After going over it in her mind several times, Shui Ling eventually did not condense her True Qi.
“What is your special constitution?” Yang Kai stared at her closely, immediately realizing after hearing her words that she too possessed a special constitution.
Special constitutions. So far, Yang Kai had only met two: Little Senior Sister and Shan Qing Luo. This was something generally inherited at birth and was a gift from the Heavens, extremely difficult to acquire later in life. Moreover, each special constitution had its own unique characteristics. It was extraordinarily rare for two people with the same special constitutions to meet.
Little Senior Sister’s special constitution was especially suited to Alchemy, and now there was another person with a special constitution in front of him. Yang Kai was naturally interested and wanted to know more details.
Shui Ling looked at Yang Kai with vigilance and was quite unwilling to answer.
Just like how Xia Ning Chang’s Sacred Spirit Medicine Body was a closely guarded secret, Shui Ling’s special constitution was something she wanted to hide, but a person under someone’s rule will have to bow.
After agonizing over it for a long time, Shui Ling finally muttered, “Water Spirit Body.”
Yang Kai nodded slightly, knowing that the other party didn’t lie to him. From the ability she had displayed repeatedly, her special constitution should be related to water. Her own name probably came from this as well.
“What kind of special abilities do you possess?” Yang Kai asked curiously.
“I can transform my body into flowing water.” Shui Ling said, pushing her True Qi to demonstrate. Yang Kai didn’t raise his guard against her as she did. Under the watchful eyes of the other three in the room, the long, light blue haired woman really becomes transparent, leaving behind only a human shaped figure, gradually even transforming into a round sphere of water.
Even the usually calm Ying Jiu couldn’t help his jaw from dropping, clear shock appearing on his face.
“Is this the extent of your abilities?” Yang Kai smiled, reached out and touched the water sphere in front of him gently.
*Peng* The sphere of water suddenly burst and transformed into mist before Shui Ling’s body reappeared beside Yang Kai, her face blushing bright red as she crossed her arms in front of her chest, gritting her teeth, seemingly a bit ashamed and angry.
Yang Kai stared back blankly, gently rubbing his fingers as his eyebrow raised, “Did I touch something that shouldn’t be touched?”
“What do you think?” Shui Ling angrily spat back, gritting her teeth.
“I didn’t mean to, and… I didn’t feel anything.” Yang Kai said calmly. Just now, he only felt like he was touching a stream of water, nothing at all like touching a human body, but for Shui Ling, it was probably not the case, otherwise she wouldn’t be so angry and embarrassed now.
“I’ll remember you!” Shui Ling said, hatred flashing across her eyes.
“There are many people who have said that.” Yang Kai slowly shook his head, obviously not caring, “But none of those people had good ends. Let’s continue, I’m very curious about your Water Spirit Body’s abilities.”
Seeing his indifferent expression, seemingly not embarrassed in the slightest about this indecent assault, Shui Ling couldn’t help feeling a sense of powerlessness.
She had never before met such a shameless man, she really wondered how he cultivated to acquire such thick skin.
“I have nothing more to say.” Shui Ling coldly snorted, “If you’re going to kill me, just get it over with.”
Yang Kai rubbed his forehead, knowing his unintentional act just now had really angered Shui Ling. Forcing her now would obviously yield no further results. The reason he so feared this mysterious woman was simply because he didn’t know her intentions or her origins.
But now that he understood a bit more, he no longer cared much about her. As long as she wasn’t someone recruited by his brothers, Yang Kai felt it was fine to let her go as long as she didn’t try to harm Xia Ning Chang.
“Is there anything else you want to ask? If there’s nothing else, I’ll take my leave now.”
Yang Kai shook his head.
Shui Ling was honestly surprised, she hadn’t expected him to really just let her go, quickly extending her hand and saying, “Give me back my hair.”
“That’s impossible.” Yang Kai chuckled, “You can go, I won’t stop you, but this thing must remain with me, because I have no way of knowing if what you’ve told me is true or not, nor do I know if you’ll try to act against me or my allies!”
“How can you be like this?” Shui Ling’s mood dropped again. “As long as you have that doll, you can control whether I live or die. Even if you let me leave, where can I go?”
“Anywhere. As long as you don’t try to make trouble in my house, the sky is infinite, just go wherever you please.” After a pause, Yang Kai chuckled, “Of course, if you’re willing to work for me, I’ll happily welcome you.”
“Work for you?” Shui Ling laughed disdainfully, “You think you have the qualifications?”
“If you don’t like the sound of that then call it cooperation. As long as you are willing to stay, anything is open to discussion.” Yang Kai continued to persuade.
“Who would want to stay here!?” Shui Ling all but shouted, turned around and left in a huff, secretly circulating her True Qi to guard against Yang Kai going back on his word and suddenly attacking her.
Walking neither fast nor slow, Shui Ling left Yang Kai’s mansion without encountering any resistance or restriction. The other party obviously didn’t plan to embarrass her.
Looking back, Shui Ling couldn’t help fuming. This time, she had really suffered a big loss. Not only had she failed to escape the control of that man, she even had her pure, innocent body defiled. What’s worse, after committing the act, her assaulter had acted like nothing had happened!
[Such an infuriating man!]
Also, how did he make that doll in the first place? How did he manage to link it to her Spiritual Essence?
[That damn bastard; sooner or later I’ll make him pay for this!] Shui Ling silently swore to herself.
Back in the room, Yang Kai stood up and put down the heavy psychological burden that had plagued him for so long.
“Young Master, why did you just let that girl leave? Her unique talents would be of great use to you.” Old Demon asked bluntly.
“Strongly squeezed melon isn’t sweet,” Yang Kai shook his head and casually lifted the little doll. “With this, I have the ability to force her to stay, but what about after that? If she were to suddenly retaliate and stir up chaos, who could suppress her?”
“If we were to fight, she is definitely not Old Servant’s opponent. Even a few of your Blood Warriors could defeat her, but dealing with her special physique would really be a headache.” Old Demon nodded, Shui Ling’s Water Spirit Body was difficult to handle.
Without relying on the hair Yang Kai obtained at Po Jing Lake that day, Old Demon wasn’t confident he could have captured Shui Ling.
“Not to mention, as long as I have this, she won’t stay too far away from me. When I want to make use of her, do you really think she’ll have any choice?” Yang Kai grinned fiendishly.
“Young Master is wise.” Old Demon suddenly felt a bit cold, almost feeling sorry for Shui Ling. That young girl probably believed Yang Kai’s words and thought she and him would be like well water and river water, not interfering with one another again. Little did she know that Yang Kai already considered her one of his henchmen, able to make use of her any time he wanted.
“A nineteen-year-old Immortal Ascension Boundary Eighth Stage…” Yang Kai murmured, letting out a long sigh, unable to stop himself from revealing a look of longing. What kind of force was this Water Spirit Temple that could cultivate such a genius? On top of that, Shui Ling had said that she was only among the top three juniors in the Water Spirit Temple.
That meant that there were at least two other young geniuses in the Water Spirit Temple that were at least as strong as Shui Ling.
[There was such a force in this world!] Yang Kai couldn’t help wanting to rush out and see it for himself.
“Treasurer Meng!” Unable to calm himself for a long time, Yang Kai suddenly called out.
Meng Wu Ya’s voice immediately reached his ear, “Don’t ask anything. When you’re qualified to know, this old master will naturally tell you. For now, just focus on reaching the Immortal Ascension Boundary.”
“Very well.” Yang Kai sighed.
No one else in the house knew about this night’s confrontation with Shui Ling besides Meng Wu Ya, Old Demon and Ying Jiu. Maybe some of the powerful Blood Warriors had sensed something, but without Yang Kai’s orders, none of them dared approach, so they naturally didn’t know any specific details.
The following day, Yang Kai announced he would enter secluded retreat to prepare for his breakthrough to the Immortal Ascension Boundary, leaving Qiu Yi Meng in total control of the mansion’s affairs.
The Inheritance War’s situation had become complicated now that Yang Kai only had two Blood Warriors available. Although he had a great advantage in financial and material resources, Yang Zhao had surpassed him in terms of manpower.
Rash actions now would only give his enemies opportunities to strike back, so for a short time, Yang Kai didn’t intend to seek trouble with Yang Zhao, only permitting Qiu Yi Meng to bring some people to harass him.
As for his Eldest Brother Yang Wei, although the strength he possessed wasn’t weak, comparatively, his position was undoubtedly the worst of the remaining three brothers and had long been excluded from the list of potential victors of the Inheritance War.
All eyes were on Yang Kai and Yang Zhao; the Yang Family’s next Patriarch would definitely be one of them.
But whether it was Yang Kai and Yang Zhao, neither of them wanted to attack Yang Wei, even if they already had sufficient strength to defeat him.
Firstly, attacking Yang Wei would definitely cost them a great price and weaken their forces.
Secondly, even after Yang Wei was eliminated, the two Blood Warriors beside him wouldn’t be able to provide any assistance in the Inheritance War, while any of his remaining allies would definitely choose to support the one who didn’t attack them, thus bolstering the enemy’s forces.
Such developments would definitely change the situation of the Inheritance War.
It was for these very reasons that although Yang Wei was the weakest of the three, he was also the safest.
It was even possible that if Yang Zhao and Yang Kai fought a great battle and were mutually wounded, the one to profit would be Yang Wei. This possibility was not something everyone could see clearly, only some stronger, more strategic masters who examined the big picture recognized it.
Time flew by and soon two months had passed!
War City had been completely silent for two months after the last turbulent shuffle.
Occasionally, the remaining three parties would have some small scale skirmishes, but facing the mutual constraint of each other, there would never be many casualties.
In general, the cultivators from the various forces participating in the Inheritance War were zealously cultivating.
After more than two months of development, although Yang Kai’s forces hadn’t expanded, their overall strength had grown several steps.
After taking Mysterious Grade pills every day and obtaining high grade artifacts from the Treasure Instrument Sect’s Artifact Refiners, it would be strange if all of their strengths didn’t noticeably increase.
Every day, there would be many cultivators breaking through their bottlenecks and promoting to the next stage. During this time, many of the leaders from the younger generation had even broken through to the Immortal Ascension Boundary!
The Immortal Ascension Boundary was a watershed for cultivators, and many people would never be able to reach it for their entire lives, but this hurdle wasn’t a big problem for the young leaders of these various forces.
After breaking through to the Immortal Ascension Boundary, how much further they could travel along the Martial Dao in the future would depend on their own efforts and respective opportunities, but for the vast majority of people, Peak Immortal Ascension Boundary would be their limit.
Because of the appearance of these new Immortal Ascension Boundary cultivators, many pills which could help cultivate one’s Soul began appearing from the Pill Room. The material consumption was also massive; fortunately, Yang Kai had begun accumulating supplies long ago and had harvested a great deal from Yang Kang and Yang Shen. The flags he had seized were also exchanged with the main family while the Bamboo Knot Gang continued to provide a steady stream of supplies, so for the time, war materials weren’t an issue.
In addition to the frequent breakthroughs of the younger generation cultivators, the older generation also continuously promoted.
For example, Guan Chi Le of Blood Battle Gang had been stuck at the Immortal Ascension Boundary Third Stage for eight years.
He had always thought that this would be the limit of his achievements in this life, but after taking a number of the Mysterious Grade pills provided to everyone in Yang Kai’s mansion, he found that after just two short months, the bottleneck that had plagued him for almost a decade began to loosen. Half a month later, he successfully broke through to the Immortal Ascension Boundary Fourth Stage, and since then, the rate at which his cultivation was increasing had only quickened. Now, his Immortal Ascension Boundary Fourth Stage cultivation had been completely consolidated.
When he had reached the Immortal Ascension Fourth Stage, Guan Chi Le couldn’t hold back his emotion, bursting into tears of joy, unable to calm down until the Hu Sisters personally comforted him.
Not only Guan Chi Le, all the Immortal Ascension Boundary masters from all the major forces, many of them in their forties, fifties, or even sixties, had seen their cultivation stagnate and become very difficult to increase.
However, since taking the pills refined by the Medicine King’s Valley Alchemists, all of their bottlenecks showed signs of loosening and they found themselves absorbing World Energy faster than ever before, giving many of them the illusion of being reborn.
None of them knew why this was.
Although Mysterious Grade pills were extremely high in terms of grade, they still couldn’t fundamentally change a person cultivation aptitude, yet this result really presented when they took the pills produced in Yang Kai’s Pill Room.
The younger generation and older generation all had their own breakthroughs, but the most stunning of all were the breakthroughs of the Blood Warriors!
Although of the nine Blood Warriors, only Ying Jiu and Tang Yu Xian could actively participate in the Inheritance War because of Yang Family’s interference, Qiu Yi Meng still didn’t reduce their share of the pill supply.
The Qiu Family’s First Young Lady knew that these Blood Warriors would be the capital Yang Kai possessed in order to stabilize his position in the Yang Family, so how could she not support their growth?
As of today, of the nine Blood Warriors, more than half of them had broken through to the Immortal Ascension Boundary Ninth Stage! Among them were Qu Gao Yi, Ying Jiu, Tu Feng, Tang Yu Xian and Xiao Shun.
The remaining four had only joined Yang Kai’s camp recently and although they had yet to break through to the Immortal Ascension Boundary Ninth Stage, each of them had noticeably increased their strength. Compared themselves to the time before they had first arrived in Yang Kai’s mansion, they all knew that they had grown stronger!
The Blood Warriors were all naturally ecstatic and grateful.
Immortal Ascension Boundary Eighth Stage masters trying to break through to the Ninth Stage would always encounter great difficulty and hardship, but given enough time, each of these Blood Warriors was confident they could achieve that step given their capital and aptitude.
However… originally, that should have been a matter to consider five or ten years later, possibly even longer!
The rapid improvement of their own strength made all of Yang Kai’s allies and supporters wild with joy.
In the end, everyone could only deceive themselves by saying the feng shui of Yang Kai’s house was outstanding!
In reality, everyone knew that the credit for this miracle belonged to those strange Mysterious Grade pills. These pills refined in Yang Kai’s Pill Room seemed to have some magical effect that steadily improved people’s aptitude.
Although everyone understood this, no one dared speak of it aloud.
Inside his room, Yang Kai calmly played with a small sword in his hand.
This was the Heaven Grade Top-Rank Soul type artifact acquired by Dong Qing Han at Po Jing Lake.
During these two months of secluded retreat, Yang Kai’s strength had increased greatly. It was rare for him to have such a long period of peace where he could focus solely on cultivating.
Thinking back, the only other time he had spent several months in retreat was when he broke through to the True Element Boundary in that Isolated World.
The Immortal Ascension Boundary was now just a stone’s throw away!
Every cultivator in the mansion received a supply of Mysterious Grade Pills, so as the house’s Lord, Yang Kai obviously also had some. His were specially refined by his Little Senior Sister and their effects were stronger than other pills.
Yang Kai’s True Qi had reached the same quality and quantity of an Immortal Ascension Boundary master and his Soul was incomparably more powerful than his current realm. After closing his eyes and focusing, Yang Kai could even faintly make out the Five Coloured Soul Warming Lotus, the supreme treasure used to cultivate one’s Soul had once again appeared.
For two months, Yang Kai had done nothing but cultivate and refine the two artifacts in his possession.
The small mirror Mysterious Grade Mid-Rank artifact had long ago been refined and he had just finished refining this little sword.
Unfortunately, he still found himself unable to break through to the Immortal Ascension Boundary.
Yang Kai always felt like this little sword wasn’t completely compatible with his current Soul, perhaps because he still had yet to open his Knowledge Sea. This thing was a Soul type artifact, so although due to his unique circumstances he could use it without reaching the Immortal Ascension Boundary, he was unable to make it display its full potential.
If he could successfully match this little sword with his own Soul, Yang Kai believed he would also be able to break through.
Contemplating over it, he had yet to achieve any significant results, but he also wasn’t anxious. And so, he had sat like this for the past ten days, using his Divine Sense to observe the little sword in his hand and try to synchronize it with his Soul.
Suddenly there was a loud knock at his door, waking Yang Kai from his meditative state. Letting out a long breath, he called out, “Come in.”
When the door was opened, Qiu Yi Meng walked in cautiously and looked at Yang Kai, relaxing when she discovered he didn’t have a displeased look on his face.
She knew that Yang Kai was in retreat to attack the Immortal Ascension Boundary and had been afraid to disturb him for the past two months, but now that she had, she was obviously somewhat nervous.
“What’s the matter?” Yang Kai looked up at her and saw that after two months, the Qiu Family’s First Young Lady seemed more relaxed and radiant than before, lifting his spirits as well, sweeping away from the fatigue he had built up from his constant cultivation.
“There’s a man named Pang Chi here who wants to see you!” Qiu Yi Meng replied.
“Pang Chi?” Yang Kai frowned, “What is he doing here?”
Pang Chi was Bamboo Knot Gang’s Leader and was also amongst the first people Yang Kai had gathered upon his return to the Central Capital. Yang Kai hadn’t let Bamboo Knot Gang actively participate in the battlefield of the Inheritance War because the average strength of its members was too low and because he needed a separate force to be responsible for collecting materials, gathering and transmitting intelligence, and handling other miscellaneous tasks.
After the official start of the battle, the Bamboo Knot Gang had secretly transported batches of supplies to Yang Kai’s base in War City once a month or so. All in all, Pang Chi had performed well.
However, he had never shown up in person before; after all, he was the leader of one of Yang Kai’s associated forces so it definitely wasn’t safe for him to appear in War City. Yet this time, he had come personally. It was obvious that he had something important to report.
Qiu Yi Meng squinted and replied, “He wouldn’t say anything specific, only telling me to relay three words to you, ‘we’ve found them’!”
[They’ve found them!]
In an instant, Yang Kai knew why Pang Chi would come to War City in person.
Just as Qiu Yi Meng finished speaking, she felt her body become light and the wind whistle past her face, the scenery around her rapidly changing, quickly discovering that Yang Kai had actually lifted her by her waist and was racing forward.
“Where is he?” Yang Kai asked hurriedly as he continued running.
“The main hall!” Qiu Yi Meng replied,
Qiu Yi Meng was stunned, since the time she had met Yang Kai, she had rarely seen him even slightly excited, but now, he was undoubtedly showing a look of tension and expectation, his eyes also flashing a greatly anxious light.
Somehow, seeing him like this, Qiu Yi Meng also trembled, subconsciously grabbing hold of Yang Kai’s clothes and clinging to him, though even she wasn’t sure why she had taken such a bold action.
The Qiu Family’s First Young Lady had never been one to act so meek and helpless; she had always given off the aura of a refined and intelligent woman.
The two of them stuck to each other intimately as he flew through the mansion, kicking up storm as they passed by Huo Xing Chen and Dong Qing Han.
The Huo Family Young Lord didn’t even have time to say hello before Yang Kai disappeared.
A moment later, a gust of wind came from behind him carrying with it a cloud of dust.
Huo Xing Chen waved the folding fan in his hand to clear the air as he frowned, “Who was Young Lord Kai hugging while running so fast?”
“It looked like… Young Lady Qiu!” Dong Fatzi wiped the sweat from his forehead, somewhat unable to believe his eyes.
“Seriously?” Huo Xing Chen couldn’t help his eyes from bulging, “In broad daylight… did Young Lord Kai have an accident while he was cultivating? Why is he acting so frantically?”
“Junior Brother isn’t such a person!” Lan Chu Die, beside Dong Qing Han, suddenly reprimanded Huo Xing Chen.
Huo Xing Chen couldn’t help laughing, “Beauty, I didn’t say anything about that.”
“Hmph!” Lan Chu Die snorted lightly, her full chest nearly bursting out of its bindings as she turned away.
After she left, Huo Xing Chen slowly shook his head, “That girl from your family, even though she can’t obtain Young Lord Kai’s favour, it seems she still refuses to simply be a passer-by with him either.”
Dong Qing Han helplessly sighed. Regarding Lan Chu Die’s thoughts, Dong Qing Han naturally understood, but there was nothing he could do about it. The only option he had was to sit back and let nature take its course.
In fact, there were a lot of beautiful women in this house, and many of them had favourable impressions towards Yang Kai, but he had been in secluded cultivation for the past two months and was extremely disciplined, never once leaving his room.
If it was Huo Xing Chen instead, it was likely that every night he would go out seeking drink and women.
To a certain extent, Dong Qing Han quite admired his cousin. He believed that among the beauties in this mansion, only Qiu Yi Meng was worthy of Yang Kai. Lan Chu Die wasn’t bad, but she was still somewhat lacking.
In the main hall, Pang Chi waited anxiously. Although he knew he had brought important information, that didn’t help settle his nerves at all, constantly checking his own appearance to make sure everything was in order as he sat on his chair, not daring to move around.
Suddenly, at the entrance to the hall, Yang Kai appeared in Pang Chi’s vision, still holding Qiu Yi Meng in his arms.
Seeing this appearance, Pang Chi was dumbstruck for a moment before quickly coughing and averting his eyes.
Gently putting down Qiu Yi Meng, Yang Kai walked towards Pang Chi.
The Qiu Family’s First Young Lady looked calm, in no way showing any embarrassment about being so intimate with Yang Kai, but her doubts were actually quite deep.
Because when Yang Kai had just let go of her, she clearly felt that his hands were shaking.
What news could make such a steadfast and determined man have this kind of reaction?
“Little Lord!” When Yang Kai stepped forward, Pang Chi quickly stood up and bowed, not bothering with any nonsense and directly saying, “Bamboo Knot Gang’s people have been searching for half a year, and finally located… the people Little Lord has been searching for.”
Yang Kai quickly calmed his breathing and asked, “Where?”
Before the start of the Inheritance War, Yang Kai had already ordered the Bamboo Knot Gang to inquire about the news of Su Yan and the others from High Heaven Pavilion and now there was finally a clue.
“About five thousand kilometers northwest from War City. There is a small village surrounded by mountains, where they seem to have secluded themselves in.”
“How certain are you?”
“Almost one hundred percent. Although we haven’t made any direct contact with them, according to Little Lord’s previous description, they should be the ones you are seeking for. Undoubtedly, the village is a newly built one that appeared roughly one year ago and the nearly hundred people who live there are all cultivators.”
“Good good good!” Yang Kai nodded again and again, feeling like a great weight had finally lifted off his heart, reaching out and warmly patting Pang Chi’s shoulder as he praised him, “You’ve done very well.”
Pang Chi was very extremely flattered, his face flushing red as he somewhat incoherently replied, “Many than… no, I mean… that is… it’s what this subordinate should do!”
As he said so, he hurriedly fumbled about in his sleeve pocket and took out a sheet of paper, handing it to Yang Kai, “This is a map drawn by my subordinates, I hope it will be of use to Little Lord.”
“Good work.” Yang Kai grinned as he accepted the map and unfolded it, immediately taking note of where the small village surrounded by mountains was located.
Seeing this map, Yang Kai further believed Pang Chi’s inference because this village was not far from the position where Yang Kai and Ling Tai Xu had once emerged from the Void Corridor.
Su Yan and the others should have hidden themselves in their present location not long after exiting the Void Corridor.
“Yang Kai, are you looking for someone?” Qiu Yi Meng came up and asked. She hadn’t spoken until now but as she was observing she took note of how greatly Yang Kai’s expression had changed and realized that the people he was looking for must be very important to him.
“En.” Yang Kai nodded and carefully folded the map in his hands.
“What kind of people?” Qiu Yi Meng smiled, intently or unintentionally inquiring.
“Members from my Sect.” Yang Kai took a deep breath and recalled Su Yan’s appearance in his mind, his gaze suddenly becoming soft.
“Members from your Sect?” Qiu Yi Meng smiled and realized something, immediately asking, “Since you’ve found them, what do you want to do?”
“Go pick them up.” Yang Kai smiled at her.
“Absolutely not!” Qiu Yi Meng slowly shook his head.
Yang Kai’s smile quickly converged as his eyes slowly became cold, squinting his eyes at her, “What do you mean?”
Qiu Yi Meng took a deep breath and softly said. “Don’t lose your temper, just listen to have I have to say first. Since they’re your former Sect Brothers and Sisters, they must be disciples of High Heaven Pavilion, right? High Heaven Pavilion is still designated an Evil Sect, the one which produced the current Demon Lord. Right now they haven’t been exposed to the world, but if you were to bring them to War City now, their identities would definitely become public knowledge. Do you think your Eldest Brother and Second Brother won’t try to take advantage of such a situation to publicly criticize and discredit you? Especially now that every action you take relates closely to the situation of the Inheritance War.”
Yang Kai’s brow furrowed. Although Qiu Yi Meng was telling the truth, he just couldn’t bring himself to agree with her perspective.
Unperturbed, Qiu Yi Meng continued, “Your Yang Family Inheritance War has been going on for almost a year now. I’m certain that even though those people from your Sect are hiding in the mountains, they would have received news of this. Since they already know, yet haven’t taken the initiative to come to War City, they obviously don’t want to cause problems for you. You rushing there to find them now will only waste all their efforts.”
“I understand that, but that just means the need to bring them here is even greater.” Yang Kai quickly objective, “They are currently living in seclusion, but since they can be found by people from the Bamboo Knot Gang, they can certainly be found by others as well! If they were discovered by someone with malicious intent…”
Su Yan and the others from High Heaven Pavilion weren’t that strong. More than a year ago, they only had a few Immortal Ascension Boundary masters with them and even their cultivations weren’t that high. The remaining disciples were only at the True Element Boundary, Separation and Reunion Boundary, and even the Qi Transformation Stage.
If they were to be found by any first or even second class force, they would definitely not be able to escape. Only by bringing them to his side could Yang Kai be certain of their safety.
Qiu Yi Meng frowned before letting out a sigh, “Do you insist on bringing them here?”
“Yes. This isn’t open to discussion.” Yang Kai firmly declared.
The Qiu Family’s First Young Lady understood Yang Kai’s temper quite well by now and knew it was useless to try to convince him otherwise now that he had made up his mind, simply nodding, “Okay, then I’ll make the trip.”
Yang Kai shook his head immediately, “No, I’ll go.”
“No!” Qiu Yi Meng frantically objected, “What are you thinking? Even if those people are important to you, with your status and current situation you can’t rashly leave War City! Just how many people do you think you’ll need to take with you to ensure your ability to safely return?”
“I’m just going there to bring some people back, not to fight. All I have to do is sneak out and sneak back, don’t I? Traveling five thousand kilometers will only take a few days.” Yang Kai replied, his brow furrowing further.
“What if your movements are exposed? You may not care about what happens to you, but at least consider what would happen to all your allies here! They’ve fought and bled so much for you! Many of them have even given their lives just to see you win the Inheritance War. If you have an accident now, how are you going to face them?”
As she spoke, Qiu Yi Meng walked up to Yang Kai and grabbed his collar. The little girl, wore an extremely stubborn expression, refusing to back down at all.
Although Qiu Yi Meng was really thinking about what was best for him and was considering the overall situation, Yang Kai was still dead set on his decision, shaking his head decisively, “I have to go. If I don’t go, they won’t come!”
Since Su Yan and the others had never come to War City, they would obviously have a lot of scruples if he didn’t persuade them personally. If Qiu Yi Meng went, not only would they not come to War City, they would likely disappear again, making it even harder for him to find them.
“I don’t care! I’ll go pick them up for you myself! In any case, you can’t go!”
“Can’t you act a bit more mature?”
“I’m still a young woman, why should I act mature? Do you only care about mature women?”
“Whose fault do you think all of this is in the first place!?” Yang Kai shouted impatiently, he didn’t like debating each and every decision like this, he preferred to act swiftly and decisively. Now, with Qiu Yi Meng blocking him in every way possible, he gradually became irritated, just thinking about Su Yan and his Brothers and Sisters he couldn’t wait to seek them out.
“What?” Qiu Yi Meng froze up.
“No, nothing.” Yang Kai wasn’t willing to say any more.
To begin with, if Qiu Yi Meng hadn’t lead people to the High Heaven Pavilion, Yang Kai wouldn’t have been sent to the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land and wouldn’t have been separated from Su Yan for so long. In the end, the Qiu Family’s First Young Lady was the main culprit behind all of this. It was precisely because of this that Yang Kai originally had a bad attitude towards Qiu Yi Meng, but after interacting with her for a long time and especially after the start of the Inheritance War, his anger towards her had slowly abated.
“Ahem… Subordinate has matters to attend to back at the gang’s headquarters and will take his leave now, Little Lord.” Pang Chi, who felt like he was sitting on pins and needles for a while now, finally found an opportunity to insert a sentence, and quickly tried to escape.
“You can’t!” Qiu Yi Meng turned her eyes towards him and declared, “You must stay here for a few days.”
“Yes, I understand. Your subordinates will retire here!” Pang Chi knew that Qiu Yi Meng made him stay behind because she was afraid of him revealing the sensitive information he had just heard. Although her doing this made Pang Chi feel like he wasn’t being trusted, he didn’t dare to complain.
When Pang Chi left them to go into the mansion, Qiu Yi Meng released Yang Kai, suddenly recalling a distant memory, slowly saying, “I remember when I went to High Heaven Pavilion with Xiao Man, under the Coiling Dragon Stream, I saw you were very close to a woman… are you thinking about her?”
“En.” Yang Kai nodded.
“What about Xia Ning Chang?” Qiu Yi Meng asked pointedly, “Your relationship with her doesn’t seem normal.”
Yang Kai just stared at her strangely, “Are you saying I can’t have two women?”
Qiu Yi Meng’s expression went black and angrily cursed, “Shameless, too shameless. You’re no different from that delinquent Huo Xing Chen! Why are all men like this? Fine, do whatever you want! I can’t be bothered to care about you anymore!”
The Qiu Family’s First Young Lady was really frustrated. From the beginning she knew that she had no hope of convincing Yang Kai not to go. Once this man made a decision, no one could persuade him otherwise. What’s more, what Yang Kai said did make some sense. If he wasn’t the one to go, those people from High Heaven Pavilion would definitely not come to War City!
Approaching things from the overall situation, Qiu Yi Meng had tried to prevent Yang Kai from acting rashly.
Unfortunately, she had failed.
Fortunately, War City had been calm and quiet for a while now, so even if Yang Kai wasn’t in the mansion, with the strength of those gathered here, it would be more than enough to withstand any enemy harassment.
That night, unbeknownst to everyone, a figure disappeared into the night sky, in the house. Only Qiu Yi Meng knew that it was Yang Kai.
Besides Ying Jiu, Yang Kai didn’t take anyone else with him.
Amongst all the Blood Warriors, only Ying Jiu, who was proficient in concealment, could join him. If anyone else joined, it was certain that their chance to get caught would greatly increase.
Meng Wu Ya and Old Demon may also have this ability, but Treasurer Meng had already declared he wouldn’t intervene in Yang Kai’s affairs while Old Demon had to stay behind. Otherwise, with just Tang Yu Xian guarding the mansion, it’s defence would be too thin if an accident occurred.
With both Old Demon and Tang Yu Xian together, Yang Kai could leave without any worries.
“I hope nothing goes wrong.” Qiu Yi Meng sighed slightly, because of the Inheritance War, she had to constantly worry about the safety of this man which really gave her a headache.
At the same time, Yang Zhao’s Mansion.
Ye Xin Rou walked into Yang Zhao’s room and grinned, “Second Young Lord, there’s some news about that matter.”
“Oh?” Yang Zhao brow lifted, suddenly showing a happy expression, “Go on!”
“Pang Chi of the Central Capital’s Bamboo Knot Gang seems to have arrived in War City today, but after he arrived in your Ninth Brother’s mansion he has yet to leave.”
“Hasn’t left?” Yang Zhao’s expression suddenly became pensive, tapping his finger lightly on the table, only speaking after a long silence, “Has there been any movement at Ninth Brother’s mansion?”
Ye Xin Rou shook her head, “Nothing so far.”
Yang Zhao jumped up, an excited smile on his face, clenching his fist tightly, “No movement is right.”
“Second Young Lord, I don’t quite understand,” Ye Xin Rou wrinkled her brows, “What do you mean no movement is right?”
“No movement means that he’s already moved!” Yang Zhao smiled slightly, “Ninth Brother and Ying Jiu should already have left.”
“Already left?” Ye Xin Rou was shocked, if what Second Young Lord had just said was true, hen Yang Kai’s courage was simply too big.
“Ying Jiu is proficient in concealment and assassination. If he wanted to sneak into or out of War City, our people not noticing wouldn’t be strange.” Yang Zhao explained patiently.
“What about the Little Lord, does he also have such ability?” Ye Xin Rou couldn’t help sneering disdainfully, subconsciously feeling that even if Yang Kai was strong, it was impossible for him to disappear silently like Ying Jiu.
Yang Zhao had posted so many spies around Yang Kai’s compound that if there was a single blade of grass out of place, he would know about it.
“I’d rather not believe it, but it’s entirely possible Ninth Brother has this ability. When he attacked Fifth Brother’s house, Eldest Brother brought his people to contain me, did you ever wonder why?”
“Obviously, he had reached an agreement with Little Lord.” Ye Xin Rou replied lightly, “I naturally know this, but what’s the problem?”
“That’s exactly the problem. None of us know when Ninth Brother formed an alliance with Eldest Brother; that means he has the ability to go to Eldest Brother’s house and talk to him for an extended period of time without our knowledge. If he hadn’t gone personally, Eldest Brother would never have agreed. Since he could do that then, obviously he can do so now!”
“Not to mention, Pang Chi not leaving Ninth Brother’s compound clearly indicates he knows some important piece of information and has temporarily been detained there. If he didn’t know something of vital significance, Pang Chi should have left already…”
Listening to Yang Zhao’s analysis, Ye Xin Rou couldn’t help feeling surprised. What he said indeed made a lot of sense.
“Interesting…” Yang Zhao laughed, “Bamboo Knot Gang is Ninth Brother’s subordinate force. I already knew this. I also know that ever since he subdued them, he made people of Bamboo Knot Gang go out and search for something or someone…”
“Whether he is looking for someone or looking for something, it’s definitely of great value to Little Lord. Now, it seems he’s finally received the news he wants.” Ye Xin Rou’s beautiful eyes flashed a cunning light, obviously understanding Yang Zhao’s intentions, “If that’s the case, we can use this to our advantage.”
“My thoughts exactly.” Yang Zhao grinned, “The only problem is I don’t know where Ninth Brother went. If I knew that…”
The Inheritance War has been in a deadlocked for two months. Although over this period his forces had grown significantly, Yang Kai’s allies obviously weren’t idle either. Yang Zhao obviously wanted to use every possible means to break this stalemate.
Yang Kai going out on his own was undoubtedly an excellent opportunity. As long as he could capture him, how many masters he had in his house would become irrelevant.
Nonetheless, the strength of the Masters in Yang Kai’s mansion still left Yang Zhao wary.
“Second Young Lord, do you want me to go back to the Central Capital and ask someone from Bamboo Knot Gang?” Ye Xin Rou suddenly suggested. It would be impossible to extract any information from those inside Yang Kai mansion, but since this news came from Bamboo Knot Gang, someone there should know the details.
“Bamboo Knot Gang … As far as I know, since surrendering to Ninth Brother, they have annexed many small forces, but Pang Chi’s management skills are somewhat lacking, so their interior power structure isn’t united, especially when it comes to the second in command, Mu Nan Dou, who joined later. He shouldn’t be convinced serving Pang Chi, or that loyal to Ninth Brother. He’s likely just overawed by the Yang Family’s reputation. Seek him out. As long as you offer the right conditions, I’m sure he’ll be willing to cooperate.” Yang Zhao said.
“And if he doesn’t cooperate?”
Yang Zhao smiled lightly, reaching out and gently holding Ye Xin Rou’s smooth chin, saying in a slightly provocative manner, “There’s no need for me to tell you that.”
“En, I know,” Ye Xin Rou’s cheeks blushed red, her eyes shimmering as she nodding lightly.
“This needs to be handled swiftly. Leave now; I hope to have accurate information by tomorrow afternoon at the latest!”
Ye Xin Rou smiled brilliantly, turned around, and rushed off into the night.
…………
Two figures, a thousand meters up, flew through the darkness at lightning fast speed.
Yang Kai lead the way while Ying Jiu followed just behind. Even if the difference in their cultivation was an entire Great Realm, Ying Jiu still had to use eighty percent of his maximum speed to keep pace with Yang Kai.
Knowing Yang Kai was quite anxious, Ying Jiu just silently shadowed him without asking a single question. Only the sound of their clothes fluttering in the wind broke the silence of the night.
Traveling non-stop for a day and night, even a master like Ying Jiu was breathing somewhat heavily and had to take True Qi supplementing pills to maintain his peak state in case any sudden accident occurred, but Yang Kai didn’t even seem flustered, only more and more excited with no traces of exhaustion on his face at all.
Ying Jiu hadn’t even seen Yang Kai take a single pill!
Feeling not a small amount of shock, Ying Jiu really wanted to know how Yang Kai stored so much True Qi that he could be so calm and relaxed even with such massive consumption.
One day and one night, nearly three thousand kilometers, and Ying Jiu was fairly certain the Little Lord was flying at full speed the whole time. Was such expenditure no burden at all for him?
Without stopping to rest, after another silent night, when the eastern horizon began glowing a faint golden hue, Yang Kai suddenly stopped and stood mid-air, overlooking the scene below.
A dense jungle seemingly placed within a 100,000-meter mountain range, lush verdant forests filled with ancient trees, clear sky, like morning mist, and blue skies. It was like an untouched paradise.
In this forest there seemed to be some traces of Monster Beast activity as well as quite a few good spirit herbs.
The hundred members of High Heaven Pavilion had secluded themselves in these mountains.
[Such a great area they’ve found!] Yang Kai smiled as his emotions fluctuated wildly. His Spiritual Energy surging upwards, he spread out his Divine Sense over a massive range, taking in all the sights and sounds for kilometers around.
The people of Bamboo Knot Gang being able to find anyone here probably had a lot to do with luck. In such an expansive wilderness, finding a mere hundred people couldn’t be described as simple ‘difficult’.
After a short while, Yang Kai took back his Divine Sense and showed a disappointed expression. Although his current Divine Sense could cover a wide range, he still didn’t notice any people, not even any traces of human activity could be perceived.
“Little Lord, do you want to split up and search separately?” Ying Jiu suggested.
“No need.” Yang Kai shook his head. “As long as I’m close enough, I’ll be able to sense them.”
Although Ying Jiu wasn’t clear what method Yang Kai had to seek his former Sect members, he didn’t ask any questions.
Pang Chi had only given Yang Kai an approximate location and a rough map, but with just this it was enough for Yang Kai to determine a general direction to search in.
After an hour, Yang Kai, who was still flying at full speed, suddenly stopped in place, a glimmer of hope flashing across his eyes as he turned his head in a certain direction.
“Follow me!” Calling out to Ying Jiu, he quickly sped off.
After the time it would take to boil a cup of tea, Ying Jiu noticed a series of newly built thatched cottages in the foothills surrounded by tall mountain.
The arrival of the two seemed to have alarmed the people living in this place, immediately causing several Immortal Ascension Boundary masters to emerge from their houses and stare at them vigilantly.
Ying Jiu quickly did a sweep of the area and discovered that there were only a few Immortal Ascension Boundary masters, the strongest of which had only reached the Fourth Stage, while all of them belonged to the older generation and their True Qi wasn’t very pure.
He suddenly felt a bit curious. For the former Sect of his Little Lord, shouldn’t there at least be a master at the Above Immortal Ascension Boundary? With a rising star like Yang Kai, how could all these people be so mediocre?
The people down below quickly noticed Yang Kai and they couldn’t help but point and shout, the caution on their faces quickly transforming into joy.
Before they even approached one another, Yang Kai smiled and waved to all of them, everyone down below following suit, several of them calling out to the nearby houses, resulting in a flurry of opening doors. In an instant, nearly a hundred people emerged, each of them waving and calling out excitedly.
Yang Kai immediately spotted Su Mu and Li Yun Tian and his other old friends, a warm feeling soon welling up in his chest.
After a while, Yang Kai and Ying Jiu fell to the ground, the former hurriedly walking up and cupping his fists, “Disciple Yang Kai greets Martial Uncles!”
“Good good! How did you find us here?” One of the older members, around forty years old, asked, “Aren’t you supposed to be participating in the Inheritance War in War City?”
“There’s no need to worry, disciple has been looking for your whereabouts for some time now. A few days ago, after finally receiving some accurate information, I decided to come find everyone.” Yang Kai took a deep breath and replied while sweeping his eyes over everyone present, seeing many familiar and unfamiliar faces, all of whom were smiling happily back at Yang Kai.
“Brother!” Su Mu ran forward and greeted.
Yang Kai grinned meaningfully and patted him on the shoulder.
Looking at Su Mu, he couldn’t help feeling a little surprised; he found that Su Mu had actually grown from the Separation and Reunion Boundary Ninth Stage to the True Element Boundary Fifth Stage. While this level of strength wasn’t very high amongst the elites of the younger generation, it was already very good for him.
“Come inside and talk!” The several Martial Uncles of High Heaven Pavilion encouraged.
This place was very humble, probably built only to satisfy basic living conditions. Once inside the house, the several members of the older generation intentionally or unintentionally inquired about the identity of Ying Jiu; after learning that he was a Yang Family Blood Warrior, all of them were quite shocked and immediately became somewhat cautious.
The Yang Family Blood Warriors, for them, were already people they could only look up to. Ying Jiu didn’t put on any airs however, nodding slightly to anyone who greeted him, but as a result of his naturally cold expression and temperament, the High Heaven Pavilion members didn’t dare disturb him more than absolutely required.
After tea was served, Yang Kai began to inquire about their situation this past year, the old men slowly explaining everything that had happened during this time.
After exiting the Void Corridor, they had concealed their identities and wandered about for some time, only later learning that the Sect had been burned down. With the Sect Master and the Elders missing, they didn’t dare go back, so they found a place to settle down temporarily and monitor the situation.
As such, this village came to be.
About the Yang Family Inheritance War, they had heard. Although they were in seclusion, they still sent out some people every month to obtain some general information. It was during one of these intelligence gathering missions that they learned about Yang Kai’s true identity and about the Inheritance War.
But just as Qiu Yi Meng had said before, even though they knew about the Inheritance War and wanted to support Yang Kai, it wasn’t convenient for them to appear in War City.
Because the title of ‘Evil Sect’ had yet to be removed from High Heaven Pavilion, their presence would only bring unnecessary trouble to Yang Kai.
And so, their current situation continued for more than a year. It wasn’t easy to make contact with the outside world, so they didn’t encounter many disputes. In fact, besides dealing with the occasional Monster Beast attack, everyone from High Heaven Pavilion spent all their time cultivating, looking forward to one day re-establishing the Sect!
“Then that must mean you don’t know that the Sect has already been rebuilt.” Yang Kai said after they finished explaining.
“The Sect has been rebuilt?” The several Martial Uncles parroted back.
“En, it should be fully rebuilt by now, but for the time being, it’s not a good idea to hang the Sect’s sign. Right now, High Heaven Pavilion can only be regarded as a private industry that belongs to me, as for clearing the Sect’s name, that will still take some time.”
“Martial Nephew, such thoughts are enough. Only you can accomplish such a matter!” Everyone understood what Yang Kai was implying and offered their thanks, “We old men are incompetent and must trouble Martial Nephew with this burden.”
Yang Kai gently shook his head in response, “This is what disciple should do. Has there been any word from Sect Master or the Elders since you settled here?”
The bright expressions on everyone’s face suddenly dimmed, “Unfortunately there hasn’t. We’ve sent out people every month to inquire about them, but even now, we haven’t discovered Sect Master and the Elders’ whereabouts.”
“Is that so…” Yang Kai sighed, offering some words of comfort, “There’s no need to worry, Sect Master is already an Above Immortal Ascension Boundary master, there aren’t many people in this world who can hurt him.”
Hearing this news, everyone couldn’t help feeling excited. Although they had heard about the Sect Master’s breakthrough long ago, hearing it from Yang Kai’s mouth was an entirely different matter. The weight of this statement was different coming from him.
“The reason I came this time was to let Martial Uncles as well as fellow brothers and sisters come back to War City with me. If Martial Uncles don’t have any objections, it would be best if everyone began packing up so we can leave as soon as possible.”
The few old men each glanced at one another and smiled, “We didn’t want to disturb you during this important time lest we become a source of trouble, but since Martial Nephew has taken the initiative to ask, if we still don’t go, it would be too ungrateful. Even if we still bare the stigma of an ‘Evil Sect’, as long as we have Martial Nephew’s shelter, no one should dare say anything, right?”
Yang Kai smiled coldly, “Anyone who dares won’t live long!”
Hearing this, the old men put down their final worries and agreed to leave.
“Disciple will take his leave first then… about Su Yan…” Yang Kai scratched his nose awkwardly.
Everyone in the room suddenly grinned knowingly, one of them intentionally calling out, “Of course Martial Nephew would ask about little Su Yan. Su Mu!”
“Disciple is here.” Su Mu came in from the outside.
“Lead your Senior Brother Yang to the Frozen Ice Cave.”
“Yes.” Su Mu grinned while gesturing to Yang Kai, “Brother, come with me.”
Yang Kai lightly coughed before standing up and walking out slowly.
Ying Jiu also attempted to follow, but was quickly stopped by Yang Kai.
Walking with Su Mu, Yang Kai asked, “Frozen Ice Cave? What kind of place is that?”
“It’s the place where big sister cultivates.” Su Mu replied, “It’s partly because we discovered the Frozen Ice Cave that was so perfectly suited to big sister’s cultivation that we decided to settle here. The last time I went to see big sister, she said she was going to enter secluded retreat. I don’t know if she has exited yet or not.”
“En, she’s probably still in retreat.” Yang Kai nodded.
If she wasn’t in secluded retreat right now, how could Su Yan not have come out to see him? From much farther than the eye could see, Yang Kai had sensed the existence of Su Yan. The Yin-Yang Joyous Unification Art had created a link between both their bodies and minds that no physical barrier could obscure. Since Yang Kai could sense her, she would naturally be aware of his presence as well.
But seeing how she had yet to show up, the only reasonable explanation was that Su Yan was currently at a critical point in her cultivation and couldn’t leave her retreat.
As the distance between the two shrank, Yang Kai has even faintly felt some uncontrollable fluctuations in his True Qi, as if there was an invisible whirlpool pulling on it.
Naturally, this was caused by the True Qi in Su Yan’s body!
After such a long time not cultivating the Yin-Yang Joyous Unification Art, whether it was the True Qi in Yang Kai’s or Su Yan’s body, it instinctively longed to blend with its opposite party.
Yang Kai’s normally steady mood gradually became excited.
The Frozen Ice Cave wasn’t far from where the village was built, only about five kilometers. After a short walk, Su Mu brought Yang Kai to the entrance of a cold cavern.
Even standing outside, Yang Kai could tell that the temperature was lower than the ambient environment. White mist gently wafted from the entrance of the cave and for a wide area around it, there was neither trees nor grass.
Su Mu had already reached the True Element Boundary Fifth Stage, but when he was about ten steps from the entrance, he paused and said, “Brother, you go inside on your own, this damned place is too cold for me. I don’t know how it formed but only big sister can stand cultivating inside here, even our Martial Uncles can’t stay here for long.”
“It’s alright, you go back.”
“Heh heh, brother-in-law, take your time!” Su Mu laughed obscenely before turning around and quickly leaving.
Yang Kai shook his head wryly before taking a deep breath and stepping into the ice cave.
Feeling the cold air all around him, it was almost as if even his True Qi would freeze.
Only after he began circulating his True Yang Secret Art did Yang Kai manage to dispel this feeling.
Looking around, the entire cave seemed to be covered in a layer of ice. This place was obviously a naturally formation as there were no signs of any artificial excavation.
Even though it was bright, Yang Kai didn’t see any sources of illumination. Instead, it was as if light came from all around him, reflecting off the mirror like ice.
The deeper he walked, the colder it became, and the faster Yang Kai’s True Yang Secret Art circulated.
After the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the view in front of Yang Kai opened up, he should have reached the innermost area of the Frozen Ice Cave. The temperature here could only be described as frigid and the surrounding terrain was no longer a narrow passage but a wide open space.
With just a glance, Yang Kai found Su Yan.
Her long, black, silk like hair gently fell past her graceful shoulders, reaching all the way down her back. Her jade white skin stood out from the surrounding frost, like the most lustrous porcelain, while her exquisite face seemed to be adorned by a faint blush. As she breathed gently, he pair of cherry red lips and delightful dimples especially stood out against her snow white completion.
Just as he remembered her, Su Yan was as beautiful as an immortal ice fairy.
At this moment, she was sitting cross-legged on the bed crystal clear ice, silently meditating. Her tender body trembling slightly, betraying her inner excitement.
Suddenly, the True Qi circulating within her body welled up, forming a visible halo around her, covering her figure in a thin layer of frost.
Yang Kai’s expression greatly changed, rushing forward and sitting down in front of Su Yan, gently holding her two jade hands and circulating the Yin-Yang Joyous Unification Art.
Instantaneously, the True Qi in Su Yan also began flowing in accordance with the Joyous Unification Art.
Su Yan’s wildly fluctuating True Qi quickly stabilized and quickly began harmonizing with Yang Kai’s, both their breathing rhythm and heartbeats gradually synchronizing with one another’s.
After an unknown amount of time, Yang Kai gently exhaled and opened his eyes.
Opposite him, Su Yan’s beautiful eyes also slowly opened, her long eyelashes gently fluttering, seemingly unable to believe that Yang Kai had actually appeared here. But soon, the coldness in her expression began melting, giving way to a touch of intoxicating blush and happiness.
“Even if you’re happy I’ve come, you shouldn’t have gotten so excited. You almost hurt yourself!” Yang Kai gently chided.
Su Yan obviously was in the middle of cultivating, but because she noticed the arrival of Yang Kai, her focus was disrupted and her True Qi circulation became unstable. If Yang Kai hadn’t arrived and assisted her so promptly, it was hard to say what might have happened.
Su Yan’s face was bright red and she was about to say something, but she suddenly felt a great force overtake her, pushing her down onto the crystal ice bed, causing her to let out a light cry of surprise.
Looking up at her assailant, all she could see was Yang Kai’s eyes filled with blazing flames. His breathing was heavy, like a beast that had just found the most delicious prey.
Seeing this look, Su Yan swallowed down the words she was going to say. Stared at with eyes flashing such undisguised desire, her heartbeat couldn’t help speeding up as she suddenly realizing what would happen next.
“Yang…” Su Yan was only able to spit out a single word before she felt Yang Kai press down against her and seal her lips, the next words no longer able to escape…
After only a slight struggle, Su Yan’s two snow white arms stretched out and wrapped around Yang Kai’s neck, bringing him even closer to her, refusing to let go.
The sound of the pair’s breathing gradually became heavy. In this frozen environment, on top of a crystal-clear ice bed, a young man and woman embraced; there was no need to say anything, the fierce torrent of ecstasy they shared communicated everything they wanted to convey to one another.
As their clothes scattered, the world of ice around them couldn’t freeze the boiling hot bodies of the pair, Su Yan’s crystal white skin quickly being completely exposed.
Two peaks, like pure white mountains topped with pink cherry blossoms, a pair of long shapely legs as smooth as silk and soft as clouds, and glistening hair that flowed like gentle water. Su Yan’s beauty was breathtaking, every inch of her skin fascinated Yang Kai, violently stimulating his passion to untold highs.
In response to Yang Kai’s fervor, Su Yan’s pure white skin glowed with a red lustre, almost feeling like a starving beast which had just been set free from its cage was ravaging her delicate body, without any thoughts of pity or restraint.
What made her feel even more ashamed though was this wanton devastation only enhanced the pleasure she felt, fascinating and confusing her senses greatly.
After suppressing the thirst and longing in her heart for so long, faced with this sudden outlet, Su Yan’s cold rationality scattered into the wind. Responding even more fiercely to the Yang Kai’s encroachment, her lips constantly sought and received his own in an infinite cycle.
The sound of breathing gradually became louder, as Su Yan’s quiet moans slowly transformed into intense cries, arousing Yang Kai’s bestial instincts more and more. Everything in the world seemed to have disappeared, leaving behind only the two of them.
The dragon tattoo on Yang Kai’s back and the phoenix on Su Yan’s both seemed to come alive, swimming freely atop the skin of the entwined lovers.
As the two slowly opened their eyes, they found themselves still within each other’s embrace, the faint fragrance still lingering about the disordered chamber making Su Yan blush.
Embarrassed, she shrank herself into Yang Kai’s arms. Thinking about all the things she had just done, Su Yan couldn’t help whimpering softly, too afraid to even meet Yang Kai’s eyes.
Just as she buried her face in Yang Kai’s chest, Su Yan suddenly felt something hot and firm, like a rod of soldering iron, press against her stomach, causing her to flinch, but even this slight movement only caused this foreign object to engorge further.
“Yang…” Just like before, Su Yan was only able to say a single word before cries of ecstasy became all she was capable of uttering. It was like a great wave euphoria washed over her, wiping away her ability to think or speak coherently.
In an endless cycle, one gave to the other only to receive even more in return, like a perfect harmony that blended two into one.
After waking up and repeating this sequence of events more times than she could remember, Su Yan’s body was thoroughly exhausted, her once pure white tender body now radiating a fascinating pink hue, a glistening trail of nectar slowly dripping down her long slender legs.
“Yang Kai,” Lightly biting her thin red lips, Su Yan stared at the ceiling of the Frozen Ice Cave, her deep beautiful eyes somewhat blurry, like a helpless kitten, “Forgive me, I… I can’t.”
Until now, she was still immersed in the feeling of floating above the clouds, an intoxicating sensation that both fascinated and frightened her.
She simply couldn’t resist Yang Kai’s forceful entreaty. Even though she knew that they should have stopped long ago, her body still instinctively reacted and catered to each and every impulse thrust upon her.
Facing the infinite desire of this young man, her emotions were an odd mix of joy and panic.
“Then we’ll pause here for now,” Yang Kai grinned and said, “We can always battle again later.”
Su Yan slowly got up, resisting the dull pain coming from her waist and the numbness of her legs, glancing over at the culprit and helplessly scolding, “It’s all your fault… we haven’t even cultivated yet.”
Yang Kai just laughed lasciviously.
The Yin-Yang Joyous Unification Art with Su Yan had already reached the second-stage, so the two of them could dual cultivate even without extensive physical contact, but Yang Kai just now had chosen to use the most primal method to unite with her, not even giving a thought to cultivation.
“There’s no time to cultivate now, just wait till we get back.” Yang Kai shook his head, “It seems like two days have already passed, our Martial Uncles are probably anxiously waiting for us.”
“En.” Su Yan’s face suddenly became bright red, two days alone with each other, even a fool would know what they had been up to. Feeling thoroughly ashamed, Su Yan didn’t know how she was going to face everyone outside.
Eventually rising to her feet, Su Yan slowly collected the pair’s scattered clothes and then, like a devoted wife, proceeded to help Yang Kai dress.
Yang Kai sat on the ice bed, motionless, allowing Su Yan to assist him, the smile on his face never fading.
“You’re about to break through to the Immortal Ascension Boundary?” Su Yan felt slightly uncomfortable being stared at by him like this and quickly found a topic to divert his attention.
“Almost, I should be able to soon.” Yang Kai nodded, staring at Su Yan with admiration and saying, “But you’ve already reached the Immortal Ascension Boundary Third Stage. It seems if I want to catch up with you, I’ll have to work even harder.”
“It’s all thanks to the elixir you gave me.” Su Yan shook her head modestly, “That liquid really helped cleanse my body; now whenever I cultivate my True Qi circulates much faster, on top of that, this place is simply the best environment to practice my Secret Art.”
More than a year ago, when he had been separated from Su Yan, she was only at the peak of the True Element Boundary, similar to Yang Kai’s current situation of being just shy of breaking through to the Immortal Ascension Boundary.
But now that they had reunited, she had reached the Immortal Ascension Third Stage. this cultivation speed could only be described as phenomenal. After all, once a cultivator arrived at the Immortal Ascension Boundary, the speed of their improvement was generally extremely slow.
“Even if there are excellent external conditions, if one doesn’t have a solid enough foundation they still won’t be able to excel. You reaching such a height in such a short time is the result of your own talent and hard work.” Yang Kai reached out and gently stroked Su Yan’s cheek, suddenly pulling her closer to him, her pair of snow white rabbits pressing against his chest. Inhaling a deep breath, he seemed to immerse himself in her delicate feminine fragrance.
Su Yan smiled back softly, quietly embracing him.
A moment later, Yang Kai straightened up and glanced downwards, helplessly muttering, “It seems like I…”
“Ah…” Su Yan yelped in fright.
His expression instantly becoming determined, Yang Kai seriously said, “They’ve already waited more than two days anyway, it won’t matter if they wait a bit longer!”
Having declared so, he swiftly pulled Su Yan into his arms.
An hour later, Yang Kai, wearing a satisfied grin, watched Su Yan quickly dress herself. Only after she finished did she proceed to help Yang Kai wear his robes.
After suffering another loss, how could she dare present her bare body in front of Yang Kai? If she let this man in front of her have his way, it would likely be ten days to half a month before they left the Frozen Ice Cave.
When both of them finished dressing, Su Yan took a moment to look around the ice cave nostalgically.
After leaving this place, she didn’t know when or even if she would return. Finding a place so perfectly suited for her to cultivate in, one where the cold attribute energy gathered several times faster than the outside world, was quite rare.
“Do you want to take it away?” Yang Kai saw the look in Su Yan’s eyes and asked.
Su Yan shook her head somewhat regretfully, “Even if I can’t take it, I can always come back later.”
“I can take it away now.” Yang Kai smiled.
Su Yan glanced at him and laughed, “You want to take away this ice crystal bed?”
Yang Kai nodded, his expression filled with confidence.
“It’s impossible, it seems to be a single piece of crystal ice and weighs at least ten thousand kilograms, I tried once before and wasn’t even able to lift it.”
“Even if we could move it, there’s no way to transport it elsewhere, the little bag you gave me isn’t big enough to hold it. “
Su Yan gently held the Universe Bag in her hand. The Universe Bag was given to Yang Kai by Ling Tai Xu long ago, but after opening the Black Book space, he had had given it to Su Yan.
The space inside the Universe Bag wasn’t very big and fitting such a large ice crystal bed really wouldn’t be possible.
“Just watch!” Yang Kai grinned and walked over to the ice crystal bed that still had a lingering aura from the pair’s recent activity, reached out both his hands and closed his eyes.
Su Yan closely observed. Although she wasn’t clear what Yang Kai was doing, but she still had a faint sense of anticipation, seemingly believing that the young man in front of her could surprise her once more.
Just as this thought flashed across her mind, she saw the ice crystal bed, that weighed at least ten thousand kilograms, disappear in a brilliant flash of light.
Su Yan gasped, hardly able to believe her eyes, immediately releasing her Divine Sense to investigate but unable to discover the slightest clue, wrinkling her brow ever so slightly as she looked around suspiciously.
“Where is it?” Seeing Yang Kai’s smug expression, Su Yan hurriedly asked.
“I also have an artifact that can store things, and the space inside it is much bigger that the Universe Bag’s.”
Yang Kai smiled happily.
Su Yan gently nodded, “No wonder.”
After learning that Yang Kai had such a rare and powerful storage artifact, Su Yan was only slightly shocked but soon after only felt a sense of pride.
Because this was her man who had such amazing methods and heritage.
Su Yan secretly thought that all of this was just a matter of course, almost as if as long as it was Yang Kai. Even if he tore a hole in the Heavens, it would be normal.
The frigid temperature in the Frozen Ice Cave was all caused by the ice crystal bed, it could be said that it was the only actual treasure here, so now that it had been collected, so long as Su Yan desired, any place could be transformed into her ideal cultivating environment.
Back at the village, everyone was packed and ready to go.
The several older generation members of High Heaven Pavilion were all sitting cautiously, their expressions and attitude’s extremely solemn.
Nearby, Ying Jiu also sat in silent meditation.
The atmosphere was particularly dignified.
These Martial Uncles from High Heaven Pavilion had been sitting with this Yang Family Blood Warrior for two days now, not daring to move about carelessly. At first, they felt like they should say something, and in fact tried several times to talk to Ying Jiu, but given Ying Jiu’s almost perpetual silence, how could they carrying on a conversation?
In the end, none of them continued trying to communicate with this silent warrior, all of them just silently waiting, so obviously they would feel uncomfortable after so long.
All of these old men were silently complaining that Yang Kai was still not coming back.
The younger generation of disciples also seemed to be aware of the strange atmosphere here and all kept at least a three hundred meter distance, seemingly afraid they would be roped in by their Martial Uncles as substitute sacrifices.
Suddenly, Su Mu rushed into the house they were occupying, cupped his fists and report, “Martial Uncles, Senior Brother Yang and Elder Sister are back.”
“They’re back?” One of the old men almost shouted, quickly getting up. His expression a strange mix of relief and happiness, he hurriedly walked out, quickly followed by everyone else.
None of them were willing to stay here one breath longer.
Faced with the immeasurably strong and silent Yang Family Blood Warrior, each of them felt like they were constantly under great pressure.
Just as they exited, they saw Yang Kai and Su Yan walking over together.
One of them, his eyes somewhat tearful, swiftly arrived in front of Yang Kai and loudly patted his shoulders, saying in an exasperated voice, “Martial Nephew, you’ve finally returned. You’ve let us wait quite a while!”
“Hm?” Yang Kai frowned, he didn’t know why but he felt like all of his Martial Uncles had suddenly become quite friendly, even more so than when they had reunited two days ago.
Su Yan nearby, on the other hand, turned her gaze away slightly when she heard these words, blushing bright red from her neck to the tips of her ears. Everyone who saw this usually ice cold beauty showing such an embarrassed expression suddenly felt she was even more attractive.
“Everyone is ready, so if Martial Nephew has no other business to attend to…”
“Since you’re prepared, we can leave now.” Yang Kai nodded.
“Good, depart!” One of the old men waved his hand and called out loudly, rushing forward with all the other Martial Uncles.
Yang Kai stared blankly for a moment, not sure why everyone had suddenly become so eager to leave, as if they were desperate to escape something.
“Little Lord.” Ying Jiu came up and greeted him.
“What happened?” Yang Kai asked, his brow slightly furrowed.
“Nothing.” Ying Jiu shook his head, glancing over at Su Yan inadvertently, his expression changing slightly.
He immediately discovered that woman with an icy temperament and beautiful face was actually quite young, but already an Immortal Ascension Boundary Third Stage master!
Liu Qing Yao of the Liu Family was also only an Immortal Ascension Boundary Third Stage cultivator, but was already known as the first genius of the Central Capital. As the future successor of the Liu Family, he had a near unlimited supply of cultivation resources at his disposal, but what about this girl?
[This young lady… she’s extraordinary!] At that moment, Ying Jiu realized once again how terrifying High Heaven Pavilion was.
The current Demon Lord was from the High Heaven Pavilion and the Little Lord was also from the High Heaven Pavilion; on top of that, their Sect Master was an Above Immortal Ascension Boundary master!
It also seemed like that veiled girl who was constantly performing Alchemy miracles and her master, Meng Wu Ya, who had easily broken the Qi Binding Seal for him, came from High Heaven Pavilion as well.
This… is this really just a second-class Sect? Ying Jiu suddenly became confused.
The hundred or so High Heaven Pavilion members, led by Yang Kai, rushed towards to War City.
When they came here, Yang Kai and Ying Jiu had only spent less than two days which included the time it took them to find the survivors, but now, Yang Kai estimated that it would take at least four days for them to return. After all, the strength of these fellow brothers and sisters was somewhat mixed, although many of them had broken through to the True Element Boundary, there were still a lot who remained at the Separation and Reunion Boundary and Qi Transformation Stage.
However, Yang Kai wasn’t in a hurry. Talking and laughing with Su Yan, he walked along the road seemingly enjoying the various sights and scenes without a care in the world.
After being separated for more than a year, the physical and spiritual connection between the two not only hadn’t become weaker, but was instead firmer and more intense.
When the two walked side by side, Yang Kai could even feel the True Qi in their bodies slowly intermingling; there were even times when one of them would know what the other was thinking without even exchanging any words, it was a wondrous and mysterious feeling.
One in heart and one in mind, a state they will soon reach.
At the same time, nearly three thousand kilometers away from War City.
A large number of people were lurking in the tall grass, quietly waiting.
Among these people was Qiu Zi Ruo of the Central Capital’s Qiu Family, Qiu Yi Meng’s younger half-brother. Qiu Zi Ruo was originally an ally of the Yang Family’s Sixth Young Lord, Yang Shen, but after Yang Shen’s mansion was attacked by Yang Kai and his flag was taken, eliminating him from the Inheritance War, Yang Shen’s allied forces, including Qiu Zi Ruo, all joined the Seventh Young Lord, Yang Ying.
But only a few days later, Yang Ying forfeited, and his subordinate forces were absorbed by Yang Zhao.
And so, counting from the start of the Inheritance War till now, Qiu Zi Ruo had changed allegiances three times; a fact that weighed heavily on his heart. Although these changes were a result of circumstances beyond his control, it was still a big loss of face for him. At the very least, it proved that his vision and ability to judge people was quite lacking. Two of the Yang Family Young Lords he had chosen to follow had been eliminated in quick succession.
Before the Inheritance War began, he had once discussed the course the Inheritance War would take with Qiu Yi Meng and the Qiu Family Patriarch, Qiu Shou Cheng. At the time, Qiu Yi Meng was extremely optimistic about Yang Kai, and had even gone so far as to temporarily withdraw from the family and bring the Autumn Rain Hall, which was nothing but old and crippled soldiers, with her to follow him.
Now, it seems that Qiu Yi Meng had chosen the right person!
On the other hand, Qiu Zi Ruo and Qiu Shou Cheng, who were both optimistic about Yang Shen, had repeatedly been proven wrong.
Now, Qiu Zi Ruo could only sigh and vow to assist Yang Zhao in winning the Inheritance War to stabilize his position as the family’s heir.
In addition to Qiu Zi Ruo, the Kang Family’s Kang Zhan was also here.
Both of them were Young Lords from the Central Capital’s Eight Great Families, and true heirs to their respective families.
If they wanted to deal with Yang Kai, someone from the Eight Great Families had to step forward to take command, so the two of them had been sent here by Yang Zhao.
As for Yang Zhao himself, he had no choice but to stay in War City. If he were to act impulsively and come here himself, he would simply be repeating Yang Shen’s mistake.
Beside the two young super force heirs, Xiang Chu of the Xiang Family and Nan Sheng of the Nan Family were also here. These two’s grievances with Yang Kai were clear to everyone, so when they learned that there was a chance to eliminate him, they naturally took the initiative to offer their assistance.
Yang Zhao readily accepted.
On top of that, there were another four not weak forces that were participating in this operation!
“Brother Kang, is the information Second Young Lord gathered really accurate? How could Yang Kai act so recklessly?” Waiting for more than a day and seeing no movement, Qiu Zi Ruo couldn’t help feeling a bit restless.
Hearing this, Kang Zhan only laughed, replying confidently, “Brother Qiu, just be patient. Since Second Young Lord deployed us here, there’s definitely no problem with his information.”
Qiu Zi Ruo suddenly looked at Kang Zhan with a puzzled expression, “Brother Kang seems to admire the Second Young Lord quite a bit.”
Kang Zhan smiled lightly, “I’m not afraid to admit to Brother Qiu that, in fact, when the Inheritance War started, I wanted to form an alliance with the Second Young Lord because I felt that with his methods and strength he would ultimately become the biggest winner.”
“Oh? Then why did Brother Kang choose to ally with the Seventh Young Lord?” Qiu Zi Ruo’s brow rose, not quite understanding. Kang Zhan was originally the ally of the Seventh Brother, Yang Ying, it was only after Yang Ying’s forfeiture that he became Yang Zhao’s ally.
“I had no choice,” Kang Zhan smiled helplessly and shook his head, “Second Young Lord chose Ye Xin Rou from Ye Family, so I could only choose someone else.”
Qiu Zi Ruo’s eyes flashed a light of clarity, nodding his head in understanding, “Beauties always has some advantages.”
“En, beauties, especially ones as stunning as Ye Xin Rou, are always favoured by us men.” Kang Zhan licked his lips.
Qiu Zi Ruo also grinned meaningfully. As Young Lords of the Central Capital Eight Great Families, both of them were quite familiar with Ye Xin Rou and knew that this woman had a special relationship with Yang Zhao.
For this reason, Ye Xin Rou now held a unique position in Yang Zhao’s mansion. Although all of them were allies of Yang Zhao in name, Qiu Zi Ruo and Kang Zhan, who came later, didn’t have nearly as much authority as Ye Xin Rou.
However, under the circumstances, the two of them didn’t care about this much, and it wasn’t like their status was low.
“This information was obtained by that woman when she went to the Central Capital.” Kang Zhan smiled awkwardly, “Against the Ye Family’s First Young Lady, what kind of resistance could a trivial sub-Sect Master of an underground force put up? As long as he was offered a little incentive, I’m sure he’d have sold her his soul.”
“En, reasonable.” Qiu Zi Ruo nodded, secretly thinking about if he could keep any of his secrets should Ye Xin Rou use her beauty to tempt him. Especially if his life was also risk.
“Even if Yang Kai is quite smart, he probably couldn’t have imagined that such a little clue would allow Second Young Lord to infer that he had left War City!” Kang Zhan grinned, “He thinks he hasn’t revealed any flaws, but apparently he’s still a little naive.”
“No one is perfect!” Qiu Zi Ruo shook his head bitterly, “Yang Kai is also about the same age as us. If he could do everything perfectly, what point would there be in us still living?”
“Fair point.” Kang Zhan nodded. Even having said what he said, he couldn’t deny that Yang Kai’s methods were impressive. If it wasn’t for the Second Young Lord’s near paranoid surveillance of him, they might very well have missed this rare opportunity.
“Young master Xiang, Young Master Nan, we’ll be relying on the masters of your families to handle Ying Jiu by Yang Kai’s side.” Kang Zhan suddenly turned his head and said to Xiang Chu and Nan Sheng.
Xiang Chu nodded lightly in response, “Happy to oblige!”
On Nan Sheng’s face there was a sharp look, like a scorpion just waiting to sting. Coldly stroking the two stumps on his hand, he said, “This time we’ve both brought a Peak Immortal Ascension Boundary master specifically to tie down Ying Jiu. As long as I can obtain revenge for the loss of my fingers, when I become Patriarch of the Nan Family, I pledge to follow any command the Second Young Lord decrees!”
Kang Zhan glanced at him for a moment before nodding slightly.
Yang Kai had an evil demon in his service that had reached the peak of the Immortal Ascension Boundary; it was because of this master that Yang Zhao had requested the Xiang and Nan Family Young Masters bring a Peak Immortal Ascension Boundary master each during this operation.
Such masters were rarely seen in the Inheritance War.
After all, even first-class forces didn’t have many Peak Immortal Ascension Boundary cultivators and if one were to fall in the Inheritance War, it wouldn’t be a small loss.
However, Xiang Chu and Nan Sheng’s hatred of Yang Kai was so extreme that when Yang Zhao made this request, they had readily agreed.
These two masters had only arrived at Yang Zhao’s mansion a month or so ago with the intention being for them to help suppress the demonic masters who had joined Yang Kai, but now they were being deployed on this mission.
Although Ying Jiu was a Yang Family Blood Warrior whose cultivation had reached the Immortal Ascension Boundary Eighth Stage, two Peak Immortal Ascension Boundary cultivators should be enough to contain him.
Regarding this battle, no matter who it was, they were completely confident in obtaining victory.
None of them could have imagined that at this point in time, Ying Jiu had reached the Peak Immortal Ascension Boundary as well.
While a number of scouts were deployed to investigate the surrounding movements and circumstances, everyone else in this ambush squad held their breath and waited quietly.
One day later, there was news that roughly a hundred people were approaching and would arrive within half an hour.
Kang Zhan immediately stood up and called out, “Prepare for battle. If we can take down Yang Kai here, after returning home, Second Young Lord will definitely grant everyone rich rewards, so bring out all of your strength and absolutely do not underestimate the enemy!”
All the gathered cultivators nodded in unison.
“Should we launch a sneak attack?” Qiu Zi Ruo looked over and asked.
Kang Zhan glanced over and wrinkled his brow, soon after shaking his head. “Since our scouts could discover them, they must have noticed us as well. Trying to sneak attack them is impossible.”
“We should face them head on, I want Yang Kai to regret ever offending me, Nan Sheng!” Nan Sheng grinned, his True Qi violently bursting out.
“En, we’ll defeat them fair and square! After today, there will be no Yang Kai in the Inheritance War!” Kang Zhan declared, “Fight!”
Thirty kilometers away, Yang Kai’s expression dimmed, wondering just where he had screwed up.
How could Yang Kai have anticipated that Yang Zhao would infer his movements simply by noting an unusual action of the Bamboo Knot Gang Sect Master Pang Chi?
When he discovered some people lying in wait up ahead spying on everyone who passed by, Yang Kai suddenly realized that something wasn’t quite right.
The other party so clearly setting up a blockade along his return path, obviously they knew where he had gone! It was impossible for Pang Chi to have sold him out; he should still be detained by Qiu Yi Meng. As for Qiu Yi Meng betraying him, that was even more impossible.
Then the problem must be with someone else in the Bamboo Knot Gang!
After a moment of thought, Yang Kai deduced this conclusion.
It seems like when he returned to War City, he’d have to clean up his house.
However, even so, Yang Kai would never regret his actions! If he had to choose again, he would still have come out personally to meet his fellow brothers and sisters from High Heaven Pavilion.
If only to see Su Yan a moment sooner!
Sensing the change in Yang Kai’s mood, Su Yan couldn’t help but ask, “What’s wrong?”
Yang Kai just smiled and shook his head. “Nothing, just a group of people blocking the road ahead.”
Su Yan’s expression immediately became cold.
The last time they were together, she and Yang Kai had agreed to travel the world together, but due to Qiu Yi Meng’s interference, those plans had been destroyed. Now, more than a year later, after they had just reunited, a group of people had jumped out to cause trouble for them. It was only naturally for Su Yan to be upset.
“Who is blocking the road?” The several Martial Uncles from High Heaven Pavilion suddenly became nervous.
“Probably my Second Brother.” Yang Kai let out a sigh, Yang Wei wasn’t one to do this kind of thing, and even if he wanted to he didn’t have enough capital to do so, so it was easy to infer that the ones lying in wait for him were Yang Zhao’s allies.
“Martial Uncles, you may have to fight. You don’t have to worry about me, just focus on protecting the other disciples of the Sect.”
“Can we avoid them?” One of them asked, the group from High Heaven Pavilion was simply too weak to face these ambushers.
“They’ve already noticed us and have come prepared. We can’t escape.” Yang Kai shook his head helplessly, somewhat annoyed in his heart.
High Heaven Pavilion, although only a second-class force, had several thousand disciples at its height. However, after the last disaster, only a hundred or so disciples had chosen to live and die together with the Sect.
Although there were not many people back at High Heaven Pavilion’s territory, their degree of loyalty to the Sect was obviously not as high as the members here.
These brave few, after High Heaven Pavilion’s name was restored, would become the foundation of its rebirth. Therefore, absolutely no harm can come to them!
The news that a battle would soon take place disturbed all of High Heaven Pavilion disciples, but none of them showed any fear on their faces. On the contrary, many, like Su Mu, showed some eagerness to fight.
All of them had been in hiding for more than a year now, and many had grown restless. Now that they had Yang Kai as their shelter, they naturally felt emboldened. Nevertheless, this was also due in part to ignorance, not knowing just what kind of enemy they were about to face.
Noticing all of this, Yang Kai’s brows furrowed heavily. Yang Zhao sending people to intercept him here was completely out of his expectations.
Since the other party dared to do this, they must be certain of their ability to win; at the very least, they were confident of stalling Ying Jiu! This meant that, among the people sent here to ambush him, there would be at least one Peak Immortal Ascension Boundary master. However, since his Second Brother had deployed so much manpower, Qiu Yi Meng would certainly have noticed! Perhaps there were reinforcements from his forces rushing over right this moment.
Considering all this, Yang Kai’s tension slowly faded.
On top of all this, it wasn’t like the current situation was hopeless! His enemy had almost certainly miscalculated Ying Jiu’s true strength. Since he had already broken through to the Immortal Ascension Boundary Ninth Stage, his combat power was now much stronger than before.
They also weren’t clear about his true strength, and Su Yan’s presence was another huge variable.
If Yang Zhao had made arrangements based purely on their previous battles, then this time he still had a chance to come out on top! But soon, Yang Kai realized he had underestimated Yang Zhao’s wariness towards him.
Yang Kai quickly noticed a large number of silhouettes flying towards his group; sweeping this approaching force with his Divine Sense, his face couldn’t help cramping slightly.
The opposite party was comprised of at least seven forces! Among them, Yang Kai recognized four: Qiu Family, Kang Family, Xiang Family, and Nan Family, two of the Central Capital’s Eight Great Forces and two first-class forces, all of them turning out in full strength with absolute determination to win.
When they noticed so many people approaching, everyone from High Heaven Pavilion couldn’t help feeling some shock, none of them had expected their opponent to have made such a big move.
The few Martial Uncles were even more stunned, instantly understanding just what kind of importance Yang Kai had in his enemy’s eyes. In order to capture him, they hadn’t hesitated to send so many people, and so many masters.
Above the vast wilderness, two groups of people rapidly approached each other, coming to stop only a hundred meters apart.
Two pairs of hatred filled eyes swept over from the enemy force towards Yang Kai, obviously belonging to Xiang Chu and Nan Sheng, the two of them smiling deviously.
Qiu Zi Ruo wore a complex look when he saw Yang Kai staring back at them without any trace of fear, not knowing what he was thinking, while Kang Zhan’s expression was simply indifferent.
On the contrary, many of the others in this group were staring towards Su Yan who stood next to Yang Kai. Such an outstandingly beautiful young woman, with her cold noble temperament, had naturally caught many people’s attention. Looking at her, whether they were a man or woman, old or young, they couldn’t help feeling not help but feel a sense of defeat, even the two Young Lords from the Eight Great Families weren’t exempted.
It wasn’t like they hadn’t seen great beauties before. With their identity and status, no matter how many women they wanted, they could obtain. But, facing Su Yan, who seemed like an immortal ice fairy descended from the Heavens, even they felt unworthy of approaching her.
On the contrary, with Yang Kai standing beside her, they seemed to form a perfect pair, almost as if they were made for one another.
When this idea crossed their minds, Qiu Zi Ruo and Kang Zhan’s expression couldn’t help darkening; neither of them believed they were much worse than Yang Kai.
Lightly coughing, Kang Zhan cupped his fists and called out, “Ninth Young Lord, it’s been too long!”
“Brother Kang!” Yang Kai slightly curled his lips as he calmly asked, “Is my Second Brother not here with as well?”
“Second Young Lord is quite busy right now and unfortunately couldn’t be here, so he requested Brother Qiu and myself to entertain Ninth Young Lord, I hope Brother Kai won’t take offence!”
Yang Kai sneered back at him and stepped forward, proudly declaring, “My Second Brother didn’t bother coming to see me personally and instead sent you two as errand boys, right?”
Kang Zhan’s expression sank at these words as he coldly replied, “Ninth Young Lord, between all of us there’s a certain friendship, why make such demeaning comments?”
“There’s a friendship between me and you…?” Yang Kai rubbed chin and chuckled, “How come I can’t remember that?”
Regarding Kang Zhan and Qiu Zi Ruo, Yang Kai had basically never interacted with them, only sharing a drink briefly with the former when he had first returned to the Central Capital and was shouted out to by Yang Zhao. As for Qiu Zi Ruo, he had never even spoken to him.
Kang Zhan took a deep breath and let out a long sigh, calming his anger before saying, “Since Ninth Young Lord has such thoughts, this Kang won’t say any more nonsense. We really don’t have any friendship; our only connection is as enemies! In the coming battle, if we offend you in any way, Ninth Young Lord can only blame his own bad luck!”
“To you as well!”
Kang Zhan continued. “Before leaving, Second Young Lord told me that if Ninth Young Lord is willing to surrender, not to embarrass you, lest you feel he isn’t taking your brotherhood into account! So this Kang still has to ask, is Ninth Young Lord willing to accept Second Young Lord’s kindness?”
Yang Kai simply grinned and shook his head, “For a question you know the answer to, why bother asking?”
“Good!” Kang Zhan nodded heavily.
“Why bother with all this crap? While the masters from my Nan Family and the Xiang Family contain Ying Jiu, everyone else just needs to rush over and seize him.” Nan Sheng blurted out, obviously quite impatient to defeat Yang Kai and resolve the hate in his heart.
Kang Zhan’s brow wrinkled and didn’t say anything. He knew that Nan Sheng had a lot of grievances against Yang Kai; moreover this was also what he was planning to do anyways.
Yang Kai seemed to have a large number of people with him, but every few of them had reached the Immortal Ascension Boundary. The members of High Heaven Pavilion were nothing in Kang Zhan’s eyes.
Just as he was about to give the order, Yang Kai’s voice called out again, “Brother Kang, how about we make a deal?”
“What kind of deal?” Kang Zhan frowned.
“For this battle, only me and Ying Jiu will fight! If you can beat us, then you will be able to complete the task my Second Brother gave you!”
Listening to him, Kang Zhan and Qiu Zi Ruo couldn’t help looking at him strangely.
Neither of them had thought that Yang Kai would try to stop the hundred or so people behind him from participating in this fight.
Although the strength of these hundred cultivators wasn’t enough for Kang Zhan to worry about, if they all fought, they would still cause some losses to the forces he had brought.
So when he heard Yang Kai’s proposal, Kang Zhan subconsciously thought that he was plotting something and was hesitant to agree.
As for those on Yang Kai’s side, the several Martial Uncles from High Heaven Pavilion all objected, saying they wanted to contribute in any way thought could and that even if they knew they might die, they couldn’t just stand by and do nothing, their attitudes extremely resolute.
“You can’t have any losses,” Yang Kai shook his head and refused their kindness, his expression becoming dignified, “I am a Yang Family Young Lord. They won’t dare kill me. Even if I can’t defeat them, at worst they’ll just capture me, but if there are casualties amongst you, how will I be able to face Grand Master?”
“Our Martial Uncles shouldn’t fight, but I must!” Su Yan looked at Yang Kai and declared her gaze firm and unyielding.
Yang Kai looked at her and thought for a moment before nodding. Su Yan’s strength, like his own, couldn’t be inferred from her cultivation, and she may be able to bring about some unexpected effects if she was to work together with him.
Seeing him nod, Su Yan smiled happily and stepped forward…
“Brother Kang, sorry, I’ve changed my mind, there will be three of us participating in this fight from my side, myself, Ying Jiu, and my Senior Sister Su Yan!” Yang Kai said casually, “Defeat us, and I’ll voluntarily withdraw from the Inheritance War!”
Kang Zhan was trying to guess what Yang Kai was up to. He simply couldn’t understand, from the way he spoke and acted, it was as if this really was what he wanted to do and wasn’t some kind of clever ploy.
“It seems like those people are very important to Yang Kai. Even in this situation he’s actually trying to protect them.” Nan Sheng snorted, his aura becoming somewhat dangerous as he stared at the people from High Heaven Pavilion like a ruthless snake.
Xiang Chu nearby also sneered.
Kang Zhan’s frown deepened as he finally decided to just ask, “Ninth Young Lord, can you tell me why?”
“It’s simple really.” Yang Kai slowly shook his head, “These people are my Martial Uncles and fellow brothers and sisters from my Sect! If any of them were to be hurt, I’m afraid I wouldn’t be able to control myself. If that were to happen and Brother Kang or Brother Qiu weren’t able to return to War City… it would be difficult to explain to the Kang Family and Qiu Family.”
“They’re from High Heaven Pavilion?” Kang Zhan and Qiu Zi Ruo’s expression changed greatly. Suddenly understanding where these hundred people originated from, a hint of dread even appearing in their eyes.
High Heaven Pavilion, it couldn’t be treated like an ordinary second-class Sect; after all, that was the Demon Lord’s Sect!
“This proposal has no downside for you, what is there to think about?” Yang Kai urged.
“Young Lord Kang, don’t agree!” Nan Sheng licked his lips and gazed over at the other side, “These wicked person, all of them deserve to die. We can’t say that amongst these people, another Demon Lord will descend. Killing them all is the best precaution!”
“I think so too!” Xiang Chu nodded in agreement.
Kang Zhan glanced over at them and snorted. He knew that righteousness had nothing to do with their motives; they just wanted to vent their anger against Yang Kai by killing these people now that they knew they were important to him.
Qiu Zi Ruo on the other hand shook his head and said, “Brother Kang, I think there’s nothing wrong with agreeing to his proposal. At this moment, we have an absolute advantage, so selling him a favor shouldn’t matter. I also don’t think Second Young Lord wants us to simply act ruthlessly.”
In Qiu Zi Ruo’s view, right now, capturing Yang Kai was as simple as flipping his palm, there was no doubt about the outcome.
In which case, there was no need to further antagonize him.
Killing these hundred people from High Heaven Pavilion wouldn’t help them win the Inheritance War and would only forge a grudge between them and Yang Kai.
Qiu Zi Ruo wasn’t willing to really become enemies with Yang Kai, a man who always seemed somewhat ruthless and unrestrained.
Hearing this, Kang Zhan nodded lightly, “What Brother Qiu says makes sense.”
Nan Sheng and Xiang Chu looked at each other and couldn’t help feeling aggrieved. This was simply the perfect opportunity to take revenge on Yang Kai, but in this situation they had no right to make any decisions, naturally they felt somewhat depressed.
“Ninth Young Lord, I accept your proposal!” Kang Zhan loudly declared, “For this battle, we will not involve the members of your Sect, provided they don’t interfere in any way, or else they will suffer the consequences of their own actions!”
“Of course!” Yang Kai gently breathed a sigh of relief and said, “Actually, this is also for your own good.”
Listening to Yang Kai say this, even the mild tempered Kang Zhan couldn’t resist coldly snorting, “Big words!”
Agreeing to Yang Kai’s proposal was nothing more than him not wanting to provoke further trouble, in Kang Zhan’s opinion, he was selling him a favor and giving him face, but now this person was actually shameless enough to say it was for his own good.
Such cheap rhetoric and arrogance naturally annoyed him.
Not paying Yang Kai’s words any mind, Kang Zhan waved his hand, “Brother Xiang, Brother Nan, send out your people.”
Xiang Chu and Nan Sheng nodded and signaled towards the crowd, the next moment two streaks of light shooting out from behind them.
In just the blink of an eye, two figures had already rushed over to Yang Kai’s position. One of these people was from the Xiang Family while the other was from the Nan Family, both of them old men at the Peak Immortal Ascension Boundary.
If not for Xiang Chu and Nan Sheng’s strong persuasion, it would have been impossible for the Xiang and Nan Families to send these two to participate in the Inheritance War.
Without a single word, the two old men struck towards Ying Jiu.
Both old masters went all out, trying to use overwhelming momentum to take Ying Jiu out in one fell swoop.
Two Peak Immortal Ascension Boundary masters attacking at once created an astounding pressure, immediately causing many of the High Heaven Pavilion members’ breaths to stagnate.
The violent power of these two strikes seemed to have created a whirlpool that drew in the lives of everyone around them.
Everyone was aghast; their faces turning pale, in the face of such astounding strength, none of them could even work up the will to resist.
Nan Sheng and Xiang Chu smirked as they smugly watched, secretly expecting Ying Jiu to be forced to display his Mad Tyrant Blood Skill.
But contrary to their expectations, Ying Jiu’s expression remained indifferent, suddenly disappearing just before the two old men’s attacks were about to reach him.
The looks on the Xiang and Nan Family masters swiftly changed. Suddenly having lost their target, a terrifying feeling welled up in their hearts.
The two masters hurriedly tried to retreat, but before they could, a sharp killing intent stabbed towards them from behind.
Before the two masters knew what was happening, a ghostly figure wielding two daggers appeared behind them and unleashed a series of slashes.
Flickering Shadow Strike!
The air was instantly filled with violent waves of energy, like ripples on the surface of a pond.
The arrogant expressions on Xiang Chu and Nan Sheng’s faces instantly solidified, soon being replaced by looks of fear and shock as they stared towards the sky.
Kang Zhan and Qiu Zi Ruo’s reactions weren’t much better.
Everyone, whether they were friend or foe, trembled at the sight of Ying Jiu’s strength!
Only Yang Kai chuckled and calmly said, “Martial Uncles, lead everyone else back to a safe distance.”
“Ah… en.” The old men from High Heaven Pavilion reacted as if they had just woken from the dream. Witnessing the battle between these three Immortal Ascension Boundary masters, they realized that even if they were to exert all their strength, they wouldn’t have any effect on the situation and would only end up dying unnecessarily. Understanding this point, they quickly led everyone else from High Heaven Pavilion away from the battlefield.
Only Yang Kai and Su Yan remained standing side by side at the front.
Su Yan’s long hair fluttered in the wind from the battle above as she turned her head towards Yang Kai and smiled.
*Shua Shua Shua…*
High up in the sky, the three masters separated from each other and stood mid-air facing one another.
Ying Jiu appeared just as he had a moment ago, his expression indifferent and his body unharmed.
On the other hand, the masters from the Xiang and Nan Families had expressions that were somewhat pale and their robes had been damaged here and there. Although they showed no signs of injury, this fight had made everyone realize that the Ying Jiu that stood before them now was already not the one they had previously known!
Also, this once again demonstrated to everyone present just how stunning the Yang Family Blood Warrior’s combat strength was!
Yang Family Blood Warriors, invincible amongst those of the same realm, commonly fighting those whose cultivation exceeded their own!
“Just you two? Insufficient!” Ying Jiu held his two daggers by his sides and shot a cold look at the Nan and Xiang Family masters in front of him, lightly shaking his head.
The two old men’s expression immediately became ugly!
“Brother Kang, Ying Jiu seems to have broken through to the Immortal Ascension Boundary Ninth Stage!” Qiu Zi Ruo also saw that the situation wasn’t good. In their original plan, the two Peak Immortal Ascension Boundary masters would distract Ying Jiu while the rest of the masters they brought captured Yang Kai, but now, with Ying Jiu reaching the Peak Immortal Ascension Boundary, that plan was no longer feasible.
“Since they can’t handle him alone, we just have to send more people up.” Kang Zhan was also dazed for a while but quickly collected himself and coldly ordered.
Qiu Zi Ruo nodded before signaling towards the group behind him. Immediately, four more figures flew up.
Two Immortal Ascension Eighth Stages and two Immortal Ascension Seventh Stages!
In addition to the previous two Peak Immortal Ascension Boundary masters, Ying Jiu was now facing a total of six people by himself, but his expression still remained indifferent, on the other hand it was the four newcomers who appeared nervous.
“Still not enough!” Ying Jiu shook his head, “If you want to contain me, you’ll have to send more.”
Kang Zhan and Qiu Zi Ruo’s expressions both became dark, secretly thinking that this Ying Jiu was too arrogant. Even if he was a Yang Family Blood Warrior, and had reached the Immortal Ascension Ninth Stage, he was still just one man.
“Mad Tyrant Blood Skill!” Ying Jiu suddenly muttered, his Blood Force rapidly rising and his True Qi surging wildly.
Everyone’s expression changed once more. None of them had thought that Ying Jiu would so decisively display the Blood Warrior’s forbidden technique.
This skill temporarily increased the intensity of a Blood Warrior’s Blood Force and True Qi at the expense of their vitality! In other words, every time a Blood Warrior used this skill, their lifespan would reduce.
Therefore, even if the Yang Family’s Blood Warriors had phenomenal strength, they generally didn’t live long lives.
In an instant, Ying Jiu’s aura changed from being sharp yet silent to violent and wrathful, his exposed skin suddenly emitting a crimson glow like a red scorpion.
*Shua…*
Ying Jiu’s figure flickered, seemingly moving yet remaining exactly where he was; on the other hand, the masters who were confronting him all staggered backwards a few steps.
*Pu…*
With a splash of blood, before realizing what had happened, without even engaging Ying Jiu in combat, one of the Immortal Ascension Boundary Seventh Stage master’s eyes dimmed and limply fell from the sky.
Blood sprayed out like a fountain from this man’s throat and before he even hit the ground, his body burst into a bloody fog, even his bones disintegrating!
A chill that seemed to come from the depths of hell gripped the hearts of everyone who witnessed this, causing them to shiver uncontrollably.
“Still think you’re enough?” Ying Jiu’s two daggers flashed a cold light as he spun them in a dazzling pattern through his fingers, his wild aura suddenly condensing and becoming deathly still, and said, “If you think so, then die!”
Just as his voice fell, the two old men at the Immortal Ascension Boundary Ninth Stage yelled, “Be careful!”
At the same time, both of them jumped forward and summoned their respective artifacts, pushing their True Qi to the limit as they displayed their strongest skills.
Ying Jiu’s figure flickered through this wave of attacks, like a leaf floating through a violent storm, swaying back and forth yet never falling.
“All Immortal Ascension Eighth Stages go up!” Kang Zhan didn’t dare underestimate Ying Jiu, with his Immortal Ascension Ninth Stage cultivation and Mad Tyrant Blood Skill. This Blood Warrior before his eyes now had the qualification to fight an Above Immortal Ascension Boundary master.
The five men facing him right now really weren’t enough to contain him! Realizing this, Kang Zhan immediately issued an order for reinforcements.
*Shua Shua Shua*, four more figures leapt up from the ground, all of them cultivators at the Immortal Ascension Boundary Eighth Stage, this was every master at this level from all seven forces present!
With the addition of these masters, Ying Jiu’s movements weren’t as free and fluid as before, but his rhythm still hadn’t been disturbed.
He was like a drawn blade, invincible and all conquering, whenever the two daggers flashed, chaos and panic soon followed.
Ying Jiu who was proficient in speed, stealth, and assassination, still occupied a completely dominant position in this lopsided confrontation. His vague figure flashed in and out of his enemy’s sight, striking from their blind spots and then withdrawing before they could even respond, causing all of them to feel an insurmountable pressure crushing down on their hearts.
“It’s not enough!” Kang Zhan’s eyes flashed a desperate look, just as he spoke these words, in the sky, another Immortal Ascension Boundary Seventh Stage master let out a bloodcurdling scream and plummeted to the ground.
“Elder!” Someone shouted.
This person belonged to one of the weaker seven forces that had been deployed for this operation; his loss was a big blow to his Sect.
When this Immortal Ascension Boundary Seventh Stage master hit the ground, everyone saw that his two arms had been cleanly separated from his body, blood splashing out from the smooth wounds.
“Send more!” Kang Zhan’s face paled as he ordered once more.
Several Immortal Ascension Boundary Seventh Stage masters in the crowd behind him glanced at once another helplessly before shooting into the sky.
Finally, with the addition of these people, Ying Jiu’s movements finally stagnated somewhat.
This single Yang Family Blood Warrior was fighting evenly with two Ninth Stage, six Eighth Stage, and five Immortal Ascension Boundary Seventh Stage masters, greatly surpassing everyone’s expectations.
Even Ying Jiu himself was quite surprised.
Before he had broken through, he had repeatedly thought about how much his strength would increase once he reached the Ninth Stage. He had estimated that after breaking through and displaying his Mad Tyrant Blood Skill he would be able to contain several masters of equal cultivation, but he absolutely didn’t expect to be able to suppress so many at once.
Being able to face so many high level masters far exceeded Ying Jiu’s estimate of his own abilities.
He didn’t understand why this was; he only knew that right now he was capable of this. Although his situation wasn’t relaxed, and could even be described as dancing a knife’s edge, he wasn’t worried about losing his life for a short time!
[Is it because of those Mysterious Grade pills from the Pill Room?] Ying Jiu wasn’t clear, but that didn’t matter right now. What he needed to do was reduce the burden Yang Kai faced as much as possible.
Looking at the difficult fight Ying Jiu was having up in the sky, Kang Zhan and Qiu Zi Ruo couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief.
This situation was something they had never imagined before. Fortunately, the Second Young Lord had prepared for so many people for this ambush.
If he had accepted their proposal at the time, with just Ying Jiu, forget about capturing Yang Kai, they might not even have been able to escape themselves.
[Second Young Lord is really far-sighted!] At this moment, Kang Zhan and Qiu Zi Ruo felt a deep admiration for Yang Zhao’s foresight.
“It’s up to us now!” Kang Zhan took a deep breath and turned his eyes to Yang Kai who had been standing nearby this whole time.
With Ying Jiu being pinned down, the rest of them just needed to capture Yang Kai. Although most of the masters were occupied, Kang Zhan was still completely confident the rest of them could accomplish this task.
After all, he and Qiu Zi Ruo both had two Immortal Ascension Fifth Stage masters from Eight Great Families accompanying them a large number of masters from the seven forces.
With this lineup, Kang Zhan didn’t believe they couldn’t take Yang Kai!
“It’s our turn!” Yang Kai took back his gaze from the battle up above and gently said to Su Yan.
Su Yan nodded slightly, lightly brushing her hair back behind her ear as she smiled, “This will be our third time fighting side by side!”
“Third time?” Yang Kai parroted curiously.
“Have you forgotten?” Su Yan glanced over at him, “The first time was inside the Inheritance Heaven’s Cave when you saved my life and the second time was below the Coiling Dragon Stream when we brought up the rear. This will be the third time.”
“Does the first time count?”
“Of course it counts.” Su Yan smiled happily and whispered, “You’ve helped me two times before, this time… It’s my turn to help you!”
Yang Kai stared at her for a moment before smiling and nodding, “Alright!”
Looking at the pair before them calmly whispering to one another, seemingly flirting right in front of their faces, both Kang Zhan and Qiu Zi Ruo’s faces cramped.
They felt like they were being thoroughly despised.
Coldly waving their hands, the four Immortal Ascension Boundary Fifth Stage masters from the Kang Family and Qiu Family flew towards Yang Kai and Su Yan.
Their movements were neither fast nor slow. On their faces was an expression of complete indifference. It was obvious that they were confident that they could capture Yang Kai.
The hundred meter distance between them was quickly closed.
The smile on Yang Kai’s face gradually converged as he observed the four masters approaching them.
These four people were different from ordinary Immortal Ascension Boundary Fifth Stage masters. Each Immortal Ascension master from the Eight Great Families was a true elite.
“I should be able to cope with one and a half.” Su Yan wrinkled her brow, feeling a lot of pressure from these four masters.
“Me too.” Yang Kai nodded lightly. This evaluation was based purely on their own strength, but if they were to work together and use some special methods, things would be different.
The four people arrived ten meters in front of Yang Kai and stopped, politely cupping their fists before saying, “Ninth Young Lord, pardon us for offending you.”
“Conceited to the bone.” Yang Kai grinned and muttered.
These arrogant words made the four people’s faces sink, one of them shooting back, “Ninth Young Lord, it’s best if you don’t resis…”
Before he could finish his words though, Yang Kai and Su Yan simultaneously began moving.
One scotching hot, one frigid cold, two distinct energies burst out at the same time without any prior communication. The coupled seemed to be able to understand each other’s thoughts and perfectly synchronized with one another.
A burning hot True Qi rushed forward, like a raging inferno, engulfing the place where the four masters stood. Aware of the power contained in this pure and flawless True Qi, the four masters’ expression couldn’t help changing slightly; Yang Kai drawing a tie with Liu Qing Yao wasn’t because the latter had gone easy on him.
The Ninth Young Lord really had the capital to fight evenly with the Central Capital’s First Young Lord!
After the wall of flames came sharp blades of ice, slicing through the air towards them with harsh whistling sounds.
Thousands of ice blades swarmed the four masters like locust descending upon a field, the chill they radiated reaching their bones, forming an inescapable net.
Each ice blade was filled with an astounding amount of cold Qi and carried an astonishing force.
These ice blades were formed from the pure True Qi within Su Yan’s body and the penetrating power they had made even the Immortal Ascension masters of the Eight Great Families not dare underestimate them.
Su Yan’s attack was both dazzling and dangerous.
On the other hand, the wave of scaling True Qi Yang Kai released was somewhat lacking in comparison.
Two of the four didn’t move while the other two released a brilliant radiance from their bodies, forming a thin barrier in front of them, completely blocking both the hot and cold Qi.
The two men also branched out a portion of their strength to smash the ice blades which were approaching from the other directions.
Yang Kai and Su Yan’s first joint attack had yielded no results!
Just as the four Immortal Ascension Boundary masters relaxed their vigilance, there was a sudden and unexpected change occurred.
The energy contained in the attack that they had just blocked didn’t dissipate but instead swirled around them and become even more powerful and aggressive.
The four men’s expressions once again changed violently and the two Immortal Ascension Boundary masters who had previously not acted hurriedly showed their means.
*Hong hong hong…*
The hot and cold Qi crashed likes waves onto the defensive barrier, each impact stronger than the previous one soon shattering the thin film protecting the four Immortal Ascension Boundary masters, submerging them in a torment of extreme opposites.
Seeing this, Kang Zhan and Qiu Zi Ruo both gawked.
The scene in front of them immediately made them realize how big the gap between them and Yang Kai was, causing them to feel a deep sense of powerlessness.
Against Liu Qing Yao, they still felt like they had a chance of catching up to and one day surpassing him.
But when they faced Yang Kai, they couldn’t say the same; they deeply felt like they would only be able to look up to him for the rest of their lives.
This feeling of inferiority greatly frustrated and angered Kang Zhan as he yelled out, “Don’t show any mercy, Ninth Young Lord won’t die so easily!”
Hearing this, the four masters who were resisting this hot and cold energy storm all furrowed their brows and no longer held back. Gathering their strength, they sent out a burst of True Qi from their bodies and shattered the field surrounding them and then quickly used their Martial Skills and artifacts to strike back.
Yang Kai swiftly summoned his bone shield and swallowed these few attacks, but the two Kang Family masters both closed in before he could counterattack.
At such a close distance, the energy swallowed by the bone shield couldn’t be used effectively to repel them.
With two ferocious roars, Yang Kai sent out his White Tiger Seal and Divine Ox Seal, sending the two beast phantoms biting towards his attackers.
Gaining a little breathing time, Yang Kai quickly opened the distance between them and snuck a glimpse over at Su Yan, discovering that she was being entangled by the two masters from the Qiu Family.
Seeing this, Yang Kai was slightly annoyed. In order to maximize the effect of the Yin-Yang Joyous Unification Art, he and Su Yan needed to fight side by side, a point which had not escaped the observation of the fours masters, leading them to divide the pair in an attempt to take them down separately.
If they really fought like this, with the bone shield boosting his defence, Yang Kai probably wouldn’t have any problems, not to mention these four didn’t dare really hurt him, but Su Yan may be in danger.
Although he desperately wanted to join up with Su Yan again, the two of Kang Family masters were deliberately blocking his way, making it impossible for him to reach her in short order.
“Looks like there shouldn’t be any problems.” Seeing the situation take a turn for the better, Kang Zhan relaxed his tensed nerves and breathed a sigh of relief.
Qiu Zi Ruo also secretly wiped the cold sweat from his brow and smiled bitterly, “I didn’t expect that the Ninth Young Lord’s methods would be so amazing.”
“Him being amazing, I can understand, but who is that woman? How is she so powerful?” Kang Zhan stared at Su Yan with a puzzled expression.
“That woman is definitely the most important one here to Yang Kai.” Nan Sheng grinned, a vicious light flashing across his eyes.
Since he wanted to retaliate against Yang Kai, naturally he should give him the most profound and painful lesson possible.
It would be best if this woman were accidentally killed by the two Qiu Family masters! Nan Sheng was secretly looking forward to it. Although he knew such an outcome was unlikely, he couldn’t help hoping it would come to pass.
He even wondered if there was some way he could steer things in that direction.
But looking at this woman’s tyrannical strength, Nan Sheng felt a bit discouraged.
His strength wasn’t that high, so him interfering wouldn’t change anything.
“Young Lord Nan, our objective this time is only to capture Yang Kai.” Kang Zhan saw his thoughts and warned.
“Heh heh, I know.” Nan Sheng nodded.
In the few breaths they were speaking, the four Immortal Ascension Boundary masters gradually began to suppress Yang Kai and Su Yan.
The masters of super-forces were really different, even if it was just two Immortal Ascension Boundary Fifth Stage cultivators they could easily tie down Yang Kai. Having to constantly worry about himself, he couldn’t find an opportunity to help Su Yan at all, it was also impossible for him to use the energy swallowed by the bone shield in such close quarters and could only passively defend.
Seeing Su Yan’s situation becoming graver by the moment, Yang Kai’s expression quickly became cold.
The bone shield that had been using to defend himself disappeared and in its place a small mirror appeared.
This mirror gave off a profound chill and if one looked closely they would notice a white scenery contained within it.
As soon as Yang Kai summoned it, a dangerous aura pulsed from the mirror.
The two Kang Family masters noticed this and immediately intensified their attack in an attempt to stop whatever Yang Kai was attempting to do.
But they were a step too late.
From the mirror, a series of ripples burst forth and the surrounding region transformed into a world of ice.
*Hua…*
A vast, snowy sky, like a great dome, suddenly appeared before everyone’s eyes, enveloping Yang Kai, Su Yan and the Kang Family and Qiu Family four masters.
“Mysterious Grade artifact!” Kang Zhan shouted as he gazed towards this strange dome, but no matter how he tried, he could see nothing but blowing snow.
Everyone who stared at this strange barrier comprised of icy winds and snow felt a cold chill overcome them, causing them to tremble unconsciously. Becoming like this simply from observing from the outside, Kang Zhan could only imagine what it was like for those trapped inside.
Staring into the boundary, he could faintly make out a white snowy peak seemingly in the far distance.
“How could he have such a powerful Mysterious Grade artifact?” Kang Zhan’s face went blue. Although he knew that Yang Kai had snatched a second Mysterious Grade artifact in addition to the bone shield he had used earlier and had mentally prepared himself, he hadn’t imagined it would be able to display such an effect.
When such an artifact was summoned, it effectively created an isolated world that couldn’t be intruded upon until the battle inside was decided.
As the master of the artifact, Yang Kai would no doubt have an absolute advantage when fighting inside this barrier!
On top of that, the attribute of this artifact seemed to perfectly match with that woman’s Secret Art and Martial Skills!
In an instant, Kang Zhan realized that the situation was not good.
Regarding the power of a Mysterious Grade artifact, he also had a deep understanding; as the Young Lord of one of the Central Capital Eight Great Families, he too had a Mysterious Grade artifact.
“Quickly break through this artifact’s barrier!” Kang Zhan roared, quickly leading Qiu Zi Ruo and a group of people forward to bombard this dome.
Inside the ice world, Yang Kai and Su Yan finally gathered together.
Looking around at the snow-white scenery and the tall ice mountain, Su Yan couldn’t help taking a deep breath, her full chest rising and falling greatly in a sublime motion, an excited light flashing across her eyes.
To her, this place was a paradise, allowing her True Qi to circulate many times faster than usual.
As soon as Yang Kai activated the mirror-like Mysterious Grade artifact, Su Yan’s aura changed dramatically. She was clearly standing next to him, but in the eyes of the four masters from the Kang and Qiu Family, she had become ethereal, like her entire being was omnipresent. In other words, this woman, at this moment, had all but become one with this Mysterious Grade artifact.
The four people were stunned, not understanding why this was happening.
This Mysterious Grade artifact was clearly summoned by Yang Kai, so how could this young woman be the one resonating with it the strongest?
This phenomenon was also noticed by Yang Kai and Su Yan, both of them turning to one another, seeing the excitement in each other’s eyes.
When he had summoned the mirror artifact, Yang Kai hadn’t anticipated this result.
But in this moment, he understood.
Su Yan and he both cultivated the Joyous Unification Art, and their True Qis had formed a kind of circulation. As such, any artifact he had refined with his True Qi, to a certain extent, could be used by Su Yan, and vice versa.
This was equivalent to two people sharing their artifacts.
In particular, this mirror was primarily an ice attribute artifact, perfectly compatible with Su Yan’s True Qi attribute; it was basically tailor-made for her. While Yang Kai could use this artifact somewhat, because his True Qi attribute was the exact opposite, he was unable to fully display its strength; Su Yan, on the other hand, could utilize one hundred percent of its might.
During the artifact snatching battle at Po Jing Lake, Yang Kai felt that this artifact’s grade might be higher and had thus made it his priority target, leading to this unexpectedly fortuitous situation.
“This artifact is a barrier creation type!” One of the Kang Family masters shouted as he swept his eyes over their suddenly changed surroundings, the others beside him nodding in agreement, all of their expressions quite grave. They were all experienced people and could make quick and accurate assessments of their situation, so they naturally saw that this artifact was incredibly strong and sturdy at a glance.
This artifact had erected a dome like barrier around them, creating a type of small isolated space. Without breaking this barrier, the artifact would continue to maintain this isolated space, but breaking this barrier while Yang Kai and Su Yan were closely staring at them was obviously not going to be easy. How could the four masters dare act rashly? As the cold winds whistled and whipped around them, the ground became covered in a thick layer of frost as falling snow whirled around them.
All of a sudden, the four masters noticed that their True Qi was slowly being frozen! Immediately they began circulating their Secret Arts madly, but they were still unable to completely resist the chill around them, frost staining their hair and clothes only a moment later.
“How do you feel?” Yang Kai didn’t pay any attention to the four masters, but instead asked Su Yan curiously.
“My strength has increased a lot. I feel like… I can do anything!” Su Yan gently exclaimed, feeling a slight chill nip her nose, but still extremely comfortable.
Su Yan wasn’t one to boast or exaggerated, if she was saying so, it meant she really felt omnipotent within this barrier!
Yang Kai laughed heartily, “Good, then from now on this artifact is yours to use!”
“En,” Su Yan nodded lightly, without the slightest objection. Accepting something her man gifted her as though it was natural.
The conversation between the two youths reached the ears of four Immortal Ascension Boundary masters and caused all of their expressions to dim. Although a Mysterious Grade artifact was indeed powerful, none of them were weak, so how could they stand being so despised by two members of the younger generation?
“I’ll give it a try!” Su Yan whispered softly, waving her hand almost arbitrarily towards the four masters.
Instantly, the cold wind became even much more biting and the expressions on the four masters changed from unhappiness to fright. Although they had been able to stand their ground so far, with this drastic increase in cold pressure, their hair and extremities began freezing visibly faster.
To their horror, even when they pushed their True Qis to the limit, they couldn’t resist the invasion of this chill, their bodies soon beginning to shiver from the cold.
Su Yan’s brow rose for a moment before wrinkling slightly, seemingly trying to familiarize herself with the power of the artifact. As her expression fluctuated, the connection between her cold attribute True Qi and this frozen world deepened. With a fierce rumble, the ground which was covered in a thick layer of snow suddenly burst open as thousands of ice blades shot into the air, joining the already thick blizzard surrounding the four masters.
With no path to the Heavens nor door into the Earth, the four masters born into two of the world’s super-forces all felt extremely troubled. As their True Qi was slowly frozen, their responses became sluggish, further compromising their ability to defend themselves. Even though they somehow used their Martial Skills and Artifacts to block this round of attacks, before they could catch their breath, Su Yan’s next attack had arrived.
From the surrounding ice mountains, bright beams of light suddenly erupted, seemingly crossing space as they shot towards the four people.
As Yang Kai stood beside Su Yan, motionless, his heart pounded.
He hadn’t expected that with the help of this Mysterious Grade artifact, Su Yan’s strength could rise to this level, all on her own being able to suppress four Immortal Ascension Fifth Stage masters from the Central Capital Eight Great Families to the point where they could only defend themselves without being able to hit back.
This artifact had created the ideal combat environment for Su Yan. In this world, she was supreme!
Even as the real owner of this artifact, he had somehow degenerated into a mere spectator.
The power of the artifact was indeed terrible, but Su Yan’s strength was also unquestionable! With the two combined, this lopsided route was the result.
It was now only a matter of time before she beat these four; looking at Su Yan seemingly playing with a new toy, Yang Kai happily smiled.
Outside the barrier, Kang Zhan and Qiu Zi Ruo had both hurriedly brought their forces over, but none of them could approach within a hundred meters of this dome.
The chill that radiated from this barrier was too strong, even a hundred meters away, all of them had to circulate their Secret Arts to resist the invasion of the cold.
“Break it!” Kang Zhan shouted, taking the lead by pulling out his own Mysterious Grade artifact, which he had not used in the Inheritance War so far, poured in his True Qi, and attacked the barrier in front of him.
On the dome’s surface, a series of ripples quickly spread, the wind and snow that obstructed their view of the inside stagnating somewhat.
After this single strike, Kang Zhan’s breathing became somewhat heavy; his strength wasn’t that high, so the stress on his body and consumption of his True Qi from using a Mysterious Grade artifact wasn’t small. Fortunately, Qiu Zi Ruo also had an artifact of the same level and the other cultivators with them also unleashed a barrage of attacks to follow up.
After this round of attacks, the barrier seemed to weaken somewhat. Seeing this, Kang Zhan’s hope rose and he excitedly ordered, “Don’t stop! Continue until it breaks!”
The longer this situation dragged on, the more unfavorable it would be for them. Most of the masters from their forces had already been drawn out to contain Ying Jiu, so if the four Immortal Ascension Boundary masters from the Central Capital Eight Great Families were defeated inside this barrier now, Kang Zhan really had no idea how they would capture Yang Kai.
As this operation’s leader, he was more anxious than anyone else!
Everyone outside the barrier pushed their True Qi furiously, trying to break open this barrier even a moment sooner.
Suddenly, a few screams rang out from afar. Glancing over at the source, Kang Zhan’s face turned blue as he angrily yelled, “Xiang Chu, Nan Sheng! What are you doing?”
In the direction he was staring, Xiang Chu and Nan Sheng had actually taken their forces and snuck over to where the members of High Heaven Pavilion were standing.
Since the beginning of the battle, these people had been standing there observing, not interfering just as Yang Kai and Kang Zhan agreed.
But when the snow and ice barrier appeared, Nan Sheng and Xiang Chu had turned their attention to them.
It was only after this outburst that Kang Zhan noticed their actions.
Nan Sheng, who was confronting the members of High Heaven Pavilion, completely ignored Kang Zhan’s question as he sneered, “Obediently surrender. If you resist, I have no problem playing with you!”
The few members of the older generation all wore ugly expressions as they stood in front of the young disciples; although they were angry, they didn’t dare launch an attack, quickly shouting, “Two Young Lords, just now, my Martial Nephew reached an agreement with your leader, are you going to go back on your word now?”
Nan Sheng snickered, “An agreement? I don’t know anything about that. Why don’t you try pointing out who made a deal with Yang Kai? Do you really think you High Heaven Pavilion trash are untouchable? After this young master is tramples all of you, what can Yang Kai say?”
“You go too far!”
“Too far?” Nan Sheng laughed, “Why don’t you go ask Yang Kai and see if he knows the meaning of going too far!”
After saying so, his expression became cold as he yelled, “Capture them all! Kill anyone who dares to resist! It seems like Yang Kai cares a great deal about you, let’s find out just how you’re really worth to him!”
Immediately, the Nan Family and Xiang Family people surrounded the members of High Heaven Pavilion, their expression grim and menacing.
Everyone from High Heaven Pavilion was furious, especially the members of the younger generation. Seeing that the situation was about to reach the level of an all-out conflict, Kang Zhan quickly rushed over and grabbed Nan Sheng’s collar, grinding his teeth and angrily interrogating, “What do you think you’re doing?”
Nan Sheng didn’t pay Kang Zhan’s anger any mind, just grinning back happily as he calmly replied, “Young Lord Kang, do you think the four masters from your Kang Family and Qiu Family can capture Yang Kai inside that ice and snow barrier?”
Kang Zhan’s brows wrinkled and his eyes flashed an unhappy light, coldly snorting back, “What does that have to do with what you’re doing right now?”
“Naturally my actions are related.” Nan Sheng said lightly, seemingly not having the slightest tension, “If those four masters can’t catch Yang Kai, this time’s operation can basically be declared a failure! After dispatching so many people, we couldn’t even defeat three people, if word of this were to spread… heh heh Young Lord Kang, what the consequences would be, do I have to explain?”
“What do you mean?” Kang Zhan gradually calmed down. Just now, seeing Nan Sheng and Xiang Chu act against these High Heaven Pavilion people, he thought their plan was to kill them to vent their anger.
Thinking so, he was naturally enraged, firstly, Nan Sheng and Xiang Chu’s actions were basically disregarding his face, and secondly, if possible he didn’t want to offend Yang Kai.
But now, there were neither any dead nor wounded, so he was at least willing to listen to Nan Sheng’s explanation.
Moreover, the situation in front of them really wasn’t good, if he was really to allow Yang Kai to escape; he would have no way to explain to Yang Zhao. His status was already not as good as that of Ye Xin Rou’s, and after such a disastrous failure it would only sink even lower.
“I don’t have any other meaning.” Even facing Kang Zhan’s inquiry, Nan Sheng just smiled coldly, “I only want to say that as long as we have chips in hand, even if those four Seniors fail, we’ll still be in control. Yang Kai likely won’t surrender because of them, but allowing us to leave shouldn’t be an issue. Young Lord Kang also saw the power of his Mysterious Grade artifact. If Yang Kai is determined to keep all of us here, could any of us possibly resist?”
Kang Zhan’s expression became solemn as he contemplated Nan Sheng’s words, reluctantly finding himself unable to refute.
It was obvious to everyone here that Yang Kai really cared about these High Heaven Pavilion people. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have proposed such a deal in the first place. Given the strength he had just displayed, and knowing his temper, if someone dared block his road, he wouldn’t have bothered discussing anything and simply attacked. The fact that he didn’t proved that he wasn’t willing to abandon these people.
With these people as a bargaining chip, could he force Yang Kai to submit? Unlikely, but escaping would be a simple matter!
“Young Lord Kang wouldn’t be worrying about a simple oral agreement with Yang Kai, right?” Nan Sheng saw his hesitation and sneered.
Kang Zhan wore an ugly expression but didn’t deny the charge. Although it was just a verbal agreement, as a Young Lord of one of the Central Capital’s Eight Great Families, he couldn’t just go back on his word or he would lose face. Since he had promised Yang Kai not to move against these High Heaven Pavilion people, if he arbitrarily reneged just because the situation suddenly became unfavourable, it would be inappropriate.
“Young Lord Kang, this is a critical situation. Do you want to see Yang Kai use that artifact to defeat all of us here?” Nan Sheng struck while the iron was hot, continuing to persuade.
Xiang Chu also chose this moment to chime in, “Young Lord Kang, please consider the greater good. I don’t deny that I hate Yang Kai to the extreme, but even without considering my personal feelings, this is our best option given the situation.”
Taking a deep breath and letting out a long sigh, Kang Zhan’s hesitation turned to conviction and nodded, “So be it!”
He was also really afraid of Yang Kai and didn’t have much hope that the four Immortal Ascension Boundary masters would be able to defeat him.
When Nan Sheng and Xiang Chu heard this, their faces filled with joy.
Since they began participating in the Inheritance War, they had finally found an opportunity to exact revenge on Yang Kai, naturally they felt happy.
“Don’t embarrass them too much. Just grab two people.” Kang Zhan frowned and ordered.
“Good.” Nan Sheng nodded, snorting disdainfully as he swept his eyes over the members of High Heaven Pavilion, pointing to one of the older generation disciples and ordering someone to bring him over.
The middle aged man didn’t resist, even intentionally stopping some of the younger generation disciples from taking any rash actions.
At this moment, the enemy in front of them was too strong. If they were to retaliate then they would certainly be annihilated. Therefore, remaining calm and doing as they were told was all that they could do.
Seeing that no one from High Heaven Pavilion stood out to resist, Nan Sheng and Xiang Chu couldn’t help showing some disappointment, immediately cursing, “Cowards!”
Kang Zhan’s brow wrinkled; somewhat annoyed at their attempts to stimulate these High Heaven Pavilion people, but he ultimately didn’t say anything.
Nan Sheng’s eyes continued to wander around the crowd looking for a suitable target, suddenly noticing a pair of eyes glaring at him angrily and sneering, “take him!”
As soon as he spoke, one of the Nan Family masters charged into the crowd of High Heaven Pavilion disciples and retrieved the target.
This person wasn’t very old, even younger than Yang Kai, but his strength wasn’t bad, reaching the True Element Boundary Fifth Stage. Obviously, his aptitude was good.
It was also because of this that Nan Sheng chose him.
Two High Heaven Pavilion disciples were quickly brought before Nan Sheng, one old, one young. The old generation disciple still wore a calm expression, neither angry nor humble, but the younger disciple was actually grinning as he sneered at Nan Sheng. .
“Good eyes!” Nan Sheng nodded, suddenly slapping this youth across his face.
With a loud smack, a clear handprint appeared on this young man’s face and one of his teeth was knocked loose, blood leaking from his mouth.
Not uttering a word, this youth just silently turned his eyes back towards Nan Sheng sullenly.
Nan Sheng nearly popped a vein on his forehead, not having anticipated that this kid would remain so defiant; annoyed in his heart, he threw out another slap and yelled, “Little bastard!”
After being slapped twice, the young disciple’s cheeks swelled up and his mouth was stained with blood but the look in his eyes still didn’t change at all, not showing the slightest timidity, his look practically screaming ‘death before insult’!
Kang Zhan couldn’t help feeling a bit moved seeing the performance of this High Heaven Pavilion disciple.
“What is your name?” Kang Zhan asked.
The young disciple glanced at him faintly and said proudly, “Su Mu!”
“Su Mu…” Kang Zhan took a deep breath, nodded and muttered, “Seems High Heaven Pavilion really isn’t ordinary.”
If a simple young disciple had this kind of temperament, what about the others? These people, even if they were to kill all of them, would any of them yield or beg for mercy?
Silently contemplating this, for some reason, Kang Zhan felt the answer was a resounding no.
In response, Su Mu just sneered and said, “You can only bluff and bluster in front of me. Once my Senior Brother Yang comes out, you wouldn’t dare!”
Kang Zhan’s expression quickly dimmed. Just as Su Mu said, he really didn’t dare act ruthless in front of Yang Kai.
Nan Sheng was even more enraged, viciously kicking out Su Mu’s legs, causing him to fall to the ground before he sent out a series of slaps.
Kang Zhan didn’t even have time to stop him before Su Mu received a dozen slaps.
*Pa pa pa…* The sound was loud and resounding.
No one from High Heaven Pavilion moved, but the sound of their breathing became heavy, their eyes glowing red like wild beasts as they stared at Nan Sheng.
Their deafening silence was like the calm before a storm, causing Kang Zhan’s brown to furrow, quickly calling out, “Enough!”
Nan Sheng obediently stopped and let out a breath, grabbing Su Mu’s face and pulling out his sword, pressing it against his neck, “You really think I don’t dare to kill you?”
“You don’t have the guts.” Su Mu’s face was swollen and bloody, but his sneer never faded, as if he was completely unafraid of death.
Nan Sheng’s face twitched maliciously, hesitation and struggle filling his expression. The sword in his hand slowly pressed forward, leaving a bright red line on Su Mu’s neck, but never actually completed the act.
If he wanted to kill Su Mu right now, it would be quick and easy.
But thinking about Yang Kai seeking revenge, Nan Sheng couldn’t help feeling a sense of dread.
On the contrary, Su Mu still looked calm, without the slightest trace of fear; he could tell that Nan Sheng was terrified of Yang Kai.
“Let him go.” Kang Zhan took a deep breath and shook his head slowly. Nan Sheng wore a ruthless face, but on the inside he was just an indecisive spoiled child.
Nan Sheng’s fist clenched and he ground his teeth. He wanted nothing more than to kill this brat in front of him, but he couldn’t bring himself to do the deed.
After Kang Zhan spoke these words, Nan Sheng knew he was riding a tiger. If he really let him go, it would be the same as admitting he didn’t have any guts. As the Young Lord of a first-class family, could Nan Sheng afford such a reputation?
A ruthless light flashing across his eyes, Nan Sheng stabbed out his sword.
With a loud splat, blood splashed out.
Su Mu’s right chest had been pierced through by the sword.
Nan Sheng’s expression became ferocious as he mercilessly threw Su Mu to the ground.
The others from High Heaven Pavilion were shocked and rushed forward to support Su Mu.
“You really thought I wouldn’t dare to kill you?” Nan Sheng spat madly as his face warped with anger.
“You bastard!” Kang Zhan was also shocked, roaring angrily as he kicked Nan Sheng, sending him tumbling to the ground.
Just now, when Nan Sheng was slapping Su Mu, he didn’t stop him. After all, although he looked somewhat miserable, he wasn’t really hurt. After a few days of healing he would be as good as new so Yang Kai shouldn’t have cared, but this sword wound was no minor matter.
Fortunately, it seemed like Nan Sheng was still hesitant to actually kill him.
He had chosen to pierce Su Mu’s right chest. If he had chosen to pierce his left side where his heart was instead, Su Mu would probably have died immediately!
A series of enraged roars came from the mouths of the High Heaven Pavilion disciples and many of them began launching attacks towards the Xiang and Nan Family cultivators.
“None of you bastards is allowed to hit back!” Kang Zhan roared at the two family’s cultivators as he hurried forward, took a jade bottle from his sleeve, poured out a healing pill and stuffed it directly into Su Mu’s bloody mouth.
As he did so, Kang Zhan also suffered a number of attacks from the High Heaven Pavilion people. Fortunately, he wore a high grade defensive armour and wasn’t injured.
Perceiving his intentions, the people gathered around Su Mu did not stop him and the several older generation members quickly began revolving their True Qi to help Su Mu heal.
*Ju…*
A crisp sound suddenly spread from afar.
Kang Zhan turned his head and saw that the barrier created by the Mysterious Grade Mid-Rank artifact disappeared in a flash of light.
The remaining snow in the sky gently fell to the ground.
In the center of where the barrier once stood, Yang Kai and the young woman reappeared, a cold wind still swirling around them.
A few meters in front of the pair there were four ice-sculptures posed in a series of odd positions.
Naturally these sculptures were the four masters from the Kang and Qiu Families!
The stiff expressions on the faces of the four ice sculptures clearly showed everyone that none of them could believe what was happening to them.
Kang Zhan felt a chill shoot up his back as his expression twitched violently.
Although he faintly felt that the Immortal Ascension Boundary masters would be able to capture Yang Kai, he hadn’t thought the end result of their battle would be so lopsided.
As soon as the cultivators gathered around the barrier saw Yang Kai and Su Yan emerge, all of them leapt backwards, looks of fear and terror covering their faces.
There weren’t many powerhouses left among them, even if there were some Immortal Ascension Boundary cultivators remaining, they were only ordinary Fourth or Fifth Stage masters.
After seeing the elites from the Eight Great Families frozen into ice sculptures, none of dared challenge these two juniors.
Qiu Zi Ruo’s face also went pale as he sucked in a sharp breath, his heart filled with a sense of horror.
Yang Kai glanced at him and said faintly, “They won’t die, but if they want to free themselves it will take them at least half a day.”
Qiu Zi Ruo nodded half dazed and somehow managed to mutter out, “Many thanks for Ninth Young Lord’s discretion!”
Yang Kai simply nodded and said no more.
After all, these four people were from the Central Capital’s Eight Great Families; he could teach them a harsh lesson, even seriously injure them, and it wouldn’t matter. However, killing or crippling them would not end so easily.
Sometimes the best way to demonstrate your strength was to show mercy, so Yang Kai had let Su Yan spare their lives. Even so, after they managed to break out of their ice prisons, Yang Kai estimated that it would be a month or two before they fully recovered.
Looking around, Yang Kai immediately discovered the commotion surrounding the High Heaven Pavilion members, and although it wasn’t immediately clear what had happened, he realized that something was wrong and his expression couldn’t not help but sink.
“Senior Brother Yang, Senior Sister Su!” Li Yun Tian shouted tearfully, “Brother Su… Brother Su was stabbed!”
Su Yan’s beautiful face suddenly discoloured and her figure flickered as she rushed into the crowd, Yang Kai following close behind.
Staring at the scene before him, Yang Kai’s eyes narrowed as wrath began filling his face.
In the middle of the crowd, Su Mu had already gone pale, kneeling limply on the ground. A sword was inserted in his right chest and thrust straight out his back. With blood leaking from his mouth and wound, his vitality slowly draining as he struggled for each breath, cringing the whole time as he endured his urge to scream.
One of the Martial Uncles from High Heaven Pavilion sat behind him, his hands pressed against his back as he poured his True Qi into Su Mu.
Su Yan’s eyes quickly became wet.
She and Su Mu were real brother and sister. Seeing her younger brother in such a miserable state, how could she not feel tearful?
Yang Kai pushed open the crowd and quickly stepped forward, reaching out and grabbing Su Mu’s wrist, examining his condition for a moment before squeezing open Su Mu’s mouth and feeding him some Myriad Drug Milk.
Bracing Su Mu, Yang Kai pulled out the long sword inserted into his chest, bringing with it a splash of blood.
Quickly using his True Qi to seal the flow of blood to Su Mu’s wound, he turned to Su Yan and gently comforted, “He’ll be alright.”
Su Yan nodded lightly.
Having fed him the Myriad Drug Milk, Su Mu’s life wouldn’t be in any danger, and may even turn this tragedy into a blessing. At the very least, his constitution and strength would be improved, but… if it wasn’t for Yang Kai and Su Yan’s swift appearance, if they had taken even half an hour longer to defeat the four Qiu and Kang Family masters, things may have turned out very different.
Even if Su Mu didn’t die, he would likely end up crippled for life!
Standing slowly, Yang Kai’s expression became incredibly calm as he turned and stared at Kang Zhan standing nearby.
Kang Zhan suddenly felt his mouth go dry. Seeing Yang Kai stare silently at him made him realize this time things would not end simply.
“Who did it?” Yang Kai stared at Kang Zhan and asked solemnly.
Kang Zhan swallowed and hesitated, “Ninth Young Lord, this was just an accident…”
“Who did it!”
Kang Zhan’s brow furrowed. Although he knew Yang Kai’s strength was tyrannical, as the leader of this operation and one of the Young Lords of the Central Capital, he naturally couldn’t act too timid, quickly saying, “Ninth Young Lord, this is the Inheritance War. It’s normal for one or two people to be injured or killed. You and I are enemies, and your friend’s life isn’t in any danger. Even if he really died, that’s all there is to it. Has Ninth Young Lord not taken the lives of many others during this war?”
“I’ve indeed taken many lives.” Yang Kai didn’t deny Kang Zhan’s claim, “If the relatives and friends of those people want to take revenge on me, they are welcome to seek me out. As such, now that one of my friends has been hurt, I have to take revenge for him, so I must know who did it.”
Kang Zhan suddenly froze up. Where there are contradictions and resentments, there is revenge. Since he just said that injuries and death are perfectly normal, what right did he have now to stop Yang Kai from seeking revenge? What’s more, the two of them had previously agreed that the people of High Heaven Pavilion would not be harmed in this fight as long as they didn’t intervene.
Now that someone from High Heaven Pavilion had been seriously wounded in violation of that agreement, Kang Zhan really didn’t have any moral ground to stand on.
Kang Zhan fell into a dilemma, if he was to sell out someone on his side just like that, he would appear spineless, but he really was afraid of what Yang Kai might do if he continued to feign ignorance.
“It was them!” Li Yun Tian suddenly stood up and angrily shouted, point his finger towards the far side of the crowd, “Those two groups are the ones who wanted to kill Brother Su!”
Turning his eyes in the direction of Li Yun Tian’s pointed finger, Yang Kai saw none other than Nan Sheng and and Xiang Chu.
Turning his gaze towards them as well, Kang Zhan frowned deeply as he suddenly discovered that Nan Sheng and Xiang Chu had at some point quietly slipped away and returned to their own camps.
The two of them had escaped, leaving him behind to wipe their asses. Kang Zhan was naturally furious!
“Them huh? I understand.” Yang Kai nodded lightly before turning his gaze back to Kang Zhan, coldly saying, “Young Lord Kang, I told you that the people from High Heaven Pavilion not participating in this battle was for your own good! It seems like you didn’t believe me when I said that if they were to suffer any losses I wouldn’t be able to stop myself from killing you.”
Kang Zhan was momentarily dumbstruck, his eyes quickly filling with fear.
He discovered that the aura Yang Kai was projecting had suddenly become violent and bloody as he released a thick murderous intent.
Almost subconsciously, Kang Zhan retreated as Yang Kai glared at him, raised his hand, and stabbed the sword which had formerly been pierced through Su Mu’s right chest towards him.
Kang Zhan face went pale, never having imagined that once Yang Kai said he would kill, he really would kill. Hastily pushing his True Qi and using his strongest Martial Skill, he tried to resist, but against the devastating force of Yang Kai’s thrust, Kang Zhan’s attempt to defend himself was meaningless.
*Pu…*
Kang Zhan let out a strained cough as his right chest was pierced by the long sword, just like Su Mu. Under the huge force of this strike, he stumbled back a dozen steps before finally stabilizing his stance.
His whole body trembling violently, Kang Zhan stared towards Yang Kai in total disbelief.
The entire crowd went dead silent, all of their faces showing utter shock!
For the first time in the Inheritance War, one of the Young Lords from the Central Capital Eight Great Families had been injured, seriously injured at that!
Usually, it was impossible for any of the Young Lords from the Eight Great Families involved in Inheritance War to suffer real harm, much less have to worry about their lives. No one had ever dared to kill them; at most, they would defeat them and force them to withdraw.
But now, this age old precedent that had been maintained for countless years had been broken.
Kang Zhan slowly lowered his head and stared at the long sword in his chest. Even as the dull pain gradually began to spread from his wound, he still couldn’t believe that Yang Kai had really stabbed him; his courage had simply reached the point where he didn’t fear the Heavens.
“Ninth Young Lord…” Kang Zhan muttered, his mouth filling with blood and his breathing becoming laboured.
Yang Kai simply glared at him coldly and said, “If you weren’t from the Eight Great Families, I would kill you where you stand!”
Kang Zhan’s face paled visibly as an icy chill tightly gripping his heart. He didn’t dare say another word, quickly sinking to the ground before taking out a high grade healing pill and swallowing it.
As the wind whistled across the battlefield, Yang Kai stepped forward, releasing a pressure towards the crowd that felt as if a mountain was pressing down on them, each of them feeling the breath of death upon their necks.
From the people Yang Zhao had deployed, besides Kang Zhan who was focused on healing himself, the four ice sculptures a short distance away, and the dozen plus masters battling Ying Jiu, everyone else had all gathered in one place.
Headed by Qiu Zi Ruo, all of them had a look of panic on their face.
“What should I do? What do I do?” Qiu Zi Ruo muttered, his face pale as he anxiously asked the people around him.
This time’s operation was supposed to be directed by Kang Zhan, but now that he had been seriously wounded, this burden naturally fell to Qiu Zi Ruo.
Facing such a strong and ruthless character like Yang Kai, who hadn’t even hesitated to stab Kang Zhan through his chest, Qiu Zi Ruo couldn’t summon any courage to resist, he was afraid that if he were to try putting up a strong front, his fate would be the same as Kang Zhan’s.
Unfortunately for him, since he had no idea what to do, how could anyone else?
“Nan Sheng, all of this stemmed from your actions! You tell me, what we should do now?” Qiu Zi Ruo turned and yelled at Nan Sheng.
Nan Sheng’s previously domineering and arrogant attitude had vanished, replaced with fear and depression as he licked his dry lips, saying nothing.
Seeing Qiu Zi Ruo’s flustered reaction, a hint of disdain and hostility flashed across Xiang Chu’s eyes as he said, “Young Lord Qiu, Yang Kai is just one man. What is there to fear? What he and Young Lord Kang said was the truth: In the Inheritance War, there’s nothing wrong with one or two people being injured or dying. What’s more, that kid isn’t even dying. Yang Kai is clearly just raising a fuss over a trivial matter, he has no right to criticize our actions! Now is still a good opportunity for us to eliminate Yang Kai. Young Lord Qiu should act decisively and grab it, all of us await your orders.”
“Bullshit!” Qiu Zi Ruo roared, “Yang Kai and Young Lord Kang both warned you two not to touch those High Heaven Pavilion people. Moreover, Yang Kai also just showed mercy to our people, but you… you… damn your eighteen generations of ancestors!”
Xiang Chu expression blackened, deeply disappointed with Qiu Zi Ruo’s weakness.
As these two spoke, Yang Kai had already approached to within ten meters of the crowd; he was just one man facing seven forces, yet he showed no fear. Although all of the top masters were occupied or disabled, his enemy still had a massive numerical advantage including several Immortal Ascension masters.
“Qiu Zi Ruo,” Yang Kai shouted, “You are Qiu Yi Meng’s brother. I don’t want to embarrass you, so stand aside.”
A look of joy flashed across Qiu Zi Ruo’s face but, just as he was about to open his mouth and agree, he paused, furrowed his brow, and shook his head, “Ninth Young Lord, your offer, this Qiu will have to decline.”
Yang Kai nodded, “Seems you have some backbone!”
Without saying anything else, a light suddenly flashed, and a giant bone shield appeared in his hands.
“It’s that Mysterious Grade artifact!” Qiu Zi Ruo and others looked slightly confused.
Yang Kai had only used this artifact once in public during the attack on Yang Kang’s mansion; as such, everyone knew how outstanding the defensive strength of this artifact was and that it had the ability to swallow True Qi based attacks. With it equipped, Yang Kai’s defense could be said to be impregnable.
But at this moment, why had Yang Kai summoned it? This act made everyone here feel quite puzzled. Did Yang Kai perhaps want to consolidate his defence before attacking?
Before they could think through all of this thought, a dangerous aura began filling the air.
Thin bolts of lightning began flashing across the bone shield’s surface before a violent flash of energy burst forth from its gaping mouth.
*Xiu xiu xiu…*
A lifelike meter-thick lightning dragon rushed out from the mouth of the bone shield, coiling through the air. Reaching several tens of meters in length, a potent destructive aura radiated from it as it stared down the remaining members of the seven forces.
“How is this possible?” Qiu Zi Ruo exclaimed.
There were many kinds of artifacts out there but they could broadly be grouped into three categories, offensive, defensive, and auxiliary. This bone shield of Yang Kai’s was clearly used for defense, so how could it suddenly display such great offensive might?
On top of that, this lightning dragon seemed was something they had witnessed before!
“It’s the power from Yang Kang’s Mysterious Grade artifact!” Xiang Chu screamed and suddenly realized that the bone shield in Yang Kai’s hand could not only swallow True Qi attacks but could also store and then release them.
This giant lightning dragon was clearly the ability Yang Kang’s Mysterious Grade artifact had displayed when he and Yang Kai had fought more than two months ago.
At that time, this lightning dragon must have been swallowed up by Yang Kai’s bone shield, and now he was preparing to unleash it.
Could anyone here resist the power of a Mysterious Grade artifact?
Only if they had a Mysterious Grade defensive artifact like the bone shield in Yang Kai’s hands!
When the number of lightning dragons that emerged from the bone shield’s mouth reached eight, they suddenly roared furiously and charged towards the crowd. Meanwhile, the group headed by Qiu Zi Ruo just stood there dumbstruck, a mix of disbelief and despair filling their faces as the heard the bells of death toll for them.
If there were still masters here, they could rely on them to block these lightning dragons, but all of the masters that had been deployed for this ambush were either pinned down or encased in ice. There was no one left with the strength to resist this attack.
Soon, someone panicked and ran. Then, like an explosion had gone off in their minds, waking them from their stupor, everyone screamed and fled, each of them soaring up into the air or scrambling across the ground, desperate to escape the lightning dragons’ wrath.
Xiang Chu’s mind at this moment was surprisingly clear, loudly clamoring for everyone to band together to resist. However, in this chaotic scene, he was powerless to change anything. Even Qiu Zi Ruo was escaping, so how could he hope for others to stand and fight?
*Hong hong hong…*
*Ka cha…*
Those lightning dragons were like all-conquering swords, radiating supreme and unmatchable power and rampaging through the crowd. Those with better luck who were struck by one of these eight dragons fell to the ground, twitching and powerless. Those who weren’t lucky were directly incinerated.
The few remaining Immortal Ascension Boundary masters desperately protected their Young Lords and Ladies, doing their best to evade the lightning dragons, running around like whipped dogs.
Cries of pain and screams of terror resounded. Before the power of this Mysterious Grade artifact, life was cheap, harvested as easily as wheat.
Upon hearing these voices, Kang Zhan, who was still revolving his healing art, struggled to open his eyes only to bear witness to this miserable scene, his blood immediately freezing over.
Only now did he realize that what Yang Kai had said to him before was true.
Him not wanting these people from High Heaven Pavilion to participate in the battle really was for his and his side’s own good! Nan Sheng had only injured a single High Heaven Pavilion disciple and it had already provoked such wanton killing. If someone from High Heaven Pavilion had really been killed by them, then… would anyone here be able to return to War City?
Kang Zhan didn’t dare to think about it anymore, instead closing his eyes once more and doing his best to ignore the sounds of death around him.
On the other hand, everyone from High Heaven Pavilion suddenly looked excited, one by one clenching their fists and shouting out.
After enduring all the humiliation they had just received, at this moment, they saw all of it paid back a hundred times over.
Yang Kai alone had caused seven forces to scatter in panic, none of them able to escape or defend themselves, much less hit back.
A purple halo of light suddenly rippled through the air, as if someone had tossed a giant stone into the centre of a calm lake, washing over the cultivators who were already enduring the lightning dragons’ assault.
Along with these ripples of light came a frigid Divine Sense attack filled with a frigid demonic chill.
Soul Skill! Yang Kai had unscrupulously sent out a wide area Divine Sense attack.
Whenever this Spiritual Energy hit a cultivator, they would suddenly collapse, a sharp pain like needles piercing their minds causing them to shriek as an evil energy wore down their Souls.
Rendered powerless to resist, these incapacitated cultivators became easy prey for the lightning dragons.
Only the few remaining Immortal Ascension masters managed to withstand this Soul Skill, but none of them could avoid some pain in the process.
Wails of sorrow and the smell of burnt flesh filled the air.
It was only after several dozen breaths of time that the eight lightning dragons gradually dissipated, the power of the Mysterious Grade artifact finally expended. Simultaneously, Yang Kai stopped projecting his Soul Skill. In this barren wilderness, countless people lay on the ground, some just stunned, others wounded, and a fair number of them dead.
The seven forces that had participated in this mission were originally three hundred strong, but at this moment, only two hundred or so were still alive.
The bodies scattered atop this field were all burnt black like charcoal, wisps of smoke still rising from them.
Qiu Zi Ruo sank to the ground, his eyes dim and his teeth chattering uncontrollably.
Having just escaped from the jaws of death, his mood was a bit complicated.
Compared to so many of those around him, he was basically unharmed.
When he had begun participating in the Inheritance War, he wasn’t afraid of anything. He couldn’t imagine a scenario where his life would be in any danger, but after today, he no longer dared to think so.
He didn’t know whether Yang Kai had scruples about him because of Qiu Yi Meng or if his luck had just been amazing, allowing him to avoid falling victim to the lightning dragons. Nevertheless, seeing Yang Kai massacre so many people so easily really frightened him.
It was as if the very depths of his soul had been covered with a huge shadow, seemingly laughing at him, able to take his life whenever it pleased.
“Young Lord Qiu, we have to go!” A random Immortal Ascension Boundary master from one of the seven forces, seeing Qiu Zi Ruo fall into this morbid state, rushed over and picked him up before flying off towards War City.
After suffering such a terrible assault, this master couldn’t summon any fighting spirit and didn’t dare to remain, now just wanting to run away as fast as possible.
In fact, almost everyone here was the same, putting everything they had into escape, unable to care about anyone but themselves.
“Why are you all running?” Xiang Chu screamed, “His artifact can’t be used any longer and after releasing such a big attack he’s sure to be exhausted! Now is the best time to capture him! Young Lord Qiu, Young Lord Qiu! Where is Young Lord Qiu?”
Obviously, no one cared about Xiang Chu’s ravings. He wasn’t qualified to issue any orders here in the first place, but even if he was, amidst this hellish purgatory, no one would have listened to him anyways.
As he was shouting madly, Xiang Chu suddenly felt a sharp gaze fall upon him.
Turning his head, his eyes perfectly met with Yang Kai’s cold stare.
His heart leaping into his throat, Xiang Chu unconsciously stumbled backwards a few steps.
“Junior Brother Xiang, let’s go. There’s nothing more we can do here.” Nan Sheng rushed up and pulled him.
Xiang Chu ground his teeth angrily, staring back at Yang Kai with a vicious and resentful look before shouting, “Retreat!”
[A group of cowards! Together with such a group of people, how could they ever amount to anything?] Xiang Chu was extremely depressed thinking about how, at Tai Fang Mountain, if only he had not offended Yang Kai and instead been able to make a good impression on him, would he have been the one following him today, achieving miracle after miracle and basking in the glory of victory?
However, there were no redos in this world. Xiang Chu only hated how he had eyes but failed to see and wound up offending such a monster.
The cultivators from the seven forces either escaped or lay dead, and in the blink of an eye, no one was left.
“Do you think, I’ll let you go?” Yang Kai’s voice suddenly rang in everyone’s ears; although this voice wasn’t loud, it was no less impactful than the boom of thunder.
Nan Sheng and Xiang Chu both couldn’t help looking back, but when they saw Yang Kai still standing there, not chasing after them, they both felt a great sense of relief. Apparently, he was just trying to scare all of them.
Flying at their fastest speed, both of them only wanted to reach Yang Zhao’s mansion in War City so they could hide out and wait for Yang Kai’s anger to subside, or possibly let Yang Zhao come forward to mediate the matter.
Yang Kai’s True Qi and Blood Force swelled up before settling, showing he had regained his calm. Turning towards Su Mu, who was now in a coma, and Su Yan, whose eyes were still red and swollen, he lightly said, “You wait here for half a day before catching up. By that time, Su Mu’s condition should be stable enough to travel.”
Su Yan glanced over in surprise, looking up at Yang Kai and asking, “What about you?”
“Those who dare harm our Sect’s people must pay the price!”
Finished with what he had to say, like a bolt of lightning, Yang Kai shot off into the sky, radiating a frightening murderous aura.
Any cultivator from the seven forces who was still alive and currently struggling to escape gradually relaxed after flying a hundred kilometers or so. Looking back and not seeing any pursuers, each of them couldn’t help breathing a sigh of relief.
Recalling the tragedy they had just experienced, chills ran up their spines and they quickly thanked the Heaven’s for blessing them with good luck today.
A group of roughly twenty escapees glanced around at each other, not knowing where the rest of their allies were or how far they had fled.
“We should be okay now, right?” Someone asked nervously, everyone here obviously still very much on edge.
“Ninth Young Lord doesn’t put any weight on human lives…” As soon as these words came out, everyone immediately nodded in agreement.
“It’s all that Nan Sheng and Xiang Chu’s fault, if it weren’t for those two bastards how could we have become so distressed?”
“What did you say?” Someone stood up in anger, “My Nan Family’s Young Master was simply taking the bigger picture into consideration. What the hell do you count for? How dare you curse Young Master Nan!”
“Did I say anything wrong? Considering the bigger picture? Hah, bullshit! Nan Sheng and Xiang Chu were clearly just trying to find a way to vent their anger! You really think we don’t know that your Nan and Xiang Families have deep grudges with the Ninth Young Lord and have repeatedly suffered losses at his hands? Isn’t the whole point of you participating in the Inheritance War this time just to retaliate against him?”
“Shut your dog mouth!”
“I’m just telling the truth. Honestly, what were you Nan and Xiang Family people thinking, daring to fight with a Yang Family’s Young Lord! Why don’t you polish your dog eyes and take a look at reality. Even if Second Young Lord really wins the Inheritance War, what can Xiang Chu and Nan Sheng really do to oppose Yang Kai? At most, you people can only grumble and curse him behind his back!”
“Are you from the Nan Family?” As the two people were arguing, a low cold voice suddenly drifted into everyone’s ears.
The cultivator who was defending Nan Sheng proudly raised his head and shouted, “What of it?”
But just as he spoke these words, a blood red petal shot through his head. Everyone stared blankly for a moment before all the colour drained from their faces, slowly turning their eyes towards a figure deeply printed into their nightmares quietly floating above their heads.
“N… nin… Ninth Young Lord!” After clearly seeing the face of the person who had just killed the Nan Family cultivator, everyone trembled in fear as they stared at Yang Kai in horror.
They hadn’t expected Yang Kai to really pursue them.
Of the twenty or so people in this group, there was only one who had reached the Immortal Ascension Boundary, and he was just a Third Stage master from a random force.
Suddenly seeing Yang Kai appear here, everyone subconsciously gathered towards this Immortal Ascension Boundary cultivator, seemingly wanting to find some sense of security.
On the other hand, this Immortal Ascension Boundary Third Stage cultivator couldn’t help swallowing nervously.
While he was a genuine Immortal Ascension master, his combat power was extremely ordinary. For Yang Kai, who could fight evenly with Liu Qing Yao, wouldn’t he be nothing more than fish on a chopping board?
This man knew he was definitely not Liu Qing Yao’s opponent!
The only thing that made him feel a little relieved was that after Yang Kai killed the Nan Family man he hadn’t immediately started slaughtering everyone else but instead stared and asked, “Who else is from the Nan or Xiang Family?”
The twenty plus people here suddenly realized what Yang Kai wanted to do.
Injustice would bring about punishment, debts would be paid. The Ninth Young Lord intended to execute every last Xiang and Nan Family cultivator!
No one dared to answer, lest they inadvertently say too much and bring Yang Kai’s wrath down upon them.
Facing Yang Kai’s inquiry, no one dared to answer, only the loud pounding sound of their nervous hearts resounded through the deafening silence.
Waiting only a moment, Yang Kai quickly lost patience and coldly declared, “If you don’t speak, you can all die, if you talk, I’ll spare you!”
“Him! He’s from the Xiang Family!” Someone immediately couldn’t bear the pressure and pointed to a person nearby him.
Having been exposed, the man screamed in terror and tried to run.
Unfortunately, before he could take more than a single step, a blood-red petal shot towards him and pierced through the back of his head.
Following his momentum, the man fell face first to the ground and rolled a few times before never moving again.
“Anyone else?” Yang Kai asked again.
Everyone violently shook their heads, indicating that there were no more people among them from the two families.
Yang Kai swept his eyes over the crowd for a moment before shooting off into the distance again.
Seeing him keep his promise, really sparing those who weren’t from the Xiang or Nan Families, the survivors let out long sigh of relief and collapsed to the ground, powerless. With great beads of sweat falling from their foreheads, the cold wind caused their bodies to tremble unconsciously.
“Don’t let me see you again in War City!” From far away, Yang Kai’s voice reached their ears…
The crowd once more jumped to their feet and nodded quickly, “Yes, yes, you will never see us again!”
After narrowly surviving this calamity, none of them dared to return to War City anymore. None of them could summon the courage to face this slaughtering god again!
If Yang Kai alone was strong to this ridiculous extent, then what about the powerful masters who still sat in his house? Originally, this group of people was quite optimistic about Yang Zhao, believing he could rely on his vast numerical superiority and wide network of forces to obtain the final victory in the Inheritance War, allowing them to drink a cup of soup after the Second Young Lord finished with the meat.
But now, none of them dared to think so.
Shortly after, seventy kilometers away, Yang Kai once again killed three cultivators who belonged to the Nan and Xiang Families, leaving behind another terrified group of cultivators before disappearing again.
Yang Kai wasn’t someone who enjoyed indulging in indiscriminate slaughter, but when he needed to be ruthless, he would be ruthless, and when he could show mercy, then he would show mercy.
Just as he didn’t let Su Yan kill the four Immortal Ascension Boundary masters from the Qiu Family and Kang Family. That was, of course, also because he had scruples about the intricate relationships between the Eight Great Families.
However, this time, Xiang Chu and Nan Sheng had crossed his bottom line.
Although these two had consistently been targeting him and his allies since the beginning of the Inheritance War, Yang Kai hadn’t paid them any mind since it was true that when enemies met during the Inheritance War, deaths inevitably would occur on both sides.
But this time was different; these people were the last foundation remaining from High Heaven Pavilion and represented its hope for revival.
Moreover, he had reached an agreement with Kang Zhan, yet Nan Sheng and Xiang Chu had still taken action against them.
The moment he saw what had happened, Yang Kai swore he would not left off a single person from the Xiang or Nan Families.
He was going to use these two families’ forces to warn the world that anyone who moved against High Heaven Pavilion would suffer the tiger’s fury!
Chasing down various groups of fleeing cultivators, Yang Kai executed any and all members of the Xiang and Nan Families he encountered, not showing the slightest mercy, leaving a trail of blood in his wake.
After an entire day of pursuit, Yang Kai had traveled close to three thousand kilometers and finally caught sight of Xiang Chu and Nan Sheng.
The two were amongst a group of people still struggling along, having not stopped for a moment to rest the whole time. At this moment, their True Qi was all but exhausted and their breathing was ragged.
They had thought that once they returned to War City they would be safe, so to prevent any accidents from happening, they had forced themselves to keep traveling, but how could they have imagined that with their goal in sight, Yang Kai would really catch up with them?
When they felt a murderous and bloody aura lock on to them, everyone in this group turned their gaze towards the sky behind them and called out in shock, “Ninth Young Lord has caught up!”
“What!?” Nan Sheng and Xiang Chu paled with fright, also turning around and discovering Yang Kai’s figure crashing towards them, like a great scarlet meteor.
“Has he gone crazy?” Nan Sheng stared blankly, “All this for a single disciple from High Heaven Pavilion? “
Xiang Chu’s expression also darkened, all the blood draining from his face as he nodded subconsciously, “I’m afraid we really crossed the line this time!”
“Junior Brother Xiang, what should we do now?” Nan Sheng said as cold sweat began gathering on his brow, “Hurry up and think of something!”
“We have to make it back to War City, there’s no other option. As long as we return to Second Young Lord’s mansion, we can still survive!” Xiang Chu grit his teeth and desperately increased his speed.
Nan Sheng cursed viciously, thinking that Xiang Chu’s plan was equivalent to having no plan at all, but he didn’t voice his complaint directly. The most crucial thing right now was escaping Yang Kai’s pursuit.
The members of this group were already empty oil lamps after fleeing for an entire day at the fastest pace they could sustain; at this moment, seeing how fast Yang Kai was gaining on them, none of them were confident they could make it to War City before being overtaken.
Just what kind of monster was he? Did his True Qi reserve have no bottom? After chasing them for so long, his murderous intent hadn’t weakened at all. In fact, it was stronger and bloodier than the last time they faced each other. Clearly his fighting spirit had reached its peak, and he would not give up no matter the cost.
Without any time to complain, Nan Sheng quickly took out a few True Qi supplementing pills and furiously crunched them, also raising his speed to maximum.
“You can’t escape!” Yang Kai’s voice suddenly reached them from behind, causing everyone who heard it to feel like their hearts were being gripped by the icy hand of death, “Xiang Family, Nan Family, not one of you will survive!”
“Ninth Young Lord, we’re not Xiang Family people, nor Nan Family people!” A young leader of one of the seven forces couldn’t bear the overwhelming pressure Yang Kai’s pursuit brought him and quickly shouted.
“Then kill the people from the Nan and Xiang Families around you and I will spare your lives!”
Xiang Chu and Nan Sheng’s faces both changed greatly, quickly sweeping their eyes around at the people near them with great vigilance, for fear that these people would really take action against them.
For this ambush mission, the Nan and Xiang Families had deployed almost seventy people, but after suffering the devastating attack from Yang Kai’s lightning dragons, those who had survived had dispersed and escaped separately. Now, there were less than twenty of them gathered here. They were outnumbered by the other forces around them by a ratio of three to one.
If these people really listened to the temptation of Yang Kai and began attacking them, Xiang Chu and Nan Sheng were certain they wouldn’t survive.
Fortunately, the people who heard Yang Kai’s words didn’t immediately act and hesitation could be seen on their faces. Regardless of what had transpired, they were still allies of the Xiang and Nan Family cultivators. Therefore, they would hesitate to backstab their former allies with only Yang Kai’s words
Seeing all of their hesitation, Xiang Chu quickly shouted, “Everyone, Brother Nan and I are heirs to first-class families. If you really try to kill us here, I’m sure you yourselves understand what the consequences will be.”
Those who were still hesitating also suddenly awoke after these words. If they were originally hostile to each other, then even if they killed or butchered them here, no one would say anything, but right now all of them were allies of Yang Zhao. If they really slaughtered their allies here in order to save themselves and word of it spread out, their families and Sects would be shunned and disgraced as cowards and traitors. This was something none of them could afford.
Compared with their own lives, the honor and integrity of their respective forces was more important.
What’s more, whether Yang Kai could really catch up to them before they made it to War City wasn’t certain, and even if he did overtake them, while he was fighting the Nan and Xiang Family people they would still have an opportunity to escape.
“Young Master Nan, Young Master Xiang, rest assured, we would never try to kill you.” Someone immediately said in a righteous tone.
“Very good.” Xiang Chu nodded slightly, breathing slightly easier.
Behind them though, Yang Kai seemed to be able to hear their entire exchange and without changing his expression coldly snorted and shouted, “Since you’re not willing to kill the Nan and Xiang Family dogs, I won’t force you! As long as you can stop Xiang Chu and Nan Sheng for me, I won’t find trouble with you. Refuse, and I swear none of you will live to see tomorrow’s sunrise!”
The atmosphere that had just relaxed suddenly became tense once more.
The condition Yang Kai put forward this time was not only simpler, but also easier to accept. After all, they just needed to slightly hinder Nan Sheng and Xiang Chu. As long as they didn’t kill them personally, it wouldn’t be a complete betrayal.
Nan Sheng and Xiang Chu were also well aware of this and quickly led their own people away from the other cultivators in their group.
Nan Sheng even angrily roared towards the distance, “Yang Kai, do you think you’re something great? If not for having scruples about your identity, do you believe this young master would allow you to embarrass me so?”
In response though, Yang Kai just sneered coldly, “Regarding this kind of thing, I’m just studying what you taught me back at Tai Fang Mountain. When you and Xiang Chu schemed against and wantonly bullied those around you, did you give a fuck about right or wrong? At Tai Fang Mountain you acted all domineering and arrogant, taking lives however you pleased, but now that you’re faced with a Young Lord from a super family, do you only have the courage to escape?”
Facing this cold sarcasm, Nan Sheng suddenly couldn’t utter any rebuttal.
At Tai Fang Mountain, he had indeed acted arrogantly, bullying and oppressing Yang Kai and the members of Storm Hall and Blood Battle Gang, even trying to force the Hu Sisters to become concubines.
Fortunately, at that time, Tu Feng and Tang Yu Xian had promptly arrived and revealed Yang Kai’s true identity, causing Nan Sheng and Xiang Chu to choke back down their arrogance. Otherwise, after that battle, both Blood Battle Gang and Storm Hall would have suffered serious losses and even if Yang Kai managed to escape, the price he would pay to do so wouldn’t be small.
It was time to clear away all their debts, Yang Kai didn’t have the patience to continue entangling himself with these two fools.
“Not good, Ninth Young Lord is gaining on us!” Someone exclaimed.
Many cultivators turned their heads instinctively at these words and immediately went pale, they discovered that during Yang Kai and Nan Sheng’s short exchange, he had actually closed a large part of the gap between them. At this rate, he really would catch up with them before they reached War City.
Xiang Chu and Nan Sheng also panicked.
Sensing his aura inflate suddenly, it seemed like Yang Kai was preparing to attack them.
This discovery made everyone feel even more helpless. The shocking blow the bone shield had released was still fresh in all of their minds; naturally, all of them were afraid of the Ninth Young Lord’s awe inspiring methods.
*Shua shua shua…*
Behind all of their backs, a phenomenal Sword Qi erupted.
Thousands of Sword Qi blades, each one made from a wisp of pure True Qi, suddenly appeared, forming a great array in the sky before shooting towards them.
This long range, wide area of effect attack immediately hampered everyone’s pace. Many cultivators were even being forced to turn around and use Martial Skills or artifacts to fend off these Sword Qi blades.
After blocking this wave of attacks, there were several cultivators with weaker cultivations that fell to the ground either too injured or exhausted to continue escaping.
Xiang Chu expression became even gloomier, realizing that no matter how he tried to run, he couldn’t escape from Yang Kai’s pursuit. There was simply too big a difference in their speeds.
“Seniors, I’m afraid I have no choice but to ask you all to stall him for a while!” Gritting his teeth, Xiang Chu turned to the people around him and shouted.
These people were the last Immortal Ascension Boundary masters from the Xiang and Nan Families remaining. Although the strongest of them had only reached the Immortal Ascension Fourth Stage, between the two families, there was still seven of them in total!
With these seven Immortal Ascension Boundary masters, even if Yang Kai’s strength far surpassed his cultivation realm, it would still be impossible for him to pursue them.
Moreover, War City was already not far away, at most another hundred fifty kilometers. Right now, this was the only solution Xiang Chu could come up with to delay Yang Kai.
When the seven masters heard Xiang Chu’s words, they all wore surprised expressions for a moment but quickly collected themselves and nodded, “Young Lord, rest assured that we Elders will stop him here even if it costs us our lives.”
Xiang Chu nodded firmly, “Good. All of you must be careful, don’t underestimate him!”
“Understood!”
Immediately after, the seven Immortal Ascension Boundary masters from the Xiang and Nan families stopped; turned around and prepared for battle.
Xiang Chu and Nan Sheng led the rest of their group and continued to run, not once looking back.
Seeing seven people suddenly turn to face him, Yang Kai’s expression became cold, sweeping over them with his Divine Sense and quickly understanding the strength of his opponents, impatience slowly filling his eyes.
“Ninth Young Lord, if you want to pursue our young masters, you must first pass us old masters!” One of them called out, all seven of them quickly circulating their True Qi, unleashing a barrage of Martial Skills and artifact attacks towards Yang Kai.
None of them had anything more to say to Yang Kai. Now that things had developed to this point, all that was left was to fight.
“With just you?” Yang Kai laughed wildly, summoning his Mysterious Grade Low-Rank bone shield and blocking the torrent of attacks directed towards him.
*Hong hong hong…*
With a series of loud bangs, explosions resounded around. Every time he was struck, Yang Kai’s pace would reduce slightly, but at the same time the beast mouth of the bone shield would swallow up the berserk bombarding it. As it devoured these various True Qi based attacks, the bone shield expanded at a visible rate.
After a round of attacks, Yang Kai was unscathed but his speed had fallen sharply, delaying his advancements.
“Disperse!” Now aware of the abilities of the bone shield, none of these seven old men dared gather in the same place, scattering in all directions.
A burst of light quickly emerged from the mouth of the bone shield and the sharp spurs lining its edge began to hum.
With a bang, the True Qi which had just been swallowed was all shot out.
*Xiu xiu xiu…*
Simultaneously, the bone spurs on the edge of the bone shield were also released and shot out towards the seven Immortal Ascension masters.
These seven masters were prepared this time though and had already summoned their own defensive artifacts to protect themselves while they quickly took evasive action.
In this confrontation, the seven masters all managed to avoid the True Qi attack from the bone shield’s mouth while the bone spurs were all blocked by their various methods. Although they were uncomfortable, none of them were injured.
The bone shield was truly powerful. No cultivator under the Immortal Ascension Boundary Eighth Stage could break its defence, but if one understood its specific uses, it wasn’t difficult to handle. After all, artifacts were only tools, they were no substitute for people’s intelligence.
On top of that, these seven people had no plans to really fight with Yang Kai, they simply wanted to delay him for about as long as it would take to boil a pot of tea, if they could buy that much time, given Nan Sheng and Xiang Chu’s speed, they would be able to make it back to Yang Zhao’s mansion in War City.
Seeing their plan succeed, the seven masters relaxed and suddenly felt that Yang Kai wasn’t as terrifying as they had imagined.
Perhaps he was invincible amongst those at the same cultivation realm, and even had the ability to fight with low level Immortal Ascension Boundary masters, but to achieve the wide scale slaughter of more than a hundred people he had to rely on external forces.
Once he didn’t have such formidable external means available to him, his real strength would be quite limited.
Perhaps, this time, they could not only delay him, but even capture him alive! When they thought of this, all seven of these masters suddenly become eager to try, their original lack of confidence quickly being replaced with ambition.
Immediately, all of them launched Soul Skills towards Yang Kai, suddenly submerging him in a web of Spiritual Energy waves.
Standing in the center of this storm, Yang Kai simply shook his head and stared back at these seven, disdainful.
Since refining the essence of that Soul Type Evil Spirit in the Evil Cavern, the thing Yang Kai feared the least was Soul attacks. On top of that, comparing the amount of Spiritual Energy he had with the combined Spiritual Energy of these seven masters was like comparing a vast ocean and a stream, it was impossible for such a weak attack to disturb him.
On the contrary, when Yang Kai counterattacked, the Spiritual Energy which suddenly broke out from him made all seven of these masters feel like their Knowledge Seas were freezing over.
Realizing this, all of these masters were amazed at the power of the Soul type artifact Yang Kai possessed.
“Why are all of you struggling so hard when Xiang Chu abandoned you here as sacrifices?” Yang Kai shook his head, not wanting to be tied down by these seven any longer, “Even if he can escape to War City, I will still take his life. All of you will only die here in vain!”
The seven masters’ expression all sank, one of them firmly declaring, “Ninth Young Lord, there is no need to stoke dissension among us. I am a member of the Nan Family, and when I die my ghost will still be a member of the Nan Family. It is our duty to protect the Young Lord’s safety. Ninth Young Lord, since you are so confident about defeating us, why not let us see what Heaven defying methods you posses?”
“As you wish!” Yang Kai nodded gently, his expression suddenly becoming extremely calm, the bone shield in his hand disappearing as he slowly lifted his right hand to his brow.
As they saw his hand rise, the instincts of the seven masters suddenly began warning them of danger. In that moment, it seemed like everything under the Heavens suddenly stood still and the eyes of the seven Xiang and Nan Family masters all bulged as they stared at Yang Kai, wanting to respond but oddly finding themselves frozen in place.
In this world, they suddenly found that only Yang Kai could move.
Slowly wiping his right hand across his forehead, in an eerie voice, Yang Kai suddenly shouted.
“Devil Transformation!”
The Heavens shook and the Earth trembled, and all seven of the spectating masters suddenly felt like they had been submerged into a violent storm.
A thick cloud of darkness that seemed to swallow all light and hope suddenly burst out from Yang Kai’s body. This black energy was incredibly dense, filled with a bloodthirsty, brutal, and evil aura that permeated through the air, causing the seven masters to involuntarily retreat in fright.
As Yang Kai’s aura swelled, each of these seven masters felt a deep sense of intimidation descend upon them, filling them with a feeling of powerlessness.
The power shown by Yang Kai right now had left all of them dumbstruck.
The evil energy contained within the Unyielding Golden Skeleton had not been used for a long time. Yang Kai was also concerned about the relationship between the Eight Great Families and the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land, so he had thus far not used this trump card.
But now, in order to kill Xiang Chu and Nan Sheng, he had unhesitantly summoned this strength.
A moment later, this dark energy had engulfed Yang Kai’s body, completely concealing his figure within save for his two demonic red eyes.
Observing carefully, the will projected by Yang Kai was unchanged, but the demeanor of the seven masters had undergone a drastic change.
A moment ago, the seven of them had been dreaming about joining hands and capturing Yang Kai, gaining a massive merit for Nan Sheng and Xiang Chu, but now this thought had been viciously erased from their minds.
Although they didn’t understand exactly why, when they faced Yang Kai now, all of them couldn’t help feeling like they were facing their final moments.
The eyes of the seven masters soon clouded over, like the darkness was swallowing up not just the light but their consciousnesses too.
Staring into Yang Kai’s cold, cruel eyes, the seven masters couldn’t help but slowly retreat back.
Yang Kai raised his hand slowly, gathering a few small and wisps of dark energy into the shape of a snake which suddenly shot out towards one of the seven.
Seeing the approaching black snake, the man’s face paled and he hurriedly tried to dodge, but he was too late and the darkness penetrated his chest. The next moment, black gas began leaking from his entire body and he fell face down onto the ground.
A single blow, and an Immortal Ascension Boundary Third Stage master had died, unable to even fight back.
Witnessing this, the remaining six people are despaired.
They hadn’t even seen clearly how their comrade was attacked, nor did they understand how Yang Kai’s strength had suddenly reached such a terrifying height.
Back at Tai Fang Mountain, Yang Kai was able to kill two Immortal Ascension Boundary First Stage masters while only possessing a True Element Fifth Stage cultivation. Now that he was only a step away from the Immortal Ascension Boundary, how could his strength be comparable to back then?
Immortal Ascension Boundary Third and Fourth Stags cultivators were indeed no longer anything in his eyes.
“If you stand in my way… then die!” Yang Kai’s cold voice resounded, the sky dimmed, and a great black palm descended like rolling thunder towards the six remaining masters. As this dark palm approached, it appeared all encompassing in the six masters’ eyes, giving rise to the idea that no matter how they tried to evade, they would inevitably be struck.
The six masters all screamed, madly circulating their True Qi as they did their best to escape from this place, but all of their efforts were in vain as the giant palm continued to fall upon them.
With a startling bang, the Earth trembled.
When the black palm struck, a giant crater appeared along with the sound of bones shattering.
A moment later, the six people all lay upon the ground inside the new palm shaped crater. Although none of them had died, the evil energy was already eroding their minds and bodies, blurring their consciousnesses.
Along with countless bones in their bodies being shattered, it was likely none of them would ever be able to recover.
“I told you, you’re nothing but sacrifices, but you all still insisted on this foolish resistance!” Yang Kai shook his head. Nan Sheng and Xiang Chu knew that he had a technique which could greatly increase his strength, but apparently they hadn’t told anyone.
If these seven people who had been left behind to delay Yang Kai knew this information, none of them would have had any delusions about capturing him and wouldn’t have ended up in such an embarrassing state.
Without caring whether these six people lived or died, Yang Kai turned his eyes towards War City, coldly snorted, and soared into the sky once more.
Even if Xiang Chu and Nan Sheng really hid inside Yang Zhao’s mansion, they would still die today!
War City.
Nan Sheng and Xiang Chu raced forward, leading a group of ragged and disheveled cultivators. When the pedestrians saw this group of people looking so embarrassed and fearful, they naturally became suspicious, especially about what kind of monster they were running from.
All of them were dripping with sweat, both from exhaustion and fear, and their True Qi was completely drained, barely able to yell at the bystanders to get out of their way as they rushed towards Yang Zhao’s mansion.
This news quickly spread to Yang Wei’s and Yang Kai’s compounds.
Yang Wei’s brow wrinkled, unclear what had happened. However, realizing that something big was happening, he immediately brought a guardian Blood Warrior along with him and quietly left his house, heading towards Yang Zhao’s.
Inside Yang Kai’s mansion, when Qiu Yi Meng received this piece of intelligence, her beautiful face immediately clouded over, quickly issuing orders to the major forces in the mansion to head out into War City in preparation for Yang Kai’s return.
She wasn’t sure what had happened to Nan Sheng and Xiang Chu, but she was faintly aware that this matter had something to do with Yang Kai.
As Yang Kai’s allies were just about to deploy, Old Demon suddenly appeared beside Qiu Yi Meng frowning and said, “You don’t have to go out, Young Master will be back soon.”
“He’s already back?” Qiu Yi Meng suddenly breathed a sigh of relief. With Yang Kai out alone and only Ying Jiu protecting him, she had constantly been on edge. Now hearing the news of Xiang Chu and Nan Sheng, she was afraid that Yang Kai had suffered some kind of accident, but listening to Old Demon, it seemed her concerns were unwarranted. Depressing the worry in her heart, she quickly asked, “Where is he right now?”
Old Demon’s squinted and stared off into the distance for a moment before replying, “Although Young Master is back in the city, he doesn’t seem to be headed towards the mansion and is instead moving to the southeast.”
“Southeast…” Qiu Yi Meng’s brow furrowed, the worry she had just pressed down suddenly resurfacing, “That’s Yang Zhao’s location!”
“Damn it, who provoked Young Master, he’s completely enraged now!” Old Demon took a deep breath and shouted, “This old master is going to rendezvous with him!”
As he spoke these words, Old Demon’s figure flickered, transforming into a bloody light that shot off towards the southeast.
Qiu Yi Meng’s beautiful face suddenly became solemn. Not daring to hesitate any longer, she hurriedly rushed out of the mansion with the assembled forces.
At the same time, Meng Wu Ya, who was meditating in his room, slowly opened his eyes, his brow furrowing deeply as he stared towards Yang Kai’s position, muttering to himself, “How is that little brat emitting such a strong Evil Qi?”
Becoming somewhat concerned, he quickly stood up, opened the door, and stared off into the distance. The sky over War City gradually began filling with dark clouds, blotting out all traces of sunlight, it was as a bucket of black ink had been spilled and was slowly dying the world black, weighing heavily on people’s hearts.
Letting out a sigh, Meng Wu Ya appeared to tread a few steps but actually crossed several hundred meters as he did so.
Inside the Seal Temple, the eight Above Immortal Ascension Boundary masters also left their mental construct world and stared at each other, their somewhat aged eyes all flashing some surprise.
Qiu Dao Ren frowned and quickly spoke, “Brother Yang, that little brat from your family seems to have signs of Devil’s Practices.”
Yang Li Ting’s face, however, remained indifferent, his eyes still closed.
The fat old man grinned and chimed in, “You really don’t care? If this continues, it’s possible he will fall onto the Devil’s Path.”
Yang Li Ting slowly opened his eyes and bluntly said, “Each of us follows our own path. Why should this old master care if he lives or dies?”
“If he really loses his mind and degenerates into a demon, what should we do?” The Kang Family’s Above Immortal Ascension Boundary asked. A young man, releasing such potent Evil Qi from his body, would inevitably have his heart corrupted and fall onto the Devil’s Path, becoming a demon that wouldn’t hesitate to slaughter his friends and family.
“At that time, this old master will take the initiative to clean up his own house. It has nothing to do with any of you,” Yang Li Ting responded indifferently.
When the other seven old masters heard this judgement, they no longer tried to persuade Yang Li Ting, all of them slowly shaking their heads. In this moment, they secretly thought that even though the Yang Family was strong, it wouldn’t survive for long. The bonds and affection for one another in the Yang Family was simply too thin. If one of the young genius disciples of their family suddenly appeared in this situation, how could they just sit by and ignore them? They would have already stepped forward to seize him, brought him to an isolated place, and begun suppressing the Evil Qi in his body.
What’s more, with this little brat’s talent and aptitude, he would very likely become the brightest star in the Yang Family’s future, yet now Yang Li Ting was still willing to casually discard him.
The other seven masters really couldn’t understand.
However, it was also true that this wasn’t any of their business. Each of them had already lived many years and had stopped concerning themselves with worldly matters. Since Yang Li Ting didn’t care to do anything, they were naturally too lazy to pester him about it, some of them even taking some pleasure in this awkward situation.
The Yang Family had occupied the top position of the Central Capital for a long time, but if things continued on their current trend, within less than a hundred years, they would definitely be supplanted by one of the other seven Great Families.
It was a somewhat ridiculous that these seven old masters could see this truth, but the Yang Family’s Elders were still oblivious.
Yang Zhao’s Mansion.
Nan Sheng and Xiang Chu rushed inside like a couple of stray dogs and hurriedly called out, alerting Yang Zhao who was in his private chambers.
Getting up from his bed, Yang Zhao stared towards where the voices originated.
“Second Young Lord, what happened?” Ye Xin Rou twisted her water snake like waist, the sheets slowly falling, exposing her pure white skin. Two slender arms gently wrapped around Yang Zhao’s waist as she gently pressed herself onto his back, her lightly blushing face showed a tender expression.
“Something’s happened, I sounds like the voices of Xiang Chu and Nan Sheng.” Yang Zhao’s brow wrinkled slightly.
“Are they already back?” Ye Xin Rou smiled sweetly, her lashes fluttering lightly, “They must be here to bring good news to Second Young Lord.”
Yang Zhao chuckled, reaching out and gently pinching Ye Xin Rou’s perfectly rounded bottom, silently marveling at the amazing elasticity of her skin.
This rude action provoked a light yelp from Ye Xin Rou who gazed back at Yang Zhao accusatorily.
“Hopefully so!” Yang Zhao was also secretly looking forward to it. This time’s ambush could be said to be perfect, filling him with great confidence that Kang Zhan, Qiu Zi Ruo, and the seven forces he had deployed would achieve their objective, and had been quite looking forward to hearing from them. In such a state, he had no mind to cultivate and had instead been entangling with Ye Xin Rou, trying to relieve the anxiousness and anticipation in his heart.
Otherwise, given his temperament, it would be impossible for him to still be lazing around at this hour. Beauties were tempting, but right now he valued his own strength and power above all else.
As long as he could defeat Yang Kai, he wasn’t afraid of facing his Eldest Brother Yang Wei and was confident he could easily win the final victory in the Inheritance War.
“Since its good news, then it won’t be too late if you listen to it a bit later.” Ye Xin Rou said playfully, lifting her jade arms and hooking them around Yang Zhao’s neck, pulling him back down, trying to keep him in bed for a while longer.
“Don’t make trouble. If it’s really good news, I’ll spoil you all night tonight!” Yang Zhao said with a light laugh, his eyes flashing a sharp light as they filled with endless expectation.
Although Ye Xin Rou felt it was a pity and was somewhat disappointed, she no longer tried to retain him. In order to handle people like Yang Zhao, her body was only a small temptation, not a decisive factor.
“Then allow your Xin Rou to help you dress.” Ye Xin Rou gently got up and found a messy stack of clothes near the bed, slowly helping Yang Zhao dawn his robes.
Just as she was wearing his robes though, Yang Zhao’s brow furrowed and Ye Xin Rou also paused. Both of them could not clearly hear Xiang Chu and Nan Sheng, but their voices weren’t excited, instead exasperated, shouting out desperately.
Both of them suddenly realized that something wasn’t right.
If these two people had really rushed back here to deliver the good news Yang Zhao was expecting, it was impossible for them to sound so panicked.
“Second Young Lord, Second Young Lord!” Outside the door, the footsteps and voices of Xiang Chu and Nan Sheng loudly resounded.
Yang Zhao quickly jumped up and opened the door. Upon seeing Xiang Chu and Nan Sheng, he couldn’t help narrowing his eyes.
These two were actually in such a sorry state. Many scars and bloody wounds appeared on their bodies, their faces were both pale, and their True Qi was obviously completely depleted. This wasn’t the appearance of someone returning in triumph but rather beat dogs that had been chased back!
Ye Xin Rou let out a sharp cry and quickly jumped onto the bed, covering her snow white peaks and graceful body with the beddings, lest something which shouldn’t be shown appear in the public eye. However, her ears continued to be perked up, not willing to miss anything.
“What happened?” Yang Zhao took a deep breath and tried to calm his turbulent mood. Although he was asking this question, just by seeing the appearance and expressions of these two, Yang Zhao had already understood, but he simply couldn’t bring himself to believe it.
“Second Young Lord…” Nan Sheng swallowed hard, unable to utter any more words.
Yang Zhao immediately turned his eyes to Xiang Chu, the latter’s eyes dimming somewhat as he bowed his head, his expression filled with shame and resentment.
“Failed?” Yang Zhao asked in a cold voice, his expression darkening noticeably.
Nan Sheng remained silent, his pale face slowly turning red while Xiang Chu clenched his fists and nodded, “We’ve disappointed Second Young Lord’s expectations.”
Yang Zhao couldn’t help staggering slightly, staring incredulously at the two before him, although he already had some suspicions in his heart when he first saw them, but upon receiving confirmation, he still couldn’t believe it.
With how many people he had dispatched, with so many high level masters, how could they still have failed?
“Explain!” Yang Zhao’s expression suddenly became cold and sullen.
“Ying Jiu… has broken through to the Immortal Ascension Boundary Ninth Stage!” Xiang Chu replied through his grit teeth. This was something beyond everyone’s expectations. Ying Jiu at the Immortal Ascension Boundary Eighth Stage was enough to give Yang Zhao a serious headache, necessitating him to deploy two Peak Immortal Ascension Boundary masters just to pin him down; however, who would have guessed he had already promoted to the Immortal Ascension Boundary Ninth Stage?
As a Blood Warrior at the Immortal Ascension Boundary Ninth Stage, only a Blood Warrior of equal strength or an Above Immortal Ascension Boundary master could deal with Ying Jiu!
Upon hearing this explanation, Yang Zhao’s brow furrowed further. This incorrect intelligence clearly occupied a large part of the reason for this operation’s failure.
“What else? Even if Ying Jiu reached the Immortal Ascension Boundary Ninth Stage, that can’t be the entire reason for this failure. There should have been more than enough of you to suppress Ying Jiu even if he has broken through.” Returning to his sense, Yang Zhao sharply interrogated.
“Ying Jiu was indeed pinned down…” Xiang Chu replied bitterly; as he recalled what transpired during the battle, he began to shudder unconsciously, “But Yang Kai possesses two Mysterious Grade artifacts…”
Xiang Chu began to briefly recount the events of their encounter.
The more Yang Zhao listened, the more his heart went cold, realizing just how terrifying his Ninth Brother really was.
“What about Kang Zhan and Qiu Zi Ruo? How come only you two have returned?” Yang Zhao suddenly realized something out a place and asked.
“Young Lord Kang, he… he… he was stabbed through his chest by Yang Kai with a sword and was seriously injured, he should still be healing.”
“What!?” Yang Zhao’s eyes bulged and Ye Xin Rou who was lying on the bed also cried out in shock, her delicate hands covering her small mouth while her eyes flashing an astonished light.
Kang Zhan had his right chest pierced by Yang Kai’s sword… this news was simply too absurd.
From the first time it was held until now, no child of the Eight Great Families had ever suffered such a serious injury when participating in the Inheritance War, according to historical records, these Young Lords and Young Ladies had at most suffered some small cuts and bruises.
But now, the Kang Family’s future successor had actually been run through with a sword!
This development left Yang Zhao and Ye Xin Rou suddenly dumbfounded, neither of them having imagined that Yang Kai would truly be so fearless.
“What about Qiu Zi Ruo?”
“Unclear. We were separated on the way back, I don’t know where he is now.”
“Good, good, good!” Yang Zhao suddenly laughed thunderously, causing Xiang Chu and Nan Sheng to feel like their faces were on fire, both of them wishing they could find a hole nearby to crawl into.
“You guys are simply too great! Actually being thrashed so miserably by my Ninth Brother, you really live up to your names as Young Masters from first-class families! Always acting so arrogantly and boasting of your extraordinary strength and wit, wantonly showing off your pride, only to now run back here like stray dogs! So many people at your disposal yet still unable to capture Ninth Brother! What use are you to me!?”
Being reproved so maliciously, Xiang Chu and Nan Sheng both felt quite annoyed, but although they were incredibly vexed, they didn’t dare to refute.
Just as Yang Zhao was reprimanding Xiang Chu and Nan Sheng, a piercing voice filled with murderous intent suddenly arrived, “Xiang Chu, Nan Sheng, come out and face death!”
Although this voice wasn’t loud, it resounded clearly in everyone’s ears.
Upon hearing these words, the ashamed and aggrieved Xiang Chu and Nan Sheng couldn’t help going pale.
Yang Zhao’s face also suddenly became strange, squinting towards Xiang Chu and Nan Sheng as he smiled coldly, “What is the mean of this? Why has Ninth Brother suddenly come here?”
Nan Sheng firmly shut his mouth, not daring to reply.
Xiang Chu nervously stuttered, “Yang Kai has been chasing us and probably just arrived…”
“Idiot!” Yang Zhao gnashed his teeth, “Obviously he is chasing you, what I want to know is why! What haven’t you told me?”
Just now, when he was describing the course of the battle with Yang Kai, Xiang Chu hadn’t said anything about the members of High Heaven Pavilion or what transpired between them, afraid it would only infuriate Yang Zhao.
But now, Yang Kai had already slaughtered his way to Yang Zhao’s front door, so Xiang Chu knew there was no way for him to keep concealing matters.
“Speak, what the hell did you do to infuriate Ninth Brother so much?” Yang Zhao took a deep breath and tried to calm his tone.
“It’s about some people from High Heaven Pavilion… Big Brother Nan injured one of High Heaven Pavilion’s disciples.”
“High Heaven Pavilion? The sect Ninth Brother was staying at?” Yang Zhao frowned and asked in confusion, “There’s more to it than just that, right?”
“Second Young Lord, it’s like this…” Xiang Chu’s brow furrowed deeply as he helplessly explained what had happened.
After listening to the whole story, Yang Zhao nodded lightly, “Facing an enemy, one must use any means they are capable of, what you did wasn’t wrong.”
Xiang Chu breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that Yang Zhao didn’t plan on holding them accountable, but just as he began to smile, Yang Zhao’s expression dimmed again and glared coldly at him, “If you had the ability to withstand Ninth Brother’s revenge, I would simply clap my hands and applaud! But do you have such ability? Without possessing any such capability, your actions are nothing short of idiotic! You two are just stupid pigs blinded by your hatred!”
Xiang Chu froze up, unable to utter a word of refute.
At this time, Nan Sheng raised his head and said, “No matter whether our actions were right or wrong, Yang Kai is currently standing outside the mansion and shouting loudly. If Second Young Lord just ignores him, I’m afraid no one will take Second Young Lord seriously anymore.”
“Trying to goad me using such obvious methods?” Yang Zhao laughed, “Nan Sheng, you look down on me, Yang Zhao, far too much. No wonder you and Xiang Chu suffered such a big loss at Ninth Brother’s hands.”
Nan Sheng trembled lightly and immediately apologized, “I had no such intention. Please excuse my rudeness, Second Young Lord.”
Glaring at him him coldly, Yang Zhao continued, “There is some truth to what you say. Ninth Brother daring to seek trouble right outside my house, I really can’t just ignore him.”
Hearing this, Xiang Chu and Nan Sheng suddenly felt overjoyed, quickly bowing their heads, “Many thanks, Second Young Lord!”
“No need.” Yang Zhao slowly shook his head and declared flatly, “This time, I will protect you because you are still my allies! After today, you and your people can scram. War City has no place for you, nor does the Yang Family Inheritance War!”
Coldly snorting, Yang Zhao quickly threw on the last of his clothes and walked out.
Nan Sheng and Xiang Chu remained where they were, as if they had lost their souls. They had never imagined Yang Zhao would drive them away because of this.
They represented the Xiang and Nan Families and had been among the first to support Yang Zhao in the Inheritance War. For so long, they had weathered wind and rain, experiencing hardships and struggles, fighting side by side with Yang Zhao.
In order to win this Inheritance War, both of their families had contributed a lot of manpower, materials, and money.
But just as the battle was about to end, they were being driven out by Yang Zhao.
If word of this were to spread out, the two large families would definitely become laughing stocks. Paying so much, yet not reaping any benefits, this would seriously damage their families’ honor.
Having offended Yang Kai and lost favour with Yang Zhao, it was impossible for them to form any meaningful connection with the Yang Family in the future.
Other forces in this world may also alienate them for this reason. If that were to happen, developing their families would become exponentially more difficult.
It was also likely that because of this failure, their positions as family heirs would be removed as well.
Considering all this, Xiang Chu and Nan Sheng couldn’t help shivering in a cold sweat.
Immediately, their eyes filled with rage and hatred, grinding their teeth and clenching their fists.
If it wasn’t for Yang Kai… if only that bastard Yang Kai didn’t exist… how could they have fallen into such a terrible situation?
“Two Young Lords…” Suddenly, a voice as delicate as falling rain quietly reached their ears. Xiang Chu and Nan Sheng looked over at the voice’s source only to see Ye Xin Rou smiling lightly as she held up a quilt to her chest, her two perfectly shaped shoulders completely exposed, giving off a jade-like luster.
In normal times, Xiang Chu and Nan Sheng would definitely do their best to imprint this beautiful scene into their memories, but right now they had no such desire.
Ye Xin Rou giggled, seeming to not care at all about exposing her skin, gently adjusted the beddings before her two snow white peaks as she said, “If you stand there, it is quite difficult for me to dress myself. Would you mind stepping out for a moment? Also, now that Second Young Lord has gone out, shouldn’t the two Young Lords chase after him?”
Waking from their daze, Xiang Chu and Nan Sheng quickly took back their gazes and sprinted out of the room. Although Yang Zhao said he would protect them, who knows if he was telling the truth?
After the two of them had left, Ye Xin Rou snorted with dissatisfaction, “Not even helping me close the door, hmph.”
As she spoke, her eyes flashed and her cheeks blushed slightly, muttering to herself, “This Yang Kai is quite interesting, even daring to injure Kang Zhan like that. How bold…”
Although she had seen Yang Kai a few times now, she and the youngest Yang Family Young Lord had never actually spoken, so she knew nothing about his temperament. However, after today’s events, she understood him a bit more, suddenly feeling a bit interested about him, in her heart secretly wondering whether Yang Zhao would really be the final victor in this Inheritance War.
When Yang Zhao stepped outside the house, he saw Yang Kai standing in the sky silently, alone, Evil Qi soaring into the sky, his immense Divine Sense enshrouding the entire compound, penetrating into every corner and crevice.
From all around, people constantly rushed towards Yang Zhao’s mansion, slowly forming a large crowd. These people had all been attracted here by Yang Kai’s voice and were eager to find out what was happening.
Inside the War City, the tranquility of the past two months gave way to heated tension.
A few thousand meters away, on the top floor of a tea house, at a window which opened towards the direction of Yang Zhao’s mansion, Yang Wei concealed himself and stared at Yang Kai across the distance, unable to help his expression from changing. Thick surprise flashed past his eyes due to how calm Yang Kai seemed despite projecting such a rich murderous aura towards the mansion below him. The look on his face was unyielding, and anyone who saw it would instantly understand that he would never give up until he achieved his objective!
“What does Ninth Brother want?” Yang Wei muttered to himself. War City had been peaceful for more than two months, and everyone had been working hard to develop and strengthen themselves in order to achieve enough power to fully suppress their opponents. Ninth Brother suddenly emerging at this point confused Yang Wei greatly.
Faintly, Yang Wei felt like he had missed out on some vital turning point.
There should have been some conflict between his Ninth and Second Brother that he was unaware of. Otherwise, this scene wouldn’t be taking place right now.
Suddenly, a blood red streak appeared in the sky, surrounded by thick Demonic Qi. When Yang Wei laid eyes upon it, his breath stagnated and his blood seemed to run cold.
A moment later, this bloody light came to a stop beside Yang Kai and revealed itself as the demon master who had suddenly appeared in Yang Kai’s mansion more than two months ago.
“Young Master!” As soon as Old Demon appeared, he greeted Yang Kai and began monitoring the surroundings vigilantly.
Yang Kai simply nodded. He was well aware that Old Demon would come so he naturally had nothing much to say.
“What the hell is he?” Yang Wei thought out loud, really wondering what Old Demon’s origins were.
Out of the corner of his eye, a familiar figure suddenly appeared and calmly sat down on the chair opposite him.
Turning around, Yang Wei confirmed the newcomer was none other than the Liu Family’s Liu Qing Yao!
Yang Wei nodded slightly and raised his hand to pour a cup of tea for him.
“About the origins of that man, everyone wants to know.” Liu Qing Yao suddenly said, “It’s almost as if he appeared out of thin air. The only thing we’ve managed to confirm about him is that for the past half a year or so he was wandering around the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land and he killed a lot of people during that time.”
“Oh?” Yang Wei’s brow furrowed, “So, he’s a man from the Evil Land?”
“Probably not. Among the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land’s six Great Evil Kings, there is no such person!” Liu Qing Yao shook his head. Old Demon had displayed terrifying strength and methods in battle two months ago, so naturally he would be curious about it. However, even after leveraging the power of the Liu Family to gather information about him, he still had no clue about his background.
“But he seems to be very respectful towards Ninth Brother. Why is such a strong master so timid in front of him?” Yang Wei gently let out a sigh, still just as puzzled as before.
This demon master was only a step away from the Above Immortal Ascension Boundary. Such characters were rare even among the Central Capital Eight Great Families. Even if such masters weren’t as revered as the Grand Elders at the Above Immortal Ascension Boundary, once they broke through, they would become objects of admiration and reverence.
“Forget about him, your Ninth Brother is also impossible to understand.” Liu Qing Yao said with a dignified expression, his eyes staring off into the distance at Yang Kai.
Yang Wei glanced at him and suddenly grinned, “I didn’t expect Young Lord Liu to speak of someone of our generation like this. If Ninth Brother were to learn of this, I’m sure he’d be proud.”
Liu Qing Yao shook his head, “I’m not qualified to evaluate him, and his future achievements will definitely be higher than mine.”
“His achievements are already higher than yours!” Yang Wei smiled deeply.
The Blood Force and aura Yang Kai was projecting, although still just carrying the signature of the True Element Boundary Ninth Stage, brought immense pressure to Yang Wei, even across such a great distance.
He estimated that if he were to fight Yang Kai right now, he would be defeated within a single breath.
Even if Liu Qing Yao was stronger than Yang Wei right now, he was still not Yang Kai’s opponent!
Yang Wei could see this, so naturally Liu Qing Yao could as well, his expression becoming a little complicated, but he didn’t refute, instead just nodding, “But like this, he will sooner or later fall to the Devil’s Path, so even if he possesses great strength and amazing aptitude, with his body’s True Qi being corroded by such thick Evil Qi, he won’t be able to suppress it.”
Listening to this, Yang Wei frowned bitterly, knowing that Liu Qing Yao wasn’t being an alarmist. In his heart, he was also wondering just how Yang Kai suddenly entered such a state.
[Did Ninth Brother cultivate some kind of supreme Evil Technique these past two months?] Yang Wei secretly guessed.
Yang Zhao’s allies quickly emerged from the mansion and glared at Yang Kai, their expressions filled with anger. However, when they saw Old Demon standing nearby to guard him, fear flashed across their eyes and they unconsciously stepped backwards.
The deterrence of Old Demon’s bloody and cruel methods was immense.
Not long after Old Demon appeared, Qiu Yi Meng also showed up with a group of Yang Kai’s allies.
After seeing Yang Kai’s current appearance, the Qiu Family’s First Young Lady couldn’t help feeling her heart clench, quickly calling out, “Yang Kai, what happened? What’s wrong?”
Huo Xing Chen also instinctively trembled as he felt the malicious aura pulsing from Yang Kai’s body.
All the people in the spectating crowd were also pointing towards Yang Kai, whispering and discussing whether the Yang Family’s youngest Young Lord had really fallen onto the Devil’s Path and would soon lose his rational mind.
If this really was the case, it would be the most ironic joke.
The Central Capital Eight Great Families and the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land had always been as incompatible as fire and water. The Eight Great Families’ cultivators were all charged with eradicating demons, but now, the Yang Family’s brightest new star and the most hopeful candidate to become its next Patriarch was about to become a demon. Such news would be the topic of discussion the world over.
Tang Yu Xian, the Hu Sisters, Dong Qing Han, the Ten Thousand Flower Palace quartet, Luo Xiao Man… many of them directed worried eyes towards Yang Kai.
“Are you still…?” Qiu Yi Meng asked, gazing into the crimson lights which were once Yang Kai’s eyes, desperately searching for any trace of humanity. Unfortunately, she was disappointed. Yang Kai’s eyes were clear at the moment, but all that filled them was hatred and murderous intent, nothing resembling human warmth remained, only cold malice.
Shivering involuntarily, Qiu Yi Meng felt her heart sink. From the beginning of the Inheritance War, she had performed admirably in acting as Yang Kai’s second in command, responsible for the management and deployment of his allies. Nevertheless, she still looked to Yang Kai as the backbone of their efforts. Every major operation centered around his commands.
If any accident were to happen to Yang Kai, all her efforts would become worthless.
Yang Kai glanced at her for a moment before shaking his head slowly, “I’m fine.”
Hearing these words, Qiu Yi Meng froze up, somewhat unable to believe that under such a state, Yang Kai was actually able to suppress the murderous hostility in his body and still maintain mental clarity.
If it were any other cultivator, could they accomplish this?
Old Demon on the other hand just spat disdainfully and snickered, “Young Master, your current look suits old servant very much! Hahahaha, we master and servant really share a common fate!”
Qiu Yi Meng couldn’t help shooting an angry glare at Old Demon before anxiously asking, “Since you’ve come back, why didn’t you return to the mansion but instead came here? What is it you hope to accomplish?”
“Kill someone!”
“Who are you going to kill?”
“Xiang Chu and Nan Sheng!”
Hearing this, everyone’s expression greatly changed.
Xiang Chu and Nan Sheng, although not on the same level as the Young Lords and Young Ladies of the Central Capital Eight Great Families, were still successors to first-class families. Such people could not be killed recklessly.
Even a blind bastard like Lu Song hadn’t provoked Yang Kai’s killing intent, so why was he suddenly so intent on killing Xiang Chu and Nan Sheng at this time?
Qiu Yi Meng, who was doing her best to calm her racing heart, couldn’t help thinking that Yang Kai really had gone mad.
“Yang Kai, can’t we go back first?” Qiu Yi Meng reached out and gently held Yang Kai’s arm, whispering softly, “Let’s go back and talk about this, see if there’s a more suitable way to kill Nan Sheng and Xiang Chu and calm your anger.”
Yang Kai turned his head and stared at Qiu Yi Meng strangely.
“If you insist on acting right now, there’s no way for you to really kill those two. Yang Zhao’s mansion has too many cultivators right now. Even if all of us rush in, we may not be able to cut them down.” Qiu Yi Meng continued to persuade, “So let’s go back first, okay?”
Watching this scene, Huo Xing Chen’s eyes had all but bulged out of their sockets.
He had never seen, or even heard of Qiu Yi Meng having such a gentle side. The Qiu Family’s First Young Lady always behaved in a steadfast and intelligent manner, bordering on shrewd and ruthless, so everyone had nearly forgotten that she was a young woman.
Such a woman whispering sweet words would be a fatal temptation to any man and was all but impossible to resist.
Huo Xing Chen thought about it and concluded that if he was treated gently by Qiu Yi Meng, even if he felt his will was firm, he would listen to whatever it is she said.
“Yes, Yang Kai, let’s go back first and discuss things. It’ll be fine even if we leave things as they are for a day or two.” Luo Xiao Man summoned up courage even she didn’t know she had and actually tried to persuade Yang Kai.
Each of the four Ten Thousand Flower Palace Four girls nodded in agreement, also doing their best one by one to calm Yang Kai.
Although their reasons and arguments varied, without exception, each of these beauties did their best to convey their care and concern.
Seeing all of these young women drown Yang Kai in such maternal care, the rest of the crowd couldn’t help staring awkwardly.
Yang Kai frowned and swept his eyes over crowd in front of him, eventually fixing his gaze on Qiu Yi Meng and asking, “Do you all see me as some kind of child?”
Although his words were sharp and cold, Yang Kai actually felt warmth in his heart. No matter the reason, these people spoke up out of concern for him and his current state.
All of these young women’s faces became slightly red, only now understanding that when Yang Kai said he was fine, he really was still fully conscious.
Seeing them blush, Yang Kai smirked, a trace of tenderness creeping into his expression as he gratefully said, “I’m really alright, you don’t have to worry.”
Qiu Yi Meng took a deep breath and adjusted her expression, a moment later nodding, “Good, I’ll believe that you are really okay, but you just said that you wanted to kill Xiang Chu and Nan Sheng. How do you plan on killing them? This is Yang Zhao’s compound and there are nearly a thousand cultivators in it, five times our current number! Even if you succeed in killing those two, most of your allies will be buried here along with them; do you really have the heart to do this?”
“You put too much value on those two.” Yang Kai’s expression once again became cold as he slowly shook his head, “The difference in number doesn’t mean anything, Second Brother is a cautious person, and he won’t act unless he is certain of his victory. It’s absolutely impossible for him to launch a full scale war here with me for them.”
“He still has scruples about big brother. His objective is to win the final victory in the Inheritance War! As for me, I don’t care.” Yang Kai smiled coldly.
Qiu Yi Meng was stunned. Let alone Yang Kai simply being alright in this condition, his thoughts and insight were actually just as sharp as usual.
One of them could go all out while the other was burdened with various worries. Thinking about it for a while, Qiu Yi Meng felt things would likely develop just as Yang Kai said they would.
As Qiu Yi Meng mulled over these thoughts, Yang Zhao walked out from his house, his expression incredibly gloomy. Standing tall, with a large number of his allies behind him, he coldly said, “Ninth Brother, what is your intent?”
Yang Zhao was quite angry right now. The failure of this operation and Xiang Chu and Nan Sheng aggravating the situation was a major disappointment to him. Although he was deeply shocked at the strength Yang Kai was currently displaying, it was more the fact that he was brazenly blocking the entrance to his house that made Yang Zhao feel like he had lost face.
It was still daytime, and although dark clouds loomed high in the sky blotting out any signs of the sun, his Ninth Brother acting this way was simply not putting him in his eyes.
“Second Brother,” Yang Kai faintly nodded at him. “Second Brother’s methods are simply outstanding. This time, Ninth Brother was almost defeated.”
Yang Zhao’s face twitched and coldly shot back, “Ninth Brother doesn’t need to ridicule me, the bottom line is I underestimated your strength. This time, if I had gone personally, it would be impossible for Ninth Brother to be standing here talking down to me.”
A fierce grin slowly crept onto Yang Kai’s face as he replied, “I’m afraid that even if Second Brother had come personally, nothing would have changed!”
Yang Zhao was stunned for a moment before his expression sank and he solemnly said, “Ninth Brother, Second Brother only realized just now that you are the wildest of us Yang Family descendants!”
Taking a deep breath to adjust his mood, Yang Zhao slowly continued, “Ninth Brother, for the sake of a single wounded High Heaven Pavilion disciple, is all of this worth it? I’ve heard the whole story. While it’s true you had an agreement with Kang Zhan and Nan Sheng and Xiang Chu violated it, resulting in the serious injury of one of your Junior Brothers, and they should be punished for that transgression, I don’t believe that’s enough to sentence them to death. Not to mention you’ve already killed so many, shouldn’t that be enough to cool your anger? You bringing your people to block Second Brother’s door, do you think that’s really appropriate? Or perhaps… you think Second Brother is easy to bully!”
As he spoke, Yang Zhao’s tone grew colder and more accusatory.
Hearing this sharp questioning, all the cultivators around Yang Zhao secretly rallied themselves, the atmosphere suddenly becoming red hot.
However, Yang Kai remained as calm and cold as ever, “Second Brother, I have no other purpose in coming here today, I just want to kill those two. After I take their lives, I will leave immediately!”
“With me here, do you think you can kill them?”
“Then there’s nothing more to discuss.” Yang Kai said disappointedly, shaking his head slowly as he shifted his gaze away from Yang Zhao towards the cultivators behind him, his eyes swiftly landing on Xiang Chu and Nan Sheng who had at some point snuck into the crowd.
Perceiving Yang Kai’s cold stare, the two couldn’t help going pale.
“No matter who tries to protect you today, you will still die!” Yang Kai suddenly showed an impatient look as he shouted, an ice cold murderous intent flashing across his eyes.
*Kacha…*
Suddenly, a layer of ice began spreading across the ground, carrying with it a chill capable of freezing one’s soul. With Yang Kai at the center, a fan-shaped region in front of him immediately transformed into a frigid purgatory.
Feeling an acute sense of danger from this cold front, the cultivators gathered outside Yang Zhao’s mansion all showed shocked expressions, quickly leaping up into the sky to avoid being contaminated by this murderous ice.
Unlike the True Yang Yuan Qi from the True Yang Secret Art, the energy stored inside the Unyielding Golden Skeleton was actually the complete opposite, filled with cold and evil attributes.
Yang Kai used this frigid evil energy to cause the surrounding temperature to plummet.
Old Demon cackled happily, waving his hand and shooting out a crimson light, covering the newly frozen ground in a blood red layer, filled with a rich smell of iron, atop which stood a strange humanoid figure.
Naturally, it was Old Demon’s Blood Demon Puppet, the one that was impossible to destroy so long as the blood sea beneath it existed.
The Blood Demon stood quietly on the sea of blood without taking any action, simply releasing an astonishing Evil Qi from its body.
Tang Yu Xian also gave a shout and unleashed a powerful Spiritual Energy fluctuation.
The cultivators behind Yang Kai also no longer hesitated, rapidly pushing their True Qi and summoning their artifacts.
*Huo!* An astonishing roar rang out behind Yang Kai as a huge head formed entirely of black energy began to emerge.
The head swayed back and forth, its eyes the size of bronze bells exuding a terrifying light.
Being stared at by these ominous eyes, no one dared to act rashly!
Gradually, the black Qi coalesced into a solid form, drawing shouts of shock and dread.
Before everyone’s eyes, a hundred meter long pitch black dragon appeared, hovering above Yang Kai’s head like a living creature.
When Xiang Chu and Nan Sheng saw this black dragon, their legs couldn’t help going soft, almost causing them to collapse to the ground.
At Tai Fang Mountain, Yang Kai had used this black dragon to effortlessly kill two Immortal Ascension Boundary First Stage masters.
A hundred meters in length, the black dragon gave off an imposing aura, terrifying all the cultivators who laid eyes upon it. Their attitude towards Yang Kai, who had summoned such a monster, also quietly changed.
Many of Yang Zhao’s allies thought it would be easy to defeat Yang Kai and his forces simply by virtue of their overwhelming numerical advantage, but after witnessing Yang Kai’s astonishing methods, they quickly reigned in their expectations.
Such strength and heritage was not something ordinary people could handle. Today, although they were confident in being able to force Yang Kai back, defeating him was unlikely.
The only comfort they had was that whether it was Old Demon or Tang Yu Xian, neither of them had made any movements after showing their strength. It seemed like they just wanted to deter them rather than really start massacre.
Yang Zhao’s expression changed drastically as he quickly shouted, “Ninth Brother, are you really planning to fight Second Brother here and now?”
As Yang Kai said before, Yang Zhao had many more concerns than him. Although his forces were far superior in number, on average, they were also weaker and the amount of top level masters he had was actually fewer than Yang Kai. Once a battle broke out, the only result would be a mutual loss.
At that time, the fisherman’s profit would all be reaped by Eldest Brother Yang Wei.
He didn’t want to hand a gift to his big brother.
He didn’t plan on fighting anyone before he had secured an absolute advantage!
Unfortunately, Yang Kai’s forcefulness this time made him realize that his plan to win the Inheritance War would not develop as smoothly as expected.
“Second Brother, I meant what I said: I just want to kill those two. If you hand them over, I’ll immediately retreat!” Yang Kai said once more.
“Impossible!” Yang Zhao firmly rejected. If he were to hand over Xiang Chu and Nan Sheng here, how would any of his allies ever trust him again? However, from Yang Kai’s words, he knew that his Ninth Brother also didn’t want to fight here.
Mutual destruction, neither of them wanted to see this result!
Yang Zhao was worried about Yang Wei capitalizing on this situation while Yang Kai was unwilling to send his friends to a pointless death. Their concerns were different, but their conclusions were the same.
After letting out a sigh of relief, Yang Zhao suddenly smiled and said, “Ninth Brother, since you and Second Brother have similar scruples, I have a suggestion. Do you care to listen?”
Yang Kai’s brow wrinkled, not knowing what Yang Zhao was plotting. However, he still nodded lightly, “Go on.”
“This incident can be considered an internal matter of our Yang Family. Since it is an internal matter, only those from the Yang Family should participate. You want to kill, I want to protect. Whoever’s methods prove superior will have their way. How about it?”
Yang Kai’s mouth curled into a grin as he laughed playfully, “An internal matter?”
“Correct.”
“Only Yang Family people can participate?”
“Yes.”
“Including Blood Warriors, right?”
“Naturally, although the Blood Warriors are not surnamed Yang, they are still members of my Yang Family.”
“I understand.” Yang Kai nodded lightly, staring straight into Yang Zhao’s eyes and saying, “Then we’ll do as Second Brother says! This time, it will be an internal fight between Yang Family members.”
“Said it and meant it!” Yang Zhao couldn’t help laughing riotously, like he had just succeeded in some great trick.
Yang Kai also laughed loudly, so much so that Qiu Yi Meng’s brow wrinkled, faintly aware that something was wrong, but could not understand what.
In the distant tea house, Yang Wei and Liu Qing Yao were equally confused, neither of them understanding why Yang Zhao seemed so confidant nor what he was plotting to do. On the other hand, they also didn’t know why Yang Kai seemed equally smug.
Of the two brothers, one wanted to protect Nan Sheng and Xiang Chu and one wanted to kill them. Who would ultimately get what they wanted, no one knew.
For this battle that only Yang Family members could participate in, the Blood beside Yang Zhao would obviously square off against Tang Yu Xian while Yang Zhao’s opponent was Yang Kai, but at this moment Yang Kai’s aura was showing obvious signs of Devil’s Practices and his oppressive momentum and tyrannical strength were obvious to all.
What made Yang Zhao so certain he could block him?
Yang Wei and Liu Qing Yao both weren’t optimistic about Yang Zhao’s chances; no matter how much he had improved in the recent months, it was absolutely impossible for him to be Yang Kai’s opponent.
“Yu Xian!” Yang Kai suddenly called out.
Tang Yu Xian nodded gently, her outstanding figure flickering as it flew into the sky.
The Blood Warrior beside Yang Zhao also smiled slightly and without hesitation rushed to confront Tang Yu Xian.
The two Blood Warriors didn’t exchange a single word, launching straight into a violent conflict.
However, no one paid attention to their fight, even though they were among the strongest Immortal Ascension Boundary masters in the world, today’s focus was still the two Yang Family Young Lords.
“Ninth Brother!” Yang Zhao shouted spiritedly, surprising everyone. Facing the current Yang Kai, not only did he not focus on defending himself but instead took the initiative to attack, stomping his foot hard against the ground.
A number of strange cracks propagated along the ground with Yang Zhao at their center, like a group of great beasts were tunneling below the surface, a horrible energy soon emerging from the depths of the Earth and leaping towards Yang Kai.
Evil Spirit Earth Dragon Technique!
On the first night of the Inheritance War, Yang Zhao had used this Heaven Grade Martial Skill to deal with Huo Xing Chen.
Each of these dragon phantoms was condensed from the Soul of a Fifth-Order Monster Beast housed inside Yang Zhao’s body, and could be used as flexibly against an enemy as his own arms, often able to attack and defend simultaneously.
Previously, Yang Zhao was only able to use seven earth dragon phantoms simultaneously, but with the growth of his strength, he could now summon ten at once, each of which also had greater power than before.
Facing Yang Zhao’s killing blow, Yang Kai’s expression didn’t change at all. With a single thought, the great black dragon above his head suddenly opened its mouth and leisurely spewed a beam of Dark Qi.
*Xiu xiu xiu…*
As this beam of Dark Qi swept over the earth dragon phantoms, the latter exploded into a cloud of dust, unable to offer the slightest resistance.
Seeing his attack so easily dealt with, Yang Zhao oddly didn’t seem to care, instead actually wearing a sly grin as he stood in place, staring at Yang Kai proudly, a trace of pity in his eyes as he lightly said, “Ninth Brother, this is the end!”
Yang Wei and Liu Qing Yao, who still sat a few thousand meters away in the tea house also showed a look of understanding, both of them realizing what Yang Zhao was planning.
Qiu Yi Meng’s beautiful face also changed drastically. Through the dust, she suddenly spotted a figure moving at an unbelievable speed towards Yang Kai’s back.
The person who had appeared had expertly concealed himself and silently approached, so by the time Qiu Yi Meng noticed it was too late for her to warn Yang Kai.
“Second Brother, did you really think that Ninth Brother didn’t know what you were planning?” Yang Kai called out as a grin appeared on his face. The black dragon above him rapidly turned and rushed towards the approaching figure like an arrow shot from a bow, opening it’s great jaw in order to bite down on its prey.
The approaching figure was stunned, never having imagined that his whereabouts were actually fully understood by Yang Kai. He immediately realized how tricky it would be to handle the black dragon and swiftly retreated, his figure flickering a few times before coming to a halt beside Yang Zhao and gazing towards Yang Kai strangely.
Yang Kai just coldly snorted, still remaining motionless, staring straight at Yang Zhao.
“It turns out the other Blood Warrior in Second Brother’s house has already broken the Qi Binding Seal!” Yang Wei muttered aloud.
During the battle at Po Jing Lake, every Young Lord had lost a Blood Warrior to the Qi Binding Seals that the Yang Family Grand Elder Huang Jiu Zhou had planted on the Mysterious Grade artifacts. These Qi Binding Seals should have taken at least two months for the Blood Warriors to break on their own.
The affected Blood Warrior in Yang Wei’s service was still in retreat back at his mansion, striving to break through the Qi Binding Seal as he had be doing for the past two months, and he should be able to exit soon.
Yet, obviously, Yang Zhao’s Blood Warrior who was hit by the Qi Binding Seal had already managed to free himself.
[No wonder Second Brother made such a suggestion. This was what he was counting on.]
With Ying Jiu not here, Yang Kai now had to fight not just Yang Zhao, but an Immortal Ascension Boundary Eighth Stage Blood Warrior as well! From every outside observer’s perspective, he had no chance of winning.
“You already knew?” Yang Zhao’s face slightly twitching. He thought his plot had succeeded, and was even preparing to use this opportunity to eliminate Yang Kai, but now it turns out his opponent was already aware of his second Blood Warrior.
“Naturally I knew.” Yang Kai said casually with a look of disdain. Under the immense power of his Divine Sense, no one in Yang Zhao’s house could hide from him.
“Then why did you agree?” Yang Zhao looked at Yang Kai incredulously.
“Why would I not agree?” Yang Kai said proudly as he shook his head, “You can’t stop me.”
His words were arrogant to the extreme.
Everyone was stunned, all of them showing awkward or disbelieving expressions. Many of them secretly thinking that the Yang Family’s youngest was really crazy. At the very least, he couldn’t be measured by common sense anymore.
Yang Wei and Liu Qing Yao in the tea house were equally dumbfounded.
Facing a Blood Warrior at the Immortal Ascension Boundary Eighth Stage, he dared to make such a bold claim?
That meant wasn’t taking the Yang Family Blood Warriors seriously either!
The surrounding atmosphere suddenly became a bit strange.
The Blood Warrior next to Yang Zhao also wore a bitter expression and said, “Little Lord, although all of us Blood Warriors deeply admire you, being ignored so is still quite grating. In order to prove my strength, I won’t hold back any longer.”
“Then go ahead and try to stop me!” Yang Kai laughed, forming a series of hand seals, sending out a great wave of Black Qi.
The black dragon above his head also let out a fierce roar and charged towards the Blood Warrior and Yang Zhao.
Yang Kai wasn’t prepared to waste any more time, immediately using his full strength.
Faced with such a violent attack, Yang Zhao suddenly suffocated, unable to summon the slightest bit of resistance. However, the Blood Warrior beside him suddenly unleashed a powerful burst of True Qi and Spiritual Energy, forming a light barrier around him and Yang Zhao.
*Keng keng keng…*
When the Black Qi impacted the light barrier, in just the blink of an eye, the white halo became polluted, almost as if someone had spilled black ink on it.
The Blood Warrior hadn’t anticipated Yang Kai’s methods would be so overbearing. Not daring to show the slightest negligence, hurriedly pulling Yang Zhao away.
But the cloud of Black Qi seemed to have a mind of its own, quickly pursuing the retreating pair like a great shadow.
Simultaneously, the hundred meter long black dragon swooped down towards the heads of the Blood Warrior and Yang Zhao, opening its great maw as if to swallow them whole.
A violent and fierce power welled up with the black dragon as its centre and swiftly expanded outwards, causing the surrounding Black Qi to ignite and explode.
Withstanding the force of this explosion, all the surrounding cultivators revealed strained expressions.
Many suddenly felt that even breathing was difficult, as if a mountain was pressed against the top of their chest, causing the knees to go soft and urging them to fall to the ground.
Only Old Demon sneered, his eyes flashing an appreciative light as a wicked grin appeared on his face.
This violent and evil atmosphere was quite to his liking.
“Disperse!”
“Move away from the black gas.”
“How is this possible? How can this Little Lord use such potent power? Am I dreaming?”
The cultivators in Yang Zhao’s compound cried out, their faces filled with disbelief and fear, scattering about randomly in order to avoid being corroded by the swirly black Qi.
After this sudden outburst of power which spread black Qi all over the yard below, the black dragon opened its bloody mouth and began furiously inhaling, creating a black vortex that tried to draw in Yang Zhao and his guardian Blood Warrior.
Faced with this great suction, Yang Zhao was unable to offer any meaningful resistance. If not for the Blood Warrior beside him, he would already have been drawn into the black dragon’s maw and had his bones crushed.
For the first time, Yang Zhao realized just how enormous the gap in strength between him and his Ninth Brother was.
It was simply the difference between Heaven and Earth and he was afraid that, for the rest of his life, it would be impossible for him to catch up with his Ninth Brother’s pace.
Living the rest of his life in his youngest brother’s shadow, Yang Zhao suddenly felt depressed, as if struggling to resist, the Inheritance War, and even the entire Yang Family were all meaningless.
“Second Young Lord!” The Blood Warrior shouted, noticing Yang Zhao’s unusual mood and realizing that his mental state was being corroded.
“Don’t let yourself be affected by the Evil Qi!” The Blood Warrior hastily reminded.
Snapping out of his depressed mood, Yang Zhao dripped with cold sweat. He wasn’t a man who would easily admit defeat. The reason why such negative thoughts and feelings had overtaken him was purely because of the influence of Yang Kai’s strange power.
After being awakened by the Blood Warrior, Yang Zhao carefully guarded his mind to resist mental intrusion from Yang Kai’s power.
“Yu Xian!” Yang Kai roared.
High up in the sky, Tang Yu Xian, who was confronting Yang Zhao’s other Blood Warrior, smiled lightly at her opponent before releasing an astonishingly pure and potent Spiritual Energy pulse that engulfed not only the latter, but even affected the battlefield down below.
“Immortal Ascension Boundary Ninth Stage?” The Blood Warrior who was fighting with Tang Yu Xian called out in shock.
“Ah, you saw through me.” Tang Yu Xian laughed happily, “I still wanted to hide it for a while.”
“But how?” The Blood Warrior looked up and down Tang Yu Xian, seemingly trying to confirm she was still the person he knew, “How did you manage to break through to the Immortal Ascension Boundary Ninth Stage so soon?”
The Blood Warriors were all like brothers and sisters; they were all extremely familiar with each other’s strengths and talent. What Tang Yu Xian’s aptitude was, her opponent naturally understood, and he had a fair idea of how long it would be before she could break through to the Immortal Ascension Boundary Ninth Stage.
But now, when she had released her Spiritual Energy, he had immediately realized that Tang Yu Xian had actually broken through already.
“How did you do it?” The man eagerly asked. His aptitude and strength were similar to Tang Yu Xian’s, but now she had taken a giant leap ahead of him, he was naturally happy and anxious.
Happy that his sister Blood Warrior had broken through, but also anxious about falling behind her!
“Not telling!” Tang Yu Xian smiled sweetly.
Seeing her playful attitude, the man slowly shook his head and smiled bitterly, “Yu Xian, it seems that following the Little Lord has even caused your mentality to become younger. You never used to be so naughty.”
Tang Yu Xian’s smiling expression immediately sank, a cold light flashing across her eyes, “What do you mean? Are you trying to say I’ve gotten old?”
The man’s heart suddenly clenched, realizing he had inadvertently touched upon a great taboo, quickly waving his hands in panic, “Yu Xian, you’re not… I mean… I never said…”
“Hmph! I didn’t want to embarrass you too much, but now it seems I need to teach you a harsh lesson!” Tang Yu Xian muttered in annoyance, no longer holding back, using her full strength to beat her opponent, causing him to cry out in pain and grief.
Although there was only a gap of a single stage between them, this small gap was enough to allow Tang Yu Xian to completely suppress her brother Blood Warrior.
Tang Yu Xian was even able to continuously release Soul Skills to assist Yang Kai while she fought her own battle.
With the assistance of Tang Yu Xian, Yang Kai gradually gained the advantage.
“Little Lord, pardon my offence!” The Blood Warrior who was guarding Yang Zhao suddenly shouted, releasing Yang Zhao and pushing his True Qi furiously, sending out a great beam of azure light towards Yang Kai.
“Ha!” Before the beam could reach him, Yang Kai stretched out his hand and sent a beam of black Qi towards the oncoming assault, intercepting it midair and dispersing it.
The Yang Family Blood Warrior’s expression became somewhat solemn. Even if he hadn’t used his full strength just now, it was still a tremendous attack, yet Yang Kai had actually blocked it.
Everyone present was shocked, all of them wondering just how powerful Yang Kai was at the moment.
On the contrary, although his Devil Transformation had massively increased his Blood Force and strength, Yang Kai’s brow also deeply furrowed.
This head-on confrontation made him realize that it was impossible for him to defeat this opponent.
The title of Yang Family Blood Warrior wasn’t just for show. Even in his current state, and with the assistance of Tang Yu Xian’s Soul Skills, suppressing this master before him still beyond his abilities.
In fact, if not for the Blood Warrior’s need to guard Yang Zhao, Yang Kai estimated he would already have been defeated!
As of right now, he was not worthy to be a Blood Warrior’s opponent.
His thoughts revolving quickly, Yang Kai considered a dozen different scenarios before coldly snorting, recalling the black dragon and all the dispersed Evil Qi, shrouding himself in a thick protective coat.
Flipping his wrist, a small sword appeared atop his palm in a flash of light.
It was the Heaven Grade Top-Rank Soul type artifact!
Since refining it until now, Yang Kai felt like he was not able to fully synchronize with it, but at this moment, in order to kill Xiang Chu and Nan Sheng, Yang Kai determined that this was his best option. Success or failure would be determined in the next strike!
Looking far behind Yang Zhao, Yang Kai’s gazed focused on the hatred filled faces of Xiang Chu and Nan Sheng.
“I told you, no matter who tries to protect you today, you will still die!”
Standing tall, Yang Kai let out a great roar and his eyes flashed an ominous light.
Stared at by these crimson eyes, Xiang Chu and Nan Sheng trembled violently, suddenly feeling greatly unnerved. Subconsciously, they tried to retreat or find someone who could protect them.
Unfortunately, all the masters from the Xiang and Nan Families had been killed by Yang Kai on the way here. Only the two Peak Immortal Ascension Boundary masters’ status was unknown, as they had yet to return from their battle with Ying Jiu.
After looking around in panic for a moment, they discovered that there was no one here they could rely on. Facing Yang Kai’s cold eyes and murderous aura, the two of them couldn’t help feeling a sense of crisis.
Yang Kai’s performance was far beyond their expectation. They had never dreamed that Yang Kai would actually chase them all the way to Yang Zhao’s house and ruthlessly insist upon executing them, not giving a single bit of face to the Second Young Lord.
“We are heirs of first-class families! Yang Kai, if you dare kill us, you’ll regret it!” Nan Sheng was terrified and couldn’t help yelling out hysterically.
However, Yang Kai simply shook his head and firmly declared, “I don’t care if you are the heirs to first-class family. If it had been a head on fight and you had wounded my people, I would have nothing to say, but since you dared go behind my back and plot against them, you must pay the price!”
After saying so, Yang Kai suddenly closed his eyes.
*Zheng…*
A resonate hum came from the little sword in his hand, almost as if someone was striking it.
A bizarre aura also began spreading from Yang Kai.
“Stop him!” Yang Zhao saw the situation rapidly deteriorating and quickly summoned his own Mysterious Grade artifact.
In Yang Zhao’s hand, a golden ring-shaped artifact appeared. It was his trophy from the battle at Po Jing Lake.
Madly filling the golden ring with his True Qi, Yang Zhao shot it out; as it raced forward, it first divided into two, then into four, then again into eight…
In the blink of an eye, an overwhelming number of golden rings crashed towards Yang Kai.
The black dragon immediate roared and surged forth, using its huge body to wrap up and guard Yang Kai.
“Mad Tyrant Blood Skill!” At some unknown point, Tang Yu Xian had also rushed down from the sky and now unleashed an astonishing force from her delicate body, placing herself in front of Yang Kai.
The two Blood Warriors who followed Yang Zhao also rushed up.
The three Blood Warriors entered into a chaotic melee.
The scene was a mess.
Only Yang Kai remained an island of calm, the surrounding noise of battle and the violent fluctuations of energy seemed unable to affect him as he stood there silently.
*Dida…*
Suddenly there was a fluctuation in his Soul, and for some unforeseen reason, when his Spiritual Energy flooded into the small sword shaped Soul artifact, the two reached an unprecedented state of resonance.
At that moment, Yang Kai felt as if his Soul had integrated into the little sword.
*Xiu…*
The little sword transformed into a ray of light and shot out from atop Yang Kai’s palm at a speed invisible to the naked eye and impossible to trace with Divine Sense.
As his consciousness merged with the small sword, Yang Kai saw Tang Yu Xian using her Mad Tyrant Blood Skill to fight with the other two Immortal Ascension Boundary Eighth Stage Blood Warriors, fragrant sweat dripping from her long lustrous hair.
He also witnessed his black dragon clash with Yang Zhao’s Mysterious Grade artifact, sending violent waves of black Qi tumbling to and fro.
He saw the crowd of onlookers standing there with stunned expressions, their mouths agape.
He saw his own figure reflected in Qiu Yi Meng’s beautiful worry filled eyes.
He even saw a few thousand meters away, in a tea house, Yang Wei and Liu Qing Yao staring towards him out an open window.
At this moment, to Yang Kai, it seemed like the entire world had slowed down and his thinking had become more than ten times clearer than before, able to take in a process these myriad scenes around him in an instant.
A profound and mysterious feeling rose from the bottom of his heart, a sensation he had never felt before. Bathing in this feeling, Yang Kai experienced an unprecedented sublimation of his heart and soul.
*Hong…*
A layer of shackles seemed to shatter in his mind, giving Yang Kai an uplifting sense of freedom, like he was a fish that had leapt from the sea and begun soaring through the sky.
The speed of the small sword Soul artifact also increased significantly!
High up in the sky, dark clouds suddenly began to gather, covering the entirety of War City, releasing an ever increasing pressure as they thickened.
Even while Yang Kai had completely immersed himself in this strange mental domain, he never lost track of his target, Nan Sheng.
As if he realized what was about to happen, Nan Sheng immediately panicked and cried out in terror, “Save me, save me!”
He was calling for help from Yang Zhao.
Yang Zhao heard him, but unfortunately there was nothing he could do.
In order to suppress Yang Kai, he had used every plan, technique, and tool at his disposal, but the best he could do was break through some of the black dragon’s defence and was unable to even approach Yang Kai. How could he have any spare energy to help Nan Sheng?
Even if he had strength to spare, there wasn’t enough time for him to respond.
The next instant, as if he was clutched by a great invisible hand, Nan Sheng let out a heart-wrenching cry.
Xiang Chu, who was standing close by, turned towards Nan Sheng in horror, his entire body shivering uncontrollably.
Before his very eyes, he saw his big brother’s vitality quickly dissipate.
*Xiu…* A flash of light shot out from Nan Sheng’s head and returned to Yang Kai’s hand, transforming back into the shape of a little sword.
Nan Sheng fell to the ground, his eyes still open and staring out blankly, the light in them having vanished.
Seeing this, everyone at the scene paled.
Besides a few high level Immortal Ascension Boundary masters, no one saw when the small sword attacked.
Even the ones strong enough to have seen the sequence of events wrinkled their brows, secretly afraid, wondering if they would be able to withstand such an attack from Yang Kai’s Soul type artifact.
Soul artifacts, unlike general artifacts, were naturally driven by Spiritual Energy and only damaged one’s Soul and Knowledge Sea.
The power it could display was directly linked to the strength of its wielder’s Spiritual Energy; the stronger the Soul, the greater the role such an artifact could play and vice versa.
Although this little sword was a Heaven Grade Top-Rank artifact, not a low grade, without an extremely tyrannical Divine Sense to operate it, it couldn’t display much strength.
After seeing such a blow, the two Blood Warriors who were having a hard struggle with Tang Yu Xian didn’t hesitate to retreat and guard Yang Zhao.
They were afraid of this killing blow Yang Kai had displayed. If he were to use it to deal with the Second Young Lord, it would be difficult for them to handle.
Tang Yu Xian didn’t pursue them, instead just letting out a long breath and falling back to guard Yang Kai.
The black dragon also returned to its placed above Yang Kai’s head, it’s hundred meter long body coiling through the air, it’s giant head and crimson eyes staring towards Xiang Chu in the crowd as it continued to release an ominous pressure.
When Nan Sheng had suddenly died, Xiang Chu fell into despair, realizing that Yang Kai really had the ability to kill him even under the guard of Yang Zhao.
A fear unlike anything he had ever experienced before filled his heart as he jerkily turned his head towards Yang Kai, wondering if the next breath he took would be his last.
Wanting to find someone to depend on for protection, he hastily glanced around only to discover that everyone had retreated from where he stood, their faces filled with fear.
Many of these people used to talk happily with Xiang Chu and Nan Sheng like brothers and sister, drinking and having fun together while discussing their bright futures. However, now, they all avoided Xiang Chu like a viper, terrified that they might be swept up in Yang Kai’s wrath because of him.
The person who drinks the water knows best if it is warm or cold, self-awareness can only come from within.
Xiang Chu suddenly felt a little disheartened and bitter, unable to stop himself from glaring at those around him cynically, sneering at these former friends who were now doing their best to distance themselves from him.
On the other hand, Yang Kai stood where he was, slowly blinking as he pinched the little sword in his hand, his brow furrowed as his True Qi roiled and fluctuated.
*Hong long long…*
The sound of thunder resounded throughout the sky, like the beat of a giant drum shaking the very Heavens and Earth, causing everyone’s ears to ring and their hearts to pound.
As the wind howled, the dark clouds that now covered all of War City became thicker and thicker, gradually immersing the entire city in a profound darkness without a trace of light.
Suddenly being covered in this blanket of darkness, no one knew what was happening, all the cultivators at the scene whispered to each other as they stared up at the dark sky, anxiety and fear slowly creeping into their hearts.
Floating far in the distance, Meng Wu Ya, who had his arms crossed behind his back, carefully watched this sudden change, a bright light flashing past his eyes as he stared at the unmoving Yang Kai, a look of anticipation appearing on his face.
“Master, Master!” Xia Ning Chang called out as she flew towards him having run out of the mansion at some unknown point.
Meng Wu Ya glanced over at her and gently lifted a finger to his lips, signaling her to calm herself.
Xia Ning Chang couldn’t help shrink her neck embarrassedly and softly ask, “Master, what is happening to Junior Brother?”
“I don’t know. It looks like Devil’s Practices, but his consciousness is still completely intact. I really don’t understand what is going on with that little brat. He really loves making others worry.” Meng Wu Ya muttered in a depressed tone. Since he came to War City, he had been roped into helping Yang Kai a number of times. Although he kept saying to Yang Kai that he wouldn’t intervene in any way with the Inheritance War, when the latter faced some difficulties, he really had no choice but to step in.
“So is something wrong with him right now?” Xia Ning Chang’s beautiful eyes filled with worry as she anxiously asked.
“He should be fine.” Meng Wu Ya slowly shook his head, his expression becoming a bit profound. “Not only is he alright, judging from his current appearance, it seems like he’s about to break through.”
“Break through?!” Xia Ning Chang exclaimed, her delicate hands covering her small mouth. Looking up at the thick layer of black clouds in the sky and feeling a devastating power condensing within them, she couldn’t help paling slightly, suddenly realizing what was happening, “Master, do you mean to say that this phenomenon was brought about by Junior Brother’s breakthrough?”
“It should be.” Meng Wu Ya was honestly quite shocked as well.
He had neither seen nor heard of any cultivator creating such a massive disturbance when only breaking through to the Immortal Ascension Boundary.
The World Energy gathering in the dark clouds high above were definitely not something an ordinary Immortal Ascension Boundary cultivator could handle. Even Meng Wu Ya, in his current state, wasn’t certain he could withstand it.
“Such a baptism, will Junior Brother be able to endure it?” Xia Ning Chang asked anxiously.
Every time a cultivator breaks through a Great Realm, they will cause some changes in their immediate surroundings, pulling in the nearby World Energy to baptizing their bodies.
During this baptism, a cultivator could rapidly absorb this World Energy to strengthen themselves, but each cultivator had a different aptitude and physique, so the benefits they could harvest from this process would vary greatly.
The better one’s aptitude, and the stronger their physique and the more benefits they could obtain.
When Xia Ning Chang broke through to the Immortal Ascension Boundary, she also experienced this phenomenon, but the amount of World Energy she managed to draw towards herself was less than a tenth of what was now gathering.
This phenomenon could no longer be called a baptism, but instead a disaster!
“It will be up to his fortune!” Meng Wu Ya quickly said, a thick worry also developing on his brow. His treasured apprentice was quite attached to that little bastard, so if he was to encounter any kind of accident, his treasured apprentice would definitely be heartbroken. On top of that, he too was somewhat fond of this little brat, and felt it would be a shame for him to die so young in such an unfortunate circumstance.
[This brat, he’s definitely capable of breaking through this world’s bonds and ascending to a higher realm!]
Meng Wu Ya was quite interested in seeing just how far he could go.
“How could he suddenly try to breakthrough at such a tenuous moment?” Xia Ning Chang said with tears in her eyes. Yang Kai was still in the midst of a battlefield, yet now he also had to worry about this World Energy baptism. If he were to be disturbed in any way, the consequences would be absolutely unimaginable.
“He probably gained some kind of sudden enlightenment during the fight.” Meng Wu Ya sighed. This kind of opportunity was not something that could be sought or controlled. By overcoming some kind of formidable obstacle, Yang Kai had obtained a kind of sublimation. This kind of sudden blessing wasn’t something that could be suppressed. The only option was to go with the flow. Pausing for a moment, Meng Wu Ya calmly said, “Rest assured, if the situation really becomes dangerous, this old master won’t just sit idly by.”
“En.” Xia Ning Chang nodded lightly, her pair of crystal clear eyes staring over towards where Yang Kai stood.
Although the sun had disappeared from War City and it had grown dark, those with strong cultivation were still able to see what was happening.
At the sight, Yang Zhao suddenly realized what was happening, staring towards Yang Kai somewhat oddly as he called out, “Ninth Brother, are you thinking of breaking through right here, right now?”
Yang Kai glanced over at him, took a deep breath, and firmly nodded.
Tang Yu Xian was also quite shocked by this sudden development and couldn’t help feeling a little uneasy.
Yang Zhao laughed snidely as he wore a bitter smile, tightly clenching his fists as he ground his teeth, “Do you think Second Brother is going to let you peacefully break through here?”
“I don’t.” Yang Kai shook his head, “If Second Brother wants to try to stop me, you are welcome to try… as long as you can afford the consequences!”
Yang Zhao’s expression became cold, his eyes slowly filling with dread and hesitation. He couldn’t immediately make up his mind whether to fight with Yang Kai here!
Even with two Blood Warriors on his side, Yang Zhao couldn’t stop Yang Kai from killing Nan Sheng.
At this moment, Yang Kai already possessed such terrifying strength. Once he was allowed to break through to the Immortal Ascension Boundary, he would only become even more powerful. If that were to happen, he may never be able to catch up with him.
Right now was a unique opportunity. If he didn’t seize it, Yang Zhao felt like he would regret it for the rest of his life.
*Hong long long…*
The sound of boring thunder resounded again, causing Yang Kai’s expression to become somewhat strained.
Above his head, the tumbling black clouds slowly swirled and transformed into a great vortex. Following the lines of this, an unstoppable suction emerged from Yang Kai’s body and began swallowing the surrounding World Energy.
Fury, madness, cruelty, blood thirst, murderous intent, all of these malicious auras exploded out from Yang Kai’s position, blanketing the entirety of War City, seemingly transforming it into a hellish purgatory.
Of the tens of thousands of people in War City, more than sixty percent of them suddenly felt their heartbeats accelerate, the hidden dark impulses in their thoughts suddenly surfacing as their temperaments were affected by these evil auras.
A moment later, Yang Kai had risen to a height of several tens of meters and stood perfectly still.
The vortex of black clouds rotating faster and faster.
All of a sudden, a bolt of concentrated dark energy struck towards Yang Kai.
Along with a great shout, Yang Kai’s body seemed to become a bottomless pit, and in the blink of an eye, completely absorbed this bolt of energy.
Yang Zhao’s face went pale with shock!
He hadn’t anticipated that Yang Kai would be able to cope with this mass of World Energy so easily, the hesitation in his eyes suddenly giving way to firmness.
Xiang Chu’s anxious voice called out at this moment, “Second Young Lord, this opportunity will only appear once. It cannot be missed!”
Nan Sheng had died right in front of him and he was certain he would soon follow in his footsteps. However, at this moment, Yang Kai had unexpectedly been thrust into a critical situation where he had no choice but to break through. Suddenly seeing a glimmer of hope to survive, he naturally did everything he could to encourage Yang Zhao to order an attack.
As long as Yang Kai didn’t die, Xiang Chu knew he would die sooner or later. The Yang Family’s Ninth Young Lord was a man of his word.
Moreover, while Yang Kai was making this breakthrough, he would likely not have any energy to spare to deal with him. Realizing all of this clearly, Xiang Chu had not hesitated to call out.
Qiu Yi Meng and the others suddenly showed a nervous look when they realized the change in Yang Zhao’s expression.
Moreover, under the influence of the pervasive malicious intent radiating from Yang Kai, Yang Zhao’s mental state had obviously become somewhat unstable, making it difficult for him to make a rational decision.
He had already been subtly affected.
Both of them were direct descendants of the Yang Family. One was the second oldest while the other was the youngest, yet at this moment, the latter realized his achievements were far less than his little brother’s, inevitably giving birth to some feelings of envy. This negative emotion was then further magnified by the surrounding environment, causing Yang Zhao’s eyes to take on a reddish hue.
“Second Young Lord, his breakthrough will definitely fail if you can disturb him!” Xiang Chu coldly shouted, striking while the iron was hot.
Yang Zhao finally made up his mind and nodded heavily, waving his hand towards the sky as he ruthlessly ordered, “Stop him at any cost!”
The two Blood Warriors beside Yang Zhao both grimaced, showing distressed expressions.
As one of them had said before, everyone from the Blood Warrior Hall was very grateful to Yang Kai. However, at this moment, Yang Zhao had actually ordered them to stop Yang Kai from breaking through. In an instant, they were uncertain about what to do.
Yang Kai was now at a very critical juncture. If he was disturbed and really failed during this promotion process, it was quite possible for him to die, his body and soul both being completely erased. Even if the result wasn’t so extreme, it would at least halt his cultivation at the True Element Boundary Ninth Stage.
How could the two Blood Warriors be willing?
But although they felt disgruntled and disappointed at this course of action, Yang Zhao was still their current master, the Young Lord they had chosen to follow, so they had no choice but to obey his command.
“Since when did this old master not exist?” Old Demon grinned fiercely and let out an evil laugh. Watching this situation develop, Old Demon’s blood had already begun to boil, eager to cause some mayhem. At this moment, seeing Yang Zhao recklessly issue such an order, he joined together with Tang Yu Xian to block the two Blood Warriors.
“Yang Zhao, you’re insane!” Qiu Yi Meng angrily shouted, swiftly signaling to the cultivators behind her and forming a human wall around Yang Kai, vowing to protect his safety.
“Whoever dares to block me dies!” Yang Zhao also issued commands to his allies to launch a comprehensive assault. After having the darkness in his heart amplified, Yang Zhao no longer hesitated.
At the rear of the crowd, Xiang Chu laughed insidiously as he stared towards the seemingly immobile Yang Kai who could only float there to accept the World Energy’s baptism, snickering visibly.
Yang Kai obviously did not miss this, turning his eyes towards him and coldly declaring, “Nan Sheng is dead, you won’t escape either!”
Xiang Chu couldn’t stop himself from stumbling backwards, only stabilizing himself after taking a number of steps, immediately trying to put up a strong front, “Yang Kai, don’t try to frighten me! First cross your current tribulation before trying to talk big!”
The cultivators on both sides had already engaged in a full scale conflict, Old Demon and Tang Yu Xian had joined forces to resist not only the two Blood Warriors around Yang Zhao, but also more than a dozen Immortal Ascension Boundary masters from the latter’s allies.
Although Qiu Yi Meng and Yang Kai’s allies were fewer in number, they had all gathered together around Yang Kai, so they were able to coordinate and assist each other, ensuring they wouldn’t be defeated in short order. The brilliance of various artifacts and Martial Skills suddenly cut through and illuminated the darkness in War City.
Great explosions rang out as an intense battle suddenly erupted!
Inside the tea house, Yang Wei shook his head slowly, “Second Brother has gone too far.”
Liu Qing Yao also nodded lightly. Although the Inheritance War encouraged ruthlessness, this moment was of critical importance to Yang Kai. If an accident were to occur, it would affect things for the rest of his life.
Saying so, Yang Wei quickly stood up and threw off his cloak, revealing his original appearance.
“Does Eldest Young Lord intend to interfere?” Liu Qing Yao narrowed his eyes and faintly asked.
“En.” Yang Wei nodded firmly, “As the Yang Family’s Eldest Young Lord, I must take action!”
After leaving these words, he leapt from the tea house, his guardian Blood Warrior following close behind, and rushed to the battlefield.
Liu Qing Yao suddenly laughed, “Eldest Young Lord, you truly are a man of honour.”
Yang Wei said he was interfering as the Yang Family’s Eldest Young Lord, meaning that this time he would not be acting as a competitor in the Inheritance War, but as a member of the Yang Family.
Yang Wei could have taken this opportunity to mobilize his own allies and attack Yang Kai’s mansion, or join forces with Yang Kai to attack Yang Zhao.
But he did not choose either of these options, obviously he prioritised stabilizing the situation rather than taking advantage of it, a decision Liu Qing Yao deeply respected.
A moment later, Yang Wei arrived nearby Yang Kai’s forces; when Qiu Yi Meng noticed him, she immediately became alert as she loudly challenged, “What is Eldest Young Lord’s purpose in coming here?”
Seeing the suspicion and concern in her eyes, Yang Wei said nothing and simply nodded towards his guardian Blood Warrior, the latter charging straight into Yang Zhao’s lines, sending the already superheated battlefield further into chaos.
Witnessing this, Qiu Yi Meng couldn’t help blushing slightly as she respectfully called out, “Many thanks Eldest Young Lord for your assistance!”
Yang Wei simply nodded before stepping back, indicating he had no other intentions here.
This scene was also clearly seen by Yang Kai, causing him to feel slightly heartened. Nodding gratefully to his big brother, the two brothers only exchanging a silent glance with no need for superfluous words.
Down below, Xiang Chu continuously incited conflict while doing his best to taunt Yang Kai, hoping to interfere with his state of mind.
He didn’t dare to rush up and face him head on so he could only use this despicable method to vent his hatred and cover his fear. Right now, his only wish was to disturb Yang Kai’s focus and cause his breakthrough to fail.
Everyone on Yang Kai’s side wore angry expressions as they listened to Xiang Chu’s stream of foul language, but no one had any spare capacity to shut him up, only further emboldening him.
Glaring at Xiang Chu menacingly, Yang Kai suddenly reached out and summoned a small doll with light blue hair into his hand, flicking its forehead with his finger a few times.
In the distance, among the spectating crowds, a seemingly petite woman wrapped in a black robe suddenly called out in pain, covering her forehead with her two delicate hands as she resentfully stared up into the sky.
On the other end of her gaze, she saw Yang Kai bend his fingers again.
Not daring to delay any longer, the woman shot up into the air and loudly shouted, “I’m here already, don’t flick it!”
Yang Kai’s movements stopped when he heard this ire filled voice.
Seeing him no longer preparing to flick the doll’s forehead, Shui Ling let out a sigh of relief before directing a sullen look towards Yang Kai, grinding her teeth as she spat, “What the hell do you want?”
“Help me this time and this thing is yours!” Yang Kai shouted as he lifted the little doll, seemingly enduring great pressure as he spoke.
“Really?” Shui Ling was suddenly overjoyed, her eyes shifting back and forth between the doll and Yang Kai’s face, clearly filled with anticipation.
Seeing her expression, Yang Kai tossed the doll made from her hair to Shui Ling, who reflexively grabbed it, tightly holding on to it like a precious treasure, unable to stop herself from laughing happily.
Since enduring the torture of this Soul Binding Curse, Shui Ling had hated this little doll to the extreme and had spent every waking moment imaging how she would steal it from Yang Kai and regain her freedom.
In order to facilitate this, she had remained in War City and secretly looked for opportunities.
But after such a long time, no such change appeared as she did not dare to easily set foot in Yang Kai’s mansion, but all of sudden she had easily obtained the prized object she had even dreamed of.
Shui Ling suddenly felt that the invisible layer of shackles which bound her disappear, the link between her and the little doll vanishing. At this moment she was once again free!
Solemnly putting the doll into her pocket, patting it lightly to make sure it was secure, Shui Ling then calmed down and turned her eyes curiously towards Yang Kai and sneered, “Aren’t you afraid that I’ll just take this thing and run?”
“Feel free! Even without your help I’ll be fine, but remember that those who dare betray me never have good ends.” Yang Kai coldly snorted.
Shui Ling spat disdainfully and snorted, “Even at such a time, you’re still trying to talk big, hmph!”
Though she said that, after a short pause, she continued, “But you’re in luck, you haven’t seen wrong. This girl is not the kind of person who doesn’t pay her debts.”
Although Yang Kai had tortured her that night, he had still been quite calculative as he did so. He had only let her feel some pain and never actually wounded her. Moreover, even after such a long time, Yang Kai had never used the little doll to embarrass or coerce her. If he had wanted to shame or disgrace her, Shui Ling knew she wouldn’t be able to resist.
Over time, Shui Ling realized that this man wasn’t a despicable villain, his only motive in controlling her was because he was truly afraid of her.
“Tell me, what do you want me to do?” Shui Ling asked.
“Capture that man for me.”
Yang Kai stared towards Xiang Chu in the distance.
“A simple matter.” Shui Ling snorted pridefully and flicked her wrist, a nearly transparent stream of water suddenly shooting out from her hand. This stream of water was like a sentient rope, bypassing the chaotic crowd and honing in on its target, instantly wrapping up the still cursing Xiang Chu.
Xiang Chu was shocked and immediately pushed his True Qi in order to resist, but against the methods of an elite Immortal Ascension Boundary Eighth Stage cultivator, what could Xiang Chu’s resistance possibly achieve?
No matter how hard he tried, the stream of water binding him didn’t budge.
“Come here!” Shui Ling let out a light shout and gave the water rope a tug, the panicked Xiang Chu quickly being dragged in front of her.
“Stop struggling, or else!” Shui Ling frowned as she lightly snorted, hitting Xiang Chu’s shoulder before casually tossing him to Yang Kai like she was tossing away a piece of garbage, the whole sequence of events really just a simple matter for her.
Seeing Yang Kai’s cold indifferent face up close, all the colour drained from Xiang Chu’s face as he hurriedly shouting, “Ninth Young Lord, forgive me!”
Yang Kai sneered, “Trying to repent now? Too late!”
*Shi…*
From the dark clouds covering the sky, a tremendous bolt of energy fell onto Yang Kai. Under this raging torrent of World Energy, Xiang Chu, who was in close proximity to Yang Kai, had his True Qi sealed, and was place directly under this bolt of energy. Once it hit, Xiang Chu’s figure quickly swelling up as his skin started to show cracks on it. The damage was so large that his eyes started to bulge out and all of his flesh peeled from his bones. However, this gruesome scene was only on display for a split second.
*Hulala…*
With a muffled bang, Xiang Chu exploded into a bloody fog, with not even his bones remaining.
The fierce battlefield suddenly stopped for a moment and everyone stared incredulously at the bloody cloud drifting through the air, all of them seemingly stunned that the Young Lord of the Xiang Family would die so miserably.
Nan Sheng had been killed first, and now Xiang Chu had died without any hope of burial. Yang Kai… he really did what he said he would.
Even Yang Zhao couldn’t protect these two people.
“All our debts have been cleared.” Shui Ling said triumphantly to Yang Kai, the latter simply nodding before slowly closing his eyes. His breakthrough was fast approaching and he no longer had time to pay attention to outside affairs. At this moment, he could only focus on fully withstanding the World Energy baptism while waiting for the opportunity to open his Knowledge Sea and officially enter the Immortal Ascension Boundary.
After Xiang Chu was murdered, the devastating energy contained in the dark clouds seemed to become completely active. One bolt of energy after another streamed towards Yang Kai in a neverending torrent, causing the heartbeats of everyone present to race, wondering whether or not the Yang Family’s youngest Young Lord would be reborn from this baptism or forever destroyed.
Yang Zhao stared up into the sky gloomily and yelled, “Big Brother, does this mean you are standing on Ninth Brother’s side?”
Yang Wei shook his head and said flatly, “Big Brother is not taking Ninth Brother’s side. It is Second Brother who is taking things too far. Come to your senses and think about what you are doing right now!”
“In order to win the Inheritance War, any method may be used. I certainly know what I am doing!” Yang Zhao coldly snorted.
Yang Wei’s expression dimmed slightly and sighed, “You wanting to protect Nan Sheng and Xiang Chu from Ninth Brother, Big brother had nothing to say, but you trying to stifle Ninth Brother’s future achievements, Big Brother can’t just stand by and feign ignorance… If the situation was reversed, I’m certain Ninth Brother wouldn’t disturb Second Brother’s breakthrough to the next Great Realm.”
Like he had been struck by lightning, Yang Zhao was stunned, his face blushing with embarrassment and his expression twisting painfully, but soon this was replaced by his previous ruthlessness, mixed with a trace of madness.
Right now, he was unable to stabilize his mood.
If he was completely sober, he may be able to realize the folly of his actions, but as of this moment the only thought in his mind was of defeating Yang Kai.
*Hong…*
As the two brothers spoke, a great bang suddenly resounded, and with this thunderous noise, an even thicker and more insidious Demonic Qi began spreading out from Yang Kai’s body.
Affected by this aura, all the cultivators present, including those who had reached the Immortal Ascension Boundary, found it difficult to suppress the evil in their hearts.
Only Old Demon laughed happily. Amidst this rich Demonic Qi, his power even seemed to rise a bit.
“What exactly is happening with this little brat?” In the distance, Meng Wu Ya’s expression was dignified as he muttered to himself.
He couldn’t understand how Yang Kai had so much Demonic Qi in his body, where had his previous True Yang Yuan Qi gone? That should be the nemesis of Demonic Qi.
“Is there any danger, Master?” Xia Ning Chang said anxiously. Even so far away she had received some of the Demonic Qi’s affect, but the pale blue gem on her forehead was emitting a soft glow that seemed to dispel the darkness around her.
“I don’t know.” Meng Wu Ya was also at a loss. “His consciousness should be completely immersed in his mind so he had no way to control the burst of energy coming from his body.”
This breakthrough was different from all previous breakthroughs. When a cultivator promoted to the Immortal Ascension Boundary, rather than a change in their True Qi, the primary focus was the opening of their Knowledge Sea.
Right now, Yang Kai’s consciousness was definitely focused inwards so it was likely he wasn’t paying any attention to his physical body, resulting in him losing control of the Demonic Qi within him, wantonly releasing it into his surroundings.
“The situation is becoming worse.” Seeing that the battle becoming more and more violent, Meng Wu Ya’s face showed deep concern. He was not worried about whether Yang Kai could safely pass this trial, but rather what would happen to the people in War City who were affected by this evil force.
If tens of thousands of people in War City had their minds corrupted because of Yang Kai’s breakthrough, he would become a great sinner.
Spreading his Divine Sense out, Meng Wu Ya’s face only became darker and darker.
He noticed that various disputes and even some battles had broken out throughout War City. These people had nothing to do with the Inheritance War, but after the Demonic Qi from Yang Kai’s body had stimulated their evil impulses they had slowly lost control of their emotions, turning small grievances and arguments into full on conflicts.
At this moment, the entire city was devolving into a battlefield with swords being drawn and blood being spilled in various places.
And as time passed, things were only getting worse. Unless Yang Kai could take back this Demonic Qi into his body, the situation would become irreparable!
The breakthrough of a single person actually affected an entire city, it was like a myth from ancient times. Meng Wu Ya couldn’t conceal his shock.
Suddenly, his expression changed as he quickly stared towards the center of War City and sighed, “It’s finally alarmed them.”
“Alarmed who?” Xia Ning Chang asked anxiously.
“Those old ghosts.” Meng Wu Ya took a deep breath and said, “You go back to the house first. I’m afraid things are about to become unsafe.”
“I don’t want to go back…” Xia Ning Chang shook her head frantically as she stared towards Yang Kai in the distance, “Junior Brother is still there.”
“Go back,” Meng Wu Ya gently comforted, “Don’t worry, I will bring Yang Kai back safely.”
Xia Ning Chang hesitated for a while before reluctantly nodding, “Master, if you can’t bring him back, then disciple will also die.”
After leaving these ominous words, Xia Ning Chang turned around and rushed towards Yang Kai’s mansion.
She knew that she could do nothing to help Yang Kai in this situation and if she insisted on going she would only become a burden to her master, so she obediently returned.
Looking at the quickly fading back of his treasured apprentice, Meng Wu Ya smiled bitterly, really wondering what debt he owed to Yang Kai in his previous life that kept forcing him to help him.
Staring across the distance and seeing eight figures flying towards Yang Kai, Meng Wu Ya sighed and began striding forward.
These eight figures were the Eight Great Families’ Above Immortal Ascension Boundary masters that had been deployed to War City. All of them were over a hundred years old and would normally sit in the Seal Temple, ignoring all worldly affairs. Earlier today, they had not paid any attention to this conflict. Even if Yang Zhao and Yang Kai killed on another, they would not interfere.
But now, they couldn’t sit still any longer.
All of War City was blanketed by Demonic Qi, and everyone was slowly being affected, forcing them to step forward to deal with the matter.
The expressions on these eight people’s faces were indifferent, some of them even showing some slight displeasure at being disturbed by Yang Kai.
Rapidly reaching Yang Kai’s position, the eight masters came to a halt.
No one had noticed the approach of these eight old men, so when they suddenly appeared, everyone was caught off guard.
“Enough!” Yang Li Ting snorted. Yang Zhao and Yang Kai’s allies, who were fiercely attacking each other, immediately paused, as if this word contained some kind of magic which could forcibly stop their movements.
Yang Wei quickly recovered and hurriedly cupped his fists, “Greeting eight Seniors!”
Yang Zhao, whose eyes were still red, also quickly adjusted his expression, wearing a respectful face and doing the same.
In front of these eight old men, he didn’t dare show any disrespect.
Liu Qing Yao in the nearby tea house also quickly rushed over and politely bowed.
Everyone suddenly became quite respectful.
Yang Li Ting shot a faint glanced towards Yang Zhao, his face still indifferent as he raised his hand and sent a burst of energy towards him.
Under the influence of this energy, Yang Zhao’s eyes immediately restored their former clarity. Blankly staring at the chaos in front of him, he recalled each of his own orders and actions, beads of sweat filling his forehead.
After being shaken away, he finally regained his sanity.
“Unable to bear a trivial bit of Demonic Qi, you think you are qualified to be a child of the Yang Family with such weak mental strength?” Yang Li Ting spat.
Yang Zhao immediately paled, deeply lowering his head and cupping his fists, “Junior has disappointed Grand Elder.”
Yang Li Ting snorted and no longer paid any attention to him, causing Yang Zhao to further criticize himself. This kind of blatant disregard deeply wounded his pride, and he couldn’t help thinking that he really was worse than his Ninth Brother.
As this thought flashed across his mind, he quickly dispelled it, afraid he would be affected by his negative mood again. If that were to really happen, his very future in the Yang Family might become uncertain.
“You’re not bad.” Yang Li Ting took a look at Yang Wei and nodded gently.
Yang Wei was slightly surprised and quickly replied, “Grand Elder is too kind.”
Yang Zhao was influenced by the Demonic Qi while Yang Wei was able to firmly maintain his heart, this earned Yang Li Ting’s approval.
“This little girl is also not bad.” A slightly fat old man looked at Qiu Yi Meng and laughed. She was also one of the few people who wasn’t affected by Yang Kai.
“Of course my Qiu Family people are good.” Qiu Dao Ren’s face showed a hint of pride; Qiu Yi Meng’s performance had also made him quite satisfied.
“Greetings Grand Elder.” Qiu Yi Meng stepped forward and immediately asked, “May Junior inquire as to eight Seniors’ purpose in arriving here?”
As she spoke, her expression filled with nervous colour. These eight old men had never once appeared in public during the course of the Inheritance War and normally wouldn’t pay any attention to worldly affairs, so them suddenly appearing now was clearly because of Yang Kai’s current state.
Right now, Yang Kai’s situation was troubling. The Eight Great Families and the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land had many deep seeded grievances, especially those of the older generation, they abhorred anything to do with the Devil’s Path and all those who cultivated it, so under these circumstances, how could Qiu Yi Meng not be worried?
Qiu Dao Ren smiled temperately as he replied, “If you want to know, you should ask Brother Yang. All of this was caused by a member of the Yang Family.”
Qiu Yi Meng immediately turned her attention to Yang Li Ting.
The latter didn’t say a word though, instead just staring at Yang Kai who was still enduring the World Energy baptism, his expression gradually becoming cold.
Qiu Yi Meng couldn’t help her heart from clenching, a feeling of uneasiness growing within her.
Yang Li Ting’s expression clearly showed his dissatisfaction, but Yang Kai was still a member of the Yang Family, his descendant. If it was anyone else, Yang Li Ting would probably have already killed him.
“Old man, just sit back and watch. Don’t get any ideas about my Young Master, or this old master will be impolite!” Old Demon grinned and yelled at Yang Li ting, seemingly ignorant of life and death.
Everyone’s expression suddenly became strange.
Someone actually dared act arrogantly in front of an Above Immortal Ascension Boundary master!
When they heard Old Demon, all eight Grand Elders turned their heads at the same time, their Divine Senses instantly locking onto Old Demon, who in response violently pushed his own Devil Qi, coordinating with the evil energy Yang Kai was releasing, giving everyone the impression that a battle was about to break out.
“His Evil Cultivation Technique, was it taught by you?” Yang Li Ting casually asked, obviously not putting Old Demon in his eyes.
“Heh heh, about that, you’re wrong.” Old Demon slowly shook his head, not a trace of fear apparent on his face, “This old master doesn’t have the qualifications to teach Young Master, all of this is a result of his own cultivation. It is your Yang Family’s blessing to have someone like Young Master, you should cherish him. Your family’s future will definitely depend on Young Master.”
Old Demon had loudly and unhesitantly reproved the Eight Great Family’s Above Immortal Ascension Boundary masters, causing everyone to stare at him in shock.
“Ridiculous!” Yang Li Ting coldly snorted and waved his hand.
Facing this palm strike, Old Demon couldn’t help his knees from bending slightly, almost falling to the ground, but he somehow managed to hold himself upright. On the other hand, the Blood Demon Puppet that was close by exploded into a blood fog, even its bones disintegrating.
Old Demon’s eyes suddenly flashed a cold light as he glared at Yang Li Ting.
“Hm?” The eight Absolute Immortal Ascension Boundary masters all wrinkled their brows, none of them having thought Old Demon could withstand even this strike. Even though Yang Li Ting hadn’t used all of his strength, this strike wasn’t something an ordinary Peak Immortal Ascension cultivator could resist. At the very least, his bones should have broken and he should have vomited blood as he knelt on the ground.
However, Old Demon had only stumbled slightly. This was not something an Immortal Ascension masters should be capable of.
Although Yang Li Ting was quite annoyed with Old Demon, he was still one of this world’s peak characters. Since he had failed to make the latter kneel with a single strike, continuing to attack would only cause him to lose face, so he just coldly snorted and ignored him.
Seeing this, Old Demon laughed lowly, his aura becoming dangerous as he continued staring at Yang Li Ting.
His Blood Demon Puppet wasn’t easy to refine, so seeing it vaporized by Yang Li Ting naturally caused him to be annoyed.
But considering Yang Kai’s current condition and the general situation, Old Demon could only choke down his anger, not daring to start an unnecessary fight.
“Senior Yang…” Qiu Yi Meng cautiously called out, her heart filled with uneasy and her mouth feeling parched, “Yang Kai is currently breaking through. If you have any instructions for him, could you perhaps tell this junior? Junior will definitely convey your words for you!”
She already had an idea about what Yang Li Ting’s thoughts were in her heart, but she couldn’t confirm them so the best she could do was use this kind of rhetoric to gain some time for Yang Kai, hoping Yang Li Ting would place more emphasis on family relations and allow this incident to pass.
Unfortunately, Yang Li Ting didn’t even bother to respond to her, his eyes were completely focused on Yang Kai, who was still accepting the World Qi baptism. The only thing Qiu Yi Meng could understand was his gradually sinking expression.
The evil energy in the Unyielding Golden Skeleton had been pouring out without pause since Yang Kai’s consciousness had been submerged into his mind. At this time, there was no sign of the Demonic Qi converging; in fact, it was expanding instead.
Yang Li Ting’s brow wrinkled, and the other seven Above Immortal Ascension Boundary master’s faces weren’t very attractive either.
“Brother Yang, this kid seems to be consumed by the Devil’s Practices!” The fat old man sighed, “It’s a pity that such a good seedling has fallen onto the wrong path.”
He had already tried to convince Yang Li Ting to come forward and help Yang Kai suppress this Demonic Qi, but Yang Li Ting hadn’t listened, delaying until things had gone beyond the point of no return.
“Just how can there be so much Demonic Qi in his body?” Another of the old men frowned, voicing his greatest doubt.
It was impossible for a True Element Boundary Ninth Stage cultivator to have so much True Qi, his dantian and meridian weren’t bottomless pits after all. Yet the amount of energy Yang Kai had already released was almost the equivalent of a Peak Immortal Ascension Boundary master’s entire reserve, and he showed no signs that this was his limit.
“It seems like he has been practicing this Evil Cultivation Technique for quite some time.” One old man added, turning his head and staring at Yang Li Ting, “Brother Yang, what the hell are you going to do? Hurry up and make up your mind. If you simply allow him to continue like this, the tens of thousands of people in War City will fall onto the Devil’s Path. Although he is a member of your Yang Family, such a loss of life is still unacceptable.”
“Don’t presume to lecture me!” Yang Li Ting coldly snorted, seemingly having reached a decision.
“Senior, what are you planning to do?” Qiu Yi Meng quickly stepped forward, the unease in her heart rapidly intensifying as she asked.
Qiu Dao Ren wrinkled his brow and slowly extended his hand. Qiu Yi Meng suddenly felt like she had been bound by an invisible force and was swiftly pulled to Qiu Dao Ren’s side.
“Grand Elder…” Qiu Yi Meng’s beautiful face paled.
“This is a Yang Family matter, don’t interrupt!” Qiu Dao Ren slowly shook his head and tapped Qiu Yi Meng’s body, locking her in place, unable to move. Qiu Yi Meng couldn’t even open her mouth, only able to passively observe, her eyes filling with anxiety and helplessness.
“You shut up too, you damn brat!” The Above Immortal Ascension Boundary master from the Huo Family shouted towards Huo Xing Chen who he saw was about to speak up, quickly imprisoning him and pulling him over to his side.
Experiencing this, Huo Xing Chen couldn’t help rolling his eyes.
The two Eight Great Families’ descendants had lost their ability to speak instantly, causing everyone else present to immediately realize how dire the situation had become.
These eight people obviously wanted to do something about Yang Kai, otherwise they would never have taken such overt action.
“Brother Yang, before it’s too late, you must act.” One of the old men said with some impatience. Normally they sat in the Seal Temple and only attended to their own cultivation, hoping to enlighten themselves and reach a step further while they still lived, but today, because of the disturbance caused by Yang Kai, they were forced to appear, naturally some of them were disgruntled.
Not everyone was like the fat old man who sympathized with the experience of Yang Kai and felt sorry about his wasted potential.
Yang Li Ting nodded lightly and glanced at the various younger generation leaders who gathered around Yang Kai and said, “Stand aside!”
At this critical juncture though, Dong Qing Han, although clearly nervous, still stood his ground firmly in front of Yang Kai, asking in a neither humble nor flurried manner, “About Senior’s intentions, could you please explain to this junior?”
The Hu Sister also immediately stepped forward and stood beside Dong Qing Han, staring seriously at Yang Li Ting.
The four girls of Ten Thousand Flower Palace, Luo Xiao Man of Purple Fern Valley, Zuo Fang of Pure Heart Palace, Chu Jing Shan of Soaring Feather Pavilion, the five Immortal Ascension Boundary of the Duan Mu Family…
Everyone came forward and lined up.
The eight Above Immortal Ascension Boundary masters all couldn’t help feeling shocked, none of them had imagined that Yang Kai’s charm would be so great, even in this kind of situation there were still people who dared to defend for him.
They also faintly realized that if Qiu Yi Meng and Huo Xing Chen weren’t being detained by their family’s Grand Elders they would also be standing against them, perhaps even taking the lead roles.
Yang Li Ting didn’t show any emotion, simply nodding and patiently saying, “I intend to stop him from break through!”
Hearing this, everyone paled. Dong Qing Han sharply asking, “Why?”
If Yang Kai’s breakthrough was forcibly stopped here, his cultivation might be destroyed, causing him to degenerate into an ordinary mortal. Falling from the clouds to the bottom of the world, such a blow, it was likely no one could withstand it.
Yang Li Ting remained indifferent as he slowly shook his head, “He has been consumed by the Devil’s Practices, once he breaks through to the Immortal Ascension Boundary, he will no longer be the person you once knew.” As he spoke, he pointed his finger at Old Demon and continued, “My Eight Great Families and the wicked demons of this world are mortal enemies, and no such heretic can be allowed to emerge from our families!”
“Isn’t that just Senior’s speculation?” Dong Qing Han frowned, not backing down.
Being repeatedly questioned, and by a junior no less, Yang Li Ting suddenly became unhappy, coldly snorting, “This is the experience of we old masters. We have witnessed such things happen many times before!”
Among the Eight Great Families, it was not like no one had ever studied an Evil Cultivation Technique, but every such person, with the increase in their strength, would gradually experience changes in their personality, leaning more and more towards violent, bloodthirsty, and wicked means. Any such character that appeared would be directly executed or wasted in order to avoid future disasters.
“Just because it has happened before doesn’t mean it will happen this time too!” Dong Qing Han’s emotions were clearly boiling, for such an arbitrary reason, these eight old men actually wanted to stifle Yang Kai at this crucial moment?
He couldn’t accept it!
“This old master won’t debate theory with you; you’re not qualified to question my judgement!” Yang Li Ting’s patience had reached its limit, the only reason he had even bothered explaining just now was because he respected the loyalty these people had shown Yang Kai.
But now a group of little brats actually dared run their mouths off in front of him, delaying him from cleaning up the stain on his family’s honour, how could Yang Li Ting not become angry?
“Junior firmly believes that Brother Yang Kai will control his own heart and will not fall onto the Devil’s Path!” Dong Qing Han shouted.
“We also believe in him!” The Hu Sisters echoed immediately.
“We too believe…” One after another, voice after voice rang out, garnering the respect and admiration of all those who were spectating.
Even Yang Zhao felt a deep sense of inferiority at this moment.
The number of forces he had gathered numbered several times that of Yang Kai’s! However, Yang Zhao felt like if it was instead him in Yang Kai’s position at this moment, those who had gathered around him would not be nearly as determined to shelter him as Dong Qing Han, the Hu Sisters, and all of Yang Kai’s other allies.
The relationship between him and his allies was only one of mutual interests.
On the other hand, those who were supporting Ninth Brother seemed to be doing so out of pure sincerity, true friends who would not abandon him even in such unfavourable circumstances.
Having this awareness forces upon him, Yang Zhao’s mouth twisted into a bitter grin, glancing over at the unconscious Yang Kai wrapped in Demonic Qi, his eyes flashing an envious look.
He too wished to have such comrades.
Even Yang Wei frowned and began to speak, “Grand Elder, just now, even though Ninth Brother was engulfed by Demonic Qi, this junior personally saw that his consciousness was clear and his demeanor hadn’t changed, perhaps…”
“This is not a place where you may speak!” Yang Li Ting bluntly said.
“Yes.” Yang Wei helplessly retreated and kept his silence.
“If Senior wants to stop Brother Yang Kai’s breakthrough, then he will have to pass us first!” Dong Qing Han took a deep breath and firmly declared, making the strength of his resolve known.
Although he was the only one who spoke, all of Yang Kai’s allies wore expressions that silently made their thoughts known.
Even though she couldn’t move or speak, tears still began forming in Qiu Yi Meng’s pair of beautiful eyes as she witnessed this moving scene.
Huo Xing Chen also felt an inexplicable sense of pride as his blood seemed to boil.
In a situation that could only be described as a mantis trying to stop a runaway cart, such steadfast resolve and willingness to sacrifice had greatly moved the Huo Family Young Lord. He only wished he too could stand there alongside these people and passionately declares his fearlessness in the face of certain death.
Just thinking about not being able to step forward to join these allies of his, the Huo Family Young Lord suddenly felt a deep sense of guilt.
“With just you?” Yang Li Ting slowly shook his head, his expression cold and indifferent.
He was an Above Immortal Ascension Boundary master. Although there were quite a few people standing in his way, them trying to block his path was nothing but a fantasy.
“If they aren’t enough, then what if you add us as well?” A loud voice rang out and with a burst of wind, seven figures quickly flew over.
*Hong hong hong hong…*
Seven people fell like meteors from the sky, stirring up a violent storm upon their landing, forming a line in front of Dong Qing Han and the others.
Seeing these seven new figures, Dong Qing Han’s eyes brightened, the tightness he felt in his chest relaxing somewhat.
These seven people were none of than the seven Blood Warriors who had been forbidden from participating in the Inheritance War but who had still pledged loyalty to Yang Kai!
Tu Feng, Qu Gao Yi, Xiao Shun, Luo Hai, Yan Ling Xing, Wu Ju, and Fu Cong had all come.
The arrival of these seven Blood Warriors allowed Dong Qing Han and Yang Kai’s other allies to relax somewhat.
Confronting the Eight Great Families’ Above Immortal Ascension Boundary masters with only a few members of the younger generation, they were obviously scared, but with these seven masters taking a stand they finally felt like they had some capital with which to put up a resistance.
Tang Yu Xian swiftly arrived by Tu Feng’s side.
Besides Ying Jiu, who was missing at the moment, the remaining eight Blood Warriors had all gathered here! Even though they were facing eight Above Immortal Ascension Boundary masters, they showed no fear.
Eight versus eight!
Although the numbers were equal, their gap in strength was still vast.
On one side were Grand Elders from the Eight Great Families, true pinnacle existences.
On the other side, of the eight Blood Warriors present, only four had reached the Immortal Ascension Boundary Ninth Stages the other four were still at the Eighth Stages.
“Mad Tyrant Blood Skill!” The moment Tu Feng and the other Blood Warriors arrived, they didn’t hesitate to directly display their trump card. Violent energy fluctuations immediately bursting from their bodies as their complexions turned a light red, each of their Blood Forces rapidly intensifying.
Yang Zhao and the cultivators down below who were observing were dumbfounded.
Seven Blood Warriors used their Mad Tyrant Blood Skill simultaneously, who among them had ever witnessed such a magnificent display?
Blood Warriors were synonymous with the word ‘strong’, each one of them was essentially invincible among their peers, even capable of defeating opponents with higher cultivations than themselves, and the Mad Tyrant Blood Skill was their ultimate technique which normally would only be used under extreme circumstances.
It could be said that seeing a Blood Warrior activate their Mad Tyrant Blood Skill was already a rare event, but now, seven of them had actually done so simultaneously.
The momentum emanating from these seven suddenly displaying this forbidden technique threw War City further into chaos.
Even the eight Above Immortal Ascension Boundary old men were slightly surprised, none of them having anticipated this turn of events.
“Impudence!” Yang Li Ting roared, “Have you all forgotten your identities?”
“Grand Elder, pardon our offence!” Tu Feng’s face turned red as his Blood Force soared, respectfully replying, “Although you are a Grand Elder of the Yang Family, and we are all Blood Warriors of the Yang Family, since the Elder Hall issued a decree that we are to serve the Little Lord, then it is natural for us to protect him in his moment of need.”
“In your eyes, is his safety more important than the family’s honour?” Yang Li Ting asked coldly.
In response, the Eight Blood Warriors immediately nodded, Tang Yu Xian vocalizing their thoughts, “Grand Elder, in accordance with the decree of the Elder Hall, we are now only loyal to the Little Lord. Therefore, his safety is obviously more important than the family’s honor. If something were to happen to him and we stood by and did nothing, we would be guilty of an unforgivable sin. As such, we must offend you today. We only hope that Grand Elder can understand!”
“How dare you!?” Yang Li Ting was very angry as he roared with dissatisfaction, his face slightly twitching. With his status and strength, no one had ever dared to disobey him. The Yang Family Blood Warriors were a golden symbol of the Yang Family, synonymous with loyalty, yet today eight Blood Warriors, who had always been hailed as the right arm of the Yang Family, were willing to fight against him even if it cost them their lives!
Not only so, they had openly declared their intentions in full view of the public; Yang Li Ting suddenly felt like his authority and majesty had been tarnished.
“Foolishness!” The old man who had previously been goading Yang Li Ting into acting coldly snorted, seemingly quite disgruntled with the attitudes of these Blood Warriors; in his view, the masters of the Yang Family Blood Warrior Hall were supposed to be strong and loyal, yet in this situation they seemed more akin to stubborn idiots.
“We have no intentions of acting disrespectfully, but if Seniors wish to act against the Little Lord, we will stop you!” Tu Feng stared at the eight old men in front of him and shook his head slowly.
“Even with the eight of you together is not qualified to stop this Elder!” Yang Li Ting declared forcefully, seemingly determined to wipe clean the disgrace from the Yang Family’s honour, no matter who opposed him.
“What if you count this old master as well?” A calm voice suddenly resounded, seemingly passing from far away yet simultaneously right next to everyone’s ear.
Hearing this voice, the Eight Immortal Ascension Boundary couldn’t help turning their heads and staring towards the source of the sound.
Through the darkness, they seemed to see a person casually strolling through the air, almost like he was out for a relaxing walk, his expression the epitome of calm.
He didn’t seem to be moving very fast, but in only three of his light steps, he had already arrived directly in front of them and whether it was intentional or unintentional, the position he stood at was slightly higher than the eight Above Immortal Ascension Boundary masters.
Floating there, his expression remained tranquil and temperate, as if looking down at these eight peak masters was only natural.
Yang Li Ting and the other Grand Elders all wore serious expressions as they stared back at Meng Wu Ya, their brows gradually furrowing.
Although the person in front of them only had a Peak Immortal Ascension Boundary cultivation, all eight of them felt he was not simple. Even the steps he had taken in order to arrive here seemed to contain a profound mystery to them.
This mystical feeling was difficult for even the eight of them to see through, much less comprehend.
How could a cultivator at the Peak Immortal Ascension Boundary have such a deep understanding of the Martial Dao? Each of the Grand Elders couldn’t help feeling shocked.
The eight old men were well aware of the existence of Meng Wu Ya; after all, he had come to War City quite some time ago, but the only other thing they knew about him was that he seemed content to focus on his cultivation and didn’t interfere unless absolutely necessary.
All of them had thought he was just an ordinary Peak Immortal Ascension Boundary cultivator.
But now, the eight Above Immortal Ascension masters realized that this Peak Immortal Ascension Boundary was not ordinary.
Facing him, even a character like Yang Li Ting felt a sense of crisis and pressure from the bottom of his heart, his instincts screaming to him that, alone, he was not worthy to be this old man’s opponent.
“There’s also this old master!” Another voice rang out, this time; the Eight Great Families’ Above Immortal Ascension Boundary masters were unable to hide their surprise.
They still knew about Meng Wu Ya, after all, the eight of them would regularly scan every corner of War City with their powerful Divine Senses and had naturally detected his aura.
However, this newcomer who had just spoke seemed to have appeared out of thin air. Not the slightest bit of his aura had been exposed. If he hadn’t taken the initiative to show himself, the eight Grand Elders likely would never have noticed him.
Being able to completely hide from their perceptions, there was no need to speculate about this person’s cultivation.
An Above Immortal Ascension Boundary master! Only someone at the Above Immortal Ascension Boundary could do this!
A master at the Above Immortal Ascension Boundary had actually hidden all this time inside War City.
If this man had any malicious designs towards the younger generation members gathered in War City, the consequences were something the eight Grand Elders all instantly sweat.
Fortunately, he seemed to have no malicious intentions.
Looking towards the source of this new voice, the eight Grand Elders saw an old man with a pure white beard and a scholarly temperament walking towards them from the distance just as Meng Wu Ya had, causing no small disturbance in their hearts.
What concerned the eight Grand Elders the most was that this newcomer’s steps seemed to contain the same mysticism as Meng Wu Ya’s, though not as profound.
The man came to a stop a dozen or so steps away from Meng Wu Ya and smiled towards him. Treasurer Meng smiled back at him wryly as he shook his head, “I already knew you were in War City. Could you not resist coming forward at last?”
The old man chuckled lightly and apologized, “Many thanks Brother Meng. This time I’ve had to bother you with these issues as it wasn’t convenient for me to appear.”
“I know.” Meng Wu Ya nodded slightly.
“I also want to sincerely thank Brother Meng for discussing the Martial Dao with me for so many years. Ever since I broke through, the many questions I have not been able to understand have been cleared as though I receive enlightenment.”
“No need.” Meng Wu Ya smiled temperately, “Between the two of us, there’s no need to be polite!”
Seeing these two old men completely disregard them and instead hold their own mini reunion, casually chatting with one another, the Eight Great Families’ Above Immortal Ascension Boundary masters’ faces suddenly became somewhat ugly.
This kind of behaviour clearly indicated that these two didn’t put them in their eyes.
Although in their hearts they felt annoyed, from this short conversation between the two, the eight old men also heard something unusual.
These two should be old acquaintances, likely friends, but the Above Immortal Ascension Boundary master actually seemed to act polite and respectful towards Meng Wu Ya, as if the latter was the Senior rather than the Junior.
What exactly was happening? Was Meng Wu Ya really the greater expert? What qualifications and skills does he have that allowed him to discuss the Martial Dao with the former, even causing him to sincerely thank him for his guidance?
On top of that, Meng Wu Ya had essentially taken this thanks for granted, as if this was the way things should be.
All eight Grand Elders couldn’t help feeling confused.
“May we know two sir’s names?” Qiu Dao Ren asked with a solemn expression.
Although they had determined that these two people didn’t have any malicious intentions here and had only appeared to protect Yang Kai, but facing such powerful masters, they also wanted to know their identities and background.
Meng Wu Ya smiled and replied, “High Heaven Pavilion Contribution Hall Treasurer, Meng Wu Ya!”
This self-introduction made the faces of all those who did not know Meng Wu Ya cramp up.
Contribution Hall Treasurer… A trivial shopkeeper actually possessed such profound momentum and cultivation. Was High Heaven Pavilion truly a Sect filled with hidden dragons and the crouching tigers?
“And you?” Taking a deep breath, Qiu Dao Ren turned his attention to the other old man.
In response, the man nodded lightly, “High Heaven Pavilion Sect Master, Ling Tai Xu!”
The expressions of the Above Immortal Ascension Boundary masters from the Eight Great Families all changed radically at this name!
High Heaven Pavilion Sect Master, Ling Tai Xu!
This man was born into a trivial second-class Sect, but was still able to break through to the Above Immortal Ascension Boundary! Throughout the history of the Great Han Dynasty, he was truly a unique individual.
Never before had an Above Immortal Ascension Boundary masters appeared from a second-class Sect. Even the Lu Family’s Above Immortal Ascension Boundary, Lu Si, had only broken through to this realm after the Lu Family rose to the rank of first-class family, and his promotion was in large part due to the guidance and support of the Qiu Family. Otherwise, it would have been impossible for Lu Si to have reached his current cultivation.
Ling Tai Xu, this name was legendary, a living legend at that.
Moreover, he also had an apprentice even more famous than himself.
His second apprentice was now the Demon Lord of the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land! The man who had total control over a stretch of land ten thousand kilometers in diameter and had made henchmen of the six Great Evil Kings!
Facing the Demon Lord’s wrath, Heaven and Earth paled, and the souls of this world shook.
So when Ling Tai Xu announced his name, the eight Grand Elders suddenly became somewhat nervous, especially Qiu Dao Ren. His Qiu Family was the ones who lead the first crusade against High Heaven Pavilion and subsequently were the ones who had razed it to the ground. Now, the Sect Master from High Heaven Pavilion had appeared here. Perhaps he would try to settle the score.
If a fight between them was really to break out, War City would probably be destroyed.
However, what the eight old men couldn’t figure out was that even though Ling Tai Xu had only recently broken through, how come his insights into the Martial Dao seemed to be more profound than their own?
If this wasn’t the case, how could they have not noticed the existence of Ling Tai Xu until now?
Each of them had reached the Above Immortal Ascension Boundary at least fifty years ago. Over the last five decades, it couldn’t be said that their strengths hadn’t improved, but compared with Ling Tai Xu, their rate of progress was almost non-existent.
How did he do it?
“So it is Brother Ling!” Qiu Dao Ren quickly collected his stray thoughts and gently nodded, “I have been looking forward to meeting you for quite some time.”
“You’re too kind!” Ling Tai Xu smiled calmly, not showing any meaning of finding fault, instead portraying a sincerely humble attitude, “If we were to really discuss our ages, all of you should be this one’s Seniors, being addressed as Brother is already a great honour for this one.”
Seeing the posture of Ling Tai Xu, the old men from the Eight Great Families also relaxed slightly, the fat old man smiling as he said, “Brother Ling is too modest, those who have reached the Above Immortal Ascension Boundary shouldn’t quibble over seniority. Each of us are peers, even among us the generations are quite chaotic.”
“Indeed.”
Someone echoed.
After a few words, the atmosphere suddenly eased a lot.
“What reason does Brother Ling have for appearing at this time?” Yang Li Ting still maintained his cold expression as he asked a question he knew the answer to.
“Naturally I came for this little brat.” Ling Tai Xu smiled and pointed to Yang Kai. “No matter what, I am still technically his Grand Master, and my grand disciple is at such a critical moment in his breakthrough to the Immortal Ascension Boundary. Obviously, I should appear to support him,”
“You intend to protect him?”
“I do.” Ling Tai Xu nodded lightly.
Yang Li Ting suddenly felt that things had become a little troublesome.
Ling Tai Xu was a genuine Above Immortal Ascension Boundary master, Meng Wu Ya had a strange intimidating aura about him, Old Demon’s Demonic Qi was unusual, and the eight Blood Warriors had all activated their Mad Tyrant Blood Skill… The power of this group wasn’t something he could ignore anymore.
An Immortal Ascension Boundary Ninth Stage Blood Warrior after activating their Mad Tyrant Blood Skill could exchange a few moves with an Above Immortal Ascension Boundary cultivator, so the strength of these eight Blood Warriors couldn’t be underestimated.
Ling Tai Xu’s strength went without saying. Yang Li Ting estimated that if he were to face him one on one, he would likely find himself at a disadvantage. As for Meng Wu Ya, he was even more incomprehensible. Yang Li Ting wasn’t even sure how to evaluate his combat effectiveness, and to top things off, Old Demon was still watching from the sidelines.
This conflict… his chances of victory were slim, and even if he could somehow win, War City and all of its inhabitants would likely be destroyed in the process.
Yang Li Ting’s sharp eyes narrowed slightly as he shifted his gaze towards the deep darkness that surrounded Yang Kai.
He could not understand how this little brat from his family could actually gather so many powerful masters to speak for and shelter him.
“Fellow brothers, could you perhaps listen to my suggestion?” Ling Tai Xu suddenly said.
“Please, Brother Ling.” Qiu Dao Ren replied politely. Ling Tai Xu was already an Above Immortal Ascension Boundary cultivator so they could no longer use their status to lord over him.
Simply by virtue of his cultivation, Ling Tai Xu was qualified to speak with them as an equal.
“Fellow Brothers, the reason you wish to stop him from breaking through to the Immortal Ascension Boundary is because you fear that as he gains strength, his heart will become corrupted and he will fall to the Devil’s Path, yes?”
The eight old men nodded in confirmation to Ling Tai Xu’s supposition.
Seeing their unhesitant nods, Old Demon couldn’t help snorting with dissatisfaction and muttering, “The ones who can’t control their own strength and are instead enslaved by it are the real demons. What does cultivating a Demonic Secret Art matter? What’s wrong with a person using Demonic Qi? All of that is just a method of pursuing power. Each and every cultivator acquires their strength differently. Declaring that only your method of cultivation is right while denying others’ is simply the hallmark of ignorant fools.”
“Speak up louder.” Shui Ling, having arrived nearby him at some unknown point, called out half teasingly to Old Demon, “If you only whisper like that, they won’t hear you.”
Hearing the playfulness in her voice, Old Demon glanced over at Shui Ling and smirked, “Little girl, you shouldn’t try to play games with this old master. Don’t think I don’t know your true origins!”
Startled by this statement, Shui Ling couldn’t help asking, “Do you really know?”
“Heh, this old master certainly knows. Not only does this old master know, that old ghost Meng Wu Ya also knows. We’re all from the same sky after all.” Old Demon snorted, a look of pride seeping into his expression.
Shui Ling’s eyes suddenly flashed a brilliant light. Grabbing hold of Old Demon’s arm, her expression filled with infinite bitterness and entreaty as she half tearfully, half joyfully asked, “Senior, do you know how to go back?”
Old Demon looked over her slowly and grinned evilly, “Why, you don’t know the way back?”
“En! I have been trapped here for quite some time and have yet to find a way back. Senior, if you know, can you please tell me?”
Seeing her desperation, Old Demon laughed raucously. His shrill voice was extremely grating to Shui Ling, but no matter how uncomfortable she felt, she still did her best to put on a pitiful expression and pray for sympathy.
“I won’t tell you!” Old Demon suddenly ceased his laughter and casually declared.
Shui Ling froze up for a moment before pouting in disappointment, “Why not?”
In response, Old Demon just shrugged his shoulders, “Because this old master has to wait for Young Master.”
“Wait for him?” Shui Ling glanced over, “Do you think he can break through the shackles of this world?”
Old Demon snorted contemptuously, “If Young Master can’t, then no one can.”
Shui Ling’s expression became somewhat serious as she stared towards Yang Kai. After a long time, she nodded gently, whispering, “If it’s him, he really might be able to…”
“If my guess is correct, in at least three years and at most ten years, Young Master will definitely be able to reach it.” Old Demon declared, full of confidence and full of expectations for Yang Kai’s future.
On the other hand, Shui Ling’s expression went black, unable to stop herself from complaining, “So long?”
“If you want to go back, you’ll have to wait, but whether Young Master will be willing to bring you with him is not something this old master can say. After all, the both of you don’t exactly have the best of relationships. Young Master, he… he’s quite vengeful.” Old Demon squinted at Shui Ling and shook his head slowly.
Shui Ling thought about it carefully, and indeed felt that, with the man’s cold heart and ruthless personality, he probably wouldn’t take her with him out of kindness or pity. So, she quickly cupped her fists politely and respectfully asked, “Junior hopes Senior can offer his guidance!”
Old Demon laughed smugly once more before nodding, “Good, why not.”
Suddenly lowering his voice and becoming serious, Old Demon continued, “Although Young Master holds deep grudges and is someone who will definitely seek revenge for any slight, he is also someone who is fiercely loyal to his friends. You have been in War City for so long observing him, so you should understand his temperament by now.”
Shui Ling nodded lightly as her eyes shone brilliantly.
This incident was a perfect example! Although she didn’t know all the specifics, Shui Ling had a fairly good guess about what had transpired.
All of this was because a single High Heaven Pavilion’s disciple had been injured. Yang Kai didn’t even hesitate to return the Soul Binding Curse doll to her in order to gain her help in killing Xiang Chu. This showed that he was a man of extremely firm character, ruthless to his enemies yet generous to his friends.
“Since you understand, you should know what to do, right?” Old Demon glanced at her meaningfully.
Shui Ling brow twitched slightly, but nodded quickly, “I know. I have to make him see me as a friend!”
As long as she became friends with him, she wouldn’t have to worry about him leaving without taking her along.
“Heh heh…” Old Demon smirked, “Young Master has always been kind to women, especially beautiful women, and you shouldn’t have any problems in this regard. Considering your origins, you’d make a good match for Young Master. Well, work hard!”
Shui Ling’s face immediately went bright red as she loudly objected, “What nonsense are you spouting? How could this country boy be worthy of me?”
Old Demon didn’t get mad, instead just sneering, “After ten years, you won’t be qualified to say so anymore.”
Shui Ling was dumbstruck, feeling like Old Demon was far too optimistic about Yang Kai. Realizing that any further argument was pointless, she held her tongue as she made up her mind to form a good relationship with Yang Kai.
As the two talked, a short distance away, the Above Immortal Ascension Boundary masters were also holding their own discussion.
Ling Tai Xu opened, “In this Ling’s opinion, even if he breaks through to the Immortal Ascension Boundary, his heart should not be affected.”
“Why do you believe so?” Yang Li Ting coldly snorted.
“Because he grew up under my watch, I know him far better than any of you.” Ling Tai Xu smiled slightly, he was different from others, and had once even spoken to Yang Kai while he was in a similar state about his Demonic Qi, so he was quite confident about his analysis.
“What Brother Ling says has some merit.” Qiu Dao Ren nodded gently, stroking his beard as he thought for a moment, “But what if things don’t develop as you expect?”
“If that really happens, fellow brothers won’t need to take action. This Ling will personally handle matters!” Ling Tai Xu calmly yet resolutely declared, his expression sinking slightly, “I have already allowed such a situation to occur once in my Sect, it will absolutely not happen a second time!”
The Grand Elders from the Eight Great Families couldn’t help wrinkling their brows, knowing that Ling Tai Xu was referring to the current Demon Lord and somewhat understanding his current feelings.
“As such, fellow brothers, why not wait a while?” Ling Tai Xu proposed to the eight old men.
“Good!” Yang Li Ting focused on the matter at hand, “We’ll do as Brother Ling suggests. After he breaks though, if his temperament truly changes, then we shall trouble Brother Ling to take action.”
“Rest assured, if such a situation occurs, I will personally cripple his cultivation.”
“Agreed! I too do not wish to take his life.” Yang Li Ting snorted and waited quietly with the other seven old men, no longer saying anything more. Even if Yang Kai’s temperament really changed after he broke through, he would still only be an Immortal Ascension First Stage cultivator. With so many peak level masters here, could he possibly escape?
So there was no reason they could not wait for a while and see.
On the other side, Ling Tai Xu just shook his head gently, not a trace of tension upon his face. Apparently, he was fully confident in Yang Kai and not concerned he would have any kind of accident.
With the two sides reaching an agreement, everyone on Yang Kai’s side, including the Blood Warriors and Dong Qing Han, who had been facing off against the eight Grand Elders, couldn’t help breathing a sigh of relief. As soon as the tension was cut, all of them suddenly realized they were soaked in cold sweat and shivered unconsciously.
Challenging an Above Immortal Ascension Boundary master, it was something none of them had ever considered before, but today they had actually done so without hesitation.
Ling Tai Xu and Meng Wu Ya both turned to these people and slightly nodded, the crowd hurriedly cupping their fists respectfully in thanks…
Qiu Dao Ren released Qiu Yi Meng from her bindings, as did the Huo Family Grand Elder with Huo Xing Chen. The two young leaders quickly returned to their respective camps, issuing a few instructions and allowing everyone to fall back and stand down.
Yang Zhao’s allies also retreated a fair distance to observe the situation.
A moment later, only Yang Kai, Ling Tai Xu, Meng Wu Ya, and the Eight Great Families’ Above Immortal Ascension Masters remained.
All of the spectators had been focusing their attention on the negotiations that had just taken place and no one had paid much attention to Yang Kai. With things settled now, however, everyone’s eyes focused on him once more, quickly discovering that the World Energy baptism had reached and even more terrifying degree.
A huge amount of World Energy was now constantly surging towards Yang Kai. This torrent of energy was enough to unnerve even the strongest Peak Immortal Ascension Boundary master, but Yang Kai still stood there quietly under the black swirling clouds, madly absorbing this raging river of World Energy. It was as if he was a bottomless pit. No matter how much World Energy rushed into his body, he could effortlessly swallow it all.
There was not the slightest leakage, nor was there any sign of discomfort on his face. Apparently, all of this was just a simple matter to Yang Kai.
Not only that, Yang Kai’s body was still emitting evil energy.
Along with the rapid inhalation of the surrounding World Energy, a strange equilibrium had been reached.
Everyone who was watching paled, some even felt fear, but none of them could figure out how a True Element Boundary cultivator breaking through to the Immortal Ascension Boundary could cause such a breathtaking spectacle.
“A good seedling, such a good seedling indeed!” The fat old man’s eyes shined as he muttered to himself, seeming annoyed that his family did not have such a genius.
Thinking about Yang Li Ting’s previous attitude and practices, the fat old man almost felt sorry for Yang Kai.
He also wondered if the Yang Family’s cold and indifferent behaviour had a chilling effect on Yang Kai.
If this little brat had been one of his descendants, he would definitely have taken the utmost care of him, passing along all his knowledge and experience and insuring that the family provide whatever cultivation resources he needed!
Patriarch of the Yang Family? Worthless! Seeing Yang Kai now, as long as he was allowed to grow, he would one day reach the peak of this world! At that time, whether it was the Eight Great Families’ Patriarchs, Grand Elders, or Above Immortal Ascension Boundary masters, none of them would be worthy of challenging him.
[Yang Li Ting’s conduct was nothing less than stupid!] The fat old man silently thought indignantly to himself.
Yang Kai’s consciousness was still submerged within himself, completely surrounded by darkness, just like War City which was covered by Demonic Qi and dark storm clouds.
The only difference was that Yang Kai’s subconscious mind was even darker than War City, with not a single speck of light at all.
Like before the existence of the Heavens and the Earth, this place was a dark void where nothing existed.
But if one were to observe closely, they would notice some subtle changes occurring. Within the darkness, there seemed to be some kind of power secretly gathering, like a seed buried in the soil just about to sprout and grow.
After an unknown amount of time, a glimmer of light suddenly burst forth from the darkness; a weak glow like that of a firefly, a candle in the wind that might extinguish in the next instant.
But this single point of light had broken the darkness at this moment.
Yang Kai gathered his consciousness on this point of light and felt a slight pulling sensation. As he continued to concentrate on it, he began to notice a hazy image contained within it.
Another ray of light emerged soon after, but its’ colour was slightly different from the previous one.
The next moment, these lights flashed, causing Yang Kai’s Soul to vibrate as mysterious ripples propagated from this point.
Next, at third colour appeared, then a fourth… then a fifth…
When the point of light had reached a total of five different colours, it seemed to have reached a critical point, like a new shoot sprouting after the rain. However delicate and fragile, it was still pushing through the soil in order to emerge, wanting to forever shatter the perpetual darkness that surrounded it.
The flashes emanating from the five coloured light became more and more rapid and intense, and each time it pulsed, the fluctuations in Yang Kai’s Soul would also amplify. The dark void soon seemed unable to suppress this radiance, and the five coloured light gave off a final brilliance, illuminating the entire space.
Suddenly, the five coloured light seemed to congeal, forming a softly glowing five coloured lotus flower which gently floated before Yang Kai’s eyes.
Yang Kai was shocked and pleasantly surprised.
Five Coloured Soul Warming Lotus!
The supreme treasure for nurturing one’s Soul had finally revealed its complete appearance. As it slowly spun about its axis, a rich yet gentle energy was released from it and permeated the surroundings at an incredible speed. As this energy spread, it quickly dyed the dark space white, making it no longer a dead zone but one that was filled with a subtle vitality.
The energy which rapidly spread was Yang Kai’s own Spiritual Energy! Something he understood instinctively.
Before even breaking through to the True Element Boundary, Yang Kai had already begun cultivating his Spiritual Energy.
But Spiritual Energy was invisible and ethereal, and similar to True Qi, required a storage location within one’s body. True Qi was stored in the dantian and meridians, while Spiritual Energy was stored in the Knowledge Sea.
Before Yang Kai opened his Knowledge Sea, the Five Coloured Soul Warming Lotus had served as the carrier for his Spiritual Energy.
Right now, Yang Kai was using the Spiritual Energy he had cultivated for many years to develop his Knowledge Sea.
A subtle, nearly invisible Spiritual Energy was quietly being circulated in a steady flow. With the propagation of this Spiritual Energy, Yang Kai felt like a layer of shackles somewhere inside his mind had shattered and his Soul strengthened several times over.
Even though the Soul Warming Lotus was a supreme treasure, it was, after all, only a foreign object which had temporarily stored Yang Kai’s Spiritual Energy.
By using this carrier as an intermediary, Yang Kai could also use his Divine Sense, but due to it not truly being a part of him, he had never been able to display his full power. Now that this container had completed its task as a transfer point, Yang Kai could fully utilize his Spiritual Energy, resulting in a large increase in his Soul’s strength.
The extremely strong fluctuations of Yang Kai’s Soul suddenly burst forth from his mind and swept over the entirety of War City.
The masters gathered nearby all changed colour when they felt the strength of this Divine Sense.
Even the Grand Elders from the Eight Great Families wore extremely stern expressions, while Meng Wu Ya and Ling Tai Xu were both amazed and excited.
The fluctuations of Yang Kai’s Spiritual Energy had completely surpassed his current level of cultivation, leaving those in the same realm as him far, far behind.
In the depths of his mind, the Five Coloured Soul Warming Lotus still continued spinning as the Spiritual Energy stored within it was released in an uninterrupted flow.
Time passed by.
At some point, all the Spiritual Energy stored in the Soul Warming Lotus had finally been released.
The originally dark void was now filled with silky threads of soft light that extended as far as the eye could see.
Yang Kai clearly saw these threads undergo a suddenly change, seemingly under the influence of some mysterious force.
A group of these threads pulsed as they gradually converged into a thicker, more powerful one, which subsequently pulled in and gathered more threads, gradually strengthening bit by bit in a seemingly endless cycle.
Yang Kai couldn’t help recalling the scene he had witnessed in Tang Yu Xian’s Knowledge Sea, but the demonstration of how one opened and formed their Knowledge Sea she showed him was quite different from scene playing out in front of him now.
When Tang Yu Xian opened her Knowledge Sea, the process was slow and temperate, slowly advancing step by step. Although it didn’t appear particularly difficult, it couldn’t be described as ‘fast’ by any means.
Whereas on the contrary, at this moment, Yang Kai’s spiritual Energy was rapidly and fiercely progressing.
Within the once empty void, Spiritual Energy flooded every corner and was rapidly undergoing a kind of qualitative change.
*Hulala…*
Suddenly, the sound of flowing water appeared. Yang Kai swept his vision around and saw a clear stream of water, like a gentle stream, flowing out from a central point.
Naturally, this point was the Soul Warming Lotus!
This tiny stream of water quickly grew and in the blink of an eye became a mighty river, then a great lake… and finally a vast unending sea!
As brisk winds blew, rolling waves several feet high appeared on this sea, all of it formed by Yang Kai’s vast Spiritual Energy.
The Soul Warming Lotus was quietly suspended above the ocean, constantly emitting a soft five coloured radiance which shone over the entire sea. The ‘water’ below was crystal clear and it swayed and churned in harmony with Yang Kai’s thoughts. Soon after, great reefs formed in all directions, guiding and scattering the waves as the sea churned.
Within the sea, many strange fish began to appear, followed by birds which flew through the sky. After only a brief moment, the dark void had transformed into a world teeming with life.
As the sea breeze blew past him, a pure and natural feeling washed over Yang Kai.
Yang Kai’s Soul phantom stood midair, quietly looking around at this new world, his heartbeat racing slightly.
Waving his hand, the floating Soul Warming Lotus suddenly became an island in the sea! Its coloured rays making it particularly eye catching.
Everything here was comprised of Yang Kai’s Spiritual Energy, so he could manipulate any piece of it at will.
The next moment, Yang Kai suddenly felt something deep within his heart permeate into this sea.
After investigating for a moment, Yang Kai discovered that it was actually all the memories he had!
Contained within his Knowledge Sea were all of Yang Kai’s life experiences and memories. Everything he had encountered and learned these many years was gradually merging with this sea, including his cultivation technique, Martial Skills, even his pain and suffering.
Looking through the water casually, Yang Kai saw a few past events like he was watching a replay, the entire scene clearly presenting itself in front of his eyes as if he was experiencing it once again.
A cultivator’s Knowledge Sea contained all their secrets, so no one would allow another to intrude into the Knowledge Sea unless there was absolutely no other choice.
Doing so was tantamount to presenting yourself naked in front of another.
Shan Qing Luo allowing Yang Kai into her Knowledge Sea showed that she already completely trusted him.
Now, his Knowledge Sea had truly formed!
At this moment, a strange feeling arose in Yang Kai’s heart.
It was like he was seeing himself climbing a long mountain road to the peak of Martial Arts. He had journeyed far, but there was still a long way to go.
Opening his eyes, a brilliant light flashed across them as his gaze became as sharp as an eagles’.
Everyone gathered nearby was shocked, as their expressions froze.
The first thing Yang Kai saw was Ling Tai Xu and Meng Wu Ya staring at him appreciatively with smiles on their faces.
Nodding to these two old men, Yang Kai smiled gratefully.
Although he was immersed in his breakthrough, Yang Kai had still felt their arrival and faintly knew what kind of efforts they had made for him.
His heart filled with warmth that cannot be described.
His Grand Master had supported himself unconditionally, and had believed in him without ever wavering!
Taking a deep breath, Yang Kai retracted his Divine Sense and aura, suddenly becoming a plain and unremarkable youth, almost like he was an ordinary mortal that had never cultivated before, the only difference being the torrent of evil energy radiate from his body.
The dark clouds in the sky had not yet dispersed, and the horrible World Energy continued to baptize Yang Kai’s body. Although his Knowledge Sea had already formed, his physical baptism was apparently not over.
“Are you human or demon now?” Yang Li Ting asked pointedly.
Yang Kai gave him a faint look and answered his inquiry with practical action.
After regaining control of his body, under his careful guidance, the Unyielding Golden Skeleton’s swallowing ability became tens of times more powerful than before.
A great vortex of wind suddenly covered War City with Yang Kai’s body at its center, and the Demonic Qi which had been spread around was immediately pulled towards him.
Even the mighty World Energy contained in the thick clouds above did not escape this suction.
A massive tornado was formed with Yang Kai calmly standing at its central position, and soon the dark clouds above were drawn into this whirlpool and disappeared into Yang Kai’s body.
Within less than a quarter of an hour, War City suddenly became clear, with not a single cloud in the sky for ten thousand kilometers. The bright blue sky and gentle breeze was seemingly washing the evil intent from everyone’s heart.
The great suction calmed and the cloud of dust gathered around Yang Kai slowly began to settle.
In front of Yang Zhao’s mansion, everyone was silent.
Countless blank pairs of eye stared at Yang Kai,
The events of Yang Kai’s breakthrough were simply indescribable.
Everyone present had doubts in their hearts as they blankly stared at Yang Kai.
Could breaking through to the Immortal Ascension Boundary produce such an unusual baptism, akin to a catastrophe? Could a cultivator that had just opened their Knowledge Sea have such rich and powerful Spiritual Energy?
With everything that had just happened spitting in the face of their common sense, many people could only stand there baffled.
The Central Capital’s First Young Lord Liu Qing Yao, who was always as tranquil as an ancient well, finally grinned helplessly. He found that the current Yang Kai brought him a huge and unparalleled pressure, his instincts telling him he could no longer defeat this youth. In fact, he faintly realized that he wasn’t even worthy to be his opponent anymore.
With a bitter look on his face, Liu Qing Yao whispered to Yang Wei who stood beside him, “Eldest Young Lord, you were right, your Ninth Brother’s achievements are already much greater than mine.”
After that, he simply shook his head and said, “A real monster!”
Yang Wei grinned proudly.
As for the Grand Elders from the Eight Great Families, all of them wore extremely dignified expressions.
Even though they had just witnessed Yang Kai break through to the Immortal Ascension Boundary First Stage, none of them could see through his depths. His unusually sturdy Spiritual Energy isolated him from any of their attempts to probe him, making them feel quite awkward.
Being able to block their Divine Senses showed that Yang Kai’s own Divine Sense and Spiritual Energy were not weaker than their own, possibly even stronger.
How did he do it?
How exactly did he cultivate?
Each of them was no less than a hundred years old and had cultivated their Souls for countless years, yet the Spiritual Energy of a mere youth less than twenty years of age had surpassed them.
No matter which one of these old men it was, they couldn’t help feeling a frustrating sense of shame.
“Whether this little brat is now human or demon, I think Brother Yang should be able to tell, correct?” Ling Tai Xu smiled and casually said to Yang Li Ting.
At this moment, Yang Kai’s aura was unremarkable, no trace of True Qi fluctuations emanating from him at all, much less the overwhelming Demonic Qi he had previously been releasing. On top of that, his eyes had returned to their former colour and showed crystal clear clarity. Aside from the unusual profoundness in his gaze, he appeared no different from an ordinary mortal.
If he still wanted to label Yang Kai as one who had fallen to the Devil’s Practices, Yang Li Ting would really be a blind man.
Coldly snorting, Yang Li Ting grumbled, “I’m afraid him being able to restore his consciousness this time was pure luck. One day, he won’t be able to control that Demonic power inside him, and at that time, this old master will not be merciful!”
Delivering this line, he turned around and soared towards the Seal Temple.
He wanted to leave this place as quickly as possible. As a Grand Elder of the Yang Family, his actions this time made him appear like a wicked and heartless person.
He was only considering the family’s honour and didn’t want to see an evil demon born from the Yang Family, yet in his attempt to clean up his house, he had instead brought the loathing and animosity of a great many onto himself instead.
Even if Yang Li Ting was aloof from worldly affairs, such an embarrassment was still quite uncomfortable!
After Yang Li Ting left, the other seven old men didn’t have any reason to remain and also turned around to depart.
Qiu Dao Ren frowned at Yang Kai before leaving and faintly said, “Don’t practice that Evil Cultivation Technique anymore.”
The fat old man also warned Yang Kai, “Heed our warnings, cultivating that Demonic Secret Art will not bring you any benefit. With your aptitude, no matter what Secret Art you cultivate, your future achievements will be immense. There’s no need for you to intentionally pursue shortcuts.”
The fat old man obviously thought that Yang Kai having such potent strength at such a young age was because he practiced an Evil Cultivation Technique.
Although reality was different, he had spoken these words out of sincere concern, so Yang Kai could only nod gently, not explaining anything.
In fact, he had never practiced any Evil Cultivation Technique or Demonic Secret Art; the thick Demonic Qi in his body was only because of the Unyielding Golden Skeleton.
On top of that, Yang Kai felt that the world could not be so clearly divided into righteous and evil, everyone simply had different perspectives!
Strength was only the result of one’s cultivation, how one used that strength was the most important factor in deciding if they were good or evil.
“Yang Kai, congratulations.” Qiu Yi Meng walked over and smiled, opening up the floodgates.
Quickly, others rushed forward and offered words of praise.
Yang Kai swept his eyes over these people and with a warm smile returned the sentiment, “Thank you, all of you.”
Even if his consciousness wasn’t very clear during his breakthrough, Yang Kai could still sense how these people here had unhesitantly stepped forward to defend him. Receiving Yang Kai’s heartfelt gratitude, everyone smiled even wider.
Shifting his gaze to eight tall figures beyond the crowd, Yang Kai nodded lightly.
The eight Blood Warriors, who normally had a majestic and indomitable aura about them, all currently looked somewhat pale, their Blood Force quite weak.
This was the price they had to pay for activating the Mad Tyrant Blood Skill! Although it had cost them a great deal and they had eventually not fought against Yang Li Ting and the other Grand elders, their extremely firm stance and willingness to pay such a price to protect Yang Kai had still played a vital role.
If they hadn’t displayed such a strong front, Yang Li Ting and the other Grand elders wouldn’t have compromised so easily.
Despite their current weariness, the eight Blood Warriors still laughed happily.
Last but not least, Yang Kai stepped forward and cupped his fists respectfully to Ling Tai Xu and Meng Wu Ya, “Grand Master, Treasurer Meng!”
“Get up, get up.” Ling Tai Xu reached out and patted his shoulders, “It’s good that you’re safe.”
Treasurer Meng on the other hand just snorted in annoyance, “You smelly brat, stop bothering this old master with such troublesome things.”
“Of course, of course.” Yang Kai nodded repeatedly. This time was really just the latest in a series of troublesome problems he had bothered Meng Wu Ya with, causing him to feel slightly awkward.
Turning to Ling Tai Xu, Yang Kai asked, “Grand Master doesn’t plan to leave, right?”
Yang Kai was completely unaware that Ling Tai Xu had hidden himself in War City and had no idea when he had even arrived; it was quite possible that only Meng Wu Ya had some clue about this. After finally reuniting after such a long separation, Yang Kai was quite reluctant to see his Grand Master depart again.
Thankfully, Ling Tai Xu nodded, “I have no plans to go anywhere.”
“That’s good.” Yang Kai smiled, “Disciple also found Su Yan and the other members of High Heaven Pavilion recently. They will arrive in War City in a few days. If Grand Master is here to watch over and instruct them, disciple can feel relieved.”
“No need for pointless flattery, this old master also wishes to stay here and converse with Brother Meng.” Ling Tai Xu smiled lightly before turning to look at Qiu Yi Meng, stroking his beard as he suddenly said, “Little girl, your aura is familiar. If I remember correctly, you brought people to set fire to my Sect once.”
Suddenly having this dark history brought up, Qiu Yi Meng couldn’t wait to find a hole to crawl into, hurriedly pulling Luo Xiao Man over and blushingly saying, “She was also there!”
Luo Xiao Man silently teared up…
Her eyes darted back and forth helplessly, wanting to escape.
Seeing the two young girls panicking like this, Ling Tai Xu laughed and didn’t continue to pursue the matter. Qiu Yi Meng also realized that the other party didn’t plan to settle accounts with her and had only been casually mentioning it.
Yang Kai smiled wryly and turned his head to look away, letting out a long breath he calmly declared, “Second Brother, Ninth Brother will take his leave.”
In the direction Yang Kai spoke, Yang Zhao simply stared back at him with a pale face, as if he had lost his soul and hadn’t heard him at all. Even after Yang Kai and his allies had departed, he still did not react.
Yang Wei glanced over at Yang Zhao and slowly shook his head. He knew that his Second Brother had been hit hard this time, and it would be a while before he could accept such a result.
He had failed to protect Nan Sheng and Xiang Chu. Yang Kai had ruthlessly executed two of his followers in front of him despite his desperate resistance.
On top of that, the personal charm and potential his Ninth Brother had displayed during this incident dealt Yang Zhao a heavy blow.
Facing a life or death crisis, countless people had come forward to help him resist. Who had ever witnessed such a moving display before? Even facing eight Above Immortal Ascension Boundary masters, Yang Kai’s allies hadn’t yielded a single step from beginning to end!
Yang Zhao knew that the cultivators in his house would not be willing to do this for him, and Yang Wei also didn’t believe his allies would make a similar decision.
This time, Yang Zhao had taken a heavy blow. Yang Wei was also hit hard, but at least he was only a bystander, so he had an easier time accepting this result.
[This Inheritance War… is it really necessary for it to continue?] Yang Wei, who was always steadfast and determined, suddenly felt confused.
It had already been eight or nine months since it had begun, but from now on, whether it was personal methods, strength, aptitude, or interpersonal relationships, Yang Kai would undoubtedly have an overwhelming advantage.
On the other hand, Yang Wei and Yang Zhao essentially had no qualifications to compete with him.
Perhaps, in the early stages, the two brothers had still been ahead of Yang Kai. At the time they were stronger than him and had gathered more allies as well, but as time passed, Yang Kai’s mansion had grown into a behemoth, and under his leadership, his allies had formed an unshakable solidarity!
It was precisely this kind of person that the Yang Family needed as its Patriarch.
Given the current circumstances and comparing their relative strength, there was indeed no reason for this Inheritance War to continue.
Letting out a long sigh, Yang Wei suddenly felt a little disheartened, only speaking a few words to Liu Qing Yao before hurriedly departing with his Blood Warrior.
“Second Young Lord, let us return!” The Blood Warrior who had first fought with Tang Yu Xian advised.
However, Yang Zhao didn’t move, his eyes still staring off into the distance.
“Second Young Lord, this Inheritance War, please forgive me for not being able to participate anymore.” A young man with a difficult expression on his face suddenly walked up to Yang Zhao and declared.
Nan Sheng and Xiang Chu had only injured one of Yang Kai’s allies, and in retaliation they had been brutally killed. Having witnessed this, what point was there in continuing to participate in the Inheritance War? Who among them dared to be Yang Kai’s enemy?
The two Blood Warriors’ expressions immediately became ice cold and were about to angrily shout, but they somehow managed to endure.
Seeing things from the opposite party’s perspective, the two Blood Warriors could understand how difficult this decision was to make. After investing so much time, effort, material, and manpower, to quit at this last moment, not only would this youth not reap any benefits, he and the force he came from would even have to bear the title of coward and traitor. However, compared with one’s life, what did such trivial things count for?
The two Blood Warriors could look down on their weaknesses, but they couldn’t open their mouths to accuse them of adding insult to injury. Anyone seeing Yang Zhao suffer such a devastating blow would make a similar decision.
“Farewell.” The youth said before quickly taking his people and leaving, no longer having any face to remain.
“Second Young Lord, forgive us, we can’t participate anymore.” Someone else immediately stepped forward and followed suit.
After less time than it would take to boil a pot of tea, the amount cultivators in Yang Zhao’s mansion had reduced to half their original number.
Before each of these forces left, a representative would offer apologise to Yang Zhao, but he didn’t seem to hear a single one of them.
“Who else wants to leave? If you do just hurry up and leave!” One of the Blood Warriors finally couldn’t contain his anger and shouted.
Hearing this, several other forces that had been hesitating immediately stood firm.
“Anyone else?” The two Blood Warriors scanned the crowd with cold eyes.
Under this intimidating pressure, everyone stood up straight.
“Good.” The two Blood Warriors nodded lightly, a faint look of satisfaction appearing on their faces, showing some appreciation to those who still chose to remain.
Unfortunately, Yang Zhao still remained absent minded as he stood there desolately.
In the crowd, Ye Xin Rou looked at Yang Zhao, her eyes were full of disappointment. She didn’t expect the Yang Family’s Second Young Lord to behave like this after such a setback.
Unsure why, she felt disdain in her heart.
In order to win Yang Zhao’s favor, she had sacrificed more than she was comfortable with, and now she couldn’t see him having any hope of winning.
Looking up at the direction of Yang Kai’s mansion, Ye Xin Rou’s eyes gleamed and her face burst into a strange expression. She bit her thin lips whilst deep in thought, her eyes reddened as if she had realised something.
In less than half a day later, Yang Kai was notified that more than 100 people from High Heaven Pavilion had arrived!
Overjoyed, he rushed out to greet his visitors.
Su Yan and the others had arrived as well. When Xia Ning Chang heard, she rushed out of the Pill Room, her face blushing from excitement.
The two girls had not seen each other for a long time. It was a reunion for them at last. There was so much to say, especially about the common man between them. When the topic was raised, they began to whisper and point at Yang Kai.
Qin Ze of the Medicine King’s Valley forced himself to leave. Although he wanted to take Xia Ning Chang back to the pill room, after seeing her happy expression, he went back alone.
He also couldn’t bear to bother Xia Ning Chang’s reunion with her friends. From what he could recall, he was not old yet he had few friends. Besides pill refining, other matters were usually irrelevant.
Such a young girl, aside from alchemy, should have more important things, Qin Ze sobbed.
The mansion was full of people. The Blood Battle Gang and Storm Hall people were quite familiar with High Heaven Pavilion, and soon everyone would get to know each other.
Yang Kai surreptitiously stood close to the two girls but remained silent as they chatted. Listening to his two lovers speak in such a warm, sisterly tone made his heart fill with warmth.
“Brother-in-law.” Su Mu called out. From the way he walked, it was clear that his injuries were no longer an issue after taking the Myriad Drug Milk. “ I see that Senior Sister’s relationship with you seems a bit unusual?”
Yang Kai snorted and slanted at him, “Children shouldn’t ask about the matters of adults.”
Su Mu couldn’t help but spit disdainfully, “You’re not much older than me!”
Yang Kai ignored his retort and said with a straight face, “The person who injured you is already dead, and you will encounter this kind of thing in the future. If you cannot bear it, surrendering will be easy. Do you understand?”
Su Mu snorted and said, “ I know.”
Shaking his head again, “Unfortunately, I tried to cultivate and personally seek revenge. Now, it seems that there is no chance. The two of them did not look too strong.”
“Were there any opportunities for you in the Inheritance Heaven’s Cave?” Yang Kai looked at him with a smile on his lips.
He and Su Yan received the final inheritance in the Inheritance Heaven’s Cave. The Hu Sisters also got the Twin Qi Shared Spirit Divine Art and even Lan Chu Die, received something.
His cultivation hasn’t been very fast in recent years, so Su Mu probably didn’t encounter an opportunity there.
Su Mu laughed a little, scratching his head and nodding, “I received something and have already told Elder Sister about it.”
Yang Kai nodded lightly, not inquiring the details, “Work hard. Don’t waste your opportunity. The opportunities in the inheritance Heaven’s Cave are not ordinary.”
“What do you mean?” Su Mu said, unable to understand.
“Nothing. Forget about it.” Yang Kai shook his head and did not explain.
Yang Kai felt a bit faint. The things in the Inheritance Heaven’s Cave seem to have surpassed the level of this world. Whether it was Su Yan’s Joyous Unification Art or the Hu Sisters’ Twin Qi Shared Spirit Divine Art, no cultivator of this world could create them.
During this time, Yang Kai also saw a lot of unexpected, eye-opening things, giving Yang Kai extraordinary information.
Qiu Yi Meng arranged for the people of High Heaven Pavilion to live in the mansion.
Undiscovered in War City, Ling Tai Xu and the remaining four Great Elders of the High Heaven Pavilion made their way into Yang Kai’s mansion.
After two or three noisy days, peace had gradually returned to the mansion, and everyone was doing their job methodically.
Hardships and tribulations became more common after a few days. The forces in the leadership became more cohesive. Even though Sects were different, they were as peaceful as brothers and sisters.
In some cases, for example, when a new batch of pills came out, everyone was pushing to get through, but the atmosphere was harmonious.
In these few days, Yang Kai only did one thing.
Cleaning up the Bamboo Knot Gang!
The news of High Heaven Pavilion’s hiding place was revealed by people within Bamboo Knot Gang. After Pang Chi returned to Central Capital, he immediately discovered and took out the culprit Mu Nan Dou.
The next day, Mu Nan Dou’s head was personally sent to Yang Kais mansion by Pang Chi.
According to Pang Chi, Mu Nan Dou sold the information just because Ye Family’s Ye Xin Rou promised him some benefits and sent him two of the Ye Family’s young and beautiful maid servants.
The two maid servants were born in the Ye Family, and Pang Chi didn’t dare touch them. He just sent them over and let Yang Kai deal with them.
For Mu Nan Dou, who was a blind man, Yang Kai didn’t care. Mu Nan Dou was already killed. Naturally, there was nothing to say. Yang Kai did not kill the two maid servants, but had them stay within the mansion.
After all, they were involuntarily drawn into this mess, only used as a bargaining chip for Mu Nan Dou. They did nothing wrong.
Pang Chi immediately returned to the Central Capital to gather supplies for Yang Kai.
After Pang Chi left, Qiu Yi Meng found Yang Kai and pulled him into a room, closing the doors and windows.
Looking at the nervous color of her face, Yang Kai couldn’t help but laugh. If this was seen by others there would be a misunderstanding.
Qiu Yi Meng was also busy for several days. After the war, many things had to be dealt with: The casualties, the compensation, the accommodation of the High Heaven Pavilion, and so on, until now.
After the two were seated in her room, Yang Kai reached out and poured her a cup of tea, then Qiu Yi Meng sipped and sighed. She seemed more relaxed now.
“What did you want to talk about?” Yang Kai asked softly and sipped his tea.
Qiu Yi Meng sighed and said, “About Nan Sheng and Xiang Chu…”
“You think I went too far?” Yang Kai interrupted her.
Qiu Yi Meng gently nodded and told the truth, “They were the future heirs of first-class families. You killing them was rash. How do you think you will end up? Do you think that the two families will just give up?”
“They won’t.” Yang Kai shook his head. He knew killing Xiang Chu and Nan would cause this, but killed them anyway.
“There is no way for them to attack me!” Yang Kai chuckled. “If they dare, I admire their courage, but they dare not.”
Not to mention the Yang Family, they’re unable to compete with such a behemoth as himself. It is said that Yang Kai has gathered so many powerful people that it is by no means comparable to those families.
Eight Blood Warriors, one Above Immortal Ascension Boundary, two top Immortal Ascension Boundary peaks… The two families may be vengeful for their dead heirs, but they had to consider if they can do it.
“You…” Qiu Yi Meng looked at Yang Kai with hints of love and hate, then suddenly smiled, “But to tell you the truth, when Xiang Chu and Nan Sheng were killed by you, I felt very refreshed. The two men were really sinister and despicable, and they were the heirs to two great families.”
Yang Kai snorted, “The kind of people they were, even if I didn’t kill them this time, they would have been kill by someone else.”
“Oh, that’s what I said, but the problem is that the two families won’t compromise. The Yang family inheritance war is put under pressure because it has never had a first-class family heir die before. It could be big or small, but it depends on me. As arrogant as the Yang family is, they won’t be able to shield you.”
“I naturally know this.”
Qiu Yi Meng wore a dignified look, “If I were them, I would wait for an opportunity to strike when you are down. However, will there ever be a time when you will go down?”
“I cannot say.” Yang Kai shook his head.
Qiu Yi Meng looked up directly into the depths of Yang Kai’s eyes. She said softly, “It looks like we are worried about the same problem.”
Yang Kai smiled a little, “Smart women are not likable.”
“Then, do you like stupid women?” Qiu Yi Meng stood up and turned. “Xiao Man is stupid and you don’t like her.”
“Of course I like her. Those two lumps on her chest are much too generous, bigger than yours.” Yang Kai said without averting his gaze, which were directed at Qiu Yi Meng’s bossom. As his hand touched his chin, he muttered while in deep thought: “If I were to put my head between them, would I suffocate to death?”
Qiu Yi Meng’s face turned bleak and she quickly crossed her arms to block her chest, scolding, “Prevert!”
However, Yang Kai didn’t respond. His expression became serious as he changed the topic, “This time, I didn’t expect my promotion to Immortal Ascension Boundary to cause such a fuss.”
“You were too careless.” Qiu Yi Meng wore a bitter smile. She and Yang Kai were quite worried about this.
The Eight Great Families and the evil cultivators were like fire and water. Yang Kai’s power naturally made them envious and fearful. The people of Eight Great Families who had appeared to cultivate Demonic Secret Arts were either directly destroyed or abandoned. This time, Yang Kai was still alive thanks to Ling Tai Xu.
“I can’t help it.” Yang Kai shook his head. “There is no impenetrable wall in the world!”
Being able to conceal his power for so long already made Yang Kai very content. According to the situation at the time, even if I did not use the Devil Transformation, when I promoted Immortal Ascension Boundary, the energy in the Unyielding Golden Skeleton would be uncontrollably ejected, and those eight people would know.
Unless Yang Kai found a place away from War City, to avoid their eyes and ears.
Now that the situation has evolved in such a way, the Inheritance War should not have been affected. Yang Kai didn’t know if the family would deprive him of his qualifications to participate in the Inheritance War, but it wasn’t impossible for them to do such a thing.
Qiu Yi Meng had started to have a feeling of doubt about this matter. She pulled Yang Kai to the side to quietly discuss this matter behind closed doors.
But now, no matter how worried she was, it would be of no help. The Yang Family’s decision was not something that Yang Kai could interfere with. Just like the previous matter of the amount of Blood Warriors under Yang Kai’s command, the family said that they would not let more than two participate and no matter how much Yang Kai resisted they wouldn’t back off, though a compromise was eventually found.
Although Yang Kai had gotten a lot of benefits at the time, it was annoying that the recent developments could not be expected.
There was no real point in discussing this with Qiu Yi Meng. Yang Kai could only prepare for what results may come.
“If there is nothing else, I will be going first if that’s okay.” Yang Kai hurriedly stood up and prepared to leave.
Qiu Yi Meng glared at him and snorted.
“Anxious to find that icy beauty of yours?” She said in a sour tone.
Yang Kai ignored her and walked out.
“Be careful not to overwork yourself!” Qiu Yi Meng said nonchalantly.
“Are you concerned about me?” Yang Kai paused and said with a smile, while gazing at Qiu Yi Meng. Yang Kai then tilted his head and said, “You don’t really like me, right?”
Qiu Yi Meng’s face turned red and snorted, “So what if I do?”
Yang Kai was stunned. He didn’t expect that Qiu Yi Meng would actually confess so bluntly and suddenly, so much so that Yang Kai did not know what to do. Although he had repeatedly teased Qiu Yi Meng before, it had always only been teasing, and to suddenly get such a response. It had left Yang Kai feeling a little lost.
Yang Kai stood in place, not knowing what to say.
Qiu Yi Meng looked at Yang Kai without a care and said, “Liking you, doesn’t mean I have to be with you. I can give up everything to follow you to be a good wife and mother to your children, but only if you can enter the Qiu Family. Would you do that??”
Yang Kai shook his head.
“That’s right, so it can only be to the extent that I like you and nothing more. Later, I will marry a Young Lord of the Central Capital, and then he will marry into the Qiu Family. With the family’s support, we will bring your Yang Family down. At that time, maybe we will become enemies.” Qiu Yi Meng said with self-confidence, seeming to be talking about other people’s affairs, “Maybe I will marry someone like Huo Xing Chen or Gao Rang Feng or Kang Zhan or Liu Qing Yao or maybe even Meng Shan Yi. They are all candidates.”
“They don’t deserve you.” Yang Kai shook his head and suddenly felt a little melancholic.
Qiu Yi Meng chuckled, her eyes welling with shiny tears. She didn’t wipe them away. She turned her head and whispered, “If they don’t deserve me, I don’t deserve you, isn’t that right? You are so powerful, your future’s so bright, only a woman equally as talented can be worthy of you. I used to look down on all the men in the world, but now I can only look up to you…”
Yang Kai suddenly felt that he couldn’t continue to talk to her anymore. If she goes on, the strong and wise woman may start crying.
He grin and gave out an awkward chuckle, “Let’s stop talking about it for now and let it go. Go out to have some fun.”
Yang Kai despised himself for saying such cruel things.
“I can’t stop. I just can’t stop. I don’t think I can ever let go until the day I get married. Maybe then, I will be able to look at you as a friend and finally spend time together to have fun.” Qiu Yi Meng shook his head in a serious manner.
Yang Kai stared blankly at her, “Are you kidding?”
Qiu Yi Meng grinned and smirked, “What do you think?”
“Baby steps.” Yang Kai’s face was covered in cold sweat, fled with no choice.
The soft sound of cracking filled the hallway. Under the moonlight, there was a graceful figure leaning on the handrail of a window, looking up at the starry sky, holding some shelled hazelnuts. She relished them slowly.
Yang Kai was lost in the allure of her light blue hair, that hid her beautiful, charming face. Her small red mouth was slightly open, exposing porcelain white teeth. Exposed to the midnight air were her flawless-as-jade slender thighs. Such a sight was stunning.
Yang Kai frowned and gazed at the woman in front of him.
“Would you like some?” Shui Ling reached out and said that as her lips were not idle, it was apparent she was very skilled.
“No, thank you.” Yang Kai shook his head. “Why are you here?”
“I live next door.” Shui Ling pointed her finger at the room next to him. “It’s boring at night, so I came out to look at the stars.”
“Before that, I have a more important question to ask. Why are you in my house?!” Yang Kai coldly snorted.
“What’s the matter? Your house is so big, what does it matter that I come and stay here?” Shui Ling grinned and whispered, “Stop being so stingy.”
“Don’t play tricks on me. It doesn’t matter if you live here, but if I find out that you’re trying something, you will die.”
“Oh, I’m so scared.” Shui Ling bit her lips and looked at Yang Kai horrified. Her eyes were filled with fear.
“Hey!” Yang Kai knew that she was only pretending to be afraid, but he didn’t pry deeper into it. He asked, “How much of that conversation did you hear?”
Shui Ling continued to squat and snorted, “I didn’t hear the first half but I heard the second half.”
“Go and accompany her!” Yang Kai said with a wink.
The hazelnut in Shui Ling’s mouth slipped silently and she lost her voice, “Are you not going to accompany her?”
“Either go accompany her, or leave my house now.”
“You…” Shui Ling gnashed her teeth and quickly walked over and put the hazelnut in his hands. She glared at Yang Kai and said venomously, “I will remember you!”
After that, Shui Ling walked into Qiu Yi Meng’s room in anger.
After a few moments, the voice of two girls chatting came from inside the room. Satisfied, Yang Kai left.
Shui Ling arrived three days ago. the day after everyone managed to return to this mansion. Yang Kai knew that she didn’t care for him. This woman had a mysterious origin and her cultivation was also inconsistent with her age, as well as the pale blue hair of hers that was unconventional.
Shui Ling doesn’t look like an ordinary woman.
She said that she was born in Water Spirit Temple and Yang Kai has never heard of such a Sect existing.
Yang Kai had told Old Demon to keep watch on her in case she had an ulterior motive. Yang Kai had other reasons for doing this, mainly being trying to pry into her secrets.
Yang Kai could tell that Shui Ling did not have malicious intent towards his people, so he acquiesced to her request to live here.
Yang Kai just didn’t expect Qiu Yi Meng to arrange for her to live in the room next to his. Obviously, this had the intention of personal monitoring.
It was a moonlit night and the wind was howling.
Yang Kai went to Xia Ning Chang’s room.
Su Yan was also there.
For Yang Kai to suddenly visit so late at night, the two girls were a little shy. Su Yan was better. Xia Ning Chang however was blushing up to her neck.
During the time when Su Yan was not there, she often slept with Yang Kai. Although she had never done anything unusual, Xia Ning Chang still felt ashamed when she saw both Yang Kai and Su Yan.
She stayed silent with a lowered head.
Su Yan glanced at Yang Kai and softly asked, “What are you doing here?”
“I live here.” Yang Kai replied calmly.
Su Yan sighed and then chuckled lightly.
She did not object to Yang Kai and Xia Ning Chang being together. Su Yan had never bound Yang Kai in terms of relationships between men and women, and never asked him anything when it came to such things.
If it weren’t for the Joyous Unification Art, there would be no need for that kind of demand from Su Yan. On the contrary, Yang Kai, having cultivated the True Yang Secret Art, was a young man full of sap, so the urges created by the Art were much harder to resist as compared to Su Yan.
Yang Kai’s status was not low. He could have all the women he wanted, especially in his mansion. Nowadays, beautiful women were plentiful and many of them admired him.
However, according to Su Yan, Yang Kai had only had one woman so far.
For such a man, Su Yan would not ask for restrictions on him when it comes to women.
“Do you want to rest?” Su Yan said as she smiled at Yang Kai.
“There was no time for dual cultivation last time, so here I am now.” Yang Kai said.
“Oh.” Su Yan’s face turned red as she remembered.
“I am going to sleep!” Xia Ning Chang suddenly said and directly fell onto the bed, then she covered her face with a blanket, motionless, having seemed to be in a state of sleep in an instant.
Yang Kai and Su Yan looked at each other and couldn’t help but laugh. Recalling the times in the cave-dwelling under the High Heaven Pavilion Coiling Dragon Stream, there were times when Xia Ning Chang also used it.
Yang Kai shook his head and did not explain further, Yang Kai and Su Yan sat down facing each other as their palms met.
Joyous Unification Art had already reached its second stage and did not require the combination of physical bodies to perform dual cultivation.
In an instant True Qi residing in them strangely blended, transferring from Yang Kai’s body to Su Yan body and back again, creating an endless cycle!
The battle that took place a few days ago had shaken the entire war city, and it hadn’t completely settled down until now.
During the battle, Yang Kai had suddenly shown an unstoppable momentum, arrogantly killing both Xiang Chu and Nan Sheng in front of Yang Zhao which was a blatant provocation, then breaking through to the Immortal Ascension Boundary.
When the evil energy caused by Yang kai’s breakthrough spread throughout War City, it alerted the eight Above Immortal Ascension Boundary Elders in the Seal Temple. They wanted to swiftly put a stop to Yang Kai’s breakthrough but were unable to because they were forced back due to Yang Kai’s incredible connections and the strength of his followers.
Afterwards, Yang Kai had successfully broken into the Immortal Ascension Boundary. The elders from The Seal Temple then withdrew.
Yang Zhao was left in a haggard state.
The next day, Eldest Brother Yang Wei sent out word that he would not act until the end of The Inheritance War.
This information caused an uproar throughout War City.
Yang Wei’s meaning was obviously stating that he couldn’t win the Inheritance War, and thus took a passive stance. But everyone could understand, and could not blame him for taking such actions.
In the face of Yang Kai’s absolutely overwhelming power, even if Yang Wei did resist it would not help him.
As long as Yang Kai wanted, he will be able to win against Yang Wei in an instant and defeat him in The Inheritance War.
News of Yang Wei’s announcement circulated around the world.
Although there was no news from Yang Zhao, his situation was undoubtedly the worst in everyone’s eyes.
When Nan Sheng and Xiang Chu were killed in front of Yang Zhao, the forces that supported Yang Zhao shrank drastically. Many of them forfeited their participation right to the Inheritance War entirely. The forces had left only half an hour after the battle against Yang Kai, leaving Yang Zhao’s Mansion’s front door cold and desolate.
At the moment, Yang Zhao’s remaining forces were less than half the number they were yesterday. In comparison to the number of cultivators under any of the Yang Family Young Masters, Yang Zhao has fallen from the most to the last.
Moreover, Yang Zhao’s strength wasn’t comparable to Yang Kai’s even at Yang Kai’s current mastery level.
It was even rumoured that Yang Zhao had lost his former vigor since that day. It was as though he had lost his soul and like the walking dead, losing all motivation.
All the cultivators that were left in Yang Zhao’s mansion were languid, listless and without fighting spirit.
The Inheritance War, which had gone on until now had broken down into a one sided battle!
Just as Yang Wei had concluded on that day, any continuation to fight was pointless. There was no need for any of their brothers to further pursue the position of Yang Family’s Patriarch.
Most people in the Central Capital and War City had already concluded that Yang Kai would be the next patriarch of the Yang Family, leading the Central Capital Eight Great Families and holding the power to control the world.
Over the next few days, Yang Kai’s mansion was lively and bustling. The guests were coming and going in countless numbers, running like a river.
All of these guests were people trying to forge ties with Yang Kai at the last minute.
Although they did not help in any battles during The Inheritance War and some even belonged former enemies of Yang Kai, as the Inheritance War comes an end. These people naturally wanted to reap some benefits.
Whether or not Yang Kai reached any agreements or allied himself with the forces that had visited him, he had to, at the very least, be familiar with them.
So when Yang Kai became the head of Yang Family in the future, it would be easier for him to solve matters diplomatically.
All the guests had brought a lot of gifts in hopes of meeting with Yang Kai and exchanging a few words with him.
There were many people who were trying to be a matchmaker. Which one of these forces did not have a few thousand beautiful women? Yang Kai was a young man, and what kind of young man doesn’t like a beautiful woman, this was the unchanging truth.
In the unlikely event that Yang Kai had taken a fancy to one of the forces’ many women, she would be married into the behemoth known as the Yang Family in the future! Who would not be jealous of such a thing?
Yang Kai’s mansion was almost filled to the brim with guests from other forces.
Qiu Yi Meng was not prepared to host the sudden influx of guests, thus was overwhelmed. She hated speculative people who change their faces faster than turning pages on a book.
After Yang Kai was made aware of the influx of guests, he had placed Qiu Yi Meng in charge of the guests. Although she did not know why, she could only comply.
All forces arrived with gifts and Qiu Yi Meng had to personally welcome all of them into the mansion: conversed with them politely, took their gifts, and then sent the guests on their way.
The people who were trying to matchmake did not want to leave the mansion unceremoniously, so they blocked the door and refused to leave without speaking to Yang Kai.
In just a few short days, Yang Kai’s mansion had welcomed more than a hundred forces, gathering a lot of wealth and materials at an incredible speed.
Qiu Yi Meng was deeply shocked.
Even if she was the First Young Lady of the Qiu Family, she was still shocked by the quantity and quality of these gifts!
Five days later, the bustle surrounding Yang Kai’s Mansion gradually calmed down.
Everyone in the mansion suddenly felt a strong energy fluctuation wash over them coming from the depths of the mansion. This energy was mixed with someone’s energy fluctuations. Everyone couldn’t help but have a change of expression and look towards the source of the energy.
Within only a moment, many people had gathered together.
“What is going on!?” Huo Xing Chen yelled, he had just got a new artifact from Treasure Instrument Sect but had not have the time to refine it. He couldn’t help but be amazed.
“It seems that someone has broken through.” Qiu Yi Meng frowned, “and it’s more than one person.”
“I also felt that two people had broke through at the same time…” Dong Fatzi nodded gently, the shockwave of energy then blended and entangled, seeming to not belong to one person.
“But why do I feel…Young Lord Kai’s aura?” Huo Xing Chen didn’t understand. Yang Kai had just broken through to Immortal Ascension Boundary a few days ago. Even if his aptitude was outstanding and his ability amazing, it was impossible to breakthrough after only a few days, wasn’t it?
Does that mean there will be even more people that are going to promote?
“Let’s go check it out.” Qiu Yi Meng couldn’t help but be curious and led a group of people over to the source of the energy.
A short walk later, Qiu Yi Meng’s group arrived in front of Xia Ning Chang’s room and reached to knock on the door, but the door was already opened.
Yang Kai emerged from the room, followed by Su Yan, who held a cold temperament, as usual. Although they looked calm, anyone can see the undisclosed joy and excitement in their eyes.
“What? Why are there so many people outside my room.” Yang Kai frowned.
“Who was the one that broke through here?” Qiu Yi Meng looked around curiously inside the room, but did not see anything. She could not help but use her weak Divine Sense to sweep over Yang Kai, suddenly her face changed colour, “You actually…”
Among the people in this group, not only Qiu Yi Meng but also several others had broken through to the Immortal Ascension Boundary, they noticed the abnormality of Qiu Yi Meng’s tone. So they also swept over Yang Kai to check.
Yang Kai was already at the second stage of the Immortal Ascension Boundary!
That is to say, the wave of energy that was set off during the breakthrough was indeed caused by him.
Everyone’s eyes instantly went round with shock as they looked at Yang Kai incredulously.
“It’s only breaking through a minor realm, what’s with all the fuss?” Yang Kai said.
“What’s the fuss?” Huo Xing Chen screamed. “Young Lord Kai Do you know when you broke through last time?”
Who doesn’t know the answer to this question?
They were all standing guard while Yang Kai breakthrough last time, while holding back the eight Above Immortal Ascension Boundary Elders.
That happened only a week ago.
Only a week had passed since Yang Kai had broken through to the Immortal Ascension boundary, this cultivation speed could not be described as talented but simply monstrous.
“Did she break through with you?” Qiu Yi Meng asked as she turned and looked at Su Yan slyly.
Yang Kai nodded. During this round of dual cultivation, the growth was tremendous. Yang Kai broke through to Immortal Ascension Boundary Second Stage and Su Yan broke through to Immortal Ascension Boundary Fourth Stage, while their foundations were instantly stabilized.
Su Yan’s harvest was even bigger than Yang Kai’s. After all, he had only just broken through a Great Realm.
Huo Xing Chen suddenly said wretchedly, “In the days you’ve been staying in the room, weren’t you…”
Before he could finish his words, Su Yan stared at him with cold eyes.
Huo Xing Chen stammered. Although he held great interest towards noble and tempered woman, Huo Xing Chen could not help but feel an instinctive sense of fear whenever he faced Su Yan.
[This woman is not normal…] Huo Xing Chen thought that even Liu Liu Yao of Liu Family, was not her opponent.
He didn’t know why but Huo Xing Chen was convinced of his guess.
What’s more, he would consciously avoid harbouring thoughts about the women who admired Yang Kai, let alone Yang Kai’s woman.
“Since you have time to ask so many pointless questions, go back and cultivate.” Yang Kai reprimanded. Although his breakthrough was too abrupt this time, it was due to the immense accumulation of experience and growth that was allowed to explode out after he promoted a Major Realm.
Everyone was ashamed, and they quickly scattered. They all began to worry about their own cultivation and bottlenecks that they’re facing.
Qiu Yi Meng’s face started to blush a reddish hue. She still had heart to cultivate, but she did not have time with everything in such a mess.
“Little Lord, I have something to say.” Xiang Tian Xiao did not leave and looked at Yang Kai seriously.
Since the last battle, Xiang Tian Xiao has been looking for opportunities to speak with Yang Kai, but he had always been busy, finally an opportunity had arisen at this moment.
Looking at him, Yang Kai nodded lightly.
“I am going to look for Junior Sister Xia.” Su Yan said as she turned and left. Su Yan did not want to intervene in Yang Kai’s affairs.
Only Yang Kai, Qiu Yi Meng and Xiang Tian Xiao were left.
The atmosphere had turned tense. Qiu Yi Meng seemed to suddenly realize that Xiang Tian Xiao wanted to say something. she quickly said, “Young Master Xiang, I hope that you can carefully consider what you’re about to say.”
Xiang Tian Xiao looked at her indifferently and nodded slightly.
“Tell me, what’s the matter?” Yang Kai asked as he looked at him.
Xiang Tian Xiao took a soft breath and said in a concise manner, “I wish to leave and quit the Inheritance War.”
Qiu Yi Meng deeply sighed. Although Xiang Tian Xiao has been reminded, but he still said this sentence, Qiu Yi Meng could not help but feel a little sad.
“You’ve considered everything?” Yang Kai didn’t seem to be surprised, and seemed to already have known that this was coming.
“ En.”
“Since you’ve considered everything… then it’s okay. Go.” Yang Kai didn’t mince any words.
Qiu Yi Meng was shocked and stunned, “Yang Kai!”
Yang Kai glanced at her and faintly said, “I killed his older brother, if he is to stay in my mansion it will reflect badly on him. I am afraid that he will be criticized. It is in his best interest to leave here.”
Xiang Tian Xiao expression changed, he could not help but reveal a look of gratitude.
The battle between the two brothers was an open secret. Although Xiang Chu was his eldest brother, Xiang Chu was trying to get rid of him. But in the end, they were still brothers.
Xiang Chu died at the hand of Yang Kai. If Xiang Tian Xiao still stayed here it would be really inappropriate. Even if the people following Yang Kai understood his reasoning for staying, who would know if everyone would understand his reasons? There were so many people under the sun could they all understand and accept his reasoning.
Listening to Yang Kai, Qiu Yi Meng had an awkward look and did not know what to say.
Others now break their own heads wanting to squeeze into Yang Kai’s followers, but they didn’t have this opportunity at all, they simply can’t get in.
At the juncture of victory of The Inheritance War, Xiang Tian Xiao chose to leave here. At first glance, such a choice is quite irrational.
But Yang Kai knows that Xiang Tian Xiao has his own reasons. He is not the kind of person who lives for profit.
If he was such a person, he wouldn’t have relied on himself when he was most desperate. The number of people he brought was small, and his strength was not high. But in battles both big and small, they had put in their efforts.
“Thank you, for this last half year you’ve helped me.” Yang Kai said to Xiang Tian Xiao who gently nodded.
Xiang Tian Xiao who always had a meticulous look, gently smile and said, “Thank you for taking care of this one this past half year, Young Lord!”
The pills supplied from the Pill Room, and the artifacts supplied in by the Treasure Instrument Sect, these were shared with the Xiang Family’s cultivators. The level of the Xiang Family’s people had risen several levels.
The smile gradually disappears, and the cold face returns. Xiang Tian Xiao says in a low voice, “Young Lord, when we see each other again, we will be enemies, then I will not be your follower… farewell.”
“I will see you off!”
Outside the house, Xiang Tian Xiao led his family’s cultivators and bid farewell to Yang Kai and Qiu Yi Meng.
As the sun set, the Xiang Family’s Second Young Lord’s stood tall, striding forward, his head held high.
He had not done anything to feel ashamed of.
Behind him were less than ten people.
When he had come to Yang Kai all those months ago, he had brought more than twenty cultivators with him along with four crates of supplies, but after so long, through various large and small battles, only these few had survived.
All the others had already died in battle, giving their lives in order to obtain victory for Yang Kai.
As the remaining members of the Xiang Family disappeared in to the distance, Yang Kai slowly took back his gaze.
Of these people, the only one whose name he knew was Xiang Tian Xiao. Everyone else he had barely even spoken a word to, but that still could not dampen the respect and gratitude he felt towards them.
This was the case for those from the Xiang Family as well as all the other allies from all their various forces who remained in his mansion. Yang Kai was very grateful to all of them. If they had not come to his aide and he had been truly forced to face the Inheritance War on his own, even with his great personal strength, he wouldn’t have been able to accomplish anything.
Qiu Yi Meng nearby also suddenly felt a little heavy hearted.
This was the first group of cultivators to leave Yang Kai not because of a dispute over interests, nor because of some kind of bitter hatred, but because of honour and commitment to their family.
“The Xiang Family will be much better off under Xiang Tian Xiao’s leadership.” Yang Kai took a deep breath and said.
At the very least, he was more reliable than Xiang Chu. If the Xiang Family was truly inherited by Xiang Tian Xiao in the future, Yang Kai didn’t mind normalizing relationships with them.
Qiu Yi Meng gently brushed her hair back behind her ear and chuckled, “In other words, you’ve done the Xiang Family a favour.”
“Unfortunately, the Xiang Family won’t appreciate it.” Yang Kai laughed wryly to himself, “Let’s head back.”
But as Yang Kai turned around, before he had taken a single step towards the house, his face suddenly became cold, reaching out his hand and grabbing at the air.
His hand, which seemed to reach through the space itself, extends out like an invisible rope.
A cry of surprise rang out, causing Qiu Yi Meng to glance over at its source, her brow furrowed.
A few dozen meters away, a figure wrapped in a black robe was suspended mid-air, struggling violently, their neck seemingly being pinched by an invisible hand, their feet kicking back and forth yet unable to escape from Yang Kai’s grasp.
“Hm?” Qiu Yi Meng was shocked. The exclamation of this person which she had just heard sounded familiar to her, but as she couldn’t see this robed figure’s face she couldn’t help feeling curious.
Yang Kai coldly snorted, flicking his wrist, sending out a wave of True Qi and knocking off his captive’s head covering.
After seeing her true face, Yang Kai only stared harder at her, a cold light flashing across his eyes.
Qiu Yi Meng on the other hand relaxed and calmly watched the struggling posture of the woman in front of her, giggling slightly, “It really is you.”
“Can you let go?” The woman bit her bright red lips, ignoring Qiu Yi Meng’s teasing laughter and glaring at Yang Kai, her face bright red with embarrassment, her well rounded chest rising and falling rapidly, providing quite the enticing scene.
Yang Kai frowned and didn’t immediately know what to do. Just now, he had felt someone quickly approaching him without sending out any greetings, so he had taken the initiative to restrain them.
After considering for a brief moment, Yang Kai waves his hand and released the other party. Suddenly regaining her freedom, the woman yelped and fell to the ground miserably, glaring at Yang Kai angrily as she got up.
There was also a hint of venom in her gaze but she managed to hide it quickly.
She had never been treated like this before.
“Young Lady Ye.” Qiu Yi Meng snickered, standing proudly next to Yang Kai and narrowing her eyes at Ye Xin Rou in front of her, suggestively asking, “Weren’t you living a life of peace and luxury, serving the Second Yang Lord in his Mansion? Why have you come all the way here?”
Listening to the hidden barbs in her voice, Ye Xin Rou felt aggrieved but didn’t reveal anything on her face, instead wearing a dazzling smile, “I don’t understand what Elder Sister Qiu is saying. I am only an ally of Second Young Lord, why would I be serving him? Such minor things can be taken care of by the maids, there’s no need for me to personally intervene.”
“Really?” Qiu Yi Meng put on a surprised expression and continued, “How come I heard that since forming an alliance with Second Young Lord, Sister Ye has steadily grown closer to him. Big Sister was even wondering if it was almost time to talk about Sister Ye’s marriage date.”
Ye Xin Rou’s winning smile never faded as she swiftly countered, “Elder Sister Qiu must be mistaken. Junior Sister Ye isn’t one to casually decide her marriage partner. On the other hand, Elder Sister Qiu isn’t young anymore. Isn’t it about time for her to consider finding a man to rely upon? If Elder Sister is interested, little sister can put in a good word for her with Second Young Lord. Second Young Lord is a little dispirited right now, so if he were to receive such pleasant news, little sister is certain he would be quite pleased.”
“No need for that.” Qiu Yi Meng laughed sweetly, turning her head slightly to look at Yang Kai, “If I am to marry, there’s already a candidate around me.”
Ye Xin Rou couldn’t help gawk slightly, not having imagined that Qiu Yi Meng would act so boldly. Right in front of Yang Kai’s face, she had all but directly professed her love. Only after a while did she recover, wearing a look of admiration as she spoke, “Elder Sister Qiu is really extraordinary, little sister’s face is thin to say such embarrassing words.”
Qiu Yi Meng stared warmly while Ye Xin Rou smiled sweetly, each of them staring into the other’s eyes, invisible sparks flying between them.
At the entrance to the house, the two guards from some unspecified force who happened to be on duty listened to these two young woman calling each other Elder Sister and Junior sister, their tone of voice warm and gentle, as if they were really a pair of harmonious sisters. But contrary to this seemingly intimate conversation, they felt more like these two young ladies were pointing swords at one another, causing cold sweat to drip down their foreheads.
“If you have something to say, spit it out and be done with it! I don’t have time to listen to you two prattle on.” Yang Kai impatiently interrupted their verbal confrontation. He had something he wanted to handle right away so naturally he didn’t want to waste time here.
“Must Little Lord act so cold?” Ye Xin Rou pouted somewhat dissatisfied, “Oh, very well. Since I’m already here, I might as well say what I have to say.”
Yang Kai simply stared at her, his expression still indifferent.
Seeing his attitude, Ye Xin Rou’s brow furrowed somewhat, “Little Lord isn’t going to make me say it here, is he?”
“Is it something inconvenient to say?”
“Of course it is not convenient to say here.” Ye Xin Rou’s expression sank. Right now she was sneaking around. If someone were to see her in contact with Yang Kai, it wouldn’t be a good thing for her.
After all, she was currently Yang Zhao’s ally.
Qiu Yi Meng was obviously also worried about this, tip toeing and whispering something into Yang Kai’s ear.
She was concerned that word of him meeting with Ye Xin Rou would be spread out and used by people as negative propaganda. Not only was such a thing bad for Ye Xin Rou, it would also tarnish Yang Kai’s reputation.
After listening to Qiu Yi Meng’s words, Yang Kai, even if he was not willing to, he could only say, “Let’s talk about it inside.”
Just as he said these words, Ye Xin Rou swiftly flew forward, leaving a fragrant scent in her wake as she rushed into the mansion, throwing a flirtatious glance to Yang Kai and giggling as she passed by him.
Witnessing all this, Yang Kai’s expression became strange. This Ye Xin Rou seemed totally different from what he had imagined.
“Did you think she was a naive innocent woman?” Qiu Yi Meng coldly snorted.
“I did think so.” Yang Kai nodded. From Ye Xin Rou’s reputation, her appearance, and his brief contact with her, Yang Kai had felt that although she was currently his opponent, she wasn’t someone bad.
But now, it seems like his eyes weren’t as good as he had thought.
“Hmph, be careful not to let her eat you, bones and all.” Qiu Yi Meng snorted sourly.
“Just what kind of person do you think I am?” Yang Kai glanced over at her indifferently.
Receiving this look, Qiu Yi Meng suddenly let out a pleasant laugh, feeling like she was worrying over nothing.
If Yang Kai was like Huo Xing Chen, she may still have some concerns about him falling for Ye Xin Rou’s temptations, but even though she felt Yang Kai was hateful at times, he was still a principled person.
If she were to wholeheartedly try to seduce Yang Kai, Qiu Yi Meng estimated that Yang Kai wouldn’t refuse her, but Ye Xin Rou… she didn’t have such ability!
Thinking so, Qiu Yi Meng suddenly felt a pleasant sense of superiority.
Walking into the house, outside a quiet room, Qiu Yi Meng paused and sneered, “You talk to her yourself. If I go in with you we’ll probably just end up fighting again, so it’s best if I’m not around anyways.”
Yang Kai nodded lightly. Having experienced the scene outside his mansion just now, he knew that what Qiu Yi Meng said was the truth.
Both of them were Young Ladies of the Central Capital Eight Great Families, so they would naturally be compared to one another. However, Qiu Yi Meng’s reputation was undoubtedly more spectacular, not something Ye Xin Rou could compare to.
Inside the room, Ye Xin Rou had already taken off her disguise, gently breathing with a calm and relaxed expression. Her looks were impeccable and she had dressed herself up carefully. Yang Kai always knew Ye Xin Rou was a great beauty, but now looking closely at her, this impression became more profound.
Her two jade like arms were exposed and her skin a pure shade of white, her chest was full, not too big or too small, just right, her waist was thin and graceful, perfectly curved hips leading to long slender legs.
Adorning her delicate feet were some small bell-like decorations. Although they didn’t make any sound, they were small and cute, adding an exotic flavour.
The first impression she gave off was that of a gentle and feminine young woman.
But when Yang Kai observed her for a moment, he noticed a certain seductive charm in her movement and gaze.
“Whatever you have to say, just say it.” Yang Kai spat impatiently.
“Little Lord is really quite cold.” Ye Xin Rou smiled and pouted lightly.
“You’re wrong about that,” Yang Kai grinned, “I’m not a cold person, I’m also interested in beautiful women, but I have something to do now, I have no interest in wasting time.”
“Beautiful? May I take that as Little Lord’s compliment?” Ye Xin Rou’s face showed a dazzling smile as she casually flirted.
“To each their own. Everyone has their own views regarding beauty, and in my opinion you are indeed a beautiful woman.” Yang Kai nodded in agreement, “But even if you are a beautiful woman, you can’t waste my time.”
“In that case, Xin Rou will get straight to the point.” Ye Xin Rou didn’t try to entangle him any further. About Yang Kai’s character, even Ye Xin Rou briefly understood. He was a man with strong convictions and refused to be led around by others. Regardless of what kind of word games she tried to play, it would likely only serve to annoy him.
Yang Kai put on an expression that said he was listening.
“After the great battle seven days ago, Second Young Lord has completely lost his fighting spirit. Although I am an ally of Second Young Lord and should support him at this time, reinvigorating his confidence, I believe that no matter how hard I try, it will be to no avail. In other words, Second Young Lord is destined to lose this war.”
“What are you trying to say?” Yang Kai’s eyes flashed as the corners of his lips rose, “Don’t tell me you plan to abandon Second Brother and seek refuge with me?”
Inside the room, Ye Xin Rou narrowed her eyes and stared at Yang Kai, breaking out into a smile a moment later.
After giggling lightly, she directly said, “Little Lord looks down on people far too much. How could I simply abandon Second Young Lord to support you? If I did so, what would that say about me? What would the people of this world think of me? Of my Ye Family?”
“It was just a joke, don’t take it too seriously.” Yang Kai smiled and shook his head.
He also knew it was impossible for Ye Xin Rou to agree to this condition.
The Inheritance War was held by the Yang Family in order to select it’s next Patriarch and the various forces from around the Dynasty who participated did so mainly in order to win favour with the former.
But the other seven Great Families of the Central Capital were different.
They already had rich heritages and wielded great power. Even if not quite equal to the Yang Family, they were at least on the same level.
They were already inextricably tied to the Yang Family, so there was no reason for them to intentionally please them.
The Young Lords and Young Ladies from the other seven families who participated in the Inheritance War did so mostly to hone themselves and display their abilities. As for who won or who lost, it wasn’t of great concern to them.
So although Yang Zhao’s situation wasn’t very optimistic, it was impossible for Ye Xin Rou to betray him and ally with Yang Kai. She would gain nothing by doing so, while simultaneously damaging her Ye Family’s reputation.
“So what is it you really want?” Yang Kai stared at Ye Xin Rou with sharp eyes, “If I’m not mistaken, you should have been waiting around here for some time now, right?”
It would be too much of a coincidence for her to be outside his mansion at the exact moment Yang Kai had walked out.
As such, the only explanation was that this woman had been waiting for him.
“I don’t really want anything.” Ye Xin Rou shook her head casually, “It’s just that the situation is clear: It is only a matter of time before the Little Lord wins this Inheritance War and it can even be said that if you are willing, you can defeat your brothers right now. “
Yang Kai remained silent, but a hint of vigilance flashed across his eyes. He couldn’t determine if Ye Xin Rou had come here to gather intelligence or some other nefarious purpose.
“The winner of this contest will definitely be the Little Lord.” Ye Xin Rou smiled charmingly as she stared at Yang Kai, seemingly picturing his glorious future, her breath becoming slightly heavier, as if she was slightly intoxicated, “I’ve always had an interest in the strong, and Little Lord is such a person.”
“You have some boring interests.” Yang Kai grinned and said disdainfully.
Ye Xin Rou’s eyes flashed a cold light but quickly recovered, giggling sweetly, “Then I’ll get straight to the point. Xin Rou has come here only to make one request.”
“And that is?”
“When Little Lord becomes Patriarch of the Yang Family, I hope he can take care of my Ye Family.”
Yang Kai’s expression suddenly became slightly strange, squinting at Ye Xin Rou as he asked, “Your Ye Family is also one of the Eight Great Families. What do you need my care for?”
Ye Xin Rou shook her head slowly, wearing a slightly helpless expression, “Little Lord may not know, but the Eight Great Families are currently on the decline. Many of the masters from our families have died recently and the younger generation is not nearly as competent. Many of them prefer to engage in dandyism and delinquency rather than improving themselves. The last time we fought, the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land suffered many losses as well, but we failed to completely destroy them, which greatly damaged the reputation and prestige of the Eight Great Families. No one knows how long our current status and glory will last if this decline continues, however, I feel that Little Lord is a man who can bring about miracles. The best example is this Inheritance War itself. It isn’t an exaggeration to say that the Little Lord’s performance these past nine months has been a series of miracles. Under Little Lord’s leadership, the Yang Family, rather than decline, is likely to become even stronger, but among our seven families… hehe, I don’t think anyone of us has such ability.”
“When that happens, it won’t be long before your Yang Family really dominates the Central Capital and controls the world, not like now where it does so in name only.”
Yang Kai was slightly surprised, suddenly discovering that he had somewhat underestimated this woman foresight.
Worthy of an heir to one of the Eight Great Families. Despite her obvious personality issues, she was still a unique talent.
The current Eight Great Families didn’t actually differ that much in terms of strength and each of the other seven were always eager to seize the lead role from the Yang Family.
Of course, such an opportunity wasn’t likely to appear any time soon.
But no matter which one of them it was, it was true that their strength was waning.
The problem Ye Xin Rou had just described was something Yang Kai also occasionally thought about, but he hadn’t considered it too deeply because he felt that this kind of thing had little to do with himself.
But listening to her analysis, Yang Kai couldn’t help feeling that what she said was reasonable.
The Eight Great Families had sat in their current position for too long and had become complacent. This was the so-called three generations of wealth. After a period of glory, there would inevitably be a decline and, sooner or later, a fall from power.
The symptoms of this decline were already starting to show.
The Young Lords and Young Ladies of the Central Capital each thought of themselves as powerful and superior to all others and had forgotten that their current achievements were due in large part to the hardships and sacrifices of their ancestors.
For example, if someone like Qiu Zi Ruo become the Patriarch of the Qiu Family one day, what hope would it have of rising?
Gao Rang Feng, Kang Zhan, Meng Shan Yi, Liu Qing Yao… all of them had some ability, but under their leadership, could they really halt the decline in their families’ power? This was something that no one could predict.
“Perhaps such an eventuality won’t occur in our lifetime, but I’d rather take precautions sooner rather than later. It’s better to be prepared than not prepared, isn’t it?” Ye Xin Rou declared confidently to Yang Kai.
Yang Kai gently nodded in response.
“In any case, I believe Little Lord isn’t an ordinary man. Under your leadership, the Yang Family will definitely grow stronger than it is now. If Xin Rou doesn’t forge a good relationship with you now, I’m afraid that there will be no chance to do so in the future.” Ye Xin Rou said frankly, no falsehood apparent on her face or in her voice. It was obviously that this was her sincere opinion.
“I admit that what you said makes sense.” After a moment of indifference, Yang Kai focused his eyes on Ye Xin Rou and curled his lips slightly, “But what benefit do I get for agreeing to your request?”
Ye Xin Rou bit her lip gently and whispered softly, “What benefits does Little Lord want?”
As she spoke these words, a fascinating glimmer appeared in her eyes as a faint blush appeared on her cheeks, her implied meaning extremely self-evident.
Yang Kai looked at her and grinned, slowly shaking his head as he asked, “I don’t know, what can you offer me?”
Ye Xin Rou let out a charming laugh and slowly rose to her feat, sashaying over towards Yang Kai step by step.
When she arrived only a half step away from him, she spun on her heels lightly before gently sitting herself down atop Yang Kai’s lap, reaching out her jade like arms with fluid motions and wrapping them around his neck, bring her face next to his ear and exhaling a hot breath, “I can give Little Lord anything he wants.”
“Really?” Yang Kai’s flashed an obscene light that seemed to come straight from the depths of his soul, reaching out his strong hands to Ye Xin Rou’s rich womanly assets, kneading and pinching wantonly.
Letting out a suggest moan, Ye Xin Rou looked at Yang Kai impishly and pouted, “Please be a little more gentle with Xin Rou, Little Lord.”
Whispering such words from her bright red lips, Ye Xin Rou exuded a powerful sense of attraction.
In her pair of slightly wet eyes, a hint of pride quickly flashed by.
Even though Yang Kai was outstanding, he was still just an eighteen-year-old boy! Yang Zhao was already her captive, thoroughly conquered by her charms and her body, so how could the even younger Yang Kai escape from her? Ye Xin Rou thought to herself as she disdainfully scoffed in her heart.
Having giving him a taste, Ye Xin Rou next slipped out of Yang Kai’s embrace.
She was an expert at using such tactics, having a bit of fun while whetting a man’s appetite yet not allowing him to succeed too easily.
She was by no means a pure woman, so how could she not understand a man’s thoughts when it came to such matters?
Yang Kai did not try to stop her, instead just watching her with a smile, his expression filled with expectation. However, if one were to observe carefully, they would notice that although his gaze seemed fiery, they were actually filled with cold indifference.
The moment she stood firm, Ye Xin Rou’s clothes all suddenly tore to pieces and scattered.
A snow-white body with outstanding proportions was suddenly exposed to the air, her beautiful silky hair cascaded seductively down her lustrous back, highlighting her breathtaking and seductive figure.
Ye Xin Rou yelped in surprise, not having expected this at all.
Immediately, she realized that when Yang Kai had let his hands wander over her body, without her knowing, he must have gotten up to some kind of mischief with her clothes.
Feeling a slight sense of panic and fear, Ye Xin Rou hurriedly used her delicate arms to cover her most sensitive places. Blushing bright red, she grit her teeth and glared at Yang Kai, “You…”
But after spitting out a single word, Ye Xin Rou quickly swallowed down her anger and instead fidgeted, half nervously half playfully, as she said with wet eyes, “Little Lord, why are you doing this?”
“You offered yourself to me.” Yang Kai snorted and narrowed his eyes, saying in a commanding tone, “Move your hands.”
Ye Xin Rou suddenly became embarrassed and hesitated.
“Didn’t you just say you can give me anything I want?” Yang Kai sneered, “Or what, were you just spouting nonsense?”
“Of course I meant what I said.” Ye Xin Rou replied as she bit her lip, anger flaring up in her heart. She didn’t really object to becoming intimate with Yang Kai, she was even somewhat eager to do so, but before securing any actual benefits or at least some kind of verbal commitment, she didn’t want to let Yang Kai have his way with her.
But now, it seemed like she didn’t have any choice.
After silently cursing to herself, Ye Xin Rou continued softly, “Little Lord, please don’t laugh…”
Yang Kai remained unapologetic, still assuming the demeanor of a superior looking down at her.
Ye Xin Rou then slowly slid her hands away and lowered her head, seemingly shy.
Yang Kai didn’t make the slightest effort to conceal his gaze, his eyes full of aggression as he stared at her.
Rich peaks that concealed a deep valley, a smooth and flat belly without the slightest excess fat, a well trimmed grassy plain that concealed a wondrous treasure, skin as white as fresh snow, a picture sensual enough to make any man spurt blood from his nose; a beauty that one couldn’t help being drawn to.
Ye Xin Rou hid nothing as she stood naked in front of Yang Kai, like the finest piece of art, letting him appreciate her perfect figure and fascinating allure.
Yang Kai had to admit that this woman indeed had enough capital to justify her pride, especially the look of shyness she was wearing which only further enhanced the subtle mood in the air, tickling a man’s instincts to push her down and ravage her.
Seemingly noticing the fire in Yang Kai’s gaze, Ye Xin Rou’s jade white body began glowing a faint reddish hue and her breathing gradually became hurried.
Although she wasn’t an innocent little girl, she was still a woman. Standing like this in front of a man really did make her feel somewhat embarrassed.
“Beautiful?” Ye Xin Rou let Yang Kai’s eyes linger on his body for a moment before slightly lifting her head and gently asking.
Yang Kai nodded strongly as he let out a heavy breath.
“As long as you give me your promise, then Xin Rou will offer you everything…” At this point, Ye Xin Rou had no other tricks she could play. She could only throw out this kind of bait.
Moreover, looking at the appearance and state of Yang Kai, this little brat obviously couldn’t refuse such temptation, of this she was fully confident!
She was the First Young Lady of the Ye Family! Just her identity alone would make any man drool at the thought of obtaining her, not to mention she was also a great beauty.
In the room, facing Ye Xin Rou’s blatant temptation, Yang Kai stood up and walked straight toward her.
Ye Xin Rou raised his eyes and glanced at him shyly, her heart pounding violently, a faint trace of anticipation on her face.
Ye Xin Rou really was quite interested in Yang Kai and was more than happy to have a little fun with such an outstanding young man.
As Yang Kai approached, Ye Xin Rou’s breathing also became faster.
But in the next moment, Yang Kai walked past her, and in a sarcastic tone whispered into her ear.
“Sorry, I have no interest in sluts.”
The expectation on Ye Xin Rou’s face instantly disappeared and her expression became ghastly. Her tender body trembling with embarrassment and rage, she whipped around and angrily shouted, “Yang Kai, stop right there!”
However, Yang Kai didn’t pay her any mind and casually walked out.
Ye Xin Rou was infuriated and leapt forward, preparing to attack, but before she could even get close to Yang Kai, she was swept away by an invisible force. By the time she landed back where she had started, Yang Kai had already disappeared.
“Yang Kai, if you dare do this to me, I’ll make sure you die a miserable death!” Ye Xin Rou screamed hysterically.
Outside the room, Qiu Yi Meng looked at Yang Kai with an awkward expression, her face faintly blushing, “Isn’t this a bit much? She’s still a young woman.”
“Too much? Nonsense.” Yang Kai snorted, “I’m already being benevolent enough by not calling Huo Xing Chen over. I am always kind to women. Well, in any case, she’s all yours now.”
“Hehe…” Qiu Yi Meng couldn’t help smiling, a trace of anticipation flashing across her face.
Although Qiu Yi Meng couldn’t really do anything serious to Ye Xin Rou given both of their statuses, it was still fine to make her eat some bitter fruit. The two Young Ladies had always been at loggerheads, and now Ye Xin Rou had actually brazenly come to her territory to seduce Yang Kai. Even though Qiu Yi Meng felt a bit sorry for her being toyed with like this, that didn’t mean she wasn’t upset with her as well.
After Yang Kai left, Qiu Yi Meng clapped her hands gently.
Immediately, several lower rank cultivators rushed over and asked, “What are Young Lady Qiu’s orders?”
Her red lips curling into a devilish grin, Qiu Yi Meng lightly commanded, “Block all access to this wing. Without my command, no one is allowed to enter!”
“Yes!”
Inside the room, hearing this, Ye Xin Rou’s beautiful went pale and she immediately cried out, “Elder Sister Qiu, Elder Sister Qiu! Have mercy on Junior Sister, Junior Sister knows she was wrong. Elder Sister Qiu…”
Qiu Yi Meng froze, her brow furrowing slightly as she muttered out loud, “Hmm, how odd, my ears seem to be playing tricks on me. Did any of you hear a voice just now?”
Seeing the dangerous light flashing across the Qiu Family’s First Young Lady, all the guards stood up straight and vigorously shook their heads.
“En, I could have sworn someone was calling out to me just now, but I guess I was just hearing things.” Qiu Yi Meng giggled and casually walked away.
The guards left behind all felt cold sweat drip down their backs.
They suddenly discovered that Qiu Yi Meng actually had such a ruthless and vengeful side to her, and all of them glancing towards the sealed room nearby involuntarily revealed a sympathetic look.
Just beyond this door, Ye Xin Rou’s perfect body was completely exposed…
Back in his room, Yang Kai sat cross-legged, his mood fluctuating.
Not because of what just happened with Ye Xin Rou, but because of what was about to happen next.
Seven days ago, when he broke through to the Immortal Ascension Boundary, Yang Kai was still unaware of it as there were so many things for him to deal with at the time, but after resolving all these issues and having a moment of peace, he realized something important.
The Wordless Black Book had a reaction!
Summoning it with his mind, the black book made from a giant piece of soulstone appeared in Yang Kai’s hand.
Only after obtaining this Black Book had Yang Kai truly stepped onto the Martial Path, and from that point on his momentum had been unstoppable.
Each time a seal on the Wordless Black Book was lifted, Yang Kai would obtain a great advantage, but his own unyielding efforts were the real reason for his rapid progress.
Yang Kai still clearly remembered everything he had obtained from the Black Book.
The first page of the Black Book had contained the Unyielding Golden Skeleton which had re-forged his crippled body.
The second page had contained the Tempered Body Record which had allowed him to greatly enhance his physique.
The third page stored the magical incense burner which allowed him to greatly increase his rate of cultivation.
The fourth page had taught him the True Yang Secret Art, the Secret Art which served as the foundation of his current True Qi strength.
The fifth page had guided him to Medicine King’s Valley where he had obtained the peerless treasures beneath the Myriad Drug Pond.
When the sixth page was unsealed, it had opened up the vast Black Book Space.
Since then though, the Wordless Black Book had not shown any response, and only after his most recent breakthrough did Yang Kai feel the seal on the seventh page loosen.
The seal loosening meant that with his current strength and cultivation, he would be able to break this seal and unearth the secret buried in the seventh page.
It went without saying that each time he opened a new page in the Black Book, Yang Kai obtained incredible benefits.
So now, at this moment, how could Yang Kai not be excited?
Taking a deep breath to calm himself, Yang Kai held the Wordless Black Book, opened it, and poured his True Qi into it.
But soon, Yang Kai noticed something abnormal.
When he poured his True Qi into the Black Book, the Black Book would swallow it to a certain extent, but the seal on the seventh page didn’t budge, even refusing to accept his True Qi and reflecting it back at him.
Yang Kai was immediately lost in thought.
Was there something wrong with how he circulating his True Qi? Or was the quantity of his True Qi not great enough?
Of perhaps… this wasn’t how the seventh page was supposed to be unsealed.
The seventh page had only begun responding after he had broken through to the Immortal Ascension Boundary and opened up his Knowledge Sea.
So it was reasonable that the appearance of his Knowledge Sea and Divine Sense were the biggest factors in the seal loosening.
Thinking so, Yang Kai stopped pouring his True Qi into the Black Book and instead began gathering his Spiritual Energy and sending it into the seventh page.
The blank seventh page, after receiving this influx of Spiritual Energy, began to faintly glow and swallow it.
Seeing this scene, Yang Kai affirmed his own inference: To unlock the seventh page’s seal, he had to use his Spiritual Energy.
In for a penny, in for a pound, Yang Kai swiftly enhanced the rate at which he transferred his Spiritual Energy to the Black Book.
As his Spiritual Energy was continuously swallowed up by the Black Book, Yang Kai clearly witnessed the seventh page’s seal weaken, like a great iceberg being melting away under a hot sun.
This process was quite slow, but there was without a doubt progress being made.
Time passed quickly and the sun now hung low in the sky. Yang Kai kept at it for an unknown amount of time and had even taken three Spiritual Energy supplementing pills in order to keep up with this rapid consumption, and the Black Book’s seventh page’s seal finally broke.
On the seventh page, a complicated series of criss-crossing glowing lines appeared.
It seemed to be some kind of Spirit Array.
When the complete Spirit Array was fully illuminated, a small vortex which seemed to have the ability to devour everything appeared and began to slowly rotate.
As this rotation became faster, something began to emerge from the page.
Yang Kai suddenly felt an instinctive sense of panic as his Soul seemed to be drawn in by some invisible force, nearly rushing out of his Knowledge Sea.
Yang Kai was shocked and stunned, quickly calming himself down and stabilizing his mind.
If his Soul was really sucked away, he would become an empty shell, a mindless idiot!
At this moment, everyone in the house, even Meng Wu Ya and Ling Tai Xu, felt a sense of restlessness.
This feeling only lasted a moment, dissipating as fast as it came, but it had caused these two elite masters to become deeply vigilant.
Simultaneously, the two old men probed the area where Yang Kai had secluded himself, but after a careful examination they failed to discover anything. It seemed like something was isolating this area from their Divine Sense probe.
This discovery, or rather lack thereof, only made them feel more suspicious, wondering what exactly was happening.
Inside his room, Yang Kai stared at the object which had emerged from the seventh page of the Black Book, his expression somewhat awkward.
This thing was about the size of a small egg. It had two pointed ends and was rounded in the middle with a single flat edge, there were also many lines and patterns on its surface, somewhat like human veins but also resembling a complex tortoise shell pattern.
At first glance, Yang Kai thought it was some kind of strange fruit.
But after carefully observing it, Yang Kai felt it more closely resembled a closed eye.
At this thought, a chill ran through his heart and countless goose bumps appeared on his skin.
He didn’t know what this thing was. In the past, when a new page in the Black Book was unsealed, there was always a message that let him know what benefit he had obtained, but this time there was no such convenient explanation.
The difficulty in undoing this seal was also far beyond what Yang Kai had expected.
Vaguely, Yang Kai felt that this strange object was something absolutely indispensable, but he had no idea what its purpose was. All he could tell was that it seemed to have some kind of faint connection with his Soul.
Attempting to reach out to it with his Divine Sense, the eye-like thing immediately disappeared, and at the same time, Yang Kai noticed a new presence in his Knowledge Sea.
Drawing his consciousness into his Knowledge Sea, Yang Kai quickly looked around.
Sure enough, the strange object had been admitted to his Knowledge Sea and was now quietly floating above island transformed from the Five Coloured Soul Warming Lotus. There was no sense of incongruence, as if it perfectly matched with his Soul.
In addition to it and the Soul Warming Lotus, there was also a small sword floating about in his Knowledge Sea.
It was the Soul type artifact he had used to kill Nan Sheng.
In order to refine this small sword, Yang Kai had expended a lot of effort, but this strange eye-like object had entered his Knowledge Sea almost effortlessly.
Shaking his head, Yang Kai couldn’t understand what any of this meant.
At that moment, a sound reached his ear and Yang Kai removed himself from his Knowledge Sea.
Opening the door, outside his room stood Ling Tai Xu and Meng Wu Ya who were staring at him with dignified expressions. Immediately, two huge Divine Senses swept over him, but after finding nothing out of the ordinary, they simply stared at him with puzzled looks for a moment before not asking anything, turning around, and leaving.
“Young Master, are you alright?” Immediately after, Old Demon arrived and asked anxiously.
“I’m fine.” Yang Kai shook his head lightly; knowing these people had all come here worrying about him made his heart feel a little warm.
“Good, as long as Young Master is alright.” Old Demon put down the worries in his heart and turned around to leave.
“Wait.” Yang Kai suddenly called out.
“What are Young Master’s instructions?”
“Go and call Leng Shan.”
“Yes.”
A dozen or so breaths later, Leng Shan of Ghost King Valley walked into Yang Kai’s room under the leadership of Old Demon.
Looking at Yang Kai curiously, Leng Shan calmly asked, “What is it?”
“Take a seat.” Yang Kai didn’t get up and instead gestured casually to her.
Leng Shan paused for a moment, not understanding Yang Kai’s intentions.
“I once said that when I broke through to the Immortal Ascension Boundary one day, I would set you free!” Yang Kai said with a friendly chuckle to Leng Shan’s suspicious face, “Now, it’s time to fulfill that promise.”
Leng Shan’s eyes suddenly flashed a brilliant light, full of hope and expectation.
A few years ago, when she had gone out for life experience in that Isolated World, Yang Kai had left a brand on her and Zi Mo of Tian Lang Dynasty’s Souls. At the beginning, Leng Shan and Zi Mo tried every means to escape Yang Kai’s control, but after wide variety of experiences, Leng Shan’s attitude towards him slowly changed.
Later, when they had reunited at the Evil Cavern and Yang Kai had single-handedly saved her and her fellow Ghost King Valley disciples, Leng Shan even began to feel grateful towards him.
When she had learned of the Inheritance War, Leng Shan and the Ghost King Valley disciples who owed Yang Kai a deep debt of gratitude had defied their Elder’s commands and journeyed to War City to assist him.
By now, she wasn’t very concerned about the Soul brand that Yang Kai had left in her mind, not even really caring if it remained or not. After all, beside the initial period where she had tried to rebel against him, Yang Kai had never used it to harm or coerce her in any way.
But despite all that, hearing Yang Kai say he was going to remove it still made Leng Shan a little happy.
This man really was someone who kept his word.
Yang Kai gently nodded, and Leng Shan stepped forward and sat down in front of him.
“Relax.” Yang Kai laughed lightly when he saw some nervousness on her face.
The next moment, the huge and pure Divine Sense condensed and directly rushed into Leng Shan’s mind.
Right now, Leng Shan was still only a True Element Boundary Ninth Stage cultivator, but although she hadn’t broken through to the Immortal Ascension Boundary yet and opened up her Knowledge Sea, as a sentient creature, she still had a Soul.
His powerful Divine Sense scanning through Leng Shan’s mind, Yang Kai immediately found an energy fluctuation which matched his own.
It was the Soul brand he had implanted on Leng Shan a few years ago!
Next, Yang Kai carefully drew out this Spiritual Energy and assimilated it into his Divine Sense.
This process wasn’t difficult for Yang Kai who had reached the Immortal Ascension Boundary.
After only as long as it would take to drink half a cup of tea, Yang Kai took back his Divine Sense and smiled, “Done.”
Leng Shan blinked slowly and looked at Yang Kai, her emotions somewhat torn.
Regaining her freedom was obviously a happy event, one worth celebrating, but after so long subtly feeling Yang Kai’s presence near her, Leng Shan now suddenly felt like something was missing, which was somewhat disconcerting.
“Thank you.” Leng Shan recovered quickly, stood up and thanked him gently.
From now on, she and Yang Kai were no longer connected. After the end of the Inheritance War, she would likely return to Ghost King Valley with her fellow disciples and never again set foot in the Central Capital and War City.
“It’s what I should do.” Yang Kai nodded lightly.
Leng Shan smiled shyly, nodded, and then left the room.
In the hall outside, Old Demon chuckled and said, “Leng girl, congratulations.”
But in response, Leng Shan actually gave him a cold stare. Her expression greatly confused the Old Demon, wondering where he had offended her.
“Old Demon, come in.” Yang Kai suddenly called out from inside the room.
Old Demon hurried in and asked, “What other instructions does Young Master have?”
“Take a seat.”
“Ah…” Old Demon was shocked and suddenly realized what Yang Kai was planning. Unable to hide a look of excitement he hesitantly began to say, “Young Master…”
“Since I told you to sit then sit, dispense with the nonsense.”
Old Demon obediently sat down in front of Yang Kai, trying his best to calm himself even as he anticipated what was to come next.
“Relax your Knowledge Sea’s defence.” Yang Kai said lightly.
Old Demon hastened to comply.
The next moment, Yang Kai’s Divine Sense poured into Old Demon’s Knowledge Sea and began seeking for his Spiritual Energy brand.
A short while later, Yang Kai and Old Demon blinked at the same time, the former staring at the latter somewhat strangely.
“Heh heh…” Yang Kai grinned as he stared at Old Demon, “Seems like I’ve seen something incredible.”
Just now, when he had invaded Old Demon’s Knowledge Sea, the first thing he saw was a blood red sea.
Old Demon’s Knowledge Sea, which could only be described as an ocean of blood, was filled with potent Demonic Intent and was in no way weaker than Yang Kai’s, and also carried a slight feeling of unease.
While exploring this bloody Knowledge Sea, Yang Kai faintly perceived some of Old Demon’s memories, including his previous desires to escape from and seek revenge on him.
However, everyone had their own thoughts and secrets so Yang Kai didn’t dare to spy too much, lest he come across something he would rather not see, and after finding the thread of Divine Sense belonging to him and retrieving it, he hurriedly evacuated.
Old Demon immediately paled, “Young Master, please calm your anger. All of those thoughts were something old servant had long ago. Now, old servant is completely loyal to Young Master and will continue to be until the earth is destroyed and the sun and moon fade from the sky!”
“Fine, fine.” Yang Kai stood up and casually waved his hand, “Don’t try to flatter me. If I didn’t trust you, I wouldn’t have set you free in the first place.”
“Young Master is the epitome of magnanimity!” Old Demon loudly declared, “From this day forward, Old Servant pledges to redouble his efforts to loyally support Young Master.”
Yang Kai simply nodded lightly, not saying anymore.
Old Demon didn’t get up to leave immediately though and instead began fiddling with his hands, seemingly wanting to say something.
Yang Kai noticed this and waited for him to speak.
“Young Master, Old Servant must inform you of a previous offence.” Old Demon nervously said.
“If you’re referring to your previous thoughts, you don’t have to say any more.”
“No, something else.” Old Demon shook his head in embarrassment, “It’s about your method of controlling others.”
“You mean your method.”
“Yes, yes, Old Servant’s methods,” Old Demon nodded. Whether it was himself, Leng Shan, or Zi Mo, it was only through Old Demon’s assistance that Yang Kai was able to control them.
In the process, Yang Kai was only responsible for providing a thread of Divine Sense while all the other arrangements were made by Old Demon.
At those times, Yang Kai’s cultivation was still relatively weak and it was impossible for him to use his Spiritual Energy to brand others’ Souls.
“What Old Servant wants to say is… this method has both advantages and disadvantages.” Old Demon stole a glance at Yang Kai, and seeing his expression remain indifferent, he couldn’t help wincing slightly and quickly continuing, “The biggest advantage of this method is its ease of use; Young Master had likely already realized that, with the help of Old Servant, by only using a thread of Divine Sense it is easy to control others.”
“And the drawbacks?” Yang Kai thought that this was the main point as he hadn’t heard Old Demon mention any kind of disadvantage before.
Old Demon scratched his head awkwardly and after a long silence said, “The malpractice of this method is that if one suffers, so does the other…”
“Speak clearly.” Yang Kai frowned.
“If the Soul of the one being controlled by this method is destroyed, then Young Master’s Soul may also be injured…” Old Demon grit his teeth and explained.
Yang Kai was somewhat startled but hurriedly made a conjecture, “Is it because my thread of Divine Sense in their mind would also be destroyed?”
“En, precisely. Fortunately, both Old Servant and that little girl Leng Shan were both safe the whole time.” Old Demon wiped the cold sweat from his forehead as he said, “But… perhaps… if that girl Zi Mo encounters some kind of tragedy…”
Yang Kai snickered, understanding what Old Demon wanted to say.
“Young Master, if this issue concerns you, Old Servant will immediately take a trip to Tian Lang Dynasty and bring her here.” Old Demon quickly proposed.
“Do you have such ability?” Yang Kai stared at him.
Although Tian Lang Dynasty wasn’t as powerful as the Great Han Dynasty, it was still a vast land where many cultivators gathered. Sen Luo Temple where Zi Mo hailed from was the pinnacle super forces of Tian Lang Dynasty and would obviously have more than one Above Immortal Ascension Boundary Master guarding it.
Even though Old Demon’s cultivation was strong and his methods profound, snatching someone from Sen Luo Temple was still impossible.
Old Demon had never told him this before because he had originally wanted to use this method to leverage his freedom. But after all this time, Yang Kai understood that Old Demon no longer had any intentions of doing this and naturally had no intention to pursue it any further. The fact that Old Demon had willingly told him about this malpractice was enough to explain his frankness and loyalty.
On top of that, in Yang Kai’s view, this malpractice wasn’t actually a big deal.
As long as Zi Mo didn’t die, he wouldn’t receive any injury.
“No need, we can deal with it later on.” Yang Kai casually said.
“Yes.” Old Demon said awkwardly as he nodded.
In any case, having his thread of Divine Sense in someone else’s mind wasn’t an issue to be resolved by others. Yang Kai could only wait for the Inheritance War to end before finding some free time to seek out Zi Mo.
Thinking about that bold and daring woman, Yang Kai’s expression suddenly became a bit strange.
[Back then, in that Isolated World, she and I almost…]
Reflecting on his youthful recklessness Yang Kai shook his head and sighed.
…………
Two days later, in the early morning, a group of uninvited guests came to Yang Kai’s mansion.
The guards on duty hurriedly informed Yang Kai of these people’s arrival. When Yang Kai arrived in the main hall a short while later, he discovered Yang Zhen, the Head Elder of the Yang Family Elder Hall, sitting at the table.
Along with Yang Zhen, there were a few others who Yang Kai had never greeted before, but one thing these people all shared in common was that they were very strong, each of them having at least reached the Immortal Ascension Boundary Eighth Stage.
Five such masters had suddenly appeared at once.
Furrowing his brow slightly, Yang Kai stepped forward and cupped his fists politely, “Greetings Elder Zhen.”
Yang Zhen nodded lightly, his expression quite solemn.
“Elder Zhen, these are…” Yang Kai glanced around at the other seated figures.
“Elders of our Yang Family.” Yang Zhen explained.
Yang Kai had already met a number of the old men who belonged to the Yang Family’s Elder Hall. Those Elders had served the Yang Family for many years and now that they were approaching the twilight of their lives, had been granted the status of Elder and given a seat in the Elder Hall. Besides handling some minor chores now and then, most of those old men spent their time studying the Martial Dao or enjoying their remaining years however they chose to.
However, there was another group of Elders who really managed the Yang Family’s affairs and were the ones with real power.
The Elders in front of him now were obviously from the latter group.
Understanding this, Yang Kai nodded slightly to each of them.
None of them responded though, their expressions remaining aloof and indifferent.
Yang Kai didn’t pay this any mind. The Yang Family’s top management were mostly like this, as were the Elders of the other Eight Great Families.
“May Junior ask what purpose Elders have in coming to my house at this time?” Yang Kai asked, a bad feeling welling up in his heart.
Last time, because of the Blood Warrior issue, Yang Kai had been summoned back to the family. Now, a number of Elders had personally come to see him. Obviously the problem this time was more serious than last time; otherwise this would not be the case.
“Why ask something you already know?” Yang Zhen coldly snorted and said, “You killed the heirs to the Nan and Xiang Families in full view of tens of thousands of people in War City. Such wanton lawlessness, do you really think yourself to be above the Heavens?”
“Is that what this is about?” Yang Kai stared blankly at Yang Zhen for a moment before chuckling, “Several Elders, aren’t you making too much of a fuss over nothing?”
“Too much of a fuss?” A man wearing a blue gown suddenly called out coldly. “They were two heirs of two first-class families, not stray dogs or cats that could be casually butchered!”
“To me, they are no different from stray cats or dogs.” Yang Kai turned to look at the person who spoke, a sneer appearing on his mouth.
“Bold!” The man was coldly snorted as everyone else in the room shook their heads, their expressions filling with disappointment.
Although they resided in the Central Capital, they had also been paying attention to the situation in War City. From Yang Kai’s past performances, these Elders had thought a reliable candidate to inherit the Patriarch’s position had emerged.
But now, after they had met him, they suddenly discovered that this little brat simply didn’t know how high the Heavens were and that he didn’t place anyone in his eyes! Such willfulness had obviously disappointed them.
Although the Yang Family was normally arrogant and domineering, they wouldn’t intentionally go around provoking trouble, but Yang Kai killing two first-class family heirs in the Inheritance War had undoubtedly violated this bottom line!
With such a precedent set, the next time the Yang Family held the Inheritance War, which prominent family would dare to send its people to participate? It was precisely because the lives of these Young Lords and Young Ladies from big families weren’t in any danger that they came in the first place; after all, the Inheritance War was a rare opportunity for them to hone their skills and make connections.
But now that this sense of security had been destroyed by Yang Kai, if the Yang Family couldn’t give the world an appropriate explanation, what point would there be in trying to host the Inheritance War from now on?
“Relying on your identity as a Yang Family direct descendant to kill another first-class family’s heir, such behaviour has had a chilling effect on many of this world’s forces and has put the family in an awkward position!” A middle-aged woman who appeared to be around forty years old stared coldly at Yang Kai and said in a hoarse voice.
This woman wasn’t ugly. Even though she was now middle-aged, she still retained a kind of mature charm, but listening to the harsh tone of her voice made others feel particularly uncomfortable.
“Even if I wasn’t a Yang Family direct descendant, since those two dared offend me, they would still have to die!” Yang Kai’s eyes flashed a ruthless light.
The several Elders present could only shake their heads, the middle-aged woman muttering, “It seems that you’re completely unrepentant. Elder Zhen, we’ll leave this up to you.”
Yang Zhen nodded lightly and took over the conversation, “Yang Kai, you’ve gone too far this time. You are young and headstrong, this old master also had a period where he acted so, and as such will not blame you for your actions, but as a man, you must take responsibility for what you have done.”
“How does Elder Zhen want me to take responsibility?” Yang Kai sneered, “Could it be those two families want me to pay with my life?”
Yang Zhen nodded lightly, “The people from the Nan Family and Xiang Family who arrived in the Central Capital a few days ago indeed asked for such compensation.”
“And the meaning of the family?” Yang Kai’s mouth curled into a grin.
“The family naturally rejected their outrageous request.” Yang Zhen coldly snorted, “Without considering their own weight they dared ask my Yang Family to hand over one of its direct descendants, utter nonsense!”
Yang Kai’s expression didn’t change in the slightest. The family refusing such a request was not because they wanted to protect him, but rather because agreeing would affect the honour of the family. About such calculations, Yang Kai was abundantly clear.
Even if it wasn’t him but one of the other Yang Family Young Lords who had committed such an act, the Yang Family would still protect them.
So Yang Kai didn’t feel a need to express any gratitude.
“However, we still must provide some kind of response, otherwise the Yang Family’s reputation will be tarnished.” Yang Zhen quickly said, “The family has ordered you to apologize to the two families!”
“Apologize?” Yang Kai’s eyes narrowed.
“En!”
“And if I refuse?”
“This is an order from the family!” The man in the blue robe shouted, “Do you dare to refuse?”
“So what if it’s an order from the family?” Yang Kai coldly scoffed at him.
“Arrogant brat!” The man angrily shouted, “I have already heard that you were wild and disrespectful, but I never expected the rumors to have understated things so much. Us coming here specially is already giving you more face than a mere junior deserves! Since you wish to play with fire then you should be prepared to get burnt.”
As the man spoke, his aura became dangerous and pressed towards Yang Kai.
But in the next moment, countless Divine Senses and extremely powerful auras shrouded the entire hall from every direction.
*Hualala…*
The main hall trembled and creaked under the weight of this pressure.
Facing the brunt of this pressure, the aura the blue robed Elder had just released was melted like snow under the hot summer sun.
The other Elders in the hall also went pale, suddenly recalling that there were many powerful masters gathered in Yang Kai’s mansion, trying to use force as a deterrent here was akin to showing off meager skills in front of an expert…
“Everyone withdraw!” Yang Kai yelled.
The horrible pressure instantly dissipated, and the Divine Senses were all taken back.
The blue robed Elder by now had large drops of cold sweat on his forehead as he stared towards Yang Kai complexly.
He was an Elder of Yang Family and was used to being the one in power. Few could even speak to him as an equal given his status, so he had thought that being sent here to speak with Yang Kai was nothing more than a minor inconvenience, but now it seems like it was actually a very dangerous mission.
The prestige of this little brat in front of the various masters gathered in this mansion seemed to have reached an unparalleled level.
No wonder the Patriarch had ordered several Elders to come together. When he had first received this order he thought Yang Ying Hao was making a fuss over nothing, but apparently the Patriarch had much greater vision than he had.
If he had come here by himself in order to deliver the family’s order, this little brat would likely not even bother to receive him.
“What is Elder’s name?” Yang Kai stared at him.
“Wei Qing!” The blue robed Elder unconsciously responded to Yang Kai’s words, his face suddenly becoming a bit red after returning to his senses.
The other Elders in the hall couldn’t help narrowing their eyes slightly at this gaff, their evaluations of Wei Qing greatly reducing.
“Elder Wei…” Yang Kai muttered, a trace of disdain flashing across his eyes as he coldly remarked, “Please don’t try to show off your strength inside my house, there are many dangerous characters residing here you know.”
Being so disdained, Wei Qing’s expression twisted and became especially ugly.
“Enough!” Yang Zhen shouted, sullenly staring at Yang Kai, “While Elder Wei’s surname is not Yang, he has made considerable contributions to the family over these years. Otherwise, he would not have been granted the position of Elder. Showing contempt for him is no different from showing contempt for the Elder Hall. Is that another responsibility you wish to bear?”
Yang Kai stopped talking but still remained indifferent.
“Let us handle our official business.” The middle-aged woman hurriedly said, reminding everyone that they had come here not to discuss etiquette but to exert pressure on Yang Kai. Awakened by these words, some of the Elders’ faces went red, while others went black. Even with five of them arriving at once, hadn’t they almost forgotten their intended purpose?
None of them had expected Yang Kai to steer the conversation in a different direction with only a few pointed words.
If they continued like this, it would be difficult for them to complete their task.
[This little brat is really adept at leading people by the nose.] The woman couldn’t help re-evaluating Yang Kai. Facing such offensive remarks, it was no wonder Wei Qing couldn’t hold his temper.
As a Yang Family disciple, daring to ignore the family’s commands and daring to despise an Elder, did he really consider himself a Yang Family disciple?
“En, we should deal with the main issues.” Yang Zhen was also slightly surprised, re-focusing his attention and calmly asking, “Putting aside the Nan and Xiang Family issue for now, Yang Kai, I want to ask you something: Is it true you have a strong demon in your house?”
“Yes.”
“Is he from the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land?”
“No, Junior has already discussed this matter with the Grand Elders residing in the Seal Temple.”
Yang Zhen nodded faintly, “Naturally, we are aware of your conversation with Grand Elder Li Ting and we have also sent people to the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land to investigate. From the news we have received so far, he indeed does not seem to be a person from the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land, but such news can be forged. Regardless, since you claim he is not a person of the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land, then where does he come from?”
“I don’t know.” Yang Kai shook his head.
Wei Qing didn’t dare make another sound, but a different Elder in yellow robes coldly snorted, “You don’t know where he’s from yet you still accepted him? I heard that the relationship between you two is akin to master and servant.”
“I don’t have a habit of prying into others’ private affairs. Everyone has their own secrets, isn’t that also true of you Elders? If I were to ask right now, would you willingly tell me everything about yourself?”
“Impudence!” The yellow robed man was so angry that he smashed the arm of his chair.
Yang Zhen quickly reached out and silenced this man. Yang Zhen was aware that none of the Elders who came here today were Yang Kai’s opponent in a verbal confrontation. This little brat’s tongue was too slippery and he could easily lead these stubborn Elders off topic.
“Let’s not mention this for the time being. Yang Kai, did you really come from High Heaven Pavilion?”
“Yes!” Yang Kai’s brow finally furrowed, faintly realizing what Yang Zhen wanted to do.
“And the remaining High Heaven Pavilion dem… *ahem*… are those people in your house right now?”
“Correct.”
“High Heaven Pavilion has been designated an Evil Sect. So many Devil Path cultivators reside in your house, including a number of juniors from Ghost King Valley. Taking all of this into consideration, I will ask you once again… Have you ever cultivated an Demonic Secret Art?” As he reached the end of this question, Yang Zhen’s eyes gradually became sharp as he stared at Yang Kai fixedly.
However, in response, Yang Kai’s lips just curled into a mocking grin as he replied, “If Junior said he had never cultivated such a Secret Art, would several Elders believe it?”
After a short pause, all five of these Elders shook their heads.
Less than ten days ago, when Yang Kai was breaking through to the Immortal Ascension Boundary, the Demonic Qi and evil energy that burst from his body had blanketed War City, catching the attention of many and causing no small amount of concern.
Everyone now believed that Yang Kai had cultivated some kind of Demonic Secret Art, so even if he were to deny it now, no one would be convinced.
“Then I have nothing to say.”
Since they had already decided he was cultivating an Demonic Secret Art, opening his mouth to deny it would only be a waste of breath.
“Then we’ll have to take that as a confirmation…” Yang Zhen took a deep breath and said with a somewhat disappointed voice, “Yang Kai, in truth, regarding this Inheritance War, this old master was not very optimistic about you at first because of your eccentric choices and lack of strong allies, but you have repeatedly created miracles and defied all of our expectations. This old master was also gradually realized that the Yang Family could only be inherited by you. The Yang Family is a great colossus, and only with outstanding people at its helm can it prosper and grow, you are such a person.”
“Elder Zhen thinks too highly of me.” Yang Kai commented, slightly surprised.
“But now, this old master has one question he must ask…” Yang Zhen let out a sigh before solemnly asking, “Yang Kai, what is it you want to do?”
Yang Kai stared back at him calmly and said nothing.
Yang Zhen stood up and walked over to Yang Kai slowly, continuing, “Sheltering the last remaining members of High Heaven Pavilion, a close relationship with Ghost King Valley, a powerful demon servant of unknown origins, cultivating a Demonic Secret Art, almost falling to the Devil’s Practices yet still obstinately continuing down this path. You only broke through to the Immortal Ascension Boundary a few days ago yet now you have already reached the Second Stage, the speed of enhancement of your Demonic Secret Art… it’s nothing less than astonishing.”
“Yang Kai, tell this old master, what exactly do you want? Could it be you want to overturn the Central Capital and oppose the Eight Great Families?” Yang Zhen step by step approached Yang Kai, staring straight into his eyes as if trying to see into his inner thoughts.
Overturn the Central Capital and oppose the Eight Great Families!
Yang Kai had never had such thoughts. Although he didn’t have a great sense of belonging to the Yang Family, his only desire was to clear his Sect’s name, not start a rebellion.
Listening to Yang Zhen’s stern questioning though, he quickly realized something.
“Is this what the family… what you think of me?” Yang Kai stared at Yang Zhen in front of him and asked quietly.
Yang Zhen’s expression became somewhat pained as he shook his head, “You shouldn’t blame the family for thinking negatively about you. If you want to blame someone, then blame yourself. Your performance these past few months are the root of all these speculations. It is undeniable that you are indeed a good seed, but if such a good seedling were to become a Demon Lord level figure, the family won’t hesitate to purge you in order to maintain its honour and purity!”
After a short pause, Yang Zhen sighed again, “If all of this was just the family’s worries, it wouldn’t be such a big deal. The various family Elders would just need to help you dispel the Demonic Qi in your body and that would be the end of it, but you should understand that it is not just my Yang Family that is currently making noise about this, correct?”
Yang Kai’s expression had long ago become cold.
“You should know that the day after you broke through, the other seven Great Families all sent people to contact my Yang Family. All of them expressed worries that you will become a figure akin to the current Demon Lord!” Yang Zhen deeply sighed, “This wasn’t just baseless speculation but the lessons learned from experience. You come from High Heaven Pavilion, you cultivate a peerless Demonic Secret Art, and your aptitude is Heaven defying. Meanwhile, the Demon Lord was a former disciples of High Heaven Pavilion and is currently the absolute ruler of the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land. His strength and methods are phenomenal, and in this world, no one in the Above Immortal Ascension Boundary is his opponent, while the two of you share a Martial Uncle-Martial Nephew relationship.”
“A single Demon Lord has forced the Eight Great Families into a passive position, if a second were to rise…” Yang Zhen slowly shook his head, and fearful expression creeping onto his face, even showing some trepidation as he swept his eyes over Yang Kai. “These factors are linked together, how could people not have concerns?”
“Is everyone worried about me becoming a second Demon Lord?” Yang Kai asked unemotionally.
“Yes, and from what we understand your aptitude is even greater than that so-called Demon Lord. If you were to really reach that step…” Yang Zhen smiled helplessly as he shook his head.
If Yang Kai were really to become the second Demon Lords and fight against the forces of the Central Capital, what resistance could the Eight Great Families hope to mount?
The other Elders in the hall also wore disturbed expressions, seemingly picturing the scene of the Central Capital’s destruction.
“In the end, all of this is just your speculations.” Yang Kai suddenly lost interest in defending himself, instead just bluntly stating this fact.
The people of the Eight Great Families were thick-headed and stubborn, they always believed themselves to be in the right. Yang Kai knew there was nothing he could say or do that would change their opinions or alleviate their suspicions.
The most he might be able to do is change the thinking of one or two people, but that wouldn’t have any effect on the overall situation.
“Preventing problems before they happen, this is one of the reasons the Eight Great Families have been able to stand firm in the Central Capital for so many years.” Yang Zhen admitted freely, “The Eight Great Families must defend themselves against you!”
“My path is something I have walked on my own.” Yang Kai said with a hint of venom and mockery, “I was born a cripple, unable to cultivate. My father wanted me to enter the Yang Family Dragon Transformation Pond in the hopes that its mystical effects would help cleanse and heal my body, but after working tirelessly for so many years and submitting so many applications to the Elder Hall, his simple request was never once accepted. Even if he had made enough contributions to the family in order to warrant such a reward, the Elder Hall only gave my parents a single response, ‘wastes are not qualified to use the Dragon Transformation Pond’.”
Yang Zhen’s expression immediately became awkward. When the Yang Family Fourth Master submitted these applications in the past, he was the one who had rejected them. Yang Kai bringing this subject up at this time, naturally Yang Zhen would feel his face become slightly hot.
“Now, after I have this kind of accomplishment and cultivation, the family wants to control me and tell me what I can and cannot do. Elder Zhen, don’t you think that’s too ridiculous?”
Yang Zhen’s face went blue, too embarrassed to answer.
Yet Yang Kai continued, “A few days ago, when I was breaking through to the Immortal Ascension Boundary, if it weren’t for my friends and elders stepping forward to help me, I would have already been killed by my own family’s Grand Elder. Even if I didn’t die, I would probably have become a cripple again. Does the family only want to block my path and destroy my future? Elder Zhen, don’t you think the family is going too far?”
“Impudence!” Yang Zhen couldn’t help shouting out in annoyance, “The family is supreme, what does it matter if the family sacrifices you for its benefit?”
“Elder Zhen’s ideals and conviction are worthy of praise, Junior admits he is inferior in this respect! After all, Junior is a relatively selfish person.” Yang Kai suddenly stepped forward and emitted a cold murderous aura, “As such, Junior will now kill all five of you Elders and then confess his sins to the family, accepting whatever punishment they decide to impose. That way you all can be at ease in the afterlife that you sacrificed yourselves for the family.”
All five of the Elders went pale and hastily jumped up from their seats, staring at Yang Kai cautiously while secretly condensing their strength.
Seeing the reaction, Yang Kai suddenly laughed heartily, “Several Elders also seem to be relatively selfish people…”
The Elders couldn’t help turning red in the face, all of them feeling somewhat ashamed of their performance. It was easy to speak of one’s ideals, but when it was their turn to be sacrificed, things never seemed to be that simple.
“The main issue, let’s get back to the main issue…” The hoarse woman hurriedly changed the topic.
Yang Zhen stared at Yang Kai for a moment before wearing a forced smile and shaking his head, “It’s always so tiring dealing with you. Fine, this old master will stop beating around the bush, letting you apologize to the Xiang and Nan Families is just a cover. My Yang Family Juniors never admit defeat. Even if you felt like you should apologize to those two families, the family would never agree and would even try to prevent you from doing so.”
“What does the family really want me to do?”
“Return to the Central Capital where the Grand Elders will jointly take action to dispel the Demonic Qi in your body. From that point on you won’t have to worry about falling prey to the Devil’s Practices and the other seven families will also lose their reason to sanction you.”
Yang Kai remained silent.
He didn’t believe that the Yang Family’s Grand Elders had the means to dispel the evil energy in his Unyielding Golden Skeleton which was undetectable as long as he didn’t purposely display it.
Moreover, this Evil Energy wasn’t harmful to him in the first place so Yang Kai didn’t feel that he needed to drive it out.
“After that, you may continue with the Inheritance War, but the position of Yang Family Patriarch cannot be inherited by you. Patriarch also said that after the end of the Inheritance War, he will come forward personally to rectify High Heaven Pavilion’s name. Patriarch hopes you can understand the pains of the family.”
The family had nothing but suspicion and fear towards Yang Kai. Naturally, they couldn’t allow him to sit in the Patriarch’s position. If, one day, Yang Kai really became a Demon Lord-like character, wouldn’t the Yang Family lose all face?
“Don’t hurry to refuse, the family proposing this also stems from another layer of considerations.” Yang Zhen took a deep breath and added.
“What considerations?”
“It’s about the mysterious rate of cultivation of those in your house!” Yang Zhen said solemnly as he stared at Yang Kai.
The other Elders in the room also began breathing a little quicker.
“Do you think you can continue concealing it?” Yang Zhen smiled wryly, “Although no one knows exactly why the strength of the cultivators in your house improves so quickly, everyone agrees that you have something to do with it. The Blood Warriors under your command breaking through to the Immortal Ascension Boundary Ninth Stage one after another, this phenomenon is too abnormal and has attracted a lot of attention. In addition, there is also the case of your parents…”
At the mention of his parents, a cold light flashed deep within Yang Kai’s eyes.
“Yang Ying Feng suffered from a chronic illness and had his cultivation stagnate at the Immortal Ascension Boundary Third Stage for many years, but now he has already broken through to the Immortal Ascension Boundary Eighth Stage. All of this happened after you returned to the Central Capital. Such a rapid increase in strength in such a short period of time, do you dare to say that this has no relationship with you? Dong Su Zhu’s strength hasn’t shown as terrifying an increase in strength as Yang Ying Feng, but she is still progressing many times faster than before. Do you really think all of us Yang Family people are blind?”
Yang Kai simply remained indifferent.
He had considered this issue before giving his parents the Myriad Drug Liquid and Myriad Drug Milk, but had still not hesitated to do so because they were his parents, the only ones in the entire Yang Family who had ever truly cared for him.
“You cultivating a Demonic Secret Art is enough to explain the rapid growth in your personal strength, but then what method did you use to allow your friends, family, and allies to similarly improve their strength at such a quick pace? Not only does my Yang Family care deeply about this but so too do the other seven families.” Yang Zhen’s expression became somewhat dispirited, “Do you really think the other seven families would join forces to apply pressure to my Yang Family simply to dispose of you? Although you do have the potential to become a second Demon Lord, right now, your strength is still insignificant to pose any real threat, they aren’t idle enough to concern themselves with such trivial matters.”
Benefits were supreme, and the Central Capital Eight Great Families were all sensitive to their scent. Them taking action could only mean there were enough benefits for them to do so.
The effects of the Myriad Drug Liquid had obviously drawn their attention.
A means to quickly improve the strength of cultivators, which family wouldn’t be jealous of such a treasure?
“Making you return to the Central Capital is also the family’s consideration. Only if you return to the Yang Family and enter the protection of the family’s masters, can you rest at ease.”
“Is the family’s greatest concern this secret of mine?”
“I won’t deny this.” Yang Zhen nodded calmly, “But this time the family has done its best, as proof, we have come in person to inform you instead of simply sending a letter or messenger. The difference between the two approaches, you should be able to understand.”
Yang Kai nodded lightly.
These five Elders coming to speak to him personally obviously was a display of sincerity, the family’s way of saying they hoped they could cooperate. Yang Kai would return to the family to accept protection and in exchange he would offer the secret to enhancing his forces’ strength to them.
If the family had instead sent him a letter ordering him to return, then directly suppressed and imprisoned him, obviously he would never have compromised. At that time, it would be no different from trying to scoop water with a bamboo basket, a fruitless endeavour.
The Yang Family’s leadership also somewhat understood Yang Kai’s temperament so they naturally hoped to solve this matter peacefully rather than by force.
“You consider carefully.” After Yang Zhen finished, he stopped talking and waited patiently.
However, Yang Kai only took a moment before decisively shaking his head, “Knowing the whole story now, it is even more impossible for me to return to the Central Capital.”
The family wanting his Myriad Drug Liquid, this wasn’t a big deal. Considering just how much Myriad Drug Liquid he had, Yang Kai didn’t mind giving them some. Although he didn’t have much sense of belonging to the Yang Family, in the end, it was still the Yang Family which had provided him with a stage to display his talents. For the family, this Myriad Drug Liquid could be considered a thank-you.
But after he returned to the Central Capital Yang Family’s compound this time, Yang Kai was quite certain he would never come out again and this cultivation would surely be crippled.
To Yang Kai, such consequences were impossible to accept.
After listening to Yang Kai’s answer, Yang Zhen didn’t show any surprise, seemingly having expected such a response, nodding lightly he simply said, “Since this is your choice, this old master won’t say any more. This Old Master will only remind you that since the other seven families have already begun to move, it is impossible that they will give up easily. My Yang Family will not fall out with the other seven families just for you. The only option we can offer you is to have you return to the family to receive protection; otherwise, whatever consequences come from your decision you must face on your own.”
After saying his piece, Yang Zhen stood up and left with the other Elders.
The middle-aged woman was the only one to look back at Yang Kai before leaving and whispered, “Consider the family’s proposal, it’s not a bad offer, even if your cultivation is abolished, you can still live a good life in the Yang Family, anything you want from the family will be open to discussion.”
In response, Yang Kai simply stared back at her coldly and indifferently.
The woman slowly shook her head and no longer said anything, quickly following the others out of the mansion.
After they left, Yang Kai let out a light sigh and a trace of exhaustion appeared on his face.
An ordinary man is innocent, but treasures make him guilty. Such was the case with the Myriad Drug Liquid, which was why Yang Kai had always tried to keep it hidden. Only a few of his most trusted confidants knew of its existence while others were kept in the dark.
However, the Eight Great Families, over time, had been able to infer some things from observing him and the people around him. This was something Yang Kai couldn’t avoid.
However, it was something he absolutely did not wish to talk about. Unfortunately, if one were to obtain something good, would anyone really question about its origins? Even if he were to ask his parents to trust him, they would still have some doubts in their minds.
The reason for the rapid increase in strength of everyone in his mansion was because Xia Ning Chang was using the Myriad Drug Liquid when she performed Alchemy, allowing the effects of the elixir to seep into every pill she produced while simultaneously enhancing the primary function of each pill. The end result was a cleansing effect on everyone’s body, optimizing their aptitudes.
However, the improvement in their cultivation pace wasn’t too exaggerated; after all, they weren’t directly using the Myriad Drug Liquid.
Judging by the actions of the Eight Great Families and the attractiveness of the Myriad Drug Liquid, this incident would likely become very problematic and may even develop into a full blown crisis.
Outside the main hall, Yang Kai met with a slightly panicked Qiu Yi Meng.
Yang Kai had rarely seen such an expression on Qiu Yi Meng’s face. The Qiu Family’s First Young Lady had always been calm and steady, even in the face of great danger she was able to remain level headed and make appropriate decisions.
But now, she was showing clear signs of anxiety and fear. As long as one wasn’t blind, they would be able to tell how disturbed she was.
“Yang Kai.” Qiu Yi Meng whispered softly, her voice trembling slightly.
Yang Kai did his best to remain calm and looked straight at her, “What happened?”
“A letter was just delivered ordering me to return to my family.” Qiu Yi Meng replied quickly.
“Such a fast reaction.” Yang Kai smiled, but his eyes remained cold as ice.
Yang Zhen had barely left his front door before someone from the Qiu Family had arrived to deliver Qiu Yi Meng and order to return to the Central Capital; it seemed like the Eight Great Families were really grasshoppers on a rope.
“What do you mean?” Qiu Yi Meng looked at Yang Kai suspiciously. When she had received the letter, Qiu Yi Meng didn’t know what was happening or how she should respond and, in a panic, rushed over to see Yang Kai, but after mentioning her concerns, his response was only these inexplicable words. Such a strange reaction only compounded her concerns.
“Nothing.” Yang Kai casually brushed aside her question and smiled temperately, “When do you leave?”
“As soon as possible.” Qiu Yi Meng bit her red lips, “Also, father ordered me to bring the people from the Autumn Rain Hall back with me.”
The Autumn Rain Hall was the only boost that Qiu Yi Meng had brought with her when she joined Yang Kai.
“I understand.”
Qiu Yi Meng slowly shook her head, a pained expression creeping onto her face, “Well I don’t understand! Ever since I received that letter, I’ve had a restless feeling, as if something big happened without me knowing, and if I leave here, I’m afraid… I’m afraid I won’t be able to come back.”
Qiu Shou Cheng ordering Qiu Yi Meng to bring back the people of the Autumn Rain Hall already illustrated that this matter wasn’t as simple as it appeared.
Qiu Yi Meng was no fool, on the contrary she was incredibly intelligent, and obviously she had realized something was amiss.
However, she didn’t know what the problem was. When she had decided to help Yang Kai participate in the Inheritance War, she had temporarily separated herself from her family. This was her decision and hers alone. It had nothing to do with the will of the Qiu Family.
The Qiu Family’s true ally was the Yang Family’s Sixth Young Lord, Yang Shen, yet now, even though the Inheritance War had not ended, for no reason at all, the Qiu Family had suddenly recalled her.
“You’re thinking too much.” Yang Kai grinned at her.
Qiu Yi Meng grabbed Yang Kai’s arm nervously and stared at him with a look of entreaty, whispering, “Do you know anything?”
Yang Kai just shook his head in response, “How would I know what your Qiu Family’s thoughts are?”
“Is there some relationship between this and the visit you received from the Yang Family Elder Hall?” Qiu Yi Meng persisted.
The insight of the Qiu Family’s First Young Lady was as amazing as ever.
“No.” Yang Kai still shook his head decisively, “It’s probably just that Uncle Qiu hasn’t seen you for so long and misses you, so he summoned you back.”
Qiu Yi Meng stared at Yang Kai blankly for a moment before slowly letting go of his arm and smiling bitterly, “You’ve always been like this, never willing to tell me anything.”
Yang Kai opened his mouth but suddenly found he didn’t know what to say.
“Since that’s the case…” Qiu Yi Meng took a deep breath and calmed her nerves, “Then I won’t ask any further, you take care.”
“This time, you’ve worked hard, I’ll see you off!” Yang Kai said in a slightly low voice.
Outside the house, the members of the Autumn Rain Hall were all ready to depart. Qiu Yi Meng and Yang Kai look at each other, neither of speaking, one of them having a pair of eyes filled with a look of expectation and longing, the other a dull light.
The atmosphere was very strange.
After a long awkward silence, Qiu Yi Meng’s eyes eventually dimmed. Wearing a wry smile she turned around without a word and led the Autumn Rain Hall back towards the Central Capital.
Until the very end, she didn’t hear a single word from Yang Kai.
If Yang Kai had asked her to stay, she wouldn’t have hesitated to ignore the recall order from the Qiu Family.
But Yang Kai just silently watched her leave.
Both of them knew that Qiu Yi Meng really wasn’t coming back.
As Yang Kai and Qiu Yi Meng were separating though, a new group of three people appeared. The person in the lead was calm and steady while the two behind him were both Peak Immortal Ascension Boundary masters. All of them had fully restrained their auras and wore somewhat aloof expressions.
This was the attitude and bearing of a true heavy-weight individual.
Qiu Yi Meng immediately stopped, staring blankly at this group of three before quickly cupping her fists, “Uncle Huo!”
The Huo Family Patriarch, Huo Zheng, stopped and smiled at Qiu Yi Meng, nodding gently, “Is little niece Qiu headed back to the Central Capital?”
“Yes.” Qiu Yi Meng nodded gently, wearing her usual calm smile.
“En, good, go back quickly, your father is waiting for you.”
After saying so, Huo Zheng led the two Huo Family masters and strode towards Yang Kai.
Qiu Yi Meng on the other hand wore a shocked look.
She hadn’t expected that not only was she recalled by the Qiu Family, but Huo Xing Chen was also ordered to return.
Huo Zheng appearing here was obviously to catch the delinquent Young Lord, Huo Xing Chen. Besides Huo Zheng, no one from the Huo Family could get Huo Xing Chen to obediently return, so he had no choice but to come in person.
Outside the house, Yang Kai stared at these three visitors indifferently but still politely greeted Huo Zheng as Qiu Yi Meng had.
Huo Zheng nodded lightly and looked at Yang Kai with a complicated expression.
“If you’re looking for Young Lord Huo, he’s inside the house.” Yang Kai said calmly.
“Good, I’ll find him myself.” Huo Zheng nodded, not saying another word before leading the two masters into Yang Kai’s mansion.
Only a moment later, Yang Kai heard Huo Xing Chen squeal like a boiled pig. Not long after, Huo Zheng appeared again, the Central Capital Wolf now being carried out by one of the Immortal Ascension Boundary Ninth Stage masters, completely unable to resist.
“Hey old man, let me down!” Huo Xing Chen struggled and yelled, but to no avail, the master who had captured him ignored him completely.
“Daring to offend I, your father?! You’re dead! Do you believe father won’t castrate you and feed your meat to the dogs!?” Huo Xing Chen continued to scream.
“What did you say? Daring to call yourself father in front of your father!” Huo Zheng glared at his disobedient son.
Huo Xing Chen suddenly wore an innocent smile and said, “Father, I’m not talking to you. But just look at you, yelling so loudly for no reason, such a loss of face.”
“You shut up and follow me back to the Central Capital!”
“Huh, why?” Huo Xing Chen was really confused.
“If I tell you to shut up, you shut up! If you dare spout any nonsense, then Father will slap your fat mouth!
“Now, now, Father… True gentlemen discuss their problems rather than resort to violence… All right, all right, I’ll go back to the Central Capital with you, but at least let me say a few words to Young Lord Kai in private first. We’ve been together for so long now that we’ve developed a kind of friendship.”
Huo Zheng paused and glanced between his son and Yang Kai with a frown before nodded gently.
The Huo Family master immediately released Huo Xing Chen.
“I’ll wait over there for you.” Huo Zheng snorted.
“Got it.” Huo Xing Chen nodded.
After the three men from the Huo Family left, Huo Xing Chen chuckled and looked at Yang Kai with interest, “It seems like… something big has happened.”
Earlier he had saw Qiu Yi Meng preparing to leave and suddenly felt a bit uneasy. Then, when his dad had arrived along with masters from his family to grab him, Huo Xing Chen realized things were more serious than he had expected.
“Is it inconvenient to say?” Huo Xing Chen shrugged his shoulders, “Forget it, pretend I didn’t say anything. In any case, since my old man came personally, I can’t stay, knowing too much won’t do me any good.”
Suddenly, Huo Xing Chen’s face became serious as he whispered, “Young Lord Kai, you are destined to be a great man. Don’t die too early. This time, I don’t know what happened, but the coming days will definitely be difficult for you yet you have to persist! No matter what others may think about you, I firmly support you. If you were to die earlier than me, heh heh… I’ll dig up your corpse, string it up, and whip it a hundred times every day… I, Huo Xing Chen have never admired any other man in life, so don’t disappoint me.”
Seeing Huo Xing Chen’s usual unrestrained behaviour, Yang Kai’s mouth curled into a grin, “Get out, I won’t see you off!”
“See ya!” Huo Xing Chen laughed and walked forward.
Two younger generation leaders from the Eight Great Families had left Yang Kai’s mansion in the space of an hour, one of them was even Yang Kai’s right-arm.
Outside the mansion, several of the young leaders who had arrived after hearing the disturbance couldn’t help feeling shocked and confused.
This change had come so fast, like spring squall, without giving anyone time to prepare.
It wasn’t until long after the figures of Qiu Yi Meng and Huo Xing Chen disappeared that everyone recovered from their daze.
After a while, many of them clamoured around Yang Kai to ask what was happening.
“Settle down!” Han Xiao Qi of Ten Thousand Flower Palace stood up and took charge of the situation, “How do you expect Yang Kai to answer if all of you keep shouting?”
The group of youths suddenly went silent, all of them staring towards Yang Kai, hoping he could relieve their doubts.
“Everyone come inside first, I’ll explain what I can.” Yang Kai let out a long sigh before turning around and walking into the house. Wishing to hear news of the situation a moment sooner, everyone else rushed to keep up.
Inside the mansion’s main hall, Yang Kai sat at the head of the table and waited patiently for everyone to arrive.
Within a short time, the representatives from all the various forces had arrived.
Han Xiao Qi informed Yang Kai before taking her own seat nearby.
Yang Kai awoke from his meditation and swept his eyes over the faces of the crowd.
As he glanced around, many familiar faces appeared in his vision.
Dong Family Dong Qing Han, Purple Fern Valley Fan Hong and Luo Xiao Man, Reflecting Moon Sect Chen Xue Shu and Su Xiao Yu, Pure Heart Palace Zuo Fang, Soaring Feather Pavilion Chu Jing Shan, the four Ten Thousand Flower Palace maidens, the Duan Mu Family’s five Seniors, Blood Battle Gang Hu Jiao Er and Hu Mei Er, Storm Hall Fang Zi Ji, Ghost King Valley Leng Shan and Chen Yi, Tian Yuan City Liu Fei Sheng…
Eleven young leaders from eleven forces. Besides those from High Heaven Pavilion, all the young leaders of all the forces had gathered here.
Not only that, Qin Ze of Medicine King’s Valley, Wu Yan and Tao Yang of Treasure Instrument Sect, and every last Blood Warrior were also present.
This lineup was unprecedentedly luxurious and powerful.
However, the very fact that Yang Kai had summoned all of them at once let everyone realize the seriousness of the situation. Even if he had called assemblies before, he would never have Medicine King’s Valley and Treasure Instrument Sect attend as well.
Realizing this, everyone felt a bit on edge as they waiting for Yang Kai to speak.
“Junior Brother Yang, if you have anything to say just say it, there are many Alchemy tasks waiting for me back in the Pill Room.” Qin Ze said impatiently. During these past few months, while studying the Alchemic Way under Xia Ning Chang’s tutelage, the Alchemists of Medicine King’s Valley had made significant progress. By now, Qin Ze almost never left the Pill Room and even had thoughts of settling down here permanently, never to return to Medicine King’s Valley.
Compared with Medicine King’s Valley, this place was without a doubt the Holy Land of Alchemy.
Yang Kai stood up and smiled lightly, “Many of you saw what transpired earlier today and are no doubt wondering why Qiu Yi Meng and Huo Xing Chen suddenly left.”
The gathered figures all nodded in unison.
Yang Kai continued, “I can’t tell you the specific reasons, but I can offer you some information…”
Everyone suddenly held their breath.
“This place will soon face some difficulties, some particularly troublesome difficulties at that.” Yang Kai quickly said as his expression became serious.
The crowd was stunned for a moment before suddenly bursting into laughter.
Dong Qing Han was the first to call out, “Since I came to your house, there has never been an idle moment. What event hasn’t been troublesome?”
“En en.” Zuo Fang also nodded repeatedly, “No matter what these difficulties are, all of us can work together to overcome them. Come on; tell us, what kind of difficulties you are expecting this time.”
The expressions of everyone present were relaxed, with not the slightest signs of tension on their faces, apparently still not aware of the seriousness of the problem.
“This time, all of your lives will be at risk, and there’s even the possibility that the prosperity of your families and Sects will be affected.” Yang Kai swept his eyes over the crowd solemnly, “Knowing so, are you still able to laugh casually?”
This time, everyone was stunned silent and stared towards Yang Kai with serious expressions.
“I’m not being an alarmist here. Perhaps the situation isn’t quite so dire, but it definitely isn’t much better.”
“Are things really so serious?” Chu Jing Shan shook his head slowly, “How can that be? All we’ve done is come here to offer our support, to help you participate in the Inheritance War, how can there suddenly be a danger to our lives or even to the future of our Sects?”
“It is precisely because you are helping me.” Yang Kai looked at the crowd apologetically, “The issue this time is related to me.”
Han Xiao Qi suddenly understood and interjected, “Is it related to your breakthrough to the Immortal Ascension Boundary a few days ago?”
Everyone couldn’t help but furrow their brows, suddenly remembering the terrifying Demonic Qi and the confrontation they had with the eight Above Immortal Ascension Boundary Grand Elders.
Even now, all of them were still worried about what fallout there would be from that event.
“Although that’s not the primary reason, it’s at least related to it.” Yang Kai freely admitted before speaking some truly surprising words, “It’s very likely that because of this time’s issue, I will become an enemy of the Central Capital Eight Great Families!”
The audience immediately went into an uproar, both from shock and surprise.
Becoming enemies with the Central Capital Eight Great Families, this was something none of them had ever imagined before.
The forces of this world primarily participated in the Inheritance War in order to build good relationships with the Eight Great Families, but even if those gathered in Yang Kai’s mansion didn’t come for such a reason, none of them had thought that one day they might actually have to confront these super-forces.
This was no different from hitting a stone with an egg.
Many pairs of eyes trembled and looked towards Yang Kai, seemingly trying to see if he was making some kind of a bad joke.
Unfortunately, they were destined to be disappointed. Yang Kai’s expression was completely serious.
“Because of this, Qiu Yi Meng and Huo Xing Chen had to leave.” Yang Kai let out a light sigh, “The reason I have summoned all of you here today is only to express my heartfelt thanks to you. All of you have fought and bled for me for which you have earned my eternal gratitude, and I hope we will have a chance to meet again in the future.”
“Yang Kai, what’s the meaning of this!?” Hu Jiao Er suddenly stood up, her expression filled with anger as she shouted, “Are you trying to drive us away?”
Yang Kai nodded, quickly saying, “That’s right, you staying here any longer will not bring you any advantages!”
“You bastard!” Hu Jiao Er clenched her teeth as she tried to suppress her rage, sarcastically shouting, “What do you even see us as? Come when you call, leave when you order? You forcefully pulled us sisters into your house and now you want to drive us out? Why should I listen to you!?”
“Big Sister…” Hu Mei Er shouted anxiously as she grabbed Hu Jiao Er’s hand, “Yang Kai is only doing this out of good intentions.”
“Of course I know that! I’m not blind…” Hu Jiao Er snorted and glared at Yang Kai menacingly, “What I can’t stand is his arbitrariness.”
Facing such strong rebuke, Yang Kai could only smile bitterly.
“I thought you had something important to say.” Qin Ze spat disdainfully, “It turns out it’s just some trivial matters… Junior Brother Yang, I’m not going anywhere. Central Capital Eight Great Families? What do they count for? Do any of them dare harm my Medicine King’s Valley people? No! Even if they had several times the courage they wouldn’t dare.”
Saying so, Qin Ze got up from his seat and left, not putting the Eight Great Families in his eyes at all.
Seeing this display, everyone couldn’t help laughing a bit.
However, when they thought about it, Qin Ze was indeed qualified to say such words. Although Medicine King’s Valley was just a second-class Sect, but because of its peculiar makeup, the Eight Great Families really wouldn’t dare harm its people.
“Yang Kai, just how serious is the situation?” Han Xiao Qi calmly took the initiative to ask.
Yang Kai shook his head lightly, “I don’t know, but becoming an enemy of the Eight Great Families is quite likely. For some reasons, the people of the Eight Great Families want me to submit to them, and since I have refused to do so, a contradiction was born, one that cannot be resolved peacefully. Therefore, I wanted to let all of you leave here as soon as possible and no longer associate yourselves with me.” Suddenly turning to the nine tall figures in the back of the hall, he continued, “Of course, this includes those from the Blood Warrior Hall as well.”
Tu Feng and the other Blood Warriors quickly exchanged a glance before laughing spiritedly.
Tang Yu Xian saying, “Little Lord, if I may speak freely, please don’t look down on us. Since we have decided to follow you, then we shall share life and death with you, never retreating in the face of adversity. Little Lord, have you forgotten, the name Blood Warrior is synonymous with loyalty!”
“Even in death, we shall not leave.” Ying Jiu said coolly.
“We swear to follow the Little Lord!” All of them shouted.
“Since that is the case, I will not say any more, to do so would only be an insult to you.” Yang Kai nodded firmly.
“The Seniors from the Blood Warrior Hall aren’t leaving, so naturally I’m not leaving either.” Dong Qing Han smiled. “You are my younger cousin, what kind of man would I be if I abandoned my family?”
“Yang Kai, all of us owe you our lives, in your hour of need, naturally we won’t leave you.” Han Xiao Qi looked at Yang Kai with a hint of tenderness. She knew how difficult it must have been for Yang Kai to make such a decision under these circumstances.
“A debt of graciousness must be repaid with gratitude, a grudge must be repaid with revenge, and my Pure Heart Palace will also stand by you.” Zuo Fang quickly declared.
Even without mentioning Yang Kai saving his life in that Isolated World, some time ago, Xia Ning Chang had refined a batch of pills for Zuo Fang’s Senior Brother Li Xin Yuan to repair his damaged dantian.
Zuo Fang was incredibly grateful to Yang Kai, so how could he just leave at this time?
“Ever since I came to this house, my strength and cultivation have improved rapidly. Every day there is no lack of high-grade pills and whatever artifact I want I can easily acquire. Quite frankly, I never want to leave this place.” Fang Zi Ji laughed heartily.
“Good for nothing.” Hu Jiao Er stared at him somewhat disdainfully.
“I’m just speaking the truth.” Fang Zi Ji shrugged his shoulders casually.
“Yang Kai, as long as you don’t forces us out, we won’t leave.”
All the cultivators in the house stood up and echoed this sentiment one by one.
Yang Kai swept his eyes over the crowd once more, a heartfelt smile on his face. He could tell that each of these people were completely sincere. There was not a hint of falsehood in any of their words.
However, he didn’t discount the possibility that they hadn’t yet realized just how serious this problem was.
But currently, it was not convenient for Yang Kai to say anymore. If he were to really try to force them out at this point, it would only show that he didn’t really think of them as his friends and allies.
With things having reached this point, all he could say was, “Many thanks for all of your good intentions, just remember that my words today still stand. In the future, if you decide that it is impossible for you to remain, I, Yang Kai, swear not to stand in your way or to utter half a word of blame.”
“Fine fine, don’t say anymore. Saying anymore will just hurt our feelings.” Dong Qing Han casually called out, the atmosphere suddenly becoming harmonious.
Next, everyone began to inquire all at once about what was actually going on. Since all of them were now in the same boat and this was related to everyone’s interests, Yang Kai explained what had transpired between him and Yang Zhen, but as for the Myriad Drug Liquid, he still kept that to himself.
After listening to his explanation, everyone’s brows furrowed as they became clear just how dire Yang Kai’s situation was.
Because he had cultivated a Demonic Secret Art, given shelter to many Devil’s Path disciples, and shared a common origin with the current Demon Lord, the Eight Great Families had become suspicious and fearful towards him; such a scenario was indeed not optimistic.
The Inheritance War suddenly underwent many unforeseen changes.
From Yang Kai’s supporters, the Qiu Family’s Qiu Yi Meng was recalled to the Central Capital and the Huo Family’s Huo Xing Chen was personally brought back to the Huo Family compound by the Huo Family Patriarch and confined to house arrest.
Prior to this, the Xiang Family’s Xiang Tian Xiao had also left Yang Kai’s mansion.
At the same time, rumors began to circulate in War City that Yang Kai had colluded with demons and monsters.
Inside his mansion there were members of High Heaven Pavilion as well as disciples from Ghost King Valley. On top of that, he cultivated a Demonic Secret Art and had almost fallen to the Devil’s Practices. When he was breaking through to the Immortal Ascension Boundary, he had scattered Demonic Qi all over War City and had confronted Eight Above Immortal Ascension Boundary Grand Elders from the Eight Great Families after cruelly killing two first-class family heirs. To top it all off, he also hailed from the same Sect as the Demon Lord.
All kinds of news were spread out, causing a great deal of suspicion among populace.
Suddenly, much of the world felt that Yang Kai really was a dangerous character.
There was even a rumor that the Yang Family wanted to stop Yang Kai from participating in the Inheritance War and competing for the position of future Patriarch.
All of War City was suddenly abuzz as a dangerous tension began to emerge.
The entire Inheritance War had been thrown into chaos.
Yang Kai had reached a position of absolute superiority twice now, but each time, for various reasons, it was impossible for him to win the final victory. This brought about some voices of sympathy as well as others who took pleasure in others’ misfortune.
Fortunately, he hadn’t been allowed to obtain victory. If a demon became the Patriarch of the Yang Family in the future, wouldn’t that be the greatest scandal in this world?
Public opinion changed as fast as the tides and in only half a day, news had spread throughout War City and the Central Capital. Everyone was talking about it and all those who had been holding great expectations for Yang Kai underwent a great change in attitude.
Qiu Yi Meng and Huo Xing Chen, who were forced to leave, had also become the protagonists of the peoples’ discussions. The Young Lady and Young Lord were abandoning Yang Kai precisely because they had seen through his evil nature yet were helpless to stop him from within.
If not for this, it would have been impossible for them to betray Yang Kai.
When such news was released, the whole city went into an uproar, feeling indignant for Qiu Yi Meng and Huo Xing Chen and abhorrent towards Yang Kai’s tyranny.
Yang Wei’s compound.
Ever since Yang Kai broke through to the Immortal Ascension Boundary, there had been no movement from Yang Wei. All the cultivators who had come to support him were ignoring outside events and cultivating diligently, not caring at all about the Inheritance War. The Eldest Young Lord, Yang Wei, no longer had any confidence in winning, so what waves could his allies make?
What was most important now was for them to improve their strength because once the Inheritance War ended, they would have to leave War City and would lose this advantageous cultivation environment.
Inside the quiet mansion, a rush of footsteps suddenly broke the silence. The sound of these steps was hurried and was obviously heading towards Yang Wei’s room. Quickly arriving, the young man didn’t even knock on the door before shoving it open and frantically shouting, “Eldest Young Lord, Eldest Young Lord!”
Yang Wei, who was meditating, slowly blinked and turned to look at Meng Shan Yi whose expression was a mix of surprise and excitement. The former raising his sword-like eyebrows quickly said, “Shan Qi, how many times have you told not to get so flustered at every little thing.”
Saying so, Yang Wei slowly shook his head with a helpless expression.
“Eldest Young Lord, this time, things are different.” Meng Shan Yi cheeks flushed bright red, seemingly having encountered some kind of great fortune, but if one looked carefully, they would also notice some anxiety and hesitation on his face.
“What happened?” Yang Wei had been in secluded retreat these days, studying a number of old texts, and had no idea about the chaotic situation brewing outside.
Meng Shan Yi collected himself and replied, “Yang Kai is about to be eliminated.”
Yang Wei’s brow suddenly furrowed and seriously asked, “Where did you hear such gossip?”
“It’s not gossip.” Meng Shan Yi shook his head, his expression becoming solemn as he reported the recent changes that had occurred in War City.
As Yang Wei listened, his expression became strange.
Qiu Yi Meng and Huo Xing Chen leaving Yang Kai was something far outside his expectations.
Such rapid changes in public opinion in War City were obviously due to someone fanning the flames behind the scenes. As for who the masterminds behind this propaganda campaign were, there was no need to guess. Besides the Eight Great Families, no one had the ability to influence the masses so quickly.
Yang Wei had not expected that his Heaven defying Ninth Brother had actually captured the attention of the Eight Great Families.
Vaguely, he felt like something was out of place though…
Even if his Ninth Brother had the potential to become a Demon Lord, considering his identity as a direct descendant of the Eight Great Families, it was impossible for them to make such a public fuss about him as it would only serve to tarnish their dignity. What deeper meaning was there to their actions?
Moreover, the first wave of propaganda seemed like it was designed to discredit Ninth Brother and force him into a passive situation, allowing others to take up the mantle of righteousness, if this was really the case…
Considering the development of the situation, Yang Wei suddenly thought of a possibility and couldn’t help looking awkward.
“Eldest Young Lord, there is one more thing I must report to you.” Meng Shan Yi frowned and said hesitantly.
“What?”
“My Meng Family sent a letter, ordering me to cooperate with Second Young Lord… to defeat Yang Kai.” Meng Shan Yi managed to cough out these words though his extremely bitter face.
“The Meng Family?” Yang Wei brows furrowed, “And my Yang Family?”
“The messenger said… not to worry, the Yang Family will not intervene in this matter.”
Meng Shan Yi had also been in retreat when this letter arrived, but after swiftly inspecting the situation inside War City and understanding the current climate, he had rushed over to Yang Wei.
“Cooperate with Second Brother… haha.” Yang Wei suddenly laughed, “Even if the two of us gather together all of our forces, I’m afraid we’re still not worthy to be Ninth Brother’s opponents, what other arrangements are in place?”
Meng Shan Yi wore a forced smile, “Eldest Young Lord doesn’t need to feign ignorance… The messenger who came said not to worry about anything; all we need to do is make an appearance and take a public stand, as for everything else, those from Second Young Master’s mansion will handle it…”
Yang Wei went silent, a strange light flashing across his eyes.
“Eldest Young Lord…” Meng Shan Yi grit his teeth, “Although this message came from my Meng Family, it seems like your Yang Family has also acquiesced.”
Yang Wei nodded gently. If there is no acquiescence from the Yang Family, how would the Meng Family dare to do this? They didn’t have such courage.
“Second Young Lord has lost all fighting spirit these days, and the staff in his mansion has shrunk dramatically. He is simply not an opponent to the Little Lord.” Meng Shan Yi said sullenly, “But from the sounds of it, Second Young Lord is now certain he can eat up Yang Kai’s house… How could he suddenly have such great confidence?”
“Reinforcements, reinforcements from the Eight Great Families!” Yang Wei confidently answered.
Meng Shan Yi couldn’t help feeling shocked. Yang Wei had instantly guessed what he was thinking. Suddenly wearing a sullen expression the former asked, “Eldest Young Lord… does this mean that they have already designated Second Young Lord as the next Patriarch of the Yang Family?”
Reinforcements weren’t being sent to the Eldest Young Lord, but instead to Yang Zhao, this was enough to infer many things.
The Yang Family obviously hoped that Yang Zhao could inherit the Patriarch position and had thus sent reinforcements to him in order to defeat Yang Kai and win the Inheritance War.
Yang Wei had a smile on his face and nodded lightly, “Even without mentioning Ninth Brother’s situation, according to the current state of affairs, the Yang Family really should hope so.”
“Eldest Young Lord, aren’t you frustrated by their decision?” Meng Shan Yi immediately felt indignant.
The Inheritance War had carried on for almost a year now, and if it were to reach a natural conclusion, the winner would definitely be Yang Kai while Yang Zhao would undoubtedly be the next one eliminated. Yet now, how could a youth who had become depressed over a mere minor setback be suitable to inherit the Yang Family?
Simply comparing their mental fortitudes, Yang Wei was undoubtedly more suitable for this position.
But even though such things were obvious, why had the reinforcements been sent to Yang Zhao?
Hearing the ire in Meng Shan Yi’s voice, Yang Wei simply grinned and shook his head, “Why should I be frustrated? Actually, if I’m to be honest, I don’t really want to be the next Yang Family Patriarch. I’m fairly certain Ninth Brother also feels the same.”
“How can that…” Meng Shan Yi was dumbstruck, Yang Kai’s performance throughout the Inheritance War could only be described as vowing to achieve victory no matter what.
“Ninth Brother and I both want to ascend to the peak of the Martial Dao. Those who take the pursuit of the martial peak as their goal will not care for transient things like becoming the Patriarch of the Yang Family. Although such a position seems important and lofty, in the grand scheme of things, it is not but a trivial matter. More importantly, once one mounts such a position, how would they have time to focus on their own cultivation? As far as I know, the biggest reason Ninth Brother is even bothering to participate in the Inheritance War is to clear the name of his Sect, High Heaven Pavilion. He seems to have reached an agreement with the Patriarch that so long as he wins, High Heaven Pavilion’s title of an Evil Sect will be removed and its reputation will be restored.”
“Just for that?” Meng Shan Yi was flabbergasted, completely unable to understand what he was hearing. Were there really people in this world who didn’t care for such honour and privilege?
“Just for that.” Yang Wei nodded, “This time, I participated in the Inheritance War because of the family’s rules and also to hone myself. As for becoming the next Patriarch, it’s not too important for me.”
Meng Shan Yi was silent.
“From this point on, the wisest decision for the family is to support Second Brother. Although Second Brother’s mentality isn’t as firm, compared to myself and Ninth Brother, he is no doubt more suitable to become Patriarch.” Yang Wei said frankly without the slightest of cares.
“Are you disappointed? Do you feel like all the efforts you’ve put in so far to assist me have not been rewarded?” Yang Wei suddenly asked the silent Meng Shan Yi.
Not hesitating for an instant, Meng Shan Yi shook his head gently, “Hearing the true ambitions of Eldest Young Lord is this Shan Yi’s honour. Since the Eldest Young Lord doesn’t want to become the Yang Family Patriarch, all I need to do is change my outlook slightly.”
Saying so, he asked, “Are we going to cooperate with Second Young Lord?”
Yang Wei smiled calmly, “Since the Meng Family has sent a letter, it means the Eight Great Families have already joined forces with the Yang Family’s acceptance. Am I even able to refuse? If all they need is a show of face, you going is enough. From now on, the conflict that takes place has nothing to do with the Inheritance War.”
It could be said that from the moment Yang Kai broke through to the Immortal Ascension Boundary, the Inheritance War had ended.
What happened next was just the Eight Great Families carrying out some secret manoeuvres under the guise of the Inheritance War.
“I understand.” Meng Shan Yi nodded slightly, turned around and left, preparing to visit Yang Zhao’s mansion.
After Meng Shan Yi left, Yang Wei’s expression became pensive, but after thinking for a long time, he still couldn’t understand why it was that Ninth Brother had suddenly become such a priority target.
In his heart he felt slightly disgruntled.
At the same time, inside Yang Zhao’s house.
Group after group of masters quickly gathered, these people had never before appeared in the Inheritance War, but today, as if they had meticulously planned it out, they had all arrived here.
The cultivators from Yang Zhao’s original allies all stared at these newcomers in somewhat of a daze.
They found that many of these people were Immortal Ascension Boundary Ninth Stage masters, while Seventh and Eighth Stage cultivators abounded.
There were a total of seven new groups, each with the same powerhouse lineup.
Those with slightly discerning eyes soon realized where these seven groups hailed from.
Obviously these groups belonged to the Central Capital Eight Great Families. Apart from Yang Family who hadn’t sent any personnel, the other seven families had all arrived.
Among the seven groups of people, one young man and one young woman looked at each other with depressed and guilty expressions on their faces.
After a while, the young man slowly walked over to the woman and nodded solemnly.
The two found a secluded corner, and stared out at the gathering of masters with helpless expressions.
These two were none other than Huo Xing Chen and Qiu Yi Meng.
This morning, the two of them had left War City, only to return the very same evening.
In the span of less than a day, the two of them were forced to change from Yang Kai’s allies to Yang Zhao’s, their identities changing so rapidly it was laughable.
“What conditions did your father promise you?” Huo Xing Chen turned to look at Qiu Yi Meng and asked flatly.
“In the future, this Young Lady will inherit the Qiu Family!” Qiu Yi Meng replied with a sigh.
“Congratulations. Isn’t this what you always dreamed of?” Huo Xing Chen smiled.
“Yes.” Qiu Yi Meng brushed her hair back behind her ear, not the slightest bit of happiness apparent in her eyes, “What about you?”
“My old man said, if I don’t come, he’ll drive me out of the Huo Family and banish me for life. That old fart was serious, I couldn’t refuse.” Huo Xing Chen couldn’t help smiling wryly.
“It seems like we both compromised.”
“Seems like it.”
The two stared at each other for a moment before suddenly wearing disdainful expressions and simultaneously muttering, “I really despise you!”
The Qiu Family group was headed by Qiu Yi Meng while the Huo Family masters were led by Huo Xing Chen.
Those from the Kang Family followed Kang Zhan and the group from the Gao Family had Gao Rang Feng as their leader.
Even the Central Capital’s First Young Lord, Liu Qing Yao, had arrived, bringing with him a group of Liu Family masters, though he chose to stand silently in the corner and not communicate with anyone.
Looking at this spectacular gathering, Huo Xing Chen couldn’t help spitting disdainfully, “Ridiculous.”
“Truly ridiculous.” Qiu Yi Meng gently nodded, “Seven of the Eight Great Families are targeting Yang Kai, yet they still insist on sending a member of the younger generation to serve as a leader. Obviously, they want to use the stage of the Yang Family Inheritance War to deceive the eyes of the world.”
Huo Xing Chen simply shrugged his shoulders, “There’s nothing that can be done, those who know the inside story know that this action is solely to deal with Yang Kai, those who don’t simply believe the Inheritance War isn’t over yet. If they were suddenly to declare the Yang Family Inheritance War over and that Yang Kai had been eliminated for no apparent reason, no one would be able to accept it.”
Just as the Eldest Brother, Yang Wei, clearly understood the situation, Qiu Yi Meng and Huo Xing Chen also saw things for what they really were.
What happened next had nothing to do with the Inheritance War; instead, it would be more accurate to say that the Inheritance War stage was being used by the seven families to put on a show.
The secret conversation between Qiu Yi Meng and Huo Xing Chen was not missed by the other Central Capital Young Lords.
Kang Zhan and Gao Rang Feng hesitated for a long time before walking over to Qiu Yi Meng and Huo Xing Chen together.
Huo Xing Chen turned his eyes to the two approaching Young Lords and asked with a light smile, “Brother Kang, how is your injury recovering?”
“Brother Huo need not worry, my injury is no longer a problem, Little Lord had a sense of proportion and didn’t deal any lasting damage.” Kang Zhan said lightly and indifferently, not displaying any resentment towards Yang Kai.
“That’s good, that’s good. Hahaha.” Huo Xing Chen said with a false smile.
Seeing his attempt to shoo them away, Gao Rang Feng and Kang Zhan were also very helpless, the former saying, “Brother Huo, although we formerly opposed the Little Lord, that was only because the situation forced us to be his opponents. In truth, both of us very much admire the Little Lord’s methods and strength, if possible, we wanted to make friends with him.”
“Really?” Huo Xing Chen wore a surprised expression, “I’m quite surprised, I never knew Brother Gao and Brother Kang were such magnanimous people. Yang Kai treated both of you so ruthlessly yet you still want to make friends with him, hahaha, are those your true intentions?”
“Brother Huo, if you are still wary of us, then I and Brother Kang really have nothing we can say.” Gao Rang Feng said seriously.
Huo Xing Chen stared at the two of them for a moment before gradually restraining his false smile and replacing it with a solemn expression.
“What do you want to say?” Qiu Yi Meng, who had been silently observing situation, suddenly took the initiative to ask.
Gao Rang Feng frowned and asked in a low voice, “Brother Kang and I are very confused. Why do our seven families seem so determined to deal with the Little Lord? Why is the Yang Family not saying anything about this matter? The two of you were formerly Yang Kai’s allies, so we thought you might know more about the situation than us.”
“En.” Kang Zhan nodded, “I really can’t understand what is going on here. I was still at home recovering from my injuries when my father suddenly ordered me to come here; even when I asked him why, he didn’t tell me anything. Young Lady Qiu and Brother Huo, if you know something and are able to tell us, we would very much appreciate it, if you don’t, or can’t, then just pretend we never asked.”
Huo Xing Chen went silent and turned his eyes towards Qiu Yi Meng.
Although he had been together with Yang Kai for just as long as Qiu Yi Meng, he would normally not be involved in any of the decisions made inside Yang Kai’s mansion and had only spoken to Yang Kai once in a while. On the other hand, Qiu Yi Meng often spoke with Yang Kai both in public and private and was involved in both planning and executing almost every operation that occurred, so she obviously was better informed than he was.
In fact, the questions asked by Gao Rang Feng and Kang Zhan were questions he too had.
Facing these three pairs of expectant eyes, Qiu Yi Meng could only shake her head slightly, “I don’t know anything, you’re asking the wrong person.”
Immediately, Gao Rang Feng and Kang Zhan wore disappointed expressions.
“However, although I haven’t been told anything specific, I can roughly guess what is happening.” Qiu Yi Meng suddenly added.
“Oh? Please enlighten us, Young Lady Qiu.” Kang Zhan and Gao Rang Feng shined.
“Yang Kai being targeted like this, one possibility is that he has done something that has violated the Eight Great Families’ bottom line!” Qiu Yi Meng said indifferently, without any emotion, “For example, the information that is currently being circulated among the common people.”
Cultivating a Demonic Secret Art, sharing the same Sect as the Demon Lord, providing shelter to Demons and Devil’s Path disciples, showing symptoms of Devil’s Practices…
All of these matters could be big or small depending on one’s perspective. Now that someone wanted them to be a big deal, they were a big deal.
“We also know about all of that; those were the reasons our families gave us when they sent us here as reinforcements. But… even if all of that is true, both of us still felt like things aren’t that simple.” Gao Rang Feng frowned, obviously not accepting these justifications at face value.
“Is there some other reason?” Kang Zhan hurriedly asked.
“If it is not because of this, then the only explanation is Yang Kai has something all seven of our families want,” Qiu Yi Meng sneered. After she finished speaking, a light flashed across her beautiful eyes and her brow deeply furrowed as she sunk into contemplation.
These few words suddenly dispelled all of these youth’s doubts.
When one was prosperous, benefits mattered the most. When the world was chaotic, benefits still mattered the most.
If this was the case, then this situation was understandable.
Looking at Qiu Yi Meng’s shifting expression, the Young Lords all realized she probably knew what it was their families were after, but since she didn’t explain, Kang Zhan and Gao Rang Feng knew not to ask any further.
However, the Eight Great Families’ actions this time gave all of them a feeling like they were pawns being manipulated.
Since they wanted to deal with Yang Kai, given the heritage and strength of the Eight Great Families, they could have just acted in a straightforward manner, but instead they had decided to put on this farce by borrowing the Inheritance War’s stage.
The several young people gathered here suddenly felt both disgruntled and depressed.
As the four of them had been speaking, Liu Qing Yao had kept his eyes closed and seemed to not be paying any attention to them, but no matter who it was, they could sense a thin threat of Divine Sense observing them. Apparently Liu Qing Yao was also interested in their discussion.
The four of them also didn’t feel any need to guard against him.
At the same time, deeper inside the mansion.
Inside Yang Zhao’s room, the Second Young Lord, sat motionless on his bed.
After just ten days of time, the always loft and arrogant Yang Zhao had transformed into a withered and sullen individual, dark rings around his bloodshot eyes giving him a particular fierce look.
Ye Xin Rou paced back and forth slowly in front of Yang Zhao, detailing the current situation to him.
Gradually, Yang Zhao’s seemingly dull face took on some colour as his red eyes narrowed slightly.
“Second Young Lord, reinforcements from the seven families have all arrived. Each of them sending at least twenty Immortal Ascension Boundary masters at the Sixth Stage or higher, there is even a large number of Peak Immortal Ascension Boundary masters. The seven families meaning is clear, they hope you can lead these people to defeat Yang Kai as quickly as possible and win the Inheritance War.”
“Why did the seven families suddenly send so many people to participate in the Inheritance War?” Yang Zhao muttered.
Since he hadn’t spoken in quite some time, Yang Zhao’s voice had become a bit hoarse and it had a sickly tone to it, like he was on the verge of death.
Ye Xin Rou smiled gracefully and replied, “Didn’t I just tell you about it? Yang Kai is a dangerous person who is very likely to become a second Demon Lord. The Yang Family cannot allow such a man to become its next Patriarch. The seven families and the Yang Family have occupied the Central Capital for centuries and are life and death allies; naturally they are also concerned about this issue as well. Now they have taken the initiative to gather in your house and are only waiting for you to issue the order. Second Young Lord, the Yang Family’s Patriarch position is yours for the taking.”
“Is it really just for such reasons?” Yang Zhao’s gaze became cold as he stared at the lithe young woman in front of him.
“What other reasons could there be?” Ye Xin Rou gawked.
Suddenly wearing a look of impatience on her face, she walked over and hugged Yang Zhao’s arm like a spoiled child and said, “Second Young Lord, don’t think too much about it, quickly fix yourself up and meet with everyone. Letting these people wait too long will do you no good.”
“I’m not going.” Yang Zhao said with a disheartened look, apparently not the least bit excited by this shocking news, quickly brushing away Ye Xin Rou’s entanglement.
Ye Xin Rou shook her head slowly, she hadn’t expected Yang Zhao to be happy about all of this but she still couldn’t help wondering, “Second Young Lord, what’s wrong?”
Yang Zhao simply shook his head, “The Inheritance War is a battle between my Yang Family’s direct descendants, a battle of wits, a battle of connections, a battle of charm. I’ve already lost, and since I’ve lost, why should I bother with it anymore.”
“How is that so? There are still so many people gathered in your house and with the addition of so many powerful masters willing to assist you. Now is the perfect time to stage a comeback.” Ye Xin Rou tried to console.
“People from seven of the Great Families… heh heh,” Yang Zhao sneered, “If I use them to defeat Ninth Brother, even if I sit in the Patriarch’s position, I’ll never feel deserving of it!”
“Second Young Lord, what are you saying?” Ye Xin Rou continued to prod, “Relying on just the allies gathered in your house, there is no way to defeat Yang Kai, but now that such a good opportunity has appeared in front of you, how can you not act? How can you not seize this chance?”
After a short pause, Ye Xin Rou laughed and said, “Could it be that Second Young Lord fears being criticised by the world? Second Young Lord, achieving your objective is what is most important, as for history, history is written by the victors, once you sit in the position of Yang Family Patriarch, who would dare to criticize you?”
Yang Zhao however remained unemotional and uninterested.
Ye Xin Rou suddenly lost patience and coldly shouted, “Second Young Lord, I hope you can put the overall situation first, the Yang Family has already acquiesced to this matter. If you don’t act, it would be akin to rebelling against your family. Humph, the noble Yang Family Second Young Lord only able to act like a whipped dog, simply laughable!”
Yang Zhao suddenly raised his head and stared towards Ye Xin Rou with his bloodshot eyes. Seeing this look, Ye Xin Rou immediately panicked but before she could react a cold hand was already around her neck and her vision became blurry. After quickly regaining her senses, Ye Xin Rou discovered she had been thrown onto the bed by Yang Zhao.
The faces of the two were almost stuck together, and Ye Xin Rou could clearly feel the hot breath from Yang Zhao’s nostrils; however, this heat was not a result of lust but instead because of rage.
The big hand around her neck was like an iron hoop, preventing her from even struggling.
Ye Xin Rou suddenly became frightened; only at this moment remember that she was not Yang Zhao’s opponent at all.
“Second Young Lord, what do you want to do…” Ye Xin Rou wore a pained expression as she bit her red lips, staring weakly towards Yang Zhao.
“I, Yang Zhao, am insidious and cunning, but I will not stoop so low as to use such disgraceful methods to defeat Ninth Brother! In this Inheritance War, I used my all in order to fight Ninth Brother yet still lost. As such, I have no complaints! Cheap slut, you’re not qualified to judge me! If you dare to say something like that again, I don’t mind making you the first Young Lady to die from a super force in the Inheritance War… What Ninth Brother dares to do, I dare to do as well! I, Yang Zhao, dare to be even more ruthlessness than him!”
Yang Zhao’s cold, hoarse voice was like the call of a demon from the depths of hell; causing Ye Xin Rou’s beautiful face to fill with fear and regret.
Staring into Yang Zhao’s eyes, Ye Xin Rou was truly frightened.
She could see that Yang Zhao wasn’t putting up a front to try to intimidate her, if she really uttered another word and angered him; she would most likely die here.
“Your Xin Rou was wrong, she wouldn’t dare…” Ye Xin Rou immediately backed down, as a woman, she didn’t feel the slightest bit ashamed.
Yang Zhao coldly snorted before releasing her.
After getting up from the bed, Yang Zhao muttered, “Those people gathered in my house are just here to borrow my name. Even if I disagree, they can still borrow Big Brother’s name. Since the Yang Family has tacitly consented to this, it is true I can’t resist! However, if they want to drag me out and use me as a figurehead to deal with Ninth Brother, they’re dreaming! Get out, from now on, you are in charge of all matters inside this house!”
Ye Xin Rou, who was still recovering from her earlier panic, couldn’t help but draw a sharp breath and tremble, “Second Young Lord, you mean…”
“You don’t need to suspect anything, from this moment forward this house is yours, the masters from the seven families and all my allies are also yours to command. Aren’t you a woman who pursues authority? If we didn’t have that in common, we would never have become allies in the first place. Now’s your chance to obtain what you want, what are you hesitating for?”
Ye Xin Rou didn’t care about the mockery in Yang Zhao’s words, only excitement could be seen in her eyes. Only after she took a deep breath to collect herself did she ask, “But… how should I explain this to the people in the house?”
“Do you need to explain anything? I’ve already agreed to let them borrow my name, as for any kind of justification, just say whatever you want.”
Ye Xin Rou’s smile blossomed like a great flower as she nodded, “After suffering a setback, Second Young Lord not only wasn’t disheartened, but instead emerged even stronger from this tribulation and has taken advantage of this momentum to break through. As such, he is currently in secluded cultivation!”
“Good.” Yang Zhao snickered, “I guess I should thank you for finding an excuse that takes my face into consideration.”
“We’re not strangers, no need to act polite.” Ye Xin Rou narrowed her eyes towards Yang Zhao, “After this, perhaps Xin Rou will really have to commit herself to Second Young Lord. I only hope that when Second Young Lord sits upon the Yang Family Patriarch’s position he will remember to take care of my Ye Family.”
Yang Zhao just sneered dismissively, “You should worry about surviving the conflict with Ninth Brother first.”
Ye Xin Rou’s pretty face cramped as a trace of fear flashed across her eyes, but she soon recovered and confidently said, “With the forces gathered here, what chance does Yang Kai have to resist?”
Yang Zhao simply closed his eyes and stopped talking.
“Then Xin Ruo will take her leave.” Ye Xin Rou bowed before turning around and exiting.
After she left Yang Zhao’s private house, she paused and stared up at the sky.
In the dark night, a full moon hung high in the sky sending out soft light.
Ye Xin Rou couldn’t contain her joy as she smiled happily; shooting a glance back at Yang Zhao’s house, a trace of disdain crept into her expression.
She hadn’t expected Yang Zhao to make such a decision, but since he had already transferred command to her, she could really cut loose and do things as she wished.
Her face filled with excitement. She let out a wicked laughter that quickly reverberated throughout the mansion, sending a cold chill down the spines of those who heard it.
A short time later, the leaders of the seven great forces in Yang Zhao’s mansion gathered in the main hall.
Ye Xin Rou sat at the head of the table.
Nearby, Liu Family’s Liu Qing Yao, Kang Family’s Kang Zhan, Gao Family’s Gao Rang Feng, Qiu Family’s Qiu Yi Meng, Huo Family’s Huo Xing Chen, and Meng Family’s Meng Shan Yi all stared at her curiously.
Ye Xin Rou on the other hand wore a light and casual expression without the slightest unease on her face.
Sweeping her alluring eyes around the table, Ye Xin Rou spoke first, “Brother Meng, Eldest Young Lord didn’t come?”
When he heard himself called out by the current Ye Xin Rou, Meng Shan Yi couldn’t help trembling slightly, but still quickly responded, “Eldest Young Lord said that he felt he would soon break through and must enter retreat. For this time’s action, Eldest Young Lord has authorized this Meng to command his forces.”
Ye Xin Rou was slightly surprised but soon wore a winning smile, “Such a coincidence, Second Young Lord also felt he would soon break through and has entered secluded retreat. I’m afraid he won’t be able to exit for some time. The Yang Family’s Young Lords are really dragons among men. Two brothers simultaneously breaking through, it really makes one admire their aptitude.”
Listening to her saying these words, everyone present couldn’t help showing awkward expressions.
Huo Xing Chen quickly changed the subject, “Junior Sister Ye, if Second Young Lord isn’t coming, who will be responsible for this seven-family coalition, it wouldn’t be you, right?”
“That’s right,” Ye Xin Rou responded lightly, flashing a charming smile as she changed her posture slightly, “This operation will be directed by me.”
Huo Xing Chen let out a half chuckle half sneer.
“Before entering retreat, Second Young Lord declared that all of the mansion’s matters would be taken over by me and all those gathered here are to follow my orders!” Ye Xin Rou’s expression became cold as she stated firmly.
Once again, the other six youths in the room wore cramped faces.
“Elder Brothers, Elder Sister, are you questioning Junior Sister’s abilities?” Ye Xin Rou took in the expressions of everyone around her and asked with a temperate smile.
“Of course not.” Kang Zhan shook his head, “It’s just that Second Young Lord not coming forward personally and instead sending Young Lady Ye in his stead seems somewhat improper; after all, the orders given to all of us gathered here from our respective families were to assist Second Young Lord.”
“Is Brother Kang skeptical about whether Second Young Lord truly authorised me to take command?” Ye Xin Rou giggled, “I’m afraid I don’t have such guts. If you don’t believe me, you can ask Second Young Lord, he is currently cultivating in his private residence.”
Kang Zhan’s brow furrowed. Although he was uncomfortable with this situation, it wasn’t convenient for him to say anything more.
Since Ye Xin Rou dared to say these words, her current authority must really have been approved by Yang Zhao.
Huo Xing Chen inserted himself suddenly, “Second Young Lord being unavailable is unfortunate, but since that is the case, there’s no reason to dwell on it; however, I’m doubtful whether Junior Sister Ye really has enough prestige to serve as his replacement.”
“Oh? Since Young Lord Huo is saying so… Does that mean Young Master Huo has someone in mind to serve as this movement’s leader?”
As Ye Xin Ruo said these words, her eyes glanced over towards Qiu Yi Meng who throughout this entire conversation had remained indifferent and expressionless.
Not only did Ye Xin Rou look at her, most of the youths gathered at this table instinctively turned their gazes towards Qiu Yi Meng.
Compared with Ye Xin Rou, Qiu Yi Meng was undoubtedly more suitable to lead Yang Zhao’s forces. She had this ability.
However, Qiu Yi Meng was forced to leave Yang Kai’s mansion this morning so her suddenly being in command of Yang Zhao’s allies was somewhat inappropriate.
Even if she was willing to assume the leadership role here, the masters from the seven families wouldn’t allow it and would likely not obey her orders.
“What does Elder Sister Qiu think?” Ye Xin Rou’s narrowed her eyes slightly as she stared at Qiu Yi Meng.
With everyone’s attention now focused on her, Qiu Yi Meng couldn’t remain silent any longer, faintly replying, “I believe Junior Sister Ye has enough ability to serve as leader.”
“Since Elder Sister Qiu has said so, Junior Sister will not shirk her responsibilities.” Ye Xin Rou smiled proudly.
Huo Xing Chen let out a sigh. He could understand why Qiu Yi Meng didn’t try to assume command, but even so, he found it difficult to suppress the frustration in his chest.
Ye Xin Ro’s current appearance really made her seem like a treacherous snake.
There was no doubt she was a great beauty with both a refined and seductive charm, but Huo Xing Chen couldn’t bring himself to like her.
This was probably the first time the Central Capital Wolf, Huo Xing Chen, found himself despising a beautiful woman.
“Enough about this topic,” Ye Xin Rou said definitively. Having established her authority over Yang Zhao’s forces, she steered the conversation back to the main issue, “All of you have received orders from your respective families and have gathered here for one purpose: To defeat that arrogant Yang Kai. If we fail, I think each of you knows the consequences very well. Although our current strength is indeed above that of Yang Kai’s forces and we are fully prepared for a head on conflict, is this really the best option? How to defeat the forces in Yang Kai’s mansion while suffering the fewest losses, everyone please share your views. Junior Sister is still young and inexperienced and would appreciate advice from all of you.”
Fluttering her lashes, Ye Xin Rou glanced around the table and waited quietly.
From the start of the meeting till now, Liu Qing Yao’s eyes had remained closed, showing no indication of expressing any opinion. On the other hand, Kang Zhan and Gao Rang Feng put their heads together and whispered about something, their expressions both solemn, seemingly in the midst of a serious discussion.
The Huo Family Young Lord sat back in his chair and stared up at the sky, as if he was watching a parade of beautiful women flying through the moonlight.
Qiu Yi Meng remained indifferent with a tinge of sadness occasionally flickering past her eyes.
Meng Shan Yi scratched his head and sighed helplessly.
Among the six youths, each of them had different expressions, but none of them took the initiative to speak.
After waiting for quite some time, Ye Xin Rou smiled and said, “It looks like no one has any ideas. If so, why not listen to Junior Sister’s proposal?”
Saying so, before anyone could react, Ye Xing Ruo continued, “Although there are now forces from our seven families gathered in this mansion and the number of masters is great, giving us an overwhelming advantage in both strength and number, the power gathered in Yang Kai mansion can’t be ignored. First off, there is that Evil Sect Master, Ling Tai Xu, who is an Above Immortal Ascension Boundary cultivator; however, since this is still the Inheritance War, he is unlikely to get involved. As for the Blood Warriors serving Yang Kai, thanks to the previous declaration from the Yang Family, only two of them can fight. Besides them, there is that Peak Immortal Ascension Boundary Demon… These people are the biggest threats to us.”
“If we rush to attack, there is a high probability that our forces will suffer some unnecessary losses. The people gathered around Yang Kai can’t be taken lightly. They can often make some unexpected moves, I think Young Lord Huo and Elder Sister Qiu understand this point better than us.”
Huo Xing Chen chuckled, “Don’t ask me, I don’t know anything. In his house, I didn’t do anything other than trying to pick up girls. There were so many beautiful women in his house after all…”
Ye Xin Rou’s smile didn’t break at all, “Brother Huo is too modest, who doesn’t know that your strength has greatly increased. Even Brother Gao isn’t your opponent anymore.”
Gao Rang Feng’s face immediately went black, silently cursing out Ye Xin Rou as a cheap slut who targeted other people’s weaknesses. On the day Yang Kai launched his night raid on Yang Kang, Gao Rang Feng had been swiftly defeated by Huo Xing Chen, which the former regarded as a lifelong humiliation. These days, he had redoubled his efforts in the hopes that one day he could win back his face.
With Ye Xin Rou mentioning this right now, Gao Rang Feng suddenly felt like his stomach was full of grievances and muttered in a neither rude nor polite voice, “Young Lady Ye, please focus on the topic at hand.”
Ye Xin Rou flashed a faint smile and nodded apologetically, “Please don’t mind, Brother Gao. Junior Sister simply spoke thoughtlessly and had no intention of disparaging you.”
Gao Rang Feng’s expression only became bitterer at this non-apology.
Ignoring him, Ye Xin Rou continued, “Considering this situation, I think we should use a surprise attack force in order to catch Yang Kai off guard.”
The seven Young Lords and Young Ladies were gathered with Ye Xin Rou sitting at the head of the table; she spoke with authority and was clearly organized, providing accurate analysis of their current predicament and causing all of the others to raise their evaluations of her.
This young woman wasn’t just a pretty face who knew how to sweet talk others like some of them had thought.
When she sat in a position of authority, she was able to quickly adjust her mentality and speak in a manner consistent with her identity.
After stating her idea, the other six couldn’t help staring at her curiously.
“Surprise attack force?” Gao Rang Feng parroted, “What kind of surprise attack force?”
Ye Xin Rou answered with a smile, “A surprise that the Little Lord couldn’t possibly anticipate!”
Gao Rang Feng’s brow furrowed, Ye Xin Rou keeping them guessing made him feel slightly disgruntled, “Explain what you mean specifically.”
Ye Xin Rou giggled and turned her gaze towards Qiu Yi Meng, sweetly saying, “Elder Sister Qiu is no doubt the biggest surprise-attack force when it comes to the Little Lord.”
Hearing this, Qiu Yi Meng immediately glared towards Ye Xin Rou.
Huo Xing Chen also narrowed his eyes and snorted.
The other Young Lords wore awkward expressions as all of them instantly understood what Ye Xin Rou was thinking.
“Elder Sister Qiu has been working with the Little Lord since the start of the Inheritance War and was akin to his right arm, I’m afraid no one is clearer about the situation inside his house that she is. Also, Elder Sister Qiu only left Yang Kai’s mansion this morning. No matter how sharp the Little Lord is, do you think he would be able to anticipate that after less than a day of time she would become his enemy and bring people to attack him?”
“Ye Xin Rou, you better carefully consider what you’re talking about.” Huo Xing Chen stared at her with a sullen expression as a cold light flashed across his eyes.
In response, Ye Xin Rou simply snorted, “Young Lord Huo, what do you mean by this? What I am saying, of course I am clear about. Rather, your attitude… Are you perhaps dissatisfied with my plan?”
Huo Xing Chen brushed off her pointed words with a sneer.
“Don’t forget, right now I am representing Second Young Lord! Refusing to accept my orders is akin to refusing Second Young Lord’s commands. If this is how you plan on acting, I have the right to ask you to leave this house. A single mouse dropping can ruin a pot of porridge. Second Young Lord’s mansion can’t afford to keep any bad seeds around.” Ye Xin Rou said viciously as she wore a sneer on her face.
Huo Xing Chen’s expression twitched and wanted nothing more than to immediately stand up and leave, but remembering the threat his father had made to him before he left, he somehow managed to press down the anger in his heart.
His mouth moved constantly but no sound emerged from it, seemingly silently cursing.
Ye Xin Rou once again smiled warmly and continued, “Actually, Junior Sister came up with this proposal after considering many things. What I’ve mentioned is just one of them.”
“What other considerations?” Gao Rang Feng asked. He suddenly discovered that over the course of the Inheritance War, Ye Xin Rou had experienced a terrifying amount of growth. Before now, she wasn’t as insightful or manipulative, nor were her thoughts so sharp and decisive.
Probably after staying with the Second Young Lord for a long time, she had gradually been influenced by his personality.
“From the previous incident when the Little Lord killed Nan Sheng and Xiang Chu, it is apparent Yang Kai places great importance on his friends. Elder Sister Qiu is also his friend. Given the Little Lord’s personality, he shouldn’t be able to treat Elder Sister Qiu ruthlessly, and I want to take advantage of this point.”
“He is indeed such a man.” Kang Zhan nodded lightly, thinking that Ye Xin Rou’s analysis was reasonable.
Last time, simply because Nan Sheng and Xiang Chu, those two idiots, injured a disciple from High Heaven Pavilion, they were chased down by Yang Kai for over three thousand kilometers and even after they sought refuge in Yang Zhao’s mansion they didn’t escape from death.
Qiu Yi Meng and Yang Kai had been together for so long, sharing both joy and sorrow. Qiu Yi Meng had also made many great contributions to Yang Kai’s campaign during the Inheritance War; it wouldn’t be strange for him to not want to fight with her.
“As such, if Elder Sister Qiu is the one to go, it might be possible to defeat the Little Lord without any further bloodshed.” Ye Xin Rou looked at Qiu Yi Meng with a smile and asked, “Elder Sister Qiu, what do you think?” “
Qiu Yi Meng’s expression was desolate as she turned her eyes away and stared off into the distance and said in a flat tone, “Your thoughts are too simple. While it’s true Yang Kai cares about friendship, he is also a very selfish person! If a conflict erupts between us, he will undoubtedly not hesitate to maintain his own interests.”
Ye Xin Rou wore a surprised look, “Elder Sister Qiu really understands the Little Lord, but I still believe this plan has a good chance of success. How can you know it won’t succeed unless you try?”
Saying so, her eyes flashed a ruthless light. Obviously, until Qiu Yi Meng agreed she would not give up.
“Fine.” Qiu Yi Meng suddenly smiled, “Since Junior Sister Ye is so certain, Elder Sister will listen to you once and see if I can defeat Yang Kai by myself.”
“Elder Sister is really a confident woman; Junior Sister is filled with respect.”
“Many thanks. Junior Sister’s care in this matter, Elder Sister will certainly remember.” Qiu Yi Meng smiled brilliantly.
Ye Xin Rou also smiled back at her, “There’s no need for such politeness between us sister. A few days ago, Junior Sister received much from Elder Sister, hehehe… Elder Sister’s care, Junior Sister will not forget for the rest of her life.”
The hall’s temperature suddenly dropped as the atmosphere became tense.
Gao Rang Feng, Kang Zhan and all the others couldn’t help lowering their heads and trembling.
None of them knew what these two young women were talking about, but it was obvious something happened between them recently that forged a deep grudge.
A few days ago, Ye Xin Rou had snuck into Yang Kai’s house to seduce him, but as a result, Yang Kai had stripped her naked and abandoned her inside a secluded room. At the time, Qiu Yi Meng was present, but instead of helping her, she had posted guards at her door and trapped her inside.
Ye Xin Rou was imprisoned for three days in the state she was born in.
It wasn’t until three days later that Qiu Yi Meng finally sent a maid to her with a change of clothes…
How could Ye Xin Rou forget this shameful insult? Now that she had assumed command of the seven-family force, the first thing she sought to do was find a way to embarrass Qiu Yi Meng. This was a blatant case of mixing public and private affairs, but her excuses and methods were actually quite brilliant, not giving Qiu Yi Meng any legitimate reason to refuse, allowing the former to lead her around by the nose.
“Then I will entrust Elder Sister with leading our efforts and wish her a swift victory.”
“Elder Sister will take advantage of Junior Sister’s auspicious words.”
“It’s best to act swiftly, let’s set off now.” Ye Xin Rou said.
“Now?” The Young Lords couldn’t help asking in surprise, none of them having expected Ye Xin Rou to act so urgently.
“If we strike tonight while the Little Lord is still unprepared perhaps we can achieve twice the results with half the effort.” Ye Xin Rou smiled coldly.
“Good, Elder Sister will set out immediately.” Qiu Yi Meng laughed before standing up and walking out.
“Qiu Yi Meng…” Huo Xing Chen stood up and shouted, but Qiu Yi Meng didn’t even glance back. As she walked away, all he could so was slowly shake his head.
After Qiu Yi Meng left, Huo Xing Chen turned around and glared coldly at Ye Xin Rou, callously saying, “Little tramp, if something unexpected happens to Qiu Yi Meng, this Young Master swears he will sell you to the cheapest, filthiest brothel so that any beggar off the street can taste your beauty and make sure that in less than three months you’ll become a pile of meat so rotten even the wild dogs will refuse to come near you!”
A cold light flashed past Ye Xin Rou’s eyes but surprisingly she didn’t get angry, instead just giggling charmingly, “Aren’t Young Lord Huo’s worries superfluous? How could Elder Sister Qiu suffer anything unexpected? Do you really think Little Lord will attack her? If he does, he’ll just be confirming he has fallen to the Devil’s Practices, unable to recognize his friends or family.”
After a short pause, she followed up, “But since Young Lord Huo is so worried, let’s follow her and observe, just in case.”
Kang Zhan and Gao Rang Feng both nodded their heads and felt that Ye Xin Rou’s decision was correct.
None of them believed Qiu Yi Meng would really defeat Yang Kai. Even if he placed a heavy emphasis on sentiment, he wasn’t a fool, how could he just give up without a fight?
But if all of them were to set out, even if Yang Kai fought back, they could immediately provide assistance.
The conversation over, all of them stood up and walked out.
The moon floated high in the star-studded night sky, bathing all of War City in its silvery glow.
Inside Yang Kai’s compound, all the remaining cultivators had calmed down from the impact of Qiu Yi Meng and Huo Xing Chen leaving.
The advantage they held in terms of strength and manpower was still enormous, so even without Qiu Yi Meng and Huo Xing Chen, all of Yang Kai’s allies felt he would inevitably win the Inheritance War.
The only thing that worried them somewhat was what Yang Kai had said earlier that day about possibly becoming enemies off the Eight Great Families.
After all, many of them were members of the younger generation, who among them wanted to openly oppose the Eight Great Families? That was not an issue for them, but also one for the Sects and families they represented.
In the middle of the night, the house was eerily quiet.
Yang Kai, who was sitting in meditation, suddenly opened his eyes, a sharp light quickly flashing across them.
Hurriedly getting up, he quickly walked outside.
As soon as he opened his door, a burst or rustling clothes reached his ear and in the next moment, Ying Jiu, Old Demon, and Tang Yu Xian appeared in front of him.
“Little Lord…” Tang Yu Xian called out.
“I know,” Yang Kai’s expression became serious, “Call everyone.”
Tang Yu Xian quickly released her Divine Sense across the entire mansion. Feeling this burst of Spiritual Energy and recognizing what it meant, all the forces inside the house quickly assembled.
“Hmph!” A light snort came from nearby and a vague figure slowly emerged out of thin air, revealing the light blue haired Shui Ling.
Ying Jiu narrowed his eyes slightly. Even until now, he still had a sense of dread when it came to this mysteriously appearing and disappearing young lady.
So young, yet already an Immortal Ascension Boundary Eighth Stage master and possessing a special constitution; if it was one on one, Ying Jiu estimated she was not his opponent, but if she wanted to escape from him, even if he activated his Mad Tyrant Blood Skill, he had no confidence in forcing her to remain.
“It seems like Qiu Yi Meng is the one coming.” Shui Ling sighed faintly, “It’s a pity, I quite liked her. Yang Kai, how could you and her have reached this point?”
“I don’t know, don’t ask me.” Yang Kai spat in annoyance.
With Shui Ling having realized the identity of the approaching people, how could Yang Kai not have noticed?
What’s more, the one leading this group was actually Qiu Yi Meng, who had only left this morning!
Accompanying her were more than twenty masters each of them at or above the Immortal Ascension Boundary Sixth Stage. Besides Qiu Yi Meng whose aura was quiet, everyone else was giving off a clear murderous intent, apparently not holding any favourable intentions towards the people inside Yang Kai’s mansion.
Yang Kai didn’t think Qiu Yi Meng was behind this action. After being together with her for so long, Yang Kai knew her better than that. What kind of personality she had, Yang Kai understood best, but her leading people towards his mansion was also an indisputable fact.
“Let’s go out and have a look.” Yang Kai coldly snorted, taking the lead and walking out.
Ying Jiu, Tang Yu Xian, and Old Demon quickly followed after him.
A moment later, a small number of people had gathered outside the main entrance and more cultivators from inside the house were continuously rushing out, organizing themselves in an orderly fashion as they assembled together with Yang Kai.
All of these people didn’t know what was going on. When they got outside the house and their eyes adjusted to the dim moonlight, they sight they saw left them all dumbstruck.
Not far from the mansion stood a solitary Qiu Yi Meng.
Ten meters behind her there were more than twenty Immortal Ascension Boundary masters belonging to the Qiu Family lined up, each of them giving off a frightening aura.
After a moment of stunned silence, Luo Xiao Man shouted in surprise, “Elder Sister Qiu!”
After calling out, she rushed out of the crowd and ran towards Qiu Yi Meng. As she ran her pair of enormous jade peaks swayed with vigour.
Among all of those present, she and Qiu Yi Meng had the closest relationship. One was sensible and capable, the other innocent and cute, their opposite personalities actually complimented each other extremely well and Qiu Yi Meng had always been very good to her; after experiencing so many ups and downs together, the two were as close as blood-related sisters.
When Qiu Yi Meng left this morning, Luo Xiao Man had cried for a long time and until now her eyes were still red and puffy with a spiritless expression adorning her face.
Seeing Qiu Yi Meng suddenly return, Luo Xiao Man was, without a doubt, the happier than anyone and she made no attempt to hide her joy, it was like a lost child had finally found her way home and was now eagerly rushing over.
A touch of sadness flashed across Qiu Yi Meng’s face for an instant before indifference replaced it.
When the distance between them shrank to less than twenty meters, Qiu Yi Meng gently lifted her hand.
A ray of light shot out from her palm and struck the ground right in front of Luo Xiao Man’s feet.
Dust flew up.
Luo Xiao Man immediately came to a halt and stared towards Qiu Yi Meng in front of her.
“Don’t come any closer, otherwise don’t blame my subordinates for not showing any mercy.” Qiu Yi Meng looked at Luo Xiao Man coldly and said in a frigid tone, like she was speaking to a total stranger.
“Elder Sister Qiu…” Luo Xiao Man whispered through her quivering lips, her eyes filled with confusion, unable to understand what was going on.
Qiu Yi Meng hadn’t actually struck her, but just now, if she had been running slightly faster or if Qiu Yi Meng had aimed slightly further, Luo Xiao Man’s legs would have been crippled.
Feeling the cold and desolate aura emanating from Qiu Yi Meng, Luo Xiao Man’s heart was filled with tremendous pain and her eyes began to water, opening her mouth to speak but unable to utter any words, subconsciously she even felt a trace of fear.
In this moment of confusion, a big hand lightly held her shoulder. Turning around to see who it was, the image of Yang Kai shaking his head slowly entered her view
“Go back.” Yang Kai whispered, gently tossing her back towards the others without waiting for her to respond.
After Luo Xiao Man landed, she suddenly discovered that the atmosphere was strange.
Outside the mansion, Yang Kai and Qiu Yi Meng faced each other. Identical to what happened this morning when the Qiu Family’s First Young Lady left, nothing was said, nothing needed to be said.
But anyone could see that this meeting was completely different from the one this morning, the situation was completely different.
“Were you forced?” Yang Kai stared straight into Qiu Yi Meng’s eyes and asked.
“No.” Qiu Yi Meng shook her head slightly.
“No?” Yang Kai smiled mockingly, “Since you weren’t forced, why did you bring these people here? Don’t tell me they’re here to hire themselves to me?”
“Why I’m here, you already know in your heart. Why bother asking such pointless questions?” Qiu Yi Meng shot back, her expression still ice cold.
“If you don’t explain, how would I know?”
“Aren’t you the same? You never explain anything to me, why should I explain anything to you?” Qiu Yi Meng retorted.
Yang Kai casually shrugged his shoulders. What she said wasn’t untrue.
“First Young Lady, there’s no need to speak any nonsense with him.” Suddenly, a low voice came from behind Qiu Yi Meng.
As these words were said, one of the Immortal Ascension Boundary masters with a thick imposing manner stepped forward and stood behind Qiu Yi Meng.
“You are?” Yang Kai’s brow furrowed.
“Qiu Family Fallen Leaves Hall, Hall Master, Chen Xuan!” The man coldly snorted, slightly raising his head and arrogantly declaring, “First Young Lady wanted to be considerate of your past friendship and say a few words to you, but it should be enough already.”
Yang Kai’s expression didn’t change as he lightly nodded, “Greetings, Hall Master Chen’s name is really thunderous. Junior has long heard of you.”
The Qiu Family’s Fallen Leaves Hall was equivalent to the Yang Family’s Blood Warrior Hall. Similar institutions existed in all the Eight Great Families, places where extremely strong and extremely loyal masters who dedicated their lives to their respective families were cultivated.
Because of differences in family heritage, reputation, and training methods, among these institutions, the Blood Warrior Hall had become the most famous; on top of that, the Blood Warriors were truly a step above the warriors trained by the other seven families in terms of combat prowess.
In particular, the forbidden Mad Tyrant Blood Skill which was unique to the Blood Warrior Hall alone was enough to make the Blood Warrior Hall stand above any other similar institution.
The Qiu Family’s Fallen Leaves Hall as one such institution only had true masters serving within its ranks. Once they went into action, they would attack as swiftly as the autumn wind, overwhelming their enemies with irresistible force, not allowing their enemies any time to catch their breath.
Because of their modus operandi, the masters from the Fallen Leaves Hall were generally impatient and despised wasting time.
Qiu Yi Meng and Yang Kai exchanging thinly veiled words for so long had obviously annoyed them, resulting in Hall Master Chen Xuan stepping forward to expedite matters.
Chen Xuan snorted and turned a blind eye to Yang Kai’s compliment, sneering as he said, “Since you’re finished with your discussion First Young Lady, please step back.” Turning his eyes to Yang Kai again, he coldly declared, “Little brat, death is here for you. Although you are a Young Lord of the Yang Family, but since you cultivate a Demonic Secret Art, collude with Demons, and are attempting to subvert the Eight Great Families. Today will be your demise.”
Chen Xuan and the masters of the Fallen Leaves Hall had always operated in and around the Central Capital and as such didn’t know much about Yang Kai or the forces supporting him. Although they had also been paying attention to the progress of the Inheritance War, everything they knew they had heard from others. About how powerful Yang Kai and the masters inside his house were, Chen Xuan always felt it was too exaggerated and that most of it was hearsay and rumours.
As a Peak Immortal Ascension Boundary masters, how could he put a measly Immortal Ascension Boundary Second Stage cultivator in his eyes, especially considering how young the latter was.
Not only did Chen Xuan think so, most of the masters sent by the seven families had similar thoughts. In their view, seven great families joining forces and deploying so much manpower was making a fuss over a trivial matter.
So when Qiu Yi Meng brought them out along to seek trouble with Yang Kai tonight, Chen Xuan and the other Fallen Leaves Hall masters were very excited and thought that they could easily smash through Yang Kai’s compound’s defences.
Even Ling Tai Xu, who was still inside the mansion, wasn’t placed in their eyes.
Although Ling Tai Xu was an Above Immortal Ascension Boundary master, with his reputation as the Sect Master of an Evil Sect and the master of the Demon Lord, if he dared to take action, the eight Grand Elders residing in the Seal Temple would certainly not sit idly by.
Listening to Chen Xuan’s self-righteous declaration, Yang Kai’s eyes flashed a cold light, “Bold words!”
“Hall Master Chen, wait a little longer.” Qiu Yi Meng suddenly interrupted. “I still have a few words to say to Yang Kai.”
Chen Xuan coldly snorted, but it wasn’t a good idea for him to not give Qiu Yi Meng face in such a public setting. When they had been deployed for this operation, Qiu Shou Cheng had passed down orders that although this conflict was to take place on the Inheritance War’s stage and was ostensibly the responsibility of the Eight Great Families Young Lords and Young Ladies. However, this was simply the public propaganda. In actuality, Chen Xuan would hold decision-making power on the battlefield.
This is to say, to some extent; Qiu Yi Meng had to obey Chen Xuan’s orders for the time being.
However, if she just wanted to say a few words, he could tolerate it.
Yang Kai glanced at him coldly before turning to Qiu Yi Meng and muttering, “Why?”
“Because my father said, as long as I can defeat and capture you, I can inherit the Qiu Family. You should know how much I longed for this day to come, and although we used to get along very well, but compared to my achieving my lifelong endeavour, what do you count for?”
“Heh heh,” Yang Kai couldn’t help grinning, “Forget about me, can you even convince yourself with such a lame excuse?”
“Lame excuse? What I’m saying is the truth. Today, I am here to defeat you. Yang Kai, out of respect for all that I’ve done for you, obediently surrender without a fight, if you insist on resisting, no one will benefit. Moreover, I know I am definitely not your opponent.”
“Okay.” Yang Kai smiled and nodded.
Behind the two, Chen Xuan couldn’t help gawking, but he quickly focused his eyes on Yang Kai’s movements to guard against him trying to swindle them.
The people behind Yang Kai also had awkward expressions.
None of them had anticipated that in less than a day, Qiu Yi Meng would switch sides and lead a group of masters to find trouble with Yang Kai. When she had spoken just now, there was no hesitation in her voice, and the cold indifference she was exuding now made many of those who former looked up to her feel an immense sense of indignation, but out of respect for their past friendships, no one could bring themselves to accuse her.
If it was anyone else in Qiu Yi Meng’s placIe right now, none of them would be willing to forgive her and would likely have already cursed out her eighteen generations of ancestors.
Even so, no one had a friendly expression on their face, Luo Xiao Man had even broken down into tears as she stared at Qiu Yi Meng incredulously.
“Are you saying that seriously?” Qiu Yi Meng was stunned.
“Why not? If you can capture me, you can become heir to the Qiu Family, right?” Yang Kai smiled lightly, “You’ve indeed paid a great deal for me, now I am simply returning the favour, what’s wrong with that?”
The look on Qiu Yi Meng fluctuated as a strange light flashed across her beautiful eyes, seemingly feeling touched somewhere deep in her soul by these words; she even felt the impulse to shed tears.
“First Young Lady…” Chen Xuan saw Qiu Yi Meng’s reaction and felt her determination to fight begin to waver so he quickly called out to her.
If they really could take Yang Kai without a fight, it would be the same as making a huge contribution to the Qiu Family. Qiu Shou Cheng had told him that once they captured Yang Kai, he was to be sent back to the Central Capital Qiu Family at all costs!
Qiu Yi Meng turned a deaf ear to Chen Xuan as a look of hesitation continued to linger on her face for a moment before she suddenly grit his teeth and shouted, “Do you think such these words can soften my heart and weaken my resolve? You bastard, how despicable can you be!?”
Yang Kai’s serious face cracked into a big grin as he sent a half teasing half apologetic look to the young woman in front of him.
“That really was your plan.” Qiu Yi Meng spat in annoyance. Just now she really had been moved by his honeyed words, only causing her to hate herself even more, “No matter what you say, since I’ve come this far already, I won’t go back empty hanempty-handed
g so, she lifted her hand and summoned a long dagger. This weapon gave off a silvery light and was obviously a high grade artifact.
True Qi fiercely erupted and a thick killing intent surged upwards.
Many people cried out in shock, no one had thought such a change would happen so quickly, even Ying Jiu didn’t have time to react.
The eyes of Chen Xuan and Fallen Leaves Hall masters also flashed brilliantly as they held their breaths in anticipation.
Facing Qiu Yi Meng’s approaching dagger, Yang Kai maintained his calm grin, not showing the slightest tension as he stared at the brilliantly glowing blade, he didn’t even condense his True Qi, as if he really had no intention of resisting.
Qiu Yi Meng’s beautiful face was filled with determination and the speed at which she struck only accelerated.
But in the next instant, Yang Kai’s complexion rapidly changed, his eyes filling with shock as he grabbed towards Qiu Yi Meng’s hand as fast as he could.
*Pu…*
A dull thud resounded and blood splashed out.
Screams rang out and the masters behind the two entangled figures shot forward.
The eyes of Chen Xuan and the other Fallen Leaves Hall masters all wore fanatical expressions as they stared at the dumbstruck Yang Kai, grinning fiercely as they approached.
Ying Jiu, Tang Yu Xian, and Old Demon also pushed their True Qi rapidly and crossed over the heads of Yang Kai and Qiu Yi Meng to intercept Chen Xuan and the Qiu Family masters.
The battle had instantly erupted; those below the Immortal Ascension Boundary were unable to interfere. Even those younger generation leaders who had already broken through the Immortal Ascension Boundary were too afraid to approach and could only use their Martial Skills and artifacts to strike from a distance.
Brilliant flashes of light blossomed and waves of True Qi rampaged about.
Amidst the chaos, Luo Xiao Man stumbled over to Yang Kai and Qiu Yi Meng but after seeing the situation, she couldn’t help trembling violently as she covered her mouth to stifle her screams.
Qiu Yi Meng had fallen limply into Yang Kai’s arms, her face pale and bloodless as she silently smiled towards the man embracing her. Inserted into her lower abdomen was the very same dagger artifact she had taken out just now.
Yang Kai on the other hand was completely unscathed.
“What the hell are you doing?” Yang Kai angered snapped.
“I couldn’t do anything…” Qiu Yi Meng smiled faintly, “I could only think of this way and let myself escape temporarily.”
Just now, Qiu Yi Meng stopped her attack halfway through and instead turned the dagger on herself. Yang Kai saw this and immediately tried to stop her.
However, Qiu Yi Meng’s previous expression was too convincing and Yang Kai was also deceived by her for a moment, thinking that she really was going to attack him.
When he realized he had been tricked, it was already too late to stop her.
Blood flowed from Qiu Yi Meng’s lower abdomen and soon her clothes were stained dark red, giving her a strange ephemeral beauty.
“Don’t talk.” Yang Kai wrinkled his brow but didn’t panic, Qiu Yi Meng’s injury wasn’t in a fatal position nor did the dagger penetrate too deep, with the help of the Myriad Drug Milk, in only a day or two she would fully recover without even a scar.
“I have something I want to ask you.” Qiu Yi Meng panted for breath as she stubbornly stared at Yang Kai.
“If you have something to say, just spit it out.” Yang Kai coldly snorted, he was quite discontent with Qiu Yi Meng right now.
Qiu Yi Meng went silent for a moment before staring at Yang Kai, her eyes filled with a look of expectation as she whispered, “If I really had attacked you, would you have resisted?”
“What do you think?” Yang Kai stared back at her.
“I don’t know, I never could tell what you’re thinking.”
“I’m not an idiot, how could I just stand there and let you stab me!”
“Sure enough…” Qiu Yi Meng laughed bitterly, “You’ve always been a selfish person, but if you weren’t, you wouldn’t be you.”
Yang Kai suddenly wore a fierce grin, “If you really had tried to attack me, then today your life would have been over.”
“What would you do to me? Kill me?”
“Nothing so dramatic, I’d just strip off all your clothes, and then… heh, spank your little butt red!”
Qiu Yi Meng’s pale cheeks suddenly blushed furiously. No one had ever spoken such shameful words to her and she was at a loss about how to respond, in her mind she couldn’t help imagining a scene where she laid across Yang Kai’s lap naked and was repeatedly smacked.
[Shameful!]
“Stop it. Both of you!” Luo Xiao Man stood helplessly to one side and pitifully called out, “Quickly tend to her injuries.”
“She won’t die.” Yang Kai said in an intentionally aloof face before tightly holding Qiu Yi Meng and standing up. Glancing over at the chaotic battlefield, a cold light flashed through the depths of his eyes before he turned around and hurried into the house.
Luo Xiao Man chased after him quickly.
A short time later, the three arrived at Su Yan’s room.
Pushing open the door, the trio was hit by a blast of cold air.
Su Yan was sitting on the ice crystal bed, seemingly cultivating, but in fact her mind wasn’t here at all. The commotion outside Yang Kai’s house and the ensuing battle had naturally drawn her attention, but because of her identity as a High Heaven Pavilion disciple, it wasn’t convenient for her to come forward to join the fray and could only wait here quietly.
“What happened? How did she receive such an injury?” Su Yan saw Qiu Yi Meng’s condition and quickly inquired.
“This silly girl did it to herself.” Yang Kai said while laying Qiu Yi Meng down on the ice bed, the profound chill quickly enveloping her and causing her to shiver.
However, thanks to this influx of cold Qi, her wound stopped bleeding and her pain was also numbed.
“I’ll leave her to you.” Yang Kai snorted, turned around and left.
The location of Qiu Yi Meng’s injury was too sensitive, if she had been wounded anywhere else, Yang Kai would handle it himself, but since it was on her lower abdomen, he could only hand her treatment over to Su Yan.
Su Yan also had some Myriad Drug Milk on her and would know what to do.
The sound of battle outside continued to grow and very soon it seemed as if half the night sky was illuminated by explosions of light.
When Yang Kai returned to the outside of the house, he suddenly found that the battle had reached a fever pitch with both forces’ strength comparable to each other.
The enemy force consisted of twenty Qiu Family Fallen Leaves Hall masters at or above the Immortal Ascension Boundary Sixth Stage.
On his own side there were three Peak Immortal Ascension Boundary masters, Ying Jiu, Tang Yu Xian, and Old Demon, each of whom was currently displaying phenomenal strength
Shui Ling was also taking advantage of her special constitution to harass the enemy and disrupt their concentration.
There were also many other Immortal Ascension Boundary masters from Yang Kai’s allies participating in the battle one way or another. In terms of quantity, Yang Kai undoubtedly held a big advantage, but each master from the Fallen Leaves Hall couldn’t be underestimated, so even if they were heavily outnumbered, the fight was still relatively even.
The battle quickly became a difficult struggle.
Since the beginning of the Inheritance War, Yang Kai and his allies had never encountered such a situation, every battle they fought had always been a lopsided route.
Chen Xuan and the other Qiu Family masters were even more shocked though. They had arrived here tonight full of confidence, but when the battle really began, they discovered that the rumors weren’t exaggerations at all and had even underestimated the combat power of the cultivators in Yang Kai’s house.
The Fallen Leaves Hall had deployed almost all of its manpower for this operation yet now they had no way to defeat the forces of a single Yang Family Young Lord.
Chen Xuan couldn’t help feeling a great sense of shame but quickly steadied himself and began to fight back seriously.
Yang Kai watched for a moment but didn’t go personally enter the fray, instead turning his eyes towards a spot in the distance.
From the direction he was staring, he felt the auras of many strong masters.
The strength of each of these people was no worse than that of the masters from the Fallen Leaves Hall, but they numbered several times as many!
Without a doubt these people were the masters from the other six families.
Just as Yang Kai suspected, three kilometers away on the third floor of a large building, the six super family’s Young Lords and Young Ladies, headed by Ye Xin Rou, had gathered and were observing the battle.
Although it was night time, the moon was full so everything that had taken place in front of Yang Kai’s mansion had been seen by them.
Qiu Yi Meng suddenly attacking, Yang Kai taking action in response, they had witnessed everything.
But the final result surprised all of them!
The one who fell in a pool of their own blood was actually Qiu Yi Meng.
Ye Xin Rou’s beautiful face flashed a gloating expression before she coldly snorted, “Yang Kai really has lost his humanity, he’ll even viciously attack someone who supported him for so long and who he had such a good relationship with like Qiu Yi Meng.”
Kang Zhan and the other Young Lords silently nodded, although they were discontent with Ye Xin Rou’s arrogant attitude, they still agreed with her current rhetoric.
They were too far from the battle and hadn’t seen any of the intrigue which played out, all they were able to determine was that Qiu Yi Meng had been stabbed by Yang Kai.
Since entering Yang Kai’s mansion more than ten months ago, Qiu Yi Meng had served as his right arm, managing all of the matters inside his house even down the deployment of his allied forces, she had put in a tremendous amount of work and effort, but in the end, Yang Kai hadn’t even hesitated to attack her.
No matter who saw this, wouldn’t they be disappointed?
With such an example, how could anyone think Yang Kai still had any sense of morality? It was obvious that he cared nothing for his allies and all that mattered to him was his own interests.
Only Huo Xing Chen wore a different expression, a subtle sneer adorning his face. Although he hadn’t seen exactly what happened just now, he wholeheartedly disagreed with Ye Xin Rou’s assessment.
“It seems like my plan has failed.” Ye Xin Rou said, however there was not look of disappointment on her face, instead there was even a hint of joy. She apparently very much enjoyed watching Qiu Yi Meng’s bitter experience, but she quickly wore a calm, indifferent expression, “If only I had known things would turn out like this I wouldn’t have sent Elder Sister Qiu in to face such danger alone. *Ha…* it seems I overestimated Yang Kai’s humanity, he can no longer be saved. He is a true demon who no longer recognizes friends or family.”
“What should we do now?” Gao Rang Feng asked pointedly, Qiu Yi Meng’s so called surprise attack force hadn’t played any role at all which made him suddenly suspect if Ye Xin Rou knew things would turn out this was and had deliberately set the former up to fail. Thinking so, a thick sense of detest began to well up in his heart.
“Let’s observe the situation for a while longer,” Ye Xin Rou said without the slightest sense of tension, her expression calm and light. Oh! The fight is starting to get fiercer.”
“Shouldn’t we send reinforcements?” Kang Zhan frowned, “If we stand by and do nothing I’m afraid the Qiu Family will complain later.”
“Let them fight for a while longer.” Ye Xin Rou faintly smiled, “Ying Jiu and Tang Yu Xian have already activated their Mad Tyrant Blood Skill, I don’t think anyone from any of your families wants to face them in their current state, right? After a while, the effects of the Mad Tyrant Blood Skill will disappear, that will be the best time for us to intervene.”
The looks on each of the Young Lord’s faces became awkward but none of them opened their mouths to refute.
No one wanted to lose one of their families’ masters when there was another option available.
After this brief conversation, everyone fell silent and waited patiently.
As time passed, the fighting only became more and more fierce and people were constantly injured or killed.
Yang Kai’s allies and the Fallen Leaves Hall both suffered losses.
Although the powerhouses from the Fallen Leaves Hall held nothing back and fully displayed their great strength, it wasn’t enough to ensure their safety in this kind of melee.
This was especially true when Yang Kai finally joined the battle, the moment he entered the fray the delicate balance was broken. After unleashing an eruption of evil energy from inside his Unyielding Golden Skeleton, the Immortal Ascension Boundary Second Stage Yang Kai was actually able to fight evenly with a Peak Immortal Ascension Boundary masters.
Also, now that Yang Kai had opened his Knowledge Sea, he could display the full might of his Soul Skills and Soul type artifact. Using these two methods he was able to catch people off guard by launching swift, unexpected attacks, often able to kill people in a single strike!
The Fallen Leaves Hall immediately began suffering heavy losses and the situation quickly became dire. Suddenly facing immense pressure, Chen Xuan couldn’t stand it anymore and shouted loudly, “Young Lady Ye!”
He was calling for reinforcements.
If the others didn’t immediately support them, Chen Xuan would have to order his people to retreat, if they kept fighting, the entire Fallen Leaves Hall would likely fall here.
The cultivation and methods the people in Yang Kai’s house were completely beyond his expectations.
These Immortal Ascension Boundary cultivators not only had extremely pure True Qi but each of them was equipped with high-grade artifacts.
Weren’t all of these Immortal Ascension Boundary cultivators from ordinary first-class families? Why did each of them appear to be wealthier than him? Chen Xuan couldn’t help silently complaining.
The Fallen Leaves Hall was one of the Qiu Family’s most important halls because of their strength and loyalty to the family. The number and grade of artifacts they possessed was not small and could even be said to be the best the Qiu Family had to offer, but compared to Yang Kai’s Immortal Ascension allies, they were nothing short of shabby pieces.
On top of that, the pills that these people took in battle were also quite unusual. Chen Xuan and the Fallen Leaves Hall masters were already panting for breath, their True Qi quickly depleting, but their opponents were still as mighty as dragons and fierce as tigers, unscrupulously spending their True Qi as if they were worried they couldn’t use it all.
What kind of True Qi supplementing pills had such potency?
Although it was a well-known fact that Yang Kai has two unbelievable forces supporting him, Medicine King’s Valley and Treasure Instrument Sect, Chen Xuan only now realized just how much of an impact these auxiliary supports could provide.
When she heard Chen Xuan call her name, Ye Xin Rou, who had intended to drag things out a while longer, couldn’t sit still.
The Qiu Family’s Fallen Leaves Hall had already lost a lot of people, all of which she had clearly seen, causing her to coldly snort, “A group of wastes.”
After making no attempt to hide her disdain, she wore an unwilling expression and shouted, “Let’s go.”
It was almost as if she was being forced to do something against her will.
Seeing her appearance and the current state of the Fallen Leaves Hall, Gao Rang Feng and Kang Zhan couldn’t help feeling a sense of revulsion.
The distance separating them wasn’t great so they arrived very quickly.
Ye Xin Rou’s voice spread throughout War City as she shouted, “Yang Kai, as long as you continue to associate with demons, you will sooner or later fall to the Devil’s Practices. Don’t let your pride cloud your judgement. Surrender the Evil Sect disciples you are sheltering in your house and repent for your crimes! Do so, and out of consideration for the many longs years of friendship between the Central Capital’s Eight Great Families, we will not embarrass you any further, if you insist on being stubborn and continue to resist, you will only implicate the innocent around you in your sins.”
From amidst the fierce battle, Yang Kai suddenly leapt up and hovered mid-air, fixing his gaze on the approaching group of cultivators, his expression indifferent.
With their respective Young Lords or Young Ladies at their head, groups of masters from six super-families that were in no way weaker than those from the Fallen Leaves Hall rapidly closed in.
Everyone who looked up and saw Yang Kai either wore solemn or bitter expression, except for Ye Xin Rou who had a self-satisfied look upon her face. Huo Xing Chen even quietly sneered, “Junior Sister Ye’s eloquence is quite good.”
Such an excuse, portraying Yang Kai as evil while casting their side as righteous and merciful, Huo Xing Chen felt even he wasn’t capable of spinning such a compelling narrative.
It seemed like Ye Xin Rou had carefully and painstakingly planned out how to force Yang Kai into a passive situation.
“Young Lady Ye,” After a moment of silence, Yang Kai suddenly grinned, “It has only been a few days since we last met, and I’m glad to see you in such high spirits. Where might my Second Brother be?”
Ye Xin Rou’s eyes flashed a trace of hatred. The last time they had met, she had tried to seduce Yang Kai only to be scorned as a pair of worn out shoes. Naturally, she still bore a grudge against him, but although her heart was filled with resentment, she didn’t show any trace of it on her face as she gently smiled, “Second Young Lord is currently in secluded retreat. All of his house’s matters are currently being managed by me.”
Yang Kai nodded lightly, a light smile adorning his face, “I always felt that my Second Brother wasn’t so shameless and despicable. So, it turns out that it was someone else directing this action. No wonder, no wonder.”
Ye Xin Rou’s expression dimmed slightly as she silently cursed.
However, Yang Kai just laughed before suddenly wearing a strange expression and saying in a regretful tone, “Young Lady Ye, for how I treated you a few days ago, I really must apologize. After thinking about it later, I realized I was mistaken. Since you delivered yourself to my door, I should not have refused you. Baring your beautiful and delicate body before me without hiding a single thing, I had nothing to lose and everything to gain. I don’t know what foolishness possessed me to give up such a wonderful opportunity. I sincerely regret it!” As he shouted loudly, Yang Kai slapped his thigh as if he was truly aggrieved.
Listening to his words, Kang Zhan, Gao Rang Feng, and many others all suddenly made weird faces and turned to stare at Ye Xin Rou awkwardly.
None of them knew when Ye Xin Rou attempted to seduce Yang Kai, and judging from the current situation, it seemed like she had gone with high spirits but returned disappointed…
This… was really letting a Heaven sent gift slip.
The Little Lord had such formidable will! Every man present couldn’t help admiring him a little, imagining that if Ye Xin Rou were to seduce them… they would not have been able to resist.
“I’ve reconsidered now.” Yang Kai said seriously, “Young Lady Ye, let us find a secluded place and I will do my best to meet your expectations. I am quite confident in both my skill and stamina, I guarantee you won’t be disappointed.”
Ye Xin Rou’s expression was completely sullen and the rage she felt caused her to tremble faintly. She had never expected Yang Kai to be so shameless, not hesitating to openly publicise these kinds of private matters.
Wanting to refute him directly but lacking confidence in her believability, she couldn’t help angrily retorting, “Yang Kai, don’t spout nonsense! Wanting to use such vulgar words to smear my name, how could I, Ye Xin Rou be such a woman?”
Hearing this argument, Gao Rang Feng, Kang Zhan, and everyone else awkwardly turned their heads away, their expressions still somewhat unconvinced.
Huo Xing Chen even whistled obnoxiously.
“You don’t believe me?” Ye Xin Rou glared at these people, her pretty face now a bright shade of red.
However, no one bothered responding.
“Hmph, whether you believe me or not doesn’t matter. In any case, nothing ever happened between this bastard and me.” Ye Xin Rou huffed angrily, seemingly completely annoyed.
“Obviously. Young Lord Kai just said he shut you out, how could anything have happened between you two?” Huo Xing Chen cynically muttered.
Ye Xin Rou took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, forcing down the anger in her heart before turning an ice cold stare towards Yang Kai, her mouth curving into a malicious grin as she nodded lightly, “Yang Kai, this time I’m not here to trade meaningless words with you but to bring you back to the Central Capital and force you to repent for your wicked deeds, this is also the meaning of the Eight Great Families!”
Declaring so, she pointed right at him and shouted, “Capture Yang Kai, anyone who dares to resist, kill without mercy!”
She had been thoroughly enraged by Yang Kai’s little stunt and didn’t plan on arguing with him any longer.
Immediately, the six groups of masters behind her shot forward, bringing with them a terrifying momentum.
“Since when was I defenceless?” Yang Kai roared, “Tu Feng!”
Seven figures suddenly flew out from the house, headed by Tu Feng, it was the remaining seven Blood Warriors.
Counting the previous Ying Jiu and Tang Yu Xian, the nine Blood Warriors who resided in Yang Kai’s mansion had all been deployed.
“Mad Tyrant Blood Skill!” Seven voices simultaneously boomed and a torrent of True Qi and Blood Force erupted, causing everyone’s eyes to shrink and all of War City to tremble, as if in the next moment the entire city would be crushed under the pressure.
Ye Xin Rou’s face suddenly filled with indignation as she shouted, “Yang Kai, have you forgotten? This is the Inheritance War, and the Yang Family has forbid these seven people from intervening! If you dare let them fight, you will be violating your agreement with your family!”
“This is no longer the Inheritance War,” Yang Kai sneered, “You know this better than me!”
Old Demon, who was currently fighting with the Fallen Leaves Hall masters, also let out a wicked laugh and shouted, “Since when did Little Lord care about this nonsense Inheritance War? Patriarch of the Yang Family, what crap is that? All of you slandering him so maliciously, if there weren’t things here he still worried about, he would have already left long ago!”
“What are you trying to say?” A master from the Fallen Leaves Hall, who was fighting Old Demon, saw him suddenly shout this monologue and couldn’t help asking.
Old Demon grinned maliciously towards this man and declared, “I’m saying, you’re already dead!”
These words seemed to contain a strange and profound power that caused a sense of death to infiltrate the mind of this master, the next moment, his movements stopping and his eyes glossing over, his face suddenly becoming pale as he muttered, “I… I’m dead… already dead…”
“Idiot.” Old Demon coldly snorted, rapidly thrusting his hand out and inserting it into the dazed master’s chest and pulling out his still beating heart.
Fresh blood splashed out from the new hole in the man’s chest
Old Demon’s face became more and more terrifying as he glanced around to find the most heavily populated enemy position, “Blood Sea Seals the Heavens!”
A crimson light shot out from behind him, filling the air with a gloomy aura, the ground instantly transforming into a bubbling swamp of blood that impeded the movements of all those unlucky enough to be caught in it.
Ye Xin Rou’s expression became fearful along with Gao Rang Feng, Kang Zhan, Meng Shan Yi’s, even Liu Qing Yao’s always stoic expression became incomparably grave.
Old Demon’s cruel methods were far beyond what any of them could accept. Before now, none of them had ever even heard of a man who could cultivate such evil Martial Skills and Secret Arts.
Smelling the rich, bloody aura, Ye Xin Rou couldn’t help but vomit.
Old Demon’s powerful technique had instantly pulled a dozen Immortal Ascension Boundary masters into this bloody sea and sealed them, none of them able to escape.
“How is this possible?!” After watching the battle for a while, Gao Rang Feng couldn’t help shouting.
He discovered that the seven super-family coalition force comprised of more than a hundred Immortal Ascension Boundary Sixth Stage and above masters, were actually unable to quickly defeat the cultivators from Yang Kai’s mansion.
Despite the fact that they held an absolute numerical advantage in terms of Immortal Ascension masters compared to Yang Kai, their opponent was still able to put up a strong resistance.
Observing carefully, Gao Rang Feng suddenly understood, “Yang Kai’s subordinate Blood Warriors… Since when did all of them reach the Immortal Ascension Boundary Ninth Stage?”
This sentence shook others awake as well, many of them glancing around and discovering that this was really the case.
Nine Blood Warriors, Nine Immortal Ascension Boundary Ninth Stage masters…
When Yang Kai broke through to the Immortal Ascension Boundary, four of them were only at the Immortal Ascension Boundary Eighth Stage, yet after only a dozen or so days, all of them had broken through.
An Immortal Ascension Boundary Ninth Stage Blood Warrior, after activating their Mad Tyrant Blood Skill, could exchange a few moves with an Above Immortal Ascension Boundary master. Although the masters from the seven families were also not ordinary powerhouses, how could any of them be opponents of these nine Blood Warriors in a one on one fight? Even if a number of them collaborated they wouldn’t necessarily be able to defeat their enemy.
It could be said that the biggest reason Yang Kai’s forces could last until now was solely because of these nine Blood Warriors.
“Their other Peak Immortal Ascension Boundary master hasn’t appeared yet!” Liu Qing Yao suddenly reminded, causing everyone’s heart to tighten once more.
That was right, what about the master named Meng Wu Ya? The battle had already gone on for some time now yet he hadn’t appeared. Why didn’t he take action? Did he disdain to intervene, or was he currently not here?
“Delay will lead to more problems in the future.” Kang Zhan muttered as his brow furrowed. Since the beginning of this operation he had always felt restless. Perhaps Yang Kai had left a psychological shadow on him last time when he had injured him, but whatever the reason, Kang Zhan now had a deep wariness of Yang Kai engraved in his heart.
Gao Rang Feng nodded lightly in agreement. During the months of the Inheritance War, Gao Rang Feng had accompanied Yang Zhao several times against Yang Kai, yet every time, no matter how the unfavourable the odds were, Yang Kai always managed to carve out a path to victory, shocking everyone in the process.
This time everyone was confident they could defeat Yang Kai, but who knows what would happen if things continued to drag on?
After all, miracles were almost commonplace when it came to Yang Kai.
“I’m going to help!” Huo Xing Chen said as his eyes flashed a strange light, not waiting for Xin Rou to respond before dashing off.
Ye Xin Rou was momentarily stunned but soon coldly snorted and didn’t make any attempt to stop him.
“I’m going to challenge the Little Lord!” Liu Qing Yao also stepped out.
This time, Ye Xin Rou couldn’t stand it anymore and quickly tried to object, “Young Lord Liu, please wait. You’re not his…”
However, before she could finish her sentence, Ye Xin Rou swallowed back down the words she was about to say because Liu Qing Yao directed an ice cold glare towards her. Although she was nominally the head of this seven-family coalition and she could arbitrarily overrule Gao Rang Feng or Kang Zhan, she still had an instinctive fear towards Liu Qing Yao.
This was a result of living many years in the shadow of the Central Capital’s First Young Lord.
Ye Xin Rou wanted to say that Liu Qing Yao was not Yang Kai’s opponent, but naturally these words would anger him.
“At Po Jing Lake, I once said, when the Little Lord broke through to the Immortal Ascension Boundary, I would fight with him again. That time has come; whoever dares to stop me, don’t blame me for being impolite.” Liu Qing Yao said calmly.
Ye Xin Rou somehow squeezed out a smile and said softly, “Then Young Lord Liu must be careful. I wish you a swift victory that will dampen Yang Kai’s prestige.”
Down below, Huo Xing Chen had already rushed to the outskirts of the battle while smiling and greeting the various young leaders outside Yang Kai’s mansion.
All of them glared angrily at him in response!
None of them understood why the situation had developed into this, and seeing Huo Xing Chen’s Huo Family also participate in the attack on Yang Kai’s house tonight naturally fueled their anger.
Huo Xing Chen wore a carefree expression, seemingly paying no attention to the death stares he was receiving and instead turned towards Dong Qing Han, “Fatty, get over here, this Young Master has long since felt unpleasant associating with you. As fat as a pig yet strutting around pretending to be an elegant gentleman, how could you possible compare to this Young Master’s elegant demeanor?”
“What did you just say?” Dong Qing Han’s eyes dimmed as he stared at Huo Xing Chen coldly.
“Didn’t you clearly hear what I just said? Or has all that fat plugged up your ears?” Huo Xing Chen scoffed as he shook his head back and forth disdainfully.
Dong Qing Han let out a frigid laugh as his slightly rotund face trembled, stepping forward slowly while cupping his fist.
“Good, good,” Huo Xing Chen laughed, “A trivial first-class family’s Young Lord daring to join forces with that evil creature Yang Kai, just watch how this Young Master smacks you silly today!”
Saying so, he swept his eyes over all the other young leaders and arrogantly said, “All of you fools, if you don’t want to die, abandon Yang Kai as soon as possible and run as far as you can run!”
The faces of all of these youths were incomparably ugly by now.
“If you feel unwilling and refuse to accept this Young Master’s kind warning, come up and fight a few rounds, this Young Master will neither run nor hide.” Huo Xing Chen sneered.
Han Xiao Qi stared at him coldly, her brow furrowed slightly before she suddenly wore a dazzling smile and shouted, “Let’s teach this arrogant Young Master that the young leaders from first-class forces are not to be looked down upon.”
The next moment, a dozen youths all rushed Huo Xing Chen and began pummeling him.
Within a few short breaths, Huo Xing Chen, like the dead pig, was grabbed by Dong Qing Han and thrown into Yang Kai’s mansion, the latter calling out to several True Element youths and ruthlessly saying, “Strip off his clothes and lock him in one of the storage rooms for a few nights! Bastard, how dare he call me fat?”
Gao Rang Feng and Kang Zhan, who saw this whole exchange, both wore awkward expressions as a thick sense of incongruency arose in their hearts.
“Young Lord Huo has been captured, what should we do?” Meng Shan Yi suddenly said with a wry smile.
“Clumsy tricks!” Ye Xin Rou coldly snorted before disregarding this matter. Huo Xing Chen wasn’t of any consequence, all that matters was that the Huo Family’s masters continued to fight.
Just as Huo Xing Chen was being captured, Liu Qing Yao also arrived in front of Yang Kai.
“Last time at Po Jing Lake I failed to fully enjoy our fight. Today, I have deliberately come to ask Little Lord for advice. I hope Little Lord will not refuse.” Liu Qing Yao wore an indifferent expression as he looking towards Yang Kai and lightly said.
Yang Kai nodded slightly, “Brother Liu, forgive me, I’m a little busy right now. Let’s make this quick.”
Liu Qing Yao nodded and nothing more needed to be said. The next moment, his aura and True Qi violently surging forth.
Step by step, Liu Qing Yao trod forward, and each time he did so, it was like a gong was rung that resounded throughout the Heavens and Earth.
Liu Family’s Nine Resonant Steps!
During their confrontation at Po Jing Lake, Liu Qing Yao had used this technique against Yang Kai. This was one of the Liu Family’s core inheritances, a Mysterious Grade Mid-Rank Martial Skill, and the most powerful attack Liu Qing Yao could muster.
However, this time was quite different the last; back then, because of the massive gap in cultivation, Liu Qing Yao had held back as he wanted to compete in terms of skill rather than raw power.
Now though, Liu Qing Yao went all out so the momentum he gave off was much stronger than when he had used this Martial Skill at Po Jing Lake.
*Dong…* With each step Liu Qing Yao took, a shockwave of sound burst inside everyone’s ears, making several of those with weaker cultivations tremble unconsciously.
*Dong dong dong…*
Liu Qing Yao’s figure seemed to grow larger and more majestic with each step he took.
By the time he had trod the ninth step, Liu Qing Yao had become a giant in everyone’s eyes.
His head had reached the Heavens while his feet covered the Earth, he was like a towering titan who held up the sky itself.
Trod nine steps, shatter the Heavens! This was the Liu Family’s Nine Resonant Steps.
As his foot came down for the ninth and final step, Liu Qing Yao’s momentum had nearly reached that of a Peak Immortal Ascension Boundary master.
An unimaginably huge foot crashed slowly towards Yang Kai, not giving him any chance of escape.
Everyone suddenly sunk into a kind of illusion, as if this foot was crashing towards them and as soon as it fell they would be reduced to dust.
The cultivators with slightly lower strength couldn’t help turning pale as they trembled with fright.
But facing this terrifying blow, Yang Kai simply lifted his fist and punched out.
This seemingly unremarkable straight punch however was filled with a terrifying destructive force.
When this tiny fist impacted the giant foot, it was as if the entire night sky flashed.
Liu Qing Yao’s momentum deflated and his huge figure suddenly staggered backwards.
*Hong…* An earth shattering sound resounded as the giant fell to the ground and disappeared in a burst of light. Standing mid-air, Liu Qing Yao suddenly coughed out a mouthful a blood and held his chest, his eyes staring blankly towards Yang Kai, a hint of awe and fear flashing across their depths.
“Thank you for your instruction!” Yang Kai inspired gently.
“Fierce!” Liu Qing Yao sincerely admired, “This Liu has lost. Many thanks, Little Lord, for showing mercy!”
The last time when the two had fought above Po Jing Lake, Yang Kai had to use his Mysterious Grade Martial Skill, Star Mark, in order to force a draw.
But this time, he had only used a simple punch to break the Liu Family’s core Martial Skill.
The difference in strength between the two young men was apparent at a glance.
“Young Lord Liu is too polite.” Yang Kai nodded lightly.
“Although I lost, but this action is not something I have any ability to influence. My apologies Little Lord, the most I can do this time is remove myself from this conflict.” Saying so, Liu Qing Yao turned around and quickly disappeared into the night sky.
“Young Lord, Young Lord!” The Liu Family’s masters all saw Liu Qing Yao’s sudden departure and couldn’t help calling out in surprise.
However, they received no response.
Ye Xin Rou’s expression became extremely irritable!
Within less than an hour, two Young Lords and the only other Young Lady from the seven-family coalition had been eliminated.
Qiu Yi Meng leaving the stage was caused by her own hand, it could even be said that Ye Xin Rou had deliberately set her up to fail.
Huo Xing Chen being captured was something she didn’t stop or even care about. Although he was physical here, his spirit had never left Yang Kai’s house. Him remaining didn’t contribute anything to their forces and on the contrary was a negative influence, so it was better for him to exit early.
However, Liu Qing Yao actually going so far as to personally withdraw was not something Ye Xin Rou could easily accept.
Liu Qing Yao still held the title of the Central Capital’s First Young Lord, his words and actions had a big influence on many things, especially when it came to public opinion.
Liu Qing Yao still had a great deal of prestige in the eyes of the world.
With this turn of events, Ye Xin Rou would obviously feel annoyed.
Now, there were only three Young Lords remaining beside her.
Kang Zhan, Gao Rang Feng, and Meng Shan Yi, whether these three held the same convictions as her was something she couldn’t verify with certainty. Kang Zhan and Gao Rang Feng she, was relatively confidant in, but Meng Shan Yi’s thoughts were harder to understand.
“Senior Brothers aren’t considering withdrawing, right?” Ye Xin Rou asked subtly, deciding to stamp out problems before they arose.
“Junior Sister Ye need not worry.” Kang Zhan shook his head slowly, “This time’s action is the collective meaning of the Eight Great Families. How could we carelessly retreat? Doing so would be too irresponsible.”
Gao Rang Feng also nodded in agreement. Although in his heart he rather sympathized with Yang Kai’s current situation, in the end, he was not familiar with the latter nor did he share any deep friendship with him, so he did not have much issue with following his family’s instructions.
Hearing their stances, Ye Xin Rou looked a little embarrassed and nodded slightly, “Junior Sister is relieved then. Such a grand event, Junior Sister does not have confidence to manage alone and must ask several Senior Brothers for their continued assistance.”
In the current situation, she had no choice but to lower her stance unlike the domineering performance she put on back at Yang Zhao’s mansion.
Qiu Yi Meng, Huo Xing Chen, and Liu Qing Yao’s successive departures had affected the mentality of some their respective families’ masters. Without the Young Lords or Young Lady of their family here to serve as leader, many of them began to feel like they were simply working for the benefit of others, causing them to focus more on protecting themselves rather than defeating their opponent.
This was especially true of the Qiu Family’s Fallen Leaves Hall; they had acted as tonight vanguard and as a result, suffered the greatest losses. How could they be willing to sacrifice any more for a prize they ultimately wouldn’t obtain? Since reinforcements from the other six families had arrived, the remaining Qiu Family masters had all but stopped engaging Yang Kai’s forces.
All of these masters were quite shrewd; none of them was willing to suffer for the sake of an outsider.
The seven-family coalition seemed looked like a monolithic iron slab, but in actual fact they were all secretly calculating against each other, creating a somewhat laughable scene.
The furious battle raged on.
The losses of the seven-family coalition forces became more and more devastating as time passed, with the nine Immortal Ascension Boundary Ninth Stage Blood Warriors using their Mad Tyrant Blood Skill becoming the biggest obstacle to defeating Yang Kai.
After repeated attempts and many bloody battles, it was still impossible to repel these nine.
The nine Blood Warriors split into groups of two and each pair was able to pin down a whole group of enemy masters while Ying Jiu alone stood guard beside Yang Kai, clearing out enemies who got too close to him.
The looks on Ye Xin Rou and Gao Rang Feng’s faces continuously darkened.
The Blood Warriors had been using their Mad Tyrant Blood Skill for too long now, according to the information they had, the Yang Family Blood Warrior’s forbidden technique could only be activated for around half an hour.
But half an hour had long since passed yet the nine Blood Warriors didn’t show any sign of Blood Force exhaustion. Instead, they were all brimming with vitality.
Only now did all of those present realize that there was a good reason why the Yang Family stood at the top of the Eight Great Families for so many years.
Even though the other Great Families had all sent out their own elite in a united front, they had no way to defeat these nine Blood Warriors. Obviously, this made them both frustrated and anxious.
Amidst the chaotic battle, Yang Kai was constantly monitoring the surrounding situation.
Although the nine Blood Warriors were fierce and Old Demon’s strength was even more astonishing, his other Immortal Ascension Boundary allies were gradually suffering losses and if their numbers reduced too far it could greatly affect the trend of the battle.
Ling Tai Xu and Meng Wu Ya not appearing, Yang Kai could understand, because once either of them took action the situation would be beyond repair.
Inside War City, they weren’t the only top level masters.
In the current situation, Yang Kai even more disapproved of the two of them moving. Ling Tai Xu and Meng Wu Ya’s biggest contribution right now was to act as deterrents.
Not to mention, this war hadn’t ended yet, and no one knew what the final outcome would be.
A white figure suddenly soared out of Yang Kai’s house. Sensing this familiar aura’s appearance, Yang Kai quickly fell back to meet up with her.
Turning his head, Su Yan had already rushed over to his side.
“Qiu Yi Meng isn’t in any danger, she’s just resting now.” Su Yan reported softly.
Yang Kai nodded.
“I’ll assist you.”
“Good!”
Su Yan hadn’t originally intended to participate in this battle, but since the enemy force was both larger and more powerful than they had anticipated, she felt she had no choice but to come forward. Yang Kai had already stated that this was no longer the Inheritance War, so how could she still stand idly by? After treating Qiu Yi Meng’s wound, she had immediately set out.
Along with her, the four Elders from High Heaven Pavilion also appeared. Each of these old men had not weak strength, and after joining the fray they quickly created an advantageous trend around them.
The Mysterious Grade Mid-Rank ice mirror artifact was summoned into Su Yan’s hand and a profound chill instantly spread out around her. As she poured her True Qi into it, the snow-capped mountain within the mirror began emitting a silvery glow, pulsing an ice cold aura.
A flash of light blossomed and a huge barrier suddenly appeared, enveloping a large number of masters from the seven-family coalition.
Kang Zhan’s eyes shrank as he shuddered and shouted, “It’s that artifact!”
Ten days ago, the four Immortal Ascension Boundary Fifth Stage masters from the Kang and Qiu Families were trapped by this artifact and quickly turned into ice sculptures, seeing this scene once again appear in front of him, Kang Zhan couldn’t help panicking.
“What’s so special about this artifact?” Ye Xin Rou hurriedly asked.
Kang Zhan quickly collected himself and in a dignified voice explained all he knew.
Listening to his description, Ye Xin Rou’s pretty face also paled while nearby, Gao Rang Feng and Meng Shan Yi wore equally dim expressions.
Such a powerful artifact, who could withstand it?
Moments after Kang Zhan finished explaining the specifics of the ice mirror, the barrier in front of them suddenly shattered and two figures flew out. Everyone turned their eyes towards this pair and, as expected, saw Yang Kai and Su Yan.
As for the masters from the seven families who had been trapped inside the barrier a moment ago, all of them had turned into ice sculptures, standing there silently in various strange poses, whether they were dead or alive was uncertain.
From beginning to end, the battle inside the ice barrier had only lasted as long as it would take to drink half a cup of tea.
But this was only the beginning, Su Yan, who had just frozen a dozen or so Immortal Ascension masters once again poured her True Qi into the mirror and to the utter horror of Ye Xin Rou and her allies, another ice barrier formed.
This time, another dozen plus people were shrouded within it.
“Impossible!” Ye Xin Rou screamed, “This kind of artifact must require a massive amount of True Qi to activate it! Even if she is an Immortal Ascension Boundary master, she can’t possibly use it twice in such quick succession!”
By Su Yan’s own skill and strength, she really couldn’t use this artifact repeatedly. If she were to really do this, she would no doubt exhaust her True Qi prematurely, so even if she managed to trap her enemies inside the barrier, she would have no way to defeat them and would instead become vulnerable to their counterattack.
However, right now Yang Kai was beside her and the two of them had cultivated the Yin-Yang Joyous Unification Art.
With the pair’s True Qi constantly circulating between them, Su Yan could bear this kind of seemingly excessive consumption.
A burst of uneasiness rose inside Ye Xin Rou’s heart.
Armed with this Mysterious Grade artifact, Yang Kai and Su Yan alone could take care of a dozen opponents at once. If this repeated a few times, would anyone be left in her army?
Just as she considered this frightening possibility, the barrier lifted for the second time, and more than a dozen newly formed ice sculptures appeared.
*Hua…*
When the familiar flash of light blossomed once more, all the masters from the seven family coalition scattered desperately trying to avoid being trapped inside this certain death barrier.
Ye Xin Rou’s face finally became fearful, her expression incomparably ugly as she wracked her brain trying to find a way to overturn the current predicament; unfortunately, nothing came to mind.
This was the first time she deeply felt her own incompetence and weakness. She couldn’t help thinking to herself that if Second Young Lord was here, with his intelligence and methods, then maybe he could find a way to combat this strategy.
Although Yang Kai and Su Yan’s strategy was shamelessly monotonous, it was incredibly effective, almost forcing the seven family coalition into a corner.
“Enough!” An angry roar suddenly resounded through the air, containing endless majesty and inspiring fear in all those who heard it, causing the entire battlefield to instantly stagnate.
High up in the night sky, a terrifying aura appeared and as everyone turned their eyes towards it, they discovered a massive palm image crashing towards the ground.
This palm strike slowly flew towards the barrier that Su Yan’s artifact had just created.
*Peng…*
When this strike hit atop the barrier, a tremendous rumble erupted, causing everyone in the surroundings to stumble.
With a loud bang, the seemingly sturdy ice barrier shattered into pieces like an ordinary mirror, revealing all the people inside it.
Both Yang Kai and Su Yan coughed simultaneously, their faces suddenly turning slightly pale.
The ice mirror artifact was essentially shared between both of them, originally refined by Yang Kai but now used by Su Yan, so once the barrier it created was forcibly smashed, both of them had suffered a certain amount of backlash.
The masters who had been trapped inside the barrier saw this scene and quickly realized they had been saved from a desperate situation, a look of joy flashing across their faces as they swiftly fled.
None of them wanted to be turned into frozen ice sculptures.
Witnessing all of this, Ye Xin Rou couldn’t help wearing an exuberant expression while all the other Young Lords let out a sigh of relief and turned their attention to the sky above.
On the other end of their gazes stood eight figures, obviously they were the Above Immortal Ascension Boundary Grand Elders who had been sitting in the Seal Temple. The eyes of these eight old men however were all staring at Su Yan and Yang Kai, their faces filled with surprise, shock, and even some dread.
Yang Kai raised his head and stared coldly at these eight old men.
The eight Grand Elders appearing here was expected by Yang Kai and his allies.
One of the eight old men slowly took back his raised hand; obviously he was the one who had sent out the previous earth shaking palm.
Yang Kai shifted his eyes to this individual and narrowed his eyes slightly, recalling that this old man was the one who seemed to have a particularly bad attitude towards him before.
“Grand Ancestor!” Ye Xin Rou extremely happy shouted.
The man nodded lightly.
Gao Rang Feng, Kang Zhan, Meng Shan Yi, and everyone else from the seven-family coalition all quickly cupped their fists and politely greeted.
After a lapse of ten days, these eight Above Immortal Ascension Boundary masters had reappeared, their purpose self-evident, causing many down below to feel both relieved and embarrassed.
If their seven family coalition had been able to defeat Yang Kai, then it would not have been necessary for these eight Grand Elders to appear. Perhaps these eight old men realized that with the remaining strength of the seven family forces they had no way to take Yang Kai’s mansion and had thus chosen to act.
This was the mainly the results of Ye Xin Rou’s miscalculations and improper deployment, otherwise this situation would not have occurred.
“Yang Family brat,” An Above Immortal Ascension Boundary Grand Elder with a square face looked at Yang Kai maliciously, “Last time we didn’t dispose of you on the spot only because you were a child of the Central Capital’s Eight Great Families. But instead of using this opportunity to repent for your sins, you instead became more unruly and have even now wantonly slaughtered the loyal masters of our Eight Great Families! Do you want to rebel!?”
Yang Kai took a deep breath and calmed the turbulent blood flow in his chest before coldly replying, “With a sword laid across my neck, should I let my head be chopped off or try to fight back? If Senior was in my place, how would you respond?”
“If you hadn’t committed any crime, how could my Eight Great Families act against you like this? How could your Yang Family not care about you? Making such foolish mistakes yet still so thick-headed!”
“I don’t believe I’ve done anything wrong.” Yang Kai replied flatly, “If you’re worried about me becoming a person like the Demon Lord, then I will forfeit this Inheritance War and no long compete for the position of Yang Family Patriarch, so you can rest at ease.”
“The Eight Great Families cannot forgive a black sheep like you, your very existence is a stain on the Yang Family and the Eight Great Families’ honour.” The square faced man shouted.
“In the end, all you want is for me to submit.” Yang Kai smiled coldly, “I apologize, I’m a stubborn person who refuses to eat hard food. If you had come to discuss things with me, we could have reached some kind of agreement, but since you insist on using force to coerce me, then I can only resist and ensure no one gains anything!”
“Impudence!” The square faced old man coldly shouted, “You’re not qualified to discuss anything with us, no matter who tries, today, no one can save you!”
“Elder Brother, at your age, do you not think it inappropriate to argue so with a Junior?” A light voice suddenly called out while two figures flew out from Yang Kai’s house.
Obviously, it was Meng Wu Ya and Ling Tai Xu.
Meng Wu Ya smiled indifferently, “The matters of the younger generation, must we intervene?”
“Meng Wu Ya!” The square faced old man stared deeply at Treasurer Meng, his expression unchanged, seemingly having anticipated that he and Ling Tai Xu would appear, “I don’t know what secrets you are hiding, but you alone are still not qualified to block my Eight Great Families’ actions.”
Last time, when Yang Kai was breaking through to the Immortal Ascension Boundary, these eight Grand Elders had made an appearance, but at the time they hadn’t acted ruthlessly because the situation was still within their ability to accept. Firstly, Yang Kai hadn’t grown beyond their control, so there was no need to immediately execute him, and secondly, they didn’t want to fight with Meng Wu Ya and Ling Tai Xu who were supporting him without it being absolutely necessary.
Meng Wu Ya went without saying, his whole existence was surrounded in mystery. None of them could see through him. As for Ling Tai Xu, regardless of anything else, he was a genuine Above Immortal Ascension Boundary master, and fighting such a powerhouse was no joke.
“I’m not qualified? Heh heh.” Meng Wu Ya grinned, his expression completely tranquil, “Don’t say me, even that guy down below, one-on-one, none of you are his match.”
As he said so, he casually pointed towards Old Demon.
In response, Old Demon grinned fiercely.
“Him?” The square faced old man thought otherwise but still showed a look of surprise on his face, slowly shaking his head, “What does he count for?”
From his words, a thick contempt and disdain was apparent.
Not only was his expression so, but the other Eight Great Families’ Above Immortal Ascension Boundary masters were also so, all of them secretly thinking that Meng Wu Ya no longer had all of his faculties; actually saying such nonsense.
Between Old Demon, Meng Wu Ya, and Ling Tai Xu, the one they were most wary of was Ling Tai Xu; after all, this man had reached the Above Immortal Ascension Boundary, and his cultivation equal to their own. Not to mention, he was able to cultivate a monster like the current Demon Lord!
After Ling Tai Xu, the second person they had concerns about was Meng Wu Ya. Although he was only a Peak Immortal Ascension Boundary master, none of them could fully understand him. To an enemy they couldn’t completely understand, naturally they had some suspicion and fear.
As for Old Demon… Although he too was a Peak Immortal Ascension Boundary like Meng Wu Ya, none of them really placed him in their eyes.
Such a cultivator, any of them could casually kill. Previously, when Yang Li Ting used a palm to explode his Blood Demon Puppet, Old Demon hadn’t dared to revolt; from this alone they concluded Old Demon was not their match.
Hearing the mockery in the square faced man’s words, Meng Wu Ya couldn’t help but laugh, “Old Devil Lord, these people seem to be looking down on you, aren’t you going to speak up?”
“If they want to look down on me, they’re free to do so. Why should I bother saying anything?” Old Demon smiled devilishly, not showing the slightest shame or embarrassment, as if he didn’t care one bit what these eight old men thought of him.
“Can you really stand it?” Meng Wu Ya stared at Old Demon with a sly smile, “Considering your cruel personality, shouldn’t you be itching to give this group of short-sighted children a harsh lesson?”
“You’re right. All of them are short-sighted brats, but why should this old master lower himself to their level?” Old Demon scoffed, arguing back and forth with Meng Wu Ya while ignoring the eight Above Immortal Ascension Boundary Grand Elders like they were air.
Everyone’s mood was quite awkward.
Listening to these two quibble, it seemed like this old Devil Lord really he was the Senior and these Above Immortal Ascension Boundary old men were the inexperienced Juniors, not worthy of his attention.
Did he really have such skill? Such qualifications?
Just as everyone was puzzling over this idea, Old Demon’s face suddenly became solemn as he calmly declared, “Although this Old Master doesn’t want to lower himself to the level of these kids, but if I continue to let them act arrogantly without responding, they’ll really start thinking this Old Master can be casually bullied. This technique is quite laborious to use so this Old Master was hoping he wouldn’t have to display it.”
Saying so, the rolling True Qi within Old Demon’s body suddenly became completely still.
“Demon Specter Saint Technique!” A great roar that seemed to resound throughout the Heavens and Earth left Old Demon’s mouth and at the same time, the surrounding World Energy whipped up into a violent storm.
At the same time, everyone felt like all the blood in their bodies was being violently drawn to Old Demon, seemingly wanting to burst from their bodies and fly towards him.
The lower strength cultivators present instantly had pained expressions and under this strange suction their skin became bright red and blood began leaking from their seven orifices, making all of them appear particularly miserable.
Even the ones who had reached the Immortal Ascension Boundary had to furiously circulate their Secret Arts in order to barely stand firm.
Everyone present had a dignified expression, none of them knew what method Old Demon had used to achieve such an effect.
*Xiu xiu xiu…*
Bright red beams of light suddenly appeared from all directions and rushed into Old Demon’s body.
These beams were composed entirely of blood from the scattered fallen cultivators. Whether it was the masters from the seven family coalition, or the allies who supported Yang Kai, as long as they had died, all the blood from their corpses would be drained within a few breaths.
Even the blood that had seeped into ground was drawn out under this huge suction.
As Old Demon’s body absorbed all of this blood, he was suddenly dyed entirely red, like a boiled crab.
Suddenly, from within his body, a heart-pounding surge of Blood Force that was many times more intense than when the Yang Family Blood Warrior’s activated their Mad Tyrant Blood Skill erupted!
Once all the ownerless blood within a thousand meters was completely exhausted, the suction force suddenly disappeared.
Everyone below the Immortal Ascension Boundary Eighth Stage had shed blood during this process, including those from Yang Kai’s house.
However, none of these people’s lives were in any danger, Old Demon had still been quite measured and didn’t cause any of them to die for no reason.
At this moment, an earth-shaking energy fluctuation began radiating from Old Demon.
A pressure field centered around him also quickly spread outwards.
The aura he emitted intensified rapidly, soon breaking through the limits of the Immortal Ascension Boundary and continuing to climb at an incredible speed…
The Eight Above Immortal Ascension Boundary Grand Elder’s eyes all trembled violently as they witnessed this scene, a deep feeling of terror gripping their souls.
After a moment, the energy fluctuation slowly subsided and Old Demon let out a long breath, a ferocious glint flashed across his eyes as he flexed his fists and showed a satisfied expression on his face.
The Eight Above Immortal Ascension Boundary Grand Elders quickly released their Divine Senses to probe Old Demon and were suddenly dumbstruck.
Above Immortal Ascension Boundary!
Right now, Old Demon was a genuine Above Immortal Ascension Boundary cultivator.
After regaining their composure, a series of incredible questions flashed across each of these eight old men’s thoughts; what kind of Martial Skill was this Demon Specter Saint Technique and what grade was it? Why could a cultivator at the Peak Immortal Ascension Boundary break through to the Above Immortal Ascension Boundary in such a short time?
Even the ultimate technique of the Yang Family Blood Warrior Hall, the Mad Tyrant Blood Skill, couldn’t produce such an effect.
Tu Feng and the other Blood Warriors using their Mad Tyrant Blood Skill could exchange a few moves with an Above Immortal Ascension Boundary master, but there was still a great disparity between them and the genuine article.
However, after using this Demon Specter Saint Technique, Old Demon had really reached their level!
In an instant, the breathing of these eight old men became rapid and their eyes practically turned red.
If they could obtain this Heaven defying method, just how much would the strength of their family increase?
Each of the Eight Great Families only had a few Above Immortal Ascension Boundary masters, but all of them had many at the Peak Immortal Ascension Boundary. Even if the effects of this technique were short-lived, in a key moment, it could play a critical role.
“Is this old master now qualified to exchange moves with you?” Old Demon snickered towards the eight old men, each of whom wore an awkward expression and didn’t respond.
As for the square faced master who had just ridiculed Old Demon, his face was even uglier than the rest.
With both of them now at the Above Immortal Ascension Boundary, what right did he have mouth off to Old Demon?
“Demon Specter Saint Technique, not too bad of a technique.” Meng Wu Ya nodded gently, “That and the Blood Demon Puppet you refined serve as complementary skills right?”
Old Demon chuckled wryly, “Don’t expose all my secrets please.”
Meng Wu Ya’s insight was truly impressive; with only a single glance he had noticed the subtle connection between Old Demon’s Demon Specter Saint Technique and his Blood Demon Puppet.
The Demon Specter Saint Technique required a great deal of fresh blood to perform, the higher the cultivation of the people the blood came from, the greater Old Demon could enhance himself.
However, this condition in itself was quite problematic; after all, it was impossible for Old Demon to produce such a large amount of blood in an instant.
But by using the Blood Demon Puppet, this problem was eliminated. In fact, the Blood Demon Puppet’s primary purpose was as a blood storage, its combat ability was actually just a secondary benefit.
When necessary, Old Demon could sacrifice his Blood Demon Puppet to use all of its absorbed blood to display the Demon Specter Saint Technique.
“You actually have such an ability?” Yang Kai also looked at Old Demon with surprise, even though he knew that both Old Demon and Meng Wu Ya were extraordinary, and had secretly speculated about their heritage, Yang Kai discovered now that he had still underestimated them.
“Forgive me, Young Master. Old Servant usually doesn’t use this move so he has never displayed it before.” Old Demon replied.
Yang Kai nodded lightly and didn’t pursue the matter, he didn’t have a habit of snooping into other people’s secrets. After their brief exchange, he and Old Demon turned their eyes towards Meng Wu Ya.
“Old man, it’s your turn. With just this Old Master and Sect Master Ling, I’m afraid it’s still not enough.” Old Demon shouted.
After all, the opposing side had eight people, such a difference in numbers was a bit overwhelming.
Although Old Demon and Ling Tai Xu were a powerful deterrent, now that things had reached this point, they really weren’t enough to force the enemy back.
Meng Wu Ya nodded gently, inhaling a deep breath before simply shouting, “Solve!”
*Kacha…*
From within Meng Wu Ya’s body, a chain-like energy pattern emerged that seemed to be binding him like a vicious snake; then, with an eerie creak, this chain shattered into a myriad of light particles.
An imposing pressure suddenly burst forth and shook the Heavens themselves.
Meng Wu Ya’s expression didn’t change at all, but at this moment, compared with the previous one, the aura he gave off was completely different.
Above Immortal Ascension Boundary!
After shouting a single word, in an instant, Meng Wu Ya became and Above Immortal Ascension Boundary cultivator!
The method he had used to accomplish this was completely different from the one Old Demon employed.
Old Demon had used some kind of forbidden technique to absorb a massive amount of blood from the surrounding area in order to raise his strength.
However, Meng Wu Ya seemed to have unlocked some kind of seal inside his body, restoring his original strength.
This implied that Meng Wu Ya had already reached the Above Immortal Ascension Boundary, but for some unknown reason had part of his strength locked away.
This discovery once again greatly disturbed the eight Grand Elders.
As they looked over Meng Wu Ya again, the expressions on each of their faces became even more dignified.
The more they interacted with Meng Wu Ya, the less they were able to see through him. Everything about him was far beyond their comprehension.
At this moment, the pressure Meng Wu Ya gave them was the highest, followed by Old Demon, and the previously most powerful Ling Tai Xu had actually become the least imposing.
This kind of lineup and such profound heritage…
This matter had grown far beyond what they had anticipated! The eight old men all wore awkward looks. Originally, they thought that their appearance would be enough to settle things, but now they discovered that they had greatly miscalculated.
Only now did they understand why ten days ago, when Ling Tai Xu and Meng Wu Ya appeared to protect Yang Kai as he broke through, did they not show any fear.
If they had really fought that day, never mind Yang Kai, all of War City would likely have been destroyed.
Tonight’s battle had undergone so many unexpected twists and turns that everyone couldn’t help feeling confused and anxious.
Old Demon and Meng Wu Ya both stepping forward and using their own unique Heaven defying methods to instantly reach the Above Immortal Ascension Boundary, such a fantastical display was not something average people could dream of seeing. Many of those present felt that even if they were to die tonight, it would be worth it, and secretly began to look forward to how this situation would develop from here.
Inside a trivial War City, at this moment, eleven Above Immortal Ascension Boundary top-ranking powerhouses had gathered. The situation had now developed far beyond either side’s ability to control.
Now that things had gotten to this point, it was impossible for anyone to easily retreat. Both sides had exposed their complete strength, so whoever backed down first would appear weak and timid.
Ling Tai Xu secretly passed a message to Yang Kai warning him to be careful.
Yang Kai silently signaled to his allies to fall back from the battlefield and rally together.
At the same time, Ye Xin Rou issued similar instructions to the remaining seven family forces.
Within a few breaths of time, a kind of no-man’s land had formed.
Up in the sky, the eleven old men confronted each other while down below, the cultivator from Yang Kai’s house and the masters from the seven family coalitions, separated by a thousand meters, faced off, most of nervously holding their breaths as they waited for what came next.
“Are we really going to fight?” Meng Wu Ya looked at the eight people opposite him and calmly asked.
“Things have already reached this point; we must at least exchange pointers.” Among the eight, a fat old man replied. He was the one who had been quite optimistic about Yang Kai and didn’t want this kind of dispute to happen, but with his own backyard on fire, he had little choice but to act now.
After all, as a Grand Elder, he had to stand on the side of the Eight Great Families, so even if he had high expectations for Yang Kai, there was nothing he could do for him.
“Might as well,” Meng Wu Ya nodded before smiling temperately, “All at once, single challenge, consecutive fights, how do you want to play? Feel free to choose whatever method you like, the three of us will accommodate you.”
Several of the eight old men couldn’t help snorted coldly, their expressions darkening.
Meng Wu Ya saying so clearly indicated he didn’t place them in his eyes, naturally this made them somewhat unhappy.
The fat old man calmly grinned, “Your Excellency’s tone is quite big.”
All of them were Above Immortal Ascension Boundary masters, people of great status. None of them would easily enter a fight and no one below their level was qualified to challenge them. But even so, today’s battle seemed inevitable; however, if they were to really fight eight against three, once word spread out, their reputations would be severely damaged.
Since a group battle was impossible, they could only choose between issuing challenges or consecutive fights. Against these three, none of them had confidence in winning a one-on-one challenge, so really, there was only one choice left.
But these eight old men weren’t fools. Obviously, they weren’t going to answer Meng Wu Ya’s words. Doing so would be an admission of their inferiority.
Yang Li Ting suddenly stepped forward and loudly declared, “Sect Master Ling, your relationship with my Yang Family is quite deep. Two generations of my Yang Family’s descendants have been cultivated by your Sect. Since we already have a debt of sentiment, today, this Yang will personally compare notes with Sect Master Ling!”
Ling Tai Xu smiled calmly in return, “Very good. Since I broke through, I have yet to spar against someone of the same level. I hope Brother Yang will show mercy in the coming bout.”
“Please!”
As soon as these words were spoken, Ling Tai Xu and Yang Li Ting suddenly shot up into the sky, disappearing in an instant. A moment later, from several thousand meters above, a series of violent energy fluctuations proliferated, accompanied by brilliantly burst of light.
Naturally, this was the fallout from the two Above Immortal Ascension Boundary’s fight, not many gathered here were able to observe any more than this.
“After so many years, Brother Yang is still so anxious.” The fat old man shook his head wryly and grinned, suddenly staring towards Meng Wu Ya and saying, “Brother Meng, let’s also go up.”
Saying so, his figure flickered and an azure streak shot up into the night sky.
Meng Wu Ya followed soon after.
“Old Devil lord, this old master will accompany you!” Another person stood forward and called out Old Demon.
However, in response, Old Demon simply sneered, “Since both Ling Tai Xu and Meng Wu Ya have gone up, this old master must remain. If I leave, who will protect Young Master?”
The old man gawked for a moment before angrily shouting, “What do you mean by those words? Are you implying that after engaging you three in battle we will take the opportunity to act against a mere junior?”
“Was that not what you were planning?” Old Demon cast a taunting gaze towards him and chuckled.
The old man was infuriated and loudly declared, “If you really think so, you look down upon us far too much! We would not dishonour ourselves with such a shameless action!”
Old Demon simply laughed, “Who knows what you really think.”
His steadfast appearance, silently declaring that he would not move an inch from this spot, obviously indicated he was really worried about the issue he just raised.
Old Demon refusing his challenge suddenly made this old man’s face turn blue while the other Grand Elders behind him also wore ugly expressions as they glared towards Old Demon, their True Qi welling up.
“Good, I believe that everyone here is an honest and upright individual who would never use such despicable means against my Young Master.” Old Demon sneered and deliberately shouted as loud as he could.
Although he also felt that given these people’s status, they would disdain to use such methods, but when forced into a desperate situation, one can never be certain what depths people may sink to, so Old Demon preferred to be more vigilant than not.
However, if he continued to refuse this challenge, it would only intensify the contradictions between them, so he was forced to make do with issuing this statement.
“Young Master, you must be careful. Do not drop your guard.” Old Demon whispered before turning into a bloody streak, his voice echoing from high above, “Come up, this old master is waiting for you!”
The old man who had just spoken to Old Demon quickly flew up.
Six Above Immortal Ascension Boundary masters fighting a mid-air battle several thousand meters into the sky, everyone down below couldn’t help craning their necks to stare at it but although the strength of these people wasn’t low and their eyesight was far more powerful than that of ordinary mortals, the amount they could see was still quite small.
Even Yang Kai was only able to sense a small portion of what was transpiring during this profound battle.
These six combatants each had their own unique understanding of the Heavenly Way which was reflected in their every move and attack.
If one could perceive even a tiny portion of this understanding it would be of great help to their future cultivation.
Everyone stood there, silently watching and observing, trying to imprint these profound and mysterious images into their minds in the hopes of one day being able to thoroughly understand them.
The battle seemed to be getting fiercer and fiercer as the burst of light high above them became even more brilliant and dazzling, soon blanketing the entire night sky in a faint radiance amidst which some indistinct figures flickered back and forth.
Some of the more intelligent spectators present quietly snuck a peak at the faces of the strongest masters from the seven family coalition, soon discovering that all of these top rank powerhouses either had nervous or helpless expressions. They suddenly realized that the grand battle happening high up in the sky was apparently going quite poorly for the Eight Great Families.
This discovery shocked many people.
The eight Grand Elders who resided in the Seal Temple had always been regarded as some of the most powerful figures in the world, but now they were being suppressed by three unknown men from Yang Kai’s house.
The Above Immortal Ascension Boundary was a realm shrouded in mystery. Without actually reaching it, no one could truly understand its profundities, even top level masters like Tu Feng didn’t really comprehend what it meant to be an Above Immortal Ascension Boundary cultivator.
So after learning that the Eight Great Families’ Above Immortal Ascension Boundary masters were at a disadvantage in this fight, everyone couldn’t help feeling shocked by the strength of the Ling Tai Xu trio.
Meng Wu Ya and Old Demon had clearly reached this level through some strange methods while Ling Tai Xu had only broken through to his current realm less than a year ago, but apparently all of them were superior to the top masters from the Eight Great Families.
Each of these Grand Elders had achieved their current cultivation at least fifty years ago, so did that mean the strength they gained from fifty years of hard work wasn’t even equivalent to that of someone who just broke through?
Above Immortal Ascension Boundary, just what kind of realm was it?
Just as everyone was filled with curiosity and shock, one of the contests high above them seemed to have reached a conclusion.
A moment later, the two figures flew down, it was Meng Wu Ya and his opponent.
Meng Wu Ya’s expression was calm and relaxed, but the fat old man’s face was blue, and although he seemed quite unwilling to do so, he still hurriedly cupped his fists to Meng Wu Ya and bowed, “Many thanks for your instruction.”
“En.” Meng Wu Ya nodded gently.
Neither of these two had any signs of injury after their battle, which meant that either they had been calmly comparing notes or the gap in power between them was insurmountable.
The former possibility was highly unlikely. From the conversation before the battle, the dangerous air was apparently to all. Even if it hadn’t reached the level of a life or death struggle, it was impossible for them to have competed peacefully.
As for the latter possibility… no one dared to imagine it.
A while later, Ling Tai Xu and Yang Li Ting also flew down, both of them panting for breath as they stared at one another.
“Sect Master Ling’s methods are profound, this Yang has lost.” Yang Li Ting threw out these words and then stepped back.
The audience was dumbstruck.
Meng Wu Ya had won, Ling Tai Xu had also won, were these Ancestor level characters from the Eight Great Families really no match for these two old men from Yang Kai’s forces?
What about the last battle?
As many people were about to turn their eyes back up to see, they heard the sound of a heavy object falling through the air and before anyone could react, a loud bang resounded and a deep pit was opened up in the ground before them.
After the cloud of dust from this impact settled, everyone peered into the newly formed crater and was shocked by what they saw.
They discovered the old man who had previously challenged Old Demon stand above a pit of his own making, his face extremely aggrieved, his complexion pale, and fresh blood overflowing from his mouth; obviously he had suffered some internal injuries.
Old Demon swooped down and stop a dozen or so meters above him, overlooking his opponent while smirking, “I apologize, this old master is a bit boorish and isn’t used to controlling his strength as well as Sect Master Ling and Meng Wu Ya.”
The man raised his head and stared at Old Demon for a moment but didn’t say anything, quickly retreated to his camp, sitting down, and circulating a healing technique. After a while, he opened his mouth and spit out a reddish black breath.
This breath was filled with a strange evil aura and should have been the residual energy left inside his body from when Old Demon wounded him.
Three fights, three defeats!
The audience was stunned, and everyone’s expression incredulous. Were the Above Immortal Ascension Boundary masters from the Eight Great Families actually so vulnerable? Didn’t they stand at the peak of the Martial Dao?
“Looking at your faces, you don’t seem to be convinced yet. Fine, let’s go again; we’ll settle things here today.” Old Demon smiled grimly.
It seemed as if Old Demon was provoking them, but everyone knew that since the top level masters from the Eight Great Families had appeared, they wouldn’t retreat unless a definitive conclusion was reached.
Even if three of them had lost, there were still five of them left! Everyone tacitly understood this point.
As if responding to Old Demon’s words, three more people came out.
Ling Tai Xu sighed and Meng Wu Ya shook his head helplessly as both of them flew upwards for the second time.
The fierce battle between six Above Immortal Ascension Boundary masters once again appeared while the masters from the seven family coalition couldn’t help but secretly pray that this time wouldn’t end with their completely defeat again.
These eight old men from the Seal Temple had always been the object of worship for the world’s common people. If they were to all be defeated, by a group less than half their number no less, the prestige of the Eight Great Families would collapse.
The Immortal Ascension Boundary masters of the seven family coalition held their breaths as they watched the battle high up into the sky.
The two Above Immortal Ascension Boundary Grand Elders who had yet to fight also closely observed.
“Brother Huo, that Meng Wu Ya… just how strong is he?” The square faced master whispered to the fat old man, although he had watched the entire battle just now, his understanding of what happened was obviously less comprehensive as the one who had actually been fighting.
The fat old man from the Huo Family let out a long sigh and smiled helplessly, “Please forgive me for only being able to use the words ‘completely unfathomable’.”
The square faced old man couldn’t hide his surprise when he heard this response.
The fat old man shook his head and continued, “I am not trying to overstate things in order to preserve my own prestige. I have lived many years and have been diligently studying the Above Immortal Ascension Boundary for much of that time, forming my own unique sentiments and understanding about the Heavenly Dao, but I have never once encountered anyone like him… Forget about one-on-one, even if all eight of us fought him consecutively in order to wear down his strength, he would still be able to beat all of us.”
“What!?” The square faced old man cried out in shock as his face went pale.
Although he knew that Meng Wu Ya wasn’t a simple opponent, this evaluation was simply too high, but since the fat old man dared to say so, he must have absolute confidence in his judgement.
All eight of them had been together for so many years and were well aware of each other’s personalities so he knew that this Huo Family Grand Elder was never one to exaggerate.
“That Devil Lord is also extraordinary…” Old Demon’s opponent who had also been defeated just now slowly opened his eyes and said bitterly, “Although his strength isn’t as exaggerated as that Meng Wu Ya’s, he’s not someone any of us can deal with.”
The fat old man’s eyes suddenly narrowed as he muttered in a pensive tone, “It’s not just about them being strong. I somehow feel like there is a more fundamental difference between the two of them and us… like we aren’t even on the same plane.”
“What do you mean? How can we not be on the same plane as them? Aren’t they also Above Immortal Ascension Boundary cultivators?”
“I can’t explain it well.” The fat old man’s brow wrinkled, when he compared himself and Meng Wu Ya, he always felt like the latter was standing on the cloud, overlooking himself from a height he was unable to even conceive of.
“On the other hand, Ling Tai Xu is quite normal.” Yang Li Ting interjected, “Ling Tai Xu’s cultivation is similar to our own, but you can see Meng Wu Ya’s shadow in each of his movements. After discussing the Martial Dao at High Heaven Pavilion for so many years, he must have learned a lot from Meng Wu Ya. In terms of his practical ability, he should only be able to win two rounds before exhausting his strength.”
“Win two rounds!” The square faced old man’s expression became ugly, “Doesn’t that mean we’re going to lose all eight rounds?”
Their opponent numbered three while they had eight, so even if Ling Tai Xu only fought twice, Meng Wu Ya and Old Demon could easily handle everyone else.
‘If we could just win one round’, this simple idea had become the extent of these eight Above Immortal Ascension Boundary master’s ambitions, it was really quite laughable.
All five of the Grand Elders were extremely depressed but also powerless to change anything.
These people formerly sat in the Seal Temple and were hailed as Grand Elders of the Eight Great Families, Above Immortal Ascension Boundary masters that all the world’s people worshiped and paid homage to, even if they knew there were some out there better than themselves, they didn’t think the difference would be very big. It was not until today, at this moment, that they realized just how ignorant and incompetent they really were.
“Frogs sitting at the bottom of a well, staring up at the sky, thinking they know everything there is to know of the world…” Yang Li Ting muttered faintly, his words reflecting the thoughts of all of the old men present.
“Brother Ye, whoever you fight, whether it is Meng Wu Ya or that Devil Lord, you must take extreme caution. Meng Wu Ya is better, he at least holds back somewhat, but that Devil Lord does not show any mercy.” The old man who had taunted Old Demon before seriously warned, “You as well, Brother Liu, no matter what, avoid being wounded by his Demonic Qi… it is particularly difficult to resolve.”
After managing to say these few words, the old man’s complexion paled again and he hurriedly circulated his healing art, apparently not having completely recovered yet.
The Grand Elders from the Ye and Liu Families nodded solemnly, the square faced Ye Family old man suddenly wearing a dignified expression as he turned his head and glanced towards Yang Kai.
Currently, Yang Kai was also paying attention to the fierce battles up above immersing himself in the various profundities being displayed.
Suddenly, a slightly disconcerting feeling arose in his heart.
Yang Kai immediately raised his guard upon feeling this faint chill shoot through his body, but after hurriedly examining himself he didn’t discover anything out of place.
Frowning, he turned his gaze towards the old men from the Eight Great Families and just happened to meet eyes with the square faced Ye Family Grand Elder.
The other party indifferently stared back for a moment before moving his line of sight away.
“Little Lord…” Tang Yu Xian quickly noticed Yang Kai’s perturbed expression and immediately asked, “What is it?”
“Nothing,” Yang Kai shook his head, “Probably just a misconception.”
“En.” Tang Yu Xian saw that there was nothing wrong with him and stopped asking.
Narrowing his eyes at the square faced old man for a moment, Yang Kai’s brow furrowed. Although he didn’t perceive anything wrong with himself, that flash of disquiet a moment ago was definitely real.
Just as beasts have sharp instincts, so too do cultivators, and to a certain extent, a cultivator’s instincts is more sensitive and precise than a wild beast’s.
That square faced old man wanted to act against him or had already done so, causing him to subconsciously detect something.
Seeing that the situation was deteriorating, was this old man trying to find a way to turn things around by targeting him? Yang Kai’s expression became gloomy as he cursed in his heart.
Yang Kai didn’t dare show the slightest neglect. If a master at the Above Immortal Ascension Boundary secretly took action against him, it would be normal for him to not notice anything.
Gently taking a breath, Yang Kai closed his eyes and used his powerful Divine Sense to carefully inspect every part of his body but still found no abnormalities.
Sending his Divine Sense into his Knowledge Sea, Yang Kai’s Soul phantom floated above the vast sea and scanned the surroundings.
His Knowledge Sea was as tranquil as always, colourful fish swam through the water while birds flew through the sky. These fish and birds were formed from threads of his Soul and carried all of Yang Kai’s memories and experiences.
In the middle of his Knowledge Sea, there was a five coloured island, quietly standing there like a great treasure mountain.
Above the island, a small sword and a strange round object gently floated.
The five coloured island was obviously the Soul Warming Lotus while the little sword Yang Kai’s Soul type artifact. As for the strange round object, it was the treasure that had appeared from the seventh page of the Black Book.
Unfortunately, Yang Kai still had no idea what this round object’s function was or even what it was supposed to be. From the moment he acquired it and it settled in his Knowledge Sea, it had provided nothing to him nor caused him any harm.
Along with the light spring drizzle, the scene inside Yang Kai’s Knowledge Sea could only be described as a paradise on earth, filled with wonder and beauty.
[Was it really just a misconception?] Yang Kai pondered, had the other party not actually taken action against him?
After all, beforehand, Old Demon had been worried about this possibility and had deliberately announced it to the public while the square faced old man had loudly declared it was impossible for them to target Yang Kai while Meng Wu Ya, Ling Tai Xu, and Old Demon were distracted.
These eight were ancestor level members of the Eight Great Families, the words that they spoke naturally carried weight.
Smiling wryly, Yang Kai turned around to withdraw from his Knowledge Sea.
But at that moment, his movements suddenly stopped and his eyes filled with frigid light. Staring around at his Knowledge Sea with a cold, piercing gaze, he suddenly let out a laugh and muttered, “Interesting, I don’t remember it ever raining inside my Knowledge Sea.”
Everything in one’s Knowledge Sea was a reflection of oneself. When one was happy, there would be nothing but sun and blue skies for tens of thousands of kilometers, when one was distressed, there would be storm clouds and pouring rain wherever one looked.
Yang Kai had thought that this spring drizzle was just a reflection of his current mood, but he quickly realized that something was wrong. When he tried to control it, he found that this drizzle actually had no relation with himself.
Since this rain had no connection with him, it must be someone else’s scheme.
“Show yourself!” With a great angry shout, Yang Kai’s formerly calm Knowledge Sea suddenly turned into a rampaging storm with waves rising high in the sky and water columns leaping from the water like dragons.
The drizzle seemed to stagnate for a moment and then, under the intense bombardment from Yang Kai’s Divine Sense, came to a complete halt.
An illusory figure suddenly appeared not far in front of Yang Kai, staring towards him with a dignified expression.
“I knew it was you!” Yang Kai sneered, ridiculing, “What, are the words of a noble Above Immortal Ascension Boundary master nothing more than farts?”
The opposite person was the Soul phantom of the Ye Family’s square faced Grand Elder.
Since he had appeared tonight, he had constantly denounced and opposed Yang Kai, making the latter wonder just where he had offended him. Finally, after thinking about it, the only explanation Yang Kai could come up with was that this old man was helping Ye Xin Rou.
After all, he was a Grand Elder of the Ye Family.
There was a good deal of surprise on the old man’s face, apparently he had never thought that Yang Kai would see through his methods, nodding faintly as he praised, “You really are out of the ordinary, having an Immortal Ascension Boundary Second Stage cultivation yet being able to see through this old master’s Soul Skill. This old master’s Spring Drizzle has never failed before.”
Spring Drizzle, Silent Infiltration, was a unique technique of this old man.
As an Above Immortal Ascension Boundary master, he had originally thought that using this move to deal with Yang Kai was overkill, but to his surprise, before achieving anything, he was seen through and exposed.
Yang Kai just snorted and stared at him coldly without saying a word.
“Yang Family brat, how did you cultivate your Knowledge Sea?” The old man asked, “With your Second Stage cultivation, it’s absolutely impossible for you to have such massive and pure Spiritual Energy. This kind of Spiritual Energy strength, although much worse than this old master’s, is still far above that of an ordinary Peak Immortal Ascension cultivator.”
“Old dog, you sneaking into my Knowledge Sea was not to ask such a retarded question, right?” Yang Kai mocked, not waiting for the opposite party to respond before continuing, “Did you think that since your plans tonight have failed miserably you could find some way to salvage the situation by plotting against me?”
The old man didn’t care about Yang Kai’s mockery and just casually replied, “This old master was just curious, if you don’t want to tell me, I won’t bother asking. In any case, I’ll be able to figure it out sooner or later. As for the reason why this old master snuck in here, naturally I want to unravel some of your secrets.”
“My secrets?” Yang Kai gawked for moment before wearing a sly grin, “About how I quickly improved the strength of my allied cultivators?”
The old man nodded without any shame, “Right, your Yang Family not coming to your aide tonight is clearly because they want to force you to retreat to the Central Capital to accept their asylum. We are also taking advantage of your Yang Family’s attitude to see if we can obtain your methods. However, even if we’re not able to obtain your secrets first, how could our seven families not gain any benefits after accompanying your Yang Family to put on this show tonight?”
The old man casually exposed the machinations of the Eight Great Families to Yang Kai.
This was reality.
The Yang Family not ordering Yang Kai to return, only sending Yang Zhen and several Elders to negotiate with him, was by design.
In the family’s view, since everyone wanted whatever secrets Yang Kai was hiding, Yang Kai himself would certainly not be able to withstand the pressure and at that time would willingly return to the Yang Family for protection in exchange for knowledge of his ability to rapidly improve the strength of his allied cultivators.
Forcefully squeezed melon isn’t sweet, so the family had never intended to use violence against Yang Kai. Firstly, they were afraid Yang Kai would resent them, and secondly, the military force he had gathered around him wasn’t to be underestimated. Of course, the biggest reason for their actions was because they felt that as a member of the Yang Family, Yang Kai should willingly surrender everything to them in the first place!
To the Yang Family, if one of their descendants discovered a way to rapidly promote a cultivator’s strength, they should naturally offer it to the family.
However, if he were to return to the Yang Family, his cultivation would no doubt be crippled, a consequence impossible for Yang Kai to accept.
The other seven families took advantage of this subtle contradiction between Yang Kai and the Yang family to insert themselves.
The best result would be for them to capture Yang Kai in this battle. At that time, they could directly negotiate with the Yang Family about how to divide the hidden benefits he was holding.
But even if they couldn’t catch Yang Kai tonight, simply forcing him back to the Yang Family was also acceptable.
As the square faced old man said, the seven families had accompanied the Yang Family to perform this face and in the process lost many masters, if the Yang Family didn’t provide them with some compensation would they willingly give up?
Yang Li Ting appearing today was precisely because of these considerations. On the one hand, he was accompanying the other Grand Elders to pressure Yang Kai, while on the other, he was secretly ensuring that Yang Kai didn’t fall into another’s hands.
In summary, everything was done to maximize the benefits of the Yang Family!
After listening to the old man’s explanation, Yang Kai nodded lightly but couldn’t help feeling a sense of desolateness.
This was typical behaviour for great families, compared to the overall benefits of the family, individual members were unimportant. If the family demanded anything from any of its members, they had no choice but to comply.
The old man spoke again, “Our original purpose was indeed this, but now, this old master has found something even more interesting.”
“You want to obtain the method to instantly promote to the Above Immortal Ascension Boundary?” Yang Kai grinned. He wasn’t an idiot, and could naturally guess what the other party was after.
Tonight, Meng Wu Ya and Old Demon had both used Heaven defying methods in order to instantly increase their cultivations to the Above Immortal Ascension Boundary, this was extremely shocking to everyone present.
Regarding Meng Wu Ya, it was very likely he had already reached such a realm, yet had part of his strength sealed and had only broken this seal to recover his original cultivation.
Such a method was of no use to others as Meng Wu Ya’s circumstances were essentially unique and couldn’t be replicated.
On the contrary, it was at least possible to use Old Demon’s Demon Specter Saint Technique to reach the Above Immortal Ascension Boundary in a single bound. If any of the Eight Great Families could obtain this technique, it would no doubt become their most valuable possession.
Each of the Eight Great Families had at least a dozen or so Peak Immortal Ascension Boundary masters, so with this forbidden technique, in a moment of crisis they could create a dozen or more Above Immortal Ascension Boundary cultivators.
What kind of concept was that?
If the Ye Family’s Grand Elder could obtain this technique, it wouldn’t be a dream to crush the Yang Family under his feet.
So what if Old Demon’s methods were bloody and cruel? Compared to the benefits he could obtain, everything else was irrelevant.
Whether it was a black cat or a white cat, as long as the mouse was caught, it was a good cat.
“Interesting, this time you don’t care whether it’s an Evil Technique or Demonic Secret Art?” Yang Kai taunted the old man sarcastically, “Because I have the potential to become a Demon Lord, all of you joined up to crusade against me, yet now you so highly covet Old Demon’s brutal methods? So in the end you also want to cultivate such an evil skill?”
“No matter what the nature of a skill is, as long as it is useful to the family, it’s worthy acquiring!” The old man coldly snorted, not showing the slightest bit of shame.
Yang Kai was astonished, “So you already understood this point yet pretended not to. Putting up a righteous front in order to suppress and destroy me, don’t you feel even slightly embarrassed?”
The old man slowly shook his head, “One’s standpoint changes based on where one stands. Using such methods to suppress and eliminate you, if you must have an explanation… then it is because you are too weak. If you stood in my position now, no one would dare accuse you of anything!”
“I know.” Yang Kai nodded gently, his expression becoming dignified. “In the end, it’s because I have no power.”
“En, even if you are a Young Lord of the Yang Family, in front of us, you’re nothing but an insignificant brat.”
“Many thanks for your enlightenment. In the future, I will work hard to reach a height where everyone will look up to me and obey my will.” Yang Kai grinned fiercely as a raging fire burned in the depths of his eyes.
“You’ll have no such chance.” The old man shook his head indifferently; his attitude cold and aloof, “If you hadn’t broken this old master’s technique, you might still have had such an opportunity, but now that you’ve discovered me, do you think this old master will let you leave here safely?”
“You plan to kill me?” Yang Kai stared at the square faced old man without the slightest fear, even appearing somewhat eager to fight.
“I won’t kill you. If you die, how will I get that technique from that Devil Lord? For this old master, controlling you is far more valuable than killing you.” The old man said faintly, as if he was speaking of some trivial matter, “You can’t leave here to expose me either, this old master has already sealed up your Knowledge Sea!”
“Who said I wanted to leave here?” Yang Kai grinned. As he said so, his entire Knowledge Sea surged up, “Old dog, have you forgotten? This is my Knowledge Sea, here, I am the master!”
As soon as he said so, countless water columns rushed out from the sea below, like great flood dragons, and charged towards the old man’s Soul phantom.
The old man stood calmly in place. Facing this fierce assault, he didn’t seem worried at all, only waving his hand casually the moment before the water columns were about to strike him.
With a bang, the water columns all seemed to hit upon an invisible wall, unable to even wet the old man’s clothes.
“Your Soul is very powerful, but there is still a wide gap between our levels, didn’t this old master tell you so before?” The old man snickered towards Yang Kai sarcastically.
Yang Kai’s brow wrinkled, suddenly discovering that at some point, unbeknownst to him, this old man’s Spiritual Energy had infiltrated every part of his Knowledge Sea.
With Yang Kai’s entire Divine Sense submerged into his Knowledge Sea, at this moment, his main body was essentially defenceless.
But with the great battle between Above Immortal Ascension Boundary cultivators taking place, attracting everyone’s complete attention, it was unlikely that anyone would notice his abnormal condition.
In other words, if Yang Kai was unable to handle this old man himself, he may really end up being controlled by him.
Waving his hand, Yang Kai summoned all the birds flying through the sky and all the fish swimming in the sea and sent them flying towards the old man.
The square faced old man’s expression became slightly dignified. Although it was true that his Soul was stronger than Yang Kai’s, but not to the degree he could outright ignore the latter. This Immortal Ascension Boundary Second Stage brat’s Divine Sense attack far exceeded what should normally be possible for one at his cultivation realm, forcing the old man to take it seriously.
An invisible energy was released from the Ye Family Grand Elder’s Soul phantom and intercepted the impetuous birds and fish.
With things having reached this point, neither the old man nor Yang Kai held anything back, leading to an Earth-shattering battle inside Yang Kai’s Knowledge Sea.
Fish burst into fluorescent lights and the birds fell from the sky. Yang Kai’s attack was unable to cause any substantial damage, but the old man’s face only became more and more dignified as time passed. The Spiritual Energy contained inside his Soul phantom was being drained at a noticeable rate, making his realize that defeating Yang Kai here would be far more difficult than he had imagined.
*Xiu…*
Above the five coloured island, the Soul type small sword artifact flashed a brilliant burst of light and shot out, causing the old man’s expression to no longer remain calm.
Although this Soul type artifact was only Heaven Grade Top-Rank, it was specially designed to damage a cultivators Soul, so to the old man’s Soul phantom, it was a particularly dangerous weapon.
Yang Kai now using it against was something the old man couldn’t ignore.
A series of visible Spiritual Energy threads glowing a faint green light appeared from the old man’s body and instantly wove into a great net that show towards the small sword.
The green net was extremely tough and when the small sword it could not immediately tear through it, instead it was as if the sword had sunk into a mire, its forward momentum greatly reducing.
When he saw this, the old man coldly snorted, “Yang Family brat, surrender peacefully. This old master has already given you enough face by not immediately capturing you, don’t refuse a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit!”
“Stop pretending!” Yang Kai shouted, “If you could have done that why would you have bothered talking in the first place?”
The old man’s expression instantly cramped. Although he would never admit it, what Yang Kai just said was true.
Before infiltrating Yang Kai’s Knowledge Sea, he had never expected the other’s Spiritual Energy to be so strong, greatly impeding how quickly he could implement his plan.
During the conversation, the small sword finally broke through the green net and flew over to Yang Kai. Grasping the Soul type artifact in his hand, Yang Kai poured his Spiritual Energy into it without reservation, causing the palm sized sword to radiate a terrifying sword Qi.
Holding this small sword, Yang Kai grinned fiercely and rushed straight towards the old man. Before even arriving, Yang Kai used the palm sized sword to send out a sword wave comprised of Spiritual Energy several meters in length towards the old man.
The Ye Family Grand Elder’s face went pale as he loudly cursed, “Damn brat, you’re insane!”
The confrontation up until now had only been the two of them smashing their Spiritual Energy into their opponents. Even if their Souls were weakened somewhat, there wouldn’t be any lasting effects, but if either of their Soul phantoms was damaged, the consequences would be dreadful.
If the damage was light, one would suffer mental damage and degenerate into an idiot, if the damage was heavy, death would be instantaneous.
So when he saw Yang Kai’s Soul phantom so recklessly use this small sword, how could the old man not be shocked? What kind of madman would use this method to fight?
Yang Kai’s Soul type artifact quickly broke through several layers of the old man’s green Spiritual Energy woven nets and the two entered into close quarter combat range.
Although he was at an advanced age, the old man still had an instinctual fear of death.
Before exchanging a single blow, the old man’s courage faltered and he hurriedly retreated, putting as much distance as he could between himself and Yang Kai.
“Old dog, can you only flee like a coward!?” Yang Kai pursued while not missing the opportunity to viciously taunt the old man.
This place was Yang Kai’s Knowledge Sea, so Yang Kai had an absolute advantage. From the water below, he constantly sent out Divine Sense attacks to impede the old man’s escape.
How could the square faced old man have any time to respond?
“A moment ago, did you say you were going to control me? Come, come, tell me how you plan to do that.” Yang Kai laughed happily, as he spat out ever more intense ridicule, taking great pleasure in the old man’s awkward expression.
Inside the world of Yang Kai’s Knowledge Sea, Yang Kai and the old man’s Soul phantoms continued their game of cat and mouse around the five coloured island.
The old man is not willing to face Yang Kai head on with his Soul phantom, lest he encounter some kind of accident, while on the other hand, Yang Kai seemed full of vigor, chasing after him with dogged determination as if he made a vow to never rest until striking a killing blow.
Purely in terms of momentum, the old man had already lost.
But in reality, Yang Kai had no way to decisively defeat his opponent. Although this was his own Knowledge Sea, and although he was the true master of this place, never mind the gap in cultivation, the old man had nearly a hundred years more experience in the use of his Spiritual Energy than Yang Kai. As a result of this disparity in experience, the old man could safely evade Yang Kai’s pursuit.
While on the run, the old man could even afford to investigate the strange five coloured island.
The more he observed it, the more difficult it was for him to suppress his desire to possess it. He didn’t know what this five coloured island was, but that didn’t stop him realizing how extraordinary it was.
When the old man’s Soul phantom was near this island, he felt his Spiritual Energy noticeably increase and any loss he had experienced during this battle was quickly restored.
After only a moment, the old man understood that this mysterious five coloured island must be a supreme Soul treasure! This also explained why Yang Kai had such a powerful Soul even though he was only an Immortal Ascension Boundary Second Stage cultivator.
This five coloured island was the root of everything.
The value of this island may even be greater than that old Devil Lord’s promotion technique.
Realizing this, the old man’s breathing became slightly rushed.
He had used his Divine Sense to silently infiltrate Yang Kai’s Knowledge Sea in order to find an opportunity to control the latter, and although things hadn’t gone according to his original plans, he had now discovered this priceless treasure.
This time, he had profited greatly!
Even if he had to damage his Soul phantom, he had to capture this little brat, the secrets and wealth hidden on him were capable of making anyone’s eyes go red, so the old man steeled his determination.
Seemingly aware of the change in the old man’s thoughts, Yang Kai’s expression became gloomy.
He had three secrets that he absolutely could not let those he didn’t have absolute trust in know.
First was the Wordless Black Book. This secret was so far known to no one, the second was the Five Coloured Soul Warming Lotus about which only Old Demon knew, and the third was the Myriad Drug Liquid.
Now his second biggest secret had been exposed to an enemy, causing the opposite party to covet the Soul Warming Lotus, Yang Kai’s murderous intent swelled.
No matter what, he couldn’t allow this old man to leave his Knowledge Sea safely and reveal this secret!
Responding to his intention, Yang Kai’s entire Knowledge Sea became violent and the number of attacks which flew towards the old man instantly multiplied.
However, in response, the old man suddenly stopped, turned around, and sneered disdainfully towards Yang Kai, “Yang Family brat, you’re still too tender!”
Yang Kai heart clenched and suddenly felt a sense of crisis.
The old man laughed wantonly, “Did you think you were chasing this old master? Hahaha, this old master was simply leading you around while he made his preparations yet you never even realized! Such youthful impetuousness!”
As he spoke, a multitude of deep green lights appeared mid-air and wove into a giant curtain that completely enveloped the five coloured island.
In an instant, Yang Kai suddenly felt the Soul Warming Lotus become isolated from his Knowledge Sea.
Yang Kai face went pale and he immediately gripped the small sword artifact and shot towards the green curtain without the slightest hesitation, wanting to destroy it.
“In your dreams.” The old man shouted angrily. After consuming a massive amount of his Spiritual Energy to arrange this green curtain, how could he allow Yang Kai to break it?
If Yang Kai succeeded in destroying his layout, it would waste all of his previous effort.
Letting out a great and waving his hand, a thin green net appeared around Yang Kai and tried to bind him in place.
Yang Kai turned around and slashed at this green net and although he cut several of its threads, he was unable to break through it entirely.
As the sense of crisis he felt grew even stronger, Yang Kai’s entire Knowledge Sea was seemingly affected as well, becoming turbulent and restless.
The old man on the other hand sneered, a smug, confident expression appearing on his face.
Just as the thin netting was about to wrap around Yang Kai, an astonishing pressure descended.
Suddenly, whether it was the old man or Yang Kai, neither of them could move a muscle, it was almost as if, under this pressure, both of their Souls would momentarily be crushed into dust.
The old man was dumbstruck, completely unaware of what had happened. Even if he was an old Above Immortal Ascension Boundary master and had a wealth of experience, he had never before felt such terrifying pressure.
The netting he had previously laid out to trap Yang Kai rapidly disappeared, like spring snow under a blazing sun.
Although Yang Kai was also exposed to this pressure, he was still much better off than the old man. This pressure seemed to be targeted towards the old man while Yang Kai only received some residual effects.
*Kacha…*
A crisp sound rang out.
As this sound echoed throughout Yang Kai’s Knowledge Sea, the two people were both stunned silent.
The two of them saw a horizontal crack appear on the oddly shaped object that had been floating above the five coloured island.
As if someone had torn a hole in the void, the crack slowly expanded, and as it expanded, the crushing pressure became stronger and stronger.
Inside Yang Kai’s Knowledge Sea, there was an unprecedented surge of violent wind.
The old man shuddered as his heart filled with an intense sense of crisis, making him almost want to collapse to the ground. His Soul phantom fluctuated unsteadily as a miserable howl emerged from his mouth.
As Yang Kai stared at the strange round object in the sky, he suddenly felt a cold chill throughout his body.
Since unsealing the seventh page of the Black Book, Yang Kai had repeatedly tried to unravel this strange object’s mysteries but had never once succeeded. Never had he expected that today, when he fell into a critical situation, this thing would suddenly show a reaction.
[What exactly is this thing?] Yang Kai stared at it tightly, wondering what it was, what it was doing, and what, if anything, he should be doing in response.
The crack continued to expand and under the ever increasing pressure, the formation the old man had painstakingly arranged was torn apart like strips of paper.
After a while, the crack expanded to its limit and after seeing what lay within it, both Yang Kai and the old man couldn’t help feeling a sense of absolute terror.
The old man cried out between his pitifully howls, “An eye?”
It was an eye!
A giant eye!
When Yang Kai first obtained this thing, he had made a guess about what it was; originally thinking it was some kind of fruit that looked like an eye.
However, it was a tightly closed eye.
Now, this single eye had finally opened.
Unlike an ordinary person’s eyes though, this one’s eyeball was jet black and had a golden pupil.
It radiated an imposing and majestic aura that made any who saw it give birth to the idea of bowing down and paying homage to it.
Although it was just a solitary eye, it stood there quietly above the treasure island like a supreme ruler, staring down at the old man in an overbearing manner, it was as if, before it, this Above Immortal Ascension Boundary master was nothing but an insignificant ant.
“Yang Family brat, what the hell is this!?” The old man screamed, attempting to gain some information from Yang Kai. Under the gaze of this eye, he felt like his Soul was under such great pressure it would be disintegrated in the next instant.
Obviously Yang Kai didn’t answer, his own thoughts racing.
In truth, he couldn’t answer even if he wanted to as he also didn’t know what this thing was.
Just as the old man was trying to make a last ditch struggle, a golden beam of light suddenly shot out from the solitary eye and washed over the Soul phantom of the old man.
Without the slightest sound, or the slightest movement, the Soul phantom of an Above Immortal Ascension Boundary masters was instantly purified, leaving behind only a large mass of pure Spiritual Energy gently floating mid-air.
Yang Kai was dumbstruck.
After completing all this, the giant eye, which had opened for some unknown reason, slowly closed and once again entered a mysterious state of dormancy.
However, Yang Kai faintly felt that before this solitary golden eye closed, it seemed to have stared at him, showing a slightly disappointed yet simultaneously gratified look.
Inside his Knowledge Sea, Yang Kai saw the weather once again become calm and the sun shine down. All kinds of fish continued to swim in the sea and the great flocks of birds leisurely flew through the sky.
Yang Kai remained in a daze for a while, but was unable to understand any of the golden eye’s mysteries, he quickly withdrew his consciousness.
Immediately upon exiting his Knowledge Sea, a series of shouts and screams reached his ear.
Looking towards the origin of these voices, what appeared in his vision were the Above Immortal Ascension Boundary masters from the Eight Great Families.
The fat old man was supporting the body of the square faced old man as he anxiously called out, “Brother Ye, Brother Ye, what happened?”
Yang Li Ting also closely examined the situation but after a while he just slowly shook his head and muttered in a solemn voice, “He’s dead.”
Everyone, whether they were allies of Yang Kai’s or masters from the seven family coalition, immediately gawked, unable to believe what Yang Li Ting had just said.
An Above Immortal Ascension Boundary master… died?
“There’s no sign of injury; I don’t know what happened.” Yang Li Ting’s brow furrowed as he vigilantly scanned his surroundings.
The Ye Family’s square faced Grand Elder had almost the same strength as him, but he had suddenly died for no reason without suffering the slightest external injury. Did his vital essence run out, or was he secretly plotted against by someone?
The former possibility was unlikely. Yang Li Ting had been together with him for so many years, if he really was on the verge of death, as a fellow Above Immortal Ascension Boundary master, he would have also been somewhat aware of it.
Since he had never heard him say anything regarding this, it was all but certain he had not arrived at the end of his lifespan.
[Was he secretly poisoned?] Yang Li Ting couldn’t think of anyone who could kill an Above Immortal Ascension Boundary master in front of so many people. In this world, no one had such skill; even the Demon Lord of the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land couldn’t accomplish this!
“What happened?” Yang Kai deliberately asked the nearby Blood Warriors.
Tu Feng swallowed hard and replied in a dignified voice, “I’m not clear. We didn’t see anything. All I can tell is that the Ye Family’s Above Immortal Ascension Boundary Grand Elder suddenly began to foam at the mouth and then collapsed to the ground like that.”
Yang Kai nodded lightly, his expression indifferent while inside he was once again astonished by the killing power of the solitary golden eye.
A superficial strike had completely erased the Soul of an Above Immortal Ascension Boundary master.
The Ye Family old man’s Soul phantom carried all of his thoughts, so once it was destroyed, how could his body survive?
This solitary golden eye, what exactly was it?
Across the battlefield, the atmosphere suddenly became solemn, whether it was the remaining Eight Great Families’ Above Immortal Ascension Boundary masters or Meng Wu Ya and Ling Tai Xu, all of these top level powerhouses deeply frowned as they pondered over this mystery.
Old Demon suddenly broke the silence with a callous chuckle, “Don’t make any absurd accusations that we used some underhanded means to kill him. When this incident occurred, all three of us were thousands a meters up fighting a battle, none of us had an opportunity nor method to accomplish this.”
Although Old Demon’s words give the impression that he was intentionally playing innocent, anyone present could tell he was speaking the truth.
When the Ye Family’s square faced Grand Elder fell to the ground, Meng Wu Ya, Ling Tai Xu, and Old Demon were still fighting high up above and had only returned to the ground after noticing the strange commotion.
The three of them never had an opportunity to do this, nor did anyone believe they possessed such a means of silently killing such a master, or else there would have been no need for them to agree to fight in the first place.
An Above Immortal Ascension Boundary master suddenly and inexplicably dying was an event momentous enough to shake the world itself. The masters from the Eight Great Families no longer had thoughts of seeking trouble with Yang Kai tonight.
This mysterious death of the Ye Family’s Grand Elder made everyone present nervous and uncertain about their security.
An unseen enemy silently being able to kill an Above Immortal Ascension Boundary master would undoubtedly be able to kill anyone here without them being able to resist.
“Many thanks for your hospitality regarding tonight’s matters.” Yang Li Ting glanced over at Meng Wu Ya, Ling Tai Xu, and Old Demon, faintly saying, “In the future, I hope you will offer us your guidance once more.”
Delivering this nondescript message, he picked up the body of the Ye Family Grand Elder and flew towards the Seal Temple with the six other old men.
Meng Wu Ya and the other two masters didn’t move to block them, their display of strength tonight was only to secure Yang Kai’s safety.
“Collect our fallen comrades. We’re leaving.” Ye Xin Rou ordered the remaining members of the seven family coalitions in an absent minded voice.
Although all seven families had suffered losses during tonight’s operation, the biggest loser was definitely her Ye Family.
An Above Immortal Ascension Boundary inexplicably dying was a devastating blow to the Ye Family.
Soon, the fresh corpses of their allies were gathered and the invaders who had arrived in high spirits retreated into the night.
“What exactly happened?” Meng Wu Ya muttered, even he was confused as to how the square faced old man had suddenly died. As he asked this question, his eyes unconsciously drifted towards Yang Kai.
“Why are you looking at me?” Yang Kai said, “I didn’t do anything.”
This response made many people grin and chuckle under their breath.
While the Little Lord had many profound and mysterious methods, astonishing aptitude and potential, and could repeatedly create miracles, silently killing an Above Immortal Ascension Boundary master was definitely beyond his abilities.
“I didn’t say it was you, stop acting so sensitive.” Meng Wu Ya rolled his eyes while in his head suddenly thinking of something.
If Yang Kai didn’t just deny responsibility, Meng Wu Ya would probably have never considered him as the culprit. Just now though, Yang Kai’s response seemed to only be a subconscious act, but the very fact he felt the need to deny involvement made Meng Wu Ya suspicious.
[Was this matter… really related to this little brat?] Meng Wu Ya was suddenly confused.
“We should also attend to our fallen.” Yang Kai said solemnly as he swept his eyes across the battlefield.
His allied forces all quickly dispatched some members to recover the corpses of their dead cultivators.
As the sky began to brighten slightly, the night’s fierce battle finally came to an end. Although it felt somewhat anticlimactic, with such an important even suddenly happening, there was really no choice but to temporarily cease hostilities.
However, after tonight’s battle, everyone in Yang Kai’s house realized one important truth.
The current situation was even more serious than what Yang Kai had anticipated. In other words, Yang Kai was in no way being an alarmist when he had previous warned them and may have actually been underestimating the severity of the current predicament.
He had really become enemies with the Central Capital Eight Great Families!
On top of that, the dispute was serious enough to force multiple Above Immortal Ascension Boundary masters to intervene.
What skill or ability did Yang Kai possess in order to actually let the Central Capital’s super forces make such a move? Why did the Yang Family remain silent, completely disregarding Yang Kai’s existence?
None of them knew the answer to these questions, but all of them now realized the seriousness of the problem.
After a day of recuperation, many people not only showed no signs of recovering, but instead were even more distressed. The previous night’s battle had caused substantial damage. The death of multiple Immortal Ascension Boundary masters, for these forces, was a huge loss.
Everyone couldn’t help feeling a nervous and low-spirited.
Inside Treasurer Meng’s room, Yang Kai met with Meng Wu Ya, Ling Tai Xu and Old Demon to discuss the future.
“Little Yang Kai, what are your plans?” Meng Wu Ya, whose cultivation had returned to the Peak Immortal Ascension Boundary, asked seriously.
Last night, both he and Old Demon hadn’t received much, if any damage, but today the two of them seemed somewhat listless.
“I’m going to leave here,” Yang Kai smiled forcefully and shook his head, “This place can’t accommodate me anymore.”
Meng Wu Ya nodded lightly, “You should have left long ago. Since you don’t want to become the Patriarch of the Yang Family, you shouldn’t have participated in the Inheritance War and gotten mixed up in this turbid water in the first place.”
Yang Kai sighed lightly, “My reason for participating in the Inheritance War was just to clear the Sect’s name, but it seems like that will be impossible now given my current situation.”
“Don’t feel embarrassed. Clearing the Sect’s name is the Sect’s responsibility, you don’t need to worry about such things,” Ling Tai Xu gently consoled him.
Yang Kai nodded gently, “I understand.”
Old Demon suddenly laughed and said, “Leaving here is for the best. Soaring through the vast sky and sailing across the broad sea, with Old Servant by your side to assist you, Young Master’s future achievements will no doubt reach an unprecedented height, at least a hundred times higher than that nonsense Yang Family Patriarch’s position. Just wait, when Young Master’s strength breaks through the pinnacle of this world and you return here, those shit Central Capital Eight Great Families will all beg for the chance to lick your feet.”
“Your words are too disgusting.” Yang Kai gave him a disapproving stare.
Meng Wu Ya shook his head and followed up, “Although the way he put it is truly disgusting, it’s still the best course of action for you to take right now. Moreover, we all feel that with your aptitude and potential, achieving this won’t be an issue. You are better suited to independent cultivation, not constrained by the shackles a Sect or family will impose on you. If you can’t break free from all these fetters, your future achievements will be limited.”
Yang Kai swept his eyes across the three old men in front of him and discovered that each of them had a strong look of confidence on their faces. Suddenly feeling heartened, he smiled and said, “Then, I will work hard to live up to all of your expectations.”
“En, very good.” Ling Tai Xu smiled, “You don’t have to worry about the Sect or its members, as long as this old master still draws breath, sheltering them won’t be an issue. As for your family, you don’t need to worry about your parents’ safety. Although the Yang Family has acted unfairly towards you, they won’t stir up future problems by causing trouble for your mother and father.”
“En, I know.” Yang Kai let out a long breath.
“Young Master, when do you plan to depart?” Old Demon asked.
“As soon as possible.” Yang Kai said, his expression becoming somewhat depressed as he did so. After investing so much time and effort, having to give up at the very end was still somewhat vexing.
“This old master needs a few days to recover; this old Devil Lord does as well.” Meng Wu Ya lightly coughed, “Ahem, well, take advantage of these few days to discuss things with the people in the house, they’ve paid a lot for you after all.”
Yang Kai nodded slightly before suddenly curiously asking, “Treasurer Meng, how did you and Old Demon suddenly break through to the Above Immortal Ascension Boundary?”
Everyone was curious about the Heaven defying methods the two of them had used last night and Yang Kai was no exception.
Hearing this, Meng Wu Ya and Old Demon look at each other and suddenly laughed.
“If you don’t mind, I’d like to hear about this matter too.” Ling Tai Xu showed a look of interest.
Meng Wu Ya thought for a moment before nodding lightly. With a wave of his hand, an invisible energy shrouded the room, isolating it from any form of outside investigation.
“This old master knows that the methods this old Devil Lord and I showed last night have definitely attracted a lot of attention and coveting.” Meng Wu Ya said while lightly scoffing, “But all of those brats at too short-sighted if they think that so long as they obtain our methods, they can duplicate our actions.”
Yang Kai was surprised, “Even if they know your methods it won’t do them any good?”
Old Demon nodded, “Correct, they probably realized that Old Meng’s method isn’t something they can learn from. But regarding the method Old Servant used, even if they obtain it, they won’t be able to have someone at the Peak Immortal Ascension realm break through to the Above Immortal Ascension Boundary.”
“Why?”
“Because the Above Immortal Ascension Boundary is a different from all previous realms, and without a certain foundation, it is impossible to achieve. In order words, without the proper understanding, the gap between the two realms can’t be bridged.” Old Demon said a few words but soon found he wasn’t able to properly describe what he meant and quickly gave up, “Old Men, you explain.”
Seeing Old Demon’s frustrated expression, Meng Wu Ya couldn’t help chuckling, “Simply put, Old Demon used to be an Above Immortal Ascension Boundary cultivator, but since he lost his original body and had to seize a new one, his cultivation has fallen to the Peak Immortal Ascension Boundary. However, since he has the foundation of an Above Immortal Ascension Boundary and understands its mysteries, he can use that Demon Specter Saint Technique to temporarily return to that realm.”
Yang Kai suddenly understood.
The Peak Immortal Ascension Boundary masters from the Eight Great Families all cultivated assiduously in order to reach the next realm, but before they successfully broke through, how could they understand its mysteries? So what did it matter even if they could cultivate the Demon Specter Saint Technique? They still wouldn’t be able to ascend to the Above Immortal Ascension Boundary.
“As for this old master, heh heh…” Meng Wu Ya grinned, “My cultivation is just sealed, all I did last night was break part of that seal.”
Yang Kai’s expression became slightly dignified at these words.
Even though he had speculated that this was the case, when Meng Wu Ya confirmed his suspicions, Yang Kai still found it difficult to believe.
Meng Wu Ya’s strength had really been sealed!
Did he seal it himself? Or was he plotted against and bound against his will?
If he had sealed his own cultivation, what were his reasons? If it was someone else’s doing, who was it that had such astonishing means?
No wonder Treasurer Meng constantly seemed to be shrouded in a veil of mystery and had always been reluctant to take action during the Inheritance War. Originally, it was for this reason.
Masters at the Above Immortal Ascension Boundary all cared deeply about their own dignity. How could they be willing to degrade their status by bullying others in something as trivial as the Inheritance War?
“But whether it’s this old master or this Devil Lord, although we used different methods to return to temporarily reach the Above Immortal Ascension Boundary, we both suffered some backlash in doing so; I think you can see that from this old Devil Lord’s current complexion. So, if you want to leave here, you should wait for us to fully recover before setting out.”
No one knew whether the Eight Great Families would let Yang Kai leave here peacefully, so in order to ensure their success, it was necessary for Meng Wu Ya and Old Demon to be at full strength.
“Good, thing should be quiet for a few days anyways. I imagine that the Eight Great Families are currently too busy dealing with the Ye Family Grand Elder’s death to care about me.” Yang Kai snickered. “At some point, you need to tell me about the mysteries of the Above Immortal Ascension Boundary. “
“En, not a problem, with Old Servant next to Young Master, you’ll naturally learn about it when the time is right,” Old Demon replied.
After thinking about it for a moment, Yang Kai took out some Myriad Drug Cream and handed it to Meng Wu Ya and Old Demon, “This thing should help your restore yourselves.”
Ling Tai Xu’s expression suddenly became excited, “Is it that?”
Yang Kai nodded.
Meng Wu Ya glanced at Ling Tai Xu curiously, “What kind of treasure is this that it can cause such a great reaction from you?”
“Brother Meng, using this thing is what allowed me to break through to the Above Immortal Ascension Boundary.” Ling Tai Xu said lightly.
Meng Wu Ya couldn’t help being shocked and quickly used his Divine Sense to investigate the Myriad Drug Cream, after a long time asking in a startled voice, “There’s something of this grade in this place?”
Yang Kai’s brow wrinkled as he asked, “What grade is this?”
In truth, he was still unclear about what grade of treasure the Myriad Drug Liquid, Milk, and Cream were because no one had set a grade for them so far. Now, listening to Meng Wu Ya’s question, he naturally couldn’t help asking curiously.
Meng Wu Ya didn’t answer him though and instead inquired, “Is this what the Eight Great Families want?”
“Sort of.” Yang Kai nodded his head lightly, a slight suspicion welling up in his heart. He noticed that whenever it came to some high-end things, Meng Wu Ya would refuse to elaborate and swiftly change the topic. Yang Kai didn’t know why he did this.
But since he wasn’t willing to explain, Yang Kai didn’t press the issue any further.
“I can’t use this thing, you keep it.” Meng Wu Ya said while handing the fingernail sized dollop of Myriad Drug Cream back. Glancing over at Old Demon thoughtfully, he suddenly smiled and said, “Old Devil, you’re in luck. With this thing, you should be able to really break through to the Above Immortal Ascension Boundary.”
“Is this thing really helpful for people trying to break through to the Above Immortal Ascension Boundary?” Yang Kai heard this and was extremely happy. When Ling Tai Xu used the Myriad Drug Cream to break though, Yang Kai had thought it was just a coincidence, but now that Meng Wu Ya had said this, he realized that the preciousness of the Myriad Drug Cream was actually far above his original estimation.
“This thing contains a trace of the Heavenly Dao, which provides a strong assistance when breaking through the Above Immortal Ascension Boundary bottleneck, and since this old devil already has the necessary foundation, if he can’t break through, he should simply commit suicide.”
Old Demon snickered and quickly received the small piece of Myriad Drug Cream like he was accepting a priceless treasure.
“The time required for this thing’s formation must not be short, right?” Meng Wu Ya asked Yang Kai.
“Somewhere between five or six thousand years.” Yang Kai answered truthfully.
“Sounds about right, precipitating over thousands of years… A good treasure, very good. Unfortunately it can’t help me undo this seal.” Meng Wu Ya sighed.
“Then use some of this.” Yang Kai took out some Myriad Drug Liquid and handed it over.
Meng Wu Ya examined this liquid carefully for a moment before nodding, “This is also not bad. Although it’s not as pure or potent as the stuff you took out before, it’s still a rare treasure. It’s probably best used restoring injuries and, wait… this thing seems like it can also help people cleanse their bodies.”
“Treasurer Meng has good eyes.” Yang Kai casually flattered.
Meng Wu Ya snorted in response, “How could this old master’s eyesight be bad? How much more of this do you have?”
Yang Kai scratched his head in thought for a moment before casually reporting a number.
When the three old men heard how much of this treasure he possessed, all of their eyes bulged as they stared at Yang Kai.
“Give some to this old master’s apprentice, this thing is useless to me, but it will provide a tremendous boost to Chang’er.” Meng Wu Ya immediately said without the slightest bit of politeness.
“I already gave her some.”
Treasurer Meng suddenly understood, “No wonder her rate of cultivation has increased rapidly these last two years, it was because of this thing. The Mysterious Grade pills taken by the cultivators in your mansion also have some of this thing added to them, right?”
“En.”
Ling Tai Xu smiled wryly and shook his head, “The Yang Family really lifted a rock to pound their own foot this time.”
If they knew that Yang Kai had so much Myriad Drug Liquid on hand, how much would they regret their decision to coerce him into surrendering it?
If the Yang Family had treated Yang Kai well, not insisting he was a demon and insisting his cultivation be abolished, with the amount of resources Yang Kai possessed, he would definitely not mind giving them some advantages.
With so much Myriad Drug Liquid, Milk, and Cream in his possession, even if he liberally used it on his friends and relatives it would be far more than enough for a lifetime, so why would he not help improve his family’s strength?
However, the Yang Family’s various schemes to forcefully obtain this treasure had actually had the opposite effect and forced Yang Kai to rise up against them.
Leaving Meng Wu Ya’s room, Yang Kai next went to visit Qiu Yi Meng.
The Qiu Family’s First Young Lady hadn’t stabbed herself too deeply in the first place, so after Su Yan took care of her injury and a day of rest, she had basically made a full recovery.
Informing her of his decision, Qiu Yi Meng wore a bitter expression but didn’t offer any objections, now, in this situation, leaving was indeed Yang Kai’s best choice.
“Go and inform everyone to assemble in the main hall, I have something to say to all of them.” Yang Kai casually said.
Qiu Yi Meng was startled for a moment but instantly recovered. Understanding what he intended to do, she gently nodded and went out to gather everyone.
Although she had left Yang Kai’s house yesterday morning and brought people to attack it that same night, after the dust had settled, everyone understood her difficulties and no longer blamed her or Huo Xing Chen, instead having some sympathy for her circumstances.
Forced into opposing one’s former friends and allies, who among them could understand just how much pain they felt in their hearts?
Qiu Yi Meng was still the mansion’s second in command, no one could shake her position.
Inside the main hall, all the leaders of the various forces had gathered together, but everyone’s expression was a little down, even the most unruly Huo Xing Chen wore a serious look on his face at the moment.
Everyone waited quietly.
After a short while, Yang Kai stood up and began speaking, “The Inheritance War has continued for roughly ten months now. I, Yang Kai, am here today to offer my sincere thanks to all of you for your unwavering support through this difficult struggle. Although we nearly achieved victory numerous times, each time, circumstances would appear that caused us to unfortunately fall short. Now however, this battle is no longer the Inheritance War, so I am not planning to continue struggling pointlessly. I will leave here in a few days. For failing to live up to all of your expectations, I offer my apologies.”
No one said anything, all of them just staring at him quietly.
Everyone knew that Yang Kai making such a decision was because he had no other choice.
“As I said before, continuing to follow me will only make you an enemy of the Central Capital’s Eight Great Families and will compromise the safety of the Sect or family behind you! Before, I was not certain this would be the result and had just meant to remind everyone, but after last night, this worry has become a reality. The current situation is not something you can take responsibility for, so I hope that each of you can carefully consider the wellbeing of your own Sects and families while deciding whether you will stay or go. Whatever your decision, I will not stop you, and if you must leave, I will do my best to compensate you for the losses you suffered this time. The Pill Room and Artifact Refining room had accumulated a lot of savings during this period, enough to assign a large portion to everyone.”
After finishing, Yang Kai stood there quietly, waiting.
Everyone looked at him, yet no one spoke. No one seemed to have plans to leave.
Yang Kai suddenly grinned wryly, “I’ve already decided to leave here and no longer participate in the Inheritance War, what point is there for you to remain? Even if we all part here, everyone will still be friends when we meet again the future; this is definitely not a final parting.”
Saying so, Yang Kai’s expression suddenly became solemn as he continued, “To put it bluntly, if you choose to remain here, it will only endanger your Sect or family. Drawing a line with me now is the most sensible choice. I am not trying to scare you, I’m just speaking the truth. Some of you believe you have debts of gratitude to me, but after ten months of effort and suffering, know that you have already repaid more than I could ask for. You don’t owe me anything, so you should not feel the slightest guilt in leaving now.”
Dong Qing Han suddenly smiled and objected, “Why are you trying so hard to convince us? Didn’t you just say we have the right to choose our own course? When we decide it’s time to leave, we will naturally go. As for you talking about owing debts, I think it’s fair to say no one here owes anyone anything. Although each of our forces have suffered not insignificant losses, but… which of us hasn’t reaped greater gains? Those of us still standing here would not have our present cultivations if not for the constant supply of Mysterious Grade pills you provided. In fact, I estimate that without those pills each of us would need several years of hard work to obtain our current strength. On top of that, everyone who has survived till now have at least three high-grade artifacts which are unobtainable even for most first-class families.”
“You and I are relatives, you have no right to speak here.” Yang Kai shot him a glare.
Dong Qing Han couldn’t help rolling his eyes and shouting, “I’m not trying to defend you.”
“What Young Lord Dong said is exactly what I think.” Han Xiao Qi smirked as she stared at Yang Kai, “Do I have no right to speak?”
Yang Kai sighed, “I’m not trying to force you out, but now…”
“We understand.” Han Xiao Qi interrupted, realizing what Yang Kai’s difficulties were and wanting to say something more, but suddenly, a loud voice resounded outside the mansion.
“All people in Yang Kai’s house now hear this, helping a tyrant oppress the innocent, helping a villain do evil, such sins are unforgivable, but considering that many of you are young, impetuous, and inexperience, Young Lady Ye is willing to offer you a chance at redemption. As long as you cast off the demon Yang Kai and offer your services to Young Lady Ye, we will no longer pursue your crimes, if you continue to be obstinately oppose the Central Capital’s Eight Great Families, when the time comes, you will have only yourselves to blame for the consequences!”
The voice was like a great bell, echoing throughout all of War City, everyone in Yang Kai’s house clearly heard each and every word.
Once, twice, the message was shouted over and over again.
Yang Kai’s expression became strange for a moment before he sneered dismissively, “Ye Xin Rou is quite interesting, actually using this kind of trick.”
He was already preparing to leave, but he hadn’t expected to be able to see such an amusing show at the last minute.
“Trying to use intimidation?” Huo Xing Chen shook his head. Ye Xin Rou making people shout this message would probably really shake the hearts of some people here.
Consequences, what consequences?
According to what Yang Kai just said, naturally these people could connect the word ‘consequences’ together with the family or Sect behind them.
Some people in the crowd suddenly became hesitant, their expressions complex.
Not everyone here could swear to stand beside Yang Kai regardless of life or death. Moreover, even if they decide to leave now, Yang Kai was in no position to blame them.
“Little Lord.” Someone suddenly shouted.
Yang Kai looked over at the source of the voice and saw Tian Yuan City’s Liu Fei Sheng. Nodding his head lightly, he signaled the youth to continue, “Young Lord Liu, feel free to speak.”
“My Tian Yuan City… must leave!” Liu Fei Sheng turned red and said with great difficulty.
“A wise decision,” Yang Kai nodded firmly, without ridiculing or embarrassing him in the slightest and instead saying in a light tone, “For your efforts this time, I offer my thanks to Young Lord Liu and Tian Yuan City.” Turning to the side, he called out, “Bring the items.”
In response, several High Heaven Pavilion disciples, each of them holding a tray, entered the hall and quickly walked over to Liu Fei Sheng.
“These are ten bottles of Mysterious Grade Pills and five artifacts, a small token of my appreciation, please accept them, Young Lord Liu.”
“This…” Liu Fei Sheng couldn’t help but hesitate. From what he knew of Yang Kai’s personality, he had never imagined he would send him such a luxurious gift at this moment of parting.
He had been expecting the opposite party to thoroughly ridicule him and then kick him out of the house.
Turning his head and looking around, he saw no looks of disdain or ridicule, everyone in the main hall was just staring at him plainly. Facing this situation, Liu Fei Sheng couldn’t help feeling a bit ashamed and suddenly wanted to find a hole to crawl into.
The indifferent attitude of these people was more difficult for him to accept than ridicule would have been.
“Little Lord is far too generous, these past few months, this Liu did not provide any significant help. These things…” Speaking haltingly, his expression was filled with struggle and hesitation.
Although these five artifacts were high quality treasures, Liu Fei Sheng was the Young City Lord of Tian Yuan City so his status was not low. Obtaining such artifacts elsewhere was completely possible. However, the ten bottles of Mysterious Grade pills was not something he could ignore. These mere ten bottles could save him at least two or three years of hard work, giving him a distinct advantage in terms of cultivation versus his fellow peers.
“Take them,” Someone encouraged him.
“Very well, if this Liu were to refuse further, it would be disrespectful.” Liu Fei Sheng grit his teeth and accepted the ten bottles of pill and five artifacts, cupped his fists to Yang Kai and then turned to leave.
Yang Kai stood with his hands behind his back, his expression calm and temperate as he continued to wait.
“Little Lord, we also must leave.” An Immortal Ascension Boundary master from the Duan Mu Family came forward and stated calmly.
The Duan Mu Family was originally the only ally of the Yang Family’s Third Young Lord, Yang Tie. On the first night of Inheritance War, Yang Tie had been eliminated and the majority of the Duan Mu Family cultivators had been killed. The five remaining masters had then come to offer their services to Yang Kai in accordance with Yang Tie’s instructions.
Last night, these five masters had all fought bravely, and now, only two of them remained.
They had only been following Yang Kai to avenge the deaths of their fellow Duan Mu Family members. This wish had already been realized, so now, with only the two of them barely being able to maintain their lives, they had no further desire to fight, especially since Yang Kai had already announced his plans to depart.
With the additional pressure of this situation compelling them, they naturally took this opportunity to leave.
Yang Kai nodded gently, “Many thanks two Seniors for all of your efforts during this conflict.”
Another group of High Heaven Pavilion disciples brought ten bottles of pills and five artifacts forward. The two Duan Mu Family masters gratefully accepted and then quickly left.
“Little Lord, my Purple Fern Valley will also be leaving.” Fan Hong stepped forward and smiled bitterly.
Yang Kai once again nodded and waved.
Fan Hong took the Mysterious Grade pills and artifacts, said his farewells to Yang Kai, and walk out.
After taking a few steps, he suddenly paused though and turned back to ask, “Junior Sister, are you coming with us?”
Obviously he was speaking to Luo Xiao Man.
Fan Hong and Luo Xiao Man were both from Purple Fern Valley so the two of them had a Junior Sister, Senior Brother relationship.
Luo Xiao Man shook her head slowly, “I wish to remain with Elder Sister Qiu. Senior Brother should leave without me.”
Fan Hong thought about it for a moment but didn’t force her to come with him, turning around and leaving without another word.
“Is there anyone else who must leave?” Yang Kai glanced around, “There’s no need to hesitate. There’s still enough time if you depart now. If you remain any longer, you’ll probably be declared an enemy by the Eight Great Families. Even if you don’t fear such a fate, you should also consider your own family and Sect before making a rash decision.”
“There’s no need to say any more,” Hu Jiao Er snorted, “Those who are still here probably have no intention of leaving.”
All those who still sat in the main hall nodded in unison.
The ones who had just left were the forces that had joined Yang Kai’s mansion because of various circumstances while everyone here now had joined the Inheritance War solely because they wanted to support Yang Kai.
“En.” Chen Xue Shu nodded. “Brother Yang, you just said that you will leave here shortly, so when you leave, we will too. What, it’s just a few days, would the Eight Great Families really be petty enough to care about such a small delay?”
Looking around at all of the determined faces, Yang Kai remained silent for a moment before nodding, “Good, then everyone will set out together a few days from now.”
“Good good, everyone attend to your own affairs.” Dong Qing Han casually shouted, since it had been decided that everyone will leave in a few days, the crushing pressure that had been weighing on all of their shoulders suddenly vanished.
The only thing that made them feel a little depressed was that after fighting and suffering together for so long, they would soon have to separate.
In one’s life, there were few people one could truly depend upon to stand beside them in the face of death, but those in this house were all such friends!
Soon, only Yang Kai and Qiu Yi Meng remained in the hall.
Yang Kai looked at Qiu Yi Meng with a smile, “What do you want to say?”
Qiu Yi Meng slowly shook her head, “Nothing, I just feel all of this is somewhat regretful. It’s too unfair to you.”
Yang Kai stood up and walked out a few steps, letting out a light sigh, “This is the way of the world, moreover, I had never thought life was being unfair to me. At the very least I have given it my all. Beauty, can you not look at me like I’m some kind of lost puppy? I haven’t fallen so far yet, have I?”
Qiu Yi Meng couldn’t help letting out a light laugh at these words and the room suddenly became a lot brighter.
“You and Huo Xing Chen have to leave quickly, staying here for too long will not do you any good.”
The two youths had both used some deceptive methods in order to return to Yang Kai’s mansion, one of them particularly shoddy at that, but with all of those Eight Great Family masters present, how could no one have seen through their little charade
“My injury hasn’t fully healed yet, it will probably take a few days for me to be able to move about freely.” Qiu Yi Meng spit out her tongue playfully, she also wanted to spend these last few days together with everyone in the mansion.
Yang Kai smiled wryly and nodded, but suddenly, his brow furrowed.
For some reason he didn’t understand, the Asura Sword and Thousand Blossoming Blood Begonia inside his body suddenly became slightly restless, like some strange power was trying to summon them.
This discovery made him quite surprised and he hastily circulated his True Qi in order to suppress these two artifact’s trembling.
Before he could figure out what had just happened, a dignified voice resounded outside his mansion, “Supreme Solitary Sect’s Li Yuan Chun has come to visit. Might this be the house of the Yang Family’s Youngest Young Lord, Yang Kai?”
When this voice rang out, the expression of both Yang Kai and Qiu Yi Meng suddenly became strange.
At the same time, both Meng Wu Ya’s and Ling Tai Xu’s voices reached Yang Kai’s ear, “This person is an Above Immortal Ascension Boundary master!”
“Supreme Solitary Sect?” Qiu Yi Meng’s wrinkled her brow, “The super force of the Endless Sea Islands? What are they doing all the way out here? Why do they seem to be looking for you?”
Yang Kai was also quite shocked but quickly recovered his calm and grinned, “It’s really an eventful time.”
He also immediately understood why the Asura Sword and Thousand Blossoming Blood Begonia had suddenly tried to leave his control; it was probably not just the Supreme Solitary Sect that had come.
Outside the house, a large group of people were bustling about with a grey haired, ruddy complexioned old man at their head. This group of at least fifty people were all Immortal Ascension Boundary cultivators and a large number of them were actually peak level masters.
After Li Yuan Chun yelled, one of the people beside him excitedly shouted, “I can feel it, my Asura Sect’s Hallowed Treasure, the Asura Sword, it’s really here.”
Nearby, a beautiful and enchanting female, her fingernails all painted jet black and a thick malevolent aura swirling about her, also delicately whispered, “The scent of my Falling Blossom Temple’s Hallowed Treasure, the Thousand Blossoming Blood Begonia, is also present.”
The man who spoke earlier quickly added, “It’s a pity that the Asura Sword has been refined by someone, so even if I use my Sect’s secret method I can’t easily recover it.”
Li Yuan Chun nodded lightly, “Since Ancient Cloud Island recovered its Broken Moon Transformation Art more than three years ago from Red Cloud Sect, all of our Endless Sea Islands Sects have searched tirelessly for the Hallowed Treasures that were stolen from us three hundred years ago. Now, at last, we’ve discovered their whereabouts, so all of us should not act impulsively. Our best option is to discuss things peacefully; after all, this is not the Endless Sea Islands, it’s not wise to act arrogantly in another’s territory.”
“All of us understand this point and will follow Senior Li’s lead.” All of the others nodded lightly in agreement.
As they were speaking though, Li Yuan Chun’s face showed a trace of suspicion. The representative from Asura Sect had sensed the aura of their Asura Sword while those from the Falling Blossom Temple had detected the presence of their Thousand Blossoming Blood Begonia, but why couldn’t he sense any trace of his sect’s Supreme Solitary Seal?
According to the intelligence gathered by the Endless Sea Islands’ great Sects, all of their Hallowed Treasures should have been obtained by a single person and should thus all be in one place.
As all of these people discussed amongst themselves, they couldn’t help occasionally glancing over at a lone young girl standing not far away.
This young woman had a potent charm about her.
Long hair that seemed to dance in the wind, thin delicate eyebrows, a pair of bright slender eyes, a dainty pointed nose, a fragrant scent of flowers wafting from her body, plump red lips, snow white skin that was filled with a glowing radiance, a graceful figure that was perfectly proportioned.
However, what was especially interesting about this little girl was that at such a young age she had already reached the Immortal Ascension Boundary.
Many people were secretly surprised and even Li Yuan Chun couldn’t help sighing slightly at the strength of Inland cultivators, a little girl they had randomly met actually possessed such strength.
Although this girl had arrived here at the same time as them, she was not part of their group.
The young woman stood a distance apart from the crowd and while remaining silent, she was also quite vigilant of these people from the Endless Sea Islands, like a little crouching tiger, a scene which made many people present feel a little amused.
While this group of visitors waited outside the house, inside, Yang Kai gave Qiu Yi Meng a simple summary of his past experiences in the Endless Sea Islands.
In the past, he had traveled to the Endless Sea Islands for life experience, had been ‘recruited’ by Red Cloud Sect, and then taken to Hidden Island. On Hidden Island, Yang Kai had acquired the Five Coloured Soul Warming Lotus as well as the Hallowed Treasures of many of the Endless Sea Islands’ forces.
So far, of these Hallowed Treasures, he had only used the Asura Sword and Thousand Blossoming Blood Begonia.
Although Yang Kai had been very careful, the number of times he had used these two artifacts these past few years had not been small. If the forces from the Endless Sea Islands investigated persistently, it wasn’t surprising for them to have found some clues after such a long time.
It was probably because of this that the group of visitors outside had traveled ten thousand kilometers from the Endless Sea Islands to retrieve the Hallowed Treasures their Sects had lost three hundred years ago.
“So it’s like this.” Qiu Yi Meng listened and nodded; this was also the first time she had learned of this incident. “Returning others’ Hallowed Treasures is really the right thing to do, but you’re not in the wrong here. All you did was accidentally obtain these items. However, now that they’re here looking for their treasures, what are planning to do?”
“Talk with them first.” Yang Kai laughed. The Asura Sword and Thousand Blossoming Blood Begonia had provided him with a great deal of help these past three years, but as his cultivation advanced, and after obtaining two Mysterious Grade artifacts at Po Jing Lake, the role these two Heaven Grade artifacts could play became smaller and smaller.
In the first place, Yang Kai didn’t like depending on the power of artifacts to enhance his strength.
Therefore, if the conditions were right, he didn’t mind returning these things. In any case, keeping them was of no use to him and if these people were determined to take their Sects’ Hallowed Treasures back, refusing them strongly would only attract unnecessary hostility.
After delaying to explain things to Qiu Yi Meng, the shouts coming from outside Yang Kai’s mansion became a bit louder and more urgent.
Hearing these anxious calls, Yang Kai smiled and said, “Let’s go out and have a look.”
Qiu Yi Meng nodded lightly and hurriedly followed.
When he came outside, Yang Kai couldn’t help feeling surprised at the number and strength of the assembled cultivators.
These people should have come prepared, otherwise they wouldn’t have put together such a strong lineup. This was especially true of their leader, who was an old man that gave Yang Kai a great sense of pressure.
He was obviously an Above Immortal Ascension Boundary master.
Seeing Yang Kai coming out, countless pairs of eyes fixed upon him.
Li Yuan Chun smiled warmly and took the initiative to inquire, “May I ask, are you the Yang Family’s Little Lord, Yang Kai?”
“Indeed, and you are…”
“Supreme Solitary Sect, Li Yuan Chun.”
“Asura Sect, Ye Fang.”
“Falling Blossoms Temple, Hua Duan Hun… hehe.”
“Scarlet Tradition Sect, Xu Qian Hao.”
“Gemini Island…”
“Cloud Dragon Island…”
The people from the major Endless Sea Islands Sects introduced themselves one after another as they carefully examined Yang Kai. The more they looked though, the more surprised they felt. The young woman who had been waiting outside with them had already caused them quite a shock, but now seeing Yang Kai, many of them were genuinely dumbstruck.
The Yang Family’s Little Lord was no doubt younger than the young girl from before but he actually had an Immortal Ascension Boundary Second Stage cultivation.
Yang Kai nodded his head as he swept his eyes over the crowd, but when his gaze landed on the young woman standing slight apart from everyone else, his expression suddenly became a bit strange, “Bi Luo?”
The young woman coldly snorted, obviously not happy to see Yang Kai.
Qiu Yi Meng also turned her eyes towards this lone young woman, and after recognising Bi Luo, she was equally astonished, unconsciously casting a glance over at Yang Kai, her pretty face suddenly showing an ambiguous look.
Bi Luo was the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land Beguiling Demon Queen Shan Qing Luo’s most trusted maid. When Qiu Yi Meng and Luo Xiao Man were put under house arrest by Shan Qing Luo, Bi Luo had been the one they interacted with the most. Moreover, that one day, when they had intruded on Bi Luo and Yang Kai….
Now seeing this girl again, Qiu Yi Meng couldn’t help thinking of the scene that day, recalling the milky white liquid at the corner of Bi Luo’s lips…
Suddenly her face went bright red.
Yang Kai’s expression also went through a series of changes, involuntarily fixing his eyes on Bi Luo’s thin, delicate mouth.
[This little mouth… wasn’t bad…]
“So Young Master Yang and this girl are old acquaintances,” Li Yuan Chun smiled, “We also met her just now, we didn’t come here together.”
“I know.” Yang Kai nodded, Li Yuan Chun and others were from the Endless Sea Islands while Bi Luo was from the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land, and obviously they had not traveled here together.
[But, what is Bi Luo doing here?] Yang Kai suddenly felt a trace of uneasiness.
“I know why all of you are here; please come inside where we can talk.” Yang Kai gestured, stepping back and opening the way.
Listening to his words, everyone from the Endless Sea Islands smiled happily, the looks they sent him becoming significantly warmer. At the very least, he didn’t deny having obtained their Hallowed Treasures.
Did this mean that he was willing to return their stolen property?
Wondering about this in their hearts, everyone entered the house one by one.
“Bi Luo, you come in too.” Yang Kai casually said.
“You go first, I don’t want to get too close to you.” Bi Luo spat, since that day’s incident where she had eaten such a big loss at Yang Kai’s hands, she had developed a deep wariness towards him.
Yang Kai laughed awkwardly despite trying not to but didn’t insist, simply nodding towards Qiu Yi Meng, “Take care of her.”
“En,” Qiu Yi Meng gently nodded and walked over to Bi Luo with a smile, “Ms Bi Luo, it’s been quite a while.”
“It’s you.” Bi Luo suddenly smiled charmingly, “It really has been a long time.”
Saying so, she rushed up and grabbed Qiu Yi Meng’s hand pulling her closer in a very intimate manner.
Although Qiu Yi Meng felt her behaviour was a little strange, she didn’t think much of it, brushing it off as Bi Luo acting warmly towards her, allowing her to hold her hand as the two of them walked into the house.
“That little girl with the big chest?” Bi Luo’s beautiful pair of eyes flashed a brilliant radiance as she asked Qiu Yi Meng.
“You mean Xiao Man?” Qiu Yi Meng showed a faint smile, “She’s also here. You can see her later.”
“Really? Great!” Bi Luo smiled, her expression filling with expectation.
Inside the main hall, the Endless Sea Islands visitors all took a seat and Yang Kai had the maids serve everyone tea. The scene was peaceful, as if all of them were indulging in the tea’s flavour, seemingly not in any rush to discuss the purpose of their visit.
Yang Kai also didn’t take the initiative to say anything, instead just sipping his tea while watching Bi Luo act slightly discourteously towards Qiu Yi Meng.
The Qiu Family’s First Young Lady also noticed that something was wrong as Bi Luo persistently held and stroked her hand, praising her skin for its smoothness while asking her how she maintained her beauty, from time to time even boldly touching her waist and chest.
Qiu Yi Meng complexion was a deep shade of crimson by now.
Unfortunately, under the gaze of such a big crowd, it was not appropriate for Qiu Yi Meng to make a fuss. Therefore, the only thing she could do was send pleading glaces to Yang Kai for help.
Of course, Yang Kai pretended he saw nothing.
After a while, Li Yuan Chun smiled and said, “Young Master Yang is really a dragon amongst men. Although we have heard a lot about the Yang Family Inheritance War on our way here and know of some of Young Master Yang’s accomplishments, upon arriving at your house today, this old master fully realized that the rumors were not hollow. Young Master Yang’s mansion is filled with crouching tigers and hidden dragons, it is truly astonishing.”
“Senior flatters me too much.” Yang Kai said lightly, “The Inland cannot compare to the Endless Sea Islands. The Endless Sea Islands are full of rich World Energy and contains countless Precious Treasures; it is a cultivation paradise I greatly envy.”
Li Yuan Chun laughed happily, “The Endless Sea Islands has the conveniences of the Endless Sea Islands while the Inland also has its unique advantages; however, listening to Young Master Yang’s words, it seems you really have been to the Endless Sea Islands before.”
“En, a few years ago I visited the Endless Sea Islands once and almost met misfortune at the hands of Red Cloud Sect.”
Li Yuan Chun eyes narrowed slightly, “The Red Cloud Sect that was destroyed by Ancient Cloud Island?”
“Indeed.”
“Ancient Cloud Island’s Island Master, Gu Feng found his Sect’s Broken Moon Transformation Art which they had lost three hundred years ago in the hands of Red Cloud Sect several years ago. So everything was arranged by Young Master Yang.”
“En, I had some grievances with Red Cloud Sect, but at that time I was too weak so I had no other option but to use Ancient Cloud Island to destroy them.”
Li Yuan Chun inhaled a sharp breath, “Young Master Yang’s methods are impressive!”
Everyone else in the room also wore slightly solemn expressions.
Three years ago, how old was the young man in front of them? However, using a single little trick he had actually caused the destruction of an entire Sect. Such decisiveness and ability was really not something an average man could possess.
“Since Young Master Yang found the Broken Moon Transformation Art, did you also happen to obtain several other treasures?” Li Yuan Chun stared at Yang Kai expectantly.
“I indeed obtained many treasures.” Yang Kai smiled and summoned a crimson sword to his hand and a blood red flower filled with murderous intent atop his other palm.
A touch of floral fragrance soon filled the air.
“Asura Sword!”
“Thousand Blossoming Blood Begonia!”
Asura Sect’s Ye Fang and Falling Blossom Temple’s Hua Duan Hun’s faces lit up as the leapt to their feet and stared greedily at the Heaven Grade artifacts in Yang Kai’s hand.
Their Sects had been searching for more than three hundred years for these Hallowed Treasures but had never discovered any trace of them. Now that they had appeared in front of their eyes, how could they not be excited?
“Sit down!” Li Yuan Chun lightly shouted.
Ye Fang and Hua Duan Hun’s expression became unwilling, but after hesitating for a moment, both of them returned to their seats. However, their eyes never left their respective Sect’s Hallowed Treasure.
Yang Kai smiled slightly and didn’t show the slightest bit of tension, casually placing the Asura Sword and Thousand Blossoming Blood Begonia, remaining calm and composed even as all the Endless Sea Islands masters stared towards him.
Li Yuan Chun lightly coughed and asked seriously, “Young Master Yang, you said that all of our Hallowed Treasures are currently in your possession, so why can this old master not sense his Sect’s Supreme Solitary Seal?”
Even if Yang Kai had managed to somehow refine the Supreme Solitary Seal and take it into his body, Li Yuan Chun should still be able to perceive its presence.
The Supreme Solitary Seal was the Hallowed Treasure of the Supreme Solitary Sect.
“The Supreme Solitary Seal requires Supreme Solitary Sect’s unique Secret Art in order to refine it so I obviously haven’t. Instead, I stored it and all of the other treasures I obtained in a safe location,” Yang Kai responded with a light smile.
All of these things were currently stored in his Black Book space, so Li Yuan Chun and the other Endless Sea Islands’ masters naturally couldn’t sense them.
“So that’s how it is.” Li Yuan Chun nodded lightly, his confusion abating, “This old master greatly admires Young Master Yang frank and sincere transparency about these matters.”
Before coming here, they were afraid that the other party would refuse to acknowledge anything, so they had first prepared to approach the situation with courtesy and then force. Otherwise, they would not have sent out more than fifty Immortal Ascension Boundary masters lead by an Above Immortal Ascension Boundary powerhouse.
It could be seen from this show of force just how much importance they attached to this matter.
Just as Yang Kai had suspected, a few years ago, when Ancient Cloud Island suddenly found their long lost Broken Moon Transformation Art on Red Cloud Island, the other Endless Sea Islands’ forces all sent representatives to Ancient Cloud Island to inquire about their own Hallowed Treasures; unfortunately, they didn’t learn anything useful at the time.
After everyone calmed down and analysed the situation, they felt that the Broken Moon Transformation Art suddenly appearing on Red Cloud Island was unnatural and inferred someone had planted stolen goods in order to shift blame onto Red Cloud Sect.
But since someone had used this trick of planting stolen goods and genuinely obtained Ancient Cloud Island’s Broken Moon Transformation Art, it was possible he had also obtained all of their Hallowed Treasures as well.
Over the past three years, the Endless Sea Islands forces had frequently sent people to inquire about Inland news and Yang Kai frequently using the Asura Sword and Thousand Blossoming Blood Begonia had naturally allowed them to glimpse a few clues. After obtaining confirmation of this information, seeing a glimmer of hope, all of them had assembled this group and rushed here.
Now that their suspicions had been confirmed, everyone was inevitably very excited.
“Young Master Yang must know that although these items aren’t too valuable, some of them even having no use for cultivators, they all hold special significance for our Endless Sea Islands Sects. Each of these items is a treasure passed down from our Sects’ Ancestral Founders and many of them are even considered to be our Sects’ Sect Master tokens.” Li Yuan Chun did not rely on his age, cultivation, or identity to oppress Yang Kai but instead spoke in a sincere tone.
Yang Kai nodded lightly. He had long known this information. Some of the things that he had obtained on Hidden Island were really useless and could only be used as tokens.
“As such, the purpose of this old man and these various elders, Young Master Yang must be clear about.” Li Yuan Chun paused for a moment to carefully consider his words, hesitating for a moment before asking, “Might I ask, Young Master Yang, what conditions do you have in order to return these items to us?”
“That depends on what all of you can offer.” Yang Kai slowly shook his head and intentionally didn’t set an opening price.
He really didn’t care about what these things he had obtained on Hidden Island. Even the Asura Sword and Thousand Blossoming Blood Begonia weren’t too important to him anymore. With the improvement of his strength, these two artifacts now had little value to him, but him handing all of these things over for free was also impossible.
He wasn’t a charitable man, if they wanted these Hallowed Treasures back, they had to show him some sincerity.
Especially at this time. Yang Kai had been entangled by so many things, which added frustrations onto more frustions. Finally, when the Endless Sea Islands forces and ran up to him, Yang Kai had already locked his schemes onto them.
“This…” Li Yuan Chun suddenly felt a bit embarrassed. This time, when they had set out on this journey, none of them had brought along anything precious or valuable things, so hearing Yang Kai suddenly ask for a show of sincerity, they naturally felt a bit helpless.
The Endless Sea Island’s people hadn’t thought Yang Kai would be so amiable and were caught off guard. Their original intention was to use force when negotiations broke down. In any case, they came from the Endless Sea Islands, so the Central Capital’s Eight Great Families had no influence over them.
Even if a battle broke out, as long as they retrieved their Hallowed Treasures and returned to the Endless Sea Islands, the Eight Great Families’ complaints and threats would be nothing more than farts.
However, the auras coming from the masters inside Yang Kai’s house had made Li Yuan Chun and the other Endless Sea Island envoys’ original plan invalid. If they really started a fight, it wasn’t certain who would win. Not to mention, only the Asura Sword and Thousand Blossoming Blood Begonia had appeared while all the other Hallowed Treasure’s locations was still unknown.
If they really were to provoke this Yang Family brat, it would not do anyone any good.
“En, what Young Master Yang says is reasonable.” Li Yuan Chun was an old fox and quickly found a way to stall for time, turning to Yang Kai and asking, “Can you give us a moment to discuss this matter?”
Yang Kai smiled and nodded patiently.
The masters from the Endless Sea Islands all began exchanging meaningful glances, seemingly conversing with each other using their Divine Senses.
At this time, Yang Kai turned his attention to Bi Luo and asked, “Bi Luo, what brings you here?”
Bi Luo was still fondly holding onto Qiu Yi Meng, causing the latter to becoming increasingly uncomfortable. She had wanted to pull her hand away several times but had not succeeded as of yet, so when she Yang Kai’s question, Qiu Yi Meng suddenly let out a sigh of relief overjoyed.
Bi Luo gawked for a moment before suddenly standing up and saying, “I almost forgot, Mistress let me convey you a message.”
“Oh, what message?”
“Leave here as soon as possible, the Holy Land’s forces are coming.”
“What?” Yang Kai instantly discolored, “Where exactly are planning to go?”
“Here,” Bi Luo said in a dignified tone, “When you Yang Family initiated the Inheritance War, the Eight Great Families forces were split, so the plan is to first level War City then proceed to attack the Central Capital. All Six Great Evil Kings and their armies, led by the Demon Lord himself, have set out. It’s impossible for War City to withstand such an assault, so you should escape quickly.”
“When will they arrive?” Yang Kai asked in a deep voice, realizing the situation was far worse than he had imagined.
“Tonight!” Bi Luo replied, the corners of her lips unconsciously rising slightly.
“Such an important matter, why didn’t you say so sooner!?” Yang Kai roared furiously, but soon noticed the slightly smug look on Bi Luo’s face, realizing she had done all of this deliberately.
If he hadn’t asked her, she may not have ever said anything.
[This woman…]
Yang Kai wished he could spank her red right now!
Under orders from Shan Qing Luo, Bi Luo arriving here to give him a warning was already more than Yang Kai could have asked for; however, he knew just how infatuated this young woman was with Shan Qing Luo, so Yang Kai understood that Bi Luo was actually looking forward to him dropping dead.
Qiu Yi Meng was also dumbstruck, only recovering after a moment of stunned silence and asking, “You mean, the Demon Lord is leading the Six Great Evil Kings here?”
“As well as all of the Holy Land’s masters.” Bi Luo quickly added.
“Their courage isn’t small!” Qiu Yi Meng said coldly, “Since when as my Eight Great Families so easily bullied?”
“Do you think you can resist?” Bi Luo looked at Qiu Yi Meng mockingly, “Since the people from the Holy Land dare to come here, they definitely have complete confidence in obtaining victory. I’ll tell you now, you can’t stop them.”
“How many Above Immortal Ascension Boundary masters does your side have?” Qiu Yi Meng didn’t squabble with her, instead hurriedly seeking for useful information.
“A dozen or so. Except for my Mistress’s territory where only she had achieved this realm, all of the other Kings have at least two such masters.”
“Shan Qing Luo also broke through?” Yang Kai couldn’t help feeling stunned. When they had last parted, she was still just a Peak Immortal Ascension Boundary cultivator. But now, after a little more than a year, Shan Qing Luo had actually reached the Above Immortal Ascension Boundary.
The Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land’s Six Great Evil Kings had always been Above Immortal Ascension Boundary masters, or rather, in order to become a true Great Evil King, one had to reach such a realm. On top of that, each of them possessed astonishing strength.
If not for these powerhouses, the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land would have collapsed when it was besieged more than a year ago.
“A trivial dozen people, War City alone has seven Above Immortal Ascension Boundary masters standing guard.” Qiu Yi Meng snorted, even though she said so, she also knew that the situation wasn’t optimistic.
However, Bi Luo just slowly shook her head, her enchanting little face showing a hint of disdain, “It’s useless. Forget about the seven people here, even if your Eight Great Families sent out all of their Above Immortal Ascension Boundary masters, you still wouldn’t be able to stop the Demon Lord. Sir Demon Lord is a little different; Mistress told me that in this world, no one is his opponent. If he wanted to, it would only take him a single move to defeat an ordinary Above Immortal Ascension Boundary master, and kill one within three moves.”
Qiu Yi Meng’s beautiful face paled at these words.
“Not to mention, besides Sir Demon Lord, there are also the Thunderbolt Beast King, Tyrannical Force King, Profound Yin Ghost King, Lightning Flash Shadow King, Annihilating Poison King, and Beguiling Demon Queen. Among these six, my Mistress is by far the weakest.” Bi Luo said bluntly.
“Yang Kai, what should we do?” Qiu Yi Meng asked in a hurry, such an important matter suddenly arising had affected even her, causing her to feel slightly muddleheaded.
Perhaps, if Yang Kai wasn’t here she would be able to maintain her calm and make appropriate decisions, but with someone around she could rely on, Qiu Yi Meng suddenly became somewhat dependant on him.
Yang Kai’s expression was solemn as he stared at Bi Luo.
Since Bi Luo herself had come to deliver this message, it was unlikely to be a lie. Although Shan Qing Luo was also one of the Six Great Evil Kings, but from his contact with her, Yang Kai felt she wasn’t a wicked woman. In the first place, sending Bi Luo here to warn him about this was pointless if it weren’t true. Doing that had absolutely no advantage for her either way.
“Qiu Yi Meng, you go to the Seal Temple with Huo Xing Chen and inform the seven Grand Elders about this news.” Yang Kai took the initiative and said directly.
“Good,” Qiu Yi Meng nodded, quickly asking, “If they ask how I obtained this information… what should I say?”
“The truth!”
Qiu Yi Meng smiled bitter and stood, “I’ll head out now.”
The seven Grand Elders would definitely ask about the source of this intelligence, and if she answered truthfully, whether they believed her or not, it would only further convince them that Yang Kai was guilty of colluding with Demons.
Having a ‘relationship’ with the Beguiling Demon Queen, if that wasn’t collusion then what was?
However, with disaster fast approaching, Yang Kai had no way to conceal this point any longer.
As Yang Kai was hastily making arrangements, Bi Luo just sat to the side quietly, neither hindering nor helping him in any way, as if all of this had nothing to do with her.
After Qiu Yi Meng left, Yang Kai also hurriedly walked towards the exit.
“Young Master Yang…” Li Yuan Chun couldn’t sit still and quickly shouted; after traveling ten thousand kilometers in order to find the Hallowed Treasures of their respective Sects and even basically reaching an agreement with Yang Kai, how could these Endless Sea Islands envoys not feel anxious with such a sudden development?
In the unlikely event that Yang Kai died in this conflict, who could they look for in order to retrieve their property?
“Everyone, do wait here for now!” Yang Kai didn’t have time to pay attention to them and immediately disappeared out the door.
Li Yuan Chun’s expression became quite ugly.
The Endless Sea Islands masters all glared towards Bi Luo bitterly. If it weren’t for her delivering this news, they could be settling things with Yang Kai now.
Being stared at by so many masters caused Bi Luo to feel quite unnerved, so she quickly got up and left.
Arriving outside the Blood Warrior’s quarters, Yang Kai whistled loudly and in the next moment, nine figures flew over and assembled before him.
“What are Little Lord’s orders?” Tu Feng asked.
“All of you follow me.” Yang Kai didn’t halt his footsteps and hurriedly walked toward Meng Wu Ya’s room while trying to come up with a plan in his head.
Reaching Meng Wu Ya room soon after, Yang Kai unceremoniously kicked open the door, ignored the angry glare of Treasurer Meng, picked up a brush and paper from the nearby desk and began writing a letter.
“What the hell is all this about, why are you acting so flustered?” Meng Wu Ya called out in a disgruntled voice. Ling Tai Xu was also shocked by this sudden intrusion and looked suspiciously towards Yang Kai.
“The Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land’s forces are on their way here.” Yang Kai quickly summarized the information he had received from Bi Luo. Upon hearing this shocking news, everyone in the room paled and quickly asked about the reliability of this intelligence.
“Ninety percent certain.” Yang Kai replied seriously and then handed the letter he had just written to Ying Jiu, “You return to the Yang Family and give this letter to my father.”
“Yes.” Ying Jiu took the letter and shot off like a bolt of lightning.
Of all the Blood Warriors, he was the fastest, so the mission of messenger was naturally given to him.
“What are you planning to do?” Meng Wu Ya asked solemnly.
“Leave here. If we depart quickly, there should still be enough time.” Yang Kai took a deep breath and replied. Although there were many powerful masters in his house, the majority of the people here, many of whom were Yang Kai’s personal friends, had yet to even reach the Immortal Ascension Boundary. If they were really involved in a battle with the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land, all of them would likely die.
The Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land had obviously been preparing for this campaign for quite some time and had chosen to strike at the height of the Yang Family Inheritance War when the strength of the Eight Great Families had been split between two cities. War City’s defense was not as strict as that of the Central Capital so it was all but certain that this place would be completely destroyed.
Continuing to remain here was definitely unwise.
All he could do now was let Qiu Yi Meng and Huo Xing Chen rush to the Seal Temple to warn the seven Grand Elders about the severity of this situation while Ying Jiu returned to the Yang Family with his letter to inform his parents so they could allow the Yang Family to prepare.
With this, he has already done all that he can.
Listening to him lay out his plan; Meng Wu Ya also nodded gently, “A wise choice.”
“Tu Feng, relay my orders, let everyone in the house prepare, within half an hour everyone must be ready to set out.”
“Yes.” Tu Feng immediately left spread the word.
Soon, everyone in the house began moving. Although no one understood what exactly was going on, when they saw the solemn expression on Tu Feng’s face, they knew that the situation was serious.
The younger generation leaders all hurriedly came to ask Yang Kai for more information, but when they got the answer, all of them were dumbstruck.
“Impossible. The Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land making such a big movement, why haven’t we received any news about this?” Zuo Fang muttered.
Dong Qing Han’s brow furrowed deeply as he replied, “I’m afraid that there are no living witnesses from the places that have been attacked.”
The Demon Lord, Six Great Evil Kings, and countless Devil Path masters decimating everything in their path, leaving behind a trail of destroyed buildings and scorched earth in their wake, such a picture couldn’t help surfacing in all of these youth’s minds.
Everyone couldn’t help shuddering unconsciously.
A great eagle cry rang out and Yang Kai’s Golden Feather Eagle flew off into the distance. This Golden Feather Eagle had been staying in Yang Kai mansion for the past ten months and had already successfully evolved into a Sixth-Order Monster Beast. Unfortunately, as the Inheritance War dragged on, the role it could pay only became smaller and smaller until now it spent most of its time playing with the various beauties in the house.
However, at this moment, it was the best advanced scout available.
After half an hour, everyone had finished their preparations.
Seemingly aware of the abnormal situation inside the house, the Endless Sea Islands’ emissaries rushed to find Yang Kai under the leadership of Li Yuan Chun, but before any of them could speak, Yang Kai pre-emptively said, “Senior Li, do not rush to bring up your Hallowed Treasures, Junior promises you he will return them to you, just not at this moment. For now, why don’t you accompany us and we can discuss the issue on the road?”
In the face of Yang Kai’s proposition, what more could Li Yuan Chun say?
Although in his mind he was quite clear that Yang Kai was essentially using them as a group of free bodyguards, in this situation, he had no choice but to agree, forcing himself to smile and nod, “Very well.”
These Endless Sea Islands people didn’t put the Eight Great Families or the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land in their eyes because their foundations weren’t Inland!
At the same time, a thousand kilometers away from War City.
Dust and smoke are billowed as countless human figures and innumerable Monster Beasts marched forward.
At the head of this tide was a giant Monster Beast with a wide body. A man stood atop this Monster Beast’s back, indifferently staring in the direction of War City.
This man appeared around forty or fifty years old but there didn’t seem to be anything extraordinary about him, his green robes were also quite common, items you might find in any ordinary shop; only his eyes were different, filled with a confident light as he gazed off into the distance, completely aloof from the world around him.
This man was none other than the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land’s Demon Lord, Yang Bai!
Those who only knew of his reputation thought that the Demon Lord was a three-headed, six-armed man with a fierce and sinister aura, but the few who had met him and lived knew that Yang Bai actually couldn’t be any more ordinary in terms of appearance.
If one were to randomly meet this man, they would never be able to believe that such a person had actually conquered the entire Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land.
More than twenty years ago, Yang Bai had once been a direct disciple of High Heaven Pavilion’s Sect Master, Ling Tai Xu, but due to his lust for power, he had cultivated an unknown Demonic Secret Art, fallen to the Devil’s Practices, and then brutally attacked his Senior Brother Yang Ying Feng and master Ling Tai Xu. As a result of that battle, Yang Ying Feng suffered heavy losses and was left with a debilitating chronic illness while Ling Tai Xu became disheartened and secluded himself, no longer interfering with the operation of the Sect.
A few years after that battle, Ling Tai Xu personally took action and captured Yang Bai, crippling his cultivation and imprisoning him in High Heaven Pavilion’s Coiling Dragon Stream.
However, this act inadvertently led Yang Bai to an astonishing opportunity below the Coiling Dragon Stream which he used to re-cultivate and then exceed his previous height. Eventually, he had escaped from his prison, attacked High Heaven Pavilion, killed one of the Elders, mortally wounded Ling Tai Xu, and then swaggered off without looking back.
He then travelled to the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land and proceeded to subdue it.
Finally, today, he had become the absolute ruler of the entire Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land.
Behind Yang Bai there were six figures following closely, occasionally glancing over at him, their eyes filled with awe and fear.
These people were the Six Great Evil Kings of the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land. The six consisted of five men and one woman.
Each of these six people had dramatically different appearances and characteristics.
One of them rode a great Monster Beast, one was engulfed in a green poisonous fog, one had a thick Yin Qi swirling around him, one had an enormous beast-like physique, while one was covered in faint sparks of lightning.
The only one who appeared relatively normal was the lone woman, the Beguiling Demon Queen, Shan Qing Luo.
However, Shan Qing Luo had a unique, otherworldly enchanting air to her. Anyone who laid eyes on her would instantly be unable to extricate themselves from her charms.
Even the other five Evil Kings didn’t dare stare too long into Shan Qing Luo’s eyes.
Since she had broken through to the Above Immortal Ascension Boundary, the Seduction Technique of this devilish woman had become even more powerful than before, so much so that the five other Evil Kings, who were stronger than her in terms of cultivation, had to take care not to be inadvertently ensnared by her charm.
These six people either flew or rode Monster Beasts as they followed behind Yang Bai.
Behind these six were the many masters from the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land, including several Above Immortal Ascension Boundary masters, as well as countless Peak Immortal Ascension Boundary cultivators.
Additionally, a phenomenal number of fierce Monster Beasts, each of which had at least reached the Fifth-Order were also in tow, while large quantities of Sixth-Order Monster Beast abounded.
There was even a Seventh-Order Monster Beast!
This Seventh-Order Monster Beast was the huge Spider Mother that Yang Kai had once encountered, the one capable of communicating with people using its Divine Sense.
A Seventh-Order Monster Beast was equivalent to an Above Immortal Ascension Boundary cultivator. Today, this Spider Mother was together with the Thunderbolt Beast King. Although the Beast King hadn’t subdued it, the two of them had reached an agreement with each other, so for this time’s campaign against the Central Capital, the Spider Mother had naturally followed along.
Because of the ruckus Yang Kai and Shan Qing Luo had raised in the Spider Mother’s lair, the Spider Mother was quite hostile to Shan Qing Luo at the moment, but in the face of the Demon Lord’s great strength, she didn’t dare to act recklessly.
If Demon Lord Yang Bai was not here, the Spider Mother would definitely attack Shan Qing Luo.
“Master, War City is only eight hundred kilometers away.” The Profound Yin Ghost King suddenly said, “Subordinate wishes to move ahead and scout out the situation.”
Yang Bai’s expression didn’t change as he continued to move ahead at his own pace, not even bothering to respond.
“Ghost King, after not killing anyone for half a day, can you no longer suppress your itching?” The Annihilating Poison King snickered as he squinted at the Ghost King.
The Profound Yin Ghost King grinned and cackled, “Poison King understands me well. I heard that a lot of masters are now gathered in War City. The previous time, these people all came to attack our Holy Land, so I believe it would be improper to not return the favour. This old master just wants to deliver them a special gift as quickly as possible.”
The Poison King also grinned, “When it comes to mass-murder, this old man also has many means. Master, please permit me to head out first.”
The Ghost King also didn’t back down, “While I admit your poison is good, this old man’s little spirits are plentiful, and when it comes to killing, they aren’t any worse than your means.”
As he spoke, a series of eerie shrieks and howls suddenly rang out and from the body of the Ghost King, a great number of distorted transparent faces emerged. These phantom faces were filled with looks of pain and struggling, they seemed to be the Souls of deceased cultivators that had been imprisoned inside the Ghost King’s body, subject to his whims.
“If you want to go, just go.” Yang Bai said a faintly, not making any attempt to prevent them.
“Many thanks!” The Ghost King and Poison King heard this and laughed with joy, quickly using their movement skills to rapidly fly towards the horizon.
“I’ll go too.” The Lightning Flash Shadow King said, his body flickering for an instant before also disappearing into the distance.
“That quick bastard is going too?” A booming voice called out. A giant with arms as thick as a fully grown man’s torso stepped forward, his eyes radiating a bloodthirsty light as he shouted, “If all of you run over now, when I, your father arrive, who will I get to kill?!”
Saying so, the Tyrannical Force King leapt forward and hurriedly pursued his fellow Evil Kings, the earth trembling every time his feet hit the ground, like a living, breathing catastrophe, greatly shocking everyone who saw him.
“Heh heh… I’ll also go join the fun.” The Thunderbolt Beast King drove his mount forward, a large group of Monster Beasts quickly separating from the army and following behind him.
In the blink of an eye, five Great Evil Kings had set out, leaving only Shan Qing Luo to follow Yang Bai.
“Qing Luo, are you not going as well?” Yang Bai glanced back at Shan Qing Luo casually.
“There’s no need. The five of them are more than enough.” Shan Qing Luo slowly shook her head.
“En, you not going is also good, those five’s desire for slaughter is too heavy. They won’t be able to advance far along the Martial Dao like that.”
Shan Qing Luo couldn’t help staring at Yang Bai strangely; she hadn’t expected him to evaluate those five as such.
“On another note, that maidservant you always have with you, Bi Luo… I haven’t seen her for a few days.” Yang Bai said in a voice like he had inadvertently remembered something trifling.
Shan Qing Luo’s tender body trembled slightly but she quickly regained her composure, steadied her breathing and calmly said, “I sent her to handle some matters.”
“En.” Yang Bai nodded nonchalantly.
Shan Qing Luo was incredibly nervous at this moment; afraid Yang Bai would continue to ask questions, but to her surprise, he no longer said anything, as if it was really just something he had casually noticed.
Shan Qing Luo couldn’t help letting out a sigh of relief.
Staring off in the direction of the far away War City, the Beguiling Demon Queen silently prayed in her heart, praying that the little bastard left quickly. This massive Holy Land army was not something a trivial War City could resist.
Shan Qing Luo faintly suspected that even the Central Capital wouldn’t be capable of stopping them.
The rate at which Yang Bai’s strength increased was simply too great. When he first came to the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land and conquered the Six Great Evil Kings, Shan Qing Luo could still vaguely see through his bottom line, but now, even though she had broken through to the Above Immortal Ascension Boundary, she could no longer understand what height Yang Bai had reached.
The strength of this person was too frightening; no one in the Central Capital could stop him!
Closing her eyes and carefully sensing, Shan Qing Luo discover that Yang Kai was still inside War City and couldn’t help feeling anxious.
Eight hundred kilometers was too far for even an Above Immortal Ascension Boundary to sense.
However, soon after they had met, Shan Qing Luo had marked Yang Kai with her Soul Seeking Seal and so long as it existed, she would be able to sense his location even if he ran to the ends of the earth.
Yang Kai’s image had been firmly imprinted in Shan Qing Luo’s heart, so she had planted the Soul Seeking Seal on him as a precaution against him escaping from her, but she had not anticipated that it would come in handy in such a way.
[What is that little bastard doing? Why hasn’t he tried to escape yet? Bi Luo should have arrived some time ago to warn him.]
War City, Yang Kai’s house.
Everyone was ready to set out.
All of them had also been informed about how serious the situation was, so when Yang Kai told them they were leaving right away, no one raised any objections.
Just as they were preparing to set out, Qiu Yi Meng and Huo Xing Chen came back. The two of them had followed Yang Kai’s instructions and went to the Seal Temple to inform the seven Grand Elders about the coming attack.
“How was it?” Yang Kai asked.
Qiu Yi Meng smiled bitterly and shook her head, “They didn’t believe us.”
Yang Kai couldn’t help snorting, “Pig headed even in the face of impending death. Utter foolishness! Never mind them, we’ve done all we can; what are you planning to do? Are you going to head back to the Central Capital or…”
“We’re coming with you!” Qiu Yi Meng said decisively.
“Good, let’s go.” Yang Kai waved his hand and said nothing more. Right now, every moment was precious; there was no time to argue even though Yang Kai thought it would be better for Qiu Yi Meng and Huo Xing Chen to return to the Central Capital instead of wandering around destitute with him.
With Yang Kai leading them, a large group of people set out.
Some time ago, a group of people had arrived outside Yang Kai’s mansion to threaten and intimidate his allies.
And until now, these people were still shouting their propaganda.
However, when they saw Yang Kai leading such a massive number of cultivators out of his complex, the people tasked with standing here and issuing threats were quite surprised. They mistakenly thought that Yang Kai was making a big move and quickly sent out warnings signals.
In the next moment, a large number of masters appeared from the surroundings and blocked Yang Kai’s path forward.
After last night’s battle, although the seven family coalitions had suffered losses, their foundation had not yet been shaken. Assembling now, this group of people still made for an intimidating sight.
“Little Lord, what are trying to do?” Kang Zhan took the initiative to step out from the crowd and ask.
Yang Kai stared at him, wrinkled his brow and hesitated for a moment before saying, “Don’t say that I didn’t warn you. The Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land, under the leadership of the Demon Lord, is coming here. If you don’t want to die, then quickly leave War City and return to the Central Capital.”
Kang Zhan stared back Yang Kai, seemingly not understanding the words he just spoke.
After a short silence, he laughed despite trying not to and shook my head wryly, “Little Lord, you saying such things… What exactly are you implying?”
Kang Zhan really was confused. Although Yang Kai’s performance since the beginning of the Inheritance War had been astonishing to the point where no one dared to look down on him, suddenly sprouting such senseless words really made Kang Zhan want to laugh.
Yang Kai also saw the mistrust on his face and quickly said, “I don’t have time to explain things to you, whether you believe me and leave here, or don’t and stay here to die has nothing to do with me!”
Finished what he had to say, he took a step forward.
However, this simple movement had immediately aroused the vigilance of the seven family coalitions and all of the gathered masters quickly pushed their True Qi and glared at him warily.
Yang Kai’s eyes suddenly overflowed with coldness as his patience ran thin.
“Little Lord…” Ye Xin Rou suddenly appeared in the crowd; someone had obviously informed her of this incident and she had immediately rushed over. A mischievous look appearing on her pretty face, she let out a light sigh and said, “You’re saying these things… aren’t you just trying to frighten us? Why would the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land people suddenly decide to come here and seek death instead of cowering in their miserable domain?”
“Idiot!” Yang Kai snorted, “Ye Xin Rou, I know that you have a prejudice against me and I admit that what I did to you last time went too far, but right now I have no desire to argue with you, nor do I have the time. Make way. Otherwise don’t blame me for being impolite.”
“Little Lord, you really are frightening.” Ye Xin Rou looked at Yang Kai timidly before suddenly snickering, “You say that the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land is on its way to attack? What evidence can you provide to back up your claims?”
Yang Kai looked at her indifferently and said nothing.
What basis did he have for making such claims? Only his trust in Shan Qing Luo and Bi Luo! The Golden Feather Eagle he had sent out to observe the situation had not yet returned but even if it did, only he would be able to fully understand the information it brought back, which meant he had no proof other than his own word.
Seeing his silence, Ye Xin Rou snorted and said, “Since you have no evidence, how can you convince us that this isn’t all some kind of trick, Little Lord?”
“I have no need to resort to tricks,” Yang Kai slowly shook his head, “I have already quit the Inheritance War. The position of Yang Family Patriarch has nothing to do with me anymore. Big brother, Second Brother, whoever wants it, they can have it. All I want now is to take my people and leave here.”
“Hehe.” Ye Xin Rou smiled happily, “Little Lord, whether you withdraw from the Inheritance War or not, you cannot leave here.”
“Who said that I can’t leave?”
“You can try.”
“Don’t push me.” Yang Kai’s aura suddenly became dangerous.
Ye Xin Rou’s smile also converged quickly as she coldly declared, “Yang Kai, do not refuse a toast only to be forced to drink a loss. Although you have many masters accompanying you, don’t forget that all those who become enemies of the Eight Great Families are destined to not end well. Do you think that with your pitiful strength, you can resist the entire Central Capital? You think far too highly of yourself.”
“Junior Sister Ye, now is not the time to argue about this.” Qiu Yi Meng couldn’t stand it anymore and stepped forward, “With the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land people already on their way, even if you have personal grievances with Yang Kai and me, you should wait until we live through these troubles before settling them, no?”
“Why if it isn’t Elder Sister Qiu!” Ye Xin Rou grinned cunningly and stared at Qiu Yi Meng. “What happened? I saw you suffer a heavy injury just last night yet today you seem to have fully recovered? Elder Sister Qiu’s physique is really enviable; or perhaps… you were just putting on an act yesterday?”
Qiu Yi Meng’s face suddenly became ugly.
Ye Xin Rou did not know how to advance or retreat. She lifted her arms open, demonstrating her decision to keep Yang Kai and his allies from advancing any further no matter the cost. This simple but stubborn action of hers made Qiu Yi Meng exasperated. Originally, Qiu Yi Meng still wished to talk things out but after seeing Ye Xin Rou’s actions, Qiu Yi Meng knew that any civil discussion with her was equivalent to a chicken talking to a duck.
Ye Xin Rou’s hatred of Yang Kai and Qiu Yi Meng had made her unable to think straight.
“We’re unable to convince her.” Yang Kai slowly shook his head, a hint of helplessness on his face.
Ye Xin Rou’s expression became cold as she suddenly shouted, “All those still supporting Yang Kai, listen well, abandon him immediately and swear allegiance to the Eight Great Families. If you do so, we will not investigate your crimes any further. Refuse and my Eight Great Families will consider your Sects and families as enemies. The consequences are something you should well understand.”
Everyone behind Yang Kai couldn’t help paling slightly at these words.
Ye Xin Rou sneered, “Pledging allegiance to the Eight Great Families is also for your own benefit, as long as you are willing to stand with us now, I promise that your families and Sects will obtain some advantages… Regarding this, Young Lord Liu can attest, isn’t that right, Young Lord Liu?”
As she spoke, she shot a glance towards the crowd behind her.
Among the people behind Ye Xin Rou, Liu Fei Sheng stood with an awkward expression, and with these words, countless eyes from Yang Kai’s house suddenly landed on him like piercing thorns. Completely embarrassed, he couldn’t wait to find a hole to crawl into.
“Liu Fei Sheng, you fucking bastard!” After a moment, Dong Qing Han couldn’t help screaming in fury.
Tian Yuan City’s Young City Lord had left Yang Kai’s house for less than an hour yet had already been won over by Ye Xin Rou.
This was no different from slapping Yang Kai’s face in front of everyone present.
When he left, Yang Kai had thanked him for his efforts and even given him some extremely precious gifts.
Upon hearing Dong Qing Han’s roar, Liu Fei Sheng’s face fluctuated between green and red.
“Only Liu Fei Sheng?” Yang Kai faintly asked.
Ye Xin Rou spat disdainfully and scoffed, “The Duan Mu Family and Purple Fern Valley people had some strength of spirit and immediately left War City, but only one is more than enough.”
Listening to this, Luo Xiao Man couldn’t help sighing with relief, she was really afraid that her Senior Brother Fan Hong couldn’t resist Ye Xin Rou’s persuasion and had become her enemy.
If that had really happened, would Luo Xiao Man still have any face to remain?
“Young Lord Liu, talk to them. You were together with them for so long, so you should also understand them. Tell them about what benefits your Tian Yuan City has received, feel free to express your true thoughts.” Ye Xin Rou gloated towards Yang Kai while casually ordering Liu Fei Sheng around.
Liu Fei Sheng’s expression was extremely difficult as he clenched his fists tightly, facing the disdainful and enraged glares from all of members of Yang Kai’s house, and he was almost unable to stand his ground.
“Little Lord… I’m sorry. I had no choice.” Liu Fei Sheng looked as if his soul had been pulled out as he barely managed to mutter these words.
“It is alright. This is your choice.” Yang Kai slowly shook his head, his expression not fluctuating at all, as if Liu Fei Sheng’s betrayal really meant nothing to him.
Ye Xin Rou was stunned, suddenly feeling quite frustrated, as if she had thrown out a heavy punch only to hit cotton, her pretty face twisting in anger.
“Don’t waste your breath, the people from my mansion, you have no chance of winning over,” Yang Kai said decisively. “I will only say this once more; make way! We must leave this place, anyone who dares block us again we will kill without mercy!” “
“Little Lord’s temper is quite big.” Ye Xin Rou clenched her teeth and shouted. “I must have a look if you really have such skill!”
Yang Kai’s patience was finally exhausted, staring at Ye Xin Rou coldly, he slowly raised his hand.
The True Qi of the people behind him also suddenly became violent.
“Evil creature, you dare fight with us?”
Yang Kai’s face sank as he turned his gaze towards seven old men flying towards this place, obviously it was the Seven Above Immortal Ascension Boundary masters from the Seal Temple.
Ling Tai Xu and the others also wore dignified expressions.
Although during their battle last night, their side had an absolute advantage, but since then, Meng Wu Ya and Old Demon had not yet recovered their strength, so if they were to fight once more, this time, they would definitely be the ones to suffer a loss.
“Looks like we can’t get away.” Meng Wu Ya sighed and shook his head with a force smile upon his face, he had never expected simply leaving War City would actually be such a difficult task.
“After killing so many people from my Eight Great Families last night, you still haven’t had enough?” Yang Li Ting stared at Yang Kai coldly with a look of disgust upon his face, “Although you are a child of the Yang Family, I don’t believe you care one bit for the blood that flows through your veins. From now on, you are no longer a member of my Yang Family.”
The audience was stunned.
Yang Li Ting was actually expelling Yang Kai out of the family.
Throughout the history of the Eight Great Families, there were very few cases of direct descendants being disowned and banished. Once news of this spread, it would become an event that shook the world.
Yang Kai however remained indifferent, “Expelling me from the family? Very well, so be it. All I want right now is to take these people with me and leave, I hope several Seniors can grant us passage.”
“You want to leave just like that?” Another old man coldly snorted, “After killing so many people from my Eight Great Families, you now want to swagger off? How could things possibly be so cheap?”
The fat old man from the Huo Family also frowned and said, “Yang Kai, you mustn’t be swayed by your emotions. Think about things from our position. After everything that has transpired here, if we just let you go now, what face would our Eight Great Families have left?”
Yang Kai took a deep breath and sighed, he still had quite a good impression towards this fat old man, and he had repeatedly shown him good intentions, unlike all the others who had only used their status and strength to compel him to obey.
“Senior, this place faces imminent disaster, if you don’t heed my warnings and leave, everyone here will die!”
The fat old man suddenly looked awkward and said, “You let Qiu Yi Meng and Huo Xing Chen bring us this news, but as the Ye Family’s little girl said, what evidence can you provide as proof, this matter is not something that can be taken lightly.”
Yang Kai shook his head, “I can only give you my word. If you believe me, then hurry to make arrangements, if you don’t, then there’s nothing I can do.”
“Ai…” The fat old man sighed, “You putting it like this make it difficult for us to believe you don’t have other intentions.”
“Other intentions?” Yang Kai said curiously before suddenly understanding, “Senior believe I am using this excuse to stir up chaos and in order to find an opportunity to escape?”
“Is that not your intent?” Among the seven old men, someone sneered and said.
“Heh heh…” Yang Kai smiled helplessly, “That was truly not my plan, if I really wanted to escape from here, I wouldn’t have needed to tell you people anything. No one here is a child, but it seems your so called age and wisdom has instead harmed yourselves!”
“Impudence!” Yang Li Ting snarled, “You have no qualifications to lecture us old masters.”
Another person chimed in, “Forget about the reliability your words, just the source from which you obtained this information brings up many questions… You say you received this warning from the maidservant of the Beguiling Demon Queen, correct?”
“Exactly.”
“Bold!” The man shouted, “As a child of the Eight Great Families, actually having a connection with one of the Six Great Evil Kings, such a crime is absolutely unforgiveable!”
“Why would the Beguiling Demon Queen send someone to inform you about this? How could you believe the words of a demon?”
“Your story is full of loopholes. Since when were these old masters three-year-old children you can easily trick?”
All of these old men loudly accused and scolded loudly and even the fat old man couldn’t help showing a disappointed expression.
With these accusations and curses being hurled, the atmosphere in front of Yang Kai’s mansion immediately became dangerous.
Ye Xin Rou sneered and said, “Yang Kai, surrender obediently. You’ve decided to forfeit the Inheritance War anyways, continuing to stubbornly resist will do neither you nor those standing behind you any good. If you still have any conscience left, you shouldn’t drag them down with you, coming with us and letting them go is the best option you have.”
Yang Kai’s expression remained indifferent, but anyone who saw him could tell that he had run out of patience and this cold silence was only the calm before the storm, causing everyone to feel uneasy.
“Would you like some assistance?” Li Yuan Chun approached Yang Kai and asked quietly.
What he wanted right now was nothing more than for Yang Kai to quickly return their Endless Sea Islands Sects’ Hallowed Treasures, but at the moment this little brat was clearly caught in a difficult situation. Li Yuan Chun kindly offering him help was only his attempt to sell Yang Kai a favor so that after they escaped this predicament he would have an advantage in their negotiations.
Against Seven Above Immortal Ascension Boundary masters, Li Yuan Chun had no confidence in winning a fight, but if it was just running away from here with Yang Kai, he could still accomplish it, after all, he had also reached that realm.
However, Yang Kai just slowly shook his head and refused his kindness.
What Li Yuan Chun was thinking, how could he not know?
If Yang Kai really just wanted to escape by himself, he didn’t need anyone’s help. With his current cultivation, by using his Flaming Yang Wings, an ordinary Above Immortal Ascension Boundary master would only be able to eat dust behind his butt.
But it was impossible for Yang Kai to abandon everyone here and flee.
The exchange between Yang Kai and Li Yuan Chun didn’t escape the sight of the seven Grand Elders. In fact, when they arrived here, they also immediately realized the existence of Li Yuan Chun, or rather, another Above Immortal Ascension Boundary master. It would have been impossible for them to not notice him.
The Endless Sea Islands delegation was comprised of more than fifty high level Immortal Ascension Boundary cultivators and an Above Immortal Ascension Boundary master, which greatly surprised the seven old men. All of them wanted to know where Yang Kai had suddenly found another ally with such astonishing heritage.
On top of that, they didn’t know about Meng Wu Ya and Old Demon’s current situation, so although their mouths were constantly shouting incendiary remarks, they didn’t dare actually take action.
The scene had suddenly stagnated.
However, this stalemate was soon broken by a piercing eagle cry. Even someone with no experience handling Monster Beasts could tell that this was a cry of fear and that it contained obvious tones of warnings and anxiety.
Hearing this cry, Yang Kai’s expression immediately sank.
The seven old men from the Seal Temple also wore dignified expression as they turned to look in the direction of the Golden Feather Eagle.
“It’s already too late!” Yang Kai’s face was filled with weakness and frustration, “The enemy has already come.”
The full extent of the information conveyed by the Golden Feather Eagle was only available to him.
Listening to Yang Kai’s words and hearing the Golden Feather Eagle’s cries, the seven old men realized that the words Yang Kai had been speaking weren’t an alarmist’s rantings nor some kind of clever ruse. It seemed that the people of the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land had really come.
Immediately, all of them couldn’t help becoming fearful as they all turned towards Yang Kai hoping to obtain more information from him.
“Bi Luo!” Yang Kai turned to stare at Bi Luo who was hiding among the crowd and yelled, “Didn’t you say they would only arrive here by tonight?”
“That should be the case.” Bi Luo was also confused, “At the speed the Holy Land was marching, they really should only have reached War City late tonight.”
“Then why are they already only a hundred kilometers away?”
“If you ask me, who am I supposed to ask?” Bi Luo was also quite anxious.
A hundred kilometers was by no means far and considering the time it would have taken the Golden Feather Eagle to return after encountering the enemy and relay a warning, it was no doubt too late for them to make their escape.
Ye Xin Rou expression became weird, and then disdainful as she snorted, “Such a splendid performance, it’s really quite realistic, even now you still want to…”
However, before she could finish what she was about to say, she hastily swallowed back down the rest of her words. Faced with the think murderous intent coming from Yang Kai’s glare, she couldn’t work up the courage to continue.
“They really have come!” Yang Li Ting face suddenly changed as he turned and stared off into the distance.
The other six old men also wore extremely ugly expressions.
It was only now that they confirmed beyond any doubt that what Yang Kai had been saying was true.
Looking at the reactions of these seven, everyone from the seven family coalition was dumbfounded.
Suddenly, upon the distant horizon, a black storm cloud appeared and rapidly sped towards them. Amidst this dark cloud, there were a few indistinct figures.
Sparks of lightning surged about and a terrifying pressure began pressing down on all of them from the approaching darkness.
A scent of destruction that grew stronger by the second radiated from the black cloud as it approached, soon enveloping all of War City.
The pressure from this black cloud was enough to shake the entire city…
Everyone’s eyes were instantly filled with terror.
“It’s the Lightning Flash Shadow King!” Bi Luo suddenly exclaimed, “Only he possess such speed. He is definitely bringing several of the other Kings with him. Yang Kai, I have to go. If any of them see me here, it will be difficult for Mistress to explain.”
Saying so, Bi Luo hurriedly darted away.
“Block her!” Ye Xin Rou shouted.
Even now, in this desperate situation, she was unwilling to let go of any opportunity to suppress Yang Kai.
Unfortunately for her, no one obeyed her orders and in a flash, Bi Luo disappeared.
With disaster rapidly approaching, who among them would still be thinking about doing such pointless things? Bi Luo was just a maidservant of Shan Qing Luo, even if they captured here, what use would she be?
The five Great Evil Kings had yet you arrive, but just the pressure from their auras was enough to cause all of War City to fall silent.
“Do you believe me now?” Yang Kai casually taunted Ye Xin Rou and the old men from the Seal Temple, the sneer on his face showing a rich amount of ridicule.
The seven Grand Elders’ faces were all incomparably miserable.
If they had listened to Qiu Yi Meng and Huo Xing Chen when Yang Kai had first sent them to warn them and begun preparing, they wouldn’t have been caught off guard like this.
Even if they had only believed Yang Kai after they arrived here to stop him from leaving, it wouldn’t have been too late. At the very least, it would have given them a little breathing time.
But now… with the enemy already at their gates, it was too late for them to do anything.
Seven Above Immortal Ascension Boundary Grand Elders from the Eight Great Families as well as two or three hundred high level Immortal Ascension Boundary masters were currently gathered in War City. If all of them were to be killed, it would be a huge blow to the entire Central Capital.
“We can’t let the enemy approach any closer!” Yang Li Ting said in a resolute voice, “Intercept them!”
After shouting so, without any hesitation, he activated his Movement Skill and rushed towards the enemy forces.
The other six old men also rushed to keep up, only the fat old man from the Huo Family paused for a moment to glance at Yang Kai with a look of regret and guilt. A faint groan leaking from his lips, he immediately shouted to Ye Xin Rou, “Ye Family girl, everything here is now your responsibility, no matter how you do it, you must let everyone here safely withdraw to the Central Capital!”
“Yes.” Ye Xin Rou quickly responded.
The speed of the black cloud’s approach was astonishing, a moment ago it was still just a dot on the horizon, but during the brief conversation that had just occurred, it had already closed to within twenty kilometers of War City. Even with Yang Li Ting and the other Grand Elder using their fastest speed, the farthest they could intercept them would still be less than ten kilometers from War City.
In the next moment, a startling battle broke out.
The black cloud broke apart, revealing three people from the inside.
One of them had arcs of lighting surrounding him, one of them was a burly giant that gave off an astonishing Blood Force, and the last one sat upon a mighty Monster Beast.
Lightning Flash Shadow King, Tyrannical Force King, Thunderbolt Beast King !
Even though it was three versus seven, and they were at an absolute disadvantage in terms of numbers, the three Great Evil Kings from the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land looked calm while the seven old men from the Eight Great Families were the nervous ones.
Close behind these three there was a huge spider. This spider had a human face yet the body of a spider, giving it an extremely strange appearance.
This face was extremely beautiful and enchanting, seemingly belonging to a young woman in her mid-twenties with long supply hair, but coupled with the giant spider body it was attached to, it only appeared even more horrifying.
“Spider Mother?” Yang Kai called out in surprise, immediately recognizing the origin of this giant spider Monster Beast, it was none other than the Seventh-Order Monster Beast he had encountered with Shan Qing Luo.
Why was it here as well?
“Hm, there’s actually such a Monster Beast here, it’s the first time I’ve seen one like it.” Shui Ling also exclaimed, “However… it’s a pity, without the Beast Transformation Pond, she’ll never be able to truly take human form.”
“Treasurer Meng, what do you think?” Yang Kai hurriedly asked Meng Wu Ya.
“The situation isn’t optimistic,” Meng Wu Ya slowly shook his head. Although he had no way to undo the seal on his true strength right now, his vision and knowledge were still far above anyone else present. “Your Eight Great Families’ Above Immortal Ascension Boundary masters are all among the weakest in their realm while those three on the other side are stronger, so even though the numbers are on their side, those seven people won’t be able to stop them and in all likelihood… will all die here!”
Yang Kai couldn’t help paling slightly.
Meng Wu Ya’s assessment of the situation was surely straightforward and accurate; after all, he had already personally fought against the seven Grand Elders last night and knew their bottom line. Yang Kai had originally thought that with the seven of them defending War City, there wouldn’t be any immediate danger, but now it seems like the best he could hope for was for them to stall the enemy for a while.
“Treasurer Meng, what means do you have to deal with this situation.” Yang Kai said with a great sigh as he stared helplessly at Meng Wu Ya.
Meng Wu Ya on the other hand grinned lightly, “Why are you so sure I have a way out of this?”
“Your treasured apprentice is here, if you really felt like you couldn’t handle this situation, you wouldn’t be acting so calmly.” Yang Kai said with a forced smile.
The absolute gap in strength was not something that could be compensated for using paltry tricks, so Yang Kai could only depend on the unfathomable Meng Wu Ya right now.
Treasurer Meng turned his head and replied solemnly, “If you choose to leave here right now, only about ten percent of these people will be able to survive, but with this old master and Brother Ling’s protection, you don’t have to worry about your safety, it’s no problem for us to lead you away from here.”
“I want everyone here to survive!”
Meng Wu Ya suddenly grinned, “I knew you would say that.”
Everyone of his allies couldn’t help showing a faint smile, even those from the Endless Sea Islands who had just arrived here an hour or so ago were slightly surprise.
Ye Fang and Hua Duan Hun approached Li Yuan Chun and quietly asked, “Senior Li, what should we do?”
Li Yuan Chun stared deeply at Yang Kai and then at Meng Wu Ya before replying, “For now, we should stick together with them, if the situation deteriorates further, this old master will take that little brat away from here. As for all of you, you’ll have to find your own way out.”
Yang Kai’s survival was of paramount importance right now as only he knew the whereabouts of all of the Endless Sea Islands great Sects’ Hallowed Treasures, which had been lost hundreds of years ago. Therefore, Li Yuan Chun couldn’t allow anything to happen to him.
“Good.” Ye Fang and Hua Duan Hun nodded lightly, immediately agreeing with Li Yuan Chun’s proposition.
Meng Wu Ya quickly added, “Those three should just be the vanguard of the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land. I’m afraid that the rest of their army will arrive in short order. On top of that, you see over there… that Thunderbolt Beast King brought a lot of Monster Beasts with him as well.”
Turning his eyes in the direction Meng Wu Ya indicated, Yang Kai could see that a few dozen kilometres away, a cloud of dust was slowly rising from the ground. Amidst this cloud were countless Monster Beast figures. Sweeping them with his Divine Sense, Yang Kai’s expression couldn’t help becoming dignified.
The weakest of these Monster Beasts was actually at the Fifth-Order, while a large number of them had actually reached the Sixth-Order.
“For now, we should retreat.” Meng Wu Ya quickly said.
“Retreat? Where?” Yang Kai asked hurriedly.
“Back to your compound.”
Yang Kai stared blankly for a moment, but after only a brief hesitation, his gaze became firm and he nodded. Since Meng Wu Ya made just a suggestion, he definitely had a method to overcome this dilemma.
As the two of them discussed their next course of action, Ye Xin Rou also collected herself and began issuing orders to the seven family coalition forces to orderly withdraw to the Central Capital. Suddenly thinking of something, she turned to Yang Kai and said, “Yang Kai, I need to recruit your allies as well.”
In response, Yang Kai only glanced over at her with disdain.
“There are so many masters amongst your allies, it is reasonable for you to act with us at this time. If we all band together it will greatly increase our security. In this situation, I hope you can consider the bigger picture and put down the grudges between us until after we escape this disaster.”
These words… were the ones Qiu Yi Meng had just spoke, yet at the time, Ye Xin Rou had blatantly ignored them. However, facing this crisis, she had shamelessly repeated them to Yang Kai, causing a lot of people to feel a sense of disgust in their hearts.
Yang Kai just shook his head and said, “I’m not going with you. If you want to try to return to the Central Capital, please feel free to do so on your own.”
Ye Xin Rou couldn’t help shouting angrily, “Yang Kai, why must you always act so selfishly? Not coming with us now will only lead to certain death, even if you don’t care whether you live or die, what about those around you?”
“My mansion’s matters are something you don’t have to concern yourself with.” Yang Kai replied calmly, as if he was unaware that danger would soon arrive, coldly saying, “You should worry about your own forces first. Those seven won’t be able to resist for long. If you don’t hurry to escape, you’ll never make it back to the Central Capital!”
Ye Xin Rou expression became dim as she shot back, “The enemy is only three people while my Eight Great Families number seven, how could they not be able to stop them?”
Even until now, Ye Xin Rou wasn’t clear about the severity of the situation and still thought that the seven Grand Elders lead by Yang Li Ting could block or even defeat the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land’s vanguard.
“Ye Xin Rou, the Little Lord’s words have some truth to them, its best if we depart quickly.” Gao Rang Feng urged.
“En.” Kang Zhan also nodded. Feeling the aura of destruction, no one wanted to stay here a moment longer. In their minds, the Central Capital was the only refuge available to them. “Brother Meng has already gone to inform Eldest Young Lord. We should hurry, the people from Eldest Young Lord and Second Young Lord’s mansions will meet up with us on the way, if the Little Lord is not willing to join us, there’s no need for us to insist!”
With persuasions of Gao Rang Feng and Kang Zhan, Ye Xin Rou felt it wasn’t a good idea to persist any longer, “Since that’s the case, let’s go!”
Saying so, she shot a hate filled glare towards Yang Kai and then grinned as if she was taking pleasure in other’s misfortune, “Yang Kai, I hope you don’t die too quickly, just wait until all of this is over, I’ll definitely be back to settle things with you.”
After leaving this last threat, she didn’t give Yang Kai a chance to respond before turning around and leaving.
The masters from the seven families also rushed to keep up.
“Return to the mansion!” Yang Kai shouted and waved his hand, also turning around and leading his people back to the mansion.
After just packing up in a rush and setting out, now being told to hurry back inside caused everyone to feel quite puzzled, especially considering the intense battle they could feel taking place right outside War City and the countless Monster Beasts they knew were rapidly approaching.
Everyone was quite uneasy, as if they could feel the cold hand of death slowly grasping towards them.
“What are we going to do now?” Everyone asked Yang Kai nervously.
Yang Kai, in turn, looked towards Meng Wu Ya.
Treasurer Meng just smiled calmly and replied, “Don’t worry; since this old master made everyone retreat here, he definitely has a way to resolve the current crisis. What you need to do now is not take a single step outside the mansion. Nowhere beyond these walls is safe.”
Everyone couldn’t hide their astonishment and shock, none of them understanding what Meng Wu Ya was up to.
The Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land’s forces were already upon them, if they didn’t leave, they should at least make preparations to defend, but Meng Wu Ya had actually told them that all they needed to do was stay put. What did that mean?
Meng Wu Ya grinned slightly and followed up, “This old master won’t play tricks with your lives. When things become dangerous, you will naturally understand. If you believe in this old master, don’t stare at me so worriedly.”
Everyone was confused by Meng Wu Ya’s attitude. Listening to him, it seemed like he was completely confident that he could protect all of them here.
Meng Wu Ya not explaining any further was probably because it was inconvenient for him to do so, so Yang Kai simply frowned and shouted, “Since Treasurer Meng has said so… everyone should disperse and attend to their own business.”
As soon as Yang Kai spoke, everyone scattered like birds and beasts. Although they still had many doubts in their hearts, all of them chose to believe in Yang Kai’s judgment.
Li Yuan Chun on the other hand stared at Meng Wu Ya skeptically while constantly sweeping him with his powerful Divine Sense. After a long time, he couldn’t help saying, “Friend, do you really have such great skill? Now is not the time to brag irresponsibly.”
Li Yuan Chun had only just arrived an hour or so ago so he didn’t know anything about Meng Wu Ya, only thinking he was an ordinary Peak Immortal Ascension Boundary cultivator.
With the pressure even he felt from the three enemy masters, Li Yuan Chen was quite curious about what method Meng Wu Ya had to protect this place.
Meng Wu Ya, however, just chuckled with a completely unreadable expression.
Even Old Demon couldn’t help staring at Treasurer Meng with some doubt; he didn’t where Meng Wu Ya’s confidence in protecting everyone’s safety came from.
“Qiu Yi Meng, arrange a place for the Seniors from the Endless Sea Islands to stay.” Yang Kai causally ordered.
“Understood.” Qiu Yi Meng nodded and motioned these fifty or so masters to follow her.
Li Yuan Chun however shook his head, “This old master is going to stay with Young Master Yang a while longer.”
He had apparently decided to follow Yang Kai until he returned the Supreme Solitary Sect’s Supreme Solitary Seal to him.
Qiu Yi Meng hesitated for a moment but soon received a nod from Yang Kai.
Seeing this, the Qiu Family’s First Young Lady also nodded, turned around, and lead the Endless Sea Islands visitors out.
Violent fluctuations from the life or death struggle between the ten tyrannical masters reached all the way to War City, causing the ground to rumble.
Yang Kai’s face was quite gloomy as he constantly released his Divine Sense to monitor the battle.
Although he was very unhappy with the Eight Great Families and could even be considered enemies with them, last night engaging in a fierce battle that resulted in many deaths on both sides. Now that the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land was invading, Yang Kai still didn’t wish for the seven Grand Elders to die.
If the seven old men were to fall, War City would likely be reduced to ash. Once that happened, the Eight Great Families would suffer heavy losses and even the Central Capital would be put in danger.
The Central Capital was where his parents were!
If it weren’t for this, Yang Kai wouldn’t care whether the Eight Great Families’ people lived or died.
As he was sensing his surroundings, Yang Kai’s face suddenly changed, quickly retracting his powerful Divine Sense and instead directing it towards a certain location inside War City.
In that place, there were two terrifying and sinister auras quietly hiding.
“They still have Masters!” Yang Kai was shocked.
Ling Tai Xu and Li Yuan Chun were both startled by these words and quickly investigated, their expressions darkening a moment later.
They also quickly discovered these two presences.
Another two Above Immortal Ascension Boundary masters had silently snuck into War City! It was likely that while the three Great Evil Kings and the Spider Mother were making so much noise outside, these two had taken the opportunity to infiltrate the city without anyone realizing.
However, a moment later, the look on Li Yuan Chun’s face became weird. Glancing over at Yang Kai, his eyes narrowed slightly, because this Young Master Yang had actually noticed the existence of these two people before him.
[This little brat…] Li Yuan Chun suddenly discovered that he couldn’t completely understand Yang Kai.
“Annihilating Poison King, Profound Yin Ghost King!” Ling Tai Xu shouted in a dignified voice.
After sensing the unique auras of these two, he was able to clearly identify them. With one of them was wrapped in a poisonous aura while the other radiated a dense Yin Qi, it was hard for Ling Tai Xu to not recognize them.
“They’re headed towards the people from the seven family coalition.” After Ling Tai Xu said this, he turned to look at Yang Kai.
The seven family coalition forces had experienced a fierce battle last night and had suffered not insignificant losses. Although all the cultivators from Yang Wei and Yang Zhao’s mansions were also gathered together with them at the moment, there was not a single Above Immortal Ascension Boundary master with them, so with just the four Blood Warriors beside Yang Zhao and Yang Wei, it was impossible for them to resist the attack of two Great Evil Kings. .
The two Great Evil Kings had already stopped concealing their auras and were apparently ready to act.
Yang Kai struggled and hesitated for a moment before firmly saying, “I’m going to take a look.”
Ling Tai Xu grinned and nodded, “I’ll go with you.”
Old Demon also stepped forward, “Old Servant will also go.”
“We will follow the Little Lord.” Tu Feng and the others Blood Warriors shouted in unison.
Meng Wu Ya lightly coughed, “I won’t be going.”
He had to stay, or else the safety of everyone in Yang Kai’s mansion couldn’t be guaranteed.
Li Yuan Chun was immediately dumbstruck and unconsciously muttered, “Are all of you crazy?”
He really didn’t understand why, facing such a dangerous situation, these people would voluntarily run out to confront it.
Why are the mentalities of these Inland masters so different from those from the Endless Sea Islands? Li Yuan Chun thought to himself secretly.
Yang Kai glanced over at him quickly, “Senior Li, it’s best if you stay here and rest.”
Li Yuan Chun immediately swung his head like a rattle, “That will not do, this old master must follow you.”
Yang Kai raised his eyebrow slightly and casually said, “Do as you like.”
Li Yuan Chun almost spat blood. Seeing Yang Kai’s expression, it was clear to him that Yang Kai had expected this result and was really treating him like a free goon.
However, there was nothing Li Yuan Chun could do about this.
Depressed in his heart, yet unable to say anything, he could only press down his resentment.
“Old Demon, you stay here. It’s more important for you to restore your strength,” Yang Kai ordered. Last night, Old Demon had used his Demon Specter Saint Technique and had yet to recover from this forbidden technique’s backlash, so even if he went, the help he could provide was limited.
Old Demon thought about it for a moment but didn’t insist, just saying, “Then Young Master must be careful.”
“Don’t worry, the enemy is only two Above Immortal Ascension Boundary masters, we also have two on our side as well as eight Blood Warriors, there won’t be any danger.” Yang Kai gently took a breath and then shot off.
Somewhere in War City.
Under the command of Ye Xin Rou, the seven family coalition quickly moved towards the direction of the Central Capital.
Along the way, Yang Zhao’s original allies as well as Yang Wei’s forces also met up with them, forming a very large team.
This group was nearly eight hundred in number, and although most of them weren’t too strong, surrounded by so many allied cultivators, whether it was Ye Xin Rou, Kang Zhan, or Gao Rang Feng, they couldn’t help feeling a bit safer.
The faintly thought that with such a large force, even if an Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land’s Evil King arrived, they could resist them.
Yang Zhao and Yang Wei were also present, both of them riding Cloud Treading Colts side by side.
“What about Ninth Brother?” Yang Wei didn’t find any trace of Yang Kai amongst the crowd and asked curiously.
“Little Lord disdained to act together with us and instead chose to stay in his own house.” Ye Xin Rou replied, sneering disdainfully as she muttered, “Since he’s determined to seek death, there’s nothing I could say to convince him.”
Yang Zhao stared at Ye Xin Rou and narrowed his eyes with a cold expression.
Hearing that Yang Kai and his allies had chosen to remain in his compound, Yang Wei couldn’t help saying, “Ninth Brother won’t do so easily. Since he chose to stay, he must have made some arrangements… I think we should act together with him instead of rushing back to the Central Capital.”
Ye Xin Rou snickered dismissively; although she didn’t say anything, obviously she felt that Yang Wei’s opinion was far too timid.
Kang Zhan also smiled, “Eldest Young Lord, the seven Grand Elders from our Eight Great Families are already intercepting the enemy in order to give us an opportunity to retreat. We should hurry back to the Central Capital.”
However, Yang Wei just slowly shook his head, “If they can defeat those people, then whether we stay or go won’t matter, but if they lose and we haven’t made it back to the Central Capital… I’m afraid…”
Hearing this, Ye Xin Rou, Kang Zhan, and Gao Rang Feng’s expression all sank.
Yang Wei’s words just happened to vocalize the one scenario they didn’t dare to think about, or rather this was the outcome they had been avoiding thinking about, but now, being forced to confront such a possibility, all of them couldn’t help feeling very uneasy in their hearts.
“Impossible…” Kang Zhan muttered with a forced smile, “Our side has seven people here.”
“En,” Gao Rang Feng also nodded, “How could the seven Grand Elders not be able to defeat just three enemies? Even if they can’t beat them, they should still be able to delay them long enough for us to return to the Central Capital…”
At that exact moment though, the several Blood Warriors serving Yang Wei and Yang Zhao suddenly shouted, “Young Lords, be careful!”
As they yelled, all four of them flew towards the two Yang Family Young Lords and assumed a defensive posture.
The entire group stopped and all the Immortal Ascension Boundary masters revealed expressions of deep dread as they stared towards the path ahead.
In front of the seven family coalition forces were two figures quietly suspended mid-air, staring down at the crowd.
Neither of these figures could be clearly seen as one of them was shrouded in a green fog while the other was wrapped in a pitch black Qi. Only two pairs of penetrating eyes which exuded a dangerous light were visible, causing everyone to not dare face them directly.
“Jie jie jie jie…” The man surrounded by green fog let out an eerie laugh as he cracked an evil grin and stared towards Yang Wei, saying in an appreciative voice, “You there, being able to clearly analyse your situation, it seems not all of you are idiots. Indeed, those seven old dogs from your Eight Great Families have no way to block my Holy Land’s three masters, in fact, in a matter of minutes; all of them will definitely die.”
“You will all die too!” Said the man wrapped in black gas, his hoarse voice like the call of the devil from the depths of hell, sending shivers up everyone’s spine.
“Shameless boasting!” Ye Xin Rou defiantly shouted, “Who are you?”
A burst of laughter suddenly rang out and the person wrapped in green fog turned to look at his companion and quipped said, “Ghost King, seems there are still people who don’t know us, are these brats really the rising stars of the Eight Great Families? Even unable to recognize our identities, it seems that the Eight Great Families have indeed declined.”
“Hmph, Eight Great Families? That’s just a pretentious title they gave themselves. What shit do they count for!” The man who was called ‘Ghost King’ coldly snorted and said, “Poison King, both of us have our own unique killing methods, why don’t we have a little contest here to decide whose means are better?”
“How do we decide who wins?”
“There’s a lot of people here, whoever kills the most win.”
“Good, that suits my taste.”
The eight hundred or so people down were stunned silent as they stared at the two obscure figures in front of them.
But a moment latter, Ye Xin Rou screamed out in panic, “Profound Yin Ghost King, Annihilating Poison King!?”
The two men hadn’t made any effort to hide their conversation so if Ye Xin Rou still couldn’t figure out their identities; she would be a real idiot.
Two Great Evil Kings from the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land. Realizing who they were facing, everyone immediately became terrified.
Rumor had it that among the Six Great Evil Kings, the Profound Yin Ghost King and Annihilating Poison King were the most bloodthirsty, cruel, and sinister.
On top of that, because of the Secret Arts and techniques these two men cultivated, they were also the most suited to mass murder.
Two such characters suddenly appearing in front of them and casually discussing how best to slaughter everyone present caused all who were present to shudder in fear.
“Everyone scatter!” Among the four Blood Warriors, someone suddenly roared. If it was any other opponent, if they all gathered together and fought back, even if they had no way to defeat the enemy, they could at least protect themselves.
But facing the Ghost King and Poison King, their numerical superiority was no longer mattered; sticking together would only make it easier for these two masters to kill them with their abilities.
Unfortunately, when this voice called out, no one reacted. Even the top level masters from the seven family coalition forces remained in a daze.
Last night, facing the cultivators from Yang Kai’s house, each of them had behaved boldly and fiercely, but now, facing two Great Evil Kings, they just stood there dumbstruck. With this slight delay, they had missed their best opportunity to either defend themselves or flee.
“You think you can escape?” The Ghost King smirked, a great number of terrifying phantoms suddenly emerging from his body. These phantoms all had faces twisted in pain and agony, like ghost that had been shackled and enslaved, each of them wailing tragically causing fear and panic in the hearts of all who heard their chilling screams.
Shrieking, these phantoms all shot out like lighting and descended upon the crowd, wreaking havoc wherever they went.
The innumerable phantoms, like a swarm of insects, blotted out everyone’s view.
Wherever these phantoms passed, a bone chilling wind followed, causing everyone nearby to shiver.
Seeing this scene, the Ghost King seemed quite pleased with himself, cackling loudly, making everyone feel even more fearful and helpless.
Some of the more resolute cultivators quickly responded, using their Martial Skills to attack these phantoms; however, their attacks all passed right through these illusory faces, not causing any harm to them. Instead, these cultivators were quickly set upon by these phantoms and in the next instant, they slumped over and all light disappeared from their eyes. In the next instant though, these unfortunate souls stood back up, fierce expression on their faces, and without hesitation began attacking their former companions.
“Soul Skills, use your Soul Skills!” One of the stronger masters quickly reacted, recalling some rumors he had once heard about the Ghost King, hastily informing everyone.
The phantoms released by the Ghost King had no physical substance, so ordinary attacks and Martial Skills were useless against them.
Only Soul Skills which used Spiritual Energy could damage them.
However, only a third of this group had reached the Immortal Ascension Boundary and the Soul Skills each of them were capable of using had varying degrees of effectiveness
The strongest among them were able to restrain or destroy one of these phantoms while those with weaker cultivations weren’t even able to slow them down.
In the blink of an eye, more than a hundred people had succumbed to this attack.
These hundred or so people seemed to have lost their minds. After the phantoms entered their bodies, these people’s temperament underwent a tremendous change, almost as if they had fallen to the Devil’s Practices, unable to recognize their own parents, fiercely unleashing their strength towards those they had once called allies.
Screams rang out and fresh blood splattered about. Soon, the entire area had became a hellish purgatory.
“Jie jie jie jie…” The ghost king laughed wildly, without even personally taking action, he had already created such a situation, the terrifying and tyrannical strength he possessed was obvious to all.
Meanwhile, a green mist erupted out from the Poison King’s body and began spreading at an astonishing speed.
Very soon, a thick toxic fog had enveloped a large area.
Anyone caught inside this poisonous mist quickly fell to the ground and was reduced to a pool of bloody liquid. Even their bones were dissolved in short order.
“Watch out for the poison!” Someone exclaimed, but it was still too late. The Poison King had already claimed several dozen lives, including many Immortal Ascension Boundary masters.
Under the poisonous fog, few people could survive, only those cultivators above the Immortal Ascension Boundary Seventh Stage could avoid being immediately melted down.
But even these peak level masters’ faces turned green and had to surround themselves in their True Qi while furiously circulating their healing arts to resist being corroded, losing all ability to fight back or flee.
In such a condition, the cultivators being controlled by the Ghost King’s phantoms only needed to use some casual strikes to grind these Immortal Ascension Boundary masters into dust.
The Two Great Evil Kings coordinating with one another completely regarded these eight hundred cultivators as nothing, wantonly killing them as if they were stepping on ants.
Moreover, from the two Evil Kings’ appearances, it was obvious they hadn’t made any real effort and were just toying with their prey.
“Mad Tyrant Blood Skill!” The four Yang Family Blood Warriors didn’t hesitate to active their forbidden technique to protect Yang Wei and Yang Zhao, darting left and right through the crowd, trying to find an escape route.
Ye Xin Rou was dumbfounded, sitting atop her Cloud Treading Colt, her pretty face filled with sheer panic and terror.
She never knew that the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land’s Great Evil Kings possessed such extraordinary strength and methods.
Even Kang Zhan and Gao Rang Feng were scared stiff.
The two of them were Young Lords of the Eight Great Families, heirs to the Kang and Gao Family. They had always lived in the Central Capital, never needing to worry about food or shelter. Their future path was laid out before them free of any obstacles or difficulties. This time, participating in the Inheritance War, although they had experienced many hardships they weren’t familiar with; never once had they felt as powerless as they did at this moment.
Facing Yang Kai, they could at least offer some resistance, but against these two Great Evil Kings, everything seemed utterly hopeless.
“Young Lady!”
““Young Lord!””
The Ye, Kang, and Gao Family’s masters shouted and flew to the side of their respective young leaders, pulling them down from their Cloud Treading Colts and like the Yang Family Blood Warriors, began looking for a way to escape.
Unfortunately for them, their actions caught the attention of the Profound Yin Ghost King and Annihilating Poison King.
“Poison King, the identities of those brats over there seems a bit special.” The Ghost Wang grinned wickedly.
“They’re probably descendants of the Eight Great Families.” The Poison King nodded lightly, his eyes sweeping over the three groups of masters before suddenly waving his hand.
Innumerable invisible energy bolts shot out, passed through the hellscape below, and accurately hit all the guards from the Yang, Ye, Kang, and Gao Families.
The four Yang Family Blood Warriors coughed up blood and their faces became pale but still managed to hold their ground while guarding Yang Wei and Yang Zhao.
As for the Ye, Kang, and Gao Family masters, they were instantly turned into blood mists that splattered all over the ground.
“Come!” Poison King shouted as he stretched out his hand. Ye Xin Rou, Kang Zhan, and Gao Rang Feng were immediately bound and then drawn over to the Poison King by a great, invisible force.
The three youths trembled violently, as if they had been tossed naked into a frozen lake in the middle of winter, all of them staring with panic-stricken eyes towards the Poison King and Ghost King standing in front of them.
“Are you direct descendants of the Eight Great Families?” The Poison King menacingly asked.
The three youths stood stock-still like wooden chickens, quivering with fear, none of them daring to answer.
The Poison King coldly snorted and reached out with his hand, a dim green light that pulsed from his fingernails gently illuminating Ye Xin Rou’s face.
A fresh cut was carved onto her delicate white face and a drop of warm, red blood slowly slid down to Ye Xin Rou’s tender chin before dripping to the ground below.
Ye Xin Rou’s teeth chattered so violently that the noise became easily audible to those around her, while she cried a stream of tears down her beautiful face.
The touch of death brushing past her cheek right now was something she had never before felt.
Facing this nightmarish aura, she came under the illusion that she had already died.
“Answer this old master’s question, or you can become one of Ghost King’s pet phantoms. His favourite meal is little girls with soft skin and tender meat.”
Ye Xin Rou involuntarily glanced over at the Profound Yin Ghost King with a horrified expression, suddenly recalling a rumor that this Great Evil King really feasted upon raw human flesh.
Under extreme duress, Ye Xin Rou didn’t know where she summoned the courage from but she quickly shouted, “No!”
At this critical moment, even she was surprised to find herself still capable of rational thought. The Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land and the Eight Great Families were as incompatible as fire and water, if these two Great Evil Kings learned their true identities; it was uncertain just what kind of horrifying torture they would receive.
Thinking so, Ye Xin Rou firmly denied it.
“No?” The Poison King grinned maliciously before nodding once, “If you’re not, then there’s no need to keep you.”
Gao Rang Feng and Kang Zhan heard these words and immediately paled.
In the next moment, Gao Rang Feng’s suddenly inflated, swelling up to more than twice its original size. He didn’t even have a chance to scream before bursting into a bloody mist.
Close by, Kang Zhan and Ye Xin Rou were soaked in Gao Rang Feng’s blood, some of it even soaking into their eyes and mouths.
Staring around blankly, the world seemed to have been dyed crimson…
“We are!” Kang Zhan shouted hurriedly, “We are direct descendants of the Eight Great Families, I am the Kang Family’s Young Master, its heir!”
“You are?” The Poison King said with an impatient look on his face as he glared towards Ye Xin Rou coldly.
Ye Xin Rou nodded subconsciously in response, still staring at a pool of blood that used to be Gao Rang Feng.
This person no longer existed in this world.
A Young Lord from one of the Eight Great Families, the heir to the Gao Family, had just died right before her eyes.
“Poison King, since they are direct descendants of the Eight Great Families, we should keep them for now. They may have some use later when we attack the Central Capital,” The Profound Yin Ghost King suddenly said.
The Poison King nodded lightly and did not refute him, instead just sneering towards Ye Xin Rou, “Little girl, your wrong answer just killed your friend.”
Ye Xin Rou’s eyes showed no response, as if they were covered by dark clouds and had no light within them.
“There’s two more.” The Poison King glanced over at Yang Wei and Yang Zhao who were still being guarded by their four Blood Warriors. “Those four should be from the Yang Family Blood Warrior Hall, so those two brats are definitely related to the Yang Family!”
As he said so, his expression became cold.
Although there was hatred between all of the Eight Great Families and the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land, if the Six Great Evil Kings had to pick the one they hated the most, it would definitely be the Yang Family.
Being head of the Eight Great Families was part of the reason, but the main reason was that the Blood Warriors from the Yang Family Blood Warrior Hall had killed many of the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land’s masters in the last war. This had caused their fame to soar while many Devil Path cultivators would tremble in fear at the very mention of their name.
Now, with four warriors from the Blood Warrior Hall and two Yang Family Young Lords in front of them, obviously the Poison King wasn’t going to let them get away.
“Those two are mine,” The Profound Yin Ghost King said, his figure transforming into a black streak as he darted forward.
His goal was the four Blood Warriors, Yang Wei, and Yang Zhao.
“Two Young Lords, escape quickly!” The four Blood Warriors also noticed the approach of the Profound Yin Ghost King and quickly threw Yang Wei and Yang Zhao out of the crowd before turning to face the enemy.
Even if they knew they had no chance of victory, they didn’t hesitate to act. They only hope that by making the ultimate sacrifice, they could create a chance for Yang Wei and Yang Zhao to survive.
“Pitiful weaklings!” The Profound Yin Ghost King snickered as the he released even more Yin Qi from his body, creating an almost solid cloud of darkness, not putting the four Blood Warriors who had all activated their Mad Tyrant Blood Skills in his eyes, pressing his palm forward towards them casually.
A frigid wind blew and a series of wails and howls rang out as a giant monster with a warped and twisted face suddenly appeared before the four Blood Warriors.
This giant monster was entirely composed of the Profound Yin Ghost King’s soul phantoms, so although it had no true physical form, it’s combat power was still overwhelming
The four Blood Warriors all joined forces to resist this monster.
But before they could even force giant phantom to stop, the Profound Yin Ghost King had already crossed over their heads and reached out to grab Yang Wei and Yang Zhao.
Yang Wei and Yang Zhao’s faces were ashen, although the two of them had incredible aptitude amongst the younger generation and possessed outstanding combat strength having already broken through to the Immortal Ascension Boundary, in front of the Profound Yin Ghost King, they were still nothing more than ants.
Neither of them could even think of resisting, simply standing there helplessly as the great ghost-like claw stretched towards them.
At that moment, a ray of light suddenly shot through the air and intercepted the Profound Yin Ghost King just as he was about to seize Yang Wei and Yang Zhao.
“Hm?” The Ghost King saw this and couldn’t help frowning, he could sense the power behind this attack and knew it wasn’t something he could simply ignore, hastily pulling back his hand and defending himself.
*Shua…*
A brilliant burst of light erupted and something brushed past the Profound Yin Ghost King’s body, landing between him and the two youths he was trying to capture.
A figure flashed through the explosion and Yang Kai arrived in front of Yang Wei and Yang Zhao. Grabbing his two brothers by their shoulders, Yang Kai quickly tossed both of them towards Tu Feng and the other Blood Warriors who were close behind him.
Although Yang Wei and Yang Zhao were uninjured as they had been well protected by their four Blood Warriors and hadn’t fought directly with the Ghost King or Poison King, they were still inevitably affected by the poison gas and Yin Qi. At this moment, seeing that their expressions were somewhat green and pale, Tu Feng did not hesitate to carry them, break formation, and rush towards the direction of the mansion.
“Another master?” The Poison King grinned, waving his hand and sending his poison cloud towards Yang Kai and his group.
Ling Tai Xu’s face was dignified and together with Li Yuan Chun simultaneously pushed their palms, sending out a wave of pressure that blocked the approaching poisonous fog.
“Hm? Not bad.” The Poison King swept his eyes over Ling Tai Xu and Li Yuan Chun curiously, apparently not having expected anyone here could offer any resistance to him.
The Profound Yin Ghost King’s eyes flickered an eerie green light as he stared towards Tu Feng’s direction of escape; however, in the end, he just snorted disdainfully and didn’t pursue him, instead joining up with the Poison King to confront Ling Tai Xu and Li Yuan Chun.
Ling Tai Xu’s expression was calm. Although he was not willing to fight against such fierce enemies, he knew that now was not the time to hesitate, using all his strength to parry his opponent.
On the other hand, Li Yuan Chun was quite depressed.
He was basically an Ancestor level character in the Endless Sea Islands. The Supreme Solitary Sect was the only super force in the Endless Sea Islands and it only had three masters who had reached the Above Immortal Ascension Boundary.
Li Yuan Chun’s status was obvious from this fact alone; in the Endless Sea Islands, no matter whom it was or what Sect they came from, they would greet him respectfully.
This time, he had come personally to War City to ask Yang Kai about the Hallowed Treasures which were stolen from their sects three hundred years ago, so it was obvious how much importance the Endless Sea Islands’ great forces placed on this issue.
However, having just arrived in War City, he had suddenly become involved in a life or death struggle.
Li Yuan Chun really didn’t care if he offended the Eight Great Families or the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land, but before completing his objective, he had been roped into fighting for a brat he had just met. This was not an outcome he had wanted to see.
In particular, fighting against masters like the Annihilating Poison King and Profound Yin Ghost King was really a thankless task.
[Just wait until we get back, I’ll force this Yang Family brat to cough up our Hallowed Treasures no matter what and then tan his ass red!] Li Yuan Chun secretly made up his mind while fighting.
With the Poison King and Ghost King blocked by Ling Tai Xu and Li Yuan Chun, Yang Kai took a moment to size up the surrounding situation; what he saw caused his blood to run cold.
Although these eight hundred or so people were all previously his enemies, seeing them now, no matter what kind of grievances or hostility he once had towards them, it no longer mattered.
Because almost all these eight hundred people had basically died.
On the ground, pools of blood, broken limbs, and chunks of flesh were scattered about randomly.
In less than the time it would take to drink a cup of tea, the masters from the seven family coalition forces had been all but wiped out by the two Great Evil Kings.
Yang Kai’s couldn’t help feeling like he was having bad dream.
Even if these two Great Evil Kings had exceedingly tyrannical strength and their techniques were specialized towards mass murder, could this group of masters really have been so easily crushed?
Sweeping his eyes around, Yang Kai’s expression suddenly became cold.
Nearby, he found that a number of people were actually scattering like birds and beast, fleeing towards the Central Capital.
These people were actually the peak level presences among this eight hundred person group.
The Ghost King and Poison King’s methods were indeed astonishing, but among this large group of people there were also many masters.
However, when they came under attack from the Ghost King and Poison King, these masters didn’t band together to fight back. Instead, many of them relied on their high strength to escape, while those who couldn’t escape suffered tragic deaths.
This was especially true of the masters from the Qiu Family, Huo Family, and Liu Family, because Qiu Yi Meng, Huo Xing Chen, and Liu Qing Yao weren’t here, so they didn’t have anyone that they needed to protect.
On the contrary, the Ye, Kang, and Gao Family’s cultivators had been devastated. Because their Young Lady and Young Lords were on the battlefield, they couldn’t easily retreat.
After Gao Rang Feng’s death, the remaining Gao Family masters didn’t continue resisting and instead turned to flee.
Of the original eight hundred or so cultivators in this group, it appeared that less than one hundred managed to escape while everyone else died at the hands of the Ghost King and Poison King without even being able to ruffle their enemies’ clothes.
“Eight Great Families indeed!” Yang Kai coldly snorted with a sardonic grin on his lips as he quickly waved, “Withdraw!”
The biggest purpose of him coming out this time was to rescue Yang Wei and Yang Zhao.
Eldest Brother Yang Wei had no real confrontation or conflict with Yang Kai and since the beginning of the Inheritance War, they had even cooperated together a couple times. Therefore, Yang Kai still had a respectful opinion of him.
As for his Second Brother, Yang Zhao, he refused to accept the position of commander of the seven family coalition. Instead, he handed over control to Ye Xin Rou. Obviously, he disdained to defeat Yang Kai with the strength of the seven families’ masters.
This gesture also made Yang Kai feel slightly heartened.
In the end, they still treated him as family, and although Second Brother Yang Zhao hadn’t hesitated to use insidious methods against him, Yang Kai couldn’t just stand idly by and watch him die when he had the power to save him.
Now that he had achieved his objective, there was no reason for Yang Kai to remain any longer so he naturally ordered a retreat.
Upon hearing his orders, the Blood Warriors who had followed him surrounded Yang Kai and protected his safety while preparing to leave.
“Yang Kai, save us!” Ye Xin Rou’s heartbreaking voice called out. Suddenly, her beautiful pupils filled with a frantic light, as if she had suddenly found a sliver of hope in this desperate situation, eagerly entreating Yang Kai.
Chapters this week is 9
Ye Xin Rou had thought there would be no escape this time, but she had never anticipated that at the last moment, Yang Kai had actually led a large group of masters over and rescued Yang Wei and Yang Zhao.
At this moment, the Profound Yin Ghost King and Annihilating Poison King were tied down dealing with Ling Tai Xu and Li Yuan Chun, so Ye Xin Rou had been left unguarded so this was a perfect opportunity for her to escape.
However, despite this fortuitous turn of events, she remained immobile. Not by choice of course. The Poison King had used some unknown method to seal her True Qi and numb her muscles, leaving her unable to walk much less run, so she could only stand in place and beg Yang Kai for help.
Hearing this plea for rescue, Yang Kai turned his head towards Ye Xin Rou and gave her a cold, callus stare.
Ye Xin Rou couldn’t help shivering under this unfeeling gaze, suddenly remembering that there were deep grievances between her and Yang Kai; in fact, only a short while ago she was using every possible method available to her to slander and ridicule him. To now suddenly try to grasp onto him as her last hope for salvation was truly a bit ridiculous.
The Poison King reacted instantly, waving his hand and sending out a thick poisonous mist to surround Ye Xin Rou and Kang Zhan, isolating them from the outside world.
“Young Master Yang, we have to go!” Li Yuan Chun anxiously shouted, he was currently under great pressure as he fought against the two Evil Kings. These two masters not only had rich, abundant True Qi and terrifying cultivation, the Secret Arts and Martial Skills they used were also strange and sinister.
Li Yuan Chun estimated that if he and Ling Tai Xu continued fighting like this, within less than a quarter of an hour they would both die.
“Retreat!” Yang Kai ordered as he hastily darted off. Following him were Yang Yu Xian, Qu Gao Yi and the other four blood warriors who were tasked to protect Yang Wei and Yang Zhao.
Ling Tai Xu and Li Yuan Chun continued to engage the enemy until the others had safely escaped before also withdrawing from the battlefield.
Launching a swift attack, Yang Kai managed to successfully save six people and retreat basically unscathed.
This reality caused both the Poison King and Ghost King’s expressions to be quite unsightly. Landing on the ground, the two of them stared quietly at the direction their opponents were fleeing, the Ghost King soon sneering, “Even if they run, where can they go? The Lord will soon arrive.”
The Poison King reached out and scattered the poisonous mist concealing Ye Xin Rou and Kang Zhan, glancing at them for a moment before grinning mockingly, “This little girl seems to be quite despised by that brat from just now. Little girl, do you think that if I hadn’t interfered that kid would have saved you?”
Ye Xin Rou was dumbstruck but after thinking about it, her pretty face couldn’t help cramping.
Remembering how Yang Kai was someone who would seek revenge for the slightest grievances and considering his cruel and selfish personality, it was quite likely he wouldn’t care about whether she lived or died.
Realizing this, her heart suddenly filled with unparalleled anger and hatred.
The Poison King and Ghost King both cackled upon seeing her like this, apparently taking great pleasure in her misfortune.
Inside War City, chaos reigned.
As Yang Kai and his group were returning to his mansion, they found that countless people were competing to escape the city.
Throughout War City, tens of thousands of people had gathered because of the Inheritance War, but now that the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land’s Great Evil Kings had appeared, naturally these people were unable to sit still.
Unfortunately, before many of them could flee, countless Monster Beasts broke through the city walls an instantly transformed the once clean streets into rivers of blood.
This wave of Monster Beasts was being driven by the Thunderbolt Beast King and was comprised of all the high-grade Monster Beasts he could find in the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land. For this attack on the Central Capital, the Thunderbolt Beast King had exerted considerable effort.
Rampaging across the ground, soaring through the sky, each of these Monster Beasts possessed terrible strength and an unquenchable blood thirst.
Of the tens of thousands of people in War City, only a few of them possessed the necessary strength to escape while most of them were trampled down by these strange-shaped Monster Beasts, unable to fight back.
The entire city was quickly drenched in the smell of blood as walls shattered, buildings burned, and the earth itself cracked under this great stampede.
On the contrary, Yang Kai complex was still safe and sound.
The Monster Beasts all had sharp instincts and seemed to know that the people gathered here weren’t easy to provoke and deliberately avoided attacking Yang Kai’s house, instead choosing to ravage other places in War City.
“Tend to their wounds!” Yang Kai sent Yang Wei, Yang Zhao, and the four Blood Warriors into the house as he issued instructions to Qiu Yi Meng.
The Qiu Family’s First Young Lady nodded quickly made arrangements.
Yang Wei and Yang Zhao had no physical injuries but they had received some impact from the poisonous gas and Soul phantoms, so they would probably recover after a couple of days of meditative healing. On the other hand, the four Blood Warriors responsible for guarding them had all taken direct hits from the Ghost and Poison Kings and would require some Myriad Drug Milk to completely dispel their body’s injuries.
It had only been around half a quarter of an hour since Yang Kai set out and returned with Yang Wei and Yang Zhao, but upon releasing his Divine Sense to the exterior of War City, his face couldn’t help sinking.
The battle outside War City had actually ended.
The Seven Grand Elders from the Seal Temple and the three Great Evil Kings had already decided a victor.
Three powerful and malevolent auras still existed, while only one out of the seven Grand Elders was still alive, and this survivor was obviously severely weakened and was rapidly approaching.
Looking up, there was a flash of light in front of him, and a bloody and broken body fell heavily from the sky, landing right in front of Yang Kai’s mansion.
Yang Kai rushed out and brought this ‘person’ back.
Everyone’s eyes fixed on this individual and couldn’t help showing a sad expression
It was none other than the fat old man from the Huo Family. He had lost half of his body, his five viscera and six organs were all broken and leaking out, both his legs were broken, and his blood had almost all drained out.
If he was an average person, with such terrible injuries, he would have died long ago.
But relying on his deep cultivation, this fat old man had actually managed to hang on to his last remaining breath and arrive here.
Huo Xing Chen, the notorious delinquent Young Lord, suddenly fell into a state of panic and despair when he saw his old Ancestor reduced to such a state and was only capable of dumbly standing in place.
“The strength of the Great Evil Kings… really lives up its reputation,” The fat old muttered, his face completely pale as he coughed up a mouthful of blood before reaching out and grabbing Yang Kai, the last trace of light slowly fading from his eyes, “Yang Family brat, if you can escape this calamity, escape as far as you can; when your strength has risen to the peak of this world, be sure to come back and take revenge for this old man!”
Yang Kai, however, just stared at him faintly, and although he felt somewhat regretful in his heart, he still shook his head slowly, “Senior, after what has transpired during this Inheritance War, the Eight Great Families no longer have anything to do with me.”
Listening to these words, the faint light in the eyes of the fat old man suddenly flared up and summoning strength he did not know he still had, actually roared, “Are you really so callus and cold hearted!?”
This roar seemed to have exhausted all his remaining strength and he powerlessly sank to the ground, “No, it is indeed my Eight Great Families who have wronged you… you… run quickly. I don’t know if there is still enough time…”
As his voice becoming smaller and weaker, these became the last words he ever spoke. The fat old man’s eyes lost all light and his body became stiff.
“Grand Elder!” Huo Xing Chen fell to his knees and wailed.
Yang Kai let out a long sigh before gently closed the old man’s vacant eyes.
In such a short time, all seven of the Grand Elders were completely wiped out. The Above Immortal Ascension Boundary which was so coveted and respected by the people of this world were actually so weak and fragile, Yang Kai didn’t know whether he should sneer or sigh.
It seemed like the seven old men from the Seal Temple really were among weakest of those who had reached the Above Immortal Ascension Boundary.
Yang Kai had yet to arrive at this realm and didn’t know anything about its mysteries so he was unable to make any further judgement.
Standing up and looking outside the compound’s walls, Yang Kai saw three people and one beast.
Tyrannical Force King, Lightning Flash Shadow King, Thunderbolt Beast King, and the Seventh-Order Monster Beast, Spider Mother !
*Shua shua…*
Two more figures quickly flew over from the opposite direction and floated mid-air.
The Annihilating Poison King and Profound Yin Ghost King had also caught up.
Five Great Evil Kings all looked down at Yang Kai’s mansion with contempt and ridicule, on their faces apparently quite relaxed but in their hearts a little curious.
They didn’t understand why the people in this house weren’t desperately trying to escape. The entire population of War City was fleeing for their lives right now, but this group of people actually seemed to think that this place was actually a safe haven.
The Tyrannical Force King grinned menacingly as he stared towards Yang Kai, revealing an interested look. He found that this young man didn’t show any signs of fear, but was instead just observing him and his fellow Evil Kings dully.
However, facing five Great Evil Kings, anyone would feel great pressure.
Everyone inside Yang Kai’s mansion right now was actually quite tense, save for a few notable exceptions.
Li Yuan Chun was even more anxious and was secretly readying himself to take Yang Kai away from here should resistance prove impossible.
“Treasurer Meng, now is the time. If you don’t act now, all of us will definitely die.” Yang Kai swept his eyes over the five Evil Kings floating in the sky as he softly called out to Meng Wu Ya.
Even until now, he did not know what card Meng Wu Ya was hiding that could ensure the safety of everyone in the house, but whatever it was, it was time for him to play it.
Meng Wu Ya nodded lightly and did not dally any longer, stretching out his hand and summoning a small, palace-shaped artifact onto his palm.
This artifact shone brilliantly and truly looked like a tiny palace seemingly carved from the most beautiful stone, exquisite in every regard.
When this small palace appeared, it immediately attracted everyone’s attention.
Yang Kai was also quite surprised, because he quickly discovered that this artifact was very different from any he had ever seen before. Even the Mysterious Grade artifacts he possessed paled in comparison to this small palace.
Yang Kai didn’t know what grade this artifact that Meng Wu Ya had summoned was, but he knew for certain it was absolutely astonishing.
Even the five Great Evil Kings had greed expressions when they saw this small palace, each of them wanting to seize it for themselves in order to study its role and function.
Only Meng Wu Ya remained indifferent as he suddenly began madly pouring his True Qi into this artifact.
With this infusion of True Qi, the little palace quickly grew, and after only a single breath of time, the small palace had expanded into a behemoth. Although it seemed to possess no physical substance, even allowing people to clearly see the buildings outside the mansion, it had actually completely covered Yang Kai’s entire house.
Looking out from the outside, Yang Kai’s complex appeared to be surrounded by a great transparent palace. Although they could still clearly see all the movements inside this palace, there seemed to be a mysterious barrier which completely blocked the five Great Evil Kings’ Divine Senses, making it impossible for them to probe beyond this palace’s walls.
The five Great Evil Kings all frowned, not quite understanding what they had just witnessed.
“Wanting to use this thin shield to block I, your father, is just wishful thinking!” The Tyrannical Force King roared, his burly figure suddenly inflating as he flexed his muscles and charged towards the newly formed palace barrier, sending out a devastating punch.
*Hong…*
A huge bang rang out, echoing through all War City, seemingly shaking the earth itself.
The Tyrannical Force King possessed the greatest physical strength in the entire world!
When exerted his full force, each of his strikes would contain a terrifying destructive power. In terms of pure strength, even Demon Lord Yang Bai was not his equal.
Against the Tyrannical Force King’s assault, all defenses in this world were meaningless.
His strength had reached a height that could only be described as a pure sublimation of power.
When the Tyrannical Force King had thrown his punch, the other four Evil Kings all wore relaxed grins, as if they could already picture the barrier Meng Wu Ya had set up smashing into smithereens.
Such was their confidence in the Force King.
But the actual result greatly differed from what they had anticipated.
The Force King’s fist landed on the transparent palace, but in response there was only a slight ripple on the barrier, while Yang Kai’s house and everyone inside remained unscathed.
On the other hand, the Tyrannical Force King was seemingly struck by a counter-force and sent tumbling a few thousand meters through the air before he finally managed to stabilize himself.
The eyes of the four other Great Evil Kings bulged as their jaws went slack, none of them able to recover from their shock for quite some time.
None of them had ever seen the Force King embarrass himself to such an extent. With his imposing figure that was at least twice as large as any other Evil King, none of them disputed his terrifying strength. Even the Poison King and Ghost King weren’t willing to fight one on one with him.
Even though his punch hadn’t used his complete strength just now, it was still not an ordinary attack, so why hadn’t this barrier even cracked?
The expressions of all the Evil Kings became serious.
Meanwhile, the people in Yang Kai’s house couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief. Although Meng Wu Ya had said he could ensure their safety, until they had witnessed for themselves the strength of this palace-like barrier, none of them had dared to believe him completely.
Seeing the Force King’s attack having no effect at all, everyone’s confidence in Meng Wu Ya surged as their tension noticeably relaxed.
The Tyrannical Force King shook his head a few times and then rapidly returned to the barrier outside Yang Kai’s house, glaring at this transparent palace with seething anger.
Seeing this, the Ghost King snickered, “Force King, was the embarrassment just now not enough for you? Come on, put some real strength into it.”
The Poison King also laughed, “Seems Force King’s strength is only at this level.”
All of the other Evil Kings seemed happy to see the Tyrannical Force King suffer a loss, each of them taking great pleasure in his misfortune.
“Bullshit!” The Tyrannical Force King roared angrily, “It’s this barrier that’s strange.”
As he spoke, he gripped his fists and let out a great bellow, his Blood Force rapidly expanding.
The Poison King and Ghost King no longer mocked, instead becoming quite solemn; they knew that the Force King was about to get serious.
The punch he had just used was probably only fifty percent of his maximum, but now the Force King was obviously going to exert his full strength.
Such a punch wasn’t something any of the other Evil Kings was willing to take head on.
But could he break this barrier? Each of the Evil Kings waited with anticipation.
Suddenly, the Force King thrust out his fist. Unlike his previous strike, this time his punch seemed slow and sluggish, something even a three-year-old child could easily dodge.
However, wherever his fist passed, space itself would fragment and the Heavens would tremble.
When this punch landed on the palace-like barrier, an unparalleled eruption of force suddenly emerged.
The ripples on the barrier this time were much larger than before, but that was all.
Once again, the Tyrannical Force King let out a pitiful scream and was sent flying like an arrow from a bow, disappearing into the distance in the blink of an eye.
The Poison King, Shadow King, Beast King, and Ghost King were all dumbfounded once more.
Everyone in Yang Kai’s house who had just now been holding their breaths suddenly erupted into cheers, their last vestiges of worry transforming into joy.
“This barrier… it’s really not ordinary.” The Poison King finally saw some clues and quietly muttered.
“This artifact is somehow different from any other I’ve ever seen.” The Ghost King also said as he fixedly stared at Meng Wu Ya.
The Force King had used his full strength yet was unable to even scratch the barrier created by this artifact. Did this world really have such a Heaven defying artifact? The Ghost King really couldn’t understand the depths of this old man, nor could he fathom what kind of heritage he possessed to actually own such an artifact.
After a while, the Tyrannical Force King once more returned, but this time there were clear traces of fresh blood around his mouth. The rebound he suffered from attacking the barrier had clearly given him some internal injuries.
“Fuck! Father doesn’t believe there is a barrier under the Heavens he can’t break!” The Tyrannical Force King’s face twisted with rage as he roared towards the sky.
“Force King, forget it. This barrier isn’t something that brute force can break.” Poison King reminded.
“Shut up!” The Tyrannical Force King glared at him and shouted, his expression practically screaming he would not rest until he had smashed open this barrier with his fists, quickly flying towards it and preparing to launch another attack.
“Idiot!” The Profound Yin Ghost King sneered dismissively.
Among the Great Evil Kings, the Tyrannical Force King’s strength was indeed superb, but in the end he was just a muscle head. Once he set his mind on something, he would follow through no matter what. No one could persuade him otherwise except for the Demon Lord, Yang Bai.
But since the Demon Lord wasn’t here, the Force King wanted to try again and the other Evil Kings knew better than to try to stop him.
For this third attempt, the Force King’s expression became incomparably dignified, as if he was dealing with a matter of great significance.
Flying forward, the Force King suddenly swung his fists rapidly, creating a flurry of phantom punches that all seemed to land on the barrier at once.
Just as the Force King’s fists reached their target, a gap suddenly opened in the barrier and Meng Wu Ya’s mouth also curled into a sly grin.
The Force King was stunned and for a moment and couldn’t control his momentum, shooting straight through the gap in front of him, the barrier rapidly closing behind him.
At the same moment, a brilliant flash of light appeared and a blurry figure instantly arrived beside the Force King, grabbing him, and pulling him back through the swiftly sealing crack in the barrier.
Before anyone could blink, the hole in the barrier had closed and the Tyrannical Force King appeared several tens of meters outside it, the Lightning Flash Shadow King still tightly gripping his shoulder.
“Quite quick!” Meng Wu Ya glanced over at the Lightning Flash Shadow King and narrowed his eyes slightly, at that moment even he hadn’t clearly seen the Shadow King’s movements.
Yang Kai was startled and only regained his composure after everything had ended.
From what had just happened, it was obvious that Meng Wu Ya had wanted to draw the Force King into the barrier.
Since this barrier was created by Meng Wu Ya, he certainly had a number of methods available to him to handle those inside it. If they could solve a Great Evil King here, it would greatly ease the current situation.
Unfortunately, the Lightning Flash Shadow King had acted faster and managed to rescue the Tyrannical Force King before the barrier could completely close.
Letting out a slight sigh, Yang Kai also felt it was a pity.
“You dare play tricks with me!?” The Force King roared, his face twisting with indignation, turning his head to the Shadow King and cursing, “Why did you pull me out? Since I was inside already I could have just slaughtered them all!”
However, the Lightning Flash Shadow King just shook his head indifferently, “Impossible, if you were trapped inside, you’d be the one to die.”
Since the other party dared play such a hand, he must have a great deal of confidence in his ability to handle the Force King. All four of the other Evil Kings realized this, only the victim himself, due to his lack of brains, still thought he had missed a golden opportunity.
Listening to this blunt truth, the Force King no longer argued back and just spat disdainfully, “This turtle shell is really hard, I have no way to break it.”
It seemed like brute force alone couldn’t destroy this barrier.
“Let us try!” The Poison King and Ghost King smiled coldly, the two of them simultaneously using their own methods to attack the barrier surrounding Yang Kai’s house, immediately submerging it in a poisonous mist filled with black shrieking ghosts.
Staring at the green and black fog engulfing the barrier and hearing the terrifying wails ring out all around them, everyone in Yang Kai’s house couldn’t help trembling slightly.
However, the poisonous fog and evil Soul phantoms were completely blocked by the palace-like barrier, without a single leak. No matter how the Ghost King and Poison King tried, they couldn’t find the slightest gap to exploit.
After a while, the Poison King and Ghost King took back their hands and let out a long sigh.
It seemed like they too were powerless.
After a moment of silence, the Ghost King said, “Sir Demon Lord will be here soon. There’s no need for us to delay here any longer. Since these cowards refuse to come out, we can just take care of them later. Might as well clean up the other random trash while we wait.”
“Good.” The Poison King nodded, “When Sir Demon Lord arrives, he will definitely break open this barrier.”
The Five Great Evil Kings glanced at each other and nodded before scattering in all directions, soon disappearing. Even the huge Spider Mother quickly followed behind the Thunderbolt Beast King.
After they left, everyone inside Yang Kai’s mansion finally truly relaxed.
Yang Kai looked at Meng Wu Ya and asked, “Treasurer Meng, can this barrier block the Demon Lord?”
In response, Meng Wu Ya proudly said, “What does that Demon Lord count for? No one can break this old master’s Heavenly Palace!”
“Heavenly Palace?” Ling Tai Xu raised his brow slightly, “Is that the name of this artifact? En, an appropriate title, no wonder Brother Meng was so confident, originally you possessed such an artifact.”
With the Heavenly Palace’s protection, the people taking refuge inside Yang Kai’s mansion were extremely safe.
“How long can this barrier be maintained?” Yang Kai asked somewhat hesitantly.
“Indefinitely.”
This time, Yang Kai was beyond shocked, realizing he had still greatly underestimated the power of the Heavenly Palace.
However, even if they had a safe haven, Yang Kai’s expression was still a little depressed; he couldn’t hide here forever after all. Turning his gaze towards the direction of the Central Capital, he couldn’t help feeling a sense of worry.
News of the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land attacking should have already reached the Central Capital, but Yang Kai didn’t know what kind of resistance they could mount. After the two sides engaged in battle, the ultimate result was uncertain.
Although his parents’ current strength wasn’t bad, they were still far too weak compared to the Great Evil Kings, not to mention the Demon Lord.
War City lay in ruins, its every inhabitant had either died or fled.
A large number of Monster Beasts arrived soon after five Great Evil Kings and tore through War City. Less than an hour later, with the exception of those inside Yang Kai’s mansion, not a single living soul remained.
Even the cultivators that had fled earlier were hunted down by the five Great Evil Kings and their Monster Beast allies.
Only a few peak level masters managed to safely evacuate to the Central Capital.
After sweeping the city with his Divine Sense, Yang Kai couldn’t help silently rejoicing.
Fortunately he and his allies had the protection of Meng Wu Ya’s Heavenly Palace, if not for this powerful artifact, whether he had lead his allies to leave here or had remained in War City and fought, the cultivators in his house would surely have suffered massive losses.
Just as Meng Wu Ya had said before, if he had chosen to flee, at most ten percent of these people would have survived.
This time, the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land had caught the Eight Great Families completely off guard.
Just as the sky was beginning to darken and evening approached, the main force of cultivators from the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land, under the leadership of Demon Lord Yang Bai, finally arrived in War City along with the Beguiling Demon Queen Shan Qing Luo.
Sweeping her eyes around at the devastated War City, the rivers of blood and mountains of corpses, Shan Qing Luo couldn’t help revealing a slightly sorrowful expression, but in her heart she was also quite anxious, because she could sense that Yang Kai was still here, not moving, possibly even captured.
After joining up with the other five Great Evil Kings and listening to their report to Yang Bai, Shan Qing Luo secretly let out a sigh of relief.
“Even you couldn’t break that barrier?” Yang Bai stared at the five Great Evil Kings questioningly, seemingly dissatisfied with the five of them.
Under this pointed gaze, the five Evil Kings trembled slightly, the Poison King quickly adding, “Sir Demon Lord, that barrier is quite unusual, we really had no way of destroying it. In this world, I’m afraid only you have to power to handle it.”
From these words, it was obvious these five Great Evil Kings had enormous confidence in Yang Bai.
Yang Bai wore an indifferent expression and casually replied, “Then let’s see it.”
In truth he too was a bit interested in this barrier artifact that could block five Evil Kings.
Arriving outside Yang Kai’s mansion, Yang Bai stared at the transparent Heavenly Palace, probing it with his tyrannical Divine Sense over and over again, not showing any intention of attacking.
All six of the Great Evil Kings stood by quietly and watched, they weren’t in a hurry anyways.
After a while, Yang Bai simply shook his head, “I can’t handle this thing.”
“What?” The crowd behind him exclaimed in shock.
All of the Great Evil Kings had personally witnessed the awe inspiring power of Demon Lord Yang Bai and each of them had no doubt he was the most powerful master in this world, so hearing such an answer from his mouth was almost unthinkable to them.
Even their Lord couldn’t break this barrier?
“Interesting, this artifact is beyond the scope of this world. It’s not something people from our realm should be able to possess. Who does it belong to?” Yang Bai showed a faint smile on his face and asked.
“That man.” The Poison King hurriedly pointed towards Meng Wu Ya.
Yang Bai immediately cast his gaze towards Meng Wu Ya. The two men stared at each other across the distance, but what was strange was that the Demon Lord actually let out a sigh, his eyes filled with respect and yearning while on the other hand, Meng Wu Ya remained carefree and indifferent, as if he was standing above the clouds staring down at an ordinary mortal.
Yang Bai turned his head again and stared at Old Demon, a grin appearing on his face as he nodded gently, “Greetings!”
“Jie jie jie jie…” Old Demon cackled lightly.
No one knew what this brief dialogue meant; it was almost as if these two were somehow old acquaintances. Only Yang Kai somewhat understood.
If his guess was right, Demon Lord Yang Bai’s Demonic Secret Art had been acquired from the Devil Lord’s body, which had been trapped under the Coiling Dragon Stream.
During those long years he had been imprisoned in the Coiling Dragon Stream, Yang Bai was able to glean some profound insights from the old Devil Lord’s body which was also why his strength had made such rapid progress, allowing him to have his current awe inspiring power.
However, the old Demon Lord’s corpse had now been taken over by Old Demon’s Soul, who had then proceeded to absorb all the Demonic Qi within the Coiling Dragon Stream.
One of them had inherited the Devil Lord’s methods; the other had taken possession of his body. The source of their current strength was the same so naturally there would be some subtle connections between them.
Yang Bai turned his head once more, his expression becoming serious as he bowed slightly and quickly said, “Master!”
In response, Ling Tai Xu snorted, his expression quite bad, “I’m not your master.”
Yang Bai straightened himself up and replied faintly, “A master for a day is a master for life. Whether you are willing to acknowledge it or not, this Yang Bai has only ever had you as his master in this life.”
Everyone in Yang Kai’s house suddenly remembered that Ling Tai Xu and the Demon Lord were actually master and disciple.
Although being able to raise such a disciple was more than enough for one to take pride in, anyone could hear just how much remorse and anger Ling Tai Xu’s voice contained.
If that day he could have been ruthless enough to directly execute him instead of crippling his cultivation and imprisoning him in the Coiling Dragon Stream, countless innocent lives could have been spared a cruel and gruesome death.
“When I heard that Master’s heart knot had been solved, this Yang Bai was very happy.” The Demon Lord stared at Ling Tai Xu and said calmly.
“Such was the gift you gave me; fortunately, this old master was able to turn misfortune into blessing.” Ling Tai Xu replied coldly.
“Master taught this disciple for many years, so naturally disciple should also bestow some gifts to Master.” Yang Bai said, not showing the slightest regret or remorse for his past actions, causing everyone from High Heaven Pavilion to frown unhappily.
Ling Tai Xu just coldly snorted and glared back at his former disciple coldly.
In the past, he had great expectations for his Second Disciple and had even secretly thought that along with his First Disciple, the two could reach the peak of the Martial Dao and had thus cultivated them diligently, but today, he had nothing but extreme disappointment for this Second Disciple.
“You must be my young Martial Nephew, yes?” Yang Bai suddenly stared at Yang Kai, his eyes flashing brilliantly, “Come to think of it, this should be our first meeting.”
“Martial Uncle, I’ve heard much about you.” Yang Kai grinned at him.
Yang Bai nodded gently, “How is your father?”
Yang Kai sneered, his eyes as frigid as ice as he coldly replied, “Many thanks for Martial Uncle’s concern, my father is currently quite well.”
“Very good.” Yang Bai nodded and said no more.
Having greeted those he should greet, and having no way of breaking through this barrier, Yang Bai apparently felt there was no need to continue wasting time here.
“Qing Luo, you stay here and monitor them. Everyone else, come with me.” Yang Bai casually said, hurriedly bowing once more towards Ling Tai Xu before leading the other five Evil Kings away.
Only Shan Qing Luo remained behind, her expression slightly awkward.
She didn’t know if Yang Bai arranging for her to remain here to monitor this place had a deeper meaning or not.
Soon, all the cultivators and Monster Beasts from the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land gathered inside War City had assembled and under the leadership of Yang Bai and the five Great Evil Kings, charged towards the Central Capital, apparently wanting to press their advantage before the Eight Great Families could rally their defences.
After everyone had left, Shan Qing Luo glanced towards Yang Kai and began walking towards the Heavenly Palace’s barrier.
At some unknown point Bi Luo had also appeared and quickly followed behind Shan Qing Luo.
Yang Kai’s people, whether they were men or women, old or young, couldn’t help staring at this world famous Beguiling Demon Queen. Even if she wasn’t using her Seduction Technique, her fascinating charm was not something ordinary people could resist.
Many young men had dull expression, as if their souls had been sucked away while the women couldn’t help compare themselves to the peerless beauty before them, giving birth to subtle inferiority complexes.
Inside this mansion, only Su Yan’s stunning appearance could be placed on par with Shan Qing Luo’s.
Perhaps Xia Ning Chang could also stand even with them, but no one here had ever seen her true face. Even Yang Kai hadn’t, so naturally they had no way to compare them. But with regards to allure, no woman here could compare with Shan Qing Luo.
“This little vixen!” The Hu Sisters both spat disdainfully, the two of them both quite aggrieved. Although they hadn’t met this woman before, they immediately classified her as a country destroying disaster.
Her soft, supple, seemingly boneless waist that swayed and twisted like an enchanting snake stirred the hearts of everyone who saw her, mesmerising them, causing them to be unable to peel their eyes away from her perfect figure, her fiery red clothes seemingly igniting passion in the souls of everyone present.
Shan Qing Luo simply smiled though as she arrived outside the barrier and glanced elegantly towards Yang Kai.
“Treasurer Meng, let her in.” Yang Kai said.
Meng Wu Ya turned to stare at Yang Kai with amazement.
“I’m old friends with her, she won’t harm us.” Yang Kai explained.
In that instant, countless pairs of eyes fixed on Yang Kai, none of them able to believe that Yang Kai had such a close relationship with such a woman.
“Why you little brat…” Meng Wu Ya said with praises equivalent to his own life time as he spoke waving his hand and opening a small gap in the barrier.
Shan Qing Luo and Bi Luo didn’t hesitate at all and walked straight in, the barrier quickly closing behind them.
In front of everyone, Shan Qing Luo gracefully bowed, “Greeting Senior Ling.”
Ling Tai Xu raised his brow slightly and hurriedly said, “There’s no need to be polite. The Beguiling Demon Queen is a famous master herself. You and I are both Above Immortal Ascension Boundary cultivators, this Ling doesn’t dare claim seniority!”
He was quite wary of the Evil Kings who followed Yang Bai, so although Shan Qing Luo wasn’t showing any hostility, Ling Tai Xu was still quite alert towards her.
Shan Qing Luo however smiled warmly and shook her head, “Senior Ling is Yang Kai’s Grand Master, therefore he is also my Senior, Yang Kai and I… our relationship is… hehe…”
Shan Qing Luo didn’t finish her words, but the deep meaning contained within them was quite intriguing.
Everyone in the house, one by one, suddenly wore ambiguous expressions, as if they had just heard some unimaginable secret. Meanwhile, Huo Xing Chen and Dong Qing Han’s faces contorted to become more ridiculous than most.
“Don’t say such misleading words.” Yang Kai wrinkled his brow.
Shan Qing Luo couldn’t help pouting lightly, her luscious red lips puffing attractively.
Meanwhile, behind her, Bi Luo clenched her jaw and made threatening gestures towards Yang Kai.
“What exactly is all this about?” Yang Kai asked in a slightly raised voice.
“What’s all this about? It’s exactly as you saw.” Shan Qing Luo replied innocently.
“Why is the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land suddenly launching an all-out attack?”
This time’s events had happened too suddenly, catching everyone by surprise.
Shan Qing Luo let out a light sigh, “It’s you that created such a good opportunity for Sir Demon Lord, and you can’t push the blame onto others.”
“You mean the Inheritance War?”
“En, the development of this Inheritance War lead to the strength of the Eight Great Families being split in two, not to mention last time you encircled the Holy Land, your side’s losses weren’t small. Now, before you’ve had a chance to recover, of course Sir Demon Lord will try to seize this once in a lifetime opportunity.”
“Can you succeed?” Yang Kai sneered.
“I don’t know if we can succeed or not.” Shan Qing Luo shook her head, “But I know that with Sir Demon Lord’s currently cultivation, no one in your Eight Great Families can stop him.”
Yang Kai’s expression darkened slightly as he turned and asked, “Just how strong is he?”
“First under Heaven.” Meng Wu Ya replied flatly, his expression also quite dim.
“Also, your Eight Great Families aren’t a monolithic force and the Central Capital is far too big. The Eight Great Families each occupy one of the Central Capital’s eight corners. If the Holy Land’s forces launch a concentrated attack on one family, will the other seven rush to their aid without hesitation?” Shan Qing Luo glanced towards Yang Kai and grinned, her expression slightly mischievous.
Yang Kai coldly snorted in response, “The Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land isn’t exactly a solid piece of iron!”
Shan Qing Luo readily nodded, “True, the people of the Holy Land are indeed more selfish than your Eight Great Families. If it wasn’t for Sir Demon Lord coordinating them now, the Holy Land’s Six Great Evil Kings would likely be fighting amongst themselves, but with Sir Demon Lord things are different. Yang Kai, you shouldn’t think optimistically about this situation. Sir Demon Lord is utterly determined to destroy the Central Capital this time, he won’t care how many of the Holy Land’s cultivators need to die in order to accomplish this. Even the life or death of us Evil Kings is meaningless to him. If necessary, I don’t doubt he’ll sacrifice all of us without hesitation as long as you can defeat your Eight Great Families.”
“Are you all willing to be used like this by him?”
“Even if we’re not willing, we can’t resist!” Shan Qing Luo shook her head helplessly.
Yang Kai stared at her and hesitated for a moment before saying, “Stay here. In this place, Yang Bai can’t do anything to you.”
However, Shan Qing Luo just smiled bitterly, “If I stay here, I really would be safe, but what about the people in my palace, in Fragrance City?”
Yang Kai was startled, immediately remembering about the three women who had taken care of him when he had stayed in Shan Qing Luo’s palace. The mature beauty Yun Li and the two beautiful girls Ruo Yu and Ruo Qing.
If Shan Qing Luo really rebelled, all those in her palace and Fragrance City would be decimated, revenge in the style of those of the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land.
Unlike the other Demon Kings, Shan Qing Luo was not a cold-blooded person. She had conflicted feelings and naturally could not answer Yang Kai’s request, even though she wishes she could.
“You either leave now, or you stay and hide here,” Shan Qing Luo sighed. “This way, you will be safe.”
After She said that, she looked at Yang Kai mournfully, then turned and left with Bi Lou.
Yang Kai had unknowingly planted the seeds of love in her mind. Over the course of their separation, this seedling had grew. Eventually, there will come a time when this seedling would become a plant with a bulb ready to bloom. At that point in time, the drawbacks of her Poison Widow Body physique would erupt.
She will desperately seek out Yang Kai, and once she does “that” with him, with overbearing and sinister Poison Widow Body physique will take effect and Yang Kai will die.
Shan Qing Luo didn’t dare to stay with Yang Kai for too long, because the more contact she had with him, the faster her attraction grew.
She must leave here to get as far away from Yang Kai as possible.
Meng Wu Ya did not bother with her as he opened the barrier and let her go.
After Shan Qing Luo’s departure, the heavy atmosphere finally lightened up.
As she said, there are only two ways out for everyone. One is to hide in the barrier of this Heavenly Palace. The other one is to escape while the Demon Lord and the other Demon Kings are gone.
They can only guarantee their own lives.
“Can’t you leave?” Meng Wu Ya looked at Yang Kai and asked.
“Where would I go?” Yang Kai smiled. Even if Central Capital was ruined, then the world is only so big that I am afraid that there would be no place for everyone to live and settle.
Yang Kai did not want to see himself or his friends fleeing and panicking like stray dogs.
“If you can’t leave, then stay, but the strength of your followers has to be raised quickly.” Meng Wu Ya turned his head and looked around. During the Inheritance War, the strength of Yang Kai’s follows indeed an overwhelming advantage.
But when the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land struck, this strength became meagre compared to what they were facing.
Many people had witnessed the overbearing strength of all of the Demon Kings. The mysterious techniques and skills that lit up the sky were still vivid in their minds, and it made everyone’s blood boil. Yang Kai couldn’t wait to upgrade his strength so he could fight on equal terms with the Demon Kings.
“No matter what the situation of Eight Great Families and Central Capital are in, we must have the strength to protect our own side.” Yang Kai thought out loud which made those who did not know what to do now have a clear idea of what to do now and with a firm grin, he said, “Since this is the case, time to cultivate.”
Everyone nodded in unison, the Heavenly Palace’s barrier was there for protection. They could raise their strength in safety without a worry.
“Senior Li, during this time I can only ask you to wait here before you return to the Endless Sea Islands.” Yang Kai said as he turned to look at Li Yuan Chun.
Li Yuan Chun’s face warped with displeasure. Although they were not willing, they could only nod and agree, “Alright.”
Although Li Yuan Chun lived in the Endless Sea Islands, at the moment he was more concerned about the state of inland. Now, he had seen artifacts that he had never heard of before, and he had also seen powerful Cultivators that Endless Sea Islands had never had. Naturally, his heart was filled with curiosity. This was not an opportunity that is easily come by, so he felt as though he should take advantage of this time to broaden his horizons.
Li Yuan Chun felt very concerned about Meng Wu Ya, as he knew that this person was always a little different from everyone else.
The palace quickly restored calm, and among the ruins, only Yang Kai House remained intact.
Everyone went about their own duties. It seemed like everything went on as normal, the cultivators cultivated, and there was no danger of a disaster suddenly befalling them.
On the same day, Yang Kai gave a large amount of Myriad Drug Liquid to Xia Ning Chang for her to practise Alchemy with.
Then, Yang Kai summoned all the Blood Warriors in the house, and gave them all a small piece of Myriad Drug Cream.
Meng Wu Ya said that Myriad Drug Cream contained hints of the Heavenly Way. With help from it, you could understand the Heavenly Way more easily.
The Myriad Drug Cream was extremely valuable, and Yang Kai didn’t have a large amount of it to begin with, but now was the time for him to use it to boost the levels of his trusted followers.
Yang Kai hopes that the Blood Warriors who had reached the peak of the Immortal Ascension Boundary will be able to see through the mystery of Above Immortal Ascension Boundary through the use of the Myriad Drug Cream.
Once successful, these Blood Warriors will be the strongest followers under his command.
Then, even if they did not have Meng Wu Ya’s Heavenly Palace, Yang Kai would still have the ability to protect himself and his followers from the harassment of the Ash Grey Cloud Evil Land.
One day later, Ying Jiu returned from the Central Capital and brought back news that left Yang Kai shocked.
The Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land besiege the Central Capital through the northwest gate with a large number of cultivators and Monstrous Beasts, raging and killing. The Gao Family suffered heavy losses due to this incursion and the Above Immortal Ascension Boundary Grand Elder of the Gao Family was killed by the Demon Lord. They whole family could not retreat to the Kang Family in the north of Central Capital
The Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land’s level of strength was astonishing and beyond everyone’s expectations.
The other six families had also sent reinforcements to join the Kang Family to face the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land together.
When Ying Jiu left the Central Capital, the two sides were confrontational but neither had made a move yet, so the result as of now was unknown.
“What is the situation of Yang Family?” Yang Kai hurriedly asked.
“The Ash Grey Cloud Evil Land has not attacked the South gate yet so Yang family has yet to make a move. There has been no problems for the time being. The Fourth Master and the Fourth Lady are safe and the family has not sent them into action.”
Hearing that his parents were not a part of the fighting, Yang Kai couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief and said, “Why did you not bring them over to meet me in war city?”
Ying Jiu shook his head, “The Central Capital is unaware of the situation in War City at the moment, but the Fourth Master and Lady are very worried about your safety.”
Yang Kai nodded lightly. This place had been scorched to the ground. Apart from his followers, there was no one living in War City, so it was hard for the Central Capital to get news from here.
“I see. Go back and rest now.” Yang Kai said, taking out a small piece of Myriad Drug Cream. Ying Jiu accepted and quickly retired.
After giving it some thought, Yang Kai called for the Golden Feather Eagle, wrote a letter and gave it to the eagle, then sent it to the Yang Family to give his mother some peace of mind and to travel to War City if possible.
However, Yang Kai knew that with his father’s personality, he would not leave the Yang Family during this time.
But since the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land entered Central Capital from the northwest corner, for a short time there will be no problems for the Yang Family. The Eight Great Families were not sheep to be slaughtered, they will adapt to the situation and it would be impossible for the Ash Grey Cloud Evil Land’s invasion to go smoothly.
After having arranged everything, Yang Kai entered secluded cultivation.
In the room, Yang Kai held his breath and sat cross-legged.
Yang Kai’s Divine Sense broke into his Knowledge Sea and his Soul spirit manifested itself. Yang Kai stood in his Knowledge Sea looking flabbergasted at the large amount of pure Spiritual Energy floating above his Knowledge Sea.
This large amount of pure Spiritual Energy was left after the Solitary Golden Eye had killed the spirit manifestation of the Ye Family’s Above Immortal Ascension Elder.
After two or three days had elapsed, Yang Kai couldn’t believe until now but the Solitary Golden Eye had destroyed the soul of an Above Immortal Ascension Boundary elder with just a golden light.
It was only at this moment that Yang Kai had time and effort to examine the pure energy that he had left after his death.
Yang Kai was surprised to find that this large group of energy wa not only pure and powerful, but also contained many wisps of law.
These wisps of law should belong to the Ya Family master, the deductions of the Heavenly Way and Martial Dao that he had accumulated over the years.
After his spirit imprint was wiped out by the Solitary Golden Eye, all his thoughts and memories were purified, leaving only the pure energy of his cultivation.
When Yang Kai noticed this, he couldn’t help but smile. He didn’t expect the Solitary Golden Eye to bring such great benefits to myself.
All the Spiritual Energy accumulated by an Above Immortal Ascension Boundary Master was obviously very strong, this was the result of hundreds of years of intense cultivation, but now it was all left in Yang Kai’s Knowledge Sea.
Yang Kai’s Soul Manifestation walked up to the mass of energy and sat down facing it, with just a thought, the enormous and pure cloud of energy was continuously drawn out into Yang Kai.
In an instant, Yang Kai felt a sense of fulfillment, as though he hasn’t eaten for days to finally have had a scrumptious feast.
Yang Kai’s Soul Manifestation was growing stronger at a speed almost visible to the naked eye.
The Knowledge Sea below roiled with towering waves up and down reflecting Yang Kai’s mood.
The huge cloud of energy was no longer the Ye Family master. It was pure energy. Anyone could easily absorb this and strengthen themselves while suffering no drawbacks from absorbing this ownerless energy.
Yang Kai was ecstatic.
With his absorption, the Soul Warming Lotus’ island gleamed brightly with colours.
It was hard to tell how much time had passed. After Yang Kai completely absorbed the cloud of pure energy, he then returned back to the world.
When he returned to his senses, Yang Kai was shocked.
With just this short retreat, Yang Kai had actually broken through another small realm, having arrived at the Immortal Ascension Boundary Third Stage and steadily moving towards the fourth stage.
The pure energy left by the death of the Above Immortal Ascension Boundary Master had actually helped him improve this much, and Yang Kai couldn’t help but ponder this point.
If he killed a few more above Immortal Ascension Boundary, and he absorbed all of the Spiritual Energy left after their death, then wouldn’t his strength sky rocket?
This thought excited Yang Kai so much he couldn’t help but be tempted.
It’s hard lose thoughts like that, but eventually Yang Kai calmed down.
Last time Yang Kai could use the Solitary Golden Eye to kill the master of Ye Family. He still doesn’t know how to manipulate the Solitary Golden Eye. If he could master this power, then his idea might not be entirely impossible.
Consider all this , Yang Kai no longer hesitated and quickly released his Divine Sense to probe the closed one-eyed, want to see if he could refine it.
This thing should be a Soul type artifact, But Yang Kai had no idea who could make such a thing, but he could kill an Above Immortal Ascension Boundary Master with this Artifact, so it was definitely not Mysterious Grade.
An artifact of the Mysterious Grade class could not hold this power.
Above Mysterious Grade was Spirit Grade, a grade only heard of in legends.
If Yang Kai had a Spirit Grade artifact, what sort of concept was that?
The Solitary Golden Eye was not any weaker than Meng Wu Ya’s Heavenly Palace.
Yang Kai’s mansion was crowded, filling with hustle and bustle.
Everyone in the mansion was densely packed into this crowd. Even the Immortal Ascension Masters were here instead of cultivating. Instead, they were here like everyone else, looking forward with an expectant look.
It had been more than a month since the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil land had invaded, everyone here was frightened and desperate. Yang Kai wanted to lead them out of the area but was blocked Ye Xin Rou’s group and The Seal Temple, forcing them to stay.
Everyone was going to die soon until Meng Wu Ya brought out the Heavenly Palace, which protected everyone and let them feel a sense of relief.
However, their future was still uncertain. Although the world was big, there was nowhere except Yang Kai’s mansion that is a hundred percent safe for them.
But today, more than a month later, these cultivators were all excited, with smiles on the face, each one was filled with energy, full of hope for their future prospects. They were no longer dejected like they were a month before.
In the front of these people, there were two huge pools with unknown liquids filled them. These ponds had all kinds of treasured herds floating through it, which fused the air with an overpowering fragrance. It was so strong that Yang Kai’s Mansion completely with its fragrance. Having taken a whiff of this fragrance would anyone’s body float into the clouds and relax in comfort.
At the moment inside the two pools was full of people, who seem to be meditating.
The magical powers of the pool are used to wash away the impurities in these cultivators bodies.
Underneath the pool, there were faint traces of a spirit array. At the moment, these Spirit Arrays were emitting a faint glow. With the Spirit Arrays at work, the potency of the pool water was continuously catalyzed and absorbed by the cultivators.
From time to time, one of the cultivators achieved a breakthrough and successfully achieve the next minor realm.
When that happened, the people who broke through would be excited, and the crowds would loudly cheer in delight.
It seemed because of all the breakthroughs that the Spiritual Energy of the entire War City was becoming chaotic.
“The pool made by that Young Lady Xia from High Heaven Pavilion is rumored to have a greater effect than the Yang Family’s Dragon Transformation Pond. It really has the effect of cleansing the body. No matter how bad your aptitude is, as long as you soak for a few days, it gets rid of all impurities, so that your potential will skyrocket.” a skinny young man said excitedly to the person next to him, with his fists clenched, expressing his excitement.
“It’s not rumored to be, but it really is better.” The person next to the skinny man continued. “You see the scene of so many people breaking through together? I thought that the mysterious pills gifted by the Young Lord had transformed our aptitude well enough, but I didn’t expect that we could go even further.”
“The Yang Family Dragon Transformation Pond is a magical place. I heard that in Yang Family, only those who have high aptitude and have made huge contributions to the family are eligible to enter it and gain some benefits from it. Just because one can obtain these small benefits, the Yang Family made it a ‘holy land’, and even compete with each other for it. But if you think about it, and compare the rumored benefits to the Pond we are in right now, ours is way better.” A third person excitedly chimed in, to which the first person remarked: “I heard that the Young Lord once wanted to enter the Dragon Transformation Pond when he was young but got rejected by the Yang Family to no end. In my opinion, those Yang Family were all blind. With the blinding talent and power that the Young Lord have, how could they reject him?”
“Don’t speak badly of the Yang Family’s business. The Yang Family was unfair to Little Lord but the Little Lord is still a part of the Yang Family. We should not criticize them for being short-sighted.”
“Yes, you’re right.”
“We are still waiting to enter the Dragon Transformation Pond. The Cultivators from the Reflecting Moon Sect soaked in the pool for only three days and broke directly from the True Element Boundary Seventh Stage to the peak of True Element Boundary and is now attempting to break into the Immortal Ascension Boundary. We can’t lag behind him!”
“Hey, the next batch is our Soaring Feather Pavilion. I really look forward to it. Those Tian Yuan City’s idiots, not only are they dead, but they also lost such a great opportunity.” People laughed sarcastically, gloating at others misfortune.
Before the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land invaded, Liu Fei Sheng of Tian Yuan City led their people and left Yang Kai’s group and came under Ye Xin Rou, which made Yang Kai’s followers ridicule them quite often.
Under the joint attack of Profound Yin Ghost King and Annihilating Poison King, the people of Tian Yuan City had all been killed.
Everyone’s eyes were filled with looks of expectation as all kinds of conversation rang throughout the crowd.
Yang Kai came out of his lengthy seclusion. He did not refine the Solitary Golden Eye, because he felt as though it did not require refinement.
The Solitary Golden Eye was more like the eyes of a person or a Monster Beast.
Even without refining the Solitary Golden Eye, Yang Kai’s Divine Sense was compatible with it, but for the time being Yang Kai didn’t know how to control it.
Yang Kai soon noticed the smell of medicine in the house, Yang Kai then searched around him, finding no one.
Yang Kai released his Divine Sense, and soon noticed the anomalies throughout the mansion, and quickly rushed to the crowd.
”What happened?” Yang Kai thought that something went wrong and hurriedly asked the closest person.
Hearing his voice, Qiu Yi Meng called to Yang Kai from a high platform not far from the two pools, “Yang Kai, come up here.”
Yang Kai’s figure quickly flew to the high platform. He turned and looked around, startled at what he saw.
Everyone was gathered next to the pools filled with herbs and people, Yang Kai took a closer look and found that the people soaking were all those of the Blood Battle Gang.
By Qiu Yi Meng’s side also on the high platform, the leaders of the younger generation all looked at Yang Kai with gratitude.
”What is the situation?” Yang Kai did not understand what had happened.
True Qi started to float around the members of the Blood Battle Gang, they were apparently on the edge of a breakthrough.
”Ask your Little Senior Sister, she is the one that set this up. All I know is that this is remarkable.” Qiu Yi Meng smiled and pushed Xia Ning Chang out.
”Little Senior Sister, what happened?” Yang Kai gazed at the veiled Xia Ning Chang.
The latter whispered, “Didn’t you give me a lot of Myriad Drug Liquid? Alchemy doesn’t use that much, and there hasn’t been much alchemy being performed for a while, so I wanted to use the Myriad Drug Liquid to help your followers improve their aptitude.”
“How is it done?” Yang Kai knows that long-term use of Myriad Drug Liquid can help people cleanse their body, but the pools are taking effect much faster than just using the Myriad Drug Liquid.
“Think of the people as the pill.” Xia Ning Chang whispered.
“What? Think of the people as the pill?” Yang Kai was shocked again.
“I found a method in the Spirit Array that you taught me, using Spirit Array with the Myriad Drug Liquid and other rare materials can stimulate the efficacy of these materials to start the effect in the shortest time. They expel the impurities in their bodies and refine them in a way similar to Alchemy,” Xia Ning Chang explained.
Other Alchemist purely focus on Alchemy, but Little Senior Sister had gone beyond this level. She can now refine people.
Little Senior Sister’s powerful and excellent aptitude is obvious now.
Yang Kai quietly asked, “There won’t be any side effects?”
“No.” Xia Ning Chang shook her head. “But even if you do this, although it works quickly, and can help people can break through several small levels rapidly, it is still better to use the Myriad Drug Liquid over an extended time.”
“This is enough.” Yang Kai nodded gently. To give his followers such opportunities, Yang Kai was already satisfied.
Yang Kai did not expect that Xia Ning Chang could do such a thing with the Myriad Drug Liquid.
When used in this way, the strength of Yang Kai’s followers could increase rapidly, and their ability to protect themselves would be greatly enhanced.
Most importantly, with the improvements of a small realm and improvements to their own physique, it was undoubtedly a great boost to previously downtrodden morale.
Yang Kai could tell from the cultivators’ faces. There was no longer a look of confusion or despair, they all had looks of excitement.
After the two of them finished their conversation, Qiu Yi Meng smiled and said, “The Blood Battle Gang has been cultivating in the pools for two days. Every three days the group of people will change, and those three days is the optimum time in the pool. Any more than that it would be useless.”
Huo Xing Chen was annoyed at the side, “If it weren’t for my father, all the people I recruited would be able to benefit from this opportunity as well.”
“I agree, if it weren’t for my father, my Qiu Family’s Autumn Rain Hall could have benefited from this as well.” Qiu Yi Meng said regrettably.
The people of the Autumn Rain Hall had paid a lot for Yang Kai during the Inheritance War, but they were recalled by Qiu Shou Cheng at the last minute.
If they stay until now, they could have certainly enjoyed this treatment.
“My old man is too wicked, he’s not suitable for the position Patriarch anymore.” Huo Xing Chen said with a fierce look of annoyance.
“You all don’t have to gather here. Go do what you need to do, let’s leave a few people here to keep the order.” Yang Kai said, “Remember to come to my room tonight, I have something to give you.”
Nowadays, the existence of Myriad Drug Liquid was not a secret. The leaders of the younger generation in Yang Kai’s followers during The Inheritance War were all present, regardless of the amount they contributed during the Inheritance War, so Yang Kai intended to let them get some benefits.
When they heard Yang Kai say that, everyone’s eyes lit up with excitement as they looked forward to it.
Qiu Yi Meng glanced over to Yang Kai and said, “At least you have some conscience in you. Else, we would have never been as loyal to you as we are now.
It was clear that Qiu Yi Meng was angry with him, and Yang Kai couldn’t bear it. So, he pretended that he didn’t hear it, but then heard a voice shouting, “Young Master Yang, Young Master Yang!”
Yang Kai looked down for the source of the sound and found that it was Li Yuan Chun of the Endless Sea Islands Supreme Solitary Sect beckoning him.
“Senior Li, come up and let’s talk.” Yang Kai smiled.
Li Yuan Chun arrived at the high platform with a flash and laughed a little. he quietly spoke, “Young Master Yang, I haven’t seen you for a long time.”
“A long time?” While Yang Kai was in seclusion he did not keep track of time, thus he didn’t know how much time had passed.
“It’s been more than a month.” Li Yuan Chun said.
“So long?” Yang Kai’s brow furrowed slightly before immediately smiling, “If Senior Li is concerned about the various Hallowed Treasures, there’s no need to worry, since I have given my word, once the current danger has been resolved, I will definitely return them.”
Yang Kai held no malicious intent towards Li Yuan Chun.
Perhaps when he and the Endless Sea Islands envoys had just arrived, Yang Kai had been a little annoyed with them, but as the situation evolved, he had made up his mind to ride out the storm together with them.
Most importantly, the Endless Sea Islands group wasn’t weak, consisting of more than fifty Immortal Ascension Boundary experts and an Above Immortal Ascension Boundary master. They were a powerful boost.
How could Yang Kai easily let them go? Facing the current life or death crisis, such a powerful ally would greatly improve his chances of survival. Even if all of them had only been True Element Boundary cultivators, Yang Kai wouldn’t have let them go.
Therefore, even if his practice of forcing them to remain by holding their Hallowed Treasures hostage was somewhat underhanded, Yang Kai didn’t hesitate to do so.
Both times Li Yuan Chun had previously spoken with Yang Kai, it had been about this issue. Therefore, when Li Yuan Chun took the initiative to speak to him, Yang Kai naturally thought he wanted to discuss the return of the Hallowed Treasures and quickly expressed his attitude.
However, to his surprise, Li Yuan Chun instead smiled and waved, “This old master isn’t here to discuss my Sects’ Hallowed Treasures.”
“Oh? What advice does Senior have?” Yang Kai raised his eyebrow and asked curiously.
Li Yuan Chun laughed awkwardly, hesitating for a moment before gritting his teeth and continuing, “I was wondering if Young Master Yang would be willing to let my Endless Sea Islands’ people also use this medicinal bath?”
The efficacy of Xia Ning Chang’s mysterious medicinal bath was simply too astonishing. The True Element Boundary cultivators who had entered it, within a few days, would without exception have their cultivations rise by at least one minor realm. Some of them even breaking through up to three minor realms! Almost every day someone would achieve a breakthrough inside this bath.
Such a grand matter happening within the mansion had obviously not gone unnoticed by the Endless Sea Islands group, causing many of their eyes to glow red with envy
All of them had expressed a desire to enter this medicinal bath and cleanse their bodies.
Unfortunately, for the past month, Yang Kai had been in retreat, but sensing him emerge today, Li Yuan Chun had hurriedly come to speak with him.
After making this request, Li Yuan Chun stared at Yang Kai quietly as his heartbeat raced; wondering if this Young Master Yang would refuse. After all, the people from the Endless Sea Islands weren’t his friends or allies, they were barely even acquaintances, and they had only come seeking him in order to ask him to return their lost property.
If Yang Kai refused, it would only be natural.
But surprisingly, Yang Kai just turned to Xia Ning Chang and asked, “Does soaking in this medicinal bath have any benefit for Immortal Ascension Boundary masters?”
“En,” Little Senior Sister nodded lightly before glancing over at Li Yuan Chun, smiling somewhat helplessly, “But it’s useless for those at the Above Immortal Ascension Boundary.”
“This old master doesn’t matter,” Li Yuan Chun quickly said, “I don’t need to go in.”
“What about materials? Is there enough?” Yang Kai continued.
Xia Ning Chang pondered for a moment before nodding lightly.
The herbs in the medicinal pool had to be changed every three days, resulting in a large consumption of resources. Three days was also the amount of time it would take a cultivator to gain the maximum amount of benefit from this medicinal bath.
As such, every time the herbs were replaced, a new batch of cultivators would enter the medicinal bath to cleanse their bodies and improve their physiques.
“Since there’s enough then arrange for our Endless Sea Islands guests to have a turn.” Yang Kai said decisively.
Qiu Yi Meng nodded before quickly making a plan; looking over at Li Yuan Chun with a smile a moment later, “Senior Li, the Endless Sea Islands cultivators will be scheduled after all the other forces in the mansion have had their turn, but please rest assured that even if it is the last batch, the quality of the medicinal bath will not be any different.”
Li Yuan Chun was overjoyed, not having expected Yang Kai to so readily agree to this request, quickly saying, “Many thanks for your generosity, Young Master Yang.”
“No need to be so polite,” Yang Kai said with a friendly smile, “From now on, all of us are one big family, regarding such benefits; we’ll all have a share.”
“Haha…” Li Yuan Chun’s face twitched slightly, silently thinking to himself that it would be quite embarrassing when the time came to ask Yang Kai about the Supreme Solitary Seal again.
However, such things didn’t matter anymore. Since Yang Kai had already declared he would return their Hallowed Treasures, it was only a matter of time before he fulfilled his promise.
During the past month while Yang Kai had been in secluded cultivation, it seemed as if a cultivation frenzy had erupted within the mansion. Without having to worry about their immediate safety, everyone naturally wanted to improve their ability to defend themselves and were working hard towards that end.
Not only were the major forces taking advantage of Xia Ning Chang’s medicinal bath to improve their physiques, Yang Kai nine Blood Warriors had also all entered retreat.
Even the four Blood Warriors serving Yang Wei and Yang Zhao who Yang Kai had previously rescued didn’t dare to relax.
After having Qiu Yi Meng brief him about the situation in the house over the past month, Yang Kai was quite pleased.
The people in his mansion had not been disheartened by the invasion of the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land and were instead even more motivated to improve themselves.
After handling these matters, Yang Kai left and went straight to Meng Wu Ya’s room.
Inside Meng Wu Ya’s room, only the trio of Ling Tai Xu, Old Demon, and Treasurer Meng sat.
These three old men often gathered together to discuss the Martial Dao and exchange their unique sentiments regarding the Heavenly Way. Ling Tai Xu was a listener for the most part and had gained a great deal from the other two, seemingly having achieved some breakthroughs this past month. However, Meng Wu Ya and Old Demon’s frequent disagreements raised quite a racket.
The scene was lively as always today.
When Yang Kai arrived, the two old men were passionately arguing about one topic or another while Ling Tai Xu sat to the side and smiled lightly, absorbing anything useful from this discussion he could.
Different paths lead to different outcomes, and such sentiments was fully portrayed by Meng Wu Ya and Old Demon. Despite the two of them both being incredible masters, they had achieved their strength through very different means so they naturally had many points of disagreement about the Martial Dao.
However, despite the paths they traveled being very different and their comprehension of the Heavenly Way essentially being polar opposites; their ultimate goal was actually the same.
“Three Seniors seem to be quite enthusiastic,” Yang Kai smiled and sat down in front of them.
Meng Wu Ya and Old Demon stopped their quarrel and the three old men all glanced over at Yang Kai suspiciously for a moment, a look of surprise soon flashing across their faces, “Did you break through again?”
Since Yang Kai broke through to the Immortal Ascension Boundary, his strength has progressed incredibly rapidly, reaching the Second Stage after only ten days and now, after slightly more than a month, breaking through once more to the Immortal Ascension Boundary Third Stage.
Even the well-traveled and experienced Meng Wu Ya couldn’t help feeling shocked by Yang Kai’s blistering cultivation pace.
On the other hand, Yang Kai stared at Old Demon with amazement, smiling happily, “Old Demon, have you broken through to the Above Immortal Ascension Boundary?”
Old Demon laughed and nodded, “With the precious gift Young Master granted, this old servant easily broke through.”
Yang Kai nodded lightly in approval. Meng Wu Ya had also said that Old Demon had the foundation and insight into the mysteries of the Above Immortal Ascension Boundary and only because his original body had been destroyed had his strength dropped to the Peak Immortal Ascension Boundary.
With the assistance of the Myriad Drug Cream, it really had been a simple matter for him to reach the Above Immortal Ascension Boundary.
“What matters are you here to discuss this time?” Meng Wu Ya looked at Yang Kai and asked.
Yang Kai took a deep breath and adjusted his expression before asking, “Treasurer Meng, I remember more than a month ago you said that Demon Lord Yang Bai’s strength was First Under the Heavens, right?”
“Correct.” Meng Wu Ya nodded, his expression also becoming somewhat dignified.
“Even if you release your seal, are you not his match?”
“No. I’ll still fall slightly short of his strength.” Meng Wu Ya slowly shook his head.
“I see. I want to know what kind of realm Yang Bai has reached and what kind of realm all of you have achieved. What exactly is the Above Immortal Ascension Boundary and why does it differ so much from all the previous Great Realms?” Yang Kai asked a series of questions he had been seeking answers for these past few years.
Listening to him ask these questions, the three old men exchanged a glance.
Eventually, Meng Wu Ya sighed and said, “I didn’t want to explain this realm to you too early because the more you know the more impact it would have on your development.”
“Are you afraid I would lose my way and aim too high?” Yang Kai raised his eyebrows.
“I feared that you would become discouraged,” Meng Wu Ya smiled, “But now it seems I should explain to you just what kind of strength the enemy you are facing has.”
Pausing for a moment, Meng Wu Ya seemed to be consider how best to explain things to Yang Kai, a while later continuing, “This world’s common people call the level above the Immortal Ascension Boundary the Above Immortal Ascension Boundary because they don’t truly understand what kind of Great Realm it is. I can tell you now though that this realm is not called the Above Immortal Ascension Boundary, that’s just a title given to this world’s peak level masters. It actually has a formal name.”
Yang Kai suddenly held his breath, secretly thinking to himself that Meng Wu Ya was about to reveal some ancient secret that remained unknown in his current world.
“The realm after the Immortal Ascension Boundary is called the Transcendent Realm!” Meng Wu Ya quickly said.
“The Transcendent Realm?”
“When one transcends beyond the realm of mortals, they reach the Transcendent Realm. When you reach this level, you can no longer be considered a mere mortal since you have shed the shackles of the mundane world.”
“What does that mean?”
“To those who have reached the Transcendent Realm, everyone at or below the Immortal Ascension Boundary is a mortal. The gap is similar to the gulf between cultivators and average humans. As such, when cultivators at or below the Immortal Ascension Boundary face off against those at the Transcendent Realm, they basically have no way to fight back.”
Yang Kai furrowed his brow slightly; Meng Wu Ya’s explanation was too general, so he couldn’t understand the mysteries of the Transcendent Realm. It seemed like he could only wait until he really broke through to this level before he could truly comprehend what all of this meant.
“The Above Immortal Ascension Boundary masters you’ve met so far are all Transcendent Realm cultivators. However, this realm is somewhat different from the ones before, the division of strength isn’t as detailed. The Immortal Ascension Boundary is separated into nine stages, but because achieving breakthroughs in the Transcendent Realm is significantly more difficult. Each time one advances a minor realm, the increase in their strength is much greater.”
“Oh, how is the Transcendent Realm divided?” Yang Kai asked curiously.
“It only has three stages!”
“Three stages?” Yang Kai couldn’t help feeling a bit stunned.
“En, First Order Transcendent, Second Order Transcendent, and Third Order Transcendent!” Meng Wu Ya explained, “Those eight people in the Seal Temple were all First Order Transcendent cultivators. Of those from your Eight Great Families, and even this entire whole world, ninety percent are First Order Transcendent Realm cultivators, and because their comprehension of the Martial Dao and Heavenly Way are limited, they are unable to advance their cultivation any further.”
Meng Wu Ya smiled and said, “That Li Yuan Chun has quite a solid foundation and has reached the limits of the First Order, so he’s quite a bit stronger than an average First Order Transcendent, but without someone to guide him, this will be the limit of his life’s achievements, he’ll forever be unable to break through to Second Order.”
“What about the three of you?” Yang Kai asked curiously.
“Us?” Meng Wu Ya smiled and pointed to Old Demon, “Because he only recently broke through, this old devil is just an ordinary First Order Transcendent, but since he has previously experienced this realm, coupled with his foundation and experience, he is quite a bit stronger than average. Also, in the future, he won’t experience any bottlenecks when trying to break through.”
“Seems your future is bright.” Yang Kai smiled towards Old Demon, the latter shaking his head slightly as he grinned proudly.
“Brother Ling, a month ago, was the same as Li Yuan Chun, also at the peak of the First Order, but now… he has already broken through to the Second Order.”
Yang Kai was quite pleased to hear this and cupped his fists towards Ling Tai Xu happily, “Congratulations, Grand Master.”
No wonder he felt like his Grand Master was somewhat different from the last time he had seen him, it turns out his cultivation had risen significantly this past month.
“As for this old master…” Meng Wu Ya hesitated for a moment, “After breaking through this seal, my limit will probably be a Second Order Transcendent.”
Meng Wu Ya’s voice contained neither arrogance nor pride, speaking in a flat tone seemingly with a hint of dissatisfaction at the strength he would be able to display after breaking his seal.
Yang Kai’s expression couldn’t help cramping slightly as a result. If Meng Wu Ya wasn’t satisfied with being a Second Order Transcendent, just how much higher was his vision?
“What about the six Evil Kings and Demon Lord Yang Bai?” Yang Kai’s expression became dignified.
“Besides that woman, those Evil Kings area all Second Order Transcendents. The Tyrannical Force King and Lightning Flash Shadow King are even comparable to this old master after my seal is released. That woman is slightly worse than them, only a First Order Transcendent. After all, she is still quite young, but achieving such cultivation at her age is already quite shocking.”
“Shan Qing Luo has a special constitution; she seems to have inherited much of her cultivation from her mother.” Yang Kai supplemented.
“No wonder,” Meng Wu Ya suddenly understood. It seems he had been quite concerned about Shan Qing Luo, wondering how she had reached the Transcendent Realm at her age.
“As for Demon Lord Yang Bai… You should be able to guess.”
“Third Order Transcendent?” Yang Kai asked.
“Indeed!” Meng Wu Ya’s nodded, his expression solemn, “In this world he is the only Third Order Transcendent! None of your Central Capital Eight Great Families have such a character!”
Ling Tai Xu sighed, “You should understand now why we could easily defeat those eight old men that night, and why more than a month ago those seven died at the hands of only three Great Evil Kings, right?”
“I understand.” Yang Kai nodded.
Before hearing about how the Transcendent Realm was divided, it was quite difficult for Yang Kai to accept how the seven Grand Elders were killed by the three Evil Kings in just half cup of tea’s worth of time.
But now that he understood the hierarchy of this realm, Yang Kai also realized just how much of a gap in strength there was between the two parties.
The seven Grand Elders were all First Order Transcendent cultivators, facing three Second Order Transcendent Evil Kings and a Seventh-Order Monster Beast, how could they possibly resist?
Not only did the common people of this world not have a clear understanding of the ‘Above Immortal Ascension Boundary’, even the masters who had broken through to this realm had a rather poor grasp of its intricacies.
On the other hand, Meng Wu Ya had seen through everything with a single glance.
“Your Central Capital Eight Great Families have four or five Transcendent Realm masters each, but at most, each family only has one Second Order powerhouse. Some of them don’t even have such a character. In terms of pure numbers, your Eight Great Families have an absolute advantage when it comes to Transcendent Realm masters, but the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land has Yang Bai… and his existence is a huge variable…”
“What are the Central Capital’s prospects?”
“I don’t know.” Meng Wu Ya shook his head, “Given the current situation, no one can predict what the final outcome will be.”
Yang Kai sighed softly.
“This was why this old master hesitated to tell you the secrets of the Transcendent Realm. I was worried that you would become depressed when you realized how low your real strength was,” Meng Wu Ya smiled and shook his head. “You think the so-called Above Immortal Ascension Boundary was the peak of the Martial Dao, when in fact, it’s not.”
“Depressed?” Yang Kai suddenly grinned, “I am not depressed. Instead, I finally feel like my goal has become clearer.”
The three old men all looked at Yang Kai in amazement, each of them wearing a satisfied smile a moment later.
Before knowing the secrets of the Transcendent Realm, Yang Kai’s aim really was to simply reach the Above Immortal Ascension Boundary, but after listening to Meng Wu Ya say so much, the Third Order Transcendent Realm had become his new objective.
The three old men sudden felt like they could foresee Yang Kai striving diligently towards this goal. Perhaps it would be five years later, ten years later, or even longer, but one day he would eventually climb to this peak.
After receiving Meng Wu Ya’s lecture, Yang Kai was fully motivated and immediately went to find Su Yan, who sat upon the ice crystal bed and began cultivating together with him.
Everything in the mansion proceeded in a calm and orderly manner.
Another month later, all the various forces’ cultivators had cleansed their bodies in Xia Ning Chang’s medicinal bath, and even the fifty or so Immortal Ascension Boundary masters from the Endless Sea Islands had obtained great benefits.
After receiving batches of Mysterious Grade pills refined by the Pill Room, many of them began thinking it would be best if they could stay here longer. Originally, this group of Endless Sea Islands envoys had only wanted Yang Kai to return their Sects’ Hallowed Treasures so they could quickly leave.
But after staying here for two months and receiving various astonishing advantages, many were no longer in such a rush to go.
After another month, Yang Kai’s nine Blood Warriors finally emerged from their secluded cultivation with good news.
With the help of the Myriad Drug Cream, after this three month retreat they had all broken through to the Transcendent Realm.
The day when all of them broke through brought about an amazing series of atmospheric phenomenon. This Heavenly vision lasted for half a month as each of the nine Blood Warriors completed their respective breakthroughs.
Li Yuan Chun and the cultivators from the Endless Sea Islands were all stunned.
Throughout the entire Endless Sea Islands, only Supreme Solitary Sect had multiple Transcendent Realm masters, and even then there were only three of them.
But inside Yang Kai’s house, they had witnessed the birth of nine such powerhouses. For a moment, all of them couldn’t help feeling a sense of awe, respect, and doubt.
It was unreasonable to think that it was a coincidence that these nine people had all broken through in such a short period of time; but if this was not a coincidence, the implications were deeply profound.
Did the Youngest Young Lord of the Yang Family have a method to allow masters to reach the Above Immortal Ascension Boundary? Imagining such a possibility, Li Yuan Chun couldn’t help trembling slightly.
If this was really the case, then this Young Master Yang would one day be able to grasp the Heavens in his hand.
Regarding such a person, the only option was to be on good terms. Offending them was absolutely forbidden!
The breakthroughs of Tu Feng and the other Blood Warriors even surprised themselves.
Before the start of the Inheritance War, all nine of them were only Immortal Ascension Boundary Eighth Stage cultivators. Although they had all been working towards the goal of the Transcendent Realm, none of them had absolute confidence they would achieve such a height.
Since the establishment of the Yang Family’s Blood Warrior Hall, the only Blood Warrior who had reached the Transcendent Realm and obtained the position of Yang Family Grand Elder was Huang Jiu Zhou.
The current Blood Warrior Hall’s Hall Master Feng Sheng and Deputy Hall Master Zhou Feng had both reached the Peak Immortal Ascension Boundary for many years, but their bottlenecks had never once shown signs of loosening.
Among the nine Blood Warriors in Yang Kai’s mansion, only Qu Gao Yi and Ying Jiu’s aptitude was comparable to Feng Sheng and Zhou Feng, receiving the optimistic expectations of the Yang Family that they would one day reach the Above Immortal Ascension Boundary.
But today, all nine of them had actually broken through to this realm.
This shocking reality made all of them suddenly wonder if they were actually experiencing a wonderful dream.
After this spectacular nine-person breakthrough, all of the Blood Warriors were summoned by Meng Wu Ya. From Meng Wu Ya, they received a huge amount of valuable knowledge and insight into the Transcendent Realm.
This kind of information was not something even the Eight Great Families could teach them.
All of them reaped a great harvest during these lectures, illuminating the path before them.
The four Blood Warriors who had originally been following Yang Wei and Yang Zhao were also now under Yang Kai’s command and were being vigorously cultivated with the mansion’s resources. After more than three months, the four of them had arrived at the Immortal Ascension Boundary Ninth Stage and after receiving a drop of Myriad Drug Cream from Yang Kai, had all entered secluded retreat.
As long as there were no accidents, within a few months, these four would also catch up with the pace of the other nine Blood Warriors.
The increase in strength of the Blood Warriors was breathtaking, but the progress of the other cultivators in the mansion was also very fast.
After cleansing their bodies and improving their aptitudes and physiques, everyone in the mansion experienced a remarkable increase in the rate and efficiency of their cultivation. This was especially true for the various younger generation leaders, their aptitudes had originally been much better than ordinary people, so after this transformation, they had all become extraordinary geniuses.
Everyone in the house was thriving as if the chaos and turmoil of the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land invasion had nothing to do with them.
However, Yang Kai never once gave up monitoring the activity in and around the Central Capital.
Shan Qing Luo was still loitering about War City under the guise of monitoring Yang Kai. From her, Yang Kai managed to obtain a variety of accurate and up-to-date information.
The Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land’s forces initial incursion into the Central Capital had been in the Gao Family’s territory. After making short work of this region, they had quickly expanded outwards.
With Yang Bai’s tyrannical power and the incredible strength of the five Evil Kings, the masters from the Eight Great Families suffered one loss after another.
The Meng Family, Kang Family, and Qiu Family all withdrew from the land they had inherited for countless years and sought refuge in the territories of the other Eight Great Families.
Three months after the invasion began; half of the Central Capital had fallen to the enemy.
The vast Central Capital City had been divided into two, the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land’s forces occupying the northern half while the Eight Great Families, centred around the Yang Family, occupied the southern districts.
Three months of battle had caused heavy casualties on both sides, and more than a dozen Transcendent Realm powerhouses had fallen. Although most of these deaths were from the Eight Great Families’ side, four or five Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land Transcendents had also died.
As for those below the Transcendent Realm, the numbers of dead or injured were uncountable.
The Central Capital was filled with mournful wails and the rancid smell of corpses blanketed the entire city.
It was only recently that the fighting between the two sides reached a kind of stalemate and the situation eased somewhat.
The Eight Great Families had immediately issued a Conscription Command to the entire Great Han Dynasty asking the major families and Sects to send reinforcements to the Central Capital.
This was, in fact, the second time they had issued such a Conscription Command, the first time being when the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land had begun its assault three months ago.
However, at the time, there were very few respondents.
These past few hundred years, the Eight Great Families had represented the pinnacle of power, yet now the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land was fighting evenly with them. No family dared to deliver their elite forces into the hands of the Eight Great Families because doing so would be the same as sending their core members to be sacrificed as cannon fodder, likely resulting in massive casualties.
Once that happened, their families would be finished!
It was precisely because of this concern that when the Eight Great Families and the Central Capital fell into danger. They did not receive much support, an ironic twist of fate.
In Su Yan’s room, the temperature was cold enough that white mist was clearly visible when breathed on.
This room was specifically remodelled for Su Yan. Only by using the ice crystal bed to cultivate could she maximise her efficiency, but not everyone in the mansion was able to withstand the profound chill it gave off.
When the members of High Heaven Pavilion arrived, Yang Kai specially created this space for Su Yan.
At this moment, inside the room, Yang Kai and Su Yan were sitting opposite each other on the ice crystal bed, their pure True Qi gently merging and creating a beautiful flow of light that circulated between them.
As their True Qi circulated, some indistinct yet beneficial changes continuously occurred.
A radiant hue blossomed from their bodies and grew in intensity until it filled the entire room, dying this previously monotonous icy room in vibrant colour.
This fluorescence became more and more dazzling as the pair’s True Qi, sentiments, and Souls connected, blurring the line between where one ended and the other began, as if the two of them had become a single entity.
A great dragon roar resounded, and in the next moment an immense dragon head emerged from behind Yang Kai.
This dragon phantom leapt from Yang Kai’s body, its entire form releasing a blinding golden light as it swam through the air.
At the same time, the crisp Phoenix cry was also heard.
From Su Yan’s back, a crystal white Ice Phoenix appeared.
This noble and elegant Ice Phoenix chased after the majestic Golden Dragon, the two of them entangling with one another before soaring into the sky.
Accompanied by a great burst of wind, the dragon roars and phoenix cries instantly stirred the world.
As this disturbance grew, two seemingly opposite energies blended together, but instead of repelling each other, they seemed to be coordinating with one another, complementing and strengthening each other.
The whole house became active and countless people ran out of their rooms to stare at the Golden Dragon and Ice Phoenix dancing in the sky.
No one knew why such a heavenly manifestation had suddenly appeared.
“I’ve seen this somewhere before…” Someone suddenly murmured.
They were right; the people from Storm Hall, Blood Battle Gang, and High Heaven Pavilion were not strangers to this scene.
Five or six years ago, at the Blood Battle Gang’s ore mine, this very same dragon and phoenix couple had once appeared when the Inheritance Heaven’s Cave opened, after which the three Sects joined forces to send their respective elites inside to seek for opportunities.
Although the disciples from the three Sects that entered had indeed obtained a lot of benefits, in the end, no one knew who had won the main dragon phoenix inheritance.
Now, after so many years seeing this dazzling display reappear, many dusty old memories were awakened!
Obviously, the person who obtained that inheritance had reached some kind of pivotal milestone in their cultivation, once again causing this vision of Heaven and Earth to bloom.
All the disciples from the three Sects instinctively thought of Yang Kai, as if obtaining this marvellous inheritance was a matter of course.
Taking a closer look at the location where the Golden Dragon and Ice Phoenix had emerged from, everything suddenly became clear.
It turned out that their guesses were right; the inheritance from that time was indeed taken by Yang Kai.
At that moment, everyone’s spirits were once again lifted; although they were not the ones to obtain this inheritance, this vision reappearing indicated that Yang Kai’s strength had undoubtedly improved. His progress also meant that the mansion’s situation would improve.
In these troubled times, following a good leader would naturally improve one’s chances of surviving, especially when this leader cared about his allies and treated them generously.
“Dragon and phoenix visions are auspicious signs.” Meng Wu Ya pushed open his window and glanced at the Golden Dragon and Ice Phoenix soaring through the sky, smiling gently as he muttered to himself.
Ling Tai Xu caressed his beard and nodded his head, feeling gratified and proud.
Outside the mansion, Shan Qing Luo and Bi Luo looked at each other, the Demon Queen suddenly smiling charmingly, “Bi Luo, if I said this was that little bastard’s doing, would you believe it?”
Bi Luo nodded unconsciously as she stared back at Shan Qing Luo, hesitating for a moment before whispering, “Mistress, if you really want to, you, you should just revolt against the Holy Land. As long as you walk past that barrier, Sir Demon Lord won’t be able to do anything to you.”
However, Shan Qing Luo just shook her head, “I can’t go in, not because I’m afraid of Sir Demon Lord, but because I don’t want to harm him.”
“Harm him?” Bi Luo was confused; she didn’t understand the nature of Shan Qing Luo’s Poison Widow Body, so naturally she didn’t understand why she had chosen to loiter outside his house these past few months when she clearly wanted to be together with that bastard.
Her mistress clearly liked him very much; Bi Luo had seen Shan Qing Luo’s staring absentmindedly towards his mansion countless times already.
“The closer I am to him, the faster he will die.” Shan Qing Luo smiled bitterly.
Even if all she did was sit outside his house, her feelings towards Yang Kai still rapidly intensified. From time to time, the Beguiling Demon Queen almost couldn’t stop herself from rushing into the mansion in order to seek him out.
But every time, she somehow managed to suppress this impulse.
“I don’t understand.” Bi Luo shook her head and sighed softly, she didn’t want to see her mistress who she greatly admired suffer like this.
“You not understanding is normal, this is simply the fate of my Beguiling Demon Queen’s lineage.” Shan Qing Luo whispered, her charming eyes flashing a slightly sad light.
A hundred kilometers away, the Central Capital.
Even though there was a great distance separating them, when this vision of Heaven and Earth appeared, the Golden Dragon and Ice Phoenix could clearly be seen.
The five Great Evil Kings all wore relaxed expressions. Although they were surprised by this vision, none of them felt anything particularly remarkable about it. Only Demon Lord Yang Bai stared towards War City with deep envy.
The people of the Eight Great Families also broke out into discussion, none of them understanding why such a situation would occur in War City.
Since the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land’s initial invasion, the Central Capital had lost all communication with War City, and the only one who knew that Yang Kai and his allies were still safe was the Yang Family Fourth Master.
Everyone else believed that War City had been completely destroyed and that there were no survivors.
Seeing this sight, Yang Ying Hao, the Yang Family’s Patriarch, suddenly realized something and turned to look at Yang Ying Feng, “Fourth Brother, is everyone with Yang Kai still alright?”
Hearing this, Dong Su Zhu quickly shot a glance towards her husband, obviously suggesting he not answer.
The Yang Family had been incredibly unfair to Yang Kai. When the other seven families lead their forces to attack Yang Kai, the Yang Family had done nothing to stop them; this made Dong Su Zhu’s opinion of the Yang Family plummet.
The straightforward Yang Family Fourth Master hesitated for a while before nodding his head, “Yang Zhao and Yang Wei are also safe and sound, the two of them should be in Kai’er house right now.”
Yang Ying Hao’s wrinkled brow loosened slightly but he quickly composed himself and faintly said, “When you have the opportunity, thank your family’s Yang Kai for me.”
Yang Zhao was his son. Yang Ying Hao naturally cared about his safety. However, since the invasion of the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land, as the Patriarch of the Yang Family, he had no time to deal with personal matters, so until now, he hadn’t even known if Yang Zhao was alive or dead.
Now hearing Yang Ying Feng’s words, Yang Ying Hao was obviously relieved.
“Hmph, just stop trying to harm my son. You can keep your thanks.” Dong Su Zhu snorted.
Yang Ying Hao glanced over at her, a deep sense of regret flashing through the depths of his eyes.
…………
Inside the room, Yang Kai and Su Yan opened their eyes at the same time, looking at each other and smiling warmly.
Their Yin-Yang Joyous Unification Art had finally reached the third level, the Union of Heart and Soul.
Not only had their Yin-Yang Joyous Unification Art experienced a breakthrough, but after such a long period of dual cultivation, both of their cultivations had also risen.
Yang Kai had broken through to the Immortal Ascension Boundary Fourth Stage while Su Yan had reached the Fifth Stage. The gap between the two of them had shortened to only one Minor Realm.
After a three month retreat, breaking through a Minor Realm was already considered extremely fast; of course, this result was achieved with the full support of the Yin-Yang Joyous Unification Art.
But compared to his previous blistering cultivation pace, Yang Kai was still somewhat unsatisfied.
However, the Joyous Unification Art reaching the third stage diluted his dissatisfaction.
Arriving at this stage meant that he and Su Yan had truly become one in Heart and Soul and the connection the two shared had become much stronger than previously.
It can even be said that as long as they were willing, they could clearly understand each other’s innermost thoughts; this was no different from opening their Knowledge Seas to one another, laying bare all of their deepest secrets.
However, neither of them were people who had nothing else to do, so they naturally wouldn’t do such a thing. Only when they fought together would they link Souls like this.
At that time, their ability to coordinate with one another would noticeably increase, boosting their combat strength dramatically.
“Right, I almost forgot about that.” Yang Kai suddenly remembered something and said in excitement.
“What?”
“This.” Yang Kai flipped his hand and the Yin-Yang Monster Ginseng appeared atop his palm.
This Yin Yang Monster Ginseng was something he inadvertently acquired in the Inheritance Heaven’s Cave. According to Old Demon, as long as a man and woman reached a point where they were united in Heart and Soul, this World Spirit Treasure would play its role. Until now though, Yang Kai and Su Yan’s sentiment hadn’t reached such a level.
Now was the time for this Yin Yang Monster Ginseng to display its effect.
“Oh this.” Su Yan smiled, also suddenly remembering this Yin Yang Monster Ginseng.
This World Spirit Treasure was an unusual entity born from and nurtured by the Heavens and Earth. One half of it was red hot, while the other half was ice cold. It also had a certain level of sentience and knew how to hide itself and avoid trouble.
Under the Heavens, there were actually many kinds of World Spirit Treasures like this, but hardly anyone, from ordinary people to great masters, would have the chance to witness their existence.
World Spirit Treasures were rare and precious objects.
“How do we use it?” Yang Kai wondered. Old Demon had only said that the Yin Yang Monster Ginseng would be able to display its effect when a man and woman reached a union of Heart and Soul, he hadn’t explained how to use it though.
Was it as simple as them each eating half of it?
However, Yang Kai felt like this wasn’t right, this thing had already exceeded the realm of a spirit herb and was closer to a sentient life form; thinking about now biting it in half, Yang Kai couldn’t help feeling a sense of revulsion.
As he was contemplating what to do though, the Yin Yang Monster Ginseng reacted on its own. Until now, it had stayed in the Black Book Space, but upon emerging, its strange face suddenly displayed a happy expression. Obviously, after seeing the current Yang Kai and Su Yan, it had become quite excited.
Turning into a stream of light, it flew around Yang Kai and Su Yan.
As it rapidly revolved around the couple, it let out a strange voice, somewhat resembling a baby laughing joyfully.
A mysterious energy suddenly began streaming from the body of the Yin Yang Monster Ginseng and quickly wrapped around Yang Kai and Su Yan.
As it flew faster and faster, this pure energy also flowed more and more freely until it finally reached a certain limit and the Yin Yang Monster Ginseng suddenly burst into glittering points of light and completely covered Yang Kai and Su Yan.
The sparkling lights of the Yin Yang Monster Ginseng quickly seeped into Yang Kai and Su Yan’s pores, bathing them in a warm, comfortable feeling as the surrounding energy flooded into their bodies, permeating their five viscera and six organs.
As all of this occurred, an even deeper connection formed between the two.
Obviously the Yin Yang Monster Ginseng’s mysterious role was to forge a kind of invisible bridge between them.
Quickly examining his body Yang Kai found that even if he did not operate his Secret Art, the True Qi inside his meridians would circulate at a rapid pace and he could even faintly feel it blending with Su Yan’s.
On top of that, he found that his Secret Art could circulate much faster than before.
If he were to consciously operate it, this speed would rise once more. Yang Kai was heartened by this outcome and it showed on his face as he smiled happily.
It turns out it was like this, the Yin Yang Monster Ginseng didn’t need them to do anything, all he needed to do was reach a Union of Heart and Soul with Su Yan and it would take the initiative to support them.
By this point, the Yin Yang Monster Ginseng has ceased to exist and instead had transformed into a magical link between Yang Kai and Su Yan.
As long as the two weren’t too far away, even if they didn’t actively operate their Secret Arts, they would be able to passively absorb the surrounding World Energy and strengthen themselves while if they were to consciously circulate their Secret Arts, the efficiency of their cultivation would be redoubled.
Coupled with the effect of their Yin-Yang Joyous Unification Art, the pair’s cultivation speed was quite frightening.
“It feels like our child.” Su Yan touched her chest gently and felt the connection between herself and Yang Kai because of Yin Yang Monster Ginseng, her eyes glistening with a warm maternal light.
“Do you want one?” Yang Kai grinned towards her and laughed meaningfully.
Su Yan suddenly blushed and angrily stared back at Yang Kai.
Yang Kai licked his lips and prepared to pounce.
Upon seeing his expression, Su Yan immediately knew what he was thinking, causing her heart to flutter and her cheeks to burn, quickly lowering her head to avoid Yang Kai’s beast-like gaze.
Yang Kai’s breathing became heavy. Su Yan’s shy appearance had only further stimulated his primal instincts.
Just as he was about to leap forward and devour the prey before him, the sound of a fierce battle reached his ear and strong energy fluctuations erupted outside the mansion.
Yang Kai froze up before his expression became cold.
Being disturbed at this critical moment, Yang Kai’s good mood was thoroughly destroyed.
Su Yan released her Divine Sense and gasped slightly, “It seems like a new group has arrived in War City and has started a fight with that Beguiling Demon Queen outside.”
“I’ll go check it out.” Yang Kai let out a long sigh, wore a calm expression, stood up, and walked outside.
Regardless of everything else, Shan Qing Luo was at least somewhat related to him so he couldn’t just ignore her situation; he also wondered who was fighting with her.
After leaving the house, Yang Kai discovered that there was a group of people standing several thousand meters outside the Heavenly Palace’s barrier.
This group was not small, numbering at least a hundred people, most of them Immortal Ascension Boundary masters, all of them standing around staring up into the sky.
High above their heads, three people were besieging Shan Qing Luo. Each of these three was a Transcendent and working together they had cut off all of Shan Qing Luo’s possible escape routes.
The Beguiling Demon Queen had also broken through to the Transcendent Realm, but she was still quite young and burdened by the need to protect Bi Luo, how could she be the opponent of these three? As the fight dragged on, although she expertly used spider silk transformed from her True Qi to guard herself and Bi Luo, she was obviously being suppressed by her three opponents.
“Demon woman, surrender without a fight and we’ll spare your life!” From among the three attackers, an old man with a sallow complexion shouted.
“I never expected to encounter the famous Beguiling Demon Queen here. It’s really a case of wearing out iron shoes while seeking one’s feet. Such great fortune!” Another old man sneered, his actions clearly indicating he wanted to capture Shan Qing Luo alive.
“Fellow Brothers, take care not to kill her, she’s more useful as a bargaining chip with the Demon Lord!” The third person shouted loudly.
“She won’t die so easily, this devilish woman’s methods are too tricky.” The yellow skinned old man muttered in annoyance. Although it was three versus one, he fully realized that this enchantress was far from helpless; the three of them had no way to take her in short order, and if she wasn’t diverting her attention to guard the girl beside her, she would easily be able to escape from their encirclement.
“Mistress, don’t worry about me.” Bi Luo bit her lower lip anxiously; she also saw that she was a burden on Shan Qing Luo. How could she bear to see Shan Qing Luo fall into danger because of her?
Not waiting for Shan Qing Luo to reply, she immediately dove out from the scope of Shan Qing Luo’s protection.
“Bi Luo!” Shan Qing Luo cried out in alarm, moving rapidly to stop her but unable to block her path.
The sallow-faced old man stared coldly at Bi Luo who was rushing straight towards him, only using a casual palm strike to send the little tigress Bi Luo flying, blood flowing from her lips.
As an Immortal Ascension Boundary First Stage cultivator, there was no way for her to block even a single attack from a Transcendent master.
In an instant, her five viscera and six organs were all displaced and her Blood Force was all but dispersed. Pale as paper, Bi Luo’s consciousness blurred.
From the more than a hundred people who were watching the battle, one Immortal Ascension Boundary cultivator flew out to seize Bi Luo.
But before he could even approach her, a streak of light flashed past him and in the blink of an eye, Bi Luo had been snatched from his grasp.
The Immortal Ascension Boundary master’s brow wrinkled when he felt this intruder’s cultivation had only reached the Immortal Ascension Boundary Fourth Stage, coldly snorting as he shouted, “Drop her!”
As he spoke, he pushed his True Qi fiercely and sent out a punch, not intending to show any mercy.
Yang Kai’s expression dimmed when he noticed the murderous intent behind the opposite party’s strike, quickly returning the sentiment in kind with a punch of his own.
When the two fists connected, Yang Kai remained motionless but the Immortal Ascension Boundary Seventh Stage master screamed in pain and was sent flying back down to the crowd below.
This scene immediately caught the attention of the spectating crowd, all of them turning stunned gazes towards Yang Kai, many of them quickly wearing cold expressions.
Most of these people didn’t recognize Yang Kai, but since he had rescued Bi Luo, all of them naturally thought of him as one of Shan Qing Luo’s group.
“Young Master Yang?” One of the three men who were besieging Shan Qing Luo saw Yang Kai and couldn’t help calling out in surprise and quickly jumping back from the battle circle.
Yang Kai turned his head towards this old man and also wore a curious expression as he unconsciously called, “Senior Lu?”
This person was none other than Lu Si, the Lu Family’s Transcendent Realm Grand Elder. Both of them were quite surprised to meet here.
Lu Si didn’t know that Yang Kai’s house still existed inside War City while Yang Kai didn’t know Lu Si would suddenly appear here.
When the two of them shouted each other’s names, Shan Qing Luo’s battle also paused.
As the Beguiling Demon Queen stared at her three attackers vigilantly, her tender body flickered and appeared next to Yang Kai, worriedly staring towards Bi Luo as she asked, “How is she?”
“Her life is in no immediate danger.” Yang Kai shook his head and flew down to the front of the house with Shan Qing Luo where he handed Bi Luo over to Tang Yu Xian who had rushed out of the mansion, signaling her to bring her back inside to have her injuries treated.
After handling this matter, Yang Kai turned around and began to examine this group of newcomers.
At this moment, these people all stared towards Yang Kai curiously, their expression filled with a mix of shock and puzzlement. As far as they knew, War City had been completely destroyed many months ago, but today, standing before them, was a perfectly intact compound with a large number of masters actively bustling about.
Lu Si’s expression flickered, as if he was rapidly considering a great many matters, his look face slowly relaxing. On the contrary, the other two Transcendent Realm masters stared towards Yang Kai with a look of anger and malice.
Qiu Yi Meng soon came out and after seeing Lu Si, she asked curiously, “Lu Si, why have you come here?”
“Young Lady Qiu.” Lu Si nodded politely, “My Lu Family received the Conscription Command from the Eight Great Families and rushed to the Central Capital to help, but upon witnessing a strange World Vision, we came to investigate only to unexpectedly encounter and Evil King here.”
As he spoke, his eyes glanced between Yang Kai and Shan Qing Luo, not understanding what the relationship between these two and only knowing it wasn’t ordinary.
“So that’s it.” Qiu Yi Meng nodded lightly.
It had been almost half a year since the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land invaded. The Eight Great Families had issued a Conscription Command twice to the forces of the Great Han Dynasty but there were still few respondents.
However, the Lu Family was one of the Qiu Family’s attached forces, so even if Lu Si wasn’t willing, he still had to lead his family’s troops to the Central Capital.
“And these two are…” Qiu Yi Meng shifted her eyes towards the other two Transcendent cultivators.
Lu Si quickly introduced them, “This is Elder Huang Xiao Huang of the Huang Family, and this is Elder Jiang Zhe of Radiant Palace. Both of them were travelling together with this Lu to the Central Capital.”
Qiu Yi Meng faintly nodded. The Huang Family and Radiant Palace, similar to the Lu Family, had a close relationship with the Central Capital Eight Great Families. Because of this, when faced with the Conscription Command issued by Eight Great Families, they had steeled themselves and made their way to the Central Capital.
Huang Xiao and Jiang Zhe both greeted Qiu Yi Meng, their attitudes calm and respectful, but when they looked at Yang Kai, their eyes flashed obvious disgust and disdain.
During the waning hours of the Inheritance War, the Eight Great Families had spared no expense to discredit Yang Kai, saying that he colluded with demons and wanted to rebel against the Central Capital. Such rumors had already spread all over the Great Han Dynasty and now that Huang Xiao and Jiang Zhe had seen Yang Kai and Shan Qing Luo interacting so intimately, it only served to confirm the vile intelligence they had previously received.
This little bastard really was colluding with devils and demons.
“Young Lady Qiu, why are you here?” Lu Si asked, full of doubts. If it wasn’t for the spectacular World Vision, they wouldn’t have known that there were so many people still living inside War City.
“Taking refuge.” Qiu Yi Meng smiled.
“Refuge?” Lu Si parroted in shock.
“En, I’ve taken refuge here.”
Huang Xiao coldly snorted said, “Young Lady Qiu, what kind of refuge can be sought here? Isn’t this place already the rear base of the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land?”
Qiu Yi Meng’s expression didn’t change in the slightest as she smiled and replied, “Why does Elder Huang say such things?”
Huang Xiao unhesitantly pointed to Shan Qing Luo and Yang Kai and loudly shouted, “An Evil King of the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land and the Yang Family’s traitors Little Lord. Young Lady Qiu, you may be young and naive but you must not allow yourself to be deceived by this evil scum or you will regret it for the rest of your life.”
“Deceived by an evil traitor?” Qiu Yi Meng glanced over at Yang Kai briefly before shaking her head and saying temperately, “Many thanks for Elder Huang’s concern, but although I am indeed not as knowledgeable as Elder Huang Elder, I know what I am doing.”
Huang Xiao’s expression became gloomy as he shook his head. He thoroughly believed that Qiu Yi Meng had been bewildered by Yang Kai and could no longer clearly see reality.
It was nothing less than a miracle that this small mansion could remain intact in this blasted battlefield and the only logical explanation Huang Xiao could come up with was that the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land and Yang Kai had become allies, otherwise with the rest of War City being completely destroyed, how could his mansion still stand here unscathed?
Given his preconceived notions, it was inevitable for this Huang Family Elder Xiao to think like this, so Qiu Yi Meng didn’t bother explaining any further.
Right now, in this world, Yang Kai’s compound was the safest haven in existence.
“Elder Huang, rumors… not all rumors should be believed.” Lu Si suddenly interjected, seemingly defending Yang Kai.
Huang Xiao and Radiant Palace’s Jiang Zhe turned to look at him strangely, not understanding why he would decide to speak up at this moment.
Lu Si continued undaunted though, “I have dealt with this Young Master Yang before, and can guarantee that he is not a wicked person, even if he is somewhat underhanded!”
Obviously, he was still somewhat bitter about Yang Kai’s actions when he was a guest of the Lu Family, all but robbing him of his Yang Crystal Jade Bed for instance.
Although, thanks to Yang Kai’s connections, Lu Si was able to obtain a Mysterious Grade pill from Grandmaster Xiao Fu Sheng which cured his disability, that Yang Crystal Jade Bed was by no means cheap.
“Senior Lu is too polite.” Yang Kai smiled faintly.
“Elder Lu wants to say this brat isn’t colluded with demons and devils?” Huang Xiao coldly snorted, “Good, this old master will give Elder Lu some face and believe his words for now, but how do you explain this scene then?”
This question was directed towards Yang Kai.
“Why must I explain anything to you?” Yang Kai sneered, thinking that this Huang Xiao was an interesting character. Although he had outwardly accepted the Eight Great Families’ Conscription Command, instead of immediately traveling to the Central Capital to provide aid, he was instead looking for trouble here in War City.
This was simply unreasonable.
Yang Kai thought about it for a moment but soon understood what was going on.
The Central Capital right now was likely the most dangerous place in the Great Han Dynasty, so Huang Xiao was obviously unwilling to go there. Since he had encountered something along the road, naturally his first thought was to create a scene and delay his pace as much as possible. On top of that, by taking advantage of this situation, if he could make a big contribution here, when he finally did arrive in the Central Capital, it would greatly bolster his Huang Family’s standing.
At the very least, he wouldn’t have to worry about the Eight Great Families using him and his disciples as sacrificial pawns.
[You want to use me as a bargaining chip?] Yang Kai’s snickered to himself, his anger quietly smoldering beneath the surface.
“Young Master Yang, if you don’t want to explain it, then so be it.” Huang Xiao nodded lightly, pointing his finger at Shan Qing Luo and declaring, “As long as you kill this enchantress, I will believe that you and the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land aren’t colluding.”
“What the hell do you count for?” Yang Kai sneered, Huang Xiao seemed to be dead set on finding fault with him.
Yang Kai was willing to show a certain degree of respect to those who led their own elite disciples to the Central Capital; after all, they were some of the few people in this world who upheld the principals of righteousness.
But Huang Xiao not knowing how to advance and retreat made Yang Kai feel quite irritated, especially when his intentions were so blatant and contemptible.
“Sure enough. Brother Lu, what else do you have to say?” Huang Xiao turned to stare at Lu Si accusingly.
Lu Si sighed and shook his head. Huang Xiao had determined that Yang Kai was colluding with evil and nothing he said would change his mind, what’s more, Lu Si also understood Huang Xiao’s hidden thoughts.
For the past few days, the Lu Family, Huang Family, and Radiant Palace elites had been traveling together, and although their pace wasn’t slow, it also wasn’t fast. Everyone wanted to delay as much as possible in the hopes that before they arrive at the Central Capital, some kind of turning point would be reached.
All of them had not hesitated to ‘investigate’ any strange occurrences along the road but they had never actually encountered anything worthy of note until they suddenly came across Yang Kai and the Beguiling Demon Queen in War City. Naturally they would raise as much fuss here as possible.
“Brother Lu, Brother Jiang, the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land is a pestilence on this world’s common people. Now that a Evil King has appeared before us, I cannot just sit back and do nothing.” Huang Xiao suddenly shouted.
Lu Si immediately became scared, hastily calling out, “Brother Huang, what are your intentions here?”
“My intentions?” Huang Xiao sneered dismissively, “Naturally, I intend to sweep this place clean, capture this devilish woman and this Yang Family scum who dares to collude with the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land and send them to the Central Capital so the Eight Great Families can dispose of them!”
Listening to this rampant arrogant speech, Yang Kai couldn’t help but raising his brow, a tinge of mockery flashing across his face.
Not only Yang Kai, but everyone behind him also wore similarly awkward expressions on their faces, staring towards Huang Xiao in astonishment.
Yang Kai’s house… did these people really think they could eat them up? Were they ignorant of what kind of power was hidden inside this place?
More than half a year ago, even the eight Grand Elders from the Seal Temple had no way to defeat the forces gathered inside Yang Kai’s compound; just where did this Huang Xiao’s confidence come from?
Thinking about it for a moment though, everyone gradually understood.
Six months ago, the seven family coalition forces had launched a strong offensive, ultimately resulting in the eight Transcendent Grand Elders from the Seal Temple facing off against the three Transcendent masters inside Yang Kai’s mansion, an epic series of battles that every person in War City people had witnessed, but the very next day, the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land had launched its invasion.
War City was razed to the ground and almost no one had managed to escape with the exception of Yang Kai’s allies, so it was entirely possible for word of that battle to have never leaked out.
Huang Xiao obviously thought that this was just the residence of an ordinary Yang Family Young Lord who had participated in the Inheritance War.
Even if he was supported by a large number of allies, how much hidden strength could the compound of a single Yang Family Young Lord possess? For this mission, the Huang Family had sent out almost all of its elite forces and they were even lead by a Transcendent Realm master.
In Huang Xiao’s opinion, as long as they could deal with Shan Qing Luo, everyone else here would be easily wiped out.
“Brother Huang, you mustn’t be impulsive, we should consider this matter more thoroughly.” Lu Si quickly tried to dissuade. Because the people of his Lu Family had looked down upon Yang Kai, they had squandered the chance to bask in his glorious triumphs during the Inheritance War, and on the other hand suffered serious losses. Following this series of events, Lu Si’s evaluation of Yang Kai had soared and he really did not wish to have any conflict with him.
So when Huang Xiao suddenly made his proposal, Lu Si did not hesitate to object.
“Brother Lu…” Huang Xiao looked at Lu Si with disappointment, “I don’t know what you’re worried about, but your concerns are unwarranted. Capturing this Yang Family traitor and this enchantress is a great achievement. With such an opportunity falling into your lap, are you really willing to let it slip through your fingers?”
Saying so, he then turned to look at Jiang Zhe, quickly asking, “Brother Jiang, what is your opinion?”
A restless light flashed across Jiang Zhe’s eyes when he heard Huang Xiao ask this question but soon nodded, “I’m naturally in agreement with Brother Huang!”
Huang Xiao laughed loudly, “Brother Jiang speaks quite well. Since Brother Lu does not want to participate, then the credit for this victory will be divided equally between us.”
“Very good!” Jiang Zhe nodded lightly.
The two men’s talk made it seem like the rewards for sweeping away Yang Kai’s forces and capturing Yang Kai and Shan Qing Luo were already in their hands.
Qiu Yi Meng expression became solemn as she quickly shouted, “Two seniors, why must you take such an aggressive stance? There is neither resentment nor hatred between us is there?”
Huang Xiao, however, just shook his head and declared, “Young Lady Qiu, you have been deceived by this traitor. There’s no need for you to speak up for him, but you can rest assured that we will not act against you. My Huang Family and Radiant Palace will only dispose of this enchantress and the Yang Family bastard.”
“You don’t have such skill, please retreat quickly. If you continue to insist on this action, I’m afraid you won’t be able escape even if you want to.” Qiu Yi Meng said anxious, secretly glancing over at Yang Kai’s expression while she shouted.
She really didn’t want to see the Huang Family and Radiant Palace’s people fall into a fiery pit, regardless of this current attitude, these elites had none the less rushed to the Central Capital to assist the Eight Great Families, if they were to be slaughtered here, it would truly be meaningless.
Qiu Yi Meng understood Yang Kai’s temper quite well and knew that if Huang Xiao kept despising him a the scum of the Yang Family, wantonly humiliating him, Yang Kai’s killing intent would really be stimulated.
“Won’t be able to escape?” Huang Xiao laughed, “We never planned to escape.”
“Qiu Yi Meng, stand back.” Yang Kai glanced over at her indifferently and ordered.
“Yang Kai!” Qiu Yi Meng grabbed his arm and shook her head slowly, silently begging him to not act impulsively.
“I won’t take the initiative to attack them, but if they insist on seeking death, I won’t stop them either!” Yang Kai coldly declared.
“Shameless boasting!” Huang Xiao flew into a rage as murderous intent flashed across his face, turning to look at Lu Si, sharply “Brother Lu, this Huang will ask you one last time, will you join us or not? If you still refuse to participate, then this merit will belong to me and Brother Jiang alone and have nothing to do with your Lu Family!”
A look of struggle appeared on Lu Si’s face as he hesitated for a while before eventually letting out a sigh and retreating several steps, silently indicating his decision.
Since Yang Kai appeared, Lu Si had instinctively felt that something was wrong and the uneasy feeling in his heart only grew stronger the longer they lingered, as if at any moment a disaster would befall them.
Seeing Lu Si’s response, Huang Xiao couldn’t help spitting disdainfully, secretly thinking to himself that Lu Si was a coward.
Although Yang Kai was a direct descendant of the Yang Family, since word of his collusion with the demons and evils spread from the Central Capital six months ago, and now seeing his close relationship with the Beguiling Demon Queen, it was certain he had fallen to the Devil’s Practices and could be treated mercilessly without consequence.
Taking him here would not offend the Yang Family, and would instead result in great benefits.
Lu Si failing to grasp this opportunity caused Huang Xiao to scoff at his timidity.
“So be it. Brother Jiang, let’s go!” Huang Xiao sneered, slowly raising his hand and waving, “Huang Family and Radiant Palace disciples, let us capture this enchantress and the Yang Family scum! Other than Young Lady Qiu, if anyone dares to resist… kill without mercy!”
Receiving this order, all the elites from the Huang Family and Radiant Palace rushed towards Yang Kai’s house while Huang Xiao and Jiang Zhe shot towards Yang Kai and Shan Qing Luo themselves.
Yang Kai remained eerily calm, not even making an attempt to guard himself.
Beside him, Qiu Yi Meng stared blankly towards the approaching crowd.
“It’s not that I didn’t give them a chance, they brought this upon themselves!” Yang Kai looked at Qiu Yi Meng and lightly declared.
Qiu Yi Meng opened her mouth to say something but no words came out, eventually just turning her head away, unable to continue watching, she was well aware of what fate awaited these people.
The Immortal Ascension Boundary masters from the Huang Family and Radiant Palace quickly closed in, each of them giving off a thick murderous intent.
“Kill them all, no need to show mercy!” Yang Kai coldly shouted.
Since the other party didn’t intend to show mercy, obviously he would give them none either!
From behind Yang Kai, nine Blood Warriors jump out like lightning and plunged into the approaching enemy. They did not use any fancy Martial Skills or summon any powerful artifacts, instead only leaping forward like pouncing tigers.
The imposing manners of the Huang Family and Radiant Palace elites who were all charging forward filled with enthusiasm was instantly smashed to pieces like shattered glass.
Terrifying True Qi fluctuations burst out, instant deaths and injuries abounded.
Huang Xiao and Jiang Zhe, who were at the head of the charge, both cried out pitifully and were sent flying.
Several dozen meters away, Lu Si and the Lu Family disciples all stared at this scene with rounded eyes, all of them shocked and aghast at this one-sided slaughter.
When these Nine Transcendent Realm masters simultaneously took action, Lu Si almost lost the ability to think and breathe.
The situation changed too fast. Yang Kai’s forces, which seemed incapable of resisting, suddenly produced a large number of top-level masters, devastating the Huang Family and Radiant Palace disciples before they could even react.
Even when they finally awakened from their shock, they were still incapable of blocking the nine Blood Warriors’ assault.
This was the first battle the nine Blood Warriors engaged in after breaking through to the Transcendent Realm, so they were even more enthusiastic and ruthless than normal.
The moment they clashed head on with the nine Blood Warriors, Huang Xiao and Jiang Zhe realized things were very different from what they had imagined.
When the two of them finally stabilized themselves and turned their eyes back to the battle, they were so shocked they couldn’t even shout.
The elite cultivators from their respective forces were being cut down as easily as wheat in a field by the Yang Family’s nine Blood Warriors.
From the moment Huang Xiao ordered the attack until the end of the battle, only ten breaths of time had elapsed.
The seventy or so Huang Family and Radiant Palace cultivators had been wiped out, leaving only Huang Xiao and Jiang Zhe, the two Transcendents, trembling in fear.
A few dozen meters away, the Lu Family elites were also shivering violently.
Originally, when Lu Si refused to join Huang Xiao, giving up this opportunity to earn merits, they were somewhat disappointed, but after witnessing this one sided massacre they couldn’t help thanking the Heavens that their Grand Elder had such vision and foresight.
If the Lu Family’s elites had been joined in just now, they would be no different from the Huang Family and Radiant Palace people – broken and battered corpses strewn across the ground.
A chill gripped all of their hearts, making all of them feel like they had suddenly been tossed into an icebox.
The so-called elites from these two first-class forces weren’t enough to fill the gaps between the teeth of these nine Transcendent masters.
Huang Xiao and Jiang Zhe were still dazed, until now they still couldn’t believe what they had just witnessed: Their forces’ core members all being summarily executed all while they stood by, powerless to save them.
Nine figures suddenly rose from the battlefield and shot towards them, it was the nine Yang Family Blood Warriors, all of them wearing cold indifferent expressions.
Facing this impending crisis, Huang Xiao and Jiang Zhe snapped out of their stupor, screamed, and hurriedly escaped.
“Young Master Yang, please show mercy!” Lu Si anxiously shouted, “They are still part of the forces resisting the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land!”
“Yang Kai…” Qiu Yi Meng also shouted.
Upon hearing Qiu Yi Meng’s voice, the nine Blood Warrior’s movements slowed slightly, waiting for Yang Kai’s instructions. This short delay allowed Huang Xiao and Jiang Zhe to escape.
Seeing that Yang Kai not order a pursuit, Lu Si couldn’t help breathing a sigh of relief.
The elites of the Huang Family and Radiant Palace dying here, although a terrible loss, did not permanently damage the two forces’ foundations, but if Huang Xiao and Jiang Zhe also die, these two first-class forces would really be destroyed.
“Many thanks, Young Master Yang!” Lu Si hurriedly cupped his fists and bowed respectfully.
Meanwhile, Yang Kai’s face was slightly awkward as his brow furrowed deeply, his expression neither happy nor unhappy, simply standing there silently.
Lu Si felt quite uneasy in his heart but could do nothing but wait quietly.
Yang Kai’s attention was no longer here.
When the nine Blood Warriors rushed out and struck down the first Immortal Ascension Boundary master, a huge suction force suddenly erupted from his Knowledge Sea and proceeded to pull in an inexplicable clump of energy.
As the masters from the Huang Family and Radiant Palace fell one by one, additional energy masses were drawn into his Knowledge Sea.
Yang Kai quickly immersed his Soul into his Knowledge Sea and carefully inspected this phenomenon.
After a brief examination, he discovered that these energy masses that had been sucked into his Knowledge Sea were actually the Spiritual Energy remnants from the dead Immortal Ascension Boundary masters.
Every Immortal Ascension Boundary master had opened his or her own Knowledge Sea which served as a container for their Spiritual Energy.
When an Immortal Ascension Boundary master died, their Knowledge Sea would collapse. When this happened, the Spiritual Energy contained within their Knowledge Sea would quickly dissipate into the surrounding world.
It was as if a cup that was filled with water had been broken, sending the contents spilling out, eventually evaporating and returning to nature.
Unless one had some kind of special Precious Treasure to serve as a receptacle, there was no way to save the Spiritual Energy which leaked out after the death of an Immortal Ascension Boundary master.
For example, the Soul Warming Lotus.
When Yang Kai had first encountered the Soul Warming Lotus, it had been wrapped in a huge well of Spiritual Energy that was left over from its previous owner.
However, Yang Kai’s cultivation at the time was too low, so there was no way for him to absorb that Spiritual Energy, allowing Old Demon to pick up a bargain.
Today though, the Spiritual Energy which emerged from the Knowledge Seas of these deceased Immortal Ascension Boundary masters had all been drawn into Yang Kai’s Knowledge Sea.
The source of this attraction though was not the Soul Warming Lotus but rather the Solitary Golden Eye.
Yang Kai’s expression was solemn.
The tyrannical power of the Solitary Golden Eye, he had experienced once before, and as such he had spent an entire month attempting to refine it.
Unfortunately, all his attempts were futile; all he had accomplished was allowing his Soul to have a subtle link with it.
Originally, Yang Kai hadn’t cared much about not being able to refine the Solitary Golden Eye, so it suddenly playing a role now came as a great surprise.
More than seventy lumps of Spiritual Energy were now clustered together inside his Knowledge Sea. These Spiritual Energy groups contained all the remnant thoughts of the Huang Family and the Radiant Palace cultivators, like a great hodgepodge of memories and experiences, causing Yang Kai’s brow to wrinkle greatly.
With his Divine Sense immersed inside his Knowledge Sea, naturally he wouldn’t respond to the voices calling out to him in the outside world.
To everyone else, it was like Yang Kai was deep in thought, contemplating something very important, and his expression changing rapidly.
After a while, Yang Kai suddenly came to his senses and swept his eyes over the battlefield. Not seeing the bodies of Huang Xiao and Jiang Zhe, he immediately understood that they had managed to escape.
Not interested in pursuing the matter any further, he simply said, “Clear the bodies!”
After issuing these instructions, Yang Kai turned around and walked towards the house.
“Young Master Yang, please wait!” Lu Si suddenly called out.
Yang Kai stopped, glanced back, and with an impatient look on his face asked, “What advice does Senior Lu have?”
Lu Si ignored the cold sweat on his forehead and quickly waved his hands, “This Lu doesn’t dare…”
In the past, Lu Si had taken advantage of his age and status in front of Yang Kai in order to play the role of a Senior, but seeing with his own eyes the incredible strength gathered here and the ruthless methods they employed, how could Lu Si dare try to pull rank?
If he wasn’t careful, all the Lu Family people gathered here today would pay the price.
Immediately putting on a humble appearance, he carefully asked, “Young Master Yang… how do you plan on handling this?”
“Handling what?” Yang Kai frowned.
“Killing that many people…”
“What’s done is done, if someone wants to take revenge for them, they’re welcome to come find me.” Yang Kai smiled coldly, “Or what? Does Senior Lu want to take revenge for them?”
“Please don’t joke with this old man, Young Master Yang.” Lu Si hurriedly said, “This Lu just wants to say, this time, my Lu Family traveled here together with the Huang Family and Radiant Palace in order to aid the Central Capital’s Eight Great Families, but now that such a situation has occurred, if the Eight Great Families inquire, it will be difficult for this old master to explain.”
Turning around, Yang Kai stared towards Lu Si and calmly asked, “Senior Lu, I ask you: Was this time’s matter my fault?”
“No.” Lu Si thought about it for a moment before shaking his head seriously.
What transpired here really wasn’t Yang Kai fault. From the beginning, it was Huang Xiao and Jiang Zhe who insisted on causing trouble. They acted against Yang Kai but had greatly underestimated their opponent’s strength and wound up suffering a disastrous loss instead. They could only blame themselves for having eyes but failing to see, offending someone who should not be offended.
The only misdemeanor Yang Kai had committed was that he had acted too mercilessly; there was no need for him to kill so many people. As long as the nine Blood Warriors released their auras, the Huang Family and Radiant Palace would definitely have backed down.
But the Yang Family’s Little Lord had such a personality; Lu Si had both heard of and experienced it. He even dared to kill the heirs of two first-class families, so why would he hesitate to wipe out a group of so-called elites?
“Since I am not in the wrong here, if the Eight Great Families asks, Senior Lu can simply tell the truth.” Yang Kai sneered.
Lu Si slowly shook his head, “Our three forces travelled together, yet while the Huang Family and Radiant Palace suffered major losses, my Lu Family emerged unharmed. When we reach the Central Capital, I’m afraid the Lu Family will be suspected.”
“Whatever Senior Lu wants to say, just say it, I don’t have time to waste with you!”
Lu Si grit his teeth for a moment before letting out a sigh, “The characters of Huang Xiao and Jiang Zhe, this old master understands well. Their mistake caused their two forces foundations to be seriously damaged, so in order to avoid losing face, I’m afraid they will try to shift all responsibility onto my Lu Family and Young Master Yang.”
“By saying you colluded with me to frame them?”
“It’s not impossible.” Lu Si nodded.
Yang Kai laughed, “Then your Lu Family is finished. This time, I’m afraid that even the Qiu Family won’t be able to protect you.”
Seeing Yang Kai taking pleasure in their misfortune, Lu Si didn’t dare to get angry, simply sighing again and sincerely imploring, “Therefore, this old master humbly requests Young Master Yang accompany me to the Central Capital.”
Hearing this request, Yang Kai’s eyes narrowed as a cold light flickered in the depths of his eyes.
“Young Master Yang has a great many powerful masters behind him. If you can accompany my Lu Family to the Central Capital, you might be able to break the current deadlock. At that time, the Eight Great Families will no longer accuse Young Master Yang of anything and my Lu Family will be able to protect itself. There are only advantages for you. In fact… old master has never believed that Young Master Yang is colluding with demons and devils.”
“I appreciate Senior Lu’s confidence in me…” Yang Kai said faintly, “But the life and death of the Eight Great Families and the survival of the Central Capital, what does any of that have to do with me? My remaining here is only to seek refuge. Farewell Senior Lu, I’ll not see you off.”
Saying so, Yang Kai turned around and walked into the house, not giving Lu Si any opportunity to respond…
In short order, all the bodies outside the house were processed by the nine Blood Warriors and everyone followed Yang Kai back into the compound, leaving behind the Lu Family outside the barrier.
Lu Si could only smile bitterly.
Inside the mansion, the injured Bi Luo was being treated. Shan Qing Luo followed beside Yang Kai to see her and let out a sigh of relief after some investigation.
“Thank you.” Shan Qing Luo looked at Yang Kai faintly, her peerless enchanting face filled with a faint pink blush and her breathing becoming slightly heavy.
Perceiving this abnormality, Qiu Yi Meng and Luo Xiao Man looked at her strangely.
Wondering what this Beguiling Demon Queen was thinking, wearing such an expression in public.
“Are you alright?” Yang Kai swept his eyes over her.
“I’m fine,” Shan Qing Luo smiled sweetly, an intoxicated light flashing across her eyes, “I just want to eat you.”
“Hey… there are others here!” Qiu Yi Meng couldn’t stand it and shouted. Such blatant seduction, wasn’t she acting a bit too shameless? In an instant, all the favourable impressions she had of the Beguiling Demon Queen immediately plummeted.
“Is Ms Qiu jealous?” Shan Qing Luo glanced over at Qiu Yi Meng with a mischievous grin.
Qiu Yi Meng spat disdainfully in response.
“You have to leave, or else I really will eat you up.” Shan Qing Luo looked at Yang Kai again, her beautiful eyes flickering brilliantly as her small scarlet tongue licked her bright red lips, like a starved predator eyeing its prey.
“En, I don’t want to die.” Yang Kai instantly understood why she was acting this way. The secret of Shan Qing Luo Poison Widow Body special constitution, only he and the Beguiling Demon Queen knew, her physique’s particular trait was now influencing Shan Qing Luo’s rational thoughts.
“I’m going to enter retreat.” Yang Kai said as he turned around to leave.
“Didn’t you just exit?” Qiu Yi Meng snorted, thinking that Yang Kai was looking for an excuse to leave, a tinge of bitterness plucking at her heart.
“I just could not leave the situation as it was.” Yang Kai commented, not bothering to explain any further.
Back inside his room, Yang Kai quickly sat down and immersed himself into his Knowledge Sea once more, continuing his examination of his newly acquired mass of Spiritual Energy.
The energy of this cloud was quite chaotic, very different from the pure energy left behind by the Ye Family’s Grand Elder; it contained the thoughts and experiences of over seventy masters.
If he were to absorb it as is, Yang Kai estimated that his own memory and thoughts would be negatively affected by these confused thoughts, even possibly causing him to forget who he really was.
This was no trivial matter. A person who didn’t remember who he was destined to lead a sad life.
Looking up at the closed Solitary Golden Eye, Yang Kai concentrated on using his Divine Sense to connect with it.
This mass of energy had been drawn into his Knowledge Sea by the Solitary Golden Eye and coupled with his previous experience; Yang Kai now knew what to do. All he needed to do was have the Solitary Golden Eye shoot that golden light once more and purify the residual thoughts from this energy.
However, Yang Kai didn’t know if he could successfully actuate the Solitary Golden Eye.
After a long period of persistent effort, Yang Kai’s Divine Sense formed a connection with the Solitary Golden Eye, and suddenly, like he had cracked open a once tightly shut door, a blinding and devastating golden light burst forth.
The closed Solitary Golden Eye slowly opened at this moment.
Just like the first time, this majestic golden eye gave him an overwhelming impulse to bend down and worship it.
The devastating golden light burst forth from the eye and swept over the chaotic mass of Spiritual Energy.
*Ziiiii*
A sound like soldering iron being dropped into a vat of water rang out.
Along with this grating noise, a strange black aura emerged from the energy mass and violently struggled, but it could not escape the golden light, disintegrating a moment later.
This black gas should have been the various fallen masters’ residual thoughts, all of which were purified under the golden light.
In the next instant, the golden light faded and the open eye slowly closed.
Inside his Knowledge Sea, the originally chaotic mass of Spiritual Energy had now become exceptionally pure.
Yang Kai laughed joyfully.
He finally understood how to use the Solitary Golden Eye from the seventh page of the Black Book.
The only thing that made him regret was that when the seven old men from the Seal Temple died, he had not yet managed to establish a connection with the Solitary Golden Eye. If he could have absorbed the Spiritual Energy from those seven Grand Elders, how great a fortune would that have been?
However, now that he knew how to use the Solitary Golden Eye, it wasn’t too late to make use of its.
Arriving in front of the pure Spiritual Energy mass, Yang Kai enthusiastically absorbed it.
Soon, this pure energy transformed into Yang Kai’s own formidable capital.
His Immortal Ascension Boundary Fourth Stage cultivation was immediately consolidated and he had even made great strides towards the Immortal Ascension Boundary Fifth Stage!
This result made Yang Kai slightly dissatisfied though, he had thought that by refining such a huge amount of pure energy, his cultivation would at least advance a Minor Realm.
But now it seemed like he was expecting too much; after all, this lump of energy was the residual Spiritual Energy that had leaked out of the Knowledge Sea of fallen Immortal Ascension Boundary masters. In terms of quality it couldn’t be compared with the energy left behind by the Ye Family’s Grand Elder, so although the amount was indeed quite large, it wouldn’t create such a great qualitative change.
Yang Kai also faintly felt he had reached a kind of bottleneck.
Naturally, the bottlenecks Immortal Ascension Boundary cultivators encountered were related to their understanding of the Martial Dao. Fortunately, when he absorbed the energy left behind by the Ye Family’s Grand Elder, he had also accepted their understandings of the Martial Dao and Heavenly Way, turning it into his own, otherwise, at the speed Yang Kai was breaking through, his foundation would have already become unstable.
Slowly opening his eyes, Yang Kai fell into contemplation, an eagerness slowly welling up in his heart.
Half a day later, Yang Kai left his room and walked outside the mansion.
A few dozen meters away, the Lu Family people were still loitering about under the leadership of Lu Si, seemingly waiting quietly for something.
“Grand Elder, are we just supposed to wait here?” A Lu Family Immortal Ascension Boundary Eighth Stage master named Lu Mu asked.
“En, we wait.” Lu Si nodded decisively.
“Do we really need to do this?” Lu Mu didn’t understand. He too was an Elder in Lu Family, but compared with Lu Si, the family’s only Grand Elder, regardless of age or status, he had no way to compare. Although he disapproved of Lu Si’s current practice, he didn’t dare question him too aggressively, instead politely inquiring, “Even though my Lu Family and the Huang Family and Radiant Palace traveled together and only their two families suffered heavy losses, that was a fate they brought upon themselves, they can’t blame our Lu Family for that. Would the Eight Great Families really sanction us over such a matter?”
“That was just a convenient excuse this old master gave to the Yang Family’s Young Lord,” Lu Si smiled, “The people of the Eight Great Families aren’t fools, so long as we explain clearly what happened, how would they suspect us?”
“Then why…” Lu Mu was even more confused.
Lu Si sighed faintly and said, “I ask you, if we rush to the Central Capital now, what will be the result?”
Lu Mu thought for a moment before replying, “We will fight against the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land!”
“Correct. We will engage in battle with the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land’s forces, and we will certainly be placed in a vanguard position on top of that.” Lu Si turned his head and looked around, “The Lu Family this time has sent out thirty five Immortal Ascension Boundary masters. If we were to fight such a battle, how many of you do you think will survive?”
Lu Mu went silent. Of these thirty five Immortal Ascension Boundary masters, if even three or four of them could survive, it would already be a great blessing from the Heavens.
“However, if we were to work with Young Master Yang and go to the Central Capital under his leadership?” Lu Si continued.
Immediately, everyone from the Lu Family thought back to the scene they just witnessed. The appearance of nine ‘Above Immortal Ascension Boundary’ masters had left a profound impact on them.
“This Young Master Yang is neither a traitor nor a demon like the rumors claim, and as far as I know, all of his allies received tremendous benefits during the Inheritance War. If we can grab hold of this great tree, regardless of whether our Lu Family can obtain any merits, at the very least, we won’t be sacrificed as disposable foot-soldiers. My Lu Family has spent a great deal of time and effort training you… I do not wish to see all of you fall here.”
“Grand Elder is wise.” Lu Mu now understood why Lu Si had been waiting here outside Yang Kai’s mansion. Originally, he had such considerations.
Indeed, if Yang Kai could lead them to the Central Capital, their prospects would not be nearly as grim as they were now.
During the Inheritance War, he had repeatedly created miracles and rumors of his accomplishments had resounded throughout the Great Han Dynasty.
“But this Young Master Yang… will he actually go to the Central Capital?” Another Lu Family member asked.
“Not likely!” Lu Si shook his head.
The Eight Great Families had treated Yang Kai too unfairly, resulting in him being quite disheartened. Otherwise, with the number of top level masters he had gathered around him, would he still not have made any moves? He himself had just said that the life and death of the Eight Great Families and the fate of the Central Capital had nothing to do with him.
If he had even a little attachment to the Central Capital and the Eight Great Families, he wouldn’t just sit back and watch.
“We’ll wait three days. If it is still hopeless by then, my Lu Family can only go to the Central Capital to render aid!” Lu Si sighed and smiled helplessly.
But as he spoke, Yang Kai suddenly emerged from his mansion again, causing Lu Si to be stunned for a moment, hastily putting on a welcoming smile and cupping his fists. “Young Master Yang!”
Yang Kai had actually come out! This was far beyond Lu Si’s expectations.
Everyone from the Lu Family also hurriedly greeted Yang Kai, their expressions all very respectful. All of them had heard what Lu Si had just said: Yang Kai was their life-saving straw, so how could they dare not show respect?
Yang Kai swept his eyes over the crowd for a moment before grinning slightly, “Senior Lu, regardless of what’s happened, your Lu Family and I at least share some small friendship. Seeing you, a Senior, standing around outside my house, I am somewhat embarrassed.”
“A minor matter!” Lu Si quickly waved his hand and dismissed the issue.
“Would you like to come in and sit down?” Yang Kai casually invited.
Lu Si’s eyes shone brilliantly, although he didn’t quite understand why Yang Kai’s attitude had changed so quickly, in the face of the impending crisis that hardly mattered, ecstatically nodding, “Very good, this old master thanks Young Master Yang for his hospitality.”
“Please!”
Lu Si thought that Yang Kai was inviting him into his house in order to discuss plans for rushing to the Central Capital, but after the Lu Family members entered, Qiu Yi Meng simply took charge of them and Yang Kai disappeared.
Lu Si was quite confused, not able to comprehend what Yang Kai’s intentions were, and with the Qiu Family’s First Young Lady responded that she too was clueless several times, so he couldn’t help feeling a little uneasy.
Inside Meng Wu Ya’s room, Yang Kai expressed his thoughts to Meng Wu Ya, Old Demon, and Ling Tai Xu.
“Young Master, you want to go to the Central Capital?” Old Demon was shocked and didn’t understand why Yang Kai suddenly proposed this idea. Over the past six months, everyone inside the house had been cultivating diligently to improve their strength and all of them had obtained good results, but if they were to now enter the fray in the Central Capital, it was still quite likely many of them would die.
“En, I want to go to the Central Capital.” Yang Kai replied affirmatively. Now that he understood the role of the Solitary Golden Eye and the great benefits it could bring him, Yang Kai naturally had to look for opportunities to use it.
Staying here in War City truly was safe, but the growth of his strength was also slowing down.
In the Central Capital things would be different. Countless masters at the Immortal Ascension Boundary fought and died every day. As long as an Immortal Ascension cultivator died, Yang Kai could absorb part of their Spiritual Energy to boost his cultivation.
“You’re not such a selfless person,” Meng Wu Ya smiled knowingly, “Tell us, why do you want to go?”
“The specifics aren’t easy to explain, all I can tell you three is that I have my own reasons.” Yang Kai chuckled.
Three pairs of eyebrows furrowed as the three old men stared at Yang Kai strangely.
“Also, Grand Master has been planning to rush to the Central Capital for a while now, right?” Yang Kai suddenly turned and stared at Ling Tai Xu.
Ling Tai Xu didn’t deny it, simply nodding, “En, the only two disciples that this old masters received are there. As their Master, I should settle things once and for all.”
“Brother Ling…” Meng Wu Ya was greatly surprised. Ling Tai Xu’s words this time suddenly made him realize something.
Ling Tai Xu obviously wanted to find Yang Bai for a final confrontation, but although he had become a Second Order Transcendent, fighting Yang Bai now would only result in his death.
Ling Tai Xu still carried a deep sense of guilt for the role he played in raising Yang Bai, but since he had no way of stopping him, he probably figured that by going all out he could at least perish together with him.
Understanding this, Meng Wu Ya’s expression became dignified.
Over these many years, Treasurer Meng had very few people who he could genuinely call friends. Xiao Fu Sheng from Medicine King’s Valley’s Hidden Cloud Peak could reluctantly be called one; the only true brother he had in this world was Ling Tai Xu. Meng Wu Ya’s relationship with Yang Kai was also quite good, but the latter was still just a junior. Now that he knew that his old friend was planning on dying, Meng Wu Ya naturally had no choice but to intervene.
“Since Brother Ling has this idea, then we will all go to the Central Capital together. It will be safer that way.” Meng Wu Ya declared.
“Brother Meng…” Ling Tai Xu was obviously quite moved.
“If I go with you, I can at least guarantee you’re survival.” Meng Wu Ya smiled and turned to Yang Kai, “When are you planning to set out?”
“Let’s wait a few more days. The four Blood Warriors brought by Big Brother and Second Brother are at a critical point in their cultivation right now. Once they break through, we’ll go.” Yang Kai said.
At that time, with thirteen Transcendent Realm Blood Warriors, plus Meng Wu Ya, Ling Tai Xu, Old Demon, and Li Yuan Chun, they would possess an unprecedented amount of strength.
On top of that, Lu Si, who had just arrived, was also a Transcendent Realm master.
With this kind of lineup, although it would be impossible to pacify the Central Capital chaos, it would be enough to carry out Yang Kai’s plan while protecting his force’s safety unless Demon Lord Yang Bai personally went all out to attack them.
After discussing a few more details, Yang Kai rushed out to inform Lu Si he was willing to travel with the Lu Family to the Central Capital. Lu Si was so surprised he didn’t know what to say, quickly praising Yang Kai for his righteousness and considering the overall situation above his own grievances and declaring that the Lu Family would follow his commands.
A few days later, the four Blood Warriors who had been accompanying Yang Wei and Yang Zhao were still in retreat attacking the Transcendent Realm. They had been with Yang Kai for half a year now; during the first three months, Yang Kai had used a large amount of Myriad Drug Liquid to help them cleanse their bodies and break through to the Immortal Ascension Boundary Ninth Stage.
Then, for the past three months, each of them was given a portion of Myriad Drug Cream to assist them with their breakthrough to the Transcendent Realm. Now, they were on the verge of succeeding.
These past few days, the Lu Family cultivators also rested inside the house.
Everything they witnessed made them and Lu Si flabbergasted.
Of the cultivators inside the mansion, eighty percent had reached the Immortal Ascension Boundary while the remaining twenty percent were at least at the True Element Boundary Eighth Stage.
On top of that, many of these cultivators were disciples from the younger generation!
Seeing so many youths less than twenty years old having achieved this level of cultivation left Lu Si shocked and envious.
Compared to this scene, what did his Lu Family have to brag about? In his Lu Family, if a junior reached the True Element Boundary before they turned twenty they would be considered a great talent and would be vigorously cultivated.
But inside Yang Kai’s House, True Element Boundary cultivators weren’t worth mentioning.
Nine Transcendent Blood Warriors, four other Transcendent Realm powerhouses! This small mansion had already greatly surpassed any of the Central Capital’s Eight Great Families!
Lu Si and the Lu Family people had all acted very prudently these days!
After seeing the strength of the forces gathered together with Yang Kai, they found that their Lu Family was nothing more than a pitiful countryside noble house. With such a massive gap in power, how could they dare show any arrogance?
Seven days later, a massive energy fluctuation rippled through the sky above the mansion.
A grand World Vision appeared, causing Lu Si to rush out of his room and stare up at the pulsing World Energy in the sky, his jaw slowly dropping in shock.
Someone was breaking through to the Above Immortal Ascension Boundary!
And it wasn’t just one person!
There were actually two people breaking through at once!
However, this was not the end as two more tyrannical auras erupted.
Lu Si was dumbstruck, incapable of uttering a single word.
Li Yuan Chun from the Endless Sea Islands’ Supreme Solitary Sect appeared at some point beside Lu Si and looked up at the sky with him, letting out a faint sigh and saying, “This is nothing. You should have seen the World Vision a while back when nine people all broke through to the Above Immortal Ascension Boundary.”
There was a tinge of helplessness in his voice as he muttered.
Hearing this voice, Lu Si quickly composed him, cupped his fists and asked, “How should I address this Brother?”
“Endless Sea Islands Supreme Solitary Sect, Li Yuan Chun!”
“Supreme Solitary Sect?” Lu Si was surprised, “The Endless Sea Islands’ super force, Supreme Solitary Sect?”
Li Yuan Chun expression became awkward as he waved his hand, “Brother Lu is too polite, there’s no need to mention anything about super forces here. Compared to my Supreme Solitary Sect, Young Master Yang’s mansion… haha…”
Lu Si nodded deeply. Forget the Supreme Solitary Sect not being comparable to Yang Kai’s mansion, none of the Eight Great Families were comparable to this place.
This mansion was, without a doubt, this world’s greatest force! Its core strength had completely surpassed every Sect and Family in history.
“Does Brother Lu have a granddaughter?” Li Yuan Chun suddenly asked a seemingly strange question.
“This Lu has been obsessed with cultivation his entire life, and as such has no direct descendants.” Lu Si replied, slightly confused about why Li Yuan Chun would inquire about this at this time.
“Your Lu Family is a first-class family though nonetheless, there must be at least a few young, beautiful woman, right?”
“En, there are many actually.”
“Then you should quickly propose a marriage. I really envy your Inland Sects and Families, having such an astonishing young man appear here. If Brother Lu doesn’t seize this chance to forge a relationship with him, just when will you wait till? If my Supreme Solitary Sect was situated Inland, not to mention my granddaughter, even if it was my daughter, this Li would gladly wed her to Young Master Yang.”
Lu Si’s face went black, thinking that Li Yuan Chun was a bit too shameless. If he had a daughter, wouldn’t she be at least forty or fifty years old by now?
Did he want to let an old cow eat young grass? Would that really make Yang Kai happy?
Although such thoughts flashed across his mind, Lu Si still fell into silence, thinking it might not be a bad idea to follow Li Yuan Chun’s advice.
The Lu Family had a number of young, beautiful girls, each one of them having refined temperament and good talent. If any of them could win Yang Kai’s favour, the Lu Family would be to take shelter under an even greater tree than the Eight Great Families.
Yang Kai was still a young man. Which young man wasn’t somewhat frivolous?
In the end, men couldn’t withstand the temptations of beautiful women! Lu Si also went through a period of time where he had similar thoughts, so he sunk into contemplation, considering the validity of this plan.
Obviously he had been tempted by Li Yuan Chun’s proposal.
The four Blood Warriors’ breakthrough lasted for four days.
After four days, the World Vision gradually faded and four new Transcendents exited their retreat.
Yang Kai gave them three days to consolidate their cultivation and instructed Tu Feng and the other previously promoted Blood Warriors to share their experiences and the knowledge they had obtained from Meng Wu Ya with the four. This allowed these four newly promoted Blood Warriors to immediately grasp some of the profundities of the Transcendent Realm.
Three days later, everything was ready.
Yang Kai’s original intention was to travel to the Central Capital with the thirteen Blood Warriors, Old Demon, Li Yuan Chun, and the Lu Family.
But Meng Wu Ya quickly proposed an alternative plan.
“I can bring everyone in the house to the Central Capital.”
“Bring everyone? How?” Yang Kai asked, slightly confused.
Meng Wu Ya grinned slyly and waved his hand, sending out a ray of light that quickly disappeared into thin air. A moment later, the Heavenly Palace appeared once more, the transparent palace barrier wrapping up the entire mansion.
Atop the barrier this time, a great many lines appeared, forming an intricate and complicated Spirit Array.
“Rise!” Meng Wu Ya shouted.
Along with a creak hum and a series of powerful vibrations, Yang Kai’s entire compound, under the protection of the Heavenly Palace, rose into the air. Every stone, brick, and blade of grass slowly ascended into the sky like a tiny floating island.
“Wha…” Everyone was dumbstruck.
Feeling this movement, all the cultivators inside the mansion rushed out to the edge of the Heavenly Palace and stared. Looking down, all of them gasped in shock, shouted enthusiastically, or muttered incomprehensibly, none of them able to contain their shock and amazement.
Even the Transcendent Realm masters were left in awe of Meng Wu Ya’s methods.
“I never said the Heavenly Palace couldn’t move, did I?” Meng Wu Ya glanced over at Yang Kai proudly, as if he was happy to see him make such a gaff.
“I’ve been had.” Yang Kai smiled bitterly.
No wonder when Yang Kai said he wanted to go to the Central Capital, Meng Wu Ya hadn’t objected, instead declaring his support and proclaiming he could protect everyone.
Yang Kai was still wondering how Meng Wu Ya would leave Xia Ning Chang behind and accompany him to the Central Capital.
Yang Kai knew that Meng Wu Ya wasn’t a hot-blooded individual. Xia Ning Chang’s safety was his absolute first priority and he would never take any chances with her. But now, it turns out that it wasn’t that he wasn’t concerned about his Treasured Apprentice’s safety, but that she had never been at risk in the first place.
Since the Heavenly Palace was able to move, it was as if he had an impenetrable mobile fortress, so all of Yang Kai’s worries no longer existed.
“Good, very good!” Yang Kai soon recovered and smiled happily towards Meng Wu Ya, “Treasurer Meng, many thanks for your hard work.”
“Enough idle talk!” Meng Wu Ya shouted, his expression extremely focused as he constantly waved his hands towards the barrier surrounding them; obviously it was quite laborious for him to move Heavenly Palace.
“Ha ha ha ha!” Yang Kai laughed.
Down below, Shan Qing Luo and Bi Luo were also staring blankly at the Yang Kai house as it slowly floated up and flew towards the Central Capital, only recovering from their shock many breaths later.
“How is this possible?” Bi Luo muttered.
After she was injured by a Transcendent Realm master, she had used a few days to completely recover and then left Yang Kai’s house along with Shan Qing Luo.
“I don’t know.” This scene had completely exceeded Shan Qing Luo’s knowledge and understanding.
“Mistress, what should we do now?” Bi Luo asked.
“Go to the Central Capital. There’s no need to stay here any longer.”
She and Bi Luo had remained here because Yang Bai had instructed her to monitor the movement of Yang Kai’s mansion, but now that the entire mansion had flew up into the sky, there was naturally no reason for her to remain either.
And so, with a flicker, her enchanting body turned into a streak of light and quickly caught up with Yang Kai’s house where she proceeded to shout, “Yang Kai, I’m going to the Central Capital now to inform Sir Demon Lord about what’s happening here.”
Hearing her so blatantly inform him of her plans, Yang Kai shook his head wryly and ordered, “Old Demon, stop her.”
Old Demon scratched his head awkwardly and asked, “Can’t Young Master ask someone else? Old Servant would prefer not to go.”
The relationship between Yang Kai and Shan Qing Luo was unclear, but everyone could see that this Beguiling Demon Queen was in no way hostile to Yang Kai, on the contrary, she behaved quite intimately towards him. Yang Kai’s attitude towards her was also quite ambiguous.
Her deliberately shouting like this was obviously in the hope that Yang Kai could send someone to block her movements.
Having to block her, but unable to hurt her, Old Demon was naturally not willing to do this kind of thankless job.
However, Yang Kai just glanced over at Old Demon with narrowed eyes and Old Demon quickly shouted, “Old Servant will respectfully carry out Young Master’s command!”
Declaring so, he rushed out of the mansion and began engaging Shan Qing Luo.
Two separate worlds from north to south, the greatest city under Heaven.
This sentence had long been used to describe the immensity of the Central Capital, but after the invasion of the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land, these words had ironically become a reality.
The north and south sides of the city really had become two separate worlds…
The northern side of the Central Capital had been conquered by the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land while in the south, the Eight Great Families, led by the Yang Family, had concentrated their forces in an attempt to repel Yang Bai and the five Evil Kings.
The war had raged for half a year and had reached a tense stalemate.
In terms of peak level powerhouses, the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land had Yang Bai, a Third Order Transcendent, which gave them an absolute advantage.
But when it came to the number of masters, the Eight Great Families were far ahead and even though a number of their Transcendent had been killed over the past six months, this gap had not been shortened.
There was no way for either side to overwhelm the other, so they could only bitterly confront each other, neither side willing to give up the Central Capital.
A skirmish every three days, a battle every five, this had no become the norm for the Eight Great Families and the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land’s cultivators. By now, everyone deeply understood their opponent’s details.
At this moment, at the boundary dividing the Central Capital into north and south halves, a fierce battle was raging.
With every breath, more would die, but a constant flow of reinforcements ensured that the battlefield never fell silent.
However, the two sides still showed some restraint. Only those at or below the Immortal Ascension Boundary fought while the Transcendent Realm masters remained behind, issuing commands and coordinating their sides’ assault.
Even the strongest of the Transcendents, after such a long tug of war, had become fatigued and were unable to go to the battlefield constantly.
From the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land’s camp, the five Great Evil Kings watched the tragic battle indifferently, the Ghost King and Poison King even smiling eerily, actually happy to see this bloody scene, not care one bit about the life or death of their underlings and unceasingly issuing orders for more to go forth and fight.
Meanwhile, on the Eight Great Families side, Ye Kuang Ren, Kang Rui, Gao Mo, and Meng Xi Ping all starred with red eyes towards the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land forces, constantly sending in their own elite forces to meet the enemy invaders.
These four were the Eight Great Families Ye Family, Kang Family, Gao Family, and Meng Family’s current Patriarchs.
Half a year ago, the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land had first destroyed War City.
In that brief battle, the Gao Family’s Gao Rang Feng had died a tragic death at the hands of the Ghost King and Poison King while the Ye Family’s Ye Xin Rou and Kang Family’s Kang Zhan had been taken prisoner and were held captive by the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land even now.
At that time, only Meng Shan Yi had been clever enough to disguise himself as a common disciple and escape, but after being affected by the poison and Yin Qi of two Transcendents, he had been all but crippled. After managing to reach the Central Capital, he was treated by the best healers in the Meng Family and consumed numerous Precious Treasures, but he still showed no signs of improvement.
The heirs of the four Great Families had died, been captured, or become wastes, so their fathers, these four Patriarchs, responded in a particularly ferocious manner. Over the past six months, these four had been far more radical and militant than the other four.
For today’s battle, the main force from the Eight Great Families was composed of cultivators from the Ye, Kang, Gao, and Meng Families.
Suddenly, the two sides that were locked in mortal combat suddenly felt a strange yet powerful energy fluctuation quickly approaching from the horizon.
Perceiving this unknown aura, everyone couldn’t help stopping their respective battles and opening up some distance with their opponents, turning to look off into the distance.
Soon, a small black dot appeared in everyone’s eyes, but as it was too far away still, no one could quite make out what the approaching object was.
After a short while though, when they began to make out a fuzzy outline, all of their jaws dropped in shock.
The unidentified flying object was actually a house!
Suspended mid-air, this mansion quickly flew over, like a giant floating fortress, giving off an intense imposing aura.
Outside the mansion, a transparent palace-shaped barrier flickered brilliantly and pulsed with terrifying energy, further enhancing this solemn and majestic sight.
“What is that?” The Profound Yin Ghost King stared at this floating mansion, unable to comprehend what he was seeing.
Cultivators who had reached the True Element Boundary were all able to fly, but even with all his experience, he had never heard of a house that could fly.
“Ghost King, don’t you think that palace-shaped barrier looks familiar?” The Annihilating Poison King’s green eyes flickered like wildfire as he hesitantly muttered.
Listening to these words, the Ghost King knit his brow and thought for a moment before calling out in shock, “You don’t mean…”
“En, it’s also approaching from that direction.”
“That thing can fly!?” The Ghost King screamed in disbelief. He was a well-informed master, but the scene playing out in front of him right now far exceeded his knowledge.
“That artifact was incredibly powerful and profound, it having functions we don’t know about is understandable.” The Lightning Flash Shadow King suddenly chimed in.
“What about that slut? Didn’t Sir Demon Lord order her to monitor that place’s movements? Why haven’t we received any contact from her after such an earth-shaking event?” The Tyrannical Force King bellowed loudly, his booming voice echoing throughout the Central Capital.
“Heh heh, that little bitch’s heart apparently isn’t one with ours.” The Poison King smiled and said profoundly.
“Hmph, I know that.” The Thunderbolt Beast King coldly snorted, “One day I will force that cheap whore into submission beneath me!”
While five Great Evil Kings pointed at the floating house and discussed, the Eight Great Families side were also engaging in speculation.
None of them knew what had transpired in War City, so when Yang Kai’s mansion suddenly flew over towards them, all of them became extremely nervous, fearing that this floating fortress contained the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land’s reinforcements.
Only Yang Ying Hao showed a dignified expression as he stared towards the approaching flying mansion.
He had already learned from the Yang Family Fourth Master that Yang Kai and his allies were safe and sound. Although he was unclear what method Yang Kai had used to protect his mansion, inexplicably, Yang Ying Hao felt that he had this ability.
Now seeing this nigh incomprehensible scene, all his confusion disappeared.
Soon, Yang Kai’s flying mansion reached the Central Capital City and the many figures standing at the edge of the mansion became visible to the eyes of everyone below.
After seeing the appearance of these people, the members of the Eight Great Families suddenly shouted in surprise.
“That’s Yang Kai, the Yang Family’s youngest Young Lord, Yang Kai!”
“Didn’t he die? Wasn’t it said a long time ago that everyone in War City had been massacred?”
“What’s going on with that mansion? Why can it fly?”
“He brought a lot of people with him.”
Yang Kai stood at the front of his allies at the edge of the mansion, overlooking the Central Capital. Behind him were the thirteen Transcendent Yang Family Blood Warriors, all of them lined up like stars surrounding a bright moon.
Behind them stood Old Demon, Ling Tai Xu, Lu Si, and Li Yuan Chun, the other four Transcendents.
Finally, a massive gathering of Immortal Ascension Boundary masters assembled in the rear.
Beside Yang Ying Hao, the Blood Warrior Hall’s Hall Master, Feng Sheng stared at the thirteen Blood Warriors who had participated in Inheritance War for a moment, his brow slowly wrinkling as he whispered to his Deputy Hall Master, Zhou Feng, “Doesn’t it feel like, the auras Tu Feng and them are giving off… are somewhat different from before?”
“It’s been said that all of them broke through to the Immortal Ascension Boundary Ninth Stage. The difference is probably because of that.” Zhou Feng was also slightly confused.
“No!” Feng Sheng shook his head, “Each of them right now gives me a sense of intimidating pressure that’s not something a Peak Immortal Ascension Boundary can have.”
Feng Sheng, as the Blood Warrior Hall’s Hall Master, had reached the absolute apex of the Immortal Ascension Boundary, so if Tu Feng and the others were only Immortal Ascension Boundary Ninth Stage cultivators, logically he shouldn’t feel pressure from them.
Yang Kai’s mansion was still wrapped in the Heavenly Palace’s barrier which isolated everyone inside from any kind of Divine Sense probing, so Feng Sheng could only vaguely sense that his fellow brothers and sisters had undergone a great change yet was unable to say exactly what that change was.
Could all of them have actually gone a step further beyond the Immortal Ascension Boundary Ninth Stage? Feng Sheng, who was always calm, was greatly shocked by this idea but immediately shook his head slowly, thinking that such a possibility was unrealistic.
“Brother Yang, why did he decided to appear here?” Meng Xi Ping and the others quickly turned to look at Yang Ying Hao, hoping he could give them some answers.
“If you want to know, ask him by yourself,” Yang Ying Hao replied faintly. In truth, he also didn’t know why Yang Kai suddenly came here.
“Could it be to retaliate?” Ye Kuang Ren muttered the thought in his heart.
Listening to these words, the Patriarchs of the Eight Great Families all wore grim expressions.
After all, it wasn’t impossible. Eight months ago, the Eight Great Families had all used various methods to bully and coerce Yang Kai. He was still a young man less than twenty years of age, he being hot-blooded, holding a grudge, and seeking revenge wasn’t outside the realm of possibility.
Given the current state of the Eight Great Families, if he were to join forces with the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land, then…
“If he dares to do this, Father here will make him suffer a fate worse than death!” Gao Mo coldly snorted.
Kang Rui followed up, “Brother Yang, regardless of what’s happened, he’s still a member of your Yang Family. You have to handle this.”
“Handle what? When the seven of you joined forces to attack him, my Yang Family didn’t interfere, if he really wants revenge now, my Yang Family will still not interfere.”
“What are you all worried about?” Meng Xi Ping sneered, “While Yang Kai may have a lot of powerful masters with him, with his strength, what spray can he turn? If he really wants to retaliate against my Eight Great Families, he will only be seeking his own death! Besides, aren’t his parents still in your Yang Family?”
Yang Ying Hao turned his head and stared at Meng Xi Ping, his eyes filled with the meaning of warning, “Don’t get any ideas about his parents, enraging him now will only result in bad consequences.”
Meng Xi Ping shook his head and felt that Yang Ying Hao was making a fuss over trivial matters. Was there any need to treat a mere Yang Family Young Lord so seriously?
As they spoke, Yang Kai’s mansion had already come to a stop at the central location of Central Capital and begun to descend to the ground.
A few breaths later, along with a loud bang, the Yang Kai’s house which had originally been a hundred kilometers away in War City set down inside the Central Capital.
Meng Wu Ya gasped for breath as beads of sweat dripped down his forehead, it was as if he was about to collapse.
Actuating the Heavenly Palace with an Immortal Ascension Boundary cultivation had been extremely taxing for Meng Wu Ya. Fortunately, he only had to make it fly a hundred kilometers or so. If the distance had been any further, he probably wouldn’t have been able to handle it.
“Many thanks for your hard work, Treasurer Meng.” Yang Kai said seriously.
Meng Wu Ya simply nodded once before immediately sitting down and controlling his breathing.
The mansion had actually landed right in the middle of the battlefield, with its front entrance facing the Eight Great Families side and the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land behind it. Like a sharp knife, it directly pierced the region between the two factions.
This extremely arrogant gesture not only indicated that Yang Kai didn’t put the two sides’ battle in his eyes, it was also his way of saying he would not attach himself to either side.
“Interesting,” The several Evil Kings laughed as they stared towards Yang Kai who stood at the front of the crowd.
“Bold!” The Patriarchs of Eight Great Families coldly snorted, their dislike of Yang Kai increasing once more.
In the Eight Great Families’ camp, two Transcendent Realm masters stared red-eyed towards the people in Yang Kai’s mansion.
Huang Xiao and Jiang Zhe.
Ten days ago, the two of them had escaped to the Central Capital and reported their experiences to the Eight Great Families, but to their disappoint, no one believed a word of what they had to say.
How many people were in Yang Kai’s mansion and what their approximate cultivations were, the Eight Great Families were very clear about. Even though their information was half a year old, that wasn’t nearly enough time for nine Above Immortal Ascension Boundary Blood Warriors to appear like Huang Xiao and Jiang Zhe claimed.
Such a scenario was simply too unrealistic.
Although Huang Xiao and Jiang Zhe swore on their honour and to the Heavens, vehemently proclaiming that everything they said was true, the people of the Eight Great Families still didn’t accept their explanation, only believing they were using this absurd excuse to explain why their respective families’ elites hadn’t come to help.
Also, for this reason, Huang Xiao and Jiang Zhe were harshly interrogated, never entrusted with any important matters, and ostracized by the other first-class forces who had come to the Central Capital to assist the Eight Great Families.
Naturally, they put all the blame for this misfortune onto Yang Kai.
If it wasn’t for Yang Kai ruthlessly ordering his subordinates to slaughter their juniors, how could they have fallen into such a terrible position now?
Although the two of them were incredibly angry and aggrieved, they didn’t lose their heads; they well understood that with their own strength, they had no way to settle accounts with Yang Kai.
The two of them suddenly glanced at each other and after a silent exchange, snickered lowly before slipping off to see two other Transcendent masters.
Like Huang Xiao and Jiang Zhe, these two Transcendents were also staring at Yang Kai mansion, their eyes filled with a thick murderous intent, seemingly having some absolutely irreconcilable enmity with Yang Kai.
“Brother Xiang, Brother Nan, that little brat is the murderer who killed your two heirs, right? Now that he’s dared to appear in front of you, don’t you want to seek revenge?” Huang Xiao quietly goaded.
Xiang Ning, hearing the cheap provocation in these words, couldn’t help but coldly snort, “Our Xiang and Nan Families are unable to coexist with Yang Kai! If there’s a chance, this old master will certainly take his life, there’s no need for Brother Huang and Brother Jiang to interfere.”
The Xiang Family and Nan Family were both first-class families so naturally they had received the Eight Great Families’ Conscription Command. The two families were amongst the few big forces that had come to the Central Capital to render aid help.
After many days of fighting, both of their families had suffered not small losses so the Xiang Family’s Patriarch Xiang Ning and the Nan Family’s Patriarch Nan Xi Lou obviously had foul moods. Many times they had wanted to withdraw from the Central Capital but could not work up the courage to defy the Eight Great Families, but now seeing Xiang Chu and Nan Sheng’s murder, both Patriarchs naturally had some ideas.
Nan Xi Lou turned to glance at the Eight Great Families Patriarchs, his expression dark and sullen, “I don’t know what their attitude towards Yang Kai is.”
Huang Xiao sneered, “Yang Kai and the Eight Great Families are already bitter enemies, this is a well-known fact. What is there to worry about?”
Jiang Zhe also sneered, “Your personal enemy swaggering about in front of you, could it be Brother Xiang and Brother Nan are just going to swallow this insult?”
Xiang Ning and Nan Xi Lou both coldly snorted. Although they very much wanted to kill Yang Kai and avenge the deaths of Xiang Chu and Nan Sheng, but they weren’t fools, naturally they could see that the palace-like barrier surrounding Yang Kai’s mansion wasn’t simple.
That shimmering barrier obviously couldn’t be broken with just their own strength.
If they had no way to break that barrier, they couldn’t take revenge.
While the four Transcendents were talking, there was suddenly movement from Yang Kai’s side.
Yang Kai strutted out from the barrier without the slightest hesitation, the thirteen Blood Warriors, Old Demon, Li Yuan Chun, Lu Si and all the Immortal Ascension Boundary masters behind him soon following suit.
This action stunned everyone on the scene.
None of them had expected Yang Kai’s guts to be so big, even daring to walk out into the middle of this chaotic battlefield.
After sweeping his eyes around and observing the situation, Yang Kai quickly shouted, “Kill!”
With this one order, all the Immortal Ascension Boundary masters from his mansion rushed into the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land’s lines and shattered the current stalemate.
Yang Kai’s mansion had nearly five hundred Immortal Ascension Boundary masters and at this moment all of them were like fierce tigers descending a mountain. The Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land cultivators, who were both physically and mentally exhausted, were completely incapable of blocking them, many of them immediately being cut down or forced to retreat in defeat.
Screams rang out and blood splashed about.
Yang Kai felt the Solitary Golden Eye in his Knowledge Sea once again put out a strong suction force and draw in the Spiritual Energy that escaped from the Knowledge Seas of the recently fallen Immortal Ascension Boundary masters.
Feeling this invigorating rush, Yang Kai smiled happy and stood still, enjoying this process of absorption.
The thirteen Blood Warriors also stood unmoving, guarding Yang Kai in case the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land’s Transcendent Realm masters suddenly moved against him.
After seeing this scene, the Patriarchs of the Eight Great Families expression became perplexed, they had not expected Yang Kai and his allies to take the initiative to cut their way into the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land cultivators!
“Fight!” Yang Ying Hao’s spirit lifted, roaring loudly, “Coordinate with Yang Kai’s forces and slaughter the demons!”
Hearing his orders, the Eight Great Families’ Immortal Ascension Boundary masters and the various elites from the major forces who had come to the Central Capital all simultaneously attacked, taking advantage of the hole Yang Kai’s forces had opened in the enemy lines to rushed forward and kill.
“Your opportunity has come, Brother Xiang, Brother Nan, I hope you can grasp it well.” Huang Xiao smiled and said profoundly.
Xiang Ning and Nan Xi Lou glanced at each other, and although there was some hesitation and worry contained in their eyes, the burning desire for vengeance was obviously far stronger, blinding them from seeing reason.
A moment later, the look on the two Patriarchs faces became firm and their figures flickered, quickly disappearing.
The Xiang and Nan Family elite forces also rushed forward to join their Patriarchs.
Huang Xiao and Jiang Zhe stood quietly in the same place, snickering smugly as they took pleasure in others’ misfortune. They knew that Xiang Ning and Nan Xi Lou had long ago been persuaded by them, and now all they needed to do was sit back and wait for them to experience Yang Kai’s mansion’s tyrannical strength.
These past ten days, Xiang Ning and Nan Xi Lou had constantly looked down upon and made trouble for them, building up a lot of grievances between them, but now they finally had to chance to settle things once and for all.
Huang Xiao and Jiang Zhe felt relieved and happy.
“Yang Kai, pay with your life!” Suddenly, an anger filled roar reached Yang Kai’s ear.
While he was absorbing the Spiritual Energy from the fallen masters, Yang Kai heard these words and couldn’t help looking up, immediately catching sight of two Transcendent Realm masters flying over towards him.
This sudden development made him very confused, wondering just where he had offended these two strangers.
However, his expression didn’t change, nor did he make the slightest move to avoid these two masters, instead just staring back at them indifferently.
Perceiving the disdain in Yang Kai’s eyes, the last trace of Xiang Ning and Nan Xi Lou’s concerns were cast to the wind. Only the idea of killing Yang Kai to avenge the deaths of Xiang Chu and Nan Sheng remained in their hearts.
Tu Feng and others just glanced towards Xiang Ning and Nan Xi Lou quietly, and when they approached to within a few dozen meters, all of them violently pushed their True Qi, revealing their powerful and imposing auras.
Feeling the huge True Qi fluctuations coming from in front of them, Xiang Ning and Nan Xi Lou eyes almost popped out of their sockets.
Each of these thirteen auras was no less powerful than their own, many of them were even stronger.
In a blur of light, Xiang Ning and Nan Xi Lou didn’t even have time to react before they were sent tumbling dozens of meters through the air and slammed to the ground by Tu Feng, Ying Jiu, and the other Blood Warriors.
Throughout the battlefield, everyone except Yang Kai’s allies stared at this scene with bulged eyes.
The jaws of all of the Patriarchs from the Eight Great Families dropped. Before these Blood Warriors moved, they hadn’t been able to gauge their strength, but after this brief confrontation, the various Patriarchs discovered to their complete amazement that all thirteen of these Blood Warriors were no longer Immortal Ascension Boundary cultivators but genuine Above Immortal Ascension Boundary masters.
“Sure enough!” The Blood Warrior Hall’s Hall Master, Feng Sheng shouted joyfully as he wore a big grin.
Despite his previous speculations, Feng Sheng still somewhat couldn’t believe what he was seeing, but compared to his shock, his feelings of happiness that his fellow Brothers and Sisters had made such astonishing progress was stronger.
At the same time, Feng Sheng also faintly envied them.
“Patriarch Xiang, Patriarch Nan, what are you doing?” Lu Si quickly recovered from his shock and asked.
“Patriarch Xiang, Patriarch Nan?” Yang Kai heard these two names and instantly knew why these two men were hostile towards himself.
Xiang Ning and Nan Xi Lou faces were ashen. Although they were both being held down on the ground by the Blood Warriors, they were both still barely able to raise their heads and stare at Yang Kai in horror.
“Little Lord, what should we do with these two?” Tu Feng asked.
“Kill them.” Yang Kai’s eyes were cold and unfeeling. Before knowing their identities, Yang Kai hadn’t wanted to act ruthlessly, but after knowing who they were, Yang Kai unhesitantly decided to execute them.
Xiang Ning and Nan Xi Lou both wore terrified and aghast expressions. Neither of them had dreamed that even after knowing their statuses, this Yang Family Young Lord would issue such an order.
Xiang Ning hastily shouted, “Yang Kai, leniency now. You will certainly be rewarded in the future.”
Yang Kai however just sneered, “There’s nothing to discuss, because in the future we’ll never meet again, and in this world there will be no more Xiang or Nan Families!”
The faces of Xiang Ning and Nan Xi Lou suddenly became pale.
Tu Feng and Ying Jiu didn’t hesitate at all, pushing their True Qi violently and instantly killing the two first-class family Transcendent Realm Patriarchs.
Two great masses of Spiritual Energy, both of which had very different qualities from all the previous ones he had absorbed, were drawn into Yang Kai’s Knowledge Sea. Feeling these two massive masses of energy, Yang Kai nodded happily.
Lifting his eyes, Yang Kai glared coldly at Huang Xiao and Jiang Zhe who were standing a couple thousand meters away taking pleasure in other’s misfortune, casually waving his hand, “Kill those two as well!”
Last time, because he was sensing the mysteries of the Solitary Golden Eye he had accidentally let these two old men escape, something Yang Kai felt quite regretful about, so now that he had met them again, how could he once more let them off?
Five Blood Warriors responded, instantly shooting off towards Huang Xiao and Jiang Zhe and before the latter could respond, they had already been surrounded. After offering some trifling resistance, within a few breaths, both of them had been killed.
Although the Blood Warriors had only broken through to the Transcendent Realm a short time ago, after they received guidance from the mysterious freak, Meng Wu Ya, they were able to display even greater strength than this world’s average Transcendent masters.
In a five versus two situation, how could Huang Xiao and Jiang Zhe be worthy opponents?
After the deaths of these two, Yang Kai’s brow wrinkled, quickly walking towards them until he had approached to within a hundred meters or so and felt two huge Spiritual Energy masses fly into his Knowledge Sea.
A hundred meters… That was probably the greatest distance at which the Solitary Golden Eye could absorb these residual Spiritual Energy lumps.
Yang Kai inadvertently made a new discovery.
“Bastard!” Ye Kuang Ren roared angrily as the other Patriarchs of the Eight Great Families gasped.
They thought that Yang Kai had come to the Central Capital to join forces with the Eight Great Families in order to resist the invasion of the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land, but they hadn’t thought that he would all of a sudden murder four Transcendents who were here to render aid to the Eight Great Families.
All of a sudden, four Transcendent Realm masters had been killed. Not only was this a great loss in terms of the Central Capital’s combat strength, it was also a devastating blow to their morale.
However, what made the Eight Great Families’ Patriarchs even more frustrated was that they were unable to understand what Yang Kai’s intentions were.
“Seventeen Above Immortal Ascension Boundary masters!” Meng Xi Ping’s lips quivered slightly as he stared at the luxurious lineup around Yang Kai.
Thirteen Blood Warriors, Old Demon, Ling Tai Xu, Li Yuan Chun, and Lu Si, a grand total of seventeen cultivators who had reached the Above Immortal Ascension Boundary.
This huge number made all of the Eight Great Families blush in shame. Their families had each worked tirelessly for centuries in order to produce four or five such masters; when compared to Yang Kai’s mansion, they were no different from mortals stuck on the ground gazing up at the Heavens.
How had the strength of these people suddenly increased so much? None of them could understand.
“Ying Jiu, follow me, everyone else can act on their own.” Yang Kai gave a succinct command and then charged into the chaotic and bloody battlefield with Ying Jiu in tow.
The remaining sixteen Transcendent masters flew into the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land forces without saying a word.
The Eight Great Families’ allied cultivators, after hesitating for a moment, also followed Yang Kai’s forces and began encircling the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land cultivators.
“Order our forces to retreat.” Yang Bai suddenly appeared and calmly ordered the five Great Evil Kings.
The expressions of these five weren’t much better than the ones on the Eight Great Families’ Patriarch’s faces. After seeing the number and strength of Yang Kai’s cultivators, the five Evil Kings also felt that the situation had taken a turn for the worse.
For so long, they had been in a deadlock with the Eight Great Families, but now with the sudden emergence of this huge variable, their stalemate would no doubt be broken.
Whichever side could win Yang Kai’s support would be able to dominate the other.
The only comfort the five Great Evil Kings had was that Yang Kai had not only killed the people from their Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land, but also a number of masters from the Central Capital. For now, it seemed like he had no intention of joining either side. Whoever challenged him, he would kill.
After hearing Yang Bai’s order, the five Evil Kings didn’t hesitate to recall their forces.
A dull horn sounded across the battlefield.
Receiving this signal, the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land forces began withdrawing and gradually disappeared back into their own camp.
Yang Kai’s cultivators and forces of the Eight Great Families pursued for a short time but didn’t dare to launch a comprehensive assault on the enemy camp, soon also returning to their encampments.
Since the arrival of Yang Kai’s mansion, only about as much time as it would take to boil a cup of tea had passed yet the battle had already ended. Both of the original sides had large numbers of dead and wounded while on the other hand, Yang Kai’s allies had not suffered a single loss. At most, some of them had received some minor injuries.
All of them smiled broadly as they stood around outside Yang Kai’s mansion.
Yang Kai himself took a quick lap around the battlefield, absorbed all the residual Spiritual Energy of the fallen Immortal Ascension Boundary masters he could, and then returned to the house along with Ying Jiu.
After entering the mansion, Yang Kai directly entered secluded cultivation to purify and refine his gains, not even bothering to greet the Eight Great Families.
Such wanton arrogance, blatant disregarding the Eight Great Families, caused the eight Patriarchs expressions to dim greatly.
“Brother Yang, isn’t this little brat from your Yang Family a bit too arrogant?” After all of their troops had withdrawn, Kang Rui looked over at Yang Ying Hao and asked in annoyance.
“He has the capital to act so.” Yang Ying Hao replied indifferently.
“But he is still a Junior from your Yang Family, can’t you use your status as Patriarch to rein him in?”
“Bullshit, after everything that’s happened do you think he will give a damn about my Yang Family?” Yang Ying Hao coldly snorted.
“Ha… It seems we miscalculated,” Meng Xi Ping sighed, “We should not have targeted him back then, trying to force him to give up his secrets. If we had acted more discreetly…”
“What point is there in bringing up the past now?” Ye Kuang Ren cut in, glaring towards Meng Xi Ping coldly as he firmly stated, “Right now the situation is clear. If we can gain Yang Kai’s support, within half a month we can rout the Ash Grey Cloud Evil Land. Conversely, if the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land manages to recruit him, then the only fate of the Central Capital will be…”
Destruction!
“But he just killed four Above Immortal Ascension masters from the Nan Family, Xiang Family, Huang Family, and Radiant Palace. How are we going to handle this?” Gao Mo frowned and asked, “This is not a trivial matter. Those four were some of the few who came here in response to our Eight Great Families’ Conscription Command, if we don’t handle this well, it would only cause a chilling effect on all the other Great Han Dynasty forces.”
Everyone suddenly fell into silence and realized how difficult the situation was.
Logically, Yang Kai killing these four people was not something the Eight Great Families could forgive, and even if they were to, they must give the rest of the Great Han Dynasty’s forces a justifiable reason for doing so. But if by condemning his actions, they annoyed Yang Kai, the consequences were not something they could afford to bare.
“What kind of person is this kid anyways?” Huo Zheng asked with a slightly pensive expression, “How did he become who he is today?”
Listening to this question, seven pairs of eyes turned and stared towards Yang Ying Hao.
Yang Ying Hao unfortunately could only shrug and replying faintly, “Don’t look at me, I don’t know much about him. All I can tell you is that his temperament is incredibly firm, during the brief time he was in the Yang Family, he would absolutely never be willing to suffer a loss.”
“Summon his parents and ask them, they should know more than us.” Kang Rui suddenly proposed.
“Not a bad idea. Even if this little brat is ruthless and refuses to compromise with our Eight Great Families, he should still care about his parents, right?”
Yang Ying Hao’s brow furrowed deeply for a moment before nodding, “Very well, I’ll send for them, but remember, none of you may act against them.”
“Naturally, naturally,. Brother Yang need not worry.” Seven people nodded at once.
At this moment, who among them would dare to offend Yang Kai?
During this war, the Yang Family Fourth Master and his wife had always remained inside the Yang Family compound and had never been sent to the front lines by Yang Ying Hao’s special arrangement. Although Yang Ying Feng had requested combat assignments several times, the answer had always been no.
This was all Yang Ying Hao could offer Yang Kai in compensation for their previous grievances.
Soon after, the Yang Family Fourth Master couple arrived.
Yang Ying Feng cupped his fists and curiously asked, “Patriarch, for what reason have you summoned my wife and I at this time?”
He and Dong Su Zhu didn’t know that Yang Kai had arrived in the Central Capital today and just now settled a big fight between the two warring factions so naturally Yang Ying Feng had doubts about why Yang Ying Hao would suddenly send for them.
“Nothing important,” Yang Ying Hao lightly coughed and said, “It’s just that I and the other Patriarchs want to understand the personality and character of Yang Kai a bit more.”
“Kai’er?” Yang Ying Feng’s brow wrinkled, the confusion on his face only deepening.
“Has something happened to Kai’er?” Dong Su Zhu suddenly became nervous and hurriedly asked.
Yang Ying Hao quickly shook his head, “Yang Kai is safe. Sister-in-law doesn’t need to worry.”
“What’s happened then? Why do you suddenly want to know about my Kai’er?” Dong Su Zhu became vigilant, her pair of sharp eyes quickly glancing around only to discover that these Patriarchs, who normally acted arrogant and aloof, were all staring towards their husband and wife pair cautiously, some of them even wearing half flattering smiles.
Such a sight was something she had never encountered before, causing Dong Su Zhu a great deal of puzzlement.
Yang Ying Hao smiled helplessly and could only briefly explain about what had happened just now.
“That disobedient son…” The Yang Family Fourth Master angrily spat, “Since he came back to the Central Capital, why hasn’t he come back to the family yet? Is he still holding a grudge against the Eight Great Families for acting unfairly towards him?”
The eight Patriarchs all immediately wore incomparably ugly expressions.
Although Yang Ying Feng seemed to be blaming Yang Kai for his actions, all of them clearly understood he was actually venting dissatisfactions for his son.
If the Eight Great Families hadn’t acted unfairly towards him before, he would still be a member of the Yang Family; how could he have chosen to stand apart from them?
“Patriarch, forgive me, that rascal son of mine is young and impulsive and has made a great mistake. The next time I see him I will definitely reprimand him sternly on everyone’s behalf.”
“That’s not necessary.” Kang Rui said in a fluster. If Yang Kai became indignant after being scolded by the Yang Family Fourth Master and decided to take out his anger on the Eight Great Families, the situation would become dire, “We just want to know more about Yang Kai today, as the ones who raised him, surely you understand him better than anyone else, yes?”
“About this…” The Yang Family Fourth Master hesitated, “Although it embarrasses me to say so, I’ve had very little communication with my son, so I don’t know too much about him.”
“I do!” Dong Su Zhu raised her hand and shouted.
Everyone turned their attention to her immediately, a look of anticipation appearing on their faces.
Dong Su Zhu thus began to ramble on about many trivial events from when Yang Kai was a child, causing the eight Patriarchs’ expression to become more and more awkward as time passed.
After an hour or so of Dong Su Zhu’s storytelling, the eight people had not heard any useful information but had on the other hand become well versed in Yang Kai’s childhood antics.
“Good…” Just as Dong Su Zhu was about to launch into another tale from Yang Kai’s past, Yang Ying Hao quickly interrupted her, “We have an idea now.”
Dong Su Zhu giggled lightly and continued, “My son is not a bad child, from an early age I taught him that those who respect me one step, I respect ten steps, and those who wrong me once… hehe, I beat three times!”
The eight Patriarchs all suddenly wore dignified looks as they stared at the seemingly young, innocent, and naive Dong Su Zhu.
Dong Su Zhu on the other hand stared back at them fearlessly, a big smile upon her face.
Meanwhile, the Yang Family Fourth Master, like statue, stood silently beside his wife.
“We understand.” Kang Rui nodded gently and seriously.
“Since all of you understand, then we husband and wife will take our leave.” The Yang Family Fourth Master asked to be excused and left with Dong Su Zhu.
After the Yang Family Fourth Master and his wife left, the eight Patriarchs’ expression became stern, realizing that the Fourth Madam, who always seemed to behave like a young girl, was not a simple character. Yang Kai’s current behaviour, attitude, and temperament were likely a result of her many years of ‘guidance’.
“Those who respect me one step, I respect ten steps, was it?” Everyone fell into contemplation.
Yang Kai’s house.
After this large scale absorption and purification by the Solitary Golden Eye, Yang Kai entered secluded retreat for two days and finally broke through to the Immortal Ascension Boundary Fifth Stage, completely closing the gap in cultivation between him and Su Yan.
Reaching this realm, Yang Kai couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief. Since he had met Su Yan, her strength had always been superior to his own. As her man, Yang Kai naturally wanted to surpass her.
This was not out a sense of competition nor a sense of manly pride, Yang Kai simply understood better than anyone how limitless Su Yan’s potential was and if he were to relax for a moment, the gap between them would only grow wider and wider.
After exiting his retreat, Yang Kai once again led the various masters in his house against the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land forces.
But having eaten such a big loss, the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land was no longer caught off guard, so Yang Kai’s attack did not cause them any significant damage, only losing several Immortal Ascension masters and a few Monster Beasts.
The harvest this time was minimal.
Yang Kai wasn’t worried though. From the beginning he had only considered the benefits he gained from the Solitary Golden Eye’s as an auxiliary to his own cultivation, if he truly wanted to become stronger, he could only rely on his own perseverance and dedicated cultivation.
The reason he launched frequent attacks was, one, to obtain Spiritual Energy from cutting down enemy Immortal Ascension Boundary masters, and two, to hone himself through live combat.
One month later, under Yang Kai’s repeated assaults, the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land suffered several dozen casualties and at the command of Demon Lord Yang Bai had pulled back their forces and no longer took the initiative to attack.
With Yang Kai’s mansion suppressing the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land forces this past month, the Eight Great Families gained a short respite, but although they occasionally cooperated with Yang Kai to harass the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land, they never made any large scale deployments because they still couldn’t determine what Yang Kai’s true intentions were.
The situation in the Central Capital had essentially become a three way struggle between Yang Kai’s mansion, the Eight Great Families, and the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land.
The relationships between these three factions were ambiguous and complicated.
The Eight Great Families and the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land were naturally bitter enemies while Yang Kai’s mansion, which was sandwiched between them, would often attack the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land but would also not give any face to the Eight Great Families. When people from the Eight Great Families offended Yang Kai’s forces, the latter would often hit back with an extremely heavy hand.
Fortunately, the Patriarchs of the Eight Great Families had issued orders to all the elites from their and their allies’ families not to provoke Yang Kai’s forces. Even if some kind of conflict of interest on the battlefield, they were to grit their teeth and endure.
At this critical time, the Eight Great Families didn’t want to cause any friction with Yang Kai.
As a result, all the spoils of war left on the battlefield were swept away by Yang Kai’s forces. All the pills and artifacts of the dead Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land cultivators were collected by Yang Kai’s allies, leaving not even crumbs for the Eight Great Families or their allies.
The prestige of Yang Kai’s mansion exploded and quickly spread out.
After one month, a large number of cultivators had assembled outside Yang Kai’s house, and after Qiu Yi Meng noticed and made some preliminary investigations, she immediately found Yang Kai.
“What is it?”
“A lot of people have set up camp outside the mansion.”
“Who?” Yang Kai’s brow wrinkled, his expression slightly disgruntled, wondering who was looking for trouble with him now.
“People who want to hire themselves to you.”
“Hire themselves to me?” Yang Kai was stunned, quickly letting out a chuckle, “This isn’t the Inheritance War.”
Qiu Yi Meng rolled her eyes and continued, “The ones outside are all first-class forces who received the Eight Great Families’ Conscription Command and came to the Central Capital.”
“Since the Eight Great Families were the ones that summoned them, why come looking for me?” Yang Kai said with a confused look.
“Don’t play dumb!” Qiu Yi Meng snorted, “It’s because this place is safer. Before we came, there were already some first-class forces that came to the Central Capital to render aid, but those forces have all suffered serious casualties and have all but been wiped out. With multiple examples of the core members of their Sects and Families dying or receiving serious injuries, how could the recent arrivals dare to count on the Eight Great Families to shelter them?”
“So they’ve come to me instead?” Yang Kai expression became strange once more.
“En.” Qiu Yi Meng nodded lightly, “And there’s even a successful example in the mansion already.”
“You mean the Lu Family?” Yang Kai instantly understood.
“En, the Lu Family also came to the Central Capital a while ago, but actually joined up with you instead of the Eight Great Families. During this time, the Lu Family has not suffered any fatalities and have instead killed many of the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land cultivators.” Qiu Yi Meng snickered cunningly, “You’ve created a precedent and now everyone wants to take advantage of it, how do you plan on handling it?”
“This…” Yang Kai’s brow wrinkled.
He had allowed the Lu Family to join him because he had some slight friendship with Lu Si and Lu Family’s elites also knew how to show proper decorum. If other forces who came to the Central Capital wanted to attach themselves to his mansion, forget about there simply not being enough space to fit them all, even if he could house all of them, with so many people suddenly gathering together, conflicts and contradictions were bound to arise.
After thinking it over for a while though, Yang Kai suddenly grinned, “Since they’ve come to hire themselves to me, let them all come in.”
Qiu Yi Meng was dumbstruck for a moment. According to what she knew of Yang Kai’s character, he would normally have driven all of these people away, so this response had greatly deviated from her expectations.
Wrinkling her brow and thinking it over though, Qiu Yi Meng quickly grinned and nodded, “Your appetite is really big.”
“This is an opportunity,” Yang Kai sneered, “The Central Capital Eight Great Families should bring in new blood.”
Qiu Yi Meng eyes flashed brilliantly, secretly anticipating such an outcome and quickly leaving the house to make the appropriate arrangements.
Over on the Eight Great Families’ side, looking from far away at the crowd gathered in front of Yang Kai’s house, everyone’s expression was quite ugly. These forces had all come to the Central Capital in response to the Eight Great Families’ Conscription Command, but now they were not willing to join forces with the Eight Great Families but instead wanted to hire themselves to Yang Kai.
The Patriarchs of the Eight Great Families couldn’t help feeling like the meal they had prepared for themselves had been snatched by someone else.
“The times have changed!” Kang Rui sighed slightly, seemingly picturing the future that would soon arrive.
The rejection and distrust of the Eight Great Families by the rest of the Great Han Dynasty’s forces in stark contrast to Yang Kai’s mansion was on full display.
Once this trend reached a certain tipping point, the prestige of the Eight Great Families would thoroughly be destroyed and they would be supplanted by Yang Kai’s mansion.
Once this crisis had passed whose hands would the Central Capital fall into?
“Your Yang Family has produced a terrifying character.” The other seven Patriarchs stared at Yang Ying Hao with looks of envy.
Yang Ying Hao’s mouth twitched slightly as he left out a sigh, “I can only hope he still gives some regard to his bloodline.”
Meanwhile, Yang Kai’s house became extremely busy. All the forces that came to hire themselves to him were allowed into the Heavenly Palace. Once inside this barrier, no matter who it was, they couldn’t help breathing a sigh of relief, seemingly feeling like they have finally found something to rely on to guarantee their safety.
After carefully scrutinizing the power of Yang Kai’s original forces, all of these forces became honest and law abiding. In the face of Qiu Yi Meng’s commands and arrangements, no one dared to disagree.
Once these people spilled in, Yang Kai’s originally not spacious mansion became even more crowded.
These new forces were basically arranged into a single courtyard each. These residences had only enough room for people to find a spot to sit and meditate; there wasn’t even enough space for people to have separate rooms and beds.
However, no one uttered a single complaint. Simply being able to take shelter in Yang Kai’s house made them very satisfied.
More and more forces asked to join Yang Kai’s mansion every day and Yang Kai would unconditionally accept them.
These forces had all voluntarily come here to fight against the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land, so even though the Eight Great Families were annoyed in their hearts, they made no attempt to interfere with them.
As time passed, Yang Kai’s mansion gradually calmed down. By now, the house had become entirely saturated with more than 2,000 masters now residing inside. Besides the original seventeen Transcendents Yang Kai possessed, an additional ten had joined, each one of these powerhouses from a different first-class force.
The rate at which Yang Kai’s mansion’s strength grew was too sensational, and forced the Eight Great Families and the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land to no longer be able to sit still.
As night descended, two groups of people arrived in front of Yang Kai’s house.
Both of them just happening to bump into one another outside the main entrance.
On the left were two women, one of them a peerless enchanting beauty, the other a fresh young spirit, the Beguiling Demon Queen, Shan Qing Luo and her handmaid, Bi Luo.
On the other side were eight men, the current Patriarchs of the Eight Great Families.
Upon meeting each other here, Ye Kuang Ren roared angrily, “Beguiling Demon Queen!”
As he spoke, True Qi surged up, apparently intending to start something here. The other seven Patriarchs also stared at Shan Qing Luo with malevolent expressions.
Shan Qing Luo hurriedly retreated a few steps, secretly condensing her True Qi, her heart quite anxious. She had not expect that these eight would, like her, quietly conceal their auras and come here, leading to their sudden encounter.
“Demon woman, what are you doing here?” Kang Rui interrogated sharply.
Shan Qing Luo didn’t say a word, only staring back at these eight people vigilantly.
“No need for any rubbish, since she’s delivered herself to us, we should just kill her.” Gao Mo coldly snorted.
Everyone firmly nodded and were about to take action when a person walked out from Yang Kai’s house and said, “Everyone, please come in, Yang Kai said that everyone here is a guest and he hopes you won’t stir up any disturbances outside his house!”
Hearing the sound of this voice, the Patriarchs of the Eight Great Families suddenly showed weird expressions while Qiu Shou Cheng turned his eyes towards the messenger who emerged from Yang Kai house and shouted, “Meng’er!”
“Father!” Qiu Yi Meng smiled warmly and politely bowed to Qiu Shou Cheng before elegantly continuing, “All of you should be here to discuss with Yang Kai. He’s already waiting for you in the main hall, please come in!”
As she said so, she took a step back and opened the way.
“Hmph!” Ye Kuang Ren snorted as he glared towards Shan Qing Luo icily, “This time we’ll let you off, just make sure we never see you again!”
Leaving this threat behind, he quickly stepped forward towards the house.
An opening in the Heavenly Palace’s barrier appeared allowing the eight people to come in. When these eight had entered, Qiu Yi Meng turned to Shan Qing Luo and smiled, “Elder Sister should also come inside.”
“Did Yang Kai know that I would come as well?” Shan Qing Luo asked with a forced smile.
“I don’t know. He only said that there were guests outside and told me to greet them. I didn’t expect that it would be… these kinds of guests.” Qiu Yi Meng silently cursed. If she knew that it was the Patriarchs of the Eight Great Families who had come, she would have stubbornly refused to act as their greeting party. After all, her father was among them.
“That little bastard, he’s always trying to act mysterious.” Shan Qing Luo giggled.
Qiu Yi Meng’s suddenly stared towards Shan Qing Luo in a daze, a strange brilliance flashing across her beautiful eyes.
Seeing this, Shan Qing Luo hurriedly adjusted her expression, quickly withdrawing her aura.
Like she had just awoke from a dream, Qiu Yi Meng’s eyes regained their focus, a sense of terror welling up in her heart. It was obvious that the Beguiling Demon Queen’s charm was even effective against other women.
Inside the main hall, the eight Patriarchs had taken their seats when Shan Qing Luo calmly walked in and sat across from them. Although she knew the eight Patriarchs had malicious intentions towards her, she knew that while she was here, Yang Kai wouldn’t allow any harm to come to her.
On top of that, at this moment, the eight Patriarchs didn’t have any time to find trouble with Shan Qing Luo as all of them were focused on Yang Kai, who was sitting at the head of the table. The atmosphere in the room was quiet and subtle but complex.
All of them were confused about how to handle this discussion. This Yang Family direct descendant, who was a whole generation below them, had actually reached to the point where he was qualified to speak on equal terms with them.
The speed of his growth was nothing less than astonishing, using only a single year in order to reach his current height. Those in the same generation were incapable of keeping up with him and instead could only look up to him in awe. It was quite likely none of them would be able to catch up to him for the rest of their lives.
Even Liu Qing Yao, once known as the Central Capital’s First Young Lord, wasn’t worthy of being discussed in the same sentence as him.
All eight of these old men felt a deep sense of shock and amazement confronting him.
When the maidservants of the house offered them tea, the eight Patriarchs all drank it, but not a single one of them could taste anything. There was only a sharp bitterness spreading across their tongues.
After drinking a cup of bitter tea, the Patriarchs from the Eight Great Families gradually lost their patience. When all was said and done, they were still the respective heads of the Central Capital’s super forces. Whether it was in terms of status or their own cultivation, they were far from average people. They were used to acting aloof and arrogant, but after arriving at Yang Kai’s house they were forced to behave cautiously. Naturally, they felt some dissatisfaction and anger.
In particular, the calm and confident expression on Yang Kai’s face at the moment appeared particularly smug in their eyes. Sitting at the head of the table, he didn’t utter a single word, seemingly waiting for them to speak to him first.
Unable to stand it any longer, Gao Mo suddenly stood up and shouted, “Little Nephew, we Patriarchs have come here to discuss important matters with you as representatives of the Eight Great Families, but you’ve actually allowed this enchantress to sit here as well? What do you mean by this?”
“Enchantress?” Shan Qing Luo eyes flashed a trace of cold light, suddenly wearing a icy smile, “Patriarch Gao should be careful with his words, I may not be able to contain myself after being insulted so.”
“Hmph, once an enchantress always an enchantress. If it weren’t for us giving Little Nephew Yang face today, we old masters would immediately take your pitiful life. You should gratefully accept our benevolence and leave quickly, or do you plan on forcing this old master to take action here?”
Gao Rang Feng had died at the hands of the Poison King and Ghost King, so the contradictions between Gao Mo and the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land’s Great Evil Kings was naturally irreconcilable.
“In my mansion, no one may take action against anyone else without my permission!” Yang Kai coldly snorted, snapping his fingers.
In the next moment, the faces of all of the Eight Great Families’ Patriarchs changed greatly. They felt as if a mysterious energy had suddenly appeared around them and suppressed their ability to use their True Qi.
Thoroughly amazed, all of them quickly stared at Yang Kai in terror.
They couldn’t understand just what method Yang Kai had used to completely restrain their Above Immortal Ascension Boundary cultivations. It was simply too frightful.
Yang Kai remained indifferent, only meaning to give them a small warning, soon after signaling Meng Wu Ya to release their imprisonment.
Inside this Heavenly Palace, Meng Wu Ya was able to control everything. Even if it was a Transcendent Realm master who entered this place, their life or death would be firmly grasped by Meng Wu Ya. Because of this, he had wanted to draw the Tyrannical Force King into the Heavenly Palace and kill him; unfortunately, the Lightning Flash Shadow King had swiftly rescued the latter, causing Treasurer Meng’s plan to fall short.
Anger welling up in his heart, Gao Mo stared at Yang Kai stubbornly, but knowing now was not the time to lose his temper, he somehow held down his rage and asked with an ugly expression, “Little Nephew, you are still a member of the Yang Family are you not? Could it be you want to side with the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land now? “
The other seven Patriarchs all wore dignified faces as they stared towards Yang Kai.
“Colluding with devils and demons, cultivating a Demonic Secret Art, attempting to overthrow the rule of the Central Capital…” Yang Kai casually spoke, listing off one charge after another, “These are the one sided statements of the Eight Great Families, now you’re one-sidedly asking if I want to stand on the side of the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land? My Good Uncle, do I have any option to refute?” Yang Kai glanced around coldly at the eight old men.
The eight Patriarchs immediately made awkward expressions, their faces feeling somewhat hot with shame.
At that time, their Eight Great Families had used every method possibly to smear Yang Kai’s name while he was unable to resist, but now? Now he had the qualification to sit on the same level as the Eight Great Families.
In fact, the power he held in his hand right now was more than capable of sweeping away any one of the Eight Great Families.
Yang Kai’s cold tone as he spoke to them sent chills up their spines.
“However, there is one point among the rumors that is not wrong. I have indeed colluded with people from the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land before.”
The eight Patriarchs immediately went pale as the stared at Yang Kai in horror.
Yang Kai pointed at the Beguiling Demon Queen and grinned, “Shan Qing Luo and I are old acquaintances. When I found myself thrown into the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land and encountered misfortune, I received much care from her. Every graciousness must be repaid with gratitude and ever grudge must be settled with revenge! Therefore, if anyone tries to act disadvantageously to her, don’t blame me for not giving them face!”
Hearing these words, the Demon Queen’s face filled with happiness, a sense of pride rising in her heart.
The man she had chosen, even in the face of pressure from the Patriarchs of the Eight Great Families had refused to back down when it came to protecting her, forcing the latter to not dare show the slightest resistance. Shan Qing Luo secretly thought about all of this to herself as her beautiful eyes blurred slightly.
“Such events are only Little Nephew’s and this ench… The Beguiling Demon Queen’s personal relationships and can’t be considered as colluding with the devils and demons. Public and private matters are separate issues, we all understand that much.” Kang Rui quickly said, taking the initiative to defend Yang Kai.
Yang Ying Hao sighed gently and continued, “Yang Kai, six months ago, my Yang Family and the Central Capital’s Eight Great Families were unfair to you and for that I apologize. Regarding these past events, after we weather these difficult times, my Eight Great Families will offer you appropriate compensation and meet any demands you have.”
“Great Uncle,” Yang Kai hesitated for a moment before solemnly replying, “Let’s not mention the events from half a year ago, I don’t care about that any longer. If I want something, I will take it for myself, there’s no need for the Eight Great Families to offer me any kind of compensation.”
Yang Ying Hao paused and then nodded lightly, knowing that by him saying this, Yang Kai was indicating that he had thoroughly lost faith in the Eight Great Families but simultaneously really didn’t care about what had happened half a year ago.
After all, the people who had openly acted against him back then were all basically dead!
“What do all of my Good Uncles want to discuss with me today?” Yang Kai asked, getting down to business.
The eight old men adjusted their expression and Yang Ying Hao lightly coughed, “It’s not anything urgent. Since the Beguiling Demon Queen is also here today, she obviously has some matters to discuss with you as well, why don’t you discuss with her first?”
Yang Kai smiled lightly, not forcing the issue, he knew that they were all feeling uneasy about why Shan Qing Luo had appeared here and wanted to hear what she had to say first before they acted.
Turning his head to look at Shan Qing Luo, the latter smiled and made to effort to conceal her intentions from the eight Patriarchs, bluntly saying, “Yang Kai, I came here today at the command of the Demon Lord to win you over.”
The looks of Yang Ying Hao and the other Patriarchs’ faces quickly became sullen. Although they had their speculations, after hearing Shan Qing Luo really come out and say it, they were still worried, all of them perking up their ears and listening carefully.
“Sir Demon Lord hoped you can join forces with him to destroy the Eight Great Families and control the world.” Shan Qing Luo spoke freely and easily, seemingly not putting the eight Patriarchs across from her in her eyes.
Yang Kai raised his brow and showed a look of interest, “What are the benefits?”
“After this war, this world will belong to you.”
Yang Kai couldn’t help feeling a bit stunned, “What does the Demon Lord want?”
“His only goal is to wipe out the Eight Great Families.” Shan Qing Luo replied with a slight frown, her tone somewhat forced. Obviously she didn’t believe that Yang Bai had brought so many masters to invade the Central Capital simply to slaughter. If he didn’t obtain any benefits from this action, would he have bothered doing it at all?
“Sir Demon Lord also said…” Shan Qing Luo’s cheeks suddenly filled with an intoxicating blush as she glanced towards Yang Kai, “If you can promise him, he can give you the Beguiling Demon Queen first as a thank-you gift.”
“Hahaha!” Yang Kai laughed and stared back at Shan Qing Luo meaningfully, “Aren’t you already mine? What qualifications does he think he has to offer you to me?”
“I think so too.” Shan Qing Luo smiled charmingly and nodded.
The Patriarchs of the Eight Great Families all suddenly had weird expressions. Why did it seem like the relationship between Yang Kai and the world-famous Beguiling Demon Queen seem so… intimate?
“Then are you willing to agree with his request?” Shan Qing Luo asked.
“Of course I’ll agree, such a good thing, why would I not agree?” Yang Kai nodded.
Yang Ying Hao and the other Patriarchs all went pale as the stared at Yang Kai with great vigilance. They hadn’t thought that he would be so easily moved by Shan Qing Luo.
But just as they were about to speak up, Yang Kai’s face suddenly became cold as he said, “However, I have a condition.”
Shan Qing Luo said, “You can tell me, but I’m only responsible for delivering the message.”
“En, go back and tell your Demon Lord, I want his head, my Grand Master is very interested in his head, as long as he can deliver it to me, I’m willing to join forces with him!”
Shan Qing Luo’s expression didn’t change at all and just nodded gently, “Then I’ll go back and convey your words to him, but I somehow doubt he’ll agree.”
Saying so, she stood up elegantly and left with Bi Luo as if she was really just here to deliver the Demon Lord’s message, not making any attempt to convince Yang Kai.
After she left, the Patriarchs of the Eight Great Families breathed a sigh of relief now understanding that it was absolutely impossible for Yang Kai to stand together with the Demon Lord.
The Demon Lord originated from High Heaven Pavilion and was technically Yang Kai’s Martial Uncle, but High Heaven Pavilion’s Sect Master, Ling Tai Xu, wanted nothing more than to take Demon Lord Yang Bai’s life. As long as this relationship existed between Yang Kai and Yang Bai, it was impossible for them to become allies.
Knowing all this, the eight old men secretly relaxed a lot.
“Now then, what matter do my Uncles’ want to discuss with me today?” Yang Kai turned to look at the eight Patriarchs.
Yang Ying Hao hesitated for a moment before plunging in, “We hope that you can return to the Yang Family. After all, you are still member of the Yang Family!”
Nowadays, the Central Capital was split into three influences with Yang Kai’s house stuck between the Eight Great Families and the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land, his attitude ambiguous, so naturally the Eight Great Families hoped that Yang Kai could move closer to them.
This past month, Yang Kai had also received a lot of elites from all over the Great Han Dynasty, including ten Transcendent Realm masters. As long he could truly unite with the Eight Great Families, it would not be difficult for them to repel the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land’s invasion.
“Great Uncle, I won’t go back.” Yang Kai shook his head.
“Why?”
“The power in my hands gives me the right to speak, but if I go back with you now… would I still be able to talk to you like this?” Yang Kai sneered.
Once he returned to the Yang Family, the forces in his hands would be fully assimilated by the Eight Great Families. At that time, what kind of waves could Yang Kai stir?
“My Grand Master wants to take Yang Bai’s life, and I intend to help him do so. Rectifying my Sect’s name is something I must rely on my own strength to do. Uncles, if I return to the Yang Family, can you hand over control of the Eight Great Families to me? If you can do this, then I don’t mind returning to the Yang Family.”
“Impossible!” Gao Mo shouted decisively, “At most we can give you some more say and authority, as for the planning and deployment of the war, the final decision must rest with us.”
In Gao Mo’s view, Yang Kai was too young and impulsive. Such impulsiveness would easily cause him to make mistakes. How could he allow the Central Capital’s entire foundation to be just handed over to him?
“Then there’s no need for further discussion, I like being able to act arbitrarily.” Yang Kai slowly shook his head, indicating there was no room for negotiation.
“Do you insist on this?” Yang Ying Hao asked.
“En!” Yang Kai nodded firmly.
Yang Ying Hao fell into contemplation and after a moment of silence said, “I have to go back and discuss this with the Elder Hall. It’s impossible for me to give you command of the Eight Great Families, but if it’s just the Yang Family, I can try to meet your conditions!”
“Brother Yang?” Gao Mo turned and stared at Yang Ying Hao like he was a fool, never having imagined he would ever say such a thing.
These few words essentially meant that ownership of the Yang Family was going to change hands.
“One can fail to see once or twice, but they cannot be blind their entire life… Yang Kai, what do you say?” Yang Ying Hao asked meaningfully.
“What Great Uncle said is correct.” Yang Kai smiled confidently.
After listening to Yang Ying Hao’s words, the other seven Patriarchs suddenly fell into contemplation.
“We’ll take our leave now.” Yang Ying Hao said and he stood up, the other seven old men similarly getting up, each of them casting an intractable Yang Kai glance towards before collectively shaking their heads and sighing.
This brief meeting with Yang Kai had really left them dispirited.
“Great Uncle,” Yang Kai suddenly called out, “How are my parents?”
“You don’t have to worry about Fourth Brother and your mother, even if the Yang Family is destroyed, I won’t let any harm come to them.”
Yang Kai nodded slightly, his expression relaxing somewhat, “Many thanks, Great Uncle.”
“It’s what I should do.” Yang Ying Hao nodded back.
When the eight Patriarchs left the hall, they found Qiu Yi Meng and Huo Xing Chen waiting for them outside. It was obvious that this Young Lady and Young Lord were waiting for them.
“Greetings, uncles.” Qiu Yi Meng bowed elegant, displaying etiquette appropriate of her status.
On the other hand, Huo Xing Chen stood there snickering with his arms crossed, causing an annoyed light to flare up in Huo Zheng’s eyes.
Throughout the entire Central Capital, Huo Xing Chen was probably the only Young Lord from a great force who behaved so wantonly.
“Damn brat, come with me, father has something to say to you.” Huo Zheng shouted to Huo Xing Chen.
Hearing this, Huo Xing Chen grinned meaningfully and followed Huo Zheng aside.
On the other hand, Qiu Shou Cheng stared at Qiu Yi Meng arduously for a long time before sighing, “Meng’er, your vision is superior to mine!”
Before the start of the Inheritance War, Qiu Yi Meng had separated herself from the Qiu Family in order to become Yang Kai’s ally, while Qiu Shou Cheng and Qiu Zi Ruo chose to support the Yang Family’s Sixth Young Lord, Yang Shen.
In the end, it turned out that Qiu Yi Meng’s choice was the correct one.
During the Inheritance War, Yang Kai rose from having nothing to dominating above everyone else in short order.
In the waning hours of the Inheritance War, Qiu Shou Cheng had ordered Qiu Yi Meng and the Autumn Rain Hall to return to the family and told his daughter to cut off any relationship with Yang Kai she had.
But facts proved once more that standing firmly together with Yang Kai was more beneficial than joining forces with the Eight Great Families.
Nowadays, the Central Capital was suffering from both internal and external problems. Meanwhile, Qiu Yi Meng remaining in Yang Kai’s mansion and serving as his right arm not only didn’t provoke any complaints from Qiu Shou Cheng but instead caused him to secretly rejoice.
He felt it was a stroke of good fortune that Qiu Yi Meng had steadfastly followed Yang Kai, not even hesitating to disobey her own father’s orders to do so.
This daughter of his could indeed see farther and more clearly than he could; Qiu Shou Cheng couldn’t help suddenly feeling somewhat old and tired.
“Father!” Qiu Yi Meng eyes flashed a sparkling light, this was the first time she had heard Qiu Shou Cheng praise her so unreservedly.
From when she was a child until now, Qiu Shou Cheng had never praised her for her excellent performance and had instead focused all his attention on developing Qiu Zi Ruo into the successor of the Qiu Family.
There were even times when Qiu Yi Meng performed too well, causing Qiu Shou Cheng to show a pitiful expression.
Lamenting the fact that she was not a man.
Now though, she was hearing such unfiltered praise from Qiu Shou Cheng.
The bitterness buried deep in Qiu Yi Meng’s heart was suddenly replaced with feelings of elation.
“You father is getting old. From now on, I’ll have to bother you with taking care of the Qiu Family.” Qiu Shou Cheng sighed softly.
Qiu Yi Meng’s beautiful eyes became moist as she gently bit her lower lip, “Father is still young enough.”
“I am not young anymore.” Qiu Shou Cheng suddenly laughed and turned to look at his fellow Patriarchs, “They too, are no longer young anymore.”
Kang Rui, Meng Xi Ping, and the other Patriarchs’ faces all twitched violently at these words.
On the other hand, Huo Zheng and Huo Xing Chen both whispered for a while, no one able to hear what the two of them were discussing. After a long time, Huo Zheng simply sighed heavily.
“Old Man,” Huo Xing Chen suddenly put on a serious expression and patted Huo Zheng’s shoulders, “You should abdicate and enjoy retired life, no longer needing to bother with family politics and running around the battlefield fighting. Then you’ll have time and energy to find a few more madams and give me a younger brother. I already have so many sisters, when all of them start getting married, their dowry will become a serious burden on our Huo Family!”
“Scoundrel!” Huo Zheng smacked Huo Xing Chen across his head and yelled, “You dare speak such words to your father?”
Huo Xing Chen rubbed his head and chuckled, obviously not caring about this scolding and continuing, “I’m saying this for your own good. If you continue living on the battlefield, the Huo Family will really end up with only me as an heir. You’re still young and healthy, so your strength in bed shouldn’t be regressing yet. You need to take advantage of the time you have, do you want me to teach you some tricks?”
“Shut your mouth you damn unfilial son!” Huo Zheng roared furiously.
Huo Xing Chen suddenly restrained his rascal smile and solemnly said, “Old Man, perhaps I’m not suitable to take charge of the Huo Family, but I believe that with my friendship with Yang Kai, having me sit in the Patriarchs position won’t have any disadvantages to the future development of my Huo Family.”
Huo Zheng looked at him gloomily and coldly snorted, “On your own, there’s no way you could have seen through this situation so clearly. Who directed you?”
“Qiu Yi Meng.” Huo Xing Chen grinned, completely unashamed.
“Figures. That little girl is far brighter than the rest of you lot.” Huo Zheng glanced over at Qiu Yi Meng and couldn’t help feeling depressed. Why was it that among all his many daughters none of them could compare with Qiu Yi Meng?
That old fox Qiu Shou Cheng’s daughter was simply too frightening, she had obviously understood the current situation completely and anticipated this outcome.
Yang Kai was not willing to work with the Central Capital Eight Great Families because he didn’t want to let go of the power he had worked so hard to grasp. On the other hand, the Patriarchs of the Eight Great Families would naturally not be willing to submit to him.
If they were really to turn over all authority to a junior like Yang Kai, wouldn’t the Eight Great Families degenerate into a laughing stock? What’s more, their generation of Eight Great Families Patriarchs had also acted maliciously towards him.
However, if the Patriarch position was to change hands, everything would be fine, especially if the position was assumed by members of the younger generation as many of them had interacted with Yang Kai and were used to dealing with him.
For example, once the Huo Family and Qiu Family were inherited by Huo Xing Chen and Qiu Yi Meng respectively, they could justifiably cooperate with Yang Kai.
While the other Young Lords didn’t have much friendship with Yang Kai, all of them were members of the younger generation. Their own thoughts would be more straightforward and sincere. If they have any opposing thoughts, they would sit down and talk it through.
All of this seemed like nothing more than cosmetic changes, but now it had all but become inevitable. Unless, of course, the Eight Great Families decided to not seek help from Yang Kai’s mansion.
The Patriarchs of the Eight Great Families all departed with heavy expressions while Qiu Yi Meng and Huo Xing Chen saw them out of the mansion.
Everything was tranquil once more.
Ever since Yang Kai’s mansion flew across the sky and displayed it’s extraordinary might, the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land’s forces had become quite law abiding, while the Eight Great Families didn’t take the initiative to find trouble with them. Although Yang Kai wanted to find an opportunity to kill more Immortal Ascension Masters, such opportunities never arose, so he could only give up and peacefully dual cultivate with Su Yan inside the mansion.
Although the progress of his cultivation wasn’t as fast anymore, it was actually more stable, allowing him to better consolidate his foundation which would benefit him in the future.
The great forces who had sought refuge within Yang Kai’s mansion were also quite comfortable with the status quo. They came to the Central Capital to provide relief to the Eight Great Families, but none of them were eager to find trouble with the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land and were more than happy to quietly cultivate in this safe environment.
A few days later, the Eight Great Families’ Patriarchs visited Yang Kai once more and brought him news that greatly satisfied him.
Qiu Shou Cheng would officially pass the Patriarch’s position to the Qiu Family’s Eldest Daughter, Qiu Yi Meng, and ordered her to return to the Qiu Family’s temporary residence to prepare for the handover ceremony.
At the same time, Huo Zheng would also pass his Patriarch position to Huo Xing Chen.
Meng Xi Ping would pass his Patriarch position to Meng Shan Yi.
Liu Chu Quan would pass his position to Liu Qing Yao.
Kang Rui’s position would be handed down to Kang Jian.
Gao Mo would pass the Gao Family’s Patriarch position to Gao Rang Xian.
Ye Kuang Ren’s Patriarch position would fall to Ye Jing Li.
Severn Great Families’ Patriarch positions had all collectively changed.
Among these new Patriarchs, Meng Shan Yi and Liu Qing Yao were old acquaintances with Yang Kai.
On the other hand, Yang Kai wasn’t familiar with Kang Jian, Gao Rang Xian, and Ye Jing Li but he just assumed they were leaders among the younger generation of their respective families.
Although the chaos in the Central Capital had yet to be settled and the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land was still eyeing the southern lands covetously from their strongholds in the north, the succession of so many Patriarch positions was a big deal for the Eight Great Families, so they didn’t show any neglect when it came to the ceremony. Of course, it was impossible to hold too grand and event, but they still did whatever they could within an allowable limit.
Such a scene had never happened before in recorded history. The super forces were all going to collectively change leaders, and all the incoming Patriarchs were actually Juniors from the younger generation.
However, the situation forced them to do this so the Central Capital’s super families had no other choice but to proceed.
Once these Juniors took over the position of Patriarch, all the forces in the Central Capital would gather together with Yang Kai’s mansion and form a single solid piece of iron.
“What about the Yang Family? Who is going to be Patriarch?” Yang Kai listened to the words of the eight Patriarchs before suddenly asking Yang Ying Hao.
Yang Ying Hao showed a faint grin and asked, “Do you think anyone other than you has can sit in that position?”
The other seven old men also deeply agree with this sentiment and nodded.
All of them were forced to pass on their positions to their descendants simply so they could smoothly form an alliance with Yang Kai. If Yang Kai didn’t inherit the Yang Family’s Patriarch position, the relationship between them would become ambiguous again.
However, Yang Kai just slowly shook his head, “I won’t become the Patriarch of the Yang Family. Great Uncle, I should have told you this during the Inheritance War.”
“Are you saying that seriously?” Yang Ying Hao couldn’t help feeling surprised. He had indeed heard Yang Kai say he was participating in the Inheritance War simply to rectify his Sect’s name and didn’t have any interest in the Patriarch’s position. However, Yang Ying Hao had always thought he was just putting up a front and hadn’t expected he really didn’t want to become the head of the Yang Family.
Given Yang Kai’s current cultivation and the strength of the allies he had behind him, as long he nodded, no one in the Yang Family would raise any objection to him becoming Patriarch.
“Naturally I’m being serious,” Yang Kai said firmly. “Being Patriarch is too tedious, I have no interest in it.”
“But the strength you grasp right now is already stronger than that of the entire Yang Family. It would be awkward for you to not sit in the Patriarch’s position yet wield more power than the Patriarch.”
“When this crisis ends, my allies will disperse and go back to their own Sects and Families, but if I become Patriarch it means I will have to assume that position for the rest of my life. I’m not a fool, how could I be bound like that by the Yang Family?” Yang Kai thought about it for a moment before recommending, “I think it’s better if you let Big Brother or Second Brother become Patriarch, especially Second Brother. I think he’ll be more than happy to assume that role.”
“Yang Zhao really would be happy to become Patriarch, and he also has the appropriate aptitude and ability for the job, but your existence can’t be ignored!” Yang Ying Hao shook his head, “Your light is too strong. Since Yang Family has you, it’s impossible for anyone else to become Patriarch. As for Yang Zhao… it’s simply not fated to be.”
Yang Ying Hao also felt some regret for his son.
If Yang Kai wasn’t so awe inspiring, Yang Zhao would certainly be a good candidate for Patriarch, even more so than Yang Wei. Yang Wei was a solitary figure and was obsessed with cultivation, such a person was not suitable to become Patriarch.
“Don’t hurry to reject this position,” Yang Ying Hao smiled slightly, “Remember what I told you before?”
“Hm?”
“Becoming the Yang Family’s Patriarch also comes with its own advantages.”
The other seven Patriarchs immediately glanced towards Yang Ying Hao. It seems like they also had some faint idea about what he was speaking, each of them showing a slightly envious look.
Yang Kai carefully recalled and nodded, Yang Ying Hao had indeed said something about this to him before.
“Why is every Yang Family Patriarch an Above Immortal Ascension Boundary master?” Yang Ying Hao smiled meaningfully, “Because the Patriarch of the Yang Family is granted a special opportunity only available to one who sits in this position. As long as you accept the Patriarch’s position, you will know what this opportunity is.”
Listening to him, Yang Kai’s expression didn’t change, on the other hand, the other seven people in the room drew a sharp breath; they had only heard rumor about this secret of the Yang Family, but didn’t know what this so called opportunity was.
“Great Uncle, is this your way of trying to lure me with benefits?” Yang Kai smiled.
“It is.” Yang Ying Hao did not deny. He knew Yang Kai was someone who refused to suffer a loss and would only be moved if there was enough profit. He didn’t believe that this Yang Family secret would be unable to move him. .
“Can you tell me a little more?” Yang Kai really was somewhat interested.
Yang Ying Hao smiled and opened his mouth.
Yang Kai expression changed, a pleasantly surprised look appearing on his face.
The other seven Patriarchs all perked up their ears and stared at the silent communication between Yang Kai and Yang Ying Hao; however, they were unable to discern anything that was said, causing their curiosity to only become even stronger.
“I am somewhat tempted by this information, but Great Uncle, I really don’t want to become Patriarch.” Yang Kai wrinkled his brow slightly.
“The future of the Yang Family will be forged by you.” Yang Ying Hao’s expression became solemn as he said seriously, “The Central Capital’s Eight Great Families have struggled for so many generations, yet have only managed to develop to their current level. The Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land launching an all-out assault has resulted in our Eight Great Families being unable to resist them and half of the Central Capital has fallen into enemy hands. This is an incredibly shameful stain on my Eight Great Families’ reputation. But you, after only returning to the Yang Family for two years, have already built up a force greater than any one of the Eight Great Families. Your mansion is truly this world’s greatest force! I have to say that you are more suitable than anyone else to lead the Yang Family, if not for you, do you think we old men would feel assured passing our Patriarch positions down to a group of immature kids? It’s not that they aren’t worried about their own children, but that they had faith in you.”
All seven of the other old men in the room nodded silently, their expressions all filled with strong expectations for Yang Kai, containing not the slightest bit of contempt.
Yang Kai wore a forced smile. When he was branded an enemy of the Eight Great Families, he hadn’t cared about whether they even continued to exist, but now they had all shown him such great sincerity, causing him to be somewhat embarrassed.
Regardless of whatever tricks and schemes they may have pulled against him, the Eight Great Families had still been the bulwark against the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land for countless years, they deserved at least some credit for that.
“Great Uncle, I won’t disappoint your expectations,” Yang Kai replied sincerely, “Considering the current situation, I will assume command of the Yang Family for a while, and after this incident, I will hand over power to Eldest Brother or Second Brother. My future does not lie in the Yang Family, nor the Central Capital. My journey does not end here.”
Yang Kai’s gaze revealed the look of yearning and expectation, “Perhaps you won’t believe me when I said this, but I believe that out there, there are stronger cultivators, stronger Sects, stronger families… compared to them, the Eight Great Families are nothing,I’m afraid.”
At the very least, Yang Kai knew that Water Spirit Temple was a Sect that could produce a master like Shui Ling!
The eight Patriarchs all wore surprised expressions as the quickly exchanged glances, seemingly not quite able to understand the meaning of Yang Kai’s words.
In this world, what force could be stronger than the Eight Great Families? Even the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land, which was really a loose alliance of six different domains, was only roughly equal in strength to them.
“Very well.” Yang Ying Hao hesitated for a moment before gently nodding, “You have broader ambitious, naturally I will not try to stop you. During this time, you will temporarily assume the position of Yang Family Patriarch.”
Yang Kai nodded lightly, “Since I’ll only be taking over temporarily, there’s no need for a formal handover ceremony.”
Yang Ying Hao sighed and no longer tried to force him, silently accepting reality.
The Central Capital Eight Great Families were changing Patriarchs all at once. When this news came out, it shook the world; especially those who remained in the Central Capital, many of them were dumbstruck for quite some time.
Seven of the Great Families would hold official succession ceremonies in order to pass on the position of Patriarch. As for the Yang Family, only a proclamation announcing Yang Kai would temporarily assume the role of Patriarch was to be made.
Such ceremonies would normally be treated as the biggest events in each respective family, but nowadays, with so many Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land masters lurking nearby, the seven families decided to only host a single ceremony where all seven of the new Patriarchs would be inducted into their positions. This way it would be easier to guard against any aggression from the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land.
Fortunately, the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land forces were recently more subdued in their actions so the seven families were hurriedly able to arrange this grand ceremony.
The task of security for the time being was handed over to the many powerful masters from Yang Kai’s mansion.
With the many masters gathered in Yang Kai’s house taking charge of defence, things proceeded in an orderly manner.
Time pass quickly, and three days later, Yang Ying Feng and Dong Su Zhu arrived at Yang Kai’s mansion.
After receiving word of their arrival, Yang Kai quickly rushed outside to greet his parents.
Su Yan also coyly followed beside Yang Kai, her face blushing faintly. Yang Ying Feng and Dong Su Zhu were both experienced adults and when they saw the shy appearance of Su Yan, they immediately understood the relationship between her and Yang Kai.
Dong Su Zhu immediately drew Su Yan to a nearby table and was set about becoming familiar with the beautiful ice fairy who was her future daughter-in-law.
Meanwhile, the Yang Family Fourth Master quietly gave Yang Kai a big thumbs up, but with a somewhat envious grin.
“Aunty, in fact, there’s also one other as well.” Su Yan suddenly whispered to Dong Su Zhu.
“Another one?” Dong Su Zhu listened and chuckled to herself, wearing a big smile as she comforted Su Yan, “Rest assured, I’ll teach that little bastard son of mine well. Hmph, thinking that he’s a little strong now he actually dares to surround himself with beautiful woman.”
Obviously she thought that Su Yan was jealous.
“There’s no need.” Su Yan quickly waved, “It’s just that Junior Sister is quite shy and is somewhat embarrassed to come out on her own. Moreover, Junior Brother has never made things clear to her, delaying such important matters, causing her to be uncertain… so…”
Dong Su Zhu looked at Su Yan with a somewhat confused expression, “Yan’er, what you mean is…”
“I’d like to have her come and meet Uncle and Aunty.” Su Yan replied firmly.
Dong Su Zhu was secretly surprised. She hadn’t expected Su Yan to be so benevolent, only responding a moment later, “As long as you don’t mind, I naturally would like to meet her and chat.”
“Then I’ll bring her over,” Su Yan said with a smile, her body disappearing in a flicker.
“Mother, where is Su Yan going?” Yang Kai was talking nearby with his father when he suddenly saw Su Yan run off, so he curiously asked.
“Hmph!” Dong Su Zhu snorted dismissively, causing Yang Kai to scratch his head in confusion.
Soon after, Su Yan brought Xia Ning Chang over, the latter’s cheeks flushed a deep shade of crimson as she did her best to politely greet the Yang Family Fourth Master and his wife before taking a seat beside Su Yan, where she then became stiff and motionless. It was only when Dong Su Zhu asked her a question would she shyly reply.
Having a good look at these two young girls, Dong Su Zhu was completely satisfied.
An ice fairy and an innocent beauty, receiving the sentiment of these two was simply her son’s extreme good fortune.
The Yang Family Fourth Master was deeply jealous of his son’s good luck, but managed to wear a stern face, “Kai’er, you cannot treat these two girls unjustly. Set a date soon and make things official.”
Yang Kai on the other hand chuckled and said, “There’s no rush, we’re all still young.”
“You may be young, but your parents aren’t anymore.” Yang Ying Feng argued.
“Who’s old? Look at Mom, when she sits together with Su Yan and Little Senior Sister it’s like they’re three sisters.” Yang Kai smiled and glanced to the side, his heart filled with warmth.
“Really?” Dong Su Zhu most liked listening to such compliments.
“Of course it is.” Yang Kai did not hesitate to flatter.
“Good good, then from now on we three are sisters.” Dong Su Zhu was very excited and intimately pulled Su Yan and Xia Ning Chang closer.
Su Yan and Xia Ning Chang’s beautiful faces both became somewhat awkward as they stared at Dong Su Zhu in surprise.
Meanwhile, the Yang Family Fourth Master and Yang Kai’s faces went black.
“Your mother often says some impulsive things, there’s not need to pay attention to her at these times,” Yang Ying Feng hurriedly explained.
“What matter has father come here today about?” Yang Kai also took the opportunity to change the topic in order to avoid Su Yan and his Little Senior Sister from enduring too much embarrassment.
Yang Ying Feng coughed lightly and continued, “You Great Uncle wants you to go back.”
“Back to the Yang Family?”
“En.”
Yang Kai’s brow furrowed, “When?”
“The sooner the better.”
“I understand.” Yang Kai nodded slightly, “Did Great Uncle say why he wants me to return to urgently?”
“He didn’t explain much, only telling me that it was a matter of importance and that he would explain when you returned to the Yang Family.”
“If that’s the case… then I’ll leave immediately.” Yang Kai thought for a moment before saying, “Please wait here for a bit, I need to make some arrangements first.”
Heading into the interior of the mansion, Yang Kai informed everyone that he would be returning to Yang Family compound. Qiu Yi Meng and Huo Xing Chen weren’t in the house anymore, having returned to their respective families in preparation to assume their new positions as Family Heads, so Yang Kai could only let Ling Tai Xu and Meng Wu Ya look after the house for now.
“Young Master, don’t blame Old Servant for being cynical, but the Yang Family so eagerly wanting you to return, are you certain they don’t have any ulterior motives?” Old Demon suddenly became alert.
“There’s no issue.” Yang Kai shook his head, “Since I agreed to join them in resisting the Demon Lord, they no longer have a reason to act against me.”
“Young Master mustn’t be careless.” Old Demon grinned sullenly, “The Eight Great Families are used to acting as overlords, yet now you’ve forced them to essentially become henchmen. I’m afraid there will not be few people who have grievances with you. As long as Young Master has an accident, the power gathered in this house will fracture, if that happens, the Eight Great Families will certainly try to take advantage of the situation.”
“En, you should not lower your guard.” Meng Wu Ya also, agreed with Old Demon for once.
“If they were to really do that, it would be far too short-sighted. I’d have nothing to say at that point.” Yang Kai sneered.
The danger posed by the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land to the Central Capital had yet to be dealt with. If the Eight Great Families were to start more internal disputes at this point, only considering how to carve up the most benefits for themselves, then there was no reason for them to remain in this world.
“In any case, Old Servant will accompany you.” Old Demon quickly said.
Yang Kai glanced at him and said casually, “En, very well.”
He felt that the Eight Great Families would not be so idiotic now that things had reached this point. The Patriarch positions being passed down to members of the younger generation was also a fact. Facing the current crisis, it seemed that they had finally decided to act wisely.
This along made Yang Kai feel like there was still some hope for the Eight Great Families, perhaps medicine to cure idiocy really did exist.
His original purpose in joining this war was simply because he wanted to take advantage of the remnant Spiritual Energy of the slain Immortal Ascension Boundary masters. But now that essentially no battles were being fought, he needed to find a turning point, and merging the Eight Great Families with his own house was the best option available to him.
Central Capital, Yang Family.
The Yang Family was located just south of the Central Capital, so during the invasion of the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land, everything was undamaged in the Yang Family’s area.
The only change was the attitude of the Yang Family towards Yang Kai.
It seems that they knew that Yang Kai was coming back today, and the guards in the family had straightened their backs one by one, staring ahead intently, feinting calm.
As Yang Kai entered the Yang Family gates, he saw a group of people waiting for him, led by Yang Kai’s Third Brother Yang Tie.
“Greetings Patriarch!” Yang Tie suddenly shouted, as the group of people behind him hurriedly saluted.
Yang Kai wore a weird look and quickly stepped forward, whispering, “Third brother, what are you doing?”
“Grand Uncle asked us to meet you here.” Yang Tie responded softly. “You are now the Patriarch of The Yang Family. It’s time to act like the Patriarch and treat you as such.”
“The Patriarch….” Yang Kai lost colour to his face.
Yang Tie straightened up again, smiled and said, “Patriarch, please, Elder has been waiting for a long time.”
Yang Kai nodded lightly, fixed his look, and walked forward.
Behind them, the Yang Family’s Fourth Master, who was radiant with pride, and the Old Demon followed closely.
Yang Kai was the head of the family, and his parents were naturally very proud of his accomplishments.
Old Demon was constantly alert to any movements around him. He was an old Demon Lord. Naturally, he was suspicious and quite worried. Since the Yang Family had rushed Yang Kai to return, he was suspicious of any ulterior motive.
Under the guidance of Yang Tie, Yang Kai and others quickly came to a large hall.
In the main hall, Yang Kai noticed that there were two rows of roughly forty people standing quietly. These people were all the Yang Family’s Elders, Yang Zhen and the Elders Yang Kai had previously interacted with were among them.
The Elders who once ridiculed and mocked Yang Kai couldn’t help but have complex feelings about seeing him again at the moment. They were afraid that Yang Kai might make things difficult for them. However, that could not be further from the truth as Yang Kai turned a blind eye to them and walked directly passed them, as though they weren’t there at all.
The Elders could not help but breathe a sigh of relief.
Yang Ying Hao held his hands behind his back and stood in front of the main hall. He stood with his back upright, and eyes eminatiing a glimmer of light as Yang Kai had arrived in front of him.
By the time of Yang Kai arrived, everyone shouted, “Greetings Patriarch!”
Yang Kai nodded lightly, not paying attention to the discomfort he felt in his heart. From the two rows of Elders, he walked straight ahead while looking a bit awkward.
Yang Kai arrived in front of Yang Ying Hao and cupped his fists. “Greetings Grand Uncle.”
“Patriarch!” Yang Ying Hao smiled. “Please, this way.”
As Yang Ying Hao said this, he took the lead to direct Yang Kai to the main hall.
The three Yang Family’s Grand Elder next to him headed in the opposite direction and stopped in front of the Old Demon and the Fourth Master.
“Hey, what is the meaning of this?” Old Demon smirked and his look took a dangerous turn.
“Forgive me, but this is my Yang Family’s grounds. No one can enter except the Patriarch. You have to wait here!” One of Yang Family’s Grand Elders said lightly.
“That’s not going to work, I have to follow my Young Master at all times.” Old Demon slowly shook his head, with a look saying that this was non-negotiable.
The reason why he came all this way was to ensure the safety of Yang Kai. Now others were trying to separate him from Yang Kai. How could Old Demon agree?
“Old Demon, stay here for now.” Yang Kai turned back and said.
“Young Master …”
Yang Kai shook his head and motioned that he will be fine.
“Be careful Young Master.” Old Demon frowned and said.
Yang Ying Hao’s look moved, and he smiled casually, “Are you worried that we will harm our own Patriarch?”
“I can understand a person after spending a long time with them. I can also read their facial expression. However, even with their words, I will never be able to fully read another’s heart.” The Old Demon Sneered.
“Old Demon, let it go.” Yang Kai coldly remarked.
“Yes.” Old Demon hurriedly responded.
The three Grand Elders looked at each other and suddenly laughed and looked at Old Demon with approval, “You’re loyal to Patriarch, may we ask, Sir, how we can address you?”
Although they all know the existence of Old Demon, they never knew his name.
Old Demon said calmly, “This old master is called Old Demon.”
The three Grand Elders weren’t phased by his attitude, and one of them said, “This brother here, we will waiting here for a while. Two or three hours if Patriarch is quick, but it could go on for several days be he comes out, come and have some tea!”
Someone immediately went to prepare the tea to entertain Old Demon.
Yang Kai followed Yang Ying Hao step by step toward the main hall, it took awhile for them to arrive in the main hall. Looking up, Yang Kai murmured, “The Soul Foundation Temple?”
”Yes, The Soul Foundation Temple.” Yang Ying Hao nodded gently. “This is the most important hall of my Yang Family, and also it’s foundation. No one except the Patriarchs of the past are eligible to step into it, not even the Grand Elders of our Yang Family. If you do not meet certain conditions, you can’t enter here.”
Yang Kai nodded lightly. He had heard the name of this hall before. He also knew that this was a sacred ground of Yang Family. The secrets here were precious and closely guarded even far above the Dragon Transformation Pond. However, he was never told what secrets were hidden here.
“Grand Uncle, I’m just a temporary Patriarch. I’m not going to take care of any of the Yang Family’s matters, just because the Eight Great Families wanted to use me and my followers against the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land, and allowed me to hold this title. Doesn’t that make me not eligible to enter?
”A temporary Patriarch… is still a Patriarch.” Yang Ying Hao smiled a little. “Don’t worry. Go in.”
As he said this, he reached out to open the door of the Soul Foundation Temple.
The door creaked opened and Yang Kai looked deep into the room. To his surprise, the hall was empty, except for an incense burner at the forefront.
As Yang Ying Hao entered the hall, Yang Kai turned around and saw some unusual things.
In the corners around the main hall, there are four prestigious stone carvings.
Four stone carvings stood in the corners of the hall, depicting the Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and a Black Tortoise, each seem connected to each other in some way.
Yang Ying Hao lead Yang Kai to the center of the hall, then used his nails to draw a wound on his fingertips.
With a wave of his hand, four drops of blood suddenly flew out and accurately entered the mouth of the four stone carvings.
The four stone carvings suddenly lit up with lines depicting a Spirit Array, and a wave of inexplicable energy came out of the mouths of all four stone carvings and quickly gathered into the air.
Yang Kai looked up and saw a small white light shining in the void. As the energy of the four stone carvings poured into the light, it shone brighter and brighter.
“What you are about to see is the treatment that only the patriarch of our Yang Family has enjoyed. It is also the top secret of Yang Family. You have asked me before why every Patriarch can reach Above Immortal Ascension Boundary, the reason why is now before you. Compared to me telling you, it is better to personally experience it. This is the benefit of being the Patriarch of The Yang Family.” Yang Ying Hao explained as he looked at the bright light hovering in the void.
“Grand Uncle,” Yang Kai looked hesitant. “Is this really alright?”
“What is not alright about this?” Yang Ying Hao said dismissively.
“Since it is such a good thing, if I take it, then when first brother or second brother come here, won’t they get nothing?” Yang Kai had some concerns, and he had to take responsibility for the benefits. Yang Kai doesn’t want to tied to the Yang Family his entire life.
Yang Ying Hao looked at him blankly then smiled. He shook his head and said, “If you have the ability then you can take all of it, but I doubt it. Don’t ask me too much about it. After you try, you’ll understand why I said this.”
Listening to him, Yang Kai is could not help but look puzzled.
“But you must remember, when you enter, there will be a certain amount of danger. If you cannot sense it, it would be better to just quit.”
“I see.” Yang Kai nodded gently.
At this moment, the halo in the sky suddenly stabilized, and the energy flowing from the four beast carvings in the four corners of the temple was no longer transmitting, and the hall fell silent.
After looking at the scene in the sky again, Yang Kai felt that this scene was familiar. He thought about it and finally remembered.
The light in the sky was almost the same as the light he saw in the Seal Temple.
Inside the Seal Temple, the Eight Great Families’ Above Immortal Ascension boundary Elders gathered together with their own Spiritual Energy to create a pocket space where they could converse. In that pocket, they learned Martial Skills and sensed the Heavenly Way of Martial Dao. This way, they could strive for a higher realm without worrying about damage to surrounding buildings and causing unnecessary casualties.
At this moment, the huge light ball in the Soul Foundation Temple was almost exactly the same as the one in the Seal Temple.
Yang Kai could vaguely sense what was hidden inside the light.
“You can enter, release your Divine Sense.”
After listening to Yang Ying Hao’s words, Yang Kai did not hesitate, and immediately released his Divine Sense, and poured it into the ball of light.
Yang Ying Hao secretly glanced at Yang Kai and looked forward to the result.
When he entered it, he had gained a lot of benefits. After coming out of it, he improved quickly and without bottlenecks, step by step until he reached Above Immortal Ascension Boundary.
Yang Ying Hao was afraid that Yang Kai’s aptitude was too high for this experience. But still, he was curious to see how much benefit Yang Kai could gain from it.
In the pocket space, it brings together the experiences of Yang Family’s various generations of patriarchs.
In the huge light ball, Yang Kai’s Soul Manifestation gradually appeared.
This world was different from the Seal Temple’s space, which was like reality. This was a purely illusory world.
The wind blew, and the sky was clear. Everywhere was refreshing and beautiful as a sunny spring day.
A group of white spots that radiated a faint glow floated around Yang Kai.
Yang Kai looked at these white spots curiously. Suddenly, his look changed as he stared at the white spots with vigilance.
A burst of laughter suddenly sounded, and the white spots quickly spread out and wrapped around Yang Kai.
Immediately, these white points squirmed and turned into a clearly visible Soul manifestation. Each of these Soul manifestations were powerful, and all had arrived at Above Immortal Ascension boundary. There were men and women, all with white hair.
The Soul Spirits of these white-haired elders all looked at Yang Kai with great interest. Some had revealed expressions of interest, some were confused, and others had a look of amusement. However, the atmosphere had a hint of danger.
“How many years has it been?” Suddenly a voice rang out. “Since that little brat Yang Ying Hao entered here, hasn’t it’s almost been twenty years?”
“Exactly twenty years!” someone replied.
“Twenty years, gone in a blink of an eye.”
“How come someone else has come in only 20 years? Is Yang Ying Hao dead? No, if he was dead, his Soul Spirit should have come here, what if he died outside?”
“Hey, I said that little brat was not Patriarch material, and sure enough.”
“This little brat is no good either, just look at him, he is so young that no hair has grown down there.”
“Hey, it seems that in this generation the Yang Family has started to decline. To actually fall into such a state and let someone so young become patriarch, what a great pity.”
“Hey, little brat, you’re from the Yang Family aren’t you? Answer honestly, if you dare to deceive me, you’ll be asking for death!”
Shouts sounded out from all sides, all these Soul Spirits each expressed their opinions. It was as though they have not talked to anyone in a long time, let alone a live being with a body. Therefore, today, they were speaking openly without any regards of the other party.
Yang Kai was silent, with cold eyes he looked around, as his mind calmed down, gradually he had figured out what the situation was.
“Hey, why aren’t you saying anything? Are you dumb?”
“I don’t think he from the Yang Family! Let’s just kill him directly, hehe.”
“Only those from the Yang Family can come here, only Yang Family blood can open this place using the statues of the four holy beasts.”
“This little brat is not scared at all, and his heart is calm. When Yang Ying Hao came in here, he was scared by us.”
“Yang Ying Hao, hmph, those that are worthless will remain worthless no matter how hard they try, and now I’m afraid no one knows where he died.”
“All of you shut up!” A burst of anger came and made all the Soul Spirits were suddenly silenced.
Yang Kai looked at the source of the sound and saw an old woman with a cane and a youthful face. She held a cane in her hand and it quietly hovered beside her. Yang Kai stared at her with a stunned look.
It can be seen that this old woman should have been a beautiful woman when she was young, and she was an absolutely strong cultivator. The authority of this Soul Spirit should be very high. Otherwise, even if she was angry, nothing would happen.
Turning to face her, Yang Kai cupped his fists, “Yang Family direct disciple, ranked ninth, Yang Kai greets ancestors!”
A look of astonishment flashed through the old woman’s eyes, “How do you know that we are the Yang Family ancestors?”
“I guessed.” Yang Kai nodded gently.
The old woman glanced at him with an appreciative look, “Yes, you have keen eyesight, much better than Yang Ying Hao. When he came in here, this old woman had to explain it to him for a long time. How is Yang Ying Hao? Is he dead?”
“Grand Uncle is still alive, it is he who opened here and let me enter.” Yang Kai replied.
“En.” The old woman nodded lightly, said, “Do you know where this place is?”
“Grand Uncle said that this is the top secret of Yang Family.” Yang Kai grinned. “In my opinion, this should be the place where Divine Sense of the patriarch gathers after their death.
Everyone was shocked, all eyes stared at Yang Kai.
“You can guess all that?”
“It must have been Yang Ying Hao, that bastard who told him.” An Old Man said. “The person that guides the Patriarch here is to not saying anything about this place! Let’s see what he has to say, it is rare to talk to the living and this rare opportunity was destroyed by him. This old man wants to kill that little bastard!”
“Third Lord, calm your anger!”
“Yeah, your bones are afraid of being ground into dust, how would he be scared?”
These people seem to have not said a word in many years. Now, after seeing Yang Kai, they were all very excited. When they catch the opportunity, they talk non-stop, and were irritating.
The old woman gave them all a stern look, and everyone quickly shut up.
“Yes, it’s as you said, this place is where the Divine Sense of the Yang Family Elders gathers after their deaths. All the Soul Spirits here are Grand Elders of the Yang Family!” The old woman paused and shouted. “This old woman is the second generation Grand Elder, Yang Yi!”
Yang Kai was taken aback,. The Yang Family second generation, Yang Kai had no idea how many years ago that was.
“If an Above Immortal Ascension Boundarymaster of the Yang Family realizes that their lifespan is coming to an end, they will come to the Soul Foundation Temple and channel their Divine Sense into the carvings of the Four Sacred Beasts to preserve their life experiences so that the children of the next generation may learn from them. It has taken countless years to build to the scale it is today.”
Yang Kai looked around, and he found that the Soul Spirits of at least forty or fifty Transcendent Realm masters gathered here.
Such a huge amount of resources, if it could be completely absorbed, the benefits that could be obtained were enormous.
“The Yang Family Patriarch is the only one that can enter here and benefit from the Souls here. With the help of our experience, no one will have a bottleneck before the Above Immortal Ascension Realm. Do you understand?”
Yang Kai nodded lightly.
There really shouldn’t be any bottlenecks before Transcendent Realm with their help, as long as someone’s strength is enough there would be able to break through without worries.
Yang Yi said again, “Since you have been sent here by Yang Ying Hao, it means that you are the Patriarch. We are already dead, we haven’t been paying attention to what Yang Family has been experiencing recently, but I still have to ask. Why do we have such a young person like you becoming the Patriarch, and what qualification do you have?”
“What qualifications do I have?” Yang Kai gave them a strange look then said, “Junior is less than 19 this year, and is in the Immortal Ascension Boundary Fifth Stage. Twenty-seven of my followers have reached the Transcendent Realm. Is it enough?”
“Your cultivation can be felt by this old woman. The strength of your Spiritual Energy is unheard of by this old woman. But what do you mean by Transcendent Realm?” Yang Yi frowned and looked confused. Others are also looking at Yang Kai inexplicably.
Yang Kai was amazed, and this reminds me that the realm of Transcendent Realm can only be known by the top powerhouses in the house. These Yang Family’s ancestors have probably never heard of it.
“Transcendent Realm… is what you call Above Immortal Ascension Boundary.” Yang Kai explained.
“It turns out that the world already had a name for this realm.” Yang Yi nodded and nodded. Their understanding of the Transcendent Realm was vague.
“The Transcendent Realm?” Someone exclaimed, looking at Yang Kai with a look of disbelief, laughing, “Little brat, you’re not very good at lying.”
Everyone looked at Yang Kai with an incredulous look, thinking that he was lying.
“Do I have to lie to the dead?” Yang Kai said indifferently.
The crowd gradually calmed down, realizing that what he said may be true.
But Yang Kai having gathered twenty-seven Transcendent Realm cultivators, they still found it unacceptable. This number is simply too big to be real.
“Whether what you say is true or false it doesn’t matter, but if you want to benefit from us, you have to do something for us.” Yang Yi coldly snorted.
“Senior, please advise.”
“The second generation of the Yang Family struggled to create the carvings of the Four Sacred Beasts during their generation. The intention of this space was to leave experience for the children of the next generation. We have done this for so many years. Everyone who comes here has always received great benefits. But…it’s been so long.” Yang Yi’s look was slightly painful. “This old woman can’t remember how many years my Soul Spirt has been trapped here. In this long, endless silence and nothingness of space, no matter who it was, there would be some feelings of anxiety and grief. Our intentions have been distorted through the passage of time.”
“What do you mean?” Yang Kai frowned, and suddenly found the Soul Spirits gathered around him, and the atmosphere had changed.
All of them exuded a gloomy and horrible atmosphere, staring at him like a beast eyeing a delicious meal.
“Yang Ying Hao should have told you that there is a certain danger in coming here, and this danger comes from this old woman and the others!” Yang Yi said coldly, “Our biggest wish now is to leave this place, and You are the best method!”
“You want to possess me?” Yang Kai was shocked.
“This is the instinct that our Soul Spirit has developed after being trapped here for so many years. Although we will try to restrain it, you should be careful.” Yang Yi warned. “Since you have entered here to gained experience from us. It’s best you retreat, or your Soul Spirit will be swallowed by one of us and we will occupy your body and live in your place.”
Yang Kai looked around and found that as Yang Yi said, the souls of these Yang Family ancestors were all looking at him as if they wanted to swallow his Divine Sense, but each one was having a hard time resisting their instincts and suppressing their own desires.
Such a situation was dangerous. For those who have been trapped for a long time, their desires and instincts were strong, and those who have been trapped for a short time only had a slight sign.
“Over the years, there have been many Soul Spirits who lost their minds in the endless years and became an unconscious and brutal spirit that was destroyed by our joint efforts, and the future fate of everyone here is the same.”
“Then you are really pitiful.” Yang Kai looked at them with some pity.
Perceiving by the meaning of his eyes, everyone was secretly astonished.
Everyone who enters this place is either ecstatic or frightened, but no one has ever sympathized with them.
Yang Kai was the first one.
Yang Yi’s face suddenly softened and looked at Yang Kai with a look of appreciation. A good time later she said, “Don’t be sad for us, this was our own choice. Your feelings are meaningless. If you are not accidentally killed in the future, Your Soul Spirit will also enter here, leaving your own cultivation experience and sentiment to the younger generation of Yang Family.”
“I won’t.” Yang Kai slowly shook his head with a firm look. “But your sad fate will be ended by me today.”
The Yang Family’s forty-five ancestors’ Soul Spirits all looked at Yang Kai with horror.
After a time, a loud laugh rang out, “Big words!”
Yang Yi had a weird smile, “You’re saying that you will devour us all?”
Yang Kai nodded.
“Hahahahaha!” Large amounts of laughter rang out, it seemed that they weren’t taking Yang Kai seriously, as it seemed as that they thought of Yang Kai as a joke.
Yang Yi gently nodded, “If you really had the ability, I would be willing to be devoured by you. After all, it is our biggest wish for us to leave this place, but for you it is impossible.”
“Please wait and see, Seniors!” Yang Kai grinned and stopped, releasing his suppressed Divine Senses
Since coming here, his Soul Spirit had involuntarily produced a strong desire, naturally, this force came from the Solitary Golden Eye that resides in his Knowledge Sea.
However, before Yang Kai understood the use of the Solitary Golden Eye, he suppressed this desire.
Now that he had loosened the restrictions on this desire. A huge force suddenly swept through the entire space. The Soul Spirits of the forty-five Yang Family ancestors all moved, but they had no reaction to what was transpiring. They were all sucked into Yang Kai’s Knowledge Sea.
A clear sky, tranquil water underneath, a five-coloured island, sitting quietly on the sea.
The sudden change of scenery gave the forty-five Soul Spirit a shock, all of them looked around but no one reacted.
“Welcome, everyone!” Yang Kai’s Soul Spirit gradually revealed itself, holding his hands to his back, he greeted everyone.
“This is your Knowledge Sea?” Yang Yi exclaimed.
“Yes, this is this disciple’s Knowledge Sea.”
“How did you move us?” Yang Yi looked at Yang Kai with disbelief. She couldn’t figure out what method he used. He actually sucked all the Soul Spirits into his Knowledge Sea.
“I didn’t do anything, it was that.” Yang Kai pointed his finger to the Solitary Golden Eye suspended over the Five Coloured Treasure Island.
Yang Yi and the others turn their heads in the direction he indicated. Everyone’s heart had an inexplicable feeling of fear and uneasiness. It seemed as though the unknown object was their nemesis.
“What is that?” Yang Yi panicked. After endless years passed, she couldn’t clearly remember the feeling she had had, but now, she once again clearly understood what fear was.
Not only her, but the other forty-five Soul Spirits were all the same. One by one all of them trembled involuntarily, shivering, stunned, staring at the Solitary Golden Eye, like it was a beast lying in wait for its prey.
“I don’t know what it is, but it can break the shackles that have bound you for countless years.” Yang Kai took a breath and looked at Yang Yi and others, “I don’t know what your feelings were before putting your Soul Spirits into the Four Sacred Beast Carvings before dying, but since the endless years have distorted your will, then today, let’s end your torment here.”
During the conversation, the Solitary Golden Eye slowly opened.
Yang Kai was not talking nonsense, so he was ready to do it.
At the sight of the majestic golden pupil, it was impossible for everyone not to give birth to a feeling of sorrow or worship.
Xia
A golden light burst out from the eye, and a Soul Spirit standing in the place it was looking did not have time to react, as it was illuminated in a golden light.
The sound of piercing rang out as the consciousness and thoughts contained in this Soul Spirit was instantly purified, leaving only a large mass of pure energy.
*Xiu Xiu xiu…*……
After a series of golden light shot out, one after another, Soul Spirits were purified. In the face of the majestic golden light, these Soul Spirits could not muster any resistance.
Yang Yi’s eyes were full of fear, then she finally understood why Yang Kai had such confidence and said that he would devour them all.
This strange golden light can purify their consciousness, and turn it into pure energy that can be absorbed by anyone.
“I don’t want to die!” Suddenly, there was a roar of anger. It was unknown which generation of Yang Family Elder shouted this. When this Elder saw so many Soul Spirits being destroyed, their suppressed desires and instincts finally broke out, and the Soul Spirits roared like ghosts. They rushed towards Yang Kai, mouths open wanting to get a hold of Yang Kai to get a chance of survival.
Yang Kai looked at him with indifference. He had a slightly complicated look in his eyes, both pity, and regret.
The pity was for their Soul Spirits having been imprisoned for so many years, suffering for countless years. It was a pity that their wishes and original intentions were beautiful, but as the years passed, their nature was warped.
“Stop!” Yang Yi shouted angrily.
Hearing her shout, the soul of the Elder, who wanted to kill Yang Kai, suddenly stopped, as their eyes were struggling with emotions. He stared at Yang Kai, and although he was close at hand, he could not make a move.
“Do you want to ruin Yang Family’s ancestors’ pride that they have maintained for so many years?” Yang Yi said faintly.
This sentence was like a bolt of lightning. As it was said, the person’s eyes were restored to a state of clarity.
A long shout rang out. As he dropped Yang Kai, he turned and rushed toward the open Solitary Golden Eye.
Golden light poured down and purified him.
The next moment, the remaining Soul Spirits rushed up, one by one with complex feelings, both happy and frightened.
*Xiu Xiu xiu…*……
Yang Kai stood by and watched, he did not stop them. He let them rush to the Solitary Golden Eye like a moth to a flame.
Soon, only Yang Yi was left in the entire Knowledge Sea, all other Soul Spirits were completely purified.
Yang Yi gently breathed a sigh of relief and looked at Yang Kai and quickly said, “I want to say thank you to you in their place!”
Yang Kai looked at her then whispered, “You’re welcome.”
“If this generation of Yang Family has a Patriarch like you, it’s definitely in good hands.” Yang Yi showed a smile, the old face slowly changing into a beautiful woman like a flower.
Strands of beautiful black hair fluttered softly, her large pair of almond eyes displayed a soft charm, and her the pretty nose, the fragrant red lips, cheeks white as snow added to her beautiful. The jade-like skin as pure as snow and the shape of this face was beautiful.
Yang Kai was caught speechless.
“This is what this old woman looked like in her prime. At my last moment, I hope to look this way.” Yang Yi smiled, suddenly and sternly, “Little brat, if you dare to disclose this, this old ghost will not let you go.”
“Junior wouldn’t dare…” Yang Kai’s expression is weird.
Yang Yi gently nodded. Her body swayed, turning into a stream of light that rushed towards the Solitary Golden Eye.
Solitary Golden Eye spurred open once again with a golden light and hit her.
The shrill sound of piercing rang out, and Yang Yi’s consciousness quickly disappeared.
At the last moment, Yang Kai seemed to have seen a serene look on her face.
The Solitary Golden Eye slowly slammed on, and the sea breeze came, and above the entire Knowledge Sea, there were forty or fifty pieces of pure energy floating.
Yang Kai waved his hand and gathered all the energy into one place.
The Yang Family ancestors took great pains to remove their Soul Spirits and place them into the Four Sacred Beasts Carvings before dying, hoping to provide some help to the children of the next generation, but the well wishes and careful arrangements will not stand to the erosion of time.
Yang Yi said that in this endless years, there were already many Soul Spirits who couldn’t stand the torture of time and lost their minds. They left behind berserk energy and had to be destroyed by them.
In this case, this would be the final outcome of all of them.
The Yang family was willing to help the patriarch by desecrating the dead. Yang Kai did not know whether this was right or wrong but he chooses not to judge the choices of the Yang Family and the ancestors.
After a while, Yang Kai arrived next to the group of pure energy and sat down then began to absorb it.
After a while, he found a problem.
The power that these energies could benefit oneself is too little, so much that it was almost negligible.
The ruthless and endless years have made the Divine Sense energy of the Yang Family’s ancestors weak and frail. How much energy was left in their Soul Spirits?
I am afraid that not even one-thousandth of their heyday was in this mass of energy.
This amount of energy naturally could not give Yang Kai much of a power boost.
However, the perceptions of the Martial Dao from the Yang Family Elders that was hidden away in the energy was perfectly intact.
With these insights alone, Yang Kai had benefited a lot.
Indeed, as Yang Yi said, if someone were to absorb this energy, no one would have a bottleneck before the Transcendent Realm.
As Yang Kai reached the Immortal Ascension Boundary, Yang Kai found it difficult to improve from the First Stage, not because of his own power, but because his understanding of Immortal Ascension Boundary was too low.
Now, with Yang Kai absorbing the insights of the Yang Family ancestors, his understanding was no longer a problem.
Coupled with the energy of the Transcendent Realm and their sentiments, Yang Kai estimated that there would be no bottlenecks for a long time in the future.
Perhaps, until the Transcendent Third Order!
Yang Kai was ecstatic! This surprise dispersed the faint sorrow lingering in his heart and naturally spared no effort to absorb it.
Two days later, Yang Kai slowly opened his eyes. There was not much change in his realm, but his own understanding of the Immortal Ascension Boundary had reached a level that was unmatched. These were the treasures left by the ancestors of the Yang Family.
Not only was there an understanding of The Immortal Ascension Boundary, but also the Transcendent Realm that Yang Kai had a strong understanding.
A figure stood still in the centre of the Soul Foundation Temple, and there was a sign of life behind him, naturally, this belonged to Yang Ying Hao.
But at the moment, Yang Kai felt that the atmosphere around his Grand Uncle was a bit weird, it seemed that he was unsettled.
Yang Kai turned and shouted, “Grand Uncle.”
“You were successful?” Yang Ying Hao asked nervously.
Entering the Soul Foundation Temple is also a test for the Patriarch by Yang Family. If the patriarch did not benefit from the Soul Foundation Temple, then this Patriarch was not suitable for the patriarchal position. Seeing Yang Kai finally returned to his body, Yang Ying Hao naturally asked.
Yang Ying Hao also felt that Yang Kai would be able to succeed, but he could not understand what had happened in the past two days.
Sure enough, Yang Kai nodded gently.
Yang Ying Hao looked hesitant and pondered for a while before asking, “How many did you absorb?”
“All of them.”
“All of them?” Yang Ying Hao’s eyes widened and looked at Yang Kai with an incredulous look.
“How did you bear with the strain?” Yang Ying Hao was shocked silly.
He himself had also entered the space, knowing what opportunities there would be inside, but also knowing what dangers lie inside. When he entered, he was Immortal Ascension Boundary Seventh Stage and he worked hard but only managed to absorb the Soul Spirits of two Yang Family ancestors.
Even so, it took a full two or three years to get rid of the residual consciousness of the two Souls he absorbed.
After all, while they absorb the insights of the Martial Dao, they also inherit the endless years of torture, such as personal experiences, the pain, and such things must be dispelled, otherwise, it would affect life in general.
Yang Ying Hao estimated that if he absorbed even one more, he wouldn’t be able to bear it, and by then he would become a waste.
But Yang Kai now tells him that he had absorbed all the Soul Spirits of the Yang Family ancestors.
Yang Ying Hao couldn’t believe it, but he had to believe it.
Because the carvings of the Four Sacred Beasts were all covered in numerous cracks and gaps, showing that the pocket space opening no longer exists. When that happened, it meant that the pocket space had disappeared, and it also represented that all the Soul Spirits had been absorbed.
Yang Ying Hao was afraid that from now on, the Soul Foundation Temple would no longer be able to play its role unless something could repair the carvings of the Four Sacred Beasts, and then Yang Kai’s soul enters the pocket space before he died.
Yang Ying Hao had a complex look. As he looked at Yang Kai, he could not help but change to a respectful look.
This kind of demeanor is not that of an elder looking at a member of the younger generation, but Yang Ying Hao couldn’t help but show it.
He knew that perhaps at this moment, the strength of his cultivation was a little higher than that of Yang Kai’s, but as time goes by, Yang Kai would be able to climb to a height he couldn’t attempt. At that time, Yang Kai would stand above the clouds, overlooking all mortals.
“I am sorry that I ruined the foundation of Yang Family. I will give you compensation for it in the future.” Yang Kai frowned as he noticed that the carvings of the Four Sacred Beasts were destroyed.
“No, this is for the Patriarch of Yang Family.” Yang Ying Hao shook his head and said, “Patriarch, the succession ceremony is ready at the Yang Family Offering To The Heavens Stage. We are waiting for you to start.”
“Oh?” Yang Kai raised his eyebrows and thought that his current status and identity were somewhat different in those people’s eyes. It seems like the times have really changed as he used to wait for his environment to force changes on him, but now, he was the one everyone else was waiting for, “Then let’s hurry. I can’t keep them waiting for long.”
Yang Ying Hao nodded slightly and took the lead.
Outside the Soul Foundation Temple, the Elders and the Yang Family Fourth Master that waited there were no longer here; only Old Demon was left, waiting.
See Yang Kai safely emerged, Old Demon grinned meaningfully.
The Yang Family was offering sacrifices to the Heavens.
Nearly two years ago, The Yang Family Inheritance War began. Yang Family’s eight young masters gathered together to listen to Patriarch Yang Ying Hao’s generous speech and ride Cloud Treading Colts to War City.
After two years, the succession ceremony for all the seven families was going to be held here.
When Yang Kai arrived, everything was already taken care of. With a shout “The Yang Family Patriarch has arrived”, everyone stood up and greeted respectfully.
Yang Kai walked quickly to the Altar. He looked around and said, “Although this junior is the Patriarch of the Yang Family, he does not understand the etiquette or the procedure for this matter. Today, it will be done by Grand Uncle.”
It was naturally impossible for Yang Kai to preside over the succession ceremony, after all, this is a major event for all seven people. If you were to mess it up, you would make a fool of yourself.
Yang Ying Hao nodded lightly, with a flash he appeared on the Altar.
When Yang Ying Hao started his speech, Yang Kai quietly stepped back and contacted Qiu Yi Meng and others.
“How are you feeling?” Yang Kai glanced at his followers with a smile.
“Awful.” Huo Xing Chen spat disdainfully, “The thought of someone other than this young master being the patriarch of Huo Family, it makes my heart ache.”
“You really don’t fit that role.” Yang Kai laughed.
“Yang Kai, thank you.” Qiu Yi Meng suddenly said.
“Thank me for what?” Yang Kai looked at her while he tilted his head.
“Don’t pretend to be stupid. Both you and I know you are so generous to accept the great forces that took refuge with you on the same day, just to create pressure on the Eight Great Families and force them to abdicate.” Qiu Yi Meng’s face had a wise smile, “Others think that you were gathering strength, but I know that your purpose was to make this situation.”
Yang Kai stunned, but he did not deny, “There is a reason for this.”
“I always wanted to inherit Qiu Family. Now I have achieved it. Naturally, I wanted to thank you.” Qiu Yi Meng had a touch of emotion showing on her face. “Say, what do you want as a thank you? You can have me if you’d like.”
Huo Xing Chen and others were shocked and looked at Qiu Yi Meng strangely.
Meng Shan Yi coughed fiercely. His face was pale and breathless. “Qi Yi Meng, you are now the Matriarch of Qiu Family. It is not very good to say such things in view of the general public. It affects Qiu Family’s reputation.”
“Meng Xiong, is the injury still not healed?” Yang Kai glanced at him gratefully for changing the topic.
Meng Shan Yi smiled bitterly, “I am afraid that I will not be able to heal from this injury in this lifetime.”
Meng Shan Yi was eroded the ghost gas of Ghost King and Poison King. Although he escaped with his life, after half a year confined to a bed, and if not for the ceremony today he would not be here right now.
Yang Kai frowned and thought about it, and whispered, “Open your mouth!”
“Ah?” Meng Shan Yi was suspicious.
The next moment, he felt something was thrown into his mouth by Yang Kai, and he swallowed involuntarily. A warm current spread through his chest, and it gave him a hint of strength, even his pale face changed, becoming a bit rosy.
Meng Shan Yi quickly made some guesses in his mind, and his face was overjoyed, cupped his fists said, “Thank you, Brother Yang.”
Yang Kai smiles and shakes his head, and said nothing.
At this moment, Yang Ying Hao had finished speaking and screamed, “I will take over the ceremony and begin now!”
The gongs and drums sounded, the music was ringing, and the lively atmosphere was extraordinary.
The corners of Yang Kai’s mouth turned into a weird smile and turned to look at the northern sky.
In the sound of the drums, the north swiftly spurred a few figures, panic and unease spread suddenly through everyone’s hearts.
“Sure enough.” Qiu Yi Meng stood side by side with Yang Kai, staring into the distance.
“They have come.” Yang Kai coldly snorted.
The sound of drums continued, but the elites of the Eight Great Families were secretly concentrating and rallying their strength, acting quickly, and looking excited and eager to fight.
Although they noticed some anomalies here, the figures from the north were not afraid, and they are still closing in fast as lightning.
Yang Kai had stayed in the Soul Foundation Temple for two days, but this situation was already expected.
The succession ceremony was nothing but a cover. The true ceremony of inheritance of the Patriarch position was held secretly by the Great Families last night.
In other words, Qiu Yi Meng and others are now the Family Heads of the Great Families already.
The younger generation became the heads of the Great Families, which represented the official establishment of the alliance with Yang Kai. If the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land didn’t act at this time, after the completion of the ceremony today, Yang Kai will lead the elites of Central Capital.
The first to act will always have the advantage. This is something everyone knows.
Therefore, even though Yang Bai could foresee that this was a trap, he still had not choice but to act.
In a short time, the figure of the six Great Evil Kings was clear to see in the eyes of everyone. They stood in a hexagon formation quietly suspended in midair. They all had a look of ridicule, and a burst of laughter came from the mouth of Ghost King and Poison King. It felt unbearable, making blood and Qi tumble uncontrollably.
“The Six Great Evil Kings!” Yang Ying Hao and others stared at the six people with hatred, and everyone’s eyes Central Capital showed the feeling of incomparable hatred.
Among them, Ye Kuang Ren and Kang Rui looked at the two people who were being held in the hands of The Profound Yin Ghost King.
Naturally, they were Ye Xin Rou and Kang Zhan who were arrested half a year ago.
At this moment, the two looked dull, with tattered clothes, and their True Qi seemed to have disappeared completely, to the point where they seemed to be ordinary people.
It can be seen that in the last half a year, while they were in the hands of the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land, they had been subjected to inhuman torture.
Aware of the gazes directed to the people in his grasp, The Profound Yin Ghost King laughed, “The Great Families succession ceremony, this is such a great event in the world. The Lord has ordered us to come to send our congratulations, and to offer a trivial gift, please smile!”
With that, he reached out and threw Ye Xin Rou and Kang Zhan down.
Ye Kuang Ren and Kang Rui shouted and flew up, ready to catch Ye Xin Rou and Kang Zhan.
“Don’t!” Yang Ying Hao shouted.
The ghost king was a schemer, he could not return Ye Xin Rou and Kang Zhan so plainly. It was obvious that both their bodies had been tampered with.
But to everyone’s surprise, after Ye Xin Rou and Kang Zhan were caught by Ye Kuang Ren and Kang Rui respectively, nothing happened. The two looked dull and like they lost their soul. No yuan qi, although they’re breathing, they were like a dead body.
Ye Kuang Ren and Kang Rui carefully examined their situation and found no abnormalities. They still did not dare to take any chances. They handed them over to their respective families, and commanded them, “Lock them away.”
After arranging that, the two men looked up and stared at the six Great Evil Kings.
“Ye Family’s Patriarch and Kang Family’s Patriarch really are vigilant people.” The ghost king smirked with a condescending look.
“Talk less nonsense! Today, since you dared to show up here, you will die without burial!” Ye Kuang Ren roared.
A figure suddenly appeared in front of the Six Great Evil Kings and interrupted Ye Kuang Ren’s words.
After seeing his appearance, the color drained from everyone’s faces.
Demon Lord Yang Bai!
No one knew how he appeared here, or even if he had always been here and only when he decided to show himself had everyone noticed him.
“You two old Patriarchs are too uptight. I’ve not come here today to fight.” Yang Bai swept his eyes over the crowd faintly.
“You’re not here to fight?” Yang Ying Hao coldly snorted, “Then what purpose does the Demon Lord and his Six Great Evils Kings have for coming here?”
Yang Bai said, “To talk.”
“Talk?” Everyone’s expression became weird. All of them never dreamed they would hear such words ever come from Yang Bai’s mouth.
However, Yang Bai didn’t pay any attention to these awkward faces and instead focused his gaze on Yang Kai, carefully examining him as a dignified light flashed across the depths of his eyes, quickly calling out, “Martial Nephew, it’s been some time since we last met.”
“Martial Uncle, I trust you’ve been well since we last met!” Yang Kai grinned.
Yang Bai nodded lightly, “Your Martial Uncle underestimated you. I had not anticipated that you would become my greatest enemy. Accomplishing such a feat, Martial Nephew must have worked hard.”
“Martial Uncle thinks too highly of me, heroes always arise in times of crisis; rather, Martial Nephew should be thanking Martial Uncle for giving me an opportunity to fully display my abilities.”
“We’re all one family, there’s no need for thanks.” Despite his polite speech, it was obvious that Yang Bai’s face was gloomy and was actually quite unhappy. Although he felt his own methods and judgement were quite good, he had really miscalculated this time. He hadn’t thought that a youth like Yang Kai could stir up such a great storm, forcing him to personally appear here today.
“Martial Nephew, today, Martial Uncle really just wants to talk to you.” Yang Bai’s expression became serious, “Although the strength you’ve gathered together now probably surpasses that of my Holy Land, if we were to really fight, how many people do you think will fall? How about we settle things peacefully here today?”
“Good,” Yang Kai nodded repeatedly, “Since Martial Uncle is willing to make peace, how could Martial Nephew not agree? I don’t want to be enemies with a master like you.”
“Martial Nephew is really sensible.” Yang Bai chuckled.
In the next breath though, Yang Kai’s expression became cold as he continued, “But before we talk, can Martial Uncle offer up his head? My Father and Grand Master are really quite interested in it!”
“Impudence!” The Tyrannical Force King roared, “You fucking brat…”
But before he could finish his words, Yang Bai raised his hand and interrupted him.
Slowly shaking his head, Yang Bai sighed and said, “It seems like Martial Nephew is determined to be enemies with me.”
His expression seemed to be quite aggrieved, as if he was truly saddened by Yang Kai’s decision.
“Martial Nephew, your decisions here will affect the lives of countless people and families, I hope you can think things over carefully.” Yang Bai made one last attempt at persuasion.
“You should ask the members of the Eight Great Families, ask the people of the Central Capital, if they are willing to sit and discuss peace with you!” Yang Kai shouted coldly.
Yang Bai let out a long sigh, “If that’s the case, then there’s nothing more to say.”
As Yang Bai spoke these words, the air suddenly became tense.
Yang Kai stared deeply towards Yang Bai as he roared, “Fight!”
The masters of the Eight Great Families all rushed up while the cultivators from Yang Kai’s house who were hidden amongst the crowd also took action. The thirteen Blood Warriors, Lu Si, Li Yuan Chun, Ling Tai Xu, and the ten Transcendent Realm masters who had joined Yang Kai this past month all pushed their True Qi and encircled the Six Great Evil Kings.
With a wicked cackle, the Poison King sent out a cloud of green poisonous gas the quickly enshrouded the area.
At the same time, hundreds of resentful spirits emerged from the Ghost King’s body, shrieking and howling as they flew towards the Central Capital’s forces.
The Lightning Flash Shadow King transformed into a bolt of lightning and flickered about the battlefield. Almost no one could even detect his movement, only one shadowy figure followed after him like a maggot on rotting bones.
Naturally it was Ying Jiu !
Ying Jiu, who had broken through to the Transcendent Realm, was still not as fast as the Lightning Flash Shadow King, but restricting his movement somewhat was not a problem.
The Tyrannical Force King let out an earth shaking roar as he repeated sent out fierce punches. There was nothing fancy about his style, only boxing with pure force, but it still only took him mere moments to pound the Yang Family Offering Sacrifices To The Heavens Stage directly into the dust and sink the surrounding land.
The Thunderbolt Beast King also let out a strange roar, summoning the nearby Fifth and Sixth-Order Monster Beasts with the Seventh-Order Monster Beast Spider Mother in the lead.
At the same time, all the masters from the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land, whether they flew under their own power or rode ferocious Monster Beasts, rushed over as well.
Five of the Six Great Evil Kings immediately began fiercely attacking.
Only Shan Qing Luo hesitated, a complicated expression appearing on her face, quietly retreating some distance and only casually sending out waves of True Qi to stir up the nearby cultivators.
She didn’t want to fight this battle, but with Yang Bai here, she had no choice but to act.
“Unworthy Disciple, today is the day you die!” Ling Tai Xu flew straight towards the Demon Lord and teamed up with a number of the Eight Great Families’ Transcendents to attack Yang Bai.
“Honoured Master…” Yang Bai glanced at him pityingly but actually didn’t engage in a head on confrontation, instead turning around and flying off, disappearing in a flash of light.
No one knew what he was up to.
An unprecedented war had erupted in an instant.
The Central Capital Eight Great Families, Yang Kai’s mansion, and the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land had all committed almost all of their power to this battle.
Centered around the Yang Family’s forces, various Martial Skills and artifacts sent out wave after wave of attacks, causing the World Energy in the local area to become turbulent.
Although the new Patriarchs of the seven families also wanted to participate in this battle, they had no choice but to remain behind, guarded by the strongest masters from their respective families. Before the situation became clear, the seven families did not feel assured letting them enter the fray.
Only Yang Kai, accompanied by Old Demon, shuttled back and forth across the battlefield.
Inside his Knowledge Sea, the Solitary Golden Eye continued to send out a great suction force. Every time an Immortal Ascension Boundary master died, Yang Kai would absorb the Spiritual Energy which leaked from their destroyed Knowledge Sea as long as he was less than a hundred meters away.
Yang Kai did not seek trouble with any of the Transcendent present, his goal was only the various Immortal Ascension Boundary masters.
Even without Old Demon taking action, Yang Kai was unstoppable; no one in the Immortal Ascension Boundary was worthy to be his opponent.
The Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land only had around a dozen Transcendents, less than a fifth the number the Eight Great Families and Yang Kai’s mansion had.
Yang Ying Hao’s initial analysis was right, as long as Yang Kai and the Eight Great Families joined forces, it was not actually that difficult to defeat the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land.
The battle began at noon and continued until the early morning hours of the next day. There were countless deaths and injuries on both sides but although the Eight Great Families and Yang Kai’s forces suffered great losses, the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land’s forces on the other hand were all but decimated.
After this battle, it would probably be impossible for the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land to recover. Seeing hope, the Eight Great Families and Yang Kai’s cultivators fought even more valiantly while the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land’s cultivators and Monster Beasts constantly lost ground.
Shan Qing Luo, who was engaged in a frigid battle with a group of masters from the Eight Great Families, suddenly felt a mysterious aura approach her, causing her heart to clench. Yang Bai suddenly appeared in front of her.
“Qing Luo, come with me!” Yang Bai calmly ordered, sending out two casual palm strikes towards the attackers around Shan Qing Luo.
Against Yang Bai’s Third Order Transcendent strength, the powerhouses from the Eight Great Families were incapable of resisting, all of them spitting blood as they were blown away as easily as paper kites.
Shan Qing Luo was dumbstruck but quickly nodded, following behind Yang Bai as the latter flew away.
Yang Bai waved his hand and isolated his and Shan Qing Luo’s auras. Sweeping his eyes over the battle down below, his expression remained indifferent, seemingly having no intention of intervening.
“My Lord, what exactly is your objective?” Shan Qing Luo stared at Yang Bai silently for a while, but seeing him not speak, she boldly took the initiative to ask.
“My objective?” Yang Bai glanced back at her.
“Our Holy Land’s disciples have suffered massive casualties while my fellow Evil Kings are also in dire straits, do you not intend on rescuing them?”
“Why would I rescue them?” Yang Bai smiled lightly, “What does it matter to me if they live or die?”
“Sure enough, Sir Demon Lord only sees the Holy Land’s people as pawns!” Shan Qing Luo’s beautiful eyes flashed a complicated light, “You never cared about the survival of the Holy Land. It’s laughable that Ghost King and the others thought that under your leadership, the Holy Land would eventually destroy the Eight Great Families and become the unchallenged ruler of this world.”
“Naturally, that was only their wishful thinking; I never spoke such words to them.” Yang Bai nodded without hesitation.
“In that case, why did Sir Demon Lord order me to follow you?” Shan Qing Luo’s proud chest heaved up and down with dissatisfaction.
“Because I need a woman to stand behind me.” Yang Bai glanced at her with great interest, but his eyes were completely limpid and devoid of lust.
Shan Qing Luo smiled and quipped back, “I didn’t think Sir Demon Lord cared about women.”
“I’m still a man, a man needs a woman,” Yang Bai said flatly, “But under the Heavens, only you are worth to be my woman. You can rest assured, I will not do anything to you, I only need you to accompany me and witness what is to come. One person always acting alone is somewhat lonesome after all.”
“Witness? What do you want me to witness?” Shan Qing Luo asked, quite confused.
“You’ll understand soon, it won’t be long now.” Yang Bai smiled mysteriously. Shan Qing Luo clearly saw that in the depths of his eyes there was a look of excitement she had never once before seen. Apparently, whatever was about to occur was of great significance to him.
“Qing Luo, your relationship with my Martial Nephew doesn’t seem to be simple.” Yang Bai seemingly unintentionally said.
Shan Qing Luo’s heart jumped but she soon calm down and calmly replied, “Because of some special circumstances, I am already his woman.”
Yang Bai was slightly surprised, but didn’t seem to care too much, nodding calmly, “That’s all in the past; from now on, forget about him. Although he is quite good, but by following me, you will realize that this world is not as simple as you think and you will get to see many things and scenes you never imagined before.”
Shan Qing Luo stared towards Yang Bai curiously, not quite understanding what he meant.
…
“Where is Sir Demon Lord?” The great roar escaped from the Tyrannical Force King’s lips as he was being besieged by the Transcendents from Yang Kai’s house. Although he had astonishing personal strength, two fists couldn’t block four fists. Under the fierce assault from the many masters from Yang Kai’s forces, he was slowly being suppressed. Watching as the people from the Holy Land died one by one yet still not seeing Yang Bai take action, the Tyrannical Force King was quite aggrieved.
The Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land daring to openly attack the Central Capital was almost entirely because of Yang Bai’s overwhelming strength. If not for the Demon Lord, how could these Evil Kings had stupidly run over here to seek death?
“I’m afraid Sir Demon Lord has abandoned us!” The Ghost King roared fiercely, a huge black cloud that assumed the shape of a giant twisted face surrounding him. Everywhere he went, this giant face would swallow enemy cultivators whole, spewing out fresh blood after it chewed them up.
Nearby, the Annihilating Poison King went all out, constantly sending out swaths of poisonous gas, but under the siege of so many masters, his efforts were somewhat insufficient. Panting for breath, he laughed miserably and muttered, “En, Sir Demon Lord doesn’t care about ours lives; why else in this situation would he have not tried to help us yet? I’m afraid he’s already made his escape.”
“Bullshit!” The Force King roared hysterically, “How could sir Demon Lord run away? He must be preparing a decisive strike that will utterly destroy these Central Capital dogs!”
“Idiot!” The Poison King and Ghost King both snickered at once.
Anyone capable of sitting in the position of Evil King was not a simple character. Each of them was meticulous, cunning, and crafty in their own way. The only exception was the Tyrannical Force King, who had no redeeming qualities besides his brute strength.
Even now, he was still convinced that Demon Lord Yang Bai was engaged in some kind of strategy to destroy the Central Capital.
Not only did these five Evil Kings not know where Yang Bai was hiding at the moment, even the Eight Great Families had lost track of him.
Many people were actively searching for Yang Bai’s figure, but no one caught a single glimpse of him. If a Third Order Transcendent master wanted to conceal himself, no one here was capable of discovering him.
Many even thought that Yang Bai had seen that the situation was hopeless and had really escaped.
However, Yang Kai couldn’t help feeling a sense of foreboding, as if something big was about to happen.
Halting his absorption of the Spiritual Energy remnants for the fallen Immortal Ascension Boundary masters, Yang Kai quickly sought out the old Patriarchs of the Eight Great Families.
After fighting a few rounds in this intense battle, these old Patriarchs were currently meditating to recover their strength in preparation to cope with the final confrontation where they would completely smash the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land. When Yang Kai arrived, they were finishing up their final preparations.
“Great Uncle,” Yang Kai walked directly up to Yang Ying Hao and with a dignified expression asked, “Do you know why Yang Bai suddenly decided to launch this invasion into the Central Capital? What is his purpose?”
Yang Ying Hao was slightly startled and asked back, “What do you mean?”
Yang Kai took a long breath and continued, “On the surface, it looks like because the Eight Great Families encircled the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land some time ago, Yang Bai and the Six Great Evil Kings are counter-attacking for the sake of revenge. This reason also makes some sense; after all, after all these years, the Eight Great Families’ and the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land’s mutual hatred have reached an irresolvable level. However, I always get the feeling that Yang Bai wouldn’t attack the Central Capital for such a reason. He should know that even if he succeeds, victory will come at a significant cost. If it’s not simply because he is bored and is seeking entertainment through slaughter, then there must be something here that the Eight Great Families have that he wants badly enough to make all these sacrifices worthwhile.”
Listening to his argument, the eight old men fell into contemplation as they glanced around at each other, Ye Kuang Ren eventually postulated, “The secret of your Yang Family is probably the only thing we have that could peak his interest.”
“En, although our Eight Great Families’ heritages are all quite deep, nothing else that we own could possibly arouse Yang Bai’s attention.”
Yang Kai’s brow deeply furrowed, of course he knew they were referring to the Soul Foundation Temple.
If Yang Bai’s objective was the Soul Foundation Temple, it could barely explain his actions, but soon Yang Kai shook his head, “No, if what he wanted was my Yang Family’s secret heritage, he would not have invaded from the north but instead directly attacked from the south!”
The Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land’s early offence was overwhelming, no matter where they attacked, no family was able to offer any resistance.
If Yang Bai wanted to seize the Yang Family’s Soul Foundation Temple, he would definitely not have invaded from the north.
What’s more, the secrets of the Soul Foundation Temple were only known to the Yang Family’s Patriarchs and the powerful Transcendent Realm Grand Elders who were about to die, where would Yang Bai have even inquired about its existence?
“Please think about it once more, is there anything in any of your respective families that he would covet.” Yang Kai swept his eyes over the eight former Patriarchs.
All eight of them wore dignified expressions and carefully considered the issue again, but in the end they still couldn’t come up with a reasonable explanation.
With the situation having reached this point, if there was anything in their families that would interest Yang Bai, they would not continue concealing it. Watching everyone’s expression Yang Kai couldn’t help feeling a bit disappointed.
Could it be that his own assumptions were wrong? What exactly was the purpose of Yang Bai’s invasion of the Central Capital?
At this moment, Yang Bai’s aura which had disappeared quite some time ago, suddenly re-emerged.
Everyone looked up with surprise and, sure enough, Yang Bai was quietly standing midair, his cold eyes overlooking the entire Central Capital, a burst of laughter like rolling thunder escaping from his lips.
Everyone involuntarily stopped their movements and stared towards the source of this laughter.
“It’s time!” Suddenly, Yang Bai restrained his laughter and shouted.
Yang Kai’s heart clenched, the sense of uneasiness he had been feeling becoming much palpable. He didn’t know what Yang Bai was talking about, but since he dared to show up now, obviously he had already achieved his goal.
“Eight Great Families… such pitiful existences dare to call themselves by such a lofty title, utter nonsense. Martial Nephew, although you are a rare genius, but your vision is not long-term enough, instead of worrying about such small matters you should be striving for greater heights instead. Martial Uncle will tell you today, that this world, and all you think you know, is insignificant, there are many, many things you don’t know about or understand. But regardless of all that, Martial Uncle really must thank you. If not for your sudden rise, I’m afraid that today’s war would not have resulted in so many casualties. Ensuring enough of these ants were slaughtered caused your Martial Uncle quite a bit of headache.”
Yang Bai appeared extremely calm and arrogant as he hovered above the battlefield, not placing this world or anyone in it into his eyes.
Yang Kai expression changed as he stared fixedly at Yang Bai. From what he just said, Yang Kai was able to gleam some key information.
Did Yang Bai know about the mysteries of this world and what lay beyond it?
Not giving him any time to ponder the issue, Yang Bai suddenly shouted, “Evil Kings, come to me!”
The Tyrannical Force King rushed toward Yang Bai without hesitation.
As for the Poison King, Ghost King, Shadow King, and Beast King, they showed some hesitation, as if they didn’t know what they should do.
Yang Bai gave them a faint look and chuckled, “What’s wrong? Do you want to defy my orders?”
The Poison King smiled gloomily and replied, “Sir Demon Lord, I just want to ask, why haven’t we seen you since the beginning of the battle yesterday? The Holy Land’s forces have suffered a great deal of casualties in your absence.”
“Because I needed them to die! If they didn’t die, how could I achieve my goal?” Yang Bai replied casually.
“I understand,” The Poison King nodded, suddenly cupping his fists, “Sir Demon Lord, you take care. We won’t be accompanying you any further.”
The four Evil Kings had followed Yang Bai to attack Central Capital because they truly wanted to destroy it. Now that there was no chance of them succeeding and seeing Yang Bai acting so indifferently to their situation, how could these Evil Kings still be willing to remain?
Each of them was selfish, insidious, and sinister. Loyalty and honour had nothing to do with them.
Finished with what they had to say, the Poison King, Ghost King, Shadow King, and Beast King turned to leave. Since Yang Bai didn’t care whether his subordinates lived or died, they naturally would care about his life or death either. As long as they could survive, everything else didn’t matter.
However, Yang Bai suddenly sneered, “None of you can get away! Stand guard for me!”
Just as his voice resounded, the four Evil Kings who were preparing to make their escape suddenly froze in place, a look of pain emerging on their face, like they were desperately resisting something. A moment later, their looks all slowly eased and then once more turned and flew to Yang Bai and began tightly guarding him.
The masters from the Eight Great Families all paled.
Although none of them were clear what just happened to the four Evil Kings, all of them understood that Yang Bai had used some kind of tyrannical method to forcibly control them!
Yang Bai finally took action, waving his hands as a mysterious energy spread through the air, quickly covering the entire Central Capital.
“Stop him!” Yang Kai shouted, it didn’t matter what Yang Bai’s true purpose was, what was most important right now was to stop him.
As soon as this order was given, all the Transcendents who could still fight charged into the sky, targeting Yang Bai and the Six Great Evil Kings.
“You’re too late!” Yang Bai laughed, “From the moment I appeared, there was nothing you could do.”
As he spoke, the blood of all the people who died throughout the Central Capital in this battle and all the blood which had seeped into the earth since the beginning of this war sunk into the ground, seemingly drawn down by a vague and mysterious energy.
Witnessing this, Yang Bai’s face filled with joy as his eyes turned towards a certain place and his hand waved.
The blood that had penetrated into the ground was all rushing towards that place.
A shocking bloody aura suddenly erupted.
Old Demon, who was next to Yang Kai, suddenly wore a dignified expression and quickly said, “Young Master, this should be some kind of blood sacrifice ritual.”
Old Demon was also a master when it came to blood sacrifices, so naturally he could see some clues from this situation; although his methods were different from Yang Bai’s, what was the same was the need for many people to die in order to gather a massive amount of blood.
The Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land and the Central Capital’s forces had suffered massive casualties these past few months and the blood of the fallen flowed like a river. Yang Bai now using all this blood to perform some kind of blood sacrifice ritual was really quite luxurious; at least, it was many times grander than when Old Demon used his Demon Specter Saint Technique of Old Demon.
From deep underground, a loud boom resounded, shaking the entire Central Capital shook.
Everyone’s face was filled with shock.
Yang Ying Hao suddenly seemed to think of something and exclaimed, “Oh no, could Yang Bai be after what’s buried beneath the Central Capital?”
“What’s down there?” Yang Kai hurriedly asked.
Yang Ying Hao hurriedly explained, “This is a matter only mentioned in the ancient records of our Eight Great Families. No one has ever confirmed it really exists, but it is said that there is a huge Earth Vein that runs beneath the Central Capital. It is because of the existence of this Earth Vein that my Eight Great Families took root here. Not only does the Yang Family have records of this, the other seven families should also have them as well.”
Qiu Shou Cheng thought about it and nodded, “En, this old master has also seen this matter mentioned in my family’s ancient books.”
“However, it is said that many generations of our ancestors sought out this Earth Vein, yet after many years they never found anything. Could it be that it really exists and we were just unable to discover it all this time?” Meng Xi Ping asked with an ugly expression.
The Eight Great Families had already resided in the Central Capital for countless years and although they all had records of the existence of this Earth Vein, no one had ever seen it, so Demon Lord Yang Bai being able to accurately determine its location made him somewhat uncomfortable.
“An Earth Vein?” Yang Kai was stunned.
Yang Kai had encountered an Earth Vein before and had even absorbed a great deal of energy from it.
On Endless Sea Islands’ Hidden Island, there was a tiny Earth Vein that was all but exhausted and dried up, yet even that pitiful remnant contained enough energy for him to greatly improve his strength in a very short period of time.
Obviously the Earth Vein beneath the Central Capital was not only far grander in size, but was completely intact. If one could find it and enter it, they would be able to obtain an indescribably amount of benefits from it.
“There’s at least an eighty percent chance this is what he was after all along.” Yang Kai nodded gently.
Yang Bai was already a Third Order Transcendent; he had reached his limit, and if he wanted to further improve his strength, he would have to rely on external forces. The huge energy contained within this Earth Vein was his best option.
Although it was still only a guess, it shouldn’t be far from the truth.
The entire Central Capital trembled violently as buildings large and small collapsed, and dust and smoke were thrown into the air. It was as if the apocalypse was happening right before everyone’s eyes.
Even those who didn’t understand what was happening realized that this place was no longer safe.
The masters from the Eight Great Families and Yang Kai’s mansion all increased the ferocity of their attacks towards Yang Bai again, attempting to interfere with his actions, but the six Great Evil Kings were closely guarding him, as long as they couldn’t break through the defence of these Evil Kings, the Central Capital’s forces were powerless to stop Yang Bai.
With the exception of Shan Qing Luo, the remaining five Great Evil Kings were all Second Order Transcendents and the Shadow King and Force King had even reached the peak of the Second Order, with them desperately guarding Yang Bai, disregarding their own safety, their defence was incredibly solid.
Shan Qing Luo also couldn’t be underestimated. Unceasingly pouring her True Qi into her fan shaped Mysterious Grade artifact, she waved it back and forth in a complex pattern, sending out bursts of fluorescent light.
Atop her fan were lifelike portraits of various beautiful women, and as she wielded her weapon, these paintings seemingly leapt from her artifact, each of them barely half-clothed, constantly sending out a rich, amorous appeal, creating a beguiling scenery.
Enticing whispers drifted through the air into people’s ears, stimulated their deepest hidden desires, driving them to distraction as it brought forth their animalistic instincts.
This Mysterious Grade artifact was an heirloom of the Beguiling Demon Queen lineage, coupled with the profound Seduction Technique of the Beguiling Demon Queen, few people were capable of maintaining their sanity when targeted by it.
Even the strongest Transcendent masters would instantly become absent-minded if they lost focus for a moment, falling into an illusory world filled with temptation from which they would be unable to extricate themselves.
And at this moment, Shan Qing Luo targets were actually the other five Great Evil Kings and Yang Bai.
The Force King, who was without a doubt the most simple minded of the batch, suddenly had bloodshot eyes as he breathed hot air from his nose, his lower half clearly pitching a giant tent.
The other four Great Evil Kings’ brows were all deeply furrowed as well, obviously affected by this sudden attack.
“Cheap slut!” The Force King suddenly woke up. The combination of his great strength and simple thoughts had allowed him to escape from Shan Qing Luo’s Seduction Technique relatively quickly, roaring angrily as he sent out a devastating punch towards Shan Qing Luo.
The Beguiling Demon Queen’s beautiful face instantly went pale, and knowing she was incapable of resisting this strike head on, she hurriedly dodged as she withdrew, but half of her body was still struck by the force of the Force King’s punch, sending her screaming through the air as she plummeted towards the ground.
Yang Bai glanced over at the fallen Shan Qing Luo indifferently and shook his head, “Qing Luo, is this your choice? You disappoint me.”
Shan Qing Luo also glared back indifferently, shouting as she allowed herself to fall, “I told you, I am already his woman! Naturally it’s impossible for me to help you deal with him!”
“You’ll regret it.” Yang Bai sighed slightly, “It seems like the peak of the Martial Dao is really a cold and lonely place.”
As he spoke these words, the movement on his hands never once stopped.
The masters of the Eight Great Families moved to take Shan Qing Luo’s life directly, but they were quickly overtaken by Tang Yu Xian.
The Blood Warriors knew about the relationship between Yang Kai and Shan Qing Luo so naturally they wouldn’t embarrass her; Tang Yu Xian charging towards Shan Qing Luo was purely to protect her.
Seeing Tang Yu Xian catch Shan Qing Luo and escort her from the battlefield, Yang Kai breathed a sigh of relief.
*Xiu xiu xiu…*
A huge and unparalleled energy suddenly erupted from the ground. This pulse of World Energy was far greater than anything anyone present had ever felt before. It was so potent that it was actually visible to the naked eye, akin to a great geyser of light that burst from beneath the earth, quickly covering the entire Central Capital.
If one were to stand back and observe, the chaotic and fragmented Central Capital City would actually appear to be engulfed in a beam of light, radiating a Heaven shaking amount of World Energy that shot straight up into the sky.
Yang Bai laughed joyously before his image flickered as he shot off towards the source of this eruption, quickly disappearing into the ground below, leaving behind the five Great Evil Kings to protect this place with their lives.
“There really is an Earth Vein here!” Yang Ying Hao called out in shock.
Seeing this scene, the old Patriarchs of the Eight Great Families suddenly knew that the speculations in their ancient records were not unfounded. Under the Central Capital there was indeed a huge Earth Vein.
Today, this Earth Vein has been found and exposed by Yang Bai.
“No matter what he wants to do with the Earth Vein, we can’t let him succeed!” Yang Ying Hao said with a dignified expression, shooting off after Yang Bai with the other seven old men, diving underground at the source of the light beam.
Yang Kai’s brow wrinkled, “We’re going as well.”
Old Demon hurriedly kept up.
Inside Yang Kai’s mansion.
Since arriving in the Central Capital, Meng Wu Ya had remained inside Yang Kai’s house in order to maintain the Heavenly Palace. When the eruption of light occurred though, he suddenly wore a surprised and excited look on his face. Leaping into the air, he swept his eyes over the Central Capital, his smile growing broader with every passing breath, finally exclaiming, “An Earth Vein!”
Soon after, he let out a great burst of laughter, “It’s really wearing out iron shoes while seeking one’s feet, such great fortune suddenly landing in my lap! Ning Chang, come with me. It’s finally time your teacher unlocked the first layer of his seal!”
Xia Ning Chang was shocked upon hearing these words and quickly nodded.
Since the day she became Meng Wu Ya’s apprentice, she had been vigorously cultivating in order to help her Master break through the shackles that were sealing his true strength.
Xia Ning Chang also knew that in order to break the first layer of the seal on Meng Wu Ya, a massive supply of energy was required. It wasn’t important what the source of this energy was. As long as the amount was great enough, she could use her Special Constitution to guide it into Meng Wu Ya’s body and refine the seal inside his body like it was a spirit herb inside a human furnace, thus breaking it down and shattering it.
Treating a person as a furnace, and the myriad energies within them as medicinal ingredients, this was something only the Sacred Spirit Medicine Body was capable of.
The Master and Apprentice duo quickly sought out a crack from which the underground light was erupting and under the guardianship of Meng Wu Ya, broke into the ground.
Above the Central Capital, the masters from the Eight Great Families and Yang Kai’s mansion were still encircling the remaining cultivators from the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land. From their originally uncountable number, the overwhelming majority had suffered severe injuries or been killed directly until now, only a hundred or so Evil Land cultivators remained along with some scattered Monster Beasts.
The five Great Evil Kings, although still putting up a fierce struggle, were now completely surrounded by dozens of Transcendent Realm masters, with not path to the sky or gate into the ground; their deaths were all but inevitable.
The situation was gradually becoming clear.
Below the Central Capital, Yang Kai and Old Demon both continually descended towards the source of the light column. It seemed as if there was no end to the underground tunnels and although they were now essentially bathing in World Energy, giving them a pleasant sensation, diving into the an unexplored abyss inevitably caused their nerves to tighten somewhat.
After a stick of incense worth of time, the pair landed on solid ground once more.
Neither of them knew exactly how far underground they were, but without a doubt they have delved a great distance as the sounds of battle were no longer audible and the fluctuations of energy from Martial Skills and artifact attacks were indescribable. As they scanned the area around themselves, Yang Kai and Old Demon could only see a pure, rich, flow of energy, as if they were swimming in a river of World Energy.
This river of World Energy was visible, tangible, and gave off a faint glow, so even though they were deep underground, there was no lack of illumination.
“Where did those eight go?” Old Demon glanced back and force but was unable to spot Yang Ying Hao or any of the other seven former Patriarchs.
“That way.” Yang Kai noticed a cluster of footprints on the ground and pointed towards a certain direction.
Quickly spreading out his Divine Sense, Yang Kai was surprised to discover that he was only able to senses things in the surrounding three hundred meters or so.
The rich World Energy here was obviously limiting the scope of his Divine Sense.
Walking forward for a short time, Yang Kai suddenly came to a fork in the road, causing him to frown.
The Earth Vein under the Central Capital extended in all directions and these underground passages twisted and turned randomly, essentially forming a giant labyrinth. With his Divine Sense severally restricted down here, Yang Kai knew it would be difficult to seek the trail of the old Patriarchs and Yang Bai.
The only thing he could do right now was rely on the shallow footprints on the ground in front of him.
After passing through several more tunnels and taking a few different forks, even the footprints of the eight former Patriarchs they were tracing disappeared.
Yang Kai and Old Demon had now completely lost track of everyone they were seeking, so Yang Kai could only walk forward randomly.
Suddenly, Yang Kai came to a stop and turned his eyes back the way they came.
“Young Master, what happened?”
Yang Kai didn’t say anything, just remaining in place until after a short time. A slender figure dashed out from behind them. Old Demon was shocked and wanted to block this newcomer, but was quickly stopped by Yang Kai.
When the figure approached closer, Old Demon discovered that this person was actually his Young Master’s Senior Sister, Su Yan.
“How come you came down here as well?” Yang Kai hurriedly pulled Su Yan over.
Su Yan and all of the other members of High Heaven Pavilion had been staying inside the Heavenly Palace and had not participated in this final battle against the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land, so when Yang Kai saw her appear at this moment, naturally he was a bit surprised.
“I came down here chasing after Treasurer Meng and Junior Sister Xia,” Su Yan explained, “Once I reached this place, I suddenly felt your aura and decided to meet up with you.”
“Are Treasurer Meng and Little Senior Sister down here too?” Yang Kai was stunned, “What about the house?”
“The house is fine, the Heavenly Palace’s barrier is still protecting it.”
Yang Kai nodded gently, unavoidably feeling some confusion, “Why would Treasurer Meng suddenly decide to come down here? He actually even brought Little Senior Sister with him.”
This set of actions puzzled Yang Kai greatly. Although Meng Wu Ya was capable of temporarily relieving the seal place on him and regaining the strength of a Transcendent, doing so would also result in a sever backlash afterwards; therefore, Yang Kai had not wanted to let Meng Wu Ya participate in this battle.
Ideally, Meng Wu Ya would remain inside the mansion and keep the Heavenly Palace running.
Never had Yang Kai thought Treasure Meng would take the initiative to run out and come to this underground labyrinth.
“Since you’re here, we’ll go together.” Yang Kai smiled.
Su Yan nodded lightly.
The group of three people continued their underground exploration, carefully scanning and examining their surroundings, but despite their efforts, they were completely unable to detect the auras of anyone else. Su Yan was able to sense Yang Kai’s location down here because of their Union of Heart and Soul, but this method was obviously only applicable between Yang Kai and Su Yan.
While Yang Kai was walking about randomly, he suddenly felt that the flow of World Energy inside the Earth Vein suddenly undergo a mutation.
The energy that was seemingly freely drifting randomly was now all rapidly surging towards a specific point.
It was as if a great vortex had appeared and was madly swallowing the World Energy in the Earth Vein.
“Let’s go take a look.” Yang Kai stared in the direction the World Energy was gathering and quickly stepped forward.
After roughly half an hour, Yang Kai suddenly sensed two familiar auras.
Startled by this discovery, he once again increased his pace.
In a nearby cavern with multiple tunnels connected to it, Yang Kai came across Meng Wu Ya and Xia Ning Chang.
Meng Wu Ya was sitting cross legged on the floor, his eyes closed and a joyful grin plastered on his face while Xia Ning Chang was standing in front of him, her hands uninterruptedly forming a series of mysterious seals. With each new seal she formed, the World Energy in the Earth Vein would surge towards Meng Wu Ya and enter his body.
As if noticing someone approaching, Meng Wu Ya glanced over nervously and even Xia Ning Chang’s movements became somewhat rough, no longer fluidly flowing from one hand seal to the next.
After seeing Yang Kai’s face though, the pair let out a sigh of relief.
“Treasurer Meng, what are you doing down here?” Yang Kai looked at him in surprise, asking curiously.
“Unlocking my seal!” Meng Wu Ya replied lightly.
Yang Kai’s eyes flashed brilliantly. Although Treasurer Meng hadn’t said much, it hadn’t stopped the former from understanding.
There was a profound seal placed on Meng Wu Ya that limited the cultivation he could display to the Peak Immortal Ascension Boundary. If he can unlock this seal, he could instead maintain a Second Order Transcendent cultivation.
“Congratulations Treasurer Meng,” Yang Kai was also quite happy that Meng Wu Ya was able to find an opportunity to unlock this seal. Evidently Demon Lord Yang Bai’s schemes had brought about some unexpected benefits.
“Has Treasurer Meng seen Yang Bai or the Eight Great Families’ former Patriarchs?” Yang Kai hurriedly asked.
Meng Wu Ya shook his head and said, “I haven’t, but if you want to find them, Ning Chang can help you.”
Yang Kai quickly turned his attention to his Little Senior Sister.
Xia Ning Chang didn’t speak, simply nodding lightly and waving her hand gently, releasing a wisp of every that shot off like lightning into a section of underground tunnel Yang Kai had yet to explore.
After waiting for a short while, this wisp of energy returned.
Receiving this wisp of energy, Xia Ning Chang closed her eyes for a moment before opening them and pointing towards a certain direction. Smiling gratefully, Yang Kai turned and walked towards the direction she pointed without the slightest hesitation.
“Yang Kai, I’ll stay behind here to protect Treasurer Meng and Junior Sister Xia,” Su Yan hesitated before saying.
She really wanted to travel together with Yang Kai, because so far, she had sat out almost every major battle undertaken by Yang Kai, but with Meng Wu Ya and Xia Ning Chang currently in such a delicate situation, without someone here to stand guard for them, she couldn’t feel at ease.
If Su Yan stayed, at the very least she could ensure the safety of these two people if any ordinary danger appeared.
Yang Kai nodded, “Be careful!”
“You as well.” Su Yan smiled warmly.
Bidding farewell to Meng Wu Ya and Xia Ning Chang, Yang Kai and Old Demon rushed off in the direction Little Senior Sister had pointed while constantly sweeping the surroundings with their powerful Divine Senses.
Soon, a cluster of auras appeared inside Yang Kai’s perception range. Homing in on to these auras, Yang Kai quickly led Old Demon towards them.
Soon, in front of the pair, nine figures appeared.
Eight of them were the old Patriarchs of the Eight Great Families who had been tracking the Demon Lord while the other one was none other than Yang Bai.
When Yang Kai and Old Demon arrived, the two sides were facing off against each other.
Although the eight old Patriarchs were also Transcendents and had a large numerical advantage, against a master like the Demon Lord they still didn’t dare act rashly. Yang Bai’s aura at the moment still gave them great pressure.
Yang Bai on the other hand was quite calm, though a light of excitement could be seen in the depths of his eyes. Although his methods were exceptionally powerful and he had absolute confidence in his own strength, he wasn’t eager to take action and was instead just staring at the eight people surrounding him with a slightly teasing gaze.
Seeing Yang Kai and Old Demon suddenly appeared here, Yang Bai smiled even brighter and called out warmly, “Martial Nephew is also here! Good, good, Martial Uncle was worried no one would be here to witness this moment, but it seems that my concerns were unwarranted, the more that comes the better.”
Yang Kai coldly snorted as he stepped forward, staring at Yang Bai with a dignified expression, “Martial Uncle, you spent all this time and effort and even sacrificed the lives of all the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land’s masters just to find this Earth Vein under the Central Capital? “
“Precisely!”
“Why?” Yang Kai couldn’t help asking, “This Earth Vein is fixed below the Central Capital, even if you’ve found it, there’s no way you’ll be able to absorb the energy contained here in short order, so in the end, most of it will be taken away by the Eight Great Families. Martial Uncle couldn’t possibly be so short sighted as to do something so unprofitable, could he?”
Yang Bai however just stared back at Yang Kai with a temperate expression and nodded gently, “It looks like Martial Nephew is smarter than these eight old fogies. They all think that my purpose here is to absorb the World Energy from this Earth Vein when in fact, they couldn’t be more wrong. Even I don’t have the ability to absorb this Earth Vein under the eyes of the entire Central Capital, nor did I ever have any intention of doing so.”
Yang Ying Hao and the other Patriarchs all wore puzzled expressions when they heard this.
All of them had thought that Yang Bai was eyeing the World Energy contained in this Earth Vein so they hadn’t expected him to openly admit he wasn’t interested in it.
But if he wasn’t after this World Energy, why had he done all of this?
“No matter what your purpose is, today, this will be your burial ground!” Yang Ying Hao coldly shouted, interrupting Yang Bai’s monologue.
Yang Bai simply chuckled, “With just you people, you don’t have the ability to bury me. If I wanted to, I could take your lives at any time.”
“If Martial Uncle is so confident, why are you just standing there spouting nonsense?” Yang Kai sneered sarcastically.
“Like I said when Martial Nephew arrived, I need someone to witness this event. Originally Shan Qing Luo was my preferred candidate, I was also prepared to share this moment with her, but she didn’t appreciate my kindness and has instead missed such a good opportunity.” Yang Bai slowly shook his head, a look of disappointment spreading across his face
“Martial Uncle’s interests are really quite distasteful.”
“It matters not,” Yang Bai shrugged his shoulders and continued casually, “Because I must leave this place soon and travel to a higher world.”
“A higher world?” The eight old Patriarchs were all stunned, not able to comprehend what Yang Bai was talking about.
Old Demon and Yang Kai on the other hand suddenly looked pensive.
“Ignorant fools,” Yang Bai muttered, a trace of pity appearing on his face, “Do you think that the Above Immortal Ascension Boundary is the pinnacle of the Martial Dao? Wrong. The Above Immortal Ascension Boundary is nothing. This realm isn’t even called the ‘Above Immortal. Ascension Boundary’, it’s just the name you all haphazardly call those of us who had reached this realm.”
The eight old Patriarch wore shocked expressions. This was something they had never once heard of before, all of them suddenly somewhat looking forward to Yang Bai continuing to speak, hoping to gain a greater understanding of what kind of realm the Above Immortal Ascension Boundary truly was.
“This boundary is known as the Transcendent Realm, the point at which one transcends the realm of mortals.” Yang Kai said in a snide tone, interrupting Yang Bai’s boasting, shaking his head as he continued, “Martial Uncle, I thought you were a man of great power and ambition, but listening to you now, it seems like you’re just a pitiful fool as well.”
Yang Bai’s eyes suddenly became cold, seemingly not having anticipated that Yang Kai had some understanding of this realm, but quickly recovering and nodding, “Did the man standing behind Martial Nephew tell you all this?”
Old Demon just grinned evilly, neither confirming nor denying this conjecture, simply staring towards Yang Bai sarcastically.
Yang Bai flaunting his understanding of the Transcendent Realm in front of Old Demon was akin to showing off meager skills before an expert.
Seeing Old Demon’s reaction, Yang Bai said sincerely, “My dear brother, when all things are said and done, the two of us share common roots. My achievements all stem from your current body so the two of us should be able to understand one another. If you are willing, why do we not join hands?”
“No thanks,” Old Demon grinned meaningfully, “This old master thinks sticking with Young Master sounds more promising.”
“Do you really think so?” Yang Bai asked somewhat disappointedly yet not giving up, “Although my Martial Nephew’s aptitude is extraordinary, I’m afraid that is only limited to this place, if you come with me, I can show you a broader world.”
Saying so, Yang Bai suddenly reached out, touched the cave wall behind him, and fiercely poured his True Qi into it. At the same time, the energy of the entire Earth Vein instantly rushed towards this place as well.
A moment later, in the position Yang Bai’s hand was placed, a small black spot suddenly appeared and began to expand rapidly. Within three breaths of time, this small black spot had grown into a black hole a few meters in diameter.
A profound and terrifying pressure radiated from this black hole that seemed like it was capable of swallowing everything in this world whole.
The old Patriarchs of the Eight Great Families’ expressions all filled with shock as they hurriedly retreated, staring at this unknown black hole, wondering just what it was they were witnessing.
On the other hand, both Yang Kai and Old Demon’s eyes bulged as they involuntarily shouted, “A Void Corridor?”
This time, it was Yang Bai’s turn to be surprised. He hadn’t expected anyone here to be able to recognize this thing, slowly nodding, “Correct, a Void Corridor, one that leads to a higher world, one far grander than our own. Compared to there, this place is nothing more than a backwater land inhabited by barbarians. Here, the World Energy is thin and scare, but on the other side everything is different. On the other side, World Energy is much more abundant, it’s far more suitable for cultivators to sense the Heavenly Way and study the Martial Dao, allowing one to grow to much greater heights than in this place. My dear friend, as long as you nod, I am willing to let you enter with me and share in the resources of that land.”
“So that’s it!” Old Demon suddenly understood, “It seems like you not only inherited this body’s cultivation, but its memory as well.”
“Yes!” Yang Bai did readily acknowledge.
The body of the Devil Lord under High Heaven Pavilion’s Coiling Dragon Stream was currently being used by Old Demon, but earlier on, Yang Bai had obtained the original owner’s inheritance and memories which allowed him to understand the mysteries of the Transcendent Realm and promote his strength so quickly.
It was also likely that the memories of this Devil Lord’s body were what guided Yang Bai to the Earth Vein under the Central Capital and allowed him to pinpoint the location of this Void Corridor.
His purpose wasn’t to destroy the Central Capital, nor obtain this Earth Vein. Everything Yang Bai had done was to reach this Void Corridor.
He wanted to leave this place and enter a higher world, allowing him to pursue greater heights of the Martial Dao.
“However… it seems the memories you obtained aren’t very complete,” Old Demon suddenly smirked.
“Why do you say that, my dear friend?” Yang Bai frowned slightly.
“Jie jie jie… Do you really think that the resources over there can be obtained so easily? Do you think that the masters over there are easily bullied? Hah, laughable! Although this is place is truly a barbaric land compared to that place, the dangers over there are also far greater than here. Your cultivation isn’t bad. In this place you can reign as a king, but over there, at the very most you’ll be some unimportant deacon of a major Sect or possibly an Elder of a minor one. If I were you, I’d choose to stay here and live well rather than go there and slave away for some small profits.” Old Demon replied calmly.
“How do you know so much?” Yang Bai finally realized that something was wrong, “Impossible. The memories that remained in that body were all inherited by me, there’s no way you could obtain them again.”
“This old master indeed didn’t obtain any memories from this body, nor do I need them, because this old master… came from the world over there in the first place!” Old Demon smirked and pointed to himself arrogantly, “The original owner of this body, if you really want to nitpick, is at least 2 generations younger than me!”
Yang Bai suddenly became pale as the stared towards Old Demon like he was looking at a terrifying ancient monster, the depths of his eyes filling with a profound fear and yearning.
All of his current strength and achievements were related to the inheritance he had obtained from this corpse, but now Old Demon had proclaimed disdainfully that this Devil Lord was nothing more than one of his far flung younger generation, throwing Yang Bai into confusion, completely overturning his understanding of what was happening.
“You dare deceive me?” Yang Bai coldly declared, “I won’t be fooled by such obvious lies! Regardless of who you are, now that things have reached this point, I’ll just have to see what the world over there is like with my own eyes.”
Old Demon slowly shook his head, “Truly nothing but another ignorant fool.”
“That’s not something you can decide!” Yang Bai roared, his aura suddenly becoming dangerous, a rich Demonic Qi erupted from his body and his usual temperate expression warping into an ugly visage, as if he had suddenly become a completely different person, a true demon.
“Devil Transformation!” Yang Kai brushed his finger across his forehead and immediately summoned forth the massive energy stored within his Unyielding Golden Skeleton. As a complex series of black tattoos covered him, the intensity of the Demonic Qi he released was actually no less potent than that of Yang Bai, in fact, it was even more dense and pure.
A trace of surprise flashed across Yang Bai’s eyes as he stared at Yang Kai, his expression slowly becoming dignified, “Martial Nephew, you having such strength is impressive, even if you are borrowing it from some outside source, but with only an Immortal Ascension Boundary Fifth Stage cultivation, you can’t change anything here.”
“Really?” Old Demon took a step forward and guarded Yang Kai, a powerful Demonic Qi that had the exact same aura as Yang Bai’s emerging from his body.
At the same time, the eight old men also pushed their True Qi to their maximum, their expression cold and menacing, preparing to go all out against Yang Bai.
However, Yang Bai simply laughed, “You think you can defeat me simply because you have more people? You’re all too naive; before I leave I’ll let you all experience the might of a Third Order Transcendent. My dear friend, I have given you a chance, but it seems you intend to stubbornly refuse; the Demonic Qi in your body, I will gladly accept today.”
These last words were directed towards Old Demon.
When Yang Bai escaped from the Coiling Dragon Stream previously, he had not absorbed all of the Demonic Qi inside the deceased Devil Lord’s body. He had originally planned to consolidate his foundation and then return to absorb what remained at a later date, but this had inadvertently allowed Old Demon to take it for himself instead.
Now that another opportunity to refine this Demonic Qi had presented itself, Yang Bai naturally wanted to take it.
Finished speaking, Yang Bai waved gently and a thin membrane of multicoloured light appeared around his body, covering his form like armour.
The Martial Skills and artifact strikes of the Eight Great Families former Patriarchs simultaneously appeared and flew towards Yang Bai. Unfortunately, this heavy bombardment was only able to cause Yang Bai’s barrier to tremble slightly. Even attacking all together, they were unable to break his defence.
Although all of them knew Yang Bai was incredibly powerful, after witnessing this scene, the eight old Patriarchs still couldn’t help feeling surprised, each of them wearing a clear look of shock.
Old Demon also quickly attacked, a bloody light shooting out from his body, transforming into a blood fog that engulfed Yang Bai in the next breath. This blood fog contained all of Old Demon’s many years of insights into the Martial Dao, a technique that was difficult to defend against, capable of eroding anything in this world.
However, Yang Bai only flexed his muscles once and broke through this blood fog.
Old Demon coldly snorted and took three steps backwards, staring at the man with a solemn expression.
The absolute gap in realm was not something that mere experience could make up for. If there was a lot of fresh blood here, perhaps Old Demon could also use his Demon Specter Saint Technique to enhance his strength, but all the blood from the dead and wounded had already been used by Yang Bai. One couldn’t make bricks without straw.
A fierce dragon’s roar suddenly resounded as a huge black dragon appeared behind Yang Kai, shaking its head and swinging its tail as it opened its great maw and bit towards Yang Bai.
“A Flood Dragon?” Yang Bai didn’t spare this apparition a second glance, casually waving his left hand, summoning a huge seven coloured poisonous python out of thin air. This poisonous snake bared its fangs and rushed towards the black dragon, opening its mouth and spraying out a seven coloured light that contained a terrifying evil energy that instantly smashed the approaching dragon phantom.
“Mediocre!” Yang Bai sneered dismissively, calmly taunting, “Go on, release all the strength you can, I must see if any of you are capable of stopping me. I, Yang Bai, only seek the pinnacle of the Martial Dao! Good? Evil? As long as it can improve my strength, why would I not take advantage of it? Anyone who dares block my path, I will show no mercy!”
“Even if it is the Honored Master who raised you?” Yang Kai stared at him with ice cold eyes. Although the situation was extremely dangerous, there was not the slightest panic present in his eyes, only an infinite indifference.
Old Demon also calmly observed the situation. Although he didn’t know what Yang Kai had to rely on, after following him for so long, Old Demon understood that Yang Kai would never act unless he was confident of his success. Quickly pressing down his impulse to escape, he quietly guarded Yang Kai in case any accident occurred.
“Honoured Master?” Yang Bai sneered, “I don’t have an Honored Master.”
Even as he was speaking, Yang Bai never stopped pushing the evil energy within his body, causing the old Patriarchs of the Eight Great Families to pale and fall to their knees, each of their faces quickly changing colours, their True Qi and vitality quickly leaking out and converging toward Yang Bai’s body.
This absolute repression of the realm gave them a deep understanding of the terrifying strength Yang Bai possessed and made them realize that simply relying on the people gathered here, they had no way to defeat him.
“Yang Kai, quickly leave this place, I’m afraid that the eight of us can no longer escape…” Yang Ying Hao suddenly said, his voice becoming faint and slowly trailing off.
If they had known Yang Bai’s strength was so horrible, they would never have only come by themselves.
Originally they had thought that with their eight people, even if they had to sacrifice themselves in battle, they would at least be able to bury Yang Bai to along with them, but now they realized that their previous idea was nothing but a ridiculous fantasy.
Now all they could do was put their lives on the line to save Yang Kai.
“No one will escape here today!” Yang Bai declared calmly as he faintly shook his head, lifting his finger, a burst of Demonic Qi shot out and pierced Yang Ying Hao’s shoulder, causing a burst of blood to spray out.
“Yang Bai, you attacked and killed your Elders and brought shame to the High Heaven Pavilion; today, on behalf of Grand Master, I will clean up the Sect!” Yang Kai suddenly roared angrily, his cold indifference rapidly transforming into righteous fury.
Yang Bai was temporarily stunned and couldn’t help glancing over at him, soon wearing a sneering expression, “A trivial Immortal Ascension Boundary Fifth Stage ant dares to speak to me like this, the young really don’t understand how high the Heavens are or how deep the Earth is! Martial Nephew, you’ll soon be dead, are you planning to clean up the Sect for that old fart as a ghost?”
Although they came from the same Sect, Yang Bai looked down on Yang Kai quite a bit. He thought that this Martial Nephew of his only had his current strength because he was borrowing it from some external source.
“Haha…” Yang Kai laughed loudly before his grinning face became solemn, shouting loudly, “Old Demon!”
Old Demon responded immediately and without any hesitation rushed towards Yang Bai.
Yang Bai looked on disdainful, simply waving his hand towards Old Demon, sending out a violent burst of Demonic Qi. Old Demon’s defence was instantly broken through and was sent tumbling through the air before crashing into the ground, but in the next instant, he climbed up indifferently.
He was unharmed!
This scene not only stunned the old Patriarchs of the Eight Great Families, even Yang Bai was shocked; however, he quickly collected himself and nodded, “That body is truly quite good.”
Old Demon laughed wickedly, “Although this old master can’t beat you now, you also can’t beat this old master; this body is not something you can destroy.”
Old Demon’s current body had not only not degraded after lying at the bottom of the Coiling Dragon Stream for hundreds of years, but instead had become even more tempered with age.
With Yang Bai’s current cultivation alone, he really wasn’t capable of destroying it.
“I was wondering what it was you had to take advantage of, it turns out to only be this.” Yang Bai sneered, “If that’s all you have to show me, then I’ll stop playing around with you now.”
Old Demon snorted and charged toward Yang Bai again.
Yang Bai curled his lips cruelly and spat disdainfully, “Nothing but a brute, even if your body is tough, you still can’t defeat me, you might as well just return that which belongs to me.”
As he spoke, Yang Bai released an even more ominous aura that before and stretched out his hand to grasp Old Demon’s head.
But to his surprise, Old Demon didn’t even try to evade, simply allowing himself to be grabbed.
“Hmph, seeking your own death!” Yang Bai was overjoyed, instantly circulating his Demonic Secret Art and madly absorbing the Demonic Qi inside Old Demon. Because their Demonic Qis had the same source, Yang Bai could freely assimilate Old Demon’s strength into his own and once he was finished, his own cultivation would definitely improve again.
He could even use some forbidden methods to refine Old Demon’s current body into a puppet.
“Young Master!” Old Demon cried out. He was desperately resisting but was unable to stop the outflow of strength from his body.
Regardless of what Yang Kai was planning, now was the best opportunity for him to act; it was only because of his unconditional trust in Yang Kai that Old Demon dared to act so recklessly.
Suddenly, a golden chain appeared, and with it a blazing aura akin to the shining sun burst forth. Whether it was Old Demon or Yang Bai, when this aura swept over them, the Demonic Qi in their bodies trembled fiercely.
This chain was not long, nor was it particularly eye catching, but it radiated a power that could not be ignored as it shot forth towards Yang Bai.
“Devil Sealing Chain!?” Yang Bai’s face instantly went pale as he shouted in surprise, quickly releasing Old Demon as he hurriedly tried to escape.
Yang Kai sneered and used his Divine Sense to guide golden Devil Sealing Chain forward like a snake, instantly entangling Yang Bai.
*Ci la la…*
A burst of sound like salt hitting hot oil came out as Yang Bai pushed his Demonic Qi furiously, trying to free himself, but ultimately he was unable to break free of from Devil Sealing Chain and a constant stream of black smoke leaked from his body.
On the other hand, the golden Devil Sealing Chain, as if it was without physical form, gradually disappeared into Yang Bai’s body, leaving behind only a faint brilliance.
“Martial Uncle, you’re far too negligent.” Yang Kai sneered sarcastically, “Since we acquired the body of the Devil Lord, obviously the Devil Sealing Chain that was used to bind it fell into my hands as well. This thing should be your nemesis.”
Yang Bai’s face twisted with rage and anger as he glared hatefully towards Yang Kai.
Devil Sealing Chain, an artifact designed specifically to suppress Demonic Qi.
It was capable of sealing the original Devil Lord so the current Yang Bai was obviously not its match. On top of that, regardless of whether it was Yang Bai or Old Demon, their current strength was almost entirely inherited from original Devil Lord’s body.
As if it too was being suppressed by the Devil Sealing Chain, Yang Bai’s arrogant aura quickly converged and the vast majority of his strength was locked inside his body.
The situation had taken a dramatic turn and everyone, aside from Yang Bai, was pleasantly surprised, none of them having anticipated such an outcome.
Old Demon gazed towards Yang Kai both happily and slightly panic-stricken, musing to himself that trusting this Young Master of his was the right decision.
Even he had forgotten about the existence of the Devil Sealing Chain, so when Yang Kai suddenly brought it out this time he was also caught off guard.
“Martial Uncle, how much of your strength can you use now?” Yang Kai took a step forward imposingly, “Because of you, High Heaven Pavilion is now in a very miserable state, Grand Master was nearly killed by you, and my father was forced to endure years of suffering because of your treachery. Putting aside your wanton destruction of the Central Capital, for the damage you did to High Heaven Pavilion alone you must pay a heavy price and the time has come to settle your debts.”
“In your dreams!” Yang Bai roared hysterically, “Do you think this trivial Devil Sealing Chain can hold me? Perhaps if you were a bit stronger you might be able to threaten me, but with your current cultivation, you have no chance! The prestige any artifact can display is directly related to the strength of its wielder, didn’t you ever learn something so basic?”
Saying so, Yang Bai’s hands both stretched out and a seven coloured radiance bloomed once more, wreaking havoc like a great storm. At the same time, a figure shot out and jumped towards the Void Corridor.
Obviously Yang Bai was planning to leave here first and worry about seeking revenge later.
“Where are you trying to run to?” Yang Kai’s shouted, his body flickering as he increased his speed to the limit. Arriving at the entrance of the Void Corridor, he glared coldly towards Yang Bai as he pushed his True Qi fiercely.
“Get out of my way!” Yang Bai roared, raising his hand to strike Yang Kai’s chest. The hand was moved like a serpent, striking with blinding speed and power.
*Hong…* With a bang, Yang Kai’s body was forced back and a trace of blood leaked from his mouth, but Yang Bai was also forced to retreat several steps.
“Ha ha ha!” Yang Kai laughed loudly, “Martial Uncle, you can only display the strength of a First Order Transcendent now, let’s see how you try to escape!”
As he shouted, a huge pulse of Divine Sense welled up and the small sword inside Yang Kai’s Knowledge Sea and, under the urging of his vast Spiritual Energy, exuded a cold chill as it rushed towards Yang Bai.
Yang Bai was shocked by this sudden attack and didn’t dare to face it head on, hurriedly retreating.
Old Demon laughed wickedly and transformed into a bloody light, launching his own attack towards Yang Bai.
Having recovered slightly, the Eight Great Families; old Patriarchs also contributed what strength they had to this battle.
In an instant, Yang Bai was surrounded and became badly battered from all sides.
With the Devil Sealing Chain suppressing him, Yang Bai was only able to display strength equivalent to a First Order Transcendent. Obviously, he was no longer the opponent of Yang Kai’s group.
Every time he tried to escape into the Void Corridor, he would be swiftly intercepted.
Yang Bai’s face became sullen. He had been anxiously awaiting the moment he would step into the higher world since the moment he obtained the Devil Lord’s inheritance and memory below the Coiling Dragon Stream. He had conquered the entire Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land and invaded Medicine King’s Valley all in preparation to battle the Eight Great Families.
He had been planning and plotting for so long and now that he was mere steps from achieving his goal, he was suddenly tied down by the Devil Sealing Chain and repeatedly beaten back. The madness and unwillingness that filled his heart could easily be imagined.
But in the end, he still had the foundation of a Third Order Transcendent, so although he was in the midst of a crisis, Yang Bai would not easily be defeated, continuously using a variety of profound and mystical means to repel his attackers.
Yang Kai’s brow furrowed as the battle dragged on, eventually not colliding with Yang Bai head on anymore, instead focusing all his attention on controlling his Soul type artifact as he carefully observed the trapped and enraged Yang Bai.
Suddenly, a tyrannical aura from far away quickly approached. Perceiving the particular fluctuations of this aura, Yang Kai immediately smiled and turned his eyes towards this newcomer.
Sure enough, Meng Wu Ya’s figure appeared a moment later, a look of joy and excitement filling his face, the imposing aura radiating from his body incomparably stronger than in the past, even more so than when he had released his seal several months ago.
Behind him, Su Yan and Xia Ning Chang also quickly appeared.
Obviously Meng Wu Ya had broken through the shackles that were sealing his strength and had restored his Transcendent Realm cultivation. Yang Kai estimated that Treasure Meng was now a peak Third Order Transcendent.
Although he could only vaguely sense this, Yang Kai was still convinced his judgement was correct.
When Meng Wu Ya arrived, he didn’t speak any nonsense and immediately held out his hand, causing an invisible pressure to press down on Yang Bai’s body like a great mountain, making it difficult for the latter to even lift his arms.
Seizing this opportunity, the old Patriarchs of the Eight Great Families and Old Demon launched an all out attack, quickly riddling Yang Bai’s body with bloody wounds.
“How can this be?” Yang Bai stared towards Meng Wu Ya who had just appeared in complete disbelief. He couldn’t believe that this person who he had never even heard of several months ago could have the same cultivation and strength as him at his peak.
“Martial Uncle, your time of death has arrived.” Yang Kai coldly declared.
Yang Bai face was ashen as madness filled the depths of his eyes. Having reached a dead end, he suddenly let out a crazed laughter and roared, “Ignorant fools! If I am destined to die here today, all of you will be accompanying me to hell!”
Shouting so, Yang Bai’s Demonic Qi and aura suddenly fluctuated wildly and his body rapidly bloated, his complexion turning bright red as blood gushed out from his seven orifices.
The ominous pressure pulsing through the air instantly sent chills down everyone’s back.
Meng Wu Ya expression immediately became solemn as he hurriedly shouted, “Stop him! He’s trying to detonate all the True Qi in his body.”
Yang Kai’s face also changed greatly, injecting all of his Spiritual Energy into his small sword Soul type artifact and striking towards Yang Bai’s head. Unfortunately, Yang Bai’s Spiritual Energy was too powerful and Yang Kai failed to break the former’s Knowledge Sea’s defense.
Meng Wu Ya twisted his hand and manipulated the pressure he was exerting on Yang Bai to snap the latter’s neck.
Yang Bai’s insane laughter abruptly halted and the light in his eyes quickly dissipated, but the violent Demonic Qi still exploded fiercely.
*Hong…*
The Eight Great Families’ old Patriarchs who were all in close proximity to Yang Bai coughed up blood as they were flung out while Old Demon cried out in pain and was actually thrown into the Void Corridor.
In the next moment, the huge amount of World Energy contained in the Central Capital’s Earth Vein began fluctuating violently, as if reacting to the violent explosion of Yang Bai’s Demonic Qi.
At the same time, a strange force swept over.
Feeling this odd sensation, Meng Wu Ya was stunned and glanced around, quickly fixing his eyes on the open Void Corridor and exclaiming, “How can there be a Void Corridor here!?”
Seeing this, even the incredibly powerful Meng Wu Ya suddenly went pale with fright.
Recovering from his initial shock, Meng Wu Ya quickly shot towards Su Yan and Xia Ning Chang, pushing his True Qi furiously to protect them while shouting, “Yang Kai, follow me, quickly!”
As he spoke though, his figure shot into the Void Corridor.
Although Yang Kai didn’t know why Treasurer Meng was so panicked, it didn’t stop him from understanding that the situation was bad.
Yang Bai exploding his Demonic Qi had caused a change in the Central Capital’s Earth Vein that would ultimately lead to a devastating disaster, one that even Meng Wu Ya had no confidence in withstanding.
If he wanted to survive now, the only option was to enter the Void Corridor and travel to the world on the other side.
Hearing the urgency in Meng Wu Ya’s shout, Yang Kai didn’t hesitate and flew over towards the Void Corridor as he called out, “Eight Seniors, you come too.”
As he shouted, Yang Kai dove into the Void Corridor.
At this moment, the pitch black Void Corridor seemed to become unstable and numerous cracks began to appear in it.
A strange power soon began flooding out from the Void Corridor.
Yang Kai had once before witness the horrifying power of a collapsing Void Corridor. When the Void Corridor below the Coiling Dragon Stream became unstable and shattered, many Qiu Family and Purple Fern Valley Immortal Ascension Boundary masters were literally vaporized by the power of the void while one was even less fortunate and survived long enough to watch himself be sliced in half.
Half of his body was sent to the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land, while the other half was swallowed by the void; the scene was extremely horrific and terrifying.
The power of the void was not something people could resist.
And right now, the Void Corridor in front of him was collapsing under the impact of Earth Vein’s unstable World Energy.
Yang Kai’s expression went blank as he quickly summoned his bone shield and poured in every last bit of True Qi he could to protect himself.
An anxious voice called out to him from in front of him front. Naturally it came from Meng Wu Ya, but Yang Kai was unable to see him.
A strong burst of energy suddenly swept over Yang Kai like a great wave, blinding his sight. In the darkness, all he was able to feel was a huge impact followed by many sharp blades smashing against his bone shield that forced him back repeatedly.
Overwhelmed by the severe pain, Yang Kai’s consciousness rapidly blurred and he quickly passed out.
…..
Since the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land’s defeat where four Great Evil Kings died and Demon Lord Yang Bai disappeared without a trace, six months had passed.
Over these past six months, the entire Central Capital had lain in ruins.
At the end of that great battle, some kind of shocking explosion occurred deep underground and the entire Central Capital collapsed down several dozen to several hundred meters. Now looking at it, the once grand Central Capital city had seemingly been transformed into a deep valley.
Nearly every building in the city collapsed and the number of people injured or killed was simply uncountable.
Only Yang Kai’s mansion, still protected by the Heavenly Palace, remained completely intact.
In that battle, the old Patriarchs of the Eight Great Families had also disappeared and to this day, no one knew where they had gone, but everyone knew that they had likely met an untimely end.
What made the Eight Great Families even more aggrieved though was that Yang Kai had also disappeared.
This rising star of the Central Capital had surged to prominence during the Inheritance War, repeatedly creating miracles leading his allies to fight against the other Yang Family Young Lords, force back the Eight Great Families, and finally even destroying the invading Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land forces.
Although he was only twenty years old, he was already a legendary figure.
With both the previous and current Yang Family Patriarchs disappearing, Yang Zhao, the Yang Family’s Second Young Lord, assumed the role of leader and together with the other seven young Patriarchs and set about restoring the Central Capital.
But given the immense scale of the Central Capital, if they wanted to completely rebuild it, more than a decade would be required.
The only upside in all of this was that after the war, the entire Central Capital became a cultivation paradise where the World Energy was several times denser than average. For this reason, disciples of countless Sects and Families also flocked to the Central Capital to help with the reconstruction work and cultivate.
Standing silently amongst the ruins, Qiu Yi Meng swept her gaze around slowly, a deep sadness apparent in the depths of her eyes as.
Behind her was the famous Central Capital Wolf.
Huo Xing Chen seemed to have matured a lot these past few months and stood quietly by Qiu Yi Meng, only speaking after a long while, “Good people don’t live long while a scourge lasts a thousand years. Don’t worry too much, Young Lord Kai must be hiding somewhere while quietly watching us scurry about.”
Qiu Yi Meng muttered, “Really? Then why hasn’t he appeared yet? It’s been half a year already.”
Huo Xing Chen remained silent.
If Yang Kai was really okay, he should have shown himself long ago, but now half a year had passed and no one had so much as caught of glimpse of him.
Not only was Yang Kai’s whereabouts unknown, but the mysterious powerhouse Meng Wu Ya, Su Yan and Xia Ning Chang of the High Heaven Pavilion, and even Old Demon had also yet to surface.
It was almost as if during that great upheaval they had all just vanished into thin air.
Qiu Yi Meng couldn’t even find someone to ask about what had happened.
“Xing Chen, do you think he already died?” Qiu Yi Meng’s eyes began filling with tears as she bit her lower lip and ask.
“Yang Kai, die?” Huo Xing Chen laughed, “If Young Lord Kai really died, everyone in this place would probably had already died as well. Don’t worry about him, just protect yourself well and wait for him to come back one day, then you can give yourself to him as a welcome home present.”
“Shameless!” Qiu Yi Meng glared angrily at him.
Huo Xing Chen grinned meaningfully and stared out across the ruins in front of him, his eyes also flashing a trace of loss and confusion.
[Young Lord Kai, Young Lord Kai, where are you? If you really died, then so be it, everyone will certainly mourn your passing greatly, but if you haven’t died, hurry up and show yourself! Many people here are worried about you.]
Even the eyes of the Huo Family Young Lord became slightly damp as his mood became somewhat gloomy.
Early morning, on the Ancient Cloud Island.
Ancient Cloud Island was one of a few first-class forces in the Endless Sea Islands. The Sect spanned more than a dozen islands, large and small, each one rich in World Energy which allowed countless Precious Treasures to be produced. As long as its disciples cultivated diligently, they would not lack prospects.
Although Ancient Cloud Island was not comparable to Supreme Solitary Sect, the only thing it was truly missing in order to become a super force was a Transcendent powerhouse.
A few years ago though, after Ancient Cloud Island recovered its Broken Moon Transformation Art, the supreme Secret Art it had lost three hundred years ago, the Island Lord Gu Feng began vigorously cultivating both himself and the Sects elite disciples in hopes that out of these core members, some of them with exceptional aptitude and opportunities could reach the Transcendent Realm and elevate Ancient Cloud Island to the same level as Supreme Solitary Sect.
Although this goal is very ambitious and could not be accomplished in short order, Gu Feng believed that with the help of the Broken Moon Transformation Art, there would come a day when this dream would be fulfilled.
Today, the sea breeze gently blew, carrying a natural and refreshing taste with it.
Ancient Cloud Island Elite Disciple, Zhong Miao woke up from a night of meditation, jumped out of bed lightly, opened her door, and walked out.
After leaving her simply dwelling, she walked over to a nearby hut and gently knocked on the door while calling out, “Junior Brother, Junior Brother, time to get up!”
When the door opened, a young man’s face appeared from inside.
Glancing into the opposite parties weather-beaten and tempered eyes, Zhong Miao couldn’t help feeling slightly lost.
She couldn’t understand why this Junior Brother of hers who was less than twenty years old seemed so mature and experienced. Whether it was his demeanor or the way he carried out his work, there was no trace of the usual frivolous markings a young man should have, and when he spoke, his words were often profound and thought-provoking.
“Senior Sister, good morning.” The young man said with a smile pleasant smile.
Zhong Miao nodded gently nodded, her rich twin peaks undulating slightly, creating fascinating scene, smiling gently, “I thought you were still asleep. Quickly get ready, Elder Han is coming to see his peacocks today so we have to help those little guys get washed up. Otherwise, when Elder Han arrives he’ll punish us.”
“En.” Yang Kai nodded and returned to his room to get ready.
In this remote corner of Ancient Cloud Island, Zhong Miao’s job was to look after a few noble peacocks.
These peacocks were not precious animals or even Monster Beasts, they were simply ordinary peacocks that were owned by Elder Han Chao of Ancient Cloud Island.
Han Chao was an Immortal Ascension Boundary Seventh Stage master, which was neither strong nor weak in Ancient Cloud Island, but he was quite famous around the Sect.
Because these peacocks were raised by his late wife, after her death, Han Chao treated them like true treasures and had specially arranged for some of the Sect’s disciples to care for them.
Together with Zhong Miao, Yang Kai came to the place where the peacocks were located and, with the fresh water they brought, began cleaning the stains from their delicate feathers.
Glancing around at this somewhat familiar island, Yang Kai couldn’t help chuckling to himself.
He hadn’t expected that when the Void Corridor collapsed it would actually send him here.
Half a year ago, when Zhong Miao was out for a walk, she had fished him out of the sea near Ancient Cloud Island.
When the Void Corridor collapsed, the power of the void had almost shredded his body to pieces and if it had not been for his bone shield’s protection, he would certainly have died.
After being rescued by Zhong Miao, it had taken half a month for his injuries to slowly stabilize.
But Yang Kai was in no hurry to return to the Central Capital. The situation had been decided and it didn’t matter if he returned or not, so he took this opportunity to stay here and relax his tightened nerves.
Out of a pure innocent kindness, Zhong Miao begged Elder Han Chao to arrange a status for Yang Kai in Ancient Cloud Island, allowing him to become a sort of trial disciple who was responsible for taking care of the peacocks.
[It seems we’re really predestined friends!] Yang Kai secretly thought as he reflected on the last time he had visited Ancient Cloud Island.
“Senior Sister, you’re an Elite Disciple in the Sect, right? You should be able to live in a better place to cultivate, so why are you staying here to take care of the peacocks? Isn’t that a little odd?” Yang Kai asked Zhong Miao as he busied himself cleaning the bird in front of him.
“En,” Zhong Miao nodded gently. She wasn’t a great beauty, her face was slightly freckled, but she was no doubt tall and graceful and her twin peaks were proud and tall, so spending time with her was in no way boring. Most importantly though, this Senior Sister of his was especially kind. This was apparent from the way she had saved Yang Kai from the sea and even used her personal relationships to arrange a place for him on Ancient Cloud Island.
As for Yang Kai, he simply told her he was a fisherman who inadvertently fell into the sea and had been carried away from his boat.
“Although Island Lord and several of the Elders wanted me to move to Shen Feng Island where the World Energy is much more abundant, I don’t want to go.”
“Why not? People seek greater heights as surely as water flows to the sea, could it be that Senior Sister is simply reluctant to part with these peacocks?” Yang Kai teased.
“No, that’s not the case,” Zhong Miao slowly shook her head, her eyes suddenly gazing off into the distance as if she was recalling some far off memories, only speaking after a long time, “I chose to remain here in the hope that one day I can repay a debt of gratitude.”
“Repay a debt of gratitude?” Yang Kai was astonished.
“Did I tell you that your Senior Sister used to have quite a low place in the Sect before? Not only was my status poor but others would often bully me.”
Yang Kai nodded lightly.
“One day thought, all of that changed,” Zhong Miao said fondly, standing up from her work and wiping away the sweat on her forehead as she recalled, “One day, I woke up, and as I was preparing to feed the peacocks, I found a dagger stuck into my door; attached to that dagger was a letter.”
“A letter?” Yang Kai raised an eyebrow, “What was written on it?”
“There was a single line of text written on the letter itself and inside of it was a single old yellowed parchment.” Zhong Miao smiled faintly, “The text told me to hand over the contents of the letter to Island Lord and the Island Elders.”
Hearing this, the look on Yang Kai’s face suddenly became strange, suddenly feeling like this story was familiar to him.
“After glancing at the yellowed parchment, I immediately complied with the letter’s request.” Zhong Miao grinned, “After that, by following the instructions inside the letter, inside Red Cloud Sect, Island Lord and the Elders actually found our Sect’s Broken Moon Transformation Art that had been lost more than three hundred years ago! Because of this great merit, Island Lord allowed me to take a large amount of pills from the Pill Hall and even arranged for me to cultivate in the Cloud Spirit Cave for more than a year! It was because of this generous reward that I have my current cultivation!”
As Zhong Miao spoke of these events, her voice grew louder and more excited and her eyes seemed to flash a brilliant light, holding her hands over her slightly heaving chest, she continued, “If it weren’t for that letter, I would still be the past me, a nobody who was constantly bullied by others. I don’t know who put that letter on my door, but I know that because of him, my status, my whole life changed dramatically, and for that, I want to thank him, thank him from the bottom of my heart!”
Yang Kai couldn’t help coughing awkwardly, his face slightly twitching, “That all seems like such a big coincidence.”
“En,” Zhong Miao can be nodded repeatedly, “It really was all just a coincidence, after all, Ancient Cloud Island is so big, yet he left that letter here, with me. So even though I’ve become an Elite Disciple, I don’t want to leave this place. I want to stay here and wait for that person to reappear.”
“Wait for him to reappear?” Yang Kai’s face twitched even more awkwardly.
“En, I want to personally offer him my thanks,” Zhong Miao said confidently before her voice suddenly became quiet and her cheeks blushed, “And if he wants… I’d also like to marry him.”
“Wha…?” Yang Kai was shocked, hastily saying, “But you don’t even know if that person was a man or a woman, do you?”
Taking a moment to calm herself down, Zhong Miao thought about it for a while before saying, “If she is a woman… Then I’ll become her sworn sister, and follow her lead for the rest of my life, but if he’s a man… hehe…”
As she spoke these words, her face became incomparably gentle and her eyes flashed a warm light.
Now leaking a bit of cold sweat, Yang Kai hurriedly objected, “But what if he’s a man with three wives and four concubines already and is an incurable womanizer? Of what if he has an evil and wicked personality and a disfigured face? A man who cruelly kills others like flies without batting an eye…”
“Junior Brother! You’re not allowed to say anything bad about him!” Zhong Miao turned around and glared at Yang Kai, “No matter what his personality is, or what he looks like, he is my life’s benefactor! He gave me this opportunity! To me, he is the best person in the world! As long as he appears again before me, I will definitely go with him!”
Yang Kai once again wiped the cold sweat from his brow and muttered, “Then he probably won’t ever appear in front of you again.”
“Junior Brother, what do you mean?” Zhong Miao’s aura suddenly became dangerous as she aggressively stepped towards Yang Kai, her expression quite gloomy, “Do you mean that Senior Sister can’t enter that man’s eyes?”
“I didn’t say that,” Yang Kai cried out, silently complaining in his heart.
“Then you mean that Senior Sister is too ugly! Hmph! Even if Senior Sister isn’t a big beauty, is she not even worthy to be a maidservant?”
“En, en, Senior Sister is pretty enough!” Yang Kai nodded his head vigorously, like a chicken pecking rice.
“That’s right, hehe!” Zhong Miao smiled happily and stopped looking for trouble with Yang Kai, lightly saying, “Hurry up and finishing washing them. Elder Han will be here soon.”
Yang Kai was about to nod, but suddenly his expression cramped. Turning his eyes towards the sky for a moment, he quickly wore a bitter smile.
“Senior Sister!” Yang Kai called out.
“What?” Zhong Miao looked over in confusion but upon meeting eyes with Yang Kai, she suddenly saw a glint a light and became incredibly drowsy, her tender body slowly slumping over.
Yang Kai flickered over and caught her, lifting Zhong Miao in his arms, gently carried her into her room, and then returned.
Two slender figures quickly appeared in front of Yang Kai, the leading one an enchanting beauty that seemed to be the epitome of charm and grace. It was none other than the Beguiling Demon Queen, Shan Qing Luo, who was naturally followed by Bi Luo.
Silently staring at Yang Kai for a while, Shan Qing Luo gnashed her teeth and spat, “Little bastard, everyone in the entire Central Capital is worried sick about you, searching all over for any trace of your whereabouts, but you’re actually hiding out here, shaking up with some unknown woman, enjoying a carefree and pleasant life free of worries! Hmph, no matter where you go it seems you never change!”
As she spoke, a thick meaning of blame spread across her face.
“What? Nonsense!” Yang Kai retorted furiously, “How dare you slander me so viciously!?”
“Hmph, Mistress, just kill him directly. Death ends all troubles!” Bi Luo snorted while gesturing threateningly like a little tiger, glaring hatefully at Yang Kai.
Yang Kai glanced over at her and unconsciously fixed his eyes on her thin, luscious lips, grinning strangely as he said, “I haven’t touched a woman for a very long time. Don’t try to rile me up, doing so won’t end well for you!”
Bi Luo’s beautiful face instantly went pale and she quickly hid behind Shan Qing Luo, bullying the weak by relying on the strong, “With Mistress here, you won’t dare act so impudently with me!”
“Enough.” Shan Qing Luo cut in and stepped forward, staring straight at Yang Kai and saying, “They all thought you died; only I knew that you were still alive. You little bastard, you really know how to make others worry about you.”
Yang Kai was still marked by Shan Qing Luo’s Soul Seeking Seal, and although with his current cultivation, Yang Kai could easily smash it, he hadn’t done so, so Shan Qing Luo was naturally able to find him.
“What’s with that little girl?” Shan Qing Luo asked as her beautiful eyes peered around the building.
“Her and I have some complicated origins. She was the one who saved me a while ago.” Yang Kai explained casually.
“Have you made a move on her yet?” Shan Qing Luo squinted slightly, her mouth curling into an ambiguous smile.
“What do you think I am some kind of beast?” Yang Kai rolled his eyes, his expression quickly becoming serious, “How is the Central Capital?”
“Everything is fine, except for the fact that you are missing. Moreover, a few people who are close to you also disappeared. Many people wanted to find them in order to ask about your situation but when they were unable to find any of them they became concerned.”
Yang Kai nodded lightly, this situation had apparently developed within his expectations.
Seeing Yang Kai’s expression not containing much sadness, Shan Qing Luo quickly understood. The others who had close relationships with him likely hadn’t died and were simply missing, otherwise Yang Kai’s demeanor wouldn’t be so relaxed.
“That day… What happened beneath the Central Capital? What happened to Yang Bai?” Shan Qing Luo hesitated before asking nervously.
“It’s a long story,” Yang Kai replied with a forced smile, not wanting to say any more right now, “As for Yang Bai, he’s already dead.”
“Dead?” Shan Qing Luo’s pair of enchanting eyes flashed with joy and excitement.
“Good, I watched him die with my own eyes.” Yang Kai grinned.
Bi Luo clenched her hands into fists and excitedly shouted, “Wonderful!”
“Since Yang Bai died and you survived, why didn’t you return to the Central Capital this past half a year but instead stayed here?” Shan Qing Luo stared towards Yang Kai faintly, “What are you trying to avoid?”
“I’m not avoiding anything,” Yang Kai shook his head and stated calmly, “If I went back to the Central Capital right away, everything there would fall under my command. Qiu Yi Meng and the others would regard me as their leader without any question and wouldn’t step up to express their own opinions. But if I’m not there, all of them can display their own abilities to the fullest as the new leaders of the Eight Great Families.”
Moreover, Yang Kai also needed some time to sort through his own thoughts and decide his next course of action, so he had been idling here in the Endless Sea Islands for half a year.
“Do you want to fade out the sights of those in the Central Capital?” Shan Qing Luo asked thoughtfully, understanding some of the meaning in Yang Kai’s words.
“You could say that,” Yang Kai didn’t deny it, “Because I’m afraid I’ll be leaving this place soon, so I don’t want them to become too reliant on me. Once I’m gone, such dependence won’t do them any good.”
“Where do you plan on going?” The Beguiling Demon Queen suddenly became nervous. She didn’t know why, but she instinctively felt that when Yang Kai left this time, she would never be able to meet him here again, causing her heart to fill with sorrow and grief.
“When the time comes, I’ll tell you,” Yang Kai smiled faintly, “But since you’ve found me today, I should go back to the Central Capital and take a look at it.”
Saying so, he suddenly turned his eyes to the side and called out, “Elder Han, since you’ve already come, you might as well show yourself.”
Shan Qing Luo also flashed an enchanting smile as she turned her beautiful eyes towards the same direction and stared calmly.
Han Chao had been here for quite some time having arrived at almost exactly the same time as Shan Qing Luo; however, a breathtakingly stunning woman like Shan Qing Luo suddenly appearing on Ancient Cloud Island undetected had caused Han Chao to become a little vigilant, so he secretly hid himself nearby in order to spy on her.
He wanted to at least uncover the identity of Shan Qing Luo before showing himself.
However, obviously she had long ago noticed his presence.
Han Chao was shocked, immediately realizing that the strength of this young woman was actually much higher than his own; how else would she have easily detected him? Without any hesitation, he leapt from his hiding spot and tried to escape.
At the same time, he loudly shouted, intending to send out a warning to the rest of the island.
Yang Kai looked helplessly towards Shan Qing Luo and nodded.
Giggling lightly, Shan Qing Luo gently lifted her hand and pointed a delicate finger towards Han Chao, sending out a thread of silk that instantly wrapped around him as he tried to fly away.
*Peng…* Han Chao quickly fell to the ground, his True Qi completely sealed. Scrambling up from the dirt in the next moment, his eyes trembled violently as they stared towards Shan Qing Luo in terror, crying out in a hoarse voice, “Above Immortal Ascension Boundary?”
Han Chao was an Immortal Ascension Boundary Seventh Stage cultivator, so even a Peak Immortal Ascension Boundary master wouldn’t be able to completely disable him with a single attack. Only someone who had broken through to the Above Immortal Ascension Boundary could accomplish this!
Han Chao wasn’t stupid so he immediately guessed what Shan Qing Luo’s true cultivation was.
His heart quickly flooded with fear, he had no idea what reasons this incredibly powerful otherworldly beauty had for suddenly coming to Ancient Cloud Island.
Yang Kai walked over and stood a good ten meters away from him, staring towards him casually.
“Let him go.” Yang Kai calmly asked the Beguiling Demon Queen.
Shan Qing Luo smiled charmingly and with a quick flick of her wrist untied the spider silk that was binding Han Chao.
Han Chao stared towards Shan Qing Luo with a stern look for a moment, but not sensing any hostility from her he relaxed slightly and politely asked, “Your Excellency, what brings you to my Ancient Cloud Island?”
“She came here looking for me,” Yang Kai replied, “Elder Han doesn’t need to be nervous. She won’t bring any harm to Ancient Cloud Island.”
“Looking for you?” Han Chao was dumbstruck, sweeping his eyes over the seemingly common youth in front of him, unable to wrap his head around the situation for quite a while.
Since entering Ancient Cloud Island, Yang Kai had always seemed like a common mortal with no trace of cultivation so Han Chao had readily believed he was just an ordinary fisherman. It was only because Zhong Miao begged him that he allowed Yang Kai to live on Ancient Cloud Island while taking care of his peacocks, so he had never imagined that such a person would suddenly be sought out by an Above Immortal Ascension Boundary master.
And right now, this Above Immortal Ascension Boundary master even seemed to be quite obedient towards him!
[Who is he?] Hao Chao couldn’t help asking himself
As he stared towards Yang Kai, Han Chao suddenly felt as if he saw a grand mountain shrouded in mist behind him, simultaneously exuding a suffocating pressure and air of mystery.
Just as he was about to open his mouth again to speak, the sound of clothes flapping in the wind resounded. Han Chao’s earlier shout had alerted many others on Ancient Cloud Island and Island Lord Gu Feng and several other Elders had rapidly rushed over.
Gu Feng was a tall, burly man with a strong physique and a valiant face. He was a Peak Immortal Ascension master while the other Elders who accompanied him were mostly Immortal Ascension Boundary Eighth or Ninth Stage cultivators.
These people were the most powerful masters on Ancient Cloud Island and were its true foundation.
“Elder Han, what happened?” Gu Feng landed quickly and immediately asked, the other Elders also wearing faces filled with curiosity and vigilance.
But before Han Chao could reply, Gu Feng suddenly caught sight of Shan Qing Luo and cried out in shock, “Can such a beautiful woman truly exist?”
Not only was Gu Feng thoroughly stunned, all the other Elders also felt like they were hit by a wave of vertigo, such was the power of Shan Qing Luo’s charm, as long as it was a man, he would be unable to resist.
After blurting out these dumbstruck words, Gu Feng laughed heartily, “Where did Elder Han find her? This Island Master will gladly accept her into his room as his concubine.”
Saying so, he rushed over towards Shan Qing Luo.
“Island Master, you must not!” Han Chao’s face instantly drained of all colour and desperately tried to stop Gu Feng.
*Peng…*
A muffled sound rang out and before anyone could react, Gu Feng was sent hurtling through the air, a panic stricken scream leaking from his lips all the way until he fell into the nearby sea, causing a great splash as he hit the surface.
No one understood how Gu Feng was attacked, all they had seen was Shan Qing Luo’s hand flicker slightly before he was sent flying.
“Above Immortal Ascension Boundary!?” The other gathered Elders cried out in shock, their dazed looks suddenly filling with fear, none of them daring to underestimate the young woman standing before them anymore.
Han Chao’s mouth remained open as he stared towards the point where Gu Feng fell into the water, cold sweat once again pouring down his forehead.
Finished! Their Island Lord had actually sexually harassed an Above Immortal Ascension Boundary master. Today, Ancient Cloud Island would see rivers of blood flow to the Endless Sea.
“Several Seniors, if anyone here dares to harbor improper intentions towards my woman again, they won’t simply be sent flying!” Yang Kai stepped forward and glared at the other Ancient Cloud Island masters coldly.
Through his violently chattering teeth, Han Chao somehow managed to regain his senses and hurriedly said, “We understand!”
At the same time, the doubts in his heart became even more intense; this seemingly ordinary youth had actually declared that this woman who was both a stunning beauty and a top level powerhouse was actually his woman and the other party didn’t make any attempt to deny it, what exactly was this situation?
Quietly stealing a peak at Shan Qing Luo, Han Chao discovered to his amazement that she was actually beaming with happiness.
“If this old Han may ask, for what reason has Your Excellency come to my Ancient Cloud Island?” Han Chao pushed down his fear as best he could and asked. This youth had already quietly lingered on Ancient Cloud Island for six months and had only revealed his true identity now. What was he planning? What did Ancient Cloud Island possess that could attract such great characters?
The other Elders were also quite perturbed and extremely worried about Yang Kai’s purpose here. They were so nervous that they didn’t even have the courage to rescue currently drowning Gu Feng from the sea.
“After suffering some serious injuries, I simply ended up on Ancient Cloud Island by coincidence, so Elder Han can rest assured I have no ill intentions here.” Yang Kai replied, hesitating for a moment before continuing, “En, well now that things have developed to this point, I need to see Li Yuan Chun, who among you can help me send him a message?”
“Li Yuan Chun?” Han Chao knit his brow for a moment before calling out in surprise, “Supreme Solitary Sect’s Senior Li?”
“En, he should have already returned to Supreme Solitary Sect. Or had he not?” Yang Kai asked.
“One month after the end of the war, when no trace of you could be found, Li Yuan Chun and the others from the Endless Sea Islands left the Central Capital.” Shan Qing Luo replied softly.
“En, good.” Yang Kai nodded slightly and turned his eyes towards Han Chao.
Han Chao quickly wiped the sweat from his forehead and nervously said, “Your Excellency, please forgive this Han’s disrespect but without even knowing your true identity, how are we to get Senior Li to meet with you? What’s more, Supreme Solitary Sect is the greatest force in the Endless Sea Islands as is not somewhere any of us can enter freely, and amongst all the members of Supreme Solitary Sect, Senior Li had the highest of ranks, I’m afraid… I’m afraid it would be difficult for anyone from Ancient Cloud Island to even be granted an audience with Senior Li. If Your Excellency already has a relationship with Senior Li, why not go to Supreme Solitary Sect in person?”
Although he was speaking politely, his intent to send Yang Kai away as quickly as possible was obvious.
“Just tell him that Yang Kai wants to see him! Whether he decides to come or not is his business.”
“Not leaving yet?” Shan Qing Luo glanced at him and narrowed her eyes ever so slightly.
“Yes yes, right away…” Han Chao broke into a sprint before leaping into the air and soaring off towards Supreme Solitary Sect.
The sense of oppression he received here was too strong and everything that was being said was far beyond Han Chao’s ability to understand so given the option to flee, he naturally took it.
Speeding along, the cold wind blowing against him made Han Chao realize just how soaked with sweat his clothes were.
After Han Chao left, the remaining Elders all quickly exchanged glances with one another, one of the more eloquent ones soon stepping forward, “Before Elder Han returns, perhaps Your Excellency would like to rest a while in the main temple hall? It will give us an opportunity to fulfill our responsibilities as hosts.”
“En,” Yang Kai nodded gently.
“Please lead the way!”
Yang Kai sat at the head of the table with Shan Qing Luo and Bi Luo standing behind him next to each other, like a pair of maidservants, adding a rich colourful scenery to the refreshments plated before them.
The Elders of Ancient Cloud Island all sat nervously as they did their best to show respect for this mysterious young man.
The real maids offered fragrant tea and various delicacies while the Elders sent out various greetings and regards; unfortunately, Yang Kai only replied briefly to their overtures before once again becoming silent, causing the entire hall to be filled with a strange atmosphere.
The awkward silence cause all of the Elders here to feel a great sense of pressure, each of them unconsciously glancing towards the door or spreading out their Divine Sense as they prayed Han Chao would return quickly.
After waiting for two hours thought, Han Chao had still not appeared.
The several Elders in the hall felt like they were sitting on pins and needles, the palms of their hands wet with sweat, yet they continued to steel themselves and wait.
Outside the temple hall, Gu Feng glanced around nervously, a complex expression adorning his face, one that contained fear, hesitance, and regret.
Earlier, he had made an impertinent move towards Shan Qing Luo only to end up being knocked away like an annoying fly, almost falling into a stupor on the spot and drowning in the Endless Sea. After struggling back to Ancient Cloud Island, Gu Feng quickly learned that the young woman who had sent him flying was now a guest in his own Sect’s main hall.
Unable to guess her true identity or background, Gu Feng didn’t dare to go in, causing him to feel a great deal of anxiety, secretly cursing himself for having eyes that failed to see, actually daring to make a move against such a woman.
A short time later, Gu Feng suddenly felt two auras rapidly approaching.
Raising his head, he quickly spotted Han Chao and Li Yuan Chun of Supreme Solitary Sect.
Gu Feng was immediately overjoyed, a look of worship and respect flashing across his face, but before he could even offer greetings to Li Yuan Chun, the latter roared angrily towards him, “Gu Feng, you have some guts!”
“Ah?” Gu Feng was dumbfounded, he didn’t understand why the respected Senior Li, a Grand Elder of Supreme Solitary Sect, would suddenly scold him.
In the blink of an eye, Li Yuan Chun landed in front of him, lifted his hand and slapped Gu Feng across his face, stunning the latter as his face began to swell up.
“Hmph! This is just a small lesson,” Li Yuan Chun said coldly, “As for how you’ll be dealt with, that will all depend on the Young Lord’s mood. You better pray that you can live to see the sunrise tomorrow!”
“Senior Li…” Gu Feng touched his swollen cheek and looked at Li Yuan Chun in shock. In his mind, since Li Yuan Chun had come to Ancient Cloud Island, naturally he would stand on his side; after all, everyone was a resident of the Endless Sea Islands.
With Li Yuan Chun here to manage the situation, that enchantress shouldn’t be able to make any waves.
However, the first thing Li Yuan Chun did upon arrival was curse and beat him, this was all too much for Gu Feng to take in at once.
Even if treated like this though, Gu Feng didn’t dare show any grief, because in the Endless Sea Islands, Supreme Solitary Sect was the one true overlord, their three Above Immortal Ascension Boundary masters were all legendary characters who dominated over all other cultivators. It was difficult for ordinary people to even catch a glimpse of these supreme characters so Li Yuan Chun now taking the initiative to set foot on Ancient Cloud Island was already giving Gu Feng a great deal of face.
Han Chao silently watched this seemingly funny scene, but he couldn’t bring himself to smile, his heart still pounding furiously.
Just now when he had gone to Supreme Solitary Sect to seek out Li Yuan Chun, as he had expected, he was stopped outside the main entrance and told by the disciples on guard duty he could not go in.
Out of desperation, Han Chao could only force his way in and as a result was captured by Supreme Solitary Sect’s elite protectors.
However, the noise he stirred up caught the attention of the Elders of Supreme Solitary Sect and when Han Chao explained why he was there and who had sent him, he was immediately released and several of the Elders hurriedly left to inform Li Yuan Chun.
Among the group from the Endless Sea Islands who traveled to the Central Capital, there was no one from Ancient Cloud Island, because their Hallowed Treasure, the Broken Moon Transformation Art, had already been found, so there was naturally no reason for them to send out an envoy. But that was not the case for Supreme Solitary Sect.
The people of Ancient Cloud Island were unclear about the identity of Yang Kai and Shan Qing Luo, but those from Supreme Solitary Sect knew them well.
After Li Yuan Chun heard that Yang Kai had come, he immediately set out for Ancient Cloud Island, unceasingly reprimanding Han Chao along the way to the point of near incoherence, cursing him for not making things clear the moment he arrived and delaying this important matter.
Seeing Li Yuan Chun’s incredibly intense reaction, Han Chao realized just how unusual the identities of Yang Kai and Shan Qing Luo were.
At this moment, Li Yuan Chen had even slapped Ancient Cloud Island’s Island Lord, showing just how much importance the former placed on this young man and woman.
Just how profound was their background that even Senior Li had to treat them so seriously?
“Follow this old master inside you useless thing!” Li Yuan Chun shouted angrily as he walked towards the temple.
Gu Feng rubbed his cheek but didn’t say a word, simply following behind Li Yuan Chun while choking down the distress in his heart.
Han Chao also took a deep breath and followed.
Inside the hall, everyone had heard the commotion outside and although some of Ancient Cloud Island Elders had ugly expressions, the one who had hit their Island Lord was none other than Li Yuan Chun, so they naturally held their tongues.
Glancing over at Yang Kai and Shan Qing Luo again, their expression inadvertently became more dignified and respectful.
On the other hand, Yang Kai grinned helplessly. Li Yuan Chun scolding Gu Feng so furiously was obviously his way of venting grievances for Yang Kai, but also his way of protecting Gu Feng. Because Li Yuan Chun understood Yang Kai’s personality well, he knew that if he didn’t handle things well here, Ancient Cloud Island might very well be destroyed.
Although being slapped would make one lose face, it was far better than being killed.
Yang Kai shook his head and felt that Li Yuan Chun was being too sensitive, he didn’t really care about such trivial matters.
A hearty laughter came from entranceway as Li Yuan Chun walked into the hall, and after seeing Yang Kai and Shan Qing Luo, he couldn’t help smiling happily, “It really is Young Master Yang! This old master knew that with Young Master Yang’s Heaven defying methods it was impossible that you’d die young. Now seeing Young Master Yang alive and well, this old master can feel at ease.”
“Many thanks for Senior Li’s concern, I was fortunate enough to escape with my life.” Yang Kai stood up and greeted.
“Ms. Shan!” Li Yuan Chun turned to Shan Qing Luo and cupped his fists.
“Senior Li is too polite.” Shan Qing Luo elegantly returned the gesture.
Seeing Yang Kai and Li Yuan Chun interact as if they were two old friends, the Elders of Ancient Cloud Island all wore strange expressions. Li Yuan Chun’s identity in the Endless Sea Islands was highly respected; even if it was a character like Gu Feng who was meeting him, he would have to do so with the utmost respect, but this young man was actually speaking to him on equal terms.
Just who was this youth and what was his background? Everyone desperately wanted to know.
“You group of bastards with blind dog eyes!” Li Yuan Chun suddenly wore an angry expression as he yelled at everyone else in the hall, “Do you know who this Young Lord is?”
“Please enlighten us, Senior Li!” Everyone respectfully asked.
“This is the Young Lord of the Central Capital’s Yang Family, the current Yang Family Patriarch!”
“Central Capital Yang Family?” An exclamation sounded as everyone turned shocked gazes towards Yang Kai.
“Your Ancient Cloud Island’s people did not participate in the recent excursion to the Inland region so you don’t understand the details of the Great Han Dynasty, so this old master won’t blame you for being slightly ignorant, but you should have at least heard about the phenomenal genius of the Central Capital’s Yang Family, and that person, is the Young Lord in front of you now!” Li Yuan Chun smiled strangely, “The leader of a super force that commands more than twenty Above Immortal Ascension Boundary masters was actually made into a janitor disciple responsible for taking care of peacocks… Just how noble are these peacocks that they can actually be tended to by Young Master Yang? Han Chao, do you understand the weight of your crime!?”
Han Chao leaked cold sweat from every pore on his body and quickly stepped forward, shivering as he tried to explain, “Senior Li, I did not know that Young Master Yang had such an exalted status. I thought he was just an ordinary fisherman!”
“You thought?” Li Yuan Chun sneered, “Such short-sightedness!”
“Senior Li, please calm your anger,” Han Chao said as a look of pain flashed across his face, slumping his shoulders as he said, “This Han will immediately go and kill those peacocks.”
“That won’t be necessary.” Yang Kai shook his head faintly, “I intentionally hid my name and status in order to live in peace these past six months, Elder Han has not committed any mistake.”
“Many thanks, Young Master Yang, many thanks!” Han Chao shouted gratefully. Although these peacocks were indeed not precious, they were as important to Han Chao as his own life, so he really could not bear to kill them. Hearing Yang Kai speak to maintain them naturally earned his gratitude.
“Since Young Master Yang has said so, then I will not investigate the matter any further. Gu Feng, get over here.” Li Yuan Chun turned his head and glared at the Island Lord of Ancient Cloud Island.
“Junior Gu Feng knows his crime.” Gu Feng did not wait for Li Yuan Chun to berate him and took the initiative to admit his mistake, “Whatever punishment Senior Li deems necessary, this Junior will utter no complaints.”
As he spoke, he shot a glance over at Shan Qing Luo, trembling lightly before quickly averting his eyes.
“Damn bastard!” Li Yuan Chun shouted, “Do you think a few insincere words can put an end to this? Nonsense! A solemn Island Lord daring to spout such a line. Good! If that’s how you really feel, then as long as Young Master Yang gives the word this old master will personally send you on your way to the next life.”
Gu Feng trembled violently at this threat but didn’t dare utter any more words.
“Senior Li, such minor matters don’t need to be pursued.” Yang Kai waved his hand, not wanting to make things too embarrassing. In the end, it was he who had hidden himself and idled around Ancient Cloud Island for half a year, and although Gu Feng had eyes but failed to see, it hadn’t reached the level where Yang Kai thought any further punishment was warranted.
Li Yuan Chun wore a hesitant look for a moment before nodding gently, “Since Young Master Yang says so, then let big things become small and small things become nothing.”
Gu Feng also hurriedly said, “Many thanks, Young Master Yang, for showing mercy.”
Yang Kai nodded casually, no longer dwelling on the subject, instead looking at Li Yuan Chun and saying, “Senior Li should understand why I summoned you today, correct?”
Li Yuan Chun smiled happily and nodded quickly, “Indeed! When this old master heard that Young Master Yang had come to my Endless Sea Islands, I already guessed what your intentions were. Young Master Yang has a truly just and upright character, on behalf of all the Endless Sea Islands great Sects, this old master deeply thanks Young Master Yang!
“Senior Li is too polite, since I said before that after we weathered the difficulties, I would return everything, I will naturally keep my word.”
Li Yuan Chun’s face filled with joy as he laughed heartily, “Then the old master must ask Young Master Yang to wait here a moment. Before coming here, this old master sent out his disciples to contact the other Endless Sea Islands’ great forces. Within less than half a day I assure Young Master Yang they will arrive here.”
“No hurry!” Yang Kai smiled slightly.
After resolving the previous little grievances, the atmosphere in the hall became far more relaxed. The Elders of Ancient Cloud Island also realized the terrifying power Yang Kai wielded and no longer dared to belittle him in any way, throwing a great banquet for him where they repeatedly toasted him.
Yang Kai did not refuse and let loose, filling himself with good food and drink.
Soon, everyone found that this Yang Family Young Lord didn’t have the arrogance a youth of his age and status normally possessed and as long as you treated him respectfully he would reciprocate in kind.
This discovery greatly pleased everyone present as all of them hoped to build a good relationship with Yang Kai.
2 – Monday and Tuesday
1 – Wedneday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday
Drinks were poured, toasts were made, and festivities ensued.
Even Shan Qing Luo and Bi Luo joined in on the fun and after drinking a few glasses of wine, the Beguiling Demon Queen’s face took on a slight intoxicated blush, making her even radiant and enchanting that caused everyone present to be unable to look directly into her eyes.
After three rounds of wine, envoys from all of the Endless Sea Islands’ great Sects finally arrived.
Asura Sect’s Ye Fang, Falling Blossom Temple’s Hua Duan Hun, Scarlet Tradition Sect’s Xu Qian Xi, Cloud Dragon Island, Gemini Island…
One by one they gathered on Ancient Cloud Island, all of them renowned elites of the Endless Sea Islands, most of whom had been part of the original excursion to the Central Capital
Gu Feng quickly noticed that all of these famous figures, each of whom shook the Endless Sea Islands when they stomped, showed incredibly respectful faces towards Yang Kai.
Witnessing this, he felt both fear and relief as the last remnants of dissatisfaction in his heart vanishing into thin air.
In the Endless Sea Islands, every one of these individuals had comparable status to Gu Feng, some of them were even more powerful and respected, yet all of them acted politely in front of this Young Master Yang, so naturally Gu Feng had no reason to feel ashamed.
After conversing for a while, Gu Feng learned that Ancient Cloud Island being able to find the Broken Moon Transformation Art was also thanks to Yang Kai, greatly improving Gu Feng’s impression towards the latter.
The Sect’s Hallowed Treasure, it’s most precious Secret Art, lost over three hundred years ago, was returned to them by Yang Kai, this was nothing less than a giant favour being gifted to Ancient Cloud Island.
Yang Kai proceeded to take out one Hallowed Treasure after another, Supreme Solitary Sect’s Supreme Solitary Seal, Falling Blossom Temple’s Thousand Blossoming Blood Begonia, Asura Sect’s Asura Sword, Tradition Sect’s Sect Master’s Token, Cloud Dragon Island’s Cloud Dragon Pendant, Gemini Island’s Reincarnation Chart.
As these Hallowed Treasures appeared, the audience’s breathing suddenly sped up and as they stared in excitement.
Yang Kai didn’t say anything and simply returned these things to their respective owners.
“The Asura Sword and Thousand Blossoming Blood Begonia were refined once by me while everything else I have left untouched since obtaining them, if any of you do not feel at ease, feel free to examine them.” Yang Kai smiled and glanced around the crowd.
“No need! With Young Master Yang’s word why would we not feel at ease?” Li Yuan Chun laughed. Although these things were precious to them, their grades weren’t too high so they likely couldn’t even enter Yang Kai’s eyes, about this point, Li Yuan Chun was quite confident.
Everyone else also said that they did not need to inspect their Hallowed Treasure, completely assured of Yang Kai’s trustworthiness.
After receiving their respective Hallowed Treasures which had been lost for more than three hundred years, everyone bowed politely and offered their sincere thanks to Yang Kai.
“Young Master Yang, all of our Endless Sea Islands’ great Sects are indebted to your generosity. If you have any need of us in the future, do not hesitate to inform us and we will do anything within our power to render you aid,” Li Yuan Chun said sincerely. Not only was he truly thanking Yang Kai for returning the Endless Sea Islands’ Hallowed Treasures, he was also making such a declaration because of Yang Kai’s immense potential.
Although the Endless Sea Islands had little contact with the Inland Families and Sects, being able to form a friendship with Yang Kai would only have benefits.
“If such a time really comes, I won’t be polite.” Yang Kai laughed.
“Very good.”
“Since our business is complete, I will take my leave,” Yang Kai said succinctly and stood up, preparing to leave.
Li Yuan Chun was surprised and hurriedly said, “Young Master Yang, must you leave so soon? This old master also wanted to invite Young Master Yang to go to Supreme Solitary Sect for a few days.”
“I appreciate Senior Li’s kind invitation, but since the end of the war, I have not yet returned to the Central Capital, so I should not delay any further.”
“Is that so…” Li Yuan Chun showed a look of regret, “Then this old master will not insist. I will see you off today. If Young Master Yang has a chance in the future to visit the Endless Sea Islands, please make sure to visit my Supreme Solitary Sect.”
“En.” Yang Kai nodded casually.
As a large group of people, headed by Yang Kai, exited the temple, the surrounding disciples of Ancient Cloud Island all glanced around at each other and whispered, wondering just what had transpired to actually attract so many powerhouses.
When these disciples noticed Yang Kai standing at the front of the crowd, like a bright moon surrounded by stars, all of them couldn’t help wearing strange expressions.
No small number of them had met Yang Kai before as the latter was often taking care of Elder Han Chao’s precious peacocks, so they were deeply confused about how this trial disciple had suddenly become an honoured guest of all the Endless Sea Islands’ great forces.
Moreover, from the looks on these great people’s faces, they were actually quite polite and respectful towards Yang Kai, smiling and laughing as they accompanied him.
Not far away, a young girl with a slightly freckled face stared at this scene in utter confusion. After she noticed the commotion here, she ran over to see what all the excitement was about but upon arriving, she immediately became dumbstruck.
Right before her eyes, she watched the Junior Brother who had been together with her for the past half a year now calmly talking and laughing with a crowd of famous masters from the Endless Sea Islands. On top of that, he seemed perfectly at ease in this situation, chatting casually with these powerhouses as he calmly strolled forward.
The young girl shook her head and rubbed her eyes a few times but the scene in front of her did not change.
When this group of people approached the place she was standing, the young girl rushed out of the crowd, blocked their path, and stared at Yang Kai.
Li Yuan Chun’s brow furrowed slightly, not know what this young female disciple of Ancient Cloud Island had rushed out to do, glancing over at Gu Feng somewhat accusingly.
Gu Feng reacted quickly, loudly shouting, “Do not block the path! Make way!”
Zhong Miao however was in a daze, unable to understand the current situation, and with the Island Lord suddenly reprimanding her, she only become more confused, tuning to look at Yang Kai, her tender body shivering as she muttered, “Junior Brother… This is… What happened? How… Why are you…”
For quite a while, she fumbled for the right words but could never quite figure out what to say.
Shan Qing Luo smiled charmingly as she glanced over at Yang Kai calmly, secretly wondering how he would handle the situation.
“Impudence!” Gu Feng angrily roared. Before, when they were unaware of Yang Kai’s true identity, they had regarded this Central Capital’s Yang Family Patriarch as an ordinary mortal and had reluctantly registered him as a trial disciple in charge of tending to Han Chao’s peacocks. This was a grave error on the part of Ancient Cloud Island. Now that they knew Yang Kai’s true identity and status, Gu Feng was anxiously waiting for the moment he left in order to eliminate all information regarding his time on Ancient Cloud Island, so as not to avoid becoming a laughing stock in the eyes of the other Endless Sea Island Sects, but at this critical moment, Zhong Miao had actually dared to block their path and call Yang Kai ‘Junior Brother’!
How could this be covered up now?
“Someone, quickly capture this girl and feed her into the Blue Flame Cave!” Gu Feng shouted ruthlessly.
Hearing these words, Zhong Miao’s knees became soft and nearly fell to the ground.
Blue Flame Cave was a volcanic pit which burned all year round; even Immortal Ascension Boundary masters found it difficult to survive there, so once a disciple like her was tossed inside it, she would likely be burned to death within three days.
Never had she imagined that this unintentional move of hers would so greatly infuriate the Island Lord, even causing him to severely punish her.
The young girls’ heart was suddenly consumed with fear and sorrow.
Two disciplinary hall disciples from Ancient Cloud Island quickly walked over and grabbed Zhong Maio.
Some of the disciples in the crowd who used to look down on Zhong Miao and bully her wore expressions of taking pleasure in other’s misfortune at this moment.
If not for that random opportunity several years ago, Zhong Miao would still be nothing but a low level Common Disciple, but because of the letter that Yang Kai gave her, she had made a great contribution to the Sect and was instantly promoted to the rank of Elite Disciple.
This had aroused a great deal of jealousy and many people felt that with her aptitude and talent, she was not worthy of being an Elite Disciple.
Now that she had encountered such a disaster, there were naturally some who were happy in their hearts.
Yang Kai of course observed all of this and felt quite disgruntled. Over the past six months, Zhong Miao had given him a very good impression. This young miss was kind-hearted and didn’t like stirring up trouble. Aside from diligently cultivating, she preferred to spend her time tending peacocks in a remote corner of Ancient Cloud Island.
Although it was true her aptitude and talent weren’t anything special, she was far more diligent and hardworking than others her age.
Even though Yang Kai felt some anger in his heart, in another’s domain, it wasn’t a good idea for him to suddenly lash out, so instead he pushed down his more impulsive thoughts and quickly said, “Island Lord Gu, please wait a moment. She and I truly knew each other as Junior Brother and Senior Sister, so her calling me so is not wrong, there’s no need to punish her.”
Gu Feng suddenly looked slightly awkward and hurriedly cupped his fists, “Young Master Yang surely jests. Before, my Ancient Cloud Island had eyes but failed to see, but now that we are aware of Young Master Yang’s true identity, how could we dare think of you as an Ancient Cloud Island disciple? But since Young Master Yang has spoken so, we will let this matter drop.”
Yang Kai nodded with satisfaction.
Gu Feng was not an idiot so although Yang Kai had only spoken a single sentence, he could easily see that the latter’s intended to shelter Zhong Miao.
“Senior Sister, come over here,” Yang Kai said with a warm, friendly smile on his face, beckoning to Zhong Miao lightly.
Zhong Miao’s pair of limpid eyes teared up slightly, a tinge of fear still apparent on her pretty face as she was summoned by Yang Kai, but after hesitating for a moment she obediently walked over. Looking around at all the famous masters surround them, she couldn’t help shrinking her neck and shuffling closer to Yang Kai in attempt to find shelter, whispering quietly, “What’s happening?”
“There’s no need to be afraid, Senior Sister.” Yang Kai said comfortingly before turning to Li Yuan Chun. “Senior Li, this is the Senior Sister who I lived with for the past six months.”
“Oh?” Li Yuan Chun’s brow rose slightly, a slightly ambiguous look flashing across his face.
Yang Kai quickly continued, “It’s not what you think. Half a year ago, during the war, I was heavily injured and cast adrift in the nearby sea and was rescued by Senior Sister. As such, I owe Senior Sister a life-saving grace.”
Li Yuan Chun was stunned, not having expected that this seemingly ordinary girl was actually Yang Kai’s saviour. Turning to look at Zhong Miao again, this time with an expression filled with gratefulness, he nodded and said, “Not only is she Young Master Yang’s saviour, she is also the benefactor of all my Endless Sea Islands’ great Sects!”
“Good!” Ye Fang nodded as well. If not for Zhong Miao rescuing Yang Kai, they would likely never have seen their Sect’s long lost Hallowed Treasures again.
“This little girl has done all of us a great favour,” Hua Duan Hun giggled happily, her tender body swaying gently as she walked over to her and asked, “Young miss, what is your name?”
“Zhong Miao…”
“En, a good name,” Hua Duan Hun praised liberally, not having thought that this seemingly ordinary girl would have such a pleasant sounding name, “Are you willing to come to my Falling Blossom Temple? As long as you nod, I can confer you the title of Falling Blossom Saint.”
“Ah?” Zhong Miao was stunned and stared at Hua Duan Hun in shock.
Falling Blossom Temple had four Falling Blossom Saints, each of whom had an incredibly lofty identity, second only to the Religion Master in status. Several years ago, one of the Falling Blossom Saints accidentally fell and the position had remained unfilled until now. Countless Falling Blossom Temple disciples had done everything within their power to snatch this position for themselves, but no one had managed to succeed.
Yet today, Hua Duan Hun had actually offered up such a rich condition to Zhong Maio simply to attract her to join Falling Blossom Temple.
Hua Duan Hun pledging such a condition not only shocked Zhong Miao, it also made the faces of everyone else present twitch.
Ye Fang and Xu Qian Hao contemplated what had just happened and quickly understood, silently cursing Hua Duan Hun’s cunning and boldness as the two of them swiftly using their positions as high ranking Elders of their respective Sects to offer Zhong Miao rich benefits in the hopes she would join Asura Sect or Scarlet Tradition Sect.
The Elders from Cloud Dragon Island and Gemini Island also made similar invitations.
In an instant, Elders from more than five major Sects all extended olive branches to Zhong Miao, their eyes flashing with hope and anxiety, as if this ordinary young girl in front of them had suddenly transformed into a peerless talent. All of these Sects flung open their doors to her at this moment.
Zhong Miao was dumbfounded, while the disciples of Ancient Cloud Island who had just been sneering at her misfortune had their moods flipped and became filled with envy and jealousy.
Why, why was this unremarkable disciple being so vigorously courted by all of these Sects?
“Island Lord…” Han Chao quietly whispered to Gu Feng, silently hinting with his eyes.
Gu Feng immediately understand and quickly composed himself, wearing a cold expression as he shouted, “Several friends, do you not think this is somewhat inappropriate? Zhong Miao is my Ancient Cloud Island’s discipline, trying to snatch my Sect’s disciple right in front of me; do you think that you can just ignore this Gu Feng?”
“Hehe…” Hua Duan Hun tittered charmingly as she quipped back in a teasing tone, “Does Island Lord Gu really mean that? Weren’t you just about to toss this little girl into the Blue Flame Cave? Since you don’t seem to care whether she lives or dies, then you might as well be accommodating and her to follow me back to Falling Blossom Temple. I’ll make sure she is cultivated properly so as not to ruin her bright future.”
“En, Island Lord Gu should be generous in this regard.” Xu Qian Hao said with a big bring.
“No no, as long as she lives, Zhong Miao will be a disciple of my Ancient Cloud Island, and when she dies, even when she dies, her ghost will belong to Ancient Cloud Island, no one may take her away!” Gu Feng swung his head like a rattle and refused to compromise.
At this moment, he could also see that Zhong Miao had a fair amount of weight in Yang Kai’s mind, grasping Zhong Miao would almost be equivalent to grasping Yang Kai’s friendship.
“We should allow this little girl to express her own thoughts, Island Lord Gu. Just because she is a disciple of your Ancient Cloud Island, that does not give you the right to decide her future for her,” Hua Duan Hun objected with a light snort, turning a gentle look towards Zhong Miao and softly saying, “Little girl, don’t be afraid, tell us which Sect you’d like to enter. You can rest assured that whichever one you choose, no one here will embarrass you.”
“Good, we will all respect your decision!” Ye Fang nodded firmly while the others all expressed their agreement.
By now, Zhong Miao was completely flustered, lowering her head awkwardly as she shivered timidly, not daring to answer, all she could do was lean closer to Yang Kai seemingly seeking for some sense of safety.
She had spent most of her life taking care of peacocks in a remote corner of Ancient Cloud Island while quietly cultivating on her own. Where would she have ever encountered such a major event? Obviously it was taking her some time to adapt.
Especially in the face of all these Sects extending her invitations, Zhong Miao really didn’t know what she should do or who she should choose.
“There’s no need to struggle!” Li Yuan Chun said suddenly in a dignified voice, “This old master has been looking for a Direct Disciple these past few years but unfortunately there has never been a suitable candidate. Today though I have finally met one so none of you should think of robbing her from this old master.”
“Senior…” Gu Feng and the others were dumbfounded, all of them turning to stare at Li Yuan Chun in shock.
Listening to Li Yuan Chun’s words, it was as if he was intending to make Zhong Miao his personal disciple.
This was a big deal, a massive deal!
Supreme Solitary Sect’s three Above Immortal Ascension Boundary masters were essentially Ancestor level characters to all the Endless Sea Islands and two of them already had their own Direct Disciples, only Li Yuan Chun did not. It was well know that these years he had indeed been seeking for such a disciple, but unfortunately a candidate able to enter his eyes had not yet appeared in the Endless Sea Islands.
But today, unexpectedly, Zhong Miao was suddenly given this chance.
“En, this old master wants to accept her as his Direct Disciple!” Li Yuan Chun gently nodded.
When this sentence came out, not only were the eyes of the other disciples of Ancient Cloud Island red with envy, even Gu Feng and the other Elders present couldn’t help staring at Zhong Miao jealously.
With an Above Immortal Ascension Boundary as her master, all of them could see just how bright and broad Zhong Miao’s future would be.
“Little girl, are you willing to become this old master’s disciple?” Li Yuan Chun kindly asked Zhong Miao.
Zhong Miao face flushed bright red and was clearly extremely excited, but suddenly remembering something she took a deep breath and tried to calm herself, replying haltingly, “But this Junior is already a disciple of Ancient Cloud Island…”
“Gu Feng!” Li Yuan Chun turned to look at Gu Feng and said with a cold grin, “This old master wants to accept her as a disciple, do you have any opinion?”
Gu Feng quickly waved his hands, “Junior doesn’t dare! Senior Li wanting to accept her as a disciple is her blessing, how could this Gu Feng have any objections?” Saying so, he turned to Zhong Miao and hurriedly said, “As of this moment, you are no longer a disciple of Ancient Cloud Island. From now on you must follow Senior Li faithfully and not bring shame upon your master, do you understand?”
“Disciple will take Island Lord’s words to heart!” Zhong Miao nodded her head seriously.
Li Yuan Chun laughed heartily.
When these people rushed to recruit Zhong Miao, Yang Kai had stood back and quietly watched. When the dust settled, he finally stepped forward and said, “Senior Sister, congratulations for meeting your Master! Junior Brother will give you a little gift to mark the occasion.”
“There’s no need.” Zhong Miao quickly waved her hands.
“Since Young Master Yang wishes to give you a gift, you must accept it or Young Master Yang will lose face!” Li Yuan Chun quickly interjects, afraid that Zhong Miao would really refuse.
Yang Kai smiled slightly, took out a small jade pot and handed it to Zhong Miao, gently saying, “Take one drop of this every day from now on until it is finished and make sure to have Senior Li hold on to it when you are not using it, consider this my thank you for rescuing my life.”
“En,” Zhong Miao held the small jade pot in her hand and stared at it somewhat curiously, wondering what exactly it was and why when Yang Kai gave it to her he had spoken so seriously.
However, when she looked up, Zhong Miao was once again shocked as she saw a great many of the Elder level characters around her staring greedily at the small pot in her hands, as if they were seeing some kind of other-worldly treasure.
“Young Master Yang can rest assured, since you’ve delivered this gift to my disciple, this old master can guarantee that no one besides her will have a chance to use it.” Li Yuan Chun declared solemnly.
“En, very good.” Yang Kai nodded with satisfaction, Li Yuan Chun’s behaviour at this moment made him feel quite relieved. Declaring so in front of so many people had clearly indicated his position.
“En, you all remain here, this Junior will take his leave!” Yang Kai cupped his fists and then nodded to Shan Qing Luo and Bi Luo gently, the three of them lifting off into the air and shooting away like lightning.
Staring at his fading back, and remembering everything that had transpired in the Central Capital, many of the Endless Sea Islands powerhouses sighed lightly.
“Senior, who exactly is my Junior Brother?” Zhong Miao’s eyes were still slightly blurred. Until now she hadn’t understood why the Junior Brother who she had lived with for half a year had suddenly become a character who needed to be respectfully greeted by all the Endless Sea Islands’ masters.
“Still calling me Senior?” Li Yuan Chun stroked his beard gently and grinned.
“Master…” Zhong Miao replied, slightly embarrassed.
“Good, you’re Junior Brother is actually the head of the Central Capital Eight Great Families, the Yang Family’s current Patriarch. Half a year ago, under his leadership, the Central Capital successfully resisted the invasion of the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land and wiped out their vile forces.”
“Is he so fierce?” Zhong Miao wasn’t very experienced so upon listening to Li Yuan Chun’s story, she only made a small exclamation.
“Right,” Gu Feng suddenly inserted a sentence, “You and him seem to share a great deal of fate. A few years ago, it was he who inserted the dagger and letter into your door that told us of the Broken Moon Transformation Art’s location. Then, six months ago you actually saved him from the sea, perhaps this is a cycle of karma?”
“Ah?” Zhong Miao’s elegant face changed dramatically as she called out in shock, “It was him?”
“Indeed. Didn’t he tell you?” Gu Feng asked strangely.
Zhong Miao nearly broke out into tears, her shoulders trembling lightly as she stared towards the direction Yang Kai had disappeared, her heart filling with a huge sense of loss.
…………
Flying forward swiftly, the surrounding scenery quickly whizzed past.
Yang Kai, Shan Qing Luo, and Bi Luo, a group of three people, rapidly flew towards the Central Capital.
Behind Yang Kai, looking at his broad back, Shan Qing Luo’s eyes became slightly blurred and her breath gradually became hot.
Noticing this abnormality, Bi Luo quickly stepped forward and gripped her hand.
Shan Qing Luo slowly shook her head and signaled that she was fine, averting her eyes and not daring to focus on Yang Kai any more.
However, in her heart she was slightly surprised. This little man was only an Immortal Ascension Boundary Sixth Stage cultivator yet his speed was actually faster than hers. The purity and density of his True Qi also seemed to be superior to her own.
Shan Qing Luo didn’t feel upset though, instead just somewhat proud.
And so the trio flew forward for three days in relative silence.
Suddenly, Shan Qing Luo and Bi Luo, who were following behind Yang Kai, stopped.
Perceiving this, Yang Kai also paused and turned around to ask, “What’s wrong?”
Shan Qing Luo breathing a long sigh and said, “We’ll separate here. You are going back to the Central Capital, but I am the Beguiling Demon Queen, one of the last remaining remnants of the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land. Naturally, I should head back to Fragrance City instead.”
Yang Kai frowned slightly and said, “The Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land is no more, why bother yourself over such minor issues? No one there will embarrass you.”
But Shan Qing Luo shook her head firmly.
Yang Kai hesitated for a while before finally relenting, “In that case, I won’t insist. Good, when I finish arranging things in the Central Capital, I will come to see you so we can resolve the issues between us once and for all.”
“I’ll be waiting for you!” Shan Qing Luo smiled and nodded.
Yang Kai returned the gesture before quickly turning around a leaving.
Shortly after Yang Kai disappeared across the horizon, Bi Luo sighed faintly, “Mistress, is this really alright?”
“Of course this is alright, as long as he’s fine it’s alright.”
“But the sentiment planted in your heart…” Bi Luo’s eyes instantly turned red, “Can you still suppress it now? Once you can’t suppress it, you’ll be seeking death! He clearly doesn’t care one bit about you so why are you still so concerned with him? You should just release your inhibitions and take his life and ends all this trouble!”
“Bi Luo!” Shan Qing Luo shouted, panting for breath as her face flushed red, “Don’t say that, the fate of my Poison Widow Body’s lineage should end with me instead of being passed down from generation to generation. Otherwise, I will be forcing my daughter to suffer from this kind of pain as well, this tragic curse!”
Bi Luo’s tears streamed down her cheeks as she stared at Shang Qing Luo in grief, her heart filled with extreme hatred towards Yang Kai.