The strange Floating Continent was filled with beautiful scenery and extreme rich World Energy.
The entire continent was blanketed in a thin layer of mist that was actually condensed World Energy.
Clear springs flowed from all the mountain peaks, carrying with them a sweet and clear scent. The water in these springs had an incredible nourishing effect, as if it wasn’t ordinary water but instead a potent elixir.
The Purple Star and Sword Union forces had a total of more than a hundred cultivators between them, and now that their battle had been forcefully stopped, each side began searching for quiet places to meditate and recover.
Soon, they were surprised to find that on this Floating Continent, the speed at which they could restore themselves was several times faster than usual because the World Energy aura was incredibly rich. This discovery greatly lifted their spirits, coupled with the fact that they had just survived a number of life or death crises, they began to unconsciously relax and greedily absorb this dense World Energy.
Only the inexplicable seven coloured sky that surrounded the Floating Continent gave them an uneasy feeling.
All day long, all that was visible when they looked up was this seven coloured sky. There was no sun, moon, or stars in this place. It was completely different from where these cultivators used to live. This kind of unchanging scenery made them feel somewhat lost.
A day later, most of the cultivators had finished restoring themselves. They had carried a lot of healing pills on them before entering this place, and with the rich World Energy aura here, all minor injuries could be rapidly healed.
Lu Gui Chen of Purple Star suddenly flew over to Sword Union’s side, calmly walking over to Yue Xi under the hostile glares of the Sword Union cultivators.
When she noticed his footsteps, Yue Xi slowly opened her eyes, turned to him, and asked, “What is it?”
Lu Gui Chen gestured towards the tallest mountain in the distance and asked, “Aren’t you curious about the identity of that Senior?”
“So what if I’m curious?” Yue Xi replied indifferently, not showing much interest.
How could she not be curious? She had been thinking hard during this past day about the identity of this old man, but she was still no closer to figuring out who he was. She believed that Lu Gui Chen was also considering the same problem and him showing up now was proof of that.
“That dark flag used by that Senior shouldn’t be a nameless treasure, but no matter how I think about it, I can’t think of a single master in the past thousand years who used a similar artifact. What do you think?”
“I also don’t recognize what the big flag is,” Yue Xi shook her head.
“Sure enough… how about the two of us cooperate to inquire about the situation?”
“Collaborate with you?” Yue Xi disdainfully sneered, “Isn’t that like asking a tiger for his skin?”
“Don’t say that,” Lu Gui Chen didn’t mind her tone, “Now your Sword Union people and my Purple Star people are stranded here. With that extremely powerful Senior also here, according to custom, we should pay him our respects.”
“Do you think he will meet us?”
“I don’t know, but we have to start somewhere. At the very least, I need to inquire about his intentions. This shouldn’t have any downside to your Sword Union’s people,” Lu Gui Chen persuaded.
Yue Xi frowned and hesitated.
She knew that what Lu Gui Chen was saying was right, but she was subconsciously repulsed by the idea of allying together with this enemy of hers.
However, compelled by the current situation, she really couldn’t refuse Lu Gui Chen’s proposal, so after a moment of silence, she gently nodded, “Good, I’ll accompany you to visit that Senior.”
“Rest assured, this time I won’t try to act against you, we’ve both seen the strength of that Senior, there’s no way I’d act unreasonably here,” Lu Gui Chen smiled bitterly. This strange Senior was on the same level as a Star Master, even if there were ten of him, Lu Gui Chen was certain he wouldn’t be the other side’s match.
Yue Xi issued a few instructions to the Sword Union survivors before getting up and setting out together with Lu Gui Chen for the mountain where the old man lived.
After the two of them left, the He Zao He Miao sisters exchanged a glance and quickly got up before silently heading towards where Yang Kai was.
What happened yesterday had made them feel quite guilty so they wanted to apologize to Yang Kai while at the same time reassure him that if he just waited a few more days, Yue Xi would help lift the seal on his strength.
However, He Zao was keenly aware that her master didn’t trust Yang Kai, so she did not try to make contact with him while she was around, lest her Master’s impression of him worsen.
It was only now that she the right opportunity.
Just as they had started to leave though, the cultivator named Wei Wu suddenly appeared in front of them and asked with a smile, “Where are Junior Sisters going?”
He Zao frowned, “To take a walk.”
Wei Wu smiled and said, “Then Senior Brother will accompany you.”
“No need!” He Zao frowned unhappily and decisively refused.
Wei Wu however just shook his head, “Junior Sister, Master just said a moment ago for us not to act arbitrarily, because no one knows what kind of dangers are hidden here. Master sees the two of you as her own daughters. If anything were to happen to you, who will be able to take responsibility? Let Senior Brother accompany you, and if anything happens, Senior Brother can at the very least buy time for you to escape.”
As he said these words, Wei Wu held his head up high and stuck out his chest, trying to make himself look as heroic and reliable as possible in front of He Zao and He Miao.
“Didn’t that Senior yesterday say there wasn’t any danger here?” He Miao blinked innocently.
“Who knows whether that Senior was speaking the truth or not? His strength is incredible, so this place very well might not have anything that he considers dangerous, but we are different. It’s because we don’t understand the situation of this place that Master is going with Lu Gui Chen to inquire about it.”
“Senior Brother, tell me the truth, does Master have some kind of doubts about Yang Kai’s origins and identity?” He Zao narrowed her beautiful eyes and directly asked Wei Wu.
“Why would Junior Sister say that?” Wei Wu looked surprised.
“Because yesterday, Master gave me the feeling that she didn’t want us to have too much contact with Yang Kai, and when we brought him over yesterday… Master seems to have offended him somehow,” He Zao spoke without reservation as she recalled the frightened and angry appearance Yang Kai had at that time.
If their Master hadn’t secretly tried to do something to him, he would certainly not have been so angry.
Wei Wu chuckled, “Junior Sister is being too sensitive, how could Master care about such a small character? Besides, everything Master has done is to protect us disciples, but enough idle chatter, if two Junior Sister wish to go out for a walk, let Senior Brother accompany you, I’d also like to take a look at our surroundings.”
“No need for that, we don’t want to anymore,” He Zao shook her head before bringing He Miao back to where they were originally sitting and sat back down.
Wei Wu scratched his nose but was helpless to do anything about this so he simply found a place nearby to sit down and meditate.
Yang Kai had not missed this little incident. Although he was safe for the time being, right now he was all along so he had to keep his guard up.
Especially against that slut Bi Ya from Purple Star as she had constantly been eyeing him. If not for the deterrence of the mysterious old man, it was likely she would already have attacked him.
So he had constantly been paying attention to the movements inside the two groups of cultivators. He had seen Lu Gui Chen and Yue Xi leave together. He had also seen He Zao and He Miao attempt to come see him but get stopped by that male cultivator.
Although he wasn’t completely clear about the details, he could vaguely guess what the situation was.
Suddenly, from nearby, a strange sound rang out, causing Yang Kai to turn towards its source, a strange expression appearing on his face as he slowly walked over to it.
A moment later, arriving near a bush, he called out, “Shen Tu?”
Shen Tu’s head popped out and glanced around before he beckoned to Yang Kai and hurriedly withdrew into the bush.
Yang Kai laughed helplessly before strolling forward, arriving in front of Shen Tu and asking, “What are you doing?”
“Hiding from those people,” Shen Tu replied in a low voice before grinning. “Brother, it’s good to see you. I really thought we were dead this time, but unexpectedly we both survived. It seems we haven’t used up all our luck yet.”
After saying so, he began gasping for breath as his face paled.
Yang Kai quickly noticed that this guy had suffered a lot more damage in the disaster yesterday compared to himself; his chest was dyed red with blood and his clothes were shredded. It was obvious something had impaled him and he had later pulled it out. His expression was quite gloomy as a deep frown appeared on his forehead, giving him a fierce look.
“Seems you’re quite miserable!” Yang Kai squatted down and said.
Shen Tu’s face turned bitter as he muttered, “Fuck, I didn’t think it was that bad, but hearing you say that really makes me feel a bit miserable, why are you completely unharmed?”
“My luck was good, how did you wind up like this?” Yang Kai shrugged his shoulders.
“How would I know? When the Starship was destroyed, I immediately passed out, and when I woke up, I found myself here. Fortunately, the Starship pieces didn’t pierce anything vital, otherwise, you’d be collecting my corpse for me right now,” Shen Tu groaned, grimacing in pain as some cold sweat leaked down his forehead.
“Haven’t you taken a healing pill yet?” Yang Kai asked as he stared dumbfounded towards Shen Tu, it was as if the latter hadn’t even attempted to restore himself yet.
“All my possessions were seized by those Purple Star dogs, what kind of pills would I possibly have? Even my artifacts were seized. If I had my artifacts, I wouldn’t have been reduced to this miserable state,” Shen Tu said indignantly, “Brother, do you have any spare healing pills?”
Yang Kai nodded and pretended to take something out from the Space Ring on his hand. In fact, he had actually taken out a Saint Grade healing pill from the Demon Mystic Tome.
“En, a Saint Pill with Pill Veins?” Shen Tu’s eyes lit up, quickly accepting the Saint Pill. It seems that such a pill was quite a treasure even for him, so without hesitation, he swallowed it and let out a sigh, “Give me some time, I should be able to restore myself.”
“You meditate, I’ll stand guard,” Yang Kai offered casually.
Right now, he and Shen Tu were allies, so there was no harm in helping him with such a small matter.
“Shouldn’t we move a little farther away?” Shen Tu looked worriedly towards the distance, “If we’re discovered by those Purple Star or Sword Union people…”
“Rest assured, they won’t dare find trouble with us right now.”
“What do you mean?” Shen Tu asked in confusion.
He seemed to know nothing about the old man who appeared yesterday. It was likely he was still unconscious when that incident took place.
Yang Kai explained briefly about the old man and as Shen Tu listened to his story, his expression changed greatly and he muttered, “Then, could that old guy be an Origin Returning Realm master? No, that’s wrong, perhaps he’s reached an even higher realm.”
As he muttered to himself, his expression became especially awkward.
10 + 4
Happy 1000!!!
Happy New Year!!
Happy Xmas!!
And one extra to just make it two per day for the week 😛
“Origin Returning Realm?” Yang Kai asked in astonishment.
“The Origin Returning Realm is above the Saint King Realm while the Origin King Realm is above the Origin Returning Realm… I told you that any Cultivation Star has a Star Master, right? Every Star Master is an Origin King Realm Master! What is the highest realm a cultivator can achieve in the place you come from?”
“Third-Order Saint…”
“It really is a lower world, a true backwater in the Star Field!” Shen Tu curled his lips and said disdainfully, “However, there are indeed many such worlds in the Star Field, many of them don’t even have the ability to explore the Star Field. Generation after generation they can only remain trapped in their own world without ever being able to see the splendours of the Star Field.”
These words resonated greatly with Yang Kai, recalling the cultivators on Tong Xuan Realm and thinking they truly were like this.
“If things are really as you said, then there’s no need for me to hide, none of them would dare act against us,” Shen Tu, after knowing the situation, suddenly put down his worries and relaxed. Sitting down cross-legged, he began refining the healing effects of the Saint Pill.
While he was healing, he asked Yang Kai a few questions to get himself caught up on the current situation.
He seemed particularly concerned about the strange old man and would constantly ask about the other party’s situation.
“That old fogey… *ahem*, what does that respected Senior want with all that Starship debris?” Shen Tu frowned, unable to understand the old man’s intentions.
“You’d have to ask him.”
“Hey, Yang Kai… If we could obtain the shelter of that Senior, wouldn’t we no longer need to fear those Purple Star and Sword Union people anymore?”
“Do you have anything that could win such a powerful master’s favour?”
“Everything depends on one’s own effort!” Shen Tu smiled mysteriously, “Just wait until I finish restoring myself then I’ll see if I can help you lift the seal on your body, things must be too inconvenient for you right now.”
Yang Kai gently nodded, although he didn’t have much hope of success, he was still grateful for Shen Tu’s good intentions.
Both of them went silent and Shen Tu began to concentrate on restoring himself while Yang Kai could only sit by and stand watch.
After about two hours, Lu Gui Chen and Yue Xi returned, their expressions somewhat helpless. It seems that things hadn’t gone well so they decided to return to their respective camps.
“Master, what did that Senior say?” Wei Wu stepped forward and asked anxiously.
Yue Xi bitterly shook her head, “We didn’t even see him.”
“Ah!”
“Lu Gui Chen and I approached to within fifty kilometres of the mountain and repeatedly sent out Divine Sense Messages requesting an audience, but we received no response, we don’t even know if he was there or not,” Yue Xi sighed.
Dealing with such a mysterious and powerful master was a truly painstaking task. They didn’t know his identity or his origins, they didn’t even know his exact cultivation, so whether it was Yue Xi or Lu Gui Chen, when they had gone to meet him this time, they felt as if they were treading on thin ice.
The results of their efforts were disappointing.
The only thing that was fortunate was that despite this strange old man appearing quite fierce and violent, possessed extraordinary strength, and clearly had an evil disposition, he didn’t appear interested in randomly killing them; if he had, there would have been nowhere on this Floating Continent for them to hide.
“We plan to visit him again tomorrow, and so on for the time being,” Yue Xi shook her head and prepared to rest when He Miao suddenly gasped, “Master.”
“What is it?” Yue Xi turned her head to look at her.
He Miao pointed at the distant sky, and with a terrified look on her pretty face stuttered, “That Senior seems to be coming.”
Yue Xi’s tender body shook and she hurriedly turned in the direction He Miao was pointing, quickly discovering that the mysterious old man was indeed rapidly approaching, causing her to immediately become nervous. Shouting for the Sword Union disciples to settle down, Yue Xi steeled herself and waited.
Lu Gui Chen of Purple Star had apparently also noticed and had rushed over, standing side by side with Yue Xi.
The two of them had unconsciously formed a temporary alliance; after all, the pressure they felt when facing this old man on their own was simply too great.
In the blink of an eye, the old man fell in front of Yue Xi and Lu Gui Chen.
“Senior!” Lu Gui Chen immediately cupped their fists and wore the best smiles they could manage on their faces, “Just now we had gone to send greetings to Senior, but it appears you were not in the mountain!”
“Does this old master need to inform you of his whereabouts?” The old man glanced over at Lu Gui Chen.
“Certainly not!” Lu Gui Chen’s face paled as he hurriedly kept quiet.
“En, I’m here to ask you for a little something. Although this place is rich in World Energy and rare herbs, the only annoying aspect is that it contains almost no precious ores!” The old man said as if thinking aloud.
Lu Gui Chen blinked for a moment before quickly asking, “What kind of ores does Senior need? If it’s convenient, please inform us, we might have them.”
Yue Xi also eagerly looked towards old man and echoed, “Senior does not need to be polite with us.”
“Of course I won’t be polite with you!” The old man snorted and said, “Space Spirit Crystals, do you have any?”
Lu Gui Chen and Yue Xi, who were both looking forward to an opportunity to establish good relations with this old man, couldn’t help wearing pained expression when they heard him request Space Spirit Crystals.
Lu Gui Chen said, “Senior, if it was anything else, we may have it, but Space Spirit Crystals…they are too rare, so we don’t carry supplies of them on us. If Senior does not mind, you might as well accompany us back to my Purple Star’s primary Cultivation Star, there will be rich supplies of Space Spirit Crystals there.”
“My Sword Union’s star is the same,” Yue Xi hurriedly spoke.
“Do you want to win me over?” The old man squinted towards them, a strange smile slowly creeping on his face.
“Senior misunderstands, this Junior simply wishes to invite Senior to be a guest on my Purple Star’s main star for a few days,” Lu Gui Chen hurriedly explained.
“I have no objections to being your guest; in fact, there’s nothing more this old master would like to do than to go out for a walk,” The old man said in a friendly tone, a look of longing appearing on his face, but in the next moment, his expression suddenly became cold as he severely shouted, “If this old master could leave this damned place, why would he bother asking you for Space Spirit Crystals in the first place? Are you both idiots?!”
Lu Gui Chen and Yue Xi both wore stunned looks, not understanding why this old man had suddenly become enraged but neither of them daring to respond.
“What is Space Spirit Crystal?” Not far away, Yang Kai heard the old man’s words and asked Shen Tu.
“A precious crystal ore that has a very low supply in the Star Field. It’s extremely expensive,” Shen Tu explained casually, “The Space Ring on your hand is made primarily from Space Spirit Crystal.”
“Space Rings are refined using Space Spirit Crystal?” Yang Kai was surprised, finally understanding why he felt that this ring was very different from the Demon Mystic Tome. It turns out they were two entirely different materials.
“Strange, what does this old Senior want Space Spirit Crystals?” Shen Tu frowned, “And listening to the words he just shouted, he seems to have been trapped here for many years.”
Nearby, the old man continued to shout and berate Lu Gui Chen and Yue Xi, seemingly never running out of abuses to hurl, but these two could only bear with it silently as bitterness filled their hearts.
“Forget it, if you don’t have Space Spirit Crystal then just give me the Space Rings on your fingers,” The old man arbitrarily ordered.
When these words came out, the faces of all the Purple Star and Sword Union cultivators sank.
“Rest assured, I don’t want the garbage in your rings, I just need the Space Spirit Crystal!” The old man added.
Lu Gui Chen and Yue Xi glanced at each other, not knowing what to do.
“Give them to me or die!” The old man said impatiently, “Although this old master doesn’t want to kill you, I don’t want anyone to disobey me even more!”
Realizing this old man’s temper was quite short, Lu Gui Chen wore a forced smile and waved his smile towards the Purple Star cultivator, signalling for them to hand over their Space Rings. When Yue Xi saw Lu Gui Chen compromise, she had no choice but to compromise as well.
Once all the Space Rings were collected by Lu Gui Chen and Yue Xi, they handed them over to the old man.
After a few moments, the old man had gathered just over a hundred Space Rings.
With a wave of his hand, the old man emptied out all the things stored in these hundred Space Rings.
A giant hill of items appeared in front of him.
In that hill, there were countless Saint Crystals, bottles of pills, some precious spirit grasses and spirit medicines, rare ores, Martial Skills, Secret Arts…
All kinds of things giving off a dazzling radiance for all to see.
With such a large fortune placed in front of them, everyone’s eyes became hot.
The old man just swept those things once before looking away, clearly uninterested, muttering in the next moment, “Collect what’s yours, don’t try anything funny either, if anyone dares snatch something that’s not their own, this old master will mete out an appropriate punishment!”
“We will obey Senior’s command!” Lu Gui Chen quickly took a stand.
“Oh, you still have one Space Ring?” The old man looked around for a while, his cold eyes suddenly landing on Yue Xi’s hand as he let out a sneer, “Woman, you want to die?”
Yue Xi covered the Space Ring on her hand, her expression cramping up as she asked, “Senior, can you leave me just one for us to use?”
“Over here, you cannot use Space Rings,” The old man said, reaching out and grasping towards Yue Xi. Under the old man’s grasp, Yue Xi was unable to use the slightest bit of her Saint King Realm strength, she couldn’t even summon the will to resist and the ring on her hand was quickly taken away.
Her look was bitter to the extreme.
The old man waved his hand and dumped out the things inside her ring, his eyes sweeping over them and immediately becoming attracted to a small token.
Reaching out and picking up this token, he observed it for a while before a look of shock appeared on his face, “Star Sect Command? No wonder you didn’t want to hand over your ring, you actually have a Star Sect Command!”
“A Star Sect Command!” Lu Gui Chen involuntarily snorted, his mocking gaze quickly transforming into one filled with greed and desire as he stared at the token in the old man’s hand.
All of the surrounding cultivators also couldn’t help directly burning looks towards this so-called Star Sect Command.
“Senior, this token…” Yue Xi licked her dry lips, her voice filled with entreaty as she begged.
The old man said nothing thought and simply stuffed the Star Sect Command into his pocket. It seemed that this token was quite valuable even to him.
Yue Xi’s words came to an abrupt end. She knew that since the token had landed in the old man’s hand, it was impossible for it to return to hers, causing her mood to plummet.
Atop the Floating Continent, after the old man left, the Purple Star and Sword Union groups stood in place, feeling depressed.
Especially the people from Sword Union. It was like their parents had just been killed, their expression filled with grief and anger. Even Yue Xi’s beautiful face appeared quite gloomy as she glared towards the direction the old man had left, feeling intense indignation but not daring to voice it out.
Lu Gui Chen shot her a look and couldn’t stop himself from smirking, “This turned out quite interesting, all of us trying to snatch that thing from each other only for it to end up as someone else’s prize. It seems everything was in vain.”
“You dare to say it?!” Yue Xi turned around and glared at him as she ground her teeth audibly, “If it wasn’t for you Purple Star dogs chasing after my two disciples, they’d had already returned to Sword Star with that Star Sect Command. They wouldn’t have entered the Chaotic Abyss and wouldn’t have been stranded here. No matter how you look at it; this is all your fault!”
Lu Gui Chen’s face went cold and snapped back, “I think you’re making a mistake here, the place where your two disciples found that Star Sect Command was inside my Purple Star’s territory, thus it was my Purple Star’s property. You’re nothing but thieves yet now you’re trying to claim you’re the victims here?”
“Lu Gui Chen, you mark my words, if one day I can get out of here, I’ll make you die a miserable death!” Yue Xi shouted bitterly, placing all the blame for the Star Sect Command being snatched from her on Purple Star’s leader.
“Talk to me again once you escape from here,” Lu Gui Chen snorted, not caring at all about her threat, waving to the other Purple Star cultivators and saying, “Come up and collect our property, don’t let anything of ours get stolen.”
With that said, the several dozen Purple Star cultivators began pouring through the small mountain of items.
Yue Xi tender body shivered as she also ordered the Sword Union cultivators to start sifting through things.
Suddenly, more than one hundred people got together and began looking for their property.
“A Star Sect Command, an actual Star Sect Command, Heavens! A real Star Sect Command!” Shen Tu kept repeating over and over, his face filled with excitement he was unable to contain.
Since the old man had taken out that Star Sect Command, Shen Tu had begun acting this way and had yet to calm down.
Yang Kai, who was sitting next to Shen Tu silently, waited for the latter to finally settle down before asking, “What was that thing, why does everyone seem so desperate to obtain it?”
“Of course everyone wants it!” Shen Tu shouted, “That’s Star Sect Command! When the Star Sect Command appears, the Star Field submits, it’s an unparalleled symbol of authority! If I could obtain that thing…”
Muttering to himself, his eyes began shining like a hungry wolf’s, his mind clearly imaging some kind of fantastical scenario where he had managed to obtain that Star Sect Command.
“I finally understand. No wonder Purple Star’s people didn’t hesitate to enter the Chaotic Abyss to pursue Sword Union, it turns out it was for a Star Sect Command. Ha, it makes sense actually, a Star Sect Command more than enough for them to take such a risk,” Shen Tu mused, “It’s a pity that it actually ended up in that old man’s hands. En, now that it’s in his possession, there’s really no chance of ever getting it back.”
Saying so, he let out a long sigh, as if the Star Sect Command had belonged to him.
Yang Kai was about to inquire about what exactly made this Star Sect Command so special, but he suddenly found that the Yue Xi was actually walking over towards them and couldn’t help frowning, secretly raising his vigilance.
Yang Kai didn’t feel relieved around this woman.
Seemingly because of what she had just experienced, Yue Xi appeared quite angry at the moment.
Walking straight up to Yang Kai, she tried to say something but hesitated.
“Do you need anything?” Yang Kai frowned.
“Can you return that Space Ring to me? You also saw what just happened, that Senior took away all of our Space Rings, without an artifact to store things, our situation is quite inconvenient,” Yue Xi asked awkwardly.
Her attitude towards Yang Kai wasn’t very good yesterday, and now she was asking to take back something she had supposedly gifted him, of course, she was feel awkward.
She wouldn’t do this if she wasn’t forced to do so.
Making her request, she quietly stared at Yang Kai and waited for his reply.
“If I remember correctly, this ring was given to me yesterday, so it is already my thing,” Yang Kai commented.
“Yes,” Yue Xi nodded, “But we need this ring now, so I want to take it back. Rest assured, as long as we leave here, I will give you a satisfactory reward, how about it?”
“Am I allowed to refuse?” Yang Kai smiled lightly.
“You can certainly refuse,” Yue Xi said indifferently, “In this place, I can’t do anything to you even if you reject me.”
“What you mean to say is, after we leave here, things will be different?” Yang Kai instantly understood what she meant.
Yue Xi didn’t acknowledge or deny the charge, simply stating, “I can help you unlock the seal on your body now, allowing you to recover the use of your strength so you can move about more conveniently.”
“No need,” Yang Kai shook his head decisively, after what happened yesterday, there was no way he would allow Yue Xi to get too close again.
Saying so, he quickly emptied out the thousand pieces of Saint Crystal from the ring on his finger before taking it off and tossing it over to Yue Xi, “I just want to tell you, I gave He Zao and He Miao those resource not for some reward, but since I’ve received these thousand pieces of Saint Crystal, we no longer owe each other anything.”
Yue Xi looked at the ring in her hand and her expression became weird, as if she was somewhat unwilling to look at it, lightly whispering, “Besides me, there is no one else here who can remove the seal Lu Gui Chen placed on you.”
“Don’t bother!”
Yue Xi elegant face sank as she coldly snorted, “Can’t appreciate kindness!”
She didn’t expect that her good intentions would actually be rejected by Yang Kai, her offering to help him should have been gratefully accepted by this young man; after all, in this strange, unknown continent, no one would want to be unable to use their strength.
This made her become somewhat angry out of shame, feeling like the hand she had extended was slapped away.
Before now, considering her status, how could she be willing to talk directly to an insignificant person like Yang Kai?
But after arriving in this place, she had no choice but to lower herself to his level.
Not wanting to speak with Yang Kai any further, she took the Space Ring and left.
“Brother, do you have some kind of grudge with that woman?” After Yue Xi left, Shen Tu quietly asked, “How did you manage to provoke her?”
“I didn’t provoke her, she’s just too suspicious of me,” Yang Kai shook his head, not bothering with the subject further.
“But she’s right, without her help, there’s no way to remove the seal Lu Gui Chen placed on you, even if I completely restore myself, I can’t help you,” Shen Tu admitted reluctantly.
“I’ll find a solution on my own.”
“Fine, let’s just forget about this, no point getting upset. In any case, how do you want to deal with these thousand Saint Crystals? You don’t plan on just leaving them here, right?”
“I have this,” Yang Kai said, suddenly pulled a number of small bags, tossing two over to Shen Tu before stuffing one of the nearby Saint Crystals into one of his own.
The glittering fist sized Saint Crystal was swallowed up by the bag and disappeared. Seeing this, Shen Tu was stunned and couldn’t help but ask, “What is this thing? Some kind of storage artifact?”
“It’s called a Universe Bag, the standard storage artifact from my homeland,” Yang Kai explained casually. These Universe Bags were part of the spoils he had collected over the years. He had tossed them into his Demon Mystic Tome at some point and forgotten about them but now they actually came in handy.
The strange old man had seized all the Space Spirit Crystals he could find, so Yang Kai didn’t want to expose his Demon Mystic Tome if possible, if he wasn’t careful, the Demon Mystic Tome might be snatched by him.
Right now, he could only try to deceive others by exposing these Universe Bags.
Shen Tu was genuinely surprised; and copying Yang Kai’s motions, stuffed piece of Saint Crystal into the Universe Bag and smiled, “En, your low-level world was actually able to develop this kind of artifact, the only issue is that its internal space is a bit small.”
He seemed to be very interested in the Universe Bag, and after filling the two he had received, he tucked them into his sleeve and said, “I’ll hold onto these Saint Crystals for now and return them to you later.”
“En,” Yang Kai nodded indifferently.
Purple Star and Sword Union’s cultivators continued sorting through the mountain of materials while Shen Tu took out a piece of Saint Crystal from the Universe Bags and started to restore himself.
Yang Kai sat next to him, trying to mobilize the Saint Qi in his body, but it was like all his meridians were blocked, so he was unable to create any kind of flow, making him feel helpless.
With no ideas on how to proceed, Yang Kai decided to immerse his consciousness into his Knowledge Sea for now.
He was going to absorb those Spiritual Energy remnants first.
Several dozen large and small Soul remnants floated gently above his Knowledge Sea, these all belonged to cultivators who fell nearby Yang Kai in the previous disaster.
They were basically all from Saints while one of them actually belonged to a Saint King Realm master.
Yang Kai observed these things for a while before bringing them together and activating his Demon Eye of Annihilation’s power.
This dazzling golden light was one of Great Demon God’s Divine Abilities and could instantly extinguish any kind of Soul.
With a great whoosh, the numerous remnant Souls seemed to boil, giving off black smoke for a moment as they were being purified by the golden light.
This black smoke was the leftover memories of the deceased, as well as their lifetime worth of experiences.
Yang Kai couldn’t absorb these, or rather, didn’t dare to absorb them; otherwise, he would confuse them with his own memories, causing him to be unable to even remember who he was.
In the blink of an eye, the several dozen Spiritual Energy masses were cleansed, leaving behind only these cultivator’s unique insights into the Heavenly Way and Martial Dao.
One of these energy masses though was a bit different from the others and was actually able to resist the golden light of the Demon Eye of Annihilation for a moment before it was purified.
Naturally, it was the mass which belonged to the Saint King master.
Yang Kai couldn’t help feeling excited!
Carefully examining this particular remnant Soul, Yang Kai discovered that it contained far larger and more potent energy than the others, making him excited.
Not wasting any time, Yang Kai immediately started to refine these purified Souls, transforming them into his own strength.
Time passed by slow and after an unknown period, Yang Kai and cleanly refined all of the Spiritual Energy masses.
Once he finished, Yang Kai actually discovered some interesting points.
These cultivators’ perceptions of the Heavenly Way and Martial Dao were much deeper than those of the Tong Xuan Realm’s cultivators, and their understanding of how to use and manipulate their strength was significantly higher.
This also meant that the combat power of these cultivators was stronger than those from Tong Xuan Realm, most due to the better-comprehended use of their strength.
After absorbing these purified Soul remnants, Yang Kai’s own understanding of the Saint Realm had drastically improved and the control he could exert over his strength had grown substantially.
The benefits he obtained though went far beyond this, because every time he absorbed other cultivator’s Soul remnants, his own Soul’s strength would improve and his Spiritual Energy would be enhanced. Although this increase in strength was quite small, piling up many grains of sand would eventually create a mountain. Over time, by repeating this process again and again, Yang Kai’s Soul had already become several times more powerful than other cultivators in the same realm.
The flames that filled his Knowledge Sea had seemingly become hotter and more intense.
Please with these gains, Yang Kai quickly devoured the last few Soul remnants.
However, when he began absorbing one of these masses of Spiritual Energy, Yang Kai’s expression suddenly became weird and he quickly stopped his movements.
In front of his Soul Avatar was a not so powerful Soul remnant. In fact, this one was weaker than all the rest, only belonging to the level of a Third Order Transcendent.
This was clearly the Soul remnant left behind by the Chart Master named Wu Suo!
Yang Kai understood this clearly because unlike most of the others, he had actually witnessed Wu Suo’s body burst into a bloody fog and his bones ground into dust. At the time, Wu Suo was the only Transcendent Realm cultivator in the Starship power room, everyone else was at least a Saint.
The Spiritual Energy mass that Wu Suo left behind after his death though seemed to be different somehow.
While it was truly only on the level of a Third Order Transcendent, weaker than the others, there seemed to be something hidden inside of it, something out of the ordinary.
Yang Kai concentrated his Divine Sense and began to investigate.
Suddenly, it was as if he had left his Knowledge Sea and been immersed in the Starry Sky, surrounded by stars. Some of these stars exuded a glamorous and dazzling light, some exuded rich vitality, some were blanketed in heavy Death Qi, and so on.
Yang Kai felt as if he had suddenly become omnipotent and was standing above the Starry Sky, overlooking the entire Heng Luo Star Field.
Nothing could escape from his eyes.
All the stars in front of him seemed to be driven by some kind of mysterious force, rotating in a complicated and regular pattern that Yang Kai failed to comprehend.
Yang Kai then saw a place in the exact centre of the entire Star Field.
Some of the stars in this location seemed to be particularly bright, some were red like flame, some were white like frost, some stars gave off incredible amounts of pure energy, some seemed like enormous ancient trees…
It was the Chaotic Abyss!
Yang Kai’s spirit visibly shook.
He immediately realized that this distinctive sector of the Starry Sky he was looking at was the Chaotic Abyss he had been lost in for so long, the dazzling stars and rich energy aura were all too familiar to him.
The first place he had arrived at in the Star Field was the Chaotic Abyss, and its appearance that had long ago been carved into the depths of his soul was identical to the one he was looking at right now.
The only difference was that it had been reduced in size countless times over.
Wu Suo’s Soul remnant actually hid a profound Star Chart.
And it was a Star Chart of the entire Heng Luo Star Field!
Yang Kai stared dumbfounded at this for quite a while, not understanding why this was.
As Yang Kai continued examining this Star Chart with his Divine Sense, the water in his Knowledge Sea rapidly began to evaporate and dry up, his Spiritual Energy being consumed at an incredible speed.
A tearing pain spread from Yang Kai’s Knowledge Sea, shocking him and forcing him to quickly withdraw his Divine Sense from the Star Chart, only then discovering the changes in his Knowledge Sea.
In this brief period of time, he had actually used up nearly half of the Spiritual Energy in his Knowledge Sea.
The splitting pain he felt was a sign that his Spiritual Energy was being over-consumed and the reason for this was no doubt the mysterious Star Chart, clearly it contained hidden secrets!
Yang Kai took a deep breath and didn’t dare to act recklessly, quickly withdrawing his consciousness from his Knowledge Sea.
Returning his senses to his body, Yang Kai felt a cold wind brush against him, causing him to shiver and notice that he was covered in sweat, his every muscle stretched taut.
Shen Tu, who was sitting nearby, stared at him with a stunned look.
Seeing Yang Kai in such a miserable state, he couldn’t help speaking a few words of persuasion, “Yang Kai, calm down, don’t get anxious, that’s the seal of a Saint King Realm master, no matter what, you won’t be able to unlock it for a while.”
Obviously, he thought that Yang Kai was trying to break open Lu Gui Chen’s seal.
“I know, don’t worry about me,” Yang Kai spoke thoughtlessly before quietly taking out a Spiritual Energy restoring Saint Pill from the Demon Mystic Tome and popping it into his mouth, adjusting his Soul while contemplating what just happened.
According to what Shen Tu had told him, Wu Suo was one of the top-ranking Chart Masters in all of Purple Star, qualifying him to assume responsibility for setting the course of Purple Star’s Starships.
Such a top-level Chart Master would obviously have his own unique insights into the makeup of the Star Field. In addition to spending a small amount of time on his personal cultivation, the rest of his life must have been spent on studying and producing Star Charts.
However, that simply couldn’t explain why that mysterious Star Chart would remain even after being exposed to the purifying Golden Light.
The Golden Light was capable of erasing all the memories and life experiences of a cultivator, leaving behind only a mass of pure energy.
This was why Yang Kai had always been able to obtain the insights these fallen cultivators possessed about the Heavenly Way and Martial Dao, but never any of their Secret Arts or Martial Skills.
The knowledge Wu Suo had obtained about Star Charts across the course of his life should have been erased.
However, it all remained intact.
This phenomenon was very strange and had never happened before.
Yang Kai thought about it for a while and eventually arrived at a certain possibility.
The Star Chart which had been left behind wasn’t part of Wu Suo’s knowledge but was actually some kind of fortuitous encounter he had obtained.
It didn’t originally belong to Wu Suo, therefore it wasn’t purified, and on top of that, it was a higher level treasure than the Demon Eye of Annihilation!
Only this possibility could explain the current situation.
The more he considered it, the more Yang Kai felt his guess was correct.
Suddenly opening his eyes, he turned to Shen Tu and said, “I have something I need to ask.”
“Oh? What?” Shen Tu looked back at him.
“How much do you know about that Chart Master called Wu Suo?”
“How come you suddenly want to know about him?” Shen Tu wore a confused look, “He seems to have already died as I haven’t seen him here. What’s wrong? Did you know anything about him before?”
“I didn’t, I’m just curious.”
Shen Tu chuckled, “He’s not a beautiful woman, so I don’t know much about him, but Wu Suo was indeed a top-level Chart Master, so it’s not like I know nothing. En, it’s said that he came from a rather small force that had fallen into decline. He didn’t have extraordinary talent in cultivation and was more or less a drifter. At two hundred years old, he had only been able to cultivate to the Transcendent Realm. A two-hundred-year-old Transcendent is really no different from a waste…”
Despite saying otherwise, Shen Tu knew a lot, his mouth continuing to move for quite some time.
Yang Kai didn’t interrupt him and simply listened to these pieces of trivial information indifferently.
“Right, how he became a Chart Master is actually quite an interesting tale, nearly legendary actually. Before reaching the Transcendent Realm, he was a small character that no one had ever heard of, but after breaking through to the Transcendent Realm, he suddenly displayed incredible talent in the field of Star Chart design. The Star Charts he created were incredibly precise and were capable of avoiding many potential dangers in the Star Field. He originally came from a star under Purple Star’s jurisdiction, so after his rise to fame, he was recruited by Purple Star.”
“After reaching the Transcendent Realm, he became a Chart Master?” Yang Kai expression changed.
“En, it’s strange, isn’t it? Some people have investigated this but no one was able to find much information about it. Basically, everyone thinks that he should have been taught in secret by a very powerful Chart Master, which was why his cultivation had advanced so slowly. His advancement was delayed because he spent all of his effort studying Star Charts. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been able to become a top-level Chart Master in such a short period of time. Chart Masters are too rare and take too much time to train. Training them also consumed a massive amount of resources. Every big force in the Star Field has its own Chart Master training organization, but Chart Masters who emerge from these institutes and are actually of use are still rare,” Shen Tu smiled and explained, “All of those so-called Chart Masters are capable of drawing a Star Chart from one star to a neighbouring star, but once the distance increases, those same Chart Masters become useless. The Star Charts they draw are inaccurate and can’t provide the least bit of safety.”
“Got it, thanks,” Yang Kai had obtained the information he needed, so he didn’t see a reason to continue discussing this topic any longer and quickly closed his eyes.
“Hey, you haven’t told me why you suddenly became interested in Wu Suo. Could it be you want to become a Chart Master?” Shen Tu asked before letting out a laugh, “I strongly advise you against that. Without dozens of years of immersion and research into the field of Star Charts, it’s absolutely impossible to become a Chart Master, the amount of information one needs to know is simply too immense.”
Yang Kai didn’t bother replying to him, causing Shen Tu to feel somewhat bored, so he too closed eyes and silently began circulating his healing art.
Yang Kai’s Soul Avatar once again appeared inside his Knowledge Sea. After his talk with Shen Tu, he had basically confirmed his previous hypothesis.
Wu Suo really became a Chart Master because of some fortuitous encounter where he managed to somehow obtain this Star Chart hidden in his Soul.
With such a Star Chart, anyone could become a Chart Master!
The reason why he didn’t achieve fame until he broke through to the Transcendent Realm was likely because of the amount of Spiritual Energy required to examine this Star Chart was too great.
About this point, Yang Kai had firsthand experience!
Just now, he had only examined the mysterious Star Chart for an incense stick worth of time, yet half of his Spiritual Energy had been consumed. If it was a cultivator at Wu Suo’s level, after at most a tea sip worth of time, they would become completely exhausted.
Yang Kai didn’t have much interest in the Chart Master profession, but he was very interested in the makeup of the Star Field and the distribution of its various stars.
There were many potential dangers in the Star Field, some that could even threaten Saint King Realm masters. It was the Chart Masters who were responsible for detecting and avoiding these dangers in a timely manner.
If he could refine this Star Chart for himself, Yang Kai felt that he would never have to worry about becoming lost in this Star Field again.
He had suffered a lot in the Chaotic Abyss and had taken this experience to heart, so he had decided to refine the Star Chart. Wu Suo’s treasure had fallen into his hands now; so naturally he wasn’t going to just give it up.
On the Floating Continent, the cultivators of Sword Union and Purple Star lived in peace with one another. It had been more than ten days since the mysterious old man had snatched all of their space rings. No one knew what he wanted with those Space Rings, nor why he had collected those broken bits of Starship debris.
Yang Kai and Shen Tu, the only independent group, kept their distance from both forces.
After such a long period, Shen Tu had finally finished recovering, all of the injuries he had suffered basically having been restored.
Because Yang Kai was still sitting in meditation though, he didn’t dare to run around.
The cultivators from the two great forces, on the other hand, had begun to investigate this strange continent’s situation, and after some initial probing, they found that there was indeed nothing dangerous here, just as the mysterious old man had said before.
They didn’t find any other living creatures here. It seemed like before they arrived, the only living, breathing entity in this place was the mysterious old man.
While they deeply dreaded this old man, they also felt some sympathy for him.
Living alone in such a place, without anyone to even converse with, it would indeed be quite taxing on one’s spirit.
Lu Gui Chen and Yue Xi also used their Star Shuttles to soar up into the sky in an attempt to leave this strange place, return to the Star Field, and escape from under the grip of this terrifying old man.
However, what made them depressed was that no matter how high nor how far they flew, they could never see the stars; all that ever lay before them was the seven coloured sky, like a cage trapping them all on this continent.
As time passed, everyone’s mood became somewhat impetuous, and if not for the old man’s previous threats, the two sides would likely have already started fighting again.
Inside his Knowledge Sea, Yang Kai used his burning hot Spiritual Energy to wrap up Wu Suo’s remnant Soul and refine it.
He had been continuing this process for ten days now, but he was still unable to completely refine the strange Star Chart.
Apparently, he had underestimated the worth of this Star Chart.
However, he saw hope.
Wu Suo’s remnant Spiritual Energy had disappeared, leaving behind a glittering ball of starlight, the embodiment of the strange Star Chart.
Yang Kai continually fed it his Spiritual Energy in order to leave behind his Soul Brand and engrave his life aura on it.
The entire process was similar to refining an artifact.
Suddenly, the Star Chart began to become unstable and gradually expand, almost as if it would explode at any time.
Seeing this, Yang Kai couldn’t help feeling slightly uneasy, moving his Soul Avatar to the six coloured island before continuing to push his Spiritual Energy to refine the Star Chart.
A quiet snap suddenly resounded from the Star Chart, as if it had cracked ever so slightly, but in the next moment, Yang Kai felt his Spiritual Energy being madly drawn into the Star Chart. The ocean-like water in his Knowledge Sea rapidly drained as a result.
Colourful rays of light bursts inside his Knowledge Sea and a myriad of twinkling stars shot out in all directions, causing Yang Kai’s Knowledge Sea to become turbulent and chaotic and his consciousness to become blurry.
An uncountable number of stars flooded into Yang Kai’s Knowledge Sea before quickly rising up into its empty sky, filling it with light.
Slowly, the blank sky above Yang Kai’s Knowledge Sea sky was filled with colour, like a tiny invisible hand was painting a picture on it.
Yang Kai was dazed, his Soul Avatar standing atop the six coloured island staring at the scene in front of him, his eyes growing brighter and brighter.
The scenery in his Knowledge Sea was undergoing a tremendous change at an extremely fast pace.
After about the time it would take to make a cup of tea, Yang Kai’s turbulent Knowledge Sea finally stabilized.
Now, the view inside his Knowledge Sea was very different from before.
The six coloured island still floated dead centre in the ocean, the Demon Eye of Annihilation was also quietly floating above it, but the sky, which had previously been empty, was now filled with a beautiful starry night.
This wasn’t something Yang Kai had condensed from his Spiritual Energy, but an actual existence.
It was the result of Yang Kai successfully refining and integrating the Star Chart into himself!
Yang Kai was overjoyed and grinned broadly as he stood atop the six coloured island.
Eager to experiment, Yang Kai stared at a certain place in this starry sky and the stars in that sector suddenly became clear to him.
These stars were slowly turning under the influence of some miraculous force, maintaining their relative position with the stars around them which were also being moved by this force.
Yang Kai’s Divine Sense swam through this sea of stars and witnessed many of the magical and mysterious elements of the Star Field, his Spiritual Energy draining rapidly as he went.
Although it took a lot of Spiritual Energy to spy on the Star Chart, Yang Kai was still very satisfied.
With such a Star Chart inside his Knowledge Sea, he no longer had to worry about losing his way, he could accurately find any destination he wanted to and could even instantly become an outstanding Chart Master.
Restraining his thoughts, Yang Kai began to search for where he was.
In the mysterious Star Chart, Yang Kai soon found a white spot of light that was continually flashing, and when he focused his Divine Sense there, the white point gave off a subtle fluctuation that allowed him to understand that it represented his current position.
Realizing this, Yang Kai’s expression became weird.
Because he found that according to the Star Chart, the white dot that showed his current whereabouts was actually inside the black hole that had swallowed everyone at the centre of the Chaotic Abyss.
Whether this Star Chart was truly accurate or not, Yang Kai wasn’t completely clear, but he would have to wait until later to verify it.
Unable to learn anything more for the moment, Yang Kai decided to stop wasting his Spiritual Energy and ended his exploration.
Slowly opening his eyes, Yang Kai suddenly heard an excited shout coming from nearby.
Glancing over to the source of the sound, a short distance away, Yang Kai discovered to his surprise that in the Purple Star camp, Liu Shan and Bi Ya were holding some medicinal herbs excitedly rushing over to Lu Gui Chen to say something.
Lu Gui Chen’s expression gradually became more and more excited as his eyes flashed brilliantly, accepting the herb from them and beginning to examine it.
“What happened?” Yang Kai asked.
“Those people from Purple Star seem to have found something incredible,” Shen Tu had also been paying attention to the movements there and although he didn’t hear exactly what they said, he was able to make an educated guess.
“What thing?”
“A Saint King Grade herb!” Shen Tu said solemnly.
Yang Kai’s eyes lit up hearing this.
“They discovered it when they were out exploring this continent, and apparently there was far more than just one!”
“That old man did say that the aura here was rich and there were abundant resources…” Yang Kai wrinkled his brow as he thoughtfully said, “He also said that the only thing it lacked was rare ores!”
Shen Tu suddenly glanced over at him and said, “No rare ores here, but rich in materials… Does that mean there are many precious medicinal herbs here?”
“It’s possible!” Yang Kai gently nodded.
“Purple Star’s people won’t just sit still after learning about it,” Shen Tu muttered again, and as Yang Kai turned to look over there, he truly found that all of Purple Star’s cultivators were soaring off in all directions.
A short time later, Yue Xi of Sword Union also summoned all her subordinates and after speaking a few words to them, the people of Sword Union also set out.
He Zao glanced over at Yang Kai before leaving and nodded to him apologetically.
Yang Kai smiled faintly in response.
These days, Yang Kai had noticed He Zao and He Miao several times wanting to talk to him, but each time they were stopped by a male cultivator from Sword Union.
Yang Kai understood that this was all because of Yue Xi’s instructions, so he didn’t pay it any heed.
“Yang Kai, we should also go out and have a look!” Shen Tu said restlessly, “There’s nothing to do here anyway, and with such a rich World Energy aura, the quality of the herbs produced here are definitely not low.”
“Good,” Yang Kai hesitated for a moment before nodding in agreement, “It’s a good opportunity to collect some herbs to perform Alchemy!”
“You’re also versed in Alchemy?” Shen Tu shot him a look of surprise.
“En, I have some small experience in the field. If I can find the right materials, I might be able to refine the Seal Breaking Pill and unlock the seal placed on me!” Yang Kai declared.
“Then what are we waiting for? Instead of asking others for help it’s always better to help yourself; let’s go, I’ll help you out!” Shen Tu said while circulating his Saint Qi, covering Yang Kai with it, picking a direction, and soaring out.
Sword Union and Purple Star’s cultivators were now spread out all over the continent, and as Shen Tu and Yang Kai flew along, every now and then they would hear someone call out loudly.
“Saint King Grade High-Rank Blue Blood Grass, such a big piece, hahaha, I’m rich!”
“Saint King Grade Mid-Rank Refreshing Spirits Flower…”
“Come quick, there’s a Dark Moon Spirit Mushroom here!”
“Saint Grade High-Rank Earth Emperor Fruit, better than nothing I guess…”
It seemed like the abundance of high-grade herbs produced here had caused the visions of these cultivators to rise significantly. In the past, a Saint Grade High-Rank spirit grass or spirit herb would seem like a rare treasure to them; but now, the Sword Union and Purple Star cultivators were essentially ignoring any herb which was not at least Saint King Grade.
Shen Tu’s face filled with bitterness as he listened to the joyful cries around him, it was as if these cries were grating against his heart, causing him to increase his speed out of fear all the herbs on the continent would be swept away.
“Damn it, without a Star Shuttle, there’s no way to keep up with them,” Shen Tu flew for more than an hour but couldn’t find a suitable place to begin searching; everywhere so far had already been picked clean by the other cultivators.
“Fly over there!” Yang Kai stared towards a certain direction where he vaguely saw a lush jungle.
Jungles had always been a place rich in herbs.
“How come no one discovered that this continent was so rich in herbs until now?” As they flew forward, Yang Kai asked suspiciously. It had been almost half a month since they arrived here, so logically they should have noticed this point before now.
“Everyone was too frightened of that old man and didn’t dare act before. It was only a few days ago when people began to explore the surrounding area and investigate the sky. It was during those explorations that they started finding these rare herbs,” Shen Tu explained casually, his eyes suddenly becoming bright, “The jungle up ahead seems to be untouched, let’s go in and see.”
“En.”
The two people’s figures flew through the air and rushed into the jungle.
Just after they entered this jungle, both of their spirits shook because the World Energy aura here was actually more intense than where they had been resting before.
Glancing at each other, the two of them knew they had come to the right place.
The denser the aura, the higher quality of herbs would be bred.
Simultaneously releasing their Divine Senses, it only took a moment before Yang Kai pointed to a certain spot, “There’s something over there.”
Shen Tu shot him a curious look, “Are you sure?”
“Absolutely! Because there’s a strong medicinal fragrance wafting from that direction.”
“Don’t tell me you really are an Alchemist?” Shen Tu was stunned.
Inside the jungle, Yang Kai and Shen Tu moved as swiftly as the wind, collecting one spirit herb after another.
The herbs produced here were at least Saint Grade, most of them Saint King Grade.
Shen Tu was so happy he couldn’t stop grinning.
He had never imagined that this continent would be filled with so many spirit herbs. Almost every hundred steps they took, there would be a spirit herb just growing wild, waiting for him and Yang Kai to collect.
The spirit grasses and spirit medicines on this Floating Continent were ten times more abundant than any Medicine Star in the Star Field. On top of that, each of these herbs was many years old and completely untouched.
The mysterious old man’s cultivation was extraordinary and wouldn’t even care about the herbs here so he hadn’t bothered collecting any of them, allowing the spirit grasses and spirit medicines ample time to grow.
Shen Tu didn’t know much about spirit herbs as he usually only handled already refined pills, but even so, just seeing the dazzling array of resources in front of him made it difficult to not be exciting.
Under Yang Kai’s careful guidance, Shen Tu swept away all the mature herbs.
“Hey Yang Kai, take a look at this…” Shen Tu suddenly called out excitedly, his voice trembling slightly, seemingly having found something incredible.
Yang Kai hurried over to and upon arriving at Shen Tu’s side, he saw a strange orchid. This orchid’s white petals overflowed with a soft radiance and exuded a delicate scent that relaxed one’s spirit with even the lightest of sniffs, it was clearly not ordinary.
Yang Kai’s eyes shrank as he shouted, “Seven Coloured Thousand Knot Orchid?”
The spirit grasses and spirit medicines that were produced on this continent were basically the same as those found in Tong Xuan Realm, the only difference being that their grades were extremely high. Of course, there were many herbs here that even Yang Kai couldn’t name. These were naturally herbs not native to Tong Xuan Realm.
This Seven Coloured Thousand Knot Orchid also grew in Tong Xuan Realm, but there it was only capable growing to the Saint Grade Mid-Rank; however, the orchid in front of Yang Kai right now was giving off an amazing energy fluctuation as well as a medicinal fragrance far beyond what a Saint Grade Mid-Rank herb was capable of.
“Yang Kai, what grade is this, why does it feel so different?” Shen Tu muttered hesitantly as he stared at the Seven Coloured Thousand Knot Orchid in front of him.
“According to the division of the Star Field’s cultivators, this should be an Origin Grade herb,” Yang Kai said solemnly.
Shen Tu drew a sharp breath, his expression fluctuating quick quickly as he whispered to himself, “There are Origin Grade herbs here? Heavens, there are actually Origin Grade herbs here!”
Even when taking the entire Star Field into consideration, Origin Grade herbs were extremely valuable, yet Yang Kai and Shen Tu had barely begun exploring this place and had already found one, it was easy to imagine from this point alone just how abundant the resources of this continent were.
Yang Kai carefully collected the Seven Coloured Thousand Knot Orchid and placed it in his Universe Bag, also quite excited deep in his heart.
Exchanging a knowing glance, he and Shen Tu then continued their search.
The Floating Continent was truly rich in herbs. Stimulated by the great wealth in front of them, both Purple Star and Sword Union’s cultivators seemingly forgot all about the awkward situation they were in and instead crazily scoured the land for spirit grasses and spirit medicines.
Whether they were able to leave this place or not, these herbs would have a huge impact on their future cultivation.
Yang Kai and Shen Tu also reaped a huge harvest. The size of this continent wasn’t small, and there were only about a hundred cultivators in total from Purple Star and Sword Union here, so after scattering in all direction, it was actually quite rare to run into others.
As such, they were able to search for herbs in a safe and secure way.
After a dozen days, Yang Kai suddenly paused.
“What’s wrong?” Shen Tu was still in high spirits as he searched around, but upon noticing Yang Kai stop, he couldn’t help asking.
“I’ve collected enough herbs, for now. I’m going to start performing Alchemy.”
“You’re going to refine a pill to break that seal?” Shen Tu asked.
“En.”
“But you can’t use your Saint Qi right now, how are you planning on performing Alchemy?” Shen Tu asked in confusion.
“I have a way. In any case, you keep searching for herbs by yourself. There’s a small cave over that way, I’ll be staying there for a while. You can find me there,” Yang Kai pointed back towards a spot the two had just come from. As they were searching for herbs, Yang Kai had discovered a cave there and felt it was a good place to settle down temporarily.
“Good,” Shen Tu didn’t object. He knew how eager Yang Kai was to regain the ability to use his Saint Qi, “Then you be careful, I’ll continue searching for now.”
Saying so, he quickly ran off.
Yang Kai took a quick look around his surroundings before heading back towards the cave he found earlier.
A short time later, Yang Kai arrived in front of the cave and, after inspecting it with his Divine Sense to confirm there was no danger inside, he walked in.
This cave should have been formed naturally as there were many stalactites hanging from its ceiling. From the tip of these stalactites, droplets of milky water would occasionally drop.
Catching and drinking a few of these drops, Yang Kai immediately felt refreshed.
The water in the mountains here was not ordinary water, each drop contained a massive amount of World Energy; in fact, it was almost as if this water was liquefied World Energy. Anyone who drank it would receive great benefits. It even had similar effects to the Myriad Drug Liquid, such as the ability to improve one’s physique and enhance their strength.
Of course, the effect was far less potent than the Myriad Drug Liquid.
Yang Kai went all the way to the innermost part of the cave, searched for a dry spot, then sat down cross-legged.
The total area of this cave wasn’t large, perhaps a few houses in size at most; on top of that, the light was dim, but this environment was perfect for Yang Kai’s needs.
While he wasn’t able to use his Saint Qi, his Spiritual Energy had not been sealed!
Since long ago, Yang Kai had not needed to use his Qi to perform Alchemy. With his Conflagrated Spiritual Energy, he could refine any pill he wanted to far faster and more efficiently than using with his Saint Qi.
After calming his breathing, Yang Kai began organizing some Saint Grade herbs and prepared to refine several Saint Pills.
Taking out his small pill furnace, he placed it in front of himself.
Yang Kai wrapped up the herbs in his Divine Sense, using his Conflagrated Spiritual Energy to condense them into medicinal liquids.
A moment later, the several Saint Grade herbs were purified, leaving behind only several drops of fragrant medicinal liquid.
Quickly portraying all sorts of Spirit Arrays used in Alchemy inside his pill furnace, Yang Kai then inserted the drops of medicinal liquid and began to control the heat.
Yang Kai handled this familiar task easily and methodically.
Even though he had not performed Alchemy in quite some time, the various processes had already become ingrained in his instincts.
Yang Kai completed each step in the refinement with impeccable precision, not making a single mistake along the way.
The mountain cave soon began to fill with a rich pill fragrance.
When the medicinal fragrance in the air reached a certain density, Yang Kai took back his Conflagrated Spiritual Energy and waited a moment before tapping his pill furnace with his fingers.
As he did so, a perfectly round medicinal pill flew out and was quickly pinched between his fingertips.
There were no Pill Veins on this pill which was a bit disappointing, but it was still a genuine Saint Grade Mid-Rank pill.
Gently nodding, Yang Kai was very satisfied, storing the pill into the Demon Mystic Tome before closing his eyes to restore himself.
Refining a Saint Pill required him to consume some Spiritual Energy, and although the quantity wasn’t great, Yang Kai couldn’t just squander his Spiritual Energy thoughtlessly here, so he intended to maintain his peak condition at all times.
After the time it would take to burn a stick of incense, Yang Kai continued.
Even back in Tong Xuan Realm, Yang Kai was already able to refine Saint Grade High-Rank pills. Nine Heavens Holy Land had gathered an incredible amount of herbs and wealth before he had left, allowing him to upgrade his Alchemy proficiency as he wished.
However, a Saint Grade High-Rank pill was unlikely to be sufficient to break the seal Lu Gui Chen had placed on him.
Lu Gui Chen was a Saint King Realm master, so only a Saint King Grade pill would be able to break his technique.
As such, Yang Kai’s priority now was to quickly use the vast amount of resources he had gathered here to improve his Alchemy skills.
When he left Tong Xuan Realm, he had brought many resources with him, and on this Floating Continent, he and Shen Tu had collected many Saint King Grade and Origin Grade herbs.
Therefore, he wasn’t worried about the materials at all.
Time flowed by and Yang Kai immersed himself in the world of Alchemy, living alone in the cave, filling the air with a thick pill fragrance while the Floating Continent was filled with activity as the cultivators from Purple Star and Sword Union continued their rich harvest.
However, Lu Gui Chen was a bit disgruntled.
Because he didn’t have a storage artifact on hand!
Without proper storage artifacts, even if they collected all these herbs, they had no place to put them. This was just a minor matter though. The more serious problem was that after these herbs were picked, without being properly stored, their efficacies would quickly fade.
This made Lu Gui Chen feel extremely distressed as he watched these Saint King Grade and Origin Grade herbs slowly but surely lose their potency.
He even wished he could go find the mysterious old man and snatch back his own Space Ring.
However, he only dared imagine this in his head. Facing that old man, Lu Gui Chen couldn’t even summon the will to resist.
……
Atop a great mountain peak, the mysterious old man stared fixedly at a large flat piece of land. On this flat land, there were many extremely high-grade Saint Crystals arranged into a large array.
At the centre of this array was something which resembled a door erected on the ground.
The door was refined from the debris of the two broken Starships and seemingly led nowhere.
The two broken Starships were giant Saint King Grade High-Rank artifacts, and the material used in their hulls was also extremely precious, the surviving pieces of which were used by the old man to refine the door.
There were no precious ores on this continent, so the old man had been unable to find the right materials to refine this most critical door for a very long time.
It was difficult to describe just how excited he was when he saw the Starship shards fall from the air and descend on this continent!
On the door’s frame as well as the base surrounding it were many extremely high-grade Saint Crystals, giving it a beautiful appearance.
A strange energy fluctuation radiated from this door, causing even a character like the mysterious old man to not dare approach it recklessly, as if it contained a great hidden danger.
The look on the old man’s face became wild with anticipation as he paced back and forth nearby, muttering to himself, “Soon, very soon!”
The mad light flashing across his eyes would cause anyone who met them to shudder.
After inspecting his arrangement for a while, he suddenly came to a halt and spread his Divine Sense across the entire continent.
Instantly, the movements of all the people who were scurrying about the continent clearly appeared in his mind.
Grinning fiendishly, he snickered, “Heh heh, everyone is quite active, good, good, good. This old master most hates this place’s suffocating silence. This old master has been alone here for two thousand years and can no longer bear such torture. If they didn’t have any energy at all, this old master would have had a headache… Oh, this little brat is a bit interesting.”
The mysterious old man’s cultivation was extraordinary, and as long as he wished to know something, there was no way anyone on this continent could hide anything from him.
As such, he had quickly discovered the unusualness of Yang Kai.
That old man focused his Divine Sense towards the cave Yang Kai was in.
Inside the cave, Yang Kai, who was trying to refine a Saint King Grade pill suddenly, went stiff, his eyes shooting open and quickly scanning his surroundings, his expression dignified.
Just now, he had felt like there was an invisible eye spying on his movements, causing him to feel nervous.
However, after careful investigation, Yang Kai couldn’t discover anything wrong, so he shook his head wryly, thinking he was just being overcautious.
Having interrupted his focus, the Saint King Grade pill he had been refining had instantly failed and a burnt smell began leaking from his pill furnace. The medicinal liquids he had worked so hard to purify and blend now could no longer be used.
Yang Kai let out a faint sigh and removed the burnt slag from his pill furnace, recalling his Conflagrated Spiritual Energy and closing his eyes to steady his mind.
Seeing this scene, the mysterious old man, who was nearly ten thousand kilometres away, took back his own Divine Sense and muttered suspiciously, “Are his senses so keen?”
He was confident that given his means, it would have been impossible for this little brat to detect his Divine Sense probing. It was more likely that due to being in a heightened state of vigilance, this boy had vaguely sensed danger and responded accordingly.
Shaking his head, the old man no longer paid any attention to Yang Kai and focused on his own matters instead.
The old man really didn’t care much about a little brat like Yang Kai.
Inside the cave, Yang Kai secluded himself and continued refining pills.
Although Yang Kai didn’t know how much time has passed, he had refined several hundred Saint Grade Mid-Rank and Saint Grade High-Rank pills. Among these pills, there were many that had given birth to Pill Veins.
His Alchemy proficiency had also greatly improved, and he was now even capable of refining Saint King Grade pills.
On a certain day, Yang Kai carefully pulled out some herbs from his Demon Mystic Tome, each one of them Saint King Grade containing vast amounts of energy.
He was going to start refining the Seal Breaking Pill!
Yang Kai was quite familiar with the Seal Breaking Pill’s pill recipe, as it was one of the recipes from Tong Xuan Realm. The grade of Seal Breaking Pill produced would depend entirely on the grade of herbs used.
Today, Yang Kai had chosen Saint King Grade herbs, so naturally the Seal Breaking Pill he would refine would be Saint King Grade as well.
Although he was lacking a few of the specific herbs in the recipe, he had found appropriate substitutes.
Yang Kai was already an excellent Alchemist, so it wasn’t difficult for him to make minor adjustments to a pill recipe.
Calming himself, Yang Kai adjusted his condition to its peak before beginning the refinement.
His movements were smooth and precise as his mood remained steady, not anxious, as if he was refining any ordinary pill.
Because he had full confidence in refining this pill!
He had no doubt he would succeed.
His confidence was not unfounded and two hours later, Yang Kai completed a perfectly round, pale yellow, Seal Breaking Pill filled with energy.
Taking this pill out of his pill furnace, Yang Kai pinched it between his fingers and silently examined it, shaking his head slowly a moment later.
This pill was a genuine Saint King Pill.
However, according to his observations, it should only be Saint King Grade Low-Rank.
He didn’t know if such a pill could break the seal placed on him. If Lu Gui Chen’s strength was also only at this level, there wouldn’t be any suspense, but Yang Kai estimated that Lu Gui Chen was at least a Second-Order Saint King or possible even a Third Order one.
Therefore, he couldn’t be certain.
Frowning in thought for a while, Yang Kai eventually stuffed the pill into his mouth and swallowed it.
Closing his eyes, Yang Kai sat cross-legged and waited for the medicinal energies to take effect.
A short time later, Yang Kai’s face warped with pain. He felt a wave of heat spread from his lower abdomen, like a torrent of lightning that had suddenly exploded outwards in all directions.
His blocked meridians stretched and a tearing pain spread throughout his body.
Yang Kai clenched his teeth and remained still, using his Divine Sense to observe his condition as the medicinal efficacies progressed.
He clearly saw an illusory set of bindings in his body loosen as the effects spread; these shackles contained Lu Gui Chen’s aura and were naturally the seal he had placed on him.
The Seal Breaking Pill’s medicinal energies were like a dragon and Yang Kai’s body was its battlefield, fighting a desperate struggle against these shackles.
The entire process brought him unimaginable pain.
Although the Seal Breaking Pill’s effects were good, it was obviously not enough to smash open the shackles and restore Yang Kai’s freedom. Every time the medicinal energies tried to move forward, they would lose a great deal of strength while the shackles themselves remained intact, sealing Yang Kai’s Saint Qi and meridians.
Half a day later, Yang Kai opened her eyes weakly, a helpless look upon his face.
A Saint King Grade Low-Rank Seal Breaking Pill really wasn’t sufficient.
However, with his current means, this was the highest grade of pill Yang Kai could refine.
It wasn’t a matter of material, nor was it because of his lack of skill, but because of his cultivation.
Yang Kai was only a First Order Saint, being able to successfully refine a pill an entire Great Realm higher than his own cultivation was already an incredible feat, if he wanted to refine higher grade pills, he would need to enhance his cultivation first.
However, Yang Kai wasn’t disheartened but instead filled with hope.
Just because a normal Saint King Grade Low-Rank Seal Breaking Pill wouldn’t work, didn’t mean a Seal Breaking Pill with Pill Veins would be the same.
Once a pill formed Pill Veins, its medicinal effects would at least double in potency.
As long as he could refine a Seal Breaking Pill that formed Pill Veins, Yang Kai was confident he could break this seal.
He didn’t concern himself with his failure just now and instead used a drop of Myriad Drug Liquid to quickly restore himself and start again.
During this time, Shen Tu had collected a lot of herbs, enough for Yang Kai to refine four or five Seal Breaking Pills.
Yang Kai busied himself and after another two hours, he removed a second Seal Breaking Pill from his furnace.
It was an ordinary pill again, without Pill Veins.
Apparently, it was much more difficult to refine Saint King Grade pills that formed Pill Veins.
Yang Kai wasn’t rushed though, his state of mind remaining stable, unaffected by any failure because even if these materials were exhausted, he could simply collect more and try again. In this place, herbs were essentially inexhaustible.
Reminding himself of this point, Yang Kai felt that even if he failed a few more times, it wouldn’t be an issue.
When the fifth Seal Breaking Pill was taken out of the pill furnace, Yang Kai’s eyes lit up and his mood lifted.
This pill had formed human-like meridians across its surface, and the medicinal energies which were contained within it were clearly stronger than before.
[Success!] Looking at this pill, Yang Kai, who had dedicated much thought and effort into its refinement, couldn’t help smiling.
It had been a few months since Lu Gui Chen had placed this seal on him, and there was no one here he could rely upon for assistance with it. Although he had made friends with Shen Tu, the latter was powerless to help him break this seal.
Yang Kai had to rely on himself.
Now, with this Seal Breaking Pill in his hand, a strong sense of excitement and pride rose in his chest.
Yang Kai wasn’t in a hurry to take this pill but instead chose to restore himself first.
Half a day later, Yang Kai popped the pill into his mouth while looking forward to its effects.
Worthy of a pill that had formed Pill Veins, the moment Yang Kai swallowed it, a violent torrent of heat burst forth from his abdomen, one that as several times stronger than last time.
Yang Kai’s face turned red and his blood began flowing rapidly, seemingly on fire as it coursed through his veins. Enduring the unimaginable pain, his expression contorted but Yang Kai’s eyes remained bright.
He noticed that the shackles in his body were slowly being broken.
The meridians that had been sealed for the past few months finally became free and the Saint Qi which had been stagnant this whole time once again showed signs of flowing.
*Kakaka…*
The sound of the shackles breaking was transmitted directly to the depths of Yang Kai’s soul and as his Saint Qi began flowing faster and faster, his strength was slowly recovered.
According to this situation, in time than it would take to make a cup of tea, the seal would be completely broken.
But at that moment, Yang Kai’s expression suddenly dimmed and he spread out his Divine Sense.
He had noticed that someone had entered his vicinity and couldn’t help raising his vigilance slightly.
While he had been performing Alchemy, there would occasionally be one or two cultivators that passed by and noticed his life aura, but none of them had come to disturb him.
This was obviously because no one dared to make trouble in the old man’s site.
But this time seemed to be a bit different. After the cultivator outside the cave noticed Yang Kai’s existence, not only did he not leave, but instead walked straight in.
Yang Kai’s brow wrinkled and his expression became disgruntled.
Although he wasn’t worried about this person seeking trouble with him, it was still very uncomfortable to be disturbed at such a critical juncture.
Stimulating the movement of the medicinal efficacies, Yang Kai sped up the rate at which they were breaking through the seal while on the surface he wore a calm and undisturbed look.
A moment later, a bright light appeared in front of Yang Kai, and a figure emerged.
The light was being emitted by a strange stone and was quite soft, capable of illuminating a wide area. The cultivator trail holding this strange stone came walked in front of Yang Kai who was sitting on the ground and grinned, “I was wondering who was hiding here, it turns out it was you.”
Between his words, the light from the strange stone revealed this person’s gloomy expression.
“You’re He Zao and He Miao’s Senior Brother?” Yang Kai looked at him indifferently.
He recognized this guy. Every time He Zao and He Miao tried to come find him, they had been intercepted by this person. If Yang Kai recalled correctly, Yue Xi had called him Wei Wu.
“Indeed,” Wei Wu nodded, “Why are you hiding here little brat? There doesn’t seem to be anything good here.”
“No reason, it’s dangerous outside.”
“It really is dangerous out there, especially for you,” Wei Wu said, taking pleasure in his misfortune, “Your strength was sealed by Lu Gui Chen, right? What a pity, all alone with no one to depend on, only capable of living on by hiding from others’ sight, you must feel miserable!”
From the cynical tone of his voice, it seemed he was quite happy to see Yang Kai in such dire straits.
Yang Kai said nothing.
“Little brat, how about I show you the right path out of this?” Wei Wu suddenly squatted down in front of Yang Kai.
“What right path?” Yang Kai frowned.
“You should be able to tell. In this unfamiliar place, without anyone to rely on, with your strength sealed, once you fall into any kind of danger, you’ll have no way to fight back. For example, when someone approaches you with ill intentions!” Saying so, he smiled coldly while staring meaningfully towards Yang Kai.
Inside the cave, Wei Wu stared towards Yang Kai, his expression, illuminated by the strange light stone, becoming more and more sinister.
Yang Kai continued staring back at him, his face as indifferent as before.
Wei Wu’s face twitched a few times, seemingly annoyed that Yang Kai didn’t show even a trace of fear, suddenly feeling his little game was boring and snorting, “I can convince Master to lift the seal on you, but in return you must hand over your Soul Brand and serve me from now on.”
After a pause, he added, “Here, you are unable to use your strength, and there is crisis all around, but as long as you surrender your Soul Brand, I will naturally protect your safety in the future and ensure you will not suffer a loss. Who knows, if you’re lucky, perhaps in the future you can also join Sword Union!”
“Are you finished yet?” Yang Kai interrupted him impatiently.
Wei Wu was stunned and stopped talking.
“If you’re finished then please leave,” Yang Kai waved his hand and said.
Wei Wu’s face sank in that instant, slowly standing up with a cold smirk on his face, “Little brat, don’t refuse a toast only to be forced to drink a loss. You’d best reconsider your answer or else you may regret it.”
Yang Kai slowly shook his head, “I don’t know what you want my Soul Brand for, but it’s absolutely impossible for me to hand control of my life over to another; moreover, you’re not qualified to even ask.”
“You’ve got guts little brat!” Wei Wu laughed, seemingly having heard something quite funny, his voice filling with a threatening tone, “Tell me, if I were to kill you here, who would know?”
Yang Kai expression sank as he stared back at Wei Wu.
Although the mysterious old man had said before that no one was allowed to make trouble here, who knew if he would actually protect everyone’s safety?
Did he have any reason to go that far?
“Your two Junior Sisters owe me graciousness. For a simple misunderstanding, you actually want to kill me?” Yang Kai asked coldly, his murderous intent slowly rising.
“It is precisely because you showed them graciousness that you should be damned. If you had just minded your own business, they would have already died …” Wei Wu snarled, speaking halfway before suddenly realizing that he had said too much and quickly stopping.
In the dark, the two men’s four eyes met.
Yang Kai had thought Wei Wu hated him because he was interested in He Zao or He Miao and was worried Yang Kai would become a potential rival, but now it seems things were more complicated than that.
On the contrary, it was as if Wei Wu was quite eager to see He Zao and He Miao die.
[What kind of hidden secrets does this involved?] Yang Kai thought but had no concrete answers. Though, he had some guesses. [It must likely be due to some kind of internal dispute within Sword Union].
Guessing this much, Yang Kai was disinclined to think about it further.
However, because Wei Wu had let slip a few words too many, the temperature inside the cave had dropped significantly.
“Little brat, if you want to live, you’d best forget everything that just happened now. Otherwise, I’ll rip your corpse into ten thousand pieces!” Wei Wu coldly threatened after a long silence before turning to leave.
However, just as he turned around, a wisp of light shot out from his sleeve, like a cold snake that accurately sliced through the darkness towards Yang Kai’s position and swiftly wrapped around his neck.
“Heh, only dead people won’t reveal secrets!” Wei Wu chuckled flicking his wrist, collecting the cold string of light back.
Unexpectedly, it was an incredibly sharp soft sword.
Turning back, Wei Wu prepared to deal with Yang Kai’s body in order to ensure there were no clues left behind.
But just as he turned back, he saw a figure crash towards him. Under the soft light of his illumination stone, Wei Wu clearly saw Yang Kai’s face distorted in rage, a fresh wound circling his neck out of which a copious amount of golden blood flowed.
Wei Wu called out unconsciously, unable to understand why Yang Kai hadn’t died!
This youth had his strength sealed and was hit by the sneak attack of a Third Order Saint, there shouldn’t have been any possibility of failure.
Wei Wu showed a panic-stricken look as if he had just seen a ghost.
His reaction was quick though, realizing the situation he was in and quickly condensing his strength, the soft sword in his hand suddenly bursting out with a dazzling cold light that shrouded Yang Kai’s figure.
Yang Kai on-the-other-hand gave off a thick malevolent aura, his entire temperament undergoing a drastic change from a moment ago. Now, he most closely resembled a wild beast that had suddenly awoken from a long slumber, completely ignoring the shroud of light that was approaching him as he ploughed straight through it towards Wei Wu while lifting clenched fist.
*Hong…*
Yang Kai’s fist landed square on Wei Wu’s face, the latter only hearing the sound of bone breaking as his nose collapsed inward and his mouth filled with the taste of blood. Dazed by this blow, Wei Wu was knocked backwards.
When he was hit by this fist, Wei Wu was shocked to find that his Saint Qi did not play any protective role, as if it hadn’t existed at all. This punch’s fierce power had directly crossed his protective Saint Qi and penetrated his bones, shattering them in the process.
He was sent flying by this punch.
Wei Wu’s body bounced a few times before slamming into the cave wall, causing stone debris to fly about as he finally came to a halt, sprawled out on the ground.
Not daring to delay, he quickly climbed back up, but before he could get his bearings, a big hand reached out from in front of him and gripped his neck before slamming him back down to the ground.
Yang Kai gasped for breath, his eyes becoming dark and filled with bloodthirst, the malevolent energies stored within his Unyielding Golden Skeleton erupting like a volcano and rushing towards Wei Wu.
He had been unbearably provoked by Wei Wu.
Yang Kai still remembered the overbearing threat the mysterious old man had issued all those days ago.
And because he was in the final moments of breaking the seal, Yang Kai had not had any spare attention for other things and had simply thought that Wei Wu wouldn’t dare to attack him.
The moment he was sneak attacked, Yang Kai wasn’t able to react until he felt the pain coming from his neck, at which point he hurriedly tried to resist!
Even so, his neck had been severely wounded.
He had almost been beheaded!
If it weren’t for his physique being so intrepid, and if the seal on his cultivation hadn’t been completely broken at that very moment, allowing him to regain control of his strength, the consequences would have been unimaginable.
Yang Kai couldn’t control his anger and his killing intent was fully revealed.
“You…how did you…” Wei Wu’s eyes widened in horror as he stared towards Yang Kai. He couldn’t understand how this youth, whose strength should have been sealed, was able to launch such a powerful attack. At this moment, this youth’s body was overflowing with evil energy, how was this anything like someone whose strength had been sealed?
The evil aura Yang Kai released seemed to engulf the entire world, making one feel like they had fallen into a hellish purgatory, chilling their guts and grinding away their courage. Wei Wu couldn’t help feeling intense fear at this moment, his entire body shivering uncontrollably.
Wei Wu suddenly felt like he wasn’t facing a First-Order Saint, but rather an unfathomable demon.
“You were right about one thing,” Yang Kai’s eyes overflowed with coldness, his voice containing no emotion as he spoke, “If I kill you here, who would know?”
A thick malevolent aura surged up and madly poured into Wei Wu’s body, causing his figure to rapidly inflate and flood to spew out from the wound on his nose, sprinkling down on Yang Kai’s face, adding a layer of fierceness to his already terrifying appearance.
Perceiving the call of death, Wei Wu began madly struggling; using every means he had at his disposal but still failing to escape from Yang Kai’s grip.
Yang Kai continued stubbornly holding him down, unmoving, allowing him to thoroughly taste despair and fear before he died.
After a few breaths of time, accompanied by Wei Wu’s screams, his body exploded, his flesh, blood, five viscera, and six organs scattering about.
An invisible suction force suddenly emerged from Yang Kai’s left eye and Wei Wu’s Soul was inhaled.
Yang Kai closed his eyes and sank his consciousness into his Knowledge Sea. Atop the rolling waves, Yang Kai began burning down Wei Wu’s Soul with his Conflagrated Spiritual Energy.
Yang Kai started off very measured, suppressing the burning power of his Knowledge Sea to a minimum so as not to instantly incinerate Wei Wu’s Soul. He wanted to torture Wei Wu and force him to suffer before completely erasing him, while also reminding himself that he must always remain alert and never treat any uncertain situation lightly.
Cries of fear and despair that seemed to last forever echoed throughout Yang Kai’s Knowledge Sea.
At the same moment Wei Wu’s physical body was destroyed, a few ten thousand kilometres away from the cave, Sword Union’s Yue Xi was bringing He Zao and He Miao to collect spirit herbs.
Suddenly, Yue Xi’s tender body shook and her face became ugly, hurriedly stretching out her hand and summoning a mirror-like artifact atop her palm.
“Master? What happened?” He Zao saw her take out this small mirror and her pretty face also sank, hurriedly asking what the matter was.
Because ordinarily, this mirror played no role, it was only when someone who was close to their Master fell into great danger would she take it out to investigate.
Maser taking this Soul Mirror out at this time was obviously because someone had an accident.
“Something happened to Wei Wu!” Yue Xi replied with a frown.
“What happened to Senior Brother Wu?” He Miao also rushed over and asked with concern.
Yue Xi shook her head, bit her fingertip, and extracted a drop of blood before dripping it onto the Soul Mirror.
The mirror-like surface suddenly rippled like a lake and from its depths a strange, seven coloured fish swam up. This strange fish was extremely fast, and in the blink of an eye leapt out of the mirror and burst open mid-air.
The next moment, the seven coloured rays from the Soul Mirror formed into a clear picture that was projected in front of the trio.
This picture was the last scene Wei Wu saw before he died.
It seemed to be inside a dark cave, and a face twisted with rage appeared on the mirror, a thick murderous intent overflowing from its eyes. This murderous intent was so heavy that it seemed to cross over the mirror and cover the three women.
Under this gaze, the three of them couldn’t help feeling a chill shoot up their spines.
“Such terrifying murderous intent!” Yue Xi gasped, her beautiful eyes flashing with anger, “This boy killed Wei Wu!”
“Him?” He Zao wore a weird expression. When she saw this face, she could hardly believe her eyes, because it appeared very different from the one she had seen before, almost as if they were two different people.
“How could it be Yang Kai?” He Miao also called out hesitantly, naively saying, “Is it possible it wasn’t him? His strength has been sealed and even if he were to recover it, with his cultivation it’s impossible for him to be Senior Brother Wei Wu’s opponent.”
The Yue Xi master and disciple trio all stared towards the angry face they saw in the Soul Mirror with expression of confusion.
Because just as He Miao said, Yang Kai’s strength had been sealed by Lu Gui Chen, something he couldn’t possibly remove with his strength and means. On the entire Floating Continent, there were only two people capable of breaking this seal.
One was Yue Xi, whose strength was comparable to Lu Gui Chen, and the other was the mysterious old man.
Although the mysterious old man’s strength was exceedingly high, his behaviour was eccentric and likely wouldn’t offer his help for such a trivial matter. Similarly, Yue Xi had not helped Yang Kai break this seal.
Then how did he recover his strength?
And even if he managed to restore his strength to its peak state, he would still be just a First-Order Saint. How could he be Wei Wu, a Third Order Saint’s opponent?
“No matter what, Wei Wu was definitely harmed by this boy!” Yue Xi pretty face filled with anger, “Daring to kill my Sword Union’s person, I’ll make him pay the price!”
“Master, we need to verify the truth of this matter first,” He Zao quickly persuaded.
Yue Xi turned her eyes towards He Zao and lightly said, “I know that he has a grace to both of you and your sisters, and there have been some misunderstandings between us, but this boy is too strange. You don’t need to interfere in this matter, I will handle it myself. “
Recognizing the determination in her Master’s voice, He Zao and He Miao both wore bitter expressions.
Neither of them had much affection for Wei Wu despite the fact that he was their Senior Brother. The two of them even thought he was quite repugnant, so even if he died, they didn’t care much.
However, if Yang Kai was involved in this somehow and brought trouble upon him as a result, they had to be worried. Unfortunately, neither of them could think of a way to handle this situation, causing them to let out a sigh.
Inside the cave. Yang Kai was died red all over, his appearance truly horrifying to see. He stood in the same place, adjusted his state, and converged his malevolent aura while rejoicing in the thrill of restoring his strength.
Recovering the use of his strength gave him the illusion of being reborn.
An ache transmitted to him from the wound on his neck as his flesh seemed to squirm, but under the powerful restorative strength of the Demon God Golden Blood, this wound quickly healed.
With a single wipe, Yang Kai cleaned away the blood from his neck, leaving behind his unblemished skin, as if he had never been wounded in the first place.
Just as he stared down at the body of Wei Wu and was preparing to burn it to ash, wicked laughter suddenly echoed from his side.
Yang Kai’s face went pale as he quickly turned around to see the figure of a man standing quietly in the darkness beside him.
The glowing stone that Wei Wu had held before had fallen at the foot of this figure, clearly illuminating his face.
Seeing this face, the strength Yang Kai had just unconsciously gathered was instantly dispersed, his expression becoming extremely dignified as his heart filled with bitterness.
Facing this person, he couldn’t even muster the will to resist.
Because the one who stood before him was none other than the mysterious old man who originally lived on this continent!
This old man could easily suppress Lu Gui Chen and Yue Xi, so he was at least a master at the Origin Returning Realm; Yang Kai, as a First Order Saint, was no different from an ant in front of him.
“Senior…” Yang Kai frowned and began to speak.
Yang Kai didn’t know when this old man arrived, it was almost as if he had been standing here the whole time. He was like a ghost, a gloomy aura pulsing from his body that caused those around him to feel uncomfortable, filling the entire cave with a thick Yin Qi.
“Cruel and merciless, good good!” The old man smirked, his eyes flashing a hint of appreciation as he stared at Yang Kai with great interest, “With only a First-Order Saint Realm cultivation, you can easily kill a Third Order Saint in a frontal fight. Were you borrowing some kind of external force?”
Listening to him ask this, Yang Kai suddenly realized that he had not seen the full conflict between him and Wei Wu, otherwise there would have been no reason to ask in the first place.
“Yes!” Yang Kai gently nodded, not intending to hide it.
“Little brat, it seems you’ve had many interesting fortuitous encounters. No wonder you were to reach such a cultivation at such a young age,” The old man swept his eyes over Yang Kai and nodded with satisfaction, “Good, truly good, a physique far stronger than what one in your cultivation realm should posses, almost equivalent to that of a Saint King Realm master. On top of that, there are two or three different attributes of strength inside your body, yet they are actually able to coexist perfectly.”
The old man calmly and easily exposed Yang Kai’s secrets, his eyes seemingly able to penetrate through everything and identify everything Yang Kai was trying to hide.
Yang Kai shuddered and couldn’t help going a bit pale.
The old man suddenly grinned, revealing his white fang-like teeth, “Rest assured, I have no interest in your things, none of them will have any effect on this old master, but…”
As soon as the conversation reached this point, the old man’s expression became gloomy, “Didn’t this old master make himself clear before? No one may stir up trouble here, in my site, all of your pitiful lives belong to me, whoever dares deprive me of them will pay the price!”
“He was the one who acted first!” Yang Kai argued.
“I don’t care who moved first!” The old man coldly snorted, a jet black evil energy filled with a violent and cruel aura suddenly emerged from his body and shot towards Yang Kai, swiftly engulfing him.
In that instant, Yang Kai was completely shrouded by this evil energy, his whole being felt like it had been plunged into an abyssal darkness.
A desperate aura spread out from him.
Yang Kai’s whole body trembled and felt as if it was being gnawed at by this darkness, like it was consuming his body and draining his strength.
Tightly gritting his teeth, refusing to utter a word, Yang Kai desperately resisted this black mist.
The old man’s strange laughter rang in his ear, “Ten breaths! If you can survive the ten breaths, I’ll spare your life! Otherwise, I’ll reduce you to a corpse!”
Once this voice reached his ear, Yang Kai’s spirit rose as he could once again see hope.
With the conditions having been laid out, Yang Kai quickly mobilized his own strength to resist the evil energy that was invading his body.
Time passed by slowly, and as he quietly watched Yang Kai, the old man’s eyes grew somewhat brighter as some surprise appeared on his face.
He hadn’t thought that not only was Yang Kai’s physique out of the ordinary, but so too was his mental strengths.
Even masters like Lu Gui Chen and Yue Xi, once invaded by these spectres, may not have been able to resist for ten breaths of time. There was a good chance they would lose consciousness and be driven mad by the rich evil aura they gave off. Subsequently, their flesh and blood bodies would be eaten away by the specters until nothing of them remained.
However, this young man, who was only a First-Order Saint, had stubbornly been resisting, focusing on keeping his consciousness clear, refusing to be corrupted by any external forces.
After the tenth breath, the old man waved his hand and the spectres that had invaded Yang Kai’s body retreated, flying back into the old man shadow and disappearing.
Yang Kai collapsed to the ground like a pile of mud, covered in sweat, his face completely pale, but still staring towards the old man with a firm look and haltingly said, “I hope Senior will not go back on his word!”
The old man was startled for a moment before suddenly letting out a burst of creepy laughter than echoed throughout the cave.
“Little brat, although the Yang Attribute energy in your body makes this old master very disgusted, the other strength you possess is very much to my taste. Heh heh, it looks like you’ve also explored the same path as this old master quite thoroughly. En, good, since you were able to survive, you may live. This old master means what he says.”
Yang Kai exhaled a heavy breath.
“You refined a pill to break the seal placed on you?” The old man suddenly asked, seemingly without reason.
“Yes!” Yang Kai sat down on the floor cross-legged, took out a pill, and popped it into his mouth to start restoring himself.
“What grade of pill can you refine?” The old man seemed to become somewhat interested in this.
“With my current strength, Saint King Grade Low-Rank pills are my limit.”
“Evidently you not only possess great talent in the Martial Dao, but also have a high degree of accomplishment in Alchemy,” The old man wore a genuinely impressed look, but soon snickered, “But little brat, diverting your attention to two paths will limit your future achievements in both, either concentrate on the Martial Dao or concentrate on the Alchemy Way; otherwise you’ll deeply regret it when you fall short of the peak of both in the future.”
“Many thanks for Senior’s guidance; I only study Alchemy as an auxiliary to my pursuit of the Martial Dao.”
“Your future matters not to this old master, this old master was just speaking randomly, but enough of that. Come with this old master!” Saying so, the old man waved his sleeve and a film-like force wrapped up Yang Kai.
The next moment, Yang Kai felt himself moving as swift as the wind.
Such speed was far faster than his Star Shuttle was capable of, causing Yang Kai to go pale one more, really wondering just how profound this mysterious old man’s cultivation was.
A moment later, the old man suddenly came to a stop, threw Yang Kai down, and said, “Wait here, don’t go running off!”
Yang Kai looked around and saw that this place was actually the mountaintop where the old man lived.
There was a large flat land on this mountaintop and in the middle of it were many intricately arranged rows of Saint Crystals, forming some kind of complex Spirit Array.
In the very centre of this Spirit Array was a metal door, its frame and base inlaid with many extremely high-grade Saint Crystals.
The entire mountainside was filled with rich World Energy, condensed into a kind of fog, making the place appear like a fairyland.
The incredibly gloomy old man and the beautiful scenery here seemed completely mismatched.
Yang Kai remained silent and stood in place while carefully observing his surroundings.
He didn’t know what the old man brought him here for, but facing such a powerful and eccentric master, Yang Kai didn’t dare make any unnecessary moves, lest he inadvertently create some kind of misunderstanding.
The old man busied himself adjusting this complex spirit Array, adjusting the position of the Saint Crystals and its overall layout from time to time.
After waiting for a while, azure lights began flying over from all directions.
Natural these lights were the Purple Star and Sword Union cultivators using their Star Shuttles to approach this place.
Everyone had seemingly reached some kind of tacit agreement and gathered at this flat ground atop this mountain, each of them setting down the big bags they were carrying while assembling into various groups, whispering amongst themselves.
They had all apparently come here because of the old man’s summons, but from the vacant and distressed looks on their faces, it was obviously they didn’t know why the old man had called for them.
Soon after, the three figures of Yue Xi, He Zao, and He Maio appeared.
When Yue Xi arrived, her pair of sharp eyes glanced around and instantly settled on Yang Kai, her pretty face filling with anger as she quickly walked towards him.
Yue Xi walked straight up to Yang Kai, her eyes blazing with anger as she glared coldly towards him, her pretty face filled with ill intent.
Yang Kai frowned, not understanding why this woman’s attitude towards him had changed so dramatically, even if she had some misunderstandings towards him before, she wasn’t openly hostile.
However, now it was as if she couldn’t wait to kill him with her own hands.
This made Yang Kai feel very confused, wondering just what he had done to offend her this time.
“Did you kill Wei Wu?” Yue Xi suddenly asked.
“What did you say?” Yang Kai wore a confused look and feigned ignorance.
“Do you think I don’t know?” Yue Xi sneered, “Wei Wu died by your hand less than half an hour ago!”
Yang Kai was stunned, but quickly realized that this beautiful woman must have had some special method to investigate what had just happened, or Wei Wu had managed to send her a message somehow just before he died.
However, Yang Kai didn’t see Wei Wu use any kind of communication artifact before he died, so the former possibility was more likely.
Yang Kai immediately understood why Yue Xi was now acting so hostile towards him.
“Why did you kill him and what kind of underhanded plot did you use to do it?” Yue Xi asked sharply.
“He came to me looking for trouble, he just got what he deserved!” Yang Kai replied lightly.
“Why would he look for trouble with you?” Yue Xi continued to interrogate, “You and him don’t have any resentment between you.”
“You might as well ask him, I’d also like to know.”
“Good, just you wait, if one day we are able to leave here, I’ll make you pay for this!” Yue Xi clenched her teeth and threatened, her tender body trembling, fully illustrating her intense anger. Apparently, she thought that Yang Kai had somehow caught Wei Wei unprepared with a sneak attack, otherwise with Wei Wu’s strength he could easily have defeated Yang Kai.
Her disciple dying such a tragic death naturally meant that Yue Xi, as Wei Wu’s Master, had to seek vengeance for him.
“Those who threaten me never have good ends!” Yang Kai suddenly became annoyed and snapped back.
From the start, he could have mixed in together with Sword Union’s group; after all, he had saved both He Zao and He Miao’s lives. As long as Yue Xi had even the slightest bit of gratitude towards him for this grace, she wouldn’t have made things so difficult for him.
However, the first time Yang Kai contacted this beautiful woman, she had tried to spy on his Knowledge Sea, and although she may have just wanted to exercise an abundance of caution in case Yang Kai was a spy from Purple Star, her attitude had still made Yang Kai feel disrespected.
The subsequent events had caused the relationship between the two sides to deteriorate until now it had become irreparable.
Yang Kai had killed Wei Wu, no matter what reason he had for this, Yue Xi would certainly not forgive him.
“I’d like to see just what kind of end I’ll have,” Yue Xi grit her teeth and replied mockingly, “I hope you won’t let me down!”
Yang Kai suddenly broke out into a sinister smile, “The best fate for a beautiful woman like you is to be toyed with until death!”
Yue Xi’s pretty face went cold and her body trembled even more fiercely, her sharp eyes filling with murderous intent.
She seemed almost unable to suppress her anger and was on the verge of attacking Yang Kai.
“What? Haven’t you had the taste of a man before?” Yang Kai didn’t miss the change in her mood and grinned even more wretchedly, continuing to viciously provoke her, “Good, I’ll make up for all your regrets and let you become a real woman before you die!”
Yang Kai’s appearance right now could only be described as a wicked, shameless lecher.
Yue Xi’s murderous intent became more and more intense, her face twisting with rage as her strength began to surge up, but suddenly she clenched her fists tightly and closed her eyes, taking a deep breath to calm her anger.
She knew that if she were to stir up trouble now, the mysterious old man wouldn’t let her off. Before she killed Yang Kai, she might very well be the one to die.
“Did you want to provoke me into attacking you?” Yue Xi opened her eyes again, still clenching her teeth hard as she shouted, “Boy, I’ll make you pay for this disgrace!”
She had never been so humiliated by any man ever before, especially a man she knew next to nothing about and who was far younger than her. The anger in Yue Xi’s heart could hardly be suppressed.
Fortunately, she had realized what Yang Kai’s intentions were at the last moment and did not let his plot succeed.
Having said what she needed to, Yue Xi turned around and left, no longer wanting to even see Yang Kai’s ugly face, worried she would be unable to control herself and really attack him.
Staring at the receding back of Yue Xi, Yang Kai audibly whistled while letting his eyes wantonly wandering over her figure, staring at her swaying hips and rounded bottom.
Being stared at with this kind of gaze caused Yue Xi’s skin to crawl and the anger she had just pressed down forcefully to rise up once more, her determination to butcher Yang Kai grown even stronger.
Only after she had gone far away did Yang Kai’s gaze became indifferent again, a hint of regret flashing across his eyes.
Just now he really had wanted to provoke Yue Xi into attacking him. In any case, the grudge had reached a life or death level, so the first one to strike would hold the advantage, but to his disappointment, Yue Xi had actually managed to endure her anger.
Now, she was patiently biding her time, waiting for the right opportunity, at which point, she would only act more violently than just now.
Yang Kai sighed and felt a slight headache.
The conflict between them had not been missed by the others in the surrounding.
Lu Gui Chen of Purple Star had been standing nearby and, after Yue Xi left, he actually shot Yang Kai a grin and a thumbs-up, expressing his approval and admiration.
Bi Ya also covered her mouth and tittered, throwing Yang Ki a coquettish look as she said, “Surprisingly you’re quite the hoodlum. Elder Sister suddenly has a bit more interest in you.”
“I’m also quite interested in you too,” Yang Kai grinned back at her.
Bi Ya suddenly shivered and snorted, “Liar, only a fool would believe you!”
“Master, are you okay?” On the other hand, He Zao saw the look on Yue Xi’s face and couldn’t help asking worriedly.
“I’m fine,” Yue Xi took a deep breath, her rich chest heaving up and down once before she solemnly said, “I’ve clearly seen that boy’s ugliness. Don’t approach him again in the future, but if there’s a chance, kill him to exact revenge for your Senior Brother!”
He Zao pursed her lips and nodded cleverly, “Yes!”
He Miao frowned, the look she directed at Yang Kai changing subtly.
She was completely convinced of her Master’s words, thinking that this was Yang Kai’s true face. In public, daring to shame her Master, and even openly flirting with that slut Bi Ya from Purple Star, He Miao was thoroughly disgusted.
She secretly thought she had been too naive before, believing that Yang Kai was actually a good person.
The fallout from this small storm quickly subsided, and as time went by, more and more cultivators began arriving.
After another hour or so, Shen Tu appeared.
Looking around for a while, he quickly spotted Yang Kai and noticed the energy fluctuations coming from his body, calling out in surprise, “Were you successful?”
“En,” Yang Kai nodded.
“Congratulations! I didn’t expect you would actually succeed. It seems I looked down on your, brother!” Shen Tu sincerely congratulated, very happy that Yang Kai had managed to recover his strength.
“My luck was just good, what about you? How were your gains during this time?”
“My harvest was huge,” Shen Tu’s eyes lit up, a big smile appearing on his face as he patted the Universe Bag on his belt, “I collected many Saint King and Origin Grade herbs, I even managed to obtain a few Origin King Grade herbs. You can’t possibly comprehend how rich the materials in this damned place are; those scraps we collected previous were nothing but trash in comparison.”
Yang Kai’s brow couldn’t help rising, “Origin King Grade?”
“The highest grade of spirit herb!” Shen Tu laughed, “I’ve really struck it rich now. If I can find and Alchemist to refine these things into pills, at the very least I won’t have to worry about having enough pills before through to the Saint King Realm.”
Saying so, his look suddenly became somewhat bitter, “If on my own, I was able to gain so much, those Purple Star and Sword Union people must have obtained many times more. Fuck, it really makes me want to kill and rob them all.”
His expression was filled with anger and indignation, as if these people had snatched the good things that belonged to him.
“Right, brother, you arrived here earlier than me. Do you know why that old Senior called us?” Shen Tu suddenly asked.
“I don’t know,” Yang Kai shook his head. After getting along with Shen Tu for a while, he had gotten used to the endless chatter of the other party, so when he spoke, Yang Kai made a habit of not interrupting him, only replying when he was asked a question, such as now. “Were you summoned by him too?”
“En, I was looking for herbs when the voice of that old Senior suddenly rang in my ears. If that weren’t the case, how would I dare come here?” Shen Tu said, his face suddenly becoming heavy, “The people here were scattered across this entire continent, yet he was able to communicate to all of them with his Divine Sense. It seems there’s no doubt he is a master at the Origin King Realm. I wonder just what kind of background he has.”
Origin King Realm masters were rare existences in the Heng Luo Star Field, and all of them were powerful Seniors on the same level as Star Masters, many of them living in seclusion while holding honoured positions.
“Not only am I curious about this, the people from Sword Union and Purple Star are as well. I suppose if we just wait we’ll find out eventually though.”
The two immediately stopped talking and looked around.
At this moment, most people’s eyes were focused on the old man, watching him busily adjust the position of the various Saint Crystals, most of them confused about just what he was trying to do.
Even Lu Gui Chen and Yue Xi couldn’t recognize what the function of this Spirit Array was, the complexity of it beyond their level of understanding.
However, they could tell that the door-like arch was made from the scattered debris of their Starships.
After nearly an entire day, the old man suddenly stopped moving his hands and released his Divine Sense to inspect the entire Spirit Array in front of him, releasing a wild laugh towards the Heavens in the next moment, “Finished, hahaha, it’s finally finished!”
His laughter was so thunderous that it deafened everyone present, causing their vitality to roll and their faces to pale.
The old man’s mood was very good, his face filled with joy and excitement.
After a moment, he stopped laughing and turned his eyes towards the crowd gathered nearby.
“Good, you’ve been here for some time now and I know you have many questions. This old master had no time to care about you earlier but now I can answer some of your doubts. Who wants to ask something?” Saying so, he swept his eyes over everyone’s face.
“Senior, may I ask, where is this place?” Lu Gui Chen cupped his fists respectfully and spoke.
“This old master isn’t quite sure, I only know that this place is a Dark Star, a Dark Star hidden inside the Chaotic Abyss!”
“Dark Star?” Many people heard these words and couldn’t help calling out in alarm, as if this so-called Dark Star had an unparalleled appeal to them, making them feel excited.
On the flat ground atop the mountain, everyone’s eyes filled with the light of excitement.
“What’s a Dark Star?” Yang Kai turned and asked.
“Generally the term refers to stars that have yet to be discovered and have not been developed!” Shen Tu said with a bright expression, quickly explaining, “The entire Heng Luo Star Field is currently divided up between several big forces, but there are still some places that no one has visited before, and places no one dares to visit. In these unexplored regions, there may be special stars, these stars are Dark Stars. Each Dark Star means an unclaimed territory, perhaps containing amazing wealth and supplies. Over the years, the major forces have all dedicated significant resources to discovering and developing Dark Stars, hoping to find some that are out of the ordinary. Strictly speaking, the stars in the Chaotic Abyss also barely qualify as Dark Stars.”
Yang Kai nodded indicating he understood.
“But from this Senior’s words, doesn’t it seem we’re still in the Chaotic Abyss?”
“Apparently,” Yang Kai had already confirmed this point through the mysterious Star Chart in his Knowledge Sea, so he wasn’t all that surprised.
“Didn’t you all notice that the World Energy in this place is even richer than the Chaotic Abyss?” The old man continued, “This is naturally because the energy in the Chaotic Abyss all gathers towards this place. However, this place is a cage. None of the World Energy aura that comes in ever escapes, so over the years it eventually reached such a concentration. If not for that fact, this old master wouldn’t mind living here; this place is a cultivation paradise after all.”
“Senior, you said that this place is a cage? Could it be that you’re also trapped here?” Lu Gui Chen’s face changed.
Both he and Yue Xi had used their Star Shuttles to explore the sky some time ago, but no matter how far they flew, they were unable to see the sun, moon, stars, or any of the typical scenery that should belong to the Starry Sky. They were only capable of flying around the Floating Continent.
They knew that they were trapped here by the seven coloured sky shrouding the entire Floating Continent, but they had simply thought this was some kind of profound barrier the old man had set up.
But now, it seems that was not the case at all.
Lu Gui Chen’s words seemed to poke at the old man’s sore spot, causing the latter’s face to become gloomy and a thick malevolent aura to burst from his body as he ferociously shouted, “Yes, this old master is indeed trapped here! Moreover, I’ve been trapped here for almost two thousand years!”
“Two thousand years?!” The sound of everyone taking in a sharp breath sounded as all eyes stared towards the old man.
“When this old master was first trapped here, he was but a minor character who had just broken through to the Saint King Realm, but now… heh heh…” He laughed, his expression filled with an unyielding spirit, as if he didn’t put anyone in his eyes.
Everyone here understood what he wanted to say, causing them to involuntarily gulp.
The mysterious old man in front of them was definitely a character comparable to a Star Master!
“May I ask for Senior’s honoured name?” Yue Xi asked politely. In front of a master like this, she didn’t dare act dissolute, lowering her stance greatly.
The old man frowned and fell into contemplation, it seems he had not reported his name for a long time and for a while was unable to even recall it, a moment later simply saying, “Don’t bother asking for my name, none of you will recognize it anyways.”
Obviously he was reluctant to reveal his name.
But when everyone thought about it, they agreed with his sentiments. If he was trapped here two thousand years ago, and was just a Saint King at the time, he really wouldn’t be known to them.
“How should we address Senior then?” Lu Gui Chen asked, although he and Yue Xi were enemies, but when they spoke with this old man, the two of them coordinated with one another quite well.
“Gui Zu! From now on, you may call this old master Gui Zu !”
“Gui Zu…” The crowd was struck speechless.
“Senior Gui Zu, after being trapped here for two thousand years, could it be you couldn’t find a way out?” Lu Gui Chen summoned his courage and asked, if even this old man who called himself Gui Zu couldn’t find a way to escape, they didn’t need to bother thinking about it.
This was a prison that could even trap an Origin King.
Gui Zu shook his head, “Space here is very strange and lies at the centre of the Chaotic Abyss, covered by all its chaotic energy domains. Ordinarily, it cannot be found or even seen; only under a very special set of circumstances will this place open itself to the outside.”
“Special circumstances?” Lu Gui Chen asked in surprise.
“What happened when all of you came in here, this old master doesn’t need to explain.”
Everyone suddenly recalled the domain eruption in the Chaotic Abyss and the scene of the giant black hole devouring their Starships, sending a wave of fear washing over them.
“However, that moment is far too short, even if this old master wanted to take that opportunity to escape from this place; it’s simply not possible…” Gui Zu sighed, apparently when the last group of people had come to this floating continent, he had also noticed the appearance of the black hole, but by that point, it was already too late to try to leave.
“This old master has been stranded here for two thousand years. Some people accidentally came here during that time; strictly speaking, you are the third group, and also the largest. There were only a handful of people in the last two groups.”
“What happened to them?” Yue Xi inquired, but immediately realized she had asked the wrong question, her pretty face immediately became pale.
What end those people suffered, there was no need to think about it.
Either they were unable to withstand the endless isolation and loneliness here, or they were killed off by Gui Zu!
He didn’t exactly seem like someone easy to get along with.
This might also be the end of the nearly one hundred of them here.
Gui Zu continued, “For the first millennia this old master was trapped here, he dedicated himself to cultivating and enhancing his own strength while the second thousand years were spent looking for ways to escape. And now, finally, after all this time, this old master thought of a way!”
As he spoke, he became more and more excited, a tinge of smugness even appearing on his face.
Lu Gui Chen and Yue Xi’s eyes both suddenly brightened as they felt equal parts nervous and excited.
If Gui Zu had a way to escape from here, there was a chance they could convince him to take them with him, Gui Zu’s words had given them hope.
“Senior Gui Zu, if it is convenient, could you bring us Juniors along…” Lu Gui Chen hurriedly asked, fearing that Yue Xi would take the lead.
“I know what you want to say,” Gui Zu sneered, “Good, this old master also had such intentions.”
The earnest and hopeful looks on Lu Gui Chen and Yue Xi’s faces both transformed into ones of shock as a bad feeling suddenly welled up from the bottom of their hearts.
If Gui Zu had refused, they wouldn’t have thought much about it, but him so easily agreeing actually made them feel somewhat suspicious.
Both Lu Gui Chen and Yue Xi secretly felt that Gui Zu was plotting something.
They became a little uneasy and quickly swallowed down whatever words they were planning to say, instead choosing to wait for Gui Zu to continue.
“This old master’s method is only something he thought up but has yet to verify; whether or not it is effective, even this old master can’t guarantee, which is why I need all of your help. If it is successful, this old master will bring all of you out with him, but if it fails, you can only blame the Heavens for being unfair. What do you think?”
Gui Zu asked with a smile.
Lu Gui Chen and Yue Xi exchanged a glance, a look of helplessness flashing across their faces before the former nodded, “We will comply with Senior’s commands!”
With their arms twisted behind their backs, they knew there was no option to reject Gui Zu’s proposal, so they readily agreed.
“My Sword Union also has no objections, we will obey Senior’s orders,” Yue Xi felt bitter in her heart and reluctantly agreed.
“Good, good, very good, you’re all very obedient, that pleases this old master, let’s not waste any more time!” Gui Zu grinned, revealing his white fangs, forming a series of complex hand seals while sending some energy pulses into the ground.
The Saint Crystals which were arranged in the giant formation began glowing one by one. From these Saint Crystals, a strange fluctuation began spreading out, one that caused everyone present to feel uncomfortable. These energy fluctuations overlapped with one another and grew in intensity until they reached a terrifying level.
The rich World Energy aura began resonating with these energy fluctuations and in an instant, the atmosphere around the entire continent underwent a startling change.
The scenery in front of everyone’s eyes suddenly became distorted, as if the space around them could collapse at any time.
The cultivators present were all thoroughly shocked as they stared towards Gui Zu, wondering just what it was he was trying to do.
Yang Kai stared fixedly at the door like structure that stood in the middle of the giant Spirit Array, feeling an unusual aura gathering inside it.
The aura belonged to the turbulent flow of space, and indeed, the space around the door was more distorted than anywhere else. Yang Kai had no doubt that if this continued much longer; the space there would really collapse.
His prediction soon came true, and the energy fluctuations from the giant array all gathered towards the door forged from Starship debris. Gui Zu’s gaze became extremely fanatical at this moment as he stared at the door with excitement.
*Kacha…*
A shattering sound rang out and the space framed by the door suddenly began to crack, dense spider web-like pattern spreading out rapidly in all directions.
The shattering sound attracted everyone’s attention, and when they turned to see what had caused it, they all shivered involuntarily.
*Kacha…*
The space which now resembled a broken mirror suddenly exploded.
The space had collapsed!
At the same time, inside the door frame, a pitch-black hole that pulsed with terrifying energy appeared. Staring into the dark abyss, no one could tell what lay on the other side.
“A Void Corridor!” Yang Kai muttered under his breath.
He had encountered countless Void Corridors in Tong Xuan Realm, but he had never seen the creation of a Void Corridor until now.
“A Space Array!” Yue Xi of Sword Union suddenly screamed, her beautiful eyes trembling fiercely.
“Senior, do you understand how to construct Space Arrays?” Lu Gui Chen’s expression also changed drastically.
The massive Spirit Array filled with Saint Crystals in front of them, although clearly a bit rough, was no doubt a Space Array, a legendary Space Array!
Gui Zu nodded, “Somewhat, but I’m not very proficient at it. This is the result of a thousand years of painstaking research. En, this old master seems a bit unsuited to comprehending the Dao of Space. Although I spent an entire millennium studying it, I am still unable to understand the mysteries of space. It truly makes one feel helpless.”
The Spirit Array that was built from countless Saint Crystals was actually a Spatial Array and the door which was made from the pieces of Starship debris at its centre was actually covered in a thin layer of Space Spirit Crystal!
This layer of Space Spirit Crystal was the key to maintaining the Void Corridor and had been fabricated from over one hundred Space Rings.
This was the reason Gui Zu had previously robbed everyone of their Space Rings. It was to obtain the Space Spirit Crystals used to manufacture them.
Only now did Lu Gui Chen and Yue Xi understand how Gui Zu planned to escape from here. He wanted to use this Spatial Array to send himself away.
All sorts of doubts, all sorts of confusion, all of it was made clear when they saw this Void Corridor.
Everyone present could also see that the Void Corridor created by this Spatial Array was incredibly unstable and might break down at any moment. Could such a thing actually be used? And even if it could successfully transport someone, it was impossible to know where they would end up. If this thing were to send someone into The Void, it would frankly be better to remain trapped on this continent. At least here the aura was rich and the materials were abundant.
For a moment, everyone fell silent.
Gui Zu grinned and said, “It’s time for you to help me!”
As soon as this statement came out, everyone’s heart sank.
He seemed to want others to go in and scout out the situation…
Realizing this old man’s intentions, everyone’s face paled.
“Senior, is this really appropriate?” Yue Xi asked anxiously, wanting to somehow talk Gui Zu out of this.
“Hm? What’s wrong?” Gui Zu turned to stare at her coldly, causing a frigid aura to engulf Yue Xi like a cloak, rendering her unable to speak.
“You think that this old master forbid all of you to kill each other and allowed you all to collect the materials of this place for no reason? Hmph, if you lot didn’t have some use, this old master would have slaughtered all of you and fed your Souls to my Ghost Flag rather than allow you to insolently saunter about here!” Gui Zu shouted forcefully, his cruel nature on full display, the gentle temperament he had shown a moment ago suddenly becoming bloodthirsty, “Whoever dares utter a single objection again; this old master will make you suffer brutally!”
With this threat looming over their heads, no one dared speak any nonsense.
With Gui Zu’s strength, even if all of them tried to resist, it would serve no purpose, so all of them became obedient.
Gui Zu nodded with satisfaction, his sharp eyes sweeping over the crowd, causing everyone to lower their heads, all of them afraid to meet eyes with him for fear they would be chosen.
“Fuck, don’t look at me, don’t look at me…” Shen Tu’s eyes also dropped as he chanted repeatedly, like he was reciting some kind of spell to change the direction of the old man’s glare.
“You! Little brat, come up and help this old master!” Gui Zu suddenly pointed.
Everyone looked towards the direction Gui Zu pointed and after seeing who the unlucky one be selected was, their nerves suddenly relaxed, many of them even taking pleasure in this person’s misfortune.
“Shit!” Shen Tu’s face went black as her cursed, letting out a hollow laugh in an attempt to deceive himself, “Is Senior referring to me? No no, not me right?”
At this moment, Shen Tu felt his heart die and secretly decided that if Gui Zu really chose him to test this Spatial Array, he would rather die than cooperate.
“The one next to you!” Gui Zu turned his eyes to Yang Kai.
“Me?” This time it was Yang Kai’s turn to gawk, pointing to himself as he shouted, “Why choose me? There are so many people here, why choose me specifically?”
He was really depressed. There were nearly one hundred cultivators here from both Sword Union and Purple Star, yet this Gui Zu had singled him out, he really didn’t know if his luck was just that poor.
Gui Zu coldly snorted, “You don’t look very law-abiding.”
“Is that the reason?” Yang Kai frowned and hurriedly said, “Senior, please spare me, in the future I will be more obedient.”
“In the future? There is no future!” Gui Zu said impatiently.
“Senior is wise!” Yue Xi sneered greatly and offered her praise as she shot Yang Kai a sly look, happiness filling her expression.
Just now, Yang Kai had humiliated her, yet now he was being forced into a dead-end. Retribution for evil had come about swiftly. Yue Xi couldn’t help feeling grateful to this old man suddenly as she looked forward to seeing Yang Kai squirm, soothing the hatred in her heart while obtaining revenge for her slain disciples.
Yang Kai’s face went cold as he glared back at Yue Xi, grinding his teeth as he shouted, “Cheap slut, I’ll remember this!”
Yue Xi simply laughed, brushing off this threat as she sneered, “Say that again after living past today.”
“Senior is indeed wise, my Purple Star will unconditionally obey Senior’s arrangements!” Lu Gui Chen followed up.
As long as this Gui Zu didn’t elect their people, Lu Gui Chen and Yue Xi wouldn’t care.
“You’re quite popular here little brat, don’t decline any further!” Gui Zu laughed before stretching out his hand, creating an irresistible suction force, and dragging Yang Kai over towards him. Arriving in front of Gui Zu, Yang Kai was unable to even attempt to resist.
Staring at the Void Corridor opened by the Spatial Array, Yang Kai’s expression sank into the abyss.
He could feel that this Void Corridor was completely different from any he had seen before.
The ones he had encountered thus far were all unintentionally formed by great masters in ancient times when they fought and destroyed segments of space; however, such Void Corridors were formed countless years ago and had already stabilized.
The Void Corridor in front of him now was completely chaotic, and the Void turbulences he felt pulsing from this door frame caused even Yang Kai to feel a sense of terror.
If he were to really be tossed inside, he would definitely fall into a life or death crisis, likely becoming lost in the Void for all eternity.
“I’m not going to seal your strength, because there may be some danger inside. You go in and investigate the situation. If you can come back alive, that would be best, if you can’t, don’t blame this old master… En, well, do your best!”
Saying so, Gui Zu moved to toss Yang Kai into the Void Corridor.
“Wait!” Yang Kai hurriedly snorted.
“What?” Gui Zu gave him a disgruntled glare.
“Senior, you only need me to go in and investigate the situation, yes?”
“Indeed!”
“And how I do so is up to me? If so, I hope Senior can allow me to use my own methods!”
“Oh?” Gui Zu suddenly showed a look of interest as he re-examined Yang Kai, asking curiously, “And what method is it you want to use? You should be clear, it’s useless to play tricks in front of this old master.”
“I did not have such thoughts,” Yang Kai stated calmly, his expression still filled with unhappiness.
“How long will this take? This old master isn’t very patient,” Seemingly thinking that Yang Kai was about to die, Gui Zu surprisingly agreed to let him try.
“There’s no need to wait!” Yang Kai said before sitting down cross-legged and shouting, “Come out!”
Along with his shout, a wisp of partially visible Spiritual Energy suddenly emerged from his body, this energy was illusory and ethereal, constantly changing shape, but after a moment it condensed into the appearance of Yang Kai.
“A Soul Avatar?” Someone muttered, seeing through the mystery of this entity.
Lu Gui Chen, Yue Xi, and all the others were stunned.
Gui Zu also laughed strangely.
No one thought that the method Yang Kai was talking about was actually to take out his Soul Avatar from his body.
He apparently wanted to explore the Void Corridor with just his Soul Avatar alone.
But didn’t he know that one’s Soul Avatar was extremely fragile and couldn’t leave its host body for long period of time? On top of that, this kind of practice was extremely dangerous, if anyone here were to use any kind of offensive Soul Skill on him, his Soul Avatar would surely take massive damage.
A Soul Avatar without its host body’s protection, no matter how powerful, would be like a hedgehog without thorns, fragile and vulnerable.
“Oh…” Gui Zu’s careless look changed suddenly, his Divine Sense sweeping Yang Kai carefully as his expression became strange.
Because he found that Yang Kai still had his Soul inside him, completely different from how one would appear if they removed their Soul Avatar from their body.
Looking closely at this ‘Soul Avatar’, Gui Zu discovered that it appeared a bit dull, as if it had no consciousness of its own.
“Little brat, what kind of strange technique have you cultivated, actually allowing you to possess two Soul Avatars?” Gui Zu shouted, a look of disbelief appearing on his face.
Even a character like Gui Zu was shocked by Yang Kai’s method.
“Soul Fission!” Yang Kai replied faintly.
The Soul Fission technique was one of Great Demon God’s Divine Abilities!
Yang Kai had absorbed a drop of the purest Demon God Golden Blood back in Nine Heavens Holy Land’s Holy Tomb and had obtained knowledge of this Divine Ability from it. Since then, he had been cultivating his Soul Clone, and in a flash, ten years had already passed.
This Soul Clone had almost reached the grand accomplishment stage and would soon be usable.
But today, he was forced to use this Soul Clone in order to explore the inside of this Void Corridor for Gui Zu.
Yang Kai was distressed to the point of wanting to cough up blood.
“Interesting, very interesting. You really know how to surprise others little brat,” Gui Zu examined this Soul Clone with great interest, soon discovering that aside from not having the ability to think for itself, it was essentially identical to Yang Kai’s own Soul Avatar.
Strictly speaking, it was basically a puppet, just without a physical shell to contain itself.
After observing it for a while though, Gui Zu curled his lips, “This thing needs an appropriate body to display its power… otherwise it doesn’t have much use.”
He had seen through the drawbacks of this Soul Clone at a glance.
“But for now, it’s useful enough,” Gui Zu said before releasing a wisp of his own Spiritual Energy, tightly wrapping up Yang Kai’s Soul Clone, then tossing it unceremoniously into the Void Corridor .
Through his wisp of Spiritual Energy, he too could investigate the inside of the Void Corridor.
Everyone suddenly held their breath, waiting for the results to appear.
They knew that if this time was unsuccessful, a situation like today would appear a second time, then a third…
This Gui Zu would continue to experiment until he found the correct configuration for this Spatial Array.
Today, Yang Kai had been chosen, and they were able to laugh at his misfortune, but who knows who would be selected next time? Maybe it would be one of them who would be unlucky.
In an instant, everyone’s heart filled with complex emotions, many of them beginning to earnestly pray that Yang Kai’s Soul Clone would return safe and sound. Even Yue Xi, who couldn’t wait for Yang Kai to die an early death, wore an anxious look upon her pretty face.
Time passed by slowly.
The light from the Saint Crystals also began to grow dim as the energy they contained was quickly consumed.
Beside the door frame, Yang Kai sat cross-legged with facial expression fluctuating.
Gui Zu stood next to him, his expression also changing rapidly.
The flickering glow from the Saint Crystals which illuminated his expression causing it to appear even more terrifying than normal.
On the mountain top, the Purple Star and Sword Union cultivators all waited anxiously, none of them daring to speak, creating a silent yet tense atmosphere.
None of them knew how long it was, but all of a sudden they saw Yang Kai’s body tremble and his face turn white, as if he had just experienced something terrifying.
The Void Corridor which had been opened by the Space Array also began to ripple, flickering open and shut like the maw of a great beast. In the blink of an eye, the pitch-black Void Corridor collapsed and the distorted space around the mountain returned to normal.
The moment of Void Corridor collapsed, Yang Kai’s Soul Clone and Gui Zu’s Spiritual Energy wisp flew out.
Gui Zu took back this wisp into his body while Yang Kai also took back his Soul Clone, his expression sinking in the next breath, “Senior, my Soul Clone is on the verge of shattering, it can’t be used like this again.”
Gui Zu seemed to be going over the information his Spiritual Energy wisp had brought back and paid no attention to Yang Kai for a while, nodding sometime later, “Good, you did well. Go restore yourself.”
“Senior, if there is such an occasion again, will you first look for me?” Yang Kai asked coldly.
Gui Zu grinned, “Depends on my mood, and whether you behave yourself from now on.”
Yang Kai’s face turned black and flew off without saying a word, landing beside Shen Tu and sitting down cross-legged.
“Go make yourselves busy, but don’t leave too far. When I need your help again I expect you to arrive promptly!” Gui Zu said lightly.
Listen to him say this, everyone felt a temporary sense of relief and quickly dispersed, fleeing from the mountain top as quickly as they could.
Yang Kai and Shen Tu also rushed out, not wishing to remain in this damned place for a moment longer.
A moment later, only Gui Zu remained atop the mountain, staring at the Space Array he had spent so much effort to create, frowning deeply as he pondered how to alter it in order to make it work.
Although he had not succeeded this time, he had been psychologically prepared for such a result, so he did not show too much disappointment.
After all, when he came here, he had only just broken through to the Saint King Realm and had not been well versed in any particular discipline, much less the Space Principle. It had taken him a thousand years to develop this Space Array, and even that had much to do with luck.
It was a pity that the mysteries of the Space Principle were something he couldn’t accurately grasp. Even after reaching the Origin King Realm, the secrets of Space still eluded him.
Rather than raw effort, this kind of thing required both aptitude and opportunity!
After sitting in the middle of the giant Spirit Array for a while, he began rearranging the rows of Saint Crystals, altering it ever so slightly.
A dozen kilometres from the mountain peak, Yang Kai suddenly came to a halt.
“What’s wrong, we should keep running,” Shen Tu looked at him anxiously and urged.
“Where do you want to run to?” Yang Kai looked at him strangely.
“I don’t know, however far I can run, I intend to run!” Shen Tu shouted, “I don’t want to be eyed by him then tossed into that door, unable to even control my own life or death!”
Yang Kai shook his head, “He is the master here, no matter where you go, he can immediately find you!”
“True enough,” Shen Tu thought about it and nodded in agreement, “Brother, a moment ago, I didn’t act very upright, but there was really nothing I could do about it. There was no way I could help you.”
“It’s fine, it’s my own fault for doing something that drew his attention,” Yang Kai knew why Gui Zu had chosen him first, it was clearly because he had killed Wei Wu.
Gui Zu must have felt he had rebelled against his orders and determined Yang Kai wasn’t obedient enough.
This had nothing to do with Shen Tu, and even if Shen Tu had tried to help him, in the face of Gui Zu’s absolute strength, there was nothing he could have done.
“What happened to you inside that Void Corridor?” Shen Tu asked curiously.
“I don’t know, my Soul Clone doesn’t have its own consciousness; although I attached my own Divine Sense to it, I wasn’t able to observe much. I can only tell you this, with Gui Zu’s current understanding of the Space Principle… Whoever enters that door will die without a doubt! This time my Soul Clone was able to escape only because it did not have a physical form and was thus able to move essentially at the speed of thought.”
Shen Tu face went pale, “Why does he keep studying it then?”
“He has been trapped here for two thousand years, naturally he wants to leave, but for us, this place is nothing less than a cultivation holy land. Him being able to break through to the Origin King Realm is definitely related to this cultivation environment,” Yang Kai took a long breath and smiled bitterly, “You should instead be thankful he still intends to study that Space Array. If one day he determines it’s impossible to use it to escape from this place… that will be when the real disaster starts!”
“Brother, don’t scare me like that!” Shen Tu showed a genuinely frightened expression, just imagining such a scene in his mind caused him to shudder.
Once Gui Zu lost hope in that Space Array, and felt that there was no possible way to escape from here, with his temper and character, everyone here would definitely experience a fate worse than death!
“What do you intend to do now?” Yang Kai looked at him and asked.
“I don’t know, wait to die?” Shen Tu’s mouth twitched, “What about you?”
“Look for a place to enter secluded cultivation,” Yang Kai replied casually.
Shen Tu was stunned, somewhat unable to understand why Yang Kai still seemed so calm and relaxed, not worried at all.
Thinking about it for a moment, Shen Tu nodded, “Then I’ll find something to keep myself occupied. Better than just sitting around on edge all day!”
On this continent, he could only get along with Yang Kai, the people from Sword Union and Purple Star both wouldn’t pay any attention to them, so now that Yang Kai was going to enter secluded retreat, Shen Tu was about to lose the only person he could talk to, causing him to feel a bit distraught.
He didn’t know why, his strength was obviously much higher than Yang Kai’s, but he actually couldn’t help feeling like he was somehow inferior in all aspects to him.
Yang Kai seemed to be able to remain calm no matter what he encountered, silently observing any situation beyond his ability to handle until he found a way to break through and take control.
Shen Tu couldn’t help admiring this.
The two of them said a few more words before going their separate ways for a while.
What Shen Tu was going to do, Yang Kai didn’t know; as for him, he was going to head back to that cave he had been practising Alchemy in before.
No matter what situation it was, greater strength was the best guarantee of survival! Yang Kai understands this more clearly than anyone else.
Because of Lu Gui Chen’s seal, he hadn’t been able to improve his strength these past two months, so now that he had broken free from it, he didn’t want to waste this rare opportunity.
“Senior, I am going to the cave where you found me before to continue studying Alchemy, do you have any issue with that?” Just in case, Yang Kai sent a Divine Sense message to Gui Zu.
After a while, Gui Zu’s voice rang in his ear, “Go, I temporarily have no use for you!”
“Many thanks!” Yang Kai nodded before summoning his Star Shuttle and flying off.
He hadn’t flow far though before he heard a tender voice call out to him, “Yang Kai!”
Yang Kai came to a halt and looked towards the source of the sound, seeing He Zao and He Miao flying towards him from nearby.
After a moment, the two sisters arrived in front of him.
He Zao’s expression was a bit complicated as if she didn’t quite know what to say. He Miao on the other hand just bluntly asked, “Was Senior Brother Wei Wu really killed by you?”
“What do you think?” Yang Kai didn’t answer directly.
“I don’t think it’s likely!” He Miao spat disdainfully, “Senior Brother Wei Wu had a Third Order Saint cultivation. The difference in strength is clear. You’re so weak, how could you have killed him?”
“I’m that weak?” Yang Kai asked stunned.
He Miao looked at him seriously, using her Divine Sense to sweep him before smirking, “You’re not strong in any case, I think I can easily beat you.”
“Yes…” Yang Kai gently nodded, not having any intention of arguing, asking after a short pause, “Did you have something you wanted to ask me?”
He Zao whispered softly, “Obviously we came here to say we’re sorry.”
She bit her red lips and apologized, “You helped us in the Chaotic Abyss, saving our lives, clearly we should be thanking you, but master said, she…”
“That has nothing to do with you,” Yang Kai smiled, not taking the matter to heart.
“In any case… we’re very sorry. Moreover, Master is very upset because of Senior Brother Wei Wu’s death, and she asked us to find an opportunity to kill you. Yang Kai, if we sisters end up fighting you future, please don’t blame us, this isn’t our intention.”
Yang Kai grinned, “I know, but if you really do that, you’d best be psychologically prepared to be killed by me, I won’t just stand there and not fight back.”
“Hmph, you’re really quite arrogant…” He Miao snorted, “If we sisters really try to kill you, could you put up any resistance?”
“Try it and find out!”
“He Miao, don’t be rude,” He Zao scolded gently.
“I know,” He Miao spat out her tongue.
“Is there anything else?” Yang Kai tilted his head and asked.
“No, we just came to tell you this.”
“Then let us meet again later,” Yang Kai said and moved to mount his Star Shuttle when he suddenly came to halt and frowned, “Let me ask you something, if you two died in the Chaotic Abyss, what kind of advantage would that bring Wei Wu?”
“What do you mean?” He Zao stared at him suspiciously.
Yang Kai laughed, “Just asking.”
He Zao frowned and considered the matter seriously, “Master is a Sword Union cultivator, and she doesn’t have many disciples, only us sisters and Senior Brother Wei Wu show some promise. If we were to die, Master would definitely focus on cultivating him.”
“How did you get lost in the Chaotic Abyss?” Yang Kai asked again.
“Senior Brother Wei Wu sent us a message, telling us to wait outside the Chaotic Abyss. We never expected to run into that group from Purple Star there though. We sisters were outnumbered and were forced to… forced to…” He Zao spoke until here before pausing, her expression changing dramatically, seemingly unravelling something, her tender body shivering unconsciously as she turned a look of shock towards Yang Kai.
“May we meet again!” Yang Kai didn’t say anything more, his body quickly being wrapped in a blue light that shot off into the distance.
Leaving behind a pensive looking He Zao, her pretty face contorting into a frown while He Miao stared on blankly.
After a while, He Miao whispered softly, “He’s really a strange person, suddenly talking about such senseless things out of nowhere.”
“I think he’s actually more astute we think!” He Zao’s beautiful eyes flashed a brilliant light, “Moreover, you’re underestimating him too much. Him being able to kill Senior Brother Wei Wu means he’s definitely not as simple as he appeared! Perhaps… He doesn’t even place us in his eyes.”
“What? Isn’t Elder Sister just overestimating him?” He Miao exclaimed.
“Do you still remember, when we first met him in the Chaotic Abyss, he didn’t even try to evade or hide. He didn’t know who we were, or whether we had any malicious intentions towards him, yet he still waited in place to confront us. In other words, he felt that even if we bore him hostility, given our strength, we wouldn’t be able to harm him!” He Zao declared solemnly.
Inside the familiar cave, the World Energy condensed into a pure liquid that dripped down from the stalactites above and crisply splattered on the ground.
The entire cave was covered in a thin fog, the World Energy aura so thick it was almost inexhaustible.
Yang Kai sat cross-legged, his hundreds of millions of pores all fully opened, madly swallowing this rich aura, enhancing his strength at a rate that was nearly visible to the naked eye.
Before leaving to travel the Starry Sky, Yang Kai had just broken through to the Saint Realm.
Wandering the Star Field for many days, he had failed to find a place to settle down and cultivate in peace.
Then, he had been captured by the Purple Star cultivators and taken aboard their Starship, once again affording him no time to cultivate.
Before he could make his escape, he and all the Purple Star cultivators had been stranded on this Floating Continent where his cultivation had been sealed for two months.
Now that he had finally regained his freedom, Yang Kai intended to take full advantage of this situation.
Only by becoming strong could he open up more possibilities. Even in the most desperate of circumstances, Yang Kai had never considered giving up.
Yang Kai had altered the terrain of this cave slightly to allow the rich World Energy aura to flow more quickly towards him, maximizing his ability to absorb and utilize it.
His cultivation thus steadily began to grow.
When he noticed his rate of cultivation progress slowing down, Yang Kai would take a break and refine several pills to adjust his mood or go out and explore the beauty of this continent while searching the jungles of the mountains for precious herbs.
What Shen Tu said was absolutely right. The material wealth in this place was beyond rich, almost everywhere Yang Kai went he would find spirit grasses and spirit medicines, each of them fully mature and containing potent medical efficacies.
Any Alchemist that arrived here would likely have their heart stop from over excitement.
The pills Yang Kai refined were also used to enhance his cultivation, each Saint Pill that entered his belly increasing rate at which he could enhance his strength to the very limit.
However, cultivation for Yang Kai now was not just a matter of gathering power.
At Yang Kai’s current realm, every additional break through required both an accumulation of strength as well as a certain amount of comprehension and enlightenment.
Strength included both his flesh body and Soul strength, while comprehension and enlightenment regarding the Martial Dao and Heavenly Way were also essential. If any of these factors were lacking, it would impede Yang Kai’s ability to continue improving himself.
But for Yang Kai, thanks to his solid foundation, these things weren’t much of an issue and his cultivation experienced no bottlenecks at all.
Day by day, in this wondrous environment, Yang Kai’s strength grew rapidly, and he even faintly felt he was approaching the Second Order Saint Realm.
He estimated that from the time he and Shen Tu separated, almost a year had passed.
Yang Kai hadn’t met other people in a long time and did not communicate with anyone, but he was still aware that the atmosphere in the continent had undergone some changes.
The Purple Star and Sword Union cultivators seemed to be disappearing one by one, their life auras vanishing from the continent periodically, their fate naturally clear to Yang Kai.
Obviously, they had been thrown into Gui Zu’s Space Array and never returned.
At first, Yang Kai was able to perceive the activity of some nearby cultivators through his Divine Sense, but for the last six months, no one had actually entered his sensory range.
It was as if he was the only one left in the entire continent!
On a certain day, Yang Kai was in meditation when suddenly his face changed, his eyes shot open, and he stared off in a certain direction.
From that direction, a gloomy aura spread like a great tidal wave, sweeping over most of the continent. Even from ten thousand kilometres away, Yang Kai could clearly feel this frightening aura, causing him to tremble unconsciously and forcing him to circulate his True Yang Yuan Qi to resist its erosion.
At the same time, Yang Kai was keenly aware that the plants outside the cave where he had been staying were rapidly withering and was being stained with rich Death Qi, as if the world itself was dying.
Gui Zu’s roar suddenly rang through the Heavens, “Why?! Why is it not successful? This old master worked painstakingly for a thousand years, yet why can’t I leave this damned place!”
His voice was hysterical.
And his raw anger was literally affecting the entire whole around him.
Yang Kai suddenly realized that Gui Zu seemed to have made little or no progress on his Space Array during this past year and was now becoming desperate.
Yang Kai held his breath and remained motionless.
“Little brat, come to this old master now!” The voice of Gui Zu suddenly sounded in Yang Kai’s ear.
Yang Kai’s expression turned incredibly bitter and knew not whether this was a blessing or a curse, but if it was a curse, it couldn’t be avoided, so he stood up and walked out of his cave, summoning his Star Shuttle then shooting off towards the mountain where Gui Zu lived.
After an hour, he arrived halfway up the mountainside and leapt down.
Sweeping his eyes around, Yang Kai sighed heavily, discovering that of the nearly one hundred cultivators who had arrived here with him, only about ten remained, the others were nowhere to be seen.
Of these ten though, Yang Kai actually knew more than half.
Sword Union’s beautiful woman Yue Xi, and the He Zao, He Miao sisters.
Lu Gui Chen and Bi Ya of Purple Star.
Shen Tu was also present.
That Liu Shan he had encountered once before had disappeared, his end obviously quite pitiful.
When Yang Kai appeared, everyone turned a gloomy look towards him, a dreary atmosphere surrounding all of them, none of them seeming to have any spirit left.
This reunion of misfortunate people was completely different from last time. Although everyone was worried and anxious last time, at least they had some hope they could one day leave this place and escape from the despotic control of Gui Zu, but now, none of them had such hope anymore, their eyes dim, without a single trace of light.
They were like a group of prisoners waiting to be executed.
Shen Tu turned to Yang Kai and nodded lightly, not even saying hello, apparently not in the mood to say anything.
“It seems your days have been quite pleasant little brat,” Gui Zu stood in the middle of the Space Array and stared at Yang Kai with a sneer.
“Senior, I have been very honest during this time. I have lived in seclusion, never provoking any kind of trouble,” Yang Kai’s mouth twitched, not understanding why he was suddenly being stared at by this old demon.
“This Old master knows! All your whereabouts cannot escape this old master’s perception. This old master naturally knows you’ve been very honest!” Gui Zu smirked, “But it is exactly because of this that this old master is very unhappy! Why does it seem like you’re not even worried about whether you can leave this damned place or not?”
Yang Kai suddenly understood what the problem was.
It was because he had been too quiet and obedient that he was being targeted. Everyone else was spending their days filled with anxiety, yet Yang Kai appeared as if he had no worries at all, obviously something with him was different.
“Junior is naturally worried about this issue, but aside from leaving this matter to Senior, what else am I supposed to do? Junior’s strength is low and his knowledge is shallow, I really can’t think of any good way to escape from here.”
“Enough flattery!” Gui Zu spat angrily, “Usually if you say a few good words, this old master may be pleased, but now… heh, this old master couldn’t care less!”
Yang Kai shut his mouth promptly.
Yue Xi, Lu Gui Chen and all the others wore panicked expressions as they listened to the conversation between Yang Kai and Gui Zu with trepidation, secretly praying Yang Kai didn’t do anything to further enrage Gui Zu.
Gui Zu figure stumbled, as if he was lacking strength, his pair of eyes drawing back in their sockets and filling with darkness.
There was a weird look on his face, as if he was talking to himself but simultaneously speaking to everyone, “When this old master was young, he had some fortuitous encounters, and managed to cultivate an evil strength, allowing me to slowly but steadily grow to the Saint King Realm. At that time, this old master was only one hundred years old, a strong young man who enjoyed freedom and dreamed of one day allowing his name to spread far and wide across the Star Field. But all of that was destroyed one night when my enemies broke into my home and murdered my wife and family. This old man didn’t die there though, and while seriously injured, fled all the way to the Chaotic Abyss where I lost my way. Soon after, the chaotic energies exploded, producing a domain eruption and dragging this old master into this continent. Here, the materials were abundant, and the World Energy aura was rich beyond imagination. This old master thought it was the Heavens granting me an opportunity to become strong, then go out and seek revenge on my enemies!”
Arriving at this point, his face suddenly became fierce, “I never imagined that even after reaching the Origin King Realm, this old master would still be caged in this damned place like a prisoner! If this old master cannot ever escape from here, even if I possess unfathomable strength, what good is it?”
“This old master must seek his revenge, must slaughter that man to comfort the souls of my dead wife and children!” He snarled at the crowd.
“Senior, two thousand years have passed, your enemies may have died long ago,” Yang Kai frowned.
“Then I will kill his sons and grandchildren, wipe clean his blood from the world! I’ll kill anyone who was ever related to him, I’ll slaughter the entire star he comes from, turning it into a Dead Star!” Gui Zu screamed wildly, like a crazed vengeful spirit.
“This old master’s obsession, do you now understand?” Turning around, he glared menacingly towards the crowd.
Everyone nodded, no one daring to show any disobedience.
“Good, you understand,” Gui Zu grinned evilly, before shouting, “Then help this old master one last time. After today… this old master won’t look for you again.”
Everyone’s heart filled with unease.
Ignoring what everyone else thought, Gui Zu quickly busied himself adjusting the Space Array while saying, “Thanks to your arrival, this old master managed to run multiple trials. The mysteries of space elude this old master still, so this Void Corridor has always been unstable and I cannot tell where it will send someone. This time, each of you must strive hard to succeed, whether you live or die is up to your own luck.”
As he said so, Gui Zu finished rearranging the giant array and activated it, a Void Corridor once again opening in the small door covered in a thin layer of Space Spirit Crystal. Turning to Yang Kai, the old man waved, “Little brat, you first!”
“Why me?” Yang Kai asked angrily.
The last time Gui Zu called everyone together, he was the first one to be chosen, and this time, the situation was exactly the same. Yang Kai really didn’t know where he had annoyed Gui Zu so badly to deserve such treatment.
“Enough nonsense!” Gui Zu ignored his complaints directly and stretched out his bony hand towards Yang Kai, directly dragging him over.
“Senior, isn’t this a bit unfair to him? Last time we gathered, you chose him, shouldn’t you find someone else this time?” A voice suddenly called out.
Just as he was preparing to throw Yang Kai into the Void Corridor, Gui Zu paused and turned a gloomy look towards He Zao’s pretty, pale face.
Yang Kai expression also changed, not having expected that at this last moment, she would actually try to speak up for him.
“Yes, Senior, why purposefully target Brother Yang?” Shen Tu snorted, emboldened by He Zao’s words.
He Miao’s beautiful eyes also flashed as she anxiously nodded, silently expression her agreement.
Gui Zu, while still holding up Yang Kai, stared at He Zao strangely.
He Zao was obviously afraid of death, her tender body shivering noticeably, yet she still refused to turn her eyes away from Gui Zu’s.
Everyone was astonished.
Sword Union’s Yue Xi covered her mouth in shock and quickly called out, “What are you doing? Sit down and be quiet this instant!”
He Zao remained motionless though. Rather, she couldn’t sit down even if she wanted to. In the face of Gui Zu’s imposing manner, she didn’t have the strength to move a finger, cold sweat dripping down her pale face.
Suddenly, Gui Zu grinned smugly, his eyes wandering back over to Yang Kai and asking, “What’s your relationship with this little girl?”
“Chance acquaintances!”
“Did she fall in love with you at first sight then?”
“I don’t think so,” Yang Kai shook his head and turned his eyes to He Zao, his expression becoming somewhat subtle.
“Then why is she trying to help you now?” Gui Zu smiled even more meaningfully.
“He… he saved both me and my sister’s lives!” He Zao trembled and answered Gui Zu’s question.
“En, good, good! You’re quite clear about your gratitudes and grudges little girl… But if this old master were to let him go, would you be willing to take his place?” Gui Zu looked at He Zao and grinned wickedly.
He Zao’s face became paler and her trembling became fiercer, unable to immediately answer this question.
Yang Kai couldn’t help staring at her as well, wondering how she would answer.
Lu Gui Chen, Bi Ya and everyone else all watched He Zao with rapt attention while Yue Xi kept trying to silently warn her not to act impulsively.
Suddenly, He Zao drew a sharp breath and her eyes became firm, seemingly having arrived at a decision.
Opening her lips to speak her answer.
“There’s no need,” Yang Kai frowned and cut in, “Senior, you don’t need to pay her any attention, just get on with it!”
Gui Zu stared thoughtfully at Yang Kai for a moment before nodding, “Seems you still have some guts left, not allowing a woman to face danger for your sake. But don’t worry, this time, none of you can escape, all of you must go in!”
When this statement comes out, everyone abruptly went pale.
They had thought that this situation was the same as before, that Gui Zu would throw someone into the Void Corridor then be done with it. They thought that after Yang Kai died, they would be able to live on dishonourably for at least a little longer, none of them had anticipated that bad luck would actually fall on their heads so quickly.
Gui Zu had obviously decided to stake everything on today’s attempt.
After understanding this, everyone looked extremely bitter, feeling that this time they could not escape and that they would be following in the footsteps of their dead comrades soon enough.
The seven coloured sky surrounding them seemed to cloud over at this moment, making all of them feel incredibly gloomy.
“Brother Yang, walk slowly. Brother here will soon be accompanying you, at least you won’t be alone on the way!” Facing impending and inescapable death, Shen Tu didn’t forget to get in the last word with Yang Kai.
Yang Kai gently nodded.
“Little brat, go in!” Gui Zu didn’t want to waste any more time, attaching a wisp of his Spiritual Energy to Yang Kai’s body before tossing him into the swirling Void Corridor.
As he perceived the information transmitted back to him from that wisp, he lifted his hand towards He Zao who was still standing nearby and drew her over, laughing as he said, “Don’t be anxious little girl, this old master will send you to accompany your saviour soon enough. I hope your luck is good and you don’t die inexplicably like everyone before!”
“Old monster, one day someone will make you pay for all your evil deeds!” He Zao gnashed her teeth and spat.
“Less idle chatter!” Gui Zu didn’t pay her any mind, attaching another wisp of Spiritual Energy to her.
Just as he was about to throw He Zao into the Void Corridor though, Gui Zu suddenly went stiff, his pair of gloomy eyes shrinking up, a look of shock filling his face, seemingly having discovered something unbelievable.
The next moment, he shouted loudly, “Boy, you actually possess such an ability?!”
Saying so, he tossed away He Zao while letting out a burst of riotous laughter and disappeared from sight.
Even as he flew far away, everyone was still able to hear his mad laughter.
Atop the mountain, He Zao’s face was ashen as she sat there motionless, staring off in the direction Gui Zu left, not understanding what just happened.
He Miao rushed over, tears filling her eyes as she worriedly asked, “Elder Sister, are you alright?”
“I’m fine,” He Zao shook her head. Besides being wrapped up in Gui Zu’s Spiritual Energy wisp, making her feel slightly cold, she really was alright.
Gui Zu hadn’t done anything to her.
“What happened? Why did that strange old monster suddenly fly off?” Yue Xi also rushed up and asked.
Lu Gui Chen, Bi Ya, Shen Tu, and all the others quickly gathered around, each of them staring towards He Zao, hoping she could provide them with some kind of answer.
All of them thought that as the one standing closest to Gui Zu, she would have noticed some clues.
“I don’t know,” He Zao shook her head.
“You really don’t know?” Lu Gui Chen asked suspiciously.
“I really don’t know!”
“This is too strange, why did Senior just suddenly leave?”
“Could it have something to do with Yang Kai?” He Miao asked innocently, “Those words that old fogey shouted before he flew off were clearly referring to him.”
Hearing her say this, everyone suddenly thought back to what had just transpired and felt it was possible. As if Yang Kai had some kind of profound method that attracted Gui Zu’s attention.
However, Yang Kai had already been thrown into the Void Corridor by that point, so why did Gui Zu fly off in a completely different direction?
“Could that old guy have finally gone insane?” Shen Tu’s mouth twitched, only able to come up with such a reason for Gui Zu’s strange actions.
“It would be best if he forgets about our existences altogether!” Lu Gui Chen prayed self deprecatingly.
Somewhere above the Floating Continent, a tear in space suddenly opened and Yang Kai’s figure appeared from inside it.
Glancing around for a while, a deep frown appeared on Yang Kai’s face and he couldn’t help but curse.
He discovered that he was still in the strange continent.
Before he could even catch his breath though, Yang Kai sensed Gui Zu’s aura approaching him at lightning speed, and in the blink of an eye, a dark figure appeared on the horizon. Before he even arrived though, streams of resentful spirits rushed out from Gui Zu’s body and rushed over towards Yang Kai.
Yang Kai’s face changed and he immediately tore space again, diving back into the turbulent flow of The Void.
When he appeared again, he was already several hundred kilometres away!
Gui Zu rushed over, spread out his Divine Sense, accurately locked onto Yang Kai’s current position, sneered deeply then continued the chase.
“Little brat, you certainly know how to conceal yourself, but regardless of how you try to run, you can’t escape from this old master’s palm!” Gui Zu spared no effort to pursue, vowing solemnly to capture Yang Kai.
Yang Kai, in turn, continued to flee, his heart filling with deep bitterness.
Since a year ago, when he had first been chosen by Gui Zu to enter the unstable Void Corridor, Yang Kai had been concealing his ability to tear space, not even hesitating to severely damage the Soul Clone he had been cultivating for ten years in order to not expose this method.
He had regarded it as his last life-saving method and was secretly counting on being able to leave this damned place by tearing space and returning to the Chaotic Abyss, thus escaping Gui Zu’s control.
However, today, when he had finally been forced to use this card, Yang Kai discovered that his thoughts had been too naive.
It seemed that because Gui Zu had built his unstable Space Array and haphazardly tested it over and over again, the space around the entire continent had become incredibly turbulent, making The Void in the surrounding area more dangerous than ever.
Even if Yang Kai had certain accomplishments in the Space Principle, he didn’t dare stay in that turbulent Void for too long.
This in turn meant that he couldn’t even catch his breath under the relentless pursuit of Gui Zu.
If not for these unfortunate circumstances, he could always hide in the Void and wait until Gui Zu thought he had died before quietly beginning to act.
Now he could only continue to tear space in order to flee from Gui Zu with great difficulty.
Every time he tore space, it would consume a massive amount of Yang Kai’s Saint Qi and Spiritual Energy, and displaying this Divine Ability four or five times had already made him breathless.
Yang Kai had a near-endless supply of Saint Qi, and even if he used all of it up, the Divine Tree could provide him with more, but supplementing his Spiritual Energy was not so easy.
Yang Kai gradually despaired, feeling like it was impossible for him to escape today.
“Junior, stop trying to run. As long as you’re still on this continent, you can’t escape!” Gui Zu’s voice sounded from far away but still rang clearly as if he was speaking right next to Yang Kai’s ear.
Yang Kai remained undeterred and continued to tear space, reappearing hundreds of kilometres away each time.
Gui Zu’s voice continually rang in his ear.
“Little brat, don’t refuse a toast only to be forced to drink a loss. If you dare continue to flee, when this old master finally catches you, you will pay the price!”
“Damn you, since you insist on opposing this old master, let’s see how long you can continue to hold out!”
“This old master knows you lack the ability to accomplish your objective! A tiny First-Order Saint like you, after tearing space so many times, how much power do you have left? Surrender without a fight and this old master won’t make things difficult for you.”
“Good good, stop! This old master won’t chase you any further, this old master swears to the Heavens he won’t harm a hair on your head, this old master means what he says!”
His attitude and words gradually began to change as he grew more and more surprised by Yang Kai’s performance, his confidence in being able to capture him beginning to waver.
Yang Kai expression finally changed, stopping in place and taking the opportunity to quickly swallow a few Saint Pills to supplement his Spiritual Energy while drinking a drop of Myriad Drug Milk in order to quickly refill his drained Knowledge Sea.
Gui Zu appeared a few dozen meters away in the next moment and gloomily stared towards Yang Kai, his expression filled with bitterness.
Grinning wickedly, he said, “Little brat, you really can surprise this old master. I didn’t think you could possess such means.”
“There’s much more you can’t think of,” Yang Kai tore space and hid half his body inside The Void, preparing to step inside at a moment’s notice.
“Don’t be so anxious, let’s talk about this,” Gui Zu raised his hands and wore his best smile on his face, trying to appear harmless to humans and animals alike, “This old master has seen your method quite clearly, but do you really believe this old master has no means to stop you? Don’t forget, this old master has also studied the Space Principle for a thousand!”
“Since you have such ability, why haven’t you used it yet? What are you worrying about?” Yang Kai said indifferently.
Gui Zu curled his lips, “If this old master really wants to stop you, he can, but whether you’d survive or not, this old master can’t guarantee, that’s why I’ve allowed you to carry on like this for so long. Don’t get too full of yourself.”
“You have something you need from me, naturally you won’t risk my life,” Yang Kai scorned.
“If I didn’t, do you think this old master would have tolerated your insolence for so long?” Gui Zu snickered coldly, “Enough nonsense, this old master didn’t know you were proficient in the Space Principle, but it’s not too late to have learned now. Come with this old master and we can cooperate to find a way out of here. How about it?”
“How would we cooperate?” Yang Kai frowned.
“This old master will ensure your freedom and supply you with anything you need. I promise you’ll be satisfied! You, on the other hand, search for a way to leave this place and when you find it, you take this old master with you when you go,” Gui Zu smirked, “This old master’s Space Array clearly won’t work, but since you have studied the Space Principle, you may be able to find some other way!”
“I don’t trust you!” Yang Kai shook his head decisively. When dealing with an old monster like this, carelessness could not be allowed.
“How can this old master win your trust?”
“Swear an oath!”
Gui Zu’s expression became strange as he wore a ferocious grin, “Would you believe this old master even if he swore an oath? This old master could renege on it at any time!”
“Swear it in the name of your dead wife and children, then I’ll believe you!” Yang Kai said seriously.
“Little brat, don’t reach out for a yard after taking an inch!” Gui Zu’s expression suddenly became irritated, Yang Kai’s words seemingly touching his reverse scale, causing him to shout angrily, “Irritating me holds no advantage to you; remember, I can kill you now and obtain your knowledge of the Space Principle by searching your Soul!”
“The chances of that working aren’t great. Perhaps you’ll be able to obtain all my insights into the Space Principle, perhaps you’ll get nothing, and even if you do obtain my knowledge, you won’t necessarily be able to understand it. This kind of thing depends more on aptitude than anything else, that’s why even after a thousand years of study you weren’t able to produce any results, your aptitude in the Space Principle is too poor!” Yang Kai spoke without reservation, unafraid of provoking Gui Zu.
Staring intently towards Gui Zu, Yang Kai asked, “Do you want to gamble?”
Gui Zu’s expression became gloomy as he stared towards Yang Kai like he couldn’t wait to butcher and eat him raw, wishing he could slap him dead and search his memories this instant but unable to help himself from hesitating.
Yang Kai’s words had hit the nail on the head, making it impossible for Gui Zu to not hesitate.
“If you don’t swear an oath on your dead wife and children’s souls, I’ll rush into The Void right now and not come out for a lifetime. I’d rather die in there than work with you. After I die, you can go bang your head against your Space Array. I wish you the best of luck,” saying so, Yang Kai didn’t give Gui Zu any time to consider and stepped further into the Void.
“Wait!” Gui Zu shouted, his face twitching as a gloomy aura pulsed from his body.
Suddenly, he laughed and nodded, “Little brat, your courage isn’t small, even daring to discuss conditions with this old master.”
Yang Kai shrugged his shoulders, “Trying to cooperate as equals with you is impossible, I have to be careful.”
“Good, you win! This old master swears in the name of his wife and children, as long as you cooperate with me, I will not bring any harm to you. If I violate this oath, may Heavenly lightning strike me down so I die like a dog!”
Yang Kai shook his head.
“Little brat, what do you want now?” Gui Zu shouted.
“It’s not you that should be struck down by Heavenly thunder and die like a dog, this kind of oath carries no real weight, how you should be swearing, do you need me to explain?”
Gui Zu glared at him coldly, a biting chill flashing across his eyes as palpable killing intent pulsed from his body.
Slowly closing his eyes, Gui Zu no longer played any tricks with his words and honestly made a vicious vow on the souls of his dead wife and children.
Yang Kai stepped out from The Void and said faintly, “Wouldn’t it have been easier to say that from the start?”
“Boy, I want nothing more than to kill you right now, reduce your body to ash, and extinguish your soul to soothe the hatred in my heart,” Gui Zu stared at him menacingly.
“I believe Senior is a man who values his wife and children far more than himself, otherwise you would not still be obsessed with seeking vengeance for them after an entire two thousand years,” Yang Kai smiled carefreely, “Senior is a man of unreasonable passion.”
Gui Zu’s cruel and violent aura, like snow under a hot sun, quickly melted as his eyes filled with a look of nostalgia, seeming thinking back fondly on his wife and children.
“The past cannot be changed. You come back with me first, from now on we’re partners in finding a way out of here,” His tone suddenly calmed down, as if the few words Yang Kai said had dispelled his previous indignation.
Saying so, with a wave of his sleeve, he wrapped Yang Kai up in his Saint Qi and carried him back the way they came.
On top of the mountain, everyone remained on edge, silently waiting.
Although Gui Zu had left almost an hour ago, none of them dared try to leave.
This entire continent was Gui Zu’s territory, there was nowhere they could escape to.
Everyone felt incredibly uneasy in their hearts and were secretly wishing Gui Zu would never return, allowing them to die peacefully of old age.
However, in the midst of their uneasiness, Yue Xi’s expression suddenly changed as she muttered, “He’s coming back.”
Saying so, she turned her head towards a certain direction.
Following her gaze, everyone else also noticed a black cloud that was rapidly approaching, Gui Zu’s cold and gloomy aura radiating from it.
Despair once again enveloped all of their hearts.
“Huh?” Shen Tu however suddenly called out as he stared towards the dark cloud with a confused look upon his face. He had just vaguely seen Yang Kai’s figure inside that dark cloud and couldn’t help feeling startled.
The others also quickly discovered this strange phenomenon and were taken aback.
Yang Kai had previously been thrown into the Void Corridor by Gui Zu, yet now he was returning together with Gui Zu from afar. None of them could find an explanation for what they were witnessing.
A moment later, the dark cloud fell to the ground and the figures of Gui Zu and Yang Kai appeared in front of everyone.
After confirming their eyes weren’t playing tricks on them, everyone only became even more confused, all of their eyes drifting back and forth between Yang Kai and Gui Zu curiously.
Soon though, they became shocked as they discovered that Gui Zu and Yang Kai seemed to have come to some sort of agreement, with the old monster’s attitude towards Yang Kai taking a significant turn for the better.
“If you need anything, just ask; find a method as soon as possible though, this old master does not want to wait,” Gui Zu faintly said.
“Even if you don’t want to wait, you’ll have to wait,” Yang Kai shook his head, “Thanks to you, the space around this continent is incredibly chaotic now, if it weren’t, I wouldn’t have been caught by you, I could have just hidden in The Void and not come out.”
“What does that have to do with this old master?” Gui Zu asked indignantly.
“This Space Array is yours, isn’t it…” Yang Kai pointed behind him.
Gui Zu suddenly looked embarrassed and didn’t say anymore.
Although he wasn’t proficient in the mysteries of space, he had still studied the subject for a thousand years and knew that what Yang Kai had said about the local space being chaotic was definitely a result of him continuously using his shoddy array to open an unstable Void Corridor.
“Stop using this array for a while and wait until the chaotic space becomes stable, then I can start searching for an appropriate method,” Yang Kai said.
Gui Zu didn’t say a word, waved his sleeve, and shut down the Space Array, closing the Void Corridor in an instant.
“How long will it take?” Gui Zu asked eagerly.
“I don’t know.” Yang Kai shook his head, “Perhaps half a month, maybe a few months, maybe a few years or more, I can’t say.”
“Little brat, are you just looking for an excuse stall for time?” Gui Zu stared at him suspiciously, “Don’t forget, although I swore an oath, that only applies if you are cooperating with me, if you dare play any tricks, this old master will absolutely show no mercy.”
“What benefit does stalling for time give me? Even if I wasted ten years of time I still wouldn’t be your opponent!” Yang Kai snorted.
“Good that you know!” Gui Zu nodded with satisfaction, “For the time being, you live here. There is a secluded cave this old master opened up over there, and the density of the World Energy aura there is the highest in the entire continent. You can cultivate there for a while, allowing you to easily return to this spot. If you need anything else, just let me know.”
Gui Zu said before vanishing into thin air.
Not sparing Lu Gui Chen or Yue Xi a single glance.
After Gui Zu left, Shen Tu came up to Yang Kai and asked, “Yang Kai, what’s going on? Why do you and that Senior seem to be getting along so well now… Also, how did you get escape from that Void Corridor?”
His head was full of fog and his face couldn’t hide his doubts.
The same was true of all the others as well, each of them staring towards Yang Kai, expecting him to explain it to them.
“He needs my help, so the two of us reached an agreement,” Yang Kai explained casually.
“He needs help from you?” Shen Tu was dumbstruck.
“What kind of skill do you possess that could force a master like him to work with you?” Yue Xi frowned, obviously not believing him.
Yang Kai glanced over at her briefly but was too lazy to explain.
“Little brother ……” Lu Gui Chen lightly coughed, his face full of smiles, drastically changing how he addressed Yang Kai as he spoke, “May I ask, does this mean that we’re temporarily safe? That Senior won’t force us into that Void Corridor to explore the way?”
“En,” Yang Kai nodded, “None of you will need to enter that Void Corridor again.”
“Really?” He Miao’s beautiful eyes lit up and she jumped for joy, feeling an unparalleled sense of relief.
“But whether or not you’re safe, I don’t know!” Yang Kai smiled softly as he stared towards Lu Gui Chen meaningfully.
Lu Gui Chen’s face suddenly changed, remembering that he and this young man had some deep grievances between them.
When they had first arrived here, it was he who sealed up Yang Kai’s Saint Qi, causing him to lose his strength.
Now, Yang Kai and Gui Zu had reached an agreement of some sort, so his status was obviously different from before.
As long as he had the asylum of that old monster, Yang Kai could act any way he wanted to!
Realizing this, Lu Gui Chen expression became flustered, not waiting for Yang Kai to have any stray thoughts and quickly wearing a flattering smile, cupping his fists and saying, “Little brother, before, this Lu had eyes but failed to see and committed some offences. I hope little brother can be generous and forgive these indiscretions.”
Bi Ya’s pretty face also paled, her pair of watery eyes filling with panic as she squeezed out an embarrassed smile, speaking in as charming a voice as she could muster, “Little brother, earlier, I was wrong and treated you without the proper respect you deserve. I hope you can be merciful and not haggle of such things. From now on, I will listen to your instructions and do for you whatever it is you ask, I ensure you will not be disappointed with me!”
Her last words were spoken very meaningfully; as long as one was a man, they would be able to understand exactly what she was suggesting.
At this moment, these two from Purple Star became incredibly submissive, compromising for their own interests. They understood that the situation demanded they act swiftly as Yang Kai was no longer a powerless youth they could look down on anymore.
As long as Gui Zu really needed his help, Yang Kai was capable of controlling who among them lived or died.
Nearby, Shen Tu’s spirit shook as he stared at Yang Kai with great admiration. He could never have imagined the situation would change so dramatically and couldn’t stop himself from letting out a low chuckle, taking pleasure in the other’s misfortune.
He was eagerly anticipating what answer Yang Kai would give.
Yue Xi’s expression also fluctuated greatly, staring towards Yang Kai warily, her beautiful eyes filled with dread and vigilance.
Lu Gui Chen had a terrible relationship with Yang Kai, but hers was not much better!
After Wei Wu was killed, she had confronted Yang Kai and declared that one day she would make him pay. Yang Kai had also ruthlessly retorted to her, his vile words still clear in her mind. Yue Xi’s heart filled with bitterness, not knowing what she should do now.
These two masters were incredibly depressed right now, feeling as if they had escaped from the tiger’s den only to enter a dragon’s lair. Facing the current Yang Kai made them more nervous than facing Gui Zu.
At the very least, they understood Gui Zu’s methods and purpose.
On the other hand, they knew nothing about what Yang Kai thought or how he would act.
Yang Kai looked over at Lu Gui Chen and Bi Ya indifferently, silently observing the smiles on their faces that seemed as ugly as if they were crying, suddenly feeling a deep sense of disdain.
The river flows thirty years to the east, then thirty years to the west.
A year ago, when they had fallen into this damned place, he had been subdued by Lu Gui Chen without the ability to resist; now, this powerhouse that was able to easily take his life had to act subservient and openly flatter him.
All of this was because he now had the backing of Gui Zu!
Yang Kai had wanted to use Gui Zu to kill Lu Gui Chen in order to soothe the hatred he felt from being sealed all that time ago. But now, he had lost interest.
Because even if Gui Zu killed Lu Gui Chen, Yang Kai wouldn’t be able to take any joy in it.
After a short silence, Yang Kai suddenly said, “I heard that your Purple Star people collected a lot of herbs some time ago, yes?”
Lu Gui Chen was slightly startled by this question but quickly nodded, “We indeed collected a lot of herbs, but because we lacked a proper storage artifact, we could not preserve them very well, so some of their medicinal efficacies have passed; however, the degradation should not be too bad. En, this Lu heard that little brother is an Alchemist, yes? These herbs will only be able to display their full use in little brother’s hands. Little brother should quickly refine them into pills so as not to waste the gifts Heaven has bestowed!”
Yang Kai grinned and expressed his satisfaction, again asking, “What about your Saint Crystal?”
“Everything has been stored in a hidden location. This place’s World Energy is so potent there is no need to use Saint Crystals. How about we gift these things to little brother? We cannot use them now in any case.”
“Good good, you know how to speak!” Yang Kai continually nodded, gently patting Lu Gui Chen’s shoulder, putting on a happy look as he shot Shen Tu a look, “Go together with them and carry those things back.”
“Understood!” Shen Tu’s body trembled as he straightened his back and puffed out his chest.
“This matter must not be delayed, let’s go now!” Lu Gui Chen smiled embarrassedly, only wishing he could escape from this place a moment sooner so as to avoid any more trouble from Yang Kai.
Saying so, he asked Yang Kai to be excused before leading Shen Tu to quickly withdraw.
Seeing Lu Gui Chen act like this, shamelessly flattering a boy he had moments ago been disdaining, Yue Xi couldn’t help revealing a look of contempt.
She had been dealing with Lu Gui Chen for many years and believed his strength and methods to be no worse than her own, so now seeing him act so submissive and cowardly somehow made Yue Xi feel vexed and disappointed.
Her originally bad mood became even worse.
“As for you…” Yang Kai suddenly turned to look at her, a strange smile appearing on his face as he swept his gaze over Yue Xi’s full chest, slender waist, and long leg, an obscene light flashing across his eyes.
Although Yue Xi was He Zao and He Miao’s Master, and her true age was definitely not small, her cultivation was profound so the years had not left any trace on her and instead given her a mature charm.
She looked like an unwed young woman, sweet and delicious.
Yang Kai couldn’t help secretly praising this beautiful woman, thinking she was more outstanding than her two disciples.
His vision was aggressive and unscrupulous, not even trying to hide his intent.
Being stared at by such a gaze, Yue Xi couldn’t help feeling like her clothes were being ripped apart and she was standing naked in front of this youth, a deep sense of shame filling her heart, her tender body shivering as she shouted, “What do you want? You can have our herbs and Saint Crystal as well but don’t expect me to humble myself like Lu Gui Chen!”
“You still have some spirit, good!” Yang Kai sneered, “Don’t think that because you are He Zao and He Miao’s Master I will show you any favour. To me, there’s no difference between you and those Purple Star people, if we weren’t stranded in this continent under Senior Gui Zu’s rules, perhaps I would have already been killed by someone from your side!”
“For a person like you, your death isn’t worth pitying!” Yue Xi smiled coldly.
“A person like me? Are you familiar with me? What qualifications do you have to evaluate me? I saved your two disciples’ lives yet not only did you not show any appreciation, you instead suspected and guarded against me, created obstacles for me at every turn, and snatched back the ring you supposedly gifted me. I can ignore all of those matters, but when Wei Wu tried to kill me, yet was too weak and was instead killed by me, did you even bother trying to determine right from wrong before deciding to kill me in the name of revenge? Why don’t you ask your two disciples carefully what kind of person I am and what kind of person that Wei Wu was!” Yang Kai shouted angrily.
“What do you mean?” Yue Xi’s brow furrowed deeply as she stared at Yang Kai suspiciously, feeling as if he was hinting at something.
“Bi Ya!” Yang Kai shouted.
“Does little brother have something he needs from me?” Bi Ya asked with a forced smile.
“You are from Purple Star, explain how you found He Zao and He Miao at that time and how you forced them into the Chaotic Abyss!” Yang Kai continued glaring at Yue Xi while commanding Bi Ya.
Yue Xi couldn’t help turning to look at Bi Ya, waiting for her answer.
Bi Ya didn’t dare conceal anything at this point, quickly saying, “We received a message from someone inside your Sword Union, saying that the ones who were carrying the Star Sect Command were waiting at the edge of the Chaotic Abyss. If not for that message, we would not have been able to find these two sisters in this vast Star Field!”
Yue Xi’s tender body trembled, her beautiful eyes flashing a look of disbelief.
“Master, the reason we stopped there was because we received a message from Senior Brother Wei Wu saying not to run around aimlessly as you would soon come to find us!” He Zao said to Yue Xi.
“I never issued such instruction!” Yue Xi shook her head, her face going pale, seemingly unable to accept the words she had just heard.
“Who was the one who sent that message to you?” He Zao asked Bi Ya.
Bi Ya slowly shook her head, “I don’t know, only Senior Lu would know. When he returns, you should ask him.”
Yue Xi was dazed as she muttered, “Impossible, Wei Wu isn’t such a person… He grew up beside me since childhood, how could he possibly do such a thing?”
As she talked to herself, she suddenly stared wickedly towards Yang Kai and shouted, “It must be you and this cheap whore colluding to slander Wei Wu!”
“You’re absolutely incorrigible!” Yang Kai shook his head slightly before staring towards her menacingly, “Do you still remember what I said to you that day?”
Yue Xi expression became panicked as her face paled.
How could she not remember Yang Kai’s words from that time, they were simply the most offensive words she had ever heard spoken to her in this life, every time she thought back to that moment, she couldn’t help feeling uncomfortable.
“I have no interest in an old bag like you!” Yang Kai curled his lips viciously and cursed, “You should remain a virgin for the rest of your life, forever unable to marry.”
When he said this, He Zao and He Miao frowned angrily and glared towards Yang Kai while Bi Ya actually chuckled, revealing a look of understanding.
“The anger you caused me, I won’t take out on you. Instead, I’ll let your two precious disciples pay the price for you, their young, tender flesh is much more to my appetite!”
“What do you want to do?” Yue Xi flew into a rage, quickly protecting He Zao and He Miao behind herself as she glared towards Yang Kai vigilantly.
“What I want to do, don’t you already know?” Yang Kai grinned fiercely while simultaneously sending a Divine Sense Message to Gui Zu.
In the next moment, a dark wisp of energy suddenly appeared beside Yue Xi, releasing a hideous wail as it spilled into Yue Xi’s body, causing her to stiffen up, unable to move.
Two more wisps of dark energy then appeared and wrapped around He Zao and He Miao like ropes.
He Miao screamed in fright.
Yang Kai ignored the stares of everyone else and stepped forward, picking up and resting He Zao and He Miao on his shoulders, posturing in front of Yue Xi for a moment before smugly walking over towards the mountain cave.
“You demon! Let go of He Zao and He Miao, if you dare lay a finger on them, I swear I’ll make you pay!” Yue Xi shouted hysterically as she watched Yang Kai take her two disciples away, screaming repeatedly as she struggled fiercely to free herself.
But facing Gui Zu’s oppression, she was completely unable to escape.
“Scream! Scream louder, scream until your throat goes dry, no one will care!” Yang Kai sneered, ignoring her threats.
“Boy, how can you do this!?” Yue Xi shouted, her voice filled with unwillingness, her beautiful eyes ablaze with indescribable hatred. She had thought that at worst, Yang Kai would drag her up the mountain and humiliate her, but never had she imagined that this grudge would be taken out on her two disciples.
If that was the case, she would have only felt aggrieved for herself rather than guilty towards her disciples.
“This is the fate of those who provoke me!” Yang Kai cackled as his figure finally disappeared into the mountain cave.
Yue Xi shouted and cursed unceasingly as the rest of the Purple Star and Sword Union cultivators stared towards the direction Yang Kai disappeared, all of them feeling a chill run up their spine, each of them thinking Yang Kai was too brutal and ruthless.
Even Bi Ya couldn’t help shivering; it was only after witnessing just how vicious Yang Kai could be that she realized she had looked down far too much on this youth.
He was a cold-blooded, heartless demon; perhaps he didn’t even understand the concept of compassion.
Compared with Yang Kai, she was nothing less than a virtuous saint.
Inside the mountainside where Gui Zu lived, he had opened up a number of massive stone rooms, each one filled with numerous things, cluttered and messy. It was really a wonder where Gui Zu found all of this junk.
The air was dry though, and the stone rooms were dotted with stones that radiated a soft light, making it bright even in the absence of sunlight.
This mountain peak seemed to be the center of the entire Floating Continent, and inside it there were passages extending in all directions that formed a kind of massive Spirit Array that concentrated the already rich World Energy aura towards it.
The arrangements Yang Kai had set up in his cave ten thousand kilometers away seemed like the work of a naive child compared to Gui Zu’s approach.
A small brook flowed through the stone chambers, filled with crystal clear liquid, but this liquid wasn’t just ordinary water, it was pure spirit elixir that contained massive amounts of World Energy, drinking it would result in massive benefits for one’s cultivation.
Yang Kai carried He Zao and He Miao with him as he walked further into the mountainside, releasing his Divine Sense to investigate his surroundings and was becoming stunned by what he discovered. The cultivation environment here was simply astonishing, it was no wonder Gui Zu had chosen this place as his residence.
He also noticed the extraordinariness of the brook and couldn’t help feeling amazed, following along it as he moved forward.
Since Yang Kai had hoisted them onto his shoulders, He Zao hadn’t shown any noticeable reaction while He Miao, on the other hand, was shivering in terror as she imagined what kind of shameful things Yang Kai would soon do to her.
In their ears, Yue Xi’s hysterical cries and curses still resounded, but no matter how she screamed, no one paid any attention to her.
After a short time, Yang Kai came to a stop, casually found a stone room, walking inside, and set He Zao and He Miao down.
He Miao immediately jumped behind her Elder Sister like a frightened rabbit, tightly clutching her clothes as she stared fearfully towards Yang Kai, her voice quavering as she asked, “What are you doing? What are you going to do to us?”
“What do you think?” Yang Kai smiled evilly.
He Miao couldn’t stop trembling in fright, becoming more and more alarmed.
“Stop teasing her,” He Zao stared towards Yang Kai indifferently, her thin brow creasing into a line, “Is this fun for you? Even if you have grievances with Master, you shouldn’t torture her like this, doing so is… it’s too cruel.”
“Cruel?” Yang Kai raised his brow and sneered, “What kind of person your Master is, as her disciples, you should know best. Could it be you don’t know what shortcomings she has?”
He Zao frowned and sighed softly, “Master sometimes becomes impenetrably thick-headed and stubborn, refusing to admit her mistakes. Like last time, she knew she shouldn’t have been so wary of you and try to create trouble for you and instead be modest and thank you for saving us, but she simply couldn’t bring herself to do so.”
“That’s because my strength was too low and she didn’t put me in her eyes,” Yang Kai slowly shook his head.
“Master isn’t a bad person, she…”
“You need not say anything more, she directed killing intent towards me, so she must pay an appropriate price! How she acts from this point forward will determine whether she lives or dies.”
He Zao’s tender body shivered as she stared restlessly towards Yang Kai, “Do you want to kill Master?”
“That will depend on her attitude; I won’t allow anyone who bears such naked hostility towards me to live in this world!” Yang Kai said callously, “Even if she is your Master she won’t be an exception. If you were to seek revenge, I will show you no mercy either.”
“Is that why you are embarrassing us now?” He Zao smiled bitterly.
“That’s why I brought you here!” Yang Kai nodded as he sent a Divine Sense Message to Gui Zu.
A moment later, the evil energy that bound He Zao and He Miao disappeared and the two of them regained their freedom.
“Look for a place to cultivate yourself, don’t think about going out for a while, you can’t even if you want to!” Yang Kai commanded before turning around and leaving.
After Yang Kai left, He Miao poked her head out from behind her sister and let out a sigh of relief, patting her chest with her small hand, “That really scared me to death, I thought he really wanted to…”
He Zao smiled and asked, “What did you think he was going to do?”
He Miao’s face went red as she hid once more.
“He’s not such a person. Him bringing us in here was first to punish Master and second to deliver us both some benefits.”
“Deliver us some benefits?” He Miao was shocked.
“When that Gui Zu was about to throw him into that Void Corridor, didn’t we speak up for him?” He Zao smiled brightly, adding a touch of colour to the lonely stone room, “He is a man who clearly distinguishes between gratitude and grudges. Bringing us here was definitely to let us cultivate.”
“Really? I think he’s actually quite frightening,” He Miao said with lingering fear in her expression, recalling Yang Kai’s appearance from a moment ago was enough to cause her shivers and make her think of him as an extremely cruel person.
“What about Master?” He Miao asked. She could still hear Yue Xi’s screaming, her hoarse and sorrowful voice causing her to worry greatly.
He Zao smiled lightly before taking out her communication type artifact, allowing her little sister’s eyes to brighten in comprehension.
He Zao poured her Divine Sense into the artifact and sent a Divine Sense Message to their Master informing her of their sister’s current situation.
In another stone room, Yang Kai found dry place, sat down, and began thinking about the future.
Although he and Gui Zu had reached an agreement today, whether he was even able to leave this strange continent by tearing space remained uncertain.
As he was being chased by Gui Zu, Yang Kai had torn space several times, but he was only able to re-emerge from The Void at other locations inside this Floating Continent, never once seeing a clear path to the Starry Sky, causing him to feel quite helpless.
If this method really wasn’t feasible, Gui Zu would not let him off and his death would be far more miserable than anyone else’s.
Fortunately, he was able to buy himself some time, but Yang Kai still felt he needed to find a solution as soon as possible; at the very least, he needed to give Gui Zu some hope.
Hearing Shen Tu’s voice suddenly call out from outside, Yang Kai’s expression brightened as he looked up and said, “Senior, can my friend come in?”
“Let in whoever you want! There’s plenty of stone rooms in this place anyways,” Gui Zu’s voice echoed.
Yang Kai nodded before quickly sending Shen Tu a Divine Sense Message.
A moment later, Shen Tu stepped into the cave network with several large bags over his shoulder, marveling at the cultivation paradise around him.
Arriving at the stone room where Yang Kai was, Shen Tu gently put down the things on his shoulder and said, “This is everything those Purple Star people collected during this time. Lu Gui Chen didn’t dare try to conceal anything.”
“There’s also many Saint Crystals!” A shadow flashed behind Shen Tu and the beautiful woman Bi Ya stepped out, smiling towards Yang Kai.
Yang Kai stared at her, then at Shen Tu.
Shen Tu shrugged her shoulders, “She followed me on her own, it helped because I couldn’t carry so much by myself.”
“Little brother… I came here because I wanted to apologize again to you,” Bi Ya wore a pitiful look, her beautiful eyes becoming misty like a little girl who had done something wrong, biting her thin red lips as she said softly, “I hope little brother can be forgiving and not worry about our past matters, okay?”
Her voice was soft and sweet as her eyes were filled with remorse.
In the depths of her gaze, there seemed to be a deep light of regret, giving the impression that she was truly acknowledging her past wrongs while tugging at the heartstrings of any who saw her, making them wish to forgive all her sins.
Shen Tu couldn’t help shivering with fright nearby, rubbing his arms as if he had suddenly caught a chill, cursing out loud, “Damn, you certainly know how to frighten people! Can’t you speak in a normal voice instead of that coaxing tone?”
Bi Ya shot him a wicked glance before turning a smiling face back to Yang Kai, “I know that I’m cheap, but as long little brother does not shut me out, I swear not to disappoint you, from now on, I will only listen to you, obeying your every whim, even if you want me to serve you as a maid or slave, I won’t utter a single complaint.”
Shen Tu gawked, “You actually know you’re cheap?”
Bi Ya’s mouth twitched, wishing she could punch Shen Tu in his dumb face this instant, but she didn’t dare get angry in front of Yang Kai, forcing herself to keep that pretty, yet ugly smile on her face.
“Maid or slave?” Yang Kai’s lips curled upwards as he wore an interested expression.
Bi Ya nodded firmly, “I am completely sincere.”
“What do you want?” Yang Kai stared at her and asked directly.
“To live,” Bi Ya replied decisively.
“Good, out of appreciation for your honesty, I’ll allow you to follow me later!” Yang Kai gently nodded.
Bi Ya’s beautiful eyes flashed brilliantly as she was immediately overjoyed, “Many thanks little brother, your slaves will do her best to serve you from now on and never disappoint you… En, how would you like your slave to call you later? … Is Master alright?”
On her face, a tinge of blush filled her cheeks as if she was a shy young maiden in love, creating a fascinating appeal…
Shen Tu stared dumbfounded at this display, shaking his head involuntarily, “Woman, you really know how to act, if I didn’t know all about you already, I would have swiftly been deceived by you.”
Anyone who saw her look like this would inevitably feel some compassion for her and relax their vigilance.
“You master and slave play here nicely, I won’t bother you any further,” Shen Tu said, “Yang Kai, can I chose any place here to stay?”
“Yes!” Yang Kai nodded.
“Many thanks!” Shen Tu grinned and was about to leave, but before he could, Yang Kai tossed a jade bottle over to him, causing him to ask, “What is this?”
“A bottle of Saint Pills! Use them to cultivate.”
Shen Tu laughed, “Brother is truly thoughtful, feel free to go all out, I’ll shut off my Divine Sense so I can’t hear anything.”
Saying so with great meaning, he disappeared into the caves.
“Master… It looks like you’re quite tired, would you like your slave to help massage your shoulders?” Bi Ya said as she fixed her beautiful eyes onto Yang Kai, her slender white neck taking on a hint of red as her breath seemed to grow hot.
Saying so, without waiting for Yang Kai to agree or disagree, she lightly stepped forward and sat down gracefully behind him, pressing her tender body gently up against his back as she used her two jade hands to gently knead Yang Kai’s shoulders.
Her movements were as gentle as flowing water, like she was touching her most beloved person, and the strength she used was just right, an inexplicable force stimulating Yang Kai’s body through her fingertips, causing him to unconsciously relaxed, all the stress he had built up from dealing with Gui Zu melting away as his spirits were roused and became re-energized.
“Your skills are impressive,” Yang Kai commented.
“I’m glad Master likes it,” Bi Ya whispered hotly into Yang Kai’s ear, exhaling an orchid scent, “This slave does not have other skills, but she knows how to serve others well.”
“How to serve men?” Yang Kai snickered.
Bi Ya laughed playfully, not taking Yang Kai’s teasing to heart.
“Good, don’t try to use your Seduction Technique on me, it’s completely useless,” Yang Kai muttered flatly.
Bi Ya’s movements went stiff and she quickly withdrew her technique, “Your slave did not intend to use it, please do not take offence, Master!”
“If I want a woman, there are two in the next stone room over who still have their innocence intact, it’s pointless for you to try to seduce me.”
“Master dislikes that my body is no longer pure…” Bi Ya smiled bitterly, suddenly suggesting, “Would you like your slave to train those two little girls? I am confident I can make those two women lose all resistance to Master’s charms and take the initiative to offer themselves, body and soul, to you of their own free will.”
Yang Kai’s face went black, “I somewhat regret allowing you to stay!”
Bi Ya didn’t dare continued speaking and instead focused on serving Yang Kai, intentionally or unintentionally pressing her hot, tender body and astonishingly elastic peaks onto his back.
After a while, Yang Kai waved his hand, “You step back, find a place to live. If I have something I need from you, I’ll call. Without my instructions, you’re not allowed to enter here.”
“Yes!” Bi Ya got up and set out leisurely, her full, rounded bottom swaying rhythmically as she left.
Inside the next stone room over, He Miao was leaning up against the wall, pressing her ear against it, suddenly saying with indignation, “Elder Sister, Yang Kai actually hooked up with that cheap woman Bi Ya, shameless! I think in the future we should be on guard against him!”
He Zao just sat cross-legged on the floor, remaining silent.
……
Gui Zu didn’t show up for half a month, and no one knew what he was doing.
During this time, Yang Kai had been single-mindedly concentrating on cultivating.
Inside the mountain’s stone rooms, He Zao, He Miao, Shen Tu, and Bi Ya all lived quietly, especially Bi Ya who withdrew all her debauched behaviour after pledging to serve Yang Kai. She had become more obedient than anyone else, not engaging in the slightest bit of frivolity anymore.
Unless Yang Kai summoned her, she would remain in her stone room quietly.
She clearly knew that she couldn’t move a character like Gui Zu, so if she wanted to live, she could only work hard to please Yang Kai. As long as Yang Kai was happy with her, there was a chance she would survive.
To this end, she didn’t hesitate to betray Lu Gui Chen and even handed over the communication type artifact she used to contact the other Purple Star cultivators to Yang Kai to show her resolve.
The few times Yang Kai did call her though, he had never done anything improper to her, causing Bi Ya a great deal of confusion. She even began wondering if Yang Kai had certain problems in that field; otherwise, why would he be so indifferent to a beauty like her?
She had made it abundantly clear she would not resist, so was it really possible he wasn’t the least bit tempted?
Hot-blooded young men always had bottomless desire when it came to such matters, so what other reason than a physical disability could there be?
As Bi Ya became more and more suspicious, the look she directed towards Yang Kai slowly began to change, even feeling some sympathy for him.
On this day, as Yang Kai was cultivating, he suddenly noticed that something was not right and hurriedly opened his eyes to find Gui Zu standing quietly in front of him, his eyes staring at him fixedly.
Yang Kai’s body went stiff and amazement filled his heart.
His Divine Sense was already quite powerful, but he hadn’t even been able to detect when Gui Zu arrived here, this old man’s cultivation was simply too profound.
“Does Senior have something he needs from me?” Yang Kai asked.
“Little brat, have you forgotten about our agreement?” Gui Zu asked somewhat dissatisfied, “I didn’t allow you to remain here just so you could improve your strength.”
“Naturally I have not forgotten, but the space around this continent has still not yet fully stabilized. I am unable to investigate anything even if I tear space to explore The Void,” Yang Kai replied flatly, hesitating for a moment before saying, “But if Senior is anxious, I can begin examining other related matters.”
“What other matters?” Gui Zu showed a confused expression.
“The seven coloured sky… If I have not guessed wrong, this seven coloured sky is the actual cage keeping us trapped here, Senior is unable to leave directly because of it.”
“Indeed,” Gui Zu’s eyes lit up and acknowledged, “Your vision isn’t bad little brat, this continent’s sky is an amalgamation of all the Chaotic Abyss’ fluctuating energy fields, making it even more twisted and chaotic than the Chaotic Abyss itself, and making it impossible for anyone to keep their sense of direction upon entering it. It’s for this reason that one can’t simply fly away from this continent. You being able to see through this is a surprise to this old master. It indeed should be investigated.”
Saying so, he grabbed hold of Yang Kai and flew out of the mountain cave like a bolt of lightning, reaching the sky above the mainland a moment later.
When Yang Kai regained his composure, he discovered that he was already standing ten thousand kilometres above the continent.
“Take a careful look, what can you see?” Gui Zu stood next to Yang Kai and motioned.
Yang Kai nodded and released his Divine Sense in all directions.
After a while, he frowned, “This space is truly chaotic, my Divine Sense is unable to find the correct path forward, the overlapping energy fields are severely hampering my sense of direction. How wide does Senior estimate this chaotic field is?”
Gui Zu pondered for a moment before replying, “This continent isn’t too large, so the scope of this chaotic barrier shouldn’t be too wide. I’d estimate it to be as small as several thousand kilometres to as large as ten thousand kilometres.”
“When I tear space, the furthest I can travel is six or seven hundred kilometres… If this field is so wide, it means that I’ll have to tear space at least a dozen times to cross it, and I cannot make a single mistake in the process!” Yang Kai frowned and shook his head, “It will be difficult!”
“If you think it’s too difficult to handle, what reason do I have to keep you alive?” Gui Zu sneered, “I might as well kill you now, search your Soul, then look for my own way out!”
Yang Kai just laughed, “That’s a matter of last resort. Senior doesn’t want to do so unless it becomes absolutely necessary, right?”
Gui Zu coldly snorted.
“This matter cannot be rushed. Senior should be patient for another half a month. After half a month passes, the space around this continent should stabilize and I will try to find a solution to our problem.”
“Seems there’s no other choice,” Gui Zu nodded helplessly.
“Does Senior have any other instructions? If not, Junior will take his leave.”
“Don’t move!” Saying so, Gui Zu placed his hand on Yang Kai’s shoulder before quickly injecting a frigid force that swept through Yang Kai’s body, seemingly investigating every bit of his physique, inside and out.
Yang Kai paled, not knowing why Gui Zu was suddenly acting against him like this.
A moment later, Gui Zu look changed slightly as he lifted his other hand, causing something to appear atop it.
The Demon Mystic Tome!
Yang Kai’s face suddenly became ugly as he stared vigilantly towards Gui Zu.
“Do you think this old master would be unable to sense this storage artifact inside your body?” Gui Zu sneered, “This old master didn’t pay much mind to it, but seeing it now, it’s a bit strange. Where did you get it?”
“The star I was born on,” Yang Kai answered honestly.
“Was there some kind of inheritance inside?” Gui Zu continued to ask.
“Yes!” Yang Kai, while feeling quite shocked on the inside, maintained a look of calm on his face.
“No wonder there are two different forces inside your body… There are also some inexplicable external energies residing within you as well.”
Yang Kai understood that the external energies Gui Zu was referring to were the Dragon Emperor and Phoenix Empress tattoos on his back.
“Little brat, have you ever thought about fusing these two forces together?” Gui Zu suddenly asked.
“Fusing them together?” Yang Kai stunned.
“En, you have two different types of power within you, but don’t you find them inconvenient to use? Their attributes are completely opposite one another, and in order to use one, don’t you have to suppress the other?”
“Yes.”
“If you can fuse these two forces together, your strength will undergo earth-shaking changes!”
“Please grant me your guidance, Senior!” Yang Kai immediately asked. Gui Zu’s words had opened up a completely new world to him, causing him to become excited.
Gui Zu however just rolled his eyes, “How would I know anything about that? That’s your business, find a solution on your own. This old master did once see someone perfectly fuse together Ice and Flame Attribute Strength, but he was an unparalleled genius! Whether you are able to accomplish this or not is up to your own efforts, this old master doesn’t have any experience in such matters.”
Yang Kai smiled bitterly, “Why would Senior suddenly say this to me then?”
“Because this old master feels that the higher your strength is, the greater chance there is you’ll find a way to leave here! And even if your strength increases tenfold, you won’t be able to escape from this old master’s palm, so this old master isn’t worried about you becoming stronger and is instead looking forward to it,” Gui Zu said while cackling, completely not putting Yang Kai in his eyes.
“True enough!” Yang Kai nodded bitterly.
An Origin King Star Master level cultivator really didn’t need to care about a small cultivator like Yang Kai.
“Oh, you have a strange tree inside this storage artifact? How many thousands of years did it take to grow to such a level?” Gui Zu suddenly exclaimed as his Divine Sense wandered around Yang Kai’s Demon Mystic Tome, the Divine Tree’s existence catching him by surprise.
Not caring about Yang Kai’s ugly face, he continued browsing through the secrets inside the Demon Mystic Tome.
“This spirit liquid, spirit milk, and spirit cream are actually not bad,” Gui Zu continued to be surprised, “This cream should be Saint King Grade.”
“Senior, can you return my things to me?” Yang Kai asked helplessly, his face completely black.
Gui Zu snorted, “Are you afraid this old master will take a liking to your treasures? You don’t have to worry about that; although these things might be quite good for someone like you, they’re all useless to this old master, en, I have no reason to snatch them…”
Saying so, he continued sifting through Yang Kai’s possessions.
Suddenly though, his look changed and he exclaimed, “You actually have this kind of thing?”
“What?” Yang Kai was stunned, not understanding what Gui Zu had found inside the Demon Mystic Tome that had actually warranted such a big reaction.
“Where did you get these?” Gui Zu asked as he took out three stones and held them in his hand.
One of these stones was a deep shade of crimson and contained a vast amount of Blood Qi inside it, it was the Blood Essence Stone Yang Kai had obtained some time ago.
The other two were actually the strange pitch-black round stones. These two round stones had many veins running across their surfaces like human meridians, and if one were to listen carefully, they would be able to hear a rhythmic thumping coming from them.
Seeing the drastic change in Gui Zu’s expression, Yang Kai’s look also became serious as he realized that these two pitch-black round stones should have extraordinary origins.
“Where did you get these things?” Gui Zu asked again.
Yang Kai answered honestly.
These two pitch-black round stones were obtained by him in different places through various coincidences and opportunities. As for the Blood Essence Stone, he had snatched it from someone else in Tong Xuan Realm.
Yang Kai only understood the role and use of the Blood Essence Stone and had even used it a number of times, but to this day, he still didn’t know what the two pitch-black round stones were.
“Senior, do you recognize these two strange stones?” Yang Kai observed Gui Zu’s reactions and asked with some trepidation.
Gui Zu’s eyes flickered as he stared deeply at the two pitch-black round stones, seeming to trace the complex lines on their surface with his gaze while listening to the faint murmurs coming from inside them, a little while nodding his head, “It seems you don’t know what these things are…”
“I hope Senior can dispel this Junior’s doubts!” Yang Kai sincerely asked.
Gui Zu grinned before tossing the Blood Essence Stone and the two pitch-black round stones back into the Demon Mystic Tome then handed it back to Yang Kai, commenting mysteriously, “Raise them well. One day you will understand, en, these things require a lot of mineral essence. If you can’t find any rare ores to feed them, artifacts will also work.”
After leaving this sentence, without another word, Gui Zu disappeared.
Yang Kai remained alone in the sky, more confused than ever.
Gui Zu was obviously not willing to tell Yang Kai what he knew, making Yang Kai quite depressed.
However, Gui Zu’s words alone were quite intriguing. He had said to ‘raise them well’ when referring to the two pitch-black round stones. How was he supposed to raise two stones though? It’s not like they were living things.
Not understanding, and with too much else to worry about right now, Yang Kai just told the Divine Tree to continue monitoring the pitch-black round stones carefully before returning the Demon Mystic Tome to his body.
Landing back on the flat region of the central mountain, Yang Kai noticed a menacing and ferocious pair of eyes staring towards him, as if the owner wished they could swallow him whole. Obviously, it was from Yue Xi!
Her strength had long been restored; after all, Gui Zu had no interest in restraining her indefinitely. These days, she had not moved her gaze from the mountainside, her beautiful and noble looks entirely destroyed by now, her hair a mess and her eyes bloodshot as they stared towards Yang Kai, revealing an unfathomable hatred and rage.
It seemed like she couldn’t wait to peel his skin, eat his flesh, and drink his blood.
Although she had learned everything from He Zao and He Miao, and was aware that Yang Kai had not done anything other than tossing them into a stone room and ignoring them, all as a way to punish her for her previous actions, Yue Xi was still somewhat unable to accept this, feeling that Yang Kai was nothing but a rampant, sinister, and disrespectful junior.
She regarded everything she had experienced to be a great shame and made no attempt to conceal her anger about it.
Right now, everyone trapped in here had to bow their head to a higher power. Therefore, she didn’t dare make any rash actions and was only able to vent her dissatisfaction and anger by glaring murderously towards this boy.
Yang Kai pretended to not even see her, walking right past her and disappearing into the mountainside.
Yue Xi closed her beautiful eyes and took a deep breath to calm her mood.
“This boy thinks that under Gui Zu’s asylum he’s perfectly safe, but he fails to realize he’s already dead,” Lu Gui Chen suddenly appeared beside Yue Xi and sneered, “Once Gui Zu can get out of here, he will definitely not let him off. Death will be all that waits for him!”
“Why bother telling me this?” Yue Xi opened her eyes and shot a cold look towards Lu Gui Chen.
“Don’t you hate him? He killed your disciple, then took your other two female disciples into that cave. What they suffered, I think you know better than me. He humiliated you, so how could you not hate him? Don’t you want to kill him with your own hands?”
“That’s my business, it has nothing to do with you!” Yue Xi snorted.
Lu Gui Chen grinned, “Of course it’s related to me, I want his life too.”
“Really, a few days ago you were happy enough to wag your tail for him weren’t you?”
Lu Gui Chen wore an embarrassed look as he scratched his nose, “The situation compelled me to act so, do you think I enjoy bowing down to this kind of person? If not for Gui Zu’s protection, I could kill him any time I like!”
“Lu Gui Chen, I’ll ask you a question, you answer honestly!” Yue Xi suddenly looked at him seriously.
“What?”
“My disciple Wei Wu… Did he make contact with your Purple Star before this incident? What benefits did you promise him to not make him hesitate to betray my and betray Sword Union!” Yue Xi shouted grimly.
Lu Gui Chen eyes narrowed ever so slightly before he let out a laugh, “What do you mean? I don’t understand.”
“You know exactly what I mean! This account, I will settle with your sooner or later. In addition, if you want the life of that Junior, kill him yourself, don’t think that by irritating me I will do your work for you. I’m not that stupid,” Yue Xi spat before turning and walking away, unwilling to even remain in Lu Gui Chen’s presence.
Gazing at her back, Lu Gui Chen’s expression became gloomy.
He hadn’t expected Yue Xi to swallow her anger at this point. According to common sense, after her two female disciples were carried off by Yang Kai then humiliated, Yue Xi should have lost all inhibitions and desperately rushed inside to kill him. Lu Gui Chen didn’t understand how Yue Xi was able to maintain her calm even now.
Inside the mountain’s stone rooms, Yang Kai sat watching the stream of spirit liquid flow by, lost in contemplation.
Gui Zu’s words today had awoken him to a possibility he had never even considered before.
Could the two opposite forces inside his body really be fused together?
He cultivated the True Yang Secret Art, filling his body with True Yang Saint Qi, but the energy inside the Unyielding Golden Skeleton was full of evil power.
Every time Yang Kai fought, he was only able to use one of these forces while giving up the other temporarily.
He had always thought that the purpose of cultivating True Yang Saint Qi was to suppress the evil power inside his Unyielding Golden Skeleton, but now that he carefully thought about it, that shouldn’t be the case.
Because even after using his Demon God Transformation, allowing the evil energy to flood his body, Yang Kai didn’t lose his humanity or his ability to reason and become a demon that could not recognize his own parents.
He had never even contemplated fusing together these two opposite attribute forces and could hardly even imagine what their fusion might look like.
Therefore, he was a bit lost at the moment.
However, since Gui Zu had bothered mentioning this, there was no doubt some truth to it; for now, Yang Kai chose to believe him!
After pondering the issue for a long time, he made his decision.
Rousing his spirits, he prepared to make an attempt.
Calming him breathing, Yang Kai had the True Yang Saint Qi flowing through his meridians return to his dantian.
A moment later, his physique had been completely emptied of power, making him feel a little uncomfortable.
This feeling of losing all strength, he had experienced several times before, but each of those times was due to overconsumption. This was the first time he had dispersed his power of his own free will.
Next, he carefully pulled a wisp of True Yang Saint Qi from his dantian into his meridians.
He simultaneously pulled a wisp of evil energy from the Unyielding Golden Skeleton and brought it to the same location.
When the two opposite attribute energies encountered one another, Yang Kai’s body shivered, and a look of pain filled his face. He could feel the fierce conflict between these two forces taking place inside his meridians. It was like a life or death battle between two cultivators who shared an unforgivable blood enmity, the conflict putting great strain on his physique, causing his meridians to bulge and contort while faint sounds of explosions resounded.
The True Yang Saint Qi and the evil energy were destroying one another.
Yang Kai let out a snort, his expression becoming incomparably ugly.
A short while later, nothing remained, the two energies wisps having suffered mutual annihilation.
The first attempt ended in failure!
Yang Kai frowned, this was the first time he had tried to accommodate both forces in his meridians at once, giving him an uncomfortable and indelible memory.
The evil power and his True Yang Saint Qi could coexist in his body because they were stored in different places, never interacting. Wanting to fuse them together would really prove difficult.
“Yang Kai, are you all right?” He Zao’s voice called out; she had seemingly been alarmed because of the disturbance here.
“I’m fine,” Yang Kai looked up and saw the He Zao, He Miao sisters standing outside his stone room, staring towards him, both of them appearing somewhat hesitant. Noticing this, Yang Kai expression changed and he asked, “Do you need something from me?”
“We want to exit to accompany Master… It’s been more than half a month since then, she must be very worried about our situation. Also, you’ve calmed down as well, right?” He Zao pursed her lips, feeling somewhat embarrassed.
“Didn’t you already send her a message?” Yang Kai chuckled, “What is there for her to worry about?”
“You knew?” He Zao was stunned.
“Did you think I wouldn’t know?” Yang Kai looked at them and laughed, pausing for a moment before nodding, “Go, tell your master what I told you: If she dares bear a grudge against me while biding her time to seek revenge, I will not let her off!”
He Zao nodded and frowned, “I will urge her, but can’t you also leave a little leeway? Master is a bit set in her…”
Yang Kai closed his eyes before she could finish, causing He Zao and He Miao to exchange a helpless glance, shaking their heads as they turned away.
After they left, Bi Ya appeared, looking towards their fading backs, letting out a light snort before turning a curious glance towards Yang Kai.
“Come in!” Yang Kai beckoned to her.
Bi Ya immediately wore a pleasant smile and gracefully stepped inside, arriving in front of Yang Kai a moment later, her tender body exuding an invisible aura that made her appear more radiant and attractive.
“What is Master’s command?”
“I have a question for you. Have you ever met a cultivator who achieved mastery over two entirely different types of strength and was able to perfectly fuse them together?” Yang Kai asked her.
“Two entirely different forces?” Bi Ya was amazed.
“Like fire and water, life and death, light and dark…”
“How could that be possible? Mastering any single attribute is a complicated and strenuous process. Even great masters may spend their entire lives trying but fail to fully comprehend the mysteries of their own strength. Wanting to then fuse two opposite strengths like water and fire, attributes that innately repel one another, is not very realistic,” Bi Ya smiled tenderly, not knowing why Yang Kai would suddenly ask such an esoteric question, “However, if someone could really fully master both the Water and Fire Attributes, perhaps they could achieve such a feat, but despite your slave having lived so long, she has never encountered such an astonishing person.”
“Fully mastered their strength?” Yang Kai frowned.
“Having a comply understanding of the mysteries of the strength one uses, allowing them to display its full potential and might!” Bi Ya explained with a smile.
“Fair enough,” Yang Kai was a bit confused. Although Gui Zu’s previous words had made him very excited and he secretly felt that a whole new world of possibilities had opened in front of him, it may have also just been Gui Zu speaking randomly.
He couldn’t offer Yang Kai any kind of advice or guidance on the matter.
“Your slave has never met such an astonishing genius, but I have witnessed two people who cultivate opposite attribute strengths fight side by side. Those two forces should have interfered with one another but instead they mutually enhanced each other,” Bi Ya added, “These types of cultivators are actually not that rare, I believe Master has also encountered some before.”
Yang Kai’s eyes lit up as he turned to stare at Bi Ya, his burning gaze making it seem as if he wanted to swallow her whole.
Bi Ya wore a forced smile and shyly whispered, “What does Master want, staring at your slave so?”
Yang Kai didn’t answer as a thousand different thoughts flashed across his mind.
It was as if he had found a light in the darkness, Bi Ya’s unintentional words had made Yang Kai remember a vital point.
It was indeed extremely difficult or even impossible for two opposing forces to fuse together; however, two people who cultivated different attribute forces could work side by side while complementing one another, such things often happened.
This was also the case when him and Su Yan!
Su Yan controlled frigid cold while he used blazing heat, the two of them shouldn’t be able to cooperate at all, but when they fought side by side, each of them would obtain a massive boost in strength!
And this was all because of the existence of the Yin-Yang Joyous Unification Art!
The two of them were dual cultivators, the primary forces in each of their bodies blending with one another before returning back to themselves in an endless cycle. Su Yan’s icy strength and his True Yang strength would purify and sublimate one another, increasing their density and intensity.
[Yin-Yang Joyous Unification Art?]
Yang Kai’s expression changed, sinking into an even deeper state of contemplation.
Yang Kai suddenly recalled the scene of him and Su Yan dual cultivating. He entered a state of epiphany, as if Su Yan was right in front of himself, the two of them achieving a union of heart and soul, unable to extricate themselves.
*Hong…*
In the midst of his reflection, Yang Kai felt like a barrier of fog around him lifted, allowing him to see further into this unknown realm.
His body shook greatly and a profound light overflowed from his eyes.
At this moment, he had thought of a possibility.
Ice and fire were able to fuse because they flowed together in a never-ending cycle, not restraining one another, but promoting and enhancing each other’s strength.
Ice and fire were capable of this, so his True Yang Saint Qi and evil power should be able to as well.
Strictly speaking, the evil power contained inside his Unyielding Golden Skeleton was a type of Cold Attribute strength, just different from Su Yan’s Ice Attribute strength; it was a type of cold that could cause one’s mind and soul to feel as if they had been dropped into the deepest levels of purgatory.
An invisible wave of force exploded from Yang Kai’s body and in instant, an alternating hot and cold aura surrounded Bi Ya, causing her to feel a sweltering heat difficult to bear, then a frigid chill like the coldest of winters in rapid succession.
“Are you alright?” She called out in alarm, immediately discovering that Yang Kai’s situation was unusual, frightening her greatly.
During this time, she had done her very best to please Yang Kai in order to make him feel some sympathy, all so she could obtain his asylum. If Yang Kai had any kind of accident, all her efforts would be wasted.
Bi Ya was naturally nervous.
“Get back!” From somewhere unseen, Gui Zu’s sternly shouted, and immediately, Bi Ya found herself held by an invisible force and thrown out of the stone chamber.
A breeze brushed past her face in the next instant and Bi Ya was amazed to discover that Gui Zu was now standing beside her, his gloomy eyes filled with profound light as he stared towards Yang Kai who was sitting in the stone room in front of him.
“Senior, what happened to him?” Bi Ya summoned her courage and asked.
“I’m not sure, but he seems to have had some kind of harvest!” Gui Zu frowned, “What were you talking to him about just now?”
Bi Ya quickly explained everything that just transpired.
Gui Zu listened to her explanation as his expression fluctuated, soon grinning strangely, “This boy, just because of a few words from this old master, was actually able to achieve such a result? I really don’t know if it’s a blessing or a calamity!”
“Senior… Is he in danger?” Bi Ya covered her mouth in fear.
“He’s trying to fuse together two opposite attribute forces, what do you think?” Gui Zu grinned, “It’s already impressive he wasn’t killed on the spot, his courage is certainly not small.”
“Senior, can’t you stop him?” Bi Ya exclaimed and hurriedly said, “Don’t you need him to help find a way to escape this place? If he dies…”
“If he dies, he dies. Besides, this little boy isn’t sincerely trying to help this old master. Even if he does find a way to escape, I’m afraid the first thing he’ll do is look for a way to leave this old master behind! Heh, if he dies, this old master just needs to collect his remnant Soul and search his memories.”
Bi Ya suddenly understood that it was useless. Regardless of what she said now, Gui Zu would not change his stance of non-interference.
“Little girl, it’s not like you really care about his safety, why act so nervous?” Gui Zu looked at Bi Ya and snickered.
Bi Ya wore a forced smile, “Senior must be joking… I really don’t want him to die now.”
“What happened?” Shen Tu shouted and quickly appeared, falling into a state of shock the moment he arrived at the stone chamber’s door and hurriedly calling out, “Brother Yang, what’s happening? Why is his appearance so strange? “
As soon as he asked this though, Gui Zu’s brow furrowed and he shouted, “Fall back!”
Saying so, he disappeared.
Seeing the seriousness with which Gui Zu was acting, how could Bi Ya and Shen Tu dare to remain? Using their movement skills, they quickly rushed out.
Just as the two of them appeared outside, two opposing forces suddenly broke out from the mountain.
One was burning hot, the other was cold and malevolent.
Both of these forces were incredibly powerful and had flooded the entire stone tunnel network before spreading out beyond the confines of the mountain peak.
Lu Gui Chen, who had been staying nearby, turned his head and stared in shock towards the mountain.
Yue Xi, who was talking with He Zao and He Miao, also turned to face the same direction, her pretty face filling with surprise.
The entire mountain was now engulfed in a bizarre phenomenon, seemingly having been divided into two distinct zones.
The left half of the mountain was filled with burning hot Yang Attribute strength, radiating bright golden light, while the right half was bathed in a jet black evil energy that was filled with a bloodthirsty and cruel aura.
These two forces were polar opposites and were visibly clashing against one another, causing the entire mountain to tremble, as if it would collapse at any moment.
“What’s going on?” Lu Gui Chen muttered as he rapidly withdrew. At the same time, everyone else around the mountain fell back more than a dozen kilometres before coming to a stop.
“This is that Junior’s aura. What is he doing?” Yue Xi narrowed her eyes and asked He Zao and He Miao.
“I don’t know. When we came out, he didn’t seem to be doing anything in particular,” He Miao shook her head.
“Bi Ya of Purple Star should know something,” He Zao turned her eyes to the side where both Bi Ya and Shen Tu were staring towards the mountain with nervous looks.
Lu Gui Chen also noticed this point and immediately asked them about it.
Listening to their conversation, Yue Xi quickly understood the truth of the matter.
A strange look appeared on her pretty face and soon a burst of laughter escaped from her lips, “That Junior is dead for sure this time, I don’t even need to take action. Hmph, just an overconfident brat, a mere First Order Saint daring to try such a stunt, it really makes one wonder how he lived this long.”
“Master, is Yang Kai in danger?”
“His life is hanging by a single thread!” Yue Xi said with a happy look upon her face.
“Master, please save him. I know you’re annoyed that he acted disrespectfully towards you, but you don’t really wish to see him die, right?” He Zao begged.
“Naturally I want him to die, the sooner the better!” Yue Xi ground her teeth, “And besides, this kind of thing can’t be interfered with by others. Haven’t you seen that Senior Gui Zu standing back?”
He Zao and He Miao looked up and indeed saw Gui Zu’s just standing in the sky, observing.
“If anyone tries to forcefully stop him, he will die without a doubt!” Yue Xi frowned and quickly said, “Now, whether he lives or dies, is all up to him.”
After saying this, Yue Xi suddenly noticed that He Zao and He Miao were staring at her strangely, causing her to snort and turn her pretty face away.
He Zao giggled, “Master’s really had a change of heart. You don’t seem to be bearing much of a grudge anymore.”
“Little girl, don’t make fun of your Master,” Yue Xi said bitterly, “If he doesn’t die this time, later you must keep your distance from him, at least ten meters!”
“Yes!” He Zao and He Miao nodded.
“Senior, can’t you try to find some way to help him?” Shen Tu stood at the foot of the mountain and yelled towards Gui Zu.
Gui Zu grinned, “There’s nothing this old master can do. After this, he will either die or soar to untold heights. No matter which end it is though, this old master is very much looking forward to it, so even if this old master had a way to, he wouldn’t stop this.”
He was truly quite interested in Yang Kai now.
Although he had been shocked when he learned that Yang Kai was proficient in the Dao of Space, and had been paying more attention to Yang Kai’s movements these past few days, it wasn’t until this moment that he discovered he had somewhat underestimated Yang Kai.
With only a few words from him, this boy had been able to rapidly comprehend the deeper mysteries of his own strength. This wasn’t something an ordinary cultivator could achieve.
Gui Zu wanted to see if Yang Kai could succeed, and if he did, what this new fusion of these two opposite attribute strengths would be like and how much his strength would improve.
If he didn’t die, his future would certainly be incredibly bright, even possibly becoming the greatest genius in the entire Star Field.
At the foot of the mountain, everyone stood and stared towards the mountain peak covered in these two opposite forces as they clashed against one another.
Some people hoped Yang Kai would quickly die, some hoped he would survive, and some were completely indifferent, only taking this as an interesting show to watch. Everyone had a different mood and watched with different expressions upon their face.
At the foot of the mountain, everyone waited and watched, each of them holding their own different thoughts.
Inside the belly of the mountain, Yang Kai felt his own power explode outward and his expression became extremely ugly!
The maximum amount of power a cultivator could have was dictated largely by their realm. A Transcendent would have the limits of the Transcendent Realm while a Saint would be limited to the power of a Saint Realm.
However, this limit didn’t apply to Yang Kai because his Secret Art was incredibly special.
While cultivating the True Yang Secret Art, once the Yang Attribute energy within his body reached a certain level of saturation, it would condense into a drop of Yang Liquid that he could store in his dantian that could be later called upon when needed.
The Unyielding Golden Skeleton also had the unique ability to accommodate an unimaginably large amount of energy.
These two power storages inside Yang Kai’s body couldn’t be compared with that of an ordinary cultivator, it could almost be said that there was no limit to the amount of Qi he could store.
But now, Yang Kai had forced open both of these storages.
The vast stores of evil energy inside the Unyielding Golden Skeleton had all of a sudden erupted out, and in order to balance its influence on his body and not become corrupted by its malevolent intent, Yang Kai had to burst drop after drop of Yang Liquid.
The evil energy and Yang Yuan Qi violently burst forth like water from a broken damn, quickly engulfing the entire mountain around Yang Kai.
The enormity of this eruption even caused Yang Kai some fear as this amount of energy was over a hundred, possibly over a thousand times what his physical body could withstand…
Yang Kai convulsed and the blood in his veins flowed rapidly. The massive eruption of force had caused his skin to crack open and golden blood to flow out, his intrepid physique healing itself, only for new wounds to be reopened, this process repeating in a seemingly endless cycle.
Yang Kai’s mood, however, was as stable as stone as he felt the two forces in his body, studying the way they flow, comprehending the laws governing them, deepening his understand of their true natures.
Time passed slowly, and more and more evil energy and Yang Yuan Qi dissipated in their fierce confrontation.
As these forces melted away, Yang Kai became more and more aware of their natures.
His Divine Sense was fully spread out, examining every detail of the changes he was undergoing. Yang Kai had never imagined that under such distressing circumstances, he would be able to witness such astonishing transformations in his own strength.
These two strengths seemed to possess a life of their own and were constantly whispering their secrets into Yang Kai’s ears. It was as if he was watching an endless ebb and flow filled with profound mysteries.
Yang Kai’s eyes grew brighter and brighter, his confidence growing stronger with each passing moment.
He didn’t pay any attention to the collision of his own strength and instead immersed himself completely in this ethereal state, leaving himself in the middle of the two forces’ confrontation, focusing his attention on the changes in the evil energy and Yang Yuan Qi.
It was as if he was an outsider, observing everything silently from the sidelines.
After a long time, he suddenly felt something marvellous.
At that moment, it was as if he had fully comprehended the nature and meaning of his own strength.
His expression trembling, Yang Kai began circulating his Yin-Yang Joyous Unification Art, using it as a type of guide for his Yang Yuan Qi and evil energy that had escaped his body to return to him once more.
Hundreds of millions of his pores opened and Yang Kai’s body became like a bottomless pit, easily swallowing up the two forces which had previously burst out.
As these two forces returned to his body, they followed the path Yang Kai guided them on, no longer clashing with one another, but instead beginning to fuse together, resulting in miraculous changes.
Feeling these incredible changes, Yang Kai’s face filled with joy and he put forth even more effort to merge his strength together.
At the foot of the mountain, everyone was whispering amongst themselves, discussing whether Yang Kai’s end would be life or death, when suddenly, He Miao exclaimed, “Something’s happening.”
Even without her reminder, everyone present was aware that the atmosphere had changed, causing all of them to turn their eyes towards the mountain peak.
When the scene before them appeared in their eyes, everyone was dumbfounded.
Prior to this, the whole mountain had been divided into two zones, one filled with golden light and blistering heat, the other blanketed in profound darkness and malevolent chill.
But now, everyone could faintly feel that these two forces were slowly blending together, as if they were being attracted to one another, each of them no longer seeking the annihilate the other.
“He actually succeeded?” Gui Zu’s expression became strange as he released his Divine Sense towards the mountain, a moment later curling his lips into a sharp grin as he snorted lightly, “This little brat…”
Obviously, Yang Kai had fully comprehended the nature of his own strength and found the correct method forward. As long as this process continued, he would be able to turn the casually made joke of Gui Zu into reality and perfectly fuse together two opposite attribute forces.
Gui Zu found that even now he had still been underestimating Yang Kai’s ability, a hint of admiration and envy appearing in his gaze.
Before, he had only made an irresponsible comment to Yang Kai about this possibility, figuring he could work towards this direction in the future, possibly spending the next several hundred years to accomplish it.
The premise being he could live that long of course.
Gui Zu had never thought Yang Kai would be able to achieve this astonishing feat so quickly.
This kind of transformation couldn’t be achieved in one shot, it was likely this boy’s understanding of his own strength had reached a great height beforehand and Gui Zu’s joke had simply served as the impetuous to awaken him to this possibility. Even if Gui Zu had not said anything to him, as long as he had the right opportunity in the future, Yang Kai would likely have been able to achieve this on his own.
Realizing this, Gui Zu didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
He had inadvertently helped Yang Kai achieve a massive growth in strength.
“Senior, is Yang Kai all right?” Shen Tu raised his head to the sky and asked.
“How would this old master know? Hmph!” Gui Zu grumbled unhappily, waving his sleeve before disappearing.
“That’s good,” Shen Tu took note of the meaning behind these words and smiled happily, his heart finally relaxing.
A short time later, the scenery around the mountain underwent a dramatic change. The golden light and pitch-black darkness merged together into one whole, making it look like the entire peak was on fire, but this fire was actually jet black, a Demonic Flame!
This bizarre Demonic Flame seemed capable of incinerating everything in the world, inherently irresistible.
Just looking at it made one feel uncomfortable, as if their soul was being drawn in by this Demonic Flame and was suffering from an infernal burning, making it forever impossible for them to reincarnate. Not only did it contain the aura of True Yang Yuan Qi, resistant to all evil and malevolence, it was also filled with a bloodthirsty and brutal aura that stimulated the innermost evils one hid in the depths of their heart. These contradictory auras made it nearly impossible for anyone to think of a way to defend themselves against it.
Everyone quickly put aside their gaze, not daring to pry into this Demonic Flame’s mysteries.
“It looks like he really has soared into the sky…” Bi Ya’s eyes flashed with a strange light, secretly feeling she should change her attitude towards Yang Kai once more and treat him with full devotion and sincerity.
Before now, she had compromised for her immediate benefit, not even hesitating to treat herself as a slave to attend to Yang Kai all because she was afraid he would try to make trouble for her. It was only because of this point that she had humiliated herself so.
She had never felt that there was anything good about Yang Kai; rather, she felt that Yang Kai could only be unscrupulous on this continent because of Gui Zu’s favour, and that without it, he was nothing.
This kind of bullying the weak by taking advantage of the strong was quite repugnant to her.
Therefore, although she had truly done her best to serve him during this time, and had fulfilled every request Yang Kai made of her, she had never once respected him and instead had been looking down on him.
But now, she didn’t dare have such thoughts.
The young man in front of her now really had his own unique strength, a great potential that would sooner or later have all the big forces in the Star Field scrambling to win him over. Just give him enough time, and he would surely become an astonishing master.
He would hold a high post and become an overlord who ruled over a vast territory. Maintaining a good relationship was a wise course of action.
Bi Ya’s beautiful eyes took on a dazzling glow as her pretty face blossomed radiantly. Secretly glancing over towards them, she found that Lu Gui Chen and Yue Xi also had dignified expressions now, none of their previous contempt for Yang Kai apparent on their faces.
She knew that these two people had finally realized the potential of Yang Kai and were now reconsidering how to approach him.
Disdainfully curling her lips, Bi Ya couldn’t help feeling a subtle sense of superiority, because she had the advantage of distance over these two. She was the one closest to Yang Kai right now as his servant, this sense of superiority made her feel both shame and inexplicable excitement. Licking her thin red lips, she felt a heat rise in her tender body.
Realizing there wasn’t any risk to Yang Kai’s life, Shen Tu immediately stopped paying attention to the movements around the mountain and went back to his own business.
Over on the Sword Union side, the remaining five cultivators all gathered together. Yue Xi frowned deeply and tried to say something, pausing awkwardly for a moment before coughing, “Ignore your Master’s previous words, from now on, you two sisters should stick close to him. En, if he is willing to join Sword Union, it would be best, if not though, don’t push the matter.”
He Zao and He Miao exchanged a bright-eyed glance before quickly nodding, “Yes, Master!”
He Miao continued, “Actually, he’s not so bad, it’s just that he spends a lot of time with that slut Bi Ya. It’s simply shameful!”
Yue Xi stared at her and quickly followed up, “Making friends with him is alright, but make sure to keep a safe distance so he doesn’t take advantage of you.”
“En, I know, Master!” He Miao nodded repeatedly.
Inside the belly of the mountain, within his stone room, Yang Kai continued to circulate the Joyous Unification Art, guiding the two forces to fuse together.
Initially, the process was not very smooth, and some conflicts arose between the two forces as they fused together inside his body, but no major harm was done.
As time passed, Yang Kai found that everything became easier, and even the minor obstructions had disappeared.
The evil energy from his Unyielding Golden Skeleton, and the energy contained in the Yang Liquid in his dantian, with the exception of the part which had mutually destroyed at the beginning, all returned without any waste.
Yang Kai clearly felt that he was quickly becoming more powerful.
The power now contained within his body was incomparable to before, making him ecstatic.
What Gui Zu had said was right. After the two forces fused together, his own strength had really undergone an earth-shaking change, one he could clearly feel and perceive.
Having tasted the sweet benefits of this fusion, Yang Kai began circulating his Joyous Unification Art even more rapidly.
The entire mountain suddenly became like an invisible vortex, swirling rapidly, pulling a vast amount of World Energy towards it.
Under the influence of this vortex, the stream of spirit liquid that ran through the stone chambers vaporized into the purest of energy and poured into Yang Kai’s body where it was completely absorbed.
The mountain where Gui Zu originally lived was lush and verdant, filled with beautiful scenery.
But now, the whole mountain seemed like it had been incinerated, the forest burned to the ground and the earth covered in ash, retaining none of its previous splendour.
Even the giant Spirit Array which had been arranged inside it to gather the surrounding World Energy aura seemed to have been destroyed.
Inside the mountain, the stream of spirit liquid that had flown for so long had evaporated and disappeared.
In one of the stone rooms, an invisible vortex continued drawing in massive quantities of World Energy and absorbing it.
Gui Zu’s figure appeared leisurely and stood in front of Yang Kai, frowning at him while remaining motionless.
Yang Kai didn’t seem to notice him, and only after a long time did he let out a soft breath and stopped circulating his Secret Art.
Examining himself in silence, Yang Kai’s face filled with excitement.
The Yang Liquid in his dantian and the evil energy in his Unyielding Golden Skeleton had both disappeared and were replaced with his newly fused strength that contained characteristics of both but with far greater power and lethality.
A part of this new strength flowed through his meridians, constantly moisturizing every bit of his physique while the bulk of it was stored inside his Unyielding Golden Skeleton.
Yang Kai felt that inside and out, he had been reborn, his body now filled with unparalleled explosive power.
What was certain was that his strength had undergone an earth-shaking enhancement!
He even felt that he could fight on par with a Saint King Realm master!
His cultivation realm had also increased, reaching the Second-Order Saint-level without any hindrance.
Yang Kai hadn’t even realized when he had broken through as his entire consciousness had been immersed in the process of fusing his two forces together. This was a pleasant surprise that only added to his happiness.
With a thought, Yang Kai activated his Demon God Transformation.
The Demon Crests that none could see appeared beneath Yang Kai’s skin and melded into his physique, and a moment later, his vitality, as well as the strength of his flesh, rose rapidly…
It seemed that he could still use the Demon God Transformation, causing Yang Kai to put down one of his worries. This was what he expected though as the strength flowing through him now had the characteristics of both his Yang Qi and evil energy.
“Good good, you’re very good!” Gui Zu’s voice suddenly came from in front, offering sincere praise.
Yang Kai opened his eyes and dismissed his Demon God Transformation, quickly standing up and cupping his fists, “Senior, many thanks for your valuable guidance.”
Gui Zu wore a strained look and coldly snorted, “This old master didn’t teach you anything, don’t offer your thanks!”
Yang Kai smiled and said, “Senior may have just been speaking casually, but without those few words, Junior does not know when he might have achieved this step, it may have been many years, or possibly even longer, so regardless of Senior’s intentions, I must offer my thanks!”
“Do whatever you want!” Gui Zu waved his hand impatiently, seemingly unwilling to have any kind of friendly relations with Yang Kai, solemnly saying, “This old master did not disturb you as you sat in retreat for an entire month, giving you the time you required to improve your strength, now that you’ve succeeded, shouldn’t you fulfil your part of our agreement?”
He stared at Yang Kai coldly, seeming a little unhappy because he had been forced to wait so long.
Yang Kai quickly nodded, “Junior can begin immediately, en, but before that, I’d like to take a look at that Space Array.”
“Go ahead. As long as you can find a way to leave this place, this old master doesn’t care where you go, but remember, if you can’t find a way out of this cage, this old master will extract your Soul and torture it forever. Disappointing this old master will guarantee you the most miserable of ends!”
As he issued this threat, he released a wisp of pitch-black energy that flew into Yang Kai’s body, disappearing in a flash.
This dark energy shuttled through Yang Kai’s body before finally arriving at his right arm and transforming into an eerie mark.
This mark contained a threat of Gui Zu’s Divine Sense, allowing him to constantly monitor Yang Kai’s every move.
Yang Kai just smiled wryly and shook his head before walking out.
A short time later, he left the mountain and came out to the flat area where the Space Array had been set up.
This Space Array had been idle since the last time Gui Zu used it and the numerous Saint Crystals that were scattered about it were now quite dim, clearly having been almost completely drained of energy. The door which had been forged from broken Starship debris and covered in a thin layer of Space Spirit Crystal still stood where it had originally been.
Yang Kai had secretly observed this Space Array more than once in an attempt to gain some inspiration and enhance his own understanding of the Dao of Space.
It was only now that he was able to investigate it unscrupulously though that he discovered that even though Gui Zu’s aptitude in the Dao of Space was terrible, after a thousand of years of research, he did have some accomplishments.
He had been able to come up with the idea of using Space Spirit Crystal as the key to opening and stabilizing a Void Corridor.
Unfortunately, the door used to form the Void Corridor was made from broken scraps from a Saint King Grade Starship, which was somewhat insufficient. The Space Spirit Crystal that covered the door frame was also too thin, these two factors were the main cause of the instability of the Void Corridor which was formed.
If he had enough materials, Gui Zu might very well have been able to arrange a stable Space Array. As for where that Space Array would transmit a person who entered it, that was still unknown.
Yang Kai observed this Space Array while absorbing Gui Zu’s insights into the Dao of Space, enhancing his own comprehension of its mysteries.
After a while, several sets of footstep suddenly sounded behind him.
Yang Kai lifted his head and turned around to discover that everyone who was still alive on this continent, with the exception of Gui Zu of course, had come over.
They seemed to have realized Yang Kai had exited his retreat and had come to see him.
“Master…” Bi Ya, not caring about the scornful eyes which stared at her, shouted intimately before walking up to Yang Kai with a smile, sincerely saying, “Congratulations on your great increase in strength, Master.”
This time, when she shouted Master to Yang Kai, she really meant it, not like before where it was mere flattery and platitudes, her smile much more dazzling than before.
Yang Kai gently nodded.
“Brother, it’s good that you’re alright. In the future, you should really refrain from acting so recklessly,” Shen Tu laughed happily, but in the depths of his eyes, a hint of doubt arose.
He had never been clear about what Yang Kai’s true strength was. Though back in the Purple Star Starship, Yang Kai had suddenly and violently killed a Third-Order Saint, that was partially due to catching the enemy off guard with a sneak attack so it couldn’t be used as an accurate assessment.
Shen Tu had frequently speculated about the true depths of Yang Kai’s strength.
Before Yang Kai entered this latest retreat, he hadn’t felt any pressure from Yang Kai, but every time he was with him, a voice in his heart would constantly sound.
If he were to really fight with Yang Kai, the person who would die would undoubtedly be him!
This was Shen Tu’s intuition as a cultivator, so he had always felt that Yang Kai had hidden his own cultivation and strength.
But now, meeting him again, Shen Tu found that the sense of danger he felt from Yang Kai had disappeared and the uneasy voice in his heart had gone silent.
Shen Tu was greatly puzzled, not knowing what Yang Kai’s retreat had been about. Had he succeeded or had he failed?
However, his cultivation has improved a Minor Realm, a fact that was obvious to all.
“I’ll be careful later,” Yang Kai chuckled.
The He sisters also ran up to Yang Kai with smiling faces. Yue Xi naturally stood behind her two Disciples, a cold look on her pretty face.
Nearby, Lu Gui Chen squeezed out an ugly smile and nodded before reluctantly asking, “Little brother, there is one thing we have not understood. If it is convenient, could little brother enlighten us?”
Yang Kai glanced at him and asked lightly, “What?”
Lu Gui Chen looked around for a moment before calming his breathing and whispering, “You said that Senior Gui Zu needed something from you, what exactly was it?”
As soon as this statement came out, everyone looked towards Yang Kai with expectant gazes, clearly interested in his response.
They really couldn’t understand how Yang Kai, a trivial Saint Realm cultivator, could actually reach an agreement with a master like Gui Zu.
Given Gui Zu’s great strength, what could he possibly want from him?
“You might as well ask Senior Gui Zu. If he is willing to tell you, he’ll tell you,” Yang Kai smiled lightly.
Lu Gui Chen’s expression cramped and he immediately shut up.
Whenever he saw Gui Zu, his first thought would be to escape. How could he possibly ask him about this kind of thing, if doing so made the other party the slightest bit displeased, Lu Gui Chen’s life would probably come to an abrupt end.
“Little brat, if you keep wasting time with them, this old master will teach you a lesson!” Gui Zu’s voice, filled with intolerance, suddenly sounded in Yang Kai’s ear, causing his face to change greatly. Cupping his fists, Yang Kai hurriedly apologized, “Excuse me, Senior is urging me to continue my work. I cannot chat with you any longer.”
Saying so, Yang Kai summoned his Star Shuttle and disappeared in a blue streak of light.
Ten thousand kilometres away from the mountain peak, Yang Kai came to a stop.
Only Gui Zu knew that Yang Kai possessed the ability to tear space. This was one of Yang Kai’s greatest cards, so he was naturally unwilling to expose it, at least not to people like Lu Gui Chen.
Checking his surroundings, Yang Kai began circulating his strength, gathering it at his fingertips in the next moment and making a slicing motion.
Immediately, the space in front of him was torn open and a portal to the cold, black Void appeared, a strange strength leaking out from it.
Yang Kai didn’t rush into this tear though and instead stared at it fixedly.
In the past, when he had torn space, the crack he had formed seemed as if it was cut by a sword, its edges smooth and flat.
But now, the edges of this tear were actually lined by a layer of black Demonic Flame that simultaneously emitted a hot and cold aura, making it impossible to understand.
It seemed that it was even capable of burning space, making it so the torn crack could not instantly repair itself.
Yang Kai’s expression became stern.
He hadn’t expected that the Demonic Flame that had been born from the fusion of his two strengths would be so strange.
It seems it was necessary for him to re-examine it carefully.
After a brief pause, Yang Kai stepped into this tear, then used his Divine Sense to extinguish the Demonic Flames, allowing the crack in space to seal.
Inside the turbulent flow of The Void, Yang Kai didn’t panic or rush, turning his eyes to the black mark Gui Zu had left on his arm and chuckling.
What Gui Zu was thinking, Yang Kai knew better than anyone.
The reason why Gui Zu had not killed him, and instead was constantly urging him to look for a way to escape this place, was because he wanted to use this opportunity to enhance his own understanding of the Dao of Space by monitoring Yang Kai’s movements, spying on how he tore space and on the turbulent flow inside The Void.
In short, he wanted to steal this method for himself.
For someone like Gui Zu, he would never place all his hopes on a single person. He will always make an alternative to his own plans!
Gui Zu’s little schemes, Yang Kai was well aware of, but never brought to light.
Because inside the turbulent Void, everything from the outside world was cut off. Gui Zu wouldn’t even be able to sense where he was much less what he was doing, so Yang Kai wasn’t worried that his methods and abilities would be stolen by Gui Zu.
Although Gui Zu had enlightened him and allowed his strength to greatly increase, earning him Yang Kai’s gratitude, this and that were two different matters. Vigilance was always necessary as Yang Kai could never feel truly at east around Gui Zu.
For an old monster like Gui Zu, going back on his word was something all too common, so Yang Kai not only had to search for a way out of this place, but also a way to ensure that after leaving, Gui Zu wouldn’t kill him!
It was difficult! Yang Kai felt overwhelmed and was unable to think up any good way to accomplish these two goals simultaneously, only able to take one step at a time.
After spending a short time inside The Void, Yang Kai left.
As soon as his figure reappeared, Gui Zu’s voice rang in his ear, “Little brat, what did you learn?”
It was clear from this alone how anxious Gui Zu was for news.
Yang Kai smiled bitterly, “How could things be so easy? Senior should have some patience, I was only confirming whether or not the space around this place had stabilized.”
“And the result?” Gui Zu continued to press.
“En, it has stabilized and should not interfere with my judgment any longer.”
“That’s good!”
“Senior, how far did I move this time?”
“A thousand kilometres or so,” Gui Zu coldly snorted, “Your ability compared to last time has improved significantly, it seems your strength has grown quite a bit.”
Yang Kai couldn’t help smiling upon hearing this. In the past, whenever he tore space, he could move at most a few hundred kilometres, but now that distance had increased to over one thousand kilometres. This was a massive improvement!
“Don’t think you can play any tricks in front of me, you and I know that you can’t escape from this old master’s palm, so work hard and as long as we can leave this place, this old master promises not to hurt you!”
“Junior understands,” Yang Kai gently nodded, “Senior, if there is nothing else, I’d like to continue studying the problem.”
“Go on!”
Yang Kai once again tore space and stepped into the turbulent flow of The Void, searching for the correct way out of this strange place.
Although Yang Kai’s strength had improved greatly over the past few years. Standing in The Void, he suddenly realized that his understanding of the Dao of Space was still very shallow. Although it was far better than Gui Zu’s, at his current level of comprehension, it was obviously not enough for him to find a way out from this floating continent.
And so, as he had done many years ago, Yang Kai submerged himself in The Void in order to study its mysteries and improve his comprehension of the Dao of Space.
He didn’t explain this to Gui Zu though because Gui Zu was very impatient and was hoping that Yang Kai would immediately be able to take him away from here.
Time passed by and Yang Kai spent much of his time inside The Void, studying its mysteries and complexities.
Every day, he would return to the continent to make a progress report to Gui Zu in order to appease his anxiety.
Yang Kai had made remarkable progress and had gained much, his understanding of the Dao of Space becoming deeper and deeper.
One day, Yang Kai suddenly had an interesting idea and immediately left The Void.
He then released his Divine Sense and sent it into The Void without his physical body, projecting it in all directions.
If he wanted to leave this place, Yang Kai would need to pass through the strange seven coloured sky, but Gui Zu had said that this sky was formed by the chaotic interactions of the Chaotic Abyss’ various energy fields and spanned at least several thousand kilometres, possibly as much as ten thousand kilometres.
Even with Yang Kai’s current means, he would need to accurately tear space a dozen times in order to cross this chaotic region of space.
He didn’t dare run tests with his own body though, because a single mistake would cause him to become forever lost in that chaotic domain.
However, he could replace himself with his Divine Sense, because even if threads of his Divine Sense became lost, it wouldn’t cause him much trouble.
At most, his Soul would receive some minor damage, but with the Six Coloured Soul Warming Lotus, that damage could quickly be restored.
Sending out a tidal wave of Divine Sense in all directions, Yang Kai condensed his Spiritual Energy into invisible threads before attaching his own understanding of the Dao of Space to them and then piercing them into The Void.
These threads of Divine Sense, coordinating with Yang Kai’s understanding of the Dao of Space, began jumping across the entire continent, disappearing from one place and reappearing in another as they rapidly and repeatedly traversed The Void.
The range Yang Kai’s Divine Sense covered grew wider and wider!
Inside the mountain peak, Gui Zu, who had been monitoring Yang Kai’s movements, suddenly saw this scene and couldn’t help muttering to himself, “Good, it seems that he’s making some progress.”
He grinned widely seeing Yang Kai’s efforts, as every step forward Yang Kai made meant they were one step closer to leaving this cage. As such, Gui Zu didn’t bother disturbing Yang Kai and simply let him experiment.
After an hour, Yang Kai showed a tired look. His Divine Sense had spread out too far now, far beyond what should be possible for his current realm.
At this moment, Yang Kai’s Divine Sense covered almost half of the entire continent, a feat no Second-Order Saint should be able to achieve. Even masters like Yue Xi and Lu Gui Chen may not be able to cover such a vast area.
Because Yang Kai’s Divine Sense was leaping across space though, he didn’t have to spread it step by step like ordinary cultivators.
It was for this reason he could cover half of the continent.
He then took back his Divine Sense and began to restore himself.
However, at this moment, one of the threads of Divine Senses Yang Kai had sent out noticed something unusual.
Yang Kai’s brow rose as he first took back all his other Divine Sense threads before focusing his attention on that particular place.
After a moment, a look of shock appeared on Yang Kai’s face as he made an amazing discovery!
Right in the very centre of the continent, several thousand meters underground, there was a hidden mass of energy, one that was concealed so well that if Yang Kai’s Divine Sense thread hadn’t inadvertently passed by it, he would never have even noticed its existence.
Moreover, Yang Kai discovered that there was a barrier around this mass of energy that not only firmly protected it but also concealed its aura fluctuations from leaking out, making it nearly impossible to detect.
The thread of Divine Sense Yang Kai had accidentally made a jump inside this barrier and had only been there for a moment but it had actually received an incredible strengthening, going from nearly dissipating to stronger than when he had released it.
Yang Kai was incredibly shocked and quickly realized that this mass of energy was something extraordinary.
Recovering his composure, Yang Kai left that thread of Divine Sense in place so he could continue to determine the position of this strange energy mass before sitting down cross-legged and beginning to restore himself.
He wanted to figure out what this mass of energy was!
Could Gui Zu, who had lived here for more than two thousand years, know what it was?
Soon though, Yang Kai faintly felt that Gui Zu shouldn’t know about the existence of this energy mass! Because if he did know about it, he certainly would not have left it alone. Such a huge mass of energy would be enough to attract even an old monster like Gui Zu.
However, why didn’t he know about it? Gui Zu was an Origin King Realm master and had spent innumerable years in this place, he should be well aware of everything minute detail here.
“Senior,” Yang Kai called out with his Divine Sense.
“What?” Gui Zu immediately responded.
“Junior wants to ask, after having lived on this continent for so long, have you discovered any special places?”
“Special places?” Gui Zu coldly snorted before angrily growling, “What are you talking about? In addition to the rich aura and abundance of spirit herbs, this place is nothing more than a hateful prison! A cage that has trapped this old master for two thousand years, this old master cannot wait to leave here!”
“Why do you ask? What did you discover?” Gui Zu suddenly became alert.
“No, I simply wanted to learn more about this place. Perhaps it might help me find a way out!” Yang Kai replied casually.
“Good, if you let this old master discover you’ve been up to some kind of scheme, don’t blame me for not showing kindness!” Gui Zu snorted.
After a moment of silence, he suddenly said, “Do you want to use your special Divine Sense to find the Star Source of this damned place?”
“Star Source? What’s that?” Yang Kai asked curiously.
“You don’t know?” Gui Zu was stunned.
Yang Kai shook his head and smiled bitterly, “Junior came from a lower world, one where no one has ever even visited the Starry Sky before I, so I know next to nothing about the Star Field.”
“Barbarians!” Gui Zu snickered disdainfully, “A Star Source is the heart of a star, any Cultivation Star will have one. It can be thought of as the crystallized essence of a Cultivation Star. For example, if you think of a cultivator as a star, the Star Source would be equivalent to their dantian and Knowledge Sea. If any cultivator can engrave his Soul Brand on the Star Source of a Cultivation Star, he will become the master of that Cultivation Star and clearly understand everything about it. If he wishes, he can even cause natural disasters to happen at any place on that Cultivation Star. While he is alive, he can turn mountains into oceans and abysses into plains.”
Yang Kai couldn’t help raising his brow and asking, “Does that mean they could control that Cultivation Star?”
“Exactly! Throughout the Star Field, every Star Master that controls the Star Source of their Cultivation Star can draw energy from that entire star to supplement their own. While standing on their own Cultivation Star, their strength will never dry up, it’s literally inexhaustible! Little brat, do you now understand the power of a Star Master?”
“I understand,” Yang Kai turned pale, “Then this place…”
“Hah, it seems you really are a barbarian from some remote backwater. This strange continent isn’t even a proper star, so how could it have a Star Source? This old master did a thorough search of this place a thousand five hundred years ago. If I had found something, do you think I’d let it off?”
Yang Kai chuckled, “It’s as Senior said, I was just asking casually, not looking for some Star Source. Before now I’d never even heard of that.”
“Good, since you understand then stop wasting time and get back to finding a way out of this place. Don’t bother seeking for something that doesn’t exist, it won’t do you any good,” Gui Zu reprimanded before cutting off the conversation with Yang Kai.
Yang Kai continued restoring himself while sinking into contemplation.
As Gui Zu said, this place wasn’t anything like a complete star, it was just a strange floating continent.
However… Yang Kai had seen an ancient tree-like star in the Chaotic Abyss, one that towered high into the sky and emitted a rich Wood Attribute aura.
Considering that, it wasn’t really much of a stretch to say that this continent was also a star; after all, its volume wasn’t small, at least far beyond the scope of an asteroid.
This unintentional discovery shook Yang Kai’s mind greatly. Whether or not the strange mass of energy he found was this continent’s Star Source, Yang Kai couldn’t say for sure, and under Gui Zu’s strict surveillance, he didn’t dare investigate it further right now and simply set the issue aside.
However, that didn’t stop Yang Kai from contemplating this situation. If it really was the Star Source of this continent, it must have been formed in the last thousand five hundred years, or it was capable of concealing itself from Gui Zu’s senses. Otherwise, there was no way Gui Zu would be ignoring it.
Yang Kai didn’t retrieve his thread of Divine Sense, allowing it to remain where it was and receive nourishing from the strange energy mass.
He intended to wait for a chance before sneaking over and examining it further.
Leaving a thread of his Divine Sense there would allow Yang Kai to know the accurate location of this energy mass.
Yang Kai made sure to act quietly so as not to draw too much attention from Gui Zu.
As time passed by, Yang Kai’s comprehension of the Dao of Space continued to increase, his Divine Sense was now able to spread out across half of the continent with ease and even jump across space to any particular point in this range to quietly investigate it.
He then began repeatedly exploring the seven coloured sky, constantly experimenting by sending out countless threads of Divine Sense, losing many of them in the chaotic domain but finally gaining some confidence in his ability to leave this place.
He maintained his composure though and didn’t disclose this fact, instead continuing to explore and test his surroundings, striving for perfection.
Every day, Yang Kai would make a progress report to Gui Zu, but he didn’t explain the entire truth, so Gui Zu knew nothing about this.
One day, when Yang Kai returned from exploring the seven coloured sky, he landed on the flat region of the central mountain and smelled a faint bloody scent in the air.
His face changed slightly and he quickly spread out his Divine Sense, soon discovering that something wasn’t right.
Everyone who was still alive on this continent had gathered together, the atmosphere around them heavy as they were immersed in deep discussion.
“What happened?” Yang Kai flew over and asked.
“Someone died!” Shen Tu said with an ugly expression.
Yang Kai was stunned as he turned to see a cultivator lying on the ground, his vitality gone. It looked as if his body had suddenly been exposed to great pressure which caused it to burst open, making for a terrifying scene.
“What side did he belong to?” Yang Kai asked.
“Ours!” He Zao replied dispiritedly.
He Miao and Yue Xi also wore sad and indignant expressions. Even Lu Gui Chen revealed a look of consternation.
When they first arrived here, there were more than a hundred cultivators from Purple Star and Sword Union, but after spending one year here, there were now less than a dozen of them left alive. There had been a brief reprieve for the last couple of months, but now, someone else had died.
No one even knew how he died.
“Who killed him?” Yang Kai looked around and asked.
No one dared to answer, all of them just wearing helpless looks.
Yang Kai immediately understood. In this place, besides Gui Zu, no one else had the guts to kill another.
The old monster’s mood must have been particularly bad, otherwise, he wouldn’t have killed a Junior for no reason.
“Yang Kai, can you talk to Senior Gui Zu? We swear we won’t rebel against him, so can you ask him not to kill us again?” He Zao bit her lip and pleaded to Yang Kai.
This time, it had been a cultivator from Sword Union, the next time Gui Zu decided to kill someone, who knew who would be targeted?
Maybe it would be someone from their side, maybe it would even be them!
Besides Yang Kai who was able to sit back and relax, everyone else was now completely on edge!
Also, once Gui Zu killed everyone here and could no longer see any hope of leaving, he probably wouldn’t let Yang Kai keep his life anymore. He would strip Yang Kai’s Soul from his body then search his memories in order to obtain his insights into the Dao of Space before seeking a way to leave himself.
“Yes, Yang Kai,” Shen Tu also spoke, “Only you can talk to Senior Gui Zu… I don’t want to just inexplicably die.”
Everyone else stared at him eagerly, as if he was their last hope.
Yang Kai gently nodded, “I’ll talk to him, but whether he’ll listen to me, I can’t guarantee.”
“It’s enough if you can put in a word with him,” Shen Tu smiled bitterly.
“He Zao, He Miao, help me bury him,” Yue Xi whispered.
“Yes,” The only three remaining members of Sword Union collected their dead companion before walking off to find a place to bury him.
Yang Kai flew to the mountain cave and after a few twists and turns, came to the stone room where Gui Zu lived.
Yang Kai knew that this stone room existed and that Gui Zu lived here, but it was actually his first time coming to it.
This stone room was very different from all the others and was filled with a thick, seemingly endless darkness. There was no trace of light anywhere and phantasmal wraiths swam about wherever one looked. Upon arriving outside this stone room, Yang Kai felt his whole body shiver as this gloomy scene appeared in front of him and a series of eerie shrieks drilled into his ears.
From the darkness, a few spectres with hideous green auras rushed out and brushed past his body, circling around him as they seemed to harass his mind, trying to pull him into the deepest depths of purgatory, never to return or reincarnate.
Yang Kai went stiff and couldn’t move.
At that moment, a cluster of Demonic Flame suddenly erupted from his body, making it look like he was on fire.
Having done this, he managed to break free from this illusion.
In his ear, Yang Kai heard Gui Zu’s wicked cackle before he asked, “Little brat, what are you doing here?”
Yang Kai frowned, allowing his Demonic Flame to continue burning, dispelling the influence of the various ghost while looking for the right words, eventually deciding to get straight to the point, “Did Senior kill someone today?”
Gui Zu chuckled, “What’s the big deal about killing someone? You wouldn’t be looking for this old master just because of such a minor issue, right?”
“Everyone else outside is very nervous, afraid that they’ll be the next to die,” Yang Kai quickly said.
“En, they should be anxious,” Gui Zu seemed to be very happy, “This place has nothing to do for entertainment, so this old master decided to make his own fun, this old master most likes seeing people on edge and extremely uneasy.”
“Just because you’re bored you decided to kill someone?”
“What of it?” Gui Zu coldly snorted, the dark stone room suddenly brightening and returning to its original state, revealing Gui Zu’s figure sitting at its centre, his pair of gloomy eyes staring straight at Yang Kai while he maintained a malevolent grin, “Did you come here to ask for leniency for them? Were you really such a person? Even if this old master killed all of them, I think you wouldn’t care at all.”
“Senior must be joking, Junior has several friends among those people, naturally I don’t want to see you continue killing them.”
“Friends?” Gui Zu was startled for a moment before bursting out into wicked laughter, “You may be able to deceive others, but you can’t lie to this old master. En, you have some friendship with a couple of those people, but nothing to the extent that you would disobey me for them. If there’s some advantage to it, you’ll be good to them, but if you were to face a crisis, you wouldn’t hesitate to abandon them. You’re not so stupid to not understand what the consequences of disappointing me are!”
Yang Kai remained silent, allowing Gui Zu to continue.
“What you’re afraid of is that once this old master has killed all of those people, he will kill you too!” Gui Zu yelled.
Yang Kai nodded calmly, “Yes, Senior is well aware of Junior’s concerns!”
Gui Zu gently nodded, “If you really have such concerns, you should work harder to find a way to leave this place as soon as possible so we can all leave here before this old master kills all of them and kills you. I believe that you still aren’t trying your best in this matter.”
“Junior has already found some clues,” Yang Kai frowned.
Gui Zu’s body trembled as his eyes lit up, grinning as he said, “Good good, a clue is good. En, this piece of news makes this old master very happy, happy enough to not become bored for a while; you should continue to work hard to not let this old master down!”
“Junior will take his leave!” Yang Kai cupped his fists and quickly withdrew.
The moment he turned around, Yang Kai’s expression became dignified.
He understood that Gui Zu had killed that person not because he was in a foul mood, but rather as a warning to him and to put pressure on him.
Gui Zu should be wary of him concealing something; otherwise, he wouldn’t have suddenly decided to kill someone.
However, Gui Zu didn’t know what Yang Kai was hiding, and it wasn’t convenient to simply come out and ask about it, so he had used this method instead.
He was telling Yang Kai that his patience was limited and that if he couldn’t satisfy him, his fate would be the same as the man who had just died!
Yang Kai understood this so he had spoken a few words to calm Gui Zu down.
However, this small bit of comfort wouldn’t last for very long, the next time Gui Zu became impatient, he may really kill him.
Yang Kai’s face was incredibly ugly and he couldn’t help feeling a deep sense of weakness.
He had always planned to sneak away after finding a way out, not paying any attention to Gui Zu, leaving him here to die in this cage!
However, the difference in strength between them was far too vast, causing Yang Kai to constantly be on the defensive at every turn.
He was aware that his thoughts were somewhat unrealistic.
Even if he really found a way out of this place, before he could escape safely, he would certainly be stopped by Gui Zu.
Yang Kai pondered over the issue incessantly, wondering if he should believe in the oath that Gui Zu made before and take him out of this place, satisfying everyone.
This was undoubtedly very risky, and Yang Kai wasn’t certain if Gu Zui would really honour his word.
All kinds of thoughts flowed through Yang Kai’s mind and his expression became more and more serious.
Back inside his own stone room, Yang Kai sat down cross-legged and began restoring himself while continuing to ponder.
Outside his stone room, light footstep sounded and Bi Ya soon walked in unsolicited, circling around to Yang Kai’s back before pasting her tender body onto him while gently massaging his shoulders.
She then whispered lightly into his ear, “Master, when the day comes that you can leave this place, can you also bring your slave with you?”
“Naturally,” Yang Kai said casually.
Bi Ya wore a forced smiled and continued moving her hands as she spoke, “You don’t need to keep up appearances around me, I know you never planned on leading me out of this place with you… After all, I was rude and disrespectful to you from the moment we met, and I know I’m not a good person.”
Hearing her suddenly admit to her own faults like this, Yang Kai felt confused and didn’t know what kind of scheme she was up to.
Inside the stone room, Bi Ya wore a desolate look upon her face as she smiled bitterly.
During this time, she had served Yang Kai diligently, and although she had performed very docilely and well-behaved, not disobeying a single request made of her, she wasn’t by any means stupid or submissive. On the contrary, she was a sharp woman with keen instincts.
She had already clearly seen that when Yang Kai found a way to leave here, he would not be bringing her with him.
It was because of this that Bi Ya had brought up the subject ahead of time.
She wanted to change Yang Kai’s mind by showing her sincerity.
“If I can leave here, I will only listen to you in the future, obeying any command you may give me. I don’t want to be left here, I truly don’t… I swear that I will be loyal to you alone…” Bi Ya implored. Even a master like Gui Zu had been trapped here for two thousand years, if she was to be stranded here, dying alone of old age would certainly be her fate!
Such an ending was simply terrifying.
Yang Kai didn’t show any expression on his face and only stared at her deeply.
Bi Ya calmly met Yang Kai’s eyes, her beautiful face showing neutral look.
After a while, Yang Kai gently nodded, “When that day comes, I’ll think about it.”
Bi Ya was startled but immediately wore a wry grin, “Thank you!”
“Good, I have some things to think about. Draw back!” Yang Kai waved.
Bi Ya elegantly bowed before quickly departing, her expression even more bitter than before because she knew Yang Kai’s last words to her just now were still perfunctory, he hadn’t changed his mind at all.
In the blink of an eye, ten days had passed.
On this day, another person died. This time it was Lu Gui Chen’s subordinate, a Saint King Realm First Stage master.
He had been meditating on the mountainside when all of a sudden his body burst into blood fog.
The death of a second person caused all the remaining cultivators to become even more anxious, all of them quickly seeking out Yang Kai and asking him to think of a way to convince Gui Zu to show mercy. Even Yue Xi, who had always stubbornly refused to bow her head, did not hesitate to plead with Yang Kai about this matter.
Yang Kai casually accepted their request.
However, he knew persuasion was useless. The most important task he had right now was to let Gui Zu see some clear hope of escape. Only when this old monster was happy would he not kill again.
Yang Kai put aside everyone else’s worries and flew his Star Shuttle up to the seven coloured sky.
Sitting cross-legged on his Star Shuttle, Yang Kai condensed his Divine Sense into thousands of threads, attached his comprehension of the Dao of Space to them, and had them shoot out.
These threads of Divine Sense advanced at a rapid pace, leaping across space, ignoring the constraints of distance, quickly flying more than a thousand kilometres away from Yang Kai’s position.
Soon, Yang Kai’s brow wrinkled.
He had released thousands of Divine Sense threads, but all of them quickly became lost inside the chaotic field, a number of them losing contact with Yang Kai entirely, never to be found again.
After an hour, Yang Kai managed to take back eighty percent of his threads, but the remaining twenty percent, he was unable to retrieve.
His face paled as his Soul received some slight damage.
Stuffing a Saint Pill formulated to supplement his Spiritual Energy into his mouth, Yang Kai began urging the power of the Six Coloured Soul Warming Lotus to repair his Soul.
After another hour, he once again released his Divine Sense.
Inside the belly of the mountain, within a room filled with cold darkness, Gui Zu grinned, “Little brat, do you really think this old master doesn’t know what kind of wicked scheme you’re up to? If this old master doesn’t give you a little pressure, you wouldn’t put in any real effort. I hope that after this lesson you’ll become more diligent; if not, this old master will have to start killing again… The first two times this old master showed some mercy, but next time I’ll kill someone you have friendship with; I must see if you’re really capable of ruthlessly discarding all of them.”
In Gui Zu’s eyes, Shen Tu, He Zao, and He Miao’s figures were suddenly reflected.
At the same time, these three youths all felt a chill shoot up their spine as if they were being stared at by the incarnation of death, causing them to shiver unconsciously.
Amidst the seven coloured sky, Yang Kai silently sat atop his Star Shuttle, his Divine Sense shuttling back and forth randomly throughout the chaotic field.
He could no longer realize the passing of time, all of the attention now focused on his threads of Divine Sense piercing The Void.
After repeating this process more than twenty times, each time losing roughly twenty percent of his Soul’s strength, he still hadn’t obtained any substantial results.
If it were anyone else in Yang Kai’s place, they wouldn’t have been able to withstand using such a crazy method. Even if they were significantly stronger, once their Soul took too much damage, it would leave a permanent injury that would render them disabled or demented.
However, with the Six Coloured Soul Warming Lotus, Yang Kai could quickly repair his damaged Soul, freeing him of such worries.
At some point, Yang Kai’s Spiritual Energy once again dried up and he couldn’t help revealing a look of disappointment.
Because this time too, he had failed.
Just as he was about to take back his threads of Divine Sense, he suddenly noticed a subtle change in the field in a particular location and quickly focused the threads he had control over still to investigate it.
To his surprise, when he tried to investigate this location, his Divine Sense threads easily passed through it, instantly breaking through the seven coloured sky and leaping out of the chaotic field.
From these threads of Divine Sense, Yang Kai saw countless beautiful and magnificent stars.
Each of these stars exuded a powerful energy wave, some of them extremely cold, some of them blisteringly hot, some filled with fierce howling winds while still others seemed like giant ancient trees growing amongst the Starry Sky.
“The Chaotic Abyss!” Yang Kai couldn’t help crying out in surprise, his eyes lighting up.
This was the first time any of his Divine Sense threads had broken free from this prisoner’s cage and arrived at the Chaotic Abyss.
He couldn’t help feeling ecstatic!
Being trapped here not only made Gui Zu anxious but also caused Yang Kai a great deal of anxiety. Remaining nearby an old monster like Gui Zu made him feel a constant sense of life-threatening crisis!
Now that he saw the Chaotic Abyss once again, he saw the hope of survival!
Yang Kai’s heart was filled with joy.
Forcefully calming himself down, Yang Kai once again determined that his Divine Sense threads had arrived at the Chaotic Abyss before carefully withdrawing his Divine Sense to himself.
As he recalled his Divine Sense threads, Yang Kai left behind individual wisps of Spiritual Energy along the way to serve as guideposts.
These wisps of Divine Sense, however, wouldn’t be able to persist for too long; Yang Kai estimated that in no more than one day, all of these threads would dissipate and disperse, but as long as he had these wisps to guide him, Yang Kai didn’t have to worry about becoming lost as he crossed the seven coloured sky’s chaotic field and had full confidence in leaving this place.
Soon, Yang Kai took back all the other Divine Sense threads he could and a look of hesitation appeared on his face.
He wanted to follow these guideposts immediately!
However, once he left, everyone left on this continent would definitely die, but more importantly, Yang Kai wasn’t certain he could successfully leave here before Gui Zu intercepted him.
Looking down at the black mark Gui Zu had left on his arm, Yang Kai sighed helplessly.
He stood up, putting aside all other thoughts, and flew his Star Shuttle down towards the mountain.
A short time later, Yang Kai landed and walked straight to the stone room where Gui Zu lived.
Soon, Yang Kai stood in front of the pitch-black room once more.
“Little brat, what progress have you made?” Aware of his arrival, Gui Zu asked in a deep voice from within the darkness, his pair of sharp eyes staring fixedly towards Yang Kai as if refusing to miss even the slightest change in his expression.
“We can leave!” Yang Kai replied.
Stunned by this reply, Gui Zu actually became dumbfounded for a time, after a while shouting in disbelief, “Really?”
Gui Zu’s voice was trembling slightly, highlighting his inner excitement.
“Little brat, you should know what your fate will be if you dare play games with this old master. This old master has waited far too long for this day,” Gui Zu muttered solemnly.
“I’m not playing games with you, we really can leave!” Yang Kai replied indifferently.
“Ha ha ha ha!” Gui Zu burst into wild laughter, his voice echoing like thunder, shaking the entire mountain around him.
On the plain nearby the mountain, Lu Gui Chen, Yue Xi, and all the others wore panic-stricken expressions, none of them knowing what had suddenly caused such a great reaction from Gui Zu, or if it signalled danger for them. Feeling insecure, all of them quickly gathered together, hoping to find some sense of security.
“Good, I knew you wouldn’t disappoint this old master!” Gui Zu’s figure appeared in front of Yang Kai, his hand grabbing onto Yang Kai’s arm with a vice-like grip as he cried out impatiently, “Let’s go, let’s go, I must leave this damned place!”
Because of his excitement, the strength of his grip was quite strong, nearly causing Yang Kai’s bones to crack under the pressure.
“Don’t be so anxious!” Yang Kai struggled for a bit to work his arm loose from this vice grip.
“Don’t be anxious? This old master is very anxious!” Gui Zu squinted at him, his eyes filled with malice, “What scheme are you still thinking about?”
“Senior is thinking too much, I just need to make a few things clear before we leave,” Yang Kai said faintly.
Gui Zu’s eyes flashed with a strange light, his excited expression suddenly calming down and gently nodding, “Speak, this old master will hear you out!”
Yang Kai considered his words for a moment before saying, “Although Junior is willing to believe in Senior’s character and commitment, for the sake of insurance, Junior wants to confirm once again that after we leave this place, you will not act against me!”
Gui Zu grinned evilly, “Rest assured, if you can satisfy this old master’s desire to leave, this old master will not hurt you. Leaving this damned place is this old master’s lifelong wish, after leaving I will only be grateful to you, how could I even consider attacking you?”
Yang Kai’s brow wrinkled, quickly nodding, “I hope so, and I hope Senior can remember the oath he swore to me before.”
“Good, this old master remembers,” Gui Zu pointed to his own head, “I remember clearly! Good, can we leave now?”
Yang Kai once again shook his head.
Gui Zu’s expression sank as he grumbled impatiently, “What else do you still have to do?”
“I want to take a few people together with us.”
Gui Zu immediately knew who he wanted to take away and didn’t mind, “As long as they don’t get in the way of this old master, bring whoever you want.”
“They won’t get in your way, en, I’ll have to bother Senior to call them over.”
Gui Zu looked at him with great interest, “Who do you want to call?”
Yang Kai immediately listed a few names; Gui Zu then nodded and summoned them with his Divine Sense.
On the plain beside the mountain, Yue Xi, He Zao, He Miao, and Shen Tu, who were already nervous because of Gui Zu’s crazy laughter, suddenly went stiff and pale.
This was because Gui Zu’s voice had just sounded in their ears.
“What happened?” Lu Gui Chen hurriedly asked.
“Gui Zu summoned us…” Yue Xi couldn’t help but swallow.
The look Lu Gui Chen shot Yue Xi immediately changed, a hint of taking pleasure in other’s misfortune present, along with some sorrow and relief, but he no longer said anything.
“I was also summoned!” Shen Tu’s face paled as a deep sense of powerlessness filled his heart.
“I… as well!” Bi Ya rubbed her hands together nervously, her tender body shivering.
“What should we do, Master?” He Zao looked at Yue Xi nervously.
Yue Xi’s heart was also in chaos, not sure what to say for a while. When they first arrived here, there were more than a hundred of them, yet almost all of them had died at Gui Zu’s hands. Today, Gui Zu had actually summoned so many people of them at once though, who knows what his intentions were?
“It’s a blessing, not a curse…” Yue Xi smiled and gave up any plans to escape because, in front of an Origin King Realm master, there was no way to escape. “Come with me. If today… if today is the day of our deaths, Master will at least be able to accompany you on the road.”
She looked at He Zao and He Miao with great affection, secretly deciding to do whatever she could to protect her two Disciples.
Even if this was no different from a mantis trying to stop a cart, she wouldn’t hesitate.
The three of them began walking up the mountain while Shen Tu and Bi Ya exchanged a glance before sighing and keeping up.
Looking at their departing backs, a cultivator from Purple Star came up to Lu Gui Chen and said, “Senior, they…”
“They probably won’t return…” Lu Gui Chen sighed softly and smiled bitterly, “I don’t know I should feel glad or sad for them, but for now we’ve managed to escape, as for what will happen next time, I’m afraid…”
Saying so, he showed a dispirited look to his three remaining subordinates.
All of them thought that those who had been summoned were going to die.
Yang Kai waited in the heart of the mountain and after a while saw Shen Tu and the others walk in, gently nodded and was about to say hello when he suddenly wore a confused expression, “What’s wrong with you all? Why do you all look so depressed?”
The corner of Shen Tu’s mouth twitched as he somewhat unwillingly replied, “We were summoned by Gui Zu.”
Letting out a sigh, he reached out and gently patted Yang Kai’s shoulder, whispering quietly, “Brother, I’m afraid that there’s no way we can flee from this disaster. If you have the chance to escape from this place, please deliver a message to Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce. Tell my father I’m sorry for disappointing him, and that if I had only known this would happen, I wouldn’t have been so stubborn and disobedient.”
Appearing as if he was making his last confession, Shen Tu looked unusually solemn.
“Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce?” Yue Xi heard this and directed a thoughtful look towards Shen Tu, her eyes flashing a slight bit of doubt.
“Remember to deliver my last message; of course, if you can’t leave here that is,” Shen Tu patted Yang Kai’s shoulder, sighing heavily again.
Yang Kai’s expression became weird.
But after thinking about it, he suddenly understood why these people were so downcast, like they were marching to their own execution, causing him to smile with astonishment, “What do you think Senior Gui Zu Senior summoned you all for?”
“I don’t know, but it’s certainly not anything good,” Shen Tu replied before gawking towards Yang Kai, “Do you know what we’ve been summoned for? Can you tell us so we can prepare ourselves?”
Everyone cast their vision towards him.
“I asked Senior Gui Zu to call all of you over,” Yang Kai bluntly said.
Everyone expression became puzzled.
“I’m going to take you out of here,” Yang Kai continued.
Shen Tu shook visibly while Yue Xi, He Zao, He Miao, and Bi Ya’s beautiful eyes lit up as the stared towards Yang Kai incredulously.
“I found a way to leave this place, en, and when I told Senior Gui Zu about it, he agreed to let you come with us.”
“Wha… Did I hear you right? Can we really leave this place?” Shen Tu muttered absent-mindedly, his face filled with shock and disbelief.
He Zao and He Miao’s pretty faces both lifted, their eyes filling with a light of gratitude, He Miao eagerly asking, “Yang Kai, are you telling the truth? You’re not deceiving us right?”
Yang Kai shook his head.
Hearing this, the little girl suddenly became filled with joy as she covered her small mouth and teared up, “Good, good…”
She was so excited that she couldn’t stop crying. Just now, she had thought being summoned by Gui Zu, she would have to die, but now those worries had disappeared and were replaced with the prospect of being able to escape from this prison, so her reaction was only natural.
He Zao gently held her shoulders, the two sisters exchanging a knowing glance and smiled.
Bi Ya seemed to have been shocked by this news, standing there stupidly for a time, unable to compose herself as she stared towards Yang Kai, unable to understand why he had suddenly changed his mind.
Not long ago, Bi Ya had looked for Yang Kai to discuss this very matter, but the perfunctory answer she had received at the time had been very discouraging, yet not he was actually telling her he would bring her out from this place. Bi Ya couldn’t help wondering if she was dreaming right now.
Amongst this group though, the most confused was undoubtedly was Yue Xi.
Staring at Yang Kai, her look was particularly complex, her expression fluctuating, no one able to determine what she was thinking.
She wanted to offer her thanks, but she couldn’t find the words to say, her heart was tangled up in knots.
“You all wait here for a moment. Bi Ya, come with me,” Yang Kai didn’t pay any attention to Yue Xi and instead beckoned to Bi Ya.
“Ah, en…” Bi Ya quickly responded and followed after Yang Kai.
Standing a short distance away, Yang Kai stared at this promiscuous woman, his brow slightly wrinkled, eventually letting out a long sigh, “To be honest, I don’t really want to take you out from this place. Whether you live or die means nothing to me!”
Bi Ya smiled bitterly, “I understand, after all, I did many terrible things to you before.”
“There is a saying that one’s behaviour is easy to change, but their nature is not. You are a woman who treats men as nothing but playthings, a resource to be consumed to increase your own strength. Right now you may be acting docile, but who knows what will happen once we leave this place, perhaps your original personality will re-assert itself and you will bear a deep grudge for what has transpired here then bide your time to seek vengeance.”
“No, I won’t do such a thing,” Bi Ya quickly waved.
“I don’t trust you!” Yang Kai shook his head.
Bi Ya’s face went white, as if she was seeing the hope of leaving here slipping away before her very eyes.
“However, during this time you did serve me well. En, whether it was out of necessity or sincerity, you took care of me very attentively, so if I was to simply discard you here, that would be too ungrateful.”
“What do I need to do to win your trust?” Bi Ya understood the meaning of his words and her eyes immediately lit up, quickly asking Yang Kai, “Just say the word and I will comply!”
Yang Kai gently nodded, “Let loose your Knowledge Sea’s defences. I must take your Soul Brand and control whether you live or die!”
Bi Ya was stunned, her face filling with a look of horror as she hesitated for a moment, but she quickly recovered and nodded, lowering her Knowledge Sea’s defences.
In the next moment, Yang Kai’s Divine Sense penetrated into Bi Ya’s Knowledge Sea and shuttled back and forth.
After a few breaths, Yang Kai took back his Divine Sense as well as Bi Ya’s Soul Brand.
Bi Ya’s face had turned slightly pale from this experience, her red lips muttering, “Is this enough?”
Yang Kai looked at her in a strange expression and nodded. “Yes.”
After a pause, he asked again, “Just how many men have you harmed so far?”
Bi Ya pursed her lips and giggled, “Did you peek at my memories?”
Yang Kai shrugged his shoulders, “I didn’t intend to.”
Inside Bi Ya’s Knowledge Sea, so many of her memories were filled with obscene scenes, so much so that even an experienced man like Yang Kai felt frightened. This woman was nothing less than a walking disaster; any man she targeted would be unable to escape her poisonous hands, ultimately resulting in their vitality being sucked away.
But when each of these men died, their expressions were all filled with bliss, as if they remained ignorant of the terrible fate that had befallen them until the very end.
Yang Kai couldn’t help shivering slightly. If it weren’t for the many twists and turns back on the Purple Star Starship, his life may have ended like all those others, a dry husk beneath Bi Ya’s profane power.
“I am only yours now,” Bi Ya bit her thing thin red lip seductively, her tender body seemingly emitting a fragrant pheromone that assaulting Yang Kai’s mind, “I will serve you even more attentively from now on.”
“No need, I don’t want to have anything to do with you. After we leave here, you and I will part ways,” Yang Kai snorted.
“You shouldn’t really be…” Bi Ya covered her mouth and swept her eyes up and down, but mostly down Yang Kai.
“Shouldn’t really be what?”
“Do you… have problems down there?” Bi Ya asked the doubt she had held in her heart for so long, her eyes staring fixedly between Yang Kai’s legs, a tinge of sadness and pity appearing on her face.
Yang Kai’s face went black as he shouted, “If you dare talk any more nonsense I’ll leave you to rot here!”
Saying so, he no longer bothered with this crazy woman, turning around and leaving, Bi Ya’s delightful giggles resounding behind him; she seemingly didn’t care one bit about Yang Kai’s threat.
After Yang Kai arrived back at the place where everyone had gathered, Gui Zu appeared leisurely.
Everyone who had been whispering back and forth a month ago promptly shut up.
“Done?” Gui Zu looked at Yang Kai.
“En.”
“Then let’s go!” Gui Zu laughed.
“Wait a moment, I have some things to say first,” Yang Kai turned to face the crowd and put on a solemn expression, “All of you need to know that in order to take you out from this place, I will be using a method to tear space.”
“Tear space?” Yue Xi called out in shock as she stared Yang Kai, “Do you understand the Dao of Space?”
Nodding, Yang Kai admitted, “A little.”
Yue Xi’s beautiful eyes lit up, suddenly turning to look at Gui Zu, “No wonder, no wonder Senior Gui Zu made an agreement with you, it was like this.”
All of them had been speculating about just what would make Gui Zu take interest in Yang Kai, even going so far as to protect his safety and provide him with a the best cultivation environment, his attitude towards Yang Kai completely different from all the others. Now, they understood.
Being able to tear space meant Yang Kai had the ability to escape from this prison. This was similar to the approach Gui Zu had researched for a thousand years, his one hope to leave here, but also something he could not grasp clearly.
No one had thought that Yang Kai was also familiar with the Dao of Space. The Dao of Space had always been an extremely esoteric field, one that was extremely difficult to comprehend and even more difficult to practice. The number of cultivators even slightly familiar with the Dao of Space was extremely small.
Even if one were to take the entire Star Field into consideration, cultivators proficient in the mysteries of space were a rarity.
A master like Gui Zu, who had been studying the Dao of Space for a thousand years hadn’t even had any significant accomplishments, the Space Array he had painstakingly arranged ultimately being of no use.
“Brother…” Shen Tu licked his dry lips and muttered, “Do you really come from a lower world? You haven’t been playing the pig to eat a tiger this whole time right?”
Although Shen Tu was the one asking, this question was the one everyone present wanted to ask, all of them suspecting that Yang Kai actually came from some extraordinary background and these days had just been putting on an act.
Yang Kai smiled and shook his head, “If I hadn’t come from a lower world, how could I have been so ignorant about the Star Field’s common sense?”
Shen Tu thought about it for a moment before nodding lightly, “Fair enough.”
Since he met Yang Kai, Yang Kai had asked him many questions about things even children should have understood, saying he was acting the whole time really was a bit of a stretch.
“But regardless, you really an amazing guy…” Shen Tu grinned wryly, “And, why are you telling us this now?”
“Because in order to lead you away from this place, I need you to coordinate with me,” Yang Kai’s expression became dignified again, “I can tear space and allow all of you to enter the turbulent flow of The Void in order to lead you out of this place, but the path I create by tearing space is very different from a long-established Void Corridor… Void Corridors that have existed for extended periods of time have already stabilized and only connect two points in space together, allowing people to freely move between those two points while on the other hand, the path I create while tearing space is fluid and unstable.”
The looks on everyone’s face changed slightly as they suddenly realized that things weren’t as simple as they seemed. The road leading out of this place was apparently full of thorns.
“I need all of you to guarantee that you won’t use any of your strength while following me!” Yang Kai glanced around at everyone in a serious manner, his eyes eventually landing on Gui Zu, “This is especially true for you, Senior, because once you release your strength, there’s a high chance you will disturb the void turbulence around us, causing us to sink further into The Void. Once we lose our position in The Void, even I won’t be able to safely bring us out!”
“Oh?” Gui Zu grinned and nodded, “Good, this old master won’t use any of his strength!”
“Do all of you understand?” Yang Kai glanced over at the others.
Everyone nodded together.
“Good. Other than that, there’s nothing else, just follow me and don’t cause any trouble,” Yang Kai thought about it for a moment but really couldn’t think of anything else to say, “If you’re ready, let’s get underway.”
Saying so, he reached out his hand and sliced through the space in front of him, opening a thin, dark slit. Then, as if two giant hands were pulling it apart, the slit opened up until it was more than a meter in width and two meters in height, forming a pitch-black portal to The Void out of which a terrifying Void Energy pulsed.
Gui Zu’s expression became serious as he peered deep into The Void while the others were only more nervous than him.
Yang Kai pulled one of the high-quality luminous stones from the wall then stepped into the portal without even saying a word.
Gui Zu’s eyes flashed and did not rush to keep up with Yang Kai, but instead tossed Shen Tu inside.
Bi Ya followed Shen Tu, then Gui Zu, then Yue Xi and her two disciples stepped inside last.
After all seven people entered it, the tear in space quickly and silently disappeared.
Amidst the profound darkness, the only source of light was from the glowing stone in Yang Kai’s hand, this stone served as a guidepost for everyone.
None of them dared fall behind, each of them walking tepidly through this turbulent space, quietly observing their surroundings.
They had never had such a peculiar experience, none of them ever even thinking they would one day be able to walk through The Void.
The turbulent flow of space around them was disorienting and seemed like the mouth of the most terrifying beast imaginable just waiting to swallow them whole. All around them was like a thick swamp, with pitfalls and sinkholes everywhere, one careless misstep and they would be pulled under, banished to the end of the world forever.
Everyone’s heart pounded loudly in their chest.
Even as they admired the scene around them, it did not lessen their trepidation.
The only thing that gave them some comfort was that everywhere Yang Kai passed, the chaotic flow of space seemed to be smoothed out, and the unsteady ground became solid, making it easy to walk upon.
Everyone was keenly aware that Yang Kai’s aura had some kind of mysterious resonance with the turbulence here, allowing him to understand its flow and accurately find his way through it.
As they held their breaths, each one of them followed exactly in the footsteps of the person in front of them.
Suddenly, a cry of surprise rang out and Yang Kai couldn’t help but pause and turn back to ask, “What happened?”
“Nothing…” He Miao patted her chest and apologized, “Sorry, I suddenly felt like I was falling.”
Looking down at where her foot was, space seemed to have burst open and shattered like a broken mirror. Staring into this crack gave one the illusion they were falling into the abyss.
Yang Kai nodded and didn’t say anything more, simply continuing to lead the way.
“Little girl, don’t startle us like that, this old master was nearly scared to death by you!” Gui Zu turned back and grinned towards He Miao, his gloomy smile causing He Miao’s bad complexion to turn even paler.
Yang Kai, who was walking ahead, suddenly came to a halt, stretched out his hand, and tore through space again, opening another crack in The Void!
Quickly, he stepped through.
The others followed right on his heels.
Breathing in the fresh air, everyone felt like they had just emerged from the depths of purgatory. Looking around for a while, Shen Tu suddenly furrowed his brow and commented, “Yang Kai, we don’t seem to have gone far!”
As he spoke, he turned his glance downwards.
Beneath the feet of their group was a giant burnt mountain peak and nearby there were a few cultivators moving about. These people were clearly Lu Gui Chen and the other remaining Purple Star cultivators.
They had also noticed the situation above them and were pointing towards Yang Kai’s group, not understanding the situation.
“En, we really haven’t gone too far, a thousand kilometres or so I’d say,” Yang Kai nodded and explained, “This time was just to familiarize you with the feeling of moving through The Void. What comes next is the main event!”
Saying so, he pointed above his head at the seven coloured sky, “We have to break through the chaotic field surrounding this floating continent.”
“Got it!” Shen Tu nodded.
“Let’s go!” Yang Kai smiled faintly, “I can use this method a few times in a row.”
Carefully sensing the fluctuations from the Divine Sense marks he had left behind, Yang Kai confirmed the direction he needed to go and tore space again.
As everyone was stepping into the tear, He Miao suddenly turned her head and squinted, whispering softly, “Master, Lu Gui Chen and his people seem to be coming here.”
“Don’t care about them, keep up!” Yue Xi urged.
“En.”
“Lu Gui Chen, just wait here for death!” Yue Xi sneered softly as she shot a glance down towards the ground before finally stepping through the portal.
A moment later, Lu Gui Chen, who was riding his Star Shuttle from down below, arrived only to discover no trace of anyone left and quickly realize that they had been abandoned here, his face draining of all colour.
The few people that Gui Zu had summoned before were all clearly related to Yang Kai, with the only ones not summoned being his group from Purple Star.
At the time he had the attitude of taking pleasure in other’s misfortune, thinking that Yue Xi and the others were walking to their deaths, but little did know that it was actually the path to survival.
On the contrary, he and his remaining three subordinates had forever been abandoned here!
His face twisted in rage and he let out a roar of anger.
The seven coloured sky was formed by the intersection of the many chaotic energy fields from the stars of the Chaotic Abyss, forming a ten-thousand-kilometre wide domain of distorted space.
Somewhere amongst this chaotic domain, space suddenly split open with Yang Kai walking out. There, he stopped and quickly began determining his position.
Sensing the Divine Sense mark he had left behind was not far away, although there was some slight error in the position, he had emerged within an acceptable margin of error. As long as he followed the paths laid out by these guideposts, Yang Kai was confident they could arrive at the Chaotic Abyss.
Once they arrived at the Chaotic Abyss, they would really be free.
One after another, figures appeared behind him, and after everyone saw the scenery in front of them, they were filled with amazement because all around them was a gorgeous seven coloured space.
However, everyone quickly discovered that their Divine Senses couldn’t play any role here because as soon as they extended them out more than a few meters, they would become affected by the chaotic domain, possibly even becoming lost, without the possibility of recovery.
Gui Zu gently nodded, “Very good, you really have the ability to leave this place, this old master was not mistaken about you.”
At a glance, he could tell that this place was above the floating continent, a place he had never been to, increasing his confidence in Yang Kai greatly. Seemingly because the wish he had held onto for two thousand years was about to be completed, his expression wasn’t as ghastly as before and instead filled with a smile of expectation.
Yang Kai glanced at him and smiled lightly.
The black mark on his arm, however, was sending out an even chillier aura than before.
He knew that Gui Zu was on guard against him, lest he try to suddenly abandon him here in this strange space.
If he were really to be left here, Gui Zu wasn’t confident he could return to the Floating Continent.
Yang Kai did have such thoughts, but he didn’t dare make any rash actions. He didn’t have the confidence to plot against Gui Zu’s right before his eyes, so, for now, he behaved very honestly.
Once again perceiving the position of the next guidepost, Yang Kai tore space.
Yang Kai led the other six people through The Void, one thousand kilometres at a time, everything proceeding smoothly, bringing them closer and closer to the Chaotic Abyss.
After tearing space five times, Yang Kai immediately sat down cross-legged and gasped for breath, “Wait here a moment, I need to restore myself for a while.”
Every time Yang Kai tore space, it drained a huge amount of his strength, so it was impossible for him to do it continuously without end. The Spiritual Energy in his Knowledge Sea had already been greatly consumed, so he needed to supplement it in case some unexpected situation came up, otherwise, he wouldn’t have the strength to deal with it.
After an hour, Yang Kai had finished restoring himself and began leading the way forward again.
Every time he tore space, Yang Kai would first confirm the direction he needed to go by tracing the Divine Sense marks he had left behind, otherwise he wouldn’t have been able to advance through the confusing seven coloured field.
Things progressed far smoother than Yang Kai had anticipated, none of his previous concerns coming to pass.
The six people behind him also remembered Yang Kai’s warning and didn’t dare use any of their strength; even Gui Zu carefully cooperated, not stirring up any trouble along the way.
Everyone seemingly felt that so long as things continued on like this, they would soon reach the Chaotic Abyss.
With hope right in front of them, everyone’s spirits rose.
Somewhere amongst the seven coloured sky, Yang Kai’s figure again emerged from The Void, quickly followed by the other six.
Turning around, he smiled to the group, “This is the last jump. Once we pass through The Void again, we’ll reach the Chaotic Abyss!”
Hearing him say this, everyone’s eyes lit up and their sense of anticipation increased once more.
“Little brat, make it quick. This old master can’t wait to see the outside world,” Gui Zu grinned and encouraged.
“I have to restore myself again!” Yang Kai said faintly.
“Good, make it quick!”
Yang Kai sat down without saying another word. He wasn’t lying, there really was just one last jump left. As long as he tore space once more, Yang Kai was confident they could arrive at the Chaotic Abyss, but even so, he still felt quite uneasy.
This uneasiness, of course, came from Gui Zu.
Yang Kai had no way to guarantee that this old monster, who had lived more than two thousand years, would keep his promise not to harm him after they escaped.
In this situation, he could only passively choose to believe in him while praying Gui Zu would not go back on his word.
This feeling of helplessness made Yang Kai very uncomfortable.
“Senior, can you take back this thing in my arm?” Yang Kai suddenly opened his eyes and asked Gui Zu, “We’re almost free now, is there any reason to keep monitoring me?”
Gui Zu grinned lightly and didn’t say anything, simply nodding and waving his hand, removing the black mark left atop Yang Kai’s arm, taking back the evil spectre it was made from into his body.
Yang Kai’s mind and body both felt as if they became lighter like a shackle had been removed from him.
“Little brat, behave yourself and this old master won’t make trouble for you,” Gui Zu snorted.
“Senior is broadminded,” Yang Kai chuckled, standing up and taking a soft breath before tearing space apart under the gaze of the crowd.
He, as always, was the first to step through.
After entering The Void though, Yang Kai’s expression suddenly became dignified as he stood in place, not moving forward and instead silently perceiving his surroundings.
“Why are you stopping now? Are you still trying to play some kind of tricks at this last moment?” Gui Zu, who had followed Yang Kai in, saw him acting strangely and couldn’t help grumbling.
Yang Kai didn’t answer him though and continued his investigation.
Suddenly, his face changed and he shouted, “Move quickly, don’t stop, space here is far more chaotic than anywhere we’ve been so far, probably because we’re closer to the Chaotic Abyss.”
Seeing the alarmed look on Yang Kai’s face, the other six people realized the seriousness of the situation and quickly followed after him, moving as fast as they safely could.
Up until now, wherever Yang Kai passed, the void turbulence would temporarily subside, allowing everyone to safely pass while not being dragged into the surrounding chaotic flow, but now, the other six in the group could faintly feel that where they were stepping had become less smooth and muddier, like there was a faint suction tugging at them from all directions. The turbulent flow also seemed closer than before, like a swarm of locusts that were eyeing them from nearby.
*Kacha…*
A dense sound of cracking resounded all around the group, sending shivers into each of their souls. Glancing around, the barrier separating all of them from the turbulent flow of The Void was clearly beginning to shatter.
From the surrounding Void, the force of attraction increased greatly and threatened to swallow them whole.
Although none of them besides Yang Kai were proficient in the Dao of Space, they were well aware of the terrors of The Void, once any of them fell into one of these cracks, with no references to find their way out, they would become forever lost, never to return again.
Therefore, they huddled even closer to Yang Kai, not daring to fall behind.
Yang Kai’s expression was also solemn, not saying a single word and devoting all his attention to moving forward, soon arriving at a certain point and stretching out his hand to tear a hole in The Void.
When this tear was opened, from the other side of the portal, a familiar scene appeared in everyone’s eyes.
Massive, energetic stars arranged closely together, creating a vibrant and enchanting picture.
The Chaotic Abyss!
Yang Kai smiled and prepared to step out.
But just then, Shen Tu and Bi Ya suddenly shouted in alarm, as if something had happened just behind them.
Upon hearing their shouts, Yang Kai turned his head and saw Gui Zu’s figure flicker as he prepared to take one step ahead and flee through the portal.
However, in the instant he circulated his strength to propel himself forward, he had also stimulated all the turbulence throughout the surrounding Void and shattered the safe passage Yang Kai had established.
Before Gui Zu could escape, half his body was swallow up by The Void, and no matter how hard he tried to struggle, he was unable to escape its grasp.
Yue Xi and her two disciples who were following behind Gui Zu had also been caught up in the turbulent flow and were quickly sinking into The Void.
When Yang Kai turned to look back, he saw the three women staring at him with pleading looks as they silently prayed to him for rescue.
Even now, all of them were carefully abiding by Yang Kai’s words and had not used any of their strength.
Gui Zu on the other hand, upon noticing the dire situation he was in, pushed his strength wildly in an attempt to break through the crack that was trying to swallow him.
However, it was like the crevice he had fallen into was filled with quicksand, and the more Gui Zu struggled, the faster he sunk, causing his old face to pale.
“Fuck!” Shen Tu couldn’t help cursing, “Brother Yang, let’s go!”
Yang Kai’s look changed, and a look of hesitation flashed across his eyes. He glanced over at Gui Zu, who was being engulfed by The Void, only his head still visible; he then looked over at He Zao and He Miao, all sorts of thoughts surfacing in his mind.
Yang Kai went stiff, as a struggle took place in his heart.
With just one more step, he could reach the Chaotic Abyss and escape from under Gui Zu’s oppression, and now that this old monster had gotten caught up in the void turbulence it was likely he would never be able to find his way out, forcing him to endure an even bitterer and difficult life than the one where he was trapped on the floating continent, a lifetime spent drifting through The Void.
Yang Kai very much wished for such an outcome.
However, He Zao and He Miao would also die.
Yang Kai still remembered when Gui Zu had wanted to throw him into the Space Array to test the Void Corridor’s stability, how He Zao had stood up bravely and spoken for him.
“Brother Yang!” Shen Tu shouted again. Yang Kai was lead the way and blocking both him and Bi Ya from exiting. Shen Tu was so anxious to pass him and flee to safety he could barely contain himself.
Bi Ya’s heart was also in chaos, her beautiful eyes staring towards Yang Kai, wondering what choice he would make.
Yang Kai’s hesitation only lasted a moment though before his eyes became firm. Sending a palm strike towards the portal leading out of The Void, he released a cluster of pitch-black Demonic Flame that temporarily help it open.
“Go!” Yang Kai shouted before grabbing hold of Shen Tu and Bi Ya and tossing them out then with a gloomy expression flew in the opposite direction.
“Brother Yang!” Shen Tu’s face paled as he passed by Yang Kai, but before he could recover, he found himself already amidst the Chaotic Abyss.
Inside The Void, Yang Kai soon arrived in front of the void crevice which was swallowing the group of four and stared at Gui Zu, hurriedly shouting, “If you want to live, withdraw your strength, don’t make this more difficult for me!”
Gui Zu’s face was pure white by this point and quickly took back his strength, no longer struggling.
“I’ll save you now, don’t panic, don’t do anything at all!” Yang Kai called out to He Zao and He Miao before sitting down in front of the four of them, his Spiritual Energy and Saint Qi bursting out and pouring into the crevice.
Incorporating his own understanding of the Dao of Space into this crevice slowly allowed Yang Kai to produce a resonance with it and eventually control it.
Soon, the four people who were gradually sinking down were pleasantly surprised to find that the suction, which was drawing them in was gradually becoming weaker and soon disappeared altogether. Not only that, an opposite force which was trying to push them out soon appeared and began freeing them from the void crevice.
All four of their expressions brightened with He Zao and He Miao tearing up as they stared at Yang Kai, their eyes filled with joy.
They had thought that this time they had encountered an inescapable disaster and would certainly die, they hadn’t anticipated Yang Kai would return at the last moment, they all knew just what kind of risk he was taking to save them.
This caused their moods to undergo a subtle change as an inexplicable feeling filled their hearts and brought them a sense of warmth and comfort.
The feelings of panic and despair were quickly swept away and a radiant glow appeared on their faces, seemingly no longer afraid of any danger.
Even Yue Xi, at this moment, finally changed her opinion about Yang Kai, a look of pure gratitude appearing on her pretty face.
“Ah…” He Miao suddenly screamed and pointed to Yang Kai.
The other three all turned to look in the direction she was pointing and their expression sank once more.
At the spot where Yang Kai was sitting, a new set of cracks was forming, threatening to swallow his body into the void crevice.
As time passed, more and more cracks formed and spread out, seeming to engulf the entire space surrounding them.
Yang Kai’s eyes suddenly shot open as he shouted, “Come out!”
With this shout, the four others who hadn’t dared to move so far were finally freed from the void crevice and immediately rushed outward.
Whether the ground beneath her was too unstable of she was too anxious in that moment, Yue Xi stumbled and nearly fell, but before she could hit the ground, Yang Kai wrapped his arm around her waist and leapt out just as the cracked space around them began to completely collapse.
Yue Xi’s body instantly went stiff when she felt Yang Kai’s strong hand grab hold of her. It was like she had been struck by lightning, all her strength draining from her body. Her eyes landing on the Junior carrying her, she suddenly felt an inexplicable sense of safety, like she had just entered a tranquil harbour that gently cradled her, causing her mood to become incredibly complicated.
Amidst the Chaotic Abyss, Shen Tu and Bi Ya looked anxiously towards the black portal leading to The Void, hoping to see Yang Kai.
However, they were unable to see the situation inside, and the Demonic Flames burning the edge of the portal, keeping it open, were already beginning to fade, yet there were still no signs of the ones still inside escaping.
If they didn’t escape soon, Yang Kai and the others would be forced to remain inside forever!
“They couldn’t have had an accident, right?” Shen Tu stuttered, “Brother Yang’s understanding of the Dao of Space has reached a very high level. Nothing should have happened to them, wouldn’t you say?”
Saying so, he turned to look at Bi Ya, hoping she would affirm his statement.
“I don’t know…” Bi Ya shook her head, her mood extremely complicated, “But I hope nothing bad happens to him!”
Yang Kai currently possessed her Soul Brand, allowing him to control whether she lived or died, so if he didn’t emerge and instead became lost in The Void, she would also die!
More than anyone, she didn’t wish to see anything happen to Yang Kai.
“They’re coming out!” Shen Tu suddenly shouted as he saw a figure leap out from the crack just as it was about to close.
Naturally, it was Gui Zu!
Seeing his face, Shen Tu anxiously called out, “How is it you, where’s Brother Yang?”
“Right behind!” Gui Zu turned back just in time to see the He Zao He Miao sisters escape, swiftly followed by Yang Kai and Yue Xi.
Just as Yang Kai stepped out from The Void, the Demonic Flames holding the portal open burned out and the crack in space disappeared without a trace.
“Haha, I knew Brother Yang’s luck wouldn’t run out here. How could he have had any accidents?” Shen Tu laughed and was sincerely happy for Yang Kai, but as he said so, his expression suddenly became weird as he stared towards him with great interest, an ambiguous grin quickly spreading across his face.
Everyone else’s eyes also gathered on Yang Kai, each of their expressions becoming weird.
Yang Kai’s arm was currently carrying Yue Xi by her waist, and Yue Xi actually showed no signs of resisting, her neck dyed bright red as a slightly unusual expression filled her pretty face.
He Miao couldn’t help covering her mouth in shock when she saw this incredible scene, not knowing what had happened after she and her Elder Sister left that caused her Master and Yang Kai to become so intimate with one another.
What was most incredible about this situation though was that her Master wasn’t struggling at all.
In the past, her Master had never left any man get anywhere close to her, much less allow them to embrace her. This was undoubtedly a first. If such a scene were to be shown to all her Master’s admirers back in Sword Union, He Miao didn’t know how many of them would come seeking a fight with Yang Kai.
He Zao coughed lightly, unsure what she should say to remind her Master of her current position.
Being stared at by all these eyes, Yue Xi’s expression became even more embarrassed and she couldn’t wait to jump back into The Void and never come out again.
Yang Kai, on the other hand, didn’t say a word and easily put Yue Xi down before swiftly falling back a thousand meters, staring coldly and vigilantly towards Gui Zu as he prepared to tear space once again.
The ambiguous atmosphere was instantly broken and gave way to an incredibly grave one, everyone else staring towards Gui Zu worriedly.
Now that everyone had left the floating continent and successfully arrived at the Chaotic Abyss, Gui Zu had accomplished the wish he had cherished for two thousand years. If at this time he suddenly decided to start a slaughter, of the people present, besides Yang Kai who might have a chance to escape, everyone here would have to surrender their lives.
With the Chaotic Abyss as a backdrop, everything went silent as everyone’s mood became anxious.
Gui Zu grinned lightly, his pair of gloomy eyes staring towards Yang Kai who stood a thousand meters away, no one able to guess what he was thinking.
Violent heartbeats echoed as loudly as drums from everyone’s chest.
“Little brat, what are you afraid of?” Gui Zu asked.
Yang Kai’s mouth twitched as he bluntly said, “I’m afraid Senior will not honour his words and go back on our agreement!”
“Is this old master so untrustworthy?” Gui Zu coldly snorted, “For even saying that, this old master could condemn you to a dozen deaths! Don’t think that you can escape from this old master’s palm by tearing space. You’re too weak, I can easily stop you before you even try!”
“I believe Senior has such strength, but if you must act, Junior won’t just sit still waiting for death!” Yang Kai said solemnly.
“Senior Gui Zu, in light of Brother Yang fulfilling his promise and bringing you out from that place, can’t you…” Shen Tu wanted to put in a good word but before he could finish, Gui Zu stared coldly at him, causing Shen Tu’s expression to fill with pain as he gripped his head and howled miserably.
Seeing this, Yang Kai slightly paled.
“Senior…” Yue Xi also opened her mouth to speak.
But Gui Zu only glanced at her before Yue Xi’s face became pale and she began screaming just like Shen Tu.
“This old master is Gui Zu, this old master was never a man of his word. You believing in me was your greatest mistake!” Gui Zu scorned.
His body suddenly blurred and Yang Kai’s heart screamed out in alert, but before he could tear space, a gloomy aura pressed down on him making him unable to move.
Gui Zu appeared in front of Yang Kai’s eyes, a sneer upon his face.
“Good, this old master really intended to kill you after you brought me out from that cage. As for the reason, it was because you never sincerely wished to work with me,” Gui Zu sneered, “You think this old master didn’t know what you were planning? It was only because this old master’s strength dominated over you that you cooperated. If it were any other Saint King or Origin Returning Realm cultivator, they would have been long ago abandoned by you!”
Yang Kai didn’t say anything, because what Gui Zu said was the truth.
It was only because this old monster’s strength was so much higher that Yang Kai couldn’t plot against him.
“A few breaths ago, this old master still planned to settle things as such,” Gui Zu’s expression suddenly changed and a frown appeared on his face, “But now, this old master has changed his mind. You put your own life at risk to save mine, and although I know that was not your intention and you only did so to rescue those two little girls, if this old master were to kill you, that would be too ungrateful. If word spread out, it would only turn this old master into a joke.”
“This old master doesn’t like the feeling of owing someone a debt, regardless of the reasons; you saved this old master’s life, giving him the chance to seek his vengeance, so this old master will spare your life!”
Yang Kai’s eyes flashed as he stared at Gui Zu dubiously.
“Surprised? Did you think this old master was someone lacking all sense of humanity?”
Yang Kai frowned and shook his head, “Junior never thought so. Since Senior did not forget his hatred for an entire two thousand years, he could not lack humanity. Perhaps two thousand years ago, Senior was a good man!”
“Ha ha ha!” Gui Zu laughed riotously, “A good man? Good, this old master was really a good man at the time, but two thousand years of hatred and solitude is enough to change one’s nature.”
“Little brat, do you want to follow this old master?” Gui Zu suddenly lowered his voice and stared at Yang Kai seriously, “This old master appreciates your talent. If you follow this old master, no one across this vast Star Field will dare to embarrass you. This old master can also guide your cultivation, allowing you to reach the Origin Returning Realm in the shortest time. With your aptitude, that will definitely be less than a hundred years!”
Yang Kai didn’t even think about it before shaking his head, “Senior’s offer is quite generous, but Junior doesn’t intend to live his life like this.”
“You would refuse this old master?” Gui Zu looked at Yang Kai with amazement, “You actually dare reject this old master’s offer? Are you looking down on this old master?”
His expression suddenly became violent, his eyes filled with dissatisfaction because of Yang Kai’s answer, even arousing his just settled killing intent.
Yang Kai however just smiled and said, “Senior must be joking, you are an Origin King Realm powerhouse on the same level as a Star Master, I don’t think anyone wouldn’t wish to take shelter under your wings. Junior as greatly admires your achievements, how could I possibly look down on you?”
“Then why do you refuse?”
Yang Kai frowned for a moment before saying, “Junior doesn’t wish to grow up as a greenhouse flower, too delicate to withstand the wind and rain. I believe Senior’s words, that with your help, within less than a hundred year I will reach the Origin Returning Realm, but… perhaps after maturing in such an environment, the Origin Returning Realm will be my limit. I wish to pursue higher realms, such as the realm of Senior… in order to do that, I must temper myself with danger and slaughter!”
Gui Zu’s originally unhappy look gave way to one of approval as he nodded to Yang Kai, “What you say has some truth. This old master won’t force you. If you ever change your mind, you can always come find me, this old master’s name will soon resound throughout the Star Field, so it shouldn’t be difficult to seek me out.”
“Junior wishes Senior success in his revenge and that your thousand-year-old grudge may be swiftly settled!” Yang Kai cupped his fists.
These words seemed to go straight to Gui Zu’s heart and elicited a smile on his face. A moment later he nodded, “Little brat, seems you can speak well. This old master appreciates you more and more. En, here, you can hold on to this thing, it’s useless to this old master in any case. Consider it as a thank you for saving my life!”
Saying so, Gui Zu tossed a small black object over to Yang Kai.
Yang Kai instinctually caught it and upon examining it, he discovered that it was some kind of token engraved with a single word, ‘Emperor’!
Even though it was just a simple engraving, the sense of oppression that this ‘Emperor’ gave off made it difficult for Yang Kai to even breathe.
“The Star Sect Command?” Yang Kai exclaimed.
He remembered that this token had been found inside Yue Xi’s Space Ring by Gui Zu. When this token had appeared, Yue Xi, Lu Gui Chen, and everyone else had shown near fanatically looks.
Yang Kai had realized then that this Star Sect Command was some kind of supreme treasure that was enough to attract everyone’s attention.
“Senior, this thing…”
“Don’t you know what it is?” Gui Zu asked.
Yang Kai shook his head.
“En, you come from a lower world, so not knowing is understandable. A Star Sect Command, also known as a Star Emperor Token, is the token of the Starry Sky Great Emperor!”
“Starry Sky Great Emperor?” Yang Kai asked in confusion.
“He is a legendary character from the past, and was said to have single-handedly controlled an entire Star Field at one point. His cultivation was exceedingly high, superior to even this old master! When he took control of the Star Field, he produced ten Star Emperor Tokens, each one of them sealing one of his Divine Abilities, each of which was capable of destroying a star!”
Yang Kai paled as his eyes nearly popped out of their sockets, only now realizing why Lu Gui Chen and Yue Xi were willing to expend so many resources and people to compete for this Star Emperor Token. He also thoroughly understood just how precious this Star Emperor Token was.
Each Star Emperor Token was imbued with the power of the Star Field Great Emperor, which when unleashed was capable of killing an Origin King Realm powerhouse.
Yang Kai was so shocked he was unable to speak.
“Back in this old master’s era, someone used a Star Emperor Token to kill an Origin King Realm master.”
“Can this thing really kill an Origin King?”
“That’s what the rumours say at least. This old master obviously never witnessed such a feat so I can’t say for certain. It may just be an exaggeration, but even if it is, the power it contains can’t be underestimated. After so many years though, most of the ten Star Emperor Tokens have probably been used, so guard this one carefully. If you ever encounter some kind of disaster you cannot handle, it may just save your life, but remember, each Star Emperor Token can only be used once!” Gui Zu explained.
Yang Kai suddenly felt that this Star Emperor Token was an extremely heavy and hesitantly looked towards Gui Zu, “Senior, this token is so precious, why would you give it to me?”
Gui Zu grinned, “This old master has no children or disciples; on top of that, with my current strength, there is no one in this Star Field who can threaten me, so what use would I have for it? If you don’t want it, just throw it away. I’m sure those few over there will be more than happy enough to pick it up.
Saying so, he gestured towards Shen Tu and the others who were observing from a thousand meters away.
Yang Kai decisively stuffed the Star Emperor Token into the Demon Mystic Tome and hid it in the deepest corner he could find!
Gui Zu saw this and nodded with satisfaction, “Very good, en, do you want this old master to take you out of here?”
“No, I can find the direction to leave,” Yang Kai declined.
Gui Zu didn’t insist, grinning as he said, “Fine, live well. This old master will head out first.”
Saying so, Gui Zu transformed into a dark cloud and quickly flew off.
Staring in the direction he left, Yang Kai wore a frown for a moment before shaking his head and chuckling before turning back towards Shen Tu and the others.
The five others had been waiting quietly. Shen Tu and Yue Xi, who had been targeted by Gui Zu, still had some lingering fear on their faces as just thinking about the old monster’s mysterious means made a chill run up their backs.
“Brother Yang… Did he leave?” Shen Tu asked nervously.
“En, he left!” Yang Kai nodded.
“He really just left?” Shen Tu was amazed. A moment ago, when Gui Zu suddenly flew over to Yang Kai, all of them had thought there would be no escaping, but never had then anticipated that after a quick chat, Gui Zu would actually leisurely depart.
This was really too unexpected.
“He’s really gone,” Yang Kai repeated, “You don’t have to be so nervous. In fact, he’s not all that bad, just a bit short-tempered.”
Hearing Yang Kai’s reassurances, everyone finally breathed a sigh of relief and relaxed.
“Masters like him…” Yue Xi smiled bitterly, “They essentially don’t care whether people like us live or die.”
“Brother Yang, what did he say to you just now, it almost looked like you were having a pleasant chat,” Shen Tu asked curiously.
“Nothing much, he thanked me, then reprimanding me…” Yang Kai shrugged his shoulders, making up a story on the spot. He firmly believed that what he and Gui Zu had just talked about wasn’t known by these few.
The fact that the Star Emperor Token had fallen into his hands was something he obviously couldn’t tell them.
The value of this token was simply too great; once news of its existence leaked out, it would surely stir up a storm of trouble.
Scanning his surroundings for a moment, Yang Kai said, “Let’s go, we should leave this place too.”
After he said this though, everyone looked at him bitterly, with none of them moving.
“Leave here? How? We’re still inside the Chaotic Abyss and neither our Sword Union’s Chart Master or Purple Star’s Chart Master are here,” Yue Xi smiled bitterly.
Bi Ya quickly inspected her Star Shuttle and shook her head, “My Star Chart has also been damaged and can’t be used. Without a proper Star Chart, we won’t be able to find the way out.”
The joy of just escaping from the floating continent was once again replaced by despair as an ugly look appeared on everyone’s face.
“Oh, not a problem. Senior Gui Zu gave me some directions a moment ago, just follow me,” Yang Kai said lightly.
A bunch of surprised eyes instantly stared towards him.
Shen Tu asking doubtfully, “Brother Yang, you mean that Gui Zu not only didn’t kill you, keeping his word, but even kindly gave you directions?”
“En,” Yang Kai nodded shamelessly.
“Huh? How did he suddenly become so cordial?” Shen Tu still couldn’t believe it, “It doesn’t make any sense.”
“Well, it’s the truth. Let’s go!” Yang Kai summoned his Star Shuttle which Shen Tu jumped up onto unceremoniously with a smile on his face, “Brother Yang, I’ll have to rely on you, I have no artifacts on me.”
“Not a problem.”
The group of six people, riding four Star Shuttles, flew out as swift as the wind across the Chaotic Abyss.
Yang Kai, while leading the way, immersed his consciousness into his Knowledge Sea to spy on the vast Star Chart above it to confirm their position.
Doing so, he quickly realized the preciousness of this Star Chart.
Because by using this Star Chart, he could easily find his current location and accurately plot a course to leave the Chaotic Abyss without suffering even the slightest interference from the chaotic flow of energy of this place.
Yang Kai wasn’t sure where Purple Star’s Chart Master Wu Suo had obtained this magical treasure but now it was owned by him.
He was even somewhat grateful to Wu Suo, because if the latter hadn’t died so close to him, he wouldn’t have been able to obtain this Star Chart and gain knowledge of all the dangers and wonders throughout the Star Field.
With such a Star Chart, Yang Kai could freely go anywhere he wanted to.
Time passed by, and with the exception of Shen Tu, who kept chattering on endlessly, everyone else stayed relatively quiet. Bi Ya would occasionally say a few words to Shen Tu, but when she discovered that he would go on and on without end, she quickly began ignoring him.
After experiencing this series of hardships together, the other five in the group had unconsciously regarded Yang Kai as their hope and leader, choosing to believe in his decisions without any objections.
Following Yang Kai, they flew through the Chaotic Abyss for two months.
On this day, a different type of scenery finally appeared before them.
It was a dense Asteroid Sea, with countless large and small asteroids seemingly blotting out the Starry Sky, each of them rapidly flying about under the influence of some inexplicable force. This Asteroid Sea was so vast that it was impossible to see where it began or ended.
Upon seeing this giant Asteroid Sea, everyone’s eyes couldn’t help lighting up.
“We can leave!” Shen Tu shouted, “Haha, we can finally leave this forsaken place!”
“How do you know?” Yang Kai asked curiously.
“The periphery of the Chaotic Abyss is surrounded by a giant Asteroid Sea, everyone knows this,” Shen Tu replied.
Yang Kai glanced around and saw everyone nodding in agreement.
“Seems I’m the only one who’s ignorant,” Yang Kai rubbed his nose.
Shen Tu laughed, patting Yang Kai’s shoulder in a friendly manner, “The place you came from is isolated after all… En, you can slowly learn such things from now on. Fuck, I’ll never come anywhere near the Chaotic Abyss again in my life, this place is really just filled with disaster.”
“How did a young master from Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce get caught by Lu Gui Chen in the first place? Where were your guards?” Yue Xi suddenly asked.
“A young master from Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce?” Bi Ya covered her red lips and exclaimed, her beautiful eyes flashing a strange light as she stared towards Shen Tu.
Shen Tu gawked towards Yue Xi for a moment before grinning, “When did you see through my identity?”
“I didn’t, but I had my suspicions. Back on that floating continent, your urged Yang Kai to deliver a message to Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce, and your appearance… It’s somewhat similar to a great man I once saw many years ago, en, that Senior was named Ai Ou!” Yue Xi said solemnly.
“Ai Ou? Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce President Ai Ou?” Bi Ya called out in alarm this time as she stared at Shen Tu’s incredulously.
Even He Zao and He Miao couldn’t help trembling in shock, neither of them having imagined that Shen Tu had such a profound background.
Listening to this conversation, Yang Kai suddenly understood what kind of great family Shen Tu came from.
From what he had learned from Shen Tu, Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce was one of the Star Field’s super forces, on the same level as Purple Star and Sword Union; however, unlike Purple Star and Sword Union, they were mainly focused on business, hence their title as a Chamber of Commerce. Their influence had proliferated throughout the entire Star Field and had ties to all its important forces.
Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce occupied the stars with the most abundant resources in the Star Field, and could thus provide a lot of rare supplies to these forces, for a price.
“You’re the son of President Ai Ou?” Bi Ya stared at Shen Tu with amazement, “How come I’ve never heard of you before?”
“I’m an illegitimate child. My name hasn’t been publicly announced,” Shen Tu grinned meaningfully, “You never having heard of me is natural.”
Yue Xi couldn’t help coughing, her expression becoming slightly unnatural, “There are rumours that President Ai Ou was once quite loose and created a number of emotional debts outside in his youth…”
Bi Ya smiled bitterly, “If you have such an identity, why didn’t you say anything to Senior Lu at the time? If he knew who you were, he would have rushed to receive you as a guest, how could he have thrown you into the Starship’s power room?”
At the mention of Lu Gui Chen, Shen Tu gnashed his teeth and grumbled, “I did tell him, but he didn’t believe me. If it wasn’t for Brother Yang’s timely help, I’m afraid I would already died back in your Purple Star Starship.”
Everyone’s expression became awkward, but after thinking about it for a moment, they understood why Lu Gui Chen wouldn’t believe Shen Tu’s words.
President Ai Ou was a famous man who had several sons, a number of whom were not known to the public, so if an unnamed youth suddenly claimed to be one of them, it was likely no one would believe him and would instead think he was just trying to borrow an identity to increase his status.
“Your luck is really terrible,” Yang Kai looked at him sympathetically.
“What else could I have done?” Shen Tu said indignantly, “If this was really where I had died, it would have been too much of a tragedy!”
Seeing him grumble like this, He Miao couldn’t help but giggle.
The group of six soon dove into the boundless Asteroid Sea, and after a few days, emerged on the other side.
The sights in front of them also changed, there were now many more stars, some of them giving off great amounts of heat, some of them cold like ice, still others brimming with vitality while a large number of them were completely desolate.
“We’re out!” Shen Tu shouted joyfully.
Four streaks of azure light came to a stop outside the Chaotic Abyss, and looking out at the familiar scene of the Star Field, with the exception of Yang Kai who was seeing this for the first time, everyone felt exhilarated, Shen Tu even shouting out loud to express his joy.
Only after some time did everyone’s mood slowly settle.
“Where are we?” Bi Ya turned her head and looked around, knowing that they were just outside the Chaotic Abyss but unable to accurately determine their exact location.
“I recognize this place, I was captured not far from here. It’s also not far from Water Moon Star, the chamber of commerce’s main star. En, by Star Shuttle we should be able to arrive there in just over a month,” Shen Tu explained.
“Water Moon Star?” Yue Xi spoke thoughtfully, “If you say so, then I can understand our general position. Sword Union’s Sword Star is probably in that direction,” She said as she pointed to a certain spot in the Starry Sky.
“Would you like to come to Water Moon Star for a few days?” Shen Tu looked around at the crowd and extended an invitation. After the life or death crisis they had all experienced together, a sense of camaraderie had formed between the people present.
Yue Xi glanced over at Yang Kai and seemed to want to agree, but soon she wore a bitter look and shook her head, “No, after losing a Saint King Grade High-Rank Starship and hundreds of elite cultivators, I have to return to Sword Union as soon as possible make a report.”
Shen Tu directed a look containing some sympathy towards her and said, “If a day comes where you can’t remain in Sword Union, Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce will welcome you. Although I don’t have much status in the chamber of commerce compared to my brothers, recommending a few people to join is still possible.”
Yang Kai’s thoughts turned quickly and soon understood that after Yue Xi returned to Sword Union she would likely face some harsh punishment; after all, the losses that had been suffered under her watch had been great, and she had even lost the all-important Star Emperor Token.
“If such a day comes, I’ll consider it…” Yue Xi replied with a forced smile.
She once again turned to Yang Kai, a complicated look appearing on her face, after a long silence saying softly, “Yang Kai, thank you. Thank you for bringing us Master and Disciples out from that prison and for returning to save us from The Void.”
Hesitating again, she whispered, “Also… I’m sorry!”
Saying so, she bowed her head and sincerely apologized for all the unpleasantness that had transpired between them.
Yang Kai nodded lightly, accepting her apology.
“We three will take our leave first then,” Yue Xi said before turning in the direction of Sword Star and flying off.
“Yang Kai, you take care. I hope we can meet again someday!” He Miao continually waved to Yang Kai, clearly somewhat reluctant to part.
“Take care,” He Zao nodded.
“You as well!” Yang Kai smiled and waved, watching their three figures gradually drift away and disappear into the vast Starry Sky.
“They may not have, but you’ll accept my invitation, right Brother Yang?” Shen Tu asked Yang Kai.
“Why not? I’m new to the Star Field in any case, I don’t have anywhere in particular I’d like to go yet, nor do I have place to stay,” Yang Kai grinned, “Coming with you to Water Moon Star sounds like as good a plan as any.”
“Then I must thank Brother Yang in advance. If I really had to fly back to Water Moon Star all alone, I’d probably die somewhere along the road,” Shen Tu said happily, “Let’s get going.”
“Wait a moment,” Yang Kai said, turning his head to look at Bi Ya and lightly saying, “You should also leave.”
“Where should I go?” Bi Ya asked with surprise.
“I don’t know, go wherever you want to go. You don’t want to follow me in any case.”
Bi Ya’s beautiful eyes lit up as she stared at Yang Kai in shock, “You mean… I’m free?”
“I told you back on that strange continent. After we leave, you and I would part ways, I don’t have any intention of restricting your freedom.”
“Then why did you…” Bi Ya looked at Yang Kai in confusion, not understanding why he had collected her Soul Brand to control whether she lived or died if his plan was to just let her go in the end.
“That was your punishment. You and the others are different, the two of us had many grudges before. Lu Gui Chen I could discard to die in that place, but I decided to bring you out; however, you must pay an appropriate price, your Soul Brand,” Yang Kai quickly said, “I’ll keep this brand with me to ensure you don’t reveal any of my secrets and to make certain you don’t plot against me in the future. Who knows, a couple hundred years later, if I feel generous, I might return it to you.”
Bi Ya looked especially bitter as she stared at Yang Kai faintly, biting her red lips, “What if you accidentally die?”
“You best pray that I don’t, that my longevity rivals that of the Heavens themselves!” Yang Kai said to her with complete seriousness.
Bi Ya couldn’t help smiling at this, “Your appetite is too big… Forget it, in any case, I’m lucky enough to be able to escape from that place alive, if you need to keep my Soul Brand then keep it! However, I don’t really have any place to go now. I don’t dare return to Purple Star… after so many people died, if I return alone, I’ll definitely be questioned. En, Young Master Shen Tu, could you introduce me to your Chamber of Commerce? Although I’m currently just a Third-Order Saint, after living on that continent for so long and receiving its blessings, I feel that I am soon going to break through to the Saint King Realm. With such a cultivation, it won’t be a loss for you to recruit me.”
Shen Tu thought about it for a moment and nodded, “If you can break through to the Saint King Realm… our Chamber of Commerce will be happy to accept you.”
“Wonderful, then I’ll accompany you to Water Moon Star. I guarantee that after a month of retreat I will break through,” Bi Ya declared happily before winking playfully to Yang Kai, “It’s your own choice to not cherish this servant, don’t regret letting me go later.”
“Can your Chamber of Commerce accept this kind of woman?” Yang Kai stared blankly at Shen Tu.
“What’s the problem?” Shen Tu asked in confusion.
Yang Kai shook his head and said nothing. Bi Ya’s cultivation technique was obviously an evil one that harvests Yang to supplement Yin. If such a woman appeared on Tong Xuan Realm, she would definitely become a public enemy and would definitely be killed before she could mature.
There was an abundance of self-righteous defenders of justice in Tong Xuan Realm.
Bi Yaw was the type of woman these people most despised.
However, it was obvious that Shen Tu didn’t care much about it and was actually willing to introduce her to the Chamber of Commerce.
The Star Field was quite different from Tong Xuan Realm; they didn’t place a heavy emphasis on good or evil but were instead more focused on strong or weak.
“Hmph, and just what kind of woman am I?” Bi Ya asked unhappily. After confirming that Yang Kai really had no plans to restrict her freedom, she immediately relaxed and longer acted reserved towards him.
“Could you not be clear about what kind of woman you are?” Yang Kai cast her a sidelong glance.
“I’m flirtatious and fickle, and I do not try to suppress my desires. All you men act this way, why can’t women too?” Bi Ya grumbled with dissatisfaction.
“Good, let’s go. I can’t wait to return to Water Moon Star to rest,” Shen Tu cut in before pointing the way out to Yang Kai who immediately urged his Star Shuttle forward.
Along the way, Bi Ya’s carefree laughter rang out frequently, as if she was a bird that had just escaped from its cage, her face full of smiles.
Yang Kai soon discovered that the Star Shuttle she was riding was faster than his own.
This was not just because he was carrying Shen Tu with him, but rather because her Star Shuttle was of a higher grade.
This increased Yang Kai’s determination to purchase a higher grade Star Shuttle after they reached Water Moon Star, because he felt he would be spending a lot of time flying through the Starry Sky in the future and a good Star Shuttle would save him a lot of time.
Shen Tu knew the region around Water Moon Star very well so, under his guidance, the group of three people managed to avoid many dangers and quickly arrive at their destination.
One day, a giant five-coloured star appeared in front of the group of three, one that exuded a strong vitality and overflowed with rich World Energy.
Standing atop his Star Shuttle, Yang Kai’s eyes lit up as he understood that this was the Water Moon Star Shen Tu spoke of, the primary star of Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce.
The entire star was covered in a layer of clouds and from the Star Field above one could vaguely make out various mainlands and oceans, it was even possible to see some dense groupings of buildings in various locations. Among those clusters of buildings, countless black specs few about
Naturally, these black specs were cultivators!
Yang Kai’s spirits were roused as realized he had finally reached the true Star Field.
After leaving Tong Xuan Realm, he had been wandering aimlessly, exploring vast swaths of the Starry Sky, but he hadn’t seen much worthy of note until now, nor had he come across any Cultivation Stars where other people gathered.
Water Moon Star was his first stop!
He couldn’t help feeling a little excited.
“Fly over there!” Shen Tu pointed towards a certain spot, “My palace is in that direction.”
“En,” Yang Kai followed his directions and continued flying forward.
After a short time, the group of three broke through the thick clouds and descended towards Water Moon Star.
A force of attraction came from the star that pulled the Star Shuttle towards it, but this force wasn’t too strong and Yang Kai could easily resist it.
Upon penetrating the cloud layer, the world suddenly brightened and everything on Water Moon Star became visible.
Yang Kai behaved like a country bumpkin who had just entered the city for the first time, looking every which way, appreciating the new sights and sounds.
Seeing him act like this, Bi Ya and Shen Tu exchanged a glance and couldn’t help laughing.
Both of them understood that Yang Kai had come from a lower world and had probably never experienced such a magnificent sight before.
Amidst the sky, many blue streaks of light flew back and forth; naturally, these were cultivators hurrying along with the help of their Star Shuttles.
Unlike in Tong Xuan Realm, where only Yang Kai possessed such an artifact, Star Shuttles zipping around were a common sight on Water Moon Star.
Shen Tu continued guiding them casually while allowing Yang Kai to take in the view.
Along the way, the trio passed through many majestic cities in which a myriad of races peacefully coexisted.
Yang Kai saw cultivators from the Human Race, Demon Race, Monster Race, and even the Horn Race from Great Demon God’s memories, and that was just the start. There were many other races present he couldn’t name…
All of these cultivators lived together in one place without any kind of apparent racial discrimination.
“How can a single force manage and govern multiple Cultivation Stars?” Yang Kai was puzzled. When he initially became the Holy Lord of Nine Heavens Holy Land, he had been busy all day long and managing its situation had consumed a massive amount of his time and energy, he couldn’t even imagine how difficult it would be for him if all of Tong Xuan Realm had been placed under his command.
Yang Kai couldn’t imagine how a force’s leader could manage even one Cultivation Star, much less several of them. Their schedule would probably not have a single free moment of time. When would they even find time to cultivate?
“Layers upon layers of management,” Shen Tu explained with a smile, “There are high-level managers, then mid-level managers, then low-level managers, each one responsible for the level below them. The ones at the top don’t need to deal with everything.”
Hearing this explanation, Yang Kai realized he had just asked a stupid question and immediately kept quiet.
Yang Kai had never been in or reached such a position before, nor had he ever sought out such a position, so he felt such things were somewhat asinine, but people seek higher heights just like water flows down to the sea. Ultimately, this was just a different method of reaching the top .
Beasts had pack leaders while empires had monarchs. Standing atop a mountain, one would be able to enjoy the unique scenery and have the ability to command the subjects beneath them, but this wasn’t something Yang Kai concerned himself with.
After an hour or so, a group of buildings that covered a vast area appeared in front of the trio and Shen Tu instructed Yang Kai to land.
The designs of these buildings were strange, something Yang Kai had never seen before, many of them were like giant spires that stood thousands of meters high and were clustered all together.
“We’re here. Everywhere within a three thousand kilometre radius is my personal territory,” Shen Tu leapt off the Star Shuttle and spread out his arms, breathing in the air in an exaggerated manner, a cheerful look upon his face.
Yang Kai and Bi Ya also retrieved their Star Shuttles and landed behind him.
Yang Kai released his Divine Sense to examine his surroundings and was amazed to discover that there were several hundred cultivators in the area. These cultivators had varying cultivations, some of them not very high at all, only at the Transcendent Realm, Immortal Ascension Boundary, or even True Element Boundary. There were also a number of powerful auras comparable to that of Yue Xi and Lu Gui Chen.
Saint King Realm masters!
Yang Kai understood that there were a lot of masters in the Star Field, but even these masters had to grow step by step from the Initial Element Stage, to Qi Transformation Stage, Separation and Reunion Boundary, True Element Boundary, Immortal Ascension Boundary, etc….
Cultivation was a continuous process of breaking through one’s limits in order to obtain more and more tyrannical strength.
However, in order to escape the bounds of the Cultivation Star they were born in and travel to the Starry Sky, they had to at least reach the Saint Realm, so none of those Yang Kai saw out amongst the stars was weak.
Beneath the Saint Realm, even with the protection of a Star Shuttle, most didn’t dare risk traversing the Starry Sky.
Even brief contact with the power of the Starry Sky would be enough to kill them! Such cultivators had to shelter themselves inside great Starships to ensure their safety.
It seemed that because of the arrival of the group of three, the cultivators in this place had become alert and a middle-aged man in a black suit quickly appeared from inside. After seeing Shen Tu though, this man couldn’t help wearing a happy expression and shouting, “Young Master Shen Tu, you’ve come back?”
“En, I’ve returned,” Shen Tu nodded at him and grinned, “Has anything happened here since I left?”
The middle-aged man shook his head and said, “Nothing of importance, but President Ai Ou has been looking for you since six months ago. Because Young Master suddenly disappeared, President flew into a rage for quite some time.”
Hearing this, Shen Tu paled, shrinking his neck, “Did father come looking for me? What did he say?”
The middle-aged man shook his head, “President didn’t say anything, he only ordered that you see him as soon as you returned!”
Shen Tu’s expression became bitter as he muttered, “I’m finished. Death might be avoidable, but Father will definitely peel a layer of skin at least.”
As the two of them spoke, Yang Kai silently observed and quickly determined that this middle-aged man and the few masters hidden around this compound were subordinates of Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce sent to protect Shen Tu.
The middle-aged man was also observing Yang Kai and Bi Ya. He didn’t show much reaction to Yang Kai, but upon seeing Bi Ya, he wore an obviously disgruntled expression.
He seemed to be able to see at a glance that Bi Ya was a promiscuous woman and probably thought that she had seduced Shen Tu into accepting her.
“Young Master, these two are…” The middle-aged man continued to stare at Yang Kai and Bi Ya.
“Right, this guy is Yang Kai!” Shen Tu wrapped his arm around Yang Kai’s shoulder in a friendly manner and said, “He is a life or death brother I met while outside. En, Uncle Jia Long should regard him as my life’s benefactor.”
“Young Master’s benefactor?” The middle-aged man named Jia Long wore a stunned expression but didn’t ask anything, quickly cupping his fists to Yang Kai and saying, “Many thanks to little brother for your care of my Young Master. Young Master has been stubborn and disobedient since he was young and has probably caused little brother much trouble, I hope little brother can be broad-minded!”
“Senior is too polite, Shen Tu and I both helped one another,” Yang Kai smiled humbly.
Jia Long gently nodded, showing a satisfied look upon his face.
“This woman…” Shen Tu pointed to Bi Ya, “En, she was originally a Purple Star cultivator, but now wishes to join our Chamber of Commerce. Please arrange things for her Uncle Long.”
“Purple Star?” Jia Long frowned, “Her strength is a bit low…”
“As long as I can enter secluded retreat, I will be able to break through to the Saint King Realm within half a month!” Bi Ya hurriedly declared, clearly anxious to obtain a place to take shelter.
“Half a month to break through to the Saint King Realm?” Jia Long’s thick brow rose slightly, “If you become a Saint King, our Chamber of Commerce will gladly welcome you, en, you can enter secluded retreat here for the time being.”
Saying so, he gently clapped his hands and a guard immediately flew out from the palace and landed beside him.
“Lead this young lady to a cultivation room and provide her with some Saint Crystals and pill,” Jia Long said.
“Yes.”
“Thank you Young Master Shen Tu, thank you Senior Jia Long,” Bi Ya’s pretty face showed a happy look as she bowed elegantly to Shen Tu before turning to Yang Kai, “I hope we meet again.”
Yang Kai nodded lightly.
After Bi Ya was led away, Shen Tu enthusiastically ushered Yang Kai into the palace.
The middle-aged cultivator called Jia Long followed suit.
The guards and maidservants they met along the way all bowed and saluted respectfully.
“Brother, I’m going to go bathe and change, you should do so as well. If there is anything you’d like to talk about, we can do so a bit later,” Inside the palace, Shen Tu said casually, “Don’t think of yourself as an outsider here.”
“Good,” Yang Kai accepted politely.
Shen Tu smiled before reaching out and wrapping his arms around two young girls before walking towards the inside of the building while smirking.
“Young Master Yang, this way please!” Another maidservant with beautiful looks and a graceful figure walked up to Yang Kai and beckoned for him to follow her.
Behind her, Yang Kai walked through the palace.
Although Shen Tu had said he was an illegitimate son of President Ai Ou whose existence wasn’t disclosed to the public, from the extent of the territory he was given to the staff he was provided with, it was obvious that Shen Tu did not have a low position in President Ai Ou’s heart.
If that were not so, there wouldn’t be several Saint King Realm cultivators acting as bodyguards in this place, nor would Shen Tu have been granted dominion over a three thousand kilometre radius piece of land.
Yang Kai wasn’t interested in inquiring about other peoples’ affairs though and simply followed behind the maidservant, soon arriving at a large room.
Inside this room was a grand bed covered with light pink translucent curtains, giving it a warm aura.
The room was filled with flowers and a short distance away there was a massive bath made from the purest white jade. This bath was filled with hot water that gave off a light steamy mist.
Colourful flower petals floated atop the bath and beside it were a number of beautiful women wearing revealing negligee. When these women saw Yang Kai walk in, they all smiled and bowed politely.
The light mist surrounding them added an element of mystery to their beauty.
The white steam lightly wet the thin clothes they wore and caused them to cling to their seductive curves, emphasising their amazing body lines.
Yang Kai was stunned, not having expected to suddenly encounter such a scene, his pulse increasing slightly as his breathing became a bit heavy as he stared towards these young women.
Their ages didn’t seem too high and each of them had perfect, snow-white skin that was full of rosy, seductive lustre. They had outstanding appearances and a variety of temperaments as well as charming smiles and enchanting bodies that could fascinate any man.
To Yang Kai’s obvious gaze, some of them responded boldly with hot eyes while others showed bashful appearances, covering their most sensitive places with their hands in an alluring manner…
[That Shen Tu actually lives such an indulgent lifestyle…]
Yang Kai couldn’t help commenting to himself.
“Does Young Master need your servant to help you remove your clothes?” The maidservant who had led him here, seeing Yang Kai freeze up, showed an intoxicating smile and couldn’t help calling out softly.
Yang Kai took back his gaze and shook his head before asking, “Was all this arranged by your Young Master?”
“It was this servant who made these arrangements…” The maidservant replied, “But it was in lines with Young Master Shen’s intentions, he made a point of mentioning that Young Master is an honoured guest so this servant made sure to provide the highest level of reception possible. En, Young Master is only the second person to enjoy this level of service.”
“Oh? Have you received someone like this once before?”
“Yes,” The maidservant nodded, “But Young Master may rest assured that these sisters all still possess their innocence and have not been tarnished in any way, they are also very happy to serve Young Master Shen Tu’s guests.”
“Why would they be very happy?” Yang Kai asked curiously.
“Because Young Master Shen Tu has a graciousness to them, each of them volunteered to become a maidservant here, no one has forced them to do anything. Before arranging for them to come here, this servant has consulted with and received each of their agreement.”
Yang Kai once again looked towards the young women in front of him and discovered that they truly didn’t show any signs of unwillingness, understanding that the maidservant who led him here was telling the truth.
“Is Young Master dissatisfied with them? If so, your servant can replace them, I will certainly be able to find one to your liking.”
“No need,” Yang Kai shook his head.
“Then…”
Yang Kai thought about it for a moment then grinned, “Good, since Shen Tu is willing to show such kind intentions, to refuse would be impolite.”
Saying so, he calmly removed his robes and leapt into the bath.
The women standing next to the bath all smiled happily and slipped into the water after him, gracefully swimming over to Yang Kai and taking the initiative to press their tender bodies onto his, fully revealing their beautiful figures as they attentively served and bathed him.
The young girls inside the bath were all innocent maidens, so although each of them had received training in this area before, seeing how it was their first time going into battle, it was inevitable that their actions were a bit clumsy, but it was just right for Yang Kai. Relaxing inside the bath, he leaned up against its edge and closed his eyes, allowing the girls to wash every part of his body.
The maidservant who had led Yang Kai here walked over with a basket of flower petals and using her jade hand lightly sprinkled them into the bath while lightly explaining, “These Soul Soothing Flowers can help nourish one’s Spiritual Energy as well as strengthen one’s physique while they bathe… En, it can also help enhance a man’s ability in that regard!”
Saying so, her face went bright red with embarrassment.
Suddenly, Yang Kai gently pulled her into the bath, causing her to let out a yelp of surprise, the warm water soaking her clothes. When she straightened herself up and gently brushed the water from her face, she shot an embarrassed look towards Yang Kai.
Her wet clothes now stuck to her body, emphasising her pair of rich jade peaks which were grander than any of the other girls present, her body exuding a mature and graceful charm her younger cohorts lacked.
“Do you no longer possess your innocence?” Yang Kai smiled towards her.
The maidservant’s face went redder and she shyly nodded, “This servant has already been deflowered, so she is no longer qualified to serve Young Master in this regard.”
“Whether or not you have such qualifications is for me to decide.”
Her beautiful eyes brightened as she elegantly removed her wet clothes then plunged into the water and disappeared.
Soon, Yang Kai revealed a blissful look.
……
Inside a grand hall, instruments played while rows of beautiful young women sang and danced.
Behind a long table filled with precious foods and fine wines, Shen Tu and Yang Kai sit side by side while drinking and enjoying themselves.
A progression of maidservants brought new delicacies to the table frequently.
Yang Kai didn’t recognize most of these dishes, but he could easily tell that each of them was exuding potent energy fluctuations. These foods weren’t just capable of satisfying one’s appetite, but would also serve as nourishment for one’s cultivation.
Yang Kai did not stand on ceremony and ate and drank in a relaxed manner.
The middle-aged cultivator named Jia Long stood not far away, and observing the manner in which Shen Tu received Yang Kai, serving him the finest of food and wine, he realized that this Second-Order Saint Realm youth had an incredibly high status in his Young Master’s heart.
He couldn’t help but wonder what kind of skill this young man possessed to warrant Shen Tu treating him so seriously.
The maidservant who had served Yang Kai before came up and leaned over to Shen Tu, whispering a few words into his ear before shooting a glance over at Yang Kai, her cheeks dyed bright red, and then withdrawing.
Shen Tu couldn’t help grinning, a meaningful look appearing on his face, but he didn’t bring this matter up, instead turning to Yang Kai and asking, “Brother Yang, do you have any ideas about what you’re going to do next?”
“Not yet,” Yang Kai shook his head.
Shen Tu knew that he had just arrived in the Star Field and perhaps didn’t have any particular destination or plans in mind as of yet.
As such, he was seriously thinking about trying to recruit Yang Kai.
Water Moon Star was Yang Kai’s first stop in the Star Field, and Shen Tu had a good relationship with him, so he believed that if Yang Kai stayed with him for a time, he would be able to persuade him to join Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce.
After the series of events they had experienced together, Shen Tu had become fully aware of Yang Kai’s ability and potential and knew that if given enough time he would become a truly terrifying master.
“Well, in that case, there’s no need to be anxious. You can live here for now with your good brother and when you think of something you want to do you can let me know,” Shen Tu didn’t openly invite him to stay and instead left the decision up to Yang Kai; after all, he couldn’t treat him like a subordinate.
“Good, when the time comes I’ll let you know,” Yang Kai smiled as he continued to watch the group of dancing girls perform, admiring their graceful postures.
After a couple of hours, when they were both fully satiated, Shen Tu stumbled back to his room thoroughly drunk to rest while Yang Kai was also taken to a room under the guidance of a maid.
This room was quite large and was located nearly a thousand meters off the ground. Standing inside the room and staring out the large transparent windows, Yang Kai could see the lights of the city down below as well as all the various cultivators going about their business. Watching all this, he suddenly felt a sense of loneliness.
When he arrived in Tong Xuan Realm from the Great Han Dynasty many years ago, he hadn’t experienced such feelings.
Because the Great Han Dynasty and Tong Xuan Realm were relatively close to one another.
Now though, he had travelled far out into the Star Field, so far he didn’t even know where Tong Xuan Realm was relative to him.
The feeling that he was all alone out here sudden weighed down on him.
His heart was also filled with various thoughts and concerns.
Suddenly, thinking of something, his eyes lit up and he hurried over to the bed and sat down cross-legged.
Immersing his consciousness into his Knowledge Sea, his Soul Avatar appeared above the flaming ocean.
From there, Yang Kai looked up at the giant Star Chart hanging over his Knowledge Sea and guided his Divine Sense through it in an attempt to locate Tong Xuan Realm.
This Star Chart was extraordinarily detailed and seemed to have depicted the entire Star Field as well as every single motion of each and every large and small star following some inexplicable law.
The changes that occurred here were really happening in the Star Field!
The real-time situation of the Star Field was shown here.
Considering how detailed it was, Yang Kai figured he would be able to find Tong Xuan Realm as well.
His Divine Sense leapt from one star to the next as Yang Kai back-traced the approximate route he had taken from Tong Xuan Realm.
After an hour though, he couldn’t help revealing a weary look as the Spiritual Energy in his Knowledge Sea had been exhausted!
Arriving at this state, Yang Kai had no choice but to stop and restore himself.
After recovering, he started again from where he had left off but even after repeating this process several times, Yang Kai was unable to locate Tong Xuan Realm. However, his understanding of the arrangement of the stars in the Star Field had increased greatly and he had learned about the existence of several dangerous regions he should avoid in the future.
Yang Kai also found that he had still underestimated the profoundness of this Star Chart. Even after so many repeated explorations, he was unable to even determine the full scope of this Star Chart, it was as if it was endless. Spending an entire night studying it had only resulted in him exploring a tiny fraction of the Star Field.
Yang Kai realized that his strength wasn’t high enough.
If his cultivation realm was higher, this investigation would become faster and easier.
Opening his eyes, Yang Kai was greeted by a bright sunrise, he had temporarily given up the idea of exploring the Star Chart and searching for Tong Xuan Realm until his strength grew to a certain extent.
A knock came from the door at that moment and Yang Kai casually said to enter.
When the door was pushed open, a familiar maidservant stood at the entrance, bowed gracefully and smiled towards him, “Young Master Yang, Young Master Shen Tu asked me to inform you that he was summoned by the President and may not be able to return for short time. He also said that you may relax here to your heart’s content while waiting for him.”
“En, I understand,” Yang Kai nodded lightly.
The maidservant didn’t rush to leave, her red lips pursing slightly as she directed a bashful yet somewhat expectant look towards Yang Kai, “Does Young Master Yang have any other demands?”
Her meaning was obvious.
“If I have any demands, I’ll inform you,” Yang Kai smiled back at her.
The maidservant’s face blushed pink as she gently nodded and closed the door.
After she left, Yang Kai sat on the bed and furrowed his brow.
With Shen Tu not here, he was at somewhat of a loss as to what to do, and the feeling of idleness was somehow unpleasant to him.
Tossing a pill into his mouth, he began to meditate while restoring himself.
A moment later, he suddenly remembered something he wanted to do, replace his Star Shuttle!
The Star Shuttle he was currently using was something he had discovered a long time ago in the Starry Sky along with Li Rong. Back on Tong Xuan Realm, his Star Shuttle gave him an absolute advantage over everyone else in terms of speed, but out here in the Star Field, his Star Shuttle was nothing but a broken, outdated model. Even the one Bi Ya was using was far better than his.
In addition, he had to purchase some precious ores!
Gui Zu had reminded him specifically to raise the two pitch-black round stones in his Demon Mystic Tome well, and that they would eventually give him a pleasant surprise!
And to raise the two pitch-black round stones, what was needed was high-grade ores!
Yang Kai slightly regretted that he had forgotten to ask Gui Zu what exactly these pitch-black round stone were before he had left.
In the end, his relationship with Gui Zu had eased significantly, so if he had asked at the time, it was likely he could have gotten an answer, but at that time Yang Kai had been too shocked by the Star Emperor Token to remember this point.
Considering all this, Yang Kai stood up and strode out.
Arriving at the bottom of the grand tower, Yang Kai was about to leave Shen Tu’s palace when the middle-aged cultivator called Jia Long suddenly appeared, smiled and asked, “Does little brother want to go out?”
“En, I want to buy something,” Yang Kai nodded.
“Buy something?” Jia Long suddenly grinned, “What does the little brother want to buy? If it is convenient, can you inform me?”
“I want to purchase a better Star Shuttle and some ores.”
“A Star Shuttle and some ores?” Jia Long didn’t ask what Yang Kai wanted with ores and instead said, “Little brother is new here and probably not too familiar with the various stores nearby, if you can wait a moment, I’ll arrange for someone to accompany you.”
Yang Kai smiled happily hearing this, “Then I’ll have to trouble you for that.”
His proposal really solved one of Yang Kai’s worries.
“Little brother is too polite. Young Master Shen Tu said before he departed to meet any request Young Master Yang made, I will certainly not neglect an honoured guest such as yourself,” Saying so, he took out a communication type artifact and poured his Divine Sense into it.
After a moment, he took back the compass and smiled towards Yang Kai, “Please wait a moment, someone will soon come over.”
Yang Kai nodded and waited.
A short time later, a man flew over from afar and landed in front of Yang Kai and Jia Long, raising his eyebrows and asking, “Need something?”
This man had bulging muscles, a wild temperament, and a beast like aura about him. He also had thick facial hair that made him look like a mad lion.
[Monster Race!] Yang Kai was immediately able to infer this man’s race from his appearance and the energy fluctuations he gave off.
Because he was part of the Monster Race, he exuded a thick Monster Qi from his body.
In these kinds of situations, it would be rude not to accept.
I believe, in this case, Yang Kai settled on the one that has been deflowered to not be burdened by his actions.
Also, 9 Chapters this week. We were so close to 10.
Well, we didn’t manage to cross the goal by midnight but since we hit the goal before the first post, I’ll give it an exception.
This week will be 9 chapters and next week will be + 1 of the goal reached.
Outside Shen Tu’s residence, Jia Long pointed to Yang Kai and said, “Young Master Yang wants to purchase something, escort him to wherever he wants to go and protect his safety.”
“Young Master Shen Tu’s guest?” The Monster Race master turned to look at Yang Kai before gently nodding, “No problem.”
Obviously, he had also heard about Yang Kai’s existence.
After all, Shen Tu rarely brought people to his palace, but each one he did was always a valued guest.
“Please come with me,” The Monster Race man greeted Yang Kai.
“Thanks in advance,” Yang Kai smiled slightly.
The two of them flew off together, with Yang Kai following behind the Monster Race master who seemed a bit uncommunicative.
Yang Kai had to take the initiative to ask, “Friend, how may I address you?”
This Monster Race master was definitely a Saint King, because Yang Kai felt a certain amount of pressure when facing him. Only Saint King Realm masters could cause Yang Kai to feel this way now.
However, since he as Shen Tu’s subordinate, Yang Kai calling him friend was by no means disrespectful.
“Young Master Yang is too polite, you may call me Xue Tong.”
“Xue Tong?” Yang Kai raised his brow, “Which Monster Beast do you descend from?”
“Blood Eyed Bristled Mane Lion!” Xue Tong explained casually.
Yang Kai noticed that Xue Tong’s eyes indeed had a slightly reddish hue to them, but this was obviously just his normal state. Once Xue Tong began to fight, Yang Kai was fairly certain his eyes would become blood red and his ferocious nature would take over, causing his power to soar.
“You’re obviously from the human race, so why do I feel the existence of Monster Yuan Qi from you…” Xue Tong frowned at Yang Kai, “And the bloodline aura is incredibly pure, far nobler than my own, almost as if it belongs to a great Monster Emperor! Did you have some kind of fortuitous encounter related to my Monster Race before?”
“En, something like that,” Yang Kai smiled slightly.
The Golden Dragon and Ice Phoenix Tattoos on his body truly contained traces of Monster Qi, so it was only normal for Xue Tong to have noticed them. On top of that, the Golden Dragon and Ice Phoenix were both apex existences amongst Monster Beasts, even if one took the entire Star Field into consideration.
Xue Tong still didn’t say much but possibly because he sensed this Monster Yuan Qi from Yang Kai his demeanour became friendlier.
A short time later, the two men arrived inside a city grand city where blue-green streaks of light shuttled overhead. Obviously, these were cultivators hurrying along on their Star Shuttles.
Xue Tong walked forward with Yang Kai while asking, “What do you want to buy?”
“A good Star Shuttle and some rare ores!” Yang Kai replied.
“A simple request,” Xue Tong thought about it for a moment before proposing, “In that case, do you want to buy it here or from somewhere else?”
“What’s the difference?” Yang Kai asked.
“This city is a rather small one on Water Moon Star so the quality of things isn’t too high. If you want a good Star Shuttle, I suggest you get at least a Saint King Grade High-Rank one. You should just barely be able to fully utilize such a Star Shuttle and you won’t need to replace it for quite some time.”
“Then I’ll go with a Saint King Grade High-Rank Star Shuttle!” Yang Kai nodded.
“Then we’ll have to travel to a different city, one about thirty thousand kilometres from here where they have better things for sale.”
“That’s a bit far,” Yang Kai frowned. Even by Star Shuttle, flying thirty thousand kilometres would take some time.
In response though, Xue Tong smiled mysteriously, “It’s not that far, we’ll be able to arrive there immediately.”
Yang Kai was puzzled but did not ask much, just following behind Xue Tong as they made their way through the city.
A short time later, the two came to a certain building, but before entering it, Yang Kai noticed a strange energy fluctuation coming from inside. Carefully investigating this, he immediately understood what the fluctuation was.
It was actually Void Energy!
He couldn’t understand why there would be Void Energy here.
Outside the building were a large number of Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce guards, and when Xue Tong arrived, they all saluted, seemingly recognizing him as one of Shen Tu’s protectors.
Xue Tong walked straight inside.
After passing through several gates, the Void Energy fluctuations became more and more apparent.
Arriving at the innermost room, Yang Kai’s eyes couldn’t help shrinking as he called out in surprise, “A Space Array?”
In front of him, there was a large array that was quite similar to the one that Gui Zu had created back on the floating continent. The only difference was that this one was much more meticulously crafted. The Space Array Gui Zu had arranged much rougher and was lacking in detail in several locations.
The Space Array in front of Yang Kai now though was of much higher quality, without any shortcomings. In the middle of the big array, there was a mirror-like object covered with a thick layer of Space Spirit Crystal.
At the base of this mirror, there were a number of grooves which were obviously designed to accept Saint Crystals.
“Can this thing be used?” Yang Kai stared stunned at Xue Tong.
“Naturally, we can use this Space Array to reach a bigger city!”
“Wasn’t the ability to arrange such arrays lost to history?” Yang Kai revealed a strange look.
“Indeed, these Space Arrays are relics from ancient times and are actually present on many Cultivation Stars. No one knows when these Space Arrays were laid out and everyone can only use them. There are some great masters who are able to understand some small portion of their mysteries, but that’s not something us common folk can do.”
Listening to his explanation, Yang Kai suddenly understood that this Space Array should be a remnant from a long-passed era.
“With such a thing, is it possible to easily travel between Cultivation Stars?” Yang Kai asked excitedly. He understood just how far it was between Cultivation Stars, a single round trip would cost a cultivator a great deal of time, but with a Space Array it would be different, the journey would then only take a moment.
Xue Tong smiled awkwardly and shook his head, “That’s impossible, all Space Arrays can transmit people at most a hundred thousand kilometres. The Space Arrays on each Cultivation Star can only connect to others on the same Cultivation Star.”
Saying so, he took out a few pieces of high-quality Saint Crystal from his Space Ring and placed them carefully into the grooves at the base of the mirror before beckoning to Yang Kai, “This way, please.”
Yang Kai walked over and stood side by side with him.
Xue Tong then activated the Space Array and the mirror in front of the two rippled like the surface of a lake that one had thrown a pebble into. At the same time, the energy inside the Saint Crystals inserted at the base was quickly drained.
After a while, the mirror seemed to shatter and revealed a black portal.
“Go!” Xue Tong shouted before stepping forward first.
Yang Kai didn’t hesitate and followed right behind him.
Unlike when he tore space himself, Yang Kai didn’t feel anything in particular after using this Space Array, he simply stepped passed where the mirror was and then arrived at a different place.
Looking back, there was another Space Array behind him, but it was definitely not the same one as before.
Yang Kai immediately understood what had happened. When activated, two Space Arrays in two different locations were able to form a kind of temporary Void Corridor, allowing people to travel a few tens of thousands of kilometres in an instant.
And these Space Arrays were all the property of Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce.
Xue Tong grinned, “These Space Arrays are convenient, but no cultivator will use them too often.”
“Why is that?”
“The power of space is too mysterious, using Space Arrays to travel back and forth too frequently may cause some unnecessary harm. As long as one isn’t proficient in the Dao of Space, in general, they will only use these arrays once every few months, most of them they will use their Star Shuttle instead.”
“En, I understand,” Yang Kai smiled, “So we’ll be flying back after we’re done here, right?”
“Exactly,” Xue Tong nodded, “Let’s go, I’ll take you to a good place where a certain Grandmaster refines Star Shuttles, he’s the best in his craft in the entire Water Moon Star. You should be able to find a Star Shuttle that suits you in his shop.”
Hearing this, Yang Kai suddenly became a bit excited.
This city was indeed much more prosperous than the previous one. A variety of shops lined the streets and countless cultivators seemed to flow in an endless river between them. These people belonged to various different forces. Yang Kai saw some Sword Union and Purple Star cultivators here as well as many other from forces he didn’t recognize.
Because this was the home star of the Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce, it was also the busiest transaction hub in the entire Star Field.
All the major forces scattered throughout the Star Field would establish branches here so if they needed any kind of resources or supplies, they could purchase them from Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce and in some cases even have them delivered by them too.
Many Starships would set sail from the massive cities on Water Moon Star every day, their huge figures flying off into the Starry Sky and gradually disappearing.
Yang Kai was thoroughly astonished by the prosperity of this place and couldn’t help feeling a subtle sense of excitement.
With Xue Tong in the lead, the pair soon arrived at a shop with several floors. As soon as they entered, someone came up and greeted them, cupping their fists and smiling, “Sir Xue Tong, it has been too long. Does Young Master Shen Tu require something?”
Xue Tong shook his head, “It is Young Master’s guest who wishes to purchase a Star Shuttle, take us to the third floor.”
The shop assistant glanced over at Yang Kai and immediately nodded, “Please come this way!”
Yang Kai took a quick look around as he followed behind the shop assistant and discovered that this shop exclusively sold Star Shuttles. Each Star Shuttle was put up on display and many cultivators would crowd around, bargaining back and forth with the shop’s staff.
From time to time, someone would walk out with a satisfied look.
“This shop belongs to our Chamber of Commerce. The Saint King Grade High-Rank Star Shuttles you want are sold on the third floor, the grades on the first and second floors are below that standard,” Xue Tong explained to Yang Kai.
Yang Kai gently nodded, he had also noticed that the Star Shuttles on this floor were only of Spirit Grade and the cultivators who were purchasing them weren’t very strong, most of them just Transcendents while a few of them were Saints.
Spirit Grade Star Shuttles, whether in terms of speed or performance, were the lowest of quality. Such Star Shuttles couldn’t even travel out into the Star Field.
They were simply unable to withstand the ambient destructive energy of the Star Field.
Seeing the shop assistant eagerly leading Yang Kai and Xue Tong towards the stairs, the other customers inside the shop cast them curious glances, wondering which great person had suddenly arrived.
The second floor was filled with Saint Grade Star Shuttles. The energy fluctuations coming from these Star Shuttles were obviously stronger than those on the first floor as well as the one Yang Kai owned.
Many cultivators were present on this level, keeping all the shop assistants very busy.
The group of three didn’t stop on the second floor.
Arriving on the third floor, the shop hand stopped and smiled, “Please have a look around. If you see anything you like, just inform me.”
Yang Kai nodded and began walking around the various displays on the third floor.
The Star Shuttles here varied greatly in length, size, and even shape. It seemed that they were each designed to meet different requirements of various customers. The Artifact Refiners here especially made each Star Shuttle unique, but that didn’t affect their performance in the slightest.
The strength of the cultivators that came to buy Star Shuttles on the third floor was obviously quite different as well. The cultivators that were wandering around in front of the displays were Saints or Saint Kings, each of them possessing certain status and strength.
However, no matter how strong they were, each of them behaved respectfully.
No one dared to make trouble inside one of Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce’s stores, especially not on the Chamber of Commerce’s home star. The stores of this star were the foundation of the Chamber of Commerce, so they would definitely not allow anyone to affect it negatively.
Yang Kai walked around slowly, browsing the Saint King Grade High-Rank Star Shuttles. Whenever he found one he was interested in, he would ask the shop assistant to take it down so he could inspect it closer.
Xue Tong followed behind him and noticed that even after quite some time Yang Kai wasn’t able to find one he wanted, so he couldn’t help but say, “If you are willing to wait, you can let the Artifact Refiners here custom make one for you.”
“How long would that take?” Yang Kai turned back and asked.
“Even if you have a good relationship with Young Master Shen Tu, it would take at least a month or two.”
Yang Kai knit his brow and shook his head, “Forget it, there’s no need to go through that much trouble. In any case, when my strength grows to a certain extent, it will need to be replaced. I might as well just purchase one that’s ready-made!”
Saying so, his gaze suddenly landed on a sleek, sea-serpent like Star Shuttle, and he said to the clerk, “Let me see that one.”
The shop assistant nodded and quickly retrieved it.
Holding the Star Shuttle in his hands, Yang Kai tried circulating his strength through it and his eyes soon shined.
When he circulated his Saint Qi through this Star Shuttle, it flowed incredibly smoothly, far more so than with any of the previous models he had tried.
Because individual Artifact Refiners would use different materials and different Spirit Arrays, there were inevitably slight differences between each Star Shuttle. As such, whether a Star Shuttle could perfectly accept the strength of a certain cultivator would become an indicator of its suitability for that individual.
The Star Shuttle Yang Kai was currently holding was undoubtedly quite suitable for his Saint Qi.
Not planning on continuing to search for something better, Yang Kai nodded and said, “This one is good, how much does it cost?”
When the shop assistant heard this, he first shot a glance towards Xue Tong.
Seeing this, Xue Tong simply said, “Just state the normal price.”
“Yes,” The clerk nodded and said, “Saint King Grade High-Rank Star Shuttles generally cost ten thousand High-Rank Saint Crystals, with the price varying slightly from model to model. The Star Shuttle honoured guest is currently holding is the highest quality one on the third floor so it is valued at twelve thousand High-Rank Saint Crystals!”
“Twelve thousand…” Yang Kai frowned, suddenly discovering that he was somewhat ignorant of the value of Saint Crystals here. He didn’t know whether twelve thousand High-Rank Saint Crystals was a lot of wealth or not.
As such, he glanced over at Xue Tong for help.
Xue Tong smiled and said to the clerk, “Charge it to Young Master Shen Tu’s account. We will settle it another day.”
“Yes!”
“No need, I have enough Saint Crystals on hand,” Yang Kai said, “I’ll pay for it myself.”
Yang Kai indeed had a lot of Saint Crystals with him, all of them being ‘acquired’ from the cultivators of Purple Star and Sword Union who had been stranded on the floating continent. There was more than enough to pay for this Star Shuttle.
Since he could afford it, he didn’t want to accept a favour from Shen Tu.
The shop assistant couldn’t help looking to Xue Tong for guidance. In response, Xue Tong’s eyes flickered slightly but he didn’t say anything and just nodded.
The shop assistant relaxed and smiled, “Please come with me.”
Follow him down to the first floor, Yang Kai spent some time to pull out enough Saint Crystals from his Demon Mystic Tome and settle accounts with the shop assistant who then respectfully delivered him and Xue Tong to the door.
Outside the store, Xue Tong led Yang Kai to several other stores to purchase some rare ores.
On Water Moon Star, you could literally purchase anything you wanted, assuming you have enough Saint Crystals, one could even purchase a Starship.
The Starships refined by Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce were the fastest and highest quality in the entire Star Field, so many forces would place orders for them from Water Moon Star.
Yang Kai, of course, didn’t have any ideas about such things as he knew he currently didn’t have anywhere near enough wealth to purchase a Starship.
He didn’t know the value of Saint Crystals here and had no concept of what was cheap and what was expensive, so he could only follow behind Xue Tong to purchase ores in bulk. The ores Yang Kai chose were all Saint King Grade and he continued buying them until he only had a few hundred pieces of Saint Crystal left in reserve.
Inside the Demon Mystic Tome, there were now a ton of rare ores, which Yang Kai placed next to the two pitch-black round stones, allowing them to absorb their mineral essences.
Seemingly because Yang Kai did not let Shen Tu pay for his purchases, Xue Tong found him more and more pleasing to the eye. Clearly, he felt that this young man was very principled and did not make friends with his Young Master to take advantage of his status.
After finishing with the shopping spree, Xue Tong invited Yang Kai to have a meal at the most luxurious restaurant in the city.
The next day, the two men departed.
Xue Tong’s speed was extremely fast and his Star Shuttle’s grade was not low.
After about two hours, the pair returned to Shen Tu’s palace, and Xue Tong took his leave.
Yang Kai walked into the palace alone and was quickly met by Jia Long who smiled and asked, “Did little brother manage to purchase everything he wanted to?”
“En, Water Moon Star’s cities are rich in commodities, I was very satisfied.”
Jia Long laughed, “If one can’t buy something on Water Moon Star, then there’s nowhere in the entire Star Field they will be able to.
He said these words with a fair amount of pride.
“Is Shen Tu back yet?” Yang Kai asked.
“No,” Jia Long shook his head, “Little brother doesn’t need to worry. Although the President is a bit strict, he is still quite good to Young Master Shen Tu. Summoning him this time was probably just to reprimand him slightly. Before Young Master left, he asked me to urge little brother to relax here. If little brother has any requests, please don’t hesitate to ask.”
“I understand. I have to enter retreat for a while, so don’t let people bother me. I’ll inform you when I come out.”
“Good!” Jia Long gently nodded.
Yang Kai returned to his residence and closed the door before taking out the Star Shuttle he had purchased for twelve thousand High-Rank Saint Crystals and holding it in the palm of his hand. He then because using his Saint Qi and Spiritual Energy to refine it.
Any artifact had to be refined by a cultivator using their own energy before it could be used.
Back on Tong Xuan Realm, it had taken Yang Kai a few months to refine his current Star Shuttle, but at that time his strength was quite low while the Star Shuttle he had been refining was of a high Saint Grade, hence why it had taken so long.
Now however, things were different. Yang Kai had carefully selected this new Star Shuttle to match with his own Saint Qi and he himself had reached the Second Order Saint Realm, so refining it should be much simpler than last time.
As soon as he began pushing his Saint Qi, the Star Shuttle was covered in a layer of Demonic Flame. The Demonic Flame was both hot and cold, the two opposite attributes coexisting in perfect harmony.
In a flash, Yang Kai felt a subtle connection form between himself and the Star Shuttle and he began pouring his Divine Sense into it, investigating its internal structure while simultaneously leaving his Spiritual Energy mark on it.
Yang Kai temporarily forgot the passage of time and devoted himself fully to refining the Star Shuttle.
The entire process went smoother than Yang Kai had expected as he quickly refined the Star Shuttle while engraving his Soul Mark onto it, allowing it to adapt to his strength.
Everything proceeded unimpeded.
After Yang Kai thoroughly refined the Star Shuttle, he estimated that it would only take a month of nourishing it before he could use it.
Realizing this, Yang Kai felt a sense of satisfaction as he understood this was evidence of his own cultivation and strength having increased greatly.
Yang Kai didn’t choose to leave his residence but instead stayed in his room while nourishing his new Star Shuttle with his Saint Qi as he spied on the mysteries of the giant Star Chart in his Knowledge Sea.
Time passed by and soon it had been an entire month.
Since Yang Kai first arrived here, he had spent the vast majority of his time inside the palace. In fact, apart from when he went out to purchase things with Xue Tong, he had essentially not stepped out of his room or spoken with anyone.
As he sat calmly and pondered various things, Yang Kai suddenly felt an urge to go out and take a look around, see the various sights of Water Moon Star and experience how this prosperous star differed from Tong Xuan Realm. At the same time, he could also familiarize himself with the performance of his new Star Shuttle.
By deepening his understanding of the various aspects of the Star Field, Yang Kai would better be able to plan ahead.
Right now, he still hadn’t come up with an explicit goal.
Thinking so, Yang Kai got up and left his room.
After looking for Jia Long outside, and learning that Shen Tu was still not back, Yang Kai made plans to go out on his own.
Jia Long didn’t stop him and instead just gave him a Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce token, explain to him that with it he could use it to enjoy some privileges outside as well as avoid some troubles.
Yang Kai put the token in the Demon Mystic Tome before flying off on his Star Shuttle.
He had no specific destination in mind and simply flew wherever the wind took him.
This Saint King Grade High-Rank Star Shuttle was truly different; it was several times better than his previous one. In terms of speed alone the two were not comparable.
Flying along, Yang Kai would stop from time to time as he gradually explored Water Moon Star.
This star was not much different from Tong Xuan Realm actually, there were mountains, lakes, continents, and seas, along with a variety of different races.
If Yang Kai had to name a difference, it was that any Cultivation Star in the Star field had far richer World Energy’s reserves than Tong Xuan Realm.
As the home star of Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce, this was even more so the case for Water Moon Star. While the World Energy density here wasn’t as good as the strange floating continent, it still ranked amongst the best Cultivation Stars in the entire Star Field.
It was because of the lack of World Energy that, in Tong Xuan Realm, the Saint Realm was the highest peak a cultivator could reach. Since ancient times, only Great Demon God had broken through this barrier. Unfortunately, before he had time to explore the wonders of the Star Field, he had fallen in defence of the world, becoming nothing more than a legend.
Their weak cultivations and the lack of resources made it impossible for cultivators from Tong Xuan Realm to venture out into the Starry Sky and join the interstellar community. They could only be trapped in their small world, never able to experience the wonders of the Star Field.
However, this also spared the inhabitants of Tong Xuan Realm from the fate of being enslaved.
The overall strength of the cultivators on Tong Xuan Realm was not enough for them to carve out a place for themselves in the Star Field. If they had integrated into Star Field, the only result possible would be subjugation by a more powerful force.
Yang Kai’s mood was calm as he flew across Water Moon Star, traversing mountains, deserts, and oceans. Every few hundred kilometres though, he would come across another city where many souls gathered together.
These cities, both big and small, were very prosperous. Only in some extremely remote locations would there be less crowded towns where the people’s strength would be lower.
Just like in Tong Xuan Realm, each city had a City Lord governing it. The strength of these City Lords would also vary with the degree of prosperity each city had.
Many of the City Lord level characters were Saint King Realm masters while in some small places, they would only be Saints.
This allowed Yang Kai to realize that, in general, there weren’t many Origin Returning Realm masters and that they would be the mainstays of each force.
The World Energy density was also different from location to location. Some places Yang Kai passed by were filled with rich World Energy while in other places the aura was quite thin.
The cities on Water Moon Star all fell under Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce’s jurisdiction and each one of them contributed a portion of its wealth and strength to it. These many grains of sand came together to build the great tower known as Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce.
As Yang Kai flew about sightseeing, no one bothered him or came to stir up trouble.
Along the way, he heard a lot of interesting things.
For example, the avant-garde nature of President Ai Ou, the talent selection the Chamber of Commerce was going to be holding soon, the numerous sons of President Ai Ou…
Yang Kai didn’t hear anyone talking about Shen Tu though. It seemed that on Water Moon Star, Shen Tu’s identity as an illegitimate child was not known to the public. Given this reality, it wasn’t difficult to understand why Lu Gui Chen didn’t know about Shen Tu.
Yang Kai spent a month or two wandering across the Water Moon Star. From his explorations of Cultivation Star, he gained a good understanding of Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce as well as perfectly adapted himself to his new Star Shuttle, now feeling like it was an extension of himself rather than a tool.
Yang Kai even held onto a slight hope in his heart, that Su Yan might be somewhere on this Cultivation Star, so he had spared no effort searching it.
Unfortunately, it was obvious after some time that Su Yan was not here. With the Union of Heart and Soul between him and Su Yan, as long as they weren’t too far apart, they could sense each other’s existence.
Yang Kai, however, didn’t lose hope. He hadn’t really expected to find Su Yan so easily.
After two months of flying, Yang Kai was returning the way he had come, this time not stopping to see the sights instead of flying directly in the direction of Shen Tu’s palace.
Today, he passed through a certain mountain valley, and with his Divine Sense spread out, he suddenly noticed a significant number of life auras coming from within it.
Yang Kai didn’t pay much attention to this though, and in order to avoid any unnecessary troubles, he deliberately changed course slightly to avoid coming too close.
During his recent time outside, he had made a point to act prudently and not draw attention to himself.
As he flew by, Yang Kai casually glanced over and discovered that in a clearing of the mountain valley, there was actually a small Starship with its main hatch wide open and a stream of cultivators moving in and out of it.
Next to the Starship, there were a lot of crates piled up, and the cultivators seemed to be moving them onboard.
By now, Yang Kai had acquired some common sense knowledge about the Star Field. For example, some materials couldn’t be placed into Space Rings, possibly because they required extremely special storage conditions or they were simply too large or heavy to fit into conventional Space Rings.
When such materials needed to be transported from one star to another, a Starship was required.
As such, Starships were an indispensable part of any great force. Starships were a fast and relatively safe way to deliver goods and people long distances.
The Starship moored in the mountain valley was about three hundred meters long. Less than half the size of the ones Yang Kai had encountered before, so he could tell that it was only Saint King Grade Low-Rank or Mid-Rank.
Next to the Starship, there was a particularly eye-catching young man in fine robes who was laughing and chatting with the people next to him.
This young man’s appearance was very distinct. He had fair skin that appeared supple and delicate. His face was more enchanting than any woman’s and his long hair flowed gently across his shoulders.
Beside him, many female cultivators were staring at him obsessively, undisguised looks of infatuation colouring their faces, as if the young man only needed to say a word and they would willing to surrender their bodies and minds to him to use as he pleased.
Yang Kai couldn’t help narrowing his eyes towards this young man slightly.
This gaze, however, drew the attention of the young man who quickly shifted his own eyes to meet Yang Kai’s across a distance of several thousand meters. Upon seeing Yang Kai, the young man’s face sank and he quickly whispering a few words to a man next to him.
A moment later, a few Star Shuttles flew off towards Yang Kai.
Yang Kai couldn’t help but frown, not knowing why this person was trying to find trouble with him.
Not decreasing his speed, Yang Kai quickly flew away, a number of azure lights quickly chasing after him.
Arriving at a remote location that within the scope of his Divine Sense’s exploration there were no living people, Yang Kai came to a stop. This was a barren place where even the World Energy aura was quite thin, it had seemingly never been settled before.
There were many such places like this on Water Moon Star.
A total of three people were pursuing him, and from the energy fluctuations they gave off, Yang Kai could tell that two of them were Third Order Saint while the last was a Saint King!
The cultivation of this Saint King wasn’t too high though. Yang Kai didn’t feel much pressure from him, so he was likely just a First Order Saint King!
With insight into their cultivations, Yang Kai put down all his worries and not only didn’t try to escape but intentionally stopped in order to confront his pursuers.
Yang Kai hadn’t fought a Saint King since he fused the two opposite attribute energies inside his body and he was quite eager to know if his current strength could match a Saint King’s!
Thinking so, Yang Kai took a deep breath and turned around to meet these three.
The three men saw Yang Kai stop and quickly revealed happy looks, quickly rushing over and surrounding Yang Kai between them, each of them staring at him with clear malicious intent.
“Friends, why are you chasing me? I don’t believe there is any enmity between us,” Yang Kai asked indifferently.
“Naturally there is no hatred between us!” The Saint King Realm master nodded in agreement, “But you’ve seen something you should not, little boy. You can only blame your bad luck for passing through here at this time!”
Yang Kai raised his brow and suddenly understood what was happening.
The goods that were being loaded onto the Starship back in the mountain valley were probably some form of contraband, which was why they had chosen to do this exchange in such a remote location, yet now, an unrelated person, Yang Kai, had inadvertently passed through and seen everything.
Judging from the other side’s tone and attitude, Yang Kai could tell they had no plans to settle things peacefully.
“If you have any last words, you can speak them now. If it’s convenient, I’ll convey them to your loved ones for you,” The Saint King Realm master said lightly as he kept a bad gaze fixed on Yang Kai.
Just as he spoke, one of the Third-Order Saints standing behind Yang Kai took action, a powerful energy bursting from his body and an incredibly swift and sharp wind blade silently condensing in front of him before flying out towards Yang Kai, clearly trying to slice him clean in half.
The wind blade was extremely fast, and in a flash, it was already upon Yang Kai.
The face of this cultivator was filled with a disdainful smile, as if he could already see the scene of Yang Kai being cut down.
With his Third-Order Saint Realm cultivation, how could his sneak attack on a young Second-Order Saint possibly fail?
The wind blade cut through the body of the unmoving young man in the next instant.
However, no blood flew out and the figure of the young man slowly faded, disappearing right before everyone’s eyes.
The eyes of the man who had launched the wind blade shrank and his instincts cried out in alarm, causing him to instinctually retreat.
“Watch out!” A flurried shout came from the Saint King Realm cultivator whose eyes had gone wide with shock, as if he had just witnessed something inconceivable.
Each of these people’s reactions was fast; after all, anyone who could cultivate to the Third-Order Saint Realm had rich combat experience and had faced countless life or death battles.
Hearing this reminder, the backtracking cultivator rapidly changed direction and leapt out.
Immediately though, this man saw looks of horror on his two companions’ faces, both of them looking like they had swallowed their tongues in shock.
At that moment, above his head, the man felt a potent energy fluctuation that seemed both burning hot and frigid cold, impossible to defend against.
Looking up, he saw a giant palm print flying towards himself. This palm print seemed able to obscure the Heavens and quickly became the only thing his eyes could see, as if it had swallowed both his mind and body whole.
This palm was composed of a strange black flame that the man had never even heard of before.
Heaven Covering Hand!
The man wanted to escape, but there was nowhere for him to flee, the massive palm print seemingly having sealed off all his paths of retreat.
*Hong…*
A muffled bang rang out and the cultivator was swallowed by the palm print, a violent force sweeping across his body causing him to send out a pitiful scream. After being struck, the man crashed down to the ground like a meteor, his bones all broken and his flesh severally damaged. Clusters of Demonic Flame continued burning him and no matter how he tried to use his own Saint Qi to extinguish them, he was unable to.
With his opening strike succeeding, Yang Kai didn’t pause for an instant, summoning a Heaven Punishing Spear into his hand and throwing it out towards the other Third-Order Saint while his enemies were still in a state of confusion.
Sensing danger approaching, the man hurriedly tried to resist, condensing his Saint Qi to protect himself while summoning out a Saint Grade High-Rank shield-like artifact to block Yang Kai’s spear.
This shield artifact had blocked many near-fatal strikes for this Third Order Saint and he regarded it as his strongest defence.
Having summoned his shield, the man regained his composure and was just about to fight back when a crisp sound rang out in front of him. Looking down, the man was terrified to see that his prided defensive type artifact had actually been pierced through by the Demonic Flame spear, it’s spirituality completely lost and its light growing dim.
The man couldn’t help crying out in fear.
*Xiu xiu xiu…*
Three more Heaven Punishing Spears flew over, the first two completely shattering the shield artifact while the third pierced into its target’s body, breaking through the Third Order Saint’s powerful body and Saint Qi protection as if they were paper.
Vitality quickly disappeared from the man’s body and the light in his eyes faded as he plummeted head-first towards the ground.
In the blink of an eye, of the three people who had surrounded Yang Kai, one was dead and another was dying!
The dead man had not even hit the ground before his body was burnt to ash and even his Soul which had tried to escape failed to escape the wrath of the Demonic Flames, melting like snow under the hot summer sun and quickly disappearing.
The wounded man down on the ground was still being engulfed by the Demonic Flames and his shouts were rapidly growing weaker.
The only one of the three left, the First Order Saint King, was now staring towards Yang Kai with a dignified look upon his face.
He couldn’t fathom how this young man, who seemed to only be a Second-Order Saint, was able to instantly kill two cultivators who were a Minor Realm above him. What’s more, this youth managed to accomplish this without even breaking a sweat, like he was casually pinching two ants.
At this moment, the young man in front of him also wore a stunned look, as if even he was surprised by his own accomplishment.
A violent and bloodthirsty aura quietly swelled up from Yang Kai’s body, causing his momentum to climb to a new height.
Seeing the pair of indifferent eyes glaring towards him, the Saint King Realm master couldn’t help shivering slightly, as if in front of him was not a Second-Order Saint Realm boy, but a master who stood at a much greater height than his own.
Before they had even begun to fight, he wanted to retreat! He didn’t know if he could beat this strange youth.
“Profound Heavenly Sword!” Yang Kai suddenly shouted and a sword made from Demonic Flames appeared in his hand. In a flash, the sword chopped down towards the last man’s head.
The Saint King master finally came to his senses and let out a fierce roar, a wave of energy bursting forth from his Knowledge Sea. The fluctuations of this Spiritual Energy pulse were quite strange and as soon as they reached some kind of critical point, a great behemoth emerged from between the man’s forehead.
This colossus was a full twenty meters in length and was covered in a hard shell. It was a Monster Beast famous throughout the entire Star Field, the fierce Golden Armoured Poisonous Scorpion.
As soon as this Golden Armoured Poisonous Scorpion appeared, it emitted a thick green mist that polluted the surrounding dozen kilometres while its two powerful pincers clamped repeatedly, seemingly capable of cutting through the strongest metal or jade.
The Demonic Flame sword landed squarely on the hard shell of the Golden Armoured Poisonous Scorpion, but didn’t cause it any harm, only leaving behind a shallow scratch while the Demonic Flames themselves were actually swallowed up by the poisonous mist and soon extinguished.
Seeing that his Golden Armoured Poisonous Scorpion was capable of withstanding the strange Demonic Flame, the Saint King Realm cultivator laughed and taunted, “Little brat, your courage isn’t small. On Water Moon Star you actually dared to kill my Chamber of Commerce’s people, you cannot escape death now!”
“You’re from Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce?” Yang Kai’s eyes narrowed.
“Enough nonsense! Surrender your life!” This person was not willing to say anything more with Yang Kai and immediately made the Golden Armoured Poisonous Scorpion rush toward Yang Kai, its pincers stretch out threateningly as a green glow appeared on its barbed tail.
This poisonous scorpion was frightening and its poison was incredibly potent, anyone stained with it would die without a doubt. What cultivators feared about it most though was that its poison not only affects one’s body but their Soul as well, so any place where Golden Armoured Poisonous Scorpions appeared was considered a Restricted Area and only some very powerful cultivators would attempt to hunt them.
This Saint King master had apparently killed a Golden Armoured Poisonous Scorpion before and refined its remnant soul into a weapon he could control.
Fighting with Yang Kai, he had no choice but to summon it out.
This Golden Armoured Poisonous Scorpion was actually nothing more than a Soul Avatar, but it still possessed all of its abilities from before it died, and although it didn’t have a physical body, the Spiritual Energy it was composed of was sturdy enough to withstand a great deal of punishment.
Yang Kai’s Profound Heavenly Sword was unable to damage it.
Seeing the Golden Armoured Poisonous Scorpion rushing toward him like a bolt of lightning, its great maw open wide as if it was trying to swallow him whole, Yang Kai gathered the full power of his Soul and sent out a great burst of Spiritual energy towards it.
Noticing this, the Saint King Realm cultivator was startled but didn’t draw back and instead wore a disdainful grin.
The young man in front of him was clearly not aware of the Golden Armoured Poisonous Scorpion’s traits. Seeing that it was a Soul Avatar, this youth clearly wanted to use his own Spiritual Energy to fight back, but he didn’t know that the scorpion’s poison could corrode Souls as well.
The Saint King could already picture what result Yang Kai would achieve.
The invisible forces collided together, and the huge figure of the Golden Armoured Poisonous Scorpion came to a halt as it swung its pincers about violently and whipped its barbed tail forward, the green glow from its tip piercing towards Yang Kai’s Divine Sense.
Yang Kai’s face sank as he felt his consciousness becoming sluggish.
He immediately understood that this poisonous scorpion was not as simple as he had imagined.
Without hesitation, Yang Kai unleashed the full might of his Conflagrated Knowledge Sea.
The air suddenly became hot, and the space around the Golden Armoured Poisonous Scorpion began to warp.
The Saint King master, who had been sitting back and watching as if he was just a spectator to the show, suddenly felt the change in Yang Kai Spiritual Energy and paled, hurriedly trying to withdraw his Golden Armoured Poisonous Scorpion in the next instant.
But before he could succeed, the poisonous scorpion suddenly trembled as if it was suffering unbearable torment.
Its hard golden shell cracked in multiple places and the burning hot Conflagrated Spiritual Energy rushed in through the gaps, roasting it from the inside out.
The Golden Armoured Poisonous Scorpion went up in flames and in a flash, the beast which Yang Kai’s Profound Heavenly Sword couldn’t even scratch was burnt to ashes.
“Impossible!” The Saint King Realm cultivator let out a roar of disbelief as he stared at the spot where his precious poisonous scorpion had disappeared, his face filled with panic.
Even a Third-Order Saint King master wouldn’t have been able to deal with his Golden Armoured Poisonous Scorpion so quickly. That was a feat only an Origin Returning Realm master could achieve!
This man suddenly glared over towards Yang Kai, his face flushed red and a violent aura surging from his body.
The Golden Armoured Poisonous Scorpion was his trump card, one he had painstakingly refined using his own Soul over many years. Every time he used it, he was able to win handily, and had even used it to turn danger into safety more than once.
All that time and effort he had invested had just been destroyed right before his eyes, sending him into a rage. Now, all he wanted to do was kill the young man in front of him to soothe the hatred in his heart.
“Boy, I want you to die!” He roared madly, pushing his Spiritual Energy once more and summoning out more Monster Beast Soul Avatars one after another, each of them hovering mid-air while glaring towards Yang Kai.
The Saint King master stood in the middle of these Soul Avatars, like the king of beasts, his anger still boiling over.
With a single thought, the man sent all the Monster Beast Soul Avatars rushing forward towards Yang Kai while he himself hid amongst them, looking for an opportunity to launch a killing strike.
*Chi chi chi…*
Yang Kai’s Conflagrated Spiritual Energy burst out once more, his Divine Sense launching one blazing hot attack after another, causing these beasts to shriek in pain as they were burnt down in rapid succession.
Under the camouflage of a burning beast, the Saint King Realm master swiftly approached Yang Kai and a strange power burst from his body, forming an invisible vortex that pulled Yang Kai towards it.
Sneering deeply, a dazzling ray of light shone from his palm and a powerful burst of energy shot forth, seemingly tearing through space as it moved to swallow up Yang Kai.
Yang Kai instantly covered his body in Demonic Flames, turning himself into a human fireball while sending his strength into the vortex at his feet in an attempt to destroy it and free himself.
The next moment, he felt a shroud of light engulf him.
Yang Kai’s face changed as he felt this wave of light wash over him and finally understood the gap between the Saint King Realm and Saint Realm. With his current strength, he could easily kill Third-Order Saints, but he was actually unable to quickly handle a Saint King, even facing a First Order Saint King was a bit dangerous for him.
Cultivators who had reached this level had a far deeper understanding of their own strength as well as how to utilize it than Yang Kai currently did.
“Demon God Transformation!” Yang Kai roared in his heart.
Black Demon Crests appeared on his skin before swiftly disappearing into his physique, causing his vitality, life aura, and physical strength to rise dramatically…
*Xiu xiu xiu…*
As the beam of light crashed against him, Yang Kai was hit hard, his body tossed around like a rag, knocking the wind out of his lungs.
The Saint King Realm cultivator saw this and sneered before rushing out towards Yang Kai, intending to deliver the final blow.
He suddenly discovered that this strange young man was actually not as strong as he had imagined, and his absolute confidence in his own strength returned.
A double palm strike slammed into Yang Kai’s body, and the Saint King master poured his own Saint Qi into him, attempting to destroy his vitality.
At that moment though, he saw a teasing look on Yang Kai’s indifferent face.
Although he seemed to have suffered heavy injuries, and blood was flowing out the corner of his mouth, this young man didn’t seem to care.
Sending out a flurry of punches, the two men immediately fell into a violent hand to hand exchange.
Fresh blood splashed out as Yang Kai’s skin was cut open, but the Saint King master was not fairing any better, his body was also quickly covered with blood, turning him into a miserable state.
This was not Yang Kai’s first time fighting someone above his own realm, but it was his first battle against a Saint King master.
In this difficult situation, Yang Kai was inspired by the potential of his own abilities and was able to rapidly comprehend many mysteries about his own strength that had previously eluded him.
The longer that passed, the fiercer Yang Kai fought, a tinge of madness appearing in the depths of his eyes, his strength not decreasing at all as a result of his injuries and instead rapidly growing stronger.
Conversely, the Saint King Realm master’s anger and momentum quickly began to fade.
He was feeling that if he continued this fight, perhaps he would be the one to die!
He was heavily wounded now, and countless meridians inside his body had been damaged while many of his bones were cracked. Clusters of Demonic Flame burnt his body, almost turning him into a ball of flame, forcing him to circulate his own strength to resist the damage they were causing him.
But in the face of the simultaneously hot and cold auras, he was finding it difficult to resist and he once again felt the urge to flee.
As the battle continued, the Saint King Realm master pushed himself to his limit, using all his best Martial Skills and artifacts, yet he was still unable to defeat much less kill Yang Kai.
Over the course of the battle, Yang Kai not only didn’t retreat but instead became even more aggressive, his eyes filling with radiance as a joyful look appeared on his face!
He was enjoying himself.
Fighting an evenly matched opponent, going all out to out to kill one another knowing only one of them would be able to emerge victoriously, this rush made Yang Kai truly feel alive.
Seeing this crazed expression on his opponent’s face, the Saint King Realm master couldn’t help shivering slightly.
By now, he had comprehended Yang Kai’s real intentions here; this young man was actually using this battle to explore the depths of his own strength! The two Third-Order Saints he had killed before were just something he had done because it was convenient.
Realizing this, this Saint King master finally panicked and his courage gave out, his instincts screaming at him to escape from this insane and terrifying youth.
*Hong Hong Hong…*
As their strengths collided with one another in a series of explosions, Yang Kai and the First Order Saint King separated from each other, breaking away from the range of each other’s strikes, gasping for breath as they stared at one another across a hundred-meter gap.
The sound of joints cracking came from Yang Kai’s body as he flexed his physique, his Saint Qi welling up as a half-full look appeared on his face.
Opposite him, the Saint King Realm cultivator wore a bleak look as he struggled to support his bloody and exhausted body.
He couldn’t help staring at Yang Kai in horror as he saw the minor wounds on his body recover at a rate visible to the naked eye. At the same time, he noted that the blood covering this youth was actually giving off a dazzling golden glow.
He actually possessed golden blood!
The eyes of this cultivator stared dumbfounded at this incredible scene.
He didn’t know what kind of Secret Art this youth had cultivated to produce blood of this colour but he could tell that the abnormal vitality and resilience of his body stemmed from this golden blood.
It was thanks to this golden blood that this youth’s wounds healed so quickly.
The Saint King master quickly realized he was not this young man’s opponent as he simply didn’t possess such astonishing recovery ability. If they continued to fight, he would definitely die.
He actually still had a trump card he could play, a forbidden technique that would instantly raise his combat power significantly, allowing him to continue the fight.
But he didn’t dare to use it.
Because once he used this forbidden technique, his condition would rapidly deteriorate, and even his current realm might fall, damaging his foundation and preventing him from ever advancing again. He was already half-dead from this battle, if he really used his forbidden technique, even if he won, the cost would be too high.
The most important factor though was that even if he used this forbidden technique, he wasn’t confident he could triumph.
Just who was this boy? When did such a fearful character appear?
He was thoroughly confused and shocked by the power Yang Kai displayed.
Therefore, while continuing to stare at Yang Kai, he began withdrawing, his face filled with vigilance as he worried about this youth refusing to compromise.
Only after he retreated to what he considered a safe distance did he summon his Star Shuttle and shout out to Yang Kai, “Little brat, you’ll pay for your actions today! There will be no place on Water Moon Star where you can take shelter!”
His voice came from far away as his figure disappeared across the horizon.
Yang Kai’s face remained indifferent, seemingly having no intention to pursue, just standing in the same place while staring at this fading back.
However, while he remained still, a thread of his Divine Sense broke through the fetters of space and leapt forward and latched onto the fleeing Saint King.
Immediately after, Yang Kai stretched out his hand and tore the space in front of him.
A couple hundred kilometres away, the Saint King Realm master who was still escaping was working hard to extinguish the remaining clusters of Demonic Flame covering him.
While he was fighting Yang Kai, dealing with these Demonic Flames had forced him to consume a lot of his Saint Qi. If not, he wouldn’t have ended up in such a miserable state.
This Demonic Flame was something he had never even heard of before, much less experienced. Hot and cold coexisting, Yin and Yang mutually promoting one another, it was a combination filled with contradictions and he was unable to extinguish it easily, forcing him to continue consuming his own Saint Qi to resist it while he pushed his speed to its limits, hoping to return to the mountain valley as soon as possible and ask his Seniors for assistance.
There was no trace of the strange young man behind him, fortunately, so he felt that he had made a clean getaway and began wracking his brain to come up with an excuse to explain his defeat.
Just as he was contemplating this issue though, the space in front of him suddenly twisted, causing him to think his exhaustion was bad to the point where he was seeing things.
However, as he stared at it, this distortion in space only grew bigger, and soon, the space in front of him shattered like a broken mirror, and in the next moment, a giant crack appeared before him, like the great maw of an invisible beast.
From inside the crack, a figure emerged with a playful grin upon its face, seemingly having anticipated his arrival.
Seeing the face of this person, the man’s expression paled as if he had seen a ghost. He was unable to believe his eyes.
It was actually the young man he had just been fighting with!
This youth reached out and grabbed him while he was still in a daze and before the Saint King master could respond, he was tossed into the Void. Immediately after, the crack in space rapidly began to close as the young man stood outside and waved to him.
As the profound darkness engulfed him, the Saint King Realm master instantly felt like he had been sunk into a frigid swap as the turbulent forces around him dragged him under.
He roared and struggled frantically but was unable to escape and could only accept his fate.
Outside, Yang Kai dismissed his Demon God Transformation and after letting out a long breath, his expression becoming dignified.
After such an intense battle, he had come to understand where his current limits stood.
He could battle against a First Order Saint King, and after using his Demon God Transformation, he did not need to fear such an opponent.
He wasn’t clear however how he would fare against a Second-Order Saint King.
This fight had yielded other harvest as well, allowing Yang Kai to familiarize himself with his new power. He now fully comprehended how terrifying his Demonic Flame was.
However, what he was currently most concerned about was why these three people had chased him down in the first place. What exactly was it that he saw that he wasn’t supposed to?
It seemed like this group was simply transporting supplies, although their choice of location to complete this transaction was somewhat remote.
Yang Kai didn’t understand and couldn’t be bothered thinking deeply about it, so he simply summoned his Star Shuttle and quickly flew off.
Half a day later, inside the remote mountain valley that Yang Kai had passed by before, all the materials had been loaded onto the Starship, and a middle-aged man who had been talking and laughing with the handsome young man said with a smile, “Young Master Xue Yue, it’s been a pleasure doing business with you. If there is another good opportunity like this in the future, I hope Young Master Xue Yue can remember us. We will pay you a satisfactory price!”
The young man called Xue Yue’s smiled and nodded his face as refreshing as a spring breeze, causing the people around him to involuntarily feel a sense of warmth and kindness from it. Wherever his eyes drifted, the female cultivators, regardless of their age or strength, would all show intoxicated looks as they stared towards him.
There was no doubt that as long as this Young Master Xue Yue beckoned to them, these women would willingly throw themselves on him.
“We’ll take our leave then. Farewell, Young Master Xue Yue!” The middle-aged man said with a smile before waving to his subordinates and walking towards the Starship, many of them women who belonged to his crew wearing reluctant expression, all of them repeatedly glancing back towards Xue Yue.
At that moment, a Saint King Realm cultivator hurried over to Xue Yue’s side and whispered something into his ear in a dignified voice.
Xue Yue’s smile instantly went stiff as he whispered back, “Are you certain?”
“Positive, their two bodies were found five hundred kilometres away, and there is no sign of the other. It’s more than likely he too suffered disaster. Young Master, I’m afraid this time’s transaction has been fully seen by that bystander.”
Xue Yue’s pair of crystal clear eyes flashed a sharp light before he nodded, “I understand.”
Saying so, he took a step forward and shouted, “Wait a moment!”
The happily satisfied middle-aged man who was preparing to return home, came to an abrupt halt and turned to face Xue Yue, asking in confusion, “What instructions does Young Master Xue Yue have?”
Xue Yue continued smiling lightly as he said, “Although I’m very sorry about having to do this now, this transaction must be cancelled. En, you can’t carry off these materials.”
“Cancelled?” The middle-aged man frowned, a slightly disgruntled look flashing across his face briefly before he forced out a grin and asked, “Young Master Xue Yue, surely you must be joking. Money and goods have been exchanged and this transaction is already completed, yet now you say it must be cancelled?”
Xue Yue smiled and nodded as if it was only natural and declared, “If I say it’s cancelled, it’s cancelled.”
This young man’s blatant arrogance, not putting anyone in his eyes, irked the middle-aged man greatly and he couldn’t help but laugh, “You’ll have to excuse me, Young Master Xue Yue. Since the transaction has been completed, I am not ready to return the merchandise. These things are constantly in short supply so their value cannot be measured by mere money. En, you take care, I hope we’ll have an opportunity to cooperate again next time.”
“There will be no next time,” Xue Yue slowly shook his head, his smile was not fading at all, still causing everyone present to feel the refreshing atmosphere and involuntarily lower their guard, “These goods must remain, and… you as well!”
When this sentence came out, the middle-aged man’s expression changed greatly and a foreboding sense of fear suddenly shrouded his whole body.
The cultivator concealing his appearance in a large robe standing behind Xue Yue suddenly flickered and appeared in front of the middle-aged man, raising his hand and gently patting the top of his head. A strange force flooded into the middle-aged man and in an instant, all his bones shattered, along with his five viscera and six organs, his vitality quickly disappearing from his body.
“Origin Returning Realm…” Staring at the robed man standing in front of him, the middle-aged man called out in despair as the light faded from his eyes.
His death caused a huge panic, and the Starship and surrounding area were immediately plunged into a sea of screams.
The man hiding his figure slowly walked into the Starship, killing every cultivator he came across as easily as if he was stepping on a group of ants.
A short time later, he calmly walked out and reported to Xue Yue, “One hundred and thirty-five people, all dead!”
“En,” Xue Yue nodded lightly, waving to his subordinate and shouting, “Gather up the materials and take them all away!”
“Young Master, what about this Starship?” One of his subordinates asked, the materials could be carried off, but this Starship was obviously too big to fit inside a Space Ring and it remaining behind would definitely attract unwanted attention.
“Toss it somewhere into Second Brother’s territory. His subordinates haven’t been very peaceful as of late, they seem to have gotten into a fight with a group of outsiders,” Xue Yue faintly ordered.
“Yes!” The group of subordinates responded before getting to work.
Yang Kai soon returned to Shen Tu’s palace.
Several guards who were silently protecting the entrance greeted him respectfully as he arrived.
“Did you come back, Brother Yang?” Shen Tu’s voice suddenly sounded from the inside and he soon walked out with a big smile and welcomed him.
“Did President Ai Ou finally set you free?” Yang Kai looked at him with a smile.
Shen Tu’s mouth couldn’t help twitching slightly as a look of annoyance appeared on his face, “Don’t mention this, this time I almost lost a layer of skin… En, come inside, we can talk more there.”
Enthusiastically receiving him, Shen Tu walked side by side with Yang Kai, asking about where he had gone during this time and how come he had not seen him for so long.
Yang Kai gave him a simple summary of his trip before suddenly frowning, “There’s an incident I have to tell you about.”
“What incident?” Shen Tu saw his expression become dignified and also put on a serious look.
Yang Kai first glanced around cautiously.
Jia Long, who had been following Shen Tu, quickly said, “Little brother may rest assured, there is no need to worry about what you say here leaking out, everyone within the palace is completely loyal to the Young Master.”
Shen Tu nodded, indicating that Yang Kai could speak without reservation.
Nodding, Yang Kai continued, “While I was out… I was forced to kill three cultivators from your chamber of commerce.”
“And?” Shen Tu asked.
“That’s all. After I killed them, I returned here.”
Shen Tu grinned, “Then there’s no problem, the Chamber of Commerce has so many people and there are always some battles on Water Moon Star. Every day many people die, if you’ve killed them then so be it, as long as they didn’t have some kind of extraordinary status, there won’t be any problems.”
“Their status shouldn’t be very high because their strength wasn’t.”
“Then relax, I’ll handle this for you. Brother Yang doesn’t need to concern himself about it any further,” Shen Tu thumped his chest confidently, not showing any concern about the three dead cultivators from the Chambers of Commerce.
“You should let me finish explaining first,” Yang Kai waved his hand, “I didn’t intentionally provoke this incident, I was only passing by a remote mountain valley when I came across a group of people. After I spotted them, those three chased after me.”
“A group of people?” Shen Tu was surprised.
“En, in that mountain valley, I saw a parked Starship about three hundred meters long as well as some supplies that your Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce’s cultivators were loading onboard. I was too far away to get a good look at what the materials were though. What I’m not clear about is why, after I discovered them, some youth who looked about our age instructed those three people to chase me.”
“They were trading supplies in a remote mountain valley?” Shen Tu’s face suddenly changed slightly, suddenly realizing that things weren’t as simple as he imagined, hurriedly asking, “Did those people have any distinguishing characteristics?”
Yang Kai thought about it for a moment before saying, “If we’re talking about characteristics, then the young man who was their leader stood out greatly, he was… beautiful, en, very beautiful!”
Even as he said these words, Yang Kai’s expression contorted somewhat, using the word beautiful to describe a man made him feel awkward, but he truly couldn’t think of a more appropriate word to use.
Listening to him, Shen Tu’s face grew uglier and uglier, he and Jia Long exchanged a glance as both of them had a bad premonition.
“Brother Yang… can you describe that young man in more detail…” His voice stuttered.
“I didn’t see his face clearly and only caught a glimpse of him, but I could tell that his skin was very pale and that there was a refreshing smile lingering on his face. En, right, there were also quite a few female cultivators around him, all of them having infatuated looks. He looked around our age. His hair was also quite long and hung down past his shoulders,” Yang Kai thought about it and relayed what he could remember.
“It can’t be,” Shen Tu suddenly let out a groan.
Yang Kai didn’t miss the distressed looks on Shen Tu and Jia Long’s face and couldn’t help but ask, “Do you know him?”
Shen Tu’s mouth twitched, and deep within his eyes, a look of fright and alarm was apparent. He remained silent for a while but eventually said, “Brother Yang, you’re not an outsider, so I won’t lie to you. That guy you saw… was probably my Third Brother Xue Yue!”
When the name ‘Xue Yue’ left Shen Tu’s mouth, Jia Long’s brow couldn’t help jumping slightly, as if he sensed danger from just this alone.
“Your Third Brother?” Yang Kai was startled.
“My Third Brother!” Shen Tu nodded heavily.
Jia Long smiled bitterly and explained, “On Water Moon Star, Young Master Shen Tu only fears two people: One is the President and the other is Young Master Xue Yue…”
Yang Kai was stunned but soon grinned, “Why would you fear your own brother?”
Shen Tu immediately began to complain, “If he wasn’t my brother, I would have already done everything within my power to eliminate him. Brother Yang, you don’t understand. Just mentioning my Third Brother causes me to shiver in fright… Fuck, that bastard left gave me so many childhood traumas, I can say in all honesty I fear him more than my old man.”
“This Young Master Xue Yue seems to be quite capable,” Yang Kai couldn’t help but feel interested in that strange youth. He had been together with Shen Tu for a while and knew that this guy was a fearless rogue. Making Shen Tu quiver at the very mention of his name, this Xue Yue was definitely someone to be reckoned with.
“Brother Yang, don’t make fun of me. If it really was him though, this matter will be troublesome.”
“Why?” Yang Kai asked curiously.
“If I didn’t guess wrong… Third Brother must have been engaging trading some scarce commodities with some influence outside the Chamber of Commerce in order to secretly gather money. This is a big taboo and is strictly prohibited. If word of this were to get out, he’d be in big trouble.”
“So when I passed by, he sent people to chase me down?” Yang Kai suddenly understood everything.
“Yes! Moreover, my Third Brother is the type to never relent until he accomplishes his objective. If he ever takes a liking to something, or someone, even if there are thousands of obstacles in his way, he won’t rest until he obtains it. On top of that, he tends to act on instinct and no one can ever guess what he is thinking. I remember one year, he and a senior executive of the Chamber of Commerce both settled on a certain maidservant at the same time, and although that executive eventually won possession of that maid, he disappeared inexplicably a month later and was never heard from again.”
Yang Kai’s expression sank upon hearing this.
Jia Long nodded and said, “I remember this since, as a result, the President flew into a rage for a while, but because no evidence was ever uncovered, the matter was eventually dropped.”
“Now, I’m afraid he’s going all out to find you, Brother Yang, because he must kill you to eliminate any chances of his actions being exposed!” Shen Tu declared.
Saying so, Shen Tu turned a look filled with concern towards Yang Kai.
“Am I supposed to hide then?” Yang Kai asked, frowning.
“Hiding may not do you any good. You don’t understand how much influence and power my Third Brother wields. He is the one my father most highly regards, and many people believe the next President will certainly be him. The entire population of Water Moon Star is his eyes and ears. If he wants to find someone, as long as they are still on Water Moon Star, he will definitely find them.”
“Then what should I do?” Yang Kai smiled bitterly. He had just gone out to have a look around, yet now he had actually gotten caught up in such a serious matter, his luck was really too bad.
“Brother Yang, don’t go out for a while, just stay inside the palace. I’ll help you inquire about this situation and see if there’s some way to resolve it,” Shen Tu sighed slightly.
“Good.”
After this incident, Yang Kai didn’t show himself in public again, simply remaining inside Shen Tu’s palace all day long, sitting in meditation, stabilizing his current realm or refining pills and studying the Star Chart in his Knowledge Sea to enhance his understanding of the Star Field.
Jia Long would pass him some news from time to time.
From him, Yang Kai learned that the Chamber of Commerce’s Third Young Master Xue Yue really had started a search for someone during this time, causing the entire Water Moon Star to become somewhat turbulent. Many people lost their lives as a result.
Yang Kai now thoroughly understood the brutal methods of Xue Yue.
At that time, he had passed by far from the mountain valley and had not clearly seen Xue Yue’s appearance, so Yang Kai estimated that the other party had also not clearly seen him.
Finding a single person you didn’t even know the exact face of was undoubtedly more difficult than finding a needle in a haystack. Even if Xue Yue had near-limitless resources at his disposal, it was very difficult to find Yang Kai.
As such, all cultivators with similar builds and strength to Yang Kai suffered.
Xue Yue would rather kill a thousand innocents than let him escape!
He was bolder and more decisive than his brothers and even President Ai Ou!
Yang Kai found it somewhat difficult to imagine that someone like Xue Yue could be so ruthless. When he saw him from afar, all he could feel from him was that he was devilishly attractive and had a unique warmth about him.
He was secretly startled and now fully realized one must never judge a person by their face. Xue Yue’s innermost murderous intent was completely masked by his appearance. Once Yang Kai fell into his hand, his end would no doubt be miserable, so he obediently hid inside Shen Tu’s palace and peacefully cultivated.
The fierce undercurrent lasted for two months, and more than two thousand people on Water Moon Star lost their lives because of it. Only after so much time had passed did things gradually subsided.
Jia Long also reported this to Yang Kai so that he could finally breathe a little easier.
After these two months passed, Shen Tu came to Yang Kai with a resigned look upon his face and openly admitted, “Brother Yang, although I really wish you would remain here and join me in my future endeavours, if you remain there will always be a day when my Third Brother discovers you. Once he does, even I won’t be able to protect you.”
“You mean?”
“You have to leave,” Shen Tu sighed, “The situation is a bit calmer now as Third Brother’s attention has shifted to other matters, so I can arrange for you to quietly sneak away.”
Saying so, he paused and said, “Of course, all of this depends on your own intentions. If you are willing to stay, I will be extremely grateful. My friends are not many and Brother Yang definitely counts as one, that was why I intended to recruit you in the first place, but if you do choose to stay, you can only hide inside the palace temporarily.”
“Then I’ll leave,” Yang Kai smiled faintly, “In fact, even if this matter hadn’t occurred, I wouldn’t have remained here indefinitely. Brother Shen Tu’s hospitality has been more than gracious, but I still have my own things to do.”
Shen Tu was startled for a moment but his expression soon relaxed and a smile appeared on his face, “It seems Brother Yang already had some long-term plans. It’s a pity. I originally wanted you to participate in the talent selection battle that the Chamber of Commerce will soon hold. With your strength, within the Saint Grade, you would certainly raise a great storm, but it seems that was not meant to be.”
Yang Kai smiled slightly.
“Then you should make some preparations, I’ll see if there is a suitable Starship that will soon depart and inform you when the time arrives.”
“Good!” Yang Kai didn’t have any opinion.
If he wanted to leave Water Moon Star, he had to take a Starship. Travelling by Star Shuttle not only took far too long, but it also consumed his own strength.
Yang Kai waited with peace of mind.
Ten days later, Shen Tu suddenly arrived in a hurry and told Yang Kai that everything had been prepared.
Yang Kai didn’t have any belongings to carry off so he simply stood up and followed Shen Tu out of the palace.
Outside the palace, Shen Tu once again apologized, “Brother Yang, I can only send you up to here, my identity is too sensitive, if I leave with you, it’ll draw too much attention. Take care of yourself out there.”
“Xue Tong will accompany you and provide you with all the information you’ll require to maintain your safety,” Jia Long hurriedly added as the Monster Race cultivator who had accompanied Yang Kai to buy his new Star Shuttle and supply of ores flew over and grinned, “Young Master Yang.”
“En, I’ll be depending on you.” Yang Kai knew this all stemmed from Shen Tu’s good intentions, so he didn’t refuse.
“Brother Yang, may we meet again!” Shen Tu cupped his fists.
Yang Kai returned the gesture then, under the leadership of Xue Tong, summoned out his Star Shuttle and flew away.
Water Moon Star’s Starships were all basically used to transport commodities. The various major forces throughout the Star Field would place orders from Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce through their own branches on Water Moon Star, then when the goods were prepared, the Chamber of Commerce would deliver the goods to the stars specified by these forces via Starship.
Along the way, according to Xue Tong’s explanation, Yang Kai understood that the Starship the two of them were about to board was headed to a place called Emerald Star, the home star of a force called Roaring Flame Sect. This force was neither strong nor weak and could only be considered mid-ranked among the entire Star Field. It controlled two Cultivation Stars, with Emerald Star being one of them.
The total transit time would be about half a year, and there would be stopovers at some other Cultivation Stars along the way.
“Young Master Yang, you can choose to get off at one of the Cultivation Stars along the way or remain on the Starship until it reaches Emerald Star,” Xue Tong explained.
“Understood, I’ll make a decision when the time comes,” Yang Kai nodded.
Followed behind Xue Tong, Yang Kai quickly arrived at the Space Array he had used once before then transferred to another city before eventually coming to an area crowded with other cultivators.
This place was an open square that was incredibly vastness, and at fixed intervals, various large and small Starships were parked, with an endless stream of cultivator hurrying about, carrying goods in and out of these Starships in an orderly manner.
The contents of the crates most gave off strong energy fluctuations, and many of them were clearly extremely high-grade goods.
After Xue Tong brought him to this place, Yang Kai couldn’t help marvelling once again at the immense wealth of Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce.
Just these few dozen Starships were worth a massive fortune, and that wasn’t even taking into consideration their loads of precious cargo or the countless cultivators manning them.
Great forces really had the style of great forces!
The two men hadn’t gone far before several Saint King Realm cultivators flew over and barred their way, releasing clear murderous intent as the stared vigilantly towards Xue Tong and Yang Kai, one of them raised his hand and shouting, “You there, halt!”
Xue Tong paused his steps but didn’t reveal any kind of fluster, simply taking a token out from his Space Ring and handing it to these two men.
One of the cultivators accepted the token and carefully examined it before gently nodding, no longer asking anything and simply waving Xue Tong and Yang Kai along.
“Young Master Shen Tu has already arranged everything, we will be leaving here with a Senior who he is on good terms with,” Xue Tong whispered.
Flying through the Starship dock, a short time later, Xue Tong’s eyes lit up and pointed towards the front.
In the direction he pointed was a Saint King Grade High-Rank Starship with its main hatch wide open and a line of cultivators carrying supplies into it. Outside this Starship was a big burly man with his hands crossed in front of his chest, his pair of eagle-like eyes glittering sharply, his expression one of cold indifference.
All the cultivators carrying goods involuntarily stayed away from him, many of them doing their best to not catch his eyes.
When Xue Tong and Yang Kai came over, this burly man couldn’t help frowning slightly as he stared towards Yang Kai, causing the latter to feel a slight pressure.
“Senior Xin Rui!” Xue Tong stepped forward and politely cupped his fists.
“Is this him?” The big man who was called Xin Rui looked Yang Kai over before snorting lightly, “Young Master Shen Tu wants me to ferry him away from this place?”
“Yes!” Xue Tong nodded.
“He’s not from our Chamber of Commerce is he?” Xin Rui narrowed his eyes slightly and asked.
Xue Tong shook his head, “He is a friend of Young Master Shen Tu.”
“Oh?” Xin Rui’s eyes revealed a curious light, “He’s actually Shen Tu’s friend? That’s something quite rare. En, I can take him away from here, but you’d best remember not to cause any fuss on my Starship. Make sure he honestly obeys the rules, otherwise I’ll toss him overboard and leave him to fend for himself amidst the Starry Sky.”
“Rest assured, Young Master’s friend won’t stir up any trouble,” Xue Tong smiled lightly, not paying any mind to this threat.
Xin Rui spat disdainfully, “If he wasn’t a troublemaker, how could Shen Tu be so anxious to arrange for him secretly depart? Seeing him in person, it’s obvious he’s not the law-abiding type!”
Directing a profound and meaningful look towards Yang Kai, Xin Rui seemed to have noticed something, but he didn’t ask any questions and simply shouted, “Go in already!”
“Many thanks!” Xue Tong smiled before motioning for Yang Kai to follow him into the Starship.
Inside the ship, there were still quite a few cultivators running about, each of them incredibly busy.
Xue Tong ignored all the chaos around him and calmly led Yang Kai down a couple of corridors before arriving at a pair of rooms.
“If Young Master Yang feels this room is not satisfactory, I can help you find a different one,” Xue Tong consulted Yang Kai.
Yang Kai walked inside and stared out a large window at the surrounding scenery before slowly shaking his head and saying, “No need, this place has a wide view, that’s plenty.”
“As long as you’re satisfied.”
“That Xin Rui… What is his relationship with Shen Tu? Why would he go out of his way to help him?” Yang Kai asked.
“Senior Xin Rui…” Xue Tong thought for a moment before replying, “He is Young Master Shen Tu’s uncle.”
“What?” Yang Kai was stunned.
“En,” Xue Tong grinned, “Senior Xin Rui sister was Young Master Shen Tu’s mother. The President and Senior Xin Rui’s sister met many years ago, but for various reasons, the two of them could never officially become a couple.”
“Forget it, don’t explain any further. I’m sure it’s a troublesome story!” Yang Kai waved his hand.
Xue Tong also smiled bitterly, “En, there’s a number of unpaid debts related to it. If Young Master doesn’t have any other instructions, I’ll retire first. After an hour or so, this Starship should set sail!”
“Good!”
Xue Tong immediately withdrew.
Yang Kai stood by the window and looked at the crowds down below, his heart beating slowly, once again feeling a sense of loneliness and solitude.
The Star Field was so massive it seemed nearly limitless. He was an outsider here, with no relatives or friends and nowhere to call home.
From where he stood, everything felt foreign and distant. As a lone wanderer in this strange land, Yang Kai couldn’t help subconsciously thinking of the warmth of Little Senior Sister and the tenderness of Su Yan, even remembering the charms of the seductive Shan Qing Luo and the sharp wit of Qiu Yi Meng.
As these familiar faces crossed his mind, his pulses quickened slightly.
Were they all happy and healthy right now? Had they encountered any kind of difficulties? Were they also thinking about him…
Yang Kai’s thoughts drifted about like this, causing his mood to sour slightly.
However, when a certain figure appeared in his line of sight, all these melancholy thoughts were swept aside and his eyes couldn’t help but shrink, his face quickly becoming gloomy.
Out in the giant square, a group of three people were slowing walking this way. The young man leading them was extraordinarily handsome, his skin so fair it would make any woman jealous, his long black hair gently falling across his shoulders, a warm and genial smile that seemed as refreshing as a spring breeze adorning his face.
Wherever he went, the female cultivators who were carrying supplies stopped their movements and stared at him longingly.
What’s more, he was actually walking towards this very Starship!
[Xue Yue!]
Yang Kai quickly left the window and flew straight out of his room, arriving at the door of the one adjacent to him and walking straight in.
Xue Tong was meditating on top of the bed, but upon seeing Yang Kai suddenly burst in, he couldn’t help feeling a bit stunned and asking, “Young Master Yang, do you require something?”
Yang Kai stared at him deeply and spoke in a cold tone, “Answer me honestly, did Shen Tu sell me out?”
Xue Tong’s expression only became more confused upon hearing this, frowning as he asked, “What does Young Master Yang mean by that?”
“Take a look outside for yourself!” Yang Kai coldly snorted.
Xue Tong stood up and gazed out the window, his eyes immediately shrinking up as he cried out, “Young Master Xue Yue? How can he be here?”
“If you ask me, who am I supposed to ask?” Yang Kai sneered, “Did Shen Tu rat me out to him?”
Xue Tong wore a serious expression and replied, “Young Master Yang, if you really think so, you look down on Young Master Shen Tu far too much. He sincerely treated you as a friend, how could he suddenly betray you? Moreover, Young Master Xue Yue should have left Water Moon Star yesterday. It was only because of this fact that Young Master Shen Tu chose to have to depart today.”
“Left yesterday?” Yang Kai frowned, his eyes staring fixedly towards Xue Tong, not letting off the slightest change in his expressions.
“En, Young Master Xue Yue was assigned an important mission and should have left yesterday to complete it,” Xue Tong nodded heavily, “Many people witnessed him board a Starship that left Water Moon Star!”
“So how could he appear here? And on top of that, head for this particular Starship?” Yang Kai asked flatly.
Xue Tong smiled bitterly, “I don’t know… but Young Master Yang, Young Master Shen Tu did not betray you, he would not do such a thing.”
Yang Kai stared at him for a moment before letting out a sigh and nodding, “Good, I believe you! Should we get off now then?”
“That’s too risky, there’s too great a chance of running into him,” Xue Tong hurriedly waved, “If Young Master Xue Yue intends to travel aboard this Starship, you’d best remain here and conceal your presence. Hopefully, he is just coming over to discuss something with Senior Xin Rui…”
“I’m afraid there’s no chance of that,” Yang Kai slowly shook his head as he perked up his ears. Xue Tong and his rooms weren’t far from the hatch, so even if he didn’t circulate his strength to enhance his senses, Yang Kai could hear bits and pieces of the conversation going on outside. Listening to the dialogue being exchanged between Xin Rui and Xue Yue, Yang Kai knew that the latter really came here to board this battleship.
Yang Kai’s mood suddenly turned pitch black.
“Young Master Xue Yue, as far as I know, you should have left Water Moon Star yesterday. How could you suddenly appear here today?” Next to Starship, Xin Rui asked curiously.
Xue Yue smiled lightly, “There were a few matters that weren’t settled on time yesterday, so I let that Starship depart first. Uncle Xin Rui is sailing for Emerald Star, so I thought there shouldn’t be a problem if I rode your Starship instead. In any case, you will be passing through Rainfall Star, that’s my destination as well.”
Xin Rui’s brow couldn’t help furrowing slightly.
Xue Yue observed this and continued to laugh, “Is there something inconvenient about my presence, Uncle Xin Rui? Could it be there’s something aboard this Starship you don’t want me to see?”
Xin Rui’s attitude made him feel somewhat suspicious so Xue Yue couldn’t help probing him slightly.
Xin Rui broke out into laughter hearing this, “Young Master Xue Yue surely jests, aboard my Starship are only the materials ordered by Raging Flame Sect, how could there be anything I don’t want you to see? Please feel free to step aboard, Young Master Xue Yue!”
Saying so, he opened the way.
“Many thanks, Uncle Xin Rui,” Xue Yue nodded before he and his two followers walked up the ramp to the Starship under the solemn and respectful gazes of all the surrounding cultivators.
“Check if there are any materials aboard this Starship that aren’t supposed to be here!” Xue Yue never lost his smile as he sent a Divine Sense Message to his two subordinates.
“Does Young Master suspect Xin Rui of smuggling supplies?” One of them asked back.
“He shouldn’t be, but the way he was acting just now makes me a little curious. An abundance of caution is not unwarranted!”
“Subordinate will verify the situation as quickly as possible!”
The group of three walked through the Starship’s corridors and soon arrived at a luxurious room. Only the most important of passengers were eligible to live in such quarters.
The rooms where Yang Kai and Xue Tong were staying were just ordinary quarters where the ordinary crewmembers lived.
Outside the Starship, after Xue Yue and his escorts walked inside, Xin Rui looked up and saw two particularly ugly faces staring out a nearby window.
“He really boarded,” Yang Kai expression sank dramatically as he glanced towards Xue Tong.
Xue Tong’s face was also twitching. Never had he dreamed they would run into Xue Yue at this time, much less watch him board the same Starship as them.
“Young Master Xue Yue seems to be headed for Rainfall Star, it is one of the Cultivation Stars under the jurisdiction of the Chamber of Commerce and is only a two months journey from here. Young Master Yang should bear with this situation for a while. After Young Master Xue Yue leaves, everything will be alright,” Xue Tong comforted.
“Seems there’s no other choice,” Yang Kai nodded helplessly.
Although he had never really met Xue Yue and at the time could only vaguely see his face, the other party should still remember his approximate appearance. If Yang Kai were to appear in front of Xue Yue now, it would be no different from turning himself over to him. In order to keep the secret of him privately trading precious commodities, Xue Yue had already killed two thousand innocent people, he certainly wouldn’t mind killing one more.
The two people beside Xue Yue were definitely masters Yang Kai couldn’t beat as he felt tremendous pressure from them.
He knew that Xue Tong’s suggestion was the best course of action to follow.
“Please take this, Young Master Yang. After pouring your Divine Sense into it, you can immediately contact me if you require anything,” Xue Tong said as he took out a communication type artifact and handed it to Yang Kai.
Yang Kai accepted it and briefly examined it, quickly figuring out how it worked.
Yang Kai had seen these kinds of compass-looking artifacts used for communication many times before. The cultivators from Purple Star and Sword Union also used these to communicate, but it wasn’t until now that Yang Kai actually got hold of one of them, piquing his curious slightly.
“Good, then I’ll go back first,” Yang Kai said, storing the communicator into his pocket.
He had heard the footsteps of the group of three led by Xue Yue pass by a while ago and knew they must have left by far by now, so for the moment there wasn’t any problem moving about.
“Young Master Yang…” Xue Tong suddenly called out towards his back.
“Is there something else?” Yang Kai looked back at him.
Xue Tong hesitated a moment before declaring, “Young Master Shen Tu sincerely wished to become friends with you. He would not do something to betray your trust!”
Yang Kai stared deeply into his eyes before gently nodding, “I understand.”
He had only suspected that Shen Tu had betrayed him because this situation was too coincidental. Anyone would have been confused by it.
However, from the conversation between Xue Yue and Xin Rui, Yang Kai had already determined that this was just his own misunderstanding.
When Shen Tu had learned that he had killed three cultivators from the Chamber of Commerce, he showed no intention to pursue it, so it was obvious how much he valued their friendship. Otherwise, he would have at least revealed an unpleasant look at the time.
However, he had not done so. Compared to Yang Kai, Shen Tu didn’t care one bit about the death of three of his Chamber of Commerce’s cultivators!
Returning to his room, Yang Kai closed the door and sat down on the bed to cultivate.
After about an hour, a humming sound echoed throughout the huge Starship and for a moment it seemed to shake. Soon after though, everything became smooth again and the Starship slowly lifted off and adjusted its heading. After rising a few thousand meters, the Starship rapidly accelerated, turning into a streak of light that rushed off into the Starry Sky.
Yang Kai opened his eyes and looked over his shoulder just in time to see the scenery outside his window rapidly rush past and soon, everything on Water Moon Star’s surface became incredibly small.
After passing through the thick layer of clouds, the Starship arrived in the realm of stars and swiftly headed in the direction of Emerald Star.
Since he knew that Xue Yue was also aboard this Starship, Yang Kai behaved with extreme caution, not even opening his own door. Even when he was cultivating, he was careful not to expose his own aura so as not to attract the attention of Xue Yue.
From the information obtained by Xue Tong, Yang Kai had learned that Xue Yue was living in a first-class suite on a different level far away from their low-level rooms, but Yang Kai still didn’t relax his vigilance.
After spending so many years outside adventuring, Yang Kai had fully understood that care and caution were the foundation of survival.
This Saint King Grade High-Rank Starship was extremely fast, many times faster than Yang Kai’s Star Shuttle.
When comparing the same rank of Starship and Star Shuttle, a Starship would always have an absolute advantage in terms of speed. Despite their larger size, the numerous Spirit Arrays engraved on their hulls would provide a much greater boost in propulsive output and use Saint Crystals as their primary source of power instead of a cultivator’s own Saint Qi.
Amidst the Starry Sky, there were countless drifting asteroids. There was no regularity to these asteroids. Some were big, some were small, some were scattered and remote, while others gathered together to form a large Asteroid Seas.
As the Starship moved through the Starry Sky, it would avoid most of these asteroids with great finesse so as not to cause unnecessary damage to the hull. If an asteroid couldn’t be avoided, cultivators from the Starship would be dispatched to shift its track or to simply destroy it.
The journey was calm and peaceful; Yang Kai remained inside his own room, mostly cultivating but occasionally observing the fascinating outside scenery to ease his nerves.
One day, he suddenly took out the communication type artifact and poured his Divine Sense into it to contact Xue Tong.
“What command does Young Master Yang have?” Xue Tong quickly responded.
“What kind of cultivation do the two people around Xue Yue posses?”
“One of them is an Origin Returning Realm master and the other should only be a Third Order Saint King!”
“Origin Returning Realm…” Yang Kai couldn’t help feeling a sense of surprise, now fully understanding just how much President Ai Ou valued Xue Yue. Even the best guards in Shen Tu’s palace were on the same level as Jia Long, Third Order Saint Kings, but Xue Yue actually had an Origin Returning Realm master serving as a bodyguard.
In President Ai Ou’s mind, Xue Yue’s position must be significantly higher than Shen Tu’s.
“What about Xue Yue himself?” Yang Kai asked.
“Ten years ago he broke through to the Second Order Saint King Realm, but currently I’m not too sure…” Xue Tong’s spoke in a somewhat exasperated tone, “Young Master Xue Yue’s talent is outstanding. Among President Ai Ou’s many sons, Xue Yue’s cultivation is the highest; Young Master Shen Tu only ranks a distant second.”
“Fierce,” Yang Kai acclaimed with sincere admiration, “Besides the master accompanying Xue Yue, are there no other cultivators on this Starship at the Origin Returning Realm?”
“En, there aren’t. After all, such masters are not very common. The number of Origin Returning Realm masters on each Cultivation Star is never that high, most of them are scattered throughout the Star Field and each one is a mainstay of each force. Shipping commodities from place to place is a minor matter that most Origin Returning Realm masters pay no mind to, only if something of extreme value is being shipped will an Origin Returning Realm cultivator be sent to escort it.”
After explaining all this, Xue Tong paused for a moment before asking, “Is Young Master Yang worried about the safety of this Starship? If so, you may be rest easy. Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce’s influence has spread to every corner of the Star Field and we have connections to every major force in existence. Even those robbers and murderers from Galaxy Ridge and Abandoned Lair won’t get any ideas about our Chamber of Commerce’s Starships because they too need to maintain trade relations with us.”
Galaxy Ridge and Abandoned Lair were Heng Luo Star Field’s two great evil forces. Yang Kai has previously learned from Shen Tu that these two forces were rampant pirates who pillaged and murdered across the Star Field, robbing Starships and plundering their goods while turning the males into slaves and the women into toys. They were savage and ruthless to the bone.
Any Starship would steer well clear of these two places.
In the past, the Star Field’s great forces had collaborated many times to encircle and route these two forces out, but their two hideouts were natural fortresses and possessed extremely strong fortifications. Every time they have encircled these two places, the Star Field’s great forces would suffer heavy losses and although they could temporarily suppress Galaxy Ridge and Abandoned Lair, it wouldn’t be long before they recovered and then wreak terrible revenge upon the Star Field.
After repeating this thankless job several times, the great forces eventually gave up.
“As long as this Starship bears the insignia of the Chamber of Commerce, no one will dare move against it!” Xue Tong’s said with an obvious note of pride in his voice.
“En, understood!” Yang Kai nodded, chatting with Xue Tong for a while to alleviate his boredom before ending the conversation with him.
Immersing his consciousness into his Knowledge Sea, Yang Kai materialized his Soul Avatar and began studying the giant Star Chart once again.
A moment ago, during his conversation with Xue Tong, Yang Kai had inquired about Rainfall Star and their end destination Emerald Star. From Xue Tong, Yang Kai learned that these two stars were Cultivation Stars with rich World Energy auras and that Rainfall Star belonged to Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce while Emerald Star was the home star of Raging Flame Sect. After learning this general information, Yang Kai became curious and decided to seek out the positions of Emerald Star and Rainfall Star in his Star Chart.
Yang Kai’s Divine Sense flew like lightning across the giant Star Chart suspended above his Knowledge Sea.
Soon, he found a Cultivation Star matching the description Xue Tong had given him. This Cultivation Star was half ocean, half dry land, and was almost the same size as Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce’s home star, Water Moon Star.
Rainfall Star!
Around Rainfall Star there was a great sun as well as a number of small moons. These moons orbited Rainfall Star under the influence of its gravity field, while Rainfall Star orbited the sun under the influence of its gravity. All of these celestial bodies were invisibly yet inextricably linked together.
The entire Star Field was like this, and observing it was equivalent to observing some kind of grand Heavenly principle.
Suns and Moons were two kinds of stars that would inevitably exist around any Cultivation Star. Suns would give off brilliant sunlight, providing the plants and creatures on the surface of a Cultivation Star with the energy required to support life. Moons scattered holy radiance and cold moonlight that would allow cultivators to calm their minds and souls.
After finding Rainfall Star, Yang Kai began trying to use his understanding of the Star Field to plot a safe course to it.
Soon, Yang Kai was pleasantly surprised to discover that using his consciousness as a pen and his Spiritual Energy as ink to sketch routes on this Star Chart was actually able to enhance his understanding of the use of his Divine Sense.
This unexpected discovery caused him some elation.
He spared no effort mapping out other safe routes on the Star Chart, copying them into his Star Shuttle whenever he completed one.
Yang Kai soon immersed himself in this task and gradually forgot the passage of time.
Plotting then copying these safe routes on the Star Chart then into his Star Shuttle consumed a great deal of Spiritual Energy. Yang Kai continued mapping out various safe routes from one Cultivation Star to another on the Star Chart for several days. Some of these safe routes were extremely long and would take several years even with a fast Starship. Others were short enough that only a couple of months would be required to complete them.
Yang Kai’s understanding of the Star Field became more and more profound as he continued this unusual form of practice. His understanding and control over his Conflagrated Knowledge Sea also grew at a noticeable rate. Both inside and out, Yang Kai felt as if his Soul had been baptized and sublimated.
However, he didn’t really know how much use these various routes he was plotting out would have. With the giant Star Chart in his Knowledge Sea, moving safely about the Star Field was a simple task for him.
The only way to verify their usefulness would be to put them to use.
Yang Kai stopped plotting new courses at one point and compared the route the Starship he was sailing about to the one he had created.
When he found that the safe route he had plotted using the giant Star Chart did not differ greatly from the sailing route of the Starship, Yang Kai was quite excited and his confidence and motivation were both boosted.
Yang Kai then began to observe the route ahead, wanting to see if they would encounter any danger.
After a short observation though, he found something wrong.
The Starship he was aboard would sail for another day or two before entering a cold and desolate part of the Star Field. There was a large number of asteroids in this particular region and the light from all the surrounding stars was weak and gloomy, with no aura whatsoever.
These stars were all Dead Stars.
Contacting Xue Tong, he asked him about this region.
Xue Tong quickly replied, “Young Master Yang does not need to worry, that is the famous Ice-Cold Dead Zone. We will indeed be passing through it.”
“Is there no problems with that?” Yang Kai didn’t immediately relax and asked.
“En, there are no issues. Every Starship travelling to Rainfall Star from Water Moon Star will pass through there, there is no danger,” Xue Tong seemed to think that Yang Kai was making a fuss over nothing and secretly chuckled to himself.
After a moment though, he suddenly asked with amazement, “How did Young Master Yang know that we will pass through the Ice-Cold Dead Zone?”
According to what Xue Tong knew about him, it was impossible for Yang Kai to have had prior knowledge about their route, confusing him somewhat.
Yang Kai did not explain and instead just ended the conversation before continuing to study the giant Star Chart and improve his ability to manipulate his Spiritual Energy.
In a different, far more luxurious room of the Starship, Xue Yue sat in a relaxed manner upon a comfortable chair. He held a glass in his hand, filled with dark red wine, savouring its taste elegantly as he listened to the report of his Origin Returning Realm guard.
“Young Master, I performed a thorough inspection and discovered that there is nothing out of order with the materials being shipped aboard this Starship. It is indeed what Raging Flame Sect ordered with no additional unregistered cargo.”
“Nothing extra or missing?” Xue Yue asked softly.
“None! I even caught one of the crew and spied on his memory, yet I found no problems at all.”
“Oh?” Xue Yue showed a thoughtful look on his face, his slender fingers casually brushing his long hair away from his face as his brow slightly wrinkled.
Xue Yue’s movements were natural and unintentional, but when they appeared in the eyes of his other subordinate who was standing nearby, that man couldn’t help revealing an infatuated look, his breathing becoming a bit heavier as the gaze gradually went from that of a calm master to those of a hungry wolf staring at a delicious meal.
This man’s aura started fluctuating violently as his strength began to condense, seemingly on the verge of pouncing upon Xue Yue, not caring one bit he was also a man!
“Young Master!” The Origin Returning Realm master immediately realized something was amiss and quickly shouted.
“Hm?” Xue Yue awoke from his contemplation and saw the ugly look on his other subordinate’s face, his crystal clear eyes revealing a thick meaning of disgust as he angrily shouted, “Get out!”
The Third Order Saint King cultivator finally regained his senses when he heard this shout and his face dyed bright red with embarrassment, wishing he could immediately find a hole to crawl into and hide, swiftly asking for mercy before dashing out the door!
After he left, the Origin Returning Realm old man could only smile bitterly, “Young Master, you must pay more attention to your surroundings, just now was not actually his wrong.”
Xue Yue snorted, “Such disappointing metal fortitude, from now on, do not allow him to follow me!”
“Understood,” The old man gently nodded, sighing in his heart.
If it weren’t for his own profound strength and advanced age, a moment ago, even he might have fallen into a deluded state when Xue Yue had inadvertently revealed his aura. He suddenly understood that this extraordinary Young Master of his was indeed as rumoured, deadly to men and women alike!
Usually, his charms only affected women.
However, when he inadvertently exposed his mesmerizing aura, even men would find themselves unable to resist his appeal.
If this person were to fully mature, who would be capable of resisting his charms?
“If there is no problem with the materials… What is Xin Rui trying to hide?” Xue Yue showed a shallow smile on his face before suddenly saying, “Forget it, there’s no point wasting any more effort on such a minor matter. You may go.”
“Yes!” The Origin Returning Realm old man respectfully retired.
……
The Starship’s cruising speed suddenly dropped as it entered the Ice-Cold Dead Zone. If it wanted to avoid the irregularly moving asteroids, it simply couldn’t maintain its original speed.
Soon, the fascinating scenery outside the window disappeared and was replaced by a dark and desolate void. There was truly nothing of worth to see, as if the Starship had suddenly plunged into a deep abyss.
Occasionally, some streaks of light would pass by, but just as fast as they came, they would disappear.
Through this vast desolate region, the huge Starship continued moving forward smoothly, unaffected by the outside world.
This route was not dangerous, just a bit bumpy. Innumerable Starships from the Chamber of Commerce had passed through this place and never once had there been any kind of serious accident.
So the cultivators aboard the Starship didn’t reveal any kind of worry.
However, as the captain of the Starship, Xin Rui always maintained a degree of vigilance about the surrounding environment, not daring to relax.
He knew that any accident, large or small, could cause unexpected losses.
Two days later, a massive Asteroid Sea appeared again in front of the Starship and Xin Rui ordered his crew to act even more cautiously, to avoid impacts as best as possible.
When the Starship entered this Asteroid Sea though, for some inexplicable reason, Xin Rui suddenly felt an uncomfortable chill, as if crisis was upon him!
The last time he felt this sensation was many years ago when he was being chased down by an Origin Returning Realm cultivator. It was thanks to this unique intuition that he had managed to escape and survive until today.
He had great faith in this instinct.
So Xin Rui immediately began scanning the surroundings outside the window to see if there was any kind of approaching danger.
A moment later, from a certain location, he saw a white point of light amongst the dark Ice-Cold Dead Zone.
This point of light cut through the darkness like a brilliant sword. As if chain reaction had been started, another twenty white points of light appeared around the Starship like fireflies scattered around the nearby asteroids.
Xin Rui’s pupils shrank as he shouted at the top his lungs, “Full speed ahead! Get us clear! Someone’s set up a trap using Star Breaker Sparks here!”
His shout echoed throughout the Starship, allowing everyone on board to clearly hear him, the cultivators in the power room all paling when they heard his words and not hesitating to raise the Starship’s speed to maximum to desperately flee this area.
However, it was too late. As soon as Xin Rui’s words rang out, the white points of light all sent out a strange energy fluctuation and exploded, releasing a brilliance brighter than the dazzling rays of the sun, causing the darkest part of the Starry Sky, the Ice-Cold Dead Zone, to fill with light.
Shocking and terrifying energy fluctuations erupted from the white lights, causing ripples in space visible to the naked eye. These ripples from the twenty white lights immediately overlapped and amplified one another, creating an inescapable region of death.
The space inside the Ice-Cold Dead Zone warped and cracked. Innumerable asteroids were instantly vaporized, leaving not even dust behind.
The Saint King Grade High-Rank Starship which had just accelerated was swiftly engulfed by these destructive waves.
The incredibly sturdy hull, which could allow the Starship to safely roam the Star Field, was as fragile as tofu before these ripples and like the surrounding asteroids, turned to ash, exposing the interior.
Every single one of the Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce cultivators went pale with fright, as horror filled their faces and their lives flashed before their eyes.
When the destructive waves hit, regardless of how high their cultivation was, all burst into bloody fog with not even their bones surviving!
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When Xin Rui first shouted, Yang Kai was still immersed in studying the Star Chart above his Knowledge Sea.
Noticing something was wrong from the sudden shout and subsequent panic, he withdrew his consciousness just in time to feel the intense energy fluctuations crash towards him from all directions, the overbearing force they carried with them giving him the feeling of impending death.
The communication type artifact in his pocket vibrated and Xue Tong shouted, “Young Master Yang, quickly…”
Before he could finish his words though, the communication was cut off.
The room around him suddenly collapsed, and the debris that was created quickly disintegrated and vanished into nothingness. Yang Kai’s body was then directly exposed to the Starry Sky.
Rapidly sweeping his eyes around, Yang Kai saw bursts of blood all around him as the Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce cultivators one after another desperately tried to escape but were swiftly overtaken by the destructive waves and pulverised.
The ripples in space acted like the sharpest of blades, shredding these cultivators to dust.
Yang Kai realized he was in the midst of a life or death crisis and immediately condensed his strength and slashed his hand forward in an attempt to tear space and escape from this place.
However, what made him feel desperate was that at this moment, he was unable to accomplish the familiar task of tearing space. The explosions that had occurred all around him had greatly destabilized the surrounding space. So, he was unable to tear space!
Twenty black hole-like cracks appeared around the Starship, like the mouths of giant fish that were engulfing everything nearby.
Yang Kai went paled and swiftly activated his Demon God Transformation in an attempt to maximize his strength before attempting to escape in the opposite direction of the spreading ripples.
Behind him, the aura of death pursued him like a relentless tidal wave, the space around him seemingly transforming into the sharpest of weapons, shredding Yang Kai’s body, causing great spurts of golden blood to fly out.
Resisting the pain, Yang Kai madly circulated his Saint Qi and condensed out a series of Grand Heavenly Shields while simultaneously summoning out the Silver Leaf artifact he had not used for so long, transforming it into a light curtain that tightly wrapped around his form.
*Chi chi chi…*
The disintegrating space swiftly cut into Yang Kai’s defences, ripping apart the silver light halo in an instant and causing the Silver Leaf Grade High-Rank artifact to lose its spirituality in the next moment before it ultimately collapsed.
The artifact had actually been directly destroyed.
The destructive onslaught did not abate and the Grand Heavenly Shields condensed by Yang Kai were unable to resist their might, shattering faster than he could form them, leaving no margin for Yang Kai to even catch his breath.
Bearing the terrible pain directly with his body once more, Yang Kai did not doubt he would soon die if he didn’t do something.
Raising his speed to its limits, Yang Kai let out a desperate roar as he shot in a random direction, trying to seek a way out from this disaster.
Just then, another shout rang out from nearby.
“Young Master, run quickly! I will buy you some time!”
Even while busy fleeing, Yang Kai shot a glance towards the source of the voice and discovered an old man standing nearby, his arms spread wide open as if he was trying to embrace something, staring towards the approaching waves of destruction, a strange energy fluctuation spreading out from his figure. As the unique aura of an Origin Returning Realm spread out, this old man used all his strength to wrench open one of the cracks in space before him and expand it as wide as he possibly could.
As the violent waves crashed towards him, the old man wore a fearless look upon his face as he stood his ground, allowing the Heaven shaking destructive force to wash over him, disintegrating his clothes, then rending the flesh from his bones.
However, because of this old ma’s efforts, a large portion of the destructive energy had been led into The Void.
Yang Kai felt the surrounding pressure on him drop noticeably and joy filled his heart.
Not far from the old man, an incredibly handsome young man with long hair draped over his shoulders stared at the old man who was sacrificing his life for him and desperately wished to help him, but was powerless to do anything. Clenching his teeth, the young man summoning a set of flame-coloured armour that tightly wrapped around his body, making him appear even more gallant and valiant.
He and Yang Kai exchanged a single glance before both fled in the same direction.
Xue Yue!
Yang Kai groaned, wishing he could stop right now and choke this guy to death!
In that brief glance, Xue Yue had also recognized Yang Kai’s identity, but in this life or death crisis, he had no time to care about him. Frustrated, Xue Yue simply clenched his fists together while suppressing the feelings of helplessness and anger inside his heart, glancing back once more just in time to see the old man’s bones rupture before turning around and fleeing as fast as he could.
The Origin Returning Realm old man had only delayed the destructive onslaught for three breaths of time before the space crack he had forcibly opened was destroyed and the deadly waves expanded outwards once more.
These overlapping waves of destruction quickly spread to the location of Yang Kai and Xue Yue.
Yang Kai felt as if he had been punched by thousands of fists, every bit of his skin cracking open while his Knowledge Sea was thrown into chaos before he swiftly lost consciousness.
Just before he passed out though, he saw that the set of armour and the clothes Xue Yue wore beneath them tear apart, revealing a white, flawless body.
Yang Kai’s eyes bulged at that moment as he swore he saw something unbelievable…
In that instant, the two pectoral muscles of this ‘young man’ appeared somewhat different than he had expected…
This strange sight was the last thing Yang Kai saw before darkness took him.
……
Amidst the Ice-Cold Dead Zone, a desolate silence filled the air.
The nearby Asteroid Sea had been swept away and was now nowhere to be seen. The massive Saint King Grade High-Rank Starship had also disappeared, along with hundreds of cultivators and all the materials it had been carrying.
It was as if none of it had ever existed, no trace left behind at all.
Silently, Yang Kai’s bloody figure drifted through the Starry Sky. It was as if he had fallen into a deep sleep and there was no way to tell when he might awaken.
Golden rays of light shrouded his figure as the restorative powers of the Demon God Golden Blood once again displayed their formidability, rapidly repairing his damaged physique.
His fingers twitched suddenly and his eyes shot open, a dazed look covering his face as he stared blankly into space for a moment.
The scene from just before he passed out then flashed before his eyes and the desperate screams and roars reverberated in his ears, allowing him to immediately come to his senses.
Upon trying to move, Yang Kai discovered that his body was completely stiff.
He felt as if all his bones had been shattered and his body filled with scars.
Laying back down again, he quickly inspected his condition with his Divine Sense.
The situation was quite bad, his physique had many grievous wounds and many of his meridians were seriously damaged. Yang Kai couldn’t circulate his Saint Qi smoothly either, so his current strength didn’t even reach half of his maximum.
Even with Yang Kai’s formidable resilience and the incredible restorative power of his Demon God Golden Blood, if he wanted to completely restore himself from these injuries he would need at least half a month.
After clarifying his current state, Yang Kai took out a healing Saint Pill from his Demon Mystic Tome and stuffed it into his mouth.
At the same time, Yang Kai couldn’t help rejoicing slightly. If it weren’t for the old Origin Returning Realm master who had been accompanying Xue Yue dampening the destructive wave for a moment back then, his current injuries would be far more serious and the chances of him having died would not have been small.
Even a master at the Origin Returning Realm had died, what hope did a small Second-Order Saint like him have?
What about Xue Yue? Did he die?
Recalling the scene he saw right before slipping into a coma, Yang Kai’s expression became strange. He thought about it carefully and confirmed that it was not an illusion born of his own confusion. The Star Field’s famous Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce Third Young Master apparently had an incredible secret!
Yang Kai released his Divine Sense but didn’t notice any life auras nearby. If he hadn’t died, Yang Kai anticipated that Xue Yue’s situation would be similar to his own. He had accidentally seen the other party’s greatest secret, and even before that Xue Yue had intended to kill him, so now it was even more impossible for him to let Yang Kai off.
Yang Kai fully regarded Xue Yue as his enemy!
Xue Tong…
Remembering about the other person who had been accompanying him, Yang Kai quickly took out the communication type artifact from the Demon Mystic Tome and poured his Divine Sense into it, trying to get in touch with Xue Tong.
To his disappointment though, no matter how he called out, Yang Kai received no response from Xue Tong. Before the disaster, Xue Tong had used this communication type artifact to try to warn Yang Kai to escape, but he had been cut off before he could even finish his words.
It seems that at that time, Xue Tong had already suffered disaster.
Yang Kai sighed deeply before stowing away the communication type artifact. He was a bit sad that Xue Tong had fallen. This Monster Race cultivator had been good to him; if Shen Tu hadn’t made Xue Tong accompany Yang Kai, he wouldn’t have been caught up in this disaster.
His luck was really bad…
Who laid such a trap in that Asteroid Sea though? Why did they want to destroy a Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce Starship?
Also, what kind of trap was capable of such immense destructive power?
Was it for revenge? Was it an assassination? Yang Kai had no way to know.
He only remembered that Xin Rui had said something about Star Breaker Sparks before the disaster occurred, but Yang Kai had no idea what that was.
Yang Kai secretly decided that he needed to discover the truth of this matter, not only because he had almost been killed, but also because he need to give Shen Tu an explanation for Xue Tong’s death!
From behind Yang Kai, a slight attractive force appeared, pulling his body downwards. Yang Kai turned his head around with great difficulty and discovered that a few hundred kilometers or so away there was a small Dead Star.
The force which had caught Yang Kai was the gravity generated by this Dead Star.
Yang Kai didn’t resist and allowed the Dead Star to pull him in.
Two hours later, when Yang Kai was just about to hit the surface of this Dead Star, he slowly, roughly circulated his Saint Qi to stabilize his figure.
Glancing around, Yang Kai felt that this place truly deserved its Dead Star classification. A thick Death Qi lingered about the deserted surface, with no trace of vitality or life anywhere to be seen, only some scattered craters and mountains added variety to the landscape.
At the moment, Yang Kai stood next to a huge pit, not a single strip of clothing on his body.
All his clothes had been destroyed in the previous incident.
After this short period of recovery, Yang Kai felt a bit better and was just about to take out a set of clothes from the Demon Mystic Tome when his expression suddenly changed and he hurriedly released his Divine Sense.
He noticed another life aura in a place not far from him.
His brow wrinkling slightly, Yang Kai didn’t even bother wearing clothes first before quickly flying over to investigate.
A thousand meters from where Yang Kai had landed was another massive pit. There, a woman with an astonishingly beautiful body and exposed jade white skin sat.
Standing up in the pit, she rubbed her forehead, slowly kneading it as she scanned her surroundings.
Similar to Yang Kai, because of the recent disaster, she was in somewhat of a daze and couldn’t immediately tell what had just happened.
Standing there, her snow-white naked form revealed a gloss, like the finest of porcelain, and her pair of jade peaks stood as tall as mountains yet as soft as the clouds. Her beautiful legs were long and slender and by themselves were enough to cause any man’s blood to boil.
The dark red bloodstains which covered her body did nothing to detract from her image, and instead, caused her to exude an even richer sense of temptation.
She was currently in a great deal of pain, and every time she tried to move a moan would leak from her lips, resounding like the most fascinating music between the Heavens and the Earth.
Calming down and thinking about it, she gradually understood her situation, and recalled what had happened before, her beautiful eyes trembled lightly and a thick murderous intent flashed across their depths, causing her tender body to shiver unconsciously.
Gritting her teeth tightly, she took a deep breath, her full chest heaving up and down in a mesmerizing arc, trying to calm her fluctuating mood.
She quickly tapped her Space Ring and took out a fragrant healing pill, forcing it into her mouth in order to help restore her injuries and recover her strength.
She then took out a pair of petite snow-white underwear adorned with exquisite lace patterns and made from the finest of materials from her Space Ring.
She lifted her foot and bent down halfway, ready to put on her clothes before considering anything else.
But just then, a sudden noise resounded from above her head and a few pieces of rock quickly fell before her eyes.
When she heard this movement, her beautiful face couldn’t help but pale as she swiftly glanced upwards.
There, she saw a man who at some unknown point had arrived and stood at the top of the crater she was standing in. His vision was fiery and he made no attempt to hide the sharp glances he was directing towards her most intimate and secretive places, everything she was being imprinted into his eyes.
She instantly remembered this man’s face.
It was him, the one who had passed by the mountain valley some time ago and forced her to abandon that transaction.
It was him, the one she had spent two months looking for and killed two thousand people to find!
It was him, the one who had fled together with her when the Starship they had been riding was destroyed.
His whole body was also stark naked, his solid, powerful muscles exposed and the symbol of his manhood, like the long trunk of an elephant, on full display, tarnishing her delicate eyes and forever engraving its image into her innocent soul!
It was then that she realized that she was also not wearing anything, and at this moment, was bent over halfway, her twin peaks pressed together tightly while she lightly lifted and extended one of her legs towards his direction. It was as if she was a seductress actively showing off her beautiful figure to please her lover…
Her rage and anger soared to unprecedented heights!
“You seek…” She tried to shout, but before she could finish her sentence, her face went pale and she began coughing fiercely, her thin, tender mouth overflowing with red blood, her delicate hand reaching up to cover her chest as she staggered backwards.
Her injuries were much more severe than Yang Kai’s, her five viscera and six organs all heavily battered, and although her red flame armour had managed to stop her skin from receiving many series bruises, her internal injuries were awful to the extreme.
“… Death!” She squeezed out the last word as she glared at Yang Kai, gnashing her teeth, wishing she could drink his blood and feast on his flesh.
No man had ever seen her body like this, and aside from a few select people, none even know about her secret identity, yet now she had actually exposed everything to this nobody, her whole body put on display for his dissolute eyes to wantonly gaze upon.
She couldn’t help feeling as though she was being blasphemed.
“Young Master Xue Yue?” Yang Kai grinned, a meaningful grin appearing on his face, not caring one bit about his own nakedness. Not only did he not try to cover himself, he even took a step forward, allowing his figure to be seen even more clearly, chatting as he walked, “I didn’t expect that Young Master Xue Yue was actually a woman, this is really a fantastic tale.”
The woman standing at the bottom of the pit was seventy or eighty percent similar to Xue Yue, whom Yang Kai had seen before, but the difference now had made Xue Yue reborn as an astonishingly beautiful woman.
Her beauty was hard to describe in words, everything from her looks to her body was the epitome of perfection, without the slightest blemish. It was as if the Heavens themselves had concentrated all their blessings onto her, allowing anyone who laid eyes upon her to fall into a fascination they would never be able to extricate themselves from.
Her beautiful eyes were also crystal clear, so much so that if one were to stare into them, they would feel as if their soul was being drawn from their body, shattering their sense of free will, and making them willing to dedicate their entire being to serve her every whim.
When Yang Kai had first arrived here and caught sight of her, he felt as if lightning had struck his body, and a deep intoxication swiftly filled his heart. At that moment, he wished time and space would freeze so he could forever see this scene of her leaning over to dress herself.
Her whole being was like the most beautiful of dreams, beguiling one’s soul and causing them to wish they would never awaken.
Yang Kai was a wanderer and in his travels, he had seen many different women, many of them possessing outstanding beauty, but when carefully comparing them, none could reach the height this woman before him had reached. No one was as perfect as she was. Even Su Yan and Little Senior Sister fell short of her.
A woman like her could only be described as a miracle!
This was the gracious gift of the Heavens to mankind.
She was clearly the same as he was, knocked out by the disaster then pulled by the gravity of this Dead Star, forcing her to land here. On top of that, she shouldn’t have woken up long ago otherwise there was no way she wouldn’t have put on her clothes.
She had killed two thousand people innocent people just to seek him out in order to ensure her secret never leaked.
Whether Yang Kai was willing or not, she had become his enemy.
But at this moment, Yang Kai wasn’t certain whether he should immediately attack her, or take a step back.
After all, this person was still related to Shen Tu, she was Shen Tu’s Sister!
Also, Yang Kai found himself a bit reluctant to act against her, secretly feeling that bullying such a beautiful woman wasn’t something he should do.
This thought, however, only raised his vigilance even higher and he quickly stabilized his mind to resist Xue Yue’s natural aura.
Xue Yue had not used any kind of Seduction Technique and had not used any kind of secret technique or skill to affect his judgment, she was just standing there, staring at him resentfully without disguising her disgust and murderous intent; however, her mere presence was pulling at Yang Kai’s heart, making him wish to cherish and protect her.
[Such a fearful woman!] Yang Kai secretly screamed to himself.
Yang Kai clearly knew she had ill intentions towards him, and couldn’t wait to kill him brutally, yet he still couldn’t immediately bring himself to attack her. A woman capable of such magnetism was something Yang Kai had never before encountered.
“What do you want to do?” Xue Yue seemed to know that her current state was horrendous so she didn’t rush to find trouble with Yang Kai. She did, however, use the last remnants of her strength release a seven coloured light screen around her to cover her more sensitive parts so as not to give Yang Kai a chance to continue gawking at her.
However, possibly because she was weaker than she realized, this seven coloured light film wasn’t very strong and instead of completely obstructing her figure, it only added a translucent covering to her body.
She suddenly became even more seductive!
This kind of alluring scene ruthlessly slammed into Yang Kai’s mind, giving him an intense visual impact.
Compared to when she was fully naked, her current appearance was even more fascinating.
Xue Yue’s face became even uglier, her shame and embarrassment reaching levels she had never even imagined possible before, all of which finally snapped her last thread of reason and she gathered the seven coloured light onto her fist and ruthlessly leapt towards Yang Kai while he was still in a daze.
Xue Yue flew right up to Yang Kai and sent her seemingly delicate fist hurtling towards him. This punch was filled to the brim with an amazing energy fluctuation that shot straight towards Yang Kai’s heart.
She had to kill this man who had defiled her beautiful body with his obscene eyes and protect her life’s greatest secret!
Meeting this murderous intent head-on, Yang Kai remained indifferent, his brazen gaze continuing to sweep over Xue Yue’s body, focusing on the two delicate cherries top her grand peaks, then the fine grassland between her two legs, all of her features becoming like a great vortex which sucked in his heart, making him unable to extricate himself.
Xue Yue’s pretty face showed a look of utter disdain and loathing as she condensed even more power into her fist.
*Hong…*
Her jade white fist pounded directly onto Yang Kai’s chest, a fierce strength penetrating right through to his core, shattering his five viscera and six organs, causing him to burst into a bloody fog. Or at least, that’s what Xue Yue expected to happen. However, at the moment of impact, she saw a mocking grin appear on Yang Kai’s face as he swiftly stretched out his arms and directly grabbed hold of her!
Xue Yue’s face went pale as she let out a scream.
She felt her full peaks squeezed up against a strong, muscular chest, deforming greatly as an amazing amount of heat shot through her like a bolt of lightning, causing her tender body to tremble and scrambling her thoughts, making it difficult for her to even breathe normally.
She lifted her hands to push and shove Yang Kai, but she was unable to gather any of her strength.
The punch she had just delivered a moment ago had completely turned her into a dry oil lamp.
She pounded her fists against Yang Kai’s shoulder while continually twisting her body in an attempt to free herself from his grasp, but not only did this not achieve her objective, it instead created an amusing picture, like the playful flirting of two lovers.
“Don’t move!” Yang Kai shouted lowly, and ominous light flashing across his eyes as he threatened.
But Xue Yue obviously ignored his warning completely and simply continued punching and cursing Yang Kai as a shameless bastard, hoodlum, rogue, and beast as she struggled even harder.
“Ao…” Yang Kai’s expression suddenly became strange as an odd sound leaked from his throat, a look of ecstasy appearing on his face.
All this intense rubbing and twisting had caused Yang Kai to obtain a deep and profound understanding of Xue Yue’s amazingly soft body and the unimaginable elasticity of her jade peaks.
Yang Kai’s gaze filled with fire and he was almost unable to contain the primal desires raging in his heart, his body already surrendering to them and displaying the natural reaction a man should have to such a situation.
“You…” Xue Yue’s face went as pale as paper as she felt a great monster quickly rise up between her legs, its head as hard as steel and as hot as lava, aggressively clawing its way towards her most precious of treasures!
Inside the crater, Yang Kai and Xue Yue faced each other up close, each of them able to feel the heat of the other’s skin and smell the fragrance of the other’s breath.
Yang Kai tightly embraced her, putting as much strength into his arms as he could, as if he wished to break her tender body in two.
Xue Yue’s beautiful face paled, the boiling hot dragon which was scaling her legs throwing her heart into chaos. She immediately realized what was happening, and she couldn’t help shuddering, her beautiful eyes filling with fear and panic as she involuntarily clamped her legs together as tightly as possible, trying to impede this monster from further encroaching upon her innocence.
Her efforts, however, only further stimulated Yang Kai.
Xue Yue’s beautiful legs were as smooth as silk and as soft as clouds, so her tightly gripping them around Yang Kai’s little brother brought him unimaginable pleasure and comfort, causing his murderous intent to stagnate momentarily.
“I’ll… I’ll kill you!” Xue Yue had never suffered such humiliation before and screamed out hysterically. At this moment, she no longer had any of the calm and gentle demeanour of Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce’s Third Young Master and instead had transformed into a crazed woman, summoning strength she, by all rights, should no longer possess to double slap towards Yang Kai’s face, bursts of seven coloured light covering her palms as they struck forward.
*Peng peng…*
Yang Kai felt as if he was struck by lightning and his body shivered, a fog of golden blood spewing from his mouth, covering Xue Yue’s face and body.
His current state was barely better than hers. Before he had immobilized Xue Yue, he had suffered a frontal blow from her, and now he had taken another two heavy slaps to his face, Yang Kai was already an arrow at the end of its flight and his aura quickly became dispirited.
With these two palms, all the injuries Yang Kai had just managed to stabilize worsened once again.
Xue Yue had gone completely feral, kicking, scratching, and gouging out Yang Kai’s body however she could, even opening her mouth and sinking her teeth into his shoulders and chest, struggling with all her might, exhibiting an attitude of wishing to perish together with him.
Xue Yue was at least a Second-Order Saint King, and although she couldn’t use even thirty percent of her full strength right now because of her injuries, her all-out resistance was difficult for Yang Kai to endure. In a flash, his body was covered with fresh bloody wounds and teeth marks…
“You court death!” Yang Kai shouted before sending his fist straight into Xue Yue’s pretty face without holding back in the slightest.
This punch immediately knocked Xue Yue’s head to the side and caused her cheek to swell up, the residual force sending both her and Yang Kai tumbling onto the ground.
Before they landed though, Yang Kai flipped her body around and forced her to face away from him, both his arms still gripping tightly onto her, making sure she could not scratch and bite him any further.
Xue Yue struggled and resisted fiercely, refusing to surrender, transforming every part of her body she could move into a weapon to thrash against Yang Kai as she desperately attempted to escape from his clutches.
*Hong Hong Hong…*
The pair rolled around in the crater on this unnamed Dead Star, their fists and feet hitting towards each other, fighting as if they were the most hated of blood enemies.
Dust flew up everywhere and every once in a while an explosion of light would appear.
However, both of them gradually grew weaker until, eventually, neither could move.
Violent wheezing breaths sounded as the two of them lay down in the crater somewhere, Xue Yue lying down on top of Yang Kai which her back facing him, the two of them staring up at the cold and dark Starry Sky.
At some point, Yang Kai’s two hands had latched onto Xue Yue’s two great peaks and an amazing feeling of elasticity was transmitted to his palms, causing his dispirited dragon to once again rise up towards the Heavens.
When Xue Yue was disguising herself as a man, Yang Kai obviously couldn’t tell how rich her assets were, but after firmly grasping her jade peaks in his hands, Yang Kai could tell this woman had abundant capital.
Yang Kai’s palms were by no means small, but even so, he couldn’t completely take her completely in his hand.
Small and delicate cherries rubbed against Yang Kai’s palms, adding texture to her amazingly soft and elastic peaks.
Yang Kai couldn’t help increasing the strength of his grip to ruthlessly squeeze them.
A fascinating note spread from Xue Yue’s throat as her head arched back slightly as if being pinched like this was uncomfortable, but even more so shameful.
Yang Kai didn’t care about her objections and instead revelled in the feeling of her smooth skin and plump bottom gave him.
Although Xue Yue’s body had many scars and a great deal of fresh blood on it, her skin was still white and tender, as lustrous as a newborn. As they had tumbled about, Yang Kai had fully experienced the charms of her lower moons which were constantly brushing up against and squeezing his spear, lighting a flame in Yang Kai’s body which he found difficult to extinguish.
His dragon was still firmly clamped between her well-rounded valley and it seemed like all Yang Kai needed to do was move slightly and he could break through her last line of defence and plant his flag upon her.
The two of them were exhausted and could only maintain this ambiguous and awkward posture.
A single drop of warm liquid suddenly rolled down onto Yang Kai’s arm and the sound of Xue Yue soft whimpers echoed in his ears.
“Don’t tell me you’re…” Yang Kai was speechless, during this life or death struggle, this woman actually broke down into tears; worse though, Yang Kai couldn’t tell if they were genuine or simply a ploy.
“From when I was a child until now, no one has ever treated me like this… even the few people who know my true gender would never dare act so discourteous to me, I’ll remember you, I’ll certainly make you pay for this!” Xue Yue said through clenched teeth.
“Say that again after you live through this!” Yang Kai snickered, “When I finish restoring myself, the first thing I’ll do is kill you!”
“Go ahead and try!” Xue Yue remained defiant, shouting back at Yang Kai, “Your present condition is terrible, and before you arrived, I had just taken a Saint King Grade High-Rank healing pill. Soon I’ll have enough strength to escape your evil clutches, when that time comes we’ll which one of us dies!”
No longer sobbing, Xue Yue actually sneered, “You can rest assured, I won’t let you die easily, I’ll let you taste the world’s most brutal torture as I slowly kill you!”
In response, Yang Kai lightly blew on her delicate earlobe, causing Xue Yue’s face to blush bright red and her tender body to shiver as fear of Yang Kai further humiliating her rose up within her again.
“Then we’ll have to see who can recover first!” Yang Kai declared confidently, as if he had already won.
When it came to restorative ability, Yang Kai didn’t fear anyone. Although Xue Yue had taken a Saint King Grade High-Rank pill, he had his Demon God Golden Blood. The minor wounds and bites Xue Yue had inflicted on him had already begun to heal and his body’s five viscera and six organs were already starting to recover.
The two of them no longer spoke and simply lay together, skin touching skin, as if the two of them were the most intimate of partners enjoying a moment warmth and tranquillity; however, beneath this spring scenery was a cold and potent murderous intent.
Suddenly, a burst of seven coloured light blossomed and Yang Kai let out a grunt, his expression sinking as he ground his teeth, “Slut, you’re actually so insidious?!”
“Ha…” Xue Yue smiled smugly, “Dealing with people like you, what reason is there to not act sinisterly? Hurry up and release me or else I’ll shatter your dantian and waste your cultivation, turning you into a cripple for life.”
One of her jade hands had silently punctured Yang Kai’s ribs and was now inserted into his tight abdominal muscles. At her fingertips was a sharp blade of seven coloured energy just waiting to invade Yang Kai’s dantian and destroy his source of strength.
Yang Kai didn’t know when she had condensed this bit of power, perhaps she had been concealing it from the beginning…
He finally understood how different this woman was from other women. Even if he had managed to suppress her to this extent, she would still not yield and take any possibly opportunity to reverse the situation.
“Will you release me or not? I’ll give you three breaths to consider, after three breaths, you can… hey, what are you doing!?” Xue Yue’s calm and confident tone suddenly became disordered as her face paled and she let out a scream of panic, “Stop! Don’t you dare move again!”
Ignoring her threats, Yang Kai did not retreat and instead advanced, pushing his body forward, allowing Xue Yue’s little hand to dig deeper into his abdomen as he gradually closed the last bit of distance between his dragon and Xue Yue’s cavern.
Yang Kai touched the tip of his spear to its mark before stopping.
Xue Yue’s thoughts were once again thrown into chaos and for a moment she was too flustered to respond.
Yang Kai ignored the impending crisis to his dantian and put more strength into his waist as he stretched out his tongue and licked Xue Yue’s delicate earlobe.
“You bastard!” Xue Yue screamed, her tender body now shivering uncontrollably.
“Scream and shout all you like, there’s a saying that dying beneath a beautiful flower is a worthy death. Even if you ruin my dantian, it matters not, go ahead and try, I’ll immediately claim your innocence for myself!” Yang Kai smiled lowly, “I’m a lone wanderer, no one will care if I disappear, my status can’t compare to Young Master Xue Yue’s. Heh, just wait until after you marry and your new husband discovers you’re body isn’t pure, I’m sure it will be a glorious show to see! A small nobody like me being able to possess a woman like you, even if I need to give my life, it will be worth it!”
“Lunatic! Madman! You’re insane!” Xue Yue’s beautiful face filled with panic. She was really scared that Yang Kai would follow through with his threat, and feeling of the hard foreign body between her legs, she knew that all her carefully laid out calculations and schemes had completely collapsed.
This man was more vicious than any bandit from Galaxy Ridge and more sinister than any rouge from Abandoned Lair.
“How am I insane? Our situation has already reached the point where it is either you die or I perish. Since there’s no other path forward from here, I may as well enjoy your taste before I die, then wait in the underworld to taste it again.”
Saying so, Yang Kai put more strength into his waist and slowly but surely swung his hips forward.
He exhibited the behaviour of really wishing to die beneath a beautiful flower, not caring one bit about his life.
“Wait a moment!” Xue Yue tensed up her tender body, trying to wiggle her way forward while speaking in as calm a tone as possible, “Can’t we talk about this?”
“Talk?” Yang Kai stopped his aggressive charge and said with great interest, “What’s there to talk about?”
“You and I don’t actually have any great hatred between us, so is there really a need for us to be at such odds?” Xue Yue lightly opened her lips to speak these words while flames of pure hatred burned within her eyes, but for her innocence, she had no choice but to compromise.
“What you mean is… we can exchange weapons of war for gifts of jade and silk?”
“Why not?” Xue Yue turned her head to the side, her snow white cheek immediately pressing up against Yang Kai’s lips. She couldn’t help immediately jerking her head back, silently criticizing this bastard for still trying to profit at this moment, wishing she could roast his flesh to ash and grind his bones into dust.
After listening to Xue Yue’s words, Yang Kai couldn’t help but laugh, “You can’t possibly be that naive, right? If you think you can treat me like a three-year-old child, I’m afraid you’re in for a great disappointment. After I’ve treated you like this, can you still swallow this insult and pretend that nothing happened? You are the Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce President’s heir while I am just a nameless pawn. This time, if you really survive, I’m afraid I’ll have no future to look forward to. Since that’s the case, I’d rather take what I can now, have my cultivation crippled, then die by your hand, rather than let you sweet talk me into letting you off for free!”
“You think I’m sweet talking you?” Xue Yue shouted, “Just because I’m a woman you think I’d lower myself to such a level? Are all men so full of yourselves?”
“In any case, I don’t believe a word you say, it’s all nothing but farts to me!” Yang Kai snorted.
“Can you not act so unreasonable!” Xue Yue gasped before grinning, “Since I made this proposal, I can definitely come up with a way to prove my sincerity and let you understand I’m not just biding my time to turn the tables on you!”
Yang Kai expression changed as he stared deeply towards her.
Right now, both he and Xue Yue were stuck in a deadlock, neither one possessing any kind of advantage.
Xue Yue’s cultivation was much higher than his, but her injuries were more severe and the rate she could restore herself was also lower than his, allowing this tenuous stalemate to continue.
However, doing nothing wasn’t a viable solution. If things were left as they were, the end result would definitely be both of them losing something, and neither of them was willing to see that.
In truth, Yang Kai was wholly unwilling to give up his own cultivation just to win a woman’s chastity, while Xue Yue was even more reluctant to be defiled by a peasant like Yang Kai.
He suddenly felt that it wouldn’t be a problem at least hearing Xue Yue out.
“You talk, I’ll listen,” Yang Kai nodded to her, his hands still clenched firmly onto her jade peaks, refusing to relax his vigilance in the slightest.
“There is no major grievance between you and me. In the end, it was just you inadvertently witnessing my secret trade in that mountain valley.”
“Yes, and as a result of that you killed more than two thousand people!” Yang Kai sneered, “A vicious, viper-woman like you, how could I possibly believe your words?”
“Aren’t you still safe and sound?” Xue Yue asked, “Is there anyone among those two thousand people you even care the slightest bit about?”
“No, not really.”
“Then shut up!” Xue Yue coldly snorted, “My proposal is simple: You release me, and I no longer make trouble for you; however, you cannot leak a word about that transaction. En, this situation as well, you cannot tell another soul about it!”
Saying so, her face turned bright red. She had just been involved in a life or death struggle with Yang Kai, yet now she had been forced to set aside that humiliation and discuss terms with him, causing her womanly shame to suddenly rise to the surface.
In particular, the great heat which was transmitted from Yang Kai’s palms to her two proud peaks made her feel a strange sensation she had never before experienced. Quickly dispelling her shame and inner discord, she forced herself to not fall into a passive state.
“How do you plan on guaranteeing this?” Yang Kai asked calmly.
“I’ll prepare a guarantee, and not just a verbal one, I know you won’t believe me no matter what kind of pledge I make!”
“As long as you know!”
Xue Yue took a deep breath, her full chest swelling beneath Yang Kai’s palms, a reluctantly light flashing across her beautiful eyes as she helplessly said, “I have a special artifact that was refined by a Grandmaster from my Chamber of Commerce. It was originally prepared for me when I encountered extreme danger, now I have no choice but to use it on you.”
“What artifact?” Yang Kai asked curiously.
“Soul Chains!” Xue Yue grit her teeth, “This artifact can tie our Souls together. Meaning, that if either one of us dies, the other person will also die! Is this guarantee enough?”
“Live and die together?” Yang Kai smiled brightly and said with a strange grin, “Beauty, I don’t think our relationship has reached that point yet, has it? Although you and I have indulged in each other’s touch and met one another with no barriers between us, this kind of progress is a bit fast even for me. On top of that, I already have a wife, en, two actually.”
“Can you be serious for an instant? Are you only capable of acting so loathsomely?” Xue Yue snorted, “Do you think I am willing to link my life to yours? You’re just a tiny Second-Order Saint, the slightest danger you encounter could send you to the afterlife! If we really do this, I’ll have no choice but to constantly protect you!”
Yang Kai’s expression slowly became solemn as he carefully observed Xue Yue’s breathing, pulse, and Soul fluctuations.
After a while, he asked lowly, “Why should I believe in you?”
“I have already compromised to this degree, if you still refuse to believe me, we can only fight and perish together! That’s not the ending you want, is it? You and I both have long, bright futures ahead of us, how could we be resigned to dying on this barren Dead Star?”
Yang Kai’s lips curled into a grin, “Why does it seem like your desire to survive is much stronger than mine…”
Xue Yue pretty face sank and she no longer spoke.
“Let me ask you one last question, can the effects of this artifact be lifted? I don’t want to bind my life to yours for all eternity.”
Even with Xue Yue’s extreme self-control, she nearly flew into a rage when she heard Yang Kai utter these words.
Just who was it that didn’t want to be bound to the other? He was making it sound as if she was some kind of shameless woman forcing him to accept her when in truth, them being tied together in any way was this little bastard’s greatest honour!
Xue Yue’s cursed viciously in her heart as she forced her voice to remain calm, “It can be lifted, but both parties must be willing. If either one refuses, the artifact’s effects cannot be dispelled!”
“Good,” Yang Kai smiled, thought about it for a moment, then nodded, “I’ll believe you.”
“So we have an agreement?”
“En, we have a deal.”
“I need to take out the artifact. Loosen your grip a bit, like this I can’t even move,” Xue Yue said weakly as she struggled slightly.
Yang Kai slowly relaxed his arms, but he maintained the highest degree of vigilance while simultaneously bringing his lips to Xue Yue’s delicate ear and whispering, “Don’t try to play any tricks, as long as I use a bit more force, you’ll be mine.”
“I know!” Xue Yue ground her teeth in anger.
While still tightly held in Yang Kai’s embrace and with one hand still inserted into his abdomen, Xue Yue brought her other hand wearing her Space Ring to her mouth and poured her Divine Sense into it. With a flash of light, an artifact shaped like a chain appeared and landed on the ground.
“This thing?” Yang Kai reached out and seized the artifact before Xue Yue could grab hold of it, “The function of this artifact is quite odd, why would one of the Grandmasters from your Chamber of Commerce refine something like this for you?”
“As I said, this thing was prepared for when I fell into great danger. If I was confronted by an enemy I could not match, I would be able to use this artifact to connect our lives together, preserving my own.”
Yang Kai nodded lightly before pouring his Divine Sense into the artifact, quickly discovering a series of unfamiliar Spirit Arrays engraved inside of it. There was also a very strange energy contained within it that was potent enough to cause his complexion to pale slightly.
Without a doubt, this strange energy belonged to a powerful Origin King and it contained a mysterious Soul fluctuation.
Yang Kai immediately understood that it was not this artifact but rather the Divine Ability of the Origin King Realm master who forged it that was special. This artifact was just a vessel used to seal this Divine Ability.
Realizing this, Yang Kai’s heart relaxed slightly but still insisted, “I can’t trust you still, so tell me how to stimulate the power contained in this artifact!”
Xue Yue angrily spat, “Are you really so cowardly? Are you even a man?”
“Would you like to verify for yourself whether I’m a man or not?” Yang Kai snorted.
“No need.” Xue Yue shivered and quickly said, “Just pour your Divine Sense into it and the seal will open.”
Yang Kai followed her instructions and poured in his Divine Sense and the seal inside the artifact easily broke.
In the next moment, a shocking Soul fluctuation suddenly emanated from the artifact and a halo of purple light burst forth, instantly covering both Yang Kai and Xue Yue’s bodies.
This purple halo was incredibly invasive and rapidly flooded into Yang Kai and Xue Yue and soon disappearing.
The two of them couldn’t help closing their eyes as they felt this potent Spiritual Energy crash into their Souls, causing their bodies to tremble and an indescribable feeling to arise within their hearts.
It was as if their two Souls had become intertwined with one another all of a sudden.
Xue Yue let out a gentle moan.
This fascinating melody caused Yang Kai to suddenly awaken and his expression to become weird, lowering the strength he was putting into his arms. One of his hands was still cupping her jade peaks while the other had slid down to her waist and began caressing her full moon, indulging in the amazing softness and plumpness of Xue Yue’s abundant assets.
Xue Yue’s voice became even more enthralling as her tender body squirmed, her red lips pouting as her snow-white skin took on a tinge of pink.
Yang Kai’s big rough hands caressing her like this involuntarily caused her to have a shameful reaction.
What’s more, at the moment, she didn’t seem to want to resist and was actively cooperating with Yang Kai, allowing him to do whatever he pleased.
Her brow suddenly tightened, condensing into a line as she tried to struggle and resist this overwhelming sensation, biting her tongue in the next instant, the sharp pain causing her to wake up and allowing her to leap out of Yang Kai’s arms like a frightened rabbit. Only after scampering a few dozen meters away did Xue Yue turn back to direct an anger-filled glare towards Yang Kai as she gnashed her teeth, “Shameless! After taking advantage of me so much already you’re still not satisfied?”
Yang Kai licked his lips as he flexed his fingers somewhat reluctantly.
When Xue Yue leapt out from his embrace, he couldn’t help feeling a thick sense of loss.
“Why does it feel like you’ve suddenly become much more cordial? Moreover, why do I no longer feel as wary towards you as a moment ago? Is this also an effect of the Divine Ability sealed within that artifact?” Yang Kai tilted his head and asked.
“Yes!” Xue Yue crossed one hand across her chest to cover her twin peaks while her other hand reached down to shield her innocence from Yang Kai’s penetrating gaze, explaining snappily, “Our Souls and life essence have been connected together, so whether we’re willing or not, a deep sense of intimacy will form between us. In other words, we now see each other as our most precious person!”
“Such a strange ability really exists?” Yang Kai frowned.
“Just like you, I no longer think you’re so repugnant,” Xue Yue said somewhat unwillingly.
Yang Kai grinned and wanted to laugh, but fearing she would become angry out of shame, he somehow suppressed himself.
“Turn around already, I want to put on some clothes. Don’t peek!” Xue Yue shouted tenderly.
“I’ve seen and touched every bit of your body and know all of its features from top to bottom, what’s there to be embarrassed about now?” Yang Kai chuckled, disagreeing with her sentiments.
Xue Yue squatted down angrily, picked up some loose gravel at her feet, and ruthlessly threw it towards Yang Kai, sending him fleeing like a scared rat.
Atop the Dead Star, Yang Kai sat in meditation, resting while recovering his strength and restoring his injuries.
A light sound of footstep suddenly appeared in front of him and he quickly opened his eyes, his vision becoming bright.
Xue Yue was standing in front of him at the moment, wearing a fiery red dress, its long skirt overflowing with soft light. It was clearly a high-quality artifact.
This dress was woven from exquisite materials and appeared soft and silky yet it also clung tightly to her body, emphasizing Xue Yu’s perfect curves and seductive figure, making her appear just like a beautiful goddess.
Her long hair which was normally draped down over her shoulders had been done up in an elegant bun held together with an ornamental hairpin to further complimented her style.
Her snow-white arms, which seemed tender and delicate, were adorned with two green jade bracelets and around her exquisite ankles were two more pieces of fine jewellery that emphasized her gracefulness.
Yang Kai couldn’t help revealing an enraptured look as he stared towards her, unable to pull his eyes away.
In his heart, he was constantly warning himself not to be confused by this woman, but he still couldn’t quite resist her ethereal beauty, almost as if all she needed to do was beckon to him gently and he would willingly pledge his undying loyalty to her.
Just as this thought surfaced in his mind, Yang Kai’s instincts flared up in warning and he forcefully bit his tongue to awaken himself.
Xue Yue’s beautiful eyes narrowed slightly as she observed Yang Kai, and as if realizing what kind of state he was just in a moment ago, a happy smile appeared on her face and an unknown sense of satisfaction filled her heart!
This kind of satisfaction could only be felt by a woman!
After Yang Kai broke free from her invisible aura, Xue Yue couldn’t help but frown, a trace of surprise and loss appearing on her face.
Twirling around once to show off her beauty even further, she smiled and asked, “What do you think?”
“Beautiful!” Yang Kai praised sincerely.
“Thank you!” Xue Yue smiled even more happily.
“You’re even more attractive without clothes though!” Yang Kai added.
Xue Yue’s pretty face sank as she rolled her eyes, “A dog’s mouth really can’t speak pleasant words! Remember, everything that happened between us can never be told to anyone, especially the secret about my true gender! If you dare try to leak this to anyone, our agreement will be invalid and I’ll immediately commit suicide, then let the Soul Chains end your miserable life!”
“I know!” Yang Kai gently nodded, his eyes narrowing slightly as he wore a grin on his face and asked, “Why does it feel like you’re enjoying yourself right now?”
As Xue Yue spoke to him, she was constantly looking down at herself, observing the jewellery and clothes she was wearing. The more she looked, the more joyful she appeared.
“Naturally, I’m enjoying myself!” Xue Yue smiled happily, “Ever since I can remember I was forced to act like a boy. From the time I was a child until now, I have never openly worn women’s clothes. These things have been kept in my Space Ring for many years, but today I was finally able to use them, why would I not be happy?”
“Why must President Ai Ou force you to act like a man? Why do you need to hide your true gender? He has many other sons, so even without you, he’d have plenty of successors to choose from. Why insist on making you put on this charade?” Yang Kai rapidly asked all the questions he had in his heart.
Xue Yue’s expression sank and after a short pause, she desolately replied, “He has his reasons, and I’m used to it.”
Seeing her not answer clearly, Yang Kai did not insist. Just when he was about to change the subject though, his expression suddenly dropped as he muttered, “Some people are approaching.”
Xue Yue was stunned by these words and stared at him suspiciously, “How do you know?”
“They entered into the scope of my Divine Sense’s coverage,” Yang Kai’s face became dignified.
Xue Yue only become more confused though, “Did you release your Divine Sense? Why can’t I feel it?”
Her strength was much higher than Yang Kai’s and although both of them were currently quite weak from their injuries, if Yang Kai had really released his Divine Sense, she should have been able to detect it.
However, she actually couldn’t sense anything.
“I also have my own secrets, just trust me,” Yang Kai said sincerely.
Xue Yue nodded without hesitation, “How many people are there and what kind of cultivations do they have?”
“There’s a lot of them, and there are several Saint Kings among them, a number of whom give me a stronger sense of pressure than you did at your peak!”
Xue Yue’s complexion darkened as she called out in alarm, “If that’s true, wouldn’t you spying on them be discovered by them? Anyone who could appear in the Ice-Cold Dead Zone at this time must have something to do with that trap we encountered. If they find any survivors they definitely won’t let us off!”
“I agree with you, but don’t worry, they can’t discover my Divine Sense.” Yang Kai shook his head.
After dramatically increasing his understanding of the Dao of Space on the floating continent, Yang Kai’s Divine Sense was now able to leap across space, allowing it to act in a far more nimble manner than others who needed to continuously spread out their Divine Senses to explore an area.
This kind of distributed Divine Sense was incredibly difficult to detect, and even if one was able to sense it, there was essentially no way to trace it back to Yang Kai unless that person’s strength far exceeded his own.
It was for this reason that Xue Yue couldn’t detect anything about Yang Kai’s Divine Sense.
“The Death Qi on this Dead Star is heavy and there isn’t the slightest trace of life aura or other forms of energy. Once they get closer, they’ll definitely notice us!” Xue Yue’s expression grew ugly, “My strength hasn’t even half recovered yet. If they were to find us now…”
She didn’t dare to imagine what kind of treatment she would encounter.
If she was still maintaining her identity as Xue Yue Third Young Master, she might be able to discuss terms with this unknown enemy, but right now she was simply an astonishingly beautiful, yet unfamiliar young woman.
Xue Yue was clearer than anyone just what kind of fate awaited a captured beautiful woman.
That was a brief future filled with ruthless humiliation and disgrace!
“Let’s get moving then! We first need to evade them!” Yang Kai didn’t panic and simply summoned out his Star Shuttle before leaping up onto it and extending a hand to Xue Yue.
“Are you confident you’ll be able to avoid their search?” Xue Yue asked seriously.
“No, but it’s better than sitting here waiting to die!” Yang Kai shook his head.
Xue Yue bit her red lips in frustration but felt Yang Kai’s words made sense, nodding a moment later before accepting his hand and mounting his Star Shuttle.
Yang Kai embraced her in front of himself, resting her head on his shoulder while activating his Star Shuttle and transforming into a stream of blue light that quickly escaped from the Dead Star.
“Don’t make any unnecessary moves, although I don’t find you so hateful right now, there’s still a voice in my heart screaming at me to kill you… Don’t let that hatred gain the upper hand,” Xue Yue whispered as her white neck took on a hint of red and her delicate earlobes became somewhat hot.
This was the first time she had ever accepted the embrace of a man.
Previously, when she was rolling around stark naked with Yang Kai on the Dead Star, all her attention was on finding a way to seize the initiative and kill him, so she didn’t have any time to pay attention to the new sensations she was experiencing.
But now, at this moment, through the connection of the Soul Chains, her body became exceptionally sensitive towards Yang Kai’s touch, and the hot air that brushed past her ear caused her tender to noticeably heat up.
“Don’t you trust me?” Yang Kai smiled, “I am very honest.”
“Hmph, you and honesty have nothing to do with one another!” Xue Yue snorted, taking note of Yang Kai ‘inadvertently’ grabbing hold of her smooth waist.
Yang Kai didn’t try to flirt with her any further and instead became serious, randomly flying his Star Shuttle through the cold and dark Starry Sky in no particular direction.
Although Xue Yue didn’t dare to release her own Divine Sense for fear of revealing their whereabouts, she could tell that Yang Kai was flying evasively to avoid these unknown enemies.
She couldn’t help becoming curious about Yang Kai’s Divine Sense, wondering just what kind of fortuitous encounter this little Second-Order Saint obtained that allowed him to cultivate such strange Spiritual Energy.
Also, she didn’t know why, but when she was embraced by Yang Kai into his chest, Xue Yue felt a profound sense of security. It was as if so long as she remained in his arms, it wouldn’t matter how many pursuers there were, they would never be able to harm her.
As soon as this thought arose in her heart, Xue Yue became frustrated, knowing it was the side effects brought on by the Soul Chains, causing her to subconsciously feel that this man was kind and reliable.
A hint of fear welled up inside her, and that fear quickly became deeper and deeper, making her wish to free herself from the Soul Chains’ effect as quickly as possible in order to purge herself of these weak thoughts.
She no longer said anything, relaxed her tensed expression, closed her eyes, and focused on restoring her injuries and strength.
A few days later, a different Dead Star appeared in front of the two, and Yang Kai flew his Star Shuttle straight down to its surface.
This Dead Star was slightly larger than the previous one, but it was still filled with Death Qi and had no trace of any vitality.
Violent winds and extremely harsh weather covered this Dead Star, kicking up dust clouds that limited visibility to a few meters in front of one’s face.
Yang Kai explored the Dead Star for a while before diving into a cave along with Xue Yue, closing the entrance behind him to prevent the dust from flowing in, then took out some light stones for illumination and placed them around.
This wasn’t too big or deep but was large enough for two people to comfortably hide inside next to each other.
Whether it was intentional or not, the moment they entered this cave, Xue Yue quickly separated from Yang Kai as far as she could, a look of anxiety appearing upon her face.
“The direction those people were heading is the opposite of this place, we should be able to hide here for a while,” Yang Kai took back his Divine Sense and said to Xue Yue, “When they come back, we’ll leave again.”
“En, I’ll leave it up to you,” Xue Yue nodded lightly, not having any opinion, taking out a good piece of Saint Crystal and holding it in the palm of her hand while meditating.
As she meditated, she also secretly paid attention to Yang Kai’s movements.
She imagined that Yang Kai wouldn’t be able to restrain himself and would attempt to appeal to her somehow.
After all, she was the heir to Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce’s President, her cultivation and status both highly venerated, while on the other hand, Yang Kai was just a small unknown cultivator. No matter which aspect was compared, she was far beyond him.
It was simply his privilege to be able to associate himself with her, and Xue Yue didn’t believe Yang Kai would easily let go of such a rare opportunity to forge a relationship with her. He would definitely have some absurd and unrealistic expectations of ingratiating himself to her.
Therefore, Xue Yue took the initiative to sit in meditation while pretending to not pay him any mind.
At the same time, she would secretly wait for Yang Kai to take the initiative to talk to her then take the opportunity to ruthlessly humiliate him, so she could teach him of the profound gap between them and thoroughly cut off all his vain hopes.
Xue Yue had secretly calculated everything, and was ready to let Yang Kai know what the true meaning of a toad lusting after swan meat was while at the same time getting rid of her own heart knot, allowing him to realize the gap in identity between them as well as drawing a line between this man and herself!
Everything was set, now all she needed was an opportunity!
She silently waited for Yang Kai to open his mouth and speak to her.
How could she have imagined though, that even after waiting for so long, things did not progress as she had envisioned? After what seemed like forever, Xue Yue couldn’t help opening her beautiful eyes to peak towards Yang Kai, her face cramping up in the next instant.
This man, who had taken advantage of her so wantonly, touching every single part of her body. Under these circumstances where the two of them were stuck alone in a small room together, was actually sitting down calmly with a piece of Saint Crystal in his hand while meditating and restoring himself.
He was actually just cultivating!
An intense sense of frustration suddenly rose inside Xue Yue’s heart and she secretly clenched her teeth and glared hatefully towards Yang Kai.
Unable to stand this irksome feeling, she took the initiative to open her mouth to speak, trying to make her voice sound as calm as possible, “I don’t understand a few things, can you explain them to me?”
Yang Kai opened his eyes quickly and stared towards her, suddenly grinning, “I also have some things I’d like to ask you!”
“I’ll go first!” Xue Yue declared lightly.
“En, go ahead,” Yang Kai replied naturally, not arguing with her over such a trivial matter.
Xue Yue was startled for a moment but quickly said, “What is your name, where are you from?”
Up till now, she still didn’t know Yang Kai’s name, and upon remembering all the embarrassing experiences she had been through with him, she suddenly felt a sense of indignation.
“Yang Kai! You probably don’t know where I come from, it’s just a lower world, I was the first cultivator to successfully escape its bonds and enter the Star Field!” Yang Kai answered honestly.
“A lower world?” Xue Yue looked at him strangely and said with great interest, “What cultivation did the most powerful person in your world possess?”
“Third Order Saint Realm… En, there was once a Saint King, but before he could join the Star Field he fell, that was a matter from several thousand years ago though.”
“Only up to the Third Order Saint Realm… It really is a lower world.”
“En, it was only after I came here that I learned about the Saint King Realm above the Saint Realm, and the Origin Returning Realm and Origin King Realm above the Saint King Realm…”
“Hmph, truly an ignorant bumpkin!” Xue Yue covered her mouth and smiled tenderly, a hint of ridicule in her voice, “However, a little fellow like you being able to arrive at this level is quite impressive actually, you must have experienced a lot of hardship along the way, right?”
The way she spoke made it seem like she cared greatly about Yang Kai’s story, but after realizing this, the smile on her face suddenly disappeared.
“It was just good luck, arriving here was more of an accident…”
“No need to elaborate, I don’t really care,” Xue Yue interrupted him with a cold face, “I have to ask you, why couldn’t I find you back on Water Moon Star? Where were you hiding? Did someone shelter you? Why would they do that?”
“Oh that, I was living inside Shen Tu’s palace, you probably didn’t go there to look for me,” Yang Kai replied casually, not feeling at all like he was selling out Shen Tu.
“Shen Tu…” Xue Yue muttered under her breath, suddenly wearing a faint smile, “So it was him who was making trouble for me. En, I understand now. Hmph, seems like if I don’t hit him frequently enough he becomes arrogant enough to dare oppose me, just wait till I get back, I’ll make him pay for this!”
As she said so, a vicious look appeared on her face as she ground her teeth, as if she couldn’t wait to tear Shen Tu apart.
“Did he also arrange for you to leave aboard that Starship?” Xue Yue continued to ask.
“En, he thought that you had left Water Moon Star the day before. I hadn’t expected that just after I stepped aboard that Starship, you would come over to board it. Beauty, could this be fate?” Yang Kai said as he smiled towards Xue Yue.
“Who exactly shares any fate with you?” Xue Yue glared over at Yang Kai. Her unique charm and style had caused his heart some distress, forcing his mind to drift back to their little tussle atop the previous Dead Star. All the rich and tender sensations still vivid in his mind, the look he directed towards her suddenly changing flavour as well.
“What are you thinking about?” Xue Yue’s face suddenly blushed, as if she too had seen through Yang Kai’s dirty thoughts, somewhat dreading the aggressive look in his eyes and quickly changing the subject, “What exactly is going on with your Divine Sense? I’ve been paying special attention to it these days, but why does it feel so strange? It’s almost as if it’s drifting about erratically. What is the mystery behind that?”
“That’s because I am proficient in…” Yang Kai didn’t even think about it before beginning to explain, but halfway through his expression cramped and a frown appeared on his face, “Isn’t the power of this Soul Chains too great? It’s like I’m not even the slightest bit wary of you…”
Anything she asked, he was willing to answer. Realizing this, Yang Kai’s heart filled with alarm and he quickly raised his guard.
Seeing Yang Kai actually wake up at the critical moment, Xue Yue couldn’t help cursing to herself, an annoyed look appearing on her pretty face.
Just a little bit longer and she would have been able to unravel the secret to Yang Kai’s strange Divine Sense, yet she had actually fallen short at the last moment.
“The Divine Ability sealed with the Soul Chains was created by a Senior Executive of my Chamber of Commerce, naturally its power is incredible, but you actually being able to resist it is quite surprising,” Xue Yue looked at him with amazement.
“Were you planning to take this opportunity and let me explain everything about myself?” Yang Kai smiled meaningfully.
“Naturally! Just think about everything you’ve taken from me… Of course, I’d want to find out everything about you in return!”
“If you give the rest of yourself to me, even without the power of the Soul Chains, I’ll make an honest confession to you!”
“In your dreams!” Xue Yue snorted, feeling extremely resentful of how shameless Yang Kai was.
“Good, my turn to ask you question now,” Yang Kai smiled lightly, not giving Xue Yue any time to think, swiftly asking, “How did you disguise yourself as a man? I know of some artifacts that can change one’s face, but even the shape of your body and your stature were altered, isn’t that a bit too exaggerated?”
The male Xue Yue and female Xue Yue did have many similarities in appearance, but their body shapes were worlds apart, especially her plump round bottom and rich twin peaks. Yang Kai really couldn’t understand how she managed to hide these assets.
“That’s also thanks to a special artifact!” Xue Yue replied reluctantly, “One of my Chamber of Commerce’s Grandmasters especially refined a unique artifact for me! But in this latest disaster, that artifact was damaged, so now I can only maintain this appearance!”
“It’s good like this.”
“I also feel this is good!” Xue Yue responded with a smile, seemingly very much liking her current female look.
“What is your current cultivation?” Yang Kai asked again.
Xue Yue’s brow furrowed, not really wanting to answer this, but still eventually responding, “Third Order Saint King! I broke through about a year ago, this is also a secret, don’t reveal it to anyone.”
Yang Kai’s expression became serious, calculating silent before muttering, “So your realm is one Great Realm and one Minor Realm higher than mine?”
Xue Yue giggled pleasantly, “Have you realized the gap between you and me now? If it weren’t for my being so seriously injured back there, how could I have had any trouble with a little brat like you, I could pinch you with just two fingers, what could you have done to resist?”
“How old are you this year?” Yang Kai stared at her.
Xue Yue’s pretty face sank as she ground her teeth in anger, “None of your damn business! Hasn’t anyone ever taught you to never as a woman about her age?”
Yang Kai could only smile awkwardly.
“There’s still one thing that I can’t understand!” Xue Yue’s expression suddenly became serious, “In that disaster, I had to rely on an Origin Grade Armour to survive, but even then, I nearly lost my life, how did you, a mere Second-Order Saint, not die?”
“My luck is quite good,” Yang Kai shrugged his shoulders, suddenly recalling that at the time of the disaster, Xue Yue had summoned out a fiery red armour, but even that armour had subsequently been blown away.
“I don’t think it’s just a matter of luck!” Xue Yue stared thoughtfully at Yang Kai, “Before, I should have caused a lot of damage to your body, but looking at you now, it’s as if all those injuries have been healed, and… the blood in your body is golden, the vitality and restorative power it contains are also incredible. Just how many secrets do you have?”
As her beautiful eyes drifted over Yang Kai, a look of curiosity began filling her face!
In her opinion, such a disaster, which had nearly even killed her, should have easily claimed the life of someone as weak as Yang Kai.
“My resilience and restorative abilities are very strong, that’s probably the biggest reason why I was able to survive,” Yang Kai smiled and forcefully changed the subject, “Do you know what this was all about?”
“I don’t know,” Xue Yue shook her head, a dispirited expression appearing on her face, “I don’t know if it was a trap targeting the Chamber of Commerce in general, or if I was the intended target, but what’s for certain is that there were some people on the inside colluding with our enemies on the outside. Once I find out who it was that dared to betray me, I will make them pay for it with their blood!”
Saying so, Xue Yue’s beautiful eyes flashed with ice-cold killing intent.
She seemed to have instantly changed back into the incomparably cruel, cold-hearted, and merciless Xue Yue Third Young Master who had not hesitated to kill two thousand innocent cultivators just to find Yang Kai!
“Moreover, those Star Breaker Sparks used to create that trap were developed by the Chamber of Commerce and are never sold to outsiders. As long as I trace their origins, the truth will come to light soon enough,” She said with a cold sneer upon her face.
Yang Kai grinned and secretly felt a bit of pity for the ones who had been behind this ambush. He could almost see the scene when Xue Yue returned, it would surely become a massive storm.
It was very likely the entire Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce would be caught up in this!
As they talked inside the cave, the two of them did not feel the passage of time, and with their deepening mutual understanding, both Yang Kai and Xue Yue began to feel more at ease with the other.
The wounds had not healed, and the worry about the enemies outside had not abated. On top of that, Xue Yue did not have Yang Kai’s abnormal resiliency, so after speaking for a while, she felt weary and soon nodded off.
She didn’t know how long after it was, but Xue Yue suddenly heard Yang Kai gently call out to her. Swiftly opening her eyes, she sat up straight and frowned towards Yang Kai, who was right now embracing her shoulder, and asked suspiciously, “Why are you hugging me?”
Yang Kai shot her a wry look and replied, “You leaned onto me on your own!”
“I…” Xue Yue blushed, not knowing how she should argue back.
“We should leave, they’re heading towards this Dead Star now, if we don’t go now, we’ll be discovered,” Yang Kai said hurriedly as he stood up, opened the entrance to the cave, summoned his Star Shuttle, and beckoned to Xue Yue.
Xue Yue rushed over and stood on the Star Shuttl, snorting lightly, “Next time, keep your distance from me, and especially don’t hug me, it’s not my intention!”
“Sure! From now on I won’t care about whether you live or die!” Yang Kai simply nodded.
For nearly two months, Yang Kai and Xue Yue continued to shuttle across and hide on various Dead Stars in the Ice-Cold Dead Zone. By now, Yang Kai had realized that whoever it was that had plotted to destroy the Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce Starship was being extraordinarily cautious!
There had been a continues stream of cultivators flying about the Ice-Cold Dead Zone, looking for something, and it was only a couple days ago that their presence had started to decrease.
They had spent two whole months confirming that no one had survived that disaster.
“I feel that the trap was directed at me…” Atop a certain Dead Star, Xue Yue muttered thoughtfully.
“No kidding,” Yang Kai nodded in agreement. If at the beginning the two of them did not know whether the trap had been for Xue Yue or the Chamber of Commerce Starship, both of them had now arrived at the same conjecture.
This incident was planned to assassinate Xue Yue!
“Oh?” Xue Yue looked at Yang Kai with a smile, a hint of interest appearing on her face as she asked, “Why do you think so? Explain your reasoning; I want to see if it lines up with my own.”
Yang Kai didn’t try to conceal anything and simply said, “Time. They spent far too long searching for survivors. There wasn’t supposed to be any important people or important materials aboard that Starship, if all of this was set up to damage the Chamber of Commerce, they wouldn’t have bothered conducting such an exhaustive search. Them acting so cautiously, spending a whole two months combing through this barren expanse, can only mean that they’re frightened that someone might have survived and would retaliate against them. Since that’s the case, the target of this trap must have been you. The Starship from your Chamber of Commerce just happened to get caught up in it.”
Saying so, Yang Kai directed a thoughtful gaze towards Xue Yue.
Xue Yue’s beautiful eyes brightened, her lips curling into a smile, “Your wit is quite sharp, it seems I’ve been looking down on you.”
Yang Kai’s reasoning was basically the same as her own. From this, Xue Yue had also unexpectedly discovered that Yang Kai had the makings of a good seedling, smiling light and asking, “If one day the Soul Chains are unlocked and I don’t immediately want to kill you, do you want to serve me?”
“Are you trying to win me over?” Yang Kai looked at her strangely.
“En, but it’s much more likely that the moment the Soul Chains is untied, I’ll kill you!” Xue Yue spoke such horrifying words so lightly and with a smile upon her face, as if she was casually talking to a friend.
“No thanks, I won’t be restrained by you, when that day comes, before you can act against me, I’ll kill you!”
“You sure know how to boast!” Xue Yue spat disdainfully, “I must have a look at what kind of ability you have to kill me!”
“You’ll experience it when the time comes,” Yang Kai said before jumping out of their temporary shelter, taking an exaggerated bow while stretching out his hand and making an invitation, “But for now, how about we leave this damned place?”
Xue Yue’s lips curled into a happy smile as her eyes bent into crescents, also leaping out and placing her jade hand into Yang Kai’s open palm, allowing him to summon his Star Shuttle and carry her up onto it before flying off.
After two months, both of their injuries had fully healed, and Xue Yue had also returned to her peak state at the Third Order Saint King Realm.
However, she was still willing to share the same Star Shuttle with Yang Kai.
She quite enjoyed this feeling of being cared for and protected.
She had repeatedly warned herself not to wallow in this sensation, constantly telling herself that this was all due to the side effects of the Soul Chains and that, if she was in the right state of mind, she wouldn’t feel anything about a young man like Yang Kai, but for now, she simply wanted to continue experiencing this unfamiliar sense of warmth.
The Star Shuttle shot off like a bolt of lightning and in no time at all the pair departed from the Dead Star.
Back out amidst the Starry Sky, Yang Kai came to a halt and asked, “Where should we go now? Back to Water Moon Star?”
“No, it’s too far to go back now. The Ice-Cold Dead Zone is about half a month’s journey by Starship from Water Moon Star, so it would take at least three months to return by Star Shuttle! We should head for Rainfall Star, it’s much closer, and that was my original destination, in any case. This bit of trouble just caused some minor delays.”
“Hmm… Alright.” Yang Kai didn’t have any opinion, in any case, he didn’t have a specific destination in mind.
“Give me a bit of time to figure out which direction Rainfall Star is in. It’s difficult to see any kind of starlight in this damn Ice-Cold Dead Zone, getting my bearings may take a while,” Xue Yue’s brow furrowed as she glanced around, attempting to find some kind of reference, but before she could, Yang Kai let his Star Shuttle fly off in a certain direction.
“Do you know the way?” Xue Yue called out worriedly, “If you don’t recognize the road, it’s very easy to get lost in the Starry Sky.”
“My Star Shuttle happens to have a Star Chart to Rainfall Star,” Yang Kai smiled faintly.
“That’s great,” Xue Yue cheered up and let go of her worries.
The Star Chart in Yang Kai Star Shuttle was one he had plotted himself and was even the optimum route according to the massive Star Chart floating above his Knowledge Sea, this was a perfect opportunity to verify whether it was accurate or not.
“Why were you going to Rainfall Star in the first place?” As the pair flew forward, Yang Kai couldn’t help but ask.
“My father sent me to handle something,” Xue Yue replied casually.
“What matter could be so important that you would actually have to go in person?!
“Don’t ask too much…” Xue Yue pretty face became bitter, “I want to tell you, but you need to know, this is one of my Chamber of Commerce’s secrets, not something that can be readily divulged to others. Can you please not make this awkward for me?”
She sincerely asked in a soft and gentle tone.
“Alright, alright. Just pretend I didn’t ask!” Yang Kai immediately agreed, somewhat unable to endure seeing her like this.
He had no choice but to admit that once a woman like Xue Yue wore a pitiful look and begged, no one would be able to refuse her.
Yang Kai had already been completely entranced by her unique charms, and the days with her had been a great battle between his heart and mind. He constantly needed to remind himself not to accidentally fall under her spell and pledge his loyalty to her.
It was because of his constant efforts in the regard that he was able to maintain some semblance of sobriety and not become enslaved by the Soul Chains.
He believed that Xue Yue was also working hard to cope with the power of the Soul Chains. The two of them had a tacit understanding about this so they quickly stopped talking about this particular subject.
Seemingly because she felt a bit embarrassed about what had just happened, Xue Yue suddenly asked, “What attribute strength do you cultivate? Is it Yang or Fire?”
The first day, when she and Yang Kai had tossed about atop that Dead Star, she had learned a little bit about Yang Kai’s strength, but even until now she wasn’t clear about its true nature.
“Why do you ask?” Yang Kai became somewhat vigilant.
“I thought that if you were willing, I could help you look for a master who could guide your cultivation and teach you how to use and gain insight into your strength,” Xue Yue sincerely said, “On the road of cultivation, having someone to teach you can make a big difference, and since you are the first person from your world to enter the Star Field, no one should have taught you even some common sense things, yes?”
“Look for a master?” Yang Kai heard these words and was quite surprised.
“En, there are many Elders and Masters in my Chamber of Commerce who are proficient in all kinds of different attribute strengths. It should not be difficult to find one who matches well with you. Even I have several masters who I study under…”
“No thanks, there’s probably no one who can teach me,” Yang Kai smiled and shook his head.
“Don’t be in such a rush to refuse, this doesn’t have any disadvantages to you.”
“It’s not that, no one can teach me because the attribute of my strength is somewhat special!”
“Special? Special how?” This time is was Xue Yue’s turn to be surprised.
Yang Kai frowned slightly, but in order to dispel any strange thoughts Xue Yue was having, he quickly produced a cluster of Demonic Flame.
The blazing pitch-black flames exuded a mysterious kind of charm, like a blossoming black rose that seemed capable of swallowing one’s soul while at the same time reducing anything in the world to ash.
Xue Yue eyes flashed as she stared stupefied at this mass of black flame.
She could feel how profound the mystery of this cluster of Demonic Flame was, and as she examined the attributes behind it, she couldn’t help calling out in alarm, “How could such a contradictory strength exist?”
The cluster of Demonic Flame was both cold and hot at the same time, with pure yang and malevolent evil perfectly coexisting. All kinds of contradictions were combined together, promoting one another, evolving into something unique that seemed to have no equivalent.
Xue Yue had never seen such a strange power.
It was difficult for her to imagine just how a cultivator who was invaded by this power would be able to resolve or even resist it!
At the very least, she couldn’t think of any way!
A touch of panic, as well as excitement, flashed across the depths of her beautiful eyes!
She was frightened by the unique properties of this Demonic Flame and also excited about Yang Kai’s enormous potential.
This man was currently just a Second-Order Saint, so his unique strength couldn’t play much of a role, but if he were to receive proper training and become a master at the Saint King Realm or Origin Returning Realm, then this Demonic Flame would be able to display unimaginable might.
The contradictory attributes of his power would give him a natural advantage others could only dream of obtaining!
Once he was fully matured, it would be difficult to find anyone who could be his opponent in the same realm! Only if the other party also cultivated some very special force would they stand a chance against him.
“Is there anyone in your Chamber of Commerce who has power similar to mine?” Yang Kai asked.
“No,” Xue Yue shook her head honestly and dismissed the idea of looking for a master for him, her beautiful eyes flashing a different kind of light in the next moment as she called out, “Yang Kai, how about we make a deal?”
“What kind of deal?”
“When we undo the Soul Chains bindings, I won’t act against you, all the grudges between us will be written off and I will provide you with the best cultivation environment and resources to improve your strength, allowing you to advance as quickly as possible.”
“Oh?” Yang Kai’s expression didn’t change, maintaining a slight smile upon his face as he asked, “And, what are your conditions?”
“I want you to follow me.”
“Follow you…” Yang Kai shook his head, “I already told you, I won’t be restrained by you!”
“There’s a big difference between serving me and following me,” Xue Yue snapped back, “Can’t you even understand that much?”
“To me, it’s the same thing.”
“At most… I can give you the opportunity to pursue me!” Xue Yue’s face blushed red as she bit her thin lip, seemingly having made a great concession!
The special strength Yang Kai possessed had really aroused her intention to win him over.
However, hearing what Xue Yue just said, Yang Kai couldn’t help but laugh.
“What are you laughing at?” Xue Yue’s blush deepened as she became somewhat angry out of shame.
“Your public identity is Xue Yue Third Young Master… If I don’t pursue you, would there even be anyone in this world who does? Are you really so lonely to that extent?”
“You… you bastard!” Xue Yue shouted indignantly.
Flying his Star Shuttle through the Starry Sky while being accompanied by an incredible beauty like Xue Yue did not bore Yang Kai in the slightest. He actually quite enjoyed this little journey.
Xue Yue also seemed to enjoy experiencing this completely different kind of life.
Until now, she had constantly been maintaining her male Xue Yue Third Young Master persona.
She had lived like this for countless years, and only a few people in the entire Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce knew her true gender; she had never been able to openly show her true face.
This chance coincidence had inadvertently allowed her to put down all her disguises and interact with Yang Kai as a woman. On top of that, because of the effects of the Soul Chains, she didn’t feel alert around Yang Kai and instead found him to be kind and friendly, as if he was a very important part of her life.
All day long she was in a good mood, her country destroying beauty shining even more radiantly, her pretty face displaying a mesmerizing glow that could attract even the most aloof of characters.
Time flew by, and after a month or so traversing the Starry Sky, the pair finally arrived at a gorgeous coloured star, Rainfall Star!
Because of its name, Yang Kai had thought that this star would be surrounded by thick clouds and storms, but when he saw it from the Starry Sky, he realized Rainfall Star was not how he imagined it would be.
This star was not very big, only about a third the size of Water Moon Star, but it exuded a rich vitality and colourful rays of light shrouded the entire star, making for a dazzling and fantastic display.
A brilliant nearby Sun Star illuminated these bright colours, allowing Rainfall Star to look more and more charming, like a fairyland.
Xue Yue’s beautiful eyes clearly revealed a hint of intoxication as she gazed upon Rainfall Star.
Even Yang Kai couldn’t help marvelling at the beauty of this star.
“When my strength grows high enough, I must become the Star Master of Rainfall Star, placing this star under my own control!” Xue Yue declared in a tender voice, setting a grand goal for herself.
“Then you’ll have to work hard, you’ll need to at least be able to defeat the current Star Master!” Yang Kai smiled, thinking little of her declaration, treating it as the whims of a young girl.
Xue Yue’s eyes narrowed into crescent moons as she lightly covered her mouth and laughed, “Rainfall Star does not have a Star Master. I know you come from a lower world, but you should at least understand that much.”
“No Star Master?” Yang Kai heard this and was stunned, “Why is there no Star Master? Doesn’t your Chamber of Commerce have masters worthy of seizing that position?”
Yang Kai knew that characters at the Star Master level were generally masters at the Origin King Realm, and although there weren’t many such masters, each major force would have at least a few.
Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce was one of the greatest forces in the entire Star Field, so it was impossible for them to not have Origin King Realm masters.
“Our Chamber of Commerce naturally has hidden masters who possess enough strength to become the Star Master of Rainfall Star, but how should I put this… Wanting to become a Star Master of a Cultivation Star, it’s not just about having enough strength, you also need to connect your own soul to the Star Source of the specific Cultivation Star. This process is accompanied by great dangers, and even an Origin King Realm powerhouse may suffer a backlash from trying to merge their soul with the Star Source, possibly even costing them their life.”
Yang Kai paled slightly.
Xue Yue continued to patiently explain, “There aren’t many Origin King Realm masters, some of them prefer to live lives of seclusion and are not willing to take the risk of fusing with a Star Source. On top of that, once they become a Star Master of a Cultivation Star, it is equivalent to tying their life together with it. If that Cultivation Star suddenly undergoes great changes or is even destroyed one day, then the Star Master will also suffer or die. Such things have happened before, where the destruction of a Cultivation Star led to the death of its Star Master.”
“So it is like our current relationship? If one suffers, all suffer?” Yang Kai exclaimed.
“Almost, but the relationship is not quite so simple. In any case, that is why there are some Stars in the Star Field that don’t have Star Masters, and Rainfall Star is one of them.”
“So you want to become a Star Master?” Yang Kai looked at her strangely.
Xue Yue smiled and said, “Although there are a lot of inconveniences, there are also great advantages to be had after becoming a Star Master. Why else do you think some masters are willing to become Star Masters of Cultivation Stars? Everything has its advantages and disadvantages, it ultimately depends on one’s perspective.”
She seemed to have thought this through, and Yang Kai also felt her explanation was reasonable, suddenly thinking back to the strange floating continent where he had been stranded for some time.
At the time, under the pressure of Gui Zu, while Yang Kai had been searching for a way to leave, his Divine Sense threads had inadvertently arrived at the deepest part of the floating continent where he came across an extremely powerful energy source.
That mass of energy provided an astonishing nourishing effect, causing Yang Kai’s Divine Sense thread, which was on the verge of collapse, to become even more powerful than when he first sent it out.
That mass of energy was likely the floating continent’s Star Source; unfortunately, when Yang Kai had asked Gui Zu about it, he hadn’t obtained any useful information.
Now after listening to Xue Yue talk about this subject, Yang Kai was almost certain that what he discovered was really a Star Source.
“Do you know how to fuse with a Star Source?” Yang Kai asked.
“Why do you want to know about that?” Xue Yue looked at him strangely.
“Just asking,” Yang Kai shrugged his shoulders, pretending he had simply been speaking carelessly.
Xue Yue’s expression became suspicious, obviously not trusting his explanation, but she did not bother asking any more questions and revealed some information she knew.
She felt that even if she didn’t explain anything, Yang Kai would learn about it someday, so there was no reason for her to conceal it.
Yang Kai secretly remembered every word she spoke while feigning calm, preparing for the day when he had time to return to the floating continent and confirm whether his assumptions were correct or not.
If that mass of energy was really a Star Source, he could attempt to fuse with it; after all, if he succeeded, it would definitely bring him huge benefits.
As the two spoke, they crossed a thick layer of clouds and arrived in Rainfall Star’s atmosphere.
“Fly that way!” Xue Yue pointed towards a nearby spot where the World Energy aura was richest, “My Chamber of Commerce’s branch is located there!”
Yang Kai gently nodded and flew in the direction Xue Yue had pointed out.
A few hours later, a series of rolling hills appeared in the pair’s eyes, and amidst these mountains, countless palaces stood quietly.
At the centre of this mountain range was an enormous open square that multiple Starships carrying loads of supplies flew in and out of.
Most of these Starships were emblazoned with Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce’s insignia while a small portion belonged to other big forces which were here to either sell or purchase items.
Yang Kai was unalarmed by this now familiar scene and simply flew forward following Xue Yue’s instructions.
Apparently Xue Yue had been here before as she was quite familiar with the geography and layout. Following her guidance, the pair soon arrived at a large hall.
Xue Yue leapt off the Star Shuttle before beckoning to Yang Kai to follow her into the hall.
At the entrance to the hall, several cultivators dressed in guard uniforms held long silver spears and wore solemn expressions.
When they saw Xue Yue, these guards’ eyes light up and they all straightened their backs and puffed out their chests, trying to make themselves look reliable and imposing.
The corners of Xue Yue’s mouth curled upwards slightly, seemingly very satisfied with this scene.
She had never had a chance to drive men to distraction as a woman before, so the reaction of these guards greatly satisfied her vanity.
“Girl, please halt, what business do you have here?” One of the guards came up and blocked Xue Yue’s path, putting on a show of his duties.
“I must see Branch President Ha Li Ka!” Xue Yue said as she flipped her exquisite jade hand and summoned out a token. The guard glanced at this token and his expression immediately became more solemn, quickly calling out, “So Madam is an emissary from the Home Star!”
The moment the guard saw the token, the way he addressed Xue Yue changed dramatically and he no longer dared try to show off his masculinity because this token was only issued to high-level Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce executives from the Home Star.
With this grade of status, it was clear that this beautiful woman was not someone a small guard of his ability could hope to befriend.
“Branch President Ha Li Ka has been waiting for some time, please enter!” The guard hurriedly stepped to the side, opening the way.
Xue Yue nodded with satisfaction before motioning to Yang Kai, indicate that he should follow her.
The looks on all of the guards’ faces were incredibly solemn as they displayed the utmost respect for Xue Yue, but mixed in with this was some confusion as well. They couldn’t understand why Yang Kai could follow behind this distinguished Madam. This little brat’s cultivation wasn’t any better than their own, so it was obvious he could only be a guard, but this Madam seemed to treat him quite amiably!
What kind of dog shit luck did this little brat have? How could he have won the right to follow behind such a perfect woman?
Each of the guards silently cursed in their hearts. They had all seen Yang Kai and Xue Yue arrive together on a single Star Shuttle and deeply wished they could swap places with him.
Inside the hall, Yang Kai and Xue Yue had only just entered when they heard someone delivering an angry reprimand. A moment later, several cultivators ran out from inside, each of them looking rather distressed.
Xue Yue smiled and whispered, “The Branch President here is short-tempered and he will often scold or beat his subordinates, so his popularity is quite low. Once we’re inside, don’t speak any nonsense so as not to draw his attention.”
“I know, I won’t say anything,” Yang Kai nodded. He had come to Rainfall Star entirely became of Xue Yue but he didn’t plan on intervening in her matters any more than necessary.
“Who are you? Don’t you know it’s impolite to speak about someone behind their back?” A cold snort suddenly sounded from inside the hall, its owner clearly somewhat disgruntled.
Xue Yue couldn’t help spitting out her tongue, a moment later her entire temperament changing dramatically, becoming bold and courageous, stepping forward confidently.
Yang Kai followed close behind.
Inside the hall, an old man wearing a purple robe sat on his chair and stared indifferently towards the entrance.
His expression was unreadable and his aura was imposing, just sitting there he appeared like a mountain, an invisible pressure unconsciously leaking from his body.
Yang Kai had only taken a few steps when suddenly his feet felt like they weighed tens of thousands of kilograms, making it difficult for him to even move. Xue Yue’s brisk pace also slowed down significantly, as if she had been caught in some kind of mire, a slight frown appearing on her face as her tender body trembled lightly.
Because of Xue Yue’s remarks, Brand President Ha Li Ka obviously didn’t have a good impression of the pair and was now deliberately embarrassing them.
Inside the hall, Yang Kai struggled to just keep standing as a pressure like a mountain weighed down on him, his forehead oozing sweat and his physique trembling as he tried to resist the suppressive force coming from all around him, bitterness filling his heart.
Xue Yue had always been in a position of absolute authority, meaning no one had ever dared act rudely to her, so she obviously didn’t know the concept of careless words causing trouble, or that she had implicated him because of it.
Feeling Ha Li Ka deliberately releasing his aura, a cold light flashed across the depths of Xue Yue’s beautiful eyes and on her waist, a jade pendant suddenly lit up, a series of powerful roars echoing from it before numerous beast phantoms appeared and formed a defensive barrier around her, isolating her Soul from the impact of Ha Li Ka’s pressure.
As this halo appeared, the sound of something breaking rang out and Xue Yue’s arduous steps became relaxed again as she lifted her head back up and walked forward.
Yang Kai, who had not been able to move, suddenly felt the pressure around him disappear.
It seemed that under the defensive halo of these strange beasts, Brand President Ha Li Ka’s momentum had instantly disintegrated.
Yang Kai suddenly felt relaxed and couldn’t help glancing towards Xue Yue’s thin waist. Worthy of Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce’s President’s heir, she was wearing extremely high-level artifacts!
“An Origin Grade Soul type artifact?” In his chair, Ha Li Ka, who had constantly had a cold expression, finally sat up and retracted his aura, a look of amazement soon filling his face.
Not just anyone could possess this grade of Soul type artifact, allowing Ha Li Ka to realize that Xue Yue’s identity could not be low. Before he was able to figure out Xue Yue’s status and purpose in coming here, he didn’t dare try to make trouble for her like just now.
Glancing over at Yang Kai again though, he still didn’t pay him any mind, instead focusing all his attention on Xue Yue and asking, “What is this young miss’ name?”
Xue Yue smiled and said sweetly, “Xue’er.”
Yang Kai’s mouth couldn’t help twitching as he stood silently behind her, diligently putting on the appearance of a guard.
“Miss Xue’er…” Ha Li Ka gently nodded, “So, what business do you have here?”
Xue Yue didn’t answer him directly and instead took out the token she had previously shown the guards outside and handed it over.
Accepting and examining the token, Ha Li Ka’s expression changed dramatically as he finally got up off his chair and politely cupped his fists, “So you are one of Young Master Xue Yue’s people! This old man had eyes but failed to see, causing him to offend Lady Xue’er a moment ago, I hope you will not take this matter to heart!”
Saying so, he handed the token back respectfully.
“Branch President is too polite,” Xue Yue’s expression became lighter as she looked around for a moment before walking over to a chair and sitting down.
Ha Li Ka remained standing in the same place, his expression showing clear puzzlement, asking after a moment, “Lady Xue’er, when will Young Master Xue Yue be arriving?”
“He won’t be,” Xue Yue smiled and said, “He has something to deal with and temporarily cannot leave.”
“Young Master Xue Yue can’t come?” Ha Li Ka was startled, hesitating for a while before asking, “Then the matter here…”
“He has given me sole responsibility for all the affairs here, Branch President only needs to coordinate with me,” Xue Yue said decisively, putting on a bossy appearance.
“You will take solely responsible for this matter?” Ha Li Ka couldn’t help but frown, seemingly not completely trusting Xue Yue’s words. “This old man must ask, Lady Xue’er, to Young Master Xue Yue… who are you?”
Xue Yue wore a radiant smile and showed an expression overflowing with charm as she replied, “He has given me responsibility for such an important matter, who do you think I am to him?”
Ha Li Ka suddenly wore a look of comprehension, his expression becoming somewhat ambiguous as he stared at Xue Yue, a myriad of emotions coursing through his chest, thinking that Young Master Xue Yue had finally been moved by a woman just like any ordinary young man. He had never heard of this kind of thing happening before. Young Master Xue Yue had never shown interest in any woman, and no matter how devastatingly beautiful they were, he simply wouldn’t spare them anything more than a polite nod.
Many of the older generation in the Chamber of Commerce were worried about Yong Master Xue Yue in this regard, wondering if he perhaps had some physical or psychological problem.
But now it seemed like he had simply not bumped into a woman capable of moving his heart!
Just… Why did this Lady Xue’er and Young Master Xue Yue share somewhat similar appearances?
This little girl couldn’t possibly be the product of one of President Ai Ou’s youthful escapades outside… If that was the case, she and Young Master Xue Yue would be…
All kinds of thoughts passed through his mind, and Ha Li Ka couldn’t help shivering slightly as his expressions became more and more awkward.
“Lady Xue’er, about that Ancient…” Ha Li Ka was about to deliver her a progress report when he was suddenly cut off by Xue Yue.
“Let’s discuss this matter tomorrow, I have just arrived here and am tired from the journey. One night of rest won’t cause any kind of problem.”
Ha Li Ka thought about it for a moment before nodding, “Very well, then I will arrange for someone to lead Lady Xue’er to her accommodations.”
Saying so, he sent out a Divine Sense Message and a moment later, one of the guards outside the hall hurried inside. Ha Li Ka gave the guard a few instructions before having him lead Xue Yue out.
Yang Kai, who had not said a word the entire time, followed after Xue Yue, a pensive look upon his face.
Ha Li Ka had not been able to finish what it was he was trying to say, but the word ‘Ancient’ had aroused Yang Kai’s curiosity, making him wonder what exactly had happened on this Cultivation Star and how this ‘Ancient’ thing had necessitated Xue Yue to personally come over and deal with it.
No matter what this matter was, it was obviously something of great importance.
Xue Yue not letting Ha Li Ka continue to speak was obviously because she didn’t want Yang Kai to hear about this secret. She currently felt quite close to Yang Kai, but the Chamber of Commerce’s secrets weren’t something even she could casually leak.
Yang Kai naturally understood this and didn’t attempt to pry.
Following behind the guard, Yang Kai and Xue Yue flew across the mountain for a moment before arriving at a location with incredibly beautiful scenery, just far enough away to avoid the hustle and bustle in the branch’s centre; it was just the perfect place to rest.
There was a quaint palace built nearby with an exquisite yet temperate atmosphere.
Outside this palace was a small bridge built over a flowing stream of water that led to a natural hot spring used for bathing. When Xue Yue arrived here, her eyes became bright, seemingly suddenly remembering that she had not bathed for quite a long time. These months flying through the Star Field, escaping from one Dead Star to another, both her and Yang Kai, despite their profound cultivations, had accumulated a good deal of filth on their bodies.
Seeing the natural hot spring, Xue Yue’s tender body couldn’t help feeling slightly itchy.
After the guard left, Xue Yue walked around the palace and surveyed the mountain scenery, smiling as she nodded, “That Ha Li Ka did a good job, actually arranging such a good residence for me, seems he’s smarter than he looks.”
Yang Kai curled his lips into a grin, “If you live life with your current appearance, you’d quickly discover many things you previously hadn’t experienced.”
Listening to him, Xue Yue thought about it seriously and agreed, “What you said makes sense. A difference in identity will create a difference in life, it’s truly a marvellous concept. Unfortunately, I can’t remain in this form forever. After things are finished here, I will have to return to Water Moon Star to restore my Xue Yue Third Young Master status.”
As long as she found the Grandmaster who originally refined the artifact which hid her true gender and had them repair it, Xue Yue could return to her previous life.
“Enough about that,” She suddenly said, as if she didn’t want to continue thinking about this subject. Turning back around, her skirt twirling enchantingly, Xue Yue declared, “I’m going to take a bath to wash away all the dirt and dust from this long journey. You can’t peek, if I catch you trying…”
Saying so, she clenched her fists and shook it towards Yang Kai before walking over towards the open-air hot spring.
Arriving beside the water, Xue Yue lightly disrobed while secretly paying attention to Yang Kai’s movements.
According to her observations during this time, she had determined that Yang Kai was not an honest person; secretly trying to peek at her in this kind of situation was something he would definitely do.
As such, she had warned him in advance.
However, to her surprise, even after she slipped her lithe body into the steaming hot water, Yang Kai didn’t show any particular movements. He seemed to still be standing where she left him, not moving a muscle.
Xue Yue was quite surprised by this and felt she may have misread Yang Kai and misunderstood his true nature.
Just as she was thinking this though, Yang Kai suddenly leapt up into the air above the bath and immediately fell down towards it, shedding all his clothes before he hit the water.
*Putong…*
Water splashed up greatly and the mist which lingered atop the hot spring was greatly disturbed.
“Yang Kai!” Xue Yue grit her teeth and sent out a thick menacing intent.
Yang Kai surfaced from the hot spring and leaned relaxedly against its edge while casually stating, “I also want to wash off the fatigues from the road, and I’m not secretly peeking…”
Saying so, he stared directly and openly towards Xue Yue.
Xue Yue was extremely annoyed and she spared no words to curse Yang Kai as a shameless bastard while retracting her naked figure into the water.
Her perfect body was instantly covered in a shroud of seven coloured light which, accompanied by the white mist of the hot spring, only served to enhance her appeal, tempting others to move closer to see the wonders that were hidden beneath these layers.
“You and I were only one step away from the most intimate of relationships, why would you suddenly be shy about taking a simple bath together now?” Yang Kai chuckled, not understanding what this woman was thinking.
“Don’t talk about that!” Xue Yue scolded angrily, sending a water arrow out towards Yang Kai’s head, missing by only the narrowest of margins, “If you dare speak any more nonsense, I’ll rip out your tongue.”
“I haven’t spoken any nonsense, I only spoke the truth!” Yang Kai grinned strangely.
Xue Yue didn’t respond, only sinking her head lower into the water and blowing some bubbles in silent protest.
Yang Kai no longer tried to provoke her and instead focused on enjoying the warmth of the natural hot spring.
Sometime later, Xue Yue suddenly said, “Tomorrow I have to go with Branch President Ha Li Ka to handle some things, so I won’t be bringing you along with me.”
“I know.”
“You’re too weak, and there will possibly be danger where I’m going, so…”
“You don’t have to explain it to me,” Yang Kai shook his head, “I have self-knowledge and won’t inquire about secrets I shouldn’t know. Sometimes, knowing less is safer.”
“As long as you understand,” Xue Yue smiled lightly.
“I’ll go rest first,” Yang Kai said, standing up and circulating his Saint Qi to dry the water on his skin before putting on a set of clothes and walking towards the small palace.
Staring at the receding back of Yang Kai through the fog, Xue Yue couldn’t help feeling an urge to tell him everything!
This feeling made her beautiful face pale as she realized the impact the Soul Chains were having on her was actually getting worse.
Early morning the next day.
The first rays of sunlight emerged from beyond the horizon, illuminating the mountain range, a single beam soon transforming into a golden blanket.
Bathed in this morning splendour, the mountain range appeared particularly beautiful, for a moment even seeming to radiate a golden hue.
Numerous cultivators looked up at these mountains with solemn and respectful gazes.
A rich aura overflowed from these massive mountains, rolling down their slopes like a slumbering dragon which had just awoken.
On the second floor of the small palace, Yang Kai opened his eyes from his meditation and released his Divine Sense, quickly discovering that Xue Yue was no longer here but there was an unfamiliar life aura waiting outside.
Yang Kai turned his head to looked outside and found a cultivator dressed in a guard uniform waiting patiently, his cultivation slightly higher than Yang Kai’s, most likely a Third-Order Saint.
He stood there with a bored expression, looking a little impatient and displeased. It seemed that someone had arranged for him to take an errand that he didn’t appreciate very much.
After thinking about it, Yang Kai leapt off the second floor briskly, landed in front of the guard, and asked casually, “Friend, is there something wrong?”
When the man heard this movement, he turned around and reluctantly cupped his fists, “Are you Lady Xue’er’s guard?”
“Yes,” Yang Kai gently nodded.
“Lady Xue’er has departed to complete a task together with Branch President Ha Li Ka and it may take a few days for her to return. Since you are not familiar with this place, I have been ordered to entertain you!”
“Entertain me?” Yang Kai eyebrow slightly lifted.
“I am well informed about Rainfall Star’s various sights and scenes, I won’t disappoint you!” Saying so, he swept his eyes over Yang Kai, really not understanding how this young man had become Lady Xue’er’s escort. Since he was her guard, why was he not following behind his charge to protect her safety, but instead being left here by Lady Xue’er for him to entertain!
How was this justifiable? If all guards could receive such treatment, it would be blissful indeed. He was also a guard, so why had he never had such good fortune?
This guard was more than a little indignant and desperately wanted to follow Lady Xue’er if this was the kind of duty it was.
After hearing what the guard said, Yang Kai suddenly understood that Xue Yue was worried he would get bored so she had left somewhere here to help him kill time. Shaking his head wryly, Yang Kai wore a light smile and said, “I appreciate this friend’s offer to show me around, but I have no interest in lively scenes or seeking amusement.”
The guard shot Yang Kai a strange look, seemingly not having expected him to have such a serious attitude, nodding lightly a moment later and continuing, “There are some quiet places we could visit. The branch is just about to hold a large-scale auction where many rare treasures will appear. If this friend is interested, we can go take a look. “
“An auction?” Yang Kai eyes brightened slightly.
“En, about half the items being auctioned will be provided by the Chamber of Commerce while the rest are contributed by foreign cultivators who obtained them from various exploits throughout the Star Field. Such events are held every few years, and sometimes an incredibly rare and valuable treasure will appear.”
“That does sound interesting,” Yang Kai smiled and nodded. He had never participated in such a grand event, despite having heard about similar ones in Tong Xuan Realm multiple times and knowing that such auctions were important way for cultivators to purchase exotic treasures.
“Rainfall Star’s grand auction will be held over multiple days, and only Saint Crystals are accepted for transactions; however, after the auction, there will be a private trade fair. The trade fair’s exchanges will depend on personal preferences, once can use Saint Crystal or barter using other types of treasures!” The man saw Yang Kai show some interested in this and couldn’t help saying a few more words, asking again, “Would friend like to take a look? “
He could see that Yang Kai was somewhat ignorant of such affairs, but since he seemed to be valued by Lady Xue’er, the guard still had to treat him with courtesy.
“How many Saint Crystals do I need to get participate?” Yang Kai asked.
The man smiled and said casually, “At least half a million, otherwise, you might not even be eligible bid.”
“Half a million…” Yang Kai’s mouth twitched.
On the floating continent, he had seized all the Saint Crystals from the Purple Star and Sword Union cultivators, but the total number was not that large, and after purchasing his new Star Shuttle and a variety of rare ores, he only had a few hundred Saint Crystals left.
There was obviously no way for him to pull out half a million Saint Crystals right now.
Yang Kai did have a lot of Origin Grade and even Origin King Grade spirit grasses and spirit medicines. If he were to bring these out and sell them, each one would likely fetch an immense price, but Yang Kai himself was an Alchemist, so these herbs were more useful to him for studying the Alchemic Way. He wasn’t prepared to sell them.
“How about it, has Friend made a decision?” The man urged a little impatiently. He had been ordered to entertain Yang Kai, but Yang Kai taking so long to think about it was making him quite unhappy.
“Forget it, I can’t go,” Yang Kai waved his hand, going to an auction just to watch the fun was too boring. On top of that, he didn’t have anything he urgently wished to buy.
“If that’s what friend has decided, I will take my leave,” The man didn’t say anything more, simply cupping his fists to Yang Kai curtly before departing.
Basking in the warm sunlight and feeling the warmth in the air, was something those who cultivated Yang Attribute Secret Arts or Martial Skills like Yang Kai particularly enjoyed.
Standing in front of the palace, his tens of millions of pores wide open, thousands of rays of sunlight beaming down onto him, Yang Kai felt the pure Yang Attribute energy pour into his body.
His mood was calm and his mind relaxed.
Although he had refused the offer from the guard, Yang Kai himself did want to go out.
He had no idea when Xue Yue would be back, so it didn’t make much sense for him to simply stay here doing nothing.
On top of that, Yang Kai was anxious to find a safe way to remove the effects of the Soul Chains.
As long as he and Xue Yue were both willing, the Soul Chains could be unlocked at any time, but this method was far from safe.
Yang Kai had never thought that he and Xue Yue could really forget about all their previous grudges. That was all just an illusion created by the Soul Chains. He had to make sure that Xue Yue would not act against him after the effects of the Soul Chains were lifted, otherwise, it was almost certain she would try to kill him the moment she was freed.
Yang Kai had to guard against this and had secretly been contemplating the issue, but as of this moment, he had yet to come up with a viable solution.
Summoning his Star Shuttle, Yang Kai quickly flew off.
Like a bolt of lightning, Yang Kai soared through the clouds, exploring the world around him, without any kind of specific destination in mind.
Back on Water Moon Star, Yang Kai had spent a whole two months touring the star, firstly to familiarize himself with the structure and customs of the Cultivation Stars in the Star Field, and the other in the faint hope he would be able to find Su Yan.
Now that he had arrived on a different Cultivation Star, Yang Kai wanted to try his luck again.
Rainfall Star was not big, much smaller than Water Moon Star at least.
In just twenty days, Yang Kai had traversed almost the entirety of Rainfall Star but had not found any trace of Su Yan’s aura.
Yang Kai wasn’t too disappointed with this result; after all, the Star Field was far too large and the number of Cultivation Stars within it was nearly endless. Even if he knew Su Yan and the others from Ice Sect had arrived in the Star Field, Yang Kai had no idea which Cultivation Star they might be on, so he was not expecting to find them in any kind of short order.
Yang Kai stopped atop a great mountain and swept his eyes over his surroundings.
Suddenly, his gaze was drawn to a huge mountain valley in the distance.
This mountain valley covered a massive area and there seemed to be traces of it been artificial expanded. The mountain valley shouldn’t have originally been that big, but someone had used powerful Divine Abilities to naturally expand it until it stretched a full one hundred kilometers in length.
At the center of the mountain valley, there was a small palace, and around the palace were vast fields of exquisite Medicine Gardens, each one filled with various colourful spirit grasses and spirit medicines
Standing where he was, Yang Kai felt that these Medicine Gardens were arranged inside some kind of grand Spirit Array which caused the surrounding World Energy to flow continuously into the mountain valley, making the density of the aura reach an extraordinary height.
Even while separated by hundreds of kilometres, Yang Kai was able to smell a medicinal fragrance that made one’s soul feel refreshed.
[Inside this mountain valley, there must be a profound Alchemy Grandmaster!] Yang Kai decided.
Setting off again, Yang Kai flew over, wanting to pay a visit to this unknown Alchemist to help pass the time, but as soon as he reached the mountain valley, he felt a strange sense of incongruence.
This feeling came to him when he spotted something out of the corner of his eye!
Pausing, Yang Kai took a more serious look at the vast Medicine Gardens again, contrasting them with what he had seen a moment ago.
Immediately, Yang Kai’s eyes narrowed, and he understood where this sudden incongruent feeling came from.
The distribution of the Medicine Garden inside the mountain valley was obviously different from the one he had just seen from the top of the mountain just now. There seemed to be some subtle changes among the planting and placement of the various herbs.
The more Yang Kai observed, the more he began to realize the peculiarity of these Medicine Gardens.
Soon, Yang Kai was surprised to find that there was a very special power flowing beneath these Medicine Gardens and that this power coincided with some kind of Heavenly Law which in itself was a shocking discovery.
The flow of this strange power changed with the various distances between the rows of the Medicine Gardens, allowing each Medicine Garden act as part of a larger, more complicated formation. This grand formation of Medicine Gardens caused the various energies of Heaven and Earth to concentrate in this place. On top of that, it seemed to allow all the spirit grasses and spirit medicines to more easily accept these energies, improving their vitality noticeably.
Yang Kai was shocked, and attracted by the exquisite layout of these Medicine Gardens he stopped mid-air and began releasing his Divine Sense to perceive the hidden mysteries in one of the Medicine Gardens.
Inside the palace, an old man with short stature and messy hair, appearing somewhat deranged, was busying himself in front of a series of large and small pill furnaces. Each pill furnace was filled with various medicinal liquids from different herbs. The old man had a white beard and sunken eyes, as if he was perennially exhausted, his skin was wrinkled and figure somewhat emaciated.
Only his eyes were filled with shining light and incomparable excitement. He devoted almost all his focus to the dozens of dozen of pill furnaces of various sizes in front of him, constantly extracting rare herbs from his Space Ring and tossing them towards different pill furnaces one after another.
He was simultaneously handling dozens of pill furnaces and refining several dozen different pills at the same time without any errors!
When Yang Kai broke into the mountain valley, the old man who was in the midst of his Alchemy immediately noticed, causing a frown to appear on his face and a terrifying pressure to emerge from his body.
The entire mountain valley where he made his home was one of Rainfall Star’s Restricted Areas; no one was allowed to even approach it, and no one dared to either, yet today, some little brat who didn’t know how high the Heavens were had actually flew straight in.
The old man was infuriated and his first thought was to take Yang Kai’s life directly to warn others what fate awaited those who dared disturb him while he was performing Alchemy.
The lives of minor characters like Yang Kai weren’t even worth worrying about for this old man.
But just as he was about to act, one of the pill furnaces placed around him suddenly made a strange hissing sound, causing the old man’s expression to fill with bitterness. Pouring his Saint Qi into the pill furnace, the old man quickly stabilized the medicinal liquids inside and muttered, “Pills are difficult to refine. Hmph, I’ll let you live for a while, your life isn’t worth wasting a furnace of materials on. Damn it, pills are really difficult to refine!”
Muttering to himself while constantly waving his hands in complicated patterns, sending his Saint Qi into different pill furnaces, his Space Ring flashing on and off as different herbs which had been prepared in advance were thrown into the various furnaces.
As more and more strange sounds emerged from the various pill furnaces, the old man’s expression remained tranquil, without the slightest bit of tension at all, only the movement of his hands accelerated noticeably.
After half an hour, the sunken eyes of the old man shone brilliantly and all the pill furnaces hummed, crisp ringing sounds echoing from them as a thick pill fragrance filled the air!
Reaching out his hand, the several dozen large and small pill furnaces all opened and a multitude of different coloured pills flew out, dropping like raindrops into several jade bottles which had been prepared beforehand.
With a pitter-patter, three jade bottles were soon completely filled.
The old man didn’t feel the slightest bit of fatigue and instead seemed quite excited. Rubbing his somewhat wrinkled hands together, he rushed over to the jade bottles to pick them up and carefully examined the pills which had just come out of the furnace.
“No… no…still no… Every time the old man checked one, he would whisper to himself, the look of anticipation on his face gradually disappearing and being replaced with disappointment.
After checking through all three jade bottles, nearly forty pills in total, he was still unable to find what he wanted.
As if it had received a huge blow, the old man’s face became disheartened and he sighed heavily, “Pills are really hard to refine. Why aren’t there any Pill Veins? Could it be that this old master’s method of mass quantities is actually wrong? No, it can’t be!”
Saying so, he threw these three jade bottles aside as if they were worthless trash, not even sparing them a second glance.
In the corner of his pill room, a large number of jade bottles were piled up, over a hundred of them in total, each one of them filled with pills. None of the pills in these bottles was lower than Saint King Grade and there were even several of them that were Origin Grade.
The old man sat down after and began pondering about the successes and failures he had experienced in this latest Alchemy refinement, attempting to determine why he was unable to refine more Pill Veins, scratching his already thin white hair.
The old man actually sat in this position for three days and three nights without any movement, just like a dead man, only his eyes revealing a light of contemplation.
Suddenly, a subtle wave of energy appeared from the Medicine Garden. This burst of energy interrupted his contemplation, making him look up unhappily towards the outside.
Only then did he remember that three days ago some little brat had actually broken into his property, but at the time he didn’t have any spare attention to deal with him so he had simply forgotten about him.
“He hasn’t left yet?” The old man was surprised and quietly released his Divine Sense, a moment later letting out a light murmur of surprise, as if he had discovered something interesting, focusing more of his attention on Yang Kai’s movements.
In the Medicine Garden, Yang Kai had sat down cross-legged, allowing his Divine Sense to spread out in all directions like a tide.
His Divine Sense probed every single inch of the Medicine Garden, trying to understand the secrets it held.
These Medicine Gardens were not arranged randomly, the way they were planted and distributed was in line with some kind of profound Spirit Array. Each individual garden composed a smaller Spirit Array, which in combination with the others gathered the surrounding World Energy to promote the growth of the various spirit grassed and spirit medicines, making them grow both faster and stronger.
Any herb grown here for fifty years would have the equivalent of a one-hundred-year-old medicinal age, possibly even higher.
Yang Kai didn’t know who it was that arranged this, but he figured it was the handiwork of the Alchemist residing in valley’s central palace!
Yang Kai devoted himself to studying these Medicine Gardens, trying to spy on its hidden mysteries, becoming complete absorbed in this task and even forgetting everything around him!
Yang Kai has studied many different Spirit Arrays from the True Alchemic Way, and back on Tong Xuan Realm, these Spirit Arrays had helped him immensely.
However, the True Alchemic Way was, after all, a product of Tong Xuan Realm.
The Star Field also had its own unique Spirit Arrays.
There were advantages and disadvantages between the two, and while Yang Kai was studying the Spirit Arrays hidden in the Medicine Garden, he was also comparing them to those he had already mastered.
When the old man inside the palace saw this scene, he immediately understood what Yang Kai was doing, and after thinking about it for a moment, he retracted his murderous intent and chuckled, “I suppose it’s not such a bad thing to let you continue!”
Seeing Yang Kai like this reminded of his own hardships in the study of Alchemy.
In order to learn different Spirit Arrays, he had travelled vast distances and visited many famous masters, most of whom would laugh at and despise him, slamming the door shut in his face or expelling him directly.
Those Alchemy Grandmasters regarded their own Spirit Arrays as their most important treasures and would not easily teach them to others. Even if it was their own Disciples, these masters would deny most of them any of their core knowledge, so teaching a stranger was even more out of the question.
When this old man was Yang Kai’s age, he had been obsessed with Alchemy and often vowed to climb high in the Alchemic Way and amaze the world.
However, in his advanced age, he had realized that the idea was wrong. Alchemy was not studied in order to make the world change their views on him, but rather to fulfil his own lifelong pursuit.
Yang Kai’s serious focus reminded him of his past and washed away his desire to kill him. No longer paying attention to this young boy, the old man simply allowed him to continue studying the mysteries of his Medicine Garden.
Sometime later, the old man inside the palace started performing Alchemy again. Just like before, the several dozen pill furnaces all began warming up at the same time as the old man tossed one herb after another into all of them.
Outside the palace, Yang Kai sat in silent contemplation, a thin layer of dust soon accumulating on his body as he eagerly delved into these Spirit Arrays.
One old and one young, neither bothering the other, focused entirely on their own independent tasks.
Every once in a while, after the old man finished a round of Alchemy, he would check to see if Yang Kai was still around, and finding him still sitting in the same place, the old man couldn’t help appreciating the patience and perseverance of this little brat.
Youths were often hot-blooded and impetuous, very few were able to calm their hearts and remain focused like this little brat for so long. It was truly impressive.
Yang Kai also noticed that the owner of the palace would often use his Divine Sense to observe him, but seeing the other party not show any intention to drive him away, he thickened his skin and continued studying as if nothing had happened.
After he finished studying the Spirit Arrays here, Yang Kai planned to properly offer this master his thanks.
He didn’t intent to steal the knowledge arranged here; he had simply become engrossed in it before he knew it.
This peaceful coexistence continued on for a number of days, with Yang Kai constantly examining the Spirit Arrays hidden in the various Medicine Gardens, comparing them to his previous analysis, but suddenly, a wave of unease spread from his heart.
Opening his eyes, Yang Kai immediately expanded his Divine Sense to check his surroundings.
Soon though, his brow furrowed, because he didn’t notice any danger approaching him, and within a few hundred kilometres, besides the owner of the nearby palace, there wasn’t even a single bird flying through the sky, much less any other people.
Yang Kai thought he was just imagining things but when he calmed himself down and was about to continue his studies, the feeling of uneasiness became stronger.
It was as if his life was being threatened and he was on the verge of death.
Standing up, his expression became incomparably gloomy.
With his strength having reached his currently level, Yang Kai’s senses had also become incredibly keen. He would not be feeling this kind of anxiety for no reason at all and there were only two explanations for it.
Either there was a master who far surpassed him in strength stalking him, or something else was threatening his life.
The former was highly unlikely.
Although Yang Kai didn’t know who the master of the palace was, he was certain this person was a powerful master. If someone harbouring ill intent was nearby, the master of the palace would certainly have detected them.
Moreover, Yang Kai felt that no one should be currently targeting him; after all, he hadn’t stirred up trouble or forged any grudges with anyone recently and there was no reason for him to be randomly targeted.
The only one he currently had issues with was Xue Yue, but because of the effects of the Soul Chains which currently linked their lives, she would only be trying to protect him and it was impossible for her to be trying to kill him.
Thinking of Xue Yue and remembering about the Soul Chains, Yang Kai’s face changed and a hypothesis came to mind.
Had something happened to Xue Yue?
Because of the Soul Chains, their lives had become linked together, and if Xue Yue was on the verge of death, it would be the same as him being in danger.
The more he thought about it, the more Yang Kai was convinced this was the case. Not daring to linger, he immediately summoned out his Star Shuttle and flew off towards the Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce branch.
Cursing in his heart the whole time, Yang Kai had to remind himself that Xue Yue’s strength was not low and with Ha Li Ka, an Origin Returning Realm master, accompanying her, there shouldn’t have been any danger to her life. He had simply gone about his own affairs with peace of mind to suddenly have this life-threatening situation to occur. This caused annoyance to fill him to no end.
“He left?” Inside the palace, the old man glanced at the direction in which Yang Kai left and slowly shook his head, not paying it much attention.
To him, Yang Kai’s arrival was nothing more than a small ripple in the vast pond that was his life, not having any real lasting effect on him. Whether Yang Kai stayed or left mattered not to him.
The old man continued to focus on the several dozen pill furnaces in front of him, forming a series of hand seals while pouring his Saint Qi into them to control each individual heating.
Yang Kai pushed his Saint King Grade High-Rank Star Shuttle to its limits, flying back at maximum speed.
The anxiety and sense of crisis in his heart grew stronger with each passing breath.
After half a day, Yang Kai arrived back at the mountain range where the branch was located and directly flew to the palace which Ha Li Ka had arranged for him and Xue Yue.
Yang Kai released his Divine Sense and found that the small palace was just as he left it with no traces of anyone having come or gone. Xue Yue was obviously not here.
Immediately turning around, Yang Kai flew to the branch’s headquarters.
A moment later, Yang Kai arrived at the hall where he had met Ha Li Ka.
Several guards who were standing at the gate of the main hall saw Yang Kai rush over and began to frown, wondering just what had happened to make this young guard so nervous.
The last time they had seen Yang Kai, they had learned that he was a guard of Lady Xue’er who was a representative of the Home Star; however, due to his low strength, all of them looked down on him somewhat.
“Is Branch President Ha Li Ka back?” Yang Kai landed in front of them and asked directly.
“What do you wish to see Sir Ha Li Ka about?” One of the guards asked back.
“Did he come back?” Yang Kai growled, his expression sullen, looking like he was on the verge of snapping.
The guard couldn’t help but feeling a little frightened seeing this look and shook his head subconsciously.
“Do you know where he went?” Yang Kai asked again.
The guard who shook his head seemed to become angry out of shame because of his unconscious cooperation just now and coldly snorted, “You think you’re qualified to question Branch President’s whereabouts? Who do you think you are?”
Even if he came from the Home Star, he was just a Second-Order Saint Realm guard. His tone and attitude were really unpleasant.
Yang Kai shot this man a faint glance but didn’t ask anything more. These people obviously didn’t have a very high status and shouldn’t know much in the first place.
Without saying another word, Yang Kai turned around and left, flying towards a different palace.
Inside that palace, there was the aura of a master at the Origin Returning Realm, they should know something.
“Why that little brat…” A few guards couldn’t help muttering in annoyance as they stared towards Yang Kai’s back in anger. If it weren’t for him coming from the Home Star, they wouldn’t have let Yang Kai just walk away so easily.
A moment later, Yang Kai arrived at a different palace and landed, walking straight up to the guards at the door and shouting, “I must see the master inside!”
“What’s the matter?” One of the guards asked.
“Branch President Ha Li Ka has had an accident!”
The guard’s brow furrowed, glancing over Yang Kai, someone not believing him and asking, “How do you know? Sir Ha Li Ka is a master at the Origin Returning Realm, one of the strongest on all of Rainfall Star, what kind of accident could he…”
“Can you go report it already?” Yang Kai interrupted him impatiently.
“Let him pass!” A loud voice suddenly called out from inside. The commotion here had obviously been noticed the mater of the palace.
As soon as these words were spoken, before the guard could even respond, Yang Kai stormed into the palace.
Similar to Ha Li Ka’s palace, inside the main hall there was a large desk with a chair behind it. A middle-aged man was working on something behind the desk and when Yang Kai rushed in, he looked up and asked, “You’re the guard who came from the Home Star with Lady Xue’er?”
“Yes!” Yang Kai nodded.
“I am Lin Mu Feng, Vice President of this branch,” The middle-aged man coldly snorted, “I don’t care if you come from the Home Star or which master you follow, here, I have the final say!”
Yang Kai said nothing.
“Why do you claim Ha Li Ka has had an accident?” Lin Mu Feng was satisfied with Yang Kai’s cooperative attitude and asked, “As far as I know, you aren’t eligible to participate in this confidential operation, so how could you know something went wrong?”
Yang Kai frowned before a thought flashed across his mind and he took out a communication type artifact, “Lady Xue’er sent a message saying they encountered great danger.”
“What kind of danger?” Lin Mu Feng paled slightly, somewhat believing Yang Kai’s words now.
Yang Kai just shook his head, “I can’t reach Lady Xue’er anymore so I came to request you try to contact Branch President Ha Li Ka and ask him.”
Lin Mu Feng hesitated a moment before taking out a similar communication type artifact and pouring his Divine Sense into it in an attempt to get in touch with Ha Li Ka.
After a moment, his expression became dignified and he muttered, “It seems something truly has happened.”
Being unable to get any response let him know that Yang Kai was not lying.
“Come with me!” Lin Mu Feng beckoned to Yang Kai and hurried out.
Outside the palace, Lin Mu Feng summoned his Star Shuttle directly and flew off in a certain one direction with Yang Kai following close behind.
As they flew, Lin Mu Feng took out his communication type artifact again and began contacting a number of others, issuing various orders.
After a moment, from all directions, streaks of light flew out and quickly converged around the pair. All of these streaks were Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce cultivators who Lin Mu Feng had summoned.
These cultivators rendezvoused with Lin Mu Feng and matched his speed without asking any questions.
Yang Kai observed secretly and felt a little surprised.
Many of these cultivators were Saint King Realm masters. Few were Saint Realm masters but even fewer were at the Origin Returning Realm masters.
“Mu Feng, what happened, calling all of us out in such a flurry,” A middle-aged woman approached Lin Mu Feng and asked.
“Ha Li Ka’s group seems to have had an accident, I can’t get any response no matter who I try to contact!” Lin Mu Feng explained hurriedly.
The middle-aged woman’s expression changed dramatically as she exclaimed, “Is there really some kind of danger inside those Ancient Ruins?”
“I don’t know. When we first uncovered those ruins we simply reported them to the Home Star. We didn’t dare to investigate it privately. This time, Lady Xue’er came here to lead an expedition into those ruins, so there being unknown dangers is only natural.”
“What about Lady Xue’er?” The middle-aged woman asked.
“She was with Ha Li Ka,” Lin Mu Feng’s expression became extremely ugly, glancing over at the middle-aged woman and whispering, “She seems to be Xue Yue Third Young Master’s woman!”
The middle-aged woman’s face suddenly turned pale, and she quickly realized that the situation was more serious than she thought.
If it had been someone else who had unexpectedly fallen into danger, it wouldn’t have been too big a deal; after all, Branch President Ha Li Ka was also involved, so it was clear this was not the branch’s negligence.
However, if Lady Xue’er was the woman of Xue Yue Young Master, things would be different.
No one dared to withstand the anger of Young Master Xue Yue! If things went badly, the entire branch might be cleansed. When that happened, rivers of blood and mountains of corpses would be made. No one could take such a responsibility.
Everyone knew of Xue Yue Third Young Master’s cruelty and ruthlessness.
As these two were talking, Yang Kai kept silent, and since they hadn’t made any attempt to cover their voices, Yang Kai naturally heard about the Ancient Ruins and also why Xue Yue had come to Rainfall Star this time.
Normally, Yang Kai would definitely be interested in these Ancient Ruins, but right now he didn’t have time to care about such things.
The more he flew forward, the more uneasy Yang Kai’s heart became.
He didn’t know what happened to Xue Yue, but one thing was certain, she wasn’t dead yet!
Because their lives were linked together, if Xue Yue died, Yang Kai would surely die as well.
He secretly decided that after this incident was settled, the Soul Chains needed to be immediately unlocked. Regardless of whether Xue Yue came to find trouble with him afterwards, the feeling of not being in control of his own life was simply unacceptable.
After speeding forward for a long time, Lin Mu Feng and the middle-aged woman suddenly flew downward.
Down below, there was a mine shaft that produced some unknown ore. The ground was filled with cave entrances, many of which seemed dark and bottomless.
The several dozen people all landed next to the largest entrance.
A chamber of commerce cultivator who was apparently standing guard next to the entrance cupped his fists and greeted, “Senior Lin, Senior Qi!”
Lin Mu Feng nodded lightly and asked him, “What happened here?”
The cultivator was confused for a moment and replied, “Nothing has happened …”
He didn’t seem to know about the situation yet.
Lin Mu Feng shook his head, no longer asking this guard anything, instead taking out his communication type artifact and trying once more but still failing to get any response from Ha Li Ka.
“Did something happen to the Branch President?” The cultivator finally noticed that something wrong from the look on Lin Mu Feng’s face and asked in amazement.
Lin Mu Feng nodded, “Probably, I’ll take some people down to see, you wait here for me to contact you.”
Saying so, he prepared to enter the mineshaft when the middle-aged woman surnamed Qi suddenly exclaimed, “Someone came up …”
Lin Mu Feng’s face brightened as he quickly released his Divine Sense. At the same time, Yang Kai also began investigating the situation.
From the mouth of the mine, several life auras were rapidly approaching, and judging from the fluctuations in their auras, they seemed to have suffered some injuries. One of them was exceptionally faint, as if they were on the verge of death.
“It’s Ha Li Ka!” The middle-aged woman shouted upon noticing Ha Li Ka’s aura.
Lin Mu Feng smiled happily and waited patiently.
A moment later, a few blue lights emerged from the mouth of the mine, dashing out as if there was some kind of great danger behind them.
Those few blue lights were all flickering. Apparently, these Star Shuttles were all damaged and their performance had become unstable.
Several of the Chamber of Commerce’s cultivators who had followed Lin Mu Feng rushed up to assist their companions.
One of the cultivators who had emerged from the mine was surrounded by a profound chill. A cultivator from the Chamber of Commerce ran up and caught him but immediately began trembling violently, the chill spreading to his body at a speed visible to the naked eye, and before long, he too had turned stiff, unable to move.
These two seemed to be frozen together and soon after fell from the sky.
*Hong…*
With a muffled thud, these two cultivators hit the ground and shattered like ice sculptures, both of them dying instantly.
“Stay back!” A roar resounded as Ha Li Ka fell down from the sky and landed, looking pale.
Hearing this roar, the cultivators from the Chamber of Commerce who were preparing to rescue their companions stopped and no longer dared to dare to approach them.
Lin Mu Feng and the middle-aged woman stared at Ha Li Ka intently, and after seeing his current state, they both narrowed their eyes and couldn’t help feeling a chill grip their hearts.
Yang Kai also observed Ha Li Ka’s condition and couldn’t help wearing an expression of dread.
Being able to become a Branch President of Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce, Ha Li Ka cultivation had reached the Third Order Origin Returning Realm, the strongest realm under the Origin King Realm.
Even so, Ha Li Ka was in an extremely difficult situation at the moment, his left arm completely frozen in ice, and no matter how he urged his own strength, he could not dispel the chill. On the contrary, the profound cold was still expanding and would soon reach his shoulder.
Ha Li Ka grit his teeth and in a flash of determination suddenly let out a great roar burst his power to its maximum.
Along with this roar, his frozen arm was suddenly sliced off and blood poured out from the wound like a fountain. Ha Li Ka’s face suddenly paled as he slumped to the ground.
He had cut off his own arm!
Yang Kai’s pupils shrank, shocked not only by Ha Li Ka’s decisiveness but also by the terrifying cold energy!
Whatever this cold energy was, it was so overwhelming that it had forced the Third Order Origin Returning Realm Ha Li Ka into a life or death crisis which necessitated self-mutilation in order to survive!
Lin Mu Feng and the middle-aged woman rushed up and stopped Ha Li Ka’s bleeding shoving several high-quality pills into his mouth.
Several other cultivators who come back with Branch President Ha Li Ka witnessed this act and clenched their own teeth, pulling out sharp weapons and cutting off the frozen sections of their bodies. Instantly, severed limbs and blood covered the ground, and the few people who had survived groaned in misery.
Ha Li Ka sat cross-legged on the ground while urging his healing art, stabilizing his injuries while gasping for breath, a look of fear still lingering on his face.
“What was that?” Lin Mu Feng asked nervously.
“Profound Yin Sunflower Water!” Ha Li Ka answered with gritted teeth.
“Profound Yin Sunflower Water?” The middle-aged woman screamed aloud, “It was really Profound Yin Sunflower Water? Was such a treasure actually buried in that Ancient Ruin?”
Even Lin Mu Feng couldn’t help feeling a bit agitated as a look of fascination filled his face.
Profound Yin Sunflower Water was an Origin King Grade material and any cultivator who could successfully refine a drop of it would experience a leap in strength! If their strength was low enough, this precious treasure could even result in a direct increase in realm.
Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce focused on business and its understanding of various treasures was unmatched by any force. Lin Mu Feng and middle-aged woman naturally knew just how valuable Profound Yin Sunflower Water was.
If they could safely collect this Profound Yin Sunflower Water from the Ancient Ruins, it would definitely be a great achievement and they may even be able to transfer to the Home Star, Water Moon Star, to enjoy a better cultivation environment as well as higher status!
It was just that this kind of treasure was extremely rare and the environmental conditions required to produce it were extremely demanding. On top of that, the formation process could stretch across tens of thousands of years.
Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce controlled several Cultivation Stars, dozens of Medicine Stars and Ore Stars , and countless cultivators, yet after so many years, they had never once been able to gather Profound Yin Sunflower Water.
So when they heard Ha Li Ka mention Profound Yin Sunflower Water, whether it was Lin Mu Feng or the middle-aged woman, both couldn’t stop their eyes for lightning up and an exhilarated look from appearing on their faces.
“How could there be Profound Yin Sunflower Water under this mine?” Lin Mu Feng still couldn’t believe it.
“It was probably left here by some expert from ancient times. We discovered it inside as damaged Space Ring. When we tried to retrieve it, the Space Ring exploded, releasing the Profound Yin Sunflower Water, catching everyone off guard,” Ha Li Ka explained quickly, his face turning blue. Just thinking back to the events caused him to feel both the fear of death and the relief of survival.
If he hadn’t acted decisively enough just now, he wouldn’t have just lost an arm but instead died without burial.
“Where is Lady Xue’er?” Yang Kai stepped forward and asked.
Ha Li Ka looked up at him and sighed sadly.
Yang Kai’s face became uglier.
“The Space Ring was in her hands when the Profound Yin Sunflower Water burst out, she bore the brunt of the explosion…” Ha Li Ka sighed heavily and didn’t say any more.
He was certain Lady Xue’er was doomed!
After all, she was only a Third Order Saint King, and even he, a Third Order Origin Returning Realm master had been unable to resist the Profound Yin Sunflower Water’s erosion, how could Lady Xue’er, whose entire body had been exposed, have possibly survived?
In all likelihood, she was already dead!
Yang Kai coldly snorted, “Is there a map of down below?”
“What do you want that for?” Lin Mu Feng looked at him in surprise.
“She’s not dead!” Yang Kai shot him a cold look.
“Do you want to try to save her?” The middle-aged woman immediately understood Yang Kai’s intentions and slowly shook her head, attempting to persuade him, “Young man, don’t be impulsive, after being exposed to a large amount of Profound Yin Sunflower Water, she has no chance of surviving; searching for her will just result in you losing your life in vain.”
Ha Li Ka also added, “There are many barriers down below, with such low strength, you won’t be able to reach her.”
“If she’s alive, I must see her in person, if she’s dead, I must see her corpse!” Yang Kai said flatly.
The several branch executives directed a stunned look at him when these words came out, many of them showing some appreciation.
Yang Kai’s external identity was Xue Yue’s guard, so when they saw Yang Kai so eager to save her, not giving a single thought to his own safety, their opinion of him rose significantly. Even if this young man didn’t have great strength, he was still valuable because he possessed the most important quality a guard must have, loyalty!
Everyone present suddenly felt a sense of respect.
The ring on Ha Li Ka’s hand flashed and he pulled out a set of papers he promptly tossed over to Yang Kai, “These are the maps we drew up this time to avoid getting lost, they may be of some use to you.”
Yang Kai caught these maps, gave them a quick glance, then without saying another word dove straight into the mine tunnel.
“What an honourable little guard!” The middle-aged woman gently nodded, looking in the direction where Yang Kai disappeared, muttering somewhat regretfully, “I’m afraid he has no chance at coming back alive.”
“He has to go!” Lin Mu Feng said indifferently, “Lady Xue’er is the woman of Third Young Master, if she dies, as her guard, that young man will definitely die as well.”
Having been reminded by him, the middle-aged woman’s beautiful face couldn’t help paling slightly, the excitement brought on by the discovery of Profound Yin Sunflower Water fading away. Just thinking about how they would now have to withstand the anger of the Third Young Master caused her to feel uneasy.
“I hope the merits from this event can compensate for the losses,” Ha Li Ka sighed heavily, all thoughts of promotion and transfer to the Home Star disappearing from his thoughts. Although they had found Profound Yin Sunflower Water, which was no doubt great merit, the Third Young Master’s woman had died as a result. Who knew how Third Young Master would react?
The best result they could hope for was that the merits and demerits would balance out and that Third Young Master wouldn’t investigate the matter here and the branch maintaining the status quo.
“Old Ha, you rest first,” Lin Mu Feng comforted, “We can discuss what to do next after you restore yourself.”
“Looks like we can only act so,” Ha Li Ka nodded and closed his eyes to refine the medicinal efficacies of the pills he just swallowed.
Inside the mine shaft, Yang Kai rapidly descended.
He didn’t know how deep this mine shaft was, but it took Yang Kai the time it would take to make a cup of tea to reach a crossroad. Looking up, only a faint ray of light from the surface reached this place while the mining area all around him was pitch black.
Tunnels extended in all directions.
This mining area formerly produced some less precious ore so the cultivators of Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce had not been very systematic about excavating it.
The Ancient Ruins were discovered during the mining process and the people from the branch didn’t dare to investigate it at will, sealing off the area and reporting the matter to the Home Star instead.
Xue Yue had come here this time specifically to deal with these ruins.
She had been extremely cautious along the way, exploring the ruins under the leadership of Ha Li Ka, gaining some harvests in the process, but how could she have known that a simple Space Ring would contain such danger? Having been placed in the ruins for so long, the Space Ring had already become unstable, and when Xue Yue used her Divine Sense to probe what was inside of it, the Space Ring suddenly burst apart, bombarding her with the Profound Yin Sunflower Water stored inside.
She immediately lost consciousness and the Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce cultivators in her immediate vicinity instantly died, only the strongest Ha Li Ka and a few others who were further away managed to flee in time.
Yang Kai recalled the map in his mind and quickly spread out his Divine Sense and began diving through the various mine tunnels.
After half an hour, he finally arrived at the location where the Ancient Ruins were found.
He felt a lot of subtle energy fluctuations from in front of himself and immediately knew that what Ha Li Ka said was right.
The numerous barriers and traps inside these ruins were extremely dangerous.
When Xue Yue’s team had been exploring it, they had tried their best to avoid these barriers and only cracked or destroyed those they had to.
Yang Kai was currently in a rush to save Xue Yue, so how could he possibly patiently break these barriers one by one?
Making his Divine Sense leap across space, Yang Kai penetrated deep into the ruins, inspected the situation inside, found a safe location, then tore space to arrive at it.
When Yang Kai appeared again, he was already standing somewhere inside the ruins, then consulting the map given to him by Ha Li Ka, he tore space again.
After repeating this process several times, he suddenly discovered a faint life aura somewhere nearby. This life aura was like a candle in the wind, in danger of being extinguished at any time.
Xue Yue!
She was just about a thousand meters away from where he currently was, but Yang Kai was unable to see her situation because of some obstacles between them. The only thing that was certain was that she hadn’t died yet!
Yang Kai took a deep breath to calm his anxiety and sat down cross-legged, tossing a pill into his mouth to replenish his Spiritual Energy.
Half an hour later, he stood up and tore space once last time.
A thousand meters away, Yang Kai appeared leisurely.
Immediately, he saw Xue Yue lying on the ground, covered with frost. Even in this frozen sleep, her charms were only magnified, making her seem even more bewitching than before.
From her body, a seven coloured hue pulsed, making her look like a glowing goddess. This glow as constantly fighting against the frost covering her body, preventing it from sapping the last bit of Xue Yue’s vitality, maintaining a strange state of equilibrium.
However, with the passage of time, the seven coloured light was growing fainter.
Yang Kai didn’t know what kind of artifact she was wearing or what kind of unique technique she had cultivated which allowed her to preserve her life even under these extreme circumstances, but if the situation continued as is, it wouldn’t even take half a day for this seven coloured light to disappear, at which point Xue Yue would die.
When that happened, Yang Kai’s life would also expire.
Inside the Ancient Ruins, Yang Kai stood not far from Xue Yue, staring at her silently with a complex mood.
He and this woman were supposed to be life or death enemies, but now that they were linked together by the Soul Chains, with Xue Yue’s life on the line, regardless of whether Yang Kai wanted to or not, he had to find a way to save her.
Only if Xue Yue survived could he live.
Yang Kai didn’t rush forward though, because suspended around Xue Yue were a number of jewel-like drops of liquid, each of them exuding a horrific power that caused his heart to clench. Even his Divine Sense would freeze as soon as he tried to probe these droplets.
Profound Yin Sunflower Water!
Yang Kai immediately understood that these drops of liquid were the so-called Profound Yin Sunflower Water Ha Li Ka mentioned; however, he never expected this treasure to be so strange.
Yang Kai counted quietly and discovered that there were about fifty drops of Profound Yin Sunflower Water floating in the air. There were some gaps between these individual drops, but Xue Yue was pretty much surrounded by an airtight barrier of them.
It would be very difficult to extract Xue Yue from the Profound Yin Sunflower Water around her.
Yang Kai waved his hand to create a strong wind in an attempt to push these Profound Yin Sunflower Water droplets away, but to his surprise, they remained motionless.
Each of these tiny drops seemed to weigh thousands of kilograms!
Yang Kai’s expression became solemn as he increased his strength, eventually managing to move the Profound Yin Sunflower Water droplets around Xue Yue, opening up a safe path to her.
Standing in front of Xue Yue, Yang Kai’s brow furrowed deeply.
He didn’t know how to move this woman out from here. The scene where one of the cultivators from Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce tried to rescue his companion; yet wound up turning into an ice sculpture and dying the instant he touched them was still fresh in Yang Kai’s mind. What’s more, both those cultivators were Saint Kings yet neither had any ability to resist.
Understanding this, Yang Kai didn’t dare to touch Xue Yue’s body casually.
Circulating his strength, Yang Kai covered his hand in dark Demonic Flames and slowly brought them towards Xue Yue, hoping his strange flames could isolate him from the frigid power.
As the strange and contradictory energy fluctuations of his Demonic Flames approached Xue Yue’s body, they suddenly seemed to encounter their natural nemesis and immediately began to wane.
Yang Kai’s expression became even more dignified and he hurriedly increased the output of his Saint Qi, rousing the weakened Demonic Flames once more as he finally pressed his hand against Xue Yue’s jade white arm.
Suddenly, a fierce clash of energy broke out and the frigid cold wrapping Xue Yue’s body quickly spread towards Yang Kai, nearly freezing his Demonic Flame in an instant.
The icy strength passed through the Demonic Flame and flowed directly into Yang Kai’s arm, causing him to pale and madly push his Saint Qi to resist.
The frozen Demonic Flame roared back to life and began desperately struggling against the invading cold force.
Yang Kai shivered, for the first time ever experiencing what it was like to fully exert himself yet still being unable to resist a cold force.
As time passed, the icy strength of the Profound Yin Sunflower Water was sometimes suppressed by his Demonic Flame while at others invading into Yang Kai’s arm, a kind of stalemate temporarily being established.
Although Yang Kai’s cultivation was quite low, his Demonic Flame was the combination of two contradictory attribute energies, it’s prestige was unimaginable and as long as Yang Kai’s realm rose high enough, these Demonic Flames would be capable of incinerating anything and everything in this world.
It had immense potential!
However, at the moment, it seemed that Yang Kai’s Demonic Flame still wasn’t worthy of contending with the Profound Yin Sunflower Water. He only managed to persist for a moment before the ice-cold strength once again began overtaking him, causing his body and mind to stiffen.
Yang Kai quickly sent his consciousness into the Demon Mystic Tome and shouted, “Help me!”
He had to ask the Divine Tree for help!
The Divine Tree possessed an enormous amount of Yang Attribute Energy, Cold Attribute energy’s nemesis.
“Yes!” Divine Tree responded quickly.
The next moment, an incredible amount of Yang Attribute energy suddenly burst out from the Demon Mystic Tome, flowing along the same path as Yang Kai’s Demonic Flame to help dispel the invading chill.
The cold energy of the Profound Yin Sunflower Water was thus quickly suppressed.
Yang Kai next urged his Demonic Flame and the Yang Attribute Energy emitted by the Divine Tree to wrap up Xue Yue’s tender body.
With the two of them working together, the frost covering Xue Yue was rapidly melted and her pale complexion gradually became rosy, her cold body gradually became warm and a faint heartbeat sounded in her chest.
A smile finally appeared on Yang Kai’s face and he redoubled his efforts along with the Divine Tree.
After half an hour, the frost on Xue Yue’s body had completely disappeared and the seven coloured halo surrounding her petered out, seeming to have exhausted all its strength.
Probing her with his Divine Sense, Yang Kai found that Xue Yue’s condition was still quite strange.
Although the danger of the Profound Yin Sunflower Water had been lifted, she was still wandering the border between life and death while remaining unconscious.
Yang Kai intruded into her Knowledge Sea unceremoniously but found that it was frozen solid, like a glacial world. Xue Yue’s Soul Avatar was not present and only a faint trace of her aura lingered about. No matter how Yang Kai called, he didn’t receive any response.
Yang Kai frowned, but unable to determine what was wrong with her, he could only leave her Knowledge Sea for now.
“I have to rest for a while, I won’t be able to help you again for some time,” The Divine Tree called out before falling silent. It seemed like it had overexerted itself this time.
It was not just the Divine Tree that had consumed a massive amount of its strength, Yang Kai too had exhausted an immense amount of Saint Qi. If it weren’t for his physique being so special and him possessing nearly inexhaustible Saint Qi, he would not have been able to dispel the Profound Yin Sunflower Water’s effects from Xue Yue.
Squatting down, Yang Kai gently picked the unconscious Xue Yue up before tearing space and departing.
He didn’t pay any attention to the Profound Yin Sunflower Water floating nearby. Although each of these drops was an extremely rare and valuable treasure, Yang Kai was in no mood to collect them, nor did he know how to collect them.
Above the mine, after half a day of restoration, Ha Li Ka looked much better.
The cultivators from the Chambers of Commerce who had followed him and survived also appeared somewhat better, but all of them had lost arms or legs.
The most miserable person had actually lost both his arms!
He was a Saint King Realm cultivator, but without arms, there was no hope for him to continue pursuing the Martial Dao. As soon as he thought about this, his eyes became filled with gloomy darkness.
Everyone from Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce wore sad expressions with deeply furrowed brows.
A simple exploration of an Ancient Ruin had caused such massive losses to the branch and even the woman of the Third Young Master had died. The responsibility for this matter would not be small, and as the Branch President, Ha Li Ka would inevitably be punished.
“Old Ha, let’s go back first. After we go back, we can figure out how to inform the Home Star about this,” Lin Mu Feng stepped up and helped Ha Li Ka off the ground.
Ha Li Ka responded with a dejected and weak-spirited nod.
“What about the Profound Yin Sunflower Water?” The middle-aged woman asked.
Lin Mu Feng thought for a moment before saying, “Temporarily seal off this area. After we consult with the ancient records, we can bring a team back to collect it.”
Lin Mu Feng didn’t know how they were supposed to collect the Profound Yin Sunflower Water either.
“Seems we can only do so…” The middle-aged woman sighed.
Lin Mu Feng calmly arranged things, leaving two Origin Returning Realm masters and a dozen Saint King Realm to seal off this region, finishing the post-processing in short order.
Just as the group was about to depart though, the middle-aged woman suddenly turned to stare in the direction of the mine shaft.
The next moment, everyone else turned around stared with suspicion.
A figure quickly emerged from the mine shaft. It was actually the young Second-Order Saint Realm guard from before!
He was currently carrying Lady Xue’er in his arms, his expression hazy but his body not seemingly having suffered any kind of injuries or distress.
Ha Li Ka, Lin Mu Feng, and all the others were dumbfounded by this scene.
When Yang Kai insisted on entering the mine shaft just now, all of them had firmly believed he would never return; after all, his strength was far too low. Just the barriers inside the ruins would be enough to take his life, they weren’t something a mere Saint Realm cultivator could handle.
However, reality was far different from what they had expected; not only had Yang Kai not died, he returned unharmed and even brought Lady Xue’er with him.
How did he do it? Everyone simultaneously wondered to themselves in shock.
“How is Lady Xue’er?” Ha Li Ka immediately calmed down and asked eagerly.
“She’s not dead!” Yang Kai shook his head.
Hearing these words, no matter who it was, they felt a great sense of relief in their heart.
All of them had been filled with anxiety, wondering just how Xue Yue Third Young Master would react when he learned of this matter, whether he would hold them responsible and have them punished or even executed. Now that this woman wasn’t dead though, their biggest worry had been relieved.
For a moment, eyes filled with gratitude gathered on Yang Kai.
This little guard had not only saved Xue Yue Third Young Master’s woman, but also all of them as well!
“However, she remains unconscious and I don’t know why,” Yang Kai added.
The expressions of gratitude on the three executives’ faces grew hazy again and Ha Li Ka quickly came over and swept Xue Yue’s body with his Divine Sense, his face gradually becoming solemn.
He also realized something was wrong with Xue Yue, but didn’t have any idea at the moment how to treat her.
“Let’s head back first!” Lin Mu Feng shouted, “No one is allowed to reveal anything here today, anyone who tries will be immediately executed!”
After declaring so, he turned to look at Yang Kai again, considered his words for a moment then in a rare display of politeness said, “Little brother, can you temporarily not report to the Home Star about Lady Xue’er being injured? We will try to find a method to awaken her.”
He was truly worried Yang Kai would report things here to the Home Star, and once Xue Yue learned of the situation, he would still blame them, making it impossible for them to escape punishment.
What none of them knew though was that this Lady Xue’er was Xue Yue himself.
If they did, they would likely already have been thinking of a way to flee.
Yang Kai didn’t say much and nodded slightly, “As long as she can be saved, I can conceal this matter for now!”
He also knew what the other party was worried about.
Lin Mu Feng smiled happily and cupped his fists, “Little brother is quite reasonable, many thanks, little brother.”
Ha Li Ka and the middle-aged woman also gave Yang Kai a silent but grateful look.
“Let’s go, I will call up Rainfall Star’s best Alchemists to diagnose Lady Xue’er’s condition,” Lin Mu Feng shouted to everyone before flying off in the direction of the branch.
Back at the palace in the mountain range, with some blood still leaking from his arm, Ha Li Kai together with Lin Mu Feng and the middle-aged woman stood around quietly outside a certain room, their faces filled with anxiety.
Yang Kai stood not far from them, indifferent and motionless.
No one was able to tell what he was thinking.
A moment later, a dozen people suddenly emerged from the room. There were men and women, old and young, but without exception, all their chests were emblazoned with a symbol signifying their identity as Alchemists.
This symbol was a pill furnace mark and was a common identifier throughout the entire Star Field.
Alchemist grades were differentiated by how many legs their furnace symbol possessed.
Each of these Alchemists had eight-legged pill furnace badges on their chests! This signified that they were all at least Saint King Grade Alchemists.
There were even two of the oldest present who had nine-legged pill furnaces, indicating that they were Origin Grade Alchemists!
Origin Grade Alchemists had an extremely high status in Heng Luo Star Field. Even taking into consideration the entire Star Field, there weren’t many Origin Grade Alchemists. As for Origin King Grade Alchemists, there was only a handful, each one belonging to one of the most powerful forces.
Even a giant force like Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce only had one Origin King Grade Alchemist who resided in the Home Star!
These dozen or so people who just left the palace room were the most senior and most skilled Alchemist on Rainfall Star.
Ha Li Ka and Lin Mu Feng had hastily invited these people to diagnose Xue Yue’s condition to see if they could find a way to save her.
Ordinarily, these Alchemists were scattered across Rainfall Star, each of them possessing their own territory where they cultivated herbs and refined pills to be sold outside by the Chamber of Commerce. The Chamber of Commerce in return provided them with protection and certain resources. Their relationship with the Chamber of Commerce was closer to a partnership rather than employment, so even Ha Li Ka and Lin Mu Feng had to treat them with courtesy and respect.
Under normal circumstances, they wouldn’t dare to disturb these Alchemists, but for the safety of Xue Yue Third Young Master’s woman, Ha Li Ka and Mu Feng had no choice but to invite them to come.
When these dozen or so people came out, Ha Li Ka and the other executives rushed up to greet them with Lin Mu Feng cupping his fists and asking, “Respected Masters, what kind of injury is Lady Xue’er afflicted with? Do you have a way to treat her condition?”
The dozen Alchemists all looked around at each other, seemingly a bit hesitant to speak.
Seeing their expressions, Ha Li Ka and Lin Mu Feng’s couldn’t help but sink, in their hearts realizing things weren’t good.
“What is the situation?” Ha Li Ka hurriedly asked.
Everyone turned their eyes to one of the nine footed furnace Alchemists, an old man with a snow-white beard, who eventually sighed and replied, “Two Sirs, this Old Master will be blunt. We have performed an extensive examination of Lady Xue’er but cannot explain why she suddenly slipped into a coma. All we can tell is that she was invaded by potent cold energy and all her bodily functions have been frozen. She has no consciousness and cannot respond to any outside stimulus.”
Ha Li Ka listened quietly.
The old man continued, “Can you not at least tell us what happened to this Lady Xue’er? Without knowing the circumstances of her condition, we cannot prescribe a pill to treat her.”
“En, you need to at least tell us how she was injured,” The other Origin Grade Alchemist echoed, “That way, we can determine what kind of pill she requires to recover.”
Ha Li Ka suddenly felt embarrassed.
The mere existence of the Profound Yin Sunflower Water was a big deal and anyone who learned of it would surely covet it. Once news of it leaked out, it was likely that some great master would come to try to seize it, so before they figure out a method to collect it, Ha Li Ka didn’t dare expose the truth.
However, keeping it secret also greatly hamper the ability of these Alchemists to treat Lady Xue’er. Unable to decide immediately, Ha Li Ka glanced over towards Lin Mu Feng to solicit his opinion.
Lin Mu Feng shook his head helplessly.
Ha Li Ka wore a grim expression and said, “Respected Masters, it is not that we wish to hide the situation from you, but this matter is beyond our ability to manage so we do not dare discuss it at will.”
Hearing him say this, the dozen or so Alchemists realized that this was something they could not ask about and did not insist. The old man who spoke first frowning for a moment before saying, “If so, please forgive us for being unable to help.”
“Respected Masters, can’t you try again?” Ha Li Ka asked anxiously, “You are the best Alchemists on Rainfall Star, if none of you can help Lady Xue’er…”
Lady Xue’er’s wellbeing had nothing to do with him; what Ha Li Ka was worried about was if something were to happen to her whether it would provoke Young Master Xue Yue’s rage. That was something he could not bear.
The dozen or so Alchemists shook their heads, indicating they were truly helpless.
Ha Li Ka, Lin Mu Feng, and the other executives also wore grim expressions as they glanced around at each other.
After a short silence, one of the Saint King Grade Alchemists said, “Sir Ha Li Ka, saying we are the best Alchemists on Rainfall Star is granting us an undeserved honour; everyone here knows there is another person whose Alchemy proficiency eclipses our own. If you are able to invite him to examine Lady Xue’er, he may be able to find a solution.”
After hearing what he said, the old man who spoke before couldn’t help raising his eyebrows, seemingly knowing who this Saint King Grade Alchemist was referring to and nodding, “Yes, if it is him, he may be able to help.”
The other Alchemists all nodded in agreement, freely admitting that this mysterious master was the top Alchemist on Rainfall Star.
Alchemists were a proud group, and none of them would freely admit that another Alchemist of the same grade was better than themselves. They would always feel like they were the best Alchemist among their peers and that the others were fools, the pills they refined no better than garbage!
So to allow these dozen Alchemists to all agree unhesitantly that this Grandmaster was superior, there was only one explanation, that Alchemist ranked higher than them, an Origin King-level Alchemist!
Ha Li Ka’s expression brightened for a moment, but soon, a bitter look covered his face as he muttered wryly, “Wanting to invite him… is difficult, far too difficult, even when I went to meet with him in the past, I was often swept out unceremoniously!”
Lin Mu Feng cringed as well and added, “The last time I went to visit that Grandmaster was five years ago, but because I had disturbed his concentration, he chased after me for half a month. In the end, his anger calmed down and he returned home. Haa, I don’t want to experience that ever again.”
When he brought up this dark past, most of the people nearby couldn’t help revealing a look of remembrance.
“Who do you speak of?” Yang Kai asked.
When these people were speaking just now, he had kept silent, even when Ha Li Ka and Lin Mu Feng had concealed the truth of the matter and these dozen or so Alchemists were speaking with reverence about this mysterious Grandmaster. It wasn’t until now that Yang Kai took the initiative to speak.
The dozen or so Alchemists cast a faint glance toward shim but didn’t answer.
In their opinion, Yang Kai was just a Saint Realm brat who didn’t have the qualifications to speak here, so they didn’t bother responding to his question.
On the other hand, Ha Li Ka hesitated a moment before saying, “A highly skilled Alchemist who lives on Rainfall Star, but doesn’t belong to any force.”
“He doesn’t belong to the Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce?” Yang Kai was surprised.
Ha Li Ka shook his head.
Since he was living on Rainfall Star, but not under the jurisdiction of Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce, there is only one explanation, Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce didn’t dare to easily offend him.
“However, the Chamber of Commerce has an agreement with him, we provide him with herbs for Alchemy as well as a three thousand kilometre territory, and in exchange, the pills he refines all belong to our Chamber of Commerce.”
“He provides them for free?” Yang Kai frowned, wondering what this Alchemy Grandmaster was thinking. Since his Alchemy skills were so profound, there was definitely no need for him to provide Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce with pills for free.
He could simply open up his own school and gather disciples broadly to gain wealth and supply his needs.
“In a sense. Although we don’t know what that Grandmaster’s objective is, we still do everything we can to meet his requirements… However, the number of pills he refines is truly shocking. Every three months, we will send someone to him to deliver various spirit grasses and spirit medicines while at the same time retrieving the pills he had refined. Each time this happens we receive at least two hundred bottles, and one time there were as many as five hundred bottles!”
Five hundred bottles!
With ten pills per standard jade bottle, that was five thousand pills, all refined within a three-month span. Such a number made every Alchemist present shiver with shocked and embarrassment.
They were all Alchemist contract to Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce for a large price, but even if they performed Alchemy for three months without rest, none of them would possible refine such a staggering number of pills, even reaching a third that number was impossible unless they were refining low-grade pills.
“Where does he live?” Yang Kai asked again.
“Does little brother want to look for him?” Ha Li Ka immediately understood Yang Kai’s intentions.
“Is there another choice?” Yang Kai glanced over at him.
Ha Li Ka let out a sigh and nodded, “Good, I’ll take you there!”
Despite being extremely unwilling to in his heart, Ha Li Ka could only brace himself and lead the way.
Yang Kai nodded back, rushed into the nearby room, gently carried out the unconscious Xue Yue, then followed after Ha Li Ka as he flew off.
Staring at their disappearing back, Lin Mu Feng let out a sigh, “I hope Old Ha won’t be chased down by that old man for half a month …”
The middle-aged woman also wore a look of worry, feeling the situation was becoming trickier.
Along the way, Ha Li Ka briefly explained the Alchemy Grandmaster’s story and temperament. Yang Kai learned that the man was called Zong Ao and he seemed to have arrived on Rainfall Star nearly a hundred years ago, not leaving even once since then.
He had reached various agreements with Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce and held a much higher status than the previous Alchemists Yang Kai had just met.
“He asked us for three thousand kilometres of territory and he built his home inside that mountain valley. In that mountain valley, he divided the land up into various Medicine Gardens and planted many rare herbs. What he hates the most is being disturbed while he is performing Alchemy, so ordinarily, no one will approach his territory. Even when the people of our Chamber of Commerce deliver herbs to him, they all must strictly follow his instructions and only arrive at the designated time…”
Ha Li Ka was afraid that Yang Kai was too young and impulsive, not knowing the immensity of Heaven and Earth, and would accidentally offend Zong Ao, so he took great care to explain about Zong Ao on the road, focusing on this old man’s illustrious status and bad temper.
The more Yang Kai listened though, the stranger his expression became.
He felt like he had already been to Zong Ao’s home!
Half a day later, Ha Li Ka suddenly pointed towards the front and said, “Do you see that great mountain valley? That is where Grandmaster Zong Ao lives.”
Yang Kai looked forward and couldn’t help letting out a wry laugh. The mountain valley in his view was clearly the place where he had spent several days studying the strange Medicine Garden Spirit Arrays.
When they had approached to within thirty kilometres of the mountain valley, Ha Li Ka stopped and hesitated for a moment before saying, “Little brother, I’ll wait for you here. If it looks like this matter may not be, leave immediately. Don’t try to insist, Grandmaster Zong Ao most despises those who pester him and the consequences of annoying him are not something you can withstand.”
Yang Kai glanced over suspiciously and with an embarrassed look, Ha Li Ka explained, “Little brother, you are young, and your cultivation is low. Even if Grandmaster Zong Ao becomes angry, he won’t discard his face to kill you, but if I go with you…”
“I understand,” Yang Kai guessed his concerns and didn’t force the issue, holding on tightly to Xue Yue before flying forward.
Ha Li Ka stood still, stretching his neck as he stared forward anxiously, wondering whether Yang Kai’s trip would be smooth or whether he would be beaten by Zong Ao.
Yang Kai crossed the thirty-kilometre gap in the blink of an eye.
Landing right outside the small palace, Yang Kai shouted, “Senior, my family’s Young Lady has suffered disaster and has fallen into a coma, I have heard that Senior is the greatest Alchemist on Rainfall Star so I have come here to beg Senior to diagnose and treat her.”
From inside the palace, no response could be heard, but Yang Kai could feel that there was a life aura present so the Alchemist called Zong Ao was indeed here, he just refused to reply.
Yang Kai repeated his request three times.
In the distance, Ha Li Ka almost touched felt his heart leap up into his throat, secretly deciding that if Zong Ao rushed out in rage, he would immediately flee and not look back.
Outside the palace, Yang Kai also anxiously waited.
Powerful master always had unpredictable temperaments, this was something Yang Kai understood clearly, so he didn’t dare act recklessly. Even Ha Li Ka and Lin Mu Feng were wary of Zong Ao, so as a mere Second-Order Saint, Yang Kai knew well enough not to irritate this Grandmaster otherwise he would absolutely have a miserable end. As such, Yang Kai just held Xue Yue and stood outside respectfully, waiting for Zong Ao to reply.
Yang Kai also thought about what to do if Zong Ao refused to act.
Xue Yue remaining unconscious was not an issue Yang Kai could ignore, their lives were connected, once something happened to her, he wouldn’t be able to survive.
So Yang Kai was anxious to wake Xue Yue up and then release the Soul Chains’ binding, restoring his freedom.
Just as Yang Kai was debating what to do next, an aged voice suddenly came from inside the palace, “Come in!”
Yang Kai froze up, surprised that things were actually proceeding so smoothly. He had carefully listened to Zong Ao’s tone and found that this Grandmaster wasn’t dissatisfied or angry, so Yang Kai quickly collected himself and stepped into the palace.
The doors to the palace were wide open and there were no guards or servants around. It seemed that only Zong Ao lived here.
After walking through the palace’s corridors for a moment, Yang Kai arrived at a massive room from which a strong medicinal scent wafted. Walking inside this room cautiously, Yang Kai scanned his surroundings, his eyes narrowing slightly as he did.
This large room should be Zong Ao’s Pill Room.
Inside, there were several dozen large and small pill furnaces, each one still retaining some residual heat, apparently having just been used for Alchemy.
In one corner of this room, a large number of jade bottles were piled up, each one filled with different types of colourful and spectacular pills.
Yang Kai roughly estimated that there were two hundred jade bottles, piled up on the floor in a disorderly manner like they were trash waiting to be disposed of.
Yang Kai was secretly shocked, realizing that Ha Li Ka was not exaggerating before when he said the number of pills Zong Ao produced was phenomenal.
At this moment, Zong Ao was sitting on an animal skin chair, holding a jade bottle in his hand, seemingly examining something.
After a quick glance, apparently not finding what he was looking for, Zong Ao tossed the bottle he was holding onto the pile of jade bottles in the corner.
There were several jade bottles on the table in front of him.
After checking through them one by one, Zong Ao suddenly grinned and said to himself, “Another one, heh heh, not bad, it seems this old master did not exhaust himself in vain, en, pills are truly difficult to refine…”
Saying so, he took one of the pills out of the jade bottle he was holding and placed it into another one he had prepared.
Yang Kai observed carefully and noticed that all the pills in the latter jade bottle had formed Pill Veins.
This Zong Ao seemed to be only interested in keeping pills that formed Pill Veins, all others were discarded regardless of their grade or value.
While Zong Ao checked his pills, Yang Kai didn’t bother him, simply standing there silently.
After a while, Zong Ao finished, placing his bottle of Pill Vein pills into his sleeve, raised his eyes, and looked towards Yang Kai, chuckling meaningfully, “So it’s you, the boy who tried to steal the secrets of this old master’s Medicine Garden, right?”
Yang Kai blushed and replied embarrassedly, “Junior came to this place a few days ago and was attracted by the mystery of these Medicine Garden; unable to contain my curiosity, I stop to study them for a few days, if I have offended Grandmaster in any way, I humbly ask for forgiveness.”
No matter what the circumstances or intentions were, stealing a master’s secrets was a taboo, Yang Kai also understood that he was in the wrong here.
At the time, he had simply been too absorbed in studying the unique aspects of these Medicine Gardens and hadn’t thought much about it, but now that their owner was investigating the matter, Yang Kai had no way to defend himself.
“En,” Zong Ao was satisfied with Yang Kai’s frank admission, got up from his chair, and laughed, “Forget it, it’s not a big deal. Seems your luck is quite good, today this old master just finished performing Alchemy and had some positive harvests. Since you are a fellow Alchemist, this old master won’t hold you accountable.”
Zong Ao understood well that the secrets of his Medicine Gardens would only attract the attention of other Alchemists.
“What happened to your family’s Young Lady?” Zong Ao took the initiative to ask.
Yang Kai expression became solemn as he replied, “She has fallen unconscious, her vitality frozen, her consciousness scattered, and her Soul Avatar is nowhere to be seen!”
“You dove into her Knowledge Sea?” Zong Ao looked at Yang Kai in surprise.
Yang Kai nodded slightly.
Zong Ao suddenly let out a strange laugh, “Seems your relationship with this little girl isn’t simple.”
Saying so, he gave Yang Kai an ambiguous grin, seemingly a little more interested now.
Only those who were incredibly intimate with one another would dive into the other’s Knowledge Sea. If Yang Kai was really just Xue Yue’s guard, it would be impossible for him to have committed such an act.
Zong Ao was an old soul and could see the hidden meaning behind these words.
Yang Kai didn’t deny anything and instead simply said, “I hope Senior can lend his assistance!”
Zong Ao grinned and asked, “Ha Li Ka came with you as well, so this little girl’s status can’t be low. Were the other Alchemist on Rainfall Star helpless?”
“A dozen or so were invited to diagnose her condition, but they could not determine anything.”
“A bunch of wastes who know nothing other than Alchemy!” Zong Ao spurned without mercy, casually strolling over to Yang Kai while checking Xue Yue’s condition with his Divine Sense, a moment later his expression becoming dire.
Yang Kai clearly felt that Zong Ao’s Divine Sense strengthened, as if he had discovered something.
Seeing this, Yang Kai also held his breath and waited anxiously.
Zong Ao’s expression fluctuated, seemingly hesitant, seemingly excited, his eyes widening more and more, only after a long time asking, “Boy, was this little girl injured by Profound Yin Sunflower Water?”
His tone was somewhat uncertain, apparently even he didn’t dare to draw this conclusion.
Even so, Yang Kai couldn’t help but admire this old man. The dozen or so other Alchemists who had performed an extensive examination of Xue Yue before were unable to discover anything, but after only a quick glance Zong Ao was able to determine the root of the problem. It was obvious that Zong Ao’s skill and experience were far more profound. Yang Kai thus nodded sincerely, “Yes!”
“It really was Profound Yin Sunflower Water?” Zong Ao yelled, somewhat losing his self-control.
“En, Profound Yin Sunflower Water!”
“Ha!” Zong Ao old face shivered as he found it difficult to hide the excitement in his heart, letting out a riotous laugh, “Profound Yin Sunflower Water! It’s really appeared here?”
Dancing around excitedly, Zong Ao shouted continuously for a while before stretching out his hands and grabbing Yang Kai’s shoulders like an iron vice, his eyes flashing a startling light, eagerly saying, “Boy, where is that Profound Yin Sunflower Water? Quickly bring this old master to it!”
“Senior, please rescue my family’s Young Lady first!” Yang Kai remained unmoved.
“You dare discuss conditions with this old master?” Zong Ao’s expression became cold and a little displeased, focusing his gaze on Yang Kai and threatening, “If this old master wants to kill you, you cannot resist, yet you dare try to discuss terms with me?”
“Please forgive my insistence, Senior!” Yang Kai stood his ground.
Zong Ao was slightly taken aback, directing a strange look towards Yang Kai in the next moment and smirking, “Your courage isn’t small! No one has dared speak to this old master like this for many years. It seems that this little girl is truly important to you, is her life worth your own?”
Yang Kai frowned and declared, “If she dies, I die too!”
This was not a lie, so Yang Kai’s words betrayed no falsehood.
Whether it was his words or his expression, something about Yang Kai moved Zong Ao, causing him to withdraw his pressure, frowning thoughtfully for a moment before nodding, “Good, you follow me!”
Saying so, he led Yang Kai to another room inside the palace.
After a short while, the pair arrived in front of a certain room and Zong Ao instructed Yang Kai to place Xue Yue on the bed before he took out a brown pill and handed it to Yang Kai, “Feed it to her!”
Yang Kai reached out and pinched Xue Yue’s cheeks, intending to throw the pill into her mouth.
Seeing this, Zong Ao rolled his eyes, “Chew and feed it to her! She can’t circulate any of her strength right now, if you don’t help her refine the medicinal effects, how is she supposed to absorb them?”
Yang Kai stared at Zong Ao in amazement.
Zong Ao laughed wickedly, “Too embarrassed? If that’s the case, this old master can step outside for a moment.”
“No need.” Yang Kai shook his head, popped the pill into his mouth, chewed it, then fed it to Xue Yue calmly.
He had already touched and traced every part of Xue Yue’s body, seen everything there was to be seen, what shame was there in kissing her now?
Xue Yue’s red lips were cold but still quite soft, and after Yang Kai fed her the pill and straightened up, the experience provided him much food for thought.
“Step aside!” Zong Ao said without the slightest politeness, shoving Yang Kai away while holding a small kettle-like container filled with a bubbling turquoise liquid.
Yang Kai couldn’t identify what this liquid was.
However, upon seeing Zong Ao’s confident look, Yang Kai didn’t bother asking anything and just stood by and watched.
Zong Ao tipped his hand and the turquoise liquid began pouring out, quickly dispersing into individual droplets that seemed to have their own spirituality. Each of these drops then fell onto Xue Yue’s body and seeped into her pores.
Xue Yue’s pale complexion gradually became rosy as she absorbed these droplets and the sound of her heartbeat grew stronger than before.
Yang Kai stared at this scene intently, his own heartbeat steadying as he watched.
Zong Ao really had profound skills. Yang Kai could clearly feel that Xue Yue’s condition was now much better than a moment ago.
After the turquoise liquid was all absorbed by Xue Yue, Zong Ao took two steps back and a grimace appeared on his face. It seemed this pill and liquid combination was something quite valuable to him.
“Senior, has she been cured?” Yang Kai asked in surprise.
“Cured?” Zong Ao gave him a sideways glance and sneered, “If you believe the effects of the Profound Yin Sunflower Water can be so easily cured, you’re far too naive! Profound Yin Sunflower Water is an incredibly precious cultivation treasure, but it is also extremely destructive in nature, any ordinary person who comes into contact with it will surely die! Even Origin Returning Realm cultivators cannot resist the power of Profound Yin Sunflower Water. This little girl’s physique seems to be a little special and the grade of artifacts she has on her are also very high, if not for these factors, she would already be dead.”
“Then just now…”
“I only stabilized her vitality, extending her life for a year and a half!”
“What about a year and a half later?” Yang Kai asked anxiously.
“That’s uncertain,” Zong Ao slowly shook his head, “If the appropriate pill can be refined, she will be able to recover, if not… En, you best prepare to collect her corpse.”
Yang Kai paled and immediately cupped his fists respectfully, “Senior’s righteousness is praiseworthy, please provide this Junior with your guidance!”
“Righteousness?” Zong Ao frowned before letting out a big laugh, “This old master isn’t some righteous fellow! I helped stabilize her condition, so now it is time for you to pay up. En, if you can tell me where the Profound Yin Sunflower Water is, this Old master doesn’t mind providing you some more guidance!”
Yang Kai didn’t even think about it before nodding, “I can tell you!”
Ha Li Ka, Lin Mu Feng, and the other executives wanted to conceal the existence of the Profound Yin Sunflower Water, but naturally, Yang Kai wasn’t concerned with their intentions, his only priority right now was saving Xue Yue!
Zong Ao nodded in satisfaction, “Good! If you take me to the Profound Yin Sunflower Water, I will tell you how to save her!”
“Deal!” Yang Kai nodded repeatedly, adding after thinking, “But the place is now guarded by the cultivators of Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce, Ha Li Ka and Lin Mu Feng probably won’t let you approach it.”
“They dare! If this old master wishes to go, would they dare to stop me?” Zong Ao snorted, “It’s not a problem, I just need to give them some benefits!”
It seemed Zong Ao didn’t want to strain his relationship with Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce too much; after all, the Profound Yin Sunflower Water’s value was too great, and if he tried to take sole possession of it, he would definitely receive retaliation from the Chamber of Commerce.
Sometimes, taking a step back was necessary!
“However, this old master has to make a quick trip first, to collect the Profound Yin Sunflower Water, it’s necessary to create a special container,” Zong Ao said lightly before addressing Yang Kai, “Boy, you stay here, this old master will be back in half a month, we’ll pick up where we left off when I return.”
Yang Kai nodded lightly.
Zong Ao acted swiftly, immediately flying off without saying another word, disappearing to some unknown place.
However, since he had said he needed to create a special container, Yang Kai figured Zong Ao was off to see an Artifact Refiner.
Artifact Refiners held the same level of prestige as Alchemists and were also extremely scarce. High-grade Alchemists and Artifact Refiners were always coveted by major forces.
It wasn’t surprising thought that someone like Zong Ao knew one or two highly skilled Artifact Refiners.
When Zong Ao departed, Ha Li Ka’s voice suddenly called out from outside the palace, “Little Brother, Little Brother!”
He hadn’t left yet! Perhaps he had simply been observing from outside and seeing Zong Ao suddenly leave worked up the courage to approach the palace and inquire about the situation.
Yang Kai walked out and briefly explained what had transpired, and upon learning that Zong Ao was now eyeing the Profound Yin Sunflower Water, Ha Li Ka’s complexion darkened as some panic filled his head, wondering how he was going to deal with Zong Ao.
He did not dare to report this incident to the Home Star. The woman of Xue Yue Third Young Master was still unconscious, her life or death uncertain, this had to be concealed at all costs, so how could he make a report?
Grumbling for a while, Ha Li Ka eventually didn’t blame Yang Kai for exposing this secret and simply sighed, “Since Grandmaster Zong Ao has a method to save her, Little Brother should remain here and wait for him to return. I must return to the branch and discuss with Lin Mu Feng about how to handle what comes next.”
Saying so, he too departed quickly.
Yang Kai returned to the room again, sat by the bed, and stared at the sleeping Xue Yue.
This incredibly enchanting woman now appeared especially tranquil, her breathing even, as if she was simply resting peacefully.
Seeing this, Yang Kai frowned, reached out, and groped her chest maliciously.
He felt that he had suffered a great loss this time! If it weren’t for the Soul Chains effects, he wouldn’t have to go through so much hardship or worry about whether Xue Yue lived or died.
What frustrated him the most though was that even if he managed to save Xue Yue this time, once the Soul Chains were unlocked, he didn’t know what this woman’s attitude towards him would be or whether she would become angry out of shame and hunt him down for the next ten thousand years.
This kind of unpredictable future angered Yang Kai greatly.
However, back on that Dead Star, the situation had forced him into this predicament where his life was linked to Xue Yue. First and foremost he had to preserve his life.
The bitterness in Yang Kai’s heart was unbearable to him and he simply couldn’t find a mental balance unless he profited a bit here and there.
Zong Ao disappeared for half a month, during which, Yang Kai lived in his palace. Xue Yue remained unconscious and didn’t need him to care for her, so he instead explored Zong Ao’s Pill Room wholeheartedly.
Inside the several dozen large and small pill furnaces, there were many Spirit Arrays used for Alchemy. These Spirit Arrays weren’t the same ones hidden in the Medicine Gardens outside, but they were all exquisitely portrayed and perfectly fused together without the slightest signs of conflict.
Yang Kai studied these Spirit Arrays freely, absorbing their structure and formation into his mind, adding them to his own knowledge.
There was also a type of study in the palace that contained many ancient books, and once day when Yang Kai was idling, he decided to go in and browse through them.
To his surprise though, he immediately found a lot of good things which aroused his excitement.
There were many books with pill recipes he had never seen before, so Yang Kai immersed himself in studying them, soon forgetting about the outside world entirely!
The pill recipes Yang Kai had mastered all originated from Tong Xuan Realm, but after coming to the Star Field, the grade of spirit grasses and spirit medicines had become higher and he came to know of many species of herbs he had never heard of before.
These collected pill recipes perfectly complemented his current shortcomings, allowing him to integrate the Star Field’s unique knowledge and skills into his own knowledge of Alchemy.
Half a month passed by without Yang Kai even noticing.
Zong Ao’s life aura suddenly appeared in the palace one day and went straight to the study. Seeing Yang Kai flipping through the various pill recipes and Alchemy’s notes, he actually didn’t mind and instead just called out, “Let’s go, take this old master to the place where you found the Profound Yin Sunflower Water, after this old master successfully collects those treasures, you can read the contents of this place for as long as you want.”
“Alright!” Yang Kai put down an ancient book in his hand, got up and walked out with Zong Ao.
“Will there be any issues leaving my family’s Young Lady here?” Yang Kai asked anxiously.
“How could there be problems?” Zong Ao smirked, “No one dares to break into the palace of this old master; no one has the skill either unless several Origin Returning Realm masters storm this place together! On this Rainfall Star, no one dares to offend this old master. You can rest assured that this is the safest place on Rainfall Star!”
His tone was arrogant, but Yang Kai didn’t think Zong Ao was exaggerating, his words were spoken simply because he was confident in them.
The pair summoned their Star Shuttles and flew off towards the mine.
After half a day, Yang Kai brought Zong Ao to the previous mine shaft.
There were a lot of cultivators waiting down below including Ha Li Ka, Lin Mu Feng, the middle-aged woman, and several other Origin Returning Realm master from the Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce branch.
They seemed to have been waiting for a while.
“A bunch of little brats,” Zong Ao scolded without reserve, a look of dissatisfaction appearing on his face.
Seeing Zong Ao’s figure, Ha Li Ka and others also wore solemn expressions, seemingly a little nervous and helpless, glancing at each other for a moment before stepping forward together.
“Greetings, Grandmaster!”
Zong Ao and Yang Kai swiftly landed and Ha Li Ka and the others saluted the old man respectfully and humbly.
“En!” Zong Ao nodded indifferently.
“I heard that Grandmaster recently used his profound methods to save Lady Xue’er’s life. For that this Ha is extremely grateful. Lady Xue is an honoured guest from the Home Star, if any accident were to befall her, we would not be able to withstand the repercussions. Grandmaster’s generosity and righteousness in saving Lady Xue’er are without equal, and…” Ha Li Ka immediately began a colourful and elaborate flattery campaign, rapidly heaping praise onto Zong Ao.
Lin Mu Feng and the middle-aged woman couldn’t stop their mouths from twitching somewhat as they observed this uncomfortable display.
Even Yang Kai got goosebumps just watching Ha Li Ka, a look of disappointment creeping onto his face, not having thought this gruff Branch President was actually this kind of person.
“Enough nonsense!” Zong Ao waved and cut off Ha Li Ka, squinting towards him and snorting, “Cease trying to flatter this old master, this old master has no interest in such drivel!”
Ha Li Ka suddenly looked embarrassed and didn’t dare open his mouth again.
“This old master’s purpose in coming here today, I assume you all know,” Zong Ao said on his own initiative, “Don’t blame this old master for not giving any face to anyone who tries to stop me!”
Ha Li Ka’s expression grew bitter as he quickly said, “Grandmaster, why you’ve come here today, naturally we understand. Grandmaster came to Rainfall Star a hundred years ago and has refined countless pills for our Chamber of Commerce, yet never asked for any kind of remuneration. Grandmaster’s service has not gone unnoticed and President Ai Ou himself has repeatedly instructed that we regard Grandmaster as the most distinguished of guests, to meet any request you have while never offending you!”
Zong Ao snorted and said, “As long as you understand!”
Ha Li Ka continued though, “If it were something else, why would we not freely deliver it to Grandmaster? But this Profound Yin Sunflower Water…”
“Hm?” Zong Ao’s face grew cold as a bad light flashed across his eyes.
“It’s just that this Profound Yin Sunflower Water… is not something we can take responsibility for!” Ha Li Ka insisted.
“Yes, Grandmaster, if this matter were to become known to the Home Star, we will definitely not escape punishment, please understand!” Lin Mu Feng also stepped forward and begged.
Zong Ao’s cultivation had also reached the Origin Returning Realm, but he was not necessarily stronger than Ha Li Ka or Lin Mu Feng. In fact, thanks to him constantly immersing himself in Alchemy, it was quite likely he was much weaker than them, but after one hundred years of providing Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce with an unimaginably massive number of pills without taking any form of compensation had caused his status as an honoured guest to reach the highest level possible. President Ai Ou himself also paid close attention to Zong Ao and had explicitly ordered Ha Li Ka and the other branch leaders to treat Zong Ao as if he were a high-level executive of the Chamber of Commerce.
It was not an exaggeration to say that on Rainfall Star, the one with the highest status was Zong Ao!
As such, these Origin Returning Realm masters had to tread very carefully when facing Zong Ao, none of them daring to act the slightest bit careless or disrespectful.
Even knowing that Zong Ao was going to rob the Profound Yin Sunflower Water right in front of them, they didn’t dare try to stop him forcefully, their only option to beg him to show mercy.
The three branch leaders took turns wearing out their tongues in a desperate attempt to persuade Zong Ao, but all they managed to achieve was to annoy him, with Zong Ao unleashing an anger-filled scolding on them. Facing this tirade of insults and curses, Ha Li Ka and the others had no choice but to stand there and accept it with bitter faces.
After growing tired of scolding the trio, Zong Ao paused and cast a sneer onto them, “Don’t think this old master doesn’t know you don’t dare to report this matter to the Home Star. At the very least, until you can ensure that little girl is no longer in any danger, you will make every effort to conceal what’s happened here. So, even if this old master pockets the Profound Yin Sunflower Water, what do you plan to do? Bite me?”
After hearing these words, Ha Li Ka and the other executives exchanged helpless glances, the bitterness on their faces growing ever stronger, none of them daring to respond.
“Treasures of the world belong to those who have the ability to obtain them,” Zong Ao stated bluntly, “Even if this old master decides to give way here and not seize this Profound Yin Sunflower Water, can any of you collect it? Do you even know how to go about collecting it? If you don’t understand even have such a method, at most you’ll all just be able to sit there drooling over the meat near your mouth, unable to ever eat it!”
“What Grandmaster says is reasonable…” Ha Li Ka no longer argued his case and simply responded despondently.
“Does Grandmaster know how to collect the Profound Yin Sunflower Water?” The middle-aged woman on the other hand read the meaning behind Zong Ao’s words and asked expectantly.
“If this old master didn’t know how to collect it, why would I be standing here now?” Zong Ao snorted and waved, “Make way, after this old masters collects these things we can speak further.”
No longer caring about Ha Li Ka or the others in his way, Zong Ao grabbed Yang Kai and flew into the mine shaft, acting no different from a bandit.
Ha Li Ka and Lin Mu Feng glanced at each other briefly before gritting their teeth and following after him.
Inside the mine, Yang Kai followed behind Zong Ao and showed him the way.
The last time Yang Kai came in alone, he had relied on his ability to tear space to advance deep into the Ancient Ruins with ease, but this time he obviously couldn’t do so.
The hidden arrays and traps inside the ruins were both difficult to avoid and deadly; when Ha Li Ka and Xue Yue first investigated these ruins, they had lost a number of cultivators along the way.
However, Zong Ao was obviously not an ordinary man and as he led the way, he held up a five cornered prism that projected a glittering light in front of the pair, illuminating every inch of the mine tunnel.
Every now and then, the light would illuminate some nearly imperceptible energy fluctuations and Zong Ao would carefully lead Yang Kai to avoid their origins.
This five cornered prism seemed to have some sort of detection function and using it, Zong Ao was able to avoid hidden dangers. Although their pace was slow, it was without any danger so the trip was actually quite relaxed.
The temperature in the air gradually became lower and a thin layer of ice soon appeared on the stone walls of the mine.
Zong Ao’s expression grew excited as he knew that they were drawing closer to the Profound Yin Sunflower Water.
Ha Li Ka’s group was following not far behind Zong Ao and Yang Kai, communicating with one another using their Divine Senses as they walked, discussing how to handle this situation, anxiously trying to come up with some kind of feasible plan.
“Boy, where to now?” Zong Ao stopped at a fork and asked Yang Kai.
“This way!” Yang Kai pointed in a certain direction, his Divine Sense threads having long ago broken through the constraints of space to map the route to the Profound Yin Sunflower Water.
Zong Ao didn’t doubt him and walked straight into the fork.
Continuing forward for a long time, Zong Ao, who was leading the way, suddenly came to a halt, squinting his eyes as he looked up ahead, his body trembling uncontrollably as a frenzied look appeared on his face.
Where he was staring were several dozen drops of Profound Yin Sunflower Water, each one strangely suspended in mid-air, still in the exact same state as when Yang Kai had left, just waiting to be collected.
“It really is Profound Yin Sunflower Water!” Zong Ao’s Divine Sense swept over the drops and immediately realized their extraordinariness. Although they were currently floating lightly, each drop was actually as heavy as a mountain and contained a terrifying amount of power.
Besides Profound Yin Sunflower Water, there was no other treasure that possessed such properties in this world.
Sprinting forward, Zong Ao quickly arrived in front of several dozen drops of Profound Yin Sunflower Water, his eyes sparkling as he swept his eyes around, a big grin appearing on his face.
Being able to make someone as aloof as Zong Ao react so crassly, made it apparent just how valuable this Profound Yin Sunflower Water was.
Yang Kai remained calm and indifferent, standing to the side without moving, not having any ideas about snatching this Profound Yin Sunflower Water.
He understood the limits of his abilities; let alone Zong Ao, Ha Li Ka and others who were following them.
Footsteps sounded and Ha Li Ka’s group also emerged one after another, standing next to Yang Kai, staring forward bitterly.
The several dozen drops of Profound Yin Sunflower Water before them made their eyes all go red.
This was one of the most precious cultivation treasures in existence, and as long as one could safely refine even a drop of it, it would greatly increase their strength. Even if it was an Origin Returning Realm masters such as Ha Li Ka, the improvement in strength would be noticeable.
Having reached their current cultivation, it had become increasingly difficult to make further progress, and even breaking through a Minor Realm could take hundreds, if not thousands of years, and that was only if they encountered enough opportunities.
Refining Profound Yin Sunflower Water, although risky, would return even greater benefits if successful, how could they not be tempted?
Each of the masters present had experienced countless life or death battles and had explored the Heavenly Way and Martial Dao whilst on the edge of death, growing to the current level step by step, so they were clearer than anyone that the greater the danger, the greater the reward.
But now, they were only able to watch from a distance, not daring to step forward.
“When you found the Profound Yin Sunflower Water, was it sealed inside a Space Ring?” Zong Ao asked suddenly.
Yang Kai had given him a brief description of the Profound Yin Sunflower Water, but what Yang Kai knew was limited so he hadn’t explained in detail.
“Yes, Grandmaster,” Ha Li Ka shivered slightly and responded.
“Wasting the Heaven’s precious gifts, wasting the Heaven’s precious gifts…” Zong Ao cursed, “Actually trying to place these things into a Space Ring, that ancient person seems to have been quite ignorant, but thanks to his inane act, this Profound Yin Sunflower Water was preserved. If he hadn’t stored them like this, who knows where they might have sunk to by now.”
The several people listened nearby didn’t have any clue what Zong Ao was talking about.
Lin Mu Feng cupped his fists and asked, “Please enlighten us, Grandmaster.”
Zong Ao grinned, “Each drop of Profound Yin Sunflower Water is as heavy as a mountain, not something that can be held within a Space Ring. After that ancient times person loaded the Profound Yin Sunflower Water into that Space Ring, he must have died without a chance to carry it off, otherwise, it would have exploded long ago.”
Ha Li Ka quickly said, “We were also caught by surprise because the Space Ring exploded at the time, resulting in heavy casualties.”
“That is only natural,” Zong Ao nodded, “On top of that, once these droplets touch any kind of soil, they will continue to sink deeper into the ground. Do you know why Profound Yin Sunflower Water is so rare?”
Everyone shook their heads.
“It is because every drop that is formed sinks to the core of the star and is absorbed by the Star Source, making it extremely difficult to discover. En, the Star Source will absorb not just the Profound Yin Sunflower Water but many other rare treasures as well.”
Everyone was shocked by this remark.
They knew that the Star Source was the root of every Cultivation Star, literally the heart of the star, but none of them knew that Star Sources and Profound Yin Sunflower Water had such a relationship.
“Fortunately, these dozens of drops of Profound Yin Sunflower Water haven’t touched the ground yet, otherwise they may have disappeared long ago,” Zong Ao took a deep breath before summoning out a strange looking container from his Space Ring.
This contained was shaped like a small vase, with a wide opening, thin neck, and large body. It was formed by a strange and colourful material that gave of faint flashes of light.
“Five Coloured Meteor Essence!” Ha Li Ka gasped, at a glance realizing what material this contained was made from.
Lin Mu Feng and the middle-aged woman also couldn’t help revealing some shock as well.
Yang Kai did not miss their reactions and immediately understood that this Five Coloured Meteor Essence should be a highly valuable ore, otherwise the three Origin Returning Realm masters wouldn’t have revealed such gaffs.
“Yes, this is made of Five Coloured Meteor Essence,” Zong Ao laughed, “Few people know that Five Coloured Meteor Essence is the nemesis of Profound Yin Sunflower Water. To receive Profound Yin Sunflower Water, you only need to use Five Coloured Meteor Essence to build an appropriate storage container!”
As he laughed, Zong Ao pointed the vessel towards a drop of Profound Yin Sunflower Water then motivated his strength to collect it.
Ha Li Ka and others watched this with ugly expressions, their faces twitching, their moods ugly.
Although Five Coloured Meteor Essence was precious, their Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce still had a supply of it, and despite the small amount, building a vessel to store a few drops of liquid would not be an issue. If they had only known this, they would have already collected the Profound Yin Sunflower Water, then how could Zong Ao have robbed it from them?
Ha Li Ka had even lost an arm just to find this precious cultivation treasure.
Recalling all this, the expressions of the three fluctuated greatly.
Zong Ao on the other hand didn’t pay Ha Li Ka and others any mind, gleefully collecting the drops of Profound Yin Sunflower Water by himself and only stopping when ten drops remained, solemnly holding his special container while glancing over at Ha Li Ka, “Don’t say this old master eats meat and chews bones without leaving any soup behind. Young ones, I’ll leave these here. Find a way to collect these last drops of Profound Yin Sunflower Water. Don’t tell me you can’t find Five Coloured Meteor Essence.”
Zong Ao never planned to monopolize such huge benefits all to himself.
These droplets were discovered by Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce, and Rainfall Star was a Cultivation Star under Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce’s control. Zong Ao had relied on his aloof status to take eighty percent of the Profound Yin Sunflower Water, but this was the limit, if he were to try to take it all, he couldn’t guarantee that Ha Li Ka and the others present wouldn’t disregard his face and act against him.
Zong Ao didn’t have confidence he could deal with so many masters at or above his own cultivation realm.
As such, he took the initiative to step back, leaving ten drops of Profound Yin Sunflower Water for them!
Ha Li Ka and the others heard Zong Ao’s words and couldn’t contain their shock, soon feeling their blood boil with excitement as they cupped their fists, “Many thanks Grandmaster, although Five Coloured Meteor Essence is rare, we can still procure some.”
“Good, then you best move quickly, only Heaven knows when these Profound Yin Sunflower Water will suddenly fall down and sink to the star’s core,” Zong Ao waved his hand and walked out while holding his own container.
Ha Li Ka did not dare to delay, leaving only the middle-aged woman to stand guard here while he and Lin Mu Feng rushed back to the branch to search for Five Coloured Meteor Essence inside their warehouse.
Yang Kai followed silently behind Zong Ao all the way out of the Ancient Ruins.
Afterwards, the pair summoned their Star Shuttles and returned to the mountain valley palace.
Back inside the room, Xue Yue was still sleeping peacefully, just as Yang Kai had left her, and after confirming that nothing was wrong with her, Yang Kai immediately went to find Zong Ao.
It seemed that because he had acquired a precious treasure like Profound Yin Sunflower Water, Zong Ao was extremely jubilant, and when Yang Kai came over, he was crazily performing Alchemy inside his Pill Room to vent his excess energy.
Zong Ao poured his Saint Qi into the several dozen pill furnaces, causing all of them to hum. Magical and mysterious Spirit Arrays were constructed inside the pill furnaces by Zong Ao simultaneously as he scattered herbs from his Space Ring like snowflakes, rapidly condensing various different medicinal liquids all at once.
Yang Kai couldn’t help his eyes from widening as he stared at this incredible scene.
He had never thought such a frenzied type of Alchemy existed in this world where one person actually used more than two dozen pill furnaces, refining several dozen types of pills, all at the same time!
At this moment, he finally understood why Zong Ao could produce so many pills for Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce.
Judging from his fluid movements and obvious proficiency, Zong Ao had done this more than once or twice and had created a shocking yet systematic method of mass pill refining.
Yang Kai possessed a Conflagrated Knowledge Sea and had mastered various ancient Spirit Arrays which gave him many unique advantages in Alchemy, but he still had no way to replicate the astonishing scene in front of him.
At most, Yang Kai figure he could handle four or five pill furnaces by himself.
There are always higher Heavens and one must always strive to improve! Yang Kai felt a deep sense of inspiration and respect for Zong Ao and simply stood in the door, carefully observing this Grandmaster’s movements.
Zong Ao showed no intention of driving him away, allowing him to watch all he wanted, the excitement on his face never once fading, instead becoming more and more flushed. The delicate Spirit Arrays which he portrayed with his Saint Qi appeared in different pill furnaces, melding together with the ones already present to create even more profound designs, providing great catalytic effects to his Alchemy.
Everything was smooth and methodical, without the slightest flaw apparent.
After half a day, inside the Pill Room, various pill aromas wafted through the air, a single whiff of which could refresh a person’s spirits and warm their body.
Yang Kai’s eyes became even more focused.
“Come!” Zong Ao shouted suddenly, and the several dozen pill furnaces all trembled as their lids flew off and coloured pills shot out, each one falling like a single raindrop into pre-prepared jade bottles.
Zong Ao tossed a restorative pill into his mouth, recovering his own Saint Qi while he strode over impatiently to the jade bottles, picked them up, and began checking through them one by one.
After a long time, he finished his inspection, and a somewhat dissatisfied look appeared on his face as he grumbled, “En, only two, pills are really hard to refine!”
Saying so, he put away two pills which had formed Pill Veins into another bottle before tossing the rest away.
This scene was somewhat familiar, as Yang Kai had once seen Zong Ao perform it when he first brought Xue Yue here, causing his brow to furrow as he asked, “Is Senior’s Alchemy method attempting to increase the chance of Pill Veins appearing?”
Zong Ao turned and sat in his chair, grinning as he nodded, “You have some good eyes boy. En, this old master created such a troublesome Alchemy method just to increase the chance of forming Pill Veins!”
After a pause, he continued, “The appearance of Pill Veins is something decided by luck, even the best Alchemists cannot guarantee that the pill they refine will surely form Pill Veins, but when a skilled Alchemist refines low-grade pills, the chances of Pill Veins forming will be much greater. This old master has been studying the production of Pill Veins for hundreds of years, and it was not until a hundred years ago that he struck upon the idea of producing them by increasing the total volume of pills. If not for this, why would this old master not charge Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce anything, essentially performing Alchemy for them for free? En, if not for this old master wanting them to provide me with an abundance of herbs, how could I have let them take advantage of me for so long?”
Refining pills like Zong Ao consumed far too many spirit grasses and spirit medicines, without the vast capital of a great force behind him, it would be impossible to continue this practice for long.
Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce was the richest force in the entire Star Field so it was naturally the best choice. Zong Ao and Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce’s cooperation greatly benefited each other.
“How is Senior’s progress?” Yang Kai asked with interest.
Zong Ao sighed softly, “Difficult, far too difficult! The longer you pursue this path, the more you find how difficult refining pills really are. This old master isn’t afraid of making a little boy like you laugh, but after so long, my success rate is only one or two out of every hundred pills with Pill Veins. En, this old master means pills above Saint King Grade of course.”
One or two out of every hundred, in short, he needed to refine a hundred pills to get one or two with Pill Veins.
This percentage may seem small, but considering the entire Alchemy profession, it was already a sensational number.
Many Alchemists would spend their entire lives and only refine one or two pills with Pill Veins out of sheer luck.
But every time Zong Ao performed this mass Alchemy, he would almost always produce at least one such pill.
“This old master has even managed to refine a few Saint King Grade pills that formed Pill Clouds. Would you like to take a look, little boy?” Zong Ao spoke with a very proud and playful expression.
Pill Veins were hard to come by, but Pill Clouds were even rarer!
Zong Ao had collected tens of thousands of pills with Pill Veins so far, but he only had a handful that had formed Pill Clouds, each of which he regarded as a treasure. When he was feeling down, he would often take out these Pill Cloud pills to review, immediately lifting his spirits.
He had lived here in this dull environment for nearly a hundred years, and if it weren’t for the great obsession in his heart, delving into the profound mysteries of the Alchemic Way, even with his great strength he would have gone stir crazy.
Now that he suddenly had the young Alchemist Yang Kai here to accompany him, he naturally wanted to show off a bit.
“Junior does not dare to covet Senior’s treasures!” Yang Kai didn’t give him a chance to show off though, which caused Zong Ao to grumble in disappointment, “Ignorant child, such a great opportunity is not something easy to grasp, it looks like your accomplishments in Alchemy are bound to be limited!”
Pills which formed Pill Veins were a rarity in the world. In the Alchemy world, this kind of thing, regardless of the grade, even if it was Earth Grade or Mysterious Grade, would be considered a treasure. Excellent Alchemists, by observing and emulating, may be able to gain some insights from just observing them.
Not to mention Zong Ao’s pills which had formed Pill Cloud were all Saint King Grade pills! These few pills were the ultimate culmination of his past hundred years of work.
Today, he had taken the initiative to display them, yet was actually rejected by Yang Kai. Zong Ao immediately felt as if a bucket of cold water had been poured on his hot face, his mood immediately dampening.
How could he have known that back on Tong Xuan Realm, Yang Kai had already seen and even eaten a pill that formed Pill Clouds, and whether it was Yang Kai himself or Xia Ning Chang, when performing Alchemy, their odds of producing Pill Veins were higher than his own by several times.
“Senior, Junior has led you to the Profound Yin Sunflower Water, and Senior has reaped great gains as a result, isn’t it time you inform this Junior how to rescue my Young Lady?” Yang Kai ignored Zong Ao’s ugly expression and took the initiative to bring up the previous transaction.
“Hmph! Blinded by a beauty!” Zong Ao muttered in dissatisfaction again, he obviously thought Yang Kai and Xue Yue had a deep sentiment between them, causing this boy to act so anxiously.
Although he was a little displeased with Yang Kai right now, a deal was a deal, and Zong Ao kept his promise, flatly saying, “To save her, you just need to feed her a Purple Heart Soul Restoring Pill!”
After saying this, he shot Yang Kai a mocking grin, clearly taking pleasure in his misfortune.
“Purple Heart Soul Restoring Pill?” Yang Kai frowned, thinking quickly.
While Zong Ao had gone looking for someone to build a container to receive the Profound Yin Sunflower Water, Yang Kai had flipped through the pile of ancient books inside Zong Ao’s study and learned many pill recipes, the Purple Heart Soul Restoring Pill was one of them.
Pondering for a moment, he soon remembered what grade of herbs was required to refine the Purple Heart Soul Restoring Pill.
“An Origin King Pill?” Yang Kai paled, calling out in alarm.
“Naturally it is an Origin King- Grade pill!” Zong Ao grinned, “Profound Yin Sunflower Water is among the rarest and most powerful cultivation treasures. Do you think the damage caused by it would be easy to restore? Only the Origin King-Grade Purple Heart Soul Restoring Pill can accomplish this. You should be more aware of the danger this little girl is facing than anyone else. Not only is her vitality frozen, even her Soul Avatar cannot form. Treating such a condition will be incredibly difficult, of course.”
Yang Kai’s face turned dark.
Zong Ao also said, “Boy, I advise you to give up. Let’s not even discuss how few Alchemists in the entire Star Field can refine Origin King Pills, simply finding the materials is not something you can accomplish. Finding a ten-thousand-year-old Soul Returning Flower alone is impossible.”
The Soul Returning Flower wasn’t an incredibly rare or precious herbs, and could be found on any Cultivation Star, but in order to refine the Purple Heart Soul Restoring Pill, one with a medicinal age of ten thousand years was essential.
Which herb could possibly grow that old? During thousands of years, natural disasters, shifts in environment, not to mention cultivators or Monster Beasts could cause any herb to die out or disappear from this world. Finding such an herb was simply impossible.
The other precious herb required, despite being quite rare and valuable, wouldn’t be too difficult to find. Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce’s primary focus was business, so as long he left it to Ha Li Ka, Yang Kai believed these adjuvant herbs could be soon collected.
But a ten thousand year old Soul Restoring Flower instantly made Yang Kai feel helpless!
“There is any number of women in this world. I see you’re still very young, boy, in the future there will always be other outstanding women. Sometimes you should learn to just let things go, that itself is a kind of happiness,” Zong Ao sighed as he gave some heartfelt advice.
“I must rescue her!” Yang Kai shook his head, his expression incomparably firm, “Senior, is there no other way to resolve her crisis?”
Zong Ao looked at him deeply, and his complexion gradually became dignified. After a while nodding, “There is one other kind of pill that could treat her condition, and the materials required for this pill aren’t difficult to find, its grade is also not too high.”
Yang Kai’s eyes brightened, cupping his fists and bowing deeply, “Please enlighten me, Senior!”
“Good, out of consideration for your deep infatuation, this old master will offer you his knowledge once more,” Zong Ao sighed, but followed up calmly, “However, I still advise you to not get your hopes up.”
“Senior, please.”
“The Burning Flame Pill!” Zong Ao spat out a few words.
“Burning Flame Pill?” Yang Kai frowned, thinking quickly, and after a moment, his eyes widened with surprise, “Saint King Grade Low-Rank Burning Flame Pill?”
“En, the Burning Flame Pill is indeed a Saint King Grade Low-Rank pill!” Zong Ao gently nodded.
Yang Kai looked puzzled, “Senior, Junior is a bit confused. The grade of the Burning Flame Pill is not high, so how can it cure my Young Lady’s condition?”
He really couldn’t understand how the first method Zong Ao gave him was to refine an Origin King pill, while the second method was actually to refine a Saint King Grade pill, the difference between them was like clouds and mud.
Zong Ao grinned, “Do you think an ordinary Burning Flame Pill will do? What this old master refers to is a Burning Flame Pill with Pill Clouds!”
Yang Kai trembled as he comprehended.
“Since you are also an Alchemist, you should know that a pill that forms Pill Veins or Pill Clouds has its medicinal effects increased geometrically, which is why the existence of Pill Veins and Pill Clouds dramatically increases a pill’s value. If a Saint King Grade Low-Rank Burning Flame Pill were to form Pill Veins, its medicinal effects would almost be equivalent to a Saint King Grade High-Rank pill, if it were to form Pill Clouds, even if it wasn’t as good as an Origin King Grade pill, it wouldn’t miss by far.”
“I see,” Yang Kai’s eyes shone brightly, and his spirit was instantly restored.
Zong Ao observed his expression however and sneered, “How could it be so easy to refine a Burning Flame Pill with Pill Clouds? It may be more difficult than trying to find a ten-thousand-year-old Soul Restoring Flower. This old master will repeat his words once more, boy, it’s best you give up now, don’t attempt to do the impossible.”
Him saying these words were not because he wanted to dampen Yang Kai’s enthusiasm, it was just his objective evaluation of the situation.
Even if the top Alchemists in Heng Luo Star Field were to constantly refine Burning Flame Pills, they wouldn’t necessarily be able to refine one with Pill Clouds.
Yang Kai however just grinned, “How do I know it’s impossible if I don’t even try?”
Zong Ao quickly stated, “Boy, don’t think this old master will help you refine such a Burning Flame Pill. This old master has no friendship with you, nor does he have such skill to guarantee he can refine a Saint King Grade pill with Pill Clouds.”
“I did not plan on asking Senior to refine it,” Yang Kai smiled slightly.
“Oh? You already have someone else in mind?” Zong Ao was slightly surprised, “Do tell, who do you want to make refine it for you? Since this old master has given you his advice, he would like to see what person has such ability!”
Zong Ao didn’t think there was anyone whose Alchemy skills were better than his own on Rainfall Star. When it came to Alchemy, here, he was the highest authority.
“Junior will do it himself!”
“You plan to refine it yourself?” Zong Ao’s eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.
Yang Kai gently nodded.
As if he wanted to re-examine him, Zong Ao swept his eyes over Yang Kai, asking with a strange expression a moment later, “Don’t try to play games with this old master, this is your own matter, not mine. En, if you really can refine a Burning Flame Pill which forms Pill Clouds here, this old master will call you Grandfather!”
He clearly didn’t believe that Yang Kai possessed this kind of ability.
Yang Kai was just a weak Second-Order Saint. Even if he was an Alchemist, and had some talent and aptitude in the Alchemic Way, the longest he could possibly have been immersed in this path was twenty years.
Saint Grade High-Rank pills were his limit! Zong Ao concluded.
If he couldn’t even refine Saint King Grade pills, how was he supposed to refine one with Pill Clouds?
Zong Ao only took Yang Kai’s words as the foolish boastings of youth.
However, Yang Kai’s eyes only brightened further as he too wore a strange smile, “Senior, since you don’t believe this Junior’s words… how about we make a bet?”
“A bet?” Zong Ao’s eyes narrowed briefly before he snorted, “What bet, since you dare, this old master will play along!”
“If this Junior can refine a Burning Flame Pill that forms Pill Clouds, Junior won’t ask for much, just half of the Profound Yin Sunflower Water Senior managed to collect!” Yang Kai stared at Zong Ao daringly.
Zong Ao’s face twitched severely as he snorted once again, “Boy, this old master thought you were the honest and well-behaved type, but it seems you’ve been harbour ideas about this old master treasure all along! Aren’t you afraid your appetite will cause you to lose your teeth?”
“If Junior loses his teeth, that will be his own responsibility,” Yang Kai slowly shook his head, “Are you afraid you will lose?”
Zong Ao grinned fearlessly, “Don’t try to taunt this old masters, such petty tricks aren’t worth my consideration.”
Even after saying so, a second later, Zong Ao still nodded, “Fine. If you can really refine a Burning Flame Pill that forms Pill Clouds, why wouldn’t this old master grant you half his Profound Yin Sunflower Water? This old master has dedicated hundreds of years to studying the formation of Pill Veins, never once finding the correct path forward, if you have the ability to surpass this old master, this old master will be sincerely convinced! However, if you can’t refine it, what are you willing to wager, boy?”
Zong Ao directed an extremely cold and gloomy look towards Yang Kai as he asked.
The entire gambling proposal Yang Kai made had annoyed Zong Ao, making him feel that this Junior was taking Alchemy lightly while simultaneously looking down on his many years of research, causing a tinge of murderous intent to rise in his heart.
“I’ll leave that up to Senior!” Yang Kai said without any fear or hesitation. In any case, if he couldn’t refine this pill, Xue Yue would die, and when she died, he would follow.
“Good, this old master has been lacking an errand boy, if you fail, you’ll serve this old master for the rest of your life!” Zong Ao chuckled, “But this bet must have a deadline to it, or do you expect this old master to simply wait forever?”
“Naturally not,” Yang Kai seemed to have expected him to say that, “The deadline will be when my Young Lady dies, how about it?”
“That will be in just a year or so. Boy you’re certainly crazy enough, this old master is looking forward to seeing how you refine a Burning Flame Pill with Pill Clouds!” Zong Ao laughed.
“Senior should sit back and watch,” Yang Kai grinned, not showing any signs of fluster, only immense self-confidence.
This expression was not missed by Zong Ao, who suddenly couldn’t help feeling a bit hesitant, secretly wondering whether this little brat’s boldness was supported by some hidden secret.
Not feeling relieved, he decided to ask, “What grade of pill can refine with your current methods?”
“Saint King Grade Low-Rank pills!” Yang Kai said casually.
“How is that possible?” Zong Ao was stunned, “You can really refine Saint King Grade pills?”
His face showed clear disbelief as he thought Yang Kai was simply exaggerating.
Yang Kai just shrugged however and said, “I’ve truly refined some.”
“How old are you this year?” Zong Ao asked suspiciously.
“Less than thirty, twenty-seven or eight, I think?” Yang Kai wasn’t quite sure of his current age, he spent all of his time wandering outside or in secluded retreat so he had long ago lost track of the passage of time.
A twenty seven or twenty eight year old boy able to refine Saint King Grade pills was enough to shock Zong Ao speechless.
A bad premonition suddenly came over him, as if half of his Profound Yin Sunflower Water had suddenly changed surname.
Shaking his head, Zong Ao again said, “After a year, things will become clear. This old master won’t ask anything for now, but I still have to tell you boy, even if you can refine a Burning Flame Pill with Pill Clouds, it will only be able to drive away the chilling effects of the Profound Yin Sunflower Water on this little girl, you’ll still need to recomposing her Soul Avatar by yourself.”
Yang Kai frowned, and cupped his fists said, “I understand.”
“En, see yourself out,” Zong Ao waved.
Yang Kai exited and went to the sleeping Yue Xue in the next room before leaving for the Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce’s branch.
Half a day later, Yang Kai met with Ha Li Ka and the others inside the main hall.
Ha Li Ka, Lin Mu Feng, and the middle-aged woman were all gathered around a table and a container refined from Five Coloured Meteor Essence, which held a few drops of Profound Yin Sunflower Water, sat before them.
Three pairs of eyes stared fixedly towards this Profound Yin Sunflower Water.
Five Coloured Meteor Essence wasn’t difficult to find in Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce’s vaults, so after Zong Ao left, the three executives had quickly gone to collect this treasure and were now discussing how to distribute them, and what they should report to the Home Star.
The three were a little bit overwhelmed by everything.
Noticing Yang Kai’s arrival, the three did try to cover up their discussion or hide the Profound Yin Sunflower Water; Ha Li Ka simply stood up and asked, “How is the situation with Lady Xue’er?”
“Unchanged, her life is safe for now but she still remains unconscious,” Yang Kai replied casually.
The three faces turned dark.
“However, Senior Zong Ao was able to diagnose her condition and prescribe a cure,” Yang Kai quickly added.
“Really?” Ha Li Ka’s expression brightened as Lin Mu Feng let out a sigh of relief, the middle-aged woman also patting her plump chest as the bitterness on her face noticeably decreased.
“Little brother, if you require anything from our Chamber of Commerce, please speak freely, Lady Xue’er’s accident occurred on our Rainfall Star, so we will not spare any effort to assist you,” Ha Li Ka stated upfront.
“That is why I have come here, I must ask for your help,” Yang Kai smiled faintly.
“I need you to help collect some herbs!” Yang Kai got straight to the point.
“What herbs do you need?” Ha Li Ka smiled, “Other places may not be able to procure special herbs, but my Chamber of Commerce is definitely not lacking such things.”
Lin Mu Feng and the middle-aged woman also spoke similar words, pledging to meet whatever requirements Yang Kai had.
Yang Kai immediately produced a list of herbs required to refine the Burning Flame Pill, and after Ha Li Ka gave it a quick glance, he lightly said, “The herbs on this list are not difficult to find, we have most of them on hand in this branch already. Only the Dragon Turtle Spirit Fruit is relatively rare while everything else won’t be a problem. However, Little Brother will have to wait three to five months before we can transfer some Dragon Turtle Spirit Fruits from a nearby Medicine Star, such a delay…”
“There won’t be a problem if it’s just three to five months, even a little longer won’t matter as long as you don’t drag it out for over a year,” Yang Kai shook his head.
“Good, within four months we will definitely have the Dragon Turtle Spirit Fruits transferred here,” Ha Li Ka thumped his chest and promised.
Some herbs required specific environments to grow in, and although Rainfall Star was also a large Cultivation Star, it did not have the proper environment to cultivate Dragon Turtle Spirit Fruits. However, there was a Medicine Star under Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce’s jurisdiction nearby which produced a large number of them.
“How many of these herbs does little brother need?” Lin Mu Feng asked.
“However many you can acquire!” Yang Kai quickly said.
“As much as we can acquire?” The three were startled by this answer and stared at Yang Kai in confusion.
They had thought that Yang Kai would only require a few sets of ingredients to refine this pill, so when Yang Kai asked them to deliver him as many ingredients as possible, they were naturally somewhat suspicious.
Yang Kai quickly explained, “The method Senior Zong Ao prescribed requires a pill which has formed Pill Clouds. You should also be aware of how difficult it is to produce a pill with Pill Clouds, it’s not something that can be done in a few attempts, success will require much trial and error.”
After hearing these words, Ha Li Ka and the others suddenly understood why Yang Kai required so many herbs and no longer suspected anything, Ha Li Ka even shouting, “I see I see, Grandmaster Zong Ao is indeed worthy of his illustrious reputation in Alchemy. He actually intends to refine a pill with Pill Clouds, such a treasure is something we would greatly wish to experience.”
“Unfortunately, this will likely result in a non-negligible loss for the branch’s business, with so many of the same type of pill being refined all at once, even if they were to be turned over to you for free, selling them may be an issue,” Yang Kai reminded.
“As long as Lady Xue’er can be awakened, such losses are not a problem,” Ha Li Ka immediately stated. He was speaking earnestly, for if Lady Xue’er were really to die, Xue Yue Third Young Master would definitely not let him off. Even if he had to use his personal fortune, he would do everything in his power to procure the required herbs.
“That would be for the best!” Yang Kai was very satisfied with their willingness to cooperate, saving him the trouble of trying to convince them to help him. These people were reasonable and easy to speak to, they were capable of seeing the bigger picture without it needing to be spelt out for them.
“Little brother…” Ha Li Ka stuttered, a hesitant look appearing on his face, like he wanted to say something but didn’t dare to, turning to glance at Lin Mu Feng in an attempt to find some support.
Yang Kai observed all of this carefully and immediately understood what they wanted to say, wearing a serious look as he said, “For me, treating Lady Xue’er’s condition is the foremost priority, I will not inquire about any other issues.”
Having received such a statement, all three of the branch executives were overjoyed and direct even kinder looks towards Yang Kai.
Although the three of them had managed to obtain some Profound Yin Sunflower Water, a harvest worth celebrating, the events that had transpired here on Rainfall Star this time left them in a difficult position, not knowing how they should report to the Home Star. In normal times, they would be fully capable of suppressing news of Xue Yue’s injuries but now was different. As Xue Yue’s guard, even if Yang Kai’s cultivation was low, unless he was also brain dead, how could he not make a report to the Home Star should something happen?
When that happened, the three of them would only face even more severe punishment!
With Yang Kai’s words as a guarantee though, the three of them felt far more relieved.
Yang Kai laughed and said, “I also don’t want to be punished by the Home Star, so the matter of Lady Xue’er being injured won’t be leaked for the time being. When Lady Xue’er recovers, she will decide how to proceed.”
“Many thanks, little brother!” Ha Li Ka cupped his fists gratefully.
“As for this Profound Yin Sunflower Water… For now, don’t make any arrangements for it. Lady Xue’er will take responsibility for it,” Yang Kai said again.
“Naturally, even if we had ten times the courage, we wouldn’t dare try to use this cultivation treasures at will, we will wait for Lady Xue’er to awake to deal with it,” Ha Li Ka and others nodded repeatedly, thanking Yang Kai for showing them the correct path to take.
Moreover, from the very beginning, none of them had any intention to use this Profound Yin Sunflower Water. Although refining this precious treasure would allow them to greatly improve their strength, none of them even knew how to go about it. Ha Li Ka had personally experienced the overbearing power of the Profound Yin Sunflower Water, the price for this knowledge being his arm, if they were to carelessly try to refine this treasure, rather than increasing their strength, they may end up in a similar condition to Lady Xue’er.
None of them daring to use it, however, didn’t mean obtaining it wasn’t a great merit, hence why the three of them had been gathered around the container, discussing it before Yang Kai arrived.
“Good, my requests up until now have been about our shared business, but I also have a private matter I wish to ask for your assistance with!” Yang Kai felt that the time was right and the atmosphere had been set appropriate, so he prepared to fish for some advantages of his own.
“Please speak, Little Brother!”
“Do you have any methods to quickly improve one’s strength?” Yang Kai looked at the three with anticipation.
“Enhance one’s strength?” Ha Li Ka was surprised, sweeping his eyes over Yang Kai, but soon understood and laughed, “Does little brother wants to improve his strength?”
“Yes, this time, because my strength was too low, Lady Xue’er did not allow me to accompany her to explore the Ancient Ruins. If my strength had been higher, perhaps I could have protected Lady Xue during the Profound Yin Sunflower Water crisis. If I could exchange my life for Lady Xue’er’s safety, what would it matter if I were to die?” Yang Kai said while wearing a pained a bitter look, seemingly blaming himself deeply.
Ha Li Ka and the others in the hall were all experienced masters though, so how could they not know he was just putting on a show?
However, there did seem that Lady Xue’er thought highly of this little guard, otherwise, she would not have brought him alone to Rainfall Star with her or out of concern for his safety prevent him from entering the Ancient Ruins.
After Lady Xue’er woke up, perhaps they would need to rely on him to say a few words of praise to disperse her anger.
What’s more, he was willing to not report this matter to the Home Star and even cooperate with them to conceal the truth for now.
Regardless of whether it was to curry favour or to repay him, the three executives felt that as long as Yang Kai’s requests weren’t excessive they should try to meet them, and helping a small Second-Order Saint Realm cultivator improve his strength was something they could easily accomplish.
After exchanging a few silence glances, the three executives immediately made a decision, with Ha Li Ka saying, “If you wish to quickly improve your strength, the only proper method is to cultivate diligently, this kind of thing cannot be rushed, everyone develops their strength one drop at a time, however…”
Arriving at this point, he grinned and said, “I have a method that will allow you to increase the efficiency of your cultivation.”
Yang Kai’s eyes brightened, “What method?”
The Space Ring on Ha Li Ka’s hand flashed, and a colourful, orchid-like objected appeared in his hands. This orchid was quite strange though, its blossoming petals appearing somewhat like a baby’s face, with rather clear, yet gloomy features.
“Heavenly Spirit Ghost Orchid?” Nearby, Lin Mu Feng and the middle-aged woman both simultaneously exclaimed in shock, as if they hadn’t expected Ha Li Ka to bring out such a treasure, directing a somewhat thought-provoking expression towards Yang Kai, seemingly feeling like he had struck it lucky.
“What is the use of this thing?” Yang Kai asked.
Ha Li Ka proudly explained, “It is an auxiliary cultivation treasure, if you take it directly, you will realize its use.”
Lin Mu Feng also added, “This kind of thing is very rare, many years ago, in order to obtain it, Old Ha had a bloody fight with many others, I never expected that he had stored it away for nearly a hundred years, I had thought he had already made use of it.”
Ha Li Ka grinned, “There was no suitable candidate, so how was I suppose to use it? This old master is already a Third Order Origin Returning Realm master, this thing can’t help improve my own strength, so I was thinking of saving it for someone from the younger generation, but on this vast Rainfall Star, no one has been able to enter this old master’s eye so far!”
Yang Kai’s eyes lit up and before Ha Li Ka had even finished speaking, he had accepted the Heavenly Spirit Ghost Orchid and shoved it into his Space Ring.
From the conversation between the two, Yang Kai could already understand the preciousness of this Heavenly Spirit Ghost Orchid.
He then turned to stare at Lin Mu Feng eagerly.
Lin Mu Feng was just extolling Ha Li Ka’s generosity, but when his eyes met with Yang Kai’s, he couldn’t help his face from twitching slightly, scratching his head in a slightly frustrated manner as he said, “This Lin has something here that may be of help to little brother Yang.”
Yang Kai’s meaning was incredibly obvious, he clearly wanted to take advantage of this opportunity to rob all of them, so how could Lin Mu Feng feign ignorance?
Suppressing the grief he felt in his heart while wearing a calm and aloof expression, Lin Mu Feng took out a jade bottle from his Space Ring, and before he could even explain what it was, Yang Kai had snatched it from him.
Lin Mu Feng smiled bitterly and said helplessly, “This is Snow Pond Crystal Essence, a unique treasure from Ice Snow Star’s Snow Pond Forbidden Zone. Only a cut worth of it is condensed every millennium, this is all I have.”
“What is its use?” Yang Kai asked concisely while observing the jade bottle in his hand, feeling a slight coolness coming from it. Through the bottle’s walls, he could see about a fingernail-sized drop of white liquid.
“Snow Pond Crystal Essence is most useful for stabilizing your state of mind. Taking one drop will grant great benefits. Little Brother Yang, since you want to quickly improve your strength, this thing will be essential,” Lin Mu Feng explained.
Yang Kai’s eyes brightened as he grinned.
This treasure was given to him by Lin Mu Feng and Ha Li Ka’s Heavenly Spirit Ghost Orchid perfectly complemented one another, one could improve the efficiency of one’s cultivation while the other could help stabilize their state of mind, thus avoiding the side effects caused by rapid increases in strength. It could be said that this Snow Pond Crystal Essence was equal in value to the Heavenly Spirit Ghost Orchid.
Yang Kai was very satisfied as he stuffed it into his Space Ring.
Watching Yang Kai put away that small bottle of Snow Pond Crystal Essence, a clear look of pain appeared on Lin Mu Feng’s face.
Of course, Yang Kai pretended not to see it.
Before waiting for Yang Kai to speak again, the middle-aged woman smiled and took the initiative, “I don’t have as many treasures as these two, but I do have something that can help promote your cultivation speed.”
Saying so, she summoned a number of small flag-like objects into her hand; each of these seven flags was a different colour of the rainbow and exuded a strong aura.
[An artifact?] Yang Kai was slightly surprised, not knowing what function this artifact possessed that could actually improve one’s cultivation efficiency.
“These Seven Coloured Spirit Gathering Flags together form one Origin Grade Low-Rank artifact, and when arranged in a certain configuration can gather the surrounding World Energy. I used to use this whenever I entered secluded cultivation, but after reaching my current level of strength, its effects have become negligible and I have not taken it out for nearly a hundred years now; however, it should be quite suitable for little brother Yang.”
Yang Kai’s eyes brightened once more, secretly thinking to himself that these three were worthy of their status as executives of a Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce branch, each of them was easily able to take out treasures that would ordinarily be impossible to find.
This time Yang Kai didn’t act as hurriedly as with the previous two, carefully accepting the Seven Coloured Spirit Gathering Flag from the middle-aged beauty before thanking her politely.
In response, the middle-aged woman laughed lightly and said, “Lower your Knowledge Sea’s defences, I’ll teach you the method to arrange it!”
Yang Kai nodded, allowed the middle-aged woman to place her jade finger on his forehead, and accepted her instructions on how to set up the Seven Coloured Spirit Gathering Flags.
After carefully digesting this information, Yang Kai was very satisfied with the Seven Coloured Spirit Gathering Flags.
Although it was only an Origin Grade Low-Rank artifact, it was still a good treasure that perfectly suited the current Yang Kai, he could use it for some time to come, and when he no longer needed it, it could be given to others close to him.
It wasn’t as rare or valuable as the Heavenly Spirit Ghost Orchid or Snow Pond Crystal Essence, but it was actually far more practical than them.
No matter which of these three it was, they had bled quite substantially here in taking these things out, so Yang Kai cupped his fists and said, “Many thanks for your assistance, Junior is very grateful.”
“Little Brother is too polite!” Ha Li Ka laughed, “As long as Lady Xue’er can be awoken, what does this little loss count for?”
Whether his loyal and righteous appearance was real or forced, Yang Kai couldn’t tell.
“En… does little brother wish to take a couple of Moon Slaves as well?” Lin Mu Feng suddenly remembered something and proposed.
“Moon Slaves?” Yang Kai’s brow rose and stared at them suspiciously.
The middle-aged woman immediately blushed and shouted, “You bastard! Little brother is so young yet you wish to lead him down such an unsavoury path? How do you plan to explain things when Lady Xue’er wakes up?”
Lin Mu Feng squirmed awkwardly, “Two Moon Slave shouldn’t be an issue right? Little brother Yang seems like an upright and firm willed young man. He shouldn’t be led astray simply because of two trivial Moon Slaves.”
“En, if it’s just two there really shouldn’t be a problem,” Ha Li Ka also echoed.
“What are Moon Slaves?” Yang Kai saw the three executives suddenly engage in a slightly heated debate and couldn’t help feeling curious.
Ha Li Ka lightly coughed and explained, “Moon Slaves are women specially cultivated by our Chamber of Commerce. They cultivate a very special Secret Art and take tailored pills so that their Primordial Yin contains a large amount of very pure energy. Any man who is then able to obtain their Primordial yin can obtain great benefits from it! If little brother wishes to rapidly improve his strength, Moon Slaves are truly the best choice. “
“Gathering Yin to supplement Yang?” Yang Kai’s complexion changed slightly.
“No no no!” Lin Mu Feng smiled and waved, “The method developed by my Chamber of Commerce is not some barbaric gathering Yin to supplement Yang. Little Brother should know that many cultivators who cultivate Demonic Secret Arts that use gathering Yin to supplement Yang are able to raise their strength quickly but always result in unstable foundations, making their combat efficiency far lower than others in the same realm. My Chamber of Commerce would never engage in such flawed practices. Moon Slaves are chosen from only those women with appropriate aptitudes and physiques then cultivated in a specific method which increased the concentration of energy in their Primordial Yin. This way, the men who obtain such Primordial Yin suffer very little ill effect. With little brother’s current cultivation, obtaining two Moon Slaves won’t cause any side effects.”
“Indeed, if there was really a problem with my Chamber of Commerce’s Moon slaves, there would not be so many people who purchase them,” Ha Li Ka also nodded.
“Do you also engage in human trafficking?” Yang Kai was incredibly shocked, never having expected a giant like Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce would actually have a hand in such a shady industry.
“This business is only conducted by mutual consent. Moon Slaves generally come from commoner or impoverished backgrounds who, without my Chamber of Commerce’s support, would only be able to live a few dozen years before dying of disease or old age. My Chamber of Commerce provides them with the opportunity to cultivate as well as a secure environment, allowing them to obtain superior ability and skill… Also, after Moon Slaves give their innocence to their masters, they will always obtain some benefit in return. Not only can they continue to cultivate and enhance their strength, but many Moon Slaves also live quite comfortable lives after leaving the Chamber of Commerce,” Lin Mu Feng explained in detail, seeing that Yang Kai was a bit repulsed by such things.
The middle-aged woman sat to the side, blushing, but not raising any objections. Obviously, she too was well informed about these Moon Slaves.
“Moon Slaves…” Yang Kai hesitated for a moment before waving his hand and saying bitterly, “After she wakes up, once she learns of this, I’m afraid Lady Xue’er would kill!”
Yang Kai had to admit that after listening to them talk about the benefits of Moon Slaves, especially the ability to quickly improve his strength, Yang Kai was a bit tempted. Right now his strongest desire was to quickly enhance his cultivation.
However, after mulling over this decision, Yang Kai still refused.
Part of it had to do with his principles, but a larger part had to do with his concerns. No matter how Ha Li Ka and the others boasted about the benefits of Moon Slaves, Yang Kai always felt that gathering Yin to supplement Yang would leave hidden problems which would hinder his future cultivation.
“Since that’s the case, we won’t press the matter,” Ha Li Ka said while shooting Yang Kai an approving nod. He hadn’t thought a young man like him could refuse such a great temptation.
Moon Slaves were capable of more than simply improving one’s strength, each of them was also a rare beauty who had been taught many ways to serve and please men while being proficient in countless forms of art and entertainment, they were akin to a status symbol for the young men in the Star Field to brag about.
Being accompanied by one or two Moon Slaves was enough to raise the level of one’s face significantly.
Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce cultivated a large number of Moon Slaves every year, but the backlog for their purchase was several years long. Moon Slaves alone brought in a huge amount of profit even considering the entire scope of Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce. The price of Moon Slaves only ever increased, but that did not dampen the enthusiasm of those who wished to buy them.
Yang Kai’s refusal had surprised all three of these executives and increased their opinion of him further, making them believe that Lady Xue’er had many reasons to select him as her guard.
Ha Li Ka and others discussed some technical matters for a moment before agreeing to send the collected materials to Zong Ao’s palace once they were prepared, after which Yang Kai took his leave.
After returning to Zong Ao’s palace, Yang Kai was filled with energy and was in exceptionally high spirits.
“Oh, a Heavenly Spirit Ghost Orchid, Snow Pond Crystal Essence…” Zong Ao looked at these two things Yang Kai had taken out and commented, “Ha Li Ka and Lin Mu Feng really held nothing back. It seems this little girl has even higher status in Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce than I initially believed.”
Aged ginger being spicier than young ginger, Zong Ao naturally recognized these treasures and their uses at a glance.
Taking a look next at the seven coloured flags next, Zong Ao couldn’t help chuckling, “Boy, with these things, this old master estimates you can break through to the Third Order Saint Realm in short order. Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce is worthy of its title as a great force, allowing someone to rise up quickly is a simple task for them.”
“Old Zong, in a few days, Ha Li Ka will be sending some materials over required to refine the Burning Flame Pill, I hope Old Zong can receive them for me,” Yang Kai said while taking the Seven Coloured Spirit Gathering Flags back from Zong Ao.
“As long as they don’t disturb this old master’s Alchemy it matters not,” Zong Ao snorted, squatting in front of Yang Kai and directing a suspicious look towards him, “But there’s something here this old master doesn’t understand, care you explain?”
“Old Zong, please ask!”
“Aren’t you going to refine a pill to treat your woman? Why did you suddenly bring these things back with you for?”
“What else can you do with these things? Naturally I’m going to cultivate,” Yang Kai grinned.
Zong Ao was stunned, “Aren’t you getting your priorities backwards? You only have a year and a half at most. Wanting to refine a Burning Flame Pill that forms Pill Clouds within one and a half years doesn’t leave you any time to spare, yet you’re actually in the mood to cultivate?”
“Ordinary people will sharpen their knife before butchering pigs, what’s wrong with me cultivating now to sharpen myself?” Yang Kai grinned, “On top of that, according to Ha Li Ka, one of the materials required for the Burning Flame Pill will take four months to transfer here from a nearby Medicine Star, besides cultivating what else am I supposed to do while I wait?”
“I suppose that makes sense… but will it even make a difference if you break through to the Third-Order Saint Realm?” Zong Ao wondered why Yang Kai wasn’t feeling more flustered.
“Perhaps advancing a Minor Realm will allow me to successfully refine Pill Clouds,” Yang Kai smiled lightly.
Zong Ao just stared at Yang Kai as if he was looking at an idiot, stood up tall again and waved his hand, “If you say so. This old master will just wait to see the results, as long as you don’t bother this old master, you can do as you like, this old master will go see to his own Alchemy.”
Saying so, he walked out, constantly muttering about how refining pills was difficult.
Yang Kai didn’t pay him any mind and instead began arranging his newly acquired treasures.
Back on the floating continent, he had worked hard to refine Saint King Grade pills in order to lift the seal Lu Gui Chen had planted on him. At that time, Yang Kai discovered that he was unable to further promote his Alchemy techniques because of the constraints of his own cultivation.
His cultivation was too low, and if he wanted to refine higher grades of pills, he first needed to improve in that aspect.
The four months Ha Li Ka needed to acquire the Dragon Turtle Spirit Fruits gave Yang Kai a very good buffer period. With the Heavenly Spirit Ghost Orchid, Snow Pond Crystal Essence, and Seven Coloured Spirit Gathering Flags, Yang Kai planed to promote his cultivation during this time.
With four months, Yang Kai had great confidence he would be able to break through to the Third Order Saint Realm, allowing him to more easily refine the required Burning Flame Pill.
Inside one of the rooms in Zong Ao’s palace, Yang Kai sat cross-legged.
Taking out the Heavenly Spirit Ghost Orchid, Yang Kai swallowed it without hesitation.
A cool sensation ran straight from the throat to his abdomen, and as he began to refine the medicinal effects, which cool sensation rapidly spread out to every part of his body, dilating his pores and rapidly affecting his physique.
In order to refine a Burning Flame Pill that formed Pill Clouds, and in order to rapidly improve his cultivation realm, Yang Kai spared no effort.
Moreover, he no longer regarded this time’s incident as a disaster but instead an opportunity.
Currently, he was all alone in the Star Field, without any friends or family, no one to rely on, only by increasing his own strength would he be able to survive. Xue Yue falling unconscious and not awakening gave him the opportunity to concentrate on cultivation.
When viewed from another angle, misdemeanours could often become advantages.
Yang Kai could safely use these next few months to break through then afterwards improve his Alchemy skills to complement his cultivation realm and achieve greater growth.
The cool sensation made him tremble but also more clear headed than ever before.
He suddenly felt as if he had a good plan for the foreseeable future, causing his heart to pound harder.
Xue Yue’s uniform breathing came from the next room over. Zong Ao’s methods could only maintain her vitality for at most a year and a half, once that time was up, she would die if there was no appropriate pill to treat her.
However, Yang Kai wasn’t as worried at all about this right now, his mind in a state of pure tranquility.
The Heavenly Spirit Ghost Orchid’s medicinal effects continued to permeate through Yang Kai’s body. Ha Li Ka hadn’t clearly explained how this precious treasure would improve the efficiency of his cultivation, but Yang Kai could clearly feel some changes occurring in his physique.
Suddenly, the coolness which had flooded his whole body began to gather towards Yang Kai’s chest, and the medicinal efficacies of the Heavenly Spirit Ghost Orchid were rapidly consumed.
Suspicious, Yang Kai removed his shirt, exposing his sturdy body, and looked down towards his chest.
The Golden Dragon Tattoo, the Dragon Emperor’s inheritance, quickly swam across his skin.
The Golden Dragon Tattoo moved deftly, just like a living creature, sometimes swimming in front of him, sometimes swimming behind him, while the Ice Phoenix Tattoo remained on his back, never moving. The Phoenix Empress inheritance which belonged to Su Yan was simply using Yang Kai’s body as a temporary residence, waiting for him to hand it over to her.
At this moment, there was a faint trace of Black Qi gathering on his chest, like some kind of ghost or demon. Yang Kai inspected this Black Qi carefully, but not discovering anything out of the ordinary, he decided to quietly wait and observe.
After a while, the Black Qi on his chest condensed and began to take on a vague pattern.
Yang Kai stared closely, but did not understand what was happening.
Only after waiting half a day did the chilly feeling in his chest suddenly disappeared, and at the same time, the blurry pattern quickly became clear.
It was actually a baby’s face with clear features, as if Yang Kai now had an extra head in his chest, a disturbing and terrifying sight to behold.
Yang Kai was stunned, never having imagined that such a situation would happen after he took the Heavenly Spirit Ghost Orchid.
To his further amazement though, the mouth of this baby face suddenly opened and then like a great vortex began madly drawing in the surrounding World Energy.
*Hu Chi Chi…*
A great gust of wind blew through the room at that moment and an unimaginable amount of World Energy poured into Yang Kai’s body as the baby’s mouth continued sucking it in.
Suddenly, Yang Kai felt his mind and body relax as a sense of replenishment filled him. His meridians pulsed, accepting this vast stream of World Energy and transforming it into his own capital under the circulation of his Secret Art.
[So mysterious!]
Yang Kai was overjoyed, closing his eyes tightly while feeling the benefits of the Heavenly Spirit Ghost Orchid.
Although the design of this Heavenly Spirit Ghost Orchid on his chest looked eerie, its effects were truly spectacular.
In this way, even if Yang Kai didn’t actively circulate his Secret Art, under the suction of the Heavenly Spirit Ghost Orchid, he could continuously draw in the surrounding World Energy, improving the speed and efficiency of his cultivation greatly.
The baby face’s breathing cycle lasted about thirty breaths of time, actively inhaling for that period before resting for an equal amount of time, each cycle bringing in an astonishing amount of World Energy for Yang Kai.
Ha Li Ka’s gift was truly a Heaven sent for Yang Kai.
Yang Kai often spent most of his time traveling, and while moving from one place to another, he rarely had the opportunity to cultivate. If this Heavenly Spirit Ghost Orchid’s effects could continue on indefinitely, it would be difficult for Yang Kai’s strength to not improve.
In the future, he could maintain a state of cultivation when traveling or even during battle.
Unfortunately, according to Ha Li Ka, this Heavenly Spirit Ghost Orchid’s effects would gradually diminish as time passes, disappearing entirely after two or three years.
Additionally, this treasure was extremely difficult to find. Occasionally one or two plants were discovered, but as soon as they were, they would be snatched up. In order to obtain this treasure, Ha Li Ka had fought a long bloody battle with many other masters.
However, two or three years was enough for Yang Kai!
After taking the Heavenly Spirit Ghost Orchid, Yang Kai next brought out the Snow Pond Crystal Essence and placed a drop into his mouth.
A new and different cool sensation filled his body. The Snow Pond Crystal Essence was a product from the Snow Pond Forbidden Zone, naturally its primary attribute was cold.
Yang Kai’s spirit shook and he couldn’t help feeing a cleansing sensation wash over him, as if his very soul was being purified.
A peculiar power rippled from Yang Kai mouth, flowing into his abdomen then vaporising and rising like a cloud of smoke towards his Knowledge Sea.
Yang Kai’s Knowledge Sea, which was originally somewhat turbulent because of his excitement and joy, immediately settled down, all ripples disappearing in an instant.
Yang Kai’s Soul seemed to undergo an instantaneous sublimation, his mood becoming as tranquil like an ancient well.
As the Snow Pond Crystal Essence’s medicinal properties took effect, Yang Kai suddenly developed a wondrous feeling, as if he had become detached from his own body and become an outside observer.
All the memories contained inside his Knowledge Sea became scenes flashed before his eyes.
In this way, Yang Kai was able to review all the roads he had traveled throughout his life, as well as the people he met and the events he had experienced. His setbacks and achievements, happiness and frustration all put on display.
It was as if he traversed his thirty year life all over again.
Yang Kai saw many details he had previously ignored, as well as the many regrets he had accumulated, allowing his mood to change subtly.
He became more mature and more experienced.
As his state of mind changed, Yang Kai’s Knowledge Sea also underwent some unusual changes. The level of seawater gradually rose, which was a sign of his Spiritual Energy increasing and the colour of the seawater become deeper and thicker. The intensity of his Soul was becoming stronger at a visible rate.
Atop the six-coloured island which sat at the centre of his Knowledge Sea, the six coloured light became even more lustrous and dazzling. Even the Soul Devouring Insects, who had been living on this island, began to buzz with joy, rapidly swallowing the six coloured light which the Soul Warming Lotus emitted.
Soon, the number of Soul Devouring Insects reached a critical limit and they began to attack their nearby companions, eliminating the weaker existences, allowing the swarm as a whole to become more powerful.
Yang Kai was aware of all these changes, but instead of trying to stop it, he simply observed it with indifference.
The Soul Devouring Insects used to be one of his sharpest weapons, able to cause trouble for Saint Realm cultivators and easily kill those below the Transcendent Realm.
However, after arriving in the Star Field, the Soul Devouring Insects were no longer of much use. In the Star Field, there were an endless number of cultivators, and Saint King Realm cultivators were common, the current Soul Devouring Insects posed no threat to these masters.
Yang Kai was looking forward to how these tiny Exotic Ancient Insects, which only fed upon Spiritual Energy, would evolve after this time and whether they would become useful again.
He desperately needed more strength.
The battle between the Soul Devouring Insects was incredibly fierce as each tiny insect battled to devour its neighbours, allowing on the most elite to survive. These few survivors though were far stronger than before.
Finally, the battle atop the six coloured island came to an end, and the number of Soul Devouring Insects had dropped by several thousand times!
The few remaining insects then fell into a type of deep sleep. Sweeping them with his Divine Sense, Yang Kai discovered that each individual had wrapped itself in a cocoon-like shell, with only faint traces of life pulsing inside.
Yang Kai stopped paying attention to them after determining there was no issue.
Taking back his consciousness, Yang Kai left the palace and took out the Seven Coloured Spirit Gathering Flags, followed the method given to him by the middle-aged beauty, poured his strength into the flags, and threw them out.
The seven small flags suddenly became much larger and arranged themselves into a peculiar pattern around Yang Kai, each one waving in the wind.
There was some kind of imperceptible connected between these seven flags, transforming the Seven Coloured Spirit Gathering Flags into a Spirit Array.
The wind blew and the trees in the distance began to sway as a large amount of World Energy began being pulled towards the location of the seven flags. Even the sky up above underwent some changes.
Yang Kai sat down cross-legged, took out a few cultivation pills, stuffed them into his mouth, held a good piece of Saint Crystal in his hand.
Inside the palace, Zong Ao, who is performing his frenzied Alchemy as usual, noticed something going on outside, stopped his hands for a moment, and released his Divine Sense, soon understanding what was happening.
“There’s no justice in this world…” He couldn’t help muttering, “Why when this old master was young and weak did no one provide me with such good cultivation environment, how unreasonable.”
He felt a little jealous.
Heavenly Spirit Ghost Orchid, Snow Pond Crystal Essence, Seven Coloured Spirit Gathering Flag…
What’s more, his three thousand kilometre territory had many Spirit Arrays already set up to gather the surrounding World Energy?
All kinds of effects concentrated in one spot would help the cultivation speed of the little brat outside to increase by several folds.
The speed at which Yang Kai would be able to gathering World Energy through all these means would be comparable to that of an Origin Returning Realm master in secluded cultivation.
Zong Ao estimated that in just a few months, Yang Kai would be able to break through and rise another Minor Realm.
Of course, only if this little brat’s body was able to eat up this extravagant feast.
Such a rich World Energy aura was not something a little Saint Realm cultivator could absorb, and if the gathering rate of this aura was too fast for him to digest and accept, it would only cause a huge burden on Yang Kai’s body, bursting his meridians and damaging his foundation. If that were to happen, instead of helping him, all of these blessings would instead harm his progress.
Zong Ao’s concerns weren’t unwarranted. Even if a great force wanted to train their young disciples, they would carefully control the maximum amount of load placed on them, otherwise, it would only hinder their development rather than help it.
And currently, Yang Kai was clearly trying to take on far more than what an ordinary cultivator in his realm would be capable of.
Even if he was a First or Second Order Saint King, absorbing such thick World Energy was not possible.
Yang Kai dying was no concern of Zong Ao’s, the old man only cared about the boastful bet this young boy had made with him about refining a Burning Flame Pill with Pill Clouds!
Even if Zong Ao was absolutely certain this was impossible, for some reason he couldn’t help holding out a faint hope that Yang Kai really could make him suffer a convincing loss!
The production of Pill Veins had been his lifelong pursuit, for this he had given up lofty status and immense wealth, secluding himself in Alchemy here in this place for a hundred years just to find hope of a more reliable method to produce the illusive Pill Veins and Pill Clouds.
So despite how small this hope was, and even if this boy was just ranting wildly, Zong Ao wanted to see it through to the end, thus he didn’t want Yang Kai to have any accidents.
If Yang Kai were to die, all his worries would have been wasted.
For one month after Yang Kai set up the Seven Coloured Spirit Gathering Flags and started cultivating, Zong Ao did not perform any Alchemy, instead just observing him silently from inside his palace. But to Zong Ao’s astonishment, this little brat’s physique and vitality were incomprehensibly stronger than he had anticipated, and the massive amount of World Energy that could easily cause a Saint King Realm cultivator’s body to explode was actually easily accepted by Yang Kai. All of this occurred without any signs of discomfort or distress. Day by day, Zong Ao simply saw how the energy fluctuations coming from Yang Kai grew noticeably stronger.
Not only did this little boy’s face not show the slightest bit of tension, it was instead filled with comfort and joy, making Zong Ao unable to believe his eyes.
As time passed, a pale light halo appeared around Yang Kai’s body. At first this halo wasn’t very obvious, but as more and more aura was injected into it, it became brighter and more vibrant.
The thick World Energy in the surrounding area began to condense into a kind of fog that lingered around him.
Zong Ao’s extensive Medicine Garden was soon submerged in a faint layer of mist and the herbs that were planted began to grow even faster than before.
With such rich World Energy for them to absorb, it would actually be stranger if these herbs didn’t gain some benefits.
For a time, this mountain valley became the place with the densest World Energy aura on all of Rainfall Star; even the great palaces in the mountain range where the Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce branch was located couldn’t compare.
Changing the flow of the world’s World Energy to create a rare cultivation paradise with one’s own strength; despite his long life, Zong Ao had never encountered such a strange phenomenon.
“Just who is this boy?” Zong Ao was puzzled and slowly shook his head, knowing his previous worries were completely unnecessary. After one month of observation, he didn’t bother himself with Yang Kai anymore, returning his attention to his Pill Room where he fired up his several dozen pill furnaces again and began his own Alchemy!
He finally understood that Yang Kai’s was nothing short of a monster, and it was impossible for this level of cultivation to cause him any trouble.
Zong Ao clearly saw that Yang Kai was constantly throwing auxiliary cultivation pills into his mouth while exchanging High-Rank Saint Crystals in his hands…
No matter how low his current strength was, Zong Ao concluded that, in the future, this boy would surely become a bright star in the Star Field!
…..
At the same time they were scheduled to deliver herbs to Zong Ao, Lin Mu Feng personally brought along a few special Space Rings.
Inside these Space Rings were all the herbs that Yang Kai had requested in order to save Xue Yue who remained in a coma. Lin Mu Feng and the other executives had used their private fortunes in order to collect these herbs as the situation could not be reported to Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce’s headquarters.
After purchasing these various herbs, the personal property of the three executives had almost been halved.
Zong Ao accepted the Space Ring and closed the doors of the palace without even inviting Lin Mu Feng inside to sit for a while.
Lin Mu Feng didn’t dare make any complaints, simply standing outside with an awkward look upon his face, his attention soon attracted to the incredibly thick World Energy aura that pervaded the surrounding Medicine Gardens, his eyes brightening when they landed on a certain spot.
Through the World Energy fog, he surprising discovered Yang Kai’s figure.
Which Saint Realm cultivator could engage in such crazy cultivation? Looking at Yang Kai’s posture, it was clear he had been cultivating like this for quite some time, yet he showed no signs of distress. Regardless of anything else, it was apparent that this boy’s physique was extraordinary.
After watching for a while, Lin Mu Feng quietly left without disturbing Yang Kai.
The days passed by as Yang Kai sat in the Medicine Garden, the baby’s face on his chest which had appeared after he consumed the Heavenly Spirit Ghost Orchid greedily devouring World Energy as the Seven Coloured Spirit Gathering Flag drew more of it in.
The role of the Snow Pond Crystal Essence had also continued until this day, not weakening in the slightest and always allowing Yang Kai to maintain a tranquil mental state without any fluctuations.
Yang Kai was still taking supplementary pills one after another and the remains of a few hundred pieces of High-Rank Saint Crystal were piled up beside him!
There had never been a time when Yang Kai and entered such an intense period of cultivation.
His Second-Order Saint Realm cultivation rapidly rose as the amount of power inside his body grew larger and larger, gradually touching the threshold of the Third Order Saint Realm.
One day, a dark Demonic Flame suddenly emerged from his body, swelling up rapidly, as if it wished to burn down the entire world.
Inside the palace, Zong Ao’s expression was solemn as he observed the changes in Yang Kai from far away.
The Demonic Flames grew in size and intensity, gradually bursting out from Yang Kai’s body as if they had a life of their own, condensing into the form of a dragon. At the same time, the Golden Dragon Tattoo swam faster and faster across the surface of Yang Kai’s body.
A loud dragon roar rang out as the Golden Dragon leapt out from Yang Kai’s body and merged with the mass of Demonic Flame.
The jet black dragon, which from time to time emitted a golden halo, soared into the sky and swam through the clouds.
The dragon opened its mouth wide and swallowed massive amounts of World Energy. With each mouthful, the dense mist shrouding the mountain valley became thinner, and after a dozen breaths the scenery had been restored to its original state, all the excess World Energy having been absorbed and assimilated by the black dragon.
Another great dragon roar echoed and the flaming dragon dived down, rushing straight into Yang Kai’s body.
Yang Kai shuddered and an invisible wave of energy centred on him suddenly spread out, kicking up a storm that flung rocks and even trees nearby him into the distance.
Slowly, Yang Kai opened his eyes, a profound light flashing within their depths as the light halo which had been surrounding his body quickly converging and soon disappearing altogether.
Third-Order Saint Realm!
After this intense round of cultivation, Yang Kai had finally stepped into the Third-Order Saint Realm.
Back on Tong Xuan Realm, this level of cultivation would already make him a peak existence, whether it was Demon Commander Zhang Yuan, his four Demon General subordinates, Meng Wu Ya, Chu Ling Xiao, Thunder Dragon, or Old Ox, all of them were Third Order Saints.
Having reached such a realm, there were only slight gaps between each of them.
Today, Yang Kai had finally reached the same height as these masters.
However, in the Star Field, such cultivation was nothing worth speaking of, not even enough to hire oneself to a great force.
The number of cultivators with such cultivations in the Star Field was the same as the number of hairs on an ox, and although they weren’t the lowest and weakest existences, they also didn’t possess any special status.
“Boy, congratulations,” Zong Ao strode over, “Being able to break through to the Third Order Saint Realm in only three months, although you heavily relied on powerful treasures to do so, it is still an accomplishment that greatly surprised this old master. I had originally thought it would take you at least five or six months to reach this point, seems your natural aptitude is quite outstanding.”
“Many thanks, Old Zong,” Yang Kai didn’t get up, simply nodding lightly, not showing much excitement or emotion of any kind, as if everything was as it should be.
Zong Ao was surprised as he realized that Yang Kai’s state of mind did not develop any flaws as a result of his rapid increase in strength. The Snow Pond Crystal Essence had performed its function perfectly.
“Old Zong, is there any word from Ha Li Ka,” Yang Kai asked.
“Lin Mu Feng sent a few rings of herbs over a while ago, but the Dragon Turtle Spirit Fruits are still missing. He said that Ha Li Ka had already had them transferred from the nearby Medicine Star and it would only be a month or two before they arrived,” Zong Ao said indifferently.
Yang Kai nodded gently, although he did not have a deep relationship with Ha Li Ka and the other executives, he also knew that they did not dare act perfunctorily with regards to this matter. The arrival of the Dragon Turtle Spirit Fruits was only a matter of time.
“I’ll go and check up on my Young Lady,” Yang Kai said, standing up without even putting away the Seven Coloured Spirit Gathering Flag.
Inside the room, Xue Yue was still sleeping peacefully, but perhaps because no one had come to attend to her for a long time, a layer of fine dust had covered her enchanting face. Yang Kai found some clean water and washed it off for her.
Perhaps because of the influence of the Snow Pond Crystal Essence, Yang Kai was able to remain indifferent as he performed this action, as if he was treating a stranger.
He had already decided that if he could rescue Xue Yue this time, he would immediately sever their relationship. Regardless of whether she would seek to exact revenge upon him, Yang Kai didn’t want to have anything to do with her.
His intimacy towards Xue Yue was forced, unlike with Su Yan and Xia Ning Chang.
He believed that Xue Yue was the same. With this woman’s demeanour and temperament, once she was freed from the restraints of the Soul Chains, she would likely try to immediately kill him in order to safeguard her many secrets.
Regardless of what reason it was for, she could not allow Yang Kai to continue living in this world, the two of them were destined to be enemies after this brief ceasefire.
After he finished tidying up, Yang Kai went back outside the palace again, sat back down in his previous position, and continued to circulate his Secret Art.
He had just broken through to the Third Order Saint Realm, and even if the Snow Pond Crystal Essence was able to maintain his mental state, allowing him to not worry about flaws in his state of mind, Yang Kai still had to consolidate his foundation as quickly as possible and stride towards the next Great Realm.
He didn’t have high expectations, knowing that within a few years he would have no chance of breaking through to the Saint King Realm. Yang Kai only hoped to advance his cultivation as far as possible so as not to waste the limited time the Heavenly Spirit Ghost Orchid’s effects would last.
Half a month later, the Dragon Turtle Spirit Fruits were delivered by Ha Li Ka as scheduled. After handing them over to Zong Ao, Ha Li Ka only took a glance over at Yang Kai in the distance before quickly departing.
They had done everything they promised, now whether Lady Xue’er could be awoken safely had nothing to do with them.
They could only wait and pray that Zong Ao really had the ability to refine Pill Clouds!
They didn’t know that it was Yang Kai who would be performing this Alchemy and Zong Ao didn’t bother to explain it to them.
Time passed by and another month later, Yang Kai slowly got up, put away the Seven Coloured Spirit Gathering Flags, and reluctantly walked back to Zong Ao’s palace.
The cultivation environment he had enjoyed these past few months was no worse than the one on the floating continent and his current Third Order Saint Realm cultivation had been completely consolidated. Now all he needed was a steady accumulation over time and he could attempt to break through to the Saint King Realm.
Yang Kai didn’t know if he would be able to obtain such a good opportunity in the future, so he was naturally reluctant to interrupt his cultivation, but with his life on the line, he had no choice.
Zong Ao seemed to be waiting for him to show his hand, and after Yang Kai entered the palace, the old man tossed over a few Space Rings with a smile on his face and said, “The herbs for the Burning Flame Pill are all here. Ha Li Ka and his bunch really went all out to prepare two thousand sets of materials, all of them Saint King Grade. Now, this old master is eager to see how you can refine a Burning Flame Pill with Pill Clouds.”
“Senior, don’t forget about our bet!” Yang Kai glanced at him lightly, his voice completely calm.
“Good, this old master always means what he says,” Zong Ao coldly snorted, “Are you ready to prepared to spend your life as this old master’s errand boy?”
He was still reluctant to believe that Yang Kai could do what he had said.
“Wait and see!” Yang Kai grinned before putting away the Space Rings and walking inside.
Xue Yue was still the same, breathing smoothly, her vitality strong, so there would be no problem for the time being, but since Zong Ao said that in her current state, she could only live for at most a year and a half, Yang Kai knew this wouldn’t last forever.
Calculating the current time, she only had about a year left.
Yang Kai wasn’t anxious though, his life now depended on refining an appropriate Burning Flame Pill, which meant he had to succeed no matter what.
“Old Zong, I’ll need to borrow your Pill Room,” Yang Kai said as he walked into Zong Ao’s usual Alchemy space.
“As long as you can sincerely convince this old master of your words, you’re free to borrow this place,” Zong Ao followed Yang Kai inside, not showing the slightest trace of politeness, obviously intending to observe and emulate Yang Kai’s methods.
If Yang Kai really possessed a method to refine Pill Clouds, he could study and replicate it. Even if he lost half of the Profound Yin Sunflower Water, he would be willing.
Conversely, if Yang Kai was just shamelessly boasting, Zong Ao was happy to watch this joke play out while obtaining a servant he could order around for a lifetime.
Zong Ao was ready for a protracted campaign, and as soon as he entered the Pill Room, he dragged the only chair over and sat down silently, concealing even the sound of his breathing, seemingly unwilling to disturb Yang Kai’s concentration in the slightest, lest it give the young boy an excuse later on.
Yang Kai noticed all this but made no attempt to stop Zong Ao, walking over to the examine the several dozen pill furnaces, reaching out and patting them from time to time, nodding continually, a look of envy appearing in his eyes.
Zong Ao was at least an Origin Grade High-Rank Alchemist, most likely even an Origin King Grade Alchemist. How could his pill furnaces be anything but extraordinary?
There were several dozen pill furnaces here of various sizes, each one of extremely high grade, the lowest still a Saint King Grade High-Rank artifact.
Yang Kai, on the other hand, was still using the small pill furnace left behind by Great Demon God. On Tong Xuan Realm, this small pill furnace was considered quite good, but compared to the ones owned by Zong Ao, it is a person on the ground gazing up at the Heavens, several grades worse at least.
A good pill furnace could greatly improve the stability and fit of an Alchemist’s Spirit Arrays as well as increase the success rate and quality of the refine pills.
Therefore, in addition to their lifetime pursuit of Alchemy, Alchemists would also expend great effort to obtain or refine an excellent pill furnace.
Seeing Zong Ao’s collection of outstanding pill furnaces here, how could Yang Kai not be jealous? He even secretly regretted that he didn’t add these furnaces into their previous bet, wondering if he asked now whether Zong Ao would refuse or not.
After looking around, Yang Kai’s eyes fixed on the highest quality pill furnace, patting it gently and nodding, choosing to use it for the time being.
“Your eyes aren’t bad, little brat,” Zong Ao, who had been watching silently, couldn’t help commenting with a snort upon seeing Yang Kai select his own favourite pill furnace.
Alchemists had special feelings regarding their pill furnaces, many of them even regarding their pill furnaces with the same level of importance as their wife or daughter, something that belonged only to them and who no other was worthy to touch. Whoever dared to covet it, they would be willing to fight all out with.
Probably because he owned so many pill furnaces, Zong Ao didn’t have such an overbearing mentality, but this scene still brought some bitterness to his heart.
Yang Kai pretended he hadn’t heard anything and simply began sorting out the herbs inside the various Space Rings to avoid having to search for them later on when he needed them.
Sitting down cross-legged in front of the pill furnace, Yang Kai’s expression instantly became solemn.
Zong Ao’s eyes brightened and he couldn’t help nodded silently.
This rapid change in temperament and expression alone allowed Zong Ao to understand that Yang Kai was not a novice; this young man had extensive experience in the Alchemic Way. If he hadn’t, he wouldn’t have been able to assume such a state, completely focused, nothing else existing in the world other than the herbs and furnace in front of him.
Zong Ao himself also entered this state when he was performing Alchemy, so he naturally knew of its rarity and mystery.
However… two thousand sets of materials, repeating the same refinement over and over again. Doing this for an extended period of time would cause anyone to become irritated, breaking their concentration. Once such a situation occurred, it would become impossible to refine a proper pill.
Zong Ao’s thoughts turned over quickly and a smile appeared at the corner of his mouth, preparing to watch a good show.
A scorching force suddenly spread from Yang Kai, but this force wasn’t Saint Qi or any other kind of physical force, but instead came from his Spiritual Energy from his Knowledge Sea.
“Conflagrated Knowledge Sea?” Zong Ao’s face changed suddenly, his eyes bulging as he couldn’t help calling out in alarm.
His body, which had been reclining in his chair, suddenly sat up and even leaned forward, his neck stretching out as if doing so would allow him to see more clearly.
The expression on Zong Ao’s face changed dramatically, as if he was excited and panic-stricken at the same time, a look of disbelief and even some jealousy appearing in his expression. He even crushed the armrest of his chair, inadvertently.
It was actually a Conflagrated Knowledge Sea!
Zong Ao’s heart flooded with complicated emotions.
As a skilled Alchemist, how could he not know how valuable a Conflagrated Knowledge Sea was? Even he didn’t possess such special Spiritual Energy. Conflagrated Knowledge Seas were a rarity, some were innate while others were acquired, but as long as one could obtain a Conflagrated Knowledge Sea, it would dramatically improve their Alchemy ability.
With a Conflagrated Knowledge Sea, performing Alchemy would become more efficient and effective. In his life, Zong Ao had met one or two Alchemists who possessed Conflagrated Knowledge Seas, each of whom used their special Spiritual Energy to refine pills at a monstrous level of efficiency, making Zong Ao candidly admit his inferiority.
More than two hundred years ago, after witnessing the astonishing methods of a colleague with a Conflagrated Knowledge Sea, Zong Ao had devoted himself to finding a way to transform his own Knowledge Sea, seeking out various flame essences and attempting to refine them into his own Soul.
At that time, he barely managed to survive and severely damaged his Knowledge Sea.
Only after several dozen years, taking many elixirs and precious treasures, was he gradually able to recover.
Although he had not been able to mutate his Knowledge Sea, during those few decades of cultivation and recovery, he was able to come up with the idea of mass Alchemy in order to increase the appearance of Pill Veins.
But now, a young man less than thirty years of age actually owned a Conflagrated Knowledge Sea. How could Zong Ao not be envious?
As this envy surged, Zong Ao suddenly recalled all the suffering he had experienced in the past, causing him to shiver in fear as well as eliminate any covetous feelings he might have had.
His eyes shining brightly, Zong Ao watched Yang Kai begin condensing the medical liquids, thinking to himself that Conflagrated Knowledge Seas were indeed worthy of their reputation. This boy’s cultivation wasn’t high, just a recently promoted Third Order Saint; however, under the effects of his Conflagrated Knowledge Sea, these Saint Kings Grade herbs were rapidly condensed into pure drops of medical liquid.
Exquisite Spirit Arrays were formed in the air and then inserted into the pill furnace, followed by the condensed medicinal liquids. Although there were some slight flaws in the timing, for someone refining the Burning Flame Pill for the first time it was pretty good.
No Alchemist was immediately proficient in refining pills they had never created before, that required time and experience! Zong Ao was certain this was Yang Kai’s first attempt to refine the Burning Flame Pill, so being able to show this much skill was already beyond his expectations.
Another Spirit Array was depicted and then inserted into the pill furnace, replacing the previous one. The various Spirit Arrays fit perfectly inside the pill furnace and merged with one another, causing the medicinal liquids to undergo subtle and wondrous changes.
“How is that possible?” Zong Ao exclaimed again, unable to understand what he had just witnessed. How could so completely changing the configuration of the Spirit Arrays in the middle of Alchemy not affect the production of a pill?
Although he would sometimes change the Spirit Arrays while in the process of Alchemy, he would do so with extreme care and only chose to do so during moments when the tolerance for error was relatively large.
However, Yang Kai was able to change Spirit Arrays in an unbridled, nearly careless manner, doing so more than a dozen times in quick succession.
Zong Ao wanted to grab Yang Kai immediately and ask him what was happening, but he was also too embarrassed to do so, only able to choke down his doubts and wait while trying to calm his anxious heart.
Inside the Pill Room, Yang Kai waved his hands constantly, portraying one Spirit Array after another, continuing to destroy and replace the ones already inside the Pill Furnace.
When portraying these Spirit Arrays, his Spiritual Energy fluctuations seemed both strong yet delicate all at once.
The longer Zong Ao looked, the more anxious he became, and it wasn’t long before his indifferent facade collapsed. He even recklessly approached Yang Kai in order to get a better view of the Spirit Arrays he was using.
These Spirit Arrays were all familiar to Zong Ao, some of them even his own original creations. It was abundantly clear that this little brat had stolen these Alchemy skills from him and was now using them for his own purposes.
However, these Spirit Arrays which were so familiar to Zong Ao were actually undergoing some profound and mysterious changes after being inserted by Yang Kai into the pill furnace, allowing the medicinal liquids to churn and condense in subtly different ways. Soon, a rich pill fragrance began to diffuse.
Zong Ao showed a thoughtful expression, faintly feeling like a crack had opened up in the barriers which barred his own advancement; he wanted to peer through this crack more clearly but was unable to immediately force it open, nearly causing him to stamp his foot in annoyance.
He was a true Alchemy Grandmaster, and in terms of true Alchemy skills and techniques, was far beyond Yang Kai.
But now, observing Yang Kai’s completely different methods, Zong Ao’s eyes brightened up. Sometimes, even an inadvertent action by others could bring about unexpected gains to another, allowing them to fall into a state of epiphany.
Therefore, as each new era developed, new Alchemy methods also appeared and developed, and over the countless years, countless Alchemists had created countless branches of Alchemy, each with their own unique Spirit Arrays.
Even someone as knowledgeable as Zong Ao didn’t dare claim to have mastered all Alchemy skills in existence; he still continued to explore his own path in an attempt to pursue his goals.
After a hundred years of near secluded Alchemy, his thinking had become somewhat rigid, so seeing Yang Kai’s actions now had brought him many inspirations related to all aspects of Alchemy, even ones that Yang Kai’s current process had nothing to do with.
“Keep refining, what are you stopping for?” In his agitated state, feeling like he was on the cusp of multiple new discoveries, Zong Ao suddenly found that Yang Kai had actually stopped his movements and couldn’t help speaking up.
“Old Zong, can you be quiet? With you acting like this… I can’t focus on Alchemy,” Yang Kai frowned at him.
Zong Ao’s face blushed bright red, unable and unwilling to say anything.
He then noticed that from inside the pill furnace in front of Yang Kai, a burnt smell was wafting out, and the medicinal liquids which had been tumbling about had all become useless. Apparently, this Alchemy attempt had failed, wasting the batch of herbs.
“Such a result is inevitable for a first attempt,” Trying to cover up his embarrassment for disturbing Yang Kai’s Alchemy, Zong Ao actually took the initiative to speak a few words of comfort before waving his hand, “Good, this old master will sit back down and promises to not disturb you anymore. Go ahead and continue!”
Saying so, he walked back to his chair and sat down, concealing his aura again.
If he didn’t look back now, Yang Kai wouldn’t even be able to notice Zong Ao’s existence, it was clear this old man’s cultivation was far above his own.
Yang Kai shook his head. Through these days of contact, he had discovered that although Zong Ao had a strange temperament, his obsession with the Alchemic Way was incredibly strong. Anything to do with Alchemy could arouse his interest. If this weren’t the case, he wouldn’t have remained in isolation here for a hundred years just to further his pursuit of Alchemy.
As long as he could refine one or two pills that formed Pill Veins, he would be extremely excited.
Such people seem unfriendly and indifferent, but they weren’t difficult to deal with. As long as one could win their favour, they would be easier to get along with than anyone else.
Yang Kai had encountered many such people before so he knew how to cope with them.
Yang Kai wasn’t worried about Zong Ao stealing his Alchemy skills because, in front of Zong Ao, he couldn’t stop him no matter how he tried.
To Yang Kai, he also did not care much about keeping his Alchemy skills secret. However much Zong Ao could learn from observing and emulating was fine with him.
What Yang Kai was concerned about was the Profound Yin Sunflower Water!
After clearing the burnt dregs from the pill furnace, Yang Kai started refining a Burning Flame Pill again.
The first refining failing just now was not because of Zong Ao’s interruption. Even if Zong Ao was shouting loudly, he wouldn’t have been able to break Yang Kai’s concentration. When he was in Nine Heavens Holy Land, every time Yang Kai performed Alchemy, several people would be around him studying his methods and conversing endlessly. Yang Kai would even join these conversations at times and answer questions he was asked. He had long ago gotten used to this.
In truth, Yang Kai failed to refine the Burning Flame Pill just now because it was his first attempt and he had yet to master the necessary control and timing.
During the second refining, Yang Kai had learned a lot, and although it still failed in the end, it did not dampen his enthusiasm.
After the third refining failed at the last moment, Yang Kai’s expression became more confident. He felt that he had understood the full process required to complete the Burning Flame Pill.
Finally, on the fourth attempt, a rich pill scent filled the air and Yang Kai successfully extracted a Burning Flame Pill from the furnace.
Yang Kai placed the warm pill in a prepared jade bottle. Before Yang Kai had enough time to even catch his breath before it was taken away by Zong Ao. After only one glance, Zong Ao threw the jade bottle back, snorting as he commented, “You succeeding after only four attempts isn’t bad little boy, but you couldn’t even form Pill Veins, so how do you expect to refine Clouds?”
“What’s the hurry? This is just the beginning,” Yang Kai smiled, ignored him, and continued onto the next refinement without even a break.
The disdain on Zong Ao’s face gradually converged and was replaced with solemnity as he grumbled in his heart.
When it came to speed, a Conflagrated Knowledge Sea was truly a terrifying tool for Alchemy.
Even if he had taken action personally, Zong Ao estimated it would take him a stick of incense worth of time to refine a Burning Flame Pill, but this little brat’s first success actually only required an hour.
By comparison, an hour seemed quite long, but Zong Ao knew better than anyone that if it only took this long for this little brat on his first time, as he became more adept at refining the Burning Flame Pill, that time would rapidly shrink and may even become indistinguishable from his own.
In terms of cultivation Alchemy level, or even time spent studying the Alchemic Way, Zong Ao far, far exceeded Yang Kai, but very soon it was possible he could refine the same pill in the same amount of time.
What kind of concept was that?
Zong Ao was immediately envious of Yang Kai’s Conflagrated Knowledge Sea again, anxious to take it for his own use, but when he remembered the pain he had experienced all those years ago, he managed to bear it.
Days passed by.
Every day, Yang Kai would refine ten Burning Flame Pills, no more, no less. After refining these ten pills, he would sit in cross-legged meditation immediately and, while restoring his Spiritual Energy, would reflect upon his Alchemy process, improve his understanding.
During this time, Zong Ao didn’t bother Yang Kai and was also often lost in his own contemplations.
Since Yang Kai began, Zong Ao had not performed Alchemy even once, spending each day watching Yang Kai repeat the process of refining the same type of pill over and over and over again, seemingly without end.
But not only did Zong Ao not feel bored, he rather enjoyed watching.
The frequent replacement of Spirit Arrays inside the pill furnace Yang Kai performed had seemingly opened up a new avenue in Alchemy for Zong Ao. He had never before thought of replacing the composite Spirit Array while refining a pill over a dozen times.
Yang Kai’s bizarre and seemingly eccentric methods gave Zong Ao a sense of excitement and he felt as if the clouds obscuring his view were clearing, allowing the bright rays of the moon to shine in.
As a top-level Alchemy Grandmaster, Zong Ao’s thoughts and ideas expanded far beyond what Yang Kai had demonstrated to him and he faintly felt the mental block that had bound him for many years show signs breaking.
This discovery made Zong Ao’s blood boil.
One month passed by, and Yang Kai had now successfully refined three hundred Burning Flame Pills. When each pill was refined, Zong Ao would grab it and inspect it, but to his surprise, all three hundred Burning Flame Pills Yang Kai had produced were just ordinary pills.
Yang Kai’s tone had been so confident before, that Zong Ao had believed he possessed some kind of extraordinary ability that would at least occasionally allow him to refine Burning Flame Pills with Pill Veins.
But among the three hundred pills, not even one was formed with Pill Veins.
Zong Ao couldn’t help feeling a little disappointed and finally asked, “Little brat, can you even refine Pill Veins? If you just want to rely on luck to form Pill Clouds, this old master advises you to give up. During this old master’s lifetime of Alchemy, even if he hasn’t produced a million pills, he has at least produced several hundred thousand, but out of all those, only a handful formed Pill Clouds, and their grades were not high. Do you want to produce Pill Clouds within just two thousand attempts? Wishful thinking!”
“I don’t intend to rely on luck,” Yang Kai smiled, “The first three hundred pills were just for me to familiarize myself with the process.”
“Become familiar with the process?” Zong Ao looked at him suspiciously.
“Now I know how to refine the Burning Flame Pill at the fastest speed and with the optimal Spirit Arrays, so the important part comes next.”
Zong Ao frowned, wondering what Yang Kai was planning.
Over the past month, the speed at which he refined Burning Flame Pills had indeed grown faster and faster. In the beginning, it had taken Yang Kai an hour to make a single pill, now he didn’t even need half an hour, and Zong Ao believed that as long as Yang Kai continued, this time would eventually be shortened to an amazing degree.
What surprised Zong Ao the most however was not Yang Kai’s Alchemy speed, but his success rate.
After the first three pills failed to be refined by him, Yang Kai suddenly seemed to have reached completely mastery, never again failing to successfully refine a pill.
Zong Ao was nearly shocked to death by Yang Kai!
Even if it was him, some unexpected conditions would inevitably occur during Alchemy, causing him to fail and burn the medicinal liquids. Such a situation basically could not be avoided by any Alchemist.
However, this kind of common sense seemed to not apply to Yang Kai. Every batch of herbs become a pill, and although the quality of those pills differed slightly due to adjustments in temperature and timing, as time passed, the quality of the Burning Flame Pills refined was on average improving, nearly fully utilizing the medicinal efficacies of the herbs.
[Is this the true terrifying merit of possessing a Conflagrated Knowledge Sea?] Zong Ao thought to himself absentmindedly.
Inside the Pill Room, Yang Kai was sweating profusely as one pill after another was refined from his hands. Zong Ao’s eyes widened and he stared at Yang Kai fixedly.
As the sun set over the mountain valley, today’s Alchemy came to an end and Yang Kai put away the last pill without so much as a glance, placed the jade bottle on the ground, and kept a cross-legged sitting posture, popping a pill into his mouth to restore the Spiritual Energy he had consumed.
Zong Ao flew over in a flurry and unceremoniously grabbed the jade bottle, opening it and pouring out the ten pills refined today to carefully inspect them.
“How can this be? How can this be?” After a while, Zong Ao muttered to himself in a daze, his face filled with disbelief. It seemed that these ten pills had given him a great shock, even threatening to crumble his hundred years of unshaken conviction.
His face suddenly became a little pale as he stared over towards Yang Kai, a bitter smile creeping onto his face as he sank to the ground, as if he had lost all his strength.
Of these ten pills, three had formed Pill Veins!
This kind of success rate was something beyond Zong Ao’s wildest imagination.
He was a supreme Alchemy Grandmaster, and after several dozen years of dedicated contemplation, he had finally come up with an Alchemy method to achieve success in this field through sheer quantity. He had come to Rainfall Star to take advantage of the herbs provided by Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce, then consumed enormous amounts of effort for nearly a hundred years in continuous Alchemy, refining dozens of pills at the same time.
And even with all that, only when his luck was extremely good would he be able to refine three pills which formed Pill Veins at once. Sometimes, when his luck was bad, not even one such pill would appear.
But this little brat, through the method Zong Ao had once discarded, refining only one pill at a time, had actually managed to form Pill Veins with a thirty percent success rate.
This situation had not just occurred once or twice though, it had been happening consistently for nearly a month!
Every day Yang Kai refined ten pills, no more, no less, and among these ten, two or three pills would invariably form Pill Veins!
This gave Zong Ao an enormous shock as well as attack.
It had been two months since Yang Kai started to refine Burning Flame Pills. At first, when Yang Kai refined three hundred ordinary Burning Flame Pills, Zong Ao had mocked him fiercely, thinking he couldn’t even form Pill Veins, let alone Pill Clouds.
However, ever since the second month, this little brat’s actions had thoroughly shredded Zong Ao’s pride.
On the first day of the second month, Yang Kai refined two Burning Flame Pills which formed Pill Veins. Zong Ao praised him slightly, but still held onto his mentality of disdain, thinking he had just gotten lucky.
On the second day of the second month, when Yang Kai replicated these results, Zong Ao’s disdain disappeared.
On the third day, it was still the same, and Zong Ao could no longer sit still.
Finally today, Zong Ao felt as if he was on the verge of going insane.
A hundred years of persistence in his own philosophy felt as if were being struck by thunder and lightning every day Yang Kai refined these ten pills, all traces of confidence and pride evaporating from his body.
If Pill Veins were so easy to form, just what had he been doing for the past century?
Zong Ao’s efforts to develop a unique mass production Alchemy method seemed like a childish waste of time in the face of these Burning Flame Pills formed with Pill Veins.
Holding the slightly warm jade bottle, Zong Ao’s hand trembled and disregarding Yang Kai’s meditation to restore himself, he stroke over in front of him and anxiously said, “Boy, tell this old master what it is he is missing. Why are you able to refine so many pills which form Pill Veins?”
Yang Kai slowly opened his eyes and was greeted by the sight of Zong Ao’s bloodshot gaze, as if the latter had not had a good night’s rest in years.
Zong Ao had been contemplating this very issue for some time now, but no matter how he thought about it, he was unable to understand what Yang Kai had done which allowed him to so easily refine Pill Veins, causing his eyes to literally go red with jealousy.
“No idea, just luck I guess.”
Hearing Yang Kai’s blatantly perfunctory words, Zong Ao snorted, “Don’t think this old master is a fool, how could I not see that this has nothing to do with luck? Boy, don’t try to feign ignorance, explain clearly, this old master will compensate you.”
Right now, Zong Ao wished he could barge into Yang Kai’s Knowledge Sea and spy on his consciousness.
Yang Kai shook his head, “Old Zong, you also know that each school treats its Alchemy skills as treasures and will not divulge them to outsiders…”
“Smelly brat, didn’t you snoop around this old master’s Medicine Garden Spirit Arrays? Didn’t you read many of the ancient books in this old master’s study? When did this old master ever raise any objections while you pilfered those secrets?”
“Old Zong’s words are misplaced, as an illustrious Grandmaster, it is Old Zong’s duty to guide and instruct the younger generation, and besides, what I was able to learn was nothing more than some general knowledge and peripheral techniques, nothing even worth concealing. On the other hand, my method for producing Pill Veins is different, it is the very core inheritance of my school, how could it be compared with those Spirit Arrays? “
“This old master doesn’t care, if you don’t explain clearly today, this old master will open your skull and search your Soul!”
Such shamelessness, totally disregarding face!
Hearing this threat, Yang Kai felt great disdain in his heart.
However, he also knew that Zong Ao was just blowing hot air. With Zong Ao’s identity and strength, if he really wanted to force Yang Kai to explain his methods, there was no need for him to get so worked up or make such a force, he could simply take action.
Zong Ao acting in such a fluster now was because, despite being at his wit’s end, he had determined he could not resort to violence. He was simply extremely jealous of this method of refining Pill Veins, to the extent that he was willing to disregard his face as a Senior.
“At worst… this old master can worship you as his teacher!” Zong Ao snorted, his face completely solemn as if he saw nothing wrong with this statement at all.
Yang Kai gawked at him in shock, never having expected him to utter such shameless words, even feeling a hint of admiration.
Still, he shook his head, “Old Zong, it’s not that Junior can’t make an exception and enlighten you, it’s just that this method can’t be used by others.”
Back in Nine Heavens Holy Land, Yang Kai had freely taught the Alchemy Grandmasters of Tong Xuan Realm his method to refine Pill Veins, and although they had some gains, none of them could even approach Yang Kai’s level of skill. Only when Xia Ning Chang arrived did Yang Kai find a partner he could discuss this method with as an equal.
In the end, this was related to the magical properties of his Conflagrated Knowledge Sea.
“Whether others can learn your methods or not is up to them, this old master will figure something out on his own, you need not worry about my success or failure!” Zong Ao said with great determination, compared to learning this secret, his face was worthless.
Yang Kai felt helpless as he knew such a situation would occur, hesitating for a moment before saying, “Old Zong, how about we do an exchange?”
“What kind of exchange? What else do you want to take from this old master?”
“Your method of mass Alchemy, I want it,” Yang Kai said bluntly.
Yang Kai had never met anyone who could use several dozen pill furnaces all at once. Zong Ao’s Alchemy technique was both skilful and refined, enough so for him to open up his own school of Alchemy, Yang Kai very much wished to learn this method.
Using just his Saint Qi, Zong Ao was able to perform several dozen different Alchemy refinements at the same time.
Yang Kai could use both Saint Qi and Spiritual Energy to perform Alchemy, once he studied Zong Ao’s method, using it shouldn’t be an issue.
“See for yourself!” In a flash of light, Zong Ao extracted a plain-looking book from his Space Ring and tossed it over to Yang Kai without any hesitation.
Yang Kai caught it and flipped through a few pages, quickly determining that this was indeed the Alchemy method that Zong Ao pioneered. There was a detailed introduction to it as well as many explanations, presumably Zong Ao had written this book with the intention to one day pass it on to his disciples.
Now it had fallen into Yang Kai’s hands.
Yang Kai nodded lightly before storing the book into his own Space Ring, scratching his nose as he said, “These pill furnaces…”
“I’ll give you ten!” Zong Ao waved his hand, and although he spoke boldly, his face was still twitching.
It was obvious to anyone he was extremely distressed.
In order to collect these dozens of pill furnaces, Zong Ao had travelled far and wide to collect appropriate materials in order to refine them, nearly dying several times. After he had collected the materials, he had personally found a Grandmaster Artifact Refiner he was acquainted with to create them.
It could be said that each pill furnace was the crystallization of Zong Ao’s blood and sweat, a testimony to years of his hard work!
Now though he actually had to offer up ten of them to this brat, making him feel as if his heart was bleeding.
“Half!” Yang Kai raised a finger and swung it.
Zong Ao stared at him with even redder eyes, his face growing pale, seemingly on the verge of biting his head off, but after a long pause, he nodded, “Fine, half!”
In any case, when this little brat failed to refine a Burning Flame Pill with Pill Clouds, he would become his lifetime servant. When that happened, wouldn’t Zong Ao still own these things? Zong Ao had never been optimistic about Yang Kai’s chances, even if he had received tremendous shock this past month.
Only if Yang Kai’s luck was truly Heaven defying could he somehow manage to refine Pill Clouds, and if that were to happen, Zong Ao wouldn’t have anything to say.
However, such a chance was too slim.
Yang Kai smiled widely, not having expected these negotiations to go so smoothly. He had thought that after living in isolation for so long, and with his pride as a Grandmaster Alchemist, Zong Ao’s personal and negotiation skills wouldn’t be good, but how could Yang Kai have known they would actually be so terrible?
“Old Zong, have you never thought about engraving a Spirit Array into a pill just as it was about to form? To put it plainly, Pill Veins are simply a type of profound Spirit Array, if they weren’t, how would they be able to maintain a pill’s efficacy over vast stretches of time?” Yang Kai said to him with a smile.
“Engraving a Spirit Array into a pill?” Zong Ao’s eyes widened, parroting these words back as a look of shock filled his face. At that moment, the shackles and barriers which had fettered him for so many years were torn asunder, allowing him to gaze upon a wider world he could swim and soar through freely.
Alchemist needed Spirit Arrays to perform Alchemy, Artifact Refiners also needed to use Spirit Arrays in Artifact Refining. Many of the basic Spirit Arrays were even the same, but since ancient times, Alchemists and Artifact Refiners had thought of Spirit Arrays as auxiliaries to the refinement process. During a refinement, various materials were perfectly integrated through the power of various Spirit Arrays to allow them to achieve their peak effect.
No one had ever told Zong Ao that a Spirit Array which was designed to aid in Alchemy could be inscribed into a pill.
“Old Zong, perhaps you consider Pill Veins to be something generated naturally, but when I engage in Alchemy, I try to deliberately form Pill Veins. However, this process requires the use of a Conflagrated Knowledge Sea, only a Conflagrated Knowledge Sea can rapidly and perfectly portray an appropriate Spirit Array at the moment a pill is formed. I don’t know if Saint Qi can be substituted for Spiritual Energy in this process, but with this method, the probability of you refining Pill Veins should be higher than your current method.”
Yang Kai knew that he had not spoken in vain and that Zong Ao had now fallen into a trance, the expression on his face constantly changing, his eyes were blank while sometimes full of light.
He was clearly experiencing an epiphany.
Yang Kai shook his head and did not bother him, focusing instead of restoring himself.
Ten Burning Flame Pills per day, three hundred pills per month, and a twenty to thirty percent chance these pills would form Pill Veins. Such achievements were enough to show disdain for the entirety of the Star Field’s Alchemists.
But Yang Kai felt no joy.
Because even if he could refine more pills with Pill Veins, he could not solve Xue Yue and his own crisis. What he needed was a single Burning Flame Pill which formed Pill Clouds.
With every attempt, Yang Kai went all out, not daring to slack, giving one hundred percent of his effort and focus to this Alchemy.
The chance of generating Pill Veins greatly increased over time, and as he further mastered the refinement of Burning Flame Pills, it reached as high as forty percent.
This meant that nearly half the Burning Flame Pills refined by Yang Kai formed Pill Veins, an incredible feat!
If these things were given to a cultivator who cultivated a Fire Attribute Secret Art, they would be able to rapidly improve their strength, but now they were all simply tossed aside by Yang Kai.
Every day, after he finished performing Alchemy, Yang Kai felt exhausted.
Refining a trivial ten Burning Flame Pills couldn’t cause him such fatigue, rather it was the huge psychological pressure weighing down on him which was responsible. And as time passed, that pressure only grew heavier.
Yang Kai, now deeply realized how difficult it was to refine Pill Clouds and even understood why those Alchemists who occasionally succeeded in this feat would shed tears of joy and offer thanks to the Heavens.
He could also wait for the Heavens to bestow him such good fortune, solving his current crisis.
Unlike Yang Kai, who was constantly frowning and in an irritable mood, Zong Ao’s face beamed radiantly these days and was filled with energy.
After Yang Kai’s words made him fall into an epiphany, he discovered that his own Alchemy technique had been unknowingly improved.
Every time he used to refine several dozen pills at once, he would need to maintain absolute focus in order to avoid mistakes, but now he could actually accomplish this task with ease, as if he was cooking a light meal.
And, by applying Yang Kai’s method, he had also successfully artificially refined Pill Veins!
Although his success rate wasn’t as frightening as Yang Kai’s, it still reached as high as ten percent.
One-tenth, that meant that for every ten pills he refined, one would form Pill Veins. This was something Zong Ao had never even dreamed of before. Zong Ao had his own pride and insistences, but regarding this matter, he was truly grateful to Yang Kai.
If Yang Kai hadn’t helped him overcome his mental block, Zong Ao imagined he would have blindly continued down his current Alchemy path and eventually gone astray.
By now, Zong Ao felt Yang Kai was incredibly pleasing to the eye, he no longer cared about him robbing half his pill furnaces. He didn’t bother Yang Kai at all, spending all day long familiarizing himself with the new Alchemy method Yang Kai had taught him while studying all kinds of Spirit Arrays, choosing the ones most suited to form Pill Veins.
He had reaped a huge harvest, and even his short temper had softened greatly, spending much of the day in a festive and laughing mood.
When the Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce cultivator responsible for the regular delivery of herbs and collection of pills came, he could hardly believe his eyes.
He would be incredibly frightened and apprehensive every time he came to this place, as if he was walking on thin ice, only wanting to quickly hand over the herbs to Zong Ao and take the refined pills before fleeing the mountain valley out of fear that Zong Ao would find trouble with him.
During these exchanges, Zong Ao would perpetually wear a sour expression, as if he owed him millions of Saint Crystals.
But this most recent time, Zong Ao actually welcomed him with a smile, said a few words of thanks and praise while patting his shoulders, saying he had worked hard in these recent years, finally even inviting him inside to have a cup of tea.
The cultivator was so scared he didn’t even dare utter a word before departing in a fear-induced panic.
When this man reported what had happened with Zong Ao to Ha Li Ka, Lin Mu Feng and the other executives, all of them were just as dumbfounded, wondering what Zong Ao had experienced to undergo such a drastic change, only able to guess it had something to do with Yang Kai.
These executives were very concerned about the progress of this matter, because if Lady Xue’er was unable to awaken again, they would all be punished, very likely implicating the entire branch.
After incurring Third Young Master’s anger, it wasn’t impossible for all of them to be sent as slave miners to an Ore Star.
However, none of them had the courage to ask Zong Ao anything, each day that passed now feeling like an entire year, all of them only able to wait for Yang Kai to pass along the news to them.
On a certain day, Yang Kai finished his Alchemy, the expression on his face unsettled, a dark cloud hanging over him as he sat cross-legged there without moving.
Zong Ao came over and glanced towards the piled up Burning Flame Pills nearby, asking lightly, “How many batches of materials have been consumed?”
“It’s been six months, so more than eighteen hundred!” Yang Kai replied casually.
“More than one thousand and eight hundred batches…” Zong Ao took a soft breath, “There are seven or eight hundred Burning Flame Pills here that have formed Pill Veins. Being able to achieve such a result is something you can take great pride in, so why do you look so dissatisfied, kid?”
“I only want one pill with Pill Clouds,” Yang Kai glanced up at him, “Even if all these pills formed Pill Veins, they’d be worthless to me.”
“Is this little girl really so important to you?”
“My life is literally connected to hers, how important do you think she is to me?” Yang Kai smiled bitterly.
“Your lives are linked?” Zong Ao frowned slightly, pondering for a moment before calling out in shock, “Soul Chains?”
“You know about them, Old Zong?”
“Of course this old master knows about them, only Soul Chains can connect the lives of two people. It’s an artifact which carries the Soul Skill of one of Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce’s Honoured Guest Elders! No wonder when I checked for her last time I felt there was an invisible connection between you. Who is this little girl to Ai Ou? How did you two end up like this?”
Zong Ao was an experienced master and from all the clues he had he was able to infer that Xue Yue had a close relationship to Ai Ou, otherwise it was impossible for her to possess Soul Chains.
Yang Kai just shook his head, not wanting to explain, just saying wryly, “Old Zong, I now understand the meaning of that phrase you always speak.”
Zong Ao chuckled, “Pills are difficult to refine, en, when others hear it, they only assume this old master is showing off his Alchemy skills, but there are a rare few who can understand the bitterness which lies behind them. Kid, it seems you now count among those few.”
He was finally not alone, Yang Kai had become a fellow comrade.
Seeing Yang Kai remain silent, Zong Ao paused for a moment before saying, “You only have less than two hundred batches of Burning Flame Pill herbs left that you will consume in less than a month. That little girl also only has about half a year left to live. What do you plan to do now? En, there’s still time to let Ha Li Ka gather up more herbs, but even if you collect more materials, you won’t have many opportunities left.”
Yang Kai sat in place and thought for a long time before declaring, “I’m going out for a walk!”
Saying so, he stood up and walked out.
Zong Ao stared at his back and nodded lightly.
Sometimes, when a person worked for a long time at something but was still unable to accomplish it, it was best to set it aside, clear their head, and refresh their mood. Although by continuing to attack the problem forcefully, there was always a chance of success, doing so would also often cause people to develop mental blocks that would hamper their progress rather than help it.
Zong Ao’s own experience was the best example of this, he had worked in isolation on his Alchemy method for a hundred years but only after Yang Kai’s sentence had he managed to see the light.
However, no one could wake up Yang Kai now, he really needed to go out and walk around, perhaps in his travels, he would find some inspiration that could lead him to the right path.
Inside Xue Yue’s room, Yang Kai stayed for a while to examine her condition.
Yang Kai hadn’t come to see her since he began refining Burning Flame Pills, and after half a year, Xue Yue’s condition had finally started to show some signs of deterioration. Her vitality, which Zong Ao had managed to stabilize, was being continuously consumed, and her white skin had become paler, with traces of frost appearing on it now.
Yang Kai knew that the Profound Yin Sunflower Water which had been temporarily suppressed was once again showing its effects.
Xue Yue would die if he failed to refine a Burning Flame Pill with Pill Clouds.
It was also impossible for Ha Li Ka to collect more herbs, there was no supply anywhere close enough to be found, but even if he could, it was pointless.
Without saying a word, Yang Kai left Zong Ao’s palace, and not caring about a destination, he simply summoned out his Star Shuttle and flew off.
Yang Kai crossed famous mountains and rivers, jungle and swamps, taking on the role of an outsider, an observer watching the day to day lives of the people on Rainfall Star as well as its various natural sights and scenes. The endless stream of emerging cultivators and the prosperity and suffering of ordinary mortals were all taken in by Yang Kai with great interest.
Gradually, his anxiety settled, and the stone which had been weighing down his heart this past year slowly lifted, allowing him to relax and even forget about Xue Yue and his own crisis.
Stopping over in each and every small town, Yang Kai left his footprints all over Rainfall Star.
Spectating bloody, corpse-filled conflicts between big and small families because of various interests.
Seeing Sects receive disciples of all sorts of cultivations, the successful rejoicing while the unsuccessful wept.
Watching a group of people fight over an artifact, their past bonds of brotherhood tossed to the wind.
Observing those of great ability scatter the clouds and rain, obtaining the praise and admiration of others.
Finding a young beauty bathing in the mountains and stopping a while to peak, after which he was hunted down by several dozen big and little girls from a nearby Sect.
Fleeing in panic like a stray dog…
Drinking heartily until he half-drowned in alcohol!
Yang Kai had never experienced such an unrestrained carefree time in his life. He no longer thought about his search for Su Yan, or about what would happen if Xue Yue were to die, he didn’t even think about his friends and family back on Tong Xuan Realm.
Only obeying the whims of the moment, Yang Kai experienced an indescribable freedom and joy, going where he pleased, doing what he wanted without any regard for consequences.
He suddenly felt as if there was nothing he couldn’t do.
Inside a remote mountain forest, a Saint Realm cultivator was fighting a Blue Eyed Fire Dragon Eighth-Order Monster Beast in order to seize the Origin Grade Blue Blood Flower spirit herb it was guarding.
Just after this battle began, Yang Kai happened to pass by.
He didn’t interfere though, instead choosing to stand back and watch from a distance.
Saints couldn’t be regarded as powerful cultivators on the vibrant Rainfall Star, you could find crowds of them anywhere.
Yang Kai stood on a high slope, holding a wine sack in his hand, watching while he drank.
He had no plan to lend this cultivator a hand and was only intending to watch the show.
The cultivator was obviously not worthy to be the Blue-Eyed Fire Dragon’s opponent and it wasn’t long before he became battered and bloodstained, nearly dying a few times, his defensive artifact smashed and his abdomen pierced by a sharp horn on the forehead of the dragon.
Yang Kai was certain this cultivator was destined to die, but just as he was preparing to depart, the fight suddenly took an unexpected turn.
The Eighth-Order Monster Beast, who had held the absolute upper hand from start to finish, began retreating as it howled in anger.
After the cultivator’s defensive artifact was completely destroyed, all of a sudden he managed to summon forth unimaginable strength, abandoned any kind of defences, and attacked the fire dragon with a stern and fearless attitude.
Half an hour later, the blood and guts of the Blue-Eyed Fire Dragon spilled across the ground and it fell to the ground, dead.
The Saint Realm cultivator also collapsed, stuffing a handful of pills into his mouth but failing to stop the last remnants of his vitality from slipping away.
The gap in strength was too great, and although this cultivator had somehow managed to kill the Blue-Eyed Fire Dragon, taking its life while losing his own was the limit of his ability.
Yang Kai held his wine sack and walked over to this cultivator, standing in front of and overlooking him.
The cultivator’s dim and fearful eyes seemed to flash a profound light as he arduously stretched out his hand toward Yang Kai, as if grasping for his own vitality, yet all he was able to catch was air.
His expression was filled with the desire to live.
Yang Kai drank a mouthful of wine before squatting down and without a word forced a drop of golden blood from his fingertip into the open mouth of the cultivator.
Yang Kai’s Demon God Golden Blood had an extremely powerful restore ability, one he had relied upon several times to survive.
However, he always felt that his Demon God Golden Blood was somehow not on the same level as Great Demon God’s!
A single drop of Golden Blood from Great Demon God contained infinite power as well as all kinds of profound mysteries. Yang Kai was able to obtain and cultivate one of Great Demon God’s Divine Ability by refining a drop of his blood. Demon General Xue Li had also hunted him across all of Tong Xuan Realm just for a chance to seize this blood.
Although the quality was vastly inferior, it still had some restorative properties.
Suddenly, the bloody cultivator was shrouded in the faint golden halo, and a look of shock and disbelief appeared on his face. He felt as if his condition had dramatically improved and the approaching aura of death was gradually dissipating, giving him some hope he could yet survive.
He looked at Yang Kai in confusion, wondering why this stranger who had just passed by would save his life.
He opened his mouth to speak but failed to form any words.
Yang Kai simply grinned towards him, “Don’t thank me. In fact, I should be thanking you, en, I’ve only given you a chance, whether you live or die now depends on your own fortune.”
After saying so, Yang Kai tossed his half-filled wine sack onto the ground and strode away while letting out a loud, carefree laugh.
Sometime later, the cultivator managed to sit upright and stare off in the direction Yang Kai left with a puzzled look on his face. He didn’t know why Yang Kai had thanked him, and eventually figured that this young man simply had some kind of problem with his head!
However, the other party did save his life, which was an indisputable truth. Grabbing Yang Kai’s wine sack he drank a mouthful in order to celebrate his victory and survival, but when the wine hit his stomach, the cultivator couldn’t help grimacing in pain, sweat once again covering his whole body. Not daring to act rashly, the man immediately focused on refining the potent medicinal efficacies of this drink.
Inside the mountain valley, Zong Ao was working hard to refine pills. Now he no longer used his original mass Alchemy method, but instead, like Yang Kai, chose his best pill furnace to refine one pill at a time.
Every time he extracted a pill formed with Pill Veins from this furnace, Zong Ao’s old face would smiled broadly, the wrinkles and folds of his skin squishing together to form a terrifying visage.
In any case, no one ever came to this place, Yang Kai had left, and the only outsider around was in a coma, no one could see his horrible grin so Zong Ao didn’t need to worry about embarrassing himself.
Suddenly, at a critical moment in his refinement, Zong Ao’s expression changed as he called out in surprise, “He came back?”
Zong Ao felt a life aura rapidly and unscrupulously approaching.
On Rainfall Star, no one except Yang Kai would act like this. Even Lin Mu Feng and Ha Li Ka wouldn’t dare.
Zong Ao swiftly ended what he was doing, not even caring about if he successfully refined the pill he was working on.
A moment later, Yang Kai walked in.
Narrowing his eyes, Zong Ao couldn’t help feeling startled, swallowing back down the words he was about to say.
He had originally wanted to comfort Yang Kai, making him not shrink back in the face of death, but from what he could see, this boy was actually smiling right now and his aura was filled with a certain feeling.
Zong Ao had to stare at Yang Kai for a while before he was able to determine that this feeling was confidence!
Gently shaking his head, Zong Ao wore a smile and asked, “Did you find a solution?”
“No!” Yang Kai answered happily.
“If you haven’t found a solution, why are you so happy?” Zong Ao was even more confused.
“Can’t I be happy without finding it?” Yang Kai asked back, “Although I didn’t find a solution, I think I should be able to succeed.”
“And why is that?” Zong Ao was completely confused by Yang Kai’s seemingly contradictory words, since he hadn’t found a feasible method, how could he succeed? Grabbing Yang Kai’s arm, Zong Ao shouted, “Speak clearly.”
“Saying it won’t make it clear, just watch and see if I can refine Pill Clouds this time!” Yang Kai broke free from his iron grip and straightened his shirt.
Zong Ao didn’t say anything more, converging his aura and standing back to observe Yang Kai’s movement.
Actually, what Zong Ao most wanted to know was why, if Yang Kai and that little girl’s lives were linked together by the Soul Chains, he didn’t just go to and ask Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce’s Honoured Guest Elder to unlock them? That way, even if the little girl died, he wouldn’t have to.
Even if he left now, there was still plenty of time to do this.
However, he thought that since Yang Kai hadn’t done so, there must be some reason it was inconvenient for him to travel to Water Moon Star. Zong Ao wasn’t interested in probing into this matter too much.
While Zong Ao was pondering these issues, Yang Kai had sat down cross-legged sitting in front of his commonly used pill furnace.
Next Zong Ao saw Yang Kai take out a pile of herbs from his Space Ring, and upon closer inspection, Zong Ao found that these herbs were the ones sent by Ha Li Ka to refine the Burning Flame Pill.
The remaining nearly two hundred batches of herbs were all piled up into a great mountain.
After all the herbs were taken out, he saw Yang Kai pick out a single set of materials from the pile.
In the next instant, a ball of Demonic Flame shot out from Yang Kai’s hand, engulfing the mountain of herbs, reducing all these Saint King Grade materials to ash.
Zong Ao’s eyes widened instantly and a shocked expression appeared on his face!
He never expected that Yang Kai would make such an insane move.
[Burning one’s boat?]
This kid had burnt down the remaining two hundred sets of materials, leaving only one, which meant he now had only once chance to succeed, how could this be anything but burning one’s boat?
Did he want to use this great pressure to squeeze out his maximum potential?
Zong Ao shook his head slowly, a look of disappointment appearing on his face. For cultivators, whether it was in cultivation or in battle, using this kind of method could indeed inspire one to break through their limits and achieve success in something they would normally find impossible.
However, it was a fatal mistake to apply this method to Alchemy.
By burning one’s boat, the pressure one would give themselves would be a thousand times than usual, but what Alchemy required most was a stable state of mind, it simply wasn’t suitable to use this kind of desperation tactic.
If Yang Kai really was attempting to burn his boat, then Zong Ao could conclude that he may not even be able to refine a pill which formed Pill Veins.
In his disappointment though, Zong Ao looked towards Yang Kai’s face and was stunned to see that the latter didn’t show any signs of pressure.
Yang Kai simply sat there with a relaxed expression and not a trace of worry, his self-confidence not disappearing because of the destruction of the last two hundred sets of herbs, but instead growing more intense.
Zong Ao saw where this confidence came from; in this moment, Yang Kai simply believed there was no way he could fail.
Zong Ao was slightly lost.
Was this boy really so confident he could achieve his goal with this last set of materials? Where did this sudden unwavering faith come from?
Zong Ao sat quietly, paying close attention to this scene.
Like with the previous Burning Flame Pills, Yang Kai proceeded meticulously and with great precision.
Portraying the Spirit Arrays, condensing the medicinal liquids, grasping the timing to add different herbs, changing Spirit Arrays…
Yang Kai seemed to be just repeating what he had done these past six months, but faintly, Zong Ao felt that this time’s Alchemy was very different. The same process and movements were somehow giving him a new and refreshing feeling.
Seemingly infected by Yang Kai’s skilful display and confident aura, Zong Ao couldn’t help but also believed that Yang Kai could accomplish this incredible feat.
Zong Ao’s eyes widened even more as he waited for the moment when this Pill Clouds pill was finally formed.
Time passed slowly, and Zong Ao’s mood grew tenser and tenser, his fists clenching unconsciously. Despite his great strength, Zong Ao currently felt as if he was suffering endless years of torment, wishing he could leap into the future to see the end result.
On the other hand, Yang Kai had always maintained a kind of indifferent attitude, besides the swimming medicinal liquids inside the pill furnace, there seemed to be nothing else in his entire world.
That Saint Realm cultivator who fought fiercely with Blue Eyed Flame Dragon was able to emerge victorious not because of his strength, but because of his momentum.
He was sure he could win because he knew that if he didn’t win, he would die!
So he won, although in the end he had almost perished together with the Blue-Eyed Flame Dragon.
From that battle, Yang Kai was inspired, so he had saved the young man’s life.
During these past six months, the numerous Alchemy failures had done nothing but increase the pressure Yang Kai felt, making him worry about what would happen if he failed to refine a pill that formed Pill Clouds. With all these distracting thoughts, being able to refine a pill with Pill Clouds was a dream.
But now, Yang Kai had no such thoughts.
He had burned the nearly two hundred remaining batches of herbs not to push himself into an all or nothing situation, but instead to strengthen his convictions and faith.
He did not waver before this challenge, only becoming more and more confident.
Inside the Pill Room, the only sound that could be heard was the subtle tumbling of the medicinal liquids.
Zong Ao hid himself completely to avoid disturbing Yang Kai, even suppressing his breathing and heartbeat, as if he was a dead man.
All of Zong Ao’s attention was focused on the pill furnace and the young figure sitting in front of it.
When the refinement reached the halfway mark, the various medicinal liquids began blending with one another under the influence of Yang Kai’s Conflagrated Knowledge Sea and the numerous Spirit Arrays, undergoing fundamentals and wondrous changes.
Zong Ao had a premonition.
This time, Yang Kai would at least be able to produce Pill Veins.
This kind of strange intuition had never appeared before. Zong Ao had been observing and emulating Yang Kai’s Alchemy process for half a year now, and although the probability of him refining pills that formed Pill Veins was quite high, there was a higher chance Yang Kai would fail and only be able to obtain an ordinary Burning Flame Pill.
Yet all this time, there had never been an occasion where Zong Ao was certain Yang Kai would be able to produce Pill Veins!
How could this be though? Zong Ao was thoroughly shocked and began observing Yang Kai’s movements even more cautiously, not willing to miss a single detail.
However, as far as he could tell, Yang Kai’s actions were the same as before, without a single change. Even the Spirit Arrays that he portrayed over a thousand times until now were the same. Zong Ao could close his eyes and still know exactly what step Yang Kai would take next and what Spirit Array he would portray.
The only difference Zong Ao could find this time was Yang Kai’s aura which was filled with confidence.
It was this unparalleled momentum that affected Zong Ao’s judgment, making him certain that the pill currently being refined would be able to form Pill Veins.
Could Pill Clouds be created though? There was only one chance for success now, so Zong Ao couldn’t wait to know the final answer.
Zong Ao couldn’t help admiring Yang Kai, because if he were in his place, he would definitely be feeling stressed and anxious, and once that happened, he wouldn’t be able to wholeheartedly concentre on Alchemy, inevitably leading to failure.
Yet Yang Kai didn’t show any such signs, remaining completely indifferent, as if he was refining an ordinary, insignificant pill, his movements calm and meticulous, utilizing his skills to their utmost limit.
As time passed, Zong Ao grew more and more anxious.
A faint pill scent gradually began floating about the Pill Room, which was a sign that the pill would soon be formed.
Yang Kai’s expression seemed to have become more solemn. Every time a pill was about to be formed, he would become extraordinarily cautious.
The Spiritual Energy flowing from his Conflagrated Knowledge Sea would be strong at times, then weak at others, exquisitely portraying the different Spirit Arrays inside the pill furnace.
Yang Kai’s mind and heart were perfectly clear, without the slightest hint of distraction, even forgetting about the pill furnace in front of him and the pill that would soon be formed.
He suddenly thought back to the pill he found which had formed Pill Clouds!
That pill was the one he had found together with the Holy Land Saintess An Ling’er in the underwater Ancient Ruins. Although Yang Kai had eventually swallowed that pill, its huge medicinal efficacy allowing the Five Coloured Soul Warming Lotus to transform into its Six Coloured variant. Before then, he had spent a fair amount of time studying it, trying to gain some inspiration from the Pill Clouds.
At this moment, all kinds of memories flashed across Yang Kai’s mind and he vaguely managed to grasp the key point.
The clouds which obscured his view suddenly parted and his eyes widened, a brilliantly light flashing across them.
When the final composite Spirit Array was portrayed and sent into the pill furnace, Yang Kai’s Conflagrated Knowledge Sea’s full strength burst out, engraving this set of Spirit Arrays into the pill which had yet to fully form.
Suddenly, as if the floodgates in his body had opened wide, Yang Kai’s Saint Qi and Spiritual Energy all flowed out at once, his meridians and dantian emptying out repeatedly as his Knowledge Sea dried out in an instant.
Yang Kai’s vision dimmed and he felt like he was on the verge of passing out.
At that instant, Yang Kai felt as if his life force was being drawn out and that he would die in the next moment.
A thick pill fragrance burst from the pill furnace, one that dwarfed any which was released from the eighteen hundred Burning Flame Pills Yang Kai had previously refined.
A crisp, delightful sound came out from the pill furnace.
Yang Kai smiled widely as he stiffly sat in place.
Zong Ao’s heart nearly leapt out of his chest. How could he not see the extraordinariness of the pill which would momentarily take shape inside Yang Kai’s pill furnace?
He thought Yang Kai had succeeded.
Waiting for a while though, Yang Kai didn’t move.
Zong Ao whispered a few words but received no response. After a few attempts to raise his attention, Zong Ao stepped forward cautiously and quietly released his Divine Sense, a startled expression soon filling his face.
Yang Kai’s face had lost all colour, as if he had just fought against a powerful enemy. His aura was erratic, and his vitality was weak to the extreme…
He had closed his eyes and passed out, but at the very least, he was not dead. As long as Yang Kai had a few days of rest, he could recover.
Ignoring Yang Kai, Zong Ao’s trembling hand patted the pill furnace in front of him, causing a pill to fly out and land in a prepared jade bottle.
Taking a deep breath, Zong Ao peered into the jade bottle.
But after a glance, Zong Ao couldn’t help showing a look of disappointment.
The surface of the Burning Flame Pill in the jade bottle was clear and smooth. Forget about Pill Clouds, there wasn’t even any Pill Veins.
[He failed?] Zong Ao’s expression was complicated. The momentum Yang Kai displayed just now while he was performing Alchemy made Zong Ao certain this boy would succeed, never had he expected the actual final result would be so bleak.
When Yang Kai woke up and found that the last Burning Flame Pill he refined with such painstaking effort was just an ordinary pill, he would likely faint again.
Zong Ao sighed with pain.
He had lived for many years and knew that sometimes there was a huge gap between expectations and results, he too had felt the ruthlessness of having his dreams torn asunder by the thorns of reality.
Yang Kai was still just a young man, so it wasn’t surprising for him to have to face such experiences again and again, but after failing to refine Pill Clouds, and refusing to travel to Water Moon Star for help, it seemed his death would soon be upon him.
Zong Ao can’t help but feeling somewhat depressed. During this past year, Zong Ao had clearly realized Yang Kai’s talent in the field of Alchemy and truly did not wish for him to die so young. Zong Ao even began to think of ways to comfort and advise Yang Kai after he woke up.
At such a time, what this young boy would need most was comfort and encouragement.
While thinking about this though, Zong Ao’s expression suddenly changed again.
He noticed that the flow of the surrounding World Energy had become somewhat strange.
Releasing his Divine Sense, Zong Ao soon let out a panic-stricken shout.
Zong Ao didn’t know how or why, but a massive amount of World Energy was currently gathering towards this place. This movement was even more extreme than when Yang Kai had been crazily cultivating before, almost as if a great dragon was forming in the skies above his head.
A huge attraction suddenly came out of the jade bottle in Zong Ao’s hand, and the Burning Flame Pill which had just come out from the furnace seemed to come alive, thrashing against the sides of the jade bottle as if trying to escape.
The World Energy dragon soaring through the sky dived down and smashed into the palace where Zong Ao had lived for the past hundred years.
A loud bang rang out and half the palace instantly collapsed, with several dozen of its rooms exploding outwards. Various bits of debris smashed into and bounced off of Zong Ao’s Saint Qi guard.
The waterfall of World Energy, which was visible to the naked eye, all poured into the jade bottle, causing it burst into dust.
Zong Ao’s eyes widened as he clearly saw the small Burning Flame Pill suck in and devour this torrent of World Energy like a bottomless abyss, causing its energy aura to rapidly inflate.
The howling winds and storm of dust obscured Zong Ao’s hearing and vision. Through the occasional gaps in this storm, Zong Ao was able to see his thousands of acres of Medicine Gardens and many rare herbs ripped to shreds and scattered about.
His face twitched and his heart bled.
These herbs were cultivated by him personally, and each strain was infused with his own sweat and blood, yet now, as this World Energy storm swept over his precious Medicine Gardens, many herbs were directly uprooted while the rest were severely damaged.
“Fuck!” Zong Ao’s old face distorted with rage and he couldn’t stop himself from howling, hurriedly waving his hands at the whipping winds but finding himself incapable of stopping this disaster.
After half an hour, calm returned.
Among the broken walls, Yang Kai was still sitting cross-legged, the dozens of pill furnaces in front of him also intact, even remaining in their original positions, but Zong Ao’s palace had now completely collapsed and the comatose Xue Yue had been buried in the rubble.
Zong Ao didn’t give a thought to the little sleeping girl as he tightly gripped a new jade bottle in his hand and stared out across his vast Medicine Gardens in despair, his face twitching uncontrollably.
The thousands of acres of Medicine Gardens had all suffered catastrophic damage, with next to nothing remaining intact.
Ninety percent of the once-thriving herbs had been destroyed, while the remaining ten percent had been severely damaged, their vitality flickering like candles in the wind.
The leaves of his dozens of Heavenly Yang Fruit Trees had been stripped clear, leaving only bare branches. These Heavenly Yang Fruit Trees wouldn’t recover for at least ten years.
His half-acre of Sparrow Lotus Flowers had disappeared without a trance, and the heavenly power storm had even dug into the land, scraping off nearly a meter worth of precious soil.
[Where are this old master’s Thousand Petal Flowers go?] Zong Ao turned his eyes about weakly, but when he looked towards where the Thousand Petal Flowers, which he regarded to be as precious as his own life, were supposed to be, he only saw some half shredded root hairs.
Zong Ao’s eyes rolled back and he nearly fainted.
Without even mentioning the loss of his Medicine Garden’s precious herbs, Zong Ao was shocked to discover that the massive Spirit Array he had spent countless years perfecting inside this mountain valley had also been destroyed and can no longer play any role.
Within a thousand kilometre radius, the World Energy aura had been completely hollowed out!
The sound of clothes swishing came from afar as Ha Li Ka, Lin Mu Feng, and the middle-aged woman led various the masters from the Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce branch over.
When the shocking Heavenly Force had appeared here, they were naturally startled, and not knowing what happened, they quickly came to investigate.
After they got a look at the now unrecognizable scene, all of them were stunned, unable to believe their eyes for quite a while.
They didn’t know what kind of disaster had struck this mountain valley, but what was certain was Zong Ao’s palace had been destroyed and his thousands of acres of Medicine Gardens and profound Spirit Array no longer existed.
Zong Ao himself seemed like his soul had been pulled out as he sat helplessly on the ground, dust covering his robs as flames seemed to rage within his eyes.
Nearby, Yang Kai sat cross-legged in front of several dozen pill furnaces amidst a mess of broken walls, remaining motionless even now.
“What happened?” Ha Li Ka and the others were dumbfounded.
This was the highest level Restricted Area on Rainfall Star, no one dared to even approach it without authorization, so none of these new arrivals could understand how it had suddenly been destroyed.
Exchanging a few confused glances, the Heng Luo Chamber Of Commerce masters summoned their courage and flew down to where Zong Ao was sitting, with Ha Li Ka calling out hesitantly, “Grandmaster Zong, what happened here?”
Lin Mu Feng even shouted indignantly, “Did some bold bastard dare to intrude and cause trouble? Grandmaster Zong need only say the word and we will definitely exact revenge for you!”
The middle-aged woman also nodded firmly, her eyes flashing a thick murderous intent.
Zong Ao raised his head creakily, staring at them blankly for a moment before suddenly jumping up and pointing towards Yang Kai’s direction while fiercely screaming, “It was this little bastard that ruined my Medicine Gardens and exploded my palace! The precious herbs this old master spent a hundred years cultivating have all been ruined, and now I don’t even have a home! If you really want to exact revenge for this old master, then kill him for me!”
Spittle sprayed out and rained down on the three executives’ faces, yet none of them dared to move, their expressions contorting as they stood there.
After a long time, Ha Li Ka wore an ugly smile and appeased, “Grandmaster Zong, please calm yourself. What really happened? Weren’t you refining a pill to treat Lady Xue’er’s condition? When I last came here, everything seemed fine, how did all of this happen after only a few months?”
He could also see that despite the thunderous voice Zong Ao was shouting in, he was only venting his anger and not actually serious in killing Yang Kai.
Yang Kai was sitting in meditation at the moment, his aura and appearing extremely weak. If Zong Ao really wanted his life, why would he need to borrow their hands? Even if Yang Kai was at his peak, it would be impossible for him to fight Zong Ao, let alone now.
“Who told you that this old master was refining such a pill?” Zong Ao gave them a sideways glance.
“Could it be that Grandmaster wasn’t the one refining it but rather Little Brother Yang?” Lin Mu Feng laughed dryly.
Zong Ao rolled his eyes and didn’t explain.
He knew that even if he were to tell them to the truth, they wouldn’t believe him! In fact, if he hadn’t seen this ridiculous scene with his own eyes but instead heard about it from someone else, Zong Ao would have dismissed such a tale as nonsense.
However, the pill inside the jade bottle he was gripping was evidence that all this was real! This little boy whose true cultivation only reached the Third Order Saint Realm had really done all this.
“Go away, scram!” Zong Ao waved impatiently, “This old master spent one hundred calm and stable years in this place, yet it only took one little brat a few months to blast everything apart. If anyone of you dares to approach within a hundred kilometres of this place in the future, this old master will twist your heads!”
The three Origin Returning Realm masters couldn’t help shrinking their necks while hurriedly withdrawing, none of them daring to remain.
However, before they could go too far, Zong Ao’s voice rang out again, “Wait!”
Ha Li Ka turned around, smiling helplessly, “Does Grandmaster Zong still have something he wishes to say?”
Zong Ao pointed to the dilapidated palace and snorted, “Find some people to build this old master a place to stay! A bunch of blind fools, do you want this old master to sleep outdoors tonight?”
Ha Li Ka nodded quickly and assigned a dozen of the cultivators who had come with the three executives to build a temporary house for Zong Ao before taking his leave.
A dozen cultivators swiftly flew off, seemingly going to search for materials to build a small palace.
Zong Ao glanced over at Yang Kai who was still in a coma, then turned to look at the jade bottle which held the Burning Flame Pill, a faint look of dejection filling his face.
After three full days, Yang Kai finally woke up.
A strong sense of weakness spread from all parts of his body, causing Yang Kai to freeze up for a moment, but soon he remembered everything from before he slipped into a coma.
His Knowledge Sea was still a bit dry, the magnificent ocean which once covered it not reduced to a thin layer of water. The Six Coloured Soul Warming Lotus was sparing no effort to make up for this loss, but it would take at least another ten days for Yang Kai’s Knowledge Sea to fill up again.
Every muscle in his body was sore and the amount of Saint Qi he had consumed was not small.
Yang Kai had never experienced this kind of feeling before. He had suffered great injuries before, but this time he was completely unfounded. His current state could only be described as one of extreme weakness, as if his vitality had been sucked dry, making Yang Kai feel as if he had aged.
Standing up with great difficulty, Yang Kai looked around and quickly saw Zong Ao standing nearby, glaring angrily towards him, his old face filled with gloom and a raging fire burning in his eyes.
Yang Kai drew in a cold breath, wondering why Zong Ao was wearing such a horrible look.
However, after taking a look around, he immediately understood.
Without broaching the subject, Yang Kai sifted through the ruins for a while, pulled Xue Yue out from under a few planks, then found a comfortable place a few kilometres away to lay her down.
Before he could catch his breath though, Zong Ao silently appeared beside him.
Yang Kai looked at him, but didn’t say a word, instead just panting for breath.
“You’re not going to ask if you succeeded or not?” Zong Ao waited for a while before he couldn’t help himself from asking.
“I put forth the greatest effort I could, that’s enough.”
Zong Ao stared deeply at him for a moment before nodding lightly, “Good, this old master won’t hold you accountable for the loss this time.”
In any case, he could just go ask Ha Li Ka and his bunch to compensate him for this loss; they wouldn’t dare say no.
Saying so, he threw a jade bottle he had been holding this entire time over to Yang Kai.
Yang Kai caught it and glanced at it without much surprise or excitement, everything seemingly within his expectations.
Inside the jade bottle, there was a single pill which was covered in a fine layer of misty clouds, and even though the jade bottle was partially blocking them, the energy fluctuations coming from this pill were incredibly strong.
It was pulsing regularly, seemingly having a life of its own.
Pill Clouds, it was a Burning Flame Pill which had formed Pill Clouds!
Although it was technically just a Saint King Grade Low-Rank pill that did not diminish its value or significance, if any outstanding Alchemists were to hear about it, they would likely go all out to acquire it.
They could obtain a great deal of insight and information from these Pill Clouds, possibly allowing them to further their Alchemy skills.
As Yang Kai observed this pill, Zong Ao briefly explained what happened after he fell unconscious before casually saying, “The Pill Clouds surrounding this pill are different from the ones this old master managed to refine.”
“Different how?” Yang Kai asked curiously.
Zong Ao tossed four other jade bottles over to Yang Kai, each one containing a single pill.
These four pills had been refined by Zong Ao over the past hundred years, each one the result of incredibly good luck.
After comparing them to the Burning Flame Pill he just refined though, Yang Kai was immediately able to discover the biggest difference.
The Pill Clouds of the pills Zong Ao refined were very sparse, not even completely enshrouding the pill’s surface. There was even one that only had half its surface covered.
In addition, Yang Kai could clearly feel that the medicinal efficacy and energy contained within his Burning Flame Pill was more than twice as strong as those of Zong Ao’s.
Zong Ao suddenly took out a piece of Saint Crystal and placed it in Yang Kai’s hand.
Immediately, the energy inside this piece of Saint Crystal was slowly drawn out and absorbed by the Pill Clouds, further enhancing its efficacy.
“Pills that form Pill Veins have their medicinal efficacies doubled and can be stored indefinitely without their potency falling, different from ordinary pills which will slowly lose their efficacy over time. After three or four hundred years, most pills will become completely useless. Once Pill Clouds appear on a pill though, not only can they be preserved for an unlimited amount of time, along with the passing years, the Pill Clouds will also actively absorb the surrounding World Energy to nourish the pill, allowing its medicinal efficacies to become richer and richer. As such, for a pill that forms Pill Clouds, the longer it is stored, the stronger its effects will be!” Zong Ao said, seemingly talking to himself.
Yang Kai nodded, understanding all this well.
When he swallowed that ancient pill which had formed Pill Clouds, he had nearly exploded as it had been accumulating energy for thousands of years.
“This old master inadvertently refined this pill ninety years ago,” Zong Ao said while picking up one of the jade bottles he had tossed to Yang Kai. Inside this bottle was a brown pill. “After ninety years of nourishment, the efficacy has more than doubled, and its grade was also Saint King Grade Mid-Rank, but compared to the Burning Flame Pill you refined a few days ago, it still falls far short.”
“It’s probably because of the difference in density of the Pill Clouds!” Yang Kai said thoughtfully.
“This old master came to the same conclusion,” Zong Ao gently nodded, “This old master used to think that Pill Clouds were all like this, but after seeing your Burning Flame Pill, this old master now knows that Pill Clouds can be more complete, covering the entire pill. On top of that, your pill absorbs energy at a far faster rate than this old master’s, if it were to be placed in storage for a few hundred years, it would likely become as valuable as an entire star!”
“That’s not possible, is it?” Yang Kai was startled, thinking Zong Ao was exaggerating a bit too much.
“How could it not be possible?” Zong Ao sneered, “Do you know how many Origin Returning Realm spend their entire lives struggling yet failing to break through to the Origin King Realm? Do you know how many Origin King Realm masters spend their entire lives failing to break through to the next Minor Realm? If this Burning Flame Pill was set aside for a few hundreds of years, it may be possible for an Origin King Realm master who cultivates a Fire Attribute Secret Art to break through to the next Minor Realm. Do you think they’d not be willing to trade an entire star for it?”
After hearing what he said, Yang Kai really thought it was possible, although he still felt it was a bit overblown.
“Are you really willing to feed this treasure to this little girl?” Zong Ao glanced back and forth between Yang Kai and Xue Yue solemnly.
“My life is about to expire, why wouldn’t I feed it to her?” Yang Kai laughed. After investing so much time and effort to refine this Burning Flame Pill, how could he not feed it to Xue Yue?
Zong Ao’s face twitched slightly, seemingly wanting to say something, but eventually, he managed to choke his words back down and wave his hand, “Forget it, you were the one who refined this pill, so what you do with it is your decision; however, you have to tell this old master, how were you able to produce these Pill Clouds?”
“I don’t know,” Yang Kai shook his head.
Zong Ao almost spat blood.
Anways, 10 Chapters this week 😀
Yang Kai really didn’t know how he managed to produce Pill Clouds.
When he was refining this last Burning Flame Pill, he had no distracting thoughts, nor did he feel any kind of pressure, he simply believed he would be successful.
When he finished the refinement though, Yang Kai clearly felt that a great deal of his vitality had been stripped away, leading to his current state of weakness.
In fact, had it not been for Yang Kai’s Demon God Golden Blood, making his vitality incredibly rich, this massive drainage would have killed him on the spot.
This Burning Flame Pill wasn’t anything like a pill at all, it was closer to a living creature!
That was also why it was so full of life and energy, startling Zong Ao greatly.
Although he had managed to succeed once, if Yang Kai was do another refinement now, he wouldn’t be able to succeed, because he had lost that indescribable sense of confidence and momentum.
After explaining his thoughts to Zong Ao in order to alleviate his emotional damage, the old man comforted himself by thinking all of this was due to Yang Kai entering some kind of ethereal state of enlightenment, allowing him to produce Pill Clouds.
Hundreds of years pursuing the Alchemic Way, yet finding himself inferior to a less than thirty years old Junior made Zong Ao feel like he had simply lived in vain, sending him in a spiral of shame and resentment.
Fortunately, though, his will was tough and he had many more years to live, there was plenty of time for Zong Ao to continue studying Alchemy.
Inside a palace at Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce’s branch, Yang Kai set Xue Yue down and fed her the Burning Flame Pill. After making sure her vitality had stabilized, Yang Kai left her room.
After turning a few corners, Yang Kai saw Ha Li Ka, Lin Mu Feng, and a number of others crowding around Zong Ao, praising and flattering him without end, extolling Zong Ao’s extraordinary skills and methods which had even allowed him to refine the legendary Pill Clouds, sincerely admiring him.
Some even going so far as to say the top-ranked Origin King Grade Alchemists in the Star Field couldn’t accomplish such a feat, saying that all of them were just a crowd of fame-seeking imposters who couldn’t compare to Zong Ao.
Zong Ao’s old face blushed bright redness as he withstood this barrage of flattery, wishing he could kick all these people out but lacking the energy to do so, only able to silently endure it.
Ha Li Ka, Lin Mu Feng, and the others in this group of blind idiots only felt Zong Ao wasn’t happy with their insufficient praise and began flattering him even more, causing the old man’s complexion to grow even worse.
Only after Yang Kai walked out did this group cease their unending stream of praise and shoot him a strange look. Ha Li Ka even quietly gave him a big thumbs up with a look of admiration before patting Lin Mu Feng’s shoulder heartily and quickly departing.
The backs of these two straightening up much, as if a great weight had just been lifted from their shoulders.
Yang Kai walked over to Zong Ao with a confused look, wondering what they all meant when they shot him those looks.
“Boy, are you really willing to hand such huge benefits over to this old master? You successfully refined a pill which formed Pill Clouds and are able to consistently produce Pill Veins at a rate of thirty to forty percent. With such skill, you can become one of Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce’s most honoured guests, and no one would dare to provoke you. You would be able to own your own territory, with as many servants and beauties as you want. You’d be able to enjoy the highest standards of treatment with things others would need to spend their entire lives fighting for at your fingertips. Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce would also go all out to cultivate you, allowing you to reach the highest heights in the shortest amount of time. This old master can’t figure out why you didn’t tell them that Burning Flame Pill was refined by you and instead handed this undeserved credit over to this old master!” Zong Ao said slowly, picking up his cup of tea and taking a small sip.
Ha Li Ka, Lin Mu Feng, and everyone else all thought that the Burning Flame Pill which had formed Pill Clouds was refined by Zong Ao, because Yang Kai had told them that was the case from the beginning, and even now Zong Ao had not corrected the record, causing all of them to be even more convinced this was the truth.
That was why they were all showering Zong Ao in compliments.
Yang Kai sat next to him, picked up the pot of tea and poured himself a cup, taking a sip before letting out a chuckle, “Old Zong, don’t feign ignorance. The tall tree is the first to be knocked over by the wind, this Junior understands this concept very well. This Junior is less than thirty years old today, and although I have some small methods, my cultivation is still too low. Such great benefits are not something I can withstand, only an established and respected Grandmaster like Old Zong can enjoy such a reputation. Do you believe that if both you and I were to take a Burning Flame Pill which formed Pill Clouds to President Ai Ou, our treatment will be completely different? You will receive even greater respect and President Ai Ou will only become more courteous to you, perhaps even granting you dominion over an entire Medicine Star, but I would immediately be put under strict supervision, with numerous masters constantly watching me, never allowing me to take a single step out of my room while forcing me to refine pills every day. Perhaps even when they send some beautiful women for me to play with, those masters will continue peeping on me…”
“Hahahaha!” Zong Ao heard Yang Kai’s words and couldn’t help laughing, imagining such a funny scene with a big smile as he nodded, “Kid, your thoughts are quite sharp, such merits are really not easy to handle! I really wonder how many great storms you’ve had to pass through in order to develop such keen insight at your age.”
“Without such insights, this Junior would have died already!” Yang Kai shrugged.
“En, you’re right, the tallest tree is the first to be destroyed by the strong winds! Good, this old master will shoulder these benefits and reputation for you. In any case, this old master’s Alchemy skills have indeed risen a lot, such advantages aren’t completely undeserved!”
Yang Kai’s eyes lit up as he quickly got to his feet and cupped his fists, “Congratulations Old Zong, this Junior has been so absorbed in refining Burning Flame Pills during this time that he failed to realize Old Zong had taken a step further along the Alchemic Way!”
After offering his congratulations, Yang Kai sat down again, a touch of worry appearing in his expression as he continued, “But Old Zong, if you do this, you may not be able to resist joining Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce. They used to indulge you in your pursuits, but they likely won’t now. If my guess is right, Ha Li Ka, Lin Mu Feng, and the others will have reported this event to Water Moon Star and it won’t be long before a real executive from Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce’s headquarters comes to speak with you.”
“This old master naturally understands,” Zong Ao nodded, “This old master has already lived on Rainfall Star for a hundred years, so as long as they don’t interfere with my Alchemy, everything can be discussed. Whether I join them or not is just a formality. If they dare to annoy this old master, can’t this old master simply leave?”
Yang Kai couldn’t help feeling a bit guilty. Zong Ao couldn’t be regarded as a virtuous person, he had a strange temperament and his own sense of arrogance. Yang Kai also knew that he had directed murderous intent towards himself at least three times before.
But regardless of all this, Zong Ao had agreed to carry this undeserved credit for him, and although it would greatly enhance the old man’s reputation, that wasn’t something Zong Ao wanted. Truly capable people don’t care about their reputation, only those who seek for power and wealth dedicate themselves to climbing the social ladder.
After this time, Zong Ao would lose a lot of his personal, but perhaps he simply considered this repayment for Yang Kai showing him the path forward in the Alchemic Way.
Both Yang Kai and Zong Ao understood these things well.
“What’s the situation with that little girl?” Zong Ao obviously didn’t want to talk about this anymore and quickly changed the subject.
“The negative effects of her exposure to the Profound Yin Sunflower Water should have been removed completely, and her vitality is stable, but she’s still in a coma. To wake her up, I need to find a way to revive her Soul Avatar,” Yang Kai said with a frown. He had just checked Xue Yue’s Knowledge Sea again but even after searching around for a while, he was unable to locate her Soul Avatar; he really didn’t know where it had hidden.
Zong Ao also frowned and said, “In principle, exposure to Profound Yin Sunflower Water cannot cause this situation… Her Soul Avatar going missing must be related to something else.”
Yang Kai was shocked and quickly asked, “Please offer me your guidance, Old Zong.”
Zong Ao unfortunately just shook his head, “I don’t know anything about this little girl, so what guidance can I provide you? Since you are her guard, you should understand whether she has any kind of deep-seated regrets in her heart. Sometimes, when a person falls into an unconscious state and cannot be awoken, it is not because of physical injuries, but rather because of some kind of heart knot. As long as she can overcome this barrier, she will naturally be able to awaken.”
After hearing these words, Yang Kai wore a thoughtful look on his face, his eyes slowly growing brighter, as if he had discovered something.
Zong Ao noticed this change and nodded lightly.
This kid was a worldly person with incredible skills; Zong Ao really didn’t understand why he would choose to become another’s guard.
Sometime later, Yang Kai’s look suddenly became relaxed.
“Figured it out?” Zong Ao asked with a smile.
“I have some ideas, whether they’re right or not will have to wait until I can verify them,” Yang Kai chuckled, suddenly remembering something and asking, “By the way, when I came here, Ha Li Ka and the others all gave me a strange look, what was that all about?”
“Want to know?” Zong Ao gave him a meaningful glance.
Yang Kai nodded.
“This old master just told them that you deeply in love with that little girl and when she needed to take those pills you fed it to her mouth to mouth,” Zong Ao said lightly, as if it was just an innocent comment.
Yang Kai, on the other hand, was furious, “Don’t you feel embarrassed to publicize such things? Don’t you have any kind of moral standards?”
Zong Ao snorted, “This old master has taken on such a heavy burden for you and lost so many good things to you, you think I’ll just let you off for free? Just you wait. Xue Yue Third Young Master will charge over to Rainfall Star, peel your skin, and crush your bones. Hahaha, to think a little guard actually dares to have ideas about Xue Yue’s woman. I really don’t know if you care about your life or not. If I were you, I’d leave here as quickly as possible!”
Laughing loudly, Zong Ao strode off in a good mood.
[Old fart!]
Yang Kai stared at Zong Ao with resentment, immediately realizing why Ha Li Ka and the others had shot him such a strange look. Yang Kai was annoyed to no end that he hadn’t bet even bigger with Zong Ao, asking for all of his Profound Yin Sunflower Water and pill furnaces.
There were no good people amongst these old bastards!
This was true of Gui Zu and Zong Ao!
However, no matter how Zong Ao thought about it, he wouldn’t have been able to imagine that this Lady Xue’er was actually Xue Yue himself!
[You think kissing Xue Yue’s woman is something to worry about? Father here has seen and touched everything Xue Yue’s body has to offer!]
Zong Ao was right about one thing though, Yang Kai couldn’t remain here for long, there was no way to tell how Water Moon Star would respond after learning about Xue Yue’s situation, and if some top-level executive were to come to investigate, it would be incredibly difficult for him to explain.
Xue Yue also didn’t want to expose her biggest secret.
Right now, Yang Kai had to hurry to restore her consciousness, lift the fetters of the Soul Chains, then soar off into the sky to disappear.
For the next half a month, Yang Kai received very generous treatment as he recovered his strength. Every day, inside his luxurious guest palace, the very best food and wine, as well as rare spirit fruits were provided to him allowing him to slowly restore his lost vitality and rid himself of the crippling sense of weakness.
Yang Kai secretly decided that he would never attempt to refine Pill Clouds again unless absolutely necessary.
If his luck was good, and while performing Alchemy he inadvertently refined a pill that formed Pill Clouds, then that was fine, but he never wanted to purposely generate them again. The consumption cost was simply too great.
Ha Li Ka sent a few dozen masters to build a grand palace for Zong Ao in his mountain valley, finishing the construction in short order.
However, Zong Ao didn’t go back immediately, because the World Energy in the mountain valley was still too thin and it would be some time before it recovered to even the average level of the rest of Rainfall Star.
The news that he had refined a Burning Flame Pill which formed Pill Clouds spread like wildfire and every Alchemist on the Rainfall Star made a special pilgrimage to pay him their respects. Since these people were in a sense his colleagues, Zong Ao couldn’t just send them away, so he spent many days suffering from their incessant flattery and praise, not having a moment of free time to himself for quite a while.
Whenever he saw this scene, Yang Kai secretly rejoiced about his decision.
If the merit of refining Pill Clouds were to be assigned to him, such a harmonious scene would never have appeared, instead, these old men and women would only be trying to make things difficult for him, using any method they could to verify he wasn’t cheating or lying to them.
None of them would admit to being inferior to Yang Kai, that would be too great an insult to them.
Inside a separate room, Yang Kai sat cross-legged on the bed next to the still sleeping Xue Yue.
Staring at her enchanting face, Yang Kai really didn’t want to wake her up.
The sleeping Xue Xue was the easiest to get along with, he could do whatever he liked to her and she wouldn’t put up any resistance or make any complaints, but once she woke up, it would only bring Yang Kai endless trouble and danger.
But Yang Kai had to wake her up, lifting the Soul Chains’ fetters required both of them to agree. Currently, Xue Yue’s Soul Avatar was nowhere to be seen, and without her cooperation, Yang Kai couldn’t break free of this burden.
Sending out his Spiritual Energy, Yang Kai dived silently into Xue Yue’s Knowledge Sea.
The next moment, Yang Kai’s Soul Avatar appeared over Xue Yue’s Knowledge Sea.
This was not the first time Yang Kai had entered Xue Yue’s Knowledge Sea, he had visited here before to examine her condition, but at that time, he hadn’t looked around carefully.
At any time, investigating another’s Knowledge Sea was a taboo among cultivators, it was something only those who shared the most intimate of relationships would do. One’s Knowledge Sea contained all the experiences and secrets of a person’s life, searching through someone’s Knowledge Sea was worse than stripping away their clothes and groping around their body.
Last time, Yang Kai had used discretion and did not probe into Xue Yue’s secret too deeply; he didn’t want to have too much entanglement with this woman.
But this time, he no longer had a choice.
The sea breeze blew gently and the waters themselves were calm. Aside from a vast ocean, there was nothing else inside Xue Yue’s Knowledge Sea, unlike the colourfulness of his own Knowledge Sea.
One’s Knowledge Sea was the greatest reflection of a person’s experiences and personality, so it was quite clear that Xue Yue led something of a desolate and dull life.
Xue Yue was a woman, but she was raised by Ai Ou as a man. She may have had the prestige and style of Xue Yue Third Young Master, but she was surely tired of that by now and simply supporting herself with willpower alone.
“It’s not that I want to spy on your secrets, but I can’t wake you up if I don’t do this, don’t hold it against me in the future,” Yang Kai murmured softly, his Soul Avatar diving into the ocean in Xue Yue’s Knowledge Sea in the next moment.
The warm seawater wrapped Yang Kai’s body like the finest of silk, giving him an unimaginable excitement and comfort.
Yang Kai almost lost himself in this feeling for a moment.
The blending of Souls was a terrifying experience that allowed a man and woman to enjoy a sensation a thousand times more joyful than a mere physical union. It was like sharing the deepest part of one’s self with another, resulting in a sense of euphoria that was difficult to extricate oneself from.
Fortunately, this was not Yang Kai’s first time doing this kind of thing. When he went to Ice Sect to find Su Yan, he had blended Souls with her once, so he had some experience dealing with this kind of overwhelming sensation.
Struggling to restrain the innate desires welling up in his Soul, Yang Kai constantly called out in his head to remind himself of his original purpose; this was no time to simply seek pleasure.
Gradually, the euphoric joy faded and Yang Kai managed to regain control of his Soul Avatar, allowing him to breathe slightly easier.
He didn’t know why, but his current set of actions and situation made Yang Kai feel as if he was violating Xue Yue.
Xue Yue was unable to sense anything right now, and with her Soul Avatar missing, she also couldn’t put up any kind of resistance to Yang Kai’s Divine Sense intrusion, how was this any different from him raping her? And the most vicious type of rape at that!
A woman who had no Soul Avatar was no different from a doll, thinking so, Yang Kai’s sense of fascination instantly faded away.
This kind of one-sided action was something only those who had twisted psychology would enjoy.
Yang Kai quickly spread out his Soul Avatar’s senses through this ocean.
Inside Xue Yue’s Knowledge Sea were an incredible number of bubbles that seemed to be suspended in the water, each bubble representing one of Xue Yue’s memories.
Yang Kai began to scrutinize the information hidden in these bubbles.
He saw many, many scenes and pictures …
A baby fell as her nearby mother lay weakly on the bed, her face pale and bloodless, but upon hearing the baby’s cry, the most beautiful smile in the world blossomed on her face. A burly man who had been waiting outside rushed in, his hands shaking as he picked up the baby, completely disregarding the dirt and filth staining it, a look full of affection filling his face as he gently kissed the baby’s forehead, his eyes shining with fatherly love.
The seven or eight-month-old child was being held in the arms of its mother to breastfeed, closing its eyes as it drank thirstily. The mother smiled with satisfaction as she teased her daughter from time to time, the burly father standing nearby grinning dotingly.
The baby started toddling about and even began to babble, sending out a stream of wordless noises as she walked forward cautiously, falling down once in a while, causing her mother to rush over in distress and hug her into her arms, the father smiling warmly nearby, a happy family of three.
An old man with a snow white beard came to see the baby, carefully examining her before solemnly reporting something to the burly father. The smile and joy immediately vanished from his face, a solemn light flashing across his eyes as he stared at his nearby daughter.
A three-year-old child was received into a palace, dressed in boys clothing, and raised as a man. The little girl stood ignorantly inside the grand palace, followed by servants and maids. She was forbidden from leaving the palace and no longer able to see her loving mother, only able to meet her dignified father.
She began to learn all kinds of miscellaneous things and began to cultivate, growing healthy and strong, but only able to live as a man.
Her aptitude was excellent, and only when her strength increased would she be able to see a smile from her father, at other times his face only contained sternness and scolding.
Xue Yue Third Young Master’s spread out and soon the entire Star Field knew about her.
She learned how to deal with those strangers she met by showing the perfect smile, her elegant demeanour and beauty able to mesmerize men and women alike.
But she couldn’t see her own mother, and only at night, when she was all alone, would she be able to take out a few sets of women’s clothing and lay them on her bed sadly.
These clothes were all sent by her mother secretly and seemed to retain a traced of her gentle aura.
Watching these scenes, Yang Kai felt as if he was experiencing them himself and was able to sense the pain and resentment in Xue Yue’s heart, the sadness and helplessness of this woman.
Under her immutable smile that was able to dazzle and dumbfound all sentient beings lay a bitter and fragile heart, hidden under layers of false strength.
Years of pretence not only allowed her to deceive the world but herself as well.
Until that life or death struggle atop that Dead Star. At that time, Xue Yue was enraged and her murderous intent soared to the Heavens, but it was also the first time she had ever experienced such strong emotions stemming from her female nature. She had been hugged naked and had her snow-white peaks squeezed tightly causing her pulse to race and her tender body to shiver, new and indescribable feelings surging through her body, making her feel numb and unable to breathe. Whenever she thought back to that time, she would blush bright red.
The boisterous and noisy period of time after that then became the most unforgettable days of her life, making her wish she could stop time and forever remain on that Dead Star.
Because only in front of this man could she let down her guard and be herself.
Yang Kai injected vitality into her life, making it no longer seem so dark and dreary.
When she was exploring the Ancient Ruins, she had ignored the deaths and injuries of many of her subordinates while constantly ordered for the expedition team to pick up speed just so she could leave there a bit faster and return to that small world of freedom.
But when the Space Ring she tried to collect burst, she was sent into a coma.
It took a long time for Yang Kai’s Soul Avatar to emerge from Xue Yue’s Knowledge Sea.
Yang Kai now knew all of Xue Yue’s secrets. He hadn’t expected this vicious woman to have such a miserable past; and although he felt some sympathy and pity for her his heart, that did not change what he had to do.
He saw not only Xue Yue’s misery but also the darkness in her heart.
Even if this woman was worthy of pity, that didn’t mean she wasn’t extremely dangerous.
Her sentiment towards him wasn’t her pure feelings, but all because of the influence of the Soul Chains.
After watching for so long, Yang Kai also faintly knows why Xue Yue’s Soul Avatar had disappeared, as well as how he should go about treating her.
This kind of heart knot wasn’t a physical wound, so as long as Xue Yue could untie it, she would naturally wake up.
Inside Xue Yue’s Knowledge Sea, Yang Kai’s Soul Avatar sent out a subtle wave.
He began to create dream-like illusions and forced them into the seawater.
From her infancy to her current age, in these illusions, Xue Yue did not have to pretend to be someone else, did not have to show that unchanging spring breeze-like smile, did not have to live as a man.
She grew up carefree, with her father, mother, brothers, and sisters all living in harmony. She could wear the most beautiful clothes and the most beautiful jewellery, no longer needing to spend torturous days and nights cultivating and training.
In these illusions, she was the world’s happiest woman, she would take a few maidservants with her to stroll around the streets every day, occasionally revealing a radiant smile that made the blood of all the men in the city boil.
In these illusions, she would return home at the end of each day and tell her parents about the various things she encountered while they listened to her quietly with happy, smiling faces.
She even met a man who moved her heart but due to her shyness, she could only watch him from a distance, paying attention to his movements, unable to take the initiative to talk to him.
To her surprise though, this heroic-looking handsome man actually took notice of her too, defeated all his competitors, and fulfilled her father’s demanding requirements to win her hand in marriage.
They then became husband and wife and had children of their own. Although they didn’t live a lavish or magnificent life, both of them helped one another during times of difficulty and shared much joy together.
Their children slowly grew up, and they gradually grew old. Eventually, they passed on, finally being buried together in graves placed right beside one another, as if even in death they would never be separated.
In these illusions, Xue Yue lived a perfect life without any regrets.
Yang Kai repeated this process over and over again, submerging these illusions he constructed with his own Spiritual Energy into Xue Yue’s Knowledge Sea, disregarding his own consumption and fatigue.
Time passed by, but Xue Yue’s Knowledge Sea was still as stagnant as ever.
However, suddenly, the calm seawater began to roll and the numerous bubbles under the surface all burst, returning to nothingness.
The breeze blew and a light fragrance began wafting past the tip of Yang Kai’s nose.
Yang Kai stopped what he was doing, turned around, and saw Xue Yue standing behind him with a grin of interest on her face.
Yang Kai rolled his eyes and immediately withdrew from her Knowledge Sea.
The moment Yang Kai opened his eyes, Xue Yue also woke up, reached out, grabbing him and said, “Hey, why did you run away like some frightened thief?”
“Since you woke up, what else was I supposed to do? Wait for me to be tortured by you? If I were to stay there, a little Third-Order Saint like me wouldn’t be able to put up any kind of resistance,” Yang Kai snorted.
Everyone’s Knowledge Sea was their personal domain where they had absolute control; therefore, when two cultivators were of similar strength, they would never try to invade each other’s Knowledge Sea as the one who did would always be the one to suffer. Only when there was a vast disparity in strength would one possibly invading another’s Knowledge Sea to deal serious damage.
“Me, torture you? Why do you think I would torture you? If you didn’t do anything wrong, what reason would I have to torture you?” Xue Yue pressed the issue relentlessly, her eyes narrowing as a dangerous light filled them.
“Good, I admit that I broke into your Knowledge Sea without your permission and it was wrong of me to pry into your secrets, but you refused to wake up, so I had no other choice,” Yang Kai shook his sleeve to free himself from her grip.
“After prying into my secrets, you still want to argue about?” Xue Yue grit her teeth as she glowered towards Yang Kai menacingly.
“I didn’t see much…” Yang Kai said somewhat evasively.
Xue Yue didn’t speak, simply staring back at him fixedly.
“Fine, I even know how many hairs you have on your body, so what? What are you going to do, bite me?” Yang Kai said without the slightest trace of shame.
“You bastard!” Xue Yue immediately became angry out of shame, leaping off the bed and rushing over to Yang Kai, nipping his hand with her pearl white teeth once before shouting, “You think I won’t dare?”
Yang Kai didn’t try to avoid her and instead curled his lips into a grin, “If you’re not satisfied biting my hand you can always try somewhere else, interested?”
Xue Yue’s face and neck turned bright red as she quickly released Yang Kai’s hand and spat, “In your dreams!”
In that illusion, she had gained plenty of experience with the man she married and could now easily recall all those various postures and positions with ease.
She had received a thorough and systematic education …
Naturally she understood what Yang Kai meant.
Although she also understood that it was just a fantasy created by Yang Kai for her, and none of it really happened, she still couldn’t help feeling extremely ashamed; after all, the woman in that fantasy was modelled after her, sharing her exact appearance.
It was as if she was really a harlot, constantly begging for more, completely insatiable!
“Were you always so obscene?” Xue Yue looked at Yang Kai strangely, seemingly not having through he was such a degenerate pervert, “Seems I’ve greatly misread you!”
“What’s obscene about the love between a man and a woman?” Yang Kai spat disdainfully, “When you really try it, you’ll realize the beauty of it.”
“Even so, you didn’t have to add yourself into that illusion did you?” Xue Yue smiled sweetly, as if she had suddenly discovered something interesting, “In those illusions, you were quite handsome and persistent. Are you hoping I’ll really marry you?”
“Nope, I wouldn’t be able to endure being with a woman like you,” Yang Kai quickly waved his hand.
“Get lost!” Xue Yue’s expression changed faster than one could turn the page of a book, trembling with anger as she kicking Yang Kai off the bed.
Yang Kai stood up, patted himself off indifferently and said, “Have a good rest. Once you restore yourself, I have something I need to tell you.”
The expression on Xue Yue’s face froze, apparently understanding what it was that Yang Kai wanted to talk about, closing her eyes in the next moment without saying a word.
Outside the room, Yang Kai saw Zong Ao leaning sideways, cupping his ears, listening intently. After seeing Yang Kai, Old Zong didn’t make any attempt to cover up his actions or apologize, simply asking, “Rescued?”
“En,” Yang Kai nodded.
“Impressive,” Zong Ao couldn’t help but give him a big thumbs up, “But what were you two doing inside, why was it so lively? Aren’t you her guard? Kid, this old master has to say, your courage is simply extraordinary, even daring to get involved with Xue Yue Third Young Master’s woman. En, you should run as soon as possible, this old master doesn’t wish to see you die so young, once that Xue Yue’s anger explodes, the whole Heng Luo Star Field will shake.”
Zong Ao may have spent too much time in seclusion, so despite being so old, his interest in gossip was as strong as any youth. He seemed to like seeing others flirting, and when he did see such scenes, it made him feel a few dozen years younger.
[Shameless!]
Yang Kai ignored him and instead walked out to find Ha Li Ka to inform him of the situation.
After hearing Xue Yue had awoken, Ha Li Ka was overjoyed and even gave Yang Kai a great big hug while sincerely expressing his gratitude.
Since Xue Yue had woken up, their last worries had disappeared, and now that Zong Ao had taken one step further on the Alchemy Way, as long as they could appropriately process the Profound Yin Sunflower Water, everything would be wonderful.
What’s more, since there was Xue Yue to handle the matter of the Profound Yin Sunflower Water, even if the Chamber of Commerce sanctioned them, they would only receive some slight punishment, nothing near as serious as what they had been worrying about before.
With all the good news flowing in, how could they not be joyful?
With the executives in a jubilant mood, the rest of the branch was also extremely happy.
One month passed by in the blink of an eye.
Xue Yue had been staying in her room ever since she woke up that day, claiming that his injuries still needed time to heal.
But the effects of the Profound Yin Sunflower Water had already been treated by the Burning Flame Pill, and there was no damage to her Soul, so what kind of healing could she still need? Although she had stayed in a coma for more than a year, with her cultivation, she only needed a day or two to restore herself.
The only reason was none other than she was avoiding Yang Kai!
Yang Kai understood this, but there was nothing he could do about it. Every time he went to find Xue Yue, he was stopped outside by several Saint King Realm cultivators serving as door guards. These people did not give Yang Kai any trouble, instead just smiling and saying that Lady Xue’er had ordered them to not allow anyone to enter her room without her permission. Their attitude was good, but their meaning of rejection was incredibly firm.
Yang Kai wished he could pound these guards flat.
Yang Kai was unhappy, and Old Zong wasn’t in much better of a mood.
Half of his Profound Yin Sunflower Water was taken away by Yang Kai, and several dozen of his large and small pill furnaces were snatched, causing Zong Ao to feel like his heart had been pierced, but he wasn’t shameless enough to go back on his word.
Zong Ao was still a trustworthy person. Since he dared to bet, he dared to lose, very much unlike Xue Yue who liked to dominate others with force.
Yang Kai also asked Zong Ao how to refine the Profound Yin Sunflower Water.
Zong Ao didn’t conceal anything and taught him all he knew.
Yang Kai realized after some explanations that although the Profound Yin Sunflower Water was a rare treasure. If it wasn’t properly handled, refining it would be fatal. Aside from needing a wide variety of auxiliary materials though, refining it also required an extremely hot environment!
Only when these preparations were completed and conditions were met could one start refining this treasure.
The auxiliary materials required were actually already in Yang Kai’s possession.
Back on the floating continent, he had harvested many Origin Grade and Origin King Grade herbs, each one of incredible value.
All he needed to do was find a suitable environment. According to Old Zong, it would be best if he used the magma chamber of some ancient volcano because only such a level of heat could suppress the chill of Profound Yin Sunflower Water.
However, Zong Ao also said that Yang Kai’s current strength was still too low, he would need to at least reach the Saint King Realm before attempting to refine the Profound Yin Sunflower Water, otherwise he would definitely lose his life.
Xue Yue’s refusal to meet him face to face continued to agitate and annoy Yang Kai.
The next day, when Yang Kai arrived outside Xue Yue’s room, the Saint King Realm guards would smile at him and say a few kind words, but still barred his path.
Seeing this familiar scene, Yang Kai’s face sank.
Just after the several guards stopped Yang Kai with smiles on their faces and were about to ask him to forgive them for carrying out their responsibilities, Xue Yue’s pleasant voice sounded off, “Let him in!”
Upon hearing this, the guards stepped aside, breathing deep sighs of relief, throwing out silent looks of encouragement as they did so.
Yang Kai was disinclined to deal with them, strode forward, pushed open the door with a cold look on his face, and walked inside.
There was no change in the room, everything was the same as it was the last time he visited. Xue Yue on the other hand somehow seemed worse for wear, her expression a mixture of sadness and gloom. She didn’t avoid Yang Kai’s angry eyes, nipping her lip lightly as she stared back at him, “Sit down, let’s talk.”
Seeing her appearance, Yang Kai had nowhere to vent his anger.
Women were truly unfair!
Obviously, her strength was far higher than his own, and if it came down to a fight he would definitely not be her opponent. She could punch him into submission at will, yet at this moment, she could rely solely on her expression to create the illusion of weakness.
Like the Heavens themselves had wronged her …
Yang Kai picked up the teapot on the table, poured himself a cup, took a sip gently, then opened his mouth to say something, but before he could utter a word, Xue Yue’s jade finger landed on his lips.
Her fingers were icy cold, but there was still a faint fragrance on its tip.
“Don’t say anything, let me show you something first,” Xue Yue said lightly, with a softer tone than ever before.
“What?” Yang Kai immediately became vigilant, sweeping his eyes up and down Xue Yue before saying, “If it’s your body, there’s no need, every part of it has already been imprinted into my head, I can perfectly picture it even with my eyes closed.”
“A dog’s mouth can’t spit out ivory!” Xue Yue became ashamed and angry, “Do you think I’m the kind of woman who’d try to seduce a man with my body?”
“Then what do you want me to see?” Yang Kai ignored her question and asked.
Xue Yue glared angrily before pushing a sheet of paper over to him.
Yang Kai accepted the piece of paper, sipped his tea lightly and began browsing its content.
After a while, a strange expression appeared on his face and he grinned, “Xue Yue, these conditions are a bit too good, aren’t they? Just by becoming your guard, I’ll be paid a hundred thousand High-Rank Saint Crystals every year and obtain a five hundred kilometre radius domain?”
“Not really, my guards all obtain certain benefits, but everyone’s treatment is different,” Xue Yue took the teacup of tea in front of her and calmly took a sip, putting on a calm appearing, but the slight trembling of her hands betrayed her inner nervousness.
If before, the warm feelings she had for Yang Kai, and even the intimacy and affection she felt for him, had only been a result of the effects of the Soul Chains. However, right now she could say for certain that even without the bindings of the Soul Chains, those feelings wouldn’t completely disappear as they had taken root in her soul.
When forced actions and feelings became natural habits, they weren’t easy to change anymore.
What’s more, he had peered into her Knowledge Sea, and all of her secrets had been exposed, making her feel shyer and more embarrassed than if she was standing in front of him naked, allowing him to examine her.
Xue Yue sincerely hoped that Yang Kai would remain with her, even though she knew he couldn’t wait to get away from her.
While pretending to drink her tea, she quietly watched Yang Kai’s reaction, wanting to see if he showed any interest at all.
However, to her disappointment, Yang Kai showed no trace of temptation and only seemed to be curiously examining the different articles and clauses in the document.
“I’ll have twenty beautiful maids to serve me?” Yang Kai glanced up at Xue Yue with a raised brow, “Aren’t I just a guard? Am I supposed to have beautiful maids?”
“What’s so strange about it? An average person’s guard is naturally just a subordinate and not entitled to have such luxurious, but could my, Xue Yue’s, guards possibly not have such qualifications?” Xue Yue smiled deviously as she saw a trace of anticipation finally appear in Yang Kai’s eyes, quickly adding some embellishments, “I can choose the best women for you. You may not know this but my Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce also operates a slave business. Many big and small families that go bankrupt or fall into ruin will have their Young Ladies bought up by the chamber of commerce to later be sold. Each of these women have good education and their aptitudes and strength aren’t bad either. As far as I know, the strongest ones have reached the Saint King Realm. They’re nothing less than precious treasures!”
While she was colourfully describing these women to Yang Kai, she was silently cursing him out in her heart, she had offered him so many favorable conditions yet besides this one, he had treated them all indifferently. Xue Yue couldn’t help feeling the urge to reach out and choke him.
[Seems like he’s a man after all…]
Xue Yue sighed helplessly.
“Very good, very good!” Yang Kai nodded strongly a few times, he was truly quite interested in having some beautiful maids serving him. When he was back on Tong Xuan Realm, there were too many acquaintances around, and he didn’t dare act sloppily, but now that he had arrived in the Star Field all alone, such concerns didn’t exist anymore.
On top of that, since he took that last step with Little Senior Sister, Yang Kai had found that his mentality towards the happenings between men and women had changed greatly. At least, he no longer repelled the idea of having some fun here and there.
Back when he was staying in Shen Tu’s palace, his freewheeling activities had provided him with much food for thought.
“You think so too?” Xue Yue still maintained a smile on her face as she secretly ground her teeth before softly coaxing, “If you agree, then just leave your mark on the contract and from now on you’ll be my person and receive my shelter. From now on, if anyone dares to bar your way or offend you, you need only report my name, you’ll be able to walk sideways* in the Star Field if you so please.”
“I’m not a crab,” Yang Kai smiled and put the instrument back on the table.
Xue Yue stared straight at him, her brow furrowing slightly.
Yang Kai let out a sigh, shifting his gaze away from hers as he said, “Why do this? You know what it is I want, what do you intend to do by asking me to sell myself into servitude?”
“Who said anything about selling yourself into servitude?” Xue Yue’s beautiful eyes dimmed as she said uprightly, “Isn’t it written at the very top? This contract is only valid for five years, if you’re not satisfied after five years, it can be renegotiated, I just want you to spend some time considering it.”
“After I sign, in this lifetime, I’ll never be able to leave. Xue Yue, let’s unlock the Soul Chains and from now on you will walk along the broad road while I traverse the narrow path, well water should not mix with river water,” Yang Kai said sincerely.
When Xue Yue heard these words, the impulse to cry welled up inside her but she stubbornly refused to let her tears fall, lifting her head and tilting her head back slightly.
Amazingly, the tears disappeared, seemingly drawn back into her tear glands through sheer force of will.
She then clenched her teeth and said, “I don’t care, everything that you could touch you touched and you even dove into the depths of my Knowledge Sea, peeping on all of my secrets, you have to sign this contract with me of the loss I suffered can’t possibly be made up!”
“If it’s about your secrets, you can rest assured I will keep them safe without leaking a single word, I won’t joke around with my life, I fully realize the strength and influence you possess,” Yang Kai said solemnly.
Xue Yue became even more indignant as she muttered, “It seems you even know that secret.”
Yang Kai scratched his cheek and said innocently, “I really wish I didn’t know it. Who could have guessed that you were hiding something even more shocking than the fact that you’re actually a woman! No wonder President Ai Ou forced you to live as a man, he did it for your sake and you shouldn’t blame him!”
“For my sake?” Xue Yue’s eyes suddenly flashed with cold light as she said dreadfully, “I was separated from my own mother for several decades, and then in order to keep this secret, my father killed everyone who knew it, including her, was that also for my own good?”
Yang Kai didn’t know how to respond.
What Xue Yue mentioned he had already uncovered from his time in her Knowledge Sea. This was her family’s matters though so it wasn’t appropriate for him to comment on it. Moreover, the circumstances surrounding Xue Yue’s mother’s death remained a mystery; even Xue Yue had only heard some rumours about it.
“So what if I possess the Dragon Marrow Phoenix Body? Could it be that everyone in the world can see through my physique come to snatch me for it?” Xue Yue screamed in anger, her proud chest heaving up and down in a souls stirring rhythm.
“Lower your voice!” Yang Kai called out in fright, “Do you not want to live anymore? Why would you yell out so crazily like that?”
Seeing Yang Kai act so nervous, Xue Yue couldn’t help feeling a little smug, the anger she just felt thrown a thousand kilometres away as she directed a smile towards him, “Right, you also know about this secret, so why didn’t you make a move? You should know what kind of advantages a Dragon Marrow Phoenix Body can bring to you.”
“Of course I know,” Yang Kai shot her a faint look, “According to what those people in your memory said, any man who is able to take your Primordial Yin will gain unimaginable benefits. The moon slave business of your Chamber of Commerce was actually inspired by your special constitution, right?”
Xue Yue gently nodded, “Yes! You can say that I am the highest quality Moon Slave in the Chamber of Commerce, but no one knows about it. While I was unconscious, you obviously had many opportunities; I don’t believe you weren’t tempted! You aren’t nearly that righteous.”
Saying so, she directed a look towards him as if to say she had completely seen through him.
“You’re right, I was tempted, extremely tempted!” Yang Kai nodded firmly, “When I learned that secret, my first thoughts were to strip off your clothes and take possession of you.”
“Then why didn’t you?” Xue Yue asked curiously, “You also knew that even if you did that, I wouldn’t blame you for it. At worst I would beat you a bit.”
She said these words incredibly calmly, as if she wasn’t talking about her own innocence but that of another woman she didn’t know.
Yang Kai felt a headache and after a moment of silence declared, “I’m a man of principles!”
Xue Yue lips curled fiercely, obviously not believing a single word Yang Kai just said.
“According to the old man who first discovered your special constitution, the higher your strength, the greater the benefit the one who obtains you will gain. You are currently a Third-Order Saint King. If I really took you, I’m afraid the most I would be able to achieve would be breaking through the First Order Saint King Realm!” Yang Kai said lightly, “But so what? I don’t need the aid of your body to reach such a level. Do you believe I can’t achieve the same height in less than three years?”
Xue Yue stared at Yang Kai with a stunned look. Listening to his grand words, her beautiful eyes flashed in confusion for a moment before she nodded repeatedly then seemingly casually asked, “What if I wasn’t a Saint King, but an Origin King?”
Yang Kai swept his eyes over her once then without thinking said, “Then you’d already be my woman.”
The blur in Xue Yue’s beautiful eyes instantly disappeared and was replaced with endless contempt, cynically snapping, “So the truth is that in your mind, there just weren’t enough benefits!”
“Yes!” Yang Kai admitted frankly.
“And those high minded principles you were just spouting off about?” Xue Yue’s sneered as the contempt in her eyes grew even stronger.
“What are those worth? Can they be sold for money?” Yang Kai said in disdain.
In this verbal confrontation, neither side could convince the other.
Inside the room, Yang Kai looked helplessly at Xue Yue while Xue Yue drank tea constantly to calm her anger. Unfortunately, her teacup had long ago been emptied, leaving nothing behind but air.
The atmosphere was incredibly depressing.
“Are you really so cold and ruthless?” Xue Yue suddenly spoke, staring towards Yang Kai with a chilly gaze, this man’s persistence had wounded her somewhat.
Yang Kai just shook his head in response, “No matter what you say, I want to leave. This time I suffered a big loss and I never want to leave my life in the hands of another again, especially a woman like you who possesses so many secrets. Once you’re exposed, even Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce won’t be able to protect you, and if you were to die, I’d be hit with the same fate.”
Xue Yue’s Dragon Marrow Phoenix Body special constitution was a very unique physique; it wasn’t an exaggeration to say that she was the best Moon Slave in the Chamber of Commerce.
When those Moon Slaves were taken by men, they would only be able to give them some slight benefits.
But Xue Yue was different. Even at her current strength, Yang Kai was confident he could directly break through to the Saint King Realm, and as her strength improved, her special constitution would only provide greater benefits to her first man.
Moreover, this wasn’t just a pure boost in strength, but one in realm!
There were too many masters in this world who painstakingly cultivated for hundreds or even thousands of years yet were unable to break through to the next realm; to them, Xue Yue’s body was the greatest tool.
President Ai Ou was a man of profound vision so when Xue Yue was three years old, he had taken her away to be raised as a man in order to avoid her suffering such a fate and bringing disaster to Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce in the process.
“How long could you restrain me?” Yang Kai stared at Xue Yue indifferently, with no intention of backing down, “Forcefully picked melon is not sweet, on top of which, both of us know that the biggest factor by far in your current behaviour is the effects of the Soul Chains. The reason you’re acting this way is because of your own desires, you’ve lived as a man for so long and during that time the only one who you’ve been able to let your guard down around is me. Rather than any other kind of feelings, the biggest reason you want to keep me around is so you can maintain that sense of freedom, right?”
Xue Yue remained silent.
Yang Kai’s words were clear and concise; she could not find anything in them she could refute.
Yang Kai’s expression gradually became solemn as his tone of voice became firm, “You see me as nothing more than a tiny Third Order Saint, someone you can order around at will, but have you ever thought about things from my perspective? I am the first one from my world to enter the Star Field, which also means that I am the strongest cultivator from that world; there, I am the master!”
Xue Yue’s absentminded look became slightly thoughtful upon hearing these words.
“You’ve captured Monster Beasts before, haven’t you? Do you remember that Monster Beast King?” Yang Kai’s solemn expression twisted into a snide one, “What was the fate of that Monster Beast King you captured? Were you able to tame it?”
Xue Yue’s mind involuntarily recalled an event in the past where she had captured the king of a pack of Monster Beasts. That king refused to obey her and would often lash out at others, offending those it shouldn’t. No matter how she tried, she was never able to tame it, and in the end, she had no other choice but to put it down.
“I…” Xue Yue opened her mouth to speak but found that she didn’t know what to say.
“Think it over carefully, I’ll wait for you for three days. Give me your reply then, I don’t want to make things too stiff,” Yang Kai glanced at her lightly before standing up and leaving.
From the look in his eyes, Xue Yue was able to see a kind of firm will, one that told her that regardless of what choice she made, three days from now, he would still choose to leave.
Without unlocking the Soul Chains, him leaving would make her situation difficult.
How much risk a Third Order Saint travelling by himself through the Star Field would be taking on was something Xue Yue knew better than anyone. How could she feel secure leaving her life in such a precarious state?
With her thoughts in a mess, Xue Yue grabbed the cup on the table and threw it hard against the ground, grinding her teeth in grief for a long time before finally muttering a few words, “Cruel and heartless!”
From when she was a child until now, she had never been at a disadvantage when confronting others. She had always held the initiative, whether that person was male or female, young or old. As long as they fell into her hands, she could bend them to her will.
The senior executives in the Chamber of Commerce all agreed that she was the best and most outstanding successor candidate for the presidency.
Xue Yue accepted such compliments as if they were only natural.
But when facing Yang Kai, she found herself constantly being restrained, even during their brief conversation now, she had been forced into a position where she couldn’t even refute his words, leaving her extremely annoyed and disgruntled.
Hiding inside the room in a distressed state of mind, she sat cross-legged on the bed, quietly circulating her Secret Art in order to stabilize her disordered mood. Gradually, her breathing calmed down and she began to think about herself and Yang Kai from a different angle, mainly the pros and cons of their relationship, what letting him leave and making him stay would mean.
Outside of Xue Yue’s room, Yang Kai slowly shook his head.
He had given Xue Yue three days, but when the time came, no matter what choice she made, he would definitely put as much distance between himself and this woman as possible, perhaps because of Soul Chains’ effects though, he was feeling a bit bitter at the moment.
Several people who were standing around nearby giving him curious glances made Yang Kai even more unhappy.
These people apparently had nothing better to do and had come to enjoy a good show, each one eager to gossip about it to anyone and everyone they could find, wanting to ask about the situation yet too embarrassed to open their mouths.
“Old Ha!” Yang Kai couldn’t stand it any longer and called out.
Ha Li Ka’s face turned slightly red as he strode over with the other executives while pretending to discuss something, wearing as serious an expression as he could as he did.
“Old Ha!” Yang Kai shouted again as they approached.
“Little brother…” Ha Li Ka said with a slightly unhappy look, “Even though these old fogies call me Old Ha, it’s not quite appropriate or polite for you to address me so. Although I don’t mind personally, if outsiders were to hear about this it wouldn’t be good.”
“Lady Xue’er asked me to get her some cultivation materials from the branch’s storeroom,” Yang Kai ignored his protest.
“Lady Xue’er made such a request?” Ha Li Ka was startled but without asking much, he turned to Yang Kai and said, “Come with me, there are many good things in the storeroom, I don’t know if they can enter Lady Xue’er’s eyes though.”
“Lady Xue’er isn’t too particular,” Yang Kai scratched his cheek.
No matter what, he would be leaving in three days. This time he had nearly lost his life in order to wake up Xue Yue, and he couldn’t remain on Rainfall Star for long, so he decided to fish for some advantages before departing.
Especially Saint Crystals, Yang Kai had exhausted his current supply.
As such, he decided to borrow Xue Yue’s name, by the time she found out about it, he would already be long gone.
In front of the storeroom, Ha Li Ka and Lin Mu Feng each took out a key and together opened the heavy door.
Old Ha was a clear cut and decisive person, so standing at the door to the storeroom, he simply said, “Go in and see for yourself, don’t hesitate to take anything you need, we’ll wait here.”
Yang Kai nodded and casually strode into the storeroom.
A moment later, bright colourful lights flashed in front of Yang Kai, making it difficult for him to even open his eyes.
This was the treasury of Rainfall Star’s Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce branch, the wealth stored inside was astonishing. Rows upon rows of shelves filled with cultivation materials, artifacts, and pills along with ores of each of the five elements and even Space Spirit Crystals used to manufacture Space Rings were carefully placed inside.
As he looked at the assortment of treasures before him, Yang Kai walked straight ahead to a pile of Saint Crystals.
The Saint Crystals here were piled up into small hills of Low-Rank, Mid-Rank, and High-Rank…
Yang Kai went straight up to the pile of High-Rank Saint Crystals and collected fifty thousand of them before stopping, this would be enough for him to use for quite some time. After spending this long in the Star Field, Yang Kai had gained a rough idea about the value of Saint Crystals.
Fifty thousand pieces of High-Rank Saint Crystal was enough to purchase an Origin Grade High-Rank artifact!
After storing away these Saint Crystals, Yang Kai next went to the place where herbs were placed.
Yang Kai already possessed a lot of Origin Grade and Origin King Grade herbs, but he had no way to use them yet as his Alchemy proficiency wasn’t high enough.
On the other hand, he was lacking Saint King Grade herbs which corresponded to his current level. Yang Kai could current refine Saint King Grade Mid-Rank pills fairly easily and with some effort, he could even refine some High-Rank pills.
As such, he collected as many Saint King Grade herbs as possible to help him promote his Alchemy level in the future.
Yang Kai hadn’t gone too far in his pillage, only caring about a few good things while leaving most the wealth here behind so as not to create a life or death enmity.
Yang Kai packed up enough Saint King Grade herbs to fill a single space ring before stopping.
The five-element ores were also essential as the two pitch-black round stones inside the Black Book space were like bottomless pits. The ores he had purchased back on Water Moon Star last time had already been consumed by these two stone so now was the right time to add some more.
Worthy of the treasury of a Heng Lou Chamber of Commerce branch, the grade and amount of ores stored here were quite good, allowing Yang Kai to easily fill up a ring before moving on.
When he arrived at the area where artifacts were stored, Yang Kai was filled with anticipation.
He hoped to find a couple of artifacts here, preferably for defence; as for offensive type artifacts, Yang Kai wasn’t as interested. Compared to these external boosts, he preferred to concentrate on enhancing his own strength.
However, defensive items were a different matter, the more such artifacts he could possess, the better, as in critical moments they could save his life.
After browsing around though, Yang Kai wound up disappointed.
There were indeed a lot of artifacts here, but none of them were able to catch his attention.
The best artifact stored inside the storehouse was a Saint King Grade High-Rank halberd.
Yang Kai has never been interested in such a bulky weapon. Only those men with excess muscles everywhere, including in their heads, would use such an artifact to show off their might. Taking such an artifact would be useless to Yang Kai and would also waste a lot of his time to refine.
Looking around for a while longer but turning up empty-handed, Yang Kai left the storehouse.
Ha Li Ka and Lin Mu Feng, who had been waiting outside, saw Yang Kai walk out but didn’t ask him what had taken much less inspect his haul, instead just nodding to him before closing the treasury’s doors.
They were also counting on Lady Xue’er to put in a good word for them when the representatives from the Home Star arrived, allowing them to escape punishment. So naturally, now that Lady Xue’er wanted something from their treasury, they were more than happy to open the doors wide for her.
Yang Kai, on the other hand, couldn’t help worrying about Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce a bit, thinking that if every branch president was as irresponsible as Old Ha, wouldn’t the Chamber of Commerce soon go broke?
Inside Zong Ao’s room, Yang Kai poured a glass of wine for the old man with a respectful expression.
The old man accepted the glass without the slightest politeness or hesitation.
After lifting the glass and taking a sip, Zong Ao grinned widely and said, “If you have something to say, just say it, as long as you’re not after this old master’s treasures of course.”
Yang Kai smiled back, “I didn’t have such intentions, Old Zong is thinking too much. This Junior just came to say goodbye to Senior. En, during this time, I’ve received much care from Senior, which I am very grateful for.”
Whether Zong Ao was a good person or not, or whether he had harboured murderous intent to him or not, these days Yang Kai had really been taken care of well by Zong Ao. Without his guidance, Yang Kai wouldn’t have had any idea about how to save Xue Yue or how to awaken her Soul Avatar.
Although Zong Ao had also gained much from Yang Kai, there was nothing wrong with a Junior paying his respects to an old Senior.
“Say goodbye?” Zong Ao was stunned, “Are you leaving?”
“Good, I’ll be leaving in two days!” Yang Kai nodded.
Zong Ao wore a strange expression as he asked, “Are you afraid that Xue Yue Third Young Master will come seeking trouble with you? En, you should leave, if someone from Water Moon Star wants to seek trouble with you, you’ll definitely die.”
He still believed Yang Kai didn’t fear the Heavens and had dared to covet touch Xue Yue’s woman.
Yang Kai, of course, didn’t bother to explain, allowing the old man to think what he liked.
“Kid, have you considered following this old master?” Zong Ao suddenly proposed, “It’s just a woman, and since Xue Yue is the son of President Ai Ou, I don’t think he’ll fail to see the bigger picture. As long as you follow this old master, when the time comes, I should be able to make big things small, and small things nothing. Otherwise, how is a cultivator at the Third Order Saint Realm supposed to escape pursuit from the Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce? I’m afraid the Star Field isn’t vast enough for you to hide in.”
[Why does everyone want me to follow them?] Yang Kai complained in his heart while maintaining a calm look on his face. He knew that Old Zong was making this proposal because he fancied his Alchemy aptitude, so Yang Kai simply shook his head and said, “I appreciate Old Zong’s intentions, but this Junior is still determined to leave.”
Zong Ao nodded lightly, “Since that’s the case, this old master won’t insist. Good, I’ve got some things here for you. I noticed that despite your excellent Alchemy aptitude you’ve never received any kind of systematic instruction in the field so you probably aren’t aware of the uses of various high-grade herbs and pills. These should be of use to you.”
Saying so, he took out a big stack of ancient books from his Space Ring.
Yang Kai’s eyes lit up and didn’t stand on ceremony, quickly sweeping all these texts into his own space ring.
Yang Kai was familiar with many of these ancient books as he had browsed through some of them in Zong Ao’s palace. Some were written by Zong Ao himself while others had apparently been collected by him over the years. These books gave descriptions of the medicinal properties, grades, and growth environments of various herbs in the Star Field.
As long as he could thoroughly digest the content inside, Yang Kai’s could smoothly adapt to the Star Field’s Alchemy standards and would no longer encounter herbs he couldn’t identify.
Not having a chance to finish browsing through these books was one of Yang Kai’s regrets about having to leave Rainfall Star in such a rush as he had no idea when such a good opportunity would appear again, but now Zong Ao had taken the initiative to deliver these books to him.
Yang Kai was naturally quite grateful.
“Kid, tell this old master, where did you learn Alchemy? The Spirit Arrays you use is a bit different from the ones that are popularized in the Star Field. Although they seem to share the same source, there are still many subtle differences,” Zong Ao asked curiously.
“Old Zong, the place where I come from is a lower world, where the strongest cultivators are only Third Order Saints, the same as my current cultivation. The best Alchemists are also only Saint Grade High-Rank standard. Spirit grasses, spirit medicines, artifacts, and even raw materials are all capped at this grade, that’s why I don’t know much about materials above Saint Grade…” Yang Kai no longer concealed anything and freely chatted with Zong Ao while sharing a drink.
Zong Ao was startled again and again as he listened to Yang Kai’s story, thinking more and more he wasn’t simple.
A Junior from a lower world actually was actually able to obtain such achievements in Alchemy and even provide the inspiration required for Zong Ao to solve the problem which had troubled him for hundreds of years, allowing him to now achieve a ten percent chance at refining pills that formed Pill Veins.
What kind of achievements would this kid have made if he had instead been born on one of the best Cultivation Stars in the Star Field? Thinking about all this, Zong Ao became even more congenial as he spoke with Yang Kai.
After three rounds of drinking, Yang Kai got up to leave and Zong Ao didn’t try to retain him, only telling him that the method of generating Pill Veins would not leak from his lips without Yang Kai’s permission.
Yang Kai waved his hand lightly and said nothing.
Whether it was Artifact Refiners or Alchemists, or even cultivators, they were a not the sharing type who would freely expose the details of their Martial Skills and skills; instead, they would treat these things as their greatest secrets and only pass them on to their own people, outsiders wanting to spy on these things was impossible and attempts to do so often led to life or death conflicts.
Zong Ao being able to learn the method of generating Pill Veins from Yang Kai had already made him very satisfied, naturally, he wouldn’t now go about publicizing it.
After two more uneventful days, Zong Ao moved back to his mountain valley saying he was going to re-cultivate his vast Medicine Gardens. In any case, his cultivation wasn’t low and he had plenty of years left to live, more than enough to grow a new batch of mature herbs.
Xue Yue and Yang Kai both also stayed in their own rooms these two days.
Ha Li Ka and Lin Mu Feng sensed that the atmosphere wasn’t right and busied themselves with their own affairs while waiting for someone from the Home Star to arrive and deal with things here.
Two days later, Yang Kai came to Xue Yue’s room and without saying anything walked inside directly.
There seemed to be a chill lingering in the room. Xue Yue was sitting at the same table as before, looking stoic. When she saw Yang Kai come in, she only shot him a faint glance.
Yang Kai clearly understood that Xue Yue felt a deep resentment in her heart and it was obvious that her attitude was different from a few days ago, there was a cold aura now surrounding her tender body.
Yang Kai braced himself and sat down in front of her.
“Drink this first!” Xue Yue poured a glass of wine and placed it in front of Yang Kai.
“Is it poisoned?” Yang Kai shot her a look of distrust.
“What benefit would poisoning you bring me?” Xue Yue stared at him coldly.
Yang Kai looked at the clear liquor in the cup before shaking his head, “Forget it, I didn’t come here to drink wine, let’s finish our business.”
He was sure there was something wrong with this wine. Based on what he knew about Xue Yue, it was absolutely impossible she would give up so easily. Yang Kai was prepared to not leave her any face and bicker to the end.
Seeing him act with such vigilance, Xue Yue smiled sarcastically, took the wine glass and drank it before slamming it back down in front of him, seemingly wanting to demonstrate that he was thinking too much.
“Have you thought things through?”
“Have you thoughts things through?” Xue Yue returned his words.
“Don’t play games with me, doing so is meaningless, I gave you my answer three days ago.”
“Is there really no room to negotiate?” Xue Yue still didn’t give up.
“No,” Yang Kai shook his head slowly.
Xue Yue grit her teeth and said, “Yes, you’re right, forcefully picked melon is not sweet, you and I are now tied together by the Soul Chains and if I were to really force you to stay, if one day you decide to commit suicide, I’d be buried along with you, I can’t allow that to happen. Since you insist on leaving, then we’ll have to unlock the Soul Chains then neither of us will have anything to do with the other.”
“It’s good that you understand,” Yang Kai was overjoyed.
“Don’t look so happy,” Xue Yue got up, walked over stood behind Yang Kai from a moment before saying, “The reason why I’m so willing to be entangled with you is definitely related to the Soul Chains, but you’re also right that a big part of it stems from my womanly heart. From the age of three until now, the only person I’ve ever been able to truly let my defences down around is you. These days have been the happiest of my life. Old Zong also told me that in order to wake me, you nearly lost your life, and although I don’t know all the details, since Old Zong went so far, he shouldn’t be lying. I need to thank you for that because no one has ever worked so hard for me as a woman. It’s the first time anyone has shown care for me in this form.”
Yang Kai brow wrinkled, secretly raising his vigilance.
The more Xue Yue talked like this, the more he felt crisis closing in on him. For a woman like her, once she revealed what was concealed in the depths of her heart yet didn’t receive the response she wanted, the consequences would be dreadful.
“Once we untie the Soul Chains, without that layer of entanglement, I don’t know what I will do, but most likely my first instinct will be to butcher you!” Xue Yue leaned over behind Yang Kai, her hands resting on his shoulders as she sighed.
“I’m prepared for that, rest assured, I’ll definitely run far away, so far you won’t ever be able to find me,” Yang Kai nodded.
“Your strength is too low, if I really want to find you, it doesn’t matter how far you run or where you hide!” Xue Yue still breathed hot breath next to Yang Kai’s ear, her cold tone slowly showing signs of melting as she softly whispered, “Is a woman like me really not enough to keep you?”
Yang Kai didn’t say anything, but somehow a sense of sadness filled his heart.
“You’re really cruel and heartless!” Xue Yue clenched her jaw and muttered.
The next moment, Yang Kai felt a sharp pain on his neck and drops of warm liquid drip down on his skin.
He couldn’t help wanting to turn around and comfort her but he somehow resisted.
After a long time, Xue Yue released Yang Kai, her delicate mouth filled with golden blood. After swallowing this blood down she once again grit her teeth and declared, “Drinking your blood today is compensation for all the disrespectful acts you’ve done to me. If you ever let me see you again in the future, I’ll peel your skin and eat your meat, don’t doubt me, I’ll live up to my words! Go and never show yourself before me again, because if you do, I don’t know I will do.”
Saying so, turned her back to Yang Kai, her shoulders trembling, the tone of her voice rising in pitch.
Yang Kai sighed softly, stood up, opened his mouth, but still didn’t know what to say.
Listening to the footsteps of Yang Kai’s departure, Xue Yue’s beautiful eyes burst into tears that seemed to flow without end.
She knew that she would never have a chance to live like this again, and that starting today she would have to resume her role as Xue Yue Third Young Master.
A Star Shuttle shot up into the sky like a bolt of lightning, quickly dashing towards the Starry Sky.
After an hour, Yang Kai stopped and stood amidst the stars, overlooking the colourful Rainfall Star.
In the next instant, an indistinct shackle which was tying down his Soul loosened and Yang Kai couldn’t help feeling as if he had suddenly become free. At the same time, a questioning voice seemingly sounded in the ear.
Yang Kai responded affirmatively.
Then, with a loud bang, the invisible shackles on his Soul suddenly shattered and all the sorrow and anxiety he felt for leaving Xue Yue disappeared, allowing Yang Kai’s mood to completely clear up.
Prior to this, Yang Kai wasn’t quite sure how much the Soul Chains were affecting him, but when they were finally unlocked, he was able to realize the profoundness of this Soul Skill.
It could not only link the lives of two people, but it was also capable of producing warm intentions between them for no reason, making them reluctant to leave one another.
Yang Kai couldn’t help wondering about what would have been the case if it wasn’t Xue Yue who had used the Soul Chains but instead it was an old man or woman with their neck half-buried in the grave.
Would he have also felt a deep sense of affection for them?
Thinking about such a possibility, Yang Kai suddenly shivered.
But now that the Soul Chains had been completely lifted by the two side’s mutual agreement, those illusionary feelings had also disappeared and now, besides some slight regret, Yang Kai no longer felt loathed to part with her.
Regardless of appearance, identity, or cultivation, Xue Yue was an outstanding woman, and any man who missed a chance to be with her would certainly feel a sense of regret.
The moment the Soul Chains were unlocked, Yang Kai reached out and tore space, escaping a thousand kilometers away.
Xue Yue had told him upfront that once she was free from the constraints of the Soul Chains, she didn’t know how she would react. Yang Kai could only assume she would act ruthlessly against him.
He knew too many of her secrets and had taken advantage of her so much that with her vicious temperament, it would be strange if she just let him leave safely.
That’s why Yang Kai first left Rainfall Star on his Star Shuttle and only unlocked the Soul Chains with Xue Yue at the furthest distance possible, it was all in order to give himself a head start in escaping in case Xue Yue turned on him on the spot.
After tearing space ten times in succession, travelling ten thousand kilometres in a blink of an eye, Yang Kai threw a Spiritual Energy restoring pill into his mouth while urging his Star Shuttle forward to continue his escape.
He could clearly feel a murderous intent behind him, like a shadow following him.
Ten days later, somewhere amidst the vast Star Field, Yang Kai sat cross-legged atop his Star Shuttle as it flew forward.
The Star Shuttle had been imprinted with a Star Chart Yang Kai made personally and was moving towards a distant location. Rainfall Star had long ago disappeared and when he looked back he could only see indistinct flickering stars.
After flying for more than ten days without any pursuing troops catching up, Yang Kai felt he should be safe, otherwise with the resources at Xue Yue’s disposal, she would have caught up to him long ago.
He had even come up with a number of contingency plans, the last of which was to simply hide in The Void, denying Xue Yue any opportunity to catch him.
Just as he felt relieved though, Yang Kai faintly felt a set of life auras enter the range of his Divine Sense.
Using thin Divine Sense threads joined together with his comprehension of the Dao of Space, Yang Kai was quickly able to analyse the strength of these people before they could possibly be aware of him.
Three people, all of them First Order Saint Kings, each one traveling on their own Star Shuttle and moving quickly in his direction. Yang Kai could also tell that they had been flying through the Star Field for quite some time, with each of them having expended a great deal of energy.
Had they come chasing him on Xue Yue’s orders? Or did they just happen to be passing through? Yang Kai couldn’t judge, choosing to hide his aura and change direction; regardless of this group’s intent, Yang Kai first planned to avoid them in order to not stir up trouble.
But to his surprise, after changing directions several times in succession, the three pursing him continued to follow flies drawn to honey, closing the distance between them with each passing moment.
If Yang Kai hadn’t figured out what the purpose of these three people was by now, he would have lived his life in vain.
These three people were definitely a pursuit force sent out by Xue Yue, otherwise their goal wouldn’t have been so obvious.
Sitting on his Star Shuttle, Yang Kai squinted towards the rear, not continuing to flee.
What did Xue Yue mean with this action? Did she want these three First Order Saint Kings to bring him back?
She was well aware of his strength. Back on Water Moon Star, at just the Second Order Saint’ Realm he had managed to kill a cultivator at the First Order Saint King Realm, so now that he had reached the Third Order Saint, how could three First Order Saint Kings possibly be enough to capture him?
Xue Yue had far stronger subordinates she could have sent out. Ha Li Ka and Lin Mu Feng were Origin Returning Realm masters and the branch was not lacking Secord or Third Order Saint Kings. As long as she issued an order, Ha Li Ka himself would have no choice but to set out.
But she had only sent out three First Order Saint Kings!
Was she using the lives of these three people to make a clean break with him, to show the depths of her thoughts and her determination?
Such an act fit perfectly with her temperament, and knowing her intentions, Yang Kai grinned fiercely.
This was also good, Xue Yue’s approach had allowed the last trace of regret in his heart disappear.
If they were to meet again in the future, Yang Kai believed that Xue Yue would definitely try to kill him, no longer displaying the same dangerous yet enchanting attitude he had come to know.
However, Yang Kai had made up his mind to never get involved with this woman again and didn’t plan on having any interaction with her in the future.
Yang Kai sat in place and observed as his three pursuers swept the area around themselves with their Divine Senses, clearly not aware of his position yet.
Only after they closed to within a certain distance did the three people’s mood suddenly jump, as if they had just found a profound treasure, swiftly taking back their Divine Senses after discovering Yang Kai; and flew towards him.
Seeing these three idiots standing not far away from him after setting up a triangular formation around him, each of their faces wearing an aggrieved and angry expression, Yang Kai knew they must have been had been sent here by Xue Yue against their will.
Since Xue Yue sent them here to die, they must have somehow offended or upset her.
Yang Kai wasn’t familiar with them and had never even seen them before, so there was no psychological burden on him when it came to killing them.
“Little brat, daring to covet Xue Yue Third Young Masters woman, you’re not lacking courage I’ll give you that! Although that woman is useless except for being a bit more beautiful and greatly annoys this master, when all is said and done she’s not someone who can ever be yours. Good, we brothers have been ordered to bring you back alive, obediently surrender and we’ll make you suffer less, if you disobey us we’ll break your hands and feet then beat you half-dead before dragging you back!” The big man to his left shouted.
“Fuck, father here has lived for so many years yet never had to experience flying so far through the Starry Sky on a flimsy Star Shuttle. This time I’ve suffered greatly due to that woman. Little brat, how do you plan on compensating me?” A young looking man to his right snapped at Yang Kai with an unpleasant look, his eyes filled with anger, apparently blaming Yang Kai for all of his suffering.
Flying through the Star Shuttle on a Starry Sky was by no means a pleasant experience, usually, cultivators would take Starships from one Cultivation Star to another and only occasionally perform some scouting missions via Star Shuttle, but these missions would only last three or five days at most.
But this time, they had chased Yang Kai down for a full ten days, causing all three of these cultivators to feel extremely exhausted even after refining a great deal of Saint Crystals.
Naturally they intended to make up for these losses by robbing Yang Kai.
“Heh heh, that woman only asked us to bring this brat back, she didn’t say anything about the things on him. I heard that he tricked Ha Li Ka using that woman’s name to get him and Sir Lin Mu Feng to open the branch’s storeroom and take a lot of good things from it including tens of thousands of High-Rank Saint Crystals!” The last man said greedily.
“Really?” The big man and the young man’s eyes both fixed on the Space Ring on Yang Kai’s fingers, their eyes burning with greed.
Tens of thousands of Saint Crystals was a massive amount of wealth, enough to temp all three of these three.
“That’s right, I took fifty thousand pieces of Saint Crystals,” Yang Kai chuckled, holding up the ring on his hand as he continued, “They’re all in this ring, en, I also took a number of Saint King Grade herbs and ores. The value of those things isn’t low either, probably at least a hundred thousand Saint Crystals.”
Listening to Yang Kai, no matter which of the three men it was, they couldn’t help feeling their breathing speed up a bit as greed and coveting filled their gazes.
“Little brat, hand over that ring and I promise not to hurt you, of course that’s only as long as cooperate with us!” The big man extended his hand to Yang Kai with a big grin.
“You want this? Then first answer a question for me,” Yang Kai smiled.
“If you have something to ask just ask so we can hurry back, I don’t want to remain here a moment longer than necessary,” The big man said impatiently. It wasn’t just inconvenient to travel the Starry Sky by Star Shuttle, it was dangerous. Not only would one need to consume their own strength constantly, if a sudden Starry Sky Storm or fast-moving asteroid were to hit them, their lives might be in danger.
If it wasn’t under the threat of that woman, who would be willing to accept such a task? Even Ha Li Ka had been somewhat irritated by that annoying woman.
Seeing Yang Kai intend to cooperate, the big man quickly urged him.
“How did you find me? It’s not that I’m looking down on your three, but the three of you don’t seem to have such great skill that you’d be able to accurately follow me for so long,” Yang Kai asked curiously.
The three looked at each other and laughed.
The big man didn’t try to conceal it, waving his hand and taking out a colourful ribbon. When this ribbon appeared, as if it was pulled by some invisible force, it flew directly towards Yang Kai.
Yang Kai’s expression changed slightly as he reached out and grabbed the ribbon.
On this ribbon, he could faintly smell Xue Yue’s fragrance.
“You were relying on this?” Yang Kai frowned, “What is it?”
“If you ask father, who is father supposed to ask?” The big man grinned, “Before leaving, that woman handed it to me and said that by following its guidance we’d be able to find you, so we followed it all this way and sure enough we’ve now caught you.”
Yang Kai stared at this man deeply and felt that he wasn’t lying or trying to deceive him.
Looking at the ribbon again, Yang Kai suddenly understood something and ground his teeth, “That cheap slut!”
At this moment, he suddenly understood where the problem was. That woman’s plans were worthy of admiration, a simple conversation before he left was enough for her to set up this scheme.
The drink prepared by Xue Yue at that time was nothing but a distraction, there really wasn’t any kind of drug in it and was only meant to draw him into a false sense of security after he refused it. All along her real intention was to bite his neck while she shed tears of anger and bitterness.
When she bit him, she definitely left behind some kind of mark on him, otherwise how could she possible determine his position with a mere ribbon?
Having figured out what method these three had been relying on to track him, Yang Kai relaxed.
As long as he knew how they were doing it, it wasn’t a difficult problem to resolve.
Yang Kai stowed the colourful ribbon into his Space Ring before turning an indifferent look towards the three men.
Since Xue Yue had made her position and attitude clear, what he had to do now was provide an appropriate response.
Seemingly having noticed the murderous intent in Yang Kai’s eyes, with a loud shout, the big man on the left suddenly pushed his strength and did not hesitate to take action.
The other two didn’t do anything, simply crossing their arms in front of their chests as they prepared to watch the show, hoping to admire the miserable look on Yang Kai’s face after he was captured.
In their opinion, Yang Kai was just a Third Order Saint, so no matter which of them made a move, it would be easy for that one person to capture him.
A mountain-like momentum exploded from the body of the big man on the left, submerging a large area of the Starry Sky in a strange pressure which seemed to squeeze Yang Kai from all directions, causing the latter’s bones to let out a crackling sound as if they were being crushed and broken.
The big man sneered as he flickered to appear behind Yang Kai. In the next instant, this man grew into a hundred-meter tall giant that lifted up one of its enormous feet, covered it in a brown energy halo, and stepped down towards Yang Kai.
A soul extinguishing pressure burst from the giant’s eyes and flew straight towards Yang Kai’s Knowledge Sea.
When he noticed that his attacker was actually using a Soul Skill against him, Yang Kai couldn’t help grinning and simply stood his ground calmly, waiting for the Soul Skill to reach him.
If his opponent had used a physical attack, Yang Kai may have needed to spend some effort to deal with it, but since this big man had chosen to use a Soul Skill, Yang Kai had nothing to worry about.
Yang Kai’s Soul strength was far greater than his cultivation, at least on the same level as a Second Order Saint King’s, and with the added effects of his Conflagrated Knowledge Sea, even if he was facing the Soul Skill of a Third Order Saint King, he wouldn’t lose.
This big man was only a First Order Saint King and was thinking he could easily bully Yang Kai, taking him in a single move, but how could he have known how strange Yang Kai’s strength really was?
Waves of Spiritual Energy Soul overlapped to form a potent strike that the big man sent hurtling into Yang Kai’s Knowledge Sea, but before this Soul Skill could play any role, it was met with a burning hot force and instantly incinerated.
The smug expression the big man’s face completely changed and his giant body shrivelled back down to normal size as his pupils shrank to the size of a needle tip, his complexion paling greatly.
The overwhelmingly powerful Conflagrated Spiritual Energy inside Yang Kai’s Knowledge Sea had caused him to suffer a big loss. His Divine Sense had been immediately damaged and pain so great he felt as if his head was splitting apart assailed him in the next instant.
At the same time, the big man’s pitiful screams rang out, a black spear of Demonic Flame appearing in Yang Kai’s hand and was thrown out before anyone could react.
*Xiu…*
A whooshing sound resounded.
Perceiving the approaching crisis, the big man forcefully circulated his strength and summoned out a Saint King Grade Mid-Rank defensive artifact.
This artifact was shaped like an umbrella and span slowly in front of the big man in order to deflect incoming attacks. The big man had relied on this umbrella artifact to save himself from a number of what would have been fatal injuries in the past.
He believed that this time would be no exception, and as long as he could block this spear, he would be able to survive while his two companions who have not moved took action to assist him!
The umbrella-like artifact however failed to live up to the big man’s expectations and before he could tell how, the Demonic Flame spear disappeared and strangely reappeared just one meter away from him.
The spear had leapt across space, bypassing the big man’s defences entirely, appearing from The Void right in front of the big man, causing him to let out a cry of horror as it easily penetrated his stone-like body.
A burning hot yet simultaneously freezing cold strength spread out from the spear as the black Demonic Flames burned down his body, the contradictory waves of heat and chill making it impossible for the big man to mount any kind of defence. No matter how he pushed his own strength, he was unable to extinguish the Demonic Flames eating away at his body, instead only making things worse as the black flames seemed capable of burning everything it was fed, whether it was his clothing, his flesh and blood, or even his Saint Qi, all of it was just fuel to the Demonic Flames.
The big man was soon completely engulfed and turned into a black fireball, his mournful screams echoing across the Starry Sky as he flew this way and that like a headless fly, quickly disappearing from sight.
The other two men, who had been assuming relaxed postures, expecting to just spectate for fun, now wore extremely solemn expressions as a deep sense of shock, fear, and horror-filled their hearts.
Fighting and defeating opponents at a higher rank than one’s own was not a foreign concept to them. As cultivators of a Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce branch, basically each of them had their own unique skills and abilities, allowing them to fight ordinary cultivators who stood a Minor Realm above their own.
But what they had just witnessed was something entirely different, a boy killing an opponent with higher cultivation than his own in the blink of an eye was something neither of these two men had ever even imagined, yet now this absurd situation had actually happened right in front of their eyes.
The two men immediately realized how horrifying Yang Kai’s combat strength was and understood that this time they had taken on an incredibly dangerous mission.
Without any kind of discussion or eye contact, the two remaining men shot towards Yang Kai at the same time, not daring to hold back any of the strength, only wishing to defeat this strange boy as swiftly as possible.
A big drum-like artifact was summoned out by one of them and while he rushed towards Yang Kai, he beat this drum with the stick in his hand.
*Dong…*
A deep and resonant sound rang out, one that seemed capable of shaking the Star Field itself, and with this sound came a heavy murderous intent that flushed towards Yang Kai.
Yang Kai opened his left hand and condensed a Grand Heavenly Shield just before this invisible attack hit him. When the Grand Heavenly shield was struck by this potent strike, its surface sank inwards and nearly broke.
The other attacking man summoned out a long sword and stabbed it forward, releasing a ray of light that along with the invisible attack from the big drum slammed towards Yang Kai.
The Grand Heavenly Shield broke after less than three breaths.
Anyone who had reached the Saint King Realm was no pushover, each of them had experienced countless life or death battles and spent countless hours cultivating to obtain their current strength.
Facing the joint attack from these two, Yang Kai didn’t dare to act carelessly.
Demonic Flames burst from his body and soon a Black Dragon from behind Yang Kai’s back. With a deafening dragon roar, this Black Dragon shook its head and swung his tail, its giant house sized eyes locking onto the two attackers who flew towards Yang Kai.
Yang Kai stepped onto the dragon’s head, and as he spread out his vast Spiritual Energy towards the two men in front of him, he constantly pushed his Saint Qi to condense and display various Nine Heavens Divine Skills along with his comprehension of the Dao of Space. Profound Heavenly Sword, Heaven Punishing Spear, Heaven Covering Hand, each strike Yang Kai sent out leapt across space, suddenly appearing and disappearing, quickly suppressing the two attackers.
As his strength had grown, Yang Kai had come to realize an important truth, there was no strict division between Martial Skills.
When one’s cultivation and understanding of their own of strength reached a high enough level, even supposedly Low-Grade Martial Skills could display astonishing power.
Artifacts were different, Low-Grade artifacts were just Low-Grade artifacts, no matter how one used them, they could never become High-Grade artifacts or be used in high-level battles.
However, Martial Skills were simply an application of one’s strength, and as long as one reached a high enough cultivation, they no longer needed to even use Martial Skills as they apply their own strength to respond appropriate during the course of a battle.
Martial Skills were developed to assist cultivators who had just stepped onto the Martial Dao so they could begin to comprehend how to use their strength.
So although after coming to the Star Field, the artifacts and herbs Yang Kai had brought from Tong Xuan Realm were of little use, with the exception of supreme treasures like the Soul Warming Lotus and Demon Eye of Annihilation, he could still use his Martial Skills freely.
The Black Dragon’s body exuded a terrifying aura, nearly causing the courage of the two Saint King Realm cultivators to break as both of them used their full strength to attack yet failed to cause any harm to Yang Kai.
As it overlooked them, the Black Dragon sent a mountain-like pressure towards the two attacks, greatly impeding their movements.
The huge dragon’s maw suddenly opened and engulfed one of the men, swallowing one of them into its form before biting into the other man’s body. Although it failed to tear this man in two, the dark Demonic Flame spread directly to him and no matter how this man tried to extinguish them, he failed and soon followed in the footsteps of the first big man.
The screams of pain gradually diminished and eventually, silence reigned.
The Black Dragon dissipated and the residual Demonic Flames were quickly taken back into Yang Kai’s body.
Amidst the vast Starry Sky, only two burnt corpses remained.
Yang Kai stood in place for a while but unlike normal, he was unable to absorb the remnant Spiritual Energy from these three.
Helplessly shaking his head, Yang Kai knew that the Souls of these people should have been completely extinguished by the Demonic Flame.
Not thinking it was something worth regretting though, Yang Kai simply glanced in the direction of Rainfall Star before summoning his Star Shuttle once more and flying off.
Back on Rainfall Star, in the main palace of the Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce branch.
Xue Yue, wearing a stunning red dress, closed her eyes and sat upon her chair, motionless.
Ha Li Ka, Lin Mu Feng, and the middle-aged woman all stood by, glancing around at each other from time to time, but none of them daring to speak.
The atmosphere in the hall was stifling.
They didn’t know what had transpired for Xue Yue to actually send three First Order Saint Kings to chase after Yang Kai.
Yang Kai had worked hard to awaken Xue Yue for nearly a year, and Ha Li Ka and the other executives who had witnessed the entire incident really couldn’t figure out how this pair of master and servant had turned into enemies.
Could it be that this little brat had thoughtlessly taken advantage of this lady then abandoned her? Ha Li Ka and the others couldn’t help thinking.
Old Zong, on the other hand, didn’t pay any attention to this incident.
The three branch executives felt incredibly awkward.
Just as he was mulling over his suspicions again, Ha Li Ka’s complexion suddenly changed and he took out a wooden token from his Space Ring, carefully stared at it for a moment, then cupped his fists and said, “Lady Xue’er, Hei Ying’s team of three have all… died!”
Xue Yue’s beautiful eyes opened slowly, not showing any trace of surprise, her slightly furrowed brow relaxing, as if she had put down some kind of great worry, allowing her to exhale a long breath.
After learning of the death of the three men sent out, Xue Yue said nothing and instead just stood up and walked towards her room.
“Lady Xue’er!” Ha Li Ka stepped forward and called out.
Xue Yue paused and looked back at him coldly.
Ha Li Ka couldn’t help feeling a sense of panic when those beautiful star-like eyes fixed on him, gulping to himself quietly.
He couldn’t understand why, but he felt as if it was Xue Yue Third Young Master staring at him in that moment.
Ha Li Ka, as the President of the Rainfall Star branch, had naturally met Xue Yue Third Young Master and experienced his ruthless methods. It wasn’t an exaggeration to say he was quite familiar with this look; it was clearly the one Xue Yue Third Young Master wore when he was displeased.
He couldn’t understand why two completely different people who were even of different genders had the exact same eyes, but pushing down his fear, Ha Li Ka quickly said, “Lady Xue’er, were Hei Ying and his team killed by Little Brother Yang?”
“Yes!” Xue Yue nodded slightly.
Ha Li Ka, Lin Mu Feng, and the middle-aged woman all paled.
“How could that be? Little Brother Yang is only a Third Order Saint. Even if he is capable of fighting above his realm, dealing with one person should be his limit, how could he defeat three stronger opponents all at once?” Lin Mu Feng shook his head repeated, seemingly unable to believe Xue Yue’s words.
That was three Saint Kings, not three Saints, such a result was simply impossible.
“Then how do you think they died?” Xue Yue turned to look Lin Mu Feng lightly, the latter immediately not knowing how to respond.
Ha Li Ka instead, after watching the situation carefully, asked hesitantly, “Lady Xue’er, why is it that after hearing that Hei Ying and his team died you seem happy?”
“Do I?” Xue Yue asked faintly.
Ha Li Ka shook his head and didn’t dwell on the issue. Hei Ying and his team dying were because their strength wasn’t high enough, so there was nothing to complain about. After thinking about it for a moment, Ha Li Ka asked, “Lady Xue’er, that Yang Kai was your guard, but he has now killed three members of my branch. How should I process this matter?”
“What else is there to do? He’s not my guard anymore, en, if you see him later, capture him alive for me, I want him to taste the most exquisite torture this world has to offer!” Xue Yue commanded, her voice seemingly filled with the coldest malice from the depths of purgatory. Finished with what she had to say, she waved her hand and slowly walked off.
The three executives left in the hall all stared at each other in blank dismay.
“Lady Xue’er seems to have put down something which was burdening her,” The middle-aged woman spoke thoughtfully.
“I don’t quite understand, how did those two go from being perfectly fine together a few days ago to bitter enemies in the blink of an eye?” Ha Li Ka was confused.
“The matters of youth… En, never mind, we shouldn’t get involved, since Lady Xue’er has made her stance clear, we can only follow her will. It’s a pity, that boy has such terrifying strength, if we had been able to understand that earlier, we might have been able to keep him here to cultivate.”
Ha Li Ka nodded a few times, also feeling it was a shame. A Third Order Saint Realm cultivator being able to kill three Saint Kings, such aptitude and strength was incredibly rare even taking the entire Star Field into consideration.
However, if they were to meet again the future now, the three of them could only follow Lady Xue’er’s instructions to capture him alive.
…..
Amidst the endless expanse of the Starry Sky, the only light came from the distant twinkling stars.
Yang Kai had been wandering through the Star Field now for six months.
Since leaving Rainfall Star, he had been heading towards another Cultivation Star. The massive Star Chart above his Knowledge Sea provided him with many conveniences, and at minimum, he knew where his goal was and that he wouldn’t get lost in the Starry Sky.
For others, it was likely that after six months flying through the Starry Sky aboard a Star Shuttle they would be hopelessly lost.
But Yang Kai, who had the massive Star Chart at his disposal, didn’t need to worry about that.
The distance between one Cultivation Star and another varied greatly. Some were close together and could be travelled between by Star Shuttle in less than a month or two while others were extremely remote and even by Starship, the journey could take years.
Yang Kai’s destination was relatively far away, and although he had been travelling for six months already, according to his estimations, it would still be another three months before he arrived.
This was the sorrow of poverty, if one was unable to purchase a Starship and a crew to operate it, they had no choice but to rely on Star Shuttles to traverse the Starry Sky, an act that consumed a massive amount of time.
Fortunately, Yang Kai had found ways to not waste this time.
The Heavenly Spirit Ghost Orchid was helping Yang Kai draw in the surrounding World Energy at all times, but as there was very little World Energy in the Starry Sky so it couldn’t play much of a role.
Yang Kai had been depending on High-Rank Saint Crystals during this time to restore himself and cultivate.
While cultivating, Yang Kai busied himself by studying the Alchemy books he had received from Old Zong, familiarizing himself with the medicinal effects and cultivation environments of various spirit grasses and spirit medicines. Yang Kai also studied Zong Ao’s research material on Spirit Arrays and Alchemy techniques.
After committing this knowledge to memory, Yang Kai began to explore the Dao of Space again.
Fighting with those three Saint King Realm cultivators allowed him to discover more magical uses for the Dao of Space.
By attaching his insights into the Dao of Space to his Divine Sense, Yang Kai was able to let threads of his Spiritual Energy leap across space and explore the situation at far greater distances than would ordinarily be possible. On top of that, these threads of Divine Sense were incredibly difficult to detect and even if they were, tracing them back to Yang Kai’s location was impossible.
This was an application of the Dao of Space Yang Kai had long ago comprehended.
But now he had learned that the Dao of Space could be used in conjunction with his Saint Qi to launch attacks.
During his last battle, Yang Kai had relied on his comprehension of the Dao of Space to allow his Nine Heavens Divine Skills to break through space and strike at the enemy from places they could not have anticipated.
This inadvertent discovery had allowed his combat power to soar.
As a Second-Order Saint, back on Water Moon Star, battling a First Order Saint King had left him quite exhausted, but now, killing three cultivators at the same realm had been quite easy.
This was an advantage brought about by the flexibility of the Dao of Space.
Having gotten a taste of these benefits, Yang Kai was naturally determined to study this application in much greater detail.
As he flew forward, Yang Kai contemplated and comprehended many of the mysteries of the Dao of Space, allowing some previously obscure notions to become clear.
Since entering the Star Field, he had encountered too many powerful masters, a number of whom had truly awe-inspiring strength, making Yang Kai realize just how vast the gap between himself and those people was.
To survive in this place, great personal strength was essential. Fortunately, he had a number of advantages others couldn’t hope to obtain.
Conflagrated Knowledge Sea, Demon God Golden Blood, his massive stockpile of Saint Qi, his aptitude which had been tempered to the limit, all these advantages convinced him that as long as he was given enough time, he would be able to surpass any of this world’s masters.
On top of that, Yang Kai had traversed this path before and was experienced in what he had to do. Back on Tong Xuan Realm, he had also risen from obscurity to fame, from being alone to commanding millions, so he was no stranger to this life. Now he simply had to continue forging ahead, it would take longer this time for sure, but that wasn’t a problem.
As the Star Shuttle flew forward, Yang Kai didn’t waste a moment of time.
At one point, Yang Kai suddenly opened his eyes and frowned, glancing sideways with some surprise.
More than a dozen azure lights were quickly approaching from afar, each one of them clearly a Star Shuttle. They moved swiftly in a type of pack, their leader apparently a member of the Monster Race with two short horns on his head. Yang Kai couldn’t identify which lineage this man belonged to but from his short cut hair and ruddy face, it was apparent he was quite a rough character.
This Monster Race man was surrounded by cultivators from various races, each of whom was exuding the energy fluctuations corresponding to the Saint King Realm, holding artifacts of different shapes, their eyes cold and sharp.
Yang Kai had been immersed in his own meditation and by the time he had noticed these newcomers, it was too late for him to avoid them.
He hadn’t expected to encounter a group of cultivators also flying through the Star Field by Star Shuttle.
The dozen or so azure lights approached quickly and arrived in front of Yang Kai a short while later, each of their riders directing curious looks towards him. After discovering that Yang Kai was just a Third Order Saint though, many of these people’s gazes became dismissive, some of them even openly laughing at him.
The leading Monster Race man seemed to have been born with a pair of narrow snake eyes and was holding a silver spear decorated by blue patterns that gave off a rich Water Attribute aura.
His gloomy eyes swept Yang Kai as he used his own Divine Sense to probe this unfamiliar youth, seemingly wanting to investigate all of Yang Kai’s details.
Yang Kai’s face remained unchanged, still sitting quietly atop his Star Shuttle.
“Boy, did you see anyone else pass by here?” The Monster Race man asked in a booming voice that rang in Yang Kai’s ears.
Yang Kai shook his head.
“Did you really not see anyone?” The Monster Race man didn’t seem to believe Yang Kai and directed a doubtful look towards him, “That group of people clearly came this way, we’ve been tracking them the whole time, so how could you not have encountered them? What kind of benefits did they provide to you in exchange for not revealing their whereabouts?”
He obviously felt that Yang Kai was lying to him.
Yang Kai however just shrugged. “You’re really the only living people I’ve encountered for the past few months, no one came here before you.”
Yang Kai spoke in a calm and genial tone, not wanting to stir up trouble in this place, all he wanted to do was reach his destination a bit sooner and settle down on that Cultivation Star.
Always drifting through the Starry Sky, was not a pleasant experience, and the Heavenly Spirit Ghost Orchid’s medicinal effects were nearly exhausted.
“Di Ji, the courage of this little boy isn’t small,” A woman next to the leading man commented.
A Third Order Saint facing so many Saint Kings yet still being able to remain indifferent was either crazy, bold or had something he could rely on to get him out of this situation; the woman though the second possibility was the most likely.
The Monster Race man named Di Ji nodded.
“What’s this brat smiling about? He doesn’t look trustworthy, he definitely saw that group of people and is deliberately not telling us,” Another person interjected, glaring maliciously towards Yang Kai, seemingly wanting to rush forward and attack him.
Di Ji just stared at Yang Kai coldly, his eyes flashing slightly, not expressing an opinion either way.
“Why bother trying to talk with him? After we kill him and search his Soul everything will become clear won’t it?” Another person called out, looking rather impatient as he shouted, “Brat, if you don’t cooperate, don’t blame us for being heavy-handed.”
Yang Kai glanced over at this man and smiled lowly, and wisp of cold light flashing across the depths of his eyes.
“Forget it, we don’t have time to waste stirring up trouble, he doesn’t seem to be lying anyways,” The Monster Race man named Di Ji shook his head and suddenly said. It wasn’t apparent what he was thinking but it seemed he didn’t have any intention to act openly against Yang Kai, simply calling out in the next moment, “Kid, our group has been out here for quite some time, but we still haven’t been able to track down our targets. We’ve consumed a lot of Saint Crystals and now don’t have much left, give us some of yours as well as some restorative pills and we won’t embarrass you further.”
Yang Kai frowned slightly; he had thought this group would act against him, yet now things had taken a sudden turn for the better.
Nodding lightly, Yang Kai replied plainly, “Fine!”
Saying so, the Space Ring on Yang Kai’s finger flashed and he openly sent out a thousand or so High-Rank Saint Crystals towards this group.
When these people saw these Saint Crystals fly over towards them, their eyes all went red with greed and the quickly began snatching them, big grins appearing on their faces as they worked.
They had truly been wandering through the Star Field for quite some time and were low on supplies, otherwise, with their strength, it would have been impossible for them to become this happy after only receiving this amount of Saint Crystals.
Yang Kai suddenly couldn’t help remembering the two sisters He Zao and He Miao of Sword Union. Back in the Chaotic Abyss, the two sisters had also had to find an asteroid to hide inside to avoid the power of the Starry Sky and if Yang Kai hadn’t sent them some supplies, they would have died long ago.
When one spent extended periods of time in the Starry Sky, having enough Saint Crystals and restorative pills was essential to survival.
Seeing Yang Kai scatter a thousand High-Rank Saint Crystals without blinking, Di Ji couldn’t help showing some surprise, not having expected this youth to be so rich.
Being able to toss out a thousand High-Rank Saint Crystals meant for certain there were more Saint Crystals in his Space Ring, and for a time, Di Ji became excited.
Not only him, the cultivators who had caught Yang Kai’s Saint Crystals also now had greed looks on their faces as they stared at the ring on Yang Kai’s hand, wishing they could rush out and snatch it.
Several people from this group had quietly shifted their positions and secretly condensed their strength, only waiting for Di Ji to give the order to take Yang Kai’s life.
The woman who had spoken earlier also turned to look at Di Ji, her eyes flashing a subtle light, silently inquiring about his opinion.
A look of struggle appeared on Di Ji’s face for a moment before he suddenly grinned and nodded to Yang Kai, “Seems you understand your own weight kid, this time we’ll let you off, let’s go!”
And with that said, the group reluctantly followed behind Di Ji, many of them wondering why they had let go of such a fat sheep. To them, Yang Kai was just a weak kid with more Saint Crystals than were good for him.
But since Di Ji had spoken, none of them dared to refute him and simply let out a series of sighs.
The group soared off, and only after they had left Yang Kai far behind did the woman ask, “Di Ji, this isn’t your style, what are you so concerned about?”
Di Ji snorted and turned his head back to see that everyone in his team was looking at him, silently asking for an explanation, causing him to shout angrily, “I’ve seen people acting tough, but that brat wasn’t simply putting up a front. Didn’t any of you notice that he was completely unafraid of us? He was just a Third Order Saint, so why wasn’t he even the slightest bit anxious when he was facing us? He’s out here, all alone in the vast Star Field, if we were to kill him, no one would know, so why didn’t he look the least bit worried?”
Many people wore pensive looks and one of them soon muttered, “Does he have an Elder protecting him in secret nearby?”
“Fuck! You stupid pig, you should just die early so you can quickly be reincarnated!” Di Ji shouted furiously, “I really wonder how you managed to survive until now.”
The scolded man turned red but didn’t dare to retort, only whispering under his breath in a tone so small no one could hear him.
The woman thoughtfully spoke up next, “Do you mean to say that boy was had enough confidence that even if we attacked him it wouldn’t matter?”
Di Ji nodded, “It should be like that.”
“How can that be? He’s just a Third Order Saint. With so many of us, could it be he was confident he could kill us?” The woman shouted in disbelief.
“He wouldn’t be able to kill us, but we may not be able to kill him either. There must be a powerful master behind that kid and he’s probably carrying a number of powerful artifacts. If we tried to act against him, he would be able to escape by taking advantage of those artifacts and in the end, we’ll have gained nothing and instead created a life or death enmity. Once his Elders or Sect find out and come to seek revenge, how are we supposed to resist?”
After listening to Di Ji’s words, the woman and the others showed frowned deeply, and the more they thought about it, the more what Di Ji said made sense to them. If he didn’t have something to rely on, how could a Third Order Saint Realm kid face so many cultivators above his realm and remain completely indifferent?
“Then why did you demand he hand over those Saint Crystals?” After the woman understood what had just happened, she couldn’t help feeling a cold sweat drip down her back, “Isn’t that also setting up a grudge between us?”
“It’s nothing so serious,” Di Ji waved his hand, “A few Saint Crystals isn’t something worth holding a grudge over. Since he has a powerful backer to depend on, naturally he won’t care about such a small amount of wealth. On top of that, it seemed like he knew I was trying to find a way to take a step back, otherwise once our group made such a big scene yet flew off without gaining the list bit of advantage, where would our face be? Didn’t you see him so easily toss out those Saint Crystals? That kid is definitely a worldly person who knows how to settle matters. Shit, are all brats so difficult to handle nowadays? Is there any space left for us in this world?”
The woman pursed her lips and laughed, playing with the Saint Crystals in her hand. After noticing that all of these Saint Crystals were High-Rank, she immediately knew what Di Ji was talking about.
A mere Third Order Saint youth possessing such wealth could only mean it had been gifted to him by his Elders.
“Forget about that kid, the people we’re looking for must be hiding around here. Let’s split up, you take your team that way and I’ll head this way, whoever discovers them will send out a signal and we’ll all converge on their location. The sooner we finish this up the sooner we can go back, damn it, after drifting around for a half a year I really don’t want to say here any longer!”
“Yeah,” The woman nodded, taking half of the group with her and soaring off in a different direction from Di Ji.
Atop his Star Shuttle, Yang Kai remained unperturbed, this kind of minor disturbance made no impact on him.
As Yang Kai’s understanding of the Dao of Space improved, so did his ability to escape. Currently, as long as he didn’t meet with a master in the Origin Returning Realm, he had nothing to fear as he could just tear space and flee, no one would dare chase him into The Void.
If he could spend a thousand Saint Crystals to save himself some trouble though, he would happily do so.
As time passed, Yang Kai continued to move closer to his goal.
One day, Yang Kai arrived at an Asteroid Sea, and at a glance, he could see countless asteroids spread out across a vast area, some as large as mountains while others were as small as plates.
In the Starry Sky, there were many, many Asteroid Seas like this one which could blot out the sky, some of them large enough that it would take months to traverse via Star Shuttle. Generally speaking, these Asteroid Seas didn’t simply drift about freely, not following any kind of set course.
When Starships sailed the Starry Sky, they would take care to avoid regions where there were large Asteroid Seas as they could not only affect the speed of navigation, but also posed a danger to the Starship itself. If a Starship was to be hit in a bad spot there was even a risk that it could be sunk.
Excellent Chart Masters would draw up Star Charts to avoid such regions in order to allow Starships to reach their destinations safely.
Arriving here, Yang Kai couldn’t let the Star Shuttle fly forward on its own because one bad hit from an erratic asteroid could destroy it, so he had no choice but to temporarily put down other matters and concentrate on flying.
Travelling through the dense asteroids, after about ten days, Yang Kai reached a central position in the Asteroid Sea, ahead of which he could still see endless asteroids though.
Yang Kai wasn’t anxious though, he wasn’t in a hurry to get where he was going.
Amidst the dark Asteroid Sea, a bloom of light suddenly appeared in front of Yang Kai, causing him to frown and quickly release his Divine Sense to investigate.
A number of strong and weak life auras came from a position ahead of him and Yang Kai could detect energy fluctuations that could only be associated with battle.
Were there other people in this place?
Yang Kai felt the situation was a little strange, but looking at the scene in front of him, it was clear that some kind of conflict had broken out.
Suddenly, Yang Kai thought about the group he had met a few days ago.
This probably wasn’t a coincidence. Yang Kai had been wandering the Starry Sky for half a year now and had not met a single other person besides them, so it was more than likely it was the same group.
When they last met, Yang Kai was able to understand from their words that they were pursuing some kind of enemy, and judging from the current situation, that group seemed to have caught up with their target.
Yang Kai quietly flew over, concealing his aura, landing atop a rather large asteroid a moment later, using it to hide himself as he took a closer look, soon discovering that his conjecture was correct.
On one side of the battle was the group of cultivators lead by Di Ji; they had nearly twenty people, but at this moment less than half that number remained. From the nearby asteroids that were filled with blood stains and broken limbs, it was obvious the other half of their group had suffered a disaster.
The group that was fighting Di Ji and his allies wasn’t much better off. Everyone was going all out, panting for breath as they swung their artifacts and sent out various different attacks, many people cursing loudly as they fought.
Both sides were in a tragic state with the number of injuries and deaths constantly climbing.
Yang Kai hid well enough that no one was able to find him then began absorbing the Soul remnants of the fallen cultivators into his Knowledge Sea.
Everyone here was a master at the Saint King Realm so each of their remnant Souls was very helpful to Yang Kai. These people’s perceptions and insights into the Martial Dao and Heavenly Way would enhance Yang Kai’s own comprehensions, giving him a joyful feeling as he quietly moved closer towards the centre of the battlefield, hoping to draw in more of these remnant Souls.
Di Ji’s group wasn’t anything good. It was obvious from their previous attitude towards Yang Kai that if not for Di Ji having some scruples, they would have openly attacked.
So even if these people died, Yang Kai wouldn’t care.
On the other hand, the people fighting against Di Ji’s group were complete strangers to Yang Kai, so he naturally wasn’t about to step forward to help them.
Yang Kai didn’t mind sitting on a mountain top, watching the tigers fight while waiting to reap the fisherman’s benefits.
Yang Kai didn’t know how long this battle had been going on for, but from the extent of their consumption, he figured it had been at least a day or two, with their battlefield continuously shifting and drifting through the Asteroid Sea.
Yang Kai stealthily moved along with them, secretly praying that the remaining cultivators would quickly die.
As time passed, fewer and fewer people could hold on to their lives. Both sides now only had a handful of people left, even powerful Third Order Saint Kings couldn’t resist the call of death.
However, Yang Kai was keenly aware that even after they saw their comrades die, none of these people showed any regret, all of them shuttling through the Asteroid Sea as they found, inspecting the asteroids one by one, seemingly searching for something.
The deaths of so many of their comrades and their excessive consumption had gradually cooled the two parties’ heads, restoring their ability to reason. Now, both sides no longer completely disregarded their safety and were fighting in a cautious and reserved manner.
Seeing this development, after having spectated for so long, Yang Kai couldn’t help feeling a bit disappointed.
If no one else died, he couldn’t reap any benefits, so staying here any longer would just be a waste of time.
As such, he quietly left the asteroid he was hiding behind and prepared to continue on his way while processing the Soul remnants of the dozen or so Saint King Realm cultivators he had previously absorbed.
Both groups of cultivators were far too busy dealing with their remaining opponents so no one noticed him.
After the time it would take to make a cup of tea, Yang Kai was already a few hundred kilometres away from the battlefield and was preparing to summon out his Star Shuttle when a subtle yet mysterious energy fluctuation behind him suddenly caught his attention.
Yang Kai quickly turned around just in time to see a bright light flash amidst the field of asteroids, one that faded and disappeared as quickly as it had appeared.
Yang Kai stopped as a look of astonishment appeared on his face. The energy fluctuation just now gave him a very familiar feeling; it was clearly a fluctuation due to the manipulation of space. In other words, it is very likely that someone had torn space at the point where he had spotted the flash of light.
This discovery immediately drew Yang Kai’s attention. It had been a few years now since he came to the Star Field and he had learned that out of the nearly infinite number of cultivators out there, those proficient in the Dao of Space were incredibly few.
The Dao of Space itself was an esoteric field of study, one that was difficult to become introduced to, and even more difficult to master. As for reaching the pinnacle of comprehension, that was neigh impossible.
Having inadvertently stumbled upon such a location related to the Dao of Space, Yang Kai was inclined to explore it to see who the person who tore space was and whether or not he could hold a dialogue with them, preferably gaining an opportunity to learn from one another.
Releasing his, Divine Sense, Yang Kai soon swept the area in front of himself all the way up to the previous battlefield, yet to his surprise, he found no human figures in the place from a moment ago, only a faint distortion in space.
[What happened?]
Yang Kai couldn’t repress his curiosity and decided to rush back and investigate more thoroughly.
After a short while, Yang Kai once again arrived at the previous battlefield and looked around. There was indeed no one here, the several cultivators who had been fighting up until a moment ago all seemingly having disappeared, with no bodies or corpses nearby.
Yang Kai followed the distortion in space to a mountain-sized asteroid upon which a gate-like structure had been built. This gate was extremely simple, and at first glance was obviously quite old. Also of note was the fact that this gate was covered in a thick layer of Space Spirit Crystals.
At the base of the gate, there were two grooves where Saint Crystals could be placed. Looking down, Yang Kai noticed two High-Rank Saint Crystals which had been thoroughly exhausted of energy.
“A Space Array?” Yang Kai’s eyes widened as he exclaimed.
He hadn’t expected this kind of development. The slight distortion in space had clearly not been created by someone tearing space, but had instead propagated as a result of this Space Array being activated.
The two drained Saint Crystals were a clear sign that the Space Array had been turned on.
But why was there a Space Array in this place? Did this mean that what the two sides who had been fighting before were constantly looking for was this Space Array?
Where did this Space Array lead to?
The two groups having gone missing must be because they entered this Space Array and were teleported away. Yang Kai stood in front of the Space Array, his expression changing frequently as he weighed his options.
After a while, Yang Kai pulled out the two spent Saint Crystals from the Space Array’s base and replaced them with fresh ones, the Qi stored inside them quickly pouring into the array and starting it up.
A bright light suddenly appeared and rippled appeared at the centre of the gate, after which an illusory image gradually began to form.
Yang Kai sent Divine Sense threads into the gate and using his own Dao of Space comprehension sent them out ten thousand kilometres in every direction.
He didn’t see anyone, only a strange and wild piece of land with lush vegetation and bright sunlight. At a glance, Yang Kai could tell this place was a vibrant mainland.
Yang Kai withdrew his Divine Sense threads and without hesitation stepped into the Space Array.
In the blink of an eye, Yang Kai appeared in the strange world he had never seen before.
The World Energy aura around him was rich to a shocking degree; Yang Kai even estimated that it was denser than the average aura on Rainfall Star. Although it couldn’t be compared to the floating continent, it was definitely much better than other Cultivation Stars.
The Heavenly Spirit Ghost Orchid on his chest finally began playing its proper role, its gloomy face actively drawing massive amounts of the ambient World Energy into Yang Kai’s body.
Yang Kai couldn’t help revealing a look of happiness; he even considered entering secluded retreat here until the Heavenly Spirit Ghost Orchid’s medicinal effects ran out.
The Heavenly Spirit Ghost Orchid was too rare. Ha Li Ka would not have given this precious treasure to Yang Kai if it weren’t out of consideration for Xue Yue’s face, and although its effect would gradually disappear over two or three years, only half that amount of time had passed so far.
Yang Kai really didn’t want to waste this opportunity.
Thinking about it for a moment though, Yang Kai suddenly cursed in frustration.
While flying through the Starry Sky, Yang Kai could perfectly hide, but in this strange continent, it was a different story. Even if he could conceal his own aura, the Heavenly Spirit Ghost Orchid’s constant inhalation of World Energy would easily be noticed.
Sure enough, no sooner had these worries occurred to him did the cultivators who had arrived here first fly over to investigate.
There weren’t many of them left, only three or four from each side. They seemed to be quite wary of others entering this place.
It didn’t take long for all of these cultivators to assemble, the two groups who had been locking in a life or death struggle now all staring curiously at Yang Kai, everyone wondering which side he belonged to.
The monster race man named Di Ji wore a stunned look and let out a chuckle a moment later, “Kid, how did you arrive here?”
The woman who had been following beside Di Ji also stared at Yang Kai strangely, her eyes filled with a look of vigilance, apparently thinking Yang Kai had been tailing them.
“Don’t misunderstand, I don’t know them, I just happened to meet them once while travelling across the Starry Sky,” Yang Kai ignored the Di Ji and explained himself to the other group of people who were eying him dangerously.
The head of the other group was also a man who appeared to be in his late forties. This man was a Third Order Saint King, possessing similar strength to Di Ji.
This middle-aged man stepped out from his team and loudly interrogated, “How did you find this place?”
Yang Kai shrugged and responded plainly, “I was passing by when I saw some flashes of light amidst the Asteroid Sea. I followed those lights to investigate but I never expected to find a Space Array and out a curiosity, I decided to activate it and see what was on the other side. If your groups have business in this place, you should go about it with a free hand, no need to pay any attention to me. Now that I’ve had a look, I’ll leave.”
While he spoke, Yang Kai was secretly on guard. Although the number of cultivators left in these two groups had shrunk greatly, both sides still had Third Order Saint Kings and were paying close attention to him. One wrong word would land him in a dangerous situation.
He had to adopt a submissive stance here. Yang Kai was trying to find a way to have these two groups continue their previous fight, hopefully resulting in their mutual annihilation. As long as all of these people died, he would then be free to explore this strange continent and see if there was anything good to pick.
The middle-aged man stared at Yang Kai deeply, as if he wanted to look into the depths of his Soul, only nodding after a long time, his eyes suddenly flashing as he wore a kind smile, “I believe you.”
“Many thanks,” Yang Kai nodded.
“Kid, since you’ve found your way into this place, you don’t need to be in such a rush to leave,” Di Ji laughed, “Before, in the Starry Sky, Father here didn’t want to stir up any unnecessary trouble so I didn’t bother acting against you there, but here, I’d like to see where you can flee!”
Saying so, he turned and yelled at the middle-aged man, “Gui Che, you and I have consumed the vast majority of our restorative pills and Saint Crystals, but this brat is a fat sheep. The last time we met, he gave us a thousand pieces of High-Rank Saint Crystal without even blinking an eye. I’m certain there are more Saint Crystals in his Space Ring, how about we split them fifty-fifty?”
“That’s a good proposal,” The middle-aged man named Gui Che nodded slightly, looking at Yang Kai with a chuckle.
Yang Kai also stared back at him with a smile, the look on his face indifferent.
Di Ji laughed, “Gui Che, although I despise you, I do admire your easy-going personality. Since it’s settled, do you want to do it, or should I? Either that or we could both do it to avoid there being anything suspicions between us after the fact.”
Gui Che slowly shook his head, “I won’t.”
Di Ji gawked for a moment, but before he could understand what Gui Che was playing at, the middle-aged man turned to Yang Kai and said, “Little brother, would you like to join us?”
“Join you?” Yang Kai frowned, “Join you to do what?”
“To explore this place of course. No one has been here for a very long time, and there are no doubt many good things waiting for us to find. As long as you follow us, you’ll be able to obtain some benefits, how about it?” Gui Che asked in a seemingly sincere manner.
After hearing what he said, everyone looked stunned, not able to understand why Gui Che would invite a measly Third Order Saint Realm brat to join them. Not just those on Di Ji’s side, but even Gui Che’s allies were equally suspicious.
Only Di Ji, who seemed like a brute but actually had quite a sharp wit, was able to instantly understand Gui Che’s intentions, cackling as he openly said, “Gui Che, aren’t you being too shameless? If you want to let this kid explore the way for you when you come across some kind of danger, just come right out and say it, don’t use some petty trickery to win him over. Kid, don’t listen to his nonsense, I can guarantee that if you agree to his proposal, not only will you not obtain any benefits, you’ll definitely die without a complete corpse.”
When Di Ji exposed the truth, everyone understood what was going on.
Gui Che didn’t show the slightest bit of embarrassment however and instead wore an even more sincere expression as he nodded and said, “Indeed I had such ideas, but little brother, with your low strength, how could you obtain benefits without paying a little price? If you follow me, you’ll still have a chance to survive, I won’t make you go into places that are clearly too dangerous. On the other hand, if you follow Di Ji, en, I guarantee you won’t live to see tomorrow.”
“Can I act alone? Just pretend you never even saw me,” Yang Kai said with a distressed look.
Everyone let out a burst of mocking laughter.
“Good, it looks like if I don’t choose a side, I’ll die right here and now, right?”
Di Ji and Gui Che did not speak; the former snickering menacingly with his intentions obvious.
Yang Kai’s eyes moved between Gui Che and Di Ji for a time before he eventually pointed towards Gui Che, “I’ll go with you.”
Gui Che nodded in satisfaction.
Di Ji wore an indifferent expression on his face. Although failing to obtain a pawn to help explore the way was regretful, Yang Kai’s strength was so low that he didn’t really care either way. A mere Third Order Saint would undoubtedly die as soon as their groups encountered any real danger so he wasn’t of much use in the first place.
The only real regret Di Ji felt was that the Saint Crystals in Yang Kai’s Space Ring did not land in his hands, but with the richness of the World Energy aura in this place, it didn’t really matter if he could obtain those Saint Crystals or not. Letting out a snort, Di Ji shot Yang Kai a malicious glare, “Brat, your death will be very ugly, don’t blame Father here for not reminding you.”
“Following you will only make me die faster,” Yang Kai replied bluntly.
Of the people here, Yang Kai didn’t fear anyone. Even if he couldn’t beat them in a fight, couldn’t he just escape? The Third Order Saint King Gui Che’s desire to capture him was nothing more than a fool’s dream, which was why Yang Kai so easily compromised to explore the mysteries hidden here.
Since these two groups had been searching for this place all along, they clearly had a better idea of its layout and what treasures were hidden inside.
“Don’t worry, when this is all over I’ll collect your corpse for you!” Di Ji taunted Yang Kai before waving his hand and shouting, “Let’s go!”
Saying so, he led his group and flew off in a certain direction. After losing so many of their allies already, it was obvious Di Ji had no intention to continue fighting with Gui Che.
“We should also go,” Gui Che said with a smile, not making any attempt to stop Di Ji, turning in a different direction and flying off with his three remaining followers and Yang Kai bringing up the rear.
No words were exchanged along the way as Gui Che and his group didn’t seem to be in the mood for conversation. The previous battle had caused their group countless deaths and injuries and all of them were currently immersed in the sorrow of losing their friends and relatives, so they had no interest in making trouble a weak outsider like Yang Kai.
Yang Kai was also happy with the current situation and simply followed behind the group silently while observing his surroundings.
Among the people he was travelling with four, in addition to Gui Che being Third Order Saint King, a man with scars on his face was also a Third Order Saint King. Gui Che called him Gan Ji.
There was also a young woman with a pair of peach eyes and enchanting eyes as well as a slender youth who looked around the same age as Yang Kai. Both of these cultivators were Second Order Saint Kings but Yang Kai had yet to learn their names.
Against such a lineup, Yang Kai had absolutely no chance of defeating them face to face, but if he wanted to leave, Yang Kai was completely confident they wouldn’t be able to block him. Observing carefully, Yang Kai recognized the young man who was as thin as a bamboo pole as the one who had been searching around the asteroids before. The Space Array should have been found by him.
Along the way, the young man would take out a piece of old-looking animal skin with a number of strange symbols and patterns drawn on it from time to time.
Under the leadership of this youth, the group swiftly moved forward.
This world was rich in World Energy, so naturally the material wealth was also quite astonishing, spirit herbs and spirit grasses with medicinal ages in the hundreds and even thousands of years were everywhere. Yang Kai was delighted by this sight and spared no effort to collect these treasures.
Gui Che didn’t stop him and even helped to collect these herbs along with his team mates, stuffing various grasses, fruits, and flowers into his Space Ring.
Yang Kai gave them a few pointers, telling them how to harvest these herbs in order to maintain their complete medicinal efficacies, immediately earning him the attention of the four Saint Kings.
“Are you Alchemist?” The young woman couldn’t help asking.
“Yes,” Yang Kai easily admitted.
Alchemists were few in number and rarely seen out in public. In general, Alchemists focused on exploring the Alchemic Way and their cultivation realm was only a secondary concern, causing their combat effectiveness to be quite low. Hearing Yang Kai’s words, the four people’s vigilance towards him obviously relaxed a lot.
“What grade of pills can you refine?” The young woman asked curiously.
“Saint Grade High-Rank pills.”
“Not bad,” Gui Che interjected with a smile, “A Third Order Saint able to refine Saint Grade High-Rank pills. It looks like you’ll be able to refine Saint King Grade pills within a few years. Such an Alchemist would actively get snatched up by many forces, you best work hard kid.”
Yang Kai smiled and nodded.
“Can you explain something to me? Why is your body constantly absorbing World Energy? It’s quite noticeable; what pill did you eat?” The cultivator called Gan Ji looked at Yang Kai suspiciously.
Not only him, but the others in the group had also taken notice of this anomaly. Yang Kai’s was clearly not circulating his Secret Art to cultivate, but the World Energy around him was still continuing to flow into his body, improving his cultivation.
This not only aroused their curiosity but also their greed, naturally, they wanted to learn more.
“It’s not the effect of a pill, it’s because of this,” Yang Kai took the initiative to open his shirt and reveal his chest. The four pairs of eyes stared towards him and saw the gloomy baby face open its mouth and swallow a lot of World Energy.
“What is this?” The young woman reached out and touched it but was unable to discover anything about it.
“Heavenly Spirit Ghost Orchid?” Gui Che’s face changed slightly as he muttered to himself, apparently seeing through the identity of this item at a glance.
“Heavenly Spirit Ghost Orchid?” The other three called out in alarm, the slender youth’s eyes flashing with greed as his face filled with excitement, “That rare treasure that helps one cultivate? Did you really take a Heavenly Spirit Ghost Orchid?”
“En,” Yang Kai nodded calmly.
“Where did you get this thing?” Gui Che hurriedly asked, “Do you have any others?”
The Heavenly Spirit Ghost Orchid was such a rare and precious treasures that even Gui Che couldn’t suppress his desire to possess it. With this thing, he could save himself several years of cultivation time, allowing him to achieve twice the results with half the effort.
“No, this was a gift from a Senior,” Yang Kai said as he organized his clothes again. He wasn’t afraid to expose the existence of the Heavenly Spirit Ghost Orchid because once this kind of treasure was refined by someone, it could not be snatched by another.
Sure enough, upon hearing Yang Kai’s answer, all four of the others showed a pained expression, as if he was wasting the Heaven’s precious gifts.
A Third Order Saint actually using such an exotic treasure to assist his cultivation, moreover not entering secluded retreat but instead flying across the Starry Sky, it was simply the definition of waste. No matter which one of them it was, they were certain that if they were able to obtain a Heavenly Spirit Ghost Orchid, they would find a place with rich World Energy and seclude themselves until its medicinal effects were depleted.
For a time, the eyes of the four people stared at Yang Kai with clear resentment. Gui Che even trembled in anger, seemingly wanting to kill Yang Kai to vent his frustration.
“There are so many rare herbs here, perhaps one or two Heavenly Spirit Ghost Orchids can be found,” Yang Kai said casually.
The young woman just glared at him, “The environment required to breed Heavenly Spirit Ghost Orchids is extremely specific, how could it be so easy to find one? I’m afraid there is no such treasure in this place.”
“Enough nonsense, kid. Lead the way, if there is any danger that you can’t handle, speak up quickly,” Gan Ji was obviously dissatisfied with Yang Kai’s wasteful use of the Heavenly Spirit Ghost Orchid and was venting his anger by yelling.
Yang Kai nodded indifferently.
This place was a little different from the floating continent. Although both places had extremely rich World Energy and material wealth, there were clearly traces of the existence of Monster Beasts here, and these Monster Beasts were all high-order Monster Beasts. Occasionally, some Seventh or Eighth-Order beasts would appear and Sixth-Order beasts were a common sight.
Gui Che and the others clearly didn’t know much about this place, and although they possessed the animal skin that served as a guide, the drawings on it were quite vague.
Yang Kai explored the road ahead but did not encounter much danger. He could easily kill Sixth-Order Monster Beast but once he discovered any trace of Seventh-Order or Eighth-Order Monster Beasts, he would immediately turn back and inform Gui Che and his people about the situation.
Such cowardly behaviour caused the group of four to hold a very disdainful view of him, each of them feeling like this little brat was fearful and incompetent.
Yang Kai, of course, was consciously hiding his true strength, only displaying the capabilities of an ordinary Third Order Saint while helping to fight these Monster Beasts.
Gui Che and his team observed Yang Kai for many days, but found nothing suspicious and gradually relaxed their vigilance.
A mere Third Order Saint was no cause for concern to them. Gui Che had openly declared he would make Yang Kai explore the way when he invited him to travel with them.
But he had clearly overestimated how dangerous the place was, and until now the only threat came from the various Monster Beasts.
Time passed, and Yang Kai gained a great deal. In addition to the herbs he collected, the various Monster Beast parts such as their claws, fur, and cores also landed in his hands.
Gui Che wasn’t stingy, and after each Monster Beast was killed, he would distribute its valuable parts according to everyone’s contributions. Of course, Yang Kai was given the least.
Yang Kai had no complaints though.
He gradually got acquainted with this group of people, and although he knew they were harbouring ill intentions towards him, no one had made a move as of yet.
This group also didn’t seem to come from a single force. Although everyone treated Gui Che as their leader, it was obvious that Gui Che and Gan Ji were from different backgrounds while the young woman and the slender youth seemed to have come from the same force as they often supported and helped each other in battle.
Yang Kai didn’t understand why such a disparate group of people would come together to explore this place.
Yang Kai didn’t ask any question though to avoid drawing unwanted attention to himself.
After another battle that was slightly more challenging, Gui Che distributed the loot. The Eighth-Order Monster Beast’s Core was thrown to Gan Ji while the Monster Beast’s blood was collected into several jars and distributed amongst the group while its teeth, claws, and fur were all pocketed by Gui Che.
Yang Kai stuffed a jar of blood indifferently into his Space Ring.
Monster Beast blood was also very useful. It could be used for Alchemy or in laying out Spirit Arrays, and was even sometimes used for Artifact Refining.
After the battle, it was natural to take a break. The group of four had taken many Saint Crystals from Yang Kai without a hint of politeness, each of them obtaining two or three hundred pieces. Now taking out these Saint Crystals, they began to restore themselves.
Yang Kai was able to restore himself the quickest and it wasn’t long before he was back at his peak.
After an hour, the young woman also opened her eyes, put the unused Saint Crystals back into her Space Ring, then walked over to a small lake nearby to wash her face in the water.
Yang Kai glanced around and found that the other three were still meditating, so he walked over to the lake as well, crouched down beside the young woman, and took a sip of the clear water.
Although Yang Kai was still young, he could still be considered a veteran flower purveyor. From a woman’s demeanour and words, he could infer what that woman’s personality was, whether her nature was charming, seductive, cold, elegant, passionate…
When he first saw this young woman, he had thought she belonged to the seductive category. Generally, a woman with such beguiling eyes was one who wasn’t willing to remain lonely and often engaged in promiscuous behaviour.
So at the beginning, he hadn’t dared to approach this woman to avoid any kind of unwanted entanglement.
However, after slowly becoming familiar with her, Yang Kai discovered that this woman named Luo Yao had a very different personality than he originally thought. She was quite unlike Purple Star’s Bi Ya and had a noble air beneath her flirtatious appearance while her personality was calm and solemn.
This contradictory combination of appearance and demeanour created an unusually powerful appeal and Yang Kai had repeatedly found the slender man often staring at Luo Yao’s gently swaying bottom and willow-like waist, often forgetting to even blink.
Even Gui Che, when distributing the spoils from victories, would deliberately allocate more to her.
Gan Ji, a man who gave off the impression of a stalwart warrior, also paid a lot of attention to Luo Yao during each battle to protect her safety.
It wasn’t an exaggeration to say that Luo Yao had it easiest amongst this group of people.
“Little brother, do you have something to ask? If you do, just speak up,” Luo Yao as cleaned her face before turning a slightly meaningful smile to Yang Kai, obviously having seen through his intentions in approaching her.
“I just want to know, what are you guys looking for here? How did you find that Space Array?” Yang Kai made a clean break when he saw her see through his act.
The place where the two spoke was not too far from the other three, and if Gui Che and the others wanted to hide this information, they would naturally be able to step in.
But when Yang Kai asked this question, all three of these men maintained a state of meditation, which meant they didn’t care whether their purpose was exposed or not, emboldening Yang Kai significantly.
Hiding his strength and feigning weakness all this time had finally paid off, allowing this group of people to lower their guard towards Yang Kai.
“We’re looking for a place to temper our bodies,” Luo Yao replied succinctly, a faint glow appearing in the depths of her beautiful eyes, “As long as we can find that place, we can improve the strength of our physical bodies. Although you’re an Alchemist, you are also a cultivator; you should know the benefits of having greater physical strength, yes?”
Yang Kai nodded, of course he knew the advantages of having an intrepid physique, far more so than these four at least.
Without his unusually strong physique, Yang Kai would not have been able to store and utilize so much Saint Qi, nor would he be able to fight opponents above his realm so easily. A solid body was the foundation of a cultivator, no matter how profound a cultivator’s Secret Art or Martial Skills were, or how potent their Saint Qi was, if their physical body couldn’t withstand the impact of using these attributes, they would remain mediocre at best.
“Where is this place that allows you to quench your flesh?” Yang Kai couldn’t help wondering.
“I don’t know,” Luo Yao shook her head, “This is the first time we have come here. You should have heard Gui Che that day; no one has entered this place for many years. The only reason we were able to find this place at all was that Ji Peng’s ancestor left a map behind in an ancient record we accidentally found.”
“Ancient records?” Yang Kai frowned.
“My ancestor has been here before,” The tall man named Ji Peng also completely his meditation and walked over to the lake to join the conversation, “He obtained many benefits from this place and left some clues behind when he passed on. By following those clues I was able to find the Space Array hidden inside that Asteroid Sea!”
Luo Yao chuckled and looked back towards Yang Kai to say, “Boy, don’t think it was easy to find that Space Array. You also stepped through it so you should know that the Space Array itself was built atop a great asteroid, one that no doubt drifts about randomly with the Asteroid Sea, constantly changing direction. If one isn’t careful, they might pass right by it and never notice. Fortunately, Ji Peng’s ancestor was able to calculate approximately where and when the asteroid upon which the Space Array was built would appear, and as long as we conducted a thorough search of that region, we would be able to find it. Even so, it took us nearly an entire year before we finally found it. The problem is that Di Ji; I don’t know where they got wind of this news, but after they did they began relentlessly pursuing us, causing a lot of our comrades to die.”
“We will get our revenge for this in the future!” Ji Peng coldly snorted, his thin face filled with ruthlessness as he turned unceremoniously to Yang Kai, “Little brat, we’re only letting you hear all this because you’ve been quite obedient this whole time, and as long as you continue to be so, when we find that place, naturally you’ll get a share of the benefits.”
“En, I know my place,” Yang Kai responded sincerely.
After half an hour, everyone was fully restored and Ji Peng continued to study the animal skin drawing while giving out directions to everyone. No real dangers appeared along the way.
One day, as Gui Che was leading the way, he suddenly stopped and stared towards the front with a dignified expression.
A couple of dozen kilometres or so in front of him was a vast expanse of yellow sand with a storm whipping about that blotted out the sky, creating a barren landscape seemingly devoid of any vitality.
An inexplicable yet dangerous aura pulsed from this land, and when Gui Che and the others released their Divine Senses to investigate, they were surprised to discover that they could not explore into this region, as if the yellow sand storm was somehow blocking their Divine Senses.
Gui Che turned his eyes to Yang Kai and motioned for him to check it out.
Without saying a word, Yang Kai nodded and proceeded cautiously towards the yellow sand storm.
After a short while, he came to the edge of the yellow sand storm, circulated his strength to guard his body, then stepped inside.
The flying yellow sand was like a million tiny blades that banged into and cut at Yang Kai, giving him a rough beating even though he was protecting himself with his Saint Qi. Yang Kai managed to keep his eyes open to survey his surroundings, but he could barely see a meter in front of his face.
Gui Che and his group had noticed the danger of this place, so how could Yang Kai not have detected it?
Yang Kai then released his Divine Sense enhanced with his comprehension of the Dao of space to leaping quickly cover the surrounding region. Yang Kai quickly learned everything about this place, including how it stretched out roughly thirty kilometres in every direction and was filled with Earth and Wind Attribute Energy.
These two energies wove together to form a large airtight net, blocking Gui Che and his group’s Divine Senses.
Yang Kai thought this was a natural phenomenon, but when a fierce aura suddenly approached him from a certain direction, he realized he was wrong.
There was a powerful aura that pulsed with malicious intent hidden inside this world of yellow sand which clearly belonged to a living creature.
Yang Kai stood motionless as he stared with widened eyes in the direction of the aura’s source, trying to determine what it was that was moving towards him.
The earth began to tremble as the fierce aura drew closer and closer to himself. At the same time, Yang Kai smelt a stench that nearly made him faint.
Yang Kai couldn’t see anything clearly and was only able to notice that the earth was constantly subsiding as more and more yellow sand was kicked up and swept into the air by the strong winds, blurring his vision even further.
Silently, two huge pincers stretched out towards Yang Kai’s head. As these pincers opened and closed, they seemed like they were slicing through space, causing a sense of crisis to well up in his heart and prompting Yang Kai to quickly withdraw. The moment he left the yellow sandstorm, Yang Kai saw two scarlet eyes staring at him from within.
An invisible pressure came from inside the sandstorm, making it difficult for Yang Kai to even breath.
His Wind and Thunder Wings opening, Yang Kai’s speed increased to its maximum in an instant and he flew out a dozen kilometres in an instant. A pair of purple pincers passed through the spot Yang Kai was originally at, slicing apart his afterimage.
Cold sweat dripped from Yang Kai’s forehead as he flew over to Gui Che and the others without looking back.
A moment later, he arrived in front of Gui Che with a completely pale face.
“What did you find?” Gui Che hurriedly asked, with Gan Ji, Luo Yao, and Ji Peng also staring at him expectantly.
“An ominous beast!” Yang Kai frowned, “It can resist the power of the wind and earth, has two large pincers, and crimson red eyes. It also looked like it had a barbed tail and could perfectly camouflage itself in the sandstorm. Even if one was standing right next to it, it would be difficult to discover, it’s clearly very dangerous.”
“Was the surface of its body purple?” Gui Che expression changed, asking urgently.
Yang Kai thought for a while and nodded, “Yes, just as I left, it’s pincers emerged from the sandstorm and they were indeed purple. Do you know what it is?”
The other three also turned expectant eyes towards Gui Che.
Gui Che suddenly grinned and put on a smug look, “Scarlet Tailed Purple Armoured Scorpion, have you heard of it?”
Hearing this name, the faces of the other three lit up and excited light flashed across their eyes.
Gan Ji even yelled, “Seriously? Is it really a Scarlet Tailed Purple Armoured Scorpion?”
“From what Yang Kai saw, plus my own judgment, it should be a Scarlet Tailed Purple Armoured Scorpion. En, we’ve finally found something good! Hahaha, even if we can’t find that body tempering place now, as long as we kill that Scarlet Tailed Purple Armoured Scorpion, this trip will have been worthwhile,” Gui Che laughed.
“But the Scarlet Tailed Purple Armoured Scorpion is a Ninth-Order Monster Beast, equivalent to an Origin Returning Realm master. Can the few of us really kill it?” Luo Yao’s peach blossom eyes flashed with concern.
“There shouldn’t be a problem,” Gan Ji thought for a while before responding confidently, “Monster Beasts are just Monster Beasts in the end, moreover, after having lived in this place for so long, it probably has very limited fighting experience. If it can only move against us on instinct, we can definitely take it down.”
“Fair enough,” Ji Peng didn’t have an opinion, an eager look appearing on his face.
“Is that Monster Beast valuable?” Yang Kai asked suspiciously.
Gui Che grinned, “More so than a low-level Tenth-Order Monster Beast at least! Most Monster Beasts don’t have anything of value on them besides their Monster Cores. Although sometimes a beast’s claws, teeth, or skin have some use, their value is still quite limited, but this Scarlet Tailed Purple Armoured Scorpion is completely different. Whether it is its carapace, tail, or pincers, they can all be used to refine artifacts, and those artifacts will definitely be at least Origin Grade, its blood and poison are also useful for Alchemy and its Monster Core can allow a cultivator to improve their strength, its whole body is a treasure! The most valuable item though is its Monster Core, because it is a Monster Beast that wields two different yet perfectly fused attributes. If a cultivator can refine its core, they will be able to gain insight into both the Wind and Earth Attributes, very likely allowing them to comprehend a more profound type of strength; do you think it’s valuable now?”
After hearing all that, even Yang Kai became interested.
Generally speaking, a cultivator’s body could only contain one attribute of energy at a time. It wasn’t that this was a hard limit, but rather that achieving more than that was prohibitively difficult.
Achieving mastery over a single attribute was often more than enough for a single cultivator to dedicate their entire lifetime to.
However, most cultivators could use multiple different attributes with the help of Martial Skills or artifacts. For example, beforehand, Yang Kai was able to use Yang Attribute and Yin Attribute energies with the help of his Unyielding Golden Skeleton.
He could also use Wind and Thunder Attribute energy with the assistance of his Wind and Thunder Wings.
Of these four attributes though, the primary ones were the Yang Attribute and Yin Attribute energies and Yang Kai had dedicated most of his life as a cultivator comprehending their mysteries. In the end, he had managed to fuse these two attributes together to create the monstrous Demonic Flame which was capable of incinerating all creation.
As for the Wind and Thunder Attributes, Yang Kai could only use them when he summoned his Wind and Thunder Wings.
The Core of the Scarlet Tailed Purple Armoured Scorpion, which innately contained two different yet perfectly fused attribute strengths, was of immense value.
Gui Che’s group of four gathered together, each of them displaying soaring fighting intent as they discussed they planned out their attack.
The Scarlet Tailed Purple Armoured Scorpion was a Ninth-Order Monster Beast, equivalent to an Origin Returning Realm cultivator. The four Saint Kings would have to bear a certain amount of risk if they wanted to kill it, but from their confident appearances, it was apparent they felt their odds of success were high.
None of these four people were foolish though, so naturally, they wouldn’t charge in without a plan.
Yang Kai was not included in this discussion. As a Third Order Saint, he wasn’t qualified to participate in this battle, and he didn’t try to force his way in either, simply standing to the side looking bored.
After an hour, everything had been discussed and Gui Che let out a snicker. Immediately, he rushed towards the area covered by the yellow sandstorm with Gan Ji and Ji Peng exchanging a stern look before following after him. Luo Yao wore a charming smile as she brought up the rear.
The four people wore varying looks but all of them ignored Yang Kai, soaring off like bolts of lightning, soon disappearing from sight.
After a while, Yang Kai noticed strong energy fluctuations coming from the distance as the sandstorm seemingly became more violent. Even from several dozen kilometres away, Yang Kai could smell the toxic scent of the Scarlet Tailed Purple Armoured Scorpion.
Brilliant flashes from Martial Skills and artifacts blossomed, sometimes mixed with the shouts of the four Saint Kings. Obviously they were engaged in a fierce struggle.
Yang Kai squinted his eyes and stared towards their direction, but he could see nothing but blurry figures darting in and out of the sandstorm.
With the passage of time, the ominous aura gradually became weaker, and the energy fluctuations emitted by the four cultivators led by Gui Che became stronger and stronger. Obviously, they were preparing to put down this Ninth-Order Monster Beast.
Thinking it was about time, Yang Kai flew over to the other side in an unhurried fashion, a light smile of satisfaction appearing on his face.
When he arrived, he found that atop the yellow sand was a house-sized beast lying down motionless, its vitality extinguished.
Gui Che and others were all wounded and even though they were still standing they were panting for breath. The man named Gan Ji was in an especially miserable state with a long wound across his thigh that was bone-deep.
This wound had nearly cost him his manhood, and as Yang Kai looked in his direction, he couldn’t help feeling a sense of sympathy.
Without even thinking about processing the spoils of victory, the four people took out pills to help restore themselves.
Yang Kai walked up to the Monster Beast carcass and after circling a few times, he reached out and knocked his fist on its hard carapace, marvelling at its toughness.
He could tell that Gui Che and the others were right. The carapace of this Scarlet Tailed Purple Armoured Scorpion, as well as its pair of pincers and its barbed tail, were all excellent materials for Artifact Refining, and as long as they were supplemented with some suitable ores and an appropriate Artifact Refiner could be found, creating an Origin Grade artifact would be guaranteed.
It was no wonder they all got excited when they heard about this Scarlet Tailed Purple Armoured Scorpion.
After half a day of hard work, the four of them gradually finished restoring themselves from their great battle.
Gui Che first consulted with the other three before walking over to the Scarlet Tailed Purple Armoured Scorpion, tearing open its carapace plates on its more fragile abdomen, then exploring its interior with his hand for a moment before taking out its green and yellow Monster Core.
Gui Che laughed, “This Core along is worth no less than 50,000 High-Rank Saint Crystals. Good, I’ll hold on to it for now, and when we get out of this place, we’ll find someone to sell it, then everyone will get an equal share of the Saint Crystals.”
Saying so, regardless of whether the others were willing or not, he put it directly into his Space Ring.
Yang Kai could clearly see that all three of the others were frowning, apparently a little unhappy at Gui Che’s conduct, none of them objected.
Gui Che then proceeded to divide up the Scarlet Tailed Purple Armoured Scorpion into eight pieces.
He himself took away the hard shell on the back of Monster Beast, which could be used to create an excellent Artifact Armour while Gan Ji obtained the scorpion’s tail while the two huge pincers were evenly divided between Ji Peng and Luo Yao.
Yang Kai stood aside and watched. He did not participate in the battle so naturally he was not qualified to obtain any of the spoils.
The small amount of blood that was left was also pocketed by Gui Che, allowing Yang Kai to come to some conclusions.
Although this kind of distribution was somewhat selfish, it could reluctantly be considered fair. Even if these people had some objections, they weren’t big enough to voice them. As for Yang Kai’s opinion, none of them would care.
“Let’s take a break,” Gui Che commanded and everyone began meditating again.
Ji Peng took out the animal skin again and began carefully studying it with a frown.
Suddenly, Ji Peng let out a cry of surprise, startling everyone else who turned to look at him only to see him in a jubilant state, nearly dancing and jumping for joy.
“What did you discover?” Gui Che hurriedly asked.
“I believe we’re not far from our goal,” Ji Peng said with a face full of smiles, any dissatisfaction with the distribution of the scorpion by Gui Che swept far, far away.
After hearing what he said, everyone raced over to Ji Peng, with Yang Kai also wearing an expectant look.
The animal skin was filled with all kinds of strange symbols, but at the topmost position was a huge mark which seemed to be their ultimate destination. In other places on the animal skin, there were pictures that seemed to represent special locations.
“Look at this yellow area, I didn’t know what it meant before, but now I understand, it must represent where the Scarlet Tailed Purple Armoured Scorpion made its nest,” Ji Peng pointed to the animal skin and explained.
“If this mark is where we are, isn’t this cyan area, the jungle we just passed through?” Gui Che asked thoughtfully.
“Then this is the lake we stopped at,” Luo Yao also pointed to a place to express her opinion.
“It should be, so as long as we continue to move forward, we should be able to reach our goal in a few days.”
As soon as these words came out, everyone’s mood became excited.
“It seems there’s danger up ahead,” Yang Kai interjected, pointing to a mark on the animal skin that looked like a flying bird, understanding at first glance that it wasn’t an existence they should provoke.
Flying beasts were always more difficult to contend with than those restricted to the ground, they were both fast and agile. In the same Order of Monster Beasts, flying beasts could always display superior combat power than their land counterparts.
“One step at a time, if there really is danger in that place, we’ll just bypass it,” Gui Che declared.
After resting for a while, everyone restored themselves to their peak condition and the group set out again.
The flying bird picture on the animal skin made everyone in the group somewhat nervous so they raised their vigilance as they travelled, looking up into the sky from time to time, but even after travelling quite some distance, they did not spot any traces of Monster Beasts. This development caused some confusion among the group and even made them worry that they had gone the wrong way.
Suddenly though, a brilliant arc of light appeared up ahead and a rampaging thunder and lightning aura surged up, causing everyone’s expression to become solemn.
Looking around, the group soon spotted a relatively short tree standing about a dozen kilometres away from them with sparse leaves constantly flickering with white lightning.
The Divine Senses of the five all rushed out to investigate their surroundings and after confirming there was no danger around them for a hundred kilometres, they slowly approached the tree under Gui Che’s leadership.
A short time later, the group of five stopped in front of the tree and stared at it curiously.
The tree, as tall as a human, contained a potent Thunder and Lightning Attribute energy and the few dozen leaves it had all seemed to be condensed out of the purest lightning essence. These leaves seemed like they were crafted from fine crystal or translucent jade and shimmered with light.
“What kind of tree is this?” Luo Yao asked curiously.
With the exception of the unlearned Yang Kai, everyone in this group could be considered relatively well-informed, but none of them could recognize this tree.
“Isn’t it recorded in the ancient record your ancestor left behind?” Gan Ji turned to look at Ji Peng who slowly shook his head, “No, perhaps this tree didn’t exist when he came here.”
“Such a strange tree couldn’t have been formed for no reason, are you hiding something from us?” Gan Ji stared Ji Peng with clear traces of disbelief.
Ji Peng coldly snorted and replied unpleasantly, “Why would I need to hide anything?”
“This is a Bird Wood!” Gui Che suddenly shouted with a look of excitement filling his eyes.
“Bird Wood?” The three parroted in surprise, Ji Peng quickly turning around and staring at Gui Che, “You mean…”
“The bird pattern on the animal skin map should be a bird species of Monster Beast which died here. Its flesh and Monster Core then gave birth to this Bird Wood!” Gui Che shouted, his look becoming somewhat frantic.
Ji Peng also seemed to think of something and quickly said, “It is recorded in the ancient books my ancestor left behind that he saw a giant bird clad in thunder and lightning, he even mentioned that this beast was likely a Thunder Luan!”
Gasps of shock echoed all around as everyone’s face couldn’t help showing expressions of fear, with Gui Che and the other three glaring towards Ji Peng angrily.
Ji Peng just shrugged, “If I told you about it earlier, none of you would have come. In any case, now that Thunder Luan is dead, there’s no need to worry about it.”
“You knew there was a Thunder Luan in this place, yet you dared lie to us about it? When we leave this place, we’ll settle this account,” Gui Che ground his teeth.
Hearing the four of them quarrelling, Yang Kai soon realized that the so-called Thunder Luan was an exceptionally rare Tenth-Order Monster Beast, and after it died, the vitality and energy of its body and Monster Core would breed a Bird Wood.
Bird Woods only sprouted in the places where powerful bird type Monster Beasts died, and the chances of one appearing were very small. Out of every ten thousand high-order bird type Monster Beasts that fell, perhaps only one Bird Wood would appear.
The characteristics of each Bird Wood were different and depended entirely upon the attributes of the Monster Beast which bred it.
The Thunder Luan was a Thunder Attribute Beast, so naturally the Bird Wood its corpse had given rise to also had a strong Thunder Attribute to it.
Although Ji Peng concealing the existence of this Thunder Luan had caused his partners some dissatisfaction, with Gui Che even swearing to settle accounts with him afterwards, the immense value of this Bird Wood still made all of their eyes red with greed.
After entering this place, besides Yang Kai, who only obtained a few herbs and some minor benefits, each of them had reaped a huge harvest, but with this Thunder Attribute Bird Wood bred from a Tenth-Order Monster Beast standing in front of them, all of them found it difficult to conceal their excitement and they temporarily put aside Ji Peng’s deception.
The group of four started to dig up the surrounding area.
A cold light flashed across the depths of Ji Peng’s eyes which only Yang Kai, who happened to be observing him, noticed, but he feigned ignorance while helping with the excavation.
After a while, a huge pit appeared inside of which lay a huge skeleton over three hundred meters in length. From the appearance of the skeleton, it was clear it belonged to a bird type Monster Beast but all its flesh and blood had long ago disappeared and its Monster Core was nowhere to be seen. Even its bones had become withered and frail.
All the vital energy of this Tenth-Order Monster Beast Thunder Luan had been transferred to the small Bird Wood.
Gui Che pushed his Saint Qi to protect his entire body before carefully pulling up the entire Bird Wood, not daring to damage even the smallest of its roots.
Seeing that he was going to put such an incredibly precious treasure into his Space Ring again, the other three immediately wore frowns.
Gui Che ignored them though and proceeded to stuff the Bird Wood into his Space Ring. Although he vowed to fairly distribute the profits from this treasure’s sale after they left, anyone could see that he simply wanted to take sole possession of this Bird Wood.
All of a sudden, the celebratory mood became somewhat subtle. Yang Kai stayed out of these matters as he was secretly guessing that if more benefits appeared before them, the other three wouldn’t hesitate to act against Gui Che.
However, with their destination not far away, the three others could only suppress their anger and wait until they achieve their objective before making their next move.
The atmosphere of this team became tense and Yang Kai followed behind them without a word, trying to be inconspicuous.
The further the group of five travelled, the more desolate the landscape became.
It seemed like starting from the area where the Scarlet Tailed Purple Armoured Scorpion lived, the land became barren and the once lush environment transformed into a wasteland where even the World Energy was thin.
After flying forward for some time, everyone suddenly felt a strange energy fluctuation coming from up ahead. At the same time, the blood in each of their bodies became somewhat agitated, dying their skin red. Their surging pulses and rising temperatures caused each of them to feel excited and agitated, their eyes gradually becoming bloodshot as their breathing became heavy.
“We’ve found it!” Ji Peng shouted and without hesitation flew his Star Shuttle towards the source of the energy fluctuations with the others chasing after him closely.
The strange waves of energy became more and more intense, stimulating everyone’s blood flow; Yang Kai could even hear his own heart violently throbbing inside his chest.
This situation was very abnormal, and Yang Kai immediately became vigilant.
A moment later, the group of five rushed to a spot above a great pit filled with bright red liquid which looked as thick as blood. This liquid reflected the bright sunlight which beamed down on it, giving it a strange yet beautiful appearance.
“Is this the Body Tempering Divine Pond?” Gui Che turned to Ji Peng.
Ji Peng nodded heavily, his eyes full of joy.
“How do we use it?” Gan Ji hurriedly asked. They had paid a huge price and suffered many losses just to find this pool, so now that it was so near, he couldn’t wait to temper his body with it and enhance his physique.
The root of any cultivators was their body, and minor benefits obtained along the road could never be compared to a fundamental improvement of one’s aptitude.
“There’s no special method to use this thing,” Ji Peng laughed before plunging into the blood-red pool with a great splash. Ji Peng’s head soon re-emerged and he let out a groan, seemingly suffering from some pain.
But soon, the pain disappeared and was replaced by endless joy, his face showing a look of ecstasy as if he was receiving massive benefits, his Second Order Saint King aura involuntarily bursting out.
Anyone could detect that his vitality was rapidly improving.
Gui Che, Gan Ji, and Luo Yao had all been acting vigilantly up until now, for fear that Ji Peng was still hiding something from them, but after seeing him so easily jump into the blood-red pond, none of them hesitated any longer and jumped into the Body Tempering Divine Pond, lest the benefits be snatched up by Ji Peng alone.
The pond was not too big, only about a hundred meters in diameter, and it was impossible to tell how it came to be, but regardless of all this, when the three of them entered it, they all showed happy expressions.
Yang Kai stood still without moving. Ji Peng opened his eyes and gave him a glance while yelling, “Kid, just sit at the edge, you won’t be able to withstand the impact from the middle section.”
“I can come in too?” Yang Kai looked surprised.
Ji Peng laughed, “We told you when we first met, didn’t we? As long as you cooperated with us honestly, there will naturally be benefits for you. That time has come.”
Yang Kai frowned and didn’t wish to rush in rashly, but know he could not avoid this situation, he walked to the edge of the pond and sat down as Ji Peng told him to.
The moment he entered the pond, Yang Kai’s face changed.
From all directions, fierce pressure bombarded him, causing him a great deal of pain, as if his five viscera and six organs had all suffered a heavy blow, causing his face to suddenly go pale.
But in the next moment, the pain disappeared and was replaced with indescribable comfort.
An inexplicable force filled the pond and immediately began penetrating into Yang Kai’s body. Under the impact of this force, Yang Kai clearly felt that his blood was undergoing some subtle changes.
Just like Ji Peng earlier, Yang Kai’s vitality began surging and his life aura became stronger.
Yang Kai quickly used his Divine Sense to examine himself.
Saint Qi flowed quickly through his meridians while his golden blood surged through his vessels, absorbing the strange power from the pond which was pouring into his body.
Fantastical changes began happening. Yang Kai noticed that among his golden blood, a faint point of brilliant golden radiance appeared. This needle-tip sized drop of radiant golden blood seemed to contain unimaginable energy.
Yang Kai was shocked.
This newly formed blood was somewhat almost identical to the blood of Great Demon God.
Because of the Unyielding Golden Skeleton, Yang Kai’s blood had gradually changed to a golden colour over his years of cultivation. In the beginning, this change wasn’t obvious, and his blood would only contain faint hints of golden light.
But with the improvement of his cultivation, these faint wisps of gold began replacing the original red in his vessels.
A few years ago, the blood in Yang Kai’s body had lost all red pigmentation and only a shimmering golden colour remained.
However, Yang Kai knew better than anyone that although his golden blood possessed strong restorative abilities, it was still several grades worse than Great Demon God’s Demon God Golden Blood.
Yang Kai didn’t know how to transform his Golden Blood into a more purified and powerful form and could only continue to cultivate and increase his strength in the hopes that as he did so, his Golden Blood would become purer.
This time, following Ji Peng and the others to this so-called Body Tempering Divine Pond, Yang Kai had reaped an unexpected gain.
Yang Kai instantly realized that this Body Tempering Divine Pond was not designed to quench one’s flesh, but rather to enhance their blood; increasing one’s vitality this way would subsequently make one’s body stronger. Ji Peng may have misunderstood the true role of this place.
This quenching was actually better and more thorough than a simple quenching of the flesh.
At this point, Yang Kai no longer hesitated and began actively trying to draw in the strange power which flooded the pond, his consciousness constantly observing the newly born Golden Blood in his veins, watching as it grew in size from a large needle tip to a grain of rice, then a large bean.
When a single drop of Golden Blood was finally formed, and Yang Kai was able to fully appreciate its splendour, Yang Kai grew very excited.
The power contained in this drop of Golden Blood was incomparable to his previous Golden Blood, it was true Demon God Golden Blood.
Another drop of Golden Blood slowly began forming, repeating the previous sequences of events.
After an hour, Yang Kai had managed to form three new drops of Golden Blood in his body. He didn’t know how much the others had gained, but he was certain they had benefited just as much as he had.
Just as Yang Kai was immersed in his enjoyment, he heard Gan Ji suddenly call out in shock, “Where is Ji Peng?”
This shout awakened all the people who were immersed in the joy of their blood’s enhancement and after they all took a glance around, they confirmed that Ji Peng was indeed missing.
Yang Kai’s face sank and he quickly released his Divine Sense to search the area, soon noticing Ji Peng’s life aura near the bottom of the pond.
“I knew you were up to something!” Gui Che roared as he swiftly dove down into the pond to see what Ji Peng was doing.
His body had just disappeared though when Ji Peng suddenly leapt out of the blood-red pond and stood mid-air overlooking the group beneath him in a calm and composed manner.
On his face was a smug look of satisfaction.
Yang Kai didn’t even think about it and immediately tried to leap out from the pond, but before he could act, an irresistible suction appeared from the bottom of the water, as if two giant invisible hands had grasped his ankles and refused to let him move.
At the same time, an endless stream of bubbles began breaking through the surface of the blood-red pond, bursting with resounding pops. The strange omnipresent pressure in the water suddenly became a thousand times more intense than before and began flooding into the bodies of everyone still inside it.
The drop of Demon God Golden Blood that had just started to form in Yang Kai’s body grew at an incredible rate and was soon completed.
Submersed in the Body Tempering Divine Pond, Gui Che, Gan Ji, and Luo Yao all shivered and paled. Even if they were masters at the Saint King Realm, they couldn’t bear such intense pressure.
Yang Kai was also in great pain and couldn’t help feeling as if he was being crushed to death.
But the rapidly condensing Demon God Golden Blood in his body provided him with some relief, causing his condition to actually be the most relaxed of the group.
The other three were all on the verge of collapsing.
“Ji Peng, what are you doing?” Gan Ji growled angrily.
Ji Peng just stood high up in the sky and stared down dismissively at them, not saying a word, as if he was looking at a dead man.
Gui Che yelled, “Ji Peng, you better pray I don’t escape from this otherwise I swear I’ll give you a fate worse than death!”
Ji Peng let out a laugh and confidently replied, “I’ve already activated the Sacrificial Altar at the bottom of the Divine Pond, all of you will be its offerings. No matter how strong you are, you won’t be leaving from here.”
“Sacrificial Altar?” Gui Che’s face changed as he roared indignantly, “You were still hiding things from us!”
Ji Peng sneered, “If I had told you everything about this place, I’m afraid I’d be the one being sacrificed right now! I’m well aware of your sinister and treacherous nature, Gui Che. Did you think I brought you here out of goodwill? In the face of such great benefits, who wouldn’t want to monopolize them? It’s laughable how you fell for such a simple trick. I’ll tell you now, this Body Tempering Divine Pond contains all kinds of incredible mysteries. It can indeed quench one’s flesh, but if one wants to thoroughly temper their body, they need to offer it enough sacrifices. After you die, you’ll serve the same role as that Thunder Luan, your vitality and cultivation all transforming into pure energy I can absorb to enhance my own strength.”
After hearing what he said, the faces of everyone else present turned even whiter, only now realizing Ji Peng’s true intentions and completely recognizing his sinister nature.
Although Gui Che and Gan Ji weren’t the most cunning of people, they weren’t fools either, ordinarily, it would have been impossible for them to fall for such a simple and obvious trap. On the way here, they had constantly been on guard against Ji Peng, but having obtained so many great benefits along the way, their vigilance had become lax and once they saw Ji Peng jump so carefreely into the Body Tempering Divine Pond, they had followed without giving it much thought, and it was only after the trap had been sprung did they understand they had been played.
It was too late for regrets though, so all of them went all out to struggle free from the Body Tempering Divine Pond’s grip, but the harder they struggled, the more intense the force holding them down became. All of them were only capable of keeping their heads floating above water while their bodies were forced to accept the potent effects of the Tempering Divine Pond as they waited for death.
“Ji Peng, you even plotted against me?” Luo Yao asked in a pitiful voice as she directed a sad look towards Ji Peng.
Ji Peng’s expression slowly became solemn as he glanced over at Luo Yao with some pity, only a long time later letting out a sigh, “Although we have only known each other for a few years, I don’t want you to die. I like you quite a bit and I planned on sharing the benefits of this Body Tempering Divine Pond with you.”
Luo Yao immediately wore a smile upon her charming face, thinking that Ji Peng was going to spare her.
But in the next moment, Ji Peng slowly shook his head, “Unfortunately it’s too late for such thoughts now. With the Sacrificial Altar already activated, you cannot come out, and I won’t go in. The number of sacrifices is too small as it is. When my ancestor came here originally, there were a dozen people in his group. My ancestor’s aptitude wasn’t very high, and when he came here, his cultivation was the same as that little brat’s…”
Saying so, he pointed at Yang Kai, “Only a Third Order Saint, and the weakest out of his entire team. Anyone else could bully or order him around, and when they discovered the benefits of this Body Tempering Divine Pond, he wasn’t even granted a share. The rest of his group occupied the Divine Pond to reap the benefits for themselves, but who could have known that being forcefully excluded actually saved my ancestor’s life. After everyone else died, my ancestor waited until the Divine Pond had calmed down completely and then proceeded to enjoy all the benefits here alone. He recorded in my family’s ancient records that if not for this Divine Pond, even if he had cultivated desperately, at most he could have become a Second or Third Order Saint King, but do you know what realm he ultimately achieved? Third Order Origin Returning Realm, just one step away from the Origin King Realm!”
Ji Peng’s tone of voice rose higher and higher as he became emotional, his hands waving in an exaggerated manner, “My aptitude is also not great, but it is still much better than that old man’s, so with the help of this Body Tempering Divine Pond, I will have a chance to reach the Origin King Realm in this lifetime!”
“Origin King Realm!” Gui Che suddenly let out a peal of wild and dissolute laughter as blood flowed from the corners of his lips, nose, eyes, and ears. Ignoring his own distress, he stared at Ji Peng contemptuously, “With just the benefits of this place you believe you can reach the Origin King Realm? The Origin King Realm isn’t something so cheap.”
Ji Peng didn’t show any annoyance though and simply declared, “After you all become part of me, you will be able to bear witness to my rise. Luo Yao, although it saddens me to see you die here, I take comfort in knowing you will soon be joined to me forever as a part of me. En, I will also set up a tablet in your memory. Don’t worry though, my future is still long, and I believe I will meet another woman who I can fall in love with.”
“Insane, you’re completely insane!” Luo Yao’s face went pale as he called out hoarsely.
“Say whatever you like,” Ji Peng said as all traces of pity left his expression, leaving behind only a cold glint in his eyes as he overlooked the group below him on the verge of death. Before, he had simply been waxing nostalgically, and now that he was done, there was nothing more to say.
With the exception of Yang Kai, the condition of everyone in the pond was gradually getting worse. Blood began to boil, meridians began to break, and flesh began to tear, causing red blood to flow into the Body Tempering Divine Pond, dying it an even darker shade of crimson.
On the other hand, Yang Kai only felt uncomfortable while his life wasn’t currently in danger.
A person’s body had a natural capacity, just like how only a certain amount of Saint Qi could be stored in one’s dantian, only a certain amount of vital energy could be stored in one’s body. If this capacity was forcefully exceeded due to some external factor, dire consequences would be incurred and in the worst-case scenario one could even explode.
Yang Kai was an exception to this rule, however. In the past, he could condense Yang Liquid to store in his dantian and currently he could store excess Saint Qi directly in his physique. His physical body was all but bottomless.
The strange force present in the Body Tempering Divine Pond was similar to Saint Qi in the air, both of which could be used to cultivate. Ji Peng activating the Sacrificial Altar at the bottom of the Divine Pond greatly enhanced the effects of this strange force and it was currently hammering Gui Che, Gan Ji, and Luo Yao’s bodies to death.
However, Yang Kai could transform this strange energy into pure Demon God Golden Blood, essentially allowing him to undergo a limitless amount of tempering. Quickly, he had condensed ten drops of Demon God Golden Blood, each one containing a terrifying amount of energy.
With a tragic sound, Gan Ji’s body suddenly swelled up as a pulse of energy burst from his body, battering his surroundings as blood poured out of his seven orifices, giving him a miserable appearance.
*Peng…*
A muffled noise rang out and a giant splash emerged from the Body Tempering Divine Pond. After the blood-red water fell back to the pond, Gan Ji had disappeared and in his place, on the surface of the pond, was a large amount of minced flesh and broken limbs. Soon after, these remnants sank into the water and dissolved, transforming into a massive amount of pure vital energy.
After Gan Ji died, the Body Tempering Divine Pond boiled up even more and the surge of bubbles coming from its depths increased in intensity. Yang Kai clearly felt a massive amount of the strange force pour into his body from all around, nearly causing him to cry out in pain.
Ji Peng calling them sacrificial offerings wasn’t just idle talk but instead a true fact. With Gan Ji’s death, the effects of the Body Tempering Divine Pond became even stronger.
The next moment, Luo Yao’s scream echoed through the air and the enchanting yet dignified young woman followed in Gan Ji’s footsteps.
Before she died, Luo Yao’s beautiful eyes sent an unforgettable glare of hatred towards Ji Peng, seemingly wishing to imprint his ugly countenance into her soul.
The two exploded one after the other, with no bones left. The effectiveness of the Body Tempering Divine Pond suddenly increased by one level.
Soon after, even the strongest Gui Che found himself unable to handle the increase pressure and shamelessly called out, “Ji Peng, save me and I’ll give you everything inside my Space Ring!”
Ji Peng simply stared at him though and said, “Once you die, and the Body Tempering Divine Pond calms down, I’ll naturally obtain your Space Ring and everything inside it.”
“You’ll suffer Heaven’s punishment for this!” Gui Che raged angrily.
Ji Peng laughed wildly, “Maybe, but you won’t be around to see it.”
As soon as he spoke those words, Gui Che’s body burst open and his Space Ring flew up into the air before landing back into the pond, disappearing beneath its surface.
Ji Peng’s eyes flashed with greed, but he didn’t rush out to collect it.
After waiting for a while, he suddenly wore a strange expression and muttered, “How come their Souls didn’t come out?”
Ever since Gan Ji died, Ji Peng had been on guard against his former teammate’s Souls escaping. He had been waiting to ruthlessly extinguish them as soon as they appeared.
But to his surprise, when his former companion’s died, no trace of their Souls could be seen, as if they had been destroyed and become sacrifices when their bodies exploded.
After thinking about it for a moment but not coming up with an answer, Ji Peng turned his attention towards Yang Kai, frowned, and asked, “Kid, why are you still not dead?”
Yang Kai’s forehead was filled with veins as sweat poured down his skin, seemingly enduring unimaginable pain and torment as he haltingly spoke, “I don’t know. Maybe because my strength is too low and I had to sit at the edge of the pond. Do you want to step inside and check for yourself?”
Ji Peng coldly snorted, “Do you think I’m an idiot?”
Yang Kai nodded firmly, “You really must be an idiot, standing there so smugly, not even realizing that someone is sneaking up to attack you from behind.”
Ji Peng’s face changed immediately as he rapidly turned around to see a twin-horned blood-stained man who was concealing his aura while rapidly approaching.
“Di Ji?” Ji Peng’s face paled greatly when he saw who it was.
But after noticing the condition of this Monster Race master, Ji Peng calmed down greatly. He didn’t know what danger Di Ji had encountered, but at this moment his body was filled with wounds and he looked quite exhausted. Most importantly, Di Ji was currently all alone, all of his former companions had disappeared.
Yang Kai had been following Ji Peng’s group around for several days and although they had run into a few bumps along the way, they had not encountered too much danger because Ji Peng had the records left behind by his ancestor, allowing them to travel a relatively safe route.
But Di Ji was different. In order to acquire the treasures hidden in this place, his group had run into several dangers which had killed most of them. Now, only Di Ji remained and even he was in poor condition.
He had wanted to sneak up and kill Ji Peng from behind, but he hadn’t expected Yang Kai to suddenly expose him.
Di Ji shot Yang Kai a vicious look, annoyed that he spoiled his good deed.
“How did you find this place?” Ji Peng asked coldly.
Di Ji snorted heavily, “I’m not deaf, did you think I wouldn’t hear so many agonized screams?”
Saying so, his expression became fierce as he stared at Ji Peng and asked, “Is what you just said true? Can this Body Tempering Divine Pond really improve one’s physique? Did your ancestor really cultivate to the Third Order Origin Returning Realm?”
“What of it?” Ji Peng didn’t bother making any denials as Di Ji had obviously been listening in for a while now. Di Ji had absolutely heard what Ji Peng was saying to the others, lying served no purpose now.
“Good, good!” Di Ji was overjoyed, “Half a year ago when we started pursuing you guys, I had no idea what you were up to, only that there must be some huge benefits to be had, but now I understand completely. Ji Peng, you’re not my opponent, if you want to survive, leave obediently. Otherwise, don’t blame me for acting ruthlessly.”
A trace of panic flashed across Ji Peng’s face. He was only a Second-Order Saint King while Di Ji was a Minor Realm higher than him. Ordinarily, he would not be Di Ji’s opponent, but soon after, that panic disappeared and Ji Peng sneered, “Are you sure about that? If you could easily kill me right now, you wouldn’t bother saying anything. The truth is you don’t know which of us would come out on top if we were to fight right now, do you?”
“You saw through me?” Di Ji smiled lightly, without the slightest bit of embarrassment as he nodded, “Since you understand then I won’t waste any more time. There’s just the two of us here now, and neither of us is confident he can beat the other, so why don’t we sit down and talk it out?”
“What do you want?” Ji Peng looked at him angrily.
Although Ji Peng knew that Di Ji had brought people into this place, he hadn’t expected to run into him at the last moment. Ji Peng couldn’t wait to rush out and kill Di Ji, but he didn’t dare act rashly as he wasn’t certain he could win.
“Simple, we share. In any case, this pool is so large that the two of us can both temper our bodies. Both of us gain some benefits while not making things awkward for the other,” Di Ji proposed positively.
“Good, I agree. Since the situation is currently like this, I don’t want there to be any more complications, giving you a few benefits rather than risking everything is fine with me,” Ji Peng nodded happily.
“So it’s settled?” Di Ji chuckled.
Ji Peng nodded again.
The two stared at each other across the several dozen meter gap between them, both seemingly quite satisfied with this quick negotiation.
Suddenly, a dark golden Artifact Armour appeared on Ji Peng and he slashed forward with his hand, sending out a series of sharp Saint Qi blades towards Di Ji.
At the same time, a burst of silver light appeared in Di Ji’s hand and a silver spear appeared. The patterns on the spear seemed to come alive and a heavy Water Attribute aura burst out from it, crashing into Ji Peng’s attack like a tsunami.
A battle had instantly broken out between these two men who had just a moment ago seemingly reached a compromise.
Yang Kai sat in the Divine Pond with a sneer on his face, he knew that from the start these two could not coexist peacefully, because Ji Peng would absolutely not allow Di Ji any time to restore himself. Once Di Ji recovered, Ji Peng would definitely not be his opponent, so he had no choice but to go all out with Di Ji even if he wasn’t confident he could win.
Although Ji Peng’s cultivation was inferior, Di Ji’s condition was poor, so neither side knew who would emerge victoriously.
After spectating for a moment, Yang Kai lost interest in this battle and instead focused all of his attention on his own matters, stopped resisting the force trying to drag him down, and submerged himself into the pond.
He wanted to see what was hidden beneath the surface.
The dark red water churned violently, just like a rolling boil, the strange energy contained within it constantly smelting Yang Kai’s blood.
Yang Kai squinted slightly as he allowed himself to be pulled under. It wasn’t long before his feet touched the bottom of the pond, and when they did, the suction which was restricting his movements disappeared.
Deep in the pond’s depths, it was too dark to see anything, the blood-red water obscuring all light from the surface.
Yang Kai had to take out a luminous stone and hold it in his hand to see around himself. Releasing his Divine Sense, Yang Kai quickly discovered something which appeared to be the source of the strange power flooding the water and assumed it was the Sacrificial Altar Ji Peng had mentioned.
Instead of rushing to the Sacrificial Altar though, Yang Kai began to look around the bottom of the pond.
After a while, Yang Kai found a Space Ring lying quietly on the ground. Retrieving the Space Ring and probing it with his Divine Sense, Yang Kai wore a grin on his face.
Inside this Space Ring was the Thunder Attribute Bird Wood that had been formed after the death of the Tenth-Order Monster Beast Thunder Luan, the carapace of the Scarlet Tailed Purple Armoured Scorpion, countless herbs, and the Monster Cores of several Seventh and Eighth-Order Monster Beasts.
It was Gui Che’s Space Ring!
Yang Kai placed the ring in his sleeve pocket with great satisfaction.
Because Space Rings had their own independent spaces inside them, they could not be stored inside the Demon Mystic Tome. Although Space Rings couldn’t be loaded into the Demon Mystic Tome, the Universe Bags could. Yang Kai didn’t understand the principle behind this but didn’t spend much time thinking about it.
Gui Che’s Space Ring had most of the good things that had been harvested from this little trip, but after finding it, Yang Kai determination did not waver and he continued his search.
The Body Tempering Divine Pond wasn’t very big, only about a hundred meters in diameters, but surprisingly it was more than a thousand meters deep.
It wasn’t difficult to find a few Space Rings in such a place, and soon, the ones that belonged to Gan Ji and Luo Yao were also pocketed by Yang Kai.
Above the pond, blasts of energy filled the air as the shouts of Ji Peng and Di Ji rang out. The two were obviously fighting a fierce battle. Yang Kai paid attention to them for a while but quickly figured the two of them wouldn’t be able to reach a conclusion for quite some time and shifted his attention to the Sacrificial Altar.
A moment later, Yang Kai arrived in front of the strange altar and silently began examining it. There was an extremely profound Spirit Array engraved on this altar and was surrounded by a number of brilliant Saint Crystals that gave off a sensational energy fluctuation.
However, as he examined them closer, Yang Kai soon realized that these weren’t Saint Crystals.
They possessed an even denser and richer concentration than High-Rank Saint Crystals.
Were these things an even higher grade of Saint Crystal? Yang Kai wondered to himself, uncertain of what the call these things.
Atop the altar were visible, densely packed Spirit Array lines that crisscrossed with one another. It was extremely complicated.
This place was obviously not naturally formed, but instead artificially arranged; as for which master had created it, that was unknown.
Countless points of light, like the fireflies in the night sky, floated around this Sacrificial Altar in a beautiful dance. These wisps of light seemed to compose a stream of energy that was constantly pouring into the altar.
Atop this Sacrificial Altar were innumerable rare and precious treasures that Yang Kai couldn’t even begin to identify.
Under the action of this Sacrificial Altar, the effects of these precious treasures were activated, creating the strange energy which tempered Yang Kai’s blood and allowed him to create the purest Demon God Golden Blood!
Yang Kai was ecstatic and immediately sat cross-legged beside the Sacrificial Altar in order to obtain the fiercest tempering.
However, Yang Kai hadn’t imagined though that the moment he sat down, the Sacrificial Altar would begin shaking and the entire Body Tempering Divine Pond would become stimulated. Suddenly, all the blood-red liquid in the Divine Pond began swiftly gathering towards the Sacrificial Altar.
Yang Kai paled, not having anticipated such a development. He tried his best to move away from the Sacrificial Altar, but under the raging torrent of the crimson water, he was unable to even lift a finger.
Releasing his Divine Sense, Yang Kai clearly noticed that the water level of the entire Body Tempering Divine Pond was rapidly decreasing. It wasn’t that the amount of water was reducing, but rather that the liquid itself was being compressed due to the attraction of the Sacrificial Altar.
This anomaly also alarmed Ji Peng and Di Ji, who stopped their life or death battle and turned towards the Body Tempering Divine Pond in shock.
When he discovered that the Divine Pond was rapidly drying up, Ji Peng let out a mad scream and recklessly threw himself towards it to try to stop whatever was happening.
He had worked so hard and schemed against so many people just for the opportunity to temper his body in this pond and was just about to achieve his wish. Although Di Ji had interfered at the last moment, Ji Peng wasn’t about to compromise, but if the Body Tempering Divine Pond disappeared, all his previous efforts would be for nought.
Ji Peng completely ignored Di Ji and crazily tried to stop the water level from falling again, but no matter what he tried, it had no effect.
Di Ji, on the other hand, was dumbfounded and simply stood still.
In less than ten breaths of time, the Body Tempering Divine Pond, which was over a thousand meters deep, had completely dried up, with all the crimson liquid compressing itself down into a small blood-red crystal cocoon.
When Ji Peng arrived at the bottom of the pond, he saw Yang Kai trapped inside the blood-red cocoon while the Sacrificial Altar, which was supposed to be right there, had actually disappeared.
He stood in place, his eyes dull, as if he had lost his soul.
A moment later, Ji Peng let out a crazed shout and began furiously attacking the crystal cocoon, the full force of his Second Order Saint King cultivation bursting out, causing Di Ji, who was standing far away, to be slightly startled.
He couldn’t afford to take on Ji Peng’s desperate outburst.
But weirdly, the blood-red crystal cocoon was seemed to be forged from the hardest steel and forget about destroying it, Ji Peng’s attacks couldn’t even leave a scratch on it.
The ground suddenly trembled and began to split, sending the native Monster Beasts into a panic as they noticed the impending crisis, all of them trying to take shelter or flee for their lives.
Di Ji’s expression also changed greatly and he didn’t dare to remain, swiftly flying off.
Ji Peng also stopped his attacks and after releasing his Divine Sense realized that something was wrong. Finally recovering a bit of his sanity, he made one final effort to break open the crystal cocoon before preparing to leave.
However, he was once again too late. From the blood-red crystal cocoon, an irresistible suction force broke out and all living things in this strange isolate world, from the beasts to the plants, had their vitality drawn out of the bodies, transformed into wisps of glowing light, and sucked into the cocoon.
Ji Peng was forced to watch as his skin dried up and his body withered, his vitality rapidly passing and after a short time, which to him felt like thousands of years, his bones broke down into dust and were scattered to the wind.
Before he died though, he managed to meet eyes with a terrified Di Ji who had also been drawn back.
Amidst the vast Starry Sky, a Starship carefully avoided the stray asteroids as it sailed towards its goal.
The Starship wasn’t big, less than two hundred meters in length, the smallest type in the entire Star Field, barely Saint King Grade Low-Rank. The hull of such a Starship wasn’t very sturdy, and from the dents and scrapes on its hull, it was clear it had suffered damage from numerous asteroid hits.
If it was a higher grade Starship, such damage would never have been possible.
This small Starship sailed extremely cautiously and seemed to be full of cargo, so its overall speed was quite slow.
Inside the ship, there were about sixty cultivators of varying strength, each one performing their routine duties.
For this expedition, they had been ordered to go out to mine some ore from a nearby Ore Star for half a year, and it wasn’t until a few days ago when they had filled their cargo hold that they had set sail for home.
There were originally a hundred of them, but now only a bit more than half of them remained. They didn’t know why, but the Ore Star they had travelled to had many ferocious beasts appearing and disappearing, resulting in the deaths of many of their companions while they were mining.
The survivors were all just happy to be returning alive so they spoke no words of complaint.
Six months of hard work could be exchanged for many years of freedom, so they were quite satisfied. After this trip, they would receive a large amount of remuneration and could use that money to purchase better Secret Arts and Martial Skills while possibly even acquiring higher grade artifacts. Everyone aboard the Starship felt a sense of accomplishment as they imagined such a bright future.
Wu Yi, a First Order Saint King, was this Starship’s captain. At her age, having such cultivation on Shadowed Star made it clear her aptitude wasn’t bad. The Elders in her family had asserted that as long as she cultivated diligently, she would definitely reach the Origin Returning Realm in the future.
Her strength wasn’t the strongest on the Starship though, that title belonged to her family’s Foreign Elder who possessed a Third Order Saint King cultivation. This Foreign Elder was very old though and besides sitting in the Starship to ensure its safety, he was aloof to all other matters, even Wu Yi wasn’t qualified to command him.
There were other Saint Kings around as well; after all, this mining expedition required a certain amount of strength to protect itself.
Wu Yi stood in the Starship’s power room at this moment and was gazing out the transparent window, staring at the Starry Sky, a sense of longing flashing across her beautiful eyes.
Shadowed Star was her home, but the World Energy on Shadowed Star couldn’t be compared to other major Cultivation Stars in the Star Field. It was a barren place with scarce resources and supplies, lacking in high-grade precious treasure and powerful masters alike.
The strongest masters on Shadowed Star were just Second-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivators and many of them were already over two thousand years old. It wasn’t even clear how much battle strength these masters had.
Shadowed Star was also situated in a relatively remote part of Heng Luo Star Field and was surrounded by countless Dead Stars nearby. To find an Ore Star to mine, a several month long journey was necessary. During this period, everyone onboard the Starship was constantly on edge, fearing that the ship would be destroyed.
Because of its remoteness and barrenness, the great forces in the Star Field rarely paid any attention to this area, and even the ruthless Galaxy Ridge and Abandoned Lair didn’t run over to engage in plunder and bloodshed.
Although Shadowed Star was technically part of the Star Field, it had almost become its own independent world, forgotten by everyone else.
Wu Yi very much wanted to leave Shadowed Star and take a look at the outside world. When she was young, she had listened to many stories of the wondrous sights and scenes of the other Cultivation Stars in the Star Field as well as the great masters at the Origin King Realm. The unimaginable beauty and splendour of those other Cultivation Star where one could cultivate many times faster than on Shadowed Star, all the various different kinds of people, the Saint Crystals and pills that could never be used up.
Compared to those other Cultivation Stars, Wu Yi felt like a little countryside girl who had never seen the world.
She yearned for everything in the outside, but the status of her family severely limited her freedom, and since she was quite sensible, she had soon begun focusing on making contributions to her family instead of her childhood dreams, offering to lead this dangerous trip to the nearby Ore Star. For every ten Starships that were sent out, it would be fortunate if five returned from this task, so no one dared to take on this job if at all possible. In the eyes of the Elders of the family, this was almost akin to punishment rather than a duty.
However, with Wu Yi being a woman, in her family’s eyes, even if she were to accidentally die outside, it wouldn’t damage the foundation of the family, so they had easily agreed to her leading the expedition.
If it was instead a male direct descendant of the family, the Elders would never have allowed him to take on such a dangerous mission.
[A group of old short-sighted fools, no wonder they can only wait to die on Shadowed Star!]
[So what if I’m a woman?] Wu Yi snorted softly, clenching her fists while secretly vowing that one day she would leave Shadowed Star and escape from this suffocating prisoner’s cage, find her own freedom, and bask in the wider and more exciting world.
“Young Lady!” A Third-Order Saint hurried over, his eyes greedily lingering on Wu Yi’s splendid mountains and enchanting valleys before he quickly lowered his head and focused his gaze on his feet.
“What is it?” Wu Yi turned to look at him, “I just saw Yu Feng taking some men with him outside, what are they up to?”
“Senior Yu Feng just discovered a blood-red ore nearby and thought it might be something of value, so he took some people with him to retrieve it, but who could have known it was actually something much stranger than expected,” The cultivator quickly explained.
“Hm? What’s the situation?” Wu Yi immediately became curious. While she was staring out the window, she had indeed seen Yu Feng lead a team of people out on their Star Shuttles. Now it turns out they had brought back some kind of strange red ore.
“I think it would be best for Young Lady to go and see for herself, this subordinate also isn’t quite clear what happened,” The cultivator let out a hollow laugh.
Wu Yi’s delicate brow furrowed before she nodded, “Lead the way.”
Staying inside this Starship all day long was driving her crazy with boredom so now that there was a new novelty around, naturally it attracted Wu Yi’s interest. Perhaps Yu Feng was having similar thoughts, which lead him to rashly leave the Starship to bring back the strange blood-red ore.
Somewhere in the Starship’s hold, a large group of people stood around a large crimson crystal about ten meters in diameter, all of them marveling at this strange treasure. Although they were all curious about what this crystal was, none of them dared to approach it except for the one who had originally retrieved it, Yu Feng.
Yu Feng glanced around at the companions with a look of disdain and snorted, “So what if there’s a dead man inside this thing? What’s there to be afraid of?”
Saying so, he lightly patted the huge blood-red crystal with his palm.
“Yu Feng, what good thing did you find?” A clear and pleasant sounding voice called out from nearby and upon hearing it, all the crew members who were just lazily standing around straightened up their backs and fixed their sloppy faces. Even Yu Feng stood up tall and tried to wear a mature and reliable expression.
The crowd automatically separated and allowed Wu Yi to step forward. The light, floral scent which seemed to waft from her figure caused this group of men to greedily and joyfully sniff the air.
Wu Yi shook her head helplessly. On this Starship, she was literally the only woman. This group of wolf-like men, after many months of hard labour, were by now starved for companionship, and Wu Yi couldn’t bring herself to care about them showing such an ugly performance because even if she reprimanded them, they would all just wear stupid grins on their faces as if receiving her scolding was an honour for them. Wu Yi had long ago resigned herself to this kind of display.
Over time, she had simply begun turning a blind eye to these situations, and the more she ignored them, the more presumptuous they became.
Yu Feng, on the other hand, stood up to enforce justice, punching a few of the bolder ones who had openly sniffed the air before putting on a fierce expression and shouting, “I’ll kill anyone who dares act so disrespectfully to the Young Lady, stand back and show some manners!”
While he was shouting though he too was taking down big gulps of air like a drowning fish.
“It’s fine,” Wu Yi waved her hand casually as she walked over the blood-red crystal and asked, “Is this the thing you found?”
“Yes, Young Lady,” Yu Feng rushed over to Wu Yi and pointed at the giant crystal, “At first I thought it was some kind of treasure, but I didn’t realize until I actually obtained it that there was actually a dead person inside it. The poor bastard, I don’t know how he died, but when I saw him drifting through the Starry Sky, I couldn’t bear to just leave him there, so I brought him back and was planning to find a place to bury him on Shadowed Star.”
Wu Yi nodded gently, “Having a charitable disposition is good, especially considering your usual irritating behaviour. En, I didn’t expect you to have such a side.”
After being praised, Yu Feng’s mouth curled into a grin that stretched from one ear to the other, clearly not knowing the meaning of the word shame as he openly boasted, “In fact, I just look a little rough on the outside while in truth I am a true gentleman on the inside.”
Unscrupulous snickers and sneers echoed through the hold.
Wu Yi wanted to laugh as well, but felt doing so was too shameful, so she covered her mouth with her delicate hand while resisting her urge to smile and said, “Are you sure the person inside is dead?”
Yu Feng was stunned for a moment before asking, “Can someone in this kind of state actually survive?”
Wu Yi carefully looked at the people who were sealed inside the blood-red crystal. This man looked quite young, around thirty years old at most, and although he wasn’t too handsome, compared to the worthless lot on this Starship, he could be considered quite good looking. Even though his eyes were shut tight at the moment, this young man’s face seemed to have an inexplicable charm to it.
Releasing her Divine Sense, Wu Yi wanted to check if this young man had any signs of vitality, but to her surprise, the blood-red crystal seemed to be able to block her probing.
“Go invite Foreign Elder Chang Qi to come and see if this young man has truly died or not,” Wu Yi quickly said.
Immediately, one of the crew left the hold. Foreign Elder Chang Qi was the strongest person on the Starship. A Third Order Saint King, Chang Qi was the strongest master on the Starship, and if he weren’t already so old, he might have had hope of breaking through to the Origin Returning Realm. Perhaps he would know what this blood-red crystal was.
“Why bother inviting Foreign Elder Chang to come?” Yu Feng laughed walking over to the crystal and patting it gently, “Even if this guy is alive, he can’t come out. I just tried a moment ago, no matter how hard I strike this crystal, I can’t even leave a scratch on it. I really wonder what it’s made off.”
Yu Feng laughed as he continued patting the blood-red crystal and boasting shamelessly.
Wu Yi nodded in agreement. Yu Feng was also a First Order Saint King, but he was much older than she was and had broken through much later in life. However, his strength was genuine, and since he couldn’t scratch this blood-red crystal, it was obvious how tough it was.
But only moments after those words left Yu Feng mouth, a cracking sound inexplicably rang out, and turning in the direction the sound was coming from, Yu Feng’s laughter caught in his throat, as if someone was choking him. His two eyes bulged as he stared at the scene in front of him, swiftly moving in front of Wu Yi to guard her as directed a vigilant gaze at the blood-red crystal.
The cultivators in the surrounding also raised their guard and no longer wore their sloppy, relaxed expression.
Wu Yi poked her head out from behind Yu Feng’s burly back and after seeing what was happening, she couldn’t help exclaiming, “Yu Feng, did you break it?”
At this moment, on the seemingly indestructible crystal, crisscrossing spider-web like patterns were rapidly spreading on its surface, and within a few breaths, the originally pristine crystal had become filled with cracks. It seemed as if it would break at any moment.
Yu Feng called out helplessly, “I didn’t use any strength just now, how could I have known it would suddenly start breaking apart? It wasn’t at all like this when I found it outside; no matter how many of us bombarded it, none of us could leave a mark on it. Young Lady, please step back, there’s something not right about this situation.”
Wu Yi nodded lightly and backed up a bit, but her eyes never left the blood-red crystal as she was quite eager to see what would happen next.
“Foreign Elder Chang is here,” Someone shouted excitedly.
Everyone looked back and saw Foreign Elder Chang Qi quickly walk in while stroking his neatly combed goatee. The group of cultivators in the ship’s hold all saluted. When Chang Qi arrived beside her, Wu Yi asked, “Foreign Elder Chang, do you know what this is? Why would someone be sealed inside such a crystal?”
Chang Qi frowned and released his Divine Sense to investigate but moments later shook his head, “Young Lady, this old master’s vision is limited. I cannot determine what kind of material this is, but perhaps it is something from beyond our Shadowed Star.”
“From the outside?” Wu Yi’s eyes brightened.
“It should be.”
*Kacha…*
A much louder cracking sound came from the blood-red crystal all of a sudden and in the front of everyone’s eyes, it shattered into a million pieces, scattering debris all over the hold, forcing the gathered cultivators hurriedly cover their faces.
In the next instant, the man inside the crystal fell to the ground and calmly opened his eyes. He seemed to want to stand up, but was too weak to do so, eventually settling for sitting on the floor.
“He’s really alive?” Many cultivators paled and even Wu Yi, who was extremely curious, wore a solemn look.
A man who should be long dead suddenly appearing alive and well was something beyond this group’s ability to understand.
Multiple Divine Senses burst out and swept this young man from all directions, but after realizing this person seemingly had no strength, everyone felt relieved.
Without any strength, he posed no danger, so naturally, there was no need for them to be vigilant.
“He’s no ordinary person,” Chang Qi slowly shook his head, “It’s impossible for an ordinary person to emerge safe and sound after being sealed in crystal. He’s most likely just temporarily weakened. His cultivation is unknown, so if we allow him to restore himself…”
Yu Feng’s face changed and he took a step forward, his Saint Qi bursting out as he yelled, “I’ll kill him!”
The realm of this person who emerged from the blood-red crystal was unknown, and his origins were also unknown, Yu Feng naturally dared not take him lightly.
“There’s no need to kill him, is there?” Wu Yi quickly interceded, “Just looking at him it’s obvious he’s still young, so even if his background is suspect, his cultivation shouldn’t be too high, restricting his movements should be enough.”
“Is Young Lady curious about him?” Chang Qi glanced over at Wu Yi thoughtfully.
“Isn’t Foreign Elder Chang curious as well?” Wu Yi smiled and stepped around Yu Feng, walked up the unknown young man, and squatted down to ask, “Can you understand what we’re saying?”
Seeing this young man nod, Wu Yi asked again, “What’s your name? Where do you come from?”
“Yang Kai, from Rainfall Star,” Yang Kai answered honestly.
“Rainfall Star?” Wu Yi raised her brow slightly, “It seems you really came from the outside. Rainfall Star is several years journey from here though, how did you manage to come here?”
Yang Kai slowly shook his head, “The last thing I remember was entering some strange place then coming across a blood-red pool. I accidentally activated some kind of Spirit Array and then fainted. When I woke up, I was here.”
Wu Yi knit her brow thoughtfully, “Then you’re saying you drifted all this way?”
“I think so. Where is this place?” Yang Kai frowned slightly, he wasn’t used to being questioned like this.
“Brat, just answer our questions honestly, don’t speak unless you’re spoken to!” Yu Feng yelled at Yang Kai, raising his huge fist as if to warn him what the consequences would be if he didn’t cooperate.
“You’re currently near Shadowed Star, heard of it?”
Yang Kai shook his head again, he really had never heard of Shadowed Star.
“It’s understandable that you haven’t heard of it. Shadowed Star is relatively remote, most people from the Star Field wouldn’t know about it. Hehe, your courage isn’t small, you don’t seem nervous at all.”
“What’s there to be afraid of? You don’t look like you have any malicious intent towards me,” Yang Kai grinned.
“Whether or not that’s true will depend on you. Haven’t you heard that a woman’s heart is impossible to know? Perhaps in the next instant, I’ll have you killed; after all, we know nothing about you, and keeping a stranger aboard our Starship is an unnecessary risk,” Wu Yi said lightly.
The smile on Yang Kai’s face immediately disappeared.
Wu Yi giggled, seemingly very satisfied, “That’s better. En, good, next question, what’s your cultivation?”
“Third Order Saint.”
Upon hearing this, everyone couldn’t help breathing a sigh of relief, they didn’t need to worry themselves over a mere Third Order Saint. Although there was a possibility that Yang Kai was lying, considering his age, even if he wasn’t telling the truth, his strength shouldn’t be much higher.
“I still have a lot of questions to ask, but it looks like you’re quite exhausted so we’ll end things here for today. Yu Feng, take him to one of the rooms to rest and get him something to eat,” Wu Yi saw that Yang Kai’s complexion was pale and decided to restrain her curiosity for now.
Yu Feng nodded before shouldering Yang Kai and taking him out of the hold.
Not long after, when they came to an empty room, Yu Feng kicked open the door and tossed Yang Kai inside before shooting him a vicious look, “Brat, stay here quietly and don’t try anything funny, if I see you acting the slightest bit out a line, I’ll take your life immediately!”
“I know,” Yang Kai nodded, “I’ll behave.”
Yu Feng turned around and was about to leave when he suddenly turned back to Yang Kai and said, “What’s in your Space Ring?”
“Some Saint Crystals and pills,” Yang Kai replied.
Yu Feng glanced around, confirmed there was nobody nearby, and was just about to say something when Yang Kai took the initiative to throw his Space Ring over.
Yu Feng caught it and swept its content with his Divine Sense, immediately breaking out into a grin and nodding to Yang Kai, “Brat, seems you know what you should do. Good, wait here a bit, I’ll get you something delicious to eat.”
Saying so, Yu Feng ran out of the room.
Yu Feng grinned as he strode off. Although Wu Yi insisting that Yang Kai be spared had made him a bit uneasy, being able to easily obtain so many Saint Crystals made Yu Feng very happy.
After turning a corner though, Yu Feng saw Wu Yi standing there with a smile.
Quickly hiding the Space Ring behind himself, Yu Feng wore a big smile on his face.
“Hand it over!” Wu Yi stretched out her hand to him.
“What could Young Lady be talking about?” Yu Feng feigned ignorance.
“That person’s Space Ring is in your hands now, right?” Wu Yi smiled sweetly.
Yu Feng sighed while putting on a depressed look before slowing walking over to Wu Yi and placing Yang Kai’s Space Ring in her hand, saying in an exasperated tone, “Young Lady, can you not be so smart? Us men won’t be able to hold our heads up if you keep acting like this.”
“We’re not robbers, snatching someone else’s possessions will only create unnecessary grievances. If people like you were running the family, would it be able to survive?” Wu Yi rebuked him firmly.
When Yu Feng heard these words, he obediently lowered his head and sincerely apologized.
After Wu Yi reprimanded him fiercely, Yu Feng confessed to his crimes seriously and swore to not commit such offences again before walking off in a distressed manner. Only after he left did Wu Yi search the Space Ring with her Divine Sense, a wry smile appearing on her pretty face as she muttered to herself, “No wonder people say that there are so many Saint Crystals in the outside world that people never run out of them, a mere Third Order Saint actually carries so many High-Rank Saint Crystals on him, the Heavens are truly unfair. Although we can’t snatch this, it should be alright if he willingly gives it to me, in any case, I did save his life.”
A short time later, Wu Yi took back her Divine Sense from the Space Ring and decided to discuss it the next time she saw Yang Kai.
Inside the room, Yang Kai remained indifferent. The Space Ring he wore on his hand was just a guise; after all, in the Star Field, as long as one had a bit of strength, they would also have a Space Ring.
The one on Yang Kai’s hand only contained about five hundred High-Rank Saint Crystals as well as a few bottles of commonly used pills, nothing he would care about losing.
However, the approach of the man named Yu Feng made Yang Kai raise his vigilance, quickly searching his sleeve pocket and only breathing a sigh of relief after confirming the presence of three other Space Rings.
Although Yang Kai didn’t know how much time had passed, the three Space Rings belonging to Gui Che and his group had fortunately not been lost.
After confirming that no one was watching him, Yang Kai quickly transferred the contents of the three Space Rings to the Demon Mystic Tome.
If these three Space Rings were lost, Yang Kai would definitely be distressed.
Finishing doing all this, Yang Kai had time to investigate his situation.
After waking up, Yang Kai discovered that his body was devoid of all Saint Qi as if he no cultivation to speak of, worrying him greatly.
If a cultivator had no cultivation, they would just be an ordinary mortal.
After a careful inspection though, Yang Kai calmed down.
But, I was a little curious as to why there were so many people 2 hours after this was suppose to be released, to the point that the upgraded server was crashing. I wonder if it was because a ton of people were refreshing or a bot that is trying to scrape the site was like DAMN this guy! Give me them chapters!!!!
But well, the chapter is here.
Sorry for the wait.
Enjoy~
It wasn’t that Saint Qi didn’t exist in his Yang Kai’s body however, it was just that all the strength he had accumulated over his years of cultivation had currently been exhausted. After discovering that his foundation was still intact, Yang Kai tried circulating his Secret Art and immediately found that he was able to absorb and refine the ambient World Energy, allowing him to breathe a sigh of relief.
As long as his foundation remained, it would only cost him some time to restore his strength, and with the help of his numerous pills and Saint Crystals, that time wouldn’t be too long. After at most a few days, Yang Kai would return to his peak state, but in order to replace his once inexhaustible supply of energy would require a long period of accumulation.
On the other hand, Yang Kai’s Spiritual Energy had not diminished and instead was stronger than ever.
Using his Divine Sense to examine his body, Yang Kai quickly became pleasantly surprised.
The golden blood flowing through his veins now seemed far purer and denser than before.
On top of that, he now possessed nearly a hundred drops of the most orthodox Demon God Golden Blood, each one of them containing a terrifying amount of power. This was true Demon God Golden Blood, equal in might to the blood of Great Demon God himself. These hundred drops of blood had even greater restorative strength compared to the rest of Yang Kai’s already formidable blood.
These hundred drops of Golden Blood also seemed to contain Yang Kai’s insights into the Heavenly Way and Martial Dao as well as his understanding of his own strength and its utilization.
The former restlessness in his heart was instantly replaced with joy.
Yang Kai had no idea what had happened in the Body Tempering Divine Pond, but he surmised that he had triggered some kind of Spirit Array linked to the Sacrificial Altar which then caused the entire pool to compress into the blood-red crystal which had encased him. Afterwards, he had obviously drifted through the Starry Sky while his blood and body had been tempered, ultimately winding up in his current situation.
His Saint Qi had not disappeared for nothing and had likely been refined into his blood to assist in the formation of these hundred drops of Golden Blood.
Now that his blood had become purer, Yang Kai believed his vitality had also risen greatly and the resilience and restorative strength he could display in battle would be far great than before.
In order to verify his conjecture, Yang Kai gathered what little strength he had just managed to restore and gave himself a bone-deep wound on his palm.
Golden light shone from the wound and before blood could even flow out, the terrible wound sealed itself and in less than half cup of tea’s time, not even a scar remained on his palm.
Yang Kai took a deep breath to suppress his inner excitement.
In the past, although he wouldn’t consider such an injury serious, it would still have taken at least an hour or two to fully heal, but now, half a cup of tea’s worth of time was sufficient.
His restorative abilities had indeed increased exponentially.
After examining his body and determining that his current situation was only a short-term problem, Yang Kai put down his worries and took out a piece of Saint Crystal. Holding this crystal in his hand, Yang Kai began circulating his Secret Art to draw out power from it while at the same time he stuffed a handful of restorative pills into his mouth. Refining these medicinal efficacies and Saint Qi, feeling his strength slowly returning, Yang Kai couldn’t help feeling like he was being reborn.
The Heavenly Spirit Ghost Orchid’s mark on his chest had long ago disappeared, so Yang Kai was able to infer that he had been in a comatose state for a long period of time, as for how long exactly, he had no way to judge.
The woman he had spoken with before said they were currently near Shadowed Star, and that this Cultivation Star was several years away from Rainfall Star. That meant that Yang Kai might have been sealed in that blood-red crystal for several years. During that period, the energy in the blood-red crystal had combined with his own Saint Qi and promoted the quality of his blood. When the energy in the crystal and his own Saint Qi were exhausted, the effects of the Sacrificial Altar ended and the crystal shattered. Yang Kai didn’t see any trace of the altar itself.
The precious treasures which had been placed on the Sacrificial Altar should also have been refined into pure energy to help promote the quality of his blood.
Although the whole affair had been somewhat haphazard and unpredictable, Yang Kai had gained a lot of benefits.
Although Yu Feng was a bit rude and thuggish, he was still a man of his word and really brought over something good for Yang Kai to eat. Yang Kai didn’t stand on ceremony and quickly swallowed down the food to assist him in his restoration.
With his Third Order Saint Realm cultivation, it didn’t matter if Yang Kai ate or not, but that didn’t mean he didn’t have any appetite whatsoever, and the food Yu Feng had brought also contained a large amount of energy which was beneficial to him, so Yang Kai didn’t hesitate to consume it.
Over the next night, Yang Kai consumed three High-Rank Saint Crystals and accumulated a good deal of Saint Qi in his meridians; of course, it was nothing compared to his peak.
The next day, footsteps sounded in the hall outside and the young woman who had spoken to him yesterday soon pushed open the door and walked inside, not even bothering to knock. Another cultivator who had accompanied her quickly pulled up a chair for her and set it down in a flattering manner.
After Wu Yi took a seat, she waved at the cultivator, signalling that he could leave.
The cultivator hesitated before asking, “Young Lady, is leaving you alone with him appropriate?”
“What’s the problem?” Wu Yi glanced over at him unhappily, “Or do you think that you’re stronger than me and can offer me some kind of protection?”
The cultivator wore an embarrassed look and dared not remain, respectfully bowing before walking out and quietly closing the door.
Taking a look at Yang Kai sitting on the ground, leaning against the wall, Wu Yi giggled, “Feeling better?”
“En,” Yang Kai nodded, not knowing what this woman wanted to ask him. He felt that the cultivators on this Starship didn’t hold any malicious intentions towards him. Although Yu Feng clamoured about killing him, it was obvious he was just acting vigilantly.
“You look better. I don’t know how long you’ve been drifting through the Starry Sky, but this time if it weren’t for my subordinate saving you, perhaps you would have gone on floating forever. If you had accidentally encountered a powerful Star Beast, being swallowed up is entirely possible,” Wu Yi casually spoke, clearly trying to frighten him, “If you were swallowed by a Star Beast, your fate would have been quite miserable.”
Yang Kai saw that she was playing with a Space Ring while speaking to him and immediately understood the point she was trying to make, grinning as he nodded, “You saved my life, so naturally I must offer my thanks. Unfortunately, I currently have nothing on my body as my only Space Ring was taken away by that guy named Yu Feng yesterday…”
“So, you’re offering me this Space Ring as thanks?” Wu Yi was overjoyed, “Great, then this ring and its contents are now mine, no going back on your word.”
“I won’t,” Yang Kai shook his head.
Wu Yi extracted the contents of the Space Ring and stuffed them into her own ring before returning the empty one to Yang Kai.
“You’re really rich, there were actually five hundred High-Rank Saint Crystals in that ring. Don’t you understand that excessive wealth easily attracts unwanted attention? Fortunately, you ran into my Starship. If it was anyone else’s you likely wouldn’t be alive right now.”
“Does that much make me rich?” Yang Kai scratched his head.
“It doesn’t?” Wu Yi asked helplessly, “En, that’s right, you outsiders possess a lot of Saint Crystals, but on Shadowed Star it’s not the same. There are only a few Saint Crystal mines, and they are all occupied by big forces, holding one is impossible for a small family like mine so we can only risk our lives by mining outside Ore Stars, each time resulting in many deaths.”
“Are you all so poor?” Yang Kai was utterly shocked. Since coming to the Star Field, he had never had to worry about Saint Crystals. On the floating continent, he had robbed all the Purple Star and Sword Union cultivators, obtaining a lot of Saint Crystals. On Rainfall Star, he had robbed the treasure of the Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce branch.
He really didn’t know that someone could be so happy about obtaining a measly five hundred High-Rank Saint Crystal. What’s more, it didn’t seem like this young woman’s identity was low.
“You said you came from Rainfall Star? As far as I know, that Cultivation Star is owned by a force called Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce, right?”
“En.”
“Is Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce big? How many masters does it have? Are the strongest really Origin Kings? I heard that they build palaces entirely out of Saint Crystal and that they eat precious pills as snacks, is that true? Is it?” Wu Yi let out a barrage of questions that nearly made Yang Kai’s head spin.
Hesitating for a moment, Yang Kai asked, “Have you ever been outside?”
Wu Yi shook her head, “I’ve only moved about Shadowed Star, everywhere else is too far away from this place. I heard that Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce does business all over the Star Field, but you won’t find them on Shadowed Star. It’s really annoying, they look down on us far too much.”
“Why can you only stay on Shadowed Star? Since you want to see the outside world, why not just go yourself?” Yang Kai suddenly felt that this woman was a bit pitiful, she obviously longed for adventure but was clearly fettered by something which made it impossible for her to leave.
“Do you think it’s easy to leave this place?” Wu Yi glanced at him meaningfully, causing Yang Kai to unconsciously straighten up a bit.
“Without a suitable Star Chart, a solid enough Starship, and a sufficient amount of resources, how can a several year-long voyage be made? People here rarely go outside, and outsiders basically don’t come over, Shadowed Star seems destined to become a forgotten place.”
After hearing what she said, Yang Kai couldn’t help thinking of Tong Xuan Realm.
There were many similarities between the two, both were extremely remote, but Shadowed Star was obviously better than Tong Xuan Realm, at least they knew about the Star Field whereas Tong Xuan Realm was completely isolated, not even qualified to explore the Starry Sky.
Throughout the vast Star Field, existences like Tong Xuan Realm and Shadowed Star were definitely not rare, it was likely there were many such Cultivation Stars tucked away in unknown corners.
For a moment, Yang Kai actually felt a subtle connection to this woman, and thinking about it, he muttered, “Actually, you’re much better off than me.”
“How so?” Wu Yi asked curiously.
“Do you know where I came from? A place where the strongest masters were Third Order Saints…”
Wu Yi’s jaw dropped.
“Don’t believe me?” Yang Kai smiled, “It’s the truth though. We didn’t know about Star Shuttles or Starships or even that there were other Cultivation Stars in the Star Field. We would sit beneath the stars and think that the Third Order Saint Realm was the peak of the Martial Dao. If I hadn’t accidentally obtained a broken down Star Shuttle and possessed enough skill to leap out from my world, no one would have even known such a feat was possible. I am the first and only one from the homeland to reach the Star Field, most others still live their lives completely ignorant of this place’s existence.”
Wu Yi stared at Yang Kai and only after a long time said, “You’re quite pitiful.”
Melancholy was a strange thing, once one found out that there was someone more miserable than them, their grief would immediately lesson. Yang Kai’s words had given Wu Yi a sense of comfort.
Compared to the homeland of this man named Yang Kai, Shadowed Star was nothing short of paradise.
Having learned that Yang Kai had leapt out of Tong Xuan Realm all alone to explore the Star Field, Wu Yi’s beautiful eyes filled with admiration. She obviously appreciated this kind of fearless behaviour, and if she had the chance, she imagined she would make a similar choice.
Unfortunately, all kinds of burdens kept her tethered to this place.
As the two chatted, the atmosphere became harmonious. Wu Yi didn’t have any hostility towards Yang Kai in the first place, and Yang Kai was the carefree sort, so he naturally didn’t mind sharing some trivial things with her. It wasn’t until Yu Feng came over to tell her something that Wu Yi unwillingly departed.
After she left, Yang Kai continued to take out Saint Crystals and pills while circulating his Secret Art to restore his strength.
Time passed by and a month later, Yang Kai finally restored his full Third Order Saint Realm strength, but he had yet to accumulate much Saint Qi in his body compared to the massive quantity he had originally possessed.
As such, Yang Kai continued to refine Saint Crystals to replenish his energy stores.
Having become accustomed to an inexhaustible reserve of strength that no matter how much he squandered could never be used up, Yang Kai was a little uncomfortable with his current condition.
The energy contained within each Saint Crystal was quickly transformed into Yang Kai’s strength. Saint Qi flowed rapidly through his meridians while his heart remained calm and steady. While cultivating, Yang Kai would constantly send his Divine Sense through his veins to examine his hundred drops of pure Demon God Golden Blood.
These hundred drops of Golden Blood were formed from the combination of the Sacrificial Altar’s strange energy and Yang Kai’s own massive Saint Qi reserves, but it was inevitable that these hundred drops would be used up and if he wanted to generate more, what method was he supposed to use?
The Sacrificial Altar from the Body Tempering Divine Pond was no longer around and Yang Kai could not completely remember the complex Spirit Array which was portrayed on it. Even if he wanted to reproduce it, it was impossible.
As he focused on the Golden Blood flowing through his body though, it suddenly became stimulated and began madly devouring his Saint Qi.
Yang Kai, who had just managed to restore himself after so much effort, suddenly turned pale again and couldn’t help feeling like he was about to collapse.
Quickly checking himself, Yang Kai was startled.
In an instant, he had lost more than half of the new Saint Qi he had just refined. This mass of Saint Qi had seemingly been swallowed up by the Golden Blood in his veins and in return produced a needle tip-sized drop of radiant gold.
Naturally this was the beginnings of a drop of pure Demon God Golden Blood that had previous not existed!
Yang Kai thought about it for a while and soon understood. Relaxing his control, Yang Kai allowed his Golden Blood to continue devouring his Saint Qi.
His hard cultivated Saint Qi abruptly decreased but in return, the needle-tip like drop of Golden Blood became larger.
Sure enough!
Yang Kai couldn’t help silently celebrating. Pure Demon God Golden Blood could be generated inside his body simply by consuming his own Saint Qi, this also confirmed his previous speculations about why his vast reserves of Saint Qi had completely disappeared, they had literally be replaced by the hundred drops of Golden Blood.
In the future, if Yang Kai wanted to condense more pure Golden Blood, he only needed to consume a sufficient amount of Saint Qi.
However, the consumption involved in this process was enough to cause Yang Kai a lot of distress. An entire month of restoring his Saint Qi had only allowed Yang Kai to condense a single rice grain-sized drop of pure Golden Blood, which meant that he would need to cultivate for at least three months before he could form a complete drop.
Despite this, however, Yang Kai remained calm.
Saint Qi could be restored through cultivation, taking pills, and refining Saint Crystals, so as long as he found the right place and method, it wouldn’t be difficult to obtain Saint Qi, but Demon God Golden Blood was an entirely different matter. Now that he had a method to convert Saint Qi into Golden Blood, Yang Kai had nothing to complain about. Although this transformation only worked one way, and the results weren’t as flexible as his previous Yang Liquid, at least he wouldn’t have to worry about running out of Demon God Golden Blood.
There were still a hundred drops of Golden Blood in the body, and Yang Kai wasn’t in a hurry to produce more, so his current focus was to accumulate as much Saint Qi as possible.
With his mood improved, Yang Kai was able to cultivate even faster than before, consuming ten Saint Crystals in a single day.
Wu Yi soon appeared again.
Over the past month, she would run over to Yang Kai whenever she had free time. The stories Yang Kai told fascinated her to no end and she would listen to any information or news he had no matter how dull or inane. The more she listened, the more she looked forward to the outside world. If she could, she would order the Starship to change direction immediately and head towards that wondrous world.
Seeing her sitting in front of himself like an eager young child, Yang Kai couldn’t help feeling a slight headache and said helplessly, “Wu Yi, I only entered the Star Field a few years ago, so everything I’ve seen and heard I have already told you about.”
Yang Kai really couldn’t bear it anymore and he couldn’t tell if a person’s curiosity flourishing to such an extent was his misfortune or hers.
“If you think hard enough, I’m sure there will be something you haven’t told me about. As long as it’s related to the outside world, anything will do,” Wu Yi stared at Yang Kai with undisguised enthusiasm. The first few times she had said these words Yang Kai had racked his brain to come up with a few trivial things to satisfy her curiosity before sending her way, but today he was not going to compromise.
This little lady was simply an insatiable wolf, if he compromised today, she would no doubt be back tomorrow for more.
“No, I really don’t, other than the sex I had with women, what else haven’t I said?”
“Then tell me about that, I want to know if there’s any difference between how men and women interact with each other in the outside world compared to Shadowed Star,” Wu Yi immediately became intrigued and completely ignored the pitch-black grimace on Yang Kai’s face.
Fortunately, at the critical moment, Yu Feng arrived to save Yang Kai.
Seeing his panicked look, Wu Yi’s face also became serious as she asked, “What happened?”
“The Starship is being pursued by a group of Black Rock Beasts.”
Wu Yi’s face suddenly went pale and she hurriedly stood up, rushed over to the window, and looked towards the rear. After seeing the situation outside, her expression became even uglier.
No longer caring about digging into the most intimate details of Yang Kai’s life, she hurried out of the room together with Yu Feng.
After they left, Yang Kai also went to the window and looked around, soon discovering a large group of black coloured Monster Beasts chasing after the Starship. There were at least three or four hundred of these beasts within Yang Kai’s field of vision with the distinct possibility there were more outside his line of sight.
During this past month, Yang Kai had heard about Black Rock Beasts from Wu Yi. This Monster Beast lived amongst the Starry sky and had incredibly tenaciousness vitality. On top of that, it fed upon minerals and ores, so among Asteroid Seas, Dead Stars, and Ore Stars, Black Rock Beasts were a common sight.
Wu Yi called these Monster Beasts, Star Beasts.
Black Rock Beast’s weren’t very strong, the weakest only being Fifth-Order which was equivalent to Human Race Immortal Ascension Boundary cultivators. The strongest were Seventh-Order, equal to Saint Kings, while the majority were Sixth-Order.
However, what gave Wu Yi the biggest headache was that Black Rock Beasts lived in large packs, and not only did they enjoy feeding on raw ores, they also ate Starships!
Starship hulls were forged from a variety of rare and precious ores and were nothing less than a delicacy to Black Rock Beasts. With their thick and strong skins, Black Rock Beasts were difficult to kill. Most of the Starships that were lost sailing around Shadowed Star were not destroyed by Starry Sky Storms but rather by Black Rock Beasts.
When a Starship was consumed by these Star Beasts, the cultivators inside no longer had any place to take shelter, and mass casualties would result. For many years, the major forces on Shadowed Star suffered heavy losses because of these Star Beasts and had once tried to wipe them out, but Black Rock Beasts were like bamboo shoots after the rain, after cutting one crop, another would soon emerge.
It could be said that Black Rock Beasts were the biggest enemy of the cultivators on Shadowed Star, and also an obstacle preventing them from entering and integrating into the Star Field. If they weren’t dealt with, truly joining the Star Field was impossible.
Wu Yi’s Starship was only Saint King Grade Low-Rank and could not resist the teeth of Black Rock Beasts.
So when she heard that Black Rock Beasts had been spotted, Wu Yi’s demeanor had immediately darkened.
Yang Kai thought about it for a while before also leaving his room.
Over the past month, although he had failed to integrate into this Starship’s crew, no one had come to cause trouble with him despite his cultivation not being low. Wu Yi had also allowed him to walk around the Starship as long as he didn’t enter any restricted areas.
In the corridor, cultivators rushed out, each of them emitting thick murderous intent with Yu Feng taking the lead to organize them.
Many people were cursing and clamouring to fight to the death against the Black Rock Beast, vowing to live and die with their Starship.
Everyone turned a blind eye to Yang Kai.
At that moment, the Starship suddenly shook, and a sensational wave of energy erupted, causing all the hurrying cultivators to grin. Yang Kai looked out a nearby window and saw a white stream of light shoot out from the Starship and blast open a hole in the Black Rock Beast group.
Dozens of Black Rock Beasts instantly turned into blood mist. Wherever the beam of light passed, space became empty, with not even dust remaining behind.
Crystal Cannon!
These powerful offensive artifacts were a common feature on Starships and were powered by large amounts of Saint Crystals. Although they had tremendous power, their consumption was equally immense.
With the financial resources available to Wu Yi and her crew, a single shot was likely their limit.
Sure enough, after the first Crystal Cannon round, the hot-blooded cultivators aboard the Starship charged out of its hatch and followed Yu Feng into battle.
Even Wu Yi, wearing a fiery red Artifact Armour that covered her entire body, was no exception. The clusters of red flames on her Artifact Armour pulsed with Saint Grade Low-Rank intensity, illuminating her beautiful face in a dazzling blaze.
After these cultivators left, the hatch slowly closed again.
Yang Kai released his Divine Sense and swept the Starship, soon discovering that aside from himself, less than ten people remained aboard the Starship. These ten people were the minimum number needed to keep the Starship running, everyone else had gone out to engage the Black Rock Beasts in a fierce battle.
After experiencing the affluence of Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce, suddenly seeing such a motley crew desperately trying to protect a small Saint King Grade Low-Rank Starship, Yang Kai’s mood was a bit complex.
If this Starship belonged to Xue Yue instead of Wu Yi, she wouldn’t have even left her room, her safety was far more valuable than a single Starship.
But then again, if this was Xue Yue’s Starship, instead of a single round from the Crystal Cannons, that crazy woman would likely continue firing until the entire swarm of Black Rock Beasts was wiped out.
Outside the Starship, dazzling bursts of light from artifacts and Martial Skills lit up the Starry Sky as the cultivators released wave after wave of varied attribute attacks towards the dense pack of Black Rock Beasts.
Even though the Black Rock Beasts possessed extremely hard skins, they weren’t able to withstand such violent attacks and only moments after the battle began, more than twenty Fifth and Sixth-Order Black Rock Beasts had been slaughtered.
The cultivators from the Starship coordinated with one another, acting as a single unit while keeping their distance from the main Black Rock Beast pack under Wu Yi’s command.
There were only fifty to sixty of them in total, many times fewer compared to the huge number of Black Rock Beasts. Face with such a numerical disadvantage, there was no other tactic the cultivators could use in this fight.
Yang Kai’s ears rang with the sound of shouts of cheers as the people who stayed behind to operate the Starship encouraged their companions. These people’s cultivations were the lowest amongst everyone so they weren’t eligible to participate in such a battle.
A pitiful scream suddenly echoed and a Third Order Saint was torn to pieces by a Black Rock Beast, resulting in his death.
Immediately, someone took his place on the battle line and pushed back the Black Rock Beast which had broken through, and then in the next moment, dozens of attacks raced over and exploded the Black Rock Beast.
Wu Yi’s commands were orderly and efficient, making it clear this was not her first time handling such a battle. Everyone was experienced and so long as this situation continued, even if Wu Yi’s group was small in number, victory would ultimately be theirs.
But Yang Kai was keenly aware that everyone who was fighting outside was anxious, seemingly knowing what this pack of Black Rock Beasts would do next and understanding that it would not be an action they could resist.
Another scream came out and a cultivator at the outermost position of the formation was set upon by several Black Rock Beasts which quickly bit him to deaths, raising the death toll to two.
The Black Rock Beasts didn’t devour this cultivator’s body, spitting out his broken flesh and bone after biting him to death. Black Rock Beasts only fed on minerals and ores, not flesh and blood.
*Xiu xiu xiu…*
Suddenly, a dark green liquid spewed out of the Black Rock Beasts’ mouths, and in the blink of an eye, Wu Yi and her team were surrounded by this turquoise wave. All of them wore grim expressions as they quickly avoided this wave under Wu Yi’s command.
One unlucky cultivator was accidentally contaminated by the green liquid and smoke immediately burst from his figure. The majestic Artifact Armour worn on his chest was quickly melted away and the flesh beneath it was also corroded, exposing his white bones.
This turquoise liquid was too corrosive!
Yang Kai’s brow furrowed and couldn’t help worrying for Wu Yi and the others.
At present, his strength had not been completely restored, and at most he could display the combat effectiveness equivalent to an ordinary Third Order Saint. If Wu Yi and her group were defeated and the Starship was destroyed, everyone would suffer disaster and it was uncertain if any of them would be able to survive.
Yang Kai suddenly felt that he had to do something.
*Dong dong dong…*
A series of muffled thuds came from the ship’s hull, and Yang Kai saw that a number of Black Rock Beasts had actually circumvented Wu Yi’s defence perimeter and directly begun spraying the Starship with their corrosive green liquid while taking bites out of the hull.
The sounds of twisting and cracking metal echoing throughout the Starship was enough to send cold chills up the spines of everyone inside.
Wu Yi could no longer afford to concentrate her forces and split them up into groups of three to five cultivators to intercept these Black Rock Beasts. Many cultivators fearlessly leapt towards the Starship to slaughter the attacking enemy.
With each passing moment, more people died, with dozens of Black Rock Beasts surrounding each team of cultivators.
Yu Feng joined forces with three others to protect Wu Yi, using their own Saint Qi to block the enemy from harming her.
Wu Yi cultivated a Fire Attribute Secret Art and brandished a pair of flaming rings on her hands, swaying her body in a mesmerizing yet deadly dance, condensing flames into dragon-like shapes that deterred most Black Rock Beasts from approaching her closely while incinerating the ones who got too close.
These Black Rock Beasts seemed afraid of fire.
The pack of Black Rock Beasts noticed this anomaly quickly and more began rushing over.
Yu Feng and his comrades did their best but couldn’t stop the crashing tide of beasts. To make matters worse, there were several Seventh-Order Black Rock Beasts attacking them now.
Seventh-Order Monster Beasts were equivalent to Saint King Realm cultivators. Two Seventh-Order Black Rock Beasts were pinning down Yu Feng while the others in the pack were confronting Wu Yi and her guards, surrounding them in an airtight formation.
An even more intense flame aura erupted from Wu Yi’s rings and a blast of heat rushed out to hit one of the Seventh-Order Black Rock Beasts, resulting in a fiery explosion that sent the beast reeling in pain, but failed to kill it.
Black Rock Beasts were thick-skinned and possessed extremely tenacious vitality, Wu Yi could easily kill those that were Fifth or Sixth-Order, but she had no way to kill a Seventh-Order one in short span of time.
Having suffered this flame attack, the Seventh-Order Black Rock Beast seemed to become enraged, opening its mouth wide to reveal its rows of irregularly serrated fangs and thick corrosive acid.
Using its companions for cover, this Seventh-Order beast bit towards Wu Yi’s delicate waist while she was distracted.
As long as this attack succeeded, Wu Yi wouldn’t be able to avoid death or serious injury as the potent acid from the Black Rock Beast’s mouth would immediately corrode her body.
Wu Yi saw this clearly but was unable to resist.
Yu Feng and the others also went all out to help but were ultimately powerless.
A sense of desperation rose in Wu Yi’s heart as she stared stunned at the Seventh-Order Black Rock Beast biting towards her.
At that moment, a drop of golden light suddenly appeared in front of her. There was no sign of this golden radiance the instant before, as if it had simply come into existence. As soon as this golden light appeared, it transformed into a great spear that exuded an energy fluctuation so astonishing it caused everyone nearby to pale.
The spear shot forward towards the open mouth of the Seventh-Order Black Rock Beast like a bolt of lightning, blasting a hole in its head as if it were made from rotten wood.
The golden spear continued on unabated, piercing through more than a dozen Black Rock Beasts. None of these thick-skinned Star Beasts was able to resist this attack, with those in the Fifth and Sixth-Order bursting into blood mist the instant they were struck, disappeared right before everyone’s eyes.
The stunned Yu Feng froze up, forgetting the dangerous situation he was in as he stared at the golden spear which was rapidly approaching him, an icy feeling gripping at his heart.
He was certain he would soon be dead.
But to his surprise, the golden spear seemed to have its own spirituality and as it rushed in front of him, it suddenly swerved, brushed past his body, and ran through the Black Rock Beast behind him.
All the cultivators on the scene stared blankly, their heads filled with fog, wondering who this golden spear belonged to.
Wu Yi also couldn’t help staring. The situation which was supposed to have resulted in her death had been easily resolved by this golden spear, allowing her to escape. Still shivering slightly, she began sweeping her eyes over her surroundings, her pretty face filled with doubt.
She wanted to find the owner of this spear. She had no idea there was such a powerful master among her subordinates. This spear alone would be more than enough to make that subordinate a pillar of her family.
Wu Yi naturally placed extreme value on this cultivator and his profound method.
After searching for a while though, she was unable to find any likely candidates. Suddenly, she saw Yang Kai standing next to one of the Starship’s windows. Yang Kai appeared to be waving towards her while saying something. Wu Yi couldn’t tell what he was saying, but she could tell that he didn’t have any trace of nervousness on his face. He seemed to be cheering her and the others on.
Wu Yi shook her head and didn’t pay any more attention to Yang Kai, instead pulling Yu Feng and the others out of their stupor and leading them to attack the Black Rock Beasts again while quietly observing the golden spear.
With the appearance of this strange golden spear, the course of the battle shifted.
The cultivators who had originally been at an absolute disadvantage were now re-invigorated, each of them desperately pushing their strength as they slowly regained the initiative.
The golden spear swam through the battlefield, as if it had a mind of its own, each thrust it made sweeping through and killing several Black Rock Beasts, often times saving the lives of cultivators who were on the verge of death.
Everyone recognized this peculiar golden spear’s fierceness and began coordinate with it, cleaning up the scattered and injured Black Rock Beasts which were thrown into chaos by its attacks. Wu Yi also took decisive action and ordered all her remaining subordinates to fall in behind the spear, allowing it to act as the vanguard while they mopped up the remnants. In this way, it would only be a matter of time before this pack of Black Rock Beast was exterminated.
The Black Rock Beasts that had jumped onto the Starship were swiftly cleaned up. As this was happening, the other Black Rock Beasts seemed to become aware of the threat from the golden spear and fell back to consolidate their group. The pack withdrew slightly while glaring towards the Starship, but none of the beasts dared to launch an attack at will.
Wu Yi also raised her hand, also ordering her subordinates to fall back.
There were too few of them while there were still hundreds of Monster Beasts in the Black Rock Beast pack, rushing in would only result in more casualties.
The scene suddenly froze, with the Black Rock Beast now acting cautiously, not willing to come forward, and Wu Yi’s group not eager to provoke them.
The deadlock, however, was soon broken by the golden spear. Before anyone realized it, the energy fluctuations from the golden spear suddenly soared in intensity and the three-meter long spear rapidly grew to over twenty meters in length.
The giant spear next flickered, disappearing from everyone’s sight, as if it had never even existed.
Just as everyone began searching for traces of the giant spear though, a brilliant burst of golden light emerged from the centre of the Black Rock Beast pack. This burst of light swiftly engulfed the entire pack, causing many Fifth-Order and Sixth-Order Monster Beasts to instantly disintegrate. Even the Seventh-Order Black Rock Beast began howling in pain as their black flesh was torn apart and red blood flew from their bodies.
When the golden radiance finally dissipated, the massive Black Rock Beast pack had shrunk significantly, with over a hundred of them now nowhere to be seen.
The remaining Black Rock Beats didn’t dare linger any longer and led by the several remaining Seventh-Order Monster Beasts fled in fear.
The group of cultivators stood frozen in place, and only after the Black Rock Beasts had long disappeared into Starry Sky did an eruption of cheers resound, everyone’s face filled with the joy and happiness appropriate for surviving a life or death disaster.
The cultivators cheered and shouted, celebrating their victory, and even Wu Yi wore a faint smile, her pair of beautiful eyes slowly sweeping over her all too familiar subordinates, seemingly inspecting them for the first time, trying to see into the depths of their hearts and discover if they had been hiding something. After a while, with a thoughtful look still on her charming face, she waved her hand and ordered, “Return!”
As she flew towards the Starship, all the other cultivators followed close behind. The main hatch of the Starship slowly opened and those who had remained aboard stood there to welcome the triumphant return of their crewmates.
Never before had any of them experienced such a battle. The Black Rock Beast pack they encountered this time were the largest they had ever seen and all of them had lost hope that they would be able to survive, but to their great surprise, they had actually emerged victorious without even paying that great a price, only a dozen dead in battle with the others having some minor wounds.
Such a victory was worth celebrating!
“Yu Feng, get some of the uninjured to repair the damage to the Starship. Two hours from now, I want everyone who was involved in the battle to assemble in the main hall, I have something to say,” Wu Yi said quietly.
Grinning widely, Yu Feng was boasting about how brave and gallant he had just been when he heard this order and immediately nodded, “I’ll see to it.”
After watching Yu Feng assign a few people who were familiar with repairing the Starship to the task, Wu Yi walked towards her own room. The victory just now was completely unexpected, so naturally, she had to figure out what had happened, but before that she wanted to clean up her bloodstained clothes.
Inside his room, Yang Kai sat cross-legged, his Divine Sense carefully examining his body, particularly the hundred drops of Golden Blood, unable to hide the joy and surprise on his face even though his eyes were closed tight.
He had no idea that the power of a single drop of Golden Blood would be so massive.
When he saw Wu Yi and the others fighting just now, Yang Kai had suddenly come up with the idea to use a drop of his Golden Blood. He had only wanted to provide them with a bit of help while testing out the power and usage of his Golden Blood, but the results had wildly exceeded his expectations and directly resolved the crisis.
Yang Kai had used a single drop of Golden Blood to display the Heaven Punishing Spear from his Nine Heavens Divine Skills while employing his Divine Sense and comprehension of the Dao of Space to deftly control its movements even as he remained on board the Starship.
What most satisfied Yang Kai though, was that even if the drop of Golden Blood had separated from his body, it still felt like a part of himself, like one of his hands or feet, allowing him to control it without any kind of obstruction even across a great distance.
A drop of Golden Blood was the result of three months of Yang Kai’s hard work. The Saint Qi he could cultivate over the course of three months was all condensed into a single drop, which explained how it could possess such power.
This kind of Golden Blood was thousands of times more precious than his previous Yang Liquid, and its might was also incomparable.
However, using a drop meant losing a drop, and unlike his Yang Liquid, which could be replenished casually, the pure Golden Blood required a long period of accumulation to condense, making Yang Kai feel a little distressed.
Yang Kai also wanted to know what other uses the Golden Blood had other than as a weapon. If Great Demon God was alive still, perhaps Yang Kai might have been able to obtain some inspiration from him; after all, Great Demon God’s comprehension of the Golden Blood was definitely more profound than his own. Unfortunately, Great Demon God was long dead, so Yang Kai could only rely on himself to slowly explore the Golden Blood’s mysteries.
While Yang Kai was studying his Golden Blood, all the cultivators who had previously participated in the battle gathered in the Starship’s main hall. Many people assembled were smiling and discussing whether the Young Lady was going to grant them some kind of special reward and were all looking forward to what would happen next.
Only Yu Feng and Foreign Elder Chang Qi exchanged a glance and guessed what Wu Yi’s intentions were, bringing all these people together.
After waiting for a short time, Wu Yi appeared in an enchanting long green dress, her arrival catching everyone’s attention as shallow smiles began creeping onto their faces while a fascinated look flashed across their eyes, one they couldn’t extricate themselves from.
Even while not concealing his own enraptured gaze, Yu Feng began slapping the heads of a few of his ruder companions while gnashing his teeth and shouting, “Wipe those grins off your faces you fools! Since when did you all degrade into horny dogs?”
“Brother Yu Feng, why are you hitting us? Your face ain’t any better than ours,” Some people held their heads and complained.
“Father here only admires the Young Lady, it’s different from you lot! Don’t you understand what appreciation is?” Yu Feng coldly snorted, and having said so, with a flattering smile on his face, he rushed over to Wu Yi and said, “Young Lady, everyone has been gathered, please speak your mind.”
“En,” Wu Yi nodded gently, her pair of beautiful eyes sweeping across her group of uncouth and rowdy subordinates. As her eyes passed over them, each of these delinquents puffed up their chests and restrained their smiles, putting on their best heroic look.
Yu Feng diligently brought over and offered a chair, allowing Wu Yi to take a seat and say, “You’re all quite fierce, why didn’t I notice before? I always thought you were just a bunch of mixed fish waiting for death to take you, but it seems I’ve been very mistaken.”
Many people didn’t comprehend the not so subtle ridicule in Wu Yi’s words and began grinning broadly; trying to act humble by saying that the Young Lady was praising them too much.
Wu Yi snickered, watching her subordinates bragging about themselves while faking humility when it was obvious that each and every one of them was growing more pompous by the breath. Unable to take it, Wu Yi slammed her fist against the arm of her chair, smashing it to bits as she ground her teeth and shouted, “Are you all not clear why all of us are still standing here? Do you think I‘m really praising you? One crowd of mindless fools!”
Even though Wu Yi was reprimanding them like this, everyone was still laughing merrily, not showing the least bit of shame or anger.
Being scolded by a beautiful woman was an honour, and all of them knew that although Wu Yi’s words were harsh, they didn’t reflect what she felt in her heart.
“Whoever it was, step forward and reveal yourself, don’t think you’ve managed to conceal yourself, this Young Lady already knows who you are. Don’t think you can play tricks in front of me,” Wu Yi shouted as she gazed at the crowd. Everyone present felt she was looking at himself.
Everyone’s expression immediately became serious as they remembered the golden spear which had suddenly appeared in the previous battle, finally understanding why Wu Yi had ordered them here.
The Young Lady clearly wanted to uncover the owner of that golden spear!
*Hualala…*
At least a dozen people stepped out from the crowd, each of them wearing an apologetic expression as they fidgeted restlessly and shamelessly proclaimed, “Young Lady, in fact, I didn’t want to say anything, but since you’ve found me out, I won’t hide it anymore. “
Wu Yi rubbed her temples in frustration as her pretty face filled with helplessness because she found that even Yu Feng had included himself among these dozen or so people, realizing that she had still been underestimating the shamelessness of these bastards.
The crowd immediately fell into chaos as these dozen or so men began clamouring about how that golden spear was their own masterpiece which they secretly cultivated, none of them willing to give in, raising a huge ruckus.
“Young Lady,” Foreign Elder Chang Qi, who was very old, walked over to Wu Yi with crossed arms and as the corner of his brow twitched declared, “Do you not know what quality of goods this lot is? That golden spear could not possible belong to any of them.”
Wu Yi let out a sigh, “Then who did it belong to? In addition this group of blowhards, there is only Yang Kai aboard our Starship, but during the fight with the Black Rock Beasts, Yang Kai was still inside, and he is only a Third Order Saint. It couldn’t possibly have been him.”
Chang Qi thought about it for a while before proposing, “Perhaps a great master who happened to be passing by unintentionally saw our plight and took action to help us.”
“A passing master?” Wu Yi frowned, “Does Foreign Elder Chang know of any master on Shadowed Star who uses such an artifact?”
Chang Qi shook his head, “Young Lady, that golden spear didn’t seem to be an artifact.”
“Not an artifact? Then was it a Martial Skill?”
“It’s also not like a Martial Skill. This old master was paying close attention to that spear during the fight and noticed that it exuded an amazing vitality. Although it was in the form of a spear, this old master always felt it was closer in nature to a living creature.”
“I also noticed its shocking vitality,” Wu Yi nodded, “But why didn’t that master who saved us make an appearance? They could have at least let us know who our saviour was.”
Chang Qi smiled slightly, “There are many powerful masters who do not like publicizing their names, perhaps in his opinion saving us was only a slight effort.”
“En, but his slight effort managed to save several dozen of our lives.”
“Young Lady doesn’t need to worry, as long as that person is from our Shadowed Star, we will one day come to know his identity, and it won’t be too late to offer our thanks at that time. Our family isn’t one that cannot understand gratitude, but Young Lady, if in the future you come to know the identity of this master, you must be careful when speaking with them, such powerful masters are often subject to shifting moods, on top of that, this time’s matter may not even be remembered by them.”
“What Foreign Elder says makes sense,” Wu Yi nodded slightly, glancing back at the still-arguing crowd who were trying to snatch up credit, snorting in the next moment as she shouted, “If you continue acting so shamelessly, I’ll confiscate all your rewards for this time’s expedition!”
Once these words came out, the several arguing men went silent, none of them daring to let out a single squeak as they bowed their heads.
“We still have a month’s journey back to Shadowed Star, so remain vigilant, I won’t tolerate any mistakes!” Wu Yi reprimanded before getting up and leaving.
After she left, Yu Feng snorted before turning to the crowd, “Good, now there’s nothing left to fight over. You fools, why did so many of you come forward all at once? Couldn’t you have left this credit for Father to eat up? Calling you all comrades is this Yu Feng’s greatest disgrace!”
The dozen or so people who had just been clamouring rolled their eyes and ignored the outraged Yu Feng, quickly leaving to take care of their own business.
Inside his room, Yang Kai was in a state of meditative cultivation when Wu Yi rushed in and without a hint of politeness sat on her usual chair, her full chest bouncing slightly as she sat, making for a spectacular view.
Yang Kai opened his eyes to glance at her for a moment before closing them again and continuing to meditate.
After waiting for a while, Wu Yi saw him remain motionless and took the initiative to say, “I’m quite angry.”
Yang Kai sighed, knowing there was no way he could continue to cultivate. This young lady was a beauty, but her persistence was another matter altogether, each time she came, she wouldn’t give up until she drew out some stories from him, as if she had been starved for conversation for hundreds of years.
Seeing Wu Yi sitting there with a sour face waiting for him to ask her about it, Yang Kai sighed helplessly and spoke, “Who provoked you?”
“That group of stinky men! Why are they all so brain dead? All they could think about was snatching up the credit for themselves. Yang Kai, are people in the outside world like this too?”
Yang Kai thought about it for a moment before saying, “I don’t know about others, but I do know one situation where men become incredibly stupid.”
“What situation?”
“When they’re facing the woman they like, they’ll often do stupid things just to attract her attention.”
Wu Yi contemplated his words for a while before bursting into laughter and nodding, “What you said makes sense, in fact, they’re usually not that stupid, at least not to that extent, but every time I pass by, their intelligence seems to drop.”
“If they didn’t act that way, how else could you show off your smarts?”
“Do you mean that I’m stupid? You want to say that the only way I can look better is if they act dumb?” Wu Yi immediately became unhappy.
“I didn’t say that, you’re thinking too much. If you weren’t smart enough, no one would dare let you take charge of this Starship, much less entrust their lives to you.”
“As long as you know,” Wu Yi snorted, apparently quite satisfied with Yang Kai’s answer, suddenly changing the subject, “Did you know that just now, while we were fighting outside, I thought we would all die. We’ve never encountered such a large pack of Black Rock Beasts before. If they had destroyed the Starship, perhaps less than thirty percent of us would be able to escape with our lives, but suddenly a golden spear appeared to help us resolve the crisis. Yang Kai, what kind of person do you think the master of that golden spear is? You were watching the whole time right? Did you notice anyone suspicious?”
“Nope,” Yang Kai shook his head.
Wu Yi stared at him deeply, seemingly unintentionally saying, “If that person was willing to identify himself, I would offer him my sincere thanks.”
Yang Kai sat in place, his expression completely unmoved, as if he was an old monk who had found enlightenment and was indifferent to the world around him.
After a long time, Wu Yi simply sighed, “One month later we will return to Shadowed Star. Take a good rest; I can see that you still haven’t completely recovered. Was your foundation damaged? I’ll have someone bring you some pills and Saint Crystals.”
Yang Kai nodded, not refusing her kindness.
Shortly after Wu Yi left, a cultivator came and delivered Yang Kai ten High-Rank Saint Crystals and a few Saint Grade High-Rank pills, saying it was the Young Lady’s hope that Yang Kai could restore himself before they returned to Shadowed Star.
Yang Kai thanked him for this before accepting it.
Looking at the ten Saint Crystals and handful of Saint Grade High-Rank pills, Yang Kai couldn’t help feeling a bit complicated.
Previously, Wu Yi had ‘accepted’ five hundred High-Rank Saint Crystals from him, but Yang Kai was fairly certain she had not taken sole possession of those and had instead split them up amongst all her subordinates.
Although everyone hadn’t received much, for a time they were all wearing beaming smiles.
From this display alone, Yang Kai could tell that these people lived very poor lives.
Now Wu Yi had directly delivered him ten Saint Crystals, fully demonstrating her innate kindness.
And so, Yang Kai continued his silent cultivation. After storing up on Saint Qi for a time, he would come out and walk around the Starship. Although this ship was small and seemed to be quite old, it was clearly well maintained by Wu Yi and her crew, even the floors and windows were cleaned daily. It was obvious they valued the Starship more than their lives.
Yang Kai wasn’t one of Wu Yi’s subordinates, so there were some restricted areas on the Starship, such as the power room, he couldn’t go, but other than that, he was able to move about freely. The other cultivators onboard also gradually became familiar with Yang Kai, and as a foreigner, he was often subject to their curiosity and forced to tell them stories of the outside world.
Time flew by and the Starship drew closer and closer to Shadowed Star. As they approached home, the mood of the several dozen cultivators onboard became more and more joyful.
They had all set out on a dangerous journey to mine the nearby Ore Star and experienced many hardships along the way, so now that they were about to return home with a full load, naturally they were quite happy.
Even Wu Yi was infected with this kind of celebratory mood and in recent days had not run over to pester Yang Kai.
Finally, the huge Shadowed Star appeared in everyone’s eyes and within the Starship, loud cheers rang out.
Yang Kai, who was meditating in his room, was shaken awake and quickly walked outside to take a look through the corridor window.
An unimaginably large star soon appeared in his eyes, causing Yang Kai quite a surprise, “So big?”
Shadowed Star was enormous to a ridiculous degree. Yang Kai had spent several years in the Star Field now and had been to a number of different Cultivation Stars, but none could compare to the grandeur of Shadowed Star. It was at least ten times bigger than Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce’s Water Moon Star, a true behemoth amongst the Starry Sky.
At a distant location, an even larger sun star gave off a radiant glow that bathed Shadowed Star in light.
Orbiting Shadowed Star were seven or eight Moon Stars, each one at least the size of Rainfall Star.
“I heard that Shadowed Star was the largest Cultivation Star in the entire Star Field, is that true?” Wu Yi asked suddenly, having arrived beside Yang Kai at some unknown point, a somewhat smug look on her face as she saw his surprised expression.
No matter how much she wished to leave Shadowed Star and explore the vast outside world, this Cultivation Star was still her homeland and she took great pride in it.
“I don’t know if that’s true, but I’m certain it would be difficult to find another Cultivation Star comparable to this Shadowed Star,” Yang Kai answered seriously.
“In fact, the World Energy of Shadowed Star isn’t bad, it’s just that its size is too immense, so compared to other Cultivation Stars, the aura’s density seems a bit thin,” Wu Yi said quietly, “I also heard that long ago, there were many other Cultivation Stars in our region of the Star Field and we had not been cut off from the outside world, but due to some unknown reason, a great change occurred in the Starry Sky and those smaller Cultivation Stars disappeared, leaving behind only the largest Shadowed Star. A series of crises followed that strange change and with the lack of materials, especially Saint Crystals, it became impossible for us to reproduce the glory of our ancestors and even communication with the outside world was gradually cut off. Now it is only outsiders who come to us; it is very rare for those from Shadowed Star to go venture outside.”
While she was narrating this story, Yang Kai didn’t interrupt, simply standing there and listening quietly.
Suddenly Wu Yi turned towards Yang Kai and said with a face filled with confidence, “My dream is to reconnect Shadowed Star with the outside world, so that any time our people want to go see the outside world, they will have an opportunity to, never having to worry about lack of Saint Crystals or cultivation materials again.”
Yang Kai turned to meet her gaze and gave her a big thumbs up.
Those who have ideals were worthy of respect. Compared with Wu Yi, Yang Kai couldn’t say he had much of a purpose in life right now, he simply wanted to get stronger as quickly as possible.
“My family is not strong, and I do not have much status or support within it, so Yang Kai, I want to ask you to help me.”
The look of appreciation on Yang Kai’s face stiffed as he heard Wu Yi’s proposal, a bitter smile soon appearing on his face as he asked, “Your last words were your true purpose, right?”
Wu Yi cutely spat out her tongue, silently acknowledging her guilt.
Yang Kai laughed dumbly, wondering why Wu Yi had been speaking so sentimentally today, it turns out she was having ideas about recruiting him. Mulling over various thoughts for a moment, Yang Kai soon shook his head and said, “I’m just a small Third Order Saint, what can I do to help you?”
“I don’t know what you can help me with, but at the very least, you come from the outside and know far more about it than I do. You’ll know which forces we can look for to cooperate with and supplement the knowledge I lack. It’s alright even if your strength is a bit low,” Wu Yi said sincerely to Yang Kai.
Yang Kai’s brow furrowed. He had quite a good opinion of this woman who looked gentle and weak on the outside but was in fact strong on the inside and determined to pursue her own ideals. Unfortunately, he really didn’t want to get mixed up with others at this point. Yang Kai felt he was just a passing traveler to Shadowed Star and perhaps it wouldn’t be long before he set out again.
Hastily agreeing to Wu Yi’s request here would be too irresponsible, but looking into her pure eyes, Yang Kai couldn’t bear to outright reject her.
After silently grumbling to himself for a while, Yang Kai finally said, “I heard you say that your family is attached to a Sect called Shadow Moon Hall, right?”
“Yes, Shadow Moon Hall is one of the biggest forces on Shadowed Star. My Hai Ke Family are attached to Shadow Moon Hall. There are many small clans and families like ours on Shadowed Star that have no way to survive without the shelter of such great forces.”
“I understand,” Yang Kai nodded slightly, this kind of thing was also commonplace on Tong Xuan Realm. The Hai Ke Family that Wu Yi belonged to was just a peripherally attached force, so Yang Kai estimated their status was quite low and their family’s strength shouldn’t be too strong.
“What’s the level of the strongest masters in your family?” Yang Kai asked again.
Although she didn’t quite understand why Yang Kai had suddenly taken an interest in such matters, Wu Yi quickly answered, “Foreign Elder Chang Qi is one of my family’s strongest.”
Yang Kai was stunned, “Do you not even have an Origin Returning Realm master?”
Wu Yi couldn’t help rolling her eyes at his question, “Do you think Origin Realm masters are cabbages? Can you help me?”
Yang Kai smiled bitterly, “It seems your dreams are quite far from your grasp. It will be impossible to achieve what you want without enough manpower and powerful masters. En, become the Matriarch of your family first. When you accomplish that, I’ll consider helping you.”
“You’ll consider helping me?” Wu Yi trembled with anger upon hearing this. She had sincerely invited him, yet even she could tell that Yang Kai was simply being perfunctory here. Grinding her teeth, Wu Yi even wished she could viciously bite him.
“Good, when you gain control of your family, if you still have such ambitions, I will help you!” Yang Kai stared back at her burning look without any fear.
“Since you’ve said it, you better mean it!” Wu Yi smiled immediately, extending her delicate white hand to Yang Kai.
Yang Kai helplessly shook his head and shook her hand, sealing the agreement.
“Just you wait, within two or three years, I’ll definitely become the family’s leader,” Wu Yi declared with full confidence.
Seeing her like this, Yang Kai couldn’t bear to tell her that when she became head of her family and considered many others issues from that position of authority, she would quickly discover that her priorities were very different from her current thoughts.
Right now, she was simply pursuing her dreams without any other concerns, but in the future, she would have to consider the livelihood of her entire family and those burdens and restrictions would even more ruthlessly shackle her wings.
Time would grind down a person’s spirit and force even the most hot-blooded person to mature.
The Starship broke through the cloud layer of Shadowed Star and descended slowly to a large landing square.
At the square, someone who had already received word of their return was waiting to receive them, and when Wu Yi saw who this figure out the Starship’s window, she couldn’t help waving both her hands and calling out happily, “It’s Uncle Hao An!”
Yu Feng also grinned broadly, “Our trip is also considered an important task. Senior Hao An will naturally come out to meet us in person. Young Lady, after we get back, we’ll be properly rewarded, right?”
“All you think about is your reward!” Wu Yi rolled her eyes before laughing lightly, “Rest assured, the ore we mined this time is quite precious, there’ll definitely be enough compensation.”
Hearing her say this, the cultivator gathered nearby immediately cheered.
With a dull thud, the Starship landed and the hatch slowly opened. With Wu Yi at the head, and Chang Qi following close behind, a large crowd filed out with their heads held his, like soldiers returning in triumph from the battlefield, bringing honour and glory with them.
The old man named Hao An greeted them quickly while a number of cultivators from the Hai Ke Family who were standing behind him also approached and saluted, “Many thanks for Young Lady’s hard work!”
“It is what I should do, Uncle Hao An is too polite,” Wu Yi smiled.
“This old man can finally rest easy knowing Young Lady has returned safely,” Hao An declared with a look of lingering worry. Everyone understood just how dangerous it was to navigate the Star Field aboard a Starship. Wu Yi’s trip this time had lasted longer than a year, and many people who cared for her safety had not slept well since she left; Hao An was one among them and enthusiastically greeted, “Young Lady, please come back to the family, Patriarch and the other Elders are very worried about you, I’m sure they will be happy to know you’ve returned safe and sound.”
Wu Yi smiled but shook her head lightly, “There’s no rush, and we’ll first unload the ore from the Starship before heading back.”
Hearing this, Hao An’s face froze up, but he quickly fixed his expression and put on a strong smile, “Such matters do not need the Young Lady to handle personally, someone will naturally process it.”
Wu Yi stood for a moment before nodding, “Fine.”
Saying so, she shouted to the crowd behind her, “You lot stay here and help transport the ore back.”
“Yes!” Yu Feng and the others shouted loudly.
“No need, we’ll take care of it ourselves,” A voice suddenly called out, and the moment Wu Yi heard who it was, her smile disappeared and was replaced with a strong look of disgust, her beautiful eyes glancing over towards the side.
From the direction of the sound, Wu Yi spotted a group of cultivators rushing over towards them headed by a young man of short stature. This young man was impishly short, his head only reaching partway up Yang Kai’s chest, but although he was short, he took highly exaggerated steps and threw out his chest like he was a mighty expert, the smug look on his face fully illustrating his undisguised disdain for those around him.
“Xie Hong Wen?” Wu Yi’s eyes narrowed dangerously as she angrily shouted, “Why are you here?”
“Why can’t I be here?” The young man named Xie Hong Wen grinned meaningfully, “Although this is your Hai Ke Family’s land, it can also be regarded as my Shadow Moon Hall’s territory, if I want to walk here that is my business. En, Little Sister Wu Yi must have worked hard this time, I heard you even went deep into the Star Field, you must have collected a lot of rare ores.”
“What does that have to do with you?” Wu Yi immediately became vigilant.
“What doesn’t it have to do with me?” Xie Hong Wen laughed before pointing towards the Starship, “The ore inside this thing is now the property of my Shadow Moon Hall, didn’t anyone tell you?”
Wu Yi’s face paled, and Yu Feng and the others also fumed with anger.
Wu Yi turned her head towards Hao An, expecting him to give her an explanation. Hao An met her gaze with a guilty look and only after a long silence let out a long sigh, “Young Lady, let us first return, the Patriarch will give you an explanation.”
“An explanation?” Wu Yi sneered, immediately understanding what was happening here, her blood running cold as she icily spat, “In order to collect these ores, we set out with more than a hundred people, but only half of us were able to return. Do you know what kind of dangers we encountered? Do they how many waves of Black Rock Beasts we had to fend off? Do you know we were almost wiped out and unable to return? Who do you think we went out to collect these ores for? Now we return home with a full load and you want to tell us we can’t even enjoy the fruits of our labour? What kind of explanation do you plan on giving us?”
This series of questions made Hao An close his mouth tightly, the shame on his face only growing thicker, as if he couldn’t wait to find a hole to crawl into and disappear.
Not only was Wu Yi incredibly anger, her tender body trembling with rage, the fifty or so cultivators behind her were also spewing murderous intent as all their eyes stared menacingly towards Xie Hong Wen, their strength secretly condensing.
Xie Hong Wen remained motionless though, his disgusting smile still plastered all over his face as he looked provocatively at Yu Feng and the others, as if he couldn’t wait for them to attack and make the situation even bigger.
“Young Lady, this is the family’s decision!” Hao An finally managed to put out a few words while turning an imploring look towards Wu Yi and all but begging, “Please take the bigger picture into consideration, Young Lady!”
Wu Yi was not a little girl who didn’t understand propriety. She knew that the family had made such a decision because it was powerless to do otherwise and that if she remaining unyielding here, it would only bring greater disaster to her and the people behind her. Her delicate hands balling up into tight fists, the anger on her face gave way to helplessness as she let out a heavy sigh, “I understand.”
“Young Lady!” Yu Feng called out loudly and seemed to want to say something more.
“Enough! Your rewards won’t be short, even if the family can’t provide it, I will find a way to compensate you!” Wu Yi gave him a stern glance.
Tears began dripping from Yu Feng’s eyes as he lowered his head.
Xie Hong Wen clapped his hands lightly, sarcastically giving his approval of this show as he let out a laugh, “I heard that Little Sister Wu Yi possesses a noble spirit, en I’ve certainly see so today, truly deserving of your reputation, having so many unruly men act so obediently to you, Big Brother here is impressed!”
“Who is your Little Sister? Who is my Brother?” Wu Yi glared at him in disgust, “Xie Hong Wen, I’ll tell you now, this Starship’s ore is soaked with the blood of my Hai Ke Family’s clansmen, it was mined with our very lives, I hope you won’t have nightmares after being haunted by the grieving dead after seizing this from us!”
Xie Hong Wen’s face went cold for a moment but his smile soon returned, “Wu Yi, I know you’re dissatisfied, but what of it? If you want to blame someone, blame your family for being so weak, en, one day though your surname will be Xie and you will be this Xie’s woman, just wait and see.”
Saying so, he let out a peal of even more dissolute laughter and waved his hand, “Whoever dares to stop us from taking this ore, kill without mercy!”
The cultivators behind Xie Hony Wen immediately put on aggressive looks as they rushed into the Starship.
“Return!” Wu Yi didn’t want to stay and see this ugly display, and a deep coldness filled her pretty face as she led the several dozen cultivators behind her away.
After over a year of hard work, travelling deep into the Star Field to mine this ore, it had actually fallen into another’s hands the moment they returned to Shadowed Star; this was nothing less than torture for everyone present.
The mood of Wu Yi’s team was completely depressed, but Yang Kai could clearly see that all of their eyes were red with madness. He believed that as long as Wu Yi gave the order, all of them would not hesitate to attack Xie Hong Wen in order to defend their precious cargo.
Yang Kai had originally planned to part ways with Wu Yi as soon as they arrived on Shadowed Star, but leaving right now really wouldn’t be appropriate, so with no other choice, he simply followed along with the others.
After thinking about it for a moment, Yang Kai whispered to Yu Feng, “Does that Xie Hong Wen have some kind of grudge with your Young Lady?”
Yu Feng’s anger had not subsided yet, and when he heard these words he couldn’t help shooting Yang Kai a glare before shaking his head, “There’s no enmity between them, it’s just that he wanted to marry the Young Lady a few years ago, but was rejected by her. After that, he became angry out of shame and began oppressing our family at every chance he could.”
“Is that guy so strong?”
“He is nothing!” Yu Feng spat disdainfully, “Without the protection of Shadow Moon Hall, I can kill him instantly! But his father is an important figure in Shadow Moon Hall, so he can act unscrupulously! My Hai Ke Family is just a minor attached force of Shadow Moon Hall, so no matter how he bullies us, no one will try to uphold justice… Brat, you’re a bit too curious about this, aren’t you? Let me warn you, don’t even think about trying to take Wu Yi from me otherwise I’ll beat you bad enough your mother won’t recognize you! “
Yang Kai gawked for a moment before smirking, “Rest assured, I won’t steal her from you, en, I already have many women.”
Yu Feng’s eyes nearly popped out of their sockets as he stared in shock towards Yang Kai, glancing over him as he asked, “Is that true? With just your pitiful strength, how many women could you have? What do you use to protect them?”
Yang Kai shrugged and didn’t say any more.
Yu Feng seemed to have discovered something of great importance and immediately rushed over to Wu Yi’s side, acting mysterious as he whispered something to her.
After a moment, Wu Yi looked back at Yang Kai, his brow furrowed slightly as a look of disbelief spread across her face.
Yang Kai’s face turned black, knowing that Yu Feng was trying to smear him, but after hearing this strange anecdote, Wu Yi’s mood seemed to improve slightly and her tight expression gradually relaxed, a slight smile even reaching her lips.
The Hai Ke Family’s manor was not far from the square where the Starship had landed, only about fifty kilometres away, so after a short while, the crowd had arrived.
Wu Yi, Hao An, and Chang Qi naturally separated from the group to report to the other Elders of the family while at the same time ask them to give her an explanation. Everyone else also dispersed into the manor and soon disappeared.
A moment later, only Yu Feng and Yang Kai remained.
Yu Feng scratched his head and muttered, “En, Young Lady told me to entertain you well, but after thinking it over, I don’t know what to do, I’ve never had any experience in this area!”
Yang Kai laughed dumbly and waved his hand, “You can go about your own business, and I’ll just take a stroll around.”
“Do as you like, Father here also happens to have something to do. En, don’t go to the local village, that’s the place where the family lives, you can stroll around anywhere else. If you get bored, you can go check out Tian Yun City, it’s about two hundred kilometres in that direction.”
“Sure,” Yang Kai nodded.
Shadowed Star was very different from other Cultivation Stars in that it had an incredibly strong gravity.
Yang Kai previously discovered that the larger the Cultivation Star, the greater the gravitational pull, there seemed to be a direct relationship between the two. The force of attraction Shadowed Star put out was particularly violent; incomparable to any other Cultivation Star Yang Kai had visited before.
Cultivating in this environment would result in greater benefits than other Cultivation Stars.
On top of that, the World Energy here wasn’t as thin as Yang Kai had expected. While it wasn’t as good as Rainfall Star or Water Moon Star, compared to Tong Xuan Realm, it was nothing short of paradise.
Yang Kai was quite satisfied with this place.
After struggling aimlessly through the Star Field for several years, Yang Kai felt he should find a place to settle down for a while and properly cultivate. Only when he was strong enough would he be able to act freely.
Wanting to find Su Yan in this vast Star Field was like finding a needle in a haystack.
But Yang Kai had come up with a feasible method to accomplish this, one he had successfully used before.
That was to make his name known, so that it echoed throughout the entire Star Field, that way, no matter where Su Yan was, she would be able to find him, drastically decreasing the amount of blind searching the two of them had to do.
Back on Tong Xuan Realm, Hu Jiao’er and He Mei’er had quickly been able to find Nine Heavens Holy Land and obtain Yang Kai’s help because of his great fame.
This process would take a long time, but it was much more reliable than flying about like a headless fly. Yang Kai was prepared to spend dozens or even hundreds of years to achieve this wish.
He doesn’t care about time, because no matter how long it was, he believed the bond between him and Su Yan would not weaken.
The same was true of Little Senior Sister. When Yang Kai was strong enough, he would return to Tong Xuan Realm and bring her and the rest of his loved ones out into the Star Field.
Shadowed Star would be the place where Yang Kai took the first steps on this endeavour.
After walking around the Hai Ke Family’s manor for a while, Yang Kai became somewhat bored and was just about to set out for Heavenly Fate City when he saw a Star Shuttle soar out from the grounds.
Yang Kai clearly saw Wu Yi’s figure standing on that Star Shuttle.
Thinking about it for a moment, Yang Kai summoned out his own Star Shuttle and followed after Wu Yi.
Yang Kai didn’t know what happened, but from Wu Yi’s look, he could tell she was in considerable distressed. Even flying a couple kilometres behind Wu Yi, Yang Kai could make out the sound of her sobs. Wu Yi didn’t seem to be flying aimlessly and after a while she landed on a barren mountain and sat down alone at its summit, curling her head down into her green dress as she held her knees with both her hands.
Yang Kai landed behind her but didn’t know how what to say to comfort her, so he simply stood there silently waiting for her to calm down.
Wu Yi’s delicate shoulders trembled, seemingly realizing that someone was approaching her, looking back to discover it was Yang Kai, then crying even louder.
Yang Kai immediately became more flustered.
It took a while, but eventually Wu Yi stopped crying and after wiping the corners of her eyes, she stared pitifully at Yang Kai and said, “Don’t tell anyone else!”
Yang Kai quickly nodded.
“It’s too unfair,” Wu Yi said, choking on her words, “So many of us died to collect that ore, yet after only a few words the family handed all of it over to that bastard Xie Hong Wen, not even preparing a decent reward for us!”
“Small families have the sad fates of small families, hasn’t this happened more than once or twice before?”
“Why do powerful people like to bully the weak? Is there no fairness or justice in this world? If I stood in a high position, I would never do such a thing,” Wu Yi shouted indignantly, venting the frustration in her heart, “Don’t they understand what chilling the hearts of the people mean? Once the will of the people runs cold, the family will be no more, why are they so short-sighted? Is acting so servile just to maintain their feeble existence worth it?”
“When you really stand in such a position, you may be able to appreciate that helplessness.”
“Which side are you on?” Wu Yi glared at Yang Kai in annoyance, angry that he was not agreeing with her.
Yang Kai quickly raised his hands, “Alright, alright, alright. You speak, I’ll just shut up and just listen.”
As if obtaining his permission freed her somehow, Wu Yi opened the floodgates and began talking about all the grievances and injustices she had suffered over the years, and regardless of whether Yang Kai was willing to or not, he was forced to listen to how her family was too weak, how Shadow Moon Hall was too overbearing, and how she felt such great frustration with her own weakness. She seemed to have endured a lot of pressure and torment.
After going on for quite some time, Wu Yi’s mood finally eased up, though her eyes were now swollen like peaches.
Turning to stare into Yang Kai’s eyes, she then asked, “Was that golden spear your doing?”
Yang Kai shook his head decisively.
This woman really had some suspicions; after all, she knew her subordinates’ abilities well, the only one she wasn’t clear about was Yang Kai who they had picked up halfway.
“It really wasn’t you?” Wu Yi seemed a little unconvinced, “Why do I always feel like you’re not as weak as you appear?”
Yang Kai had to admit that the intuition of this woman was quite terrifying, but he still smiled and said, “I am just a Third Order Saint, even if I have some hidden means, how much strength could I possibly display?”
Wu Yi stared at him for a moment before slowly shaking her head, “I don’t know, it’s just that when I face you, I can’t help feeling a sense of pressure. I have a feeling that If we were to fight, the one who would suffer defeat would be me, I believe my instincts.”
“You think too highly of me,” Yang Kai continued to deny, quickly changing the subject, “I actually came here to say goodbye to you.”
“Goodbye?” Wu Yi was stunned, “Where do you want to go? Do you know anyone on Shadowed Star?”
“No, but don’t try to recruit me, I won’t join your family.”
Wu Yi smiled, “Presumably my little family cannot enter your eyes. Although your cultivation isn’t high, in the end, you come from the outside and have clearly weathered your share of great storms. Good, so be it, if you insist on departing, I won’t try to detain you, but between us, we still have an agreement. Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten?”
“Of course I haven’t forgotten.”
“Then don’t leave,” Wu Yi stood up and stretched her waist exaggeratedly, letting out a sigh as she unconsciously showed off her fantastic body line, not even paying the weird look in Yang Kai’s eyes any mind, tapping her foot a few times and saying, “How about if I give you this barren mountain?”
“Give it to me?” Yang Kai was stunned.
“This Dragon Cave Mountain is part of my personal territory. It has a long history in my family, and although there are no precious treasures or rare ores, the World Energy here doesn’t lose out to other places. I often come here to enter secluded retreat. The scenery here is also very good. Yu Feng and his gang often come over as well. In any case, since you have nowhere to go, you might as well just stay here. If you want, from now on, this place is yours.”
Yang Kai frowned and observed Wu Yi for a while and after discerning that she wasn’t joking, he asked in surprise, “Are you really willing to just deliver me such a big piece of land?”
Wu Yi laughed playfully, “Clearly you don’t know, on Shadowed Star, such a piece of land isn’t worth anything at all. Shadowed Star is far too big, so even if my Hai Ke Family is just a tiny force, our territory stretches several thousand kilometres in every direction, what does a trivial mountain count as? Haven’t you encountered similar situations on other Cultivation Stars?”
Yang Kai nodded, realizing that such a piece of land was truly worthless on Shadowed Star.
“Why are you trying so hard to have me remain? You couldn’t have taken a liking to me, right?” Yang Kai became somewhat vigilant.
Wu Yi gawked for a moment before bursting into a fit of laughter.
Yang Kai’s face went dark, “What are you laughing at?”
Wu Yi waved her hands and said, “I know you have a lot of women, and those women like you, but you shouldn’t think too highly of yourself. I… I’m just thinking about supporting my family, I haven’t even considered the matters between men and women yet, but even if I did, I wouldn’t look at a man who already has many women.”
“That would be best,” Yang Kai snorted slightly, suddenly feeling a bit disgruntled.
“So it’s settled?” Wu Yi smiled at him.
“I’ll stay here for the time being. As you said, I have nowhere to go anyway,” Yang Kai shrugged.
“Actually, this place is quite good, Heavenly Fate City is only about fifty kilometres in that direction, so if you ever want to buy anything, it will be quite convenient. Right, you probably don’t have any living goods on you now; I’ll have Yu Feng bring some things over to help you set up some proper accommodations. You can live here with peace of mind. Don’t think too much about it, just treat it as a kind of stopover, when the day comes that I take command of the family, don’t try to back out!”
Yang Kai grinned and somewhat disagreed. He felt that it would take at least several dozen years for Wu Yi to take charge of the Hai Ke Family.
Yang Kai followed Wu Yi across a few mountains before coming to a deep cave where traces of someone sitting in meditative cultivation remained. Wu Yi explained that this was her handiwork.
The cave seemed quite deep and extended straight into the mountain belly. There was a small spring nearby that converged into a pool with crystal clear water inside the cave.
“The conditions here are somewhat harsh but it’s at least quiet and spacious. En, if you want, you can actually live in my house together with Yu Feng and the others.”
“No, this place is good,” Yang Kai shook his head. In any case, it was just a place to stay, so it didn’t really matter where it was. Although this cave was a bit solitary, the World Energy aura was far richer, making Yang Kai very satisfied.
“Then I’ll leave you to get familiar with this place. I have to go back, I still need to distribute the rewards I promised those guys,” Wu Yi said before flying off.
After Wu Yi left, Yang Kai carefully examined his new home.
Although the mountain spring ran through the cave, the environment was not humid or damp and was very suitable for living. This cave was formed naturally and was twisted and confused with no decent stone rooms carved out.
Releasing his Divine Sense, Yang Kai examined the surrounding thousand-kilometre radius and quickly discovered that what Wu Yi said was not an exaggeration, there were no spirit grasses, spirit medicines, or mineral lodes worthy of attention. Apart from the slightly rich World Energy aura, it was just a mountain.
No wonder she had given it away so freely.
Yang Kai knew that Wu Yi was trying to retain him because he had come from the outside and knew far more about it than anyone else she could come across. This was what Wu Yi valued the most. As for his strength, she probably didn’t even think about it.
Wu Yi had great ambition to allow her family to rise to prominence, but Yang Kai also had a lofty goal, to become famous throughout the Star Field. The two had different aspirations, but both would need to work hard at them for many years to achieve results.
Yang Kai suddenly felt that this might be a good springboard, through the Hai Ke to Shadow Moon Hall, and then to Shadowed Star, then to the rest of the Star Field, he would promote his name. When that time came, he wouldn’t have to worry about Su Yan not knowing about him or coming to find him.
Thinking so, Yang Kai was suddenly filled with hope for the future.