there’s no need to stick to a particular Martial Skill or Soul Skill. One can only be considered strong when they can adapt to the situation and freely display their strength.” Meng Wu Ya’s tone was firm and decisive, giving people the impression that he had once stood at such a height. After a short pause, he chuckled and continued, “However, in your current situation, when you use your Soul Skill, do you feel that its power is lacking?”
“Precisely.” Yang Kai said solemnly. “This is also what I wanted to consult with you about!”
“Naturally it will seem somewhat weak. Your Divine Sense doesn’t reside in your Knowledge Sea but is stored somewhere else. When you try to use your Divine Sense in combat, it means that you must first mobilize it from that place and then active your Soul Skill, a process which results in a lot of waste. Fortunately, the solution is simple, all you need to do is open up your own Knowledge Sea and the problem will solve itself.”
Hearing this, Yang Kai let out a breath of relief. Although he had made a similar guess himself, but having someone confirm his theory was still a great comfort.
“Treasurer Meng, do you have a method for cultivating Spiritual Energy on hand?” Yang Kai asked with hopeful eyes. Right now, he cultivated his Divine Sense mainly by studying the True Alchemic Way, but without sufficient pills to supplement his Spiritual Energy, he still felt his progress was too slow.
If he had a set of Spiritual Energy cultivation techniques, the situation would be different, but such things were far too rare. Yang Kai knew that the Yang Family had a set, but that was not something he could get his hands on. Even the Yang Family Fourth Master wasn’t qualified to learn it.
On top of that, from what little he knew of it, this set of techniques didn’t have very strong effects.
If a cultivator wanted to supplement their Spiritual Energy, they almost always had to depend on rest or taking pills.
At this request, Meng Wu Ya scoffed, “It’s not like I don’t have such a technique, but cultivation isn’t something to be rushed, if you think there are any shortcuts then you’re sorely mista…”
“Please teach me!” Yang Kai smiled and interrupted his preaching.
Meng Wu Ya’s brow twitched as he helplessly stared at Yang Kai, eventually letting out a sigh, “Fine fine fine, even if this old master doesn’t teach you, knowing your personality, you’ll just go out and take even bigger risks.”
Saying so, Meng Wu Ya used a special method to transmit the technique to Yang Kai with his Divine Sense.
Receiving this information package, Yang Kai studied it thoroughly, his expression slowly becoming excited, “How much can this technique improve my recovery rate by?”
“Twenty percent.” Meng Wu Ya replied casually.
“So little…” Yang Kai was stunned, thinking that any technique Treasurer Meng passed him wouldn’t be too bad, but twenty percent was still a bit shabby.
Meng Wu Ya sneered, “Don’t be greedy, this Spiritual Energy cultivating technique is an ancient and priceless treasure. This old master knows that your Yang Family and all the other Eight Great Families have their own methods, but those pieces of trash are nothing compared to what this old master has just given you. Their techniques can only increase the restoration rate of one’s Spiritual Energy by ten percent!”
Yang Kai expression brightened upon hearing this. Apparently the amount of high-end information he had was too small, so he had underestimated the value of this technique.
If he remembered correctly, the Yang Family’s Spiritual Energy cultivation technique should be a Mysterious Grade Top-Rank Secret Art!
Mysterious Grade Top-Rank techniques already stood at the pinnacle of this world, yet it could still only provide a ten percent improvement. But if that were true, then this method which was twice as effective… just what grade was this technique?
Understanding all this, Yang Kai no longer dared despise this technique, turning his eyes towards Meng Wu Ya and staring curiously.
He found that the more he contacted Treasurer Meng, the more mysterious he became.
Above Mysterious Grade was Spirit Grade, then what was on top of that? Yang Kai was puzzled and wanted to ask, but after giving it some thought, he realized that he had yet to even reach the Immortal Ascension Boundary, knowing too much now would do him no good.
“If you want to study it, do it elsewhere, don’t stay in Ning Chang’s room for so long.” Meng Wu Ya ruthlessly spat.
“How long has it been?”
“Five days!”
Yang Kai was dumbstruck, when he was discussing the True Alchemic Way with his Little Senior Sister, time seemed to pass by so quickly, he didn’t even realize he had been with her for five whole days. No wonder Qiu Yi Meng had ordered the maids to provide him with something to supplement his vigour.
Staying in his Little Senior Sister’s room for five days was more than enough to make people misunderstand a lot.
However, over the past five days, something must have happened. If things had gone according as he had expected, at least one of his brothers should have been eliminated. Yang Kai leapt up and thanked Meng Wu Ya quickly before swiftly exiting his room and rushing towards the main hall.
Along the way, all the people in the house greeted Yang Kai with somewhat awkward smiles. Especially the four girls from Ten Thousand Flower Palace, each of them looked at Yang Kai with a certain unspoken criticism in their eyes.
Even Lan Chu Die smiled ambiguously towards him.
Yang Kai, however, maintained his appearance, too lazy to explain anything. In any case, the more he tried to explain the worse things would get.
“Young Lord Kai, these past few days you’ve worked hard, are you sure you don’t need to rest for a while?” Huo Xing Chen appeared from somewhere and said with a big fat grin on his face, “So, how was it?”
“What do you mean?” Yang Kai replied blankly.
“Heh heh, you don’t need to pretend with me.” Young Lord Huo said as he licked his lips, a loose smile appearing on his face, “A single man and woman sharing a room for five days straight. Don’t tell me nothing happened?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Yang Kai shook his head and pretended to be stupid.
“Forget it, I understand, but I have to say, this Young Lord really admires you now. Although I’ve encountered countless women, I’ve never gone at it for five days straight; it seems in such respects you’re better than me! One day, you must tell me your secret.” Huo Xing Chen said with full sincerity.
“Enough nonsense!” Yang Kai spat disdainfully.
“Oh, what are you talking about?” Qiu Yi Meng said as she walked over. After seeing Yang Kai, she couldn’t help letting out a bitter sigh, lightly chastising, “As one of the Young Lords who is participating in the Inheritance War, Yang Kai, I hope that you can pay attention to the overall situation. Gentle homes are the tombs of heroes, on this point you should be clearer than me.”
Yang Kai’s brow wrinkled as he shot back, “I naturally understand, no need to remind me.”
Qiu Yi Meng opened her mouth to continue but eventually swallowed the next sentence. She had already figured out Yang Kai’s temper and naturally would not blame him for refuting her here. This time, he had at least acknowledged her concerns. If she were to persist, this stinky man would likely get angry and become objectionable instead.
“Greetings Young Lord Kai!” From beside Qiu Yi Meng a delicate looking young man with handsome features suddenly called out. After offering such a polite greeting, he also stepped forward and cupped his fists formally, his performance quite modest and respectful.
“This is…” Yang Kai looked at him suspiciously, this young man who had just greeted didn’t seem familiar.
“This is Young Master Liu Fei Sheng, the Young City Lord of Tian Yuan City I mentioned to you previously.” Qiu Yi Meng explained.
Liu Fei Sheng smiled mildly and displayed a modest attitude as he said, “To be given an opportunity to serve Young Lord Kai, Tian Yuan City is extremely grateful.”
Yang Kai looked at him and nodded faintly, “Is there any relationship between you and the Central Capital’s Liu Family?”
“We don’t dare to claim so.” Liu Fei Sheng smiled wryly.
Qiu Yi Meng quickly followed up, “It’s correct to say that there isn’t much relationship between them, but they are still related. For hundreds of years the Eight Great Families have more or less interacted with innumerable external forces, and Young Lord Liu’s family should be one of the Liu Family’s branches; however, for some reason they were expelled by the Liu Family a few hundred years ago. If one was being particular, Liu Qing Yao should be his cousin.”
Liu Fei Sheng’s expression immediately became depressed as his posture slumped slightly, “My clan doesn’t dare claim kinship with the Liu Family. These past few hundred years we have been struggling hard with the ultimate goal of returning to the family. But even now, after my father had become a City Lord, we have yet to be accepted.”
Huo Xing Chen stroked his chin and nodded with a smile, “If you follow Young Lord Kai here, you’ll have a chance. If you can help him win this Inheritance War, I think the Liu Family would be willing to take you back.”
Hearing this, Liu Fei Sheng’s face couldn’t help showing a touch of excitement, cupping his fists as he said, “Then I’ll be taking advantage of Young Lord Huo’s auspicious words. My Tian Yuan City will definitely spare no effort in supporting Young Lord Kai!”
Yang Kai nodded slightly, not saying anything more on the subject, just turning to Qiu Yi Meng and asking, “Has my Eighth Brother been eliminated yet?”
Qiu Yi Meng looked back at him with admiration and giggled, “You already knew?”
“Naturally, if the people from Medicine King’s Valley hadn’t appeared, maybe my brother could continue struggling for a while longer, but the arrival of this group of Alchemists has definitely made my brothers feel a sense of crisis. At this time, if they don’t achieve some victories, I’m afraid that no one would dare support them openly.”
“En, it’s as you said, Yang Quan is out.”
“When did it happen?”
“The night before!”
Qiu Yi Meng proceeded to explain the details.
The emergence of more than thirty Alchemists from Medicine King’s Valley really had made the other Yang Family Young Lords panic. They urgently needed to score a victory in order to boost their reputations. On the other hand, they also wanted to curb the propaganda these Medicine King’s Valley people would bring to Yang Kai.
The night before, Yang Zhao, Yang Kang, Yang Shen, and Yang Ying all invariably pointed their attention to Yang Quan.
Yang Quan only had one Immortal Ascension Boundary Eighth Stage Blood Warrior protecting him; in addition, Yang Quan’s mother’s family, his only real ally, was just a second-class force.
In such an absolute inferior position, obviously he couldn’t endure.
After the fight, Yang Zhao obtained the flag while Yang Shen managed to capture Yang Quan. So now, two of the Yang Family Young Lords had been eliminated from the Inheritance War.
“The fight that night was quite interesting,” Qiu Yi Meng grinned, “It wasn’t so much about your brothers attacking Yang Quan as it was about them fighting each other. All of your Eighth Brother’s defenses were swept away in the first wave of attacks with the exception of the Blood Warrior who was protecting Yang Quan himself. Everyone else had basically lost any ability to resist, the situation could almost be described as a rout.”
“After that, your four brothers divided into two camps to attack one another and all of them suffered some losses. Yang Zhao and Yang Kang are blood related brothers while Yang Shen and Yang Ying are also blood related, needless to say they divided along family lines.” Pausing here, Qiu Yi Meng stared at Yang Kai meaningfully before continuing, “However, can you guess who benefited the most from this battle?”
Huo Xing Chen also had a sly grin on his face as he waited for Yang Kai’s reply, it seemed like he thought there was no way he could answer this to this question correctly.
To his disappointment though, Yang Kai simply sneered and casually replied, “My Second Brother harvested the flag while my Sixth Brother grabbed the person, but these gains can only be equal to the losses they suffered in the battle. What they really harvested was only the prestige brought about by gaining a victory. If you want to know who actually gained the most, besides me… who else could it be?”
The sly smiles on Qiu Yi Meng and Huo Xing Chen’s faces gradually converged as they stared at Yang Kai in shock and awe, obviously he had long ago been aware of what had transpired.
Liu Fei Sheng who was standing nearby was also shocked, suddenly feeling a bit of fear in his heart. Although he had already done his best to overestimate Yang Kai’s abilities, it seemed reality had still exceeded his expectations.
“Did you already know?” Qiu Yi Meng asked hesitantly, “How did you know?”
“You tell me.” Yang Kai smiled slightly.
Qiu Yi Meng suddenly understood, remembering back to a few days ago when Yang Kai had rejected her suggestion to attack Yang Quan. He had certainly said he had another reason for his decision other than not wanting to stand out. At the time, he didn’t want to say because it would make him sound too arrogant and simply told them that after a few days they would understand.
It turns out that even back then he had already predicted this outcome.
“If I didn’t know that you had stayed inside the house for five days, I would swear someone had told you this in advance.” Qiu Yi Meng took a deep breath and smiled bitterly, “You… you really make people exhausted. You’re right, the one with the biggest gains from this incident is still you. Although you didn’t get the flag, didn’t get the person, and even though you didn’t even participate in the battle, you still gained a Blood Warrior!”
“The Blood Warrior who was protecting Yang Quan came here to offer his services immediately after Yang Quan’s exit!” Qiu Yi Meng quickly said, “The strength of this Blood Warrior is not worse than Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian.”
“Are they injured? Where is he now?” Yang Kai asked quickly.
The Blood Warriors were a group of incomparably loyal guardians. Yang Quan had already just been eliminated, so the Blood Warrior who was sworn to protect him couldn’t possibly be uninjured. Right now, he was probably incapable of fighting at all.
“He has severe injuries and is currently recuperating. There’s no way for him to display his full power within a month or two, but with your magical means of curing people that shouldn’t matter, right?” Qiu Yi Meng snorted, although she didn’t know just what kind of precious elixir Yang Kai had given Qu Gao Yi and Ying Jiu, it was still a fact that it had allowed them to fully recover in only one day.
Even after Qu Gao Yi was seriously injured on the first night of the Inheritance War, the next day he had once again emerged from his room as strong and lively as a dragon.
The only thing that confused her was even if Yang Kai had such miraculous recovery medicines, shouldn’t they be extremely precious? How could he seemingly use them so unscrupulously?
“Good, I’ll go see him now.” Yang Kai nodded gently.
“Can you tell me why?”
“Why what?”
“Why that Blood Warrior didn’t choose to serve your brothers but instead came straight to you? Why you judged ten days ago that after Yang Quan lost, that Blood Warrior would offer his services only to you? It’s impossible there’s no reason at all, so why?” Qiu Yi Meng asked one question after another; obviously she had many doubts in her heart.
The events that had transpired between Yang Kai and the Blood Warrior Hall had only spread amongst the leadership of the Yang Family and the various Young Lords. Outsiders, including Qiu Yi Meng, were certainly not aware of the situation.
How could she have known that because Yang Kai had taken the great risk of choosing to use the heavily wounded Qu Gao Yi and Ying Jiu, he had gained the respect of the entire Blood Warrior Hall?
Every member of the Blood Warrior Hall placed loyalty and respect above all else, so after the Young Lords they followed were eliminated, who else would they choose to serve other than Yang Kai?
“No comment,” Yang Kai grinned, “But I can tell you that from now on, all the Blood Warriors who are released from their charge will come to me.”
The confidence in his tone bordered on arrogance.
Qiu Yi Meng couldn’t help imagining the scene where after the defeated Young Lords left, one Blood Warrior after another gathered in Yang Kai House, bolstering her confidence even further.
This was something that had never happened before. None of the previous generations of Yang Family children had ever garnered such reverence from the Blood Warriors.
If things really developed like Yang Kai said, it would be akin to a miracle. In time to come, with so many Blood Warriors siding with him, how could Yang Kai possibly lose? Such a situation would be no different from being invincible; any remaining enemies would only be able to pray that Yang Kai wouldn’t attack them.
“I suddenly have some sympathy for your brothers, this isn’t even a fair fight anymore.” Qiu Yi Meng smiled wryly.
“The Inheritance War was never fair! If this was a fair competition, how could Yang Tie and Yang Quan be forced to exit so early?”
The Inheritance War was not just about personal strength, it was also a measure of a Young Lord’s contacts and heritage. During the war, some Young Lords would inevitably be able to gather less support, while others would be able to gather more.
Even when it came to the participation of the Yang Family Blood Warriors, there was no such concept as fairness.
The Inheritance War itself was governed by the law of the jungle!
“There’s one other thing you should know.” Qiu Yi Meng hesitated and frowned, some worry apparent between her brows. Clearly she was disgruntled about this topic.
“Go on.”
“It’s about those Alchemists from Medicine King’s Valley. Yang Zhao, along with several of your other brothers, have jointly protested to the Yang Family Elder Hall and requested that they cancel their right to participate, especially Qin Ze.”
“Naive!” Yang Kai’s expression remained indifferent; not concerned in the slightest.
Qiu Yi Meng grinned slightly, “Although I think that in terms of the intention of your Yang Family’s Inheritance War, your Elder Hall won’t risk offending Medicine King’s Valley to support Yang Zhao and your brothers, but we should discuss this matter. If you were a member of your family’s Elder Hall, would you accept your brother’s petition?”
“Impossible,” Yang Kai shook his head decisively, “The Inheritance War is a test of one’s connections. My being able to forge a good relationship with Medicine King’s Valley is something the Elder Hall would deeply desire, how could they interfere?”
“What you say makes sense, but given Yang Zhao’s personality, he shouldn’t have made such a fuss if he knew it would only be in vain, he definitely has other intentions. In any case, you should pay some attention to this matter.”
“Other intentions…” Yang Kai wrinkled his brow and pondered for a moment before nodding slightly.
“Good. Those are the only major events you missed these past few days. The only other issue is that Qin Ze and his people have been clamoring for Alchemy materials, so…”
“Is the Pill Room ready?”
“It has already been set up and all the required equipment for Alchemy has been placed inside, but those Alchemists from Medicine King’s Valley all have their own pill stoves so those tools probably won’t be used.”
Yang Kai nodded in approval, “Good, then I’ll deliver the materials to them myself, you can see to your own tasks.”
Qiu Yi Meng smiled before walking off. Liu Fei Sheng also cupped his fists before quickly following after Qiu Yi Meng.
“Young Lord Kai, that Tian Yuan City Young City Lord seems to have some intentions towards Qiu Yi Meng. Since coming here, he has done nothing but follow her around,” Huo Xing Chen grinned meaningfully. “Do you have any thoughts on this matter?”
“If any random Young Lord could conquer her, she wouldn’t be Qiu Yi Meng.” Yang Kai shook his head faintly, “Why do you mention this?”
“I don’t know why, but for some reason I don’t like that Liu Fei Sheng!” Huo Xing Chen spat disdainfully, “That little brat is more handsome than this Young Lord! There’s simply no justice in this world! Well, whatever. I’m going to go cultivate now so don’t let me bother you.”
Listening to these words, Yang Kai glanced at Huo Xing Chen’s receding back blankly, wondering when this dandy Young Lord had suddenly become so diligent.
Yang Kai thought that during his time here, Huo Xing Chen had probably begun to feel a sense of pressure. The people who had come to support him were all leaders of the younger generation of their respective forces, and all of their aptitudes were excellent. Huo Xing Chen, as the sole heir to one of the Eight Great Families, definitely wasn’t willing to appear worse than these others and it was precisely because of this reason that he had reigned in his previous debauchery.
Walking over to the Pill Room, Yang Kai went inside and took out all the Alchemy materials he had stored up so far.
When Qin Ze and the other Alchemists saw this pile of Alchemy materials, all of them smiled happily and rolled up their sleeves.
“Senior Brother Qin, I’ll have to entrust this hard work to you.”
“Nonsense,” Qin Ze smiled, “Being able to study the Alchemic Way from Master Aunt Xia, how could it possibly be hard?”
Xia Ning Chang was now a top level Alchemist comparable to Xiao Fu Sheng himself. Qin Ze and his fellow disciples almost never had the chance to speak with Xiao Fu Sheng much less watch him perform Alchemy. Now that they were given an opportunity to work with Xia Ning Chang, no matter how many pills they were asked to refine they would only be excited and anxious to do so.
“Little Senior Sister will need a day or two to of meditation to study some new knowledge she has just recently acquired. So for now, you should just familiarize yourselves with this place.” Yang Kai said with a slightly strange expression. The names they referred to each other by were all messed up; Qin Ze called Xia Ning Chang Master Aunt while Yang Kai called Qin Ze Senior Brother. The generational confusion was quite serious.
“Junior Brother Yang doesn’t need to concern himself with us, just go about your own business.” Qin Ze said carelessly, turning around and joining the rest of the Medicine King’s Valley Alchemists as they began examining the pile of Alchemy materials.
After that, no one paid any attention to Yang Kai.
With a helpless chuckle, Yang Kai simply turned around and left.
Just as Yang Kai predicted, Xia Ning Chang really exited her room two days later after she had completely digested the information he had taught her from the True Alchemic Way and was eager to put what she had learned into practice.
Inside the mansion, countless pairs of eyes monitored the movements from the Pill Room. In Yang Kai’s compound, besides the group from Medicine King’s Valley, there were a total of eleven forces gathered. These people had all come to support Yang Kai in the Inheritance War, so Yang Kai naturally had a responsibility and obligation to provide them with supplies and arms to enhance their strength in order to cope with the increasingly fierce battles to come.
Now that the Pill Room was up and running, auxiliary pills to help them cultivate would definitely become available; therefore, everyone, regardless of which force they belonged to, was looking forward to what kind of pills would come out in the first batch, what use they would have, and how many each of them could receive.
The atmosphere in Yang Kai’s house was calm, and all of War City was calm. After two Yang Family Young Lords were swiftly eliminated, the Inheritance War seemed to have entered a lull period.
Every Young Lord was actively recruiting more support and Alchemists and Artifact Refiners were constantly in short supply. There were also fewer and fewer materials circulating throughout the Great Han Dynasty and what was available was becoming more and more expensive, this situation had even spread to the Central Capital.
Pang Chi and Mu Nan Dou of the Bamboo Knot Gang had also gathered a lot of materials during this time and had managed to quietly smuggle them over to Yang Kai’s compound in the dark of night undetected.
However, such good luck would only occur once. The next time they entered War City, they would very likely be intercepted.
Yang Kai had also exchanged Yang Tie’s flag for a large amount of supplies from the main family and placed all of them into the Pill Room.
Even with things proceeding so smoothly though, Yang Kai was still anxious. Another group of people who he thought would be of great help to him had, until now, still not shown up, so he couldn’t help worrying that something had come up to either delay or stop them.
Finally, half a month later, the first batch of pills from the Pill Room was finished!
The various representatives from the different gathered forces assembled in the main hall, all of them looking forward to Yang Kai’s announcement.
With the exception of the Duan Mu Family, everyone else in the room was either a handsome young man or a beautiful young woman, creating a somewhat dazzling picture.
This was a stage for young people!
“Young Lord Kai, does my Huo Family have a share this time?” Huo Xing Chen asked with a chuckle, “If there isn’t enough, then you can let others use them first, my Huo Family people aren’t in a hurry to receive pills!”
“Are you sure you’re alright with that?” Qiu Yi Meng looked at Huo Xing Chen and smiled meaningfully.
“Why wouldn’t I be?” Huo Xing Chen said casually. “Qiu Yi Meng, you shouldn’t look down on this Huo Xing Chen. My Huo Family is also one of the Eight Great Families, what pill can I not obtain? I just can’t get things as easily from my Father right now is all.”
“My Dong Family is willing to stand by this round if need be as well, everyone else has come from afar, you can give priority to them.” Dong Qing Han also said graciously. He and Huo Xing Chen both figured that with only half a month having passed since the Pill Room had begun operating, even if these Alchemists were from Medicine King’s Valley and the supply of materials was sufficient, there probably weren’t many finished pills, at least there certainly wouldn’t be enough for so many people.
The Dong Family was Yang Kai’s mother’s family. Yang Kai wouldn’t neglect them no matter what, so drinking this round of fresh soup didn’t matter so much.
As soon as Dong Qing Han spoke, a chorus of other humble declarations rang out. All the young leaders clamoured to say they were willing to give priority to others.
Such a harmonious atmosphere spontaneously appearing brought a warm smile to Qiu Yi Meng’s face.
After so many days getting along with each other, she had deeply understood that these young leaders gathered in Yang Kai’s House weren’t like typical Young Lords and Young Ladies from great forces. They all did their best to cooperate and get along with each other, and even if there was some occasional friction between their juniors, they would voluntarily step forward to mediate the situation; obviously, they wanted to minimize Yang Kai’s troubles.
These small details were enough to illustrate just how much weight Yang Kai held with these people! If they didn’t have heartfelt respect for Yang Kai, given all of their individual statuses, they would never have acted to modestly.
All of this was because Yang Kai was here.
“Everyone, settle down.” Qiu Yi Meng smiled and said, “Do you think that if there wasn’t enough for everyone, Yang Kai would ask all of you to gather? It is precisely because everyone has a share that we’ll be distributing pills today.”
When they heard this, everyone couldn’t help showing looks of wonder.
Xiang Tian Xiao nodded slightly, commenting, “Sure enough, Alchemists from Medicine King’s Valley are different, their Alchemy’s speed is extraordinary.”
Zuo Fang laughed loudly, “Even this Zuo is able to use the pills refined by Medicine King’s Valley’s disciples, this really is a great blessing bestowed by Brother Yang.”
The entire hall smiled and suddenly felt that it was a very wise choice to come support Yang Kai. No matter what else happened, as long as there was a steady supply of such pills from now on, all of their strengths would steadily improve.
Yang Kai grinned wryly but didn’t say anything.
This first batch of pills didn’t come from the hands of Medicine King’s Valley, but was entirely refined by Xia Ning Chang. The Medicine King’s Valley Alchemists were still studying the Alchemic Way from Xia Ning Chang and he estimated that it would still be a few days before they really started refining pills.
It wasn’t that their Alchemy aptitudes wasn’t good, it was just that the height Xia Ning Chang was too high. Even if they were learning directly from her, it would still take them a considerable amount of time and experience to comprehend her methods.
“Qiu Yi Meng, distribute the pills.” Yang Kai authoritatively said.
With a clap of her hands, Qiu Yi Meng summoned a group of people from her Autumn Rain Hall in. Each of these people was carrying a small tray with two bottles of pills on them.
“Two bottles per force. So many?” Huo Xing Chen stared at these bottles in surprise, he had thought that in such a short period of time, if each force could have a single bottle, it would already be good, but the result was actually twice as high as he expected.
However… with such a large number of pills, it probably meant that the grade of each one wasn’t high.
[Right, these should be Heaven Grade pills.] Young Lord Huo secretly speculated.
After everyone received their two bottles of pills, they smiled even more happily. Although they all thought these were Heaven Grade pills, they didn’t have any dissatisfaction.
Heaven Grade pills were by no means low quality, especially considering they needed to be supplied to so many people.
“These two bottles contain Consolidating Essence Pills used for cultivation,” Qiu Yi Meng smiled and added, “Mysterious Grade Low-Rank Consolidating Essence Pills!”
The lively sounds in the hall suddenly fell silent. Everyone still had a smile on their face, but everyone was now staring at Qiu Yi Meng and Yang Kai oddly, a trace of suspicion in their expressions, wondering if either they had heard wrong or Qiu Yi Meng had misspoken.
“Young Lady Qiu can actually make such a joke.” Huo Xing Chen suddenly laughed.
Everyone in the hall was surprised, thinking that even Qiu Yi Meng actually had such a side to her.
However, this joke wasn’t very funny, and no on aside from Huo Xing Chen laughed. All of them were afraid of embarrassing Qiu Yi Meng so they all decided to act modest.
Qiu Yi Meng stared out at the crowd indifferently, her beautiful pair of eyes casually sweeping over everyone’s faces, no making any attempt to refute the quiet chatter, only asking after a long silence, “Funny, right?”
Only a light, awkward cough sounded, everyone adjusting their expressions as they unconsciously straightened themselves up.
“Maybe you think I was joking, but what I said is true. These Consolidating Essence Pills are all Mysterious Grade Low-Rank. The pills are in your hands now, if you don’t believe me you can open the bottles and see for yourselves,” Qiu Yi Meng said succinctly.
“How could this be?” Huo Xing Chen obviously didn’t believe her, shaking his head as he continued, “The Consolidating Essence Pill is a Heaven Grade Top-Rank Pill. I’ve taken many before, so of that I’m certain. How could it suddenly become Mysterious Grade?”
Although Mysterious Grade Low-Rank and Heaven Grade Top-Rank were only separated by a single rank, the value of the two was far apart. Pills below Mysterious Grade were just ordinary pills, but any Mysterious Grade pill could already be called a treasure.
Every Mysterious Grade pill was not easy to obtain, not only was it difficult to collect the required materials, it would also take a lot of effort and time for even the best Alchemists to refine.
Since the Medicine King’s Valley group had arrived it had only been half a month, and all of these Alchemists had publicly made their Grade known.
If this group of Alchemists had refined this many Heaven Grade Top-Rank pills in such a short period of time it would be more than enough for everyone to admire.
However, Qiu Yi Meng just told them that these Consolidating Essence Pills were all Mysterious Grade, obviously everyone had a difficult time believing her. Forget about there not being enough Alchemists here to refine so many Mysterious Grade pills so quickly, it was impossible for Consolidating Essence Pills to be Mysterious Grade in the first place.
After saying so, Huo Xing Chen still opened one of his pill bottles and poured out a single grain. As he did so though, the scornful look on his face suddenly changed as he gazed at the pill in his palm.
The look spread across everyone’s face when they poured out their pills, cries of shock and surprise immediately bursting out.
“All of you have not low positions in your respective Sects, so you must have taken Consolidating Essence Pills before, Naturally, you can understand the quality of the pills in your hands right now.” Qiu Yi Meng smiled slightly, not saying any more.
Earlier this morning, when she saw this batch of Consolidating Essence Pills, her reaction was the same as Huo Xing Chen’s, thinking that Yang Kai was joking with her, but after verifying it with her own eyes, Qiu Yi Meng had no choice but to admit that these were indeed a batch of Mysterious Grade Low-Rank Consolidating Essence Pill!
“How is this possible?” Huo Xing Chen muttered in a dumbfounded voice. The mere existence of these Mysterious Grade Consolidating Essence Pills exceeded his realm of understanding.
Still in the midst of shock, the Huo Family’s Young Lord dumped out all the pills in this bottle and began checking them one by one, quickly discovering that this was indeed a full batch of Mysterious Grade pills.
“How could this be?” Huo Xing Chen muttered for the third time, a great sense of confusion washing over him as he began to question if he was still asleep and currently dreaming.
“Ah! Look! This pill has a pattern of lines above it like meridians!” Someone suddenly screamed, as if they had just discovered something extraordinary.
“Pill Veins!”
“Heavens! I also have a few pills with Pill Veins!”
“Me too! There are four of them! Hahaha… I’d only heard of rumors about Pills having Pill Veins; I never dreamed I would one day actually see one!”
On top of that, these Pill Veins had appeared on Mysterious Grade pills, and there wasn’t just one or two in the entire batch, between twenty and thirty percent of all the pills had Pill Veins.
Everyone was shocked, their faces still showing signs of disbelief but that did nothing to diminish their obvious excitement.
When an Alchemist refined a pill, if their skill was high enough, there was a chance that when the pill formed lines like human meridians would appear, these were Pill Veins.
Once a pill with Pill Veins appeared, its value would immediately double! Because of the existence of these Pill Veins, the effect of such a pill would be much stronger than an equivalent pill without such meridians, and no matter how long it was placed in storage, its potency would never fade. Even if a great amount of time passed, the Pill Veins would actively absorb World Energy in order to nourish and maintain the pill’s efficacy.
Above Pill Veins there was also the Pill Cloud! This was when a wispy cloud appeared atop a successfully refined pill and it was said that its effects were even stronger than Pill Veins.
However, all of this was the stuff of rumours and legends. Although the people gathered here didn’t have low status, even they could rarely witness pills with Pill Veins. It wasn’t that their respective Sects lacked money to purchase such pills, but that ordinary Alchemists rarely, if ever, managed to refine these things.
Even Alchemy obsessed Alchemists would only occasionally refine a pill with Pill Veins, and even then it was just a chance coincidence.
Also, the higher the grade of pill, the smaller the chance that Pill Veins would appear!
The appearance of Pill Veins was a symbol of a top level Alchemist, it was synonymous with the very best pills!
But now, at least twenty percent of the Mysterious Grade pills in everyone’s hands had Pill Veins! This ratio was nothing short of terrifying.
These Pill Vein pills were more astonishing than any treasure.
Everyone in the hall couldn’t help shouting and laughing joyfully.
The Tian Yuan City Young City Lord Liu Fei Sheng was even more excited. Holding the two bottles of Mysterious Grade pills in his hand, his face flushed and his breath became hot.
In his heart, he secretly thought to himself that coming here to support Young Lord Kai was the best decision he had ever made. Even before any big fights had erupted, each force here had been granted two bottles of Mysterious Grade pills. Over the course of the long campaign to come, what need was there to worry about not receiving such benefits?
Even the four girls from Ten Thousand Flower Palace were giggling happily at this moment, only Han Xiao Qi managed to contain herself slightly. Although she too was excited, she still maintained the proper poise of a Big Senior Sister, but this didn’t stop her from glancing towards Yang Kai and smiling gratefully.
As for Ye Han, her personality was lively to begin with. As she checked each individual pill, every time she came across one with Pill Veins she would call out loudly, leading her Senior Sisters to secretly scold her about showing proper etiquette.
“Senior Qin is too amazing. Medicine King’s Valley is simply on a different level!” After recovering slightly from his initial excitement, Chu Jing Shan of Soaring Feather Pavilion couldn’t help praising lavishly.
“Indeed, Senior Qin having such skill now, I’m afraid he can already stand shoulder to shoulder with Grandmaster Xiao!” Feng Qian Hen of Water Moon Hall added on.
Huo Xing Chen on the other hand had his brow furrowed, carefully grasping the bottle of Mysterious Grade Pills in his hand as he stared straight towards Yang Kai.
Different from those who came from first-class forces, Huo Xing Chen wasn’t as uninformed, the things that he had encountered and seen before were undoubtedly of a higher level than them. The Huo Family also had a Mysterious Grade Alchemist, more than one in fact, but according to what Huo Xing Chen knew, even those Alchemists couldn’t refine so many Mysterious Grade pills in such a short period of time. As for refining this many pills with Pill Veins, even if they were given another ten years they wouldn’t be able to accomplish such a feat!
Even if Qin Ze was the Young Valley Lord of Medicine King’s Valley, he was still only a recently promoted Mysterious Grade Low-Rank Alchemist, could he really be the source of these pills?
As Qiu Yi Meng’s gaze swept over the hall, her eyes met with Huo Xing Chen’s and the two young youths from super families shared a glance, each noticing the doubts in the other’s eyes.
This whole thing was extremely strange.
But in the end, having obtained these Mysterious Grade pills, naturally everyone was in a hurry to cultivate. With such a batch of pills available, improving their strength would only be a matter of time.
Everyone in the hall quickly offered some words of thanks before saying goodbye and returning to their own courtyard to enter retreat. Even Huo Xing Chen couldn’t wait to go back and try the effects of these pills.
After everyone else had left, Qiu Yi Meng looked at Yang Kai with a meaningful smile and asked, “So, would you like to tell me, who refined these pills?”
“Don’t bother asking, I won’t tell you.” Yang Kai faintly shook his head. This matter was related to his Little Senior Sister, Yang Kai obviously wouldn’t tell anyone.
Moreover, with the exception of the Medicine King’s Valley Alchemists and Yang Kai, everyone else was strictly forbidden from entering the Pill Room. Even Qiu Yi Meng didn’t dare enter this place lest she disturb the Alchemists inside, so she really wasn’t clear about the source of this batch of pills.
Rolling her eyes though, Qiu Yi Meng muttered, “Even if you don’t tell me, I know. These pills were refined by your Little Senior Sister weren’t they?”
The Qiu Family’s First Young Lady was extremely intelligent and observant. She had quickly judged that Qin Ze didn’t possess such great skill and in addition to Yang Kai and the Medicine King’s Valley disciples, only Xia Ning Chang had gone in and out of the Pill Room. Given this many clues, it was easy for her to infer some things.
“Don’t speak irresponsibly, be careful I don’t kill you to silence the witness.” Yang Kai glanced at her, his gaze filled with a meaning of warning.
Qiu Yi Meng’s beautiful face paled slightly, filling with a stunned expression. Just now, she had only made a wild guess, but given Yang Kai’s intense reaction, this batch of pill really seemed to have stemmed from his Little Senior Sister!
Not concerning herself with Yang Kai’s warning, Qiu Yi Meng’s look became dignified, realizing now that Xia Ning Chang was far more than just Yang Kai’s woman.
But with the exception of her veil which caused people to take notice of her, there didn’t seem to be anything especially noteworthy about this young woman. Although her strength was quite high for her age, at least Immortal Ascension Boundary First Stage, could she really have refined all of these pills herself?
Shaking her head as a wry smile appeared on her face, Qiu Yi Meng immediately dismissed this inconceivable notion.
By the time she came to her senses and looked around, Yang Kai had already disappeared.
“One day, one day I’ll dig up all your secrets!” Qiu Yi Meng muttered, secretly feeling some slight concern.
Yang Kai’s various mysteries had already made her pay special attention to him, and now even the woman around him seemed to hide some incredible secrets. Naturally, this piqued Qiu Yi Meng’s curiosity.
Meanwhile, Yang Kai strolled over to his Little Senior Sister’s room. Over this past half month, Xia Ning Chang had almost constantly been performing Alchemy and hadn’t had much rest, let alone had time to speak with him.
Opening the door and stepping inside, Yang Kai’s expression suddenly turned strange.
Inside there was not only Xia Ning Chang, but also Lan Chu Die. The two young women seemed to be chatting about something, gentle smiles upon their faces.
After noticing Yang Kai come in, two pairs of eyes immediately glanced over at him.
“Two Senior Sisters seem to be in a good mood. What are you talking about?” Yang Kai didn’t stand on ceremony and simply walked in.
Xia Ning Chang and Lan Chu Die exchanged a glance before grinning.
“Womanly affairs, there’s no need for you to know.” Lan Chu Die glanced at Yang Kai and said.
“There’s no outsiders here, let’s hear it.” Yang Kai replied with a laugh.
Hearing him say so, Lan Chu Die suddenly felt a little happy in her heart.
As Yang Kai spoke, he walked over to where Xia Ning Chang was sitting, gently picked her up and, ignoring the exclamation of his Little Senior Sister, sat her down on his lap before turning to Lan Chu Die and waiting for her to answer.
“Junior Brother…” Xia Ning Chang whimpered as she fidgeted uneasily, but wrapped strongly in Yang Kai’s arms, there was simply no way for her to flee. In a flash, her face had become bright red and her delicate eyelashes were fluttering violently, burying her head in her chest, not daring to meet anyone’s eyes.
“No need to be nervous, I just said, no one here is an outsider.” Yang Kai smiled, his face showing a roguish expression.
The delight on Lan Chu Die’s face quickly faded as she squeezed out an awkward smile, “It seems that I best no disturb you two any more than this.”
With that said, she immediately got up and left.
Xia Ning Chang also made another attempt to get up but Yang Kai gently tickled her, causing her to squirm slightly and give up any idea of escaping. Yang Kai had targeted her delicate waist which was a naturally sensitive place for her.
The reason he had acted so in front of Lan Chu Die was to let her leave. Time was precious, and he didn’t have much to spend with this Little Senior Sister of his, so how could he allow others to bother them?
After Lan Chu Die left, Yang Kai waved his hand and a soft wind gently shut the door.
Outside the room, Lan Chu Die’s smile was stiff and bitter. How could she not understand Yang Kai’s intention? It was because he made it so obvious that it had stung so much.
Both she and Xia Ning Chang were Yang Kai’s Senior Sisters! Both of them had had passed through the period of unfamiliar to familiar with him, but now, the difference in value between her and Xia Ning Chang in Yang Kai’s heart was as different as Heaven and Earth.
Along the road of life, often a single inadvertent choice could change ones destiny. Thinking so as she shook her head slightly, Lan Chu Die stared down at her somewhat thin clothing and suddenly felt that autumn had come and it was a bit cold.
Listening to the sounds outside the door and noticing that Lan Chu Die had left, Xia Ning Chang whispered as quietly as a mosquito, “Junior Brother, you can let go now…”
“Does it feel that uncomfortable?” Yang Kai looked into her eyes and said with a smile.
“Wu…” Xia Ning Chang gently applied, his cheeks hot.
“Do you like me?” Yang Kai’s grinned devilishly as he asked this mischievous question.
Xia Ning Chang didn’t dare to answer, holding her silence as her heart beat loudly.
“So you don’t like me,” Yang Kai sighed with a look of disappointment.
“No, no…” His Little Senior Sister suddenly panicked and waved her hands, her eyes spinning with anxiety.
Seeing her like this, Yang Kai couldn’t help but laugh.
Treasurer Meng next door tightly gripped his fists as he felt a raging fire flare up in his chest, barely able to stop himself from rushing over and beating Yang Kai so badly his own mother wouldn’t recognize him!
[Little brat! Little bastard! You dare bully this old master’s precious, innocent, adorable, treasured apprentice?! Shameless! Are you trying to enrage this old man?!]
“Junior Brother, are you teasing me?” Xia Ning Chang whimpered, her delicate cheeks visibly swelling with discontent under her veil.
Gazing at Xia Ning Chang, Yang Kai’s eyes grew soft. It seemed like all the exhaustion from this period of hard work had all been dispelled.
Xia Ning Chang was uncomfortable, but realizing she couldn’t get away, she instead turned her head and changed the subject, “Junior Brother, you don’t seem to like Senior Sister Lan.”
Yang Kai’s brow furrowed slightly and thought for a while before replying, “It’s not that I don’t like her, it’s just that I feel like I should avoid too much contact with her.”
“Why? From what I’ve seen, Senior Sister Lan seems to care quite a bit about you, even just how when she came to see me, she talked a lot about you.”
“It’s precisely because of that,” Yang Kai smiled slightly, “Let’s say, if I wasn’t a child of the Yang Family, or a former disciple of High Heaven Pavilion any longer, would that change your attitude towards me, Little Senior Sister?”
“No! No matter who you become, you’ll always be my Junior Brother.”
“I knew you’d say that, but not everyone is like you. Our Senior Sister Lan is like that, I’m afraid a large part of her caring about me right now is because of my identity. If, one day, I was no longer a Yang Family person, she may change her opinion of me again. Of course, these are just my personal opinions, but I still feel that I should try to contact her as little as possible. I can’t say that the way she does things is wrong, in fact it may even be the appropriate way for her to think, all I can say for sure is that Little Senior Sister is too good, there’s no comparison between you.”
Yang Kai shook his head and explained his thoughts to Xia Ning Chang who appeared slightly sceptical.
However, Yang Kai knew that in her heart she understood. Although Little Senior Sister was innocent and cute, she was not ignorant of worldly matters, she was simply too kind-hearted and didn’t like seeing the ugly side of others.
“Right, what about my pills?” Yang Kai asked.
“They’re on the bed, I’ll get them.” Xia Ning Chang leapt from Yang Kai’s lap and walked over to her bed, taking out a small bag and handing it over to Yang Kai.
Opening the bag, six bottles of pills appeared in Yang Kai’s eyes.
“There are three bottles used for cultivating True Qi, all of which are Yang Attribute, and three bottles used for restoring Spiritual Energy.” Xia Ning Chang said slightly regretfully, “Time was too tight, so I could only refine these for now.”
“This is more than enough,” Yang Kai said, extremely satisfied; after all, these pills are all Mysterious Grade Low-Rank.
Like the Consolidating Essence Pills from before, all of these should have been Heaven Grade Top-Rank pills but they had been upgraded by Xia Ning Chang to the Mysterious Grade Low Rank.
Myriad Drug Liquid wasn’t only useful for cleansing the body, but by adding a drop during the pill refinement process it could also enhance the quality of that pill. By using Myriad Drug Liquid in conjunction with the Spirit Arrays from the True Alchemic Way, accomplishing this seemingly impossible task had become a breeze for Xia Ning Chang.
If there was no help from the Myriad Drug Liquid and Spirit Arrays, given Xia Ning Chang’s current Alchemic ability, there would have been no way to refine so many Mysterious Grade pills in a short half a month. Yang Kai didn’t have so much Mysterious Grade material for her to play with.
“Don’t tire yourself out.” Yang Kai looked at her somewhat worriedly.
“I’m not tired at all. When I perform Alchemy, my strength also steadily improves, in fact, I feel as if I’m going to break through to the Immortal Ascension Boundary Second Stage soon so I hope I can refine even more pills. If I can grow up quickly, I can be of more help to Junior Brother and master sooner!” Xia Ning Chang said happily.
[To her, Alchemy is cultivation; the Sacred Spirit Medicine Body is really special!] Yang Kai secretly thought to himself.
Finishing his conversation with Xia Ning Chang, Yang Kai too began to cultivate.
As always, Yang Kai started by absorbing the three bottles of Yang Attribute pills first and converted them into Yang Liquid, then used the other three bottles’ recovery pills to supplement his Spiritual Energy as he studied the True Alchemic Way.
In addition, by using the Spiritual Energy cultivation technique taught to him by Treasurer Meng, Yang Kai noticed a marked improvement in the speed his Spiritual Energy recovered.
While Yang Kai cultivated, Xia Ning Chang stayed quietly by his side, either restoring her strength or napping on her bed.
Such a scene reminded Yang Kai of the time the two had spent together in his secluded cave under the Coiling Dragon Stream.
Two days later, Xia Ning Chang once again went to the Pill Room to perform Alchemy, leaving Yang Kai suddenly feeling a bit lonely.
As time passed, Yang Kai could clearly feel that his strength was improving step by step, and he was only a step away from breaking through to the True Element Boundary Ninth Stage.
With the Immortal Ascension Boundary within sight, Yang Kai couldn’t help feeling a little excited.
As long as he arrived at the Immortal Ascension Boundary, he wouldn’t need to care about the surveillance of the eight Above Immortal Ascension Boundary masters in War City.
In the quiet hours before dawn, Yang Kai was silently studying the mysteries of the True Alchemic Way when all of a sudden; he felt something slightly out of place. Opening his eyes rapidly, his brow furrowed as he used the full force of his Divine Sense to sweep the mansion.
At the same time, Yang Kai clearly felt that from the room next door, Meng Wu Ya also completely let loose his Divine Sense. Compared with his own, Meng Wu Ya’s Divine Sense was incredibly subtle, nearly undetectable, but its tyrannical strength was undeniable.
The two powerful Divine Senses simultaneously probed the entire mansion and quickly locked onto an anomaly.
“Courting death!” Yang Kai coldly snorted, condensing his Spiritual Energy and launching his Soul Skill towards the intruder.
In the darkness, a wisp of purple light burst out followed by a cry of surprise as a thin blurry figure suddenly appeared.
“Who goes there!” All of the strong masters in the mansion immediately noticed something amiss and Yang Kai’s mansion immediately became noisy.
The next moment, the sound of whistling wind rang out as countless people flew towards the disturbances’ source.
The thin and fuzzy figure was obviously stunned, apparently never having through they would be noticed.
Not daring to hesitate, the figure suddenly swayed and became engulfed in flowing lines of water. As this water curtain rippled open, the person’s body gradually blurred again.
Just as the figure was about to disappear completely, a ghostly figure flashed behind it and two daggers with shimmering cold light slashed open the surrounding several meters of space.
Ying Jiu!
With a great splashing noise, the figure exploded and scattered.
Ying Jiu’s eyes swept the area once before he quickly retreated into the shadows, fixing his gaze on the spot where the figure had just stood; however, there was no trace of anyone there, only a faint watery mist gently floating about.
A thousands meters away, a blurry figure was escaping at lightning like speed, causing Ying Jiu to furrow his brow slightly.
[Such speed…]
*Shua Shua Shua* A moment later, countless figures landed in the hallway and Yang Kai strode forward, glancing at a trace of blood on the ground then in the direction the invader had fled before letting out a cold grunt.
“What’s all the racket about?” The door to the Pill Room was suddenly opened and Qin Ze stepped out while muttering unpleasantly, but upon seeing so many people present along with Yang Kai, he quickly converged his expression and wrinkled his brow.
He could also see that the situation was unusual.
“Someone snuck in, did anything happen to any of the disciples from Medicine King’s Valley?” Yang Kai asked quickly.
“No.” Qin Ze shook his head.
Yang Kai released his Divine Sense again and carefully swept the area, confirming that there were no casualties amongst the Medicine King’s Valley group and that Xia Ning Chang was safe.
However… the Pill Room was the most heavily defended position in the entire compound, yet someone had still managed to invade all the way here. This alone was enough to alarm Yang Kai.
This was nothing less than a slap across his face!
“Quickly check if there are any losses inside the mansion!” Yang Kai ordered firmly, his expression akin to the gathering clouds before a great storm, causing all those present to feel their hearts clench.
The people who had gathered here departed as quickly as they had arrived; a short time later, they had all reported the situation to Qiu Yi Meng.
“There have been no losses.” Qiu Yi Meng said, her expression slightly unsightly. Although she was glad that there were no signs of damage and no one was injured, how a person managed to sneak into this heavily guarded area was worth investigating further.
Of course, a traitor wasn’t impossible, but it was unlikely. As of this moment, Yang Kai didn’t have any suspicions about the people inside his mansion.
However, this meant that a lone person had sneaked into the vicinity of the Pill Room solely relying on their own ability; such a thought made Qiu Yi Meng pale up.
By this point, Yang Kai had gathered a lot of strong people, a number of whom were Immortal Ascension Boundary Eighth Stage masters. The defense of the Pill Room was also the strictest in the entire compound, yet it was still almost invaded by this mysterious master, just how strong was this person?
But since he had successfully made it so far, why was he exposed all of a sudden? Qiu Yi Meng couldn’t understand what exactly had happened.
“Ying Jiu, did you see what he looked like?” Yang Kai asked, his brow thoroughly wrinkled.
From the shadows, Ying Jiu’s voice rang out, “I apologise, but your subordinate doesn’t even know if the intruder was a man or a woman, let alone their cultivation level.”
Hearing this, everyone couldn’t help gasping. In terms of concealment and assassination, Ying Jiu was an expert of the highest order, yet even he hadn’t managed to learn anything about the intruder. This person was really mysterious.
“However, if this subordinate isn’t wrong, this person’s real cultivation shouldn’t be very high; otherwise he wouldn’t have been caught by my Flickering Shadow Strike.” Ying Jiu commented.
Although the intruder managed to escape, he or she was still injured; the fresh blood on the ground was clear evidence of that.
Yang Kai sunk into contemplation for a moment before concluding, “Either he uses some kind of powerful artifact, or he cultivates some technique specializing in stealth! Interesting, who among my brothers managed to recruit such a master?”
This time, if he and Treasurer Meng hadn’t been on alert, this invader would likely have succeeded in their mission.
Sneaking into the vicinity of the Pill Room, his intentions were obvious. This person definitely wanted to act against the Alchemists from Medicine King’s Valley. If the Medicine King’s Valley people suffered any harm, it would be a huge problem in many ways for Yang Kai.
“Junior Brother Yang, since nothing happened, I’ll be heading back first.” Qin Ze said nonchalantly, his expression perfectly calm, totally unlike someone who had just survived a possibly life threatening situation.
“En.” Yang Kai nodded lightly.
After Qin Ze left, Yang Kai called out, “Xiao Shun!”
“Reporting!” An Immortal Ascension Boundary Eighth Stage master a full head shorter than an average man walked out of the crowd.
This was the Yang Family Blood Warrior who had come to offer his services to Yang Kai after his Eighth Brother Yang Quan was eliminated. When he had arrived he was seriously injured, but with the help of Yang Kai’s miraculous healing pills he had completely recovered over the past couple of days.
“From now on you will stand guard in front of the Pill Room!”
Xiao Shun nodded firmly, “Little Lord can rest assured that as long as I still draw breath, no one will get close to the Pill Room!”
Yang Kai gently nodded before turning his gaze in the direction that the mysterious master had fled, a fierce grin slowly forming on his face.
It seems that the presence of these Medicine King’s Valley Alchemists was still bothering his brothers quite a bit, or it would have been impossible for them to send such a powerful master to deal with them. However, whoever ordered this really had some guts, daring to attack this group of Alchemists.
As the sun slowly began rising in the east, the sky gradually brightened.
Following this unprecedented event, no matter who it was, they couldn’t feel at ease; Qiu Yi Meng immediately redeployed the entire mansion’s defenses, keeping everyone busy.
Yang Kai stood in place and stared at the blood stain on the ground while thinking about the scene where his Divine Sense had discovered the intruder, eventually shaking his head helplessly. He too hadn’t been able to determine what this person was up to or even if they were a man or a woman.
Whatever Secret Art or artifact this mysterious master was relying on was truly amazing.
Suddenly, a set of approaching footsteps brought Yang Kai out of his contemplation. Turning around he saw a cultivator from the Qiu Family’s Autumn Rain Hall rush over and cup his fists in front of him, saying, “Young Lord Kai, a Yang Family representative has come!”
“A Yang Family representative?” Yang Kai expression became pensive.
“En, he holds an order from the Yang Family Elder Hall and has been brought to the main hall. He asks that Young Lord Kai come immediately!”
“En, I understand.”
Dismissing the man and frowning for a moment, Yang Kai suddenly sighed, “Everyone should prepare, today there will be a big event.”
“Haha, finally some action!”
“En en, these past few days have been nothing but cultivation and more cultivation, it’s killing me.”
“Yang Kai, this time, no matter what you decide to do, you have to bring us along.”
A group of young men and women all rolled up their sleeves and eagerly clamoured to stir up trouble, like they feared the world not being chaotic.
“Don’t get too hasty, I don’t know the details yet. Anyways, all of you should go back and get yourselves ready to move out.” Yang Kai smiled wryly and turned to the direction of the main hall.
Qiu Yi Meng rushed to catch up and asked suspiciously, “How do you know there will be something today?”
Yang Kai chuckled as he replied, “If my guess is right, the family should want to speed up the progress of the Inheritance War. Since my two brothers were eliminated, the remaining six of us have been quietly minding our own business for almost a month now. Such a peaceful scene is not something the family would desire.”
“Do you think the Yang Family will order you to take the initiative?”
“The Elder Hall wouldn’t use such a blunt instrument; they must be planning something else.” Yang Kai frowned, he too was speculating about what the family would do; however, in the end all he could do was listening to the official announcement.
As the two chatted, they quickly arrived at the main hall.
Inside the hall, someone with his hands crossed behind his back stood waiting.
After a single glance, Yang Kai wore a stunned expression before hurriedly greeting this man, “Father?”
When the Yang Family Fourth Master turned around and saw his son striding in, he couldn’t help himself from smiling, nodding lightly.
Qiu Yi Meng also reacted quickly, performing a graceful bow and politely greeting, “Qiu Family’s Qiu Yi Meng, greets the Yang Family Fourth Master.”
Yang Ying Feng looked at Qiu Yi Meng for a moment before smiling back, “Young Lady Qiu is too polite, since you’ve chosen to support Kai’er, we’re all one family now.”
Pausing for a moment, “To be here with Kai’er, you must have suffered.”
“Uncle doesn’t need to treat me like an outsider. Helping Yang Kai was niece’s decision, she did not suffer at all.”
Yang Ying Feng let out an even happier laugh as he nodded and said, “Kai’er is young. If he offends you, I ask little niece to not take it to heart. If you ever feel like you have been wronged here, just tell uncle bluntly and I’ll teach him a lesson for you!”
“Thank you, Uncle!” Qiu Yi Meng smiled sweetly, “If there ever comes a time, little niece will depend on Uncle’s words.” As she said so, she smugly shot a glance towards Yang Kai, silently saying ‘If you dare to bully me, I’ll definitely complain’.
As Yang Kai listened to his old man and the young woman beside him rapidly go from polite strangers to intimate family members, his expression couldn’t help turning black, quickly steering the conversation back to the main point, “Father, what are you doing here?”
“Delivering the family’s command!” Yang Ying Feng’s expression immediately became serious as he handed over the Yang Family Elder Hall’s order, quickly explaining, “Two hours later, fifty kilometers outside War City at Po Jing Lake, a batch of artifacts will appear; whoever manages to seize them can keep them!”
Hearing this, Yang Kai’s eyes lit up while Qiu Yi Meng’s beautiful face also showed an excited expression.
The biggest factor that determined a cultivator’s strength was their own cultivation, but in addition to this there were other external forces they could rely on.
There were three kinds of external forces, one was pills, the second was artifacts, and the last was Secret Arts or Martial Skills which could raise their combat power.
When it came to pills, Yang Kai didn’t need to spare a second thought. With Xia Ning Chang and the group of Alchemists from Medicine King’s Valley supporting him, Yang Kai had an absolute superiority in this aspect.
Secret Arts and Martial Skill weren’t things that he could easily obtain, so Yang Kai was focused on acquiring artifacts right now!
A cultivator could dramatically increase their combat efficiency by using a powerful artifact.
Also, compared to the use of techniques, the rise in strength brought by artifacts was simpler and more direct.
As of right now, this was the soft underbelly of Yang Kai’s mansion. The artifacts used by the cultivators in his house were all brought from their own forces and everyone only had one or two pieces each. If he could acquire a large batch of artifacts, then the overall strength of his supporters would be upgraded significantly.
Glancing over at Qiu Yi Meng, the two of them were clear about each other’s intentions.
“I have delivered the Elder Hall’s command, whether you go or not is for you young people to decide!” Yang Ying Feng smiled.
“Why wouldn’t I go?!” Yang Kai said enthusiastically, suddenly thinking of something, “This batch of artifacts is from the family, right?”
“No, not just our Yang Family, but all of the Central Capital’s Eight Great Families donated some artifacts. However, most are still from the Yang Family. The other seven families only symbolically contributed.”
“How many pieces?”
“One thousand in total!” Yang Ying Feng said as he raised a single finger.
Both Yang Kai and Qiu Yi Meng were not inexperienced youngsters and could even be said to be amongst the top of the younger generation, but even they couldn’t help feeling some shortness of breath at this figure.
A thousand artifacts. Right now there were at most three hundred people gathered in the mansion, if all of these artifacts could be obtained, that would mean that every person here could receive three or four artifacts! Of course, such a calculation was definitely unrealistic.
“Eighty percent are Earth Grade artifact while the vast majority of the remaining twenty percent are Heaven Grade… but there are also a few Mysterious Grade artifacts!”
“All the more reason to go!” Yang Kai grinned.
The roles Mysterious Grade Artifacts could play were significant. If he didn’t grab them, they would only fall into others’ hands.
Being able to take out a thousand artifacts in one shot, the heritage of the Central Capital’s Eight Great Families was really extraordinary, although most of the artifacts weren’t too high grade, this number was still scary enough.
“Uncle, is there any other news available?” Qiu Yi Meng asked with a sweet smile, apparently hoping to gain more information to help plan ahead.
For example, how and where exactly would these artifacts appear? Having such information would be of great value and make taking the initiative easier.
“Don’t bother asking, the family felt relieved enough to allow my own father to deliver their command, obviously they only told him information they wanted disclosed.” Yang Kai waved his hand.
Yang Ying Feng glanced at his son and nodded, “En, the only things I know are innocuous pieces of intelligence, the others who have come as messengers are the same. The starting point of all you juniors is the same. How much can you harvest will be up to your own means.”
“I was just asking.” Qiu Yi Meng shook her head gently, paying particular attention to her behaviour in front of Yang Ying Feng for reasons even she didn’t quite understand.
“In that case, we should go prepare ourselves now.” Yang Kai grinned fiercely, his expression overflowed with confidence as a raging fire burned in his eyes.
“If Father has nothing to attend to, you might as well stay here for a few more days.” Yang Kai suddenly proposed to Yang Ying Feng.
However, the Yang Family Fourth Master shook his head wryly, “Your mother has said specifically that I must go back and report your situation to her.”
“En, take care then, Father.”
“En, I’m off!” Yang Ying Feng waved and set out.
Word that a thousand artifacts were about to appear spread throughout War City quickly, instantly setting off a wave of commotion.
The six Yang Family Young Lords all hastily made preparations and set out.
Whether it was wealthy lords or low life gang members, everyone who got the news rushed to Po Jing Lake, ready to watch the fun.
Inside his mansion, Yang Kai rubbed his forehead as he stared out at his group of noisy allies before him. With the exception of the five Immortal Ascension Boundary masters from the Duan Mu Family who kept their silence, everyone else vehemently expressed their desire to have their force join Yang Kai this time.
Even the five Immortal Ascension masters from the Duan Mu Family who didn’t speak had an unmistakable fighting intent in their eyes.
This charade had gone on for quite some time now and had devolved into a loud mess.
Qiu Yi Meng didn’t know what to do. Most of these people were personal friends of Yang Kai, so unlike with the allies of the other Young Lords, they couldn’t be treated as simple henchmen and casually ordered about.
“Whatever the case, this Young Lord is definitely going to go this time! Damn, how can I, Huo Xing Chen, miss such a big event?” The Huo Family Young Lord made a face that screamed ‘if you don’t take me, I’ll go myself’!
Qiu Yi Meng opened her mouth to also voice her desire to go, but seeing Yang Kai’s current struggle, as his second in command, she felt it best not to add on to this chaos, restraining herself as she waited for Yang Kai to speak.
Looking at these enthusiastic allies, Yang Kai couldn’t help smiling.
Contrary to what they were saying, them wanting to go was not because they were bored, or because they were tempted by the thousand artifacts, it was simply because they had all just received those extraordinary pills from Yang Kai and felt they hadn’t given anything back to him yet.
All of them had come here to support him, so now that an opportunity to finally contribute had arrived, who would be willing to give up?
“Draw lots.” Yang Kai finally said, letting them continue to argue would accomplish nothing so he might as well use the simplest method to decide.
The noise in the hall instantly calmed down as everyone turned a surprised expression towards Yang Kai, not having expected him to propose such a method.
However… there was nothing wrong with this idea either.
“Good! Who stays and who goes will be decided by destiny!” Han Xiao Qi smiled slightly and was the first to agreed.
“En, we’ll draw!” Dong Qing Han nodded.
“This Young Lord has no opinion!” Huo Xing Chen grinned meaningfully.
To show fairness, Yang Kai personally held the lots and soon, the results came out.
From his eleven supporters, the Huo Family, Duan Mu Family, Dong Family, Ten Thousand Flower Palace, Reflecting Moon Sect, and Tian Yuan City groups would follow Yang Kai while the rest would remained to guard the mansion in case something came up.
“Any objections?” Yang Kai looked around.
“Alright, I’ll watch the house this time.” Qiu Yi Meng giggled and smiled.
“Good! Let’s go!” Yang Kai expression became serious, swinging his hand as he lead the way, the six forces accompanying him rushing to keep up.
Of the six forces, besides the Huo Family which only brought two Immortal Ascension Boundary Fifth Stage masters, each had at least five Immortal Ascension cultivators. Of these masters, four had reached the Immortal Ascension Boundary Eighth Stage while the rest had an uneven distribution of strength but none of them were weak.
A total of nearly thirty Immortal Ascension Boundary masters and a large number of True Element Boundary cultivators; a spectacular line up.
At an inn a kilometer outside from Yang Kai’s mansion, at this moment, there was a party of a man and two women in the lobby. All three of these people were youths and two of them were even twins.
The pair of twins both wore light blue dresses and had refined, beautiful features, charming faces, slender waists, tall chests, and jade white skin. Simply by sitting there they frequently caused pedestrians and guests in the inn to stare.
Great beauties were rare, while beautiful twins were even rarer.
However, the expressions upon the beautiful faces of these two flowers weren’t good, one of them seemed helpless and depressed while the other appeared indifferent but with some faint dissatisfaction and resentment between her eyebrows.
As for the young man, he too didn’t seem too happy, smiling helplessly as he sighed over and over again, “Elder Sister, we have been here for more than a month now, do you still not want to go?”
The down sister also nodded, “En, Elder Sister, us staying in this inn won’t solve anything, since we’ve come, why don’t we just go see him?”
“Who do you want to look for?” The last person grumbled angrily, “We aren’t here looking for someone, we…”
“We just came out to play, I know, I know.” The man one again repeated the words he had heard too many times to count. “However, this War City is so chaotic right now. You two sisters living here will draw unwanted attention sooner or later. Haven’t you noticed that more and more people have been staring recently?”
“I won’t go!” The charming young woman firmly declared, “You can go by yourself, I’ll just hide in the room after you leave, problem solved.”
The young man shook his head and sighed again, “Wasn’t it just him hiding his true identity? Besides, it’s not like he was trying to deceive you, the Yang Family has its own rules that forbid him to announce himself, why are you so upset about it still?”
The young woman pursed her lips and pouted, unwilling to argue back.
Just as the young man and young woman were talking, a large number of people rushed out from Yang Kai’s mansion with Yang Kai himself at the head, all of them rushing towards the east.
Looking at the familiar figure fly past, the two beautiful twins’ eyes brightened slightly before suddenly dimming once more.
“Looks like there’s movement!” The young man commented; Yang Kai suddenly taking so many people out, obviously something big was happening. Turning to the two sisters in front of him, he quickly said, “I want to take a look, are you coming?”
“Elder Sister, I want to go!” One of them quickly said.
“I…”
“Do what you want, but don’t take too long to decide, let’s go!” The young man hurriedly said before rushing out.
The two sisters glanced at each other for a moment before not hesitating to catch up.
Just outside War City, another group of people quickly appeared beside Yang Kai’s. When the two sides noticed one another, the atmosphere suddenly became tense.
It was Yang Zhao’s forces! Although a month ago Yang Kai’s supporters had surpassed Yang Zhao’s, as time passed, Yang Zhao had gathered more and more power, so this time, the number of people he had brought out was no less than the number following Yang Kai and amongst them there were many strong masters.
The distance between the two groups was less than three hundred meters but neither side was able to outpace the other.
“Ninth Brother’s Movement Skill is impressive.” Yang Zhao suddenly chuckled, “No wonder Third Brother was taken away by you.”
“Second Brother praises me too much.” Yang Kai also smiled slightly.
“This time Second Brother won’t let off so easy.”
“Any time Second Brother wants to fight, Ninth Brother will be more than happy to accompany you, we can even play now if you’d like!”
Yang Zhao’s smiling face instantly went a little stiff. Facing Yang Kai’s aggressive attitude made him feel somewhat uncomfortable, but he quickly recovered his composure and shook his head, “Another time perhaps. There’ll be plenty of chances for us brothers to compete in the future!”
“True enough!” Yang Kai nodded, not provoking Yang Zhao any further.
As the two brothers spoke, the sound of something cutting through the air suddenly came from behind and a lone figure immediately passed the two groups and shot towards the distance like lightning.
Whether it was Yang Kai or Yang Zhao, neither of them could help staring at the back of this young man.
“Liu Qing Yao!” Huo Xing Chen exclaimed, gnashing his teeth, “That fellow is too arrogant!”
Although he had spoken angrily, there was some helplessness in his voice as well. After all, even Huo Xing Chen had to admit that Liu Qing Yao was far stronger than himself.
However, soaring directly over the heads of these two groups of people and flying away without a single word. His meaning couldn’t be clearer, he didn’t place anyone here in his eyes.
When he heard the exclamation of Huo Xing Chen, Yang Kai’s brow furrowed slightly.
He had only heard the name Liu Qing Yao but until today he had never seen him.
After the start of the Inheritance War, he also learned that Liu Qing Yao had been spectating from inside War City, never helping any of the Yang Family Young Lords or acting against them either.
Obviously he thought none of them deserved his services.
[So he’s Liu Qing Yao! Sure enough, he has enough capital to act arrogantly.]
Yang Zhao couldn’t help snorting, “Ninth Brother, this is my Yang Family’s stage, how can we let an outsider rob the limelight?”
Yang Kai grinned and nodded, “Agreed.”
The smiles on both brothers’ faces were practically identical; immediately, both of them suddenly increasing their speeds, shooting off like a pair of shooting stars.
The people in the two groups behind, no matter who they were, gasped in admiration.
Yang Zhao had broken through to the Immortal Ascension Boundary First Stage a few days ago, and although he had yet to consolidated his cultivation, he had truly crossed the Immortal Ascension watershed.
Being able to suddenly display this kind of speed at the Immortal Ascension First Stage, even faster than what Liu Qing Yao had displayed earlier, was naturally quite impressive.
What was even more amazing was Yang Kai, a trivial True Element Boundary Eighth Stage cultivator that was no slower than Yang Zhao. The Movement Skill he used was indeed profound and made it seem like he could ride the wind itself.
[The Yang Family is really a collection of monsters!] Everyone shook their heads and thought secretly.
Mid-flight, Yang Zhao was also amazed by Yang Kai. It was only by using a special technique that he was able to achieve his current speed, and it was consuming a large amongst of his True Qi to maintain it. In other words, he wouldn’t be able to maintain this speed for a long time. At most he would only be capable of continuing at this pace for an incense stick worth of time before needing to slow down and recover or else he would overdraw his True Qi and suffer some backlash.
On the other hand, his Ninth Brother didn’t seem to be the same; he neither used some special technique nor an artifact, his speed seemed to be completely his own, only requiring him to circulate his True Qi normally to achieve.
At that moment, Yang Zhao felt a sense of disbelief and unwillingness, increasing his speed once more.
However, before he could open any noticeable gap between them, Yang Kai had already caught up, his expression still as light and easy as before, “Second Brother, doing this is quite tiring.”
Seeing and hearing this, Yang Zhao could only smile wryly, “First, we catch up with Liu Qing Yao, then deal with the consequences.”
Yang Kai grinned and nodded, “The Yang Family’s rightful place, I’ll take back. If Second Brother can’t keep up, you should just take a break!”
As soon as these words were said, Yang Zhao suddenly felt a scorching wave of heat burst out beside him as he saw Yang Kai transform into a great fireball, releasing a brilliant radiance before shooting off towards the horizon, instantly closing the gap between him and Liu Qing Yao, the wind trailing behind him sharply cutting past Yang Zhao’s face.
Yang Zhao’s eyes narrowed, letting out a light shout, “As the Second Brother, how can I not answer?”
A halo of light quickly blossomed from Yang Zhao’s body and in a flash, his speed too was raised to the limit.
Seemingly noticing these two people catching up with him, Liu Qing Yao in front couldn’t help glancing back, but before he could focus his vision, a great fireball rushed past him, the heat waves billowing off of it causing his heart to palpitate slightly.
“Hm?” Liu Qing Yao revealed a look of surprise, involuntarily calling out, “Such pure True Qi!”
“Young Lord Liu, we’ll be going on ahead!” Yang Zhao also soared past Liu Qing Yao and let out a big laugh as he flew off into the distance.
Looking at the backs of the two, Liu Qing Yao’s brows wrinkled slightly, his expression slowly sinking as he slowly shook his head, “Using external forces isn’t a real display of skill!”
Even if he said this, his speed also suddenly rose; obviously he wasn’t willing to fall behind.
A distance of fifty kilometers wasn’t far, so after slightly less than an incense stick worth of time later the three youths arrived at Po Jing Lake.
Yang Kai landed on the eastern bank, Yang Zhao the west, while Liu Qing Yao set down right in the centre.
It wasn’t until now that Yang Kai had his first good look at the rumored Central Capital’s First Young Lord!
Wearing a blue robe that seemed neither expensive nor vulgar, he didn’t appear very old, about twenty-seven or so at most, his posture as straight as a sword. His build wasn’t particularly burly but the force which seemed to pulse from his body couldn’t be ignored. His expression was indifferent, seemingly not caring the slightest for worldly matters, but the light in his eyes revealed a kind of aloof domineering arrogance.
This kind of arrogance had nothing to do with pride or pretense but was instead part of his innate demeanor, an aura a man who had stood at the top of the world for many years would naturally possess. It was as if he stood above the clouds and overlooked the scurrying mortals beneath him.
[He’s no soft persimmon!] From only this brief contact, Yang Kai had clearly understood this point.
Although outwardly his cultivation was only Immortal Ascension Boundary Third Stage, Liu Qing Yao’s combat strength was certainly not only comparable to an ordinary Immortal Ascension Boundary Third Stage cultivator; however, his true power could only be known by fighting him.
Remember the heroic proclamation this person had released before, Yang Kai grinned slightly; this subtle movement attracted the attention of Liu Qing Yao, his cold yet simultaneously extremely piercing eyes suddenly glancing over at Yang Kai as a wave of Divine Sense unscrupulously swept over him.
Yang Kai’s brow couldn’t help wrinkling, his expression becoming a bit disgruntled.
Although his opponent’s action couldn’t possibly threaten him and could even be said to have no malice behind it, such a blatant use of his Divine Sense to spy on him was still a rather uncouth display.
Such a provocative action could easily lead to unnecessary disputes and battles, so most people refrained from doing this kind of thing; however, it was apparent that Liu Qing Yao did this because he didn’t think much of Yang Kai.
Sure enough, after thoroughly examining him with his Divine Sense, Liu Qing Yao no longer paid any attention to Yang Kai, just conspicuously standing there silently by himself.
No one knew why he had run over this time.
Along another shore of Po Jing Lake, a group of people had arrived in advance; naturally, it was Eldest Brother Yang Wei’s people. After seeing Yang Kai and Yang Zhao arrive, Yang Wei just nodded faintly to them before turning his gaze towards Liu Qing Yao, his eyes narrowing unconsciously as his True Qi fluctuated slightly.
Rumor had it that when Yang Wei returned to the Central Capital, he had fought a battle with Liu Qing Yao, but no one knew the final result of that battle.
Now that the two sides had met again, it was only to be expected that some sparks would fly.
“Immortal Ascension Boundary Second Stage, the Eldest Young Lord’s cultivation speed is quite fast!” Surprisingly, Liu Qing Yao actually took the initiative to say hello to Yang Wei.
“My thanks for Young Lord Liu’s assistance; that battle helped me understand a lot.” Yang Wei replied indifferently.
Liu Qing Yao nodded lightly and said, “If you still wish to comprehend more, this Liu is always willing to oblige!”
The expression on Yang Kai and Yang Zhao’s faces suddenly became weird, exchanging a glance with each other across the lake, both of them seeing the deep meaning in the other’s eyes.
These two men had only said a few words, but the meaning in the words was quite intriguing.
It seems like the rumors were true that Yang Wei had lost his battle with Liu Qing Yao, and it was even likely that he was defeated quite miserably! Otherwise, why would Liu Qing Yao speak such haughty words?
Liu Qing Yao’s arrogance didn’t make Yang Wei angry, his expression not changing in the slightest, only nodding lightly, “I will definitely go, I hope at that time Young Lord Liu won’t be too surprised!”
Liu Qing Yao slowly shook his head, “It’s impossible for me to be surprised, because you’re not my opponent!”
As soon as this sentence came out, the allies behind Yang Wei suddenly felt some indignation, all of them turning angry stares towards Liu Qing Yao.
Disparaging Yang Wei in front of them was no different from shaming them directly.
Yet Yang Wei still showed no signs of anger, simply raising his hand to stop the chattering of the crowd behind him, solemnly saying, “My not being your opponent now doesn’t mean I won’t be in the future. And even if, in the future, I am not your opponent, that doesn’t mean no one from my Yang Family will be your opponent. Young Lord Liu, I am not the strongest of the Yang Family’s younger generation, but I know you are the strongest of the Liu Family’s. The limit of your Liu Family is you, but the limit of my Yang Family is still unknown.”
Liu Qing Yao expression finally changed, showing a look of interest, “Amongst the Yang Family’s younger generation, is there really someone stronger than you?”
After a pause, he turned his eyes to Yang Zhao, “The Second Young Lord perhaps?”
“Haha…” Yang Zhao couldn’t help laughing lightly, “Young Lord Liu surely jests, compared with Eldest Brother, Second Brother doesn’t measure up. Whoever you’re looking for, don’t look at me.”
Liu Qing Yao chuckled, “If it is not the Second Young Lord, then who else? Only you and the Second Young Lord from your Yang Family’s direct descendants are slightly worthy of attention, the others…”
Slowly shaking his head as he spoke, he casually glanced over at Yang Kai and immediately sneered.
Watching all this, Yang Wei, who was always aloof and indifferent, suddenly burst into laughter, “Young Lord Liu, since you can’t see it yourself, it means you’re already not his opponent.”
Liu Qing Yao’s expression sank as he stared at Yang Wei across the distance. He didn’t understand why this Yang Family Eldest Young Lord was so certain, because no matter how much he thought about it, he couldn’t see any of the Yang Family direct descendants being able to match himself.
However, if there truly was such a person, and even he couldn’t see any clues, it meant that this individual was indeed a scary person!
[If he really can deceive my eyes, he has already won!], Liu Qing Yao thought.
“Eldest Young Lord, I hope what you said is true.” Liu Qing Yao succinctly said.
“You’ll see soon enough!” Yang Wei nodded gently.
Yang Kai who had been sitting on the sidelines had not interrupted once. However, he always felt that Yang Wei’s eyes had been aiming at him, intentionally or unintentionally.
[What did Big Brother notice?] Yang Kai thought to himself suspiciously.
After a short while, Huo Xing Chen and a large number of people arrived and landed behind Yang Kai. Similarly, Yang Zhao’s people gathered around him.
When these people arrived, Yang Zhao finally relaxed and quietly put down his guard. Just now, he was obviously worried that Yang Wei would act against him.
Although he had a Blood Warrior guarding him at all times, it was still dangerous to come here all alone.
Soon after, more and more people gathered on the banks of Po Jing Lake. Yang Kang, Yang Shen and Yang Ying also arrived.
After such a long period of recruitment, how much support the six brothers had gathered could be distinguished at a glance.
The first three to arrive had brought roughly the same number of people, so even if there were some slight differences in strength, it wasn’t obvious; however, the later three’s situation was undoubtedly worse. Even though these three Young Lords had one of the Eight Great Families as an ally, it was still difficult for them to gather much support with just their personal connections.
When they noticed this gap in strength, the faces of Yang Kang and the others suddenly became ugly.
Yang Kai, who everyone initially thought would be eliminated on the first night, was now far ahead of them.
If this were to continue, their situations would only get worse and worse.
All three of them secretly thought to themselves that they must redouble their efforts to recruit supporters after this event. At the very least, they couldn’t lag behind Yang Kai.
Not only did the six Yang Family Young Lords gather at Po Jing Lake, but the cultivators who were spectating the events in War City also came to watch the show, forming a big circle around Po Jing Lake.
However, these people had enough common sense to stay far away from the lakeside, only moving close enough to get a good view.
No one would take their own life lightly. With so many powerful masters gathered together, once they accidentally got caught up in the fray they wouldn’t even know how they died.
The pair of twin flowers who were previously sitting in the inn lobby had also joined this outer circle, their position not far from where Yang Kai’s group had set down.
After not seeing him for a few months, he seemed a lot stronger than before, and perhaps because of his change of status, he now gave off a dignified and imposing aura as well.
One of the two stared towards him as a strange light flickered across her eyes, her enchanting face softening as she reminisced about past events, her change in mood indirectly affecting her sister, causing even her heartbeat to speed up slightly.
Gritting her teeth, the older sister took a deep breath and calmed the rising heat within her chest, smiling helplessly as she shook her head.
This was an unavoidable side effect of the Secret Art the sisters cultivated. Their two minds and hearts gradually became interconnected, so when her little sister felt strongly about something, she too would be affected.
From time to time, she would also think about this young man’s figure before immediately feeling embarrassed to say anything to her sister, leaving her somewhat depressed and uncomfortable.
And now, after having arrived in War City long ago, she couldn’t work up the courage to see him, so she kept hiding in an inn nearby his compound, often looking out the window and wondering if he would appear. Yet, for such a long time, he did not show up.
Finally, today, she had seen him at last. If she were to miss this opportunity, who knows when the next would come by?
Thinking about how she just couldn’t be honest with her words or even herself, the young woman couldn’t help feeling bitter, wishing she could be a little more like her younger sister whose every thought was written on her face, never needing or trying to hide what she was thinking.
“Hey, aren’t we going to help him?” The young man from before asked with a chuckle.
“Us, help him? What role can the three of us play with so many masters around?”
“Haa, this is why women are harder to deal with than enemies! I shouldn’t have come here with you!” The man said in exasperation. If he had known that such a big event was going to happen, he would have brought everyone in the inn. With only the three of them as True Element Boundary cultivators, they really couldn’t make much of a contribution.
As time slowly passed, everyone anxiously waited for the emergence of the batch of artifacts, many of them trying to guess how these thousand artifacts the Yang Family had invested would appear here.
Yang Kai used his powerful Divine Sense to sweep the surroundings, carefully monitoring the crowds for any signs of movement.
As he examined the spectators, he was surprised to find there were many masters hiding their presences! Perceiving this, Yang Kai secretly speculated that these masters weren’t here to watch the excitement, but had actually been deployed by the Eight Great Families to monitor the situation here.
Yang Kai also noticed that at the bottom of Po Jing Lake there were some subtle energy fluctuations. This anomaly was so small that even Yang Kai barely noticed it, not to mention other people.
It seemed like this batch of artifacts had long ago been placed at the bottom of the lake and would only appear at the appointed time.
Having noticed this, Yang Kai grinned slightly but didn’t make any movements, content with this slight advantage for the time being.
The appointed time soon arrived and everyone gathered around Po Jing Lake couldn’t help secretly circulating their True Qi, getting ready to move at a moment’s notice. The six groups not only monitored the surroundings for signs of the artifacts appearing, but also kept track of their opponents’ movements.
While grabbing these artifacts, there would definitely be fighting; after all, the Yang Family was using this method to stimulate the progress of Inheritance War.
Unlike Yang Kai who already had a relatively clear idea about the situation, the other five Yang Family Young Lords were all still guessing, carefully paying attention to Po Jing Lake while from time to time also observing the nearby shoreline and surrounding wilderness, quietly issuing orders to their allies.
The atmosphere grew tense.
Suddenly, a ray of light burst from the centre of Po Jing Lake and an intense energy fluctuation suddenly erupted. Soon, beneath the clear lake surface, a group of bright lines appeared and formed a mysterious Spirit Array which covered the entire lake bottom.
The aura between Heaven and Earth suddenly stagnated.
“It’s time!” Numerous exclamations came out of the surrounding crowds as everyone stretched their necks towards Po Jing Lake.
*Xiu xiu xiu…*
One after another, radiant streaks emerged from the bottom of Po Jing Lake and shot into the sky. Inside each of these glowing lights was an artifact. The different colours, shapes, and sizes drew in everyone’s eyesight, causing flames of greed to well up within them.
In an instant, nearly a hundred rays of light had flown high up into the air while countless droplets of water which had been splashed up poured down like a rain.
Everyone stared hard at these hundred rays like starving wolves eyeing fresh meat.
After ascending about a hundred meters into the air, the various glowing lights slowly stopped. Suddenly, a burst of sound rang out and these artifacts shot off in all directions like a great meteor shower!
“Young Lord Kai!” Huo Xing Chen turned to look at Yang Kai, anxiously urging.
Yang Kai nodded lightly.
The next moment, nearly fifty percent of the people in the six camps flew out and moved towards the nearest artifacts, many of letting out bursts of joyous laughter as they grabbed hold of one of them.
The leading figures of the younger generation didn’t move, and most of the Immortal Ascension masters also remained still. Only ordinary disciples below the Immortal Ascension Boundary Third Stage set out.
This was not just the case with Yang Kai’s group, but with all the others as well.
Everyone knew that this first batch of artifacts would certainly not have very high grades so many didn’t think it worthwhile to disrupt their focus in order to seize them.
Also, because this first batch of artifacts had fallen into the surrounding area, it was almost equivalent to them being delivered right to them, there was no chance that their opponents could steal them away so naturally there was no reason to rush out to snatch them.
However, those who had only come to watch the fun had their eyes become extremely hot, swallowing hard as they stared at these glowing rays of light.
Since they had only come to spectate, most of these people had relatively low strength, so when they suddenly saw so many artifacts appear all at once, they were inevitable excited.
The six Young Lords had brought a total of nearly 800 people here, so even if only half moved, with only one hundred artifacts there were bound to be some who came up empty handed.
None of the artifacts made it past Po Jing Lake’s shore, all of them were intercepted by cultivators halfway.
After capturing these artifacts completely, the cultivators returned to their respective camps, each of them grinning happily.
This first batch of artifacts was divided almost evenly between the six groups and no real battles had been fought, so the amount harvested by each of the Young Lords was basically the same.
“All of them are Earth Grade Low-Rank.” Huo Xing Chen took a look at the artifacts that had been recovered and couldn’t help scoffing disdainfully as he muttered, “The Eight Great Families are really stingy.”
Hearing these words, Han Xiao Qi’s indifferent expression twitched as she commented, “Young Lord Huo, you come from a super family so you don’t understand the hardships of us lower born cultivators. These artifacts may not be anything for you, but to us they can improve our strength greatly.”
Huo Xing Chen grinned back at her meaningfully, “What you said is reasonable, beautiful young lady, but even though I am a Huo Family member, right now, all of us are allies, so we should be able to discuss such things freely. How about after this event we find some time to chat privately?”
Han Xiao Qi suddenly didn’t know what to do, only praying that Yang Kai could say a few words to make Huo Xing Chen stop harassing her.
However, at this moment Yang Kai’s brow was furrowed as he seemed to be concentrating quite hard, his eyes fixed on the mysterious Spirit Array under Po Jing Lake.
These glowing patterns hadn’t lost any of their brilliance and were still brightly illuminating Po Jing Lake. Right after Huo Xing Chen spoke, once again, nearly a hundred rays of light shot out from the water’s surface.
Huo Xing Chen glanced over at Yang Kai but only saw him still focusing on the Spirit Array, quickly letting out a sigh before shouting, “Snatch!”
The group of people who had just reaped a full harvest once again flew away.
“Be careful!” Yang Kai suddenly roared.
Everyone was still immersed in the joy of grabbing artifacts so some of them didn’t quite understand why he had shouted out a warning, but after noticing the trajectories of these artifacts, all of them quickly became alert.
The second batch of artifacts wasn’t the same as the previous one. This time the glowing artifacts didn’t fly out towards the surrounding area, but instead all densely grouped together in the center of Po Jing Lake.
Everyone’s True Qi madly burst out and the light of Martial Skills and artifacts blossomed as the six parties rushed headlong into each other.
Instantly, a great battle broke out!
From the six different camps, almost 400 people had gone out, ninety percent of them were True Element Boundary cultivators but there were still a number of low-level Immortal Ascension Boundary masters as well.
So many people rushing towards the center of Po Jing Lake made the scene suddenly chaotic.
Someone would grab an artifact only to be stared at by four or five enemies in the next moment, and before they knew what was happening, they would be killed, their broken body falling from the sky, their fresh blood staining the clear lake below.
The crowds watching repeatedly let out loud exclamations and shouts.
This kind of melee was precisely what they had come here to see.
In less than ten breaths of time, more than twenty people had been killed, and the number of casualties was still growing.
Almost all of the forces had been affected, causing all the young leaders from these various families and Sects to have ugly expressions, gripping their fists tightly, anxious to help.
However, before the Yang Family’s Young Lords issued orders, even if they were filled with indignation, all they could do was stand still and wait.
Everyone knew that this was just the appetizer! If they were to fall into disarray now, the next time they would be at a big disadvantage.
Gradually, the hundred artifacts from the second round had been distributed while those who were holding them had all become tempting targets. As they flew back, their respective allies guarded them as they cut open a path of retreat, sending a few corpses to the lake below as they went.
A number of intelligent people had done their best to throw the artifacts they managed to snatch towards their own camp before turning around and trying to rob artifacts from their opponents.
As the melee subsided, the people from the six groups gradually dispersed and separated from each other, heading back to their respective camps.
Everyone obtained some gains, but also suffered some losses!
The once crystal clear water of Po Jing Lake was now dyed red and nearly fifty bodies floated atop its surface!
“Your Yang Family’s methods are really brutal!” Dong Qing Han drew a sharp breath as he stared at the tragedy in front of him, slowly shaking his head.
It had been nearly a month without any battles and War City had settled into a peaceful calm, but with just a single order from the Yang Family Elder Hall, the calm had been shattered and all six of the Young Lords had attacked each other.
“Men die for wealth just as birds die for food!” Huo Xing Chen sneered, “The Yang Family has long ago seen through this.”
“It’s so tragic.” Chen Xue Shu whispered quietly. Since he had come to War City, this was the first time he had participated in any kind of battle. Nearly fifty people had died in only half a cup of tea’s time, his Reflecting Moon Sect has also suffered some losses so he wasn’t feeling great at the moment.
“It’s too simple!” Yang Kai narrowed his eyes as he suddenly said.
“Too simple?” Liu Fei Sheng looked at him with horror while everyone else also felt suspicious.
Yang Kai didn’t respond to this chatter but instead turned to look in the direction of Yang Wei and Yang Zhao, quickly discovering that his two oldest brothers were also frowning as they contemplated something. Noticing Yang Kai glancing at them, both Yang Wei and Yang Zhao glanced back.
With this brief silent communication, Yang Kai understood that they too had doubts in their hearts.
If this was all there was to this snatching artifacts event, then it really was too simple. It was impossible for the Yang Family to have planned only this. Right now, the Elder Hall hoped that everyone would fight, and the more people who died the better. But if so, how could all one thousand artifacts appear like this?
If things were to continue exactly as they were, as long as the six Young Lords reached some kind of consensus, it would be possible to divide these artifacts peacefully.
Of course, such an agreement wasn’t very likely.
But right now, Yang Kai, Yang Wei, and Yang Zhao had all realized this point, so no matter who it was, they were considering what would happen next.
The Inheritance War was also a battle of wits, it wasn’t enough to simply be brave and courageous.
Because of the deaths of their allies, the atmosphere in each of the six camps was smouldering, everyone staring at their opponents with cold eyes as they waited anxiously for the next confrontation where they’d have a chance to settle this grudge.
“The grades in this batch are slightly higher, but they’re still not very good.” Huo Xing Chen checked the artifacts that had been brought back and shook his head once more.
In the eyes of this Huo Family Young Lord, except for those at the Heaven Grade and Mysterious Grade, any other artifacts were no different from rubbish. Even if they were Heaven Grade, they had to at least be Mid-Rank before he would pay them any mind.
“For the next batch, we won’t participate!” Yang Kai suddenly said.
“What?” Huo Xing Chen gawked, “Won’t participate?”
Yang Kai turned his head and glowered at him, “Don’t speak so loud, they all might hear you.”
Huo Xing Chen couldn’t help lowering his head slightly as he quietly asked, “Why aren’t we participating? If we don’t snatch these, they’ll just fall into everyone else’s hands.”
Not only was Huo Xing Chen confused, the four girls from Ten Thousand Flower Palace were also suspicious. In the confrontation just now, one of their Ten Thousand Flower Palace disciples had died, so all of them were eager to seek retribution, so when Yang Kai suddenly said that they wouldn’t participate in the next round, all of them had difficulty understanding why.
“I want to observe the situation,” Yang Kai slowly shook his head, “If my guess is right, the next batch of artifacts should be Earth Grade Top-Rank at best, so even if we don’t grab them, our losses won’t be big, but if we do participate, I’m afraid there’ll be some unforeseen variables.”
Listening to his explanation, although everyone still had some doubts, none of them objected again.
A moment later, the Spirit Array at the bottom of the lake lit up again, causing the now blood red water to take on an eerie glow.
Having experienced this twice now, everyone knew that the third batch of artifacts was about to appear. Facing this upcoming battle, the spectating crowd all also wore expectant expressions, jostling about for good positions to watch the show from.
Having received his orders, Yang Kai’s group, although staring at the bottom of the lake with some enthusiasm, didn’t make any motions.
Yang Kang and the others on the other hand gripped their fists and prepared to set out.
*Xiu xiu xiu…*
In a burst of light, a new batch of artifacts appeared.
“Go, kill anyone who dares block your path!” Yang Kang loudly shouted, the people around him quickly flying forward.
At the same time, Yang Shen and Yang Ying also issued the same order, their expression ruthless as though they were facing off against their most hated enemies.
However, when these three parties rushed out, everyone was surprised to find that there were two groups who didn’t move.
One of them was Yang Kai’s, the other was Yang Wei’s!
The eldest and youngest brothers seemed as if they were satisfied with their gains just now and had no plan to continue fighting.
“What are they doing? Why aren’t either of them acting?” The onlookers whispered amongst themselves. This six party melee was too interesting, but with two less participants, it just didn’t seem as lively.
“They can’t be scared, right? How could such cowards even think of fighting in the Inheritance War?”
“Come on, what are you doing you stupid pigs? Fight and die!”
“Fuck! Such a good opportunity, how can they not grasp it? If only I belonged to a stronger Sect and was allowed to join one of these Young Lords, I could have grabbed these artifacts here today!”
….
Ignoring these boos and shouts from the crowd, Yang Kai glanced over at Yang Wei and saw a rare smile on his face, as if he was saying he had also seen through this situation.
“Come back!” The next moment, Yang Zhao’s brow furrowed as he called out to his allies.
The cultivators who were excited and ready to show their skills were already halfway to the lake’s centre and were preparing to snatch some artifacts, so when they heard Yang Zhao’s sudden recall order, how could they not be confused?
Some acted quickly and immediately returned to Yang Zhao’s side while some were reluctant to give up this chance, greed flashing across their eyes as they reaching out towards the nearest artifacts in front of them.
In the next instant, a terrible reaction occurred. The moment these cultivators grasped the floating artifacts, from the centre of Po Jing Lake a great distortion suddenly formed and a burst of energy shot forth.
*Boom…!*
Flames ignited, lightning flashed, ice crackled, Sword Qi sliced through the air and waves of blinding light erupted all around. In the sky above Po Jing Lake’s centre, a myriad of deadly attacks spread outwards, indiscriminately striking the group of cultivators at point blank range.
Everyone was stunned.
The spectators who had just been shouting and cursing out Yang Kai and Yang Wei for not participating fell silent.
The group of cultivators who had gone forward to snatch these artifacts had only been on guard against their opposing forces, so when they suddenly came under attack from an unexpected source, they had been caught completely off guard, many of them calling out in shock and surprise.
Most of these people were True Element Boundary cultivators, and none of them had anticipated such a situation.
In truth, this array of attacks was quite messy, and each strike wasn’t very strong, but what made the people cough and vomit blood was the sheer number of them.
Pile enough sand and you can build a tower, collect enough drops of water and you can form a river. Under this massive barrage, how could these True Element Boundary cultivators endure?
In the blink of an eye, the cultivators gathered in the central most position were swept away, broken limbs and hunks of flesh scattered about as fresh blood sprinkled down like rain.
A void nearly twenty meters in diameter had suddenly appeared, almost like everything in that range had been swallowed up by an invisible black hole.
Slightly further away, the cultivators who survived this onslaught rushed to escape, no longer dare to remain, glancing back occasionally at the miserable scene behind them, their faces filled with horror, silently thanking the Heavens for blessing them with good luck.
The entire scene fell quiet and only the sounds of body parts dropping into the lake disturbed the silence.
“Really sinister!” Yang Kai muttered under his cold breath.
These sudden bursts of energy didn’t come from the various cultivators involved, but from the hundred artifacts themselves.
This third batch of artifacts obviously had the True Qi of strong masters sealed within them and were set to unleash an attack when a cultivator tried to seize one; this had completely caught everyone off guard.
This whole setup was a trap! The Yang Family had intended this to happen when they lured everyone here to snatch these artifacts!
The first two waves were meant to reduce the various cultivators’ vigilance, while the third batch hid a killing blow…
“If our people had also rushed over just now…” Su Xiao Yu’s face paled slightly. It wasn’t like she hadn’t witnessed death before. When she went for life experience in that Isolated World’s she had personally killed people, not to mention the scene a little while ago where fifty cultivators had died in battle trying to snatch artifacts.
But seeing several dozen people suddenly cut to pieces in a terrible explosion was still considered a horror scene to her.
“Young Lord Kai, I deeply admire you from the bottom of my soul!” Huo Xing Chen’s shouted as his cheeks twitched slightly. When Yang Kai had ordered them not to participate in this round of artifact snatching, Huo Xing Chen felt he was being too paranoid, but now, it was obvious to him that Yang Kai wasn’t acting cautious, but was already aware.
If they had rushed forward without thinking like last time, they would certainly have suffered a lot!
Realizing this, how could Huo Xing Chen not admire him? Not only the Huo Family’s Young Lord, all of Yang Kai’s allies stared towards him with respectful and awe filled looks.
“Eldest Young Lord, how did you know…” Across the lake, Meng Shan Yi’s expression also changed greatly as he whispered to Yang Wei.
However, Yang Wei simply shook his head, “I didn’t, but so long as Ninth Brother doesn’t move, we won’t either, everyone just needs to follow his lead.”
“You mean, when you saw Yang Kai just now…”
“En.” Yang Wei nodded, “Thankfully Ninth Brother acted cautiously. If it wasn’t for him…”
Meng Shan Yi took a deep breath and no longer dared underestimate Yang Kai. Turning to look at the other Yang Family Young Lords, Yang Zhao’s expression was a mix of fear and relief. Just now, he had fortunately issued a command to fall back in time, so he only lost three cultivators to this trap. As for Yang Kang and the others, their faces were incomparably pale and ugly.
Yang Kang, Yang Shen, and Yang Ying had suffered heavy losses this time. When the third batch of artifacts emerged, each of them had ordered their allies forward as quickly as possible, so the central dead zone was almost completely occupied by their people.
Each of them had lost more than a dozen people, and many others had suffered varying degrees of injuries, including many low-level Immortal Ascension masters.
What’s more, they now appeared even more incompetent compared with Yang Kai and Yang Wei! This made them feel a little angry.
The floating artifacts in the sky seemed to have expended all their stored power in that one burst so at this moment they appeared somewhat dull. When the surrounding cultivators had all retreated back to the lake’s shore, these artifacts also slowly fell back towards the lake.
However, after suffering such a big loss, no one dared to approach these artifacts right away.
“You can grab them now!” Yang Kai squinted and said a faint voice.
“What are you waiting for?” Huo Xing Chen immediately roared.
From Yang Kai’s camp, almost everyone shot forward, leaving behind the various young leaders and a few Immortal Ascension masters.
At the same time, Yang Wei also issued an order, seemingly determined to act as Yang Kai did.
The cultivators from the other camps around Po Jing Lake didn’t miss the movements of these two groups, but given their recent experience, and in the absence of an order to do so, none of them dared act rashly.
Yang Kang and the others struggled for a while but eventually didn’t send their allies out again.
Before these artifacts could fall into the lake, the cultivators from the two groups had all rushed up and wantonly began harvesting them, not suffering any sudden or unexpected attacks.
Unexpectedly, the two sides reaped many gains and returned triumphantly to their own camps without the slightest harm.
Watching this scene play out, Yang Kang and the others’ guts wrenched with remorse. Yang Zhao’s expression was also quite ugly. If he hadn’t hesitated just now, he too would have been able to eat a piece of this pie.
“Young Lord Kai! We obtained fifty four artifacts!” Huo Xing Chen counted the number and excitedly reported, “What’s more, they’re all Earth Grade Top-Rank!”
Yang Kai nodded lightly, his eyes glancing over at Yang Wei before saying, “Eldest Brother’s men over there, don’t clash with them in the future!”
“Understood!” The crowd nodded.
Yang Kai noticed that just now when they had been snatching artifacts, several of his people had attacked Yang Wei’s allies, but those people had only defended themselves and not fought back, it seems they had received some kind of instructions from Yang Wei.
It was for this reason that his people had managed to snatch a few more pieces than his brother’s.
This seemed to be his Eldest Brother’s way of silently forming an alliance with him, otherwise he wouldn’t have given such an order.
“Young Lord Kai, what do we do next? Do we still sit back and watch?” The Huo Family Young Lord asked with a smile.
Yang Kai shook his head. “They’re not fools. After suffering a loss this time, they won’t make the same mistake again. For the next batch we will go forward to snatch things as well, the only difference is now you’ll have to be wary of attacks from enemies and also these artifacts. Maintaining your own safety is top priority, use whatever Martial Skills and artifacts you have to defend yourselves, don’t die too fast!”
Hearing Yang Kai’s instructions, everyone nodded.
The reason why the batch of artifacts had been able to kill so many people just now was because everyone was vigilant against their opponents and didn’t expect to suddenly suffer attacks from these seemingly idle weapons, so they had taken far more hits than they normally would have. Even some Immortal Ascension Boundary masters had suffered as a result.
This was only the third batch of artifacts and there was nearly a hundred corpses in Po Jing Lake already. After all one thousand artifacts had appeared, just how many people would have died?
Thinking of this, whether it was the spectating crowd or the involved cultivators, all of them felt a slight chill.
The Yang Family and the other seven families had really set up a nasty event this time.
“Young Lord Kai, what should we do about these artifacts right now? There’s quite a lot of them.” Huo Xing Chen asked with an aloof snort, but anyone who saw him now would notice he was smirking.
“Have the Duan Mu Family’s five seniors look after them.” Yang Kai thought for a moment before saying.
The number of artifacts that they snatched from now on would only increase. These artifacts varied in shape and size, some were large while others were small. Some of the smallest were the size of rings and earrings while the largest were the size of swords and axes. For those larger objects, everyone holding onto what they had snatched was obviously not a good solution so someone had to be assigned to look after them.
Because of this, a group of masters would be required to stay behind to guard them, and Yang Kai figured his brothers would also act similarly.
Five Immortal Ascension Boundary masters were tasked with guarding these artifacts. Only this level and amount of force could deter enemies from having other thoughts.
But in this way, the number of masters who could be used was also reduced by five.
However, the incident which occurred when the third batch of artifacts appeared had already disrupted the balance of the six camps. If Yang Kang and the others didn’t throw everything they had into dealing with the situation in front of them, they would only fall into a passive state and gain less and less.
Yang Kai furrowed his brow as he pondered about how to capitalize on his current advantage.
The fourth batch of artifacts appeared soon after.
Nothing remarkable happened, the Spirit Array glowed and then artifacts surfaced from the bottom of the lake, but this time, no one acted rashly, although many people still charged in, this time they were significantly more cautious.
Everyone was on guard not only against enemies trying to rob them, but also against the artifacts themselves; after all, any carelessness might lead to their untimely death.
When the cultivators from the six camps reached the center of the lake, all of them suddenly stopped, no one wanted to serve as someone else’s pathfinder, so everyone waited for others to take the lead, contemplating how the artifact’s stored attack could be stimulated and making plans to handle these scenarios.
The scene suddenly became a stalemate, the artifacts suspended mid-air while the cultivators surrounded them, everyone glancing around vigilantly at each other.
Seeing this, Yang Kai frowned; although he also expected such a situation to appear, he too had no good way to deal with it.
Now, whoever came up first would definitely suffer, but they also couldn’t remain in this deadlocked. The fifth batch of artifacts would probably appear soon. If they couldn’t eat this batch, when the fifth one showed up, the situation would only get worse.
Finally, Yang Kang sneered, “Is everyone here so really so timid? Whoever is willing to step forward is who will have an opportunity! I don’t believe it’s impossible to seize these things!”
Just as his voice rang out, within the dense field of artifacts, a weak Spiritual Energy fluctuation emerged.
A Soul Skill! The sudden emergence of this Soul Skill broke the stalemate in an instant.
As an invisible force burst open, it pushed all of the gently floating artifacts into the surrounding crowd.
The energy contained within the artifacts all erupted one after another as a wave of attacks suddenly struck around, causing everyone to hastily dodge or defend themselves.
Yang Kai immediately turned his eyes towards Liu Qing Yao, his brow wrinkling further.
The Soul Skill just now had been his doing. No one knew why Liu Qing Yao was here. He hadn’t offered services to any of the Yang Family Young Lords, nor had he stirred up any trouble until now. Usually, he just stayed in War City, but this time he had quietly run over to Po Jing Lake, his intentions impossible to guess.
But now he had taken the initiative to break this stalemate.
Fortunately, this time everyone was prepared for it. From the moment these artifacts had appeared, everyone had been vigilant against the traps. Fortunately, the grades of these artifacts weren’t too high, so even fully charged with True Qi the power they could display wasn’t too big and the lethality of these attacks was quite low.
Such scattered and disorganized attacks were easy enough for these cultivators to handle as long as they worked together.
Once they had blocked this barrage of strikes, the cultivators once again found themselves in a chaotic competition. After receiving Yang Kai’s orders, his allies didn’t seek trouble with Yang Wei’s group while the reverse was also true. It was as if the two groups had come to a mutual non-aggression agreement.
After the stalemate was broken, the fourth batch of artifacts was carved up.
But before anyone had time to breath, the fifth batch appeared.
What was surprising though was that this batch of artifacts didn’t appear from the bottom of the lake, but instead descended from the sky.
Floating in the air, numerous glowing golden spheres condensed before quickly transforming into a hundred rays of light that shot out in all directions.
The cultivators who had just been grabbing artifacts hadn’t even had time to return to their respective camps when this fifth batch suddenly appeared.
These golden streaks flew about randomly, some of them even spreading as far as the crowd of spectators, causing quite a big disturbance.
The battlefield suddenly expanded because of the unexpected emergence of the fifth batch of artifacts; the chaotic battlefield was no longer limited to Po Jing Lake but had grown to encompass a big part of the surrounding wilderness as well.
With no other choice, even those who had stayed in the six camps had to join in and competed for these newly appeared artifacts.
For a time, the scene descended into pandemonium and everyone, whether they were here to compete or merely spectate, became involved.
Now that things had developed to this point, even the crowd of spectators found themselves becoming riled up, rushing into battle for a chance to grab one of these artifacts.
The Six Yang Family Young Lords constantly issued new instructions to their respective allies, carefully observing both their opponents’ actions and those of the outsiders who chose to involve themselves, adjusting their strategies on the fly.
A point that everyone found particularly interesting was that Yang Wei’s actions were no different from Yang Kai’s, seemingly taking his approach to this situation as a model for his own. Whenever Yang Kai dispatched reinforcements, he too would deploy more manpower. When Yang Kai had his troops pull back, he also had his allies fall back, even when it came to guarding the artifacts his team had already seized, he also used five Immortal Ascension Boundary masters.
Obviously, Yang Kai had noticed this but he didn’t say anything. What his big brother wanted to do was his freedom.
Amongst all the artifacts, one which was shaped like a bell suddenly let out a burst of magical sound that caused those nearby to tremble violently, their True Qi to fluctuate wildly and their blood to flow backwards. After the sound dissipated, those who were nearby who had withstood it dived towards this artifact, stirring up a great melee.
When this artifact had suddenly appeared here, the nearby crowd had boiled over with excitement, all of them using the full strength to try to seize it.
Soon, the artifact had disappeared and no one knew who had taken it away in the chaos.
A burst of curses and complaints erupted from those who hadn’t managed to snatch this artifact. It had been such a rare opportunity. So many artifacts had appeared here, but only one had landed here and now it was gone, who wouldn’t be regretful?
However, when everyone in this area was glancing around, wondering who had obtained the artifact, a pitiful cry rang out and a middle-aged man who seemed to be around forty years old fell to the ground, a great gash on his chest spilling blood and guts as the light in his eyes quickly faded.
Everyone was shocked.
From the middle-aged man’s sleeve, the bell-shaped artifact that had just disappeared emerged and, seemingly attracted by an invisible force, quickly flew out, accelerating towards the centre of Po Jing Lake, returning to the chaotic battlefield.
Everyone was horrified, quickly dismissing any thoughts they had about snatching these treasures.
They knew that this middle-aged man didn’t die for no reason; in trying to seize this artifact for himself, he had brought a fatal disaster upon himself.
Amongst the crowd, there must be masters staring at the movements of these flying artifacts; once an uninvolved bystander couldn’t resist their greed, they would immediately be killed!
Understanding this, the cultivators who had just tried to snatch this artifact couldn’t help showing a happy smile. Fortunately, they hadn’t been the one to obtain that bell-shaped artifact, otherwise the person who was lying dead on the ground wouldn’t be this middle-aged man, but themselves!
The uncompromising and overbearing nature of the Central Capital’s Yang Family was thoroughly illustrated to everyone here.
After numerous fishers amongst the spectators died, the crowd of onlookers no longer dared have any ideas about these artifacts. Once they were moved by their greed, they would find themselves dead.
The battlefield grew more chaotic; after the first few rounds, the time between when batches of artifacts appeared only became shorter.
Often, before a batch had been divided, the next batch had emerged, and everywhere an object appeared people would rush to snatch it.
More and more people died. No matter which camp it was, the losses weren’t small.
Those who remained beside the six Yang Family Young Lords also decreased as time passed; first, half the Immortal Ascension Boundary masters were sent out, then the younger generation leaders such as Huo Xing Chen entered the fray as well.
Each of these young rising stars would be accompanied by a number of strong Immortal Ascension masters, otherwise there would be no way for them to survive in such a turbulent battlefield.
Eventually, beside the six Young Lords, there was only their dedicated Blood Warrior guardian and the Immortal Ascension Boundary masters tasked with guarding their obtained artifacts.
When the seventh batch of artifacts appeared, the battle above Po Jing Lake became even more intense, because there were Heaven Grade artifacts among them.
In the eighth batch, most of the artifacts were Heaven Grade.
The ninth batch, all Heaven Grade…
Everyone who was snatching artifacts had their eyes dyed red. Everyone around them was an enemy. They wantonly unleashed their own True Qi and Spiritual Energy without any scruples. They used any method at their disposal in order to seize these powerful artifacts and bring them back to their camp.
Those who sat on the sidelines and watched the development of the situation all cheered loudly or held their breaths in anticipation.
Cultivators came out, grabbed an artifact, and then fought to bring it back, placing it under the care of the Immortal Ascension Boundary masters in their respective bases. Everyone’s consumption was huge. Fortunately, Xia Ning Chang and the Medicine King’s Valley Alchemists had refined a batch of pills that could quickly supplement True Qi, so in terms of endurance, Yang Kai’s people performed better than anyone else.
All of them had already taken some pills during the course of this battle.
Thus, despite their physical exhaustion, they could still spend their True Qi without any scruples.
Suddenly, a Spiritual Energy pulse blossomed in mid-air, containing an icy cold feeling.
Yang Kai’s eyes immediately lit up.
Soul type artifact! And it was an offensive artifact at that! But most importantly, this Soul type artifact’s characteristics matched Yang Kai’s Spiritual Energy very well!
If he could obtain this Soul type artifact, the power of his Soul Skill would be improved.
Although Yang Kai really wanted to step forward to seize this artifact personally, he somehow managed to press down this impulse, instead calling out to Dong Qing Han who was nearby where the artifact appeared.
Dong Qing Han was accompanied by the Wind and Cloud Dual Guards as usual, so even though he didn’t understand, his protectors did.
The moment the Spiritual Energy pulse broke out, the Wind and Cloud guards also realized the preciousness of this Soul type artifact.
Seeing the look in Yang Kai’s eyes, Dong Qing Han immediately left his original opponent and turned towards the newly appeared artifact, the Wind and Cloud guards following close behind.
Just as he arrived at the location of the artifact, before he had a chance to snatch it, a person appeared before him, smiling deviously as he stared down at Dong Qing Han, “Hey fatty, you’re an ally of Yang Kai, right?”
A blue vein throbbed on Dong Qing Han’s forehead when he heard this, his expression darkening greatly.
When Huo Xing Chen called him a fat brother, he did so in a natural and friendly manner, but the person in front of him obviously didn’t have this meaning.
Dong Qing Han stared at this newcomer with piercing cold eyes, obviously he had been enraged.
Dong Qing Han stared at the young man in front of him and coldly snorted, dodging sideways to try to circumvent him. He knew it wasn’t the time to get bogged down in pointless conflicts, what was important right now was to seize that artifact.
However, the other party obviously had no intention of letting him go, matching his steps in order to block his path again.
Seeing this, Dong Qing Han sneered, his expression still indifference but his aura gradually becoming dangerous.
“Since you’re one of Yang Kai’s allies, you shouldn’t even think of passing me!” The young man firmly declared, his attitude incredibly rampant and arrogant!
“I was wondering who it was, so it is Young Master Lu,” Dong Qing Han spat disdainfully. This youth was no stranger as he had met him before when Lu Song brought materials and troops to join Yang Kai.
But this youth’s vision was far too poor, easily being tricked by Qiu Yi Meng into angering Yang Kai, subsequently leading to him being driven out and then beaten to a pulp by Huo Xing Chen.
After that incident, Lu Song piled all his grievances and hatred onto Yang Kai, so once his wounds had convalesced he immediately sought out Yang Kang and joined his forces in order to seek revenge on Yang Kai.
Among all the Young Lords who were participating in the Inheritance War, three of them held deep hatred towards Yang Kai. One was Xiang Chu of the Xiang Family, one was Nan Sheng of the Nan Family, and the other was Lu Song.
These three all wanted Yang Kai to die without burial for various reasons, so during this battle for artifacts, the three of them had brought their respective forces and specially targeted those who belonged to Yang Kai’s camp.
Lu Song sneer back, “Young Lord Dong, I don’t have any grudge against you, but you choosing to support Yang Kai makes me unhappy. When this Young Master is unhappy, you won’t be happy either, I advise you to abandon Yang Kai now so you don’t end up dying miserably.”
“Try it if you can!” Dong Qing Han knew that Lu Song only wanted to delay him here so he was too lazy to talk any nonsense with him. After he finished speaking, his slightly chubby body flickered and shot off through the sky like a bolt of lightning.
The Wind and Cloud Dual Guards followed quickly, flanking him to his left and right.
Lu Song’s expression sank as he angrily shouted, “Want to leave? In your dreams! Stop them!”
The two Immortal Ascension Boundary Seventh Stage masters accompanying Lu Song instantly moved to intercept the Wind and Cloud Dual Guards.
At the same time, countless black lights emerged from Lu Song’s arms and his expression became ferocious.
These black lights gave off an eerie aura and seemed to contain a kind of frigid energy as they swiftly gathered in Lu Song’s hands.
Quickly, two washbasin sized spheres of dark energy appeared atop Lu Song’s palms and pulsed with murderous intent.
Pushing his palms forward, the two masses of energy soared through the air and circled towards Dong Qing Han, attempted to trap him.
Although Lu Song was an arrogant fool, he was still the Young Lord of a first-class family. After so many years of cultivation in such a good environment, obviously he had some decent means.
With Lu Song’s True Element Boundary Seventh Stage cultivation in conjunction with this powerful artifact based attack, he had more than enough capital to thoroughly suppress an opponent at the same cultivation realm as him.
Once someone was caught in this trap, it would be like they fell into a mire, slowing them down significantly.
Dong Qing Han revised his opinion of Lu Song upon seeing this strike. With both of them using high grade artifacts, and given the small difference in their cultivation realms, if they were to really fight, Dong Qing Han would have to spend quite a bit of time to beat Lu Song.
Unfortunately, right now, time was the one thing Dong Qing Han didn’t have enough of.
Tracing the movements of the two energy balls flying towards him, Dong Qing Han took a deep breath and with a great shout, his somewhat fat body quickly shrank, suddenly transforming him from a fatty to a well-built handsome youth. With a booming thunder-like crash, a great crescent blade of wind suddenly appeared and intercepted the two dark energy balls.
The intense collision led to an explosion of energy which completely dissipated both attacks.
Lu Song’s expression changing to one of shock as he momentarily froze, allowing Dong Qing Han to open up a fair distance between them, his now thin body wrapped in a layer of wind which greatly boosted his speed.
No one knew Dong Qing Han cultivated a wind attribute Secret Art. The first impression most had of this fatty was that he didn’t seem nimble, but right now Dong Qing Han’s movements had become sharp and exquisite, like a soaring hawk racing through the forest canopy.
By the time Lu Song recovered, it was already too late for him to catch up.
However, while Dong Qing Han was delayed by Lu Song’s mysterious artifact, another cultivator had managed to seize the target artifact. Fortunately, this person was only an ordinary True Element Eighth Stage cultivator and he was easily knocked back after a single exchange between him and Dong Qing Han.
Realizing that although the two of them had the equal cultivations, he was not this newcomer’s opponent at all, the man immediately lost heart and awkward threw away the Soul type artifact.
Whether intentionally or unintentionally, the direction he had thrown the artifact happened to be towards the crowd of spectators.
Seeing this, Lu Song laughed and turned back to the artifact.
Dong Qing Han glanced at the culprit angrily for a moment before not wasting anymore time on him, quickly darting towards the direction the artifact had flown.
Wrapped in a faint glowing radiance, the artifact flew through the air and gradually fell towards a group of spectators. With the previous experience, how could this group of bored onlookers dare get involved again? The group quickly scattered in all directions, none of them willing to even touch this artifact.
Only one man and two women remained where they stood.
The twenty seven or so year old youth and the pair of beautiful twin sisters stared blankly at the artifact flying towards them, all of them smiling wryly in their hearts.
According to its current trajectory, if it wasn’t intercepted by someone else, this artifact would fall almost precisely on top of these three people’s heads, like it had been guiding to them by some invisible force.
As these three youths watched, some hesitance appeared in their eyes, but eventually they didn’t move like everyone else.
Soon, the artifact came to a stop right above one of the sister’s heads, this enchanting flower casually reaching out and grabbing it.
“You’re way too reckless!” The young man muttered, his face paling slightly. Everyone who had tried to snatch one of these artifacts so far had been silently killed a moment later, even catching one temporarily was a big risk.
Those who were here to watch the excitement also showed a trace of pity on their faces, these two sisters were young, beautiful, and enchanting, if they were suddenly killed for no reason it would be quite tragic.
This bold action was also seen by Lu Song and Dong Qing Han. Lu Song, who first arrived, let out an arrogant laugh of victory as he extended his hand, “Girl, hand it over, or you’ll die!”
Although Dong Qing Han’s expression was cold, his heart was filled with anxiety, but there was nothing he could do. From the perspective of these spectators, it didn’t matter if the one in front of them was from the Dong Family or Lu Family, in order to avoid being killed, they would naturally choose to deliver any artifact they caught to the first person who asked.
If this artifact was really picked up by Lu Song, it would be quite hard to get back.
Sure enough, the young woman looked up at Lu Song and flashed a fascinating smile as she nodded, “Okay.”
The charming smile coupled with her enchanting voice stimulated Lu Song greatly, so even in this chaotic and dangerous situation, he couldn’t help feeling his pulse quicken slightly.
Just as he was experiencing this gaff, the young woman casually tossed the artifact in her hands; however, upon leaving her fingers it shot out as fast as a meteor, crossing over Lu Song’s head and flying over to Dong Qing Han.
Dong Qing Han was already on edge, alert to any possible danger lurking around him, so when the artifact suddenly flew at him he instinctively reached out and grabbed it. Startled, he stared at his hand then at the young woman a short distance away, his brow furrowing slightly.
It was as if… he had seen this beautiful young woman somewhere before.
Standing there with his still outstretched hand, Lu Song felt thoroughly embarrassed, and his expression quickly became gloomy, glaring at the young woman as he angrily roared, “You court death!”
The True Qi in his body stirred as he threw a punch filled with murderous intent towards the young woman, his face devoid of any mercy.
On the other hand, the young woman maintained her perfect smile as she lightly waved her hand.
In an instant, the space in front of the young woman warped and an impenetrable barrier formed that not only blocked Lu Song’s killing strike but even reflected it back at him, sending him tumbling awkwardly through the air.
Gasps resounded all around and even Dong Qing Han was dumbfounded.
No one had thought that this enchanting young woman who appeared as delicate as a flower was actually hiding such immense strength.
So young, yet able to force the Young Lord of a first-class family back with a single casual blow, such ability wasn’t something an ordinary person could possess.
“Hmph!” The young woman’s smiling face quickly changed to one of disgust and disdain as she snorted contemptuously. She turned around and disappeared into the crowd in the next instant with her twin and young man hurriedly chasing after her.
A short distance away, Lu Song was still in shock, unable to even utter any words of response. When he confronted Dong Qing Han, even if he was at a disadvantage, he wasn’t powerless to resist like just now; that young woman was obviously not an average person! She was clearly much stronger than both him or Dong Qing Han.
His head filled with complex thoughts, Lu Song’s face gradually turned crimson as his True Qi fluctuated unstably.
Against another first-class family Young Lord his skills had proved inferior, and now even a random nameless spectator had easily bested him, naturally he felt he had lost a great deal of face.
After finally composing himself, his first thought was to order his henchmen to seize that young woman so he could torture her to relieve the hate in his heart but he quickly discovered that she and her companions had already disappeared, causing him to feel helpless and depressed.
“Lu Song, this artifact, this Young Master will graciously accept!” Dong Qing Han raised the Soul type artifact in his hand and loudly declared with a smug look on his face.
The Wind and Cloud Dual Guards also broke off their fight with the two Lu Family masters and immediately returned to Dong Qing Han’s side.
“Just you wait!” Lu Song angrily spat.
Staring back at him, Dong Qing Han’s expression became serious as he earnestly said, “Young Lord Lu, I advise you to leave War City and the Central Capital, or else you will die sooner or later, those who have offended my cousin have never had good ends!”
“We’ll see who dies first, him or me!” Lu Song shot back , not appreciating this advice at all.
Dong Qing Han shook his head slowly, no longer concerning himself with Lu Song and flying back to Yang Kai’s camp.
The confrontation here was only a small event in comparison to the entire battlefield, and the shocking performance of the mysterious young woman was only witnessed by a small group of people who quickly forgot about her as they continued watching the chaotic scene in front of them.
Only Dong Qing Han, on his way back, continued to furrow his brow, unable to recall just where he had seen those beautiful twin sisters, their faces were familiar to him but the impression they gave him just now didn’t match with anyone he had met before which confused him greatly.
What he cared more about though, was the strength of the young woman who had just taken action, there was no doubt she was even stronger than he was!
The ninth batch of Artifacts finally for released and the whole lake was decorated with sparse sprinkles of Heaven Grade artifacts. Blinded by greed and a fervent lust of power, every battle got even more frenzied. As their excitement rose, so did the bloodshed.
Everyone knew that there was only a limited number of treasure for them, so once one managed to get his hands on a piece of treasure, he would be targeted by innumerable people around him. This placed the holder’s life in a precarious situation whereby holding onto his life was difficult enough; let alone the artifact in his hands.
Even so, the cultivators still attempted to take on the risk. This led to the artifacts swapping hands at breakneck pace.
Everyone’s entire focus had been attracted by this batch of Heaven Grade artifacts except for the six Yang Family Young Lords!
Since the battle for these artifacts had begun, none of them had ever moved, only deploying their allies one by one until now only their respective Blood Warrior was left beside them.
The six of them were constantly on alert, secretly observing the movements of their opponents. Yang Kai, Yang Wei, and Yang Zhao didn’t appear anxious while Yang Kang, Yang Shen, and Yang Ying couldn’t help showing some slight agitation. When a cultivator from their camp lost an artifact they would wear bitter expressions, and when they successfully snatched one they would show happy smiles, especially when the grade of the artifact was good.
However, no matter who it was, all of them were quietly waiting for the emergence of the Mysterious Grade artifacts, which they knew would soon appear.
Suddenly, a few thousand meters up, a few faint flashes of light like twinkling stars emerged and an extraordinary fluctuation of energy spread from them.
Everyone felt these energy fluctuations and couldn’t help but look up.
What they saw was these points of light getting brighter and brighter as they approached the lake surface at an incredible speed, like brilliant falling stars with five coloured tails trailing behind them.
The six brothers expressions all brightened as flames lit in their hearts .
The Mysterious Grade artifacts had finally appeared!
What’s more, there were a full eight of them!
This was the grand finale of this snatching battle, the most precious eight artifacts!
Mysterious Grade was the highest grade in this world, whether it was an artifact or pill! Refining Mysterious Grade pills was extremely difficult and refining Mysterious Grade artifacts was even harder, so almost every single Mysterious Grade artifact was equivalent to a first-class forces’ foundational inheritance.
In one shot producing eight Mysterious Grade artifacts, only the Central Capital’s Eight Great Families had such a heritage.
Soon, the eight Mysterious Grade artifacts that appeared in the sky had fallen to a height of a thousand meters and were still picking up speed.
Whether it was the crowd of spectators or the battling cultivators, all of them felt as if a mountain like pressure was descending upon them, this aura was like the precursor to the world’s imminent destruction, causing everyone to shudder in fear.
“Run!” Someone exclaimed as they darted away.
Since the emergence of the third batch of artifacts, every artifact had a single strike sealed within it. If a cultivator wanted to seize it, they first had to endure this attack.
These eight Mysterious Grade artifacts were obviously the same. An attack from a Mysterious Grade artifact was difficult for even an Immortal Ascension Boundary Seventh or Eighth Stage master to endure, so what chance would these casual spectators stand?
As soon as this cry rang out, the crowd suddenly transformed into a pack of stray dogs fleeing in panic, each of them activating their own movement skills to get as far away from Po Jing Lake as possible.
Not only did these spectators escape, even the cultivators who had been snatching artifact until now also hurriedly withdrew in order to avoid a head on collision.
The six Yang Family Young Lords didn’t move, all of them staring fixedly at the eight falling stars, the light in their eyes glowing brighter with every breath.
Eight hundred meters, seven hundred…
At this distance, the outline of these eight artifacts could be seen clearly; they were all different shapes and sizes. If one didn’t spend a great deal of time to thoroughly research it, they wouldn’t know what these artifacts really did.
Yang Kai had already released his powerful Divine Sense and inspected the eight artifacts as best he could, most interested in one that appeared to be a mirror.
This mirror revealed a mysterious frigid energy fluctuation, indicating it was probably an artifact with a cold attribute. Although what Yang Kai cultivated was the True Yang Secret Art, he still felt that this mirror may be more powerful than the other artifacts.
Five hundred meters…
As if they had discussed it beforehand, all the Yang Family Young Lords who until now hadn’t moved at all suddenly flew up in to the sky, rushing to intercept these eight artifacts.
Mid-flight, the six brothers silently met each other’s eyes and confirmed each other’s goals. Obviously they didn’t want to have any disputes at the outset.
There was a total of eight artifacts so each of them could grab at least one of them, as for the remaining two pieces, they would belong to whoever could snatch them.
Fortunately for Yang Kai, none of his brothers seemed to have eyes on his goal. With the roles of these Mysterious Grade artifacts still unclear, everyone naturally had the intention to first grab one while avoiding unnecessary fights.
The distance between the six brothers and the eight artifacts quickly shrunk.
Everyone’s True Qi circulated fiercely and the six Blood Warriors who followed the six brothers also gathered their strength.
In a flash, twelve people and eight artifacts collided.
The speed of the six Blood Warriors was a bit faster, rushing ahead of their Young Lords and pushing their True Qi to defend themselves as they each reached out towards their respective target artifacts.
A full powered attack from a Mysterious Grade artifact was not something any of the Young Lords could resist, so the Blood Warriors had to resist these strikes first before they could attempt to seize them
Accompanied by a burst of light so bright that observers couldn’t open their eyes, a fierce wave of energy instantly burst out.
Six muffled snorts rang out at the same time, and from inside the brilliant light, a mysterious pattern seemed to appear.
*Shua shua*, the remaining two unattended artifacts fell to the side, attracting six hot glances, but none of them rushed to seize them, even Yang Kai didn’t dare touch the restriction placed on these Mysterious Grade artifacts.
However, under the gazes of these six people, a lone figure suddenly shot towards one of the two drifting artifacts from below. This person seemed to have flown in right after the six brothers took action.
After seeing the face of this person, Yang Kang couldn’t help but curse, “Bastard, Liu Qing Yao!”
The newcomer was none other than the Central Capital’s First Young Lord. Like the Yang Family Young Lords, he hadn’t taken any action before now, but when the Mysterious Grade artifacts appeared, he finally moved, obviously he had come here with the same goal as the Yang Family brothers.
“Courting death!” Yang Shen coldly snorted, how could the Mysterious Grade artifact’s attack be so easy to bear? Liu Qing Yao was only an Immortal Ascension Boundary Third Stage, once he touched the restriction around this artifact, even if he didn’t die he would be seriously injured.
But Liu Qing Yao didn’t seem to panic at all, his True Qi suddenly bursting out, causing the robe he was wearing to shine vibrantly. On his robe, images of a great river and a round crescent moon appeared, there was even a fish swimming in the water giving it an almost lifelike appearance. The river surged upwards in great billowing blue waves, forming into a raging torrent which quickly shrouded Liu Qing Yao’s figure.
As this happened, the crescent moon shot out a thousand rays of light towards the Mysterious Grade artifact while the seemingly ordinary fish leapt from the water and transformed into a great and imposing dragon which opened its mouth bit towards the artifact as well.
“Water Moon Blue Wave Armour!” Yang Zhao exclaimed, apparently recognizing this treasure.
Yang Kai’s brow wrinkled. Although he had never heard of this Water Moon Blue Wave Armour, Liu Qing Yao daring to snatch this Mysterious Grade artifact alone was obviously because of it.
This was a rare treasure, capable of both offence and defence; it looked like a Mysterious Grade artifact itself!
Liu Qing Yao was the First Young Lord of the Central Capital. He was also the Liu Family’s inheritor; him having a Mysterious Grade artifact of his own was plausible.
When the dragon and moonlight hit the Mysterious Grade artifact’s barrier, the seal was immediately stimulated and countless golden lights shone out, quickly overwhelming the thousand moon beams.
The dragon struggled for a while longer but eventually lost to the golden lights, bursting into mist and disappearing.
Liu Qing Yao took this opportunity to grab the artifact before the countless golden lights reached him, causing the water curtain surrounding his body to tremble fiercely.
Yang Kang and others secretly stole glances at the situation, praying with all their hearts that Liu Qing Yao would either be repelled or killed.
However, to their disappointment, when the golden lights faded completely, Liu Qing Yao remained. The Central Capital’s First Young Lord stood there, his expression indifferent as he firmly grasped the artifact in his hand.
Just when everyone thought he had succeeded, Liu Qing Yao’s expression changed sharply as his eyes bulged.
From the artifact, suddenly a burst of blue energy like a ribbon shot out and attempted to entangled Liu Qing Yao, immediately wrapping him up in a few layers. This blue energy was extremely strange, even his Water Moon Blue Wave Armour was unable to impede its progress.
“Resist!” Liu Qing Yao angrily roared, the water curtain around his body fiercely swelling, finally slowing the speed at which the blue energy was engulfing him.
The six Yang Family Young Lords saw this unexpected development and were all stunned; however, in the next moment Yang Wei’s expression changed, turning to his nearby Blood Warrior and shouting, “Get back!”
Unfortunately, his warning came too late, Liu Qing Yao had relied on his own artifacts to block the attack of and seize this artifact, how could the six Blood Warriors not have done the same?
Although they didn’t have their own Mysterious Grade artifacts, but they had superb cultivation and strength.
The six Blood Warriors had already grasped the artifacts their respective Young Lords had sought, and by the time Yang Wei shouted out, blue ribbons of energy had already emerged and shot towards the six Blood Warriors, attempting to bind them in place.
As soon as they saw these blue energy ribbons, the six Blood Warriors’ expressions changed greatly. Obviously, they knew the details of these blue ribbons. Without a moment’s hesitation, all six of these masters flew back at their fastest speed, but the blue energy ribbons pursued relentlessly, and quickly overtook them.
No one managed to escape, all of them wound up captured.
Unlike ordinary ropes, these blue energy ribbons immediately disappear into their bodies after they had fully engulfed the six Blood Warriors and didn’t affect their freedom of movement.
Across the distance between them, the six Blood Warriors all looked at each other and with depressed expressions.
“This damn thing!” Tu Feng sighed.
The others also gnashed their teeth as they cursed, “Too sinister!”
Ying Jiu didn’t say a word as he rushed over to Yang Kai’s side and handed over the mirror like artifact before he rapidly flew back to the lakeshore.
Yang Kai stared at his back and frowned. Although he did appear to be wounded, the current Ying Jiu gave him a very different feeling from usual, almost like a tiger that had all its teeth pulled out.
Not only Ying Jiu, but the other Blood Warriors too handed over their seized artifacts before immediately departing.
“What just happened?” Yang Kang muttered, holding a ring like artifact in his hand, completely confused.
“Big Brother, if it’s convenient, would you be so kind as to enlighten your brothers?” Yang Zhao smiled and looked towards Yang Wei.
Just now Yang Wei had apparently seen some clues, so he had immediately tried to warn the Blood Warriors to withdraw. Unfortunately, he was not in time.
Yang Wei surely understood what this mysterious blue ribbon was.
Hearing Yang Zhao’s request, Yang Wei’s face remained indifferent, obviously not planning to reply, but when he turned and saw Liu Qing Yao who was still entangled by the blue ribbon and unable to move, he frowned slightly before nodding.
Even if he revealed this piece of information, it would do him no harm. What’s more, even if he did not speak, so long as these his brothers went back and asked the Blood Warrior, they would understand.
Although Liu Qing Yao relied on the power of the Water Moon Blue Wave Armour to block the blue energy ribbon from binding his body, it obviously was unable to completely resolve it either, so when he saw Yang Wei nod, he too couldn’t help glancing towards him and listening carefully.
“My Yang Family has four Grand Elders, all of whom are Above Immortal Ascension Boundary masters. With the addition of the Patriarch, that makes a total of five.” Yang Wei began calmly, “The other seven families also have roughly the same number, but these Above Immortal Ascension Boundary masters are all old people who almost never fight anymore. Even in the recent war with the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land, only one or two were dispatched. Among these Grand Elders, one of them is particularly well known for his binding techniques: The one who originated from the Blood Warrior Hall!”
“Huang Jiu Zhou?” Yang Zhao was shocked.
Of the four Yang Family Grand Elders, only one was from the Blood Warrior Hall! When he was young, he was also just a Yang Family Blood Warrior, but over many years he made great contributions to the Yang Family and was able to break through to the Above Immortal Ascension Boundary, reaching the peak of this world’s martial dao and was bestowed the rank of Grand Elder.
Every member of the Yang Family knew his name as he was the strongest living member of the Blood Warrior Hall. He was held up as an example to all, proof that if one cultivated diligently enough he could one day reach the same height as Huang Jiu Zhou.
“En,” Yang Wei nodded and pointed his finger at Liu Qing Yao. “These things stem from his hand! The Qi Binding Seal locks its target’s True Qi inside their own meridians, making it impossible to use!”
“These things were traps placed on them…” Yang Zhao nodded before suddenly realizing something, “Then our Blood Warriors…”
“Their True Qi is also sealed right now. Although they’ll be able to break the Qi Binding Seal on their own with their strength, without two or three months it will be impossible!” Yang Wei whispered.
All the Yang Family Young Lords suddenly wore ugly expressions.
Originally, they each had only two Blood Warriors at their disposal. One was responsible for guarding them, the other for guarding the flag. However, now each of them had lost one of these powerful guardians to Huang Jiu Zhou’s sinister methods. In the future, whether it was attacking or defending, the power available to each of them would decrease sharply.
Considering all this, everyone turned to look at Yang Kai, and could not help but envying him.
Only Yang Kai had managed to gather three Blood Warriors, so he could afford this loss.
Huang Jiu Zhou planting these Qi Binding Seals in the eight Mysterious Grade artifacts was obviously the Yang Family’s arrangement, another means to accelerate the progress of the Inheritance War. With six fewer Blood Warriors available to stabilize the situation, the battles would surely become more dangerous and consequential.
“Serves you right!” Yang Kang looked at Liu Qing Yao who was still struggling with the Qi Binding Seal and gloated. “Young Lord Liu, even my Yang Family Blood Warriors couldn’t escape these Qi Binding Seals, I think you should just accept your fate. Obediently hand over the artifact in your hand and we brother’s won’t hold this affront against you.”
Liu Qing Yao’s expression remained cold and indifferent, snorting dismissively before ignoring Yang Kang’s banters.
Seeing this, Yang Kang became a little annoyed, coldly saying, “Liu Qing Yao, even if you refuse to accept reality you have no choice. This artifact snatching battle was my Yang Family’s arrangement. What rright do you have to interfere?”
“It’s a Mysterious Grade artifact. Of course I want one for myself!” Liu Qing Yao finally responded, his tone neither cold nor hot, not a trace of panic despite being trapped.
There were not many Mysterious Grade artifacts in this world, and the Yang Family suddenly coming up with so many at once would clearly be too big a loss. In all likelihood, these eight artifacts were donated by all Eight Great Families, one from each family, so why else would the numbers be so coincidental?
Liu Qing Yao being tempted by these Mysterious Grade artifacts was understandable, as was his decision to participate in order to snatch one.
This explained why he came here this time, but no one had expected that the final eight artifacts not only had a fierce attack sealed within them, but also had Huang Jiu Zhou’s Qi Binding Seal hidden inside as well. This two layered trap had actually simultaneously ensnared six Blood Warriors.
“Since you’ve admitted so, then don’t blame us brothers for acting in kind.” Yang Kang sneered glancing around at the other Young Lords, “Who would like try grabbing Young Lord’s Liu’s artifact first?”
The sealed attacks and Qi Binding Seals in that artifact had already been triggered, anyone could take it away at will now. As for the remaining artifact, it had already fallen into Po Jing Lake.
Yang Kang’s proposal made Yang Shen and Yang Ying very excited, suddenly showing an eagerness to try.
If he was at his peak, none of them would dare have any ideas about fighting Liu Qing Yao, but now all his strength was being used to resist the Qi Binding Seal, how could he have any spare energy to fight others?
Yang Wei didn’t say anything and Yang Zhao simply stood there smiling, no one able to figure out what he was thinking.
Yang Kang couldn’t work up the courage to ask either of them so he eventually turned his attention to Yang Kai, “Ninth Brother, say something.”
Yang Kai shrugged his shoulders in response, “You help yourself.”
“Ninth Brother!” Yang Kang’s expression suddenly became grim, “Although we are all opponents, right now you should give Fifth Brother some face, the thing he snatched originally should be ours.”
Yang Kai simply shook his head and firmly declared, “If I want something, I’ll grab it myself.”
“Fine!” Yang Kang sneered, no longer haggling over things, turning to stare at Liu Qing Yao, “Young Lord Liu, don’t struggle. It’s pointless to resist.”
Liu Qing Yao sneered back, his expression becoming cold as his True Qi suddenly surged. At the same time, the Water Moon Blue Wave Armour on his body also began flickering and the patterns of rivers, fish, and crescent moons gradually became illusory.
Yang Kang and the others expression rapidly changed as they yelled out, “Liu Qing Yao, are you crazy!? That’s a Mysterious Grade artifact!”
Liu Qing Yao didn’t respond, instead pushing his True Qi even harder.
*Pa…* The river pattern on the Water Moon Blue Wave Armour suddenly burst, and with the disappearance of the river, the Qi Binding Seal cracked slightly.
*Pa…*
The crescent moon disappeared next, further fragmenting the Qi Binding Seal.
*Pa…*
With the final fish pattern disappearing, the blue Qi Binding Seal also shattered like a broken mirror and burst open.
The Water Moon Blue Wave Armour worn by Liu Qing Yao simultaneously disintegrated and scattered into the winds.
The surrounding glow gradually dimmed as this rare and precious Mysterious Grade artifact finally died.
Like a tiger which had just escaped from its cage, Liu Qing Yao let out a long breath before gazing sharply at everyone around him, “A trivial Qi Binding Seal wants to restrain me, Liu Qing Yao? You Yang Family people look down on me far too much!”
Yang Kang and the others trembled fiercely, staring blankly at the Central Capital’s First Young Lord, shaking their heads slowly as they grinned wryly.
Having witnessed this display, Yang Kai’s eyes also narrowed, secretly admiring Liu Qing Yao. This unyielding young man clearly demonstrated he would rather break than bend.
On the other hand, the six Blood Warriors failed to resist the Qi Binding Seal not because they were weak, but because they didn’t have a heritage like Liu Qing Yao’s.
Liu Qing Yao was only able to break free of the shackles of the Qi Binding Seal by sacrificing his own Water Moon Blue Wave Armour; the price could only be described as enormous.
Moreover, not every artifact was capable of pulling this off, this was clearly one of the Water Moon Blue Wave Armour’s last resort abilities.
“Do you want to fight alone or together? This Liu will accept any challenge!” Liu Qing Yao declared as he overlooked the six brothers proudly.
Yang Kang’s face couldn’t help twitching.
Just now he had been eager to start something with Liu Qing Yao, but now that the situation had taken a sharp turn, he didn’t dare to step forward. If he were to be defeated by Liu Qing Yao here, he would lose all face.
Yang Shen and Yang Ying’s expression were also ugly, unconsciously glancing over towards Yang Wei, counting on him to say something.
Now that Liu Qing Yao had uttered this challenge, if none of the brothers said anything, not only would they lose face, the Yang Family would as well. Once word of such an incident spread, the rest of the world would start thinking that the Yang Family was just a soft persimmon!
“The artifact is right here!” Liu Qing Yao lifted the artifact he had just snatched up high and sneered, “If any of you can withstand three of my moves, this Liu will willingly hand it over!”
Being repeatedly provoked so made the Yang Family’s Young Lords all look sullen.
Even Yang Zhao, the best among them at hiding his thoughts, couldn’t help showing signs of anger.
This bloody battle was their stage, an internal struggle for supremacy, but now this Liu Qing Yao had decided to butt in and casually disdain them, how could they not be angered?
However, out of all of them, the strongest Yang Wei was still just an Immortal Ascension Boundary Second Stage and he had already fought Liu Qing Yao once so he had an understanding of the depths of his strength. If he didn’t dare to step forward to meet Liu Qing Yao’s challenge, what chance would anyone else have?
Everyone felt completely embarrassed!
Especially considering the fact that the Yang Family was widely recognized as the head of the Central Capital’s Eight Great Families.
Yang Wei’s brow furrowed, knowing that maintaining this stalemate was not a solution. Liu Qing Yao had spoken loudly, if none of them fought him now, it would only cause the crowds spectating down below to underestimate the Yang Family.
Just as he was about to agree, taking on a personal embarrassment to preserve the Yang Family’s reputation, Yang Kai grinned and took a step forward, casually asking, “Whoever can withstand three of your moves was it?”
Liu Qing Yao immediately frowned, not having thought that the first to answer his challenge would be Yang Kai, but he still nodded once and replied, “Correct!”
“Block three of your attacks and the artifact is mine?”
“En.”
“Good! Said it and meant it! Let me try!” Yang Kai nodded lightly, no signs of tension on his face at all.
As soon as he spoke these words, Yang Wei hurriedly objected, “Ninth Brother, don’t be impulsive.”
“There’s no problem.” Yang Kai waved his hand and said, “Big Brother, just stand back and watch, I’ll prove that our Yang Family people can’t be bullied so easily.”
Yang Wei looked sluggish.
Yang Zhao and the others were also stunned, not understanding where their youngest brother had picked up such courage. Although they all knew from the past few battles that Yang Kai’s own combat power wasn’t weak, but this time his opponents was also not ordinary.
This was the Central Capital’s younger generation’s well known first expert!
Everyone couldn’t help thinking Yang Kai was simply acting rashly out of anger.
With his True Element Boundary Eighth Stage cultivation, facing off against an Immortal Ascension Boundary Third Stage master, he basically had no hope of winning.
No one knew what Yang Kai had to back him up. The Mysterious Grade Artifact had just fallen to his hands, and had not been refined yet. Therefore, it was of no use.
Not only were the Yang Family brothers amazed, but even the cultivators below who had come to spectate also showed shocked expressions. All of them now, concentrating on the sky, holding their breaths as they waited silently.
The actions of the Yang Family’s Young Lords had been the focus of everyone attention just now, so the entire scene that had just played out was obviously witnessed by all of them.
Floating midair, Yang Wei felt a little worried. He too didn’t know where his Ninth Brother’s confidence came from. He had long ago thought that that Yang Kai was mysterious and powerful, but after all, that was just his speculations. Before the snatching battle had begun when he had a verbal conflict with Liu Qing Yao, it was indeed Yang Kai he was thinking of, but he had not openly declared so at the time.
If Yang Kai were to mature, he would definitely be qualified to compete with Liu Qing Yao, but now… it was still too early.
After Yang Kang and others stared blankly for a while, they all shook their heads and stepped back, preparing to watch the good show. Although they were brothers with Yang Kai, right now they were also opponents. When he was defeated here by Liu Qing Yao, it would no doubt be a stain on his reputation.
Yang Kai’s radiance had been far too strong for far too long, and now they finally had a chance to see him knocked down a few notches.
“Is this kid crazy?” There were some ridiculing and disdainful voices whispering amongst the spectating crowd, “Daring to fight with the Central Capital’s First Young Lord, these Yang Family direct descendants really are too arrogant!”
“What do you know? In this situation, whether they fight or not, the Yang Family will lose face. Them sending out the youngest isn’t a bad plan. Even if he loses, the Yang Family will also be able to say ‘it’s not that our Yang Family isn’t as good as the Liu Family, it’s just that everyone is too young’.”
There were plenty of self-proclaimed smart and savvy people who expressed this idea, gaining the support of many people who nodded in agreement.
However, there were still some people who chose to quietly watch Yang Kai, wondering if he would show them some kind of earth-shattering means.
These people thought that Yang Kai didn’t seem like an arrogant and boastful youth. Since he dared accept the Central Capital’s First Young Lord’s challenge, he either had mental problems, or his real ability far exceeded everyone’s expectations.
At that moment, everyone’s eyes converged on these two people, as for the cultivators from the six different camps fighting over Heaven Grade artifacts; no one seemed to care anymore.
In full view to the public, Yang Kai showed no signs of nervousness, just standing mid-air like a statue, staring back at Liu Qing Yao lightly, nodding casually as he called out, “Young Lord Liu, whenever you’re ready!”
Liu Qing Yao couldn’t help but frown, a touch of resentment creeping into his indifferent expression as he snorted, “I too want to see how you can block three of my moves!”
Just as his voice fell, a terrifying Spiritual Energy broke out.
This Spiritual Energy was filled with ruinous intent, coalescing in an instant and then piercing through the sky like a lance which could rip apart anyone’s mental defences.
When this Spiritual Energy broke out, it was as if Liu Qing Yao was a sleeping dragon which had just awaken, bringing destruction with him.
The Soul type artifacts on all of the Yang Family Young Lords flashed brilliantly as invisible forces appeared around them, blocking the residual waves of Liu Qing Yao’s Divine Sense attack.
Everyone’s face changed, even Yang Wei’s usually indifferent expression became dignified. The last time he had fought against Liu Qing Yao, although he had ultimately lost, it hadn’t been a miserable defeat, but now it was apparent to him that Liu Qing Yao at the time had held back.
No wonder he dared to arrogantly declare no one could resist three of his moves! Even if he had promoted to the Immortal Ascension Boundary Second Stage now, Yang Wei still felt it would be difficult for him to withstand three moves.
This guy was different from the Yang Family Young Lords who didn’t wear any Mysterious Grade artifacts. With these high-grade artifacts to act as amplifiers, Liu Qing Yao could display much more strength than his Immortal Ascension Boundary Third Stage cultivation would suggest!
*Weng weng weng…*
A strange sound echoed through the sky, like a howling voice that penetrated deep into one’s ears, causing one to feel like they had suddenly sunk into a violent destructive vortex. It seemed that even the Heavens couldn’t withstand the impact of such a Divine Sense attack and would soon collapse.
“Such strong Spiritual Energy!” In the crowd, those with higher cultivations unconsciously exclaiming.
As for those with lower strength, under the violent energy fluctuations, their faces contorted painfully.
Many suddenly felt that even gasping for breath became difficult, as if there was a mountain weighing down on their heads, involuntarily stimulating the idea of bending their knees in worship.
“Ninth Brother, be careful!” Yang Wei called out as he hurriedly withdrew, avoiding the center of the Spiritual Energy’s impact. Yang Zhao and the others also quickly retreated a hundred paces before finally stopping.
“Impressive!” At the centre of the vortex of Spiritual Energy, Yang Kai’s eyes brightened and couldn’t help praising.
Liu Qing Yao’s Divine Sense attack, even if it was achieved with the assistance of a Mysterious Grade artifact, indicated that his foundation was quite solid, at least more so than he had anticipated.
Yang Kai estimated that Liu Qing Yao’s Divine Sense strength wasn’t inferior to an average Immortal Ascension Boundary Fifth or Sixth Stage master.
Liu Qing Yao’s eyes sharply gawked at Yang Kai. Since he was planning on using a potent Divine Sense attack for his first strike, he obviously did not wish for Yang Kai to last all three moves.
He too had believed that Yang Kai had stepped forward because he was the youngest, so even if he lost it wouldn’t be too shameful. Therefore, he wanted to thoroughly defeat him in a single blow.
But soon, Liu Qing Yao’s eyes flashed.
Having taken his Divine Sense attack head on, his opponent hadn’t suffered at all. Even Yang Wei had to avoid the aftermath of his strike by a hundred meters, yet this Yang Kai who stood in the centre of his Spiritual Energy explosion acted as if he had been hit by a nothing more than a light spring breeze. Forget about showing any discomfort, all that could be seen on his face was strong fighting intent.
After a short time, the horrible Spiritual Energy dissipated and Yang Kai still stood, completely unphased.
He hadn’t taken any damage from this Divine Sense attack!
“Heavens! How can this be? How can he be safe? Am I seeing things?”
“Impossible, absolutely impossible.”
“An Immortal Ascension cultivator has an absolute advantage over those at the True Element Boundary. Is the youngest Young Lord of the Yang Family wearing some kind of very high-grade Soul type defensive artifact?”
Everyone among the crowd of spectators who witnessed this confrontation clamoured, many of them refusing to believe their own eyes. Just now, when Liu Qing Yao’s horrible Spiritual Energy erupted, all of them had thought that when the dust had settled, Yang Kai would definitely be seriously injured and suffer a steep price for his arrogance, but now, the result was far too different from their expectations.
Even if he wore some kind of Soul type artifact, was there really any kind of defence that didn’t leak? Also, none of them had even seen the movement of a Soul type artifact on Yang Kai, almost as if he had endured this blow on his own.
“Two moves left!” Yang Kai called out, grinning slightly at Liu Qing Yao.
“How did you…” Liu Qing Yao’s brow furrowed, his face filled with suspicion. As the one who had initiated this attack, he was even more surprised than everyone else. Quickly steadying his expression, his look finally became serious, gently nodding, “Seems you really have some capital. I have underestimated you!”
As soon he spoke these words, he took a step forward. With this step, Liu Qing Yao’s aura changed again. From Yang Kai’s perspective, this Central Capital First Young Lord suddenly seemed many times bigger, but upon staring at him fixedly, Liu Qing Yao was still Liu Qing Yao, nothing had changed.
Staring at him for a moment, Yang Kai soon understood that his opponent’s Martial Skill has caused this illusion in his own mind and quickly steadied his thoughts.
After Liu Qing Yao tread another step, Yang Kai found that even if he concentrated fully, he couldn’t completely stop his thoughts from fluctuating, causing the young man in front of him to once again appear as a giant, even if the affect only lasted a moment.
Third step……
When this step was trod, a buckling sound seemed to emerged from the depths of the void.
It was as if a huge drum was being beat, causing a resonance within the hearts of all who heard it.
“The Liu Family’s Nine Resonant Steps!” Yang Wei’s face changed slightly, muttering under his breath.
The energy between Heaven and Earth had become turbulent and Liu Qing Yao seemed to have transformed into a bottomless pit, madly swallowing the surrounding World Energy.
The fourth step……
*Dong!*
The slightly weaker cultivators who had just experienced a violent throbbing in their hearts suddenly felt like their Blood Force and True Qi pulsed strongly, even showing some signs of instability.
The fifth step……
A series of coughs and splashes sounded one after another as everyone whose cultivation was below True Element Fifth Stage, without exception, spat blood.
Even from so far away, Liu Qing Yao’s actions had still precipitated such a strong reaction, the Central Capital younger generation’s first person truly deserved his name!
Sixth step, seventh step…
With each step Liu Qing Yao trod, a strong and powerful throbbing sound resounded, causing the world itself to shudder, almost as if the Heavens and Earth could not bear the weight of his steps.
As the number of steps increased, Liu Qing Yao’s figure quickly become bigger and bigger in everyone’s eyes. At this moment, the Central Capital’s First Young Lord had become a behemoth, his head reaching the clouds, his feet shaking the ground, no matter who it was, from their perspective they could only gaze up at him.
Eighth step, ninth step…
In the eyes of the crowd, Liu Qing Yao’s one step which would be enough to flatten half of War City was about to trample onto Yang Kai’s head. Even though this step seemed oddly slow, it also gave an unavoidable feeling, as if no matter how they tried none could escape being crushed into dust by it.
With this thought flashing across their minds, many people felt as if they were in mortal danger, their faces turning pale as they trembled in fear.
The Liu Family’s Nine Resonant Steps, a Mysterious Grade Mid-Rank Martial Skill, one of the Liu Family’s core inheritances.
Trod nine steps and shatter the Heavens!
The youngest Yang Family Young Lord finally just as the giant foot was about to step down on him.
His right fist clenched, and then suddenly, in the middle of the day, a starry sky illusion emerged. The myriad stars on this night sky were dazzling and mesmerizing and as his fist punched forward, all of them flashed brilliantly.
Star Mark! Yang Kai had not used this move for a long time, it was not that he didn’t want to use it but rather that he never had an appropriate opportunity to.
All the energy contained in the Star Chart Space on the back of his hand broke out at this moment and the giant foot was met by this starry sky head on.
The momentum of Yang Kai’s attack was astonishing, releasing a terrifying light that seemingly bathed the entire world in its radiance.
*Hong…*
The two fierce attacks collided together and set off a massive explosion of energy, perfectly offsetting each other.
The starlight quickly dimmed, but the giant Liu Qing Yao was also shaken, the gargantuan foot that seemed capable of trampling the Heavens and Earth being forced back.
The Liu Family’s Nine Resonant Steps was actually blocked in a frontal contest!
And the one who accomplished this unprecedented feat was only a True Element Boundary Eighth Stage cultivator!
Everyone was shocked, staring dumbfounded at the scene in front of them, their thoughts completely chaotic, unable to accept what had just transpired.
The violent energy fluctuations continued for a while before gradually subsiding.
When the dazzling starlight disappeared, Yang Kai let out a loud cough, falling back several dozen meters before stabilizing his stance.
In a frontal confrontation with Liu Qing Yao’s Mysterious Grade Mid-Rank Martial Skill, even his Star Mark had been slightly overwhelmed. What’s more, the gap in cultivation between the two of them wasn’t small, and even included the watershed of the Immortal Ascension Boundary.
While Yang Kai had been forced back, Liu Qing Yao’s body also swayed slightly, the huge figure in everyone’s eyes rapidly shrinking, like he had been stabbed by a sword and suddenly deflated.
The terrifying pressure in the air also dispersed, giving everyone feeling akin to seeing a bright moon after the storm clouds passed.
Looking at it now, the two young men were still staring each other down, as if they hadn’t just engaged in an epic exchange of blows.
All of the other Yang Family direct descendants were dumbfounded.
None of them had imagined that Yang Kai was strong to this extent!
All of them knew that his personal strength wasn’t weak, but even if they thought highly of his potential, he was still the youngest amongst them, and now they discovered that one on one, none of them was his opponent!
The question each of them was asking right now though was how he, a True Element Boundary Eighth Stage, could be evenly matched with Liu Qing Yao, an Immortal Ascension Boundary Third Stage?
Yang Zhao and the others all looked a little unsightly. Although personal strength wasn’t that important in the Inheritance War, as cultivators, each of them sought the peak of martial arts, hoping to one day step into the Above Immortal Ascension Boundary, gaining the respect of thousands of people.
This ambition had nothing to do with the Inheritance War or even the position of family heir.
Only Yang Wei shook his head and smiled. In his heart, he was secretly relieved.
“One move left!” Yang Kai shouted after letting out a long breath, staring at Liu Qing Yao as he chuckled lightly.
The latter stared back with a dignified expression, not daring to underestimate Yang Kai again, but after a long silence he unexpectedly shook his head and declared, “No need. Right now you’re still not my opponent! But I will admit that you have the qualifications to challenge me.”
Saying so, he casually tossed something from his hand to Yang Kai, obviously the Mysterious Grade artifact he had just snatched, staring at this youngest Yang Family Young Lord sharply as he said, “I’ll be waiting for you. When you break through to the Immortal Ascension Boundary, let us fight once more!”
Yang Kai was slightly surprised as he reached out and caught the artifact, his eyes flashing for a moment but eventually just deciding not to say anything more.
For the two moves just now, Liu Qing Yao didn’t use his full strength. This was a fact which Yang Kai understood very well.
But what Liu Qing Yao didn’t know was that he had not used his all either! Yang Kai had only stepped forward because he wanted to obtain this Mysterious Grade artifact. If not for this temptation, he wouldn’t have bothered even speaking to Liu Qing Yao.
But now it seemed that this young man, although somewhat overbearing and arrogant, wasn’t a wicked person.
With the artifact in his hands now, naturally he felt not need to continue this contest.
Seeing Liu Qing Yao toss this artifact he had sacrificed his Water Moon Blue Wave Armour to obtain over to Yang Kai without hesitation, all of the Yang Family Young Lords’ eyes couldn’t help turning slightly red as their breathing sped up.
In the blink of an eye, their Ninth Brother had taken the lead and obtained two Mysterious Grade artifacts!
Turning to look at Yang Wei, Liu Qing Yao nodded lightly, “Eldest Young Lord, I now understand what your Yang Family’s limits are. Your Ninth Brother indeed has more potential than you, but I, Liu Qing Yao, have also not reached my limit yet! We will settle this score later, and decide once and for all who the leader of our generation will be. I look forward to it!”
Saying so, he decisively turned around and left.
The look on the five brother’s faces was a bit complicated. When they turned to stare at Yang Kai, a thick jealousy flashed across their eyes. It seemed like it would be necessary for them to revise their evaluation of their youngest brother again.
As for Yang Kai, his expression remained indifferent, waiting for Liu Qing Yao to leave before immediately flying down towards the lake.
“Shit, there’s still one more!” Yang Kang also regained his wits and quickly chased after Yang Kai. Of the eight Mysterious Grade artifacts, each of the brothers had secured one, Liu Qing Yao snatched one, and the last one had fallen into Po Jing Lake, but after witnessing the might of the sealed attack and Qi Binding Seal implanted on these Mysterious Grade artifacts, no one dared to rush into the lake to find it, so until now, it had been left unattended.
Hearing Yang Kang’s curses, all of the other brothers also came to their senses and flew down as well, lest they allow one of their rivals to take advantage of the situation.
However, no matter who it was, no one dared move too close to Yang Kai.
Now that all of their Blood Warriors had their True Qi sealed, it was equivalent to them having no one guarding them. With Yang Kai’s performance just now, he would be more than capable of capitalizing on this opportunity.
If they were to lose in the Inheritance War for this reason, it would be too pitiful.
Yang Kai also noticed how everyone was acting vigilant towards him but he had no interest in engaging in such a pointless exercise. With so many of their allies nearby, none of his brothers would be easy to capture.
After a short period of time, with no idea how to proceed, the six brothers gave up and returned to their own camps.
The Heaven Grade artifacts from the ninth batch were still being carved up but more than half of them now had owners. Only a small number of them were still up for grabs and were constantly changing hands, the scene now actually more intense than ever before.
The cultivator from the six camps had all suffered multiple casualties.
Huo Xing Chen had fallen back already. Fortunately, his Huo Family hadn’t lost too many people. Although both of his Immortal Ascension Boundary Fifth Stage guards were injured, their wounds weren’t too serious. Only two or three of his True Element Boundary cultivators had died.
“Young Lord Kai!” Huo Xing Chen called out with a sullen look, “Would you like me and my forces go clean up the Xiang and Nan Families?”
Yang Kai turned his head and glanced at him, not quite sure why he would ask such a question.
“Those bastards Xiang Chu and Nan Sheng and their lackeys have been doing nothing but targeting our people. Fuck, they didn’t even place this Young Master in their eyes. Yang Kai, just give the word and I’ll let my old man bring some people to clean up their two families tomorrow!”
However, Yang Kai just snorted back “Can’t afford to take on some losses? Then don’t participate in the Inheritance War!”
Huo Xing Chen spat dismissively and shot back, “Who says my Huo Family can’t afford to lose? It’s just their actions are far too shameless. I know the rules of the Inheritance War forbid private retaliation against forces which are involved, but this Young Lord is the famous rogue Huo Xing Chen, why should I care about such trivial rules.”
Yang Kai slowly shook his head, “Don’t bother, they’ll pay the price sooner or later.”
Yang Kai had also noticed this situation, he understood just how deep the resent Xiang Chu and Nan Sheng held towards him. So, specifically targeting him was to be expected. However, he also knew that he couldn’t seek revenge in private for this. If he did, it would undoubtedly have a profoundly negative effect. In the future, what forces would dare come participate in the Inheritance War if such acts of revenge became common?
“Fine, fine. You have the final say.” Huo Xing Chen didn’t object any further, “But Young Lord Kai, remember, it’s not just the Xiang and Nan Families but also that idiot Lu Song. When the day comes for them to pay, make sure you bring this Young Lord along, I want to make sure they suffer!”
“That day will definitely come.” Yang Kai snickered.
“Also, that little brat Qiu Zi Ruo is going too far as well. Although he’s not acting as obviously as those three, he’s still actively seeking out conflict with us. I guess he wants to defeat you in order to stabilize his position as the Qiu Family heir.”
Letting out a sigh, he continued, “Having a big sister like Qiu Yi Meng, his life must not be easy. Well, considering we’re all Central Capital people, we can at least let him keep his dog life after this is all over.”
Huo Xing Chen spoke these words as if victory was already assured.
“Enough about that. What’s the situation with that artifact now?” Yang Kai’s eyes turned towards Po Jing Lake and said.
“It’s still down there,” Huo Xing Chen swept his eyes around and said, “Everyone is staring at it but no one dares to go down and retrieve it.”
Yang Kai nodded, with the sealed attack and the Qi Binding Seal still intact, everyone was reluctant to act. Whoever went down first would definitely end up suffering while making life easier for everyone else, no one would do such a thankless act.
In order to resist the sealed attacked from the artifact, one had to be at least an Immortal Ascension Boundary Eighth Stage master to come out unscathed, but even if they successfully blocked this attack it wouldn’t help, the Qi Binding Seal had even managed to ensnare the famous Blood Warriors, general Immortal Ascension Boundary Eighth Stage masters definitely couldn’t escape.
In other words, if one of the Young Lords wanted to resist the artifact’s sealed attack and the subsequent Qi Binding Seal, they had to at least sacrifice an Immortal Ascension Boundary Eighth Stage master.
No one was willing to make such a sacrifice.
Yang Kai’s brows furrowed, also thinking that things had become a little difficult.
Not only him, the other five Young Lords were also caught between their greed and reason.
Yang Kai had already snatched two Mysterious Grade artifacts. In the future, whether he was attacking or defending, he would no doubt occupy a certain advantage, so with one more still available, naturally everyone was eyeing it.
Just as everyone was feeling helpless, from below Po Jing Lake’s surface a violent energy fluctuation broke out.
Whether it was the Yang Family’s direct descendants, their allies, or the spectators who had gathered nearby, all of them quickly glanced back and forth at each other in confusion.
This energy fluctuation was obviously a result of the seal on the Mysterious Grade artifact being touched.
[Had someone sneaked to the bottom of the lake? Which camp were they from?]
Glancing around the surroundings, Yang Kai couldn’t help furrowing his brow because he discovered that all five of his brothers had the same expression as him, wondering who it was that was acting.
Before there was enough time to think things through, a powerful Spiritual Energy immediately erupted from the bottom of the lake.
*Hong…*
A loud bang resounded and the entire Po Jing Lake underwent earth-shaking changes. The blood-stained water was driven by this intense Spiritual Energy and like a dragon entering the sea, shot into the sky several dozen meters creating a great spectacle.
Yang Kai’s eyes calmly scanned this water fountain as well as the lake below.
Soon, he caught a glimpse of the gloomy light radiating from the Mysterious Grade artifact which had fallen into the lake.
At the same time the artifact appeared though, a blue energy ribbon emerged from it.
The Qi Binding Seal!
This Qi Binding Seal directly began entangling the air and after it formed a few layers, a vague figure floating above the water of the lake appeared and was bound in place, seemingly unable to move.
“It’s him!” Ying Jiu, who had always remained silent, couldn’t help but exclaim.
Yang Kai didn’t hesitate for an instant, leaping up and rushing towards the centre of Po Jing Lake, the corners of his mouth flashing a sharp smile as he pushed his True Qi its limit.
*Shua,* the Asura Sword appeared in Yang Kai’s hand and a massive number of Sword Qi blades appeared like feathers around him, quickly condensing into a single sword wave before shooting out.
He also recognized this vague figure.
It was none other than the mysterious master who had attempted to sneak into the Pill Room that morning!
He hadn’t expected this man’s courage to be so big, even sneaking into this place. Yang Kai figured he had dove into the lake when he was fighting with Liu Qing Yao just now.
With the Blood Warriors all having their True Qi sealed, they obviously couldn’t detect his existence, only Yang Kai could sense him, but he was too weak to worry about, so this mysterious master decided to seize this opportunity.
However, the owner of the artifact had yet to be determined!
[Since you’ve decided to show up in front of everyone here, I’d like to see how you escape!] Yang Kai sneered.
But just as he was thinking so, the blurred figure bound by the Qi Binding Seal unexpectedly burst into mist, just like it had earlier this morning.
Yang Kai stopped in place, his eyes narrowing sharply, spreading his Divine Sense all around to search for the Mysterious Grade artifact.
A moment later, the long sword in his hand swung down, unleashing a sword wave that warped the air around it.
From the direction he had slashed, a fuzzy figure appeared again, grabbing the last Mysterious Grade artifact before transforming into a streak of light.
The speed at which it fled was still outrageous, leaving Yang Kai no chance to make a second attack.
Everything had started so quickly and ended just as fast. By the time the mysterious master had snatched the artifact and disappeared, the other five members of the Yang Family were still hesitating to rush forward.
Atop Po Jing Lake, the red water once again settled and the mysterious master had vanished.
Yang Kai stood mid-air, carrying the Asura Sword in his hand, his expression a little bitter.
For the second time in a single day he had let this person slip away right before his eyes, completely incapable of stopping them!
[Such a strange and mysterious man!]
Suddenly, Yang Kai noticed something, reaching out and grabbing it as it fell through the air but after seeing what it was clearly, he was visibly shocked.
Shoving this object into his sleeve pocket he immediately turned around and return to his camp.
No one knew what it was he caught in the sky above the lake, but everyone saw his reaction and couldn’t help feeling curious!
The six Yang Family Young Lords all glanced back and forth at each other. They tried to glean some clues from their opponents, but everyone’s eyes only contained suspicion and confusion, each of them unable to figure out which of their brothers had recruited such a mysterious master…
—
The artifact snatching battle was about to come to an end. The eight Mysterious Grade artifacts had been carved up leaving only a small amount of Heaven Grade artifacts to be fought over.
After a half a cup of tea’s time, everything had subsided and the cultivators all returned to their respective camps.
As like in the beginning, six groups stood at the edge of Po Jing Lake, but now, the total number of people had decreased by a quarter, even a large number of Immortal Ascension Boundary masters had fallen!
Among the six brothers, Yang Kang, Yang Shen, and Yang Ying had suffered the biggest losses. When the third batch of artifacts appeared, the three of them had fallen into a trap and as time passed, their disadvantage gradually grew. Fortunately, the fighting had only lasted a short time, otherwise the forces that accompanied them here may have been completely wiped out.
Every cultivator present was now thoroughly fired up, each of them glaring around at their opponents with hate filled eyes. This was actually a normal situation. While the Inheritance War was happening, private retaliation between forces was forbidden, but once it ended, the forces which had developed deep grudges were destined to have life and death contests.
Therefore, even if the artifact snatching battle had ended, the scene was no less tense than while it was happening.
Yang Kai had also lost some troops, but the harvest he reaped was even bigger! Compared to others, the number of artifacts in his camp was undoubtedly more.
In particular, Yang Kai had won two Mysterious Grade artifacts, which were more valuable than any number of lower grade artifacts.
Yang Wei waved his hand and nodded to everyone around the lake. Following this act, he led his people and his captured artifacts away. As though following his lead, his younger brothers, Yang Zhao and Yang Kang immediately followed suit to leave. Soon, even the reluctant Yang Shen and Yang Ying left the scene as well.
After such a big fight, no one was in the mood to keep stirring up trouble.
“Ying Jiu, what’s your situation?” Yang Kai glanced over at Ying Jiu who was sitting cross-legged on the ground nearby after he had been hit with the Qi Binding Seal.
Ying Jiu slowly shook his head, “I can’t mobilize more than a small amount of my True Qi and my meridians have all been sealed. It will take me at least two months to break through.”
Being hit by an Above Immortal Ascension Boundary’s sealing technique, even if the Blood Warriors were strong they wouldn’t be able to undo it easily.
Yang Kai’s brow wrinkled slightly, Ying Jiu having his True Qi sealed was a big loss for him; the mere idea of his existence hiding in the shadows was a big deterrent to any opponent.
Now that this deterrence didn’t exist, he could only rely on Qu Gao Yi and Xiao Shun. Although they were also very powerful, Ying Jiu was more adept in terms of concealment and assassination.
[I can only wait to see if Meng Wu Ya can lift it. If Treasurer Meng can’t help, then Ying Jiu can only remain idle for two months.]
“Let’s return.” Yang Kai said lightly.
“This is for you!” Dong Qing Han walked up and handed Yang Kai a palm sized sword shaped artifact, it was the Soul type artifact that Yang Kai had seen before.
“You’ve got it.” Yang Kai smiled, happily accepting. The moment he touched it, an icy chill seemed to affect his Divine Sense. This was indeed an artifact that fit well with his Spiritual Energy, it would play a great role for him.
“Your cousin went forth personally, how could I not have obtained it?” Dong Qing Han thumped his chest proudly, “That Lu Song wanted to block this young master but, hah, he overestimated his own skill far too much.”
After a pause though, he sheepishly said, “But regarding my obtaining this artifact successfully, I have to thank that young woman.”
“Young woman?” Yang Kai asked offhandedly as he fiddled with the little sword in his hand.
“En.” Dong Qing Han said as he revealed a thoughtful look, “I feel like I had met her somewhere before, but I can’t remember where. She was the one who threw this thing at me.”
“Which camp was she from?” Yang Kai suddenly felt confused.
“She was among the spectators.”
“A beauty?” When Huo Xing Chen heard the word ‘woman’ he quickly asked this question with a wretched grin.
“Not only beautiful, but also enchanting!” Dong Qing Han wore an expression that screamed ‘I know what you’re thinking’ as he smiled back. “On top of that, she seemed to have had a twin. There was another person next to her who had the looked exactly like her. She was also extremely strong, Lu Song is a True Element Seventh Stage cultivator and is the Young Lord of a first-class family but she easily sent him tumbling with a single move.”
“Twins?” Yang Kai’s voice suddenly rose a lot, “What kind of twins?”
Upon hearing the word ‘twins’, Yang Kai suddenly thought about the pair of charming flowers he was familiar with. In fact, he had thought that the people from Blood Battle Gang and Storm Hall would have shown up at his mansion some time ago, but until now he hadn’t seen them. This made Yang Kai doubt whether these two beautiful sisters were holding a grudge against him; after all, when they had parted at Tai Fang Mountain, Hu Jiao Er’s mood had been quite sullen.
Dong Qing Han was stunned by his cousin’s strong reaction and at a loss for how to describe the young woman he had met. Instead, just pointing his hand in a certain direction and saying, “They were watching the fun from over there, as for where they are now I have no clue.”
At the end of the artifact snatching battle, the crowds that had come to watch the show had also naturally dispersed, a large number of them heading back to War City.
Yang Kai immediately glanced in the direction he pointed but didn’t find any trace of the person he was looking for, quickly releasing his Divine Sense all around to scan the surrounding twenty kilometer radius.
Just after deploying his Divine Sense, Yang Kai found two distinct auras.
These two were different from everyone else around them.
Even if two people appeared similar, they would still have their own unique characteristics.
But the auras of these two people were exactly the same, almost as if they had been carved from the very same mold. Moreover, under the investigation of Yang Kai, the two people not only had the same life aura, even their two True Qis had seemingly merged with each other, forming a kind of mysterious circulation which mutually supported and strengthen one another.
[Found them!]
Yang Kai couldn’t help smiling as he shot off in their direction.
“What are you doing!?” Huo Xing Chen was shocked. This entire place was an unsafe region, so he couldn’t help quickly shouting, “Follow him!”
As one of the Yang Family Young Lords who was participating in the Inheritance War, at any time, under no circumstances should Yang Kai be acting alone, or he would most likely be targeted by powerful enemy masters.
The response of everyone was also quite rapid, quickly collecting the artifacts they had snatched in the previous battle before catching up with Yang Kai’s pace.
Among the crowd of people rupturing to War City, one man and two women walked side by side.
The young man’s face was quite dissatisfied; thinking about the war he had just seen, he couldn’t help feeling his blood boiling slightly, longing to have participated in it.
The two young women didn’t say a word as they casually strode forward.
The appearance of two delicate flowers caused all the cultivators next to them to frequently steal glances but the two women remained indifferent, seemingly quite used to it, not showing any signs of anger or happiness at this attention.
Seeing them act so submissively immediately aroused some bold and impulsive thoughts among their onlookers, some of them thinking that if they were to go up and chat with them they might be able to reap some unexpected benefits.
“Jiao Er, Mei Er, there are a few people staring at us. Would you like me to send packing?” The young man suddenly asked softly.
Hu Jiao Er’s beautiful eyes flashed a bit of disgust and helplessness before shaking her head gently, “No, let’s just get back to War City.”
Yang Kai was still just behind them. If they were to get caught up in a conflict here, they would definitely be seen by him.
It seemed that when they heard the conversation between the two people, the ones in the crowd eager to try their luck noticed that Hu Jiao Er wasn’t willing to cause any trouble here.
If she was worried about provoking others here, obviously she didn’t have a strong background! Moreover, the three of them didn’t seem very old so their strengths shouldn’t be too high, making them even easier to deal with.
Considering all this, from the surrounding crowd of people, a young man with a mature and reliable appeared walked up to the two sisters with a big smile on his face, but before he could speak to them, a shadow suddenly fell from above and blocked his path.
This person not only blocked him, but also blocked the Hu Sisters and Fang Ziji.
The trio almost instinctively circulated their True Qi, preparing to hit back at this unknown assailant.
But when they saw this newcomer’s face, Hu Jiao Er suddenly wore a flustered expression while a happy smile blossomed on Hu Mei Er’s face.
Seeing this enchanting, feminine smile, the young man couldn’t help feeling a little upset, plucking up his courage and rudely asking, “Who are you?”
Hearing this voice, Yang Kai turned his head and glanced at the young man.
“N… nin.. Ninth Young Master…” The youth’s face immediately went white as he spoke incoherently.
“You want something?” Yang Kai wrinkled his brow and said.
“This lowly one doesn’t dare… please carry on Ninth Young Master!” The terrified young man somehow managed to blurt out before quickly fleeing with his companions.
Just now, the battle between Yang Kai and Liu Qing Yao was also seen by him. Not only was his personal strength phenomenal, he had a great many powerful masters at his command as well. How could a small third-class Sect disciple like him have the courage to stick around?
Fearing for his life, the young man’s only thought right now was escaping.
“Brother Yang!” After the man scurried away, Fang Zi Ji smiled lightly and cupped his fists.
“Brother Fang, long time no see.”
When they had parted ways back at Tai Fang Mountain, Fang Zi Ji had said that he would come to participate in the Inheritance War, so him being here now wasn’t a surprise to Yang Kai. During the incident at Tai Fang Mountain, whether it was the members of Storm Hall or Blood Battle Gang, they had all stood unwaveringly on his side which almost lead them into a conflict with the Xiang and Nan Families, so Yang Kai had quite a favourable opinion of this young man.
“I’ll leave you three to catch up. Heh heh.” After exchanging greetings, Fang Zi Ji quickly retreated a distance and met up with Huo Xing Chen and the others who had just arrived.
“Hm, Senior Brother Fang?” Lan Chu Die’s beautiful eyes lit up slightly. Although the two were from different Sects, they had both come from the same region, meeting again after so long she naturally felt a little nostalgic.
“You are… a Junior Sister from High Heaven Pavilion?” Fang Zi Ji didn’t quite recognize Lan Chu Die as she had not been a famous figure back then.
Lan Chu Die nodded with a smile.
Dong Qing Han frowned, examining Fang Zi Ji for a while before suddenly saying, “I remember! I always thought those two girls seemed familiar, they’re Blood Battle Gang’s two flowers!”
The last time Dong Qing Han went to the High Heaven Pavilion, he had also paid attention to the situation of Storm Hall and Blood Battle Gang. The charming two flowers and Fang Zi Ji were leading figures in their respective Sects.
However, he hadn’t had any significant contact with the trio, so it took him a while to recognize them.
This also explained why she had thrown the artifact to him.
The crowd behind Huo Xing Chen were also very interested in this group of three, but seeing Hu Jiao Er’s complicated expression, none of them rushed up to disturb them. Instead taking turns greeting Fang Zi Ji, they were secretly listening in on the nearby conversation.
“Why did you hide from me though you’ve already arrived here?” Yang Kai asked Hu Jiao Er.
“Who is hiding from you?” Hu Jiao Er snorted, her face blushing bright red.
“You really weren’t hiding from me?” Yang Kai’s mouth curled into a smile as he stepped forward with an accusatory look.
“Of course not…” Hu Jiao Er muttered, her beautiful eyes fluttering about. “We only arrived here today.”
Yang Kai glanced back at Hu Mei Er, only to see her smiling wryly as she silently exposed her Elder Sister’s white lie.
“Good. Since that’s the case, then you should come back to the house with me.” Yang Kai casually said, not planning on teasing her any more.
Hu Jiao Er snorted back at him though and said, “We just came to War City to play, not to participate in the Inheritance War with you. I’m not going.”
“Mei Er, how about you?” Yang Kai smiled and asks.
“I’ll go!” Hu Mei Er nodded repeatedly.
“Mei Er!” Hu Jiao Er shouted, letting out an exasperated sigh a moment later. Apparently, she hadn’t expected her little sister’s position to be so firm. Yang Kai just asked casually yet she had readily agreed.
Hu Mei Er spit out the tongue cheekily and smiled.
“We’re just a second-class Sect, we won’t be of much help to you. So, do you really still want us to come?” Hu Jiao Er whispered softly, feeling a little embarrassed.
Yang Kai suddenly realized that this was what she really was hesitating over.
The forces which were currently gathered in his mansion, with the exception of Chen Xue Shu and Su Xiao Yu’s Reflecting Moon Sect which was a second-class Sect, the rest were all first-class. Therefore, Yang Kai presumed that when Hu Jiao Er learned about this, she felt inferior and had thus hid from him.
“Jiao Er, in the future you and Mei Er will be people who stand at the very peak of this world. You don’t need to care about your second-class Sect origins,” Yang Kai said to her seriously. When they had last met, the two sisters only had True Element Boundary Fifth Stage cultivations but now they had both reached the True Element Boundary Eighth Stage. Additionally, the Twin Qi Shared Spirit Divine Art they cultivated was extraordinary, given enough time both of them would no doubt break through to the Above Immortal Ascension Boundary.
It could be said that in the future, this world’s summit would have a place for the two of them!
“Do you really think so?” Hu Jiao Er looked a little bit stunned, her enchanting face slowly filling with a brilliant radiance as she stared at Yang Kai with delight, not seeming to have imagined that his evaluation of their two sister was so high.
Yang Kai nodded without hesitation.
“This… seems like they’re falling.” Huo Xing Chen whispered as he stealthily observed.
“Nope, they’ve already fallen.” Fang Zi Ji grinned meaningfully.
“Hahaha, good, I approve!” The Huo Family Young Lord said as he opened his signature folding fan.
“Hmm, well, I’ll think about it. I’ll come see you with Mei Er in a few days after I make a decision.” Hu Jiao Er hid her happiness in her heart and said softly, gently pursing her thin red lips, creating a seductive air around her.
Yang Kai suddenly stepped right up to her.
“Wh.. what?” Hu Jiao Er looked confused, leaning away slightly as Yang Kai brought his face closer to hers.
Yang Kai snickered lightly before whispering into her ear, “If you keep escaping, I’ll tell everyone your secret!”
“What secret?” Hu Jiao Er blushed from her neck to the top of her head as Yang Kai’s hot breath blew past her ear, feeling incredibly nervous, like a thousand ants were crawling all over her delicate skin.
“How one side is bigger and one side is small of course!” After whispering so, Yang Kai straightened up and sneered, he eyes intentionally or unintentionally glancing down towards Hu Jiao Er’s perfectly rounded bottom.
Under this unscrupulous gaze, Hu Jiao Er sudden felt like she had been stripped naked, her blood icing over as her face turned red with anger and shame, “Cut the crap!”
Saying so, she unconsciously lifted her hips, emphasizing her lower half’s capital.
“Why ask me something you already know? Anyways, you check for yourself, Mei Er and I will go on ahead.” Finished with what he wanted to say, Yang Kai grabbed Hu Mei Er’s hand and heading back towards War City.
“Yang Kai, why must you act like a shameless rogue!?” Hu Jiao Er stomped her foot in anger for a while.
“Shameless rogue?” Huo Xing Chen straightened himself up and said with indignation, “Girl, what did Yang Kai do to you?”
“None of your damn business!” Hu Jiao Er angrily spat, stomping a few more times before hurriedly chased after Yang Kai, grabbing hold of his free arm and shouting miserably, “I’m not finished with you! You’re going to tell me clearly today!”
“Her attitude is a bit rough, but it seems like she’ll act meek in front of Young Lord Kai.” Huo Xing Chen thought about it and secretly counted the beautiful women who had been charmed by Yang Kai, immediately admiring him for his talent in the field.
The Hu Sisters and Fang Zi Ji weren’t the only ones who had come from Blood Battle Gang and Storm Hall, both Sects had sent more than twenty people each. Although they couldn’t be compared with the other forces in terms of overall strength, it was still an extremely generous amount of manpower.
Previously, as a result of the two factions being implicated because of High Heaven Pavilion, all of the masters from both Sects were forcefully conscripted into the war with the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land, so the losses they had suffered were even heavier than other forces.
So among the people who came here from Blood Battle Gang and Storm Hall, there were only four Immortal Ascension Boundary masters, and their cultivation realms weren’t very high.
It was because she had concerns over this that Hu Jiao Er hadn’t been very eager to seek out Yang Kai. Since he was here to participate in the Inheritance War, what he needed most were strong masters, something they were greatly lacking, the strongest amongst them only having reached the Immortal Ascension Boundary Fourth Stage.
Guan Chi Le, the Blood Battle Gang Immortal Ascension Boundary Third Stage Elder who had been with them at Tai Fang Mountain was also among them.
Yang Kai, Hu Jiao Er and Hu Mei Er stuck together the whole way back to War City and then went to the inn the sisters had been staying at to pick up these people.
About the current situation of the two factions, Yang Kai was clearer than anyone, so naturally he didn’t have any complaints and was instead incredibly grateful they had sent anyone at all.
These people also showed great caution when they saw Yang Kai’s allies. Obviously, because of their recent situation, they had become somewhat timid, constantly tip toeing around like they were on thin ice for fear they might annoy someone and cause trouble for their Sects.
Upon returning to the mansion, Qiu Yi Meng led a large group of people who had stayed behind to greet them with a smile.
As the second in charge in the mansion, the Qiu Family’s First Young Lady was naturally happy to welcome the Blood Battle Gang and Storm Hall cultivators. She even happily and intimately chatted with the Hu Sisters, intentionally or unconsciously casting a glance or two over at Yang Kai as she did.
It was obvious to her that these twin sisters’ attitude towards Yang Kai was somewhat unusual. Grinding her teeth in frustration as she silently cursed Yang Kai in her heart. [How can you leave for only a few hours to return back with two rare beauties in tow?]
After such a big battle, there were many things to process.
The living arrangements for the people from Blood Battle Gang and Storm Hall were handled by Qiu Yi Meng while the other forces which had just participated in the battle busied themselves calculating their gains and losses.
Soon, the results came out.
This time, in the artifact snatching battle, thirty six of Yang Kai’s allies had fallen, four of which were Immortal Ascension Boundary masters, the others were all True Element cultivators. Fortunately, the arrival of the Blood Battle Gang and Storm Hall people made up for this loss.
No one complained. Ever since they decided to participate in the Inheritance War, everyone had been mentally prepared for this possibility.
As for the thousand artifacts that had appeared at Po Jing Lake, Yang Kai’s people had managed to seize two hundred and four of them.
Yang Kai quickly pushed the tedious task of disseminating these artifacts onto Qiu Yi Meng.
Two hundred and four may seem like a lot, but in fact, artifacts were still in short supply. However, Yang Kai believed that with Qiu Yi Meng’s ability she should be able to work out a fair and optimal distribution so that none of his allied forces had any complaints.
When he finally returned to his room, Yang Kai saw Xia Ning Chang fast asleep on the table.
Little Senior Sister had been performing Alchemy almost nonstop for a while now. Although the Alchemists from Medicine King’s Valley were already familiar with Xia Ning Chang’s Alchemic methods and could lighten her burden somewhat, she was still consuming a huge amount of physical and mental strength to keep up with the mansion’s demand.
Opening the door had awakened her, and after seeing Yang Kai returning unharmed, Xia Ning Chang couldn’t help breathing a sigh of relief.
When Yang Kai came over and gently picked her up, his Little Senior Sister no longer panicked like she did the first time, seemingly having gotten used to this kind of intimate contact.
Gently placing her on the bed and pulling up the sheets, Yang Kai sat down next to his Little Senior Sister and waited for her to fall asleep once again.
Smiling lightly, Yang Kai gently brushed Xia Ning Chang’s hair back; looking at her innocent veil covered face with his heart relaxed.
Even until now, he had still not seen the unveiled portrait of his Little Senior Sister. The most he ever saw was back in the Nine Yin Mountain Valley when she had kissed him after opening half her veil.
Regarding the appearance of his Little Senior Sister, Yang Kai not being curious was naturally impossible.
However, he was convinced that when she felt the time was right, this Little Senior Sister of his would definitely show him.
For now… this thin layer of mystery was one of Xia Ning Chang’s most attractive points.
After a moment of hesitation, Yang Kai gave up any idea of sneaking a glimpse of what lay beyond her veil and quietly stepped went out, turning his eyes to the bright moon handing in the night sky.
“Ying Jiu!” Yang Kai suddenly called out.
From the darkness, a thin figure emerged; it seemed that even if he lost the ability to use his True Qi, concealing himself had already become Ying Jiu’s instinct.
“Come with me.”
Ying Jiu nodded slightly and said nothing.
Coming up to the next room over, Yang Kai gently knocked on the door, Meng Wu Ya responding soon after, “Come in.”
Yang Kai pushed open the door and walked inside.
Treasurer Meng sat cross-legged on his bed, circulating some type of profound Secret Art.
When Ying Jiu looked at this old man, his face which was always tranquil like an ancient well twitched slightly. Ever since Meng Wu Ya’s arrival at Yang Kai’s mansion, Ying Jiu had paid special attention to this person.
Not only Ying Jiu, but Qu Gao Yi and Xiao Shun were also curious about him.
Meng Wu Ya’s strange aura and strength made the three Blood Warriors unconsciously feel tremendous pressure whenever they were around him. They really couldn’t imagine what force in this world could produce such a master.
This sense of intimidation wasn’t something a Peak Immortal Ascension Boundary master could make them feel. Only the supreme experts at the Above Immortal Ascension Boundary should be able to accomplish this!
The three Blood Warriors hadn’t said anything openly, but each of them was secretly speculating about what Meng Wu Ya’s origins were; however, they were no closer to the truth now than when they had first met him.
Seeing Yang Kai bring him here, Ying Jiu had an inkling as to why, but as usual he didn’t show anything on his face.
The Qi Binding Seal he had been hit with was something the Yang Family’s Grand Elder Huang Jiu Zhou had set up personally. Even if Meng Wu Ya was an extraordinary master, it was still likely that nothing could be done about it.
After all, Huang Jiu Zhou was a true Above Immortal Ascension Boundary master while Meng Wu Ya was just a Peak Immortal Ascension cultivator; there was still a significant gap between them.
“Treasurer Meng.” Yang Kai greeted lightly, Meng Wu Ya nodding in turn before turning his eyes to Ying Jiu with a suspicious look, letting out a tired sigh soon after.
“A seal?” Meng Wu Ya grinned as he stared at Ying Jiu.
Ying Jiu remained stoic in response.
“Treasurer Meng, do you have any way to lift the seal placed on him?” Yang Kai sat down casually and poured himself a glass of water to moisten his throat.
“Let me have a look.” Meng Wu Ya didn’t affirm or deny anything, beckoning to Ying Jiu, “Come here!”
Ying Jiu glanced at Yang Kai and upon receiving a nod, he stepped towards Meng Wu Ya.
Seeing him look somewhat unhappy, Meng Wu Ya couldn’t help chuckling, “Relax kid. I know you have some ability, but right now you’re no better than a cripple. What use is there in you being wary of this old master?”
As he spoke, he reached out and held Ying Jiu’s wrist.
The room fell silent for a while. Yang Kai put the cup in his hand to his lips but barely drank as he waited nervously; he wasn’t sure Meng Wu Ya would be able to help.
Ying Jiu’s expression was also light, seemingly not having much expectation of Meng Wu Ya.
“Heh heh,” Meng Wu Ya scoffed twice a few breaths later, “Not bad. The one who created this has some attainments in sealing techniques.”
Ying Jiu quickly shot back, “Naturally, this is my Yang Family Grand Elder Huang Jiu Zhou’s skill!”
“I don’t care what Zhou he is.” Meng Wu Ya spat disdainfully, “This old master has never heard of him.”
Ying Jiu wanted to say a few words in response to this slight but Yang Kai reached out and stopped him promptly.
Ying Jiu, who was always silent, suddenly arguing so combatively was apparently because he extremely admired Huang Jiu Zhou and refused to accept others looking down on him.
After all, Huang Jiu Zhou was the only Blood Warrior in several generations who had been promoted to the position of Grand Elder. All the Blood Warriors took him as their role model and goal to surpass.
Meng Wu Ya had indeed praised Huang Jiu Zhou’s standard of sealing technique, but in Ying Jiu’s opinion, it sounded more like this old guy simply disdained them. What qualifications does a mere Peak Immortal Ascension have to comment on an Above Immortal Ascension Boundary master?
“Treasurer Meng, can you help?” Yang Kai leaned forward and asked anxiously.
“En.” Meng Wu Ya replied casually.
Ying Jiu’s eyes narrowed, staring towards Meng Wu Ya with a half shocked, half suspicious expression, seemingly not having expected such a response.
Yang Kai secretly felt relieved. Although he didn’t know what kind of magical means Meng Wu Ya had, Treasurer Meng had always given him a profound and mysterious impression. Yang Kai had met a fair number of Above Immortal Ascension Boundary masters such as Lu Si, Yang Ying Hao, as well as several of the Yang Family’s Grand Elders.
But none of them gave him anything close to the pressure he felt from Meng Wu Ya.
Somehow, on a near subconscious level, Yang Kai always felt that Old Man Meng was somewhat unfathomable, perhaps even more terrifying than an Above Immortal Ascension Boundary master.
Receiving this answer, Yang Kai’s heart calmed down immediately. Since Treasurer Meng said he could help, it meant that there was no need to ask any further.
“Can you really break this?” Ying Jiu asked, still somewhat unable to believe what he was hearing, even thinking Meng Wu Ya was just talking irresponsibly.
In response, Meng Wu Ya simply glanced at him and nodded.
“How long?” Ying Jiu asked again.
It wasn’t like he couldn’t lift the Qi Binding Seal himself, but it would take him at least two months of concentrated effort to do so.
If Meng Wu Ya’s method took just as long, it would be better for him to simply handle the matter himself.
Ying Jiu didn’t like the arrogant attitude of this old guy who didn’t put Huang Jiu Zhou in his eyes so he naturally didn’t want to ask him for help if it wasn’t necessary.
In response, Meng Wu Ya raised two fingers.
Yang Kai raised his brow and smiled lightly, “Is that two months or twenty days?”
Having said that, Yang Kai was hoping very much for it to be the latter. In his opinion, it was reasonable for Meng Wu Ya to use twenty days to relieve the Qi Binding Seal.
Ying Jiu also looked suspiciously at Meng Wu Ya, curious about how he would answer.
“Two days!” Meng Wu Ya said offhandedly.
Yang Kai and Ying Jiu both froze, a dumbstruck look appearing on their faces.
Yang Kai suddenly discovered that he had still been underestimating Meng Wu Ya’s ability; Treasurer Meng was definitely not as simple as he had thought.
“Senior…” Ying Jiu took a deep breath, his expression somewhat awkward, “It’s not that this Ying Jiu is doubting you but isn’t that a bit…”
“Arrogant?” Meng Wu Ya snorted unhappily, “If this seal was planted on this old master, I could break it with a snap of my fingers, but since it’s been placed on you, it’ll take two days. Actually, this old master has done quite a bit of research into the field of sealing techniques, this little trick is nothing much.”
Little trick…
Yang Kai quickly noted that Ying Jiu’s always stoic face was twitching slightly and couldn’t help feeling the urge to laugh, but he firmly suppressed such desires in his heart. He lightly coughed and followed up, “Treasurer Meng, are you absolutely sure…”
“If you brats don’t even want to try, this old master has no extra time to speak nonsense with you. The door is just there.” Meng Wu Ya snorted and narrowed his eyes at Ying Jiu, “With your skills, it’ll take you two months or so to break this seal. Well, work hard.”
Ying Jiu brow twitched once more.
After carefully examining the Qi Binding Seal placed on him, two months was Ying Jiu’s estimate of how long it would take to break it, yet Meng Wu Ya had been able to determine this with a mere glance. This master’s eyesight was very sharp.
Furrowing his brow, Ying Jiu solemnly cupped his fists and said, “Junior Ying Jiu requests Senior’s assistance. Earlier on, Junior acted impolitely and hopes Seniors will not take offence.”
In any case, it was just two trivial days, after those two days passed everything would be clear.
Ying Jiu was also quite curious if this Meng Wu Ya was really as powerful as he claimed to be.
“Treasurer Meng, I’ll leave this to you…” Yang Kai looked at Meng Wu Ya and grinned.
Old Man Meng waved his hand impatiently in response, “Fine, just go, he’ll see you in two days.”
Yang Kai nodded with satisfaction,. He reminded Ying Jiu to cooperate and then turned to leave.
When he returned to the room next door, Xia Ning Chang had already disappeared, probably having returned to the Pill Room.
Sitting cross-legged on the bed, Yang Kai took something from his sleeve.
It was a long strand of hair!
Today at Po Jing Lake when he struck the mysterious master who grabbed the eighth Mysterious Grade artifact this had been left behind.
But who would have thought that this mysterious master who could appear and disappear like a ghost was actually a woman!
Thinking about it, in one day he had confronted this person twice but Yang Kai still hadn’t even seen her face, making him feel a little depressed.
This woman’s speed was simply too fast and her concealment methods were extremely profound. In front of everyone at Po Jing Lake, she managed to snatch the eighth Mysterious Grade artifact before anyone even noticed her. Yang Kai really didn’t know how she did it, especially knowing she had to withstand the sealed attack in the artifact as well as Huang Jiu Zhou’s Qi Binding Seal.
Liu Qing Yao only managed to escape the Qi Binding Seal by sacrificing a Mysterious Grade artifact, but what about this woman?
What made Yang Kai even more concerned was who this woman was working for. Yang Wei, Yang Zhao, Yang Kang, Yang Shen, and Yang Ying’s expression were all filled with suspicion and confusion, seemingly ignorant of this woman’s identity, but he couldn’t rule out the possibility that one of them was just acting.
After thinking about it for a long time yet still not discovering any clues, Yang Kai could only set this matter aside for now.
In front of him right now were three artifacts; these were Yang Kai’s biggest gains today.
Although his allies had managed to snatch over two hundred artifacts, all of those together didn’t add up to the value of these three before him.
The first one was a palm sized sword that gave off a cold aura; it was the Heaven Grade Soul type artifact.
After examining it carefully, Yang Kai couldn’t have been happier to discover that this Soul type artifact was actually Heaven Grade Top-Rank!
Soul type artifacts were inherently more expensive and harder to refine than other artifacts.
This Heaven Grade Top-Rank Soul type artifact was worth no less than an ordinary Mysterious Grade artifact.
However, it would be difficult for Yang Kai to refine this Soul type artifact, especially since he had yet to open his Knowledge Sea. After fiddling with it for a while, Yang Kai put it down and began examining the other two.
One of the two artifacts was the mirror he had first obtained. This mirror also gave off a cold air, but this aura was different from the one the Soul type artifact radiated. The cold aura from the small sword was a piercing one that affected one’s Soul while this mirror gave off a profound frigidness that seemed to want to encase the world in ice.
Filling the mirror with his True Qi, the surface of flashed and Yang Kai suddenly witnessed a bizarre scene.
Through the mirror, he saw a magnificent snow-capped mountain. Around this mountain were innumerable fluttering snowflakes that seemed to swirl through the sky on the cold whistling wind, creating a pure white paradise as far as the eye could.
*Ka-cha…*
The temperature of the whole mansion suddenly dropped and a wave of cold quickly spread out, causing Yang Kai to instinctively use his True Yang Yuan Qi to resist.
[Mysterious Grade Mid-Rank artifact!]
When Yang Kai realized this fact, he couldn’t help showing a look of shock!
He didn’t know anything about the other seven Mysterious Grade artifacts, but he was certain that out of all of them only one or two of them would be Mid-Rank. The mirror he had snatched first turned out to be a Mysterious Grade Mid-Rank!
A Mysterious Grade Mid-Rank artifact was worth at least ten Mysterious Grade Low-Rank artifacts!
This time he had really won big!
Yang Kai took a moment to calm himself before withdrawing his True Qi. Without the constant stream of True Qi, the mirror quickly lost its radiance and the endless snowy mountain scene was once again hidden from sight.
Before he completely refined it, Yang Kai wouldn’t know what effects this mirror possessed.
Putting the mirror down, Yang Kai looked at the last artifact.
This was the one that Liu Qing Yao threw to him.
A bone shield!
This bone shield wasn’t large, only about the size of a plate, and Yang Kai couldn’t identify what Monster Beast’s bones it was made from. The shape was irregular, both sides were a polished white ivory colour, the edges had numerous bumps and ridges, some sharp, some rounded, while the face had a beast head design carved onto it with a large open mouth.
This beast face had a mouth full of fangs and gave off an aggressive, murderous aura, as if it were staring menacingly at you.
As he observed this face, Yang Kai felt a bloody aura wash over him, surprising him somewhat.
The grade of this bone shield wasn’t as high as the small mirror. Only Mysterious Grade Low-Rank, but because it was a defense type artifact, its true value wasn’t much worse.
There were many types of artifacts and in general, ones used for defence were rarer that offensive types, making them more valuable.
Each of these three had something which set them apart from ordinary artifacts, if he could refine all of them; Yang Kai estimated that his overall strength would be greatly improved.
So far, he only had three artifacts that could be used.
The Asura Sword, Thousand Blossoming Blood Begonia , and Devil Sealing Chain.
The first two were Heaven Grade artifacts and after using them for so long, Yang Kai was also sure they were Top-Rank. After all, these things were the treasured Hallowed Artifacts of Endless Sea Island – a first class Sects. Therefore, their grades obviously wouldn’t be bad.
First-class Sects would always have at least one Mysterious Grade artifact, but the fact that the Asura Sword and Thousand Blossoming Blood Begonia were still considered Hallowed Artifacts must be because these two artifacts had some special significance.
As for the Devil Sealing Chain, Yang Kai wasn’t sure what grade it was. Since he had used it to seal the Devil General’s Soul Clone in the Evil Spirit Cavern, the Devil Sealing Chain had lost its function and he was still restoring it slowly with his True Qi.
Now that he had acquired three new, high-quality artifacts, Yang Kai was naturally anxious to refine them.
After careful consideration, Yang Kai put down the Soul type artifact and the ice mirror and picked up the bone shield, circulating his True Qi.
As his rich and pure True Yang Yuan Qi poured into the bone shield, the speed at which Yang Kai refined it was quite fast.
Time passed by, and Yang Kai had been in retreat in his room since returning from the artifact snatching battle. His Little Senior Sister would come back once a day but she never bothered him, just peacefully sleeping on her bed beside him.
Inside the mansion, the sadness that was originally caused by the loss of so many allies gradually faded. The people from Blood Battle Gang and Storm Hall also quickly became familiar with the rest of Yang Kai’s supporters and the Hu Sisters settled in nicely with the other young leaders of the various forces.
The only thing that made them feel depressed was that they hadn’t even seen Yang Kai’s shadows these past few days.
Not to mention them, even Qiu Yi Meng, the second in command in the mansion, hadn’t had a chance to see Yang Kai.
However, all of them knew that Yang Kai was refining the new artifacts, so they didn’t disturb him.
Two days later, Qu Gao Yi, who sat in the hall guarding the flag, opened his eyes and looked up upon feeling a light breeze brush past him.
The first thing he saw upon opening his eyes was Ying Jiu staring at him.
“Aren’t you supposed to be following the Little Lord? Why did you come here?” Qu Gao Yi asked suspiciously.
Yang Kai’s security had always been Ying Jiu’s responsibility; he basically never separated from him.
“Little Lord is currently in retreat, and his safety… there’s certainly no problem.” Ying Jiu thought about the old man in the room next to Yang Kai and didn’t have the slightest worry at all.
“Even if that’s the case, you shouldn’t slack off.” Qu Gao Yi began to reprimand.
“Don’t say this.” Ying Jiu sighed lightly, quickly continuing, “Old Qu, I’ve met a powerful master.”
“How strong?” Qu Gao Yi was stunned. Blood Warriors were all very powerful, not only did they receive dedicated training from childhood from the Yang Family, they also possessed the Mad Tyrant Blood Skill which could greatly enhance their combat strength temporarily, so Blood Warriors were a group that always had eyes atop their heads.
“Very strong.” Ying Jiu was as concise as ever.
“How strong is that?” Qu Gao Yi rolled his eyes, the two were brothers in arms so when they spoke alone they were obviously more casual; however, since Ying Jiu evaluated this person so highly, his strength was no doubt extraordinary.
Qu Gao Yi couldn’t help being interested, wondering just what Ying Jiu had encountered in the end.
“I estimate that if you or I were to really fight him, within three moves we’d be defeated!” Ying Jiu said with a serious expression.
Qu Gao Yi’s jaw dropped, he had never heard the usually reticent Ying Jiu give such a high evaluation to anyone before, asking hesitantly after a short silence, “What if we use our Mad Tyrant Blood Skill?”
“Still not worthy to be his opponent, ten moves at most!”
“Above Immortal Ascension Boundary?”
“Immortal Ascension Peak!”
“Bullshit!” Qu Gao Yi sprayed Ying Jiu’s face with spit.
Ying Jiu wiped his face indifferently and reaffirmed, “It’s true.”
Qu Gao Yi’s expression was doubtful as he looked Ying Jiu up and down, obviously not believing what he was saying.
Peak Immortal Ascension masters were a rarity, and he had met quite a few of them. After all, even first-class forces would have Peak Immortal Ascension Boundary cultivators, but after activating the Mad Tyrant Blood Skill, whether it was him or Ying Jiu, they had both defeated such masters.
A cultivator, no matter how strong they were, would always have limits, how could there suddenly be someone who could defeat them in ten moves even after they activated their Mad Tyrant Blood Skill?
The Blood Warrior Hall’s Hall Master Feng Sheng didn’t have such skill and Feng Sheng was strongest Peak Immortal Ascension Boundary that Qu Gao Yi had ever encountered in his life. There was no stronger Immortal Ascension Boundary cultivator in the world than Feng Sheng.
“Look at me now.” Ying Jiu raised his arms and gestured to himself.
“Look at what…” Qu Gao Yi frowned before suddenly calling out in shock, “Your True Qi…”
He had finally noticed that something was not quite right.
“I broke the Qi Binding Seal with that master’s help!”
“How can that be?” Qu Gao Yi was shocked.
It had only been two days! Two days yet the Qi Binding Seal had already been broken! What magic was this? However, Ying Jiu’s True Qi really was flowing through his meridians again without the slightest sign of imprisonment, even if Qu Gao Yi couldn’t believe it he had to believe it.
“Who?” Qu Gao Yi finally asked about the main point.
Ying Jiu glanced around before motioning him over and whispering in his ear.
“That old…” Qu Gao Yi also knew that Meng Wu Ya was very strong, but he never dreamed he was powerful to this extent.
“Right, him. I’m still confused about it myself.” Ying Jiu kept shaking his head, still somewhat unable to believe that just two days ago he had asked Meng Wu Ya to give it a try without any expectations but today he had already succeeded.
In retrospect, that old man had just poked him a few times seemingly at random, taught him a set of strange breathing techniques, and then after two days of slight effort the Qi Binding Seal collapsed.
It was so unbelievable that Ying Jiu thought he was dreaming.
Only then did he realize that two days ago when Meng Wu Ya said he had done some research into sealing techniques he was being modest. This wasn’t on the level of ‘some research’, he clearly had unfathomably deep achievements in this field!
“Old Qu, I’ve noticed that there are many mysterious people in this house.” Ying Jiu said solemnly.
“I also noticed this point.” Qu Gao Yi deeply nodded.
Needless to say, Meng Wu Ya, who could immediately crack Huang Jiu Zhou’s Qi Binding Seal was already astonishing.
The pair of twin sisters who had just arrived was also unusual, obviously they were both only True Element Boundary Eighth Stage cultivators, but whether it was Ying Jiu or Qu Gao Yi, they felt that both of them weren’t inferior to Immortal Ascension Boundary cultivators. The pair estimated that even Immortal Ascension Third or Fourth stage masters weren’t their opponents.
And then there was Yang Kai’s Little Senior Sister! This veiled young woman would come and go to the Pill Room each day, and then the Pill Room would spit out a variety of extraordinarily high level pills, many of which even had Pill Veins.
Mysterious Grade pills had almost become common items in Yang Kai’s mansion.
On top of that, the strength of this veiled woman was also amazing. When she had first arrived, she had just broke through to Immortal Ascension Boundary First Stage cultivator, but just a few days later she broke through once more to the Immortal Ascension Second Stage. Now her cultivation had been completely consolidated and there were even signs she was preparing to break through again to the Third Stage.
Neither of them had ever seen her enter retreat to cultivate, so how was her strength increasing so rapidly?
Moreover, after taking those pills, the Young Lords and Young Ladies inside the mansion also experienced transformations; the men became more and more handsome while the women became more and more beautiful. Furthermore, in terms of cultivation, it was almost as if they had been reborn. Although none of them had reached the same terrifying level as the veiled woman, the speed at which all of their cultivations increased was abnormal.
Of course, the title of most mysterious undoubtedly belonged to the Little Lord!
The injuries of both Qu Gao Yi and Ying Jiu had already healed, but not only that, even the dark wounds left behind from decades ago had also disappeared. Even Xiao Shun, who had just joined them, said he had made a similarly miraculous recovery. On top of that, all of them noticed that their cultivation was much smoother and faster than before.
All of this was definitely the credit of the strange Earth Grade pills the Little Lord had given them; clearly they had some hidden mystery to them.
Moreover, the Little Lord’s own methods were just as magical. Since the inception of the Inheritance War he had made many amazing moves which even Qu Gao Yi and Ying Jiu highly admired.
It was said that great talents were one in a generation, so how come this generation had so many monsters appearing one after another? On top of that they all seemed to be gathering around Yang Kai.
“Old Qu, speaking of which, I’m going to break through to the Immortal Ascension Boundary Ninth Stage soon.” Ying Jiu’s mouth curled upwards slightly.
“Heh heh, me too.” Qu Gao Yi was not willing to show weakness.
“Was our cultivation so fast before?” Ying Jiu looked straight at him and asked.
“No.” Qu Gao Yi frowned and whispered, “What are you trying to say?”
“I just thought that, so many amazing and mysterious people voluntarily gathering around the Little Lord is too abnormal, but what if, instead, they became amazing because of the Little Lord?” Ying Jiu said with great meaning.
A look of shock spread across Qu Gao Yi’s face.
When Ying Jiu mentioned this, he suddenly realized.
It really didn’t make sense for all these geniuses and masters to gather at the Little Lord’s side, and when these Young Lords and Young Ladies first arrived they didn’t seem too out of the ordinary besides their aptitudes being slightly better than average people, something to be expected from disciples of first-class forces. However, as time passed, each of their aptitudes and talents seemed to steadily be increasing.
During this short time, the number of people who broke through their bottlenecks and promoted was quite shocking.
But if all of this stemmed from Yang Kai’s hand, how did he do it? Even the Yang Family’s Dragon Transformation Pond didn’t have such a remarkable effect.
A thousand kilometers away from War City, on the second floor of a city restaurant, the guests were plentiful and business was booming. More than a dozen tables were filled with cultivators drinking wine and dining on food.
At one of the tables near the window, a middle-aged man with thin-eyes and a skinny build sat with an indifferent expression.
In front of him were many large and small jugs as well as several dozen pitchers of wine, but even as this middle-aged people downed so many drinks, his face wasn’t the slightest bit red.
He just sat there in his seat, staring out at the pedestrians on the street below with his cold eyes.
Every time he saw a cultivator with a little bit of strength, a malicious light would flash across his eyes, almost like a hungry beast that had come across fresh meat and was just waiting to pounce.
On his face, his expression would change from struggling, hesitation, and reluctance for a while before it gradually subsided with a long sigh, followed by him grabbing one of the jugs of alcohol in front of him and draining it bitterly.
“This old master is starving.” The middle-aged man muttered bitterly as his beady eyes swept over the guests on the second floor, his throat undulating in a rather pronounced fashion as the expression on his face constantly showed signs of struggle, cursing his foul luck in his heart.
“If this was still the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land I could just do whatever I wanted.” The middle-aged man sighed again.
The store’s waiter brought over new pitchers of wine and swept away the empties before hurriedly retreating. Whenever he was near this middle-aged person who was nothing but bone and skin, the waiter couldn’t help feeling like his life was in imminent danger, almost as if this middle-aged man would suddenly transform into a devil and swallow him whole.
As the middle-aged man was wallowing in his unhappiness, an interesting conversation was happening next to him.
It was about the artifact snatching battle which had taken place a few days ago, the few people who were chatting spoke as if they had seen it with their own eyes as they described vivid scenes from the great battle.
“Don’t you know yet? The Central Capital’s First Young Lord isn’t the Liu Family’s Liu Qing Yao anymore.”
“You mean someone beat Liu Qing Yao?” Everyone was shocked.
“It wasn’t a defeat, but the youngest Young Lord of the Yang Family who only was a True Element Boundary Eighth Stage cultivation took two moves head on against Liu Qing Yao who is a Immortal Ascension Boundary Third Stage master. With such a big gap in strength, the two of them still fought on equal footing!”
“Just wait until that Little Lord grows to the same height as Liu Qing Yao, he’ll surely defeat him. “
“Did that really happen?”
“Naturally! This news is absolutely true, I saw it with my own eyes! The Little Lord is amazing. So young yet possessing such unfathomable strength, on top of that, he’s made allies of more than a dozen first-class forces. I have no doubt that in this Inheritance War he’ll be the ultimate victor.”
“Are you sure? Wasn’t it said that the youngest Young Lord had no connections at all?”
“Don’t you understand what it means to play the pig to eat a tiger? First lure your enemies with weakness, and then shock them with your true strength. At that point, who could possibly resist against him?”
“If I remember correctly, the youngest Young Lord was called Yang Kai, right?”
“Right right, Young Lord Kai…”
As soon as he heard the name Yang Kai, the middle-aged man who was drinking froze, turning his head to look at the man who was just speaking, seemingly very interested in what he was saying all of a sudden.
The people at the next table over made no attempt to lower their voices so everyone on the second floor was easily able to hear what they were saying, causing one of these listeners to snort contemptuously, “What do you know? Clearly that brat Yang Kai only managed to survive two moves because Young Lord Liu wasn’t using his full strength. I was also there and saw everything; didn’t you hear what Young Lord Liu said at the end?”
With a chuckle, the man paused for dramatic effect before boldly declaring, “Young Lord Liu said, ‘Yang Kai, you’re not my opponent. When you grow up, let’s fight once more!’ That was what the First Young Lord of the Central Capital should act like. Yang Kai only blocked two of his casual moves, what’s so great about that?”
The cultivator that spoke earlier was a bit dissatisfied and argued back, “That was just Liu Qing Yao acting arrogantly, if they exchanged a third move, he definitely wouldn’t have been the winner. Yang Kai is the Central Capital’s new First Young Lord!”
“BULLSHIT!”
The quarrel between the two soon spread throughout the restraint. All the cultivators in the Great Han Dynasty were now paying close attention to the Inheritance War; each of them naturally had their own ideas about the trends and developments that occurred.
A moment later, the cultivators on the second floor were divided into two camps and were noisily arguing.
Only the middle-aged man who sat by the window remained silent as the argument raged, but the light that flickered in his eyes was gradually becoming more and more dangerous as time passed.
The crowd quarreled for quite a while but obviously nothing was resolved.
The cultivator who started this whole debate was now thoroughly worked up and turned to the silent middle-aged man and asked, “Hey you, who do you think is the Central Capital’s First Young Lord?”
“You’re asking this old master?” The middle-aged man grinned and asked.
“Yes, you should say something too. Even if you’ve been silent the whole time, you obviously have your own opinion. Let all of us hear it! But… you know… at your age, claiming to be an old master, hahahaha!”
Everyone else also laughed a bit, wondering why this middle-aged person was pretending to be some wise old man.
The second floor suddenly calmed down as everyone’s eyes fixed on the middle-aged man, waiting for him to add his opinion.
The middle-aged man nodded lightly and drained the cup in his hand before firmly declaring, “If you really want this old master to say, the Central Capital’s First Young Lord can be no one else but Young Lord Yang Kai! Not only is he the Central Capital’s First Young Lord, but in the future, he will also be this world’s First Powerhouse, jie jie jie jie!”
Everyone was stunned, even the group of people who were impressed with Yang Kai’s recent display felt that this middle-aged man was exaggerating a bit too much and shook their heads .
Saying Yang Kai was the first person in the Central Capital’s younger generation wasn’t beyond debate, but to say he would be this world’s First Powerhouse was going too far.
There was no end to the martial path, even until now, none of the top masters at the Above Immortal Ascension Boundary had ever claimed to be invincible.
“This crazy old man…” The cultivator who first supported Liu Qing Yao said disdainful. “What kind of nonsense is he spewing, what shit does Yang Kai count for? Actually saying he’ll be the world’s first in the future…”
But before he had finished his sentence, he suddenly froze, almost as if his throat was caught by an invisible force rendering him unable to speak.
Everyone turned to look at him and couldn’t help paling.
They saw the face of this cultivator become dark in the blink of an eye, as if he had been poisoned, and his eyes became red as blood began flowing out of his seven orifices.
The next moment, a visible energy flew out from the top of this person’s head and erratically circled the room as the middle-aged man’s eyes gleamed.
The middle-aged man then opened his mouth and directly swallowed this energy form into his belly.
Surprisingly, the middle-aged man who was nothing more than skin and bones, after swallowing this energy, suddenly inflated slightly. Although he was still thin, it was not as wretched as before.
With a loud thump, the dark faced cultivator fell to the floor, dead.
A chill gripped everyone’s heart, making all the cultivators on the second floor feel like they had been plunged into an icehouse.
No one knew how this man died, but from the scene just now, everyone was clear that the culprit was this horrifying middle-aged man.
Terror, fear, panic, and utter mayhem suddenly broke out and quickly shrouded the entire restaurant.
The middle-aged man lowered his head and a wicked, grating laughter slowly leaked from his throat. When this laughter reached the surrounding cultivators, their Blood Force roiled, as if the blood in their veins was boiling.
“Jie jie jie jie…”
The maniacal laughter rapidly grew louder and more insane.
“This old master is starving, and since you’ve offered yourselves up, this old master won’t be polite! Afterwards, if Young Master pursues this matter, this old master also has an excuse!” The middle-aged man muttered as he remained in his chair.
*Pa pa pa…*
A grand bouquet of red flowers suddenly blossomed on the second floor as the bodies of various cultivators burst into blood fogs. Five viscera, six organs scattered all over the floor and the walls were painted bright red. The same energy blob that emerged from the first victim emerged from each dead body and was swiftly swallowed by the middle-aged.
The thin body of the middle-aged man inflated once again, gradually becoming somewhat sturdy and handsome, the only thing that remained unchanged was his cold and piercing eyes.
In a flash, the second floor of the restaurant had become a scene straight out of hell and more than twenty cultivators had died!
The surviving members shivered in fear but none of them could muster enough courage to run away; much less rebel. All of them staring at the middle-aged man in pure terror.
“Still not enough!” The middle-aged man patted his belly, his face showing a clear look of not being full as he glanced around at the dozens of people who were still alive.
When his eyes swept over the crowd, everyone immediately knelt down on the ground and vigorously kowtowed, begging for mercy.
The middle-aged man hesitated for a while, and then for some unknown reason, he didn’t finish them off, his body dissolving into a black mist and disappearing from everyone’s sight.
After he left, the cultivators who survived looked at each other with astonished expression, none of them understanding why this man had let them go.
Judging from the cruel and merciless methods he had just demonstrated, he obviously wouldn’t bat an eye at killing a few dozen more people, but he didn’t do so.
As the survivors began examining each other, all of them were surprised to find that the people who had been spared seemed to be the ones who had just supported Yang Kai, while those who opposed Yang Kai were all dead.
Being able to escape this tribulation, all of them thanked the Heavens for their luck.
After coming to grips with the fact that they were still alive, everyone began noticing the blood and guts which they were all but bathed in and couldn’t help throwing up the food they had just ate.
These cultivators weren’t inexperienced people who had never seen bloodshed before, but none of them had ever witnessed such a horrible scene!
Everyone who had died had basically become scattered chunks of meat…
Outside the restaurant, a black mist suddenly appeared and the middle-aged man’s form gradually condensed. Staring in the direction of War City a thousand kilometers away, he grinned and whispered under his breath, “After such a long time, I wonder if Young Master will be surprised by this old master’s new look!”
Saying so, his expression suddenly sank as he muttered, “I hope Young Master won’t blame me for being late. If I’d only known, I wouldn’t have stopped over in the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land for so long…”
Thinking of his Young Master, the look on the middle-aged man’s face became a bit complicated.
In fact, the relationship between himself and his Young Master wasn’t so harmonious. When they had first met, he had tried to use his Soul to seize his body, but he had wound up restrained by him and had to allow his Soul to be branded, basically turning him into servant.
Then came the period of slavery, but during that time, the middle-aged man behaved very docile and loyal. However, he had always been looking for a way to escape this Young Master of his and restore his freedom.
However, as time passed, the middle-aged man gradually discovered the huge potential hidden inside this Young Master of his, and although his memory hadn’t been fully restored, his insight was still sharp.
The Young Master was very much unlike an ordinary cultivator and had a variety of mystery about him. Even accompanying him day and night, the middle-aged man couldn’t see through these mysteries, instead becoming more and more confused, which gradually let him reconsider as he secretly began looking forward to the growth of his Young Master.
Then, after finding the Devil Lord’s body beneath the Coiling Dragon Stream, the Young Master had actually allowed his Soul to possess it.
To be honest, at that time, the middle-aged man was a little worried that his Young Master would be suspicious of his motives and prevent him from seizing this new body, which would probably lead to him holding a grudge and once again trying to find a way to escape.
Fortunately, the Young Master allowed it.
This made him have a sense of gratitude!
Thinking back about it, while the Young Master seemed like he was being generous with him, seizing this Devil Lord’s body was also a big boost to him. After all, with his Soul brand, if he ever acted against him, it would only take a single thought to kill him.
Making up his mind, the middle-aged man’s expression became firm and no longer hesitated.
However… him showing up all on his own was a bit inappropriate. If the Young Master asked what he had been up to, it wasn’t like he could say he was just lingering in the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land and had forgotten about the promise he carved on the stone cliff wall, right?
Wrinkling his brow and thinking for a moment, the middle-aged man quickly spread out his vast Divine Sense.
He had only intended to see if there was something or someone nearby he could use as a convenient excuses, but when he swept the area with his Divine Sense, the middle-aged man Soul trembled lightly, seemingly sensing a familiar Soul fluctuation somewhere in the distance.
“Hm?” The look on the middle-aged man’s face couldn’t help becoming a bit curious as he stared towards the fluctuation’s source. Soon remembering something, his expression warped into a wicked smile as his figure flickered and he shot off in the same direction.
A hundred kilometers away, a group of people were fleeing.
There weren’t many people in this group, nor were there few, about thirty in total, but the one who lead them was only an Immortal Ascension Boundary Fourth Stage master, while most of the rest were just True Element Boundary cultivators.
Around them, a lot of figures were pursed them, slowly forming an encirclement but showing no signs of immediately attacking, as if they were just observing for now.
These surrounding cultivators also didn’t appear to be a united group but instead were divided into several teams, each of them wary of all the others.
“These people are really annoying; they’ve been chasing us for ten days now!” In the crowd, a pretty girl complained bitterly.
“This is troublesome,” A man next to her said with a wry smile, “If things continue on like this, we won’t make it to War City.”
“Senior Brother, what do we do?” the girl asked anxiously.
“Let’s just take one step at a time.” The man obviously had no good ideas so he simply followed behind his Elders in front of him.
As they walked, another young woman with a cold look came up beside them. This young woman had a slender, graceful waist, and shapely figure, a rare beauty, but what was strange was that her delicate hands were wrapped up in cloth, making it impossible to see what they looked like.
Not only her, but many of people in this group had their hands covered up, it seemed like these people had some secret related to their hands they didn’t want revealed.
“Senior Brother Tao, if we can’t escape, we should just separate.” The woman’s eyes flashed a cold light, these days being chased like this had pushed her patience to the limit, “The goal of these people is our Ghost King Valley. If we separate from them, they shouldn’t find trouble with your Treasure Instrument Sect.”
However, Tao Yang shook his head and said, “Junior Sister Leng, your thoughts are too simplistic. Do you really think that these people are after your Ghost King Valley’s disciples?”
“Although that’s not the whole reason, a big part of it is certainly our responsible.” Leng Shan said awkwardly; she was no fool and naturally knew that the although these people had continued to pursue them, even threatening them from time to time. The biggest reason they hadn’t simply attacked was that they were afraid of offending Treasure Instrument Sect.
Ghost King Valley was just an excuse to justify their current actions.
[Looks like this time I’ve made a mistake!]
A few months ago, the news of the Inheritance War reached the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land and the people from Ghost King Valley had naturally gotten wind of it as well.
Like Chen Xue Shu, when Leng Shan heard Yang Kai’s name, she was also a bit suspicious, not certain if this Yang Family youngest Young Lord was the one she was familiar with.
Later, after many inquiries, she confirmed his identity.
Leng Shan’s status in Ghost King Valley wasn’t low, so she had gone to ask Elder Gui Li to allow her to lead some of the Sect’s people to participate in the Inheritance War.
Gui Li immediately refused.
Ghost King Valley was a Sect from the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land. Disciples running out from its borders would certainly not have good ends. As for going to the Central Capital to participate in the Yang Family’s Inheritance War, how could he possible permit it?
Not only did he refuse, he also confined Leng Shan and ordered that before she reached the Immortal Ascension Boundary she was not to be released.
Sometime later, her Senior Brothers Chen Yi and Cheng Ying secretly released her and the three of them gathered a group of fellow disciples who had received Yang Kai’s help in the Evil Cavern before secretly sneaking out of Ghost King Valley and traveling to the Central Capital.
All of them owed Yang Kai their lives and wanted to repay him somehow. After all, back in the Evil Cavern, if it wasn’t for Yang Kai, they would have already died a thousand times over.
Unfortunately, the Ghost King Valley group’s characteristics were too obvious.
Their hands were pale and bloodless just like a ghost’s, so once they were seen, everyone would know they were from an Evil Sect, causing them to be hunted down and killed mercilessly.
Therefore, the Ghost King Valley disciples all wrapped their hands in white cloth so, although they looked a big weird, they could effectively hide their background.
But with the exception of Leng Shan’s brief experience in the Isolated World, none of these young disciples had ever left the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land, so once they left and entered the Great Han Dynasty, they had all but become headless flies.
Finally, after wracking their brains over it, Chen Yi decided to go to Treasure Instrument Sect to find Tao Yang and take advantage of Treasure Instrument Sect’s name to go to the Central Capital.
In his opinion, Tao Yang and the others from Treasure Instrument Sect would definitely move to assist Yang Kai.
Tao Yang has long ago received a letter from Yang Kai’s messenger, but he hadn’t been able to convince the Sect Elders so he could only rely on his fellow disciples if he wanted to go support Yang Kai.
When the Ghost King Valley group arrived at Treasure Instrument Sect, Tao Yang was in a bad mood, so when he saw Leng Shan, Chen Yi and the others he was overjoyed and quickly arranged for them to quietly hide inside Treasure Instrument Sect.
Over the next while, Leng Shan and Tao Yang used both soft and hard forms of persuasion to finally convince the Elders of Treasure Instrument Sect to take a stand in the Inheritance War.
After that, they immediately set off.
But after leaving Treasure Instrument Sect, they almost immediately found themselves being tracked by several people.
Every day, Treasure Instrument Sect was very lively; similar to Medicine King’s Valley, cultivators flowed like an endless river into the Sect to request Artifact Refining, but this group of people was different, they only followed them, never once coming up and speaking with them directly.
After a day of this situation, one of the Immortal Ascension Boundary masters from Treasure Instrument Sect finally couldn’t stand it anymore and bluntly asked what their purpose was, soon learning that these people were actually sent by the various Yang Family Young Lords to lobby them into joining their respective camps.
A group of Alchemists from Medicine King’s Valley had already declared their support for Yang Kai, so a group of Artifact Refiners from Treasure Instrument Sect was seen as the highest available prize.
Whether it was Yang Zhao, Yang Kang, Yang Shen, Yang Ying, or even Yang Wei, each of them had sent their own group of lobbyists.
But how could Tao Yang and the others accept such an invitation?
After being refused though, these groups of people didn’t lose heart and while keeping an eye on each other, lacking any further instructions, they simply began following Tao Yang’s group.
After a few days of this, an opportunity finally presented itself.
A disciple from Ghost King Valley accidentally exposed his identity which caused the surrounding groups to pounce.
“Master Wu, as long as you hand over the Ghost King Valley disciples, I swear to you we will not embarrass your noble Sect; after all, Artifact Refining is a rare skill and we would certainly not want any misfortune to befall all of you!” From the outside crowd, an Immortal Ascension Boundary Sixth Stage expert said with a smile.
These words instantly gained the support of the other surrounding groups everyone nodding their head in agreement to express their attitude. They were implicitly suggesting that as long as Treasure Instrument Sect handed over the Ghost King Valley disciples, they wouldn’t expose the fact that they had been colluding with an Evil Sect.
Wu Yan, who was the Treasure Instrument Sect group’s leader, just snorted and refused to respond.
How could he not see through the intentions of this group of people? It was because he understood all this that he disdained to even reply.
“Tao Yang! Get over here!” Wu Yan’s stomach was full of grievances but he had nowhere to vent, so he could only angrily roar at this junior of his.
Tao Yang’s neck shrank and immediately rushed to the front, respectfully asking, “Uncle Wu, what are your orders?”
Wu Yan wore a smile that wasn’t a smile and quipped, “Little brat, your courage has really grown fat huh? Daring to shelter these Ghost King Valley disciples, what explanation do you plan on offering your dear Uncle?”
Wu Yan also only knew their true identity after the Ghost King Valley disciple exposed his hands a few days ago.
If he had known earlier, how could he and the other Elders of Treasure Instrument Sect so casually let Leng Shan and the others stay in the Sect?
Tao Yang didn’t bother trying to deny at all, instead just laughing as he said, “Uncle Wu, they are my sworn friends. When I, Junior Sister Zhao Rong, and my two Junior Brothers traveled to the Evil Cavern last time we received much care from them, otherwise I’m afraid all of us would have already departed for the next life.”
Wu Yan blinked, “Didn’t you say it was Yang Kai who took care of you all back then? How did it suddenly become a group of Ghost King Valley disciples? Which story is the truth?”
“We received care from all of them, all of them!” Tao Yang said with a somewhat sketchy expression, “In any case Uncle Wu, our Treasure Instrument Sect is just like Medicine King’s Valley. We open our doors only to do business, as for if a client is a virtuous paragon or an evil demon, what difference does that make to us?”
“Hmph! Anyways, this situation is your fault, so you find a way to solve it for this old master, or else, when we get back, I’ll personally drive you out of the Sect!”
“Don’t say that Uncle Wu, haven’t I been trying to find a way out of this mess?” Tao Yang suddenly looked depressed.
“You better think of a way.”
Facing this harsh new reality, Tao Yang had no way out.
This group of people from Ghost King Valley were all juniors, so none of them were Immortal Ascension cultivators; as for Treasure Instrument Sect, there were several who had reached the Immortal Ascension Boundary, and the artifacts they carried were incredibly varied and powerful, but due to their profession, their overall combat strength was quite low, and they were definitely not the opponents of these onlookers.
If they could secretly get a message to Yang Kai, informing him of their dilemma, Tao Yang firmly believed that he would definitely bring a large number of people to support them and reaching War City would become easy.
However, in this situation, there was no chance of one of them slipping away.
“Senior Brother Tao, I’m sorry, it’s our fault you were reprimanded.” Leng Shan said with a guilty expression. She and Chen Yi felt incompetent, they had only been thinking about seeking Tao Yang’s help. After the Evil Cavern incident, Tao Yang and his fellow disciples had stayed in Ghost King Valley for a while, so everyone was familiar with one another, making them temporarily forget that they were technically supposed to be enemies.
“Don’t worry about it. Uncle Wu was just venting his anger, he won’t really drive me out of the Sect.” Tao Yang smiled and waved his hand casually.
Treasure Instrument Sect’s population was incredibly sparse, with only a total of around a hundred people in total. The disciples recruited each generation had all undergone a rigorous selection process even more stringent than Medicine King’s Valley’s.
As a result, every disciple of Treasure Instrument Sect had unparalleled talent and achievements in Artifact Refining, and Tao Yang was one of the top figures in his generation.
Treasure Instrument Sect was counting on him to carry on its legacy, how could Wu Yan really be willing to drive him out of the Sect?
As he said so though, Tao Yang’s expression became gloomy. The five groups of people had moved to their front, back, left and right, making it seem like they were providing a high-quality escort, but in reality, they had them trapped.
[Fight? Impossible. Talk? They’re not willing to listen.]
Moreover, as time passed, the closer they came to War City, the thinner the patience of these five groups became, the looks in their eyes gradually becoming dangerous.
The status of Treasure Instrument Sect wasn’t as lofty as that of Medicine King’s Valley, when people from Medicine King’s Valley went out, no one dared to offend them.
Although Treasure Instrument Sect had a fair bit of reputation, some people still didn’t place them in their eyes.
These years, Treasure Instrument Sect’s leadership had lost count of how many great forces had secretly been trying to annex them, whether through negotiation, bargaining, tricks, schemes, or flat out intimidation.
Fortunately, Treasure Instrument Sect had many connections so each time disaster struck, they had somehow resolved it.
However, this situation wasn’t sustainable in the long run, they would need to attach themselves to some force in order to survive sooner or later.
It was also for this reason that Treasure Instrument Sect’s Elders agreed to Tao Yang’s request to participate in the Inheritance War, as long as he could negotiate some favourable terms with Yang Kai, it wouldn’t be impossible to resolve this issue once and for all.
The group flew forward again for half an hour and was now 800 kilometers from War City.
At this distance, the five batches of people sent by the Yang Family Young Lords were obviously at their limit, all of them quietly exchanging glances as they prepared to strike.
The Treasure Instrument Sect and Ghost King Valley group were aware of this and raised their guard even further.
Sure enough, from the left most group, the Immortal Ascension Boundary master who spoke before coldly shouted, “Master Wu, it seems that your noble Sect really insists on sheltering these evildoers! Since Master Wu is not willing to hand them over, then we have no choice but to act. If in the process we cause offence, I hope Master Wu will be magnanimous!”
When Wu Yan heard this, his expression twisted in anger, “What do you want to do?”
The man chuckled and said, “Good and evil cannot coexist, I simply want to punish these devils! Master Wu, I suggest you and your Sect Brothers and Sisters not interfere so as not to suffer any accidental injuries”
Wu Yan sneered, “You won’t say that all these juniors behind this Wu are devil spawn? No matter if they fight back or not you’ll grab all of them, won’t you?”
“How could I?” The man slowly shook his head, “At the very least, I know well your first disciple Tao Yang, as for everyone else, whether they are minions of evil or not, after we interrogate them, we will understand!”
Having heard these words, everyone understood that this man was going to use the excuse of suppressing the Ghost King Valley disciples to capture those from Treasure Instrument Sect, so long as they didn’t kill anyone and simply imprisoned all of them, they could easily bring these valuable Artifact Refiners back to their respective Young Lords.
What’s more, if a fight really broke out, would Tao Yang and the others really stand by and do nothing? Once they inevitably started fighting back, these people would have the perfect excuse to justify their actions.
All the different actions that they could take will all lead to the same, inevitable conclusion.
Wu Ya’s expression sank as he muttered under his breath, “It seems that my Treasure Instrument Sect can’t avoid this tribulation, wait for the fight to start then find a way to escape, if you can’t escape, don’t resist. They won’t kill. Tao Yang, you go to War City, find Yang Kai. Let him step forward to resolve this!”
“Disciple won’t fail!” Tao Yang firmly declared.
“Also, tell him, if there is a single casualty from our Treasure Instrument Sect, don’t expect this old master to refine him a single piece of junk for the rest of his life!” Wu Yan reiterated.
“Master Wu, have you made up your mind?” The man mocked before shouting, “If so, then pardon my offence!”
As his voice rang out, the five batches of people almost simultaneously leapt forward, their goal obviously the Treasure Instrument Sect disciples in the crowd.
Treasure Instrument Sect had dispatched more than twenty of its members this time so the number of targets wasn’t small. At the very least, each of the Yang Family’s Young Lords back in War City could harvest a few.
Treasure Instrument Sect and Ghost King Valley were immediately overwhelmed by this sudden rush and were about to follow Wu Yan’s instructions to escape when a figure suddenly appeared above everyone’s heads.
This person was quite strange; no one had even noticed how he appeared. It was almost as if he had been there the whole time and had just now revealed himself.
When this figure appeared, a horrifying Spiritual Energy descended upon the crowd.
Everyone in the five groups who were attacking suddenly stumbled, each of them showing aghast expressions as they quickly circulated their True Qi to resist this pressure, all of them trembling as they fearfully looked towards this newcomer.
On the other hand, the Treasure Instrument Sect and the Ghost King Valley people all felt confused.
Especially Leng Shan, when this person appeared, she felt a faint fluctuation in her mind, but before she had a chance to carefully investigate, the fluctuations disappeared.
As she stared at this floating middle-aged man, Leng Shan couldn’t help frowning in suspicion.
The opposite party also glanced at her casually, revealed a friendly smile, and then immediately turned his eyes away.
In the next instant, a cold, brutal, and bloodthirsty aura filled the middle-aged man’s eyes as he laughed wickedly, “So many bullying the few, interesting!”
His attitude was casual, neither friendly nor hostile, as if he was a great masters who had only coincidentally passed by here and had come to watch the show.
No one dared to respond, under this horrible and sinister Spiritual Energy, any slight loss of focus could lead to disastrous consequences.
The scene suddenly stagnated, and the expressions of the people in the five groups were extremely ugly as they were fixed in place. All of them looked at the middle-aged man with fear and terror, gradually leaking beans of cold sweat from their foreheads.
“Are you all mutes?” The middle-aged man’s expression dimmed as he loudly shouted.
This shout was like a crack of thunder, causing everyone’s ears to ring and bleed, all of them stumbling back a few steps before they regained their balance, turning even more fearful looks forward towards this man.
All of them knew, if none of them spoke and broke this deadlock, this situation simply wouldn’t end.
After realizing this, the most powerful figures among the five groups glanced at each other before the same man who had been speaking before stepped forward nervously and respectfully asked, “May I ask Senior’s great name? This humble one is Lei Zhou of Tranquil Light Sect …”
But before he could finish introducing himself, he was cut off by the middle-aged man, his brows wrinkling somewhat in annoyance, “Tranquil Light Sect? Never heard of it!”
The Tranquil Light Sect was also a first-class force, so being so blatantly disdained made Lei Zhou unhappy, but in front of this malevolent man he didn’t dare show any anger, laughing awkwardly as he tried to continue, “We are here to support the Central Capital Yang Family’s Second Young Lord.”
Lei Zhou understood that this middle-aged man’s strength was unfathomable and had a wild and arrogant demeanour. He was definitely someone with eyes higher than the top of his head. But even if the Tranquil Light Sect didn’t enter his eyes, could the Central Capital Yang Family also be the same?
By purposely bringing up the Second Young Lord’s name he was hoping to make this man take a step back.
“Second Young Lord?” Sure enough, the middle-aged man couldn’t help but reveal a look of interest when he heard these three words, “Who is the Yang Family’s Second Young Lord?”
“Yang Zhao!” The man smiled and replied, his expression also relaxing, thinking that his words had played some role.
“What about you?” The middle-aged man turned his head and looked at the other groups.
Everyone quickly rushed to report the name of the Young Lord they supported and to which Sect they belonged.
Unexpectedly, the middle-aged man’s casually grinning expression gradually grew dark after hearing these various names and titles, soon becoming cold and menacing, like the black clouds of an approaching storm.
Bad! Everyone who saw this couldn’t help trembling, their backs now covered in cold sweat.
“You people, seems none of you are supporting Yang Kai?” The middle-aged man’s lips curled into a sneer, a sharp glint flashing across his eyes.
“Senior, we are on our way to support Yang Kai.” Tao Yang bravely stepped forward and cupped his fists, noticing some subtle information in these last words.
“Hm?” The middle-aged man looked over at him, his sullen expression brightening all of a sudden as he laughed and said, “Good good good, you have a little vision, very good, just support Yang Kai well and you won’t regret it!”
“Many thanks for Senior’s auspicious words!” Tao Yang replied happily.
Wu Yan quickly shot Tao Yang a disgruntled glare; his First disciple’s performance just now was nothing short of coveting life while fearing death, seeking favour from this middle-aged man so blatantly.
This made Treasure Instrument Sect loss face!
“En, since you’re on your way to support Yang Kai, this old master can’t sit back and do nothing!” The middle-aged man nodded gently and waved his hand, “Your safety is something that this old master will take responsibility of!”
Hearing this, whether it was the Ghost King Valley disciples or the Treasure Instrument Sect people, everyone was filled with joy, none of them had dreamed that such a powerful master would jump out of nowhere to protect them at this critical juncture, each of them cupping their fists in thanks.
On the contrary, the five groups of people all look grim, not daring to act out; after experiencing this person’s Spiritual Energy pressure, they naturally knew he was not someone they could provoke.
Lei Zhou somehow managed to cup his fists and squeeze out a smile, “Since Senior has come forward, this one will step back. Farewell!”
Finished what he had to say, he literally stepped backwards, afraid to turn his back to this middle-aged man.
The people in the five groups had only managed to take a few steps back before a wicked laughter filled their ears, causing all of them to feel unnerved.
“Did this old master say you could go?” The eyes of the middle-aged man flashed a dangerous and cold light, his tone noticeably lowering as a gloomy aura spread out from him, sending chills down everyone’s back.
All those who were trying to retreat immediately halted, their expressions turning extremely ugly.
“What instructions does Senior have?” Lei Zhou frowned and asked, secretly circulating his True Qi as he did so.
“This old master is in a good mood today and is too lazy to slaughter,” The middle-aged man smiled slyly, his expression light and carefree. “But all of you have eyes but fail to see, such blind fools shouldn’t be left alive. Since you’ve chosen to support the wrong person, this old master can’t just sit by and ignore you.”
Hearing the meaning of his words, the faces of everyone in the five groups grew even uglier, one of the Immortal Ascension Boundary masters coldly snorting, “How I chose to act is none of your business. Although Senior may be strong, but facing so many of us I don’t believe you’ll feel much better. Must Senior insist on acting ruthlessly?”
As this man spoke, the five groups gradually gathered together, all of them staring at the middle-aged man with dignified looks, displaying a unified front.
Against such a master, they were forced to do so. Their only hope was that this middle-aged man would see this and back down.
However, the middle-aged man didn’t show any signs of hesitation, instead only looking more and more excited, “Good good! Finally enough targets to slaughter!”
As he spoke, he licked his lips and slowly lifted his hand, “Heaven Sealing Blood Sea!”
Behind the middle-aged man’s back, a crimson light flashed and a bright red wave of blood spread out in all directions.
Before anyone could react, the entire region had been enveloped in this blood sea.
All everyone could see was a scarlet world, the Heavens and Earth had all transformed into waves of thick red blood which churned and rippled around them, blood bubbles constantly rising from beneath their feet, the smell of iron thick and nauseating.
From all around, wails and moans rang out.
It was like they had been dropped into a demonic purgatory!
“What is this?” The five batches of people suddenly panicked, none of them had ever seen such a strange Martial Skill. All the middle-aged man had done was wave his hand and the entire world had changed. Instinctively, everyone pushed their True Qi and tried to escape, using their movement skills and artifacts to their full potential as they tried to escape this blood red world.
However, the blood pooled beneath them seemed to exert a huge suction on them, locking them in place, unable to escape.
The ground had become like quicksand, the more one tried to struggle, the faster they were pulled under.
“Jie jie jie jie…” The middle-aged man once again smirked and let out a burst of demonic laughter, seemingly enjoying the desperate and helpless expressions of those struggling to escape from this blood sea, his eyes flashing with a strange, excited light.
The people from Ghost King Valley and Treasure Instrument Sect was also stunned, all of them glancing around this bloody sea as they trembled in fear.
Everyone knew that this middle-aged man who had suddenly appeared was very powerful, but no one imagined he would be strong to this extent.
A single move had left these five powerful groups of cultivators to fall into desperation, and from his appearance, it seemed like he hadn’t even gone all out but was instead just casually taking action.
Ghost King Valley itself was an Evil Sect. The Martial Skills and Secret Arts it practiced also had sinister attributes, but when Leng Shan and her fellow disciples compared their Sect’s techniques with the scene in front of them, filled with blood and ghastly wailing, they all felt their soul’s tremble in fright.
The Treasure Instrument Sect’s Artifact Refiners were even worse off, all of them pale with fright. Only Wu Yan, who barely managed to keep his composure though his heart was pounding, turned his eyes and looked at the middle-aged man unconsciously.
It was obvious to him that this middle-aged man wasn’t someone they should associate themselves with.
After only ten breaths of time, the cultivators trapped in the blood sea had all undergone massive changes. These people, no matter how strong or weak, how high or low their cultivations, all had ferocious looks in their bloodshot eyes, the prior looks of fear and panic had disappeared from their faces and was replaced by infinite madness and killing intent.
It seemed like this blood sea’s hidden brutality and malice that had affected their hearts.
“Kill!” Someone screamed as they summoned their artifact and used a Martial Skill on the companion beside him, decapitating him instantly.
“Kill! Kill! Kill! KILL!”
The five groups of people seemed like they had all transformed into slaughtering demons, unable to even recognize their parents anymore, screaming wildly as they fought with anyone and everyone around them.
One by one, bodies fell, and the blood that flowed from these fresh corpses dyed the blood sea even redder.
The smell of blood was overwhelming.
Meanwhile, the middle-aged man seemed to be admiring a great drama, his expression filled with joy and happiness.
Severed limbs, mountains of corpses, rivers of blood.
Treasure Instrument Sect and Ghost King Valley’s several female disciples all couldn’t help covering their mouths and rushing to the side to vomit.
None of them had ever even imagined such a bloody and terrifying scene; it had obviously far exceeded their psychological limit.
The middle-aged man noticed this change and glanced over, but after snickering once he turned his eyes away and stopped paying attention.
After about half a cup of tea’s time, the five groups of people trapped in the Heaven Sealing Blood Sea had all died with the exception of the Lei Zhou, the first Immortal Ascension Boundary master to speak earlier.
From the beginning, he was the strongest of those who were present. Although he was only an Immortal Ascension Boundary Sixth Stage, whether it was his personal cultivation or Martial Skills, they far surpassed his allies.
However, even though he had survived, he was no longer the same person he once was.
His entire body was covered in blood and his eyes were completely bloodshot, like a beast that had been trapped in a cage for thousands of years. Hot breath left his mouth and nose as his face expression only showed infinite murderous intent, staring left and right for new prey as he stood alone in the sea of blood.
His sentience had been annihilated; right now he was nothing more than a walking corpse driven by his killing instincts.
“Good! Since you survived, this old master won’t kill you!” The middle-aged man smiled and waved his hands in a strange pattern, quickly condensing a mysterious glowing seal that show out and landed on Lei Zhou’s body.
When this seal hit him, Lei Zhou suddenly seemed to transform into a whirlpool that madly swallowed all of the blood around him.
This bizarre scene shocked the Ghost King Valley and Treasure Instrument Sect cultivators again.
Along with this infusion of blood, this Immortal Ascension Boundary master gradually changed, swelling up to more than twice his previous size as his face distorted greatly, even his head ballooned up like a giant bag.
For a while, the blood poured into his body, and soon no semblance of his original appearance remained. He couldn’t even be described as human anymore.
This Immortal Ascension Boundary master had transformed drastically into a blood red creature, its hideous face containing a pair eyes that radiated a savage light.
Wu Yan was absolutely stunned by the mysterious methods of this middle-aged man. Examining this new monster he also quickly discovered that although it was formed from a strong Immortal Ascension Boundary Sixth Stage master, its current True Qi fluctuations had grown significantly while its aura was more manic and brutal.
“Huo…” Lifting its head to the sky the newly transformed creature let out a roar which shook the air, the clouds gathered over its head scattered as a red light from its forehead shot up to the Heavens.
“It’s a little useful. Don’t worry, this old master will feed you plenty of fresh blood!” The middle-aged man mumbled to himself before waving his hand again, the once Immortal Ascension Boundary master instantly transforming into a bloody light and disappearing into his palm.
Everyone left stared dumbfounded.
The methods this middle-aged man pulled out one after another were all so foreign to them and exceeded their comprehension; it was as if they didn’t belong to this world at all.
After witnessing the brutal cruelty of this person, the people from Ghost King Valley and Treasure Instrument Sect suddenly felt anxious, as if they had escaped the wolf’s den only to fall into the tiger’s.
He had just killed five strong groups of people like crushing a bunch of ants, if he wanted to kill them, would he even need to blink?
Unexpectedly, after he received this bloody light, he actually landed on the ground nearby and smiled towards them, “En, the mixed fishes are cleaned up, let’s go.”
No one dared to move, everyone just stood there nervously, trying to avoid eye contact.
“Hm?” The middle-aged people also noticed that the atmosphere was somewhat wrong before laughing out loud, “Afraid I’ll kill you?”
Wu Yan couldn’t help coughing lightly, fixing his expression as best he could as he hurriedly said, “Nonsense, we owe Senior a life-saving grace, this one wouldn’t dare suspect Senior’s intentions.”
“Rest assured, since you’re here to support Yang Kai, I won’t harm you, after all, I’m also on my way to support Yang Kai, hahaha!” The middle-aged man’s expression mellowed quite a bit, causing everyone to relax slightly, but in the next instant his expression became fierce again as he let out a malicious sneer, “But if you’re here to help one of the other Yang Family Young Lords, I won’t show any mercy.”
The relaxed atmosphere immediately tensed up again.
Wu Yan even more hastily replied, “No no, all of us are going to support Young Lord Kai.”
However, in his heart he was suspicious, just how did the Yang Family’s youngest Young Lord know this kind of person? Wasn’t the man in front of them some kind of legendary Demon Lord?
Amongst the crowd, Leng Shan hesitated for a long time but finally worked up the courage to face the middle-aged man and said, “Senior, many thanks for rescuing us, dare I ask how we should address Senior?”
Wu Yan’s ears also twitched, quieting even his breathing as he listened.
“Old master is called… en, old master is surnamed De!”
“So it is Senior De,” Leng Shan didn’t dare to dig any deeper on this subject but couldn’t help asking, “Senior De, have we met somewhere before?”
Chen Yi and Cheng Ying couldn’t help feeling shocked, and quickly and quietly signaling Leng Shan to stop.
This middle-aged man was definitely not a good person and his methods were extremely fierce. On top of that he was more than a hundred times crueler and brutal than even their Ghost King Valley. If this Junior Sister of theirs upset him in any way, none of them would escape punishment.
But to their great surprise, the middle-aged man who claimed to be surnamed De actually smiled slightly and nodded, “Yes, we’ve met.”
This answer only confused Leng Shan even more though, wrinkling her brow as a look of incomprehension spread across her pretty face, “If we’ve met before, why do I not have a single impression of Senior De? I can only feel that Senior is somehow familiar.”
Leng Shan was a rising star of Ghost King Valley and although she wouldn’t claim her memory was infallible, those she had met she was still clear about.
This was especially so for this Senior. For someone so powerful, how could she possibly forgot about his existence?
However, Leng Shan simply couldn’t remember seeing him anywhere.
And this sense of familiarity wasn’t something like a memory, but more like a feeling.
If she had to describe it… the Senior in front of her right now gave her the same feeling as that Tian Lang Dynasty bitch Zi Mo!
Both she and Zi Mo had their Soul’s branded by Yang Kai, causing them to have an inexplicable intimacy, but why would this Senior also give her such a feeling?
This Senior De was powerful so he couldn’t have suffered the same Soul branding that Yang Kai had used on her, right? Leng Shan shook her head and immediately rejected this possibility.
Seeing her confusion, Senior De actually grinned towards her meaningfully and quipped, “Long ago this old master met you but at the time you have not met this old master.”
Leng Shan was now even more confused, but she knew it wouldn’t be prudent to ask any more.
“Come on, let’s talk while we walk. This place is only 800 kilometers from War City. If we leave now, we should arrive before dark!” Senior De waved his hand and took the lead.
The Ghost King Valley and Treasure Instrument Sect people all glanced at each other somewhat hesitantly.
Wu Yan was even more awkward but after a short silence he bit his lip and nodded, “Follow him.”
This person was too powerful, and no matter what reason he had for helping them, the simple truth was if he really wanted to kill him, all of them would be dead in an instant.
It was a blessing not a curse, and if it was a curse it couldn’t be avoided. Right now, all they could do was obediently follow this Senior De. The truth of the matter would reveal itself when they reached War City.
Soon, a group of thirty people followed behind the terrifying Senior De.
From a short distance ahead, the middle-aged man suddenly turned around and beckoned to Leng Shan, “Little girl, come over!”
Leng Shan nodded and stepped forward, Chen Yi hurriedly whispering, “Senior Sister, be careful!”
“En.” Leng Shan replied, seemingly not worried, calmly walking over to the middle middle-aged man’s side and respectfully asking, “What is Senior’s command?”
“Heh heh,” The middle-aged man turned to look at her and grinned, “Relax.”
Leng Shan still doesn’t know what he was planning to do when suddenly she saw his hand grab towards her. In that instant, she instinctively wanted to resist, but before her True Qi could even condense, the middle-aged man took back his hand.
Hearing a series of howls and screams, Leng Shan’s eyes shrank, her expression changing greatly.
She found that the Ghost King Seal in her body had actually been caught by the middle-aged man and though it struggled fiercely, it had no ability to resist let alone escape.
The Ghost King Seal was a Martial Skill that Ghost King Valley was known for and all of its members cultivated it.
This spiritual body was something that was born from tormented souls and Ghost King Valley disciples would refine it with a special method inside their own bodies, raising it with their Spiritual Essence so it grew in strength along with its owner.
When they fought against a tough opponent, it could be used to launch and unexpected attack.
It could be said that when one fought a Ghost King Valley disciple, they were really fighting against two opponents.
However, Leng Shan and this group of disciples were still quite young and their Ghost King Seals hadn’t reached full maturity so the power it could display was still quite limited.
No one should be able to forcefully take out a Ghost King Valley disciple’s Ghost King Seal, but this surnamed De had done so with ease.
In fact, Leng Shan didn’t even notice until it was all over.
Just as she was preparing to ask his intentions, Leng Shan saw the middle-aged man spit out a black mist that immediately squirmed into her Ghost King Seal.
The Ghost King Seal, which had been struggling violently up to now, seemed to have received a great boost from this black mist and quickly became docile, not only was it no longer struggling, it even seemed to show some signs of intimacy, it’s distorted facial features expression becoming happy and joyful.
Leng Shan couldn’t help feeling startled, swallowing down the words she was about to speak.
“Here you go!” The middle-aged man smiled and released the Ghost King Seal which was quickly taken back by Leng Shan into her body.
“Junior Sister!” Chen Yi had witnessed the entire scene just now and was immediately filled with anger and indignation, rushing over to Leng Shan’s side as he glared at the middle-aged man.
“Your courage isn’t small!” The middle-aged man sneered.
Leng Shan hastily held him back though, “I’m fine, Senior Brother, you’re misunderstanding. This Senior has just helped me a lot!”
As she spoke, the excitement in her voice continued to rise.
“What do you mean?” Chen Yi asked curiously.
“My Ghost King Seal has fallen asleep,” Leng Shan explained.
“What?” Chen Yi’s eyes bulged out.
The Ghost King Seal would grow along with its host and just like a snake shedding its skin, every time it fell asleep, once it awoke its strength would noticeably increase.
Leng Shan’s Ghost King Seal had already undergone this process a total of three times, but the next evolution was supposed to occur when she broke through to the Immortal Ascension Boundary, by which its strength wouldn’t be any worse than an average Immortal Ascension Boundary master.
But now, this process which should have occurred at least a year or two later had suddenly occurred ahead of time.
Leng Shan even felt that after this evolution, her Ghost King Seal would undergo earth-shaking changes.
All of this was because of Senior De’s black mist.
“Many thanks Senior De!” Leng Shan thanked him wholeheartedly.
“No need to be polite, consider it a reward for coming to help Yang Kai. Nurture your spirit well. When it wakes up, it will have achieved sentience and will become your most loyal partner,” Senior De said in a scholarly manner.
“Achieved sentience…” The eight Ghost King Valley disciples jaws all dropped, unable to believe what they had just heard.
A Ghost King Seal achieving sentience wasn’t just a fantasy, in the Ghost King Valley’s records, this had really happened to one of the Sect’s Senior Elders hundreds of years ago when he had broken through to the Above Immortal Ascension Boundary.
The current Ghost King Valley Sect Master Gui Li hadn’t even achieved this step.
Everyone realized just how valuable this gift was!
Leng Shan’s eyes flashed with excitement, biting her thin lip, not knowing what to say, after a while softly whispering, “What is Senior De’s relationship with Yang Kai?”
“He’s my little… *ahem*, my Young Master!” The middle-aged man lightly coughed, almost blurting out something he shouldn’t have.
“So, you’re a Yang Family person?” Leng Shan tilted her beautiful head slightly.
“En, well, in a sense.” The middle-aged man answered ambiguously.
“Senior, Senior…” Chen Yi grinned and walked over, fidgeting nervously as he wrung his hands, “You see, like Junior Sister Leng, we’re all also going to help Yang Kai, so…”
The middle-aged man glanced at him and sneered, “Do you think it’s so simple to let that spirit evolve? Every time I do so it damages this old master’s strength!”
Chen Yi expression went black and blushed with embarrassment, though he was still quite reluctant to give up so he didn’t withdraw.
If he were to cultivate himself, even if he did so day and night without rest, the chances of his Ghost King Seal gaining sentience and becoming a legendary existence was basically zero. With such a great opportunity in front of him, if he didn’t at least try to grasp it, he would definitely regret it for a lifetime.
However, thinking about asking for such a big favour really made Chen Yi feel awkward.
But to his surprise, the middle-aged man suddenly grinned and continued, “Well, today this old master is in quite a good mood, so I’ll help you little brats!”
Chen Yi was so excited he nearly jumped up and cheered, quickly thanking Senior De before turning around and hurriedly waving his fellow Sect Brothers and Sisters over, “Everyone come here, come quick!”
The rest of the Ghost King Valley disciples all rushed over as well, their smiles reaching from ear to ear as they lavished this middle-aged man with praise, flattery and thanks.
Senior De was true to his words and swiftly took the Ghost King Seals out of their bodies and fed them a breath of black mist.
A short time later, the processing was complete.
The eight Ghost King Valley disciples all glanced around at each other and saw the vibrant excitement and expectation in their eyes. Just now when they had heard what this middle-aged man had said they half doubted half believed him, but when their Ghost King Seals were returned, each of them became keenly aware that this evolution would surely result in a qualitative leap, filling them with hope for the future.
This time, they had really benefited big, and they had yet to even reach War City to meet up with Yang Kai! To think they had already met this incredible master who delivered them such a big gift! Once they arrived at War City, if they could build a good relationship with this Senior De, perhaps he would grant them some more of his wisdom.
As they watched the Ghost King Valley disciples obtain such a great opportunity, the Treasure Instrument Sect people’s eyes gleamed.
Tao Yang even courageously rushed up and smiled widely, “Senior, Senior, we are also going to help Yang Kai, so could you perhaps… hehe…”
“What do you want?” The middle-aged man didn’t get angry, just turning a smile to him.
Tao Yang’s expression brightened as he asked, “Is there a way for Senior to improve the purity of our True Qi? It would be best if it could be improved by a grade or two!”
In order to be an Artifact Refiners or an Alchemist one needed to have very high purity and density of True Qi in their body. Tao Yang wasn’t a Ghost King Valley disciple so he couldn’t expect a similar benefit so he made this request instead.
Listening to his request, the middle-aged man sneered, “This old master can’t help you with that, such things all depend on one’s own hard work.”
“So there’s no way…” Tao Yang couldn’t help feeling a little disappointed.
“But… I heard those people before say you were all from Treasure Instrument Sect, right?”
“Correct.”
“Then if it’s about Artifact Refining, this old master can perhaps give you a pointer or two, heh, that is if you’re open to hearing them.”
Hearing this, Wu Yan couldn’t help secretly sneering in disdain.
Although this middle-aged man was extremely powerful and possessed many strange methods, but when it came to Artifact Refining, no one in this world could match those from Treasure Instrument Sect, even if they were Above Immortal Ascension Boundary masters.
So obviously he wouldn’t take this middle-aged man’s words seriously, thinking he was just trying to show off.
“Is Senior also familiar with Artifact Refining?” Tao Yang’s face brightened again.
Senior De gently nodded, “This old master knows a little, nothing profound but it should be enough to expand your horizons.”
This time, even Tao Yang’s face became slightly awkward, not knowing what to do next.
There was still someone who dared to show off their knowledge of Artifact Refining in front of Treasure Instrument Sect. Apparently, this world was filled with all kinds of people.
However, having witnessed the opposite party’s brutal methods, if he let him lose face, who knew if he would get angry or possibly even kill him? Clearly understanding this point, all Tao Yang could do was scratch his head humbly and ask for Senior De’s advice while doing his best not to show any disrespect no matter what he said.
Tao Yang didn’t hold any hope, he was just afraid of angering this master, so he only pretends to be open-minded.
But after talking to him for a while, Tao Yang’s expression slowly became solemn. He found that this middle-aged man really hadn’t specialized in Artifact Refining and it was very likely that he rarely did any Artifact Refining himself, but he indeed possessed some mastery in the subject. This Senior’s knowledge of Artifact Refining techniques far exceeded his own understanding and insights. The many things he spoke about were completely unheard of and were beyond this world’s current Artifact Refining standards.
It didn’t take long for Tao Yang’s solemn emmxpression to become one of shock. Even Wu Yan, who had formerly disdained to participate in this conversation, began listening in.
After half an hour, Wu Yan finally couldn’t help but get involved. He put forward his own opinions on the issues of Artifact Refining while discussing and debating ideas with Senior De…
War City, inside Yang Kai and his Little Senior Sister’s room, Yang Kai let out a long breath and the bone shield in his hands finally turned into a stream of light, disappearing into his body.
Refining a Mysterious Grade artifact had taken Yang Kai a full five days, and even this was only achievable with his extremely pure True Yang Yuan Qi. If someone else at his cultivation level wanted to refine this Mysterious Grade artifact, without ten days to a half month, it would be fundamentally impossible.
As soon as the the bone shield entered his body, Yang Kai understood its structure and functions and after a moment of contemplation, a satisfied smile appeared on his face.
A Mysterious Grade artifact was really out of the ordinary. The role it could play was not small, if used properly, it could turn the tide of a battle.
Yang Kai naturally had his reasons for refining this bone shield and not the ice mirror or small sword.
The grade of the ice mirror was higher than that of the bone shield, so the time it would take to refine would be much longer. As for the small sword, it was a Soul type artifact and Yang Kai was conscious of the fact that although his Divine Sense was powerful, without a Knowledge Sea, he would find this artifact difficult to refine.
Therefore the bone shield became the natural first choice.
When the bone shield entered his body, the innate technique of this Mysterious Grade artifact became known to Yang Kai. On top of that, his True Element Boundary Eighth Stage cultivation had been fully consolidated.
Yang Kai estimated that if he were to refine the ice mirror now he could immediately break through to the True Element Boundary Ninth Stage!
As one’s strength increased, if they wanted to break through to the next realm it wasn’t enough to simply accumulate True Qi, it was just as, if not more important to strengthen one’s mental fortitude and deepen one’s understanding of the Martial Dao.
Once both these requirements were met, the accumulation of True Qi would become very easy.
As he was studying the mysteries of the bone shield, Yang Kai suddenly felt a ripple in his mind and couldn’t help lifting his head, turning his eyes in a certain direction as a thick smile appeared on his face.
“Old Demon, you’ve finally appeared!” Yang Kai grinned, quickly getting up, opening the door and going out.
“Little Lord!” Ying Jiu appeared like a ghost.
Yang Kai gave him a faint look and swept him with his Divine Sense, quickly nodding as he realizing he had fully restored his strength before casually saying, “Cultivate yourself. For the time being, I have no urgent tasks for you.”
“Yes!” Ying Jiu’s figure gradually faded into the shadows.
In fact, Ying Jiu was a little surprised, he hadn’t expected Yang Kai to have no reaction to his current state; apparently he had complete faith in Meng Wu Ya being able to break the Qi Binding Seal.
The door to the room next door suddenly opened and Meng Wu Ya stepped out with a dignified expression, staring off into the distance.
“There’s a strong Demonic Qi!” Treasurer Meng looked at Yang Kai intentionally or unintentionally as he spoke, “And it’s somewhat familiar!”
“You’ve met before.” Yang Kai grinned.
Meng Wu Ya’s brow wrinkled for a moment before his eyes widened, “That Devil Lord?”
“Correct.” Yang Kai gently nodded.
Once, a long time ago, in his secluded cave below the Coiling Dragon Stream, Meng Wu Ya had forcefully removed Old Demon from Yang Kai. At the time, the two had gotten into an odd argument but because Old Demon was only a Soul form Treasurer Meng was able to easily suppress him, but Yang Kai was keenly aware that even then Meng Wu Ya was somewhat wary of Old Demon.
“Since it is him, then this old master won’t find trouble with him. When he gets here let him come see me,” Meng Wu Ya said, a faint look of reminiscence creeping into his expression.
Yang Kai was surprised but quickly nodded.
“You little brat. Don’t think badly of this old master, but you better be careful with that Devil Lord, he’s not as simple as you think.”
“I know.”
“Also, make sure he doesn’t act out, those eight masters in War City who are monitoring everything must have detected him already.”
Remembering this point, Yang Kai suddenly felt some headaches. There were currently Eight Above Immortal Ascension Boundary masters from the Central Capital Eight Great Families who were tasked with supervising War City and the Inheritance War. The Old Demon’s aura couldn’t possibly have been missed by these eight people and although he served Yang Kai, if he were to act too outlandishly, these eight masters would certainly not just sit by and watch.
After a few words, Meng Wu Ya turned around and walked back into his room.
Yang Kai wore a helpless look before shaking his head and walking out. He really wanted to know what Old Demon had been up to these past few months.
Moreover, from what he had sensed, Old Demon wasn’t alone but was actually accompanied by Leng Shan as well.
Since Leng Shan was with him, the disciples from Ghost King Valley he knew would definitely be with her as well; this was something far outside Yang Kai’s expectations.
As he was walking towards the mansion’s entrance, Yang Kai called out to a passing cultivator and said, “Go and call Qiu Yi Meng!”
“Yes!” The man responded and hurriedly left to find Qiu Yi Meng.
At the compound’s entrance, the Qiu Family’s First Young Lady appeared, a curious look upon her face, “What is it?”
“We are receiving some guests!” Yang Kai replied casually.
“Guests?” Qiu Yi Meng’s frowned for a moment but immediately grinned, “Someone’s coming to support you?”
“Something like that.” Yang Kai said ambiguously.
Qiu Yi Meng smiled faintly as she looked at him. Although she didn’t know how he knew someone was coming, since he said so, he probably wasn’t wrong, so she simply nodded, “It’s always good to have more people, and our strength will definitely grow.”
“The ones coming right now are a little different, you’ll have to take special care in their arrangements. Pay special attention to not let them have any conflicts with the other forces in the house.”
“What do you mean?” Qiu Yi Meng didn’t understand, what force could make Yang Kai pay such attention to? Whether it was a super-force, first-class families, or second-class Sects, Yang Kai’s attitude towards them had always been the same, he never looked down on those who came from weaker forces and never curried favour with those who came from stronger ones. It was exactly because of his fair and even handed manner that everyone in the mansion felt at ease.
But now, he actually wanted her to pay special attention to these newcomers. Qiu Yi Meng couldn’t help wondering if there was something different or special about this group which would cause Yang Kai to concern himself with them.
“They come from the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land, do you understand?” Yang Kai turned his eyes and looked at Qiu Yi Meng.
In the Qiu Family’s First Young Lady’s mind, the images of two women suddenly appeared, one was a mature and seductive beauty, the other was a naked girl with a white liquid dripping from her lips, “Is that Demon Queen coming?”
“No, they’re from the Ghost King Valley.” Yang Kai shook his head.
Qiu Yi Meng secretly breathed a sigh of relief before nodding, “I understand.”
Since they came from the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land, they were Evil Sect disciples and may have grudges with the Sect forces in the house. If things weren’t handled well, it would only cause a fire in the backyard.
But since when did this smelly man have a relationship with Ghost King Valley?
Qiu Yi Meng was once again surprised by the number of Yang Kai’s allies.
After a not long or short wait, a large group of people walked in front of the house; more than thirty of them in total. Seeing this, Qiu Yi Meng welcomed all of them with a big smile.
Yang Kai held his hands behind his back and stood there quietly, his eyes landing on a middle-aged man at the head of the group, his lips slowly curling into a grin.
Turning his gaze to the ones behind him, every Ghost King Valley disciple that he had met in the Evil Cavern was there.
But what really surprised and excited Yang Kai was that his friends from Treasure Instrument Sect were with them as well!
Not long after the start of the Inheritance War, Yang Kai had the Bamboo Knot Gang deliver two letters which had resulted in his Little Senior Sister immediately rushing over.
Unfortunately, Treasure Instrument Sect hadn’t responded. As for the other forces in his compound, they had all gathered here on their own accord without Yang Kai needing to ask!
But now, Tao Yang and the others from his Sect had finally appeared, lifting a big weight from Yang Kai’s heart. The only thing that made him feel strange was why these three groups of people had arrived together.
On top of that, Yang Kai was curious why both the Ghost King Valley and the Treasure Instrument Sect members all showed such great respect towards Old Demon.
What exactly had Old Demon done? Yang Kai frowned and thought.
After having been separated for so long, Old Demon seemed a bit nervous as he led everyone forward. Although he didn’t want to publicise the real nature of his relationship with Yang Kai, he still cupped his fists respectfully and said, “Young Master, please calm down… this old man wishes to die old… and as a humble husband!”
Yang Kai coldly snorted and cut him off, “I thought you wouldn’t show yourself in front of me for the rest of your life!”
Old Demon’s expression suddenly became panicked, quickly trying to explain, “No no, hasn’t this old master come? Before I just had a little accident, haha…”
“We’ll talk about your ‘accident’ later.” Yang Kai gave him a sharp look.
Old Demon winced but eventually nodded, glancing over at Qiu Yi Meng who stood next to Yang Kai with a smile, secretly praising this unknown girl for her vision, thinking she was at least qualified to warm the Young Master’s bed.
Qiu Yi Meng returned the gesture to Old Demon. Although this person gave her an uncomfortable feeling, he was still someone who had come to support Yang Kai.
Behind them, the Ghost King Valley and Treasure Instrument Sect members watched this scene play out.
On their way here, the two factions had thoroughly experienced the power and mystery of Old Demon. Those from Ghost King Valley watched as their Ghost King Seals were fed a black mist by him, causing them to fall into a deep sleep while undergoing an astonishing evolution. Wu Yan and the other Treasure Instrument Sect members had also gained many inspirations and insights into the Dao of Artifact Refining from Old Demon. Whether it was in demeanor or speech, everyone treated him very respectfully.
However, such a mysterious, powerful, brutal, and bloodthirsty master, in front of Yang Kai, actually seemed more like a mouse meeting a cat.
[What is happening?]
All of them were stunned by this display.
“Brother Yang, long time no see!” After collecting themselves, the Ghost King Valley disciples, along with Tao Yang and his fellow disciples came forward.
“En, too long indeed.” Yang Kai glanced around at all of them, “I’m glad all of you came. You didn’t encounter any trouble on the road, did you?”
As he said these words, he shot a glance over at Old Demon, he was really afraid that this wily old Devil Lord had done something to them.
“No no, just some minor troubles, fortunately, this Senior arrived in time to help, allowing us to arrive here safely.” Everyone spoke at once.
All of them understood what should be said and what should not, how could they suddenly expose the cruel methods Old Demon had shown them?
The atmosphere was harmonious and everyone seemed to be getting along.
Qiu Yi Meng looked around and found that eight of the younger cultivators had wrapped white cloth around their hands, giving them a somewhat ghastly appeared, and quickly realized that these people should be the disciples from Ghost King Valley.
But when she learned the origins of the other members of this group, Qiu Yi Meng could barely contain her excitement.
These people were actually Artifact Refiners from Treasure Instrument Sect! Qiu Yi Meng was even more surprised when she learned that their leader was actually Wu Yan. When it came to Treasure Instrument Sect, besides the Sect Master himself, Wu Yan’s Artifact Refining methods was the best.
It was rumored that Wu Yan had traveled all over the Great Han Dynasty and even to many foreign lands for twenty years in order to successfully absorb the very best Artifact Refining flames in this world, a process that had actually changed his physique and True Qi attributes.
This man was a Grandmaster Artifact Refiner that could even refine Mysterious Grade Mid-Rank artifacts.
Amongst the Artifact Refining community, his reputation was no less shocking than Xiao Fu Sheng’s was in the world of Alchemy.
However, Artifact Refining was even more complicated than Alchemy. It took a long period of time and required a great many materials to forge a single high grade artifact. In addition, cultivators had a much greater demand for pills than artifacts, so in terms of public reputation; Wu Yan was vastly inferior to Xiao Fu Sheng. This was similar to how Treasure Instrument Sect’s reputation was inferior to Medicine King’s Valley.
But that still didn’t detract from Wu Yan’s outstanding accomplishments and magical methods in Artifact Refining.
Besides this Grandmaster, there were nearly twenty other members of Treasure Instrument Sect, all of whom were excellent Artifact Refiners.
How could Qiu Yi Meng dare neglect them?
Together with Yang Kai, she quickly settled the Ghost King Valley and Treasure Instrument Sect disciples into their own courtyards, all of them expressing excitement and enthusiasm as they busied themselves.
Silently calculating in her head, Qiu Yi Meng discovered that Yang Kai’s current amount of support had reached an incredible level. A dozen or so large and small Sects plus masters from Medicine King’s Valley and Treasure Instrument Sect. Such a gathering was enough to make everyone’s eyes red.
What she wanted to know the most though was, how did he do it?
Looking at the figure of the man walking in front of her, the Qiu Family’s First Young Lady couldn’t help gently biting her lips, unable to take her eyes off of him!
With her head filled with strange and confused thoughts, Qiu Yi Meng quietly followed behind Yang Kai in some sort of daze. She kept imagining what the future of this young man would look like.
Of course, she was imagining a much farther future as she was already certain Yang Kai would defeat his brothers and win the Inheritance War, becoming the next master of the Yang Family.
Her breathing became slightly quick as she thought about it; once again thanking the Heavens she had chosen to go against her family in order to help him.
“Old servant greets Young Master!” When she was still lost in thought, a sudden voice reached Qiu Yi Meng’s ear and brought her back to reality, only to look over and witness a shocking scene.
She saw the middle-aged man who all the Ghost King Valley disciples and even Treasure Instrument Sect Wu Yan treated respectfully now kneeling on the ground, with his head deeply bowed.
Old servant? Young Master?
Qiu Yi Meng gasped as she quickly covered her slack jawed mouth, trembling at what she saw.
Although she was still not aware of Old Demon’s strength, but the pressure she felt from him was heavier than any of the Blood Warriors in the mansion.
That was to say, this gloomy middle-aged man was definitely stronger than any of these Blood Warrior.
But at this moment, he was actually humbling himself and even claimed to be a servant? Even the Blood Warriors around Yang Kai didn’t show him this kind of loyalty. What was all this about?
Unconsciously turning her eyes to Yang Kai, she found that his expression was still indifferent, as if he felt nothing wrong with this situation, instead just lightly saying, “Get up, there’s no need for such displays between you and I.”
“Many thanks, Young Master.” The middle-aged man said joyfully, his tone containing clear signs of reliefs.
Turning to the still dumbfounded Qiu Yi Meng, Old Demon smiled at her and said, “Little girl, no one here is an outsider, there’s no need to hide the relationship between myself and Young Master, but I do hope you won’t reveal it to anyone else. My Young Master usually likes being low-key.”
Qiu Yi Meng quickly recovered from her initial shock and replied seriously, “Senior, please rest assured, I…*ahem*, I haven’t seen anything. You two continue to talk.”
In fact, right now she knew it would be best to leave quickly.
The fewer secrets she knew, the safer she would be. However, strong curiosity was part of her nature so Qiu Yi Meng stood in place, not moving.
Silently wondering how this mysterious and powerful master had come to have a master, servant relationship with Yang Kai.
Just how had this smelly brat achieved this?
“How’s your body?” Yang Kai didn’t drive Qiu Yi Meng away; after all, Qiu Yi Meng was his second in command, it was best not to deceive her about his relationship with Old Demon, at least it was better than her grow suspicious of him.
Listening to Yang Kai, Old Demon’s expression suddenly became thankful as he quickly replied, “These past few months I’ve adjusted quite well to it, there should be no problems within 30 years or so.”
“What about thirty years later?” Yang Kai frowned, the whole concept of seizing another person’s body was all a bit above his head.
“That depends on old servant’s efforts, if I can perfectly integrate my Soul with this body, there’ll be no need to change it in the future, but if I can’t, I’ll have to find a replacement after 30 years.”
“En, if there’s anything I can help with, just ask.” Yang Kai nodded lightly, not feeling any need to act polite with Old Demon.
“Thank you, Young Master. For the time being, there’s no problems.”
“Good. If you have nothing else to do, there’s somebody who wants to see you.”
“Who?”
“Meng Wu Ya!” Yang Kai’s lips curled upwards as he observed Old Demon’s reaction and sure enough, a look of dread flashed across his face. He knew that in their initial encounter, Meng Wu Ya’s had made a profound impression on Old Demon, even causing him to be fearful, confirming once again that Treasurer Meng wasn’t as simple as he appeared.
“That old ghost!” Old Demon ground his teeth bitterly, “Old servant will go speak with that old fart and settle our grudge once and for all!”
As he said, he turned a knowing look to Yang Kai and said, “Young Master, you play with this girl. Your very humble old servant will go look for him now.”
Yang Kai’s face went black as he waved his hand.
Old Demon’s figure disappeared in the next breath.
Now there was only two people left in the hall.
“Can you tell me who that Senior is?” Qiu Yi Meng couldn’t help asking curiously.
However, Yang Kai just shook his head.
“Forget it. If you want to act mysterious go ahead, I’m already used to it.” Qiu Yi Meng scoffed.
“How is everyone progressing in refining their new artifacts?” Yang Kai turned to her and inquired, while he had spent the last few days refining his new artifacts, everyone else in the mansion had been doing so as well.
“Most of them are almost done, in the next two days or so more than half should exit their retreat.” Qiu Yi Meng grinned. “What about you? How much progress have you made?”
“I’ve only finished refining one.”
“So fast?” Qiu Yi Meng’s beautiful face twitched. The artifacts obtained by Yang Kai were all Mysterious Grade so with his cultivation five days was definitely not enough time for him to successfully refine even one of them, but after being shocked for a moment, Qiu Yi Meng regained her composure. The man in front of her had brought forth so many miracles that she had gradually gained some immunity.
“With the people from Treasure Instrument Sect arriving today, you’ll be busy for a while. I’ve already allocated a place for them to set up an Artifact Refining workshop, so you’ll have arrange it with them. If you need materials, just let me know. I’ve already accumulated a lot; in addition, let the Pill Room refine a batch of pills that can quickly restores True Qi. Artifact Refining requires a great deal of True Qi, so we can’t let those Artifact Refiners become worn out.”
“I know.”
“That’s all.” Yang Kai nodded, stood up and walked towards the inside of the mansion.
Staring at his fading back, Qiu Yi Meng opened her mouth to say something but quickly swallowed the words back down. She didn’t quite know why, but recently she had always wanted to say a few extra words with him.
After Yang Kai left, Qiu Yi Meng shook her head with a smile as she slowly understood that the mysteries surrounding this man had become something of an obsession to her. She found herself constantly wanting to dig up all the secrets he was concealing in order to satisfy her own curiosity.
The next day, Yang Kai came to Treasure Instrument Sect’s courtyard and negotiated with Wu Yan for a while, the two sides eventually reaching a consensus.
Treasure Instrument Sect was different from Medicine King’s Valley. The Alchemists from Medicine King’s Valley were here to learn the Alchemic Way from Xia Ning Chang, but Treasure Instrument Sect had come to seek asylum.
One of the conditions Tao Yang had to achieve for Wu Yan to take part in the Inheritance War was to convince Yang Kai to declare that Treasure Instrument Sect was under his protection after he became head of the Yang Family.
If Yang Kai failed to win the Inheritance War, he would have to use his own strength to protect Treasure Instrument Sect from the harassment of other forces.
Yang Kai naturally accepted.
Tao Yang felt quite apologetic but there was nothing he could do about it. This was related to the future stability of his Sect, as just a young disciple he had no right to speak.
After the negotiations, Treasure Instrument Sect immediately dedicated themselves to Artifact Refining.
During their discussions, Wu Yan had also taken a look at the artifacts Yang Kai had obtained at Po Jing Lake and had confidently declared that everything below Mysterious Grade could be upgraded by him, possibly even increasing it a whole rank, but even if he couldn’t achieve such a leap in quality, they would still be better than they originally were.
He was of such a calibre!
Yang Kai was very grateful; upgrading an artifact was completely different from refining a new one. The former was essentially re-refining a finished product and was no doubt more time and cost efficient, so Yang Kai had let Qiu Yi Meng spread the word that any cultivator in the mansion could seek out the Treasure Instrument Sect group to repair or upgrade their artifacts.
After handling the Treasure Instrument Sect issues, Yang Kai rushed to Meng Wu Ya’s room.
Old Demon had gone to see Meng Wu Ya yesterday and there had been no news from them since. What these two old men would do when they met up really worried Yang Kai.
If the two of them were to really fight, his entire house would be annihilated in an instant.
However, Yang Kai soon discovered that his concerns were unnecessary.
After entering Treasurer Meng’s room, all he saw was Old Demon sitting face to face with him, both of them sneering somewhat at each other, half like they were fighting, half like they were having a nice chat. The entire scene was quite awkward.
“You two, enjoying your chat?” Yang Kai boldly inserted himself between them and asked.
“En,” Meng Wu Ya nodded lightly while Old Demon didn’t make a sound, from his expression it seemed like he had suffered a loss.
“Good, then if you’re not busy, I have something to ask you.” Yang Kai said with a grin.
“What does Young Master want to discuss?” Old Demon quickly asked.
“It’s about that mysterious master!” Yang Kai looked at Meng Wu Ya whose brow wrinkled slightly, suddenly realizing what he wanted to say.
That last time both he and Yang Kai had noticed the mysterious master’s intrusion but before either of them could arrive she had already escaped.
Then at Po Jing Lake, this mysterious master had appeared once again and even snatched a Mysterious Grade artifact!
The existence of this person made Yang Kai somewhat unnerved, the sooner they were dealt with the better.
Old Demon wasn’t clear about who this mysterious master was so he asked curiously.
Yang Kai told him the shot version of his two encounters with her.
After listening to this, Old Demon felt slightly shocked as he looked at Meng Wu Ya, “Even you didn’t catch a glimpse of this person’s face?”
Treasurer Meng slowly shook his head, “There’s some kind of special aura around this person isolates them from other’s investigation. I’d guess that even if an Above Immortal Ascension Boundary wanted to, it won’t be easy. As long as this person wants to hide himself, no one will be able to find him.”
“Impressive!” Old Demon said then quickly sneered, “But from the fact that this guy was injured by Ying Jiu and Young Master, his personal strength doesn’t seem to be very high.”
Near the Pill Room, the mysterious master had suffered a hit from Ying Jiu’s Flickering Shadow Strike and was slightly injured, then at Po Jing Lake, she hadn’t been able to completely avoid Yang Kai’s sword wave. If her strength was really high enough to avoid detection from the likes of Meng Wu Ya and Old Demon, these situations wouldn’t have occurred.
Yang Kai nodded in agreement, “But even still, this person is definitely a formidable master.”
“What does Young Master want to do?” Old Demon looked up and grinned.
“I’ll say this first, don’t expect this old master to intervene.” Meng Wu Ya looked at Yang Kai and said, “This old master is only here to protect Chang’er. As for this whole Inheritance War mess, this old master won’t get involved.”
After saying that, he let out a somewhat tired sigh, “This old master is getting on in years, if I were to intervene in you young people’s affairs I’d have no face left at all.”
“I never wanted you to intervene,” Yang Kai chuckled, “I just wanted to ask you two if you had any good ideas about how to expose that person?”
Meng Wu Ya shook his head while Old Demon grimaced slightly. If even Meng Wu Ya had no way to draw this mysterious master out, Old Demon obviously wouldn’t either. Only if this person appeared in Yang Kai’s mansion again would there be a chance, but after being almost caught last time, as long as they weren’t an idiot they wouldn’t try again anytime soon.
“Young Master, do you have any information on that person at all? Even Old Servant can’t make porridge without rice.” Old Demon asked.
“Information… there is one thing.” Yang Kai suddenly said.
“Oh? What?” Meng Wu Ya and Old Demon looked over at it at the same time.
“She’s a woman!” Yang Kai’s eyes flashed.
“How do you know?” Treasurer Meng frowned.
Yang Kai smiled as he pulled out a long blue silk like hair from his sleeve and held it up, “This fell off her at Po Jing Lake.”
Pausing for a moment, he continued, “However, I don’t know why her hair looks like this. Both of you are experienced and knowledgeable, have you ever seen this colour of hair before?”
Meng Wu Ya and Old Demon looked at the blue strand of hair at the same time and couldn’t help showing some surprise.
This strand of hair was very different from an ordinary woman’s hair, for almost all people, whether they were man and woman, their hair would be black, but this strand was actually a unique color of pale blue.
Besides being unusually smooth and supple, this colour was quite unusual.
After a moment, Meng Wu Ya and Old Demon exchanged a glance and, each of them seeing a strange look in the other’s face.
Seeing this kind of reaction, Yang Kai secretly began guessing what they were thinking about.
After a short silence, Meng Wu Ya said, “I don’t know who this woman is, and I’ve never heard of anyone with this particular colour of hair, but I would guess it’s related to her cultivation technique and physique. Yang Kai, don’t make things too difficult for this person. She may come from an extraordinary place.”
If Meng Wu Ya said so, although he didn’t provide any specifics, Yang Kai still nodded in a dignified manner.
He hadn’t intended on acting ruthless in the first place.
Suddenly Old Demon let out an evil laugh, “Young Master, if this hair is really from that woman, Old Servant might have a way to find her!”
“Oh?” Yang Kai’s eyes lit up, “How sure are you?”
“Heh heh… Soul tracking is one of this old servant’s specialities, just sit back and prepare for a good show! With this hair of hers to use as a medium, she’ll have nowhere to hide!” Old Demon said confidently.
“Evil Demon Techniques!” Meng Wu Ya snorted disdainfully.
Instead of being offended, Old Demon just grinned more cheerfully.
Yang Kai didn’t care what means he used as long as he could find the mysterious woman, asking, “How long do you need?”
“Old Servant can finish the preparations in ten days, but everything after that will depend on luck, if that woman never comes close to this old servant again, there’ll be no way to track her!”
“Then prepare as soon as possible!” Yang Kai firmly declared.
No matter what kind of purpose this woman had for approaching the Pill Room, since she wasn’t successful the first time, she would definitely try again, and judging from her appearance at Po Jing Lake, this person absolutely wasn’t timid and didn’t hold anyone in her eyes. Someone who would steal something right out from under the noses of this world’s heroes would surely have a great deal of self-confidence and arrogance. She wouldn’t retreat simply because of a little setback. After she found a way to completely conceal her aura, she would definitely come again.
All Yang Kai had to do was wait for her next visit before springing his trap!
Handing the light blue hair over to Old Demon, Yang Kai hurried away.
Quickly finding Qiu Yi Meng near the Artifact Refining workshop, Yang Kai secretly spoke a few words to her. No one knew what the two discussed, only that after Yang Kai whispered something to her, Qiu Yi Meng vehemently objected, even going so far as to grab Yang Kai’s arm and refuse to let go.
The Qiu Family’s First Young Lady rarely ever acted so boldly. From birth, she had received strict education on etiquette and behaviour from her tutors, but now she had actually latched onto Yang Kai in full view of the surrounding crowd, almost as if she was begging him not to abandon her. All around, everyone was silently speculating about what was happening.
In the end, Yang Kai managed to break free from Qiu Yi Meng’s grip and strode away, leaving the Qiu Family’s First Young Lady standing there in a frustrated and angry state.
“Young Lady Qiu, what did Junior Brother Yang just say?” Lan Chu Die had just finished having her artifact looked at and had come out for a breath of fresh air when she saw this scene and found it quite curious.
“Nothing.” Qiu Yi Meng quickly regained her composure and slowly shook her head.
Lan Chu Die smiled and no longer asked, knowing that she wasn’t qualified to contact too many high-level secrets with her current identity.
On the other hand, the Hu Sisters looks out the window and also witnessed this scene.
“Did you see that? That smelly brat is too shameless! Actually flirting with that Qiu Family woman in public! Mei’er, you must be careful of him! Don’t get swept up in his pace!” Hu Jiao Er ground her teeth as she complained to her little sister.
Hu Mei Er on the other hand just held her slightly blushed cheeks and stared at where Yang Kai had just been, obviously not having heard a word her Elder sister had said.
Seeing this spellbound appearance, Hu Jiao Er couldn’t help but sigh, reaching out her small jade hand and pinching her little sister’s dainty nose, wiggling it slightly, “Cultivate!”
“Ah… en.” Hu Mei Er nodded and reluctantly took back her gaze.
Although the Blood Battle Gang and Storm Hall joined Yang Kai later than the other forces in the house, Qiu Yi Meng didn’t supply them with any less pills. With the help of the Mysterious Grade Pills that seemed to flow freely from the Pill Room, the Hu Sisters’ rate of progress was better than ever and after only a few days of cultivation their Twin Qi Shared Spirit Divine Art was showing signs of a breakthrough.
Also, after repeatedly taking these pills, the Hu Sisters clearly felt that there were some subtle changes occurring in their bodies and it was now easier for them to absorb the surrounding World Energy than ever before. Their meridians were tougher and more flexible, allowing them to circulate their Secret Art even more quickly.
Having witnessed Yang Kai’s aptitude and strength made both of them feel pressured, and they knew if they didn’t work hard, they would only be left behind by him, so naturally they didn’t slack at all in their cultivation.
…………
Night time, War City eastern corner, Yang Wei’s mansion.
Yang Wei, who was refining the Mysterious Grade artifact he had obtained a few days ago, suddenly heard a knock at his door and his brow couldn’t help but wrinkle as he called out, “What?”
“Eldest Young Lord, someone’s come to visit.” Meng Shan Yi’s voice came from outside, a hint of awkwardness in his tone.
“Who?” Yang Wei’s eyes flashed. Meng Shan Yi knew he was in the process of refining a Mysterious Grade artifact yet he had still come to disturb him, obviously this guest was unusual.
But what person could cause Meng Shan Yi’s tone to become so strange?
“I think it’s probably Yang Kai!”
“Ninth Brother?” Yang Wei’s voice suddenly increased in pitch slightly, his tone also becoming somewhat strained.
Soon, the door was opened and Yang Wei appeared in front of Meng Shan Yi with a sullen face, asking in a serious tone, “Is it really Ninth Brother?”
Meng Shan Yi grinned awkwardly as he scratched his head, “I can’t see his face but Senior Ying Jiu is beside him, it’s basically impossible for Ying Jiu to be following anyone else.”
Yang Wei’s eyes narrowed slightly as he nodded, “Since Ying Jiu is here, it must be Ninth Brother.”
Suddenly grinning, Yang Wei mutter, “Such boldness, it seems I still can’t see through Ninth Brother.”
Although he had formed a temporary alliance with Yang Kai during the Po Jing Lake artifact snatching battle, in the end, the two were still opponents So; Yang Kai daring to visit his out with only Ying Jiu for protection showed his courage wasn’t ordinary.
“Eldest Young Lord, this is a rare opportunity!” Meng Shan Yi’s voice trembled slightly as he spoke, “Considering Yang Kai’s performance since the start of the Inheritance War till now, he will definitely become a stronger opponent than even the Second Young Lord, so now that he’s appeared in our territory all alone…”
As he said so, he made a slicing motion across his neck.
However, Yang Wei just snickered and slowly shook his head.
“Eldest Young Lord!” Meng Shan Yi’s tone rose once more, unable to understand why Yang Wei didn’t want to take advantage of this chance, “This is too good an opportunity to pass up! If you don’t take him out now, I’m afraid there won’t be a second chance.”
In the beginning, no one was optimistic about Yang Kai’s chances, but in one night he had turned all that around and now the number of people betting on his victory was only growing. This wasn’t without reason either; the pace of development at Yang Kai’s mansion was nothing short of astounding.
The gap between him and his brothers was gradually expanding and as time passed this gap would only become bigger and bigger until he ultimately eliminated all of them and become the final winner.
Meng Shan Yi felt like he could all but see that day coming so, as an ally of Yang Wei, how could he not be worried?
But faced with such a tempting opportunity, the Eldest Young Lord suddenly seemed to have some brotherly scruples; it was nothing short of foolishness.
“I have my own thoughts on this matter, don’t say anymore!” Yang Wei waved his hand and strode away.
Meng Shan Yi was depressed as he smiled bitterly, but after thinking about it for a moment, his expression suddenly became firm before he quickly turned around and disappeared into the darkness.
In the main hall, Yang Kai wore a black robe covering his whole body and sat quietly. Behind him, Ying Jiu wore an indifferent expression and spread out his Divine Sense, alert for the slightest signs of danger.
Seeing Yang Kai so calm and relaxed, not showing the slightest signs of fear or distress, Ying Jiu couldn’t help secretly admiring him.
Earlier, Yang Kai had suddenly told him to follow him out and Ying Jiu didn’t ask any questions; just quietly sneaking out of the house with him, only to receive a great shock soon after.
Yang Kai’s destination turned out to be Yang Wei’s mansion! Ying Jiu didn’t dare relax in the slightest as he stood guard.
Thinking about the dispute that had broken out between the Little Lord and Qiu Yi Meng during the day, Ying Jiu suddenly understood why the Qiu Family’s First Young Lady had suddenly acted so out of character and desperately tried to stop him.
After entering the hall, Ying Jiu noticed several powerful Divine Senses sweep over them, but no one had physically stepped forward. Even Yang Wei had yet to appear.
Ying Jiu knew that the masters in Yang Wei’s mansion had all locked their Divine Senses onto this place.
However, Ying Jiu knew he was not the only one aware of this, his Little Lord must have also been aware, yet he still looked as calm as ever.
“Ninth Brother, you’ve got some guts! Daring to come to my house all alone, aren’t you afraid I’ll make it so you never leave?” A cold voice suddenly came from deeper inside the mansion, echoing throughout the main hall, “Or did you think no one was in here so you can barge in here on your own?”
Yang Kai only felt Yang Wei’s voice enter his ears from all around, causing them to buzz slightly. At the same time, a Spiritual Energy wave crashed towards him, but there was no murderous intent behind it, obviously it was just to probe.
A few days ago, Yang Kai and Liu Qing Yao had exchanged two moves and Yang Wei had observed all of it from only a thousand meters away, but in that brief exchange, he still couldn’t fully grasp what Yang Kai’s strength was; so naturally he was curious about his youngest brother’s true ability.
Yang Kai remained indifferent, allowing this Spiritual Energy wave to rush into his mind unopposed as he chuckled, “Afraid? If I thought Big Brother would do that, I wouldn’t have come!”
“Ha ha!” Yang Wei laughed and finally appeared from the dark and came towards Yang Kai.
Ying Jiu quickly scanned the area but was surprised to discover that Yang Wei was actually alone; he didn’t even have a Blood Warrior guarding him. Although there were many strong people around the hall, if Ying Jiu wanted to seize Yang Wei, it would only take an instant.
These two brothers… Ying Jiu shook his head slightly, it seemed like they really had faith in one another.
Yang Kai took of the hat which was covering his face and smiled at Yang Wei, the latter clapping his hands and immediately summoning a maid to serve tea.
After the maidservant left, Yang Kai began, “Big Brother, is this the first time we’ve talked like this?”
“Indeed.” Yang Wei nodded. From when he was a child until now, Yang Wei had given off a solitary aura, and had never been close to any of his brothers, so this was actually the first time Yang Kai had a face-to-face conversation with him.
“Ninth Brother, you coming to see me at such a time, are you planning to take action?” Yang Wei went straight to the subject, apparently having some speculations in his heart already.
“En,” Yang Kai nodded, taking a deep breath before continuing, “The family must be quite dissatisfied with the Inheritance War’s progress, otherwise they wouldn’t have invested a thousand artifacts to speed up the process. Since they want us to act faster, we can only comply, otherwise they’ll use less friendly methods to motivate us from behind. I’m sure Big Brother understands this point, right?”
“Of course! I’m sure everyone understands.” Yang Wei nodded.
“In that case, if we don’t act now, others will seize the initiative,” Yang Kai said in a low tone. The attitude of the family was very obvious. The artifact snatching battle was a way for them to silently urge them to fight; all of the brothers knew that.
Once the individual camps had finished distributing and refining these artifacts, there would definitely be those who couldn’t wait to use them.
“Who does Big brother think will be the first target to be attacked?”
Yang Wei glanced at him and said decisively, “You already know the answer, so why bother asking? It’s not me, but you!”
“I think so too.” Yang Kai grinned.
Among the remaining six Yang Family Young Lords, Yang Zhao and Yang Kang were blood related brothers while Yang Shen and Yang Ying were similarly related. Although they were still technically opponents, while there were still other enemies in the Inheritance War, they would support each other.
Soft persimmons should be pinched. If they really wanted to make a big move, then these pairs of brothers would definitely join forces to attack either Yang Kai or Yang Wei who appeared to be alone.
Yang Wei was the eldest, so on the first night of the Inheritance War he had given his younger brothers some leeway by not immediately attacking so the four would definitely not attack him first.
Under these circumstances, Yang Kai would definitely be attacked by everyone within ten days!
His light was too strong and not too long ago he had snatched two Mysterious Grade artifacts, how could his brothers give him time to breathe?
Alone, Yang Kai didn’t place any one of the four in his eyes, but if all of them teamed up, it would cost him greatly to fend them off. Only if both Meng Wu Ya and Old Demon took action could he reduce the risks somewhat.
It was because he understood his current position that Yang Kai had rushed to Yang Wei to discuss things with him.
“Who do you plan on attacking?” Yang Wei asked as a bit of excitement flashed across his eyes.
“Fifth Brother.” Yang Kai grinned.
Yang Wei paused for a moment to think before suddenly understanding, coldly snorting, “Fifth Brother choosing Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian as his subordinates was really not a wise move!”
Amongst the remaining six brothers, Yang Kang was definitely not the weakest, but Yang Kai had still chosen him as his first target. The only explanation was because Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian were currently his assigned Blood Warriors.
If it wasn’t for a series of coincidences before the start of the Inheritance War, Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian would have been following Yang Kai right now.
Yang Kai choosing Yang Kang as his target also showed he cared a great deal about Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian.
“And so? What do you want your eldest brother to do?” Yang Wei asked curiously.
“I’d like you to block Second Brother. I’m afraid that Second Brother won’t sit still once he gets word of what’s happening.” Yang Kai grinned meaningfully.
“Not a problem!” Yang Wei nodded, but he quickly wore a sly grin, “However, what’s in it for me?”
Yang Wei obviously wanted to reap some benefits from this. After all, he and Yang Kai were still rivals. Thus, it was impossible for him to help Yang Kai without getting anything in return, and even if he was willing to do so, his allies wouldn’t be.
Since Yang Kai wanted Yang Wei to take care of Yang Zhao, he had to offer up enough sincerity!
These brothers always settled their accounts.
“What does Big Brother want?” Yang Kai had already considered this issue before he came so he wasn’t surprised by this request.
Coughing light, Yang Wei smiled, “Big Brother has always had his eyes on those Alchemists in your house. Of course, I don’t want many of them. How about just five?”
Yang Kai immediately wore a dumbfounded look, “Big brother, your appetite is too big!”
“Too big?” Yang Wei smiled wryly, “You have thirty Alchemists in your house. I only want five of them.”
“I can’t make decisions for them,” Yang Kai shook his head. “Big Brother knows what kind of temperament Alchemists have. Even though they reside in my house, they’re only cooperating with me at best. I can’t order them around. How about this, instead of the Alchemists themselves I’ll give Big Brother a batch of Mysterious Grade pills.”
“Mysterious Grade Pills?” Yang Wei heard these words and couldn’t help grinning happily, “Delivering me a batch of Mysterious Grade pills, Ninth Brother really acts boldly! Good, your big brother accepts!”
He also knew that acquiring five Medicine King’s Valley Alchemists was basically impossible, so he didn’t have any expectations of success, he just wanted to open the bargaining with something big and from his perspective, it had paid off.
Still grinning, a dangerous light flashed across Yang Wei’s eyes as he asked, “When are you planning to act?”
“Tomorrow!”
Yang Wei’s brow furrowed and a hint of doubt emerged on his face.
He hadn’t expected Yang Kai to move so swiftly!
Tomorrow, according to normal circumstances, many cultivators in Yang Kai’s house should have just finished refining the artifacts they had snatched a few days ago. Him choosing such a time to attack obviously took that into consideration.
However… what about the Mysterious Grade artifact he acquired?
Yang Wei estimated it would take at least eight more days for him to finish refining his own Mysterious Grade artifact, and that it would be similar for the others as well.
“I’ll wait for your signal!” Yang Wei didn’t go any deeper into it. As far as he knew, for these Mysterious Grade artifacts, if one could use one, everyone could use one, while if one couldn’t use one, no one could use one. In either case, the situation was balanced.
During their conversation, Yang Wey shot a glance towards Ying Jiu unconsciously, a deep trace of doubt flashing across his eyes.
During the battle of Po Jing Lake, Ying Jiu was among the six Blood Warriors affected by the Qi Binding Seal, so Yang Wei didn’t understand why he would be the one escorting Yang Kai right now, but as he stared, he noticed that Ying Jiu showed no signs of his True Qi being sealed.
What did that mean though? Had he already broken the Qi Binding Seal?
“Then that’s settled,” Yang Kai slowly stood up and smiled, “Now that our business is over with, let’s talk about something else.”
Yang Wei showed a confused expression.
“Still planning on hiding? Show yourselves already.” Yang Kai swept his eyes across the hall and coldly snorted.
At the same time, Ying Jiu’s figure suddenly faded into thin air, disappearing as if he had never existed.
Yang Wei’s look changed abruptly as he glanced around, his complexion immediately turning red.
*Shua Shua Shua…*
A group of people suddenly appeared from all directions and surrounded Yang Kai and Meng Shan Yi walked in from the main entrance, letting out a sigh of relief.
“Shan Yi!” Yang Wei’s expression became ugly as he shouted, “What do you think you’re doing?”
As he spoke, his True Qi violently surged upwards as anger flashed across his face.
Meng Shan Yi looked at Yang Wei, grit his teeth and cupped his fists, “Eldest Young Lord, forgive me. Shan Yi wants to take this opportunity to eliminate the Ninth Young Lord!”
Saying so, he turned to look at Yang Kai and continued, “Ninth Young Lord, don’t blame this Meng for acting underhanded, with such a rare opportunity presenting itself, this Meng has no choice but to grasp it. If you must blame someone, then blame yourself for coming in the first place. Know that this decision has nothing to do with the Eldest Young Lord, it was all this Meng’s own ideas, if you wish to retaliate in the future, please only seek out this Meng.”
Yang Kai sneered, “Big Brother certainly didn’t know about this. If he did, he wouldn’t have bothered talking so much.”
Listening to these words, Meng Shan Yi nodded gently, “As long as Ninth Young Lord understands.”
Yang Wei took a deep breath and calmed down, his expression becoming gloomy as he said, “Shan Yi, you’ve made a mistake this time!”
However, Meng Shan Yi just smiled and shook his head, “Since Eldest Young Lord doesn’t want to act ruthlessly here, then I shall act in your place!”
“I don’t mean that,” Yang Wei helplessly sighed as he said in a disappointed tone. “Do you really think Ninth Brother would dare enter this place if he wasn’t certain he could withdraw? Do you really think that just these few people can force him to stay behind?”
“If you really think so, you can try.” Yang Wei said calmly.
Meng Shan Yi couldn’t help feeling awkward.
He hadn’t thought Yang Wei wouldn’t even try to stop him from carrying out this plan but after a moment he smiled and nodded firmly, “Thank you, Eldest Young Lord!”
Yang Wei said nothing and just stared at him with a trace of pity.
“Ninth Young Lord, pardon my offence!” Meng Shan Yi’s expression became solemn as he gave the signal to attack.
In an instant, more than a dozen masters who had at least reached the Immortal Ascension Boundary Sixth Stages attacked Yang Kai.
This was Yang Wei’s mansion’s main hall, and although the space wasn’t small, it also wasn’t big! Meng Shan Yi couldn’t arrange too many people to come in, so he went for quality instead. Of the masters he had brought, five had even reached the Immortal Ascension Boundary Eighth Stage; with such a luxurious lineup Meng Shan Yi felt confident they could easily take down Yang Kai.
At the same time he gave the command, Meng Shan Yi glanced over at where Ying Jiu was formerly standing.
Ying Jiu didn’t appear, but when the crowd of Immortal Ascension Boundary cultivators’ attacks were just two meters away from their target, Yang Kai’s mouth curved into a grin.
A cold gloomy light suddenly bloomed from Yang Kai’s body and a dark energy wave burst out. To the horror of the Immortal Ascension Boundary masters, all of their Martial Skills seemed to sink into this gloomy light like stones falling into the ocean, causing a small splash before disappearing completely..
Seeing this, all of their expressions filled with shock.
Staring carefully, these masters soon discovered the source of the phenomenon.
In Yang Kai’s hands, at some point a small bone shield had appeared. This roughly plate-sized bone shield was irregularly shaped, and its edges were covered in sharp spurs, while the centre face had a giant open mouth carved into it. Its fangs gave all who stared at them chills.
At this moment, the bone shield gave off a faint glow while Yang Kai simply held it up and stood there quietly, giving off an immovable, impregnable feeling.
Yang Wei’s expression cramped and Meng Shan Yi couldn’t believe what he was seeing.
This bone shield was clearly the Mysterious Grade artifact that Liu Qing Yao had snatched a few days ago and then threw to Yang Kai.
But it had only been seven days since then, so how had Yang Kai already managed to refine it?
It wasn’t easy to overcome the defence of a Mysterious Grade defensive artifact, but that didn’t mean it was impossible. The attacks just now hadn’t been everyone’s full strength, otherwise, if these dozen or so Immortal Ascension masters all struck in earnest they could definitely wear down this bone shield.
With not much time to think about the problem, Meng Shan Yi once again yelled, “Attack!”
The dozen or so masters no longer held back, all of them using their strongest Martial Skills and artifacts, creating an Earth-shattering wave of attacks that quickly engulfed Yang Kai.
*Hong hong hong…*
The sound of explosions rang out and the hall trembled violently, numerous tiny cracks even began appearing on the surrounding walls.
Yang Kai retreated continuously under the bombardment as his face turned red, he was clearly under tremendous pressure, but his bone shield still firmly guarded his front, none of the Martial Skills or artifact strikes managing to overcome the bone shield and, oddly, the giant open mouth on its face would swallow the resultant energy waves, leaving nothing left.
What made people feel even more confused was that as this energy was swallowed, the bone shield rapidly increased in size.
After a full round of attacks, the bone shield had expanded to three times its original diameter and Yang Kai could now completely hide behind it.
Meng Shan Yi’s eyes narrowed. He never thought that a trivial Mysterious Grade Low-Rank defence type artifact could withstand the intense barrage of so many Immortal Ascension Boundary masters!
He too had a Mysterious Grade artifact but its effect was nowhere near as good as this bone shield.
[What in the world?]
As he stared at the bizarre scene before him, he suddenly noticed that Yang Kai’s eyes had become dangerous. Suddenly, Yang Kai lifted the odd shaped bone shield and slammed it down, causing the floor to cave in under it and open up a large pit.
The next moment, the bone spurs around the edge of the bone shield all shot out.
*Xiu xiu xiu…*
These spurs were both sharp and swift, the aura the gave off was both awe inspiring and unstoppable.
In a flash, the dozen plus Immortal Ascension Boundary masters’ expressions all changed greatly as they hurriedly defended themselves.
*Hong…*
From the giant mouth on the bone shield’s face, a beam of energy shot out, causing everyone to burst out into panic, it was as if all the energy that had been swallowed was now being spat back at them.
The energy beam that carried a scent of destruction and was as thick as a man’s thigh flew straight towards Meng Shan Yi.
The terrifying pressure of this attack descended on him, and in the face of certain death Meng Shan Yi even lost the will to escape.
“Ji Li!” Yang Wei roared.
A figure suddenly appeared in front of Meng Shan Yi, his face was expressionless and only his eyes radiated a strong light.
One of the two Blood Warriors protecting Yang Wei!
As soon as he appeared, he let out a low roar and a dazzling golden light erupted from his burly body, it was as if he had been transformed into a golden statue, his exposed skin shining brilliantly.
Two great fists smashed out and met the energy beam head on.
With a loud bang, Ji Li was flung backwards, the golden light around his body dimming greatly while the energy beam fully dissipated.
Meng Shan Yi stood stiff, cold sweat pouring down his forehead as his expression was still filled with panic.
Slowly managing to turn his eyes towards Yang Kai again, he couldn’t help revealing a look filled with fear.
*Xiu xiu xiu…*
The dozen or so Immortal Ascension Boundary masters all managed to either dodge or block the bone spurs which promptly returned to the edge of the bone shield and after spitting out the energy beam, the bone shield rapidly shrank back down to its original size.
The scene suddenly became silent and no one dared to make any rash movements.
Yang Kai had successfully blocked all of their strikes and even launched a counterattack with his Mysterious Grade artifact, while Ying Jiu, who was hidden in the shadows, had yet to attack!
This time, even if they could take down Yang Kai, the price they would have to pay would be enormous.
“Capable of both offence and defence. Ninth Brother, you got a good artifact.” As if nothing had happened, Yang Wei stared at the bone shield on Yang Kai’s arm and said enviously.
“Surely Big Brother’s artifact isn’t bad either, right?” Yang Kai smiled and put the bone shield away.
Yang Wei let out a laugh but said nothing back, both of them knew that although Yang Wei’s artifact definitely wasn’t bad, it wouldn’t compare with the bone shield.
Judging from what just happened, this bone shield had a special ability that could swallow attacks, store them, and then send them back. Very few such artifacts had ever appeared in this world.
Yang Wei’s brow furrowed as he thought about it. In different people’s hands, this bone shield would definitely play different roles.
“Ninth Young Lord,” Meng Shan Yi spoke hesitantly, still somewhat unsettled as he looked straight at Yang Kai and asked in a deep voice. “Just now… did you really want to kill me?”
The damage caused by that energy beam was too great. Even though Meng Shan Yi had a Mysterious Grade artifact, it wouldn’t have been enough to save him.
If he had taken that attack head on, he might very well have died.
During the Inheritance War, death wasn’t unusual, but those who died were normally ordinary masters and disciples. As for the Young Lords and Young Ladies from the Central Capital’s Eight Great Families, no one dared to kill them. As proof, over the years, no leading member of the younger generation from the Central Capital had ever died in the Inheritance War, even instances of them being heavily injured was quite small.
However, a moment ago, if it wasn’t for Ji Li defending him at a critical moment, Meng Shan Yi was afraid he would become the first to break this tradition.
Whether or not Yang Kai really intended to kill him, Meng Shan Yi had his concerns.
“What do you think?” Yang Kai gave a non-answer as he grinned at him.
Meng Shan Yi’s expression went black, his heartbeat speeding up a lot. It seemed like the Ninth Young Lord… really had some killing intent towards him.
“Big Brother, that’s how it is. Ninth Brother will take his leave.” Yang Kai nodded towards Yang Wei before wearing his face covering hat and walking towards the exit.
No one stopped him; Meng Shan Yi didn’t dare order another attack, and since Yang Wei didn’t have any intention of blocking Yang Kai’s way, the dozen or so Immortal Ascension Boundary masters naturally wouldn’t act rashly.
After Yang Kai had left, Yang Wei patted Meng Shan Yi’s shoulder and said, “Ninth Brother just wanted to give you a warning, he didn’t really intend on killing you.”
“Who knows?” Meng Shan Yi took a deep breath and calmed his frayed nerves, “In any case, I now know just how crazy the Ninth Young Lord is.”
Grinning wryly as he shook his head, “But as said, Ninth Young Lord daring to come here really was because he was certain he could leave. That bone shield… it’s too strange, even if it is a Mysterious Grade defensive artifact, it shouldn’t have been able to display such power.”
If all Mysterious Grade artifacts were so powerful, what would the point in cultivating be?
In general, a Mysterious Grade defence type artifact shouldn’t have been able to withstand the attacks from so many masters.
“I’m afraid Fifth Brother is out of luck!” Yang Wei said solemnly.
“Indeed.” Meng Shan Yi nodded in agreement.
Refining a Mysterious Grade defensive artifact so many days ahead of everyone else and Ying Jiu suddenly breaking the Qi Binding Seal restoring his peak strength, Yang Kai now had an overwhelming advantage over Yang Kang.
How could Yang Kang resist?
When Yang Kai brought his troops to attack Yang Kang, the latter most likely would still be trying to refine his own artifact. One was prepared, one would be caught off guard, and coupled with the difference in quantity of Blood Warriors and artifacts, Yang Kang’s defeat was all but assured!
“Shan Yi, you’re not suited for using plots,” Yang Wei frowned and said, “If I were you, I wouldn’t have used our own people to launch an attack here, I would have secretly sent word of Ninth Brother’s whereabouts to my other brother’s houses and then just sat back and watched the show.”
Listening to Yang Wei’s plan, Meng Shan Yi couldn’t help feeling stunned, turning a look of surprise towards Yang Wei. He had never thought that this blunt and stoic young man could actually come up with such sinister ideas.
But as he thought about it, Yang Wei’s proposal really was the perfect solution! If he had done so just now, he could have just relaxed and watched his enemies fight amongst themselves.
Suddenly feeling annoyed, he couldn’t help complaining, “Eldest Young Lord, since you had such an idea, why didn’t you tell me?”
In response, Yang Wei slowly shook his head, “I will settle things with him in the future. Before the end of the Inheritance War, I won’t attack Ninth Brother!”
“Understood.” Meng Shan Yi nodded lightly. Recalling the scene where he had just been exposed to mortal danger, he still felt slightly cold, and no longer dared to object.
Outside Yang Wei’s house, Yang Kai walked alone through the darkness. Such a big movement had obviously attracted many people’s attention.
When he snuck out he quickly hid himself and fortunately he didn’t seem to arouse anyone’s attention.
Ying Jiu followed close by in the shadows. Yang Kai quickly ducked into a dark alleyway and paused, taking several deep breaths to calm the raging blood in his chest.
Next Chapter>>
“Little Lord!” Ying Jiu’s concerned voice called out from behind.
“It’s nothing!” Yang Kai shook his head slowly as a deep feeling of powerlessness crept onto his face.
From Yang Wei and Meng Shan Yi’s point of view, just now, he had performed brilliantly; one person and one artifact resisting the bombardment of more than a dozen Immortal Ascension Boundary masters, but in reality Yang Kai had greatly overdrawn his strength to accomplish this feat.
Even if the bone shield was a Mysterious Grade artifact, it was impossible for an ordinary True Element Boundary cultivator to make it display such power.
Artifacts and Martial Skill were essentially the same: They were just auxiliary boosts, and a cultivator’s true foundation was their own strength.
The bone shield was indeed extraordinary. With it, even someone like Dong Qing Han could fully defend himself against masters below the Immortal Ascension Boundary Fifth Stage.
But using the artifact’s functions consumed a lot of True Qi too.
In that instant, Yang Kai had to pour more than a dozen drops of Yang Liquid into the bone shield in order for it to successfully swallow up all of those attacks.
For any other cultivator at the same level, supply that much True Qi was absolutely impossible, even blocking a single Immortal Ascension Boundary Eighth Stage master would be difficult.
The defensive strength and absorption limit of the bone shield was directly related to the amount of True Qi poured into it by its wielder.
The more True Qi one poured into the bone shield, the more attacks it could absorb and the stronger its defense would be.
Such a large consumption in such a short amount of time had put enormous pressure on Yang Kai. However, such a display was the best way to convince Yang Wei that attacking him then and there was futile.
[My cultivation is still too low. If I can break through to the Immortal Ascension Boundary, the consumption to achieve the same result will be much less.]
Yang Kai’s vision gradually became firm as he couldn’t wait to improve, suddenly feeling the urge to return to his room and enter retreat.
This subtle change in expression wasn’t missed by Ying Jiu, the shadow-like Blood Warrior realizing what Yang Kai was thinking and feeling somewhat impressed.
It seemed like; the Little Lord was the kind of person who grew stronger in the face of adversity.
After being ambushed by so many powerful masters, an ordinary cultivator would definitely have some fear and unease carved into their heart. Forget about fighting back at the time, even in their future cultivation, they would inevitable be haunted by some inner demons and would be unable to overcome these heart flaws for the rest of their life.
But the Little Lord’s heart was strong and his will to pursue the Martial Dao was as firm as a rock. Not only did this incident not affect him, it had also raised his fighting spirit higher. With this kind of mentality, as long as he had enough opportunity and talent, there was nothing the Little Lord wouldn’t be able to achieve.
Thinking so, Ying Jiu casually asked, “Are we going back now?”
Ying Jiu couldn’t think about how during the day, Qiu Yi Meng had desperately tried to prevent Yang Kai from acting alone but ultimately failed in her attempts. Right now, could she possibly be sleeping peacefully knowing he was out here?
By heading back early, it would also let Young Lady Qiu breathe a sigh of relief.
Over the course of the Inheritance War, Qiu Yi Meng had been so busy she barely had any time to rest, so although Ying Jiu wouldn’t bring this up to Yang Kai, he naturally didn’t want to let the Qiu Family’s Young Lady pass a sleepless night.
“I have a place I need to go.” Yang Kai replied with a hint of helplessness on his face.
Ying Jiu nodded slightly and said nothing, simply following behind Yang Kai.
After a long time walking through War City’s streets, the two arrived in front of a large building with no signs of people around; even the giant front gate was unguarded.
At first glance it was almost like an abandoned palace.
But looking up, Ying Jiu’s expression became solemn.
This huge building was the very core of War City, the Seal Temple!
The Central Capital Eight Great Families Eight Above Immortal Ascension Boundary masters residence!
What was the Little Lord doing here? Ying Jiu felt suspicious.
Looking up at the Seal Temple, Yang Kai also felt depressed. When he left Yang Wei’s compound, an old voice suddenly sounded in his mind, ordering him to come here.
This was a summons from a Yang Family Grand Elder. Yang Kai had no choice but to comply!
It seemed like every move he made, no matter how well he concealed himself or tried to remain discrete, it had not escaped the supervision of these eight masters.
This feeling of constantly being monitored made Yang Kai quite uncomfortable.
Feeling so unwilling in his heart, his expression was obviously also not good.
Walking up to the front of the temple, Yang Kai hadn’t even had time to report his arrival before the closed door slowly opened.
Rolling his eyes slightly, Yang Kai let out a sigh and led Ying Jiu inside. After the two walked in, the door slowly closed. During the whole process, neither of them saw a single figure nor felt any energy fluctuations.
Yang Kai couldn’t help feeling slightly impressed with the abilities of these Above Immortal Ascension Boundary masters.
The Seal Temple’s floors were covered in red carpet and the surrounding walls were adorned with glowing gems. Even in the dark of night, the hallways were as bright as day.
On the numerous stone pillars were carvings of powerful and ancient birds and beasts.
When Yang Kai observed these gems and carvings, his expression became pensive, subtly feeling that these things weren’t randomly arranged but rather contained some inexplicable mysteries.
But even if he continued analysing them he didn’t seem to gain any insights.
Shaking his head helplessly he could only move on.
The World Energy in the Seal Temple gave off a pure and natural feel. Even though Yang Kai knew he was inside a building, he felt the air and aura around him was more comparable to a great spiritual mountain range, sometimes even feeling like he could hear some birds and insects. If he closed his eyes he could almost picture himself walking across a small bridge that spanned a gently flowing brook filled with clear spring water.
This mysterious atmosphere was simply everywhere!
Unlike Yang Kai who was curiously exploring his surroundings, Ying Jiu’s attitude was more cautious, standing at attention with his back fully straightened.
No one came to guide them or lead the way, but Yang Kai still felt as if a voice was telling him which way to go.
The whole experience was somewhat awe-inspiring.
A while later, a bright light appeared in front of the pair; this light seemed to come out of nowhere and without any prior warning.
By the time Yang Kai and Ying Jiu reacted, they discovered that they had arrived at their destination.
Inside the main hall of the Seal Temple, eight white-haired old people sat before a round table in front of them. Each of these people gave off an aura that seemed to separate them from the mortal world. At the centre of the table, which was also the center position of the hall, was a huge luminous ball gently floated in the air.
The arrival of Yang Kai and Ying Jiu didn’t disturb these eight people. Each of them continued to form mysterious hand seals, some of them frowning in contemplation, some of them smiling in satisfaction as they all seemed to direct a flow of energy towards the floating sphere of light.
When it absorbed these streams of energy, the glowing sphere would also show some subtle changes, as for what these changes meant it was unclear.
Yang Kai and Ying Jiu unconsciously held their breaths as they stared at the glowing ball, trying to enlighten themselves as to the meaning of these eight master’s movements.
Time passed by.
After an unknown amount of time, Yang Kai suddenly felt like something flashed before him and he awakened from his half entranced state, discovering that he had somehow been transported somewhere completely different. He was originally some distance from the round table, observing the glowing sphere but now he found himself standing atop of lush field of grass with blue sky and white clouds atop his head as a gentle spring breeze bringing a refreshing scent to his nose.
High in the sky, a series of violent energy fluctuations burst out, making it difficult for Yang Kai to keep his balance.
As he looked up, Yang Kai breath stagnated.
A battle was being fought in the sky by the Eight Above Immortal Ascension Boundary masters who had been sitting at the round table. Each of their moves was difficult to describe, they couldn’t be described simply in terms of attacking or defending, they seemed to have no set pattern or rules but instead were free flowing, conforming to some order that was beyond Yang Kai’s understanding.
The eight of them fought in a great melee, everyone was everyone else’s opponent, and each time their attacks collided, the Heavens and Earth would shake as violent winds mowed down the grass below.
“Hm?” Someone suddenly exclaimed, re-directing his attention to the ground below and discovering Yang Kai standing there with a confused yet thoughtful expression, surprising him greatly.
This sudden change caught the attention of others seven masters who them also discovered Yang Kai’s presence, all of them ceasing their battle as surprise filled each of their expressions.
“Brother Yang, is this that junior from your family?” A slightly fat old man asked.
Yang Li Ting nodded lightly as he stared at Yang Kai with interest.
“Junior Yang Kai greets eight Seniors!” Yang Kai also quickly composed himself and respectfully bowed.
“Impressive, to actually be able to break into our mental construct, Brother Yang, seems your Yang Family has no lack of successors.” Another short old man laughed.
Although these people had secluded themselves and their attachment to the mortal world was weak, at this moment they couldn’t help feeling a trace of envy when they saw Yang Kai.
Yang Li Ting didn’t say anything, he didn’t even nod, and Yang Kai only felt that this Yang Family Grand Elder’s eyes only flashed briefly as he stared at him.
“Greetings, Grand Elder.”
“En, you’re called Yang Kai, right?” Yang Li Ting stood tall and crossed his arms behind his back. Although his hair was white, his complexion was youthful and his gaze anything but dim.
“Yes,” Yang Kai nodded lightly. This Yang Li Ting before him was one of the Yang Family’s five Above Immortal Ascension Boundary Grand Elders, if he was to count by generation, then he would be his ancestor with an age of at least two hundred years old.
With a gap of several generations between them, and the Yang Family itself not placing an emphasis on family bonds, while Yang Kai might respect Yang Li Ting’s strength, he had no sense of intimacy with him whatsoever.
“Do you know why I summoned you here?” Yang Li Ting seemed to be interested in testing Yang Kai, only offering questions and no answers.
“Junior has some ideas.” Yang Kai grinned.
It had been quite some time since the beginning of the Inheritance War, but Yang Li Ting had chosen to call him here at this moment, so Yang Kai could guess the reason with a fair degree of certainty.
Old Demon’s appearance in War City, and the powerful Demonic Qi he radiated from his body had obviously drawn the attention of the eight Above Immortal Ascension Boundary masters.
The eight of them would not intervene in any way in the Inheritance War, their only job was to protect the younger generation cultivators from attacks launched by the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land, so now that such a high-level Devil Lord had appeared in his mansion, it would be more unusual for them not to summon Yang Kai.
“I ask you then, where did that man come from?” Yang Li Ting didn’t bother with any nonsense and went straight to the point and when he asked this, his eyes seemed to be peering into the depths of Yang Kai’s soul.
Yang Kai frowned when he noticed this probing, but he didn’t say anything about it, simply replying, “I don’t know his origins.”
“You don’t know?” Yang Li Ting’s brow wrinkled as displeasure appeared on his face. Although he felt that Yang Kai was deliberately concealing something, he also noticed that he didn’t show any signs of lying.
In fact, Yang Kai really wasn’t clear about Old Demon’s origins. When they had first met in the Inheritance Heaven’s Cave, Old Demon was just a weak spirit whose memory was chaotic and disordered; he couldn’t even remember his own name. As time passed, Yang Kai didn’t bother asking him about his past so naturally he didn’t know where Old Demon was from.
“Although I am not clear about his origins, Junior is certain he is not a person from the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land.” Yang Kai also knew what Yang Li Ting was worried about so he quickly added this point.
Yang Li Ting was at a loss for words as he stood there frowning, only speaking again after a long silence, “According to the rules of the Inheritance War, anyone, no matter their origin, as long as they are associates of you Juniors, is eligible to participate; after all, this battle is also a test of your connections. Since he has some sort of relationship with you, if this old master was to drive him out of War City or kill him directly, you may not be satisfied as it would be akin to us indirectly suppressing you which would run counter to the Inheritance War’s purpose.”
Each word spoken from this elder made Yang Kai felt disgruntled. Although he was being talked down to, he made sure not so show anything on his face.
“We summoned you here only to clarify his identity. In any case, we will permit him to participate in the Inheritance War and to stay inside the borders of War City, but our tolerance is limited to that. If this old master finds out that he had nefarious intentions then whether or not he is your henchman I’ll ensure he will never leave this place.” Yang Li Ting said indifferently, “In addition, when the Inheritance War ends, he must immediately leave, otherwise this old master won’t give you any face.”
“Junior understands.” Yang Kai responded with a blank expression.
Although he was still young, his future was unlimited, one day he may be able to hold up the sky with one hand and crack the Earth under his foot but for now, Yang Kai was still just a weak Junior. If he were to openly disobey Yang Li Ting he would no doubt suffer.
Although Yang Li Ting was a Yang Family Grand Elder and in name Yang Kai was his descendant, but they had never contact each other before and were essentially strangers. This made Yang Li Ting’s words a warning which carried no room for questioning.
“You may go.” After that, Yang Li Ting waved his hand, turned around, and flew back up into the sky to resume his battle with the other seven.
Experiencing all this, Yang Kai felt a bit sullen in his heart, although he was willing to leave, he had no idea how to.
He didn’t even know how he came in.
After spending some time unable to find an exit, Yang Kai was about to ask when a booming voice entered his ear, “Why haven’t you left?”
Just as the voiced reach him, a huge force slammed into Yang Kai’s body. Unable to resist in the slightest, Yang Kai was sent flying backwards by this thrust and the picturesque scenery around him disappeared.
Looking around, Yang Kai found himself back in the temple’s main hall, the round table with the eight Above Immortal Ascension Boundary masters sitting around it and the huge glowing ball once again a short distance away. The eight masters continued interacting with the glowing sphere, exploring the mysteries of the Martial Dao, as if nothing had happened.
*Deng deng deng deng…*
Yang Kai involuntarily retreated backwards, causing Ying Jiu great shock as he stepped forward to help him.
After recovering his balance, Yang Kai discovered that his True Qi was fluctuating somewhat while his Soul felt as if a thousand needles were piercing it.
Only after coughing out a mouthful of blood did he feel better slightly.
Ying Jiu’s expression changed, not understanding what had just happened to Yang Kai for him to be injured.
Since coming here, Yang Kai had simply stood there without saying a word while Ying Jiu had remained silent and waited, so this sudden unexpected change was naturally quite confusing to him.
“Let’s go!” Yang Kai wiped the blood from his mouth as he narrowed his eyes slightly at the old men around the round table before quickly leading Ying Jiu out.
Inside the mental world, the eight masters stopped their melee temporarily, the other seven of them shaking their heads as they looked at Yang Li Ting. The slightly fat old man who spoke earlier commenting, “Brother Yang, it’s it a bit too much to treat your junior like that?”
“Indeed, although his gaze was a bit overbearing, he’s still just a youngster. Which one of them doesn’t act somewhat arrogantly? Besides, it’s not like he actually showed you any disrespect.”
“If you keep acting like this towards him, he’ll definitely have some resentment towards you. That little brat is quite good, your Yang Family may even have to depend on him in the future, and if your attitude drives him away, wouldn’t that be a big loss?”
The seven old men all chimed in, none of them understanding why Yang Li Ting had just dealt with his descendant so harshly.
Yang Li Ting coldly snorted, “So what if he leaves? Does my Yang Family not have any other successors? When this old master was speaking to him just now, he clearly showed some signs of ignoring me. Making him suffer a bit was just a warning. I presume he now knows not to disregard this old master’s words!”
“Even so, Brother Yang still went too far just now. Why should you bother yourself with the antics of a child?”
“Brother Yang’s actions really were a bit too much this time. Him being able to break into our mental construct with his own abilities shows that his aptitude is outstanding; could anyone else from your Yang Family’s younger generation accomplish such a feat? Don’t say just your juniors; even the ones from our seven families don’t have anyone who could replicate what he just did.” The speaker kept shaking his head.
“Enough. How this old master handles affairs in his family is no concern of you all. Now, are you going to keep nagging or are we going to fight?” Yang Li Ting grumbled unhappily, having the other seven old men here continuously accuse him, of course he wouldn’t feel happy.
“Of course we’ll fight! Well, just wait until the day that little brat really walks away. On that day, we’ll see if you regret it or not, hahaha!”
“Mm? What? Something’s wrong!” The Qiu Family’s Grand Elder, Qiu Dao Ren, suddenly called out in surprise, his expression becoming quite strange.
The other seven people also showed a look of surprise as they looked around at each other.
“It seems like that little brat actually received an unexpected blessing.” The slightly fat old man laughed as he looked at Yang Li Ting with interest.
“It really is an unexpected blessing.”
“Brother Yang, this wasn’t your original intent?” One of the seven looked at Yang Li Ting with a puzzled expression.
Yang Li Ting just slowly shook his head as he knit his brow slightly. Just now he really had only intended to punish Yang Kai a bit for his arrogance so he would realize the gap between the two of them in terms of strength and seniority and also to teach him a lesson not to make friends with such wicked people.
However, he hadn’t expected that under the pressure he had just subjected this little brat to, he would actually show signs of breaking through.
[Strange!] Yang Li Ting frowned. He didn’t know how this younger generation child’s depth. After being attacked, this brat actually managed to clear some kind of obstacle in his heart and grab hold of an opportunity to break through.
Inside the Seal Temple hallways, Yang Kai suddenly stopped, his expression becoming serious as he showed some signs of discomfort.
Ying Jiu also noticed this, thought that perhaps Yang Kai was injured more heavily than he had expected and quickly asked.
In response, Yang Kai simply waved his hand and said, “Go back and tell Qiu Yi Meng that tomorrow’s plan will proceed as we discussed and that she will be in command of the whole operation.”
“Little Lord, you…”
“I still have something I need to do here.” After saying so, Yang Kai turned around and found an empty room, quickly entering and shutting the door.
Ying Jiu was stunned for a while but then turned around and left the Seal Temple without further hesitation.
The Seal Temple was very large yet there were only eight people inside. The eight Above Immortal Ascension Boundary masters didn’t require anyone to tend to their needs them, so there were no maids or servants.
The room Yang Kai dove into was naturally one that was unoccupied.
After entering the room, he sat down and crossed his legs.
For a while now, Yang Kai had been on the verge of breaking through, but he had yet to reach the limit of his current cultivation. If he were to arrive at said limit, then the breakthrough process would be smooth and simple.
However, Yang Kai’s current situation was a bit special. He didn’t have any indications of breaking through, but under the pressure Yang Li Ting had given him, the True Qi and Spiritual Energy had surged to resist.
With the pressure and upsurge creating an unusual state, Yang Kai had touched the threshold of the True Element Boundary Ninth Stage.
A breakthrough was just a step away!
For tomorrow night, Yang Kai hoped he would be able to face the battle with a stronger cultivation.
Calming himself and focusing his thoughts, Yang Kai began circulating his True Yang Secret Art while he closed his eyes and recalled the scene he had seen in that mental world, allowing the True Qi in his body to flow freely.
Although Yang Kai didn’t witness much, but every action of the eight Above Immortal Ascension Boundary masters had coincided with the movement of the Heavens, each of their action containing their comprehension of the Martial Dao.
Such a scene was of great use to anyone who saw it.
As time passed, Yang Kai’s emotions gradually calmed down and as he replayed what he saw over and over again, the mysterious sounds from when he first entered the Seal Temple reaching his ears once more.
The clear mountain river, the gently spring breeze, it was like being in a paradise that allowed one to fully relax and integrate with nature.
…………
Yang Kai Mansion.
As the flickering candlelight jumped, the worry on Qiu Yi Meng’s face only grew deeper. She sat at her table with her hands clenched and her breath held as she carefully listened to the movement inside the mansion, constantly sending out her Divine Sense so that she wouldn’t miss the slightest change.
When anyone approached her room, Qiu Yi Meng couldn’t help secretly paying extra attention, but every time this happened she ended up disappointed.
During the day, Yang Kai had told her about what he planned to do tonight and she had immediately tried everything she could think of to stop him, but that smelly man didn’t give her the slightest bit of face and immediately got rid of her entanglement.
Then, in the evening, he had quietly left the house, putting her completely on edge and more than just a little irritated; she almost hoped that Yang Kai would screw something up and not come back tonight at all!
As she thought about how she was acting right now, she couldn’t help feeling like she was an abandoned wife who was waiting for her husband to come back after he had gone out for the night.
Thinking so, Qiu Yi Meng’s face went bright red as her temperature rose and she quickly shook her head of such thoughts.
Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. Qiu Yi Meng frowned and called out, “Who is it?”
“Young Lady Qiu.” Ying Jiu’s voice came from outside.
Qiu Yi Meng immediately wore a smile, quickly got up and opened the door, but all she saw was Ying Jiu’s pair of sharp eyes shining in the darkness while in front of and behind him there was no one else, “Is that bastard not with you?”
Ying Jiu slowly shook his head.
“What happened?” The Qiu Family First Young Lady’s beautiful face couldn’t help going pale.
Ying Jiu was always with Yang Kai, but now he was alone and Yang Kai was missing. Could it be…
Qiu Yi Meng didn’t dare to think about it anymore.
“Little Lord has a matter to attend to and is staying in the Seal Temple for the time being.” Ying Jiu replied honestly.
“The Seal Temple?” Qiu Yi Meng couldn’t help muttering in shock, her tone somewhat unstable.
She was obviously aware of the Seal Temple. That was the place where the eight Above Immortal Ascension Boundary masters secluded themselves. In fact, everyone in War City knew at least that much.
Without being summoned by those eight masters, no one could enter.
So why did Yang Kai go to the Seal Temple? Did the eight masters there have something they needed to discuss with him?
Thinking about the issue for a moment, Qiu Yi Meng suddenly smiled happily for Yang Kai, nodding lightly as she replied, “I understand.”
Since he was staying inside the Seal Temple, there were absolutely no problems with his safety.
After breathing a sigh of relief, she continued, “About tomorrow night…”
“Little Lord says that everything will be entrusted to you.”
Qiu Yi Meng’s brow suddenly twitched as she ground her teeth and cursed, “That smelly man, pushing all the work onto me again.”
“I’ve delivered Little Lord’s message. Ying Jiu will now retire.” Saying so, Ying Jiu disappeared into the shadows.
As she returned to her room, Qiu Yi Meng’s tiredness was completely blown away, quickly taking out a pen and paper and listing the manpower available to her and the enemy; the number of masters each one possessed, and every possible scenario she could imagine regarding the upcoming offensive.
Early the next morning, many cultivators exited their retreat and began testing the power of their newly refined artifacts.
These artifacts were the ones that were snatched back at Po Jing Lake, and had basically all been distributed by Qiu Yi Meng, so these days, everyone had been focusing on refining them.
Qiu Yi Meng, who had spent a sleepless night, quickly convened the leaders of the major forces in the mansion and held a war council.
She didn’t say too much detail, just disseminating information to the appropriate leaders prepare their people and disclosed some general information about tonight’s battle.
When they received the word, everyone rolled up their sleeves and got to work.
“You two Hu Sisters will also join us tonight.” Qiu Yi Meng looked over at Hu Jiao Er and Hu Mei Er with a smile.
Hu Jiao Er immediately nodded, “Good.”
She knew in her heart that the Blood Battle Gang hadn’t brought many people, and even fewer masters. Qiu Yi Meng allowing them to come tonight was obviously giving them a chance to earn a little more credit.
Leng Shan wore an apologetic look, “This time, it seems my Ghost King Valley won’t be able to participate, the primary Martial Skill we all use is temporarily sealed.”
“Then I’ll be troubling you to watch the house.” Qiu Yi Meng had already made proper arrangements.
“Thank you.” Leng Shan replied gratefully.
A while later, the arrangements of which forces were staying behind and which ones were deploying was completed. Qiu Yi Meng had taken into consideration the mood of each force and created a plan that everyone was satisfied with.
Everyone soon dispersed and returned to their respective housings to rest before tonight’s action.
Time marched on and soon it was night.
No one expected that such a large-scale movement would take place so soon after the battle at Po Jing Lake.
Inside War City’s eastern mansion, Meng Shan Yi walked up to Yang Wei’s door and gently knocked, “Eldest Young Lord, it’s starting.”
Opening the door, Yang Wei walked out from the inside, his eyes flashing a confident light as he nodded slightly, “We’ll also move out.”
“Eldest Young Lord, something about tonight’s plan confuses me.”
“What?”
“Ninth Young Lord is going to attack Fifth Young Lord and we are responsible for occupying Second Young Lord’s attention, but what about the Sixth and Seventh Young Lords? If they catch wind of this wouldn’t they also head out?”
“As long as they’re not idiots of course they’ll move.” Yang Wei nodded gently.
“Then what about Ninth Young Lord’s…” Meng Shan Yi muttered, pausing for a moment before his expression suddenly cheered up, “If that’s the case, then while Ninth Young Lord is suppressing Fifth Young Lord, his backyard will catch on fire.”
Yang Wei looked at Meng Shan Yi slightly oddly before grinning, “Shan Yi, it’s as if you’re looking forward to such a scene. Are you scared of my Ninth Brother?”
Meng Shan Yi suddenly looked awkward before turning the question around “Eldest Young Lord, are you not worried about him?”
“What use it worrying? All I have to do is what I agreed to, if things turn out badly, it has nothing to do with me.” Yang Wei slowly shook his head and firmly declared, “If Ninth Brother moves fast enough tonight, so fast that Sixth and Seventh Brother have no time to react, he can achieve his objective without worrying about his rear lines taking damage. If he’s too slow… he’ll just have to deal with some losses.”
Meng Shan Yi looked at Yang Wei and contemplated his word and realized that he was saying that even if Yang Kai acted too slowly, at most he’d take some damage but wouldn’t be completely defeated.
[Is Eldest Young Lord’s evaluation of Ninth Young Lord really so high?]
However, after thinking about it, with Ying Jiu and the bone shield at his disposal, it wasn’t impossible for Yang Kai to quickly capture Yang Kang.
In the calm serene night, an odd tension seemed to be quietly spreading.
Yang Kang’s Compound.
Yang Kang was concentrating on refining his new Mysterious Grade artifact. Over the past few days, he had been constantly pouring his True Qi into it and the effect had been good. As long as he was given another five or six days, he would be able to freely use this Mysterious Grade Low-Rank artifact. At that time, his overall strength would rise a whole nother level!
With a Mysterious Grade artifact, even if he was facing an ordinary Immortal Ascension Boundary master, he wouldn’t be at a disadvantage. It could be said that the artifact snatching battle at Po Jing Lake had greatly increased the combat strength of each of the Yang Family Young Lords.
As he sat silently in his room, focusing on refining this artifact, his closed door was suddenly opened.
Yang Kang was slightly stunned, but before he could understand what was happening, a slender shadow leapt towards him and a brilliant flash of light appeared in his eyes. It seemed like two daggers shimmering with cold light were rapidly flying towards him.
His chest tightened and an instinctive sense of crisis flooded his mind.
“Fifth Young Lord, watch out!” Tang Yu Xian’s clear voice echoed in his ear as a potent Spiritual Energy wave flushed towards the approaching shadow.
The slender figure didn’t continue its assault towards Yang Kang but instead retreated out the door.
Under the pale moonlight, Yang Kang saw the appearance of his assailant and his hair all stood on end as a cold chill shot up his spine
“Ying Jiu!”
Ying Jiu grinned before his body quickly faded and disappeared.
The next moment, Tang Yu Xian appeared next to Yang Kang and asked, “Fifth Young Lord, are you alright?”
Yang Kang didn’t respond for a while, taking a moment to press down the fear in his heart before slowly shaking his head, “I’m fine, fortunately Yu Xian noticed in time.”
If it weren’t for Tang Yu Xian’s swiftly executed Soul Skill, given Ying Jiu’s strength, he would have already captured Yang Kang.
This shadowy Blood Warrior was a master of concealment and assassination, he was all but impossible to guard against, making him extremely terrifying!
However, just now, Ying Jiu could have easily launched another attack, so why did he give up? And that smile he flashed before his departure was also intriguing.
After a moment, Yang Kang suddenly understood, slamming his fist onto the table, “He was just messing with me!”
The Blood Warriors who participated in the Inheritance War were forbidden from taking the initiative, and were only responsible for defense and counter-attacking. That is to say, a moment ago, even if he didn’t resist Ying Jiu at all, nothing would have happened to him.
The attack he had launched just now was obviously just for show and he had no intentions of actually striking him. As for that last grin of his, Ying Jiu was probably just laughing at his panicked reaction.
“How come Ying Jiu is able to move around freely?” From their brief exchange, Tang Yu Xian had noticed something more important and was frowning in thought.
During the battle at Po Jing Lake, six Blood Warriors had been hit by the Qi Binding Seal and as a result, even now, Tu Feng was basically sidelined, yet Ying Jiu, who had been one of the six, affected, was actually here and seemed perfectly fine.
“Ninth Brother!” Yang Kang’s expression twisted in anger, completely ignoring the strange circumstances surrounding Ying Jiu’s presence, instead just roaring in hatred towards Yang Kai.
Right then, Tang Yu Xian’s expression suddenly paled as she called out, “Fifth Young Lord, many people are approaching!”
“What?” Yang Kang froze up, “Who’s coming?”
“I can sense Xiao Shun’s aura! There is also a large group of masters, all of them from the Little Lord’s allied forces, it looks like… Little Lord is going to attack.”
“Is he insane?” Yang Kang couldn’t sit still anymore, quickly jumping up and hurriedly dashing out.
What was Ninth Brother up to at such a time? Everyone was either licking their wounds from the Po Jing Lake artifact snatching battle or busy trying to refine the artifacts they obtained, yet he couldn’t sit still and had actually gone out seeking trouble with others.
Starting a fight right now wouldn’t just disrupt his allies who were trying to refine their newly acquired artifacts; it would also delay him from refining his own Mysterious Grade artifact. What benefit did that have to him?
Even if the two of them were at odds with each other, there was no need for his Ninth Brother to act so rashly. As much as Yang Kang didn’t want to admit it, once everyone had finished refining their own artifacts, his Ninth Brother would still hold a certain advantage in terms of manpower and resources.
Just as he rushed out of his room, the sounds of shouting and killing immediately reached his ear and the energy fluctuations of Martial Skills and artifacts made Yang Kang realize that Yang Kai really was attacking at this time.
It wasn’t just a trick like he had thought!
The ones who had come to his house hadn’t even said a word and had simply begun their assault.
Outside the mansion, floating in the sky, a group of nearly two hundred people stood tall with Qiu Yi Meng at their centre.
Yang Kai currently had a total of fourteen allies, not counting the two special forces of Medicine King’s Valley and Treasure Instrument Sect of course.
In addition to the Qiu Family and Huo Family cultivators, the Blood Battle Gang, Dong Family, Purple Fern Valley, Pure Heart Palace, Tian Yuan City, and Duan Mu Family had all been deployed.
The Qiu Family forces here weren’t actually that strong; after all, the members of the Autumn Rain Hall were mainly untalented disciples or old wounded veterans.
As for the Huo Family, there were only two Immortal Ascension Boundary Fifth Stage masters while the Blood Battle Gang had almost no Immortal Ascension Boundary cultivators. Besides them, all the other forces only had four or five Immortal Ascension Boundary masters here.
The overall strength and quantity of their high end masters couldn’t be compared with the masters in Yang Kang’s compound.
But… Qiu Yi Meng was still completely confident of their victory.
Because she had brought two Blood Warriors this time, and there was also the sinister and mysterious master – Old Demon!
Qiu Yi Meng didn’t fully understand the extent of Old Demon’s strength, but she was certain that he was at least stronger than any of the Blood Warriors!
With these three people here, it was only a matter of time before Yang Kang was defeated.
It was because she was absolutely certain of her victory that Qiu Yi Meng didn’t even bother to say hello before ordering the attack.
The cultivators in Yang Kang’s compound were caught unprepared by this sudden barrage of Martial Skills and artifact attacks, and within moments they had already lost more than a dozen people.
After recovering from their initial shock, Yang Kang’s allies hurriedly defended themselves and began to counterattack, but all of them still seemed a little panicked and they had difficulty coordinating their response.
With Yang Kang yet to show up, these people lacked a leader to rally behind while the Gao Family’s Gao Rang Feng couldn’t gain control of the overall situation.
“Young Lady Qiu, please permit we, five old masters, to enter the fight!” One of the Duan Mu Family’s masters said, his voice filled with murderous intent.
The Duan Mu Family was originally allies of the Yang Family Third Young Lord, Yang Tie. However, on the first night of the Inheritance War, Yang Tie had been eliminated. In that battle, everyone from the Duan Mu Family except these five masters had died.
The cultivators from Yang Kang’s camp had been the initial aggressors in that battle, so now that they had met once again, they were anxious to seek revenge for their fallen comrades.
“Don’t rush in.” Qiu Yi Meng smiled and shook her head slowly, “We need to observe the situation first.”
Although Yang Kang’s cultivators had been caught by surprise, they were still the defending force and thus had a big advantage in terms of fortifications and numbers. On the other hand, only half of Yang Kai’s allies had been dispatched here. If they acted rashly, the damage they suffered would increase significantly.
Qiu Yi Meng’s strategy was simple, until Yang Kai arrived to take command, they would simply bombard Yang Kang’s forces from afar.
Yang Kang’s compound was filled with explosions, but the people brought by Qiu Yi Meng never engaged the enemy cultivators in close combat, they only stood high in the sky and sent out various long range Martial Skills and artifact waves without any thought to conserving their True Qi.
In just a few moments, Yang Kang’s mansion had multiple collapsed sections and had all but become a smouldering ruin while the defending cultivators, having lost any form of cover, were now dodging about like headless flies.
Although they hadn’t taken many losses, this display was a great humiliation to them.
Eventually, Yang Kang’s allies couldn’t endure it anymore and some of them began leaping up into the sky, trying to close in to counterattack.
Although Gao Rang Feng saw this, before he could call out to stop them, these cultivators had were subjected to concentrated attacks under Qiu Yi Meng’s command.
The battle was progressing well and many cultivators in the sky couldn’t wait to charge in, seize Yang Kang or capture the flag to obtain the final victory.
As he stood mid-air, Huo Xing Chen muttered under his breath, “Qiu Yi Meng, doesn’t you letting Ying Jiu sneak in violate the rules of the Yang Family Inheritance War?”
Qiu Yi Meng shook her head casually, “Ying Jiu knows what to do, as long as he only pretends to attack Yang Kang, it’s not a violation of the rules. How could a Blood Warrior screw something so simple up?”
“But then why did you make him sneak in at all? If he can’t seize Yang Kang or snatch the flag, why send him in the first place?” Huo Xing Chen couldn’t understand.
“In order to frighten Yang Kang.” Qiu Yi Meng smiled.
Huo Xing Chen spat disdainfully, obviously he didn’t believe this statement. He knew Qiu Yi Meng wasn’t bored to such an extent, so he just rolled his eyes. Huo Xing Chen figured that Qiu Yi Meng had pulled this stunt in order to make Yang Kang mistakenly think that Yang Kai was here.
Speaking of which, he didn’t know where Yang Kai was tonight; he also hadn’t seen him around yesterday. However, Ying Jiu and Yang Kai had always been inseparable. Since Ying Jiu had appeared, Yang Kai must be hiding somewhere nearby, waiting to execute some kind of plan.
Huo Xing Chen nodded secretly, confident in his analysis.
“Fifth Young Lord!?” Gao Rang Feng anxiously shouted. Gao Rang Feng was a successor to the Gao Family and although he was neither young nor weak, but in the Inheritance War he was just a foil. Now that people were knocking down the door, Gao Rang Feng could only temporarily hold the defence line together while waiting for Yang Kang to come out and take control of the situation.
“I’m here!” Yang Kang’s expression was gloomy as he stepped out of a broken wall together with Tang Yu Xian, glancing around before letting out a cold snort.
“Fifth Young Lord!” When he saw Yang Kang, Gao Rang Feng couldn’t help breathing a sigh of relief and hurrying to his side, anxiously reporting, “Qiu Yi Meng brought a lot of people and suddenly started attacking, we were caught unprepared and more than twenty people have already died.”
“I know.” Yang Kang nodded sternly before looking up at the crowd above and shouting, “Ninth Brother, get out here and let’s talk!”
“Fifth Young Lord.” Qiu Yi Meng laughed lightly as she greeted Yang Kang. Standing there, her perfect curves were highlighted by her tight fitting dress which gently fluttered in the night breeze, revealing glimpses of her snow white legs that when illuminated by the bright moonlight seemed to give her a jade-like luster, fascinating anyone who saw her.
Even in this smoke-filled battlefield, there was no shortage of bloody male cultivators who greedily stared at her and were secretly tempted.
Along with Lan Chu Die and Luo Xiao Man, two women with phenomenal capital, and the two beautiful Hu Sisters, it was a feast for many people’s eyes, causing many of the men down below to feel quite jealous of Yang Kai.
They suddenly discovered that there were so many beautiful women allied with Yang Kai! This was definitely not the case with Yang Kang.
As the Qiu Family’s First Young Lady was greeting Yang Kang, she never ceased giving out instructions to her troops. The cultivators around her continued to use their Martial Skills and artifacts to attack the defenders below.
“Where’s Ninth Brother?” Yang Kang’s brow wrinkled and his face twisted with displeasure. Apparently he thought that Yang Kai should come out and negotiate with him now; Qiu Yi Meng’s status wasn’t low but she still wasn’t qualified to make final decisions here.
“Pardon me, Young Master Kang, Yang Kai is occupied with something else right now and won’t be able to speak with you for a while. I’ve been given full responsibility for this battle, so I hope Fifth Young Lord can ask his allies to show mercy. Don’t worry, we’ll finish up here as quick as possible and try not to cause too much damage.” Saying so, Qiu Yi Meng let out a burst of charming laughter.
Yang Kang’s expression went black as a malicious smile crept onto his face, “Good good good! Seems Ninth Brother really doesn’t put his Fifth Brother in his eyes! If so, then Fifth Brother doesn’t need to order his allies to show any mercy. Since you’ve all come, then don’t expect to leave!”
Apparently, Yang Kang had really been enraged.
The Inheritance War was a contest to decide the next Yang Family Patriarch, a competition which compared each brother’s connections and personal charm. Right now, his Ninth Brother’s forces had actually come to attack him yet he didn’t even bother to show up. This alone gave Yang Kang a feeling of being despised; he was a prideful man and could not endure such contempt.
With his heart filled with anger, Yang Kang gave the command to launch an all-out attack.
Hearing this, Gao Rang Feng was shocked. Although Yang Kai’s forces here were definitely smaller in number and weaker in strength, right now Yang Kang’s forces had a big advantage because they were the defending side. If they continued to hold their ground, they would eventually wear down their attackers and have a better chance of repulsing or even defeating them.
Moreover, the cultivators from Yang Kai’s house launching such a fierce attack had definitely disturbed the other Young Lords who would surely take action to capitalize on this situation. At this time, their best choice was to draw things out as much as possible until Yang Kai’s mansion came under attack. Once that happened, these attacking forces would have no choice but to withdraw to bolster their base’s defence. At that point, as long as Yang Kang pursued and eliminated these people, defeating Yang Kai in one fell swoop was completely possible.
Unfortunately, Yang Kang’s anger had clouded his judgement and he didn’t even consider any of this. Right now, he just wanted to win back as much face as possible, but if he did this it would surely lead to him suffering much greater loses.
Quickly stepping forward to block Yang Kang, Gao Rang Feng hurriedly urged, “Fifth Young Lord, I think maintaining our defences is the best plan right now, don’t be drawn in by their taunting…”
But before he could finish, Yang Kang interrupted impatiently, “So I should just let these bastards stand on top of my head and piss on me all the want? If it were you, could you endure it?”
Gao Rang Feng froze up for a moment, faintly thinking that Yang Kang had a point, but he quickly shook his head and insisted, “It’s not the same…”
However, once more, before he could finish, Yang Kang cut him off and ordered the offensive.
Immediately, a large number of cultivators flew up from the ground and launched an attack towards the invading forces, sending out a brilliant array of Martial Skills and artifact strikes which quickly closed in on Qiu Yi Meng and the others.
Seeing this, Huo Xing Chen let out a laugh, “Yang Kang really is straightforward.”
Qiu Yi Meng shook her head slightly in response, “He’s just relying on numbers!”
None of the Yang Family Young Lords were fools. Even if Yang Kang was more impulsive than the others, it was impossible for him to throw himself headlong into a hopeless situation.
The battlefield was his mansion, and all of his manpower was currently here, naturally he felt there was no need to fear this inferior force brought by Qiu Yi Meng.
As she spoke, Qiu Yi Meng silently conveyed several instructions to her allies.
The cultivators from Yang Kang’s house were greatly angered and had charged in recklessly, fully pushing their True Qi to strike back at their attackers, but as they closed to a distance of ten meters, everyone around Qiu Yi Meng suddenly dispersed.
This sudden change disoriented the cultivators who had just flown as their targets scattered about randomly, none of them knowing who they should pursue.
Yang Kang, who had adopted a wait and see approach, was still down below and couldn’t efficiently issue new commands.
After a short pause, Yang Kang’s allies also split up and began randomly chasing after the escaping targets.
“Now!” Qiu Yi Meng shouted a single command and everyone who was running away suddenly turned and released their strongest Martial Skill.
The flash of light in the sky was so brilliant that most people couldn’t even open their eyes and amidst the chaos, screams of pain resounded as blood rained down over the compound.
Yang Kang heart jumped into his throat as he suddenly realized he had been tricked.
He could only stand there and watch as the forces brought by Qiu Yi Meng released blinding attacks and then crash into his allies, forming a tight encirclement.
*Peng peng peng…*
Bodies continually fell from the sky and smashed into the ground, bloody and beaten.
In less time than it took to drink half a cup of tea, this confrontation had ended.
Yang Kang’s forces had suffered heavy losses.
“Young Lady Qiu, there’s no need to go through all this trouble,” Old Demon, who was standing next to Qiu Yi Meng, said as he shook his head, “All we need to do is grab that little brat in order to win, right?”
“Correct.” Qiu Yi Meng nodded gently.
“Then this old master can just go do that. The woman beside him is good, but she shouldn’t be able to stop me.”
Qiu Yi Meng smiled faintly and shook her head, “Senior, this Junior doesn’t doubt your strength, but the Yang Family Blood Warriors are somewhat special, with their Mad Tyrant Blood Skill they can greatly increase their combat strength for a short time, allowing even someone at the Eighth Stage to fight a Peak Immortal Ascension Boundary master, are you certain you can beat her in a short time?”
“Hm… if that’s the case then it would be a bit difficult.” Old Demon was surprised by this information and realized that Tang Yu Xian was a powerful opponent. Right now his strength was comparable to a Peak Immortal Ascension Boundary master. If he was to really fight with her, Tang Yu Xian would definitely not be his opponent, but if all she wanted to do was delay him that wouldn’t be an issue.
Without Yang Kai here, Xiao Shun and Ying Jiu were unable to move, so even if Old Demon was able to tie down Tang Yu Xian, with their remaining manpower, wanting to capture Yang Kang would be quite difficult.
[Why has that bastard still not shown up?] Qiu Yi Meng angry thought to herself, doing her best not to show any sign of her displeasure on her face.
If Yang Kai was here, things wouldn’t be so troublesome, he could simply lead Xiao Shun and Ying Jiu to attack Yang Kang and end all of this.
“In any case, it seems I must ask Senior to take action.” Qiu Yi Meng said as she adjusted her plan, since Yang Kai wasn’t here, she had to have Old Demon attack. Originally she had planned for Old Demon to remain a hidden card, someone to use in emergency situations, but now it seems that it wouldn’t be possible.
Yang Kang had just suffered a big loss so it was unrealistic to expect him to fall for the same trick again, in which case she could only launch a frontal attack.
“No problems Young Lady Qiu, just tell me who you want me to take out?” Old Demon grinned fiercely.
“No one in particular, I just want Senior to create as much chaos as possible! If possible, please also eliminate a few high-level people, such as the Immortal Ascension Boundary Eighth Stage masters, as well.”
“A simple task!” Old Demon laughed wickedly as a black light spread out from his body.
The black light that emerged from Old Demon’s body soon became a dark red colour, like thick blood.
As this light spread out, bloody, gloomy, and violent atmosphere descended upon Yang Kang’s cultivators and their faces began to contort as they struggled to resist.
But no matter how they tried, none of them could stop this mysterious attack.
With a bang, the bloody light hit the ground and dug out a deep pit.
“Huo…” A bestial roar resounded as a violent aura swept across the compound, shaking the balance of all who heard it.
Staring at this phenomenon, the cultivators in Yang Kang’s house all wore stunned expressions.
Inside this deep pit, at some point, a human shaped figure with a strange face that had no nose stood tall. This creature’s body and eyes were crimson red and it gave off a bloody aura.
As it continued to roar, a great bubble of blood began to emerge at its feet.
*Plop plop…*
The bubble burst open and the ground was dyed red, soon transforming into a thick, sticky swamp, as if a pool of blood was oozing up from the depths of the earth, constantly spreading across the field.
“What the hell is that?” Everyone’s nerves tightened as they shouted, but no one seemed to recognize this thing. It appeared human, yet not at the same time, it had no signs of emotion or intelligence in its eyes, only infinite killing intent.
If one were to say it wasn’t human, they’d be right, but aside from its strange face and a huge bulge on its forehead, all its other features were human like.
“Senior, what is this?” Qiu Yi Meng’s face was also slightly pale. Although she had instinctively felt that Old Demon wasn’t a good person, after witnessing this scene, she discovered that she had far underestimated Old Demon’s demonic nature.
Looking at the expanding blood pool below her, Qiu Yi Meng even faintly felt a chill run up her spine.
“Heh heh… this is a Blood Demon Puppet this old master refined recently!” Old Demon replied proudly, apparently quite pleased with his handiwork.
Qiu Yi Meng’s brow wrinkled as she stared at this Blood Demon Puppet, but she wisely stopped talking.
This Blood Demon thing was already attacking; the blood pool beneath its feat seemed to have an incredible adhesion force that could lock down any cultivator unfortunate enough to be caught in it.
Howling wildly, the Blood Demon rushed up to a nearby cultivator and slashed its hand down at him, transforming this person into a bloody fog which was quickly absorbed by it, seemingly increasing the Blood Demon’s strength slightly in the process.
The red figure flashed in and out of the crowd and within ten breaths of time, all the cultivators caught in the blood pond had been killed.
The Blood Demon never paused. Wherever it went, the blood pool would spread, and once someone was seized by this blood, as long as their cultivation was below the Immortal Ascension Boundary Fifth Stage, they had no hope of breaking free and were only able to stand there, waiting for death.
“Kill him!” Yang Kang also noticed the amazing destructive power of the Blood Demon and quickly ordered the masters in his camp to attack.
Although even Immortal Ascension Boundary Sixth and Seventh Stage masters didn’t dare get too close to the Blood Demon, a number of them pulled out their artifacts and readied their Martial Skills to attack from a distance.
The Blood Demon was very agile and managed to avoid several of these strikes, but with so many masters targeting it, it could not dodge them all.
These masters were unrelenting and their barrage of attacks had soon blasted off the Blood Demon’s legs, causing it to collapse in its own pool of blood.
“Cheap tricks!” Yang Kang saw this scene and couldn’t help snorting coldly, though he was secretly breathing a sigh of relief to himself. If such a monster had been allowed to rampage throughout his forces unchecked not only would it deal significant damage to his allies it would also have a devastating effect on morale.
“Senior…” Qiu Yi Meng on the other hand was worried; she hadn’t expected that the monster Old Demon had summoned which seemed so terrifying would be defeated so easily.
However, Old Demon just grinned mockingly and said, “Wait a moment.”
Just as he spoke so, the blood Demon actually lifted itself up with its arms and began absorbing a large amount of blood from the pond into its broken limbs.
As it sucked up this blood, the place where the Blood Demon’s legs were cut off squirmed and inflated as something emerged from them.
A few breaths later, two brand new unbroken legs appeared.
“How can that be?” Someone cried out. Not only were the cultivators on Yang Kang’s side shocked, even Qiu Yi Meng and the allies around her were dumbfounded.
It was capable of regenerating its shattered and broken legs… could this thing really be described as human?
This bizarre scene had completely exceeded everyone’s understanding.
“This old master is also going to join in the fun!” Old Demon sneered before turning into a flash of black light and descending into the battlefield.
The Soul Breaker Awl, which had not appeared for a long time, emerged from his arm and gently floated around his shoulders as if it had a mind of its own while sending out terrifying pulses of energy.
The Soul Breaker Awl’s power had been restored to the point where it was as strong as a Mysterious Grade artifact!
Feeling the strange aura and tremendous pressure from Old Demon, Yang Kang’s cultivators were shocked. Even Tang Yu Xian wore a solemn expression as she whispered, “Fifth Young Lord, don’t leave my side.”
Yang Kang’s mouth was dry as he nodded unconsciously, suddenly feeling a sense of fear and helplessness.
Of his two Blood Warriors, Tu Feng currently couldn’t fight, and there were no other Peak Immortal Ascension Boundary masters under his command, so how was he to resist this sinister master?
Tang Yu Xian alone could probably delay him for a while, but if she was tied down by him, who would be left to guard him?
As he was stared at by this man, Yang Kang even felt like his soul was being slowly sucked away.
While Yang Kang was still trying to compose himself, Old Demon had already taken action, releasing all kinds of demonic Martial Skills while the Soul Breaker Awl flitted about the battlefield. Anywhere he went, Yang Kang’s cultivators would fall into a panic.
Coupled with the revived Blood Demon Puppet that was wreaking havoc nearby, Yang Kang forces were instantly overwhelmed and were having trouble just defending themselves.
“Why do I feel like… they can finish this on their own?” Huo Xing Chen tensed up slightly as he watched Old Demon and the Blood Demon Puppet’s one sided slaughter.
Each of these two was extremely tyrannical. The Blood Demon, needless to say, was almost immortal, in only a short period of time its body had been smashed and broken several times but regardless of how bad the damage was it would immediately regenerate.
As for Old Demon, his strength was incredible, no one could withstand more than three of his attacks as he smashed his way through the crowd, wantonly killing, leaving only a trail of bloody corpses behind him.
However, after observing for a while, Qiu Yi Meng slowly shook her head, “With just the two of them, it’s impossible to end this.”
Old Demon and his Blood Demon Puppet were incredibly fierce, but two hands couldn’t block four fists, even tigers could be defeated when they were surrounded by wolves, and on top of that, it wasn’t like Yang Kang lacked masters of his own.
The weakness of the Blood Demon Puppet had been discovered by these masters.
In order to active its astounding regenerative abilities, the Blood Demon Puppet had to consume blood from the blood pond beneath it!
Noticing this, many cultivators who cultivated Fire or Ice attribute Secret Arts were targeting the blood pond, freezing or burning it away, thus cutting off the Blood Demon’s ability to heal itself.
Old Demon also saw this and could only snort coldly and recall the Blood Demon.
“It’s our turn!” Qiu Yi Meng took a deep breath and said solemnly.
The cultivators in Yang Kang’s compound were in complete chaos, now was the perfect opportunity to press their advantage and wear down his forces.
“It’s been too long,” Huo Xing Chen grinned and rushed straight down, finding no one willing to challenge him, he flew directly to Gao Rang Feng and shouted, “Brother Gao, let’s exchange some pointers!”
Gao Rang Feng’s expression dimmed as he sneered back, “Brother Huo, do you think you’re my opponent?”
Although they had never fought on another before, Gao Rang Feng still felt that a delinquent like Huo Xing Chen wasn’t worthy of his attention.
“Whether or not I’m your opponent will only be clear after we fight!” Huo Xing Chen grinned, storing his folding fan behind his back smoothly.
“As you wish,” Gao Rang Feng coldly snorted.
The two Central Capital Young Lords instantly confronted one another, the four Immortal Ascension Boundary Fifth Stage masters responsible for protecting them also clashing with their respective opponents.
A short distance away, Lu Song, who had been careful to avoid the calamity that was Old Demon, was targeted by Dong Qing Han.
These two had last met during the artifact snatching battle at Po Jing Lake where Lu Song had intentionally pestered Dong Qing Han, almost costing him the Heaven Grade Top-Rank Soul type artifact.
At the time, prioritising the overall situation, Dong Qing Han chose not to fight with him but instead evade.
But now the situation was different and it was his chance to attack, so Dong Qing Han naturally intended to settle their grudge and make this foolish Lu Family Young Master scram out of War City!
The Hu Sisters and Guan Chi Le also descended onto the battlefield, the twin flower’s delicate bodies suddenly radiating a soft glow which seemed to link their Souls and True Qi together. Once they entered this mystical state, even though they both were only True Element Boundary Eighth Stage cultivators, they were more than capable of fighting ordinary Immortal Ascension Boundary masters.
When Qiu Yi Meng, who was secretly observing them, saw this, her eyes flashed, realizing that this beautiful pair of sisters wasn’t ordinary.
Fan Hong of Purple Fern Valley and Zuo Fang of Pure Heart Palace led their forces and charged straight into enemy lines.
The five masters from the Duan Mu Family were the most ferocious in their assault, their combined momentum amazing as they held none of their strength back, slaughtering anyone who got in their way! To them, this was a battle for revenge!
“Young Lady Qiu, please allow this unworthy one to serve as your escort and protect your safety.” Liu Fei Sheng declared, clear traces of infatuation plastered all over his face. After arriving at Yang Kai’s mansion, Liu Fei Sheng had almost become Qiu Yi Meng’s personal bodyguard, following her around wherever she went.
By now, everyone well understood he was obsessed with this Young Lady Qiu.
The Qiu Family’s First Young Lady had subtly tried to distance herself from him, but Liu Fei Sheng either didn’t realize or didn’t care, insisting on maintaining close contact with her, and because he was technically Yang Kai’s ally, Qiu Yi Meng couldn’t use more forceful methods to make him yield and helplessly ended up letting him do as he pleased.
However, whenever she found an opportunity to avoid him, she would have no qualms about it.
“No need, Xiao Man staying with me is enough,” Qiu Yi Meng flashed a polite smile and declined Liu Fei Sheng’s offer.
“As you wish.” Liu Fei Sheng hesitated for a moment before nodding, leading his Tian Yuan City forces to join the battle.
Up in the air, only Qiu Yi Meng and Luo Xiao Man were left with the two Blood Warriors standing nearby.
Since Yang Kai wasn’t here, Xiao Shun and Ying Jiu couldn’t do anything, even if someone was to attack Qiu Yi Meng and Luo Xiao Man right now, they could only stand by and watch.
After all, Qiu Yi Meng and Luo Xiao Man weren’t their masters, they were just two of Yang Kai’s allies.
Thanks to the ruckus Old Demon and his Blood Demon Puppet had caused, Yang Kang’s cultivators were now in disarray, so when Dong Qing Han and the others descended upon them, the situation immediately became a group of one on one fights.
This was exactly what Qiu Yi Meng wanted to see!
The other party had more people and a geographical advantage, if they couldn’t seize the initiative and disrupt their coordination, it would be quite difficult to launch an attack. When it came to single combat, Qiu Yi Meng was confident that no force would be able to resist them.
The Mysterious Grade pills they had received from the Pill Room almost on a daily basis had not gone to waste! Qiu Yi Meng felt that both her cultivation and overall combat potential had increased by leaps and bounds and she had barely had time to cultivate as she was constantly dealing with administrative work. If even her strength had increased so much under these circumstances, just how much would everyone else have grown?
Standing midair, in her heart, Qiu Yi Meng suddenly felt like she was overlooking the whole world!
At this point in the battle, it was an assured victory on their end. It could be said that Yang Kai’s presence was completely unnecessary. However, if he were present, the casualties on their end would definitely have been smaller.
[Where exactly did that bastard go? At such a critical time, he actually just up and disappeared.]
As Qiu Yi Meng was silently grumbling to herself, Xiao Shun suddenly heard something and grinned, “Young Lady Qiu, Little Lord is approaching.”
Hearing this, Qiu Yi Meng turned her head towards a certain direction and really saw a figure rapidly flying towards them and a moment later, Yang Kai appeared in front of her.
Standing next to Qiu Yi Meng, Yang Kai glanced down at the chaotic battlefield expressionlessly.
The situation of the war seemed to be similar to what he expected.
“I thought you weren’t going to come.” Qiu Yi Meng pouted.
“Something came up that couldn’t wait,” Yang Kai responded casually.
“What exactly was so important that…” Qiu Yi Meng began to complain but before she could finish speaking she noticed a change in Yang Kai’s aura and her jaw dropped, staring at him in a dazed manner for a while before stuttering, “You… you broke through again?”
The Qiu Family’s First Young Lady was an Immortal Ascension Boundary First Stage master now and could already use her Divine Sense, so as long as Yang Kai didn’t deliberately conceal his aura, it was easy for her to notice his increase in cultivation.
She finally knew why Yang Kai was late, if he suddenly encountered an opportunity to break through, he naturally couldn’t pay attention to anything else. Understanding all this, her previous displeasure melted away and she even felt a bit happy for him.
“En.” Yang Kai nodded lightly, gently clenching his fist. True Element Boundary Ninth Stage, just one step away from the Immortal Ascension Boundary! At this moment, the power flowing through his body was undoubtedly stronger than ever before.
“What we do next is up to you to decide,” Qiu Yi Meng smiled and shifted the topic back to the battle in front of them. Before Yang Kai answered though, she threw out a couple of her own thoughts, “I don’t think ruthlessly purging them is very realistic, the most efficient course of action would probably be for you to lead Xiao Shun and Ying Jiu to quickly capture Yang Kang then after you obtain victory you can try to win over the survivors to increase your strength.”
However, Yang Kai just slowly shook his head, “I can’t conquer them.”
“I know that it’ll be more difficult than that, but if you don’t try you’ll never know.” Qiu Yi Meng frowned slightly; Yang Kai was always arbitrarily making decisions without accepting her opinion.
Conquering the cultivators that were still alive was indeed quite difficult; after all, the two sides had just been killing each other and the blood of their comrades still wet each other’s hands.
“If I say I can’t conquer them, I can’t conquer them.” Yang Kai obviously didn’t want to discuss this topic.
Qiu Yi Meng didn’t say any more, instead just staring at him somewhat bitterly. In reality though, she also agreed with Yang Kai on this point. She just felt she had to at least mention this option.
Just like the five masters from the Duan Mu Family, if after Yang Kang and Yang Ying had slaughtered their friends and family, they tried to conquer them, would they have accepted? The answer was obviously no.
After forging such a deep-seated enmity during tonight’s battle, with Yang Kang’s forces suffering huge losses, them joining Yang Kai’s side was basically impossible.
Even if they took a step back and agreed to join Yang Kai, how could they possibly integrate themselves with his original allies? Up until now all of them had been enemies, spending each day together from this point forward would certainly lead to problems.
Even with Yang Kai’s phenomenal personal charm, it would be impossible to let all of them forget about the blood debts they owed one another.
“Since they can’t be conquered, it’s best if we quickly end things.” Qiu Yi Meng let out a long sigh, a trace of helplessness appearing on her face.
Now that Yang Kai was here, he could take Ying Jiu and Xiao Shun and swiftly capture his Fifth Brother. With the manpower available to him right now, Yang Kang had no chance of resisting an attack from two Blood Warriors.
But contrary to her expectations, Yang Kai laughed maliciously as his mouth curled into a grin, “Quickly end things? But I just came.”
“…What do you want?” The Qiu Family’s First Young Lady asked curiously.
“I want them to despair!” Yang Kai’s expression became cold and solemn as he turned and stared into Qiu Yi Meng’s eyes, “Don’t forget, if I don’t carve fear deep into these people’s hearts they’ll still have thoughts of opposing me and will definitely join my enemies to seek revenge!”
When that happened, the one these people would join would definitely be Yang Zhao!
There was no question about it; after all, Yang Zhao and Yang Kang were blood brothers.
Staring into Yang Kai’s frigid eyes, Qiu Yi Meng suddenly felt her whole body go cold, as if she could see mountains of corpses and rivers of blood in his gaze.
She had never realized that Yang Kai could be so ruthless.
Yang Kai’s appearance naturally did not go unnoticed by Yang Kang, the latter turning a pair of flame filled eyes towards the former and angrily roaring, “Ninth Brother!”
Yang Kai’s expression suddenly became warm and friendly as he called out in a casual tone, “Good evening, Fifth Brother!”
Seeing Yang Kai’s smug, superior attitude, Yang Kang almost vomited blood, gripping his hands so tightly his nails drew blood he muttered backs, “Good good, Ninth Brother’s methods are truly fierce, Fifth Brother has tasted them thoroughly!”
Yang Kai’s smile slowly converged as he faintly said, “Xiao Shun, Ying Jiu, follow me.”
Xiao Shun grinned and nodded while Ying Jiu silently faded into the shadows.
Looking down, Yang Kai picked a random spot on the battlefield and charged forward.
The cultivators supporting Yang Kang were already in disarray at this point and with Yang Kai leading two Blood Warriors into the fray, the situation deteriorated even further.
Everyone was hard pressed to respond to Yang Kai’s attacks and harassment but by the time they tried to hit back, they would immediately be set upon by the two Blood Warriors. On top of that, Yang Kai’s personal combat strength was not to be underestimated; even ordinary Immortal Ascension Boundary masters couldn’t ignore his strikes.
Wherever Yang Kai went, it was almost as if a tornado swept through, leaving nothing but dead bodies and destruction in his wake.
He was like a great spear, thrust forward with unstoppable momentum, no matter how his enemies tried, they were incapable of resisting.
With the Yang Family’s rules about Blood Warriors participating in the Inheritance war, Yang Kai’s current tactics was almost akin to cheating; at the very least it was a roguish behaviour.
Anyone who saw these three coming towards them would immediately pale and desperately try to avoid him.
Yang Kang’s expression quickly transformed from anger to confusion. He really didn’t know what Yang Kai was up to, he clearly had an absolute advantage, but instead of attacking himself or the flag, he had instead entered the crowd and was leading the two Blood Warriors to randomly slaughter.
Amidst all the chaos, a cultivator suddenly appeared in front of Yang Kang.
Yang Kang, who was now facing imminent defeat, eagerly asked, “What is happening with my Second Brother?”
As soon as the attack on his house had begun, Yang Kang immediately sent messengers to Yang Zhao’s to request reinforcements, and now one of them had finally returned.
The cultivator quickly replied, “Fifth Young Lord, Second Young Lord is unable to move.”
“What?” Yang Kang nearly choked as he nervously asked, “What happened?”
“The Eldest Young Lord brought his forces and is currently harassing Second Young Lord, so he can’t send any help.”
Yang Kang’s expression became desperate as he staggered back a few steps and muttered, “How could this happen?”
It was impossible that while he suddenly came under attack by his Ninth Brother, his Eldest Brother had coincidentally gone to find trouble with his Second Brother. Was it possible that his Ninth Brother had teamed up with his Eldest Brother?
“Fifth Young Lord, Second Young Lord told me to deliver you a message,” The cultivator opened his lips but hesitated, as if the words were caught in his throat.
“What is it?” Yang Kang eyes flashed, grasping desperately to any trace of hope.
“Second Young Lord said…” The cultivator’s brow filled with sweat as he somehow managed to squeeze the words out, “Admit defeat, Ninth Brother won’t kill you anyways.”
After a pause, he quickly added, “That’s what Second Young Lord said.”
“Admit defeat?” Yang Kang repeated a sentence a few times before suddenly bursting out into laughter, “Me? Admit defeat? How can this Yang Kang possibly admit defeat!?”
Facing this desperate situation, and having his last hope ruthlessly cut off, Yang Kang’s expression became somewhat hysterical as he roared out, “Ninth Brother!”
This roar spread across almost half of War City and anyone who heard it couldn’t help trembling at just how much unwillingness and fighting spirit it contained.
When Yang Kai heard this, he halted his movement mid-air and turned his eyes towards Yang Kang, looking down at him lightly.
“Ninth Brother, everyone underestimated you. Fifth Brother did as well, but Fifth Brother isn’t defeated yet. If you want to beat me, do you dare do it yourself!?” Yang Kang’s eyes were ablaze with raging flames, it wasn’t the look of someone who had accepted defeat, but of one who was still struggling to achieve victory.
“Alright.” Yang Kai grinned and easily agreed to Yang Kang’s request before saying, “But I have a condition.”
“Say it,” Yang Kang took a deep breath and calmed his rampant emotions.
“After tonight, the surviving cultivators from your house must leave War City!”
Yang Kang’s eyes blinked before immediately understanding his intentions, sneering in response, “Are you afraid that they’ll go join Second Brother?”
“What do you think?” Yang Kai’s expression didn’t change.
He wasn’t afraid! With his absolute advantage here, he could simply kill all of them, cutting the weeds and pulling out roots completely. Yang Kang believed that if he didn’t agree to this condition, Yang Kai would really do something like this.
Beat the snake until it’s dead to avoid future calamity and not allowing the tiger to return to the mountain ends all troubles.
If he gave these people a way out of this hopeless situation now, even if in the future they still decided to oppose him, they would be hesitant to act ruthlessly towards him.
The reason Yang Kai would make such a request was obviously because he didn’t want to take things too far.
“Good!” Yang Kang nodded, straightening himself up before leaping into the sky with Tang Yu Xian.
Since he was destined to be defeated, he would at least make one last stand, allowing himself to meekly be capture wasn’t the style of the Yang Family.
Tang Yu Xian took a half step forward and stood in front of Yang Kang, her lithe body emitting a faint light as a bitter smile crept onto her face, turning her eyes to Yang Kai and saying, “Little Lord, this day has finally come.”
If it wasn’t for the disaster which had befallen Qu Gao Yi and Ying Jiu, Tang Yu Xian and Tu Feng would right now be the ones standing beside Yang Kai, enjoying the sweet taste of victory again and again.
But… even though she was extremely unwilling to, Tang Yu Xian at this moment had to see Yang Kai as her enemy.
“Yu Xian, you don’t have to intervene this time, this is between me and Ninth Brother.” Yang Kang also understood the relationship between Tang Yu Xian and Yang Kai and shook his head slightly.
“Fifth Young Lord,” Tang Yu Xian smiled, the small dimples at the corners of her mouth gently showing. “Blood Warriors never abandon their duty. The only mission we Blood Warriors have in the Inheritance War is to protect you Young Lords, so even if you don’t allow it, for this battle, I must participate.”
Yang Kang couldn’t help feeling slightly moved.
The reason he chose Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian as his followers was originally to mess with Yang Kai, and over the past few months, he had continuously been suspicions of Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian’s loyalty. When he really confronted Yang Kai, he was afraid that they wouldn’t give it their all.
But now, it seemed like he had been wrong. Even in this doomed situation, Tang Yu Xian still insisted on fulfilling her responsibility as a Blood Warrior.
“I will accompany you then, Yu Xian!” Ying Jiu suddenly appeared and said.
The two Blood Warriors faced off against one another calmly until, suddenly, their True Qi became violent.
Soon, the Blood Force of both Tang Yu Xian and Ying Jiu began to surge upwards along with their True Qi, both reaching an entirely new realm of power.
Mad Tyrant Blood Skill! The two of them both possessed combat strength equivalent to Peak Immortal Ascension Boundary masters.
*Xiu xiu…*
The two figures disappeared at the same time, leaving behind only two red streaks of light smashing against one another in the night sky.
Down below, Old Demon felt these fluctuations and couldn’t help looking up, his expression becoming slightly dignified, “It seems that they really are somewhat capable.”
With their Mad Tyrant Blood Skill activated, Old Demon still felt like neither of them alone would be his opponent, but if he wanted to defeat either of them, it would take him some time.
Tang Yu Xian was occupied by Ying Jiu and the Qi Binding Seal prevented Tu Feng from fighting, so right now no one was guarding Yang Kang.
“Fifth Brother, after you!” Yang Kai stared at him, his expression indifferent.
Yang Kang’s face twisted awkwardly before he let out a long sigh, his eyes focusing as cold light flashed across them, his breathing gradually becoming calm as his aura turned sharp.
[Not bad!] Yang Kai thought to himself.
He suddenly discovered that his Fifth Brother wasn’t as impulsive as he had thought. Amongst their generation, he could be considered as one of the elites.
In battle, the more emotional you were, the more likely you were to find yourself at a disadvantage.
When cultivators fought, rather than momentum, cultivation, methods, or experience, the most important factor was one’s own temperament.
During a fight, if one became distracted by outside factors, it would be difficult for them to exert their full strength and it was more likely they would reveal flaws, some of which could be fatal.
A cultivator who rushed forward in a rage wouldn’t be able to make sensible decisions in battle and would gradually lose control of the situation, quite possibly costing them their life.
As soon as Yang Kang was about to fight, he forcefully calmed himself down, displaying the demeanor of a true master. If he was given another twenty years, he would definitely become one of this world’s powerhouses, but for now, he was still too young.
Although Yang Kai was technically younger than him, his range of experiences was far broader. Different life experiences would naturally cause people to mature at different rates.
“Ninth Brother, you being able to exchange blows with Liu Qing Yao means I am definitely not your opponent.” Yang Kang said calmly, he didn’t seem to think admitting this was shameful in the slightest, “But if you want to beat me, you’ll have to pay a price!”
As he spoke, a compass-like object appeared on his wrist.
Seeing this, Yang Kai’s expression changed slightly, frowning towards Yang Kang as he asked, “Why bother?”
“I am a Yang Family direct descendant. You should have already been well aware of our Yang Family member’s temperaments!” Yang Kang sneered; however, his expression still remained indifferent.
A faint trace of lightning suddenly emerged from the compass and the space around Yang Kang seemed to creek under the force as a dangerous atmosphere spread out from him.
Yang Kai immediately moved, shooting out like a lightning bolt, fast and decisive, sending a palm strike straight towards Yang Kang’s chest. The palm print was bright red, obviously filled with True Yang Yuan Qi, and gave off a stifling aura.
Yang Kang simply stared at this palm print calmly, not making any attempt to dodge.
*Peng…*
Yang Kang coughed and was thrown backwards, but he still smiled and let out a great laugh, “Ninth Brother, try the power of this Mysterious Grade artifact!”
The compass on his hand seemed to instantly swallow all of his body’s True Qi and in a flash, a brilliant light blossomed and potent energy fluctuation rippled through the air.
*Kachaca…*
A lightning bolt as thick as a human thigh suddenly shot out from the compass. This lightning bolt transformed into a giant, extremely lifelike dragon, two sharp horns adorning its head, its body several tens of meters in length, its mouth fiercely biting as it flew towards Yang Kai as if pouncing towards its prey.
Yang Kai swiftly withdrew, his figure flickering a few times before finally reappearing several hundred meters away.
The lightning dragon’s first strike had been avoided and it quickly flew up into the night sky and disappeared, but Yang Kai still felt a cold chill run up his back. Without any hesitation, he summoned the Thousand Blossoming Blood Begonia and used the thousand blood-red petals to form an impervious defense layer.
Without any warning, the lightning dragon that had just disappeared suddenly reappeared around Yang Kai and once again fiercely attacked.
The petals fluttered as the lightning dragon swayed and when the two collided together, a tremendous explosion burst out.
Seeing Yang Kai wrapped up in the lightning dragon, Yang Kang grinned. He didn’t use any probing strikes or hold back at all, he put everything he had into this one blow because he knew that with Ninth Brother’s combat strength, this would be his one and only chance.
[It’s just a pity… I only managed to half refine this artifact.]
The compass was the Mysterious Grade artifact he had obtained during the artifact snatching battle at Po Jing Lake. It contained a mysterious and powerful lightning. This lightning was both swift and overbearing; if he was able to completely refine it, Yang Kang felt that simply relying on this artifact he could compete with ordinary Immortal Ascension Boundary Fifth Stage masters.
Unfortunately, Yang Kai didn’t give him that opportunity.
As a last resort, Yang Kang how no choice but to use this half-refined artifact to unleash this strike.
The price he had to pay to do this was huge.
Without completely refining this artifact, Yang Kang was unable to properly control it. The moment the lightning dragon appeared, he too was subjected to a huge backlash. Similarly, due to his lack of control, the lightning dragon could not display its full might. Worse of all, activating an artifact without being fully consolidating it had led to its demise. It will no longer be of any use unless an Artifact Refining Grandmaster was to repair it. Only after that could this artifact collect lightning from its surrounds and be used again.
Using it this was brought great harm to both the cultivator and artifact, so no cultivator would easily do such a thing.
Of course, this wasn’t as bad as when Liu Qing Yao sacrificed his Water Moon Blue Wave Armour. That Mysterious Grade artifact had disappeared completely and there was no chance of repairing it, but in exchange it had not caused Liu Qing Yao any backlash.
However… Yang Kang was satisfied.
Even if his Ninth Brother was ridiculously strong, could he block the full powered strike of a Mysterious Grade artifact? As long as he managed to injure him, Yang Kang felt like he had achieved his goal – even if he lost, he had made his enemy pay a heavy price!
Qiu Yi Meng was also worried about Yang Kai when she saw him engulfed by the lightning dragon, her brow leaking cold sweat as she naturally noticed the tyrannical power of this attack, uncertain if Yang Kai could block it.
But seeing Xiao Shun standing next to her still wearing an indifferent expression, Qiu Yi Meng secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
If Yang Kai’s life was really in any danger, Xiao Shun wouldn’t have just stood by and watched, no matter what, Yang Kai’s safety was the highest priority.
*Hua…*
In the sky, the blood-red petals suddenly scattered and fluttered down, bringing a floral scent with them.
The Thousand Blossoming Blood Begonia’s defense… was broken through!
Qiu Yi Meng couldn’t help shouting, but before she could catch her breath, a fierce suction appeared in Yang Kai’s position.
It was as if a great whirlpool had formed mid-air that fiercely pulled in all the lightning around it. Even though the lightning dragon put up a fierce resistance, it was unable to stop itself from being devoured.
Soon, the lightning dragon flickered and disappeared, leaving behind a completely unscathed Yang Kai. At this moment, he held a table sized bone shield in his hand, which has had a giant open mouth carved on its face.
Around the open mouth, there seemed to be a few residual traces of lightning.
“These Mysterious Grade artifacts are really amazing.” Yang Kai slowly shook his head. His Thousand Blossoming Blood Begonia couldn’t resist the attack of the Mysterious Grade Compass so he had no choice but to summon the bone shield and swallow the lightning dragon.
“Damn it!” Witnessing this scene, Yang Kang couldn’t help cursing, his body losing all strength as he began falling from the sky.
The compass had sucked up all of his True Qi so he was unable to continue fighting. He had hoped that his strongest blow just now could at least cause some trouble for Yang Kai. Injuring him would be even better.
As for killing Yang Kai, Yang Kang didn’t even consider the possibility. Given Yang Kai’s incredible combat strength, Yang Kang knew he didn’t have the ability to kill him, and even if he did have the necessary strength, he still wouldn’t dare have such thoughts, after all, the two of them were still brothers.
But seeing him use that bone shield to completely ignore his last ditch attack really made him feel aggrieved and unwilling.
Xiao Shun glanced at Yang Kai and saw him nod his head, the former shooting forward and catching Yang Kang before carrying him down to the ground and declaring, “Fifth Young Lord, you’ve lost.”
“What are you so smug about?” Yang Kang coldly snorted, bitterly spitting, “It wasn’t you who beat me.”
Yang Kang’s face was slightly smudged black and his hair was slightly charred, when he had released the lightning dragon, he was affected by it so he had suffered some injuries and his appearance was messed up.
Resisting the urge to smile, Xiao Shun simple nodded, “Please don’t be angry Fifth Young Lord, you should quickly return to the Central Capital and tend to your injuries.”
“Mind your own damn business!” Yang Kang’s mood was obviously not very good and Xiao Shun no longer paid him any mind, quickly returning to his previous position.
The fight between the two Yang Family Young Lords was decided in a single blow; seeing this, all the cultivators down below gradually ceased their resistance.
After all, Yang Kang had already been captured, which meant that he had been eliminated from the Inheritance War. Since he was out already, continuing to resist was meaningless.
On the other side, Gao Rang Feng looked at Huo Xing Chen helplessly, grinned, and shook his head, “Young Lord Huo, since Fifth Young Lord lost, there’s no need for us to continue fighting.”
“We haven’t decided a victor yet, why are you so anxious? They are them, we are us, come come, let’s continue our fight!” Huo Xing Chen said with a wretched smile, apparently still full of enthusiasm.
Seeing this, Gao Rang Feng reluctantly grit his teeth and said, “This Gao admits Young Lord Huo is the victor. I am not your opponent.”
In truth, he was also speechless. Never had he expected that this pleasure seeking delinquent Young Lord would be able to so easily overpower him even though the two had equal cultivations.
[This is impossible. When did Huo Xing Chen become so strong?]
“Well, as long as you say so.” Huo Xing Chen laughed when he heard Gao Rang Feng back down; now in a good mood he called out happily, “Brother Gao, this fight hasn’t dampened our friendship, right?”
“Yes, yes.” Gao Rang Feng actually disliked Huo Xing Chen quite a bit, even feeling somewhat ashamed that they shared similar status, so although he paid him some lip service, he was actually thinking that the two of them didn’t share any friendship in the first place.
“Hahaha, good, I’ll be sure to invite you to the brothel next time!” Huo Xing Chen shamelessly said, making no attempt to conceal his voice.
Gao Rang Feng’s face went black, seemingly too embarrassed to answer.
“I understand, we’re both men after all.” The Huo Family Young Lord laughed wretchedly once more.
When the dust settled, Yang Kang had lost.
But in a corner of the battlefield, Dong Qing Han was still facing off against the Lu Family’s Young Master. Lu Song’s strength wasn’t bad; he had fought against Dong Qing Han at Po Jing Lake a few days ago, so both of them were familiar with each other’s methods.
Tonight, Dong Qing Han had deliberately sought him out, quickly drawing Lu Song into a fight.
However, Lu Song had never thought that after only a few days, Dong Qing Han’s strength would actually increase so much. After only a few rounds, Lu Song was defeated without even being able to fight back. Now, all he could do was awkwardly run from his attacker.
[What’s gotten into this guy tonight? How is he able to continuously display such strength?] Lu Song thought to himself as he fled in panic, his face bruised and swollen.
“Run! Run from this Young Master! Let’s see just how far you can flee!” Dong Qing Han hollered spitefully, his slightly chubby body flickering as he appeared in front of Lu Song again, slapping his palm towards his face.
Lu Song raised his arms to defend himself, but his opponent was too quick and agile and changed the direction of his palm before he could react.
With a bang, Lu Song felt a stinging pain on his face.
As the saying goes, beat others to cover up your weakness, curse others to hide your shortcomings, Dong Qing Han behaving so roguishly almost made Lu Song vomit blood. He was also the Young Lord of a first-class family, but with so many eyes on this battlefield staring at him, how could he possibly prevent this shameful display from being spread around?
“Dong Qing Han, don’t push me too far!” Lu Song roared as he pulled away from Dong Qing Han.
“If I push you too far, what exactly will happen?” Dong Fatzi sent another slap towards his face.
*Pa…*
The anger in Lu Song’s heart burned furiously, completely overwhelming his ability to think, yet he still was unable to stop a single one of Dong Qing Han’s attacks, his eyes turning bloodshot as his face was slapped once again.
“Blind fool, why haven’t you scrammed out of War City yet?!” Dong Qing Han spat disdainfully while releasing another slap.
“Cousin!” Lu Song screamed towards a certain young woman floating nearby.
“No one can save you now!” Dong Qing Han shouted and slapped again.
Up in the sky, Qiu Yi Meng glanced over briefly, shook her head, then completely ignored Lu Song’s plea for help.
After he was driven out of the house by Yang Kai that day, Qiu Yi Meng had privately talked to him, telling him to leave War City as soon as possible, and to forget about participating in the Inheritance War. This was Qiu Yi Meng’s final kindness to Lu Song, knowing he had eyes that failed to recognize his situation and had offended someone he absolutely should not have offended, bringing a calamity to the Lu Family.
But this little brat ignored her warning entirely and ran and hired himself to Yang Kang after licking his wounds so he could seek revenge on Yang Kai.
Now wanting to ask for her help… it was far too late.
Dong Qing Han wouldn’t kill him, but maybe after suffering this kind of humiliation he would open his eyes and realize that the Inheritance War wasn’t something he was qualified to participate in.
The scene became tranquil. After Yang Kang fell from the sky, everyone stopped fighting, the only exception was Dong Qing Han who was in no hurry to torment Lu Song, the latter squealing like a pig every so often, sending chills up people’s spines.
The atmosphere amongst Yang Kang’s allies was bleak. In this battle, all of them had suffered heavy losses, and the total number of casualties reaching over fifty percent, none of them had imagined things would end this way.
Although the strength Yang Kang had gathered wasn’t the strongest, it also wasn’t the weakest. Even if someone were to beat them, they hadn’t thought it would become a one sided slaughter.
Unfortunately, staring around at this bloody reality shook them awake.
Without anyone knowing, Yang Kai had silently managed to gather the power to overwhelm any of the other Yang Family Young Lords.
Staring up at the young man floating high in the sky, many couldn’t help showing a look of powerlessness.
“Retrieve the flag!” Yang Kai indifferently ordered.
Xiao Shun’s figure flickered as he disappeared into Yang Kang’s mansion to claim the final prize; no one stood in his way, no one dared.
Losing his flag also meant that Yang Kang had been completely eliminated.
Lying on the ground, Yang Kang slowly closed his eyes, from this point forward, everything that happened in War City had nothing to do with him.
“This Young Lord offers you a chance to live!” Yang Kai shouted as he looked down at the remaining cultivators in Yang Kang’s compound.
Everyone couldn’t help holding their breath as they listened with rapt attention.
“Collect all the supplies in my Fifth Brother’s house and deliver them to me, then leave War City and don’t return, otherwise… I will show you no mercy!”
No one answered. No one even accused him of robbery since all of this was what Yang Kai deserved as the victor.
After experiencing the brutal slaughter tonight, the cultivators lucky enough to survive had no courage to remain, not to mention, Yang Kang had already agreed to this condition with Yang Kai before, since their leader had accepted this deal, as his allies they should support him till the end.
“Does anyone not understand? If you don’t understand, there’s no need to think about it, you can just remain here forever!” Yang Kai said coldly as he swept his eyes over the crowd.
“We understand, rest assured Ninth Young Lord, we understand!” Someone shouted, obviously afraid that Yang Kai would lose patience with them and simply kill them off.
“En.” Yang Kai nodded slightly.
“We should hurry back.” Qiu Yi Meng whispered in a dignified tone, cautiously hinting, “I wanted to end this quickly, but now that you’ve dragged things so long. There aren’t many people left back at the mansion, if Yang Shen or Yang Ying hear about this who knows what action they’ll take.”
Yang Kai’s house’s defence was currently at less than half strength. When Yang Shen and Yang Ying got wind of this, they would certainly bring as many of their forces as possible and try to seize his flag.
Even if Qu Gao Yi was there, it would still be difficult to fend them off!
“I did it intentionally!” Yang Kai grinned slightly.
“What do you mean?”
“Sixth Brother and Seventh Brother should be leading their forces over right now, right?” Yang Kai replied carelessly.
“Are you sure they have already taken action?” Qiu Yi Meng beautiful face paled.
“Of course.” Yang Kai nodded.
“Then why aren’t you worried at all?” Qiu Yi Meng almost shouted, she really didn’t understand why Yang Kai would deliberately delay here for so long so that Yang Shen and Yang Ying would attack him.
“Don’t worry about it, the flag will be fine,” Yang Kai shook his head lightly. Although Qu Gao Yi wasn’t enough to ensure the flag’s safety, Meng Wu Ya was also in the house.
Although Treasurer Meng said that he wouldn’t intervene in the Inheritance War, but if a crisis came knocking at his door, he obviously wouldn’t just stand idly by; Yang Kai had absolute confidence in him.
“Tonight is a rare opportunity!” Yang Kai chuckled, “Sixth Brother’s place is the closer of the two, so we’ll head there.”
Qiu Yi Meng went stiff as she stared at Yang Kai, “How much do you want to end tonight?”
“As much as possible.” Yang Kai replied casually.
Tonight was indeed a rare opportunity!
Yang Kai had refined his Mysterious Grade artifact many days in advance of his brothers and with the arrival of Old Demon and the restoration of Ying Jiu, his current advantage was massive.
These advantages could only be exposed once, the next time he wanted to use them his brothers would surely have made preparations and their effect would be significantly reduced.
Yang Zhao’s House.
Yang Zhao could only smile wryly and lead a group of cultivators to confront Yang Wei in front of his gate.
The two brothers simply exchanged a few words then stood back, no fighting broke out.
Yang Zhao knew that his Eldest Brother was simply here to stop him from deploying his forces and had no real intention to fight with him.
Suddenly, someone rushed over and whispered something into Yang Zhao’s ear, causing the latter’s expression to sink.
At the same time, someone also came up to Yang Wei and relayed the same information.
A moment later, the two brothers exchanged a glance and Yang Zhao said, “Big Brother, how much about Ninth Brother’s current strength do you know?”
“I know a bit, but I didn’t expect him to be this powerful.” Yang Wei shrugged lightly.
Yang Kang being eliminated was a result they had expected, but Yang Kai basically not losing any manpower in order to accomplish this came as a surprise.
Whether it was Yang Wei or Yang Zhao, they both felt that even if Ninth Brother beat Fifth Brother, it would be a costly victory; after all, when one attacked and the other defended, the latter occupied a significant advantage.
But now that they received news of the battle, both of them couldn’t help showing some signs of surprise and dread on their faces.
“Big Brother, listen to me, how about the two of us join forces? Ninth Brother is too strong, this time he easily defeated Fifth Brother, if we sit back and do nothing he will continue to grow stronger. Once that happens, even if we do unite it will be difficult to win.”
Yang Wei’s brow furrowed and he didn’t respond immediately.
Yang Zhao smiled and continued, “Big Brother, what is there to hesitate about? Ninth Brother is strong now. If I’m right, his next goal will be either Sixth Brother or Seventh Brother. After defeating both of them, we’ll become his only obstacles, if confrontation is inevitable, why not join forces now and eliminate him first?”
However, Yang Wei just shook his head, “My allying with him tonight was a one-time deal, but if he wants to defeat Six Brother and Seventh Brother, I’m afraid he’ll still need some time. When he really sets his eyes on us, it won’t be too late to join hands to resist.”
Yang Zhao hesitated for a moment before nodding, “Very well.”
“Since we’re done here, I’ll head back first.” Yang Wei no longer said anything and immediately led his group away.
Watching Yang Wei’s figure disappear, Yang Zhao’s brow wrinkled deeply as he muttered, “Ninth Brother, oh Ninth Brother. Just what kind of monsters have you recruited that allowed you pull this off?”
After pondering for a moment, Yang Zhao quickly found the person who had just reported to him and asked him for more details about the battle at Yang Kang’s compound.
Upon learning about the bloody methods of Old Demon, Yang Zhao couldn’t help feeling shocked, “Isn’t he a demon?”
“According to this subordinate’s observations, he is indeed a demon! Fifth Young Lord’s cultivators were completely helpless against that master. Without him, Fifth Young Lord wouldn’t have suffered such a tragic loss.”
Before, at the artifact snatching battle, the supporters of the brothers were all basically equal in strength, even if there were some gaps, they weren’t big, therefore, no one dared take the initiative to attack anyone else, none of them wanted to drop a stone on their own foot after picking it up.
However, after the battle at Po Jing Lake, Yang Kai suddenly managed to open a wide gap in strength between him and his brothers which brought great shock to Yang Zhao.
Who exactly was this bloodthirsty demon? Why had he never heard of him before?
“Xin Rou.” Yang Zhao quietly called.
“What orders does Second Young Lord have?” Ye Xin Rou walked up and softly asked.
“Is there any word about that mysterious master yet?”
Ye Xin Rou slowly shook her head, “Not yet, since that person disappeared at Po Jing Lake, he hasn’t appeared again.”
“Continue looking for him!” Yang Zhao frowned, “Be sure to find that person and recruit him to our side no matter what!”
The mysterious master who appeared at Po Jing Lake had taken away the eighth Mysterious Grade artifact; it wasn’t just Yang Kai who cared about her identity, Yang Zhao was also quite concerned with her.
If he could win over such a powerful master, Yang Zhao wouldn’t have to fear Yang Kai. Thinking so, Yang Zhao naturally spared no effort to inquire about her; unfortunately, after so many days, there was still now news.
Tonight, Yang Kai suddenly attacked Yang Kang and Eldest Brother Yang Wei led people to contain Yang Zhao. Their actions led the two battlefields to be filled with smoke, shrouded with a tense atmosphere.
After receiving the news, Yang Shen saw an opportunity that he could use and immediately sent word to Yang Ying. The two of them organized quickly and brought a large number of their allies to attack Yang Kai’s house and seize his flag.
At this time, Yang Wei, Yang Zhao, Yang Kai, and Yang Kang had committed their full attention to the situation in front of them and deployed a great deal of their forces, seemingly leaving their rear open to attack.
In order to ensure victory, whether it was Yang Shen or Yang Ying, not only did they bring their sole remaining Blood Warriors, they also brought seventy percent of their allies as well.
They wanted to break through Yang Kai’s remaining defences as quickly as possible.
Not to mention the ambitious Yang Shen, anyone who found themselves in these circumstances would make such a decision.
It could even be said that this was the only proper course of action to take.
However, Yang Shen had seriously miscalculated the situation.
He had thought that Yang Kai and Yang Kang would fight for a long time and that he and Yang Ying could easily capture the flag hanging in Yang Kai’s mansion.
In his mind, he had already imagined the scene where he and Yang Ying won a brilliant victory and returned in triumph before Yang Kai and Yang Kang had decided a winner.
The two groups acted swiftly and soon gathered outside Yang Kai’s compound.
After a few exchanges, the cultivators in Yang Kai’s house were unable to hold their ground and were forced to retreat.
The only forces that remained to defend the house were Ten Thousand Flower Palace, Soaring Feather Pavilion, Xiang Family, Reflecting Moon Sect, Blood Battle Gang, and Ghost King Valley, how could these few people resist the combined forces of Yang Shen and Yang Ying?
Qiu Yi Meng and Huo Xing Chen were both gone, so at first everyone was like a headless fly, but Ten Thousand Flower Palace’s Big Senior Sister Han Xiao Qi remained calm and collected.
Under her steady command, the remaining forces gradually stabilized their positions.
Unfortunately, the absolute disparity in strength still made everyone feel powerless to resist.
Yang Shen and Yang Ying were both overjoyed and quickly entered the main hall to snatch the flag.
Upon their arrival, Qu Gao Yi didn’t hesitate to activate his Mad Tyrant Blood Skill and charge straight into the fray, displaying the determination to block ten thousand men with his body alone! After falling into a delicate stalemate here, Yang Shen and Yang Ying both became somewhat anxious.
At that moment, one of their allies ran over and reported a shocking piece of news.
Yang Kang had been defeated!
His defeat was also overwhelming, to that point that he was unable to retaliate! Yang Kai had then led his allies and retreated from Yang Kang’s compound.
Yang Shen and Yang Ying were both so shocked that they didn’t hesitate to lead their own Blood Warriors into the fight in an attempt to end things here before Yang Kai returned.
Qu Gao Yi’s strength was amazing, but in the end he was just one man; on top of that, either of Yang Shen and Yang Ying’s Blood Warriors could tie him down.
When the two Yang Family Young Lords and their respective Blood Warriors joined the battle, Qu Gao Yi was outnumbered and unable to fully defend the hall.
Just as the flag was about to fall into their hands though, a white-haired old man suddenly appeared. His expression was extremely strained and bitter, as if he was extremely reluctant to even be here, yet he still easily blocked the cultivator that was approaching the flag.
Yang Shen and Yang Ying’s eyes both went red; victory was within their sight, yet out of nowhere this damn old man had shown up and blocked them.
In this situation, how could they be willing to give up? Both of them immediately commanded the numerous masters on their side to attack!
They soon discovered though that the strength of this old man was extraordinary; together with Qu Gao Yi and the remaining Immortal Ascension masters from Yang Kai’s allies, the flag’s defence was impenetrable, not even a mosquito could break through.
For a long time, Yang Shen and Yang Ying desperately attacked.
But to their surprise, Yang Kai still hadn’t returned yet.
Thinking about this odd situation, an astonishing possibility suddenly came to mind. Before they could even say anything though, one of their allied cultivators ran over to them in a panic and screamed, “Sixth Young Lord, it’s a disaster! Ninth Young Lord took his people to attack our base instead of returning here!”
Hearing this, Yang Shen suddenly felt like he had been thrown into a tub of ice cold water!
He had planned to take advantage of the weak defence at Yang Kai’s house, how was he to know that after defeating Yang Kang, Yang Kai would have the exact same idea?
“Sixth Brother…” Yang Ying shot a terrified glance towards Yang Shen.
“Retreat!” Yang Shen immediately roared, how could he dare hesitate? There was no chance of victory here and his backyard was already on fire, Yang Shen obviously had no intention of sticking around.
Yang Ying ground his teeth and glared hatefully towards the white haired old man, also giving the order to retreat to his troops.
Halfway back to his house, Yang Shen suddenly ran into a group of familiar cultivators and his face immediately went pale.
“Sixth Young Lord!” The cultivators also saw Yang Shen and Yang Ying and quickly approached, tears and snot still pouring out of their eyes and noses as they bitterly sobbed, “Ninth Young Lord was too shameless, he rushed into the mansion with his forces then robbed and slaughtered wantonly, we… we couldn’t resist and failed to protect the flag!”
Yang Shen couldn’t help falling to the ground, with a deep sorrow and despair covering his face.
He was definitely tonight’s biggest loser.
Against Yang Kang, Yang Kai had launched a frontal assault, and although Yang Kang wasn’t his opponent and was ultimately defeated, he still put up a fight. However, what about himself? Just because he thought he was clever and tried to take advantage of the situation, he instead had been plotted against and eliminated without even the chance to resist!
Never had he expected the battle between Yang Kai and Yang Kang to end so quickly, and never had he imagined that Yang Kai’s remaining defense would be so strong.
One wrong move and he had lost everything!
“Sixth Brother…” Yang Ying stuttered, unsure of how he should comfort him, only able to softly call out to him.
Yang Shen suddenly became extremely calm and in a solemn voice said, “Seventh Brother, take Six Brother to the main family and exchange me for some supplies. In addition, take these remaining cultivators with you!”
“Sixth Brother!” Yang Ying’s cried out as his jaw dropped, but he once again didn’t know what to say. The two of them were blood related brothers and during the Inheritance War they had naturally helped one another so now that he had lost his flag and been eliminated, all Yang Shen could do was strengthen Yang Ying’s position as best he could.
“What are you still standing around for!? Ninth Brother’s appetite is limitless! After he finishes with my house he will definitely head for yours. Go back now!” Yang Shen roared.
These words shook Yang Ying out of his stupor, only nodding once to Yang Shen before hurriedly bringing his forces back to his base.
“Sixth Young Lord, since you’ve been eliminated, this Luo Hai will take his leave.” The Blood Warrior beside Yang Shen suddenly said.
Yang Shen glanced over at him and said with a wry smile, “Are you going to Ninth Brother’s place?”
Luo Hai nodded, not making any attempt to deny.
“Have you been waiting for this day for a long time?” Yang Shen sneered, seemingly quite angry.
Luo Hai however remaining unmoved, not even answering.
“Why do all you Blood Warriors insist on supporting Ninth Brother? Does he really have such great ability that all of you are willing to serve him?” Yang Shen said enviously, his tone filled with deep weakness.
“Why we Blood Warriors wish to support Ninth Young Lord is something you, Sixth Young Lord should understand.” Luo Hai replied.
“Just because he chose Qu Gao Yi and Ying Jiu? Such a small thing was really enough to earn all of your gratitude?”
“Yes!” Luo Hai firmly declared.
Seeing this, Yang Shen let out a long sigh and, feeling slightly disheartened, waved his hand, “Go. You’ve worked hard. Thank you.”
Luo Hai politely cupped his fists before turning around and leaving.
Looking at Luo Hai’s receding figure, Yang Shen smiled wryly. He too had the opportunity to recruit Qu Gao Yi and Ying Jiu. Not just him, all the Yang Family Young Lords with enough merits had his opportunity, but none of them could grab hold of it. Only Ninth Brother had this ability.
If he had been the first to recruit Qu Gao Yi and Ying Jiu, would all the Blood Warriors now be choosing to support him? Certainly, but that was only under the premise that he was able to last until now.
At the time, Qu Gao Yi and Ying Jiu were both seriously injured, unable to display even thirty percent of their full strength. None of them dared to pick them as their guards.
Even until now, Yang Shen didn’t understand what Heaven defying means his Ninth Brother had used to heal Qu Gao Yi and Ying Jiu’s injuries and grow from the weakest position to one that dominated above all of them.
Yang Shen’s House!
A group of people excitedly sorted through the supplies in Yang Shen’s warehouse, grinning happily as they carried box after box out with them, fully enjoying this rich harvest.
Seventy percent of Yang Shen’s forces had gone out with him, so when Yang Kai arrived here, he encountered almost no resistance and captured the house almost immediately.
The whole process was swift and easy.
When the cultivators in the house fled, Yang Kai didn’t bother pursuing them, only ordering his people to ransack the house and take away the materials.
“Yan Ling Xing greets Little Lord!” A burly man with freckles on his face came up to Yang Kai and said politely.
Yang Kai glanced at this man before nodding slightly.
This person was the Blood Warrior who had been protecting Yang Shen during the artifact snatching battle at Po Jing Lake and like Tu Feng had been affected by the Qi Binding Seal, his True Qi being sealed and losing all combat strength.
At this moment, he was no different from an ordinary person except for his great physical strength.
When all the the cultivators in Yang Shen’s house ran away, only he stayed behind.
“This subordinate is willing to follow Little Lord into battle and hopes Little Lord will not refuse!” Yan Ling Xing quickly said.
“I also had such intentions.”
Hearing these words, Yan Ling Xing grinned happily and offered his thanks.
Qiu Yi Meng watched this scene and couldn’t help shaking her head and smiling.
She had read many records of the Yang Family Inheritance War, and knew that in the past, whenever a Yang Family Young Lord was defeated, the Blood Warriors around him would become recruitment targets for the other Young Lord’s. The sudden availability of these Blood Warriors would send the remaining Young Lords into a frantic battle to win them over.
But this time, all of the Blood Warriors who became ‘free’, without exception, immediately chose to follow Yang Kai.
Qiu Yi Meng couldn’t understand just what kind of charm this bastard possessed that allowed him to obtain the loyalty of the entire Blood Warrior Hall.
If this scene just now had been seen by Yang Wei, Yang Zhao, or any of Yang Kai’s other brothers, their eyes would probably have gone red with jealousy.
“Yang Kai, where do we go now?” Qiu Yi Meng was too lazy to think about it and simply asked.
“Home of course. Where else do you want to go?” Yang Kai looked at her and grinned.
Seeing the smug look on his face, Qiu Yi Meng couldn’t help spitting disdainfully, “I thought you would lead us to Yang Ying’s House.”
To this comment laced with sarcasm, Yang Kai just shook his head, “I have no such plan for the time being; Seventh Brother should have gathered all of his and Sixth Brother’s forces and returned to his compound by now. If we were to attack them, our losses wouldn’t be small. We’ll wait a few days and then talk about it. As for tonight… this harvest is big enough.”
“Why, how modest of you.” Qiu Yi Meng snorted.
This harvest was far more than ‘big enough’, it was simply a bumper crop!
Yang Kang was defeated, his flag and supplies all collected, and Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian had been recruited.
Yang Shen was defeated, his flag and supplies all collected, and Yan Ling Xing and Luo Hai had been recruited.
In just one night, the strength of Yang Kai’s forces had increased massively. Also, the amount of war material at his disposal had more than doubled.
The sun was shining in the sky awash with colour.
Yang Kai’s mansion was full of excitement, just like the New Year, and the cultivators who were coming and going were all smiling and happy.
In last night’s battle, Yang Kai almost became the only winner, and these cultivators who followed naturally felt excited.
In the courtyard, thousands of Alchemy and Artifact Refining materials were arranged in a dazzling display.
These materials were all seized from both Yang Kang’s and Yang Shen’s houses.
Before the Inheritance War began, Yang Kai was collecting Alchemy and Artifact Refining materials, and others naturally did the same. After the start of the Inheritance War, those who used to rely on Yang Kang and Yang Shen also carried a lot of supplies.
Coupled with the materials they had collected over the past few months, it can be said that every Young Lord had gathered an amazing amount of wealth and supplies.
The two treasuries of Yang Kang and Yang Shen had now been cleared out by Yang Kai, the materials now belonging to him.
In each box, each material was labelled with the name of the material, the role, and the age of the material.
As soon as a skilled Artifact Refiner or Alchemist took a glance, they would know how to use these materials.
The leaders of all forces gathered, and all of them had a look of excitement on their faces.
“See for yourself if there are any material that can be taken for cultivation. If any suit you, you don’t need to be polite. You can take it yourself.” Yang Kai announced. His words agitated his followers, who had nothing to say. They immediately started searching through the materials.
The women were holding back from embarrassment and fidgeted about for a while. Huo Xing Chen and others could be seen putting a lot of materials into their arms before the women bit their teeth and went forward to find suitable materials for cultivation.
In a short time, everyone found one or two materials that were suitable for their own use, and they were happy to collect them. Even Qiu Yi Meng had found a pearl-like object that exuded a radiant glow and carefully put it away in her clothes.
“What are you looking for?” Qiu Yi Meng looked at Yang Kai.
“It’s all mine, so why should I look for something?” Yang Kai smiled and said, “Wait for people to sort out these materials then send them to the Pill Room and Artifact Refining rooms.”
“I know.” Qiu Yi Meng worked hard with no complaints, she turned to him and asked, “Who is your next target?”
“Let’s talk about that later.”
Last night, not only did they harvest these supplies, but also the loyalty of four more Blood Warriors.
Tu Feng, Tang Yu Xian, Luo Hai, Yan Ling Xing! All of them were at Immortal Ascension Boundary Eighth Stage and could be considered to be at the apex of this stage.
However, Tu Feng and Yan Ling Xing were both restrained by the Qi Binding Seal and sought help from Meng Wu Ya to undo the seal.
Tang Yu Xian and Ying Jiu had an altercation that cost them too much strength. Ying Jiu did not retreat, and both of them had used the Mad Tyrant Blood Skill, neither holding back.
Their relationship is loyal, but only loyal to the Yang Family philosophy: They were to guard the young Lord and spare no effort.
When Qu Gao Yi guarded the flag last night, he was hit hard. The unrestrained True Qi and Spiritual Energy that crashed into him placed a huge burden on his body.
So at this time, Yang Kai’s house seems to be strong and resilient, but in fact, the only Blood Warriors that could be of use are Xiao Shun and Luo Hai, who were the most recent addition to Yang Kai’s followers.
With just these two Blood Warriors and Old Demon, attacking any of the remaining three Young lords was not an option because there was no advantage.
Especially now that Yang Ying had Yang Shen’s men added as his followers. His group had grown to be the largest out of all the Yang Family contestants. If one were to judge their overall might, it would no doubt be amongst the top.
Besides, Eldest Brother Yang Wei was always calm and collected, and Yang Kai estimates that he held back when containing Yang Zhao.
Meanwhile, Yang Zhao was the most secretive of the brothers in War City and may be more difficult to deal with than Yang Ying.
Therefore, Yang Kai was not prepared to take any action in the near future. As a result, the cultivators in Yang Kai’s group of followers needed to cultivate and raise their own strength. Second, he himself needed to consolidate the foundation of the True Element Boundary Ninth Stage.
Everyone had to wait until the Blood Warriors restored their strength before the storm arrives.
The news of last night’s battle was also quickly spread throughout the Central Capital and War City.
The result of Yang Kai defeating his two brothers in one night had shocked everyone. Old Demon’s cruel means are more exaggerated and embellished to describe the extreme bloody means. Therefore, everyone would know that there was a demon among Yang Kai’s followers.
Yang Kai was secretly frightened.
Central Capital Eight Great Families, and the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land had always been incompatible with each other, and the two had a terrible battle only half a year ago, both sides suffered losses. Yang Ying Hao, the head of Yang Family, was jointly wounded by the Profound Yin Ghost King and the Annihilating Poison King. Yang Ying Hao used a secret method to drive out the injury, but it drained his 30 years of his lifespan.
During this sensitive period, Yang Kai actually dared to collude with a demon, which was simply too bold.
If this information was used by his enemies, it was likely to bring some unimaginable changes and turnarounds to the Inheritance War.
Surprisingly, when Old Demon had entered War City, the eight Above Immortal Ascension Boundary elders in Seal Temple didn’t even intervene. Yang Kai wondered if the eight Above Immortal Ascension Boundary elders had acquiesced in Old Demon’s actions.
Looking back at the results of last night’s battle, everyone knew that the Yang Family was afraid to reprimand Yang Kai after all the miraculous deeds he accomplished.
The Yang Family disliked the slow progress of the Inheritance War, so they set up a thousand artifacts as a primer to lure them into battle, and finally planted Qi Binding Seal in eight Mysterious Grade artifacts, imprisoning six Blood Warriors.
Without the six Blood Warriors stirring up the Inheritance War, the progress of the Inheritance War would undoubtedly speed up a lot.
However with Ying Jiu suddenly dismissing the Qi Binding Seal, Yang Kai had one more Blood Warrior. This meant that Yang Kai has two top-notch strengths over the other Young Lords!
Without these two people, Yang Kai could not accomplish the feat that he pulled off last night.
In other words, the Po Jing Lake event, which was hosted by the Yang Family had indirectly helped Yang Kai win last nights battle.
The path of fate is like curved roads, twisting and turning. However, in all periods throughout history, there have always been geniuses that could foresee what is ahead and control it.
After this war, the power of Yang Kai’s group had completely eclipsed the other Young Lords! Everyone knew that in the Inheritance War, the one with the last laugh would undoubtedly be Yang Kai.
There is almost no suspense!
In Yang Kai’s Mansion, after everyone found the right material, they went into closed door cultivation and Yang Kai was preparing to go find his Little Senior Sister to ease his physical and mental exhaustion. While he was at it, he also planned to get some pills for cultivation. However, before he could see her, a message was suddenly passed from the outside.
“Ninth Young Lord, Lu Liang seeks an audience. He also hopes that the Young Lord will give him a chance to speak!”
“Lu Liang?” Yang Kai furrowed his brows and glanced at Qiu Yi Meng. “Your uncle is here.”
Qiu Yi Meng glanced at him and frowned. “I am afraid it’s because of what Lu Song did.”
”You should see to it. I am occupied.” Yang Kai said freely.
”No, people have come to see you. If you avoid seeing them, you will raise suspicion.”
”What’s wrong? He is only here because of Lu Song to apologize for his actions, and I have to go out. I don’t know what else to say, but you are cousins. There is nothing wrong with opening up and saying what’s on your mind. That’s it.” Yang Kai finished, not waiting for Qiu Yi Meng’s reply, and walked to the back hall.
Qiu Yi Meng sighed and thought that what Yang Kai said was reasonable. She told the cultivator next to him to send the materials in the yard to the Pill Room and Artifact Refining room, then stepped out with a look of helplessness. Lu Liang would come to see her. For what reason, Qiu Yi Meng can almost guess from what he said, but just because she guessed it, she felt helpless.
At the door, Qiu Yi Meng saw Lu Liang standing by the door. Behind him was Lu Song, whose face was swollen like a pig.
Last night, he was taught a lesson by Dong Qing Han. When he thought of the malicious means of the fatty, Lu Song shuddered a little, but his heart was filled with hatred. It was quite obvious to see the hatred surface on his face. Qiu Yi Meng saw this and secretly shook her head. The heart of this person was so rotten that he couldn’t help himself.
Lu Liang looked extremely embarrassed. The Inheritance War was the business of the Young Lords, and Lu Liang, the patriarch of Lu Family, shouldn’t have come to visit Yang Kai himself, but the fact that he was doing this with his son was too disappointing. Lu Liang was forced to make a trip.
When he got to the door, he was stopped by the two gatekeepers.
Coincidentally, the two gatekeepers were part of the Dong Family!
When they saw Lu Song, they had a look of ridicule, referring to him as a disgrace. Lu Liang could only helplessly chuckle.
He couldn’t slap these two men. Even though he had the strength to do so, if he really did, he wouldn’t be able to escape from the consequences. Yang Kai’s mansion was filled with masters.
”Uncle!” Qiu Yi Meng gave a smile and a cordial greeting, easing Lu Liang’s embarrassment.
”I wouldn’t dare take the greeting of Young Lady Qiu, this Elder is afraid!” Lu Liang put his posture very low, his mouth humble. While he greeted, he looked back at Lu Song, “Still not greeting Young Lady Qiu?”
Lu Song was a little unwilling, but still cupped his fists, “Cousin.”
Qiu Yi Meng just smiled and nodded, not caring about him, and just said, “Come in.”
Listening to her, Lu Liang eased his nerves. Qiu Yi Meng is will welcome him. Obviously, she cared about the relationship between the two of them and didn’t want to ask about the problem.
This means that they will have an opportunity to resolve this matter.
Into the main hall, Qiu Yi Meng had people serve them tea, she took a sip, and said, “Why did Uncle come to War City?”
Lu Liang sighed deeply. “Young lady, don’t hesitate to say that this Elder is thick-skinned this time. Compared to the Lu Family’s future, what is my old face? If it hadn’t been for this filth, would this Elder be like this?”
Lu Liang shouted, “On your knees!”
Lu Song’s look was stunned, and a sullen color appeared on his swollen cheeks as though the instructions were unclear, “Why?”
Lu Liang was enraged. “Because this old master told you to!”
Lu Song glanced back at Lu Liang. “I will not kneel! I have never kneeled to anyone since I was a child!”
“If you don’t kneel, I will break your legs!”
“I’m not scared to fight you!” Lu Song showed no sign of worry. He has been doted on so much that he had never been beaten by Lu Liang. Lu Liang’s attitude towards him was naturally loving.
The father and son pair began to argue back and forth noisily. Qiu Yi Meng frowned and said with an indifferent tone, “Uncle, if you just want to educate your son, return to the Lu Family. You don’t have to do it here.”
Lu Liang was shocked by Qiu Yi Meng’s indifference, but did not feel any heartache for his son. He went to Lu Song and grabbed him then pushed him onto the ground.
Being forced onto the ground, Lu Song’s face turned red as he knelt on the floor, feeling nothing but disgrace! He looked at Lu Liang with eyes filled with hatred and humiliation.
”You dare to stubbornly talk back to this old master. I’ll cripple your cultivation!” Lu Liang stated in a cold and calm manner.
He was being serious.
Seeming to be aware of how serious Lu Liang was, Lu Song didn’t dare to make another sound.
”I’ve shown Young Lady Qiu something unsightly.” Lu Liang said as he cupped his fists.
Qiu Yi Meng felt as though there wasn’t any meaning to Lu Liang’s visit. She knew of Lu Liang’s intentions, but she had a headache when she had to deal with such an unruly person.
Lu Song, in terms of quality, was not as good as Huo Xing Chen. Although Huo Xing Chen is always aloof and unfettered, he still has a keen eyesight and knew that following Yang Kai is the best decision.
“Let’s just get this matter dealt with, Uncle.” Qiu Yi Meng didn’t want to see Lu Song’s face ever again, but she was too polite to say it.
Lu Liang sighed and said, “This time, Elder was going to Central Capital to see your father. But along the way, I got some news that made me very surprised.”
“When this disgraceful little brat was driven out of the mansion by the Ninth Young Lord, he did not send a letter to Lu Family to tell this Old Man the truth. Instead, he deliberately concealed this from me. This Elder always thought that he was following the Ninth Young Lord until this information was brought to my attention. Only then, did this Old Man know that he was relying on the Fifth Young Lord.”
“Uncle…” Qiu Yi Meng shouted to indicate that Lu Liang shouldn’t say something of unimportance. It did not matter whether Lu Liang knews about what his son was doing at that point in time. Instead, all that matters now was what Lu Liang was about to do
Lu Liang did not continue with his words just now instead he said with a smile, “Young Lady Qiu. This Old Man just wants to ask… How is the Ninth Young Lord’s attitude regarding this matter?”
“His attitude?” Qiu Yi Meng sighed, then said with a bitter smile, “Uncle, you are making a fuss over such a trifling matter.”
”Ah?” When Lu Liang heard this he had a puzzled look.
“Lu Song is nothing in Yang Kai’s eyes. It was by the Dong Family’s hand that he was injured to this state. To Yang Kai, if Lu Song really angered him, do you think he’d still be alive right now?“
”He would dare kill me?” Lu Song snapped.
”You can try and see if he dares to kill you!” Qiu Yi Meng said coldly.
Lu Song’s heart turned cold, and his face immediately lost its look of arrogance.
”Uncle,” Qiu Yi Meng turned to Lu Liang and calmly said. “Lu Song came to me to take refuge. I had a part in him being driven out by Yang Kai because I don’t think he is suitable to be a part of Yang Kai’s followers. You should be clear on what kind of person your own son is. If he stayed as a follower of Yang Kai, one day, he will get himself killed. So I told him to do something and let Yang Kai find an excuse to drive him away.“
Lu Liang had a bitter smile and nodded. “Young Lady Qiu means well, this Old Man is grateful.”
”The next day, I spoke to him and told him to leave War City, but he didn’t listen to me and stayed instead. Siding with Yang Kang, that is his blunder.”
“Yang Kai hadn’t heard the news, and even if he had, he would’ve shown no interest in the matter. He cannot blame you since he refused help, but would you expect him to rely on no one?“ Qiu Yi Meng sounded harsh, but she held no ill intention.
”Now that it’s done, he can only blame himself.” Qiu Yi Meng said, then she stared at Lu Liang, “If anyone is to blame, I can only blame you for letting him participate in the Inheritance War.”
”It’s was this Old Man’s fault!” Lu Liang looked awkward. He naturally knew of his son’s disposition. He wanted Lu Song to go out and gain experience, and the Inheritance War was a great chance for just that. Aside from experience, Lu Liang wanted Lu Song to temper himself so that he can later inherit the position of Lu Family Patriarch.
Lu Song was warned repeatedly before his arrival, but he took the advice lightly.
”Yang Kai does not blame you. You can rest assured that this is not the case. Even if Yang Kai becomes Lord of the Yang Family, the Lu Family will not be implicated.”
On hearing Qiu Yi Meng’s words, Lu Liang breathed a sigh of relief.
What he feared most was a situation like that. Looking at this event, Yang Kai would be the next Yang Family’s Patriarch. If, one day, he has to work hard to liquidate the hatred that was bred from Lu Song’s actions during the Inheritance War, the Lu Family will suffer greatly.
”Thank you, Young Lady Qiu for pointing this out!” Lu Liang thanked her constantly, and also relaxed a lot then paused, and said with some embarrassment, “Young Lady Qiu, this Old Man must ask again, does the Ninth Young Lord still need manpower? “
Qiu Yi Meng looked up at him and asked, “What does Uncle want to do?”
Lu Liang rubbed his hand and smiled. “This Old man only wants to make up for this little bastard’s mistake! Don’t worry, as long as the Ninth Young Lord gives the word, my Lu Family will do anything for nothing in return.”
”I am afraid that there is no such opportunity.” Qiu Yi Meng slowly shook her head.
”Is Young Lady Qiu not at ease about this wretched brat Lu Song, this idiot? He’s going to remember eating this loss. I think he will take note from now on. Just…”
”Uncle, when Yang Kai and I visited you in Lu Family, I said that if I were you, I would definitely choose Yang Kai as an ally! “
”Yes.” Lu Liang looked bitter, remembering when Qiu Yi Meng did say such a thing, but he did not pay attention to it since he firmly believed in his own judgment. From the very beginning, he was concerned about Yang Kai, and later he was too slow. Yang Kai’s attitude had changed drastically.
”But you…” Qiu Yi Meng sneered, “Giving him three million silver, you were really generous at that time Uncle.”
Lu Liang’s old face turned red. He could not wait to find a hole to hide in.
Three million silver was indeed a lot, but for the Lu Family and for the Yang Family Young Masters who participated in Inheritance War, it is just a drop in the bucket. When Yang Kai left the Lu Family, Lu Liang only gave him three million silver, even with his relationship with Medicine King Valley’s Xiao Fu Sheng.
Who knew what he was like?
Who knew he’d be bursting with popularity now that he was at the peak of his power?
If he knew that Yang Kai would achieve as much as he had, Lu Liang would have long tied the Lu Family to Yang Kai whether he asked for people, money or supplies. What complaints would he have? What would slow him down?
Lu Liang regretted not following Yang Kai so much that his intestines had turned green.
”It’s getting late, Uncle. To provide charcoal in the snow is not the same as putting the icing on the cake. I have matters to attend to, so I will not be seeing you out, Uncle.” Qiu Yi Meng finished, walked away.
Lu Liang stood in place, stunned, his face going through a myriad of expressions and his heart filling with mixed feelings, but mostly of confliction.
The Lu Family was personally developed by him. It was originally a second-class force. He hugged the leg of a superpower like the Qiu Family and gradually promoted to a first-class force under the Qiu Family.
Over the years, Lu Liang had always wanted to take the Lu Family one step further, and Inheritance War was the best chance! As long as the position is right, the Lu Family could definitely get another step up again.
Unfortunately, Lu Liang had let the opportunity slip through his fingers!
Even when there was room for redemption when Lu Song brought the supplies. If Lu Liang hadn’t sent Lu Song to deliver the supplies and instead let another Lu Family disciple come over to preside over the matter, then maybe he could have laughed with the other cultivators under in Yang Kai.
”You disgraceful bastard!” Lu Liang slapped Lu Song in the face so hard that he flew directly out of the mansion.
”Hey, why did you hit me?” Lu Song said with swollen cheeks as he stared at Lu Liang incredulously.
Lu Liang took a deep breath and quickly said, “Step down from the position of the family heir, your younger brother is more suitable than you.”
After this matter, Lu Liang finally realized that if the family really handed it to Lu Song, it would only take a few years for the family to completely dissolve under Lu Song’s management.
”But my younger brother is the son of Second Uncle…” Lu Song stayed.
”I mean it! Go home.” Lu Liang didn’t look at his son, he held his hands behind him as he strode onward. Behind him, Lu Song had a look as though he had lost his soul.
It seems that Lu Song didn’t think that just because of his actions during the Inheritance War, the position of heir to the family head would be deprived.
…………
In Little Senior Sister’s room, Yang Kai had already regarded the room as his own. If there was nothing wrong, he would stay here for several days.
Yang Kai obtained a batch of freshly refined pills from Xia Ning Chang, then plunged into a deep state of cultivation.
It would take at least a few days for the Qi Binding Seal on Tu Feng and Yan Ling Xing to be lifted. Ying Jiu, Qu Gao Yi and Tang Yu Xian have taken a drop of Myriad Drug Liquid and some recovery pills, but even with that it would take a few days for them to recover.
Yang Kai was only one step away from Immortal Ascension Boundary. How could he possibly slack off?
Refining the artifact while cultivating.
The bone shield had played a great role in last night’s battle. It was made clear the tyranny of mysterious grade artifacts, which proves that the Mid-Mysterious grade mirror was in urgent need of refining as well.
With the Mysterious grade pills that Little Senior Sister made, the True Qi consumed while refining artifacts replenished quickly. Additionally, the spiritual energy used to perceive the mysteries of the True Alchemic Way was also replenished quickly.
Yang Kai’s cultivation was almost a single-minded one, but in terms of results, it was slower than his usual speed.
Feeling a bout of sudden inspiration, Yang Kai realized the true essence of the True Alchemic Way. His face changed to reveal the expression of shock, and silently tried to grasp it.
The Alchemic Way in True Alchemic Way was very different from the general Alchemist approach. The mystery of it was hard to measure by common sense.
Combining all the knowledge previously gained from the True Alchemic Way, Yang Kai now had a deeper understanding of Alchemy.
Through the True Alchemic Way, Yang Kai’s knowledge of alchemy was already one of the best in the world. The only thing that he lacked was hands-on practice.
Yang Kai knew that there would be opportunities in the future since he was still young.
He had a lot of time in his life, and could always try something different. It’s not impossible to see through the mysteries of martial arts through alchemy. Xiao Fu Sheng said that Alchemists can stand at the martial peak.
Time flew by and even when the sun rose, Yang Kai remained immersed in cultivation; unable to extricate himself.
It wasn’t until there was a knock at his door that Yang Kai awoke from his meditative state.
With his brow wrinkled, Yang Kai waved his hand slightly, sending a soft breeze out that opened the door, revealing Qiu Yi Meng’s figure.
“What is it?” Yang Kai looked at her and asked.
The Qiu Family’s First Young Lady came in and quietly replied, “Someone from the Yang Family came and brought a decree from the Elder Hall… you’ve been ordered to quickly return to the Central Capital!” Finished delivering the message, she stared straight at Yang Kai, her eyes flashing a concerned light.
She didn’t know why the Elder Hall would suddenly summon Yang Kai back.
Yang Kai also showed a slightly confused expression, stroking his chin a few times before asking, “They want me to return to the Central Capital alone? What about Big brother, Second Brother, and Seventh Brother?”
“It seems only you have been called.” Qiu Yi Meng licked her dry lips.
“Got it.” Yang Kai slowly stood up, his brow furrowing further.
This summon from the main family was quite unusual. Why would they only summon him back to the Central Capital? The last time messengers were sent out from the Yang Family was only a few days ago to inform all of the Young Lords about the appearance of artifacts at Po Jing Lake, but what about this time?
“Yang Kai, I don’t know why, but I have a bad feeling about this!” Qiu Yi Meng’s tone was a bit solemn, her two jade hands fidgeting slightly, making a display of her inner tension.
The Yang Family only calling Yang Kai back to the Central Capital was definitely not for no reason, but as for what that reason was, she was still unclear.
Also, Yang Kai traveling back to the Central Capital would provide an opening for his brothers to take advantage of.
“Since it is an order from the main family, for the round trip there won’t be any concerns regarding my safety,” Yang Kai shook his head, he was confident that if he was ambushed on the way to or from the Central Capital and lost, the family wouldn’t stand by and say nothing or they would lose a great deal of face.
“You should take precautions anyways,” Qiu Yi Meng shook her head and continued, “I’ve already informed Ying Jiu and Tang Yu Xian to prepare; they’ll escort you there and back.”
Yang Kai nodded lightly.
The family had ordered him to quickly return to the Central Capital, so Yang Kai didn’t dare delay, immediately setting out.
Outside the main entrance, Ying Jiu and Tang Yu Xian, who had both already recovered from their previous injuries, stood waiting. The stoic Ying Jiu remained silent as always, not saying a single word, while the mature beauty Tang Yu Xian wore a happy expression as she called out, “Little Lord.”
Returning to Yang Kai’s service had made both Tang Yu Xian and Tu Feng feel a deep sense of satisfaction. This past half a year, although they had served Yang Kang diligently, the entire time they did so, they wondered when they would be able to reunite with Yang Kai and witness the miracles he seemed capable of performing over and over again.
“Have you already recovered from your wounds?” Yang Kai also asked in a pleased voice.
“Thanks to Little Lord’s gift, I’ve made a complete recovery,” Tang Yu Xian smiled brilliantly, gratitude flashing across her beautiful eyes.
After activating her Mad Tyrant Blood Skill and battling with Ying Jiu it would have been reasonable to spend quite a bit of time healing, but after taking the magical pill Yang Kai gave her, both Tang Yu Xian and Ying Jiu had both restored themselves to their peak in only a day or two.
Although she had already experienced this once before, Tang Yu Xian still found it difficult to believe.
“Good, if there is time later, I’ll have to consult with you about the use of Soul Skills.” Yang Kai grinned before mounting his Cloud Treading Colt.
“Of course Little Lord. Please feel free to ask at any time.” Tang Yu Xian replied frankly.
Among the many Blood Warriors, Tang Yu Xian was the most skilled in the use of Soul Skills and Divine Sense. Each Blood Warrior had their own speciality. Qu Gao Yi was good at rapid outbursts of strength, Ying Jiu was good at concealment and assassinations; while Tu Feng was good at frontal battle and Tang Yu Xian’s accomplishments with regards to the Soul were second to none in the Blood Warrior Hall.
“Come back quickly and be careful along the way.” Qiu Yi Meng looked at the three people on their mounts and called out softly.
Yang Kai nodded lightly before urging his mount forward, the three Cloud Treading Colts soon rushing off towards the Central Capital.
Outside the mansion, a cold breeze blew past, causing Qiu Yi Meng’s blue silk dress to flutter in the morning sun. The Qiu Family’s First Young Lady’s stood there for a long time, the uneasiness in her heart becoming stronger as time passed.
“Pass down my orders, everyone is to suspend their cultivation, divide into two teams, and guard the mansion in rotating shifts, if any enemy appears, kill without mercy! Maintain the highest level of alert until Yang Kai returns!”
“Yes!”
As evening fell, the huge Central Capital, like a sleeping dragon, sat upon a vast swath of land, the bright stars shining brilliantly in the darkening night sky above.
Three Cloud Treading Colts rushed into the exclusive Yang Family South Gate.
The guards at the gate didn’t even time to call out to them before the three rode past, leaving only a cloud of dust in their wake.
“The Ninth Young Lord returns home. Stand down!” Tang Yu Xian turned back and yelled, the guards immediately stopping, some were even trembling lightly.
Ninth Young Lord… Yang Kai!
This name resounded like a thunderclap, piercing all of the guards’ ears. None of them dared step forward lest they offend him, all of them quickly sneaking back to the gate, pretending they had seen nothing.
Inside the Fourth Master’s house, the Yang Family Fourth Master and Dong Su Zhu were awakened from their cultivation by the sound of Cloud Treading Colts, both of them rushing outside and quickly spotting Yang Kai coming towards them followed by Ying Jiu and Tang Yu Xian.
“Kai’er?” Yang Ying Feng was surprised while Dong Su Zhu’s eyes teared up, soon rushing forward and embracing Yang Kai, kissing his forehead gently before hurriedly checking to see if he had any signs of injury.
Since the beginning of the Inheritance War, mother and son had not exchanged a single word as direct family members weren’t allowed to go to War City.
“Mother…” Yang Kai couldn’t wait to find a hole to crawl into. Tang Yu Xian and Ying Jiu were right behind him and had seen this entire display. What face would he have left in front of them from now on?
As he spoke, he quickly glanced backwards, but whether it was Tang Yu Xian or Ying Jiu, both were doing their best to maintain straight faces as they silently stared down at their toes.
After a while, Dong Su Zhu finally vented the worry in her heart and contented herself to just holding Yang Kai’s hand, though her eyes were still tearful.
“Kai’er, why have you come back?” Yang Ying Feng asked the important question.
“The Elder Hall ordered me back,” Yang Kai replied, his brow wrinkled as he stared at his father, apparently the Fourth Master was unaware about this situation as well.
“The Elder Hall…” Yang Ying Feng really hadn’t heard anything regarding thing. Although he was a member of the Yang Family, his position wasn’t very high up so he wasn’t always informed about the Elder Hall’s decisions.
“Come inside first.” Yang Ying Feng took a deep breath and said.
“Mother is going to give you a good meal.” Dong Su Zhu said, hurriedly beckoning to Tang Yu Xian, “Yu Xian, you come help.”
“En.”
Inside the house, the lights glowed brightly.
The family of three gathered around the table while Ying Jiu and Tang Yu Xian stood behind Yang Kai and no matter how Dong Su Zhu invited, they steadfastly refused to sit down.
“Why did the Elder Hall call you back to the Central Capital? Did they say anything to you?” The Yang Family Fourth Master asked, suddenly hearing about his son being summoned by the Elder Hall caused a number of ideas to pop into his head.
“They didn’t.” Yang Kai didn’t know anything either, but the command of the Elder Hall was to quickly return, so Yang Kai could only hurry back.
It was already night by the time he arrived, so he could only wait until tomorrow morning to go to the Elder Hall and understand the situation.
“You don’t have any speculations? Have you perhaps done something that would arouse the attention of the Elder Hall?” The Yang Family Fourth Master asked.
“Father, are you thinking it’s related to that demon?” Yang Kai smiled and shook his head, “It’s impossible for him to be the reason the Elder Hall summoned me. I have already reached an agreement with Grand Elder Yang Li Ting about him. Grand Elder allowed him to participate in the Inheritance War, but after the Inheritance War is over, he must leave immediately.”
“Grand Elder also summoned you?” Yang Ying Feng couldn’t help showing some surprise.
Yang Li Ting was a member of the Yang Family’s oldest living generation, even the Yang Family Fourth Master had never personally spoken to him, yet now his son had been fortunate enough to be summoned by him.
This was a great honor for the Yang Family Fourth Master; however, he quickly noticed that whenever Yang Kai mentioned Yang Li Ting, his expression became somewhat strained and bitter, causing him to wonder what exactly had transpired between the two.
“Kai’er, no matter what you may think, you are a Yang Family person, when it comes with Devil Path cultivators, if you can avoid them, avoid them, lest people start making unreasonable claims.” Yang Ying Feng solemnly reminded.
Yang Kai nodded lightly, he naturally understood the Fourth Master’s meaning.
Over countless years, the Yang Family had played a leading role in the confrontation with the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land’s Devil Path cultivators, but now Yang Kai was associating with an extremely powerful demon and had actually brought him to participate in the Inheritance War.
If Yang Kai really became the heir to the Yang Family with the help of this demon, it would be easy for negative rumours to start spreading.
“If it’s not about that demon…” The Yang Family Fourth Master tapped the table with his fingers as his eyes narrowed, “Then perhaps it’s about Ying Jiu breaking the Qi Binding Seal.”
During their conversation, the Fourth Master noticed Ying Jiu’s condition and was quite puzzled about it.
Among the six Blood Warriors who had been hit by the Qi Binding Seal, five of them were still currently unable to use their True Qi, yet somehow Ying Jiu appeared perfectly fine.
The Qi Binding Seal was a technique of one of the Yang Family’s other Grand Elders, Huang Jiu Zhou. Yang Kai suddenly being recalled to the Central Capital to question him about how he had so easily broken this technique was also possible.
“There’s no point in guessing, we’ll understand everything tomorrow.” Yang Kai shook his head, too lazy to think about it any further.
“Fair enough, have a good rest tonight, no matter why you were summoned by the Elder Hall… It’s definitely not a good thing.” Yang Ying Feng sighed, in the past he had been summoned several times by the Elder Hall and each time he was either assigned some unreasonable task or was disciplined for violating some family law, so that place had left a kind of psychological shadow in his heart.
Putting aside this topic for now, the room immediately become livelier. As the family of three talked and laughed, the warm and peaceful atmosphere even infected Ying Jiu and Tang Yu Xian a bit.
It was like they had temporarily escaped from the bloody Inheritance War and were enjoying a short period of peace.
A quiet night passed.
The next day, Yang Kai said goodbye to his mother and father, and under the extremely reluctant gaze of Dong Su Zhu, he, Tang Yu Xian, and Ying Jiu rushed to the Elder Hall.
“Ninth Brother!” As soon as Yang Kai reached the Elder Hall’s main entrance, someone called out to him.
Turning his head towards this voice, Yang Kai saw Yang Tie standing nearby, seemingly waiting for him.
Last night, when Yang Kai entered the South Gate and returned to the family, news of his arrival quickly spread so Yang Tie knowing he was here wasn’t surprising.
“Third Brother.” Yang Kai stepped forward and asked, “Is there something wrong?”
Yang Tie chuckled, pausing for a moment to find his words before saying, “Third Brother just wanted to thank you for helping the Duan Mu Family obtain revenge.”
“There’s no need for that. They have helped me a great deal; it is I who should thank Third Brother for sending me five strong masters,” Yang Kai smiled slightly. On the first night of the Inheritance War, Yang Kai had captured Yang Tie but instead of bringing him back to the main family to exchange for resources, he had let him go. In order to reciprocate, Yang Tie had let the five surviving masters from the Duan Mu Family offer services to him which was a pleasant surprise for Yang Kai.
These days, during several battles, the five Duan Mu Family masters had contributed a great deal; after all, the five of them were all Immortal Ascension cultivators, one of them even reaching the Eighth Stage.
Yang Tie nodded lightly, his eyes suddenly becoming dignified as he said solemnly, “When you meet the Elders, you must not shrink back or show any weakness, or else… you’ll suffer.”
Yang Kai was stunned and wanted to ask Yang Tie to clarify himself but by the time he gathered his wits, his Third Brother had already left, leaving him no chance to ask any questions.
[Does Third Brother know something?] Yang Kai silently speculated.
Although Yang Tie’s personal strength wasn’t outstanding and his performance in the Inheritance War was even somewhat unsightly, his father still had a fair bit of power in the Yang Family.
At least compared with the Yang Family Fourth Master, Yang Tie’s father undoubtedly had higher status and was privy to more of the Yang Family’s secrets.
Did his Third Brother perhaps hear some news from his father? Yang Kai frowned slightly, savouring the words of his Third Brother for a while before shaking his head.
In any case, why the Elder Hall had ordered him to return would become clear in a moment.
Smiling wryly, Yang Kai stepped towards the Elder Hall.
This was the third time that Yang Kai had come to the Elder Hall. The first time was because of the Golden Feather Eagle, the second time was because of the Blood Warriors. Every time Yang Kai came here, he would see these white haired old men standing around, immersed in their own projects.
But this time, the situation was somewhat different.
Leading Ying Jiu and Tang Yu Xian, as they walked into the Elder Hall, Yang Kai suddenly found the dozen or so Elders were all sitting.
They were divided into two groups, seated on opposite sides of the hall, each of them wearing an indifferent expression.
Sitting at the head of the hall was the Elder Yang Kai was most familiar with, Yang Zhen.
They all seemed to be waiting for him.
This arrangement… it was like they’re here to pass some kind of judgement. Seeing this, Yang Kai silently asked himself if he had done anything worth assembling so many Elders.
Although he was suspicious in his heart, he maintained a calm demeanor and cupped his fists, “Junior Yang Kai greets the Elders!”
Ying Jiu and Tang Yu Xian also saluted.
“You two, draw back!” Yang Zhen waved his hand towards the two Blood Warriors, his old pair of eyes lingering a moment longer on Ying Jiu.
Not only him, the other dozen plus Elders also stared, surprise and confusion flashing across each of their expressions.
Previously, Ying Jiu had suffered damage to his foundation and recently had been hit with the Qi Binding Seal, but at this moment, not only had he returned completely unharmed to the family with Yang Kai, the aura he gave off was noticeably stronger as well. This alone was worthy of the Elders’ scrutiny.
In truth, none of them understood how this had happened.
Ying Jiu and Tang Yu Xian exchanged a glance before stepping back, neither of them daring to disobey Yang Zhen’s command.
Yang Kai’s brow furrowed slightly, his expression becoming pensive.
These Elders not only welcomed him with such a luxurious lineup, they had also expelled his two Blood Warrior guards, forcing him to face off against all of them on his own, greatly magnifying the pressure he felt.
If it was anyone else standing where he was, they would definitely feel nervous and be unable to summon much courage. After listening to whatever these Elders had to say, it was likely they wouldn’t have the guts to argue back.
[Are they trying to intimidate me?]
[What exactly do they intend to do?]
After Ying Jiu and Tang Yu Xian left, more than a dozen Elders secretly observed Yang Kai’s reaction. When the discovered that his expression was unchanged and was still as calm as the moment he walked in, all of them couldn’t help feeling a little surprised.
This was the first time they had seen such a mentally firm youngster, many of them felt that even the Eldest Yang Wei wouldn’t have fared this well under their combined pressure.
“I don’t know what important matter the Elders wish to discuss to have specially summoned this Junior, may I ask what this is about?” Yang Kai ignored the probing looks from the old men around him and directly spoke to Yang Zhen, getting straight to the point.
“Naturally we have reasons for calling you back to the family.” Yang Zhen sat in the Elder Hall all the year round, dealing with the affairs of the family, so his cold expression had become all but fixed. When people saw him, most of them couldn’t help panicking slightly.
“This old master asks you, what method did you use to allow Ying Jiu to recover from his injuries? What method did you use to allow him to break the Qi Binding Seal? Also, according to the information this old master has received, the Blood Warriors in your house often sustain serious injuries but within one or two days, they always manage to completely heal, how did you accomplish such a feat?”
Yang Kai knit his brow as he asked, “Did Elders call this disciple back at such a critical moment just to ask about such trivial matters?”
Although his tone was flat, everyone could hear the questioning in his words.
This period of time was extremely important to all the Yang Family Young Lords involved in the Inheritance War. If the Elder Hall had really sent an urgent summons to Yang Kai right now simply for this, it was at least inappropriate.
The old men in the Elder Hall stayed here all year round, but they shouldn’t be bored to this extent.
Yang Zhen lightly coughed as he replied seriously, “Naturally not!”
“Are these questions something the family wishes to ask, or is it… the Elders who are asking?”
Yang Zhen was stunned; he hadn’t expected Yang Kai to be able to remain so calm and clear-headed when he facing more than a dozen Yang Family Elders, “This old master and all the other Elders are the ones asking, everyone is very curious about how you achieved these things.”
“Since it is not the meaning of the family…” Yang Kai smiled and shook his head, “Please excuse this Junior for not responding.”
Hearing this, the dozen or so Elders all shook their heads regretfully; even Yang Zhen’s expression became a bit ugly.
None of them had thought Yang Kai would dare not answer their question, and find such a brilliant excuse to justify his response.
Since it wasn’t the will of the family, then he didn’t have to answer. Then, could these old men abandon all face and use their seniority to force him to answer? Obviously not.
“Respected Elders, Junior has a great many things to attend to. If there is something you wish to say, please just say it.” Yang Kai’s tone gradually became impatient; the behaviour of the old men in the Elder Hall made him feel both irritated and unnerved.
The first thing they had done was try to intimidate him so that he wouldn’t talk back; clearly they were going to do something that harmed his interests. If not, why would they go through all the trouble of setting up such an elaborate display?
Since they were planning to make things difficult for him, and remembering the words his Third Brother had spoken to him outside the hall, Yang Kai naturally didn’t need to act polite.
“Very well, this old master won’t beat around the bush anymore.” Yang Zhen nodded, his eyes becoming sharp as he stared at Yang Kai and said, “It’s about the Blood Warriors who serve you, the family has made a decision.”
“The Blood Warriors?” Yang Kai’s brow wrinkled, a bad feeling welling up inside him but outwardly doing his best not to show any weakness to Yang Zhen.
As the two stared at each other, Yang Zhen couldn’t help feeling the urge to avert his eyes, patiently and calmly nodding before continuing, “En, according to the information this old master has obtained, the number of Blood Warriors you have gathered now totals seven, correct?”
“Yes.” Yang Kai nodded firmly.
Ying Jiu and Qu Gao Yi were the first to follow Yang Kai, Xiao Shun came after his Eighth Brother Yang Quan was defeated, and Tu Feng, Tang Yu Xian, Luo Hai, and Yan Ling Xing were recruited a few nights ago when he eliminated Yang Kang and Yang Shen.
In total, Yang Kai’s house current had seven Blood Warriors, all of whom had reached the Immortal Ascension Boundary Eighth Stage.
“If you didn’t have the means to break the Qi Binding Seal and a method to quickly allow the Blood Warriors to heal from serious injuries, everything would be alright! Even if all seven of the Blood Warriors gathered around you, they wouldn’t be able to show display too much destructive power, but you indeed do have such unusual means.” Yang Zhen stood up from his chair, crossed his arms behind his back and walked over beside Yang Kai, the two of them facing opposite directions as he said, “If this old master’s guess is correct, right now, the seven Blood Warriors serving you have all been completely restored to their peak, correct?”
From the conditions of both Ying Jiu and Tang Yu Xian who had escorted Yang Kai here, the answer to this question was obvious.
“Yes.” Yang Kai nodded once more.
“Then, if this old masters is correct, your next step will be nothing more than to take these seven warriors and crush the remaining Yang Family Young Lords one by one with overwhelming force, while in the process, recruit the remaining Blood Warriors serving them. Is there anything wrong with this old master’s analysis?”
“Elder is not wrong. If Junior had not been recalled by the family, I would have begun acting tonight!” Yang Kai admitted calmly.
Yang Zhen sighed lightly, “Seven Blood Warriors, heh heh. No one would be capable of stopping you, you being able to create such a miracle, and you’ve really shocked us old men! Although Yang Wei, Yang Zhao, and Yang Ying all have a lot of forces and supporters behind them, each Yang Lord had one of their Blood Warriors unable to act. Once you lead your seven Blood Warriors and launch an all-out attack, each of them will quickly fall and victory will easily be yours.”
As he said this, Yang Zhen could almost see the scenes where Yang Wei, Yang Zhao, and Yang Ying helplessly tried to resist, only to fail miserably. This was exactly what Yang Kai had planned to do all along!
“However…” Yang Zhen turned his head towards Yang Kai and solemnly declared, “This is inconsistent with the original intention of the Inheritance War and is not in line with Yang Family’s intention when we allowed Blood Warriors to participate.”
Yang Kai sneered deeply, upon hearing these words, if he still couldn’t figure out why the Elder Hall had summoned him, he would be a fool.
As a raging anger began to spread through his chest, Yang Kai took a deep breath and stared at Yang Zhen sarcastically, “Respected Elders shouldn’t intend to recall the Blood Warriors serving me to the family, right?”
Although he had already noticed the change in Yang Kai’s attitude and tone, Yang Zhen didn’t pay it any mind. Young people were always hot blooded, if Yang Kai wasn’t angry at this time, he wouldn’t be a proper young man.
“Correct, it’s good that you understand!” Yang Zhen nodded calmly.
“I don’t understand!” Yang Kai’s expression was dim, he no longer cared that the other party he was speaking to was a Yang Family Elder, or even his own ancestor, his attitude was unflinching.
Yang Zhen continued unperturbed, “As this old master pervious said, you leading seven Blood Warriors to attack the remaining Yang Family Young Lords is inconsistent with the original intentions of the Inheritance War. The intention of the Inheritance War is something you should be clear about. It is a comprehensive competition to test each of your connections and personal charisma! Those who have established a wide network of supporters and have strong leadership skills can gather more strength. Because the winner of the Inheritance War will become the next Yang Family Patriarch. If you wish to lead the Yang Family in the future, you should be able to do so by amassing the most external support and cleverly defeating your adversaries. Relying on the Blood Warriors who were born and raised in the Yang Family to win simply proves nothing.”
Inside the Elder Hall, Yang Zhen gave a lecture to Yang Kai and sounded reasonable.
“Elder, the Blood Warriors choosing to support me, doesn’t that demonstrate my methods and personal charm?” Yang Kai looked at him with cold eyes.
“Ah…” Yang Zhen stuttered but quickly recovered, “It only shows that you see things further ahead than others and are adept at using schemes!”
He was naturally referring to Yang Kai choosing to use Qu Gao Yi and Ying Jiu in order to gain the respect and favour of the entire Blood Warrior Hall.
At the beginning, he was also shocked by Yang Kai’s boldness, but now it seemed like this little brat always had the means to cure Qu Gao Yi and Ying Jiu, so there was never any risk in him choosing them.
However, the truth was only he could do this; none of the other Yang Family direct descendents had such ability.
“Is that not proof that my methods are superior?” Yang Kai’s face was gloomy.
“Well, sort of.” Yang Zhen pondered a moment before admitting, “But the Blood Warriors participating in the Inheritance War was originally because the family wanted to ensure the safety of each of you during the early stages of the conflict. Since ancient times, this has always been the case and has never changed. If you were really to lead a large number of Blood Warriors now to attack the rest of your brothers, it would be contrary to the family’s original intention of allowing the Blood Warrior to participate in the Inheritance War.”
“That’s the family’s miscalculation, what does it have to do with me?” Yang Kai sneered, refusing to back down at all.
He had worked hard to gather enough power to dominate above his other brothers and was on the verge of launching a single crushing offensive to end things once and for all, but now, at this critical moment, he was recalled by the Elder Hall and had extremely detrimental conditions forced upon him. Just how could Yang Kai just roll over and accept?
“It really was the family’s miscalculation; no one could have imagined that there would be a Yang Family junior who could gather so many Blood Warriors.” Yang Zhen sighed, “Over the years, the Yang Family Blood Warriors have participated in the Inheritance War many times, but never once had a situation like this occurred, you’ve accomplished something all us old men admire.”
“Elder, please don’t beat a dead horse, this disciple can’t afford it.” Yang Kai coldly snorted.
Yang Zhen’s brow twitched, clearly feeling some anger, but he somehow maintained his calm. The other Elders in the hall all remained expressionless but secretly they were enjoying watching Yang Zhen being embarrassed, especially since the one embarrassing him was a junior.
“I have already explained our reasons. Most of the Blood Warriors around you must be recalled to the family.” Yang Zhen reiterated bluntly.
“This is clearly the family trying to suppress me!” Yang Kai shouted, arguing back, “No matter how many Blood Warriors I managed to gather, that is something I achieved on my own, what right does the family have to recall them? How I make use of the Blood Warriors serving me is my freedom! Isn’t the family afraid that if they do this they will suffer the ridicule of this world’s people? You Elders should have some awareness! The Inheritance War is an age old tradition, it’s not some child’s game where the rules can be bent and broken whenever you wish!”
“Impudence!” Yang Zhen finally couldn’t hold back his temper, angrily roaring as let out a burst of True Qi, smashing a nearby table into dust, “How dare talk back to this old master, do you want to rebel?”
“Since Elder is in the wrong, why can’t this Junior point it out? What have I said that isn’t the truth?” Yang Kai sneered, glaring back strongly at Yang Zhen.
Yang Zhen grit his teeth and grumbled a few times but eventually didn’t say anything.
The other Elders in the room saw that the atmosphere was rapidly deteriorating and knew they couldn’t just sit back and watch, one of them quickly standing up and saying, “Yang Kai, restrain your anger. This time, it really is the family that is in the wrong; after all, we didn’t think anyone could gain the support of so many Blood Warriors, but what Yang Zhen said is also reasonable. If you think about it, if you were to win the Inheritance War with just Blood Warriors, would that bring you any honour or glory? After this time, the family will more carefully consider the issue of Blood Warriors participating in the Inheritance War, but for now this is the only course of action we can take.”
“I only value the results, the process… doesn’t matter!” Yang Kai slowly shook his head. “Whether it is glory or disgrace, that’s a matter for the Elder Hall to care about, and as for the next Inheritance War, that’s none of my concern. I gathered all these Blood Warriors not by relying on threats, coercion, or any other kind of despicable method; they serve me willingly of their own volition. In short, if the family wants to recall the Blood Warrior supporting me, I firmly refuse!”
After a pause, Yang Kai solemnly added, “If the family insists on doing this, then I’ll withdraw from this Inheritance War!”
“You dare threaten us?” Yang Zhen’s eyes flashed a gloomy light, the aura around him gradually becoming dangerous.
“If the Elders wish to thinks so, so be it. If the rules can be changed at any time to suit whatever whim you have, then the Inheritance War is nothing more than a child’s game. I have no patience to participate in such a farce.” Yang Kai sneered, cupped his fists, and shouted, “Good day!”
“Stop right there!” Yang Zhen roared.
Yang Kai obviously paid this warning no mind, continuing to step towards the exit, but after only a few steps, he stopped because a tall figure with a dignified aura had suddenly appeared in front of him.
Although he maintained an indifferent expression, inside Yang Kai felt as if he was facing a mountain, a single glimpse all it took to cause his breathing to be disordered.
A moment later, the immense pressure disappeared.
Yang Kai took a deep breath, cupped his fists and shouted, “Greetings, Great Uncle!”
The person who had appeared was actually the current Yang Family Patriarch, Yang Ying Hao!
Yang Ying Hao nodded gently and walked over to him, “Don’t be in such a rush, I’ll speak with you.”
“Greetings, Patriarch!” All of the Elders in the hall stood up and bowed, although each of them was one or two generations older than Yang Ying Hao, but in the Yang Family, the Patriarch represented supreme majesty, even if it was Yang Zhen and the other Elders they still had to salute.
“Everyone sit!” Yang Ying Hao said calmly before walking over towards Yang Zhen’s position. Quickly taking notice of the broken table and pile of dust nearby, he frowned and sighed, “Elder Zhen, your temper hasn’t changed after so many years.”
In response, Yang Zhen snorted and said, “After so many years, I’m afraid I can’t change it.”
One of the Elders laughed and said, “Wolves wander the world eating meat, while dogs wander the world eating shit, such is the way of life.”
Everyone laughed at this snide comment and the atmosphere abruptly eased.
Yang Ying Hao appearing clearly indicated he knew things would become unpleasant and that he would need to speak with Yang Kai personally. No matter what, one would need to give the Patriarch face, so even if Yang Kai wasn’t willing, he could only remain.
“Looking at this situation, you should have already informed Yang Kai, correct?” Yang Ying Hao asked.
“En.” Yang Zhen stood by his side and nodded.
Looking over at Yang Kai, Yang Ying Hao said, “This was the family’s mistake. On behalf of the family, Great Uncle should apologize to you.”
“Junior doesn’t dare accept.” Yang Kai quickly stated his mood gradually calming down. The family’s decision to recall most of his Blood Warriors still made him upset, but facing the strength of the family and the Elder Hall, he couldn’t help feeling a deep sense of powerlessness.
Regardless, he was still a member of the Yang Family and his parents were also in the Yang Family, if he continued to take a hard stance, there would no doubt be consequences, not to mention, him participating in the Inheritance War was because he still had a wish he needed to fulfill.
“I know you are still unconvinced, but this is the decision of the family. It cannot be changed. From now on, the Inheritance War will also have a rule that every Young Lord may never have more than two Blood Warriors supporting them!”
Hearing this, Yang Kai’s brow twitched as he sneered, “That is to say, even if I later defeat my brothers, I cannot gather the Blood Warriors currently serving them?”
“Indeed!” Yang Ying Hao nodded. “Blood Warriors are too powerful, especially when they use their Mad Tyrant Blood Skill, you should have experienced this already!”
“So this rule was created specifically for me?” Yang Kai snickered, “I don’t know if I should feel honoured or not, in short, my mood right now is a complex.”
“It’s not aimed just at you. Previously, the Elders of the family were also somewhat worried that you would gather all the Blood Warriors to your side like this, but at the time everyone generally felt it was impossible. However, now that you’ve actually accomplished this, we have no choice but to wrong you like this.”
Pausing for a moment, he continued, “Not to mention, the people from Medicine King’s Valley and Treasure Instrument Sect you recruited have already given you a big advantage! These two forces should not be involved in the Inheritance War. You should have heard that when the Medicine King’s Valley Alchemists joined your house, all the other Yang Family Young Lords jointly protested, but the family did not interfere because that was your own personal connection. But the situation is different with the Blood Warriors, they serve the Yang Family so them participating is not due to your personal connections.”
Yang Kai remained silent and expressionless, but he too realized that Yang Ying Hao’s words just now cut to the heart of the issue and weren’t without reason.
“The family is fair, since we must recall most of the Blood Warriors serving you, you will naturally be compensated. What do you desire? Speak, as long as the family is capable of accomplishing it, we will not let you suffer.”
Now that things had developed to this point, Yang Kai also knew he was powerless to resist, he simply didn’t have the qualifications or ability to confront the family, so even if venting his anger here might make him feel better it would ultimately be a thankless endeavour.
“I do have a request!” Yang Kai held his tongue for a moment before declaring.
“Say it.” Yang Ying Hao gestured.
“For my Grand Master and High Heaven Pavilion’s good name to be restored!” Yang Kai looked straight into Yang Ying Hao’s eyes, “High Heaven Pavilion is not evil, only the Demon Lord is!”
Hearing this, everyone in the hall trembled lightly, a deep sense of fear flashing briefly across their eyes, even Yang Ying Hao, who had reached the Above Immortal Ascension Boundary, was no exception!
Demon Lord!
In the battle with the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land, Yang Ying Hao had also met this man once. Though they were both Above Immortal Ascension Boundary masters, this person still gave him a feeling of oppression.
Facing that man, Yang Ying Hao even had an impulse to back down and surrender!
He knew that this Demon Lord’s strength in the Above Immortal Ascension Boundary was above his own.
“This is your request?” Yang Ying Hao couldn’t help feeling a bit troubled. Any matter related to the Demon Lord was very important, and as the Patriarch of the Yang Family, the head of the alliance against the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land, to suddenly rectify the name of the Sect which had given rise to the Demon Lord was somewhat difficult.
“That is my only request!” Yang Kai said seriously.
His reasons for participating in the Inheritance War were not the same as everyone else’s. In truth, he didn’t care about being the Yang Family’s Patriarch! Yang Kai’s ultimate objective was to use his own strength to clear High Heaven Pavilion’s name; this was also his father’s, the Yang Family Fourth Master’s wish.
As long as Sect’s reputation was restored, Ling Tai Xu and the Elders, as well as the high-level disciples who supported them, could return to their rightful home.
“If Patriarch can promise me this, not just agreeing to the Blood Warriors supporting me being recalled, I can even quit the Inheritance War right now!” Yang Kai firmly said.
Hearing this, everyone in the hall was shocked, each of them staring at the youth in front of them with great surprise.
Yang Kai’s expression was calm and his eyes were crystal clear. Obviously he was being sincere.
Seeing this, Yang Ying Hao’s expression suddenly changed as he exclaimed, “So the biggest purpose of your participation in Inheritance War is this, correct?”
“Indeed!” Yang Kai nodded, “Only the Patriarch of the Yang Family has the ability to clear High Heaven Pavilion’s name.”
“You don’t want to be the Yang Family’s Patriarch? To stand at the summit of this world, able to summon the wind and rain with a wave of your hand?” Yang Ying Hao’s eyes narrowed as he asked sharply.
However, Yang Kai just grinned back at him with a smirk on his face and said, “What’s so good about being the Yang Family Patriarch? It’s ridiculous, after sitting in that position, one doesn’t even have time of cultivate. Great Uncle, aren’t you the best example? Although you’re an Above Immortal Ascension Boundary master, in my opinion, amongst those who have reached the Above Immortal Ascension Boundary, you should be considered relatively weak, right?”
“Outrageous!” Yang Zhen roared, his eyes turning red. He had never seen anyone speak so flippantly to Yang Ying Hao.
But with a wave of his hand, Yang Ying Hao stopped Yang Zhen from reprimanding Yang Kai any further, instead grinning as he nodded, “Correct, among Above Immortal Ascension Boundary masters, I really am one of the weakest. Becoming such an existence is the sorrowful fate of those who become the Patriarch of the Yang Family. You being able to see through this is beyond my expectations.”
But after a pause, Yang Ying Hao took a deep breath and continued, “But have you ever wondered why every Yang Family Patriarch is an Above Immortal Ascension Boundary cultivator?”
“Why?” Hearing these words, Yang Kai suddenly became curious.
That’s right, according to the family’s records, the Patriarch of the Yang Family has indeed, without exception, been an Above Immortal Ascension Boundary master. The Above Immortal Ascension Boundary was the pinnacle of this world and the few people who achieved it could overlook all others.
Was it really possible that every Yang Family Patriarch possessed such amazing talent and aptitude?
Moreover, Yang Ying Hao age wasn’t great, at most only around fifty years old, but at such an age he had already broken through to the Above Immortal Ascension Boundary, then just how terrifying was his aptitude?
But with such great talent and aptitude, why was his strength ranked amongst the worst of the Above Immortal Ascension Boundary?
“Because the Yang Family’s heritage allows its Patriarch to reach the Above Immortal Ascension Boundary!” Yang Ying Hao looked straight at Yang Kai and answered.
Yang Kai’s expression changed dramatically, suddenly realizing he had inadvertently learned one of the Yang Family’s great secret.
“Do you understand what I mean?” Yang Ying Hao asked.
Yang Kai shook his head. Although he had his speculations, he didn’t dare try to confirm them.
“Haha.” Yang Ying Hao smiled, “Do you think that being the Yang Family Patriarch only means painstakingly working for the family? Becoming the Patriarch also has great benefits. I’m not afraid to admit that your Great Uncle’s aptitude still has some gaps compared to your father’s; unfortunately, he was affected by a stubborn illness and so his strength stagnated. Of course, recently, for some unknown reason, his cultivation has been growing by leaps and bounds.”
As he spoke these works, intentionally or unintentionally he stared at Yang Kai, seemingly having some speculations of his own; of course, Yang Kai stared back at him indifferently, not revealing anything.
“Well let’s not discuss him, just take Great Uncle as an example. If I let myself cultivate diligently on my own, right now, I would probably be at the peak of the Immortal Ascension Boundary. I understand my own aptitude best. Peak Immortal Ascension Boundary is my limit, and there is certainly no way I could break through to the Above Immortal Ascension Boundary in only fifty years. In fact, many cultivators are capable of reaching the Peak Immortal Ascension Boundary, but those who can take a step further and reach the Above Immortal Ascension Boundary are still quite rare.”
“However, because I became the Patriarch of the Yang Family, Great Uncle was able to break through to the Above Immortal Ascension Boundary almost five years ago!”
Yang Kai expression changed once more, this time showing clear surprise, “So you mean the Patriarch’s position is related with your current cultivation?”
“You can say that!” Yang Ying Hao gently nodded, “As for how the two are related, I can’t tell you, you just need to know this much.”
“Why is Patriarch telling me all this?” Yang Kai was puzzled. Although by listening to Yang Ying Hao, he did develop some curiosity towards the Patriarch position, it was only a slight interest.
“I just felt like mentioning this, you don’t have to worry about it.” Yang Ying Hao smiled faintly.
Yang Kai frowned for a moment before shaking his head, quickly following up, “What about my request?”
Yang Ying Hao paused to think a while, eventually replying, “I do have the ability to restore High Heaven Pavilion’s name, but if I were to agree to your request right now, I’m afraid that the world will misunderstand and believe I am using this condition to let you give up the Inheritance War, so… I refuse!”
Yang Kai’s expression sank.
“If you want your Sect’s reputation to be cleared, you can rely on your own ability to do so! Or, do you think that without a few extra Blood Warriors you won’t win the Inheritance War?”
Yang Kai looked indifferent and shook his head, “Patriarch, trying to goad me is pointless.”
“Then prove it with your own strength!” Yang Ying Hao smiled slightly, “Still, the Blood Warriors must be recalled, and your loss is something the family will still compensate for. Put forward a different request, I have come here today specifically to handle this matter.”
Yang Kai took a deep breath and let out a long sigh, knowing he was powerless to really change anything here.
The family had long ago decided that even if he were to raise a fuss, they would not back down.
Frowning and pondering for a long time, Yang Kai suddenly looked up, his eyes flashing a bright light, “I want all the Blood Warriors who follow me now, and all those who pledge to serve me from now on, to belong solely to me!”
Yang Ying Hao’s face cramped as he stared at Yang Kai while Yang Zhen and the other white haired Elders all gasped. It seemed like they had greatly underestimated Yang Kai’s appetite.
“This request… is too unreasonable.” Yang Zhen coldly snorted.
The masters from the Blood Warrior Hall had always been faithful to the family and would never pledge their loyalty to an individual; however, Yang Kai had now made such a request. If they were to agree, that meant that at least seven Blood Warriors would become his exclusive subordinates.
“I only have this request, whether you agree to it or not, Patriarch, that is your decision to make.” Yang Kai reiterated, making a display of his seriousness.
Although Yang Ying Hao, as the Patriarch of the Yang Family, was used to great winds and storms, at this moment he couldn’t help feeling some headaches.
No one had ever made such a grand request to him, it could even be considered downright rude.
But he had just rejected Yang Kai’s other request. If he were to refuse once again…
What’s more, all of this was because the family had pledged to compensate him for his losses.
Smiling wryly, “More than half of those Blood Warriors still won’t be allowed to participate in the Inheritance War, what use is their loyalty to you?”
“I naturally have uses for it.” Yang Kai faintly replied.
Yang Ying Hao let out a long sighed, a trace of helplessness appearing on his face, but after staying silent for a while, he nodded. “Good, I accept!”
Yang Kai couldn’t help staring at him in surprise; even he hadn’t expected Yang Ying Hao to agree so easily.
Yang Zhen of course hurriedly tried to object, “Patriarch, you can’t…”
“It’s fine!” Yang Ying Hao waved his hand, “Yang Kai is also a Yang Family member. Even if the Blood Warrior belong to him, they still belong to the Yang Family.”
“Although that’s true, still…”
“Enough. This time, everything is the fault of the family.” Yang Ying Hao obviously didn’t want to discuss this topic any more, turning his eyes to Yang Kai and saying, “Since I have accepted your request, I hope you can make good use of these Blood Warriors. The family spent a great deal to cultivate them after all!”
“I know. Many thanks, Great Uncle.”
“But you must choose two Blood Warriors to be involved in the Inheritance War, once you’ve made your choice, the others may not contribute anything from now on.”
“Right now?” Yang Ka’s brow wrinkled.
“Right now!”
Yang Kai suddenly felt a little awkward.
Qu Gao Yi and Ying Jiu were the first to follow him while Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian were the first he got to know and were the ones who escorted him back to the Central Capital, as for Xiao Shun, Luo Hai, and Yan Ling Xing, Yang Kai hadn’t spent much time and wasn’t familiar with them, obviously he wouldn’t select them, but that still left four to choose from.
After only a moment’s hesitation, Yang Kai’s look became firm, “Then I choose Ying Jiu and Tang Yu Xian.”
“En, very decisive. That is how a Yang Family man should be!” Yang Ying Hao commended, “Our business here is concluded then, return to War City as soon as possible.”
“Junior will take his leave!” Yang Kai cupped his fists once more, turned around, and quickly left the Elder Hall.
Outside the door, Ying Jiu and Tang Yu Xian both had sweat on their foreheads as they waited anxiously.
The quarrels in the Elder Hall had naturally reached their ears, so they were secretly worried about Yang Kai.
When Yang Kai came out, the two nodded towards him with gratitude. Yang Kai choosing them to help him win the Inheritance War made them feel honoured and proud.
After exiting the hall, Yang Kai didn’t say anything, but anyone who saw him could tell his mood wasn’t very good at the moment.
Returning to the Fourth Master’s residence, Yang Kai left behind some Myriad Drug Liquid for Yang Ying Feng and Dong Su Zhu before riding off with Ying Jiu and Yang Yu Xian.
Along the way, Yang Kai’s silence made Ying Jiu and Yu Xian both feel on edge. They wanted to relieve some of the bitterness in his heart but neither of them knew what word to speak.
As they anxiously rode forward, Yang Kai, who sitting atop his Cloud Treading Colt in the front, suddenly burst out into laughter.
The two Blood Warriors both exchanged a confused glance when they saw Yang Kai’s joy filled face, his former frustrated and disappointed expression entirely blown away.
“Little Lord…” Tang Yu Xian gently bit her lips, wondering why his state of mind had suddenly changed so much.
But in response, Yang Kai simply laughed even louder.
Suddenly realizing something, Tang Yu Xian called out, “Little Lord’s look just now was just an act for others to see.”
“After suffering such a big loss, of course I should show others an aggrieved expression. If I were to look excited, I’m afraid the Elders would become suspicious.” Yang Kai nodded lightly.
This time, it could be said he had made a massive profit.
Although the family’s orders had a detrimental effect on Yang Kai’s progress in the Inheritance War, in the long run, Yang Kai would undoubtedly be the biggest winner.
So many Blood Warriors now becoming one person’s dedicated servants, this was something that had never happened in the Yang Family’s entire history.
Blessings and misfortune really comes in pairs.
What’s more, although only two Blood Warriors were allowed to participate in the Inheritance War now, couldn’t he still win? Yang Kai had absolute confidence in his future!
All the way back, his mood was jubilant.
A hundred kilometers away, after half an hour of riding, Yang Kai returned to his mansion.
The unique sound of Cloud Treading Colt’s alerted Qiu Yi Meng. Once she heard that familiar sound, the maiden Qiu, who was anxiously waiting in the mansion, rushed out to meet Yang Kai, her beautiful pair of eyes carefully observing him and secretly guessing why the Yang Family had suddenly ordered him to return to the Central Capital.
After seeing Yang Kai’s dull expression, she couldn’t help trembling slightly as she suddenly had a bad feeling.
Yang Kai’s look clearly indicated that the reason he was summoned to the Yang Family wasn’t a good one. Several thoughts turned over in Qiu Yi Meng’s mind, but she didn’t dare to immediately ask, instead just silently ushering him into the mansion.
Inside the main hall, the young leaders of many forces gathered together.
They had all heard about Yang Kai being recalled to the Central Capital and naturally wanted to know why.
A dozen pairs of eyes looked straight at Yang Kai, waiting for him to speak. The hall was so quiet one could hear a pin drop.
“I have good news and bad news.” Yang Kai let out a long breath and looked around, “Which would you like to hear first?”
“Since there’s both good and bad,” Huo Xing Chen grinned and shook his head, “Then let’s hear the bad new first. It can’t be worse than the news we received this morning.”
Yang Kai’s expression changed, although he did not know what Huo Xing Chen was talking about; he temporarily didn’t go into it. If anything of paramount importance had happened in War City, Qiu Yi Meng would definitely have already informed him.
“The bad news is that only two of the Blood Warriors who have pledged their support to me will be allowed to participate in the Inheritance War. The rest will not be able to contribute anything and must immediately stand down.”
“What?” Everyone called out in shock; Qiu Yi Meng frowned deeply and solemnly asked, “What do you mean?”
Letting out a sigh, Yang Kai simply explained the family’s decision.
After comprehending the deeper meaning of his words, everyone became filled with indignation and anger.
“What the hell!” Huo Xing Chen yelled, “Does your Yang Family think this is some kind of child’s play? Can they just alter the rules of Inheritance War so haphazardly?”
“That’s right, how could they do this?”
“If this is put in place, the gap in strength between us and the others has been shortened greatly.”
Everyone was shouting and accusing the Yang Family Elder Hall, even the cold beauty Han Xiao Qi wore a look of anger on her face.
Originally, their position was all but invincible. With seven Blood Warriors on his side, Yang Kai had more than enough strength to sweep away all the remaining Yang Family Young Lords, but now, it would undoubtedly be significantly harder.
“Yang Kai, didn’t you resist your Yang Family Elder Hall’s decision? These Blood Warriors all willingly came to support you. Are you really going to let them be recalled for some bullshit reason?” Huo Xing Chen shouted angrily.
“Enough!” Qiu Yi Meng took a deep breath and shouted, when she heard this news just now she also felt a suffocating anger in her chest, but after calming down, she soon noticed that even as Yang Kai explained this detrimental situation, he didn’t have an unpleasant look on his face.
From this she could tell that he didn’t actually care about this result.
“What’s the good news?” Qiu Yi Meng turned to Yang Kai and asked, “Let’s hear it.”
The crowd suddenly quieted down and looked at Yang Kai.
The corners of Yang Kai’s mouth slowly rose until a wide smile appeared on his face, “The good news has nothing to do with you, it doesn’t even have anything to do with the Inheritance War, it’s solely about me.”
“From now on, all the Blood Warriors here, and those that pledge their support to me in the future, will become loyal only to me!”
When everyone heard this, they all froze up and didn’t know what to say, but after thinking about it for a moment they quickly realized the incredible benefits of this.
“Seriously?” Dong Qing Han stuttered, his expression filled with disbelief, “Did the Yang Family really agree to that?”
“Yes!”
“What the hell!” Huo Xing Chen also gawked.
Qiu Yi Meng wore a wry smile and shook her head slowly, “Yang Kai, you’ve really made a big profit this time.”
So many Blood Warriors, from now on pledging loyalty only to Yang Kai, which was to say that no matter whether he could win the final victory in the Inheritance War or not, his position in the Yang Family will not be low!
With so many Blood Warriors as followers, how could his status be anything but great? He would at least become one of the top Elders!
Yang Family Elder, such a character was at least comparable to the patriarch of a first-class force!
“The family probably agreed to my condition because they felt pressured to give me some kind of appropriate answer.” Yang Kai chuckled, “If it weren’t for them meddling in things like this, I wouldn’t have been able to fish up such a big advantage.”
Qiu Yi Meng gently nodded, “In the short term, this is indeed bad news for the Inheritance War, but in the long-term it is quite beneficial for you. In any case, first and foremost, congratulations.”
This sentiment was loudly echoed by everyone in the hall.
Yang Kai smiled lightly, but as was about to speak, he noticed that everyone seemed to be hiding a faint sense of worry, causing him to knit his brow and ask, “Did something happen last night?”
He had only been gone for one night, yet his allies had such a dramatic change of look, something big must have transpired after he had left.
Hearing his question, everyone awkwardly coughed and looked away.
Qiu Yi Meng also smiled bitterly, “Nothing gets past you, and I was just going to tell you about it.”
Letting out a deep sigh, she continued, “Like you, I also have good news and bad news, which one do you want to listen to first?”
“The bad news!” Yang Kai immediately said.
“Yang Ying… forfeited!”
“What?” Yang Kai was dumbstruck.
“You heard right, your Seventh Brother, Yang Ying, forfeited last night!”
“What happened?” Yang Kai’s brow wrinkled, this was a development he had not anticipated.
At this point, there were only four Young Lords remaining in the Inheritance War.
Yang Wei, Yang Zhao, Yang Kai, and Yang Ying! Among the four, Yang Kai had the largest number of masters; with just the seven Blood Warriors he had the strength to overwhelm everyone else, not to mention Old Demon and Meng Wu Ya.
On the other hand, Yang Ying had the most supporting forces and the largest number of people, none of the other three came anywhere close.
After Yang Kai’s sneak attack on Yang Shen’s compound where he successfully obtained his flag, all of Yang Shen’s allies, with the exception of the two Blood Warriors, were gathered by Yang Ying.
In other words, Yang Ying currently possessed the combined forces of two Young Lords!
No matter how one looked at it, Yang Ying wasn’t the weakest of the four.
But now he actually took the initiative to forfeit! This was beyond everyone’s expectations, and it had actually happened last night when Yang Kai left War City.
“I don’t know what the specific situation is,” Qiu Yi Meng shook her head, she had only received the news herself this morning. “It’s said that your Second Brother went to Yang Ying’s mansion alone and talked with him well into the night. He must have promised him some kind of generous benefits and conditions in exchange for Yang Ying forfeiting.”
Yang Kai’s eyes narrows, quickly understanding, “So, all of Seventh Brother’s allies…”
“They’ve already swore allegiance to your Second Brother.” Qiu Yi Meng smiled wryly and said.
After absorbing the people from Yang Ying’s house, Yang Zhao’s strength had reached an incredible degree! It was different from Yang Kai, he now possessed the strongest force.
“Last night really brought great storms.” Yang Kai’s eyes flashed as a sneer appeared on his face.
[I leave for only one night, and such a big event happens in War City. Second Brother’s methods are impressive!]
If he wasn’t summoned to the Elder Hall yesterday, Yang Kai would have already taken all his Blood Warriors last night and stamped out his Seventh Brother.
But now, Yang Kai has completely lost all of his accumulated advantages and instead was forced into a defensive position because of his Second Brother’s movements.
The situation had changed drastically and the difference in position was quite unbearable.
Him being summoned by the Elder Hall yesterday evening and his Second Brother making such a big move that night, whether or not it was a coincidence or something more sinister, Yang Kai had no way of knowing.
But now, the outcome of the Inheritance War was no longer set, at the very least, Yang Zhao had become a tough bone to gnaw, while Eldest Brother definitely had many hidden strengths!
Of the three remaining brothers, who would win the final victory was a topic of concern for people all over the world.
“What’s the good news?” Yang Kai calmed down and asked.
“This good news is only about you once again.” Qiu Yi Meng showed a look of helplessness on her face and clapped her hands, “Come in.”
Soon after, two people walked into the hall.
After seeing these two, Yang Kai immediately understood what Qiu Yi Meng meant.
These two were the Blood Warriors that had been serving his Seventh Brother!
Now that Yang Ying has voluntarily forfeited, they had the opportunity to choose a new master to follow, and as expected, like the other Blood Warriors, they had chosen to come to Yang Kai.
However, in accordance with Yang Kai’s agreement with the Elder Hall, these two couldn’t make any contribution to the Inheritance War.
“Wu Ju and Fu Cong greet Little Lord!”
Yang Kai nodded gently, “I assume you heard everything I said?”
“Subordinates indeed heard.” Both of them nodded and grinned, “From now on we will be in Little Lord’s care.”
“As will I be in yours!”
“Subordinates will retire!” The two came out to see Yang Kai and then immediately left.
“What do you plan to do now?” Waiting for two Blood Warriors to leave, Qiu Yi Meng asked softly.
“Observe the situation.” Yang Kai was also somewhat helpless. Although the forces he had gathered currently were by no means weak, without the ability to deploy all of his Blood Warriors, he could no longer act as unscrupulous as before. Not to mention, Yang Zhao now had an immense numerical advantage that he had to guard against.
Great changes occurring in a single night, such was the impermanence of the world.
Although everyone felt some indignation for Yang Kai, thinking about how he now had so many Blood Warriors serving him directly, their sense of injustice faded greatly.
After they dispersed, each of them went back and began cultivating again.
In another room, Yang Kai assembled all the Blood Warriors under his command.
Counting the two newcomers who came this morning, there were now nine Blood Warriors inside his mansion! An amazing number!
The decree of the Elder Hall had reached the ears of many Blood Warriors thanks to Ying Jiu and Tang Yu Xian.
Looking at the masters in front of him, Yang Kai said, “Of you nine, I can only choose two to participate in the Inheritance War. Ying Jiu has been responsible for my personal safety all this time and when it comes to concealment and assassination, no one can compare, so I chose his. As for Tang Yu Xian, her proficiency in Soul Skills is unparalleled among all the Blood Warriors so I also chose her; I hope you don’t have any complaints.”
“Subordinates don’t dare!” Everyone immediately replied.
“I knew you wouldn’t.” Yang Kai nodded. “In fact, there is another reason for choosing Yu Xian…”
Hearing this, everyone couldn’t help being curious.
Yang Kai grinned, “Given the choice, of course I’d want to have a beautiful woman by my side.”
Even with Tang Yu Xian’s calm demeanour and rich experience, she couldn’t help blushing bright red and stuttering, “Little Lord…”
The expressions of everyone else in the room also twitched slightly.
Yang Kai let out a laugh and no longer talked nonsense, seriously saying, “Although the rest of you can’t contribute directly to the Inheritance War, you can still instruct the others in the mansion regarding cultivation.”
“A simple matter.” Tu Feng nodded.
Each of these people was a master from the Yang Family Blood Warrior Hall, all of them had reached the Immortal Ascension Boundary Seventh or Eighth Stage, so giving pointers to the Young Lords and Young Ladies in the mansion was really just a simple matter.
Presumably, once they heard about this, all the cultivators in the mansion, even those from the older generation, would be ecstatic and immediately seek the guidance of the Yang Family Blood Warriors; after all, this was not an opportunity ordinary people could get.
After talking with the Blood Warriors, Yang Kai made them disperse.
Only Tang Yu Xian remained.
Unsure why Yang Kai made her stay, Tang Yu Xian was blushing slightly from the joke Yang Kai made earlier.
“Yu Xian, everyone is not an outsider, I have something to discuss with you.” Yang Kai looked serious and whispered.
“Little Lord, please speak. Yu Xian is listening,” Tang Yu Xian said while calming herself.
“I don’t know, can you feel it?” as Yang Kai said, a sudden powerful Divine Sense burst out and shrouded Tang Yu Xian.
Tang Yu Xian’s tender body trembled, her beautiful face wearing a look of fascination as she stared at Yang Kai.
“Do you feel it?” Yang Kai asked.
Tang Yu Xian took a while before nodding lightly, “Little Lord, is this your own Divine Sense?”
“Not bad!”
Yang Kai had already started to cultivate his Divine sense. However, this fact was unbeknownst to Tang Yu Xian and Tu Feng, and he only chose to reveal it because Yank Kai wished to consult Tang Yu Xian about her Divine Sense.
“I see… the Divine Sense that eclipsed Yang Tie’s mansion that night was Little Lord’s!” Tang Yu Xian suddenly realized. After several months, she could still remember the first night of the inheritance war. Yang Tie’s mansion was under siege and Yang Kai had managed to abscond with his brother while a powerful Divine Sense suddenly shrouded Yang Tie’s mansion, deterring their group from engaging.
At the time, she was still suspicious of which master it was.
“Lord, you are only at True Element Boundary Ninth Stage, so how could you…?”
His Divine Sense was as strong as someone at the summit of Immortal Ascension. Although Yang Kai had only been cultivating it for months, no one would be able to tell. It could easily be mistaken for a master who has trained their divine sense for decades.
“I don’t know.” Yang Kai shook his head hinting her not to probe deeper. “Your skills in Soul Skill are better than most. I want to learn from you.”
Meng Wu Ya and Old Demon were both masters of high skill, and their abilities in Divine sense are certainly not weaker than Tang Yu Xian, but everyone has their own strengths.
Yang Kai was only one step away from Immortal Ascension Boundary. Naturally, he wanted to prepare in advance, especially for Immortal Ascension Boundary.
True Element Boundary is a watershed for a cultivator where Yuan Qi in the body will turn into True Qi, which will become richer and purer.
Immortal Ascension Boundary was also a huge watershed. Cultivators will open their Knowledge sea and cultivate their Divine sense.
“What does the Little Lord want to ask?” Tang Yu Xian asked, calmly regaining her composure.
Yang Kai thought for a moment ”For example, how did you open your own Knowledge Sea?”
“I remember that I took some Precious Treasure for my Divine Soul,” Tang Yu Xian recalled and slowly said. “If this is not clear, then Little Lord, allow this subordinate to demonstrate. I still remember the situation at the time.”
“Demonstrate…? How?”
“If Little Lord enters my Knowledge Sea!” Tang Yu Xian exclaimed, directly releasing the defence of her Knowledge Sea.
“Good.” Yang Kai nodded, as his divine sense rushed into Tang Yu Xian’s mind.
Looking around, Yang Kai could see a clear boundless sky and a vast blue ocean stretching endlessly. This Endless Sea contained Tang Yu Xian’s Divine Soul. Yang Kai couldn’t hold his astonishment.
So far, Yang Kai had broken into the Knowledge Sea of three people.
The first was Shan Qing Luo, the second his Little Senior Sister, and the third is Tang Yu Xian.
When breaking into someone else’s Knowledge Sea, you can clearly feel the changes in their heart and thoughts. This is a very subtle feeling, and any change in their mind was impossible to conceal.
Therefore, if the relationship is not particularly good, cultivators will not release the defence of their Knowledge Sea.
The Knowledge Sea of the three had different feelings for Yang Kai.
Shan Qing Luo’s Knowledge Sea contained fascinating temptation, a vast divine Knowledge Sea that seemed to be able to inhale Yang Kai’s Soul, making people unable to extricate themselves.
Little Senior Sister’s Knowledge Sea gives a fresh and natural feeling. Staying in her Knowledge Sea, you can forget all your troubles and worries. Her atmosphere was very calming.
Tang Yu Xian is quite mature, the breeze in her knowledge sea was like the bosom of a plump woman, closely wrapping Yang Kai.
At this moment, Tang Yu Xian’s Soul body was not that far from Yang Kai.
The ocean underneath suddenly rolled up a wave after wave and the once clear sky begun to change as if a storm was coming.
Yang Kai stood stunned.
“It was the first time that someone has broken into my Knowledge Sea and I am not used to it.” Tang Yu Xian apologized.
The situation in the Knowledge Sea clearly reflected Tang Yu Xian’s inner changes: Right now, she was undoubtedly nervous. After all, all her greatest secrets lay in front of Yang Kai, which was a bit shameful for any woman.
If Yang Kai went too deep into her Knowledge Sea, he can even peek into all the bits and pieces that she had experienced since she was a child till now, but Yang Kai would never do that.
Listening to her say this, Yang Kai just nodded and waited for her mood to calm down.
Sure enough, after a while, the sea had calmed down again.
“Little Lord, look carefully. I will begin the demonstration now.” Tang Yu Xian whispered. Yang Kai’s vision soon went dark.
Everything had disappeared. From the Endless Sea to clear skies and breeze, there was only darkness.
Surrounded by nothingness, his body seemed to be in chaos.
he knew that Tang Yu Xian was showing the development and formation of her Knowledge Sea, and now he had to pay attention.
He didn’t know how long he was in that place of emptiness and chaos. Eventually, one or two free energies were born, just as the first life at the beginning of the heavens and earth, full of vitality and energy fluctuations.
Tang Yu Xian’s Divine Soul thread!
These two energies were swimming in this chaos, like a candle in the wind and rain, or like the snow under the sun.
Subtle, but delicate!
But it caused some strange changes in the Nothingness, and chaos was no longer the only theme in this world. In the darkness, the Divine Soul threads appeared one after another, lighting up the dark space.
Initially, these Soul threads were scattered, not even forming nearby. Some Soul threads shattered and were attributed to nothingness, but eventually they began to take form.
As this continued, more and more Divine Soul threads survived.
Gradually, this piece of nothingness and chaos became a starry night sky.
As time passed, these Soul threads gathered together, and the subtle energy was twisted into one. There was a sudden rush of water.
In this world of nothingness, a small stream appeared, the stream flowing and stretching into the distance.
More and more magnificent, larger and larger. The stream became a river, the river became the Endless Sea, and the Endless Sea radiated outward in all directions, ending out of sight!
As the heavens and the earth split apart, chaos disappeared.
The darkness was expelled, and Yang Kai’s eyes lit up!
The breeze came, and the water was flowing underneath. Tang Yu Xian stood still in front of him quietly. She gave a soft breath, and there was a tired look on her Soul Body.
The demonstration just now was very exhausting.
“Does Little Lord understand?”
Yang Kai nodded lightly but did not answer, he was immersed in the artistic conception that grew from nothing to something.
Opening the Knowledge Sea is the same as opening a world! A world belonging to only one person.
This demonstration by Tang Yu Xian has given Yang Kai a big gain! How to open his own Knowledge Sea in the future, how to promote Immortal Ascension Boundary, he has a lot of ideas.
The only difference now was the crucial moment and cultivation level.
Yang Kai believed that if he has enough strength to promote to Immortal Ascension Boundary, he would be able to open his Knowledge Sea quickly.
“In fact, if Little Lord wants to refine his divine sense, I have a suggestion.”
“Oh?” Yang Kai was looking at her.
“Little Lord can find a partner… well, when two people dual cultivate!” Tang Yu Xian’s face became a little red.
Yang Kai laughed, “Isn’t that a soul union?”
“Yes.” Tang Yu Xian suddenly apologized. There was a faint feeling of being encouraged by the Little Lord.
“I heard that once you try this kind of thing, it’s easy to get lost.” Yang Kai smiled weirdly.
Soul union- when two people start to blend their souls, one can feel a joy that surpasses the flesh by a thousand times. Although the pleasure was immense, to blend one’s divine soul can make the memories of the two fuse. It was a risky endeavour that can change their character, to the point where they lose themselves.
“Others may get lost, but Little Lord has a strong heart and should be fine.” Tang Yu Xian paused and said, “Absolutely no problem.”
“So sure?” Yang Kai smiled and nodded. “I will consider it.”
There was one person in mind, but he didn’t know where they were now.
The Yin-Yang Joyous Unification Art with Su Yan went to the second-order, and if the third-order is in their heart, it will certainly resonate with their divine souls.
It is also a good idea to use dual spiritual and enhance each other’s Divine sense.
“Thank you for your time.” Yang Kai solemnly said.
“Little Lord is polite. Such a small task should be expected by his subordinates.” Tang Yu Xian smiled.
Yang Kai gently nodded and was about to withdraw from Tang Yu Xian’s Knowledge Sea. Suddenly his expression changed, and he couldn’t help but scream, his brow wrinkled.
“What happened?” Tang Yu Xian asked.
“There is movement!” Yang Kai’s look sank and disappeared the next moment.
Tang Yu Xian was stunned and quickly left her Knowledge Sea.
Opening her eyes, she watched Yang Kai quickly stand up and leave.
At the same time, the mansion resounded a burst of horrible laughter, “Since you’re here, why hide it? Show yourself to me!”
Immediately, inside the mansion, there was a wave of earth-shattering energy fluctuations. The earth began to move, and a red light started rising in a certain position over the mansion.
Tang Yu Xian’s face changed, not knowing what has transpired.
Everyone in Yang Kai’s mansion went on high alert when they heard Old Demon’s shout.
When Yang Kai arrived at the place where the ruckus originated, he found that it was once again not far from the Pill Room, but this time there were three layers of people surrounding the scene, all of them fully circulating their True Qi, each of them on high alert as they stared towards the centre of the circle.
When they noticed the arrival of Yang Kai, everyone gave way and allowed him to pass.
Yang Kai nodded lightly and calmly looked inward.
At the centre of the encirclement the, Qiu Yi Meng stood next to Old Demon, her eyes staring with curiosity and horror at what lay before her.
“Young Master, that person came!” Old Demon looked a little excited, saying so as he pointed towards his captive.
Yang Kai’s eyes followed Old Demon’s finger and saw a few meters away a number of red lights rising from the ground, like red iron columns, forming a circular cage. Within the cage was a figure that repeatedly attacked the red bars but seemed unable to break them or escape.
Everyone stared in amazement; even Qiu Yi Meng was extremely surprised.
Because this figure wrapped in red lights was almost transparent, if one didn’t look carefully they wouldn’t have even noticed it. This figure moved fluidly, like a clear stream of water flowing through the air, distorting one’s view of the opposite side when they looked through it.
Even until now, no one had seen the true appearance of this figure.
This kind of concealment technique had completely exceeded everyone’s scope of understanding!
Ying Jiu was also a master of stealth and assassination and had the ability to blur his image, but he did so by using a special technique where he circulated his True Qi in a specific way to avoid people’s perception.
On the other hand, this mysterious person’s method was quite different, everyone could tell she was clearly there, but they still could see right through her!
After only a glimpse, Yang Kai realized he had still underestimated this mysterious master’s methods.
This mysterious master in the cultivation of stealth appeared before Yang Kai twice. However, each time, she would manage to slip away without him managing to even catch a glimpse of her. It was only by chance, back on their second encounter in Po Jing Lake, that Yang Kai managed to get one strand of her hair. Furthermore, thanks to Old Demon’s own methods, Yang Kai could pass him the task of locating her using this strand of hair.
It wasn’t until today that his efforts had paid off; Old Demon had noticed the aura of this mysterious master and then proceeded to trap her here.
Even though she was trapped, she didn’t seem to be worried at all, just walking around in the small light cage faintly staring out at the surrounding crowd, as if she was observing them, just like they were observing her.
“Hm… a woman?” Qiu Yi Meng called out in surprise, she clearly saw the two bulges on this figure’s chest and although it was just a glimpse, it at least confirmed her gender.
“Girl, reveal yourself.” Yang Kai face became serious, lightly ordering.
The opposite party remained indifferent and didn’t answer, not showing up, just standing there quietly, Yang Kai even felt her eyes staring at him.
“I just have some questions to ask, I hope that you can comply!” Yang Kai frowned.
However, there was still no reply.
Yang Kai’s expression became impatient. He didn’t know why this person had attempted to sneak into the Pill Room twice, and he didn’t know which faction she belonged to, but if such a master was left alone, he was afraid that everyone in the house would feel uneasy. Moreover, seeing her absolute refusal to cooperate, Yang Kai felt it was useless to say any more.
“I’ll give you ten breaths of time to appear, think about it!” Yang Kai’s tone became solemn as he quietly waited.
Soon, ten breaths passed.
Yang Kai slowly shook his head and stared at the transparent figure, coldly ordering, “Do it, if she dares to resist, it doesn’t matter if you kill her!”
Old Demon cackled wildly and stepped forward. At the same time the figure trapped by the red light beams apparently hadn’t thought that Yang Kai would be so ruthless, her figure solidifying for a brief moment before quickly fading again.
“Bind!” Old Demon shouted, causing the red light cage to pulse with a strange energy and contract towards the trapped figure inside.
“Heng, you think this is enough to capture me?” Just as the red lights were about to bind the woman, she suddenly spoke.
When her voice reached their ears, everyone’s expression suddenly changed.
It wasn’t that this sound was grating or difficult to listen to, but rather… it was quite soft and tender.
As a person grew older, not only does their physical shape change, but there are also subtle changes in their appearance and tone of voice. Older people tend to have a more mature sound than those of the younger generation.
But the voice of this mysterious master was very tender and crisp, listening to her voice alone; everyone immediately felt that she could be no older than twenty.
Think this, everyone shook their heads secretly.
It was impossible for a less than twenty year old girl to have such incredible strength! Qiu Yi Meng was twenty-two this year and had just reached the Immortal Ascension Boundary First Stage.
Liu Qing Yao was even older.
Was it possible this young woman’s aptitude was far superior to even Qiu Yi Meng and Liu Qing Yao’s? Or perhaps her voice was just naturally soft in tone; everyone had their own guesses.
As soon as the mysterious woman spoke, the complacent look on Old Demon’s face suddenly disappeared and without hesitation he quickly retrieved something from his sleeve pocket.
At the same time, with a light giggle, the figure of the woman surrounded by red lights suddenly burst.
Yang Kai leapt forward and shot out his palm in an attempt to seize her.
He had already witnessed this scene twice, and each time this mysterious master had escaped like this.
As his hand reached his target, Yang Kai only caught a trace of mist and the woman once again disappeared right before everyone’s eyes.
The entire room was stunned silent!
Not only the various young geniuses, but many Immortal Ascension Boundary masters and several of the Yang Family Blood Warriors were present, yet none of them understood how this person had escaped.
On the other hand, Old Demon’s face filled with excitement. He squeezes the things he just took out and filled it with his True Qi, causing it to slowly light up.
“Capture!” Old Demon snorted, and the thing in his hand turned into a stream of light that shot off into the distance, flying towards some unknown place in War City at an incredible speed.
“Hee heh, this old master knew she would use this trick!” Old Demon smiled smugly as the stream of light disappeared.
“How sure are you?” Yang Kai asked. He too hadn’t seen clearly what Old Demon had just taken out, but he felt it should be the light blue hair he had given him last time.
“This old master’s methods, well… just wait and see.” Old Demon said with great confidence.
Yang Kai nodded lightly while the several Blood Warriors looked at Old Demon incredulously. They weren’t inexperienced people, but the various means and methods Old Demon had displayed were all completely foreign to them; they couldn’t help wondering exactly who Old Demon was and where he came from.
War City, Wind Inn, inside a single room, a young girl slowly opened her beautiful eyes and smacked her red mouth, muttering to herself, “How vexing, actually setting up such a big trap for me. Shameless! I didn’t want to do anything bad, I just wanted to look for someone, and yet… hmph!”
The three times she had met that youth who seemed to be even younger than her, were all able to be perceived by him. This fact made her upset.
In such a backward and barbaric land, how could there be such a powerful young man? Although his strength was quite low, if he wasn’t born here but instead came from the land she was from, he would probably accomplish some big things; however, since he was born here, his future achievements would probably be quite limited.
Thinking so, the girl’s mood suddenly became better as she gloated somewhat about Yang Kai’s humble origins.
*Xiu xiu…*
Suddenly hearing a burst of wind, the girl’s skin went tight as a feeling of danger swept over her, causing a chill to shoot up her spine, suddenly becoming uneasy.
Before she could even understand what was happening, the window flung open and a stream of light flew in.
The light flew towards her and struck her directly.
“Ah…” The girl was caught off guard and she fell to the ground in shock, but when she climbed back up, the stream of light had disappeared.
Quickly checking herself, she found that her body had no trace of injuries but indistinctly she felt that she was missing something!
What was missing? The girl checked several times but didn’t discover anything out of place, shaking her head helplessly as her red lips pouted, quite puzzled about what just happened.
Yang Kai House, everyone had already dispersed.
Only Old Demon and Yang Kai stayed behind.
The master and the servant were quietly waiting.
A short time later, the stream of light returned and Old Demon reached out and caught it, grinning as he said, “Young Master, if you please!”
While speaking, he handed over the thing he caught.
Picking it up, Yang Kai looked it over carefully and couldn’t help laughing.
He had only caught a glimpse of it before and hadn’t paid attention to what Old Demon crafted from that woman’s hair, but now that he saw it, it seemed to be a doll!
Old Demon actually had this kind of skill! The doll made from the hair had blurry facial features and its appearance was quite generic, obviously it was just a rough work.
But at this moment, this little doll exuded a faint glow and there seemed to be a faint energy circulating within it.
“Young Master, this is old servant’s special Soul Binding Curse! This doll has been connected with that little girl’s Spiritual Essence. As long as you manipulate this doll, no matter how far away that girl is, be it thousands or even tens of thousands of kilometers, she will experience the same thing.”
“What happens if I twist off this thing’s head?” Yang Kai glanced over at Old Demon.
“That girl will die!” Old Demon smirked, “It can be said that she is now completely under Young Master’s control!”
“Not bad!” Yang Kai’s wore a smile, obviously quite satisfied.
Old Demon grinned and nodded, “This seems to be how Old Servant used to control his minions, on that day, seeing that hair, I suddenly remembered.”
“So, it seems your previous days weren’t very kind to you. Having to use this method to control your henchmen, who would be willing to serve you?”
“Well, this was old servant’s last resort.”
Yang Kai shook his head and stopped discussing the problem, instead turning his attention to the doll, extending his finger and gently flicking its forehead.
That night, Yang Kai’s mansion!
The burning torches everywhere illuminated the entire mansion while the moon hung high in the sky, all around, War City was passing a peaceful, quiet night.
“You’ve come?” Yang Kai, who was cultivating, suddenly opened his eyes and stared at a certain patch of darkness, a smile on his lips.
Old Demon, who was standing guard beside him, also let out a laugh, disturbing the once peaceful night.
“Since you’ve come, why not show yourself?” Yang Kai called out.
The door suddenly opened and Yang Kai’s eyes stared straight ahead, spotting a nearly transparent figure in the pale moonlight. This figure, just like earlier today, was like a clear stream of water and slowly walked into the room, coming to a stop roughly ten meters away from Yang Kai.
Old Demon secretly circulated his True Qi while Ying Jiu, who was hiding in the darkness, also focused all his attention on the mysterious master, not daring to miss a single movement.
“As timid as a mouse!” From the place where the almost transparent figure stood, a disdainful, yet somewhat sweet and tender female voice called out, apparently mocking Yang Kai for having two masters guarding him at this time.
“Show your true face!” Yang Kai didn’t care, quietly calling out.
“A rat like you isn’t qualified to see this young lady’s face!” The person in front of him snorted before pausing for a moment, “Unless, you let those two beside you leave first!”
Yang Kai smiled playfully, silently taking out the little doll made from this person’s hair.
As he did so, he could clearly feel the woman’s gaze lock onto the doll; her gaze seemingly filled with dread and bitterness, obviously anxious to snatch it and then disappear into the night.
After a short standoff, Yang Kai suddenly waved his hand.
“Young Master!” Old Demon’s expression changed slightly, quietly objecting.
“It’s alright.” Yang Kai shook his head.
Old Demon frowned then nodded, “Then old servant and Ying Jiu will wait outside, if Young Master has any instructions, just call out!”
After saying that, he walked towards the door. Passing by the mysterious woman, Old Demon suddenly muttered, “Don’t mess with my Young Master, or your future will be miserable.”
The mysterious woman just snorted coldly.
After Old Demon and Ying Jiu went out, the mysterious woman became relaxed. With the two masters constantly staring at her, even she was a little nervous.
Noticing the subtle change in her demeanor, Yang Kai lightly laughed, “It seems like you’re not very strong.”
If she was worried about Ying Jiu and Old Demon, obviously she wasn’t a top powerhouse.
“Stronger than you at least.” The woman shot back, not wanting to show any weakness.
Yang Kai’s brow wrinkled slightly, in this situation, this woman… actually responded to his simple taunting, she was obviously somewhat immature, how old was she? At this point, Yang Kai was also quite curious.
“Now, as you wished, my two guards have left. Show your true face!”
“Hehe…” The woman giggled, although her body was all but transparent, it was still easy to tell her style was excellent, coupled with her pleasant laughter she gave off a teasing aura, “You just want to see me?”
“Right!” Yang Kai slowly got up and walked towards her.
The mysterious woman’s breath suddenly stagnated, it was like Yang Kai truly didn’t fear the immensity of Heaven, even in the absence of any followers, and he dared approach her.
Even if he came right up to her, the woman shouldn’t have anything to fear, yet at this moment she couldn’t help feeling a sense of crisis.
Quickly shaking her head, the woman dispelled the uneasiness in her heart and her aura suddenly became dangerous, coldly saying, “I’ll give you a chance, hand over that thing in your hand.”
“And if I say no?”
“All the people who angered this young lady have never had a good end!” The woman snorted, her almost invisible body suddenly bursting, filling the room with a strange mist that quickly wrapped surrounded Yang Kai.
Sensing the movement inside the room, Ying Jiu, who was standing at the door, wanted to rush inside, but Old Demon promptly held him back.
Slowly shaking his head, Old Demon said, “Young Master won’t suffer any harm.”
“If something happens to him, you’ll pay with your life!” Ying Jiu coldly shouted.
Old Demon smirked, “In terms of loyalty, this old master is no worse than you. Don’t worry, the one who is in danger is that woman, daring to threaten Young Master, her end will certainly be miserable.”
As soon as he spoke these words, a pitiful scream erupted from inside the room. It was the voice of the woman, and listening to her cries, it seemed like she was suffering from some kind of inhumane torture.
Among her screams once could also make out Yang Kai’s low-pitched sneers.
Ying Jiu’s expression immediately became awkward. In his mind, he couldn’t help imagining a scene where a strong man was brutally tormenting a weak, helpless girl while laughing maliciously at her suffering.
His blood suddenly became cold.
Inside the room, Yang Kai stood in the same place, holding the little doll in his hand, squeezing and bending it with his fingers. Every time he moved it, the woman’s screams would resound again.
After a while, a figure suddenly appeared in front of his eyes, the mist around him was still too thick so he couldn’t see everything, but under this painful torture, the woman twitched and spasmed on the ground, like a quail in winter, her tender body trembled, her silky light blue hair scattered around like a waterfall. She seemed delicate, helpless, and pitiful.
Seeing all this, Yang Kai remained indifferent, releasing some scorching True Yang Yuan Qi from his body to evaporate the remaining mist before calmly walking up to the woman and looking down at her.
Seeing her light blue hair which shimmered like a clear lake, Yang Kai couldn’t help feeling a little surprised.
It was the first time he had seen such hair, supple, elegant, and beautiful! Anyone would find this kind of blue silk attractive upon laying eyes on it.
The mysterious woman’s body was also relatively small, her hair long enough to reach all the way down her back, her legs curled up as both her hands held her head, lying on the ground motionless, only her delicate mouth moved slightly as she gasped for breath.
Through the gap between her fingers and hair, Yang Kai saw a pair of bright eyes glaring at him hatefully; moreover, although this woman seemed to be in a weak and pitiful state, she was actually maintaining a defensive stance, ready to counterattack.
As long as Yang Kai went a step further, she would launch a lightning fast strike.
With a slight grin, Yang Kai stopped where he was.
Seeing this, the woman’s eyes suddenly became disappointed.
“Get up!” Yang Kai said lightly as he stared down at her.
The woman slowly shook her head, her attitude remaining firm.
“Don’t act like I’m forcing myself on you, I have no interest in old women!” Yang Kai snorted.
“Who is an old woman!?” Almost like a cat that had its tail stepped on, the woman immediately jumped up from the ground and glared at Yang Kai, her teeth grinding fiercely as her full chest heaved up and down, her long silky hair fluttering about, brushing past her well rounded hips and bottom.
After she spat these words, seeing Yang Kai’s proud smile, the woman realized that she had been baited, her expression becoming ugly as her cheeks flushed slightly.
On the other hand, Yang Kai’s gaze also became strange as he stared straight at the woman in front of him skeptically.
He discovered that this woman’s face was as immature as her voice.
The years had seemingly not left any trace upon her.
A woman, even if she had a beautiful face, couldn’t avoid the passage of time, unless she used some kind of rare Precious Treasure.
For example, although Dong Su Zhu and Tang Yu Xian both looked young, many people even mistakenly thinking Dong Su Zhu was the Yang Family Fourth Master’s daughter, but if one looked closely, they would still notice that they weren’t young girls.
But the woman in front of him was different; Yang Kai instinctively felt that if she hadn’t taken some beauty preserving Precious Treasure, she would really be a twenty year old girl.
As for her cultivation… Yang Kai’s Divine Sense swept over her and suddenly froze.
Immortal Ascension Boundary Eighth Stage!
This was the first time Yang Kai had clearly judged her cultivation. From the very first time they met, his Divine Sense couldn’t elucidate her realm, even Meng Wu Ya couldn’t tell, it was as if she had a special method to conceal herself from being investigated by other’s Divine Senses.
“What do you want to do here?” Yang Kai’s eyes became sharp as he interrogated, causing the woman’s beautiful face to pale slightly, her body instinctively shrinking back somewhat.
“I asked you, what are you doing here?” Yang Kai stared at her.
“What have I done to you? Why are you torturing me like this?” The woman suddenly became aggrieved her beautiful pair of eyes slowly becoming watery.
From when she was a child till now, she has never suffered such bitterness. This evil man tightly held onto a little doll made from one of her hairs and while he held it, he seemed able to control her every action, even whether she lived or died!
“I just came here to find someone, I haven’t done anything bad. Why are you treating me like this?” The woman said with an aggrieved expression.
“Find someone? Who are you looking for?” Yang Kai frowned.
“I’m not telling you!”
“How old are you?” Yang Kai suddenly felt a headache, inferring from her strength, it was absolutely impossible for her to be young, yet from her tone of voice and way of acting, it really was like she was just a little girl.
Under the Heaven’s, was there really such a strong girl? Even Su Yan right now he guessed would only have reached the Immortal Ascension Boundary Second or Third Stage.
“I’m not telling you this either, a woman’s age is her biggest secret.” The woman licked her lips and glared back at Yang Kai, suddenly thinking he wasn’t as vicious as she imagined, her expression relaxing quite a bit.
“Old Demon!” Yang Kai suddenly shouted out.
Old Demon swiftly came in, “Old Servant is here.”
“Seal this woman’s True Qi, strip her, and tie her up outside the house!”
“Yes!” Old Demon responded quickly and without hesitation.
The woman’s face which had just relaxed quickly became pale as she stared at Yang Kai incredulously. She never expected this man to not only be vicious, but also shameless to this extent.
In her mind, the scene of her being stripped naked and put on display for all to see outside the mansion flashed; picturing it, she couldn’t help shuddering.
Seeing Old Demon smirking evilly at her, her figure immediately disappeared, even her aura vanished.
“You think you can run?” Yang Kai sneered, viciously squeezing the doll again.
Along with a loud scream, the woman who had just disappeared once again appeared and fell to the ground and writhed about, unable to move as she liked, appearing extremely tragic.
Inside the room, Yang Kai calmly sat on his chair.
Ying Jiu and Old Demon also returned to the room and stood behind him while the mysterious woman stood in front of them.
After eating a few losses, she became quite honest. She knew that as long as the little doll made from her hair was in Yang Kai’s hand, she could not escape his evil grasp.
Her two jade hands tightened and loosened repeatedly, showing her inner nervousness. Lowering her head slightly, it seemed like she had become docile and resigned to her fate, but the beautiful eyes hidden under her bangs were always watching Yang Kai’s movements, waiting for him to reveal any flaw she could take advantage of.
From time to time, her delicate lips would part as she silently cursing the youth in front of her.
“Your very existence makes me nervous!” Yang Kai said frankly, “You seem to have some special abilities that are beyond my control. For people like you, the best course of action would be to immediately execute you!”
“What? Really?” The woman looked up and gawked towards Yang Kai, quickly understanding he was being serious and was not just threatening her. Realizing this, she turned pale, this was the first time she had seen such a decisive and ruthless young man.
“Yes!” Yang Kai nodded slightly, “Therefore, what I ask, you answer. If there is anything that makes me dissatisfied… you understand.”
“…En.” The woman wiped the sweat from her forehead and nodded gently. Facing absolute strength, she didn’t dare to resist.
“What is your name?”
“Shui Ling…” The woman bit her lip and replied reluctantly.
“Shui Ling?” Yang Kai’s brow wrinkled, this name really matched with her abilities, but in Yang Kai’s memory, he had never heard of her before, even her surname wasn’t familiar.
“Where are you from?”
“Water Spirit Temple…”
Yang Kai’s brow wrinkled even further, in his mind, he quickly skimmed through all the forces he knew of, but none of them seemed to be related to this Water Spirit Temple. It was clearly the first time he had heard of this force.
On the other hand, when he heard the name ‘Water Spirit Temple’, Old Demon who was standing behind him, suddenly furrowed his brow. The expression in his eyes was thoughtful and slightly suspicious, it seemed like this name had triggered something in his chaotic memories, but after pondering for a moment, he slowly shook his head. His memories were still too garbled so even though he felt this Water Spirit Temple was familiar, he couldn’t recall anything about it.
“Don’t bother, you don’t know about my Water Spirit Temple.” Shui Ling saw that Yang Kai was trying to recall something and giggled, her voice containing a hint of scorn, seemingly ridiculing Yang Kai as if he was an ignorant bumpkin.
“How do I know you’re not just making up a name to fool me?” Yang Kai snorted, the look in Shui Ling’s eyes made him feel a little uncomfortable.
Obviously, even as a prisoner, Shui Ling wasn’t really nervous. It was almost like she was… a child of a super force that had been detained by some second or third-class force and had no fear of her captors.
“I haven’t, it’s just that you’re nothing but a frog at the bottom of a well.” Shui Ling slowly shook his head, her pale blue hair swayed from side to side like gently flowing water.
“Water Spirit Temple… there is indeed such a force. You don’t have to investigate this point further. When the time is right, I’ll tell you about it.” Just as Yang Kai was becoming impatient, Meng Wu Ya’s voice sounded in his ear.
“Alright.” Hearing this, Yang Kai didn’t press the issue, simply thinking of the Water Spirit Temple as being some kind of secluded force.
“However, since this little girl is from the Water Spirit Temple, you must treat her carefully, otherwise it will bring disaster to your Yang Family.”
Yang Kai’s brow twitched slightly.
The Yang Family was already the first force of the Central Capital. Even throughout the entire world, it was a leading super force!
But listening to Meng Wu Ya, the power of this Water Spirit Temple seemed to be above the Yang Family!
How could that be? How could some secluded force have such capability?
Quickly steadying himself, Yang Kai continued his questioning, “Age?”
Shui Ling frowned deeply, gently biting her lower lip as she whispered, “Can I not tell?”
Yang Kai shook his head firmly.
“Nineteen years old!” Shui Ling’s expression was quite unhappy. For women, no matter how old they were, age was a sensitive topic, especially when the one asking for it was a man.
Yang Kai sucked in a deep breath, suddenly feeling like all of this was some kind of dream.
He could judge from Shui Ling’s demeanor that she was telling the truth. In other words, she was really a nineteen year old girl! Moreover, this perfectly explained the immaturity in her speech and attitude.
However, a nineteen-year-old Immortal Ascension Boundary Eighth Stage master, it was unbelievable! Such aptitude and talent greatly surpassed all the young talents Yang Kai knew of.
The Central Capital’s First Young Lord, Liu Qing Yao, wasn’t even worthy of holding her shoes!
In an instant, Yang Kai’s assessment of the Water Spirit Temple reached an unprecedented height! This secluded force being able to cultivate a genius like Shui Ling, saying they were above the Yang Family was definitely not nonsense.
Although he was greatly shocked inside, he maintained a calm, indifferent expression, not revealing the slightest flaw.
Perceiving this, Shui Ling was somewhat disappointed. She was also hoping to see Yang Kai’s panicked expression to sooth the hate in her heart a bit.
“How old are you?” Shui Ling asked curiously.
“Eighteen this year.” Yang Kai replied, his attitude calm and relaxed.
“Really?” Shui Ling was surprised, “You’re don’t act like it.”
Suddenly adding, “But your aptitude is only decent.”
She had taken for granted that she was currently a prisoner when she made this evaluation, seemingly finding it perfectly natural to judge his qualifications given her own talent.
Knowing she had said this with no other intent, Yang Kai’s face couldn’t help twitching slightly as he slowly grinned, “Does your Water Spirit Temple have many people my age but are much stronger?”
Shui Ling snorted disdainfully, “Let’s say, if you were to enter my Water Spirit Temple, amongst the younger generation, your qualifications would be ranked in the hundreds.”
“What about you?” Yang Kai showed a very interested look.
Shui Ling suddenly wore a proud expression while holding up three white fingers, “Amongst the top three.”
“Oh, interesting.” Yang Kai nodded slightly, “If I have time, I must go visit your Water Spirit Temple and take a look its younger generation.”
Shui Ling smiled slyly, “Depending on you? I’m afraid you have no such qualifications. My saying you’re aptitude is decent only means for this place, over there you wouldn’t count for anything.”
“Where is ‘there’?” Yang Kai frowned, catching something in her words.
*Heng!* Shui Ling raised his head proudly and snorted, quipping back at Yang Kai, “I know you don’t believe my words, but what of it? I’ve only spoken the truth, what, does the truth hurt?”
Yang Kai simply smiled at her cheap provocation, a burning desire suddenly flashing across his eyes and he calmly declare, “To your Water Spirit Temple, I’ll definitely go.”
Shui Ling gradually withdrew her arrogant attitude, instead staring at Yang Kai like he was some kind of fool. She really didn’t understand why this youth in front of her was excited after hearing her words.
What kind of weirdo was he?
“I still have a few questions.” Yang Kai didn’t continue dwelling on this topic. Shui Ling wasn’t very mature and having a petty argument with her wasn’t productive.
“After you ask them, can I leave?” Shui Ling’s eyes narrowed slightly.
“Do as you like.” Yang Kai smiled.
“Then hurry up and ask,” Shui Ling said, her face filled with excitement and expectation, apparently quite anxious to escape from this place.
“You said that you came here to find someone, who were you looking for?” Yang Kai’s expression became serious as he finally reached this topic.
“I don’t know her name.” Shui Ling shook her head, “She is always wearing a veil so I don’t even know what she looks like…”
“Why are you looking for her?” Yang Kai’s gaze instantly became sharp, causing a chill to shoot up Shui Ling’s spine, suddenly feeling like she was being stared at by a poisonous snake. She felt that if she spoke the wrong words here, she would ruthlessly be killed.
Unable to stop herself from trembling slightly, she turned her eyes towards Yang Kai worriedly, not knowing why his demeanor had suddenly changed so much. After calming her nerves slightly, she cautiously replied, “Her physique is strange, and her qualifications are better than yours so I wanted to recruit her into my Water Spirit Temple…”
Yang Kai jumped up, his True Qi bursting out.
Shui Ling was shocked and quickly stepped back, putting up a defensive posture as she nervously called out, “What are you doing?”
“How do you know that her physique is strange?” Yang Kai stepped closer to Shui Ling, his vast Spiritual Energy totally engulfing the space around her.
The person Shui Ling was looking for was undoubtedly Xia Ning Chang! This explained why she repeated tried sneaking into the Pill Room.
However, her noticing Xia Ning Chang special constitution made Yang Kai feel very uneasy. Xia Ning Chang’s Sacred Spirit Medicine Body was extraordinary, it made her the perfect Alchemist, no one could exceed her aptitude in this regard!
Meng Wu Ya had always protected Xia Ning Chang and prevented her from being coveted by others, but if Xia Ning Chang’s Sacred Spirit Medicine Body was to be exposed, even Meng Wu Ya wouldn’t be able to protect his Little Senior Sister.
At that time, Little Senior Sister’s fate would definitely be something Yang Kai didn’t want to see, no matter whose hands she fell into.
Yang Kai had to take precautions, if there was no other way, he didn’t mind killing Shui Ling here and now.
“I just know!” Shui Ling cried out, she saw the murderous intent in Yang Kai’s eyes and was instantly terrified, her eyes filling with fear as she hastily retreated.
“How do you know?” Yang Kai continued to ask, not giving her time to breathe.
“I knew the moment she entered the city that day! When I saw her, I just know… It may be because her physique is similar to mine!”
Yang Kai’s footsteps stopped, he was now less than half a meter away from Shui Ling as he stared deeply into her eyes.
Shui Ling felt an icy chill wash over her, it was like under the gaze of this man, she had been stripped naked and all her deepest secrets were revealed.
“You also have a special constitution?” Yang Kai was amazed.
Shui Ling nodded gently, taking a deep breath as her racing heart slowly calmed down, she suddenly found that this youth, who was both younger and weaker than her, gave her a frightening sense of oppression, something even the elites from her Water Spirit Temple couldn’t compare to.
At such a close distance, one attack was all she needed to restrain or even kill someone nearly an entire Great Realm above her, but Shui Ling didn’t dare do so. Her instincts were telling her that even without the restraint of the small doll, she wouldn’t be able to kill this young man.