After listening to Yang Kai’s rampant words, the old man simply laughed aloud, “Little brat who doesn’t know the immensity of Heaven and Earth, this old master’s name shook the world before you were even born, yet you dare boast so shamelessly!? Enough nonsense, let this old master teach you how you should speak to your elders!”
As soon as the old man made this declaration, he shot out another scarlet ray of light. Yang Kai’s eyes narrowed as he instinctively felt danger approaching, but he had not seen the old man take any obvious actions and was unable to figure out how he made this attack.
While Yang Kai felt suspicious, he had no time to analyse the situation, so he swiftly summoned his Purple Shield and protected himself.
*Hong…*
A loud bang echoed as the violent attack struck, forcing Yang Kai to retreat several steps as he felt the blood in his chest roil. Although he had not been injured, this strange attack still caused Yang Kai’s wariness to rise because the force behind it was too great. If it had been someone with a weaker physique, even with the Purple Shield’s protection, they would have suffered greatly from this blow.
When the old man saw Yang Kai’s Purple Shield, his eyes flashed with greedy light as he exclaimed, “An Origin Grade High-Rank defensive artifact?”
His vision was sharp, so he quickly saw how extraordinary this Purple Shield was. When it was first refined, the Purple Shield was just an Origin Grade Low-Rank artifact, but after several improvements and modifications, Yang Yan had raised its quality to Origin Grade High-Rank.
Artifacts of this grade were extraordinarily rare on Shadowed Star. This old man’s status in Myriad Beast Mountain was not low and his cultivation reached the Second-Order Origin Returning Realm, but the best artifact he currently owned was just Origin Grade Mid-Rank, something he had found in an Ancient Ruin by chance.
A trivial Saint King Realm Junior like Yang Kai taking out an Origin Grade High-Rank artifact, a defensive one at that, made this old man seethe with jealousy and aroused greedy thoughts in his heart!
As long as he could kill this boy, this artifact would belong to him! Elder Jin Shi only wanted that Profound Gold and had not said anything about this brat’s property; moreover, the fight had just begun yet the other party had already taken out such a precious artifact, so who knows what other treasures he had on him?
Considering all this, the old man’s eyes filled with desire and murderous intent as he once again released his Divine Sense and sent out another burst of scarlet light towards Yang Kai.
Yang Kai did not try to dodge this time either, but it wasn’t because he was trying to act tough. He wanted to know what this old man’s strange attack was, so he pushed his Divine Sense to its limits and stared towards the approaching scarlet light unblinkingly.
A moment later, Yang Kai could not help showing a look of surprise.
Because he discovered that the true form of this scarlet light was not some method the old man from Myriad Beast Mountain used, but was actually the tongue of the Blue Eyes Blood Toad!
With the Blue Eyes Blood Toad being a Ninth-Order Monster Beast, it was no surprise this attack carried such great force. This Monster Beast’s tongue was probably one of the strongest and most elastic muscles it possessed, so a blow from it being able to force Yang Kai back was understandable.
Just as Yang Kai realized the nature of this attack, the scarlet tongue hit his Purple Shield again, but this time, Yang Kai had already braced himself, so despite feeling a strong impact which shook his body, he wasn’t forced to retreat again. When he was about to fight back though, he saw a smug grin appear on the old man’s face as he stretched out his hand and patted the Blue Eyes Blood Toad beneath him. Pouring his Saint Qi into his Monster Beast, the old man shouted, “Come!”
At the same time, Yang Kai felt a huge force pull on the shield in his hand, dragging him forward.
Looking down, Yang Kai’s brow jumped as he discovered that the long scarlet tongue of the Blue Eyes Blood Toad now actually had countless tiny suction cups on its end and these suction cups had attached themselves to his Purple Shield.
[Does this old dog want to take away my artifact?] Yang Kai instantly understood the other party’s intentions and sneered, condensing a burning hot Demonic Flame in his hand, and directly grabbing the scarlet long tongue.
“Boy, you court death!” Seeing this scene, the old man not only was not angry but instead felt overjoyed. This Blue Eyes Blood Toad was a Monster Beast he had raised from its birth and he was well aware of how hard and thick its skin was. Not only was it resistant to physical harm though, its entire body had strong toxins flowing through it.
A trivial Saint King Realm Junior wanting to grab the poisonous tongue of his Blue Eyes Blood Toad was nothing less than suicide in the old man’s opinion.
*Ci la…*
A sizzling sound rang and the smell of something burnt filled the air as Yang Kai tightly grasped the Blue Eyes Blood Toad’s poisonous tongue with his Demonic Flames.
The eyes of the Blue Eyes Blood Toad bulged as it felt great pain, its cheeks swelling up as it croaked pitifully.
“How is that possible?” The old man was horrified. Never had he imagined that this brief confrontation would cause harm to his Monster Beast. Staring at the opposing youth simply standing there and sending black flames running down his Monster Beast’s tongue, like a fire consuming a dry grassland, the old man finally realized the situation was different from what he had anticipated. These black flames were clearly unordinary and could not only resist his Monster Beast’s poison but were also extremely difficult to extinguish.
Immediately, the old man sent a command to his Monster Beast and the Blue Eyes Blood Toad swiftly released the Purple Shield and recovered its long tongue.
In a blink of an eye, the long poisonous tongue disappeared but the Blue Eyes Blood Toad’s cheeks continued to bulge several times before it opened its mouth wide and spat out a stream of black blood.
“How dare you hurt my Monster Beast!” The old man roared. He intended to kill this boy and take his treasures, but not only had he failed to steal a chicken, he had lost his rice in the process. The old man could tell that his Companion Monster Beast had been seriously injured.
Furious, the old man pointed his finger towards Yang Kai while at the same time countless warts on the Blue Eyes Blood Toad burst, releasing spurts of multicoloured toxic venom. These masses of venom condensed into hundreds of tiny arrows in the next instant and shot towards Yang Kai.
Yang Kai showed a dignified expression upon seeing this. Even without personally experiencing it, he could tell that this venom was not to be taken lightly. With a cold glare, Yang Kai summoned out a small furnace.
The Origin King Grade Artifact Refining Furnace!
As soon as this Artifact Refining Furnace appeared, it exuded a monstrous heat and with a great gust of wind, this furnace expanded to over a dozen metres in size and released a piercing bird cry. The Firebird Artifact Spirit flew out from the furnace in the next instant and spat out a fiery red glow from its beak to intercept the countless poison arrows.
The jet of flame and the venomous liquid collided and for a moment seemed evenly matched.
The old man’s expression changed once again as he stared at the Firebird Artifact Spirit with greed and fear, not certain how he should proceed.
On the other hand, Yang Kai remained calm and relaxed, even wearing a faint grin on his lips. The strength of the Artifact Spirit was far greater than when he first acquired it and should have no trouble dealing with a Ninth-Order Monster Beast.
A shocking, malevolent aura suddenly rushed towards Yang Kai at that moment. The old man saw his Monster Beast become entangled with the Firebird and would be unable to withdraw any time soon so he took the initiative to attack Yang Kai himself, using his one handed hatchet to send out an ominous black wave.
Realizing the power of his opponent’s artifact, Yang Kai naturally did not dare underestimate this attack. Although this old man’s Saint Qi flow would be somewhat suppressed when fighting in this place, he was still a Second-Order Origin Realm master, in the end. This would be Yang Kai’s first time confronting an enemy of this level.
Waving his hand, Yang Kai condensed numerous balls of Demonic Flame and under the control of his Divine Sense, he transformed them into bird-like shapes before sending them out to intercept the old man’s attack.
“Yuan Control Mastery?” The old man’s brow jumped, never having imagined he would see such a skillful display of Yuan Control Mastery from a Third-Order Saint King Realm cultivator. Even he did not possess such fine control over his Saint Qi, so he felt that a mere Saint King achieving such a feat was impossible.
However, with reality in front of him, he had no choice but to believe it.
The Demonic Flame birds collided with the black wave in the next instant and after a great rumbling sound, both completely dissipated.
“So what if you’ve achieved Yuan Control Mastery? In front of this old master, you can still only be slaughtered, little brat!” The old man shouted sullenly before releasing an invisible force centred on him that instantly spread out and directly engulfed Yang Kai.
An incredible sense of suppression suddenly befell Yang Kai, making it hard for him to even move his fingers.
Shi! This was the Shi of a Second-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivator, and it was far stronger than that of a First-Order master.
However, just suppressing Yang Kai wasn’t enough for this old man, so he quickly poured his Saint Qi into his one handed hatchet before tossing it out and shouting, “Go!”
After absorbing the old man’s Saint Qi, the malevolent aura of this one-handed hatchet was exuded increased explosively and the axe itself transformed into a black python dozens of metres in length.
This python shook its head and flicked its tail, appearing extremely fierce as it opened its mouth and shot towards the place where Yang Kai stood, as if it intended to swallow him whole.
The old man grinned viciously as he saw this. As a Second-Order Origin Returning Realm dealing with a Third-Order Saint King, he had actually been forced to go all out, something which greatly annoyed him. Nevertheless, compared to obtaining this little brat’s wealth, the old man felt this shame was worth it.
With a look of utter confidence filling his face, the old man watched in anticipation of Yang Kai’s body being broken to pieces.
At that moment though, several golden lights suddenly flickered and in an instant, golden radiance filled the air. As these golden lights rapidly swung back and forth, the old man actually felt like his Shi, which had just now been like the calm surface of a lake, had innumerable stones thrown into it, turning it chaotic and no longer able to suppress the other party.
[This brat can even destroy the Shi of an Origin Realm master?]
Oddly enough, these golden lights looked vaguely familiar, but the old man simply could not remember where he had seen them before.
It was not that this old man was ignorant and uninformed, it was just that the difference between Yang Kai’s Golden Blood Threads and Demon Blood Temple’s Demon Blood Threads was too great. Although they both originated from the same source, Demon Blood Temple’s own Secret Technique did not have the advantages that Yang Kai’s did. In order to condense Demon Blood Threads, Demon Blood Temple cultivators needed to use some tricks to increase their own vital essence or absorb and refine the vital essence of their enemies.
Although doing so allowed them to enhance the power of their Demon Blood Threads, this process added impurities to the Secret Technique that resulted in their Demon Blood Threads giving off a gloomy and somewhat disordered aura.
But Yang Kai’s Golden Blood Threads were condensed entirely from the Golden Blood in his body, making them far purer than even the original Demon Blood Thread! If it was Wu Xun from Demon Blood Temple here, he might have been able to see through the true nature of Yang Kai’s attack, but this old man did not possess such insight.
With the old man’s Shi broken, Yang Kai was immediately freed from its suppressive effects. Pouring his Saint Qi into the Purple Shield, Yang Kai tossed it forward and activated its special ability, instantly creating a yellow sandstorm that filled the air and swiftly enveloped the one-handed hatchet that had transformed into a jet black python.
From inside the sandstorm, the indistinct screams of the python rang as its giant figure thrashed about; however, it naturally wasn’t a simple matter for it to escape as the Purple Shield was a higher grade artifact than the one-handed hatchet and its sandstorm ability was focused on defence, allowing it to trap the python inside it.
Artifacts didn’t fight on their own of course, so this entanglement between the Purple Shield and the one-handed hatchet was actually a confrontation between Yang Kai and the old man’s Divine Senses, which was being played out through their artifacts.
Soon, the look on the old man’s face changed dramatically because during this battle he discovered that, in terms of foundation, Yang Kai Divine Sense wasn’t any weaker than his own, possibly even stronger and far exceeding what should be possible for a mere Saint King Realm cultivator.
“Who the hell are you!?” The old man exclaimed in alarm. He did not believe that a little brat without a powerful Sect behind him could possibly have such strength. Forget about the elite Saint King Realm disciples of his Myriad Beast Mountain, even Heaven Battling Union and Thunder Typhoon Sect could not possibly cultivate such a monstrous talent.
On Shadowed Star, there was only one place where this kind of cultivator might be found: Star Emperor Mountain!
Could this little brat have come out from Star Emperor Mountain for life experience? Recalling all the information he knew about Yang Kai; the old man felt his heart clench tight.
If this was not the case, how could this young man continuously reveal methods which were able to restrain him at every step?
“You spout too much nonsense!” Yang Kai showed no intention of answering. Just now, he had remained on the defensive not because he was not confident in his strength, but because it was his first time dealing with this level of cultivator. Even if he had favourable conditions and an advantageous position, he did not immediately use them as he wanted to try his opponent’s strength first. Now that he had a fair idea of this old man’s abilities, Yang Kai naturally planned to go on the offensive.
Having tested the waters enough, Yang Kai condensed a massive amount of Saint Qi into a giant Demonic Flame sword that seemed to suck in all the light around him before holding it up high and cleaving forward fiercely.
A several-dozen-metre long black sword wave tore through the sky towards the old man.
Feeling the lethality contained in this sword wave, the old man let out a shout and hurriedly dodged to the side, but before he could stand firm, another sword wave swept towards him, as if the young man in front of him didn’t care how much Saint Qi he wasted.
The old man’s complexion went pale as he realized that he could not evade this blow. Gritting his teeth, he summoned out a small square shield from his Space Ring and spat a mouthful of blood onto it. This square shield lit up and began to rotate rapidly, creating a golden light curtain filled with flowing ruins in front of him.
Every cultivator had at least one defensive artifact, and this old man was naturally no exception; after all, there were always times when one would be unable to dodge and deflect an attack in battle.
Although this square shield was just an Origin Grade Low-Rank defensive artifact, it was still a masterpiece refined by Myriad Beast Mountain’s Origin Grade Artifact Refiner. Ordinarily, this old man was reluctant to use it as he considered it one of his most precious possessions.
But now, he had no choice but to take it out.
*Hong…*
With a loud bang, the giant black sword wave smashed onto the centre of the golden light curtain, causing the runes on its surface to tremble but ultimately failing to cause any damage.
The old man trembled as he was forced back several steps, but his face was still filled with joy because he had managed to completely resist this sword wave, filling him with satisfaction about his defensive artifact.
But in the next moment, his joyful smile on his face went stiff as his eyes bulged in shock.
Coming straight at him were dozens of sword waves, each one as powerful as the first. Each of them dozens of metres long, these black flame sword waves seemed to cover half the sky as they closed in on him.
The old man’s heart clenched.
Was this little brat insane? How could a cultivator burn through so much Saint Qi in the middle of a fight? Wasn’t he afraid he would run out and fall into a state of weakness?
No matter what realm a cultivator had achieved, everyone would carefully preserve their strength during battle; after all, no one could guarantee whether they would end up in a protracted battle. If one exhausted all their Saint Qi, wouldn’t they be easily slaughtered by their enemy?
This kind of reckless attack by Yang Kai was something this old man had seen multiple times, but only when an enemy had become cornered and felt they had no way out and no hope of survival. It was a kind of deadly, last-ditch attempt to drag their enemy down with them and, fortunately for the old man, no one had succeeded in dragging him down with them so far.
This little brat suddenly fighting as if he wanted to kill him at the cost of his own life, had he gone mad?
All kinds of stray thoughts flashed across the old man’s mind in that moment. Having just taken one of these blows head-on, the old man had yet to regain his stance before the next wave of attacks approached. He had no other choice but to desperately pour his Saint Qi into his small square shield and pray that it would be able to withstand the incoming barrage.
The glow of the golden light curtain suddenly increased greatly.
In the next moment, a rumbling collision sound echoed, and the old man was continuously forced backwards. Each black sword wave crashed upon the golden light curtain and was dispersed, but it was instantly followed by another.
*Kacha…*
Hearing a clear, crisp, cracking sound, the old man went pale as he looked forward and discovered that the golden light curtain protecting him had begun to break. At first, it was just a small crack, but it had spread out across the entire golden surface like a spider’s web in the blink of an eye.
No matter how solid a defence was, it could not withstand an endless bombardment. Even Dragon Cave Mountain’s extraordinary Mountain Defending Array was no exception to this rule, so what did a trivial Origin Grade Low-Rank defensive artifact count for?
[Not good!] The old man exclaimed in his heart as he quickly threw the small square shield forward while simultaneously darting to the side.
In this critical moment, he could only choose to abandon the small square shield he so greatly treasured; after all, this small shield did not have a special power like Yang Kai’s Purple Shield.
Without the old man’s continuous infusion of Saint Qi, the small shield instantly became a dead item, so even if its grade was high, it was quickly swept up in Yang Kai’s sword wave bombardment and shattered. The scattered fragments of this shield were instantly incinerated by the Demonic Flames and turned to ashes, but by blocking a couple of sword waves, it had bought the old man enough time to withdraw to three hundred metres to relative safety.
Coldly staring towards the position, the old man had retreated, Yang Kai’s empty left hand grabbed towards the air as he condensed a black spear from his Saint Qi.
“Go!” Yang Kai shouted as he tossed this spear, making it race forward at phenomenal speed. The spear disappeared for a moment and, by the time it reappeared, it was already right in front of the old man’s face.
The Heaven Punishing Spear from the Nine Heavens Divine Skills was an attack Yang Kai had reached an incredible level of proficiency with, so the power it could display was now quite extraordinary.
Before the old man had time to recover from the exchange just now, he once again found himself in imminent danger. His heart filled with rage, he let out a great roar as he lifted both his hands and condensed a massive amount of Saint Qi into a light curtain in front of his head and managed to block the Heaven Punishing Spear’s fatal blow.
But this assault had not ended yet. The sky above the old man’s head suddenly distorted as a giant palm appeared and proceeded to slam down towards him, causing the old man’s eyes to bulge.
This palm seemed to obstruct the entire sky, sealing off all escape routes while imposing a sense of despair as it fell.
Heaven Covering Hand, one hand covers the Heavens!
With a loud bang, the palm ruthlessly struck, and the ground trembled violently. A several-dozen-metre-wide pit was opened up and, if one looked down from above, they would be able to clearly make out the shape of a palm.
However, Yang Kai just frowned and turned his eyes to a nearby spot.
At some point, the old man had somehow managed to move to this position, his face pale as he coughed lightly, seemingly quite unsteady.
Yang Kai could not help showing a look of surprise.
He did not know what Secret Technique his opponent had used but it had allowed this old man to escape from his blow just now. It seemed that no Second-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivator could be underestimated.
“Boy, do you really want to force this old master to perish together with you?” The old man glared at Yang Kai with both anger and fear as he coldly asked.
Having arrived at this moment, he no longer dared to underestimate Yang Kai. Even without the suppression of the Spirit Arrays here, he estimated he could not kill Yang Kai and may only be an even match for him.
But now, with the suppression of these strange Spirit Arrays and unable to display even seventy percent of his full strength, this old man realized that he was completely not Yang Kai’s opponent. Besides the first few attacks he managed to land, the rest of the time he had been on the defensive, leading to his current distraught condition.
The exchange just now was especially frightening, causing the old man to sweat just remembering it. If he had not taken the initiative to escape using a Secret Technique that damaged his vitality in order to dramatically increase his speed, he likely would have suffered a severe injury.
If he suffered a grievous wound in this forsaken place, the old man could easily guess what kind of fate would befall him.
However, that Secret Technique was not one he could use casually, and after this battle, whether he emerged victoriously or defeated, he would need to spend a few years recuperating to return to his peak.
The old man was already determined to withdraw from this battle. While the allure of precious treasures was great, one needed to have their life to enjoy them. As for how to placate Elder Feng, that was not a matter he had the luxury of considering right now.
“Perish together with you?” After hearing his words, Yang Kai showed a look of naked contempt and spat, “Depending on you?”
The sarcasm and ridicule in his tone couldn’t be more obvious, and if it were any other time, this old man would certainly not let such an insult slide; after all, he had never been so ridiculed by a Saint King Realm cultivator before, but at this moment…
“You think this old master is already a fish on the chopping block? Boy, this old master admits that you are extraordinary, but the price you pay if you want to kill this old master will not be small! Why not let this matter end here. As long as you let this old master leave, this old master can swear to never disturb your Dragon Cave Mountain again, what say you?”
“You think you’re still qualified to discuss conditions with me?” Yang Kai grinned and said coldly, “If I want to treat you like a fish on the chopping block, what can you do?”
“Boy, when it’s possible to let people off, one should spare them. If you insist on biting this old master to death, you’d best be careful you don’t break your teeth in the process!” The old man said in a fierce tone while inwardly feeling anxious.
“Oh? Then I’d like to see whether your bones are hard enough to break my teeth,” Yang Kai’s eyes flashed sharply, refusing to make any concessions.
These people invaded his home and tried to murder and rob him, so how could Yang Kai just compromise and let this old man leave safely? Yang Kai had made up his mind to kill all the people who dared step onto Dragon Cave Mountain. Showing mercy here would only lead to others thinking he was weak and easily bullied; now was the time for Dragon Cave Mountain to show its fangs.
Hearing Yang Kai’s answer, a ruthless light flashed across the old man’s eyes as he grit his teeth and muttered, “Do you really insist on acting ruthless?”
Instead of replying, Yang Kai simply condensed another Demonic Flame sword in his hand and slashed out, letting his actions speak for themselves.
“You’ve compelled me to do this!” The old man suddenly wore a fierce expression as he stood firm without moving, paying no heed at all to the approaching sword wave, as if he wasn’t the slightest bit afraid of it.
Yang Kai raised his brow as a solemn look filled his face. He didn’t think the other party was seeking death. Judging from this old man’s words just now, it was clear he had some kind of trump card that he had yet to use and was absolutely confident it could block this blow.
Understanding this, Yang Kai didn’t hesitate anymore, lifting his finger and slashing the space in front of him, silently sending out his Space Blade towards the old man.
Yang Kai intended to end this battle with his Space Blade before the old man could reveal his trump card.
With his Demonic Flame sword wave in front, and his Space Blade following close behind, the former concealing the latter, the old man didn’t even notice this hidden blow and simply stood in place, taking a jade box out of his Space Ring.
Opening this jade box, the old man took out a longan-sized pill from inside.
The old man picked up this pill and threw it directly into his mouth before swallowing it with a grunt.
He didn’t know if it was a misconception, but when this old man took out this pill, Yang Kai thought he saw a look of nostalgia and struggle in his eyes, making him wonder what it was this old man was reminiscing about at this time.
In the next instant, the giant Demonic Flame sword wave got to within a dozen metres of the old man.
However, before this sword wave could hit its mark, a giant figure fell from the sky and hit the ground with a thunderous bang, blocking the old man from this blow.
*Ci la…*
The black sword wave struck this giant figure and sent out a grating sound, after which a painful croak rang out.
It was the Blue-Eyed Blood Toad!
At the critical moment, the old man had actually summoned his Blue-Eyed Blood Toad back. Although it was a Ninth-Order Monster Beast, this toad wasn’t as strong as the Firebird Artifact Spirit, its only advantage being its thick skin and strong flesh.
During its battle with the Artifact Spirit, the Blue-Eyed Blood Toad’s body had suffered numerous serious injuries and was now covered in cuts and burns. Nearly every one of its original warts had been popped and was leaking foul-smelling toxins at this moment.
Even so, it still hadn’t died. If it had been a different, less resilient type of Ninth-Order Monster Beast, it would likely have long since perished.
Already at death’s door, when it was struck by Yang Kai sword wave, the Blue-Eyed Blood Toad suffered another grievous wound, one that was bone-deep.
Strangely, the old man remained completely indifferent, as if this Monster Beast wasn’t one he had personally raised for countless years from infancy to maturity. Reaching out, the old man placed his hand on the Blue-Eyed Blood Toad’s back and began desperately infusing it with his Saint Qi.
Silently, Yang Kai’s Space Blade slashed into the abdomen of the Blue-Eyed Blood Toad right where his Demonic Flame sword wave had struck and greatly deepened the wound.
Anything Yang Kai’s Space Blade cut through was instantly banished to The Void, making it impossible for damage done by his Space Blade to be restored.
While the power of Yang Kai’s Space Blade wasn’t small, the toughness of the Blue-Eyed Blood Toad’s body also couldn’t be underestimated. Yang Kai’s Space Blade cut through most of its target’s body but ultimately failed to slice it apart completely before disappearing.
Seeing this, Yang Kai couldn’t help feeling a bit disappointed. If his Space Blade could have advanced another metre, perhaps he could have killed the old man together with his toad in one fell swoop.
Now was not the time to worry about such things though.
No matter how resilient the Blue-Eyed Blood Toad was, after suffering such a serious wound, it would definitely die, and as its owner and life companion, the old man would surely receive some kind of backlash when it did. Busy injecting his Saint Qi into his Blue-Eyed Blood Toad, the old man suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood and couldn’t help his eyes from bulging in shock.
Realizing that the vitality of his Companion Monster Beast was rapidly dissipating, the old man pushed his Saint Qi even more violently, causing the body of his Blue-Eyed Blood Toad to expand rapidly and soon become round, as if it might burst at any time.
Yang Kai’s eyes narrowed when he saw this and silently issued an order to the Firebird Artifact Spirit. With a crisp bird cry, the Firebird transformed into a streak of red light and shot forward.
But before the Artifact Spirit could rush over, a loud bursting noise rang out and the Blue-Eyed Blood Toad exploded into a blood mist, its bones disintegrating and leaving behind only a cloud of multicoloured poison.
Frightened by this unexpected development, the Artifact Spirit rapidly soared up into the sky to avoid being affected by this explosion.
Simultaneously, the old man wore a fierce look upon his face as he stood in place, seemingly enjoying this toxic baptism while executing some kind of Secret Art or Secret Technique to rapidly absorb the poison mist.
At the same time, the old man stretched out his hand and grabbed the Monster Core of the Blue-Eyed Blood Toad before throwing it into his mouth and swallowing it.
This series of events happened instantaneously and dumbfounded Yang Kai.
After absorbing this poison mist and the Monster Core from his Blue-Eyed Blood Toad, the old man’s appearance underwent a dramatic change, his exposed skin filled with warts that emitted a foul toxic odour, making him look exactly like the now deceased Blue-Eyed Blood Toad.
This old man had been ugly before, but now his appearance was even worse.
The changes didn’t end there as his two eyes turned blue and assumed a more animalistic look.
The most obvious change was that his cheeks actually swelled up greatly, just like a frog, making him look a little amusing.
But Yang Kai wasn’t able to laugh at this scene because after this old man underwent this transformation, his aura also dramatically increased and gave off a very dangerous feeling.
“Great! This is just the best!” The old man cackled wildly as he fixed his Blue-Eyes on Yang Kai and coldly declared, “Forcing this old master to use his Monster Transformation, you can die contented!”
Monster Transformation! Yang Kai raised his brow. Although this was the first time he heard of such a strange technique, he figured it was one of Myriad Beast Mountain’s Forbidden Techniques. After all, the cultivators from Myriad Beast Mountain handled Monster Beasts for most of their lives, controlling them to fight, so developing such a technique shouldn’t have been impossible.
It wasn’t difficult for Yang Kai to tell that this old man was now no longer completely human and should instead be regarded as half-man, half-Monster Beast.
Moreover, at this moment, there weren’t just Saint Qi fluctuations coming from this old man, but Monster Qi as well. The two forces terrifyingly superimposed on one another!
This Forbidden Technique certainly had catastrophic side effects! Yang Kai immediately judged that there might not be any way to undo the transformation; otherwise, the old man wouldn’t have hesitated so long to use it. Saint Qi and Monster Qi were two completely different types of strength, so it was impossible for them to coexist inside a human body.
Yang Kai’s guess was correct. Myriad Beast Mountain’s Monster Transformation Technique indeed had serious consequences, and there wasn’t any way to reverse it. Even if he somehow managed to successfully suppress the Monster Qi rampaging through his body right now, the old man would lose most, if not all of his cultivation in the process, rendering him crippled. However, if he couldn’t suppress this Monster Qi, the backlash he suffered would kill him.
The old man had truly reached a dead end, otherwise he would not be burning his boat like this.
Even though this old man’s aura had dramatically increased, Yang Kai wasn’t afraid, instead exchanging a brief look with the Firebird Artifact Spirit before the two of them regrouped to confront this enemy.
The old man didn’t plan to waste time. As soon as his Monster Transformation technique was complete, his cheeks swelled up before he seemingly casually exhaled, spitting out a green poisonous arrow towards Yang Kai.
After using this Monster Transformation, the old man was actually able to use the Blue-Eyed Blood Toad’s abilities.
Yang Kai raised his eyebrows and immediately dodged to the side.
As Yang Kai dodged though, the poison arrow approaching him suddenly burst mid-air and turned into countless tiny poison darts that soared in every direction.
Caught off guard, Yang Kai was only able to condense his Saint Qi to form a protective barrier around his body.
*Ci la la…*
When these poison darts struck Yang Kai’s Saint Qi protection, they quickly began eroding holes in his Demonic Flames. After undergoing this Monster Transformation, it seemed this poison had become even stronger.
Before Yang Kai could steady himself, a dangerous aura suddenly pressed down on him from above.
Yang Kai reacted instinctively by condensing his Saint Qi on his palm and thrusting upwards.
A strong force struck from above, causing Yang Kai to sink to the ground, but when he looked up, there was no trace of his enemy. Only after releasing his Divine Sense all around did Yang Kai notice the old man jumping around him at an unbelievable speed, seemingly looking for a flaw in his defence to exploit.
This kind of speed was not something a Human could possess. It seemed that after the old man used his Monster Transformation, he had also inherited the leaping abilities of the Blue-Eyed Blood Toad.
The situation had become a bit troublesome! With his opponent moving so fast, Yang Kai would have a hard time hitting him; however, Yang Kai wasn’t fighting alone here, he had his Artifact Spirit to help him as well as the support of Yang Yan’s powerful Spirit Arrays. Not panicking, Yang Kai quickly used his Divine Sense to send an instruction to the Artifact Spirit.
Receiving this command, the Firebird immediately burst into countless tiny versions of itself that swarmed outwards to fill the surrounding space.
In the next instant, several of these tiny birds cried out as they exploded into balls of flame.
From the direction of these cries, the old man’s figure reappeared with a look of helplessness and hatred filling his face.
He hadn’t expected Yang Kai to actually use the Artifact Spirit to set up an inescapable net to track his movements.
Several Golden Threads suddenly shot out at that moment, filling the sky with golden light as they cut towards the exposed old man.
These Golden Threads each gave off an incredibly sharp aura and the old man understood that once he was cut by them he would definitely suffer greatly. With a solemn look appearing on his face, the old man suddenly glared towards Yang Kai with his sharp Blue-Eyes.
An invisible force burst into Yang Kai’s Knowledge Sea and shook his mind.
A Spiritual Energy Toxin! After using his Monster Transformation, apparently the old man’s Knowledge Sea had also mutated, allowing him to release toxic Spiritual Energy. This was a powerful method that was extremely difficult to defend against or purge as this poison would sink into one’s Knowledge sea like maggots on rotting bones.
Seeing the old man glare fixedly towards him, Yang Kai did not panic. Instead, he rejoiced, his glint in his left eye suddenly becoming deep and profound as a golden pupil appeared.
Demon Eye of Annihilation!
This pure golden pupil gave off a majestic and daunting aura, as if it could see through and command everything in this world.
Lingering about this golden pupil, however, was also a kind of inexplicable haze.
Coloured Glass Divine Light!
After refining the Coloured Glass Bead that Dai Yuan gave to him, Yang Kai had successfully managed to merge some of its power with his Demon Eye of Annihilation, and although this fusion wasn’t yet complete, it could already display some effect.
The Demon Eye of Annihilation was one of Great Demon God’s innate Divine Abilities, not something Yang Kai cultivated himself but had instead inherited. Even so, as Yang Kai’s strength grew, the power of this eye also grew; as such, although Great Demon God was just a Saint King when he died, it seemed this Demon Eye of Annihilation would continue to be of use to Yang Kai in the future.
An invisible vortex appeared in this golden pupil, and from this vortex, a powerful suction emerged. The old man was shocked by this as, in the instant he met eyes with Yang Kai, he felt his Soul become disturbed, like it was being sucked away from his body.
This discovery terrified the old man and he quickly circulated his Secret Art to suppress the palpitations of his heart.
But things did not end there as the multi-coloured light that lingered about this golden eye actually began exerting another strange power, one that caused the old man’s Soul, which he had just barely managed to stabilize, to become turbulent again, to the point that he was unable to even control it anymore.
The Demon Eye of Annihilation already had the ability to draw out and absorb a cultivator’s Soul, an ability Yang Kai had relied upon to increase his comprehension of the Heavenly Way and Martial Dao far beyond his current realm. This allowed him to break through at remarkable speeds without destabilizing his foundation or mood.
The Coloured Glass Divine Light, on the other hand, had a powerful suppressive effect on a cultivator’s Soul and could not be blocked by the power of the five elements. When the two effects were superimposed, the might they displayed could not be underestimated.
However, Yang Kai’s strength wasn’t very high at present, so the effect of this technique on this old man was greatly weakened, not to mention that this old man had already used his strange Monster Transformation skill, making him far stronger than an ordinary Second-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivator.
As such, after just one breath, the old man managed to shake off the deterrence of the Demon Eye of Annihilation and Coloured Glass Divine Light.
However, this was enough. During this one breath of time, Yang Kai had sent out a dozen Space Blades from his fingertips to attack the old man. By the time the old man regained his freedom, these pitch black blades had already arrived right in front of their target.
The old man saw this approaching attack and let out a great roar, condensing two layers of light curtains in front of himself. The first of these layers was condensed of his own Saint Qi, while the second was formed from the Monster Qi of the Blue-Eyed Blood Toad.
Unfortunately for the old man, these two layers of protection were unable to stop the advance of Yang Kai’s Space Blades!
Silently, the more than a dozen Space Blades passed through where the old man stood and after slicing through his body, flew out a hundred metres before gradually fading out of existence.
The old man froze up in shock as he stared towards Yang Kai in horror. Immediately after, he lowered his head and saw many blade-shaped cuts across his body. Through these cuts, he could clearly see his destroyed organs and red blood flowing out.
“Space Force!” The old man muttered in shock as his body fell to pieces, turning into a mound of broken flesh. On his old face, his two eyes were still bulged, as if even in death, he couldn’t believe he had died in such a place.
Looking at this broken corpse, Yang Kai exhaled slightly. This battle had not been easy for him. Although Yang Yan was controlling the local Spirit Arrays to suppress the strength of this old man, after displaying his Monster Transformation Secret Technique, this old man’s strength had soared to a level far beyond what his cultivation should have allowed.
If Yang Kai had been facing this old man alone, he might not necessarily have been able to kill him.
The suction force from the Demon Eye of Annihilation pulled in the Remnant Soul of the old man a moment later. This was the Soul of a Second-Order Origin Returning Realm master and would be immensely helpful to Yang Kai when it came to comprehending Shi, so he naturally was not going to miss this opportunity.
After this battle, Yang Kai had a vague understanding of his current combat effectiveness. Right now, he should not have a problem fighting Second-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivators, but whether he could kill one or not would mostly depend on their other party’s abilities. As for Third-Order Origin Realm masters, Yang Kai felt like his strength was still insufficient, but he would need to fight one to confirm his speculations.
Nearby, without the Divine Sense control of the old man, the one-handed hatchet which had transformed into a black python returned to its original appearance and fell to the ground.
Yang Kai flicked his wrist and first collected his Purple Shield before picking up the one-handed hatchet and playing with it for a moment before tossing it into his Space Ring.
Standing on the spot and silently investigating for a moment, Yang Kai quickly understood Dragon Cave Mountain’s current situation.
The intruders were all basically dead, but at a place about ten kilometres away there was a Second-Order Origin Returning Realm master locked in a bitter battle against three First-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivators.
From the fluctuations of these auras, Yang Kai quickly judged that the enemy should be a master from Demon Blood Temple while the three First-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivators were, needless to say, Chang Qi, Hao An, and Ning Xiang Chen.
Although this trio’s cultivation was one Minor Realm lower than the middle-aged man from Demon Blood Temple, inside Dragon Cave Mountain’s grounds they should not have a problem defeating him. Yang Kai could tell that the battle was quite one-sided and figured it was only a matter of time before the enemy fell.
Ning Xiang Chen wading into these muddy waters and openly siding with Dragon Cave Mountain, however, was an unexpected development for Yang Kai.
After all, he did not have any kind of deep friendship with this Senior and had only spoken to him a few times during their expedition inside the Emperor Garden. Although Yang Kai knew that Ning Xiang Chen taking such actions today were in order to borrow his Firebird Artifact Spirit, Yang Kai was not offended in the slightest. The other party did not have any malicious intentions and simply wanted to request Yang Kai’s help with something, so Yang Kai had readily agreed.
This coincidence had brought a powerful reinforcement for Dragon Cave Mountain just when it needed it, so Yang Kai naturally felt grateful.
If not for Ning Xiang Chen’s presence, Chang Qi and Hao An alone would not be able to kill this master from Demon Blood Temple.
Of course, whether or not Ning Xiang Chen helped Dragon Cave Mountain did not make too much of a difference, but this unexpected surprise still pleased Yang Kai greatly.
No longer paying attention to that side, Yang Kai turned his gaze to another position and flashed a cold grin before walking over.
Inside a strange illusion, where there was no sun, moon, or stars, only a barren plain that seemed to stretch out forever, Xie Li sat cross-legged on the ground, as tranquil as an ancient well. He had tried multiple methods but was unable to even disturb the Spirit Array trapping him, allowing him to conclude that he was unable to escape with just his ability, so he decided to not waste anymore of his strength and simply wait while recuperating.
By now, Xie Li knew that this Illusion Array had no lethality, so if the enemy wanted to kill him, they would have to show up.
As the Xie Family’s strongest master, Xie Li’s mental fortitude was exceptional, but the few Saint King Realm Juniors who had followed him were a different story, all of them fixedly staring towards Xie Li, hoping that he would be able to save them.
But since Xie Li remained silent, they were helpless to do anything, none of them daring to disturb him nor try to escape on their own, so right now they felt like ants on a hot pot, anxious to the extreme.
Suddenly, Xie Li stood up and stared towards a spot not far in front of him, his eyes flashing a cold light.
As Xie Li stood up, the space in front of him visibly distorted and a moment later, a figure mysteriously appeared, as if it had passed through a transparent curtain of water and stood in front of the small group from the Xie Family.
Looking at this person’s face, Xie Li’s eyes narrowed as many thoughts quickly flashed across his mind.
Naturally, he recognized Yang Kai; after all, his son, Xie Hong Wen, had died at Yang Kai’s hands. The enmity for the murder of his child was something Xie Li had wanted to repay since the moment he learned of it, but Xie Li was also a man who knew how to read the situation and had thus not risked coming to Dragon Cave Mountain before now to find trouble with Yang Kai. With Qian Tong standing behind Yang Kai all this time, all the satisfaction Xie Li would derive from killing this boy would soon be buried with him. Since that was the case, the gains simply did not equal the losses.
And so, he had suppressed himself, looking for an opportunity to exact his revenge.
Luckily, after an infuriatingly long wait, his opportunity had finally come.
Now that he had met the target of his enmity, Xie Li naturally felt explosive anger! But Xie Li did not lose control of himself and simply stared at Yang Kai, not rushing forward to attack him recklessly.
After entering this Illusion Array, Yang Kai glanced around for a moment before casually summoning his Artifact Spirit. The Firebird spread its wings wide and condensed several fireballs the size of washbasins before shooting them towards the few Saint Kings present.
These Saint King Realm cultivators were truly quite pitiful. They had been trapped here for what seemed like an eternity, spending every moment on edge, and now they had suddenly been attacked by the Firebird whose strength was comparable to an Origin Realm master. How could they be expected to put up any resistance?
All of these Saint Kings’ hurriedly summoned defensive artifacts were unable to resist the fierce attack of these fireballs and shattered on contact, their broken fragments quickly melting under the intense heat. Next, the Saint Qi these cultivators used to protect their bodies was easily burnt away, followed by their bodies which were swiftly reduced to ashes.
In the blink of an eye, the few Saint King Realm cultivators accompanying Xie Li all died without even being able to put up a fight.
Xie Li’s expression did not change in the slightest as this happened, as if the cultivators who just died were not disciples from his family, his full attention remaining fixed on Yang Kai.
After a long silence, Xie Li took a deep breath and said, “This is our first meeting is it not? This old master’s name is Xie Li. Presumably, you know who I am.”
Yang Kai curled his lips slightly as he replied, “I know who you are, and I know why you’re here. I just have one question for you.”
“Good, before you die, this old master can satisfy your wish,” Xie Li coldly snorted, seemingly completely confident in his own strength and methods.
“Shameless boasting!” Yang Kai snickered, “Forget it, I’ve no interest in wasting time with you, just tell me where Lu Ye is, and I’ll leave you with a complete corpse.”
“Lu Ye?” Xie Li frowned, apparently not having expected this would be Yang Kai’s question, but after a complicated look flashed across his eyes, he just shook his head and replied, “I don’t know, he’s probably dead.”
“Dead? Him? …” Yang Kai muttered flatly.
It was impossible for Lu Ye to die so easily; after all, Yang Kai was certain he cut off one of the other party’s arms in the Flowing Flame Sand Field, but when next he saw him that arm had actually grown back.
This was something beyond Yang Kai’s ability to comprehend.
A man who could regenerate a severed arm could not possibly die so easily. Yang Kai vaguely felt that this Lu Ye was not simple.
But at this moment, the only invaders left alive on Dragon Cave Mountain were Xie Li in front of him and the middle-aged man from Demon Blood Temple to his left. If Lu Ye had come here, there was no reason he could not be found with Yang Yan and Wu Yi constantly monitoring the situation.
That bastard was quite astute and didn’t come here in person, causing Yang Kai to grind his teeth in frustration.
“Is that your only question?” Xie Li glared at him impatiently.
“Yes,” Yang Kai grinned back at him.
“Then you can die!” Xie Li shouted sternly as he began releasing a terrifying Saint Qi aura from his body, one that was visible to the naked eye. At the same time, his muscles began to bulge and take on a strange bronze-coloured glow as he shot towards Yang Kai like an arrow from a string.
Yang Kai revealed a look of surprise as he had not expected Xie Li to want to engage in close-quarter combat with him; however, he didn’t think too much of this. With how much Xie Li hated him, fighting hand to hand would naturally be a better way for him to vent his anger.
Thinking so, Yang Kai’s mouth curled into a grin as he stood his ground and stared indifferently at the approaching Xie Li, waving his hand, and releasing several Golden Threads into the air in front of him.
Xie Li did not even try to dodge this blockade and instead punched forward, his fist seeming to move slowly as it exuded a powerful aura and golden glow that struck towards Yang Kai’s Golden Threads.
In the blink of an eye, this fist collided with Yang Kai’s Golden Blood Threads, and to Yang Kai’s surprise, his extraordinarily sharp threads failed to cut this fist. On top of that, an inexplicable force was transmitted through his Golden Threads back to him, causing his vital essence to tumble.
After this single exchange, Yang Kai understood that this Xie Li would be more difficult to handle than the old man from Myriad Beast Mountain.
Worthy of being the master of a powerful family from Shadow Moon Hall, Xie Li’s heritage and foundation were extraordinary. If Xie Li had fought that old man one on one, the old man would not have been his opponent.
Yang Kai’s expression became solemn as he prepared to resort to other means to stop Xie Li, but suddenly, an unexpected mutation occurred.
Xie Li, who had charged towards Yang Kai with a thick murderous intent and incredible momentum, suddenly let out a strange cry, as if something had happened to him, his face contorting in pain and confusion, followed immediately by his eyes going completely bloodshot.
Yang Kai frowned as he subconsciously thought that his opponent was playing some kind of trick on him, but immediately after, he felt something was not right and for a moment, he became confused as to how to react.
In that brief moment of indecision, Xie Li managed to close to within ten metres of Yang Kai, his murderous intent so thick it was nearly substantive, cutting into Yang Kai’s skin like a blade.
Immediately after, Xie Li’s body glowed a strange bloody red colour and his vitality violently surged, becoming extremely disordered. Simultaneously, his eyes, nose, mouth, and ears all began bleeding profusely as he glared towards Yang Kai, making for a terrifying picture.
“This is…” Yang Kai stared at this scene in confused shock, but soon he remembered something, and his expression went pale. Waving his hand, he summoned his Purple Shield and immediately activated its sandstorm ability to protect himself.
At the same time, the Firebird Artifact Spirit swooped down from the sky and transformed into a flaming light curtain, adding another layer of protection.
Just as Yang Kai finished all this, Xie Li smashed into the transformed Firebird Artifact Spirit.
The searing hot flames turned Xie Li into a fireball in an instant, but he seemed to be completely unaware of this as he continued to fearlessly charge towards Yang Kai, incoherent words leaking from his lips.
Still, the flame light curtain flexed under this impact and hindered Xie Li’s forward momentum, slowing his advance significantly.
Xie Li’s body also seemed to reach its limit at that moment, his skin cracking all over his body as blood oozed out continuously before rapidly evaporating under the intense heat.
With a terrifying bang, Xie Li’s body, and the huge Saint Qi reserves contained inside it, suddenly burst apart, creating an extraordinary shockwave centred on his location that sent everything, from dirt and rocks to plants, flying in all directions.
The surrounding space flickered violently as the Illusion Array arranged here was unable to bear the impact of such an explosion, lasting only a breath before shattering and revealing the original scenery of this place.
The flame light curtain which had originally been wrapped around Xie Li’s body was also torn apart by this explosion. Fortunately, the Artifact Spirit wasn’t a physical entity, so, even though it was torn apart like this, it wasn’t significantly damaged. After gathering itself together, it quickly restored its original appearance, but a look of fear was apparent now on its face.
All of Dragon Cave Mountain shook violently because of this explosion, and the World Energy aura became severely distorted. Even the layers upon layers of protective barriers were unable to conceal this blast.
“What!” Qian Tong and Fei Zhi Tu, who were fifty kilometres away, both stood up and stared towards Dragon Cave Mountain in shock.
“Old Fei, was that…” Qian Tong muttered in a dignified tone.
“Someone self-destructed?” Fei Zhi Tu spoke in astonishment.
“Yeah… and from fluctuations released, it seems to be Xie Li.”
“It couldn’t be, Xie Li is a Second-Order Origin Realm cultivator. Even if he fell into some kind of Spirit Array, he couldn’t have been forced into such an action.”
“Let’s go see, some kind of accident must have happened!” Qian Tong concluded before soaring off towards Dragon Cave Mountain. Fei Zhi Tu frowned before smiling bitterly and following.
Currently, Shadow Moon Hall was in a precarious situation, and it was not a good time for them to be taking such overt actions, but after seeing the Remnant Soul of that Ancient Divine Spirit Yang Kai possessed, Fei Zhi Tu was no longer able to treat him as an ordinary Saint King Realm Junior, even subconsciously thinking he should maintain a good relationship with him.
In addition, Qian Tong obviously favoured Yang Kai heavily and naturally hoped that nothing tragic would befall him or his Dragon Cave Mountain.
Wei Gu Chang and Dong Xuan’er exchanged a quick glance before following without hesitation.
Their group of four hurriedly flew through the air, but even before they reached Dragon Cave Mountain, they saw from all directions countless rays of light moving towards the same goal as them. Obviously, these were the masters who had been sitting on the sidelines to watch.
After feeling the strange movements just now on Dragon Cave Mountain, these masters were all surprised and ran over to investigate.
Over on Coloured Glass Sect’s side, Gong Ao Fu, along with Dai Yuan and Yin Su Die were also flying forward, but unlike Gong Ao Fu and Yin Su Die, Dai Yuan’s face was filled with anxiety, and after hesitating for a while, she couldn’t suppress her worries, grit her teeth, and asked, “Honoured Master, what happened just now? Why was there such a terrible energy fluctuation?”
Gong Ao Fu’s brow slightly wrinkled, seemingly unhappy that Dai Yuan cared so much about Dragon Cave Mountain. She did not want to answer this question, but upon seeing Yin Su Die also staring at her curiously, she quietly replied, “Someone self-destructed, it’s the only explanation for this kind of explosion.”
“Self-destructed? Who self-destructed?” Yin Su Die raised her delicate brow as she excitedly asked, “Could it be that Dragon Cave Mountain was overwhelmed and that Yang Kai had no other way out?”
Listening to her say this, Dai Yuan could not stop her pretty face from going white as her heart clenched tight.
However, Gong Ao Fu slowly shook her head and declared, “No, that boy couldn’t have produced such a powerful explosion. The one who self-destructed was definitely one of the highest-ranking masters who went in.”
“A Second-Order Origin Realm master self-destructed? How could that be?” Yin Su Die gasped, “There were only three Second-Order Origin Returning Realm masters that entered Dragon Cave Mountain, each one of them a famous and powerful figure, how could one of them have chosen to explode themself?”
“How do you expect your Master to know? Don’t you see everyone rushing over to investigate now? Perhaps no one knows for sure what just occurred, but these aura fluctuations… they seem similar to those from Shadow Moon Hall.”
“Shadow Moon Hall… how could…” Yin Su Die’s pretty face filled with shock.
“Honoured Master, is that really the case?” Dai Yuan asked, clearly pleasantly surprised.
Gong Ao Fu turned her eyes to Dai Yuan upon hearing this and coldly said, “Whether that is the case or not, what does it have to do with you? When this is all over and we return to Coloured Glass Sect, you will enter secluded retreat and not come out without my express permission!”
“Yes…” Dai Yuan bit her red lips and lightly nodded.
Although Gong Ao Fu was very unsatisfied with her disciple’s current attitude, she was also quite curious right now, wondering just what kind of danger this small Dragon Cave Mountain was concealing. How could they have forced a Second-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivator into a situation where there was no other choice but to self-destruct?
At the same time, inside Dragon Cave Mountain’s cave mansion, Yang Yan’s face was also quite pale. Even if she had been taking shelter inside the cave mansion, she still clearly felt the violent energy fluctuations coming from outside. At this moment, the entire cave mansion was in disarray, with many things being knocked over and the walls themselves cracking somewhat. Yang Kai had essentially been at the centre of that explosion, so who knows what kind of harm he had suffered.
Quickly pouring her Saint Qi into the gold and silver array control plate, Yang Yan quickly breathed a sigh of relief when she detected Yang Kai’s aura.
Yang Kai had not died, and only his aura had become somewhat unstable. Just when Yang Yan wanted to examine Yang Kai’s situation more closely though, Wu Yi exclaimed, “Elder Sister Yang Yan, there are many masters coming towards Dragon Cave Mountain, what should we do?”
Yang Yan narrowed her eyes as she looked towards the control plate and sure enough, she saw many points of light rapidly approaching Dragon Cave Mountain, and a number of these lights were very bright, indicating they belonged to Third-Order Origin Returning Realm masters.
A rough count showed that at least a dozen such masters were on their way.
[So many?]
Yang Yan’s face sank. With so many masters gathering, even if Shadow Moon Hall wanted to intervene, it would not be able to do much. Although Qian Tong and Yang Kai had a good relationship, he would not be able to become enemies with so many different forces.
After pondering for a moment, Yang Yan’s expression turned solemn as she shouted, “Activate all of our remaining Spirit Arrays, if anyone dares invade Dragon Cave Mountain, kill them!”
Wu Yi gawked briefly before nodding firmly, waving her hands as she poured her Saint Qi into her control plate. Soon, entire Dragon Cave Mountain was covered with an even thicker layer of mist than before as a threatening aura began pulsing from inside its outermost barrier.
“Qian Yue, lead the others down to the storehouse,” Yang Yan declared coldly.
“Are we going to use that?” Qian Yue heard this and her beautiful eyes brightened.
Yang Yan smiled bitterly, “I hope not, but it’s best to prepare just in case. You assisted in its refinement, so you should understand what to do now.”
“Understood,” Qian Yue nodded firmly before immediately setting out. A moment later, all the cultivators hiding inside the cave mansion followed Qian Yue towards a separate location on Dragon Cave Mountain.
“Xiao Xiao!” Yang Yan called out softly, and in the next moment, the little stone puppet appeared in front of her. Standing there silently, it stared up at Yang Yan curiously.
“You go too!” Yang Yan waved, after which the Stone Puppet’s figure flickered and disappeared again.
Here is the official title: Self-Destructed
But dang. That Cliff Hanger!
Yang Kai’s brow was furrowed deeply as he stood at a certain spot on Dragon Cave Mountain, covered in blood and looking quite embarrassed, staring blankly at the strange scene not far in front of him.
There was a massive pit in the ground as well as countless pieces of hashed meat scattered about.
This was the result of Xie Li self-destructing.
But even though he saw it with his own eyes, Yang Kai was still unable to believe what had just happened!
How could Xie Li have chosen to self destruct? Even if the grudge between them was deep, Xie Li did not strike Yang Kai as the type who would sacrifice his own life in order to avenge his son. What’s more, their battle had just begun. Could Xie Li not have had any confidence in triumphing?
Only those who were driven into hopeless situations would make the extreme choice to perish together with their enemy; after all, if they were to self destruct and their enemy survived, wouldn’t they have died in vain?
Yang Kai suspected that all of this was some part of some kind of plot, and that the scene of Xie Li exploding just now was all part of some illusion.
However, the huge crater in front of Yang Kai and the fierce impact he had just experienced were clear evidence that a powerful master had self-destructed. On top of that, within the perception range of his Divine Sense, Yang Kai couldn’t find any trace of Xie Li’s aura, as if he had really disappeared.
[Was he insane?] While Yang Kai cursed to himself, a trace of fear flashed across his eyes.
A Second-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivator self-destructing less than ten metres away from him had resulted in a terrifying explosion, and if Yang Kai had not realized something was wrong and taken action in advance, he would very likely have fallen here together with Xie Li.
The double layer of protection from his Firebird Artifact Spirit and Purple Shield reduced the impact Yang Kai suffered from Xie Li’s self destruction by about sixty percent; but even so, when the remaining forty percent of this explosive force struck Yang Kai, it felt as if he was a small boat caught in a great storm upon the sea, in danger of dying at any moment.
Fortunately, his physical body was incredibly strong and his Golden Blood had astonishing restorative powers. On top of that, Yang Kai had opened a Void Crack to swallow most of the remaining impact at the last moment.
As a result, although he was quite dishevelled at the moment, Yang Kai hadn’t suffered much harm.
In other words, Xie Li really had died in vain!
But still, Yang Kai frowned, not excited in the slightest as he vaguely felt something was still wrong.
Unless Xie Li had lost his mind, he wouldn’t have made such a stupid choice. Xie Li had been a Deacon in Shadow Moon Hall for many years and his cultivation was quite high; such a person was undoubtedly quite smart and would never use this kind of reckless suicide attack.
Yang Kai simply couldn’t understand.
Reviewing everything that had happened in their fight up until Xie Li exploded, Yang Kai only became more confused.
Before Yang Kai could unravel this mystery though, a sudden change occurred. Inside the huge pit, a piece of Xie Li’s broken body suddenly wriggled strangely and a blood-red ray of light burst out from it.
At the same time, four other identical blood-red rays of light appeared from the positions where Yang Kai had killed the Xie Family Saint King Realm cultivators.
As soon as these blood-red rays appeared, they silently shot towards Yang Kai at incredible speed.
By the time Yang Kai noticed these blood-red rays, they had already reached him!
Yang Kai’s face changed dramatically, and although he didn’t know what these blood-red rays were, he could tell they were dangerous. Waving his hand, Yang Kai condensed several Grand Heavenly Shields around him while simultaneously releasing his Golden Blood Threads to cut towards these blood-red rays.
A slicing sound rang out as Yang Kai’s incredibly sharp Golden Blood Threads cut apart one of these blood-red rays hundreds of times in the blink of an eye.
However, all this managed to accomplish was dimming the blood-red ray of light enough to reveal its original appearance as a strange worm-like insect. In the next second, it restored itself though and continued its approach.
The remaining insects also rushed towards Yang Kai even faster than before.
Yang Kai was stunned and quickly retreated, but the speed of these insects was even greater than his own and they pierced through his Grand Heavenly Shield in the next instant, as if it wasn’t even there and charged towards him.
A number of these blood-red insects crashed into Yang Kai’s Knowledge Sea immediately after, his defences unable to even hinder them.
[Shit!]
Yang Kai’s face sank and he immediately closed his eyes and sent his consciousness into his Knowledge Sea. The next moment, Yang Kai’s Soul Avatar appeared inside his Knowledge Sea and quickly scanning his surroundings, he found the intruders.
It was exactly the same as what Yang Kai had just seen, four strange-looking blood-red insects were quietly hovering somewhere above his Knowledge Sea.
Just as Yang Kai spotted them, these four strange insects merged towards one another and in the blink of an eye combined into one.
At the same time, a somewhat familiar aura emerged from this insect.
“Lu Ye!” Yang Kai’s eyes narrowed. Although he had only fought against Lu Ye once, Yang Kai made a point to remember this mysterious enemy’s aura.
Yang Kai hadn’t anticipated that these strange blood-red lights were actually Lu Ye’s doing.
[Could it be that Xie Li self-destructing was also because Lu Ye had somehow controlled him? Why else would a Second-Order Origin Returning Realm master choose such an extreme method at the beginning of a battle?]
Indeed, one of these blood-red rays had clearly flown out of a remnant piece of Xie Li’s body.
Thinking back to the expression on Xie Li’s face just before he self-destructed, Yang Kai vaguely felt that his guess was correct. If this was the case, then Lu Ye’s methods were simply astonishing, to even be able to control the life or death of a Second-Order Origin Realm master!
[Who the hell is he?] At that moment, Yang Kai raised his evaluation of Lu Ye to a completely new level, not daring to underestimate him again.
Staring at the blood-red, worm-like insect in front of him, Yang Kai’s eyes narrowed. This thing should be condensed out of Spiritual Energy and wasn’t an actual physical entity, but Lu Ye was just a Saint King Realm cultivator, so how was his Spiritual Energy so powerful?
Yang Kai simply couldn’t understand it.
Yang Kai’s guess was not wrong. Xie Li had indeed been controlled by Lu Ye. As a peak level figure tens of thousands of years ago, even though Lu Ye was forced to swim in shallow waters and his current cultivation wasn’t great today, the Secret Techniques he had at his disposal were far from what an ordinary Origin Returning Realm master could contend with. Even if Xie Li’s sense and instincts were sharp, he still could not have imagined that Lu Ye had planted a Ten Thousand Poison Evil Insect in him.
By using this method, Lu Ye had secretly controlled the fate of the Xie Family, Sea Heart Sect, and Flowing Cloud Valley, subduing many cultivators to use for his own ends.
Lu Ye had not planned on letting Xie Li get his revenge on Yang Kai or even kill Yang Kai at all; his plan was to control Yang Kai through this Ten Thousand Poison Evil Insect in order to retrieve his most precious treasure.
In the Flowing Flame Sand Field, Yang Kai had obtained his greatest treasure, something Lu Ye had always wanted to take back, and now he had finally found an opportunity.
Lu Ye’s original intention was not to kill Yang Kai by having Xie Li self-destruct, but just to cause heavy losses to him so Yang Kai would lose all ability to resist.
However, even after all his careful scheming, Lu Ye had failed to anticipate that Xie Li would choose to engage Yang Kai in melee combat. If not for Yang Kai’s strength being far greater than average cultivators in his realm, Lu Ye’s plans might all have been for nought. If Yang Kai died, he would never be able to retrieve his treasure.
The Ten Thousand Poison Evil Insect was not an actual poisonous insect, but rather the product of a Divine Sense Secret Technique. It was incredibly strange and unpredictable. Now, several of Lu Ye’s Ten Thousand Poison Evil Insects had combined into one, allowing it to display far greater strength, so controlling a mere Third-Order Saint King should be a simple matter.
Above his Knowledge Sea, Yang Kai stared at this worm-like insect suspiciously.
Although he did not recognize this Ten Thousand Poison Evil Insect, Yang Kai knew it wasn’t anything good. With a single thought, the rolling flames down below swelled up and shot towards the invading insect.
This insect didn’t even try to resist, allowing the sea of flames to wash over and engulf it.
Yang Kai’s powerful Conflagrated Spiritual Energy kept burning this insect, but it remained completely unresponsive, its red glow still as strong as ever, as if it wasn’t affected in the slightest.
Yang Kai’s face sank when he saw this, secretly feeling he had underestimated this strange thing. After realizing his Conflagrated Knowledge Sea wasn’t able to cause any significant harm to this insect, he waved his hand and had the flames retreat.
Just as he was about to try a different method, this blood-red insect flickered, transformed into a ray of light, and shot towards Yang Kai’s Soul Avatar.
Naturally, Yang Kai wasn’t about to just let it succeed. Inside his Knowledge Sea, he was the master, everything here was under his control!
Coldly snorting, a fiery red spear condensed from pure Spiritual Energy materialized and shot towards the approaching threat; however, this blood-red insect was extremely nimble and with a light swaying it actually managed to avoid Yang Kai’s attacks.
[So difficult?] As a stern countenance flashed across Yang Kai’s face, the Demon Eye of Annihilation suspended above his Knowledge Sea suddenly opened and sent out a beam of radiant golden light.
The red insect managed to evade this light several times but was eventually enveloped.
The rapidly moving Ten Thousand Poison Evil Insect immediately came to a halt, as if it had been locked in place, its fat body writhing about as strange squeaking noises rang out from it as if it was extremely uncomfortable.
Lu Ye’s method was exceptional. Using these Ten Thousand Poison Evil Insects, he had been able to control many Origin Returning Realm masters, but it seems he had underestimated Yang Kai, believing he could do the same to him.
Inside Yang Kai’s Knowledge Sea was this incredible Demon Eye of Annihilation, its greatest ability being the Golden Light that could purify any kind of foreign Spiritual Energy, and since the Ten Thousand Poison Evil Insect was essentially a condensed mass of Spiritual Energy, it was no exception.
A sizzling sound emerged as the blood-red aura surrounding the strange insect began evaporating, and no matter how it struggled, it was unable to free itself from the golden light.
Yang Kai stared at this scene with cold eyes, neither happy nor sad; however, he felt quite surprised in his heart. He didn’t know why Lu Ye’s Spiritual Energy was so strange, to the point where even his Demon Eye of Annihilation’s Golden Light was unable to instantly purify it, but if he wanted to solve this problem once and for all, it seemed he’d have to put in some more effort.
Delaying leads to problems, so after hesitating for just a moment, Yang Kai sent out a command with his mind and in the next moment, from the seven-coloured island floating in his Knowledge Sea, a buzzing sound rang out, as if countless tiny mosquitoes had woken up and were flying over. At the same time, a black cloud quickly approached.
Soul Devouring Insects!
These Soul Devouring Insects were Exotic Ancient Insects Yang Kai had been cultivating for years, and after recently devouring the Profound Insect Stone, they were now able to display strength far greater than before.
They could easily devour the Spiritual Energy of Saint King Realm cultivators and could even cause a certain amount of trouble for Origin Returning Realm masters.
However, they were rarely used by Yang Kai because enemies weak enough to be killed by them were no threat to Yang Kai, and against powerful foes, these Soul Devouring Insects couldn’t play much of a role.
However, this did not mean his Soul Devouring Insects had become useless, their true power lay in their ability in large scale battles.
At this moment, it seemed they had yet another use.
Soul Devouring Insects’ favourite food was Spirit Energy, so Lu Ye could only blame himself for using a Divine Sense Secret Technique condensed of his own Spiritual Energy. Yang Kai’s Demon Eye of Annihilation and Soul Devouring Insects were essentially both predators for this Ten Thousand Poison Evil Insect.
In the blink of an eye, the Soul Devouring Insects swarm flew over. Even suppressed by the Demon Eye of Annihilation’s Golden Light, the red insect had continued struggling, but when the Soul Devouring Insects appeared, it seemed to understand it had met its natural enemy and began to tremble.
The Soul Devouring Insects naturally did not care about this, however, and they threw themselves at the Ten Thousand Poison Evil Insect under Yang Kai’s control.
Gnawing sounds immediately rang out.
The Soul Devouring Insects left as fast as they had come, a moment later heading back to the seven-colour island, but the Ten Thousand Poison Evil Insect which had been surrounded by golden light was nowhere to be seen.
It had been clearly devoured by the Soul Devouring Insects.
Yang Kai swept his Knowledge Sea to confirm there were no hidden dangers before gently nodding and sending his consciousness back to his body.
At the same time, more than two hundred kilometres away from Dragon Cave Mountain, inside the Xie Family’s main residence, a youth with delicate features who was sitting cross-legged in meditation suddenly turned pale and coughed up a mouthful of blood, his face quickly filling with shock as he cried out in disbelief, “How is that possible?”
This person was naturally Lu Ye.
He was incredibly calculating and cautious, so he had not gone to participate in the siege of Dragon Cave Mountain, but instead waited calmly at the Xie Family’s residence for news; after all, if things went well, it wouldn’t matter if he was there or not, and if things didn’t go well, his presence wouldn’t make a difference.
Based on this consideration, Lu Ye decided to wait at a distance from beginning to end.
But just now, a fierce backlash occurred as one of the Thousand Poison Evil Insects he relied on the most had been killed! This Ten Thousand Poison Evil Insect had been planted on the Xie Family’s Xie Li, which had taken a great deal of effort for Lu Ye. After all, Xie Li was a Second-Order Origin Returning Realm master and wanting to plant a hidden hand on him without his knowledge was no simple task.
To accomplish this, Lu Ye even sacrificed part of his own Soul Essence.
But now, this Soul Essence had been erased, and Lu Ye had received a certain degree of backlash as a result. This injury was not serious, but it was also not light, probably requiring him one or two months of meditation to recover from.
Lu Ye’s complexion instantly became fierce. He had thought that his plan this time was foolproof, yet it had actually failed miserably. However, from the last bit of feedback he received from this Ten Thousand Poison Evil Insect, Lu Ye knew it had been extinguished by Yang Kai.
As for what method Yang Kai used to achieve this, Lu Ye could not tell. No matter how strong his Secret Technique was, he could not actually monitor the situation inside Yang Kai’s Knowledge Sea.
“Excellent!” Lu Ye grinned wickedly, “It seems this Senior has looked down on you. A trivial Saint King Realm cultivator actually being able to wound this Senior, there will apparently be more interesting times ahead.”
After muttering to himself for a while, Lu Ye’s expression became gloomy and he let out a cold snort, “A bunch of wastes, unable to accomplish something so simple and instead ruining everything. If not for this Senior having need of you in the future, what use would you be? It seems I shouldn’t remain here much longer…”
Saying so, Lu Ye stood up and left quietly from the Xie Family, casually picking a direction, and flying off.
Although he was technically Flowing Cloud Valley’s Young Master, he did not put such an identity in his eyes at all. After seizing this body and returning to Flowing Cloud Valley, he had completely subdued the Sect and sacrificed over ninety percent of its population in order to cultivate a certain evil technique, including the original Lu Ye’s family.
Currently, Flowing Cloud Valley was nothing but an empty shell, so Lu Ye naturally had no plans to return there.
In any case, he could go anywhere on Shadowed Star with his means. What was important right now was to find a good place to recover his cultivation. As for Yang Kai, there would always be another chance for him to settle their grudge. Lu Ye never believed that his treasure had been refined by Yang Kai; after all, Yang Kai’s cultivation was too low. Even if it was an Origin King Realm master, it would be impossible to refine that thing without several years of effort.
He must have been concealing it somehow!
Lu Ye had never even considered that Yang Kai had a supreme treasure like the Soul Warming Lotus! While Yang Kai truly did not have the ability to refine that thing, the Soul Warming Lotus had easily absorbed it and used the massive amount of energy contained within to evolve into its final seven-coloured form while allowing Yang Kai to comprehend the Blossoming Lotus Secret Technique at the same time.
On the other side, Yang Kai opened his eyes and spread out his Divine Sense to confirm Dragon Cave Mountain’s situation. He soon realized that the battle on Chang Qi’s side had also ended, with the three old men now sitting in meditation adjusting their breathing.
These three had faced the middle-aged man from Demon Blood Temple, and although their opponent was a genuine Second-Order Origin Returning Realm master, his strength had been greatly suppressed on Dragon Cave Mountain. As such, after a hard-fought battle, Chang Qi, Hao An, and Ning Xiang Chen eventually defeated him, with assistance from Yang Yan and her Spirit Arrays.
At this point, all the enemies that had invaded Dragon Cave Mountain had been killed, not even one remained.
Dragon Cave Mountain only sent out four people to fight, three First-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivators and one Third-Order Saint King. Although they dared not say such a feat would never happen again in the future, it was still an unprecedented victory. If word of this matter were spread out, it was likely no one would believe it to be true.
Standing in place, Yang Kai thought for a while before quickly changing out of his ragged clothes into clean ones and wiping off the blood from his body before walking over to where Chang Qi and the others were sitting.
After absorbing the Remnant Soul of the old man from Myriad Beast Mountain with his Demon Eye of Annihilation, and Xie Li’s after the latter self-destructed, Yang Kai was certainly not going to let off the one from the Demon Blood Temple cultivator.
Presumably, after refining the Spiritual Energy of these three people, Yang Kai could attempt a breakthrough to the Origin Returning Realm.
A moment later, Yang Kai arrived in front of Chang Qi and the others, glanced down at the broken body of the master from Demon Blood Temple and quietly absorbed his Remnant Soul into his Knowledge Sea.
His arrival had not been missed by the three old men, all of whom opened their eyes, stood up, and showed joyful looks upon seeing Yang Kai.
“Old Ning, it seems I’ve troubled you this time,” Yang Kai quickly cupped his fists to Ning Xiang Chen in thanks. This old man had not hesitated to stand together with Dragon Cave Mountain and killed many invading enemies for them, causing Yang Kai’s opinion of him to soar.
Regardless of what other intentions he had, the assistance he provided was indisputable.
“Haha!” Ning Xiang Chen laughed heartily. Although he had just experienced a great battle, his complexion was excellent as he was obviously not injured. “Little Friend Yang is too polite. Even in this old master’s long life, he has rarely experienced such a grand event. If anything, this old man must thank Little Friend Yang, engaging in such a hot-blooded struggle after so long has made this old man feel many years younger!”
Yang Kai smiled lightly, “Old Ning Lao is too polite. In the future, if Old Ning has free time, please feel free to visit Dragon Cave Mountain. You will always be welcome here!”
Ning Xiang Chen’s eyes lit up and smiled even more heartily. Yang Kai’s words obviously meant he was no longer an outsider, and he felt that all the effort he put in this had paid off, but he was not satisfied with just this and asked tentatively, “Instead of visiting often, I believe taking up residence would be better. What does Little Friend Yang say?”
“Hm?” Yang Kai gave him a surprised look; after all, Ning Xiang Chen’s words just now were essentially a request to officially join Dragon Cave Mountain.
Thinking about it for a moment, Yang Kai understood why he had made this choice. This time, he had helped Dragon Cave Mountain kill many enemies, but had offended Myriad Beast Mountain, Demon Blood Temple, Sea Heart Sect, and Flowing Cloud Valley in the process. Although he was an Origin Returning Realm master, he had no Sect or family who could shelter him, so in the future, he might be hunted down by these forces.
Since that was the case, directly joining Dragon Cave Mountain was a better choice.
This was indeed the case. Although Ning Xiang Chen had wandered free all his life, now that he was old, he had found himself feeling somewhat alone and isolated. When he wanted to find someone to chat with and exchange experiences in cultivation with, he had no place to go. After witnessing Dragon Cave Mountain’s power today and earning their favour, he naturally had ideas of joining in order to seek a place to settle down.
Moreover, there were only two Origin Returning Realm masters in Dragon Cave Mountain and both had similar strength and backgrounds to him. Both were also open and friendly so he wouldn’t need to worry about being excluded if he joined.
Based on all kinds of considerations, Ning Xiang Chen had made this request. It was not a kind of spur of the moment decision but one that was carefully thought out and considered.
He wasn’t a young man anymore and wouldn’t make impulsive decisions.
After he asked, Ning Xiang Chen looked towards Yang Kai a little nervously, wondering if the other party would accept or reject him.
“Since Old Ning has such intentions, Junior wholeheartedly welcomes him!” Yang Kai replied, but wearing a solemn expression he continued, “However, Old Ning may wish to think twice. Right now Dragon Cave Mountain isn’t exactly a peaceful place to live. Perhaps soon…”
Before Yang Kai could finish speaking, Ning Xiang Chen smiled and waved, “What little friend wants to say, this old man can naturally guess, but this old man already has one foot in the grave so he has nothing left to fear other than dying alone without anyone realizing it, leaving a corpse in the wilderness to rot unattended to. If I can die here on Dragon Cave Mountain, it would still be my blessing, this is a good spot to be laid to rest.”
Yang Kai raised his brow slightly hearing this. Since the other party was willing to go so far, he naturally had no reason to refuse anymore, nodding firmly, “Good, then from now on Old Ning will hold the status of Foreign Elder on my Dragon Cave Mountain and enjoy the same treatment as Foreign Elder Chang and Foreign Elder Hao!”
“Haha, this Ning gratefully accepts!” Ning Xiang Chen laughed and cupped his fists.
Chang Qi and Hao An quickly offered their congratulations. Although the three of them had only met a short time ago, they had experienced fighting side-by-side already and formed a bond of friendship. As they chatted, Chang Qi and Hao An gave a brief description of what kind of treatment a Foreign Elder of Dragon Cave Mountain could enjoy, causing Ning Xiang Chen’s eyes to shine and his blood to boil.
When they were fighting Wu Xun from Demon Blood Temple just now, Ning Xiang Chen had seen what kind of benefits Chang Qi and Hao An enjoyed and realized it was far greater than a wanderer like him could hope to obtain.
Every artifact Chang Qi and Hao An possessed, whether it was offensive or defensive, was Origin Grade High-Rank, and the pills they used were of a quality that filled Ning Xiang Chen with envy.
Having spent most of his life poor, Ning Xiang Chen had scraped together to purchase a single Origin Grade Low-Rank artifact, and in order to repair it, he had to search for a year to find the appropriate materials.
Chang Qi had even given him a few pills to help him restore his strength just now, but he had been unwilling to eat them and had instead quietly stored them away.
Thinking he might soon be able to own such things, Ning Xiang Chen felt more confident that his choice today was right.
As these laughs and cheers were ringing out though, Yang Kai suddenly frowned and his expression sank again.
Chang Qi noticed this and quickly asked, “What happened?”
“A lot of honoured guests have come to visit, we should go out and greet them together,” Yang Kai sneered.
“Honoured guests?” Chang Qi and the others exchanged a confused glance but soon understood, immediately frowning as they followed Yang Kai outside.
The dense fog covering Dragon Cave Mountain tumbled again and soon revealed a passageway to outside the formation. A moment later, four figures, led by Yang Kai, emerged from this opening.
In an instant, countless eyes fixed on their group of four, and after noticing that Yang Kai and the others were completely unscathed, everyone was startled, and their expressions changed to ones of surprise, suspicion, and disbelief.
Qian Tong and Fei Zhi Tu, however, just raised their brows, their reactions differing greatly from all the others. Both of them let out nearly imperceptible sighs of relief as they nodded to Yang Kai, not greeting him openly.
“Such a grand lineup!” Ning Xiang Chen stood behind Yang Kai and exclaimed as he swept his eyes around.
Outside Dragon Cave Mountain’s Mountain Defending Array, countless masters were hovering mid-air or rapidly approaching, all of them observing the situation curiously. Even without mentioning Qian Tong and Fei Zhi Tu, Ning Xiang Chen recognized a number of these masters such as Mo Xiao Sheng of Heaven Battling Union, Thunder Typhoon Sect’s Cheng Peng Xuan, Jin Shi of Demon Blood Temple, Myriad Beast Mountain’s Old Woman Feng, Coloured Glass Sect’s Gong Ao Fu, as well as Elder level characters from Grand Fire Temple, Clear Sky Sect, Twin Heart Valley, Sea Temple, and others. Even Yan Pei and Ren Tian Rui, the Black-Faced Master and Disciple duo from Treasure Trove Pavilion, were here.
These masters each brought disciples from their respective Sects and had formed a kind of loose encirclement around Dragon Cave Mountain, exerting a crushing sense of pressure from their mere presence.
In terms of Third-Order Origin Returning Realm masters, there were around twenty, while Second-Order and First-Order Origin Returning Realm masters were even more numerous.
It was as if Dragon Cave Mountain had suddenly become a delicious piece of meat everyone wanted a piece of!
Ning Xiang Chen could not help drawing in a sharp breath as he felt quite terrified in his heart.
The masters who were gathered here right now could represent essentially all Shadowed Star’s great forces.
Of note were Jin Shi and Old Woman Feng, who were staring at Yang Kai angrily, as if they wanted to burn holes in his body with their gaze alone.
After all, many of their Sect’s disciples had participated in the attack on Dragon Cave Mountain this time, including two Second-Order Origin Realm masters. Yang Kai being able to appear here safe and sound while their own subordinates were nowhere to be seen made it easy to guess what kind of fate had befallen them.
However, did Dragon Cave Mountain really have such great ability? Could it really have killed all the enemies which intruded just now?
Not only did Jin Shi and Old Woman Feng have their suspicions, everyone present was thinking about this issue. But if those people weren’t dead, how could Yang Kai be standing in front of them right now?
What had happened inside Dragon Cave Mountain’s Mountain Defending Array? Everyone was confused, and although each of the people who had come here was a master, none dared to underestimate Dragon Cave Mountain again. Nevertheless, no one could resist directing fiery eyes towards Dragon Cave Mountain’s Mountain Defending Array and the subsequent Spirit Arrays it was concealing.
This was only natural as the profoundness of these barriers and Spirit Arrays was truly astonishing. If they could find an opportunity to snatch up the master responsible for arranging these Spirit Arrays and bring them back to their Sect, they would surely be able to greatly improve the quality of their own Sect’s Spirit Arrays.
“Junior Yang Kai greets the many Seniors!” Yang Kai shouted aloud, his expression neither humble nor overbearing, “So many Seniors arriving today is quite unexpected, causing this Junior’s reception to be somewhat lacking. If I have been negligent in my hospitality, please forgive me.”
The masters from the various great forces either narrowed their eyes or raised their brows, but no one answered. After all, not many people had a friendship with this Dragon Cave Mountain or Yang Kai. Most of them had come here simply because they were curious, while a few had their own concerns about the situation.
As for Yang Kai, a trivial Saint King Realm Junior, none of them paid him any attention.
Only Qian Tong chuckled and said heartily, “There’s no need for you to concern yourself with us, we old folks were simply idle and bored, so we’ve come over to see what was happening here.”
Qian Tong’s one sentence swept everyone up into this category, causing many masters to glare at him fiercely.
“Oh… So it’s like this,” Yang Kai grinned and said indifferently, “Then I’m afraid I must disappoint several Seniors. Dragon Cave Mountain is but a small humble place with nothing of interest to see.”
Such an obvious eviction could be heard by a deaf person as Yang Kai was essentially telling them all to leave.
However, since these masters had taken the trouble to come here, how could they just walk away now? Others might not care, but Jin Shi and Old Woman Feng would not be willing to give up and leave. At this point, most of the cultivator’s eyes fixed on Jin Shi and Old Woman Feng, waiting for them to reply.
In this situation, Jin Shi and Old Woman Feng were naturally unable to back down, so the former coldly snorted and with an aloof look questioned Yang Kai impatiently, “Boy, this old master must ask you. Where are those people who entered your mountain before?”
“So it is Senior Jin Shi!” Yang Kai said, as if he only noticed him just now, putting on a respectful look, but saying in a casual tone, “Does Senior mean the group of people from the Xie Family?”
Jin Shi lightly coughed, “Yes, this old master is referring to the Xie Family people, where are they now?”
Although everyone knew that cultivators from Demon Blood Temple had participated in this siege, Jin Shi was not stupid enough to admit this because this time’s incident was a simple dispute between Dragon Cave Mountain and the Xie Family on the surface. In other words, those who participated in this battle all belonged to the Xie Family disciplines, there were no outsiders.
“If Senior cares so much about those Xie Family people, I’m afraid I must disappoint you,” Yang Kai’s mouth curled upwards.
“Why do you say so?” Jin Shi’s heart sank.
“Heh heh, why does Senior Jin Shi insist on asking a question he knows the answer to? Since those people dared to break into my Dragon Cave Mountain, intent on finding trouble with this Junior, naturally this Junior has sent them to their deaths; after all, Junior is not a mild-tempered person,” Yang Kai’s expression gradually turned cold.
Several gasps could be heard as everyone’s expression filled with shock.
Although everyone had such speculations before, secretly thinking that the group that had broken into Dragon Cave Mountain must have suffered a disastrous fate, when this was confirmed by Yang Kai himself, they still found it difficult to believe.
Even Qian Tong and Fei Zhi Tu almost had their eyes pop out of their sockets, their expressions not much calmer than the other masters present, as if they had all seen a ghost.
Among the group of people who had participated in the raid just now, there had been more than thirty Origin Realm masters, including three who were Second-Order, as well as some two hundred Saint King Realm cultivators. Such a force had invaded this tiny Dragon Cave Mountain, yet had been completely wiped out?
How could that be?
Did Dragon Cave Mountain really have such hidden power? If that was the case, then this small hill could already be considered a second-class force.
“With just your pitiful strength? Hmph, shameless boasting,” Old Woman Feng’s temper had always been short, so seeing Yang Kai act so rampant, a trace of anger emerged on her old face as she stamped her dragon-head walking stick mid-air. Obviously, she didn’t believe Yang Kai and instead thought he had used some kind of Spirit Array to trap the invasion force.
“Senior Feng doesn’t believe me?” Yang Kai cast a sidelong glance towards her.
“Ignorant boy, this old woman’s life has been long but she has never before heard such a terrible joke,” Old Woman Feng had barely finished her words when her face changed wildly because she saw Yang Kai suddenly take out an ominous looking one-handed hatchet and casually play with it.
“Grandmother, that’s…” The face of Feng Yan, who was standing beside Old Woman Feng, also changed dramatically because she too recognized this Origin Grade Mid-Rank one-handed hatchet artifact as the most prized weapon of the old man who had led Myriad Beast Mountain’s forces here. Considering that the old man was reluctant to even show others this artifact, other than him being dead, what other explanation could there be for Yang Kai now possessing it?
It seems that the old man had really died!
If even a Second-Order Origin Returning Realm master had died, there was no hope anyone else had survived.
With the facts laid bare in front of her face, Old Woman Feng was no longer able to deceive herself.
Yang Kai simply sneered and declared coldly, “Although my Dragon Cave Mountain isn’t some great force, it is also not a place that can be casually bullied. Since several Seniors are here today, Junior will bravely say this, if any blind fool dares have ideas about my Dragon Cave Mountain in the future, they will share the Xie Family’s fate.”
“Boy, are you threatening us?” Jin Shi stepped forward and asked fiercely.
“Old Ghost Jin!” Qian Tong coldly snorted, “Did you hear Yang Kai threaten you? He only referred to blind fools seeking trouble with him. Or what, does your Demon Blood Temple have a policy of using strength to bully the weak?”
Qian Tong could naturally see that Jin Shi wanted to use Yang Kai’s words as a pretext to launch an attack, so how could he give him the chance? Even without mentioning that Qian Tong always stood on Dragon Cave Mountain’s side, Shadow Moon Hall’s current embarrassing situation had caused him a stomach full of grievances, so now that an opportunity to ridicule and vent had come up, Qian Tong planned on taking full advantage of it.
After hearing these words, Jin Shi glanced over at Qian Tong and frowned, but didn’t press the matter any further; after all, this was still technically Shadow Moon Hall’s domain so it wasn’t wise for him to stir up too much trouble.
“You certainly are bold!” On the other side, Old Woman Feng grit her teeth and shouted, “Sure enough, heroes emerge from the younger generation, it seems this old woman has greatly looked down on your courage.”
Yang Kai grinned, “Many thanks for Senior Feng’s undeserved praise. Many people have said similar things in the past, but this Junior still has yet to figure out where the limits of his courage lie.”
*Puchi…*
A stifled laugh rang out from nearby as Dai Yuan of Coloured Glass Sect was unable to hold herself back.
In response, Gong Ao Fu shot her a stern glare.
Yin Su Die also wore a displeased look as she muttered, “Hmph, just some meaningless self-satisfaction, just looking at this little brat’s lawless appearance it’s clear that he’ll meet a terrible end sooner or later. Senior Sister, it’s best if you don’t involve yourself with him any further.”
“Junior Sister need not concern herself with my affairs, just attend to yourself,” Dai Yuan replied flatly.
“What your Junior Sister said is right,” Gong Ao Fu snorted, “A Junior revealing such potential is not a good thing. The tallest tree in the forest is the first to be toppled by the wind. If this boy does not fix his character, he will certainly meet an untimely death. From now on, your Master forbids you to have any further contact with him so as not to implicate my Coloured Glass Sect in any future trouble.”
“Honoured Master!” Dai Yuan was shocked and wanted to say something, but before she could Gong Ao Fu glared at her solemnly, “What’s wrong, are you refusing to listen to your Honoured Master’s command?”
Dai Yuan silently bit her lip, and only after a long pause did she respond, “Disciple will obey Honoured Master’s instructions.”
Seeing this, Gong Ao Fu turned away with satisfaction.
At a different location, two young women stood together staring at Yang Kai, one of them exuded a seductive charm while the other radiated a sense of purity and innocence. But currently, both were frowning, seeming somewhat worried.
These two were not strong, just Saint Kings, and they were standing amongst this big crowd, so it was natural for Yang Kai not to have noticed them. If he were to spot them though, he would be able to recognize them as they were none other than Chen Shi Tao and Lu Ying from Clear Sky Sect.
Yang Kai had several encounters with Chen Shi Tao in the past and she had even extended an invitation to him to join Clear Sky Sect, an invitation Yang Kai had politely refused.
It was also thanks to Chen Shi Tao that Yang Kai was able to meet Qian Yue in Black Raven City, redeem her, and bring her back to Dragon Cave Mountain.
These two Clear Sky Sect disciples had followed their Master to Heavenly Fate City to participate in the recent auction and had originally planned on visiting Yang Kai at Dragon Cave Mountain, but had been delayed due to various other matters. Today, they followed their Master to see what all the excitement was about only to discover that Yang Kai was at the centre of this commotion.
Seeing the worrying situation of Dragon Cave Mountain, Chen Shi Tao and Lu Ying naturally felt anxious.
Both of them had a very good impression of Yang Kai as he had even saved their lives back in Grand Burial Valley, but despite feeling immense gratitude towards him, their strength was too low so they didn’t possess the right to speak in this situation.
“Senior Sister, it seems he’s in big trouble this time,” Lu Ying said softly.
“En,” Chen Shi Tao nodded unconsciously. She possessed more foresight than Lu Ying, so she understood that if Dragon Cave Mountain did not handle this matter well, it would result in disaster.
“Do you think he can escape this catastrophe?” Lu Ying asked again.
“How am I supposed to know?” Chen Shi Tao smiled bitterly. If she had enough strength, she would not hesitate to help Yang Kai, but as a mere Saint King, she was unable to provide him with any assistance at this time. Nibbling her red lips, she remarked thoughtfully, “His luck has always been good, so perhaps he will again be able to escape unscathed.”
Although the two young women spoke softly, they were still clearly heard by the middle-aged man standing in front of them. This man’s cultivation was exceptional, a Third-Order Origin Returning Realm master like Qian Tong and the others present. His distinctive features were his long black hair that would make many women jealous, robust figure, and short cut robes, all of which combined to give him a bit of a wild and uninhibited style.
Turning around with a gentle smile on his face, he beckoned to both Chen Shi Tao and Lu Ying.
The two girls exchanged a glance before quickly stepping forward and saluting respectfully, “Honoured Master!”
This man was Clear Sky Sect’s Great Elder Mo Yu, a well-known figure on Shadowed Star comparable in fame to Qian Tong or Fei Zhi Tu. Originally, Chen Shi Tao and Lu Ying were not eligible to worship him as their Master, but after achieving great merits in the Flowing Flame Sand Field and bringing immense benefits to the Sect in the form of over a hundred million Saint Crystals, Mo Yu had made an exception and accepted them as disciples. This was a great good fortune for them as the short time Mo Yu spent directing their cultivation had allowed both to rapidly improve their strength.
In fact, the defensive artifact Chen Shi Tao used in Grand Burial Valley, the Nine Palace Heavenly Silk Parasol, was something Mo Yu had given her.
“Do you know that young man?” Mo Yu inquired benignly.
Chen Shi Tao and Lu Ying exchanged a nervous glance but didn’t dare lie to their Honoured Master so the former promptly replied, “Yes, Honoured Master. He is the friend I mentioned to you before, the one with blessed with good luck.”
“Oh? Is he the one you mentioned having a great destiny?” Mo Yu raised his brow, showing a look of interest.
“Yes, it’s him!”
“Haha, interesting. Luck and destiny are ethereal concepts, not something a person can decide. Every person encounters good and bad fortune, and it is impossible for one to continuously experience only good luck, similar to how one believes it to be darkest before dawn. Such things are simply frames of mind,” Mo Yu seemed to be speaking to himself but also educating Chen Shi Tao, the latter not daring to interrupt, listening respectfully from the side.
Mo Yu glanced at her lightly and chuckled, “Do you want your Master to speak a few favourable words for him?”
Chen Shi Tao’s tender body shook, but she quickly denied, “Disciple does not dare. Although disciple is a woman, she understands propriety and would not dare ask Honoured Master to interfere in this turbulent situation.”
“Good, very good,” Mo Yu nodded lightly, “The present situation is indeed quite tense, so this old master naturally will not easily wade into these muddy waters.”
While Mo Yu looked middle-aged, he had lived many years longer than that, so claiming to be an old master was not inappropriate. Mo Yu soon said with a smile, “But this old master is quite curious. If his luck is as good as you claim, perhaps he will be able to turn danger into safety here. If he can accomplish it, this old master will believe he really holds a great destiny, and you can interact more frequently with him in the future.”
“Yes,” Chen Shi Tao smiled happily, but when she remembered how dire the current situation was, her pretty face could not help showing a trace of worry.
Regardless of anything else, she owed Yang Kai a live-saving grace, but now she was only able to stand back and wait while he was in danger, causing her to feel both uneasy and ashamed.
“However, if he is unable to overcome this calamity… En, there’s not much more to say. For now, just stay here and watch the situation with your Master.” Mo Yu chuckled.
Chen Shi Tao and Lu Ying looked at each other helplessly, only able to do as Mo Yu said.
In Dragon Cave Mountain, Yang Kai stood behind the outermost layer of the Mountain Defending Array and cupped his fists slightly, “With several Senior arriving here today, in principle, Junior should invite you inside to offer some hospitality, but my small mountain has just experienced a battle so Junior has many things he must deal with. Therefore, I will have to ask the many Seniors to forgive my lack of courtesy. Please leave!”
Yang Kai didn’t want to bother with any more nonsense, so he directly told everyone who had gathered here to leave.
Everyone understood what he meant, but none of them had any intention of moving, especially Jin Shi and Old Woman Feng, both of whom were glaring at Yang Kai as if they wanted to tear him to pieces. In fact, if not for having scruples about Qian Tong and Fei Zhi Tu, the two of them would likely have immediately attacked.
Still, it was impossible for them to simply leave like this; after all, their two Sects had suffered heavy losses this time. If they were to back down now, what face would they have in the future? Yang Kai also understood this truth, but he had to make his situation and intentions clear regardless, and that was, if these two moved rashly, he would occupy the righteous position and Qian Tong and Fei Zhi Tu would be able to intervene without damaging Shadow Moon Hall’s reputation.
Seeing that no one left, Yang Kai sneered and said out loud, “What’s wrong? Could it be that the several Seniors have taken a liking to this Junior’s little hill, like the Xie Family?”
“Boy, don’t try to make false accusations. Since we old masters have gathered here, shouldn’t you invite us inside, as a Junior? That is the appropriate way to treat guests,” Jin Shi coldly snorted.
Many masters hearing this also nodded lightly.
Although they had no grievances with Yang Kai or Dragon Cave Mountain and had purely come here to seek some entertainment this time, after learning about the power of Dragon Cave Mountain’s Spirit Arrays, they all wanted to go in and take a closer look.
So even if Jin Shi had ulterior motives, they were willing to agree with him for now.
As long as they entered Dragon Cave Mountain, with just Yang Kai’s ability, could he stop them from examining the various Spirit Arrays and barriers? As for whether Dragon Cave Mountain would be allowing disaster into their home, why should they care?
“Old Ghost Jin, you still want to act shamelessly? The other side has already said that they have many things to process and it is inconvenient to entertain guests right now, even going so far as to apologize for their lack of hospitality, so how is your insistence anything but trying to bully others with your status? If you are really so desperate for entertainment, Heavenly Fate City is just fifty kilometres from here, this old master will host you there,” Qian Tong shot Jin Shi a disgruntled look as he spat.
This place was still well inside Shadow Moon Hall’s jurisdiction, so Jin Shi not giving Yang Kai any face was equivalent to not putting Shadow Moon Hall in his eyes, an idea that greatly annoyed Qian Tong.
“Naturally, I will visit Heavenly Fate City, but this boy’s pretentious attitude bothers me greatly. It’s like he doesn’t put us in his eyes at all,” Jin Shi shot back, seemingly unwilling to give up.
“Stop trying to find a pretext to act. If you’re intent on causing trouble, this old master will accompany you!” Qian Tong snorted, his expression becoming gloomy.
Perceiving how resolute Qian Tong’s stance was, Jin Shi could not help frowning. He did not know what kind of relationship Qian Tong and Yang Kai had that would make the former not hesitate to offend him, but it seemed that if he continued to push the issue, it would end poorly for him.
However, leaving like this was also inappropriate.
Intentionally or unintentionally, Jin Shi glanced over at Old Woman Feng and saw that the other party’s face was gloomy, and her eyes were filled with murderous intent as she stared at Yang Kai. But just as he was about to drag Old Woman Feng into this dispute, a shocking aura suddenly appeared on the horizon and rapidly closed in on their position.
Jin Shi’s complexion changed dramatically, and he hurriedly choked down his words as he turned to face this newcomer.
Everyone else also did the same.
Of the masters present, nearly twenty of them had reached the Third-Order Origin Returning Realm, but even with their great strength, they could tell that the approaching master was not someone affable, causing them to reveal looks of amazement and wariness.
Only Old Black-Face Yan Pei showed a confused look on his face as he muttered to himself, “Why did she come?”
He would have never thought this person would show her face here.
In the distance, a blue light quickly approached, and a moment later, this blue light flashed and stopped a dozen or so metres from the gathered crowd, dispersed, and revealed two figures.
One male, one female.
The woman was clearly the leader of this pair and wore a deep green dress. Her long hair was done up in a delicate bun, revealing her slender white neck, giving her graceful and elegant bearing while her pair of sharp phoenix eyes exuded an innate, commanding majesty, making others not dare stare into them for too long.
This woman had the aura of a mature thirty or forty-year-old, but that did not make her any less alluring. Although slightly older, she had maintained her appearance impeccably with delicate white skin, slender figure, and an enchanting body line that could easily provoke the hidden desires of any man.
But at this time, none present dared belittle or blaspheme this woman, because the pressure she gave off alone was enough to deter such thoughts.
Compared to an ordinary Third-Order Origin Returning Realm, this woman was clearly far more powerful.
Behind this awe-inspiring woman was a man who had an extremely peculiar appearance. He had big rounded ears, narrow, slender slit-eyes, and a mouthful of buckteeth, making anyone who saw him want to laugh.
This dreadful buck-toothed, monkey-faced man standing beside this alluring mature woman formed a striking visual contrast, further increasing the woman’s beauty while at the same time making the man appear uglier.
However, it could be seen from the positions of these two that this man was a Junior or Disciple of this noblewoman because he stood behind her with a respectful air about him while the woman only looked forward, not back towards him. This buck-toothed man was also a First-Order Origin Returning Realm, but the Saint Qi fluctuations coming from his body were far denser and purer than ordinary.
When he saw this woman, Yang Kai’s expression sank, not knowing who she was or what she had come here for; however, if she was an enemy, the situation would perhaps become more difficult to handle this time. Facing this woman, Yang Kai faintly felt pressured, a feeling Jin Shi, Old Woman Feng, and all the other masters here were unable to bring him.
This showed that this woman’s strength far exceeded that of all the other masters present.
However, when he saw the monkey-faced man behind this woman, Yang Kai could not help feeling surprised again.
Because he knew this person. This buck-toothed man was Ge Qi, the one who had exchanged a pill with the Star Emperor Token after the last auction at Treasure Trove Pavilion!
Yang Kai had a particularly strong impression of him for various reasons, especially how terrified he was the moment he saw Yang Yan. But it was more than just fear, this man also seemed to be in awe of Yang Yan, even insisting that she called him Xiao Qi!
After meeting such a strange-looking and acting person, how could Yang Kai easily forget him?
Yang Kai also quickly recalled that after he had traded a pill for the Star Emperor Token, the other party had said that his Martial Ancestor would come personally to meet Yang Yan if it was possible. Obviously, the mature beauty standing in front of Ge Qi was this Martial Ancestor.
[Is she an enemy or a friend though?] Yang Kai’s brow furrowed as he felt uncertain.
However, the appearance of these two people had succeeded in attracting everyone’s attention, allowing the tense atmosphere to relax somewhat.
Additionally, when the masters from the various great forces clearly saw this woman’s face, they all unconsciously displayed shocked, and even panic-stricken looks, as if they were all afraid of her.
Even Mo Xiao Sheng of Heaven Battling Union and Cheng Peng Xuan of Thunder Typhoon Sect were the same, the two of them exchanging a glance that contained both dread and frustration.
Being from the most powerful Sects on Shadowed Star, no one ordinary was worthy of their attention; the only exception was the mysterious Star Emperor Mountain. Mo Xiao Sheng and Cheng Peng Xuan were both high ranking Elders of their respective forces, commanding immense power and respect, so in order to deter even them, it was clear that the identity and status of this woman were extraordinary.
Yang Kai carefully observed the situation, and although he wasn’t clear who this woman was or what background she had, he could at least tell that she was a famous figure.
“How could it be? Her?” Over on Shadow Moon Hall’s side, Qian Tong also looked like he had seen a ghost, rubbing his eyes twice to confirm he wasn’t seeing things.
Fei Zhi Tu’s jaw had also gone slack, his expression no better than Qian Tong’s.
“Elder, who is this Senior?” Wei Gu Chang asked curiously. This woman had suddenly appeared and said nothing, but still managed to suppress every master present with her mere presence, a feat that inevitably made Wei Gu Chang very curious and somewhat excited.
This was how a true master should be!
“Who is she? She’s the previous Sect Master of Star Emperor Mountain…” Qian Tong replied casually with a hint of bitterness in his tone.
Wei Gu Chang trembled in shock as he stared towards this newly arrived woman with awe and reverence. He had not been expecting this Senior’s origin to be so astonishing.
Star Emperor Mountain was the most mysterious and powerful force on Shadowed Star. No one knew how many masters it possessed or how deep their heritage was, but it was rumoured that Star Emperor Mountain had obtained a piece of the Starry Sky Great Emperor’s Inheritance, so even the two other giants of Shadowed Star, Heaven Battling Union and Thunder Typhoon Sect, fell short in terms of power and prestige when facing Star Emperor Mountain.
Fortunately, Star Emperor Mountain never involved itself in external affairs, rarely even making an appearance on Shadowed Star. If this was not the case, how could there be room on Shadowed Star for other Sects to develop? Star Emperor Mountain would have unified Shadowed Star under its rule long ago.
Although Qian Tong’s words were light, they still reached the ears of the woman, who turned her head slightly and directed her pair of phoenix eyes towards him. Being stared at by this woman, Qian Tong could not help feeling his scalp go numb and just barely managed to squeeze out a smile.
The cultivators of the younger generation may not recognize this woman, but all the masters above the Second-Order Origin Returning Realm on the scene were well aware of her name and her terrifying means. Recalling events from when this woman still wielded Star Emperor Mountain over a hundred years ago, Qian Tong became more and more anxious.
Why had she appeared here though?
“This Queen has not appeared in so long, but I never expected to see so many old friends gathered together the moment I came out,” The woman suddenly opened her lips and spoke, the sound of her voice crisp and clear like a gentle spring breeze, relaxing the minds and bodies of those who heard it, “Xiao Qian, Xiao Fei, you two have also reached this boundary. It seems you’ve not been wasting away the years.”
The woman already created a stir when she was silent, but the moment she spoke, it was as if the earth shook.
Qian Tong and Fei Zhi Tu were both high-level Elders of Shadow Moon Hall, but to this woman, they were just ‘Little Qian’ and ‘Little Fei’.
Countless Saint King Realm cultivators’ eyes lowered to the ground and many could not help laughing secretly.
On the other hand, Qian Tong and Fei Zhi Tu could not laugh, both of them exchanging a glance before quickly bowing and cupping their fists, “Greetings, Senior Sister Ye. After one hundred years, Senior Sister Ye is as majestic as ever, truly worthy of celebration!”
“En,” The woman surnamed Ye waved her hand lightly, expressing neither joy nor sorrow on her pretty face, “I am simply passing through life now, what kind of majesty could I command?”
Saying so, she next turned to another side and beckoned, “Little Black, come here!”
Over on Treasure Trove Pavilion’s side, Ren Tian Rui, known as Little Black-Face, heard this and responded unconsciously, wondering why this Senior had suddenly called out to him, but in the next moment, he actually saw his master Yan Pei stride forward with a smile on his face and rushed over to the woman.
Ren Tian Rui was stunned for a moment but soon understood.
It turns out that his Master has gradually grown from Little Black-Face to Old Black-Face…
This Senior had not been calling him out but was instead summoning his Master.
“Yan Pei greets Senior Sister Ye. What instructions does Senior Sister Ye have?” Yan Pei asked respectfully.
“What’s going on here? Why are there so many people gathered?” The woman surnamed Ye furrowed her brow as she inquired lightly.
“It’s like this…” Yan Pei was naturally an eloquent speaker as the chief auctioneer of Treasure Trove Pavilion, so in the least amount of words necessary, he concisely explained the situation without omissions or embellishments of any kind.
Although this brief explanation wasn’t comprehensive, with the wisdom and insight this woman surnamed Ye possessed, she was able to fully understand what had transpired.
After listening to Yan Pei’s narrative, she coldly snorted, “Thinking themselves strong and bullying the weak, they deserved their deaths!”
Saying so, she shot a cold glare towards Jin Shi and Old Woman Feng. These two were already top-ranked masters on Shadowed Star, so being talked down to like this caused both to frown in displeasure. They were both concerned about this Ye woman’s power and prestige, but that was mainly concerning her from more than a hundred years ago. Now, they had both reached the Third-Order Origin Returning Realm as well, so the other party not giving them any face naturally annoyed them.
What’s more, this woman no longer represented Star Emperor Mountain as she had gone missing more than a hundred years ago. It seemed she had some kind of falling out with Star Emperor Mountain and had disappeared and not been heard from since then.
In other words, she was now just a lone cultivator, so no matter how powerful or famous she was, could she compete against an entire first-class Sect?
Although they felt angry and annoyed, Jin Shi and Old Woman Feng didn’t immediately lash out; after all, they had yet to determine what the other party’s intentions were.
After clearing up what the reason for this gathering of masters was, the woman surnamed Ye suddenly directed her beautiful eyes to Yang Kai and asked the buck-toothed man behind her, “Xiao Qi, is he the one you mentioned?”
Ge Qi nodded respectfully, “Yes, Martial Ancestor. He is the one.”
“And where is that Senior?” The woman surnamed Ye frowned slightly as she whispered to herself, speaking so softly that none of the other cultivators present could clearly hear her, otherwise an uproar would surely have occurred. After thoughtfully glancing at Dragon Cave Mountain’s Mountain Defending Array though, the woman surnamed Ye understood that the one she had come here to find was behind this grand Spirit Array.
Thinking so, she showed a warm smile and greeted Yang Kai with a light nod, “Are you called Yang Kai?”
Yang Kai was very on edge, but he managed to maintain an expression which was neither humble nor overbearing as he cupped his fists and replied, “Junior’s name is indeed Yang Kai. May I ask what instructions Senior has that brings her to my humble mountain?”
“It is nothing so exaggerated,” The woman surnamed Ye smiled, her and enchanting style causing everyone to stare at her dumbfounded while those with weaker mental strength and those who had lower cultivation found themselves unable to look away, as if this woman had some kind of invisible attraction which drew in their eyes, “This Queen simply came to see a person this time, and if this Queen is not mistaken, that person should currently be residing in this mountain area. If it is convenient, could Little Brother open this barrier and allow this Queen to enter?”
Her attitude was gentle and temperate, without the slightest trace of hostility, and the tone she used was not one of authority but entreaty, but Yang Kai still frowned, unable to make a decision immediately.
Yang Kai had a fairly good idea about who this woman wanted to meet. In fact, it couldn’t be anyone other than Yang Yan; after all, Ge Qi’s exaggerated reaction when he saw Yang Yan at Treasure Trove Pavilion last time had precipitated this woman’s arrival here.
These two had no interest in him, they were simply here to see Yang Yan.
However, the origins of this woman were still unknown to Yang Kai and he could not be certain whether she was an enemy or a friend. If this woman had some kind of enmity with Yang Yan, wouldn’t he be leading a wolf into a flock of sheep if he opened the barrier?
With this woman’s strength and means, if she were really to enter Dragon Cave Mountain, no one would be able to resist her, giving Yang Kai serious pause.
Seeing this woman surnamed Ye actually speak to Yang Kai in such a genial manner, even using polite words to make a request, Qian Tong and the other masters were dumbstruck.
The arrogance and methods of this woman surnamed Ye were something Qian Tong and the other masters here had profoundly learned of at a young age. As the former Sect Master of Star Emperor Mountain and the highest level master on Shadowed Star, she had reached a strength and status that only a handful of people in this world could compete with one on one.
She had casually commanded and scolded others, but had spoken gently to Yang Kai. Could this… be some kind of illusion?
Qian Tong and the others were unable to believe what they were seeing for a moment.
As if understanding Yang Kai’s concerns, this woman surnamed Ye did not push him, instead taking a step back and asking, “It’s alright. This Queen won’t force you to withdraw this barrier, but could you allow this Queen to exchange some words with that girl named Yang Yan? This Queen certainly has no malicious intentions toward you and only wants to confirm one thing.”
Sure enough, she was looking for Yang Yan! Yang Kai looked up at her and gently nodded, “If you just want to say a few words, then there is no problem. Please take this, Senior.”
Saying so, Yang Kai wiped his Space Ring and took out a communication artifact before tossing it up to the other party. He didn’t see how this woman surnamed Ye moved, but she was holding the communication artifact in the next instant.
Immediately, in the front of everyone’s eyes, this woman surnamed Ye closed her beautiful eyes and poured her Divine Sense into this communication artifact and contacted Yang Yan, who was deep inside the mountain.
Time passed slowly as everyone on the scene, regardless of cultivation or background, did not dare take a breath, seemingly afraid to disturb this woman.
But soon, her tender body actually began trembling slightly and her expression changed from calm to panic, panic to anxiety, then anxiety to excitement. In an instant, an overwhelming wave of Shi spread out uncontrollably with her as its centre.
Every Saint King Realm cultivator present trembled unstoppably under the influence of this Shi as they suddenly felt like they were wandering the line between life and death, as if all this woman surnamed Ye needed to do was think it and they would die.
The First and Second-Order Origin Returning Realm masters were forced to circulate their Saint Qi in order to resist this pressure as well, while only those who had reached the Third-Order weren’t seriously affected; however, that didn’t mean these top-level masters weren’t feeling shocked.
They were also Third-Order Origin Realm masters, the same as this Ye woman, but none of them could achieve what she had just done unconsciously.
This was clearly a sign that her Shi had reached the grand accomplishment stage! In other words, if not for the suppression of Shadowed Star’s World Principles, this woman may already have broken through and become an Origin King.
Any Origin Realm master who wanted to break through to the Origin King Realm first needed to have their Shi reach the grand accomplishment stage, but no one present other than this woman had achieved this.
Aware of the gap between them, everyone instantly felt a sense of inferiority. At the same time, Jin Shi and Old Woman Feng exchanged a knowing look, both of them secretly rejoicing that they had not acted out in anger just now and attacked. Even if it was two against one, neither of them was certain they would be able to escape unharmed if they were to fight this woman.
After what seemed like an unbearably long time, the Shi was withdrawn and the woman surnamed Ye opened her eyes, but now they were filled with radiant light and her pretty face had a dazzling, reddish glow to it, as if she had encountered an incredibly auspicious matter worthy of celebration.
Yang Kai could clearly tell that this woman’s breathing had quickened slightly, as had her heartbeat.
[What exactly did they talk about?] Yang Kai was filled with doubts.
Everyone else was just as curious as Yang Kai, wondering who or what existed here on Dragon Cave Mountain that could cause such a dramatic change in mood for such a master.
It must be known that masters such as this woman would not have violent mood swings unless they encountered an extraordinarily significant matter.
The woman surnamed Ye took a few deep breaths to calm her excitement before turning to Yang Kai again and asking softly, “Little brother, would you be willing to give this communication artifact to this Queen? This Queen can offer you appropriate compensation.”
Yang Kai wore a forced smile and replied, “There is no need for any kind of compensation for a trivial communication artifact. Senior can just keep it.”
By now, Yang Kai had determined that this woman had no malicious intentions towards Dragon Cave Mountain and most likely had some kind of connection to Yang Yan. In short, she was a friend, not an enemy.
After suddenly obtaining such a powerful ally, Yang Kai couldn’t be happier, so how could he even care about a simple communication artifact? The value of that thing wasn’t even worth mentioning as its only purpose was to help send messages. If he wanted another one, he could just ask Yang Yan to refine another.
“Since that’s the case, this Queen will accept with gratitude,” The woman surnamed Ye was not one for false platitudes so she accepted Yang Kai’s gift and stored it into her Space Ring with a happy smile upon her pretty face.
At this moment, everyone could see that this woman surnamed Ye had some kind of relationship with someone in Dragon Cave Mountain, causing Jin Shi and Old Woman Feng to look like they had just swallowed a dead fly.
They had been exerting pressure on Yang Kai and Dragon Cave Mountain just now, but if this woman surnamed Ye really sided with Dragon Cave Mountain, they would have to retreat. Falling out with such a master for their subordinates who had died here was an extremely unwise matter that they would only take if they had lost their minds.
Realizing all this, Jin Shi and Old Woman Feng both began preparing to withdraw.
After all, the future was still long and it would be best to determine the exact relationship between this woman surnamed Ye and Dragon Cave Mountain first.
“He was really able to turn danger into safety?” Over on Clear Sky Sect’s side, Great Elder Mo Yu’s eyes shone brilliantly. He simply couldn’t believe what was happening right now. A moment ago he had still been teaching Chen Shi Tao to not take stock in ethereal concepts like luck and destiny, but all of a sudden, the seemingly impossible-to-defuse crisis he had been using as a teachable example had been casually resolved.
[Isn’t this little brat’s luck a bit too good?]
“I said that his luck has always been good, but it seems even I underestimated him!” Chen Shi Tao was also quite excited by this development. On the one hand, her friend Yang Kai had managed to overcome this danger, and on the other hand, her long-held belief in destiny had been proven correct.
Over on Coloured Glass Sect’s side, Dai Yuan was also secretly relieved while Yin Su Die’s pretty face had gone cold and was filled with displeasure.
She had been looking forward to the scene of Yang Kai powerlessly begging for mercy, but now this woman surnamed Ye had appeared out of nowhere and subdued all the masters on the scene.
Being denied such a good show at the last moment, how could Yin Su Die be reconciled?
[Wastes!] She sullenly cursed in her heart, but was helpless to do anything. She had only just broken through to the Origin Returning Realm so whether it was in terms of cultivation or status, she was among the lowest-ranked of all the masters present. She simply had no right to speak here.
“What’s wrong? Is there some kind of extraordinary treasure here that you all want? Why are you still gathered here?” The woman surnamed Ye wore a cold look on her pretty face and shouted as she swept her gaze across the crowd after speaking with Yang Kai.
Hearing this, many of the masters here unconsciously took a step back as they revealed awkward looks, but Qian Tong simply laughed heartily and replied, “Senior Sister Ye must be joking, there is no such treasure here.”
“Since that’s the case, you can all leave, or do you want this Queen to expel you personally?”
“We’ll leave, we’ll leave!” Qian Tong said quickly before nodding to Yang Kai gently.
Yang Kai returned a grateful look.
With Qian Tong taking the lead, the other masters from the forces that had only come here to join in the fun naturally didn’t plan on staying, all of them cupping their fists to the woman before turning around to depart. Jin Shi and Old Woman Feng saw this and knew that they alone could not salvage this situation so they similarly planned to depart, despite their unwillingness.
Just as this great storm seemed to be settling down and dispersing though, a sudden change occurred.
The World Energy aura in the surrounding region suddenly became turbulent and extremely disordered.
Everyone showed a horrified expression as they instinctively thought that the woman surnamed Ye had suddenly decided to attack, but upon looking back, they became even more surprised.
Because even the woman surnamed Ye had gone pale and was just as shocked as all of them.
She had not taken action, it was the world itself that had undergone some kind of change!
*Hong long long…*
A violent rumbling suddenly filled the air, the source of which seemed to be both close and far, making it impossible to determine its true origin, but as everyone looked up, their eyes shrank in shock.
Because high up in the sky, where the Emperor Garden was located, bolts of silvery lightning were filling the air, as if it was the end of the world.
The Emperor Garden had been floating directly above Dragon Cave Mountain since it first appeared, but it had remained silent for so long. The masters of Shadowed Star had once joined forces to try to reach it, but had ultimately failed and suffered heavy losses in the process.
Eventually, everyone came to the conclusion that although the Emperor Garden had appeared, it had not yet opened and no one could force their way in.
All of the great forces had deployed people to Heavenly Fate City to monitor the movements of the Emperor Garden and report back immediately if it were to open.
But no one had anticipated that after remaining silent for many months, the Emperor Garden would suddenly come to life at this moment. No one knew what this change represented; after all, the Emperor Garden was the private residence of the Starry Sky Great Emperor, so the secrets it held were known essentially to no one.
At this moment, in the place where the Emperor Garden was located, densely packed bolts of lightning filled the air, seemingly tearing apart to sky as they shot back and forth.
As the movements in the sky became more instant, the World Energy aura also became more and more disordered and violent until eventually, parts of it transformed altogether into a five-coloured radiance that rapidly rose up and flew towards the Emperor Garden.
“Five Element World Energy!” Someone called out in alarm. There were many masters present, so naturally when they saw this five-coloured light, they realized it was a convergence of the five elemental auras and Shadowed Star’s ambient World Energy.
Watching from down below, no one could help but show looks of awe and amazement.
All of them watched as these masses of five-coloured light began to condense together as they floated high up into the sky.
These clusters of Five Element World Energy seemed to be moving slowly but, in fact, they were all converging towards the Emperor Garden at incredible speed, as if drawn in by some invisible attraction.
Gradually, the Emperor Garden, which had originally been visible to the naked eye, became shrouded in a massive cloud of five-coloured light, but at the same time, louder and louder rumblings rang out from it, causing the entire world to tremble.
“Is the Emperor Garden opening?” Someone muttered, and although this was just a baseless and unfounded guess, it still caused everyone’s eyes to light up.
The cultivators from all the great forces residing in and around Heavenly Fate City had been waiting for the moment when the Emperor Garden opened!
No one could explain the scene occurring before their eyes, but there was indeed a possibility that it signified the Emperor Garden opening.
Believing so, everyone could not help feeling agitated, their bodies trembling as they carefully monitored the movements surrounding the Emperor Garden.
Although everyone was excited, no one dared fly up to see what was happening. The aura fluctuations coming from the original location of the Emperor Garden were nothing short of terrifying, so among those gathered, none dared risk their lives to investigate. In the current situation, before anyone could even arrive at the Emperor Garden, they would likely be torn to pieces by the rampaging World Energy.
Even the woman surnamed Ye did not dare move any closer, simply standing in place as her expression fluctuated.
The expressions of Yang Kai, Chang Qi, and the other two old men were equally awed as the four of them stood at the edge of Dragon Cave Mountain’s Mountain Defending Array and stared up into the sky.
Suddenly, a fragrant wind brushed past them as another person appeared by their side. Yang Kai turned his head and, sure enough, discovered Yang Yan standing nearby, looking up into the sky.
“That is not the Emperor Garden opening!” Yang Yan muttered softly with an indifferent expression. Unfortunately, her words were only heard by Yang Kai since the others present had their full attention fixed on the dramatic changes unfolding before them, none of them even realizing that Yang Yan had spoken.
“What is happening then?” Yang Kai asked hurriedly. In the chaos and confusion just now, he had momentarily forgotten that Yang Yan was the Starry Sky Great Emperor’s Soul Clone and should know about the Emperor Garden’s situation.
Since Yang Yan said that this was not a sign that the Emperor Garden was opening, she must have a reason for thinking so.
“I’m not certain, but this is not the Emperor Garden opening. However… it does seem to be related to how one is supposed to enter the Emperor Garden,” Yang Yan’s brow furrowed, not quite sure of herself. This was understandable though as she was not the complete Great Emperor and many of her memories were blurry and unclear.
Yang Kai frowned but did not ask any more.
When she noticed that Yang Yan had appeared, the woman surnamed Ye showed a look of joy and arrived in front of the Mountain Defending Array with a flicker. Gazing respectfully and excitedly towards Yang Yan, this woman was about to say something when Yang Yan stopped her, “We can speak later. For now, just come inside!”
Saying so, Yang Yan waved her hand and sent out a pulse of Saint Qi to open a hole in the light curtain big enough for a single person to pass through.
The woman surnamed Ye blushed slightly as she wore a flattered look before nodding politely and replying, “Yes!”
In the next instant, her tender body flickered and she passed through the Mountain Defending Array, followed closely by Ge Qi who was still wearing the same timid look upon his face as he occasionally glanced over at Yang Yan. His glances didn’t last long though, seemingly worried that, if he stared, he would be blaspheming her with his eyes.
Chang Qi, Hao An, and Ning Xiang Chen finally came to their senses but were immediately dumbstruck as they stared towards the woman surnamed Ye, their faces filled with disbelief.
As the three of them were standing next to Yang Yan the whole time, they had naturally heard how this woman surnamed Ye spoke to her just now.
This made them unable to believe their ears as they exchanged confused glances.
Did they hear wrong? A woman like this, whose strength was astonishing and whose status was immense, when facing Yang Yan, acted like a faithful servant. What exactly was happening here?
Although Yang Kai also felt a little surprised, he was still far better off compared to Chang Qi and the others; after all, he already knew Yang Yan’s true identity. He thus suspected this woman was somehow connected to the true Starry Sky Great Emperor, otherwise, it would have been impossible for her to display such an attitude.
Although he still had some doubts, Yang Kai understood that this was not the time to sort them out and firmly pressed them down, preparing to ask about them when an opportunity arose later.
Glancing over at the buck-toothed cultivator, Yang Kai chuckled and cupped his fists, “Brother Ge, we meet again.”
*Hai hai…*
Ge Qi coughed uncomfortable before quickly lowering his head and insisting, “It’s Xiao Qi, please just call me Xiao Qi.”
Although he had not figured out the relationship between Yang Kai and Yang Yan, he didn’t dare try to act aloof; after all, his Martial Ancestor was humbling herself in front of Yang Yan, so if he did not act humbler, would not that be the same as disparaging his Martial Ancestor?
How could he dare act superior to his Martial Ancestor?
Yang Kai’s brow twitched but he did not object. He was just a Third-Order Saint King while this monkey-faced man was a genuine First-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivator, so although the latter was not very old, calling him Xiao Qi made Yang Kai quite uncomfortable.
After this brief episode, everyone’s eyes once again turned to the Emperor Garden high up in the sky.
The crash of thunder continued endlessly as countless bolts of lightning continued to rampage across the sky, like great dragons swimming through the Heavens, a terrifying scene to behold. At the same time, the Emperor Garden was now completely covered in five-coloured clouds, leaving only its outline visible amongst the innumerable flashes of lightning.
The clouds of Five Element World Energy continued to rapidly gather towards the Emperor Garden.
And this scene did not just appear near Dragon Cave Mountain and Heavenly Fate City, but was actually occurring all over Shadowed Star!
Almost everyone witnessed this grand event with their own eyes, and under the immense pressure this phenomenon released, even Third-Order Origin Returning Realm masters felt as weak as ants.
Somewhere on Shadowed Star, there stood a towering mountain over ten thousand metres high with its peak hidden amongst the clouds where rivers of World Energy seemed to ebb and flow. Obviously, there were several excellent Earth Veins that converged here, otherwise, the ambient aura would not have been so dense.
The scenery of this high mountain was also quite beautiful, with rugged rock faces dotted with numerous exquisite pavilions. It was clearly the headquarters of a certain Sect.
Star Emperor Mountain!
This was the most tyrannical existence on Shadowed Star, a behemoth that greatly surpassed even Heaven Battling Union and Thunder Typhoon Sect. Although its name resounded like thunder across the world, Star Emperor Mountain always kept a low profile, with few of its members ever even leaving the Sect. As such, it was nearly impossible for Shadowed Star’s ordinary cultivators to see a cultivator from Star Emperor Mountain in their lifetime.
At this moment, in a palace built at the highest point of Star Emperor Mountain, an elderly man with sage-like features and not the slightest energy fluctuations radiating from his body, as if he were a mere mortal, sat cross-legged, looking as tranquil as an ancient well.
When the sudden mutation occurred, however, this elderly man awoke from his meditation and stared towards the direction of the Emperor Garden, a profound light flashing across his eyes that seemingly allowed him to see across all obstacles and observe the Emperor Garden directly.
It took a while before he raised his brow and said to himself, “Are the Emperor Jades about to appear?”
After he finished muttering to himself, a look of joy flashed across the elderly man’s face and he immediately stood up. The moment he got to his feet; a wave of Shi no less intense than the one released by the woman surnamed Ye spread out.
His figure flickering, this elderly man suddenly disappeared from the place he was standing, and when he appeared again, he was already several thousand metres away, where an indifferent-looking young man sat cross-legged on a stone platform, staring transfixed at the clouds of five-coloured aura lingering in the air.
Seeing the elderly man suddenly appear, the young man was startled and hurriedly got up and bowed, “Disciple greets Honoured Master.”
If Yang Kai was here, he would surely recognize this indifferent young man at a glance, it was Leng Qing who he had met twice in the Flowing Flame Sand Field!
After demonstrating his incredible strength and means, this young man had managed to occupy the best location in the pool of Soul Cleansing Divine Water, angering and frustrating Qu Chang Feng. Later, Yang Kai had met Leng Qing face-to-face in the fourth layer of the Flowing Flame Sand Field.
At that time, Leng Qing was attacking the Supreme Profound Sect’s Sect Defending Array.
Of the cultivators on Shadowed Star in the same major realm as him, Yang Kai only cared about two, Lu Ye and Leng Qing.
Although that was said, Leng Qing had already broken through from the Third-Order Saint King Realm to the First-Order Origin Returning Realm.
“En, relay my orders: All Elders are to be dispatched,” The elderly man commanded lightly.
Leng Qing was stunned by this command and hurriedly cupped his fists to ask, “May disciple dare ask Honoured Master what you want the Elders to leave the mountain for?”
The elderly man was not upset by this question and calmly explained, “The Emperor Jades are about to appear, so all Elders are to collect as many as possible. This matter is related to the quotas for entering the Emperor Garden, so they must exert their full effort. Even if they must snatch them from others, they should not hesitate.”
“Yes!” Although Leng Qing was confused, he did not dare ask any more and quickly withdrew.
After Leng Qing left, the elderly man coughed slightly while covering his chest, his face turning slightly pale.
He was injured, but it was a mystery what kind of foe or what kind of profound method could wound a master like him.
“Since the Emperor Jades have appeared, it won’t be long before the Emperor Garden opens. Hateful, it’s all that slut’s fault that I am wounded at such a time!” A fierce look appeared on the elderly man’s face as he grumbled an annoyance.
As for who the ‘slut’ he was talking about was, no one knew.
Near Dragon Cave Mountain, all the gathered cultivators were closely watching the movement of the Emperor Garden.
The strange mutation lasted for more than half a day before suddenly a new change occurred which caused everyone’s spirits to shake and their eyes to widen, drawing in the attention even further.
Everyone saw high up in the sky the five-coloured glow which had engulfed the Emperor Garden fade at a rate visible to the naked eye.
At the same time, the loud rumbling which had filled the air ceased while the rampant flood of Five Element World Energy became tranquil, as if it had never happened.
Everyone stared at the Emperor Garden again in amazement, but in the next moment, they all gasped.
Because the Emperor Garden now looked quite different from before. Not only was it larger, but many new buildings that had not been there originally could also be seen now, as if they had been revealed during the strange mutation which had shaken the world.
This discovery caused everyone to wonder if the recent changes were a good or bad thing.
“Yes, this is the true form of the Emperor Garden…” Yang Yan muttered thoughtfully as she explained, “What we saw before was only half of the Emperor Garden while the other half had been hidden somewhere. Only after the two combined into one could the Emperor Garden truly manifest. En, the Emperor Garden will be soon open!”
After hearing this, Yang Kai turned back to look at her but saw that Yang Yan’s brow was furrowed, as if she was lost in thought.
Right now, the Emperor Garden gave off an even more majestic and profound aura than before, causing everyone present to tremble.
Emperor Pressure!
The power of the Emperor Pressure exuded by the Emperor Garden after its most recent change was truly terrifying, dispelling any thoughts of moving the people gathered here had as they all unconsciously gulped.
Shrouded in Emperor Pressure, everyone felt difficulty breathing as their extremities felt icy cold.
At this time, no matter what their cultivation was and regardless of their age or status, all the masters present felt like they had become three-year-old children in front of this Emperor Pressure. This discovery shocked and terrified everyone as they profoundly realized just how high an existence the Starry Sky Great Emperor was.
This residual Emperor Pressure alone was enough to overwhelm them, meaning if the Great Emperor was still alive today, it would likely take a simple thought to crush them.
This was a power that exceeded the level of an Origin King!
Fortunately, the Emperor Pressure did not persist for long, only lasting about a stick of incense worth of time before gradually fading away completely. However, this was long enough for everyone present to be drenched in a cold sweat as looks of fear lingered on their faces long after.
Before everyone could steady themselves though, another mutation occurred!
A deafening rumbling suddenly spread out from the Emperor Garden, shaking the entire world.
“What now?” Some people exclaimed in alarm. The repeated accidents which occurred today had left everyone exasperated as well as concerned about just what was happening with the Emperor Garden.
Looking up, everyone saw that a beam of light appeared from the Emperor Garden and slowly began falling towards the ground. This beam was only about as thick as an arm, but it seemed to contain Heaven Destroying and Earth Shattering power, making it difficult for one to even look at it for long.
Yang Kai’s complexion instantly turned black.
After all, this strange beam of light was falling directly towards his Dragon Cave Mountain!
The Emperor Garden had been suspended directly above Dragon Cave Mountain, so with this beam of light falling straight down, Dragon Cave Mountain would naturally bear the brunt of the impact and there was obviously no way to avoid it.
Although the Mountain Defending Array was indeed amazing, and the number of internal barriers was great, Yang Kai had no confidence they would be able to withstand this strange beam of light, and seeing Yang Yan look just as anxious as he felt, he immediately understood that the situation had taken a turn for the worse.
In the blink of an eye, the beam of light from the Emperor Garden touched Dragon Cave Mountain’s Mountain Defending Array, and the great barrier that had held more than thirty Origin Returning Realm master at bay for two days and two nights without breaking began melting like snowflakes under the scorching sun.
Silently, the Mountain Defending Array was pierced through and the light curtain itself flashed wildly as it rapidly grew dim.
Immediately, the beam of light fell somewhere inside Dragon Cave Mountain before disappearing, leaving behind only a subtle energy fluctuation.
Countless eyes turned towards Dragon Cave Mountain in that instant, the faces they belonged to wearing all kinds of different expressions filled with surprise, confusion, greed, dread, etc…
No matter what that light beam had been, there was no doubt it had come from the Emperor Garden; after all, everyone had seen it. What’s more, when it disappeared, it had left something behind.
Everyone wanted to know what that something was!
Was it an incredible treasure, or perhaps an entrance to the Emperor Garden? Whatever it was, just the thought of it was enough to draw out the greed in people and make them want to take a closer look. The appearance of this beam of light had made Dragon Cave Mountain the focus of attention once again.
Now that Dragon Cave Mountain’s protective barrier had been destroyed, if it were not for the woman surnamed Ye’s sweeping her sharp gaze over the crowd, the situation would likely have already devolved into a chaotic struggle. The fragile balance was barely being maintained because of the deterrence this woman’s presence exerted.
But no one could guarantee how long this deterrence would last! After all, this matter was of extraordinary importance, so even if the woman surnamed Ye was incredibly strong, she alone could not stop everyone here.
The woman surnamed Ye also seemed to realize the growing tension in the air and began sending out an invisible pressure from her body, assuming a ‘one woman acts as a mountain’ stance, blocking ten thousand invaders.
Yang Kai’s brow twitched as his mouth filled with bitterness.
With things as they were now, there were only two courses of action he could take: either relent and allow the masters present into Dragon Cave Mountain to see for themselves what that beam of light left behind and satisfy their curiosity, or assuming a defiant stance and forbid anyone from entering the mountain while seizing the newly appeared treasure for himself.
Blocking was impossible though. A strong tiger could not defeat a pack of wolves. The woman surnamed Ye alone could not stop all the masters present from invading.
Giving way to difficulties was not Yang Kai’s style either. However, while others were curious about what remained after that beam of light disappeared, he was as well!
Observing the disposition of the crowd and seeing that the masters from the various great forces were on the verge of making a move, Yang Kai knew he had to make a choice, otherwise, he would lose the initiative.
Thinking so, Yang Kai sent a Divine Sense Message to the woman surnamed Ye, who raised her eyebrows and showed a look of surprise before gently nodding.
Just as the two of them reached a consensus, Mo Xiao Sheng of Heaven Battling Union finally lost out to his curiosity and took a step forward, cupping his fists with a dignified expression, “Senior Sister Ye…”
Before he even finished speaking though, the woman surnamed Ye raised her brow and shouted, “Don’t even think about it!”
At the same time, Yang Kai’s body flickered, and he quickly began fading away. At the same time his body blurred, the surrounding space rippling slightly.
“Space Force?” Mo Xiao Sheng’s eyes shrank as he stared fixedly at Yang Kai’s gradually dissipating figure. As the Great Elder of Heaven Battling Union, Mo Xiao Sheng also cultivated Space Force, so he was more familiar with these residual fluctuations than anyone else present.
Seeing Yang Kai not hesitate to use Space Force to withdraw from this place, Mo Xiao Sheng instantly understood what he was thinking, and while hiding his shock at how masterful Yang Kai’s control of Space Force was, he roared, “Boy! You dare!?”
He was truly afraid of the woman surnamed Ye, but other than this woman, he did not put anything or anyone on Dragon Cave Mountain into his eyes. A trivial Saint King Realm Junior like Yang Kai presumptuously thought he could make the first move in full view of so many masters, how could he possibly tolerate such arrogance?
As he shouted, Mo Xiao Sheng also stepped out, his figure gradually blurring.
Like Yang Kai, he also used Space Force.
“Come back here!” The woman surnamed Ye shouted as she stretched out her jade white hand and grabbed towards the surrounding space, causing the World Energy to suddenly contract and sending a figure that seemingly materialized out of thin air tumbling backwards. Naturally, this figure was Heaven Battling Union’s Great Elder whose face was currently filled with panic.
He had not expected that this woman surnamed Ye’s methods were so profound that she could easily negate his own trump card.
The situation’s delicate balance had been instantly broken by Yang Kai and Mo Xiao Sheng’s actions. So many other masters were already staring at Dragon Cave Mountain, wanting to enter to see what kind of treasure had been deposited here by the Emperor Garden, so now that such a good opportunity had appeared, how could they hesitate? One after another they began displaying their Movement Skills as they rushed towards where the pillar of light fell.
“No one is going anywhere!” The woman surnamed Ye’s tender body flickered to intercept the advancing mob and with a flash of light, summoned an oil-lamp-like artifact in front of her. Stretching out her hand and placing it on the lamp’s wick, she condensed a blue flame at her fingertips and with a flick of her wrist, sent forth a wave of blue flames.
These blue flames gathered and expanded, swiftly transforming into a majestic firebird several tens of metres in length that exuded an astonishing pressure. This giant bird quickly proceeded to open its mouth and spit out a washbasin sized fireball that flew towards the approaching crowd of masters.
“The Bone Incinerating Flame Lamp!” One well-informed master among the crowd cried out in panic when he saw this oil lamp, his face going completely pale as he hurriedly summoned his strongest defensive artifact to protect himself.
When the name Bone Incinerating Flame Lamp was shouted, everyone else displayed a similarly panic-stricken expression and rapidly stepped back, none of them daring to advance again.
These masters could not be blamed for this though as the Bone Incinerating Flame Lamp’s reputation was simply that astonishing; after all, it was one of the handful of Origin King Grade artifacts on Shadowed Star!
Artifacts of this grade could not be refined by the Artifact Refiners on Shadowed Star, so they were all relics from ancient times and held unfathomable power. One had to avoid being contaminated by the flames from this artifact at all costs. Because, once a cultivator was contaminated by them, they would inevitably perish. Although this woman surnamed Ye was alone, with this artifact, her strength was not much worse than that of an Origin King master, so who here would dare challenge her alone?
For a time, many of the gathered masters wore gloomy looks as they hesitated whether to move forward or retreat, creating an incredibly lively and tense scene.
However, although this woman surnamed Ye was an incredible master, she still could not handle so many opponents at once as there were many enemies among them who were in the same realm as her. Worse, after releasing this first attack from the Bone Incinerating Flame Lamp, her complexion had paled slightly.
With her cultivation, using this Origin King Grade artifact put a heavy load on her body.
“Sister Ye, do you really want to make enemies of so many of us?” Cheng Peng Xuan of Thunder Typhoon Sect looked at the woman surnamed Ye with an ugly expression and asked solemnly.
The woman surnamed Ye just glanced at him lightly and snorted, “If you all stand still, this Queen will naturally not trouble you, but if you dare try to break into this mountain, this Queen will be the first to disagree!”
“Bold words! Is it possible Sister Ye really thinks we are weaklings that can be casually bullied?” Mo Xiao Sheng also called out sullenly. Just now he had wanted to chase after Yang Kai but was blocked by this woman, causing him to lose a great deal of face, so he was feeling particularly aggressive now.
“This Queen is also no weakling. I won’t repeat my words a second time!” The woman surnamed Ye’s attitude was extremely firm.
Mo Xiao Sheng and Cheng Peng Xuan exchanged a look and gently nodded to one another.
Although the two of them usually could not stand one another and had been competing against each other for countless years, it was only natural for them to stand united at this time, and because they were both incredibly familiar with each other, a single glance was all it took to communicate this intent.
“Since that’s the case, then this old man won’t act polite!” Mo Xiao Sheng shouted before suddenly summoning a pitch-black short staff into his hands. This short staff seemed quite ordinary, but when Mo Xiao Sheng poured his Saint Qi into it, it began exuding a shocking energy fluctuation and instantly transformed into a stream of light that shot towards the woman surnamed Ye.
Just as Mo Xiao Sheng launched his attack, Cheng Peng Xuan also took action.
A long delay would lead to many problems and neither of them was willing to be blocked here by this woman, so in order to break into Dragon Cave Mountain as quickly as possible and investigate what kind of treasure had been deposited here, they both resorted to their strongest methods.
Cheng Peng Xuan summoned a seal-type artifact which rapidly expanded to the size of a mountain before slamming down towards the woman surnamed Ye.
Jin Shi of Demon Blood Temple, Old Woman Feng of Myriad Beast Mountain, and several other Origin Returning Realm masters from the various great forces were not willing to fall behind and quickly joined in this assault.
Although the reputation and strength of the woman surnamed Ye were daunting, she was still just one person, so with so many masters present, how could she possibly stop them all?
Only Qian Tong and Fei Zhi Tu stood in place. Due to their relationship with Dragon Cave Mountain, they naturally would not try to find trouble with this woman and were currently more worried about Yang Kai’s situation.
In addition to them, there were two other forces that had yet to move: Clear Sky Sect’s group led by Great Elder Mo Yu and the group of women from Coloured Glass Sect led by Elder Gong Ao Fu.
It was impossible to tell what the former was thinking about as he smiled lightly while looking towards the inside of Dragon Cave Mountain with amusement, as if he was content to be a spectator and admire the show.
As for the latter, while she too wanted to break into Dragon Cave Mountain, Gong Ao Fu had only recently broken through to the Third-Order Origin Returning Realm and her strength was significantly lower than the other top masters present. Seeing the woman surnamed Ye display such overwhelming might, Gong Ao Fu could only stand back helplessly.
Besides these few, almost everyone else had desperately rushed into Dragon Cave Mountain regardless of their cultivation. Most people didn’t want to offend the woman surnamed Ye, but they were simply too curious about what that beam of light had deposited here. Taking advantage of the many Third-Order Origin Returning Realm masters holding down the woman surnamed Ye, everyone else used various methods to bypass their battle and rush into the mountain.
Seeing that the situation was spiralling out of control, Ge Qi, Chang Qi, Hao An, and Ning Xiang Chen immediately took action, summoning their respective artifacts and joining the fray.
Various colours of Saint Qi burst forth and outside Dragon Cave Mountain’s Mountain Defending Array, an intense battle began.
The battle began and ended quickly; after all, there were simply too many enemies, so the woman surnamed Ye and the other four Origin Returning Realm cultivators supporting Dragon Cave Mountain had no way to stop all the invaders. While the woman surnamed Ye was being suppressed, Mo Xiao Sheng once again used his Space Force and broke past her blockade.
This time, the woman surnamed Ye couldn’t stop him and was only able to watch as he disappeared into Dragon Cave Mountain.
“Hateful!” The woman surnamed Ye clenched her teeth as she cursed. In that moment of distress, more Origin Returning Realm masters slipped past her and rushed up the mountain.
The woman surnamed Ye felt a deep sense of powerlessness in her heart. If she was a true Origin King, it wouldn’t have taken her much effort to stop this group of people in their tracks, but she was just a Third-Order Origin Returning Realm master, in the end, so even though she was only half a step away from the Origin King Realm, she was unable to break through that last layer of constraints while suppressed by Shadowed Star’s World Principles.
When continuing to try to defend this position no longer holding any significance, the woman surnamed Ye grabbed hold of her Bone Incinerating Flame Lamp before wrapping Yang Yan up in her Saint Qi and chasing after the others who had entered the mountain.
With her gone, the others naturally no longer stayed put and hurriedly kept up.
Qian Tong and Fei Zhi Tu glanced at each other, both frowning with their faces filled with worry, but sighed helplessly. They, too, followed along.
On Clear Sky Sect’s side, Mo Yu contemplated for a moment before saying, “You wait here, this old master will go in and take a look.”
Looking at this situation, there would likely be a great battle in the near future, so Mo Yu wasn’t about to let his disciples follow him into this dangerous situation.
“Honoured Master!” Chen Shi Tao shouted suddenly.
Mo Yu glanced over at her and smiled benignly, “Do you wish to say something?”
Chen Shi Tao bit her red lips lightly but still forced herself to speak, “I and Junior Sister Lu Yin owe Junior Brother Yang a life-saving grace. If possible, I hope that Honoured Master… can assist him. Even if it is only slightly!”
It had taken all her courage to say this; after all, Mo Yu was her Master and she did not have the qualifications to make such a request to him, not to mention that this matter was far too complex and choosing to side with Yang Kai would likely draw fire to Clear Sky Sect. When she made this request, Chen Shi Tao was already psychologically prepared to be scolded by her Honoured Master.
But to her great surprise, Mo Yu only thought about it for a moment before nodding lightly, “No problem, this old master will do his best but don’t have too many expectations. After all, this time… heh heh!”
Mo Yu didn’t finish his words because everyone here knew what he meant. All of them clearly felt that this time Dragon Cave Mountain’s situation was beyond redemption.
However, Chen Shi Tao and Lu Ying were both overjoyed and offered their profound thanks, elegantly bowing their heads. By the time they straightened themselves back up though, Mo Yu had already disappeared. The two young women looked at each other and exhaled softly, never having expected their Honoured Master to agree so readily.
Regardless of the final result, both of them had worked up the courage to ask Mo Yu to help Yang Kai, so they had already done all they could.
On the other side, Gong Ao Fu also instructed Yin Su Die and Dai Yuan to remain outside and wait before entering Dragon Cave Mountain alone.
Along the way, she met no resistance, but Gong Ao Fu could still perceive the many barriers and Spirit Arrays all over this mountain, but all of these Spirit Arrays had already been destroyed.
With so many masters having rushed in ahead of her, no matter how many Spirit Arrays were arranged here, they could not have stopped their pace. What’s more, there was currently no one in Dragon Cave Mountain operating these Spirit Arrays, so they simply couldn’t display too much power.
Gong Ao Fu secretly felt startled at this sight, but a short time later, she arrived at a spot inside Dragon Cave Mountain where a large number of Origin Returning Realm masters had gathered, including over twenty who had reached the Third-Order. These masters had formed a large semicircle around the spot where the beam of light from the Emperor Garden had descended.
At this moment, a young man was standing proudly at the centre of this encirclement with an indifferent look upon his face. Naturally it was the owner of Dragon Cave Mountain, the cultivator called Yang Kai, a Third-Order Saint King!
Gong Ao Fu only spared him a fleeting glance before her attention was instantly attracted to something in his hand. It looked like some kind of Jade Token approximately half the size of a palm. Pure and flawless, this Jade Token had some kind of red light swimming about inside of it, like a small fish in a pond of water, giving it a profound and mysterious appearance.
Even with Gong Ao Fu’s vision, she was unable to see what material this Jade Token was made from and could only tell that an inexplicable force was emanating from it.
Countless curious, greedy eyes stared at this Jade Token!
[Was this what had fallen from the Emperor Garden?] Gong Ao Fu inevitably thought to herself.
A beam of light had been emitted from the Emperor Garden just now, and after it disappeared, it was clear that something had been left in this place. Yang Kai had arrived here first, so if there was anything to be found, it would definitely be this Jade Token; why else would everyone be coveting it?
Gong Ao Fu’s guess was right. With the help of the woman surnamed Ye, when Yang Kai rushed here, he really only found this Jade Token, but before he had a chance to study it, Mo Xiao Sheng had slipped through and rushed over.
It wasn’t that the woman surnamed Ye was incompetent, it was simply that two fists couldn’t block four strikes. It wouldn’t be difficult for her to defeat Mo Xiao Sheng in a one on one battle, but stopping him from leaving was different; after all, the other party cultivated Space Force so his mobility was essentially unmatched.
Although the situation had become treacherous, Yang Kai didn’t display any fear.
This was only natural since, if he was compelled to, he could simply tear space and escape. Although there were many enemies surrounding him, he had at least fifty percent confidence he could withdraw safely.
With this confidence, of course he would not be afraid, not to mention, with that Ye woman helping him, it wasn’t like he was powerless to resist.
“Little brother…” The silence was broken by Mo Xiao Sheng suddenly. Staring at the Jade Token in Yang Kai’s hands, he asked in as calm a tone as he could manage, “Could you let this old master take a look at that Jade Token?”
Regardless of what this Jade Token was, since it came from the Emperor Garden, it was certainly connected to the Starry Sky Great Emperor. How could anything related to the Great Emperor not be valuable?
It wasn’t just Mo Xiao Sheng who wanted to take a closer look, everyone present did, Mo Xiao Sheng just happened to be the first to ask.
“Let you see it?” Yang Kai sneered, “What difference is that from beating a dog with a meat bun?”
Yang Kai already had a very poor impression of Heaven Battling Union, so he didn’t even bother being polite.
Mo Xiao Sheng’s complexion instantly became gloomy as he coldly snapped, “Boy, mind your words. This old master simply wants to take a look at that thing. Do you think that with this old master’s status he would covet the possessions of a junior?”
“Don’t you?” Yang Kai spat disdainfully, “If you didn’t, why come here in the first place?”
Saying so, Yang Kai directly stuffed that Jade Token into his Space Ring.
Seeing this, many masters’ faces suddenly became ugly. As the saying goes, treasures belong to those who can keep them. Although this strange token had landed on Dragon Cave Mountain after falling from the Emperor Garden, and Yang Kai was the first to snatch it, as a trivial Third-Order Saint King, what qualifications did he have to possess it?
Yet, in the front of everyone’s eyes, he actually put this Jade Token into his Space Ring, displaying naked contempt for all the masters present, annoying them greatly.
If it was any other occasion, these people wouldn’t mind killing Yang Kai and snatching this treasure; after all, it was not the first time these people had performed such an act, but currently they were on Dragon Cave Mountain and they had to concern themselves with the woman surnamed Ye’s presence.
This was especially true after seeing the power of this woman’s Bone Incinerating Flame Lamp.
“Little brother, if you can give this Jade Token to this old master, I can compensate you 100 million Saint Crystals! What do you think?” Compared with the hypocrisy of Mo Xiao Sheng, Cheng Peng Xuan of Thunder Typhoon Sect actually acted upfront. Knowing that it was impossible to take this thing for free, he immediately attempted to acquire it at a high price.
To him, 100 million Saint Crystals was an astronomical figure for this tiny Dragon Cave Mountain, an amount of wealth this young man likely had never even dreamed of before, so as long as this boy wasn’t stupid and understood that holding onto this Jade Token would only bring him trouble, he wouldn’t reject this proposal.
“100 million…” Yang Kai raised his brow, seemingly taking interest in this proposal before replying, “Well, I’ll consider it.”
Cheng Peng Xuan smiled happily and asked, “And how long does little brother need to consider this old master’s offer?”
A long delay would lead to many problems, so he wanted to conclude this transaction as quickly as possible.
“Perhaps ten to fifteen days, maybe three to five years, who can say for certain? After all, this matter is of great importance so Junior should consider it carefully. How about Senior Cheng returns to Thunder Typhoon Sect first and await news from this Junior?” Yang Kai wore a sincere look and proposed.
Listening to Yang Kai say this, Cheng Peng Xuan’s smiling face immediately darkened. As long as one wasn’t blind and deaf they could tell Yang Kai was simply being perfunctory; if Cheng Peng Xuan really left like this, he could forget about ever seeing this Jade Token again.
Cheng Peng Xuan felt livid but managed to maintain a look of calm on his face.
He held the position of Great Elder in Thunder Typhoon Sect, giving him a lofty and respected status, so he would not allow his emotions to get the better of him for something like this.
“Brother Cheng, Brother Mo, why bother speaking with this little brat? Since he doesn’t put any of us in his eyes, all we need to do is snatch that token,” Jin Shi coldly snorted, “A trivial Saint King Junior actually daring to lay claim to a rare treasure in front of us is utter nonsense!”
In any case, he and Dragon Cave Mountain had already completely fallen out so there was no need for him to speak politely. In fact, Jin Shi couldn’t wait to drag Cheng Peng Xuan and Mo Xiao Sheng into these muddy waters to help him deal with Dragon Cave Mountain. Although he feared the strength of the woman surnamed Ye, if all the masters here teamed up, even she would definitely not be their opponent.
As long as they killed Yang Kai, not only could they take that Jade Token, Jin Shi would also have a chance to obtain that piece of Profound Gold; how could he let this opportunity pass?
There were many people present who had the same thoughts as Jin Shi, but no one openly agreed with him except Old Woman Feng of Myriad Beast Mountain. Old Woman Feng had always been short-tempered and straightforward, so she did not hesitate to tap her dragon-head cane against the ground and declared coldly, “Old Ghost Jin’s proposal is sound, this old woman agrees with him. What does everyone else think?”
Although they could guess what Jin Shi and Old Woman Feng were scheming, whether it was Mo Xiao Sheng, Cheng Peng Xuan, or the masters from the other great forces, they couldn’t help wanting to agree.
With everything that had transpired already, there was no way this situation could be resolved peacefully, so since they all wanted this strange treasure, their only option was to snatch it.
Mo Xiao Sheng and Cheng Peng Xuan looked at each other and instantly understood the other’s intentions.
“Anyone who dares to act will become this Queen’s lifelong enemy!” The woman surnamed Ye looked around coldly and shouted.
Many people avoided her gaze as they felt a sudden headache.
But Jin Shi just smiled at her sarcastically, “Sister Ye, did you lose your sense of reason after spending so long in the mountains? You really think that all by yourself you can disregard so many of us, not putting us in your eyes? Sister Ye, this old master will only remind you once, get too close to the flame and you will burn yourself. It would be best if you quickly retreat!”
This light threat was clearly made in an attempt to force everyone here into two camps, increasing his number of enemies this woman would need to confront.
“If any of you want to die, this Queen will gladly fulfil your request!” The woman surnamed Ye glared at Jin Shi as she once again summoned her Bone Incinerating Flame Lamp, suspending it above her head in preparation to attack.
Jin Shi’s expression dimmed once more. Although his tone was incredibly rampant, the moment he saw this Origin King Grade artifact, he couldn’t help his heart from clenching up. Nevertheless, he couldn’t flinch if he wanted that Jade Token and the Profound Gold.
Fortunately, Old Woman Feng also stood with him at the critical moment, wearing a dignified look on her old face as she shouted, “Sister Ye, although your means are exceedingly profound, you’re still just a Third-Order Origin Realm cultivator. You’re not someone who doesn’t understand advance and retreat, so why do you insist on interfering in these turbid waters? Why not take a step back here? If you can withdraw, after we process this matter, we will personally visit you to show our appreciation!”
These words were neither humble nor overbearing, giving the woman surnamed Ye the face her status and strength deserved. As long as the other party still had any thoughts of compromising, it shouldn’t be difficult for her to make the right choice.
Listening to Old Woman Feng say this, Mo Xiao Sheng, Cheng Peng Xuan, and many others nodded together, doing their best to persuade this woman surnamed Ye in hopes she would do the sensible thing and back down.
Unfortunately for them, they were destined to be disappointed. This woman left her seclusion solely to meet Yang Yan, so now that the Dragon Cave Mountain where Yang Yan lived was facing trouble, how could she let the matter drop?
“Enough nonsense, if you want to act then make your move, that is, if you can withstand this Queen’s anger and revenge! This Queen is now just a lone cultivator, you’d all best consider if you can protect your Sect and its industries from this Queen!” The woman surnamed Ye’s attitude and position were extremely firm.
“Excellent! Shamelessly rejecting a face-saving offer!” Jin Shi’s expression became stern, “Since that’s the case, Sister Ye should not blame us for being ruthless!”
Saying so, a malevolent aura suddenly emerged from his body as a golden cicada phantom suddenly appeared behind him. Jin Shi waved his hand and countless jet-black insects condensed from his Saint Qi appeared, releasing a terrifying buzzing sound as they swarmed towards the woman surnamed Ye.
This was Jin Shi’s Golden Cicada Extreme Demon Art, a technique he obtained from an ancient Demon Race ruin, one that was extremely profound and powerful.
Old Woman Feng also tossed out her dragon-head cane as she poured her Saint Qi into it. A moment later, this cane transformed into a scale-armoured Flood Dragon several dozen metres in length that opened its great maw and bit towards the woman surnamed Ye.
Since things had reached this point, there was naturally nothing more to say, they either withdrew or went all out. The masters present were all decisive people, and they knew that if this woman surnamed Ye managed to escape today, they would definitely face her revenge in the future, so when they took action they did so with the intent to kill.
The moment Jin Shi and Old Woman Feng began, Cheng Peng Xuan and Mo Xiao Sheng also acted without hesitation, the former’s giant seal and the latter’s short staff artifacts both radiating intense energy fluctuations as they struck towards the woman surnamed Ye.
This battle was completely different from the one earlier. A moment ago, everyone had only wanted to escape the entanglement of this woman surnamed Ye, so they had not acted fully, but now they were fighting with the intent to kill this woman surnamed Ye, so they displayed their complete strength.
With four Third-Order Origin Returning Realm masters attacking this woman surnamed Ye, even though she possessed an Origin King Grade artifact like the Bone Incinerating Flame Lamp, she immediately found herself at a disadvantage.
However, worthy of her status as the former Sect Master of Star Emperor Mountain, a character famed for her strength for hundreds of years, she was not one to be underestimated even if she was being pressured. The blue flames from her Bone Incinerating Flame Lamp flew out and counterattacked her four attackers, throwing them into disarray and even causing them some slight panic.
From this initial confrontation, it was apparent that the battle between these five top masters would not be settled any time soon.
However, the goal of Jin Shi and the others had already been achieved. Now that they had completely tied down this woman surnamed Ye, the rest of Dragon Cave Mountain’s defenders were just fish on a chopping board.
The conclusion of this conflict was clear to everyone.
Seeing the woman surnamed Ye completely entangled, the remaining masters were naturally unwilling to stand idly by and immediately attacked Chang Qi and the others.
At this moment, there were just over a hundred Origin Returning Realm masters on Dragon Cave Mountain, many of whom had reached the Second or Third-Order. Chang Qi, Hao An, and Ning Xiang Chen were all just First-Order Origin Realm cultivators, so they were immediately surrounded by peril. Fortunately, the artifacts they were using were all refined personally by Yang Yan and had immense power, so they didn’t have to worry about dying for a short time.
Moreover, at this critical moment, Qian Tong and Fei Zhi Tu also joined the fray. They couldn’t just sit back and watch as Dragon Cave Mountain was besieged by so many enemies. Without even mentioning the good relationship they shared with Yang Kai, as a force within its territory, Dragon Cave Mountain was technically under Shadow Moon Hall’s protection. Therefore, with so many masters using their strength to bully them, these two had more than enough reason to intervene.
However, the two of them could only entangle a few enemies and soon found themselves beset with difficulties, causing them to grow anxious.
Almost everyone instantly became involved in this fight, but just as their attention had been attracted, Yang Yan formed a set of profound seals with her hands and suddenly disappeared, no one able to detect where she had gone.
With the help of the barriers and Spirit Arrays here, Yang Yan easily managed to escape.
On the other hand, Yang Kai was facing the greatest danger. The women surnamed Ye, Chang Qi, and all the others were now entangled, even Qian Tong and Fei Zhi Tu were having trouble taking care of themselves and had no time to attend to him, allowing a dozen or so Origin Realm masters to target Yang Kai.
The dozen masters who were eyeing Yang Kai had faces filled with greed as they rushed forward, hoping to be the first to kill this boy and snatch his Space Ring.
As long as they could grab this Space Ring, they won!
“Brother Yang, quickly leave! Xuan’er and I will delay them!” At the last moment, Wei Gu Chang and Dong Xuan’er stood before Yang Kai and shielded him.
With no time to say anything, Yang Kai simply cast them a grateful look.
He did not need to worry about Wei Gu Chang or Dong Xuan’er’s safety; after all, these two were the young rising stars of Shadow Moon Hall, famous characters among Shadowed Star’s younger generation. Now that they had broken through to the Origin Returning Realm, they had enough strength to protect themselves.
More importantly, however, these enemies likely didn’t have the courage to really kill Wei Gu Chang and Dong Xuan’er, for if they did, Shadow Moon Hall would definitely not let the matter drop.
In an instant, Wei Gu Chang and Dong Xuan’er joined forces and engaged the approaching enemies, pushing their Saint Qi and releasing their Secret Techniques to tie down four enemy masters, making it impossible for them to pursue Yang Kai, earning him some breathing space.
In this situation, quickly leaving was undoubtedly the best option, but how could Yang Kai just ignore his friends and allies and flee on his own? Standing on the spot with an icy look on his face, Yang Kai’s Divine Sense surged as he summoned out his Artifact Refining Furnace.
The Origin King Grade Artifact Refining Furnace leapt into the sky and in an instant expanded to over a dozen metres in size before a giant Firebird soared out of it with a piercing cry. Spreading its wings out, the Firebird released a wave of flames to swiftly engulf several enemies.
The Firebird Artifact Spirit combat power wasn’t inferior to an ordinary Third-Order Origin Returning Realm master, so it had no problem dealing with these enemies.
But Yang Kai was not finished and with a sneer reached into the Artifact Refining Furnace, grabbed onto something, and began pulling it out with great effort.
A wave of earth-shattering energy emanated from the Artifact Refining Furnace, one so powerful it caused many of the remaining enemy masters to pale.
Although they didn’t know what Yang Kai was trying to take out from this Artifact Refining Furnace, they weren’t about to just sit back and wait for him to succeed. One by one, these masters summoned their artifacts or used their Secret Techniques to attack Yang Kai.
Yang Kai’s brow furrowed as he waved his free hand, summoned his Purple Shield, and activated its sandstorm ability to protect himself.
All the attacks launched against Yang Kai at that moment smashed into the whirling sandstorm. The defensive strength of the Purple Shield was certainly outstanding, but this time there were simply too many enemies, all of whom were Origin Realm masters with powerful artifacts of their own.
Under this bombardment, the protection of the Purple Shield would be broken through in just two breaths.
Yang Kai’s complexion darkened and he was just about to use another method to defend himself when a far more terrifying blow suddenly approached. This attack was just a simple beam of light and it seemed to be aimed directly at Yang Kai, but when it arrived in front of the Purple Shield, it actually interfered greatly with the other artifact attacks and Secret Techniques being used against him.
Suddenly, the pressure Yang Kai was facing greatly reduced. This change made him frown but when he turned to look in the direction of the source of the attack, he saw a middle-aged robed man with waist-length hair and an unfettered expression on his face smiling at him with folded arms.
[What were this man’s intentions?] Yang Kai wondered.
Yang Kai’s enemies similarly were confused, one of them even yelling out yelled, “Elder Mo, what are you doing?”
This middle-aged man with long hair was none other than Clear Sky Sect’s Great Elder Mo Yu. His personal strength was great, not in any way under Mo Xiao Sheng or Cheng Peng Xuan, even slightly surpassing Jin Shi and Old Woman Feng. He was one of the Shadowed Start famous figures.
Hearing this question, Mo Yu just smiled indifferently, “What does it look like I’m doing, this Mo knows that treasure is in this boy’s hands and wanted to kill him to seize it, what of it?”
The man who just spoke wrinkled his brow as a look of resentment flashed across his face, but he didn’t have time to investigate this matter further.
Judging from the attack just now, Mo Yu indeed looked like he was trying to kill Yang Kai and seize his treasures; however, the result was that he had actually helped Yang Kai significantly because his attack dispersed most of the other attacks aimed towards him.
This man didn’t know whether Mo Yu acted intentionally or unintentionally, but either way, he was quite annoyed and loudly warned, “I hope Elder Mo can act with a little more discretion, alright?”
Mo Yu smiled faintly but didn’t respond, instead just turning to look at Yang Kai with interest.
In his heart, he was actually quite looking forward to how this situation would develop. Before, Dragon Cave Mountain had been thrust into a worrying situation and was seemingly on the verge of being overrun, but then that woman surnamed Ye arrived at the critical moment and dispersed this danger. In fact, if not for the sudden mutation of the Emperor Garden, Dragon Cave Mountain would currently be calm and stable.
However, because of the Emperor Garden’s change, Dragon Cave Mountain was once again pushed to the edge of a fiery pit, one even more dangerous than the previous one.
Mo Yu wanted to know if Yang Kai’s luck had been used up or if he still had enough to resolve this crisis again.
As the Great Elder of Clear Sky Sect, Mo Yu was not a man with so much free time to waste on such thoughts, nor did he believe in destiny or good fortune, but Yang Kai had saved his two disciples and he was not a man who did not know how to separate grace and grievance. He had agreed to Chen Shi Tao’s request just now, so naturally, he would not go back on his word.
If not for Chen Shi Tao, Mo Yu would not have minded adding insult to injury here; after all, he too was greatly interested in the treasure the Emperor Garden had deposited here.
Additionally, if Yang Kai really died here, he wouldn’t hesitate to snatch his Space Ring.
After striking a blow, Mo Yu didn’t take action again and instead stood back and observed the situation, most of his attention focusing on Yang Kai’s Origin King Grade Artifact Refining Furnace. The strong energy fluctuations emanating from it surprised Mo Yu and he couldn’t help wondering what was hidden inside it.
As for the group of enemies who had been targeting Yang Kai, they had already regrouped and had their artifacts at the ready, preparing to launch another round of attacks.
At that moment though, a whooshing sound of something cutting through the air rang out. Together with this sound came a scorching hot aura as well as a number of glowing golden whips that struck towards each of these master’s heads.
Each of these strikes contained enough power to make those being targeted pale in fright.
These enemies, who were originally prepared to attack Yang Kai, were suddenly forced to defend themselves.
“This is…” Mo Yu’s eyes bulged as he stared towards the source of these attacks in disbelief. He suddenly discovered a tree several dozen metres tall with innumerable branches and a lush canopy.
This big tree gave off a brilliant golden radiance and at this moment was waving its branches furiously, sending out a rain of golden leaves that all transformed into arrows which shot towards the invading masters.
The whip-like attacks were also clearly the transformed branches of this tree.
Mo Yu, however, was not shocked by the attack of this tree, but rather by the clear face which appeared on its thick trunk. At this moment, this face was filled with a twisted, enraged expression.
Each of the golden leaves this tree had shot out contained power equivalent to the full-powered attack of a First-Order Saint King.
And the density of this barrage made for quite a terrifying scene.
Even a master like Mo Yu would need to hurriedly withdraw if he was subjected to such a hail of attacks, so there was no need to mention what kind of response these weaker enemies had to make. Only a couple Third-Order Origin Realm masters were among the group currently targeting Yang Kai, and if not for possessing an overwhelming numerical advantage, facing this unexpected wave of attacks, they would likely have quickly experienced casualties.
“A Sentient Ancient Tree!” Mo Yu exclaimed in surprise, never having expected to find such a treasure on Dragon Cave Mountain.
What’s more, this Sentient Ancient Tree was actually a rare Yang Attribute Spirit Tree!
Although trees were technically another kind of life form, achieving sentience was far more difficult for them than it was for animals and beasts. Mo Yu had lived many years but had only ever heard of existences like this Sentient Ancient Tree and had never seen one until now.
In order for such a tree to gain sentience, it had to be at ten thousand years, if not tens of thousands of years old, making it an extremely rare and precious treasure! If it were to be used for Artifact Refining, it could definitely serve as the foundation for an extremely powerful artifact.
What dumbfounded Mo Yu however was that this Sentient Ancient Tree possessed such a strong offensive power.
[How could this be? Even if this ancient tree had obtained sentience, it should not have much strength and be forced to use its special Divine Abilities to conceal itself from powerful cultivators.]
However, this Sentient Ancient Tree on Dragon Cave Mountain was actually capable of becoming a sharp weapon of war. With its seemingly endless stream of branches and leaves, it was fully capable of holding the line against this wave of invaders for some time.
[This Dragon Cave Mountain… is incomprehensible.]
Mo Yu’s eyes brightened even further as he found himself becoming more and more excited.
The Divine Tree suddenly displaying such incredible might had even caught Yang Kai by surprise, but he soon felt relieved. The Divine Tree had opened up its consciousness before he encountered it and was originally a high-grade Spirit Tree. Since Yang Kai had met and taken it away though, he had fed it no less than a dozen drops of Golden Blood, so it wasn’t difficult to explain how it had grown to such an extent.
Considering all this, Yang Kai couldn’t help grinning.
Suddenly, the air nearby Yang Kai rippled. From this disturbance, a cultivator wearing Heaven Battling Union robes appeared out of nowhere.
Judging from the aura fluctuations coming from this man, he was a Second-Order Origin Returning Realm master, on top of that, he was very good at concealing himself. While everyone’s attention had been attracted by the Divine Tree, this man had crept close to Yang Kai and had now taken this opportunity to launch a fatal blow.
This man’s plans had to be commended and it was clear he knew how to make the best use of opportunities on the battlefield. The moment he saw Yang Kai slightly relaxed, this man realized he had a better chance to land a sneak attack and didn’t hesitate to act.
Even a lion would use all its strength to kill a rabbit, and although this man was confident in his strength, he didn’t dare to underestimate Yang Kai on Dragon Cave Mountain, so when he attacked, he did so with all his strength.
The distance between Yang Kai and this man closed rapidly as a cold long sword pierced straight towards Yang Kai’s chest. Before this long sword even reached its mark, it released a sharp light which condensed into a snake phantom that pulsed with cold murderous intent that pricked Yang Kai skin.
In response though, Yang Kai didn’t even try to move, just flashing a cold, gloomy smile towards this man as if he wasn’t the slightest bit worried or even surprised.
[Something is wrong!] This Second-Order Origin Returning Realm master’s heart jumped as he instinctively felt danger, but he was unable to identify the source of this palpitation, all he could sense was that if he continued his attack, the one to suffer a loss would be him.
This thought flashed across this man’s mind, but in the next instant, his expression became firm. He did not draw back and instead poured more of his Saint Qi into his sword to promote its might.
Sword Qi exploded as this man’s killing intent surged!
Mo Yu stood not far away, staring at Yang Kai in this instant, wondering what he had to rely on that allowed him to remain so calm and confident when facing the sneak attack of a Second-Order Origin Returning Realm master.
The answer was revealed a moment later, as just before the enemy’s attack connected, a small figure appeared in front of Yang Kai. This figure was quite inconspicuous, only reaching as high as Yang Kai’s waist.
“Hm?” Mo Yu raised his brow in surprise as he stared at this grey figure curiously, unable to recognize what it was.
It looked like it was made from stones, but it had limbs and clearly defined facial features like thick brows, a crooked mouth, big nose, and carved out ears. Most distinctive was this creature’s eyes, which showed an intelligent light. With a somewhat hunched posture, this creature’s long arms reached past its knees, giving it a somewhat awkward appearance.
[Can rocks also obtain sentience?] Mo Yu could hardly believe his eyes.
The most surprising thing to Mo Yu though, was he couldn’t feel any kind of energy fluctuations or vital aura from this thing.
Was it alive or dead?
The Stone Puppet answered Mo Yu’s doubts with actions.
Facing the sneak attack of a Second-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivator, the Stone Puppet opened its mouth wide and spat out a black stick before immediately stretching out a hand, gripping it tightly, and casually swinging it forward.
When this stick was swung though, the world seemed to tremble as the World Energy within several kilometres was greatly disturbed.
Mo Yu’s brow twitched as with his eyesight he could naturally see that this seemingly casual swing carried with it an astonishing amount of power and force.
[This cultivator from Heaven Battling Union… has really bad luck…] Mo Yu thought secretly.
Mo Yu’s expectations were correct. This cultivator from Heaven Battling Union was a Second-Order Origin Returning Realm master, but after witnessing the power of this attack, he realized dodging was fundamentally impossible, so he could only desperately push his Saint Qi, enhancing the power of his sword strike further.
The dazzling brilliance of this master’s Sword Qi only lasted a flash before it was seemingly blown away and a loud cracking sound rang out. When the relatively high-grade artifact in the hands of the Heaven Battling Union cultivator made contact with the black stick, it instantly shattered as if it were a frail toy.
“How is that possible!?” The master’s eyes bulged. Even if his sword was not all that impressive, it was still an Origin Grade artifact. Because it was designed for speed, being thin and sharp, it may not have been too sturdy, but it still should not have been so easily destroyed.
This artifact had accompanied him for dozens of years and he had killed countless enemies with it, constantly nourishing it with his Saint Qi and Divine Sense. This sword was the artifact he most treasured and relied on.
But suddenly, it had been smashed to pieces.
Along with grief and anxiety, a trace of horror flashed across this man’s eyes. He couldn’t tell how this stick worked or how a seemingly simple swing of it could contain enough power to destroy his sword, but if he were to be struck by it head-on, how was he supposed to survive?
Thinking of this, a look of decisiveness filled this man’s face as he hurriedly bit his tongue and spat out a mouthful of blood mist while at the same time quickly withdrawing, trying to avoid being hit by this black stick.
There was no fault in his plan, however, he had looked down upon the strangeness of this black stick.
Naturally, this stick was the Heaven Shaking Pillar Yang Kai brought back from the Emperor Garden. According to Yang Yan, this stick was refined entirely from Heavenly Crystal Profound Iron, an Origin King Grade Artifact Refining material known for its extreme weight. A palm-sized piece of this material weighed ten thousand kilograms and it was incredibly tough and durable. There were nearly no ways in this world to damage an artifact refined of this material.
Even Yang Kai himself had no way to freely wield this Heaven Shaking Pillar.
It was a mystery who had refined this thing, but whoever it was had given this artifact the ability to change its size at will. When the humanoid puppet in the Emperor Garden used this Heaven Shaking Pillar, it was more than a dozen metres in length, but after giving it to the Stone Puppet, it had casually shrunk so it could be swallowed.
At this moment, in order to confront its enemy and with the Stone Puppet body shape and size, the Heaven Shaking Pillar was only two metres in length.
Looking at the cultivator from Heaven Battling Union, after spitting out a blood mist, seemingly try to avoid the range of its attack, the Stone Puppet’s round eyes flashed and the Heaven Shaking Pillar in its hand actually rapidly extended, bringing the fleeing man back into its range without reducing the force behind this blow in the slightest.
This change made the cultivator from Heaven Battling Union fall into despair, and with no other recourse, he condensed his Saint Qi to its limits to protect himself while assuming a defensive posture.
*Pa…*
A light sound spread as the Heaven Shaking Pillar smashed into the cultivator’s body and broke through his seemingly intrepid Saint Qi protection like it was a bubble. The body of the Heaven Battling Union cultivator was twisted into an impossible shape as the sound of his bones breaking filled the air, causing the skin of all who heard it to crawl.
Blood spewed out of his mouth, mixed with fragments of his five viscera and six organs. The man himself then flew out like an arrow from a string, swept far away by the Heaven Shaking Pillar.
A single strike had caused this man heavy losses, and although he did not die on the spot, the injuries he suffered were by no means light.
If he was only facing the Stone Puppet as his opponent, this man may not necessarily be unable to escape, but how could Yang Kai miss such a good opportunity to beat him while he was down? Sending out a Golden Blood Thread, Yang Kai slashed out with it, filling the air with a web of golden light.
*Xiu xiu…*
The sound of something slicing through the air rang out and was soon followed by the appearance of a cloud of blood mist.
Suddenly, a Second-Order Origin Returning Realm had been killed!
A Second-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivator meeting such a miserable end in just the blink of an eye instantly filled everyone with shock and surprise!
In fact, the scene just now was not actually that dangerous, the Heaven Battling Union cultivator only had his bad luck to blame. Encountering the Stone Puppet holding the Heaven Shaking Pillar that could instantly change its length had caught this man completely off guard and was the biggest reason he had died. If he had known about this strange stone man and artifact in advance, he would not have been so careless.
But now, it was too late for such thoughts.
After killing an enemy, the Stone Puppet let out a bestial roar from its mouth as its small body rapidly grew, in a flash becoming a ten-metre-tall stone giant. The Heaven Shaking Pillar in its hand also grew to a proportional size.
*Hong Hong Hong…*
After its transformation, the Stone Puppet charged forward into battle.
This ten-metre-tall stone giant, holding the terrifying Heaven Shaking Pillar, was capable of displaying such overwhelming strength that even Third-Order Origin Returning Realm masters had to steer clear of it. Every time the Stone Puppet swung its stick, the surrounding space seemed to solidify, causing the many enemies who had been entangled by the Divine Tree to tremble in fear. Screams rang out as several of these people did not hesitate to use Secret Techniques that greatly damaged themselves in order to escape from the Stone Puppet’s rampage.
But how could the Divine Tree let them escape so easily? Transforming its innumerable branches into long whips, it swept the airspace around these panicking enemies and delivered multiple blows to them from all sides.
The Stone Puppet took this opportunity to display its full power, waving around its Heaven Shaking Pillar randomly, sweeping up all the enemies around it, sending them flying while coughing up blood.
The Heaven Shaking Pillar itself weighed several hundreds of thousands of kilograms, but in the Stone Puppet’s hands it seemed as light as air. Even without any Saint Qi infused into this stick, it displayed unparalleled might. Origin King Realm masters might be able to resist such a blow, but no Origin Realm master could accomplish this.
With such overwhelming power at its disposal, the Stone Puppet did not need to be proficient in any kind of Secret Technique as it could already shake the world.
Several enemy masters who were struck died immediately, while those who managed to survive by luck suffered grievous wounds and became easy targets for the golden leaves of the Divine Tree.
Second-Order Origin Realm masters might be able to withstand a blow from the Stone Puppet, but even Third-Order Origin Realm masters didn’t dare take it lightly, preferring to avoid it whenever possible.
Mo Yu, who was not far away, had his brow twitch sharply as he observed this scene.
What kind of Dragon Cave was this Dragon Cave Mountain?
First there was the Sentient Ancient Tree and now this stone giant. Mo Yu had never seen so many novel and dangerous things appear one after another.
Mo Yu was not a man who was ignorant and uninformed; on the contrary, he was incredibly experienced and well informed as the Great Elder of Clear Sky Sect, but everything he witnessed today brought him great surprise.
This Sentient Ancient Tree and stone giant pair alone could hold their ground against any invading army. Not to mention, this boy called Yang Kai seemed to have not really taken action personally yet, causing Mo Yu to wonder what exactly he was trying to accomplish.
Although he had not seen Yang Kai fight yet, anyone who could command this Sentient Ancient Tree and Stone Giant must not be much worse off. At the very least, assuming he was just an ordinary Third-Order Saint King would be a big mistake.
For a time, Mo Yu felt somewhat fortunate he had listened to his disciple’s request and not sought conflict with Dragon Cave Mountain. Otherwise, a grudge would’ve been formed here today and Clear Sky Sect would only have accumulated disadvantages with no benefits!
Although that Sentient Ancient Tree was quite powerful in its own right, it was a Spirit Tree in the end, so its mobility was extremely restricted. Having taken root, it could display a powerful defensive strength, but it was not capable of taking long distance offensive actions.
This stone giant on the other hand was truly terrifying; who could fight such a monster on Shadowed Star? Not even a Third-Order Origin Returning Realm masters could be its opponent! Only if a large number of powerful masters joined forces and besieged this stone giant would it be possible to defeat it.
[This boy should have been able to recognize my intention to help him a moment ago, right?] Mo Yu worried slightly, wondering if Yang Kai had understood his actions just now.
Just as the Divine Tree and Stone Puppet were putting on a great display of their strengths, a resounding dragon roar rang out, causing the skies themselves to darken and a terrifying pressure to descend upon Dragon Cave Mountain.
This powerful pressure caused everyone present to tremble, as if a giant pair of eyes capable of consigning them to death was staring at them.
Even if this pressure was not as strong as the Emperor Pressure generated during the Emperor Garden’s most recent mutation, it wasn’t far off.
Everyone’s movements came to a halt as they all simultaneously turned their heads towards the source of this pressure, their eyes filling to shock and terror the moment they did.
Before their eyes, Yang Kai stood solemnly beside the slowly rotating Origin King Grade Artifact Refining Furnace, but in his hand was a kind of verdant-coloured long sword. As Yang Kai slowly pulled this strange sword out from the Artifact Refining Furnace, the invisible coercion in the air grew ever stronger.
A moment later, this verdant coloured sword like object had been taken out completely.
This object was only about a metre in length, its whole body a bluish green in colour. It seemed like a sword, but it did not have an edge or blade at all. Moreover, it was not refined from any kind of metal and instead appeared to be fashioned from some kind of bone.
There was a longan sized round bead inlaid at its hilt, and inside this bead was something resembling a small green snake, which was swimming about happily.
This sword seemed to have its own consciousness and was constantly trembling in Yang Kai’s hand, as if it wanted to break free of his control and soar up into the sky.
An enormous, phantom, dragon’s head suddenly emerged from this green sword. This dragon’s head was extremely lifelike, its two water basin-sized eyes exuding an endless majesty as they swept across the countless gathered masters, involuntarily causing them to feel as if they had suddenly become tiny, insignificant ants.
There was no doubt the terrifying pressure they all felt was coming from this strange green sword.
No one dared to stare into this dragon head’s eyes other than Yang Kai, who raised his head thoughtfully as he activated his Demon Eye of Annihilation.
An invisible shockwave centred on Yang Kai appeared as a terrifying Spiritual Energy which seemed to have physically manifested swept forward. Facing this shockwave, even the Third-Order Origin Returning Realm masters present felt their Knowledge Sea tumble momentarily.
Yang Kai let out a grunt and frowned deeply as a phantom lotus appeared in his Demon Eye of Annihilation before rapidly submerging into this dragon head.
The Blossoming Lotus was the most powerful Soul Secret Technique Yang Kai possessed.
Another dragon roar echoed through the air, but this time it contained a trace of dread and panic. The phantom dragon head’s eyes revealed a pained expression before it distorted greatly and disappeared into the long sword in Yang Kai’s hand.
The rumbling sound which had filled the air also disappeared and the sword body stopped trembling, no longer trying to break free. Seeing this, Yang Kai exhaled gently as a pensive look filled his face.
This green sword was naturally the artifact Yang Kai had refined from the Dragon Bone and Dragon Bead.
This Dragon Bone and Dragon Bead had been obtained by Yang Kai in the Saint Crystal lode in the second layer of the Flowing Flame Sand Field several years ago. When he first obtained these treasures, Yang Kai didn’t know what to do with them; after all, they were a real Dragon Bone and Dragon Bead, materials from a true Ancient Divine Spirit and not something an ordinary Artifact Refiner could work with.
Fortunately, Yang Yan had taught him a way to use his Origin King Grade Artifact Refining Furnace and Firebird Artifact to slowly refine the Dragon Bone and Dragon Bead on his own.
The Artifact Spirit’s Soul was connected to Yang Kai, so it refining it was no different from Yang Kai refining it.
This method didn’t require any kind of exquisite Artifact Refining skill or technique, only the accumulation of time, and although this led to a somewhat crude end product, it was still far better than allowing an unreliable Artifact Refiner to waste these precious materials.
Even Yang Yan herself was not confident that she could use this Dragon Bone and Dragon Bead for Artifact Refining as they belonged to a grade of materials which was still beyond her ability to work with.
It could be said that this method was only suitable for Yang Kai to use because he possessed an Origin King Grade Artifact Refining Furnace that had formed an Artifact Spirit! This rare combination of conditions was essential for success.
Several years had passed by and the Dragon Bone and Dragon Bead had been completely integrated; after all, they originally belonged to the same creature so this wasn’t too difficult to achieve. Now, it was time to use it.
Yet to Yang Kai’s surprise, his first attempt to use this Dragon Bone Sword had nearly caused him to embarrass himself as the Remnant Dragon Soul in the Dragon Bead did not want to submit to his will.
Even if it was just a weak Remnant Soul without any consciousness, it was nevertheless the Remnant Soul of an Ancient Divine Spirit. With its innate pride, how could it be willing to submit to another? Fortunately, Yang Kai had his Blossoming Lotus Secret Technique and forcibly suppressed the tenacious Dragon Soul at the critical moment.
This was not a long-term solution though, so in the future he would need to find time to fully subdue this Dragon Bone Sword, otherwise, he would not be able to use it with peace of mind. As such thoughts flashed across Yang Kai’s mind, his eyes went cold as an icy grin appeared on his lips.
The terrifying pressure emanating from the Dragon Bone Sword dispersed, but everyone still felt cold sweat dripping down their foreheads and a light breeze which blew past caused them to shiver from head to toe.
Everyone had thought that with so many masters on their side, trampling flat Dragon Cave Mountain would be a simple task, but seeing such a powerful fighting force emerge from the tiny hill at this moment left them all thoroughly shocked.
Whether it was the Sentient Ancient Tree, the stone giant, or the strange verdant-coloured sword, which one of these treasures did not warrant dread? Especially the verdant sword, everyone understood it was definitely an astonishing treasure, but none of them knew just how much power it could exert.
For a time, Yang Kai once again became the focus of attention as many greedy and fearful eyes fixed on the verdant sword.
Yang Kai was also interested in trying out the power of his new artifact, so he didn’t waste time and rapidly poured his Saint Qi into it, causing it to once again tremble and release a fearsome dragon roar.
“Go!” Yang Kai waved his hand and the verdant long sword he was holding rapidly shot out before immediately transforming into a giant creature dozens of metres long.
This creature was a deep bluish-green colour and had massive wings that seemed capable of covering the sky. It was also covered in thick scales which made it look nigh impervious to harm.
This creature opened its great maw to reveal sharp, sword-like teeth as it swung its giant spear-like claws about, exuding a faint cold light that caused anyone who saw it to shudder.
“Ancient Divine Spirit!” Mo Yu shouted in alarm, almost stumbling, and falling to the ground in shock.
Although he had never personally seen an Ancient Divine Spirit, Mo Yu was no stranger to this kind of creature as almost every great Sect’s ancient books would contain records of long extinct Ancient Divine Spirit.
The behemoth in front of him was exactly the same as the records he had seen and was undoubtedly an Ancient Divine Spirit.
What is more, it was the highest ranked Ancient Divine Spirit, a True Dragon!
Even without displaying any of its strength, the pressure this Ancient Divine Spirit’s presence exuded alone was enough to any cultivator below the Third-Order Origin Returning Realm shiver in fright.
“Another Remnant Soul! He actually had another Ancient Divine Spirit Remnant Soul!” At a different spot, Fei Zhi Tu’s eyes nearly popped from their sockets as he muttered to himself, standing frozen in place and forgetting to even continue fighting his opponent.
The same was true of Qian Tong and of their opponents as well. At this moment, no one had the presence of mind to continue fighting as all their eyes were staring transfixed by the colossal, verdant dragon before them.
During their last exploration of the Emperor Garden, Fei Zhi Tu had seen the phantom of an Ice Phoenix and realized that Yang Kai possessed the Remnant Soul of an Ancient Divine Spirit.
At that time, Fei Zhi Tu had been completely astonished with Yang Kai’s luck that allowed him to obtain this kind of Heaven defying treasure. It was also because of this incident that Fei Zhi Tu changed his attitude towards Yang Kai and no longer dared treat him like an ordinary junior, because even if it was just a Remnant Soul, as long as it had enough time and opportunity, it would likely be able to grow into an existence comparable to an Origin King.
Do not bully the young lest they bully you when they grow up. With this Ice Phoenix Remnant Soul in his possession, who dared to guarantee that Yang Kai would not one day stand at the top of this world?
Maintaining a good relationship with him now would be of great benefit in the future.
So, when Dragon Cave Mountain was in trouble this time, Fei Zhi Tu had run out without hesitation to offer his assistance along with Qian Tong. Otherwise, with his personality that preferred avoiding trouble, how could Fei Zhi Tu do such a thankless job? He would much rather sit back in Heavenly Fate City and indifferently watch the show.
He thought that Yang Kai possessing an Ice Phoenix Remnant Soul was already a Heaven defying opportunity, but how could he have known this brat also had a True Dragon Remnant Soul!
On top of that, this True Dragon Remnant Soul seemed to be more powerful than the Ice Phoenix Remnant Soul he saw last time.
Fei Zhi Tu nearly coughed up blood from the envy he felt.
Compared to Yang Kai’s heritage, his life’s possessions were trash.
In front of everyone’s dumbfounded eyes, the verdant dragon rushed towards a Thunder Typhoon Sect Origin Returning Realm master. This cultivator had reached the peak of the First-Order Origin Realm and was just one step away from reaching the Second-Order, so his strength even in this place could not be considered weak.
He had been fighting with the Divine Tree and Stone Puppet just recently but was still completely unharmed, despite being slightly disheveled. This illustrated his strength.
But no matter how great his personal strength was, he could not face an Ancient Divine Spirit directly.
Seeing the True Dragon suddenly approach him, this man’s face went pale as he hurriedly summoned a black shield to defend himself.
A hint of disdain flashed across the eyes of this massive True Dragon and the black shield was torn apart like tofu with one swing of its claw, along with a light slicing sound.
Immediately after, the verdant dragon opened its giant mouth and swallowed the First-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivator in the front of everyone’s eyes.
Screams rang out for a moment before abruptly coming to an end as the life aura belonging to this cultivator vanished.
After the verdant dragon rushed past the position of this Thunder Typhoon Sect master, a shocking scene appeared. A skeleton, still assuming a defensive posture, stood mid-air, all its flesh and blood stripped away clean.
Like a cold wind blew past them, everyone shivered.
Mo Xiao Sheng, Cheng Peng Xuan, Jin Shi, and Old Woman Feng all paled at this sight and were nearly defeated by the woman surnamed Ye in their moment of distraction.
After swallowing the vital essence of the Thunder Typhoon Sect cultivator in one gulp, the verdant dragon soared up into the sky as it released a deafening roar, opening its great maw once more and spraying out a bluish green mist that began enveloping the area around it.
More than a dozen Origin Returning Realm masters were instantly shrouded by this mist and their panic filled screams immediately rang out.
“Poison!”
“Run away!”
The verdant coloured mist was actually a violent toxic plume and every cultivator that had been covered with it fell dizzy and had difficulty breathing. Even their Saint Qi no longer circulated smoothly.
Those with slightly weaker strength staggered and fell to the ground as their bodies literally began melting at a speed visible to the naked eye, soon revealing their bare bones in a terrifying and shocking manner.
Only cultivators at or above the Second-Order Origin Returning Realm were able to escape from this verdant mist, but all their faces were green when they did so. This was obvious signs that they had been poisoned and were in urgent need of an antidote.
[This verdant dragon was a Poison Dragon!]
Yang Kai was also surprised by this. He did not know what the true nature of the Dragon Bone and Dragon Bead he obtained was, or what kind of Divine Abilities it possessed in life. Right now, he was just experimenting with his new artifact, but the results he obtained caused him to rejoice greatly.
Among the True Dragon family of Ancient Divine Spirits, Poison Dragons and Fire Dragon had the highest offensive strength, so this discovery naturally made him extremely happy.
During his trip to Grand Burial Valley, Yang Kai had been forced to self-destruct his only offensive artifact. This didn’t bother him though as he had full confidence in his own means, so he didn’t feel the need to let Yang Yan refine one for him because even if she did refine him a good offensive artifact, it would require a lot of time and effort for him to refine and nourish it.
However, the main reason Yang Kai didn’t request Yang Yan to refine him a new offensive artifact was because he was waiting for this Dragon Bone and Dragon Bead artifact to be completed.
Now, it seemed that his anticipation had not been in vain. This Dragon Bone and Dragon Bead long sword artifact was almost comparable to Origin King Grade, and it seemed to have great room for growth because, after this verdant True Dragon swallowed the vital essence of an Origin Returning Realm master, Yang Kai could clearly feel that its aura had grown a little stronger.
This was an obvious indication it could improve itself.
As Yang Kai was thinking about this, the few Origin Returning Realm masters who managed to escape alive from the poison mist were targeted by the Stone Puppet. These masters had good luck and strength, but all that ended here. When the Heaven Shaking Pillar descended upon them, the entire world seemed to free, and their lives were harvested like wheat from a field.
A bloody smell rose to fill the air as Dragon Cave Mountain instantly transformed into a red purgatory.
The situation had become completely lopsided!
It was not how everyone had imagined, where Dragon Cave Mountain was casually destroyed by these invading masters. Instead, it was the invaders who were being slaughtered in droves, causing their morale to rapidly plummet.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, Chang Qi and the others launched a desperate counterattack and seized back the initiative.
In fact, Chang Qi and the others were not very powerful and were essentially relying on the exquisite artifacts they possessed to survive and fight back. These artifacts were all Origin Grade High-Rank and had been tailored-made by Yang Yan for them, allowing them to display their strength to the utmost limit.
Originally, the situation had been highly unfavourable to them, and they could only go all out to stall for time while beset by worries.
But as the morale of the invading party had fallen sharply though, Chang Qi and the others were greatly inspired and facing the fierce resistance, their enemy began to retreat. Chang Qi and the others didn’t lose themselves in the heat of the moment, however, and instead just strove to solidify their position, causing their enemies a great deal of frustration as they showed no flaws that could be taken advantage of to reverse the situation again.
Not far away, Mo Xiao Sheng and the other masters who were holding down the woman surnamed Ye sighed to themselves, knowing that there was nothing they could do to regain control of the situation. They had greatly underestimated the heritage of Dragon Cave Mountain, thinking that this tiny hilltop had been able to kill the first group from the Xie Family only because of their powerful Spirit Arrays. Never had they expected that even without these Spirit Arrays, this hilltop could not be arbitrarily insulted!
The four top Third-Order Origin Returning Realm masters looked at each other and all saw the intent to withdraw in each other’s eyes.
There was no need to discuss anything as, after reaching a certain level of strength, a single glance was enough to convey many things. The four of them made a feint and escaped from the entanglement of the woman surnamed Ye, in the next instant beginning to escape.
With these four turning tail and fleeing, how could the others dare to remain? Naturally, everyone else began to hurriedly withdraw.
Qian Tong and Fei Zhi Tu did not try to block their opponents. Although they helped Dragon Cave Mountain this time, they did not want to unnecessarily make enemies of these people; after all, the two of them represented Shadow Moon Hall and had many concerns of their own, so without hesitation they allowed their opponents to retreat safely.
Wei Gu Chang and Dong Xuan’er did the same. The two of them had only recently broken through to the First-Order Origin Returning Realm, so although their strength wasn’t bad, if their opponents were determined to leave, they were unable to stop them.
In fact, the main reason these two had been able to last this long was because their opponents had held back and never attempted to really kill them; otherwise, facing so many masters, Wei Gu Chang and Dong Xuan’er would definitely not have been unharmed, even if they didn’t die.
The enemy withdrew like the tide, with several dozen Origin Returning Realm masters all escaping at once from Dragon Cave Mountain. Besides the few who were blocked by Yang Kai’s Dragon Bone Sword, Stone Puppet, and Artifact Spirit Firebird, the rest managed to escape.
Yang Kai frowned when he saw this and felt a deep sense of powerlessness in his heart.
He could not stop his enemies from coming or going as they pleased. However, although the invasion of Dragon Cave Mountain annoyed him greatly, the other party paid a terrible price as a result, so it was not as if Yang Kai could not accept the results.
Moreover, if the fight continued, there would be casualties on Dragon Cave Mountain’s side.
He and the woman surnamed Ye did not have to worry about themselves. Yang Kai possessed his Dragon Bone Sword, Stone Puppet, and Artifact Spirit along with the Divine Tree, while the woman surnamed Ye’s strength was phenomenal from the start, but Chang Qi, Hao An, and the others were a different story. If Yang Kai insisted on continuing this battle, his allies would be the next to suffer, which was a result Yang Kai did not wish to see.
Yang Kai was willing to let this matter stop here, but this did not mean others would do the same.
Just when the enemy masters were about to leave the range of Dragon Cave Mountain, the originally broken Mountain Defending Array lit up again and barred their path forward.
A trace of surprise flashed across the eyes of Mo Xiao Sheng and the others before their expressions became cold.
Them withdrawing at this point did not mean they really feared Dragon Cave Mountain, so the other party behaving so rampantly, unwilling to let them leave, naturally elicited feelings of anger and irritation.
“You want to leave? Wishful thinking! You think my Dragon Cave Mountain is a place you can come and go as you please?” Suddenly, a tender voice rang out, its origin unclear, seemingly coming from all around, making it impossible to localize.
However, this voice no doubt belonged to Yang Yan.
Yang Kai raised his brow in surprise, not understanding what Yang Yan wanted to do.
Just as Yang Kai’s expression cramped though, the earth suddenly began to tremble and a great rumbling rang out as the ground beneath Dragon Cave Mountain began to crack apart.
*Hong…*
With a loud crack, a large section of Dragon Cave Mountain collapsed, revealing a deep pit out of which a large black behemoth slowly rose.
After seeing the true form of this behemoth, gasps of shock rose all around as everyone began crying out in surprise.
“Impossible!”
“A Starship?”
“There’s even a Starship here?”
Dragon Cave Mountain was destined to become the focus of all of Shadowed Star after today, with one shocking thing emerging after another. Everyone present had yet to recover from the shock of an Ancient Divine Spirit Remnant Soul appearing when they were again confronted by such an incredible scene.
Beneath this Dragon Cave Mountain was a hidden Starship!
This Starship was not quite the same as the Starships the various great Sects regarded among their greatest treasures. The main thing was size. This Starship was only about a quarter the size of ordinary Starships and had a sleek and smooth design.
However, this Starship also gave off an intense pressure that was even more unbearable than the True Dragon Remnant Soul from just now.
A mechanical clanking sounded suddenly, and barrel-like things began to extend from the hull of this Starship. None of the people present were ignorant or uninformed so they naturally know what these things were.
Crystal Cannons! The destructive artifacts every Starship possessed. More accurately referred to as weapons, these things used Saint Crystals as an energy source to fire off beams of incredible destructive power.
Ordinarily though, a Starship would not use its Crystal Cannons because every shot fired consumed a massive amount of Saint Crystals.
Also, a Starship would have at most two or three Crystal Cannons installed on it in general as each one was known as the most powerful trump card of a Starship.
But at the moment, it was plain to see that this small, hundred-metre-long Starship was actually outfitted with more than ten crystal cannons! Each of these cannons was aimed at a different direction, targeting the most crowded locations.
Staring down these dark barrels, everyone felt a sense of uneasiness in their heart, as if death itself was staring at them.
As a silver-bell like laughter filled the air, Yang Yan’s tender voice called out, “Since you’ve come uninvited, don’t even think about leaving at will!”
As soon as her words fell, a dazzling light appeared from the dozen plus Crystal Cannons, accompanied by energy fluctuations which caused the entire region to tremble.
“Not good!” Mo Xiao Sheng’s eyes shrunk as he called out in alarm, “Spread out!”
With his knowledge and experience, he could tell what kind of heaven-destroying and earth-shattering power these Crystal Cannons possessed.
Although Mo Xiao Sheng had promptly warned his disciples and subordinates, the charging rate for the Crystal Cannons on this Starship refined by Yang Yan was extremely quick. Almost at the same time as his voice had sounded, more than ten pure white beams only as thick as a human arm shot forth from the Crystal Cannons.
Silent, without a single scream or sound of struggle, a dozen or so seemingly slender beams of light swept forward, erasing everything in their path from existence.
Not only was the Dragon Cave Mountain’s Mountain Defending Array broken again, but all the cultivators who were hit by this barrage were vaporised like snowflakes under the hot summer sun.
The ten plus white beams of light continued for several dozen kilometres before gradually weakening and disappearing.
The entirety of Dragon Cave Mountain was in disarray and the World Energy aura in the surrounding fifty-kilometre radius had become extremely chaotic.
*Dida, dida…*
A clear sound suddenly broke the silence as Mo Xiao Sheng and the other masters stood in place, looks of terror filling their pale faces as they stared at the Starship in front of them, unable to believe their eyes.
When this Starship suddenly appeared just now, none of them had been to concerned about it; after all, this Starship wasn’t very big so they subconsciously thought that its grade wasn’t high, but when the dozen or so Crystal Cannons were deployed, Mo Xiao Sheng and the other masters felt they might have misjudged the threat it posed.
But it was not until now that they realized just how wrong they had been.
The grade of this Starship was beyond the scope of their imagination. It was definitely above Origin Grade, which meant it could only be Origin King Grade. If this were not the case, these Crystal Cannons could not possibly have such power.
An Origin King Grade Starship! How could that be?
However, with the facts laid bare in front of them, they had no choice but to believe it. The best evidence was that, when those Crystal Cannons fired just now, Mo Xiao Sheng and the other top Origin Returning Realm masters didn’t dare take the blow head on and could only desperately evade.
Even so, Jin Shi of Demon Blood Temple had been brushed by one of these beams and lost an entire arm as a result. The dripping sound filling the eerie silence was none other than the blood dripping from his wound as his face twisted in pain.
The faces of Old Woman Feng and Cheng Peng Xuan were also extremely ugly. If it were not for them instinctually dodging just now, they would likely have wound up the same as Jin Shi.
Sweeping his eyes around quickly, Mo Xiao Sheng’s expression was filled with sorrow.
Because now, there were only a dozen or so people still alive, which meant fifty to sixty Origin Returning Realm masters had died under that Crystal Cannon salvo just now.
Those were fifty or sixty Origin Returning Realm masters, not fifty or sixty cabbages! Those masters were the pillars of their respective Sects, but now they had all died here on Dragon Cave Mountain without even being able to resist!
Mo Xiao Sheng and the other masters felt like they had been run through by a sharp sword.
If possible, the masters from the various great forces would have preferred to have never set foot on this hill today, but unfortunately, regret could not bring back the dead. Many great forces had not only suffered heavy losses today but also made an extremely powerful enemy, causing many of those who barely managed to survive to pale in fright.
“Withdraw!” Mo Xiao Sheng grit his teeth and shouted, not wanting to remain here a moment longer, his body flickering as he used his Space Force to quickly leave.
With him leaving, how could Cheng Peng Xuan, Jin Shi, or Old Woman Feng dare to stay? Worried that this Starship would fire another volley from its Crystal Cannons, each one of them fled like a frightened rabbit.
This time, however, Yang Yan did not try to stop them because, while she was strong in will, she was weak in strength. Although the Starship she refined was indeed extraordinary, it was not all-powerful. The Crystal Cannons salvo she just fired may have looked all-conquering, but in fact it had been extremely expensive to fire.
A single scream rang out as Yang Kai killed his last opponent before recalling the verdant dragon back to his hand.
Observing it for a moment, Yang Kai revealed a satisfied look before storing it away into the Artifact Refining Furnace again and taking it back into his body.
Dragon Cave Mountain had fallen silent once more, with only the hundred-metre-long Starships floating midair.
This hilltop, which had originally been a picturesque paradise, had now been completely devastated by this incredible battle.
The Stone Puppet shrank back down to its original size, the Heaven Shaking Pillar nowhere to be seen, probably swallowed back into its belly. Using its hands and feet, it scrambled over to Yang Kai like a small monkey, climbed his clothes, and then sat on his shoulder with a smile.
Sweeping his eyes around, Yang Kai sighed dully.
It had been several years since he arrived on Shadowed Star and settled down on this Dragon Cave Mountain, and under Yang Yan and Wu Yi’s careful management, it had become a beautiful home. However, now, it had turned into an inhospitable wasteland.
Fortunately, there was a place to move to that Yang Kai had in mind, so he did not feel too much regret. That place was far better than Dragon Cave Mountain and he had intended to move there eventually, this event simply accelerated his timeline.
“Yang Kai!” Suddenly, a voice called out from nearby, and when Yang Kai looked over he saw Qian Tong and Fei Zhi Tu staring at him as they occasionally glanced over at the Starship suspended in midair, seemingly wanting to say something but always stopping themselves at the last moment.
Although these two were top masters on Shadowed Star, they were still thoroughly shocked by what they had just witnessed.
That was not surprising though; after all, how could they have ever seen an Origin King Grade Starship?
It was not like Shadow Moon Hall didn’t possess Starships, but the very best one was still just Origin Grade Low-Rank. This Starship had been refined when Grandmaster Ge Lin was still alive and had taken all of the Sect’s Artifact Refiners years to complete while consuming countless materials.
Such a Starship had no trouble searching for mineral lodes near Shadowed Star, but wanting to use it to travel far into the Star Field was undoubtedly a fantasy.
The dangers out amongst the Star Field could not be measured with common sense.
However, just because Shadow Moon Hall’s Starship was not capable of this did not mean Dragon Cave Mountain’s was not! An Origin King Grade Starship had the ability to make a long-distance voyage and with its help could even possibly restore Shadowed Star’s connection to the outside world.
At worst, one could use this Starship to leave Shadowed Star, free themselves from the shackles of the World Principles here, and possibly break through to the Origin King Realm!
Qian Tong and Fei Zhi Tu instantly understood all the implications of this Starship’s existence so, for a time, their heart could not help pounding with excitement.
Whether they could re-establish a connection between Shadowed Star and the outside world did not matter to them much, but with their cultivations having been stuck at the peak of the Origin Returning Realm for so many years due to the suppression of the World Principles here, suddenly seeing hope of breaking through naturally thrilled them.
However, even if their relationship with Yang Kai was good, suddenly raising this kind of request was really quite difficult; after all, the value of this Origin King Grade Starship was simply too great.
After glancing at them, Yang Kai vaguely guessed what they were thinking and just smiled lightly, “Elder Qian, City Lord Fei, I have a number of affairs that need to be attended to right now, but after I settle these issues and have some free time, how about I contact you again?”
Qian Tong and Fei Zhi Tu heard this and immediately nodded, “Good.”
Although Yang Kai did not make them any kind of commitment, and didn’t mention anything specific in his words, they would naturally be able to contact him again as long as he remained on Shadowed Star. On top of that, since Dragon Cave Mountain had been razed to the ground, it was clearly no longer suitable to live on. Considering all this, Qian Tong proposed, “Yang Kai, if you’d like, why not bring your people to live in my Shadow Moon Hall’s headquarters?”
As the saying goes, it is easier to borrow something from a neighbour than from a distant friend. Qian Tong’s proposal, although made with some ulterior motives in mind, was also done out of consideration for the now homeless Yang Kai; a proposal that benefited both parties.
But Yang Kai shook his head slowly and said upfront, “Elder Qian’s kind intentions are appreciated, but Junior already has a destination in mind so I’ll have to politely refuse.”
“Is that so…” Qian Tong’s face flashed a look of disappointment but he didn’t try to press the issue, simply nodding lightly, “No problem. Although this old master doesn’t know where you plan on going, since you already have a place to stay then this old master won’t say anything more. Just remember to send a message to us when you finish settling down so this old master can come to visit in person.”
“Of course, of course!” Yang Kai cupped his fists.
Immediately after, he turned to look at Wei Gu Chang and Dong Xuan’er and thanked them as well.
This time, Dragon Cave Mountain had been besieged by many powerful masters while very few had taken action to help him. Apart from the mysterious woman surnamed Ye, it was only the four people Shadow Moon Hall who had stood on his side. This kindness was something Yang Kai naturally would not forget.
At this moment, it was also only these people who had the courage to remain here while everyone else still alive had already fled. Even Clear Sky Sect’s Mo Yu, who displayed an ambiguous position, had gone missing.
*Kacha…*
A light sound came from mid-air as the Starship’s main hatch opened suddenly. Seeing this, Yang Kai smiled and called out, “Elder Qian, City Lord Fei, Junior will say goodbye here.”
Qian Tong and Fei Zhi Tu nodded lightly, not trying to retain him.
Yang Kai’s body flickered and quickly arrived beside the Divine Tree before sending out a flood of Spiritual Energy to wrap it up and take it back into the Black Book Space.
In the next moment, several figures headed by the woman surnamed Ye flew up and disappeared into the Starship, with Yang Kai bringing up the rear. Once everyone was aboard, the hatch closed and the Starship turned towards a certain direction with a light hum and shot off like a bolt of lightning, soon disappearing from sight.
“So fast!” Fei Zhi Tu stared in the direction the Starship disappeared with a shocked expression.
Compared to the speed of Shadow Moon Hall’s, this Starship was multiple times faster.
Qian Tong’s face filled with an excited yet complicated expression as he muttered, “I never expected this small hilltop to have so many talented people and such a magnificent heritage. Mo Xiao Sheng and those old ghosts have provoked an enemy they never should have this time.”
Fei Zhi Tu grinned meaningfully as he sneered, “Why bother worrying about their futures, what you and I should be doing right now is considering how to persuade Yang Kai to let us use his Starship to leave Shadowed Star. As long as you and I can break through to the Origin King Realm, this Shadowed Star will belong to our Shadow Moon Hall.”
Hearing this, Qian Tong’s expression shook before a strong light flashed across his eyes and he nodded repeatedly.
Several dozen kilometres away from Dragon Cave Mountain, Mo Xiao Sheng and several of his subordinates who had fled in distress all stared in the direction of the disappearing Starship with pale blue faces. Without even mentioning the massive losses they had suffered this time, considering the background and heritage that Dragon Cave Mountain had displayed today, just becoming enemies with them made Heaven Battling Union’s future grimmer.
Mo Xiao Sheng’s expression was filled with worry and distress.
With Heaven Battling Union’s Great Elder like this, how could Cheng Peng Xuan, Jin Shi, Old Woman Feng, and the other survivors be feeling any better? Each and every one of them wore grief-stricken looks as they felt enough regret to make their stomachs turn, especially Jin Shi who had lost an arm, severely damaging his overall strength and foundation.
However, while many people were sad, others were celebrating. Over on Clear Sky Sect’s side, Mo Yu was in a phenomenally good mood. In any case, he had not shown any malicious intentions towards Dragon Cave Mountain this time and had even taken action once to help Yang Kai resolve some of the trouble he was facing. As long as the other party was not blind, he should be able to understand he had done so with good intentions.
Moreover, his two disciples seemed to have some friendship with Yang Kai, so there was a chance he could gain some advantage from this opportunity.
Since the matters Qian Tong and Fei Zhi Tu were thinking of were pertaining to people of his realm, naturally, Mo Yu had some ideas as well.
Considering all this, Mo Yu slowly said, “Tao’er.”
“Yes,” Chen Shi Tao stepped forward in response.
“In the future, make sure to associate with that Yang Kai frequently, and if possible, find a way to capture his body and mind.”
“Honoured Master…” Chen Shi Tao blushed greatly. Although her Honoured Master was usually lenient and mild-tempered, never once bringing up such sensitive topics with her, at this moment he had actually spoken in a manner that could only be described as blunt, causing Chen Shi Tao to feel a little overwhelmed.
As a woman, Chen Shi Tao was quite proud of her strength, looks, and brains. She had an enchanting appearance that was able to fascinate others with just a single glance, causing many of Clear Sky Sect’s male disciples to secretly drool over her.
“Your Master is not cracking a joke,” Mo Yu’s declared seriously, “If you can really marry him, you will go down as my Clear Sky Sect’s greatest hero!”
Chen Shi Tao was instantly dumbfounded.
She had waited outside Dragon Cave Mountain with Lu Ying and her other Sect Brothers and Sisters just now, so although she had heard how fierce the clash inside had been, she wasn’t clear on what exactly had transpired. However, inferring from the words her Honoured Master spoke just now, it seemed that Yang Kai’s performance had immensely impressed him.
What exactly happened inside that made her Honoured Master’s attitude change so dramatically? Chen Shi Tao was very aware of how high her Honoured Master’s vision was. Not long after she was accepted as one of her Honoured Master’s disciples, an Elder from the Sect proposed that one of his descendants marry her, but was categorically rejected by Mo Yu.
That Elder’s descendant had excellent aptitude and strength and was regarded as a rising star in the Sect, yet such a person couldn’t even enter the eyes of her Honoured Master, so what did Yang Kai possess that made him have such a high opinion of him?
In Chen Shi Tao’s impression, Yang Kai’s strength was indeed astonishing and could be regarded as an elite amongst cultivators in the same realm, but she had always felt his greatest advantage was the great destiny he carried which made his luck exceptionally good.
However, her Honoured Master had already said that he did not believe in relying on something like luck or fate.
Chen Shi Tao was completely unable to figure out what had happened.
Regardless of the swirling changes that were occurring outside, inside the Starship, Yang Kai looked around curiously. When he had accompanied Yang Yan to the Flowing Flame Sand Field a few days ago, he had heard from her that she had built a bigger Starship beneath Dragon Cave Mountain, so he had not been surprised when it had suddenly appeared.
The only thing he had taken note of was how small this Starship was.
After entering this Starship though, he realized that, similar to the Flying Shark Battle Shuttle, it was actually bigger on the inside than it appeared on the outside, with quite a spacious interior.
In addition to an exquisite main hall, there were meditation rooms, an Artifact Refining facility, a Pill Room, a sparring room, and various other facilities.
Such a Starship was far bigger than the massive Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce Starship Yang Kai had previously ridden!
Strolling forward, Yang Kai soon came to an arched hall that was finished with high-grade polished wood and was decorated with the finest of tapestries while being illuminated by brilliant lighting stones that made it seem as bright as day.
At this moment, basically everyone who had any authority on Dragon Cave Mountain was here, including the new woman surnamed Ye and Ge Qi who were standing beside Yang Yan.
Chang Qi, Hao An, and the others all wore their usual looks; after all, they had participated in this Starship’s refinement, so they had seen it inside and out numerous times. As for Qian Yue and Wu Yi, who had already become like Yang Yan’s right and left arms, they looked perfectly at home here.
Ning Xiang Chen, on the other hand, wore a permanently dumbfounded expression, as if he still could not believe what he was seeing.
Glancing over at the woman surnamed Ye from time to time, his expression only became more timid and astonished.
He was far more aware of the origins of this woman than anyone else present and was naturally unable to relax in her presence. What shocked Ning Xiang Chen the most though was that this woman surnamed Ye called Yang Yan ‘Madam’! Even with her peak Third-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivation, she displayed complete obedience towards Yang Yan as well as clear respect and admiration.
Ning Xiang Chen wanted to punch himself to confirm whether he was dreaming.
When Yang Kai arrived, he saw that Wu Yi and the others wore somewhat depressed looks and were sighing constantly.
Although Dragon Cave Mountain had won an incredible victory in this battle, not only killing countless enemies and not suffering any losses themselves, with their home having been levelled, how could they possibly have the mood to celebrate?
That was the home they had all built together with all their might.
But now, it had been razed to the ground in this unexpected battle. After several years of hard work, they had watched as everything they built was destroyed, so it was only natural for them to feel sad.
“Why do you all look so distressed?” Yang Kai suddenly probed, even though he knew exactly why. Grinning, Yang Kai continued, “It’s just that Dragon Cave Mountain is now gone, there’s no need to agonize over it.”
“But that was our home,” Wu Yi sighed deeply.
“There’s a saying that if one does not let go of the old, they will never be able to obtain the new!” Yang Kai smiled at her, “Even if Dragon Cave Mountain is gone, we have another place to settle down, and its environment is thousands of times better than Dragon Cave Mountain.”
Wu Yi and others looked over at Yang Kai suspiciously, clearly not believing him.
Although Dragon Cave Mountain had originally been just a small hill with half-decent World Energy aura density and unsuitable for long term residence, it had been transformed into a well-known cultivation paradise over the past few years that many cultivators without Sects or families were eager to join.
Unfortunately for these people, Dragon Cave Mountain never accepted outsiders and had refused all of them. If this were not the case, Dragon Cave Mountain would not have remained at its current scale and would likely be a small Sect with thousands of members already.
Yang Kai saying that they had another place to go and that it was thousands of times better than Dragon Cave Mountain naturally elicited doubt from Wu Yi and the others.
“Even the headquarters of Shadow Moon Hall couldn’t possibly be thousands of times better than Dragon Cave Mountain,” Wu Yi pouted, subconsciously thinking that Yang Kai was just trying to comfort them.
“And if that place is far superior to even Shadow Moon Hall’s headquarters?” Yang Kai looked at her with a smile.
“How could that be? If there was really such a good place out there, how could it not already be occupied by some great force? On Shadowed Star, the great Sects and other powerful forces have already occupied all the places with rich World Energy auras. How could we possibly take one for ourselves?” Chang Qi argued despondently.
“What Old Chang said is indeed correct, but the place I’m speaking of cannot be occupied by those who wish to. In fact, besides us, others who wish to even visit it are completely incapable of doing so,” Yang Kai said mysteriously, “Even if this battle had not occurred, Yang Yan and I were planning to move everyone over to the new site. This incident simply moved up our schedule so you all don’t have to feel so sorry about Dragon Cave Mountain.”
“Big Sister Yang Yan, is what he said true?” Wu Yi turned her head to Yang Yan in amazement.
Yang Yan gently nodded, indicating that what Yang Kai was saying was true. Seeing Yang Yan nod, everyone showed an astonished look.
“Where is this place? And if the environment there is so good, why is it not already occupied by some great force?” Wu Yi understood even less.
“It’s just as I said. Even if those forces want to occupy that place, they do not have the ability to,” Yang Kai smiled lightly, “Because that place is inside the Flowing Flame Sand Field!”
“Inside the Flowing Flame Sand Field!?” Wu Yi and the others exclaimed.
However, upon hearing this, the woman surnamed Ye wore a thoughtful look on her face and asked, “The Supreme Profound Sect ruins?”
“Oh? Senior actually knows about it?” Yang Kai was a little surprised. Him knowing that place was the former headquarters of the Supreme Profound Sect was because Yang Yan had told him, but this woman surnamed Ye knowing about it as well was a bit unexpected.
“Naturally, I know about it. I have seen records of it in ancient books before; after all, that was the force that Ma… the Sect that the Great Emperor formerly supported,” The woman surnamed Ye’s eyes flashed slightly as she glanced over at Yang Yan seemingly unintentionally.
“So that’s how it is,” Yang Kai gently nodded. Although he didn’t ask much about her relationship with Yang Yan, it was obvious that this woman surnamed Ye knew Yang Yan’s true identity, otherwise, it would simply be impossible for her to show so much respect towards Yang Yan with her strength and status.
It seemed that this woman knew many profound secrets.
However, it was not convenient to inquire about this right now. Yang Kai could simply ask Yang Yan about it in the future.
Meanwhile, Chang Qi and the others listened to the conversation between the woman surnamed Ye and Yang Kai and could not help showing looks of surprise. It seemed that none of them even knew there were ruins of a Sect inside the Flowing Flame Sand Field.
“You’ll understand when we arrive. For now, let us end the discussion here. Just keep monitoring the Starship’s operations. I’ve already laid the course, so we just need to maintain the current speed,” Yang Yan said lightly.
Chang Qi and others all nodded before withdrawing.
Soon, only Yang Kai, Yang Yan, the woman surnamed Ye, and Ge Qi remained in the hall.
Yang Yan shot a faint look towards the woman surnamed Ye, who instantly understood her meaning and waved to Ge Qi, “Xiao Qi, you also draw back.”
“Yes, Martial Ancestor!” Ge Qi bowed slightly before leaving the hall.
After only three people remained, Yang Yan hurriedly extended a hand to Yang Kai and said, “Show me that thing you obtained.”
Yang Kai was surprised for a moment before quickly nodded, taking out the Jade Token from his Space Ring, and tossing it over to Yang Yan. The latter caught it and after a brief examination mutter, “It really is an Emperor Jade!”
“Emperor Jade?” Yang Kai frowned, “What’s the use of this thing?”
“It’s used to resist Emperor Pressure and serves as an entry pass to the Emperor Garden. Without this, no one can enter the Emperor Garden.” Yang Yan explained quickly. “When the Emperor Garden opens, only those holding an Emperor Jade will be able to safely enter.”
“Oh? Does that mean that many of these Emperor Jades will soon appear?” Yang Kai immediately grasped the key point.
If the Emperor Garden truly opened, only one person being able to enter would clearly not make sense, and since this Emperor Jade was an entry pass, that meant there should be many Emperor Jades appearing in the near future.
“En, this piece of Emperor Jade landing on Dragon Cave Mountain ahead of time is likely related to my presence; however, more Emperor Jades will begin appearing soon,” Yang Yan frowned, seemingly thinking about something.
After a moment, she raised her and met eyes with Yang Kai, the two of them immediately understanding the other’s plans.
They needed to snatch more Emperor Jades!
No matter what, they needed to obtain more Emperor Jades; otherwise, when the Emperor Garden opened, if they didn’t possess enough entry passes, it would be impossible for Yang Kai and Yang Yan to both enter the Emperor Garden.
Moreover, there was also this woman surnamed Ye joining Dragon Cave Mountain now, so she would also need to enter the Emperor Garden. In other words, they needed at least three Emperor Jades before they could relax.
At that moment, a rumbling sound suddenly echoed from outside, breaking the silence surrounding the Starship.
Yang Kai hurriedly released his Divine Sense, and after a quick investigation, his face sank. “More Emperor Jades really are appearing.”
At the same time, the Emperor Garden directly above Dragon Cave Mountain suddenly ejected several dozen streams of light. These streams of light were white and flawless, and they seemed to be shot out without any kind of distribution or destination in mind. Their speed, however, was incredibly fast and they had all crossed the horizon in the blink of an eye.
The masters who had just evacuated from Dragon Cave Mountain were also attracted by this bizarre scene, and after a moment all hurriedly summoned their Star Shuttles to pursue these white lights.
None of them knew that these were Emperor Jades, but just because they had come from the Emperor Garden, these masters naturally did not want to miss them.
Only a lucky cultivator was simply standing still when an Emperor Jade happened to land nearby. Rushing over, this cultivator joyfully picked up this Emperor Jade, but before he had a chance to even see what it was, someone stronger arrived and immediately began fighting him for it.
Some cultivators put their all into tracking these Emperor Jades but soon lost sight of them as the latter simply flew too fast.
Still others desperately used various Secret Techniques to follow the flying Emperor Jades, determined to snatch it for themselves.
All Shadowed Star was instantly thrown into chaos as masters from all the great forces were dispatched to hunt down and obtain these Emperor Jades.
Yang Kai, Yang Yan, and the woman surnamed Ye left the Starship immediately after they noticed the emergence of these Emperor Jades. Standing outside the Starship, Yang Kai’s eyes fixed on a certain spot in the sky as a look of joy flashed across his face. One of the white beams of light just happened to be flying towards their direction.
It seemed their luck was truly quite good!
Not only did Yang Kai show a joyful look, but the woman surnamed Ye also had a face filled with smiles as she summoned an ancient-looking lamp above her head that had a terrifying blue flame burning atop it.
The Origin King Grade Bone Incinerating Flame Lamp! An artifact famous throughout Shadowed Star.
In an instant, the white light which had come from the Emperor Garden arrived within a thousand metres of the trio, and seeing that it was about to rush past them, the woman surnamed Ye stretched out her hand gracefully and tapped her Bone Incinerating Flame Lamp, sending out a burst of blue flames and condensing it into a light curtain to block this Emperor Jade’s path.
This light curtain had only just formed when the Emperor Jade ran into it and silently pierce a hole straight through it.
The woman surnamed Ye’s face changed slightly when she saw this and hurriedly sent her Saint Qi into the Bone Incinerating Flame Lamp, condensing a series of light curtains from its blue flames in the path of the Emperor Jade.
Puncturing sounds rang out one after another as the white light of this Emperor Jade displayed a terrifying power, piercing through the barriers the woman surnamed Ye set up with ease.
This time, her face changed dramatically.
Without waiting for her to act again, Yang Kai stepped up, sending out his Firebird Artifact Spirit to block this Emperor Jade.
Unfortunately, the Firebird Artifact Spirit was also unable to stop this Emperor Jade’s advance and its body collapsed the moment it came into contact with the jade.
Despite being unable to stop this Emperor Jade though, the woman surnamed Ye and Yang Kai’s efforts had still managed to slow its pace significantly.
A strange look flashed across Yang Yan’s face as her beautiful eyes lit up and she flicked her wrist lightly, transforming the crimson ring bracelet she was wearing into a ring of flames she sent out to cover the Emperor Jade.
Three Blazing Flame Rings!
This artifact belonged to the Starry Sky Great Emperor and its grade could not be understood with common sense. The Flowing Flame Sand Field was one of Shadowed Star’s Three Great Forbidden Zones yet its true form was this Three Blazing Flame Rings.
Although Yang Yan had only managed to collect a single one of these flame rings and was unable to display its full power, as an Emperor Artifact, it was not to be underestimated.
The Emperor Jade, which could not be blocked by the combination of the Bone Incinerating Flame Lamp and the Firebird Artifact Spirit, seemed to encounter its nemesis the moment it came into contact with this flame ring and halted mid-air. The flame ring then quickly shrank and wrapped up the Emperor Jade tightly.
A buzzing sound rang out as the Emperor Jade seemingly tried to escape from the Three Blazing Flame Rings’ suppression, but having already been caught, how could it be so easy to flee?
Yang Yan quickly poured her Saint Qi into the Three Blazing Flame Rings and bound this Emperor Jade tightly, decisively capturing it.
Half a month later, a one hundred metre long Starship was suspended quietly in mid-air outside the Flowing Flame Sand Field while Chang Qi, Hao An, Wu Yi, and Qian Yue were anxiously waiting inside.
After the Emperor Garden’s sudden change that day, Yang Kai and Yang Yan had left the Starship and disappeared, not returning even until now.
No one knew where they had gone, but after this Starship arrived at the Flowing Flame Sand Field smoothly, Chang Qi and the others did not dare to rush in and could only stop outside and wait.
Fortunately, after the battle half a month ago, Dragon Cave Mountain’s reputation had become famous, so even if the Starship was just floating here and was incredibly eye-catching, no one dared to try finding trouble with it.
After the disappearance of the First-Layer Flame Area of the Flowing Flame Sand Field, many cultivators had been attracted to this place, so rather than being deserted like normal, the region around the Flowing Flame Sand Field had become quite lively.
Now that such a Starship had suddenly appeared here, it naturally attracted much attention.
Chang Qi and the others had been waiting here for three days now but still had not seen any trace of Yang Kai or Yang Yan. Just as they were becoming anxious though, the buck-toothed Ge Qi suddenly raised his brow and with a joyful look shouted, “Martial Ancestor is back, she’s just three thousand kilometres away!”
“Oh?” Wu Yi was overjoyed, not doubting him in the slightest as she quickly said, “Since Senior Ye is back, Yang Kai and Big Sister Yang Yan must be back as well.”
Saying so, she immediately ordered the Starship’s main hatch to be opened as everyone gathered around respectfully.
Sure enough, a moment later, a stream of light from the horizon shot over and arrived in front of the Starship. When this brilliant glow dispersed, a very small Starship appeared in its place, looking like a shark which had leapt out of the sea. Naturally, it was the Flying Shark Battle Shuttle refined by Yang Yan.
Yang Kai, Yang Yan, and the woman surnamed Ye all flew out from inside before Yang Yan quickly took back the Flying Shark Battle Shuttle.
Floating mid-air, Yang Kai released his Divine Sense all around and could not help frowning.
He noticed that there were many cultivators lingering nearby the Flowing Flame Sand Field when he and the others arrived, most of them showing curious looks as they stared towards them and whispered amongst themselves.
Standing on the spot and pondering for a moment, Yang Kai suddenly circulated his Saint Qi and shouted, “From today on, the region ten thousand kilometres outside the Flowing Flame Sand Field belongs to Dragon Cave Mountain. Please leave quickly. Those who intrude upon this range after today will be considered enemies of Dragon Cave Mountain and will bear the consequences!”
With just these words, countless people went into an uproar.
Although Dragon Cave Mountain had won an awe-inspiring battle half a month ago, causing many masters from various great forces to suffer heavy losses, in the end, this was all just rumours and hearsays. Whether it was true or not, no one here had been able to confirm, so when Yang Kai made such a declaration it was no different from him carelessly poking a hornet’s nest.
This could not be helped though; after all, with the strange disappearance of the First-Layer Flame Area of the Flowing Flame Sand Field, the Second-Layer Treasure Area had been exposed. Although the cultivators who had come here had not found many precious herbs, they were able to occasionally discover some rare ores.
It was even rumoured that there was an incredibly rich Saint Crystal lode in the Second-Layer Treasure Area where countless Saint Crystals could be found, enough to allow a small Sect to rise to the level of a first-class Sect.
Saint Crystal lodes were scarce on Shadowed Star, and although all the great forces had Saint Crystal lodes under their control, none of them had an abundance and their mining efficiency was not very high.
Most of the cultivators who came here did so with the idea of looking for that Saint Crystal lode, so how could they bear Yang Kai simply trying to drive them out?
All of a sudden, the crowds became indignant and began noisily clamouring, shouting out things like ‘the law does not punish the public’, that ‘the Flowing Flame Sand Field was one of the Three Great Forbidden Zones and thus belonged to all of Shadowed Star’, and so on and so forth.
Listening to all this noise coming from all directions, Yang Kai’s expression remained indifferent and unmoved. In the future, he would regard the Supreme Profound Sect ruins inside the Flowing Flame Sand Field as his new home, so it was naturally impossible for him to allow irrelevant people to loiter nearby.
“Shut up!” Before Yang Kai could speak again though, the woman surnamed Ye suddenly shouted while using her Peak Third-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivation in combination with a profound Soul type Secret Technique. As a result, although her shout had not been too loud, it instantly caused all of those who were clamouring just now to become dizzy and their faces to fill with shock.
The scene immediately fell silent.
Sweeping her beautiful eyes around, the woman surnamed Ye declared coldly, “You have one day to comply. After that, if this Queen sees you still here, don’t blame this Queen for being impolite.”
As these words fell, a powerful coercion suddenly spread out, as if the surrounding space had suddenly solidified. All the nearby cultivators were instantly wrapped up in this invisible power and were shocked to find that not only could they not move or speak, even their Saint Qi no longer circulated.
Under this kind of pressure, it was as if they had all become tiny ants.
This was the power of a Shi that had reached the grand accomplishment stage, so how could these stray cats and dogs resist? Even if a top Third-Order Origin Returning Realm master fell into the Shi of this woman surnamed Ye, they would feel like they had become stuck in a quagmire, their mobility and strength greatly suppressed, let alone these stray cultivators.
“A Third-Order Origin Realm master!” Suddenly, someone with sharper judgement realized what kind of cultivation the woman surnamed Ye possessed and cried out in terror.
Powerhouses were respected, this was a truth which never changed. The woman surnamed Ye only needed to reveal a bit of her strength and everyone who had just been arguing doggedly shut their mouths obediently. After she withdrew her Shi, these terrified cultivators hurriedly summoned their Star Shuttles and began fleeing.
The Second-Layer Treasure Area of the Flowing Flame Sand Field truly had many benefits and opportunities scattered about, but one needed to keep their life to enjoy such things. What did it matter how great the benefits were if they lost their lives in the process?
Although they were unwilling, it was truly unwise to remain here and provoke this kind of powerful existence with their lives at stake.
After the first batch of cultivators escaped, more and more people quickly left, and after half a cup of tea’s worth of time, everyone who had been loitering nearby had disappeared.
The woman surnamed Ye saw this and just coldly snorted before turning around and nodding to Yang Yan, respectfully reporting, “Madame, the idlers have been removed.”
“En,” Yang Yan responded faintly before turning back to face the flame barrier blocking before them and flicking her wrist, sending out one of her Three Blazing Flame Rings and merging it with the Flowing Flame Sand Field.
In the next moment, a gap large enough for the Starship to pass through opened in the flame barrier mysteriously.
The Third-Layer Flame Area of Flowing Flame Sand Field was originally one of the Three Blazing Flame Rings, an Emperor Artifact, so as the Soul Clone of the Great Emperor, Yang Yan was naturally able to manipulate it to a certain extent, even if she could not completely recover it yet.
After opening a path, Yang Kai and the others entered the Starship and it slowly proceeded into the Flowing Flame Sand Field with a light hum.
They were able to move here freely!
Sometime later, in what was once the fourth layer of the Flowing Flame Sand Field, in front of the Supreme Profound Sect ruins, Yang Kai and the others stood before the great Sect Defending Array, gazing up at the expansive mountains covered in rolling fog.
Amidst these fog banks, they were able to make out the outlines of various pavilions and palaces as well as palatial mountains and spirit springs, an absolutely beautiful and majestic scene to behold.
Standing here, Wu Yi and the others breathed in the air exaggeratedly, their expressions flushed with excitement.
Earlier, when Yang Kai said that he had a new place for them to settle down that it was hundreds, if not thousands of times better than Dragon Cave Mountain, all of them had felt great doubt and thought such a paradise could not possibly really exist. Standing here at this moment, they no longer had any doubts at all.
Just standing at the perimeter of this place, they could already tell just how rich the World Energy aura was here, so if they really entered, just what kind of scene would they be able to see?
It truly was not an exaggeration to say that this place was hundreds of times better than Dragon Cave Mountain!
Moreover, if they could really establish themselves here, with the protection of the flame barrier of the Flowing Flame Sand Field, no one would be able to pose a threat to them ever again. This place was truly a paradise that anyone and everyone would desperately covet.
Inside the Flowing Flame Sand Field, did such a place really exist?
However, this Sect Defending Array seemed impregnable, at least many times stronger than the one which protected Dragon Cave Mountain, so whether they could destroy it and gain access to this place was highly questionable.
Just when everyone secretly worried about this issue, Yang Yan turned to look at Yang Kai, stretched out a hand towards him, and mouthed something to him.
No one heard what she said but Yang Kai wore a look of understanding on his face, wiped his Space Ring, and took out a token-like object before tossing it over to Yang Yan.
“Emperor Token…” The woman surnamed Ye had a sharp eye and at a glance naturally realized that this was a Star Emperor Token, but thinking about how she had actually taken out the Star Emperor Token that had been passed down through countless generations of Sect Masters of Star Emperor Mountain in order to exchange for a healing pill, she couldn’t help growing slightly anxious.
This Star Emperor Token was something she had once possessed and was a treasure that the Great Emperor had personally gifted to her ancestors, so although the Divine Ability sealed within it had already been used, it wasn’t something that should have been taken out and bartered with. Thinking like this, the woman surnamed Ye became uneasy, wondering if the Madame would blame her for this action.
Fortunately, Yang Yan did not seem to have any intention of pursuing this matter, simply holding the Star Emperor Token in her hand and pouring her Saint Qi into it, causing it to send out a ray of light towards the Sect Defending Array barring their path.
With a burst of light, the seemingly impregnable golden Sect Defending Array flashed as streams of profound and complex runes swam across its surface, and then, with a low hum, accompanied by strong energy fluctuations, the Supreme Profound Sect’s Sect Defending Array suddenly split open a gap, revealing a path that lead directly to the inside.
Although he had a hunch that this would happen, when Yang Yan opened the light curtain in front of him so easily, Yang Kai could not help smiling bitterly.
When he arrived in the fourth layer of the Flowing Flame Sand Field last time, Yang Kai saw the cultivator from Star Emperor Mountain called Leng Qing attacking this light curtain, but no matter how hard Leng Qing tried, he was not even able to shake this barrier.
At that time, Leng Qing had invited Yang Kai to help him, but Yang Kai had swiftly rejected his proposal.
Now, Yang Kai realized how wise his decision back then had been. Although this Sect Defending Array had remained unattended for countless years, it was not something a mere Saint King Realm cultivator could break with brute force.
“Let’s go,” Yang Yan’s expression became a little complicated, seemingly almost recalling something but unable to form a clear picture in her mind. This was only natural, however, as she was not the true Great Emperor. Although she had inherited some of the memories of the Great Emperor, they were by no means complete, so this Supreme Profound Sect must seem familiar and unfamiliar to her at the same time.
The massive Supreme Profound Sect ruins that had laid untouched for over ten thousand years finally ushered in its first visitors today.
The World Energy here was so rich it was practically tangible, wrapping around one’s body while providing a sense of warmth and comfort. One hardly even needed to circulate their Secret Art for the surrounding World Energy to pour into their body.
Cultivating in this environment would be several times more efficient than in the outside world!
Not only did Wu Yi and the others from Dragon Cave Mountain wear excited looks, even the woman surnamed Ye couldn’t help revealing a look of fascination.
As the former Sect Master of Star Emperor Mountain, this woman was well aware that it had the densest World Energy on Shadowed Star. Nevertheless, Star Emperor Mountain’s World Energy aura was dwarfed by this place.
Beneath Star Emperor Mountain was an Earth Vein of the highest grade that provided a constant stream of World Energy; however, beneath these Supreme Profound Sect ruins, it seemed that there was far more than just one peak-grade Earth Vein.
The first place the group arrived was a set of immaculate white-jade steps that remained completely spotless despite ten thousand years having passed. These white-jade steps were constructed from the finest of materials and numbered several thousand at least, each one releasing a warm, lustrous glow as they led higher up into the mountains.
Yang Kai and Yang Yan walked up these steps at a leisurely pace, basking in the rich aura of this place while releasing their Divine Senses to examine their surroundings.
The woman surnamed Ye followed behind them, and behind her were Chang Qi and the other Origin Realm cultivators. The several dozen disciples that originally belonged to the Hai Ke Family brought up the rear and were all constantly whispering amongst themselves.
They had followed Wu Yi to leave the Hai Ke Family and join Dragon Cave Mountain even though they had all felt somewhat distraught about leaving their original family at the time.
However, in the following few years, they had obtained near-unlimited cultivation materials and an excellent cultivation environment on Dragon Cave Mountain, gradually allowing them to develop a sense of belonging to the place.
Now though, Dragon Cave Mountain had been razed to the ground, and although they felt it was something of a pity, Yang Kai and Yang Yan had led them into this new world, to a paradise countless times better than Dragon Cave Mountain.
Reminiscing about the past, each and every one of these cultivators secretly rejoiced about their decision to follow Wu Yi all those years ago. If they had chosen to remain in the Hai Ke Family, they would likely still be struggling every day for a few meagre cultivation resources. Now, they didn’t need to worry about such things at all, only needing to focus on their own cultivation. In addition, they had near unlimited amounts of Saint Crystals and pills to help them, as well as extremely high-quality artifacts.
Such treatment couldn’t be enjoyed even by the top Sects on Shadowed Star for cultivators like them.
If someone from Heaven Battling Union or Thunder Typhoon Sect were to invite them to join their Sect, they would definitely sneer in disdain.
Heaven Battling Union? Thunder Typhoon Sect? What things were they? Could they compare to Dragon Cave Mountain?
Step by step, the small crowd ascended the steps, and after about half an hour, they finally arrived at the top. Looking forward, the group led by Yang Kai saw two giant pillars which formed a kind of entryway above which a massive plaque was hung with three words emblazoned upon it in majestic characters.
Supreme Profound Sect!
There was a profundity to these words that immediately drew in one’s attention and elicited a sense of wonderment. It was impossible to know who had carved this plaque, but it was certain that their strength had not been low, most likely at the Origin King Realm!
As the mountain breeze gently blew through, bringing with it a clear and refreshing scent, the group’s line of sight passed through Supreme Profound Sect’s main gate and towards its inner sanctum. Mountains filled with exquisite pavilions and palaces went on as far as the eye could see, but what was eerie was that this magnificent Sect ruin didn’t have the slightest trace of vitality or life inside it.
Yang Kai spread out his Divine Sense but was shocked to discover that he was unable to encompass the entire Supreme Profound Sect ruin.
Such a massive Sect could accommodate a hundred thousand disciples and still not feel the slightest bit crowded, but right now, there were less than a hundred people in this place. On top of that, it was likely that there would be less than one hundred people living here and cultivating for some time to come.
It wouldn’t be a problem for each of them to occupy their own mountain.
“This should be the Front Court,” Yang Yan’s brow wrinkled slightly as she spoke, “We should explore separately. It seems there are no active barriers or Spirit Arrays inside but don’t act carelessly. If you encounter anything suspicious, don’t rush in on your own, send a message to Yang Kai or me and we will come to investigate.”
“Alright,” Wu Yi acknowledged before dividing up the other cultivators into groups of two or three before having them disperse in all directions.
Naturally, Yang Kai did not remain idle either and began exploring this Front Court of the Supreme Profound Sect alone.
He thought that there would still be some good things left here, but to his disappointment, there was essentially nothing of value at all. It was as if all that remained here was the massive Sect ruin itself, disappointing him.
After exploring for a whole day, Yang Kai failed to gain anything of worth.
The former disciples of the Hai Ke Family, on the other hand, had better luck, some of them finding old artifacts or pills that could still be used, rushing back over to report their finds, eager to hand them over.
After examining these things briefly, Yang Kai simply allowed these disciples to keep them as he had no interest in them.
This decision further stimulated these disciples’ desire to explore. From the Supreme Profound Sect Front Court, one could see people coming and going excitedly with great frequency.
Time flew by and soon half a month had passed.
During this half-month period, the only thing everyone did was explore the Supreme Profound Sect ruins, but even so, they had not finished exploring it all.
There were a total of eighty-one mountain peaks here, each one with its own unique features, but they all had incredibly rich World Energy aura, far better than any great force’s headquarters.
Among these eighty-one peaks, nine had far greater World Energy density.
Although they hadn’t been able to reap any major gains, just being able to settle down in this place already satisfied everyone greatly.
After some debate, everyone decided to live together around the Front Court; after all, there were just too few of them and the Supreme Profound Sect ruins were too large. If they all scattered, it would become inconvenient to even contact one another much less work together.
The World Energy aura of the Front Court wasn’t as dense as the nine largest mountain peaks, but it was still better than anywhere in the outside world.
Yang Kai occupied a magnificent palace by himself, one that was located above a Spirit Spring. An exquisite Spirit Array had been arranged in this palace to channel and contain the aura which was released from the Spirit Spring, so it was an ideal place to cultivate.
Regarding this whole situation, Yang Kai was very satisfied.
However, since everyone who had originally belonged to this Sect had fallen, continuing to call it Supreme Profound Sect wasn’t appropriate; after all, when dealing with other great forces on Shadowed Star in the future, they couldn’t use the name Dragon Cave Mountain or Supreme Profound Sect to represent this place. Yang Yan, Wu Yi, and the others came to consult Yang Kai about this and he immediately replaced the Supreme Profound Sect plaque hanging above the main gate with a new one that read ‘High Heaven Sect’!
Although there had been no formal announcement to the world, this was actually the moment a new Sect was founded.
High Heaven Pavilion was Yang Kai’s original Sect, so it only seemed reasonable to name this place High Heaven Sect. No one else had any opinion about this, or even asked Yang Kai what the significance of this name was.
They had long regarded Yang Kai as their leader, so even if the name Yang Kai came up with was awful, they wouldn’t complain.
On the other hand, the woman surnamed Ye actually praised this new Sect’s name quite liberally.
After spending so long together, Yang Kai had also learned about the origins of this woman surnamed Ye.
Ye Xi Yun was the former Sect Master of Star Emperor Mountain! One of Shadowed Star’s most prestigious and famous figures; unfortunately, she had abandoned Star Emperor Mountain for some unknown reason many years ago. Everyone thought she died, but it seems that she had actually been secluding herself from the world.
If not for Ge Qi accidentally discovering Yang Yan this time, Ye Xi Yun would likely have remained hidden from the world.
Even though she was the former Sect Master of Star Emperor Mountain, Ye Xi Yun had only brought two things with her when she left, the Origin King Grade Bone Incinerating Flame Lamp artifact, and a certain portrait.
A portrait of the Starry Sky Great Emperor!
Star Emperor Mountain’s ancestral teachings stated that the Great Emperor had fallen into a deep sleep, but would reappear one day.
The years passed though, and after ten thousand years, these ancestral teachings had gradually been forgotten. Star Emperor Mountain itself didn’t know if it really had any relationship with the Starry Sky Great Emperor, but Ye Xi Yun had never doubted it.
In order to explore the secrets of the Great Emperor, she had searched through ancient records from all around Shadowed Star and eventually learned a shocking truth. Apparently, the Great Emperor had encountered a powerful enemy, suffered a heavy loss, and used some kind of Divine Ability to put herself into a deep sleep to slowly recover over the ages.
This coincided with the story Yang Yan had told Yang Kai before.
In order to discover this piece of buried history, Ye Xi Yun had used several dozen years of time, during which she had not paid any attention to Star Emperor Mountain’s matters. As a result, she had fallen out of power and eventually had her position usurped, forcing her to flee from Star Emperor Mountain.
The reason she had dedicated so much time to researching the Great Emperor was quite simple: She wanted to break through to the Origin King Realm!
Although she didn’t know what the Great Emperor’s true cultivation was, Ye Xi Yun could tell that she had definitely transcended the Origin King Realm. Since the Great Emperor could reach such a realm ten thousand years ago, why couldn’t she?
Ye Xi Yun’s original intention was to find a way to break through to the Origin King Realm by taking advantage of the Great Emperor’s past experiences, but instead, she had actually stumbled upon such grand secrets.
After leaving Star Emperor Mountain and going into hiding, Ye Xi Yun had hung the Great Emperor’s portrait in her secluded home.
Ge Qi was a disciple she had taken many years ago, and although they had a relationship of Master and Disciple, Ge Qi insisted on calling her Martial Ancestor. When Ge Qi visited Ye Xi Yun to ask for her guidance, he had naturally seen the portrait of the Great Emperor.
As such, when this guy came to Heavenly Fate City and saw Yang Yan, he felt like he had seen a ghost, quickly becoming timid and respectful.
When he returned to Ye Xi Yun and told her of what he had seen, Ye Xi Yun had immediately rushed out to Dragon Cave Mountain without even taking the time to fully heal her injuries, coincidentally arriving just as Dragon Cave Mountain was being besieged.
Although there were people with similar appearances in this world, it was impossible for two strangers to have exactly the same face. As such, Ye Xi Yun had guessed that the woman named Yang Yan might have something to do with the Great Emperor.
After rushing to Dragon Cave Mountain and conversing with Yang Yan, however, Ye Xi Yun immediately became convinced of her guess.
If this wasn’t the case, how could she have helped Dragon Cave Mountain for no apparent reason or obey Yang Yan’s every order as a peak Third-Order Origin Returning Realm master?
If Ye Xi Yun had any doubts before, all of those had been laid to rest during these days of contact. Only the Great Emperor could refine such a Starship, and only the Great Emperor could easily open the Supreme Profound Sect’s Sect Defending Array.
She subconsciously thought that Yang Yan was the reincarnation of the Great Emperor, not suspecting that the true body of the Great Emperor was actually still sleeping in the Emperor Garden.
Ten days passed by, and after experiencing the initial excitement and novelty of this place, Dragon Cave Mountain’s survivors gradually adapted to life in the Supreme Profound Sect ruins, which had now become High Heaven Sect.
Here, the World Energy aura was rich, the mountains were beautiful, the water was pure, and the air was fresh. It was simply the best cultivation paradise in the world, only a single step below the floating continent Yang Kai had first encountered after entering the Star Field.
The only flaw was that the entire Flowing Flame Sand Field was still wrapped up by the two rings of the Three Blazing Flame Rings, making it a completely isolated space from the rest of the world. Not only did this make it difficult to communicate with others on the outside, but when one looked up they were unable to see the sun, moon, stars, and sky. All that was there was a fiery red light curtain.
Of course, there were advantages and disadvantages to every situation. The current High Heaven Sect seemed to be isolated from the rest of the world, but it was also shielded from any kind of outside disturbances. If this wasn’t the case, the trivial few dozen people here would never have been able to occupy such a wondrous cultivation paradise.
Everything was proceeding smoothly.
The Ten Thousand Year Incense Yang Kai brought back from the Flowing Flame Sand Field sixth layer was placed in one of the Front Court’s main palaces by Yang Yan where it was guarded behind a powerful Spirit Array so that, in the future, if a disciple needed to break through, they could apply to Wu Yi to enter this palace and take advantage of the wonderful effects of the Ten Thousand Year Incense to assist them.
The Nine Branch Jade Crystal Tree was also placed in this palace.
These two extraordinary treasures both helped cultivators comprehend the mysteries of the Martial Dao and Heavenly Way as well as help them maintain mental tranquillity and purge heart demons, so they were the perfect auxiliaries to have when a cultivator wanted to break through.
Whether it was the Ten Thousand Year Incense or the Nine Branch Jade Crystal Tree, they had originally been placed inside Yang Kai’s cave mansion on Dragon Cave Mountain, but more than the month ago, Yang Yan had taken advantage of the time while Yang Kai was attracting everyone’s attention when strong enemies had invaded to sneak into his cave mountain and transfer these precious treasures.
Yang Yan had also retrieved the Red Candle Stalk and the small piece of Red Candle Fruit at that time and had now moved them to the Front Court’s Medicine Garden. Although neither of these things would grow anymore, their medicinal efficacies could be perfectly preserved here.
Even the progenitor Blood Sword Grass had been collected and brought here by Yang Yan, along with the huge Blood Essence Stone and the Illusion Stone. These things were all treasures that could be used as Array Cores for powerful Spirit Array, so how could Yang Yan just abandon them?
It could be said that although Dragon Cave Mountain had been razed to the ground, High Heaven Sect had not suffered the slightest loss at all. Instead, it was able to use that battle to make a name for itself!
At least a dozen great forces and over a hundred Origin Realm masters had joined forces to attack them, but in the end, the invaders had suffered heavy casualties and fled in distress. With the possible exception of Star Emperor Mountain, no other Sect on Shadowed Star was capable of accomplishing such a feat.
After that battle, no one dared disdain Dragon Cave Mountain, and the name of Yang Kai, the owner of Dragon Cave Mountain, was widely circulated. Achieving such an incredible victory with just a trivial Third-Order Saint King cultivation made Yang Kai the topic of discussion in every city and tavern across Shadowed Star.
High Heaven Sect, on the other hand, was established in an extremely low-key manner, and without Yang Kai knowing anything, Wu Yi and the others had acknowledged him as Sect Master.
Yang Yan became Vice Sect Master, and Ye Xi Yun was installed as Great Elder with Chang Qi, Hao An, Ning Xiang Chen, and Ge Qi becoming Elders.
A small Sect with only a few dozen members began taking shape, and although there were so few of them occupying such a massive site, no one here was eager to open their doors and recruit others to join them. If they were, simply by releasing word that they were recruiting, it likely wouldn’t be long before countless cultivators swarmed here to join them.
However, their foundation was unstable, so now was not the time to try to expand; everyone understood this truth.
Yang Kai also let out the Divine Tree again during this time. In the battle more than a month ago, the performance of the Divine Tree had stunned Yang Kai. After receiving such a big pleasant surprise, Yang Kai naturally wasn’t stingy with it and he immediately fed the Divine Tree two drops of Golden Blood after letting it out.
The Stone Puppet’s performance had also been remarkable, so Yang Kai rewarded it with a rich spread of rare metals and ores! The Stone Puppet could enhance its strength by absorbing the essence of these ores after all.
The Front Court of High Heaven Pavilion gradually calmed down, with everyone settling into a set routine, so Yang Kai decided it was time to enter retreat.
Only Yang Yan was still running around frantically, with Wu Yi and Qian Yue in tow; after all, this place would be their Sect from now on so Yang Yan naturally wanted to arrange new Spirit Arrays and barriers. Fortunately, the majority of the barriers and Spirit Arrays from when the Supreme Profound Sect was active were still intact and only required some slight repairs or recharging with Saint Crystals to activate.
To Yang Yan, this wasn’t difficult, and even somewhat enjoyable.
Ye Xi Yun also accompanied her all day long, remaining a single step behind her, behaving exactly like a loyal subordinate.
Yang Kai occasionally noticed that there was a look of fanaticism and even worship in her eyes when this woman looked at Yang Yan. It seemed that she would execute any order given to her by Yang Yan without hesitation.
Yang Kai sat cross-legged inside his palace, now deemed First Heavenly Palace while holding a blue-green artifact that looked somewhat similar to a long sword.
Although this artifact looked like a sword, it did not have a blade edge but was dull instead. At its hilt was also a distinctive longan sized round bead inside of which there was a green, snake-like creature swimming about happily.
This long sword artifact was naturally the product of the refined and fused Dragon Bone and Dragon Bead. This Dragon Bone and Dragon Bead apparently belonged to an aggressive Poison Dragon, an Ancient Divine Spirit whose true strength was simply beyond comprehension.
So even though all that remained of this Poison Dragon was a piece of Dragon Bone that had been roughly refined into an artifact along with its Dragon Bead, this long sword artifact was still able to display incredible might.
During the battle on Dragon Cave Mountain, Yang Kai fully realized how powerful this artifact was, but unfortunately, the Remnant Dragon Soul retained its arrogance from when it was alive and was unwilling to be controlled by him, nearly causing him to embarrass himself when he first summoned it. At that time, Yang Kai had been forced to suppress it forcefully by using his Blossoming Lotus Secret Technique.
Although he had succeeded in bringing this unruly Dragon Soul to heel at the time, this was only a stopgap measure, not a long-term strategy.
Yang Kai taking it out now was naturally because he intended to permanently solve this problem, otherwise, he would be forced to suppress it every time he used it. Not only would this reduce the power this artifact could display, but it might even lead to Yang Kai to suffer backlash.
This was no small matter. It actually was not uncommon for cultivators to suffer backlash from their own artifacts, normally occurring when a cultivator tried to use an artifact that was powerful beyond their control. As such, when choosing an artifact, a cultivator would rarely choose one that had a grade far exceeding their own cultivation. Possessing a powerful artifact one couldn’t control completely wasn’t necessarily better than having a weaker one they could completely control.
Moreover, this Dragon Bone Sword in Yang Kai’s hand could only be regarded as the prototype of an artifact and had yet to be completely refined, barely in a usable condition.
This was only natural though; after all, how could it be easy to refine the materials of an Ancient Divine Spirit?
However, what made Yang Kai happy was that this Dragon Bone Sword seemed to be capable of growing and evolving. During the battle on Dragon Cave Mountain, this sword had transformed into a giant dark-green dragon, and after it swallowed the vital essence of an Origin Returning Realm master cultivator, its aura had clearly been enhanced slightly.
After discovering this, Yang Kai didn’t dare allow it to swallow up other Origin Real masters at will. It was already difficult for him to completely suppress it, so how could he do something akin to lifting a stone only to smash his own foot?
Only when this hidden danger was completely resolved could Yang Kai allow this Dragon Bone Sword to grow unscrupulously.
“Your whole body is an alluring emerald-green, so I’ll call you Verdant from on,” Yang Kai’s eyes flashed as he muttered to himself.
Saying these words, Yang Kai gripped the sword’s hilt and began pouring his Saint Qi into it without reservation, causing a resounding dragon roar to fill First Heavenly Palace. In the next instant, dazzling green light and a powerful wind burst from the palace.
As a violent pressure descended, a giant dark-green dragon suddenly appeared in front of Yang Kai.
When the Verdant Dragon Bone Sword transformed, its appearance became extremely lifelike, just like a real dragon hovering in front of Yang Kai, its two large eyes blinking lightly as it stared down at the human in front of it with clear disdain.
Although it was only a Remnant Soul and didn’t even possess any sentience, the pride of being an Ancient Divine Spirit had been indelibly ingrained into it.
Compared to the power of an Ancient Divine Spirit, Yang Kai’s strength was as small as an ant’s.
Dragon pressure filled the air, causing Yang Kai’s bones to crack as he felt as if he was carrying a giant mountain on his back and an indescribable sense of powerlessness emerged from his heart.
However, Yang Kai did not retreat, nor did he show the slightest timidity, instead glaring back at the giant dragon head coldly.
The Demon Eye of Annihilation appeared in his left eye, its golden pupil seemingly emitting an endless sense of majesty while another ethereal glow surrounded it.
Naturally, this glow was the Coloured Glass Divine Light.
Together with the Demon Eye of Annihilation, the two complimented one another, making the power they could display more than the sum of their individual strengths.
This time, Yang Kai did not use his Blossoming Lotus Secret Technique; after all, if he wanted to conquer this prideful Dragon Soul, relying entirely on this Secret Technique was clearly not an option. Yang Kai had to let this Dragon Soul willingly recognize him as its master, otherwise, he wouldn’t be able to control it in the future without worrying about suffering backlash.
One big and one small, two pairs of eyes stared at each other, one contemptuous, one majestic, and neither willing to back down or show any kind of weakness.
Even if the Dragon Bone and Dragon Bead had been refined with Yang Kai’s Saint Qi for several years, and had long been dyed with his aura, it was still not a simple task to make it completely submit.
As this invisible contest between Yang Kai and the giant dark-green dragon unfolded, an invisible shockwave of Spiritual Energy spread out. Fortunately, the barriers protecting the First Heavenly Palace were quite powerful, otherwise, this palace might have been destroyed in the initial moments of this competition.
Although Yang Kai’s cultivation had only reached the Third-Order Saint King Realm, his Soul was no less powerful than a Second-Order Origin Returning Realm master, and with the assistance of his Demon Eye of Annihilation, he could even cause serious losses to a Third-Order Origin Returning Realm master that was caught off guard. But even so, it was extremely difficult for Yang Kai to deal with this Remnant Dragon Soul.
Regardless of how Yang Kai urged his Divine Sense to exert pressure on it, the other party remained unmoved, not showing the slightest fear, panic, or intention to surrender.
As time passed slowly, Yang Kai’s complexion gradually grew pale as he was using his Spiritual Energy uninterruptedly and without restraint, making it difficult for even him to endure.
A faint trace of blood began to leak from Yang Kai’s Demon Eye of Annihilation, and his whole left eye went slightly red as the golden pupil continued to exert an invisible suction force, wanting to shake this Dragon Soul. Unfortunately, it was like waves crashing upon a reef, although there were some signs of a splash, the reef remained unmoved.
The stalemate lasted for three days and three nights with no progress.
On the contrary, his Spiritual Energy had been completely exhausted, and his Knowledge Sea had dried up. If not for him possessing a supreme treasure like the Seven Coloured Soul Warming Lotus, Yang Kai would already be in a comatose state.
Even so, Yang Kai currently felt as if his head was being pierced by thousands of needles, causing him extreme pain.
In the main hall of the First Heavenly Palace, Yang Kai groaned in a low voice, his Demon Eye of Annihilation deactivating on its own as it couldn’t be sustained without Spiritual Energy to support it.
This was the first time ever his Demon Eye of Annihilation had proven useless! In the past, whenever Yang Kai had used it, whether it was to defeat or deter an enemy, the Demon Eye of Annihilation had proven incredibly effective.
But now, dealing with the Remnant Soul in the Verdant Dragon Bone Sword, it had no effect.
Nevertheless, Yang Kai was not annoyed, but instead even more pleased.
The harder it was for him to make it submit, the more valuable the Dragon Bone Sword was. As long as he could find a way to make the Dragon Soul surrender to him, the boost it would provide to him would be immense.
However, how was he supposed to subdue it? Yang Kai gasped for breath as he stared at the giant dark green dragon in front of him, contemplating deeply.
Suddenly, he remembered something and raised his brow as excitement flashed across his eyes. Although it was just a stray thought, Yang Kai felt it was absolutely worth a try.
Not having used it for so long, Yang Kai had completely forgotten that there was another True Dragon Remnant Soul in his body!
Back in the Great Han Dynasty, Yang Kai had accepted a profound inheritance inside the Inheritance Heaven Cave that left a Golden Dragon Tattoo on his body. Later, when he arrived in Tong Xuan Realm and entered Dragon Phoenix Palace’s Dragon Valley, Yang Kai had learned that this Golden Dragon Tattoo was related to the Dragon Emperor’s Inheritance.
Yang Kai was somewhat ignorant before and didn’t understand what exactly this Golden Dragon Tattoo was or what secrets it held, but after his previous exploration of the Emperor Garden with Fei Zhi Tu, he had come to learn of the existence of Ancient Divine Spirits.
Since the Phoenix Empress Inheritance he had brought with him from the Phoenix Nest was an Ice Phoenix Remnant Soul, the Dragon Emperor Inheritance he obtained from Dragon Valley must similarly be so.
Although he had yet to verify this, Yang Kai felt his guess should not be wrong. It would not make sense of the Dragon Emperor Inheritance to be weaker than the Phoenix Empress Inheritance!
Perhaps… he could achieve his objective here with the help of the Dragon Emperor Inheritance.
Thinking so, Yang Kai no longer hesitated. In any case, there was no harm in trying.
Discarding his upper robes, Yang Kai exposed his toned body to the air.
Yang Kai didn’t have a robust figure, but his body was extremely well-built and his muscles were perfectly chiselled, giving him a rather heroic look.
At this moment, there are two figures emblazoned on his body, one was the Golden Dragon Tattoo while the other was the Ice Phoenix Tattoo, both looking extremely lifelike.
The difference, however, was that the Golden Dragon Tattoo was lively, randomly swimming across Yang Kai’s skin while the Ice Phoenix Tattoo remained motionless.
This was only natural though, as the Ice Phoenix Tattoo was the Phoenix Empress’ Inheritance, not something that belonged to Yang Kai. Currently, it was just using his body as a carrier while the Golden Dragon Tattoo was the Dragon Emperor Inheritance which had become part of Yang Kai.
When Yang Kai’s Divine Sense swept across the Ice Phoenix Tattoo, he felt that its eyes moved slightly, seemingly meeting his gaze for a moment before once again freezing in place.
However, Yang Kai didn’t know whether this actually happened or he had just imagined it.
Even so, Yang Kai could not help thinking of Su Yan at this moment. The whole reason the Ice Phoenix Tattoo was willing to remain with him was because he promised to bring it to Su Yan. Unfortunately, after so many years, he had not had an opportunity to see her again.
He did not know how she was now.
Or if she was being bullied.
Or if she was able to continue her cultivation smoothly.
…..
After a moment of silence, Yang Kai adjusted his mood and focused his consciousness on the Golden Dragon Tattoo. Taking a deep breath, Yang Kai began circulating his Yin-Yang Joyous Unification Art. Although Su Yan was not here to cooperate with him, Yang Kai was intimately familiar with this Secret Art, so it was not difficult for him to circulate it.
As Yang Kai’s Saint Qi surged, the Golden Dragon Tattoo began swimming faster and faster, as if receiving some kind of nourishment.
A moment later, a deafening dragon roar rang out and a dazzling golden light burst from Yang Kai’s body, flooding the entire First Heavenly Palace while the verdant hue filling the air suddenly dimmed greatly.
The eyes of the giant dark green dragon, which had been staring at Yang Kai indifferently and disdainfully for the past three days, suddenly filled with panic when this golden light appeared, as if it had encountered its nemesis, trembling violently as it seemingly became flustered.
*Hou…*
The golden light radiating from Yang Kai grew ever stronger until a giant phantom image of a Golden Dragon appeared above his head, like an ancient god overlooking the giant dark green dragon.
The two dragons looked roughly the same size and had very similar appearances, the only difference being their colours.
One gold, one green.
Although the verdant dragon looked terrified, it was still obviously unwilling to show weakness in front of its enemy and stubbornly lifted its head while resisting the majesty of the Golden Dragon.
Yang Kai was overjoyed when he saw this scene as he knew that, like a blind cat hitting a dead mouse, he had stumbled upon the right method. Naturally, Yang Kai was unwilling to give up halfway so he immediately began circulating his Yin-Yang Joyous Unification Art more vigorously.
The golden radiance grew even stronger, further suppressing the verdant glow.
Things did not end here though. Seemingly receiving stimulus from this situation, the Ice Phoenix Tattoo on Yang Kai’s back suddenly let out a piercing cry and also soared out of his body to manifest in the sky above his head.
A cold chill burst forth from the Ice Phoenix while a terrifying heat emerged from the Golden Dragon. With hot and cold energy meeting, according to common sense, they should have mutually cancelled one another out, but they began blending together instead, not only harmoniously but also enhancing each other’s power.
The golden, green, and white light collided with each other as crackling sounds filled the air.
However, the green light had already been suppressed by the golden light, so with the addition of the white light, its defeat became inevitable.
The sound of something cutting through the air reached Yang Kai’s ears, but the light in front of him was so bright that he was unable to clearly see what was happening; only vaguely sensing that the golden and white auras were rapidly suppressing the green one. Using his Divine Sense, Yang Kai confirmed that the green light was shrinking at an incredible speed.
*Hong…*
A muffled bang rang out, causing Yang Kai’s body to shake, but when he opened his eyes and looked forward again, he suddenly found that his room had become a chaotic mess, as if a great storm had blown through it. Even the barriers protecting the First Heavenly Palace had been destroyed.
On his back, at some point unknown to Yang Kai, the Golden Dragon Tattoo and the Ice Phoenix Tattoo had returned, the former swimming about happily while the latter once again sat dormant.
It was as if everything just now had been an illusion, never even happening.
However, Yang Kai’s attention was immediately attracted to the Verdant Dragon Bone Sword on the ground. Reaching out and holding it, he felt an inexplicable sensation coming from it.
Before, Yang Kai had felt like he was holding an artifact when holding this Dragon Bone Sword, but now he felt a sense of connection with it, as if this Verdant Dragon Bone Sword had become a part of his body and could be freely manipulated by him.
Although this feeling was quite weak and indistinct, it was completely different from before.
Raising his brow, Yang Kai infused his Saint Qi into the verdant sword and it immediately transformed into a familiar giant dark-green dragon, but different from before it no longer wore a look of contempt and disdain on its face, instead wearing a look of meekness and obedience.
Yang Kai grinned as he was unable to contain his joy.
Unexpectedly, his random idea of using Dragon Pressure to suppress Dragon Pressure had turned out to be effective.
After this brief confrontation, Yang Kai also vaguely felt that his Golden Dragon Tattoo seemed to be stronger than the giant dark green dragon.
Both of them were Remnant Souls of Ancient Divine Spirit, but the giant dark green dragon was obviously at a disadvantage when confronting the Golden Dragon, so even without the support of the Ice Phoenix Remnant Soul, Yang Kai thought it would have only been a matter of time before he was able to completely subdue it.
The addition of the Ice Phoenix only shortened the time this process took.
With a flash of thought, Yang Kai had the giant dark green dragon fly through the air according to his commands.
From now on, when he used this Verdant Dragon Bone Sword, Yang Kai no longer needed to worry about suffering backlash from it disobeying him, relieving a big hidden danger, so naturally, he was in a happy mood.
After experimenting inside his room for some time, Yang Kai stored the Dragon Bone Sword in his body again to continue nourishing it with his Saint Qi. His strength was still too low right now, so he was unable to exert the full power of this artifact, and it also seemed like it had not been completely refined. Understanding this, Yang Kai began to wonder just how powerful this Verdant Dragon Bone Sword would be once it reached its peak.
This was something he was very much looking forward to.
Taking out some pills from his Space Ring, Yang Kai calmed his mind, sat down cross-legged, and began restoring his Saint Qi and Spiritual Energy.
In just one day, Yang Kai had recovered to his peak state, but just as he was about to get up, a loud humming noise rang out outside, causing the entire First Heavenly Palace to tremble.
Yang Kai’s complexion changed as his first thought was someone was attacking High Heaven Sect, but immediately after he realized this was impossible. High Heaven Sect had occupied the ruins of the Supreme Profound Sect, which was protected by the Three Blazing Flame Rings on all sides. With such a barrier around it, who could possibly attack High Heaven Sect on Shadowed Star?
At the same time, Yang Kai felt the surrounding World Energy was not reacting the same way it would if the Sect was under attack.
Rather, it seemed like it was flowing differently because of some kind of internal changes in the Sect.
Frowning slightly, Yang Kai stood up, pushed open the doors, and exited the First Heavenly Palace before turning to look in a certain direction. In the next instant, Yang Kai’s figure flickered and flew off with great speed.
A moment later, Yang Kai arrived at the huge open square of High Heaven Sect’s Front Court.
Looking around, Yang Kai saw that the Sect’s several dozen disciples were all gathered here, along with all the Elders as well. Everyone was looking up into the sky at this moment, as if something there had attracted their attention.
Following their line of sight, Yang Kai was surprised to discover that suspended mid-air was a solemn-looking Yang Yan. Her long, beautiful black hair was flowing freely in the wind as her hands constantly weaved a series of complex signs. There was also a stream of Saint Qi constantly being emitted from her tender body towards the sky.
Realizing Yang Kai had arrived, everyone turned and saluted.
Now that High Heaven Sect had formally been established, as Elders and disciples seeing the Sect Master, they needed to salute him. Even Ye Xi Yun, the strongest master present, nodded in acknowledgement towards Yang Kai.
However, her eyes soon turned back to continue staring at Yang Yan’s movements with a kind of fanaticism.
This woman really regarded Yang Yan as her idol, Yang Kai thought to himself with slight amusement.
He did not blame her for this, as the reputation of the Starry Sky Great Emperor was worthy of such devotion. The only reason Yang Kai could treat Yang Yan so casually was that he had become very familiar with her over the past few years.
“What’s happening?” Yang Kai turned his attention to the sky and asked in a puzzled voice.
“Reporting to Sect Master, Vice Sect Master Yang is opening the Flowing Flame Sand Field’s barrier so we may once again see the sun, moon, and stars,” Ning Xiang Chen quickly replied, his tone filled with respect as his old eyes sparkled with vigour, seemingly unable to conceal his respect for Yang Yan.
In this world, who else could manipulate the Flowing Flame Sand Field’s flame barriers? Only Yang Yan could achieve such a feat, so it was only reasonable for Ning Xiang Chen to show her great respect.
Hearing what he said, Yang Kai gently nodded. Knowing what Yang Yan’s plan was in his heart, he no longer continued asking.
Although everyone was happy they had moved to this Supreme Profound Sect ruin and established High Heaven Sect, with the Three Blazing Flame Rings constantly blocking out the sun, moon, and stars, they had become a bit depressed with the living environment.
As such, Yang Yan was intending to open the flame barrier that covered the sky so that High Heaven Sect could feel reconnected with the outside world.
This was a good deed that only Yang Yan could do, so Yang Kai naturally did not have any intention of stopping her, simply standing together with the rest of the crowd and waiting.
Pure Saint Qi continued pouring from Yang Yan’s tender body, transforming into thin streams and shooting off into the sky before disappearing in the next instant.
As time passed, a vortex appeared in the fiery red sky. This vortex was still small in the beginning but gradually became larger in scale.
The swirling vortex was quite visually shocking and caused the people down below to shudder as they had the illusion that they were about to be sucked up into the sky.
After another half an hour or so, the red ring on Yang Yan’s wrist buzzed and flew up into the sky along with her soft shout and transformed into a giant ring nearly a dozen kilometres in diameter.
This ring slowly floated upwards and eventually touched the flame barrier that covered the sky before coming to a halt as it wrapped around the massive swirling vortex.
Immediately, the vortex began to pull back, as if being drawn in by some kind of incredible suction and, with a low rumbling, the flame barrier that covered High Heaven Sect withdrew like a tide, revealing a circular patch of sky more than a dozen kilometres wide.
Sounds of cheering burst out as the disciples jumped for joy.
Yang Kai also grinned, showing a look of happiness on his face, but soon, his eyes were attracted to something high up in the sky and his expression turned to one of shock.
“Sure enough…” Yang Yan muttered softly, her beautiful eyes staring up into the sky, her brow wrinkling slightly as she flicked her wrist again and retrieved the first of the Three Blazing Flame Rings.
However, the flame barrier did not close when Yang Yan did this, instead remaining open, allowing sunlight to pour down as well as granting a view of the blue sky and white clouds outside.
However, at this moment, in addition to the long-lost blue sky and white clouds, there was another clearly noticeable object within view.
A huge and grand palace!
The Emperor Garden!
“Why is that thing here?”
“Wasn’t it floating over Dragon Cave Mountain?”
“When did it arrive here?”
A burst of chatter erupted from the several dozen disciples as they all became somewhat worried. Once bitten by a snake, fearful of ropes for ten years, as the saying goes. Last time, Dragon Cave Mountain encountered great difficulties and ultimately met its end thanks to the appearance of the Emperor Garden.
Originally, after leaving Dragon Cave Mountain and finding a new place to settle down, one that was a thousand times better than Dragon Cave Mountain at that, the haze which had plagued everyone’s heart had been swept away, but never had they imagined that the original source of their calamity, the Emperor Garden, had actually appeared directly above them again.
This was a reality that was somewhat difficult to accept.
The Emperor Garden, one of Shadowed Star’s Three Great Forbidden Zones, seemed to be following them around, unwilling to leave them in peace.
What’s more, no one knew when the Emperor Garden had made the long journey from Dragon Cave Mountain to the sky above High Heaven Sect; after all, High Heaven Sect had been enveloped by the Three Blazing Flame Rings until now, cutting it off from the outside world.
Only Yang Kai and Yang Yan knew why it was here, while Ye Xi Yun had some faint ideas why but was not quite sure.
Yang Yan flew down from the sky and landed lightly next to Yang Kai, her expression calm and indifferent.
After glancing at her, Yang Kai asked softly, “Did you realize this thing had arrived here and decided to open the barrier?”
“En, I had a feeling but I wasn’t sure. Regardless, opening the barrier to expose the sky was always part of my plan so I simply took advantage of this opportunity to confirm my theory,” Yang Yan gently nodded.
Yang Kai understood clearly and pondered for a moment before turning his head to the unsettled disciples and shouted, “Settle down. Since the Emperor Garden has appeared here, there must be a reason for it, so there’s no need to make a fuss about something we can’t control. Just attend to your own affairs.”
After hearing Yang Kai’s words, the commotion amongst the crowd calmed down.
After the lower strength disciples left, Yang Kai thoughtfully said, “We may not know when the Emperor Garden transferred here, but since it has, I think it should be quite lively outside the Flowing Flame Sand Field right now!”
The Emperor Garden had all but played a practical joke on all of Shadowed Star. When it first appeared, it had suspended itself directly above Dragon Cave Mountain, causing countless great forces to gather in Heavenly Fate City.
But who could have anticipated that it would suddenly move away one day?
Now that it appeared above High Heaven Sect, the masters from Shadowed Star’s various great Sects must have chased after it. There was no doubt about this either as, now that the Emperor Jades had appeared, there was certainly not much longer before the Emperor Garden officially opened. No one wanted to miss such a good opportunity.
“Would you like to go out and take a look?” Yang Yan asked.
“En,” Yang Kai nodded lightly. Knowing that there were so many ‘guests’ at his door, Yang Kai naturally wasn’t about to just sit back and watch.
“I’ll come with you,” Yang Yan said immediately.
Yang Kai glanced over at her but did not raise any objections, simply nodding, “Good.”
After a brief discussion, Yang Yan immediately summoned the Flying Shark Battle Shuttle and the two of them quickly boarded. Ye Xi Yun, who refused to leave Yang Yan’s side, naturally accompanied them as well.
The place High Heaven Sect was located was originally in the fourth layer of the Flowing Flame Sand Field, but now that the First-Layer Flame Area had disappeared, only the Third-Layer Flame Area stood between High Heaven Sect and the outside world.
A short while later, the Flying Shark Battle Shuttle passed through the fourth layer and entered the third, but with Yang Yan here, the extreme heat and rolling Flame Attribute Energy posed no threat to the trio at all, all of it simply moving aside as if it had a mind of its own, allowing them to pass through unhindered.
The Flying Shark Battle Shuttle appeared outside the Third-Layer Flame Barrier sometime after.
The door opened, and Yang Kai flew out, but just as he stood firm, he could not help raising his brow as he swept his eyes around and grinned.
At this moment, there really were a lot of cultivators gathered outside the Flowing Flame Sand Field. There were small scattered groups of two or three as well as large contingents that had set up organized camps, but one thing all of them had in common was that they were gazing towards the Flowing Flame Sand Field with anxiety.
Yang Kai recognized a couple of these forces, some of which he shared enmity with, while others he was friendly with; all in all, almost every big and small force on Shadowed Star had assembled here.
It could be said that all the cultivators who had originally been staying in Heavenly Fate City had come here chasing the Emperor Garden.
When the Flying Shark Battle Shuttle emerged from the Flowing Flame Sand Field and Yang Kai appeared, everyone instantly focused on him, many showing shocked and dumbfounded expressions.
Since the Flowing Flame Sand Field was known as one of the Three Great Forbidden Zones, it was naturally an extremely dangerous place to enter.
During the time when it was in a closed state, no one should have been able to step into it. There had been no shortage of Origin Returning Realm masters who were extremely confident of their strength that had tried to force their way into the Flowing Flame Sand Field, but the instant they entered the First-Layer Flame Area, they were vaporized without exception.
The Flowing Flame Sand Field in its closed state was not something Shadowed Star’s cultivators could resist. Only during the period when it opened could those below the Origin Realm enter.
But now, Yang Kai had casually appeared from inside. Did that mean he had some method to safely traverse this Forbidden Zone and even remain inside?
How could that be?
Many masters present almost thought they had been imagining things as they were unable to believe their own eyes, causing them to feel both dread and envy. Although they did not know what method Yang Kai used to freely enter and exit the Flowing Flame Sand Field, this method was undoubtedly extraordinary.
Moreover, with so many benefits hidden inside this Forbidden Zone and only Yang Kai being able to enter and exit it, didn’t that mean that all these treasures were his to do with as he pleased?
For those masters who had forged a grudge against Yang Kai, each and every one of them wore gloomy expressions and were so depressed they nearly coughed up blood.
Yang Kai was still just a Junior, yet he was already this difficult to deal with. If they really let him occupy all the resources in the Flowing Flame Sand Field for an extended period of time, who on Shadowed Star could possibly oppose him when he fully matured?
Realizing this, many masters present secretly exchanged glances as murderous intent welled up in their hearts.
However, not everyone directed killing intent towards Yang Kai. Shadow Moon Hall’s Great Elder Qian Tong and Heavenly Fate City’s City Lord Fei Zhi Tu both simply wore looks of surprise and joy when they saw Yang Kai. After hesitating for some time, Qian Tong finally called out, “Yang Kai, it was rumoured that you settled down here, could those rumours be true?”
After the incident on Dragon Cave Mountain, when Yang Kai and the others had arrived here, they had expelled a group of treasure hunters and declared that a ten thousand kilometre radius around the Flowing Flame Sand Field was now a restricted area. Naturally, word of this event had spread out.
The masters on Shadowed Star also caught wind of these rumours, but none of them took it seriously.
No one had believed that Yang Kai and his trivial Dragon Cave Mountain could establish themselves inside the Flowing Flame Sand Field, most of them were simply thinking that this little brat was spreading nonsense to boost his reputation. Even Qian Tong and Fei Zhi Tu had laughed when they heard this, thinking that Yang Kai was just venting his anger after his Dragon Cave Mountain had been destroyed.
But now, no one dared to think like this. Yang Kai had clearly come out from the Flowing Flame Sand Field inside his extremely small Starship. Seeing was believing, so no one doubted this truth anymore.
Seeing how it was Qian Tong who had asked, Yang Kai certainly wouldn’t refuse to answer, smiling lightly as he politely cupped his fists and said, “Junior greets Elder Qian, greets City Lord Fei.”
Qian Tong and Fei Zhi Tu exchanged a glance and saw the happiness in each other’s eyes.
They could clearly tell that Yang Kai didn’t show them any less respect just because he now possessed such a powerful Starship. This boy still regarded them as his Seniors and even greeted them courteously as decorum dictated.
Realizing this, both of them unconsciously relaxed.
“Brother Wei, Sister Dong, you’re here too!” Yang Kai next turned to a young man and woman who were standing behind Qian Tong and Fei Zhi Tu and greeted them with a smile.
The two of them returned the greeting politely but couldn’t hide the surprise in their eyes, seemingly still unable to believe the scene they had just witnessed.
“Yang Kai, that rumour…” Qian Tong asked again, unable to restrain his curiosity.
A ray of light flashed across Yang Kai’s eyes before he declared loudly, “Haha, the outside rumours are true: I, along with a small group of friends and disciples have indeed settled down inside this Flowing Flame Sand Field.”
Although he did not shout, Yang Kai spoke loudly enough to allow everyone in the vicinity to hear him, and when this statement came out, it immediately triggered a great uproar with many people expressing doubt, envy, and even awe.
“Great!” Qian Tong was both shocked and was happy for Yang Kai, “Having a place to stay is for the best, and such a wonderful paradise at that! It seems that those kinds of unfortunate matters will never happen again.”
The inside of the Flowing Flame Sand Field could be said to be the most secure location on Shadowed Star, allowing one complete peace of mind without fear of being attacked. In order to get to Yang Kai, one had to first get through an impenetrable Flame Area. Who could possibly do this?
At the very least, no one on Shadowed Star had such ability.
“Many thanks for Elder Qian’s concern, Junior also believes that in the future, there won’t be any blind fools who dare disturb my peace,” Yang Kai grinned meaningfully, his eyes intentionally and unintentionally sweeping a number of masters among the crowd.
While this caused many people’s expression to become gloomy, none of them dared to comment.
“Junior should have sent word of his status earlier, but these days, I have simply had no free time; fortunately, two Seniors have come here in person. Since you’ve arrived here, why not come inside so we can chat? Of course, Brother Wei and Sister Dong are also invited. There are some things this Junior wishes to ask about after all,” Yang Kai suggested earnestly as he really did have some questions to ask.
“Enter inside?” Qian Tong and Fei Zhi Tu heard this and couldn’t help showing happy looks, both of them nodding without hesitation, “Alright, us old masters had such intentions but were worried you would not welcome us.”
“Senior must be joking, how could this Junior not welcome you?” Yang Kai stepped to the side and beckoned, “This way, please!”
Qian Tong and Fei Zhi Tu smiled at each other and did not hesitate to accept the invitation, both of them flying up and entering the Flying Shark Battle Shuttle’s hatch. Wei Gu Chang and Dong Xuan’er also hurried to keep up. The Flying Shark Battle Shuttle did not look very big from the outside, but inside, it could easily accommodate twenty or thirty people without feeling crowded. There were also many rooms inside, so upon entering, Qian Tong and Fei Zhi Tu couldn’t help looking around with great interest, constantly leaking praises from their lips.
After noticing Ye Xi Yun standing behind Yang Yan though, the two of them hurried forward to offer their greetings.
Facing Ye Xi Yun, neither of them dared put on airs. Strictly speaking, both of them were much younger than Ye Xi Yun, so if anyone deserved to act aloof here, it was Ye Xi Yun alone.
“No need for excessive politeness, just find a place to sit down and wait for the Sect Master to handle matters outside then we can return together,” Ye Xi Yun waved her hand lightly.
Qian Tong and Fei Zhi Tu responded quickly, found a chair, and sat down obediently.
With their two Elders trembling like they were sitting on thin ice, how could Wei Gu Chang and Dong Xuan’er dare say anything? Standing up straight behind Qian Tong and Fei Zhi Tu, the two of them made sure to not even breathe loudly.
Outside the Flying Shark Battle Shuttle, Yang Kai stood in place, upright and with an expression of indifference. Although the masters on the scene all possessed higher cultivations than his, this was his site, so how could Yang Kai show any fear?
After remaining silent for a moment, Yang Kai declared loudly, “Previously, this Yang’s words must not have been heard by everyone. From now on, this Flowing Flame Sand Field is my High Heaven Sect’s territory. Please do not linger here for long, otherwise, I will consider it a provocation of my High Heaven Sect, and the consequence, heh heh…”
“High Heaven Sect?”
“What Sect is that?”
“Was there such a Sect on Shadowed Star?”
Many suspicious voices began clamouring in confusion, but Mo Xiao Sheng, Cheng Peng Xuan, and several others immediately frowned, vaguely guessing something.
“High Heaven Sect is a Sect which I conveniently founded for myself and my like-minded friends. Its headquarters is located inside the Flowing Flame Sand Field. Do you all understand now?” Yang Kai shouted again, taking advantage of this opportunity to announce High Heaven Sect’s establishment to the rest of the world.
“Founded a Sect?”
“You?”
The doubting voices only grew louder after Yang Kai’s curt explanation.
It wasn’t surprising that these people responded like this though. Founding a Sect wasn’t something that could just be casually done; at the very least, one needed to have a powerful enough master to assume command of the Sect. Even the smallest Sects on Shadowed Star were founded by Origin Realm masters. Occasionally, there would be a Saint King who didn’t know the immensity of Heaven and Earth who tried to found a Sect but none survived very long, disappearing into the long river of history for one reason or another.
As such, no one took this new High Heaven Sect seriously, just as they didn’t take a mere Saint King Realm Junior like Yang Kai seriously.
Listening to the various voices of scorn and mockery, Yang Kai simply curled his lips into an indifferent sneer.
“Boy,” An authoritative voice suddenly called out, and upon hearing it, Yang Kai turned to its source and saw that it was actually Mo Xiao Sheng of Heaven Battling Union looking at him with a sombre face, “Is what you just said true?”
“What does Senior Mo think?” Yang Kai didn’t answer the question directly. Although Mo Xiao Sheng had participated in the siege of Dragon Cave Mountain last time, Yang Kai wasn’t interested in settling accounts with him now; after all, his personal strength was still a little insufficient to do so. Yang Kai figured he could take his time to deal with this old man; after all, Heaven Battling Union was a great force that wouldn’t disappear suddenly.
Mo Xiao Sheng’s eyes narrowed, remaining silent for a moment before asking, “This old master does not believe you are cracking a joke, but may I ask who your noble Sect’s Sect Master is?”
“This Junior is somewhat unworthy, but he currently holds the position of Sect Master. In the future, I may need to ask Seniors for advice regarding this matter,” Yang Kai smiled meaningfully.
“I see…” Mo Xiao Sheng wore a grave expression as he muttered to himself. Although he knew that Yang Kai would definitely not simply forgive him for what had transpired between them, at this moment, he also had no intentions of making trouble, a moment later putting on a smile and speaking enthusiastically, “Little Friend Yang is a dragon among men, so there is nothing wrong with holding the position of Sect Master of a newly established Sect. En, your noble Sect will surely become a great force not inferior to my Heaven Battling Union in time, possibly even exceeding us one day. Congratulations, congratulations, this is truly an event worth celebrating.”
A light flashed across Yang Kai’s eyes as he wore a faint grin and replied “Senior Mo is too polite. High Heaven Sect was founded simply because this Yang and his friends wished for a place to belong. High Heaven Sect’s policy is and always will be the same as this Junior’s. We have neither lofty ambitions nor desires, we simply wish to live safely and peacefully in our little corner of the world. If others don’t provoke us, we won’t provoke them!”
[Old Dog, trying to direct public hatred towards me is simply shameful.]
While maintaining a smile, Yang Kai cursed Mo Xiao Sheng out in his heart. Although this old dog’s expression was one of geniality and his tone was pleasant, his words were clearly suspicious. There were essentially two great forces on Shadowed Star vying for dominance, Heaven Battling Union and Thunder Typhoon Sect, so if another force with even or stronger power were to emerge, what room would there be for other great forces to survive?
Mo Xiao Sheng’s intentions were clearly to have the masters gathered here direct their animosity towards High Heaven Sect. Really, each of these old dogs was not easy to deal with.
“Good, ‘if others don’t provoke us, we won’t provoke them!’” Mo Xiao Sheng’s eyes flashed with a hint of anger. Naturally, he understood the meaning of Yang Kai’s words. Clearly, this boy was telling him that he would not let the matter of him attacking Dragon Cave Mountain simply drop. However, now wasn’t the time to break this stalemate, so after pausing for a moment, Mo Xiao Sheng asked, “Since your noble Sect has just been founded, you must surely have many things to attend to. If you could allow this old master to enter though, perhaps he can be of some assistance. What does Sect Master Yang think?”
“I’m afraid such a proposal is not appropriate at this time,” Yang Kai shook his head slowly, not even bothering to give Mo Xiao Sheng any face, “Senior Mo is well aware that my Sect has just been founded and has no time to entertain guests. Perhaps in the future, we will extend an invitation to Senior to visit, if there is an opportunity.”
Mo Xiao Sheng fell silent; wanting to enter High Heaven Sect wasn’t because he wanted to inquire about its secrets or status, but rather because the Emperor Garden had suddenly appeared here. If he could get closer to it, he certainly wouldn’t want to wait outside the Flowing Flame Sand Field.
Otherwise, once the Emperor Garden really opened, the people inside who were closer would gain an advantage over those outside. Even with their fastest speed, it would take half a day longer for those outside the Flowing Flame Sand Field to bypass the flame barrier and arrive at the Emperor Garden.
After all, the area occupied by the Flowing Flame Sand Field wasn’t small.
One mustn’t underestimate this half a day’s worth of time. Perhaps it would be the difference between obtaining some huge opportunity inside and obtaining nothing.
Not just Mo Xiao Sheng believed so, most of the other masters here had similar thoughts.
Seeing Mo Xiao Sheng’s attempt at negotiation fail, Cheng Peng Xuan stepped forward and shouted, “All of us have come from so far away, so why is Sect Master Yang being so unaccommodating, refusing to allow anyone to approach? Why not lower this barrier and invite us inside your noble Sect for some tea?”
“That’s right, we should all sit down and discuss this matter slowly.”
“Yes, Sect Master Yang should show some hospitality!”
Immediately, shameless shouts rang out, each and every one of these old masters taking advantage of their age and position to try to force Yang Kai to give them face.
Naturally, Yang Kai paid them no heed, simply standing in place indifferently as he waited for the noise to gradually subside before declaring, “It is not that this Yang does not wish to invite others to visit his Sect, but how would your Sect’s react if you suddenly discovered so many outsiders lingering within your Sect’s territory without your permission? Wouldn’t you immediately expel these loiterers by force? However, since this Yang’s Sect is newly established and has not had a chance to inform the world of its presence yet, and considering this is your first offence, this Yang will not hold you accountable. However, I must insist you depart quickly.”
“This is also your High Heaven Sect’s territory?” Some people raised their brows.
“Yes, starting from this flame barrier and extending out a hundred kilometres is my High Heaven Sect’s territory!” Yang Kai replied solemnly, “No outsiders are allowed to set foot in this region. Otherwise, they will be regarded as invaders provoking my High Heaven Sect!”
As soon as this remark came out, everyone frowned.
Myriad Beast Mountain’s Old Woman Feng stamped her dragon head cane hard on the ground and coldly snorted, “Boy, aren’t you looking down too much on this world’s people? Actually daring to bluster so wantonly!”
“You believe I’m just blustering?” Yang Kai tilted his head towards her and chuckled, “Then dare I ask Senior Feng, how many kilometres outside Myriad Beast Mountain’s headquarters do you forbid outsiders from entering? One hundred kilometres? A thousand kilometres? More?”
Old Woman Feng’s face immediately went black as she choked on her words.
“What about Heaven Battling Union?” Yang Kai turned to look at Mo Xiao Sheng again, the latter wearing a gloomy expression as he remained silent.
“Thunder Typhoon Sect?” Yang Kai looked at Cheng Peng Xuan, who just coldly snorted and looked away.
Yang Kai smiled heartily and waved his hand, “Several Seniors are all prominent figures so do not try to quibble with this Junior. Not to mention the first-class Sects several seniors hail from, which second or even third-class forces allow outsiders to approach their headquarters at will. As far as this Junior knows, the region a thousand kilometres outside any first-class Sect is considered a restricted area that no outsiders may set foot into, yes? Many of you even claim more than this! This Yang is not asking for much, just a hundred kilometres, or could it be that several Seniors believe that since this Yang is young and High Heaven Sect has just been established, we can be bullied as you wish? Do you not place my High Heaven Sect in your eyes at all?”
As he spoke, Yang Kai’s voice gradually became colder, and his expression chilled to match.
“Sect Master Yang, may I say a few words?” A charming voice suddenly called out, one that was crisp and sweet and instantly attracted everyone’s attention.
Yang Kai turned his head and saw a beautiful young woman standing next to Old Woman Feng, looking at him with a smile.
Yang Kai did not know who this girl was, but since she was standing beside Old Woman Feng, she was clearly a disciple of Myriad Beast Mountain.
“What advice does young miss have?” Yang Kai looked at her lightly.
The girl stepped forward and bowed elegantly, seeming knowing how to observe proper etiquette, and with her graceful looks and sweet smile, it was difficult for others to have a poor impression of her.
Pursing her red lips lightly, she sweetly spoke, “I believe this is our first meeting, Sect Master Yang. This little sister is Myriad Beast Mountain disciple Feng Yan.”
“Feng Yan,” Yang Kai raised his brow as he glanced thoughtfully towards Old Woman Feng. These two shared the same surname and the cultivation of this Feng Yan was not very high, Third-Order Saint King Realm the same as him; however, she was standing in an almost equal position to this old woman, so she was likely one of Old Woman Feng’s descendants. Moreover, she must be quite talented, otherwise, she wouldn’t have dared to speak rashly on such an occasion without fear of being punished.
“Little sister doesn’t dare claim to advise Sect Master Yang, I simply wished to remind Sect Master Yang that this Flowing Flame Sand Field was originally one of Shadowed Star’s Three Great Forbidden Zones, a place with no owner. In fact, it could be said that this place is the common property of all Shadowed Star’s cultivators. Every time the Flowing Flame Sand Field opens, many people will come here to seek benefits and opportunities inside. Sect Master Yang now declaring that place is his territory, and even forbidding others from approaching to within a hundred kilometres of its border… doesn’t that seem somewhat improper?” Feng Yan spoke clearly and concisely, immediately illuminating the crux of the problem, causing many of the gathered masters’ eyes to light up and nod in agreement. The entire crowd’s attention quickly became focused on her, with everyone’s face filled with great anticipation, and Feng Yan did not disappoint them. At first glance, it was clear she had experienced many big scenes and continued with a light laugh, “If one really wishes to discuss semantics, every great force on Shadowed Star has partial ownership of this Flowing Flame Sand Field, so Sect Master Yang’s current behaviour is equivalent to snatching that which belongs to everyone. If My Myriad Beast Mountain were to snatch Sect Master Yang’s property, Sect Master Yang would likely be displeased, no? For the same reason, before declaring that your noble Sect has now occupied and controls the Flowing Flame Sand Field, should you not ask the Seniors gathered here for their opinions?”
“Indeed!” Mo Xiao Sheng immediately beat the snake with a stick, nodding nearby and declaring, “Flowing Flame Sand Field is one of the Shadowed Star’s Three Great Forbidden Zones, but the wealth inside it is shared by all of my Shadowed Star’s cultivators. No one alone should be allowed to possess it!”
“Shared wealth?” Yang Kai sneered, curling his lips into a grin, “That may have been how things were in the past, but now the Flowing Flame Sand Field is my High Heaven Sect’s territory! If you are not convinced, you are welcome to try to seize it from me! If any one of you is capable of wresting control of the Flowing Flame Sand Field from my hands, this Yang will hand it over without any complaint!”
“Sect Master Yang…” Feng Yan frowned, her face showing a look of displeasure as she argued lightly, “Is there any need to speak so aggressively? If you really insist on doing this, you will surely be provoking public anger. Does Sect Master Yang not understand what the consequences of doing so will be?”
Yang Kai sneered, “Before, my Dragon Cave Mountain never provoked public anger, yet it was still besieged by so many people. If not for this Yang’s luck being good, perhaps I would have been buried on that hill, so what does provoking or not provoking public anger matter? Girl, don’t try to play word games with me or to threaten me, you’re not qualified to speak to this Sect Master. Let your Elder come out to speak.”
“You…” Feng Yan bit her red lips lightly as she glared at him with resentment, “Aren’t you being unreasonable?”
“Haha, unreasonable? Don’t you understand that, in this world, whoever has the bigger fist is the one who is reasonable?” Yang Kai looked at her with utter ridicule, causing Feng Yan to shiver in anger, her face blushing with embarrassment but not daring to argue back aggressively.
Not interested in giving others an opportunity to make trouble anymore, Yang Kai coldly snorted and swept his eyes over the crowd before shouting loudly, “This Yang has said everything he needs to. If any of you insist on being besotted, this Sect Master does not mind paying a visit to your respective headquarters in the future to return the courtesy. If you fail to heed this Yang’s advice and continue to willingly trespass upon my High Heaven Sect’s territory, then this Yang will no longer be polite! If your Sect suffers any losses as a result, then don’t blame this Yang for not having warned you beforehand.”
This blatant warning, made without any consideration for others’ faces, caused everyone’s expression to become ugly.
Yang Kai looked around and was very satisfied with the reactions of these people. As long as they feared him, they wouldn’t do anything to displease him in the future; after all, Dragon Cave Mountain had displayed astonishing combat strength in the previous battle, especially when their Origin King Grade Starship was counted. No Sect Master would dare disregard the power of this Starship’s Crystal Cannons as they could likely devastate any Sect Defending Array on Shadowed Star.
Suddenly, Yang Kai’s gaze landed on a certain spot in the crowd and he smiled happily, calling out loudly, “Sister Dai Yuan!”
Among this crowd, there was a group of disciples from Coloured Glass Sect present, led by Gong Ao Fu, Dai Yuan, and Yin Su Die.
Yang Kai had not seen them until now.
Hearing Yang Kai call out to her, Dai Yuan showed a smile on her face and gently nodded to him.
“Sister Dai Yuan should also come inside, it will allow us to communicate more easily in the future,” Yang Kai warmly invited.
In an instant, everyone’s attention was redirected towards Dai Yuan, their faces showing looks of surprise and shock as they did.
If Dai Yuan was a great beauty, then Yang Kai extending her an invitation could be explained; after all, which young man did not have a weakness for beauties?
But not only could Dai Yuan not be considered beautiful; she was extremely ugly. Her face was pockmarked and scarred, filled with green and yellow pustules that made her look both ill and malnourished. Even if her figure was quite enchanting, it couldn’t conceal the utter travesty that was her face.
If such a woman were to go out for a walk, most people would actively try to avoid her.
Yet Yang Kai, who had just ridiculed and embarrassed Feng Yan without hesitation, actually took the initiative to invite this Dan Yuan to visit his High Heaven Sect and even said it would make it more convenient for them to communicate in the future.
What was happening here?
Did this boy have some kind of ‘special’ interests, disliking beauties and preferring ugly women? As this thought crossed many people’s minds, they could not help shaking their heads, feeling this was unlikely.
“I…” Suddenly being scrutinized by so many people, Dai Yuan’s expression cramped up slightly; after all, there were too many masters here, making her uncertain of how she should answer for a while.
Gong Ao Fu, on the other hand, had a splendid light flash across her beautiful eyes as she lightly moved her lips and communicated with Dai Yuan, “Yuan’er, since he invited you personally, you should accept. Go in and see what this High Heaven Sect of his looks like. En, if possible, ask him if he will allow the people from of my Coloured Glass Sect to enter the Emperor Garden from inside the Flowing Flame Sand Field when it opens as well.”
Dai Yuan’s brow furrowed. Although she subconsciously wanted to reject, she could not disobey her Honoured Master’s orders so blatantly, so she could only acquiesce, “Since Junior Brother Yang has been kind enough to invite me, this Dai Yuan will not stand on ceremony.”
“Very good,” Yang Kai smiled slightly.
“Yang Kai!” Yin Su Die suddenly called out, her pair of beautiful eyes glowing subtly, releasing a seductive and enrapturing charm. She had cultivated a profound Beguiling Technique and now that she had broken through to the Origin Returning Realm, this technique, combined with her natural beauty, while unable to confuse the old Origin Realm masters present, no Saint King Realm male could resist staring at her.
“Little sister would also like to accompany you inside to have a look. May I?” Yin Su Die asked tenderly, her voice so sweet and melodious that those who heard it felt like a pair of jade white hands were brushing their heart, giving them a sense of comfort that penetrated deep into their bones.
“Do I know you?” What shocked everyone present was that Yang Kai not only did not care about her, he actually bluntly rejected her.
Yin Su Die’s pretty face went from green to red as she gritted her teeth, the infinite style and charm disappearing from her beautiful eyes and being replaced with endless hatred.
But Yang Kai did not pay any further attention to her, simply continuing to scan the crowd for a moment before his gaze fixed on a particular group. Cupping his fists, he called out, “This Senior…”
In the direction he was looking, a middle-aged man in plain robes with long hair giving him a wild and unruly look raised his brow and revealed a happy expression, laughing heartily as he shouted, “Since Sect Master Yang has invited, this old master will not refuse!”
Yang Kai scratched his cheek, musing that he had not actually said anything, yet the other party had already accepted; obviously, this man had long been expecting this to happen.
However, this did not matter; in any case, Yang Kai’s plan really was to invite this man inside.
This man seemed to be called Mo Yu. Yang Kai did not know his details before, only that he had no malicious intentions towards him and was from Clear Sky Sect. During the battle on Dragon Cave Mountain, this man had even taken action once to help Yang Kai resolve some troublesome attacks directed towards him.
Yang Kai did not quite understand why Mo Yu had helped him back then, but everything became clear after seeing Chen Shi Tao and Lu Ying standing behind him now.
Obviously, Mo Yu had helped him at Chen Shi Tao and Lu Ying’s request.
These two young women knew how to express their gratitude, and the middle-aged Mo Yu from Clear Sky Sect was also quite upright. If this were not the case, he would not have secretly helped Yang Kai back on Dragon Cave Mountain, and even though it was just a small action, Yang Kai was not one to forget such a grace.
After all, no one had been optimistic about Dragon Cave Mountain’s survival at that point, so taking a righteous stance proved Mo Yu knew how to distinguish gratitude and grudge.
“Sister Chen and Sister Lu Ying, you two come as well,” Yang Kai called out.
Chen Shi Tao and Lu Ying’s pretty faces filled with happiness as they nodded and quickly flew up after Mo Yu.
Through the open hatch of the Flying Shark Battle Shuttle, Dai Yuan and the Clear Sky Sect trio entered. After seeing the situation inside, however, Mo Yu’s expression became solemn as he hurriedly greeted Ye Xi Yun before following Qian Tong and Fei Zhi Tu’s example, sitting down with a straight back, and remaining silent.
Finished delivering his ultimatum, Yang Kai swept his eyes around once more before also entering the Flying Shark Battle Shuttle, after which this strange flight type artifact flickered slightly and disappeared into the flame barrier.
Outside the Flowing Flame Sand Field, countless masters wore gloomy expressions as they stared towards the flame barrier resentfully, but they were powerless to act.
After seeing Yang Kai’s rampant appearance just now, many people couldn’t help wanting to attack him, but since characters like Mo Xiao Sheng and Cheng Peng Xuan didn’t take action, naturally everyone else restrained themselves, leading to them missing their opportunity. Now that Yang Kai had re-entered the Flowing Flame Sand Field, there was nothing they could do to catch him.
“Elder Mo, that little brat acts far too supercilious. Could it be that we’re just going to let him go like this?” A burly man stepped forward and asked Mo Xiao Sheng, his face filled with unwillingness.
This man was not unknown, and his cultivation was not low. Just a few years ago, he had broken through to the Third-Order Origin Returning Realm and was the Sect Master of a second-class force.
Although he was a Sect Master-level figure, his identity was still lower compared to the Great Elder of Heaven Battling Union; after all, Heaven Battling Union and his Sect were simply not comparable.
“So what does Sect Master Lan wish to do?” Mo Xiao Sheng glanced at him faintly, his expression not betraying any emotion.
“This Lan cannot bear such an insult,” The Sect Master surnamed Lan declared angrily.
“If Sect Master Lan really cannot stand it, then you are free to attack this Flowing Flame Sand Field, perhaps you will even be able to break through the flame barrier. If you can accomplish this, this old master will definitely bring the full power of Heaven Battling Union to assist Sect Master Lan in twisting off that boy’s head!”
Hearing Mo Xiao Sheng speak so mockingly toward him, Sect Master Lan didn’t become upset, simply wearing an awkward look on his face and quickly waving his hand, “Elder Mo must be joking. This Flowing Flame Sand Field has been Shadowed Star’s Forbidden Zone since ancient times. No one can even touch it, so how is this Lan supposed to break through it?”
“Since that’s the case, then stop wasting this old master’s time with such meaningless drivel!” Mo Xiao Sheng coldly snorted.
Receiving such rebuke, Sect Master Lan’s face filled with embarrassment and could only silently retreat.
“Brother Mo, it seems we have no choice but to feign deference here,” Cheng Peng Xuan frowned while letting out a sigh.
“En, this Mo also thinks so. For now, our best option is to try to find a way to enter this Flowing Flame Sand Field, otherwise, when the Emperor Garden opens, we will definitely miss out on some opportunities. As for that High Heaven Sect… Hmph, the future is still long, we’ll let that boy have his moment and demand twice the repayment later.”
“What Brother Mo says makes sense. In the meantime, we shouldn’t remain here and continue to annoy him. If that little brat really decides to take that Origin King Grade Starship and rush to my Thunder Typhoon Sect…” Cheng Peng Xuan shivered as he thought about such a possibility before quickly shouting to his subordinates to follow him, taking the lead to withdraw.
Mo Xiao Sheng did the same.
Seeing that these two giants compromised at this junction, how could any of the other great forces dare to remain? All the assembled masters gathered their companions and disciples and quickly retreated beyond the hundred-kilometre mark Yang Kai had delimited.
At the same time, inside the Flying Shark Battle Shuttle, Yang Yan stared at a projection in front of herself and said with a grin, “Sure enough, they all retreated.”
“Wise choice,” Yang Kai sneered, seemingly having anticipated this scene.
It was not that Yang Kai had some kind of foresight ability, it was just that with the power High Heaven Sect had shown, these loiterers had no other choice.
Without even mentioning High Heaven Sect’s location inside the Flowing Flame Sand Field, which allowed them to sit back and relax without ever worrying about being attacked, High Heaven Sect also had its Origin King Grade Starship as a deterrent.
With just this Starship at its disposal, none dared to easily provoke High Heaven Sect.
After all, once such a provocation was made, they would spend all day on edge, worrying about that Origin King Grade Starship coming to attack them while they could not attack High Heaven Sect at all. Only being able to passively defend while unable to fight back was a strategy that could only end in defeat.
What’s more, this Origin King Grade Starship was the sole existence on Shadowed Star that could possibly do long-distance voyages.
With it, Shadowed Star could completely restore its contact with the outside world, and those masters who had reached the peak of the Third-Order Origin Returning Realm could use it to travel to other stars, escape the suppression of Shadowed Star’s World Principles, and obtain a chance to break through to the Origin King Realm.
Who among Mo Xiao Sheng, Cheng Peng Xuan, and Old Woman Feng had not had such thoughts? Which one of them did not want to take advantage of this Origin King Grade Starship?
They were all masters who had reached and been stuck at the peak of the Origin Returning Realm for countless years, so their greatest wish in life was to be able to break through to the Origin King Realm. Now that an opportunity to do just that had presented itself to them, they naturally wanted to grab hold of it tightly.
It could be said that if not for the incident on Dragon Cave Mountain, they would all be finding ways to establish a good relationship with High Heaven Sect and Yang Kai.
Unfortunately, they had torn face with High Heaven Sect along with many other great forces during the battle of Dragon Cave Mountain. Naturally, they were extremely reluctant and embarrassed to lower their heads and apologize because, if they had done so, they would become laughing stocks for the rest of their lives. Mo Xiao Sheng, Cheng Peng Xuan, and several others could only take a step back and try to stabilize their relationships with High Heaven Sect by not offending it or its interests for now. From there, they could try to find a way to slowly win over Yang Kai.
If there was a chance to resolve their grievances in the future, that would naturally be best.
If they could not though, they would definitely not just sit back and watch High Heaven Sect grow, doing everything they could to uproot and destroy it.
As people mature, they begin to look more long term rather than focusing solely on immediate gains, if this were not the case then Yang Kai’s warning alone would not be enough to force them to withdraw hundreds of kilometres away.
Everyone’s actions today were due to High Heaven Sect’s strategic location and the existence of its Origin King Grade Starship.
Since Yang Kai was well aware of his advantages, he acted with such overbearing confidence.
Although the speed of the Flying Shark Battle Shuttle was quite quick, the Flowing Flame Sand Field was also quite expansive, so it took half a day before it arrived in front of High Heaven Sect’s front gate.
After Yang Yan opened the battle shuttle’s hatch and took the lead with Ye Xi Yun, Qian Tong, Fei Zhi Tu, and Mo Yu hurriedly exited as well, each of them taking in deep breaths of the fresh air around them.
Inside the Starship just now, the atmosphere had really been quite stifling.
Each of these three was a top-level presence in their respective Sects and was famous across Shadowed Star; however, when facing Ye Xi Yun, they always felt suppressed, not daring to act aloof or to even speak casually.
Only after they left the shuttle were they able to relax somewhat, but moments later, all of them became stunned as their eyes bulged and their faces filled with shock.
Seeing the magnificent white jade steps and feeling the incredibly rich World Energy aura made each of these guests almost think that they were no longer on Shadowed Star.
“This…” Qian Tong opened his mouth to speak but was unable to form his thoughts into words.
“Senior, this is my High Heaven Sect’s headquarters. What do you think?” Yang Kai stood up beside him and introduced with a smile.
Qian Tong and the others glanced over at him speechlessly. It was only after quite some time that Qian Tong managed to say, “Little brat, why did you have to show off such a sight to us? The richness of the aura here is something this old master has never seen before in his life.”
“Yeah… this is without a doubt the best cultivation paradise on Shadowed Star,” Mo Yu also nodded solemnly, his face filled with envy. Clear Sky Sect’s headquarters was also located in a mountain range with rich World Energy aura, but compared to this place, the disparity was not small. On top of that, this was just the entranceway to the Sect, so what would it be like inside?
“These must be the ruins of some ancient Sect, yes? There’s no way you could have built such a massive headquarters in such a short time,” Fei Zhi Tu looked at Yang Kai thoughtfully.
“City Lord Fei’s insight is quite sharp. Yes, this is indeed the ruins of an ancient Sect. We are simply the doves occupying this magpie nest,” Yang Kai chuckled.
“Nonsense, you being able to occupy this place is due to your own good fortune. Even if others wanted to occupy this place, they couldn’t,” Qian Tong smiled and shook his head. He was still unable to figure out how they had so easily crossed the Flame Area just now.
Wasn’t this place a Forbidden Zone? Wasn’t it supposed to be impossible for Origin Returning Realm masters to step into this place?
“If you want to talk, we should go inside first. Why just stand around gawking at the entryway?” Ye Xi Yun said lightly before walking up the jade steps alongside Yang Yan.
Since Ye Xi Yun had spoken, no one dared disagree, all of them quickly following behind her.
Walking along the road, Qian Tong and the others secretly surveyed their surroundings and were thoroughly shocked by the richness of the World Energy aura here. A few words were exchanged now and then as the overall atmosphere remained harmonious.
Yang Kai brought up the rear, accompanied by Wei Gu Chang and the others from the younger generation, laughing and chatting with each other the whole way.
Not long after, this small group of people arrived at the Front Court of High Heaven Sect. Seeing the exquisite palaces and massive, open squares once again amazed the newcomers, and the richness of the World Energy made them unconsciously take a few more deep breaths.
Fascination and envy appeared on all their faces.
Looking up, the entire Flowing Flame Sand Field was still surrounded by the red flame barrier, but directly above the Front Court, there was actually an opening more than a dozen kilometres in size, allowing the natural sunlight to pour in.
The Emperor Garden could also be seen floating directly above.
“Please come in!” Yang Kai said aloud as he led everyone inside the reception hall.
This palace was where High Heaven Sect had decided to welcome honoured guests, and with Qian Tong and the others being their very first guests, Yang Kai would certainly not show any neglect.
After entering the reception hall, the host and guests were seated while High Heaven Sect disciples immediately began serving tea and trays of spirit fruits with great diligence.
Ye Xi Yun and Yang Yan did not join them, so Qian Tong and the others no longer felt suppressed and began drinking tea while offering liberal amounts of praise, expressing their respect and expectations for High Heaven Sect’s future.
Only after chatting casually for some time did Yang Kai smile and raise a more serious topic, “Although this is a bit abrupt, Junior would like to ask how many Emperor Jades have appeared now and how many have several Seniors’ Sects managed to acquire.”
Qian Tong and Fei Zhi Tu’s eyes flashed as they pondered for a moment before the former replied, “You and I are not strangers, and Brother Mo and I have known each other for hundreds of years and can be considered old friends. If someone else were to have asked this, this old master would definitely not respond, but since it is you… En, my Shadow Moon Hall has worked hard but only managed to obtain two pieces so far.”
Saying so, he turned his head to look at Mo Yu, who grinned meaningfully and said, “While my Clear Sky Sect is situated quite far from where the Emperor Garden originally appeared, our luck was quite good with one piece of Emperor Jade landing near the Sect’s headquarters while this Mo, through some coincidences, managed to obtain another!”
They had two pieces, equaling the number Shadow Moon Hall had.
On the other side, Dai Yuan lightly opened her lips and replied, “I don’t know exactly how many Coloured Glass Sect managed to obtain, but from listening to my Honoured Master, it doesn’t appear to be many, at most one or two pieces.”
Yang Kai gently nodded, the numbers reported here were similar to what he had predicted. The day the Emperor Jades appeared; the first piece landed on Dragon Cave Mountain, causing Dragon Cave Mountain’s Mountain Defending Array to be destroyed. After obtaining this piece of Emperor Jade, Yang Kai, Yang Yan, and Ye Xi Yun managed to collect another on their way to the Flowing Flame Sand Field.
Afterwards, the three of them left to track down other Emperor Jades but had failed to obtain any, instead wasting quite a bit of time and effort.
In other words, Yang Kai only had two Emperor Jades as well!
Emperor Jades were entry passes to the Emperor Garden and could be used to resist the omnipresent Emperor Pressure. A piece of Emperor Jade could only guarantee a single person’s safe entrance into the Emperor Garden and the quantity that each of the great Sects was able to obtain was quite low, so when the Emperor Garden really opened, there would definitely be some disputes and even bloodshed.
The Emperor Garden was far too attractive for any Third-Order Origin Returning Realm Master. They, more than anyone else, would want to enter it to seek opportunities that may let them break through to the Origin King Realm.
The disciples from the younger generation also needed to be counted amongst the hopeful entrants; after all, each Sect had one or two young geniuses whom they considered to be the future hopes of their Sect. By allowing these disciples to enter the Emperor Garden for life experience and to seek opportunities, it would benefit their future growth.
However, the number of people who could enter was severely limited, and how to decide who would go would depend heavily on the individual Sects themselves. Yang Kai estimated that at least one member of the older generation would lead a member from the younger generation to enter together.
“Heh, although the Emperor Jades appearing is no doubt a good thing, they also set off a reign of terror on Shadowed Star. It seems that a lot of small forces and families were completely destroyed during the recent period, all because of the Emperor Jades!” Qian Tong sighed, shaking his head slowly.
An ordinary man is innocent, but treasures make one guilty! Some small Sects and small families had the good fortune of obtaining an Emperor Jade, but after word leaked out, they were naturally targeted by powerful masters, ultimately leading to their destruction.
In addition, Emperor Jades had become the most sought-after treasure now, so some cultivators without backers that obtained them tried to sell them since they knew they were too weak to keep the Jades.
This naturally attracted countless buyers and robbers.
Today, the price of an Emperor Jade could be calculated by the hundreds of millions, but they were still in short supply.
Which Sect did not want to have one more entry pass? This was different from the Flowing Flame Sand Field. After the Flowing Flame Sand Field opened, only cultivators below the Origin Returning Realm could enter, but the Emperor Garden had no such restrictions.
It could be said that the emergence of Emperor Jades had stirred up chaos and intrigue all across Shadowed Star.
Although Shadow Moon Hall only had two Emperor Jades today, that did not mean it would stay that way. Perhaps they would be lucky enough to purchase another Emperor Jade and increase the number of cultivators they could send in.
After these thoughts flashed across his mind, Yang Kai asked, “May I ask then, do all of you understand what the purpose of this Emperor Jade is?”
Qian Tong smiled slightly before touching his Space Ring and taking out a white jade token the size of a palm, an Emperor Jade. He naturally, and calmly responded, “Although no one has ever used this kind of thing before, according to the analysis of my Shadow Moon Hall’s Elders, this Emperor Jade is probably a pass which allows one to enter the Emperor Garden.”
Saying so, he began pouring his Saint Qi into the Emperor Jade, causing a white light to burst from it which soon spread out past Qian Tong’s palm.
This white halo was not very big, only about half a meter in diameter after fully forming.
“Oh? It’s slightly bigger than before,” Qian Tong raised his brow, showing a touch of joy, explaining to Yang Kai in the next moment, “When this old master poured his Saint Qi into this Emperor Jade a few days ago, this light halo wasn’t so big. It seems that as time passes, the light halo produced by this Emperor Jade gradually becomes larger, and when it can completely cover a person, that’s probably a sign they can enter the Emperor Garden safely.”
“Exactly!” Mo Yu nodded lightly to the side, “Brother Qian’s speculations match with this Mo’s.”
Saying so, Mo Yu took out his own Emperor Jade and poured his Saint Qi into it, causing another white halo equal in size to the one covering Qian Tong’s palm to appear before continuing, “No one is capable of resisting the Emperor Pressure emitted from the Emperor Garden; it can only be resisted by this Emperor Jade. If this weren’t the case, no matter how high one’s cultivation might be, there would only be one fate for approaching the Emperor Garden!”
Death!
After the Emperor Garden had appeared, nearly a hundred masters from Shadowed Star’s great forces banded to try to approach it, but during this attempt, half of these masters were killed by the ambient Emperor Pressure. Since then, the various great forces on Shadowed Star had been monitoring the Emperor Garden’s movements while trying to find a way to resolve the problem of the Emperor Pressure it constantly exuded, but none of them had come up with a good solution.
The emergence of the Emperor Jades had solved this issue though.
Mo Yu and Qian Tong thought that Yang Kai didn’t know anything about this matter so they kindly explained their hypotheses to him; what they didn’t know was that Yang Kai was clearer about this than any of them.
Yang Kai had invited them into High Heaven Sect with the intention to tell them about the purpose of these Emperor Jade, but now it seems he had done something unnecessary. These old fogies were not stupid, so they had naturally come up with some ideas on their own through observation and experimentation.
“Judging from the rate at which these light halos are increasing in size, I’d say it will be another half a year at least before we are able to enter the Emperor Garden safely!” Qian Tong looked over at Yang Kai.
Yang Kai gently nodded in agreement.
Half a year was quite a long buffer period, enough time for at least the various great forces to buy up more Emperor Jades and do some preparations before entering the Emperor Garden. Although trying to increase their cultivation level in such a period would be impossible for most, it was actually just right to Yang Kai.
Now that he had reached the peak of the Third-Order Saint King Realm, he was just one step away from the Origin Returning Realm. If his luck was good and he had enough opportunity, he could use this half a year to break through, and as long as he reached the Origin Realm, his strength would greatly increase.
If Yang Kai could achieve this, his safety would be much more assured when the time came to enter the Emperor Garden.
Secretly making up his mind, Yang Kai next thought about some issues which had been bothering him, pausing for a moment before asking, “Right, how and when did the Emperor Garden suddenly rush over to my High Heaven Sect?”
Qian Tong and the others looked at each other and smiled bitterly.
Fei Zhi Tu explained, “Only the Heavens would know why this happened. This old master even suspected it was some kind of trick you pulled, or that someone from your little group had some kind of connection to the Emperor Garden. Otherwise, how could it chase after you like this?”
Although he knew the other party was joking, Yang Kai’s brow could not help twitching. After all, what Fei Zhi Tu said was essentially right, the reason the Emperor Garden seemed to be chasing after Yang Kai was completely because of Yang Yan, but this was naturally not something which could be spoken aloud.
“As for when it happened, it was about a month ago. For a time after you left Dragon Cave Mountain, the Emperor Garden did not show any kind of change, but one day, it just disappeared, all of a sudden. At that time, all of us old masters had a scare, thinking that the Emperor Garden had vanished and we missed a giant opportunity as a result, but we soon learned that it had simply relocated to the Flowing Flame Sand Field. In the end, we all ran over and sure enough, the Emperor Garden really was here,” Fei Zhi Tu spoke helplessly while shaking his head, seemingly exhausted after being made to run after the Emperor Garden.
This was the former private residence of the Starry Sky Great Emperor; naturally, no one wanted it to just disappear from sight.
“So that’s how it is,” Yang Kai gently nodded before smiling, “It seems my High Heaven Sect and the Emperor Garden share some kind of fate, wherever we go it seems to follow.”
When these words were spoken, everyone present smiled, not taking Yang Kai seriously.
After chatting again for a while, Mo Yu’s expression became serious and he spoke, “Sect Master Yang, this old master has a request I hope you can agree to!”
Yang Kai grinned heartily and said, “Senior Mo is too polite, although I am a Sect Master, I am still just a Junior. If Senior Mo would like, feel free to just address me as Yang Kai, the title Sect Master does not really suit me.”
A slightly startled light flashed across Mo Yu’s eyes before he let out a burst of hearty laughter and spoke happily, “Good, good, Sect Master Yang is truly a free spirit, not bothered by meaningless trifles, very much in line with this old master’s own personality.”
“Senior is too kind,” Yang Kai replied modestly before asking, “What request does Senior wish to discuss with me?”
Although he was asking this, Yang Kai vaguely guessed what Mo Yu wanted to say.
Mo Yu lightly coughed, his expression turning serious again, “Now that the Emperor Garden is floating directly above your noble Sect, your noble Sect clearly has a distinct advantage over all others. I was wondering if it would be possible for my Clear Sky Sect to depart from here on the day the Emperor Garden opens to enter it.”
Sure enough, it was just as Yang Kai had guessed. Now that the Emperor Garden was floating above High Heaven Sect, if one could depart from here, it would save them at least half a day of time compared to setting out from outside the Flowing Flame Sand Field. Half a day would be enough to find and obtain many good things.
It was not easy for Mo Yu to make this request though; after all, his relationship with Yang Kai was quite thin, and it would not be surprising for him to be rejected outright.
Worried about this very possibility, Mo Yu immediately added, “Of course, if you Sect Master Yang feels this is inappropriate then just pretend this old master had not asked.”
“Inappropriate?” Yang Kai shook his head slowly while saying casually, “Since Senior Mo is the Honoured Master of Sister Chen and Sister Lu Ying, this Junior certainly won’t refuse. Not to mention departing for the Emperor Garden from here, if Senior Mo likes, you are free to wait here in my High Heaven Sect until the day arrives.”
As soon as this statement came out, Chen Shi Tao and Lu Ying, who had been standing behind Mo Yu, both had a brilliant light flash across their beautiful eyes as they cast grateful looks towards Yang Kai.
Mo Yu also wore a look of joy on his face, not previously expecting Yang Kai to agree so easily. He had still been considering whether he should have Chen Shi Tao and Lu Ying ask personally if Yang Kai refused, but it seems there was no need to do so at all now.
Mo Yu deeply admired Yang Kai’s forthrightness; after all, this kind of matter was not something to be casually decided upon. Clearly, the other party so readily agreeing was completely because of Chen Shi Tao and Lu Ying’s face.
Although these two disciples of his did not have the best of aptitudes, their luck was quite good and they had made a very good friend. Mo Yu immediately felt relieved and offered his sincere thanks. As for Yang Kai inviting him to remain here in High Heaven Sect, Mo Yu naturally had not taken him seriously as it was obvious that this was simply Yang Kai being polite.
High Heaven Sect had only just been founded, and certainly had many matters to attend to, having Yang Kai agree to let Clear Sky Sect use it as a staging ground on the day the Emperor Garden opened was already more than Mo Yu could have expected, so how could he be brazen enough to remain and take advantage of the latter’s hospitality as well?
“En, Elder Qian and Shadow Moon Hall’s contingent are also welcome to set out for the Emperor Garden from my High Heaven Sect!” Yang Kai turned his head to Qian Tong and spoke.
“If that’s the case, this old master will offer his thanks in advance,” Qian Tong grinned meaningfully, not bothering to be polite. Yang Kai had already agreed to allow Clear Sky Sect to enter the Emperor Garden from here, so he definitely would not refuse Shadow Moon Hall doing the same; Qian Tong understood this well.
“Sister Dai Yuan, if you’re interested, you can also set out from here,” Yang Kai looked over at Dai Yuan and said, adding afterwards, “But the others from Coloured Glass Sect may not.”
Although Yang Kai was good to his friends, that did not mean he was charitable to others. Allowing these people to enter the Emperor Garden from High Heaven Sect was all because he had personal friendships with them, but that did not mean he would extend the same courtesy to Coloured Glass Sect. He had no friendship with anyone else in Coloured Glass Sect, and even had a grudge with Yin Su Die.
Dai Yuan’s face became gloomy as she smiled bitterly, “Dai Yuan thanks Junior Brother Yang for his kindness, but… I probably won’t have an opportunity to enter the Emperor Garden.”
Yang Kai frowned but soon understood why she said this. In Coloured Glass Sect, Dai Yuan was not thought of very highly. If there really was a disciple from the younger generation eligible to enter the Emperor Garden, it would be Yin Su Die, not her; after all, the quotas for entering were simply too precious.
Qian Tong, however, grinned meaningfully and said, “Dai Yuan, there’s no need to belittle yourself so. If it was before, I’d agree that you really don’t have a chance to enter the Emperor Garden, but now… heh heh, although this old master doesn’t dare make a guarantee, there’s probably at least a seventy percent chance you will be able to, as long as that old fogey Gong Xing He hasn’t gone senile yet.”
Dai Yuan’s brow furrowed slightly as she turned to look at Qian Tong in surprise, seemingly not understanding why he would make such an assertion.
However, she was not a fool and quickly understood after some thought!
Indeed, if it were before, she would not have a chance to enter the Emperor Garden, but now, the only one who had any kind of relationship with Yang Kai in Coloured Glass Sect was her. They could even be considered close friends. If Coloured Glass Sect really wanted to be on good terms with Yang Kai, they would not mistreat Dai Yuan.
And did Coloured Glass Sect want to be on good terms with Yang Kai? Absolutely.
Without even mentioning that High Heaven Sect was the best place to enter the Emperor Garden from, the Origin King Grade Starship in Yang Kai’s possession was not something Coloured Glass Sect’s Sect Master Gong Xing He could ignore. He was also a master at the peak of the Third-Order Origin Returning Realm and wanted to break through to the Origin King Realm!
To break through to the Origin King Realm, one needed to leave Shadowed Star to escape the shackles of the World Principles here.
The only way to do this, however, was by travelling aboard Yang Kai’s Origin King Grade Starship.
As such, Gong Xing He definitely wanted to be on good terms with Yang Kai and High Heaven Sect, which would lead to Dai Yuan having an opportunity to obtain an Emperor Jade in turn.
Considering all this, Dai Yuan could not help feeling excited as she cast her beautiful eyes towards Yang Kai with gratitude.
Although this matter was far from certain, she now had a chance to enter the Emperor Garden at least, and it was all because of Yang Kai.
When a person’s ability and resources reach a certain level, they can affect the destiny of others, both subtly and overtly! Before now, Dai Yuan had not really given such sentiments much thought, but now she was able to experience it personally, astonishing her somewhat.
With Dai Yuan immediately understanding the crux of this matter, Yang Kai naturally wasn’t ignorant of it either, grinning as he said, “Sister Dai Yuan, after returning to your Sect, please mention to Senior Gong that if Coloured Glass Sect’s delegation is lead by you, this Sect Master would have no reason to not allow them to depart for the Emperor Garden from High Heaven Sect!”
As soon as this remark came out, Dai Yuan’s tender body shivered as she bit her thin lip, not knowing what to say, only able to wear a look of gratitude on her face that everyone was able to understand.
Yang Kai’s words just now were tantamount to forcing Coloured Glass Sect to give her an entry quota!
Although his remarks may have sounded somewhat overbearing, Coloured Glass Sect would obviously make a smart choice; after all, Dai Yuan was a disciple of Coloured Glass Sect, so if she obtained some benefits from the Emperor Garden, it would also increase Coloured Glass Sect’s strength.
Taking a deep breath, Dai Yuan slowly got up and elegantly bowed to Yang Kai. Although she did not speak any words, this gesture was enough to express her attitude.
Qian Tong and the others present all observed this with thought-provoking smiles.
In truth, the few old men present did not quite understand why a young man like Yang Kai cared so much about a woman like Dai Yuan; after all, she was unattractive!
Unattractive was putting it politely, ugly was really the only way Dai Yuan’s face could be described!
However, as a result, their evaluations of Yang Kai rose further, thinking this boy was not someone who judged others by appearance, placing more importance on sentiment and friendship.
After Dai Yuan excitedly took her seat again, Yang Kai suddenly had a thought and grinned as he asked, “Several Seniors, if you can, I’d like you to help this Junior with a little something.”
“Oh?” Qian Tong looked at Yang Kai with a surprised look, “Boy, your means and methods are now extraordinarily high. What do you need our help for? Well, whatever it is, feel free to mention it, it’s a chance for we old masters to do you a favour.”
Fei Zhi Tu and Mo Yu also nodded, turning to Yang Kai curiously.
Yang Kai smiled treacherously and whispered a few words to them.
After Qian Tong and the others heard what he said, they all exchanged a somewhat blank glance before grinning themselves, Qian Tong putting on a forced smile, “Boy, you’re seriously quite crafty. If this kind of news gets out, you’ll likely be able to achieve your objective in short order!”
“Exactly. High Heaven Sect now occupies this incredible geographical advantage, so not using it to your advantage to do some business would be a shame!” Fei Zhi Tu grinned fiercely.
“I’m simply making use of local resources, drinking fresh water from the local stream. Several Seniors don’t need to taunt this Junior,” Yang Kai quickly waved his hand.
“Rest assured, after this old master leaves here, he will definitely spread the word for you, and… even if we don’t say anything, those people outside will probably come here on their own to ask. In fact, I’m sure they’re impatiently trying to figure out a way to do just that right now,” Mo Yu chuckled.
Yang Kai’s eyes flashed as he could not help somewhat looking forward to the future.
This was understandable though. Just now, he had asked Qian Tong and the others here to spread word that High Heaven Sect intended to sell several spots to outside Sects to depart from inside the Flowing Flame Sand Field on the day the Emperor Garden opened.
However, there would only be three such spots, and as for the price, Yang Kai did not mention one, simply implying that whichever great force bids the highest would win the best starting position.
The best spot and the worst spot would mean a difference of three to four hours extra distance from the Emperor Garden.
If anyone was willing to offer up an Emperor Jade, their Sect would even be allowed to set off directly from High Heaven Sect’s Front Court.
Yang Kai currently only had two Emperor Jades, but High Heaven Sect required at least three. He and Yang Yan needed to enter the Emperor Garden, and Ye Xi Yun would certainly need to accompany them as well; after all, she was one of, if not the, strongest master on Shadowed Star, having her by their side would increase their safety margin greatly. Lacking this last Emperor Jade, Yang Kai had been somewhat worried, but now there was a good chance for him to solve this problem.
Departing from High Heaven Sect’s Front Court to enter the Emperor Garden had an incredible appeal, one strong enough that trading an Emperor Jade might be worth it.
Qian Tong and the others praised his proposal, but also warned Yang Kai to remain cautious and not let the people he sold these spots to take advantage of him.
Yang Kai naturally nodded. Since he had decided to do this, he would certainly not make any careless mistakes, planning on having Yang Yan arrange several powerful Spirit Arrays at the designated departure spots so as not to let outsiders wander about freely in his territory.
If anyone dared to leave the designated spots, he would show them no mercy!
As such, this danger was not difficult to avoid.
Afterwards, Yang Kai politely asked Qian Tong and the others for their insights about breaking through to the Origin Returning Realm, a request to which everyone freely offered their own experiences and comprehensions, allowing Yang Kai to benefit greatly.
In particular, the opinions of Wei Gu Chang and Dong Xuan’er were extremely helpful to Yang Kai; after all, these two had only broken through recently, so many of their experiences and insights were still quite fresh in their mind. Although their overall comprehension of this matter fell behind Qian Tong and other masters’, they won out in terms of familiarity and understandability.
Dai Yuan also listened very seriously!
Like Yang Kai, she was a peak Third-Order Saint King and would enter retreat to break through to the Origin Returning Realm after returning to Coloured Glass Sect. She also had the Origin Condensing Pill that Yang Kai had given her a while back, so she was completely confident in succeeding.
After half a day, Yang Kai got up and saw his guests off from the reception hall. Outside, Wu Yi personally escorted them out of the Flowing Flame Sand Field via the Flying Shark Battle Shuttle.
Sitting in the reception hall, Yang Kai sank into contemplation for a moment before taking out his communication artifact and pouring his Divine Sense into it.
A moment later, Yang Yan arrived.
Yang Kai told her about his idea of selling departure spots, causing Yang Yan to nod in praise and immediately set off to start making preparations. After all, this news would draw the attention of countless forces and would no doubt set off intense competition.
As for who would end up winning these precious few spots, Yang Kai believed that Wu Yi and Yang Yan would be able to handle it properly. With nothing else for Yang Kai to worry about now, he could focus on breaking through to the Origin Returning Realm!
After giving a brief explanation of things to Yang Yan, Yang Kai immediately returned to First Heavenly Palace and entered retreat.
Inferring from the rate at which the protective cover formed by the Emperor Jades was expanding, the Emperor Garden would open in roughly half a year. Breaking through to the Origin Returning Realm in half a year would be a bit rushed, but it shouldn’t be a problem.
This was the first time Yang Kai had deliberately entered retreat to achieve a breakthrough.
In the past, his breakthroughs had all occurred naturally and were never forced, but this time’s expedition to the Emperor Garden was extremely important. Therefore, with his strength slightly lacking at the Third-Order Saint King Realm, it was natural that Yang Kai wanted to try and raise his cultivation to the next realm.
Forcing a breakthrough was somewhat contrary to the meaning of cultivation, but this was not a big problem. Yang Kai had remained in the Third-Order Saint King Realm for some time now and had experienced several great battles, so he was not lacking in comprehension of his realm. There was also no need to worry about the purity, density, and amount of his Saint Qi, so all he was lacking now was some kind of opportunity to break through.
Inside First Heavenly Palace, Yang Kai sat cross-legged, his expression indifferent, not hurrying to enter a meditative state or accumulate strength. Instead, he calmly began taking out a large number of herbs from his Space Ring and summoned his Alchemy Furnace.
He was preparing to refine pills!
Alchemy was also a part of his cultivation. Through Alchemy, Yang Kai could stabilize his mood while tempering his Saint Qi and Spiritual Energy, something which had been of great benefit to him.
Few people knew he was an Alchemist. Besides Dai Yuan who had asked him to help him once, Yang Yan was likely the only one who knew this. Even Wu Yi wasn’t in the know. Yang Kai had told her once but Wu Yi hadn’t believed him at the time.
After all, a cultivator being able to reach the Third-Order Saint King Realm at Yang Kai’s age was already an incredible feat, so how could he have the extra time and energy to study Alchemy as well?
She had figured that Yang Kai was just joking with her.
However, Yang Kai was indeed an Alchemist, and an Origin Grade Mid-Rank Alchemist at that. Currently, Yang Kai could easily refine Origin Grade Mid-Rank pills, and occasionally, with good luck, he could even refine Origin Grade High-Rank pills.
If this information were to be leaked out, Yang Kai’s status would immediately soar and countless great forces would no doubt try to recruit him.
Even if this was a different Cultivation Star in the Star Field, an Origin Grade Mid-Rank Alchemist would still be a remarkable existence, not to mention in a place like Shadowed Star. But along with such lofty status, it would also cause countless masters to target him.
Yang Kai only used Alchemy as an auxiliary to his cultivation and did not intend to fully devote himself to the Alchemic Way, so how could he allow such sensitive information leak out knowing that it would only cause him trouble?
As he pushed his Conflagrated Spiritual Energy and wrapped it around his Alchemy furnace, Yang Kai began refining one spirit herb after another in an orderly fashion.
Time passed, and in the blink of an eye, it was a month later.
At this moment, inside First Heavenly Palace, there was an array of big and small jade bottles in front of Yang Kai, each one filled with pills of varying grades, many of which had fine lines that resembled human meridians emblazoned across their surfaces.
Pill Veins!
These special lines dramatically increased the value of a pill. Pill Veins not only doubled the efficacy of a pill, they also ensured that its potency would not diminish over time if stored properly.
Pill Veins were thought to only be coincidental, and countless Alchemists spent their entire lifetimes trying to find a way to refine pills that formed Pill Veins only to ultimately fail. Yang Kai, however, had a different approach to forming Pill Veins by treating them as a special type of Spirit Array and arranging them thus. As a result, the pills stemming from his hand normally had a terrifying chance of forming Pill Veins.
On Rainfall Star, Grandmaster Zong Ao was thoroughly shocked by Yang Kai’s methods.
At that time, Yang Kai was just a Saint King Grade Alchemist while Zong Ao was already an Origin Grade High-Rank Alchemist, but the problem which had plagued Zong Ao for over a hundred years was something Yang Kai actually managed to accomplish with ease, so how could Zong Ao not be shocked?
Although the two made a deal and Yang Kai taught Zong Ao his special method of forming Pill Veins, the latter was still somewhat frustrated because he didn’t possess Yang Kai’s Conflagrated Knowledge Sea and could not easily use his Divine Sense during Alchemy to portray the necessary Spirit Arrays. However, carefully cutting rough stone into jade, Zong Ao did not leave empty handed from this transaction, and after so many years, Yang Kai wondered whether this old man had reached the rank of Origin King Grade Alchemist.
If Zong Ao was successful, he could be counted among the peak characters in the entire Star Field, enjoying admiration and worship from trillions of cultivators.
Putting away these miscellaneous thoughts, Yang Kai’s eyes swept over the results of his one month’s labour.
Tri-Clear Pill, Jade Spirit Pill, Saint King Pill, Returning Yuan Pill…
There were many types of pills laid out before Yang Kai and he had nearly exhausted his supply of spirit grasses and spirit fruits.
With a flick of his wrist though, a certain pale blue pill appeared between Yang Kai’s fingers, one that released a rich, stimulating fragrance. This pill was only the size of a longan and was densely covered with Pill Veins.
Origin Condensing Pill!
Saint Kings who attempted to break through to the Origin Returning Realm could use this pill as an auxiliary to promote their chances of success! Dai Yuan had gone to Dragon Cave Mountain some time ago specifically to ask Yang Kai to refine an Origin Condensing Pill for her; however, at that time, Yang Kai had not acted fully and only produced an ordinary Origin Condensing Pill without Pill Veins, causing it to be vastly different in value to the one he was currently holding.
Staring at this pill, Yang Kai revealed a thoughtful look, but after a long silence, he put it away again.
This was the fallback guarantee he prepared for himself, to ensure that he could break through to the Origin Realm!
If he could not achieve a breakthrough on his own before the Emperor Garden was scheduled to open, he would use this Origin Condensing Pill to assist him.
Breaking through to the next realm with the assistance of some special pills was not uncommon; in fact, ninety nine percent of cultivators would do so at some point, but doing so would result in a cultivator losing out on the insights and comprehensions they could gain by achieving a breakthrough on their own. This led to varying degrees of imperfection in one’s breakthrough.
It was difficult to say if this ultimately resulted in any disadvantages to a cultivator. Perhaps it would affect their future achievements negatively, or perhaps it would have no effect at all, there was even a chance it had some deleterious effects, but they were so minimal that they could essentially be ignored.
Yang Kai, however, had never used any pills to assist him in breaking through as he did not want any flaws to appear in his cultivation path.
Of course, this was simply a convention he had followed until now and Yang Kai was not so rigid that he would adhere to it at the expense of more urgent and important considerations. This Origin Condensing Pill that had Pill Veins was refined by him simply as a measure of last resort.
Now that he had finished adjusting his mood by refining so many pills, Yang Kai inhaled a deep breath and took out a fist-sized spherical white crystal from his Space Ring.
Saint Crystal Source!
This was a special product that the Stone Puppet could produce by swallowing and condensing Saint Crystals and was an existence above High-Rank Saint Crystals in terms of purity and richness of energy. It was the best auxiliary source of Saint Qi to use during a secluded retreat.
Below First Heavenly Palace, there was a Spirit Spring that constantly produced a steady stream of World Energy, making the aura here extremely rich. Together with these Saint Crystal Sources, Yang Kai’s cultivation speed could only be described as rapid, so with a five month buffer period, he was confident he could break through to the Origin Realm.
Just as he was preparing to enter a state of meditative cultivation, Yang Kai suddenly showed a look of surprise as he glanced outwards.
Someone had touched upon First Heavenly Palace’s barrier, causing Yang Kai to frown.
Before entering retreat, he had specifically told Yang Yan to not disturb him until the opening day of the Emperor Garden, so why after just one month had passed had someone come to seek him?
Could something important have come up in High Heaven Sect?
Thinking so, Yang Kai quickly got up and walked out, waving his hand to open the isolation barrier.
Not long after, Yang Kai arrived outside First Heavenly Palace and found Qian Yue waiting for him. Upon seeing Yang Kai walk out, Qian Yue saluted him quickly.
“What’s the matter?” Yang Kai asked while carefully observing her reactions but not finding any sign of tension on Qian Yue’s face. Obviously, High Heaven Sect had not encountered some kind of difficulty.
“Sister Yang Yan asked me to call you over,” Qian Yue replied softly.
“Yang Yan?” Yang Kai’s brow twitched when his suspicions were confirmed. In High Heaven Sect, no one would dare disturb him while he was in retreat besides her. Pausing for a moment, Yang Kai asked, “Did she say why she wanted me to see her?”
Qian Yue shook her head slowly, pursing her lips and smiling, “Sister Yang Yan just said she had something good to show you.”
“A good thing?” Yang Kai frowned before snorting and mumbling, “That woman’s head is getting a bit too big, disturbing me at this critical time and even calling me over to see her. If this good thing of hers isn’t worth my attention just watch how I tidy her up!”
Saying so, he flew off.
Releasing his Divine Sense around, Yang Kai quickly found Yang Yan’s location.
Hundred Flower Peak, the place where Yang Yan and Ye Xi Yun lived, a mountain covered in a profound Spirit Array that made the temperature feel spring-like all year round and was completely covered in all kinds of rare and precious flowers, making it one of the most elegant and beautiful places in High Heaven Sect.
Hundred Flower Peak was a dozen or so kilometres away from First Heavenly Palace, so with Yang Kai’s current speed, this kind of distance could be crossed in but a moment.
Soon, Yang Kai landed on Hundred Flower Peak and across the expansive fields of blossoms, he saw Yang Yan sitting at a stone table next to a small pavilion, one leg crossed across the other, drinking tea leisurely. Ye Xiang Yun actually stood behind her with a respectful and humble look upon her face, just like a humble maidservant.
The Stone Puppet was also here, squatting on the stone table in front of Yang Yan, its face completely blank, like a statue.
“Yang Kai!” Yang Yan shouted happily when she saw Yang Kai arrive.
“Whatever this good thing is, hurry up and show me,” Yang Kai appeared in front of her and declared, disinclined to engage in idle chatter. Time was short for him right now, so how could he have the mind to discuss any nonsense with Yang Yan?
“Why so anxious?” Yang Yan curled her lips, but still didn’t waste any time, wiping her Space Ring and taking out something that looked like an ore.
This thing was bronze-coloured and irregular in shape, roughly the size of a washbasin with its surface full of pits.
Looking at this thing, Yang Kai’s brow furrowed as he showed a look of confusion.
With his eyesight, he could naturally tell this ore was some kind of very high-grade material, but he could not tell what it was.
It wasn’t surprising that Yang Kai couldn’t recognize this material though. Although Yang Kai had travelled widely over the years and could be considered well-informed, he still could not identify all of the strange materials in this world.
However, since Yang Yan had deemed to disturb him at such a critical time for this piece of ore, its value was certainly not trivial and was also very likely of great use to him somehow.
Otherwise, Yang Yan would not have acted so.
Sweeping this ore with his Divine Sense though, Yang Kai still couldn’t see anything extraordinary about it, as if it was nothing more than an ordinary stone.
“Try pouring your Saint Qi into it!” Yang Yan prompted.
Yang Kai didn’t hesitate, stretching out his hand to touch the ore and pouring out his Saint Qi, but in the next instant, his expression changed dramatically and he quickly withdrew his hand, calling out in alarm, “It absorbed my Saint Qi?”
This was not Yang Kai simply raising a fuss, this ore was simply that strange. When he poured his Saint Qi into it, it was as if he was pouring water into a bottomless sea, causing no reaction at all. It was like this ore could endlessly absorb his Saint Qi.
This kind of situation was one he had never encountered before.
This piece of ore was truly amazing!
“What is this?” Yang Kai suddenly became interested and raised his head to ask.
“Divine Nullification Stone!”
“Divine Nullification Stone?” Yang Kai’s brow furrowed. He had never heard of such a thing before. Even Ye Xi Yun, who was standing behind Yang Yan, frowned, obviously hearing about it for the first time as well.
“What use does it have?”
“Didn’t you see just now?” Yang Yan smiled softly, “Nullifying Saint Qi is the most important property of Divine Nullification Stone. It is a genuine Origin King Grade Artifact Refining material as well, so what do you think would happen if you were to fight an opponent using an artifact refined from this?”
Hearing her explanation, Yang Kai’s eyes lit up. If this was the case, then an artifact refined from Divine Nullification Stone could instantly destroy any kind of Martial Skill, because Martial Skills were condensed from a cultivator’s Saint Qi, which this Divine Nullification Stone could essentially erase before it even had a chance to do any damage.
“Yup, this really is a treasure,” Yang Kai nodded repeatedly, and since it was an Origin King Grade Artifact Refining material, any artifact refined from it would also be Origin King Grade. This grade of artifact on Shadowed Star was incredibly rare.
The Bone Incinerating Flame Lamp in Ye Xi Yun’s hands was an Origin King Grade artifact that was famous across all of Shadowed Star for instance.
After offering his sincere evaluation, Yang Kai’s brow suddenly furrowed again as he asked, “But what does this have to do with me?”
He didn’t believe Yang Yan had called him out just to show off this piece of Origin King Grade Artifact Refining material! After all, Yang Yan wasn’t bored to such an extent. There had to be another purpose to all this.
“This Divine Nullification Stone really has nothing to do with you, but the things inside of it are very useful to you!” Yang Yan smiled meaningfully.
“There’s something inside of it?” Yang Kai looked surprised.
“En, Divine Nullification Stone is a very special ore that can absorb and nullify all forms of energy, even the ambient World Energy aura. This piece of Divine Nullification Stone was given to us by a mid-scale family. According to their Patriarch, it was obtained by one of their ancestors in an Ancient Ruin several thousand years ago, so from this, it can be deduced that this ore definitely has a very long history.”
“Why would a mid-sized family deliver us this kind of treasure?” Yang Kai was even more confused.
“Didn’t you say you wanted to sell a few entry spots to the Emperor Garden? Now, all the great forces outside are struggling to obtain as many quotas to enter the Emperor Garden as possible. The fighting has been intense; even we need another Emperor Jade. This Divine Nullification Stone was the bargaining chip that a family offered!”
“So that’s how it is, it seems the people from that family aren’t very knowledgeable,” Yang Kai grinned, taking pleasure in others’ misfortune. An Origin King Grade material was far too precious on the Shadowed Star, so Yang Kai believed the other party did not understand just how valuable this ore was otherwise they wouldn’t have offered it to them.
“You’re wrong,” Yang Yan, however, shook her head, “Although that Fang Family is now in decline and doesn’t possess any kind of great strength at the moment, it had a number of powerful masters a few thousand years ago, so although they might not have been able to positively identify this Divine Nullification Stone, they would at least understand that it is an Origin King Grade material.”
Yang Kai frowned and hesitantly asked, “Then why…”
“It’s precisely because they know that it is Origin King Grade material that they decided to take out this Divine Nullification Stone to impress us. Do you think something worthless can snatch one of my High Heaven Sect’s departure spots from Shadowed Star’s countless forces?” Yang Yan smiled, “That Fang Family’s luck was good as they managed to obtain a single Emperor Jade, but their strongest master has only reached the Second-Order Origin Realm. If they want to have any hope of obtaining something good in the Emperor Garden, they can only try to win one of the early departure spots from us wholeheartedly.”
Yang Kai gently nodded, revealing a look of understanding.
An Origin King Grade material was indeed worth a fortune, but even if it was incredibly precious, compared to the temptation of entering the Emperor Garden in advance, it was still inferior because on all of Shadowed Star, no one could refine Origin King Grade materials. In other words, this Divine Nullification Stone was a very expensive but useless treasure to that family.
Since they had no way to make use of it, using it as a bargaining chip to win one of the departure spots from High Heaven Sect was a better idea.
Their luck was indeed good, bumping into someone as knowledgeable as Yang Yan. If it was someone else, they wouldn’t have been able to realize the value of this Divine Nullification Stone instantly.
After obtaining a lot of Saint Crystals and this Divine Nullification Stone from that small family, High Heaven Sect agreed to sell them one of the departure spots. Now, all they needed to do was wait for the Emperor Garden to open and they could set out from High Heaven Sect’s territory.
“What did you mean when you said the things inside this are of great use to me?” Yang Kai asked.
“Even if you didn’t ask, I would tell you. Otherwise, why do you think I would call you out here? Weren’t you looking for a supreme Earth Attribute treasure?”
“En,” Yang Kai nodded, a look of joy appearing on his face in the next instant, calling out in surprise, “You’re saying…”
“Exactly!” Yang Yan smiled, “Although the Divine Nullification Stone itself is not of the Earth Attribute, the Divine Nullification Sand inside it undoubtedly is a supreme Earth Attribute treasure, one that can meet your requirements!”
“Divine Nullification Sand!” Yang Kai’s eyes lit up.
“After the Divine Nullification Stone swallows World Energy for a very long time, it will begin generating Divine Nullification Sand particles inside it. As for the Divine Nullification Stone itself, it has no use to you, but I can use it to refine some good artifacts instead.”
“Amazing!” Yang Kai grinned and rejoiced.
He had been looking for a supreme Earth Attribute treasure in order to cultivate the Five Elements Indestructible Sword Tempering Art. This Five Elements Indestructible Sword Tempering Art was a Body Tempering Secret Art he found in the Ancient Yang Sect’s ruins, and according to the descriptions recorded inside it, if one cultivated it to the extreme, they would obtain an immortal and indestructible physique.
Yang Kai had anxiously wanted to cultivate it for some time now.
Unfortunately, the requirements to begin cultivating this Body Tempering Art were extremely high. Not only did one need to already possess a much higher physical strength than average, but they also needed a powerful Soul and supreme treasures from each of the five elements.
Regarding these supreme treasures, Yang Kai already possessed a Thunder Wood, Sun’s True Essence, Profound Yin Sunflower Water, and Ten Thousand Year Ice Jade.
At the last auction of Treasure Trove Pavilion, he had obtained a Profound Gold, a Gold Attribute supreme treasure. It was also for this reason he had gotten into a dispute with Jin Shi and Old Woman Feng. From that point, Yang Kai only needed to find an Earth Attribute supreme treasure.
If this Divine Nullification Sand was as Yang Yan said it was, then Yang Kai would now have supreme treasures from all five elements and he could immediately begin to cultivate the Five Elements Indestructible Sword Tempering Art!
The benefits of a strong physique were self-evident. Without even mentioning the advantage it brought when confronting enemies, if Yang Kai’s body wasn’t so powerful, every time he tore space and crossed thousands of kilometres in an instant, he would be shredded by the turbulence present in The Void.
As Yang Kai’s comprehension of the Dao of Space and his use of Space Force became more profound, the requirements of his physical body also became greater, so when he understood what the Five Elements Indestructible Sword Tempering Art truly was, he was naturally ecstatic and immediately set about collecting the required materials.
In his excitement, Yang Kai hurriedly said, “What are you waiting for, hurry up and extract that Divine Nullification Sand!”
Yang Yan couldn’t help sneering at him when she heard this, “Do you think it’s so easy to take out? The Divine Nullification Stone can absorb and disperse all forms of energy, even I can’t refine it with my current abilities.”
“Uh…” Yang Kai’s expression stiffened for a moment, as if a pot of cold water had been dumped on his head, all his previous excitement and joy instantly vanishing.
Seeing this, Yang Yan giggled happily.
“You’re messing with me, aren’t you?” Yang Kai was furious. Seeing Yang Yan like this, how could he not know she had a solution to this problem? If she really couldn’t extract the Divine Nullification Sand, why would she have called him over?
“You didn’t let me finish speaking,” Yang Yan said smugly but no longer acted mysterious, her expression becoming serious as she explained, “While it’s true I don’t have the ability to refine this Divine Nullification Stone right now and extract the Divine Nullification Sand inside, he does!”
Saying so, Yang Yan pointed to the Stone Puppet sitting on the table.
Yang Kai’s eyes lit up with understanding!
When one was too close to the solution, they often overlooked it. Yang Kai had forgotten about the Stone Puppet’s innate ability to devour the mineral essence of any kind of ore. While Divine Nullification Stone was indeed a very high grade of material, it certainly couldn’t resist the Stone Puppet.
After all, even the Thousand Illusion Coloured Glass Mountain was easily bitten into by the Stone Puppet, so how could this trivial Divine Nullification Stone be any different?
“However, I should warn you first, although Divine Nullification Sand will definitely form inside Divine Nullification Stone, the amount of Divine Nullification Sand will vary greatly depending on how old this Divine Nullification Stone is. Perhaps there will only be two or three grains inside that meet your requirements, or perhaps there will be dozens, it’ll be up to you to evaluate that, which is why I asked Qian Yue to call you out.”
Yang Kai frowned, what Yang Yan said just now he naturally understood. The longer they age, the more Divine Nullification Sand grains there would be, this was simply the way things were.
After hesitating for a moment, Yang Kai asked, “How long will it take for a grain of sand to form?”
“Hehe, the formation of this kind of thing is calculated in the thousands of years. If you’re thinking of waiting in order to increase your chances, I am afraid you’ll have to wait for a very long time!”
“Then I might as well extract them now!” Yang Kai’s look became firm as he turned to the Stone Puppet and gave it a command.
With Yang Kai’s order, the Stone Puppet immediately got up, pounded its two fists on its chest, then rushed over to the Divine Nullification Stone, clasping it in his hand and shoving it into its mouth.
The Stone Puppet’s mouth was not very big, but this bizarre thing was easily able to swallow the entire washbasin-sized Divine Nullification Stone, stunning Ye Xi Yun.
…..
An hour later, inside First Heavenly Palace, Yang Kai sat cross-legged with a happy look on his face as he observed the six materials in front of him.
There was a piece of wood with rich vitality that had lightning arcs jumping between its green leaves. This was the Thunder Wood Yang Kai had preserved for many years. This Thunder Wood was born from the vital essence and Monster Core of a fallen Tenth-Order Thunder Luan Monster Beast through a series of opportunities and coincidences. Its value was much greater than the Monster Core of a Tenth-Order Monster Beast, and although it also had Thunder and Lightning Attributes, it was still categorized as a Wood Attribute supreme treasure.
A piece of Profound Gold the size of a palm that he had won the Treasure Trove Pavilion auction for 70 million Saint Crystals emitted an incredibly strong Gold Attribute aura, to the point where Yang Kai could feel a stinging pain on his hand from it.
The dozen or so milk-white drops of Profound Yin Sunflower Water that Yang Kai had not yet used up exuded a profound chill from the bottle which held them.
A fiery-red, metallic sphere the size of a melon sat upon a large, pure, and flawless Ice Jade Pedestal. Both appeared rather plain, but one could freeze the Divine Sense of anyone who tried to examine it while the other alternately held a terrifying heat. They were the Ten Thousand Year Ice Jade Pedestal and Sun’s True Essence!
And now, in addition to these supreme treasures, there was a small pile of roughly a hundred gravel-like grains. These things looked no different from ordinary sand, but they were actually the Divine Nullification Sand grains that the Stone Puppet had extracted from the Divine Nullification Stone.
That piece of Divine Nullification Stone having formed so many grains of Divine Nullification Sand not only caused Yang Kai to rejoice, even Yang Yan was secretly shocked. She thought it would be quite good if there were twenty or thirty grains, but there ended up being several times that many in the end!
Gold, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth; Yang Kai had gathered the supreme treasures from each of the five elements! There were even two treasures of the Water Attribute!
Each of these six materials was incredibly valuable and difficult to encounter over an entire lifetime, yet at this moment, they were all placed in front of Yang Kai. How could he not be happy?
With these, he could begin cultivating the Five Elements Indestructible Sword Tempering Art.
If these materials were judged purely on their monetary value, the Thunder Wood and Profound Gold would undoubtedly be the least valuable while the rarest and most precious would no doubt be the melon-sized Sun’s True Essence.
After all, Sun’s True Essence was an extraordinary product refined by legendary masters from the cores of Sun Stars. If all the energy contained in this seemingly small piece of Sun’s True Essence were to be unleashed all at once, destroying Shadowed Star would not be a problem.
Looking at the materials in front of him, Yang Kai took a deep breath, calmed his excitement, and sank into contemplation.
The Five Elements Indestructible Sword Tempering Art was a Secret Art dedicated to Body Tempering. A lot of time had passed since Yang Kai first obtained this Body Tempering Art, so he had naturally studied it thoroughly. Strictly speaking, this Secret Art was not very complicated, on the contrary, it was actually quite simple and easy to understand. What was difficult was acquiring the materials and meeting the requirements to begin cultivating this Secret Art.
Additionally, by using different materials to cultivate it, the end results would also differ. This was the most flexible aspect of the Five Elements Indestructible Sword Tempering Art. In simple terms, the higher the grade of materials one used, the better the effects would be.
While there were good and bad points to the other materials, the Sun’s True Essence could be regarded as a pinnacle material, absolutely unequalled!
The Profound Yin Sunflower Water and Divine Nullification Sand were also nearly legendary existences. As for the Thunder Wood and Profound Gold, they were definitely slightly inferior in rank but were still extremely rare.
By using these materials to cultivate this Body Tempering Art, Yang Kai’s foundation would be extremely robust. Yang Kai believed that even if some other cultivator elsewhere in the Star Field managed to obtain the Five Elements Indestructible Sword Tempering Art, they would not be able to match him when it came to cultivation materials.
Feeling excited, Yang Kai began arranging a certain Spirit Array around himself.
In order to cultivate the Five Elements Indestructible Sword Tempering Art, one needed to use a special Spirit Array. Regarding this, the Secret Art’s manual had explained in great detail.
Although Yang Kai wasn’t proficient in arranging Spirit Arrays, he had been together with Yang Yan for so long, observing her means and methods, that even if Spirit Arrays was not his speciality, it wasn’t difficult for him to arrange this simple Spirit Array.
Yang Kai first laid down a few Saint Crystal Sources in a specific pattern, then began arranging the Gold, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth attribute supreme treasures appropriately.
Two days later, Yang Kai gave a satisfactorily nod as he looked down at the Five Elements Indestructible Array he had painstakingly arranged. After carefully inspecting it one last time to confirm that he had not made any mistakes, Yang Kai sat down cross-legged in the centre of the array.
Wiping his Space Ring, Yang Kai took out a few pills before popping them into his mouth, closing his eyes, and circulating the Five Elements Indestructible Sword Tempering Art.
Saint Qi began flowing freely around Yang Kai as the surrounding ground lit up in a complex and complicated pattern, many large and small patterns and runes flickering unpredictably and mysteriously.
With a loud humming noise, the Saint Crystal Sources placed in the Five Elements Indestructible Array emitted a dazzling brilliance as the rich, pure energy contained inside them began pouring out.
With the Saint Crystal Sources supplying energy to it, the Five Elements Indestructible Array arranged around Yang Kai instantly activated.
An indescribable feeling permeated Yang Kai’s body as a profound and desolate aura flooded the entire First Heavenly Palace. It was almost as if, at this moment, Yang Kai had returned to a long-forgotten ancient era.
With a great whooshing sound, the Profound Gold, Thunder Wood, Profound Yin Sunflower Water, Sun’s True Essence, and Divine Nullification Sand seemed to be stimulated by some kind of invisible force and began leaking out the pure energy contained within them. The energy was then channelled towards the centre of the Five Elements Indestructible Array.
Naturally, at the centre of this array was where Yang Kai sat.
First Heavenly Palace suddenly became filled with five coloured light.
A green light came from the Thunder Wood, gold light from the Profound Gold, white light from the Profound Yin Sunflower Water, red light from the Sun’s True Essence, and yellow light from the Divine Nullification Sand… all of which seemed to possess some kind of spirituality as they drilled towards Yang Kai’s body.
In the next instant, Yang Kai trembled violently and his closed eyes shot open as he released a terrible roar from his throat, like a wounded beast which had just had its injuries set on fire.
An intense, unimaginable pain suddenly wracked Yang Kai’s body, making him feel like his bones were slowly being crushed. The pain suffered from injuries he had sustained in battle with others was incomparable to this as it seemed to be penetrating all the way to his Soul.
In a flash, Yang Kai understood why the requirements for a cultivator’s physique were so. They were necessary to even begin cultivating the Five Elements Indestructible Sword Tempering Art.
If one’s physique was not intrepid enough, the pure elemental attribute energies from these five supreme treasures would cause their body to explode the instant they began pouring into their body! There was no need to even think about being able to cultivate this Body Tempering Art if this initial requirement could not be met.
Additionally, if the strength of one’s Soul wasn’t high enough, they would be unable to withstand this kind of pain and be driven mad sooner or later, ultimately resulting in cultivation deviation swiftly followed by death.
Yang Kai felt that he had more than met the requirements to cultivate this Body Tempering Art, but upon really cultivating it, he realized that he had greatly overestimated himself. The firm and resolute will he had honed over many years was nearly broken in an instant.
Of course, this was also due to the fact that the materials he had chosen were too high-grade. If they had all been replaced by materials on par with the Thunder Wood, for example, the pain would not have been so intense.
However, this also stimulated Yang Kai pride. Since embarking on the path of cultivation, he had wandered the line between life and death many times, suffered many tribulations, and faced many desperate situations, but had ultimately overcome all of them.
If he were to fail here, all those years of hard work would have been in vain.
Forget everything else, when he first obtained the Wordless Black Book back in High Heaven Pavilion, it was his perseverance alone that allowed Yang Kai to make this life-altering treasure submit to him, allowing him to obtain the Unyielding Golden Skeleton.
At that time, Yang Kai had obtained his mysterious Unyielding Will Martial Skill, and although as his strength had grown to the point this Martial Skill had gradually become useless, it was something he managed to comprehend from the Unyielding Golden Skeleton itself, after all.
That was his self created Martial Skill!
Yang Kai’s comprehension of this Martial Skill also had a lot to do with Su Yan. It was she who had frozen him into a block of ice for several days, which helped him fully understand Unyielding Will.
All sorts of miscellaneous thoughts flashed across Yang Kai’s mind, resulting in him unconsciously using Unyielding Will which, to his surprise, actually caused the pain he felt to weaken a little. It was nothing that would affect his overall situation, but was something positive nonetheless.
Yang Kai’s brow twitched as he immediately sent his consciousness into his Knowledge Sea to stabilize his Soul while no longer paying attention to the changes his body was experiencing in the outside world.
Crackling sounds rang out in a great chorus that filled First Heavenly Palace. Yang Kai’s skin split apart and pale golden blood oozed out, thoroughly soaking his robes within a few breaths of time.
Not only did his body tremble and his skin crack, but even Yang Kai’s meridians were unable to bear the destructive power of the pure five-element energy, causing them to fray and burst.
Yang Kai’s Golden Blood’s incredible restorative power was vividly illustrated at this moment.
His cracked skin, torn muscles, and broken meridians were completely repaired in a short period of time only to be immediately ripped asunder again, thus beginning a seemingly endless cycle of destruction and restoration.
As time passed and this process continued, Yang Kai’s body gradually became stronger to an obvious degree. Not only that, but the Saint Qi inside his body seemed to become purer and richer. Even his Spiritual Energy was quenched to a certain extent.
Although the Five Elements Indestructible Sword Tempering Art was a Secret Art dedicated to Body Tempering, it seemed to bring benefits to one’s Saint Qi and Spiritual energy as well, a small side benefit.
Terrible roars filled First Heavenly Palace, but fortunately, there were layers upon layers of barriers protecting and isolating it, so these horrific sounds did not leak out. If this were not the case, they would have attracted all of High Heaven Sect’s attention.
Time passed slowly as all of Shadowed Star prepared to enter the Emperor Garden. Each Emperor Jade represented a single entry quota, and each great force only managed to obtain a few of these Emperor Jades. Deciding who would be assigned these Emperor Jades was also a difficult task, and as a result, many great forces began holding competitions between their most talented disciples for the right to enter the Emperor Garden.
High Heaven Sect was also remarkably busy. High Heaven Sect only needed three Emperor Jades and didn’t need to go through any kind of selection process, but it still had many things to prepare. Only Yang Kai had completely disappeared after he entered retreat inside First Heavenly Palace.
Half a year later, on a certain day, High Heaven Sect’s reception hall was extremely lively.
After waiting for half a year, the Emperor Garden’s opening was just days away, and those forces that had reached agreements with Yang Kai to depart from High Heaven Sect’s territory had naturally arrived early.
Shadow Moon Hall’s representatives were, unsurprisingly, Qian Tong, Fei Zhi Tu, Wei Gu Chang, and Dong Xuan’er. Unfortunately, not all of them were going to the Emperor Garden. Although Shadow Moon Hall had paid a massive price and managed to obtain a third Emperor Jade over the past six months, that was ultimately their limit, so for this expedition to the Emperor Garden, Dong Xuan’er would not be going.
Qian Tong and Fei Zhi Tu would only be accompanied by Wei Gu Chang this time.
Needless to say, Clear Sky Sect’s group was led by Mo Yu. In addition to him, there was a grey-haired Third-Order Origin Returning Realm old man whose strength rivalled Mo Yu’s: Clear Sky Sect’s Sect Master Gu Zhen. Rounding out the group was Chen Shi Tao who, thanks to her close relationship with Yang Kai, had obtained Clear Sky Sect’s final entry quota.
Strictly speaking, Chen Shi Tao’s aptitude and cultivation were not sufficient to warrant her entering the Emperor Garden. Clear Sky Sect had a large number of talents in its younger generations who were superior to Chen Shi Tao in both of these respects, but Mo Yu and Gu Zhen were both worldly old foxes and understood that Clear Sky Sect establishing a connection with High Heaven Sect was completely dependent on Chen Shi Tao’s existence. Therefore, they naturally were not going to deny her the chance to explore the Emperor Garden. Instead, over the past half a year, they helped Chen Shi Tao raise her cultivation to the First-Order Origin Returning Realm by using various precious pills as well as a special Secret Technique executed by several of the Sect’s high-level Elders!
The price Clear Sky Sect paid to accomplish this was not small!
Chen Shi Tao felt immense gratitude towards Yang Kai! Standing behind Gu Zhen and Mo Yu, her beautiful eyes continued to glance around since they arrived, hoping to express her thanks to Yang Kai in person.
Shadow Moon Hall and Clear Sky Sect both arrived right on time, so obviously Coloured Glass Sect did not fall behind.
As Qian Tong had suspected, Dai Yuan had obtained the right to enter the Emperor Garden, but it seemed that Coloured Glass Sect’s luck was better than Shadow Moon Hall and Clear Sky Sect’s, having obtained four Emperor Jades.
Sect Master Gong Xing He had come in person, accompanied by Dai Yuan, Gong Ao Fu, and Yin Su Die.
At this moment, Yin Su Die was gritting her teeth secretly as her red lips wriggled from time to time, whispering something under her breath, her beautiful eyes shooting glances towards Dai Yuan from time to time, a somewhat depressed look on her face.
Dai Yuan simply turned a blind eye to her, however, while like Chen Shi Tao, her attention was focused outside the reception hall, seemingly waiting for something or someone to appear. Her cultivation had already reached the First-Order Origin Returning Realm, but unlike Chen Shi Tao, she had achieved a breakthrough through her own efforts without borrowing assistance from others’ hands.
Both Gong Xing He and Gong Ao Fu were quite surprised by this result, neither of them having expected Dai Yuan to break through to the Origin Returning Realm so quickly. If not for this point, they might not have agreed to let Dai Yuan enter the Emperor Garden.
It was precisely because Dai Yuan showed no inferiority to Yin Su Die in terms of aptitude and cultivation speed that the two of them had relented. In any case, both Dai Yuan and Yin Su Die were disciples from Coloured Glass Sect, so there was no reason to vehemently refuse Dai Yuan from entering the Emperor Garden, and by doing so they could take advantage of this opportunity depart from High Heaven Sect ahead of all their competitors.
In addition to the familiar faces from these three Sects, there were also two strangers present, both of whom were old Third-Order Origin Returning Realm masters.
Yang Kai hadn’t had any dealings with these two before, but they were also famous characters on Shadowed Star.
They were the Sect Master and Great Elder of Floating Mist Palace! Floating Mist Palace was also a first-class force on Shadowed Star, so the cultivations of its Sect Master and Great Elder were naturally not bad. The reason they were here was that they had sold an Emperor Jade to High Heaven Sect.
In exchange for this Emperor Jade, High Heaven Sect allowed these two old men to set off directly from the Sect’s Front Court.
At this moment, there were eight Third-Order Origin Returning Realm masters seated inside High Heaven Sect’s reception hall, all of them possessing extremely lofty status, but even so, none of them dared to even breathe too loudly and all of them wore solemn looks upon their faces.
The reason for this was simple. With Ye Xi Yun also seated here, who among these guests would dare act arrogantly?
After tasting some of the tea and eating some of the prepared spirit fruits, Qian Tong lightly coughed, looking over at Yang Yan who was sitting at the head of the table, and asked politely, “Lady Yang Yan, has Yang Kai not come out yet?”
Yang Yan just slowly shook her head in response, “There’s been no sign of him exiting yet.”
Qian Tong couldn’t help frowning with worry, “He’s been in retreat for almost half a year, and now the Emperor Garden is about to open, possibly within the next day or two but at latest seven or eight days from now. If he doesn’t exit soon, won’t he miss this opportunity?”
“Thank you for your concern, Elder Qian, but I don’t believe he will miss this opportunity. Perhaps he will make an appearance in the next couple of days,” Yang Yan smiled lightly, but although her expression looked calm, she was actually feeling quite anxious inside.
She naturally knew what Yang Kai was in retreat for, he wanted to enhance his strength as much as possible before the Emperor Garden opened, but until now, there had not been any significant movement from First Heavenly Palace, so Yang Yan was unable to tell if things had gone well for Yang Kai or not.
She wanted to investigate, but worried about disturbing him, Yang Yan could only wait patiently.
“All of you are our honoured guests and you have travelled far to reach here, so for now you might as well return to your temporary residences and rest. Before the Emperor Garden opens, there will definitely be some significant signs; it won’t be too late to assemble and depart at that time,” Yang Yan proposed, fulfilling her duties as Vice Sect Master flawlessly.
Hearing this, everyone exchanged a glance before standing up, thanking Yang Yan for her hospitality, and setting out, preparing to return to the courtyards High Heaven Sect had prepared for them.
But before they could even leave the reception hall, the surrounding World Energy flow became slightly turbulent.
Everyone present was a top-level master, so despite this change in the World Energy being quite minor, they still detected it.
Everyone’s face immediately changed, not bothering to speak with Yang Yan anymore, dashing out of the reception hall and staring up into the sky.
Up above their heads, from the dozen kilometre wide gap in the flame barrier, the sun still shone down brightly, nurturing the vegetation around High Heaven Sect. Although everything appeared normal, everyone present could feel a certain pressure in the air, like a storm was approaching.
Soon, this feeling became obvious, and the World Energy aura began tumbling and surging as if it were a wild horse that had broken free from its reins, making everyone uneasy.
“This is…” Gong Xing He’s eyes narrowed as he showed a startled look.
“Father, is this a sign the Emperor Garden is about to open?” Gong Ao Fu asked softly, her beautiful eyes filled with excitement. Yang Yan had also just said that if the Emperor Garden really opened, there would be some kind of obvious disturbance in the atmosphere, but no one had expected it to occur so quickly.
Most people present shared the same thoughts as her, Qian Tong, Fei Zhi Tu, Gu Zhen, Mo Yu, and the pair of old men from Floating Mist Palace all wore looks of anticipation.
But soon, the brows of these top experts wrinkled as they all turned to look in a different direction.
“No, someone is about to break through!” Qian Tong muttered, stunned silent for a moment before excitement returned to his old face, “It must be Yang Kai!”
He quickly understood what this disturbance was all about.
Yang Yan’s expression also filled with joy as she flew off towards First Heavenly Palace.
The others present naturally wanted to take a closer look as well, but before they could move, Ye Xi Yun’s figure flickered and appeared before them, a cold look filling her face as she declared, “Stay where you are!”
Although most of the people had some friendship with Yang Kai, several of them even having quite close relationships, Yang Kai was at a critical juncture right now, so how could Ye Xi Yun possibly allow them to approach? Yang Kai was about to break through to the next Great Realm, and if he were to fall short because he was disturbed at the last moment, the consequences would be disastrous.
As such, she forced everyone else to remain here without hesitation.
Qian Tong and the others naturally understood this and nodded their heads, halting their steps and preparing to observe from where they stood.
Seeing that everyone was keeping their place, Ye Xi Yun did not say anything more and chased after Yang Yan.
In an instant, only Qian Tong and the other guests remained in front of the reception hall.
“Senior Brother, do you think Senior Brother Yang will be able to break through smoothly?” Dong Xuan’er asked with some concern; after all, she had just crossed this step and well understood the difficulty of breaking through from the Saint King Realm to the Origin Returning Realm.
Every time a cultivator made a breakthrough, they would experience great risks; after all, cultivation itself was an act of struggle against oneself and against the Heavens!
Without even mentioning others, when she and Wei Gu Chang were breaking through to the Origin Returning Realm, they had both experienced several tribulations. When Dong Xuan’er was accepting the World Energy baptism which accompanied her breakthrough, she had almost found it impossible to bear and a stream of heart demons which appeared one after another nearly caused her to fail.
Overcoming this ordeal had nothing to do with aptitude and was something every cultivator had to face.
After hearing Dong Xuan’er’s question though, Wei Gu Chang simply grinned, “Relax, while I wouldn’t dare make any guarantees about others, Brother Yang breaking through to the Origin Returning Realm will absolutely not be a problem.”
While Wei Gu Chang’s words were filled with confidence towards Yang Kai, Yin Su Die nearby bit her lip even harder. Although she dared not say anything here, she was secretly looking forward to Yang Kai dying here.
At the same time, three kilometres away from First Heavenly Palace, Yang Yan came to a stop and observed the situation quietly.
It was not long before Wu Yi, Qian Yue, and Chang Qi and many others arrived, all of them briefly exchanging a few words before they grasped what this situation was about.
In order to prevent Yang Kai from being disturbed, an order was issued that no one was to approach closer than three kilometres to First Heavenly Palace. All the Sect’s disciples also immediately set up a patrol to guard against anyone trying to sneak a closer look.
Not long after this order was disseminated, the atmosphere around Heavenly Palace underwent a dramatic change.
High up in the sky, a great World Energy funnel appeared. This funnel was only a few metres across at first, but it rapidly expanded until it was several hundred metres in diameter in the blink of an eye.
As this funnel revolved though, it disturbed the World Energy aura within a several-hundred-kilometre radius, pulling it all violently towards First Heavenly Palace.
Different coloured lights soon began to appear, some bright red like flame while others pure white like ice. These multi-coloured lights integrated into the funnel one after another, causing the pressure it was emitting to increase dramatically.
“Five Element World Energy?” Ye Xi Yun frowned, a look of shock appearing on her face.
These colourful wisps of light were clearly formed by the integration of the Five Element Energy with the ambient World Energy. In fact, during one of the Emperor Garden’s mutations, such a scene had appeared across all of Shadowed Star.
At this moment, a similar scene was occurring, but unlike the previous incident, the scale was far smaller; however, this was still a remarkable phenomenon.
The Emperor Garden was an Emperor Artifact, it being able to cause a change which affected all of Shadowed Star was not surprising in the slightest.
But now, Yang Kai simply breaking through from the Saint King Realm to the Origin Returning Realm had caused Five Element World Energy to once again appear, making it impossible for Ye Xi Yun to not be shocked.
Could a cultivator breaking through to the Origin Returning Realm really create such a massive disturbance?
The answer was obviously no!
Ye Xi Yun, as a peak Third-Order Origin Returning Realm master, was certainly qualified to comment on such matters. She had seen many people pass through this checkpoint to becoming Origin Realm masters. When Ge Qi went through this process, she had personally stood guard to protect him, but never before had she witnessed a scene like this.
This could already be described as a Heavenly Manifestation!
Ye Xi Yun was thoroughly amazed, and couldn’t help remembering some ancient records she had read a long time ago that said that if a cultivator was strong enough, and had enough potential, they could even cause Heavenly Manifestations when they broke through a Great Realm.
Of course, such cultivators were rare existences. Even when taking all of history into account, one possibly appeared once in ten thousand years.
Did this Sect Master of hers have such potential?
In all fairness, Ye Xi Yun and Yang Kai did not have much friendship between them, nor were they particularly familiar with one another. Ye Xi Yun remaining in High Heaven Sect and assuming the position of Great Elder was entirely because of Yang Yan. Besides Yang Yan, she had never really put anyone here in her eyes.
With her vision, she could naturally tell that Yang Kai was far more powerful than an average Saint King and could be regarded as an elite amongst the elite; but even so, this was not of much interest to her.
However, at this moment, she could not help but raise her evaluation of Yang Kai; after all, if her guess was right, the potential future achievements of this Sect Master of hers were simply unfathomable!
At this point, Ye Xi Yun’s beautiful eyes glowed strangely as she began looking forward to the future.
High up in the air, the massive World Energy funnel swirled about, filled with astonishing and terrifying amounts of energy. On top of that, with the continuous influx of Five Elements World Energy, this World Energy funnel became extremely dazzling as it hung above First Heavenly Palace.
Even if they were all standing three kilometres away, everyone could feel the incredible pressure emanating from this funnel, making them wonder just how much pressure Yang Kai must be enduring as he was directly beneath it.
Outside First Heavenly Palace, multiple light halos flashed wildly as the many defensive Spirit Arrays and barriers were battered by this pressure.
“Great Elder, how is Sect Master’s situation?” Chang Qi and the others were all anxious, but none of them dared release their Divine Senses to investigate this oppressive phenomenon, so they could only consult Ye Xi Yun.
“So far it seems like everything is going smoothly. He has already touched upon Shadowed Star’s World Principles,” Ye Xi Yun replied lightly.
Chang Qi and others heard this and could not help showing joyful looks. Since Yang Kai had already made contact with Shadowed Star’s World Principles, it meant his breakthrough was within sight.
“But whether or not he can succeed will depend on him being able to withstand the approaching World Energy baptism.”
Everyone’s face changed slightly when they heard this, falling silent as they stared forward with worry.
The World Energy baptism was a step every cultivator would experience each time they broke through to a new Great Realm. During this process, a cultivator would have to bear unimaginable suffering and pain and it was a method by which a cultivator’s quality and fortitude were tested. Once one successfully passed through this baptism, their strength would increase dramatically, allowing them to break through the shackles holding them back and reach the next Great Realm.
If one failed, however…
Best case, they would suffer severe injuries, worst case, they would die!
After all, the World Energy baptism was akin to a test imposed on a cultivator by the world itself. If one failed it, the results were obviously not going to be pleasant.
Every year, countless cultivators failed to pass this threshold and fell, so for any cultivator, breaking through to the next Great Realm was both an opportunity and a challenge! The survival of the fittest was vividly reflected in this process.
But how could an ordinary cultivator break through to the next Great Realm cause such an amazing Heavenly Manifestation? Yang Kai accomplishing this was certainly a joyful development, but now that he had arrived at this point, if he wanted to survive, succeeding was his only option.
Judging from the concentration of World Energy at this moment, if Yang Kai were to fail to break through, the only possibility would be his body and soul being completely obliterated!
After all, the power contained in this five-coloured World Energy funnel was simply too much for any Saint King Realm cultivator to bear.
Just as everyone was feeling worried, the massive World Energy funnel suddenly underwent a dramatic change, as if something in First Heavenly Palace was drawing it in. The World Energy funnel began to rotate even faster and in the next instant it, along with all its stored energy, crashed down towards the ground.
There was no delay or reservation at all, as if all the potential it had been storing up burst out in a single eruption!
The layers upon layers of barriers protecting First Heavenly Palace were like thin paper in the face of the massive amount of swirling World Energy, all of them being torn apart in an instant. Seeing this caused Ye Xi Yun’s countenance to change as the five-coloured World Energy poured into First Heavenly Palace and rapidly disappeared.
The massive World Energy funnel shrank at a speed visible to the naked eye, and within a few breaths, had been reduced to half its original size.
“Sect Master!” Chang Qi and the others exclaimed in horror as their faces filled with alarm.
This unrelenting torrent of World Energy pouring down from above caused all of them to stare in astonishment! Everyone present had broken through to the Origin Returning Realm before and passed through this checkpoint.
But the World Energy baptism they experienced when they broke through was best described as streams of energy falling like lightning upon their bodies, with a certain gap between each strike. Although it had been difficult to bear, they at least had some time to breathe and adjust themselves during the process.
The scene in front of them now though was obviously vastly different. Yang Kai simply had no chance to catch his breath at all.
Even if Yang Kai was incredibly strong, how could he survive in the face of such overwhelming pressure?
The faces of Chang Qi and the others suddenly went pale as they instinctively thought that Yang Kai was dead for certain.
Ye Xi Yun’s expression also became quite gloomy as she let out a sigh, a trace of disappointment flashing across her face. She thought she had encountered an extraordinary genius that was only born once in a few thousand years, but now it looked like he was destined to be just a flash in the pan.
Soon, however, her brow wrinkled, and an astonished light flashed across her eyes.
Because the massive World Energy funnel still had not dissipated and the astonishing deluge of World Energy was still pouring down, creating a deafening rumbling sound that filled the air.
[He has not died!]
Ye Xi Yun’s brow rose as she could not help feeling surprised.
If Yang Kai had died just now, the Heavenly Manifestation generated by his breakthrough would naturally have begun to dissipate, but since the World Energy funnel continued to exist, it meant he hadn’t died and was still undergoing the World Energy baptism!
This was also the key step to breaking through to the next Great Realm.
Listening carefully, Ye Xi Yun was able to hear the pained roars of a person amidst the thunderous rumbling.
Yang Kai really had not died. Ye Xi Yun’s eyes brightened as she quickly turned her head to look at Yang Yan, only to discover that the latter was far calmer than herself. It was as if Yang Yan had been expecting this kind of result, but upon closer inspection, Ye Xi Yun clearly saw Yang Yan’s delicate fists clenching tightly and her beautiful eyes flashing with worry and anxiety.
While High Heaven Sect’s group were all feeling incredibly on edge, the masters from Shadow Moon Hall, Clear Sky Sect, Coloured Glass Sect, and Floating Mist Palace all showed looks of amazement.
“Elder, can Brother Yang bear this kind of World Energy baptism?” Wei Gu Chang asked anxiously.
“This old master doesn’t dare make any kind of judgments, but since things have developed to this point, if he can’t bear it, he will definitely die!” Qian Tong frowned as he let out a sigh, he had not expected Yang Kai breaking through to the Origin Returning Realm would result in such a strange and astonishing scene, inevitably causing him to worry greatly.
“It’s not necessarily unbearable…” Clear Sky Sect’s Sect Master Gu Zhen said pensively, “If his physique is strong enough, he should be able to accept this vast amount of World Energy in a short period of time, but… It would be incredibly difficult!”
Although the Sect Master and Great Elder of Floating Mist Palace did not comment, both of them continued observing this scene fixedly, clear looks of shock filling their faces.
When Gong Xing He and Gong Ao Fu of Coloured Glass Sect exchanged a glance, the father-daughter pair clearly saw the shock in each other’s eyes. Both had believed that High Heaven Sect’s shocking reputation and prestige depended entirely upon the special location of their headquarters and Ye Xi Yun’s presence.
However, it now seemed that High Heaven Sect’s Sect Master was also no ordinary character, forcing them to re-examine him. If he fell here today, they naturally would not be upset. On Shadowed Star, there were already two giants vying for supremacy, Heaven Battling Union and Thunder Typhoon Sect. Two such forces were plenty, and Gong Xing He would rather not have another great force that could compete with them, but if Yang Kai managed to survive this ordeal, it would be necessary for them to earnestly make friends with him!
Various thoughts flashed across the minds of the people present, but regardless of what they were considering, at this moment, everyone’s attention was concentrated on the huge, multicoloured World Energy funnel. A short time later, the funnel shrank down further, halving in size once more, and it was still continuing to shrink.
After another moment, in the front of everyone’s eyes, the huge multicoloured funnel disappeared, all the World Energy which had originally been contained within having poured into First Heavenly Palace. The original tense and oppressive atmosphere suddenly disappeared, as if it had never even existed, gentle rays of sunlight streaming down from a blue sky that had not a cloud in sight for ten thousand kilometres.
Only a few wisps of Five Coloured World Energy lingered about like fish trapped in a net above First Heavenly Palace.
High Heaven Sect fell silent, as everyone’s eyes remained fixed on First Heavenly Palace, all of them wanting to know what the result of this shocking breakthrough was.
However, for a long time, there was only still silence, as if Yang Kai had really fallen.
Wu Yi and Qian Yue’s complexion turned pure white!
Had he failed? Wu Yi and Qian Yue did not dare continue to think about it; however, they couldn’t think of another explanation for the scene before them.
No cultivator could withstand such an astonishing influx of World Energy in such a short time, even a Third-Order Origin Returning Realm master couldn’t accomplish such a feat, let alone Yang Kai who was just a peak Third-Order Saint King.
Although Wu Yi and Qian Yue had not yet reached this level, with their level of insight they could at least determine this much.
Chang Qi and the others also wore ashen expressions.
“Why are all of you wearing such gloomy looks?” Ye Xi Yun swept her eyes around and frowned slightly, “You think he died?”
Chang Qi heard this and immediately wore a look of shock, turning towards her and hesitating for a moment before asking, “Great Elder, you mean…”
Ye Xi Yun’s lips curled upwards and a smile appeared on her chilly face, making her appear exceptionally attractive. Brushing her hair back gently, she replied without any trace of panic in her voice, “Although this Queen doesn’t know how he managed it,… he’s definitely not dead. Not only that, but he also seems to be quite lively.”
Listening to Ye Xi Yun’s words, Chang Qi and the others were all shocked.
Yang Kai hadn’t died… that must mean that his breakthrough was successful!
Chang Qi and the others could hardly believe their ears, but Ye Xi Yun declaring so was extremely authoritative, so none of them thought to question her. Everyone simply wore looks of pleasant surprise as they turned their gazes back to First Heavenly Palace.
Just after Ye Xi Yun finished speaking, the World Energy above First Heavenly Palace suddenly underwent a change again, all of it gathering and forming into a giant palm.
This palm contained a mysteriousness that made it seem like it could cover the Heavens themselves.
As soon as it finished condensing, this palm grasped towards the wisps of five coloured aura still floating above First Heavenly Palace before it quickly retracted and disappeared inside the building.
Seeing this scene, Ye Xi Yun could not help gawking, but soon the smile on her lips rose even higher as she muttered to herself, “This little brat…”
Clearly, Yang Kai did not even want to let off these last few remnants of Five Elements World Energy. These wisps of aura were leftovers from his baptism and had not poured into Yang Kai’s body on their own, so he had simply taken the initiative to grab and refine them himself. If he had the leisure to do this kind of thing, it meant his breakthrough had gone incredibly smoothly, causing Ye Xi Yun to be unable to stifle her laughter.
“Ah! Great! Alright, everyone should disperse, there’s no need for you to worry about Yang Kai anymore,” Yang Yan was finally able to let out a sigh of relief before shouting to everyone.
“Yes!” Chang Qi and the others responded respectfully before quickly departing.
“Great Elder, since he just broke through, he will need some time to consolidate his cultivation. I’ll have to trouble you to stand guard for him,” Yang Yan spoke to Ye Xi Yun.
“Yes, Madam!” Ye Xi Yun gently nodded, immediately obeying Yang Yan’s orders!
After glancing at First Heavenly Palace one last time, Yang Yan smiled lightly before flying off, her figure quickly disappearing. Now that the Emperor Garden’s opening was only days away and Yang Kai was indisposed, all the matters related to High Heaven Sect fell to her. Fortunately, Wu Yi and Qian Yue were there to help her, so Yang Yan did not have too many difficulties.
Inside First Heavenly Palace, Yang Kai was ragged, his clothes ripped apart, covered in traces of pale golden blood and his hair completely dishevelled, giving him an incredibly embarrassed appearance, as if he had just experienced an incredible life or death battle.
However, his expression was filled with joy and comfort.
He had not expected that his breakthrough would go so smoothly.
After obtaining the Divine Nullification Sand five months ago, completing his collection of the five supreme treasures, Yang Kai began to cultivate the Five Elements Indestructible Sword Tempering Art, but he had not had too many expectations, originally just intending to become slightly familiar with it.
To his surprise though, this became the very turning point he had been seeking.
Over the past five months, Yang Kai had cultivated the Five Elements Indestructible Sword Tempering Art to its first stage, not only greatly increasing his physical strength but also tempering his Saint Qi and Spiritual Energy to a certain degree. Compared to before he began cultivating this Body Tempering Art, Yang Kai’s overall strength had increased by about twenty percent!
And it was this twenty percent improvement that had allowed him to reach a critical point, where he broke through the shackles of the peak Saint King Realm and touched upon the barrier to the Origin Returning Realm.
Ending his cultivation of the Five Elements Indestructible Sword Tempering Art at that point, Yang Kai began refining the remnant Souls he had stored in his Knowledge Sea.
During the battle of Dragon Cave Mountain, many Origin Returning Realm masters had died, and most of their remnant Souls had been drawn into Yang Kai’s Knowledge Sea and purified, but until now he had not tried to absorb them.
After swallowing the remnant Souls of these fallen masters, Yang Kai received their insights into the Heavenly Way and Martial Dao, making a subsequent breakthrough only a matter of time.
However, this time’s breakthrough was different from any Yang Kai had experienced before, namely the appearance of the Five Elements World Energy. Yang Kai did not know why this had occurred, but he vaguely speculated that it had some relationship with the Five Elements Indestructible Sword Tempering Art.
In the end, this breakthrough had come about thanks to a mixture of opportunities and coincidences, but was also achieved quite naturally, differing greatly from Yang Kai’s original plans. This time, Yang Kai had entered retreat specifically to break through, even going so far as to prepare an Origin Condensing Pill that had formed Pill Veins.
But the plans of man were inferior to the plans of Heaven, and Yang Kai ended up not using any of his prior preparations.
This, however, was a good thing that made Yang Kai extremely happy.
Although he had cultivated the Five Elements Indestructible Sword Tempering Art to its first stage, Yang Kai was still a long way off from obtaining an immortal and indestructible body. This Secret Art had a total of nine stages, each one more difficult to achieve than the previous, so if one wanted to reach the pinnacle of this Body Tempering Art, it would clearly take a massive amount of time and five elements supreme treasures!
After cultivating to the first stage, Yang Kai carefully checked the five supreme treasures he had been using and discovered that the highest-end Sun’s True Essence hadn’t experienced much change, but the others had all experienced some obvious consumption.
The pure elemental energy in the Profound Gold and Thunder Wood had been noticeably reduced while three drops of Profound Yin Sunflower Water had been consumed. As for the Divine Nullification Sand, their number had been reduced by more than twenty grains…
This kind of consumption was not small, but it didn’t matter too much as Yang Kai figured the remaining energy in these treasures was enough to support his cultivation of the Five Elements Indestructible Sword Tempering Art to the second or even third stage. As for the Sun’s True Essence, he estimated he could continue using it much longer than that.
With such a time buffer, Yang Kai figured that he could collect other five elements’ supreme treasures to replace the ones he depleted.
He also was not in a hurry to do this.
Thinking so, Yang Kai stretched out his hand and condensed a ball of five-coloured light on his palm with a thought.
This ball of light was about the size of an egg and was a swirling mixture of gold, blue, white, red, and yellow.
Five Elements Indestructible Sword Qi! After five months of cultivating the Five Elements Indestructible Sword Tempering Art, Yang Kai had completed the first step of this Heaven defying Body Tempering Art, not only greatly enhancing his physical strength, but also allowing him to produce this incredible Five Elements Indestructible Sword Qi.
This Sword Qi could be formed by condensing all five of the elements together, or individually one by one, allowing it to take on an array of different characteristics.
However, the Five Elements Indestructible Sword Qi floating atop Yang Kai’s palm right now appeared quite weak, like a fledgeling bird that had just hatched and was not yet able to withstand great wind and rain, seemingly not usable in combat.
But this did not hinder Yang Kai’s enthusiasm to experiment.
With a thought, Yang Kai dismissed four of the five colours from the ball of light on his palm, leaving behind only the golden light that he then proceeded to transform into a golden sword.
Although this sword was quite small, the sharpness it radiated was not to be underestimated. This was the pure Gold Attribute Indestructible Sword Qi Yang Kai had condensed from the Profound Gold’s essence and had an extremely sharp, offensive nature.
“Go!” Yang Kai shouted as it flicked his wrist, causing the small golden sword to shoot out from his palm. In a flash, this small golden sword penetrated the remaining barriers around First Heavenly Palace and flew several kilometres away. Observing the golden sword with his Divine Sense, Yang Kai clearly saw the path it traced and could not help raising his brow and revealing a happy look.
Although he had yet to test this golden sword’s offensive strength, its speed alone would make it difficult for others to defend against.
Recalling it with his Divine Sense, Yang Kai had the small golden sword instantly fly back to him, manipulating it as easily as if it were an extension of his body.
Yang Kai’s mood was excellent and he quickly proceeded to test the other four Indestructible Sword Qis one by one, his satisfaction only growing as he did.
These five Indestructible Sword Qis each had their own strengths and weaknesses, none superior or inferior to the others, the Gold Sword Qi and Fire Sword Qi had the greatest offensive power, the former focusing on sharpness and speed while the latter emphasized destructive force.
The Earth Sword Qi and Water Sword Qi were mainly focused on defensive strength, the former being thick and solid while the latter was soft and flexible.
The Wood Sword Qi was the most versatile, capable of both offensive and defensive action, but it was also not to be underestimated.
Moreover, if these five types of Indestructible Sword Qi were cultivated to a certain height, one would be able to arrange a Five Elements Indestructible Sword Qi Array. This array would allow the five different elements to mutually reinforce one another, multiplying their might in an endless cycle. If an enemy were to be subjected to this array and fail to immediately break free, they would suffer greatly, even if they were in a higher realm than the one who activated it.
After happily experimenting for quite some time, Yang Kai took the Five Elements Indestructible Sword Qi back into his body. Although this Body Tempering Art was incredibly powerful, it was not something which could show results after just a day or two of effort. A long period of cultivation and accumulation would be required to bring out its true might.
Yang Kai was already psychologically prepared for this.
Now that he had broken through to the Origin Returning Realm, his strength was dramatically different from before; it was almost as if every part of his body was bursting with power.
This was the Origin Returning Realm, the highest Great Realm achievable on Shadowed Star!
It had been more than twenty years since Yang Kai first entered the Star Field. At first, he was just an insignificant Second-Order Saint, but since then he had surmounted two Great Realms. Although he did not dare say that this was an unprecedented achievement, or that there would be no one else in the future who could match it, the number of those who had or would was definitely not great.
While Wei Gu Chang, Dong Xuan’er, and the other young talents on Shadowed Star all looked similar in age to Yang Kai, in truth they were all much older than he was; however, because of their high cultivations, they retained their youthful appearances.
As for masters like Qian Tong and Fei Zhi Tu, which one of them had not lived for hundreds of years?
Tidying up his mood, Yang Kai remembered not to become complacent; after all, the Origin Returning Realm was just another step on his cultivation path, and there was still the Origin King Realm above it that he had to reach! Beyond that, there were other realms as well; at the very least, the Starry Sky Great Emperor had reached a far greater height than the Origin King Realm.
It was simply that Yang Kai had yet to reach a height where he was capable of peering into these deeper secrets.
There were also many abilities Yang Kai needed to cultivate now, all of which would take a non-negligible amount of time.
Fortunately, using his Golden Blood to cultivate Golden Blood Threads no longer took Yang Kai as much time or effort as it first had, and as long as he condensed one, all he needed to do was warm and nourish it within his body. The longer he did so, the greater the power that Golden Blood Thread would be able to display.
The Verdant Dragon Bone Sword also didn’t require much of Yang Kai’s attention anymore as he could have his Firebird Artifact Spirit help him refine it.
As for his Demon Eye of Annihilation, it had also gradually begun to merge with the Coloured Glass Bead, and as time passed, the Golden Light and Coloured Glass Divine Light were also slowly beginning to amalgamate.
What Yang Kai really needed to spend time cultivating was his Space Blade and the Five Elements Indestructible Sword Tempering Art!
Even with so many different methods requiring differing degrees of his attention, Yang Kai did not feel the slightest bit distressed. These Secret Techniques and Divine Abilities were all strongly related to his future development, and he was not planning on adding any additional methods to his repertoire. Yang Kai felt as long as he was able to cultivate each of these techniques to the grand accomplishment stage, in this world, there would be nowhere he couldn’t go, and no one who could challenge him!
Setting these thoughts aside, Yang Kai took out two Saint Crystal Sources, held them in his hands, closed his eyes, and began to consolidate his cultivation.
The period right after achieving a breakthrough was a precarious time, and if one did not properly stabilize their realm, there was a chance their cultivation might fall.
In the blink of an eye, several days had passed!
On this day, Yang Kai suddenly opened his eyes, frowned, and released his Divine Sense to check his surroundings before standing up and walking out of First Heavenly Palace, ending his six-month-long retreat.
At this moment, in the huge open square of High Heaven Sect’s Front Court, all the Sect’s cultivators had gathered along with Qian Tong and all the other foreign guests.
Everyone was looking up, their eyes clearly attracted by something in the sky, their expressions solemn and respectful.
This scene was not just happening in High Heaven Sect though. All of Shadowed Star’s cultivators were staring up into the sky towards the same spot at this moment.
The Emperor Garden!
Right now, the Emperor Garden was releasing a dazzling five-coloured light as it hovered quietly high up in the sky, clouds drifting around it, making it somewhat difficult to make out.
At the same time that this change in the Emperor Garden occurred, an invisible coercion appeared.
Emperor Pressure! Fortunately, this Emperor Pressure was not too strong, otherwise, at least eighty percent of cultivators on Shadowed Star would have already collapsed.
*Weng…*
A buzzing sound echoed across all of Shadowed Star and jade tokens the size of one’s palm exuding soft white light appeared. Even if these jade tokens had been stored in cultivator’s Space Rings, seemingly attracted by some mysterious force, they flew out all on their own.
The owners of these Emperor Jades reached out and grabbed hold of them hurriedly, but the instant they did, an indescribable feeling spread across each of their bodies, causing them shock and joy.
The Emperor Garden was about to open!
Although no one told them this explicitly, when they held onto their respective Emperor Jades, these cultivators were somehow able to sense this truth. Since the Emperor Garden first appeared, everyone had been waiting for more than two years for it to open, and now, finally, it was going to.
This was a huge opportunity; one countless people couldn’t help feeling exuberant about.
Inside High Heaven Sect, Yang Kai’s figure flickered and appeared beside Yang Yan and the others before he too turned a solemn gaze skyward.
“Yang Kai!” Yang Yan called out, her red lips opening lightly, seemingly wanting to say something, but before she could, Yang Kai smiled at her and simply said, “I know.”
Yang Yan nodded lightly and said nothing more.
Although Qian Tong and the others wanted to ask if Yang Kai had managed to finish consolidating his cultivation, it was clearly not the time for such questions, so they all remained silent.
Time continued to pass, the five coloured glow surrounding the magnificent Emperor Garden high up in the sky was suddenly drawn into it and seemingly absorbed in front of everyone’s eyes.
Immediately afterwards, three beams of white light shot straight down from the bottom of the Emperor Garden at an extremely slow speed.
Seeing this situation, Yang Kai’s heart froze as his face paled.
When the first Emperor Jade appeared, a similar situation had occurred, and as a result, Dragon Cave Mountain’s Mountain Defending Array had been torn apart. Now that three such beams of light were descending from the Emperor Garden; would High Heaven Sect suffer the same fate?
Fortunately, Yang Kai’s worries turned out to be unnecessary, as although the three beams of light shot straight down, they stopped about half-way to the ground. After these three beams of light disappeared, however, they each left something which radiated a brilliant light floating mid-air.
Everyone held their breaths as they stared towards these floating objects.
Although the distance was quite far, everyone had a certain level of cultivation, so they were naturally able to clearly see what these objects were. To everyone’s surprise though, what remained after the three beams of light disappeared was three white jade discs strangely hovering high up in the sky.
These discs were not large, only a few metres in diameter each, but engraved on each of these jade white platforms was a complicated set of flashing lines. Clearly these lines composed some type of Spirit Array. The distance between each of these discs was at least a hundred kilometres.
“Space Array!” Yang Yan’s beautiful eyes flashed an unusual light before she thoughtfully remarked, “It looks like we need to pass through one of those three Space Arrays to enter the Emperor Garden.”
“So that’s how it is!” Qian Tong and others showed a look of enlightenment.
These days, they had all been pondering over how they were supposed to enter the Emperor Garden after it opened. After all, from what they could see, the Emperor Garden did not have any kind of clear entrance, causing countless masters on Shadowed Star to knit their brows in frustration.
All of them had guessed entering the Emperor Garden had something to do with the Emperor Jades which had appeared not long ago, but now it seems their idea was completely wrong.
When the Emperor Garden opened, it deployed three Space Arrays. Apparently, all one needed to do was use one of these Space Arrays to enter the Emperor Garden! The Emperor Jades were simply used to resist the omnipresent Emperor Pressure.
Without an Emperor Jade, there was no way to get close to these three Space Arrays!
Everything suddenly became clear.
“This old master will be going on ahead!” Just as everyone was lost in thought, an aged voice called out from the side and two figures flew up into the sky, turning into a stream of light that headed towards one of the Space Arrays.
Naturally, these two were the Sect Master and Great Elder of Floating Mist Palace!
Now that the Emperor Garden had finally opened and these Space Arrays had appeared, they were reluctant to delay any further. The one who strikes first gains the advantage so to speak, so these two decisively set out.
In exchange for an Emperor Jade, these two had won the right to depart for the Emperor Garden from High Heaven Sect’s Front Court, granting them nearly a half-day advantage over the rest of Shadowed Star’s cultivators.
These two could use this half-day to explore more places and obtain more treasures!
Moments after these two old men departed for the Emperor Garden, two other groups of people flew up into the air from within High Heaven Sect’s territory; unfortunately for them, their locations didn’t grant them as much advantage as the pair from Floating Mist Palace.
These two groups of people had also paid a massive price to purchase the other two departure spots from High Heaven Sect. Yang Kai had obtained his Divine Nullification Sand from one of them in fact.
At the same time, outside the Flowing Flame Sand Field, the groups from the various great forces of Shadowed Star also rose into the air.
However, if these people wanted to get close to the Emperor Garden’s Space Arrays, they needed to first get around the flame barrier formed from the Three Blazing Flame Rings, a process that would take a significant amount of time.
Seeing that Floating Mist Palace had already gone on ahead, Qian Tong could not help turning an anxious look towards Yang Kai.
Yang Kai understood what he wanted to say, grinned, and nodded, “Let’s head out as well.”
Qian Tong was overjoyed and immediately pushed his Saint Qi along with Fei Zhi Tu to wrap up Wei Gu Chang and fly upward.
The four from Coloured Glass Sect followed suit, as did the three from Clear Sky Sect.
“Elders, while we’re away, I’ll have to trouble you to look after the Sect!” Yang Kai turned to Chang Qi and the others and said lightly.
“As Sect Master commands!” Chang Qi and the others responded in unison.
In truth, there was not anything for those remaining in High Heaven Sect to worry about. Although Yang Kai, Yang Yan, and Ye Xi Yun were all leaving for the Emperor Garden, dramatically reducing High Heaven Sect’s available strength, thanks to its unique location, even if someone had malicious intentions, there was simply no way they could break through the Three Blazing Flame Rings’ barrier and launch an attack.
High Heaven Sect could be said to be perfectly safe.
“Let’s go!” Yang Kai glanced over at Yang Yan before his figure flickered and disappeared, reappearing a thousand metres away in an instant.
Yang Kai didn’t know what method Yang Yan used to accomplish it, but the speed she displayed was not inferior to his at all, and needless to say, Ye Xi Yun was easily able to keep up with the two of them with her peak Third-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivation.
The trio flew straight up, not showing any of the tension or expectation the others around them were displaying. In fact, whether it was Yang Kai or Yang Yan, both wore incredibly calm looks upon their faces.
Yang Kai did not feel rushed because he had already visited the Emperor Garden once and knew a fair bit about the situation inside. With this kind of prior experience, he would not need to waste time searching around for opportunities like the others.
Yang Yan, on the other hand, was the Great Emperor’s Soul Clone. With the Emperor Garden being the Great Emperor’s personal residence, although she did not know much about it now, as soon as she entered it, her dust-laden memories would no doubt rise to the surface. In a sense, no one was more familiar with the Emperor Garden than she was.
Affected by the two of them, Ye Xi Yun’s excitement gradually calmed down as well.
“Yang Kai, what’s your condition like now?” Yang Yan asked with some concern as they continued their upwards flight.
“I haven’t had time to fully consolidate my cultivation, but it’s not a problem. A few battles should be enough to completely stabilize my realm,” Yang Kai grinned, not showing any signs of concern.
Generally speaking, after a cultivator broke through to a new Great Realm, it would take them a certain amount of time to stabilize their foundation. The most common and safest way to do this was through a long period of calm meditation; however, engaging in battle with others was another option, one that carried far greater risks but was arguably faster.
Yang Kai never worried about such things though as he had complete confidence in being able to stabilize his realm through battle.
“En, that sounds good!” Yang Yan gently nodded.
After this brief exchange, the trio fell silent as they continued to fly upwards. The Emperor Garden seemed to be suspended directly above High Heaven Sect, but after really rushing towards it, Yang Kai found that it seemed to be floating several hundreds of thousands of kilometres away, and no matter how high up he flew, it still remained beyond his reach.
Moreover, the further up he flew, the greater the ambient Emperor Pressure around him became. Soon, the Emperor Pressure became so powerful it was almost tangible, making Yang Kai feel like he was swimming through mud, his Saint Qi circulation even becoming sluggish.
Yang Kai was not discouraged by this and instead rejoiced, his eyes lighting up as a thoughtful and eager expression filled his face.
After flying a thousand metres upwards, the intensity of the Emperor Pressure suddenly increased, and Yang Yan and Ye Xi Yun had to stimulate the effect of their Emperor Jades, forming white light halos around their bodies to protect themselves.
Yang Kai, however, just came to a stop.
“What’s wrong?” Yang Yan turned a puzzledled at look at him, not understanding why he had suddenly decided to stop here at this critical moment.
“You go on ahead! I want to cultivate here,” Yang Kai looked over at her.
Yang Yan frowned for a moment but soon showed a look of understanding, “Do you want to use the Emperor Pressure here to condense your Shi?”
Ye Xi Yun was shocked as soon as this remark came out.
“Yup!” Yang Kai did not try to deny it, “This is a once in a lifetime opportunity, I want to seize it!”
When he had gone to rescue Qian Tong with Fei Zhi Tu and the others, upon entering Fallen Emperor Mountain, Ning Xiang Chen had told Yang Kai that one day, when he broke through to the Origin Returning Realm, he could use the Emperor Pressure which filled Fallen Emperor Mountain and condense his Shi!
Shi condensed with the assistance of Emperor Pressure seemed to be much stronger than the Shi of an ordinary cultivator, providing incredible benefits for one’s future cultivation; however, such rumours had yet to be truly confirmed by anyone.
At that time, Yang Kai had decided that regardless of whether these rumours were true or not, when he broke through to the Origin Realm, he would go to Fallen Emperor Mountain.
If things were as rumoured, naturally that would be best, but if not, it didn’t matter. In any case, Emperor Pressure really could help a cultivator condense their Shi, this was a fact recognized by everyone.
However, since the Emperor Garden appeared, the Emperor Pressure which had always been present inside Fallen Emperor Mountain had disappeared, so if Yang Kai wanted to use Emperor Pressure to help condense his Shi, this would probably be his only chance. If he were to miss this opportunity, it would be impossible in the future to find such favourable conditions again.
Compared to the various treasures and benefits he could obtain in the Emperor Garden, increasing his own strength was far more important to Yang Kai; after all, one was related to his foundation while the other was simply external tools.
Yang Kai could naturally determine which was more important.
As such, Yang Kai decided that entering the Emperor Garden a bit later wasn’t a problem. As long as his plan succeeded, the benefits he would obtain were far greater than any treasure he could find inside the Emperor Garden!
Considering all this, Yang Kai became quite enthusiastic.
Yang Yan didn’t try to persuade him otherwise, simply pondering for a moment before saying, “Do as you please then, just remember not to act recklessly. I have Great Elder here to protect me, so you don’t need to worry about my safety.”
“En,” Yang Kai nodded lightly before turning to look at Ye Xi Yun, cupping his fists, and saying, “Senior Ye, I’ll be leaving Yang Yan in your hands.”
“Sect Master may rest assured, as long as this Queen still draws breath, no harm will come to Madam!” Ye Xi Yun declared proudly.
Yang Kai grinned and waved, “Go. I’ll find and meet up with you inside the Emperor Garden if possible!”
Yang Yan glanced at him, urged him to be cautious again, then continued to fly upwards. A moment later, however, she suddenly paused again, turned back, and shouted, “Yang Kai!”
“What’s wrong?” Yang Kai looked at her curiously.
“For the days we spent together… Thank you,” Yang Yan smiled radiantly, saying some incomprehensible words before turning around and flying off again.
Yang Kai stared towards Yang Yan’s back blankly, frowning slightly, wondering what this woman was trying to say and why she had suddenly become so sentimental. But unable to understand no matter how much he thought about it, Yang Kai soon shook his head and focused on the task at hand, condensing his Shi with the help of the Emperor Pressure here.
Sweeping away any distracting thoughts, Yang Kai continued to fly upwards unhurriedly.
Every cultivator, after breaking through to the Origin Returning Realm, would begin to condense their own Shi! No one was an exception to this process.
Shi wasn’t something which could be clearly categorized or described. It wasn’t the same as the fighting intent of a cultivator, but rather a fusion of will, Saint Qi, and Spiritual Energy. Once one successfully condensed their Shi, it provided them with a great boost in strength when fighting against opponents!
There were even cultivators who could incorporate their Shi into their Secret Techniques and Divine Abilities, allowing it to play an indispensable role.
However, it was extremely difficult to condense and cultivate one’s Shi, generally requiring years of meditation, insight, and amalgamation. Only after cultivating one’s Shi to the grand accomplishment stage could an Origin Realm cultivator attempt to break through to the Origin King Realm!
This was one of the necessary conditions to achieve a breakthrough.
On Shadowed Star, the number of Origin Returning Realm masters was innumerable, and there was no shortage of those who had reached the Third-Order, but only about one percent of these peak level masters had actually cultivated their Shi to the grand accomplishment stage.
Ye Xi Yun was undoubtedly one such master!
Qian Tong and Fei Zhi Tu’s situations were somewhat vague, they may have reached the grand accomplishment stage, but perhaps not. On the other hand, masters like Jin Shi and Old Woman Feng had certainly not reached this level. As such, even amongst masters at the Third-Order Origin Returning Realm, strengths varied greatly, and the primary reason for this was the difference in their respective Shi.
After initially condensing their Shi, an Origin Realm master would see their combat strength rise at least thirty percent.
Thirty peak Third-Order Saints may be able to defeat a First-Order Saint King.
But thirty peak Saint Kings would definitely not be the opponent of a First-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivator who had condensed their Shi. This clearly illustrated the massive gap between the two Great Realms. Once an opponent fell into their enemy’s Shi, whether it was their Saint Qi circulation or the power of the Secret Techniques they executed, both would receive dramatic suppression, unless they cultivated some kind of Secret Technique which specialized in destroying Shi, such as Demon Blood Temple’s Demon Blood Thread!
Yang Kai had formed a plan for condensing his Shi long ago.
Although he had just broken through to the Origin Realm a few days ago, he had not absorbed the Soul remnants of so many Origin Realm masters in vain, and together with the teachings and personal experiences Qian Tong, Fei Zhi Tu, Wei Gu Chang, Dong Xuan’er, and others had given to him, Yang Kai was confident he could quickly succeed in condensing his Shi.
His foresight and pre-planning had now finally come in handy.
High up in the sky, Yang Kai stood straight like a sword, the Saint Qi in his body condensed to the limit as it rapidly circulated through his meridians.
Above him, there seemed to be an invisible set of stairs that allowed him to climb upwards, and with a relaxed expression, Yang Kai slowly ascended these steps, seemingly not experiencing the slightest pressure.
At this time and place, the Emperor Pressure wasn’t too strong and could only impede the circulation of his Saint Qi slightly. Yang Kai was using this slight suppression to silently ascertain how to integrate his will and Spiritual Essence into one.
As he continued to climb higher, the Emperor Pressure surrounding his body gradually increased, eventually reaching a point where he began to struggle.
Every step soon became laborious and consumed a massive amount of Yang Kai’s strength. At the same time, crackling sounds rang out from his body. The Emperor Pressure here not only hampered Yang Kai’s movements but had also greatly suppressed the speed at which he could circulate his Saint Qi.
It was as if he had fallen into a quagmire, with the surrounding space becoming thick and viscous.
Yang Kai’s expression was grim and the blood vessels on his neck and forehead were now clearly visible. His eyes were bloodshot and looked akin to those of a feral beast.
Although Yang Kai looked quite distressed, there was a deep joy flashing across the depths of his eyes.
Using Emperor Pressure to condense his Shi really had a wondrous effect! At this moment, it seems like every bit of his physique was being crushed by the surrounding Emperor Pressure, which in turn served as a kind of magical catalyst for fusing together his will and Spiritual Essence.
This forced fusion allowed Yang Kai to vaguely comprehend what Shi was, and how to condense his own.
Looking up into the sky, Yang Kai once again took a step forward with great difficulty.
The distance spanned by his foot was less than a normal walking pace, but Yang Kai still felt like it took him several dozen days to make this simple movement!
The Emperor Pressure around him not only slowed Yang Kai’s movements but also began to distort his senses. This kind of slowness was obviously not actually occurring in the outside world, and was all a product of Yang Kai’s mental state, a truly rare and unusual experience.
Crossing this seemingly short stride allowed Yang Kai to experience what would take an ordinary cultivator a massive amount of time to in one moment.
After advancing this one step, Yang Kai closed his eyes and pushed his Saint Qi fiercely, feeling it break free from the Emperor Pressure’s shackles slightly and circulate a tiny bit faster than before.
After a long pause, Yang Kai opened his eyes again, and took another step forward, then closed his eyes again to feel the changes within himself before repeating the process all over again!
At this moment, the benefits of a strong physique fully manifested. If Yang Kai’s physical body wasn’t so intrepid, he wouldn’t have been able to persist in this environment for so long as under the surrounding Emperor Pressure. Instead, he would have already been badly battered.
Fortunately, Yang Kai had just finished cultivating the Five Elements Indestructible Sword Tempering Art to its first stage and greatly enhanced his physical strength.
Simultaneously, Yang Kai’s newly achieved Origin Returning Realm cultivation was rapidly being consolidated.
Studying the strange sensation filling his body saved Yang Kai a significant amount of time and effort; if not for it, he would have needed to spend at least a year or two in meditative cultivation to achieve the same result.
This alone made this trip worthwhile.
However, Yang Kai wasn’t satisfied with just this. He continued the excruciating climb higher, completely immersing himself in his comprehension, as if he had forgotten everything else around him.
After a full day, Yang Kai managed to climb a thousand metres. This distance was nothing worth noting and he was still extremely far from the Emperor Garden, but this short ascension had allowed Yang Kai to obtain insights in the Heavenly Way and Martial Dao which would ordinarily take a cultivator a hundred years to achieve.
A kind of invisible force was now beginning to spread out from Yang Kai’s body and countering the Emperor Pressure.
Shi!
This was the Shi which belonged to Yang Kai! Although his Shi was weak compared to the awe-inspiring Emperor Pressure, like a newborn fledgeling not even worth mentioning, reaching this step in such a short time was nothing short of a miracle!
No cultivator had ever managed to condense their Shi and reach the minor accomplishment stage in a single day before!
If someone were to even hear of such a feat, they would definitely not believe it to be true.
But Yang Kai, taking advantage of this rare opportunity, truly managed to achieve this.
The Emperor Pressure which emanated from the Emperor Garden was far more coherent and powerful than the one which had permeated Fallen Emperor Mountain.
In the past, many cultivators had gone to Fallen Emperor Mountain to use the profound and mysterious Emperor Pressure to condense their Shi, most of them reaping huge benefits as a result.
Yang Kai had simply imitated this practice but was doing so under far more advantageous conditions than were present in Fallen Emperor Mountain, allowing him to obtain twice the results with half the effort. Nevertheless, Yang Kai was far from done, this was just the beginning.
With a firm expression, Yang Kai continued to climb while immersing in this wondrous experience.
During the past day, some cultivators had caught up to Yang Kai. These cultivators had rushed to the Emperor Garden starting from the periphery of the Flowing Flame Sand Field and had wasted a great deal of time going around the flame barrier. All of these cultivators now showed anxious looks, obviously fearing that others who had gone ahead of them would take away all the benefits inside the Emperor Garden.
When passing by Yang Kai, however, these same people would all gawk at him in complete shock.
They were easily able to resist the Emperor Pressure here and fly upwards because of the protective light halo produced by their Emperor Jades.
But here, they saw that Yang Kai was actually resisting the Emperor Pressure with his own strength.
How could this scene not shock them?
Many of these people were well-known characters on Shadowed Star, and all of them had cultivations at the Second or Third-Order Origin Returning Realm, but even so, none of them dared dismiss the Emperor Jade’s protection.
Occasionally, there were some masters who saw Yang Kai’s actions and couldn’t help feeling a competitive impulse, dismissing the Emperor Jade’s light halo, but in a flash, their forward momentum plummeted and they were quickly surpassed by others.
Although this impact wasn’t enough to cause these masters to immediately fall, just tasting the ambient Emperor Pressure was enough to make them extremely uncomfortable. Thinking about the benefits inside the Emperor Garden, all of these people quickly re-activated their Emperor Jades and flew past Yang Kai.
Not everyone had possessed Yang Kai’s boldness to willingly sacrifice time inside the Emperor Garden searching for treasure in order to condense and cultivate their Shi.
Additionally, not everyone was willing to turn a blind eye to Yang Kai’s existence. Most of these masters were shocked by Yang Kai’s actions, but all of them still quickly left because the seduction of the Emperor Garden was simply too great.
When the masters from the several great forces that had grievances passed by Yang Kai, all of them showed fierce expressions, seemingly wanting to solve this problem once and for all.
Not only did Jin Shi of Demon Blood Temple think this way, he actually acted upon this impulse as well.
During the battle of Dragon Cave Mountain, Jin Shi had participated in order to snatch the piece of Profound Gold from Yang Kai, but after going to steal a chicken he had failed miserably and ended up losing his rice as well, losing an arm to Dragon Cave Mountain’s Origin King Grade Starship’s Crystal Cannons. That battle had forged a deep hatred inside Jin Shi towards Yang Kai and Dragon Cave Mountain.
After half a year of recuperation, Jin Shi finally managed to recover, and although he was still lacking an arm, that didn’t have much impact on his strength. Passing by Yang Kai at this moment and seeing his hated enemy, Jin Shi naturally became enraged.
Without hesitation, Jin Shi summoned his dark red Demon Blood Thread and lashed out in an attempt to behead Yang Kai.
He believed that by catching Yang Kai unprepared, he could definitely kill him!
However, Jin Shi dramatically underestimated the power of the Emperor Pressure in his surroundings.
The moment the reddish-black Demon Blood Thread Jin Shi sent out left the Emperor Jade’s protective halo, it was instantly submerged in the ambient Emperor Pressure, slowing its speed so much it could no longer play any kind of role as a sneak attack.
At that moment, Yang Kai glanced over at Jin Shi faintly, flashed a smile full of ridicule towards him, spoke some kind of profanity towards Jin Shi who was unable to hear it due to them being too far apart, then turned away.
Yang Kai essentially ignored Jin Shi altogether.
*Pa…*
With a soft popping sound, the reddish-black thread which was slowly advancing towards Yang Kai actually burst, filling the air with a thick bloody smell which caused those nearby to want to retch. The Demon Blood Thread Jin Shi had spent countless years condensing and nurturing was vaporized by the Emperor Garden’s Emperor Pressure.
*Pu…*
Jin Shi’s face suddenly went pale as he coughed up a mouthful of blood. His body nearly collapsed as a look of horror filled his expression, seemingly suffering a serious injury.
Demon Blood Threads were extremely special, similar to artifacts but much more closely related to the cultivator who condensed them. As a result, once one was destroyed, the cultivator who condensed it would naturally suffer a strong backlash.
Jin Shi not only failed to kill Yang Kai with this blow, he lost an extremely valuable Demon Blood Thread in the process, causing his eyes to go bloodshot with frustration.
Mo Xiao Sheng, Old Woman Feng, and several others who were nearby saw this scene and couldn’t help showing terrified looks on their faces, their expressions quickly becoming solemn and dignified.
They too had wanted to deal with Yang Kai just now, but Jin Shi had moved faster than them.
However, now it seemed it was their good fortune they had not acted hastily, otherwise, they would likely not be much better off than Jin Shi. After shivering slightly, all of these masters cast a glance towards Yang Kai before silently flying upwards.
“Boy, don’t let this old master meet you in the Emperor Garden, otherwise, I swear I’ll peel your skin and flay your flesh to soothe my hatred!” Jin Shi roared furiously.
Yang Kai glanced over at him once again, raised his hand with great difficulty, clenched his fist, then gave Jin Shi a middle finger.
“Hateful!” Jin Shi’s eyes filled with murderous intent, exhibiting a clear desire to fight Yang Kai to the death right there and then. He was also a famous character who held the position of Demon Blood Temple’s Great Elder; when had he ever been so despised and provoked?
Anyone who dared to show him such disrespect had already been drained of their blood by Jin Shi using a forbidden technique to enhance the power of his Demon Blood Thread.
Yang Kai’s naked contempt for him undoubtedly sent Jin Shi into a rage.
“Great Elder, reaching and exploring the Emperor Garden is our priority now. This little boy will definitely go in as well, so it won’t be too late to find trouble with him when we meet inside,” A beautiful woman in a highly revealing pink dress next to Jin Shi lightly comforted.
This woman’s style could only be described as bold, her jade-white arms and long slender legs almost completely exposed while her pink dress failed to conceal the luscious curves of her body, especially her immense peaks and the deep valley which lay between them, this sight alone was like a whirlpool which drew in the eyes of men, seizing their souls and driving them to distraction.
This woman’s most distinctive feature, however, was her dark red lips. This pair of ruby-like lips seemed to exude a lustrous glow which gave her a seductive allure difficult to ignore.
Like a ripe juicy peach, this woman seemed incredibly tempting and sweet.
Although this woman only appeared about thirty years of age, she was radiating the aura of a top Third-Order Origin Returning Realm master.
At this moment, Jin Shi was filled with indignation, but he still did not dare act dissolute towards this beautiful woman, quickly nodding to her words, “It is as Temple Master says!”
This beautiful woman was none other than the Temple Master of Demon Blood Temple! Those who weren’t familiar with the details of Demon Blood Temple would surely be shocked that a woman actually stood at its helm, but those who did know about her would avoid her like a viper.
Demon Blood Temple was by no means a righteous force, and although they didn’t commit acts of evil with absolutely no restraint, most of its disciples frequently engaged in malicious acts such as murder and robbery.
As the saying went, if the upper beam were crooked, the lower beams would be too, so with the Temple’s disciples committing vile deeds, this beautiful woman who was the Temple Master naturally was not anything good.
It was rumoured that this woman never spent the night without the company of a man. Any male in Demon Blood Temple she felt was to her taste could not escape from her clutches, even several Elders of the Temple were rumoured to be having affairs with her.
Every year, a large number of physically strong, outstanding-looking male cultivators were captured by Demon Blood Temple and disappeared without a trace.
Supposedly, all of these men had been sucked dry by this beautiful woman, quite literally dying beneath her.
However, although Demon Blood Temple carried out such repugnant acts, it still remained safe and sound because the males they targeted all came from small forces or had no stronger background or backers. As such, even if Demon Blood Temple’s reputation was terrible, no powerful force went to find trouble with it.
What’s more, Demon Blood Temple was also a first-class force on Shadowed Star, so unless Thunder Typhoon Sect and Heaven Battling Union joined forces and gathered additional masters from the other great forces on the star, it would be all but impossible to uproot it.
At this moment, this beautiful woman was staring towards Yang Kai, her eyes flashing with a predatory glint as her tongue licked her ruby-red lips, her breathing even becoming a little quick.
No wind leaked through a wall without a hall; all the rumours about this woman were basically true. For example, what she liked the most was strong men!
It was not that she had a deep need for warmth and companionship. As the master of a great force and a Third-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivators, how could she waste time on such things? The reason she liked strong men was that the vitality these men had was much richer than that of average cultivators!
While sleeping with such men, she could use a special set of Secret Techniques to devour their vital essence and use it to enhance the strength of her Demon Blood Threads!
Yang Kai being able to stand at this position without relying on the Emperor Jade’s protection, solely depending on his physical body to resist the surrounding Emperor Pressure, clearly displayed how intrepid his vitality was, which in turn greatly stimulated the desires of this beautiful woman.
Moreover, Yang Kai’s cultivation at the First-Order Origin Returning Realm was not low. If she could devour the vitality of this boy, her strength would definitely increase substantially!
After having reached her current cultivation, wanting to increase her strength further became incredibly difficult. If it was another star in the Star Field, she could attempt to break through to the Origin King Realm, but in the special environment of Shadowed Star, where the Origin King Realm was simply unattainable, she could only strengthen her Secret Techniques instead.
To her, Yang Kai’s body was the greatest of delicacies!
The more she looked, the more delighted she became. This beautiful woman wanted nothing more than to rush over, capture Yang Kai, and find a place where no one could interrupt their good deal, but having been frightened greatly by the tragedy which befell Jin Shi after he attacked just now, she knew that now was not the right time to act aggressively.
Giggling lightly, the beautiful woman looked towards Yang Kai and said, “Little brother, hurry up and enter the Emperor Garden, this Temple Master will be waiting for you inside!”
Saying so, she and Jin Shi flew upwards past Yang Kai.
Staring at the backs of these two, Yang Kai just coldly snorted, not paying them any mind.
He had long known his trip to the Emperor Garden would not be peaceful; let alone others, the great forces that had deep grudges with him and Dragon Cave Mountain would not let this opportunity to silence him go.
But what of it?
Now that he had broken through to the First-Order Origin Returning Realm, and his Shi had reached the minor accomplishment stage, even if he was besieged by four or five top-level masters he could not defeat, Yang Kai was confident he could easily escape.
As such, he was not the slightest bit afraid; on the contrary, he was actually feeling quite eager to find an opportunity to test the power of his Shi.
Rays of light flashed past from all directions as the cultivators from Shadowed Star who had obtained Emperor Jades rushed up towards the Emperor Garden. As time passed, everyone who was qualified eventually passed through the floating Space Arrays and entered the Emperor Garden.
Hovering in mid-air, only the lone figure of Yang Kai remained, still climbing upwards at an incredibly slow pace.
Instead of becoming impatient though, he only became calmer.
Now that everyone had gone on ahead, he had nothing more to worry about and could focus all of his attention on tempering and condensing his Shi here.
Yang Kai was not willing to miss such a rare opportunity!
Time continued to pass, and three days later, Yang Kai stood mid-air, pale-faced, his legs trembling nonstop, as if he was on the verge of collapsing.
Having reached this point, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t take another step forward. The Emperor Pressure around him was already so oppressive that it seemed like it would crush him to death if he advanced even one step higher.
These three days of hard work had given him insight and understanding an ordinary cultivator would need to spend hundreds of years to achieve.
Comprehension of Shi!
Yang Kai’s Shi was no longer just at the minor accomplishment stage and had made great strides forward, making it comparable in intensity to masters who had long ago achieved great fame.
[Is this my limit?] A glimmer of sadness flashed across Yang Kai’s eyes. Although he still wanted to continue to climb upwards, willpower alone would not allow him to do so, making him feel quite helpless.
But soon, Yang Kai thought of something and frowned deeply, sinking into a state of contemplation.
After an incense stick worth of time, Yang Kai’s eyes flashed as a smile appeared on his face before he slowly and arduously raised his foot to tread another step upwards.
*Hong…*
The increase in Emperor Pressure Yang Kai experienced after lifting his foot nearly extinguished him in body and soul as it tightly wrapped around him.
At the same time though, a strange series of crackling noises rang out.
A strange force burst out from Yang Kai’s body, turning into innumerable invisible blades, cutting the Emperor Pressure apart which was pressing down on him!
Suddenly, Yang Kai felt significantly lighter, and his figure quickly ascended another step!
The crackling noises became even more numerous and the space around Yang Kai actually became distorted, as if it was constantly collapsing and repairing itself over and over again in an endless cycle.
Space Force!
The Dao of Space was an esoteric field that very few were able to cultivate and fewer still were able to flexibly use.
It was by utilizing his comprehension of the Dao of Space and his Space Force that Yang Kai was able to take this step past his original limit, and this was far from the end. With his Space Force fusing together with his Shi to resist the ambient Emperor Pressure, Yang Kai felt he could continue climbing higher!
After this successful attempt, Yang Kai had a burst of inspiration and a radical plan came to his mind.
Whether this plan would succeed or not though was something he would need to test now!
Considering all this, Yang Kai’s previous gloom was swept away and an unparalleled excitement replaced it. Constantly urging his Space Force to fuse together with his Shi, Yang Kai continued the ascension he had begun three days ago!
…..
Seven days later, a white light curtain wrapped around Yang Kai as he quickly flew upwards. The white light curtain was naturally the Emperor Jade’s protective halo, and with it, Yang Kai could not feel even the slightest bit of Emperor Pressure, allowing him to rapidly approach the Emperor Garden.
It had been ten days since the Emperor Garden opened, and Yang Kai had been condensing his Shi over this period, reaping incredible gains in the process!
Although this delayed Yang Kai by ten days and many treasures in the Emperor Garden had no doubt been claimed already as a result, Yang Kai didn’t have any regrets. Compared to those treasures, his current harvest made him far more satisfied.
His Shi had now reached a certain limit that could no longer be surmounted by using this Emperor Pressure, so Yang Kai decisively rushed towards the Emperor Garden at full speed!
Soon, he arrived at the Space Array closest to him, a strange disk-like platform. When looking at it from afar, Yang Kai had thought this was a physical object, but inspecting it close up, he discovered that it was actually just a projection formed of pure energy.
On the surface of this disk was a series of complicated glowing lines and symbols that made up the actual Space Array.
Looking up at the Emperor Garden for a moment, Yang Kai could not help but frown as it gave him a feeling of etherealness, like it was half-way between real and illusory.
It seemed to be a physical object floating high up in the sky, but also a projection all at once!
After observing the Emperor Garden for a short time, Yang Kai slowly shook his head, withdrew his gaze, and turned his attention back to the Space Array, a look of understanding soon appearing on his face.
With no reason to linger any longer, Yang Kai waved his hand, sending a few pieces of High-Rank Saint Crystals into the grooves of the Space Array. Immediately after, the Space Array lit up and Yang Kai stepped onto it, disappearing in a flash and leaving behind a now silent, empty sky.
At the same time, Yang Kai’s figure appeared atop an unknown grassland.
As soon as he appeared, Yang Kai immediately summoned his Purple Shield and turned it into a purple light halo around him while releasing his Divine Sense and readying his Shi.
He did not dare act carelessly here; after all, many others had entered this place ten days earlier than him. If he were to appear inside some group’s encirclement, a fight would ensue.
Fortunately, Yang Kai’s worries were superfluous as under his Divine Sense investigation he was unable to detect any life auras within ten kilometres, let alone anyone lying in ambush.
But in the next moment, Yang Kai’s expression filled with doubt as he swept his eyes around, dumbfounded by what he saw.
Was this really the Emperor Garden?
Right now Yang Kai was standing atop a grassland he could not see the end of, with a blue sky over his head and not a cloud in sight for ten thousand kilometres, bright sunlight streaming down from above providing a gentle summer warmth!
How could this be the Emperor Garden?
Others did not know what the interior of the Emperor Garden looked like, but Yang Kai couldn’t be clearer. The last time he went to rescue Qian Tong with Fei Zhi Tu and the others, he had entered the Emperor Garden once and seen its numerous lofts and magnificent palaces, so why was he now seeing an expansive grassland?
However, if someone were to tell him this was not the Emperor Garden, Yang Kai would not believe them; after all, it was essentially impossible for the Space Array he passed through to have sent him to the wrong place.
If that was the case though, what happened? Yang Kai was deeply confused.
At the same time, at a certain position inside this sealed space, a young woman wearing a fiery red dress knit her brow slightly and a look of surprise filled her face. This woman was incredibly beautiful, with an astonishing figure and mesmerizing looks.
Her physical looks however were far surpassed by her aura, one that exuded a kind of overwhelming allure that no Beguiling Technique could compare and as clearly a kind of innate trait.
Every smile, every frown, every move she made radiated ten thousand kinds of charm.
Simply standing there, she was like a brilliant flame that could draw in countless moths regardless of their will.
The glamorous Temple Master of Demon Blood Temple also had a bewitching kind of charm, but compared to this woman, hers was vastly inferior.
At this moment, this woman was surrounded by four Origin Returning Realm masters, one at the Third Order, two at the Second Order, and one at the First Order!
These four men had cornered this woman in an obvious attempt to stop her from escaping, each of them staring towards her with obvious greed and desire.
In all fairness, these four men were not naturally loose and lascivious. Aside from some who had particularly strong desires towards beauties, most masters who had reached the level of strength of these four took the pursuit of the Martial Dao and enhancing their cultivation as their first priority.
But this woman was just too special, and her enchanting style was simply irresistible to any man. The moment these four Origin Realm masters saw this woman’s face, whether they had strong obscene desires or not, they could not suppress their desire to obtain her for themselves.
It was almost as if as long as they could spend the night with this beauty, even death wouldn’t be too great a price.
The woman stood here all alone, and although her body radiated a powerful Third-Order Origin Returning Realm aura, the four men surrounding her showed no fear; after all, they outnumbered this woman and one of them had a cultivation equal to hers.
The beauty’s face flashed a look of confusion suddenly, as if she was trying hard to remember something, but even her slightly wrinkled brow had a unique charm to it, causing the four Origin Returning Realm masters gathered around her to feel their hearts pound wildly, their faces flushing as they unconsciously licked their parched lips.
A moment later though, the woman’s eyes brightened, as if she finally remembered something, a surprised and excited expression appearing on her face as she muttered to herself, “He’s here! He’s really here!”
Her voice was soft but incredibly enchanting, seemingly capable of captivating the minds of any who heard it.
A smile flashed across her charming face in the next instant that made all colour from the world fade away, leaving only her behind. The four Origin Realm masters completely lost their sense of reason when they saw this and immediately attacked.
Although the attacks of these four seemed quite ruthless, they held no trace of murderous intent. They were intent on capturing this beautiful woman then wantonly ravaging her, so how could they be willing to hurt her?
However, these four had dramatically underestimated the strength of this beautiful woman.
Facing this barrage of attacks coming at her from all directions, a trace of displeasure flashed across the eyes of this beautiful woman, as if annoyed that these four had interrupted her contemplation.
Even her angry expression was astonishingly alluring, causing the four men who had just attacked her to feel their hearts tighten and unconsciously reduce the amount of strength they were using, fearing they might inadvertently harm her.
The beautiful woman on the other hand did not intend to show any mercy, twirling her tender body on the spot while releasing a pink mist to surround herself.
*Hong Hong Hong…*
All the attacks directed towards her hit this pink mist barrier but only managed to cause a few ripples in it, completely failing to break through.
The mist dispersed in the next moment, revealing the beautiful woman’s angry face. Flicking her wrist, she next summoned a delicate looking fan into her hand, one that radiated a potent aura. Clearly this fan was a high-grade artifact and its surface was adorned by many lifelike pictures.
There were both men and women, all of whom were naked, posing in various lewd positions, seemingly engaging in sensual revelry.
The images on this fan were filled with eroticism!
An ordinary woman would never use such a shameful artifact, but the beautiful woman didn’t seem to pay it any mind, her jade white hand holding onto the small fan tightly as she gnashed her teeth and softly shouted, “You court death!”
As soon as her voice fell, she waved her fan gently.
The erotic pictures embroidered onto the fan suddenly seemed to come to life, as the numerous naked figures rushed outwards and swiftly dove into the four men’s bodies.
The faces of these four masters changed drastically, but by then it was too late for them to put up any kind of resistance.
A single mistake had doomed them. They had underestimated this beautiful woman’s strength and had held back in their attack just now, opening them up to a counterattack which they were not prepared to defend against.
The scene before these men’s eyes immediately changed, the four of them seemingly falling into a decadent palace filled with sinful laughter, sensual music, exotic delicacies, and countless young women dressed in revealing outfits singing and dancing, all of whom were constantly throwing flirtatious and tempting glances towards the four men, as if they lived only to please them!
The four masters instantly fell into a daze, standing there dumbly as intoxicated smiles filled their faces, immersing in the amorous scene before them, unable to extricate themselves.
The beautiful woman swept her eyes over these four in disgust, but instead of ending their lives, she simply donned a veil over her face, looked towards a certain direction, and quickly flew off.
Although the feeling was quite vague, she knew that the person she had always been searching for had really come to this place!
It had been too long since they had last met, almost twenty or thirty years, so wanting to rely on her original Secret Technique to find him was obviously not possible. She could only rely on the vague sensation and her own instincts while praying she could find the other party before the Emperor Garden closed.
Otherwise, if she missed this opportunity, she may never get another chance to fulfil her wish again.
An incense stick worth of time after the beautiful woman flew off, the four dazed men fell limply to the ground, blood flowing out of their seven orifices, their bodies convulsing violently as their vitality rapidly faded away, dying a miserable death.
Just one move had killed four Origin Returning Realm masters, clearly illustrating just how terrifying the beautiful woman’s strength was.
…..
“Is this really the Emperor Garden?” Yang Kai murmured blankly as he stared out across the grassland.
It had already been about a cup of tea worth of time since he came here, but Yang Kai still could not draw any conclusions.
However, the World Energy was indeed extremely rich here, far richer than on Shadowed Star. Even High Heaven Sect’s and the floating continent’s World Energy auras were dwarfed by this place.
From this point alone, it was clear this was the Emperor Garden.
But Yang Kai remembered that in the Emperor Garden, he was unable to extend his Divine Sense very far from his body at all, much less probe the situation in the surrounding ten-kilometre radius, so inferring from this point, it seemed this place was not the Emperor Garden.
In any case, Yang Kai’s best bet right now was to find someone he could ask about the situation, at the very least, it was necessary for him to gather some intelligence about what had happened. Everyone else had entered ten days earlier than him, so they may know something he didn’t. Taking out two communication artifacts from his Space Ring, Yang Kai poured his Divine Sense into them.
One of these communication artifacts was connected to Yang Yan, while the other was connected to Qian Tong, both were things Yang Kai had acquired in the past and now came in handy.
As long as they weren’t too far apart from each other, Yang Kai would easily be able to contact them.
A while later though, Yang Kai put away these communication artifacts in disappointment. Neither Yang Yan nor Qian Tong had responded. Even if they were inside this space, they were clearly too far away from him to make contact.
It seemed that he would have to rely on himself.
Turning his head to look around, Yang Kai casually picked a direction and flew off.
Even without using a Star Shuttle, Yang Kai’s speed was extremely fast, but as he flew along he did not encounter any living people.
However, Yang Kai did come across many corpses as well as traces of fighting. Some of these corpses belonged to Monster Beasts while others belonged to humans. It seemed a number of battles had taken place on this grassland, and from the dryness of the blood, Yang Kai inferred that these battles occurred not long ago, likely just after the Emperor Garden opened.
There were also many traces of spirit grasses and spirit medicines being harvested, so it seemed that many people reaped great benefits here!
After half a day, Yang Kai suddenly came to a stop and turned to look in a certain direction.
A hundred kilometres away, faint sounds of battle could be heard and Yang Kai sensed a number of powerful energy fluctuations; obviously a heated fight was occurring.
Yang Kai didn’t hesitate, immediately changing direction and flying over. Now that he had broken through to the Origin Realm and had condensed his Shi to a certain level, even if he were to face a Third-Order Origin Returning Realm master, he would still have the ability to fight. He could act boldly because he had faith in his skill.
Yang Kai crossed the hundred kilometres distance in just half a cup of tea’s time, and when he arrived and saw the actual situation, he couldn’t help raising his brow and muttering to himself, “Seven Coloured Elk?”
Yang Kai’s eyes bulged, never having expected to see the famous Seven Coloured Elk here.
He knew about this Monster Beast because of the Ten Thousand Year Incense he had obtained in the sixth layer of the Flowing Flame Sand Field. The primary ingredient for refining Ten Thousand Year Incense was the heart of this Seven Coloured Elk!
Needless to say, the benefits of the Ten Thousand Year Incense were immense to any cultivator as its fragrance could calm one’s mind and help dispel heart demons. The materials required to refine Ten Thousand Year Incense, however, were extremely difficult to find, each one belonging to Tenth-Order Monster Beasts. Among these ingredients though, the Seven Coloured Elk’s heart was the most difficult to obtain.
Because this Monster Beast was a rare ancient beast that was rumoured to have gone extinct long ago. So even if some great Sects possessed the refinement method for Ten Thousand Year Incense, the cleverest woman could not cook a meal without rice.
However, after just entering this strange place, Yang Kai had actually encountered a Seven Coloured Elk!
[No, it’s not an actual Seven Coloured Elk!] Yang Kai frowned deeply as he carefully observed the battlefield up ahead. At first glance, this Monster Beast truly looked like a Seven Coloured Elk, but if one observed closely, they could still see some differences.
It was rumoured that Seven Coloured Elks were born as Eighth-Order Monster Beasts, and when they grew to their peak, they could reach the Tenth-Order, but although this Monster Beast was no doubt a full-grown adult, it was clearly just at the peak of the Ninth-Order, not the Tenth-Order.
Moreover, the Seven Coloured Radiant Light it was emitting was not as powerful as it should be.
The Seven Coloured Radiant Light possessed by real Seven Coloured Elks was an innate Divine Ability that had the magical effect of ignoring all forms of defence. Even if an Origin King were to encounter such a beast, they would have to give way.
If one wanted to kill a real Seven Coloured Elk, they would need to join forces with several other Origin Kings.
There were a total of five people battling this Seven Coloured Elk, three men and two women, each of them Origin Realm masters with two of them even having reached the Third Order. These five were using their artifacts and Martial Skills to the fullest while coordinating with one another.
Even so, these five didn’t dare act carelessly and two of them already looked quite dishevelled. It was obvious that these people had suffered a loss at the hands of this Monster Beast.
Martial Skills and artifact attacks blasted towards this Monster Beast, but the other party simply stood still, its face revealing an almost human-like look of contempt as it continued releasing its Seven Coloured Radiant Light, preventing any harm from befalling it.
After this violent clash, the Monster Beast remained unharmed, and instead, the five attackers seemed to be faltering after consuming so much of their Saint Qi in this drawn-out battle.
Yang Kai didn’t conceal his approach which naturally startled this group of five. What they feared most in this place was orioles stalking mantises who were trying to catch cicadas.
But after using their Divine Senses to sweep Yang Kai and discovering he was just a First-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivator, they all relaxed.
The weakest of their group of five was at this level, and there were multiple Second and Third-Order Origin Realm masters among them, so they naturally didn’t fear Yang Kai. After exchanging a silent glance amongst themselves, they had one middle-aged man divert a portion of his attention to monitor Yang Kai while the rest of them continued to lay siege to the Monster Beast.
Yang Kai was well aware of how this group of five reacted to him but didn’t pay it any mind. If it was him in their place, he would have done the same.
However, Yang Kai’s brows furrowed.
Because he found that he didn’t know anyone among these five people!
Although Yang Kai hadn’t had much contact with the other great forces on Shadowed Star, when the Emperor Garden opened, he had been condensing his Shi outside; in other words, everyone who entered the Emperor Garden had flown past him at some point.
But none of these five people had a familiar face.
What surprised Yang Kai the most though was the robes worn by these five people as they were quite different from those that were commonly worn on Shadowed Star, as if they weren’t from Shadowed Star in the first place.
This thought made Yang Kai even more confused.
However, he had only come here to find someone to inquire about the situation and didn’t have any intention to intervene or disturb their fight, so he simply prepared to wait until this group of five finished their battle before speaking to them.
The battle continued for half an hour before this group of five began showing the intention to retreat. The reason was simple, this Monster Beast, which was similar to a Seven Coloured Elk, was extremely difficult to kill. The Seven Coloured Radiant Light which it released from its body was so solid it couldn’t be broken by these five’s attacks.
Additionally, the occasional counterattacks from this Monster Beast were both sharp and powerful. By the time they decided to withdraw, all five of these cultivators had suffered injuries, the most serious of which was a black-haired old man whose abdomen had been punctured and was leaking blood. Although this injury wasn’t too serious, if he continued to remain here it would only cause his condition to deteriorate and weaken his combat effectiveness.
“Brother Min, how about we fall back temporarily and come up with a new plan?” Another old man with white hair asked with a frown.
All of them had seen that it would be impossible for them to kill this Monster Beast in short order, and with their location being a wide-open plain, there was a high risk a third party could swoop in and steal their prey.
After all, Yang Kai had found them here following the fallout from their battle.
The injured black-haired old man was not a hot-headed individual and quickly nodded, “Yeah, we’ll retreat for now!”
With the two strongest old men having said so, the remaining middle-aged man and the two women with slightly lower strength obviously wouldn’t raise any objections.
All five of them made a feint and quickly withdrew from the melee before turning towards a certain direction and flying off as quick as lightning.
Whether it was intentional or unintentional, the direction these five people fled was actually the direction Yang Kai stood.
It seemed they wanted to use him to tie down this Monster Beast for a moment.
Yang Kai frowned, immediately understanding this group’s plan, but although he was a bit displeased, he didn’t show anything on his face.
“Run away!” One of the five people, a young woman with an exquisite figure who appeared only seventeen or eighteen years old dressed in a black dress yelled out to Yang Kai as she passed by.
Among these five, her cultivation was the lowest, only First-Order Origin Returning Realm, like Yang Kai. However, the Secret Art she cultivated was obviously quite good as her strength wasn’t low, only her appearance remained quite youthful.
With the other party showing goodwill, Yang Kai smiled back and asked, “You don’t want this Monster Beast anymore?”
The woman’s brow wrinkled slightly, but she didn’t have time to answer before she and her group flew several thousand metres out and disappeared across the horizon.
This group of five wanted to escape, but clearly the Monster Beast was not about to just let them go, letting out a fierce cry before stomping its hooves and transforming into a seven-coloured stream of light to chase after them
Its speed was remarkable, almost to the point where it could not be tracked with the naked eye.
As it shot forward though, it sent out a burst of Seven Coloured Radiant Light from its body towards Yang Kai.
Facing such a Monster Beast, Yang Kai didn’t dare act carelessly. Stretching out his hand, he summoned his Purple Shield to intercept this blast of Seven Coloured Radiant Light.
No impact sound resounded, though!
To Yang Kai’s consternation, his Purple Shield failed to defend against this attack as the Seven Coloured Radiant Light actually passed through it directly and struck towards his chest.
Meanwhile, the Purple Shield remained unscathed.
[It really can ignore all forms of defence?] Yang Kai was shocked and even began doubting his eyes, wondering if this Monster Beast was a real Seven Coloured Elk.
But soon, he rejected this idea, because while the Seven Coloured Radiant Light did penetrate his Purple Shield, its power had been greatly reduced, not having the terrifying force it had been released with.
If it was a real Seven Coloured Elk, its Seven Coloured Radiant Light would definitely not have such a reaction!
As such, Yang Kai figured that, even if this Monster Beast wasn’t a true Seven Coloured Elk, it was most likely descended from one and possessed a kind of mutated bloodline.
He had picked up a treasure! Yang Kai didn’t panic and instead rejoiced, his body flickering to avoid the burst of Seven Coloured Radiant Light while at the same time, he waved his hand and sent out a giant Space Blade towards the charging Monster Beast.
The other party didn’t seem to put Yang Kai in its eyes, thinking that one blow would be enough to kill him thus not putting up any kind of protection. It wasn’t until Yang Kai’s Space Blade got close that it finally reacted.
However, by this point, it was too late for it to dodge. The jet black Space Blade sliced down onto the Monster Beast and cut a small notch into the seven-coloured light halo around its body!
The defence which the previous group of five were completely incapable of penetrating had actually been cut into by Yang Kai!
But this wasn’t surprising since Space Blade was one of Yang Kai’s strongest skills, capable of exiling anything it touched to the Void.
Half an hour later, Yang Kai exhaled lightly, stepped forward, arrived beside the fallen Monster Beast’s body, reached into its chest, and pulled out its heart and Monster Core.
A bizarre scent filled the air and, as Yang Kai sniffed it, he felt relaxed and comfortable.
This Monster Beast really did share a blood relationship with the Seven Coloured Elk, and even if it was not a direct descendent, it should be a close hybrid. Although its heart and Monster Core could not be used to refine a treasure like the Ten Thousand Year Incense, they could be used to refine some rare pills useful for resisting heart demons.
Such pills were extremely precious and almost every cultivator would want one on hand when they broke through to a new Great Realm; however, these pills were also incredibly difficult to acquire, even if one had vast financial resources. This heart and Monster Core landing in the hands of an Alchemist like Yang Kai meant it could play a huge role and bring him immense wealth!
For Yang Kai, the previous battle, although not too dangerous, was quite troublesome.
With his Space Blade alone, Yang Kai had no way to kill this Monster Beast as it was simply too fast. On top of that, it had tried to run away immediately after seeing it was at a disadvantage! Yang Kai naturally was not about to let this happen and immediately used the Spectral Cloud Array’s Array Plate, trapping it inside.
With the Spectral Cloud Array preventing this Monster Beast from fleeing, Yang Kai eventually managed to kill it.
The Spectral Cloud Array’s Array Plate was something Yang Kai obtained the last time he came to the Emperor Garden. At that time, after Yang Kai, Fei Zhi Tu and the others fell into it, they had suffered quite a bit. With Yang Kai’s current strength, his Space Blade, and Golden Blood Threads, this Monster Beast did not stand a chance.
The Monster Core and heart were the most precious parts of this Monster Beast, but the body of a peak Ninth-Order Monster Beast couldn’t simply be discarded, so after some thought, Yang Kai took out the Verdant Dragon Bone Sword and poured his Saint Qi into it.
The Dragon Bone Sword immediately transformed into a giant green dragon and proceeded to swallow the Monster Beast’s body into its belly before spitting out its bones after completely absorbing its vital essence.
Yang Kai smiled happily. His Dragon Bone Sword was an artifact that could continue to grow by swallowing the vital essence of enemies, so over time it would become stronger and stronger.
Putting it away with satisfaction, Yang Kai used his Saint Qi to withdraw the Spectral Cloud Array then retrieved the Array Plate. Turning his head in the direction the previous group of five had disappeared, Yang Kai summoned his Wind and Thunder Wings before shooting off, disappearing from this place in the blink of an eye.
At the same time, the five Origin Returning Realm masters who had previously fought with the Monster Beast were resting inside a natural cave about a thousand kilometres away.
This cave was apparently the den of some snake type Monster Beast, but it had clearly been abandoned long ago. Having found a dry, concealed environment, the five masters decided to use it as a temporary resting place.
They had also arranged some simple concealment Spirit Arrays outside.
“That mutant Seven Coloured Elk has not found us yet, probably because that boy managed to lead it away. Good, although that boy’s cultivation was not very high, he should have some kind of profound escaping Secret Technique,” The dark-haired old man who had been releasing his Divine Sense outside to monitor their surroundings said happily.
“But with his low cultivation, I’m afraid it will be difficult for him to escape with his life,” The petite woman with the lowest cultivation showed a trace of sadness on her face, apparently feeling somewhat guilty.
“What does that have to do with us? We believed this trip to the Emperor Garden would be filled with opportunity and pleasant surprises, but it turned out to be one accident after another. The five of us being able to survive this long is already quite lucky, how could we spare any care for a stranger?” The white-haired old man coldly snorted.
The other woman, who seemed middle-aged, added, “Yeah, I didn’t expect that the inside of the Emperor Garden would be filled with so many dangers. There were ten of us, to begin with, but now only five are left. If we had not withdrawn quickly back then, all of us would have most likely died.”
“Exactly!” The black-haired old man sighed and let out a somewhat self-deprecating laugh, “It’s really true that the older one gets the less courage they have. Although there are many crises in this Emperor Garden, there are also many benefits. If this old master was a few hundred years younger, he would certainly be unwilling to draw back, but now I cannot help acting overcautious and indecisive, far different from the recklessness of my youth!”
This sentiment seemed to resonate with the white-haired old man, who nodded in agreement, “En, back then, where did you and I dare not go? Even if it was a Dragon Den or Tiger Cave, we would still charge in, but now…”
He too let out a long sigh.
For a time, the cave fell quiet, with only the sound of the five individuals breathing echoing off the walls.
After about half a cup of tea’s time though, a shout came from outside, “This Yang greets several friends and hopes to ask you a few questions, may I have your permission to enter?”
This voice clearly passed into the ears of the five who were sitting cross-legged inside the cave, making their expression change dramatically, the white-haired old man immediately shouting out, “Who goes there?”
Someone being able to approach so close to them without being detected caused the white-haired old man’s heart to clench as he secretly felt thankful this newcomer had not launched a sneak attack. If this person had any malicious intentions, the five of them would likely have suffered greatly just now.
Outside, a hearty laugh rang out, “We met just moments ago, could it be you don’t remember this one? En, I should first introduce myself I suppose, this one’s name is Yang Kai!”
“Yang Kai?” The group of five all frowned, but when they released their Divine Senses outside, their looks of confusion soon turned to shock.
“It’s that boy from just now!”
“Not only did he not die, he even escaped from that Monster Beast? How is that possible?”
The five masters all exchanged dumbfounded looks, all of them very curious about how Yang Kai managed to escape from that terrifying Monster Beast; however, they had serious concerns as well. After all, when the five of them had escaped just now, they had clearly used Yang Kai as bait, so seeing him track them down now, they could not help worrying about his intentions.
“Brother Min…” The black-haired old man looked at the white-haired old man and hesitantly spoke.
“It shouldn’t be a problem; from his tone, it doesn’t seem like he’s here to seek revenge, and with his low cultivation, even if he was here for revenge, would he have the ability? Let him come in.” The white-haired old man said lightly. It wasn’t that this old man was blind, it was just that Yang Kai’s realm was really too low. With that and the fact that he was all alone, the white-haired old man was confident Yang Kai couldn’t stir up any trouble even if he wanted to.
The black-haired old man heard this argument and agreed, waving his hand to open a whole in the Spirit Array which was concealing them before politely calling out, “Little friend, please come in!”
“Many thanks!” Yang Kai smiled lightly, stepped forward, and walked into the cave, not showing any sense of wariness, startling the five inside slightly.
This boy acting so boldly either meant he had problems with his head and didn’t understand how brutal the world truly was, or he had something to depend on which allowed him to not place the five of them in his eyes.
The latter was unlikely, so obviously the former must be the truth!
This was indeed possible as Yang Kai looked quite young but was already an Origin Realm cultivator. So, him being the disciple of some great force who had spent his entire life in retreat inside the Sect, not having contact with the outside world, was probable.
Considering all this, the five people in the cave all calmed down greatly.
Such people were easy to deal with.
The cave was not very large, only a couple dozen metres across, and was pitch black inside. When Yang Kai walked inside, he glanced around lightly before nodding to himself.
Although the actions these five people took when they escaped earlier had made Yang Kai somewhat disgruntled, from what he could tell, they were not truly vile and wicked people. Otherwise, they would definitely have attacked him as soon as he stepped into the cave.
At least, for now, none of them showed any openly hostile intent. The younger woman even nodded lightly to him while the older woman wore a somewhat embarrassed look, seemingly feeling guilty about how they acted when they last separated.
Yang Kai also relaxed at this moment. Up until now, he had still been thinking that if these people did not know how to show some discretion, he would certainly not show them any mercy.
Now it seemed he would not need to trouble himself over this.
“Yang Kai greets several friends,” Yang Kai cupped his fists and chuckled slightly.
“Little Friend Yang is too polite!” The old man with white hair seemed to be the leader of this group and tactfully did not ask how Yang Kai managed to escape from the previous Monster Beast, instead introducing himself in return, “This old master is Vanishing Moon Island’s Island Master Min Sha, and these are this old master’s closest friends.”
He spoke in an easy-going tone, as if nothing had happened before.
“Vanishing Moon Island?” Yang Kai frowned, a black look covering his face.
However, since the other party called himself an Island Master, he was probably from the Limitless Ocean, so it was not surprising Yang Kai had never heard of him. After all, Yang Kai had never travelled to the Limitless Ocean, and the only great force he had any substantial contact with from there was the Sea Heart Sect.
Yang Kai came to his own conclusions to explain his lack of familiarity with these people, but the next words that came out of Min Sha’s mouth caused him to stare dumbfounded.
“En, Vanishing Moon Island is an island force on Azure Tree Star, it’s only natural little friend has never heard of it. May I ask which star Little Friend Yang comes from?” Min Sha asked.
“Azure Tree Star?” Yang Kai’s eyes widened as he stared towards Min Sha and the others in complete shock, his heart pounding violently for a moment.
However, Yang Kai’s mind was sharp, so although Min Sha didn’t say much just now, he was also to pick out some unexpected information and quickly asked, “Does Island Master Min mean that cultivators from more than one star have entered this Emperor Garden?”
As soon as the words came out, all five of the people here laughed.
Yang Kai scratched his head and stood there awkwardly, knowing he must have asked something obvious.
“Is the star Little Friend Yang hails from a remote place?” Min Sha speculated.
“What Island Master Min says is correct, the star this Yang comes from is indeed relatively remote, so…” Yang Kai nodded slightly.
“En, no wonder.” Min Sha said with a look of understanding, “Our Azure Tree Star is the same, its location quite remote with limited contact with the outside world. Originally, this old master and his friends had the same idea as Little Friend Yang, thinking that only Azure Tree Star’s cultivators were able to enter the Emperor Garden. It was not until we actually entered this place that we learned that all of the Star Field’s cultivators could come here. This old master also found someone to inquire about this situation and discovered that the Emperor Garden had appeared on every star in a kind of illusionary state, and as long as one held an Emperor Jade, they would be able to pass through the special Space Array and arrive here.”
“So it’s like this…” Yang Kai murmured before saying casually, “This Yang’s Shadowed Star is probably in a similar situation to Island Master Min’s Azure Tree Star.”
“Shadowed Star?” All five frowned, apparently never having heard of Shadowed Star.
However, it seemed that although Azure Tree Star was indeed quite remote and it was hard for them to communicate with the outside world, it was still far better off than Shadowed Star. Shadowed Star was essentially isolated from the rest of the Star Field, its cultivators unable to reach any other star no matter how hard they tried. Azure Tree Star was not such an extreme case.
The situation here really surprised Yang Kai. He never thought that the Emperor Garden would actually open to the entire Star Field; all along, he had assumed it was only Shadowed Star’s cultivators who would have a chance to enter it.
This accident was nothing less than a calamity to the cultivators from Shadowed Star; after all, the number of competitors had now dramatically increased along with the danger they were facing.
Suddenly thinking of something, Yang Kai hurriedly asked, “Island Master Min, are there Origin King Realm masters here?”
Hearing this question, Min Sha smiled lightly and waved his hand, “Little Friend Yang need not worry about this. There are no Origin Kings here.”
He had the same concerns as Yang Kai before; after all, Azure Tree Star’s World Energy wasn’t too rich, nor were its cultivation resources, so although there was no suppression from its World Principles and Origin Kings could indeed appear, it had been several thousand years since anyone broke through to the Origin King Realm on Azure Tree Star. With his Third-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivation, Min Sha was already a top expert on Azure Tree Star.
This was basically the same as Shadowed Star!
Entering this place with this kind of cultivation, Min Sha had thought he would be able to explore at ease, but when he learned that cultivators from other stars could also enter this place, naturally he feared he would encounter fierce opponents.
However, after some enquiries, Min Sha was overjoyed to learn that, due to some kind of mysterious force inside this place, no Origin Kings could enter it. That is to say, the strongest cultivators currently inside the Emperor Garden were on the same level as he was.
After hearing Min Sha’s explanation, Yang Kai couldn’t help feeling relieved and his expression eased greatly.
Although he had broken through to the Origin Realm now, and was confident he could compete with Third-Order Origin Returning Realm masters, if he was facing an Origin King, he was quite certain he would not be able to fight back. Meeting an Origin King here would lead to dire consequences.
Fortunately, the situation wasn’t that bad…
Yang Kai pondered for a while before suddenly wearing a solemn expression and asking, “Then may I ask, is this place really the Emperor Garden?”
Before Min Sha could answer, the young woman wearing a tight-fitting black combat outfit replied, “Of course this is the Emperor Garden. We all entered here through the Space Array by using an Emperor Jade, if this place wasn’t the Emperor Garden, where would it be?”
She stared towards with an amused look on her face Yang Kai, sizing him up with great interest.
“If this is the Emperor Garden, then why…” Yang Kai frowned.
“Little Friend Yang wants to ask why this place is so different from what he imagined?” Min Sha looked at him with a smile.
Yang Kai nodded lightly.
“In your imagination, as the Great Emperor’s residence, shouldn’t the Emperor Garden be a vast and grand palace?”
“Exactly!”
“En, that’s only natural. There is a palace a hundred thousand kilometres west of here, that should be the real Emperor Garden!” Min Sha said while pointing in a certain direction.
Yang Kai’s eyes lit up.
Min Sha laughed before continuing, “But the Emperor Garden is not only the Great Emperor’s palatial residence, there is actually a vast territory surrounding it. The grassland we are standing on now is part of that territory. Aside from this grassland, there is also a vast swamp, dessert, and ocean in the other three cardinal directions, each of which has its own dangers and opportunities. The cultivators holding Emperor Jades were all sent to random locations inside this place. En, our luck is pretty good actually, the grassland actually has the lowest risk, but it is still not to be underestimated!”
“So that’s how it is!” Yang Kai wore an enlightened expression. If he didn’t find someone to ask about these matters, he really wouldn’t have been able to understand his current situation. In fact, before talking to Min Sha, Yang Kai was still wondering whether this was or was not the Emperor Garden.
“Since the real Emperor Garden is over there, why are Island Master Min and several friends here?” Yang Kai looked around at the five people in amazement, not understanding why they would let go of such an astonishing opportunity to enter the depths of the Emperor Garden in favour of lingering on this grassland.
Min Sha smiled bitterly and replied, “It’s a long story. Suffice it to say that, although the main palace of the Emperor Garden is indeed filled with treasures, there is an equal amount of danger inside. Without even mentioning the ancient barriers, Spirit Arrays, and mechanisms, just the number of powerful masters concentrated inside at this moment is quite terrifying! Originally, this old master’s group numbered ten people, but little friend can see how many of us are left now.”
Listening to his explanation, Yang Kai immediately understood that these five people probably encountered some kind of huge danger inside the Emperor Garden’s main palace and withdrew in fright.
This was not difficult to understand though; after all, everyone only had one life, so although treasures and opportunities were tempting, if one lost their life trying to obtain these benefits, how were they to enjoy them?
It seemed the Emperor Garden was a little different from when Yang Kai last visited it! The degree of danger should also have greatly increased, otherwise, it would not have scared off these five people so easily.
This too was not too surprising though. When Yang Kai came here with Fei Zhi Tu, the Emperor Garden had not truly opened, so many of its defences were likely in an inactive state.
Seeing Yang Kai sink into contemplation, Min Sha didn’t disturb him. After a while though, he smiled heartily and said with enthusiasm, “However, Little Friend Yang should not underestimate this outer perimeter of the Emperor Garden. Whether it is the grassland, swamp, desert, or ocean, each one hides numerous astonishing opportunities.”
“Oh? Why do you say so?” Yang Kai couldn’t help getting excited.
“That palace is truly the residence of the Great Emperor, but Little Friend Yang should understand that the Great Emperor did not live a completely solitary life. There were certainly many people who served him, as well as disciples he cultivated. What cultivation the Great Emperor reached in the past, this old master doesn’t dare to speculate, but even those who served him were surely not weak. Additionally, the Great Emperor’s disciples should not have all lived inside the main palace but instead had their own residences scattered about outside. As such, there are plenty of secluded homes and cave mansions in the Emperor Garden’s surroundings. As long as one can find such a secluded home, heh heh… such a discovery would guarantee that this old master and his friends had not made this trip in vain!” Min Sha said while stroking his long beard, a ruddy glow appearing on his face.
“En, in addition to these hidden secluded homes and cave mansions, there are also many spirit grasses and spirit medicines that have long disappeared from the outside world as well as precious ores and rare Monster Beasts like that Seven Coloured Elk variant. If we could just kill it…” The young woman began speaking but suddenly stopped as she directed an awkward look towards Yang Kai, as if only just remembering that she shouldn’t be mentioning this creature.
Yang Kai simply laughed at this though, not showing any meaning of blame. Not only had he not suffered any loss as a result of that incident, instead he had reaped significant gains, after which he had even obtained a lot of useful information from these five.
Based on this, Yang Kai considered them to be even.
“Has anyone found one of these secluded homes yet?” Yang Kai asked casually.
“Yes!” Min Sha nodded solemnly, a look of envy filling his face, “Just three days ago, someone found a hidden cave mansion somewhere in this grassland and managed to obtain an Origin King Grade artifact and many valuable pills from inside it!”
As he narrated this point, Min Sha’s breathing quickened slightly. The situation on Azure Tree Star was almost the same as that of Shadowed Star, so Origin King Grade artifacts were naturally quite tempting to him.
“Since this news has leaked out, it seems that the person didn’t have a very good end!” Yang Kai’s lips curled upwards slightly.
Min Sha looked at Yang Kai with admiration, “Little Friend Yang understands well, that person was indeed chased down by many people, as for what ultimately happened, this old master isn’t clear, but it’s fairly obvious his fate was quite miserable.”
Yang Kai nodded lightly, not saying anything more.
He had learned what he wanted to learn; knowing that this was indeed the Emperor Garden was enough for Yang Kai. On top of that, he had learned where to find the main palace as well.
Yang Kai wasn’t planning on spending any more time outside. Although he didn’t know when the Emperor Garden would close, there was definitely a time limit, so before then, there were at least two things he needed to do. There were two treasures he had encountered the last time he came to the Emperor Garden, but back then, he had not had enough time or ability to collect them.
Now that his strength had greatly increased, it was only natural for him to try again.
“Little Friend Yang, from the looks of it, you entered this place alone. If you are willing to trust this old master, how about acting together with us? If we find something good, the six of us will each take an equal share. You won’t suffer any kind of loss.” For some unknown reason, Min Sha actually took the initiative to invite Yang Kai to join their group suddenly.
“This Yang will have to politely decline Island Master Min’s kind intentions,” Yang Kai didn’t even consider it before shaking his head and refusing, “Although I am alone now, I did not enter this place alone, I still have companions waiting for me, I have to find them!”
“Is that so…” A regretful look flashed across Min Sha’s face, but he didn’t press the issue any further, just nodding lightly, “In that case, just pretend this old master didn’t say anything.”
“Thank you. All of you take care, this Yang will take his leave.” Yang Kai cupped his fists before his body flickered and he rushed out of the cave, found the appropriate direction, and flew off.
After Yang Kai left, the dark-haired old man inside the cave directed a puzzled look towards Min Sha, “Brother Min, why did you invite that little brat? He’s so weak!”
The others of this group were also confused, not knowing what Min Sha’s true intentions were.
Min Sha simply chuckled and explained, “Although his strength isn’t worth mentioning, him being able to escape from that Seven Coloured Elk variant proves his speed must be quite astonishing. This old master inviting him to join us was because I wanted to use him as a scout, but since the other party refused, there’s no reason to force things.”
The other four inside the cave showed looks of understanding.
“Enough about this matter, we should focus on figuring out how to kill that Seven Coloured Elk variant. If we can kill it, we can sell its heart and Monster Core for an incredible price!” Min Sha’s face became serious.
The others nodded repeatedly before immediately beginning to plan out their next move, completely unaware that the Seven Coloured Elk variant had already been harvested by Yang Kai, its heart and Monster Core now stored inside his Space Ring.
At this moment, Yang Kai was flying in the direction of Emperor Garden’s main palace.
According to Min Sha, the main palace was a hundred thousand kilometres away from this place, which at Yang Kai’s current speed was a two to three days journey. As such, he wasn’t in too much of a rush.
While he looked calm and indifferent on the surface however, his heart and mind were in a state of chaos as he was filled with anticipation!
Most of all though he felt a deep sense of hope.
He hoped to meet Su Yan here!
Since the Emperor Garden had opened to the entire Star Field, Su Yan would naturally be able to access it as well. However, Yang Kai wasn’t clear what her current cultivation was or whether she had enough qualifications to obtain an Emperor Jade to come here!
Although there were various uncertain factors, and the chances of the two of them meeting here could be said to be very small, that did not stop Yang Kai from hoping.
Because of the Yin-Yang Joyous Unification Art, he and Su Yan had formed a kind of intangible bond and could feel each other’s existence within a certain range, so if she was really here, it shouldn’t be difficult for Yang Kai to find her.
With his head filling with such thoughts, Yang Kai unconsciously wiped the ring on his finger and took out a crystal clear bead that radiated an icy cold aura.
Su Yan’s Ice Soul Bead! As long as she was alive, this bead would remain intact!
This Ice Soul Bead was given to him by Qian Yue, and even though it had been condensed many years ago, the aura which lingered about it still made Yang Kai nostalgic. Feeling the coolness of this bead on the palm of his hand, Yang Kai’s eyes softened gradually and his thoughts quickly became calm.
After storing this bead back into his Space Ring, Yang Kai let out a loud roar, like an awakening dragon, the sound echoing throughout the sky. After venting the last of his rampaging emotions, Yang Kai increased his speed as he shot towards the Emperor Garden’s main palace like lightning.
One day later, Yang Kai was still flying above the grassland, the surrounding scenery not having changed much at all, showing just how expansive this strange place was.
As he flew along, Yang Kai didn’t encounter any kind of danger. Although many cultivators had entered the Emperor Garden, they were scattered about this massive space so it was by no means crowded.
Atop this grassland, there were many strange Monster Beasts; however, they were clearly not affable, most of them either releasing potent Monster Qi to demonstrate their outstanding strength or display their incredible speed, making them all but impossible to catch up to.
Yang Kai did not intend to waste his time on these Monster Beasts, all he wanted to do was find someone to confirm he was going in the right direction.
Flying forward, Yang Kai constantly released his Divine Sense into his surroundings.
Suddenly, Yang Kai’s figure came to a stop and a smile formed on his face. Up ahead, slightly to the left, he could clearly feel the aura of living people, and quite a number of them at that.
Wanting to ask for some directions, Yang Kai quickly changed direction and flew towards this unknown group.
After just a cup of tea worth of time, Yang Kai reached a location where he could see these people and couldn’t help showing a stunned and interested expression as he stared towards a certain spot.
The reason for this was because he noticed traces of a Spirit Array.
Where he was staring, Yang Kai saw a light barrier that was flickering somewhat, as if it was showing flaws after being attacked. The scenery around this light curtain was slightly distorted, not matching with the surrounding terrain.
An Illusion Array!
Yang Kai raised his brow and looked more carefully.
The terrain here was rather special. Although it was still part of the grassland, there was also a ring-shaped hill at this location. To the naked eye, the mountain valley formed inside the ring-shaped mountain appeared perfectly normal, filled with many trees but with no signs of precious spirit grasses.
However, all of this was clearly just camouflage, because when the barrier fluctuated, the scenery inside the mountain valley also changed.
[Could I really be this lucky?]
Yang Kai was amazed. He had heard Min Sha say a day ago that there were many hidden secluded homes on this grassland, but he hadn’t expected to actually encounter one so quickly.
This mountain valley was clearly a hidden secluded home! There was no doubt about this, otherwise, there would be no need to arrange an Illusion Array around it to confuse others’ prying eyes. Despite this though, it was discovered and was now being attacked.
At this moment, two different groups of people were gathered here, four people on one side, three on the other. Both groups were led by a Third-Order Origin Returning Realm master while the rest were First- or Second-Order.
The group closer to the mountain valley was the smaller one, and it was composed entirely of women.
When Yang Kai swept his eyes over these three women, he couldn’t help raising his brow slightly, revealing a thoughtful look. These three women were all wearing the same white robes and were clearly from the same Sect. Each of them was quite beautiful, with even the oldest of them radiating a unique charm. The other two had different styles of beauty, each with their own strong points.
But what Yang Kai took note of was not their appearances, but their temperaments.
Cold, aloof, even somewhat arrogant, seemingly rejecting contact with others with the frigid aura they released from their bodies!
This temperament made Yang Kai feel somewhat nostalgic, as it was very similar to how Su Yan was.
On the other side, the group of four cultivators also seemed to be from the same Sect and were all wearing red robes that seemed to burn like fire! There were three men and one woman in this group and they were all staring at the three women opposite them with clear malicious intent.
Although Yang Kai had only just arrived, it didn’t take more than a glance for him to understand what was going on.
The three women must have discovered this hidden secluded home first, but as they were attacking the barrier here, they were spotted by this group of people who had come over to lay claim to it.
However, because the gap in number and strength of these two groups wasn’t very large, a kind of stalemate had formed, with no one willing to make the first move! Generally, when cultivators encountered situations like this, there were only two possible solutions.
The first option was for them to fight it out, with the victor obtaining all the benefits.
The other was for the two sides to negotiate an agreement and explore this hidden secluded home together before distributing any benefits they found inside.
Other than these, there was no third possibility.
Yang Kai observed this situation and felt that the first option was far more likely, because from the way these two parties glared at each other with obvious hatred in their eyes, it seemed they both knew enough about the other and had some kind of deep-seeded grudge between them.
It was also a mystery to Yang Kai which star these two groups came from.
This situation was quite interesting! Yang Kai couldn’t be happier. If these two groups joined forces, he would not be able to fish for any advantages here. Facing seven opponents, two of which were Third-Order Origin Returning Realm masters, Yang Kai wasn’t arrogant enough to believe he could emerge victoriously. Taking a huge risk for a secret secluded home that may or may not have any substantial benefits inside was obviously not a reasonable choice.
However, if there were enough clear benefits, Yang Kai didn’t mind inserting himself into this situation to pick some advantages.
Although these three women gave Yang Kai a more relatable impression, he had only just arrived here and shared no friendship with them, so he naturally was not about to righteously appear and support them, he simply planned on staying out of things while waiting for these two groups to fight it out with each other.
To Yang Kai’s disappointment though, neither side seemed to have any intention to act, but his arrival actually created a turning point in this delicate situation.
When Yang Kai arrived, the seven people naturally noticed him, but after realizing this newcomer was just a First-Order Origin Realm cultivator, all of them relaxed, the leader of the flaming red-robed group even revealing a disdainful look.
This leader was a burly bald-headed man and looked extremely sturdy. When he saw that Yang Kai didn’t immediately withdraw and instead floated nearby, this bald-headed man could not help snorting coldly and shouting, “Boy, there’s nothing here that concerns you. If you don’t want to die, then scram.”
Hearing this threat, Yang Kai simply curled his lips slightly, not displaying any fear, instead becoming even calmer.
The woman who was leading the other group, however, raised her brow slightly, a hint of joy actually flashing across the depths of her beautiful eyes.
There were only three people on her side, and although her personal strength wasn’t much worse than the bald-headed man leading the other party, her group was still at a disadvantage in numbers. Seeing the burly bald-headed man threaten Yang Kai so bluntly, her thoughts flashed quickly as she considered how to win Yang Kai over to her side.
As long as Yang Kai joined them, the gap between their two groups would be evened out, and she wouldn’t have any more scruples about acting.
Although a First-Order Origin Realm cultivator couldn’t be considered very strong, they were still an Origin Realm cultivator! In this kind of critical moment, this boy could definitely be of some use.
Realizing all this in a flash, the young woman no longer hesitated and directed a cold glare towards the burly bald-headed man, “Kong Wen Dong, you’re far too arrogant! With this Queen here, do you think you can still harm the innocent?”
After saying so, she turned to Yang Kai and gently nodded, saying in a warm tone, “Little brother, don’t be afraid, as long as I am alive, you need not fear him!”
“Haha…” Yang Kai laughed dryly, feeling somewhat speechless.
This young woman’s intention to win him over could not be more obvious, and with his vision, Yang Kai obviously understood what she was planning. She needed his help, otherwise, she would not have spoken up to shelter an irrelevant outsider.
However, judging from the dialogue between the two parties, these people really did know each other and shared a deep enmity.
“Cheap slut!” The burly bald-headed man smiled contemptuously, “Do you have such ability? Actually saying this Kong is too arrogant, I’d say you’re the one who is acting arrogant here!”
Saying so, he turned to glare at Yang Kai and said fiercely, “Boy, I’ll warn you one last time, if you don’t want to die, hurry up and scram! Don’t think that this cheap slut will really protect you, if you dare interfere in my Brilliant Flame Sect and her Ice Heart Valley’s dispute, all that awaits you is a cruel death!”
[Brilliant Flame Sect, Ice Heart Valley…] Yang Kai raised his brow. Although he had not heard of these two great forces, just from their names it was clear they were incompatible.
Naturally, he didn’t put Kong Wen Dong’s threat in his eyes though. With his current strength, if someone wanted to kill him, they’d need to be at least an Origin King; no Origin Realm cultivator had such ability.
The young woman smiled even wider as she brushed her hair back and said carelessly, “Kong Wen Dong, it seems you’ve only grown more cowardly with age, are you only able to bark threats to others now? Little brother, you don’t need to be afraid of him, although his Brilliant Flame Sect isn’t weak, my Ice Heart Valley is not easy to bully either. If you can help this Mistress here, this Mistress can give you some benefits, what do you say?”
Listening to her say this, Kong Wen Dong frowned while Yang Kai showed an interested look. Putting on a look that screamed ‘men die for wealth as birds die for food’, he grinned and asked, “What kind of benefits?”
The young woman smiled brilliantly as she lightly replied, “Some pills and Saint Crystals?”
Yang Kai couldn’t help laughing as he slowly shook his head.
While pills and Saint Crystals may have a lot of appeal to other First-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivators, they meant nothing to Yang Kai.
“What benefit do you want then?” The young woman seemed a little displeased that Yang Kai actually wanted to bargain with her at this time.
Before Yang Kai could answer though, Kong Wen Dong cut in. How could he sit back and watch Yang Kai be drawn over to the young women’s side? With an aggressive look on his face, he loudly shouted, “Boy, this Kong gave you an opportunity! Since you insist on courting death, you can only blame yourself! If this Kong wants to kill a trivial First-Order Origin Realm brat, who here can block me?”
Saying so, Kong Wen Dong pushed his Saint Qi and released a burning aura from his body, causing the surrounding temperature to soar.
He looked like he was about to unleash a killing blow, but he was actually just putting up a front, hoping to make Yang Kai retreat. Since he had offended this Yang Kai the moment he appeared, Kong Wen Dong naturally didn’t want him to remain, but before understanding Yang Kai’s details and background, he didn’t really dare start a fight.
His plan was quite good, and his reasoning was sound, but the young woman opposing him was also no fool. How could she let Yang Kai just leave now? Without waiting for Kong Wen Dong to even finish what he was saying, she shouted, “If you think you have the skill just try it!”
A chill radiating from her tender body as she glared towards Kong Wen Dong without fear.
Yang Kai frowned as he shot a gloomy look towards this beautiful woman.
Just listening to this young woman’s words, she didn’t seem to be saying anything wrong, even showing some intentions to shelter him, but if Yang Kai wasn’t wrong, it seemed she didn’t have such pure intentions.
On the contrary, this woman seemed eager for Kong Wen Dong to attack him!
If this burly bald-headed man really attacked him, Yang Kai would inevitably be pushed towards the three women’s side! At that time, whether he wanted to or not, in order to survive, he would have to join forces with them!
This woman… wasn’t clear as ice or pure as jade as she seemed, instead she was quite manipulative. This greatly reduced Yang Kai’s impression of her.
The key now was whether or not Kong Wen Dong would act on her provocations! With things reaching this point, Yang Kai could only look towards the burly bald-headed man again and sigh to himself.
Since this man declared himself to be from Brilliant Flame Sect, obviously he must cultivate a Fire Attribute Secret Art. Most cultivators that cultivated this attribute of Secret Art had short tempers, irritable personalities, and aggressive impulses. This had nothing to do with their personalities but rather was connected to the innate qualities of their Secret Arts.
The young woman’s few words truly provoked Kong Wen Dong Shi, and with him already being prone to violence, how could he hesitate? What’s more, he really didn’t put a trivial First-Order Origin Returning Realm boy in his eyes, otherwise, he wouldn’t have tried to expel Yang Kai with no trace of politeness when he just arrived.
Grinning, Kong Wen Dong snorted, “Boy, don’t blame father here, when you arrive in the nether world, blame this cheap slut for forcing my hand!”
Saying so, he stretched out his hand and made a grasping motion towards Yang Kai.
Fire Attribute energy in the surroundings immediately began gathering together above Yang Kai’s head, condensing into a blazing palm in the next instant, then slammed down towards Yang Kai without a hint of mercy.
Seeing this scene, the women on the other side all narrowed their eyes as they showed dignified looks on their faces. Although they had fought with Brilliant Flame Sect’s cultivators for many years, this was the first time they had witnessed such an imposing attack. Kong Wen Dong had clearly achieved a high degree of mastery of his Fire Attribute strength!
While slightly fearful, witnessing this attack, the leading young woman was not about to let this rare opportunity pass!
Just as Kong Wen Dong attacked Yang Kai, and almost everyone’s attention had been attracted, this young woman suddenly formed a seal with her hands while condensing an ice-cold strength from her body to form a pure white spear. With a soft shout, this ice spear shot out at tremendous speed towards the Brilliant Flame Sect’s weakest cultivator.
The cultivation realm of this cultivator was the same as Yang Kai’s First-Order Origin Returning Realm, the weakest existence among these seven people.
Better to cripple a weak enemy than merely weaken a strong one. This young woman appeared gentle but was actually ruthless and merciless.
The pitiful scream rang out as the cultivator targeted by the young woman coughed up blood. Although they had instinctually dodged at the last moment, avoiding instant death, they still had an ice spear penetrate straight through their lower abdomen, suffering a critical blow!
This wasn’t surprising though as he was sneak-attacked by a cultivator two Minor Realms above him. It was lucky for him to even be alive at this moment. Even so, most of his combat strength had been lost, so if a fight broke out, the role he could play would not be big.
With her attacking going well, the young woman’s beautiful face showed a satisfied smile.
After a moment of shock, Kong Wen Dong’s face suddenly distorted with rage as he cursed, “Cheap slut, this was your plan all along!”
He had underestimated the viciousness of this young woman. He thought that after he attacked, this young woman would show goodwill by rescuing Yang Kai, thus drawing him over to her side and turning the situation into a four versus four.
But instead, this woman had not paid any attention to whether Yang Kai lived or died, not even attempting to rescue him and instead taking advantage of the situation to cause heavy losses to one of Kong Wen Dong’s allies.
Exchanging the life of an unknown, unrelated boy for the fighting strength of an enemy, Ice Heart Valley had made a huge profit on this sale!
Kong Wen Dong’s face became extremely ugly, as if he had just been forced to eat a fly.
The young woman, on the other hand, smiled radiantly as she said leisurely, “Kong Wen Dong, if you know your limits, hurry up and leave, otherwise don’t blame this Queen for acting ruthlessly.”
“Bitch!” Kong Wen Dong cursed, “You think you can not place father here in your eyes? You don’t know the immensity of Heaven and Earth!”
“Hmph, take a look at what this is!” The young woman didn’t pay any mind to the other party’s insults, instead waving her hand and summoning an exquisite looking drum into her palm, one that gave off astonishing energy fluctuations.
“Profound Yin Heart Shattering Drum!” The burly bald-headed man’s eyes shrank when he saw this and was nearly stunned silent. Seemingly recognizing this artifact and finding it impossible to believe it was in this young woman’s hands, he cried out in disbelief, “How could you have this thing!?”
The young woman simply giggled lightly, “Since we planned to enter the Emperor Garden, we would naturally bring some good artifacts to protect ourselves. What? Don’t you have an Origin King Grade artifact?”
These few words almost caused Kong Wen Dong to choke. He and this young woman had similar cultivations, and their status in their respective Sects was almost the same, but now, she had an Origin King Grade artifact while he did not. Comparing himself to her, Kong Wen Dong suddenly felt somewhat poor and unvalued.
How he felt though, wasn’t of any consequence, the key was the power of this artifact. Since it was an Origin King Grade artifact, it certainly possessed great lethality, and understanding the peculiarities of this Profound Yin Heart Shattering Drum, Kong Wen Dong couldn’t help showing a look of fear on his face.
But soon, he let out a snide laugh, as if he had just figured out something, and taunted “Slut, don’t try to pretend in front of Father. If you could use the full power of this Profound Yin Heart Shattering Drum, why didn’t you just take it out from the start? You haven’t fully refined that thing, have you?”
This time, it was the young woman’s face that turned gloomy.
It was indeed as Kong Wen Dong said, this Origin King Grade artifact had been specially given to her by her Sect’s Elders for this trip to the Emperor Garden; after this expedition was over, she would need to return it. Having only received it a short time ago, naturally, she had yet to fully refine it, so at most she could exert half of this artifact’s power. If this wasn’t the case, she wouldn’t have wasted so much time with Kong Wen Dong and instead used it directly to repel him.
Seeing the young woman’s face changed slightly, Kong Wen Dong immediately knew he was right and laughed even harder, “Taking out an artifact you haven’t refined to scare this Kong? Bitch, you think this Kong Mou is so easily fooled?”
“So what? An Origin King Grade artifact is still an Origin King Grade artifact. If you want to try its might, I’d be happy to accommodate you. If you don’t have the courage, then hurry up and scram!” The young woman coldly declared.
Kong Wen Dong frowned and fell silent for a moment, not knowing what decision to make.
On the one hand, he very much wanted whatever treasures were hidden inside this secluded home, but on the other hand, he was wary of the Profound Yin Heart Shattering Drum. He really didn’t want to test its power, so his expression became hesitant.
“Hey, are you guys going to fight or not? If you aren’t, I have other things to do,” An exasperated voice suddenly called out from nearby, instantly drawing everyone’s attention, causing them to stare dumbfounded towards a certain spot.
At the spot where all of them were staring was a whirl of flame, the very one that Kong Wen Dong had condensed from the surrounding Fire Attribute energy a moment ago. But before everyone’s eyes, the roaring flames were quickly dispersed, revealing a figure hiding within them.
“How is that possible?” Kong Wen Dong almost bit his tongue, unable to believe his eyes.
There, the First-Order Origin Returning Realm boy who he attacked was standing calmly; not only had this brat not died, he actually seemed completely unscathed.
How could that be?
Kong Wen Dong was well aware of the power of his attack just now. Forget about a First-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivator, even if it was a Third-Order Origin Realm master they shouldn’t have been able to simply shrug off this blow. As for this First Order boy, he should have been instantly burnt to ash.
The other party hadn’t summoned any kind of defensive artifact at all, nor did he seem to use his Saint Qi to shield himself, so how was he able to remain unhurt?
Kong Wen Dong almost thought he was dreaming.
Not only was he shocked, but the three young women from Ice Heart Valley were thoroughly stunned as well, their eyes filled with surprise.
Yang Kai, on the other hand, wore a helpless expression. Originally, after being attacked by Kong Wen Dong, he had concealed his aura and was planning on sitting atop the mountain while watching the tigers fight. But now it seemed that this idea was somewhat unrealistic. The strength of these two parties was now essentially equal, so their stalemate was likely to drag on for quite some time unless something happened to tip the balance again.
With no other options, Yang Kai could only reveal himself.
Now, however, not only was Kong Wen Dong’s expression quite ugly, the lead young woman’s expression was also somewhat bitter.
When Yang Kai had been attacked just now, instead of trying to help him she had used him as bait to launch a sneak attack on her enemy. While the words she spoke were righteous, when Yang Kai actually faced danger she had stood by and done nothing, so she was naturally feeling somewhat embarrassed.
However, compared to Kong Wen Dong, the young woman still occupied some advantage; after all, she had only used Yang Kai rather than directly attacking him, so after quickly adjusting her expression, she called out sweetly, “Sure enough, little brother is truly fierce. This Mistress knew you would be fine.”
She spoke as if she had predicted this outcome.
Yang Kai simply chuckled before striding forward and saying, “Enough idle chatter. Sister, is the offer you made just now still valid?”
The young woman was stunned for a moment before immediately becoming overjoyed, quickly nodding, “Naturally!”
“Good!” Yang Kai nodded with satisfaction, “In that case, after this matter is settled, I want half of whatever is inside this secluded home. If Sister agrees, I will immediately help you. If you don’t agree, I’ll be on my way.”
“Half?” The young woman gawked at Yang Kai, a displeased look soon filling her face as she snorted, “Little brother, don’t you think this proposal is a little unfair?”
“How is it unfair?” Yang Kai looked at her with a grin.
“You are all alone and only have a First-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivation, but my Ice Heart Valley has three people. Even if we split everything evenly between us, you should receive a quarter of the benefits inside this place, as for taking half… Hehe, aren’t you simply asking for the lion’s share?”
“I don’t think so!” Yang Kai shook his head earnestly, “If I don’t intervene here, you won’t get anything, which means that in order to obtain anything you need to secure my cooperation, so our two sides each taking half the benefits here is truly a fair proposal.”
“Nonsense!” The young woman shook her head vigorously and said firmly, “I can’t agree to this proposal, I can at most give you a fifth of what’s inside; if you can’t agree, then forget the whole matter.”
“Is that so?” Yang Kai grinned even wider as he looked her over with interest, “Even if they have their own reinforcements on the way, you won’t agree?”
“What did you say?” The young woman’s complexion changed.
“Why don’t you take a look for yourself?” Yang Kai replied casually.
The young woman was no fool and swiftly turned her head to look at the four Brilliant Flame Sect cultivators opposing her, her eyes narrowing coldly a moment later. The reason was simple, the First-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivator she had wounded heavily was now secretly pouring his Divine Sense into a communication artifact, seemingly trying to call for help, but whether he had succeeded yet was impossible to tell.
Seeing this scene, the lead young woman immediately knew that this matter could no longer be delayed, grit her teeth, and nodded, “Good, half it is. As long as we can obtain the treasures inside this mountain valley, this Mistress will definitely not go back on her word!”
“I certainly hope you mean what you say!” Yang Kai gave her a meaningful stare, causing the young woman’s heart to clench up, for some reason feeling a little uneasy.
But soon, she swept such thoughts aside. Right now, what was most important was to drag this little brat into this muddy water. As for how to distribute the benefits inside this mountain valley, that wasn’t for him to decide. As long as she gave him a tenth or so, it should be fine.
As for giving him half… it was just pure nonsense. Even if she didn’t plan on completely burning bridges after crossing them, if this little brat didn’t know his limits, it wouldn’t be too late to put him in his place when the time came.
“You may rest assured.” Thinking so, the young woman smiled lightly.
While Yang Kai was negotiating with the young woman, Kong Wen Dong didn’t try to interrupt. He knew that he had formed an irresolvable grudge with Yang Kai, so no matter what he said now, it wouldn’t matter. After Yang Kai and the young woman finished though, he grinned fiercely and asked, “Boy, you must think highly of yourself, don’t you?”
“Whether that’s the case or not, you’ll soon understand,” Yang Kai grinned but didn’t go to find trouble with Kong Wen Dong; after all, of the four Brilliant Flame Sect cultivators, this burly, bald-headed man was the strongest and would certainly be a bit troublesome to deal with. Instead, Yang Kai targeted an elderly man at the Second-Order Origin Returning Realm who was wearing black robes and had his beard tied up in three braids, giving him an almost sage-like appearance despite his skin looking quite soft and supple.
A Golden Blood Thread flew out towards the old man in yellow robes, showering him in a storm of swift, cutting attacks.
Seeing Yang Kai take action so decisively, without any intention of holding back or delaying, even choosing an opponent a Minor Realm above himself, the three women from Ice Heart Valley all reacted joyfully. The leading young woman also let out a shout and met Kong Wen Dong head-on while the remaining two women each engaged their own opponent.
From Ice Heart Valley’s side, besides the lead young woman who was a Third-Order Origin Returning Realm master, one was at the Second-Order while the last was at the First-Order.
The remaining Brilliant Flame Sect cultivators had identical cultivations.
However, Brilliant Flame Sect’s First-Order Origin Realm cultivator had taken a serious blow from Ice Heart Valley’s leader, so the First-Order Origin Realm woman from Ice Heart Valley would obviously not need to spend much time dispatching him. Once she won that battle, she would be able to assist the others.
One by one, a rolling snowball effect would be created, and Brilliant Flame Sect’s group would eventually suffer defeat!
The lead young woman instantly predicted how the battle would proceed and secretly celebrated, but couldn’t help glancing over at Yang Kai with some concern; after all, her predictions were all based on Yang Kai’s ability to entangle the yellow-robed old man.
If Yang Kai was quickly killed by this yellow-robed old man from Brilliant Flame Sect, her predictions would not be true.
The young women could only hope Yang Kai would be able to hold out.
She believed that Yang Kai would be caught in a one-sided battle, constantly on the defensive, barely able to support himself; after all, his opponent was a Minor Realm above him in cultivation.
But when she glanced over, the young woman was shocked!
The battle was indeed one-sided, but not the way she had imagined, it was actually the Second-Order Origin Realm old man in yellow robes who was beset with difficulties and was barely managing to support himself.
The old man’s figure was constantly being attacked by threads of golden light that seemed capable of slicing through space itself. Every time these golden lights flickered, the old man would have to put all his strength into defending himself, simply not having enough spare capacity to counterattack.
The young woman leader from Ice Heart Valley almost felt her eyes pop out of their sockets!
In that moment of distraction, she was nearly injured by Kong Wen Dong though, and in a panic, she quickly calmed her mind and focused on her own fight, no longer paying any attention to Yang Kai.
At the same time, on Yang Kai’s side, the old man in yellow robes had gone pale, never having expected that this First-Order Origin Returning Realm young man to be so difficult to deal with.
The golden threads attacking him had unparalleled sharpness. He couldn’t tell what kind of Secret Technique these golden threads were, but every time they slashed towards him they easily managed to slice apart the Saint Qi he condensed to protect himself.
The yellow-robed old man was quickly forced to summon his Artifact Armour, but even after doing so, he was having difficulties simply protecting himself.
This wasn’t the worst part of it for the old man though; what was the most unbearable for him was that he had no way to suppress his opponent with his Shi. When Origin Realm masters fought, the strength of their respective Shi could sometimes become the decisive factor.
Once one managed to overwhelm their opponent’s Shi with their own, they could thoroughly suppress their enemy, making them far easier to deal with.
The yellow-robed old man hadn’t put Yang Kai in his eyes at the start of their battle, thinking he could use his superior Shi to suppress this young man. But the moment he released his Shi, it was actually cut apart by the strange golden threads, unable to even form a cohesive field much less cover Yang Kai.
[These golden threads are actually able to cut apart Shi!] The old man was thoroughly shocked by this and didn’t dare underestimate Yang Kai again. Letting out a fierce roar, he waved his hands and condensed a washbasin sized fireball before fiercely pushing it out towards Yang Kai.
Halfway to its target, the giant fireball exploded, separating into countless smaller fireballs that blotted out the sky and surged forward with imposing force.
Yang Kai narrowed his eyes slightly before flicking his wrist and sending out a stream of Demonic Flame fireballs to meet his opponents.
“You want to play with fire?” The old man in yellow robes saw this and couldn’t help wearing a smile of ridicule. He was an expert in controlling flames; after all, he was a master from Brilliant Flame Sect and had spent his entire life cultivating Fire Attribute Secret Arts and Secret Techniques. As such, even if this young man had a strange technique which allowed him to eliminate Shi, the old man was confident that in a competition of Fire Attribute Secret Techniques, he would come out on top.
Thinking so, he prepared himself to watch a good show.
But in the next moment, his smiling face stiffened before it was quickly replaced with an expression of shock.
The black fireballs the young man released actually began giving off a frigid aura, one even stronger than the Ice Attribute Secret Techniques Ice Heart Valley cultivators used. Still, they seemed ordinary when they were first shot out, but soon after these cold fireballs twisted and morphed into tiny flying birds that while seemingly scattered and disorderly, flew out with extreme precision towards his own fireballs.
“Yuan Control Mastery!” The old man in yellow robes’ eyes shrank as his face filled with shock.
Although Yuan Control Mastery was technically achievable by those at the Origin Returning Realm, not everyone was capable of using it. The yellow-robed old man had also spent time cultivating Yuan Control Mastery and even had some small accomplishments in it, but he was unable to use the kind of precise Saint Qi control that Yang Kai clearly could.
Being able to have such profound Yuan Control Mastery was not achievable simply through comprehension and practice, it also required incredibly powerful Spiritual Energy!
This boy was obviously just a First-Order Origin Realm cultivator, so how did he possess this kind of ability? The old man couldn’t help silently calling out in alarm as he realized he was at a disadvantage.
Although they were both using flames, his opponent’s attack was obviously much sharper and stronger thanks to his superb Yuan Control Mastery.
Sure enough, when the black birds met his fireballs, the red hot flames were immediately frozen and annihilated while the little birds received only minor damage. They then gathered together to condense a giant black firebird and proceeded to strike out towards him.
“Have a taste of my flames!” Yang Kai grinned and transformed his ice-cold Demonic Flames into a scorching inferno with a single thought.
Yang Kai’s Demonic Flames could be hot or cold, and he only needed to will it so in order to change their nature, making these black flames incredibly difficult to counter.
The old man in yellow robes failed to notice this mutation right away and suffered a big loss as a result.
The change from cold to hot was too fast, catching him off guard and unprepared, only able to hurriedly summon a shield-like defensive artifact, which transformed into a light curtain around his body just before he was enveloped by Yang Kai’s Demonic Flame.
Thinking his strike had gone well, Yang Kai was about to step forward and deal the finishing blow when his brow suddenly furrowed and he immediately leapt backwards.
*Hong…*
With a loud bang, the light curtain guarding the yellow-robed old man suddenly exploded. Using the force of his artifact exploding, the old man was able to escape the Demonic Flames while simultaneously retreating several dozen metres to relative safety.
From the looks of it, the yellow-robed old man didn’t suffer much damage and only looked slightly dishevelled.
For the cost of a defensive artifact, this old man had managed to escape from the Demonic Flames, illustrating how decisive he was.
Yang Kai was secretly surprised and had to admit that he had somewhat underestimated his opponent. Anyone who could reach the Second-Order Origin Returning Realm clearly had a wealth of combat experience!
“Boy! This old master must skin you alive to dispel his hatred!” After the yellow-robed old man narrowly escaped disaster, not only did he not give in, but he ground his teeth and glared towards Yang Kai threateningly instead.
As soon as his words fell, this old man drew in a sharp breath, his expression becoming strained, as if he was about to execute some kind of powerful Secret Technique.
Naturally, Yang Kai was not going to sit back and wait for this old man to act. Although he didn’t know what kind of card his opponent was going to play, the tide of battle could shift in the blink of an eye; perhaps this yellow-robed old man really had some kind of killing blow that could reverse his current disadvantage.
Considering this, Yang Kai flicked his wrist again and sent his Golden Blood Thread piercing forward like a spear towards the old man’s head.
The Golden Blood Thread’s sharpness was unrivalled, and after being warmed and nourished by Yang Kai for such a long time, its power was truly immense. Furthermore, Yang Kai could control this Golden Blood Thread as if it was an extension of his body. After the yellow-robed old man self-destructed his defensive artifact, it was clear that he only had the Artifact Armour he was wearing to protect himself, so Yang Kai could use his Golden Blood Thread to pierce him where his guard was weakest.
Yang Kai had full confidence to kill or severely injure his opponent with this blow.
What shocked Yang Kai though was that, facing his Golden Blood Thread, the old man did not show any intention to dodge, simply standing in place and spitting out a fiery red wave of energy from his mouth.
In the blink of an eye, a crimson red mass appeared in front of the old man, radiating a power so imposing that even Yang Kai could not help feeling shocked!
This red mass was clearly still composed of Fire Attribute energy, but its energy fluctuations were on a completely different level compared to the flames the old man had released previously and obviously contained profound mystery.
Just after this fiery red mass took shape, the Golden Blood Thread pierced into it.
The moment it did, however, Yang Kai’s complexion changed slightly, and he immediately withdrew his Golden Blood Thread. With a frown, Yang Kai saw that the leading section of his Golden Blood Thread showed signs of melting.
If Yang Kai had not swiftly pulled his Golden Blood Thread back, the forward section of it would surely have evaporated, causing a certain amount of backlash against him.
Yang Kai could not help narrowing his eyes slightly, not having anticipated that his opponent’s Secret Technique would be so powerful.
On the other hand, the old man’s original ruddy face had gone slightly pale, most likely because of the heavy burden using this Secret Technique had on him. Even so, he laughed wildly, “Boy, have a taste of this old master’s Heaven Scorching Thunder Fire’s might!”
Saying so, the old man pushed his hands forward and madly poured his Saint Qi into the fiery red haze. With this infusion of Saint Qi, the fiery red haze swelled up suddenly and began releasing a heat that caused the space around it to distort. In the next instant, this heat mass transformed into a kind of ferocious-looking monster that rippled with intense flames.
As soon as this monster took shape, it pounced towards Yang Kai, seemingly melting the air around it as it moved forward, the sand and gravel down below turning into molten glass, making for a shocking scene.
This monster wasn’t just composed of extremely high-temperature flames though, as there were obvious streaks of jet black lightning swimming about its form, crackling violently, adding to its ominous prestige.
However, Yang Kai was not the least bit afraid facing this strange creature, only wearing a somewhat puzzled look on his face, seemingly lost in thought.
But soon, he regained his calm, and with a quick thought, a sharp bird cry rang out and a strange-looking Firebird leapt from his body, spreading its several dozen metre wide wings as it released a dazzling light into the surrounding space.
Firebird Artifact Spirit!
After being released by Yang Kai, the Artifact Spirit’s eyes flashed with excitement as it stared at the monster rushing towards Yang Kai. It was like it saw a delicious feast.
The moment the Artifact Spirit appeared, the strange thunder fires monster’s imposing manner stagnated for a moment and its eyes even flashed a look of dread, seemingly terrified of the Firebird before it. At the same time, the speed at which it was charging dramatically decreased.
The self-satisfied look on the yellow-robed old man’s face instantly cramped up, as if someone had just slapped him across the face, causing his jaw to drop as he stared at the Firebird Artifact Spirit Firebird in amazement.
He had never imagined that Yang Kai could use a method similar to his.
However, worrying now was useless. He did not believe that this boy’s methods could compare to the Heaven Scorching Thunder Fire he had cultivated for most of his life and had absolute confidence in.
In his moment of absent-mindedness, the Firebird Artifact Spirit and strange thunder fire monster collided and a bizarre scene of two different flames battling each other suddenly emerged. Monstrous howls and sharp bird cries constantly rang out as the two fought one another for dominance.
The yellow-robed old man secretly began to sweat while he watched; although he felt that his means were superior, saying he was not concerned at all would be a lie.
On the other hand, Yang Kai was extremely indifferent. His Firebird Artifact Spirit had even absorbed many wisps of Sun’s True Fire, and although he did not know what this Heaven Scorching Thunder Fire was, Yang Kai was certain it wasn’t on the same level as the Sun’s True Essence.
His Firebird Artifact Spirit should not have any difficulty dealing with it.
Taking advantage of this brief pause in hostilities, Yang Kai quickly probed the situation on the other battlefields.
Kong Wen Dong and the lead young woman’s battle need not be mentioned. With the two of them both having the same cultivation, without using the Origin King Grade Profound Yin Heart Shattering Drum artifact, neither could gain the upper hand on the other.
The same was true for the battle between the two Second-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivators nearby.
The battle between the two First-Order Origin Realm cultivators, on the contrary, was completely lopsided, with the woman from Ice Heart Valley holding a distinct advantage. This was not a surprise though as her opponent had suffered a heavy blow from Ice Heart Valley’s leader before the battle began and was thus unable to display much of his strength at the moment. He could only clench his teeth and struggle desperately.
Even so, it was obvious this man was not far from being defeated.
As long as Ice Heart Valley’s side won a single battle, the momentum would shift dramatically in their favour and obtaining victory would only be a matter of time.
It only took Yang Kai a moment to use his Divine Sense to determine the situation around himself, but immediately after he learned what he wanted to, a mournful beast roar suddenly rang out from in front of him.
Yang Kai raised his brow and looked over just in time to see his Firebird Artifact Spirit Firebird completely suppress the strange thunder fire monster beast, wrapping itself around it completely.
Although the two creatures were both composed purely of flame, they both had their own unique advantages and disadvantages.
Yang Kai’s Artifact Spirit had long ago obtained sentience and had been nourished by the Earth’s Lung Fire Pond for over ten thousand years. Even in its original form, the Firebird was not a creature ordinary flames could compete with, and after swallowing several wisps of Sun’s True Fire, it had only become stronger. The monster transformed from the yellow-robed old man’s Heaven Scorching Thunder Fire was simply incomparable to it.
As such, moments after the fight began, the strange thunder fire monster fell into a disadvantage and, judging from the Firebird Artifact Spirit’s current behaviour, it seemed it wanted to swallow this thunder fire beast entirely.
Realizing this, the yellow-robed old man immediately became angry and anxious. He had spent a huge amount of his strength to use his trump card, but now it was obviously unable to play any role, so how could he not feel like coughing up blood?
Continuously pushing his Divine Sense, the old man attempted to recall his Heaven Scorching Thunder Fire monster from the Firebird Artifact Spirit’s suppression, but his efforts were to no avail.
“Old dog, look here!” Yang Kai suddenly grinned towards the old man and called out to him.
The yellow-robed old man could not help turning his head to look towards Yang Kai, wary that this boy would try to use this opportunity to attack him if he didn’t.
But the moment his eyes met Yang Kai’s; he was no longer able to look away.
In Yang Kai’s left eye, a strange lotus-bud strangely appeared before swiftly taking root in the old man’s Knowledge Sea, its beautiful petals slowly beginning to blossom in the next instant.
What horrified the yellow-robed old man though was that as this lotus blossomed, his Spiritual Energy began gathering towards it, as if it was being absorbed by it regardless of how he tried to stop it!
It was almost like this lotus was using his Spiritual Energy as nourishment to make itself bloom.
In the blink of an eye, almost a tenth of his Spiritual Energy had been drained and the rate of consumption was only increasing. At this rate, the old man estimated it would be less than ten breaths of time before his entire Knowledge Sea was dried up.
Once this happened, his Soul would suffer a devastating blow, one that would be extremely difficult to recover from.
The yellow-robed old man was thoroughly terrified and could not spare any of his attention to urge his Heaven Scorching Thunder Fire, quickly pushing all of his Spiritual Energy towards the strange blooming lotus to submerge it.
*Hong…*
A silent explosion occurred in the old man’s Knowledge Sea, instantly filling it with great waves and storms.
*Pu…*
The old man immediately coughed up a large blood mist, as if he suffered a serious injury.
Although he had used his Divine Sense to forcibly dispel Yang Kai’s Blossoming Lotus Secret Technique, he had still suffered a severe blow as a result.
As the saying goes, however, good fortune never came in pairs while misfortunes never occurred alone. Just as the old man escaped this crisis, without his conscious control, his Heaven Scorching Thunder Fire was swallowed by the Firebird Artifact Spirit.
The Firebird once again revealed its original form, but the strange thunder fire monster transformed from the old man’s Heaven Scorching Thunder Fire was nowhere to be seen. However, if one looked carefully, they could spot a few streaks of black lightning swimming about the Artifact Spirit’s belly.
There was no doubt it was the Heaven Scorching Thunder Fire!
*Pu…*
Another blood mist spurted from the yellow-robed old man’s mouth. His Heaven Scorching Thunder Fire was connected to his Soul, but now that the Firebird had swallowed it and forcibly cut this connection, it was inevitable for the old man to suffer backlash.
These successive blows had caused the yellow-robed old man’s momentum and aura to drastically weaken and his face was as pale as paper. Nothing remained of this Second-Order Origin Returning Realm’s former arrogance, and now he simply looked like a frail old man who was in danger of being toppled by a strong breeze.
One wrong move had led to his complete loss. This yellow-robed old man had never anticipated that a trivial First-Order Origin Returning Realm boy could force him to this extent.
Before the old man could even stabilize his turbulent Saint Qi though, a streak of golden flashed towards him.
Yang Kai’s Golden Blood Thread!
Taking advantage of an opponent’s moment of weakness to finish them was something Yang Kai had long ago learnt through his many years of wandering and innumerable battles.
The yellow-robed old man was already an arrow at the end of its flight, so despite knowing the approaching Golden Blood Thread was a life-threatening attack, he was simply unable to avoid or resist it. He was only able to hurriedly push his Saint Qi to protect himself and pray it would be enough for him to survive.
With a slicing noise, however, the old man’s Saint Qi protection was pierced through like paper and his head was swiftly penetrated by the sharp Golden Blood Thread.
The yellow-robed old man’s lips squirmed as he stared towards Yang Kai in disbelief, seemingly wanting to say something but unable to form any words; soon after his vitality drained from his eyes.
When Yang Kai withdrew his Golden Blood Thread, the old man’s body crumpled to the ground.
Since Yang Kai first rushed his opponent, only half a cup of tea’s worth of time had passed yet the result had already been decided with the yellow-robed old man, who supposedly had higher strength, being the one who fell.
The briefness of this battle and the unexpected end result thoroughly shocked everyone present.
In truth, Yang Kai was also quite surprised. Although Yang Kai didn’t fear a mere Second-Order Origin Realm cultivator and was even confident he could kill one with his current means, from the beginning of this fight until its conclusion, he had not even exerted all his strength; mainly using his Golden Blood Thread and Firebird Artifact Spirit and momentarily activating his Blossoming Lotus Secret Technique once.
It was not that he was trying to conserve or conceal his strength, it was simply that he didn’t need to show any more of his methods.
The Firebird Artifact Spirit was a significant factor in why the yellow-robed old man fell so quickly, however; if it hadn’t devoured the old man’s Heaven Scorching Thunder Fire, causing him heavy losses, it would have been impossible for Yang Kai to have won so easily.
Although the others present were all engaged in their own battles, everyone was still paying attention to the changes in their surroundings, so the death of the old man naturally was not missed by them.
Seeing Yang Kai kill the yellow-robed old man so easily, the burly bald man, Kong Wen Dong, could not help becoming furious while also showing an extremely ugly expression. Even the beautiful young female leader from Ice Heart Valley had a look of dread flash across her face.
She had thought that Yang Kai was not strong, so although she had deliberately tried to win him over, she had not counted on him providing much help, nor had she taken the conditions he previously proposed seriously, but how could she have known that this young man was not only ruthless but also extremely powerful?
However, considering everything, the young woman was far happier than depressed; after all, with a cultivator from Brilliant Flame Sect dead, she was now certain her group would win this battle.
Thinking so, she immediately yelled to Yang Kai, “Little brother, please hurry to assist this Mistress’ sisters!”
“Sure!” Yang Kai nodded casually before turning his eyes to the First-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivator who had been hit by the woman’s sneak attack earlier.
This man was seriously injured and was being thoroughly suppressed by his opponent from Ice Heart Valley. He was already unable to fight back and was barely able to defend himself, so after seeing the yellow-robed old man die and noticing Yang Kai eyeing him menacingly, how could this man not begin to panic?
With his state of mind thrown into chaos, his strength fell once more, and faced with the fierce assault of his Ice Heart Valley opponent, he actually allowed himself to suffer a hit in order to withdraw from the battle and attempt to escape.
The woman from Ice Heart Valley definitely would not allow her opponent’s plan to succeed and took this opportunity to land a heavy blow with her artifact, opening a giant gash on the fleeing man’s back and causing him to cough up blood and crash to the ground.
This young woman had a beautiful continence and seemed gentle and temperate, but she understood the concept of beating a snake to death to avoid future calamity and immediately stepped forward to deliver a final blow; ending her opponent’s life.
After winning this battle, she and Yang Kai exchanged a glance before both of them flew towards another battlefield.
These two chose was the one where the two Second-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivators were fighting. Originally, this battle had been an even fight, but with Yang Kai and the other First-Order Ice Heart Valley woman joining in, the situation immediately changed.
With the situation becoming a three on one, the female cultivator from Brilliant Flame Sect had no chance of running away, persisting only thirty breaths of time before she was killed by the two women from Ice Heart Valley.
Yang Kai only played a containment role, but his contribution was no less significant!
The state of this battle had changed far faster than anyone expected and Ice Heart Valley grained the absolute upper hand with Yang Kai serving as a lynchpin. Currently, only Kong Wen Dong left of the original group of four from Brilliant Flame Sect.
Seeing that the situation had become hopeless, hatred flashed across the depths of Kong Wen Dong’s eyes as he shouted out fiercely, “Cheap slut, Father will make you pay for this one day!”
Saying so, he made a feint and escaped from the range of the young woman he was fighting, condensed a mighty flame around his body, and shot off towards the distance at incredible speed.
It was impossible to tell what kind of escaping Secret Technique had been used.
In a moment of distraction, the young woman actually allowed Kong Wen Dong to flee several kilometres before her beautiful face darkened.
The last thing she wanted was to allow Kong Wen Dong to escape and call for help, the situation might turn against her again, so she quickly shouted, “Stop him!”
Hearing her cry, the other two Ice Heart Valley women naturally flew off, but Yang Kai simply frowned and stood in place without moving.
Whether Kong Wen Dong lived or died was none of his concern. Yang Kai didn’t know what star Brilliant Flame Sect was based on, so even if he allowed Kong Wen Dong to flee, no harm would come to him. What Yang Kai cared about now was the benefits inside this hidden secluded home. As long as he could break through the barrier protecting this place and obtain the treasures inside, he could just calmly depart.
He had no interest in inserting himself in the grudge between Brilliant Flame Sect and Ice Heart Valley.
Seeing Yang Kai not moving, clearly showing no intention to help, the young woman leader from Ice Heart Sect could not help becoming somewhat flurried, but she quickly thought of something and said, “Kong Wen Dong also has a Heaven Scorching Thunder Fire on him, killing him will allow your Spirit Fire to obtain more benefits!”
Her mind really was quite sharp as it only took her one sentence to arouse Yang Kai’s interest!
“Really?” Yang Kai looked at her suspiciously; after all, that Heaven Scorching Thunder Fire had looked quite powerful so his first thought was that the yellow-robed old man had obtained it through some kind of rare opportunity, therefore, he found it difficult to believe that Kong Wen Dong had one as well.
“How could this Mistress deceive you? I can explain the specific reasons for this later, but believe me when I say Kong Wen Dong definitely has a Heaven Scorching Thunder Fire on him!” Seeing Yang Kai’s look of interest, the young woman immediately knew she had made the right bet and quickly offered her assurances.
“If that’s the case, we really can’t let him run away!” Yang Kai’s eyes flashed before his figure flickered and he suddenly disappeared.
When he reappeared, he was already a few kilometres away.
The young female leader’s eyes shrank when she saw this and her sense of dread increased once more. Even with her cultivation, she was unable to see what kind of miraculous Movement Skill Yang Kai had used to achieve such speed.
This wasn’t surprising since the Space Force Yang Kai cultivated was something very few people could recognize, and even fewer could cultivate to any practical degree. Only if someone like Heaven Battling Union’s Great Elder Mo Xiao Sheng, who also cultivated Space Force, was here would they be able to see through the method Yang Kai had just used.
By applying a small amount of his Space Force, Yang Kai was able to almost instantly cross over a few hundred metres in an instant. Although this method could not compare to tearing space in terms of distance travelled, it was by no means a trivial method as it required very fine control over Space Force. Furthermore, this method was far more subtle than tearing space as it did not create such an obvious disturbance in the surroundings.
Kong Wen Dong’s speed was indeed quite quick, but no matter how fast he was, he still couldn’t compare to Yang Kai who was literally leaping across space.
In just a few dozen breaths, Yang Kai came to a stop in front of Kong Wen Dong and with a wave of his hand sent out a flock of Demonic Flame birds towards him.
“Out of my way, boy!” Kong Wen Dong didn’t even try to hide his anger as he plunged headfirst into Yang Kai’s attack while summoning a large sword artifact into his hand, pouring his Saint Qi into it, and slashing out.
A massive hundred-metre long sword wave shot forward with astonishing momentum.
The Demonic Flame birds were blown away in an instant. Facing such a blow, Yang Kai didn’t dare act carelessly; after all, his opponent’s strength wasn’t by any means weak. Without any hesitation, Yang Kai summoned his Purple Shield and activated its sandstorm ability to protect himself.
A loud noise rang out as the wind and sand were scattered about as the massive sword wave was dispersed, leaving behind a gap in the sandstorm the Purple Shield had created, nearly exposing Yang Kai’s figure.
“An Origin Grade High-Rank defensive artifact?” Kong Wen Dong’s eyes shrank as he exclaimed.
His vision was good so he had no trouble identifying the grade of the Purple Shield.
“For the sins you’ve committed, the Heavens will pass their own judgement, but today, Kong Wen Dong, this will be your burial place!” From behind, a soft shout rang out from the lead Ice Heart Valley woman who had chased after Kong Wen Dong Heart.
Although her speed was slower than that of Yang Kai’s, with the latter having blocked Kong Wen Dong’s way, it wasn’t difficult for her to catch up. Seeing the current situation, the young female leader was overjoyed. She quickly summoned her Origin King Grade Profound Yin Heart Shattering Drum artifact, and used her jade white hand to gently rap it.
An invisible wave spread out from the drum in the next instant, carrying with it a resonant sound. Although this sound was quite faint, when it reached one’s ears, it caused their vitality to tumble, making it incredibly uncomfortable to listen to.
This wasn’t the end though as the young woman’s jade white hand continued to beat this drum slowly, her face becoming paler with each strike, seemingly having to pay a huge price each time she beat this drum. The drumbeat from the Profound Yin Heart Shattering Drum grew louder and louder until it became absolutely deafening, as if it was being struck inside one’s ears, completely impossible to guard against.
Not only did this drum sound effect Kong Wen Dong though, but even Yang Kai was not spared.
As the pounding drum beat entered his ears, Yang Kai’s eyes were gradually turned bloodshot and his face crimson, all the blood in his body seemingly rushing to his head. Sensing this, Yang Kai shot a cold glare towards the approaching young woman.
Even separated by a few thousand metres, this icy glare caused the young woman’s tender body to shiver and she involuntarily paused her assault. When she resumed beating her drum a moment later, the sound in Yang Kai’s ear weakened dramatically, almost to the point where he could ignore it altogether.
Conversely, the pressure Kong Wen Dong was feeling in front of Yang Kai greatly increased. The power of an Origin King Grade artifact was not to be underestimated, and although the young woman had not fully refined the Profound Yin Heart Shattering Drum and could only exert half of its strength, Kong Wen Dong still found it extremely difficult to resist.
Before he even realized it, blood began leaking from Kong Wen Dong’s seven orifices and his aura became disordered, seemingly suffering from unbearable pain; even his well-built body began to tremble violently.
With the young female leader’s Profound Yin Heart Shattering Drum suppressing Kong Wen Dong, Yang Kai was able to act without any scruples, sending out his Golden Blood Thread as well as a few Space Blades concealed inside his Demonic Flames.
At the same time, the Firebird Artifact Spirit was also directed by Yang Kai to rush towards Kong Wen Dong.
Kong Wen Dong perished without any suspense. Although his cultivation wasn’t any worse than the lead young woman from Ice Heart Valley, in a four on one, with the lead young woman able to calmly display the power of the Profound Yin Heart Shattering Drum and Yang Kai attacking from nearby, there was no way Kong Wen Dong could escape no matter how strong he was.
After struggling desperately for about an incense stick worth of time, Kong Wen Dong fell to his four attackers’ coordinated assault.
What the young female leader from Ice Heart Valley said was true; Kong Wen Dong had a Heaven Scorching Thunder Fire in his body, one that was exactly the same as the yellow-robed old man’s, a dark crimson flame with black lightning arcs flickering about it.
After Kong Wen Dong died, this Heaven Scorching Thunder Fire was naturally swallowed by the Firebird Artifact Spirit.
Once the battle ended, it was time to divide the spoils. The Space Rings of these four enemies couldn’t be let off. Yang Kai acted with no trace of politeness, taking away Kong Wen Dong’s Space Ring while casually leaving the other three for the trio from Ice Heart Valley to collect.
Regarding this, although the lead young woman wore a somewhat displeased expression, she didn’t say anything; after all, if not for Yang Kai’s assistance, they would have gained nothing and might not even have been able to preserve their lives. At the very least, her weakest sister would definitely have been in a dangerous situation.
The Firebird Artifact Spirit continued hovering above Yang Kai’s head, calling out happily, seeming to be in a good mood after devouring two Heaven Scorching Thunder Fires.
When she looked at the Firebird Artifact Spirit, the lead young woman’s beautiful eyes could not help flashing a look of dread. While she had been unable to observe much of Yang Kai’s true abilities, just the fluctuations coming from this Firebird Artifact Spirit were incredibly worrisome.
[This Artifact Spirit can no doubt compete with a Third-Order Origin Returning Realm master!] The young woman secretly judged.
“Little brother, this Mistress offers her sincere thanks. If not for little brother taking action to uphold justice here, this Mistress might not have been able to kill these Brilliant Flame Sect villains.” A bright smile appeared on the young woman’s face as she thanked Yang Kai.
Yang Kai smiled lightly and replied modestly, “Sister is too serious, I only acted according to my own needs. What’s more, they were the ones who attacked me first.”
Although this young woman had shrouded him with the Profound Yin Heart Shattering Drum just now, Yang Kai wasn’t planning on tearing face with her over it, whether it was intentional or not.
However, it was necessary to put up a show of deterrence lest this woman decide to burn bridges after crossing them. The Profound Yin Heart Shattering Drum she was carrying was very powerful and quite troublesome to deal with, so as long as it wasn’t necessary, Yang Kai didn’t want to stir up conflict with these three from Ice Heart Valley. Now, he just wanted to finish up his business here and head to the main palace of the Emperor Garden.
As such, Yang Kai made no attempt to take back his Artifact Spirit and instead used it to indirectly pressure this young woman so she wouldn’t get any ideas.
“Right, Sister, would you mind explaining to me why both those Brilliant Flame Sect cultivators were able to cultivate that Heaven Scorching Thunder Fire Secret Technique?” Yang Kai asked curiously.
“Hehe, so Little Brother was still wondering about this issue,” the young woman smiled and didn’t try to conceal anything, simply stating, “In fact, there are many cultivators in Brilliant Flame Sect who have cultivated this Secret Technique, not just the two of them. Most of their stronger masters and have cultivated the Heaven Scorching Thunder Fire, but the strength of each individual’s thunder fire varies dramatically.”
“Oh? How do they accomplish this?” Yang Kai was very interested. The Heaven Scorching Thunder Fire was of great benefit to his Artifact Spirit, but unfortunately, of the four Brilliant Flame Sect masters here, only Kong Wen Dong and the yellow-robed old man seemed to have cultivated this Secret Technique. After listening to this young woman’s words, Yang Kai naturally had to investigate further.
“It’s actually quite simple: they have a Heavenly Thunder Fire in Brilliant Flame Sect that also serves as the foundation of their Sect. Relying on this Heavenly Thunder Fire, coupled with a special Secret Technique, most of the high-level cultivators from Brilliant Flame Sect can cultivate the Heaven Scorching Thunder Fire which has many profound uses in combat,” The young woman explained lightly before asking casually, “Since little brother asked this, does it mean you are not from Scarlet Wave Star?”
“En, I’m indeed not from Scarlet Wave Star,” Yang Kai didn’t try to deny it but also did not explain his origins, simply nodding and continuing, “So that’s how it is, about that Heavenly Thunder Fire…”
Although its name was only slightly different from the Heaven Scorching Thunder Fire, it was, after all, the foundation of Brilliant Flame Sect, as well as the foundation upon which Kong Wen Dong and the yellow-robed old man cultivated their own Heaven Scorching Thunder Fire. If his Artifact Spirit could devour the original Heavenly Thunder Fire, what kind of benefits would it obtain?
Of course, this thought only briefly passed across Yang Kai’s mind.
After all, the Scarlet Wave Star was in this vast Star Field, it was impossible for Yang Kai to simply take a trip to it for no reason at all. What’s more, there was no way for him alone to challenge all of Brilliant Flame Sect as he could infer from Kong Wen Dong’s cultivation that this Sect very likely had an Origin King master commanding it!
“Never mind, let’s not talk about this now,” Yang Kai grinned before changing the subject, “Sister, shouldn’t we enter that secluded home now? There’s bound to be many good things inside!”
“Hehe, that’s right,” The young woman’s brow twitched slightly. Although she was filled with reluctance, she could not simply renege on her previous agreement with Yang Kai now.
When she first tried to win him over, she had not put Yang Kai’s strength in her eyes and felt that she could arbitrarily decide the distribution of benefits once everything was over, but following this battle, she realized that her original thoughts were little more than wishful thinking.
This boy was not some weakling she could casually bully and he obviously had some vigilance towards her now. Otherwise, he would not have continued to have his strange Firebird hover above them all this time.
With things having reached this point, the young woman could only sigh lightly. Unwilling to deal with any more trouble, she simply turned around and flew back to the hidden mountain valley.
The other two women followed closely.
A moment later, the group of four arrived at the barrier concealing the mountain valley again.
This barrier was still maintaining its previous appearance, flickering slightly while projecting a somewhat distorted image. These were clear traces of it having been attacked before but it was still a fair distance from completely breaking.
“Is little brother proficient in cracking Spirit Arrays by any chance?” The young female leader of Ice Heart Valley turned to Yang Kai and asked.
“No!” Yang Kai shook his head decisively. If it were Yang Yan here instead of him, this barrier would likely take her less than ten breaths to crack, but Yang Kai was not Yang Yan.
The young woman failed to stifle her laughter hearing this before shaking her head and declaring, “Then there’s no other way, this Mistress and her sisters also have not studied Spirit Arrays, so we’ll just have to break it by force.”
Saying so, she took the lead by summoning a long crystal sword into her hand that looked like it was refined from the purest of ice jade, pouring her Saint Qi into it, then slashing towards the barrier. The other two young women from Ice Heart Valley quickly followed suit.
Naturally Yang Kai wasn’t idle either, the only difference was he didn’t use any kind of artifact, not because he didn’t want to, but because the only offensive artifact he had on him was the Verdant Dragon Bone Sword, which was not something he could easily show others.
As such, he could only use his Demonic Flame to attack the barrier. Even so, that didn’t make his momentum any weaker, especially as his Demonic Flames fluctuated rapidly between hot and cold, causing severe damage to the barrier.
Ultimately, Yang Kai’s attack power wasn’t any weaker than those of the three women.
For a time, the group of four simply stood before the mountain valley, shelling its protective barrier together.
Regardless of how strong this barrier was, it could not withstand such indiscriminate bombings, not to mention that this barrier had been left unattended for over ten thousand years. Even if it was originally incredibly solid, after so many years of neglect, its power had obviously waned.
Even so, the group of four spent half a day attacking this barrier before it finally broke!
During this period, the three women from Ice Heart Valley were obviously on edge, seemingly afraid that another strong enemy would come to investigate, so after successfully breaking the barrier undisturbed, they couldn’t help flashing happy looks. After exchanging a quick glance, the lead young woman dove in first.
Yang Kai released his Divine Sense, found there wasn’t any danger inside, and quickly followed.
The interior was a gourd-shaped mountain valley with a narrow entrance that expanded the deeper one went.
Passing through a several-kilometre-long mountain trail, the group of four arrived at the heart of the valley and were greeted by a stunning scene.
Before their eyes was a vast Medicine Garden filled with exotic flowers and spirit herbs planted in neat rows. Even after countless years with no one tending to them, many of these spirit grasses were still alive and well.
At a glance, there were at least a thousand precious herbs in this place.
The entire mountain valley was filled with a rich medicinal fragrance.
It turned out this mountain valley was actually a hidden Medicine Garden!
Yang Kai could not help showing a look of joy and excitement on his face, and the appearance of the three women from Ice Heart Valley was not any better, each of them breathing somewhat rapidly as their eyes flashed brilliantly.
This could not be helped though as this place had not seen any visitors in at least ten thousand years, which meant that even if the herbs here were of lower grade, their medicinal ages would be at least ten thousand years!
With such high medicinal ages, even ordinary herbs would become priceless treasures, so it was only natural that all of them were so excited.
This harvest alone had made their trip to the Emperor Garden worthwhile.
However, the leading young woman didn’t allow herself to become blinded by the riches in front of her, quickly turning to Yang Kai first to ask, “Little Brother, this…”
“En, let’s collect everything first then figure out how to distribute it afterwards,” Yang Kai smiled carefreely.
“Good!” The young woman nodded lightly, shot a glance towards the other two women, then immediately got to work picking these herbs.
Although collecting precious herbs like these required some special procedures since any negligence could lead to a great reduction in their value, everyone here was an Origin Realm cultivator, so they naturally had enough experience with this kind of task. As such, Yang Kai didn’t need to remind the three women about anything in particular.
As for these three trying to secretly harbour these herbs, it probably wouldn’t happen as Yang Kai was constantly releasing his Divine Sense, unabashed. Even if these three women had such thoughts, they would likely be too embarrassed to try to act on them with Yang Kai so obviously watching them.
While these three were collecting herbs, Yang Kai also got to work, meticulously collecting the various herbs from the Medicine Garden at a rate much faster than the trio from Ice Heart Valley.
For an Alchemist like Yang Kai, he couldn’t be more familiar with this kind of work.
The more Yang Kai collected though, the more excited he became, because in this hidden Medicine Garden, he not only saw many long-extinct spirit grasses and spirit medicines, he even found many herbs he could not recognize.
Such herbs were undoubtedly extremely valuable.
The grades of these herbs varied somewhat, from Saint King Grade all the way to Origin King Grade; however, likely because they couldn’t withstand the passing of time, there was nothing lower than Saint King Grade. Even so, the Saint King Grade herbs here could still be used to produce excellent pills.
Yang Kai was extremely happy. During his last retreat, his Alchemy skill had reached the Origin Grade High-Rank, but if he wanted to go a step further, he needed to practice a great deal with Origin King Grade herbs.
One day, if Yang Kai could successfully refine an Origin King Grade pill, it would mean his Alchemy skills had reached the peak of the Star Field!
He already had a number of Origin King Grade herbs on hand, all of which were essentially collected from the floating continent he had been stranded on after first entering the Star Field, but he had not touched them all these years because his Alchemy skill had been insufficient.
However, no one would dislike having more of such treasures.
In particular, an Origin Grade High-Rank Alchemist who wanted to become an Origin King Grade Alchemist would no doubt suffer great difficulties and consume a large number of herbs. Considering all this, Yang Kai began collecting the herbs in front of him with even greater zeal.
Time passed by, and although there were several large Medicine Gardens in this mountain valley with several thousand spirit grasses and herbs planted here, the group of four was by no means slow with their collection. Half a day later, Yang Kai stood up and looked around, quickly discovering that almost all of the herbs had now been harvested. As for the few that were left, the three young women from Ice Heart Valley were busy collecting them.
With a slight smile, Yang Kai showed no intention to interfere, instead standing back and calmly waiting.
Now idle, Yang Kai began examining the mountain valley more carefully. This place was no doubt a secluded home leftover from ten thousand years ago, and since that was the case, there should be some traces of someone living here. Just now, the four of them had all their attention attracted by the bountiful spirit herbs though, so they hadn’t taken the time to investigate their surroundings meticulously.
But now that Yang Kai was taking a look around, to his puzzlement, he didn’t find any traces of habitation here, not even a house.
[Could it be…]
Yang Kai began scanning the sides of the valley with a look of scrutiny. After some careful observation, he soon made a discovery and walked over to a smooth section of a mountain wall.
Reaching out and knocking on this mountain wall, he didn’t find anything out of the ordinary, but Yang Kai was not a naive, inexperienced boy anymore, so how could he be deceived by such a simple trick? Rapping on the mountain wall a few more times with his fingers, Yang Kai paid close attention to the sounds which came from inside it while also releasing his Divine Sense to scan its interior.
After a while, Yang Kai smiled happily and without hesitation palmed the mountain wall.
Yang Kai didn’t use his Saint Qi for this palm, but when he hit the mountain wall, a rumbling sound rang out and it immediately began to crumble, exposing a long, dark tunnel.
Yang Kai raised his brow and swiftly stepped inside.
This corridor leading into the mountainside was not very spacious, less than two metres across, barely spacious enough for two people to walk side by side through it.
Yang Kai proceeded a kilometre or two before finally spotting some faint rays of light up ahead!
Seeing this scene, Yang Kai smiled even wider and sped up his pace.
A moment later, Yang Kai arrived at a mid-sized stone room about a hundred metres or so in diameter. The layout and decoration of this room was very simple. One table, one chair, one bed, all made from stone, nothing more, nothing less.
However, when Yang Kai arrived here, his eyes were instantly attracted to a certain location.
Before Yang Kai’s eyes was a metre-high pill furnace quietly sitting on the ground. This pill furnace looked extremely simple and gave off a desolate aura, clearly indicating how ancient it was; however, from its markings, it was clearly an Origin King Grade Alchemy furnace!
Next to this Alchemy furnace was a skeleton that maintained a cross-legged sitting posture, and looking from its posture, before dying, this skeleton’s owner seemed to have been pouring their Saint Qi into this pill furnace!
In other words, as this person died, he was still performing Alchemy!
Yang Kai was instantly able to deduce the truth of this matter. With so many spirit grasses and medicines planted in the mountain valley outside, this person’s identity was quite obvious.
An Alchemist!
Only an Alchemist would plant so many herbs in his secluded home, and inferring from the posture this man assumed before death, it was quite clear they were a character completely obsessed with Alchemy, otherwise, they would not have still been refining a pill while dying.
The only question was whether they succeeded or not…
Thinking like this, Yang Kai released his Divine Sense curiously and swept the inside of the Alchemy furnace. After a quick scan, he discovered that there truly was a pill inside.
This Alchemist had actually succeeded! Yang Kai couldn’t help feeling some admiration. Although he didn’t know whether the master of this secluded home died from exhaustion due to Alchemy, or because they wanted to refine one last pill before dying, such determination was worthy of Yang Kai’s respect.
Yang Kai was also an Alchemist so he somewhat understood; whether this person was good or evil, male or female, there was no doubt they considered Alchemy to be more important than even their own life, otherwise this scene would not have appeared.
Just as he was sighing with emotion though, Yang Kai heard light footsteps coming from the tunnel behind him and frowned. Without even thinking about it, he immediately leapt forward, reached into the pill furnace, took out the pill inside, threw it into a jade bottle, and stuffed it into his Space Ring.
During this lightning-quick process, Yang Kai didn’t even stop to examine what kind of pill it was.
Just after Yang Kai finished this, a beautiful figure appeared behind him.
“Little brother, is this the cave mansion of the owner of this place?” The young female leader of Ice Heart Valley’s group arrived and began glancing around in shock.
“It should be,” Yang Kai gently nodded, remaining calm and composed on the surface.
“Oh, there’s an Alchemy furnace here, does that mean that the owner of this place was an Alchemist?” The young woman looked overjoyed and hurried over to Yang Kai’s side as she carefully scrutinized her surroundings. Not seeing any signs of things being disturbed, she next focused her gaze on the Space Ring on the skeleton’s hand with great interest.
“Please go ahead, Sister!” Yang Kai could easily tell what this woman had in mind so he smiled lightly and gestured to her.
Although she wore a slightly embarrassed look on her face, the young woman didn’t refuse and simply nodded, “In that case, this Mistress won’t stand on ceremony.”
Saying so, she quietly condensed her Saint Qi to protect herself before reaching out and grabbing the Space Ring.
Unexpectedly, there was no danger at all and the young woman easily collected the Space Ring from this skeleton’s hand. Sweeping the contents of this ring with her Divine Sense, she immediately became extremely happy.
A moment later, she tossed the Space Ring to Yang Kai somewhat reluctantly and said, “Little Brother should also take a look!”
Yang Kai caught this ring and also released his Divine Sense to inspect it. After withdrawing his Divine Sense, he pondered for a moment before turning to the young woman and saying, “Does Sister have any objections to dividing the things inside evenly as well?”
“Hehe, since we reached an agreement in advance, this Mistress naturally has no objections,” The young woman said through a forced smile.
“Good, since that’s the case, let’s first inspect the things inside.” Saying so, Yang Kai began casually taking out the contents of the Space Ring.
First, there were many Saint Crystals, at least tens of millions, all of them High-Rank.
Such a fortune would be quite extraordinary for an average cultivator, but considering the identity of this Space Ring’s owner, it wasn’t all that surprising; after all, Alchemists were always wealthy.
These Saint Crystals were very easy to allocate, with Yang Kai and the young woman each quickly taking half.
However, what came next was the real highlight, because inside this ring there were a hundred or so jade bottles of varying shapes and sizes.
Yang Kai took out the jade bottles one by one and placed them on the floor. During the whole process, the young women stared at them without blinking, obviously guarding against Yang Kai engaging in mischief.
As for what was inside these jade bottles, that was obvious.
Since the owner of this place had been an Alchemist before their death, these jade bottles surely contained pills! So when the hundred or so jade bottles were laid out in front of them, the young woman’s breathing became noticeably more rapid.
Yang Kai on the other hand just smiled lightly and said, “Sister, although these bottles are certainly filled with pills, after so many years, it’s hard to say how many of these pills are still usable. There’s even a chance that all of them have degraded into trash, so it’s probably best to not get your hopes up too high.”
Listening to Yang Kai’s words, the excitement on the young woman’s face immediately converged and she nodded lightly, “What Little Brother said is true, let’s check them first.”
“Please go first!” Yang Kai reached out and gestured.
After nodding her head, the young woman picked up one of the jade bottles in front of her, unsealed it, and poured eight pills out from it onto her palm. However, when these pills appeared before her eyes, the young woman couldn’t help showing a disappointed look.
Because all eight of these pills had turned into blackened misshapen pellets with only a weak residual fragrance and absolutely no medicinal efficacy!
These pills were clearly all scrap.
“Seems my luck isn’t very good!” The young woman laughed helplessly before turning her beautiful eyes to Yang Kai.
Yang Kai picked up another jade bottle, opened it, and poured out another seven pills; however, as soon as they saw these pills, the two people present both became excited.
Because one of the pills was exuding a fragrant aroma and had a bright, fiery red colour. Most noticeably though, this pill had many fine lines across its surface that resembled human meridians.
Pill Veins!
Only when a pill formed Pill Veins could it be stored indefinitely. Without Pills Veins, no matter how carefully a pill was stored, its medicinal properties would still fade with time.
Although only one of the seven pills had formed Pill Veins, this was still a good start; after all, even though the young woman couldn’t recognize what kind of pill this was, it was clear its grade was not low.
“A Grand Yuan Fusing Pill!” Yang Kai raised his brow and revealed a look of shock.
“What?” The young woman’s complexion changed abruptly, “Little Brother, are you certain this is a Grand Yuan Fusing Pill?”
Obviously she had heard of this pill.
“Yeah, I’m certain because I’m an Alchemist myself, so I understand more about pills than ordinary cultivators. This is indeed a Grand Yuan Fusing Pill!” Yang Kai explained casually.
The young woman’s eyes swept over Yang Kai again in shock upon hearing this before hurriedly saying, “This Mistress’s vision was insufficient, failed to recognize that Little Brother was actually an Alchemist, and acted rudely previously, I hope little brother will not take offence.”
After learning that Yang Kai was an Alchemist, the young woman’s attitude towards him changed quite noticeably; after all, an Alchemist’s status was far higher than an average cultivator’s.
“Haha, Sister is too serious. This one has only dabbled a bit in Alchemy and only has some minor accomplishments, nothing worthy of note,” Yang Kai said in modest.
The young woman from Ice Heart Valley didn’t intend on discussing this matter any further; after all, even if Yang Kai was an Alchemist, since he wasn’t from Scarlet Wave Star, his status had nothing to do with her. Instead, her attention was drawn back to the Grand Yuan Fusing Pill as she spoke, “If what Little Brother says is true, then this pill is an Origin King Mid-Rank pill that can improve efficiency in cultivation by double when taken?”
“Three times. Don’t forget this is a pill which has formed Pill Veins, so its effects are far better than an ordinary Grand Yuan Fusing Pill!”
The young woman’s eyes lit up with happiness! This type of pill, which could increase one’s cultivation efficiency, was extremely rare. The reputation of the Grand Yuan Fusing Pill had widely circulated throughout the Star Field, but few people ever managed to obtain one. After taking such a pill, for at least half a year, one would be able to obtain twice the results from secluded cultivation that they normally would. This kind of pill was incredibly tempting to this young woman, but unfortunately, only one of the seven pills from this particular bottle was still usable while the others had all lost all efficacy.
As she was lost in thought, Yang Kai put aside this Grand Yuan Fusing Pill.
“Let’s take a look at the rest.” With such a good start, the young woman’s mood immediately became better as she reached out and picked up another jade bottle before pouring out its content.
The hundred or so bottles of pills didn’t take much time to inspect, and half an hour or so later, Yang Kai and the young woman had managed to sort the useful pills from the degraded ones.
Grand Yuan Fusing Pill, Ascending Dragon Pill, Bamboo Nature Pill, Soul Enhancing Pill, Congealing Jade Pill…
The grades and uses of these pills varied greatly. There were healing pills, cultivation pills, pills useful for breaking through bottlenecks, ones for increasing strength, and so on and so forth; also, each and every one of the useful pills had formed Pill Veins!
Just from examining these pills, it was clear that the owner of this place had been an Origin King Grade Alchemist while they were alive; what’s more, they were obviously an Origin King Grade High-Rank Alchemist!
Alchemists of this grade, even considering the entire current Star Field, were a rare existence. Yang Kai couldn’t even be certain there was an Alchemist that had reached such a height in this era.
On top of that, the Alchemist who lived here definitely possessed astonishing skill because almost every jade bottle contained a pill that had formed Pill Veins, some bottles even had two, with the most in a single bottle being three!
Unfortunately, there was no pill which had formed Pill Clouds, a fact that made Yang Kai sigh slightly. Pill Veins were extremely rare, but Pill Clouds were an even higher level, Heaven-defying existence compared to Pill Veins. Even with the skills and accomplishments of this ancient Alchemist, it was likely he or she was unable to produce Pill Clouds with any kind of consistency.
“Sister, there are a total of a hundred and thirty-five pills here, each of them with differing values. If you are willing to trust me, I can distribute them,” Yang Kai turned to the young woman from Ice Heart Valley and proposed.
“Little Brother is too polite, since you are an Alchemist, it is only natural for you to distribute these pills. This Mistress has no objections!” The young woman spoke generously, but this was no surprise as, every time they found a usable pill, Yang Kai had told her what it was and what use it had. As such, although there were many pills in front of them right now, the young woman already had a rough estimate of each one’s value, so she wasn’t worried Yang Kai would try to cheat her.
Seeing her agree, Yang Kai gently nodded and began to distribute the pills.
A hundred and thirty-five was not an even number, but if it was only based on value, it wasn’t hard to divide these pills equally.
However, when Yang Kai finished dividing the pills into two parts, the young woman couldn’t help giving him a suspicious look and asking, “Little brother, did you make a mistake? The number of pills on my side is obviously greater, and their value is also higher. You…”
Yang Kai grinned, “There’s no mistake. Did sister forget that there is something else of value here other than these pills?”
“Something else?” The young woman glanced around the room for a moment before her eyes landed on something and she understood what Yang Kai was referring to.
The Origin King Grade Alchemy furnace!
When Yang Kai was dividing these pills, he obviously included this Origin King Grade Alchemy furnace as well, which was why the distribution of pills looked a little unequal.
“So, Sister may choose first,” Yang Kai smiled lightly, “If sister wants more pills, then this Alchemy furnace will belong to me, otherwise, the Alchemy furnace will belong to you!”
The young woman couldn’t help showing a hesitant look.
Her vision was obviously not bad, so she naturally recognized the grade of this Alchemy furnace, but the way Yang Kai divided things up just now was quite fair. Everything depended upon her choice; if she wanted more pills, she needed to give up on that Alchemy furnace, but if she wanted the furnace, she would have to take fewer pills.
Presented with these two choices, the young woman felt somewhat conflicted.
But soon, she made up her mind, smiled, and said, “Then this Mistress will take the larger number of pills! Since little brother is an Alchemist, this Alchemy furnace will certainly be more useful to you. This Mistress taking it would be somewhat of a waste.”
Saying so, she swept the larger pile of jade bottles into her Space Ring.
Yang Kai didn’t raise any objections and also collected his spoils. In fact, for him, it didn’t really matter what choice this young woman made; although the Origin King Grade Alchemy furnace was useful to him, it wasn’t necessary by any means.
However, to this young woman, obtaining more pills was definitely a better choice. While she could take this Alchemy furnace back to her Sect and obtain some merits for it, or give it to an Alchemist in exchange for some favours, both were far less practical than obtaining immediate benefits in the form of pills.
Her making this choice was quite practical.
Just as the two finished dividing up the pills, the other two Ice Heart Valley women walked in. When the lead woman told her companions about the harvest she obtained here, they were naturally quite excited.
The spirit grasses from the Medicine Garden outside had all now been picked as well so they were the next thing to be divided up.
A few thousand herbs each with medicinal ages exceeding ten thousand years had been collected by the group of four so it took them about half a day to distribute them.
In the end, regardless of who it was, they were extremely satisfied, even Yang Kai. With so many herbs, he wouldn’t need to worry about having enough practice materials for Alchemy in the near future. Becoming an Origin King Grade Alchemist was only a matter of time.
After concluding their business here, everyone prepared to depart.
“Little brother, there should be nothing else here, would you like to accompany this Mistress out?” The young woman turned to Yang Kai and asked.
Yang Kai pondered for a moment before slowly shaking his head, “Several sisters should go on ahead, I still have something to do here.”
“Oh?” The young woman was surprised to hear this and immediately wondered why Yang Kai wanted to remain. Feeling slightly suspicious, she swept the entire area with her Divine Sense again, not even letting off the sitting skeleton nearby.
She thought that Yang Kai had discovered some other benefits here and was waiting for them to leave so he could take them all for himself, but her Divine Sense was unable to discover anything else of value here.
Naturally, Yang Kai understood what she was thinking and calmly explained, “I just want to bury these remains.”
“Uh…” The young woman’s face went blank.
“I’m an Alchemist, and he or she was also an Alchemist, that makes him or her my Senior. Since I’ve obtained this Alchemy furnace, I should naturally perform some final rites.”
“So that’s how it is, hehe, in that case, we will take our leave,” The young woman said with great embarrassment, feeling like she had just been being overly suspicious just now. Laughing awkwardly before bidding Yang Kai farewell, she led her two companions out.
Of course, Yang Kai didn’t try to stop them. He had cooperated with the three of them out of convenience just now, but in the end, they were neither friends nor close acquaintances; moreover, this woman was quite scheming and had clearly had ill intentions towards him before.
Cooperating once was enough, Yang Kai had no interest in becoming close to such people.
A few moments later, outside the mountain valley, the three young women from Ice Heart Valley swiftly flew forward. Two of them felt quite happy while their leader wore a look of struggle and annoyance on her face, releasing a long sigh after a while.
“Senior Sister, what’s wrong?” The First-Order Origin Returning Realm woman asked curiously.
“It’s nothing, I was just thinking that that young man is a little strange,” the young woman shook her head slowly.
Just now, in that stone room, with its narrow walls and limited room to manoeuvre, and with two other people on her side, it was undoubtedly the best place to launch a sneak attack. The young woman indeed had such thoughts and had intended to join forces with her two Junior Sisters and subdue Yang Kai there.
After all, there were so many pills that had formed Pill Veins and so many herbs with medicinal ages over ten thousand years, naturally, she did not want to split such treasures with anyone else.
But the moment such a thought crossed her mind, a feeling of alarm gripped her heart as her instincts screamed out to her that if she and her Junior Sisters were to attack, the ones who would suffer a loss would be them.
It was this instinctual fear that caused the young woman to ultimately back down.
After the fact though, she couldn’t tell if her decision had been right or wrong.
No matter what, being forced to give half of the benefits from that secluded home to a mere First-Order Origin Returning Realm boy made her very uncomfortable.
It was too late to regret now though, and the young woman could only do her best to suppress the faint unwillingness she felt while trying not to think about it any further.
At the same time, inside the hidden cave mansion, Yang Kai let out a light sigh.
He had not been lying to the women from Ice Heart Valley, he really stayed behind to look for a burial place for this late Alchemy Grandmaster. These were the remains of a top-level Origin King Grade High-Rank Alchemist, one who had died still pursuing the Alchemic Way, so as an Alchemist, Yang Kai truly respected him.
After taking away the Origin King Grade Alchemy furnace, Yang Kai released his Saint Qi and carefully wrapped up the skeletal remains before walking outside.
Yang Kai planned on burying this Alchemist in the mountain valley’s Medicine Garden.
Such a burial place should be what this Senior would have wanted.
A moment later, Yang Kai arrived atop the Medicine Garden, waved his hand to release his Saint Qi, and opened up a deep pit in the ground before carefully laying the late Alchemist’s bones inside.
There was no carelessness in this process, with Yang Kai leaving the skeleton perfectly intact, just the way he found it.
However, when Yang Kai withdrew his Saint Qi from the skeleton, without this layer of protection, the robes on this skeleton disintegrated into dust and were blown away by the wind.
*Reflection Reflection Reflection*
*Thinking emoji*
In the end, this Grandmaster had died over ten thousand years ago, so it was not a surprise that, after all this time, their clothes could not withstand even a slight test of the elements.
Not only that, but their bones as well.
With a clatter, the skeleton also collapsed into ashes. Yang Kai frowned at this sight and released his Saint Qi to surround the freshly dug grave and prevent the wind from reaching it.
Even if this Senior’s clothes had been turned to dust and blown away, Yang Kai couldn’t allow the same to happen to their remains. If that were to happen, this Senior would truly have died without burial, a miserable fate.
Waving his Saint Qi about, Yang Kai quickly carried over some nearby soil to fill in this grave.
Before filling the grave though, Yang Kai’s brow rose as he stared towards a certain spot, a trace of suspicion flashing across his face. A moment later, a Golden Blood Thread flashed out.
After withdrawing this Golden Blood Thread, Yang Kai held a small piece of bone in his hand.
This should be a finger bone from the Grandmaster’s skeleton, but unlike all the other bones, this one had not disintegrated and was instead perfectly preserved. Although there were no energy fluctuations coming from this fingertip, when Yang Kai observed it closely, he could not help showing a look of surprise that soon turned to shock as he muttered aloud, “This is…”
This finger bone was covered with many complicated lines and runes, seemingly hiding some incredible secrets within them.
Injecting a little of his Saint Qi into this finger bone though, Yang Kai was unable to observe any kind of reaction. With a puzzled expression, Yang Kai was at a loss as to how to access the mysteries contained in this finger bone.
Setting this matter aside for the moment, Yang Kai carefully stored this finger bone away before filling up the grave.
A moment later, the grave was filled. Finished with this task, Yang Kai bowed once before turning around and quickly leaving this mountain valley.
This was all he could do for this Senior. As for the finger bone, Yang Kai planned on studying it carefully later as he was certain this Grandmaster had sealed something important in it. Otherwise, there would be no reason to refine it to not degrade even after ten thousand years.
Flying along at lightning-quick speeds, Yang Kai carefully observed his surroundings as he rushed towards the Emperor Garden’s main palace.
The journey was quite calm, with no other unexpected situations occurring along the way. For Yang Kai, the exploration of the mountain valley had wasted a little time, but compared to the massive gains he obtained, such a delay was still acceptable.
However, he had also made up his mind that even if he encountered anything else of interest, he would not stop to investigate and focus entirely on reaching the main palace.
As he got closer to the Emperor Garden’s main palace though, Yang Kai increasingly felt the atmosphere becoming tense. There were clearly many cultivators lying in ambush around the periphery of the main palace, targeting both those who were coming to explore the main palace and those who were leaving it.
As time passed, Yang Kai even began seeing many cultivators engaged in fierce battles with one another.
Some tried to intercept Yang Kai as well, but he was easily able to throw such ambushers off.
Thinking about it carefully, Yang Kai immediately understood what was going on.
According to Min Sha of Azure Tree Star, the Emperor Garden’s main palace was filled with crisis, forcing his group to escape after they suffered heavy losses, and look for opportunities outside instead. It seemed the cultivators lying in ambush outside the Emperor Garden’s main palace knew about the situation inside and had decided to wait for gains without pains instead, robbing those who were coming and going.
This way, not only could they easily obtain some benefits, but they also would not have to risk their lives inside the main palace. What could be better?
This was why the surroundings of the Emperor Garden’s main palace were filled with thick murderous intent.
It took Yang Kai some effort to break through this encirclement region.
Three days later, Yang Kai stood atop a mild slope, looking at a magnificent and majestic palace.
The Emperor Garden!
He finally saw the true Emperor Garden with his own eyes. This was the Starry Sky Great Emperor’s private residence and it was suspended in mid-air. Looking around, Yang Kai could not see where this palace ended, as if it went on for tens of thousands of kilometres.
The previous time Yang Kai came to the Emperor Garden, the feeling it had given him was far less profound than the one he was experiencing right now. At this moment, even from a thousand kilometres away, the main palace of the Emperor Garden radiated an ancient and desolate aura, making one feel as if they had been transported back in time, a wondrous yet unnerving sensation.
[Where’s the entrance?] Yang Kai frowned, but soon, he found what he was searching for.
From a certain position, multi-coloured light was flashing, and violent energy fluctuations filled the air as many small black spots collided with one another.
Obviously, this was the scene of many people fighting.
The closer one got to the Emperor Garden’s main palace, the more chaotic it became. The Emperor Garden had opened to the entire Star Field, so with cultivators arriving here from every major Cultivation Star, a great deal of friction naturally occurred.
If Yang Kai was not mistaken, the location of the fiercest battle should be where the main palace’s entrance was located.
Thinking so, he did not hesitate and flew over towards the fighting.
After half an incense stick of time, Yang Kai stood at the edge of the battlefield and was thoroughly shocked by the massive melee he was witnessing. There were at least hundreds of cultivators involved in this battle, most of them Origin Realm masters. There were also some Saint Kings present, but none were below the Third Order and had obviously been led here by their Elders.
These people all wore different robes and their cultivations were equally varied but every one of them was deeply immersed in this hot-blooded battle. Some people wanted to slaughter a path to the Emperor Garden, some wanted to flee this place, some even wanted to kill others and rob them of their possessions, it was nothing short of chaos.
From time to time, a pitiful scream would ring out and in a splash of blood, a body would fall from the sky.
It was obviously impossible to pass through such a heated battlefield safely.
Yang Kai’s expression became extremely solemn. Although his strength was truly out of the ordinary, even surpassing some Third-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivators, he was not confident he could slip through this melee without getting caught up in the chaos.
Looking around though, a look of delight soon returned to Yang Kai’s face as he confirmed his theory to be correct; the Emperor Garden’s main palace’s entrance was indeed located nearby. A massive gate several dozen metres in height leading into the magnificent palace stood just beyond the chaotic battlefield. This gate was covered with a kind of light barrier that prevented anyone from seeing what lay beyond it, stimulating the desires of these cultivators to enter through it.
Just as Yang Kai was hesitating about using his full speed to try to break through this region, he sensed some kind of disturbance and turned his head to investigate.
In the direction he turned, a bright green stream of light was rapidly approaching, and although it was still a fair distance away, the pressure coming from it was difficult to ignore.
Every cultivator who was engaged in battle was shocked by this new arrival and paused their fight to investigate.
A moment later, the green stream of light reached the edge of the chaotic battlefield, dispersed, and revealed seven figures that had been hidden inside.
After sensing the cultivation of these seven people, everyone’s expression became dignified!
This group consisted of males and females, young and old, but only one of them was a Second-Order Origin Realm cultivator while the rest were all Third-Order!
Although this group could not singlehandedly sweep away all the cultivators involved in this chaotic battlefield, forcing everyone to give way was not an issue. Clearly this group was from an elite great force and challenging them would not be wise.
After seeing the robes worn by those people, someone even exclaimed, “Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce!”
Hearing this cry, everyone showed a terrified look.
Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce was famous throughout the entire Star Field and was one of only a handful of super forces. It controlled multiple Cultivation Stars and had more than a dozen Origin King Realm masters at its command.
What’s more, it was rumoured that President Ai Ou, the current leader of Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce, had reached the peak of the Second-Order Origin King Realm and was only one step away from breaking through to the Third-Order.
He was an existence that the entire Star Field had to look up to.
Upon realizing these people were from Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce, every cultivator present withdrew their hostility and stepped back, none of them daring to show the slightest disrespect.
On the other hand, Yang Kai was greatly shaken as he stared towards one of the people in this group, his heart nearly leaping up into his throat.
This person’s face seemed to be carved from the finest jade, with perfect red lips, a slim but handsome figure, and skin that seemed just a shade too fair, almost the colour of pure snow. Adorning his face was an amiable smile that involuntarily made anyone who saw it feel a sense of intimacy.
He was the only Second-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivator amongst this group, making him the weakest, but it was also clear he was its leader as all the others surrounded him like stars around a bright moon. These six Third-Order Origin Realm powerhouses were all somehow overshadowed by this man’s presence.
Any woman would adore him, not just for his outstanding appearance, but also because of his innate temperament which was like a bright light that could draw in any moth.
Xue Yue!
The Star Field’s famous Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce Xue Yue Third Young Master!
Yang Kai had been hoping to meet Su Yan here, but instead, it seemed that enemies often met along narrow roads.
This was an unwelcome coincidence.
Yang Kai was arriving here quite late as when the Emperor Garden opened, he had spent ten days condensing his Shi, but why had Xue Yue not arrived here until now?
Yang Kai did not know what Xue Yue had come here for, but he absolutely did not want to be noticed by ‘him’.
The reason was simple, Yang Kai and Xue Yue had many grievances between them, and he also knew Xue Yue’s greatest secret.
This suave-looking, jade-faced Xue Yue Third Young Master whom millions of the Star Field’s young women fawned over was, in fact, a woman herself!
If this news were to leak out, who knows how many young girls would be heartbroken and how many young women would cry?
The grievances between the two of them were not just about Yang Kai knowing her secret though. The two of them had many awkward and bitter experiences together; for example, atop an unnamed Dead Star, the two of them had fought one another in a life or death struggle while completely naked, clinging to one another, rubbing their bare skin against each other, all while trying to murder their enemy. Forced into a stalemate during that absurd situation, Xue Yue had used a Secret Technique which tethered their two lives together, allowing both to survive.
Because of this Secret Technique, however, Yang Kai had been forced to find a way to save Xue Yue’s life after she encountered a fatal accident, causing him a great deal of trouble and almost resulting in his death.
Also, I’m pretty sure some of these girls that are in love with Xue Yue would think: I don’t mind.
Xue Yue had a special constitution, the Dragon Marrow Phoenix Body! This physique was something even Origin King Realm masters would covet because any man who could obtain her Primordial Yin would be able to dramatically improve his cultivation with absolutely no adverse consequences.
It was for this reason she had lived as a man with Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce dedicating great effort to concealing her true gender. Throughout the Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce, only a handful of people actually knew this secret.
Outside the Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce, only Yang Kai knew it.
Knowing this, how could Yang Kai allow Xue Yue to see him? The moment he saw this woman, Yang Kai immediately hid away in the crowd while also concealing his aura as much as possible.
On the other side, guarded by six Third-Order Origin Realm masters, Xue Yue wore her usual dazzling smile, one that in her male form was enough to make any woman scream out crazily.
“Is this the Emperor Garden?” Xue Yue muttered as she swept her gaze over the magnificent palace.
“Replying to Third Young Master, according to the information we managed to acquire, this is indeed the Emperor Garden’s main palace,” A beautiful woman next to Xue Yue respectfully answered.
“Good, since we’ve arrived, let’s head inside,” Xue Yue didn’t bother with any nonsense, simply declaring so before leading the team of Origin Realm masters towards the main palace’s gate.
No one dared to bar the way!
Without even mentioning the strength of Xue Yue’s group, just the name Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce was enough of a deterrent. Who would dare to fight against them here?
As such, Xue Yue and her party swiftly and easily crossed the battlefield to arrive in front of the main palace before stepping through the gate and disappearing.
After their figures disappeared, many whooshing sounds rang out as several cultivators tried to take advantage of this brief period of calm to rush into the main palace.
There were actually quite a number of these people, twenty or thirty at least, each of them using their movement skills to transform into streams of light that shot forward at incredible speed.
Yang Kai also mixed in with this group. Such an opportunity would likely not present itself again, so how could he not seize it? Although rushing into the main palace now might cause him to run into Xue Yue, this was no doubt his best chance to avoid trouble. Once the fight started up again, it would be very difficult for Yang Kai alone to cross this divide.
What’s more, with the crowd of others also rushing into the main palace at this moment, there should be enough people to conceal himself.
In the blink of an eye, Yang Kai rushed to the front entrance of the Emperor Garden’s main palace and, together with a swarm of other cultivators who also wanted to enter the interior, stepping through the door of light.
A flash blinded Yang Kai in the next moment as he felt some subtle Space Force fluctuations around him. After Yang Kai’s sight returned, he found himself inside a large complex with many white pavilions spreading out before him.
[I’m in!] Yang Kai celebrated.
The last time he had entered the Emperor Garden, this was the scene he had seen, so he was now certain he had arrived.
However, before Yang Kai could even show a happy look, he hastily had to shrink his neck and hide his face.
Because Xue Yue, who was the first of this group to enter, hadn’t gone far, and instead was standing nearby sweeping her eyes around, as if observing something.
This group from Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce hadn’t left, causing the cultivators who had taken advantage of their presence to sneak into the main palace to not dare act rashly. After everyone came inside, they simply stood stiff with slightly anxious looks on their faces.
Yang Kai squeezed into the middle of this crowd while trying his best to suppress the pounding of his heart, silently praying that Xue Yue would not find him.
Trying to make himself invisible, Yang Kai lowered his head and did not move.
However, what Yang Kai feared ultimately came to pass. Xue Yue seemed to grow bored with what she was doing and decided to sweep her pair of beautiful eyes across the crowd of cultivators who had followed her group inside.
Yang Kai’s face sank, knowing that he wouldn’t be able to hide here any longer; and so, before Xue Yue could see him, he quickly leapt out and ran away.
Naturally, this rapid move immediately drew everyone’s attention.
Xue Yue also turned her eyes towards Yang Kai, and after seeing a vaguely familiar profile, a blank look flashed across her face before she immediately became ecstatic and furiously shouted, “Halt for this Young Master!”
How could Yang Kai listen to her though? Not only did he not listen, he instead ran even faster, crossing a thousand metres in the blink of an eye, leaving Xue Yue and her group far behind.
“Third Young Master?” The beautiful woman turned to Xue Yue suspiciously.
“Capture him for this Young Master!” Xue Yue commanded coldly with a gloomy look upon her face.
Although the beautiful woman didn’t understand why Xue Yue would care about a mere First-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivator, she didn’t bother asking anything and simply flew off in pursuit of Yang Kai.
After the beautiful woman dashed out, Xue Yue frowned and began to ponder, the look on her face fluctuating somewhat. Although it was just a glimpse, that profile had given her an extremely familiar impression, one of a hateful man whose face kept her tossing and turning at night!
However, in this wide world, there were too many similar people and Xue Yue had failed to see his full face, so she couldn’t be sure it was really him.
Most importantly, the person who just ran off was a First-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivator!
When she had separated from that bastard, he was only a Third-Order Saint. Could he have possibly grown to such a level in just ten years? Xue Yue wasn’t certain. After all, she was Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce’s Third Young Master and had a special constitution, as well as unlimited cultivation resources and the best cultivation environments, yet she had only been able to progress from the Third-Order Saint King Realm to the Second-Order Origin Returning Realm in the same period of time.
On top of that, her breakthrough to her current realm was so recent that she hadn’t even had time to consolidate it yet.
If it really was him, then rather than just astonishing, his aptitude was nothing less than Heaven defying.
Therefore, it was the other party’s First-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivation that brought Xue Yue the most doubt.
However, Xue Yue would not forget that man even if hundreds of thousands of years passed! Whenever she fell asleep at night, Xue Yue would grind her teeth in frustration just dreaming about how he had refused to follow her without any hesitation back then.
Was she not beautiful? Did she not have immense status?
In the end, that was not it. Xue Yue was confident that when it came to beauty, aptitude, or status, she would not lose to anyone in the entire Star Field; but even so, she had failed to retain a trivial Third-Order Saint realm man.
At that time, when she had earnestly asked him to follow her, that bastard had actually refused without even considering it!
This was nothing less than a great shame to Xue Yue! Since that day, she had secretly resented him and had sworn that one day she would capture and imprison him. She would force him to accompany her wherever she went, show him all the wondrous sights and scenes she’d seen to make him thoroughly regret his original decision! She would let him know what it truly meant to have eyes but fail to see!
Although Xue Yue played the part of a humble, polite, and generous man in front of outsiders, her heart was still that of a woman.
And the thoughts of women were sometimes unreasonable and incomprehensible.
“We’ll also follow,” Xue Yue declared, unable to calm herself down and simply wait. After taking a moment to determine her bearings, she immediately chased after the beautiful woman who was pursuing Yang Kai. The Third-Order Origin Returning Realm masters who were guarding her all exchanged a quick, confused glance, wondering just what kind of snake oil their Third Young Master was trying to sell here.
However, none of them dared to violate Xue Yue’s order, so they quickly followed after her.
On the other side, not long after Yang Kai escaped, he sensed a Third-Order Origin Returning Realm master chasing after him. Although he wasn’t afraid to face such a master with his current strength, his pursuer was not alone and if he were to get tied down by her, Xue Yue and the rest of her group would definitely be able to catch up.
When that happened, he would definitely be in trouble. Yang Kai’s impression of Xue Yue was extremely complicated. He did not actually have any kind of bitter hatred toward her and he could even be considered to be her saviour. After all, when Xue Yue was poisoned by the Profound Yin Sunflower Water, it was Yang Kai who had refined the pill which saved her life.
However… he had also taken advantage of her greatly. On that Dead Star, he had hugged and tossed about with her completely naked, touching everything there was to touch, seeing everything there was to see.
Although the situation at that time forced him to act in such a manner or die, the way he behaved towards Xue Yue and treated her was really not appropriate.
Even if it was an ordinary woman, they would certainly want to skin him alive, not to mention Xue Yue, who possessed immense status and had incredibly high pride.
Without any kind of explanation, he had run away, so naturally, she would be bearing a grudge.
Simply put, if Yang Kai was caught by her, his end would be miserable.
So after learning that there was actually a master chasing after him, Yang Kai went all out to escape towards the Emperor Garden’s inner depths!
As Yang Kai flew forward, a golden light shone from his left eye as he constantly scanned his surroundings.
The Demon Eye of Annihilation was one of Great Demon God’s Divine Abilities and was able to see through all illusions, so it was of great help to Yang Kai in this situation.
He needed to search for a functioning Spirit Array.
There were many barriers and Spirit Arrays inside the Emperor Garden, and when he had accompanied Fei Zhi Tu and the others to this place last time, Yang Kai had deeply experienced these things’ might. However, this time the Emperor Garden had opened to the entire Star Field and there were many cultivators inside it now, so no matter how many barriers and Spirit Array there were, they would eventually all be cracked or broken through.
All along the way, Yang Kai was unable to find any usable barriers or Spirit Arrays, instead just ones which had been destroyed.
As time passed, and his pursuer drew closer and closer, Yang Kai became more and more anxious.
Fortunately, just in time, under the observation of his Demon Eye of Annihilation, Yang Kai found a very powerful Spirit Array up ahead that covered a large region in his path.
Yang Kai rushed towards it without hesitation, flying just past the Spirit Array’s edge.
A moment later, when the beautiful woman rushed to this place, she failed to notice anything out of the ordinary, fell into this Spirit Array and was instantly trapped inside of it.
Yang Kai stood in place and listened for a moment. Hearing tender shouts and feeling some weak energy fluctuations, he immediately knew that his strategy had succeeded.
Smiling smugly, Yang Kai quickly changed direction and flew off.
For the time being, he should be safe.
The Emperor Garden’s main palace was incredibly large, so as long as he was careful, he shouldn’t run into Xue Yue again. Thinking so, Yang Kai calmed down, but he still did not relax his vigilance, lest he fall into a Spirit Array trap too.
After Yang Kai left, less than half a cup of tea’s worth of time passed before Xue Yue led her group of masters over, and after hearing the beautiful woman’s shouts, all of them worked together to break open the Spirit Array and rescue her.
Listening to the report of the beautiful woman, Xue Yue’s face turned ugly.
She hadn’t expected that her luck would be so bad, the master she sent to pursue that boy accidentally fell into a Spirit Array, allowing him to escape.
“Third Young Master, this subordinate has failed in her mission, please punish me,” The beautiful woman’s complexion was also very poor, a look of shame filling her face.
“Forget it,” Xue Yue waved her hand, “It’s nothing important, I only suspected that person was an old acquaintance of mine, but I wasn’t certain. Since we could not catch him, this matter will end here.”
Worthy of the Third Young Master of Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce, Xue Yue acted magnanimously. After learning that Yang Kai had run away, she didn’t insist on pursuing him again.
“Third Young Master is wise. Our most important task right now is to find that Secret Art. This matter is closely connected with the President’s future. As long as he can obtain this Secret Art, the President will be able to reach the Third-Order Origin King Realm and become a peak level existence,” An old-looking man commented. Although his looks were old, he had a ruddy complexion and exuberant vitality.
“Yes, what Old Chu said is correct. Unfortunately, we have too little information at this point and aren’t even certain if that Secret Art is here or not. In any case, to accomplish our mission, we first need to explore around and investigate,” Xue Yue did not refute, instead agreeing with the old man surnamed Chu. Obviously, this old man’s status in the group was not low.
Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce was the wealthiest force in the Star Field, so although the Emperor Garden’s reputation was indeed great, there were very few things that could interest them. Despite that, Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce had still sent an elite team this time, consisting of Third-Order Origin Returning Realm masters as well as Xue Yue to serve as the leader. Obviously, they had an important objective to achieve here.
As for the so-called Secret Art they spoke of, even they had little clue as to what it was, just that it could allow a peak Second-Order Origin King to break through to the Third-Order Origin King Realm.
Elsewhere, after Yang Kai escaped from his pursuers, he quickly found his bearings and flew deeper into the Emperor Garden.
Along the way, Yang Kai spotted traces left over from battles as well as the destroyed remnants of various Spirit Arrays and barriers. There were also many cultivator corpses lying around, which clearly illustrated how dangerous this place was.
At the very least, it had become more dangerous since the last time he was here.
Yang Kai even passed by the wreckage of a number of ancient puppets. These ancient puppets varied in size and appearance, but without exception, they had been destroyed by the cultivators who broke into this area.
The last time Yang Kai came here, although there were some puppets, their number was definitely not so exaggerated.
It seemed that after the Emperor Garden officially opened, the internal dangers also increased dramatically. It was no wonder Min Sha and his group had fled outside, not daring to remain in the main palace for long. The competition here was simply too fierce and there were far too many hidden dangers along the way.
But arriving here late had some benefits. Yang Kai had spent quite a while outside before entering the Emperor Garden, but now that he had, he didn’t need to worry about triggering most of the Spirit Arrays. By simply following the path of destruction, he was generally quite safe.
Countless people had opened the way ahead.
Of course, there were positives and negatives to this. While Yang Kai could progress faster, almost all the benefits here had also been taken away.
Along the way, the various pavilions and lofts had been broken into and tossed for loot. These buildings must have all been thoroughly searched and it was impossible to know what kind of treasures had been pilfered from them.
However, Yang Kai did not care, he had come to the Emperor Garden this time specifically for two things.
He had discovered these two treasures the last time he came here and was determined to acquire them.
One of the treasures he was searching for was the Life Revitalizing Jade Cream, one of the Star Field’s Three Great Divine Waters, which was famed for its ability to restore a withered old cultivator to their youthful prime.
To Yang Kai, however, the attraction of this Life Revitalizing Jade Cream was that, by taking it, he could condense new drops of pure Golden Blood. The last time he came here he had obtained some diluted Life Revitalizing Jade Cream, and he had managed to reap a huge harvest after swallowing it all. If he could acquire pure Life Revitalizing Jade Cream, Yang Kai wasn’t even able to estimate how much benefit it would be to him.
Yang Kai’s goal was to replace all of his blood with pure Golden Blood! If he could achieve this, both his vitality and physical resilience would be greatly increased, perhaps not to the degree of his body becoming immortal and indestructible, but at least on the level of being able to heal from grievous wounds with ease.
The second treasure Yang Kai had come for was naturally the World Spirit hidden in the ice road.
That World Spirit was a manifestation of the pure World Energy which over countless years had obtained sentience and was the favourite food of Ancient Divine Spirits. It was rumoured that in ancient times, there were many World Spirits, but after being preyed upon by Ancient Divine Spirits, they had gradually dwindled in number.
The World Spirit from the ice road was naturally formed from Ice Attribute Energy which perfectly suited the appetite of the Ice Phoenix, so if the Ice Phoenix Remnant Soul were able to consume it, it would obtain massive nourishment.
Considering what this would mean for Su Yan’s future, Yang Kai was determined to seize this thing.
As long as these two things could be obtained, Yang Kai would consider his gains from this trip to the Emperor Garden a bumper crop and wouldn’t concern himself with anything else.
Thinking so, Yang Kai kept observing the surrounding terrain, but after a full day, he still found himself lost.
This couldn’t be blamed on him however as scenery inside the Emperor Garden was all too similar so it was impossible for him to even know where he was right now, let alone where to look for the World Spirit or Life Revitalizing Jade Cream.
Through his journey, Yang Kai had not encountered any trouble, or any other people for that matter. Obviously, the cultivators who had entered this place had already fallen or ventured deeper, making it impossible for him to find anyone to inquire about news or ask for directions.
Inside the Emperor Garden’s main palace, unlike outside, Divine Sense could not be spread out far to explore one’s surroundings, a hundred metres or so was Yang Kai’s limit.
Yang Kai again took out his communication artifacts and tried to contact Yang Yan and Qian Tong, but to his disappointment, there was still no response.
With a sigh, Yang Kai reluctantly put these two artifacts back into his Space Ring before continuing to fly deeper.
About half a day later, Yang Kai suddenly stopped and perked up his ears as he could vaguely hear what sounded like the sounds of fighting coming from nearby. After listening carefully for a moment to determine the appropriate direction, Yang Kai took off towards the sound of this disturbance.
Yang Kai’s guess was correct, there were indeed people fighting nearby, and as he got closer, the sounds only became more and more obvious.
When he arrived at the battlefield, a rather large palace, Yang Kai was able to make out a number of people, at least seven or eight, each with not low strength. From what he could tell, there were two groups fighting here and they had fallen into a kind of stalemate. Even if one side had the upper hand, it was by no means obvious or decisive.
Yang Kai did not hurry to reveal himself, instead concealing aura and quietly hiding outside the palace, peering through a window to get a better look at the situation.
Looking inside, Yang Kai saw flashes of light from artifacts and Martial Skills as the cultivators inside flew about, sometimes fighting one on one, or in large melees of four or five, seemingly completely absorbed in this battle.
There was also another person inside, a young woman, who was lying on the floor, possibly alive, possibly dead.
“It’s them!” Yang Kai looked for a moment but was soon stunned.
He hadn’t expected that the first group he encountered after diving into the depths of the main palace would actually be people he knew.
It was actually Great Elder Mo Yu, Sect Master Gu Zhen, and Chen Shi Tao of Clear Sky Sect.
Although Mo Yu and Gu Zhen were both Third-Order Origin Returning Realm masters and could be considered top masters even here in the Emperor Garden, Chen Shi Tao had just recently broken through to the First-Order Origin Returning Realm. What’s more, Chen Shi Tao had only managed to break through with the help of a Secret Technique executed by the Elders of Clear Sky Sect, as such she was still unable to properly display the strength of an Origin Realm cultivator.
She had yet to even condense her Shi.
On the other hand, the enemy had four people, two Third-Order and two Second-Order Origin Realm masters. Facing such a force, the battle was obviously not proceeding in Clear Sky Sect’s favour.
Chen Shi Tao was in imminent danger, and if not for her Nine Palace Heavenly Silk Parasol, a powerful defensive artifact given to her by Mo Yu, she would likely have already been captured or killed.
Gu Zhen and Mo Yu had no choice but to divert a part of their attention to protect her while fighting their own enemies.
In the end though, Gu Zhen and Mo Yu were not ordinary masters, the artifacts and methods they displayed all revealed shocking might, so although the scene looked a little precarious, they should still be able to hold out for a while.
From the looks of it, this battle had been raging for some time before Yang Kai arrived.
Since he had run into acquaintances, Yang Kai was naturally not going to stand idly by. Without even mentioning that he had a good impression of Mo Yu, Yang Kai was friends with Chen Shi Tao.
However, Yang Kai was somewhat unable to understand why the trio from Clear Sky Sect had decided to fight it out with these four people here, was there some kind of treasure to be had here?
Thinking so, Yang Kai glanced around the palace, and after a moment, his eyes landed on a certain object and a look of joy filled his face.
Because in the very centre of this palace, there was some kind of altar atop which there was a strange-looking blood-red stone about the size of a heart.
Blood Essence Stone!
Yang Kai recognized what this thing was at a glance.
It was actually a piece of Blood Essence Stone!
This was nothing less than a case of wearing out iron shoes while seeking one’s feet.
Blood Essence Stones were heavenly treasures to most cultivators as it was able to absorb the blood of dead cultivators and transform it into pure Blood Qi which was extremely useful for healing wounds or replenishing vitality at critical moments.
However, to Yang Kai, it is even more useful as he could use it as the heart of a Stone Puppet.
On Tong Xuan Realm, Yang Kai managed to obtain a total of two Stone Puppet eggs, but he had only found a single Blood Essence Stone, so after arriving on Shadowed Star, he could only hatch one Stone Puppet. However, in his Black Book Space, there is another Stone Puppet egg which had as of yet been unable to break out of its shell.
This was all because it was missing a piece of Blood Essence Stone.
As long as Yang Kai could obtain this Blood Essence Stone, he would be able to hatch the second Stone Puppet. The strength and ability of the Stone Puppet was something Yang Kai knew of better than anyone. Yang Yan could use it for Artifact Refining, and it also possessed incredible fighting ability. During the Battle of Dragon Cave Mountain, the Stone Puppet’s performance had been extremely eye-catching.
Yang Kai already had a Stone Puppet, so if he were to give the second one to Yang Yan, she would certainly be extremely happy. That girl had been deeply envious of Yang Kai about this for a long time now.
Yang Kai had once asked Qian Tong to keep an eye out for news of a Blood Essence Stone, but unfortunately, even with the power of Shadow Moon Hall, he had been unable to find one. Now, without even diving that deep into the Emperor Garden’s main palace, Yang Kai had found a piece.
How could he not rejoice?
In an instant, Yang Kai regarded this Blood Essence Stone as his!
However, he first needed to find a way to resolve Clear Sky Sect trio’s crisis. Considering all this, Yang Kai turned towards the battlefield again.
There were three people from Clear Sky Sect while their opponents consisted of four Origin Realm masters. With this disadvantage in numbers, the reason Clear Sky Sect’s group had been able to last until now was entirely due to Gu Zhen and Mo Yu’s high strength.
Gu Zhen, as the master of a great Sect, naturally couldn’t be underestimated. At this moment, he was fighting two enemies all on his own, one Third-Order and one Second-Order. Meanwhile, Mo Yu was fighting the other Third-Order.
As for Chen Shi Tao, she was sticking close to Mo Yu while tying down the last Second0-Order Origin Realm enemy. Unfortunately, she did not have any power to fight back and could only use her Nine Palace Heavenly Silk Parasol to defend against her opponent’s attacks, her pretty face was filled with anxiety.
Yang Kai observed the situation for a moment before quickly deciding that the key to this battle was Mo Yu. As long as he could free up Mo Yu, this battle would be decided.
Realizing this, Yang Kai no longer hid and flew inside the palace through the open window.
As he rushed inside, Yang Kai released his Firebird Artifact Spirit, instantly causing the temperature inside the palace to soar upwards.
All the cultivators who were inside the palace paled when they felt this and couldn’t help turning sideways. They were already engaged in a fierce struggle, so how could they not dread another person suddenly intervening now? Everyone was worried that this newcomer was their opponent’s reinforcements.
Glancing over, all of them saw a strange yet gorgeous Firebird composed entirely of flames swoop down from above, releasing a piercing cry from its beak before spewing a washbasin sized fireball towards them which radiated a frightening might and heat.
“This is…” Mo Yu’s eyes narrowed, but soon a look of pleasant surprise filled his face.
He had participated in the Battle of Dragon Cave Mountain that day so he naturally had a deep impression of the Firebird Artifact and was immediately able to infer that Yang Kai was the one who had just appeared.
[It’s not the enemy’s reinforcements, but our own!] Mo Yu was overjoyed and was able to finally relax and go all out without any reservations.
On the other hand, the four unidentified cultivators wore solemn expressions as they noticed the power of the Firebird Artifact Spirit.
As for Yang Kai, who flew in behind the Firebird, none of them even placed him in their eyes.
In an instant, the fireball released by the Firebird rushed to the top of Mo Yu’s opponent’s head. The terrifying power contained in this fireball caused this man’s face to drain of all colour and forced him to hurriedly withdraw and release a white mist from his body that swiftly engulfed a dozen metre radius space.
It was unknown what method this was, but at first glance, it was clearly a strong defensive ability.
*Hong Hong Hong…*
The fireball struck in the next moment and easily blew apart this ball of white mist, exposing the figure of the cultivator that had been hiding inside of it. The other party was completely unharmed, however, and the white mist which had been scattered away actually began to re-condense.
Before the white mist could coalesce again though, a flash of golden light suddenly shot out from behind the Firebird Artifact Spirit Firebird and rushed towards the man’s chest.
Yang Kai had attacked. He had released his Firebird at first to attract the enemy’s attention while he concealed himself behind it in order to land a fatal strike, so he definitely was not about to miss this opportunity.
Although he didn’t know what kind of profound defensive technique the other party had exhibited, he knew better than to allow this white mist barrier to repair itself.
Yang Kai’s Golden Blood Thread had unparalleled sharpness, extreme speed, and strong concealment, so it wasn’t until the golden light was right in front of his opponent that the latter realized he was being attacked. Letting out a panicked shout, this man waved an axe in his hand to try to intercept the Golden Blood Thread.
But he was a step too late.
With a loud bang, the Golden Blood Thread directly penetrated into this man’s lower abdomen and flew out the other side before wrapping around and binding him tightly.
The Firebird Artifact Spirit also struck at this moment, spreading its wings and releasing a stream of flames from its beak towards the captured man’s head.
Mo Yu, who was the one originally fighting this man, sent out a palm strike which rapidly enlarged as it slammed towards his opponent’s head.
This man was unable to move, much less dodge as a monstrous wave of flame and giant palm print rapidly closed in, only able to let out a pitiful scream before abruptly being silenced.
After the palm print dispersed and the Firebird stopped releasing its flames, only a charred corpse remained.
A Third-Order Origin Returning Realm master had instantly fallen!
Yang Kai’s sneak attack was a pivotal point in this strategy, but the powerful killing blows from the Artifact Spirit and Mo Yu were the main cause of this man’s demise. If not for them, Yang Kai’s Golden Blood Thread alone wouldn’t have been able to kill this person so quickly.
After eliminating one enemy, Yang Kai didn’t delay for a moment, moving together with his Firebird to attack the two people Gu Zhen was fighting while Mo Yu dealt with the Second-Order Origin Returning Realm master who was fighting Chen Shi Tao.
In an instant, Clear Sky Sect’s momentum soared as they went from being on the defensive to the offensive.
The other party, on the other hand, was in a state of shock. The still-living Third-Order Origin Returning Realm master was extremely decisive, and after realizing the might of the Firebird Artifact Spirit, despite a trace of unwillingness on his face, he loudly shouted, “Retreat!”
However, it was clearly too late to simply leave at this point.
At the very least, the two Second-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivators would definitely be unable to escape. Mo Yu was completely suppressing one of them and with his higher cultivation, this person’s death was only a matter of time.
The other Second-Order Origin Realm cultivator was being tied down by Yang Kai and the Artifact Spirit and was also in a critical situation.
Only the Third-Order Origin Returning Realm master, who was the strongest, had an opportunity to withdraw from this battle. After taking a blow from Gu Zhen, this man found an opportunity to escape and swiftly flew off, but Gu Zhen was obviously not willing to just let him go and hurriedly pursued him.
After Yang Kai joined the battle, in less than half a cup of tea’s time, everything had been settled with Clear Sky Sect being the undisputed victory. Such an outcome really surprised Mo Yu.
Seeing Yang Kai take back his Artifact Spirit, Mo Yu quickly brought Chen Shi Tao over to thank him.
“Sect Master Yang, I didn’t expect to meet you here, this Mo is truly ashamed. This great grace will always be remembered in my heart.”
“Elder Mo doesn’t have to be so polite; my being here is nothing but a coincidence. It seems you’ve consumed a great deal of Saint Qi, you should quickly restore yourself. I’ll stand guard for you,” Yang Kai smiled lightly.
“What Sect Master Yang said is correct! Then I’ll be troubling Sect Master Yang!” Mo Yu wasn’t a stiff person and understood the importance of maintaining one’s Saint Qi’s reserves in this place, so he immediately brought Chen Shi Tao with him, sat down cross-legged, swallowed a pill, took out some Saint Crystals, and began adjusting his breathing.
Gu Zhen hadn’t returned yet, but Yang Kai had no intentions of being polite, rushing over to the altar-like thing where the heart-sized Blood Essence Stone was.
This treasure was not something which could simply be taken, however, as whatever this altar was it had multiple layers of barriers around it. Even the Blood Essence Stone itself had a protective light barrier around it, so if Yang Kai wanted to obtain it, he would first need to break through its shield.
Since Yang Kai wanted this Blood Essence Stone though, he didn’t hesitate and immediately used his Golden Blood Thread to attack the protective barriers.
The light curtain flickered for a moment before returning to its original state. This seemingly flimsy barrier was actually very strong, something that surprised Yang Kai greatly.
But in the end, it was still just a static barrier, so no matter how strong it was, it was unable to resist Yang Kai’s persistent attacks. After an incense stick worth of time, the barrier shattered, and Yang Kai immediately grabbed the Blood Essence Stone. Examining it closely, Yang Kai found that it was almost identical to the Blood Essence Stone he accidentally obtained on Tong Xuan Realm.
Thinking about how his second Stone Puppet could now be hatched, Yang Kai grinned broadly and laughed as he stored it into his Space Ring.
Turning his head to look around, Yang Kai saw Mo Yu and Chen Shi Tao were still adjusting their breathing while Gu Zhen had still yet to return.
The sounds of Yang Kai taking the Blood Essence Stone had obviously reached Mo Yu’s ears, but the latter didn’t say anything about it. After all, if Yang Kai hadn’t shown up when he did, the future of the Clear Sky Sect trio would have been worrying. At the very least Chen Shi Tao would have fallen here, so there was absolutely no way they would have obtained this treasure.
As far as he was concerned, Yang Kai was perfectly justified in pocketing this piece of Blood Essence Stone.
After sweeping his eyes around the palace, Yang Kai’s gaze eventually landed on a corner of the hall where the unknown young woman was lying down.
When he had peeped inside from outside the palace a moment ago, Yang Kai had noticed this woman, but he hadn’t been sure whether she was dead or alive and even until now he wasn’t because she hadn’t moved at all this whole time.
Yang Kai couldn’t help feeling curious. Clear Sky Sect’s group should only consist of three people, so was this woman an associate of the previous group?
Thinking so, Yang Kai walked over towards the woman, releasing his Divine Sense to examine her.
As soon as he did though, Yang Kai was stunned.
This woman hadn’t died, but she had obviously suffered heavy injuries and was now panting laboriously. Her cultivation also wasn’t very high, the same as his own, only First-Order Origin Returning Realm.
[With this kind of cultivation, how could she dare enter this place?] Yang Kai shook his head secretly, thinking it was a case of men, or rather women, dying for wealth just as birds die for food.
When he arrived in front of this woman, Yang Kai took a closer look and saw that her face was extremely pale and that there was blood dried at the corners of her lips. There were no other signs of any external injuries though, so it was likely her five viscera and six organs which had taken damage.
Even though this woman’s long black hair was covering her face right now, it was clear she was quite a beauty.
“This old master was originally studying how to crack the barrier around the altar together with Elder Mo when this woman ran inside in a panic. Those four just now were directed here by her,” Gu Zhen said as he returned, but from the annoyed look on his face, he obviously hadn’t managed to catch the last enemy. This wasn’t too surprising though as the other party had the same cultivation as Gu Zhen.
“So she’s not in the same group as those four?” Yang Kai raised his brow.
Gu Zhen shook his head lightly, “She was probably being chased by them.”
“Oh?” Yang Kai was surprised. Originally he thought that this woman was a companion of those four and was preparing to take advantage of the fact that she couldn’t resist to finish her off, but now that he knew the truth of the matter, he could not just act ruthlessly.
There was no injustice or hatred between them, and Yang Kai wasn’t a cold-blooded person who felt the urge to kill innocents indiscriminately, so he didn’t plan on attacking this woman anymore; however, even if he didn’t kill her, in her current condition, she likely wouldn’t survive long.
In truth though, Clear Sky Sect’s trio falling into such a dangerous situation was this woman’s fault. If not for this woman trying to use them to deal with her four pursuers, the Clear Sky Sect group wouldn’t have found themselves in mortal danger just now.
Considering all this, Yang Kai squatted down until his face was almost at the same height as this woman’s before reaching out and moved the black hair covering her face to the side.
When this woman’s face appeared before his eyes, Yang Kai’s face filled with a dumbfounded expression before it quickly changed to one of shock and disbelief as he muttered out loud, “How can this be?”
It was as if he had suddenly seen something impossible.
“What’s wrong? Does Sect Master Yang know this woman?” Gu Zhen was a worldly master and immediately had a guess.
Yang Kai didn’t answer immediately as his expression fluctuated erratically and he continuously swept his eyes over this woman’s face. The more he looked, the more shocked he became though, because this woman’s appearance was nearly identical to another young woman in his memories, and despite not having seen this woman from his past for two or three decades, Yang Kai’s impression of her was still quite vivid.
However… was she really the same woman from his memories?
If she wasn’t, this would be too much of a coincidence. The world was indeed vast, but even if there were people with similar appearances, it was impossible for there to be two different people who had the exact face. But if it really was her, how could she have appeared here?
For a time, Yang Kai’s thoughts flashed as many different scenes from his past appeared in his head.
What most kept Yang Kai from confirming this woman’s identity was that she was all alone. If she was who he thought she was, where was the other young woman who was always together with her? Her singular presence made no sense.
“Sect Master Gu, I need to help her heal, I’ll have to trouble Sect Master Gu to stand guard for me!” Yang Kai didn’t have time to think; although this woman’s eyes were closed and she was clearly in a comatose state, from how her brow furrowed and twitched, it was clear she was still experiencing deep pain. Her vitality was also rapidly passing, so if Yang Kai didn’t act fast to save her, she would likely soon pass away.
Whether she was who he thought she was, Yang Kai could only first wake her up then ask carefully.
“Sect Master Yang may rest assured; this old master swears on his life that no one will disturb you!” Gu Zhen declared solemnly.
“Many thanks!” Yang Kai didn’t say anything more, instead propping up this injured woman against the wall carefully before sitting down cross-legged in front of her. Reaching out, Yang Kai grabbed this woman’s wrist and began gently pouring his Saint Qi and Divine Sense into her body to investigate her condition carefully.
As he investigated, Yang Kai’s expression gradually became ugly.
This woman’s injuries were much worse than he had originally thought. Her five viscera and six organs had all suffered a heavy impact and there was some kind of rampaging energy inside her meridians, probably the effects of some kind of powerful attack she had been struck with.
This kind of injury was nothing less than severe, and if it had been any other cultivator here, they would have been absolutely helpless to help her, likely only able to use their own Saint Qi to try to maintain her life.
Even for Yang Kai, this was a difficult problem. Whether or not he could save her, even he didn’t know, but he could only make an attempt now regardless of his chances.
Thinking so, Yang Kai touched his Space Ring and took out a jade bottle, opened it without hesitation, and poured out a pink coloured pill.
This pill instantly released a fragrant and refreshing scent and was clearly not low in grade.
Although Gu Zhen was standing a short distance away, fulfilling his role as a protector, he was also paying attention to Yang Kai’s movements, so the moment this pill appeared, he couldn’t help showing a look of shock because according to his judgement, it was actually an Origin King Grade Low-Rank healing pill!
Origin King Grade pills could not be found on Shadowed Star at all, and even taking the entire Star Field into consideration they were rare treasures; after all, only Origin King Grade Alchemists could refine such pills.
If it was just this though, Gu Zhen wouldn’t be too shocked; the key was that this pink pill had actually formed Pill Veins!
Gu Zhen’s eyes bulged so much they nearly popped out of his skull and he immediately realized that the relationship between Yang Kai and this woman was probably not simple. If this wasn’t the case, how could Yang Kai not hesitate to take out such a valuable pill to help her heal?
There were likely not many pills like this in the entire Star Field, and if it were brought back to Shadowed Star, countless masters would likely go all out to obtain it.
What kind of identity did this woman have that would actually make Yang Kai go so far to save her life? Gu Zhen suddenly became curious.
This Origin King Grade pill was naturally something Yang Kai obtained in the hidden mountain valley before, but he hadn’t expected that it would come in handy so quickly. With his current Alchemy technique, Yang Kai wouldn’t be able to refine such a pill.
When distributing the pills with the young woman from Ice Heart Valley back in the hidden cave mansion, Yang Kai had deliberately divided the pills by their various purposes, including healing pills.
Origin King Grade pills had extremely powerful medicinal efficacies, but given this woman’s current condition, Yang Kai couldn’t be sure whether taking it would be a blessing or a curse. If she was unable to withstand its potency, it would likely kill her before her injuries.
Considering this, Yang Kai took a deep breath and forced out a drop of pure Golden Blood from his finger before quickly pinching this woman’s cheeks and dropping it into her mouth.
This drop of pure Golden Blood would greatly supplement her vitality, so there wouldn’t be a need to worry about the damage the pill’s efficacies might cause.
All that was left was to help her refine the pill itself.
Yang Kai didn’t shy away, simply reaching out and holding her two jade white hands and pouring his pure, rich Saint Qi into her body in order to promote the circulation of her own Saint Qi.
As time passed, both Mo Yu and Chen Shi Tao also finished restoring themselves and after asking Gu Zhen what was happening, they learned about the situation happening in front of them and also stood by quietly.
On the other side, with Yang Kai continuously assisting her to refine the medicinal efficacies of the Origin King Grade healing pill, the complexion of the woman who had been severely injured was obviously getting better and the damage to her five viscera and six organs was gradually being repaired while the rampaging foreign energy in her meridians was being driven out.
After two full hours, the woman suddenly coughed and spat out a mouthful of black blood straight towards Yang Kai.
Yang Kai reacted quick enough though to flick this mass of black blood aside.
Only now was he able to relax.
Through his efforts, he had managed to bring this woman back from the gates of death, but if she wanted to fully recover, it would definitely require her a long time, and the combat power she could display right now would probably be less than half of her peak. Inside the Emperor Garden, this kind of condition was undoubtedly very dangerous as once something happened, she would have no way to fight back.
After expelling the mass of black blood, the woman’s eyelashes fluttered as she seemed to wake up.
Yang Kai was overjoyed.
A moment later, the other party opened her beautiful eyes, but it seemed she was still in a daze as her gaze was somewhat blank. After seeing the man sitting cross-legged in front of her though, she wore a stunned look and stared while Yang Kai remained silent.
Yang Kai did not dare to voice his thoughts, for fear that the answers he received would not be the ones he wanted to hear.
It took a long time and great effort, but eventually, the woman lifted her hand and stretched it out, seemingly wanting to touch Yang Kai’s cheek. There was a flash of excitement in Yang Kai’s eyes seeing this so he didn’t try to avoid her.
“They really know each other!” Chen Shi Tao saw this and couldn’t help calling out, “And it seems that their relationship isn’t shallow.”
Meeting an old friend in a foreign land was undoubtedly a joyful matter, so Chen Shi Tao was also quite happy for Yang Kai and felt deeply moved by this touching long-awaited reunion.
The next moment, however, an unexpected scene occurred.
When the woman’s delicate hand was only a palm length away from Yang Kai’s cheek, she suddenly pushed it forward swiftly, as if she wanted to slap him, but lacking in strength and energy, her actions came off far more ambiguous, as if she was trying to flirt with him.
“Bastard, why is the first person this young lady sees after dying actually you? Mistress truly pined for you for all these years for nothing! Why did you die? Weren’t good people not supposed to live long while scourges last for a thousand years?”
Scolding like this, tears began flowing out from her beautiful eyes, dripping down her face, making her look extremely sad and pitiful.
“Bi Luo?” Yang Kai’s face twitched as he forced this name out from his throat.
At this moment, he could finally confirm the identity of the woman in front of him. There was no need to guess, she was the one he knew, otherwise it would have been impossible for her to recognize him at a glance.
Beguiling Demon Queen Shan Qing Luo’s personal maidservant, Bi Luo!
The last time he had seen either of these two was back in the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land nearly thirty years ago, but Yang Kai never expected that he would meet Bi Luo here.
Fate is truly unpredictable!
He longed for reunion with Su Yan in the Emperor Garden, but he encountered Xue Yue instead, then met Bi Luo who he thought he would never see again.
It wasn’t like he could think any other way though; after all, all these years he had been unable to reunite with Su Yan, but at least he had some clues about her location and knew that she was alive, but he had no idea where Beguiling Demon Queen Shan Qing Luo and Bi Luo had gone.
When he left the Great Han Dynasty and travelled to Tong Xuan Realm, he said goodbye to Shan Qing Luo and Bi Luo.
Nearly ten years later, when he returned to the Central Capital from Tong Xuan Realm, he had once gone to visit the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land to find Shan Qing Luo, but by then, she had long disappeared. After some inquiries, he learned from the Lightning Flash Shadow King that Shan Qing Luo and Bi Luo had last been seen heading to the Spider Mother’s Den. After Yang Kai arrived at Spider Mother’s Den, he only found an ancient altar with some bloodstains on it; as for Shan Qing Luo and Bi Luo, there was no way to tell if they were even alive or dead.
Since then, Yang Kai had been convinced he would never be able to see Shan Qing Luo or Bi Luo again.
Who could have imagined such a dramatic reunion would take place in the Emperor Garden though?
For a time, Yang Kai couldn’t help wondering if he was dreaming.
When Yang Kai fell into a daze, Bi Luo seemed to come out of hers and realized she wasn’t dead. For a moment she felt embarrassed, but she mostly felt joyful.
She too had not expected to meet Yang Kai again here.
Although this bastard had bullied her all those years ago, and even caused her Mistress to feel incredibly sad and lonely for so long, it was undeniable that being able to reunite at this time in this place made Bi Luo happy. Her pair of beautiful eyes glowed with radiant splendour and even her vitality seemed to be somewhat restored.
“Sister Chen, can I trouble you to comfort her? Her emotions seem to be a bit unstable,” Yang Kai asked, fearing that once Bi Luo restored enough of her strength, she would really slap him. Regardless of the circumstances, allowing himself to get slapped twice for no reason was highly improper.
“En,” Chen Shi Tao responded positively and hurried over before sitting down next to Bi Luo and allowing the latter to lean on her while offering some comforting words.
Yang Kai got up and briefly communicated with Mo Yu and Gu Zhen. From talking with these two, Yang Kai learned that after entering the Emperor Garden through the Space Array on floating platforms, the three of them had been split up, but fortunately, they weren’t teleported too far apart so it only took them a short time to regroup.
As for the whereabouts of everyone else, they had no clue.
“So that’s how it is,” After listening to their explanation, Yang Kai gently nodded, not revealing any kind of disappointment on his face. He had originally intended to investigate the situation of Yang Yan and Ye Xi Yun, but since Gu Zhen and Mo Yu were just as lost as he was, Yang Kai could only drop the matter. In any case, with Ye Xi Yun following Yang Yan, the latter should not have run into any danger.
Glancing back at Bi Luo, Yang Kai’s brow twitched involuntarily.
At this moment, Bi Luo had all but buried her head into Chen Shi Tao’s soft mountains and, whether intentionally or unintentionally, she had placed her mouth atop one of the latter’s pointed peaks. Bi Luo’s breathing had become heated as she inhaled Chen Shi Tao scent, causing the latter’s face to flush bright red. Although Chen Shi Tao was definitely embarrassed and uncomfortable, she found it difficult to raise any objections because the other party was still heavily injured.
What’s more, Bi Luo even went so far as to hold Chen Shi Tao’s jade white hand tightly while rubbing and playing with it, as if enjoying a new toy that she had just acquired.
Yang Kai’s face went black.
There was no doubt this woman was Bi Luo. As the saying goes, wolves had the instincts of wolves while dogs had the instincts of dogs! Bi Luo had such inclinations all those years ago, and it seemed that even after thirty years had passed that had not changed. A person’s interests apparently could not be altered so easily.
Seeing Chen Shi Tao growing more and more uncomfortable, Yang Kai could not stand it anymore, walked over to grab Bi Luo’s collar, and yanked her up.
Bi Luo glared fiercely at him, seemingly wanting to snap at him, but before she could her injuries seemed to flare up and she could only cough weakly.
“Sect Master Yang, what do you plan to do next? If you would like, how about accompanying this old master and Elder Mo?” Gu Zhen looked over at Yang Kai and asked sincerely, the dangers inside the Emperor Garden had far exceeded his original estimates. It was not just the numerous barriers and Spirit Array traps which were scattered about, there was also the threat of cultivators from other Cultivation Stars, so having even one more person to work with would increase their chances of survival.
Especially if that person was Yang Kai. Gu Zhen knew about Yang Kai’s phenomenal abilities; while on the surface this boy was just a First-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivator, his performance in the battle just now was enough to shock anyone who witnessed it.
Gu Zhen very much hoped to cooperate with Yang Kai to explore this place.
Yang Kai thought about it for a moment before slowly shaking his head and saying, “Thank you for the invitation, Sect Master Gu, but this Yang will have to politely decline. If it was just me, I’d have no objections to working together, but now…”
Saying so, he glanced over towards Bi Luo.
This woman had just been rescued from the gates of death and was now more a burden than an asset, so how could Yang Kai allow her presence to hamper Gu Zhen and Mo Yu’s progress? On the other hand, Yang Kai couldn’t ignore Bi Luo since he had many things to ask her still.
What’s more, it would not be convenient for outsiders to know about the actions he was about to take.
“Since that’s the case, this old master won’t insist,” Gu Zhen clearly understood Yang Kai’s concerns, so he raised no objections. To be honest, he and Mo Yu were already struggling with just Chen Shi Tao, so if they were to add Bi Luo now, the road ahead would surely become even harder to pass. With a light smile, Gu Zhen said, “This old master is planning to explore around this area for a few more days before heading outside. If Sect Master Yang feels that his strength falls short, this old master encourages him to quit while he is ahead. This old master has heard that there are also many opportunities and benefits outside the Emperor Garden’s main palace.”
“Junior will keep that in mind,” Yang Kai gently nodded before suddenly seeming to remember something and asking, “Right, the three of you have been here for more than ten days, correct? Have you by chance come across a place with an ice road?”
“Ice road?” Gu Zhen and Mo Yu exchanged a glance before slowly shaking their heads, “We haven’t seen such a place.”
“Is that so? En, alright, I was just asking casually,” Yang Kai smiled lightly.
Although they were curious about why Yang Kai was asking about an ice road, neither Gu Zhen nor Mo Yu had any intentions of investigating this matter. The two parties exchanged a few more words with each other before the Clear Sky Sect trio said their goodbyes.
Before leaving, Chen Shi Tao glanced over at Bi Luo with some slight wariness, and after finding that the latter was still staring at her with a bright smile on her face, Chen Shi Tao couldn’t help shivering slightly, apparently having suffered some psychological trauma.
After the three from Clear Sky Sect left and it was only Yang Kai and Bi Luo, he turned towards her with a complicated expression on his face for some time before finally asking, “Can you move?”
“I still need to rest for a while,” Bi Luo said with a pale face.
“Sure. I had some things I wanted to ask you about anyways, so staying here temporarily isn’t a problem.”
Saying so, the two found a corner in the palace to rest while they talked.
Yang Kai was naturally curious why Bi Luo was here, where Shan Qing Luo was, and where the two of them had gone after they left the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land.
Asking these questions one by one, Bi Luo did not try to hide anything and explained briefly.
Her story was actually incredible though. Two or three years after Yang Kai separated from Shan Qing Luo and headed off to Tong Xuan Realm, Shan Qing Luo took Bi Luo to search for his trail.
Although she had heard about where he was going from Yang Kai before, and that as long as she could find a Void Corridor, she could reach that place, even after Shan Qing Luo travelled to various lands and places, she was unable to achieve her wish. She had found several Void Corridors in fact, but none of them led to Tong Xuan Realm, most of them turning out to be unstable or only transmitting a person over short distances.
Three years later, she and Bi Luo returned to Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land. Each generation of Beguiling Demon Queen bore the sad fate of their inherited Poison Widow Body. Shan Qing Luo’s mother and grandmother both had similar lost love experiences, something which was inevitable with this special constitution.
However, Shan Qing Luo was different from them in that her loved one had only gone to a place she was unable to follow instead of dying at her own hands.
One day, feeling nostalgic, Shan Qing Luo had taken Bi Luo to the Spider Mother’s Den. This was the place where she and Yang Kai were held captive by the Seventh-Order Monster Beast Spider Mother. It was there that the two shared a life or death experience and it was also there that they came to know each other. Just prior to that experience, through a series of accidents, Yang Kai had left an indelible mark on her mind.
If Shan Qing Luo wanted to reminisce, there was no better place than here.
Since the Seventh-Order Monster Beast Spider Mother had been killed by Yang Kai, the Spider Mother’s Den had become an abandoned lair. Yet, after arriving, Shan Qing Luo discovered a small hidden altar that seemed to be summoning her. Shan Qing Luo was unable to resist this call and after arriving at the altar cut her wrist and poured her fresh blood onto it.
In an instant, a brilliant light appeared from the altar and engulfed her and Bi Luo.
When she woke up with Bi Luo, Shan Qing Luo suddenly found herself in an entirely different place.
Initially, Shan Qing Luo rejoiced, thinking she had finally come to the higher world Yang Kai had told her about, but her joy was quickly replaced by terror as when she examined her surroundings, she discovered a massive silver spider looming over her. Shan Qing Luo and Bi Luo were nearly scared to death when they saw this spider, and both thought this would be where they died.
However, after careful examination, they discovered that this several hundred-metre-tall silver spider was nothing more than a corpse which had died countless years ago.
But what Shan Qing Luo found even more shocking was the subtle connection she felt with this giant spider, and when she circulated her Secret Art, she discovered that she was actually able to absorb some kind of mysterious power from its body.
This mysterious energy not only changed her Poison Widow Body physique but also greatly improved her aptitude and rapidly increased her cultivation.
If one survives long enough, they will eventually encounter great fortune! As a member of the Beguiling Demon Queen lineage, Shan Qing Luo deeply realized this point and understood that this was her greatest opportunity, so she did not hurry to leave and instead began cultivating in this place.
A few years later, after the giant spider’s corpse crumbled to dust and the mysterious power inside of it had all been absorbed by her, Shan Qing Luo found that her strength had climbed from the Second-Order Saint Realm straight to the First-Order Origin Returning Realm!
Bi Luo had also obtained many gains from this place. Although she could not absorb the mysterious energy from the spider’s body like Shan Qing Luo, the ambient energy was of great benefit to her.
At this point, the two women left from the strange place they had arrived at.
After some inquiries, the pair realized they had entered the Star Field and were currently on a certain Cultivation Star.
The Monster Emperor Star!
On this Cultivation Star, ninety percent of the sentient inhabitants were Monster Beasts or belonged to the Monster Race. This Cultivation Star was enormous, however, so there were also some Human and Demon Race cultivators around, but their numbers were scarce and their living environments were also quite bad; after all, Monster Emperor Star was ruled by the Monster Race.
After the master-servant pair spent a period exploring Monster Emperor Star, they coincidentally encountered an opportunity, Shan Qing Luo had been discovered by Chi Yue, one of the Ten Great Tribal Lords, and was taken in as her adopted daughter, granting her and Bi Luo status and a stable residence. As one of the Ten Great Tribal Lords on Monster Emperor Star, Chi Yue was naturally an Origin King Realm master, so as her adopted daughter, Shan Qing Luo’s position could be described as below one, above all others.
After listening to Bi Luo’s story, Yang Kai was dumbfounded.
He had many encounters and experiences over the years, but never had he expected Shan Qing Luo and Bi Luo’s experiences to be no less astonishing than his own; however, their luck was undoubtedly better than his. Over the past decades, Yang Kai had faced many life or death dangers.
He had entered the Star Field step by step through Tong Xuan Realm as a stepping stone.
Meanwhile, Shan Qing Luo had made the same trip in a single leap by passing through that strange altar to reach the Star Field.
“That Chi Yue is not only an Origin King Realm master but also one of the Ten Great Tribal Lords… Why would she suddenly take a liking to Qing Luo, even going so far as to accept her as her adopted daughter?” Yang Kai asked curiously; after all, Chi Yue belonged to the Monster Race while Shan Qing Luo was human, normally the two different races were at odds with one another.
Yang Kai could not help thinking that Chi Yu had some kind of hidden intention.
Hearing Yang Kai ask this, Bi Luo naturally understood what he was worried about and smiled slightly, “Because Mistress inherited the Source of a Heavenly Moon Demon Spider!”
“Heavenly Moon Demon Spider?” Yang Kai’s face changed slightly.
“Oh, you’ve heard of it?” Bi Luo also looked at him with some curiosity.
Yang Kai nodded lightly. The Heavenly Moon Demon Spider was one of the Ancient Divine Spirits, strictly speaking, it was an existence at the same rank as Dragons and Phoenixes but which was weaker or stronger was difficult to say; after all, no one living had witnessed a battle between Ancient Divine Spirits.
Yang Kai knew about the Heavenly Moon Demon Spider because of the relatively large amount of contact he had with Ancient Divine Spirits recently. Whether it was the Golden Dragon’s Remnant Soul he possessed or the Ice Phoenix Remnant Soul which belonged to Su Yan, both could be classified as Ancient Divine Spirits.
“How did Qing Luo obtain a Heavenly Moon Demon Spider’s Source?” Yang Kai frowned, but suddenly thinking of something, he asked, “Could it be the giant spider you met when you first arrived on Monster Emperor Star…”
“En, it was the corpse of a Heavenly Moon Demon Spider,” Bi Luo cast him an appreciative look, “Mistress spent a great deal of time examining and researching it yet ultimately couldn’t figure out what it was, but the reason Red Moon Tribal Lord decided to accept Mistress as her adopted daughter was for this reason. Why else would Red Moon Tribal Lord give Mistress so many benefits for no reason?”
“So that’s how it is!” Yang Kai nodded gently. If this was the case, then things made sense.
Shan Qing Luo possessing the strength of the Heavenly Moon Demon Spider’s Source was because she had absorbed the mysterious energy from the body of a true Heavenly Moon Demon Spider, causing her bloodline to transform.
Yang Kai even suspected that Shan Qing Luo being able to reach Monster Emperor Star directly through that strange altar was related to the dead Heavenly Moon Demon Spider. The altar itself might have been created by that Heavenly Moon Demon Spider.
Shan Qing Luo’s lineage and her Poison Widow Body were probably inherited from it as well.
Everything was connected!
“Then where is your Mistress now? Did she enter the Emperor Garden as well?” Yang Kai asked urgently.
Hearing this question, Bi Luo’s expression immediately darkened and nodded, “We both entered this place, but I was separated from Mistress after arriving here, so I don’t know where she is now.”
Obtaining such a response, Yang Kai could not help but sigh.
“Seems you have a little bit of conscience,” Bi Luo pursed her lips upon seeing Yang Kai worried about Shan Qing Luo, thinking he was a bit more pleasing to the eye, “But you can rest assured, even if Mistress is alone she shouldn’t be in any danger, she’s already a Third-Order Origin Realm master and is almost invincible amongst cultivators in her realm.”
“She’s become that strong?” Yang Kai was taken aback.
Being invincible in the same realm wasn’t that surprising; after all, Shan Qing Luo now possessed the Source Strength of a Heavenly Moon Demon Spider so her strength no longer conformed to common sense; however, her cultivation reaching the Third-Order Origin Returning Realm was what truly shocked Yang Kai.
He believed that his own cultivation speed was incredibly quick, but he had not expected that Shan Qing Luo’s would be more exaggerated than his. However, this too wasn’t unacceptable after he thought about it carefully; after all, according to Bi Luo, when Shan Qing Luo absorbed the mysterious energy from the corpse of the Ancient Divine Spirit, she had broken through from the Second-Order Saint Realm to First-Order Origin Returning Realm directly in only a few years.
“Heh heh, if you don’t work harder, Mistress will certainly fall in love with someone else, you little bastard; no woman is willing to be with a man who can’t protect her,” Bi Luo’s quipped while taking pleasure in Yang Kai’s misfortune.
In the past, Shan Qing Luo’s cultivation had been higher than Yang Kai’s, but after so many years, not only had the gap not narrowed, it had instead expanded. This made Bi Luo subconsciously think that Yang Kai wasn’t worthy of her Mistress’s affection, and feel a complicated sense of smugness as well as pity towards Yang Kai mix with a tinge of disappointment.
“Mind your own business!” Yang Kai snorted. When he thought about that enchantress Shan Qing Luo, while feeling some pain in his heart, he did not feel any kind of fear. However, that woman’s charm was somewhat incomprehensible; Yang Kai was easily able to resist the temptations of other women, even when Yin Su Die used her Charm Technique on him he was able to casually ignore it, but when it came to Shan Qing Luo…
Yang Kai honestly was not sure he would be able to remain calm in front of her. If he were to accidentally be captivated, mind and body, by her, his upright reputation would instantly be ruined.
“Forget it, let’s not talk about this now. The Emperor Garden is so massive that it may not necessarily be possible for us to even meet,” Yang Kai seemed to be talking to Bi Luo, but also consoling himself. Although Shan Qing Luo had used a Secret Technique on him long ago called the Soul Seeking Seal which she could use to perceive his position, after so many years, even if he hadn’t deliberately tried to erase this Soul Seeking Seal, it had still almost disappeared.
It would probably be impossible for Shan Qing Luo to find him through this Soul Seeking Seal.
“En, in any case, after this Emperor Garden closes, I’ll be returned to Monster Emperor Star and tell Mistress all about your situation,” Bi Luo smiled lightly. Her Mistress had been worried about Yang Kai for so many years, so if she knew he was doing just fine and had already entered the Star Field, she would definitely be very happy, “Which Cultivation Star are you on now?”
“Shadowed Star, but you can’t travel there,” Yang Kai shook his head slowly before explaining Shadowed Star’s situation briefly. Bi Luo listened intently while preparing to report to Shan Qing Luo in detail.
“By the way, are you looking for an ice road?” After they finished catching up, Bi Luo suddenly seemed to remember something and turned to Yang Kai to ask.
“Yeah, have you seen it?” Yang Kai raised his brow.
“En, I came across something that might be what you’re seeking, but I can’t be certain,” Bi Luo said hesitantly. When she was being chased after by those four cultivators, she had not been able to choose which direction she ran and had once fled down a long corridor. Originally, she thought about entering this passageway to find a place to hide and throw off her pursuers, but after realizing how profound the chill was inside of it, she had given up on this idea and escaped. It was after that incident that she ran into the trio from Clear Sky Sect and dragged them into her predicament.
Listening to her description, Yang Kai was overjoyed and anxiously asked, “Do you remember the specific location?”
If the description Bi Luo gave was accurate, that place was certainly the ice road he was looking for.
“I should, I’ll take you there,” Bi Luo said as she stood up.
Although she was still feeling a little weak, her cultivation wasn’t low, so after such a period of rest and restoration. As long as she didn’t have to exert herself greatly, moving about shouldn’t be a problem, so Yang Kai didn’t try to stop her. Carefully releasing his Divine Sense to monitor their surroundings, Yang Kai followed Bi Luo.
Their destination was not too far, so it only took Yang Kai and Bi Luo less than half a day to arrive.
“This is it,” Looking at the familiar environment around him, Yang Kai showed a happy expression. Although the scenes inside the Emperor Garden’s main palace were not exactly the same as the last time he came, the differences were quite subtle.
Since that was the case, and because he had been here once before, how could Yang Kai not recognize this ice road?
Feeling the bitter chill which pulsed from the ice road, Bi Luo’s face turned pale. Even if she was at full strength, if she were to enter this place, she would definitely die, not to mention now that she was severely wounded.
“Should I wait for you outside?” Bi Luo asked.
“No, you should come with me!” Yang Kai shook his head. After crossing the ice road, he had to look for the Life Revitalizing Jade Cream, so he was not planning on coming back. As such, he would not feel assured leaving Bi Luo alone here.
“You want me to follow you in?” Bi Luo frowned, obviously feeling uneasy.
“Don’t worry, I’ve walked along this road once before so protecting your safety won’t be an issue,” Yang Kai grinned.
“Alright… I hope I won’t die without realizing why,” Bi Luo sighed helplessly. Although her words were filled with anxiety, she did not try to put up an argument, so it was quite obvious she deeply trusted Yang Kai.
“En, let’s go!” Yang Kai nodded before walking towards the ice road.
As soon as they stepped onto the ice road, frigid energy wrapped around them, making it seem as if even their souls would soon freeze.
Yang Kai did not panic though and instead pushed his Saint Qi to condense a flame halo around himself and Bi Luo, instantly isolating them from the surrounding cold. His burning hot Demonic Flames had a strong protective effect against the Ice Attribute Energy of this place.
“Oh? Has someone else been here already?” Yang Kai looked around and could not help but raise his brow in surprise.
This ice road showed clear signs of someone traversing it. Many of the surrounding icicles were damaged or destroyed while the frozen corpses which had been scattered about were also smashed, so it was clear that a battle had taken place here. From the lingering energy fluctuations, it seemed this fight had taken place recently as well.
Soon, Yang Kai even heard some faint explosions up ahead, indicating that someone was still fighting.
Yang Kai and Bi Luo exchanged a glance before silently concealing their auras and heading towards the place where the battle was taking place.
The deeper the pair went, the more terrible the cold became. Soon Yang Kai’s Saint Qi defence alone wasn’t enough to resist the chill, so with no other choice, he could only summon his Firebird Artifact Spirit and have it transform into a flame light curtain to protect him and Bi Luo.
“Is this an Artifact Spirit?” Bi Luo’s beautiful eyes widened in wonder, “You possess such a powerful Fire Attribute Artifact Spirit?”
At that moment, she could not help raising her evaluation of Yang Kai a bit.
“Shh…” Yang Kai shot her a glare before continuing to move forward.
Although he was deliberately concealing his aura, the energy fluctuations of the Firebird Artifact Spirit could not be covered up, so Yang Kai couldn’t be sure whether the people fighting up ahead would be able to detect them. Regardless, Yang Kai felt he and Bi Luo needed to act even more carefully now.
After the time it would take for an incense stick to burn, Yang Kai arrived at the periphery of the battlefield. Hiding behind a small ice pillar and secretly observing, Yang Kai saw two women wearing white dresses desperately fighting against a white rabbit-like beast.
This white rabbit looked quite small and exquisite, as if it was carved from pure, flawless white jade; however, every one of its actions affected the Ice Attribute Energy in the air. In other words, this white rabbit could control the chill here and use it to perform terrifying attacks.
The two women who were fighting against this rabbit had powerful cultivations at the Third-Order Origin Returning Realm and had clearly cultivated Ice Attribute Secret Arts, because the Martial Skills and artifact attacks they used all exuded a frigid aura. Fighting in this environment no doubt allowed them to exert greater strength for a longer period than they normally could.
But even so, these two women still could not gain the upper hand and instead were slowly being suppressed by the white rabbit, causing anxious looks to fill their faces.
As for what this white rabbit was, that was obvious.
[The World Spirit!] Yang Kai’s eyes lit up.
When Yang Kai entered the Emperor Garden last time, he had encountered this little thing and knew that it could transform its body into any form it wanted, so even though it currently looked like a pure, exquisite little rabbit, it was very fierce.
Although the two Third-Order Origin Returning Realm women had very high strength, and fighting in this special environment allowed them to display their power to an extraordinary extent, the white rabbit-shaped World Spirit could also take advantage of this environment.
Moreover, the advantage it gained here was obviously greater than the one these two women could obtain!
This was not a surprise though as the World Spirit was itself pure condensed Ice Attribute Energy from this place that after innumerable years of accumulation had obtained sentience. This ice road was akin to its birthplace and home.
So even though the two women joined forces, they were still helpless to defeat this World Spirit and instead were being steadily suppressed at every turn.
“What a coincidence,” Yang Kai grinned lightly as he observed the two women and murmured.
“You know them?” Bi Luo asked curiously.
“I don’t, but I know where they come from,” Yang Kai replied casually, only deepening Bi Luo’s confusion.
Yang Kai truly hadn’t met these two women before, but judging from the symbols embroidered on their robes, he could tell they were masters from Scarlet Wave Star’s Ice Heart Valley. Yang Kai had worked together with several women from Ice Heart Valley only a few days ago, so how could he not recognise these women’s origins?
It seemed that Ice Heart Valley’s cultivators had divided into two groups, one to explore outside of the Emperor Garden’s main palace while the other entered it. A wise decision that didn’t place all their assets on a single bet.
Ice Heart Valley’s cultivators all cultivated Ice Attribute Secret Arts and Secret Techniques, so their interest in this World Spirit was understandable. Yang Kai estimated that even though they knew it would be risky, they had decided to capture this white rabbit, but now they were riding a tiger and were unable to get off, only able to grit their teeth and persist.
Yang Kai’s current situation was akin to sitting on a mountain top, watching the tigers fight. The strength of these two women from Ice Heart Valley wasn’t low, so even if they were inferior to this World Spirit, they could still cause some trouble for it. Yang Kai simply had to wait for an opportunity to take action and capture the World Spirit in one fell swoop; either that or let the Ice Phoenix Remnant Soul directly devour it.
As for whether these two women lived or died, it did not matter to Yang Kai as he shared no friendship with them. Yang Kai was not in the habit of saving strangers from danger for no reason.
Making up his mind, Yang Kai signalled to Bi Luo to wait patiently.
Bi Luo understood what he was planning and gently nodded. Although she appeared calm on the surface, in the depths of her heart she was feeling extremely tense. This could not be helped though as stealing meat from a tiger’s mouth was quite exciting. She had not expected Yang Kai’s courage to be so great; daring to plot against two Third-Order Origin Returning Realm masters in secret!
[But, since he was the man her Mistress had taken a liking to, if he did not even have this much courage, he was not worthy of her.] With such a thought in mind, Bi Luo began anticipating what would happen next.
The fighting continued as Yang Kai and Bi Luo hid behind the ice pillar carefully so as not to reveal their presence. Fortunately, the two women from Ice Heart Valley were completely focused on the World Spirit so they did not have time to watch their surroundings?
As time passed, the battle grew fiercer and fiercer, with the two women from Ice Heart Valley essentially risking their lives in an attempt to break free. By this time, they were deeply regretting rushing in and provoking this World Spirit in its domain. At this rate, not only would they fail to obtain it, they were in real danger of falling here.
Unfortunately, regrets were not of any help to them. In the face of the unceasing attacks caused by the White Rabbit manipulating the Ice Attribute Energy in the surroundings, the two women were rendered only able to passively defend themselves.
As the situation grew worse, the two women both began showing signs of anxiety as their pretty faces paled.
Yang Kai watched all this with indifferent eyes from nearby, still waiting for an opportunity to act. But suddenly, his brow furrowed as if his instincts were warning him about something.
This feeling… was as if someone was staring at him.
Thinking so, Yang Kai quickly calmed down, frowned, and took another look around; however, his eyes failed to discover anything suspicious. What was worse was that Yang Kai couldn’t release his Divine Sense too far from his body, rendering it useless in this situation.
However, he did not believe his instincts were mistaken, perhaps… there was someone else hiding nearby.
Considering all this, Yang Kai lowered his head slightly and a golden light suddenly flashed from his left eye as he activated his Demon Eye of Annihilation.
This time, Yang Kai finally found something.
Behind another ice pillar less than three hundred metres away, there were two figures next to each other. Yang Kai didn’t know what kind of profound treasure this pair had used, but it was capable of completely concealing their figures and auras. Even Yang Kai’s Demon Eye of Annihilation was unable to reveal their true appearances, only their figures.
However, from their physiques, Yang Kai judged that these two should be a man and a woman, with the man having only one arm.
[Jin Shi and Demon Blood Temple’s Temple Master?]
A face immediately crossed Yang Kai’s mind, causing his expression to sink. Although it was only his guess, it should be right; after all, a male and female pair with the man only having a single arm really pointed to them being the pair from Demon Blood Temple.
If it was them though, this was too much of a coincidence.
It was truly a case of enemies often meeting along narrow roads. Yang Kai cursed his misfortune thinking so; after all, there was nothing harmonious about his relationship with Demon Blood Temple. Before entering the Emperor Garden, Jin Shi even tried to kill him once, unfortunately for Jin Shi, he had greatly underestimated the power of the ambient Emperor Pressure and had wound up injuring himself instead.
Still able to recall the exact threatening words Jin Shi had spoken back then, Yang Kai knew that this man would not give up on killing him.
The other pair should have discovered him already and they were the ones his instincts warned him about a moment ago. Fortunately, Yang Kai had used his Demon Eye of Annihilation to quietly find them. Since Jin Shi and that beautiful Temple Master were unaware of his knowledge, it could be said that he now occupied an advantageous position.
As the praying mantis stalks the cicada while the oriel watches, who is the hunter in the end?
The current situation could only be described as delicate and complicated, causing Yang Kai to not dare rush out rashly otherwise he would likely fail to achieve his objectives.
Two tender shouts suddenly rang out from nearby. Although the cultivation of the two women from Ice Heart Valley was not weak, and their artifacts were very powerful, fighting against the World Spirit in this place was still not easy.
All of their artifacts had been damaged by the overwhelming Ice Attribute attacks of the World Spirit and even the Saint Qi these two were using to protect themselves was in danger of failing.
On the other hand, the white rabbit World Spirit had a look of satisfaction on its face, its crimson eyes filling with playful light. Jumping back and forth, it displayed extreme agility as it continued to condense the Ice Attribute Energy around itself into spear-like projectiles that it shot in waves towards the two women from Ice Heart Valley.
A constant sound of the air being sliced through rang out, causing the two women’s faces to change greatly. In an instant, they used some kind of mysterious Secret Technique to temporarily link their Saint Qi together and jointly defend themselves.
*Hong Hong Hong…*
The sound of a massive explosion filled the entire ice road as the surrounding World Energy whirled about chaotically, as if it was the end of the world.
Two screams rang out as two graceful figures flew backwards through the air, coughing up blood as they did, dying their white robes red, making them appear extremely miserable.
At that moment, the two women from Ice Heart Valley showed looks of despair. They had almost completely consumed their Saint Qi and had been severely injured by this World Spirit, so right now they lacked any power to fight back and could only close their eyes and wait for death.
Suddenly, two new figures emerged from behind a nearby ice pillar. Their appearance was completely unexpected, as if they had materialized out of thin air, instantly transforming into two blood-red streaks as they quickly shot towards the World Spirit.
Simultaneously, Yang Kai discovered that his guess had been correct, these two were none other than Demon Blood Temple’s beautiful Temple Master and Elder Jin Shi.
These two choosing to act at this moment was naturally not out of kind intentions to save the two women, but rather because the World Spirit would be most off guard, making it vulnerable to a sneak attack.
Although this Ice Attribute World Spirit was of no use to them, if they could acquire such a treasure, they could exchange it for many other treasures they desired.
As for Yang Kai and Bi Luo, Jin Shi and the beautiful Temple Master didn’t even put them in their eyes, planning to deal with the World Spirit first before looking for trouble with them after.
The timing these two picked to take action was perfect. Mid-air, Jin Shi’s cheeks swelled up before he released a cicada-like cry from his mouth, creating a terrifying wave of sound ripples visible to the naked eye.
This wave of ripples quickly spread out and wrapped around the World Spirit.
The World Spirit, which was just about to rush to finish off the two women from Ice Heart Valley, was caught off guard and wasn’t able to immediately respond.
Ordinary attacks were useless against this World Spirit as it was essentially intangible, but Jin Shi’s Secret Technique which took the form of a sound wave was an exception. Jin Shi’s Golden Cicada Extreme Demon Art, which was an ancient Secret Technique, had immense power and was mainly used to attack an opponent’s Soul.
Although the World Spirit had sentience, it was by no means on the same level as a human cultivator and what it was most vulnerable to attack like this. Jin Shi’s attack was the perfect counter and the effect it showed was significant.
The white rabbit World Spirit showed a clear look of extreme pain in the next instant and its entire body began to fluctuate, as if it was on the verge of breaking apart. Falling to the ground, it used its two front paws to cover its head as it flailed around in agony.
Demon Blood Temple’s beautiful Temple Master quickly followed up, waving her jade white hand and sending two blood-red silk threads flying towards the white rabbit.
Demon Blood Thread Secret Technique!
This Temple Master of Demon Blood Temple had managed to cultivate two Demon Blood Threads.
All of Demon Blood Temple’s senior figures cultivated the Demon Blood Thread Secret Technique, but their technique was very different from Yang Kai’s Golden Blood Thread, for which he used drops of pure Golden Blood to condense. As long as Yang Kai had enough Golden Blood, it didn’t matter how many Golden Blood Threads he condensed as doing so caused him no harm.
But the Demon Blood Temple’s Demon Blood Thread Secret Technique was different. The Demon Blood Threads condensed by Demon Blood Temple’s senior figures were all condensed using their vitality and Blood Essence, which was the foundation of their physiques and something which could only be formed and enhanced through years of accumulation. As such, each Demon Blood Temple was extremely precious to its owner.
When cultivating the Demon Blood Thread Secret Technique, one would have to greatly damage their vitality, which meant that after succeeding, one would need to find a way to make up for the losses, otherwise they would leave behind immense hidden dangers.
A single cultivator could basically cultivate one Demon Blood Thread in their lifetime, and if they forcibly tried to cultivate a second one, it would produce a huge load on them, possibly even leading to their death.
The consequences of such actions were dire!
This Secret Technique of Demon Blood Thread could cut through the Shi of Origin Returning Realm masters and its attack strength was impressive. Such a powerful Secret Technique naturally came with limitations. The number of Demon Blood Threads one could condense was this Secret Technique’s biggest limitation!
However, this glamorous Temple Master of Demon Blood Temple managed to condense two Demon Blood Threads, and from the auras they released, their power was essentially identical. On top of that, the woman did not seem to lack in vitality at all; it was a mystery how she accomplished this feat.
From this alone, it was understandable that her occupying the Temple Master position was due to real skill.
The two Demon Blood Threads distorted greatly the moment she sent them out, soon transforming into a large blood-red mist before condensing back into two blood-red snakes.
Yang Kai’s eyes lit up when he saw this, showing a look of excitement.
His Golden Blood Threads were incapable of such transformations which only reaffirmed his belief that this Demon Blood Thread Secret Technique still had great untapped potential.
Yang Kai had been able to cultivate his Golden Blood Thread technique completely because, after emerging from the Flowing Flame Sand Field, he had helped a Demon Blood Temple disciple named Deng Ning and received the first half of the Demon Blood Thread Secret Technique from him. Although it was only the first half, it still allowed Yang Kai to cultivate it to a point.
Yang Kai had long ago guessed that the second half of this Secret Technique’s manual described how to flexibly manipulate Demon Blood Threads.
Now it seemed his guess was correct! Unfortunately, the Demon Blood Thread Secret Technique was one of Demon Blood Temple’s core inheritance techniques, so an outsider like Yang Kai couldn’t obtain its second half.
Seeing the myriad changes, the Demon Blood Thread could achieve at this moment made Yang Kai quite delighted.
Since he began cultivating his Golden Blood Thread technique, it had provided Yang Kai with great assistance and played a vital role in many battles he had fought. If he could obtain the second half of this Secret Technique’s manual, the power it would be able to display would undoubtedly grow even further.
All sorts of thoughts flashed across Yang Kai’s mind as the two blood-red snakes rushed over to the writhing white rabbit, flashing their fangs as one bit into its head while the other bit into its tail, firmly grasping it.
From these fangs, blood-red energy poured into the body of the white rabbit, seemingly wanting to corrupt its Spiritual Energy.
Having suffered a sneak attack, the World Spirit was taken by surprise, and after it recovered from Jin Shi’s attack, it suddenly found itself being restrained and became enraged, but regardless of how it struggled, it was unable to break free of the entanglement of the two blood-red snakes.
Instead, as time passed, the two blood snakes poured more blood-red energy into the white rabbit’s body, dulling its consciousness.
The World Spirit also realized the situation was rapidly deteriorating and no longer dared to remain. Ceasing its struggles, the white rabbit’s body trembled for a moment before bursting into an icy aura and immediately tried to flee.
Tender laughter rang out at that moment, one that seemed capable of bewitching one’s soul. Everyone present could not help their blood from boiling slightly as their states of mind became unstable.
Demon Blood Temple’s beautiful Temple Master stood mid-air and simply pointed her finger lightly. In response, and without any kind of visible force, the two blood snakes transformed once more, reverting to their Demon Blood Thread form before twisting together and then splitting into multiple small blood-red silk threads.
These blood-red threads wove together to form a giant net that shot out at an incredible speed towards the World Spirit.
This time, the World Spirit was completely unable to dodge and was swiftly enveloped by the blood-red net.
“Seal!” The glamorous Temple Master lightly shouted, causing the blood-red net to rapidly shrink, trapping the World Spirit inside. No matter what the World Spirit tried now, it was unable to escape.
In an instant, it became the beautiful woman’s possession.
The beautiful woman smiled enchantingly as a slightly smug look appeared on her face. Curling her outstretched finger, the blood net flew back to her along with its prize.
At that moment though, a sudden change occurred as a sharp phoenix cry rang out. Immediately, a terrifying pressure filled the air, and whether it was the two women from Ice Heart Valley who were lying on the ground, or Jin Shi and the beautiful woman, they all turned pale and glanced behind themselves.
Behind an ice pillar in the direction these four turned, a several-dozen-metre tall flawless white bird appeared, seemingly carved out of ice jade. This bird had no physical body and seemed to simply be an illusory phantom; but even so, its eyes contained a majesty that seemed to overlook and disdain the entire world.
Anyone who was gazed upon by these eyes could not help unconsciously feeling as small and insignificant as an ant.
“Ice Phoenix!” The eyes of the two women from Ice Heart Valley nearly popped out of their sockets as they both shouted out the name of this giant bird with near fanaticism.
This was not surprising though as Ice Heart Valley cultivated Ice Attribute Secret Arts and the Ice Phoenix was the pinnacle Ancient Divine Spirit regarding the Ice Attribute in this world. The Ice Phoenix was a divine symbol which all disciples of Ice Heart Valley worshipped.
However, no Ice Heart Valley disciple had ever witnessed a true Ice Phoenix and had at best-seen illustrations of them drawn in ancient records of their Sect. As such, although the Ice Phoenix before these two now might not be a true Ancient Divine Spirit, it was a being worthy of their utmost respect and adoration.
In just a short moment, these two women had experienced intense highs and dramatic lows. First, they thought they would be killed by the World Spirit’s vicious attack, then a pair of strangers had appeared at the last moment and used powerful Secret Techniques to subdue the Ice Attribute World Spirit, but before these newcomers could recover their prize, an Ice Phoenix Remnant Soul had manifested before them.
The feelings of the two women at this moment were extremely complicated. Never had they imagined that there were so many outsiders spying on them while they were fighting against this World Spirit.
Although their hearts were pounding with anxiety, they were also secretly rejoicing as, for the moment, they had managed to survive.
When their beautiful eyes stared at the Ice Phoenix however, a marvellous glow spread across their cheeks.
As the Ice Phoenix’s cry rang out, it suddenly vanished from the place it was hovering, leaving behind an afterimage with its incredible speed. The moment it reappeared, the Ice Phoenix had already arrived in front of the beautiful Temple Master from Demon Blood Temple, opened its beak, pecked towards the blood-red net which was currently suppressing the Ice Attribute World Spirit.
It was as if it was just pecking a trivial bug while displaying an elegant yet carefree posture.
The beautiful woman was stunned for a moment; after all, an Ice Phoenix was not something one could normally encounter throughout their entire lifetime, but soon she recovered and cried out in anger, “You court death!”
Regardless of whether this thing was a true Ice Phoenix or not, since it had ideas about her prey, this beautiful woman was naturally not going to tolerate it. Letting out this shout, the woman waved her hand and summoned a bracelet-like artifact which flew towards the Ice Phoenix Remnant Soul.
As soon as the bracelet shot out, it suddenly split into two copies of itself, then into four. In the blink of an eye, the Ice Phoenix Remnant Soul was surrounded by an overwhelming number of these bracelets.
The Ice Phoenix actually turned a blind eye to this attack; although it was just a Remnant Soul, it could not be eliminated so easily.
Just as the swarm of bracelets swooped in to attack, the Ice Phoenix swallowed the blood net into its belly while spreading its wings wide and drawing in the rich Ice Attribute Energy in the surrounding air, transforming it into an incredible number of ice blades that swirled around its form.
*Ding ding dang dang…*
A continuous clinking sound rang out as bracelets broke apart and ice blades collapsed. After the bracelet returned to the beautiful woman’s wrist, the Ice Phoenix remained unharmed while her pretty face went pale.
This could not be helped though as the Ice Phoenix had not only swallowed the World Spirit into its belly but even her Demon Blood Thread as well.
Even now, the Temple Master felt the connection between her and her Demon Blood Threads growing weaker. If she allowed this to continue, she might lose her Demon Blood Threads altogether.
“You dare swallow my possessions? Let us see if you can digest it!” The beautiful woman shouted angrily before forming a series of signs with her hands, seemingly urging her Demon Blood Thread to launch an attack from inside the body of the Ice Phoenix.
Although they had only exchanged a single blow, this beautiful woman’s vision was quite sharp, so she was naturally able to see that this Ice Phoenix was only outwardly impressive but lacking in true power. It was not a true Ancient Divine Spirit otherwise how could she dare to remain here? She would have already run as far away as possible if this was not the case.
A true Ancient Divine Spirit was an opponent that even an Origin King Realm master could not face.
As the Temple Master urged her Demon Blood Threads, the Ice Phoenix let out a pained cry and its pure white body began leaking a faint red light, obviously suffering greatly inside.
Seeing this, Yang Kai could not remain hidden anymore. When the Ice Phoenix rushed out, he was already preparing to act, so when he saw it cry out in pain, he naturally brought Bi Luo and charged forward.
“Sure enough, this is your doing, boy!” Jin Shi flew over, taking the initiative to meet Yang Kai head-on, directly blocking his way, glaring at him with clear anger and cruel, malicious intent.
Yang Kai halted in place as he glared towards Jin Shi coldly before glancing over at the Ice Phoenix again.
Yang Kai had no way to direct the Ice Phoenix to do anything. The Ice Phoenix Remnant Soul was simply using his body as a temporary vessel. If he could at least communicate with this Ice Phoenix, Yang Kai would not be so anxious, worrying about whether it would have an accident here.
Fortunately, although the Ice Phoenix was just a Remnant Soul, it also understood when to compromise.
After a sharp cry, it opened its mouth and spat out a violent blood-red ball of light. As soon as this blood-red light appeared, it immediately separated into two Demon Blood Threads and raced back to the beautiful woman’s hand.
In the end, this was a Secret Technique that she had spent innumerable years cultivating, so it was naturally not easy to digest.
After spitting out the Demon Blood Threads, Ice Phoenix let out a long cry before transforming into a ray of white light that directly flew into Yang Kai’s body and disappeared.
Having devoured the World Spirit, it was quite satisfied, eager to refine it and strengthen itself as soon as possible. As for the battle which was about to take place, it did not care.
The moment the Ice Phoenix entered his body, Yang Kai couldn’t help shivering slightly as he felt a chill pulse through his body; fortunately, this chill didn’t have any noticeable effect on this condition otherwise he might have had to turn around and flee at that moment.
Although shocking, this series of accidents happened so quickly almost no one present had time to react.
Lying in a pool of their own blood, the two Ice Heart Valley women could not help showing looks of interest when they saw the Ice Phoenix fly into Yang Kai’s body of its own accord. They did not know what kind of opportunity this man had in the past which allowed him to obtain this thing.
On the other hand, if they could acquire that Ice Phoenix from him…
Meanwhile, Demon Blood Temple’s glamorous Temple Master was completely indignant as she ground her teeth and glared furiously at Yang Kai.
The World Spirit was already in her hands, but it had been snatched away by Yang Kai’s Ice Phoenix just like that. This was a serious loss, so it could easily be imagined what the Demon Blood Temple’s Temple Master’s mood was right now. Right now, all she wanted to do was skin Yang Kai then burn his corpse to ash to soothe the hatred in her heart.
However, after taking in the situation around her for a moment, the beautiful woman suddenly withdrew her dreadful anger and instead smiled enchantingly as she called out, “Little Brother, it seems we are fated to be together, meeting again so soon.”
As she spoke, she stared towards Yang Kai with excitement, her pink tongue licking her red lips as if she was staring at a rare delicacy, her appetite on full display.
“Fated indeed,” Yang Kai grinned and gently nodded.
Bi Luo raised her brow and shot a glare towards Yang Kai as she asked in a low tone, “You know this loose woman? Is she some loose debt you racked up outside?”
Bi Luo instantly found herself disliking this woman and thought Yang Kai had been seduced by the other party’s feminine wiles.
Hearing Bi Luo ask this, Yang Kai only spared her a light glance before ignoring her, too lazy to explain.
“Little Brother, we’re all cultivators from Shadowed Star so we should be cooperating with one another by all rights. Why did you find it necessary to spoil this Temple Master’s good deed?” The beautiful woman still flashed a seductive smile, exuding a kind of mysterious charm as she lithely stepped forward, her red lips parting slightly as she said, “If you obediently hand over that World Spirit, this Queen is willing to overlook this unfortunate incident, what do you say?”
“Sounds good, after returning to Shadowed Star, come to the Flowing Flame Sand Field to find me and I’ll happily return that World Spirit to you,” Yang Kai replied with a smile, as if he was having a friendly chat with this woman, not showing a trace of nervousness.
The beautiful woman’s pretty face instantly became cold as the perfunctory meaning in Yang Kai’s words could not be more obvious. If they returned to Shadowed Star like this, even if she possessed great strength and skill, it was impossible for her to enter the Flowing Flame Sand Field to find him, much less get him to return that World Spirit.
This brat was making it clear that he intended to snatch that World Spirit from her.
Letting out a sigh, a trace of forlorn sadness flashed across this woman’s eyes, as if she was a woman who had been used and then tossed away by Yang Kai, slowly pining, “Little Brother, this Queen has no intention of being enemies with you, but if you insist on acting so besotted, this Queen doesn’t mind teaching you a little lesson. You should think carefully now, if you force this Queen to act personally, you and that little girl may not be able to leave this place safely.”
“If you think you have the skill, you’re welcome to try!” Yang Kai sneered.
“Arrogant boy!” Jin Shi furiously shouted, “Temple Master, there’s no need for any nonsense with him, we should simply capture him and be done with it. A trivial First-Order Origin Returning Realm brat dares to act pretentious before us? He really doesn’t know how high the Heavens are!”
“En,” Demon Blood Temple’s beautiful Temple Lord nodded lightly, a predatory glint flashing across her eyes as she giggled with delight, “When we capture him, this boy will belong to me. This Queen has never encountered a man with such strong vitality, he will be able to provide me with a great deal of vital essence!”
When they entered the Emperor Garden that day, she and Jin Shi had passed by Yang Kai, who was condensing his Shi. At that time, this woman had witnessed Yang Kai resist the crushing Emperor Pressure with his flesh alone, shocking her greatly. Realizing how intrepid Yang Kai’s body was, she had naturally taken a strong interest in him.
The stronger the physique a man possessed, the greater use they were to her. Demon Blood Temple’s vicious Temple Lord had been ‘consuming’ many strong men over the years, but no male she had tasted had ever compared to Yang Kai.
Even if the incident with the World Spirit had not happened just now, having bumped into Yang Kai inside the Emperor Garden, this woman had no plans on letting him escape her grasp. Her pleasant speech just now had simply been a ploy to get Yang Kai to relax his vigilance.
But since they had now torn face, there was no need for any more words.
“This old master wants these three women then!” Jin Shi laughed, not only regarding Bi Luo as his prize but also including the two women from Ice Heart Valley who were seriously injured and unable to act here.
When these words reached their ears, the two women from Ice Heart Valley paled involuntarily as they silently cursed in their hearts. If they had been at their peak, they would not fear Jin Shi or Demon Blood Temple’s Temple Master, but now…
At this moment, the two of them could at best display twenty or thirty percent of their peak strength, so they had no choice but to pin their hopes on Yang Kai, but what chance did a trivial First-Order Origin Returning Realm boy who was dragging along a heavily wounded woman stand against these two Third-Order Origin Realm masters?
The two from Ice Heart Valley were extremely anxious as they stared fixedly towards the other side, worried Yang Kai would instantly be defeated.
If that were to happen, they too would not be able to escape. Although they did not want to admit it, they and Yang Kai were now grasshoppers on a rope, if one of them suffered, all of them suffered.
“Boy, this old master knows you possess a powerful Fire Attribute Artifact Spirit, but in this place, do you dare use it to fight?” Jin Shi sneered as he pointed out Yang Kai’s weakness.
The Artifact Spirit was currently protecting Yang Kai and Bi Luo from the frigid cold here. If he released it, Yang Kai could likely support himself for a short time, but Bi Luo would likely immediately fall.
Jin Shi instantly determined that the Firebird Artifact Spirit would be useless in the following battle and at most would be able to play some minor protective role.
“What about it?” Yang Kai stared back at him coldly, not seeming to care.
“Seems you won’t show regret unless you see your coffin!” Jin Shi coldly snorted before drawing in a deep breath and releasing a dazzling golden light in the next instant which covered his figure. Behind this dazzling golden light, a vague cicada shaped phantom image appeared. This giant cicada was also a brilliant golden colour and, in a flash, it dove into Jin Shi’s body. The instant the two merged, Jin Shi’s aura underwent a massive transformation and a feeling of uncomfortable hostility began leaking from his form, one that seemed to stimulate the violence and killing intent in everyone’s heart.
Golden Cicada Extreme Demon Art!
Jin Shi’s hatred for Yang Kai ran deep. Losing an arm to this boy’s machinations had caused Jin Shi many tortured, sleepless nights, so now that he had a chance to seek revenge, he did not hesitate to use this Secret Art he had grown famous for on Shadowed Star. Obviously, Jin Shi was planning to end this battle in one fell swoop.
When the golden light dissipated, scales seemed to have formed on Jin Shi’s bare skin and a pair of extremely thin cicada’s wings had sprouted from his back.
Jin Shi’s cheeks had also swollen up and when he breathed a cicada-like cry rang out, creating a sound wave that was visible to the naked eye which propagated towards Yang Kai.
The casual look on Yang Kai’s face quickly grew solemn. When Jin Shi used this trick to deal with the World Spirit just now, Yang Kai had seen its effects so he understood how strange and powerful this Secret Technique could be; naturally, Yang Kai couldn’t act carelessly.
Pushing his Divine Sense, Yang Kai released a tide of Spiritual Energy from his Knowledge Sea to surround and protect himself, creating a halo of fiery red energy which stung the eyes of anyone who saw it.
“Divine Sense Manifestation?” Jin Shi’s eyes bulged as he called out in shock, a look of utter disbelief filling his face.
Although Divine Sense was usually intangible, when it became powerful to a certain degree, it could also become visible to the eye. This phenomenon was known as Divine Sense Manifestation!
No one on Shadowed Star could accomplish this, or at least Jin Shi did not know of any master capable of displaying Divine Sense Manifestation. This ability was something which supposedly required at least an Origin King Realm cultivation.
This boy in front of him had just broken through to the First-Order Origin Returning Realm though, so how could he possibly have such a powerful Divine Sense?
On top of that, just from the colour of the barrier which Yang Kai condensed with his Spiritual Energy, it was obvious he did not possess an ordinary Divine Sense but rather a mutated Conflagrated Divine Sense!
[Damn!] Jin Shi’s thoughts flashed as he cursed to himself. Just now he had done his best to overestimate this boy’s strength, but now, it seemed he was still underestimating him.
The sonic attack launched by Jin Shi reached Yang Kai but it was completely blocked by the fiery red halo, having as much effect as a rock being tossed into the sea, creating essentially no disturbance at all.
Fortunately for Jin Shi, he was not fighting alone. At the same time he attacked, Demon Blood Temple’s beautiful Temple Master also took action, sending out her bracelet-like artifact again, having it multiply and crash towards Yang Kai, its momentum quite frightening.
Facing this situation, Yang Kai’s expression remained unsurprised, as if everything was proceeding as he had expected. Flicking his wrist, a dark green bladeless metre long sword-shaped artifact appeared in his hand.
Dragon Bone Sword, Verdant!
As Yang Kai madly poured his Saint Qi into it, the Verdant Bone Sword instantly released a dazzling green light halo and seemed to come alive, releasing a thunderous dragon roar as it transformed into a several-dozen-metre-long giant dark green dragon before striking out towards the Demon Blood Temple Master with its sharp teeth and claws.
Dragon Pressure filled the air, creating terrifying coercion even more intense than the one which accompanied the appearance of the Ice Phoenix just now.
Before the barrage of bracelets hit Yang Kai, it was swept away by the giant dark green dragon which proceeded to open its great maw and spray out a green jet of mist towards the beauty from Demon Blood Temple. This green mist carried with it a rancid and disgusting smell and was quite clearly extremely toxic. Demon Blood Temple’s Temple Master cried out in panic and hurriedly dodged this poison jet, her beautiful eyes flashing violently.
She had not participated in the Battle of Dragon Cave Mountain but she had received a detailed report from Jin Shi so she knew that Yang Kai possessed this strange dragon-like artifact.
When she heard Jin Shi’s report, she hadn’t paid it much attention though, thinking he was just exaggerating the facts to save face after being defeated; after all, artifacts were dead while people were alive, so even if an artifact’s grade was high, if the person using it wasn’t strong enough, it shouldn’t be able to display much power.
But after seeing this artifact with her own eyes, she no longer dared think this way.
The giant dark-green dragon transformed artifact looked almost as if it had a true flesh and blood body, as though a true Ancient Divine Spirit had suddenly appeared in this place, making her not dare to underestimate it.
This kind of result was surprising as, during the Battle of Dragon Cave Mountain, although Yang Kai had summoned his Dragon Bone Sword, it was extremely difficult for him to control it as the Dragon Soul did not cooperate with him and was even actively trying to resist Yang Kai’s commands.
Now, however, the Dragon Soul inhabiting the Dragon Bone Sword had completely surrendered to Yang Kai and established a connection to his soul, which meant it could display far more power than it had back on Dragon Cave Mountain. With her attack being easily broken, the beautiful Demon Blood Temple Master could only fall back to recover her stance, flying about the ice road at high speed while trying to fend off the giant dark green dragon.
Seeing this, Jin Shi was not at all distraught. Instead, he was overjoyed!
This was understandable. Yang Kai’s Artifact Spirit was currently busy blocking the frigid chill of the ice road and his Dragon Bone Sword was now being entangled by the beautiful Temple Master, which meant that this boy’s two trump cards had already been played, leaving him with nothing that Jin Shi needed to fear!
Jin Shi was confident that he could twist off Yang Kai’s head in the blink of an eye with his strength.
As long as Yang Kai was killed, the giant dark green dragon would naturally become useless. Not only that, but Jin Shi also thought he could get back that piece of Profound Gold and use it to cultivate his Golden Cicada Extreme Demon Art to the grand accomplishment stage. At this point, his strength would exceed that of the Temple Master and taking over Demon Blood Temple wouldn’t be impossible.
The key point though was killing Yang Kai of course.
Considering all this, Jin Shi’s blood began to boil and he no longer hesitated, quietly summoning a needle-shaped artifact as thin as a hair and shooting it towards Yang Kai. This type of artifact didn’t have significant lethality, but because it was difficult to see and guard against, it was extremely useful for launching sneak attacks. On top of that, even if its lethality wasn’t strong, getting hit by it would deal a great amount of damage.
After all, this needle-shaped artifact had a faint green and black glow to it, clearly indicating it was coated in a violent poison.
Seeing the needle-shaped artifact coming towards himself, Yang Kai casually lifted his hand and summoned his Purple Shield. The next moment, a metallic ring sounded from the face of the Origin Grade High-Rank defensive artifact. The needle-shaped artifact was completely unable to break through his defence or cause any damage to Yang Kai.
However… it had served its purpose.
Jin Shi throwing this needle-shaped artifact was not to kill Yang Kai, but rather to attract his attention.
Jin Shi’s cicada wings fluttered rapidly in that instant and his figure disappeared from where he was standing, appearing again only ten metres away from Yang Kai’s side, displaying a truly astonishing speed!
With a fierce, smug grin on his face, Jin Shi sneered and shouted, “Boy, you’re too naive to fight this old master!”
As soon as his words fell, his Shi burst forth and an invisible quagmire was formed around Yang Kai, causing his actions to freeze. Although Shi was always condensed through a similar process, there were always slight differences between different individuals.
Jin Shi’s Shi contained a faint bloody aura and those who were engulfed by it would feel as if they had been sunk into a pool of blood, not only making it difficult for a person to move and inhibiting their ability to circulate their Saint Qi, but also making it difficult to breathe due to being submerged in this bloody aura. This bloody aura would then begin drilling into the pores of those caught in Jin Shi’s Shi, stimulating the violent tendencies in their heart and causing their mental state to become unstable.
After being surrounded by this Shi, Yang Kai’s eyes quickly turned red and his expression became pained as he tried with great difficulty to breathe. Bi Luo standing next to him was even worse and she audibly moaned and her body limply fell into his arms.
She hadn’t healed from her previous heavy injuries, so even moving around was difficult, so how could she withstand Jin Shi’s Third-Order Origin Returning Realm Shi?
“A brat who just broke through to the Origin Realm dares act so arrogant! This old master will let you know what a real Origin Realm master is!” Jin Shi said with great self-satisfaction, stretching out his hand towards Yang Kai as he spoke. The scaled armour which covered his hand at this moment looked grotesque, but it was undeniable that this hand possessed extremely terrifying power.
Jin Shi’s plan was very simple, he was going to use his Shi to subdue or kill Yang Kai in one fell swoop!
After all, during the Battle of Dragon Cave Mountain, he saw that Yang Kai was only a Third-Order Saint King, so although this boy had already broken through to the Origin Realm, Jin Shi was certain he had not had time to condense his Shi. In other words, aside from his realm having changed from Saint King to Origin Returning, Yang Kai’s strength should not have undergone any kind of growth.
Jin Shi’s strategy of using his advantage to attack his enemy’s weakness was no doubt correct.
Although his plan was good, Jin Shi couldn’t possibly have imagined that in such a short time, Yang Kai had already condensed his Shi to the minor accomplishment stage and was no worse than any Origin Returning Realm master who had been immersed in this realm for many decades.
Just as the big hand was about to capture him, Yang Kai’s lips suddenly curled upwards as a mocking grin flashed across his face, the look of panic in his eyes completely disappearing and being replaced with incomparable calmness.
Noticing this change, Jin Shi’s instincts suddenly warned him something wasn’t right and an unprecedented sense of crisis struck his whole body.
Before he had a chance to figure out whether Yang Kai was simply bluffing or actually had some card up his sleeve, a strange force suddenly burst forth, not only wrapping around Jin Shi but also sweeping across his Shi.
*Kacha…*
A cracking sound which seemed to echo in the depths of the heart caused Jin Shi’s complexion to change dramatically. When this strange force suddenly emerged, Jin Shi was terrified to discover that his Shi was disintegrating and could not maintain any semblance of cohesion.
At the same time, the surrounding space seemed to twist and distort, giving Jin Shi the illusion he had been banished to the Void and his body itself was folding over itself unnaturally.
That boy Yang Kai had been right in front of him a moment ago, but in the blink of an eye, he now seemed incredibly far away.
“Impossible!” Jin Shi cried out in panic as his eyes bulged in disbelief.
With Jin Shi’s vision, he was naturally able to see that Yang Kai had also released his Shi and that it was stronger and sharper than his own, otherwise, it would be impossible to break through his Shi.
[What kind of power is integrated into this Shi? Why is it causing space itself to warp?] Jin Shi wondered to himself as the hand which was just about to seize Yang Kai was unable to advance any further. In Jin Shi’s eyes, Yang Kai’s position relative to himself had changed dramatically and he was no longer certain he could kill this boy with this strike.
Space Force!
Yang Kai’s Shi had his Space Force integrated into it, so whenever he released his Shi, the nearby space would undergo some changes.
This was something Yang Kai had conceived and accomplished with the help of the Emperor Pressure before entering the Emperor Garden. Delaying his entry for ten days had not been a wasted effort. The intensity of the Emperor Pressure outside had been so great that it allowed Yang Kai to merge his Space Force into his Shi, and although he had yet to fully integrate the two and master their use, there was no doubt that right now, Yang Kai’s Shi was far more powerful than that of an ordinary cultivator’s.
The current situation was a perfect example. This was the first time Yang Kai had used his Shi in a fight and he had great expectations for it. He was not disappointed, its effects were truly remarkable.
In all fairness, Jin Shi’s strength was also incredible. He had been a famous figure on Shadowed Star for many years and his cultivation had reached the peak of the Third-Order Origin Returning Realm. If Yang Kai were to fight him openly under ordinary circumstances, killing Jin Shi would no doubt be incredibly difficult. Especially in this special environment where he had to take care of Bi Luo while being mindful of his opponent’s equally powerful ally.
The various difficulties he faced in this fight made Yang Kai choose to first show Jin Shi weakness, deliberately drawing him close. When facing Demon Blood Temple’s Temple Master’s first attack, Yang Kai had intentionally summoned the Verdant Dragon Bone Sword to get Jin Shi to relax his guard.
Jin Shi clearly thought too highly of himself and was certain that without the Dragon Bone Sword and Artifact Spirit, Yang Kai was a soft persimmon that could be easily pinched. It was because Jin Shi saw Yang Kai unable to use these two cards that he decided to act directly!
How could Yang Kai miss such an opportunity? Yang Kai’s figure flickered and by using his Space Force, he silently disappeared only to reappear directly behind Jin Shi.
This wasn’t some kind of illusion caused by Yang Kai moving extremely fast but rather a true instantaneous movement.
Within the scope of his Shi, Yang Kai could easily accomplish this; unfortunately, at present, his Shi could only cover about a three hundred metre radius. In other words, it was only within this limited range that Yang Kai could freely teleport. Still, this in itself was an amazing ability.
Jin Shi was still maintaining his grasping posture, seemingly not having recovered from this shocking turn of events.
Yang Kai waved his hand and sent out a jet black blade-like attack towards Jin Shi at astonishing speed.
Space Blade!
With his opponent being a Third-Order Origin Returning Realm master, Yang Kai was naturally not planning to conserve his strength and was instead intending to end this in one decisive blow.
His Space Blade lived up his expectations and directly sliced right into Jin Shi’s back, emerging from the other side an instant later.
“Hm?” Yang Kai wasn’t happy seeing this though, and instead wore a look of surprise as he immediately turned to look towards a nearby spot. In the direction he was staring, a distressed figure appeared. It was Jin Shi, but at this moment, his face wore a look of fear as his heart pounded loudly, seemingly having suffered some serious damage.
At the same time, the Jin Shi who had been sliced through from back to front still remained; however, there was no blood flowing out from the wound.
*Huala yisheng…*
The wounded Jin Shi collapsed into dust and scattered away.
“Some kind of moulting escape technique?” Yang Kai raised his brow in surprise.
Yang Kai made a casual guess; after all, this old dog’s cultivation technique was called the Golden Cicada Extreme Demon Art, but what he hadn’t expected was that his guess was spot on.
This technique of Jin Shi’s was called the Golden Cicada Molting and was a specialized escape art. Since he began cultivating the Golden Cicada Extreme Demon Art, Jin Shi had used this technique to avoid death several times.
Just before Yang Kai’s Space Blade struck, Jin Shi instinctively sensed a fatal threat and immediately used this Secret Technique, thereby preserving his life.
Although this technique worked incredibly well, there were several harsh restrictions to using it, a severe loss of stamina for one. On top of that, after being used once, it could not be used again for some time.
If this was somewhere else, Jin Shi may have successfully escaped.
But on this ice road, confined in such a narrow space, even if he wanted to escape, he couldn’t run far.
What made Jin Shi even more depressed though was that, inside of Yang Kai’s Shi, he was unable to accurately judge his position. He thought he had escaped further away from Yang Kai and only needed to look for an opportunity to join forces with the Temple Master to combat this boy, but after using his moulting technique, he discovered that he had only managed to get about a dozen metres away from Yang Kai.
Jin Shi almost failed to stop himself from cursing out loud. He had never before encountered such a strange Shi.
“Interesting!” Yang Kai grinned treacherously, increasing the intensity of his Shi even further. In an instant, the warped space around him began to slowly collapse. Centred around Yang Kai, within the range of three hundred metres, innumerably tiny Void Cracks began to appear. These Void Cracks were as fine as hairs, and although they would soon be repaired by the World Principles here, they were appearing at an equally fast rate.
Looking at the pale-faced, helpless Jin Shi, Yang Kai stretched out his hand and immediately clenched his fist, shouting, “Condense!”
The Void Cracks, as if following his order, gathered towards the location of Jin Shi, surrounding him like countless tiny snakes, a truly shocking sight to behold.
Jin Shi was in an incredibly pitiful state; Demon Blood Temple’s Great Elder, a peak Third-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivator, forced into a desperate situation as a million tiny Void Cracks wrapped around him from all directions. Knowing there was no way he could run from or evade what was to come, Jin Shi’s expression finally became panicked and he quickly shouted, “Wait, Sect Master Yang, please show mercy!”
From all directions, the innumerable Void Crack approached, horrifying Jin Shi, him begging for mercy was an inevitable outcome.
Ordinarily, he wouldn’t be afraid of these unstable Void Cracks and would only need to apply some strength to collapse them and escape, but currently, he was extremely weak after using his Golden Cicada Molting. Right now, Jin Shi could at most use thirty percent of his strength. So, he was strong in will but weak in strength.
[Why would I listen to your nonsense?] Yang Kai always adhered to the principle of beating the snake to death to avoid future calamity, so Jin Shi was truly out of luck today.
The dense Void Cracks soon engulfed Jin Shi and a horrible howling scream rang out. Jin Shi managed to condense his remaining Saint Qi to protect his body, but this did little to improve his situation. The Saint Qi Jin Shi released to protect himself was banished to The Void the instant it contacted the Void Cracks, swiftly followed by his skin, then his flesh, his bones…
Soon after, Demon Blood Temple’s Great Elder had been sliced into tiny pieces of meat with at least half of his corpse disappearing forever.
The two women from Ice Heart Valley stared dumbfounded at this scene.
They had thought that this fight would be one-sided with Yang Kai possibly even being killed instantly and had already made preparations for such a worst-case scenario.
How could they have anticipated that the seemingly ordinary Yang Kai would possess such extraordinary means?
The Verdant Bone Sword that transformed into a giant dark-green dragon had instantly entangled the beautiful woman, making it impossible for her to worry about anything else, while Yang Kai’s Shi alone was enough to allow him to oppress the other enemy master to death.
Which Cultivation Star did this young man come from? Why had they never heard of him before? Possessing such strength and such a strange Shi, the other party should not be some unknown person. Instead, it was almost certain he was some rising star of a great force.
However, neither of them had ever heard of such a young man in the Star Field.
While they celebrated though, they also felt some uneasiness; after all, the two of them didn’t have the strength to fight back at this moment and they weren’t clear on what Yang Kai’s nature was. If Yang Kai won this battle and decided to kill them, it was likely they wouldn’t even be able to resist.
For a moment, the two women from Ice Heart Valley felt incredibly depressed. Being no better than a fish on a chopping block really was an unpleasant situation, but they also dared not act at will, worried they would draw Yang Kai’s attention to themselves.
On the other side, Demon Blood Temple’s beautiful Temple Master was also in a state of shock. She had witnessed Jin Shi’s tragic death and it had thrown her heart into a state of chaos for a time. She had never expected Yang Kai’s combat power to be so astonishing. Even the Great Elder from her Sect was unable to last long in front of him. Didn’t this boy just recently break through to the Origin Returning Realm? How did he have such powerful Shi?
Could it be that Jin Shi’s information was wrong and this boy had been playing the pig to eat a tiger?
Thinking so, the beautiful Demon Blood Temple Master began cursing the recently deceased Jin Shi while secretly regretting that she had provoked such a monster. At this moment, it was taking all her strength just to deal with the giant dark-green dragon, so she had no extra energy to deal with Yang Kai.
The giant dark-green dragon was a product of a bone fragment from a true Ancient Divine Spirit and also incorporated a remnant wisp of a true Dragon Soul and Dragon Bead which gave it a certain level of self-awareness and sentience. So, although it couldn’t be compared to the wisdom of the Firebird Artifact Spirit, not able to understand strategy or tactics, its power was unquestionable.
Coupled with the guidance provided by Yang Kai Divine Sense, it was fully capable of fighting the Demon Blood Temple Master one-on-one.
The beautiful Demon Blood Temple Master was constantly complaining in her heart. Her prided Beguiling Techniques had absolutely no use against this giant dark-green dragon and her bracelet-like artifact had suffered severe damage from the dragon’s green mist. The green mist was extremely toxic and corrosive, so although the grade of this bracelet artifact wasn’t low, it was unable to resist constant exposure.
This woman didn’t even dare to release her Demon Blood Threads, lest they be corroded by the dark-green dragon as well. At the same time, she had used a portion of her Saint Qi and Spiritual energy to resist the terrible chill in this place, making her already bad situation worse.
The moment Jin Shi died, she immediately had thoughts of retreat.
But Yang Kai wasn’t about to give her a chance to withdraw. Carrying Bi Luo’s limp figure, he flew over while controlling his Dragon Bone Sword with his mind to tie this beautiful Temple Master down so he could submerge her in his Shi.
Demon Blood Temple’s glamorous Temple Master’s face flashed a look of horror as she barely managed to dodge a just of poisonous mist before squeezing out a forced smile and calling out, “Little Brother, there’s no need to take things too far here is there? We’ve only just met, so why must you act so ruthless? If you can leave a way out for this Lady, she will surely repay you the next time we meet.”
Aware of how dire her situation was, she immediately changed how she spoke, no longer referring to herself as ‘this Queen’ in front of Yang Kai, but instead acting humble and subservient.
“There’s no need for me to leave you a way out,” Yang Kai sneered, “Because we won’t see each other again.”
Demon Blood Temple’s Temple Master’s complexion sank as her eyes filled with hatred and panic but she continued to force herself to wear a lovely smile, “Don’t say that, Little Brother. If you can let this lady off, she is willing to become your slave, obeying your every command and ensuring your every desire is fulfilled, yes? Regardless of anything else, I am a Third-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivator, I will be very useful to you.”
As she spoke these words, her eyes flashed a coquettish light and she pouted her luscious lips attractively.
“Slut!” Bi Luo ground her teeth and cursed, a look of disdain flashing across her face.
“Sorry, I have no interest in you,” Yang Kai shook his head and declared with a straight face, “You can die!”
As he spoke, the space around Demon Blood Temple’s beautiful Temple Master filled with countless Void Cracks that swarmed towards her according to Yang Kai’s will.
“If you want to kill me, don’t think you’ll feel any better!” The look on this woman’s face changed dramatically, the seductive and sincere look she just had being replaced with a hysterical frenzy as she sent out her two Demon Blood Threads and immediately formed a seal with her hands while shouting, “Explode!”
An astonishing energy fluctuation suddenly radiated from the two Demon Blood Threads and a blinding red light began overflowing from them, like the most beautiful of flowers about to display its final blossoming.
However, beneath this beauty lay an endless murderous intent.
Yang Kai’s complexion changed dramatically and without any hesitation, he summoned his Purple Shield and used its sandstorm ability to protect himself and Bi Luo.
*Hong Hong…*
Two loud explosions rang out, deafening everyone in the vicinity for a moment while causing the entire ice road to tremble violently.
The aftermath of this violent pair of explosions destroyed Yang Kai’s Shi in an instant and even sent the giant dark-green dragon, which had been tying down the beautiful Temple Master flying.
Demon Blood Temple’s beautiful Temple Master’s two Demon Blood Threads had been cultivated and refined by her for many years, absorbing an unimaginable amount of vital essence, so the power of their detonation was naturally enormous.
Everything within a thousand metres was essentially destroyed.
At the same time, Demon Blood Temple’s beautiful Temple Master had disappeared; she had used the chaotic fallout from this explosion to escape.
A golden light flashed across Yang Kai’s left eye as he scanned the surrounding ice fog, quickly catching sight of the fleeing woman’s figure. Her speed was quite astonishing as in the brief moment she had managed to escape about a thousand metres and was still desperately fleeing towards the end of the ice road.
Seeing this, Yang Kai simply grinned and didn’t bother to chase after her, instead standing in place while taking pleasure in her misfortune, waiting quietly as if a good show was about to start.
Realizing that she wasn’t being pursued, the beautiful Temple Master was overjoyed. She thought that Yang Kai had been injured in the explosion just now and was unable to chase her and secretly rejoiced that she had acted decisively enough. Otherwise, it really would have been difficult for her to escape.
Just as she thought this though, she spotted a grey figure suddenly appeared in her field of vision. This figure wasn’t very big, only about a metre tall, and it had a strange appearance, like a stone sculpture.
However, what made her suspicious was that this stone sculpture was too lifelike. Its eyes showed a clear look of intelligence and it was carrying a strange black stick while standing motionless atop a small ice mound like a small stone carving.
[What is this?] Demon Blood Temple’s Temple Master stared at it suspiciously and wondered.
At that moment though, what she thought was a stone sculpture actually stood up from the ice mound and stared towards her while raising its black stick and seemingly swinging it down at her lightly.
This action undoubtedly looked hilarious, because the beautiful Temple Master was unable to feel any threat from it.
In the next instant, however, her face changed wildly.
The originally small black stick began extending and suddenly took on an unstoppable momentum, making the Temple Master feel like a mountain was pounding down towards her.
An unprecedented sense of crisis filled her heart, making it difficult for Demon Blood Temple’s Temple Master to even breathe.
It was as if in front of this stick, even Heaven and Earth could be crushed.
However, she was a master who had experienced many storms and fought countless battles throughout her life, giving her rich combat experience, so she was instantly able to understand that this stone man was something that boy had arranged here ahead of time.
She then recalled that Jin Shi had mentioned the appearance of a massive stone giant during the Battle of Dragon Cave Mountain!
[Could this be…]
Demon Blood Temple’s glamorous Temple Master didn’t dare to waste any time thinking about it and swiftly bit her tongue to spray out a cloud of blood mist. This blood mist morphed like it had a mind of its own and immediately formed a protective barrier around her. In the next instant, a blood-red Artifact Armour with seemingly high defensive strength appeared on her tender body.
She did not stop at this and quickly summoned a mirror-like artifact which transformed into an invisible barrier directly in front of herself.
It was only after she completed these movements that the black stick fell.
With a clatter, the invisible barrier was shattered like ordinary glass the instant it made contact with the black stick, reverting to its original form and losing all its radiance before falling to the ground, clearly having suffered catastrophic damage.
Demon Blood Temple’s beautiful Temple Master went completely pale, but before she could react, the black stick landed on her head.
The world suddenly went black, and Demon Blood Temple’s beautiful Temple Master’s thoughts completely ceased.
Even though she was a Third-Order Origin Returning Realm master, after taking a direct hit from the Stone Puppet’s Heaven Shaking Pillar, there was no chance of her surviving.
Her whole head burst apart and what remained of her body flew out like a meteor from the terrifying force, smashing against the hard ice a few hundred metres away before exploding in a gorgeous blood flower.
Seeing this, Yang Kai curled his lips and showed a satisfied smile.
The Stone Puppet had naturally been released by him in advance. Although it was incredibly cold in this place, the Stone Puppet wasn’t affected at all. Yang Kai’s original intention was to let the Stone Puppet find a chance to launch a sneak attack, which would allow him to end the battle swiftly, but now it had played an unexpected role.
Regarding this, Yang Kai was naturally quite happy. If not for the Stone Puppet standing in the direction Demon Blood Temple’s Temple Master had chosen to flee, it would have taken Yang Kai a lot more effort to kill her.
Although, Yang Kai wasn’t afraid of any Origin Returning Realm master with his current combat power, if Demon Blood Temple’s beautiful Temple Master were to put her all into fleeing, he wouldn’t have had any way to kill her unless he sealed up all her escape routes in advance.
Fortunately, her plan had failed.
A moment later, the Stone Puppet jumped up, ran over to Yang Kai, and handed him a Space Ring. Obviously, this ring belonged to Demon Blood Temple’s Temple Master. Yang Kai took it, swept it with his Divine Sense briefly, then nodded with satisfaction before storing it away.
As the Master of a great force, this beautiful woman was naturally quite wealthy. Unfortunately, Yang Kai didn’t have time to perform a thorough count of the ring’s content right now, so he could only set it aside and wait until after he left the Emperor Garden to inspect it. Looking around though, Yang Kai couldn’t find Jin Shi’s Space Ring, so he figured it had been banished to The Void by accident, making it impossible to recover.
This was not too big a loss however, it was enough to simply win this battle. At the very least, Yang Kai’s original objective here had been achieved.
Waving his hand, Yang Kai took the Stone Puppet back into his Black Book Space before saying lightly, “Let’s go.”
“Ah, en,” Bi Luo seemed a little distracted and simply nodded before following after Yang Kai as they moved towards the end of the ice road, a strange expression filling her face the whole way forward.
She felt that her previous thoughts were too mistaken!
When she met Yang Kai earlier and noticed that his cultivation was the same as her own, Bi Luo subconsciously felt that Yang Kai wasn’t quite qualified to receive her Mistress’ affection and even felt a sense of indignation that Yang Kai hadn’t worked hard enough to close the gap between them these past few years, instead allowing it to expand. However, after witnessing this battle, she realized that although Yang Kai’s cultivation realm was two Minor Realms lower than her Mistress’, he was probably comparable to her in terms of true combat strength. In fact, if it had been her Mistress here instead, she may not have been able to handle this situation as cleanly as Yang Kai had.
Unfortunately, Yang Kai used too many external forces, and although this could also be considered part of his strength, it was still a bit unsatisfactory in Bi Luo’s opinion. One’s own strength was fundamental; after all, external forces could not continue to support a person in the long-term.
No one is perfect, however. Even the most beautiful jade had flaws, so even though this smelly man still had some gaps with his Mistress, they weren’t too big and he was barely qualified.
Thinking so, Bi Luo’s mood inexplicably became better.
With the dangers of this ice road completely eliminated, the two naturally didn’t face any obstacles as they moved forward. Soon, Yang Kai brought Bi Luo to a familiar large hall at the end of the ice road.
However, he didn’t continue immediately and instead turned his gaze back with a slight frown.
A short time later, two figures emerged from the ice road, the two women from Ice Heart Valley.
After leaving the ice road and seeing Yang Kai waiting here, the two women were slightly stunned and a look of vigilance appeared on their faces. The older of the two women stepped forward at that moment and politely asked, “Might I ask for Little Brother’s honoured name? This Mistress is Scarlet Wave Star’s Ice Heart Valley’s Tan Ting He and would like to offer her sincere thanks for little brother’s life-saving grace.”
Yang Kai observed them lightly for a moment before casually replying, “If you chased after me simply to offer your thanks, it was unnecessary. I had a grudge with those two people from long before, killing them had nothing to do with you.”
Tan Ting He smiled bitterly and said, “Although that may be the case, it was clear at a glance that those two weren’t anything good. If Little Brother had not killed them, this Mistress and her Junior Sister would probably have met a miserable end, so no matter the circumstances, I ask Little Brother to please accept this Mistress and her Junior Sister’s thanks.”
Saying so, she unexpectedly bowed her head together with the other elegant woman.
Yang Kai’s expression remained indifferent and he didn’t bother trying to stop them. Although he didn’t have any intention of saving them, his actions ultimately ended up having that effect. If Yang Kai hadn’t intervened when he did, given Jin Shi’s personality and behaviour, these two women would have lost more than just their lives.
Them bowing in thanks was also reasonable.
After they expressed their gratitude and didn’t see Yang Kai respond, however, the two women’s expressions became somewhat awkward as they exchanged glances with one another, seemingly wanting to say something but hesitating to do so.
“Is there anything else?” Yang Kai frowned, showing a little displeasure. Given this pair’s situation, it would be best for them to find a hidden place to meditate and recover, so why were they insisting on pestering him?
Could it be possible that after seeing his strength they wanted to join forces? Or perhaps they wanted to rely on him to protect their safety? Yang Kai had such guesses, but if this was the case, these two were bound to be disappointed.
Although these two were quite beautiful, Yang Kai wasn’t interested in offering kindness to strangers. Bi Luo alone was enough of a burden for Yang Kai so he had no plans on taking care of two more wounded women.
“It’s like this,” Tan Ting He brushed her hair behind her ear and looked directly into Yang Kai’s eyes as she asked, “May I ask Little Brother if the thing which swallowed that World Spirit just now was the legendary Ice Phoenix Ancient Divine Spirit?”
Yang Kai’s eyes narrowed as a cold glint flashed across his eyes, his expression noticeably darkening.
Aware of his displeasure, Tan Ting He quickly waved her hand and continued, “Please don’t misunderstand Little Brother, my Junior Sister and I have no hostile intentions towards you nor are we in any condition to fight right now, we simply wanted to ask you some questions.”
“So, what if it is?” Yang Kai coldly snorted. Could these two women really be so lacking in propriety? Did they not understand what should and should not be said? If he was a more ill-tempered person, Yang Kai might have killed her for even asking such a question.
Hearing his answer, Tan Ting He smiled happily and asked anxiously, “If it truly is an Ice Phoenix… Would little brother be willing to sell it to my Ice Heart Valley? We can meet any requirement you might have!”
“Sell?” Yang Kai was stunned to hear this but instead of getting angry he just smiled mockingly, “Are you sleep-talking? Even asking such a thing?”
Even Bi Luo, who was an outsider to this situation, looked at Tan Ting He sarcastically.
This proposal was the funniest joke she had ever heard. What kind of noble existence was an Ice Phoenix? Yang Kai being able to obtain a wisp of its Remnant Soul was nothing less than a Heaven defying opportunity, how could he possibly just sell it?
Facing Yang Kai’s disdainful words, Tan Ting He wasn’t discouraged, however, and instead continued her appeal, “I won’t hide anything from little brother, my Ice Heart Valley exclusively cultivates Ice Attribute Secret Arts, and the Ice Phoenix is the Divine Symbol which all our disciples worship. Therefore, that Remnant Soul is of unimaginable value to my Ice Heart Valley.”
“So what?” Yang Kai began to become impatient.
“If this Mistress’ perception was not mistaken, Little Brother should not cultivate an Ice Attribute Secret Art! So while an Ice Phoenix is indeed incredibly rare and valuable, it should not be very useful to you. Since you cannot realize its full potential, if you can instead agree to sell it, I can promise you here, on behalf of my Sect, that any condition you raise we can fulfil!” Tan Ting He spoke quickly about her intentions while the other Ice Heart Valley woman nodded beside her.
If Yang Kai agreed to this deal, Ice Heart Valley would be willing to pay any price to complete it, which was why they dared make such a declaration without first consulting with the Elders of the Sect. These two firmly believed that if the Elders were to learn about this, they would only rejoice, not complain.
“What you said just now I’ll pretend I never heard, but if you dare speak one more word, I’ll make sure both of you remain inside the Emperor Garden forever!” Yang Kai gave them a cold look and threatened with no trace of politeness before pulling Bi Luo and walking off.
“Little brother, please consider my offer carefully, if you ever change your mind, come to Scarlet Wave Star’s Ice Heart Valley!” Tan Ting He didn’t seem to want to give up and shouted at his back.
As soon as her voice sounded though, a golden light flashed towards her, changing halfway from a piercing stab to a whip-like sweep, knocking Tan Ting He several dozen metres through the air before she pounded heavily onto the ground.
By the time she looked up, Yang Kai and Bi Luo had disappeared.
“Senior Sister!” The other Ice Heart Valley woman was shocked and hurriedly ran over to help Tan Ting He.
“I’m fine,” Tan Ting He shook her head slowly, a trace of unwillingness appearing on her face, wanting to chase after Yang Kai, but remembering the strength of the blow she just suffered, not daring to act rashly.
She understood that her words had really aroused Yang Kai’s murderous intent and she had only been spared because the other party wasn’t innately malicious.
It would be unwise to anger such an opponent at this moment as doing so would be no different from courting death.
However, watching a young man who did not even cultivate an Ice Attribute Secret Art carry an Ice Phoenix Remnant Soul in his body made her extremely reluctant. If that Remnant Soul could be won by her Ice Heart Valley, it could surely play an incredible role.
“Why is that man acting so unreasonably?” The younger woman pouted indignantly.
“It’s us who were not acting appropriately,” Tan Ting He smiled bitterly.
“But Senior Sister, are we just going to watch such a big opportunity slip away from us?” The other woman had obviously not lost heart.
“What else can we do? Now we can only hope he someday changes his mind. In any case, I’ve told him what Cultivation Star Ice Heart Valley is based on, so if there comes a day when he is willing to exchange it, he can find his way to the Sect,” Tan Ting He shook her head, “Forget it, this matter will end here for now, Junior Sister. Let’s find a place to recover first.”
“Yeah.”
On the other side, Yang Kai and Bi Luo had left the hall. Although Tan Ting He’s proposal had been rejected by him, and he had even given her a small lesson, Yang Kai’s mood was still quite gloomy.
This could not be helped, as this Ice Phoenix Remnant Soul was not his but Su Yan’s! It was an invaluable part of Su Yan’s inheritance yet now some outsider wanted Yang Kai to sell it to them, the very notion of it filled him with annoyance and anger.
If not for him having no enmity or hatred with those two women, Yang Kai would not have hesitated to kill them the moment they made such a ridiculous proposal.
Along the way, Bi Luo remained silent and obedient. She also understood that her being able to walk safely through this crisis-ridden Emperor Garden was completely because of Yang Kai, so she didn’t dare to disturb him.
Soon, the two arrived in front of a maze, at which point Yang Kai’s brow furrowed as he sank into contemplation.
He had been to this place once before.
When he and Fei Zhi Tu’s group had come here that day, they had wandered about inside this maze for a while and gotten lost many times, but thanks to Lian Guang’s mouse puppets, finding their way out of the maze hadn’t been too much trouble.
Now that there were no puppets to use however, Yang Kai could only rely on his memory.
Fortunately, he was barely able to remember the route they walked that day, so even if he was somewhat uncertain, he figured he would be able to recall what choices to make as he progressed through the maze.
After a moment, Yang Kai took a deep breath and stepped into the maze, Bi Luo following without a word.
This kind of maze-like terrain often contained numerous barriers and Spirit Arrays, and now that the Emperor Garden had officially opened, the degree of internal danger had greatly increased, so Yang Kai didn’t dare act carelessly and continuously used his Demon Eye of Annihilation to check the surrounding environment to avoid accidentally triggering any kind of trap.
Two days later, Yang Kai brought Bi Luo out from the other side of the labyrinth, the two of them showing exhausted and somewhat anxious expressions.
Being able to navigate the maze successfully was largely thanks to Yang Kai’s memory and a little bit of good luck.
Unlike the Spirit Array traps which had filled the maze previously, Yang Kai and Bi Luo had encountered many ancient puppets this time. These ancient puppets all had different shapes and strengths, but none were weaker than ordinary Origin Returning Realm Masters, the strongest even rivalling peak Third-Order Origin Realm powerhouses and able to cause Yang Kai a lot of trouble.
Fortunately, Yang Kai was not an ordinary Origin Realm cultivator and managed to smash his way through with the help of his Dragon Bone Sword, Firebird Artifact Spirit and Stone Puppet.
The Stone Puppet, in particular, was able to suppress these ancient puppets.
After passing the labyrinth, two arched gates appeared in front of the pair, one black, one white, both looking very strange. The white gate seemed to be refined from the finest of white jade while the black one gave off a dark, ominous feel.
Beyond the two gates was a chaotic void, one that Divine Sense could not perceive anything from. The surfaces of these gates looked like the calm surface of a lake, completely impossible to read.
Bi Luo stared in shock for a moment before calling out in alarm, “A Space Array Gate!”
Yang Kai shot her a surprised look and nodded, “Yup. It’s good that you actually recognize this.”
“En, I’ve seen one before,” Bi Luo’s expression became dignified, “Which one should we enter?”
“I’ll tell you a bit later, we should restore ourselves first,” Yang Kai smiled lightly. When Yang Kai came here last time, he, Fei Zhi Tu and the others had a long debate over which of these two Space Array Gates to enter. It was a difficult problem, to say the least; after all, most people would be inclined to choose the white gate because black often meant danger and death.
However, facts showed that no matter which Space Array Gate was chosen, there was not any immediate danger, only the destination was different.
Fei Zhi Tu and several others had entered the white Space Array Gate that day and had followed a path that led them to a jade coffin where they accidentally triggered one of the Emperor Garden’s Spirit Arrays. Inside that jade coffin, however, there was the figure of a person lying quietly.
The Starry Sky Great Emperor!
Ten thousand years ago, the Great Emperor had fallen into a deep sleep, and this Emperor Garden was her resting place. Yang Kai had heard all this information from Yang Yan; after all, Yang Yan was the Great Emperor’s Soul Clone, so she had some understanding of these secrets.
Yang Kai, Cai He and Du Si Si, on the other hand, entered the black Space Array Gate together with the Origin Returning Realm old lady. It was from there that Yang Kai acquired the Heaven Shaking Pillar.
After half an hour, Yang Kai and Bi Luo finished restoring themselves and stepped towards the black Space Array Gate. Looking at the vague nothingness contained within this gate, Bi Luo could not help feeling nervous and frightened, stretching out her hand and grabbing hold of Yang Kai’s clothes.
Yang Kai could not have been calmer as he stepped through the black gate. An indescribable sense of falling while floating enveloped the pair before the sight in front of them blurred. When they recovered, they had arrived at a completely different place.
Looking around, Yang Kai smiled happily.
They had been transported to the same place he and the old woman had come to after being pulled into the black Space Array Gate that day.
“Come with me!” Yang Kai called out to Bi Luo before lightly strolling forward, seemingly searching for something.
Bi Luo was bewildered but did not ask anything.
This was a garden-like area that was filled with flowers, streams, small bridges, and decorative rockeries; a rather unique scenery. Yang Kai paid special attention to the rockeries, shaking his head after examining each one.
After searching for some time though, Yang Kai’s eyes suddenly lit up and he rushed towards the location of a certain rockery. There was a faint smell wafting from the direction he ran, one that made anyone who sniffed it feel relaxed and refreshed. Even the heavily injured Bi Luo seemed more energetic after inhaling some of this scent.
Soon, Yang Kai reached the rockery, looked down, and saw a familiar-looking shallow pool. Grinning, Yang Kai could not help muttering to himself, “Found it.”
Bi Luo was now quite curious. A quick glance was all she needed to see that this pool was almost completely dry, with only a few drops of milky white liquid settled at its bottom.
The pleasant fragrance from before, however, was coming from this milky white liquid.
“What is this?” Bi Luo asked curiously.
Yang Kai did not reply directly and instead reached down and dipped his finger into the milky white liquid before calling out to Bi Luo, “Open your mouth!”
Bi Luo opened her mouth subconsciously, just long enough for Yang Kai to poke his finger into it.
In the next instant, Bi Luo’s eyes went wide, and she couldn’t help using her little tongue to wrap around Yang Kai’s finger and lick off all of the strange liquid.
At a rate visible to the naked eye, Bi Luo’s complexion became rosier, and not due to shyness. At this moment, she felt the strength of her vital essence increased dramatically and the vitality which she had lost due to her injuries quickly being supplemented.
“Sit down, meditate, and start refining it, don’t waste any of it,” Yang Kai ordered her with a strange smile on his face.
“En,” Bi Luo nodded obediently as she looked for a spot to sit down, shooting Yang Kai a rather angry look before she walked off.
Both of them were obviously remembering the incident brought on by the impetuousness of their youth which transpired back in Fragrance City inside Shan Qing Luo’s palace.
Although it had been almost thirty years since then, that experience was so vivid and unique, how could they forget it? Especially Bi Luo’s delicate little mouth, her thin tender lips, and her pearl white teeth she revealed when she smiled. A lethal combination to those who saw it.
After Bi Luo sat down cross-legged and began refining the Life Revitalizing Jade Cream, Yang Kai excitedly turned his eyes back to the rockery.
When he came here that day, Yang Kai vaguely guessed that pure Life Revitalizing Jade Cream should be hidden somewhere inside this rockery and what he and the other obtained was just a diluted bi-product. Now, it seemed that his guess that day was indeed correct.
After all, between Yang Kai, the two Array Masters, and the old woman, they had completely cleaned out the shallow pool here, leaving nothing behind, but when he arrived here today, a few drops of Life Revitalizing Jade Cream appeared, which was enough to explain everything.
If Yang Kai alone wanted to find where the pure Life Revitalizing Jade Cream was hidden in this place, it may be a little difficult to do, but fortunately, he had come fully prepared.
With a thought, Yang Kai released the Stone Puppet from his Black Book Space, took out a container specially used to hold liquid, and handed it to him before pointing to the rockery.
The Stone Puppet immediately understood Yang Kai’s instructions and in the next instant it ran over to the rockery.
A strange scene happened next. When the Stone Puppet’s body touched the rockery, it seemed to become intangible and directly integrated into it, disappearing in an instant.
However, Yang Kai was still able to vaguely perceive the location of the Stone Puppet and could feel it burrowing deeper and deeper into the rockery, soon advancing more than a thousand metres away from him. Sensing this, Yang Kai simply stood in place, waiting in anticipation.
The Stone Puppet could even tunnel a hole through Coloured Glass Sect’s Thousand Illusion Coloured Glass Mountain, so it had no trouble with this rockery.
After the time it took a stick of incense to burn, the figure of the Stone Puppet suddenly emerged from the rockery and happily jumped in front of Yang Kai before opening its big mouth and spitting out the container.
Yang Kai stretched out his hand and took the container before sweeping it with his Divine Sense, a grin forming on his face a moment later.
There was a small amount of milky white liquid inside the container, about enough to fill a washbasin. Although it was a liquid, it was extremely thick, at least ten times more viscous than the Life Revitalizing Jade Cream Yang Kai had obtained from the shallow pool.
This was no doubt the purest Life Revitalizing Jade Cream, not some half-diluted existence. One of the Star Field’s Three Great Divine Waters!
Yang Kai’s mood was incredibly good at this moment.
He had not expected this trip to go so smoothly.
For this excursion to the Emperor Garden, Yang Kai had two goals: one was the World Spirit, while the other was this Life Revitalizing Jade Cream. Although obtaining the former took a little bit of effort, he had ultimately obtained it. As for the latter, Yang Kai was able to collect it without encountering any trouble.
This was mainly due to the innate abilities of the Stone Puppet. Without its help, Yang Kai estimated that it would have taken him quite some time to find and then retrieve the pure Life Revitalizing Jade Cream.
But everything was good now. With so much pure Life Revitalizing Jade Cream, Yang Kai did not have to worry about having enough pure Golden Blood anymore, even replacing all of his blood with pure Golden Blood wouldn’t be impossible.
After celebrating for a while, Yang Kai carefully put away the container of Life Revitalizing Jade Cream.
Bi Luo opened her eyes at that moment and showed a joyful look on her face.
“How do you feel?” Yang Kai asked casually.
“A lot better, I should be able to fight somewhat now,” Bi Luo exhaled softly. She had been together with Yang Kai for a few days now but she was being protected by him the whole time, causing her to feel quite anxious. Although Yang Kai had displayed astonishing strength, this was still the Emperor Garden after all, where crisis lay at every turn; one more person’s strength was always welcome.
Although Bi Luo did not dare say she had fully recovered, at least she would no longer just be a burden.
“Where do we go now?” Bi Luo got up and asked.
“Follow me. There is something good over there,” Yang Kai grinned and said calmly.
The good thing he was referring to was naturally the Stone Monument in the place where Qian Tong had been trapped previously. The reason why Qian Tong had brought a young Artifact Refiner to this place to begin with was to allow that man to study the Stone Monument which contained an incredibly profound Artifact Refining technique.
After being ejected from the Emperor Garden that day, that Artifact Refiner had entered secluded retreat and not long ago, news spread out that he had become an Origin Grade Artifact Refiner, which in turn showed just how valuable the Stone Monument was.
Since he had arrived at this place, Yang Kai was certainly not willing to just ignore this treasure; if possible, he wanted to take away this Stone Monument.
Moreover, if Yang Kai was going to find Yang Yan, he needed to leave this place, so he had to pass by the Stone Monument anyway. Since it was on his way, it should not take him much time to collect it.
The place where Qian Tong was trapped that day was not too far from where he was now, so Yang Kai simply followed the path in his memories to leave the garden-like paradise he was currently in, then walked down a short thousand-metre corridor before successfully reaching a grand hall.
This was the place where Qian Tong had been trapped, and the Stone Monument was still standing right where Yang Kai last saw it.
Yang Kai had thought that no one else would have made it this deep into the Emperor Garden, but when he arrived here, he realized he was mistaken.
Not only had someone else made it here, there were a number of people who had.
A short distance in front of Yang Kai stood a group of seven people all staring in a particular direction. Each of these seven people exuded a powerful aura. There were men and women, old and young, with one youth who stood out from the rest.
This young man had a face seemingly carved from the finest jade, luscious red lips, and pearl white teeth. His skin was so flawless that it would make any woman jealous. At this moment, this young man was showing off a noble demeanour while holding a folding fan. He was the epitome of a Young Master from a great force who had brought his servants out for a stroll, looking completely relaxed and carefree.
Compared with him, everyone else from this group was eclipsed, and Yang Kai’s eyes could not help landing on him involuntarily.
The moment he saw this young man, Yang Kai could not help shrinking his neck and wishing he had never come to this place!
This was understandable though as this Young Master-like character was none other than the one-person Yang Kai tried to avoid like a viper, Xue Yue.
[Why is she here?!] Yang Kai could not help silently screaming to himself. Although there had been many twists and turns on his journey here, in general, things had gone smoothly for Yang Kai, but now to his chagrin, he had met Xue Yue in this place!
[What rotten luck!] After entering the main palace of the Emperor Garden, Yang Kai had obviously managed to throw this woman off his trail, but now it seemed enemies truly met often along narrow roads.
If Yang Kai had known that Xue Yue would be here, he would never have come. Unfortunately, inside the Emperor Garden’s main palace, Yang Kai could not extend his Divine Sense more than a hundred metres or so, making it impossible to scout out the situation in front of him in advance.
What made Yang Kai curious, however, was why Xue Yue had come this deep into this place?
After seeing this woman, Yang Kai quickly pulled Bi Luo and wanted to take her away quickly.
But Bi Luo refused to move and instead stared towards a certain spot, a look of pleasant surprise and relief filling her face as she called out loudly, “Mistress!”
As soon as she spoke these words, Bi Luo’s tender body flickered and flew forward, leaving behind a pleasant floral fragrance in her wake.
Yang Kai was stunned when he heard this and quickly turned his eyes to discover a woman in a red dress who was staring back at him.
When their four eyes suddenly met, these two suddenly froze up.
This young woman seemed to be innately blessed with irresistible charm, her image capable of driving men to madness, her beautiful shimmering eyes capable of enchanting any man’s mind, sending them into a spiral of desire they were incapable of extricating themselves from.
Her tender body was slim and graceful while her twin peaks were rich and bountiful; her fiery red dress completely incapable of disguising her seductive figure and instead further outlining it.
Upon seeing Yang Kai, this enchanting woman seemed to be struck with disbelief and her body unconsciously began to tremble.
“Qing Luo?” Yang Kai murmured.
Although Yang Kai knew that Shan Qing Luo had also entered the Emperor Garden after meeting Bi Luo, he never expected that his meeting with her would be so dramatic. Under any other circumstance, Yang Kai would be elated, but right now…
Yang Kai turned his head to the other side and sure enough found Xue Yue staring at him, her pair of beautiful eyes flashing a kind of rage that stemmed from a complicated feeling of love and hate.
Yang Kai’s mouth twitched as he realized that wanting to retreat now was impossible. Forgetting about the fact that Shan Qing Luo was here so he could not just leave, even if he tried to, Xue Yue would certainly not let him go.
Although he had not spent long together with this woman, Yang Kai knew she had an incredible desire for control, to the point where what she couldn’t subdue, she would destroy.
Since Yang Kai desired neither of these outcomes, he had decisively left Rainfall Star, causing the two of them to become enemies.
The situation right now was very delicate. Yang Kai could not tell exactly what had happened between Shan Qing Luo and Xue Yue’s group before he arrived here, but it was obvious they were on opposite sides. Shan Qing Luo was currently standing in front of the Stone Monument containing the Artifact Refining technique though, so she was probably the first to arrive here and had been studying it.
“Haha…” Yang Kai laughed dryly, “Third Young Master, such a coincidence, running into you here.”
“En, we meet again,” Xue Yue smiled towards Yang Kai. Although she had the image of a man right now, her smile still contained an enchanting style which was not much worse than Shan Qing Luo’s, “So I take it the one who followed this Young Master into the Emperor Garden was you after all, yes?”
“If I said it wasn’t, would Third Young Master believe me?” Yang Kai shrugged.
“What do you think?” Xue Yue ground her teeth lightly.
“Third Young Master, do you know this person?” An old man with a distinctive looking beard asked Xue Yue while directing a suspicious look towards Yang Kai.
“En, I know him, he’s an old friend,” Xue Yue’s lips curled upwards slightly, her words sounding so pointed it was obvious to everyone she had a grudge with Yang Kai.
The old man nodded slightly as his eyes filled with ill intentions. Regardless of where this boy came from, a trivial First-Order Origin Realm cultivator daring to offend the Third Young Master was destined to die without burial.
The old man did not put Yang Kai in his eyes at all and was simply waiting for his Third Young Master to order him to remove his head.
“Ahem…” Yang Kai lightly coughed before directing a slightly embarrassed look towards Xue Yue and saying, “Can Third Young Master wait a moment? I actually have another acquaintance here that I haven’t seen in many years and would like to say a few words to first.”
“Another acquaintance? You mean this enchantress?” Xue Yue’s eyes flashed with a strange light before letting out a laugh, “I never knew you actually had friends among the Monster Race, but no matter, be my guest!”
Saying so, Xue Yue opened her folding fan and gently fanned herself, seemingly completely at ease.
Yang Kai gently nodded and without using any kind of movement skill walked over towards Shan Qing Luo.
The Beguiling Demon Queen had yet to recover from her initial shock, or perhaps this unexpected reunion had caused her to lose the ability to respond; whatever the case, she stood on the spot, staring towards Yang Kai, her red lips opening a few times, as if she wanted to say something but didn’t dare to, lest she awaken from this dream and he disappeared from in front of her eyes again.
Her mood fluctuated wildly as she only became more and more lost.
At the same time, Bi Luo had already buried herself in Shan Qing Luo’s arms and was continuously shedding tears as if she had been extremely wronged.
Perhaps infected by Bi Luo’s mood, Shan Qing Luo’s beautiful eyes also gradually became somewhat moist.
With only a few dozen metres having originally separated them, it didn’t take long for Yang Kai to arrive in front of Shan Qing Luo, and as he got closer, her breathing gradually became more rapid and the trembling of her body became more obvious, her face and even her neck dying a deep shade of pink.
The sentiment that Yang Kai had inadvertently planted into her soul all those years ago suddenly exploded, making it impossible for her to remain calm in front of him. If there was anyone in this world who could so captivate her, it was undoubtedly Yang Kai.
Even when she saw the Red Moon Tribal Lord that day, she had not felt this helpless; at that time, even if the Red Moon Tribal Lord had been her enemy, at worst she would have died, but now, Shan Qing Luo felt as if her soul was about to melt. The dull sound of Yang Kai’s steps felt as if it was pounding on her heart, causing it to beat out of control.
“All these years… have you been well, Qing Luo?” Yang Kai finally asked the question he had been wanting to for so long.
He had always harboured some regret towards Shan Qing Luo in his heart; after all, since he left the Ash-Grey Cloud Evil Land to travel to Tong Xuan Realm, he had never been able to see her again, unlike Su Yan and Little Senior Sister.
He thought he would never see Shan Qing Luo again in his life.
He thought his path would forever be separated from this enchanting woman.
But fate was truly unpredictable and it somehow allowed the two of them to reunite out here in the vast Star Field.
A thousand words came to mind, making Yang Kai not know where to start.
Hearing this familiar voice she had dreamed about for nearly thirty years once more, Shan Qing Luo could no longer restrain her emotions and tears began silently dripping down her cheeks as she haltingly spoke, “Tell me, is this a dream?”
“It’s not!” Yang Kai smiled, reached out, and gently wiped her tears away.
Shan Qing Luo closed her eyes and took a deep breath before opening them again, but Yang Kai was still standing in front of her, his big, rough hand still caressing her cheek.
This feeling was undoubtedly real, without the slightest trace of illusion.
“Little bastard!” Shan Qing Luo grit her teeth and scolded before, in a burst of fragrant wind, leapt forward and plunged into Yang Kai’s arms.
With such a beauty surrendering to him, even though he was still in a critical situation, Yang Kai could not help feeling somewhat smug, especially when it was a woman like Shan Qing Luo. Once she showed any sign of weakness, the temptation she exuded was enough to destroy any man’s sense of reason.
But in the next moment, Yang Kai’s expression changed dramatically as his face twisted in pain.
This couldn’t be helped though as Shan Qing Luo at that moment had suddenly gone crazy and viciously pinched his waist and twisted with all her might while she clenched her free hand into a fist and pounded on Yang Kao’s chest, seemingly wanting to vent all of the grievances and longing she had suffered all these years.
To the eyes of onlookers, this was undoubtedly Shan Qing Luo flirting with Yang Kai, but only he knew how heavy-handed this devilish woman was being. Although she had not really hurt him, the pain he felt was quite real.
[This little enchantress…]
Yang Kai could not help feeling both dumbfounded and helpless.
Things had not ended yet. After silently beating him for a while, Shan Qing Luo actually lifted herself onto her tiptoes as her eyes flashed with endless bitterness, like an abandoned wife who was only seeing her philandering husband after several years, opened her mouth, and bit down on Yang Kai’s neck.
Everyone was dumbfounded!
The six Origin Realm masters surrounding Xue Yue all shook their heads one by one, muttering words like ‘scandalous’ and ‘highly improper’.
In front of everyone’s eyes, such shamelessness and immorality, this woman was indeed an enchantress, simply without any sense of propriety! And this little brat who was entangled with her was clearly not a good thing either, that much was clear at a glance. These masters could not help wondering how Young Master Xue Yue knew such a person.
Their Third Young Master had always had a discerning eye and would not make friends with any stray cat or dog, so this type of person should not be placed in his eyes.
“Enough!” Suddenly a loud voice rang out as Xue Yue was unable to watch anymore. If she were to allow these two to continue openly flirting like this, it was clear their actions would only become more excessive; how could Xue Yue tolerate such a display?
Although Xue Yue and Yang Kai had once embraced one another naked atop a Dead Star, that was in a barren place without an audience, so how could it compare to this public display of affection?
What’s more, seeing Yang Kai not resisting and letting this enchantress act as she pleased caused a deep rage to explode inside Xue Yue, her body trembling with anger as her knuckles whitened. As such, Xue Yue couldn’t bear it and loudly shouted to end this farce.
After shouting out like this though, Xue Yue also realized that her reaction had been a bit excessive so she quickly added some righteous sounding words, “Embracing each other in front of so many people, you really know no shame!”
As she spoke such accusations, she ground her teeth and glared at Yang Kai as if she wanted to slowly peel his skin.
“My, how frightening…” Shan Qing Luo patted her well twin peaks exaggeratedly, her relaxed expression slowly turning to one of anger as she cast a side-long glance towards Xue Yue before giggling and turning back to Yang Kai, exhaling an orchid scent as she whispered, “We’ll ‘talk’ more later.”
“Yeah!” Yang Kai nodded seriously as he felt relief in his heart. From what he saw, he could tell that Shan Qing Luo’s mood had calmed down after this little episode. However, after not seeing this enchantress for so many years, it was also clear that her innate charm had become even more astonishing. When she had been staring at him with such pitiful yet fiery eyes, Yang Kai nearly felt his soul get taken away by her.
After taking a moment to settle his mood, Yang Kai asked lightly, “Do you have some kind of grudge with them?”
“Not at all, it’s just… this androgynous boy and I are somewhat incompatible,” Shan Qing Luo chuckled, “Since you came here with Bi Luo, I assume you’ve heard my story, yes?”
“Indeed.”
“That’s good,” Shan Qing Luo giggled lightly before giving him a brief summary of her experiences in the Emperor Garden. It was a series of coincidences, starting with her vaguely perceiving that Yang Kai had also entered the Emperor Garden, then her searching for him, leading to her arriving at this deep part of the main palace. After discovering this Stone Monument, she had paused to study its mysteries, soon after which Xue Yue and her group had arrived.
Yang Kai and Bi Luo followed right afterwards though, so she and Xue Yue’s people hadn’t even had time to fight yet.
“This…” Yang Kai finished listening to her story and gently nodded while thinking to himself that since these two sides had no hatred between them, it shouldn’t be necessary to fight here. Considering all this, he turned to Xue Yue and grinned before proposing, “Third Young Master, as the saying goes, there’s no such thing as an irresolvable grudge. You and I meeting here can be considered a matter of fate, how about we let matters drop for today?”
“Good!” Unexpectedly, Xue Yue agreed immediately, causing Yang Kai to be stunned, but soon, his brow furrowed. Xue Yue being so accommodating here was extremely unusual, so Yang Kai couldn’t help thinking she was planning something.
Sure enough, Xue Yue stared at Yang Kai with a smile on her face and continued, “Out of consideration for our previous ‘friendship’, this Young Master won’t try to embarrass you so as to avoid others spreading rumours that my Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce uses its strength to bully the weak, but…”
“But what?” Yang Kai narrowed his eyes.
“Don’t be so nervous,” Xue Yue chuckled as a smug look appeared on her face, “I have a simple request, I want one of you to come with me.”
“One of us?” Yang Kai’s complexion sank, “Who do you want?”
Yang Kai glanced over at Shan Qing Luo, subconsciously thinking Xue Yue wanted to vent her anger on this bewitching woman.
Everyone present had similar thoughts, including Shan Qing Luo herself; after all, she was quite clear on just how powerful her charms were. There had never been a man who could remain completely calm in front of her, so when she heard these words, she couldn’t help a smile from blossoming on her face as she let out a burst of pleasant laughter and said, “I apologize Young Master, but if you want me, then I’m afraid I must disappoint you. This Lady already has a precious man, who completely fills her heart, and after dozens of years, we have finally been reunited. So from now on, I refuse to be separated from him.”
Saying so, she stretched out her arms and linked them with Yang Kai’s, pressing her tender body up against his intimately.
A strange light flashed across Xue Yue’s eyes before she folded her arms and laughed, directing a sarcastic look at Shan Qing Luo before saying, “Enchantress, don’t try to put on a coy act in front of this Young Master. When did this Young Master say the one he wants is you? Your skin must truly be thick!”
She didn’t know why, but Xue Yue did not want to let go of any chance to ridicule Shan Qing Luo even though it would have been impossible for her to think this way just a moment ago.
“Uh…” Shan Qing Luo’s cultivation and mental fortitude were quite good, but even she couldn’t help blushing in embarrassment at this moment, asking in a somewhat awkward tone, “Then who do you want?”
As she said so, she glanced suspiciously towards Bi Luo, but the latter quickly waved her hands to indicate that she had never met Xue Yue before.
“The one this Young Master wants is the man beside you!” Xue Yue glared coldly towards Yang Kai, her mouth twitching slightly as she snapped shut her folding fan and pointed it at him, “If you stay, I won’t embarrass these two women, this Young Master lives up to his words!”
Everyone’s eyes turned towards Yang Kai, all of them wondering what kind of grievance there was between these two men to cause Xue Yue to abandon this beautiful flower-like beauty and instead choose to keep Yang Kai.
As long as one was a man, he obviously should have chosen to keep the woman.
It seemed this grudge was quite deep, probably on the same level as killing one’s father or taking one’s wife… The masters around Xue Yue thought this way, but were even more curious about when their Third Young Master formed such a grudge? Why hadn’t they heard anything about it before?
“You want me to stay?” Yang Kai’s expression became strange.
“You don’t dare?” Xue Yue held her white chin, her face filled with arrogance and aggressiveness. “Or, could you be afraid?”
“Nonsense, me? Afraid? I’ve not stolen from or shamed you in any way.”
“You dare say you haven’t stolen from or shamed me!?” Xue Yue instantly became agitated upon hearing these words, her brow tightly furrowing as she glared towards Yang Kai.
Realizing the meaning of what he just said, Yang Kai let out a hollow laugh as he faced Xue Yue across a distance of several dozen metres, not knowing what he should say next. Only after a long silence did he sigh and try to persuade, “Third Young Master, a forcefully picked melon is not sweet, why act like this? You can walk along the high road while I cross the low bridge, well water not mixing with river water, each of us living in peace with one another. If you insist on forcing the issue, it will only result in everyone suffering a loss and leaving unsatisfied.”
“Everyone suffering a loss?” Xue Yue seemed to have heard the world’s funniest joke and mockingly narrowed her eyes, “You think you’re qualified to say such words now?”
“Whether or not I’m qualified, you can try if you like,” Yang Kai smiled deviously, “Moreover, it’s just a matter of speaking a few words; do you think you can prevent me?”
Xue Yue’s complexion changed dramatically when she heard this and shouted, “You dare!”
She was an incredibly sharp and intelligent woman, so how could she not understand the threat in Yang Kai’s words. The other party’s words implied he was willing to reveal her greatest secret, so how could she not become nervous?
“Why wouldn’t I dare?” Yang Kai smiled smugly, “In any case, it won’t cost me anything, but Third Young Master, you… heh heh.”
His laughter was so meaningful that Xue Yue couldn’t help feeling terrified, “If you dare do that, you’ll certainly regret it!”
“Then everything depends on your attitude, Third Young Master,” Yang Kai said in a perfectly composed manner, as if victory was already within his grasp.
“I…” Xue Yue became speechless for a moment, her pretty face filling a cold gloominess. The many masters around her also could not help exchanging glances with one another, all feeling incredibly shocked by the situation. They all knew how fierce their Third Young Master’s methods were, but now he was being cornered so thoroughly by some unknown First-Order Origin Returning Realm boy’s words, as if the other party was just casually toying with him.
This had never happened before.
Just what kind of hold did this boy have on their Third Young Master that would make the latter so cautious about acting lest innocents be hurt? At that moment, the six Third-Order Origin Returning Realm masters also became curious, all of them secretly hoping that Yang Kai would blurt out whatever this secret was so they could soothe their curiosity.
The Third Young Master was a perfect person in their minds, yet such a person apparently had a fatal weak point; others would become interested in such information.
Suddenly, the tense situation came to a stalemate, with Xue Yue’s mood fluctuating up and down.
This was the first time she had found herself unable to make a choice. She was completely unwilling to let Yang Kai and this enchantress leave here. Because of how Yang Kai had saved her life, she had not prevented him from leaving Rainfall Star, but afterwards, she had deeply regretted this choice.
She felt that no matter what method she used, she should have tied this boy to her and make him become her servant.
In this world, except for a few of her closest relatives, only he knew her secrets, so whether it was because of logic or emotion she didn’t want to let him out of her sight. What’s more, Xue Yue had complete confidence in her charms, so as long as they were together for long enough, how could she not make him fall for her? At that time, not only would the possibility of her secret being exposed disappear, but she could also firmly capture his body and mind, killing two birds with one stone.
So she didn’t want to let Yang Kai leave. If she missed this opportunity, she didn’t know when she would see this bastard again.
But facing Yang Kai’s blatant threat, Xue Yue didn’t dare to act lest she really forced him into a hopeless situation and he let out her secret in desperation.
Thoughts flashed like lightning across her mind, but soon, Xue Yue’s eyes lit up and she smiled lightly towards Yang Kai, “Don’t say things just to frighten me, you won’t do it.”
“Nonsense!” Yang Kai declared.
“Is it?” Xue Yue sneered, “Then go ahead, say it if you have the courage! However, the consequences that will happen afterwards, I hope you can live with them!”
Xue Yue suddenly began acting like a rogue, even shooting a casual glance towards Shan Qing Luo as she spoke.
Yang Kai frowned slightly, and after pondering for a moment, his face sank.
He hadn’t considered what fallout would occur if he were to disclose Xue Yue’s secret here, but after being reminded by her, he understood. If he really talked, then Xue Yue would have no choice but to silence all the witnesses. In other words, Shan Qing Luo and Bi Luo would be regarded as targets to be killed and even the masters beside her might have to die!
After all, to keep such a secret, Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce wouldn’t care about the lives of a few Origin Returning Realm masters.
“Seems like you’ve become much more shameless in the several years I haven’t seen you!” Yang Kai quipped at Xue Yue sarcastically.
“You as well!” Xue Yue chuckled, “Don’t think you’re any better.”
“However, do you truly think this is enough to make me hesitate?” Yang Kai looked at her with a sneer, “You’re too naive.”
Hearing this, Xue Yue’s expression changed wildly as she stared at Yang Kai in shock, “You wouldn’t…”
Yang Kai’s mouth curled into a grin as he coldly snorted, “I said that if you push things too far, at worst everyone will suffer a loss, but it’s not too late. Let us leave here in peace, otherwise…”
Xue Yue’s face suddenly turned blue as she never expected Yang Kai to be stubborn to such a degree! For a time, she felt aggrieved in her heart and her tender body shivered. She just wanted him to come with her. She had no intention to hurt him and instead wanted to grant him a great opportunity, so why was he refusing her to this extent?
Xue Yue couldn’t even count the number of people who wanted to follow her, but the one man she was actively extending an invitation to was now rejecting her outright. Why couldn’t he understand her pain?
Since Xue Yue was born, she had never been forced into such a passive situation besides when facing her father, President Ai Ou.
A woman was a woman in the end. Even if she wore the appearance of a man now, she couldn’t help being influenced by her feelings. Seeing Yang Kai display an attitude of dying with honour rather than living on in shame, her mood finally settled and she let out a sneer, “Do as you please, just remember, once you do, everyone here but you and me must die!”
As soon as this remark came out, the looks on the six Origin Returning Realm masters’ faces beside Xue Yue changed dramatically as they stared towards Yang Kai nervously.
“Good, good, good!” Yang Kai also smiled angrily, waving his arm wildly as he stepped forward and glared at Xue Yue fiercely, opening his mouth and declaring loudly, “Listen to me, your Third Young Master Xue Yue has a huge secret that I will reveal to you now!”
He was now riding a tiger, so he could only continue forward.
Xue Yue closed her eyes slowly and took a deep breath, not showing any intention to stop him, seemingly allowing Yang Kai to do as he wished.
On the other hand, the Origin Returning Realm masters around her all wore strange expressions, each of them suffering in silence. The conversation between Xue Yue and Yang Kai had not been hidden, so each word had been heard by them.
By now, they obviously understood that once Yang Kai exposed this secret, they would become implicated. Sometimes, even if a certain thing had nothing to do with oneself, just knowing about it could invite trouble, especially when it came to behemoths like Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce which had many secrets that could not be leaked out.
However, these people’s curiosity still somewhat won out over their fear.
Shan Qing Luo and Bi Luo were the same, the two of them both opening their ears and eagerly anticipating what would be said next.
Seeing Yang Kai truly want to expose this so-called huge secret, the lead old man who stood beside Xue Yue couldn’t help crying out in anger, “Shut up!”
How could he just stand by and watch this happen? He needed to stop Yang Kai before he could say anything, so as he shouted, his body flickered and he flew towards Yang Kai, swooping down on him like a great Phoenix, his aura full of imposing might.
Yang Kai didn’t even glance at this old man though, instead gritting his teeth and shouting, “Your Third Young Master Xue Yue is in love with me, en, deeply in love!”
When this astonishing revelation came out, the entire world seemed to shake!
Everyone was stunned. Shan Qing Luo and Bi Luo couldn’t help covering their mouths with their hands as they glanced between Yang Kai and Xue Yue, a strange light flashing across their beautiful eyes.
The old man who was flying towards Yang Kai actually staggered and fell to the ground, his immense killing intent instantly evaporating, his eyes bulging as he landed.
Everyone else was no better off, their faces filled with utter shock.
This… this news was simply explosive!
“Impudence!” The beautiful woman beside Xue Yue cried out furiously, “What kind of honoured person is Third Young Master? Beautiful women surround him wherever he goes, how could he… could he…”
As the beautiful woman shouted, she cast a glance towards Xue Yue secretly, but what she saw was a pale face that was showing a look of total surprise, but there was also a hint of embarrassment and shame present, as if something that never should have been known had been exposed.
[It… it can’t be, right?] The beautiful woman’s heart clenched.
“Beautiful women surround him wherever he goes?” Yang Kai sneered, “Tell me then, which beautiful woman has he ever shown affection towards? What beauty has he ever shared a night with?”
After hearing Yang Kai say this, the six Origin Returning Realm masters all became dumbfounded. Thinking back carefully, they discovered that this was indeed the case! The Third Young Master always acted humble and courteous to everyone with a smile more refreshing than a spring breeze, his mere presence was enough to fascinate any young woman or girl. He was simply the most desired man in the entire Star Field.
He never lacked for women; in fact, there would always be beauties trying to win his affection no matter where he went.
But never once did he have any intimate contact with any of these women, let alone spend the night with one.
All of them had thought the Third Young Master simply had excellent self-control and was staunchly defending his righteousness, but now…
Thinking again about the conversation between the Third Young Master and Yang Kai just now, about how a forcefully picked melon was not sweet, and how their Third Young Master had insisted on Yang Kai remaining while giving up on the beautiful enchantress standing next to him, everyone became at least seventy to eighty percent certain what Yang Kai said was the truth!
Could the Third Young Master really have such special tastes?
Glancing over at Xue Yue, and seeing his face flushed bright red, a clear look of guilt covering his expression, the beautiful woman was unable to say anything more, simply feeling deep regret in her heart.
How could such a superb young man like other men?
The expressions of the other masters were basically the same. These people had each lived many years and were incredibly observant and insightful, so Xue Yue’s current expression and attitude were enough to illuminate the truth.
A peal of breathless laughter suddenly rang out as Shan Qing Luo could no longer help herself. When this laughter entered Xue Yue’s ears though, it only made her feel even more awkward and ashamed, making her want to find a hole in the ground, crawl inside, and never appear again.
Although she was a woman in truth, the outside world only knew of her as a man, so such words being said by Yang Kai were incredibly disgraceful to her; however, she was unable to refute them either, causing her tender body to shiver uncontrollably as her blood boiled.
Yang Kai’s move just now had exceeded her expectations. She had never expected him to be shameless to this extent, not even caring about his own reputation.
“You… you’re actually so wicked!” Xue Yue’s face twitched as veins became visible on her forehead. Ground her teeth, she glared at Yang Kai and screamed. “You dare slander this Young Master!”
“Whether it’s slander or not, you know, I know, and the Heavens know,” Yang Kai laughed like a wily rascal.
“Argh!” Xue Yue’s body trembled slightly as she ground her teeth and waved, “Capture them, especially that shameless bastard! This Young Master must rip his mouth off and let him taste the world’s most brutal torture!”
The Origin Returning Realm masters heard this and gawked before silently complaining to themselves.
The Third Young Master had never given out such benevolent orders before. Usually, he only called for his enemies to be killed ruthlessly, but he wanted them to capture these three alive today, so he obviously wasn’t willing to hurt them.
It seemed the words this little brat spoke really were not slander. Otherwise, why else would the Third Young Master allow them to live after being angered to such a point?
Furthermore, if it was truly just slander, given the Third Young Master’s demeanour, he would not have even paid it any mind, much less gotten angry.
The six Third-Order Origin Returning Realm masters looked at each other and all felt that this matter had become a bit tricky, but the lead old man eventually collected himself and shouted, “Pardon our offence!”
Saying so, he along with the other masters swarmed towards Yang Kai and Shan Qing Luo, summoning their artifacts and releasing their Secret Techniques. Although their manner was fierce, they did not display any murderous intent, simply trying to complete Xue Yue’s order and capture these three alive.
Originally, they thought that with their numbers and strength, capturing these three wouldn’t be the slightest bit difficult, with only the Third-Order Origin Realm enchantress possibly giving them some trouble.
However, as the fight progressed, these masters discovered that their thinking had been too naive.
This enchantress was quite extraordinary and cultivated some kind of profound Secret Art that allowed her to use the surrounding World Energy in combination with her own Saint Qi to form a massive spider web which covered the entire hall. She was able to easily move about this web, but for others each time they touched even a strand of its silk they would immediately be restrained, greatly impeding their mobility. In fact, just after the fight began, one of them had been caught up in this web and transformed into a giant dumpling, unable to escape even now.
This woman having such strength however could be accepted; after all, she did possess such cultivation.
The young man named Yang Kai, however, was the truly astonishing one. Obviously, he was just a First-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivator, but every move he made had incredible power behind it, especially the golden silk threads that shot from his hand and were capable of cutting through Shi. He also had a giant fiery red bird which circled overhead, a stone giant which swung around a jet black stick, and a sword which transformed into a giant dark green dragon…
All on his own, Yang Kai was fighting three Third-Order Origin Returning Realm masters evenly.
This young man was extraordinary! No wonder Third Young Master Xue Yue was willing to abandon gender distinctions and hold affection towards him.
On the other hand, Bi Luo was the most inconspicuous, hiding behind the layers of spider threads the moment the battle began and concealing her aura to the point where no one could find her. At most, she would occasionally launch sneak attacks from her hiding place before quickly disappearing once more.
Xue Yue observed all this from a distance with a bitter smile on her lips. Giving praise where praise was due, while Yang Kai’s words just now had thoroughly angered her, she was still somewhat thankful to him for not revealing her actual secret.
It was for this reason that Xue Yue did not want to take things too far.
At this moment, standing back and watching, she found that Yang Kai’s growth after more than a decade had actually been more terrifying than she imagined, causing her to become excited and strengthening her desire to bind him to her side.
Such a talent could only be trained properly if they joined Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce and accompanied her. Only then would he have a broader, brighter future.
As for that enchantress… Xue Yue’s eyes turned to Shan Qing Luo and a look of unwillingness filled her face.
During the time she was with Yang Kai, she had learned that he had other women in his heart, so she mistakenly thought that Yang Kai leaving Rainfall Star was because of Shan Qing Luo at this moment.
Xue Yue wanted very much to fight Shan Qing Luo one-on-one right now so that she could show Yang Kai who was the better woman, but if she were to do this, it was quite likely that his opinion of her would only become poorer, causing Xue Yue to hesitate while bitterness filled her heart.
While Yang Kai, Shan Qing Luo and the Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce masters engaged in an extremely fierce battle, episodes of bloodshed and murder also continued throughout the Emperor Garden.
Even Third-Order Origin Returning Realm masters were unable to guarantee their safety.
Although everyone knew that there were many crises spread throughout the Emperor Garden, compared to such dangers, the hidden opportunities here still motivated them to explore. Countless cultivators from numerous Cultivation Stars entered the Emperor Garden, and when they encountered strangers from foreign lands, fights were inevitable, often leading to situations where one group triumphed while the other was exterminated.
Elsewhere, great, inextinguishable flames roared, flames so hot that even Third-Order Origin Returning Realm masters could not easily resist them; however, none of these flames were real, instead just part of a profound Illusion Array.
Regardless, the cultivators trapped inside this Illusion Array felt that these flames were all real. At this moment, three Origin Realm masters were sitting cross-legged in this place, releasing their Saint Qi in unison to form a protective shield to resist the terrifying flames.
They had been trapped here for four or five days but were still unable to escape from this Illusion Array. They had consumed countless Saint Crystals and pills during this time but were unable to keep up with the consumption. Meanwhile, the flames around them continued to gather like vicious snakes, and as time passed, their situation became more and more critical.
Finally, one of the three completely ran out of Saint Qi and the section of the protective shield he had been supporting for the past few days burst like a bubble.
This man’s complexion changed drastically while the other two let out panicked shouts while desperately urging their own strength to try to repair the gap in the barrier. Unfortunately, their efforts were in vain. The three of them working together had barely been able to protect themselves, but now that one of them had been thoroughly exhausted, the surrounding flames instantly drowned them like a raging tide.
Screams rang out but soon subsided. After the flames dissipated, only three skeletons remained. There were no obvious wounds on these skeletons, but there was also not a trace of their vitality either, this was the danger of an Illusion Array.
Back in the labyrinth that Yang Kai had passed through before, a group of cultivators from a certain Sect huddled together as they fought a fierce battle.
They weren’t fighting living creatures, however, but were instead facing a group of ancient puppets unique to the Emperor Garden. The energy fluctuations emitted by each of these puppets was equivalent to a master in the Origin Returning Realm, with some even matching masters of the Third-Order.
Even if these puppets weren’t sentient, and the way they fought was quite clumsy, their numbers were shocking.
In all fairness, this Sect’s force also had a large number of cultivators, five in total, each with considerable strength, but in this strange maze-like terrain, surrounded by countless puppets, there was simply no way for them to survive.
Their battle lasted for half a day, with the ground being littered with fragments of various defeated puppets and numerous bloodstains.
One after another these cultivators were killed off by the puppets, and after half a day, the labyrinth fell silent. This unknown Sect’s cultivators had been wiped out. After not detecting the aura of any living people, the puppets silently dispersed, as if they had never appeared in the first place.
Many cultivators died to the various Spirit Arrays and ancient puppets in the Emperor Garden.
However, the number of people who died due to fighting other cultivators was even higher.
Often, the appearance of a certain treasure could trigger a bloody storm. In the Emperor Garden, there were no rules or morals at all, only the strong had the right to speak. Whoever’s fist was biggest was safest as cruel and bloody battles happen almost constantly.
If a powerful master could fly over the Emperor Garden and look down though, they would notice that it was a huge octagonal-shaped palace with the buildings inside it all being placed following some mysterious law, as if they were small parts of a greater whole.
At this time, in the very centre of the Emperor Garden, two women stood quietly. One was wearing a black robe and seemed quite mysterious while the other radiated a noble and dignified air. This noblewoman also pulsed with an astonishing aura that identified her as a peak Third-Order Origin Returning Realm master, but she stood three hundred metres behind the black-robed woman with a look of utmost respect on her face.
Yang Yan and Ye Xi Yun!
No one knew when they came to this central palace, let alone what they wanted to do here, but judging from their neat clothes and calm expressions, it was apparent they hadn’t encountered any danger on their journey here, much less engaged in any fighting.
The Emperor Garden seemed to not guard itself against them, allowing them to come and go as they pleased.
The palace they stood inside was extremely spacious, with a radius of more than a thousand metres.
There was only one thing in this palace, a small White Jade Crystal Coffin without any kind of power or aura, but this White Jade Crystal Coffin was floating mid-air, a very strange phenomenon.
Yang Yan stood in front of the White Jade Crystal Coffin, staring into it silently with a complicated expression.
A person was lying inside this crystal coffin, and from its figure, it was clearly a woman, one whose face was identical to Yang Yan’s. If Yang Kai had been here, he would instantly be able to recognize the identity of the woman lying in this crystal coffin.
The Starry Sky Great Emperor!
The powerful existence that ten thousand years ago unified the entire Star Field and whose legend still resounded today. The Star Emperor Tokens she refined were treasures that every great force coveted and any force which obtained one would regard it as a part of their foundation, not daring to use it easily. Only if their force was met with a life or death crisis would they bring out their Star Emperor Token and release the Divine Ability sealed inside of it by the Great Emperor.
She was supreme, able to cover the Heavens with a single hand, the strongest in all the Star Field!
However, no one knew that the famous Starry Sky Great Emperor was a woman. Perhaps her gender had been lost to the long river of history, or perhaps no one had ever seen her true face, but that did not impede the spread of her legend.
Looking at the woman in the crystal coffin, Yang Yan felt as if she was looking into a mirror. Their bodies and appearances were identical, with only their temperament being different.
Even in deep sleep, the face of the Great Emperor revealed a kind of inviolable and overwhelming majesty that made one feel it was a sin to even gaze upon her.
“So this is what I looked like,” Yang Yan whispered softly.
“Madam!” Ye Xi Yun called out, thinking Yang Yan had something she needed to tell her.
“It’s nothing!” Yang Yan replied lightly, “I was just talking to myself.”
Ye Xi Yun didn’t dare to say anymore, lowering her head and standing in place.
Yang Yan inhaled gently before sweeping her eyes around and sighing lightly, “This Transcendent Soul Summoning Grand Array should almost be ready to activate.”
At this moment, inside this huge palace, on its floor and walls, complex and esoteric runes continued to flash. As these runes lit up, the entire palace gradually flooded with a mysterious power. Where Ye Xi Yun stood, she could faintly hear a beautiful rhythm brush past her ears, seemingly calling out to her; in fact, she even felt the urge to have her Soul Avatar leave her body to chase after this entrancing music.
Having this thought, Ye Xi Yun couldn’t help breaking out into a cold sweat.
One’s Soul Avatar was extremely fragile and was generally hidden inside their Knowledge Sea. A cultivator would generally not have their Soul Avatar leave their body unless they encountered an extremely dangerous situation, because once they did so, if they could not find a suitable carrier, their Soul Avatar would dissipate and disappear from the world within half a day.
This Transcendent Soul Summoning Grand Array was something Ye Xi Yun had never heard of before, and she didn’t know what kind of magical use it had, but she was able to infer from her current situation that it was somewhat related to awakening the Great Emperor.
When a cultivator fell inside the Emperor Garden, the number of illuminated runes in the palace where Yang Yan was located also increased, as if the Transcendent Soul Summoning Grand Array here was somehow fueled by the deaths of the cultivators outside.
Yang Yan couldn’t have done such a thing, but the Great Emperor could have.
The Emperor Garden had been opened to the entire Star Field, but any cultivator who entered this place did so with the foreknowledge that they may fall. They had come here seeking great treasures, so they naturally understood there would be risks proportional to such rewards.
No one forced them to enter the Emperor Garden, everything was voluntary, so if they fell here and became the source of power for the Transcendent Soul Summoning Grand Array, they had nothing to complain about.
What did it matter if some people died so she could recover? In the eyes of the Great Emperor, these Origin Returning Realm masters may not even be any different from ants.
Seeing that there were a dozen runes left inside the palace that were not lit, Yang Yan couldn’t help turning her head and glancing at the entrance once more.
Unfortunately, it remained empty, with no sign of anyone coming.
Even seeing him one last time had become impossible…
Yang Yan had never felt that time was passing so quickly, like it was just the blink of an eye before all the runes in the palace lit up and the Transcendent Soul Summoning Grand Array arranged here burst into motion.
One rune after another leapt out from where it was engraved and in a brilliant and dazzling display rushed towards Yang Yan’s tender body.
When this happened, Yang Yan couldn’t help showing a pained look.
Ye Xi Yun obviously saw this, but she knew there was nothing she could do to help as even moving her fingers under the immense pressure was incredibly difficult. She had become nothing but an observer who could only bear witness to this thrilling, historic moment.
“Elder Ye…” Yang Yan’s shout suddenly echoed.
Ye Xi Yun responded quickly, “Yes!”
“No matter what I become in the future, make sure you assist Yang Kai well!”
Ye Xi Yun was startled, but immediately grit her teeth and replied, “This subordinate will obey Madam’s command!”
Yang Yan’s order was equivalent to that of the Great Emperor, so Ye Xi Yun would unquestioningly execute it.
Vaguely, in the dazzling white light, Ye Xi Yun seemed to see a joyful smile before the brilliant radiance completely engulfed Yang Yan’s form in a ball of light that in the next instant, shot directly into the White Jade Crystal Coffin, leaving no sign of Yang Yan behind.
The next moment, the entire palace returned to its original state, as if nothing had happened before.
All the lit runes dimmed, and the Transcendent Soul Summoning Grand Array also stopped. Only Ye Xi Yun remained inside the palace with the crystal coffin suspended mid-air.
“Madam?” After waiting for some time, Ye Xi Yun overcame her hesitation and called out anxiously.
*Ka…*
A soft sound came from the White Jade Crystal Coffin, and immediately after, a terrifying pressure centred on it burst forth, spreading like a great wave. At first, this pressure wasn’t too strong, but in the blink of an eye, it reached an intensity that even Ye Xi Yun was unable to bear. She couldn’t help dropping to her knees and falling onto the ground, without even the ability to lift her head.
Emperor Pressure!
At the same time, in the place where Qian Tong had been trapped, the battle between Yang Kai, Shan Qing Luo and the masters from Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce continued.
Strictly speaking, the six Third-Order Origin Returning Realm masters from Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce were not weak, and their respective artifacts were also quite powerful. On top of that, they were all familiar with one another and were able to exert even greater combat effectiveness by cooperating.
However, neither Yang Kai nor Shan Qing Luo was ordinary either.
One regarded fighting across realms to be commonplace and had many external helpers on hand while the other had obtained a Heaven-defying opportunity to absorb the Source Strength of a Heavenly Moon Demon Spider, neither could be judged by common sense.
Therefore, even if Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce’s side had an advantage in numbers, they were unable to take Yang Kai and Shan Qing Luo.
In the beginning, they were afraid of hurting Yang Kai and Shan Qing Luo, so each of them had held back their strength somewhat, but after discovering that the situation had far exceeded their estimations they realized if they did not use their full power, they would be the ones defeated.
As such, they quickly went all out, but even so, they were still unable to triumph.
The entire palace was filled with chaos as the light of various Martial Skills and artifacts bloomed while the surrounding World Energy aura violently churned. Even the Stone Monument containing the profound Artifact Refining method was not spared. Although Yang Kai had tried to avoid the area where it was located during the battle, the others present had no idea of its value, so it soon cracked and, at the rate things were going, it would not be long before it broke entirely.
This caused Yang Kai to feel a great deal of regret as he understood that the Artifact Refining method inscribed on this Stone Monument was incredibly profound, a rare treasure.
But with things having gotten to this point, Yang Kai was helpless to change the outcome.
“Yang Kai, it’s not too late for you to pledge allegiance to this Young Master, otherwise, this Young Master will definitely make you regret it for the rest of your life!” Xue Yue saw that the situation had become tricky and couldn’t help calling out.
“In your dreams!” Yang Kai laughed boisterously, refusing to even entertain the idea.
“Then you force my hand,” Xue Yue ground her teeth and steeled herself, forming a series of complicated signs with her hands as she began drawing in the nearby World Energy.
The face of the beautiful woman and the other masters who were fighting Yang Kai and Shan Qing Luo changed greatly, all of them exchanging a look of amazement, as if they knew what Secret Technique Xue Yue was planning on using. Immediately, all of them used feints to open up some distance with the opponents before shooting looks of pity back at Yang Kai and Shan Qing Luo.
Yang Kai’s expression also became serious; although he knew that Xue Yue had become angry out of shame and was probably not thinking logically anymore, whatever method she was about to use was not trivial. Unfortunately, in this place, trying to run was basically impossible, so he could only resist it head-on.
He didn’t believe that Xue Yue could display some kind of Divine Skill capable of killing him in one fell swoop.
What’s more, he sensed no murderous intent coming from this woman, so clearly she just wanted to see him suffer some pain.
As these thoughts flashed across his mind, Yang Kai prepared his defences.
A moment later, Xue Yue let out a low shout and the surrounding World Energy madly poured into her. The next instant, a strange Monster Beast phantom suddenly appeared above her head.
This Monster Beast’s body was covered with thick dark hair, had bright energetic eyes, and a long single horn extending from its forehead.
When Yang Kai saw this creature, his eyes unconsciously narrowed.
For some reason, he actually felt threatened by this Monster Beast illusion, something he had not experienced since entering the Emperor Garden.
Shan Qing Luo, on the other hand, called out in alarm, “Xie Zhi!”
She seemed to recognize what this Monster Beast was, but that wasn’t surprising since the Monster Emperor Star she was transported to was a Cultivation Star whose population was ninety percent Monster Beast and Monster Race. After so many years in such an environment, there were likely few Monster Beasts Shan Qing Luo did not recognize.
“Woman, your eyesight isn’t bad, actually able to recognize this Young Master’s Symbiotic Monster Spirit, but what of it? If you surrender now, this Young Master would be willing to forgive your former slights and will settle for just torturing that bastard. As for you… you can remain by this Young Master’s side as a concubine. En, your beauty isn’t bad so you can barely qualify to serve this Young Master,” Xue Yue still wanted to persuade them to surrender. Obviously, she knew how powerful this Divine Skill of hers was and that she was not fully able to control it, causing her some concern about injuring Yang Kai and Shan Qing Luo badly.
“A Symbiotic Monster Spirit!” Shan Qing Luo’s beautiful eye shrank for a moment before she let out a pleasant giggle again, “It seems I’ve underestimated your Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce, you’re even able to obtain this kind of thing, but so what? You want this Queen to serve as your concubine? You should keep such nonsense to yourself.”
But Yang Kai just frowned. Even he had heard about Symbiotic Monster Spirits. One needed to take the Blood Essence of a powerful Monster Beast and refine it into their body with a profound Secret Technique, then after a long period of accumulation, one would be able to use that Monster Beast’s abilities and even summon a phantom image of it to oppose enemies.
This too was a type of external boost, but ordinary cultivators were generally incapable of using it because even if they had the aptitude to cultivate such a technique, finding a suitable Monster Beast’s Blood Essence was impossible. The might of this Secret Technique depended entirely on the level of the Monster Beast Blood Essence used.
The Xie Zhi was a kind of Variant Ancient Divine Spirit that had exceptional fighting prowess. Of particular note was its longhorn which was no less powerful than an Origin King Grade artifact. Using its Blood Essence to cultivate this Secret Technique was more than appropriate, and from the aura Xue Yue gave off, it was clear she had been cultivating it for many years. With this Symbiotic Monster Spirit assisting her, even if she was just a Second-Order Origin Realm cultivator, she could be considered invincible in the entire Origin Realm, so her confidence was not without reason.
Yang Kai only wondered when she had successfully cultivated this technique though since he had never seen her resort to it when they were together all those years ago.
When Shan Qing Luo’s cynicism reached her ears, Xue Yue’s expression darkened as she muttered, “You really insist on opposing this Young Master?”
“Opposing?” Shan Qing Luo covered her mouth and smiled, winking coquettishly, “Little Young Master seems to take himself far too seriously. It seems Elder Sister will have to teach you a lesson, lest you fail to understand the immensity of Heaven and Earth.”
The tone Shan Qing Luo took, like an Elder scolding a Junior, truly annoyed Xue Yue.
With the two women fighting like this, Yang Kai couldn’t even insert a word and was relegated to standing back and watching helplessly. As for the masters from Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce, they too had strange expressions.
Their Third Young Master was competing with this enchantress over a man. If word of this ever spread out… it would be an astonishing scandal! Many of these masters even considered whether they should commit suicide here and now to avoid future trouble.
“Fine then, please let this Young Master see who of us doesn’t know the immensity of Heaven and Earth and who is the one shamelessly boasting!” Xue Yue was thoroughly angered now and with a wave of her hand sent the nearly corporeal Xie Zhi phantom roaring forward towards Shan Qing Luo.
Yang Kai’s complexion sank and wanted to intervene, but in the next instant, he saw Shan Qing Luo’s tender body flicker and step forward as a massive eight-legged phantom appeared behind her.
Heavenly Moon Demon Spider!
Without gathering the surrounding World Energy, without using any kind of technique, this phantom image had mysteriously appeared before everyone’s eyes, its entire body a flawless silvery-white with a half-moon mark adorning its forehead.
Although it was objectively a terrifying and hideous sight to behold, everyone who saw this spider at this moment was unable to think so, instead feeling like this giant spider was extremely beautiful.
This contradictory feeling caused everyone to feel quite uncomfortable.
Monster Qi soared to the Heavens, causing the surrounding world to tremble and quake.
“This is…” Xue Yue’s complexion changed dramatically as she stared towards this massive white spider in a daze, an uneasy feeling gripping her heart. However, the arrow had left the string now, and with the Xie Zhi phantom already pouncing towards Shan Qing Luo, even if Xue Yue wanted to take it back, she couldn’t.
“Go!” Compared to Xue Yue, Shan Qing Luo was undoubtedly calmer, and with a light wave of her hand, the Heavenly Moon Demon Spider phantom behind her moved its eight legs and quickly met the Xie Zhi phantom head-on.
One was an Ancient Divine Spirit while the other was a Variant Ancient Divine Spirit. Although the difference between the two wasn’t exactly small in terms of grade, they weren’t living creatures, after all, so the strength they could display was more dependent on the abilities of their controller.
Therefore, in terms of momentum, the Xie Zhi and Heavenly Moon Demon Spider phantoms were basically on par.
In the blink of an eye, the two illusory figures collided, one black, one white, neither one able to overwhelm the other. Indistinct roars and whining noises could be heard as the two creatures clashed, releasing shocking energy fluctuations all around. Almost everyone present became unstable on their feet, as if they were riding aboard a small boat in a great storm, only able to drift with the ocean’s flow.
Yang Kai, however, remained perfectly calm and steady.
The aura that his Verdant Dragon Bone Sword was invisibly radiating was able to resist the terrifying coercion coming from this intense battle, allowing Yang Kai to stay unaffected.
At a rate visibly to the naked eye, the black and white phantoms clusters shrank, obviously a result of the amazing consumption they were experiencing during this battle.
After only a dozen breaths or so, the two opposing coloured light halos merged and the figures of the Xie Zhi and Heavenly Moon Demon Spider were no longer visible.
The next moment, a terrifying burst of energy spread out, carrying with it a Heaven-destroying and Earth-shattering force.
Everyone’s complexion changed drastically and they all hurriedly summoned their defensive artifacts to resist the fallout from this blast. Even so, one after another, figures were thrown out and tumbled through the air before crashing to the ground in extremely embarrassing states.
No one had imagined that the battle between the Xie Zhi and Heavenly Moon Demon Spider would be so violent and end with a kind of mutual destruction.
Xue Yue’s face was pale while Shan Qing Luo’s vitality also seemed somewhat unstable.
*Kacha…*
The sound of something shattering suddenly rang out at that moment and the Stone Monument containing the profound Artifact Refining method at the centre of the hall was finally unable to bear the impact of the chaotic energy waves and burst apart.
Amidst its fragmented remains, however, something else was mixed in and flew out towards Yang Kai’s direction.
“Hm?” Yang Kai wrinkled his brow, and with a quick flick of his wrist grabbed the object which was flying over towards him. When he examined this item, he found that it was a palm-sized stone tablet with some complicated ancient text engraved upon it.
At first glance, Yang Kai was unable to recognize what this thing was.
Inside this Stone Monument which contained a profound Artifact Refining method, there was something else hidden, a discovery that surprised Yang Kai greatly.
Nearby, however, Xue Yue, who was still somewhat pale-faced, suddenly showed a look of pleasant surprise when she spotted this stone tablet, her eyes instantly fixing onto it and refusing to move.
“Yang Kai, give that thing to me!” Xue Yue suddenly called out.
“Why?” Yang Kai shot a glance over at her before quickly stuffing the stone tablet into his Space Ring. Although he did not know what this stone tablet was, since it had been so deeply hidden here, obviously it was no small matter.
Xue Yue should have also understood this, and possibly even recognized the ancient text engraved on it. Otherwise, she would not have been so excited.
“Just give it to me!” Xue Yue said anxiously, “That thing is of no use to you!”
“How do you know it’s of no use to me?” Yang Kai declared indifferently.
“Give it to me first, and I’ll explain when I have a chance later. As long as you hand that stone tablet over, this Young Master will withdraw and no longer trouble you. The grievances between you and I will also be wiped clean!” Xue Yue stared at Yang Kai sincerely.
Yang Kai’s expression finally changed, becoming more and more curious.
How valuable must this stone tablet be that it could make Xue Yue offer such concessions? Although Yang Kai was certain that whatever secrets this stone tablet held were incredibly shocking, he did not suspect that Xue Yue was deceiving him.
Since she said it was useless to him, it almost certainly was. Although Xue Yue was extremely possessive and possessed astonishing means and abilities, she was not someone who liked to lie. Because of her innate arrogance, she simply disdained to deceive others.
About this point, Yang Kai believed his judgment.
In all fairness, it would not be a loss to exchange this stone tablet of unknown purpose for Xue Yue’s promise.
Seeing Yang Kai become tempted, Xue Yue hurriedly struck while the iron was hot and said, “This Young Master is always true to his word, about this you don’t need to doubt, everyone here can testify to this!”
“Can I ask what use this thing has?” Yang Kai tilted his head and looked at her.
A hint of embarrassment appeared on Xue Yue’s face, but after a short pause, she opened her lips and sent a quiet message directly to his ear, “I can’t tell you exactly what it’s for, but I can tell you that not only is it useless to you, it’s also useless to me and every other cultivator in the entire Emperor Garden!”
Yang Kai’s eyes shrank!
Although Xue Yue did not explain anything directly, her remarks were intriguing enough.
Most of the cultivators in the Emperor Garden were Origin Returning Realm masters, many of whom had reached the Third-Order, so this stone tablet being useless to all of them could only mean one thing.
Only Origin King Realm masters could use this stone tablet!
No wonder Xue Yue was willing to make such a promise, this thing’s value was not small. Any treasure that was exclusively for Origin Kings must have inestimable value, but… Yang Kai had only just broken through to the Origin Returning Realm and was still extremely far away from the Origin King Realm. What’s more, he had so many rare treasures already, as well as an incredibly rich background, so he may not even care about the secrets hidden in this stone tablet.
Considering all this, Yang Kai began leaning towards accepting Xue Yue’s offer and hesitantly asked, “Can I believe your words?”
“Yes!” Xue Yue declared solemnly.
“Good, I hope you mean what you say!” Yang Kai nodded gently and was just about to toss the stone tablet to Xue Yue, but at that moment, a change suddenly took place.
All of a sudden, an abnormal energy fluctuation filled the air like an invisible ripple, sweeping over everyone and everything in an instant.
Yang Kai was quite awfully familiar with this kind of energy fluctuation by now and it caused his complexion to change dramatically when he felt it. Rushing towards Shan Qing Luo at that instant, he called out loudly, “Qing Luo!”
Shan Qing Luo hadn’t realized what was going on yet but seeing Yang Kai rushing over to her so eagerly, she couldn’t help smiling and stretching out her jade white hand towards him.
But in the next moment, her expression changed sharply because she saw a huge palm formed of ambient World Energy suddenly appear behind Yang Kai. This palm should belong to a woman, because although it was massive, it had a slender and beautiful appearance, like a flawless jade carving that had been enlarged thousands of times over.
Swooping down from above, it grabbed towards Yang Kai!
“No!” Shan Qing Luo’s beautiful face lost all colour as she screamed out in panic.
The moment her voice rang out though, the flawless jade hand grabbed hold of Yang Kai and burst into particles of light, disappearing along with Yang Kai before everyone’s eyes.
Before she could figure out what happened, Shan Qing Luo heard panicked screams from all directions. Looking around, she could not help gawking for a moment because right now, everyone was facing the same fate as Yang Kai. Giant palms formed by the ambient World Energy were grabbing hold of everyone, bursting, then as space distorted, figures were vanishing.
Shan Qing Luo instinctually raised her head to the sky and found that even her situation was the same…
By the time she recovered her wits, Shan Qing Luo realized she had returned to Monster Emperor Star!
Somewhere on Shadowed Star, Yang Kai stood in a daze, staring down at his palm.
On his fingertips, there seemed to be a touch of Shan Qing Luo’s lingering heat and the tip of his nose still smelt a whiff of her enchanting fragrance, stimulating his emotions even now.
Only after some time did he raise his head and sigh. Although they had been forcefully separated again so soon after they reunited, at least Yang Kai was certain that Shan Qing Luo was alive and well, which for now was enough.
Yang Kai did not know what happened in the Emperor Garden to cause its World Principles to suddenly eject him, but since he had been sent out, everyone else must have as well.
Considering all this, Yang Kai looked up and found that high in the sky, the massive and majestic Emperor Garden was still present, appearing just as it always had with the exception of the jade platforms which had now disappeared.
Yang Kai estimated that it would be impossible to re-enter the Emperor Garden again.
Yang Kai did not know exactly what happened in the Emperor Garden, but he figured it was somehow related to Yang Yan. She had said that on the day the Emperor Garden opened, the true body of the Great Emperor would awaken, so presumably, everything had gone well with her and Ye Xi Yun.
If all had gone well, then the body of the Great Emperor should have awoken!
Thinking so, Yang Kai’s heart suddenly clenched and his expression became gloomy.
Yang Yan was the Soul Clone of the Great Emperor, so if the true body of the Great Emperor awoke, what would happen to her? Yang Kai had not considered this point before and Yang Yan had never mentioned it to him, but now, the more he thought about it, the more anxious he became.
No more dawdling, Yang Kai quickly released his Divine Sense to try to find out where he currently was, as well as what direction to travel to reach the Flowing Flame Sand Field.
This quick investigation, however, only made Yang Kai’s face even uglier.
He discovered that he was on a deserted island. This island was not very large, only about a dozen kilometres in diameter, and the resources here were quite poor. There were no spirit grasses or spirit medicines to speak of and no trace of any living people, the only thing above and around him was blue sky and blue sea.
[It can’t be…] Yang Kai frowned.
When bad luck struck, it never did so gently, [I can’t have been sent to the Limitless Ocean, right?]
Yang Kai had arrived on Shadowed Star many years ago, so he was well aware of the existence of the Limitless Ocean. Shadowed Soul Island, one of the Three Great Forbidden Zones, was situated above the Limitless Ocean. Unfortunately, no one had ever seen Shadowed Soul Island and lived to tell the tale.
The environment around Yang Kai right now was remarkably similar to the descriptions he had heard about the Limitless Ocean before!
If this was truly the case, his situation was a bit troublesome; after all, the Flowing Flame Sand Field was incredibly far from the Limitless Ocean. If Yang Kai were to try to fly the whole way back, he could not even begin to estimate how much time it would take him.
Of course, this was just his guess and he would need to find someone to ask to be certain.
Having formulated a plan, Yang Kai summoned his Star Shuttle and flew off as quick as lightning from the deserted island.
Atop the expansive sea, five cultivators wearing matching robes were fighting with a giant octopus-like sea beast. Brilliant artifact attacks and Martial Skills blossomed, filling the air and sea with vivid and colourful light.
The cultivation of these five was not high, each of them only having reached the Saint Realm.
On the other hand, the aura emanating from the octopus’s body was peak Seventh-Order.
If it were anywhere else, this group of five would be more than enough to take down this sea beast, but in the water, this octopus occupied a distinct territorial advantage and could easily use the abundant Water Attribute Energy around it to fight. It would condense barrages of water arrows to overwhelm the five cultivators while mixing in its black ink to blind and disorient them.
Additionally, the long and thick tentacles of this sea beast were not to be underestimated. Every time it struck with one of its limbs, the five cultivators would pale and hurriedly evade.
Although wounds accumulated on the sea beast’s body as time passed, the group of five were also becoming exhausted and each of them was now obviously panting for breath.
After another incense stick worth of time, a scream suddenly resounded. It was a woman wearing green robes. She and her companions had been trying to land a killing blow on the eye of this sea beast when suddenly they had been enveloped by a thick black mist.
Obviously, the octopus had sprayed out a large amount of its ink to form this black mist. Not only could this mist hinder sight and Divine Sense, but it also seemed to suppress the power of artifacts and impede the flow of Saint Qi in any cultivator caught inside of it.
This woman had the lowest cultivation out of this group, so she was the first to be affected. At the exact moment she noticed her Saint Qi was no longer circulating smoothly, a giant tentacle whipped towards her.
The woman’s beautiful face turned pale as she instinctively tried to defend herself but unfortunately discovered that she was powerless to do so. Seeing the tentacle approaching closer and closer, she could not help screaming, thinking she was doomed this time.
The other four people in this group also saw this but they too were suffering the effects of the black mist and were unable to render assistance, causing them immense anxiety and regret.
However, at the last moment, a golden light suddenly flashed before their eyes. This golden light at first seemed quite weak, but amidst the black mist, it shined as dazzlingly as the sun, dispelling the darkness which was engulfing the group of five.
With a soft slicing sound, the tentacle of the giant octopus which the group of five had been helpless against was instantly cut off, resulting in dark green blood splashing out in the next instant.
The sea beast’s pained cries rang out as it whipped its seven remaining tentacles about chaotically, stirring up the surrounding sea.
The golden light reappeared immediately after and all the octopus’s remaining tentacles were severed and flew away from the octopus’ main body with a series of slicing sounds, green blood instantly overflowing into the sea.
In the blink of an eye, the originally dominant octopus was killed, its massive body miserably chopped into pieces.
Having just escaped from death, how could this woman from an unknown force not understand that she had been lucky, and a passing master had saved her? Calming herself down, she hurriedly raised her voice and shouted, “May I ask which Senior has arrived here? Profound Heaven Sect’s Xiao Luo thanks Senior for this life-saving grace.”
The other four also recovered and offered their thanks, looking around to find the figure who had rescued their Junior Sister.
A gust of wind blew in and the dark mist covering the area was blown away, revealing a stalwart looking young man standing nearby, his expression somewhat strange as a look of nostalgia flashed across his eyes.
[So young?] The group of five were all quite surprised. They had thought that whoever it was who killed this peak Seventh-Order beast must be an old master, but it turned out that their saviour looked no older than themselves.
However, age could not be judged according to appearance alone as the higher a cultivator’s strength, the slower their vitality would pass. As a result, many extremely powerful masters retained youthful looks.
Thinking so, the five Saints became even more respectful. Led by a sturdy-looking man, they flew over to Yang Kai and bowed again to thank him.
“A minor matter, there’s no need for such politeness,” Yang Kai said lightly as he observed the dishevelled looks of these five people and the Seventh-Order sea beast’s corpse down below, recalling the past where he too was weak, like they were. Now, however, a peak Seventh-Order Sea Beast couldn’t even last a breath against him.
[Time really flies by! Now… I’m the Senior.]
Yang Kai suddenly felt the urge to laugh.
As such thoughts swirled around Yang Kai’s head, the expressions of the five Saints in front of him remained taut and cautious. Understanding why these five were acting this way, Yang Kai simply asked, “Is this the Limitless Ocean?”
The five people glanced at each other before the man leading their group nodded and replied, “Reporting to Senior, this is indeed the Limitless Ocean.”
“So… It’s true,” Yang Kai’s face sank. Although he had guessed as much, he had not expected that he would really be sent to the Limitless Ocean from the Emperor Garden.
“Is Senior from inland?” The woman named Xiao Luo suddenly asked.
“Luo’er!” The lead man’s face changed drastically as he called out in alarm. Although he did not know what kind of cultivation Yang Kai possessed, judging from the method he used to kill the sea beast just now, if he wanted to kill them, it would not take any effort.
It was one thing to be grateful for a life-saving grace and another to remain wary. Before they were clear about this passing Senior’s temperament, if they were to suddenly begin asking questions it would likely irritate him.
What’s more, this man currently had two beautiful Junior Sisters in his group. If this Senior were to be a lascivious man, interacting with him would likely lead to trouble. The lead man’s expression became tense as he raised his eyes to look at Yang Kai, but to his relief, he found that Yang Kai was not angry and instead just staring at his Junior Sister with interest.
“How did you know I came from the inland?”
“Because those who live on the Limitless Ocean all-year-round have darker skin tones and a unique kind of moisture in their auras. Senior doesn’t have either of these,” The girl named Xiao Luo explained naturally.
“So that’s how it is,” Yang Kai smiled lightly, glanced around, and discovered it was just as this woman said. These five indeed had a kind of moisture mixed in with their auras, one that was so light that wouldn’t be noticed if one didn’t specifically look for it. The skin tone of these five was also slightly darker than the ones of people from the inland. With someone guessing his origins, and never having any intention to conceal them in the first place, Yang Kai simply nodded in acknowledgement, “Yeah, I came from the inland but I seem to have gotten lost. Do you know which way I need to go to return to the inland and about how long it will take?”
…..
After a half cup of tea’s time, Yang Kai summoned his Star Shuttle again and flew off in a certain direction.
After asking these five disciples of Profound Heaven Sect for directions, Yang Kai realized that his luck had not been so terrible. He was currently at the edge of the Limitless Ocean, not its depths, so he was not too far from the inland. With his speed, it would only take him about three to five days to reach land.
However, flying back to the Flowing Flame Sand Field was a bit unrealistic; after all, the distance was too far. If he relied on his own power, it would take Yang Kai at least half a year to return!
Yang Kai was not interested in wasting so much time on the road.
As such, he was planning to find a city where he could use a Space Array.
Fortunately, there was a city called Sea Side City not far from where he was at that was regarded as a way-station between the inland and the Limitless Ocean. Many cultivators would enter and exit Sea Side City, so the Space Array was open to the public; of course, one would need to pay enough Saint Crystals to use it.
For each use of the Space Array, depending on the distance one wanted to travel, the charge would be different. The minimum cost was 10,000 Saint Crystals while the maximum was 300,000.
Such a price would be difficult for an average cultivator to bear, but it was nothing to Yang Kai.
Five days later, Yang Kai arrived at Sea Side City. The scale of this city was not small, about twice as large as Heavenly Fate City, and the cultivators coming and going seemed to form a human river that never stopped flowing.
This was not surprising as, although the inland and ocean both belonged to Shadowed Star, the various resources they produced were vastly different due to differences in geography and climate. Many cultivation resources that were not available inland could easily be found on the ocean while the opposite was also true.
As an interchange between the two, Sea Side City had become the most famous commercial city in the surrounding million-kilometre radius.
Yang Kai did not plan on staying here for very long though, so after some quick inquiries, he learned the location of the Space Array and rushed over to it.
The streets of Sea Side City were spacious enough to accommodate several carts driving side by side and each street was lined with rows upon rows of shops, enough to make a person dizzy.
As he was rushing towards his destination though, a loud noise suddenly caught Yang Kai’s ear.
“You cheap bitch, with just two thousand Saint Crystals you want to buy a Hundred Spirits Pill? Are you insane? If you do not leave this instant, don’t blame me for being impolite.”
“But I only have two thousand Saint Crystals on me right now. Shopkeeper Cheng, you and I have done many transactions these past few years, and although none of those were of great value, you know I am a credible person. Can’t you make an exception and sell me that pill on credit? I swear that I will pay back the Saint Crystals I owe you in the future! I have to earn a living here in Sea Side City in the future, so you know I won’t simply run away.”
“Nonsense, I’m running a business here! People pay money and I sell them goods, this isn’t a charity! If you do not have enough Saint Crystals, then get the hell out, you must be dreaming if you think I’ll just give you a Hundred Spirits Pill!”
“Shopkeeper Cheng I’m begging you.”
“Shut up! I’m warning you one last time, if you don’t leave, you’ll face the consequences!”
The source of this disturbance was a nearby man and woman. The man was the shopkeeper of a pill store while the woman, who seemed to be about forty years old, was a prospective customer. From her appearance, it was clear that this woman must have been quite beautiful in her youth, but right now her skin was a bit pale and her figure was a bit thin. Clearly, she was quite impoverished. She was imploring this shopkeeper surnamed Cheng but the other party remained completely unmoved.
Yang Kai stared at this woman’s profile for a long time before suddenly raising his brow, a thoughtful look flashing across his face.
He felt that this woman was familiar, but he couldn’t be sure he was right; after all, the two of them weren’t familiar with one another and it was just her voice and profile that seemed similar to the ones in his memory.
Thinking so, Yang Kai decided to step forward.
The shopkeeper, who was just fiercely berating the women, saw Yang Kai approach and immediately put on a friendly business smile and asked, “May I help you, Sir? Although this shop is small, we have a wide selection of high-quality pills available. Whether it is for healing or cultivation, we carry pills for every need, please have a look for yourself.”
Yang Kai glanced at this shopkeeper for a moment without showing any intention to respond before turning to the woman and examining her carefully. After a while, he asked tentatively, “Are you Foreign Elder Huang?”
The woman who appeared to be on the brink of breaking down and crying was just about to leave but heard Yang Kai’s voice and could not help looking up in surprise to see him staring curiously at her.
In that instant, her tender body trembled as she showed a startled and somewhat amazed look on her face.
“It truly is you, Foreign Elder Huang!” Yang Kai gently nodded. Although this woman looked quite dishevelled, she was indeed someone he knew; after all, she would not have reacted this way had she been a stranger to him.
Huang Juan! In the past, she had been one of the Hai Ke Family’s Foreign Elders, an old acquaintance of Chang Qi and Hao An’s so to speak.
During the struggle between Yang Kai and the Hai Ke Family, Huang Juan had been ordered by Patriarch Yi En to go to the City Lord’s Mansion for help. Unfortunately for them, Fei Zhi Tu had no interest in intervening and refused to see her, so Huang Juan had no choice but to return in failure, soon after which she quietly left the Hai Ke Family.
Yang Kai had heard from Chang Qi and Hao An about her so he had some faint impression of Huang Juan. Understanding that she was unwilling to become enemies with Wu Yi and the others, she had chosen to leave the Hai Ke Family without hesitation.
She apparently had a good personal relationship with Wu Yi, and when Chang Qi and Hao An spoke about their old friends over the years, Huang Juan was the one they mentioned most often.
As for why she had come to Sea Side City and why she seemed so down on her luck, Yang Kai didn’t know.
However, it wasn’t too difficult to imagine what happened. With only a Third-Order Saint King Realm cultivation, while she might have been able to receive some good treatment from the Hai Ke Family, it was nothing worth mentioning in relation to the great forces on Shadowed Star. With no strong backing and no background to speak of, a lone Third-Order Saint King would indeed have a difficult time surviving, especially if she were a woman.
“Are you Yang Kai?” Huang Juan obviously remembered Yang Kai, “Why are you here?”
“It’s a long story,” Yang Kai shook his head slowly, not planning to explain in detail, “Rather than that, why are you here, Foreign Elder Huang?”
“I came here many years ago,” Huang Juan’s expression flickered slightly before continuing awkwardly, “What happened back then, I was simply acting on orders, so…”
“I know, don’t worry about it. I didn’t come here to find trouble with you. Are you poisoned?” Yang Kai frowned as he observed a faint black Qi between Huang Juan’s brows.
Huang Juan wore a stunned look hearing this, as if she did not expect Yang Kai to be able to see through her condition so easily.
“No wonder you want to buy a Hundred Spirits Pill,” Yang Kai gently nodded.
“I’ve shown you something embarrassing,” Huang Juan said as her face blushed. Having such an awkward condition exposed was something to feel ashamed about.
Seeing Yang Kai and Huang Juan conversing, apparently quite familiar with one another, the shopkeeper of the pill store could not help showing a touch of impatience. He subconsciously thought that anyone who was friends with a poor woman like Huang Juan would not be wealthy.
What’s more, Yang Kai had just come out from the Emperor Garden where he fought several battles, after which he flew nonstop over the open ocean to reach Sea Side City, so he currently had quite the dishevelled look himself.
The shopkeeper’s face sank immediately and all the flattery in his voice disappeared as he quickly snorted, “If you two want to reminisce, find somewhere else to do it, don’t hinder my shop from doing business.”
Hearing what he said, Yang Kai glanced over at him casually and understood that this man had a habit of acting snobbish. Feeling somewhat annoyed at being treated like this, Yang Kai coldly snorted, “How many Saint Crystals for a Hundred Spirits Pill?”
“What? You want to buy one?” The shopkeeper surnamed Cheng swept his eyes over Yang Kai suspiciously.
“What? Can’t I buy one?”
“Of course you can, but this is a business after all, only after you pay money will we deliver goods…”
As soon as the shopkeeper spoke these words though, a cloth bag flew over to him which he quickly caught. Sweeping the inside of this bag with his Divine Sense, the look on shopkeeper Cheng’s face immediately changed as he smiled widely, “Oh! Please wait a moment dear customer.”
Saying so, he quickly went to the back of the shop and took out a Hundred Spirits Pill before handing it over to Yang Kai.
After taking the Hundred Spirits Pill, Yang Kai did not bother with this man any further. The other party was just a Saint Realm cultivator, so although his character was a little rotten, Yang Kai would not lower himself to deal with him, simply waving to Huang Juan and saying, “Let’s go.”
“En,” Huang Juan replied blankly before following after Yang Kai in something of a daze.
Not long after, the two entered an inn under the leadership of Yang Kai and, after renting a courtyard, he handed the Hundred Spirits Pill to Huang Juan to refine.
After a day and night, Huang Juan had fully recovered.
Although the Hundred Spirits Pill was just a Saint King Grade Low-Rank pill, it was excellent for detoxification. The poison Huang Juan was afflicted with was not too strong, with the only problem being that she had been suppressing it forcefully for some time now. As such, after she swallowed the Hundred Spirits Pill and spent some time adjusting her breathing, she was completely cured and would not need to worry about the poison’s effects in the future.
Opening her eyes again, the woman said to Yang Kai with a somewhat complicated expression, “This Mistress must thank Sect Master Yang for his help, I will not forget this graciousness for the rest of my life.”
As she spoke, she choked up a bit. If it were not for her coincidentally running to Yang Kai here, what fate she might have met was completely uncertain. Although she couldn’t die from such a poison, if she were unable to detoxify herself for too long, her strength would have been affected and her realm might have even fallen. Such consequences were unacceptable for any cultivator.
“Just a trivial matter,” Yang Kai waved his hand faintly, “But it seems that Foreign Elder Huang has had a difficult time these past few years.”
Hearing this, Huang Juan brushed her tattered hair back behind her ear and smiled bitterly, “Far more than difficult, times have been extremely hard.”
Only after she left the Hai Ke Family did she realize how difficult it was for a cultivator to be alone in this world. She had not noticed at first because she had built up some savings after spending so many years as a Foreign Elder in the Hai Ke Family.
However, when her savings ran out, her nightmare began.
Without any status or backing, she could only depend on herself. Moreover, she was a woman who, despite not being young anymore, was still somewhat charming, so she had often faced the coveting of unscrupulous men, leading to many dangerous situations.
She had wanted to find another Sect or small family to join, but no one was willing to admit a cultivator like her that had unclear origins.
As a last resort, she could only partner with a few other cultivators in similar situations to her in Sea Side City and go out to sea to hunt sea beasts for a living. However, this kind of work was accompanied by huge risks. Huang Juan had witnessed many cultivators she worked with die on the ocean in recent years, including cultivators from the team she belonged to. Fortunately, her luck hadn’t been too bad, and she was able to return alive each time.
That was until a Sea Beast managed to poison her, after which no one wanted to partner with her anymore. To cure this poison, Huang Juan had sold off all her belongings, but unfortunately, she still hadn’t managed to gather enough Saint Crystals to afford a Hundred Spirits Pill. She had gone to the previous pill store several times, but each time she begged, the shopkeeper surnamed Cheng would ruthlessly reject her.
It was not until today when she met Yang Kai that things had changed.
After listening to her story, Yang Kai gently nodded, pondered for a moment, then suddenly said, “Have you ever thought of going back?”
“Going back?” Huang Juan looked at him for a moment, a trace of nostalgia flashing across her face before she gently shook her head and said with a wry smile, “I can’t go back, this Mistress already left the Hai Ke Family, so how could I shamelessly return now? Not to mention, I heard that the family already dismissed all its Foreign Elders a few years ago and now only allows those with blood ties to become Elders. Even if I were to go back, they won’t accept me.”
“No, no, no, I don’t mean to return to the Hai Ke Family, I mean return to Wu Yi, Chang Qi, and Hao An!” Yang Kai raised a finger and shook it.
“You mean… to High Heaven Sect?” Huang Juan’s eyes lit up.
“Oh? You know of High Heaven Sect?” Yang Kai was surprised.
“Sect Master Yang must be joking,” Huang Juan’s eyes flashed brilliantly, “High Heaven Sect is now extremely well-known. Although this Mistress has lived in Sea Side City for many years now, how could I not have heard of it? What’s more, the Battle of Dragon Cave Mountain is a famous event that is still widely talked about across Shadowed Star. I’m afraid there is no one on Shadowed Star that does not know about High Heaven Sect and Sect Master Yang.”
“Am I so famous?” Yang Kai raised his brow. He didn’t think Huang Juan was trying to fawn over him; after all, this place was truly far from the inland, so what she said about being able to hear about the Battle of Dragon Cave Mountain and High Heaven Sect was likely the earnest truth.
“Forget it, such things aren’t important. I’ll just ask you this, what do you think of my proposal?”
A touch of excitement appeared on Huang Juan’s face, but she did not immediately respond. Instead, hesitation crept into her expression before she lowered her head sadly, “This Mistress naturally wishes for such an opportunity, but this Mistress’ cultivation is so low, how could I be worthy of joining High Heaven Sect?”
“What does having low cultivation have to do with anything? There are many people in the Sect whose cultivation is inferior to yours. You must be familiar with the skills of the Hai Ke Family’s disciples, most of them are still just Saints, and while a number have broken through to the Saint King Realm they are still far worse than you,” Yang Kai failed to stifle his laughter.
“But…”
“No buts, are you willing or not, it’s only a matter of a few words,” Yang Kai’s expression turned serious as he cut her off.
Huang Juan bit her red lip, but after a long pause, she nodded her head solemnly, “This Mistress is willing!”
“Very good.” Yang Kai smiled lightly, “Then from today onwards, you will be a member of High Heaven Sect.”
As the Sect Master, it was not a problem for Yang Kai to receive someone like this.
“Subordinate thanks Sect Master for granting this one shelter!” Huang Juan was also a decisive person. If not, she would not have left the Hai Ke Family in advance all those years ago. Since she had made a decision, she would not act hesitant anymore and immediately bowed respectfully.
“There’s no need for such formalities,” Yang Kai stretched out his hand and helped Huang Juan up. Seeing some lingering doubts and confusion still adorning her face though, Yang Kai took the initiative to explain, “Being able to meet you here must be some kind of fate. Over the years, Wu Yi, Chang Qi, and Hao An would often speak about you, and besides, the Sect is currently in need of more Origin Realm masters, so my offering you an invitation is not something you need to think too much about.”
“Yes!” Huang Juan nodded lightly, “But Sect Master, your subordinate is currently just a Third-Order Saint King.”
She thought Yang Kai had made a mistake.
“For now you are a Third-Order Saint King, but you will be an Origin Realm master shortly,” Yang Kai grinned confidently. Huang Juan’s situation was the same as Chang Qi and Hao An’s, who had been stuck at this realm for many years, unable to take the next step in their cultivation. However, since Chang Qi and Hao An were able to break through, Huang Juan should also be able to.
High Heaven Sect’s reputation was truly quite resonant right now, and there was no need to worry about coming under attack inside the Flowing Flame Sand Field, but the power of a Sect was always inseparable from the number and strength of its masters, so it would be improper to sit back and become complacent.
Considering the current High Heaven Sect, apart from Ye Xi Yun and Yang Kai, the cultivation levels of the others were too low. There was especially a lack of Origin Realm masters.
It would take at least ten or twenty years for Wu Yi and the others to fully mature and reach the Origin Realm, but Huang Juan was different, she could make a breakthrough in short order. It could be said that she was a ready-made Origin Returning Realm master candidate whose origins and temperament Yang Kai had full knowledge of.
This was why Yang Kai had the idea of taking her back with him.
If it had been a stranger with unknown origins, how could Yang Kai act so carelessly?
In the future, High Heaven Sect would definitely face many setbacks and hardships, so it was naturally important to plan ahead and use any means possible to strengthen it right now.
“Do you have anything to pack here? If not, we can set off now,” Yang Kai looked at her and asked.
“I have no possessions to pack, it’s just…”
“Just what?” Yang Kai looked at her curiously.
“It’s just that there is another person I want to bring with me, I hope Sect Master will permit it!”
“Another person?” Yang Kai frowned, “Who?”
He was willing to take Huang Juan into High Heaven Sect, but that did not mean he would accept others as well, so hearing Huang Juan make this kind of request, he immediately felt a little displeased.
[Wasn’t she acting a bit too presumptuous?]
Huang Juan couldn’t help showing a look of panic as she deeply bowed her head and said, “Please calm your anger, Sect Master. Subordinate humbly requests Sect Master to accompany her to meet this individual before making a decision.”
Yang Kai narrowed his eyes for a moment before nodding, “Fine, lead the way.”
“Many thanks, Sect Master,” Huang Juan was overjoyed and hurriedly guided him.
Huang Juan led Yang Kai to a small, crude-looking house in a remote corner of Sea Side City. This kind of house could be described as a shack. After arriving at the door, Huang Juan entered a kind of code into what seemed like a lock before pushing it open and entering.
Yang Kai followed her inside, and upon glancing around, he could not help letting out a sigh.
Not only was this house small and narrow, it was also damp and gloomy with an extremely simple layout. Besides some minimal furniture, there was literally nothing else here.
“You lived here all these years?” Yang Kai frowned, the anger in his heart dissipating greatly.
“Reporting to Sect Master, Subordinate has only lived here for the last three years,” Huang Juan smiled awkwardly. She had been a Foreign Elder of the Hai Ke Family, and although the Hai Ke Family was not very strong, they were able to at least provide her with a comfortable residence, one infinitely better than this shack.
“It’s been hard for you these years,” Yang Kai sighed slightly, “Where is this person you spoke of?”
He didn’t see anyone here.
“She’s here,” Huang Juan smiled lightly before gently pulling out a small figure, squatting down, and saying in a coaxing tone, “Yun’er, come greet Sect Master Yang!”
Yang Kai looked down and couldn’t help showing a look of astonishment, “A child?”
He never expected the person Huang Juan wanted to bring along would be a child!
Seeing her appearance, this little girl was only six or seven years old. She was less than a metre tall, fairly thin, and had a somewhat pale-yellow complexion, a clear sign she was malnourished. The clothes she was wearing were also made from coarse linen, but despite their poor quality, they were neat and tidy, free of dirt and grime. Overall, this little girl had a young, somewhat naive look appropriate for her age, but her eyes were quite bright and energetic.
This little girl clearly was not Huang Juan’s child because the two had no similarities in their faces, and as far as Yang Kai knew, Huang Juan had never given birth.
So where did this little girl come from?
The little girl seemed to be a little shy but also somewhat curious, quickly hiding behind Huang Juan while looking towards Yang Kai with her wide sparkling eyes, not saying a word.
Huang Juan tried persuading her a few times to give her greetings, but this little girl stubbornly refused to come forward and simply kept shaking her head as she glanced towards Yang Kai vigilantly. This scene caused Yang Kai to frown slightly and a kind of bitterness to creep into his heart.
A child of this age should be completely ignorant for worldly affairs, but this little girl was actually showing wariness towards him, which could only mean that she had encountered something traumatic before making her not dare get close to any strangers.
“Please forgive me, Sect Master, Yun’er is still young and does not understand etiquette, I hope Sect Master won’t take offence,” Huang Juan stood up and apologized to Yang Kai with a forced smile.
“It’s fine,” Yang Kai slowly shook his head, releasing his Divine Sense in the next instant to examine this little girl, saying in surprise a moment later, “She’s already reached the peak Initial Element Stage? Were you the one who taught her?”
“En,” Huang Juan nodded lightly, “Yun’er insisted on learning so I directed her a little bit.”
“Not bad,” Yang Kai expressed his approval. A little girl like this reaching the peak Initial Element Stage was something impossible to achieve unless she possessed excellent aptitude. And considering Huang Juan’s financial resources, it was more than likely this little girl had not had any kind of decent cultivation resources or environment. In other words, the aptitude of this little girl was exceptional.
After hesitating for a while, Yang Kai withdrew his Divine Sense and asked, “Where are her parents?”
“They fell three years ago,” Huang Juan replied sadly.
Huang Juan then briefly explained about this little girl’s past.
The little girl’s surname was Lin, with her full name being Lin Yun’er. Her father was originally a wandering cultivator while her mother was a disciple from Sea Temple. Sea Temple was considered a great force on the Limitless Ocean, and its reputation there was equivalent to Heaven Battling Union or Thunder Typhoon Sect’s inland.
Lin Yun’er’s mother seemed to possess some status in Sea Temple, so she had several suitors as well as Elders who wanted to marry their descendants to her; however, love was not something one could predict or control. After meeting Lin Yun’er’s father, her mother fell deeply in love and was unable to extricate herself. In the end, the two confessed to one another and secretly swore to become life partners.
When this matter was discovered by the upper levels of Sea Temple, they expelled Lin Yun’er’s mother in a fit of anger.
Although she was technically banished, Sea Temple didn’t want to excessively embarrass her so they silently acquiesced to her living in Sea Side City. Since then, Lin Yun’er’s parents lived quite poor lives, but with their affection for one another, they did not have any complaints.
However, cultivators not only needed to live, but also to cultivate.
The two of them were both only Saint Kings, similar to Huang Juan, so without the support of a Sect, they could only go to sea to hunt sea beasts to procure Monster Cores and materials they could exchange for cultivation resources.
It was because of this that Huang Juan had met them and formed a small team with the husband and wife duo.
Unfortunately, on a hunt three years ago, the trio had encountered a peak Eighth-Order sea beast and Lin Yun’er’s parents had been killed, with only Huang Juan managing to escape back to Sea Side City. From that point on, she had taken it upon herself to raise Lin Yun’er.
At that time, Lin Yun’er was only three or four years old and had only just begun to form coherent memories.
It wasn’t an exaggeration to say that most of Lin Yun’er’s memories were of Huang Juan, and the knowledge she had was all taught to her by Huang Juan. The relationship between the two was essentially mother and daughter!
This situation was also related to why Lin Yun’er was wary of strangers. Her parents had borrowed some Saint Crystals from some unscrupulous individuals just before they died, so after the news spread that they had fallen, creditors came to their house and wanted to take Lin Yun’er away to pay off the debt. Fortunately, they were blocked by Huang Juan who had paid the debt for her.
In summary, Lin Yun’er’s life experience was incredibly miserable. At an extremely young age she had lost both her father and mother and if not for Huang Juan taking her in three years ago, it was highly questionable whether Lin Yun’er would even still be alive today.
This simple house was where Lin Yun’er’s parents used to live; after their death, Huang Juan had stayed here in order to take care of Lin Yun’er.
“So that’s the story!” After listening to Huang Juan’s narration, Yang Kai gently nodded with pity filling his heart.
It was at that moment that Lin Yun’er, who had been silent the entire time, suddenly said, “Are you here to take Yun’er away?”
This voice was crisp and pleasing to the ears and her eyes were crystal clear when she asked this question to Yang Kai, without the slightest impurity clouding them.
Yang Kai heard her words and said with a grin, “Yes, I’m here to take you away.”
Lin Yun’er unexpectedly didn’t show any fear, instead tilting her head and thought for a moment before asking, “Can you come back in a few years?”
“Oh, why?” Yang Kai was curious about how this child’s thoughts regarding this problem.
“Yun’er will grow up very quickly, then after a few years, she will be able to go out to hunt sea beasts, then she will be able to give you a lot of Saint Crystals. So many you won’t be able to spend them for your entire life!”
She obviously thought Yang Kai had come to collect debts again.
Yang Kai was taken aback and couldn’t help laughing.
Huang Juan’s expression also cramped up slightly as she watched.
“Hahaha, very good. She may be small, but her spirit is good,” Yang Kai nodded with satisfaction.
“Please don’t take Yun’er away, Yun’er doesn’t want to be separated from Aunty Huang now!” Lin Yun’er said clearly.
As soon as this statement came out, Huang Juan’s eyes immediately became wet. Although Lin Yun’er was not her real child, she already regarded her as her daughter after caring for her these past few years. Now that she heard such words, how could she not feel moved? Gently bending down again, she tenderly hugged the little girl.
“Hm, I’m not only here to take Yun’er away, but also your Aunty Huang, so what am I supposed to do?” Yang Kai put on a fake awkward appearance.
“Oh! You’re a bad person!” Lin Yun’er suddenly realized, lifting her little hand and pointing towards Yang Kai as she firmly declared.
In the eyes of children, things were either black or white, those who wanted to harm them were bad people.
Yang Kai just smiled and didn’t explain.
“Sect Master…” Huang Juan looked at him hesitantly.
“It’s fine. Of course, you can bring her with us,” Yang Kai smiled lightly as the situation was very different from what he previously suspected. Since it was just a child Huang Juan wanted to bring with them, he had no objections.
“Many thanks, Sect Master!” Huang Juan was overjoyed. Although she also felt that Yang Kai would agree to her request in the end, if Yang Kai had really refused her, she could only have chosen to stay here and take care of Lin Yun’er.
“Yun’er, quickly thank Sect Master,” Huang Juan unwrapped Lin Yun’er from her arms and pointed to Yang Kai.
“No, he’s a bad person, he wants to take Yun’er away!” Lin Yun’er insisted on her opinion. Not only did she not relent though, she even stepped forward and threw a fist towards Yang Kai.
Her form seemed good, but her figure was clearly a bit unsteady.
Yang Kai simply smiled and stretched out a hand, blocking this tiny fist.
Seeing this scene, Huang Juan also showed a helpless wry smile. She naturally understood that Yang Kai would not become angry over such childish words and would not hurt Lin Yun’er because of them, so she didn’t try to intervene.
*Peng…*
With a thud, the small fist hit Yang Kai’s palm.
Yang Kai’s brow couldn’t help rising at the moment on contact though, his expression filling with surprise as if he had discovered something incredible. Gently pushing Lin Yun’er back, he intentionally provoked her, “Too weak, try again.”
“Hmph!” Lin Yun’er was a newborn calf who didn’t know how to fear tigers yet, so she pursed her lips and punched again.
After a while, Lin Yun’er was exhausted and could only look up at Yang Kai with a gloomy face. This couldn’t be helped though; how could a little girl at the peak Initial Element Stage even shake Yang Kai? After throwing several punches, she had no choice but to accept this helpless reality.
Yang Kai, on the other hand, had bright eyes as he stared at Lin Yun’er as if he had found a treasure, his face was full of excitement.
“What’s wrong, Sect Master?” Huang Juan looked at Yang Kai suspiciously.
“Have you never tried her skill before?” Yang Kai asked instead of answering.
“No,” Huang Juan shook her head slowly, “I only taught Yun’er how to cultivate, I have yet to spar with her.”
“No wonder,” Yang Kai mused.
“Sect Master, Yun’er, is she… is there something wrong with her?” Huang Juan suddenly became nervous.
“There’s nothing wrong, you don’t have to worry about that,” Yang Kai slowly shook his head, the corners of his mouth slightly rising as he looked back at Lin Yun’er and said, “It’s just that this girl’s strength is very high.”
“Her strength is very high?” Huang Juan was stunned.
“Yeah, we can discuss this further when we return to the Sect, it’s not something that can be explained so simply, and I too am not certain about the specific reason,” Yang Kai didn’t intend to explain as he thought back upon his brief fight with Lin Yun’er. The power behind this little girl’s fists was somewhat unusual.
Although Lin Yun’er already had a peak Initial Element Stage cultivation, she was far too young to know how to use her Yuan Qi to fight, so her fists just now were only thrown with her raw physical strength.
However, each of her punches was almost comparable to that of an ordinary, full-grown brawny man who had never cultivated!
This was incredible. How could a six or seven-year-old girl with a thin, malnourished body have such strength? Was this some kind of innate gift? Unfortunately, Yang Kai wasn’t very knowledgeable about such matters and couldn’t immediately identify the cause. He was only able to press down his doubts and prepare to go back to further investigate.
“Yes,” Huang Juan naturally wouldn’t press the matter after receiving such a response and obediently nodded.
Although Lin Yun’er had instinctively judged Yang Kai to be a bad person, after Huang Juan carefully explained the situation, the little girl no longer resisted.
There was nothing to clean up or pack as the two women’s house could only be described as empty, so immediately after, Huang Juan took Lin Yun’er’s little hand and followed Yang Kai towards the centre of Sea Side City.
Huang Juan had lived here for several years and could barely be regarded as a half-native, so she knew where the Space Array was located. With her and Lin Yun’er, Yang Kai managed to arrive at the palace housing the Space Array without any effort.
The Space Array of Sea Side City was open to anyone as long as they could pay enough Saint Crystals, but there weren’t many destinations that could be reached from it.
After some consideration, Yang Kai chose Black Crow City as his next destination.
It was not that Black Crow City was the closest option to Flowing Flame Sand Field, but rather that Yang Kai had been to this city once before and knew that it was close to Clear Sky Sect. As long as he could reach Black Crow City, he could use his connections with Clear Sky Sect to easily teleport to the city closest to the Flowing Flame Sand Field.
This was a somewhat convoluted plan, but it was also the most efficient.
After paying a total of 600,000 Saint Crystals, Yang Kai and his party of three stood atop the Space Array, and when the light flashed, the three had disappeared without a trace.
Yang Kai had once visited Black Crow City together with Chen Shi Tao, Lu Ying and a few others. In this city, Yang Kai had found Qian Yue and gotten into a fight with Joyous Union Pavilion while trying to redeem her.
Yang Kai had no intention to linger in this city though, so after asking for directions, he took Huang Juan and Lin Yun’er and flew off in a certain direction.
Three days later, in front of another city several times larger than Black Crow City, Yang Kai landed.
“Sect Master, why did we come here?” Huang Juan looked at the three large characters above the huge city gate with a dazed expression.
“I have some acquaintances in this city, so it will be more convenient to transfer to our final destination from here,” Yang Kai explained faintly before glancing towards Huang Juan’s back where Lin Yun’er was sleeping with a big smile on her face.
Although this little girl had not exerted any strenuous effort during this three-day journey, she was naturally quite exhausted.
This couldn’t be helped as it was the first time since she was born that she had left Sea Side City. After leaving that day, she was simply curious about everything around her.
The rapid speed at which they flew also caused her to cheer happily, and when she saw a field of wildflowers she couldn’t help dancing amongst them before discovering birds and butterflies and chasing after them, hoping to catch and hold them in her tiny hands.
Such excitement was followed by fatigue, so she was currently sleeping soundly.
“Let’s go,” Yang Kai beckoned before leading the way towards the city.
Black Sea City! This city was adjacent to Clear Sky Sect’s headquarters and played essentially the same role as Heavenly Fate City did to Shadow Moon Hall. Naturally, Black Sea City was completely controlled by Clear Sky Sect.
Chen Shi Tao had invited Yang Kai to be a guest here many times, but he had never had a chance before, so this was his first visit.
Not long after, Yang Kai arrived at Black Sea City’s City Lord’s Mansion.
This City Lord’s Mansion could be regarded as one of the signature features of Black Sea City. It was a magnificent and majestic palace that was guarded by numerous guards wearing matching black leather armour and holding identical silver spears, each one showing a stern, imposing expression.
As Yang Kai and his group of three approached, these guards all focused their attention on them as one of them, who seemed to be their leader, called out, “Halt! This is Black Sea City’s City Lord’s Mansion, random passersby may not approach!”
This person had a Third-Order Saint King cultivation and immediately blocked Yang Kai’s path with a vigilant look.
Yang Kai smiled and cupped his fists slightly, “Hello friends, this one’s name is Yang Kai and I’ve come to discuss a matter with your City Lord, could you inform him of my arrival?”
“You’ve come to see Sir City Lord?” The man frowned, his expression a little impatient. Everyone who came here was looking to see the City Lord so it wasn’t a surprise that this was also Yang Kai’s purpose; however, just because someone came to see the City Lord, did that mean the City Lord would see them? If this guard were to report this matter without first clarifying this person’s identity, he would certainly be punished.
However, Yang Kai was clearly an Origin Realm master, so this guard did not dare act negligently. If it had been someone with lower strength, on the other hand, he would have already been driven away.
“Do you know Sir City Lord?” The man asked.
“Uh… No, I don’t,” Yang Kai shook his head honestly.
“You don’t know Sir City Lord?” The man’s face filled with astonishment.
“But I do know your Sect Master Gu Zhen,” Yang Kai added.
“You know the Sect Master?” This time this man was completely taken aback, the impatience on his face quickly receding and being replaced with one of shock. The Sect Master was essentially in secluded retreat all year round and not someone a random individual could see. Even this guard leader had never met face to face with the Sect Master, yet this man named Yang Kai claimed to know the Sect Master. Could he just be making things up?
“Yeah. I also know your Great Elder Mo Yu.”
The man could not help drawing in a sharp breath as he looked Yang Kai over once again, as if trying to re-examine him. Being able to know both the Sect Master and the Great Elder meant that this young man named Yang Kai must have a very high status, so why had he never even seen or heard of him before?
Although the guard leader felt quite puzzled, he didn’t dare to delay any more. The impatience on his face had already been discarded and he respectfully cupped his fists, “Please wait here for a moment while I report this matter to Sir City Lord. “
“En,” Yang Kai nodded lightly.
After the guard leader entered the City Lord’s Mansion, within a half a cup of tea’s time, a petite figure suddenly raced out and appeared in front of Yang Kai.
After seeing Yang Kai’s face, the person who had leapt out could not help pointing and saying, “Ah, it’s really you, Yang Kai! Why are you here?”
“Sister Lu Ying?” Yang Kai was also a little surprised. He had not expected that the first person to greet him from this City Lord’s Mansion would be Lu Ying and what’s more, Chen Shi Tao, who she seemed inseparable from, was not here.
But since he had met an acquaintance here, things were easier to handle. Yang Kai was still thinking about how to prove his identity to the City Lord he had never met before.
“I was just passing through and wanted to borrow the city’s Space Array, but why is Sister Lu Ying here? Where’s Sister Chen?” Yang Kai asked curiously.
“Senior Sister Chen has been in retreat since returning from the Emperor Garden. As for why I’m here, hehe… Black Sea City’s City Lord is my father,” Lu Ying replied with a grin.
Yang Kai was stunned. He had not expected Lu Ying’s status to be so high. Usually, she would follow behind Chen Shi Tao, as if she were a little sister or subordinate of some kind, so Yang Kai had thought she was just an ordinary disciple of Clear Sky Sect with decent aptitude. Now, however, it seemed her background was actually quite big; since Lu Ying’s father could become the City Lord of Black Sea City, he was definitely a Third-Order Origin Returning Realm master.
“Dissolute!” As the two were talking, a majestic voice boomed from within the City Lord’s Mansion. Immediately after, a middle-aged man with a solemn expression appeared and scolded, “Sect Master Yang is a Sect Master, how can you speak to him with such disrespect?”
This person was obviously Lu Ying’s father, the City Lord of Black Sea City.
Hearing her father’s reprimand, Lu Ying could not help spitting out her tongue playfully.
Yang Kai chuckled and said, “Sir City Lord need not be so serious. I have known Sister Lu Ying for a long time now and we are friends from the same generation. That relationship didn’t just disappear after this Yang founded a small sect.”
Hearing this, the middle-aged man’s eyes lit up, seemingly very satisfied with Yang Kai’s humility and demeanour, but he still shook his head and said, “That may be, but courtesy must be observed! Ying’er, greet Sect Master Yang properly.”
As soon as Lu Ying heard this, her lips formed into a pout, but she did not dare disobey her father’s command, so she saluted Yang Kai again with an unhappy expression.
Yang Kai was also helpless. Although he had only spoken a few words with this City Lord, he could see that this man had a relatively rigid personality.
After Lu Ying bowed, the middle-aged man also cupped his fists and said, “Greeting, Sect Master Yang. This one’s name is Lu Xuan and I have the honour of serving as Black Sea City’s City Lord.”
“Sir City Lord is too polite, this one has arrived here unannounced so I hope Sir City Lord will not take offence,” Yang Kai hurriedly replied.
“Sect Master Yang is too serious, you visiting Black Sea City is this City Lord’s honour. Please come inside first, this Lu has already sent a message to the Sect Master and Great Elder, but it will take the two of them about half an hour to arrive, so I’m afraid I must ask Sect Master Yang to wait a moment.”
“It’s fine,” Yang Kai lightly nodded, not finding this situation the slightest bit odd. He had saved Gu Zhen and Mo Yu in the Emperor Garden, so the two of them coming here to see him after receiving word he was here was not unexpected.
Once inside, Yang Kai found the atmosphere within the City Lord’s Mansion to be extremely lively.
Seeing the appearance of Yang Kai and his group, Lu Xuan arranged rooms where they could bathe and change their clothes. Yang Kai naturally did not decline this offer. It didn’t matter much to him what his appearance was, but allowing Lin Yun’er and Huang Juan to continue looking so dishevelled and downtrodden was really not appropriate.
Yang Kai only took a short time to refresh himself, but Gu Zhen and Mo Yu had already arrived before he was finished. After meeting once more in the main hall of the mansion, an enthusiastic exchange of greetings took place once again.
After a while, the host and guests were seated, with Lu Xuan having already prepared a lavish banquet. Exquisite dishes and spirit fruits were presented one after another, causing Lin Yun’er, who had never experienced this kind of life before, to swiftly move her hands to gobble up everything in sight.
The frankness of this little girl’s performance was not frowned upon, instead becoming a point of interest. Lu Ying sat next to Lin Yun’er and kept serving her various delicacies, apparently quite taken with this little girl.
On the contrary, Huang Juan was acting extremely cautiously. She had never thought that one day she would be able to sit at the same table with the senior leadership of Clear Sky Sect. After all, she had been so poor that she could not even scrape together five thousand Saint Crystals to buy a Hundred Spirits Pill a few days ago, yet now she had essentially been reborn.
She deeply understood that being able to receive such treatment was completely because of Yang Kai, so her feelings were understandably somewhat complex for a while.
A few hours later, the sky turned dark and the banquet wound down. Lin Yun’er, who was now filled to the brim with food and drink, was taken to rest by Huang Juan, leaving behind just Yang Kai and the leaders of Clear Sky Sect.
“Sister Chen also returned safely?” Yang Kai took a sip of some fragrant spirit tea and asked with concern.
“Thanks to Sect Master Yang, all three of us managed to come back unscathed,” Gu Zhen replied gratefully. This trip to the Emperor Garden was indeed filled with crisis, the most dangerous of which was the one where they had met Yang Kai. If not for Yang Kai arriving to rescue them at that critical moment, Gu Zhen and Mo Yu might have survived but Chen Shi Tao, who had the lowest strength of the group, would not have escaped unharmed.
However, after coming back, Chen Shi Tao had immediately entered a state of retreat. She had some gains in the Emperor Garden and had only recently broken through to the Origin Realm without even condensing her Shi yet, so she didn’t dare delay any longer, which was also why she had not exited to see Yang Kai this time.
“That’s great news.” After learning about Chen Shi Tao’s current situation, Yang Kai felt relieved.
“So what brings Sect Master Yang here?” Mo Yu asked Yang Kai curiously.
“The usual bad luck!” Yang Kai smiled wryly before giving a brief explanation of how he arrived in Black Sea City while Gu Zhen and Mo Yu nodded repeatedly.
Regarding this issue, Mo Yu and Gu Zhen actually had better luck than Yang Kai and emerged from the Emperor Garden relatively close to Clear Sky Sect, so they had no difficulty returning on their own.
“This expedition to the Emperor Garden was filled with unexpected surprises. With it opening to the entire Star Field, my Shadowed Star suffered heavy losses,” Gu Zhen sighed deeply.
“Oh? Which great forces suffered losses?” Yang Kai suddenly became interested.
“We’ve yet to get a full tally of the losses, but according to the news this old master managed to obtain since returning, it seems the Great Elder and Temple Master of Demon Blood Temple fell inside the Emperor Garden.”
Yang Kai gently nodded, his expression remaining perfectly calm.
The two Demon Blood Temple leaders were killed by him, so he wasn’t surprised by this news.
Gu Zhen and the others didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary with Yang Kai’s reaction and simply assumed this pair from Demon Blood Temple had fallen at the hands of a different Cultivation Star’s masters inside the Emperor Garden. Without any pause, they continued, “Besides them, Thunder Typhoon Sect’s Great Elder Cheng Peng Xuan also fell. Mo Xiao Sheng of Heaven Battling Union suffered heavy losses but managed to escape. Gong Xing He of Coloured Glass Sect also failed to return. All of the other great forces seemed to have suffered losses as well. My Clear Sky Sect being able to return unharmed is a stroke of good fortune.”
“Even Cheng Peng Xuan and Gong Xing He died?” Yang Kai was shocked.
“En, although the news has not yet spread, that much is certain,” Gu Zhen nodded sincerely. Yang Kai didn’t doubt this information because he knew that each of these great forces would place spies amongst the others, allowing them to gain some information that was not publicly known.
“What about Shadow Moon Hall? Are Qian Tong, Fei Zhi Tu, and Wei Gu Chang alright?” Yang Kai asked nervously.
“Sect Master Yang doesn’t need to worry, those three are all fine,” Mo Yu smiled lightly, “Old Ghost Qian is really quite shrewd; he seems to have insisted that they remain outside the Emperor Garden’s main palace during this trip.”
“So that’s how it is,” Yang Kai couldn’t help letting out a sigh of relief while secretly feeling impressed with Qian Tong’s intuition. Qian Tong was by no means timid and Yang Kai estimated that if not for Wei Gu Chang being with them, he and Fei Zhi Tu would certainly not have missed the opportunity to dive deep into the Emperor Garden’s main palace. However, since Wei Gu Chang was with them, the two old men must have decided to not take unnecessary risks.
It was precisely because of this caution that Qian Tong and the others from Shadow Moon Hall managed to avoid taking any losses though. Even masters like Cheng Peng Xuan and Gong Xing He had fallen inside, so no matter how strong Qian Tong and Fei Zhi Tu were, it was conceivable they might have suffered similar fates had they acted recklessly.
Although the opening of the Emperor Garden had resulted in many people obtaining great gains, it had also caused many Sects to suffer heavy losses. Before entering, no one would have thought that this trip to the Emperor Garden would be so dangerous.
If they had known about the risks earlier, perhaps there would have been fewer people rushing to enter the Emperor Garden.
“Compared with other Cultivation Stars, my Shadowed Star still has a noticeable disparity. Because of the suppression of the World Principles here, no one can spy on the mysteries of the Origin King Realm and all of us are only able to linger at the peak of the Origin Realm. In the end, we lack the guidance of an Origin King Realm master and our artifacts and pills are also inferior in grade and quality to those outsiders. Fighting with foreign masters under such circumstances is like trying to battle with an arm tied behind our backs,” Gu Zhen sighed in exasperation.
“Indeed, if only an Origin King Realm master could have risen on my Shadowed Star, this situation might not have happened,” Mo Yu nodded in agreement.
“Even so, how could it be that easy to break through to the Origin King Realm?” Lu Xuan wore a sad look and shook his head slowly, “In these past ten thousand years, no Origin King Realm master has appeared on Shadowed Star. The last time the Flowing Flame Sand Field opened, that Red Candle Fruit appeared, but although Old Ghost Tang from Floating Mist Palace obtained a piece of it and swallowed it, he apparently didn’t gain anything, completely wasting that good piece of spirit fruit.”
“Not just Old Ghost Tang, Coloured Glass Sect also obtained a piece of Red Candle Fruit which Gong Xing He swallowed and refined, but he too didn’t see any gains, otherwise he wouldn’t have fallen this time.”
“Actually, making a breakthrough to the Origin King Realm isn’t impossible,” Mo Yu seemed to say thoughtfully, “On Shadowed Star, we may be suppressed by the World Principles, but as long as we can leave Shadowed Star and go to another Cultivation Star that does not have such suppressions, we will have a chance to break through.”
Hearing this, Gu Zhen and Lu Xuan all were inspired.
Yang Kai glanced around at the three of them and couldn’t help laughing, “Three Seniors, there’s no reason to use such indirect language, if you have something to say, just say it directly.”
With Yang Kai being so straightforward, Mo Yu and the others couldn’t help feeling slightly embarrassed; even so, after a brief pause, Mo Yu lightly coughed and asked, “It’s like this, Yang Kai, we would like to know if your noble Sect plans to use its Origin King Grade Starship’s to conduct a long-distance voyage?”
[I knew it!]
Yang Kai smiled knowingly. Hearing these three old men muse on and on about the Origin King Realm, he was naturally able to guess what they were trying to imply. Now, after making a slight probe, it turned out exactly as Yang Kai suspected.
These three apparently intended to request he grant them passage on his Origin King Grade Starship to leave Shadowed Star and go to another Cultivation Star to spy on the mysteries of the Origin King Realm.
This was simply how humans are.
“And if I were to say I have such plans…?” Yang Kai smiled slightly.
All three of the old men’s expressions lit up as they could barely contain their excitement.
“Not only do I have this idea, but I might implement it soon,” Yang Kai added to everyone’s surprise.
“Is that true?” Mo Yu stood up, with Gu Zhen and Lu Xuan showing equal excitement.
“It is,” Yang Kai nodded seriously.
“Excellent! Excellent!” Mo Yu muttered twice before suddenly rubbing his big hands together and directing a look filled with expectation towards Yang Kai, “Sect Master Yang, since things have gotten to this point, this Mo won’t beat around the bush any further; dare to ask, how many people can travel aboard your Starship?”
“Several dozen people should be fine.”
Mo Yu’s eyes lit up as he grit his teeth and quickly said, “Could you grant my Clear Sky Sect two… no, one of those spots?”
On the other side, Gu Zhen and Lu Xuan also looked over expectantly, with Gu Zhen quickly adding, “Of course, we won’t occupy this precious spot for nothing. We can pay an appropriate price.”
“Is one enough?” Yang Kai asked them with some surprise.
“It is,” Gu Zhen nodded sincerely, “If possible, we certainly hope that more of us can leave Shadowed Star, but if all of Clear Sky Sect’s masters were to suddenly depart, there will be no one left to assume command, not to mention, breaking through to the Origin King Realm will obviously not be a simple matter, so having a quota to try for will be enough.”
“If that’s all, then I can agree,” Yang Kai nodded lightly.
Hearing this, the trio from Clear Sky Sect were overjoyed. As for who this quota would be given to, that was something for Clear Sky Sect to figure out, Yang Kai did not need to concern himself with it.
Afterwards, Yang Kai told them that when he finalized plans to use the Starship to leave Shadowed Star, he would inform them, so for now, they should just wait patiently. The three old men had no objections.
After a night’s rest, Yang Kai said his goodbyes to the Clear Sky Sect masters and brought Huang Juan and Lin Yun’er away.
Although Gu Zhen and the others wanted him to stay a while longer, they also understood that Yang Kai had just come out from the Emperor Garden and must have many things to attend to, so they didn’t try to stop him, instead just personally seeing him off from Black Sea City’s Space Array.
Yang Kai’s next destination was Demon Blood City!
Demon Blood City was a city controlled by Demon Blood Temple, and it was very close to the Flowing Flame Sand Field.
When Yang Kai first came out from the Flowing Flame Sand Field, he had encountered a Demon Blood Temple disciple named Deng Ning whom he obtained the Demon Blood Thread Secret Technique from. Later, Deng Ning brought him to Demon Blood City to use its Space Array.
This plan was not wrong, but before departing, Gu Zhen had warned Yang Kai to act carefully as Demon Blood City was currently in a state of upheaval.
After arriving, Yang Kai discovered that Demon Blood City was in chaos.
When Yang Kai and his group of three teleported to Demon Blood City’s Space Array, they immediately noticed that the city seemed to be a little turbulent and that many people were currently fighting.
This couldn’t be helped though as the Great Elder of and Temple Master of Demon Blood Temple had both fallen in the Emperor Garden. Now that no one was currently in control of the temple, the various Elders were naturally fighting for the right to take over.
On top of that, Demon Blood Temple was a strange great force that encouraged infighting, so for this reason, all of Demon Blood Temple had become chaotic at this moment, with Demon Blood City following suit.
Even the hall where the Space Array was located was unguarded. All of Demon Blood Temple’s disciples were caught up in this internal strife so the city itself had become something akin to a battlefield.
After arriving in Demon Blood City, Yang Kai released his Divine Sense and quickly grasped the situation inside the city. Not discovering anything he felt warranted his concern, he simply wrapped Huang Juan and Lin Yun’er in his Saint Qi and flew towards the city’s edge.
Some people tried to block their path, but all of them were quickly subdued by Yang Kai.
With his current strength, even if he encountered a Third-Order Origin Returning Realm Master, he wouldn’t feel any concern, let alone these stray cats and dogs.
Soon, the disciples of Demon Blood Temple realized how tyrannical Yang Kai’s strength was and no one dared to court death by trying to stop him again. What’s more, Yang Kai seemed to just be passing through, so who would bother trying to stop him? Wouldn’t that be self-defeating?
As such, less than a dozen breaths later, Yang Kai’s group left Demon Blood City and flew straight towards the Flowing Flame Sand Field which was some hundred thousand kilometres away.
One day later, Yang Kai landed at a beautiful palace somewhere outside the Flowing Flame Sand Field and walked inside.
This was the first time Yang Kai had entered this palace. Naturally, this place belonged to High Heaven Sect and there was a Space Array specially arranged here by Yang Yan to make it convenient for the disciples of High Heaven Sect to pass in and out.
After all, the Flowing Flame Sand Field was simply too vast, and if they had to rely solely on flying, it would take at least a day or two to reach High Heaven Sect’s headquarters from this point. With this dedicated Space Array, however, the disciples could come and go freely and quickly.
At this moment, there were only two High Heaven Sect disciples inside the palace on guard duty. The cultivation of these two were not worth mentioning, only Third-Order Saints. Such strength was nothing special on Shadowed Star, but High Heaven Sect’s name was extremely loud right now and no one dared provoke it, so there was no need to worry about security issues here. Moreover, there was a powerful Spirit Array arranged by Yang Yan around this palace, one strong enough to stop anyone who wanted to invade High Heaven Sect via the Space Array. At the very least, it would provide enough time for the disciples on guard duty to retreat and destroy the Space Array.
With the Space Array outside the Flowing Flame Sand Field, Yang Kai easily reached High Heaven Sect’s headquarters.
When they appeared in the palace on the other side, several disciples on guard duty instantly assumed a defensive posture, but after seeing that it was Yang Kai, they became overjoyed and bowed quickly.
“Have Yang Yan and Elder Ye come back?” Yang Kai asked hurriedly.
“Reporting to Sect Master, Vice Sect Master Yang and Great Elder Ye returned five days ago,” A disciple who seemed brighter than the others replied quickly.
Yang Kai couldn’t help heaving a sigh of relief. Although he didn’t think Yang Yan or Ye Xi Yun would have encountered any problems, he had always been a bit on edge until he was able to confirm their condition. Now that he knew they had returned safely, Yang Kai was naturally able to put down his worries.
“However, when they returned, it seemed Vice Sect Master Yang had fallen into a coma and had to be carried by Great Elder Ye,” The disciple added carefully.
“What?” Yang Kai was shocked and quickly asked a few more questions; unfortunately, the disciples didn’t know what caused Yang Yan to fall unconscious or whether she had suffered any serious injuries.
“I understand, continue with your duties here,” Yang Kai had no choice but to leave this place and quickly head for Hundred Flowers Peak where Yang Yan lived before.
On the way there, they ran into Wu Yi and Qian Yue who had received word of Yang Kai’s return.
The anxiety on the faces of the two women was obvious, so they wasted no time calling out after seeing Yang Kai.
“I heard about the situation, do you know how Yang Yan was injured? Is it serious?” Yang Kai flew over to them and asked.
Both women shook their heads with Qian Yue explaining, “Since they returned, Great Elder has not appeared in front of anyone, so we were unable to learn anything more.”
“Understood, I’ll go see them myself.” Yang Kai frowned.
“They’re not on Hundred Flowers Peak now,” Wu Yi quickly stopped Yang Kai from flying off.
“Then where are they?” Yang Kai asked.
“The sixth layer…”
“Sixth layer!” Yang Kai frowned even more. Naturally, he understood what she was referring to when she said the sixth layer. It was the centre of the Flowing Flame Sand Field where the small bamboo forest and loft were situated. It was also the former residence of the Great Emperor on Shadowed Star, but why would Ye Xi Yun bring Yang Yan there? Could the Great Emperor really have awoken?
An uneasy feeling suddenly surged in Yang Kai’s heart.
Standing on the spot for a long while, Yang Kai finally took a deep breath and said, “I’ll go take a look. By the way, Wu Yi, you remember Foreign Elder Huang right? This time I met her by chance on the way back and invited her to join High Heaven Sect. She is now one of us so make the proper arrangements.”
“Yes!” Wu Yi nodded quickly. She obviously saw Huang Juan just now, but concerned about Yang Yan’s safety, she hadn’t found time to greet her yet. Now, after hearing Yang Kai’s instructions, she would naturally have a chance to do so.
In the next instant, Yang Kai’s figure flickered and disappeared, heading straight towards the sixth layer.
High Heaven Sect was located in the fourth layer of the Flowing Flame Sand Field, and was separated from the sixth layer by a Flame Area which was far more powerful than the outer fourth layer; however, Yang Kai had a Star Emperor Token to protect himself from these dangers so there was nothing for him to worry about.
It took only half a day for Yang Kai to arrive in front of the loft in the centre of the sixth layer.
As if knowing that Yang Kai would arrive sooner or later, Ye Xi Yun was already waiting for him. After seeing Yang Kai, a complex look flashed across her beautiful eyes before she said, “Subordinate greets Sect Master.”
“Is Yang Yan inside?” Yang Kai asked as he walked inward.
Before he could go far though, Ye Xi Yun actually moved and blocked Yang Kai’s path forward, as if trying to stop him from entering the loft.
“What are your intentions here?” Yang Kai narrowed his eyes, staring deeply at Ye Xi Yun with a somewhat gloomy look upon his face.
“Please forgive me, Sect Master, but Madam gave me strict instructions to not allow anyone to see her now,” Ye Xi Yun replied while maintaining a tranquil expression.
“Not even me?” Yang Kai frowned.
“Yes!” Ye Xi Yun nodded slightly, “Subordinate is only executing Madam’s orders and requests Sect Master not to embarrass me.”
“Embarrass you?” Yang Kai failed to stifle his laughter, “Interesting… I simply want to see her, how could that embarrass you? It’s not that I’ve never met with her before.”
“Sect Master, please forgive me!” Ye Xi Yun stubbornly refused to back down.
Yang Kai frowned as he stared at her indifferently for a moment before asking in a solemn tone, “Since Yang Yan was able to give you such an order, can I assume she is unharmed? If that’s the case, why did the disciples on guard duty say she was in a coma when she returned with you?”
“En, Madam is indeed in a coma, but she is unharmed. It’s just…”
“Just what?”
Ye Xi Yun fell silent, her look becoming somewhat awkward.
After observing Ye Xi Yun’s demeanour and behaviour all this time, Yang Kai had a faint guess and narrowed his eyes, “I’ll only ask one question then, and I hope Great Elder can reply truthfully without concealing anything.”
“Please ask, Sect Master,” Ye Xi Yun raised her head and brushed her hair back behind her ear.
“Is the one who is inside the loft behind you the Yang Yan I know, or… your Madam?”
“Both,” A wry smile appeared on Ye Xi Yun’s face.
“I understand,” Yang Kai gently nodded, a look of understanding flashing across his face, “Since that’s the case, it must be related to waking the Great Emperor, I understand.”
Yang Yan had said that after the Emperor Garden officially opened, the Great Emperor would awaken. At that time, Yang Kai had felt somewhat puzzled and suspicious, but he didn’t inquire carefully, perhaps subconsciously afraid to ask about the specific process, worried the answer he received would not be the one he wanted to hear.
In his heart, he had already guessed what would happen.
Today, his speculations had obviously been confirmed.
Since the Great Emperor’s true body had awakened, naturally Yang Yan, as a Soul Clone, could no longer exist independently. The two had been merged into one, which was why Ye Xi Yun gave him such an answer.
“Sect Master is an intelligent person so you should understand what the situation is now,” Ye Xi Yun said indifferently.
“En, I just want to know, what will happen to Yang Yan?”
“She is Madam and Madam is she, therefore nothing will happen to her.”
Yang Kai gently nodded; matters here weren’t so bad he couldn’t accept them. Although the result was not ideal, it also wasn’t the worst-case scenario.
Considering all this, Yang Kai closed his eyes and released his Divine Sense towards the loft to see how Yang Yan was doing at this moment. Ye Xi Yun opened her mouth seeing this but ultimately didn’t try to stop him.
Yang Kai’s Divine Sense easily penetrated the loft and soon found Yang Yan inside a room on the third floor. She was lying quietly on a bamboo bed at the moment, motionless, as if in a deep sleep.
Her appearance was no different from the Yang Yan in his memories, but her temperament had undergone an astonishing change.
The moment Yang Kai’s Divine Sense swept over her, he felt a deep sense of terror, as if he were an ant that had unwittingly spied upon a slumbering dragon!
In that instant, Yang Kai’s very Soul shuddered and an inexplicable sense of crisis surged up from the bottom of his heart.
The next moment, a tearing pain filled his head and Yang Kai’s eyes shot open, his body stumbling backwards involuntarily as his face went extremely pale.
“Sect Master, are you okay,” Ye Xi Yun’s beautiful face paled slightly as she called out.
“I’m fine!” Yang Kai waved his hand, his expression still full of lingering fear; was this the majesty of the Great Emperor? Even in a comatose state, no one was allowed to violate it. Yang Kai had experienced this personally.
If she had been awake, just what kind of power and prestige would she radiate?
Yang Kai’s state of mind fluctuated for a moment before his eyes shined with a colour of yearning.
After a while though, his mood returned to normal and after rubbing his forehead for a moment, Yang Kai asked, “Did she say when she will wake up?”
“Madam said that she had fallen into a deep sleep for too long, over ten thousand years, so waking up will also be a very long process. Only when her Soul and body fully integrate will she be able to awaken, something that could take ten, twenty, dozens, or even a hundred years. Subordinate is also uncertain.”
“So long,” Yang Kai frowned slightly.
“Yes,” Ye Xi Yun nodded lightly, “Madam told me before departing to do everything in my power to assist Sect Master, so if Sect Master has any instructions, please do not hesitate to give them; subordinate will surely act with all haste.”
“Yang Yan ordered…” Yang Kai mused, finally understanding why Ye Xi Yun was now referring to herself as his subordinate as she had never done so before. It turns out there was this kind of reason.
“There’s nothing for you to do. For the time being, you can just remain here to take care of Yang Yan.”
“Yes, Subordinate will live up to Sect Master’s trust, please depart freely then!” Ye Xi Yun gave a slight bow.
Saying so, she pointed towards the exit.
Feeling the words he was about to say get caught in his throat, Yang Kai simply walked off with an angry snort.
In any case, he had determined that Yang Yan was not in any danger, and although her Soul Clone had not been integrated with the Great Emperor’s true body, her memories and emotions would not be erased and would instead be inherited by the current slumbering body.
That was enough.
Yang Kai may not have the qualifications to have an equal dialogue with the Great Emperor right now, but one day, as long as he could stand at her height, he could once again interact with Yang Yan as he always had!
A burst of ambition arose in Yang Kai’s heart.
After returning to High Heaven Sect, nothing much changed; however, the arrival of Huang Juan made Wu Yi, Chang Qi, Hao An, and the other former Hai Ke Family disciples quite happy. Lin Yun’er also quickly won the unanimous affection of all of High Heaven Sect’s members.
This little girl’s presence brought a kind of joy and laughter to the Sect’s headquarters, and after a brief time familiarizing herself with her new environment, Lin Yun’er fell deeply in love with this beautiful place. Everyone here treated her extremely well, as if she was a family member, allowing Lin Yun’er to feel a long-lost sense of warmth, gradually allowing her to let down her guard.
She could often be seen wearing beautiful new clothes, running and jumping all over the Sect with seemingly endless enthusiasm.
Huang Juan, on the other hand, was always in a state of exhaustion chasing after her.
Inside First Heavenly Palace, Yang Kai’s private residence.
Inside a cultivation room, Yang Kai closed his eyes and meditated. He had been in this state for half a month now. When he used his Divine Sense to spy on Yang Yan in the small loft, he had suffered a small wound to his Soul from the invisible Emperor Pressure she naturally released.
This kind of wound wouldn’t cause any problems with day to day life, but if he were to encounter a strong enemy, it would definitely affect his combat strength somewhat.
As such, after Yang Kai returned to the Sect, his first order of business was to recover!
Fortunately, the problem was not serious, so Yang Kai only needed half a month to deal with it properly.
The next thing to do was take account of his gains from the Emperor Garden.
Yang Kai reached out, touched his Space Ring, and in a flash of light, a massive number of herbs appeared in front of him. These herbs were naturally collected in the hidden mountain valley together with the women from Ice Heart Valley.
At that time, Yang Kai did not have time to deal with them properly, so he simply placed them into his Space Ring. Now that he was free, he naturally had to organize and process these herbs, otherwise, their medicinal efficacies would be lost.
As an Alchemist, Yang Kai obviously understood how to properly preserve spirit grasses and spirit medicines, so he took out various boxes refined from different materials from his Space Ring and carefully began storing the various herbs according to their unique characteristics. Those that were suited to preservation in jade were loaded into jade boxes while those that needed Wood Attribute containers were thusly placed. Many herbs had special storage requirements, but this could not baffle Yang Kai.
After finishing up this process, Yang Kai put away all the boxes with a smile on his face.
There were hundreds of spirit herbs, and although they varied in grade greatly, each one was invaluable; after all, these spirit grasses and spirit medicines had all grown inside the hidden mountain valley for at least ten thousand years, meaning their medicinal ages were at least this high as well.
Pills refined from such herbs would have far greater medicinal efficacies than ones refined from ordinary spirit grasses and medicines. Additionally, they would allow Yang Kai to promote his Alchemy technique.
Along with the herbs he had collected from the floating continent when he first entered the Star Field, Yang Kai felt like he had enough materials to support him becoming an Origin King Grade Alchemist, after which, he would still likely have an abundance of materials he could use to practice his skills.
The next thing Yang Kai took out was the Alchemy Furnace he found in the hidden cave mansion of the mountain valley.
This was the Alchemy Furnace the mountain valley’s owner had used when he was alive and was naturally Origin King Grade, an extremely rare and precious treasure.
Yang Kai now had two high-grade furnaces. One was the Origin King Grade Artifact Refining Furnace which was the root of the Firebird Artifact Spirit, and the other was the Alchemy Furnace in front of him, but regardless of which one it was, they were not something that would be commonly seen.
If an Artifact Refiner or Alchemist had a good furnace, they could save a lot of time when performing Artifact Refining or Alchemy and could refine better quality artifacts and pills. There was a saying that, to produce fine work, one must first sharpen their tools; this saying had great truth to it.
Unfortunately, Artifact Refining Furnaces and Alchemy Furnaces were far more difficult to refine than ordinary artifacts, so Artifact Refining Furnaces and Alchemy Furnaces were far more valuable and expensive than other artifacts in the same grade.
The young Third-Order Origin Returning Realm female leader from Ice Heart Valley also knew of the value of this pill furnace, but because she had many of her own thoughts and concerns, she still chose to give it to Yang Kai in exchange for a larger allocation of pills.
This choice was not a loss for her, but it was a profit for Yang Kai.
Yang Kai could refine various high-grade pills, and even refining pills which formed Pill Veins was not a difficult task for him, but an Origin King Grade Alchemy Furnace was still something he hadn’t expected to get his hands on so easily.
This pill furnace was slightly less than a metre tall and had a simple appearance while giving off an ancient feel. Its entire body was a dark purple shade and had a tripod design. There were two large words emblazoned on the furnace’s lip which Yang Kai had not initially checked, but now that he was carefully examining it, he could see the two words were ‘Purple Origin.’
This was obviously the name of this Alchemy Furnace.
Purple Origin, not a bad name.
With this Alchemy Furnace to assist him, refining pills would be easier and their quality would also be higher in the future.
Alchemy Furnaces were different from other artifacts in that one did not need to spend a long time refining them. One only needed to leave their Soul Brand on an Alchemy Furnace to make it their own. However, this Purple Origin Furnace had a master previously, so Yang Kai had to first erase the previous mark before leaving his own.
This was not difficult as the owner of that hidden mountain valley had been dead for ten thousand years, so the mark he had left on it was now extremely weak. Yang Kai easily erased this remnant mark and then took just a few days to leave his own on the Purple Origin Furnace, claiming it as his own.
After playing with the furnace happily for a while, Yang Kai put it away. Since he was not planning on performing Alchemy any time soon, he naturally had no reason to keep it out.
Immediately after, Yang Kai took out another treasure.
What he held now was a pill! This was not one of the pills Yang Kai obtained together with the young woman from Ice Heart Valley, but rather the one he snatched out of the Purple Origin Furnace.
When he discovered this Purple Origin Furnace, Yang Kai had scanned the interior with his Divine Sense and noticed that there was a pill inside. According to the posture that the skeleton assumed before dying, it was apparent that the mountain valley’s owner had spent his last moments refining this pill.
Fortunately, that Grandmaster had succeeded.
But before Yang Kai had time to investigate carefully, the young woman from Ice Heart Valley had joined him inside the hidden cave mansion, so Yang Kai had to quickly hide it from her and did not know what kind of pill it was to this day.
If it was just an ordinary pill, no matter what the quality it was, the internal medicinal efficacies must have dispersed after ten thousand years and it could no longer be used, rendering it a scrapped pill.
Only pills that formed Pill Veins could keep their medicinal efficacies intact over an extended period. Pill Veins were like shackles that firmly restrained a pill’s medicinal properties inside of it.
At that time, the pills split between Yang Kai and the young woman from Ice Heart Valley in the hidden cave mansion all had Pill Veins. Such pills were rare, however, while most of the ones they found had turned into waste.
As for whether the pill inside the Purple Origin Furnace actually formed Pill Veins, Yang Kai wasn’t sure, but that didn’t dampen his anticipation; after all, this was a pill that an Alchemy Grandmaster had exhausted the last of his life force to refine.
But the moment Yang Kai looked at the pill in his hand, his complexion changed dramatically as he immediately revealed a look of ecstasy and cried out, “Pill Clouds?”
He never expected that the pill he fished out of the Purple Origin Furnace would have formed Pill Clouds!
On the surface of this pill, there was a layer of dense, swirling clouds, as if a mass of seven coloured clouds had been shrunk down innumerable times and wrapped around it, giving it an incredibly beautiful look.
There was no doubt these were Pill Clouds! Yang Kai was stunned and checked several times to make sure he wasn’t imagining things.
Pills that formed Pill Clouds weren’t something Yang Kai had never seen before; he had even swallowed one and refined another personally.
The first pill that formed Pill Clouds he swallowed had allowed his Five-Coloured Soul Warming Lotus to evolve into its Six Coloured form and dramatically improved his strength.
The pill he refined, on the other hand, was a Burning Flame Pill used to save Xue Yue’s life.
The one he ingested was found in an Ancient Ruin on the seabed of Tong Xuan Realm while the one he refined had been done on Rainfall Star.
Yang Kai deeply understood the difficulty of refining a pill that formed Pill Clouds! This was not something ordinary masters could achieve. Currently, the probability Yang Kai could refine a pill that formed Pill Veins was actually quite high, on average about twenty to thirty percent, but after so many years refining pills, only that single Burning Flame Pill had ever formed Pill Clouds.
That pill had been refined under extreme conditions by cornering himself to break through his limits and had nearly exhausted him to death.
Judging from the other pills obtained inside the hidden cave mansion, Yang Kai also knew that the owner had been an extraordinary Alchemy Grandmaster when they were alive, otherwise they would not have produced so many pills that formed Pill Veins.
Yang Kai originally thought that the pill this Grandmaster had exhausted his remaining life essence to refine had formed Pill Veins, but now he discovered that the truth of the matter was far more shocking than he expected.
This Grandmaster refined a pill that formed Pill Clouds!
And judging from the medicinal efficacies and energy fluctuations that emanated from this pill, it was undoubtedly an Origin King Grade pill.
[The Grandmaster was truly extraordinary!] Yang Kai was secretly praised.
Any Origin King Grade pill was already incredibly valuable, let alone an Origin King Grade pill that had formed Pill Clouds.
On top of that, this pill was already at least ten thousand years old!
Yang Kai took a deep breath to calm his raging emotions. The value of such a pill could no longer be judged with common sense. Even Yang Kai, who prided himself on his ability to remain composed, suddenly found his face twitching unconsciously as his hands refused to stop shaking.
Once a pill formed Pill Veins, as long as it was stored properly, it would retain its medicinal efficacies indefinitely and would also have twice the potency of an ordinary pill. However, if a pill formed Pill Clouds, not only would its effects be at least four times that of an ordinary pill upon refinement, as time passed, the layer of Pill Clouds would continuously absorb the surrounding World Energy to nourish the pill, increasing its potency over time.
The longer the time such a pill was left untaken, the greater its potency would be.
The pill that Yang Kai took at that time allowed his Five Coloured Soul Warming Lotus to evolve precisely because of the vast amount of energy it had accumulated over thousands of years. When Yang Kai had taken that pill, he had nearly exploded and died because of the flood of energy; fortunately, his Soul Warming Lotus had absorbed most of the medicinal efficacies in the end.
However, when compared with the one in front of him, that pill was simply trash. Not to mention, the vast gap in the two pills’ grades, just the number of years it had been left to absorb World Energy was unmatched.
What kind of concept was ten thousand years?
Suddenly, Yang Kai felt that his mind could not keep up with the situation somewhat. His luck was simply too good, being able to obtain this Heaven-defying pill.
Everything he had obtained in that hidden mountain valley was instantly eclipsed by this Origin King Grade pill in front of him.
After feeling shock and excitement, Yang Kai wore a bitter smile.
Just how astonishing was the amount of medicinal energy contained within this pill? Regardless of what purpose it had, it was basically impossible for Yang Kai to take it with his current cultivation realm.
Swallowing this thing haphazardly would only result in a single outcome: death by explosion!
Even an Origin King Realm master may not be able to withstand the immense medicinal energy contained within this pill.
Considering all this, Yang Kai’s excitement gradually calmed down. The most urgent thing right now was for him to figure out what this pill’s purpose was.
Squinting at this pill, Yang Kai found that its interior was crystal clear and had some kind of translucent wisp of energy flowing through it, like a fine hair that was freely swimming about like a living creature.
[Impossible…] Yang Kai was thoroughly shocked once more.
It seemed this pill was about to achieve sentience!
The thin, gossamer-like existence was obviously formed after years of accumulation. If this pill was given some more time, perhaps it really could achieve sentience and become a completely different kind of life form.
A sentient pill was just a theory, not even the stuff of legends. Yang Kai had not expected that he would be able to witness poof of such an outlandish theory one day.
Unfortunately, since it had fallen into his hands, it was destined to only fulfil its original role with no possibility of it truly obtaining sentience.
Half an hour later, Yang Kai let out a helpless, somewhat defeated sigh.
Even with his knowledge and experience in Alchemy, he was unable to identify the pill he was holding and could only vaguely judge through its medicinal fragrance that it was used for cultivation.
Was this a type of pill that had been lost to history? Yang Kai frowned as he secretly guessed. If that was the case, it would be understandable that he didn’t recognize it; after all, the pills refined by Alchemists over ten thousand years ago were definitely different from those that were refined now.
Since Yang Kai did not recognize it, and he wasn’t in a hurry to take it, he simply stored away this Origin King Grade pill, planning to study it further when he had the chance.
In any case, he would not be using such a pill carelessly, so there was plenty of time for him to figure out what it was later.
Considering all this, Yang Kai took out another item and began studying it.
This time, it was the finger bone.
Regarding his trip to the Emperor Garden this time, the gains Yang Kai obtained from the hidden mountain valley alone were tremendous. There were thousands of herbs with medicinal ages exceeding ten thousand years, several dozen high-grade pills that had formed Pill Veins, an Origin King Grade Alchemy Furnace, and an Origin King Grade pill that formed Pill Clouds; each of these items was extremely valuable.
This finger bone was also something Yang Kai obtained from the hidden mountain valley and it was the only part of the valley owner’s remains that remained after his death.
Yang Kai had only meant to show his respect to the Alchemy Grandmaster whose Alchemy Furnace he was inheriting by burying his remains, but that simple act had accidentally led him to discover this piece of finger bone which, despite all the years of weathering, had not degraded in the slightest. It was truly a reward for a good deed.
Yang Kai did not know what kind of secrets were hidden in this finger bone, so he could only start by studying it.
Holding the finger bone, Yang Kai carefully observed it and discovered that, although it was over ten thousand years old, it still felt like warm, white jade that was pure and flawless, like it had been specially refined using some kind of profound Secret Technique while its original owner was alive.
Realizing this, Yang Kai immediately became excited.
He had never seen a cultivator treat a part of their body as an artifact before, but since they had done so, it must have been for an incredibly important reason. Perhaps this finger bone really did hide some great secret.
Condensing his Saint Qi, Yang Kai tried pouring his strength into the finger bone, but to his great disappointment, it did not accept his Saint Qi and showed no visible changes at all.
After a few failed attempts, Yang Kai figured that Saint Qi was not the answer to unlocking this finger bone’s secrets.
Since it did not respond to Saint Qi then, what about Divine Sense?
Thinking so, Yang Kai quickly mobilized his Spiritual Energy a vast, mist-like Divine Sense enveloped the finger bone and in the next moment.
Divine Sense Manifestation!
Only when a cultivator’s Spiritual Energy reached a certain standard would their normally invisible Divine Sense undergo this magical transformation and become an existence which was visible to the naked eye.
Yang Kai’s Soul had been nourished by the Seven Coloured Soul Warming Lotus for decades now, so even if he did not deliberately cultivate his Soul, his Knowledge Sea, Spiritual Energy, and Divine Sense was constantly being enhanced. As such, although his cultivation was still just First-Order Origin Returning Realm, the strength of Divine Sense was just about able to meet the standard to undergo manifestation!
This was something that even ordinary Origin King Realm masters could not do, and Yang Kai had every right to be proud of!
Moreover, he possessed a rare Conflagrated Knowledge Sea that gave his Spiritual Energy a burning hot attribute, resulting in his Divine Sense Manifestation possessing a fiery red colour.
This time, Yang Kai’s guess was right; the finger bone had not accepted his Saint Qi, but it had an immediate reaction to his Divine Sense.
When the fiery red Divine Sense wrapped it, a dazzling white light burst out from the finger bone. Immediately, an astonishing suction force was transmitted from the finger bone, wanting to pull Yang Kai’s Divine Sense, and his consciousness by extension, into itself.
Yang Kai remained calm, however. Although he did not know what to expect next, he did not sense any danger from this suction force and also felt like he could resist it and even take back his Divine Sense if he wanted to.
Realising this, Yang Kai did not put up a fight and simply allowed his Divine Sense to sink into the finger bone.
In an instant, Yang Kai seemed to have arrived in another world.
Under the investigation of his Divine Sense, Yang Kai discovered that other than a vast grey void, there were only an enormous number of mysterious glowing runes swimming around him like fish.
“This is…” Yang Kai looked around in astonishment.
He could feel an emission of some kind of Spiritual Energy from each and every one of these runes. They were produced by a kind of advanced form of Divine Sense Manifestation. This was proof that these runes were condensed from the Divine Sense of that unknown Alchemy Grandmaster.
Unexpectedly, that Grandmaster not only possessed extremely high attainments in the Alchemic Way, but also had a profound cultivation. Being able to condense such runes with their Divine Sense indicated that the Alchemy Grandmaster was at least a Third-Order Origin King before dying!
After sensing the arrival of Yang Kai’s Divine Sense, the mysterious runes seemed to come alive and rushed towards his Soul Avatar, instantly blending with his Divine Sense.
Yang Kai’s body shivered and his eyes went blank, but he did not try to stop the runes from mixing into his Divine Sense and instead began studying them to uncover whatever secrets they held.
At first, Yang Kai was completely confused by what he learned, but as time passed and more runes merged with his Divine Sense, he gradually began to comprehend the inheritance left behind in the finger bone.
After condensing and combining these runes, then deciphering them, what Yang Kai was left with was an Alchemic Record that had been passed down from ancient times!
The True Alchemy Enlightenment Scripture!
Yang Kai had read many different Alchemic Records, such as the True Alchemic Way he had obtained in Medicine King’s Valley which had started him down the path of Alchemy.
But no Alchemic Record or manual he had ever seen could compare to this True Alchemy Enlightenment Scripture. The knowledge of Alchemy techniques contained in the True Alchemic Way and the Spirit Arrays to be used in Alchemy were all like child’s play in front of this True Alchemy Enlightenment Scripture.
This Alchemic Record was not created by the owner of the mountain valley, but rather was obtained by them from some ancient ruin. It was with this True Alchemy Enlightenment Scripture that the owner of the hidden mountain valley managed to bring his Alchemy technique to a pinnacle and become the most famous Alchemy Grandmaster of their time.
Realizing that their time of death was approaching though, this Grandmaster was unable to bear the thought of this wondrous Alchemic Record being buried along with him, but also couldn’t stand the idea of some ignorant Junior obtaining it and ruining its reputation, so he used the last of his Spiritual energy to transform his finger bone and record everything about the True Alchemy Enlightenment Scripture in it.
He refined his finger bone into a semi-artifact with a Secret Technique so that it would not degrade with the passing of time.
This way, even after he died, the True Alchemy Enlightenment Scripture would be inherited in this special way.
If some ignorant treasure-seeking Junior found his remains, they would ignore it and thus miss out on the opportunity to obtain the True Alchemy Enlightenment Scripture.
Fortunately, Yang Kai had the idea of burying this Alchemy Grandmaster, resulting in him obtaining this finger bone and the True Alchemy Enlightenment Scripture contained within it.
After seeing the personal insights left behind by the Alchemy Grandmaster, Yang Kai felt quite surprised and thought that his luck was astounding, but soon he set aside these distracting thoughts and immersed himself in the vast ocean of Alchemy knowledge now flooding his mind.
Although the True Alchemy Enlightenment Scripture came from ancient times, long before the age the mountain valley owner lived through, what Yang Kai obtained was not its orthodox version as it also contained the unique comprehensions, teachings, and theories of the mountain valley owner, making it even more valuable than the original True Alchemy Enlightenment Scripture.
It could be said that the mountain valley owner had integrated his life’s Alchemy experience into the True Alchemy Enlightenment Scripture.
Yang Kai quickly became fascinated by this Alchemic Record, finding many answers to the unsolvable problems he had encountered in Alchemy contained inside it.
Although Yang Kai had an exceptional aptitude in terms of the Alchemic Way, he had essentially been groping his way forward on his own from when he first set foot on this path until now, with very few people ever giving him any kind of formal instruction in this field. Back in Tong Xuan Realm, Yang Kai could occasionally ask for help from The Old Man of Heaven’s Keep, Li Rui, but since he entered the Star Field, he had only himself to rely upon.
What’s more, Yang Kai didn’t dare to expose his proficiency in Alchemy at will.
As such, with the improvement of his strength, he faintly realized that his Alchemy technique and understanding of Alchemy had reached a kind of bottleneck. This was not his limit by any means and as long as he continued to work hard, he would eventually be able to break through it.
However, to achieve this, it might’ve taken him ten years, twenty years, or possibly even longer.
Now, things were different. With the True Alchemy Enlightenment Scripture, Yang Kai had essentially obtained a master who could teach him about Alchemy anywhere, anytime.
In just a moment, Yang Kai felt his comprehension of Alchemy become slightly more profound.
Yang Kai became more and more obsessed with this True Alchemy Enlightenment Scripture and soon became lost in it, unable to perceive the passage of time, constantly absorbing the Alchemic knowledge contained within it.
Only after half a month passed did Yang Kai let out a long sigh and retract his Divine Sense from the finger bone with a look of exhaustion.
Using his Divine Sense at such intensity for an entire half a month had thoroughly exhausted him.
However, Yang Kai’s eyes still shined brightly, revealing extreme excitement and brilliance.
Yang Kai was unable to fully comprehend the entirety of the True Alchemy Enlightenment Scripture in just half a month’s worth of effort; in fact, he had only been able to browse through its contents roughly. Even so, his gains had been so massive that it was difficult to comprehend. If he could one day thoroughly understand the True Alchemy Enlightenment Scripture, his Alchemy technique would surely reach an unprecedented height.
“Only after pills obtain a level of spirituality can they be called Spirit Pills?” Yang Kai murmured while stroking his chin, a thoughtful look upon his face.
There were many different ideas and methods contained inside the True Alchemy Enlightenment Scripture, all of which had given him numerous inspirations. The concept of pill spirituality alone resulted in a qualitative leap in his comprehension of Alchemy.
After pondering carefully for a while, Yang Kai slowly shook his head and set his musings aside.
Yang Kai was not in a hurry, and the True Alchemy Enlightenment Scripture could be studied carefully in the future; however, the Origin King Grade Spirit Pill which had formed Pill Clouds was now identified by Yang Kai.
The True Alchemy Enlightenment Scripture not only contained all kinds of wondrous ideas, but also the life experience of the mountain valley owner and many pill recipes that had long been lost.
All of this knowledge was extremely precious, especially the lost recipes.
Through these pill recipes and descriptions, Yang Kai had vaguely understood what this Spirit Pill was and what its purpose was.
Yang Kai took out the Origin King Grade Spirit Pill again and placed it on the palm of his hand, observing it for a moment before a look of excitement filled his face.
If his analysis was correct, judging from the colour and scent of this Spirit Pill as well as the various medicinal energy traces inside of it, this Spirit Pill should be a Dragon Flame Purple Marrow Pill!
Just a Theory! A Martial Peak Theory!
This was actually a precious Dragon Flame Purple Marrow Pill! Yang Kai couldn’t help feeling excited once more.
This Dragon Flame Purple Marrow Pill was an Origin King Grade Low-Rank Spirit Pill, and the materials needed to refine it were numerous, reaching as many as sixty in total. However, its role was very straightforward and simple for cultivators.
Improving one’s strength!
Once a cultivator broke through to the Origin King Realm, it became very difficult to cultivate. The World Energy produced in an ordinary Earth Vein or High-Rank Saint Crystals couldn’t meet the requirements of Origin King Realm cultivators, so in previous ages, Dragon Flame Purple Marrow Pills were a means that Origin King Realm masters relied upon to enhance their cultivations.
Refining and absorbing medicinal efficacies from pills were helpful to the growth of a cultivator’s cultivation, but this method had its advantages and disadvantages compared to ordinary meditative cultivation.
The positive effects were that as long as one had enough pills, the speed they could increase their strength would be fast, far more so than meditative cultivation at least.
The negatives were that strength gained in this way was somewhat unstable, and if one took too many pills, it would cause a certain unhealthy load on the cultivator’s body.
As such, no cultivator’s growth depended entirely on using such pills. Even if they used pills to cultivate, they would only do so occasionally and not as their primary method.
Yang Kai had barely ever taken pills to cultivate, so his foundation was extremely solid and his Saint Qi was incredibly dense and pure.
Understanding the purpose of this Origin King Grade Spirit Pill, Yang Kai suddenly felt somewhat emotional!
This was a Spirit Pill designed specifically to increase the strength of an Origin King Realm master. On top of that, the mountain valley master had managed to refine such a pill with Pill Clouds, after which it had experienced at least ten thousand years of accumulation, so Yang Kai couldn’t even begin to estimate how amazing the medicinal energies inside of it were.
Yang Kai could only vaguely guess that if he had the ability to take this pill and refine it safely, his strength would very likely reach the Origin King Realm in a single bound!
This was an extremely terrifying growth rate that saved him countless years of hard work.
However, this was just a guess and Yang Kai had enough self-awareness to understand that he could not withstand refining this Spirit Pill right now.
With some reluctance, Yang Kai put away the Dragon Flame Purple Marrow Pill again before dispelling the gloom in his heart, quieting his mood, and taking out two different items from his Space Ring.
One was a blood-red stone the size of a heart while the other was a pitch-black round stone.
Two strange stones.
One was the Blood Essence Stone he had accidentally obtained in the Emperor Garden while the other was the second Stone Puppet embryo that Yang Kai had held onto for many years.
Yang Kai had two Stone Puppet embryos, both of which he acquired in Tong Xuan Realm. When he first came to Shadowed Star, one of the stone embryos merged with the Blood Essence Stone and hatched the Stone Puppet that Yang Yan named Xiao Xiao.
Although the other stone embryo had also reached maturity, it had not been able to hatch because Yang Kai could not find another Blood Essence Stone to serve as its heart.
Only after this trip to the Emperor Garden did Yang Kai accomplish this.
Yang Yan had been very envious of Yang Kai’s Stone Puppet, so Yang Kai had always wanted to hatch this second Stone Puppet and give it to her.
Unfortunately, Yang Kai didn’t know if Yang Yan needed it anymore given her current situation, so he couldn’t help smiling somewhat bitterly. Nevertheless, whether Yang Yan wanted it or not in the end, it was more important to let the Blood Essence Stone and the stone embryo merge right now.
Thinking about it this way, Yang Kai put the two strange stones together.
Strangely enough, the stone embryo which had been completely unresponsive inside the Black Book Space immediately sent out countless black threads the moment it came into contact with the Blood Essence Stone, wrapping up the latter tightly.
In the blink of an eye, the two stones became closely linked together; however, it appeared it would take quite some time before they fully merged.
This scene surprised Yang Kai, but after thinking about it for a moment, he sent out a Divine Sense Message silently.
Shortly after, the Stone Puppet Xiao Xiao appeared in front of him mysteriously, staring up at Yang Kai with a pair of clear and innocent eyes.
“Can I leave this in your care?” Yang Kai pointed to the partially fused black and red stones in front of him and asked.
Although the Stone Puppet’s intelligence wasn’t very high, he could still understand Yang Kai’s commands to a certain extent, so after looking in the direction Yang Kai pointed, his eyes suddenly widened and filled with joy and excitement.
Obviously, it could feel that a companion of its own was being bred in the partially fused black and red stones.
Nodding repeatedly, the stone puppet wore a look of clear desire.
“Good, take it with you, remember to report if any changes happen,” Yang Kai gave a light command, after which the Stone Puppet immediately picked up the fusing stones and disappeared in a flash.
Yang Kai estimated that it wouldn’t be long before a second Stone Puppet would be born, something he was looking forward to.
The next item to check was Demon Blood Temple’s glamorous Temple Master’s Space Ring.
That woman and Jin Shi both fell inside the Emperor Garden on the ice road. Jin Shi’s Space Ring had been banished to The Void as a result of Yang Kai’s Space-Force-infused Shi and could no longer be retrieved, so only Demon Blood Temple’s Temple Master’s ring remained.
However, as the leader of a great force, this woman’s wealth was naturally astonishing.
Yang Kai stretched out his hand and wiped it over her Space Ring before pouring out everything which was inside.
There were at least tens of millions of Saint Crystals, artifacts of various grades, hundreds of jade bottles containing pills, and some materials used for Alchemy and Artifact Refining.
The wide variety of treasures was simply dazzling and somewhat dizzying to see.
Yang Kai’s brow couldn’t help furrowing slightly; although most of the things here couldn’t even enter his eyes, it was still a vast amount of wealth, so he began to patiently organize it into what was useful to him and what wasn’t. He would keep what he needed while using the rest to fill High Heaven Sect’s storehouses.
Although the number of people in the Sect was still small, because High Heaven Sect’s headquarters was almost completely isolated from the outside world, they had to be self-sufficient in terms of cultivation resources. Even if most of these things couldn’t cause Yang Kai to give them a second glance, they were still incredibly precious to the Sect’s disciples.
This kind of sorting didn’t take Yang Kai too long to complete.
“Hm? This is…” Yang Kai’s eyes suddenly flashed as he picked up a certain animal skin book with a curious expression.
This animal skin book had also been placed inside the Space Ring of Demon Blood Temple’s gorgeous Temple Master. Yang Kai hadn’t taken notice of it at the beginning and only came across it as he was finishing up taking inventory.
The animal skin book wasn’t very big, but the pages were all dyed red, as if they had been soaked in blood, and a scent of iron was still wafted from it.
[This couldn’t be…]
Suddenly, Yang Kai’s heart jumped as he quickly opened this book. When he saw the words written at the top of the first page, he gawked for a moment before bursting into laughter.
It really was a case of wearing out iron shoes while seeking one’s feet.
What was recorded in this animal skin book was the complete Demon Blood Thread Secret Technique!
Since Yang Kai obtained the Demon Blood Thread Secret Technique from Deng Ning, he had been diligently cultivating it and it had provided him with a huge boost in strength, becoming one of the methods he relied upon most heavily.
Although the Demon Blood Thread Secret Technique was very difficult for Demon Blood Temple cultivators to practice, this Secret Technique was almost tailor-made for Yang Kai.
Yang Kai was uniquely suited to cultivating this Secret Technique, far more so than anyone from Demon Blood Temple because he possessed his pure Golden Blood!
Unfortunately, what Yang Kai obtained from Deng Ning was only the first half of this Secret Technique!
After successfully cultivating his Golden Blood Thread, Yang Kai instinctually felt that there should be more flexibility to this Secret Technique, and his guess was confirmed after seeing Demon Blood Temple’s Temple Master in action.
Sadly, Yang Kai had no idea how to obtain the second half of the Demon Blood Thread Secret Technique.
But now, to his surprise and glee, he had found what he was looking for in the Space Ring of Demon Blood Temple’s Temple Master.
It wasn’t actually that surprising when Yang Kai thought about it. Demon Blood Temple was in a constant state of internal strife and even advocated murdering fellow Sect members. Since that beautiful woman had managed to become the Temple Master of Demon Blood Temple, she naturally would have carried all her treasures on her as that was the safest place for them; unfortunately for her, they ended up as Yang Kai’s spoils after she died.
Yang Kai was ecstatic and immediately began studying this book carefully, soon confirming that it not only included the first half of the Demon Blood Thread Secret Technique but also the second half, explaining the more advanced methods of manipulating the Demon Blood Thread.
There was also the method to refine Blood Fusion Pills!
The Blood Fusion Pill was a special type of pill created by Demon Blood Temple which could increase the vital essence of a cultivator. Everyone that cultivated the Demon Blood Thread Secret Technique was eager to obtain this kind of pill because stronger vitality meant they could condense a stronger Demon Blood Thread.
Deng Ning had been rewarded with the first half of the Demon Blood Thread Secret Technique and a single Blood Fusion Pill for the merits he brought back from the Flowing Flame Sand Field.
It was as if he had received a supreme treasure.
After all, the Blood Fusion Pill was normally for the exclusive use of Demon Blood Temple’s top Elders and its Temple Master; lower disciples essentially would never even see such a treasure.
Yang Kai carefully studied the refining method of the Blood Fusion Pill for a moment, but after understanding it in its entirety, he immediately lost interest.
This could not be helped as it was truly an evil refinement method, actually requiring the collection of large quantities of fresh blood, preferably human blood!
If Yang Kai wanted to increase his vitality, he had a far simpler option, taking drops of the Life Revitalizing Jade Cream. During this trip to the Emperor Garden, he obtained a large quantity of pure Life Revitalizing Jade Cream, so how could he even place this Blood Fusion Pill recipe in his eyes?
However, the advanced manipulation methods contained in the second half of the Demon Blood Thread Secret Technique manual were of great interest to Yang Kai; after all, his Golden Blood Thread’s current abilities were somewhat limited, so if he could learn to control them more delicately, the role they would play in the future would be greater.
After studying this manual for a time but not obtaining any significant gain, Yang Kai set it aside for the time being, not feeling a significant rush to cultivate.
Next, he took out the stone tablet which he had collected after the Stone Monument engraved with the profound Artifact Refining Method exploded during his battle with Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce.
When she saw the stone tablet at that time, Xue Yue’s expression had changed dramatically and she had even gone so far as to beg Yang Kai to give it to her. After a brief negotiation, Yang Kai had intended to comply; after all, he didn’t know what value this stone tablet held, but before he could complete his agreement with Xue Yue, the Emperor Garden suddenly closed and sent him to the Limitless Ocean.
Yang Kai imagined that Xue Yue was furiously stomping her foot in frustration even now.
In all honesty, Yang Kai was also quite curious about this stone tablet that Xue Yue attached so much importance to, so after taking it out, he planned to study it.
The stone tablet wasn’t very big, only about the size of a palm, and there had been no signs of it being hidden inside the Stone Monument. In fact, if it was not for the fierce fight that caused the Stone Monument to break, this stone tablet might never have been found.
All in all, it was just a huge coincidence.
What was more coincidental though was that it flew straight over towards Yang Kai, allowing him to obtain it with ease.
Regardless of what it was, Xue Yue had determined it was useless to any Origin Realm cultivator and was only of worth to Origin Kings at a glance, a fact that only further piqued Yang Kai’s curiosity.
After half a month, the doors of First Heavenly Palace suddenly opened and Yang Kai stepped out with a calm expression.
After half a month of research, he finally figured out what mysteries were hidden inside this stone tablet.
Star Refining Art! This was not a Secret Art, nor was it a Martial Skill, but rather a Secret Technique that allowed a cultivator to refine a Star Source!
When he figured this out, Yang Kai was taken aback, never having expected the stone tablet to contain such an incredible secret.
Refining a Star Source was extremely difficult and only Origin King Realm masters were qualified to even attempt it. Once one successfully refined the Star Source of a Cultivation Star though, they would become that Cultivation Star’s Star Master!
Yang Kai learned of the powers of a Star Master soon after entering the Star Field. The Star Field itself was incredibly vast, but there were very few Star Masters. The reasons for this were quite simple: First, it required extremely high cultivation. Second, there were significant risks involved.
A Star Source was the core essence of a Cultivation Star, so refining it meant linking one’s destiny to that star, sharing both benefits and risks. If one managed to succeed, they would naturally gain unimaginable benefits, but if they failed, the only possible result was death.
Throughout the ages, innumerable masters wanted to conquer Cultivation Stars and refine their Star Sources. Each of these masters was a shocking character, geniuses among geniuses, masters among masters.
However, those who successfully managed to refine Star Sources and become Star Masters were a rarity!
It was difficult to imagine just how many powerhouses had fallen in the process of refining a Cultivation Star’s Star Source.
Of the Star Field’s super forces, Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce was the one Yang Kai was most familiar with and he was aware that it controlled some seven or eight Cultivation Stars while also possessing more than a dozen Origin King Realm masters, but for Star Masters, it only possessed one!
None of the others dared to refine a Star Source.
After all, this was no different from trying to balance oneself on a knife’s edge. If they managed to succeed, it would be a glorious feat that earned them the admiration of the entire Star Field, but the slightest mistake in the process would result in death and disgrace. These powerful Origin King Realm masters would not dare treat their lives so casually.
No wonder Xue Yue said that this stone tablet was useless for Origin Realm masters and was only useful for Origin Kings.
Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce was a super force in the Star Field and had several masters capable of becoming Star Masters, so it had a method for refining Star Sources; however, their method was no doubt vastly inferior to the Star Refining Art recorded in the stone tablet.
The Star Refining Art could be considered the highest-grade Secret Technique possibly for refining Star Sources.
Xue Yue entering the Emperor Garden this time was entirely to acquire the Star Refining Art. Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce’s President Ai Ou’s cultivation had been stuck at the peak of the Second-Order Origin King Realm for many years and he was unable to make any further progress, but if he could refine a Star Source, he would easily break through his current bottleneck and reach the Third-Order.
It was unknown how Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce learned that such a powerful Secret Technique resided inside the Emperor Garden, but they apparently had enough confidence to have Xue Yue personally lead a group of elites in search of it. If this was not the case, how could Xue Yue have engaged in such a risky venture considering Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce’s wealth and resources?
Unfortunately for her, when the Star Refining Art finally appeared, Xue Yue had failed to acquire it.
Yang Kai did not recognize the three ancient words engraved on the stone tablet, but Xue Yue did, which explained why she was so willing to compromise at the time.
It would be a long time before Yang Kai could make use of this Star Refining Art; without even mentioning his lacking cultivation realm, even if he was strong enough, he wouldn’t dare try to refine a Star Source without complete assurance.
As such, after studying it for a while, Yang Kai simply put it away.
Outside First Heavenly Palace, before Yang Kai could even take a few steps, he encountered several High Heaven Sect disciples. After seeing Yang Kai, these disciples hurriedly bowed, “Greetings, Sect Master!”
“En, is everything well in the Sect?” Yang Kai asked casually.
“Reporting to Sect Master, there have been no changes in the Sect since Sect Master entered retreat. All disciples are currently cultivating diligently and Great Elder has returned from the sixth layer.”
“Oh? She’s back?” Yang Kai was a little surprised at first but soon understood. Yang Yan would likely be asleep for at least ten more years, so there was no point in Ye Xi Yun remaining there the entire time. It was only natural to return to High Heaven Sect under the circumstances.
After all, she was instructed by Yang Yan to assist Yang Kai with all her strength, and how was she supposed to do so if she simply remained in the sixth layer? To say nothing of how inconvenient it was to simply meet like that, even communication across the fifth layer Flame Area was extremely difficult.
“Alright!” Yang Kai nodded lightly before ordering, “Tell Huang Juan to bring Lin Yun’er and meet me at the Great Elder’s residence.”
“Yes!” Although the few disciples did not know why Yang Kai wanted to see Huang Juan and Lin Yun’er, they didn’t ask any questions and immediately went about their assigned task.
Hundred Flowers Peak, where Yang Yan and Ye Xi Yun lived before.
Although the flowers here were still blooming in all their beauty, Hundred Flowers Peak now only had Ye Xi Yun living on it. When Yang Kai arrived, he found Ye Xi Yun sitting outside the stone pavilion as if she was lost in thought, so much so that she didn’t even notice him at first.
It was not until Yang Kai gave a light cough that Ye Xi Yun suddenly woke from her reverie up, looked up, and said lightly, “So Sect Master has come, subordinate greets Sect Master.”
Saying so, she elegantly got up.
“There’s no need to be too polite,” Yang Kai waved his hand before walking over and sitting opposite her. Pouring himself a cup of fragrant tea and taking a sip, Yang Kai asked casually, “How is Yang Yan?”
“En, Madam is fine, but she will continue to sleep for some time. Sect Master need not worry about her.”
“That’s good,” Yang Kai nodded lightly before suddenly asking, “What does Great Elder plan to do from now on?”
Ye Xi Yun glanced at him suspiciously for a moment before brushing her hair behind her ear and replying, “What is Sect Master referring to?”
“Why must Great Elder ask something she already knows the answer to? You remain here only because of the Great Emperor’s existence. I don’t know why you are so devoted to the Great Emperor but I’d like to confirm if you plan on simply waiting here until she awakens.”
“That’s right,” Ye Xi Yun gently nodded, “Is there any problem with that?”
“There’s no problem,” Yang Kai smiled lightly, “I was only wondering if Great Elder is willing to idle here instead of trying to take a step further beyond the Origin Returning Realm?”
“A step further?” Ye Xi Yun’s eyes shrank slightly as they flashed a strange brilliance, “If Sect Master has something to say, why speak in riddles to this subordinate?”
“You’re still my Senior, please stop referring to yourself as a subordinate, it’s disconcerting,” Yang Kai’s mouth twitched, “Alright, it’s like this. The current High Heaven Sect does not need to worry about being attacked as its defences are nigh impregnable. As long as the disciples don’t go out, they won’t be at risk. On top of that, there are plenty of cultivation resources here for everyone to use, so I was planning on leaving this place.”
“Leaving this place?” Ye Xi Yun frowned slightly, not understanding what Yang Kai was talking about.
“On a long-distance voyage away from Shadowed Star!” Yang Kai stared at her.
Ye Xi Yun could not help sitting up, “Sect Master means…”
“I just wanted to ask if you wish to leave with me!” Yang Kai grinned, “You should have reached the limit of the Origin Realm, no? The reason you have not yet broken through to the next realm is simply because of the suppression of Shadowed Star’s World Principles. If you were to free yourself from these shackles though, with your strength and aptitude, breaking through to the Origin King Realm should not be difficult. What’s more, we now have the ability to fulfil these conditions, so what does Great Elder think?”
“Leave this place…” Ye Xi Yun’s beautiful eyes filled with anticipation, but they soon regained their tranquillity as she turned to Yang Kai and asked, “Will Sect Master return here?”
“Of course I will return,” Yang Kai nodded, “To be honest with you, my desire to leave is primarily to find some people. After I find them, I will come back. Although the Star Field is big, wanting to find a place to stay and establish a home is not easy, so I have no plans to abandon High Heaven Sect.”
“So that’s it!” Ye Xi Yun said with some relief, “Although Sect Master’s offer is tempting, please forgive this subordinate for refusing.”
“Can you tell me your reason?” Yang Kai looked at her with a smile.
“Madam is still asleep, so I can’t leave. Besides, if Sect Master and I both leave at the same time, there will be no one here who can preside over the overall situation if something happens in the Sect.”
“Yeah, as I thought.” Yang Kai nodded lightly, seemingly knowing this was the response he would get.
Ye Xi Yun rolled her eyes and said in amazement, “Sect Master making this offer yet knowing my response must mean you weren’t really asking me to accompany you, yes?”
“Heh heh…” Yang Kai chuckled, “The choice is yours, whether you decide to go or not. I will not try to convince you. After all…”
Yang Kai did not continue as his expression suddenly turned solemn. With a serious tone, he spoke up once again, “Thank you.”
Being able to resist the temptation of reaching the Origin King Realm and insisting on staying to defend High Heaven Sect while Yang Kai was away, Ye Xi Yun was deserving of his sincere gratitude.
Both understood the other’s unspoken meaning here, so Ye Xi Yun didn’t make any attempt to deny it and simply nodded lightly.
Suddenly, she looked over in a certain direction and asked softly, “Did Sect Master call those two?”
Yang Kai released his Divine Sense and soon nodded, “Yes.”
The two Ye Xi Yun spoke of were naturally Huang Juan and Lin Yun’er. The little girl was being led by Huang Juan, but when she saw such a large field of beautiful flowers, Lin Yun’er’s wild instincts took over and she rushed into the garden.
Huang Juan was shocked and quickly ran to catch Lin Yun’er before half-dragging her over to the stone pavilion.
Caught like this, Lin Yun’er looked unhappy as her mouth pursed into a flat line.
“Greetings Sect Master, greetings Great Elder,” Huang Juan saluted while quietly observing Ye Xi Yun. It had been some time now since Huang Juan had arrived at High Heaven Sect, so she knew who the Great Elder was, but it wasn’t until she received Yang Kai’s summon today that she had the honour of actually meeting Ye Xi Yun.
“Sit down!” Yang Kai motioned before beckoning to Lin Yun’er in a friendly manner.
The little girl, however, just narrowed her eyes slightly before hiding herself in Huang Juan’s embrace, shooting Yang Kai a vigilant look every now and then, causing the latter to become speechless for a while.
“Have you gotten used to living here yet?” Yang Kai turned to Huang Juan and asked.
“Many thanks for your concern, Sect Master, subordinate and Yun’er are doing well here.”
“Great, if you lack for anything just tell Wu Yi, she will take care of everything. Remember, you’re not outsiders here, so do not hesitate.”
“Many thanks, Sect Master,” Huang Juan said with a moved look.
“Right, this is an Origin Condensing Pill, take it and enter retreat for a while and you should be able to break through to the Origin Returning Realm. Remember to use one of the cultivation rooms in Rising Dragon Hall for your breakthrough; the Ten Thousand Year Incense and Nine Branch Jade Crystal Tree are placed there and can help you overcome heart demons while sensing the Heavenly Way and Martial Dao, which will greatly improve your odds of success.”
“Yes.” Huang Juan responded, taking the Origin Condensing Pill from Yang Kai’s hand and carefully storing it while trying to control the surging emotions she felt in her heart.
Two months ago, she had been rushing about, struggling just to make enough to maintain her livelihood yet unable to even afford a Hundred Spirits Pill; but now, not only was she living in the beautiful cultivation paradise known as High Heaven Sect, but she also didn’t need to worry about cultivation resources and even had access to supreme treasures like the Ten Thousand Year Incense and Nine Branch Jade Crystal Tree which could assist her in breaking through to the next realm.
The difference between the two positions was as wide as the gap between Heaven and Earth. Huang Juan still could not believe that this was now her everyday life, and the gratitude she felt towards Yang Kai grew even stronger. After all, if Yang Kai hadn’t brought her back, her and Lin Yun’er’s future was something she didn’t even want to imagine.
“Did Sect Master summon this subordinate for some specific reason today?” Huang Juan looked at Yang Kai respectfully.
Yang Kai smiled slightly but did not answer, instead turning to glance at Ye Xi Yun.
Since Huang Juan brought Lin Yun’er here, Ye Xi Yun had been observing this little girl, her powerful Divine Sense silently sweeping over Lin Yun’er’s body while seemingly aware of something, her beautiful eyes bursting with both astonishment and surprise.
“Has Great Elder noticed it?” After waiting for a while, Yang Kai asked.
Ye Xi Yun gently nodded before turning to Lin Yun’er and beckoning, “Little girl, come over.”
Strangely enough, although Ye Xi Yun had a serious and meticulous look upon her face, Lin Yun’er wasn’t afraid of her at all, and upon hearing her summon, Lin Yun’er only hesitated for a moment before walking over to Ye Xi Yun and standing tall.
“Don’t be afraid,” Ye Xi Yun flashed a beautiful smile before stretching out her jade white hand to hold Lin Yun’er’s wrist and gently sending her Saint Qi into the little girl’s body to inspect her more carefully.
As time passed, the expression on Ye Xi Yun’s face became even more shocked.
After a long time, she took a deep breath, let go of Lin Yun’er, and revealed a look of pure amazement.
By now, Huang Juan was completely on edge as she stood nearby, watching Ye Xi Yun nervously while wondering if she had found something wrong. Since Yang Kai had told her about Lin Yun’er’s strange condition that day, Huang Juan had also paid more attention and found that, just as Yang Kai said, Lin Yun’er’s tiny body actually contained a brute strength which should have been impossible for her age and size.
What’s more, this was pure physical strength.
Huang Juan was worried Lin Yun’er had some kind of strange disease! After coming to High Heaven Sect, she had asked a few of the Elders, but none could give her a clear explanation, so seeing Ye Xi Yun now wear such a thoughtful expression, Huang Juan immediately pinned her hopes on her.
After all, it was rumoured that this Great Elder was once the Sect Master of Star Emperor Mountain, so there was no question that she was incredibly knowledgeable. However, it was a mystery why such a woman had suddenly left Star Emperor Mountain to live a life of seclusion or why she had suddenly decided to join High Heaven Sect.
“Great Elder, Yun’er, is she…” Seeing Ye Xi Yun remain silent, Huang Juan became even more nervous.
“Don’t worry,” Ye Xi Yun comforted her and said lightly, “This little girl is perfectly fine, but her physique seems to be a little strange.”
“A Special Constitution?” Yang Kai’s eyes lit up.
“En, there isn’t any other logical explanation for why the vital essence in her body is so strong; however, I don’t know what kind of Special Constitution she possesses. I’ll have to consult some ancient books first,” Ye Xi Yun frowned slightly.
Yang Kai gently nodded as Ye Xi Yun’s opinion coincided with his own judgment.
He had also guessed that Lin Yun’er possessed a Special Constitution. Although Special Constitutions were rare and hard to come across, it did not mean they did not exist in this world.
Yang Kai had met several Special Constitution possessors. The Sacred Spirit Medicine Body of Little Senior Sister Xia Ning Chang, the Poison Widow Body of Beguiling Demon Queen Shan Qing Luo, and the Dragon Marrow Phoenix Body of Xue Yue all belonged to the category of Special Constitutions.
Special Constitutions were an innate gift and granted their possessor all kinds of incredible effects.
For example, Xia Ning Chang’s Sacred Spirit Medicine Body allowed her unmatched aptitude and ability in Alchemy. To her, Alchemy was basically an instinct that did not require others to teach her about. On top of that, she could use Alchemy to enhance her cultivation.
As for what kind of physique Lin Yun’er possessed, that was unknown for the moment, but seeing how it seemed to grant her immense physical strength, it should be one related to battle.
Yang Kai could not help looking at her as if she was a giant piece of uncut jade!
The little girl was so young and her body was so thin, yet she already possessed such incredible force, so if she were to fully mature, it was likely even the strongest from the Monster Race would be nothing compared to her in a contest of strength.
“Great Elder, if you have nothing else to attend to in the meantime, why not accept the little girl as a disciple? Not only will you have a way to relieve your loneliness, but there will also be someone to give you filial piety in the future, killing two birds with one stone,” Yang Kai suddenly said with a smile.
Ye Xi Yun glanced over at him and said faintly, “So this is what Sect Master had been planning all along by introducing this little girl to me.”
Yang Kai grinned meaningfully and openly admitted, “Great Elder is also aware of the Sect’s current situation. Other than you, no one else has the qualifications to teach her. This little girl possesses a Special Constitution, so if others were to instruct her they would only delay or impede her progress. Only Great Elder would have the necessary skill to avoid such a mishap.”
Hearing what Yang Kai said, Huang Juan’s eyes lit up and she immediately began pleading as well.
Although she could not bear the thought of separating from Lin Yun’er, she was also aware of her limits. Lin Yun’er cultivating under her guidance would naturally result in vastly inferior results compared to the little girl studying under Ye Xi Yun. Considering Lin Yun’er’s future, Huang Juan felt she could tolerate a short separation.
What’s more, the Great Elder lived in High Heaven Sect, so she and Lin Yun’er would still have many opportunities to meet in the future.
Huang Juan and Yang Kai singing the same tune caused Ye Xi Yun to smile bitterly, rubbing her forehead gently as she said, “If I were to flatly refuse, wouldn’t that be too unreasonable?”
“Subordinate would not dare think so, if Great Elder has difficulties then Subordinate will naturally withdraw her request,” Huang Juan said hurriedly.
“Ha…” Ye Xi Yun sighed, “It’s not that this Queen doesn’t want to accept her as a disciple, it’s just that before I figure out exactly what this little girl’s Special Constitution is, even I would not feel confident formally instructing her; however, just providing a little guidance shouldn’t be an issue.”
Huang Juan was immediately overjoyed.
“But everything will depend on her own will,” Ye Xi Yun smiled slightly before turning to Lin Yun’er and asking her gently, “Yun’er, are you willing to cultivate under this Queen’s direction?”
“Yes,” Unexpectedly, Lin Yun’er replied crisply without even a moment of hesitation.
Ye Xi Yun was slightly startled by this and could not help asking curiously, “Why?”
“Because you should be very fierce.” Lin Yun’er tilted her head and replied.
Yang Kai and the others could not help but laugh. Although this little girl was ignorant of worldly affairs, she possessed her own intuition and was able to instinctively understand who here had the highest cultivation.
Ye Xi Yun put on a dignified expression and quickly said, “It will be very hard to follow this Queen. If you don’t cultivate well, this Queen may hit and scold you, do you understand?”
“Yun’er will cultivate well so she won’t need beating or scolding.”
“Good.” Ye Xi Yun nodded with satisfaction, “Then from today, you will stay here on Hundred Flowers Peak.”
Seeing Ye Xi Yun accept, Huang Juan’s eyes filled with excitement and she offered her sincere thanks.
Ye Xi Yun simply waved her hand and said, “I’m simply going to give her a little advice regarding her cultivation, not formally accepting her as a disciple. Please remember this.”
“Subordinate will remember, Yun’er being able to receive Great Elder’s advice is already a great blessing, it doesn’t matter whether she has the status of a disciple or not.”
“En, as long as you can have such a mentality. Also, you need not move to Hundred Flowers Peak, I will let Yun’er come visit you,” Ye Xi Yun exhorted before immediately turning to Yang Kai, “Sect Master, please return if there’s nothing else.”
[Another eviction order…]
Yang Kai’s expression became a bit depressed as he scratched his nose and stood up. Not wanting to disturb Huang Juan who was giving Lin Yun’er a tearful reminder of things she needed to pay attention to, he left on his own.
Five days later, outside the Flowing Flame Sand Field, inside the palace housing High Heaven Sect’s Space Array, a light flashed and Yang Kai appeared. Without saying anything to the disciples on guard duty, Yang Kai simply summoned his Star Shuttle and flew off towards the horizon.
Now that matters in High Heaven Sect had been settled, and Yang Kai had no worries inside or outside the Sect, he needed to prepare for his impending long-distance voyage.
Twenty to thirty years had passed since he entered the Star Field and just thinking about everyone back on Tong Xuan Realm was enough to stimulate his worries and desires. Now that he had an Origin King Grade Starship in High Heaven Sect, Yang Kai felt that it was time for a trip back home.
Of course, he also wanted to look for Su Yan and Shan Qing Luo if possible.
Many people were out there waiting for him, so he could not just remain on Shadowed Star forever.
But before setting off, he needed to procure some cultivation resources; after all, this voyage would not be a matter of just one or two years. High Heaven Sect did not have any contact with the outside world and was not self-sufficient in terms of various cultivation resources, so before leaving, Yang Kai wanted to make sure the Sect disciples and Elders had plenty of reserves on hand.
Saint Crystals were the least of his worries as there was a massive Saint Crystal lode in the second layer of the Flowing Flame Sand Field that would be enough to supply the Sect’s needs for thousands of years; however, there was a noticeable lack of pills available.
Although Yang Kai was an Alchemist, he could not refine so many pills in short order, so his only recourse was to purchase some and stockpile them.
Based on this consideration, Yang Kai did not choose to use Space Arrays to hurry along and instead used his Star Shuttle to fly from city to city, purchasing various pills and herbs as he went.
The direction he chose to head was towards Shadow Moon Hall!
For this long-distance voyage, Yang Kai certainly wanted to invite Qian Tong and Fei Zhi Tu. The two of them had made their desire to set sail with him known long ago, Yang Kai hadn’t picked a departure date until recently, so he had not been able to give them a positive answer.
Now that even Clear Sky Sect had obtained a travel quota, Yang Kai would certainly not forget Shadow Moon Hall; after all, Qian Tong had taken care of him in many ways since arriving on Shadowed Star and his friendship with Fei Zhi Tu was also not shallow.
If Yang Kai were to just leave without informing them, that would be too unreasonable.
—
At the same time, on a vast plain in Shadowed Star’s east, a massive city stood that stretched thousands of kilometres in every direction. At the centre of this city, there were many beautiful, enormous palaces arranged close together.
This was the headquarters of Heaven Battling Union, Heaven Battling City.
Inside one palace at the centre of the city, two people were discussing important matters, one of them was an old man with a youthful complexion while the other was a burly middle-aged man.
If Yang Kai were here, he would recognize the old man as Heaven Battling Union’s Great Elder Mo Xiao Sheng, a fellow cultivator of the Dao of Space.
At this moment though, this prestigious Great Elder was respectfully addressing the middle-aged man.
The identity of this man was easy to discern just from this, Heaven Battling Union’s Union Master, Qu Zheng!
Qu Zheng, like Mo Xiao Sheng, was a master at the peak of the Third-Order Origin Returning Realm, but he had been in retreat these past years to try to comprehend the mysteries of the Origin King Realm and thus rarely showed himself. Mo Xiao Sheng mostly handled all of the Union’s day-to-day matters.
This situation was quite common on Shadowed Star.
Because of the constraints of the World Principles here, the limit any cultivator could achieve was the Third-Order Origin Returning Realm, but all masters who reached this level would naturally not be content with the status quo and would strive to achieve the legendary Origin King Realm.
No one had succeeded, but that didn’t hinder these masters’ determination and enthusiasm to explore greater heights in the Martial Dao and Heavenly Way.
When the Emperor Garden opened, Qu Zheng had also entered, but the trip had not been very rewarding. At this time, what was being discussed with Mo Xiao Sheng was an after-action report on the Emperor Garden.
Suddenly, there was the sound of footsteps from outside the hall and a disciple’s voice called out, “Reporting to Union Master and Great Elder, Thunder Typhoon Sect’s Fang Peng is here to request a meeting.”
“That Old Ghost Fang?” Qu Zheng frowned as he muttered with displeasure, “That old dog dared to come to my Heaven Battling City? Does he not put this Qu in his eyes?”
Mo Xiao Sheng also showed a look of suspicion. One had to know that Heaven Battling Union and Thunder Typhoon Sect were the two giants of Shadowed Star. Although they weren’t blood enemies, they did have some small skirmishes between them with several disciples from both forces perishing at the other’s hands each year.
However, showing up at the other force’s headquarters was nothing short of a great taboo!
Moreover, Fang Peng’s identity was extraordinary: he was none other than the Sect Master of Thunder Typhoon Sect, making his status equivalent to Qu Zheng’s.
With his high status and sensitive identity, arriving at Heaven Battling City unannounced was likely to cause friction and possibly even disputes between the two giants. At worst, it might result in an all-out war, so after hearing the disciple’s report, Qu Zheng couldn’t help becoming angry.
“Union Master, please calm yourself,” Although Mo Xiao Sheng also had many doubts, his wit was sharper than Qu Zheng’s, and he hurriedly said. “Fang Peng must have something important to discuss with Union master since he dares to arrive in Heaven Battling City. If that’s the case, you might as well hear what he has to say; it won’t be too late to decide how to respond afterwards.”
Hearing this proposal, Qu Zheng felt it was somewhat reasonable; moreover, as this place’s master, he wasn’t afraid of a lone Fang Peng, so he nodded lightly after he pondered for a moment, “Very well, then we’ll act per Great Elder’s intention, but if that old dog really came here to provoke my Heaven Battling Union… Hmph! This old master will let him know what the price of overconfidence is!”
Just after these words were spoken, a loud laugh came from outside the hall, and a hearty voice called out, “I’ve not seen you for many years, but it seems Brother Qu’s temper is as short as ever.”
At the same time this voice sounded, a figure appeared outside the hall. The Heaven Battling Union disciple was thoroughly shocked by this person’s appearance and hurriedly tried to block him, but he was easily kicked aside and unable to get up. Immediately after, the uninvited guest walked into the hall directly, wearing a carefree smile, without the slightest trace of politeness, as if this place was his own private courtyard.
Qu Zheng’s expression turned gloomy as Mo Xiao Sheng frowned, a clear look of displeasure appearing on both their faces.
The man who walked in was Fang Peng, the Sect Master of Thunder Typhoon Sect, but neither of the two seated inside had expected that this guy would be so thick-skinned.
After entering the hall, Fang Peng found a place to sit down for himself before turning to Qu Zheng and saying, “Brother Qu, I’m a guest from afar, so why don’t I see tea being served? Is Heaven Battling Union really so stingy?”
“Hmph, if it were someone else who had arrived, this Qu would definitely welcome them, but you… we have no tea for the likes of you,” Qu Zheng snorted coldly.
Fang Peng just curled his lips, not bothering to dwell on this seemingly irrelevant topic.
“Old Ghost Fang, instead of taking care of your Thunder Typhoon Sect you’ve run tens of thousands of kilometres to my Heaven Battling City. Why?” Qu Zheng got straight to the point, “Cheng Peng Xuan fell in the Emperor Garden, so if you leave Thunder Typhoon Sect rashly, aren’t you afraid someone will take the opportunity to stir up trouble?”
“Who would dare?” Immediately after Qu Zheng’s mentioned Cheng Peng Xuan falling, Fang Peng’s face became gloomy and he coldly snorted, “Although Great Elder Cheng’s demise is unfortunate, my Thunder Typhoon Sect is no pushover; who would dare court death by challenging us?”
“Your courage isn’t small,” Qu Zheng sneered, his eyes faintly flashing, “If this old master were to make you remain here forever, I think your Thunder Typhoon Sect would be nothing more than a flock of chickens waiting to be slaughtered.”
“Make me remain here?” Fang Peng pointed to himself with a grin, “Don’t try to boast shamelessly, Brother Qu! If you have such confidence, you are welcome to try burying this Fang in Heaven Battling City.”
Hearing this taunt, a dangerous light flickered across Qu Zheng’s eyes as if he really wanted to take action.
This couldn’t be helped though, since Thunder Typhoon Sect would likely collapse if Fang Peng was beheaded here, leaving only Heaven Battling Union to lord over Shadowed Star.
However, Fang Peng remained utterly calm and relaxed, as if he had something to rely on, causing Qu Zheng some confusion and stopping him from acting ruthlessly.
Mo Xiao Sheng also felt confused. Although Fang Peng’s strength was indeed exceptional, since he had entered the heart of Heaven Battling City, his life was no longer his to control. This old dog couldn’t have lost his mind and taken the initiative to deliver his head, could he?
“En, enough nonsense,” After a long, silent stalemate, Fang Peng waved his hand and said, “Truth be told, this Fang daring to come to Heaven Battling Union alone this time was simply because he was ordered to.”
“Ordered?” Qu Zheng and Mo Xiao Sheng were both startled, “To do what and by who?”
Fang Peng was Thunder Typhoon Sect’s Sect Master, who could order him to do anything? Both of these men’s hearts clenched when they realised the answer to this question.
“Who do you think?” Fang Peng squinted at them.
Exchanging a glance, both Qu Zheng and Mo Xiao Sheng turned severe, and only after a long silence did Qu Zheng hesitantly ask, “Could it be them?”
“En, it’s them. Who else could order this Fang into action personally?” Fang Peng grinned meaningfully, “Or do you think this old master would willingly come here to die? While this old master may not be young, he still hasn’t lived nearly enough. How could I waltz right into this tiger’s den without something to take advantage of?”
Although his words weren’t pleasant to the ear, Qu Zheng and Mo Xiao Sheng could only look at each other and suppress the murderous intent in their hearts.
Since the other party had come here under ‘their’ orders, they could not do anything to him. Although Heaven Battling Union and Thunder Typhoon Sect were the two giants of Shadowed Star, their strength was insignificant compared with that side.
Thousands of years ago, the Ancient Yang Sect was comparable to Heaven Battling Union and Thunder Typhoon Sect, but because it had offended that side, it had been uprooted overnight, showing just how terrifying their power was.
Usually, their people were completely indifferent to worldly affairs, so why would they suddenly order Fang Peng to contact Heaven Battling Union at this time?
“Brother Fang, if you have something to say then get to the point, you and I know that while Heaven Battling Union and Thunder Typhoon Sect can lord over Shadowed Star, we still fall short of their power. Since they’ve begun to move, the Heaven Battling Union and I naturally won’t just stand by,” Qu Zheng took a deep breath and his attitude became much more easygoing.
“Brother Qu really understands what must be done!” Fang Peng laughed before he too assumed a solemn expression, “That little brat from High Heaven Sect has left the Flowing Flame Sand Field.”
Qu Zheng was taken aback, and quickly reacted, “You mean that boy called Yang Kai?”
“Indeed!” Fang Peng nodded lightly, “And from his movements, it seems he wants to go to Shadow Moon Hall!”
“Shadow Moon Hall?” Qu Zheng frowned, “What does this have to do with us?”
“Why does Brother Qu try to play dumb?” Fang Peng sneered, “Although High Heaven Sect is nothing of importance itself, since it is located inside the Flowing Flame Sand Field, no one can pose any threat to it. If it’s given enough time to develop, will Shadowed Star still have a place for you and me?”
“Brother Fang’s meaning is to strangle this danger in its cradle?”
“Exactly!” Fang Peng nodded sincerely, “If he had remained hidden inside the Flowing Flame Sand Field, I’m afraid no one would have any way to deal with him, but since he’s decided to come out on his own, he no longer gets to decide whether he lives or dies.”
“That being said, I heard that this boy’s strength and means are extraordinary. No average person would be able to do anything to him.”
“So what? No matter how great his strength might be, he’s still a boy who just broke through to the Origin Returning Realm. You and I have countless masters at our disposal, could it be that you think we have no way to take him?”
“En,” Qu Zheng nodded lightly, feeling like he had been making a bit too much of a fuss, but he still suspiciously asked, “But what does any of this have to do with ‘them?’”
“A great deal!” Fang Peng grinned meaningfully, “High Heaven Sect has an Origin King Grade Starship. Hasn’t Brother Qu heard?”
“This Qu has heard such rumours, but is it truly an Origin King Grade Starship?” Qu Zheng was a little sceptical.
“Whether or not it is real, you might as well ask Elder Mo. Elder Mo has seen it with his own eyes.”
Qu Zheng shot a look over at Mo Xiao Sheng who nodded solemnly and said, “En, there’s no doubt that it is an Origin King Grade Starship; however, I have no idea how they made it or where they found it.”
“It doesn’t matter where they got it. The key is that as long as we can obtain that Starship, we can leave the Shadowed Star and go to another Cultivation Star to break through to the Origin King Realm!”
As soon as this statement came out, both Mo Xiao Sheng and Qu Zheng’s eyes lit up with desire.
The Origin King Realm was something they always dreamed of reaching but could never achieve; however, with an Origin King Grade Starship, it might just be possible.
“Presumably, Brother Qu understands what this means, moreover… Ye Xi Yun has joined High Heaven Sect and currently holds the status of Great Elder. Do you think that side will just let High Heaven Sect off?” Fang Peng grinned deviously.
“So that’s how it is!” Qu Zheng nodded lightly, finally comprehending the whole picture. Whether it was because of that Origin King Grade Starship or Ye Xi Yun, it was impossible for ‘them’ to sit by and watch High Heaven Sect develop. That side would definitely be looking for any opportunity to wipe High Heaven Sect out.
And their Sect Master Yang Kai’s little outing was one such opportunity!
“Is this matter to be undertaken by just our two forces?” Qu Zheng asked.
“For the time being, but that side seems to be sending people as well.”
“Hmph, manipulative bastards.” Qu Zheng snorted coldly. It was almost inevitable that that Origin King Grade Starship would fall into their hands if High Heaven Sect was really eliminated. At that time, Thunder Typhoon Sect and Heaven Battling Union would only get some leftover soup to drink.
“Their fist is bigger, after all.” Fang Peng smiled helplessly, “I’ve delivered their message, but as for the specifics, that is for you and me to discuss. Because this is related to that Starship and Ye Xi Yun, we can’t just kill Yang Kai but must capture him alive instead to use as a bargaining chip to force High Heaven Sect to surrender.”
Yang Kai knew nothing about Fang Pang and Qu Zheng’s conspiracy. At this moment, he was still flying in the direction of Shadow Moon Hall, stopping by each city he came across, buying up pills and herbs like crazy.
The number of Saint Crystals in his Space Ring shrank at an extreme speed, but the number of cultivation resources increased at the same time.
His harvest was massive.
Three months later, Yang Kai stood mid-air, looking towards a city not far away.
Heavenly Fate City!
Glancing to the side, Yang Kai saw a small devastated mountain: Dragon Cave Mountain, which sat just fifty kilometres from Heavenly Fate City!
This small ruined mountain was Yang Kai’s first stopover on Shadowed Star and was where he had made many friends and enemies, and grown to his current height. It was a pity that this unique small mountain range managed by Wu Yi, Yang Yan and all the others had been destroyed in that great battle.
Only a little time had passed, but when Yang Kai looked at the desolate Dragon Cave Mountain, it almost felt like he could see his rapid growth over the past decade.
After a brief silence, Yang Kai slowly shook his head, collected his mood, and flew straight to Heavenly Fate City.
He had flown all the way here from the Flowing Flame Sand Field, and although it had taken him three full months, he hadn’t wasted his time on the road. Although cultivating on the move was impossible, studying the various gains he had from the Emperor Garden wasn’t an issue.
Yang Kai had fully grasped the second half of the Demon Blood Thread Secret Technique now, so all that remained was for him to take the time to experiment and enhance his control over his Golden Blood Threads to increase their battle power.
He had also studied the True Alchemy Enlightenment Scripture from time to time, obtaining new harvests each time he did.
These three months had been quite fulfilling.
In front of the majestic City Lord’s Mansion, Yang Kai was stopped by the cultivators on guard. After taking a good look at Yang Kai though, the lead guard suddenly paled and solemnly cupped his fists, “Heavenly Fate City’s Chen Qi greets Sect Master Yang.”
“Oh? You recognise me?” Yang Kai smiled and looked at this man with some surprise.
The man called Chen Qi scratched his head and respectfully said, “When Sect Master Yang raised a big fuss in Heavenly Fate City, this Chen was able to see Sect Master Yang from a distance, so…”
“So that’s how it is,” Yang Kai gently nodded. Since this man knew him, that made things easier, “Is City Lord Fei here? I want to discuss something with him.”
Saying so, Yang Kai prepared to walk inside.
Chen Qi quickly stood in front of him though and wore an awkward expression as he said, “Reporting to Sect Master Yang. Sir City Lord is not in the city right now.”
“Not here?” Yang Kai was stunned. Unexpectedly, after travelling a few million kilometres, one of the people Yang Kai had come to see was out, causing him to feel somewhat depressed. After collecting himself, Yang Kai asked, “What about Elder Qian?”
“Elder Qian is not here either,” Chen Qi’s look became even more embarrassed.
“Uh…Where did they go?” Yang Kai was speechless. It hadn’t been long since the Emperor Garden had closed, yet these two old men hadn’t even bothered checking their gains before leaving once more.
“Great Elder and Sir City Lord went to Fallen Emperor Mountain together,” Chen Qi replied quickly.
“Why would they go to Fallen Emperor Mountain?” Yang Kai frowned.
Chen Qi asked back, “Hasn’t Sect Master Yang heard about Fallen Emperor Mountain’s mutation?”
“Mutation?” Yang Kai suddenly became interested.
Half an hour later, Yang Kai left Heavenly Fate City, summoned his Star Shuttle, and set out in the direction of Fallen Emperor Mountain.
From Chen Qi, he had learned something quite shocking.
The ruins of a large number of secluded homes and cave mansions of ancient cultivators had appeared in Fallen Emperor Mountain, and there was even a rumour that the ruins of a great Sect had been discovered! This news was simply unbelievable. After the news spread, it immediately attracted a large number of Shadowed Star cultivators who wanted to explore and treasure hunt.
Moreover, this was no mere rumour; it was all confirmed fact.
Some people had already managed to obtain Heaven defying Secret Arts and Secret Techniques from these ruins, along with other valuable artifacts and treasures.
It was even said that an Origin King Grade artifact had appeared.
Of course, this last point may have been an exaggeration. Regardless of which Cultivation Star one was on, Origin King Grade artifacts were rare treasures because too few Artifact Refiners were capable of refining such masterpieces.
But it was undeniable that Fallen Emperor Mountain had become the focus of attention for all of Shadowed Star.
Yang Kai had been to Fallen Emperor Mountain once before when he had joined Fei Zhi Tu’s group to rescue Qian Tong. The reason why this mountain range was called Fallen Emperor Mountain was precisely because of rumours that the Starry Sky Great Emperor had fallen there.
The omnipresent Emperor Pressure in Fallen Emperor Mountain added to the credibility of this rumour.
The deeper one went, the stronger the Emperor Pressure became!
Before the Emperor Garden manifested, Shadowed Star’s cultivators that had recently broken through to the Origin Returning Realm would enter Fallen Emperor Mountain to make use of the Emperor Pressure to condense their Shi.
Unfortunately, no cultivator could enter the depths of Fallen Emperor Mountain because none could bear the intensity of the Emperor Pressure there.
However, after the Emperor Garden appeared, the Emperor Pressure that pervaded Fallen Emperor Mountain disappeared.
The reason for this was obviously due to the Emperor Garden.
The Emperor Garden originally existed many thousands of metres below Fallen Emperor Mountain, which allowed Emperor Pressure to cover this mountain range. But when the Emperor Garden rose into the sky, the Emperor Pressure emitted by it no longer affected Fallen Emperor Mountain.
No one had ever been able to travel deep into Fallen Emperor Mountain before, so many couldn’t resist the temptation to explore.
Initially, just a few cultivators who were curious about what was inside Fallen Emperor Mountain had banded together to explore its depths, but some kind of falling out occurred after they discovered an ancient cave mansion and obtained many benefits, leading to word of the existence of treasures leaking out.
If it weren’t for an unequal distribution that led to infighting and even killing, news of this discovery probably wouldn’t have spread as quickly.
Previously, all of Shadowed Star’s cultivators were paying attention to the Emperor Garden’s movements, so no one paid much heed to the changes of Fallen Emperor Mountain.
But now, the world’s attention had shifted from the Emperor Garden to Fallen Emperor Mountain.
This focus only became more pronounced when word spread of a large number of secluded homes and cave mansions of ancient cultivators and even Sect ruins being discovered. Now, countless cultivators from all over Shadowed Star were rushing to Fallen Emperor Mountain.
This happened three or four months ago. Yang Kai had already left High Heaven Sect on a purchasing spree while immersing himself in the True Alchemy Enlightenment Scripture and Demon Blood Thread Secret Technique, so he had naturally not received word about this strange phenomenon.
It was only after arriving in Heavenly Fate City that he came to learn of this news.
Of course, Yang Kai was quite interested in these secluded homes, cave mansions and Sect ruins. Now that he knew of them, he didn’t mind taking a trip there to find Qian Tong and Fei Zhi Tu, saving him from wasting time just waiting in Heavenly Fate City for them to return.
After obtaining some relevant information, Yang Kai flew straight to Fallen Emperor Mountain.
Along the way, Yang Kai noticed that many cultivators were also travelling in the same direction as him, rushing towards Fallen Emperor Mountain. Apparently, the news of hidden treasures being found wasn’t groundless; otherwise, it would have been impossible to attract so many people.
Yang Kai naturally remembered the location of Fallen Emperor Mountain as it wasn’t too far away from Heavenly Fate City.
Ten days later, a streak of light arrived outside Fallen Emperor Mountain and came to a halt. When this light dissipated, Yang Kai’s figure appeared.
Looking at the countless cultivators down below, Yang Kai couldn’t help wrinkling his brow.
He hadn’t expected it to be so lively outside Fallen Emperor Mountain.
A rough estimate put the number of cultivators in the mountain range’s periphery at several tens of thousands with widely varying cultivations.
There were cultivators at the True Element Boundary, Immortal Ascension Boundary, Transcendent Realm, Saint Realm, etc.
There were even some Separation and Reunion Boundary cultivators who had yet to even reach the True Element Boundary.
[What are they doing here?] Yang Kai observed with consternation. With such strength and cultivation, rushing into such a dangerous place was courting death.
But after thinking about it carefully, Yang Kai suddenly understood.
Since they had chosen the path of cultivation, these people weren’t afraid of taking risks. Yang Kai had also passed through these Great Realms and deeply understood that the more dangerous the place, the higher the benefit it was hiding and the more those benefits could help a cultivator grow.
If these cultivators were lucky enough to find an unclaimed secluded home or cave mansion of some ancient cultivator, perhaps they would never have to worry about cultivation resources for the rest of their lives.
And now that there was no trace of Emperor Pressure remaining in Fallen Emperor Mountain, it could be said that even ordinary mortals who hadn’t begun to cultivate could enter without worrying about their safety.
Fallen Emperor Mountain was also different from other mountain ranges because the omnipresent Emperor Pressure that shrouded it in the past had made it impossible for any kind of creature to live inside. As such, there was no need for cultivators entering to worry about encountering vicious or powerful Monster Beasts.
The only thing one needed to care about was other cultivators.
Killing people and plundering their treasures was something that happened frequently, but as long as one didn’t venture too deep into the mountains, the risk of this happening wasn’t too high.
Various thoughts flashed across Yang Kai’s mind as he quickly came to an understanding of why these seemingly weak cultivators had gathered here.
Not only that, some cultivators didn’t even seem like they were planning to enter Fallen Emperor Mountain and were here to take advantage of this opportunity to do some business instead. In this crowded place, countless stalls and pop up shops had appeared, selling a dazzling array of goods and services.
The business at some stalls seemed to be pretty good, with many people gathering around and bargaining with the stall owners, making for a lively market atmosphere.
Seeing this, Yang Kai failed to stifle his laughter.
In the end, he didn’t need to care too much about other people’s affairs. This trip to Fallen Emperor Mountain was just a coincidental opportunity. What Yang Kai had to do now was see if he could find Qian Tong or Fei Zhi Tu while casually exploring.
If he had some gains, he would be happy, but if not, he wouldn’t care.
Considering all this, Yang Kai descended to the ground.
Just after he collected his Star Shuttle, several cultivators rushed over to him, all of them wearing flattering smiles as they greeted Yang Kai with cupped fists from afar.
Yang Kai frowned, not knowing what these people were up to, but he wasn’t about to just attack random people, so he stood in place and looked at them faintly while asking, “Do you have something you want to discuss with me?”
“Extreme Heaven Sect’s Wu Chang greets this friend,” One of the more astute looking cultivators quickly introduced himself.
Others followed suit.
Interestingly, these cultivators were all just Saint Kings.
After listening to their self-introductions, Yang Kai raised his brow as he discovered that these people all belonged to different forces, some of which even seemed to have grudges between them.
This left Yang Kai a little at a loss, wondering what they wanted from him.
“It’s like this, Friend,” The man named Wu Chang took the lead, putting on a friendly smile that felt entirely fake to Yang Kai but made the others present scowl somewhat unhappily. “From the looks of it, Friend came alone to enter the depths of Fallen Emperor Mountain to treasure hunt, yes?”
“Indeed!” Yang Kai gently nodded, “So what?”
Wu Chang chuckled, “Friend doesn’t need to be so vigilant, this one has no malicious intentions and simply wishes to invite you and to enter with him.”
“With you?” Yang Kai frowned.
“Exactly,” Wu Chang nodded quickly before stretching out his hand and pointing in a specific direction. “Friend must be able to tell that this Wu is nothing more than a Second-Order Saint King, and although such cultivation is not low, it is also not high. In fact, the disciples of Extreme Heaven Sect currently here do not have an Origin Realm master to assume command, so if we were to encounter a powerful enemy while exploring the Fallen Emperor Mountain…”
Although he didn’t finish his words, Yang Kai still understood why this man extended an invitation. Looking in the direction this Wu Chang was pointing, Yang Kai noticed a group of cultivators wearing similar robes, about a dozen or so in total and all of them Saint Kings. There was no trace of an Origin Realm master in sight.
It seemed that Extreme Heaven Sect wasn’t a very powerful force.
“You want me to protect your safety?” Yang Kai asked.
“Talking with someone smart makes things so much easier. Rather than just protection, this Wu would rather call it cooperation, it all depends on whether this friend is willing or not,” Wu Chang nodded quickly.
“Is there a difference?” Yang Kai was surprised.
“Naturally there is a difference,” Wu Chang saw that Yang Kai seemed a bit interested and hurriedly struck while the iron was hot. “If Friend just protects my Extreme Heaven Sect, we will simply pay Friend a satisfactory price, but whatever we discover in Fallen Emperor Mountain will then belong exclusively to my Extreme Heaven Sect. If we cooperate, however, friend and I can discuss the terms of how to distribute the treasures we find. Of course, this Wu would earnestly like to cooperate with this friend.”
Yang Kai nodded lightly, finally figuring out why the other party was acting so enthusiastic. It turned out that this Wu Chang’s Sect lacked any powerful masters, and since Yang Kai hadn’t bothered to conceal his cultivation, even if Wu Chang was just a Saint King, it wasn’t hard to realise Yang Kai was an Origin Realm master.
“The same goes for all of you?” Yang Kai swept his eyes over the others gathered around him.
These cultivators nodded quickly, one-by-one introducing their own families or Sects.
“I understand,” Yang Kai chuckled before asking meaningfully, “Aren’t you worried I’ll go back on my word and silence the witnesses if we discover something truly good?”
Hearing this, Wu Chang and the others present went somewhat stiff, their expressions becoming uncomfortable, but soon, Wu Chang composed himself and said, “Friend must be joking.”
“Whether I’m joking or not, since I can enter the Fallen Emperor Mountain to explore on my own, why would I bother cooperating with you and be forced to share the profits?” Yang Kai sneered. He wasn’t so idle or bored to help these people. The only reason he even bothered talking to these people was because he had only just arrived and was hoping to gleam so information from them about Fallen Emperor Mountain’s current situation.
“En… it’s like this, Friend. The ancient secluded homes and cave mansions in Fallen Emperor Mountain are all extremely well hidden. Many cannot even be found with Divine Sense, so if there are more people to search, there is a higher chance to discover opportunities. Moreover, most of the barriers protecting these secluded homes and cave mansions cannot be opened by individuals and instead require the cooperation of many, which is why most people choose to form groups to explore. There are very few who decide to enter all on their own.”
“From what you said, I guess it does make sense,” Yang Kai nodded lightly.
Wu Chang and the others were overjoyed hearing this, but just as they were about to continue pressing their advantage, Yang Kai waved his hand and said, “But I only just arrived here and don’t plan on immediately diving in, so you’d all best look for someone else to cooperate with.”
Saying so, Yang Kai left.
He never had any intention to cooperate with these people.
Although Wu Chang and the others were unwilling, they were unable to continue blocking Yang Kai, so they turned their attention back to their surroundings instead, hoping to spot other lone Origin Realm masters they could win over.
After getting rid of those few people, Yang Kai didn’t rush to enter Fallen Emperor Mountain but instead walked around the random stalls while taking out his communication artifact and pouring his Divine Sense into it.
Unfortunately, there was no response, so Yang Kai could only shake his head and put it away.
It seemed that Qian Tong was too far away. Otherwise, he would have been able to make contact.
Yang Kai wasn’t actually investigating these stalls for treasures. There were a lot of goods at these stalls, and many of them weren’t bad in terms of quality, but how could these things possibly enter Yang Kai’s eyes? Moreover, who would be willing to display any kind of real treasure here? After obtaining something precious, anyone’s first thought would be to hide it from public view.
It could be said that the items on sale here were all just common goods.
Of course, some people couldn’t judge the real value of things and treated treasures like garbage, but such instances were scarce.
Yang Kai continued to wander around since he wanted to gather information. At the very least, he could get a rough understanding of the situation inside Fallen Emperor Mountain through the conversations of the cultivators around him.
There were countless people here, so it wasn’t tricky for Yang Kai to glean some valuable news.
The ancient Sect ruins actually existed! Apparently, it was located at the innermost part of Fallen Emperor Mountain. Now, many masters had already rushed there; however, the Sect Defending Array of that ruin seemed quite sturdy, so it probably wouldn’t be easy to break through in short order. As such, the masters who first discovered it were at a loss and could only wait for more people to arrive so they could join forces to crack it.
If Yang Yan were here, with her abilities, breaking through that Sect Defending Array wouldn’t be any trouble at all, but unfortunately, she had already fused with the Great Emperor’s true body and was now still in a state of deep sleep.
Thinking of Yang Yan, Yang Kai sighed unconsciously.
This woman was the closest friend Yang Kai had made since he arrived on Shadowed Star. She had followed him through many ups and downs, sharing joys and sorrows, but how could Yang Kai have known her actual life experiences would be so astonishing?
Just as he was reminiscing, Yang Kai’s eyes flashed lightly before he collected himself and walked off towards a sparsely crowded place.
After a while, he suddenly turned around with a smile on his face and called out, “Friend, why are you following behind this Yang so stealthily? How about you come out and show yourself?”
A surprised outburst rang out before a figure strangely appeared not far away, its eyes sweeping over Yang Kai in shock as it called out, “You can actually see through this Jiang’s concealment technique?”
Yang Kai snorted as he swept his Divine Sense across his opponent and found that this man was a Second-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivator who appeared to be about fifty years old with slightly greying hair and a short stature. This older man’s Saint Qi also seemed somewhat obscure.
Although this old man was one Minor Realm higher than him, Yang Kai showed no signs of fear at all.
He had killed a few of the cultivators at the Third-Order Origin Realm before, so why would he fear a mere Second-Order old man? Moreover, looking at the other person’s expression, it seemed that there was no malice contained in it, so Yang Kai didn’t plan an act before he understood this old man’s true intentions.
“Don’t take offence, Little Brother. This Jiang had no ill intentions,” The cultivator surnamed Jiang quickly expressed his attitude; after all, it was something of a taboo to follow after someone secretly. Although Yang Kai’s cultivation was lower than this old man’s, this place was currently a great mixing pot of dragons and snakes, so he didn’t want to stir up any unnecessary conflict with Yang Kai only to benefit others.
“I can see that,” Yang Kai smiled lightly, not seeming to pay it any mind, “But I still want to know why you were following me.”
“Hehe, then this old man will be succinct with Little Brother.” Although this man looked far older than Yang Kai, since both of them were Origin Realm cultivators and were unfamiliar with one another, he didn’t dare assume an air of seniority. “En, if Little Brother doesn’t mind, may this old man inquire as to what attribute Saint Qi you cultivate?”
“What attribute?” Yang Kai frowned, his face growing solemn, “Why should I tell you?”
“If it’s convenient, would little brother mind indulging this old man? This old man is searching for a companion who cultivates a specific attribute of Secret Art. Of course, if Little Brother is unwilling, then just pretend this old man never asked. This Jiang can always search for others to cooperate with,” The man surnamed Jiang asked sincerely.
Yang Kai frowned and pondered for a moment before saying, “See for yourself.”
Saying so, he stretched out his hand and released a dark Demonic Flame atop his palm which gave off a scorching heat.
The cultivator surnamed Jiang saw this and his face lit up, “Fire Attribute, finally!”
“Hm?” Yang Kai frowned, “You were looking for a cultivator that specifically cultivates Fire Attribute Saint Qi?”
“Indeed!” The expression of the cultivator surnamed Jiang turned serious again, “This old man has already spoken to more than a dozen people, but none of them could meet my requirements. If Little Brother doesn’t mind, can we move elsewhere to discuss the situation in detail?”
Saying so, he looked at Yang Kai eagerly.
Seeing Yang Kai hesitating though, the old man surnamed Jiang grit his teeth and quietly sent a Divine Sense Message to Yang Kai.
“Oh? Is there such a good deal?” Yang Kai asked in surprise before nodding immediately, “In that case, please lead the way, Brother Jiang.”
“Please, please!” Jiang Shan saw Yang Kai agree and was overjoyed, hurriedly turning and walking off in a certain direction.
Yang Kai followed him away from the crowds and towards a more and more deserted area; however, having complete confidence in his strength, Yang Kai wasn’t worried this old man was up to anything nefarious.
After a while, the two arrived at a small slope about ten kilometres away, where three other people were sitting cross-legged in meditation, seemingly adjusting their breathing.
Yang Kai was surprised and quickly swept this group with his Divine Sense, immediately discovering that these three were all Second-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivators comparable to the old man whose name he now knew was Jiang Shan.
Of these three people, two were men while one was a woman. One of the men appeared similar to Jiang Shan, about fifty or sixty years old, while the other man and the woman looked much younger. Of this younger-looking pair, the man had a wild look about him as well as burly muscles while the woman had a delicate appearance with an impressive pair of jade peaks and a thin, enchanting figure.
From how the younger-looking man and woman were meditating close to each other, it seemed that they were husband and wife. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have appeared so intimate; however, their appearances gave a strong sense of visual conflict, like a beautiful woman and a burly beast.
Perceiving someone had arrived, the three cultivators opened their eyes at the same time. When they saw that Jiang Shan had brought someone back with him, they all began examining Yang Kai.
“Brother Jiang, what took you so long? This old master thought something happened to you,” The old man meditating in the back asked impatiently.
“Haha, a minor matter, it just took more time to find a suitable candidate than I anticipated; fortunately, this old man managed to find this little brother,” Jiang Shan explained.
It truly was hard to find a suitable candidate. What he was looking for was someone who cultivated Fire Attribute Saint Qi and had an appropriate level of strength. If he found someone who was too strong, he wouldn’t be able to control the situation, but if he found someone too weak, they wouldn’t be of any help.
As such, a First or Second-Order Origin Realm cultivator was the best choice.
What’s more, most of the cultivators who arrived outside Fallen Emperor Mountain were now appearing in groups, so it had been hard to find a lone cultivator. Jiang Shan had wandered for two or three days and asked ten people in total, but only Yang Kai met his requirements.
“A First-Order Origin Realm brat?” The wild-looking brawny man coldly snorted, “With his low strength, won’t it be more difficult to break open the barrier? If this boy drags our heels, wouldn’t we have wasted a lot of time?”
Although he was just a Second-Order Origin Realm master, barely any higher than Yang Kai, this burly man’s tone was quite condescending.
But Yang Kai just smiled lightly and paid it no mind.
Jiang Shan quickly spoke up, “First-Order is fine, although this little brother’s cultivation is slightly lower, he only needs to take enough pills to supplement his Saint Qi when the time comes. Moreover, cracking the Spirit Array isn’t difficult. As long as we have the right number of people with the appropriate attributes, it will simply be a matter of time; there’s no requirement for individual strength.”
“If Brother Jiang says so,” The brawny man didn’t continue to haggle over the issue.
“Good. Old Jiang, shouldn’t we head out now that everyone is here? Although you said that place is quite remote and it’s unlikely to be discovered, with so many people pouring into Fallen Emperor Mountain, it’s probably best if we move quickly,” The elegant woman opened her lips lightly and said in a crisp, pleasant-sounding voice that still retained a hint of immaturity. If one were to simply listen to her voice, they would have difficulty thinking she was an Origin Realm master.
“Sister Yi is right, now that everyone is here, we should go.” Jiang Shan didn’t object, simply beckoning to everyone as he summoned his Star Shuttle and flew towards the depths of Fallen Emperor Mountain.
The other four exchange a glance before hurrying to keep up.
Along the way, everyone introduced themselves; after all, they were about to collaborate, so it wasn’t a good idea to know nothing about one another. Of course, no one went into too much detail about their origins. Yang Kai only learned that besides Jiang Shan, the other old man was He Wei, the burly man was called Chen Li, and the elegant lady was Yi Lin.
Yang Kai opted only to give his surname when asked.
After all, his current reputation on Shadowed Star was quite loud, so if he reported his full name, these people would have some questions. But since he only gave his surname, no one cared too much.
The reason Jiang Shan gathered five people to enter Fallen Emperor Mountain was because he accidentally discovered the hidden cave mansion of an ancient cultivator a few days ago. Unfortunately, a powerful Spirit Array was guarding this cave mansion that, even after several days of effort, he was unable to crack. As such, his only recourse was to exit Fallen Emperor Mountain and look for helpers.
Fortunately, he had dabbled in Spirit Arrays during his long life and, although he had failed to crack the protective array outright, he had been able to associate it with a specific Spirit Array he had read about in some ancient books called the Five Elements Scattering Array.
This Spirit Array had very distinct strong points and weak points. Its strong point was it provided excellent camouflage and was incredibly difficult for individuals to crack; however, as long as one could gather five cultivators that had Saint Qi of the Five Elements, they would be able to work together to break it.
If this Spirit Array had been in peak condition, then five Origin King Realm masters would need to be assembled to destroy it; however, after more than ten thousand years of neglect, its power had significantly reduced, and five Origin Realm masters were all that was needed.
After leaving Fallen Emperor Mountain, Jiang Shan found three suitable candidates, with Yang Kai being the last one.
Jiang Shan had mentioned the ancient cultivator’s hidden cave mansion to Yang Kai at that time, which was why Yang Kai had bothered following him.
In any case, Yang Kai had to enter the depths of Fallen Emperor Mountain, so this diversion was technically along the way for him. If he managed to obtain some benefits that would be best, if not, it didn’t matter, so Yang Kai’s enthusiasm was far lower than the other four.
“Let’s get the unpleasant business out of the way first.” After Jiang Shan finished explaining about the ancient cave mansion and the Five Elements Scattering Array, he wore a solemn look and said, “When the barrier is broken, if there really is a hidden cave mansion, this old man wants forty percent of whatever we find while the remaining sixty will be shared amongst everyone else equally.”
“Forty percent?” Hearing Jiang Shan’s words, He Wei raised his brow, but after a moment of thought, he nodded, “Good, Brother Jiang’s distribution is fair, this old man has no objections!”
Chen Li and Yi Lin naturally had no objections either.
Although the five of them were acting together, the ancient cave mansion was discovered by Jiang Shan, and he had also provided the method to crack its protective barrier while the rest of them were simply contributing some strength. Jiang Shen monopolising forty percent of the rewards wasn’t unjust.
Yang Kai rarely went out exploring with others, but he still understood such basic distribution etiquette. Ordinarily, Jiang Shan declaring he wanted half of the gains wouldn’t be considered taking the lion’s share, so now that he only wanted forty percent, everyone was naturally quite satisfied.
“What if there isn’t a way to evenly distribute the gains we find?” Yang Kai asked.
“If there aren’t enough gains to be distributed, we will naturally convert them to Saint Crystals or auction them off on the spot, the highest price winning the treasure while the rest receive some Saint Crystals,” Yi Lin looked at Yang Kai with a smile, “Little Brother, you must rarely go out treasure hunting with strangers, yes?”
“En,” Yang Kai nodded with slight embarrassment as he vaguely realised that such rules must be reasonably standard things that everyone knew.
“No wonder!” Yi Lin giggled.
Jiang Shan also smiled kindly, “Judging from Little Brother Yang having reached the First-Order Origin Returning Realm at such a young age, you must come from some famous force, so it’s only natural that you don’t know of such rules.”
“Hmph, flowers grown in a greenhouse can’t stand up to wind and rain. Little Boy, don’t you dare screw things up for us when the time comes,” Chen Li seemed to look down on Yang Kai’s strength and distrust him quite a bit.
Saying so, he turned his attention back to Yi Lin and ignored Yang Kai.
Yang Kai simply scratched his cheek awkwardly and remained silent.
After experiencing so many ups and downs on his life’s journey, overcoming innumerable hardships to reach his current strength, he was now being treated as a greenhouse flower by strangers, but no matter how he tried, he knew he wouldn’t be able to explain, nor was he interested in doing so. All of them had just met and would only be working together once before going their separate ways, thus explaining anything was meaningless.
The group of five continued on their way. At first, they would encounter all kinds of cultivators near the outskirts of Fallen Emperor Mountain; however, after these people sensed the energy fluctuations emanating from this group of five, all of them quickly avoided them.
This wasn’t surprising as a group of five Origin Realm masters was not one to be trifled with. Who knows what kind of temperament these five had? Wouldn’t it be courting death if they had wicked personalities or were easily angered?
However, as time passed and the group dove deeper and deeper into the mountain range, fewer cultivators could be seen until there were not any in sight.
Fallen Emperor Mountain was massive, and although there were now tens of thousands of people exploring this place, once they dispersed, there was rarely a chance of encountering others.
Just one day after Yang Kai entered Fallen Emperor Mountain, a team of several dozen people suddenly descended to the periphery.
A strong sense of oppression radiated from this group and the noisy crowd around Fallen Emperor Mountain’s periphery suddenly fell silent as everyone turned to look at these newcomers.
Among this large group, two people stood out as leaders. One was a middle-aged man in a blue robe who appeared both burly and sturdy while the other was wearing green robes and didn’t seem as visually imposing, but whose aura was not inferior to the blue-robed man.
After sweeping the surrounding hundred-kilometre radius with his Divine Sense, the blue-robed man frowned and muttered, “He’s not here.”
The man in the green robe smiled lightly as he took out a communication artifact and poured his Divine Sense into it, seemingly contacting someone. After putting away the artifact, he said, “Brother Qu, that little brat seems to have entered Fallen Emperor Mountain a day ago.”
“He went inside?” The blue-robed man frowned, his eyes gleaming brightly in the next moment as he slowly nodded, “Fine, this matter cannot be delayed so we should enter as well.”
“Good, I didn’t expect Fallen Emperor Mountain to experience such a great change, but it makes things more convenient for us to act; otherwise we would need to take the trouble to conceal our whereabouts and movements,” The man in the green robes grinned.
The group of several dozen only remained on the outskirts for a moment before they directly rushed into Fallen Emperor Mountain and disappeared.
After they left, the tens of thousands of cultivators on the outside of Fallen Emperor Mountain gasped.
“Heaven Battling Union’s Union Master Qu Zheng and Thunder Typhoon Sect’s Sect Master Fang Peng! Why did they come here together? Weren’t they rivals?” Someone exclaimed, apparently recognising the identities of the previous two.
“What’s so strange about that? Fallen Emperor Mountain is now rich with opportunities and many treasures are waiting to be excavated. Those two forming a temporary alliance to reap more benefits isn’t unprecedented.”
“What Friend says makes sense, but for so many masters from those two forces to suddenly run over, it seems the Sect Defending Array of the ancient Sect ruins is about to be broken.”
“Then why are we still hesitating? We need to hurry up and follow them!” A man said enthusiastically, quickly putting away his storefront and rushing into Fallen Emperor Mountain behind the Heaven Battling Union and Thunder Typhoon Sect group.
These two giants would undoubtedly be eating meat, but there should still be some soup leftover for others to drink. Opportunities and risks always coexisted, so as long as one was careful, they may be able to take advantage of this situation to reap some unexpected harvests.
On Fallen Emperor Mountain Range, in front of a particular mountain, Yang Kai and his group of five people finally came to a stop after three straight days of flying.
This was already considerably far into Fallen Emperor Mountain. Before the Emperor Garden appeared, no creature was able to set foot into this place because prolonged exposure to the overwhelming ambient Emperor Pressure would grind them to dust.
However, after the Emperor Garden appeared, the Emperor Pressure which pervaded Fallen Emperor Mountain disappeared, making it possible to explore these previously desolate regions.
The group of five managed to arrive here without any kind of incident along the way.
“Here?” He Wei glanced around with a deep frown on his face while the others wore similarly confused looks.
Although the World Energy in this place was quite abundant, none of their Divine Senses could detect the slightest trace of a Spirit Array barrier, let alone the cave mansion of an ancient cultivator.
“Yes, it’s here,” Jiang Shan said with confidence and a smile on his face, “If not for this Jiang having gotten into a scuffle here that led to some unusual energy fluctuations, I might not have been able to discover anything either. It was a lucky coincidence.”
“Old Jiang, enough with the suspense, where’s the ancient cave mansion hidden?” Chen Li asked with a mixture of impatience and eagerness.
“It’s right in front of you,” Jiang Shan smiled lightly, “Brother Chen might as well attack this spot at will to see some clues.”
“Oh?” Chen Li raised his eyebrows and looked in the direction Jiang Shan was pointing, but all he could see was a smooth rock wall. Even using his powerful Second-Order Origin Returning Realm Divine sense, he was unable to detect anything out of place.
However, since the other party was so confident, he likely wasn’t lying, so Chen Li didn’t hesitate and immediately sent out a punch.
Saint Qi surged forward as the fist pressure condensed to the point where it was visible to the naked eye. A golden fist shadow flew out of and blasted directly towards the rock wall.
Chen Li’s Saint Qi actually had a Gold Attribute, making its sharpness and might unmatched.
Yang Kai raised his brows as he watched while gently nodding. Although he didn’t know which great force this Chen Li came from, from the density and purity of his Saint Qi, it was apparent this burly man was a fair bit stronger than an average Second-Order Origin Realm cultivator.
Yi Lin stood to the side with a bright smile, obviously satisfied with her husband’s strength and imposing manner.
A fantastic scene happened next. Just as the fist shadow was about to hit the rock wall, a series of ripples suddenly appeared in the air. It seemed that there was an invisible layer blocking this region, and when the threatening fist shadow struck it, it just sank into this invisible wall like a stone being thrown into the ocean, creating no noticeable effect before swiftly vanishing.
However, in the next moment, the golden fist shadow which had just disappeared strangely reappeared and flew straight back towards Chen Li.
This sudden change caused the burly man to cry out in surprise as he hurriedly dodged.
*Hong…*
With a series of booming sounds, the golden fist shadow flew out a few thousand meters as it burst through rocks and trees.
“This thing can actually reflect attacks?” He Wei called out in surprise, his eyes flashing a brilliant light.
“Yes, this is one of the Five Elements Scattering Array’s strong points and why this old man had no choice but to search for help to crack it!” Jiang Shan gently nodded.
Although Chen Li embarrassed himself slightly just now, he did not become irritated and instead just said, “This Spirit Array is a bit interesting. Old Jiang, tell me, how do we crack it?”
Jiang Shan chuckled, “This old man doesn’t have any great talent, but he does know how to crack this particular Spirit Array. As long as everyone works together, it should not be a problem.”
Hearing what he said, the crowd gathered around quickly.
The look on Jiang Shan’s face became serious as he began explaining how they needed to cooperate to crack this Spirit Array.
Everyone present was an Origin Realm master, and although none of them was a top-level expert, they each had some experience with such Spirit Arrays after cultivating for so many years. After listening to Jiang Shan’s remarks, everyone nodded lightly, indicating they understood what needed to be done.
“Alright, since you now understand the cracking method, we should first restore ourselves to our peak state.”
No one had any objections and immediately sat down cross-legged to supplement their Saint Qi consumption with some Saint Crystals.
After about half a day, everyone opened their eyes and exchanged looks filled with expectation.
“By the way, Little Friend Yang, do you have pills on you which can quickly replenish your Saint Qi?” Jiang Shan asked somewhat anxiously. Although he had vaguely guessed that Yang Kai’s background wasn’t shallow, this was a matter of great importance, so he didn’t dare act carelessly.
“En, Old Jiang need not worry,” Yang Kai replied lightly.
With the massive reserves of Saint Qi stored in his body, Yang Kai did not need to take any kind of pills to restore himself. Even if his Saint Qi was exhausted, he only needed to burst a drop of Golden Blood, and he would instantly be back at full strength.
Throughout Yang Kai’s life as a cultivator, he had very rarely run into the problem of Saint Qi exhaustion.
“Very good. You should all keep some restorative pills where you can easily reach them as well. Although the Five Elements Scattering Array isn’t difficult to crack, it has high requirements for the continuous output of Saint Qi. This is an ancient cave mansion so none of us should underestimate it.”
“We are well aware of such things. Stop wasting time Old Jiang, let’s get started,” Chen Li urged.
“Good, take your place and follow the plan this old man laid out,” Jiang Shan said seriously before rushing over to a specific spot.
The other four also rushed to their assigned positions, soon forming a kind of star-shaped pattern with each of them at one of its points, equidistant from one another, as if they had measured the spacing with a ruler.
“Everyone, begin!” Jiang Shan yelled as he immediately poured his Saint Qi into the space in front of him.
The others didn’t lag behind. After seeing Jiang Shan act, all four of them also sent their Saint Qi out into the space in front of themselves.
In an instant, the five energy fluctuations with entirely different attributes appeared, and although these fluctuations weren’t too overpowering, they were steady and continuous.
Among them, the Saint Qi of Yang Kai was naturally Fire Attribute. Although the Secret Art he cultivated was technically Yang Attribute, with the improvement of his strength and the transformation of the Saint Qi in his body, his Demonic Flame could now be transformed into a pure Fire Attribute strength.
Of course, the nature of his Demonic Flame could freely change between hot and cold, making it difficult to classify or resist.
Chen Li, who had taken action once before, naturally possessed the Gold Attribute, Yi Lin possessed the Water Attribute, Jiang Shan the Wood Attribute, and He Wei the Earth Attribute.
The five elements gathered together, and five different colours of Saint Qi poured into the air. Strangely though, this Saint Qi did not dissipate but instead began collecting towards a central position, as if there was some kind of invisible well pulling it in.
The Five Elements Scattering Array was both strong and weak. It could rebound all forms of attack and at its peak could even resist the bombardment of an Origin King Realm master. One needed to make use of all five elements to crack it safely.
If one wanted to rely on brute force, they would need to be at least a Third-Order Origin King with a powerful artifact or Secret Technique.
However, the Five Elements Scattering Array in front of the group was over ten thousand years old and was no longer in peak condition.
Even so, it wasn’t something that could be broken by ordinary means.
As the group of five continued pouring their Saint Qi into the Spirit Array, they didn’t encounter any kind of backlash for a couple reasons. First, they weren’t technically attacking the barrier, and second, everyone was observing Jiang Shan and adjusting their Saint Qi output to match his. If anyone used just slightly more or slightly less, this cracking method wouldn’t work since a balance between the five elements needed to be maintained. Once this balance was broken, the Spirit Array would immediately reflect their Saint Qi towards them.
Things were somewhat tricky in the beginning, but Jiang Shan let out a sigh of relief and relaxed after seeing the other four adjust their Saint Qi appropriately. This was a collaboration between five strangers where if any of them failed to play their role, all of them would be affected, so how could he not feel somewhat anxious?
Seeing that things were going smoothly, Jiang Shan slowly began increasing his output of Saint Qi.
The others naturally followed suit, not daring to show the slightest neglect.
Time passed slowly, and the surrounding forest was so quiet one could hear a leaf drop. Soon, the Saint Qi flowing from each of the five people gradually flooded the central space and began intertwining, mutually reinforcing and restraining one another in a kind of endless cycle.
And with the flow of Saint Qi, a hole vaguely began to appear in the originally smooth, mirror-like rock wall.
It was the entrance to the ancient cave mansion!
Five pairs of eyes lit up when they saw this scene.
However, this entrance was still quite illusory and seemed like it would disappear at any moment. Everyone knew that this was because the Spirit Array hadn’t been broken yet, so they immediately took out restorative pills and stuffed them into their mouths to replenish themselves as they continued to pour their Saint Qi into the space before them.
Yang Kai was no exception. His current cultivation was just First-Order Origin Returning Realm, so to not stand out, he casually took a few pills and pretended to restore himself.
In the blink of an eye, another two hours passed.
All five were now sweating profusely after having to output their Saint Qi for such a long time continuously. No cultivator can afford to do this even with good pills to supplement their Saint Qi as there was simply no way for restoration to keep up with their consumption.
However, the entrance of the cave mansion had still yet to fully reveal itself. Although it was now much clearer than before, the protective Spirit Array here was still far from being broken.
Realising this, everyone’s expressions became quite difficult.
“Everyone, the situation doesn’t look promising,” Yi Lin exclaimed first.
“Boy, you better be able to hold on, if you drop out now, father here won’t let you off!” The burly Chen Li turned his head and shouted at Yang Kai. He saw Yang Kai looking somewhat unsteady and clearly feared that his Saint Qi would not be able to last, causing them to fall short here.
“It’s not a problem!” Yang Kai said lightly.
Jiang Shan frowned as he also glanced over at Yang Kai with some worry, secretly regretting looking for a First-Order Origin Returning Realm like Yang Kai. At that time, he had miscalculated the power of this Five Elements Scattering Array and thought that merely gathering five appropriately attributed cultivators could crack it. How could he have known it would take so long to break this Spirit Array though? Even worse, it seemed they would need to keep this up for at least a few more hours.
Sustaining this kind of output for such a long time would be difficult even for him, not to mention Yang Kai, who was a Minor Realm weaker than everyone else.
Jiang Shan secretly felt anxious about Yang Kai, worrying that he would be unable to last till the moment the Spirit Array was broken.
However, they were all now riding a tiger. Five people’s worth of Saint Qi was now condensed at the centre of this Spirit Array, so once they tried to withdraw, the consequences would likely be unbearable.
Especially considering this Spirit Array could reflect attacks. Once such a massive amount of Saint Qi rebounded, all of them were at risk of death.
Jiang Shan immediately began to frown.
“You need not worry, although this Yang’s cultivation is slightly lower, I don’t believe I have less Saint Qi than the rest of you. Just concentrate on yourselves.” Seeing everyone on edge as they observed him, how could Yang Kai not understand what they were thinking? As such, he immediately offered some reassurances.
“Bold words!” Chen Li snorted coldly, but soon grinned, “But I appreciate them!”
“If you say so, then good!” Jiang Shan also relaxed before his eyes flashed a determined light and he grit his teeth, “Since Little Brother Yang has so much confidence in himself, this old man will increase his Saint Qi output again, be sure to keep up!”
Saying so, he snorted and began pouring out a much larger amount of Saint Qi from his hands, obviously intending to finish this task in one fell swoop.
He had incorrectly estimated the sturdiness of this Five Elements Scattering Array before and didn’t expect it would take so long to crack. Now, if he wanted to end this troublesome situation as quickly as possible, he had to increase his output of Saint Qi to saturate the Spirit Array and break it down.
Seeing this, everyone naturally didn’t object and one after another increased their output of Saint Qi as well.
The same was true for Yang Kai.
In an instant, the five elements Saint Qi being poured into Spirit Array increased dramatically, and the rate of convergence at its centre became twice as fast as before.
Seeing that Yang Kai hadn’t exaggerated his strength and was able to keep up with everyone’s pace, the other four couldn’t help putting down their last worries. Jiang Shan was even more appreciative and gave him a slight nod.
However, the pleasant mood didn’t last long. Even with the incredible influx of five elements Saint Qi, the Spirit Array in front of the group still showed no signs of breaking.
Everyone soon became anxious.
After a moment, Jiang Shan suddenly bit the tip of his tongue and sprayed out a mist of blood from his mouth, his pale face suddenly becoming much ruddier.
Clearly, he had used some kind of Secret Technique to enhance his strength.
He Wei, Chen Li, and Yi Lin also used their own methods, either taking precious pills they had been reluctant to use or using powerful Secret Techniques that caused damaging side-effects to maintain the output of their Saint Qi.
Only Yang Kai remained the same. He appeared somewhat pale and unsteady, but the Saint Qi flowing from his body was not weakened as a result.
The other four couldn’t help but look at him with some admiration. None of them could understand how a mere First-Order Origin Returning Realm youth possessed so much Saint Qi.
The nervous and uneasy atmosphere gradually spread as everyone began regretting rushing to this place and trusting Jiang Shan’s words. Now, such regrets were not helpful.
Seeing that even if he exhausted himself, there might not be enough Saint Qi to crack the Spirit Array here, He Wei’s eyes gave off a sharp glint as he suddenly shouted, “Everyone, it seems we cannot crack this Five Elements Scattering Array with our strength. This old man has a family and wife waiting at home, so he will be taking his leave. I wish the rest of you the best of luck!”
Everyone’s face changed drastically!
Jiang Shan even opened his mouth and shouted, “Brother He, what are you thinking?”
“You dare!” Chen Li also shouted sharply.
However, the old man surnamed He turned a deaf ear to their calls and fiercely pushed his Saint Qi as he assumed a retreating posture, clearly intending to escape.
If he continued to remain, only death awaited, so instead of lingering, He Wei decided to escape promptly and hope he could survive.
Of course, he also had to guard against the Spirit Array’s violent rebound after giving up.
However, the first person to flee should have more time to escape, while the others would bear the brunt of the rebound as they would need to protect themselves as well.
In this group of five, besides Chen Li and Yi Lin who were husband and wife, everyone was a stranger who had only temporarily joined forces to break through this Spirit Array. There was no friendship between them at all, so how could they care about other’s lives more than their own?
Even husbands and wives would flee when disaster struck, let alone five strangers who barely knew one another.
This small alliance was broken the moment the old man surnamed He uttered these words!
While the others were shocked, they quickly understood He Wei’s plan and also began making preparations to escape.
But in the next moment, everyone’s expression changed dramatically, including Yang Kai who had up until this point been hiding his strength.
None of them could move! There was some kind of strange force literally holding them in place. Not only that, but the Saint Qi they were pouring out of their bodies into the Spirit Array continued to do so despite their efforts to stop it.
The energy of the five elements continued to intertwine, seemingly generating a huge suction force from its rotation that not only fixed everyone in place but also continuously swallowed the power in their bodies.
Before now, everyone had taken the initiative to output their Saint Qi, so they hadn’t noticed this phenomenon; but now that they were trying to escape, they immediately discovered this frightening reality.
“What’s happening?” He Wei paled in horror as he struggled violently but was still unable to move, his expression paling as an ominous feeling came over him.
“Old Jiang, what’s the meaning of this?” Chen Li’s temper was the hottest, so when he noticed something had gone wrong, he immediately began accusing Jiang Shan, apparently thinking this old man had lured them into some kind of trap.
Not only did Chen Li think so, even Yang Kai also had such thoughts as he narrowed his eyes towards Jiang Shan, only to see that the old man’s face also pale and filled with panic.
Clearly, Jiang Shan was also caught off guard by this sudden accident.
“This old man doesn’t know!” Jiang Shan declared in a wronged tone.
“You don’t know?” Chen Li obviously did not believe him and continued to roar, “You discovered this place, brought all of us here, and provided the method to crack this Spirit Array! Now that we’re in this mess, you dare say you don’t know what’s happening? Didn’t you set up this trap beforehand and wait for us to jump in?”
“Hmph, Brother Chen’s accusations are unfounded! This old man can barely protect himself right now, what good would setting up a trap like this do me?” Although Jiang Shan was mild-tempered, being slandered so by Chen Li forced out a sharp rebuttal from his lips.
“I don’t care what you say! No matter what, this is all your fault! If you don’t find a way out of this for us, even if this Chen dies he won’t let you off!”
“Stop quarrelling!” Yang Kai shouted firmly, “Is there any point in arguing now? I believe Old Jiang didn’t intend for this to happen!”
“You believe him?” Chen Li sneered, “Who knows if you and this old bastard are working together?”
Yang Kai glanced at him coldly but didn’t bother trying to convince him any further. This man was a simple-minded muscle brain, so now that he was trapped and in imminent danger, continuing to quarrel with him would only make the situation worse rather than better.
“Old Jiang, does the Five Elements Scattering Array have this kind of property?” Yang Kai frowned and looked at Jiang Shan.
“No!” Jiang Shan shook his head decisively, “The Five Elements Scattering Array is simply a protective Spirit Array; apart from its ability to reflect all types of attacks, it doesn’t have any independent killing effects, it shouldn’t be able to exhibit this kind of behaviour unless….”
“Unless what?” Yang Kai narrowed his eyes.
“Unless this Spirit Array has been transformed into a different type of Spirit Array!” Jiang Shan secretly guessed and began carefully going over his knowledge of Spirit Arrays.
Since he was able to find the way to crack the Five Elements Scattering Array, obviously he had dabbled in the field of Spirit Arrays, so even if he was far inferior to Yang Yan, Jiang Shan was still far more knowledgeable than the other four present.
After thinking about it for a moment, Jiang Shan’s complexion changed again as he called out in alarm, “Is this the Five Elements Devouring Array?”
“Five Elements Devouring Array?” Yi Lin muttered as she asked curiously, “It’s only one word different from that Five Elements Scattering Array, is there anything to worry about?”
“Haha…” Jiang Shan gave a wry smile, “Although it is only one word different, its power and effects are vastly different. Sister Yi can also see our current situation. Once this Spirit Array has been activated, it will not stop until it drains all of the Saint Qi in our bodies as well as our vitality.”
“What?” Everyone paled greatly as they fell into shocked silence.
“This cave mansion’s master is truly insidious,” Jiang Shan’s expression became gloomy as he spat bitterly, “He actually used a Five Elements Scattering Array to conceal a Five Elements Devouring Array. This old man was too careless.”
“What meaning is there in saying all this now? Father doesn’t want to die here!” Chen Li roared as he desperately pushed his Saint Qi, trying to free himself from the constraints of the Spirit Array in front of him, but no matter how hard he tried, there was no effect. On the contrary, it only caused him to grow more panicked.
“Don’t struggle recklessly. Once one is trapped by the Five Elements Devouring Array, it’s like falling into a quagmire, the more you struggle, the faster your Saint Qi will be drained,” Jiang Shan hurriedly shouted.
“Then what should we do?” Yi Lin’s beautiful face went white as she hurriedly tried to calm her husband’s rampage.
Jiang Shan smiled bitterly but remained speechless.
“Could it be that we can only wait here to die?” He Wei muttered in exasperation.
“This old man is truly sorry,” Jiang Shan wore a look of guilt. He thought he was bringing everyone here to treasure hunt and had even settled on a generous distribution plan for the benefits, but instead, he had put all of them in life-threatening danger. Now, not only could they not escape, they could only sit here waiting to die.
“There’s really… no solution at all? Brother Jiang, you know the most about Spirit Arrays here, please try to think up a way,” The beautiful woman begged.
Jiang Shan didn’t even have the heart to meet her eyes, obviously unable to save the situation with his skills.
While he had dabbled in Spirit Arrays, wanting to crack the double-layered Spirit Arrays in front of him in this situation was something he wasn’t capable of doing.
Only if his knowledge of Spirit Arrays was as profound as someone like Yang Yan could he accomplish this seemingly impossible feat.
Yang Kai also looked depressed. Although the Saint Qi reserves in his body were enormous, as long as this Spirit Array remained, he could only remain stranded here with no hope of escape.
Yang Kai cultivation of the Dao of Space should be useful in this situation though. He just needed to find the right moment to tear space and he may be able to escape, as such, compared to the other four, Yang Kai was relatively calm.
However, there was also a significant risk to this option. Once the Void Crack he tore encountered too strong of an impact, it was very likely to become unstable or even collapse. Moving through an unstable Void Crack was dangerous even for Yang Kai.
This would be his last resort.
The five people were facing grave danger together, but they had no solution at all; they could only stand on the spot and wait to die. A kind of deep despair shrouded everyone’s heart, causing them to become panicked.
But a moment later, He Wei suddenly cried out in surprise, as if something had changed again.
Accompanied by his exclaiming, the whirlpool of energy in front of them which was composed of the intertwining five elements energy suddenly accelerated again, and the entrance to the cave mansion in the rock face became clear, as if it had stabilised and could be entered or exited at will.
The Five Elements Scattering Array seemed to be on the verge of breaking!
In this desperate situation, this discovery made everyone excited, but in the next moment, they all cried out in panic.
Along with the increased rotational speed of the energy vortex, an incredible suction force also appeared, draining out the remaining strength of the group of five as if a dam had burst, entirely beyond their control.
At a rate visible to the naked eye, everyone became unsteady, with one or two of them even turning as pale as paper. Even Yang Kai was not feeling very good at this moment because he felt the Saint Qi in his body rapidly depleting.
The amount which had already been drawn out was almost equivalent to the sum total of what a Third-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivator would possess.
Fortunately, Yang Kai had a vast reserve of Saint Qi, so he was not worried about his life; however, the story was different for Jiang Shan and the other four. The last remnants of Saint Qi in each of their bodies were rapidly drained away, and now their vitality was being stripped.
All four of them began to dry up as streams of red noticeably started leaking out of all their orifices only to be swiftly sucked into the swirling vortex in front of them.
Naturally, this red energy was their life force, the basis for their lives!
Their bodies shrivelled at a terrifying speed and their faces became as dry as tree bark, as if hundreds or thousands of years were passing in the blink of an eye. Even the hair of these four turned grey, then white.
Silently, in just ten breaths of time, the four Second-Order Origin Returning Realm masters had been doomed to death, their auras flickering out entirely.
At this moment, the Five Elements Scattering Array seemed to be just about saturated and turned into a mass of energy that struck towards the cave mansion entrance.
However, without the assistance of the other four, Yang Kai alone could not maintain the balance of the five elements.
Once this balance was broken entirely, all the energy contained within the Five Elements Scattering Array would surely explode.
That combined vitality of the four Second-Order Origin Returning Realms, as well as all their Saint Qi reserves, was something even Yang Kai couldn’t guarantee he would survive being hit by. Even if he did not die, he would inevitably suffer severe injuries.
Nevertheless, he would most likely die!
Was he going to fall short here? Unwillingness flashed in Yang Kai’s eyes. The five of them had joined forces to hunt for treasures, but now the other four had died in front of him. Although all of them had only just met and did not share any kind of friendship, for their endeavour to fail here when they were so close to success would make all of their deaths worthless.
Yang Kai did not feel any kind of sympathy for their encounter. Cultivators were all like this, living their lives accompanied by enormous risks, even inexplicably falling, but still, he was not willing to just give up here.
It was impossible to maintain the balance of the five elements on his own though.
Was his only option to tear space and try to run away?
As this thought flashed across his mind, Yang Kai prepared to condense his Space Force to tear space, but in the next instant, his eyes suddenly flashed as he thought of something. Immediately suppressing his Space Force, Yang Kai stuck out his hand and summoned five balls of different coloured light onto his palm.
Five Elements Indestructible Sword Qi!
The Five Elements Indestructible Sword Tempering Art was a Body Tempering Secret Art with extremely high requirements for cultivation. Not only would a cultivator already need a physique far more intrepid than average, they would also need an incredibly powerful Divine Sense and supreme treasures from all five elements.
Yang Kai had spent a lot of time and effort to collect five supreme treasures of the appropriate elements and had only begun cultivating this Secret Art.
The Five Elements Indestructible Sword Qi in his hand was the result of that cultivation, but because he had only been cultivating it for a short time, his Five Elements Indestructible Sword Qi wasn’t powerful enough to be used against powerful enemies yet.
However, it may be helpful to his current situation.
Sun’s True Essence, Profound Yin Sunflower Water, Thunder Wood, Profound Gold, Divine Nullification Sand, which one was not a heaven-defying treasure? These were rare items that could not be found elsewhere on Shadowed Star so the Five Elements Indestructible Sword Qi condensed from them, even if weak in power, would still be quite high in quality.
Moreover, this Five Element Indestructible Sword Qi belonged exclusively to Yang Kai, so there was no need to worry about them being balanced properly like when the group of five had been using their Saint Qi just now.
The Five Elements Scattering Array in front of Yang Kai was almost broken now, so it should not take much more energy to destroy it.
Perhaps his Five Elements Indestructible Sword Qi could act as the last grain of rice to tip the scale!
Thinking so, Yang Kai immediately waved his hand and transformed the five balls of light into five different coloured short swords that then flew off into the air to the positions where the five people had stood just now before quickly merging into the swirling, terrifying mass of energy.
After doing all of this, Yang Kai did not hesitate to immediately tear space and dive into The Void.
A loud noise and huge impact pounded him from behind.
The Void Crack was instantly destroyed, and at the same time,Yang Kai crossed the fifty-kilometre distance Yang Kai was thrown out from The Void just fifty kilometres away, his face filled with a look of lingering fear.
He had not escaped too far; after all, he had done everything within his power and could only entrust his fate to the Heavens, so there was no point in trying to escape any further.
A fiery pain filled his back. Although he had run quickly just now, the impact which hit him was still quite intense. Using his Divine Sense, Yang Kai could tell that his back was bloody and filled with deep wounds.
This kind of injury was not light, but fortunately, Yang Kai had an excellent physique and his Golden Blood had incredible restorative properties so it shouldn’t be difficult for him to recover.
Circulating his Saint Qi, Yang Kai staunched the blood flowing away from his wounds before he flew back across the fifty-kilometre gap he just crossed.
The explosion just now had been quite intense, so if there was anyone nearby, they would highly likely have been alerted and come to investigate. Yang Kai did not want to end up being robbed of his gains at the last moment after investing so much effort.
The fifty-kilometre distance was crossed by Yang Kai in just a few breaths, and when he returned to his original position, he could not help showing a joyful look.
He had succeeded.
Although the rock wall and the area in front of it was now a smouldering mess, the bodies of Jiang Shan and the others had disappeared, and random leftover energy fluctuations were rampaging about, a hole leading deeper into the mountain was now visible.
The ancient cultivator’s cave mansion!
Yang Kai did not hesitate to dive into the cave.
Of course, he didn’t relax his vigilance and was constantly using his Divine Sense to investigate his surroundings, but this cave mansion didn’t seem to have any additional dangers other than the one at its entrance, so Yang Kai was able to move about essentially without hindrance.
Soon, a dozen or so stone chambers appeared in front of Yang Kai.
Not hesitating at all, Yang Kai directly entered the leftmost stone chamber to explore.
After a few breaths, Yang Kai darted out of the stone room and rushed into the second, immediately after which he moved to the third.
After inspecting more than a dozen stone chambers, all Yang Kai gained was a few bottles of pills whose content was now nothing but slag.
[Am I going to end up leaving empty-handed?] Yang Kai’s mood was somewhat gloomy. If that were the case, then Jiang Shan and the others would have died in vain, and his expectations would be for nothing.
This wasn’t impossible, after all, not every ancient cave mansion contained treasure. Sometimes others had gotten to the good things inside first, and sometimes there was nothing good inside to begin with.
With only one room left, Yang Kai wrinkled his nose and stepped inside.
The next moment, however, his eyes lit up and he instantly rushed over to a stone table with a big grin on his face.
There were two things on this stone table. One was an artifact shaped like a short arrow, but Yang Kai could not identify what material it was made of. This arrow also had two pure white jade stones in its shaft, giving it a somewhat unusual appearance.
This arrow-shaped artifact didn’t emit any kind of strong energy fluctuation, but after Yang Kai picked it up, he couldn’t help frowning because he was unable to determine its grade.
Logically speaking, since the barrier in front of this ancient cave mansion was so powerful, the cultivation of its owner should not have been low, so why was there such a strange artifact here?
Before he could inspect this arrow further, Yang Kai suddenly raised his head and looked towards a particular direction as his expression sank.
Although he had assumed the huge explosion just now would attract the attention of nearby cultivators, he had not anticipated someone would arrive so quickly.
Two hundred kilometres away, a cultivator’s aura had appeared and it was now speeding over towards Yang Kai’s location.
Perceiving this, Yang Kai naturally discarded any thoughts of remaining here, stuffed the short arrow and the jade box which was still on the stone table into his Space Ring, then hurried away.
After about a cup of tea worth of time, a group of three people appeared in front of the ancient cave mansion. All three of these cultivators were Origin Realm masters and from their matching robes, it was clear they belonged to the same Sect. Everyone’s eyes lit up when they saw the open cave mansion and immediately rushed inside.
However, after checking around, the three of them could not help showing looks of disappointment.
There were originally only two things here, the short arrow and the jade box, so after Yang Kai took those two things away, there was nothing for these three newcomers to gain.
These three were obviously unwilling to give up just like that, so they performed a thorough search of the stone chambers, but they ultimately found nothing.
By this time, Yang Kai was already a thousand kilometres away.
In terms of speed, he was no worse than any Origin Realm master, especially after summoning his Wind and Thunder Wings which provided him with a giant boost in this regard.
In an out-of-the-way, naturally formed cave, Yang Kai sat down cross-legged and released his powerful Divine Sense across a wide area. After confirming that there was no one else within a thousand kilometres of his location, he then took out his harvest and prepared to examine it more carefully.
Yang Kai had checked the short arrow before, so he was more curious about what was inside the jade box.
This jade box was made from a strange material that could block Divine Sense from penetrating it, so obviously its grade was not low. Yang Kai took it out of his Space Ring and with a flick of his wrist opened its lid.
Vigorous and pure energy suddenly rushed out from the jade box, causing Yang Kai’s eyes to brighten. Unconsciously taking a deep breath, he suddenly felt refreshed.
Looking inside, Yang Kai found that the jade box contained only two hexagonal-shaped pure white, flawless crystals, each one about the size of a fingernail. However, when he used his Divine Sense to investigate these two crystals, he was shocked by the amount of energy they contained.
“What is this?” Yang Kai muttered to himself as he gently pinched one of the crystals and brought it up to his eyes to look more carefully.
This crystal looked a bit like Saint Crystal, but its grade was clearly far superior. Even the Saint Crystal Sources condensed by the Stone Puppet could not compare to these hexagonal crystals.
The two were not even on the same level.
The energy stored inside this crystal seemed to have gone beyond the scope of Saint Crystals.
Yang Kai was thoroughly shocked.
He was widely travelled and had encountered a wealth of opportunities over the years, allowing him to see countless treasures. He had even seen several Origin King Grade artifacts, so there weren’t many things which could arouse his interest now.
However, these two fingernail-sized crystals in front of him were one of them.
Yang Kai examined the crystals for a long time but was still unable to determine what exactly it was, only that the amount of energy contained within each was incredibly dense, pure and could be directly absorbed into his body without any unique kind of refinement method, instantly supplementing his Saint Qi. Yang Kai only absorbed a small amount of energy from this crystal for a moment, but that was all it took to completely restore all the Saint Qi he had consumed just now.
Despite that, the small crystal did not change in the slightest, as if the energy stored inside it was inexhaustible.
Of course, that was impossible and it was more accurate to say that, compared to how much energy this crystal stored inside itself, the amount Yang Kai absorbed was just a tiny fraction, so any change was negligible.
High-Rank Saint Crystals and even Saint Crystal Sources were completely dwarfed in every respect by these two crystals.
[What amazing treasure!] Yang Kai grinned and laughed happily.
Although he never had to worry about exhausting his Saint Qi reserves or running out of Saint Qi in the midst of battle, these two crystals were still undoubtedly helpful to him.
At the very least, there was no longer a need for him to deliberately look for a place with rich World Energy during future breakthroughs.
As long as he had these two pieces of crystal, Yang Kai could make a breakthrough anywhere without worrying about running short of World Energy.
However, this kind of treasure was something Yang Kai naturally felt reluctant to use. After all, besides supplementing the World Energy aura during a breakthrough, perhaps it had some other, more significant use.
After inspecting the two crystals a bit longer, Yang Kai solemnly put them back into the jade box and stored it away carefully.
Next, he began a detailed investigation of the short arrow.
This short arrow was clearly an artifact, but its shape was a bit peculiar. It was only about as long as a forearm and it was engraved with the words ‘Feather Spirit’, which was obviously the artifact’s name.
This Feather Spirit Arrow had two pieces of flawless white jade inlaid on its shaft.
However, this artifact gave off no discernible energy fluctuations.
This was very strange. Since it was an artifact, it must have a grade, and as long as it had a grade, it would surely give off some kind of energy fluctuation which would allow people to classify it.
However, this Feather Spirit Arrow seemed to deviate from this common sense. It looked quite inconspicuous, Yang Kai was unable to notice anything special about it even when scanning it with his Divine Sense, as if it were just some kind of worthless decorative item.
But since this Feather Spirit Arrow had been stored together with the two hexagonal crystals that contained massive amounts of pure energy, it naturally could not be something ordinary; it was just that Yang Kai was unable to immediately identify it.
After thinking about it for a while, Yang Kai circulated his Saint Qi and began pouring it into the Feather Spirit Arrow slowly.
When one was experimenting with the power of a new artifact, this was generally the first step.
The Feather Spirit Arrow smoothly accepted Yang Kai’s Saint Qi, and as he continued this process, the pure white jade inlaid in its shaft slowly began turning black.
If one looked closely, they would even notice a trace of fiery red in this black hue, as well as an extremely hot aura.
It was similar in colour to Yang Kai’s Demonic Flame!
Yang Kai brow furrowed and while paying close attention to the changes of the jade, he began pouring even more Saint Qi into the Feather Spirit Arrow.
After about an hour, Yang Kai stopped his output of Saint Qi and stared closely at the Feather Spirit Arrow.
The arrow no longer seemed dead and was instead exuding a shocking energy fluctuation that was in no way inferior to that of an Origin Grade High-Rank artifact, possibly even somewhat greater.
The energy fluctuations of this strange artifact increased as more Saint Qi was infused into it!
Moreover, Origin Grade High-Rank was far from its limit.
The limiting factor seemed to be Yang Kai’s cultivation. The Saint Qi he poured into it only capable of producing an Origin Grade High-Rank aura.
The amount of Saint Qi he had poured in this arrow over the past hour was also quite astonishing.
If it were an ordinary Origin Returning Realm master, it would have been impossible to replicate this in such a short time. Only Yang Kai, with his massive reserves of Saint Qi, could continuously fill up this arrow without any adverse consequences.
Yang Kai estimated that the amount of Saint Qi he had poured into this Feather Spirit Arrow was equivalent to an average Third-Order Origin Returning Realm master’s entire reserve!
In other words, if any other Origin Returning Realm cultivator obtained this Feather Spirit Arrow, even if they were a Third-Order master, they would need to consume all of their strength to fill it.
If it were a First or Second-Order Origin Realm cultivator, they would probably need to repeat this filling process multiple times before they could saturate one of the jades inlaid in the arrow shaft.
Yang Kai was stunned speechless.
Soon though, he cast his gaze onto the jades inlaid in the Feather Spirit Arrow.
There were a total of two jades in this artifact’s shaft which should be able to store Saint Qi.
Considering this, Yang Kai continued pouring out his Saint Qi.
After another hour, the second jade in the Feather Spirit Arrow also reached saturation, confirming Yang Kai’s guess.
Taking a light breath, Yang Kai’s face filled with joy. Although he did not know how powerful this Feather Spirit Arrow was, it was undoubtedly an incredible artifact. If it was used well, it could be treated as one of his trump cards.
Moreover, even though it had not been refined by him, it could still absorb his Saint Qi. It could be seen that this Feather Spirit Arrow either had no owner before, or it had been too long and the brand its owner left inside of it had dispersed entirely.
Now, all Yang Kai needed to do was take some time to refine it and it would belong to him.
Thinking so, Yang Kai did not hesitate. Holding the Feather Spirit Arrow in both hands, he began to pour his Divine Sense into it, trying to carve his aura and mark into it.
The sun sank and the moon rose as time passed by.
After half a month, Yang Kai stood up, and with a slight thought, the Feather Spirit Arrow turned into a stream of light and disappeared into his body.
The refining process had gone even more smoothly than expected. Yang Kai did not know if it was because this artifact was from ancient times and was somewhat different from modern artifacts, but it had taken significantly less time than he anticipated to refine it.
After he finished this refinement, Yang Kai gained some insight into the power and usage restrictions of this Feather Spirit Arrow.
Strictly speaking, this Feather Spirit Arrow’s power was enormous. The two strange jades inlaid in its shaft could store a massive amount of Saint Qi and compress it into an imposing attack.
When encountering a powerful enemy, one only needed to activate the internal Spirit Array to release this attack, and even a Third-Order Origin Returning Realm master would suffer significantly if they were struck by it.
Its power was immense, but there were naturally drawbacks.
Because there were only two jades on the Feather Spirit Arrow, even if it were fully charged, it could only be used twice!
After two uses, the energy inside the jades would be exhausted and you would first need to charge it up if you wanted to use it again.
Even with Yang Kai’s strength, it took him an hour to fill a single piece of jade, so this Feather Spirit Arrow could only be used twice in a battle.
Despite this limitation, this Feather Spirit Arrow was an incredibly powerful artifact, one Yang Kai was quite satisfied with.
There was nothing perfect in this world. The power of this Feather Spirit Arrow was scary enough, so how could it possibly be used endlessly?
Yang Kai wanted to test the power of the Feather Spirit Arrow, but there was no suitable target here, so he had no choice but to set this matter aside. After walking out of the natural cave, Yang Kai picked a direction at will and flew off.
For the next few days, Yang Kai wandered around Fallen Emperor Mountain.
Now that he knew that rumours about the existence of ancient secluded homes and cave mansions weren’t groundless and he had some gains, he planned to continue treasure hunting; after all, one could never have too many good things.
Unfortunately, maybe because there were too many cultivators pouring into this place, even if Yang Kai found something over the next few days, he wasn’t able to reap any kind of harvest as others had thoroughly ransacked these secluded homes and cave mansions.
Murder and robbery were also common, with sneak attacks and counterattacks happening everywhere Yang Kai went.
On this day, Yang Kai took out his communication artifact as usual and poured his Divine Sense into it.
Although treasure hunting in Fallen Emperor Mountain was important, Yang Kai did not forget his original intention, so he would take out this communication artifact and try to contact Qian Tong now and then.
However, even until now, Yang Kai had not been able to reach either Qian Tong or Fei Zhi Tu.
This time though, things were different. After pouring his Divine Sense into this communication artifact, Yang Kai suddenly felt a different Divine Sense fluctuation coming from it and hurriedly checked it.
A moment later, Yang Kai flew off in a certain direction after putting the artifact away.
Somewhere, ten thousand kilometres away, countless Origin Returning Realm masters had gathered and were staring towards a set of palaces and pavilions surrounding a specific mountain up ahead.
An Ancient Sect Ruin!
Although there were many cultivators enthusiastically searching for secluded homes and cave mansions outside to gain something, the great forces that were well-informed had sent most of their masters to this spot.
After all, the temptation of an Ancient Sect Ruin was simply too high. Who would not want to enter such a place to search for treasures?
At this moment, masters from various great forces had all gathered here in a display of power that was even more imposing than when the Emperor Garden had opened.
When the Emperor Garden opened, the number of cultivators who could enter was limited due to the small supply of Emperor Jades, but this time was different. There was no danger in Fallen Emperor Mountain and anyone could penetrate its depths, so as long as a cultivator received word of this event, they had hurried over to join the fun.
And so, they gathered around this Ancient Sect Ruins, a gathering that consisted far more than just those from the great forces.
Many cultivators from small families and sects were also here, hoping to drink some soup after the masters harvested the meat, but none of them dared get too close for fear they would be attacked or even killed; after all, they weren’t qualified to stand on equal footing with the masters from the great forces.
At this moment, at least a few hundred Origin Returning Realm masters from various great forces were bombarding the Sect Defending Array in front of themselves. Different Secret Techniques and artifact attacks released brilliant flashes of light as they tore through the air and impacted the invisible barrier, creating numerous ripples across its surfaces. However, the Sect Defending Array that protected this Ancient Sect Ruin was extremely powerful, so even after almost twenty days of continuous bombardment, it was still barring everyone’s path, preventing them from intruding.
However, the Shadowed Star masters’ efforts weren’t in vain. After such a long period of time, the Sect Defending Array had clearly become less stable and it was clear it wouldn’t be long before it broke.
While most people were focused on attacking this Spirit Array, there were also some masters who had formed teams to expel others who had heard the news and come to try their luck. These teams were composed of cultivators from different Sects in order to guarantee that the interests of their respective forces were maintained. These masters forbid anyone not associated with them from approaching and trying to fish in troubled waters; after all, they had expended a great deal of time and energy breaking the protective barrier and weren’t about to allow others to just pick up a bargain at the last moment.
If anyone didn’t understand discretion, they would be killed without mercy!
Many who didn’t know the whole story had died tragically at the hands of these people. Others who came later learned from these unfortunate souls’ mistakes, as well as their broken corpses, and took the initiative to remain on the periphery, not daring to rush forward.
Although these Ancient Sect Ruins were very tempting, one first needed their life in order to reap any gains.
Those who didn’t have powerful backgrounds could only wait ten kilometres away and look on anxiously. Envy was inevitable, and all these cultivators naturally wanted to participate in this grand event, but unfortunately, their respective Sects’ statuses weren’t high, nor were their personal strengths, so they could only stand back and grumble amongst themselves.
“Tsk, seems like this is a truly grand occasion. Nearly all of Shadowed Star’s great Sects and masters have arrived.” A burly, bald man shook his head as he stood among the crowd of onlookers. Although he was offering words of admiration, everyone was able to hear the disgruntled tone in his voice.
“Countryside hick!” Hearing what this man said, another old man in plain robes who was standing not far away snorted coldly, “Do you think Shadowed Star only has this many masters? Those big Sects have all sent out less than half of their true powerhouses and news about this place is still spreading, so there are obviously others still on their way here.”
“Old Dog, are you trying to pick a fight? Father here was just speaking his mind, why don’t you just mind your own damn business?” The burly bald-headed man snapped back harshly. He had truly just been venting but now that he was being openly refuted he couldn’t help becoming somewhat angry.
The old man in plain robes just glanced at the burly man faintly and sneered, not showing any interest in arguing with him.
Seeing this contemptuous look made the burly bald-headed man even angrier and with a fierce look upon his face he was just about to attack the old man when suddenly, a flash of light crossed his eyes and a young man strangely appeared in front of him.
This young man had a stalwart look to him and wore a light blue outfit, giving him a competent air.
The burly bald-headed man was taken aback for a moment but after staring at this young for a moment, doubt flashed across his eyes as he vaguely felt that this young man was familiar, but he was unable to remember where he had seen him before immediately.
“There are so many people here…” The young man looked around and muttered in a somewhat surprised tone.
The burly bald-headed man casually answered, “Of course there are lots of people here, they’re all expecting to go in and find something good. Where is this friend from?”
When the young man heard this question, he turned his head, smiled, and said, “I came from the outside region. I just heard news about this place and decided to come check it out. En, I’ll be going on ahead.”
Saying so, he flew up and rushed forward.
“Little friend, wait!” The old man in plain robes who had been bickering with the burly bald-headed man called out hurriedly, trying to block this youth, but he was too late as the other party was already a thousand metres away, moving at an astonishing speed.
“That boy is doomed!” The old man shook his head slightly with a look of regret. He saw that this young man was truly young and his cultivation wasn’t weak, but since he dared rush towards the Sect Defending Array, he would certainly be killed on the spot.
“Not necessarily, he might be able to join that crowd,” The burly bald-headed man’s eyes lit up as he finally remembered where he had seen that youth before.
A while ago, someone caused a huge uproar in Heavenly Fate City, and at that time, this burly bald-headed man just happened to be staying there. As such, he had seen the young man who was the root of all the ruckus and later learned that the youth was actually Yang Kai, the master of Dragon Cave Mountain. After that incident, not only had Yang Kai not suffered in any way, he still roamed about freely without the slightest of worries.
Today, Yang Kai was already High Heaven Sect’s Sect Master, the enigmatic character who had conquered the Flowing Flame Sand Field!
“What do you mean?” The old man looked over suspiciously at the burly bald-headed man, “There are many who want to try to enter and fish in troubled waters, but everyone who dared do so died, and their fresh corpses are still strewn all over the place. Why do you think that boy can pass safely?”
“Heh heh, just watch. If he can pass, old man, you must apologize to Father here,” The burly bald-headed man declared confidently.
“And if he’s killed?” The old man narrowed his eyes.
“Father here will kneel down and lick your shoes!” The burly bald-headed man shouted loudly.
When he said this, everyone nearby directed an interested look towards him; even the old man couldn’t help doing a double-take.
These stakes were really quite amazing! As the saying goes, a person’s face was like the bark of a tree, losing it was more serious than simply being killed, so why was this burly man so confident?
“Fine. This old master will take that bet,” The old man was also a decisive character and agreed after just a moment of hesitation. He didn’t believe that the great forces that were attacking the Sect Defending Array all this time would be willing to let some random young man strut in and join them.
For a time, all the cultivators around focused their attention on Yang Kai, wondering whether he would be able to pass the blockade of the great forces’ masters safely.
Yang Kai also quickly discovered that something was wrong.
Although he contacted Qian Tong through his communication artifact and knew the general situation here, he hadn’t expected it to be so complicated.
Not long after he started his approach, a group of seven or eight Origin Realm masters flew out from around the Sect Defending Array towards him, all of them wearing different robes, indicating they did not belong to a single great force.
There were three uniforms, however, that Yang Kai recognized.
Heaven Battling Union, Thunder Typhoon Sect, and Floating Mist Palace!
Heaven Battling Union and Thunder Typhoon Sect, needless to say, were the two giants of Shadowed Star while Floating Mist Palace was also a first-class Sect, at least on par with Shadow Moon Hall and Coloured Glass Sect.
Although Yang Kai couldn’t tell where the others came from just by their uniforms, each of the approaching masters was at least a Second-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivator.
These people stopped about a thousand meters away and stared towards Yang Kai indifferently. Immediately, one of the old men in a grey robe stepped forward without saying a word, pointed his finger, summoned a fiery red long sword, and shot it towards Yang Kai.
The speed of this sword was quite extraordinary.
Yang Kai’s complexion changed as he felt the murderous intent coming from his opponent’s move and immediately summoned his Purple Shield to protect himself.
*Hong…*
The sword collided with the Purple Shield and a violent energy wave burst forth. Flaming light completely engulfed Yang Kai in the next instant, causing him to disappear from sight.
The grey-robed old man sneered, waved his hand and summoned the fiery red sword back to himself before casting an indifferent look towards the spot where Yang Kai once stood.
He thought that Yang Kai was dead; after all, from what he could tell, Yang Kai was just a First-Order Origin Returning Realm boy and could not possibly block his blow.
But soon, the old man frowned before letting out a surprised mutter.
Ahead of him, after the light faded, Yang Kai’s figure appeared again, his Purple Shield still blocking his front, seemingly not having suffered any injuries. His face, however, was icy.
As soon as he arrived here, he was attacked by a stranger, and it was an attack that contained clear murderous intent, so Yang Kai’s mood wasn’t good.
“What is Your Excellency doing?” Yang Kai glared towards the grey-clothed old man coldly.
“What is this old master doing?” The grey-clothed old man snorted, “All trespassers are to be killed without mercy, what else do you think I’m doing?”
Yang Kai frowned as he glanced around at the broken corpses down below, vaguely figuring out the situation.
After the grey-clothed old man failed to achieve anything with his first blow, he felt he had lost a lot of face and was just about to attack again when suddenly a loud shout rang out from behind “Wait!”
Hearing this call, the grey-clothed old man didn’t make any follow-up movements and instead put on a flattering look and turned around to face the white-haired old man who just spoke, “What advice does Brother Liang have?”
The other party didn’t answer immediately but instead stared at Yang Kai with interest, a slight grin soon appearing on his face as he asked loudly, “Dare I ask, is Little Brother High Heaven Sect’s Sect Master Yang Kai?”
Yang Kai shifted his gaze to this old man and nodded, “Yeah, I am Yang Kai.”
“What, this boy is High Heaven Sect’s Sect Master?” The grey-clothed old man who attacked Yang Kai just now called out in alarm.
Instantly, he regretted his hasty actions just now.
Regardless of what Yang Kai’s personal cultivation was, the High Heaven Sect he controlled today could not be underestimated by anyone. Forget about the fact that High Heaven Sect possessed an extraordinarily powerful Origin King Grade Starship, it was even rumoured that Yang Kai’s combat power was astonishing. The grey-clothed old man couldn’t help feeling a chill up his spine just thinking about this.
It was rumoured that when he was just a Third-Order Saint King, Yang Kai had killed numerous Origin Returning Realm masters, and now that he had also reached the Origin Returning Realm, his strength likely was not inferior to any Third-Order Origin Realm master.
This old man was just a Second-Order Origin Realm master, so if he were to really engage in a fight here, it was likely he would be the one to fall.
The grey-clothed old man was naturally frightened and could not help shivering slightly as he secretly thanked Elder Liang for stopping him in time; otherwise, he might have made a tragic mistake.
What’s more, almost every great force on Shadowed Star was actively trying to befriend High Heaven Sect; unfortunately, there was no easy way to contact this reclusive Sect.
The grey-clothed old man’s Sect also had such intentions, but now that he had suddenly attacked Yang Kai with intent to kill, it was inevitable that the other party’s opinion of him would be terrible.
Considering all this, the grey-clothed old man became extremely anxious.
“It really is Sect Master Yang,” The old man smiled lightly before cupping his fists and saying, “Please excuse this one’s lack of courtesy, I am Heaven Battling Union’s Third Elder Liang Yong!”
[Heaven Battling Union?] Yang Kai frowned. Although he didn’t have a good impression of this great force and even had some friction with it, since the other party had displayed proper etiquette, Yang Kai reciprocated in kind, “Yang Kai greets Elder Liang.”
“En, perfect,” The smile on Liang Yong’s face became more and more kind, but Yang Kai always felt that this smile was somehow strange; unfortunately, he couldn’t tell why. Before he could figure anything out, Liang Yong pointed to someone next to him and spoke, “This is Thunder Typhoon Sect’s Vice Sect Master Si Tu Hong, Sect Master Yang must have heard of him.”
“I have indeed!” Yang Kai nodded lightly. Si Tu Hong and Liang Yong’s names were indeed among those he had heard of as they were both Third-Order Origin Returning Realm masters on Shadowed Star as well as famous figures in their own right; however, today was the first time he had seen either of them in person.
Heaven Battling Union and Thunder Typhoon Sect had a number of grievances between them. Although they weren’t as incompatible as fire and water, they were by no means friendly with one another, so how had they suddenly decided to join forces? Yang Kai felt the situation was somewhat strange, but when he looked over at the Sect Defending Array, he quickly understood.
There are no eternal enemies, only eternal benefits. This scene was the best illustration of this saying.
“Please excuse us, Sect Master Yang, it’s not that we intentionally wanted to intercept you, but I’m sure you can see what the current situation is. Several dozen of Shadowed Star’s great forces have joined forces to break through this Sect Defending Array in order to explore the ruins inside, so our guard around the periphery must be somewhat tight so no one can trespass without permission. I ask Sect Master Yang to forgive Brother Yu for his earlier disrespect, Brother Yu was simply following orders,” Liang Yong spoke again, explaining the situation with the man who had just attacked Yang Kai.
Yang Kai smiled faintly and said, “It’s fine, I haven’t suffered any harm, so we can just consider this matter finished.”
Liang Yong laughed loudly, “Sect Master Yang is indeed magnanimous, this Liang offers his sincere thanks.”
The old man surnamed Yu also hurriedly apologised.
“Elder Liang, is no one allowed to enter here now?” Yang Kai asked uncomfortably; after all, Fallen Emperor Mountain was originally an ownerless stretch of land so the Ancient Sect Ruins inside should also be accessible to everyone. Now that the great forces had designated it as their private territory and were killing all trespassers without mercy, of course, Yang Kai would feel somewhat uncomfortable.
However, since several dozen great forces had joined forces here, Yang Kai couldn’t raise any objections that would violate public anger.
“Yes, we here had reached such an agreement since half a month ago,” Liang Yong gently nodded. “The seven of us here were sent to enforce this order.”
“So that’s how it is,” Yang Kai nodded, expressing his understanding.
Suddenly, however, Liang Yong smiled lightly and said, “But it’s not that no one is allowed to enter. As long as they can obtain the permission of the seven gathered here, anyone is eligible to participate in this grand event!”
“Oh? So how should I go about obtaining your permission?” Yang Kai raised his brow.
“En, that might be a bit difficult,” Liang Yong put on an awkward look as he rubbed his temples and said, “It’s not an exaggeration to say that the Sect Defending Array is about to be broken, and anyone who wants to participate in this event must first pay the appropriate price. Otherwise, wouldn’t it be unfair to the others here who had been contributing all this time?”
There was some truth to this statement. There were hundreds of Origin Returning Realm masters who had been bombarding the Sect Defending Array for half a month now and were extremely eager to enter inside to look around. So close to success, how could they just allow an outsider who didn’t provide any assistance during this process to reap the same benefits? If someone tried to do this, there would be plenty of others who would disagree.
“What kind of price?” Yang Kai pondered for a moment before asking, “Elder Liang might as well name a price. I’ll see if I can bear it.”
Liang Yong just laughed though, “Sect Master Yang need not act so estranged. If someone else had come, we would definitely have them pay a high price, but since Sect Master Yang is High Heaven Sect’s Sect Master, then… there’s no need for such trifles. High Heaven Sect is also considered a great force famous across Shadowed Star, so it too is eligible to participate in this event. What’s more, Sect Master Yang came here alone so it’s not a problem for this old master to bend the rules and allow Sect Master Yang to go in.”
Yang Kai wore a look of surprise as he tilted his head and asked, “Won’t doing this cause things to be awkward for Elder Liang?”
Yang Kai was somewhat at a loss. He didn’t understand why the other party was acting so accommodating. Yang Kai didn’t have any friendship with Heaven Battling Union, and in fact had a number of grievances with them, so there was no reason for Liang Yong to give him any face.
Liang Yong chuckled and said, “This old master can’t say the final word here, this is simply my own opinion. Whether or not Sect Master Yang may pass will depend on what everyone else has to say.”
Saying so, Liang Yong turned his gaze to the other six masters beside him.
For a moment, these Origin Returning Realm masters exchanged awkward glances with one another, but it wasn’t long before Vice Sect Master Si Tu Hong of Thunder Typhoon Sect spoke up while nodding his head, “If it is just Sect Master Yang, this old master has no problem allowing him to pass.”
Since the representatives of Heaven Battling Union and Thunder Typhoon Sect agreed, what else could anyone say? They were originally here following Liang Yong and Si Tu Hong’s lead, so everyone else immediately nodded in agreement.
“Since that’s the case, this Yang must offer his thanks,” Yang Kai cupped his fists before swiftly flying past this group of seven towards the Sect Defending Array.
“Sect Master Yang, since you’ve come, please assist us in breaking through this barrier. The sooner we break through it, the sooner we can reap the benefits it is protecting,” Liang Yong shouted from behind, but Yang Kai was already a few thousand meters away, so there was no way to know if he heard him or not.
After this shout, Liang Yong turned to look at Si Tu Hong and flashed a knowing grin.
This was really a case of wearing out iron shoes while seeking one’s feet.
They had obtained news a while ago that Yang Kai had headed to Heavenly Fate City, but after tracking him all the way there, they found that he had come to Fallen Emperor Mountain. Later, after hearing about the change in Fallen Emperor Mountain, the masters of the two great forces also gathered here.
Just as they were worried about being unable to find Yang Kai’s trail, he had actually delivered himself to them.
There was now no path to Heaven or road to Hell for this boy. Since he had come to court death, he couldn’t blame others for obliging.
However, this was not a place where they could take action. There were too many people here and Heaven Battling Union and Thunder Typhoon Sect had to take into account their face and reputation, so for now, the best option would be to let this little brat in first. As long as this boy entered these Ancient Sect Ruins, they could lead him to a secluded place and deal with him quietly.
Even if Yang Kai didn’t have intentions of joining them, Liang Yong would have taken the initiative to invite him in. Si Tu Hong had the same objective, so he didn’t raise any objections, simply finding an excuse to allow Yang Kai to pass safely.
On the other hand, Yang Kai understood that nothing in life came without paying an appropriate price. He didn’t know what kind of scheme Liang Yong and the others were up to, but with full confidence in his skills, Yang Kai didn’t care.
In an instant, he had arrived in front of the Sect Defending Array and quickly flew over to a certain position.
In the direction he flew, Qian Tong and Fei Zhi Tu were using their artifacts to bombard the Sect Defending Array, the light curtain in front of them rippling noticeably each time they attacked.
“Elder Qian, City Lord Fei!” Yang Kai landed and called out.
The two couldn’t help turning their heads upon hearing someone call out to them, and when they saw Yang Kai, Qian Tong couldn’t help grinning, “Yang Kai, did you also catch wind of this and come to investigate?”
“En, by coincidence. I went to Heavenly Fate City to find you but didn’t expect either of you to be there.”
“To find us? For what?”
“A small matter, nothing too important. We can discuss it after we finish up the matter at hand,” Yang Kai laughed.
“Sure. However, why did those people from Heaven Battling Union and Thunder Typhoon Sect let you in? It’s a bit strange, anyone who dared try to approach until now was killed.”
“I don’t know,” Yang Kai shrugged.
“Since you’re here, you should help out. This Sect Defending Array is quite amazing, many times stronger than your Dragon Cave Mountain’s Mountain Defending Array, at least,” Fei Zhi Tu interrupted.
“En.”
The three of them no longer spoke and instead turned their focus to attacking the barrier in front of them.
The artifact used by Fei Zhi Tu was the Blue Jade Bowl he relied upon the most. He had caused it to expand to a few dozen meters in diameter and release a hail of blue light beams towards the Spirit Array, causing quite the effect.
Qian Tong, on the other hand, used a short-sword-like artifact. After pouring his Saint Qi into the blade, a dragon roar sounded from it and it transformed into a several-dozen-metre long green dragon that used its tail and claws to batter the Spirit Array loudly.
Yang Kai observed from the side with some admiration. Whether it was Fei Zhi Tu or Qian Tong, both were worthy of their status as famous masters of Shadowed Star. Both of their Saint Qis were pure and powerful. In fact, judging just from the quality of their Saint Qi alone, both of them should have the qualifications to break through to the Origin King Realm.
However, if one wanted to break through to the Origin King Realm, they first needed to condense their Shi to the grand accomplishment stage.
This requirement was enough to cause ninety-nine percent of Origin Returning Realm masters to fall short. Yang Kai didn’t know whether Fei Zhi Tu and Qian Tong had such achievements with their Shi.
Yang Kai had no intention to just observe though and soon raised his hand to send out more than a dozen Golden Threads.
He currently only had two offensive artifacts, one was the Verdant Dragon Bone Sword and the other was the Feather Spirit Arrow he obtained half a month ago and hadn’t yet had a chance to test out. However, neither of these two artifacts could be used casually.
The Dragon Bone Sword, needless to say, had the Remnant Soul wisp of a True Dragon and was extraordinarily eye-catching to use. The Feather Spirit Arrow, on the other hand, was something of a consumable artifact and could only launch two attacks before needing to be re-charged with Saint Qi, not a suitable artifact to use for this task.
As such, Yang Kai could only resort to using his Golden Blood Thread Secret Technique.
Fortunately, as he was travelling the past few months, Yang Kai had been studying the second half of the Golden Blood Thread Secret Technique and was now eager to try out its power. The Sect Defending Array in front of him happened to provide a good practice target.
The dozen or so Golden Threads each released a dazzling golden radiance as well as a shocking vital aura.
As soon as Yang Kai released these Golden Threads, Qian Tong and Fei Zhi Tu raised their brows and slowed down their movements to observe.
“Old Fei, why do I feel like Yang Kai’s move is somewhat similar to Demon Blood Temple’s Secret Technique, the Demon Blood Thread?” Qian Tong asked suspiciously. He had dealt with several Elders of Demon Blood Temple over the years and understood the strange and mighty power of the Demon Blood Thread Secret Technique, so it was only natural for him to see some clues from Yang Kai’s Golden Blood Threads.
“It’s more than similar, it’s like the two techniques are carved from the same mould,” Fei Zhi Tu was also shocked. “But their former Temple Master spent her entire life to cultivate two Demon Blood Threads while the other Elders like Jin Shi only have one. The number Yang Kai has is… a bit too high, isn’t it?”
More than a dozen, what kind of concept was this? Although Qian Tong and Fei Zhi Tu had not cultivated the Demon Blood Thread, they also knew about its requirements. They knew it was based on condensing one’s vital essence into a type of hybrid artifact and Secret Technique. As such, even if those from Demon Blood Temple were quite strong, they couldn’t cultivate many of these Demon Blood Threads.
Demon Blood Temple’s Temple Master cultivated her Demon Blood Threads by using a vicious Secret Technique that gathered Yang to supplement Yin, essentially harvesting the vital essence of strong men on a large scale. Still, even she was only able to produce two Demon Blood Threads. How much vital essence would Yang Kai need to condense a dozen then? And looking at his complexion, there were obviously no signs that his vitality was deficient, instead, it seemed to be stronger than most.
This was a strange situation.
Could it be it wasn’t the Demon Blood Thread Secret Technique and simply looked like it?
Qian Tong and Fei Zhi Tu couldn’t figure out no matter how they thought about it.
The two of them also didn’t know that a dozen Golden Blood Threads wasn’t Yang Kai’s limit. In fact, Yang Kai had already condensed several dozen Golden Blood Threads in his body, each of which was transformed from a drop of pure Golden Blood.
With the pure Life Revitalizing Jade Cream, Yang Kai no longer needed to worry about having a shortage of pure Golden Blood, so he spared no effort to condense new Golden Blood Threads.
After the dozen or so Golden Blood Threads appeared, they did not immediately attack the Sect Defending Array. Instead, they began twisting and intertwining, as if they had their own spirituality, gradually combining into a single strand that after trembling slightly transformed into a five-metre-long golden spear.
Golden light radiated from this spear together with an astonishing pressure before it suddenly struck towards the Sect Defending Array.
*Hong…*
There was a loud noise as the tip of the golden spear hit the Sect Defending Array. The light curtain suddenly reacted like a thick bubble filled with air, sinking deeply, causing the eyes of Qian Tong and Fei Zhi Tu to bulge in shock as they watched from the sideline.
The two of them had been participating in attacking the Sect Defending Array here for half a month, so they were very familiar with the sturdiness of this barrier. Seeing how it reacted to Yang Kai’s golden spear, they were able to infer just how powerful this attack was.
Such power was enough to cause even them to shiver.
However, the Sect Defending Array was also mighty, and no matter how Yang Kai thrust his golden spear, he still couldn’t break it open. Instead, after deflating to a certain extent, the light curtain violently rebounded, not only restoring its original form but also sending the golden spear condensed from a dozen Golden Blood Threads hurtling backwards.
Yang Kai’s expression remained as tranquil as an ancient well though as he used his Divine Sense to manipulate the spear. Breaking the spear down into its original Golden Blood Threads, Yang Kai wove them together again in a different configuration to create a golden axe. This axe descended from the sky towards the barrier again in the next moment, carrying with it a Heaven-destroying power.
Manipulating the Golden Blood Threads to undergo such transformations was the essence of what was recorded in the second half of the Demon Blood Thread Secret Technique.
Yang Kai quickly became excited and forgot about his surroundings completely, immersing himself completely in controlling his Golden Blood Threads, transforming them into various forms as he tested each one’s might with the Sect Defending Array again and again.
This kind of Golden Blood Thread manipulation could not be fully displayed with just two threads; only when a cultivator condensed a certain number of them would they be able to bring out this technique’s full might.
Yang Kai didn’t know what kind of cultivation the Senior who created the Demon Blood Thread Secret Technique possessed, but ever since Shadowed Star’s World Principles began acting as shackles, no one from Demon Blood Temple had truly been capable of properly displaying it.
Even the glamorous Temple Master had barely been able to cultivate two Demon Blood Threads over the course of her entire life, so how could she display such magical transformations? However, it wasn’t like she was completely incapable of using this technique. At least on the ice road, Yang Kai had seen her transform her two Demon Blood Threads into blood snakes that resembled living creatures.
This was one of the other transformations described in the Demon Blood Thread Secret Technique, and although Yang Kai knew how to cultivate it, he currently didn’t meet the requirements for it.
That was because this transformation required the Soul and Monster Core of a powerful Monster Beast to complete.
Yang Kai was currently focusing on transforming his Golden Blood Threads into different kinds of weapons.
At first, Yang Kai wasn’t very proficient in using this technique, but as time passed, and he continued displaying various transformations, he became more and more skilled at manipulating his Golden Blood Threads.
Qian Tong and Fei Zhi Tu were also amazed as they watched from nearby, neither of them going to disturb Yang Kai rashly as they could tell from his expression that he was immersed in his own practice and comprehension of this Secret Technique.
This was a good thing, so how could they interfere?
The Sect Defending Array of the Ancient Sect Ruins in Fallen Emperor Mountain was bombarded by hundreds of Origin Returning Realm masters for half a month and was already beginning to falter, so two days after Yang Kai joined, it was teetering on the brink of collapsing.
A light cracking sound suddenly rang out, and though it was faint, every cultivator in the vicinity clearly heard it.
Turning in the direction of the source of the sound, everyone saw a tiny crack appear on the Sect Defending Array’s light curtain.
In an instant, everyone became excited and filled with joy.
Although it was only a small crack, one that was nearly negligible, it showed that the Sect Defending Array here had reached its limit and as long as they tried for just a while longer, they should be able to break it open.
Without any orders from anyone, after a moment of silence, everyone attacked the light curtain even more forcefully.
*Kacha…*
Soon, cracking sounds rang out from various places. Like sparks setting a dry prairie field on fire, innumerable spider-web like cracks began propagating across the entire Sect Defending Array, centred on the cracks that first appeared.
A violent pressure slowly spread out from a certain location, causing all of the attacking masters to turn their heads and stare in that direction.
What they saw was a cultivator wearing blue robes slowly rising up into the sky, like an ancient god ascending from the earth, releasing an unparalleled might as he held his hands up high, lifting up a dazzling ball of light like the sun that gave off energy fluctuations which caused everyone to pale.
For a time, the blue-robed cultivator became the focus of everyone’s attention.
“Qu Zheng’s Great Sun Radiant Seal really lives up to its reputation,” Fei Zhi Tu looked over and muttered, a tinge of fear lacing his voice.
“That’s Heaven Battling Union’s Union Master Qu Zheng?” Yang Kai asked in surprise.
“En,” Qian Tong was gently nodded as a touch of dread flashed across his face, “He’s one of Shadowed Star’s top masters. Although this old master is also a Third-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivator like him, if we were to really fight, I’d estimate my odds of winning are less than twenty percent!”
Cultivators in the same realm could have wide gaps in strength which were often the result of the differences in their Secret Arts, Secret Techniques, and artifacts they mastered.
So even if they were both Third-Order Origin Returning Realm masters, Qian Tong didn’t dare say he was on par with Qu Zheng.
Yang Kai was an extreme example of this, as although he was just a First-Order Origin Realm cultivator, no ordinary cultivator in his realm could put up any kind of resistance against him.
As they spoke, Qu Zheng had already flown to a height of several thousand metres, his expression extremely solemn as he gently threw the ball of light in his hand downward.
As if it had no weight, the ball of light began to slowly descend towards the ground.
[So slow?] Yang Kai frowned. If this was really the so-called Great Sun Radiant Seal’s power, its reputation wasn’t justified; after all, with such a slow speed, how could it cause any threat? Would any opponent simply stand there waiting to be hit?
However, since both Qian Tong and Fei Zhi Tu were extremely wary of this Secret Technique, things must be different from what Yang Kai was imagining.
Thinking so, Yang Kai watched more intently.
A moment later, an abnormal change occurred.
The Great Sun Radiant Seal, which had been falling slowly, suddenly disappeared from everyone’s vision, and when it reappeared, it was already on top of the Defending Array.
It seemed to have crossed a few thousand metres in an instant.
Yang Kai paled as he exclaimed, “The power of Space?”
But soon, he shook his head and denied his suspicion. If this Secret Technique really made use of ‘Space’, he would have felt some residual fluctuations; after all, in terms of his attainments in the Dao of Space, Yang Kai didn’t feel he was inferior to anyone. Even Heaven Battling Union’s Great Elder Mo Xiao Sheng, who was also proficient in the Dao of Space, could not compare to him.
Rather than using the power of Space, this Great Sun Radiant Seal was simply too fast, it’s previous slowness a mere illusion.
Possessing both power and speed, this Secret Technique mastered by Qu Zheng was truly really extraordinary. If Yang Kai were to take such a blow head-on, even if he didn’t die he would certainly be grievously wounded.
All kinds of thoughts flashed through Yang Kai’s mind as the Great Sun Radiant Seal made contact with the light curtain before exploding silently, the energy contained within this light ball bursting out in a brilliant explosion so bright that everyone nearby had to shield their eyes.
Although there was no sound, the energy fluctuations that erupted at this time were extremely terrifying. A wave of wind and World Energy centred on the point of contact spread out, uprooting trees and sending rocks flying together with numerous unlucky cultivators. Even some of the weaker cultivators who were simply observing from ten kilometres away were blown away by this explosion.
*Kacha…*
As if lightning had struck, a violent, crackly sound resounded before the world fell silent again.
When the light dissipated and everyone opened their eyes again, they found that the Sect Defending Array’s light curtain had disappeared and the mountains and forest hidden within were exposed along with the Ancient Sect Ruins.
Qu Zheng stood mid-air with an expression of pride on his face.
Although the Sect Defending Array was broken thanks to the contributions of everyone present, in the end, he was the one to deliver the final blow, allowing him to enjoy the looks of adoration and worship from the crowd.
From all directions, countless words of flattery, praising Qu Zheng’s incredible might and unparalleled strength rang out.
“Good, good, now that this array has been broken, it’s time to go in and take a look. Everyone, this old master will be going on ahead!” Qu Zheng cupped his fists quickly before immediately flying forward, many of the Heaven Battling Union masters naturally following closely behind.
Immediately, Thunder Typhoon Sect’s group also rushed in.
After the masters from the two giants left, the numerous Origin Returning Realm masters who were present also rushed inside, each of them flying off in a different direction towards the depths of this Ancient Sect Ruin, all of them hoping to reap some valuable gains.
They had worked hard here for the past half a month, so now was the time to collect their reward; no one wanted to fall behind.
Yang Kai, Fei Zhi Tu, and Qian Tong were also among this crowd, their Divine Senses sweeping their surroundings for a moment before Qian Tong pointed in one direction and said, “That way!”
This Ancient Sect Ruins was located inside Fallen Emperor Mountain Range and covered a vast area. Yang Kai estimated that this Sect was not inferior to High Heaven Sect in size, and the aura inside its territory was also vibrant. Even if it was not quite as good as the current High Heaven Sect, it wasn’t far off.
Many great forces would likely struggle over this place in the future!
With such a good environment, those great forces would certainly not surrender it easily. If any power could claim this land as their headquarters, the benefits it brought to the future development of their force were immense.
Yang Kai already had High Heaven Sect, so he wasn’t concerned about this issue, but Qian Tong and Fei Zhi Tu were both filled with enthusiasm and had considered this idea.
Although Shadow Moon Hall’s headquarters was situated on an excellent piece of land, it was incredibly inferior to this place. Shadow Moon Hall was also only a few days away, so if they could move their Sect here, their disciples would be able to grow faster.
Even if they did not move their main headquarters to this location, it was entirely feasible to turn this place into a sub-headquarters.
As such, Qian Tong and Fei Zhi Tu were both excited, but thinking about the hardships and hindrances that would likely occur because of this place’s discovery, their enthusiasm died down significantly.
Such a cultivation paradise would not be ignored by Heaven Battling Union and Thunder Typhoon Sect, so in all likelihood, Shadow Moon Hall would not have any chance to lay claim to it.
The trio travelled deeper into the interior of this Ancient Sect Ruin and saw many grand palaces and pavilions which, despite being left idle for over ten thousand years, were still in almost pristine condition.
In their field of vision, many cultivators were already searching through these palaces, coming in and out, obviously exploring.
Yang Kai, Qian Tong, and Fei Zhi Tu exchanged a glance before immediately dispersing, each of them travelling to a different region to explore independently.
In the current situation, it was naturally more efficient to split up and search. Although the risk would increase a little, the three were not timid by any means so how could they act so restrained? There was not even a need for discussion before they made this decision.
After a while, Yang Kai walked out of a palace with a calm expression.
He had not gained anything. Although the palace was well-preserved, there was nothing of value inside.
This was also normal, and Yang Kai had expected it.
When he and the others were exploring High Heaven Sect for the first time, they had also not found much treasure left behind, so now Yang Kai was mentally prepared for this experience.
The cultivators who belonged to this ancient Sect may have taken away all their prized possessions before disaster befell them, so finding anything of worth remaining here was really a matter of luck.
Without pausing, Yang Kai quickly entered another palace.
At the same time, somewhere inside the Ancient Sect Ruins, a group of Origin Returning Realm masters gathered together led by a man in green robes and a man in blue robes. These two people were naturally Heaven Battling Union’s Union Master Qu Zheng and Thunder Typhoon Sect’s Sect Master Fang Peng.
At this moment, Qu Zheng held a communication artifact in his hand and poured his Divine Sense into it. After a while, he raised his head and said, “That little brat is ten kilometres west of here. Brother Fang, should we act now?”
Fang Peng pondered for a moment before asking, “Are Qian Tong and Fei Zhi Tu with him?”
“It seems they separated,” Qu Zheng replied, “But it doesn’t matter even if they are together. Qian Tong and Fei Zhi Tu wouldn’t even be able to block us for a moment.”
“Even if that’s true, those two belong to Shadow Moon Hall, if we really did something to them, Shadow Moon Hall would…” Fang Peng seemed a little hesitant.
“What thing is Shadow Moon Hall? Star Emperor Mountain is intervening in this matter personally. If Qian Tong and Fei Zhi Tu know what’s good for them, they would gladly back down, and if they don’t, hmph, Shadowed Star won’t mind another Sect disappearing.”
“Fair enough,” Fang Peng sneered, feeling that he was a bit too cautious.
“Father, since that kid has such a good relationship with Qian Tong and Fei Zhi Tu, shouldn’t we capture them so we can force him to act cautiously, lest innocents are hurt?” From the crowd, a brave and heroic-looking young man with piercing eyes proposed. This young man was holding a folding fan and had his hair tied up with golden threads which emphasised his white skin, giving him a free and unrestrained appearance.
If Yang Kai was here, he would definitely recognise this young man as Heaven Battling Union’s Young Union Master Qu Chang Feng, a famous rising star on Shadowed Star.
Yang Kai had a bad impression of Heaven Battling Union, and the primary reason for this was Qu Chang Feng. This young man’s playboy style was quite repugnant, and he had even tried to kill Yang Kai inside the Flowing Flame Sand Field once.
Yang Kai naturally would not have a good impression of him.
“Oh?” Qu Zheng raised his brow, “Why should we try to capture Qian Tong and Fei Zhi Tu? Those two old dogs are Third-Order Origin Realm cultivators, two Minor Realms higher than that little brat. Wouldn’t targeting them be more trouble than simply targeting him?”
Fang Peng and others also turned to look at Qu Chang Feng, somewhat puzzled by his proposal.
Qu Chang Feng just chuckled though as he snapped his folding fan open and fanned himself lightly, “Although that might be the case, as far as I know, that boy seems to be able to use Space Force. We may have a lot of manpower with us, but if we can’t thoroughly block him from fleeing, he may still be able to escape.”
“That little brat uses Space Force? Where did he learn that from?” Qu Zheng and Fang Peng both looked surprised.
“I accidentally heard Great Elder speak of it. Father might as well ask Great Elder about this; he should know more than I,” Qu Chang Feng didn’t explain much and instead turned his eyes towards an old man among the crowd, Heaven Battling Union’s Great Elder Mo Xiao Sheng.
Suddenly becoming the focus of attention, Mo Xiao Sheng stepped forward and said with a solemn expression, “Exactly, it is as the Young Union Master said. That Yang Kai does indeed have some attainment in the Dao of Space. This Elder witnessed him use it during the battle on Dragon Cave Mountain that day! Others may not have been able to notice, but the truth couldn’t be hidden from this Elder’s eyes as he also cultivates Space Force.”
“He actually cultivates Space Force?” Qu Zheng frowned as he asked with surprise. As the Master of Heaven Battling Union, Qu Zheng understood how difficult it was for someone to comprehend the Dao of Space.
This had nothing to do with cultivation aptitude, the Dao of Space was an esoteric field that was extremely difficult even to begin comprehending and even harder to cultivate afterwards. Great Elder Mo Xiao Sheng wouldn’t have even been able to touch upon this field if he had not had a fortuitous encounter many years ago, but even after all this time, his accomplishments in the Dao of Space were still extremely shallow with no way to seemingly go any further as well.
“Great Elder, in your opinion, what kind of mastery does that little brat have of the Dao of Space?”
“He only used Space Force once in front of this Elder that day, so it’s not easy to judge, but he should be on par with this old master,” Mo Xiao Sheng’s mouth twitched slightly. Although he was very unwilling to acknowledge Yang Kai’s accomplishments in this field as equal to his own, Mo Xiao Sheng had no other choice. Yang Kai suddenly disappearing from in front of him that day was clearly the result of using Space Force, a feat he could only match, not best.
It was precisely because of his comprehension of the Dao of Space that Mo Xiao Sheng could occupy the position of Heaven Battling Union’s Great Elder. Otherwise, just considering the density and purity of his Saint Qi, along with the degree to which he had condensed his Shi, there were several other Elders in the Union who were superior to him.
This point showed just how profound and mysterious the Dao of Space was.
“If that’s the case, this might be a little difficult,” Qu Zheng frowned. From what he knew about the Great Elder’s means, Qu Zheng understood just how difficult it was to capture a cultivator who cultivated Space Force alive.
Yang Kai was a trivial First-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivator who no one here put in their eyes, but knowing what they did now, none of them had complete confidence that they could capture him.
Anyone who could use Space Force had an unmatched advantage in speed and mobility, which made their ability to escape and outrun pursuers extremely high.
“That said, if we capture Qian Tong and Fei Zhi Tu, we really could add a layer of shackles to him,” Fang Peng pondered.
“Yes. Elder Liang, go monitor Qian Tong and Fei Zhi Tu. If you have an opportunity, capture them,” Qu Zheng ordered lightly, “If Shadow Moon Hall makes a fuss I’ll handle them.”
“Yes!” The Elder named Liang Yong, who let Yang Kai pass through before, immediately set off.
“Father, I have a presumptuous request!” Qu Chang Feng put away his folding fan and cupped his fists respectfully.
“Let’s hear it!” Qu Zheng doted on his son greatly so he would not dismiss him out of hand in front of so many people.
“If we really block off all of Yang Kai’s paths of retreat, please let me fight him!” Qu Chang Feng said solemnly.
“You?”
“Yes! During that battle on Battle of Dragon Cave Mountain, that boy made a big name for himself and is now being touted as the strongest of the younger generation. There are even rumours on Shadowed Star saying that his strength is not inferior to that of a Third-Order Origin Returning Realm master. I, on the other hand, think this is nothing but an exaggeration, so I wish to challenge him and prove who the true leader of this generation is,” Qu Chang Feng declared proudly. After finishing saying so, he even turned his head to look at another young man who was wearing simple robes and asked with a smile, “Brother Tian Zhong, what do you think?”
This young man was none other than Fang Tian Zhong, another famous rising star whose status equalled Qu Chang Feng. During this joint operation between Heaven Battling Union and Thunder Typhoon Sect, both these extraordinary youths had tagged along.
With his arms still folded, Fang Tian Zhong heard Qu Chang Feng’s question and only raised his brow slightly before replying indifferently, “It’s all nothing but unwarranted rumours. How outsiders evaluate him has nothing to do with this Fang.”
“Really? Then why were you so eager to join this little hunt? Didn’t you want to see with your own eyes what Yang Kai’s strength was like and whether there was any disparity with yours?” Qu Chang Feng snickered and needled him with no trace of politeness, “This Qu is a man of action and came here simply to fight him. Since Brother Tian Zhong has no interest, this Qu will take the lead.”
“Do as you like!” Fang Tian Zhong snorted indifferently.
“Good, then it’s decided. Have our people monitor Yang Kai’s movements. When he enters a place where there are no outsiders, we will act. This mission was assigned to us by Star Emperor Mountain, so failure is not an option,” Qu Zheng was a decisive man so seeing that negotiations here were finished, he waved his hands and gave the command.
As for his son’s challenge to Yang Kai, he would not stop it. It was a good thing for his son to desire to compete.
Yang Kai was completely oblivious to these machinations and had no idea so many were monitoring and plotting against him at this moment.
Although this Ancient Sect Ruin was quite vast, there were many cultivators now combing it, and since Yang Kai did not want to stir up unnecessary conflict, he had purposefully chosen more remote locations to explore.
After a few days, Yang Kai had some gains; artifacts, pills, Secret Arts, Secret Techniques, and more.
However, compared to his trip to the Emperor Garden, this kind of harvest could only be described as pitiful, not giving Yang Kai the slightest satisfaction.
Still, it was better than nothing.
One day though, after entering the depths of a particular palace, he did not leave for several days. The Heaven Battling Union and Thunder Typhoon Sect cultivators who had been monitoring his activities were at a loss seeing this, not understanding what Yang Kai had found or encountered.
Inside that palace, in a certain hidden underground room, Yang Kai was sitting cross-legged, circulating his Secret Art to absorb the nearby World Energy greedily.
In this hidden secret room, the World Energy aura was so dense it was visible to the naked eye, and there were even wisps of white silk threads lingering about. As Yang Kai breathed in, these pure white silk threads seemed to be attracted to him and quickly poured into his body.
As time passed, the number of these silk threads slowly decreased.
Pure Spirit Qi!
Yang Kai had never expected to have such an encounter in this place.
It was rumoured that there was a unique form of World Energy that could be directly absorbed by cultivators without the need to refine it with a Secret Art, instantly enhancing the cultivation realm and strength of the cultivator.
This was Pure Spirit Qi, and it had an indescribable effect on any cultivator, providing countless times more benefits than cultivating in the highest quality Earth Vein.
But Pure Spirit Qi was extremely rare and difficult to find. Even if it did manage to form in this world, it would quickly disperse and simply become part of the ambient World Energy unless it was specially stored.
This Ancient Sect Ruin was located above an excellent quality Earth Vein, and occasionally one or two strands of Pure Spirit Qi would be formed from it. This secret underground room was equipped with many profound Spirit Arrays that Yang Kai could not decipher, but there was a good chance they were explicitly designed to trap and preserve this Pure Spirit Qi.
One or two years of accumulation would not result in anything noticeable, and even the gathering of a hundred, or a thousand years would still be quite thin.
However, the accumulation of ten thousand years was quite shocking.
When Yang Kai opened the door of this room, he almost thought he saw an illusion as the Pure Spirit Qi inside had become so dense it was nearly solidified and tangible.
This unexpected discovery greatly excited Yang Kai, and after figuring out that this was really the rumoured Pure Spirit Qi, how could he hesitate? Closing the door to this secret room, Yang Kai immediately sat down and began to absorb everything he could.
Generally speaking, this kind of secret room where Pure Spirit Qi was being accumulated would only be opened once every few hundred years and was not meant for general cultivation. After all, although Pure Spirit Qi was extremely rare and valuable, it was simply too potent to increase one’s strength with.
It was mainly used to allow a cultivator who had encountered a bottleneck to break through.
Good steel was required to forge a quality blade.
When a cultivator broke through, the stronger the surrounding World Energy, the easier time they would have, and with Pure Spirit Qi as a catalyst, any cultivator could increase their chances and reduce the risk of breaking through.
But right now, this precious existence was being inhaled, strengthening his cultivation little by little. It was not an exaggeration to say that so much potent Pure Spirit Qi was enough to support the breakthrough of hundreds of cultivators.
It only took Yang Kai three days to absorb seventy percent of the Pure Spirit Qi in this room.
His own Saint Qi had become more and more powerful, and his realm had risen steadily to the peak of the First-Order Origin Realm!
However, at this moment, Yang Kai vaguely felt a layer of shackles impeding his progress, a bottleneck of sorts.
If it were any other cultivator, once they encountered this kind of impediment, they would need to calm their mind and spend time comprehending the Heavenly Way and Martial Dao, spending a great deal of time to break through this bottleneck.
But Yang Kai was different. He had absorbed the Soul Remnants of many cultivators in realms higher than his own, so his comprehension of the Heavenly Way and Martial Dao far exceeded his own realm. All he lacked at this moment was a certain degree of mental tempering.
Yet as long as he was willing, Yang Kai could still force himself to break through and arrive at the Second-Order Origin Returning Realm!
Yang Kai was not so eager for quick success though.
It hadn’t been long since he broke through to the First-Order Origin Returning Realm. Although Yang Kai had successfully condensed his Shi with the help of the Emperor Pressure emanating from the Emperor Garden, if he were to break through again so quickly, it would very likely cause some hidden dangers.
So, after pondering for a moment, Yang Kai decided against refining the remaining Pure Spirit Qi; nevertheless, just leaving it here would be too wasteful. After considering for a while, Yang Kai took out his communication artifact and poured his Divine Sense into it, wanting to contact Qian Tong and Fei Zhi Tu.
He planned to let the two of them absorb the remaining Pure Spirit Qi.
But to Yang Kai’s disappointment, Qian Tong did not respond!
This was somewhat strange. Although this Ancient Sect Ruin was not small, it wasn’t so big that these communication artifacts couldn’t reach each other. What happened to Qian Tong? Why did he respond to his message?
This development was not too surprising, though. Since this was the ruins of an Ancient Sect, there would no doubt be some locations that were isolated from the outside world. Perhaps Qian Tong was current inside some kind of shielded building.
Unable to contact Qian Tong and Fei Zhi Tu, and unable to bear just leaving this valuable Pure Spirit Qi behind, Yang Kai scratched his head for a while, uncertain of what to do.
However, after a while, his eyes lit up as he thought of an idea. Waving his hand, a fiery red light flew out of his body, spread its wings out, and transformed into a strange-looking bird.
Firebird Artifact Spirit!
Although it had no physical form, it possessed a high degree of sentience, so it shouldn’t be a problem for it to absorb the Pure Spirit Qi here; after all, it was even capable of refining the Sun’s True Fire.
Sure enough, after the Firebird flew out, it immediately cried out happily, opened its beak wide, and began sucking away the Pure Spirit Qi like a great whale.
The number of pure white silk threads of Pure Spirit Qi decreased at a rate visible to the naked eye.
…..
Outside the palace, more than twenty Origin Returning Realm masters from Heaven Battling Union and Thunder Typhoon Sect had gathered.
This place was quiet and remote, making it a perfect location for them to act without worrying about being seen by outsiders.
Although using such a luxurious lineup to deal with a First-Order Origin Returning Realm felt like overkill, since the other party was skilled in the use of Space Force, Qu Zheng and Fang Peng did not dare act carelessly.
Now there is only one problem, one that left them all at a loss.
Yang Kai would not come out!
They were regularly using their Divine Senses to explore the inside of the palace, but they couldn’t detect his aura. However, according to a report from a master from Heaven Battling Union, he had seen Yang Kai enter this palace with his own eyes.
“Brother Qu, the little brat hasn’t run, has he?” Fang Peng asked impatiently.
“Brother Fang wouldn’t be questioning how this Qu handles his subordinates?” Qu Zheng asked in annoyance; he too wished he could rush inside and personally drag Yang Kai out.
“This Fang didn’t have such intentions, but Brother Qu also knows that little brat cultivates Space Force. Perhaps he noticed someone was watching him and quietly escaped,” Fang Peng frowned.
“Brother Fang’s worries too much. Although Deacon Jia is only a Second-Order Origin Realm cultivator, he has a unique concealment technique. If he wants to conceal himself to monitor someone, forget this little brat, even this Union Master is not certain he would notice. Since Deacon Jia said that brat is inside, he is definitely inside.”
“Subordinate is willing to use his head as a guarantee that the little brat is still inside this palace!” A dozen metres away, an old man with a white goatee quickly declared with complete confidence.
“Fine. If that’s the case, then we’ll continue to wait, but with so many of us gathered here now, that little brat must have noticed already. Perhaps he does not dare to come out,” Fang Peng snickered.
“That is no longer a matter he can decide,” Qu Zheng sneered.
Just as these words were spoken, a life aura appeared inside the palace, causing everyone’s eyes to light up. Using their Divine Senses to investigate, they quickly confirmed this life aura belonged to Yang Kai.
Soon, Yang Kai’s figure appeared from the main entrance of the palace, his brow furrowed slightly as if he was surprised, but he did not show any signs of anxiety as he stepped forward.
“He came out!” Fang Peng muttered in a low voice.
“Finally, at last!” Qu Zheng sneered, his eyes flashing a cold light, “It saves this Union Master from having to go in and drag him out.”
Yang Kai strode forward, his hands crossed behind his back calmly, the surprise on his face already replaced with extreme indifference. Not only did he not panic, but he did not even show any intention of trying to avoid the crowd outside, stepping out and glancing around as he grinned, “Quite a number.”
“Yang Kai!” Qu Chang Feng snapped his folding fan closed as he called out with a grin, “You’ve made this Young Master wait!”
“Heaven Battling Union, Thunder Typhoon Sect…” Yang Kai nodded lightly, with a smile on his face, “Good, good, so many of you waiting here must be to kill me, yes?”
“You think we need so many people to kill you? Yang Kai, don’t act so arrogant, you’re not qualified,” Qu Chang Feng laughed.
“Really? Then why are so many of you gathered here?”
“To prevent you from running away.”
“So that’s how it is!” A look of understanding appeared on Yang Kai’s face, “I was wondering why Elder Liang had been so accommodating before, so it was all to prepare for this moment. En, this is a good place to silence witnesses. Can I ask why? Although there are some grievances between us, they are far from warranting such a dramatic response, right?”
“Do you think this Young Master will tell you?” Qu Chang Feng smiled contemptuously.
“It doesn’t matter if you talk or not, I can guess. It’s all for the Starship, right?” Yang Kai coldly snorted.
The only thing that could move Heaven Battling Union and Thunder Typhoon Sect to dispatch so many people for him was the Origin King Grade Starship.
This wasn’t just an ordinary Starship; it was also hope for all the masters on Shadowed Star to break through to the Origin King Realm.
Yang Kai frowned slightly as he secretly blamed himself for underestimating the allure of his Starship. He had not considered just how much turbulence the appearance of an Origin King Grade Starship would bring to Shadowed Star, but seeing this scene, he finally understood.
“Seems you’re not completely ignorant!” Qu Chang Feng did not try to deny it. Although Heaven Battling Union and Thunder Typhoon Sect had indeed been ordered by Star Emperor Mountain to work together and seize Yang Kai this time, when all was said and done, this really was all about the Origin King Grade Starship.
Outside the palace, nearly thirty Origin Realm masters from Heaven Battling Union and Thunder Typhoon Sect surrounded Yang Kai in an airtight formation with the leaders of the two great forces assuming personal command of the situation.
Although they had not taken any offensive action yet, various Shi were spread out over the surrounding few thousand metres, locking down the entire region. It was not an exaggeration to say that even trying to move a step inside this range would be difficult.
“Yang Kai, seeing how you are also the master of a Sect, if you are willing to surrender without a fight and waste your cultivation, this Young Master may be inclined to ask his honoured father and Sect Master Fang to give you a chance to survive!” Qu Chang Feng shouted while lightly fanning himself.
“Give me a chance to survive?” Yang Kai snickered without showing the slightest signs of panic, “What is this? Does Young Master Qu think that I’ve been backed into a corner here? That my only option is death? Are you all so confident you can force me to remain here?”
“It’s not confidence,” Qu Chang Feng slowly shook his head. “It’s simply a fact! Do you still believe you can flee from this place safely? Open your eyes and look how many of us there are here.”
“Do you think just having a few more people would help?” Yang Kai curled his lips.
“Hehe, if what you’re relying on is your Space Force, you should understand that you’re not the only one here who understands this power,” Qu Chang Feng sneered, “If you plan on using your Space Force to escape, this Young Master advises you to throw away that idea so as not to waste our time.”
Yang Kai’s expression darkened as he glanced around the crowd, his eyes quickly landing on Mo Xiao Sheng.
He had heard many times that the Great Elder of Heaven Battling Union cultivated Space Force, and although he had not seen it with his own eyes, there was no way so many rumours were all just false. Even now, this old man was watching him vigilantly, his Saint Qi locked onto him, apparently guarding against him using his Space Force to escape.
“What’s wrong? Has this Young Master exposed your plan?” Seeing Yang Kai hesitate, Qu Chang Feng laughed, thinking that he had hit upon Yang Kai’s weakness.
Yang Kai simply ignored him though and instead turned his gaze to Qu Zheng and Fang Peng, taking a light breath before narrowing his eyes and asking, “Do you two really want to do this?”
“Now that things have gotten to this point, is there any point in asking such nonsense? Waste your cultivation and we’ll let you keep your life!” Qu Zheng said indifferently in an unquestionable tone.
The order from Star Emperor Mountain was to capture Yang Kai alive so they could use him to force High Heaven Sect to surrender the Origin King Grade Starship. From the beginning, Qu Zheng and the others had no intention to kill Yang Kai. They had brought so many people simply to ensure they caught him.
“Haha,” Yang Kai grinned, “I had thought our two sides had not reached the point where all-out conflict was the only option, but since you two insist on compelling me, I hope you are able to bear this Yang’s anger!”
“Shameless boasting!” Qu Chang Feng shouted, “I’ll give you ten breaths of time to consider. After ten breaths, this Young Master will personally force you to submit!”
“There’s nothing to consider,” Yang Kai slowly shook his head, a sneer appearing on his face, “Young Master Qu, you should stop thinking so highly of yourself, because the truth is, you’re nothing!”
“Impudence!” Qu Chang Feng had never suffered such an insult. His suave posture was replaced by a ferocious visage, like a poisonous snake that had its tail stomped on and was now baring its fangs.
“From the first time I saw you, I felt you weren’t pleasing to the eye, but as long as you didn’t provoke me, I was disinclined to deal with you. Since you want to die, I’ll grant your request!” Yang Kai declared as he shot a sharp, aggressive look towards Qu Chang Feng.
The audience was shocked!
They had seen boldness before, but never like this.
Surrounded by nearly thirty Origin Returning Realm masters, this young man named Yang Kai not only did not flinch, he instead threatened Qu Chang Feng’s life in front of all of them. Was there something wrong with his head?
Didn’t Yang Kai see that he had already lost?
Even Qu Zheng and Fang Peng, who had incredible mental discipline, could not help feeling stunned as they secretly began wondering if Yang Kai had gone mad from the pressure.
But in the next moment, the expressions of these two changed dramatically as Yang Kai’s left eye flashed a golden light. From this golden light, a lotus bud appeared, flickered for an instant, then vanished.
Even Qu Zheng and Fang Peng, under the influence of that golden light, felt their thoughts become slightly confused.
By the time they recovered, cold sweat had appeared on their backs, but before they could collect themselves, a pitiful scream filled their ears. Looking towards the source of the sound, they saw Qu Chang Feng, who was acting arrogant just a moment ago, now holding his head and shouting, as if he was suffering from some kind of unbearable torture, red blood oozing from all seven of his orifices.
“Chang Feng!” Qu Zheng’s complexion changed drastically as he called out in panic and immediately rushed towards his son.
But before he could do anything, a loud bang resounded.
A gorgeous blood-red flower blossomed in that instant as Qu Chang Feng’s entire head burst apart. Blood sprayed out like a fountain from where his head once was before raining down and dying the surrounding earth red.
“Impossible!” Fang Peng could not help exclaiming in shock.
The Other Origin Returning Realm masters also stared at this scene with a mixture of shock and horror.
There was no sign of Yang Kai acting at all, yet Qu Chang Feng had now died inexplicably and in such a miserable manner.
Spiritual Energy! The only way one could kill without showing any physical signs was with Spiritual Energy. A moment ago, no matter who it was, as long as they were staring at Yang Kai they could feel their consciousness being disrupted with the appearance of that golden light.
There was also that indistinct lotus bud.
[How strong was his Spiritual Energy?] To kill a cultivator in the same realm in an instant, such a powerful Soul or strange Secret Technique, neither Qu Zheng nor Fang Peng had ever heard of anything like it.
If that Secret Technique had been targeting them just now… Many of the gathered masters could not help having such thoughts and feeling a chill shoot up their back, their hearts instantly beating fast.
“Father!” Fang Tian Zhong also turned pale as he gritted his teeth and called out to Fang Peng anxiously.
Both he and Qu Chang Feng were famous leaders of Shadowed Star’s younger generation, and although Qu Chang Feng’s daily conduct was somewhat disgraceful in Fang Tian Zhong’s opinion, the former’s skills were real. Fang Tian Zhong and he had fought for many years, each time their battle ending in a draw. In truth, the reason he had come here this time was just as Qu Chang Feng had said, to see whether Yang Kai was actually strong or weak.
But never had Fang Tian Zhong expected to witness such a scene.
Since Yang Kai could kill Qu Chang Feng in an instant, he could certainly do the same to him!
There was no longer any need to verify who was stronger or weaker, with such strength, even if Fang Tian Zhong and Qu Chang Feng joined forces they wouldn’t be able to defeat Yang Kai. Fang Tian Zhong’s heart trembled as his face filled with unwillingness.
He possessed an incredible background and even better aptitude. He had enjoyed the best cultivation resources and environment since he was born. He had already established his fame from a young age, and few among his generation were even worthy of his attention.
He had the capital to support his pride.
He could not even imagine what kind of opportunity Yang Kai had that led to him obtaining such terrifying combat power.
The tragic death of Qu Chang Feng had caused Fang Tian Zhong’s pride to be ground to dust and had left an indelible psychological shadow in his heart.
“Tian Zhong, withdraw. This is not a place you can intervene in!” Fang Peng frowned and ordered in a deep voice.
Qu Chang Feng’s fate was a harsh lesson, one he didn’t want his son to repeat.
“Yes!” Fang Tian Zhong gritted his teeth and shook his figure before retreating a thousand metres.
“Brother Qu!” Fang Peng called out to Qu Zheng.
Qu Zheng remained utterly stunned.
It seemed he had not yet recovered from the scene of his son’s tragic death, merely standing there blankly, his face filled with shock and disbelief.
“Not bad. Not bad at all. No one has decided to run,” Yang Kai smiled lightly. The golden light in his left eye had receded and a carefree expression appeared on his face, as if killing Qu Chang Feng had not required any effort for him, “Worthy of the two giants of Shadowed Star, your mental fortitude is commendable. Don’t worry, there’s no need to rush. None of you will be escaping here today.”
Saying so, Yang Kai pointed towards someone on his left, a cruel sneer appearing on his face, “You’re next!”
“Me?” The person pointed to by Yang Kai was a middle-aged woman whose beauty was only so-so but whose figure was quite alluring. She wore a water-blue dress and possessed a kind of mature charm.
Her strength was also not low, Second-Order Origin Returning Realm.
This middle-aged woman’s tender body could not help shivering when she was pointed at by Yang Kai, as if she had just received a death sentence. Her elegant face quickly wore an ugly, panicked expression as she could not help glancing over at Qu Zheng in fear, as if she wanted to seek protection.
But Qu Zheng still stood there dumbly, not paying any attention to her. Seeing how she could not count on her leader, the middle-aged woman gritted her teeth and shouted, “You want to take my life? Let us see if you have the ability!”
Everyone present suspected that Yang Kai killing Qu Chang Feng so easily was a result of him using a sneak attack, but this middle-aged woman’s strength was not only higher than Qu Chang Feng’s by a Minor Realm, she was also highly vigilant of Yang Kai now.
Saying so, this woman pushed her Saint Qi and quickly condensed a thin blue light curtain around herself, forming a solid barrier that made it look as if she was surrounded by some kind of bubble from a distance.
Not finished yet, this middle-aged woman hurriedly summoned a gauze-like artifact which after pouring her Saint Qi into immediately transformed into a second blue light curtain in front of her.
“Pointless struggling!” Yang Kai sneered as he summoned out a small arrow which fit in the palm of his hand.
Feather Spirit Arrow!
This strange artifact was something Yang Kai had only just obtained.
Yang Kai didn’t know how powerful this artifact was, but he estimated that it wasn’t low, so now was a good chance to experiment.
Facing the middle-aged woman, Yang Kai gently pointed the Feather Spirit Arrow forward, his movements looking calm and relaxed.
A shocking energy fluctuation burst out from the Feather Spirit Arrow in that instant as one of the jades inlaid in its shaft lit up and sent tiny glowing runes flowing across its length. As these runes flashed, they condensed into an illusionary arrow which suddenly shot out towards the middle-aged woman.
This illusionary arrow was pitch black in colour and its entire body seemed to be comprised of burning hot energy.
The Feather Spirit Arrow had been charged by Yang Kai’s own Saint Qi, so now that he was using its power, its characteristics were the same as his Demonic Flame.
The heat radiating from the illusionary arrow was so great it even distorted the surrounding space.
When Yang Kai attacked, the middle-aged woman immediately had a bad omen.
The black arrow shooting towards her was comparable to the full-powered strike of a Third-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivator!
[That’s not possible!] Even with the help of an artifact, a cultivator couldn’t produce an attack far beyond their own cultivation. The short black arrow had far exceeded the understanding of the middle-aged woman.
Could it be an Origin King Grade artifact? With such a thought, the middle-aged woman’s beautiful face changed colour, and she could not help letting out a panicked scream.
“Be careful!”
“Junior Sister Zhou, quickly dodge!”
Shouts came from all directions, clearly indicating that this woman from Heaven Battling Union, Zhou Ya, was quite popular. Seeing her in a life-threatening crisis at this moment, many called out towards her.
Some were even racing over towards Zhou Ya, wanting to help her.
How was Zhou Ya supposed to hide though? After sensing the immense power of this black arrow, she realised her situation was grave, but the speed of the black arrow was incredible, giving her no chance to avoid it.
In what seemed like the blink of an eye, the pitch-black arrow arrived at the first blue light curtain Zhou Ya had erected using her blue gauze artifact.
Silently, this protective artifact she had often relied on in the past was instantly pierced, not playing any role at all. The black arrow was like a hot knife piercing butter, crushing dry weeds, and smashing rotten wood as it flew forward, easily piercing the second Saint Qi defence Zhou Ya had around her body.
*Xiu…*
A black streak of light shot out behind the middle-aged woman and disappeared in the next instant.
The masters who had rushed over to try to rescue Zhou Ya came to a halt as they stared towards her chest in utter shock and horror.
Zhou Ya also seemed to realise something was wrong and following her companions’ gazes looked down, her face going ashen in the next instant.
She saw a hole as big as a rice bowl that ran straight through her chest. At the top of the hole, her still-beating heart was even vaguely seen.
Strangely though, there was no blood flowing out of the wound.
“Union Master… Save me!” Zhou Ya’s expression collapsed as she stretched out her hand towards where Qu Zheng was standing, seemingly trying to grab hold of her own life.
However, her struggles were in vain.
The moment her words fell, black Demonic Flames flared up from her wound, followed by a short, terrified scream, then silence as Zhou Ya was quickly reduced to ash!
Gasps rang out from all around.
Yang Kai killing Qu Chang Feng in an instant just now was largely because he had launched a clever sneak attack, but Zhou Ya’s instant death was something he accomplished in a frontal clash. What’s more, he had even given his Zhou Ya a warning and allowed her to ready her defences before he struck.
Even so, it was an instant kill!
No one dared to despise Yang Kai any longer, their expressions all becoming solemn as fear flashed across their eyes.
With a First-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivation, being able to kill a Second-Order Origin Returning Realm master in a breath was a situation too difficult to believe. Perhaps their Union Master could accomplish this if he used his full strength, but did that mean this boy’s strength was already comparable to Qu Zheng’s?
On top of that, what was that short arrow-like artifact? Why was it so powerful?
Outside the palace, there was no sound as almost everyone was fully immersed in their shock.
Yang Kai nodded in satisfaction. Although he knew that the Feather Spirit Arrow was incredibly powerful, he had not expected it to be this strong. It was just a pity that its usage came with such significant restrictions, needing to be charged up first and even then it could only be used twice in combat.
“Why are you all just standing there gawking? Do you want to let him pick us off one by one? He’s just one person, what are you so afraid of? He’s just relying on the power of his artifact!” Fang Peng suddenly shouted out before sneering, “If this old master isn’t mistaken, the methods he used just now can only be used a few times in quick succession. Is just this enough to destroy your courage? Surround him, this old master wants to see if he really has three heads and six arms!”
Old ginger was truly spicier than young ginger, in the end. As Thunder Typhoon Sect’s Sect Master, Fang Peng’s vision and insight were far sharper than an ordinary cultivator’s. Although he knew little about Yang Kai’s Blossoming Lotus Secret Technique and his Feather Spirit Arrow, Fang Peng was still able to see through their respective weaknesses.
Needless to say, the Feather Spirit Arrow could only be used twice in battle.
As for the Blossoming Lotus Secret Technique, even with Yang Kai’s vast Spiritual Energy, using it was very taxing.
Even at his peak, after using the Blossoming Lotus three or four times, Yang Kai’s Knowledge Sea would dry up.
The biggest reason Yang Kai used such powerful methods right from the start to kill two enemies was to deter others! There were too many enemies here for him to face, and although he was not afraid of them, if he couldn’t at least dampen their momentum, he would find himself in a troublesome spot.
The quick deaths of Qu Chang Feng and the middle-aged woman could put a great deal of psychological pressure on his opponents. In a duel between masters, aside from cultivation and methods, mindset also played a big factor in deciding who the victor was.
If one’s mental state was unstable, they would not be able to display their full strength.
Yang Kai’s plan had been half-successful, but it fell short at the last moment as Fang Peng exposed him to everyone.
These few words shook everyone out of their daze.
Hearing Fang Peng’s shout, everyone quickly came to their senses and carefully thought about what they just witnessed. No matter how strong a person was, they always had limits, let alone Yang Kai, who was just a First-Order Origin Returning Realm boy.
If he really had invincible strength, why choose to kill Qu Chang Feng and Zhou Ya? One of these two was a First-Order Origin Realm cultivator while the other was just a Second-Order.
If his strength was truly Heaven-defying, why not kill Qu Zheng and Fang Peng directly?
By only picking the soft persimmons, Yang Kai had exposed that he was just putting up a front.
Realising this, the crowd’s scattered momentum once again condensed and their fear disappeared, all using their artifacts and Secret Techniques one after another to bombard Yang Kai.
In an instant, colourful rays of light shot towards the spot where Yang Kai stood, causing the surrounding atmosphere to become extremely chaotic.
Facing attacks from more than twenty Origin Returning Realm masters, Yang Kai’s expression turned ugly as he hurriedly summoned his Purple Shield and activated its sandstorm ability to protect himself.
At the same time, the Firebird Artifact Spirit flew with a loud cry, opened its mouth wide, and sprayed out several washbasin-sized fireballs towards the attackers.
Not finished yet, Yang Kai summoned several dozen Golden Blood Threads and, under the guidance of his powerful Divine Sense, each one clashed with an incoming attack.
The battle instantly became heated instantly.
Yang Kai was at a severe disadvantage, and it was not long before his several dozen flailing Golden Blood Threads began to dim. Although the Artifact Spirit Firebird possessed great power two fists couldn’t block four strikes, and its body was quickly struck, scattered, then forced to re-condense, the cycle repeating over and over again.
The sandstorm guarding Yang Kai was scattered at an alarming rate, almost unable to maintain its shape and soon exposed his figure to the outside world.
Yang Kai grit his teeth and desperately tried to hold on in this extremely unfavourable situation.
Fang Peng stood aside, not in a hurry to make a move, just looking at Yang Kai’s awkward posture while laughing loudly, “Boy, it’s too late to regret now. This old master can spare your life, but some suffering is inevitable now. Who asked you to kill Young Master Qu?”
These words were laced with great meaning, as Fang Peng was taking pleasure in his partner’s misfortune. Qu Chang Feng had died tragically at Yang Kai’s hands, something Fang Peng was happy to see. Although he was temporarily cooperating with Heaven Battling Union, there were still a lot of grudges between the two forces. With Qu Chang Feng dying, Heaven Battling Union lost one of its most powerful youths, which was bound to be detrimental to its future development.
If things went well, when the next generation fully matured, no one would be able to compete with his son, Fang Tian Zhong.
*Boom boom boom!*
The spot where Yang Kai stood was impacted by several artifacts and Secret Techniques, causing a wide gap to form in the sandstorm created by the Purple Shield, exposing his figure.
At that moment, Heaven Battling Union’s Great Elder Mo Xiao Sheng’s figure appeared strangely in that spot with impeccable timing.
Like Yang Kai, he too had cultivated Space Force, so his actions were both quick and silent.
Pushing out his palm lightly, Mo Xiang Sheng’s hand passed through the gap in the sandstorm towards Yang Kai, potent Saint Qi surging from it.
With a cold snort, Yang Kai pushed out his own palm towards this attack, and when the two palms met, a burst of Saint Qi erupted.
A muffled bang rang out as Mo Xiao Sheng was sent several tens of metres backwards while Yang Kai’s figure also shook violently, exposing more flaws in his defence.
Facing a Third-Order Origin Returning Realm master, the Great Elder of Heaven Battling Union no less, Yang Kai was able to pull off a draw, a reality that thoroughly shocked Mo Xiao Sheng.
However, although his sneak attack did not hurt Yang Kai, his goal had been achieved. Yang Kai had been thrown off balance and exposed many openings.
Everyone present was an Origin Returning Realm master, and their eyesight was naturally first-class, so none of them had missed the opportunity created by Mo Xiao Sheng, immediately pushing their Saint Qi even harder as they attacked Yang Kai.
*Hualala…*
The sandstorm completely dispersed, and the Purple Shield re-appeared, its glow severely diminished, indicating its spirituality had been greatly damaged. Yang Kai’s body was then completely submerged in countless attacks.
Although the Purple Shield was an Origin Grade High-Rank artifact and had strong defensive strength, it could not withstand the attacks of so many masters. Since Yang Kai summoned it until now, it had only managed to last ten breaths of time.
Fang Peng frowned though and quickly released his Divine Sense to investigate the situation.
He did not want Yang Kai to die like this. If Yang Kai died, High Heaven Sect would never compromise, and there would be no way to force them to hand over the Origin King Grade Starship.
However, his worries were unnecessary. Even after such an attack, Yang Kai’s life had not been extinguished and only his aura had become somewhat chaotic.
This was only to be expected though. If Yang Kai was capable of taking such an attack head-on and still remain unharmed, Fang Peng would need to consider whether he should be withdrawing.
When the light and dust dispersed, Yang Kai’s embarrassing appearance was revealed, and everyone’s spirits rose!
How mighty and domineering Yang Kai was just now? He had not placed anyone in his eyes and even killed two Origin Returning Realm masters in a flash, but now it seemed that was all he was worth…
The crowd flashed happy expressions as they assumed Yang Kai had exhausted his bag of tricks.
*Dida dida…*
A soft sound reached everyone’s ears as blood dripped from Yang Kai’s body, but strangely, his blood was golden in colour and exuded an amazing amount of vitality.
Standing in place, Yang Kai’s eyes were as sharp as a blade with cold light overflowing from them.
Obviously, he had become truly enraged.
“Boy, it seems this is the extent of your ability! You should refrain from shamelessly boasting in the future! Young people who do not know the immensity of Heaven and Earth always have to suffer a bit to see the reality. I advise you to surrender now without a fight!” Fang Peng laughed loudly, the muscles on his face twitching slightly as he did, but no one noticed.
Although he made light of Yang Kai, he was actually quite shocked in his heart.
[This little brat is a monster!] A trivial First-Order Origin Realm cultivator was able to withstand the indiscriminate bombardment of more than twenty Origin Returning Realm masters. Although he had only managed to resist for ten breaths, that was already enough to be called a miracle.
Even Fang Peng did not dare say he could do this. Did that mean the strength of this boy was comparable to his own then?
Moreover, Fang Peng had heard that Yang Kai was just a Third-Order Saint when he first arrived on Shadowed Star, yet after just ten years, he had now broken through to the Origin Returning Realm!
This rate of growth was astonishing.
No cultivator on Shadowed Star could achieve such terrifying growth in such a short period of time.
No cultivator could have such terrible combat power compared to their realm!
When Fang Peng looked at Yang Kai, it was as if he saw infinite possibilities and hope, hope to break through to the Origin King Realm!
This boy could not be allowed to grow anymore. He was already so terrifying with such low cultivation, so if he were really allowed to fully mature, who on Shadowed Star could possibly oppose him?
Today, Heaven Battling Union and Thunder Typhoon Sect had thoroughly offended him, and if he had the opportunity in the future, he would definitely return it back a hundredfold. From the look in his eyes, Fang Peng could tell that Yang Kai was not one to easily forget his grudges.
[This boy must die!]
Fang Peng’s heart filled with murderous intent and dread as he secretly decided to kill Yang Kai once the task assigned by Star Emperor Mountain this time was completed. As long as this boy was alive, Fang Peng would have trouble just sleeping and eating.
“He’s already an arrow at the end of its flight, capture him!” Fang Peng shouted decisively. A long delay led to many problems, so he didn’t plan on hesitating.
When these words fell, half of the Origin Returning Realm masters rushed towards Yang Kai while the other half remained in place to prevent him from escaping.
In a blink, more than a dozen masters had approached to within ten metres of Yang Kai. At that moment though, the frustrated, hate-filled expression on Yang Kai’s face, as if he was incapable of fighting back any longer, suddenly transformed into a grin and he roared out in a furious voice.
“There was a path to the Heavens but you refused to take it, no gate to Hell but you still charged in. Since that’s the case, I will send you to the underworld myself!”
As he spoke, Yang Kai took out a wooden token the size of a palm. This wooden token had several complicated and subtle patterns carved onto it and radiated a mysterious power and brilliant, blinding light that.
“Not good!” Someone exclaimed, hurriedly wanting to withdraw.
But it was too late. The brilliant light which was being emitted by the wooden token suddenly spread to the surroundings and the dozen or so Origin Returning Realm masters near Yang Kai were engulfed in the next instant.
In the blink of an eye, these dozen Origin Returning Realm masters found themselves in a different world.
White clouds filled the sky as lush grass and trees surrounded them.
Everyone was stunned, with blank expressions filling their faces, unable to comprehend what their situation was.
At the same time, Fang Peng and the dozen or so Origin Returning Realm masters who did not move were also shocked as they stared blankly towards the scene in front of them.
In that instant, Yang Kai and a dozen of their companions had disappeared together without a trace. When the white light enveloped them, everyone seemed to disappear into thin air.
This was truly strange.
However, in the place where Yang Kai originally stood, there were some odd energy fluctuations.
An old man wearing Thunder Typhoon Sect robes and possessing a Third-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivation frowned, as if he had noticed something, and raised his hand to attack. However, this attack only flew out a short distance before it was blocked by a thin invisible barrier.
“A Spirit Array!” The old man’s eyes bulged as he exclaimed in shock.
“Why is there a Spirit Array here?” Fang Peng’s expression was also ugly to the extreme. They had just driven Yang Kai into a corner and were on the verge of capturing him, but now this unexpected development had occurred.
Yang Kai and a dozen or so cultivators from their side were trapped inside this Spirit Array! People outside of the Spirit Array could not see them at all and were also blocked from entering it, so even if they wanted to rush in to assist their companions, they couldn’t.
But how could there be Spirit Array here?
If it had been here all along, it should have been triggered long ago, and it was even more impossible for it to suddenly activate at this critical moment. Could it be that Yang Kai was aware of it, gained control of it, and had been planning to use it when a crisis broke out?
This was also highly unlikely!
“Sect Master, this Spirit Array shouldn’t have been arranged here,” The old man seemed to have studied Spirit Arrays and was able to see some clues.
“It wasn’t arranged here?” Fang Peng frowned and looked at him, “Elder Zou, what do you mean? If this Spirit Array was not arranged here to begin with, are you saying that brat Yang Kai suddenly just arranged it?”
“It should be so,” Elder Zou gently nodded.
Fang Peng coldly snorted and said, “Although this old master doesn’t know much about Spirit Arrays, he at least knows that such a powerful Spirit Array cannot be easily arranged. Let’s not talk about all the auxiliary tools required to do this, just the amount of time required should be far greater than the instant that boy was provided, so how could he have instantly arranged a Spirit Array?”
“Sect Master, I believe the answer lies with that wooden token that boy took out,” Elder Zou said thoughtfully, “If this old master is correct, then that wooden token is very likely to be a long lost, legendary Array Plate!”
“Array Plate?” Fang Peng’s eyes narrowed, apparently having heard about Array Plates at some point. Staring at the old man surnamed Zou in amazement, he could not help asking, “Are you sure it was such a thing?”
“Besides this, this old master cannot think of another suitable reason to explain why this boy was able to instantly arrange such a Spirit Array. That wooden token was most likely an Array Plate with a Spirit Array sealed inside of it. Moreover, it is an extremely powerful Spirit Array.”
“How could he possibly have such a thing?” Fang Peng’s face went pale, “Can you crack this array?”
Elder Zou hesitated for a moment before answering, “If this old man was given two days, he would be able to crack it. Just now, this old man probed this Spirit Array slightly and discovered that it was quite powerful, so… two days is the fastest.”
“Two days…” Fang Peng smiled bitterly.
Such a long time was enough for spilt blood to go cold.
“It doesn’t matter what Spirit Array it is; we can just destroy it!” An angry shout suddenly rang out, causing Fang Peng’s look to shake. Turning his head, Fang Peng discovered that the speaker was Qu Zheng, but at this moment, Heaven Battling Union’s Union Master’s eyes were completely bloodshot and an extremely violent aura was pulsating from his body.
The pain of losing a son had obviously infuriated him!
“Ahem, Brother Qu, please restrain your grief!” Fang Peng put on a sorrowful expression and comforted while celebrating in his heart. No matter what kind of trouble Yang Kai caused him, it was nothing compared to Qu Zheng’s pain of having to bury his son.
However, since the two forces were now working together, Fang Peng had to at least keep up appearances, otherwise Qu Zheng would likely turn his anger on him.
“A mere Spirit Array is enough to block you?” Qu Zheng ground his teeth and shouted with a ferocious expression, “Break this damn thing and drag that little brat out for me! He and I are absolutely irreconcilable! This old master will rip his corpse into ten thousand pieces!”
“Brother Qu, calm yourself,” Fang Peng was taken aback, and quickly repeated, “You must stay calm.”
“You dare to stop me?” Qu Zheng glared at Fang Peng, “Whoever dares try to stop me will be this Qu’s enemy. This Qu will not let anyone off!”
Fang Peng frowned in displeasure as he said, “That boy truly deserves death. It is just as Brother Qu says, just as you cannot tolerate him, neither can this old master!”
“In that case, help this Qu break this Spirit Array, Brother Fang.”
“This Spirit Array definitely needs to be broken and that boy dragged out, but… Brother Qu, before we complete our task, that boy cannot die. Don’t forget who gave us this task, if Brother Qu kills that boy out of anger and causes us to fall short of success, I believe Brother Qu should understand the consequences.”
Qu Zheng shivered slightly when he heard these words and finally regained some of his composure, casting a glance towards a certain person among the crowd while revealing a look of dread before muttering, “What Brother Fang said is correct, this Qu was not thinking just now.”
“Good, as long as you understand,” Fang Peng breathed a sigh of relief. Although he was eager for Qu Zheng to kill Yang Kai and implicate Heaven Battling Union, his Thunder Typhoon Sect would not escape unpunished if such a thing happened. He had to dissuade Qu Zheng using both emotion and logic, and fortunately Qu Zheng had not yet reached a point where he couldn’t be reasoned with.
“But… after this matter is finished, that little brat must be handed over to this Qu. I want him to taste the most brutal torture this world has ever known!” Qu Zheng grit his teeth and shouted sternly.
“Certainly, after this matter is over, whether that boy lives or dies will be up to Brother Qu to decide,” Fang Peng nodded before shouting, “Stop standing around! Quickly break open this Spirit Array and capture that boy!”
“Yes!” The remaining dozen or so Origin Returning Realm masters simultaneously shouted before hurriedly summoning their respective artifacts and releasing their Secret Techniques towards the invisible barrier in front of them. Even Fang Tian Zhong, who had been observing from a thousand metres away, ran over and contributed his strength.
While these people attacked the Spirit Array from the outside, the dozen or so Origin Returning Realm masters who had been caught by Yang Kai looked around the inside the Spirit Array created by the Array Plate, confused.
A moment ago, they were attacking Yang Kai, but now they had suddenly come to this strange place, so they were at a bit of a loss. On top of that, after looking around, each of them realized they were no longer close to each other, all of them spread out somewhat.
“Brother Si Tu, what is this place?” Elder Liang Yong of Heaven Battling Union turned his head and asked someone not far away, Vice Sect Master Si Tu Hong of Thunder Typhoon Sect.
Before, it had been the two of them who let Yang Kai pass and join up with Qian Tong and Fei Zhi Tu.
“I don’t know, but it looks like we’re trapped in some kind of Spirit Array.”
“Spirit Array!” Liang Yong’s face changed slightly, “What about Yang Kai?”
“What do you think?” Si Tu Hong answered with a question of his own.
Liang Yong’s heart clenched before sinking considerably.
It wasn’t surprising that Liang Yong was panicked. Yang Kai managed to withstand the concentrated bombardment of so many people on his own, so now that he had a Spirit Array to support him, wouldn’t he be even more difficult to handle?
Moreover, Liang Yong was unable to find where Yang Kai was even when using his Divine Sense. In this weird place, it seemed that there were only his companions and himself, no one else.
Liang Yong naturally didn’t believe that this Spirit Array was just meant to trap them; Yang Kai would definitely have an additional hand to play.
“Everyone, gather together, don’t disperse.” Liang Yong suddenly yelled. He couldn’t find any trace of Yang Kai, but that didn’t matter. As long as he and his dozen or so companions stuck together and watched each other’s backs, they should be able to hold out until their allies outside broke this Spirit Array. If they spread out and allowed Yang Kai to defeat them one by one though, it was very likely they would be completely wiped out.
Yang Kai’s profound methods had left a deep impression on him.
Hearing Liang Yong’s call, everyone recovered their senses and quickly moved closer to where he was.
But at that moment, the change occurred.
The pure white, flawless clouds which were originally floating high up in the sky began dropping down at a frightening speed.
Although no one understood what was special about these white clouds, none of them dared allow them to approach unchallenged, instantly using their Movement Skills to avoid them while summoning their artifacts to attack.
However, the white clouds seemed to be completely intangible, so even if they were attacked, they only became slightly scattered and would soon reform.
“What the hell are those!” A middle-aged man shouted impatiently as he poured his Saint Qi into a long dagger-like artifact he was holding and slashed out fiercely, wanting to split apart the white clouds which were descending upon him.
This middle-aged man had a Second-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivation and possessed great strength. The dagger he was wielding was an Origin Grade Mid-Rank artifact he had obtained accidentally in a mysterious cave many years ago and now regarded it as his most precious treasure. This dagger had helped him kill powerful enemies many times and was the artifact he most relied upon.
A shocking wave burst forth from the dagger and smoothly bisected the white cloud in front of the middle-aged man, allowing him to sneer and leap forward to pass through the opening he had made with a flicker.
But just as his figure was about to emerge from this split white cloud, the cloud which had been split in half quickly converged and immediately wrapped around him.
A startled shout rang out.
Immediately, the white clouds within a twenty-metre radius actually began to gather together and transform into a majestic lion.
This lion was more than seven metres tall, its entire body yellowish-brown in colour. Lifting its head up high, the lion let out a deafening roar as shocking energy fluctuations burst from its body.
At the same time, the abdomen of this giant lion visibly bulged, as if something was struggling inside of it, wanting to burst out.
Obviously, it was the middle-aged man who had been engulfed by the white clouds just now.
However, there was nothing he could do. The lion’s stomach swelled and shrank repeatedly as a shocking burst of energy pulsed from it, but soon, a crunching sound rang out, almost as if something was being crushed and ground down.
The movement inside the lion’s abdomen also stopped abruptly while the life aura of the middle-aged man was quickly dispersing.
“A Great Desert Lion?” Liang Yong exclaimed with a shocked expression on his face.
He was able to recognize what kind of Monster Beast this lion was at a glance, but it was a little different from a real Monster Beast. It didn’t emit any Monster Qi, but its form was definitely that of a Great Desert Lion. What’s more, the aura radiating from it was comparable to a fully matured Great Desert Lion!
A mature Great Desert Lion was a peak Ninth-Order Monster Beast, and in terms of combat capabilities, it was completely capable of overwhelming a Second-Order Origin Returning Realm human cultivator and could even win against ordinary Third-Orders.
As soon as Liang Yong’s words rang out, all the other surrounding white clouds began transforming and soon, massive and varied Monster Beasts began appearing all around the dozen or so remaining masters.
Giant Horn Rhinoceros, Deep Sea Flood Dragon, Profound Black Tiger, Roaring Moon Wolf, Ironback Centipede, Golden Poison Toad…
There were many different Monster Beasts here, each one belonging to an extremely fierce species.
Regardless of what type of Monster Beast it was, the weakest was Eighth-Order and there was no lack of those at the Ninth-Order; however, all of them were slightly different from orthodox Monster Beasts. Not only were they massive in size, but they also pulsed with astonishing energy.
As soon as these Monster Beasts took shape, they searched for the nearest target and began madly attacking the Origin Returning Realm masters.
There were so many Monster Beasts that everyone was instantly separated and forced to fight against at least three or four enemies.
The dozen or so Origin Realm masters from Heaven Battling Union and Thunder Typhoon Sect quickly began letting out panic-filled screams. Although their cultivations weren’t low and their strength wasn’t weak, caught inside this strange Spirit Array and besieged by so many powerful Monster Beasts, they instantly found themselves at a massive disadvantage.
Yet what truly made them desperate was that these Monster Beasts seemed to be immortal. Even if they are cut to pieces, they would soon reform, making them incredibly difficult to deal with.
The first casualty appeared less than a half cup of tea’s worth of time after the battle began. No one was able to tell if the first to die was from Thunder Typhoon Sect or Heaven Battling Union, but in a moment of distraction, this man was struck by a giant horned lizard and tossed up into the air.
Before this man could land, a dark green dragon several dozen metres in length flew over from his side, opened its mouth, bared its giant fangs, and viciously bit down onto him.
The man’s protective layer of Saint Qi flashed violently but was ultimately unable to resist the force of the Deep Sea Flood Dragon’s bite.
*Ka…*
With a loud cracking sound, the layer of protective Saint Qi shattered and the man’s body was directly bitten in half. Blood splashed out all over the battlefield as the man died a truly miserable death.
The terrified scream this man released just before his death sent chills up his remaining companion’s spines. They were all struggling desperately, barely able to protect themselves and now their morale had taken a hit, causing their situations to instantly worsen
“Yang Kai, is hiding in the dark all you’re capable of? Get out here and fight this old master head-on!” Liang Yong angrily shouted.
Yang Kai’s hearty laughter rang out immediately, “Elder Liang, don’t try to irritate me, I’ll come out when the time is right, but in the meantime… Heh heh, you should all have a taste of this Spectral Cloud Array’s power. En, I’m looking forward to how many of you I can send to your graves!”
The voice was vague and seemed to be coming from close by but also from far away, making it impossible for Liang Yong to locate Yang Kai’s position. For a time, his face was ashen and desperate to the extreme.
But from Yang Kai’s words, he finally knew what this damned Spirit Array was.
Spectral Cloud Array! Liang Yong was not proficient in Spirit Arrays, and he didn’t know about the mysteries of this particular one, some others in his group couldn’t help exclaiming, “Spectral Cloud Array, it’s actually the Spectral Cloud Array, impossible! This Spirit Array was lost long ago and is impossible for anyone to arrange today!”
“Oh, this friend seems to be a bit more knowledgeable and has dabbled in Spirit Arrays. En, at the current level of Shadowed Star, no one can arrange a Spectral Cloud Array, but mine was not arranged by any living cultivator.”
“Does that mean…” The man’s expression changed drastically as he quickly understood.
No one currently being able to arrange it did not mean that no one from ancient times couldn’t.
The difficulty of arranging the Spectral Cloud Array lay with the white clouds which were in fact real clouds. A cultivator who wished to arrange a Spectral Cloud Array needed the incredible Divine Ability to reach the sky, refine the clouds, and seal the Soul Core and Essence of powerful Monster Beasts into them.
Currently, the strongest cultivators on Shadowed Star were only Third-Order Origin Returning Realm masters. Who among them had the ability to refine the clouds in the sky?
Only an Origin King could possibly accomplish such a feat.
After this refinement was finished, these clouds could transform into Cloud Beasts which were capable of displaying the strength of the Monster Beast Soul which was sealed into them. Because they were simply condensed from clouds though, they were extremely difficult to destroy as they could quickly coalesce and re-form even if they were scattered to pieces.
The Array Plate of the Spectral Cloud Array was a treasure Yang Kai obtained when he entered the depths of the Emperor Garden the first time.
After refining and warming it in his body for so long, Yang Kai had only used it once, when he dove into the Emperor Garden for the second time and hunted the Seven Coloured Elk Variant.
That Seven Coloured Elk Variant’s speed was simply too great, and Yang Kai had no other way to constrain it than using this Spirit Array.
Apart from then, he had not used this Array Plate again.
However, being besieged by so many people this time was an excellent opportunity to display the power of the Array Plate.
Previously, when he, Fei Zhi Tu, and the others had fallen into the Spectral Cloud Array, they had barely been able to protect themselves, which showed just how powerful this Spirit Array was. Moreover, at that time, the Spectral Cloud Array was not being controlled by anyone and was simply attacking them autonomously, only able to display about twenty to thirty percent of its might.
Now that this Spirit Array was being controlled by Yang Kai, although he didn’t dare say he could exert one hundred percent of its power, seventy to eighty percent was entirely possible.
With his extremely powerful Divine Sense, it wasn’t difficult for Yang Kai to control the powerful Cloud Beasts. If his Divine Sense had been strong enough, he could have controlled more Cloud Beasts and killed those trapped within even more easily.
Hidden from view, Yang Kai Divine Sense flickered about, controlling each Cloud Beasts to attack the enemy, showing no mercy.
Now that he had torn face with Heaven Battling Union and Thunder Typhoon Sect, Yang Kai certainly wouldn’t have any scruples when dealing with them.
He didn’t want to stir up trouble, but he was forced to do so. Since the other party wanted to deal with him, they should be prepared for the consequences.
More than a dozen Origin Returning Realm Masters were by no means a weak force, but they were now divided by all the Cloud Beasts, unable to group up to mount a proper defence.
As long as there was enough time, these Cloud Beasts killing all of these masters was inevitable.
However, Yang Kai suddenly frowned and turned to look at a certain position.
As the owner of the Spectral Cloud Array’s Array Plate, he could naturally perceive that the people outside were attacking that place fiercely at this moment, and they were not sparing any effort. It was likely that it wouldn’t be long before this Spirit Array was broken.
This wasn’t a result Yang Kai was willing to see.
After grumbling for a moment, Yang Kai waved his hand slightly and the Firebird Artifact Spirit flew out again, stretching its wings as a monstrous heat wave burst from its body.
“Go!” Yang Kai gave a light command, sending the Firebird out with orders to find opportunities to kill the enemy.
Yang Kai wasn’t finished though and quickly stretched out his hand again, this time summoning a green long sword into it. This long sword had no blade edge and looked extremely strange, especially the longan sized bead which was embedded in its hilt that seemed to have a tiny snake swimming about inside of it.
Verdant Dragon Bone Sword.
Saint Qi madly poured into it and the Dragon Bone Sword began releasing a terrifying majesty. In the next moment, a giant dark-green dragon appeared in front of Yang Kai, opening its mouth and letting out a loud dragon roar. Without even needing Yang Kai’s careful manipulation, it shook its head and waved its tail before rushing towards the nearest enemy.